Overpowered Sword Chapter 53

Level up with swords (53)

The next morning.

Leon and Karen set out early in the morning, when the sun had not yet risen. The two people’s outfits were not much different from usual. Thanks to the sub-space bracelet, there was no need to carry separate luggage, and the upper management said it would cover groceries, etc.

Cesare, who came to see the two people off to the front door, put his hands together.

“May the Goddess protect you both on your journey. “The sun will watch over you during the day and the moon will watch over you at night.”

“Thank you so much, Bishop.”

Leon politely bowed as if responding to those words. Meeting Cesare was a great fortune for him.

Without this relationship, it would have been impossible to prevent “Devouring the City” in advance. You could truly say it was the guidance of a goddess. Even Leon, who had shallow religious beliefs, thought so.

“Hero.”

“This?”

It was a simple decorated necklace.

Sun and moon.

A sign symbolizing the Holy Order is hanging on a string of twine. It looked like an ordinary item, but when it touched my skin, I felt a subtle power radiating from it.

Objects imbued with magic are referred to as ‘magic tools’ or ‘artifacts’. So what about objects that contain sacred law?

“‘Holy object’… “This is it.”

“yes.”

Cesare nodded at what Leon said.

“It is an item that can use the sacred method of recovery. “Use it in situations where it is difficult to reveal the holy sword.”

It was an item of little significance to a warrior holding a holy sword, but it was absolutely necessary for Leon today.

If Leon, who is not a priest, uses the holy law casually, there will be people who doubt its identity. It was as if he had handed over a sacred object that could be used as an excuse for that time.

“And this relic has a hidden function.”

As Cesare said this, he turned over the sun and moon signs and showed the letters engraved behind them.

It is not a text that can be read visually.

Braille.

You have to trace it with your finger to know its meaning, and if you haven’t learned it, you can’t decipher it. Engraved on this necklace was a code braille used only within the Seongcheolsae Knights.

“If you deliver it to the upper echelons of the church, they will be able to summon all the nearby Holy Iron Knights. If someone other than the owner uses it, it can only be used once, so use it carefully.”

“Yes, I will gratefully accept it.”

Do you mean you have the authority to mobilize the Holy Iron Knights?

Leon even felt as if the necklace in his palm was getting heavier. They will not cooperate if it is not legitimate, but they can wield the strongest armed force on the continent.

Even if it is disposable, its value is difficult to calculate.

‘If something like this were to happen, it would be of great help.’

Leaving behind Cesare, who helped them until the end, they left the church where they had stayed for nearly a month.

The city at dawn was strangely quiet.

When the two arrived, passing through the deserted streets, Storm Merchant’s preparations had already been completed. Leon found the carriage he had seen yesterday and boarded it with Karen. Almost at the same time, the carriages that had finished checking the luggage began to move forward.

This is the moment when the long journey to the Titan Mountains begins.

“Good morning, Karen. And Leon.”

Arnold, the merchant who came next to their carriage, spoke warmly.

“How did you have breakfast?”

“Both are still there.”

It’s not like your body will do anything if you skip breakfast. Not only Leon but also Karen preferred to empty their stomachs.

But Arnold laughed happily at those words.

“Haha, just in case, I brought it myself like this.”

It was a basket containing white bread, fruit, and dried meat.

It wasn’t a business that would warrant the owner of the business to come in person, but he seemed to be concerned about being ranked A in many ways.

I guess it’s a consideration in its own way.

Unable to refuse such blatant favor, Leon accepted the food. He thought he had become quite familiar with the physiology of an adventurer, but he seemed to have underestimated the value of the A-rank name.

“You don’t have to worry this much… .”

As for how he reacted to his refusal, Arnold even waved his hand and said that it was no big deal.

For Leon, that attitude was burdensome.

In the end, it was only after Arnold had moved away in another carriage that he was able to catch his breath, and Karen, who was watching him respond from the side, giggled.

“Ahahaha, I guess this is your first time being treated like this? “You look like you’re uncomfortable and don’t know what to do, warrior.”

“It’s because of you.”

Leon sighed and answered those words bluntly.

This is my first time carrying out this type of request, but I know that the current treatment is not normal.

You could tell just by looking at the food in the basket.

Fresh fruit, soft bread, smoked meat, and even salty seasoning. There was literally no VIP treatment.

‘Well, it’s not a bad feeling.’

I’m just not used to it.

Leon followed Karen, who started eating first, and took a bite of the apple. It is overflowing with juice with a ‘crunching’ sound. This is evidence that the freshness has hardly deteriorated.

It was a situation that was clearly compared to people who were eating hard bread, let alone fruit.

However, I didn’t feel like eating the same meal. It’s not that I’m trying to avoid a difficult situation, but it’s also ridiculous to insist on unnecessary hardship.

“I think there are people who find it annoying.”

“huh?”

Karen, who was nibbling at the bread, tilted her head at those words. Because unlike Leon, she didn’t feel anything for her.

But soon I realized what it meant and smiled.

“Ah, I think we need to sort out the rankings.”

As an adventurer, she was much more senior.

To the point where Leon can see through everything without any explanation and even teach you simple solutions.

“… indeed.”

He took Karen’s advice to heart and nodded.

Adventurers and mercenaries were all the same.

Once the board is set, all you have to do is teach them the reality thoroughly.

In the meantime, the wheel must have stepped on a stone beak, and the El Cid hanging on Leon’s waist rattled inside the scabbard. The reflected light from the sword that came out momentarily flashed sharply.

* * *

The journey to the Storm Merchant Marine was smoother than expected.

Perhaps thanks to the rush from early in the morning, the carriages that left Blaine ran without hesitation through the empty streets. As about twenty carriages ran at once, a cloud of dust rose behind them, but the wind quickly dissipated it.

At first, Leon was looking outside through the windows on both sides of the carriage, but soon he became as calm as usual.

“How about it, nothing special?”

Karen said as if she knew that would happen.

You can only enjoy the scenery outside the city for a short time, but if you keep looking at it, it’s natural to get tired of it. There was no need to say more if Leon had a wider perspective than other people.

However, he expressed one discomfort.

“It’s faster than I thought.”

“carriage?”

“huh.”

Karen responded to those words indifferently.

“That’s because I only saw him walking around the city on a regular basis. When traveling long distances, carriage speed is the key? “It’s bound to be fast because the car body, which has lightweight magic engraved on it, is pulled by two course horses.”

“There’s a spell? In every carriage?”

“okay. Lightening is one of the most common and useful magic. “It consumes less horsepower, so it can be used for a long time at a low price.”

Unrelated people may not know it, but magic itself has already permeated every corner of civilization.

Temperature maintenance magic in a warehouse where food is stored.

Lightweight magic engraved on carriages, carts, etc.

Even floating magic used to transport construction materials.

Once you get a taste for it, you can’t escape it. It would have been nice to say it was a magician’s trick. People who learned about the convenience of magic bought it at a reasonable price, and wizards found a way to easily earn research funds, which were always tight.

The result of this cycle continuing for decades or over a hundred years was the commercialization of magic tools as we see today.

“It may not be all-purpose, but it is convenient in many ways.”

It was indeed as he said.

Thanks to the lightweight magic, the horses were able to continue running without exhaustion. Except for a drink of water or the occasional breather, the carriage literally never stopped for a moment.

Running all day, the speed of movement is very fast.

Compared to walking, it is dozens of times different. Leon suddenly felt like a fool for walking all the way to Blaine.

“But lightweighting isn’t always applied in a good way.”

Karen spoke calmly while looking out the window.

“The car body is lighter, so if the terrain gets a little rough, it doesn’t get shaken significantly by the impact. If the horses fall even once, it is a disaster. So, if you enter a rough area, you need to disable the lightweight magic.”

“Ah, then from then on… .”

“It will be much slower than it is now.”

Only then did Leon understand all the pros and cons of lightweighting.

I heard it would take at least two months to reach the Titan Mountains, and I was wondering why it was taking so long at this speed.

Any doubts arising from lack of experience were completely resolved.

‘… Now that I think about it, I received a map.’

Open the map given by the merchant and find Blaine.

Leon traced the location with his finger and measured the distance to where the Titan Mountains were drawn.

One border, five territories, and three mountains had to be crossed.

It was a distance that would take years to cover on foot.

“Let me see.”

Before he knew it, Karen came next to him and placed her chin on his shoulder.

“We will continue to be in the plains for the next three days, and then we will enter the forest. There must be a lot of flying insects at this time… .”

“Isn’t there any insect repellent magic?”

“It was popular once, but they said it was not used because it could irritate monsters like Giant Mantis.”

As her joking words turned into serious words, Leon realized that she truly hated flying insects.

Otherwise, there would be no way I would have found out about the circumstances behind it.

“I guess they put some insect repellent on the outside of the carriage… . “If necessary, I’ll dilute the poison I mixed up and spray it on.”

“It’s probably the kind that doesn’t work on people, right?”

Then Karen averted her eyes with a shocked expression.

“hey.”

“… “As long as you don’t drink too much, you’ll be fine.”

‘maybe?’ Karen laughed, her eyebrows blurring, but she didn’t know that Leon’s raised eyebrows would lower.

It was a poison made by a top assassin, so it could have killed someone instead of an insect. In the end, it was Leon who accepted the promise to only use poison that was harmless to humans.

It was then.

-stop! I’m going to camp around here today!

The sun had already set, and the twilight was burning red on the distant horizon.

The carriage the two people were riding in also gradually slowed down and soon stopped.

“Shall we get off too?”

When Leon asked, Karen lay down as if she was annoyed.

“I’m not hungry so I’m done. If you feel frustrated, go out alone and come back. “If you need anything, please call me right away.”

“okay.”

Unlike him, who was unfamiliar with everything, Karen seemed familiar.

Above all, her every action was bound to attract other people’s attention, so it was considerate not to step forward for no reason.

There wasn’t much for the adventurer to do during the ascent. Lower-ranked adventurers could have tried to make a good impression by helping out with some chores, but they couldn’t do that because they would feel burdened by the top level if they were B-rank adventurers.

So Leon got off the carriage and decided to quietly watch the people moving about.

‘You have to prepare from around this time to avoid any setbacks in camping.’

There was a lot to learn just by watching.

The person who lights the bonfire, the person who places the pot on it, the person who feeds the horses that pull the carriage all day.

The entire upper part moves in unison as if it were one body.

It was clear that they had been working on this together for a long time.

Perhaps that’s why the presence of foreign substances was felt more clearly.

‘… I thought they would approach me if I was alone.’

Leon didn’t turn around at the sight of a figure approaching from behind, and spoke as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Do you have any business?”

Perhaps because the question was unexpected, those who approached hesitated for a moment before someone spoke on behalf of them.

“It’s business, so you’re talking like you’re the employer.”

“If you think so, isn’t that what it sounded like?”

“under.”

The man who snorted spoke in a slightly harsh tone.

“Are you planning on using that prestige just because you’re accompanying an A-rank? “Your thoughts are as young as your face.”

“well. “When they come together against one person, who will have the upper hand?”

“… Are you going to keep talking like that?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s what I have to say.”

Leon looked back at the mercenaries with a cold, hard face.

“Tell me honestly. “I feel bad because I am not treated well because my skills and experience are inferior to a younger person.”

“You… !”

The mercenaries ran out of patience and walked out.

Still, there was a perception that it would be unsightly to fight against one person, but no one reached for a weapon.

The four mercenaries and Leon confront each other with wide eyes.

It was a moment when the merchants, reading the harsh atmosphere, were making noise.

“Okay, that’s it.”

Karen appeared like a ghost and burrowed in among them.

“Why are grown men complaining? “If you don’t believe in my skills, you can check it yourself.”

“Are you serious?”

“why? “Do you think I’ll take his side?”

When Karen opened her eyes wide, the mercenaries were pushed back by the murderous force and then clenched their teeth.

As expected from B-rank skilled players, they are not completely overwhelmed.

Four mercenaries, among them a man who appeared to be a captain, spoke.

“… great. “If you arbitrate fairly, we will change our attitude toward him depending on the outcome of the game.”

“good.”

Karen, who grinned at those words, immediately turned to Leon.

“You don’t mind if I stick with you right now, right?”

“are you okay.”

It was the same flow as the conversation in the carriage earlier.

If the mercenaries had any prejudice against him, all they had to do was use force to shatter their narrow-minded mentality.

‘Because in the end, skill is everything on this floor.’

As he watched the people retreating in a circle at Karen’s gesture, Leon pulled out the sword from his waist.

Holy sword El Cid.

The sword, which was always talkative, was strangely silent.

“They are B-rank veteran mercenaries… .”

Golden-colored eyes looked at the faces of the four people, and immediately turned cold.

“I don’t think I’ll lose.”

It was his honest impression.