Magic Sword Retrieval (2)
The back of Delman was incredibly comfortable.
It was thick and broad enough to show how diligently he had trained for this.
That was why Rodeban had slept soundly.
All the way until they reached their destination.
“Rodeban-nim.”
He barely snapped out of his sleep when he heard Seria’s voice.
The memories before he fell asleep were slowly returning.
……I was climbing the mountains to recover the Magic Sword.
Over his shoulder, an open view stretched out.
They seemed to have reached the vicinity of the summit, for the scenery of the snow-covered mountain range below his feet came into view.
Tap tap.
Seria’s white hand knocked on his shoulder.
“Rodeban-nim. We’ve arrived. How is your body feeling?”
The concerned gaze was even more serious than in the morning.
Rodeban waved his hand, still being carried, as if everything was fine.
“Much better than before, Lady Delman. You have worked hard. You may set me down now.”
Delman replied.
“The young lady thought about Rodeban-nim’s condition and made the climb a little slower! Besides, you slept like you were dead. The expression ‘whoever carries you wouldn’t know’ fits perfectly!”
Rodeban nodded calmly.
“It’s one of my few special skills.”
Seria muttered from the side.
“Truly amazing.”
Anyone watching would have said it with a mocking tone, but Rodeban naturally thought.
Did I blabber something ridiculous while sleeping?
Seria continued.
“You were sleeping as if you were dead. I was worried you might not make it down halfway.”
“T-that’s right.”
Rodeban scratched the back of his head.
The physical condition he felt was no different from usual.
But apparently it looked different to Seria, who was an outsider.
“That…”
Rodeban tried to offer an excuse, but Seria shot him a piercing glare, then immediately added.
“Quiet down.”
“……Yes.”
Rodeban pressed his lips together with a giiik sound.
Anyway, it was good to get the Holy Fluid as soon as possible.
After all, it was medicine that would ease the horrific fatigue that had plagued his body for 365 days.
“……Ha.”
Suddenly Seria laughed in disbelief, then relaxed her expression.
“Let’s go.”
He nodded in answer.
Rodeban was the type who listened well to his superiors.
***
They moved a little further.
Magic power spread everywhere like red streams flowing down.
Seria, watching the sight, said with a dark expression.
“The spread is fast. The surroundings seem completely contaminated already.”
Delman nodded.
“Correct. This is the fifth one. It seems the stronger the Magic Sword, the more powerful the Magic Beast appears.”
“Purifying it won’t be easy either…”
Suddenly Rodeban pointed toward the upper part of the mountain range.
“I think we’re here.”
The group’s gaze moved.
A red curtain covered the summit.
A dungeon formed by the Magic Sword.
Seria instructed Delman while looking at the dungeon.
“Prepare camp here, Knight Commander. We don’t know how long the Magic Sword recovery will take.”
“Understood. Young lady.”
“Let’s go. Rodeban-nim.”
“Yes.”
Rodeban and Seria headed toward the red curtain.
“Entering.”
Rodeban, with a drowsy expression still half-asleep, went inside the curtain.
Behind him, Seria followed with a tense expression.
Uwoong—
The sound of sinking into water echoed in his head…
“……A snowfield?”
A vast snowfield appeared.
Red mist hung everywhere, narrowing the visibility.
Rodeban suddenly took a deep breath.
The fatigue crushing his whole body felt much lighter.
“……I feel alive.”
The contaminated magic power inside the dungeon.
In other words, his body had reacted to the magic.
Precisely, the Magic Eye had been absorbing the magic power in the air.
Once the Magic Eye filled with magic power, his heart would be safe from being drained for a while.
In short, the magic power depletion that had been hanging around his body for so long was now gone.
Uuwoong……
Suddenly a sloshing sound came from the empty air.
“Ugh……”
Soon Seria appeared with a furrowed brow.
Apparently she had never come to a dungeon before.
Actually, she wasn’t greatly surprised.
A noble daughter suddenly entering a dungeon—why?
Rodeban asked.
“My lady. Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
He looked around and warned Seria.
“The magic power is quite thick. If your condition worsens, tell me immediately.”
“……I’ve never been to a dungeon before. Don’t worry. Let’s move quickly.”
Seria said that, then began walking.
Looking at her back far ahead already made his concern rise.
Normally these types die first in dungeons……
In this world setting, bloodline is overpowered. Whatever.
Rodeban shrugged and followed her.
Worrying too much was a nuisance.
From what he had observed, Seria wasn’t weak.
Slap slap—
He walked on the snow for a few minutes.
Suddenly low growling sounds came from the red mist.
Krrruuu……
Dark monsters appeared in the red mist.
Perhaps because it was northern territory.
Most were deer-like creatures.
Sling—!
Seria immediately drew her sword and stepped forward.
“Rodeban-nim. Take some time to adapt.”
“……Ah, yes. Understood.”
Before Rodeban’s “Understood” even finished, Seria’s figure shot forward.
These kids have so much ambition……
Uuwoong—!
Instantly white magic power flickered from her sword.
While Seria cut through three monsters in succession, she passed.
Chwaak—!
At the moment the monsters’ blood splattered on the ground, Rodeban’s eyes widened slightly.
She’s better than I thought?
Seria’s skill was beyond what he imagined from the village alley, so he was surprised.
That meant she had been training her sword diligently.
Actually, in the game she would have been dead long ago, so this was the first time he saw her in combat.
……Stop gawking and follow her.
Rodeban soon drew his sword and moved his feet.
Suddenly a monster lunged out from the left in ambush.
“……Clever one.”
He countered with a simple side slash.
With a puwak sound, the monster’s head fell off.
Since it’s still the beginning, these aren’t very strong.
If anything, the knight he met at Elise’s mansion would be easy to deal with.
What happened to that young man?
Suddenly a thought crossed his mind, but he quickly brushed it away.
Why did he have so many idle thoughts?
While collecting blood from his sword, Rodeban’s shoulder twitched.
“……My body is getting lighter.”
Anyway, the Magic Eye had absorbed quite a bit of magic power.
His body was several times lighter than usual.
This was his normal condition.
Rodeban narrowed his brows while watching the flickering shadow ahead.
She’s already quite far ahead. That’s why beginners……
While briefly gauging the distance to Seria, Rodeban moved quickly like sliding.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
After only three steps, he arrived beside Seria and spoke.
“My lady. You’re skilled.”
“T-thank you.”
As soon as he praised her, Seria’s lips curved up slightly.
Rodeban, feeling the moment was right, added a complaint.
“However, you’re too far from the allies. The visibility was uncertain right now, and if there had been a few more monsters, you would have been isolated.”
“……Yes.”
He almost said she had already died once, but seeing Seria’s sullen face, he held back.
Seria was a young lady, not his subordinate.
Thinking about it, why was I chasing after the young lady?
Suddenly such a thought crossed his mind.
If he chased her too much, he might get the Holy Fluid late.
“Wait a moment.”
Suddenly Rodeban turned his head to the side, and his sword flashed once.
Puak—!
Cleanly slicing the monster that had rushed in from the side, Rodeban looked back at Seria.
Since he used the whip, it was time to give the carrot again.
“Even so, you’ve trained the sword diligently. Your movements are fast too. You wouldn’t lose easily in sparring with your brothers.”
“Thank you.”
“My lady. Behind you.”
Rodeban pointed to her rear.
One last monster was charging fiercely.
“Ah, yes!”
Seria hurriedly looked back and swung her sword vertically upward.
With a chwaak sound, the monster died.
The surroundings were now quiet.
Feeling the aftershocks of battle, Seria said in a slightly trembling voice.
“T-that’s why I’ve trained diligently since then. Since Rodeban-nim saved me. I wanted to be like Rodeban-nim, not just to beat my brothers……”
While sheathing her sword, she lowered her head and added self-deprecatingly.
“……Of course, there’s no other choice. That’s how I felt.”
“Hmm.”
Rodeban looked back at the path they had passed.
A large pile of monster corpses lined the road as if it were the way.
That path also looked like the results of Seria’s training over the time.
He briefly praised.
“Not bad.”
Seria said with a pout.
“……Praise me a little more. I only told you the truth.”
Rodeban scratched the back of his head.
Earlier praise had been flowing naturally, but now he had to give it when asked.
“You…… did well.”
“……”
Seria moved her feet without a word.
Rodeban, sensing the cold atmosphere, also moved while keeping his mouth shut.
Poduk. Poduk.
As the two pairs of footprints were carved into the snowfield,
Seria opened her mouth.
“Rodeban-nim. Father said not to bring up marriage talk in front of Rodeban-nim. After all, he’ll be rejected.”
Suddenly Rodeban’s eyebrows twitched.
……Hmm?
Actually, since Rodeban had rejected every marriage proposal he had received, this wasn’t a difficult guess.
While fidgeting with both hands, Seria soon asked.
“I’ve been curious. You’re past your marriageable age…… Is there a separate reason you don’t get married?”
“Ah. That’s……”
This one he could definitely answer.
“I’m still young.”
“……”
Suddenly Seria stopped walking.
She silently looked at him.
Her eyes demanded an explanation.
Rodeban had no choice but to add one sentence. With an extremely serious expression.
“At twenty-nine, I’m not quite there for marriage yet.”
“……”
Then Seria glared at him for a moment.
Her expression said What kind of nonsense is that?
“Haa……”
Finally she let out a deep sigh, then started walking without a word.