Chapter 62
"A hunt, you say?"
The war had ended not long ago, so suddenly mentioning a hunt. He pushed his glasses up with a hint of curiosity.
"As far as I know, I heard the orcs wiped out the seeds of the surrounding beasts and demonic beasts. If the North is short on food, it would be more efficient to contact the merchant guilds that will arrive soon."
"An efficiency freak."
"Efficiency... freak?"
"No. It's not because of a food shortage. There's another reason."
"What is it?"
"Because I want to hunt down the demonic beasts that will become future troubles. If left alone, they'll give the North headaches. Are you interested?"
"If it's just listening."
However, it wasn't an attitude showing much interest. It's just a demonic beast, at best.
That's the extent of his reaction.
Since Callius was Zerban's eldest son and designated as the official successor, he was making an effort to listen.
Callius twisted the corners of his mouth and threw out a topic that would change his expressionless face.
"Have you ever heard of Dragon Fang Blood?"
"Dragon Fang Blood!"
Raiven's expression changed drastically.
Dragon Fang Blood (龍芽血).
Descendants carrying the blood of dragons.
Humans or beasts with mixed dragon blood, or other mixed species, are collectively referred to as Dragon Fang Blood.
"The characteristic of Dragon Fang Blood carrying dragon's blood is known for being ferocious and fierce."
And very powerful. Just by possessing a little dragon's blood.
They transform into existences capable of threatening villages and nations.
"However, they make money."
As dangerous as they are, Dragon Fang Blood brings money.
Though mixed, it's dragon's blood.
Horns or claws bearing traces of dragons.
Or leather or eyes.
Byproducts mixed with dragon elements are rare even if you have money, making them as hard to obtain as plucking stars from the sky.
There are countless people who would want them even if they paid a fortune.
So naturally.
"Are you a bit interested now?"
"Of course. If the prey is Dragon Fang Blood, it's a different story."
Even an Inquisitor who suspects himself cannot help but be tempted.
Raiven, adjusting his glasses, immediately called in the other captains.
"A hunt? Suddenly, you say?"
"We're not that idle..."
The summoned captains initially showed displeasure but brightened at Callius's following words.
Dragon Fang Blood. Thunder Wolf Dragon.
An adult that hasn't fully grown yet.
Their gazes changed at these stories.
"I like it too! No, I'm in! Let's go quickly! Right now is fine too! The funeral rite was quite boring, so I was wondering what to do for a month out of boredom!"
It's a place inherently lacking in entertainment.
Captain of the Third Division.
It's not hard to understand Orkal's pleased reaction.
"Let's go quickly!"
With childlike innocence, he stamped his feet urging to go.
"Are you certain? If it's Dragon Fang Blood, it won't be ordinary. It's hard to rule out the possibility of it hiding or fleeing, so if the information isn't reliable, it would be a waste of time."
Captain of the Sixth Division.
Druma started with suspicion.
"The information is certain."
Because a quest came up.
"I can't reveal the source. But if you're that suspicious, you can just stay here. Right?"
"Yeah, Druma, you stay here! I can go with Raiven and Sir Callius."
"If you're that confident, I'll trust you once too."
Quick to change stance.
Druma the Silent.
Callius almost let out a laugh at the sudden change in stance, different from his moniker.
"They say the orcs' funeral rite will finish in a month. So the faster we prepare for the hunt, the better."
"Right now would be fine too."
"I'll prepare thoroughly. The Thunder Wolf Dragon isn't that easy an opponent, and I want to be fully prepared too."
However.
"If you want to depart immediately, I won't stop you. If you find and catch it first, the share belongs to the individual. I need to prepare, so I'll depart in three days. Leave on your own. The destination is the same anyway."
"Then, where is the Thunder Wolf Dragon?"
"There's a forest quite far from the northern area swept by the orcs."
There are three famous forests in the North.
One is the White Forest beyond the border.
And the Drowning Forest that gave Callius quite a hard time.
Lastly, a forest that isn't large in size but is the most gloomy.
"The Black Forest."
That thing is there.
* * *
When Callius set out to prepare for the hunt.
Elberton was startled by Nochitel's report.
"The Judgment Sword, you say?"
"Yes."
"Why that sword of all things."
"Yes, he said my guidance was absolutely unnecessary and chose that sword."
Nochitel sympathized with Elberton's expression speaking as if something was unsettling.
Because the history of that sword was not exactly good.
"Was there any change in Callius? Paranoia, for instance."
"Nothing has been shown yet."
Elberton, sinking deep into his chair, recalled the documents passed down only to the head of the household.
"Mida... was a great person. But her cause of death was betrayal. It wasn't that honorable of a death. So I'm worried that the lingering resentment in the sword might harm Callius. Of all things, he took the sword I was most worried about."
This is why he attached Nochitel's guidance.
To think he refused that.
Whether to call it foolish or if he has other thoughts... there's no way to know.
But it's already irreversible.
If he chose it, that too is fate.
"That guy, why a Spirit Sword is called a Spirit Sword. He'll clearly feel it this time."
* * *
A cave composed of bizarre characters.
A place where the faintly glowing dense divine power sweeps intoxicatingly.
Fatalite's Holy Land.
There, Callius sat calmly holding a sword with both hands.
One hand on the blade.
One hand on the handle, breathing in with the pure divine power undulating around him.
[Judgment Sword - Mida]
Grade - Spirit
Imbued Soul - Mida von Zerban
Unique Ability - Discernment of Falsehood
The ninth head of the Zerban household.
Mida von Zerban.
A great knight who brought prosperity to the North with a woman's body, and the master of the North.
After her death, she became a sword matching her beautiful appearance. A sword of transparent material that's hard to describe.
But the edge is sharp enough to cut through steel like cloth, and the blade's hardness won't break even if struck against a rock.
However, right now.
Kyaaaaaaah!
That beautiful sword was letting out screams continuously.
"This is the price for daring to play tricks on me."
A few days ago.
The woman who became the core of the Judgment Sword.
Mida von Zerban's consciousness kept infiltrating Callius's mind.
It wasn't to that degree of concern.
It was just her grudge-filled emotions and fragmented memories subtly seeping into his dreams.
Swords that have existed as funeral objects for a long time harbor residual thoughts.
Even more so if it's a Spirit Sword.
'The original meaning of a Spirit Sword.'
An awakened soul.
A sword with an awakened soul.
Originally, the more he used the sword, the more its residual thoughts would dig in and torment him, but this time, the opponent wasn't good.
"The term 'purification' doesn't exist for nothing. The main household leaves them be because their will belongs to the head."
Callius is different.
Kyaaaaaaah!
Screams echoing bizarrely like ghosts wailing.
A bizarre voice as if a woman's scream is continuously ringing out in the cave.
It was even more chilling because it came from the sword, but that too was now over.
The Holy Domain.
In this holy land where Fatalite's statue resides, there was no place for ominous residual thoughts to squeeze in.
"Is this enough now?"
The distracting thoughts that plagued his mind disappeared. It must be because the residual thoughts of Mida von Zerban remaining in the Judgment Sword vanished.
That doesn't mean the soul disappeared.
Only the impure energy was purified, so there's nothing to worry about.
"I thought it would take quite a while... It must be because it's a holy land after all."
Originally, at least a week.
Sometimes it takes up to several years.
But exposed to the pure divine power in Fatalite's holy land, the dormant residual thoughts cleanly melted away like snow.
"Valterus's Tear also seems like it'll sprout soon, things are going quite smoothly. Good."
The flower of Valterus's Tear that he planted had fallen and borne fruit.
Left alone, it will naturally drop and germinate, increasing its numbers.
Planting Valterus's Tear in Fatalite's holy land was an excellent choice.
However, if there's one regret.
"It will take some time."
It can't be helped that it takes time for the flower to bloom again. It's an obvious principle, but the current reality of not having holy water is a bit unsettling.
Valterus's holy water with fraudulent abilities was no different from having an extra life.
Since he had seen considerable effects from it, the present without holy water was quite regrettable.
'After receiving the successor succession, I'll have to be away from the North for a while.'
Inevitably, he needed to quickly find out how to refine troll's blood.
He tried doing something with the divine power stationed in the holy land, but failed.
He would probably need to find a capable sacred alchemist.
'Since the Order is in the kingdom's capital.'
There would be many capable sacred alchemists.
If not, it wouldn't be bad to meet Sullivan, renowned as Carpe's foremost sacred alchemist, at this opportunity.
"If her lifespan hasn't run out."
Since he couldn't hear any news about Esther, she probably hasn't died yet.
After her death would be the day a new Phantom Sword is born in the kingdom.
"Then the only thing left is this guy now."
The Judgment Sword has a separate use.
It's a sword that can be used when there's a clear external purpose and justification.
However, in battlefields crossing the line of death and small-scale skirmishes, it's not that useful a sword.
There's no reason not to use it, but there's no merit in specifically using it either.
The Judgment Sword's unique ability is Discernment of Falsehood.
There is one other sub-ability, but it's not useful in combat.
So before hunting the Thunder Wolf Dragon.
Callius came to the holy land.
It was also for the purpose of purifying the Judgment Sword, but that was just an extra benefit.
The real purpose is this.
The burly warrior's body laid out before Callius.
It's the corpse of the Orc Warlord.
"The most important thing in the funeral rite is the body that becomes the sacrifice. However, the essential supplementary element is."
The caster's divine power.
Depending on how pure it is and how much effort was put in, subtle differences in the quality of the sword produced are inevitable.
'The funeral rites of the past heads of the North were conducted by bishop-level figures from the Order.'
The first head, Callis von Zerban, is famous for having the Pope of that time personally pray over his funeral object for a hundred days to perform the funeral rite and refine it.
It would have that much influence, so Callius had been waiting to perform the Orc Warlord's funeral rite at this holy land.
"Not a great warrior, but a Warlord."
If done well, maybe a Phantom Sword could come out?
'Of course, that won't happen.'
He considers a Spirit Sword as the baseline.
However, even among Spirit Swords, there's definitely a difference in grade.
Realistically, he doesn't expect a Phantom Sword. For a Phantom Sword to appear, the influence and potential of the one becoming the sacrifice must be at the highest level.
Thinking about it in various ways.
The Warlord isn't at that grade.
But a top-tier Spirit Sword?
"That much is worth expecting."
He's the one who plunged the North into devastation.
The Warlord who unified the various orc tribes, formed a legion, and invaded.
Wasn't his actual skill at the level of touching Master with one foot?
If Elberton hadn't depleted his strength beforehand, if there hadn't been the Spirit-Sundering Sword and the Storm Sword, and without the fraudulent trait of Shisahakbi and Bernard's sacrifice, the Orc Warlord would have been an opponent they could never have defeated.
So this level of expectation is natural.
"Piously..."
Calming his mind, he creates a state of clear mirror and still water.
In the slowly opened ash-gray eyes, no other emotion could be found.
Eliminating personal feelings, he constructs the image of transforming the Warlord's body into a sword and calls out to the god with all his heart.
"Oh God."
Oh Great God of Swords.
"Here I offer the body of this foolish heretic to you."
Please embrace them into your bosom.
Let the fallen dusk rise again as dawn, allowing repentance for sins committed. If so, it shall become nourishment for a handful of iron that will head toward you.
"Arise."
Oh new sword of God.