Chapter 111
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 111: The Stranger (3)
***
Master.
A true transcendent being, known as an absolute being who can single-handedly take on a kingdom.
Any knight would aspire to become a Master. However, the number of knights who reach this level is rarer than finding a diamond in the rough.
Out of the hundreds of thousands of knights born each year across the continent, only a handful of geniuses could become Masters.
Upon reaching Master, one can transcend the pinnacle of swordsmanship and pave a new path.
This path is called the ‘Path of Gods’.
The techniques like Ten Thousand Flow Perception and the Killer Ghost’s Life-Taking sword are examples of this.
“I’ve concealed all my mana perfectly, so how did you know I was a Master? Even the Milady didn’t notice my true identity.”
As he said, Damien couldn’t sense any mana from David.
It couldn’t be helped. Even Damien couldn’t surpass the gap between himself and a Master at this point.
“She looks like a Milady from a noble family. I doubted you would be traveling alone.”
“From that you figured out I was a Master?”
“I couldn’t sense any mana from you no matter how much I observed, so I took a guess, but I didn’t expect it to be true.”
In fact, the part about taking a guess was a lie.
He couldn’t sense any mana, but Damien had experience and knowledge.
He saw the lightness and fluidity of movement that only a Master could possess.
It was a subtle detail that only Damien could have noticed, and even David wouldn’t have been able to hide it completely.
“This is humiliating. To be exposed by a much younger generation.”
David said, scratching the back of his head.
“Should I call you Senior?”
“I don’t want to hear sincere words.”
David grumbled as he sat down next to the sword empress.
“Anyway, you’re incredibly skilled. I didn’t think you’d take down the Milady so quickly. And you even knock her unconscious. I’ve never seen someone like you in the Empire.”
It was only natural. There couldn’t be another talent like Damien in this world.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Damien to destroy humanity in his previous life.
“If I had hurt her, you wouldn’t have let me go, would you?”
“Well, I wonder what I would have done.”
David stared at Damien quietly. Then, suddenly, Damien noticed.
The whole world had become quiet.
The sound of birds chirping and insects buzzing had all disappeared. Even the sound of the trees swaying could not be heard.
Only then did Damien realize that David was spreading his mana and dominating this area.
He hadn’t noticed until the space was completely consumed.
This is why a Master is called a true transcendent being.
They casually perform phenomena that are far beyond the human level.
“Still, I know you wouldn’t kill me.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I don’t sense any killing intent.”
If David had even the slightest bit of killing intent, it would have permeated the air and pierced Damien’s mind.
But the world was only silent. It meant that David had no ill will towards Damien.
Tsk.
David clicked his tongue and retracted his mana. The silent world suddenly became noisy.
“You even noticed that. It’s not fun because you’re too good.”
David said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Milady was the one who challenged you to a duel first. She can’t complain if she gets hurt.”
Although he was an escort, he seemed to have no intention of protecting the Sword Empress.
“On the contrary, I think she learned a lot from this experience, so it’s a good opportunity for her.”
David was right about this.
The Sword Empress had been winning all her life. In her eyes, the world must have seemed like a flat plain without any obstacles.
But by meeting Damien, she had experienced a wall. The way the Sword Empress saw the world would definitely change greatly.
“My name is Artus Berber. I am a Master who serves the milady’s family.”
Artus Berber.
Both David and Arthas Berber were names unheard of even in past lives.
‘That’s strange. If he was a Master under the Sword Empress, there’s no way I wouldn’t know about him.’
It was also possible that he had retired for some reason, or that he had already died by the time Damien was active.
“Why is a Master doing the escorting?”
Considering the status of a Master, it was a waste of power to have them do the escorting.
Even if it was for the escort of a precious person like the Sword Empress.
“I owe a debt of gratitude to the milady’s mother… no, to the lady that I can’t repay. I volunteered to be the milady’s escort in order to repay that debt even a little bit.”
As he said this, Artus Berber looked at the Sword Empress with a very soft look in his eyes.
“I would like you to keep my identity a secret from the milady. She thinks she is traveling on her own power.”
“It must be hard for you to keep up with her.”
Artus Berber burst out laughing at Damien’s words.
***
“Ugh!”
The Sword Empress only came to her senses the next day. As soon as she opened her eyes, she got up from her seat and shouted.
“What happened to the duel? Why am I lying here?”
Damien and David, who were sitting in front of the campfire drinking tea, looked up at her.
“Milady! You’re awake!”
David threw away his teacup and ran to the Sword Empress. The Sword Empress pushed him aside.
“Damien! What was that? How could you move so fast? How did you pierce my protection barrier?”
The Sword Empress sat down in front of Damien and bombarded him with questions. Damien sipped his tea with an annoyed look on his face.
“I can’t just tell you my techniques.”
“That’s true… How about we exchange them? I’ll tell you all the techniques I’m learning!”
“Milady! You can’t do that!”
David shouted urgently. Damien couldn’t help but be terrified for a different reason.
‘Does this woman think she can make me a public enemy of the family?’
The Sword Empress came from the prestigious Lichteawer family, a ducal house of the Empire. Naturally, the techniques she was learning were also those of the Lichteawer family.
If their secrets were leaked, no family would just sit back and do nothing. There was a high probability that they would immediately send an assassination squad.
Above all, Damien already knew most of the Sword Empress’s techniques.
This was because he had absorbed all of her swordsmanship while fighting her in his previous life.
“I don’t need it.”
The Sword Empress’s spirits were dampened by Damien’s firm refusal.
“From what I saw earlier, your footwork was clumsy when you were wielding your sword. You should focus on training your lower body for now.”
“Oh, really?”
“And because you’re so focused on speed, all your attacks are too light. There are Mana Cultivation Techniques that can temporarily increase your weight. Look into those.”
David’s eyes widened in surprise at Damien’s advice.
As a Master-class, he must have noticed. That Damien’s advice was accurate.
No, it wasn’t just accurate. Damien was showing the Sword Empress the way.
The path that the Sword Empress had walked in the future.
He was even telling her about it with his own knowledge.
“But, when the family instructors told me…”
“There were probably many times when you didn’t like what the instructors were saying, right? Wouldn’t it have been better to just swing your sword however you wanted?”
“Y-yes. H-how did you know?”
The Sword Empress was a genius among geniuses. There was no way that ordinary people could teach such a person.
“Forget everything about the family’s teachings except the basics. From now on, think of yourself as a pioneer.”
Damien said with a confident tone. The Sword Empress nodded her head repeatedly.
Then, her expression suddenly turned fierce.
“Wait a minute. Why am I taking lessons from you?”
“Isn’t it a good thing?”
“Thank you! You’re the one I’m supposed to defeat! Stop talking nonsense and fight me right now!”
The Sword Empress tried to get up, but she collapsed back to the ground.
“What? What’s happening?”
She looked down at her body, unable to comprehend what was happening.
The Sword Empress was currently in a state where her blood vessels were blocked by the acupuncture technique.
The blockage would naturally dissolve over time, but for now, she would be unable to move her body or use her mana.
“T-this can’t be… P-please wait a moment!”
Damien ignored the Sword Empress and stood up. He straightened his cloak, put the utensils into the spatial ring, and prepared to leave.
“Wait! Where are you doing?”
“It’s morning already, and I have a long way to go.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the the Church.”
The Sword Empress’s expression became anxious at his words.
The Church was located outside the Apple kingdom. She was headed for the Apple Kingdom, so they were going in opposite directions.
“I guess we have to part ways here.”
“B-before that, fight me one more time!”
“With that body?”
Damien looked down at the Sword Empress condescendingly. His expression made her face flush red.
Suddenly, the Sword Empress took off the ring she was wearing on her finger.
It was a plain silver ring with no decoration. It was worn out in places, suggesting that it was old.
“Take it!”
The Sword Empress threw the ring at Damien. Damien caught it without knowing what was going on.
“Oh, milady! That ring is…!”
“Be quiet, David.”
The Sword Empress’s sharp cry forced David to shut his mouth.
“Damien, listen carefully. My name is Rachel Lichteawer! I am the successor to the Lichteawer Dukedom, one of the seven great houses of the Empire!”
Damien already knew the Sword Empress’s name and family.
However, he was surprised by what she said next.
“In our family, when we receive a great favor, we have a tradition of giving away an object that symbolizes our family! And this ring is a proof of my status as the successor!”
If what the Sword Empress, Rachel Lichteawer, said was true, then this ring held immense value.
“I will return to the family as soon as I finish my business in the Apple Kingdom. If you come with that ring, I will tell my father and he will reward you!”
“And you’ll also fight me in a duel?”
“Of course!”
In her previous life, the Sword Empress had wandered the continent, eager to meet strong people, before returning to the Empire.
It seemed that in this life, she planned to end her wandering early.
“Well, I can’t refuse if you’re offering a reward.”
Damien put the ring in his subspace and mounted his horse.
“Y-you have to come back! You have to!”
“I will.”
“I’ll never let you go if you forget! I’ll chase you forever!”
Damien left the forest, leaving the Sword Empress’s cries behind.
***
After that, Damien crossed the border and headed for the Church.
The Church was no different from a kingdom.
It had a territory as large as a small kingdom, and a considerable number of people lived inside.
Therefore, even after entering the territory of the Church, Damien had to travel a long way to reach the place where the main headquarters was located.
A week later, Damien finally reached his destination.
“I’m finally here.”
Damien looked out from the top of the hill. A castle was built far away.
The scale of the castle was enormous. It seemed to be twice as large as the capital of the Apple Kingdom that Damien had visited a while ago.
The castle was surrounded by massive walls that were as high and sturdy as cliffs. Inside, there were even higher walls built in layers.
This was the main headquarters of the Church.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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