Sword Devouring Swordmaster

Translator: AkazaTL

Pr/Ed: Sol IX

***

Chapter 154 – Return (1)

「Tsk. To think that one of the Seven Lords would actually fall for the bluff of a mere mortal descendant of Karavan. The dignity of Heaven has plummeted to the dirt!」

「He’s lost his wits from mingling with those pretty mortal wenches. We told him countless times—stop playing with mortal women.」

「He should’ve courted one of the Nine Goddesses instead. Ah, but perhaps the rumors were true—those goddesses didn’t want to lie with him because his equipment was too pitiful!」

「You can still lie with me, you know. Even if your equipment’s small and shriveled from fear of a mortal’s threat, I’ll still take good care of it!」

「Silence. You, who merely watch from afar, dare speak so.」

「Better to watch than to be humiliated like that.」

「And what? You claim you’d have fared differently?」

「At the very least, I wouldn’t have cowered. Tsk.」

「Really? You swear that on your very existence?」

「Ahem. Cough.」

「Time flows oddly slow in the mortal realm.」

.

.

.

「When will that vile Karavan brat finally turn eighteen?」

***

The bluff had been a resounding success.

“…I shall personally aid in rescuing my youngest sister and temporarily cooperate to defend your domain. Consider this an act of immense generosity and compassion from us Witches—and divine mercy from the Heavenly Father Himself. Do not mistake this for your right. You will be grateful at every moment. Every moment.”

“Ah, yes.”

Truly, a glorious success.

“When this is all over, you, Heir of Steel, will pay the price. You will fully cooperate in recovering our treasure, and there will be no further negotiation. You will obey my sisters’ commands faithfully—utterly faithfully!”

“Yeees.”

“…You have no idea what it means for me to personally intervene. I am the First Witch, the woman chosen by one of the Seven Lords, the being closest to divinity itself! Even the Emperor of the Sky Empire cannot command me. But you, an uneducated swordsman, wouldn’t understand that. So at least show gratitude. Deep, heartfelt gratitude…”

“Thank youuu.”

“……”

So much for the lofty dignity of the First Witch. Elizabeth, the elder sister of the Witches, had dropped her elegance entirely. Now she was all venom and hysteria—a nagging torrent of words that made even her sisters look quiet in comparison. Next to her, Audrey would seem a shy, soft-spoken girl. But so what?

‘Perfectly hit her pride.’

Watching Elizabeth tremble with indignation was strangely satisfying.

There was a certain pleasure in hearing an enemy rant—it was the sound of victory itself.

「Look at her. Face red, lips trembling. Ridiculous.」

My ancestor Liam’s amused voice made me grin.

Elizabeth and the Witches glared at me as if they could burn me alive, but what could they do now? The game was already decided.

“Ooooh.”

As their stares grew sharper, Sherizik’s eyes shone brightly.

“As expected of a Karavan.”

“Right?”

“I didn’t know there existed a method even more destructive than the orcs’. Amazing.”

“Hahaha.”

High praise indeed.

“If I were to become part of the Karavan family, I could use that method myself. Hmm. I find that… intriguing. So much to think about.”

“……?”

Why did she have to ruin it with that last line?

“Let’s go. I want this unpleasant journey over with.”

Suppressing the tremor in my hands, I followed.

Elizabeth strode ahead stiffly.

“Elder Sister, please return safely.”

“Sob… how tragic.”

The other Witches sent her off as if she were some saintly martyr embarking on a holy trial.

Witches truly had a talent for melodrama.

“Do not worry, my sisters. I am the First Witch. I shall endure this trial as well.”

Elizabeth lifted her chin solemnly. Tears and theatrics—the whole scene was a farce.

My verdict: Idiots.

***

The Witches’ sanctuary lay at the very heart of the magical city of Oz. Everywhere I looked, wonders shimmered—metal horses creaked down the streets, magicians in fine robes sipped wine and debated philosophy. It was a spectacle utterly foreign to the Iron Kingdom.

“To reach your land, we must first leave the city. Oz restricts high-level magic to prevent magical crimes—so no teleportation circles can be cast within its boundaries.”

Elizabeth, who clearly knew her way around, talked incessantly as we walked. Her tone was curt but her mouth never stopped. It felt like walking beside a mixture of Tom and Audrey—a chatterbox hybrid aged poorly with time.

‘Gods, she talks too much.’

Thanks to Tom, I’d already mastered the art of tuning out half a conversation. So I gave vague responses and let her words drift by—until something stopped me cold.

“…Heir of Steel?”

Sherizik turned to me. Elizabeth frowned. But I didn’t move.

『I told you before.』

『You’re like the wind.』

The voice echoed in my head.

『You were a single breeze passing through my life.』

My heart trembled, ringing like a struck bell.

“Why did you stop?”

“What’s wrong?”

“That store…”

“…An antique shop?”

Yes—an antique shop. The dusty sign above the door read Antique Relics. The window display was cluttered with scraps: a torn rug, an empty glass flask, thick tomes in unreadable script—and among them, one object caught my eye.

A dull, rusted shard of metal.

“Ah, fascinated by junk? The Iron Kingdom doesn’t have places like this. Here in Oz, we value historical essence. Magicians know that objects can carry spiritual energy, so antique shops like this preserve items with lingering souls.”

“……”

“We have no time for curiosities. Let’s—”

“Wait.”

Drawn as if by invisible hands, I stepped closer. And the moment I reached the window, I knew.

It was a blade fragment— a broken half of a sword.

And I recognized which sword it was immediately.

『This is no longer a familiar place.』

『When the whirlwind swept me to a strange new land, I said…』

『I was afraid. I was lonely.』

It was the missing half of 「Gale」, the sword I had once devoured—shattered from the start.

『But the wind was everywhere.』

『When I laughed, when I wept, even when I burned with anger—the wind brushed my cheek. Like your rough, clumsy hand.』

『I never knew whether you lived or died—or became one with the wind itself. But once I felt you in the breeze, I feared nothing.』

Fine script was etched into the shard’s surface, faint and ancient.

『I could never stand against legions as you did. I never became a famed mage.』

『Swept here by the wind, I grew old, my hair white, my body frail—but I was free.』

.

.

.

『And I sang of the life you gave me. Others called it common, fabricated, or trite—but to me, it was precious, radiant.』

The Wizard of Oz.

“Ah…”

The missing half of 「Gale」 was here.

『I loved you—the one who vanished with the wind.』

As her voice echoed through me, the broken shard within my soul felt whole again. I stood dazed as the shop’s elderly owner approached—an old woman with a sharp face.

She held out the fragment toward me.

“I’ll take it. How much?”

“Take it.”

“…What?”

“Take it, boy. When an item chooses its owner, I can’t take payment.”

A gift from the magical city of Oz— one more unexpected blessing.

***

“Cluck-cluck, the Heir of Steel has gained a faint bond.”

“He has taken hold of the wind that lingered and refused to depart.”

“A wondrous thing. Even the first Karavan would not have earned such a bond—he worshiped only strength.”

“He’ll grow stronger, fiercer. Not a gale—but a storm.”

“Puheheh.”

“How curious. Sherdik, you lucky old fool. I wish I could watch from the stars as the Heir of Steel walks his path…”

“To be loved by a sword itself—has such a Karavan ever existed?”

“Not once.”

“Then he’s a peculiar Karavan.”

“Peculiar… or perhaps extraordinary.”

***

Leaving the outskirts of Oz, the magical brilliance faded. Above us stretched a sky painted with auroras—glittering like crushed jewels scattered across the heavens. Under that beauty, Elizabeth floated into the air, chanting softly.

“It’s time.”

Our bodies rose weightlessly, enveloped in light. When I opened my eyes again, the glow was gone— and before us lay a familiar sight.

A mountain forest. Not the Sky Mountains— but the back hills of the Karavan domain.

“…We’ve arrived?”

“Yes. Can’t you even recognize your own land?”

“That was faster than I expected.”

“Truly refined magic is simple, not complex. Those who chase extravagance are novices. Masters understand—”

Her lecture droned on, but I turned away. From here, the back mountain offered a clear view of the entire domain. I meant to survey the situation before descending— and froze.

“…?”

The domain wasn’t there. My beloved village was engulfed in flames.

A curtain of fire blanketed it, sealing it from view.

“What the…”

“A Flame Veil.”

“Flame… veil?”

“A spell used by the Machine Empire’s War Mages. It seals a target area, cutting off escape with walls of flame.”

“……”

“It seems the situation is worse than we’d heard.”

Elizabeth’s muffled sigh came from behind her veil.

I looked at her sharply.

“Can you dispel it?”

“Is that a question?”

Her veil rippled, revealing the curve of a proud smile beneath.

“Open the path for us—to the heart of it.”

“……”

“You can do that, can’t you, Heir of Steel?”

Open the path.

Those words ignited something in me. I focused—my superhuman senses awakening. The power of the dragon contract sharpened my sight, and the world around me slowed under the blue light of 「Flight」.

Beyond the Flame Veil, I saw them. Figures in black uniforms, each marked with the cogwheel emblem of the Machine Empire, Lafrien.

The instant I recognized them, my blade was already drawn.

“You call that a question?”

Suspicion— my greatest weapon. With heightened senses, I broke down their energy patterns, converting everything into information. My instincts reached their verdict instantly.

“Stay close.”

Not one among them was my equal. Not a single one.

“Let’s go.”

Every intruder would die here.

The young lord of Karavan— had returned.