episode_0022

According to my current knowledge, those who roam the seas were either pirates, barbarians, or traders.

And I had never heard of them carrying a compass with them.

The northern barbarians swiftly and accurately pillaged the villages they targeted and navigated by the stars.

Pirates would capture passersby on the sea, extorting money and information to determine their direction. As for the traders venturing into the vast ocean, with their wealth of experience, if that wasn’t enough, they would light a beacon of faith and pray their way to their destination.

In reality, there wasn’t much need for such items when traveling across the vast sea, let alone in the inland where the sea was not even present. They were just occupying space.

“It seems to be an item enchanted with magic.”

However, if the value of this item did not lie in finding direction, the story would be slightly different.

“I mainly focus on combat magic, so I’m a bit of a novice in this area… This is a relic created by a remarkable mage. It’s a very intricate design.”

I carefully picked up the compass relic again.

It was coated with gold on the outside, and intricate patterns were engraved all over it, giving it some decorative value.

“Take it. It’s of no use to our village since it’s broken from the shock.”

“What use does it have…?”

“I’m not sure what it was used for, but right now, it’s in a damaged state and needs proper repair to function again.”

I recalled my earlier self rushing towards him, wielding my sword.

I had managed to strike him once as he passed by. If he had collided with a medieval truck, it wouldn’t have been as damaged.

“There aren’t many places that can repair such intricate relics. But if it’s the Holy See, they might be able to do it.”

“Is it really that difficult to repair?”

“Probably. I’ll say it again, I don’t know much about relics. But the elders of the Holy See have a fondness for these magic-infused toys, so they might just buy it.”

I carefully tucked away the compass relic.

It seemed like an item that could fetch a good price and was a spoils of war. It wouldn’t hurt to have it.

I was able to salvage a few decent pieces of armor, camping tools, and some decent daggers that could be useful for camping, even after deducting those items.

I couldn’t take all the distributed items with me, so I exchanged some for money or food. It would be fine to say that I had taken everything the village had to offer.

After the situation was somewhat settled,

I received numerous requests for handshakes.

“We believed in you!”

“You are the hero of the village, Raven!”

“Thank you, and well done! The plague of Bolle!”

I asked them if they could call me by a more impressive nickname, and the villagers responded by shouting “The Plague” even louder.

I decided to postpone changing the nickname I didn’t really expect, and found solace in the fact that I had gained some reputation.

Instead of leaving immediately, I waited a little longer, following the rule that the culprit would return to the scene, and only after the belated soldiers arrived could I leave the village.

I had handled things so well that I could receive a perfect 5-star rating for post-service. I didn’t even charge any additional protection fees, truly embodying the honorable knight.

The soldiers began to roam the village, clearing away the traces of the previous night’s chaos. From this point on, there was nothing for me to do.

As it was time to depart, I sought out Lycia.

She was standing in front of the church, having gathered all her belongings and looking around.

“Are you looking for something?”

“Someone who watched over me during yesterday’s chaos. The priest asked me to find you. Her name is Amelie.”

“Why is that person Amelie?”

“I wanted to convey my thanks. But I can’t seem to find her…”

I waited with Lucia in front of the church, feeding Sancho some food. But even as the sun began to set, I couldn’t find this Amelie person.

Starting off optimistically, I eventually spoke to the tired-looking girl.

“Should we wait inside the church?”

“No. I can’t wait too long. It seems like she’s busy.”

In the end, I gave up waiting and lifted Lucia onto Sancho’s back, then climbed up myself.

“Are you ready to depart?”

“Yes!”

Around lunchtime, we headed south again.

Time passed more slowly in the village than expected. We needed to arrive before the Emperor and the Pope ran out of patience.

*****

The next city we arrived at gave me the assurance that it was not a place easily overrun by bandits.

There were stone walls, soldiers patrolling with their own weapons, and even some inns in this city where many travelers crossed paths.

We arrived at dusk, deciding to deal with any gifts left by bandits in the morning. After a good dinner, I put Lucia to bed.

After tucking her in, I sat on a chair outside the inn.

The city was preparing to sleep. Torches on the streets were being extinguished, shops were closing their doors, and pedestrians were heading home. The only ones left were a few guards patrolling in the distance.

Alone at last, I drew my sword.

Perhaps I had been thinking wrong all this time.

Hadn’t I experienced a clean-cut, neatly severed experience before? Maybe it wasn’t due to the blessing of Priest Pippin, but some other factor.

Maybe there was no status window. It seemed unlikely in reality.

But maybe there was some kind of connection for a second chance at life. Like receiving a powerful sword from a master.

“The blessing on this sword is not mine.”

The priest had said that. Even the passing Priest Gilberto had said something similar.

Once could be a coincidence, but twice meant I had to at least consider the doubt.

So, the suspicion that this sword was a relic or something similar arose.

-Hoong!

“It’s still not working…”

The sword momentarily glowed brightly, its cutting power increasing significantly.

Maybe there was some kind of activation condition. Should I shout some kind of command?

If there was such a thing, I needed to visualize the situation when it was activated.

I recalled yesterday’s experience. Me, facing off against bandits blocking the door.

Focusing on the imaginary target in front of me in a life-or-death battle, I raised the sword with the thought of striking it down in one blow.

And then, along with that.

I could see a faint blue light emanating from the sword.

*****

Simple relics were just items that a regular mage enchanted with magic.

But truly great works that would go down in history required a more complex process.

Skilled blacksmiths crafted the base, while several esteemed priests meticulously carved the magic into it, and the Pontiff’s blessing over several years ensured the effect would last a long time.

True relics were made by sparing no expense, using rare materials from all over the world and pouring in effort.

Or sometimes, they were created when a saint or holy woman prayed with sincerity.

Considering that relics originally referred to items blessed by adults, this method could be considered the correct way of making them.

Therefore, Lavender’s sword, which had played an active role as a Morimort for magical experiments, also fell into that category.

It was said that if he brought her to college, she would repay the favor by saving up money to pay him back when she graduated.

Although Lycia’s verbal agreement was merely a verbal contract, she intended to honor it well, as Lavender was doing a good job of fulfilling his end of the deal.

Thus, while practicing a blessing spell on his sword was partly out of curiosity, it was also out of gratitude for his faithful adherence to their promise as fellow children.

Above all, Lavender’s willingness to step forward from the ruins and the warmth he showed thereafter held the greatest share of importance.

Even the Emperor could not easily obtain a relic blessed by an adult. This would be a good gift for him as well.

In that sense, Lycia had some doubts.

“…The magic doesn’t seem to work well.”

Blessings and healing worked well, but perhaps it was because creating relics, known as the most difficult type of magic, was challenging.

Her magic was temporary, not permanent. But that was yesterday’s story. Through experience, the girl could find her own clues.

“So, if I pray sincerely…”

It was not just a feeling of requesting what she wanted, but a more earnest or genuine prayer that bestowed blessings.

As she thought this, she could see the same bright light bursting forth as she had seen yesterday.

Would it work this time? It felt different from before.

However, unable to know by staying still, Lycia got up early the next day and went to ask Lavender, who was resting on the first floor of the inn.

“What happened yesterday?”

“…Yeah, you saw it too.”

Muttering to himself whether he should tell her, Lavender soon nodded and opened his mouth.

“I’ll show you something amazing. Come closer.”

Rustle, rustle. The upper part of the blade, revealed as he slightly pulled out the sword strapped to his waist, had a faint blue glow even in the bright surroundings.

After scanning the surroundings once, Lavender leaned towards the girl and spoke softly.

“It’s a fluorescent sword.”

Lycia thought to herself.

Ah, it worked this time. But his mind still seemed a bit unstable.