69novels Chapter 155
Chapter 155
Chapter 155
As soon as day broke, a group of figures barged into my room again.
At first, I thought it was Alice and her group, but when the Sword Saint appeared first, followed by Chris, and then Silvia timidly peeking her head out behind them, I couldn’t help but make a flustered expression.
“No, why are you coming into someone else’s room this early in the morning…….”
After tossing and turning all night with complicated thoughts, my hair was a complete mess, and I hadn’t even washed my face, so I must have looked a sight. But the Sword Saint merely scoffed at my words and replied.
“Why is this your room? It’s my estate.”
“That’s true, but still…….”
Wondering why such an odd combination had gathered in broad daylight, I shot them a puzzled look. Chris lightly snapped her fingers. Then, a faint green energy began to sweep over my body.
“What’s this?”
“A check, first. You recovered with an Elixir, but since you were struck by a demon on Baphomet’s level, there could be aftereffects.”
Soon, as if the examination had ended, she let out a light sigh. Then she nodded toward Silvia.
“Physically, there’s no problem. If you eat well and sleep well, you’ll recover within a few days. Whether it’s because a Master’s body is tenacious or the Elixir’s effect is outstanding, you’re almost completely fine in just a day.”
“Then I’ll excuse myself this time.”
Silvia gently took my hand with both of hers, faintly glowing. A sharp pain ran through me, making me frown slightly.
“Does it hurt?”
“Like being pricked with needles.”
“Is it only at the point of contact, or around it as well?”
“It feels like my whole body is being poked, not just my hand.”
“Hmm…….”
Silvia let out a quiet hum. Then she rummaged through her bag, pulled out a potion, and handed it to me.
“It’s Holy Water. Drink it all.”
“Holy Water?”
My body did sting, but hadn’t Chris already said there was nothing wrong? However, Silvia, with a stern expression that left no room for argument, forced the potion into my hand. I reluctantly drank it.
“…….”
The Holy Water tasted like sweet strawberry.
It looked slightly blue on the outside, so I expected something like soda—like the Fairy’s Tears I had drunk at the Imperial Palace before—but the moment I took a sip, a sugary sweetness spread across my tongue.
“……?”
Silvia was watching me with a stiff expression. Feeling puzzled, I eventually finished the potion and wiped my mouth as I looked at her.
“I don’t really feel anything being healed…….”
Following the lingering trace of strawberry flavor, a strange sensation welled up. At the same time, something surged up from inside me, and I spat it out as if vomiting.
“…Uweeegh-!”
Bright red blood dripped onto the blanket.
It soaked through to the carpet below, staining it red as it spread outward.
“…….”
My fingertips trembled. When I lifted my head, both the Sword Saint and Chris also wore shocked expressions.
Narrowing my eyes, I looked at Silvia. She let out a sigh and wiped the blood from my mouth.
“As expected. You said Baphomet, right? There’s no way you’d be normal after being directly struck by a demon of that level and nearly dying. Even if your body looks fine, your soul is infected with Demonic Energy. This can’t be detected with magic, so it’s understandable that he couldn’t sense it.”
“My soul is infected with Demonic Energy?”
I cautiously placed a hand on my chest. My clothes were already soaked in blood. But aside from that, wasn’t Excalibur within my body?
Simply possessing it granted all kinds of anti-demonic abilities and protected its owner. Perhaps noticing what I was thinking, Silvia spoke with a slightly regretful expression.
“River, was it? That was her name.”
“Yeah.”
“She’s been silent since the battle with Baphomet. If you woke up, she should have spoken at least once.”
“…That’s true.”
I called out to River in my mind, but no matter how long I waited, there was no response. Seeing my stiffened expression, Silvia carefully continued.
“She’s probably trying to block the Demonic Energy that’s devouring your soul.”
“…So my body recovered, but the inside didn’t.”
“That’s exactly it. You’ll be fine moving as usual once your body recovers, but if you’re struck by Demonic Energy again in that state, I don’t know what will happen.”
Silvia warned me with a serious expression. I scratched my head and let out a sigh.
I had just overcome a major hurdle and thought I could finally rest a bit, only to get caught like this. Judging by her tone, it seemed like this would take time to treat as well.
“Half-baked holy power won’t cut it. I’ll probably have to stay with you and treat you throughout the entire break.”
“The entire break?”
“Yes. I won’t accept objections. Right now, you’re in a position closely tied to our homeland. Even if you’re wearing the false shell of a Hero, if something happens to your body, it would damage our prestige.”
“You sure know how to put it.”
When I sighed, wishing she’d at least phrase it a bit more kindly, she snorted as if that was out of the question. Since the situation seemed roughly sorted out, I turned my head toward the two figures standing still.
“So, that’s my condition.”
“…Well, that much should be enough to count as a badge of honor.”
Though the Sword Saint said that, he shrugged as if relieved it wasn’t worse.
“…This might require a bit of research.”
Chris murmured for a moment, then said she’d come back later and abruptly turned around and left.
To others, it might seem a bit cold, but she wasn’t human to begin with, so her way of thinking was different. If I waited, she’d probably reappear at a perfect moment.
“So, what will you do now?”
The Sword Saint looked down at me with his arms crossed.
The Gathering had already collapsed on the second day. Since there was nothing more to be done, he said he had decided to end this year’s Gathering and plan for the future instead.
“If needed, we can send invitations later in the year in the form of a Party instead of a Gathering. Well, the Gathering itself wasn’t much different anyway.”
He laughed heartily, saying that formality was what mattered, and patted my shoulder. I frowned slightly and rubbed it.
“I’ll return to my Territory. I realized a few things from this incident, and I promised to oversee the training of others.”
“If it’s training, couldn’t you do it here as well?”
“There’s something a bit special about it.”
“Oh?”
The Sword Saint showed interest, but I just grinned and avoided answering. No way I’d casually reveal trade secrets.
“…Anyway, if others see this, they’ll get worried, so I should clean this up quickly.”
I pointed at the blood-soaked blanket. The metallic smell lingered, so it seemed better to just throw it away. If others saw it, they’d just nag me, so it was best to deal with it quickly.
---
Around lunchtime, I headed to my Territory with the group.
Everyone acted like nothing had happened, but the atmosphere subtly felt off.
‘Is it because of Werner.’
He had spoken badly about me to them and even argued with Alice.
If it had ended there, we could’ve reconciled later, but since he had left altogether, they probably didn’t know what to do.
For now, I decided to leave that issue alone.
Even I couldn’t figure it out myself, so there was nothing I could say to them.
Carrying that uneasy feeling, we exited through the Teleport Gate, and the familiar cityscape came into view.
Except for Petra, it was everyone’s first time seeing my Territory, so they all let out quiet admiration.
It wasn’t as antique as Britain, nor as refined as South Yorkshire, nor as powerful as Leipzig, but it had its own unique charm.
“So all of this land is yours?”
Alice busied herself looking around the city, her eyes sparkling.
When we arrived at the estate, Beron stepped forward. Perhaps because I had given him a decent amount of money, he looked more refined than before, which made me smile in satisfaction.
“By the way, didn’t you say your son would take over your position?”
“He’s currently going through retirement procedures at the Academy. Since the acting role was meant to end in my generation, he had been working as a teacher in another Academy, teaching administration. He’ll probably wrap things up and come here within a few days.”
“As I said, I’ll leave management to you.”
I nodded lightly and patted Beron’s shoulder.
After a light meal with the group, I gathered everyone at the Training Ground.
Petra, Alice, Leysias, Elysia, Yuria, and even Silvia, who had come as a guest.
I had already sent letters to Maria and Diark, who weren’t present. They seemed to have gone a bit far, but I left word that it would be fine as long as they arrived within half a month, so they shouldn’t be late.
“As you all know, Werner has left.”
I delivered that news first.
Most of them seemed to have already guessed, so there wasn’t much agitation. They simply wore heavy expressions. Alice, in particular, lightly tapped the ground with her foot, seemingly in a bad mood.
“As I said at the Gathering, I will give you wings. Of course, you’ll have to prove your ability accordingly.”
At those words, Yuria showed a slightly uncomfortable expression. While the others had been steadily growing, she alone had remained stagnant.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll awaken you during this break.’
Originally, I had planned to wait a bit longer, but the situation had changed.
Now that Demons and Majin had begun to act openly without hiding their identities, Yuria’s ability had become even more important.
“As I mentioned during the Gathering, I’ll be dedicating this break to your growth. As for Werner… it’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.”
Then I placed a large box in front of them.
Creeeak.
With a rough noise, it opened, revealing piles of elixirs inside, and all their mouths fell open.
From those that accelerated physical growth to rare ones that increased the absolute amount of mana—
No matter how much money one had, obtaining this many elixirs was impossible. But I didn’t just have money; I also had top-tier power and connections.
On top of that, I had swept up everything that had been stored in my palace for a long time, so there was no doubt about the quantity or quality.
‘If I had planned to use these earlier, I would’ve grown much more easily.’
I felt a bit of regret, but they were no longer necessary for someone who had reached Sword Master.
It would be better to invest them in these people’s growth.
“C-Can we really receive something like this?”
Leysias and Elysia looked at me hesitantly. I grinned and answered.
“Pay me back later.”
I didn’t say they were free.
When I made it clear this was an investment, they nodded slightly as if making up their minds.
“Well, I’ve already gotten plenty of help anyway.”
As for Alice, she stuffed them into her mouth without hesitation. She had been especially eager to grow stronger lately, so there was no way she’d miss this opportunity.
“…….”
While everyone else began taking the elixirs, only Yuria hesitated. I turned my head to look at her.
“Yuria, you’re on hold.”
“…Yes.”
She bit her lip slightly and nodded, trying to appear calm. But I shook my head, indicating that wasn’t the reason.
“You’re not ready to accept these yet. You’ll take the elixirs after your Awakening.”
“…Awakening?”
“Yes, Awakening.”
The counter to all Demons, Majin, and mages.
The Silent Magician.
I would help her take that first step.