The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 111 – Noble Duty (3)

Upon receiving Kurt’s message, Adel headed straight to the Adalbert Estate shortly after noon.

As she made her way to meet Martin, she steadied herself inwardly.

‘This is the right path.’

Although her status as a branch family head limited her rank to merely a viscount, the Bitenfeld family’s territory rivaled that of any count’s land.

It was indeed necessary for her to demonstrate her prowess and dignity as the head of her house.

However, her limit as a 5th-Circle mage was apparent.

Rather than being constantly compared to other branch family heads, it seemed far better to align herself with Martin.

‘No regrets.’

That was what she had resolved.

“Hello?”

Sien greeted her with a radiant smile.

Seeing her, Adel hesitated, for the first time questioning whether she had made the right choice.

“6th… 6th Circle?”

“As sharp-eyed as ever! Now, all that’s left is for your skills to catch up to your perception.”

“When… When did you reach this level? During the rebellion, you were still in the 5th Circle.”

“It hasn’t been long. It’s only been about a month or so?”

“If it’s been a month, I should have heard news of it by now…”

“I kept it hidden. I wanted to surprise you whenever we met again. How was it? Did it work?”

The smile on Sien’s lips deepened.

In contrast, Adel’s gaze trembled slightly, sensing Sien’s clear intent to tease her.

Adel had often teased Sien in the past, but this was the first time she found herself on the receiving end so blatantly.

However, she had no way to respond properly.

A significant gap had opened up between them, where they were once on equal footing.

No matter how she tried, it was hard to maintain her composure.

“…What on earth happened?”

“Well, I just got lucky. I had a good elixir, and amidst all that, I gained an insight that allowed me to ascend a level.”

“Congratulations.”

“Your expression doesn’t exactly match your words, but thanks anyway.”

Watching Sien shrug her shoulders, Adel felt her fighting spirit ignite.

Her reason for joining Martin went beyond merely avoiding unfavorable comparisons with other branch family heads.

This was Martin’s first time fulfilling his noble duty as the acting family head.

This alone naturally drew significant public attention toward him, especially with his title as the youngest 8th-Circle master.

Martin was sure to demonstrate outstanding achievements in the upcoming dungeon expedition, and being by his side would likely make Adel’s name known as well.

That was her assessment.

But now, Sien has reached the 6th Circle?

If this news spread, Adel ran the risk of being reduced to a mere support role in this dungeon expedition.

‘I have to grow stronger.’

In this dungeon, she had to reach the 6th Circle at all costs.

That was the only way to maintain her dignity as the head of her house.

Adel steeled herself with this resolve.

* * *

During the previous monster wave incident, the monsters’ strength and savagery were unusually high.

Moreover, they appeared at an accelerated rate.

As a result, descending below the 20th floor had been challenging.

Even with several 7th-Circle and higher-level warriors gathered, along with the mobilized knights, it took considerable time to reach the 35th floor.

This time, however, was different.

In just over two weeks, they had already passed the 35th floor.

“The terrain of the 36th floor is a forest. The primary monsters here are centaurs and barbarians. They can use the dungeon’s terrain and the bodies of other monsters to create weapons, allowing them to engage in close combat. Their skills are on par with average knights, and given their physical prowess, they’re even more dangerous.”

Adel explained, looking at Martin and Sien.

In truth, all three of them already knew this information.

Still, as this was their first step onto the 36th floor, it was essential to proceed with caution.

“But the most dangerous thing about them is their ability to coordinate with each other. While their coordination isn’t as refined as that of actual knights, given the dungeon’s terrain and their numbers, it’s still something that can’t be overlooked.”

“So we shouldn’t just focus on our individual targets but be aware of each other’s positions too?”

“Exactly, acting head. The adventurer guild’s strategy guide emphasizes the importance of trust and teamwork on the 36th floor.”

“Well, then we have nothing to worry about.”

Martin looked at Sien and Adel with a smile.

They had fought together before, both during the monster wave incident and in dealing with the Adalbert branch families, fostering trust between them.

Moreover, after coming this far together, they had come to understand each other’s capabilities.

There was nothing to worry about.

“Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

“Let’s.”

At Martin’s words, both women nodded.

Together, they passed through the entrance and arrived on the 36th floor.

Then, suddenly—

Whizz!

A rain of arrows fell from the dungeon ceiling, filling the air.

The arrows flew at tremendous speed, and their numbers were staggering.

“A monster ambush right at the start… talk about audacious.”

“Agreed, Sien.”

Martin focused his gaze forward.

Between the tall trees, centaurs with horse-like lower bodies and human upper bodies stood in formation.

Particularly, the ones in the front ranks were all drawing their bows.

Observing them, Martin casually moved his left hand.

Whirrr!

A massive amount of mana gathered, creating a powerful gust of wind.

Although the arrows were infused with the centaurs’ mana, they were swept away by the whirlwind, scattering to the ground or embedding into nearby trees.

Neigh!

Screech!

As the arrows flew wildly, the centaurs let out a collective, animalistic cry.

Seeing creatures with human faces making horse-like sounds was an absurd sight, but no one in the group laughed at their enemies.

Thud!

The centaurs threw down their bows and grabbed swords and spears fashioned from monster corpses.

They then began charging in unison, resembling a storybook cavalry charge.

“I heard they operated like an army, but… a cavalry charge? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Just be glad we didn’t have to deal with them during the monster wave.”

“True.”

At Adel’s words, Sien nodded.

Yet, neither woman moved to engage, simply gripping their swords tightly.

It wasn’t their time to act yet.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the holy sword Karadyl was engulfed in bright crimson flames.

Martin swung it downward with all his might, unleashing a torrent of flames in line with his intent.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The flames poured forth like a wave, setting the ground’s underbrush and trees ablaze.

The intense heat merged with the wind to create a scorching, whirling firestorm.

Neigh!

Screech!

The centaurs, caught in the middle of their charge, were swept away by the burning gusts or scattered in all directions.

At that exact moment, the two women leaped forward.

Sien was the first to advance.

With her body strengthened by mana, she cut through the flames without hesitation.

Swish!

Noticing her approach, a centaur lunged forward with a spear.

In response, Sien thrust out her left fist.

Smash!

The spearhead, crafted from barbarian bone, shattered instantly.

The centaur, utterly shocked by the unexpected turn of events, was left frozen in place.

Without a second thought, Sien closed the gap and swung her zweihander powerfully.

The silver aura-coated blade sliced the centaur’s torso cleanly in two.

Watching this, Martin couldn’t help but admire her.

‘She’s improved significantly.’

Previously, she mostly relied on brute strength to wield her sword, but now, there was a precise rhythm to her movements.

Seeing her in battle, Martin began to look forward to her growth in swordsmanship.

He then shifted his gaze.

Adel, too, had managed to close in on a group of centaurs.

One of them spotted her and immediately brought down a bone-crafted sword.

Crash!

But the blade simply passed through Adel, striking the ground uselessly.

This was possible thanks to her unique ability, Phantasmal Form.

At the same time, Adel sidestepped to the left and thrust her rapier with force.

The blade, wrapped in a blue aura, shot forward like an arrow, piercing the centaur’s chest.

Drip.

Even as blood trickled from its wound, the centaur attempted to grab the aura-infused blade.

‘Not a chance.’

Activating Phantasmal Form once more, Adel phased through her opponent, moving behind it and swiftly stabbing it in the nape.

Thud!

The centaur collapsed to the ground with its weapon, lifeless.

‘Now, that’s precision.’

It was remarkably sharp and chillingly effective.

Martin observed the women’s battle with a look of intrigue.

Sien withstood every incoming attack with her overwhelming physical power, retaliating with powerful strikes.

In contrast, Adel diverted all attacks with Phantasmal Form, swiftly executing her foes with precise, deadly thrusts.

‘It’s rare to see two such opposing fighting styles.’

Not only did they fight in completely different manners, but they maintained a rivalry without animosity. If there were such a thing as destiny, he thought, this would be it.

But then, suddenly—

Through his Spatial Detection, Martin sensed a large group approaching.

‘Adventurers… Judging by their retreat, something must’ve happened.’

It wasn’t unusual.

Adventurers often retreated from monsters, a common occurrence.

To assist them, Martin kicked off the ground and sprinted ahead.

Soon enough, he spotted about ten adventurers in flight.

At the same time, he felt a surge of curiosity.

‘What’s going on?’

Though they were clearly fleeing, no monsters appeared to be pursuing them.

Yet the terror on their faces was unmistakable.

It didn’t add up.

Thud.

Martin landed directly in the adventurers’ path.

Caught off guard, the adventurers gasped in fright.

“Ah!”

“W-What the—!”

“Relax, I’m here to help.”

“L-Lord Adalbert!”

“We’re saved! Thank the gods!”

Among the adventurers of Varehein City, none were unfamiliar with Martin’s face.

Those who recognized him quickly broke into cheers.

One of them was Winfried, a familiar face who had once spread rumors about relations between elves and dwarves.

“Winfried, right?”

“Yes, Acting Head!”

“What’s going on? And where’s your friend? With your skill level, you wouldn’t be fleeing from mere centaurs or barbarians…”

“Rothar didn’t come down to the dungeon this time. But we have bigger problems, Acting Head! It seems like last year’s monster wave is happening again!”

“Explain in detail.”

Hearing Winfried’s words, Martin’s expression turned serious.

The monster wave from last year was unprecedented in the thousand-year history of the Altaria Empire—a first and, at least as far as he knew, the last of its kind.

‘And now it’s happening again?’

It was unfathomable.

“W-We were on the 43rd floor two days ago. We saw it clearly there. A manticore from the 50th floor was slaughtering monsters and adventurers on the 43rd floor indiscriminately! I have proof right here!”

With a grim look, Winfried pulled out an artifact imbued with recording magic from his coat.

Martin accepted it with a stern expression and began reviewing the footage.