Enlightenment from an Instant
"M-My god..."
"What in the world..."
The mercenaries stared at the female swordsman, their mouths hanging wide open.
What on earth had just happened? Even though they had witnessed it with their own eyes, they couldn't wrap their heads around it.
Dozens of scavenger wolves had been swept away in a single stroke of her blade.
The pack of wolves that had been charging so fiercely lost their footing and collapsed in heaps, their limp carcasses spilling blood that soaked the parched wasteland into a muddy mire.
"..."
It was, without a doubt, a devastating, single strike.
Witnessing such overwhelming martial prowess, the mercenaries were frozen in sheer shock.
Splat!
The one who had actually performed the feat flicked the blood off her sword as if nothing had happened and walked back to the carriage. The man who appeared to be her companion welcomed her back with a stoic expression.
Seeing the two of them look so utterly nonchalant, the mercenaries could only stare blankly once more.
T-This is insane...
Naturally, the bald merchant leader was just as bewildered.
...What on earth did I just witness?
He had already known that the mysterious man was incredibly powerful.
After all, he had seen him kill the Human Butcher of the underground arena with a single strike.
But he had never imagined that the follower trailing behind him would be this strong as well.
And that woman... she definitely used a cyan aura.
The mysterious energy Adelia had unleashed was still vivid in the merchant leader's mind.
A cyan aura.
That was a power permitted only to a select few chosen members of the Holy Families.
"..."
The existence of the Holy Families was not well known to the public.
Any rumors that occasionally leaked out were dismissed as absurd myths.
But...
The merchant leader knew better.
He knew that the Holy Families, often dismissed as mere conspiracy theories, actually existed.
Having spent many years scraping by as a merchant, he had managed to pick up bits and pieces of information about them.
"..."
A secret society shrouded in mystery.
The ruling class pulling the strings at the absolute peak of the power structure.
The shadow organization controlling all the political affairs of the Holy City, Midtemple.
Every single epithet attached to the Holy Families was chilling and intimidating.
If I recall the few known characteristics about them...
He stole a glance at Adelia.
Overwhelming martial prowess. And a mysterious, glowing cyan aura.
Yes.
These were the signature traits that defined the Holy Families.
...There's no mistake. That woman is connected to the Holy Families.
He swallowed hard.
A cold sweat trickled down his spine.
But then...
The merchant leader silently looked at the man sitting across from him.
...Someone presumed to be a member of the Holy Families is acting with absolute humility before this man?
Just who on earth was he?
He had known the man was extraordinary from the moment they met, but now, he felt like an even more monumental figure than he had initially imagined.
"..."
Well, if nothing else, one thing was absolutely certain.
—Here is the down payment of 500,000 shillings. Once we arrive safely at our destination, I will pay you another 500,000 shillings.
One million shillings.
That was the amount he had offered as payment for escorting the merchant group.
I thought it was plenty back then...
The merchant leader's face turned pale.
...Ten times, no, a hundred times that amount wouldn't have been enough.
How utterly ridiculous must he have looked to that man?
Everyone's completely spaced out.
Even though the situation had ended a while ago, the mercenaries still had blank expressions plastered on their faces.
Well, it made sense.
Encountering a Level 77 powerhouse was a once-in-a-lifetime event for most people, unless they actively sought out special places like the underground arena.
Hum, hummmm!
Right on cue, the surroundings brightened as a transparent barrier unfurled across the sky.
The Silk Road's barrier, which had been temporarily unstable, was starting to function again.
Noticing this, I glanced at the merchant leader and spoke.
"What are you doing? We should get moving."
"...Ah."
Startled back to reality, the merchant leader quickly climbed down from the carriage and began to sort out the situation.
I watched the scene unfold from my seat inside the carriage.
At least we didn't suffer any major losses.
Was it thanks to Adelia's performance?
There were some injured, but not a single person had died.
Even the injuries were minor, consisting of fractures and abrasions.
In a world where death was a daily occurrence, this was practically nothing.
"Excuse me..."
The area buzzed with activity. Some time passed as everyone busied themselves preparing for departure.
The merchant leader, who had climbed back into the carriage at some point, spoke up hesitantly.
"...I am truly sorry. I failed to recognize such esteemed individuals."
Oh?
Why the sudden shift to formal speech?
...But the confusion didn't last long. I noticed the merchant leader stealing glances at Adelia.
For some reason, his gaze was filled with extreme caution.
"..."
He wouldn't be acting this polite just because of Adelia's martial prowess.
If that were the case, he would have behaved this way from the moment he first saw me fight.
Which meant...
...He must have figured out Adelia's background.
It wasn't surprising.
The man before me was a veteran who had traversed the Silk Road over a hundred times.
And for a merchant, information was everything.
As rumors accumulated over time, it was only natural for him to become aware of the Holy Families' existence.
In the process, he probably learned a few of their key characteristics.
Like their use of a cyan aura, or their mind-boggling martial power.
There's no harm in him finding out. In fact, it'll make things easier.
Hadn't I already thought about how Adelia could be useful in many ways?
This was exactly one of those situations.
Those with a bit of experience and influence knew of the Holy Families.
They knew of the unfathomable power they wielded.
Those who know of the Holy Families tremble at the mere mention of their name.
A secret organization that manipulated the world.
A family whose true nature was vague, yet whose influence was absolute.
Because people lacked concrete information about them, they feared them even more.
Fear of the unknown was always the most terrifying, after all.
Yes.
That was the true power the Holy Families possessed.
Even though Adelia herself fled in disillusionment from her own family...
I chuckled inwardly.
...Well, whatever.
I might as well exploit everything I could.
As I had said before, I had no intention of being picky about my methods.
"Um..."
While I was lost in thought, the merchant leader spoke up again.
"If it isn't too rude of me to ask... what is the relationship between the two of you?"
I silently looked at the merchant leader. Fear and curiosity coexisted in his eyes.
His intention was obvious.
He had a rough idea of Adelia's identity, but he couldn't fathom who I was.
There was no need to hesitate. I calmly stated the plain truth.
"She is an apprentice learning the sword under me."
"...!"
A simple and clear answer. But that single sentence was more than enough.
The merchant leader's eyes widened. Surprise and dread crossed his face.
"A-An apprentice? Then you, my lord, are..."
I kept my expression blank and remained silent. In situations like this, silence was the most powerful answer.
"P-Please forgive my rudeness."
"..."
"A-At any rate, it seems our merchant group's safety is guaranteed just by having the two of you here. Thank you so much."
Sure enough, the merchant leader bowed his head and backed off on his own.
It was a brief conversation, but his attitude toward us had completely transformed.
Now, his eyes were filled with awe and fear.
Seeing how wary he is, he won't go around blabbering about this to anyone.
Now that he was sufficiently intimidated, the rest of the journey would likely be smooth sailing.
Before long, the carriage began to move again.
The dark, untamed wilderness rolled past the window.
"Lord Gaon."
Adelia, sitting next to me, called out softly.
"...Does being called an 'apprentice' mean I still lack the qualifications to be your 'disciple'?"
For some reason, there was a hint of disappointment in her voice.
Oh, come on, Adelia...
Why are you getting upset over something so trivial?
Sighing inwardly, I began to placate her.
"Whether you are called an apprentice or a disciple, those are merely superficial titles. What matters is your mindset in receiving my teachings."
"...!"
At my words, Adelia's face brightened instantly.
After a moment of hesitation, she spoke again.
"T-Then, Lord Gaon... if you have any advice regarding the battle just now, please..."
Ah.
It was time to talk nonsense again. I had hoped to just gloss over it.
Racking my brain, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"It was excellent, but you still have many shortcomings."
"...Shortcomings?"
Adelia's eyes turned serious.
She looked as if she was desperately hoping I would point out her flaws.
But did you know, Adelia? To my eyes, your swordsmanship looked absolutely perfect.
Of course, I couldn't tell her that, so I paused for a moment before replying.
"They say seeing is believing."
"...?"
"When the time comes, I will show you my sword directly. Use that opportunity to find your own flaws."
"Ah..."
Adelia's eyes sparkled. Soon, she nodded vigorously.
"Yes. I will keep that in mind."
In contrast to Adelia's bright expression, however, my face remained cold and grim.
"..."
I silently looked out the window of the carriage.
In the distance, I could see the pile of scavenger wolf carcasses.
Normally, scavenger wolves hunted in packs of mature adults.
Yet, at the edge of my vision...
From old wolves to newborn pups, every single member of the pack lay dead, tangled together in a heap.
"You noticed the strangeness as well, my lord."
About an hour had passed since then.
As the carriage rolled along, the merchant leader spoke up.
"I saw you closely examining the carcasses of the scavenger wolves earlier."
"..."
"Normally, scavenger wolves travel while protecting their young and weak. But just now..."
"Every single one of them was mixed together in total chaos."
"...Yes."
The merchant leader nodded.
"I've traveled this road over a hundred times, but I've never seen anything like this. The unstable barrier is one thing, but the abnormal behavior of those scavenger wolves feels even more ominous."
"..."
"Because that kind of behavior..."
The merchant leader paused for a moment before spitting out the words.
"...resembles the actions of creatures gripped by absolute terror. It was as if they weren't trying to hunt prey, but were desperately fleeing from something."
I didn't say a word.
My silence was a tacit agreement.
"They say seeing is believing. When the time comes, I will show you my sword directly. Use that opportunity to find your own flaws."
I had promised to show Adelia my sword when the time came.
But that 'time' would certainly not be a peaceful one.
There was only one situation in which I would draw my sword.
A desperate moment when the shadow of death loomed over us.
I stared blankly at my MP window.
I vaguely hoped that the moment I would have to use Soul of the Sword Master would never come.
Not during this journey to the free city of Vertas... and if possible, not for the rest of my life.
But Lost Elder was a world rife with endless hardships and trials.
Under these circumstances, I knew better than anyone how fleeting and foolish such a wish was.
Ruuuumble!
The ground shook. The carriage lurched violently at the sudden tremor. The merchant leader, his eyes wide with shock, desperately grabbed the handrail to keep his balance.
"W-What is...!"
The merchant leader hurriedly looked outside the carriage.
A massive cloud of dust was rising in the distance.
And behind it... an unbelievable sight unfolded.
"...Ah."
A monster wave.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of beasts were surging forward like a colossal tidal wave.
Even monsters that were natural enemies were running side by side, completely jumbled together.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Despite the barrier being active, the beasts charged blindly toward us.
For some reason, their eyes, which should have been devoid of human emotion, seemed filled with nothing but terror and despair.
Of course things would turn out like this.
The moment my lingering doubts finally solidified into certainty.
Having reached that conclusion, I immediately spoke.
"Get ready, Adelia."
Adelia, who had been momentarily dazed by the shocking sight, nodded.
Her hands gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.
"Understood. If the barrier becomes unstable, I will take care of those beasts—"
"No."
I cut her off.
"Those small fry aren't the ones we need to fight."
"...?"
"It's the thing that drove them to this state instead."