I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

18 – 018. The Letter (3)

Magic.

The mystery of magic boasted a wider versatility than one might think. It could control fire and ice, scattering death across a wide area, and in everyday life, it could provide hot and cold water.

‘…What kind of trickery is this?’

Then what kind of magic was this unfolding now?

It was like the showy antics of a vain mage. Open an envelope and light pours out? It wasn’t exactly offensive, but it was definitely absurd.

“M-Magic….”

“This is the first time I’ve encountered magic this close.”

“Lucky you. It’s pretty amazing, right?”

Naturally, the mercenaries in the guild clicked their tongues in awe. They seemed to have no idea what the light meant, just endlessly marveling at it.

“….”

Translating their gazes would probably mean, ‘I want to be friends!’ Not having much of a hobby of befriending anyone, I quickly left the building.

Swish-

The place I stopped was the fountain at the center of Loven.

The pristine white fountain was stirring up gentle sprays of water with the power of a magical artifact. Leaving the bustling children behind, I sat down by the fountain. And then, I started to slowly read the letter.

Flap.

—————

To my dear Frey.

I’ve officially become a disciple of the Helios Magic Tower, as planned. To be honest, I was really worried at first, but everyone is actually quite kind, and the atmosphere isn’t bad either.

If I have any worries, it’s that the people at the tower have an intimidating amount of pride?

And, I heard the news that you became a mercenary, just like you wanted. Please, don’t push yourself too hard.

Ah! One last thing, this is news I just heard. It seems like a war might break out in the north. They’re mobilizing mages, as well as a large number of mercenaries.

Please… please don’t think about joining that war. War seems so, so dangerous.

Wishing you peace and health.

—— Your old friend, Ariel

—————

The content of the letter was extremely ordinary.

A greeting filled with concern for a friend. And an earnest plea not to join the northern expedition.

“This is… a pretty old letter, isn’t it?”

The war was over, unlike what the letter suggested. The Northern Grand Duke’s triumphal procession had taken place just days ago, meaning this letter should have arrived quite some time ago.

*Fsssssh!*

“……?”

I carefully slipped the letter back into its envelope. Then, something incredible happened. As if it had just been opened, a flash of light erupted from the letter again, a single spark leaping out.

[ Hello, Frey. ]

*Wiggle, wiggle.*

The spark moved through the air as if it had a mind of its own, forming letters. Soon, the magic began writing the next sentence.

[ You finally got my message. ]

“……”

The sender of the letter seemed to have included some kind of magical device with the mail.

From the look of things, Ariel, the sender, was clearly expressing her intent. Almost like a text message on a modern phone.

[ I’m coming to find you. Soon. ]

“……Coming to find me?”

It was hard to react with anything other than a lackluster response to that.

For one, I had no idea who Ariel was or what kind of relationship we had. And now she’s saying she’s coming to find me? That’s just… unsettling.

* * *

The next day.

Lancelot and I were walking through the commercial district. Madame Armand, who had been suffering from pneumonia, was being treated at the church. Naturally, we had some time to kill.

“Thanks for yesterday. I never imagined a whole day would just vanish like that.”

“Hmm. It was nothing. All I did was watch over your room.”

*Snort.*

I couldn’t help but smile at Lancelot’s curt reply. Nothing, huh? When I woke up from my deep sleep, he looked pretty worn out. Like hell it was nothing.

“Oh. Lancelot, are you rich?”

“……What kind of question is that? Are you trying to steal my money?”

Typical Lancelot. The moment the topic of ‘money’ came up, his eyes changed.

“No. I’m just wondering about the state of your pockets.”

“Reasonable enough. But our source of income has dried up, so we can’t live like we used to.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

That was why I called Lancelot out of the church.

With the Knights’ pay and Armand’s support gone, the future looked pretty bleak. So, I was thinking of giving him a small gift, using yesterday’s events as an excuse.

“What’s urgent right now?”

“……Why are you asking that?”

“Just curious. Can’t I ask?”

Lancelot’s voice, strangely evasive, made me grumble a bit. Seriously, can someone be this clueless?

“I guess, what we need most is holy water.”

“……Holy water?”

“Yeah. Mother’s recovery is slower than I thought. Turns out, the accumulated illness over the years is hindering her healing.”

“……”

Lancelot’s face, as he spoke heavily, was utterly dark. I could see the guilt of ignoring his mother for so long tightening its grip on him.

“Let’s go.”

“What? Where are we going?”

“The church. Holy water is usually sold at churches, right? I need to buy some top-grade holy water brewed by high priests.”

“W-what are you saying? Frey, you’re so broke that you’ve lost all sense of money… Holy water is expensive. Most commoners wouldn’t even see it in their entire lives.”

Lancelot, his brow furrowed, spoke as if he were trying to calm me down.

Holy water? I know how expensive it is. It’s a higher-tier item than ‘potions,’ which restore vitality, and the most expensive consumable besides elixirs.

But.

“So?”

“What?”

“Like it’s worth a few coins.”

I spoke with confident tone. The war participation allowance I received from the mercenary guild was beyond imagination. It was, after all, a ‘price for one’s life’ amount. It would be weirder if the amount were small.

… So much so that when I opened my pouch in the hotel room, I almost yelled ‘Long live the Emperor’ without realizing it.

“You, you’re something else…”

Lancelot, looking utterly dumbfounded, couldn’t find the words. He seemed not to have imagined that I’d offer to buy holy water so suddenly.

“It’s okay.”

*Swoosh.*

I put my hand inside my coat, the weight of the plump pouch causing a satisfied smile to spread across my face. Thinking about the tremendous growth I experienced yesterday, spending a few bottles of holy water didn’t feel like a waste at all.

“I’ve got a lot of money.”

Lancelot’s face immediately brightened. A light of respect finally shone brightly in his eyes.

.

.

.

I arrived at the church and headed straight for the ‘consultation room’. A consultation just to buy a single bottle of holy water? It felt like visiting a dermatologist in modern-day Earth.

And, the priest I met in that consultation room uttered something shocking.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Due to the recent war, the price of holy water has skyrocketed.”

The infinitely benevolent priest, as if without a shred of shame, presented me with a document and continued.

“See? Compared to before the war, the price of holy water has increased by approximately 700%.”

“……”

I’d momentarily overlooked it. War, at its core, is something between tragedy and comedy, waged with money and swords.

It wasn’t strange that enormous sums of money were being spent on the war, and that the prices of consumables like ‘holy water’ were skyrocketing.

“What you wish to purchase is… ‘top-grade holy water,’ and the price is as follows.”

*Swoosh.*

The priest, pointing to a corner of the document, looked at me with transparent eyes.

What to say… it was a terrifying gaze, devoid of even a speck of malice, like that of a pure-eyed madman.

“One… please.”

‘This isn’t quite right?’ the thought flashed through my mind for a very, very, very brief moment.

But it was like spilled water; impossible to gather it back up. I went ahead with the purchase. Money? It’s important. But there are countless things more important than money in this world, right?

“Understood. I’ll just be away for a moment, please wait here.”

“Yes.”

And so, the priest left. Left alone in the consultation room, I aimlessly fiddled with my coin pouch.

* * *

Another day had passed.

Waking up in the hotel as usual, I rubbed my eyes and drew back the curtains. Bright light immediately flooded the room.

“I think I should really get settled and move out of the hotel soon.”

Muttering to myself, I recalled yesterday’s events.

The price of holy water, especially top-grade holy water, was far beyond my comprehension.

Well… it wasn’t like there weren’t any gains. Lancelot’s mother, Madame Armand, was clearly showing significant improvement before my very eyes.

“Money, that damn money.”

I shook my head, murmuring in disgust. Thanks to the top-grade holy water I’d purchased yesterday, I’d spent nine-tenths of my war allowance. It was truly an unimaginable amount.

Knock knock.

That was the moment. A knock suddenly echoed on my room door.

Lancelot, maybe? I trudged towards the door, and without a second thought, pulled it open.

*Creak—!*

“Huh?”

But something was off. There was no one there, beyond the threshold.

For a split second, I wondered if I’d imagined it… but then a single object caught my eye, proving I hadn’t been mistaken.

“……?”

At my feet lay a small pouch made of fine silk. I bent down to pick it up, and a ‘clink’ immediately echoed through the hallway.

*Slllrp. Slrrp.*

Wordlessly, I broke the pouch’s seal and checked its contents. Inside were a bunch of dull yellow coins.

“?”

What the hell is this?