Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: First Expedition
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[That number 6 sword is something like the son of the number 12 sword that Buske used until his death. If you use it, he'd be delighted.]
Silence fell over the gallery. The only sounds were occasional gasps of admiration from Sophie and Eloa, who were distracted examining the swords.
Brudette, who had been gazing down at the sword with tears in his eyes, quickly wiped them away with his sleeve.
Having heard his father's final words, he closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. They burned with fierce determination.
[...Even so, I won't use this sword just yet.]
[Huh?]
He walked over with firm steps and hung the number 6 sword back in its original place.
[The dream Father cherished in life, of the green surpassing the blue. I will make that dream come true.]
[...]
[And on the day I can open that lock myself, just as Father wished...]
Brudette's fist trembled faintly.
[...I will take a sword from this collection and push the front lines forward. Then, I will visit Father's tomb, which should be in the Demon Realm by now.]
Do-yoon stared at Brudette's back as he gazed at the sword.
Do-yoon sensed that the telepathic voice echoing in his mind had grown much clearer. The mana carried within it had changed.
The force that moved mana was will. The control over mana was greatly influenced by the caster's own willpower.
And just now, Brudette's will had strengthened.
'The time it takes to learn Sword Projection has been moved up.'
Do-yoon nodded in satisfaction at the sight of his nephew growing before his eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The group returned to the World Tree Guild House by carriage.
After stepping down from the carriage, Do-yoon drew Jupiter from its scabbard.
"Wow... The sword has such a, how should I put it... pristine color?"
Sophie exclaimed in admiration at Jupiter's appearance.
Buske's Sword Collection, number 9: Jupiter. This sword, composed of 98% air from empty space, had a transparent hue with a faint blue tint, allowing one to see straight through the blade.
No, as Sophie said, it wasn't just transparent—it was pristine, like clear stream water flowing through a mountain valley.
"It looks just like the color of the sky."
Do-yoon nodded and raised Jupiter above his head, using the blade to block the sun. The clear blade let the sunlight pass straight through, blending seamlessly with the sky as if it were part of it.
"That's why I heard the name Jupiter means 'sky.'"
"The name and the look—it's such a beautiful sword..."
Sophie gazed at the blade with the enraptured eyes of a sensitive girl.
"I was really surprised. I never imagined the Hero would give one of the collection swords to Do-yoon... Is it really okay to accept it?"
"It means the Alliance has high expectations for the Boss Monster Killer title. You and Do-yoon might not know, Sophie, but the Boss Monster Killer was truly a pillar of the Alliance."
Eloa gave Sophie a smooth explanation.
"And above all, it's not a full handover—it's just a long-term loan."
At that point, Sophie seemed somewhat convinced and nodded.
As Eloa said, Jupiter would officially be on long-term loan. It was an excuse to make Brudette's decision to hand over the sword palatable to those around him.
The group ran into Milaine, who had come out to greet them.
"You're back, Master."
"Yeah."
Eloa responded curtly, with the guards and Sophie in front of her.
Milaine walked into the building with the group, giving Eloa a brief report as they went.
"The Rockenmeyer raid countermeasures meeting has been delayed."
"...The Lion King still?"
"Yes."
Do-yoon listened closely to their conversation. It was a topic that concerned him as well, and Milaine was deliberately including him.
The recent Rockenmeyer raid had been highly unusual.
First, the intent was unclear.
Temporally, it could be seen as a response to Heineken's failed coup in Birn, but why target Rockenmeyer specifically was unknown. Occupying it meant nothing without first dealing with the Lion King's Muspelheim.
Even if it was just to inflict economic damage on the Alliance, it was odd.
The raiding forces were too valuable to be mere cannon fodder. Though few in number, they were none other than the Imp legions of Satan's army.
And crucially, the Imp legions had been abnormally strong.
There were many aspects to this raid worth pondering. Thus, the Alliance had decided to hold an emergency countermeasures meeting.
An emergency meeting summoning all the continent's heroes. Such meetings had occurred several times over the past 70 years, always conducted swiftly due to their importance.
But this time, unusually, the meeting was delayed—because of none other than the Lion King.
"What the hell is up with that old man? What's his reason for not being able to attend?"
Eloa tilted her head in confusion.
The Lion King's declaration of non-attendance was highly unexpected.
The most valiant king. The most righteous king. The pillar of the Alliance. The shield of the Alliance. Even called the king of the Alliance, he cared for it more than anyone and took the war seriously. He always handled the summons for countermeasures meetings, and the venue was invariably his Muspelheim.
Yet this time, the Lion King had declared he would not attend.
"The Lion King still hasn't responded. Instead, Heineken has stepped forward to speak for him."
"Huh? Heineken? Why's he suddenly involved?"
At the familiar name, a glint appeared in Do-yoon's eyes.
"Everyone knows the Lion King and Heineken are especially close. Lion and tiger. Senior and junior."
"Sure, but it's still out of left field. Why have Heineken speak for him instead of the Lion King announcing it himself? Fine, let's hear it. What's the reason for skipping?"
"That's... he says he can't tell."
"What?"
Eloa furrowed her brow.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"He says he can't reveal the reason, but it's for the Alliance's sake and asks for understanding. He also said the meeting should be held somewhere other than Muspelheim."
"Well, there's nothing to not understand... It's just so unexpected."
Eloa tilted her head again.
Of course it would be for the Alliance. Especially since it was the Lion King.
But she was curious what matter required keeping it secret from everyone except his closest confidant, Heineken.
"Anyway, pass on that we got it. The meeting location isn't set yet, right?"
"Probably the Holy Kingdom or the Holy King's Labyrinth?"
"Yeah. With the unusual situation and Heineken swamped too... it'll take about a week."
Eloa turned to Do-yoon after a moment's thought.
"Apostle Han Do-yoon, did you hear? Due to the meeting delay, whether you'll attend will be decided later too."
"That's fine by me."
Do-yoon replied.
Do-yoon was the primary contributor to repelling this raid and the only one who could say he had 'fought' the Imps. They might even demand his presence at the meeting.
Thanks to that, he had a free week, but Do-yoon didn't mind. He could just fill the extra time with training.
However, Eloa brought up something else.
"So, about that—Han Do-yoon, Sophie's been temporarily assigned to a team to learn from, so how about you join them for a simple expedition this week?"
"An expedition?"
"Yes. Training is essential for getting stronger, but for system-based growth, real combat is the most efficient."
Milaine chimed in from the side.
"It's a routine simple scouting expedition. Good for familiarizing yourself with teammates and learning real combat."
"Yes. I'll do that."
"Great, I'll prepare it! Oh, the team doesn't know you're the Boss Monster Killer, so keep that in mind?"
"Yes. Understood."
Even within the World Tree Guild, few knew that this generation's Boss Monster Killer was Do-yoon.
Milaine and Eloa had decided to keep it quiet. Due to the Cradle massacre, Skeletonia, World Tree, and others were all worried about something happening to Do-yoon.
"And... expedition achievements based on contribution are distributed accordingly, but base rewards are split 1/N per principle. So, some team members might look down on Do-yoon and Sophie for joining just for training... I'll emphasize it specially, but please understand...!"
"Hm... That could happen. Don't worry. I'll be careful to avoid conflicts."
"Thank you!"
Milaine felt a weight lift off her shoulders at Do-yoon's words. Strangely, he had this aura that inspired trust.
"Ah, then, speaking of which."
Do-yoon, having heard Milaine's concern, spoke up as if an idea had struck him.
"Maybe I can provide some benefit to them."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
Do-yoon pulled up the trait information from his status window.
⚔ STATUS ⚔
[First Guild Master]
Your comrades will strive to stand by your side. The growth speed of those under your command increases by 10%. Your comrades will be inspired by your presence, drawing out potential they never knew they had. The potential of those under your command increases by 10%.
"I have an innate trait. It boosts the growth speed and potential of those under my command by 10% each. If we use a paperwork loophole to make me team leader, maybe it could apply..."
Do-yoon stopped mid-sentence as he met Milaine's eyes while explaining.
Milaine's eyes were wide open, her mouth slightly agape—she clearly wasn't grasping it.
"Vice Master?"
"Uh... Apostle Do-yoon...? W-what did you just say..."
"I mean my trait. Though 10% is a small number, but..."
Milaine could no longer hear Do-yoon. Her mind was racing with calculations.
Eloa was the same. She was still confused, wondering if the Hero had misspoke.
Only Sophie, who didn't know the value of Do-yoon's words, and Do-yoon himself looked at them puzzled.
'10%...?'
Truly, a 10% correction to growth speed and potential?
Ding.
Milaine's mental calculator finished its computation.
"...So, if we test the paperwork loophole... Vice Master? Are you listening to—"
"Kyaaaaah!! Our lucky charm is insane!!"
Milaine lunged at Do-yoon with a fierce hug.