The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 170

133. Life and Death

“Ka…”

The pure white light faded, and his blurred vision slowly returned.

“Karyl…!!”

Karyl snapped to attention at Milliana’s shout of his name and turned his head.

“You idiot…!! What were you thinking? How could someone like you be so careless about the possibility of a trap being triggered!”

She spoke with a voice that sounded like she was about to cry.

“I thought you’d hold your sword up first to check if you were being consumed by necromancy.”

“Unnecessary…”

At Karyl’s joke, Milliana pouted and said,

“Are you alright? You fainted as soon as you grabbed the gauntlet in the box, and everyone was so surprised.”

“Ah… really? How long was I out?”

Karyl got up as he listened to Aidan’s words.

He was sure it wasn’t even sunset when they entered the underground, but before he knew it, the sunset was gone, and it was a dark night.

“You’ve been out for at least ten hours.”

“I was so worried about whether we should go back right away,” Milliana said, continuing Aidan’s words, and Karyl stroked her head once.

“Wow, I’m happy to hear you say that. To be getting this much attention from the Queen of Digon.”

“Wh-what…”

“Save the romance for later, when no one’s watching. Are you alright?”

At Gordon’s words, Karyl nodded.

“Yes. There are no particular problems.”

“We were going to go to Digon as Milliana said… but Lord Gordon said we should watch you while you stabilize first.”

Aidan looked at Gordon.

“It’s not like you’re going to die from some trap. Seeing the gauntlet continue to react, I knew you were communicating with something.”

Gordon pointed to the Gauntlet of Kalduan placed next to him.

“Yeah. What was it? Is that gauntlet some kind of Ego Weapon [a weapon with its own will and personality]?”

Everyone’s attention was focused.

“It’s not that. I don’t think the weapon itself has a will. Even if it did, trying to have a conversation with it would be frustrating.”

“…Hmm? What do you mean?”

Karyl chuckled as he thought of the giant blue turtle he had met.

He had many conversations with Quonitte, but all he heard from Kalduan was a ‘Krrr-’ growl.

‘But just being in the sub-dimension for a short time… so much time has passed. I’ve never thought about the possibility that time might be different between the Spirit Realm and the Human Realm, but I need to be careful.’

He felt a languid sensation, as if he had returned from a long journey.

‘Even if I can activate the Spirit Spring and open the door to the Spirit Realm, I need to choose the timing carefully. It would be a disaster if I went there during an important moment and suddenly years passed.’

Karyl chuckled at himself for worrying about that even before he had obtained spirit power.

“It’s a weapon with the power of the Divine Beast Kalduan sealed within it. It’s also one of the five great weapons of the Blader.”

“…!!”

At his words, everyone seemed surprised and looked at the gauntlet once more.

“Kalduan?! Are you talking about the Azure Tortoise, one of the legendary Three Auspicious Beasts [mythical creatures symbolizing good fortune]?”

“Does the Eastern Kingdom also know about the legend of the Divine Beasts?”

“Of course. The Eastern Kingdom has something similar to the Three Auspicious Beasts. We worship snakes.”

“They always believe in things that resemble them.”

Milliana shook her head at Aidan’s words.

“Well, anyway, it’s a relief. Whether it’s a snake or a turtle, you came back without being consumed by the weapon. Was there anything else?”

“Yes. However… it seems the Azure Tortoise doesn’t like me very much. It doesn’t seem like I’ve been accepted as the owner of the gauntlet.”

Karyl didn’t bother telling Gordon about Quonitte.

He wasn’t sure why she had left her memories inside the gauntlet.

“Hmm. Well, the Azure Tortoise is a spirit with the energy of earth (土) [referring to the Chinese Wu Xing or Five Elements]. It doesn’t really suit you.”

“Do you think so too, Gordon?”

Karyl shrugged his shoulders as if disappointed by the same assessment as Quonitte.

“But you don’t seem very interested in the gauntlet. I think the person who is most suitable for the Gauntlet of Kalduan here is you, Gordon.”

Everyone nodded at his words.

The only Sword Master among the four with earth (土) [referring to the Chinese Wu Xing or Five Elements] attribute magic power was Gordon.

Thud…

At Karyl’s words, Gordon placed Mouter, which he had placed next to him, on the floor.

It was just a light placement, but the sound was like pounding the floor because of its weight.

“This is enough for me. My magic power is focused on the defensive art of Automata. Wearing other armor would only increase the consumption of magic power.”

“Even though it’s a Blader’s weapon?”

At Karyl’s question, as if to confirm, Gordon shook his head.

“No. I got what I wanted here. I shouldn’t be greedy for other things after saving my life. Consider it your reward and take it.”

“Are you saying that because I said I can’t use it?”

“That too.”

Karyl chuckled at Gordon’s words.

“Speaking of which, Gordon, did you take your medicine?”

“…Huh? Do I just eat it like this? Really?”

At his question, Gordon stammered, flustered, not befitting his size.

“Of course. Haven’t you taken it yet? The reason you came here is to cure your illness.”

“That’s true, but…”

At those words, Milliana and Aidan looked at Gordon with surprised expressions.

“Nonsense…”

No one would have imagined that the great Gordon Fabian would have an illness.

‘He’s that sick?’

‘He was flying around more than healthy people. It’s true that Sword Masters are all monsters….’

However, unlike Gordon’s concerns, the two people’s surprise had a different meaning.

“Aidan.”

“Yes?”

“Who comes to mind as someone who can use the gauntlet among us?”

Gordon still looked at him slyly, as if he was secretly hoping for it.

“Among us… it’s that guy. The one who hasn’t come yet.”

“Right?”

Aidan answered without much thought, and Karyl chuckled because it was the answer he expected.

“He’s going to like it.”

Karyl smiled faintly, as if he had read his thoughts.

“What. Do you already have someone in mind? Well, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, is this the end? It’s going to take a long time to get back.”

Gordon scratched his head, feeling awkward.

“Don’t worry. By now, they should be coming to pick us up.”

“…Who?”

Karyl said, holding the gauntlet.

“The guy who’s going to receive this.”

* * *

Whoosh…!!

Karyl waved his hand towards the magic sailboat, which was sailing at full speed, its sails fully unfurled, cutting through the waves with the wind.

“Huh…”

The speed was incredible for a ship.

Everyone else was surprised as well, but Gordon Fabian’s eyes, in particular, shone with interest.

‘That is….’

As if anticipating his thoughts, Karyl crossed his arms and said proudly.

“Yes. It’s an item from the Magic Era. It has the same structure as the Gyo-do Mercenary Corps’ airship. Except it can’t fly.”

“Where did you get something like that?”

“I was lucky. It was in Tatur.”

“I can’t believe it. You have something that even the Empire doesn’t have. Could it be that the activation stone of that ship was what you offered me?”

Gordon said, pointing to the speeding sailboat.

“Yes. It’s a prototype. It’s not a composite of 8-sided stones, but a composite of 6-sided stones, but it’s enough for propulsion, unlike an airship.”

Karyl looked at Gordon’s expectant face as if it was amusing.

“And you’ll soon see it being used in airships. You’ll still be alive in three years.”

At his words, Gordon chuckled.

“Who made something like that?”

“Do you know Baron Berill of the Istria Three Kingdoms?”

Gordon Fabian scoffed at Karyl’s words.

“That old man? They say even a rotten crucian carp is still a crucian carp [an idiom meaning someone retains some skill despite age]… wasn’t he once called a genius, but now he’s an outdated magician?”

Karyl raised the corners of his lips at his words.

“That’s right. Even a rotten crucian carp is still a crucian carp. How could the brilliance of a genius disappear? He just has low magic power, but his mind is still sharp. Moreover, Thomson, the Guild Master of the Ulkas Guild, is assisting him. If we’re lucky, it might be sooner than the three years we talked about at first.”

Unlike Karyl, who spoke confidently, Gordon still asked with a questioning face.

“What’s that again? Ulkas? I’ve never heard of that guild. Where are they affiliated? There’s no way I wouldn’t remember a guild that’s even remotely famous on the continent.”

“Of course. They’ve never been famous.”

“…”

Gordon was speechless because of Karyl’s confident words.

“But you should remember it in the future. You know that the Lord of Azor is a 6-class high-ranking magician, right?”

“Of course.”

“Before long, the Guild Master of the Ulkas Guild will soon be a magician of the same level as him.”

“Huh… a high-ranking magician in a mere guild?”

At Karyl’s words, Gordon looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“Don’t tell me you did that too?”

Karyl smiled faintly at his words.

“You’re really a guy who makes me speechless. As if manipulating the princes wasn’t enough.”

“You flatter me.”

“What’s your goal? Are you planning to swallow the continent?”

Gordon admitted that although the start of his journey to the south was because of the Empire, he was now more captivated by Karyl.

It seemed interesting that the tripartite structure of the Empire, the Duchy, and the Istria Three Kingdoms, which had been maintained for a long time, was breaking down.

Including himself, there were five Sword Masters, four Archmages, and the last one, the Eastern Mystic, were the strongmen called the Ten Greats of the continent.

Even with so many strongmen, the tripartite division of the world (天下三分) [an idiom referring to a state of division into three powers, originating from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms], which had lasted for over 200 years, had not been broken.

And he thought it would continue to be so in the future.

‘Until I met that guy.’

Gordon Fabian drank the foul-smelling liquid in his canteen in one gulp.

“Kuh…”

The bitter energy that passed through his throat was clearly felt.

‘Karyl, I’m curious about what you really want to do. There’s no way you’d be satisfied with just this.’

He swallowed all the liquid he hated to drink so much, without leaving a single drop.

“I’ll watch you a little more.”

Karyl slightly raised the corners of his lips as he looked at him.

Because he had a reason to live.

* * *

“Pfft…!!!”

He hurriedly covered his mouth, which was about to sneeze.

He didn’t want to ruin the joy of having a pleasant meal under the window where the sun was shining for the first time in a long time.

The atmosphere was already cautious, and he didn’t want everyone’s attention to be focused on him, so he scratched his head awkwardly and smiled.

“Ha, haha… I’m sorry.”

The person who bowed his head awkwardly was none other than the Third Prince of the Empire, Cromen.

‘I don’t want to ruin the good atmosphere because of me.’

After returning to the south, he had been suffering from minor illnesses, but today he felt strangely good, so he was able to come out of the detached palace and have a meal together like this.

“Cr… Cromen.”

However, the Empress’s eyes trembled as she looked at him.

“Yes?”

Cromen then realized that the corners of his mouth were wet.

“Ah!”

He must have gotten soup on his mouth while trying to hold back a sneeze.

Swish-

“I’ve shown you an embarrassing sight, Mother.”

He hurriedly wiped around his mouth with a napkin on the table.

“…Huh?”

For some reason, the color of the soup on the napkin was red. Cromen looked at the Empress with a puzzled expression.

Drip…

It was then.

Blood flowed from the Prince’s nose.

“Why, why is this happening?”

With a clearly flustered look, Cromen wiped the blood-stained hand on his clothes and fumbled to grab the surrounding napkins.

Clang…! Crash…!

However, his weakened hand failed to properly grasp the napkin, and he knocked over the plates and bowls that were placed there, causing them to fall to the floor with a loud noise.

“Ah… ah…”

Cromen looked around with a tearful face.

Thud…!!

With a throbbing headache and a blurred vision, he fell to the floor where the spilled dishes were.

“Why, why…”

Cromen struggled to get up, staggering.

However, his hand slipped while grabbing the table, and the red blood on his palm drew a clear line.

“Cough, cough…”

The blood flowing from his nose now pierced through his mouth and ears, flowing down.

Silence fell.

They were unable to say anything because of the shocking sight, and could only stare blankly with their mouths open.

“Cr… Cromen!!!!!”