I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

44 – 044. The Fundamentals of Swordsmanship (3)

Descending the plateau was a very easy task.

*Whoosh-*!

I channeled mana into my lower body, unfolding the Heavenly Flow Footwork. The chance of getting lost was negligible, so I descended at full speed.

*Thud!*

The journey that took two days to ascend was over in half a day, just as I’d expected. I arrived back at the village where I’d spent the night, letting out a small sigh.

“Hoo.”

Indeed, ‘Sword Father’s’ teachings were invaluable. It was like a lie, how I could easily descend a tall mountain now, when in the past, I’d get winded after just a short walk.

Of course, my body had also become stronger due to the natural accumulation of mana, but still.

“It seems that, perhaps, Frey-nim has ascended to the 6th circle.”

“……Huh?”

Maria, who had been leisurely following me, said.

And that statement was quite out of the blue.

Me, having reached the 6th circle? I didn’t particularly feel any different than before. My swordsmanship did feel smoother after the battle with the Blood Lion, but…

“It’s only natural you wouldn’t know you’ve ascended to the 6th circle. Originally, the 6th circle is a stage where you achieve enlightenment and construct your own world.”

“My own world, you say?”

A bewildered voice escaped my lips.

Thinking it over, Maria’s words shared a connection with the ‘enlightenment’ I had experienced.

During the battle with the Blood Lion… I directly experienced the collapse of my former mindscape. Who would have thought that it was the foundation for reaching the 6th circle!

“Ha, haha!”

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t in a good mood. It was just, since Maria had pointed out a fact I hadn’t even realized, a delayed surge of joy washed over me.

“Frey-nim’s growth is at a speed that even the geniuses who have made names for themselves on the continent could not dare to imagine.”

Maria’s praise, which wasn’t quite praise, made me unconsciously puff out my chest.

She was right.

In ＜Silvering＞, reaching the 6th circle required… at least several in-game years. Of course, it varied depending on the unique traits and initial talent, but it was generally accurate.

“At this rate, you might reach the 7th circle within a few months.”

“……The 7th circle is, like, an entirely different world, isn’t it?”

Maria nodded slightly.

As an 8th circle mage, she knew. She knew just what kind of effort it took to cross a single circle.

“But if it’s you, Frey-nim, I think you could easily shatter common sense.”

“……”

Her eyes were filled with unconditional trust. I couldn’t help but feel awkward.

Considering the beautiful young woman in front of me was an 8th circle mage, I didn’t feel like boasting at all.

“The 6th circle is a stage where one constructs their own world. That means, planning for the future is necessary.”

Yeah, that’s probably right.

I immediately agreed with Maria’s advice.

Like she said, the 6th circle was already beyond the stage of a newbie, a rookie, or a late bloomer. Thinking about the future, planning was inevitable.

“I do have some things in mind.”

“……I’d like to hear it. Your plans, Frey-nim.”

The footsteps that had been heading into the village stopped. At the same time, Maria’s blue eyes turned towards me.

‘It’s okay to tell her, right?’

Maria Theresia was my benefactor and friend. That was my thinking.

There was no need to hide my thoughts from her, the one who had said she would be my greatest connection in this hut.

“First, I’m thinking of forming an organization.”

“An organization, you say? Are you talking about an organization like a mercenary group or a knight order?”

“Hmm… it could be similar. I haven’t really decided on the organization’s nature yet.”

“I see.”

The ‘organization’ of the Silver Ring boasted a much larger framework than one might think.

There were families and sects, as well as guilds, circles, knight orders, mercenary groups, and parties, all included.

…What was clear was that I needed strong ‘companions’. Preparing for what lay ahead wasn’t optional, after all.

“The reason I came to this village instead of heading straight to the Papal Palace is also because of that.”

“……The reason being?”

“There were two cute kids, right? I’m planning to recruit them first.”

“Ah.”

Maria seemed to finally understand the situation.

Like I said, I was thinking of taking those children in first. Looking at the shabby clothes they wore a few days ago, it would probably be a better choice for the kids as well.

“……?”

Thinking that, I entered the village proper. But a strange atmosphere caught my eye. Before, there were quite a few people in the village, but now the streets felt awfully deserted.

‘What’s going on?’

It was still early afternoon, the sun hadn’t set. Naturally, there should be people on the streets, starting to wind down their daily work…

“Hey! Outsiders!”

“……?”

A voice calling out to us reached my ears. I turned my head and saw a middle-aged man with an ordinary face. He was the one who told us the location of the inn a few days ago, when we first arrived in the village.

“Be careful. The atmosphere is very ominous, you see.”

“What happened? The atmosphere is very different from a few days ago.”

“Hoo! Don’t even get me started. The village is in an uproar right now.”

“……An uproar, you say?”

Curiosity was inevitable.

This village was literally an isolated place in the northeast of the empire. Unless it was a monster attack or something, nothing much could really happen here.

“Well, a high-ranking person has come to the village.”

“A high-ranking person?”

“Yes. I hear they’re from the center. In short, a noble, you know.”

“What does that have to do with this ominous atmosphere?”

A noble causing trouble in this remote countryside?

A noble from the center would mean they’re from the ‘Imperial Capital’ where the Emperor is, have they completely lost their minds?

“……There’s an orphan brother and sister in our village. They make a living mainly by telling ‘fortunes’.”

“……!”

A chill ran down my spine for a moment.

The very reason we came to this village was to take those two kids away. And now, those two kids were mixed up in this ominous atmosphere.

“The noble from the center seems to have responded to their calls and had his fortune told. But…….”

“But what?”

The man’s hesitation made my chest feel tight. I urged him to explain quickly.

“He got furious at the result of the reading. He immediately ordered his knight to beat up the children.”

“……What did you say?”

What kind of crazy b*stard is that?

My irritation surged. But, the man opened his mouth as if he still had more to say.

“The problem is that’s not the end of it. Surprisingly, the knight refused the noble’s order. He said he couldn’t hit innocent children, being a honorable knight and all.”

“……No way.”

“Yes. The knight in question was punished for insubordination. I’ll be damned if I know what’s going on….”

The middle-aged man trailed off, deep worry etched onto his face.

I stayed silent, organizing my thoughts, before coldly spitting out,

“Where are those nobles now?”

“They’re at the only inn in the village. The innkeeper seems to be having a hard time too, I hear dishes breaking from inside every now and then.”

“……And the state of the two children?”

“The younger one is thankfully unharmed. The problem is the older child.”

His face turned to me, looking distraught. Though he didn’t say it outright, his expression screamed that he desperately needed help.

My heart sunk coldly. I wanted to go straight to those nobles and tear them apart, but I decided that figuring out the situation first was more important.

“Where is the children’s house? I want to see for myself, first.”

“Ah. Just follow the wooden fence. The house with the apricot-colored walls and red roof, that’s where the children live.”

“……Thank you.”

I offered a curt thanks and moved with heavy steps.

He’d given an unreasonable order to his knight, who was under his command, and then punished him for insubordination. There was no way someone like that would have treated the children lightly.

“……Sir Frey. I think that’s it.”

Perhaps it was thanks to the small size of the village.

Finding the house the children lived in wasn’t difficult at all. About five minutes later, I saw the building exactly matching the man’s description.

“……”

Knock, knock!

I walked slowly up to the door and knocked.

But then.

Crash!

“……”

“……”

A faint noise leaked through the crack in the door. Whether they were trying to pretend the house was empty or not, silence followed for a moment.

Knock, knock!

I knocked again. Again a long silence followed. After standing blankly in front of the door for quite a while,

Creak-!

Slowly, carefully. The old door opened. Revealed through the gap was the younger sister of the siblings.

“Sniffle, handsome… mister?”

The little one’s eyes were red and swollen. It looked like they’d been crying just moments ago, and seeing the child’s puffy face made my own heart ache.

“What happened?”

I lowered myself, kneeling on one knee, and asked. The child seemed to hesitate for a moment, then stammered.

“My brother. My brother… hwaaah!”

They couldn’t finish the sentence, bursting into tears instead.

*Screech!*

I gently scooped the child into my arms.

And pushing the door open, I stepped inside. I knew it was a breach of manners, but a surge of anger made me ignore that fact.

“…Oh, hello.”

A bow.

In the shabby room, lying on the bed, was a boy with a flustered expression.

The boy’s appearance was horrifying.

“Heh, hehe. I just fell a little. I rolled down the stairs… Are you here for a fortune reading again? I’ll do it for free today, especially for you.”

How much had that noble b*stard beaten him?

His face and body were covered in fresh, blue bruises, and his mouth was still smudged with dried blood.

And finally… the boy’s arm was twisted. Twisted at an angle no normal person could achieve.

*Snap*, a string in my head broke.