Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: The Sword Master Revealed
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Paang-.
The sound of slicing through the wind rang out as red auras flew toward them.
“What the—!”
They panicked greatly and hurriedly blocked the aura blades with their swords.
Kwang!
Two of them were sent tumbling backward.
But just before the remaining swords could embed themselves in Arthur’s body!
“Not a chance!”
As Arthur drew up his mana, golden auras bloomed across his entire form.
He then flicked away every single sword.
“This is...!”
“Aura Armor!”
Shock was evident on their faces.
One of the two who had been knocked back by Arthur’s counterattack scrutinized him closely, and his eyes wavered.
“S-Sword Master…….”
“What?”
“No way! How did he hide his presence like that?”
A Sword Master exuded a distinctive, formidable presence.
Yet Arthur hadn’t given off any such aura at all. On the contrary, his presence had seemed weak, leading them to assume he was beneath them.
“Rush me, and you die.”
“……!”
Arthur’s cold words stabbed into their hearts like daggers.
They exchanged glances with one another, only peeking at the white-haired elder.
The white-haired elder was pretending to be calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was even more shocked than they were.
‘A Sword Master who can conceal his presence…….’
From what he knew, that was only possible upon reaching the realm of Grand Sword Master.
In other words, the youthful boy before his eyes had attained that realm.
There had never been such a figure in the history of the Five Continents.
Even Tehran Julius, the hero who had etched his name into history through his battle with the Demon King, wasn’t believed to have reached this level.
‘Who in the world is this man?’
The white-haired elder’s mind grew endlessly complicated.
When Arthur sensed no more hostility or even fighting spirit from the men who had attacked him, he turned to the white-haired elder and asked,
“I’m curious about Karen’s will.”
“Didn’t you come with Lady Aria?”
“……!”
Arthur’s eyes flashed.
Aria had stayed behind on the ship with Millerph, so he had no way of knowing she was here.
The white-haired elder didn’t miss his reaction and continued.
“I too serve Karen. I can’t compare to the Saintess, but I receive the divine will.”
“Then you’re one of the Seven Priests?”
“I am one of the Seven Priests, but they’ve been corrupted for a long time.”
He had heard that the priests of the Anscent Kingdom had fallen into corruption.
Yet the man before him didn’t seem corrupted at all.
The white-haired elder nodded as if he knew exactly what Arthur was thinking.
“The corruption you’re imagining is different.”
“So what is Karen’s will?”
“There’s a prophecy in the holy scriptures that says: To prevent the kingdom’s downfall, one who serves Karen will return alongside a great hero. That day is today.”
“Coincidence.”
“The great hero with black hair mentioned in the scriptures.”
The white-haired elder shook his head firmly and continued.
“Moreover, Lady Aria cannot leave the sanctuary before turning twenty. If she were to vacate it, that would mean the kingdom has fallen or some grave event demanding her presence has occurred. Like today.”
“Hmm…….”
From the current situation, his words didn’t seem wrong.
But Arthur hadn’t come to save the kingdom—he had come for the holy water.
And yet, unintentionally, he had become the ‘great hero.’
“So what do you want?”
“We desire only one thing. Save the kingdom from despair.”
“Find someone else.”
“You can’t escape fate.”
“I’ll handle my own fate, so from now on, just answer my questions.”
“Changing the pope doesn’t change anything.”
“……?”
The white-haired elder continued with an expression that said he knew what Arthur would ask next.
“The events unfolding in the Anscent Kingdom are tied to the Demon King.”
“Any proof?”
“Vulcan brought in some mysterious woman from who-knows-where and proclaimed her the ‘true Saintess.’ After she appeared, the kingdom plunged into chaos. Uncover her identity, and you’ll have your answer.”
“Can I meet her at the Scollas Sanctuary?”
The white-haired elder shook his head.
“Vulcan has her with him.”
“It keeps getting more tangled.”
Arthur’s face hardened.
When Aria had told him about the Anscent Kingdom’s situation, the Demon King had immediately come to mind.
He suspected it was the Demon King’s scheme, just like with the Oscar Empire.
If his guess was correct, the Demon King was deeply involved across the entire Five Continents.
In that case, he needed to build his forces and apply pressure before the Demon King could dominate them.
And any place where the Demon King’s forces hadn’t fully taken hold yet had to have their minions driven out somehow.
After hearing this, he couldn’t just ignore it.
“Hmm…….”
Arthur pondered carefully, then opened his heavy mouth as if he’d made a decision.
“I have a condition.”
“I know you want the holy water. But I don’t have the authority to make that decision.”
“Can I meet the Saintess if I go to the Scollas Sanctuary?”
“You should be able to see her there.”
“Then I’ll meet the Saintess and decide.”
“Understood. These men will accompany you to the sanctuary. Don’t misunderstand—they wish to assist you, however little.”
Arthur glanced coldly at the men who had attacked him and spat out a single warning.
“My leniency is only once.”
When their eyes met Arthur’s, they bowed deeply in respect.
Arthur shifted his gaze back to the white-haired elder.
“One last question.”
The white-haired elder smiled and nodded.
“Can I kill the Demon King?”
“……!”
In that instant, the white-haired elder’s eyes wavered.
The men around him also showed surprise as they looked at Arthur.
Priest Niang’s prophecies had never once been wrong.
That’s why they believed Arthur was the Anscent Kingdom’s savior.
But not a minion of the Demon King, the Demon King himself?
Did that mean the ‘great hero’ from the scriptures was the one destined to oppose the Demon King?
Suddenly, a brilliant light dawned in their minds.
Ah!
The prophecy in the scriptures wasn’t limited to the Anscent Kingdom—it encompassed all Five Continents.
The reason they thought this was due to the final prophecy mentioned at the end of the scriptures.
-The holy light illuminates the heavens, banishing the darkness, and radiance shines upon the world, at last blooming flowers of hope on people’s faces.
Here, the holy light referred to the Scollas Sanctuary of the Anscent Kingdom. The darkness vanishing meant the Namshar Empire shrouded in darkness from the sky. And flowers of hope blooming on people’s faces signified saving those gripped by fear from the bizarre plagues and wars erupting across the continents.
With this realization, everything fit perfectly.
Above all, until the war with the Demon King a century ago, the Anscent Kingdom had offered prayers every year for the blessings of the Five Continents.
They had also established churches in each empire to spread the divine will, wielding influence rivaling the empires themselves.
Thus, the one who conveyed the divine will was called ‘Pope,’ placing them on equal footing with the emperors.
But at some point, the priests fell into greed, leading to their decline, and they barely clung on within the Holy Kingdom.
He now understood why the Anscent Kingdom could exist sandwiched between massive empires.
They were the ‘proclaimers’ tasked with spreading light across the Five Continents.
One of them swallowed hard and looked at Priest Niang.
“Priest Niang…….”
“To realize it only now…….”
Priest Niang murmured in quiet self-reproach, then rose from his chair.
He stepped to the side of the table and faced Arthur.
“I apologize for my rudeness. I am Niang, one of the Seven Priests.”
He bowed as deeply and respectfully as he could.
It was a stark contrast to how he had treated Arthur moments before.
There was a sense of reverence mingled with his politeness.
Arthur responded with equal courtesy.
“I am Arthur Julius.”
“Gasp! The Julius Count family…….”
Niang’s eyes widened.
“I’d appreciate it if you kept my identity a secret. It’ll cause a fuss if it gets out.”
“Understood.”
Niang bowed his head and pointed to the five men.
“They are also members of the Seven Priests. While you remain in the Anscent Kingdom, they will protect you with their lives.”
“I don’t have much time. We need to hurry.”
***
Boika arrived at Narati Harbor with his elite forces.
Though they wore simple clothes instead of armor, their sturdy builds and menacing auras drew everyone’s attention.
But they stood calmly, accustomed to such stares.
The subordinate who had gone to scout for a ship returned.
“A ship from the Oscar Empire just came in, perfect timing.”
“When does it leave?”
“It’ll dock for two or three days before departing.”
“No ships leaving today?”
“That one’s the fastest.”
“Lead the way.”
At Boika’s nod, the man took the lead toward the docks.
“Everyone seems lively.”
Millerph smiled as he walked ahead with Aria, looking around the harbor.
“That makes sense. People don’t care about how the kingdom’s internal affairs are going.”
“You’re right.”
As Millerph wore a bitter expression,
A group approached from ahead.
Their sharp eyes and sturdy builds marked them as no ordinary bunch.
Especially the man being led by one of them exuded a dark, sinister aura.
People trembled in fear and shrank back at the sight of him.
Aria’s face darkened rapidly upon spotting them.
“That’s Boika. The newly appointed Knight Order Captain.”
“Him?”
The Anscent Kingdom’s Holy Knight Order was different from others. It was composed of those blessed by the divine.
A man with a dark, sinister aura as its captain?
It was clear something was deeply wrong.
“Looks like they’re heading this way. We should avoid them for now.”
“Yes. He’s vicious, so be careful.”
“Got it.”
Millerph smiled reassuringly and sent her to the cabin. He then continued casually sightseeing the harbor as before.
Moments later, they arrived in front of the ship.
One of them approached Millerph and asked,
“Are you the owner of this ship?”
Millerph replied with a faint smile.
“No. If you have a message, tell me, and I’ll pass it along later.”
“Captain, what should we do?”
The man looked to Boika.
Millerph quickly sized them up.
Boika and his subordinates didn’t give off pure auras. They had a rough, mercenary-like savagery, but most were dark and sinister.
He decided to let it pass as quietly as possible.
Millerph waited patiently with a kindly smile.
“Where are you from?”
Millerph smiled faintly and answered.
“From the Oscar Empire.”
“Looks like a merchant guild ship. You a member?”
“No, just hitching a ride since we were headed the same way.”
“Why come to the Anscent Kingdom?”
“What other reason is there to visit the Holy Kingdom? To pay respects to Karen.”
There was nothing suspicious in Millerph’s calm demeanor.
“I see. I’ll come back later, so tell the guild master not to go anywhere.”
Boika flashed a meaningful smile and turned back the way he came.
As Millerph silently watched his retreating figure and let out a sigh of relief,
Dark boarded the ship.
“Preparations are complete. Where’s Lady Aria?”
“She’s in the cabin.”
As Millerph turned toward the cabin, something flew at him.
“Mister Millerph!”
Dark swiftly drew his dagger and swung.
Klang!
Puk-.
A throwing knife embedded itself in the deck.
Dark and Millerph looked toward where the knife had come from.
Boika wore a venomous smile.
“My instincts were right after all. It was too suspicious how casually you chatted with me, even smiling.”
“Hmm…….”
Millerph’s face twisted.
Boika approached as he continued.
“You’re not that Julius Count bastard who came all this way to help that wench, are you?”
“Go first!”
Dark kicked off the deck and leaped from the ship.