Chapter 104
"Finally alone."
Even after returning to the mansion, Kallias was busy without a moment's rest.
He had to give orders to Orkal to investigate the remaining corrupt nobles. Orkal's Third Division was currently carrying out missions under Kallias's orders.
'I should give Orkal some kind of reward too.'
He had been working him relentlessly without any rest after beating him up, so he did feel somewhat sorry.
Even though Orkal had harbored ill intentions first, when a person uses another without any reward, work efficiency inevitably drops.
"Once a proper completed TD Potion is produced, I should let him try it first."
If a concentrated TD Potion were made according to the agreement between Beatrice and Kallias, it would become a miraculous potion that money couldn't buy.
After all, it would be a potion mixed with the blood of a dragon and a troll.
Of course, no matter how concentrated it was, the level would barely reach 0.003 percent.
However, if that amount doubled and tripled, and other herbs were added to multiply the efficiency, that would be a different story.
It would become a single spiritual elixir.
'It won't be as good as holy water, but the healing effect would be outstanding, and along with that, there would be a bone-strengthening effect.'
Of course, until a proper completed product was produced, there would be some side effects.
But that was something that would gradually improve, so it was just a minor issue.
If things went wrong, someone might die, but that's how life is—even falling backward can break your nose.
Those fated to die will die from a mere cold, and those fated to live will survive even with a pierced belly or after consuming poison.
"Orkal is taken care of, Orfin is doing well too. The Sixth Division is also working hard after getting thrashed by the Golden Lion Knights as a group."
Pedro was now focusing his mind on guard duty and instructing the children.
Having seen Xenos's skill up close, he seemed to have gained some insight and was training diligently as well.
"The kids are taking care of things on their own, so there's nothing to worry about."
The children's swordsmanship was being guided by Esther, so there was no need to worry.
From Flora's perspective, since Lini and Reven had appeared and defeated her, and she had also suffered consecutive losses against Emily, she was devoting herself even more to swordsmanship.
"The rest is about Beatrice's underground workshop and the mansion extension... only things that cost money keep increasing."
However, this was an investment, so there was no need to be stingy.
It started as a way to bring Flora in, but seeing the children training hard next to sweaty men wasn't bad at all.
The Sixth Division guys were also training more harshly because the children were watching.
"It's hard to find time."
Only after handling the rough tasks did he finally get some personal time.
As soon as he organized the documents, Kallias sank into the office chair, then immediately sat up as if he hadn't just done that.
He immediately reached his hand into thin air and pulled out a single sword.
A sword with Gid's severed hand still attached to it.
[Lamentation]
Grade - Spectral
Imbued Souls - One Hundred
Unique Ability - Cold Wrath
- A sword of lamentation created by Gid the Growth. Born when one hundred knights were contained within a single sword without being able to merge.
「Cold Wrath」
- The power of the ability increases when one is angry without being excited. Conversely, the more excited one becomes, the more the sword's power is diminished.
「Unmerged Souls」
- Perfect unity has not been achieved. If fed a certain amount of living blood above a threshold, the souls will achieve unity and its grade will rise.
「Possessed Sword」
- Those without strong mental fortitude who grasp it will be consumed by hallucinations and auditory delusions.
"A sword with this many descriptions attached is a first for me."
The unique ability was also curious.
「Cold Wrath」, huh.
It was the type that grew stronger in response to emotions the angrier one got.
"There are a few swords that react to emotions."
Such swords were called Sword Hearts (劍心), and this seemed to be one of them.
Since the story of its birth was one of lamentation, it seemed to have been influenced by that and gained this ability, which was somewhat fascinating.
To be angry without being excited.
Since becoming Kallias, he had lived suppressing his original emotions because of that reckless personality that would burst out whenever he got excited.
For someone like him, the unique ability of Cold Wrath was quite fitting.
If he got excited, the rogue's personality would burst out, and he wouldn't know how he might die, so Kallias always suppressed his emotions.
In the beginning of battles, the unfamiliar rogue's emotions would burst out and he had nearly died several times.
Therefore, Kallias trained with the sword while simultaneously learning to restrain his emotions.
"If they couldn't merge, that means if they properly merge, its grade will rise."
Next was 「Unmerged Souls」.
By feeding it the living blood of a living person, the souls would achieve unity.
This part was similar in principle to the Devouring Sword he possessed, the difference being that the Devouring Sword ate souls while this one ate blood.
"If I slash this guy with the Devouring Sword, it might absorb the souls and become a Phantom Sword."
Of course, he had no intention of doing so.
Why would he gamble not knowing how the Devouring Sword would change if it became a Phantom Sword?
Regardless, the fact that it was a growth-type sword was something to look forward to.
Even used as it was now, it had shown powerful strength—how powerful would it become if it turned into a Phantom Sword?
"And..."
Finally, 「Possessed Sword」.
This was the most troublesome part.
Even now, I was holding Gid's arm, not the sword.
If I tried to grasp the sword, wailing ghostly cries would begin to echo in my ears.
If it was like this before even grasping it, once I took hold of the sword, I would be tormented by all kinds of hallucinations and auditory delusions.
It was ominous and troublesome.
Still.
"I have to test it at least."
I threw away Gid's hand and grasped it while strongly stirring divine power throughout my entire body.
As soon as I grasped it, wailing ghostly cries began to loudly echo in my ears.
'This is manageable.'
5 seconds, 10 seconds passed, and the unknown voices hovering around my ears grew thicker.
Suddenly, pale whitish things began to appear before my eyes, and their outlines gradually became clearer.
"Creepy."
Perhaps because they had melted in the blast furnace and become unrecognizable, the forms of the knights I saw were indescribably cruel and grotesque.
Their mouths seemed to have been sealed shut, and they let out bizarre voices without being able to speak properly.
When 15 seconds passed, their forms filled the surroundings, and in an instant, the landscape changed.
When 20 seconds passed, I was already swinging the sword.
Feeling emotions I didn't know whose they were, I slaughtered the transformed figures of the knights.
Calm rage.
At that point, I released the sword.
Chaeng.
"I shouldn't use it for more than 10 seconds."
The sword fallen on the floor trembled as if expressing regret, and frost had already formed all around.
Was it because of the hallucinations and auditory delusions from swinging the sword?
My office was frozen solid as if winter had arrived.
I had used power without realizing it, caught in the hallucinations.
The time I could use it without significant penalty was roughly 10 seconds.
For now, I had no choice but to use it appropriately only when absolutely necessary.
However.
"10 seconds is enough."
There are plenty of swords anyway.
If I thought of using it in the gaps between combos, there was nothing wrong with it.
Just looking at the slight ability that froze the room solid proved it. If I properly used freezing, it might demonstrate ability beyond the Thunder Clear Sword in large-scale battles.
"The Thunder Clear Sword, classified as a demonic sword, isn't easy to use around here."
What would fill that void was precisely Lamentation.
After finishing my thoughts, I immediately stored the sword and opened the window wide.
"I should have Brans clean this up."
As the frost began to melt, the humidity in the room increased.
The documents I had just organized shouldn't get wet, so while I was arranging them...
I discovered a single letter.
"It's the royal family's crest."
A pair of curved wings stamped on the letter like a tiara.
Reading the contents,
From the content written with various flowery language, I could grasp the purpose and intent of the letter.
"It's about time."
Many nobles had died.
And at the same time, many positions had become vacant. Small-scale battles were still occurring near the border, and there were many knights who had achieved merits and made their names known.
Thus, this letter was a kind of invitation.
It was an occasion for rewarding meritorious subjects.
Of course, since such events always began with a ball, it could be said to be a day akin to a debut in high society.
"So that's why the Golden Lion headed to the palace."
The date was next week.
There was nothing holding me back.
Having become the captain of the Sixth Division and receiving orders from the cult—well, it would be embarrassing to say I was firmly establishing my position, but as a count, I was accumulating merits day by day.
Calling them merits was a bit much, but regardless, I wanted to meet the king at least once.
'Clara von Agata Bright.'
The timid king, Clara.
If left alone, when a civil war broke out within the kingdom, she was a tragic queen fated to lose her life.
The one who would kill her would be the prince, the queen's only blood relative.
Kallias had no intention of leaving alone the queen who would die without ever being able to express her will.
If the queen lives, the nation lives, and if the nation lives, the sword survives.
"Please let her be the person I think she is."
I could only hope.
* * *
Time flowed helplessly.
The construction of the underground workshop for Beatrice, introduced through Helena, was being built steadily and solidly, and the Sixth Division's training was also progressing smoothly.
The children were continuing their training in their own way.
I don't know why they were training so hard without being told, but the desire to become strong set hearts ablaze regardless of whether one was a child or an adult.
"There must be knight training grounds for children in Caladi too, so why does it feel like there are more and more of them here?"
"There, they charge ten silver coins per month. And the teaching isn't that great either."
"You know that well."
"Lord Count, do you know why Emily knows that?"
It was Lini.
"As soon as she arrived, she said she wanted to see Caladi's swordsmanship and wrecked the knight training ground first. She beat up all the strongest apprentice knights there, you know?"
When Lini finished speaking, Emily avoided my gaze, seemingly embarrassed.
Hearing the story, Emily had charged into the knight training ground as soon as she arrived in Caladi and started breaking the dojo.
No one of similar age to Emily could dare stand against her, and even apprentice knights six years older couldn't handle her, so it was natural that the number of children had increased.
Above all, since it didn't cost money, the parents were satisfied, and the children received quite substantial swordsmanship instruction and training.
With the Sixth Division right next to them, they also had a clear reason to persevere.
Although they had all been thrashed by the Golden Lion Knights, from the children's perspective, they too were among the rare strong ones.
'I wonder if things are growing bigger than I expected.'
Well, they're just kids.
As if something would happen.
More than that, Vivi was the bigger concern.
"She has no intention of waking up from sleep."
She had been sleeping for quite a long time.
Not eating, not drinking water, only sleeping.
To the point where I wondered if she was dead.
When I approached, her tail would wag a little, but only briefly. Then she would fall back into a deep sleep.
I checked wondering if she had caught some disease, but I couldn't figure it out.
"Is Vivi dying?"
"No. Her body is healthy."
Her size had grown even larger while sleeping.
She was between a small and medium-sized dog before, but now she could be considered a large dog.
"Is it hibernation?"
"Something like that. When she finishes sleeping, she'll grow into an even sturdier form."
However, if that happened, her wild instincts would become even stronger.
I could only hope I wouldn't have to kill Vivi with my own hands.
After stroking Vivi once, I boarded the carriage.
"Then I'll be off."
"Come back safely. You're going to see the Queen, right?"
"Yeah. I'll buy you a gift on the way back. Tell me if there's something you want."
"No need. I get money from Grandfather, so I have a lot too."
By Grandfather, does she mean Bernard? Or perhaps Elberton.
I wasn't sure, but it didn't matter.
I flicked Emily's forehead with my finger and said,
"I'll be back, so don't cause trouble."
"I'm not a little kid."
"You are a little kid."
Watching Emily frown while covering her forehead with her hand, I raised the corners of my mouth and boarded the carriage.
"It's the Count's carriage!"
"Lord Count! Have a safe trip!"
"Goodbye~"
The children who saw the carriage rushed to greet me. Behind them, Pedro and the Sixth Division. And the knights saw me off silently.
I gazed at them once, then ordered the coachman to depart.
"We're departing, hyah!"
Looking at the mansion growing distant from inside the running carriage, I let out a chuckle.
"A lot of lacking fellows have gathered."
But it wasn't a bad feeling.