Chapter 32
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Towards the Empire (2)
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‘Monster!’
Who would have thought we’d run into a monster this quickly after parting ways with Mone?
And those glowing red eyes and that rattling body.
It was clearly a skeleton, one of the undead-type monsters.
Undead monsters had faint presences, making them hard to detect as they approached.
Just like right now.
Clack! Clack!
Once it got within a certain distance, the thing charged at us with a rusted sword raised.
“Countess? Why aren’t you saying anything…… Ah!”
As the skeleton drew closer, Gloria seemed to finally sense it and reached for her sword at her waist.
But my action was a step faster.
Bang!
“Huh?”
A small popping sound, like something bursting, rang out, and half the skeleton’s head vanished.
Gloria watched the skeleton slowly topple backward with a puzzled expression.
“……What just happened? Skeletons don’t die unless you destroy their core.”
She approached the fallen skeleton cautiously.
Surprisingly, the skeleton’s head wasn’t just destroyed. It had melted grotesquely, as if doused in potent acid.
It was a sight Gloria had never seen before, leaving her thoroughly confused.
‘No way. Does divine blood work on undead monsters too?’
[Of course it does. What did you think would happen if you splashed holy water on an undead monster?]
Gransesia was right.
‘Well, it melts mid-level demon hide with ease, so a skeleton is nothing……’
Undead monsters normally had a core inside them that served as the foundation of their life force.
In a skeleton’s case, the core was located in the skull.
I had planned to drive Blood Dagger into its head and detonate it to destroy the core, but this exceeded expectations.
“How in the world did you do that? Explain……!”
“Lady Hersel, how about checking our surroundings first?”
“Ah……!”
Only then did Gloria notice the red glowing eyes visible in the dark forest.
Low-level monsters like skeletons didn’t travel alone. They moved in packs, and there was always a leader among them.
Gloria raised her sword and scanned the surroundings warily.
“Come to think of it, there have been reports of undead monsters appearing around here for a while now.”
“And yet we took this route?”
“Nothing too strong has shown up.”
Fair enough. A bunch of sword experts moving together wouldn’t have much trouble with ordinary monsters.
‘But this isn’t ordinary. There’s even a Skeleton King?’
It was a seriously tricky monster. You needed at least mid-level sword expert prowess to take one down.
There were even two or three Skeleton Warriors nearby.
“We should avoid them for now. If they surround us, it’ll be dangerous!”
Gloria said urgently.
A Skeleton King, two or three Skeleton Warriors, and a bunch of regular skeletons.
It was definitely a dangerous situation.
If I weren’t here.
“Lady Hersel.”
“Yes, Countess. If we dash between those trees in the rear……”
“You asked me earlier how I severed that demon’s head, right?”
“Yes?”
Her eyes widened at the sudden question.
I chuckled at her reaction and took a step forward.
I then drew my sword from my waist and held it horizontally, a red wave spreading across the blade.
“W-What’s that? A red blade?”
Gloria cried out in surprise at my suddenly crimson sword.
I grinned at her and answered.
“The Banheart family’s secret sword technique, Red Sword.”
[Secret technique my foot. You just made that up.]
I ignored Gransesia’s remark.
What mattered now was subjugating the monsters in front of me.
* * *
Gloria Hersel had first heard rumors about Clay Banheart on the day she visited the capital of Talua Kingdom for the empire’s Founding Festival.
“There’s a knight who beheaded a demon in the recent war, they say?”
“Some son of the Banheart family.”
As the triumphal procession approached, the topic came up more and more, and Gloria couldn’t help but take interest in the knight who had beheaded a demon.
But the real Clay Banheart she met was thoroughly disappointing.
‘He’s only just reached sword expert, isn’t he?’
Maybe the rumor about the demon was exaggerated?
She had also heard they clashed at a banquet and dueled the next day. It was a bit surprising since the knights he defeated had some reputation.
‘Is he hiding his strength?’
That would make the demon kill somewhat believable.
She had been waiting for a chance to properly ask him about it, and today the opportunity arrived.
While scouting for firewood, Gloria asked Clay how he had killed a mid-level demon.
It didn’t matter if he didn’t tell the truth. She could infer plenty from his reaction.
But she got his answer in a completely unexpected form.
‘This easily……!’
The pack of skeletons melted away and lost form with just a graze from Clay’s sword.
Even the Skeleton Warriors were the same.
They weren’t weak by any means, but they certainly weren’t something you could fell that effortlessly.
And the most astonishing was the Skeleton King.
One swing.
Clay vertically slashed the Skeleton King, shattering it in a single stroke.
A Skeleton King’s bones had steel-like hardness, impossible to cut without infusing substantial mana into your sword aura.
Yet Clay felled it with a casual swing.
“Lady Hersel, are you hurt anywhere?”
“Ah…… N-No.”
“Then let’s hurry and gather the firewood to head back. Countess Ribina will worry.”
“Y-Yes.”
Clay’s nonchalant demeanor only amplified her shock.
Was a situation like this nothing to him?
‘He was definitely hiding his strength.’
The swordsmanship Clay had just displayed was far beyond what a low-level sword expert could manage.
‘This Founding Festival……’
Talua Kingdom had placed second in the Imperial Martial Tournament four years ago, but before that, it was hard to call their results even passable with a straight face.
Despite being called the kingdom of knights, Talua hadn’t produced any continent-spanning knights, leading to the current state.
‘There might be an upset.’
But this Founding Festival would be different.
Gloria felt certain of it.
* * *
After that, Gloria and I gathered firewood without incident and returned.
She didn’t speak to me specially the whole way back to camp, lost deep in thought.
‘I thought she might go blabbing about me.’
The group spent one night at the camp and then headed straight for the mage tower.
As Countess Ribina said, we reached the tower quickly and used the magic circle to teleport directly to the empire.
It took exactly two days to get this far.
[This place really changes more every year.]
‘Have you been here before?’
[The Altair Church has a presence here too.]
She was right.
I looked up at Draig, the capital of the Asktalin Empire.
‘It’s been a while.’
I had only been here once myself.
For the empire’s New Year’s Festival.
I had come in my father’s stead and met her here.
The empire’s princess, Riya Asktalin.
“You’re free to roam today. Just don’t come back too late.”
Countess Ribina smiled gently at the group sightseeing in the capital.
Gelvin nearly fainted at her soft expression, but the others were excited to tour the capital.
“I hear Draig has a famous armament shop. Might be worth checking out.”
“I agree. I’ve been needing a new dagger anyway.”
Alex Shane and Eric Pedro had gotten quite friendly and headed off chatting like that.
Left were me, Gelvin, and Gloria.
But Gloria soon left for some errand of her own.
“Countess Clay, where is Miss Mone?”
“Mone’s probably with the other servants moving my luggage to the inn.”
“Ah, right.”
I hadn’t asked for it specifically, but ending up alone with Gelvin felt awkward.
We had gotten close, but he wasn’t great conversation. He just agreed positively and gave short answers.
In the end, I made an excuse about having business and split off.
Sorry for Gelvin left alone, but it couldn’t be helped.
[Want me to recommend some Draig eateries?]
“If any of the places you mention are still around.”
[Oof.]
Only then did Gransesia seem to realize her last visit was centuries ago.
If any of those spots survived, they’d be centuries-old establishments.
“But first, I have something to check.”
[What? I thought you just made up that errand excuse.]
“As if. I’m not the type to say that lightly.”
[……]
“Why the silence?”
[Saintesses can’t lie.]
“You hate the saintess title.”
Chatting idly with Gransesia, I entered a suitable shop and sat down.
Less business here and more a place to kill time.
“Have you forgotten why I came here specifically?”
[Ah.]
Gransesia finally remembered.
I decided to enter the Imperial Martial Tournament for various gains, but mainly because I had business in the empire’s capital.
“Let’s take a look.”
I spoke casually, but I was tense inside.
If Fabian hadn’t come here contrary to my expectations, things would go badly awry.
With a trembling heart, I opened ‘Synopsis.’
“……It’s there.”
Fortunately, a new episode was registered in Synopsis.
However.
[There are currently five viewable episodes.]
Five of them, no less.
And just the subtitles suggested none were ordinary.
Especially the one that stood out……
‘So this is it.’
I knew it would show up eventually, but not this soon.
[Chapters 84~92, ‘First Disaster.’]
The place where protagonist Fabian first recognizes and fights a ‘Disaster.’
That place was the Asktalin Empire’s capital, Draig.