I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

21 – 021. Guest (3)

Maria was in a good mood. Because today, she had heard a rather pleasant story.

Clink.

The sound of a teacup shook her from her reverie.

Tea time with all the family gathered in the Grand Duke’s residence was special. It was a characteristic event of the Britzhart family, led by the Grand Duke, the absolute power of the North.

“Recently, the situation in the Eastern Continent is quite bleak.”

“The Eastern Continent, you say.”

“Yes. The last remaining forces of the Blood Cult have been completely annihilated, and a few survivors have fled to the Western Continent.”

* * *

Clink.

Maria quietly set down her teacup, her gaze shifting to her father.

Just like the Western Continent, war was raging in the Eastern Continent as well. Unlike the Empire, which aimed to annex nations, the war in the East had a slightly different trajectory.

“The Demonic War. It’s coming to an end, isn’t it.”

About three years ago, the ‘Heavenly Demon Sect’ had declared a holy war to eradicate heretical groups. Their target was the Blood Sect.

Because it operated like a cell organization, the Blood Sect had managed to evade the Heavenly Demon Sect’s gaze until now, but it seemed their end was nigh.

“Father! Isn’t the fact that the remnants of the Blood Sect fled to the Western Continent a huge problem?”

A young man, who had been silently listening to the Grand Duke, abruptly rose from his seat and shouted.

Indeed, he was right. Unlike the Western Continent, where power was concentrated at the center and the great nobles and magic towers held sway, the martial artists of the Eastern Continent were fragmented into sects, families, and the like.

The scale of the chaos was bound to be different.

“That is correct. Therefore, I intend to give you a mission.”

All eyes turned to the Grand Duke.

“You will scatter throughout the Grand Duchy to support border patrol. If any remnants of the Blood Sect are sighted, everyone except Maria will immediately send word to the center.”

The Grand Duke’s wish was simple.

He intended to deploy the Grand Duke family’s forces for patrol and surveillance, thus blocking any possible influx of Blood Sect remnants at the source.

“…….”

Maria’s expression, which had been a ‘pleasant blank face’ just a moment ago, changed. Now, the expression plastered on her face was a ‘displeasing blank face.’ Luckily, no one noticed the difference.

* * *

Preparations for the Helios trip proceeded at breakneck speed.

Putting aside the fact that I had barely any luggage to speak of, even Lancelot had managed to complete the mansion contract in just a single day.

And now, at the dining hall where we were preparing for farewell.

“That’s wonderful. I was worried you two would end up stuck in Loben for the rest of your lives.”

Clink!

At the dinner table, where we had all gathered for the first time since the slum battle, Madame Armand spoke.

“The world is vast. It’s not really my place to say, having lived in Loben my whole life, but I hope you get to see more of the world.”

“……Mother, aren’t you sad?”

“Me? Not at all. We have Frey, a trustworthy friend, don’t we? I actually feel like applauding. And…….”

Madame Armand’s gaze slid sideways. At the end of her line of sight was Ariel. Ariel, who had been munching on food, tilted her head without a word.

“Huh?”

“You’re a very lovely young lady. Judging by the atmosphere, are you Frey’s girlfriend?”

“Pfft! Ah, no?! She’s not my girlfriend, we’re just really close friends from when we were kids.”

Ariel, her face flushed like a ruby, shook her head back and forth. I, who had been quietly holding my spoon beside her, added to the conversation.

“She’s a mage of the Magic Tower. A member of the famous Helios, they say.”

“Oh my! A mage? I see. Lancelot also had a mage girlfriend he used to know a long time ago…”

“M-Mother!”

Lancelot, who had jumped up from his seat, shouted with an embarrassed face. Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to him.

A mage? A girlfriend? Lancelot had that kind of thing? It seemed like something interesting was about to come out.

“Is this story a secret?”

“No, it’s already spilled milk, isn’t it?”

“Ugh!”

Lancelot, who had quietly settled back into his seat, tightly shut his eyes. Since his secret had already been revealed, he seemed to think he had no justification to stop his mother from speaking.

“I received a letter from Lancelot a long time ago. He said he met a mage who was so similar to him in looks and personality. And at the end of the letter, he wrote, ‘Mother, is this love?’…”

“P-Please stop! Frey! Can’t we…can’t we leave now?”

“Wow, this is fun.”

“Hey!”

“Okay, okay, I got it.”

At the further scolding, I quietly got up from my seat.

The meal was already nearing its end anyway. Since the contract for the mansion that Mrs. Armand would live in and the servants who would manage it was already done, there was nothing more to do in Loven.

“I’m done eating too!”

Ariel, who had seen me get up, also said, clattering her fork or something down.

“Alright. Go on now. I’ll just have some coffee here and then head back. I don’t want to show you the pathetic sight of a mother crying as she sends her son away.”

“Mother…”

Lancelot’s eyes welled up as he looked at Mrs. Armand, who had a weak smile on her face. At that sight, I bowed my head to her. It was my own way of saying goodbye, the only thing I could do.

“We’ll be on our way. Don’t worry about Lancelot. He’s a really capable guy.”

“Alright, please take care of Lancelot. And…Seongsu, thank you so much.”

Mrs. Armand had already turned her gaze to the menu. As if she didn’t want to see her son’s back as he left, his mother put on a show of being strong.

“…Let’s go.”

After saying our goodbyes, we left the restaurant. Without looking back, I knew that her gaze was on us.

After that.

We secured a luxurious carriage and also hired a driver with an impressive record. Ariel paid for everything, and as expected of someone from the Helios Magic Tower, her every move was full of ease.

“We’re departing! My lords!”

And so, the carriage set off.

Was it thanks to the large sum of money? The coachman’s driving was exceptional. Moreover, the carriage’s interior was filled with a steadfast comfort. So much so, that sleep threatened to claim me.

‘… I guess I won’t be returning to Roben for a while.’

Silence settled inside the carriage. Opening the window to gaze at the passing scenery, a smile bloomed on my face without me even realizing it.

Precious memories are laid to rest here, for now.

Now, a different story will unfold…

“Halt! Halt! Halt!”

*Screeeech!* *Thud!*

It was then that the smoothly sailing carriage came to an abrupt halt.

“Wha, what is it?! An ambush?!”

“Ughhh…”

Lancelot, jolted awake, yelled. Ariel, having smacked her forehead against the inner wall, was rubbing her head while making a strange noise.

“M-My lords! You must come outside for a moment!”

“…?”

“A-a g-guest has arrived!”

The voice from outside was unsettling.

*Creak!*

I stepped out of the carriage and immediately scanned the area ahead.

And what do you know? A man dressed in bizarre attire was glaring in our direction.

He was someone fully clad in thick armor. A full plate armor, in other words, but ridiculously, he wasn’t wearing a helmet.

“What is this?”

Unable to decipher the oddball’s purpose, I furrowed my brow and spoke to him in a low voice.

“I’ve come to settle a grudge.”

“…A grudge?”

“Heh heh! Don’t worry too much. All I want is your head.”

…He wants my head?

My brow furrowed deeper. That arrogant tone, along with his rough looking face, felt utterly bizarre.

“Did Dupon send you?”

*Thud*, Lancelot, having already stepped out of the carriage, spoke as if something had just clicked. That remark immediately caused a comical reaction from the strange man.

“Whoops! How’d you figure that out? This is, this is, the client’s information is supposed to be top secret!”

“Count DuPont? Lancelot, wasn’t that pig something like Gleur DuPont?”

“That’s right. Seems like the b*stard finally caused some trouble.”

Gleur of the Golden Lion Knights. That pig knight must’ve sent him.

“This won’t take long!”

Clack, clack. The thug muttered, loosening his arms as he approached us.

…The weapon he wielded, ‘gauntlets.’

He seemed to be a martial artist, wearing golden gauntlets.

Swoosh!

I drew my sword, staring down the enemy. He’s going to take my head? Unfortunate for him, but I had no intention of handing it over as a freebie.

“You’re being too prickly with your guests!”

Whoosh-!

The thug chuckled, gathering mana in both fists.

“Your manner of speaking is truly pathetic.”

“…My thoughts exactly.”

How absurd must that look? Lancelot, usually so serious, even spoke out of character.

A rare martial artist. Originally, in the world of ＜Silvering＞, the martial artist profession was considered extremely dangerous.

And what about that ‘full plate armor’?

I’ll admit, the magnificent armor, reflecting the sun in silver, had a magnetic charm that resonated with a man’s soul. But, if it lacks ‘practicality’… then it’s just a fancy piece of junk, not a magnificent armor.

In this world where we use ‘mana,’ it’s a useless item unless you’re fighting enemies of a goblin’s level.

“Heh heh! Here I come!”

Tap tap!

So then, why is the martial arts profession so dangerous?

Basically, if you engage in combat with ‘sword’ or ‘polearm’ type enemies with a martial artist character, there’s a very low chance you’ll get a gruesome debuff.

There are many types of debuffs, but the most common is ‘dominant hand severing.’ As the name suggests, it means your right arm, which you use to fight, has been cut off. The only way to treat it is to go to the church with your severed arm, and pay a ridiculous amount of money to get it reattached.

…And even that, if you’re too late, they can’t reattach it. You have no choice but to delete your character.

Whoosh!

And just like that, the fist encased in golden gauntlets flew toward me. Whether it was a martial arts technique or not, his attack was pretty quick.

Ssshhwwack!

In response, the dark mana I unleashed ripped through the space.

The assassin of the Dupont family, he’d intended to go all out from the start.

But.

*Skhhk! Thud.*

“……”

“……?”

“……Wha, what was that just now?”

Ariel, stepping out of the carriage, blurted out in a bewildered voice.

“Kiyaaak!”

The assailant’s piercing scream echoed through the scene. On the ground lay two ownerless arms, shimmering with golden light.