chapter 26
26 – Border (4)
We spent another day within the border.
The green-haired man never appeared before us again.
There was no way or reason to find out where he was, so it seemed like we would never meet him again.
The journey was smoother than before.
There was no other giant like the one before.
There were still many threatening enemies in this forest, but even enemies were not impossible.
Fighting occurs approximately two to three times a day.
Should I say that I have accumulated some know-how? The frequency of encountering the enemy has increased, but the number of cases of avoiding combat has also increased significantly.
Those who found us and attacked us were often weaker than before.
Naturally, the number of wounds on my body decreased.
It wasn’t there at all. Originally, combat involved injuries.
“Can you still move more?”
“Yes. Are you okay.”
“Don’t hold back like last time.”
“It’s not like that.”
One of the big changes is that Sirien and I’s voices have become smaller.
We always spoke in a whisper. It was a lesson I learned from my last encounter with a giant.
A small word of chit-chat may have caught the attention of the enemy. There was no guarantee that our senses would always be better than those of our enemies.
Naturally, we became more wary of the sounds we made and our surroundings.
I should have done this a long time ago.
It was a lack of experience. From the beginning of the forest, I always found the enemy first, so I became complacent.
During knighthood training, I was taught to focus on vigilance rather than concealment and engagement rather than avoidance, so I couldn’t think about it.
That doesn’t mean I lived with my mouth shut all day.
“Oh, it’s a cave.”
“Where?”
“It’s at the other end. No, not that place, but the place over there with the cliff. Yes, there.”
When we discovered something new, we talked about it.
There really was a cave where Sirien pointed. Even from a distance, it was quite spacious and looked good to use as a base.
It would have been optimal to set up camp today, but unfortunately it was too early. I didn’t want to waste time so I just passed by.
“Our Gamyo was also in the cave. “It was full of incense there, just like here.”
“Can you still smell that smell?”
“Yes. “Once it gets within the line, it gets worse.”
“Is there really something there?”
I couldn’t smell Sirien’s scent at all.
Sirien’s sense of smell was more sensitive than mine. Anyway, is there really that much of a difference?
Sirien said it was just a smell but nothing particularly strange…… I was worried because I felt like there was something there.
“If you look at the way it gets lighter and darker, it seems like it gets closer to somewhere.”
“How about now?”
“Very…… “Even if it’s not quite there, it feels like it’s pretty close?”
“Then is it possible to avoid it? “I don’t really want to approach you.”
“Yes. “I’ll tell you if you get too close.”
At this point, it was difficult to erase the thought that the man from before had something to do with Hyangnae.
I didn’t think it would be a good idea to encounter him again, and all I wanted to do was get out of this forest as quickly as possible.
After walking for a bit, I decided to take a break.
I unpacked my luggage under a suitable tree.
“It seems like things have gone a lot smoother than a while ago. Right?”
“That’s right. Maybe we’re moving away from the heart of the forest. If we keep going like this, won’t we be able to get out soon?”
“If I go out, will people be able to see me? I also want to eat delicious food. “The meat here has a strong smell.”
“Now that I think about it, I survived well.”
“You ate a lot of similar things at the cabin. At first, I secretly vomited and spit it out. “I got used to it as I ate it.”
Sirien grinned.
Even though she was laughing, it seemed like she had heard something quite serious, but now it seemed like she was putting it in the past.
For some reason, he hated going outside, but he kept going in and out of the cabin.
When I looked at Sirien, she shook her head and denied it.
“Not anymore!”
“Hmm.”
“It’s true!”
“Okay. “Let’s eat something first.”
Now, if I had to choose what to eat, I would only have to choose between tasteless meat and preserved food.
I tried gathering grass and fruits nearby, but eating unknown grass was too risky a gamble.
Didn’t they say that even experts don’t mess with mushrooms in particular?
Unless I knew the vegetation really well, I didn’t even touch it.
“What are you going to do when you arrive at the Marquis of Eloran?”
“Hmm. Well, first I want to find out about my parents. “Because I don’t believe what my uncle said.”
“And then?”
“I have to get it back. Entire.”
No matter how long and powerful Count Roxen was, Sirien was a legitimate successor.
When Sirien asked the Marquis of Eloran for help, and the Marquis declared that he would suppress the Archduke’s rebellion, her cause was ours.
If there is a clear cause for the fight, many hunting dogs who smell the money will also join the bandwagon. If it was a matter for the grand dukedom, the imperial family would definitely be involved, so there was no way they would be pushed out of the military.
Of course, Sirien will have to incur considerable ‘debt’ in the process.
The restored Grand Duchy would have been weaker than before.
“The Marquis of Eloran includes the Marquis, but your wife is from the Count Revan family. He might be able to make connections there too.”
“Count Revan Mask…… Ah, Lord Revan. “The miraculous Sword Master.”
There were two ways to become a sword master in this world.
One is the standard method. It was about reaching the limit of the sword. It is said that if you refine your swordsmanship to the extreme, you will gain enlightenment, and after that, you will be able to handle the sword.
It looked just like the Sword Master used in other novels.
The other one was literally a ‘miracle’.
This miracle, which is said to only come to talented swordsmen, was a very rare occurrence even among precious sword masters.
It may seem like a big deal just from hearing about it, but it wasn’t necessarily so.
The Sword Master manifested in this way has somewhat heterogeneous powers. It was strong in some areas, but weak in others.
Because simply being able to use sword techniques does not make one the strongest.
Without a solid foundation, he had no choice but to be defeated in a decisive battle with other sword masters.
If he had the talent to become a sword master through a miracle in the first place, it was a level he could one day reach on his own.
Therefore, if you did not follow the standard path, you tended to be evaluated one step lower as a sword master.
The so-called Banpun was a sword master.
Lord Revan was a man who miraculously became a sword master.
The weakest among the Sword Masters. However, there was no change in the fact that the knight radiating sword energy was an asymmetrical force on the battlefield.
Fighting with cold weapons is based on formation fighting. Cavalry, spearmen, and men who can cut down with a single sword are like the embodiment of disaster.
“No matter how demonic he is, he won’t be able to continue to rule in the empire. Eligos wasn’t that great of a demon lord. By the time we arrive at Marquis Territory, the Demon King’s army will have retreated. “I believe that the knights of my family will ultimately stand by my side.”
“The seniors I know are like that. “You wouldn’t know it if you didn’t know anything, but as long as you’re alive, I’ll help you somehow.”
“Yes. The problem is the imperial family…… “
From what I heard, Sirien was making a fairly detailed plan.
Even though he was that young, his blood was blood. Unlike Therion, who devoted her time to sword training and physical training, Sirien devoted herself to theology and other studies.
It seems that the Grand Duke of Ilencia himself also passed down various political know-how.
Whatever it is, it means that he played the role of the final boss of the novel together with me.
When I was first thrown into the cabin, I thought, ‘Can this soft and gentle child change like that?’, But the talent shown in the novel was clearly proven.
Besides, haven’t we come to understand a few things now?
The reason why Sirien thoroughly killed her own blood relatives.
She was also the first point of contrast with the female protagonist of the original work.
Original work. It was something in the system.
Ilencia’s collateral committed her sins, and Sirien executed them in a cruel manner.
The heroine, shocked by her appearance, argued with Sirien.
– How can you kill people so carelessly? It’s a person. It’s a precious life. There was a way to avoid seeing blood. Besides, I’m not even a stranger to you! Why did you choose such a cruel method?
– When you’re done with your foolish talk, please return to your cage, Saint of Light. All you have to do is sing a song inside the cage. I don’t mean to sound so presumptuous.
– You killed a child under the age of 20 and now!
– In the Empire, people are considered adults from the age of sixteen. It looks like you haven’t studied enough, so you should punish your tutor. If you are too weak to do it, I will help you personally. Your hands are covered in blood.
– You!
A saint chosen by light and a saint chosen by death.
A woman who died protecting her family and a woman who killed her blood relatives.
Yeoju and Sirien’s actions were endlessly contrasting. The two were each other’s antithesis.
The attitude of the imperial family at that time was…… It was ambiguous.
It was a time when there had been no incident between the queen and the crown prince.
Just because he was the crown prince, he didn’t enter the female lead’s reverse harem from the beginning. At first, her relationship with Sirien was quite amicable.
The current crown prince must have been going through an unfortunate time of his own.
If I had been possessed by another novel, I would have raised my favorability rating in advance, but there was no way to do it when I was stuck in a forest like this.
While she was lost in her thoughts, Sirien, who was chatting, pointed to the sky.
“Uh, Razen. “There are dark clouds. Isn’t it going to rain like this?”