episode_0118

A whopping ten swords.

Two magnates who held such glorious and high positions, discussing the continent’s strongest warriors, personally came to the warrior’s grave.

There was no way that news wouldn’t cause a stir.

No, it did not stop at the level of simply causing a stir.

A truly gigantic shock hit the continent and this place.

In the case of deities including Kahim and Baran, despite their outstanding reputation, there were quite a few people who directly challenged them.

However, in the case of the Ten Swords, there were no such people.

It was because I knew.

The position of the Ten Swords is not a position where one can rise to mere fame and fame.

If you don’t have solid skills, it’s completely impossible to get there.

Unless they are humans who can’t tell the difference, there is no way anyone would argue with them.

No, it didn’t stop at that level at all.

Most of the warriors gathered here looked at them and even avoided doing anything noticeable.

That was why, even though there were quite a few quarrels, they did not turn into big fights.

There were no humans big enough to make a big fuss in the presence of two giants called Ten Swords.

So then, who among the Ten Swords are the people who created that atmosphere?

that… … .

“I never thought the Silver Knight and the Blood Flower would appear here in person.”

Max spoke in a tone of confusion.

“That’s right.”

Hector also had a similar expression and nodded heavily.

The name Ten Swords was so heavy that two veteran mercenaries who could be said to have been through all kinds of hardships reacted this way.

Since two of those ten swords appeared at the same time, it was natural for them to react like this.

However, while talking to Hector, Max’s eyes suddenly turned to me.

“… How come you don’t really react?”

“… Well, I’m quite surprised.”

“No, those are not the eyes of someone who is surprised at all.”

Max narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

However, what is a bit unfair about this is that I was actually quite surprised to hear that two of the Ten Swords had appeared.

It’s just that it wasn’t shown on his face.

… Well, actually, the level of surprise wasn’t as great as others.

It is true that the Ten Swords are great beings and rare beings, but when I first heard about them, my impression was something like ‘Oh, I see.’

I’m not usually surprised, but I’ve met the Ten Swords in person, I’ve mixed swords before, and I myself have Ten Sword level skills.

He was even almost killed by a swordsman who may have been the strongest of the ten swords.

Now is the time to widen your eyes when two of the Ten Swords appear in front of you.

… Of course, I couldn’t say it straight away, so I had no choice but to play it cool and avoid Max’s gaze.

“Stop bothering this kid.”

At that time, Johanna saved me from being tormented by Max’s persistent gaze.

“You and Hector don’t necessarily have to react the same way.”

She, like me, was one of those people who wasn’t that surprised.

I was surprised when I first heard the news, but it only made my eyes widen a little.

“… That’s true, but that’s because he doesn’t look like a young child. Still, it’s a whopping ten swords… … .”

In response to Johanna’s words, Max rarely noticed and continued speaking.

Hector slightly nodded his head next to me, and it seemed like he was of the same opinion as Max.

“What… that… … .”

To that answer, Johanna could not respond right away.

Her eyes turned to me.

“… That’s definitely true.”

… Apparently, she also agreed with Max’s opinion.

“… I’ll come back after getting some fresh air.”

It seemed like things weren’t going very well, so I decided to leave right away.

I didn’t know that suspicious looks would fall on my back until I left the tent, but I tried to ignore them and left the tent.

***

After leaving the tent, I started walking lightly around the warrior’s grave.

Only a few days had passed, but the area around the Hero’s Tomb looked quite different from when we first arrived.

First, the tent grew noticeably, and grew to the point where people could clearly see it.

This was the result of later generations arriving one after another as time passed.

Even now, the latecomers were still in a constant state, and the number of people would increase as time went by.

Perhaps until the tomb opens.

As the number of people increased noticeably, various things naturally emerged.

For example, a stall with miscellaneous items lined up, or a person taking out an instrument and playing it.

It was probably because I felt bored with waiting vaguely.

Most of them were literally miscellaneous, but as there were so many people, there were many different types of people, and sometimes there were people selling quite rare and high-quality items or showing off performances that would attract the ears of nobles.

I started walking slowly, looking around at the hectic yet lively scene.

However, my mind was not completely occupied with them.

My eyes were focused in that direction, but the conversation we had in the tent earlier was playing in my head.

Ten swords.

As many as two people appeared at the warrior’s tomb in person.

If this tomb was prepared by an ‘organization’, there is no way they could not have predicted this trend.

So what on earth are they aiming for?

With a whopping two swords and countless warriors renowned on the continent, the power that could literally shake the continent was gathered here.

If this is what they intend, it would mean that they are confident that they can achieve what they want against this force.

“… … .”

This was a problem I had been thinking about over and over again, but couldn’t come up with an appropriate answer.

In the end, as I once said, I had no choice but to check for myself.

As I was walking along, thinking about various things, I noticed that there was a commotion ahead.

Sure enough, quite a few people stopped and looked somewhere, as if they were watching something.

Moreover, the tension on most of their faces seemed like something unusual had happened.

I followed their gaze and soon figured out why they had that facial expression.

It all started with two people facing each other.

A tall, middle-aged man with impressive silver armor covering his entire body, and a woman who looked to be in her twenties, but with dark red hair reminiscent of blood, who gave off a mysterious and strange aura.

The two people were standing facing each other in a place where everyone could see.

I recognized their identities at a glance.

That they are the ones shaking up the camp right now.

One of the Ten Swordsmen, ‘Silver Knight’ Harfeld and ‘Blood Flower’ Meliana.

Of course, I didn’t originally know their faces.

I just looked into it.

The strength they have.

That they are warriors who have reached the state of consciousness.

If you get to that point, the rest is simple.

If you add a little more external elements, you can guess their identity.

Two of the Ten Swords are standing facing each other.

With a scene like this, it was natural for the surroundings to become deathly quiet.

“… long time no see? Silver Knight.”

The first thing to speak in silence was ‘Hyeohwa’.

She smiled seductively.

It felt like the surroundings were brightening because she was so beautiful that it made my eyes pop, but I knew that her smile wasn’t just beautiful.

There was a hint of sharpness hidden in it, seeing the blood that was easily touched.

“It’s been a while, blood flower.”

Silver Knight Harfeld also received Meliana’s greeting with a solemn expression.

Their expressions were never heavy and their tone of voice was calm, but the atmosphere between them was not that light.

“What are you doing here? I don’t think it’s the place for a famous person like you… … .”

“I have always admired and respected the hero Ferdion. So how can you not move your feet when you hear that his tomb has been discovered?”

“Oh my, did you do that? You didn’t just come because you wanted the warrior’s sword?”

“Hehe. Do I look like a person blinded by material greed like you?”

… No, correct me.

The conversation back and forth was also never calm.

Before they knew it, the two had thrown off their pretense and were laughing and throwing daggers at each other.

Judging from the way they were talking, it seemed like the two had known each other for some time.

For all that, it doesn’t look like they have a very cordial relationship.

In a way, it was a natural thing to say.

They probably came here aiming for the hero’s sword.

In other words, the two are competitors fighting over the same object.

Also, a competitor we need to be more wary of than anyone else.

So, the words exchanged between the two did not create a pleasant atmosphere.

“Do you think the Silver Knight will die in vain this time?”

“Hehe. You have a big dream. I will tell you in advance. Don’t be too upset.”

There was a clear spark flying between the two.

An invisible flame.

Right now it is nothing more than a simple flame, but over time, that flame will burn in earnest and grow in scale to become a fire.

Yes, if the door to the grave is opened.

Just like that, the war of nerves between the warrior’s swords had already begun.

“Anyway, try your best. It’s probably useless though.”

“I don’t know who is talking.”

Finally, after exchanging well-wishes, which were not good words, the two left.

And at the same time, the atmosphere of heightened tension was relieved.

In this atmosphere of returning to daily life, I quietly watch them disappear.

“As expected, it’s the Ten Swords.”

Suddenly, someone spoke next to me.

When I turned my gaze, what I saw was a woman with a hood covering her head.

Although I was a little taken aback by the sudden incident, I nodded calmly.

“Ah… Well, that’s right.”

It wasn’t a topic that needed to be denied.

Although the two people did not directly emit energy, the energy that naturally flowed according to their emotions was enough to dominate the surroundings.

This is not said for nothing.

“But… Are you okay?”

But suddenly, a woman asked a strange question.

As I made a puzzled look, the woman pointed to the surroundings with her finger.

The person in the direction the finger was pointing was a warrior with a pale complexion sighing.

This was due to the weakened mind and body due to the energy emitted by Haarfeld and Meliana.

As soon as I saw that, I was like, oh no.

“Ah… hmm… Wow, this is no joke. I was so exhausted just by enduring the momentum.”

I tried to pretend it was difficult, even though it was belated, but honestly, I wasn’t sure if it worked well.

… No, I knew full well that there was no way acting like this would work.

I secretly watched the woman’s reaction, and sure enough, I felt her gaze staring at me from inside the hood.

I felt uncomfortable with that fact and made a judgment right away.

I decided to leave here.

“Ah, the time has already come. I have to go now. The group is waiting.”

“… yes. I’ll see you again when I get a chance.”

Should I say I was fortunate? The woman obediently let me go.

Feeling a little relief from that fact, I hurriedly left.

***

“… … .”

The woman, who had been quietly watching the man’s back as he left the place in a hurry, took a step forward only after the man’s back was out of sight.

One thing that was surprising was that even though there were a lot of people around, she didn’t even brush against anyone, let alone bump into them.

With ghostly steps, she walked past the gaps of people.

Eventually, the place where her steps stopped was a fairly large tent.

The woman entered the tent with natural steps.

“Oh, are you here?”

The person who greeted the woman inside the tent was a man with impressive white hair.

“uh.”

The woman answered briefly and took off the hood she was wearing on her head.

And what was revealed was white hair like a man’s.

“… uh? What, did something good happen? Why is your expression like that?”

Seeing the woman’s exposed face, the man, Kahim, opened his eyes wide and adjusted his posture.

It was a somewhat exaggerated reaction to show that his expression was slightly different from usual, but for Kahim, it was not something to be taken lightly.

Because it was rare for her to make an expression like that.

Even though we had been together for a long time, I had never seen an expression like that before.

In response to Kahim’s question, the woman, Fana, touched her face for a moment and then opened her mouth.

“Because I found someone interesting.”

What was on that face was a clear smile.