I Obtained Sword God Level Talent - Chapter 9
”South Korea, Seoul.”
Shing! Swish-!
“Kuugh!”
A spray of blood blossoms. Like flowers blooming in the darkness, the scattered petals, unable to defy gravity, fell to the ground.
“We’ve been discovered! Attack!”
The man who had looked so friendly shouted, his face distorted into a monstrous grimace.
As expected. They weren’t soldiers separated from their unit. The way they wielded their daggers and crude broadswords suggested they hadn’t even received proper training.
“How dare they!”
Soldiers in Imperial Army uniforms, even claiming to be regular soldiers, were using weapons that bandits or robbers would use.
T h i s was c o p ie d f r om ki n g m tl . or g
Lancelot’s eyes, who understood the implications of this, turned crimson red.
Lancelot, who had shown me immense favor despite me being a mere mercenary, simply because we had fought the war together. This incident of ambushing stragglers and looting their supplies was something he had every reason to be enraged about.
Slash! Stab!
T h i s w a s co p i e d f r o m k i ng m tl .o r g
“Kuugh!”
“T-They’re strong! These bastards, they’re not mercenaries, they’re knights!”
“Did you kill them? Did you kill all the Empire’s soldiers?”
I didn’t need to ask what had happened to the ‘original’ separated soldiers at the hands of these men. However, perhaps he wanted to hear it from their mouths; the young knight’s sword danced wildly.
“He’s not a low-ranking knight. At least mid-rank, or even higher!”
“R-Run!”
“Monster! Monster!”
Swish! Slash!
A sword has no eyes.
The merciless blade cut down the enemies. It took less than five minutes for the ten or so enemies to become cold corpses.
“…Damn it.”
Lancelot’s eyes sank deeply as he wiped the blood off his sword.
His face was filled with disgust. Perhaps he had considered even a mere soldier a comrade fighting towards the same goal, as there was a hint of self-reproach in his expression.
After that.
We briefly searched the surroundings. It was a necessary precaution to ensure minimal safety, as there could still be hidden bandits lurking.
Flap!
I approached the wagon parked in the corner of the campsite and opened the canvas flap.
“This is…”
My face contorted as I checked the contents.
The wagon was full of corpses. Elderly people, men, young women, even children. The fact that there were the most adult male bodies indicated that they were the Imperial Army soldiers who had been killed by these men.
“Hmm.”
Lancelot, who approached after hearing my gasp of surprise, also hardened his face.
T h i s w as c o p i e d f rom k in gm t l .o r g
“Bandits, or perhaps murderous robbers. Judging from the state of decomposition, it seems they haven’t been operating here for long.”
“That’s likely. This area is under the jurisdiction of the Golden Lion Knights. There’s no place for these guys to settle down.”
“Sigh.”
I let out a light sigh and closed the canvas flap. Resting here was impossible right now. The two of us couldn’t possibly handle over twenty corpses.
“…Let’s move. I’ll send word from the nearest village.”
“Yes, that’s better.”
With those words, we resumed our journey. It was already late, and darkness had descended, but thanks to the torch we had brought with us, traveling wasn’t difficult.
“Light!”
The village Lancelot had mentioned appeared after about another hour of walking. Perhaps because it was near the fortress city of Roven, the village was brightly lit even late at night.
“Rest. I’ll be back after a short trip.”
Lancelot secured a room at the inn and then immediately left the building. It seemed he was going to report the previous battle to the Knights.
Left alone, I washed up quickly and lay down on the bed, thinking.
‘Roven, the fortress city of Roven.’
It was the first city in (Silver Ring) I would visit, having only been to the Orc Camp and the Golden Lion Knights’ encampment so far. It was also the largest city in the northern Empire, ruled by the Duke of the North.
“Lancelot said we might be able to see the victory parade if we’re lucky… Maybe I’ll even get to see her.”
The ducal family of the North, the Britzhardt family, had a sad legend.
Thi s w as c o p ied f r o m k i n g mt l . org
(It’s true that the current Duke is benevolent and skilled in governance, but his martial prowess is pathetic.)
This publicly known fact within the Empire was only natural in a way.
The current Duke had ascended to his position at the tender age of five. Naturally, his uncle had become the ‘regent,’ and the Duke, once he grew up, had fought a bloody civil war against his uncle who tried to usurp the dukedom.
And what happened after that?
He had won the civil war, but the Duke’s enemies still existed, both internal and external.
Close at hand, the Knights and the Mage Corps of his territory, and even the regional nobles, were his enemies. Where would the Duke, who had dedicated his entire life to the stability and development of his territory, find the time to train in swordsmanship or magic?
However.
They say a tiger cub can’t be a dog.
The Duke of the North may not have been able to dedicate time to personal training, but the case was different for his children. A family with the greatest authority in the Empire would take ten years to fall, even if it went bankrupt. The Duke’s eldest daughter, who blossomed with her innate talent, proved this point.
‘Maria Theresa von Britzhardt.’
The Duchess was young and beautiful. But there was a problem: her extraordinary talent and her nasty personality were a dangerous combination.
Detailed information about her was never revealed.
However, players speculated that she was a monster of the 8th rank, over level 90. This meant that despite her young age, she was a skilled individual on par with the Sword Saint. Some players even claimed that Maria, like the Heavenly Demon or the Sword Saint, possessed a ‘unique trait.’
Th i s w as c op i e d f r o m ki n g m t l .o r g
‘If it wasn’t for her crazy temperament, she would have had a lot of fans.’
Maria Theresa was a perfect example of the word ‘psychopath’… She was a screw loose, someone you could call a ‘crazy woman’. This was to the extent that players with a hardcore playstyle would lament and wail.
Anyway.
Tomorrow, we would arrive at the fortress city of Roven. I drifted off to sleep, thinking about that fact.
***
Morning came.
We left the village before dawn, as we had done the day before, and fortunately, we were able to reach the fortress city of Roven before noon.
“Wow…”
T h is w as c o pi e d fr o m k i n g m t l. o rg
I tried my best not to look like a country bumpkin, but my brain, confronted with the massive gate, refused to obey. The majestic castle walls, the endless crowd of people, and beyond the gate, the sprawling forest of buildings that stretched endlessly – I couldn’t help but be awestruck.
“Is the victory parade today? I’m looking forward to it!”
“The victory celebration is also being held, so I’m going to loosen my belt and drink tonight!”
Th is w a s co p i e d f r om k i n gm tl . o r g
“What? The victory parade is starting soon? Let’s go! The good spots must be taken already.”
The boisterous voices of the city residents filled my ears.
The road was already full of wagons loaded with goods, and on one side, several soldiers were marching under the lead of a knight.
“Haha.”
I couldn’t help but let out a grin.
It was a similar feeling to when I first met Lancelot. This sensation of the city from the game unfolding vividly before my eyes had a way of bringing about a certain kind of pleasure.
“Let me introduce you. This is the fortress city of Roven.”
“Amazing. To see it in person like this…”
Lancelot spoke with his usual impassive expression. But beneath his words, there was a deep sense of pride and confidence.
“Let’s go. We should be able to see the victory parade since we arrived just in time.”
A victory parade, a victory parade.
My heart pounded involuntarily. It wasn’t the festival itself that interested me. I was curious whether that woman would be present during the Duke of the North’s procession.
Anyway.
As we entered the city, I had to struggle to keep from getting lost. It was the day of the victory parade, so the streets were overflowing with people.
“Lancelot, let’s find a room first. We’ll be staying here for a few days anyway.”
“Hmm. Alright.”
Lancelot answered curtly and led me towards the center of the city. Passing through the commercial district near the gate, we soon reached a surprisingly quiet street.
“What, there aren’t many people here.”
“This is the heart of Roven. Most of the people you see here are nobles, mages, knights, wealthy merchants, and the like.”
“Is that why the number of people suddenly dropped?”
Th i s w a s c op i ed fr o m k i ng mt l .o r g
“That’s part of it, but the victory parade will start at the gate anyway. It’s only natural that people would gather there.”
With those words, Lancelot walked on in silence. He stopped in front of a luxurious hotel, a place that clearly boasted an expensive price tag.
“What, we’re staying here?”
“…Yes. I couldn’t even dream of this when I was young. It’s quite amusing that I can come here so casually now.”
“Good for you. You know how to spend money when you need to.”
Lancelot let out a chuckle. An illegitimate child born between a noble and a commoner. He probably couldn’t have imagined this luxurious hotel on this street during his childhood.
“Let’s get a room, freshen up, and meet up again. The parade will probably start soon.”
“Yes. It would be a shame to miss it. It’s an opportunity we might not get again in our lifetime.”
We exchanged our opinions and entered the hotel. I had assumed Lancelot would get one room with two beds, but he surprised me by being generous.
“Two rooms for four nights and five days? Isn’t that too much?”
“It’s enough. You know I’m currently part of the Armance count family. And Frey, you don’t have a single penny to your name, do you?”
Thi s w as co p i e d fr om kin gm t l . o r g
…Why does he have to rub salt in my wounds?
Time passed, and we met again in the hotel lobby as promised. Feeling refreshed after washing up, we headed towards the main street that led from the gate to the lord’s castle.
Waaaaaaaaaah-!
Did we arrive just in time?
Soon, the entire city was engulfed in a thunderous roar from the street.
I craned my neck slightly amidst the crowd and saw a procession of well-organized cavalry and infantry units.
“Your Excellency the Duke! Congratulations on your victory!”
“Long live Duke Kazimaesh! Long live Britzhardt! Long live the great Empire!”
“T-The Duchess is there too!”
“My goodness, how graceful she is… It’s moving, even for me.”
Did the ducal family appear in the procession? The crowd’s reaction immediately intensified. There was even a middle-aged woman wiping away tears. Seeing her, I felt inexplicably anxious.
“Damn it. I can’t see well.”
“Hmm.”
Curiosity got the better of me, and I stretched my neck out. Lancelot seemed equally curious. He was even standing on tiptoe, something he usually wouldn’t do, with his stiff personality.
“……!”
T hi s w a s c o pi ed from k i ng m tl . o r g
That was the moment. I achieved my long-awaited goal.
“Kyaaaaaaaaah! My lady!”
“How can there be such divine beauty…!”
Maria Theresa, the daughter of the ducal family, boasting brilliant blonde hair, Duchess Maria Theresa, was waving to the citizens from atop a stately white horse.
“…Huh?”
The strange exclamation that escaped me wasn’t just because her appearance was as radiant as I had heard.
Dangerous. Dangerous. That woman is truly dangerous. I didn’t know why, but a near-instinctive feeling was sending me a warning. I had to get out of here. Otherwise, I would be swallowed by that viper.
As I thought this, the moment I unconsciously turned my body.
“…Oh my?”
A thin, sweet voice tickled my ear. It was an impossible occurrence considering the noisy street.
Swoosh.
My body turned involuntarily. At the end of my shifted vision, Duchess Maria Theresa’s blue eyes, the Duchess who had been waving from atop her white horse, were fixed on me.
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