Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Mopping Up Remnants: Priella Atria (3)
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Priella Atria.
She had spent her entire life honing her swordsmanship, and for so long, she had viewed weapons merely as tools.
Defeat when wielding a sword was simply due to her own weakness.
She had always believed there was no need to make excuses for her failures.
That mindset of Priella's had shattered because of a certain knight in metal armor she encountered in the great forest.
The battle that unfolded in the heart of the great forest.
In that fight, she understood for the first time.
Not that she was weak and thus defeated, but the sensation of defeat because the 'sword' itself was weak.
And now—.
In Priella's hand was a magic sword she had retrieved from the library of illusions.
"—[Magic Sword] activate."
A pitch-black blade.
A blade engraved with constellation patterns.
The stars etched at its tip lit up one by one, sending a beautiful pulse of starlight rippling across Priella's sword.
Boom-! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
With each star reigniting, the light enveloping the blade scattered brilliant radiance.
Nine stars followed in sequence.
The nine starlights responding to the call of the Secret Society member—Priella Atria—began to shine.
Whoooong-.
Her eyes, wrapped in dazzling light, fixed on the hulking giant standing before her.
"What an absurd weapon...!"
Eyes filled with shock stared at Priella's sword.
The mercenary, Brutal Sword Burke, felt his face stiffen as he sensed the vibrations emanating from the brilliantly trembling blade.
Hoo-.
A sharp aura seeped from Priella's hand gripping the sword.
By the time all the constellations of the magic sword Regulus had ignited, Priella had already realized it.
Every sense attuned to the magic sword had completely flipped at some point.
'My body feels... heavy-.'
She took a step forward with her leg, sensing the unfamiliar heaviness.
A single step extended with a familiar sensation.
Kwaang-!
A heavy thud erupted from the ground in response.
Crack, craaaack-.
Cracks spread from Priella's footprint, traversing the surrounding earth.
A scene too unbelievable to be produced by a mere human body.
Superhuman strength beyond mortal flesh flowed from her body.
'I need to move a bit lighter.'
To regain her crumbling balance, Priella's other leg applied the brakes.
Kwaang! Craaack-.
Another crack formed from the leg infused with full power.
Her body was reacting differently from usual at its extremities.
Monstrous strength far exceeding human limits.
Silence fell between the two swordfighters witnessing the sight.
"......"
"......"
It felt like they had seen something they shouldn't have-.
Overwhelmed by the magic sword's exceptional performance, the two could only stare at the split ground, at a loss for words.
A stammering voice leaked from the flustered Burke's mouth.
"Stronger... than you look......"
His mind frozen by the scene on the ground, Burke stood rigid, sword in hand.
Priella was just as flustered.
Because the sensation of moving her body was far too off from the norm.
What was meant to be a silent step had ended up upheaving the entire ground.
Burke's blinking eyes, which had been looking down at Priella, only did so briefly.
"But... in this line of work, strength alone isn't everything. Let me show you what true power is from here on out."
Burke soon moved his burly, muscular arm, assuming a stance to swing his greatsword.
A posture for clashing blades.
Amid it, Priella's gaze fixed on Burke before her.
'The world... has slowed down—.'
The enhancement from the magic sword Regulus wasn't just increased strength.
The scenery reflected in Priella's eyes.
Everything began moving slowly, registering in Priella's cognitive realm.
Her blue eyes shifted repeatedly, analyzing the landscape in her vision.
"......"
Heartbeat. Body temperature. Muscle contraction and relaxation.
Every component of her being flooded her mind as data.
She understood her surroundings.
She understood herself.
The fragmented pieces combined in Priella's mind.
And finally, Priella comprehended the meaning of the magic sword in her hand.
'A tool to drag a person endlessly toward monstrosity-.'
What she held was qualification.
Qualification to equate human flesh with something monstrous.
A miracle granting experience of the supreme realm reachable only after casting aside everything human.
In the world drawn forth by a single sword, only one thing was demanded of the swordfighter entering the fray.
'Here, only skill matters.'
—Sword technique.
In this extreme landscape, no excuses would be tolerated.
"I'll crush you in one go-!"
In the slowed world, Burke's voice boomed thunderously.
Priella's eyes turned to Burke.
The shadow of the massive man blocked the sunlight as he faced her.
Tautly contracted muscles.
The enormous greatsword brimming with devastating violence swung toward her with crushing momentum.
"......Slow."
Priella's gaze fixed on the greatsword.
On the arm swinging it.
The size difference between her opponent and herself was clear.
Normally, she would have parried or dodged such a blow.
But—.
Now, an impulse stirred in her chest.
'Right now—.'
Kudung!
Her pounding heart told her it was possible.
That nothing was impossible for her anymore.
That she was qualified to confront head-on everything she once feared.
'Right now, I can do it—.'
Whoosh-.
Priella, lowering her stance, traced an arc with her sword to uppercut the greatsword.
Clashing gazes.
Burke's sharp eyes distorted upon seeing Priella's response.
"What the hell are you—!"
"......"
Head-on collision.
She would meet the savage strike laden with immense momentum and shatter it with superior force-.
A deep blue glow flared in Priella's eyes, brimming with clear intent.
Hoo-.
Faint traces of mana spread across her lips.
The monster's full-power attack clashed with the descending greatsword.
"———."
Kwaaaang-!
In a single clash, the massive greatsword lost its power.
Kwachik, craaack-!
Cracks spread across the greatsword forged from vast amounts of metal.
"This is insane...!"
"......"
His distorted eyes watched the crumbling sword.
Not only had she blocked the greatsword's strike head-on, but the impact had cracked the blade.
Swish-.
However, there was no time to calm the flustered Burke here.
The second sword strike was already extending from beyond his perception.
A rushing sword strike.
Faced with the flashing sword swing, Burke's mouth gaped wide in a silent scream.
"Secret Sword, Form 9——."
Light flashed.
Kwaaaaang-!
Following the sword's swing trajectory, a jet-black sword beam shot in a straight line.
Kwaang! Kwagwagwang—!
A ferocious slash tore through the ground.
It not only bisected Brutal Sword Burke but pulverized the buildings behind him in one blow.
Clashing lines.
Amid the collapsing buildings, thick dust billowed out.
Rumble—.
As the pillar-slashed building cracked, a chilling scream escaped the bisected, falling Burke.
"Cough-! Gaaahhh......!"
"......"
Priella's eyes traced the path her sword had taken.
As far as she knew, she had simply swung her fastest sword path.
An attack that would normally end after slicing through a person.
Yet the result of that single strike was far from light.
Tilting buildings.
Thick rising dust.
The crimson-black line trailing her brief sword strike had mercilessly ravaged everything behind.
"Ah-."
This was the scene wrought by the magic sword.
Priella's gaze dropped to the magic sword in her hand.
The magic sword she held was far more vicious than she had imagined.
"Kehk, guuuuh......!"
Cough-.
Burke, spewing blood, lay dying coldly.
"Huh, heuk......!"
And behind such a Burke.
There, drenched in blood, an elf watched the scene in terror.
The elf slave Burke had kept with him.
"......"
Hmmm-.
Priella's indifferent gaze turned to the elf slumped on the ground.
"P-P-P-Please, spare me......!"
Perhaps because the scene before her was so gruesome.
The elf woman, half her face soaked in blood, alternated frightened glances between Burke and Priella.
Priella watched the woman briefly, lost in thought.
Swish, clink-.
Priella's sword, shaken clean of blood, returned to its refined sheath.
"Come on. I'll take you somewhere safe."
"......"
"No big problems should arise while I'm with you."
Priella Atria.
The Assembly of Eight Swords' inspector extended a hand to the elf slave.
Blink, blink.
The elf woman stared at Priella's outstretched palm, then grasped it with trembling eyes.
"R-Really...?"
"Yeah. Really."
Squeeze-.
A faint warmth transmitted to Priella's hand.
"But later, when you make money, you have to pay me back."
"......"
In the elf's small hand gripping hers, a faint tremor lingered.
* * * * * *
The small mission entrusted to Priella had come to an end.
She had completely finished recovering the magic catalyst requested by Doctor Begerton Antares.
Priella mentioned new plans like escorting the elf afterward, but since she had already completed the mission, it wasn't something to fuss over.
The magic sword's performance seemed satisfactory too, as she chattered on about it for a while.
Having tested the magic sword and earned contribution points, it must have been a happy day for her.
"......"
Of course, even after ending the conversation with Priella, I continued my usual role.
Sitting in one corner of the vast library, quietly reading the books stored there.
That was one of the few tasks given to the idler residing in this library.
'No corruption has appeared in this book yet.'
Rustle, rustle-.
The process of checking for corruption in the magic tome.
The sound of turning the pure white pages of the magic tome echoed repeatedly.
Flutter-.
Suddenly, a familiar wingbeat sounded from above my head.
- Caw, caaaw—!
My gaze, turning the page, naturally lifted to look at the crow.
Swoosh-.
The black-winged crow spirit folded its wings and descended toward the desk.
Tracing a streamlined path.
Landing deftly on the desk, it raised its head and met my eyes.
"......"
- …….
I peered into the eyes of the crow spirit that had landed before me.
It rarely approached first under normal circumstances.
Especially while Priella was in the library, it was even less likely.
Yet here it was, voluntarily coming to me.
Did it have something to say?
With that thought crossing my mind, I looked at the crow spirit and spoke.
"What's up?"
- Caw—!
Its response to my question was immediate.
A single hearty caw.
Right after, it opened its beak and lowered its head.
Ptoo-.
A golden stone rolled out from the crow spirit's open beak.
- Caw, caaaw—!
"......"
I quietly watched the spirit's actions.
Unable to guess its intent.
But the crow spirit's odd behavior didn't stop there.
Crack.
It opened its beak again, letting out another cry.
- Caw—!
Ptoo-.
White powder spilled from the crow's beak.
The powder scattered outside gleamed faintly.
And its antics continued.
- Caaaaw—!
Ptooo-.
A blade engraved with patterns tumbled to the floor.
- Caaaaw—!
Ptoo ptoo ptoo ptoo-.
A crude map fell to the ground.
Plop, plop-.
Gold coins. Gems. Powder. Potions.
And even ancient tomes-.
All sorts of items poured from the crow's beak.
Thus, countless items piled endlessly on the library desk.
Realizing the crow spirit's intent, I stared at it with a hollow expression.
"...No way, you want contribution points too?"
The crow spirit had raided the warehouse.
That realization prompted my question.
In response, the crow spirit unhesitatingly opened its beak wide.
- Caw—!
A cheerful cry rang in my ears.
What could contribution points possibly mean to the spirit before me?
That thought flitted through my mind briefly.
Ha-.
Letting out a short sigh, I finally replied to it.
"Yeah, got it......"
- Caw, cackle cackle caw—!
Crow Spirit, special contribution points: 100.
That was my decision.