Level up with swords (262)
‘I knew there would be more elf church members like Bishop Cesare, but I never thought there would be one cardinal.’
Elf.
There were very few people in their lives who had never heard of that race, even if they had never seen it with the naked eye.
A species with longer ears than humans, a beautiful appearance, and a long lifespan that coexists in nature.
They are better at handling bows than swords, and are naturally skilled at elemental magic. The potential of each person far exceeds that of humans, so even though the difference in number is overwhelming, there is no history of being dominated like the beast people of the past.
They are considered representatives of the sub-race along with dwarves, and unlike dwarves who actively interact with humans, they are also famous for maintaining a closed-minded attitude at the tribal level.
“Oh, no, it’s not like that. “I didn’t know that the Cardinal was an elf, so I apologized anyway!”
Karen took a step back at his sharp reaction and apologized.
Then William tilted his head for a moment and narrowed his eyes as if he had seen something.
“You’re mixed race. “Is it the dark elf side?”
“!”
“Nothing to be surprised. “I learned this from the reactions of the spirits.”
When Karen’s complexion worsened, Leon took a step forward, as if blocking her path.
Facing the Second Cardinal, he opened his eyes fiercely.
‘I don’t know what the elves think of the dark elves, but I can’t let Karen get hurt.’
Externally, the elves have a good reputation, perhaps because they are perceived as guardians of the forest and guardians of nature. In addition, she was often targeted by slave traders and vicious nobles because of her beauty, but her beautiful appearance was a factor that immediately attracted people’s favor.
However, in the case of dark elves, it was a bit different.
An ominous skin color, body movements specialized for secretive behavior, and even a nocturnal behavior pattern that forces one to be close to darkness and shadows.
“Heh.”
But William looked at the two people in turn, and then even laughed and raised both hands.
“I’m sorry. I seem to have misunderstood, but I don’t particularly hate dark elves. “He may sympathize with the prejudice and suffering he has had to endure since childhood, but he cannot join that group of narrow-minded people.”
“prejudice… Is it?”
“of course. If elves like me are closer to the day, dark elves are closer to the night. “Day and night are all part of Mother Nature’s cycle, so we should not criticize that aspect as evil.”
As befits a cardinal, I felt quite wise in his answer.
Karen, perhaps relieved, slipped out from behind Leon and stood facing him like the others.
William said.
“If it’s the saint’s party, he’s probably the hero. Am I right?”
“Yes, my name is Leon.”
“Then that one is—Hmm?!”
William then passed the three people and turned to Albion and Rodelin, and his eyes suddenly widened.
Even his expressionless face was colored with astonishment.
He stepped in front of Albion and bowed down on one knee to show respect. Since kneeling on both knees was only done to honor the goddess, it was like showing extreme respect as a member of the Holy Order.
To the elves, the dragons were what they should be.
“William Artur, of the World Tree clan, meets the Adjuster.”
“You’re a high elf pro. “Even when faced with the deteriorating appearance of this body, you immediately see through its essence. You are well-disciplined.”
“I just feel sorry for the indignant praise.”
William, humbled by Albion’s words, asked a question.
“I heard that there is one coordinator left. “He didn’t know he would come to this terrible place.”
“I think so too. “If it weren’t for my connection with the previous warrior, I wouldn’t have approached him on my own.”
“With the Holy King… Indeed, I understand.”
William may have learned something from the brief question and answer, but without further inquiry, he turned to Leon and the others.
It was their turn to hear the business that had come up with the ‘famous song’.
“Listen to the story.”
Of course, Leon answered that question.
* * *
Tens of minutes passed since then.
There were quite a few things that Leon and his group had experienced so far, so it took quite a long time to tell them all.
From the troops gathered in the Clyde Empire, to the paving stones prepared by the evil church throughout the empire, to the devastation of the imperial capital Karelum, to the descent of the <Devil King> and to the information obtained from his will.
William was listening with his characteristic expressionless expression, but he occasionally clenched his fists as if he couldn’t remain calm in his heart.
And when Leon finished speaking,
“It must have been a big deal. There seemed to be a lot of bad omens in Clyde, but I never thought it would lead to such a big commotion.”
William let out a deep and long sigh.
“There will inevitably be friction between the Clyde and its neighboring countries for the next 30 years. “Because we have suffered a great blow both internally and externally, our borders will also retreat.”
The decline of a powerful country is soon reflected as an opportunity for neighboring countries.
When Lian ascended to the throne as the new emperor, internal strife that could have led to the collapse of the country itself was avoided, but the resentment of the countries that were crushed under the feet of the empire was a karma that could not be resolved by any means.
The loss of the army in this incident was painful in order to protect the land that had grown too large due to repeated wars of conquest over several generations.
As they gradually close the border, they retreat to key points in each defense, to the point where they have no choice but to make plans for an unknown future.
“Furthermore, it is a tragedy that the archbishop of the evil cult was the orchestrator. “I would never have thought that the most noble guardian of this land would betray his will.”
If elves are the guardians of Mother Nature, dragons are the guardians of this world.
For the elves who considered their duty a matter of pride, the dragon people were more proud than they were.
While William was mocking himself like that, he caught Albion’s attention.
“There is nothing to worry about. “Because he is no longer my kin.”
“Excuse me.”
William, who responded to her words with cold sweat and turned to Leon, immediately changed the topic.
“Hero, did you say you came to ‘Famous Songs’ for training?”
“Ah yes.”
“Then let me tell you some cautions based on my experience. “If you go in knowing everything, you won’t be able to train, so let’s narrow down only the basic information and things you shouldn’t know.”
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“thank you.”
William was a veteran who had already visited this ‘famous song’ dozens of times on a regular basis, and had accumulated over a year of exploration time.
The information he personally selected was truly beneficial.
Leon listened calmly without questioning a single word.
‘… ‘It wasn’t chosen as one of the four great demons for nothing.’
A land where both the living and the dead can exist equally.
At first glance, it may sound like paradise, but its meaning is a state of neither death nor life.
For those who live in the forest shrouded in the fog of ‘Famous Songs’, their blood, which should be warm, becomes cold, and their vital activities gradually slow down. It is said that the need for both breathing and eating disappears, and there is no problem in moving even if you do not eat, drink, or breathe.
However, if you stay in that state for too long, your body will deteriorate into a body that cannot live outside the fog, and you will mutate into a monster with every part of your body rotted alive.
“If you protect your body with an aura, you can prevent the mutation, but the monsters in ‘Famous Songs’ are able to read the presence of beings that resist the fog. The fog itself is no different from the guards in ‘Famous Songs.’”
“Is there anything I need to pay special attention to?”
“If I had to pick one thing, the monsters in ‘Famous Songs’ are basically all immortal. Even if you break it in two or grind it into small pieces, it will regenerate after a while. “It would be a different story if you cut it with a holy sword, but it cannot be completely defeated with attacks other than the holy sword.”
William said while tapping his finger on his bow.
“Even with an attack combining Holy Law and <Auror Blade>, there was a limit to cutting down its existence, and it was impossible to destroy it. “If you drag it out of the fog’s range, it will return to dirt in a few seconds, but if you go deeper, you won’t be able to use this method.”
Leon nodded his head at those words and bowed once.
“Thank you, Cardinal, for your advice.”
“I just did my duty, so there is no reason to be thanked.”
William gave his usual indifferent answer, then turned to Karen and Ellahan and asked a question.
“Hero, are you planning to take your companions with you as well?”
“If this experience can help them.”
“is it.”
For some reason, he closed his eyes for a moment and thought,
“If it’s okay, can I teach you two?”
“… “The Cardinal?”
An unexpected proposal was presented to me.
Second Cardinal William’s words seemed surprising to both of them, so everyone’s eyes widened.
Rather than the unexpectedness of those words, Leon was more curious about what William could teach Karen and Ellahan. As if he sensed his question, William slowly opened his mouth.
“It seems like you came purely to sharpen your martial arts, so I can’t help you, but the rest are different.”
“What do you plan to teach?”
“That mixed-blood child needs to know how to communicate with spirits, but the saintess is still unskilled in understanding and operating sacred laws. “If she can fix that, she will be of great help in the fight against the archbishop.”
Karen, who was listening next to me, shouted in surprise.
“Can I use elemental magic?”
“Dark elves are also members of the elf race. There is a high possibility that it is not a pure elemental world, but the innate aptitude will be sufficient.”
“Wow!”
Ellahan muttered sullenly next to the happy Karen.
“… I’m still very immature. “I need to work harder.”
The two people seemed happy about it, so Leon nodded, unable to find any reason to object.
If the characteristics of ‘Famous Song’ are the same as what William said, unlike him who handles the holy sword, Karen and Ellahan are at a disadvantage in many ways when dealing with monsters.
There is no way poison or vital points exist for monsters with immortality, and if they can regenerate even if they are destroyed by holy magic, it will end up being an endless war of attrition.
“Albion, please stay with the two of us.”
“It was already going to be like that.”
Taking Albion, who is rapidly becoming helpless within the demon world, will only become a burden again. She didn’t know either, so she used Leon’s request as her justification and made a suitable place for her to sit.
I was thinking of making the two people train as eye candy.
Leon finally asked Rodelin, who was waiting for his orders.
“What do you want to do?”
Rodelin tilted her head at those words.
“I’m not sure what your question means.”
“hmm?”
“If the Master orders us to accompany him, we will comply. If you command him to remain in this place, he will comply. “Regardless of free will, the Master’s orders are the decisions I make.”
It’s not a human way of thinking.
Only then was Leon able to recognize that this cute little girl was a being far from human. Even though she embraces her self through dragon magic and possesses intelligence and abilities far superior to most people, she does not choose what to do on her own.
Obeying the orders of someone perceived as the master.
That must be the only and unique proposition for Golem.
“… Well, if it’s you, you won’t have any problem with the fog of ‘famous songs’.”
“The outer contamination ability cannot even break down the protective wall of my core body. “If you are equipped with external combat armor, you can be assured of perfect defense even when entering the depths of the demonic realm.”
Leon agreed to Rodelin’s words and turned to the ‘famous song’.
There is no time to delay here.
Now that the Archbishop, who had been crouching for centuries, has begun to move, the explosive power will be more enormous than imagined.
I had to reach the minimum qualifications to fulfill my role as a warrior as quickly as possible.
“Are you planning to go right away?”
“yes.”
Leon answered William without turning around.
Before we knew it, the two people were also silent.
Feeling his eyes on my back, I take a step forward.
The solitude that I had thought I was familiar with from a long time ago enveloped my body once again, but the presence of a figure slowly following me and the weight of the sword hanging from my waist calmed my mind.
“I will be back.”
After leaving a word to Karen and Elahan, Leon took a few more steps and crossed the border of the ‘famous song’.
It was that moment.
[Guweek! What kind of smell is this!]
Leon, who was left speechless by El Cid, immediately blocked his sense of smell.
Otherwise, the gastric juice that had reached my throat would have come out.
As soon as I penetrated the fog of ‘Famous Songs’, all kinds of bad smells permeated my nasal passages.
[It smells like a rag that has been soaked in sh*t water for a few days and not dried!]
‘… ‘Can’t you stop because that analogy makes you even more disgusted?’
Leon waved his hand once while making a sincere request.
Then, the flames that spewed out from the palm burned the fog, clearing up the hazy vision.
Rodelin saw this and pulled Leon’s collar.
“Master, shall we gain visibility?”
“huh? Oh yeah. please.”
“All right. It creates a ‘Fire-Wave’ and removes the fog from the path.”
Rodelin took a step forward with her back to him and opened her small palm, and a 4th level attack magic was unleashed without chanting.
The magic imprint designed by the dragon goes beyond the common sense of modern magic.
The fire, which swept in a radius of 50 meters, cleared away even the stale air from ‘Famous Songs’ and ensured visibility.
but.
“-I don’t think it works.”
“It is presumed to be the restorative power of the magic mirror itself. Fundamental destruction is impossible in the current state.”
As soon as the fire cleared away, the fog came back in, vaguely hiding the briefly revealed terrain.
It was a type of interference that had nothing to do with vision.
Even if you infuse aura into both eyes, it cannot penetrate the fog.
In the end, it was only after turning on the ‘Stigmata of the Beholder’ that Leon was able to look directly at the demonic realm covered in fog. Even with that, the visibility was only about a hundred meters.
“You’re coming. “The hospitality of the guests is very kind.”
“Shall we dispose of it?”
“No, focus on self-defense until I give you orders.”
Rodelin agreed, took a few steps back, and unfolded her shield.
It is ‘Exile Barrier’.
It was not a magic that could be penetrated by monsters wandering around the outskirts, even the monsters of the Four Major Demonic Realms. Leon was taken aback by the sight and pulled out the holy sword.
Even the moist air seemed to be cut by the sound.
“El Cid.”
[okay.]
El Cid answered the call and said:
[I will give you the first task. From now on, you must not use techniques such as ‘Aura Blade’ or ‘Aura Weapon’. All techniques that allow Aurors to be released outside of the sword are prohibited.]
“… what?”
[Your ‘Sun Sword’ and ‘Seven Star Sword’ are too strong and convenient. It gathers light and heat to form a blade, so not only does it have a great range, but its power is also great. Perhaps that’s why your swordsmanship tended to become increasingly sloppy.]
El Cid pointed out, not paying attention to Leon’s surprise.
[For warriors, interconnection is life and the border of the world. You have to get it right from the beginning in this famous song.]
“Kill them all with one sword, that’s it.”
[Yeah, it’s simple and easy, right?]
El Cid chuckled.
[Let’s cut down about a thousand as a warm-up and then move on.]