◈ Episode 41. A Sword, It Has Been a While (1)
I had even sent a note welcoming them, and yet……
It was strangely quiet.
I looked down at the scrawl on the parchment. ‘And I even delivered my apology properly, too.’ Did they need time before the next proof?
Well, it did not matter either way.
Even without this, I had more than enough to do.
In other words, my schedule was packed.
I closed the magic book I had been reading. ‘It’s about time I went.’ To the Yusra Kingdom.
In the media and on the internet alike.
Interest in the Yusra Kingdom showed no signs of cooling down.
The ones more excited than anyone were probably the mass media of South Korea.
Gaon and Berserker.
Only those two guilds had been assigned the quest to rebuild the Yusra Kingdom.──────[Exclusive] Japanese Expert: “A change in rankings between Gaon and Inazuma is all but certain…… Entering the top three is no mere dream.”[At the National Assembly Now] “We dream of a future led by Gaon and supported by Shinhwa…….” Self-congratulatory remarks continue, claiming this achievement is the result of national policy…….[Exclusive Interview] Nam Taemin declines interview: “There is nothing I can say. I will simply do my best.”──────When I looked at articles like that.
I really did think that not just anyone could be a player.
Just imagining it was exhausting.
Say one thing, and advice would pour in from every direction.
Endless speculation.
Even interview requests. ‘In that sense, I can only be grateful.’
With this prickly personality of mine, that is.
—Move aside. I have reached the limit of my patience.
—There is not a trace of formality to be found.
—Therefore, I will take no questions.
The words I had spat out in front of the cameras without filtering them at all……
Even thinking back on them now, they were lines so cringeworthy I felt like I might die.
But was it thanks to that?
Reporters did not recklessly approach me.
No, not only reporters.
Players were no different.
The lobby of the Magic Tower.
A large number of players gathered around the portal.
“No, I’m telling you, we should just run rifts during that time……?”
“Whoa. It’s Lee Hoyeol. Lee Hoyeol!”
“Shh! For now, everyone shut your mouths.”
A hush settled—The place that had been noisy a moment ago went quiet in an instant.
If it had been the old me, I would have been fidgeting restlessly.
Are these bastards excluding me?
Imagining useless things like that.
However, humans were certainly creatures of adaptation.
Because I was slowly getting used to reactions like this.
Both in my head and in my heart.
I found this silence satisfying.
Then, suddenly, a similar scene came to mind. ‘……Well, true.’
This temperament had been the same even in front of rankers, where only top players gathered.
It had even been the same in front of the senior mages of the Magic Tower.
So this much was not even worth leaving an impression on.
It was simply everyday life.
Click—
As I entered the portal, I thought.
How do you get more shameless with each passing day, Hoyeol……?
The reason I visited the Yusra Kingdom was simple. ‘I need to meet Harkon.’
I had to ask him about my questions regarding “sword aura.”
But before that, I had to check what needed checking.
Leaving integrity aside, not making use of what I had earned would be foolish. ‘Yes, exactly.’
The reward I had obtained by completing the hidden quest.
My relationship and influence with the Yusra Kingdom had risen to the maximum.
As a result, the [Authority] function in the Yusra Kingdom had been activated. ‘I should understand it properly.’
I intended to grasp exactly what that authority function was.
In truth, I could more or less guess.
After all, there was no shortage of chatter on the internet about it.
—For real, aren’t Gaon and Berserker blessed?
—If they build up relationship and influence through quests, when the kingdom’s reconstruction is over, they might even get titles, right? ㄷㄷ—Shining and Skal must be losing their minds lol In the Yusra Kingdom, they might have to speak politely to Leoni and Nam Taemin lolololRelationship and influence.
Even the possibility of obtaining titles according to them.
That had been common knowledge since Arcana was still a game.
And that was exactly why players were so obsessed with relationship and influence. ‘Of course, the importance changes depending on the scale.’
Influence in a small village.
Influence in a nation.
It would be impossible to compare the two on the same level. ‘After all, a village chief can’t grant a noble title.’
In that sense, the value of relationship and influence in the Yusra Kingdom was obvious beyond words.
Above all, the Yusra Archipelago was the first nation of Arcana to appear in reality.
—First of all, the potential is insane!!
—It’s not just anything, it’s the legendary treasure island lol—Forget titles, even getting ownership of just one mine would be crazy for real lolMost important of all was its potential for growth!
The Yusra Kingdom had been rich in resources to begin with.
And by becoming the first nation to appear, it had gained the chance to make full use of those resources and develop.
The players’ expectations were rising along with it.
—First of all, monsters respawning around it is huge
—You can go back and forth between the kingdom and hunting grounds to level upㅇㅇ—Later on, maybe there’ll be auction houses or shops too??—For real, what do you guys think about joining Gaon or Berserker as a grunt even now???—Crazy bastard, who says they’d take you? lolololSo.
As a human being.
It was only natural that my expectations would grow along with theirs……! ‘It’s not just anything. It’s the maximum.’
……
Well, wouldn’t at least some sizable crumbs fall my way?
However, what moved me this time as well.
Was the pride within my chest.
“I must judge wisely.”
Enormous influence.
The responsibility that came with that influence.
It was truly noblesse oblige.
I swallowed a sigh inwardly. ‘……Then what’s left for me?!’
As a rule, you had to look after your own share.
If you did not speak up, no one would take care of it for you.
That was the truth I had learned as an office worker.
Rolling around in the jungle called society. ‘……Huh?’
But my lament over my circumstances did not last long.
Maximum relationship and influence.
Because I soon realized.
That this was no ordinary reward. ‘……Maybe I don’t have to step up and claim anything myself?’
The golden palace in the distance.
With that palace as a backdrop.
A man approached me with quick steps.
That man was none other than the king of Yusra, Hakuna.
“You have come, benefactor!”
Looking at Hakuna, who was smiling brightly, I thought. ‘To think I see a king rushing out to greet me and consider it only natural. Maybe I’m not becoming more shameless as time goes on……?’
Perhaps my shamelessness had already reached its maximum.
*
“One, two!”
The resounding shouts reached his ears.
The Lionheart Knights.
The knight commander, Harkon Kingsguard, wore a smile.
How long had it been since he had felt such peace?
“Your voices are too quiet. Again!”
For some reason, his mind was calm.
Ever since being summoned to the world of adventurers.
There had not been a single day when he had been able to sleep with peace of mind.
Yet last night, he had fallen into a deep sleep without tossing and turning even once.
Harkon looked at the scenery around him.
There were no buildings that the adventurers called skyscrapers.
Nor were there any noisy iron carriages.
Was it because the environment of the Yusra Kingdom resembled his homeland? ‘No.’
Harkon shook his head.
He already knew that was not it.
What had tormented him was impatience.「Is His Majesty the Emperor safe?
What am I doing here right now?
Is it truly all right for me to close my eyes in comfort?」But those hasty worries had now disappeared. ‘All of this is thanks to Sir Hoyeol.’
Yes, everything was thanks to Hoyeol.
Because through being with Hoyeol, Harkon had realized many things. ‘It must have been bewildering for Sir Hoyeol as well.’
Their homeland and the world of adventurers.
The great upheaval in which the two worlds had become mixed together.
The adventurers must have been confused.
And Hoyeol must have been no different.
On top of that, demons had appeared as well.
There had been more than enough reason for him to fall into despair, just like them.
Harkon once again swallowed his admiration. ‘How could he remain so calm?’
He had not felt even the slightest agitation from Hoyeol.
Even against the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed.
Even in battle against a great evil that had made even him tremble in fear.
There had been no lofty resolution or sacrifice in Hoyeol’s actions.
As though it was simply something that naturally had to be done.
There had only been Hoyeol, calmly advancing toward that great evil.
That had greatly influenced the awakening of Harkon’s spirit. ‘Even that resolve must be something natural to Sir Hoyeol.’
What an immense vessel of a man he was.
He should, without a doubt, learn from such an image of Hoyeol.
Harkon knew. ‘Of course, it is not something I can catch up to merely by trying.’
But one thing was clear.
“……I must do what I must.”
Thump—
Those words, obvious as they might seem.
Set the stopped heart of the lion beating once more.
And so, the Lionheart Knights had begun training again.
Clang—!
The knights’ swords clashed against one another.
Harkon passionately encouraged the knights.
“Sharpen your edge! Fix your stance!”
This is what we can do now.
“If we cannot even strike down the demons of this world, how could we strike down the demons of our homeland!”
This is what we must do now.
Clang, clang, clang—!
Looking at the knights gritting their teeth, Harkon thought. ‘I have no lingering attachment anymore.’
Contact with the Magic Tower through Hoyeol.
Harkon had also withdrawn that plan.
Because that, too, had been a mistake committed out of his impatience to return to his homeland even a moment sooner.
Now that he had gained enlightenment, he could not repeat the same mistake.
“I have received your consideration once again, Sir.”
They had come to participate in rebuilding the Yusra Kingdom.
But that was little different from an extension of their training.
After all, the role of the knights was to deal with monsters or enemies that might threaten the kingdom.
Harkon slowly closed his eyes.
The shouts ringing in his ears.
His calm mind.
For a while, there would probably be nothing to worry about……
However, Harkon’s expectation proved wrong.
“What, what did you just say? Sir Hoyeol?”
This time, too, the cause was none other than Hoyeol.
The flustered Harkon asked again.
“Surely, you do not mean that you wish to take up the sword……?!”
...
“Hoo—”
With a sigh, Yesika removed her helmet.
Her sweat-soaked dark brown bob swayed.
Her narrowed eyes turned toward Harkon……
No, to be precise, toward the silver-haired man beside Harkon.
Hoyeol. ‘A mage.’
And a mage connected to the Magic Tower at that.
Yesika knew very well what kind of people the mages of the Magic Tower were.
Because she had witnessed them before.
The single purpose of pursuing truth.
The way they moved in order to reach that goal. ‘……Madmen.’
That had been “annihilation.”
For the sole reason that something had become an obstacle.
Everything in that area had evaporated within half a day.
Yesika had once been dispatched there to clean up the aftermath.
But there had been nothing left to clean up.
Whether there had been anyone caught up in it.
She could not even confirm that fact.
Because nothing remained there.
Not even a single blade of grass could be seen.
But Hoyeol was somehow different.
Was he truly a mage connected to the Magic Tower?
Different enough to make her wonder that.
Above all, the image of Hoyeol when the stone stairs that had supported her and the lava were split apart remained vivid in her mind.
However, Yesika shook her head.
Shake, shake—
Because what was as vivid as that memory was her prejudice. ‘……I still don’t know.’
Was he truly different from the other mages of the Magic Tower?
But soon, the conversation that reached her ears.
Was enough to make even Yesika’s suspicious gaze widen in disbelief.
“Sir Harkon. Does sword aura truly exist?”
……
Sword aura?
Wait, how did a mage know about sword aura?!
It was only natural that the commander was just as surprised as she was.
Because sword aura was……
“Sir Hoyeol, what do you mean by that?”
“Sword aura. I am referring to the light that shimmered on your sword.”
“……Don’t tell me, Sir Hoyeol. Did you see that light?!”
It was not something just anyone could see……!
Innate talent and endless training.
Only when those two were present together could one barely witness sword aura.
So of course they could not help being shocked.
But the shock did not stop there.
“I see. Then I should be able to wield sword aura as well.”
He would wield sword aura.
Because Hoyeol had declared as much.
Enoch, who had been listening silently, muttered.
“……What is that mage lord talking about?”
Yesika did not reply, but she felt the same way. ‘Honestly, the fact that he noticed it at all is astonishing enough. But still?’
Wielding sword aura was an entirely different matter!
Even within the Lionheart Knights, only she and Enoch, along with the commander, could wield sword aura. Above all, wasn’t Hoyeol a mage?
To be honest, Yesika was dumbfounded.
“Can he even hold a sword properly before that?”
Harkon handed Hoyeol a sword. ‘I do not know what the commander is thinking……’
But Yesika thought it was a waste of time.
After all, a mage’s body was frail.
They were mages who spent all day at desks with books open in front of them.
How could they possibly swing a sword with such delicate arms……
“……?!”
However, Yesika’s prejudice.
Rustle—
“……What is with that mage lord?”
The moment Hoyeol took off the jacket he had been wearing.
Was cleanly shattered.
The muscles revealed beneath his white shirt.
They looked so firm.
That it was utterly impossible to believe they belonged to the body of a mage. ‘……His skin is pale? No, th-that’s not the point!’
For a brief moment, Yesika swallowed dryly without realizing it.
Hoyeol accepted the sword Harkon handed him.
And the moment he raised that sword.
“!!!”
Everyone was stunned—