The Swordmaster Wants to Fall in Love! 63. Aftermath
The battle was over. The Spear King surveyed the surroundings, his gaze falling upon the victims with sorrowful eyes.
"They didn't die... but they're contaminated."
"Contaminated?"
"Yes. It means they can no longer be called human. Look."
As he spoke, the Spear King pointed to the tentacles erupting from various parts of the fallen bodies. They were identical to the tentacles that had sprouted from Low-Medon and Llyeh's forms earlier.
While Evan stared blankly at the people writhing with tentacles, one of the appendages suddenly shot toward him.
"Gah—?!"
"—Be careful. These things instinctively lunge at humans to absorb their nutrients."
"T-thank you."
With the fight concluded, Evan had begun to relax his tension. He exhaled in relief as he watched the Spear King catch the tentacle mid-air. She then channeled her power into the captured appendage, incinerating both the tentacle and the person who had fired it in a single motion.
*Fssssss—!* Watching the body burn away, Evan felt a pang of pity.
"You're going to kill all of them...?"
"There's no choice. Once someone is contaminated, there's no going back."
"Is there really no way to save them?"
"No."
Seeing the Spear King shake her head firmly, Evan quietly drew his sword. If they had to die, it was better to end their suffering swiftly. The Spear King, seemingly understanding his intent, followed him as he moved among the fallen, delivering merciful blows. By the time they returned to the meteorite, the air was thick with the scent of blood and charred flesh.
Rest in peace.
After silently praying for the dead, Evan turned his gaze to the meteorite—the source of all this tragedy. Nearly half its rocky exterior had been excavated, revealing a glittering mineral that pulsed with radiant energy beneath the broken surface.
"This is Meteornium..."
He had only heard of its mysterious power before, but after encountering the Kra-tos operatives, its nature was clear. This was the source of their monstrous abilities. The reason they had targeted the meteorite was obvious: to amplify their strength. To the kingdom, it was merely a valuable mineral; to them, it was a potion of power.
"I'd rather smash it to pieces, honestly."
"Would you?"
"...No. These people died trying to obtain it. To destroy it carelessly would make their deaths truly meaningless."
All Evan could do was extract as much Meteornium as possible, sell it, and use the proceeds to honor the dead.
As he quietly examined the meteorite, the Spear King scanned the area for further threats. Satisfied that none remained, she cautiously approached Evan.
"We should return. We've spent too much time here."
"Ah—this body belongs to Count Stell, right? Please take care of it."
"Before that—"
The Spear King suddenly stepped forward and pulled Evan into a firm embrace. He looked down at her, bewildered by the sudden hug.
"What? Hold me steady."
"No, wait, what's this all of a sudden..."
"I'm about to release the possession. If you fall and get hurt, that would be a disaster, wouldn't it?"
Her reasoning made sense. Evan carefully wrapped his arms around Stell's body, his muscles tensing at the sweet fragrance emanating from her. Though she appeared to be a child still growing into adulthood, her scent was unmistakably that of a mature woman.
Whether she noticed his trembling or not, the Spear King released the possession and returned to her own body.
"—Ugh!"
The moment the Spear King departed, Stell regained control of her body, gasping weakly.
"Haa... haa..."
"Count Stell? Are you alright?"
"W-where am I...?"
"You're at the meteorite site. There was a fight..."
Evan hesitated, wondering whether to hide the bodies or leave them visible. Her youthful appearance made showing them seem cruel, but as the lord of this territory, she had a right to know. Fortunately, Stell was too overwhelmed by the aftereffects of possession to notice her surroundings.
"Hhh... haa... Y-you're too much, Your Majesty... using someone's body like this... hhh..."
"...Please don't moan so close to my ear."
"I-I'm sorry, Swordmaster... just... just let me rest a moment..."
Evan gently lowered her to the ground, propping her head on his thigh. Drenched in sweat and flushed, she continued to whimper in discomfort.
"S-Swordmas...ter... I'm sorry... but... may I... ask one favor...?"
"What is it?"
"My... armor... please..."
Only then did Evan realize she was asking him to remove her armor. He carefully began unfastening it. Beneath the outer layer, her everyday clothes clung to her sweat-soaked skin, outlining her figure. Though short, her body was fully developed.
"Haa... hhh..."
Even after the armor was removed, Stell continued to moan softly against his thigh for a long while.
Evan, who had stood firm against tentacle attacks, found himself utterly defeated by the delicate sounds of a woman in distress. He remained perfectly still until she regained consciousness.
"Whoa! No one's guarding it! This is a stroke of luck!"
More people continued to arrive, drawn by rumors of the meteorite. Evan wondered who had spread the word—he wanted to confront them. But such musings were short-lived. He soon found himself facing another mercenary group attempting to claim the meteorite.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave."
"Huh? Who the hell are you, kid?"
"This isn't a place for children."
"I'll let you live if you run away screaming for your mommy. Got it?"
Unsurprisingly, the mercenaries—unable to judge strength by appearance alone—sneered at Evan's youthful looks.
Ignoring their mockery, Evan drew his sword without another word. Though he lacked the ability to detect martial prowess, the mercenaries recognized the sound of a blade being drawn and immediately readied their weapons.
"You little brat! I said you can live if you run!"
"...That's what I was about to say."
Evan chuckled at the audacity of these thieves posing as legitimate mercenaries. To an outsider, they might have seemed like the rightful owners of the meteorite.
With a casual shrug, he spoke.
"Fine—I'll let you live."
In an instant, his blade flashed. The mercenaries didn't even see what happened before they were clutching severed limbs, rolling on the ground in agony.
"Aaaagh—?!"
"My arm! My arm!"
"M-monster..."
Ignoring their screams, Evan sent a communication to the territory. Count Stell dispatched soldiers to apprehend the mercenaries, who were captured without resistance.
Watching them being led away, Evan realized his reputation was still lacking. Even a single mercenary group targeting the meteorite should have recognized him. Yet they hadn't even noticed who he was.
Could it be... I'm not as famous as I thought?
After a moment of reflection, Evan concluded that it was strange for anyone not to know him. After all, even Low-Medon had recognized him as the Swordmaster the moment they met.
Feeling a faint melancholy at the thought of being unknown, Evan suddenly realized he had become someone accustomed to others' attention.
Since when...
Since when had he cared about others' gazes or his own reputation? It was all the Spear King's fault—her plan to bind him with forced fame and honor had succeeded.
With a bitter smile, Evan returned to his post. Fortunately, those who came afterward recognized his face and left without incident.
"...Thank you for your hard work, Swordmaster."
"Ah, yes."
Once the Meteornium extraction was complete, Evan returned to his duties as a count. Looking at Stell's face, he felt a slight awkwardness. Since the day she had moaned against his thigh, she had maintained a subtle distance.
He understood why. As a grown woman, it must have been unbearable to have moaned against a boy's thigh.
"Thanks to you, we were able to extract the Meteornium without major issues."
"Without major issues...?"
"Yes. There were no major problems."
Evan forced a smile at her casual dismissal of dozens of deaths. But Stell ignored his expression and continued.
"We extracted a total of 23 kilograms of Meteornium. As promised, 2.3 kilograms belong to you, Swordmaster."
"Oh..."
"If you'd like, I can convert it to currency right now..."
"No, I'll take it."
A mineral worth more than a dragon's corpse.
Evan wondered what kind of weapon could be forged from it.
I hope you're still doing well.
His gaze drifted to the Dragon Killer at his hip—the legendary blade forged from dragon bones. Though its creator had questionable tastes, his skill was undeniable. What other artisan could craft a sword that exuded dragon energy?
...Just in case, I'll ask about the material costs first this time.
After storing the Meteornium in his spatial pocket, Evan rose and headed for the Royal Capital.
The Royal Capital's Artisan Street.
A place where countless craftsmen gathered.
From all over the nation, those in need of weapons, armor, or equipment came here to commission lifelong gear.
"Master, thank you. Truly, thank you."
"Don't make a fuss and leave now."
"Yes, I understand. Thank you once again."
The man bowed deeply to Yumir before quickly exiting the shop. Watching him leave, the dwarf blacksmith grimaced.
Damn it. No matter how urgent the money was...
Lately, rare minerals had flooded the auction houses. Yumir had taken on significant debt to acquire them all, and to repay it, he had been forced to sell weapons.
The sword the man had just purchased was no exception—priced at 1.5 million Elso, crafted in a week. The Dragon Killer he had made for Evan was the only exception; as a dwarf artisan, Yumir typically didn't take long to forge a single blade.
"Selling weapons to unworthy men..."
His mouth tasted bitter. His pride and soul as a craftsman were being eroded. To heal this wound, he needed rare materials worthy of tempering his artisan spirit.
Like the ones he had acquired at the auction...
"Mr. Yumir. Are you here?"
"—I'm not doing business, so leave..."
Yumir, about to shoo away the uninvited guest, froze as Evan entered the shop, waving cheerfully.
"What's this, Evan? What's wrong? Did your sword break?"
"No, the sword's fine... but I was wondering if it could be enhanced a bit."
"Enhanced? The Dragon Killer is my masterpiece. Enhancing it..."
Evan silently placed 2 kilograms of Meteornium on the counter. He had used 300 grams to pay off debts.
Yumir's eyes trembled as he stared at the Meteornium before him.
"T-this is...?"
"I'd like you to use all of this to enhance my sword and suit."
"—You've come to the right place."
Yumir instantly forgot about the Meteornium he had acquired at the auction. After all, there was ten times more of it right in front of him.