Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 115
>Chapter Title: The First Sword
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>Eliza turned her head with a creaky squeak, like a robot that hadn't been oiled properly. Her big eyes were brimming with tears.
She stared up at him with a gaze that looked ready to burst into sobs at any moment, as if silently asking, *Is that really true?*
"No, Eliza. You're cute."
-Liza... Liza...
"It's true. You're not weird at all."
-Liza... Liza...
She mumbled dejectedly over and over, but this time, no translation was needed.
*I'm weird... a freak...*
The words rang out vividly in his mind, like a speech bubble floating above her head.
Having only ever heard that she was cute, the comment about her strange appearance must have hit her hard.
*Aigoo.*
Do-hyun, who had stepped up boldly only to retire after one hit, looked pitiful even to the onlookers, but Charlie didn't stop.
-To think that the ones guarding my liege are mere goblins and spiders... Ah, I should have come sooner... I beg your forgiveness, my liege. Please do not pardon me.
"No, this guy's keepin' at it, lookin' down on us? Hey, you, come here."
-Liza-liza!!
"You're not even human—you're a goblin, aren't you?"
-Kyaack!
Jihad struck a combat pose, determined to take on the Lü Bu of trash talk, while Eliza held back tears and squeaked in protest.
Charlie, meanwhile, completely ignored the two as he bowed his head in apology to Do-hyun.
*...No wonder they call him the Venom-Tongued one.*
Do-hyun had never understood why users who cleared the tutorial commonly called Charlie the "venom-tongued jerk" or a "picky, obnoxious prick," but now it made perfect sense.
What was even more surprising was that there wasn't a hint of malice from Charlie.
-Ah... This is all my lowly fault.
"..."
He was genuinely consumed by guilt.
To Charlie, Jihad and Eliza were nothing more than oddly shaped monsters—or pets, at best.
Who would seriously fight with mere beasts?
-Aargh, I'm gonna pop a vein. Fine, let's you and me die today. How dare you fail to recognize your senior who's like the sky itself...
"Hey, hey, cut it out. Quiet down for a sec."
Worried the fight would escalate, Do-hyun reined in Jihad, whose eyes went wide.
His pupils darted around wildly.
-...Master, you're taking *his* side right now?
"...Huh?"
Jihad's expression turned to one of a tragic heroine betrayed by her trusted husband. As Do-hyun faltered for a moment, the goblin bellowed.
-The new stone rolling in to displace the old one... Is that really it? How could you abandon us like this?!
-Liza-liza! Liza!
"See? Even Eliza's upset! He gave her that precious necklace and everything! To Eliza!"
With Eliza glaring daggers too, Do-hyun suddenly felt like the world's worst guy.
Unable to hold back his bewilderment, Do-hyun finally spoke up.
"No, what are you talking about? If anything, *he* came under me first."
-What? What kinda nonsense is that? Obviously we were first...
"My liege speaks true. This lowly knight has been my liege's sword for hundreds of years."
-...?
*Is that for real?*
Jihad blinked as if asking exactly that. Do-hyun sighed and nodded, prompting the goblin to gape in shock.
He pondered for a moment before blurting out.
-...So you're saying Master is hundreds of years old?
"No, not that. Uh... it's complicated to explain. Just roll with it."
"Then... Senior Charlie?"
-Liza?
Jihad's attitude flipped.
Gone was the cocky demeanor ready to school the newcomer; now he fidgeted, glancing nervously.
[Guardian 'Jihad Black's guardian trait 'Strong vs Weak, Weak vs Strong' activates.]
He had assumed seniority gave him the edge, only to realize it was the opposite.
He'd lost his sense of position.
From his perspective, it was like a private who'd sassed what he thought was a rookie, only to learn it was the company commander.
*What the hell...*
Do-hyun sighed at the goblin's seamless attitude shift, unsure whether to call it consistent or what.
"They're all guardians just like you. No seniors or juniors. Just get along casually."
Do-hyun waved it off, and Jihad's eyes lit up as if he'd never been nervous. Relaxing, he belatedly noticed his gaze and cleared his throat.
-Ahem, if Master says so, no choice. Consider yourself lucky...
-Li, liza...!
Perhaps because of his earlier bravado—or the loss of his "senior" safety net—even though he wasn't a junior, he was still sneaking peeks, but it was better than before.
Fortunately, Charlie took it in stride without offense.
-Hm, I don't quite get it, but if my liege acknowledges you, then your skills must be exceptional despite appearances. My apologies if I was rude.
"Nah, what... I wasn't exactly in the right either."
Charlie's prompt apology left Jihad awkwardly embarrassed to keep raging, so he mumbled a response.
Charlie extended a hand to the goblin.
"I'm Charlie. Pleased to meet you."
"F-Fine. I'm Jihad. This is Eliza."
-Liza!
Eliza hopped up and placed her tiny hand atop theirs.
There was still some awkwardness, but with relations more or less sorted, Do-hyun shook his head.
A goblin carrying the bloodline of an ancient tribe, and a fluffy spider with parasitic abilities.
And a tutorial helper NPC as a guardian...
*What a freakshow party.*
Everyone else had cool, normal guardians—why was he stuck with these monstrosities?
His head throbbed; he pressed his forehead.
Just then, Charlie, having wrapped up the pleasantries, approached as if remembering something and handed over an item.
"Ah, my liege. I picked this up."
"Hm?"
"I found it while you were focused on something."
Do-hyun's eyes flashed as he looked at it.
[Eye of Truth activates.]
*Fate Fragment!*
A faint red glow seeped out.
It was the same light he'd seen in Destroyer Geymon's heart.
The thing he'd longed for was finally in his hands.
He took the half-broken hourglass and checked its info right away—his eyes widened in confusion.
It couldn't be helped.
[Broken Hourglass of Faith]
-Rank: ???
-Description: A broken hourglass. It contains an unknown, immense divine power.
"...What the hell is this?"
It was utterly different from what he'd expected.
It shared nothing in common with the one from Raven—not even from one to ten.
Hell, the name didn't even have a hint of "Fate."
No changes even after fiddling with it just in case.
*Looks totally ordinary too.*
Just a worn, broken hourglass anyone might see.
The Eye of Truth made it glow red, but no flashy reaction like before.
*Come to think of it, no main quest completion notice either.*
...Was it not a Fate Fragment after all?
Then why had the Eye of Truth kept reacting?
Did that mean he had to stick around even after clearing the graduation quest?
He'd been dead certain it was a Fate Fragment, but this unexpected result muddled his thoughts.
*No way—I went through hell to get this!*
Sure, thanks to it he'd cleared the graduation quest nicely and scored hefty rewards...
But still, this was too much!
As he turned to consult Gamillion about this absurdity—
"Ahh..."
"I cannot believe it..."
Moved voices from somewhere caught Do-hyun's attention.
Turning toward the sound, he saw a group of people.
"You truly slew that Destroyer?"
"To capture the Blue Duke... Who *are* they...?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, yet I can't believe it... Who would believe this?"
The priests gaped in awe.
Their eyes glistened with emotion—not just a little, either.
Some were outright crying.
"Kuhk... This time, you've saved us all."
"It's all thanks to the hero. You pinned it down so it couldn't escape the city."
"Such foresight. A true master of both martial and strategy."
"Ahh... I can return to my family's embrace."
Old men hugged each other, stomping in joy amid the sentiment.
Do-hyun, who'd been frantic a moment ago, halted.
*Hm.*
A strange feeling washed over him.
To him, they were just passing NPCs, but their emotions weren't some fake data bits.
They were genuinely relieved and thrilled to have protected Brion from the Destroyer.
-These are the people my liege saved. *My liege*, no less.
As he watched, a soft voice spoke.
He glanced aside to see Charlie smiling warmly.
-In truth, I was a bit worried. Beliefs tend to corrode over time.
"..."
-But... even after so long, my liege remains unchanged. My judgment was spot on. This lowly sword is deeply proud.
As their eyes met and Charlie added that, a notice rang out.
[Guardian First Sword 'Charlie's loyalty increases.]
[Guardian First Sword 'Charlie's loyalty is at maximum and cannot increase further.]
Staring at it brought back memories of first meeting Charlie.
*He was like this back then too.*
In Arlen Castle during the tutorial, he'd grieved his dead comrades more than anyone, and after Do-hyun slew the Bound Iron Blood Wyrmspawn, he'd been more moved than anyone.
So Charlie, of all people, would know exactly how they felt.
As he watched, talk of Charlie drifted over.
"But... who is that knight...?"
"He used the Sword of Light... Isn't that the swordsmanship only Arlen Castle knights use?"
"Where'd he come from all of a sudden? Fell from the sky?"
"Speaking of, the ceiling's busted open now. Must've come down from there."
"...Dude, was that a pun?"
"...Ahem."
The priests, having composed themselves, chattered while glancing around.
Not wariness or suspicion like before, but pure curiosity.
*Of course they'd wonder.*
From their view, in their darkest hour when hope faded, Charlie had appeared in a blaze of brilliant light.
A literal savior.
That's why they hesitated to ask outright, just peeking cautiously.
"We truly thank you, hero. We of Brion will never forget your grace."
"No need. It was nothing."
High Priest Gildetti stepped forward as their representative.
"Heh heh... 'Nothing'? No one but a hero could have done it—not even the apostles. Sir Lebed will express his heartfelt thanks when he learns."
"Thank you."
"We should be the grateful ones. But..."
Gildetti trailed off cautiously.
"...Who is that knight, hero?"
As Do-hyun pondered how to reply, Charlie, sensing the awkwardness, stepped in.
"I am the First Sword of the great liege, Charlie. You must be the high priest here."
"Ah, yes. Our thanks to you as well, sir knight."
-I did nothing. I merely added a spoonful to what my liege accomplished.
"Such humility. We saw it ourselves—please."
With sentiments exchanged, Gildetti finally voiced his burning question.
"But... if I may ask, how did you arrive? There was a barrier, yet even seeing it, I can't comprehend."
A perfectly reasonable question.
Do-hyun had faced Destroyer Geymon alone precisely because of that barrier.
Dozens of knights couldn't even approach, sucking their thumbs—yet Charlie waltzed in boldly.
Charlie's answer was simple.
-I came at my liege's call.
"...?"
-I am a knight sworn to my liege. Isn't it natural for a knight to answer his lord's summons?
"Uh... Pardon?"
Charlie spoke with utmost solemnity.