The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 307

205. The Northern Mentor (2)

“Gentlemen, hand over Lacrana to that child. As the victor of the Sword Festival, he is worthy of the title of Great Warrior. Besides, it seems the other chieftains have already been captivated by him.”

Altemann gestured behind him.

Through the gap in the curtain behind the cave, they could see that all the chieftains were holding their breath, waiting outside.

“What that child says is true. Accepting what must be accepted is what those who have lived longer should do.”

At his words, the elders reluctantly nodded.

Soon, they knocked on a stone wall inside the cave, and a long brick was removed.

Clunk, clunk, clunk…

It was a relic of the Others [referring to a distinct group or race], something he had never seen in his past life because the lineage of the Great Warrior had been severed.

Even during his childhood as one of the Others, it was an artifact whose existence was uncertain, but now it appeared before his eyes.

‘…This is Lacrana?’

Cahill looked at the object the elder brought from the box hidden behind the stone wall, a slightly perplexed expression on his face.

“It is a relic passed down only to the Great Warrior over a long period. Originally, Kaliak should have kept it, but for some reason, he entrusted this artifact to us before he died.”

“…….”

The oldest of the elders spoke.

“We don’t know if he foresaw his death due to the Order of Eradication of Heretics [a group dedicated to eliminating those deemed heretical], but we still don’t understand why he entrusted Lacrana to us instead of Agnel. Thanks to that, the Black Eyes clan suffered great damage. If we had kept Agnel with us, we could have prevented those stubborn people from fighting to the end.”

Cahill shook his head at his words.

“Even if you are the same Other, you don’t know everyone. The Black Eyes who are alive now don’t think like you. They regret not dying with Kaliak that day.”

Cahill took Lacrana from the elder’s hand.

“Surviving on the battlefield cannot be an honor for the Black Eyes. The reason they follow me probably includes revenge for him.”

Clang—

The hand holding Lacrana felt a pleasantly heavy sensation.

“…A sword hilt.”

Cahill said quietly, as if expressing his impression.

Surprisingly, what the elders had hidden as the relic of the Great Warrior was, as he said, a hilt.

The blade did not exist; only a part of the hilt with a unique silver color remained as a relic.

At first glance, it looked like the remains of a broken sword, useless. Moreover, the hilt itself was old and rusty, as if showing the traces of time.

However, no one knew that this artifact was not just a relic sleeping in the ruins but was still alive, with a fighting spirit that made it seem like it wanted to compete with other artifacts right away.

“You will know why Kaliak, who was the Great Warrior, did not use Lacrana,” Altemann said to Cahill, who was holding Lacrana.

“No, I should ask why the treasure of the Great Warrior has not appeared in the world until now.”

“…….”

Cahill let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded by Altemann’s words. And the elders, as if they knew the reason, looked at him with stiff faces.

“Yes. I understand as soon as I hold the hilt.”

He shook Lacrana and said.

“If that’s the reason, there’s no reason not to give me Lacrana, right? I don’t think there’s anyone else who can use this artifact besides me.”

“We didn’t want to admit it. The fact that we don’t have magic is our pride as Others. Although… this one relic can explain the appearance of our ancestors in the mythical era that is not even recorded in history.”

Clang—

Whoooo….

The mechanism on the upper part of the small hilt that Cahill was holding moved, and a sharp blade popped out.

The blue blade was quite different from the coldness of Ice Claw [presumably another artifact or weapon].

Click—

Whoosh…!!

Once again, Lacrana’s mechanism moved, and this time, a blade with a hot heat, like it had just been quenched in a forge, popped out of the hilt.

“Huh….”

“Unbelievable.”

“As expected.”

At the sight, the elders involuntarily exclaimed in admiration.

“That’s right.”

Cahill raised the sword and showed it to Altemann, saying.

“A magic sword. It’s an artifact I haven’t seen even in the Imperial Palace’s reports. It’s strange how this is left to the Others….”

He grabbed the hilt again as if twisting it.

“This isn’t just an attribute artifact with one attribute, but an artifact whose blade’s attribute can change according to the user’s magic power. In that case.”

Crack—!!

Then, unlike before, the blade that popped out from the mechanism emitted a flashing light before absorbing it again.

The sharp blade was like black lacquer, and the faint black smoke emanating from it exuded an unknown, chilling sensation that seemed to cut the skin just by looking at it.

“It can even do this.”

Cahill looked at the dark blade that appeared in front of him with a satisfied expression.

“[Aln, a spirit] It’s the power of Duat!! [Duat is likely a reference to a specific type of magic or power] Originally, humans only have one attribute of magic power. But your magic power is colorless as Dragon Magic.”

Aln exclaimed at Cahill’s blade.

“[Aln] Being able to use all attributes means you can accept everything, so you can even use the spirits’ attributes as your own. To reach this level… your talent is truly superior to the mediocre members of the Council of Seven.”

He spoke as if he was genuinely enjoying it.

It was not easy to handle one’s own magic power, but Cahill had not simply used Dragon Magic; he had added spirit power to it to complete Lacrana’s blade.

“[Aln] This blade is not just made of magic power. It’s as if the inside of the hilt is like a forge, and a new blade is made according to the attribute.”

As a Blader from the Magic Era [a warrior skilled in using blades and magic], Aln examined Lacrana with interest.

“[Aln] Moreover, the material of the artifact is also unique. It’s not Cheongrin [likely a type of metal or material], but the absorption rate of magic power is unmatched, and the repulsive force it emits is even stronger, so it exerts twice the power of the magic power used. What kind of structure is it?”

He looked as if he wanted to disassemble Lacrana right away.

Cahill, who would never allow it, also did not expect that the old sword hilt that looked insignificant would become such an amazing object.

“[Aln] This is definitely an object that did not exist in the Magic Era. If something like this had existed when we founded the Bladers and tried to create the best artifact, we would have thrown all five of the artifacts we made into the trash.”

Cahill smiled bitterly at his words.

After all, the Ice Claw he was currently using was one of those five artifacts.

“[Aln] It’s an object from the Mythical Era. The fact that such an artifact exists even though it’s not a Master Key….”

“It must have been used by a human. Humans are the only beings that use tools. A human belonging to the Bladers.”

Cahill said quietly.

“Our ancestors in the Thousand-Year Ice Cave.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the elders’ faces hardened.

“……!!”

“……!!”

As if he had expected their reaction, Cahill flicked his wrist upward, and the black blade that had risen sharply disappeared.

“Certainly, as you said, Altemann, Lacrana could not have revealed itself to the Others. An artifact given to the Great Warrior of the Others is an artifact that cannot be used without magic power… Who would accept that? They take pride in not having magic power. No one can understand it.”

“That’s right. And you seem to know what this artifact means.”

Cahill looked at Altemann and raised the corner of his mouth.

“It’s something anyone can know, not just me. The fact that this artifact was used by our ancestors means that our ancestors also had magic power. That means….”

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Cahill.

“The Imperials and the Others ultimately started from the same bloodline.”

“And for some reason, they were divided into two.”

“Yes. One lost magic power, and the other retained it. Those with magic power ruled the continent, and they established the Order and called us, who lost magic power, heretics.”

“But if it was the same starting point, are only those who lost magic power evil?”

The two continued the conversation as if they were exchanging words.

“We don’t know.”

“Yes. But you will know that too. Only you can know this.”

Altemann pointed to Lacrana, which he had drawn the blade from a moment ago.

“Because you have the Spirit Kings who can hear the testimony of the Mythical Era.”

Cahill smiled faintly at his words.

“I hope you will tell them why our ancestors lost magic power… and whether it was truly the path of evil. So that the fact that we don’t have magic power can become true pride.”

Altemann put strength into his voice.

“So that the reason for what we lost, not what we don’t have, can become honor.”

“Lamine.”

Whoosh―――!!

“Etheral.”

Crack… Crack…!

“Duat.”

Swish—

As Cahill called out each name, the three Spirit Kings appeared behind him, emitting their respective powers.

“[Aln] Keke….”

Aln looked at the scene and laughed softly.

At a time when the power of spirits was diminishing, even the spiritists of the continent could barely summon one spirit, but Cahill was summoning all three Spirit Kings without any difficulty, so the amount of spirit power he possessed was no longer lacking.

“[Aln] Now, we might really be able to open the door to the Spirit Realm.”

He said quietly.

“You must be witnesses. The reason why the magic power I possess should not be an obstacle to being the rightful leader of the Others.”

Cahill looked at the elders.

“The evidence that our ancestors had magic power and the reason why they lost it.”

“[Lamine, a Spirit King] The Great Spirit War.”

Lamine said in a calm voice.

“[Lamine] There is no need for a long explanation. It is an era before the era you call the Magic Era, an era that is not even recorded in history.”

“[Etheral, a Spirit King] Spirits and humans opposed God.”

“[Duat, a Spirit King] As a result, we were defeated, the spirits were sealed, and humans lost magic power.”

Starting with his words, the other spirits continued to speak.

“But….”

One of the elders tried to say something but looked at Cahill with a stiff face.

“Could it be… ?”

“That’s right. Not all humans sided with humans. The magic power remaining on the continent is the price of devotion to God. But we only fought for ourselves. Although that war ended in defeat, that will is never weak.”

Thump— Thump—!!

The hearts of the elders watching Cahill began to beat wildly.

“We are never heretics.”

They were grateful to be alive to hear this story, and on the other hand, they regretted their strong youth, unable to participate in the war they would have to fight in the future.

“You can be proud. The fact that you don’t have magic power is true pride. We are the true humans of free will, inheriting the blood of the Godslayers, the Bladers.”

At that moment,

The elders all knelt down and bowed their heads to Cahill.