Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The City of Dreams and Revelry, Kara.
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My companions and I headed for the desert city of Kara. It was a long journey crossing the eastern edge of the Prosia Continent—the Iposeum Mountains and part of the Great Desert—but with the portal provided by the Magic Tower, we arrived in no time.
Arriving at the top of the portal tower in the center of Kara Castle, I descended to the observation deck just below to take in the view. With a population of 130,000 inside the castle walls and another 110,000 farmers living around the surrounding oasis, Kara was vast and bustling. The city center was lined with ornate Moss-style buildings, and there were several sizable temples in sight.
Gazing out at the expansive farmlands and forested areas beyond the walls, I was utterly astonished. It was nothing like a city plopped in the middle of a barren wasteland desert; patches of vibrant greenery thrived here. It seemed the massive oasis stretching endlessly to the north and the well-maintained irrigation systems made it all possible.
Shura looked just as stunned, her eyes wide as she peered down at the city.
"This is incredible. How does a metropolis like this even exist in the heart of a desert?"
I replied,
"Prime location, plus abundant resources."
Kara sat beside the Devil's Trade Route, the most treacherous stretch of the Great Desert trade paths. This month-long route offered no water or game, and it was constantly plagued by monster attacks and raids from Sikha tribe bandits. Merchant caravans from other continents dreaded the crossing to Kara. In turn, Kara bought up luxuries and spices from those caravans and resold them across the Prosia Continent through relay trade, amassing immense wealth.
Moreover, Basra Mountain at the northern edge of Kara Castle was entirely marble, and to the south lay the Uts River Mine, the world's finest iron deposit. With plentiful water sources to boot—unheard of for a desert city—it was rightly called the Paradise of the Sands.
Armida chimed in.
"And the tourism industry's top-notch too. An old friend of mine visited once."
Kara's enormous oasis had a legend that one of the Seven Grand Saintesses, the Grand Saintess of Water, had blessed it into existence. For followers of the Water Doctrine, it was a major holy site, drawing endless pilgrims year-round.
On top of that, Kara housed the world's third-largest Temple of Corruption and massive gambling halls. No wonder tourism was booming.
That was exactly why I'd chosen Kara as my final destination.
Here, you could make a fortune, indulge in every pleasure imaginable, and just a short trek away lay the endless wasteland desert teeming with monsters—perfect for real combat training. And crucially, no one knew who I was.
The one issue? Come this winter, the Lobros Kingdom from the southeast of the Prosia Continent would invade with a massive army. Still, it wasn't the worst spot. The frequent emergence of the Seven Divine Artifacts had thrown the continent's power balance into chaos, sparking endless wars. But Kara fell to the Lobros forces on the first day of the siege and avoided further conflict until the Era of Annihilation eight years later.
My plan was to hole up in another desert city around early winter and return come spring. Should be no problem.
Armida glanced at me slyly.
"But... is it really okay for us to be here?"
"Sis, what's wrong now?"
"Three of the Seven Divine Artifacts have shown up with the forces of Light already."
"Yeah."
"The forces of Darkness are looking way too lopsided."
Armida wore a worried frown. Valkyries were forbidden from meddling in human affairs, but as the Dark Valkyrie representing Darkness, she couldn't be happy about the Seven Divine Artifacts tipping the scales toward Light.
But it was just needless worry. Two more would appear next year—one going to the forces of Darkness, the other vanishing without a trace. Add Armida and our Shura, and it was basically even. A solid 3.1 to 3.
"But we've got two on the Darkness side already, right? You and Shura."
"I can't interfere in worldly matters, as you well know."
"What about their side? No Valkyrie there? That fly-brain. Word is she made a huge splash across the world recently."
Armida let out a snort.
"True, she's got no sense. Or maybe she figures it's fine to pull a stunt like that at a time this critical. Heh."
"Anyway, don't stress. The wielders of the Seven Divine Artifacts won't cause any real catastrophe. Sure, there'll be wars between nations, but kids grow up fighting—that's not our problem."
The emergence of the Seven Divine Artifacts had ignited a powder keg of war across the world. With war-loving fools getting doused in holy power, losing their nerve was inevitable. And religious leaders foaming at the mouth to expand their faiths? The world was bound to bleed.
In my past life, I'd suffered for it.
During the great Orc invasion, I'd nearly died to the Orc great hero Grollmog while at Count Meyer's side. Then, in the all-out assault by the forces of Darkness, I'd gone to the eastern front as a general and gotten battered left and right.
But it made the Prosia Continent's forces incredibly strong. As the saying goes, battle-hardened fighters are the best. All those wars honed the generals' skills and turned soldiers into elites. That experience would prove vital in surviving the Era of Annihilation.
"Yeah, I suppose so."
"Right? With that one lunatic stirring trouble, everyone's flocking there. They've got their hands full—why would they meddle in world affairs? That'd be dereliction of duty."
Armida had mentioned on the way here that Catrine and this year's wielders of the Seven Divine Artifacts were all chasing Sabondia. Naturally, holy relic guardians couldn't just dive into worldly business.
"Makes sense."
"So quit worrying about nothing and focus. We've got plenty to do ourselves."
"Got it."
I hurried down from the portal tower. We'd finally arrived in the city of dreams and revelry, Kara. On a day like today, I had no time for world woes. My new life was all about enjoyment.
Afterward, to set up shop in Kara, I rented a three-story building with a large plot of land from the city office. It had been a dojo teaching continental swordsmanship, with an annual rent of a whopping 45 gold riffs. Pricey, but spacious with an outdoor training yard—that sealed the deal.
And Kara was a land of opportunity. With real skill, you could rake in gold hand over fist. I did just that. Monthly rent like this? Pocket change soon enough.
The interior renovations took nearly three days. During that time, my companions and I hired laborers to fix up the place and finished prepping the business.
I sat Yojjo on a rock in the outdoor training yard's flower bed, lost in deep thought. I was trying to recreate the magic that had coincidentally activated during my duel with Catrine. But it wasn't as simple as it sounded. I'd tried every motion under the sun, yet the damn thing wouldn't budge. It almost felt like that whole incident had been a hallucination.
'No, it was definitely magic...'
One thing was clear: it wasn't the motions or mana injection. That left only mental activation. No other way to trigger magic.
The catch? Mental magic required sage-level mages or mind master swordsmen. As a mere master swordsman, I shouldn't be capable.
But I'd undeniably used it back then. If my hunch was right, I'd briefly touched the mind master realm.
I scratched my head furiously. Mind mastery wasn't some casual stroll—it was exalted. I'd only reached master a year ago; tasting that pinnacle even momentarily seemed impossible.
Yet the current situation suggested otherwise. It implied I had something special setting me apart, though I couldn't pinpoint what.
'What makes me different from other master swordsmen? Only that I'm reincarnated... Ah! Could that be it?'
A spark lit in my mind. Not certain, but one suspicious clue stood out.
I'd experienced a realm no one else had: the soul realm. Even Cloud, hailed as the strongest swordsman in history, yearned to glimpse that grand phenomenon of nature.
Yes. For a fleeting instant, I'd felt my soul stir—bridging my past life's death and reincarnation into this era. That subconscious echo might have guided me briefly into the mental realm. After all, the mental was just a waypoint to the soul.
The problem? I had no memory of it. It happened so fast, there was nothing to recall. Still, I could infer one truth: before the soul's workings, time itself meant nothing.
'By returning to the past, I'm living past, present, and future all at once.'
The despairing era ahead was an event from my past. The despairing era I'd endured before was my oncoming future. The present was the same— this moment I lived was always my past's future, another's present, and some future's past.
The only difference was my will shaping where I stood. In my past life, around this time, I was in the Karl territory grinding successor lessons. Now, I was in Kara. My soul's stir and my choices had muddled time, shifting my path.
Beyond that, I knew zilch—but it was a huge gain. No one else grasped this, and I'd unlocked the first key to the soul realm.