episode_0074

“You are an honored guest of our nation. Therefore, you deserve treatment befitting that status.”

The Beastkin King smirked and tossed something at me.

I reflexively caught it.

A gleaming golden identification card.

“With that, you’ll have access to most facilities in this country.”

“Since when do beastkin properly treat honored guests…?”

Diago, standing beside me, muttered in shock with a dazed expression.

But was it really okay to say that out loud?

‘Isn’t this the kind of thing that usually causes diplomatic incidents?’

Yet, no one around seemed to mind. In fact, the Beastkin King chuckled and replied.

“You haven’t experienced the nations of other races much, have you? Not just us—our kind only welcomes those who are worthy of being called guests.”

Putting it another way—

‘It means I have the qualifications to be treated as a guest here.’

—Hmph, of course! This body chose you, after all!

The Holy Sword chattered noisily.

—You may not be thrilled about my choice, but any wielder who picks me up would have chosen me regardless!

‘Oh?’

—Yes, just like how you once learned sword aura from me before.

‘For something like that, you seemed pretty shocked back then.’

—Ahem, what nonsense! I never once thought it was strange that you mixed combat aura and sword aura in one go!

So you did think it was strange.

Well, maybe it was.

Ever since obtaining Gift to Mana, my ability to handle mana and combat aura had changed.

A guest, huh?

From an illegal immigrant to an honored guest of another nation—it felt surreal.

“You don’t look as moved as I expected.”

“Thank you.”

“Enough. I don’t have a taste for groveling gratitude. If you’re thankful, take that one with you.”

The Beastkin King pointed at Cheong Yurang and laughed mischievously.

Was it because this was the medieval era? The way he treated his own child…

‘……Why does he like her so much?’

I was slightly taken aback seeing how fond the king was of Yurang.

“Since you have nowhere to stay, find a room nearby and rest for now.”

“About that… I have something I’d like to discuss.”

“……Yurang, what’s with that tone?”

The Beastkin King flinched as Yurang stepped forward.

“Hoho, are you implying I’ve been acting recklessly?”

“…….”

The king, seemingly at a loss for words, glanced at me. His gaze was a mix of resignation and hope.

—Take care of my daughter…….

The king’s voice echoed in my mind.

‘……What the hell?’

Don’t dump this on me.

“Allow me to guide you.”

With those words, Cheong Yurang led me toward an inn.

Before we arrived—

“Take it.”

Diago threw the Holy Sword at me.

I dodged.

“……Shouldn’t you have caught it by now?”

“It looks way too ominous.”

—You brat! How dare you call me ominous!

‘But it’s true.’

I appreciated the Holy Sword’s advice, but—

I didn’t need the entire Empire’s attention, nor the hostility of some factions.

—Fine! If that’s how it is, I’ll teach you the swordsmanship of the Giants!

‘Giants’ swordsmanship?’

—One of the extinct races. Their might was unparalleled among all species.

‘But humans can’t learn other races’ swordsmanship, right?’

I feigned ignorance and asked.

The Holy Sword scoffed.

—What nonsense. You used Amwol, copied Diago’s swordsmanship on sight, extracted its essence, and even wielded Pacheon (覇天).

‘Pacheon? That’s…’

Suddenly, I remembered the technique I had named Hyeoncheon.

Maybe it was a pre-existing skill.

—However, calling your swordsmanship purely ‘human’ is a stretch. It’s as if a master swordsman refined it for their own body and then downgraded it…

While I was conversing with the Holy Sword, Diago smirked.

“Seems you get along well with that thing. Why not just take it?”

“Shouldn’t you be against this?”

“Huh?”

“The Empire invested heavily in raising a candidate for the Sword Hero. Wouldn’t this be throwing that away?”

“……Oh? You’ve got political insight too?”

Diago grinned brightly at my words. Shouldn’t he be panicking instead?

‘He’s different from the usual workaholics who neglect politics.’

Contrary to my thoughts, Diago strode closer.

“Well, it might look that way. But I have other considerations.”

“……?”

“The nobility’s influence in the Empire is weak. The Hidden Sword Project was the nobles’ last gamble. I’d prefer it if they failed.”

“…….”

So it was politics.

Unexpected. Shouldn’t the imperial family be leading such projects?

“To be precise, the imperial faction initiated it, and the nobles jumped on it. For the imperial family, failure would consolidate their power, while success would grant them a hero.”

In short, it didn’t matter either way.

And if I got involved—

‘……The noble faction’s hero project fails.’

The imperial family would welcome me the moment I became the Sword Hero.

‘……How cunning.’

Did he notice my expression? Diago chuckled.

“It’s not a bad deal for you either. Think about it.”

“Then I’ll hold onto it for now.”

I took the Holy Sword.

Of course, I had no intention of playing along.

‘……The Sword Hero is meant to be Erme.’

Once I grew strong enough, I’d secretly pass it to her.

—That girl? Strange. She didn’t seem particularly talented to me.

‘Oh?’

—She has the basics, but that’s it. No exceptional insight into swordsmanship. If anything, her skills are lacking for her specs.

But the System chose her.

And unlike me, Erme knew far more about this world.

‘Maybe a hero doesn’t even need swordsmanship.’

My case was the odd one.

If I cheated the System to grow this strong, maybe she’d cheat her way to power too.

—Well, it’s not impossible. If she uses that, even I might prefer her over that so-called genius killer.

‘That?’

—Do you believe in [Fate]?

‘No, what the hell is that?’

—Don’t ask. The moment you know, it will come for you. Once a name is known, [Fate] is set, and the pull between names begins. And when that happens, it won’t be long before it devours your possibilities.

‘…….’

This bastard.

Annoying as it was, I could sort of understand.

By the time I finished bickering with the Holy Sword, we had arrived at the inn.

‘An inn? This is an inn?’

A massive U-shaped wall surrounded a building at least five stories tall.

Even more absurd, rows of butlers and maids stood lined up at the entrance.

This looked more like a mansion.

I shot Cheong Yurang a questioning look.

She smiled shyly.

“It’s my private villa.”

—How lewd. Be careful. That woman is clearly after your seed.

‘What nonsense. Yurang’s too kind for that.’

—……You’re truly oblivious. Maybe escaping that scheming brat and falling into your hands was the right choice after all.

I stepped inside.

After days of talking with the Holy Sword, I learned a few things.

‘This guy…’

Never shuts up.

But there was one more thing that helped with training—

‘……A personal pocket dimension?’

—Of course. Normally, only the owner can use it.

The Holy Sword laughed smugly.

I was speechless. At some point, it had decided I was its master.

I could feel the Holy Sword’s shock, but I stayed silent.

Despite the lavish hospitality, all I did was train.

With my new sword aura, I reassessed everything I had.

The Holy Sword had one comment:

—Crude and stubborn.

Yet, it muttered that it was oddly entertaining.

‘Is that a compliment?’

—Whoever taught you clearly cared. You’ll master swordsmanship on your own, but they built your fundamentals. The only issue is—

It sighed.

—Why did you pick lightning-attributed internal energy?

‘……Didn’t have many options.’

—Must be your thief instincts. What a waste. A domineering (覇) attribute or something else would’ve suited you better.

The Holy Sword grumbled in disappointment.

—Want me to take over your body?

‘Are you a demon sword?’

—How rude! I’m offering to convert your internal energy into something better!

Didn’t sound appealing.

So the Holy Sword could possess people.

[Skill: Swordsmanship has reached Level 30]

‘Finally, leveled up.’

I stood up, shaking off the dizziness.

My head spun slightly.

Reaching Level 30 flooded my mind with knowledge—

‘Basic understanding of sword aura and how to wield a blade.’

—Oh? Already Level 30? You’ve got a long way to go before hitting your limit.

‘It’s only been two months. Is that fast?’

—Huh? What do you mean? It hasn’t even been two months since you started learning swordsmanship. Wait, you’re serious?

‘…….’

—You are the Sword Hero! Forget the Thief Hero! You’re better than those half-baked archers who just skulk around!

Ignoring it, I turned to Cheong Yurang, who approached with a towel.

“Yuseong, everything’s ready.”

“Thanks.”

“N-No problem.”

As I wiped my face, she happily took the towel back.

—……That pervert is sniffing your sweat again.

‘Stop saying weird things.’

Always suspecting good people.

‘Cleaning Magic.’

I used one of the spells I learned from Clara.

In an instant, my body felt fresh—like a Bluetooth shower.

—……This is what you learned magic for?

‘You have no idea how important this is.’

A shower in under a second? Priceless.

Any modern person would agree.

Guess a primitive medieval sword wouldn’t get it.

It was a little sad not being understood.

Once ready, we headed to the dungeon.

‘This place is different from human dungeons.’

It was crowded yet orderly, with a palpable tension in the air.

“Beastkin inspect themselves before battle. Those standing like that aren’t unusual.”

“Do they need to be wary of each other?”

“Partly. There’ve been more incidents lately.”

“I see.”

“This way. I’ll introduce you to our party.”

Yurang led me to a group of about eight.

Then, she cast a binding spell.

‘A dungeon in another nation.’

Dungeons differed between humans and other races.

I was curious how.