Chapter 410
Episode 410: The Voice of the Sword
Three days had passed since Arthur’s first sparring match with Lochter.
In that time, Arthur's daily routine had been simple.
In the morning, he waited in his quarters with tea, hoping to hear news from Samuel.
At noon, he would check on Lily in her room and share a meal with Lochter.
And then—
KWAANG—!
“Ugh!”
After eating, using digestion as an excuse, Arthur and Lochter would train in real combat until sundown.
Arthur, slammed into the ground, glanced up at the crimson sky before staggering to his feet.
The counterattack had smashed through his shoulder. His face twisted in pain every time he moved it, but the Ring of Desire shimmered faintly, quickly healing his wounds.
“Are you trying to kill me? If I’d dodged even a moment later, it wouldn’t be my shoulder—it’d be my face that got crushed.”
“You were fast enough to dodge it.”
“You’re not denying that I’d have survived with a mangled face.”
“...Surely you don’t believe that, right? I’m still human, you know.”
Lochter cleared his throat and sheathed his twin swords.
Standing tall at the center of the training ground, Lochter looked to Arthur, who thought again of that iron wall he just couldn’t break through.
No matter what I try, it’s useless…
For three days, Arthur had tried various tactics to break through Lochter’s swordplay. All failed.
Every move was read like an open book—nothing got past those twin blades.
“About three meters, right?”
Three meters.
That was the range of Lochter’s domain.
Within that space, any attack Arthur made was instantly read.
Lochter said he could feel the flow of attacks through his swords, and in that zone, no ambush or trick worked.
So all I can rely on is long-range attacks. Tch.
Only the ranged arrows using the Blood Ring had some effect, but even that was only for suppression.
To defeat Lochter, he had to close the distance, but Lochter’s swordsmanship was so tight, it was impenetrable.
And there were always those deadly counters waiting to strike.
If Lochter had been an enemy, Arthur might’ve already given up in frustration.
[There are two ways.]
Just then, Reto’s voice echoed in Arthur’s mind. At the end of every spar, Reto would organize what he’d observed and teach Arthur what he needed to know.
Reto’s insights had been invaluable.
On the first day, Arthur was slammed into the ground over ten times.
Three days later, it was down to just three.
“Two ways this time? Impressive.”
[It’s nothing. This will likely be the final conclusion.]
“So? What are the two ways?”
Arthur asked, anticipation in his voice, given how helpful Reto’s advice had been so far.
[You need one overwhelmingly powerful strike.]
“One strike? That’s it?”
[Simple, but the most reliable method. Tricks don’t work against that man.]
“I tried a Burst Strike with penetration. It still didn’t work.”
[Then it needs to be stronger.]
“Good grief... Fine. What’s the second option?”
[Give your life to take his.]
“...Yeah, neither of those are useful.”
Arthur let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
Of course, he understood what Reto was implying.
Divine Name Hunter, and Unification.
With either of those, he could unleash a single, devastating strike—or trade his life for the opponent’s.
But those skills were only to be used when it was absolutely necessary to kill.
They were irrelevant in a spar.
Lochter’s probably hiding his own trump card too.
Dusting dirt off his clothes, Arthur glanced at Lochter walking toward him. He noticed a new sword sheath hanging at Lochter’s waist, in addition to his twin swords.
“You didn’t use that sword?”
“No need to use it on you.”
“So it’s not for sparring, then.”
The Fifth Sword of the Special Armory: The Invisible Sword, Gris.
Arthur had handed it over to Lochter.
Unexpectedly, it seemed Lochter intended to actually use the sword in battle.
Arthur looked away from the invisible sword, shrugged, and turned back toward the castle.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll handle it well. Just be careful. The previous owners of that sword all met bad ends.”
“The sun’s setting. I’m starving. Let’s eat.”
Lochter sheathed his blades and silently followed behind Arthur.
As he watched Arthur’s back, a complicated look crossed Lochter’s eyes.
During their past three days of sparring, Lochter had experienced unfamiliar emotions.
Emotions he hadn’t known before—At some point, Arthur had begun to feel like a completely different kind of being.
One thing stood out:
Talent.
He’s definitely different from me...
Lochter was a relentless hard worker. He had overcome the limits of his mediocre talent through sheer training and discipline.
But Arthur stood on the complete opposite end.
Incredible talent…
During their first sparring match, Lochter had easily overwhelmed Arthur.
The new ability granted by his twin swords had been that powerful—and flawless.
Yet as they sparred again and again, Arthur’s responses evolved rapidly.
Soon, he no longer lost easily.
In fact, there were moments when Lochter felt pressured.
Just three days.
In that short span, Arthur had learned how to fight within Lochter’s domain.
Natural combat instincts.
Uncanny adaptability.
What if they had continued sparring for a month—or even just two more weeks?
I don’t want to think about it.
Just as Arthur saw Lochter as a wall, Lochter now felt an inexplicable tension when facing Arthur.
If they had been enemies—Arthur might’ve been the most dangerous opponent he’d ever encountered.
Lochter sighed softly, looking at Arthur’s back.
It was a sigh of relief—
Because they were on the same side.
“Here!”
Arthur set a well-cooked piece of meat on a plate. Keros came bounding over, tail wagging furiously.
Seemingly forgetting his defeat just days earlier, Keros had regained his energy and eagerly awaited mealtime.
Though whenever Lochter approached, he still growled with his nose buried in the plate.
Lochter glanced down at Keros without a word, then sat at the table and watched Arthur’s busy hands with a hint of curiosity.
“What are you doing?”
“Packing snacks. Want to try some?”
“Snacks?”
“There’s a good chance I won’t be able to eat properly in Prime Root. Consider this a portable meal.”
Prime Root was a desolate land of frozen storms and harsh terrain.
Arthur didn’t know how long he’d be there, so he was preparing a light food stash.
After returning to Lily’s quarters, Arthur had his attendants bring various ingredients into the room.
He chose to make the food himself—because he knew exactly what was needed.
Arthur’s signature sandwich—something he’d once made for the witches.
Soon, sandwiches began stacking high like a tower at one side of the table.
“Still no word from Samuel?”
“He’ll send word soon.”
“You trust him.”
“He’s earned it.”
There were two days left until their scheduled rendezvous.
Samuel had been a delivery man for a long time. He was thorough when it came to appointments, so Arthur had no doubt he’d arrive on time.
If the mission were too dangerous, he’d have warned me already.
Lochter, having tasted one of the sandwiches, liked it enough to sit down and join him.
“I heard about Prime Root from Italus. It sounds very dangerous. Are you sure I shouldn’t go with you?”
“This mission’s a secret. It’s better I go alone. Please take care of Aintrier. Things will likely get hectic here soon.”
Arthur explained the situation with the Black Market and asked Lochter to handle the city’s security. Lochter nodded without protest.
Meanwhile, the stack of sandwiches rapidly decreased.
Arthur sighed as he looked at Lochter.
“You could’ve said you were hungry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. I mean, it’s normal to be hungry, I guess.”
Lochter blinked and furrowed his brow, clearly confused.
Then he silently drew his twin swords and began wiping them with a cloth.
Arthur smacked his lips and got back to work making more sandwiches.
Given how many had already vanished, he’d need to prepare more if he wanted any left for Samuel.
He used up all the ingredients and built up another sizable stack—
“Hm?”
They were gone again.
Even more than last time.
Arthur slowly turned toward Lochter.
Swipe, swipe—
He was calmly polishing his swords.
Arthur looked at the sandwiches again, then turned to Keros, who was sleeping with his chin on his plate.
Then, as Arthur narrowed his eyes and looked back at the table—
He spotted a sneaky hand reaching up from underneath.
Got you.
Arthur grabbed the wrist tightly. A shriek followed.
“Ow, ow!”
“...Lily?”
Lily, her face covered in bread crumbs, wriggled her arm with a mouthful of sandwich.
Her belly bulged slightly—She was clearly the culprit who had eaten nearly all the sandwiches.
“When did you wake up?”
“When I smelled the sandwiches. I was hungry.”
“I should’ve known. I should’ve put one right under your nose.”
“Can I have more?”
“Why were you sneaking around? You could’ve just asked.”
“Surprise~!”
She smiled brightly, hands on her cheeks.
Arthur chuckled softly. She seemed to have fully recovered her strength.
All that was left was her hunger.
He slid the remaining sandwiches toward her.
“Wow!”
Lily cheered and began devouring them. Arthur rested his chin on his hand and silently watched her eat.
She must’ve been starving—She cleared every last sandwich on the table.
Lily Base, the Witch of Ordor Forest, had finally awakened from the Curse of Sloth.
And so, Arthur had to make the sandwiches again.
“Arthur, are you ready?”
“Always.”
Witch Lily Base.
She was often mentioned alongside Arcane, the Prophet of Fate.
Her ability to read divine names was exceptional.
And her unique method of reading divine names could even bypass divine curses—though this only applied to Arthur.
Flash—
A soft light emitted from the hand mirror Lily held. Reflected in the glass was Arthur’s list of divine names.
Ordinarily, revealing that list to others required the sacrifice of one’s lifespan—But Arthur had someone to shoulder that cost in his stead:
The Undying One—Reto.
In other words, Arthur paid nothing.
He took the mirror and read the list Lily handed him:
[Arthur Clayton – Divine Name: Hunter (Order)]
[Third Mental Barrier]
[Siren’s Hymn (Ancient Glyph)]
[Heart of Retonicalus (Assimilation Rate: 90%)]
[Commander of the World Tree Union]
[Ring of Desire (Survival)]
[Leader of Hunt (5)]
[Benefactor of the Witch]
[Reto’s Spiritual Arts]
[Blessing of the World Tree]
[Blessing of Enchant (Sacred Power, Penetration, Steel)]
[Protector]
[Adversary of the Forgotten Ones]
“Hmm.”
Arthur groaned softly at what he saw:
[Heart of Retonicalus (Assimilation Rate: 90%)]
Assimilation rate: 90%.
It had increased from 85% before.
Reto immediately responded.
[The assimilation rate has risen again.]
“Yeah. Probably because of the new divine name.”
The newly added one:
[Adversary of the Forgotten Ones]
After stopping the Flame Demon Melkor, who had targeted the Branch of Illusion, Arthur’s information must’ve leaked to the forgotten souls lingering in the spiritual realm.
Not good news.
If those forgotten absolutes crossed into this world, Arthur’s life would be in danger.
“That’s one more reason to stop the absolutes.”
[Grow stronger, and it will resolve itself.]
“If only it were that easy…”
Arthur sighed, pulling a small pouch from his coat and handing it to Lily. Inside were special candies he had asked the attendants to prepare.
Lily smiled brightly and darted outside, Keros happily trailing behind.
Arthur turned to Lochter, who stood silently, reading a note in his hand.
It was his own divine name list—passed to him by Arthur moments ago.
[Lochter Felice – Knight of Betrayal (Void)]
[Master of Swordsmanship]
[Master of Fundamentals]
[Unyielding Will]
[Belin and Reina (Indomitable)]
[Voice of the Sword]
“Voice of the Sword,” huh…
Lochter gently traced the words with his finger, smiling faintly. It seemed that name carried some personal meaning.
Arthur quietly watched him.
He had something to say, but didn’t want to interrupt what seemed like a deeply precious moment.