Chapter 38: Digestion (1)
Chapter 38: Digestion (1)
Mana.
A mysterious power that fills this vast continent, a grace bestowed by the gods. It is the source that allows the world to exist, and a necessity for the seven races, humans included.
Swordsmen are not the only ones who handle this mysterious power. The abundant mana on the continent offers infinite room for interpretation, and thus, those who wield it are divided into many branches. Among them, if one were to pick the most distinct group, everyone would choose the same one.
Mages.
Those most intimate with mana, who manifest mysteries in the physical world through spell formulas and incantations. They are a breed capable of performing miracles with their bare hands.
「To think those magic-mongers would set foot on my land.」
Rather than traveling the world, they prefer to spend their lives exploring magic, shut away in cramped rooms covered in books and dust. Consequently, mages who venture out into the world are exceedingly rare—and dangerous. They are people who live isolated from human society, unbound by order or law.
「In the days when I was alive, such a thing would have been unthinkable.」
To put it simply, they could be seen as socially inept, overly curious troublemakers.
This was especially true for the "Black Mages" who had been exiled from mage society.
"Sigh."
Naturally, a sigh escaped my lips.
* * *
As soon as I returned, I inspected the estate. After checking everything from the outskirts to the center of town, I found that not much had changed. The black traces floating in the air were bothersome, but they hadn't caused any actual damage yet; they were just an eyesore.
After finishing my brief scouting, I headed to the mansion to drop off my heavy luggage. In the yard, Seol-yoon was swinging her sword with her usual expressionless face. At times she looked like she was dancing to music, and at others, like she was fighting a desperate battle against invisible enemies.
I felt it every time, but Seol-yoon’s sword was truly beautiful. It was like watching art rather than a martial art involving a deadly weapon.
「The girl’s sword has grown even more.」
“……”
「As expected, geniuses are a joy to teach. Unlike you, my talentless and dull young descendant.」
Liam threw a barb at me while I stood there, right after offering his satisfied praise.
Well, I didn't really have anything to say in rebuttal. Even to my untrained eyes, Seol-yoon’s swordsmanship had grown remarkably compared to before. I could tell just by watching her train. There was a clear gap between her current sword and the one she used back when she was active in the arena as the Black Bride.
“You’re back?”
While I was momentarily captivated by her movements, Seol-yoon noticed my gaze and greeted me first. She looked at me, returning after a long trip, with her usual indifference. It had been a fairly long journey, but there was no asking how I was or expressing any joy at seeing me. It was very like her.
“Yes, I’m back.”
“Did you get any stronger?”
“More than before.”
“Good. We’ll have to spar again soon.”
Seol-yoon gave a subtle smile. Beads of sweat clung to her skin as that faint smile played on her lips. I almost smiled back, momentarily dazed, but I quickly snapped out of it.
“Did anything happen in the village while I was gone?”
“Yeah, it did.”
It did.
After hearing that, I stood there blankly for a moment, waiting for her to continue. According to the flow of conversation, shouldn't an explanation of what happened follow? However, Seol-yoon just blinked, then gripped her sword again and began to swing. It was as if her answer to the question was complete.
Stunned for a moment, I asked again.
“Is that it?”
“Then what?”
Seol-yoon stopped her swing and blinked her innocent eyes.
Ah, I had momentarily forgotten. Seol-yoon was a natural-born swordsman who had poured all her conversational skills and social intelligence into her swordsmanship.
“……?”
Looking at Seol-yoon’s face, which genuinely seemed to ask what the problem was, I felt my mind go distant. It was a moment where I missed Petel, the kind neighbor who would chatter incessantly without even being asked.
If the Orc Elder saw her, he’d praise her for being more like an Orc than me.
Seol-yoon’s way of thinking wasn't much different from the Orcs I had been seeing until recently. Of course, I couldn't say that out loud, as she would likely swing her sword at me immediately. Regardless, I suppressed my frustration and forced a smile.
“I want to know what happened in the village while I was away.”
“You should have said so from the start.”
For some reason, even though I had returned to the village, I felt like I was still with the Orcs.
Only then did Seol-yoon lower her sword.
* * *
Talking with Seol-yoon was no easy task. She truly only answered what was asked and didn't say a single word about anything unasked. Anyway, by coming up with the most detailed questions possible and prying the answers out of her, I was able to learn about the events that had occurred in the village during my absence.
“So, some water deer appeared twice, and a band of bandits showed up, and you wiped them out—that’s it?”
“Yeah. That’s about it for the strange stuff.”
To Seol-yoon, a water deer jumping out of the mountains and a band of bandits armed with axes were no different. Both were weaklings who cried out in fear, both could be cut down with a single stroke, and both were equally non-threatening. In this backwater, Seol-yoon was like a wolf in a sheep pen.
“And a strange kid came by to beg once.”
“A strange kid?”
“Yeah. He looked like he was from the slums, showed up looking like a total beggar, and asked if I could share some food.”
“Where is that poor kid now?”
A beggar child from the slums.
They were uninvited guests that one could see surprisingly often. When such kids appeared, I used to send them off with some bread or potatoes. To my question, Seol-yoon answered immediately.
“I chased him away. Told him not to come into the village if he didn't want to die.”
“……You didn't give him anything?”
“No. Everything in this village belongs to you. I’m just a guest here, so I shouldn't give your things away to others recklessly. Besides, I have a duty to protect what’s yours, so isn't that obvious?”
Seol-yoon’s words were thoroughly rational.
I looked into her cold eyes and was about to say something like, You could have at least given him a piece of bread, there are many pitiful children around here—
But.
“Besides, I felt a bit of a creepy aura from him.”
“A creepy aura?”
“Yeah. An ominous feeling I can't quite place. I’ve had good intuition since I was little, and whenever I got involved with things that felt ominous like that, something bad always happened. So I told him to get lost immediately.”
Perhaps Seol-yoon’s handling of the situation wasn't wrong.
「She must have sensed the aura of a Black Mage.」
“……”
「It’s a common occurrence. Black Mages are outcasts with no affiliation, so they don't receive support for test subjects or servants. That’s why they mostly use orphans with no background or cheap slaves as their minions. That child was likely the servant of a Black Mage.」
Seol-yoon looked at me with a stoic face and tilted her head.
「Furthermore, doesn't this young girl possess quite a bit of spiritual talent? She carries the blood of the East, which feels souls strongly, so she instinctively sensed the ill omen.」
When I remained silent, Seol-yoon spoke up. “Ah.”
“Right. That kid glared at me intensely as he left. He said I’d regret not showing mercy and that he’d come back later.”
“Isn't that a threat?”
“It felt a bit much to follow a kid and cut off his limbs just to make him shut up.”
“……”
As expected, Seol-yoon had a talent for making people speechless.
Regardless, I had gained quite a few clues thanks to her.
A Black Mage’s servant, disguised as a pitiful orphan, had visited our village and been chased away. The claim that he would return was likely not an empty threat. Mages, historically described as being incredibly petty, were famous for always repaying even the smallest grudge.
“I don't know why shitty things keep piling up.”
Liam answered my muttered lament.
「Isn't it because you keep staying in a village that’s perfect for shitty things to pile up in?」
“……”
「A village with no people. There are no proper powers nearby, so it’s the perfect hiding spot for those who need to conceal themselves. It’s a miracle only small fry have gathered here until now. Black Mages love turning places like this into labyrinths.」
Right, hadn't there even been rumors about Black Mages and epidemics?
I would likely be caught up in such exhausting matters frequently in the future.
“What should I do?”
And I chose to face those dangers rather than run away from them.
「Since ancient times, there has been one specific remedy for socially inept magic-mongers.」
“……?”
「A good thrashing is the best medicine.」
* * *
There was one peculiar thing I discovered during my conversation with Seol-yoon.
“Did I see anything? No, I don't see anything in particular even now.”
Seol-yoon couldn't see these 'alien traces' that were so clearly visible to my eyes. I had noticed them even before Liam mentioned them, but she couldn't sense the anomaly even after I pointed it out.
Why? There shouldn't be such a large gap between Seol-yoon and me.
Liam provided the answer.
「It’s because of your paranoid level of suspicion.」
“Suspicion?”
「Yes. The nature of your sword has developed in that direction. Originally, the nature of a sword is bound to be divided according to the swordsman’s disposition. You and your sword are alike in that you don't let anything pass easily and dig into things relentlessly. That’s why you recognized even the faint lingering scent of a Black Mage immediately.」
Suspicion.
It was thanks to my sharp keenness, which Liam had called a talent.
「In the first place, it’s no easy feat to recognize such tiny traces at a glance. To think that your suspicion would shine not just in the sword, but in other fields of mystery as well—how fascinating.」
“Is that so?”
「Yes. It might be thanks to your experience of being banished to the spiritual world by that Orc Shaman recently. Your spiritual senses might have become more acute as well.」
Spiritual senses, huh.
I didn't know if it was a good talent for a swordsman, but it was better than nothing. I didn't know what kind of enemies I would be fighting in the future. Who knew if the enemy coming to this village would be holding a sword or wielding magic with an old wooden staff? Shitty things happened all the time in this world.
Anyway, while the ominous traces of the Black Mage vibrated throughout the estate, I decided to first carefully bury the Guardian Stones I had received as a gift from the Orc Elder around the perimeter.
「That will be good as a temporary measure. If you bury those, the mage won't be able to pull any nonsense.」
“By nonsense, what kind of tricks do you mean?”
「Well. To name a few, there are tricks to turn this place into a land teeming with curses or into a labyrinth where magic formulas run wild. If you get caught in those, you have no chance of winning.」
“……”
「Unless a swordsman can draw a mighty path that renders curses useless, or spread wings so that magic formulas can't even keep up, they cannot defeat a mage.」
It meant it was impossible with my current realm.
I silently buried the Guardian Stones around the village. Nothing changed in appearance—to the point where I wondered if the Orc Elder had played a prank on me. But it seemed there was a change.
「That Orc fellow gave you something quite good. With this, most mages won't even dare to think about entering.」
“Is that so?”
「Yes. If they try to force their way in, the sorcery the Orc placed in the Guardian Stones will activate and destroy the opponent’s soul. That ignorant Orc might look like nothing special, but his capability as a Shaman is quite excellent. In terms of a swordsman, he’d be around the start of the Sword Expert realm.」
The comparison to a swordsman's realm made it hit home.
And when I remembered how confidently I had stood my ground before such an Orc Elder, I felt a chill run down my spine.
「Besides, didn't he give you another gift separately?」
“A gift?”
「You aren't aware of it, but a definite gift lies dormant in your soul.」
The intense heat I felt when he stroked my head back then. He seemed to be talking about that. Since I couldn't tell what it was right now, it was a gift that only piqued my curiosity. Anyway, after carefully burying the Guardian Stones, I returned to the estate. Under the brilliant sunshine, I asked Liam.
“Then, how should I prepare now?”
「Is there any other preparation you can make?」
Liam looked down at me and smirked.
「Let’s devour a new sword, young descendant.」
The direction he was looking toward was 「Wildness」.
「As I said, the digestion process for this sword won't be very smooth.」
A blade far too massive to be called a sword.