I Obtained Sword God Level Talent - Chapter 16
Devastating news reached the Armance count family.
[(Martis du Armance. Deceased.)]
The cause of death: a duel. The Armance family was enraged at this preposterous news.
Even though he had been removed from the line of succession, he was still a noble who bore the name ‘Armance’. Regardless of his reckless lifestyle, remaining silent about this matter meant that the Armance family’s prestige would be dragged through the mud.
But there was one problem.
The Armance count family’s territory was in the central part of the Empire. In other words, to deploy a large force to the fortress city of Roven, they needed the approval of the Duke of the North.
Tap, tap.
Count Armance sat in his office, tapping his fingers on the desk. The rhythmic tapping was filled with anxiety. It felt like if he didn’t send out his knights immediately, those two murderers would escape.
‘Lancelot… To repay kindness with such action.’
When he first heard the news, the Count couldn’t believe his ears.
Lancelot Du Armance. He had betrayed the family and killed Martis. Rumors said that Lancelot had only delivered the final blow, but such facts were irrelevant to the Count.
Crash!
“C-Count!”
“Did the news arrive from the ducal family? What’s their responses?”
Count Armance jumped to his feet.
He had sent a letter to the Duke immediately after receiving news of Martis’s death. Having a long-standing relationship with the ducal family, he was confident that they would grant his request.
“W-Well…!”
The attendant, who had rushed into the office, handed the letter to the Count.
T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m ki n g m t l.o r g
Flip!
The Count’s face contorted as he hurriedly received the letter.
His hand trembled as he read the letter. Count Armance couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
***************************
[(Final Ultimatum to the Armance Count Family)]
One, the Armance count family shall not interfere in an honorable knight’s duel.
Two, Count Armance shall not tarnish the lion’s¹ honor.
Three, Count Armance shall not take any personal action against ‘Frey’ or ‘Lancelot Du Armance.
—Maria Theresa von Britzhardt.
Thi s w a s c o p ied fro m king m tl .o r g
***************************
A final ultimatum?
He was speechless. Wasn’t the Armance count family clearly the victim in this incident? And yet, he, the father of the deceased, was being told to stay silent?
Thud!
“How… How can this… This is outrageous!”
The count, his face pale, raised his trembling hand. And he reread the paper carefully.
‘Maria Theresa von Britzhardt.’
The sender of the letter was the (Mad Dog Slayer), no, the (Mad Sword Slayer). The implication was simple. If he took any action, her sword would be pointed at the Armance count family.
“Someone!”
“Yes! Count! Shall we mobilize the knights immediately?!”
“No, no. Tell them to… disarm all our forces.”
“…Pardon?”
Count Armance, avoiding his subordinate’s gaze, swallowed his indignation. He was faced with a situation that forced him to make a pragmatic decision.
[(Do not confront Maria Theresa.)]
It was common sense. The reason… was that there was no one who had opposed her and still had their head attached to their body.
****
“Water.”
Glug, glug!
“Curtains.”
Swoosh!
“Massage.”
“I never said I would give you a massage.”
“Ah, is that so? You’re more strict than I thought.”
Grit!
Lancelot gritted his teeth. Come on, it was just yesterday that he offered to nurse me back to health, and now he was already showing his displeasure?
“Rest. I’ll bring you something to eat.”
“Alright. You know I don’t eat without meat, right?”
“A-Alright.”
T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m king m t l. o r g
The kind Lancelot responded brightly. He left the room with a blushed, no, red face.
“I’m bored to death.”
I muttered to myself, left alone.
Two days had passed since the battle with Martis and his five knights. Fortunately, the sword wound and internal injuries had healed overnight, but my physical condition was a problem. Because of that, I had to postpone receiving my compensation.
T h is w a s c opi ed f r o m ki ng m tl . o r g
Was it the effect of my expanded sensory perception?
Th i s w a s c o p i e d fr om k i n g mt l . o r g
My head felt heavy, and my body was sluggish. It felt like I was wearing layers of thick clothes that restricted my movements.
‘Even the church couldn’t find the cause.’
This was a world where medicine was primitive, if not nonexistent. Naturally, I visited the church, but the healing priests only said they couldn’t determine the cause.
‘There must be something… something I don’t know.’
I shifted my gaze out the window as I pondered.
Children were laughing and running around outside the central district.
“….”
It was a peaceful world, if you looked at it this way. If only there weren’t those who dreamed of world domination.
Creak.
“…?”
Just as my eyelids were growing heavy from the gentle breeze.
The sound of someone climbing the hotel stairs reached my ears. It was a faint sound, the kind I wouldn’t have been able to hear before, but now, thanks to my expanded sensory perception, I could sense it.
Creak.
‘Is it Lancelot?’
The footsteps climbing the stairs were unusually light. To begin with, there were no other guests staying on the second floor currently. As I expected, it was probably Lancelot who had returned with some meat dishes.
Creak, creak.
The light footsteps walked down the hallway. Soon, the owner of the footsteps stopped in front of the room I was staying in.
Knock, knock!
“What’s with the knocking? Come in.”
I shook my head. Lancelot’s rigidity was admirable. I never imagined he would knock when he was just coming back from fetching food.
Click. Creak-!
The door opened. I looked at the slowly opening door, ready to give him some unnecessary nagging.
But then.
“…Huh?”
The one standing at the door wasn’t Lancelot. A woman with gorgeous blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing light armor that was thin for a Northerner.
T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r om ki n g m t l . or g
“How are you feeling?”
The woman who spoke was Maria Theresa von Britzhardt. The Duchess herself.
Th i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m ki n g mt l . or g
Swoosh.
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
Maria, who had entered the room, asked naturally.
“Ah, I’m better than I thought. Except that my body is a little stiff.”
You, why are you here? …those words were on the tip of my tongue, but I simply replied quietly. It was a significant improvement from how wary I had been of Maria in the past.
T h i s wa s c op i e d f r o m k i n g m tl . o rg
‘She must have come here because she has something to say.’
The reason I judged the ‘Duchess of the North’ to be a relatively normal person was simple. It was thanks to the sacred treasure of Britzhardt she had given me the other day.
…It might seem a bit materialistic, but that’s what a ‘Legendary’-grade item was all about. It was an object of such value that its mere existence could inspire trust.
Anyway.
“Is that so?”
Maria replied softly and sat down on the chair next to the bed. Then she stared intently at me. Her gaze, as if she was seeing right through me, seemed devoid of emotion.
“…You seem to have undergone an interesting change.”
Tilt.
Maria tilted her head, reached out, and grabbed my wrist. Then she closed her eyes and fiddled with my wrist.
“Master Frey. Haven’t you been feeling extremely fatigued lately?”
Thi s w as c o pi e d fr om k i n g m t l . o r g
Master Frey? Thinking it was an ‘awkwardly formal title,’ I nodded.
“Yes. My body feels incredibly heavy. My head feels a little dizzy, it’s a strange feeling.”
“It seems my guess is correct. What you’re experiencing is a peculiar phenomenon that no one has ever experienced before.”
…A peculiar phenomenon?
Maria confidently stated a symptom that even the priests couldn’t figure out. My attention was drawn to her without me realizing it.
“Martial arts in the Western Continent are somewhat crude. So, I will explain using terms from the Eastern Continent.”
“That’s fine.”
“The cause of your current symptoms is the ‘enlightenment’ you experienced a few days ago.”
T h i s w as c op i e d from k i n g m t l.or g
“…You’re saying the enlightenment is the cause?”
“Are you familiar with the Governing and Conception Vessels, the Gate of Life and Death? They are obstacles that all martial artists must overcome to reach greater heights.”
I nodded silently at her following explanation.
The Governing Vessel, the Conception Vessel, and the Gate of Life and Death referred to different acupuncture points. They were the points where the circulation of mana, or Inner Strength, was the most delicate and intense, the points that all martial artists dreamed of opening.
…There were even those who resorted to demonic arts to open the Governing and Conception Vessels.
“You have opened the Governing and Conception Vessels, as well as the Gate of Life and Death, simultaneously.”
“Pardon?”
“It means that it’s practically a miracle that you’re still alive.”
Goosebumps erupted on my arms at her soft voice.
‘Did I… almost die?’
A martial artist who opens the Governing and Conception Vessels unlocks their Middle Dantian. Opening the Gate of Life and Death unlocks their Upper Dantian, and only then can they be considered a true master, surpassing the peak.
For reference, opening acupuncture points in the world of (Silver Ring) was incredibly dangerous. Even among renowned rising talents, countless died due to what was called Qi Deviation.
“You experience a near-death crisis because you are too talented. It is like a blessing and a curse from the heavens.”
“…Then what about my current condition?”
Maria nodded at my cautious question.
“It’s similar to a drained sea. It takes a very long time to refill a sea that has lost its water. It will probably take more than three months for you to fully recover.”
“Is there a cure? Is there a way to recover as quickly as possible?”
I suppressed my anxiety and looked at Maria. Her gaze, still emotionless, as if piercing through my heart, was fixed on me.
“There is. You need to consume a miracle elixir, a divine blessing bestowed by the heavens.”
…Damn it. My face couldn’t help but darken.
‘A miracle elixir, a miracle elixir, she says.’
Miracle elixirs were things that were almost impossible to obtain. I didn’t even have a single coin in my pocket right now, meaning that consuming a miracle elixir was practically impossible.
Swoosh.
“As it happens, I just so happen to have a miracle pill made by grinding up a thousand-year-old mountain ginseng. I will give this to you.”
“?”
¹It seems that she refers to the army that Lancelot previously being a member at. At first I thought to change it but decided to not.
TL/N: Hey, I’m back. Sorry for dissapearing without an announcement, I got a little busy in the past few days and tomorrow I’ll start to release more chapters again like before.
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