The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 169

132. I’ll Make the Decision

“What? ……What did you say?”

Quonitte momentarily doubted her ears.

In all her years, this was probably the first time someone had treated her this way.

“It’s not your place, as someone who isn’t even alive, to make decisions. And this is the end of the respect for someone who lived before.”

Quonitte stared at him, seemingly at a loss for words.

“I don’t know how much you can see about me since we didn’t make a soul contract… But to be honest, I’ve lived long enough to be bored with the meaning of life.”

Kahlill said to her with his arms crossed.

“No, maybe I’m the senior in that regard.”

“Huh…”

“For someone as audacious as you to be the owner of the gauntlet containing the spirit of the most serious Kalduran among the Three Phases…”

Quonitte shook her head with a pale face, muttering under her breath. Her every action was mysterious, but Kahlill didn’t seem very impressed.

She was a great being who was called the century’s greatest spiritist and made a mark in history, but in the end, she was human.

Kahlill’s eyes, having gone back in time, could no longer see things with ordinary standards.

“He’s a turtle anyway. You can’t know if he’s serious or just slow unless you’re the person himself.”

Kahlill replied to her words.

“I know that the Blader’s Five Relics are related to spirits. I expected to get clues about Maktun’s power or his whereabouts, but…”

Kahlill pointed to Chungwi, who was sleeping next to her, and said.

“Kalduran is also a sacred beast who inherited the power of the Rock Giant Lord, so you could say it’s the same context, so I could just let it go. But.”

His eyes gleamed.

“Honestly, it’s strange that you’re here. Enough with the unnecessary pretense, why don’t you be honest from now on?”

He gestured as if to show the surrounding scenery and said.

“It’s beautiful, but not amazing. From the moment I knew you were human, it didn’t mean much to me.”

“……”

“I’d rather it be a god. If that were the case, I would have drawn my sword without hesitation.”

Quonitte was at a loss at Kahlill’s audacious appearance.

Her hundreds of years of waiting must not have been expecting this kind of meeting.

“Confess. What does that mean?”

“It’s as it sounds. I’m telling you to tell me why you sneaked into this gauntlet.”

Quonitte’s eyes wavered at Kahlill’s words.

“It’s amazing to meet a great spiritist who once dominated the past with Kaie Essier in a place like this, but… the timing is off.”

He held up Kalduran’s gauntlet in his hand and showed it to Quonitte, saying.

“The Blader made the Five Relics during the Magic Era. In other words, this gauntlet already existed 1,000 years ago.”

Kahlill pointed at her again.

“But you are from the era of Kaie Essier 250 years ago. That means the power of Kalduran was sealed in the gauntlet after this gauntlet was completed.”

Quonitte let out a low exclamation at his words.

“Your first appearance was so great that I was out of my mind. So I didn’t even have time to have these doubts, but…”

Shrugging his shoulders, Kahlill asked her back.

“You picked the wrong opponent. Tell me, is this gauntlet’s name really Kalduran’s Gauntlet? Did the Bladers of 1,000 years ago name their gauntlet after a sacred beast that hadn’t even been born yet?”

“That’s wrong. The names of the Three Phases are passed down through generations.”

“Wow… You know very well that what you’re saying sounds like a ridiculous, lame excuse, right?”

Kahlill snorted.

“If Kalduran was sealed in this gauntlet during the Magic Era, the sacred beast itself should have disappeared. There’s no way you could have tamed that turtle 250 years ago.”

At his words, Quonitte burst into a faint laugh.

“Amazing. To think there could be another human who could be so calm in this situation like you.”

“This isn’t a life-threatening situation… And I’m tired of being threatened anyway.”

Kahlill shrugged.

“Let me ask you one thing. Then did you resurrect Jarka Hochi, who was killed by the White Gold Dragon, as a lich [undead creature animated by magic]?”

She shook her head at his question.

“I see.”

He didn’t doubt her denial this time.

It was possible in terms of time, but it was also strange that she, a spiritist, had learned necromancy [magic involving raising the dead].

“I came even earlier than that. The one who made Jarka Hochi a lich is one of those damn guys Kaie Essier mentioned.”

Kahlill’s eyebrows twitched at her words.

‘That means… After Nar Di Maugh killed Jarka Hochi, Kaie Essier’s companion resurrected him…’

Quonitte’s words contained more than he thought.

It was a very important clue.

‘Jarka Hochi became a lich at least 250 years ago.’

If you were to pick the most famous person in the history of mankind for necromancy, it would undoubtedly be the necromancer Well Vahar, a member of the Council of Seven.

But he was a figure from the Magic Era 1,000 years ago.

Kahlill initially thought of Well Vahar as the person who resurrected Jarka when he was killed by Nar Di Maugh.

‘But if Quonitte’s words are true, the scope is narrowed down. All I have to do is find a necromancer who made a name for himself 250 years ago.’

Kaie Essier’s will stated that the names of those two people would not remain in history.

However, a necromancer who could resurrect an elf as a lich, rebuild the City of Wraiths, and continue that power for hundreds of years, not just create skeletons, must have left traces.

‘The Antihum Grand Library does not have any history before 500 years ago. Therefore, finding Well Vahar’s footprints is not an easy task.’

The only possible way would be to get help from the magic city of Azor, which serves the Council of Seven, not the Immortal Society.

‘But if he’s a figure from 250 years ago, things change. At that time, the Dawn Society and the Immortal Society had already been established.’

What Kahlill is trying to find.

‘Kaie Essier’s two unknown companions.’

Until now, there was no clue.

‘I was lucky.’

But in an unexpected place, he learned the crucial fact that one of them had learned necromancy.

That alone was a huge gain.

‘As left in Kaie Essier’s will, those two will also have legacies left behind.’

Kahlill looked at Quonitte and raised the corners of his lips.

“Okay. Jarka Hochi’s story isn’t important in our story right now.”

She probably doesn’t know how much information she gave him in this short conversation.

But this is not the end.

“Quonitte.”

He looked at her and smiled.

“As you said, I may not be the right person for this gauntlet. If you want, I may not use it.”

“……”

She frowned slightly.

“Do you mean you’re going to find the right owner?”

“Maybe. And I already have an owner in mind who would be more suitable for this gauntlet than me.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard.”

Quonitte nodded at Kahlill’s words.

“Hmm, I don’t think you understood me correctly.”

“…What?”

“I mean, the fate of the gauntlet in which you so cherish Kalduran is sealed is in my hands.”

Kahlill finally said what he had been holding back.

“I’m saying that I decide whether this gauntlet will make a name for itself in history as a hero’s relic or be thrown away as trash in a sewer in the marketplace.”

“…What is that.”

Get everything you can get out of it.

That was Kahlill.

“So let’s make a deal. Then I’ll keep the promise I made a little while ago. Instead, you tell me what I want in return.”

“What you want…?”

“Do you know the whereabouts of the remaining one of the Blader’s Five Relics? Or are there any of the remaining Two Phases that are sealed like Kalduran?”

Unlike Kahlill, who was expecting, Quonitte shook her head.

“I don’t know either. In the first place, Kalduran was the only one of the Three Phases in my era. But I don’t know. The existence of sacred beasts is as veiled as spirits. Even if they don’t manifest their power in this world, their bloodline may remain somewhere…”

Since it wasn’t the answer he expected, Kahlill asked again, slightly disappointed.

“Hmm, then what about the original power of the gauntlet, the Rock Giant Lord? If you’ve made a contract with the Five Spirit Kings, you’ll know that, right?”

Quonitte looked at Kahlill and smiled.

Somehow, the smile was as gentle as watching a child’s antics, and Kahlill frowned slightly.

“You have a lot of thoughts in your head. You’re that smart, but it can wear you out. Laminu knows more about the Spirit King than I do. But the reason he didn’t say anything must be because he has a reason.”

Whoosh…

A shining sphere was created in Quonitte’s hand.

“He thinks you’re not ready to meet them yet. Spirits are not your limbs, but beings that are with you, so you can’t just choose them unilaterally.”

“Ah, really? I’m sure it’s right since it’s the advice of a spiritist like you.”

Kahlill’s appearance of readily admitting it made Quonitte feel uneasy.

“Then how about this? It’s something you’re best at. Tell me how to learn spiritism.”

But Kahlill didn’t give up.

If he wanted to live this life with a leisurely mind like leisure or peace, he wouldn’t have started in the first place.

“I want to open the door to the spirit world. You’ll know how to activate the Soul Spring.”

“That’s funny. It’s not something that can be solved by being impatient. And it’s even more impossible to achieve it through shortcuts. The only way to gain spirit power is to become one with nature for a long time. Besides, it’s impossible for me, as a spirit, to teach you magic.”

“That’s ridiculous. At best, humans can live for about 100 years. According to you, lumberjacks who live in the forest or fishermen who fish in the sea all their lives should be the best spiritists.”

Kahlill said coldly.

“But that’s not the case, is it? The spiritist of the century is you, not a lumberjack or a fisherman. That may be talent, but even a genius has his own way.”

His eyes gleamed.

“I’m not asking you to teach me here. I mean, show me the cards you have. You must have left them behind, right?”

“……”

“Judging from the fact that it hasn’t been known until now, you probably haven’t found it yet.”

In his previous life, he had met many sages.

And in this life, he has seen what those who are better than them have left behind.

Kaie Essier, Aln Zavius…

The common point of these great people was that they wanted to leave their research to future generations.

Kahlill was sure.

That she, a great spiritist, would be no different from them.

“Your Spiritology Treatise [a formal and systematic exposition or analysis of spiritology].”

“……”

Quonitte’s eyes wavered as she looked at him.

“You can’t have just wanted it to disappear. You must have hidden it, right? Just tell me the location.”

Kahlill took another step closer to her and said in a low voice.

“Think carefully. This is not asking for permission or asking for a favor. It’s a deal from an equal standpoint.”

* * *

Whooooo…

The swaying wind disappeared and Kahlill opened his eyes in the subspace where only white light existed again.

Quonitte, who had been talking to him a little while ago, and Kalduran, who had been sealed in the gauntlet, were no longer visible.

[I’m sometimes confused as to whether you’re a villain or a hero.]

Laminu’s voice was heard.

Laminu was dumbfounded by his appearance of confidently making a deal in front of a great spiritist who deserved to be respected.

No, the very act of making a deal was ridiculous.

In the first place, the item inside the treasure was not Kahlill’s.

From her point of view, it might be a kind of threat.

“It’s over when you die. Whether you’re a hero or a villain, you have to be alive to change the future.”

Kahlill said quietly among the scattering lights.

“I’ll do anything to do that. She’s just a memory left behind anyway. Do you think it makes sense for the remnants of the past to say anything about our lives today?”

It was an audacious but pleasing answer.

Laminu thought that Quonitte’s evaluation of Kahlill was at least accurate.

She must have been talking about his inherent attribute, not the attribute of magic that Kahlill possessed.

The flame that does not belong anywhere and only transforms itself was the same feeling he had when he first met Kahlill.

[But you were reckless. Didn’t you ever think that she might give up the gauntlet in the first place?]

“I was sure she wouldn’t. The reason she sealed Kalduran in it is because it’s the most suitable home for the earth attribute. Then why did she seal Chungwi in the gauntlet?”

Kahlill said, looking at the gauntlet in his hand.

“It must be because he’s the last remaining sacred beast.”

[Hehe……]

“It can’t be that she’s so obsessed with sacred beasts just because she’s a spiritist. There must be a reason. But she didn’t tell me that much. Maybe… I’ll be able to find out when I go to ‘that place’ she told me about.”

[You’re going even if I stop you, right?]

Kahlill nodded at Laminu’s words.

“Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t do such a stupid thing. I’m the one who fought the spiritist of the century and the sacred beast.”

Kahlill showed him his lightly trembling arm.

“I don’t know, but I’ve pushed myself quite a bit.”

[Was it that much? To think that a man like you felt fear.]

“Yeah. That’s how much.”

Looking closely, Laminu realized that not only Kahlill’s arm but his whole body was trembling lightly.

“Honestly, it’s amazing. Spiritism is.”

Kahlill said with expectant eyes.

“Laminu, I’ll admit it. Your powers are too attractive to give up. Honestly, I thought everything would be over once I got magic.”

As if waiting for his next words, Laminu’s flames flew around Kahlill and enveloped him.