chapter 13
The blue moonlight illuminated the garden of the royal castle. Jane, the 1st princess of Brilliant, was immersed in worry as she looked at a dried flower in the garden.
“ha… … .”
As she let out a long sigh, the escort knight revealed himself from the darkness.
“Is it because of Louise-sama?”
“huh. The southern continent must be very dangerous.”
Louise, the 3rd prince of the Brilliant Kingdom, went on an expedition to the south where monsters were said to be swarming due to the checks of the 1st and 2nd princes.
Jane, who supports the 3 princes, was worried about Louise’s dispatch and wandered the streets at night without being able to sleep.
“Sika, will you go and protect Louise?”
“That’s not okay.”
“why! I’m safe as long as I’m in the royal castle.”
“I don’t know when I’ll be back. Even if I can return right away, the only person I have to protect is the princess.”
Sullen at his stern reply, Jane gazed at Kinish Bluff in the distance.
“Didn’t you say there’s a graveyard where the heroes of the past are buried?”
“It’s not possible. Dangerous.”
“You didn’t even say you were going yet? And what’s dangerous? I have a chica Is Sika weak enough to not be able to protect me in a place like that?”
“… … That’s not it.”
“But what’s wrong?”
“In case you don’t know-“
“If you think about it like that, do you think it’s not dangerous here? How scheming and scheming is rampant in the royal castle?”
Jane wanted it to be this time and started to pamper him.
I usually listened to Shika, but today I wanted to go outside and clear my head.
“Isn’t there a difference between outside and inside?”
“What’s the difference? If I stay here like this, my head hurts and I think I’ll die more. It’s frustrating! Does Shika know what it feels like to have my sister dragged to the limb?”
“… … .”
Sika looked at her in silence and saw Kinish Bluff.
To be honest, that is also the area of Brilliant, and there is nothing particularly dangerous about it.
There are no enemies to target Jane.
I think it’s possible if I’m going out tonight for a while.
Above all, Sika believed in her own skills.
“All right.”
“and! Can I really go out?”
“yes.”
“good! Let’s go right now. do you know Any answers to that?”
“yes.”
Shika replied that way, but he thought that would not happen.
It’s dead and awake, but it’s less likely than going back to the past to come up with a way to solve the three princes’ affairs just because you’re going there.
* * *
Late night, Decaine.
I was going to take a little break after a long time, but I couldn’t sleep so I came up to the deck.
Rayman was not here because he had been working so hard for over a month that he was told to rest for about two days.
“It’s awkward to leave it empty.”
I blankly looked at Decaine.
From the outside, it looks the same as before, but something feels empty.
It must have been because I moved all the ashes inside.
I made a tomb by moving only the ashes of my ancestors to a place a little away from Decane.
Apparently, since I spend a lot of time in Decane, I couldn’t help it because my ancestors said they were bored and brushed me off.
– Why are you looking at me like that?
Did you even read my thoughts?
My ancestors are looking at me with disliked eyes.
“it’s nothing.”
– I don’t like your eyes.
“I’m sorry because it’s hard. Because it’s hard. It’s because I can’t even rest and I’m holding a sword.”
– Tsk, I’ve lost my mind. That’s when I… … .
Again, the old story of the ancestors came out.
Now that I’m quite used to it, I continued training with the sermon as a background.
It also motivates me a lot.
“Haap!”
The sword cut through the air with strong wind pressure.
[Havenberg sword skill proficiency increases by 0.4116%.]
“ha… … .”
I only swung the sword once, but it gave me the illusion that I had swung it 10 more times with concentration.
This feeling of being held in the hand.
The cut just now was pretty good.
‘Swordsmanship proficiency increased by 0.4%… … .’
Recently, the rise in skill was slowing down, but this level was enormous for a single cut.
[Havenberg Swordsmanship – Beginner]
[This is a swordsmanship in which all the essences of Havenberg are concentrated. As the proficiency increases, the understanding of the sword increases.]
– Mastery 30.3475%
# Each time you swing the sword, your mastery increases.
My proficiency has already risen quite a bit.
As this proficiency increased, I felt that my swordsmanship was becoming more natural.
‘Let’s swing it again.’
That moment when I held the sword so as not to forget the sense.
A subtle sensation stimulated my body.
I flinched and involuntarily cast my gaze there.
‘what?’
I don’t know what it feels like.
There, somewhere in the trees outside the Decane, I felt something.
But nothing is visible there.
is it an illusion
Ever since I gained spiritual power, something like this has happened from time to time. It’s like I’ve become a bit sensitive.
I tilted my head and raised my sword again.
“Haaap!”
Whoops!!
Patter.
A vertical cut from top to bottom.
As if my ancestors had entered my body, a more perfect cut than a moment ago was created in my hands.
[Havenberg sword skill proficiency increases by 0.8706%.]
A 0.8% increase… … .
Wouldn’t this be the perfect vertical cut?
– Tsk, tut, tsk.
A clicking sound comes from the side.
I thought it was okay, but I guess I didn’t like it.
Unknowingly, I frowned at the sound of tongue clicking.
“Whoa… … .”
only sighs come out
How much better do I have to be to satisfy that ancestor?
“again-.”
match. match. match. match.
At that time, someone was approaching the entrance of Decaine, clapping their hands.
A woman with neatly arranged black clothes, blue eyes, and silver hair neatly tied back.
I swallowed the flagship as soon as I saw her.
It’s a person I’ve seen countless times in the past.
Princess Jane. She was the first princess of the Brilliant Kingdom.
But why is Princess Jane suddenly here?
“Wow, is that great? I happened to see it while passing by, and the swordsmanship is really neat.”
Princess Jane, who had approached me before I knew it, exclaimed.
Meeting her is the first time in this life. You probably don’t even know my face or my name.
Somewhere now, her escort knight, ‘Sika’, must be looking at me with her eyes wide open while hiding.
‘Do you want to know my information?’
Princess Jane doesn’t play well in the royal castle, so even if she doesn’t know about me, Sika would have already investigated me before coming up to Decane.
“uh? ah… … .”
Suddenly, she winced and glanced at me.
Then, a look of caution fell in her eyes.
‘what… … ?’
Her escort is stronger than most knights.
You don’t need to be wary of a guy like me.
“Who are you?”
Pretending not to know anything, I asked her identity.
“… … He was a passer-by.”
I will hide my identity… … .
“A young lady passing by asked what’s going on at Decane this late at night?”
“I came to get some fresh air.”
“How dangerous is this place, alone at this hour?”
“Then what is that person?”
“I am the manager of this place.”
It feels like her boundaries have become more blurred, perhaps because she liked my honest answer.
“ah! The decane’s gravekeeper? The Argen family… … ?”
“You know that. I’m not that famous.”
“Why don’t you know? Rumor has it that a swordsman from the great Argen family is shoveling in a graveyard at the foot of a mountain like this?”
… … Did you come here to make fun of me because I was bored?
I wanted to say something, but I knew for sure that the opponent was the first princess, but even then it was a little ambiguous.
“Are you here to pick up a fight?”
I said I suppressed it, but my voice was irritated without my knowledge.
‘hmm… … ?’
At that moment, the same dangerous sensation ran up my spine.
‘what?’
– There’s a strange guy hiding here.
At the words of my ancestors, my head moved in that direction.
At the same time, I gripped the sword tightly and unwittingly took a vigilant posture.
‘I don’t have anything?’
My eyes couldn’t see it at all, but my ancestors’ eyes seemed to see something.
‘no way… … ?’
Apparently, that strange guy is her escort, Shika.
It is said that the stealth technique is extremely good, but it is invisible to the naked eye.
– Raise your sword! Block your stomach!
The sudden cry of ancestors.
At the same time, I felt a goosebumps of life from the side. After recognizing that, I saw a sword.
My body was so tense that I was able to react immediately. I slashed the black sword rushing toward my abdomen upward.
Chaeeng!
“Ugh… … !”
I had only blocked the sword once, but it hurt as if my muscles were torn.
‘No, why suddenly!’
Pushed back, I saw Shika appearing in front of me and checked his status window.
‘crazy… … .’
Last time it was a knight-level monster, but now it’s a high-ranking knight-level monster.
Unknowingly, I cursed inwardly.
Of course, I tried to hide my expression as if nothing was wrong on the outside.
* * *
Jane’s escort, Sika, knew a person named Len Argen.
The illegitimate son of the Arzen family, the gravekeeper who manages Decane. A pitiful man who was kicked out of his family, has no swordsmanship talent, and just chooses Decane as a refuge and digs in the ground.
That was the public opinion of Ren.
Recently, he said that a quasi-knight named Rayman was also working there as an assistant shooter.
As a special note, it was said that grave robbers recently invaded Decaine, but Len Argen kicked them out himself.
The problem was Ren’s testimony that the grave robber used a sword technique.
Of course, he thought it was a bluff and dismissed it as nonsense, but he had to be careful because he had to protect the princess.
Shika was prepared for any unexpected situation and was wary of Decaine’s mountain path, and accidentally saw Ren’s swordsmanship training.
Coriander recognizes Coriander.
As soon as Shika saw him, he realized that Ren’s swordsmanship skills were extraordinary.
I could never see the skill of an ordinary grave keeper with a sword.
Not to mention, the vertical slash with the second swing was superior to that of most half-assed knights.
‘Could it be true that I defeated the grave robber using sword skills?’
If so, why are they hiding their skills and digging the ground and cutting weeds in a place like this?
An enemy whose intentions are unknown is more dangerous than a strong enemy who can be seen clearly.
Shika’s vigilance rose to the extreme, and the moment Ren’s gaze turned to where he was, the danger to the person named Ren rose sharply.
‘… … It’s a great feeling. To see through my stealth at this distance.’
Ren immediately looked away, but Sika was sure.
It’s a clear warning that ‘everyone knows you’re there.’
“Princess, this is the Decane gravekeeper named Len Argen.”
When Jane came here, she briefly heard information about him from Sika.
However, the swordsmanship she had just seen did not match that information.
Even for her lack of knowledge about swords, Ren’s swordsmanship seemed quite high.
That’s why Jane tried to hide her identity and get information about Ren.
“Are you here to pick up a fight?”
But Ren seemed uncomfortable, and the sword was in his hand.
Shika had to decide.
It was because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to protect Ren if he targeted the princess first.
‘Damn it, this is why I’m not going out-.’
At that time, Ren’s gaze turned to Shika again.
As expected, it was no coincidence that his gaze was directed to him earlier.
Ren slightly pulled back the arm holding the sword.
At that moment, Shika finished her judgment. I had to move first before the opponent could throw the sword.
‘Damn it, I didn’t mean to fight like this… … !’
Shika unexpectedly thrust out her sword.
There were only a handful of enemies that could follow his speed while stealthed, so I was certain that this blow would be able to do some damage.
Chaeeng!
But it was nicely blocked.
Most knights couldn’t react to sword attacks while stealthed.
‘… … I never thought I’d meet a swordsman of this level in a place like this.’
senior article.
Dressed in shabby clothes, holding a rugged sword, and with an expressionless face, this tomb keeper was clearly a man of great skill.
An incompetent loser who was kicked out of his family, had no swordsmanship, no will, no effort, did not exist here.
No panic or excitement. After blocking the sword attack that most knights would have been fatally wounded on the spot.
Just eyes like a calm lake at dawn staring at Shika.