Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The Path of the Swordsman
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Among the three paths connecting the south to the north, the forest leading to Alfheim was rumored to be the most dangerous.
Two horses that had departed from Strange Castle were galloping along that path.
Clop, clop, clop.
One was the white horse guided by Cynthia's hands toward the Papal Court.
The other was Alfredo's brown horse heading to the northern lands, where its direction was not yet firmly set.
"That bastard Berddin... Back when I first saw him at the tower, I had no idea he'd grown this much. Now he's so famous that just mentioning his name gets recognition anywhere!"
Alfredo's voice cut through the sound of the hooves.
"That's because you don't keep up with the world. The youngest of the Strange Family was already famous long before we met him."
"That kid?"
"Yeah. Among knights, there's no one who doesn't know him. Not only was he born into the massive Strange Family, but he was called the greatest talent in their history. How many people do you think had high expectations?"
"...Cynthia, I get that you like the guy, but don't overhype him."
"Overhype?"
"Berddin's only eight years old. No matter how strong he seems, there's a limit. Sure, he might have a naturally superior body or aura, but he's still not enough to face seasoned veterans on the battlefield."
Cynthia bit her tongue to hold back from telling him to stop talking nonsense.
'Trying to explain this to an idiot like him would just wear out my mouth.'
Just listing the names of the enemies he'd faced so far showed he was no ordinary fighter, and there were even tougher ones on battlefields.
'Of course.'
That didn't mean there weren't any.
Edward, called the future of the Glazer Family, had been hailed as a genius just like him.
Clop, clop, clop!
The two waved hands at a large fork in the road and parted ways.
At this point, neither Cynthia nor Alfredo knew what the future held.
They had no idea that there were those plotting to shatter their plan of hiding from enemy eyes.
Whoosh—
A fierce gust blew in, toppling Cynthia's white horse.
"Neigh!"
Thud!
A massive steel fist plummeted from above, smashing toward Cynthia.
Boom!
"...First one down. Send word to Albus that the operation has begun."
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the forest.
The sound came directly from straight ahead of me.
I gripped my sword's hilt, read the air currents, spread my aura in all directions, and pinpointed the bullet's trajectory.
Clang!
Whatever came flying, I could block it.
Size didn't matter, nor did speed.
Plop.
I checked the bisected bullet that fell to the ground.
'As expected.'
The faint blue glint at the bullet's tip was undoubtedly from ground mana stones.
Only a handful on the continent could afford such extravagant weapons.
'Rothschild.'
It had to be them.
And among the Rothschilds, only one wielded a gun with skill.
'Dorothy de Rothschild.'
Not many could aim a gun at an enemy from this distance.
Misread the wind even slightly, and the shot veered off. If the bullet missed and the enemy traced it back, you'd be caught in no time.
"Trying to test my strength, are you?"
I murmured softly, stood, and looked toward the direction the bullet had come from. I could chase and catch them if I wanted—the distance wasn't an issue.
"Lord Berddin, are you alright?!"
"...Yes."
I couldn't leave Maria Theresa here alone. Even if I dealt with the foes in sight and pursued, who knew what else might spring out from where.
'No choice.'
If they wanted to know my power, I'd show them. I activated my talisman, unleashing aura across my entire body.
Thick, fierce, and intimidating enough that lesser monsters couldn't even approach.
Shoooo—
Nearby goblins collapsed unconscious.
Thud, thud thud.
This should be a sufficient reply to Dorothy's bullet. A demonstration of my level—and that they couldn't touch me with their skills.
"Kieeeek!"
A 'Champion'-grade goblin, apparently their leader.
Just as Kaifa described, it had an odd, gorilla-like build with disproportionately massive arms. It raised an axe overhead and charged me.
Thud thud thud.
'Is this your response, Dorothy?'
I lightly gripped my sword, raised it overhead, and swung vertically toward her direction.
Slash!
This wasn't just to cut the goblin. It was a return gift to Dorothy, spying from afar—a response to her little present.
Kaboom!
The sword beam tore through trees in sequence before halting at a massive boulder midway up the mountain.
Boom!
"...Incredible."
Dorothy licked the blood trickling from her forehead, then grinned widely.
"Strange Family's little brat. I heard he was strong, but this much?"
Plop.
Her glasses split in two and fell to the ground.
Evidently pleased with Berddin's gift, she lowered her gun and spoke to the one below the boulder.
"I nearly died, you know?"
A red-haired boy about Berddin's age brushed off his rear and stood.
"What? Don't even joke like that, sis. If big bro hears, we're in deep shit."
"Not a joke. Look, my forehead."
She wiped the blood with her palm and showed him.
"Wh-wh-what the hell! Then that huge boom just now—was that magic from the kid?"
"How would a knight use magic?"
"An arrow then?"
Dorothy picked up her fallen glasses, wiped them, and replied.
"...No. He just swung his sword in the air, and the sword wind—or sword beam—flew right up to me."
"?!"
"A bit closer, and my head would've split in two. Looks like the rumors from Legion weren't exaggerated after all."
The red-haired boy sprang up and climbed the boulder.
Surveying the clash between Berddin and the goblin horde, he tilted his head.
"Sword wind from that distance... all the way here? With enough power to smash trees on the way?"
Unable to believe Dorothy, he stared down the trail of felled trees from the boulder, his face slack with disbelief.
"You think I'd lie?"
"B-but—"
"A sword master with a legendary Guardian Spirit. Dragon Slayer who suddenly slew a dragon over Legion."
"......"
"Now all those adventurer guild rumors make sense."
Dorothy gathered her gear from atop the boulder and said to the redhead.
"Mission accomplished. Let's head back before we're late."
"Sis."
"What."
"If I ever fought that guy, who do you think would win?"
She didn't ponder deeply.
She simply asked the one below the boulder with a smile playing on her lips.
"Albus, what do you think?"
One of the Five Generals, Albus with a white snake coiled around his neck, answered her.
"I'm truly sorry to say this, but no human can defeat Lord Berddin."
A few seconds after speaking, he seemed to realize something and added,
"Unless it's a monster, not a human."
The red-haired boy jumped in place, furious.
"Albus, you bastard! You saying God's child like me would lose to that punk?!"
"Please calm down, Archduke Asabragg. I didn't mean you'd lose to Lord Berddin."
"Then?"
"Human strength falls short, but you wield divine power, don't you?"
"...True."
"Isn't that answer enough?"
Archduke Asabragg furrowed his brow in thought, then beamed.
"So I could win?"
"Yes."
Pleased with Albus's response, he clasped his hands behind his back, straightened up, and declared,
"Right, no way I'd lose to a punk like that."
Dorothy sighed deeply at Albus.
"Albus, don't egg on Asabragg needlessly. Clever tricks backfire big time."
Albus waved it off with narrowed eyes.
"How could I ever do that to Archduke Asabragg?!"
"Fuck the Archduke. He hasn't even dethroned the Emperor yet."
"Soon, right? Very soon."
"...We're moving quietly now, so I'm holding back. You know what happens if you blab this around."
"Of course! I absolutely, positively won't tell a soul."
Dorothy aimed her gun at Albus, then pivoted and shot a passing troll's head.
Bang!
The troll's head exploded, green blood splattering everywhere.
Splat.
"Watch your mouth. Next time, it could be your head."
Albus glanced at the troll corpse, smiled, and replied,
"Yes, Lady Dorothy."
"And clean up those Omangseong bastards soon."
"Omangseong?"
"No need to drag old era remnants into the new world, right? They're useless now that Katarina's dead anyway."
"Ha... But they've faithfully followed Lord Baphomet's orders until now—"
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out.
The bullet grazed Albus's cheek and embedded in the ground.
"So? Baphomet dances to our tune anyway."
"......"
"Do I have to micromanage trash like them too?"
"...My apologies."
"Good. Handle it before Strange starts war with Glazer."
"Yes, Lady Dorothy."
Dealing with the goblins was no challenge. In fact, it was so easy I didn't even need to draw my sword.
To avoid staining the blade, I picked up a tree branch, infused it with aura, and went to work.
Splat!
"...Berddin."
Siegfried looked down at me with a displeased expression.
"Yes?"
"Why aren't you using Aura Blade?"
"Aura Blade?"
"Yeah. Don't tell me you hate the technique I taught you?"
"No."
"Then why not use it?"
As if.
For a knight, nothing surpassed Aura Blade. It was one of the few weapons I had against mages right now.
'Just.'
Aura Blade had a massive flaw.
"Aura Blade consumes too much aura. Doesn't seem worth using on small fry like this."
That's right.
Goblins were foes I could handle without aura at all.
"Then learn to control Aura Blade."
"From who?"
"Me."
"You said you couldn't. That Aura Blade is for pouring everything into unbeatable foes..."
"Me? When?"
"You said that on the day you taught me Aura Blade."
"Oh, that!"
Siegfried snapped his fingers and grinned widely.
Snap!
Sticking out his tongue teasingly, he continued,
"That was bullshit."