I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

8 – 008. Insight

“Frey. How’s the shoulder wound?”

As we left the encampment, a green primeval forest unfolded before us. Thankfully, the road to Loven was well-paved. Lancelot walked ahead, leading the way, and spoke.

“So-so. I guess it wasn’t a deep wound to begin with.”

Truthfully, besides the mythic-grade attribute, I’d added all sorts of other attributes that ate up points. The reason my wound healed in a single day was probably due to the [Regeneration] attribute.

“Good. What about your memories? Do any of them come back?”

“No. My memories aren’t complete yet. Other than my name being Frey.”

“……That’s unfortunate. If my hunch is right, you’re definitely from a noble family.”

There was a peculiar conviction in Lancelot’s voice. When I asked him what his basis was, his answer was extremely simple.

“Instinct. It may sound ridiculous, but ever since I was adopted into the Almans family, I’ve seen countless nobles. You may not know it, but there’s an inexplicable elegance in your actions.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

It wasn’t a particularly easy explanation to understand. If Lancelot’s guess is correct, and I, this Frey, happen to be from some noble house.

Then why was I in a mercenary company, rolling around on dangerous battlefields?

‘At least if I were a knight’s squire or working under a family, then maybe.’

The Oak Mercenary Company, which is becoming increasingly hazy in my memories, was basically full of rookies. Both Hans, the commander, and the other men were practically clueless when it came to combat experience.

“The fortified city of Loven is a huge city. If we’re lucky, we might even catch the Grand Duke’s victory parade.”

Lancelot murmured quietly, his steps light.

A victory parade, a victory parade. Now that the war has just ended in victory, it’s only natural, I guess.

“Ah, speaking of which, how long will it take to get to Loven? It’s going to take a long time on foot, not by carriage.”

“Hmm. We should be able to arrive by nightfall. If we’re late, we might have to camp out.”

……Camp out?

My elated mood sank in an instant.

Not just me, but Lancelot also had unbelievably little luggage. I, having nothing to begin with, was empty-handed. Lancelot had only a small backpack that looked like military gear.

“So, pick up the pace. Frey, you possess swordsmanship skills like a demon, yet your stamina is pathetic.”

“Ugh…”

That was something I also had to admit to some extent. Frey, this guy, had clearly lived his whole life with zero effort at physical training. His pale, thin arms and legs, and even his palms, were smooth and devoid of any calluses.

After that, we walked in silence for a long while. Our journey, which had begun in the early hours of dawn, showed no signs of ending, even as evening approached.

Rest stops during travel were a luxury. We walked and walked, satisfying our hunger with jerky Lancelot had packed in his backpack.

“Speaking of which, Lancelot, what rank are you currently?”

The sun was dipping low, painting the sky with evening colors. I was the one who broke the silence.

I had been thinking as we walked.

If the player takes a route where they oppose the Swordmaster, ＜Chivalry＞ Lancelot du Arman, Lancelot appears as an enemy. Around that time, he shows up as a boss in the 8th rank and late level 80s, known for his overly straightforward patterns.

So, since he’s the current leader of the Knights Order, I figured he’d be around the 6th rank.

“…5th rank. It’s proving difficult to break through the wall I’ve encountered.”

“5th rank?”

Lower than I thought. Considering the present time, that meant he’d be achieving explosive growth soon.

‘I need to get a mana cultivation method as soon as possible, too…’

Facing reality made me feel impatient for some reason.

In the Western Continent, mana, and in the Eastern Continent, qi, or internal energy, is an unknown power that is not a matter of choice to cultivate. Unless it was mana like the trash knight Gler, there was no way I, who hadn’t learned mana, could win against those who used it.

“Frey, what rank are you?”

“……”

And immediately, his question made me clamp my mouth shut.

Anyone who hasn’t learned mana is a 0th rank.

1st rank is the stage where you can store mana in your body, and from 2nd rank onwards, it’s classified by whether you can load mana into a ‘weapon,’ such as a sword or a staff. And at 3rd rank and above, it’s about whether you can manifest that mana.

To put it simply, all the wizards who are firing spells in the field are geniuses of the 3rd rank or higher.

Anyway.

“I don’t have mana.”

“…What?”

Back in reality, I bluntly told Lancelot. His face, gaping open, was quite comical.

“Are you telling me that you, the one who defeated hundreds of orcs, haven’t learned mana? You, who defeated Sir Gler, a 3rd rank knight?”

“It just worked when I did it.”

“What in the—!”

Lancelot stared at me as if I were some kind of monster. Well, I was still reeling from the whole thing myself, so it must have been a massive shock for him, living in the realm of ‘common sense.’

“I can’t believe it.”

His face a mask of astonishment, Lancelot shook his head, his steps faltering. But what could I do? There wasn’t a single lie in what I said.

“Is that what’s important right now? The sun’s already set. Shouldn’t we have been looking for a place to sleep ages ago?”

“Hmm. Got distracted by the conversation, forgot for a moment. Strange, we should have reached a village by now.”

Of all things to forget…

The evenings in this world are hostile to humans. There were monsters that emerged every night, and deserters, morphed into bandits and armed thugs, roamed freely.

“…Fire.”

How much further had we walked through the descending darkness? It wasn’t a village that greeted us, walking by the light of the moon.

A red glow flickered through the trees lining the road. No need to get closer, it was clearly a campfire someone had lit.

“Good. Let’s join them for now.”

“Hmm. Alright.”

Lancelot didn’t object either. He took the lead, heading towards the fire. Before long, we saw a dozen or so dark figures warming themselves around the blaze.

“Who is it?”

“We’re travelers, passing by. We came to see if we might be able to take shelter from the night dew.”

“……?”

Lancelot shot me a look at my genteel tone. It was a look that screamed, ‘So, the b*stard *can* use normal vocabulary?’

“Heh heh, we’re all travelers under the same sky, how could we refuse? Come, sit. We’re preparing a meal, why don’t you two join us?”

The middle-aged man who seemed to be the leader of the group gestured kindly, offering us a spot.

“Thank you.”

“…Thank you.”

Lancelot and I bowed our heads and took a seat around the fire.

“…….”

“…….”

Perhaps it was because of the sudden appearance of two uninvited guests, but the men were surprisingly quiet.

“Come to think of it, you two don’t look like ordinary travelers. You’re carrying swords, which suggests you’re members of the knight’s order?”

Amidst the silence, as I quietly scanned the surroundings, the middle-aged man clapped his hands and spoke first.

‘…What is this?’

A strange silence hung in the air. Every man’s eyes turned towards Lancelot and me, as if waiting for our answer. You could even hear someone’s dry swallow.

“Right…”

“No, no. We’re part of a mercenary company. We were heading north on a letter delivery request.”

*Thump!*

Sensing something amiss, I pressed down gently on Lancelot’s knee as I spoke. Lancelot turned his head immediately, but didn’t stop talking.

“Ah! So, you’re warriors of a mercenary company. We are soldiers from the 2nd Corps of the Imperial Command. We were separated during a mission and were moving to rejoin our unit.”

“Hmm, you must be having a tough time.”

After saying that, I looked at the middle-aged man. Behind him was a small wagon, but strangely, there was no flag on the flag pole.

“…Frey.”

Only then did Lancelot, sitting next to me, speak quietly, perhaps having also sensed something was off.

There were countless suspicious points, but it wasn’t enough to act yet. I tapped Lancelot’s back as a signal, and then threw out a lure.

“There’s a rumor that the war’s reaching its end. How’s the war situation?”

“Fortunately, we’re on the verge of victory. I heard that the Grand Duke of the North beheaded the enemy leader.”

…On the verge of victory?

Even I knew that the Empire had won the war. Even stragglers should know this if they stopped at a town or city for supplies or rest.

‘That means… they can’t enter towns or cities.’

My eyes narrowed. It was thanks to this that I’d grasped their identities. I understood why they were so wary and tried to read our intentions.

“Now, now! Let’s eat first. We don’t have much, but the taste won’t be lacking. I just added southern mountain spices. Apparently, it’s called pepper.”

“…Thank you.”

Just then, as if the cooking was done, the middle-aged man handed me a bowl with white steam rising from it. Before giving me the bowl, he lightly sprinkled a black powder, accompanied by a warm smile, perhaps to dispel any suspicion.

“Hehe! Where is your hometown? This is a dish we enjoy in our hometown. I think you’ll like it.”

*Clink!*

I receive the bowl.

It was a stew or porridge-like food with crushed grains and meat floating in it. It smelled good, but I didn’t eat it right away. There was an ominous feeling creeping up from the bowl.

.

.

.

–

[Insight]

Rank: Mythical (UR)

Effect: Grants immunity to all [Schemes] / [Operations] / [Plots]. Will always detect if an enemy attempts such a plan. Grants strong discernment against [Poisoning].

–

“……Where’s my hometown, you ask?”

A faint tension hung in the air.

The men waited silently for Lancelot and I to eat, and the malice blooming in the silence gestured quietly from the shadows.

*Gulp!*

Again. One of the men swallowed hard. At the same moment, several of them reached for their weapons.

“South Korea, Seoul.”

*Shhhing!*