Chapter 76
Chapter 76
‘Ganyeorin Ogre’ was an artifact shop famous among mages.
It did not sell products that could ordinarily be found on the market at all, and instead stocked only high-grade artifacts through direct contracts with specialist mages of each field.
The variety was so extensive that even for me, who had seen countless kinds in the Imperial Palace, there were many things that felt novel.
“Oh, there’s even something like this.”
By the time we reached Leysias, she was staring so intently at the display shelves that it looked as though she might throw herself into them.
I, too, slowly followed behind her, fiddling with the items.
‘An artifact that temporarily makes hair grow.
This one’s fairly usable.’
Although the duration was only about half a day, hair growing where there had been none at all was still something.
Among the hero-class figures who would appear later, there was one who agonized over being bald, so it seemed like it would be perfect as a gift for that guy.
“…Huh? Where did Mr. Berkion go?”
Berkion was the name of the owner of Ganyeorin Orc.
Leysias, who seemed to have become curious about something while browsing the artifacts, turned her head this way and that looking for him, but, failing to spot him, tilted her head in confusion.
I shrugged my shoulders at that and resolved her question.
“He went out to restore the barrier that broke because of me.”
“…Haha.”
At that, Leysias gave a bitter smile.
With an expression that said there was nothing to be done, she soon immersed herself back into browsing the artifacts.
“Still, it’s bigger than I expected.”
Normally, if it was a hidden gem, wasn’t it the rule that it would be a small, single-story interior with items covered in dust while hiding their true worth?
But Ganyeorin Orc had a fairly large scale, with one basement level and three above ground.
The temperature inside was cool, and it was even possible to catch a faint fragrance, as if perfume had been placed around.
The artifacts placed atop the clean display shelves each had detailed functions, usage methods, and even precise prices clearly listed.
‘It kind of kills the mood.’
The sense of romance was a bit lacking, but it still seemed convenient for customers.
“Amazing.
I never thought there’d be artifacts like these.”
Leysias continued browsing, letting out exclamations of admiration here and there.
Feeling slightly bored, I began observing the shop itself rather than the artifacts.
We were in the middle section of the second floor.
I’d heard that the higher you went, the more expensive and rare the artifacts with extraordinary abilities became, but just what was here was enough to inspire awe, so I couldn’t help but feel a bit of anticipation about what might be above.
“…?”
Sensing a noisy commotion from outside, I looked down through the window and saw several customers entering.
Soon after, the area below us grew clamorous.
The mages I’d seen so far had been quiet, so I’d thought others would be the same, but it seemed that wasn’t always the case.
Before long, the other customers came up to the second floor as well.
Since they were people whose names I didn’t know anyway, I simply exchanged light eye contact out of courtesy, and they, too, slightly bowed their heads with small smiles.
“Let’s go up to the third floor.”
At some point, Leysias had finished her rough look around and took my hand, leading me along.
Unlike the first and second floors, which held dozens, even hundreds of items, only five artifacts were displayed on the third floor.
“…Huh.”
They all looked unremarkable at first glance, but the price tags alone made even me click my tongue.
A prosthetic arm engraved with ancient magic that erased all kinds of spells, a cursed demonic eye that identified the weaknesses of everything in the world—each one possessed a truly world-spanning scale.
‘That one looks pretty decent.’
What drew my gaze was the demonic eye said to identify the weaknesses of everything in the world.
Thinking that it would produce good synergy if used together with the system assist I had, I stroked my chin.
Leysias, too, seemed to have seen the price tags, as she let out a hollow laugh and opened her mouth.
“…That’s the territory’s one-year budget.”
“Well, if what’s written here is accurate, it’ll properly be worth that price.”
“Is that so.”
Leysias looked at it with wistful eyes.
With a hint of mischief, I lightly asked her.
“Want me to buy it for you?”
“…No no no no! I can’t accept something like that, it’s too much of a burden.”
At first, she seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the end, she poured out an intense refusal.
When I told her it had been a joke, she made a sulky face and lightly smacked my shoulder, telling me not to joke around.
“Ah, that was fun to look around.
I’ve roughly picked out what I want to buy, so I think it’ll be fine if we come back around the time the Academic Festival ends.”
“You’re not buying anything today?”
“No matter that it’s the Academy, there’s still a risk of losing things. If it gets lost, I’m the only one who takes the loss.”
It was a wise judgment.
This place had a reservation system, and since customers were few to begin with and items didn’t sell quickly, most of what she wanted would likely still be available.
We went down to the first floor via the second.
The customers who had come earlier seemed to have already left, and the shop was utterly deserted.
“Mr. Berkion?”
Leysias opened the door leading outside and called for the owner.
However, what answered her call was a strange noise erupting from three directions.
Chwarreuk-.
Seeing pitch-black chains rushing toward her through the half-open door, I hurriedly pulled Leysias’s shoulder and thrust out my arm.
The chains then coiled over it like snakes.
Geugeugeuk-.
The chains began to tighten around my arm and dig in.
My clothes tore, my flesh was pressed, and blood splattered.
Leysias screamed at the sight, but I firmly grabbed the chains and yanked with all my strength.
Suk-.
Three masked figures were dragged inside, pulled along by my grip.
At that, I pushed Leysias behind me and lightly extended the opposite hand that wasn’t bound by chains.
Kwa-jik.
At a speed faster than throwing punches, the three necks were crushed.
As the three corpses, their breaths cut off in an instant, collapsed to the floor, I shook off the chains that had been binding my right arm.
“…They weren’t small fry.”
A stream of blood flowed down from my fingertips.
Those who had fallen to the floor died without even a scream, just like when I dealt with assassins before.
They were probably specialized in this sort of thing, or had undergone brutal training.
“Your wound!”
Leysias hurried over to my side and cast healing on my arm.
The torn clothes didn’t return, but the wounds left by the chains healed in an instant.
“Thanks.”
“…Do you think Mr. Berkion was in league with them too?”
“He doesn’t seem like the type who’d blab information so easily if he were part of the same group……. Well, if we beat up all the attackers, he’ll show up on his own.”
When I looked outside the door, five suspicious figures revealed themselves and approached this way.
Judging by the aura they gave off, they were probably all around low to mid Sword Expert level.
Leysias must have sensed it as well, because she began chanting, preparing for battle.
“Watch my back.”
“Gladly.”
At her confident reply, I kicked off the ground.
As I kicked open the half-open door and leapt outside, vivid yellow aura spread in all directions in an instant and began to rain down.
‘They’re dressed exactly like mercenaries.’
Shaaaak-!
Even at a glance, the swordsmanship they were using had a sense of formality and refinement at a level that mere mercenary trash could never master.
‘Anti-imperial faction, and knights at that.’
If they’d even brought knights like these, it seemed they were taking this more seriously than expected.
“But you misjudged your opponent.”
The rumors were slowly changing, but overseas there was still a strong perception of me as an incompetent butcher.
However, this wasn’t an ordinary butcher.
Against low-level Sword Experts, there was no need to even draw my sword.
I grabbed the wrist of an opponent swinging his blade and snapped his arm.
Even then, if they showed any sign of resistance, I struck their neck and knocked them out.
I planned to take these ones later and interrogate them.
The Kingdom of Demedrio was also suffering headaches because of anti-imperial figures, so they’d make a good gift.
Before long, everyone except the last one was rendered combat-ineffective and rolling on the ground.
The final man looked around, unsure what to do, and slowly began to back away.
I stepped forward with a relaxed attitude, but soon had no choice but to stiffen my face.
“…Huh?”
An overwhelming presence pressed down on the surroundings from the alley we’d entered through.
I heard Leysias behind me swallow a dry breath, but I had no leeway to worry about her.
“This wasn’t part of the plan…….”
One who had completed his sword.
The bearing of a Sword Master who had reached that realm crashed into my entire body.
I, too, had faced Sword Masters before, but the gap between one standing before a door and one who had already opened and entered it could never be bridged.
It was a completely unexpected situation.
Cold sweat broke out over my body, and the hand holding my sword trembled slightly.
If I were to face a Sword Master head-on here, there was absolutely no chance of victory.
‘Damn it, why is there a Sword Master in a place like this…….’
I knew they’d send people with some weight to them, but wasn’t a Sword Master excessive force?
To think they were this serious.
Moving a Sword Master meant they were staking everything on this.
I hurriedly ran calculations through my head.
I reviewed and weighed all the power and skills I’d been saving up, but I couldn’t see a path to victory.
Then, if I were to release the seal on Excalibur, my final card, and forcibly achieve awakening.
No, the risk was too great.
I still hadn’t even figured out whether that awakening applied to me as well, and if it failed, there were far too many things I’d lose in the future.
‘Damn it, if I fall here anyway, everything’s ruined. I don’t have the luxury to think about later.’
Tuk.
I let go of the sword I was holding.
Then I stretched out my arm with all my might and shouted loudly.
“Come, Excalibur!”
A dazzling light gathered in my hand.
It had always been a source of reassurance no matter when, but today, for some reason, it failed to comfort me.
The moment Excalibur’s manifestation ended, I chanted the spell of awakening.
“I, here and now, recreate the glory of the past!”
[SYSTEM: Would you like to unlock the hidden trait of the Holy Sword Excalibur? Y / N]
My fingertips trembled, hesitation seeping out.
This was me personally erasing future possibilities.
But if I fell here now, even that future would never come.
“…….”
Just as I bit down on my lips and finally steeled my resolve.
The Sword Master before me took a step forward and revealed himself.
“…I had only intended to observe from afar today.”
A low, dignified voice reached my ears.
But more than that, I had no choice but to widen my eyes at the other’s appearance.
“…Sword Marshal General?”
Sword Marshal General Isaac.
The greatest swordsman of the Kingdom of Demedrio, and the younger brother of the current king—someone closer to the royalist faction than anyone else—appearing as a member of the anti-imperial faction.
This was a setting that didn’t even exist in the original work, so my thoughts immediately grew complicated.
“When rumors spread that you were that person’s successor, I wondered if it could really be so. But it was true.”
“…You.”
Isaac had once received instruction from the Sword Saint.
The person he was referring to must have been the Sword Saint.
“Originally, I intended to take you by force if necessary, but things have grown too noisy.”
He glanced lightly behind him.
I followed suit and spread my senses wide, and it felt as though the guards, having noticed the disturbance, were heading this way.
Of course, even the guards would be no match for him, but once his identity was exposed, it would be troublesome in many ways.
“Today, I’ll let this pass in consideration of the debt I owe that person. However, I will come find you again in the near future. We can continue this conversation then.”
Others appeared around him and gathered up those who had fallen to the floor.
Soon, they vanished without a trace.
“…Ah.”
When I turned around, Leysias, her tension seemingly released, slid down to the floor.
She looked at me with trembling eyes.
“I-It was him, right? Sword Marshal General Isaac.”
“…Yeah. Though even if you spread it around, no one would believe you.”
To think that man, the king’s own brother, was a member of the anti-imperial faction.
.
.
.
For the record, Berkion had been subdued in the basement, tightly bound in chains.
After freeing him, he clung to me, sobbing, saying he’d serve me as his lifelong benefactor, which was unbearably bothersome.