Chapter 40: Perfume

I successfully drew upon the ley lines to perform an environmentally-friendly Baldo. As I sheathed my katana, I surveyed the surroundings.

‘It’s dead.’

The overwhelming presence that had been bearing down on me moments ago had now vanished without a trace.

There was no need to confirm Lobo’s death in person – it was a certainty.

After all, what kind of wolf would survive that attack? It’d have to be a phoenix, not a mere magic beast.

‘Well, this place is a disaster now.’

The dense forest that had stood before our clash was now as bare as a balding man’s scalp.

Just as I was about to head towards Lobo’s corpse, surveying the newly flattened terrain…

[Ley Line Baldo: Earth’s Torrent]

[Rank: A+]

[A technique that channels ley line energy through the katana planted in the ground, converting it to an attack and firing it at the enemy through the ley lines. Without the meaningless motion of planting the katana, you could have fired two more strikes of equal power.]

That ridiculous transparent window appeared before me again, blocking my path as if to obstruct me.

Meaningless motion? There are no meaningless motions in Baldo. How can they not understand that the friction generated when drawing the sword from the ground converts to kinetic energy, resulting in a more powerful strike?

As usual, I thought it had come to grate on my nerves, but today it surprisingly contained something pleasing:

[You have successfully acquired a derivative skill of higher rank than its base skill.]

[The rank of Baldo has increased.]

[The ranks of derivative skills previously limited by the base skill’s rank have increased.]

By successfully acquiring a derivative skill of higher rank than the base Baldo skill, the rank of Baldo itself had risen.

[Baldo] [Rank: A++]

[A technique to strike the enemy by drawing the sheathed sword in an instant. If you had learned a different sword technique instead of Baldo, you might have become a Sword Saint by now…]

Though there was an unpleasant addendum, the increase in Baldo’s rank was good news nonetheless.

Now at A++, it was just a step away from S rank. Still far from the EX rank it truly deserved, but significant progress from where I started.

‘Let’s aim for S rank first…’

Once I reach S rank and demonstrate a Baldo that can even cut lightning, everyone will recognize Baldo’s true value.

To that end, I need to fight stronger warriors as soon as possible to hone my skills.

This battle clearly showed how much life-or-death struggles against powerful opponents contribute to skill improvement.

If I had just practiced Baldo alone without fighting Peter and Lobo, I wouldn’t have mastered the power of ley lines so quickly.

‘But now even Peter’s level won’t cut it…’

Of course, I still planned to exact revenge for spreading false rumors, but in terms of skill improvement, dueling Peter wouldn’t yield much benefit anymore.

‘So next is the future Sword Saint… no, we don’t know when they’ll show up. Maybe the prince’s bodyguard comes first.’

Either way, there was no point in pondering it now. I walked towards where Lobo had been flung to retrieve its corpse – the reason I came here.

The Ley Line Baldo had cleared away all the surrounding trees, making for an easy path.

Seeing the completely devastated environment, I worried that Lobo’s corpse might have vanished without a trace.

“Phew…”

Contrary to my concerns, Lobo’s body was in surprisingly good condition, though somewhat injured. It must have managed some defense while being blown away.

‘It’s shrunk quite a bit. Is this its original size?’

Lobo’s corpse, no longer in its magic beast form, had shrunk from its monstrous 5-meter height to about the size of Silence.

Though still considerably larger than a normal wolf, it no longer exuded that overwhelming presence.

‘That’s fortunate. If it had stayed the same size as when I first saw it, just moving it would’ve been a hassle.’

Lobo, who had faithfully guarded its master’s grave for 200 years, was finally freed from the yoke of loyalty.

Though I couldn’t discern a wolf’s expression, Lobo’s face, collapsed on the ground as if asleep, seemed somehow peaceful.

‘Though a new duty awaits you now.’

Just as I was about to leave the forest with Lobo’s corpse…

‘It’s him…’

Thanks to my newfound mastery of ley lines, I sensed the earth spirit’s presence, which should have been imperceptible.

Without taking my eyes off Lobo’s body, I addressed the spirit watching from somewhere:

“Have you come to avenge your friend?”

[No, I’m not human, I don’t engage in such foolish behavior. In fact, I’m grateful.]

“Grateful?”

[Yes, Lobo suffered for too long after Pierre’s death. I sincerely thank you for granting my old comrade peace.]

Perhaps it was because he was a spirit, but his sentiments differed from humans’. To him, I should have been the enemy who killed his friend, yet I sensed no hostility.

Rather, his voice conveyed genuine gratitude as he thanked me.

Caught off guard by this unexpected reaction, I was at a loss for words when he continued:

[And if possible, I have a favor to ask.]

“…Go on.”

[Would you be willing to hand over Lobo’s remains? I’d like him to rest beside Pierre in the end. Of course, I’m not asking for all of it.]

The spirit asked me to hand over the remains, except for the fangs and claws needed to forge a new katana.

Honestly, I didn’t particularly need the hide, so I had no objections to this request.

“That’s fine by me. I only need the materials to make a katana anyway.”

[Thank you… And in return, though it’s not an equivalent exchange, I’d like you to take Pierre’s old weapons.]

“Pierre’s old weapons?”

At those words, I recalled the statue of Pierre I had seen earlier that day.

The statue depicted Pierre astride a wolf, brandishing a staff with a thin rapier at his waist.

‘A staff and a rapier…’

Unfortunately, as I only use katanas, these weapons were useless to me.

If I were to use them at all, it would only be to break them down for katana-making materials.

“If I use them, they won’t remain in their original form… Are you okay with that?”

[…While I’m not entirely without attachment to what Pierre left behind, it’s a small price to pay for Lobo’s peace.]

Though not entirely satisfied, reason seemed to have convinced him this was the best option.

“I’m going to extract the fangs and claws now. Look away if you don’t want to see it.”

I wasn’t sure if telling a spirit to look away was appropriate, but he seemed to understand my meaning.

Not wanting to watch his comrade being dismembered, I swiftly removed Lobo’s fangs and claws, storing them in a prepared pouch.

An ordinary wolf… well, it still wasn’t quite ordinary, but with its magic beast form dispelled, the harvesting process wasn’t particularly difficult.

“It’s done.”

[…I see. Then I’ll guide you to Pierre’s gravestone now. I apologize, but please carry Lobo’s body there.]

As it wasn’t a particularly challenging task, I hoisted Lobo’s corpse onto my shoulder and followed the spirit’s directions.

After walking for quite some time without seeing the gravestone, I asked the spirit:

“By the way, what kind of man was Pierre?”

[…What do you mean by that?]

“Exactly what I said. Since he was Lobo’s master, I’m a bit curious. Was he strong?”

Given how powerful Lobo had been, even before its magic beast transformation, I was intrigued about its master.

[…He was a man Lobo served as master and I chose as a contractor. Of course he was strong. His swordsmanship rivaled even that of a Sword Saint.]

“Swordsmanship? I thought his specialty would be magic, given the title of Sage.”

[That’s a misconception from later generations who dubbed him a Sage. Magic was merely supplementary; Pierre was closer to a swordsman than a mage.]

The spirit explained that the ‘Sage’ title stemmed from Pierre’s wisdom, which seemed to pierce through the future.

Pierre wasn’t just academically brilliant; he developed numerous magic tools to make life more convenient and created several ciphers only he could decipher.

The epithet ‘Sage’ was bestowed not for his magical prowess, but for his wisdom.

“I see… This might be an awkward question, but if he was such an extraordinary person, why did he die in this forest?”

[…I cannot reveal my contractor’s private matters. Please understand.]

The spirit’s resolute tone made me think there must be some circumstances, so I didn’t press further.

After that, we proceeded silently towards Pierre’s gravestone. After walking for a while, a long stone object came into view in the distance, and the spirit spoke:

[That is Pierre’s gravestone. I made it.]

“…You didn’t bury the weapons with him, did you? I’d hate to have to dig up a grave.”

[No need to worry about that. While we buried his clothes, we removed the weapons and placed them near the gravestone.]

Coming from a Confucian country, I felt uneasy about desecrating someone’s grave, so I continued walking, relieved.

When we reached the gravestone, I froze upon seeing the inscribed characters.

[…What’s wrong?]

“…Did you engrave these characters on the gravestone?”

[Yes. This is a cipher Pierre often used in life. I engraved what he wrote on the ground with his last ounce of strength before dying. It’s essentially Pierre’s last will.]

“Ha, hahaha…!!”

[W-Why are you suddenly laughing…?]

Ignoring the spirit’s bewilderment at my unexpected laughter, I continued to laugh.

Why hadn’t I realized it when I first saw the name inscribed beneath Pierre’s statue in the village?

Pierre’s full name was Ray von Pierre. Using a rapier with that name was all too predictable.

“…The rapier is the manliest weapon, and this is a scientifically proven fact.”

[H-How do you know Pierre’s catchphrase…!!]

The spirit reacted violently, shaking the earth at my casual utterance of that absurd nonsense.

“Seems we were from the same place.”

The cipher frequently used by Pierre, inscribed on the tombstone, was all too familiar to me.

[To those reading this, don’t get married. Why? f*ck you, just don’t do it, you bastards!!]

“He managed to write… such a long message while dying.”

Looking at my homeland’s script for the first time in 20 years, nostalgic memories flooded back, along with trivial recollections.

It turns out Pierre and I had met once before, in a world unlike this one.

Baldojae: Author… Once again, Baldo didn’t appear today. I simply can’t understand why you’re ignoring such a supreme technique.

Zorro the Dashing: Author!! Ignore that lunatic above and write more about the manly rapier!! The rapier is the manliest weapon, and this is a scientifically proven fact, isn’t it?!

Sword Length = Dick Length: Look at these two idiots spouting nonsense again. Author, ignore that bullsh*t and write about the true man’s weapon, the two-handed greatsword…

Thor Kim: Two-handed greatswords are inefficient weapons for meatheads. Author!! The hammer is the real man’s weapon – strong and hefty!!

Bondage Master: Author, ignore all that and write about the whip, the sexiest weapon…

Gun Enthusiast Association: Author, have you ever heard of the gunlance?

Swordmaster: You guys are driving me crazy….

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