Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Unexpected Reunion in the Downpour
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South of the Empire.
The grandest jungle forest in imperial history, Line Roth.
A torrential downpour was unleashing there.
It was the rainy season, but not at the usual time.
Line Roth, being in the humid southern hemisphere, saw frequent rains to begin with.
Even within that, there was a period of especially heavy downpours.
The days when the rain guardian deity raged.
Line Roth's rainy season was notoriously brutal, earning its own saying like that.
It ran from July to November.
Right now, it was just past November.
Normally, the rainy season would be winding down by then.
But the southern skies were fickle.
The heavens were throwing a belated tantrum.
Shooooaaa—
All the rain accumulated in the skies came crashing down.
Visibility was zero, and floods had already broken out nearby.
Some buildings were even starting to crumble under the relentless assault.
The ground was submerged knee-deep in rainwater.
Fortunately, Loveli Village near Line Roth was well-prepared for this.
Its buildings were elevated off the ground.
So Leyzon stayed put in his inn.
Syria was in the middle of evolving anyway, so he had no plans to go out.
Her evolution would be complete in just one more day.
'Just need to hole up quietly for a day.'
Leyzon came downstairs to the inn's first floor with that laid-back thought.
Thanks to the delayed rainy season, the place was packed.
Even those planning to leave Loveli Village had been stranded, so it was no surprise.
The innkeeper was grinning ear to ear.
The staff, on the other hand, looked like they were on the verge of collapse from the workload.
Leyzon felt bad but added to it anyway.
"I'll have the meat soup and bread, please."
The inn always stocked plenty of ingredients due to frequent rainy season damage.
Most were suited for long-term storage, though.
The meat soup had been simmering so long it was impossible to guess when it started.
The bread was made only from types that didn't spoil easily.
So the taste left much to be desired.
"Nom nom."
But Hanok was different.
As soon as his meal arrived, he dunked the hard bread into the meat soup and devoured it.
Leyzon had adapted to the local palate to some extent.
But Hanok's gusto was something else, worthy of admiration.
'Honestly, I miss Korean food.'
Even when money was tight at home, Leyzon had always managed to eat somehow.
Memories of instant ramen from back then welled up, blurring his vision with tears.
'I'd often hit up a kimbap shop and beg for extra kimchi to tide me over.'
Why did food from tough times taste so nostalgic?
Then.
Creak—
The inn door suddenly swung open.
The server had figured no more guests would brave the pouring rain outside.
Surprised by the unexpected arrival, she hurried over.
There stood a man drenched to the bone.
Red hair peeked out from under his robe.
A color rarely seen among commoners.
Like it or not, it drew the eye.
And the sharp glint in his eyes beneath that hair...
Definitely not those of an ordinary person.
The server handed him a towel like it was routine.
He took it and dried his hair.
The inn's patrons gave the man curious looks.
Leyzon, spotting him, felt a surge of bewilderment.
'What the hell is this guy doing here?'
Sword Saint Begriss Fernando.
He'd clearly left just the other day, so why was he back?
The Sword Saint listened to something the server said.
Then his eyes suddenly locked onto Leyzon.
'What? Why are you looking over here?'
As Leyzon panicked, the Sword Saint exchanged a few more words.
Then he headed straight their way.
Leyzon stared blankly as the Sword Saint stopped right in front of him.
"Mind if I join you?"
Only then did Leyzon notice every seat was taken.
The server must have told him there were no vacancies.
But then he'd spotted Leyzon, whom he knew from before, and figured he'd ask.
'I just wanna kick him out.'
This guy had a knack for tangling up no matter how much Leyzon dodged.
'He hasn't suspected me yet, though.'
Leyzon was good at reading people.
The Sword Saint just wanted shelter from the rain, nothing more.
No ulterior motives.
'Especially after Pensaldor introduced me personally.'
Refusing now would look suspicious.
"Sure, have a seat."
Leyzon reluctantly made room.
It ended up an incredibly awkward spot.
The Sword Saint was oblivious, but to Leyzon, he was Syria's owner—the one the man saw as an enemy.
Whatever the truth, the Sword Saint still believed that.
For Leyzon, who knew better, it was pure discomfort.
Especially with Syria unable to fight right now.
The Sword Saint leaned back in his chair without a word.
After he appeared,
Hanok clamped his mouth shut and just stirred his meat soup.
He clearly wanted more but was wary of the mood.
The air was oppressively heavy.
Leyzon hated it.
"......Pensaldor isn't with you. Where'd he go?"
Unable to bear the silence, Leyzon spoke first.
His words snapped the Sword Saint's eyes open.
"......Pensaldor got lost."
Leyzon blinked.
Pensaldor got lost?
What kind of nonsense was that?
Leyzon had met Pensaldor face-to-face and talked with him.
His appearance was far from delicate.
But unlike his looks, he was meticulous in his role as adjutant.
Leyzon had heard this straight from Rafila, guildmaster of the Steel Wolf Guild.
'He handles most of the work, even more than the Sword Saint.'
That said, the Sword Saint had an instinct Pensaldor lacked.
He sniffed out incidents before they blew up.
And he had the power to stop them.
So Pensaldor took the tedious tasks, leaving the big ones to the Sword Saint.
For such a man to get lost?
Impossible.
Leyzon's eyes narrowed.
The lost one wasn't Pensaldor.
'It's the Sword Saint, this guy.'
He was playing it cool, but this wasn't his first time.
'Pensaldor probably told him to backtrack if he got lost.'
He couldn't find new paths, but he could retrace old ones.
Pensaldor was likely rushing back to Loveli Village searching for him right now.
Leyzon pitied his efforts.
"I see. So Pensaldor has no sense of direction."
But he couldn't outright deny the Sword Saint's claim.
"Exactly."
The Sword Saint nodded shamelessly.
Maybe because they'd only met in battle before.
Back then, he was a fierce swordsman.
Leyzon knew little about swords.
Even so, the Sword Saint's blade was otherworldly.
'Syria said he was the best swordsman she'd ever seen.'
In Leyzon's mind, he was either "dangerous" or "recruitable."
But today, Leyzon got a better sense of the man.
'His head's refreshingly empty.'
His face showed every thought.
He'd clearly lived without needing to hide his feelings.
Born into a marquess family.
Praised as a genius for his swordsmanship.
He could've been arrogant as hell.
No reason to mask emotions from others.
That sparked an idea in Leyzon's quick mind.
'I've avoided him so far.'
But this could be an opportunity.
The corners of his mouth crept up.
Leyzon's mind spun positively in an instant.
Thinking positively no matter what was his specialty.
"How did you end up in Loveli Village, Sword Saint?"
He opened the conversation.
From there, Leyzon's mouth ran free.
The Sword Saint eyed him at the question.
His gaze carried an innate pressure from the strong.
But who was Leyzon?
A necromancer who handled top-tier undead worldwide.
He'd felt that pressure plenty.
The Sword Saint's was nothing now.
"I'm heading to the Blazing Plateau myself."
"......The Blazing Plateau?"
Doubt flickered in the Sword Saint's eyes for the first time.
It made sense.
The Empire banned entry to the Blazing Plateau.
It was too dangerous.
Going there was suicidal.
He'd gauged Leyzon's level.
An 11th Ascension pioneer at best.
Skill aside, it was a stretch.
"I'm looking for my companion's family."
The Sword Saint's gaze naturally shifted to Hanok.
Hanok flinched mid-stir.
He hadn't expected to be dragged in.
"Y-yeah, that's right."
He answered hastily, barely biting back a slip from nerves.
The Sword Saint's eyes sharpened quietly.
Hanok was a rare Sword-Tooth Clan member.
Magical slave marks scarred his neck.
Proving his status instantly.
Slavery was illegal in the Empire.
But other races were exceptions.
Pensaldor hadn't batted an eye at Hanok.
Legally fuzzy, and Leyzon didn't treat him like a slave.
He wouldn't have brought a slave to the baths otherwise.
The Sword Saint was pragmatic.
No point nitpicking.
He had no intention of calling out the slavery.
'......Searching for a slave's family?'
That part baffled him.
And that was exactly Leyzon's aim.
'I don't know how much of the Empire's dark side the Sword Saint knows.'
One thing was clear: he was upright.
If he learned about the Shadow Warlord and took interest,
he'd dig into the White-Shell Sovereign killed by him and the Death Dragon.
And notice the Empire's shady moves in the process.
'Plant the seed of doubt against the Empire in him.'
Leyzon had distanced himself from the Blue Sparrow Knights' truth amid events.
But he didn't have to uncover it alone.
'Make it so the Sword Saint reaches it himself someday.'
Planting the seed worked too.
"......Did the transcendent evil cultists there capture your family?"
"Not exactly."
Leyzon gave an awkward smile.
It hinted at things too sensitive to say outright.
The Shadow Warlord was officially an imperial traitor.
No blabbing about that in front of Empire ties.
'Even if the Sword Saint misses it.'
Pensaldor, with sharp ears and judgment, was by his side.
One retelling, and he'd connect the dots.
Then.
"I see. I'm heading that way too, as it happens."
The Sword Saint steered unexpectedly.
He was the type to repay favors, like Leyzon.
He'd received the favor of a seat.
To repay it.
"You said it's your companion's family. I'll help."
He offered to assist Leyzon.
Leyzon's smile nearly cracked.
'No, why does it have to turn out like this?'