Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Echoes of the Blue Sparrow
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A red shadow raced through the forest.
A short while later, something suddenly burst out from within the red shadow.
It was Leyzon who emerged from the shadow.
Leyzon removed both the black mask and the face mask at the same time.
His original appearance was revealed.
"Phew."
Only after taking off both masks did he finally catch his breath.
In his arms was a small bat clutched close.
"Syria."
[Ugh, I still can't get used to how draining this is.]
Syria let out a groan.
Thanks to having gone through it once before, she managed to flap her wings despite her wobbling.
She seemed to have adapted somewhat.
Leyzon wiped his nose while looking at her.
Blood stained his hand as he did.
His body shivered with chills.
The toll on his mana circuits was severe.
'I can't pull this off too often.'
He had no intention of vowing never to do it again, even on pain of death.
If he could use it, he would.
[I'm sorry. Leyzon, if only I were stronger...]
Syria flapped her wings with a gloomy expression.
Leyzon wrapped his arms around her and patted her head.
"There's such a thing as matchups. No need to apologize."
Leyzon had no thought of blaming Syria.
"If anything, you guided them perfectly, which made things go smoothly."
In Leyzon's view, running into the Sword Saint had been rotten luck.
Who could've guessed that the world's champion would show up right there?
No one could've seen that coming. It was just bad luck, plain and simple.
'Did a demon tag along to Sahā Village too?'
Every time he came here, he got tangled up in incidents with powerhouses.
"Running into the Sword Saint was just coincidence."
"Yeah, I caught a strong scent and peeked outside for a moment, and suddenly they came charging at me."
Syria had been disguised as a shadow.
That meant he had some skill that pierced through disguises.
'Tch, he's got something annoying.'
For someone who needed to hide his identity, it was a huge headache.
Good thing he'd worn the black mask, at least.
With double layers concealing him, it probably hadn't been easy to see through.
'I wanted to finish him off if possible.'
If he'd merged with his undead from the start, maybe.
But he'd deliberately held off on undead fusion to lure him in close.
Had he used fusion right away, the Sword Saint would've changed tactics.
He surely would've adopted a method suited for facing a powerhouse.
But Leyzon's main body had seemed weak compared to the magic he wielded.
So the Sword Saint had gone for a quick, decisive strike, taking a reckless gamble.
And in truth, it had been the right call.
'Thunderbolt [SS].'
Had he kept his distance with that from the outset, the fusion magic would've fizzled out.
'More than anything, outright killing the Sword Saint...'
His status was the issue.
He was the son of an imperial marquis.
In Dungeon Replay, a noble's authority was beyond imagination.
Most people never crossed paths with nobles unless they lived in a city.
Their positions were lofty and rarefied.
'Estelle's already wanted for killing a count and the White Horn Lord.'
Had he slain the Sword Saint, the marquis house would've issued orders without fail.
'I can't afford to be openly hunted by the Empire just yet.'
At his current level, he couldn't handle the Empire's assaults.
'Especially those imperial figures who pursued Estelle.'
They might come after Leyzon too.
According to Estelle, they were adept at fighting necromancers.
If it came to clashing with them, Syria might survive, but Leyzon's odds of dying were high.
So for now, he had to avoid confronting them.
Nor could he kill the Sword Saint and turn him into a retainer.
There were necromancers inside the Empire.
'They'd sniff it out for sure.'
That was why he hadn't sent the five back to the Night Raven Squad.
'He might become a headache later.'
But for now, a vengeful Sword Saint chasing him was preferable to the Empire.
"Hoo."
Leyzon exhaled.
He shook off the anxiety that might arise later.
Instead, he shifted his thoughts to the positive.
First things first: assess the situation.
"Syria, the Sword Saint seemed to hold a grudge against you. Do you know what that's about?"
Syria looked puzzled.
"Leyzon, I saw that man for the first time today."
As expected, Syria didn't remember the Sword Saint.
Time to change the angle of the question.
"Then, do you remember the Blue Sparrow Knights?"
"Ah, yes. One day, they somehow knew where I was and came looking for me."
"About fifteen years ago?"
"Yes! Around that time."
Leyzon rubbed his chin.
The Blue Sparrow Knights were the ones mocked as the Blue Chicken Knights.
In the Empire, they'd been treated like problem children.
It didn't make sense for such a knight order to attack Syria.
It was practically suicide.
"Syria, what happened with those guys?"
"At first, I thought they wanted to fight, but for some reason, they started fighting among themselves?"
When Leyzon pressed for details, an unexpected answer came.
Hearing her words, Leyzon blinked.
"...Among themselves?"
"Yes, among themselves."
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
'...The Empire tried to eliminate them, and Syria got used in the process?'
Leyzon tapped his crossed arms thoughtfully.
Something tied the Empire's intentions to Syria.
'But why would the Empire bother wiping out the Blue Sparrow Knights specifically?'
He lacked information.
Without it, his mind couldn't turn properly.
"Got it."
Still, he'd learned one thing.
'The Sword Saint thinks Syria wiped out the Blue Sparrow Knights.'
It was a misunderstanding.
Whether it was internal Empire scheming or something else.
It wasn't Syria's doing.
'If I play this right...'
He might be able to redirect the Sword Saint's grudge.
The Sword Saint undoubtedly wanted to channel his grudge properly too.
'A way to infiltrate the Empire using the Sword Saint.'
He'd gain a trump card.
'Not killing him was the right call.'
A figure deeply tied to the Empire.
A chance to flip a noble to his side.
'To check the Empire, and even aim for the nation-building ending.'
Two cards made possible with this one man in hand.
'Too early for now.'
Like it or not, the Sword Saint would pursue Syria from here on.
'Gather the cards solidly...'
Then seize him.
But first, another issue.
Leyzon looked up.
The sky was darkening to black.
This was a mountain away from Sahā Village.
Syria would have to stay in bat form for a while.
And Leyzon had exhausted himself with that large-scale magic.
"...Camping out again, huh."
After spending days in the dungeon, he'd hoped for some rest, but tonight was another outdoor night.
He missed a warm bed terribly.
"Heh, getting used to the wilds. I could get stranded anywhere and survive..."
Leyzon just decided to stay positive today too.
With that, he dragged his weary body onward as far as he could.
The Sword Saint might not follow, but his subordinates could bring pursuers.
So he found a quiet spot to hide.
After hunkering down in a nearby cave, chewing jerky, and enduring a full day...
"Leyzon, I'm all better now!"
Syria reported her recovery.
"Good. That's a relie...".
And with that, Leyzon's consciousness cut out.
He'd kept his eyes wide open until Syria recovered.
His body had long hit its limit.
Right after exiting the dungeon.
He hadn't rested and had burned through so much mana.
Not collapsing until now was purely his mental fortitude.
"Leyzon!"
The last thing he heard was Syria's scream.
Syria would surely keep him safe.
Leyzon passed out, his mana circuits burning fiercely.
Leyzon walked silently through some space.
He had no idea where this was.
He just kept walking endlessly.
His legs felt strangely tireless.
Had his stamina improved even more?
The moment Leyzon wondered about it, a light appeared at the edge of the darkness.
Seeing it, Leyzon picked up his pace slightly.
As he reached out toward the light...
A hand suddenly emerged from within it.
The strikingly white hand grasped Leyzon's.
As he puzzled over what it was...
An eye appeared from beyond the light.
The voice pierced his mind, and the hand shoved him away.
"Wha-what?!"
Leyzon stumbled.
The footing beneath him vanished, and the black space swallowed him.
"Waaah!"
Leyzon jolted awake with a yell.
Cold sweat drenched him as he gasped for air.
"Leyzon, you're awake!"
Leyzon turned toward the voice.
There stood Syria, her beauty as steadfast as ever.
Her eyes brimmed with worry.
"Syria, where are we?"
"Inside the shadow."
That explained why the surroundings felt a bit off.
'What was that dream?'
The pure white hand that had gripped his.
And the question: Who are you?
Just a random dream, but it left him uneasy for some reason.
'Did I overtax my mana circuits?'
The effects might've reached his mind.
"Syria, the Sword Saint?"
"Doesn't seem to be following. No one's entered the forest so far."
Syria had been scouting more extensively than expected.
The Sword Saint must've given up pursuit after taking that much damage.
Good—he didn't want to clash again right now.
"How long was I out?"
"About a day."
More time had passed than he'd thought.
Leyzon decided that was enough time wasted here.
"In that case, Syria, call Hanok."
"Planning to leave right away? I already did!"
Syria had anticipated and acted swiftly.
Leyzon smiled at his reliable companion and lay back down.
"Then I'll handle some business while we wait for him."
After facing the Sword Saint, conviction settled in.
'I need to get stronger faster.'
Sudden variables crashing in.
This time, if the Sword Saint hadn't been alone, it would've been dicey.
He couldn't count on luck like that holding out.
The next encounter could be with the Judgment Lord.
Or a knight order captain after that.
The Empire wouldn't sit idle either.
They managed the world in various ways.
Naturally, they aimed to eliminate heretics.
'If I can't counter the next stroke of bad luck...'
He'd meet his end.
Leyzon prided himself on his good fortune.
But even the luckiest faced misfortune now and then.
Overcoming it was solely up to the individual.
Leyzon felt this truth anew from this incident.
'So.'
The corner of Leyzon's mouth curved up.
'I'll thrash around harder than dying.'
Who'd go down easy? Let's see.
"I'll head to the Resonance World."
Time to use time efficiently.
Leyzon hurled his mind toward the Resonance World once more.
His consciousness entered swiftly.
He opened his eyes to the familiar room from last time.
Bam!
Leyzon kicked the door open without hesitation.
He strode down the hall to the hall he'd seen before.
Creeeak—
Opening the door, he spotted a paper tied there.
Leyzon untied it. Words were written inside.
The Poison Necromancer, Poison Spider, had accepted Leyzon's proposal.
Leyzon wrote on the back of the paper.
He slipped it into Poison Spider's door and walked inside.
Familiar necromancers soon came into view.
Monkey, Butterfly Mask, Skull.
"Oh, long time no see."
Butterfly Mask recognized him and smiled.
Skull clacked its teeth in interest.
Monkey's eyes sparkled fiercely.
There was one new face this time.
"Oh, so you're the friend of the Abyss, huh!"
A short, furry figure whose face was entirely covered in hair, eyes invisible.
'No blue flames?'
The one with blue flames instead of a head.
He'd seemed like he might know something—disappointing.
Leyzon walked in under everyone's gazes.
He plopped down on the sofa.
All eyes naturally focused on him.
Leyzon was the sole acquaintance of the necromancers' pinnacle, the Abyss.
They couldn't help but be intrigued.
"Blue Sparrow Knights."
Amid the concentrated stares, Leyzon spoke.
"If there's someone who can undead-ify the Blue Sparrow Knight captain and extract info..."
The necromancers showed varied expressions.
"I'll answer any question you have."
Necromancers.
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