Ch.98Gray Saint

The mana possessed by living beings is like a muscle. When used to the point of exhaustion, its total amount increases with recovery. Seo-rin, who had fought several fierce battles in a short period, was no exception.

On the return journey to the Blue Wing headquarters, Seo-rin sat on the gently swaying carriage and contemplated her physical condition. Her total mana was rapidly increasing. Just when she thought it had fully recovered, it continued to rise without stopping.

Perhaps because of this, her physical recovery was slow. Wounds that should have healed quickly remained unhealed. Her arms and legs felt stiff, and the dark bruises on her skin persisted.

Clunk—

The vibration of the swaying carriage made Seo-rin uncomfortable. A dull pain spread throughout her body, causing her to frown.

“Are you feeling that unwell? Would you like some medicine?”

Instead of answering, Seo-rin turned her head to look at the speaker. A woman with small burn marks on her face tilted her head with a kind smile. Like Seo-rin, she was a hitchhiker on the carriage—Bibi, an herbalist.

Besides Bibi, many others shared the carriage. Adventurers, mercenaries returning from missions, herbalists, hunters—the carriage owner’s kind nature led him to pick up everyone who asked for a ride.

Seo-rin answered somewhat slowly.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.”

With that, the conversation ended. Most exchanges in the carriage were like this. Being strangers, conversation topics didn’t last long. The dialogue between the adventurer and the mercenary was the longest.

Even that was just a few more exchanges.

Time passes quickly when you close your eyes and lean against a bumpy carriage. Seo-rin, who had been looking outside, noticed the approaching city and sat up.

Her belongings consisted only of a small leather bag and a sword strapped to her waist. As she prepared to get up, an adventurer who had been watching her spoke.

“You said you were looking for your runaway family member, right?”

Seo-rin silently nodded. It was a brief cover story she had made up to hitch a ride. Looking at the tired, wounded, disheveled girl, who would think of an imperial knight? Even when dressed in imperial knight uniform, she was often misunderstood. Even if she revealed her identity, no one would believe her.

“If you need help, come find me at the Place Where Wind Rests. I plan to stay there until my next mission.”

The kindness of strangers was familiar. Most people were like this. Thanks to her natural beauty, those who approached her wanted to do something for her. Whether there was a price or not.

‘Life is so easy.’

If she hadn’t taken over the body, her younger sister would have lived quite an easy life. Seo-rin felt sorry to her sister for this fact. She needed to complete her revenge quickly and fully return control of the body to her sister.

‘Though I don’t know how yet…’

Suddenly, a warm breeze blew in. It started as the carriage passed through the city entrance. Lost in thought, she hadn’t even noticed the inspection process.

The small girl wasn’t subject to inspection. Everything in the world was kind to Seo-rin.

“We’ve arrived!”

The carriage owner shouted. At his words, the passengers inside stood up one by one and jumped off the carriage. Though no one had promised payment, each left at least one coin when disembarking. Seo-rin also paid for her ride.

What she pulled out from her leather pouch with her small hand was a shining gold coin.

“Please take this. Thanks to you, I had a comfortable journey.”

“Huh…?”

The carriage owner blinked as he accepted the coin Seo-rin offered. It was far too much for a hitchhiked ride. A gold coin given by a fairy-like girl. Faced with such an unrealistic situation, he gaped blankly.

By the time the carriage owner came to his senses, Seo-rin had already disappeared. A faint breeze swirled around the carriage—the trace of a fairy’s visit. The carriage owner quickly tucked the gold coin into his pocket, making sure no one saw.

Now alone, Seo-rin immediately found an inn. She rented a large room, washed herself, treated her wounds, and changed into clean clothes. As the dark grime washed away from her body, her beauty shone even more brightly.

She planned to stay in this city until her wounds were fully healed. Seo-rin put on a spacious training uniform she had packed in her bag. This too was one of the gifts from the Ten Thousand Swords Festival. Made of high-quality fabric, the uniform fit Seo-rin perfectly.

A significant portion of the memories Seo-rin had absorbed came from those who crossed over from the Central Plains martial arts world. Because of this, wearing a training uniform felt natural to her. It was even more comfortable.

She opened the window, sat on the windowsill, and leaned against it. The gentle breeze carried many things. Perhaps because too many events had occurred in such a short time, today she didn’t want to do anything.

Seo-rin gazed at her snow-white hair fluttering before her eyes and cast her gaze into the distance. The sun in the sky slowly set.

People laughed, talked, and went about their daily lives. Seo-rin’s gaze took in the overall scenery of the city. If not for the reincarnators, would she and her sister also be living such ordinary lives?

Sometimes, Seo-rin thought about such things.

The gentle breeze caressed her legs as it passed by. She smiled at the feeling of it slipping between her tiny toes.

Seo-rin’s short legs swung back and forth excitedly.

Time passes quickly. As the blue sky darkened and the crescent moon rose, Seo-rin detected a familiar energy crossing through the city.

When joining the Blue Wing, everyone trains in basic swordsmanship and mana cultivation methods. Even if these aren’t their primary focus, the traces remain deeply engraved within their bodies.

Seo-rin sensed that energy. The elemental wind flowing absentmindedly from her had detected martial arts of the same lineage.

Why would a fellow knight be here? Seo-rin immediately leaped out the window. Having not worn shoes, her feet were bare.

Her tiny soles moved through the air as if treading on wind. Her wide sleeves spread like wings, fluttering. Thus, Seo-rin took two steps and flew through the sky.

Whoosh—!

She arrived at a place in front of a church. Being early evening, many people were visiting the church. The Blue Wing member was mixed among them.

Perched atop the church building, Seo-rin sat and looked down. It was a man she recognized. Though disguised as an ordinary citizen, Seo-rin could identify him.

Junior member Bigart.

A junior colleague with whom she had recently performed missions. Seo-rin silently observed Bigart.

He moved very busily. Perhaps his disguise was that of a woodcutter. Occasionally, he would go somewhere distant and return with a wooden A-frame on his back, stacking wood behind the church.

This action continued until late into the night. The image of a young man working hard, sweating profusely. As if to encourage Bigart, a nun from the church came out and offered him a glass of water.

Late in the evening, behind the darkened church, only Bigart and a young nun remained.

Bigart accepted the glass of water the nun offered without any suspicion. It was only afterward that Seo-rin noticed the subtle smell in the water. Before she could warn him, the suspicious water had completely entered Bigart’s mouth.

Seo-rin silently placed her hand on her sword. A question that had been floating in her mind since her battle with Handel suddenly came to her.

—Could she combine all her martial arts to create something new?

It wasn’t necessary to combine everything. The urgent matter was properly infusing the Taeback Snow Dragon Sword with elemental power. Among the memories Seo-rin had inherited, some contained the complete memories of highly skilled swordsmen.

Her innate talent was extraordinary. Like an incarnation of martial arts, she found her own path in ways completely different from ordinary people’s thinking. When the memories of such individuals were transmitted to Seo-rin, things previously unimaginable became possible.

Intuition about martial arts. A sparkling inspiration suggested another path. Her head grew hot, and in her thoughts, a girl drew countless sword paths.

Whoosh—

The power of the elemental spirits was similar to sorcery. The martial arts of the White Frost Tribe resembled dancing. Breaking down a single ritual into movements allowed the elemental power to be properly contained.

She realized this only now. Everything she possessed was deconstructed. Like rebuilding from the beginning.

Suddenly, the scene shown by the Ten Thousand Swords Festival master flashed before her eyes. He combined internal energy and mana into a single power. How could she do the same?

‘What did he say during the banquet…’

Seo-rin continued her thoughts while moving her body. Her foolish junior was in danger. If she didn’t intervene, the Blue Wing might lose a member after today.

Whoosh—!

A strong wind arose with her light movement.

Bigart looked up at the girl slowly descending from the sky. She descended like a goddess wrapped in wind under the faint moonlight. Anyone who didn’t know her identity would have made a fuss, claiming a deity had descended.

That was Bigart’s last memory. He raised his hand toward his suddenly appearing senior but collapsed to the ground.

Seo-rin landed and took a stance. Rough energy burst forth with the wind enveloping the scene. Immediately after, Seo-rin’s arm struck the nun’s abdomen.

Bang—!

Everything happened in an instant. The nun’s identity didn’t matter. Someone from the same group had been attacked. Seo-rin glared at the nun rolling on the dirt ground, emanating immense hostility.

“Ugh. Hack…!”

She hadn’t lost consciousness. Seo-rin looked down at her own hand with a strange expression. Above her tiny fist, where wind swirled, golden energy slowly dispersed.

It wasn’t mana, nor internal energy. Nor was it sorcery or elemental power. It was an alien force that hadn’t existed in this world.

“W-wait…! Please stop…!”

She spoke with a stiff tone despite her female body. There were many suspicious points. Seo-rin thought that knocking her down should come first.

Revealing identities could wait until after she had taken care of her junior.

Thud—!

As her light step kicked the ground, Seo-rin’s form shot forward rapidly.

Immediately after, the sword was drawn from her waist. She forcibly adjusted her posture and incorporated the principles of the Taeback Snow Dragon Sword. The movement seemed to embody the form of a wolf.

Swish—!

The wind gathered at the sword’s tip dispersed weakly. The mana flowing toward the sword’s tip lost power and scattered. The attempt to combine the White Frost Tribe’s martial arts with the Taeback Snow Dragon Sword had failed.

But Seo-rin didn’t stop. Using pure physical strength, she struck the nun with the flat of her sword.

Crack—!

The moment Seo-rin’s sword struck the nun’s head, she flew away with wide eyes, losing strength. The nun’s body rolled across the dirt ground.

After confirming her motionless state, Seo-rin turned around. Toward Bigart, who had drunk the suspicious water.

Approaching closely, Seo-rin struck Bigart’s stomach with her palm wrapped in mana.

Thump—!

The mana entering his body swirled, drawing out all the water that had entered Bigart’s body.

“Guerk—!”

That’s how Bigart woke up.