episode_0090

Hmm.

Clara watched the man striding confidently ahead.

Han Yuseong.

To be honest, she had never been particularly interested in him.

He was the man behind the uproarious fire incident in [The Cradle], and though it was said he had rewritten records over the past thousand years—

‘He didn’t actually rewrite them.’

There was a blank period in history that people didn’t know about.

Once, there had been a time when [The Cradle] was at its peak.

Back then, The Cradle possessed power so immense that it wouldn’t have been strange if they had fought and won against the entire world.

Empires and kingdoms.

And the seven races, some of which no longer existed.

The Cradle alone had been capable of standing against them all.

But the one who wielded the souls from that place had started a war.

And in the process, countless lives were lost.

So, the claim that Han Yuseong had rewritten all records was a lie.

‘Still, he’s impressive.’

Though their backgrounds and lives were different, the mere fact that he could be compared to that man was remarkable.

That’s what she thought.

‘What’s this?’

Clara narrowed her eyes as she watched him.

Ever since this man had stepped forward and told her to leave things to him, finding the path had become surprisingly easy.

And that wasn’t all.

“Enemy forces detected—20 entities, 1 km ahead.” “1 km ahead…?” “Yeah. So, get ready.” “Ah, no, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but… can you actually see that far?” “……?”

Clara couldn’t forget the expression Yuseong had made when he looked at her then.

His face had practically said, Are you even human if you can’t do this much?

And that wasn’t the only thing.

“Feed me.” “Haa.” “……”

Clara gaped at Veronica.

Her biological sister, Veronica.

She was arrogant, selfish, and acted as if she alone was exceptional—but she wasn’t usually this shameless.

No, to be precise, she was shameless, but she had never been this blatant about it.

But then—

Not long after Han Yuseong started cooking—

Sniff, sniff.

A rich, mouthwatering aroma began to fill the air.

A soothing, comforting fragrance.

‘What is this amazing smell…?’

Though pleasant scents often spread around, Veronica’s divine magic usually blocked them.

“I don’t normally do this, but I figured I’d try it out.” “You just made a small-scale barrier, simplified it, and tweaked it a bit, didn’t you?” “If you don’t like it, don’t eat.” “Hmph. But Yuseong made it.”

Honestly, Clara had heard rumors that Veronica frequently visited the clan or inn where Han Yuseong stayed.

‘At this point, I’d go too.’

Soon after, his cooking was complete.

Veronica was already face-deep in her bowl, devouring the food.

Following her lead, the two knights were also inhaling their meals like vacuum cleaners.

Clara, feeling like the only sane one left, scooped a spoonful from her bowl—

“Ha—another bowl, please!”

—and finally understood Veronica’s feelings.

We continued forward.

Two sisters who despised each other.

Two knights whose motives were unclear.

And me.

‘……This is suffocating.’

Veronica and Clara hadn’t spoken a word since then.

They only occasionally cast buffs on me.

I missed having party members I could at least communicate with.

Hansung might have been better than this.

“……We’re running low on supplies.”

Clara chewed on jerky with a regretful tone.

Veronica let out a deep sigh.

The two knights were trying to encourage each other.

Amidst it all, Clara approached me and whispered—

“Shouldn’t we start clearing them out soon?” “……”

I calmly assessed the situation. It did seem like it was about time.

‘……But their combat strength is still an unknown variable.’

It was hard to gauge how strong they were. They were clearly stronger than average, but—

‘On our side, we have two saints and one hero.’

With me wielding the Holy Sword, we might stand a chance.

The difference between moving forward as a united front versus dealing with internal enemies while facing external ones.

I closed my eyes.

‘Well, worst case, there’s always that.’

-Revealing my power isn’t the best course of action.

As I thought that, the Holy Sword reacted.

My hidden trump card was unleashing the Holy Sword’s true power.

Using it would render the Holy Sword temporarily unusable.

And the sword’s voice would disappear as well.

Since I had learned the orthodox swordsmanship and footwork of the Hero, I figured I could manage without it for a while.

-Still, I think it’s better if you take them with you.

At the Holy Sword’s words, I hesitated.

If things went south, I could always escape alone.

But that was a last resort.

‘If I return alone—’

I didn’t know what would happen if I were accused of killing the saints.

Though Vulcan had strong connections, even he would be overwhelmed if the Church decided to retaliate.

‘Well, there’s the Guild Master.’

She could see through lies and truth—maybe she’d vouch for me.

But—

‘……This really is the last option.’

Abandoning my comrades to save myself.

Not wanting to see Veronica and Clara die was one thing, but—

‘For now, I’ll take them with me.’

At the very least, I’d protect Clara.

As for Veronica, I’d cover for her somehow.

The moment I made up my mind—

Clang.

Footsteps echoed in the distance. I didn’t need to announce the enemy’s arrival.

“Wh-what kind of being is that…?” “Goddess above…”

The two knights began to pray.

Veronica and Clara also tensed up.

And for good reason.

‘What kind of presence is this?’

A prickling, electrifying sensation, as if needles were stabbing my skin.

Even from afar, their aura was overwhelming.

The enemy approached with heavy, deliberate steps, not even bothering to hide their presence.

[Hoh, so this is the one who killed our kin?]

A dual-wielding figure stood before us.

An eerie being.

While most here were undead, this one had a body shimmering with a blue, ethereal glow.

A distinctly unique entity among the horde of at least a hundred undead.

-A wraith with a solidified spirit.

The Holy Sword identified it as such.

[Hoh, there’s someone decent here after all.]

The being spoke while looking at me.

I raised the Holy Sword.

“I’ll handle that one.” “That thing?”

Veronica gave me a skeptical look before shaking her head.

“Fufu, so you’re saying we should deal with the undead while you’re occupied?”

Clara sounded half-resigned.

Well, I did say I’d take care of it, but—

‘……I don’t see a clear path to victory.’

It wasn’t impossible, but—

This wasn’t the time to hold back.

[Ah, up close, I can tell. It’s you.]

Further away, a figure wrapped in black bandages appeared.

The one who had separated me and Veronica.

‘At least two.’

I glared at the enemies.

The blue-glowing entity stared back at me.

[How many of ours have you killed? The vengeful spirits of our warriors cling to you.]

‘They have that kind of ability too?’

-…Seems to be an innate power.

The Holy Sword sounded uncertain.

If they had such an ability, it was better to eliminate them here.

[You, spouting nonsense again. Let’s finish this quickly.] [Haa, this is why I can’t stand archers. Hey, you sword-wielding warriors.] “Wait, is he talking to us?” [Indeed. You, knight. Your sword doesn’t impress me, but those who wield weapons understand each other through crossed blades. Show me what you’ve got.]

The blue specter raised its twin blades as it spoke.

The knight clenched his jaw, glanced at me, and muttered under his breath—

“You said you’d handle it, didn’t you?”

This bastard.

At least he had the decency to blush up to his ears.

……Well, it couldn’t be helped.

Even if this knight tried to fight—

‘He’d die instantly.’

A chilling, oppressive fighting spirit.

Judging by the aura alone—

‘This one’s similar to the spirit that possessed the Lizardman.’

But its physical strength was several times greater.

Which meant the difficulty—

‘Just how high is it?’

I stepped forward.

[That one’s dangerous. Let’s gang up on him.]

The bandaged figure spoke up.

The blue spirit grinned in response—

Thud.

‘……What?’

Its twin blades pierced straight through the bandaged figure’s body.

[You—what the hell are you—!] [Shut your yapping. You’re always butting into warriors’ fights, you—!]

With those final words—

The bandaged spirit began to manifest.

‘Did he really just kill his ally?’

As if reading my thoughts, the blue specter smirked.

[I’ll explain later. For now, don’t interrupt. It’s been a while since I’ve found someone fun to play with.]

In the same instant—

The blue spirit lunged at me with full force.

Instant Flash Step.

My body accelerated instantly, closing the distance in a blink.

A violet sword aura crackled and surged—

Clang!

Our blades clashed. The blue spirit—Alberu—grimaced as he stared at me.

[How brutishly simple. How can something so thin—]

He blocked my strike, muttering in frustration—

[……!!]

Then, slashes rained down on him.

Horizontal, vertical, diagonal—three strikes from different angles.

[……Hoh!]

Alberu deflected them with a hint of admiration.

[What was that just now? Feels like an ancient swordsmanship I’ve heard of.]

‘……This is—’

Ignoring his words, I exhaled slowly.

[Show me more. You’ve got more in you, don’t you?]

Alberu advanced slowly.

Watching him, I realized—

I can’t win.

The difference in raw strength was overwhelming. I could barely match his speed, but his physical power dwarfed mine.

-Well, there’s no choice.

‘Really no choice.’

At this point, I had no other option.

I might as well unleash it now—

‘And take him down.’

I gripped the Holy Sword.

And—

-Let there be light.

There was light.

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

The fierce, war-like tension transformed.

Both sides stared at a single man.

They had no choice.

His overwhelming presence now dominated the entire battlefield.

“What… is this?”

The knight’s bewildered murmur.

But it was a sentiment everyone shared.

Golden eyes, shimmering like the sun—

The moment Clara, Veronica, and the two knights saw them, they gasped.

And for good reason.

Those radiant, golden eyes—

They were proof of divinity.

Yet, Han Yuseong had no ties to the Church.

He had excelled as a warrior, proven his skill as a rogue—

But this sight confirmed one thing.

“The Sword Hero…!”

Veronica scowled as she spat out the words.

“No, seriously. He really is the Sword Hero.”