Level up with swords (176)
After receiving the two scrolls from Al Razaz and completing their business in the desert, Leon and his party left for Jugend the very next day. The Bedouin people were a little disappointed that they had never been able to treat their benefactor to a festival, but they understood that there was an urgent situation.
Leon, Karen, and Ellahan, who accelerated in earnest, were able to reach the western border of Jugend in less than a day.
12 areas.
Previously, when leaving for the Great Desert, it was the place where three people were taken by airship from Area 1.
“From here, let’s move to the non-aircraft ship.”
Leon, who revealed his identity and entered Area 12, explained the reason.
The situation was very simple.
The Kingdom of Jugend was a country with well-equipped defense facilities, including a fortress, unlike the great deserts or grasslands where most of the territory was close to the lordless mountains. Also, the viewing distance of the telescope installed on the tall watchtower was ridiculous.
“If we move as we are now, Jugend’s defense system will definitely go on high alert. My wings are bound to be noticeable, and Ellahan’s way of moving is also a bit… .”
“It’s not a little loud, it’s a lot loud.”
As Leon looked at Ellahan and smiled bitterly, she seemed to agree with him. Among the three, Karen was the only one who had a quiet way of moving.
As her skill in the pitch-black dance, 〈Run Dance in the Darkness〉, increases, she is able to freely move in and out of the shadows.
From shadow to shadow.
Karen, who moved across space, was able to make not a single sound of footfall or breath.
She shrugged her shoulders and nodded.
“Well, then I guess there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Fortunately, I was able to board the airship right away.
As if the three were lucky, a round-trip airship arrived just a few hours after arriving at Area 12.
From there it was a quick walk to Area 1.
Jugend’s unique steel-colored scenery passed by, and the airship traversed hundreds of kilometers in the shortest possible distance. Unlike on the ground, there were no obstacles in the sky to block the path, so only the pure white clouds scattered helplessly to give way.
The sun, which had just reached mid-sky when we entered area 12, sets down on the western mountain along with the descent of the air ship.
Leon and the others landed at the dock while looking at the dusk.
It was then.
“-uh?”
The three people’s eyes widened almost simultaneously.
It had to be that way.
This was because Cardinal Irexana, whose physique was instantly recognizable even from a distance, was waiting for them.
He casually approached and bowed once.
“See you again. “I was waiting.”
“Cardinal, how… ?”
“When the three of you arrived at Area 12, you had already heard the news. “The flight times are always constant, so it was easy to just come out and wait.”
Irexana looked at Leon with a bright smile.
“And I heard all about the hero’s achievements. “You brought together two forces that had been enemies for a long time and defeated a great evil that was born in ancient times, right?”
“… “I just didn’t have enough strength.”
Leon responded to the compliment bitterly.
As a result, the Beastmen and Bedouins were reconciled, and Nephren Ka was also subjugated. With his capabilities, it was something he was able to do with a few strokes of luck.
However, every time I look back at those who died while fighting together, I think about them again.
I wish I were stronger than I am now.
I wish I could have taken them all down alone like Rodrik.
If only I could have opened the path by swinging the holy sword in my hand, rather than using someone else’s sacrifice as a stepping stone.
“it’s okay.”
Irexana said, grabbing his shoulder.
“Looking back and realizing your own shortcomings. However, you should not stop because of that regret. “Negative emotions are like clay, they stick to the body and then harden.”
So, you have to shake off the mud before it hardens.
What makes a person grow is sadness and pain rather than joy. However, if he sits down holding the pain in his arms, he will never be able to move forward.
Instead of denying or comforting Leon’s thoughts, Irexana told him to overcome his regrets and move on.
“Phew, I think I said something harsh to the person who came to pick me up for no reason. Thank you for your advice, Cardinal.”
“no. Confession is not the only job of a priest. “Guiding wandering people to their right path is a task that the goddess has entrusted to us.”
Irexana smiled, putting her hands together as if praying.
Although he looked like a general commanding a million troops, the benevolence in that smile was truly that of a cardinal.
“Hero, would you like to go to the church? If you have a separate schedule… .”
“Ah yes. “I need to stop by the guild for a moment.”
Those words reminded Leon of a business he had forgotten for a moment.
Promotion to S rank.
This is the goal of all members of the guild, something that can only be achieved by a few branches that hold the relevant authority.
Because they had to have not only enormous achievements but also master-level skills, the number of people was truly rare. Even in guilds that exerted influence across the continent, the number of S-rank adventurers and mercenaries registered was less than double digits.
Afterwards, with his answer, Ellahan walked out, showed Irexana the Seongcheolsae, and spoke.
“Cardinal, can you take a look at this?”
“Saint? This… hmm.”
Irexana’s eyes sank deeply.
He was an Auror Master and the best blacksmith in Jugend, and the state of the Seongcheolsae seen in his eyes was nothing short of a complete wreck.
“The internal structure is not damaged, but the condition is serious. “It would have been hard to believe that Seongcheolsoe could be destroyed like this until I saw it with my own eyes.”
Ellahan spoke in a cautious voice.
“Can you fix it?”
“of course. “It might have been difficult if even the core was damaged, but since the frame was just broken, it can be rebuilt quickly.”
“I would like to ask you for my armor as well.”
“… It will take a week of vigil. All right.”
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If it was an ordinary weapon, it would have been repaired in less than a day, but all of Ellahan’s weapons were top-level sacred weapons.
An armament with special metals, sacred methods, and not one or two, but more than ten methods that were said to have been put into practice hundreds of years ago. There was only one person in the current era who could repair it, Irexana.
After giving him both the Seongcheolsae and the ‘Sacred Barrier’, Ellahan bowed his head to the two people.
“Then I will be waiting for you at the church, warrior.”
It was a topic that was all talked about on the airship line.
Ellahan recovers the divine power he consumed while maintaining the weapon, and Leon and Karen complete their promotion applications at the guild.
Ellahan’s identity was already under suspicion because of his outstanding performance in the subjugation battle. Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s a suspicious guy, he just doesn’t look like a knight of iron chains.
‘But no one will want to ask you directly, so if you don’t show your face for a while, it will quickly quiet down.’
All rumors were like that.
Because the authenticity is not certain, it spreads easily and quickly disappears as time passes without any response.
Ellahan and Irexana.
Leon and Karen.
At the dock, the two parties separated for a moment and began moving toward different destinations.
Although the security in Area 1 was still tight, the pass given by Irexana was no different from a master key that allowed free entry and exit from any facility.
* * *
“I was waiting for you, Leon.”
When the two reached the guild in Area 1, there were no visitors other than them inside the branch.
Even in Area 1, which is famous for having few visitors, it is possible that at least a few people would have come, but it was not normal for everyone, even the counter staff, to be absent.
Leon, who soon realized the situation before and after, spoke.
“Are you biting people?”
“Yes, because the identity information of someone who may become S-rank is important. “We closed the branch two hours ago, leaving only employees with level 2 or higher confidentiality authorization.”
“Then you must be one of them.”
The man who greeted Leon and Karen, a man with impressive half-bald hair, smiled.
Although he was not comparable to the two, he was quite capable.
A level that can be considered a veteran even among expert levels.
An A-rank mercenary, how clearly is he higher than Garlond?
“of course. My name is Lugo and I am the guildmaster in charge of Area 1 branch of this Youth. i look forward to.”
Guildmaster Lugo politely introduced himself and led them to his room.
This is not an attitude toward dealing with just an adventurer.
If A rank was the elite of the guild, then S rank were skilled people who could never be replaced. Superhumans who can use even the slightest relationship as a weapon and have influence on the entire continent.
If you swear loyalty to the monarch, you can immediately become a great noble, and if you join a guild, you will immediately receive the highest ranking officer position.
Even if you fail to be promoted to S rank, the fact that you are qualified to take on the challenge is itself a reason to be treated well. Failure once does not mean that its value decreases. Even if I fail this time, it’s okay if I succeed next time.
“I heard a lot about Leon from Ryan and his friend. “Because of his temperament, he is a guy who doesn’t often praise others, but I thought his ears were tearing at that time.”
“Is that so?”
“yes.”
Lugo sat down across from Leon and the others, placing several documents on the table and explaining.
“In fact, even if it is a promotion to S rank, there is no particular difference from A rank. All you have to do is exceed the standards set in both performance and ability. The problem is that because the standard is so high, expedients are used or reports are manipulated.”
Lugo spoke as he laid out the documents one by one that he had probably already reviewed several times, or dozens of times.
The word [Approved] was clearly stamped in red.
“In the case of Mr. Leon, all the reports and previous actions of the adventurers who participated in the subjugation war have already been clearly proven. Above all, since the Holy Church directly guaranteed it, no one would dare to criticize Leon’s age.”
“You’re saying that’s not the end.”
“Yes, what I said was only related to ‘performance’.”
If the performance has been proven, there is only one remaining hurdle.
Proving your skills as an S rank.
If you think about it, performance can be compensated for over a long period of time, but skill level cannot be achieved. Just as an expert level person does not become equal to a master level person even if he or she stays at that level for 30 years.
So, in order to become an S-rank challenger, proof or testimony was needed that one had master-level skills.
It seems like Leon played a big role in this subjugation battle, and that’s what anyone would think.
Leon thought about those words for a moment and then asked back.
“I guess I’ll need an opponent to prove my skills, right?”
In order to recognize a master-level qualification, the person evaluating it must also reach an equal or superior level.
Lugo was not embarrassed by that reasonable point and agreed.
“It is as you said, Leon. So, as soon as our guild received the application for promotion to S rank, we searched for someone from the nearby area to be an examiner for this promotion process.”
“… no way!”
“Yes, we have invited an S-rank person who is currently on active duty.”
Like a person preparing a surprise gift and presenting it in front of his eyes, Lugo immediately revealed the name with a triumphant look on his face.
“<Sword Demon>, Cedric has decided to take charge of Leon-sama’s review. The scheduled arrival date is tomorrow, and we will proceed with the screening when you both think it is okay.”
