Chapter 0140 <
-x-X-x-
There are three great powers in the Central Nations.
The northern empire, the Debuhi Empire.
The Kingdom of the South, the Kingdom of Knightley.
And the eastern coalition, the Handal Union.
The Handal Union borders the Kingdom in the southwest and the Empire in the northwest.
The Empire overwhelms the other two in all aspects, but the Kingdom and Union had long been in equilibrium. However, it was the 『Great War』 that occurred between the two countries ten years ago that greatly disrupted that balance.
The result was an overwhelming victory for the Kingdom.
The Union ceded part of its territory to the Kingdom, assigned certain vassal states to the Kingdom, and allowed the complete independence of some small nations.
One of them was the Inbury Duchy, which borders the southern part of the Union and the eastern part of the Kingdom.
The complete independence of the Inbury Duchy, which is a small country but has many important resources, was a big blow to the Union.
"Kukukukuku. Ahahahaha. Wah ha ha ha ha."
Jaycrea, the capital of the Handal Union.
Laughter echoed in the governor's office.
"Your Excellency ..."
When the owner of the room laughed enough, the aide who brought the report called out.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but didn't you read it too, Lumber? A report of chaos in the Kingdom Capital. The annihilation of the Kingdom's Knights' Order, the enormous damage to the aristocrats and their families, and the incompetence of the leaders who couldn't take effective measures. How could I not laugh at this?"
Sir Aubrey laughed again.
However, after laughing for a while, he frowned a little and continued his words.
"But this makes the matter clear. His Majesty Stafford isn't acting normal."
Sir Aubrey spoke the name of King Stafford IV of the Kingdom of Knightley.
"It's certainly strange for King Stafford, who is touted as wise and great."
Lumber also nodded a little.
"Sickness? Or …"
"Or...?"
"Is it the work of someone other than us …"
Sir Aubrey said so and shook his head several times.
"The Kingdom's citizens are unfortunate … they can't do anything on their own."
"That's the weakness of concentrating power on a single person."
"If it's dispersed, it would take time to make a decision. If it's concentrated, the impact of losing that person is too great. Human organizations never go the way they are intended to."
"Your Excellency, I was able to confirm it, it is true. The seeds that we finally planted in the Duke of Flitwick's house … were lost."
"Oh … Viscount Fletcher. We finally promoted him to the point where he managed to take control of the Duke's authority, but he died … And he failed to draw in the Hero. Well, the Hero wasn't in our plans. It's okay since he didn't bother us. It was certainly unexpected that the Duke's residence would be damaged."
Sir Aubrey continued with a slightly bitter face.
"Even so, the Duke's residence was swallowed by the appearance of more monsters than we had imagined … I wonder what the cause was for that …"
"I'm sorry. I do not know yet."
"Well, I guess that's to be expected."
Sir Aubrey didn't expect answers in such a short time.
In the first place, it was a 『ball』 that was purchased from a suspicious source.
"What did you call it … yes, the 『Jewel』? Is it possible to get another?"
"I considered doing so and tried to contact the person who arranged it again, but I couldn't get in touch."
Sir Aubrey's question was answered by Aide Lumber, bowing his head.
"Hmm, so they have disappeared? We were able to incite chaos in the Kingdom so it's a good outcome. Moreover, if the Kingdom's Knights' Order was destroyed, they wouldn't be able to provide reinforcements to other countries … it is finally time."
"Yes. We will be able to go into battle in four months."
"Four months later … at the end of spring?"
Sir Aubrey grinned and muttered further.
"Duke of Inbury, I'll make you kneel in front of the Union once more."
-x-X-x-
"Everyone, good work."
Willy, the eighth prince of the Kingdom of Ju, called out to the staff and knights who defended the embassy.
Among the destruction of many aristocratic residences due to the sudden appearance of monsters, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Ju did not allow monsters to overrun them until the end.
Of course, it also had a lot to do with the location of the embassy.
The damage this time was mostly in the aristocratic district on the north side of the royal capital.
In the area from north to northwest of the district.
From the Kingdom's Knights' Order in the north, which was the point of origin, to the Elven Autonomous Region in the northwest.
The damage in that area was enormous.
On the other hand, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Ju was located in a place that could be said to be barely in the aristocratic district, east of the Sanctum.
It was a questionable location to build an embassy and would not be if the Kingdom of Ju were a large country, but this time it aided them so it couldn't be said to be completely bad.
Even so, if you looked around, there were some damages … so it was not only the location but also the actions of the embassy staff that defended them from being overrun.
Prince Willy himself happened to be stationed in the embassy that day to accommodate guests from the Knightley royal family.
Originally he was supposed to go to school because that day was the first day of the transfer to school, but they changed it to two days later in a hurry.
Fortunately.
The location of the school was close to the Sanctum.
If he was in school … Thinking about it, Prince Willy was really happy to have stayed at the embassy.
In a way, he didn't go to school because of the guest from the royal family … so he was grateful to the guest in his heart.
The guest, Crown Prince Knightley, returned to the royal palace by carriage.
"He gave such accurate instructions …"
The instructions given by the crown prince in rapid succession showed Prince Willy that he had much to learn, as he watched from his side.
"When everything calms down, I have to visit the castle and express my gratitude."
It was the safety of his acquaintances in the royal capital that worried Prince Willy.
However, he still had very few acquaintances.
"Teacher … is probably fine. I can only imagine him destroying everything in an instant even if he was surrounded by hundreds of monsters."
Willy thought of Ryo, who he calls 『Teacher』.
To Willy, who can use Water-Attribute Magic, he is his teacher.
However, Willy had never seen Ryo annihilate his enemies … he haven't seen it, but he already had the image that he could easily do so.
"So I'm sure he's okay."
He said and nodded once.
"Apart from Teacher … Cohn?"
The adventurer who escorted him from the Inbury Duchy.
He told him that he was free to use the Embassy of the Kingdom of Ju, but he never saw him after he received the reward.
Maybe he wasn't in the royal capital anymore.
"If that's the case, he would be spared of the injuries from this incident so that's fine too."
With those thoughts in mind, Willy shook his head several times and looked out.
-x-X-x-
By the time the Royal Capital chaos occurred, Cohn had already left the Royal Capital.
C-rank adventurer Cohn of the Inbury Duchy.
That was a fact.
But he was also very close to the Duchy government.
Cohn, who appeared in the Adventurer's Guild of the Royal Capital, confirmed that a letter addressed to him had arrived there.
"Set off immediately to the embassy."
A very short text. However, the letter gave a sense of urgency.
Embassy of the Inbury Duchy.
There, his identity was confirmed and the instructions directly from the Duchy Government were received.
He checked the contents and frowned.
The instructions were thrown into the fire of the fireplace, and after confirming that it was completely burnt, he left the room.
"It's a lot of money, but infiltration is always too dangerous …"
After muttering softly, he left the Royal Capital.
As a result, he was not involved in the turmoil of the Royal Capital.
The Duchy government instructions.
Simply put, it was an order for espionage.
The Duchy was still a very young nation, ten years since its complete independence.
Aside from its bureaucracy, its intelligence organization was said to be excellent, but still at a small scale.
However, information gathering was essential for the survival of a small country.
Therefore, the Duchy government engaged adventurers, belonging to the Duchy with proven loyalty, in intelligence activities.
With the resources it possesses, it was a powerful card that could only be achieved by the Inbury Duchy, which was one of the wealthiest small countries.
Moreover, many of the selected members were those who engaged in the behind-the-scenes work of the Duchy in the 『Great War』 ten years ago and fought by hitting the Union from the back.
They were by no means disposable and were very useful human resources for the Duchy, and were one of the factors that the Duchy gained considerable power in just ten years.
Cohn was one of those adventurers.
And Cohn's destination this time was Jaycrea, the capital of the Handal Union.
-x-X-x-
Ilarion Baraha was probably the Magician who represented the Kingdom of Knightley.
In the Kingdom, once you take on the position of 『Court Magician』, your livelihood would be safe for the rest of your life.
That's because it was a position that was only available to those with a high level of ability, especially in the use of magic.
Court Magicians were the elite among the elite and essentially Magician royal guards.
Their leader was Ilarion Baraha, the Head Court Magician.
His position was never shaken in the last thirty years.
Ilarion was the Kingdom's representative Magician but he was away from the Royal Capital at the time of the Royal Capital chaos.
From a small clue, he chased after a person and went east.
Needless to say, when he came back, he was surprised to see the damaged Royal Capital.
By the time he went straight to the Royal Palace, finished some meetings and some talks, and returned to the 『Kingdom Magic Research Institute』, it was already dark.
His office was located on the top floor.
He could hear the voices coming from his office even in the corridor.
"Now that I think about it, Abel and his party are here."
With that in mind, he opened the door, stepped inside, and froze.
Because there were ten people there.
In an office that would normally be empty without Abel's party, there were now so many people … it was something that had never happened in decades.
"Oh, Master, welcome back."
The first person to greet him was Rin, the Wind-Attribute Magician who was Ilarion's disciple.
"Ah, yeah."
Ilarion could only reply with that as he was still in shock.
"Gramps, Roman and his party are here because they have no place to stay."
Abel then reported to Ilarion, gesturing toward Roman and his party with his chin.
"So … who is this Roman?"
"Hero Roman and his party."
"...Hah?"
Abel answered with the truth but it was incomprehensible to Ilarion at the moment.
Seeing the Hero and his party in his home after a long absence … anybody would find it incomprehensible.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Roman, Hero of the Western Countries. I am grateful to receive the honor of staying at the laboratory of the Kingdom's representative Magician Ilarion."
"Ye-yeah. Make yourselves at home."
Hero Roman, who looked like an honest young man, greeted him politely.
Ilarion was not as cruel as to chase such a young man away.
Thus, the Hero party secured a place to stay in the Royal Capital.
-x-X-x-
Three weeks after the chaos in the Royal Capital.
The Royal Capital had finally regained its calm and was slowly on its path to recovery.
Two adventurers were walking on the Third Highway leading from the Royal Capital to the south.
The common combination of a Swordsman and a Magician.
Sera and the other Crimson Swords apart from Abel returned to the City of Rune with the Knights of Rune material transfer team.
Sera was reluctant to return at first but in the end, was convinced by Ryo that he would return soon.
It was Priest Rihya who was not convinced … but because an urgent request from the Temple of Rune came to Rihya through the Royal Capital Sanctum, she had no choice but to return with the material transfer team in tears.
Abel was called by his brother, the Crown Prince, and had a lot of work to do so he couldn't return …
Even if she was with the Knights of Rune, they felt uneasy letting Rihya return on her own so Rin and Warren also returned to the City of Rune as Rihya's escort.
Rihya forced Abel to promise to 『Return with Ryo』.
She felt that most problems could be solved if Ryo was with him.
Thus, a week after the party left, Abel and Ryo were finally leaving the Royal Capital and returning to the City of Rune.
"All things considered … why didn't it happen in the Royal Capital …"
"...Ha?"
Ryo's mutter was heard by Abel walking next to him.
And Abel was stunned.
From Abel's reaction, Ryo realized that his mutter was louder than he had expected.
"No, just so you don't misunderstand, I was referring to the lack of story-like developments like Fighting Tournaments or Schooling Arc which are the trademark developments for light novels, right?"
"Yeah, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Ryo explained it clearly but Abel couldn't understand it at all.
"You see, usually, when it comes to the Royal Capital Arc, there would be times where you can jump on the chance to participate in a fighting tournament and become successful, or when you enter a school and everyone praises you 'Ryo-san is strong~'. But that didn't happen this time in the Royal Capital."
"Oh, yeah … Ryo sometimes says things that I don't understand. No, not sometimes, all the time!"
"So harsh..."
Ryo pretended to be hurt by Abel's rant.
"This is the scene of a hurt Ryo."
"Somehow, I feel like I'm the bad guy here …"
"Abel, don't mind it~"
"No, it's your fault!"
Before he knew it, Ryo switched positions to encourage the person he falsely accused and Abel snapped back.
"Haaa … I mean, there's never been a fighting tournament held in the Royal Capital. At least, not for the last 100 years."
"Eh..."
"Speaking of fighting competitions, the one in the Imperial Capital is famous."
Abel told a terrifying fact, Ryo fell into despair, and Abel illuminated a new hope once more.
"Debuhi Empire!"
"They hold it once every four or five years. I think it is somewhat like a commemoration tournament that which adventurers from other countries can also participate."
"I see, and it's coming soon, right!?"
"Nope, it was just held last year, so it won't be held for a while."
Ryo bet on a slim hope and Abel denied him head-on.
Ryo was depressed.
"What misfortune …"
"You mentioned school but Ryo is already an adult? I don't think you can enroll in school."
"It doesn't matter. It's the default to enter school and be told that you're strong~ or that's impossible~!"
"Hmm, yeah, I don't understand you after all."
Abel shook him away with one hand.
Ryo was dejected because of his excessive response…
"By the way, Ryo, didn't you hang out with Kenneth for the last week or so?"
Ignoring the dejected Ryo, Abel asked.
"Yes. I was taught from the basics of alchemy to the inner mysteries of it. We also made an incredible potion together. With this, I am also a full-fledged member of Alchemy!"
Ryo returned to normal in an instant and emphasized his achievements under Baron Kenneth Hayward, the genius Alchemist.
"Isn't it impossible to reach the inner mysteries of a field in just a week?"
However, Abel denied Ryo's achievements without hesitation.
If a third party was listening, they would fully agree with Abel's opinion too.
"Well, maybe inner mysteries were an overstatement, but I have become an advanced user!"
"Isn't that impossible too?"
"Impossible impossible impossible … is Abel only capable of denying? You can't nurture a disciple that way."
"I don't have disciples … I don't think Ryo does either, sheesh."
When Abel said that, Ryo grinned.
"Abel … your information is outdated! I already have five disciples!"
"Im-impossible …"
Abel was stunned to hear Ryo say with pride.
Obviously. The fact that Ryo could have disciples was unbelievable.
"There were five children who were apprentice merchants in the Inbury Duchy … and His Royal Highness Prince Willy. Oops, there were six instead of five. Huhuhu."
Abel didn't know why but he felt very irritated when he saw Ryo looking so proud of it.
"Are they … magic disciples?"
"Of course. I'm a Magician. What were you thinking?"
"Magic … Swordsmen?"
"Magic Swordsmen!? That sounds cool! Abel has good sense! I might start calling myself Magic Swordsman Ryo from now on."
Abel called it something suitable and Ryo got hooked.
"Haa, but there's the saying that he who chases after two rabbits will get none. I'll focus on just magic after all … I'll give up on the path of the sword."
"Yeah, I think you're already pretty advanced on the path of the sword."
"I won't fall into your trap! You'll let me do both and when I can't master either, you would say 'You're in this state now because you got carried away.' with a condescending attitude, right? Abel is so terrible."
"Just how devilish am I in your mind …"
A travel companion.
Traveling in two was more fun than traveling alone … he would never get tired of it.
The first night's stay was in the Town of Deopham which was a satellite city of the Royal Capital.
The Town of Deopham was the first large town to the south of the Royal Capital and served as a post town.
From that town, it splits into the 『Third Highway』 that leads to the largest city in the south, Acre, and the 『South Highway』 that leads to the City of Rune.
"This inn is wonderful! There is a large communal bath!"
"Ryo sure loves baths. That's why I decided to stay here. It's safe too because it's a well-known inn in Deopham. We can sleep at night with peace of mind."
"Abel … wonderful! I'll treat dinner today. Please eat whatever you wish."
"Yeah, since dinner is included in the price for this inn, which has already been paid in advance."
"You caught me …"
The operation to earn a favor from Abel failed.
Day 2.
After leaving Deopham, the two were walking on the 『South Highway』 to Rune.
"Abel, have you noticed?"
"Yeah. A somewhat unpleasant gaze. It's been around since we left the inn."
"As expected of a B-rank adventurer. I've always wanted to say something like 'I can feel a gaze'."
Ryo admired Abel's words a little.
"Ryo didn't feel it through the gaze?"
"Nope, with magic …"
"Isn't that more reliable!?"
He got angry at Ryo for some reason.
"But … why are they looking at us? If they want gold, they should definitely aim for a merchant? This South Highway is one of the roads that represent the Kingdom. There are many caravans to aim for. On the other hand, trying to commit a crime on such a crowded highway sounds like suicide."
"That's right. The reason to aim for two adventurers … And one who is a Swordsman who seems strong. Unless the people watching us are blind trackers …"
"There's no way that can be true."
"But I can't explain why otherwise. If you exclude everything impossible, no matter how irrational the remaining possibility is, it must be true! A famous detective said so!"
"Yeah, I don't know what a famous detective is, but the person who said it is probably correct, but I don't think Ryo is using it correctly. First of all, you didn't exclude everything impossible!"
Ryo had a graphic novel-like expression of shock after Abel's declaration.
"I never expected Abel to point that out …"
"Ryo, you go around saying very rude things."
Ryo, who muttered unintentionally, was lightly glared at by Abel.
"Well, jokes aside. Were we … mistaken for someone?"
"It's possible. It's possible that we're being targeted after being mistaken for a member of royalty traveling incognito somewhere."
"O-oh."
Abel was the second son of the current king.
However, Ryo didn't know that.
But …
"Abel, you're hiding something."
"Eh?"
Abel was startled by Ryo's words that he spoke quietly.
"When I said a member of royalty, Abel reacted slightly."
"Di-did I?"
Cold sweat ran down Abel's back.
"Abel … I don't want to believe it, but you didn't sneak into a member of royalty's room and steal some treasure, right? If so, I would sorrowfully apprehend Abel, turn you in, and get the reward …"
"I DID NOT!"
Despite feeling the disturbing gaze, their journey passed peacefully.
Day 3.
Even today, the two of them were on the 『South Highway』 heading to Rune.
"I knew it … we are being watched today too."
"Yeah … I can feel the gaze."
Both Ryo and Abel feeling of being watched by someone continued today.
"Abel … did you earn the grudge of a powerful person?"
"Ryo … did you annoy a scary person?"
When they said so, they both placed their hands on their chests at the same time and thought.
And almost at the same time, they sighed.
Both of them seemed to have thought of something.
"Even so … they're not making a move at all."
"That's right … I want them to just get it done with all at once."
"Somehow, that sounds like a different meaning, so please stop that."
Abel frowned, imagining the sight of his head being cut off by Ryo.
"It's okay. I'll protect Abel! So if it's a very strong opponent, Abel should protect me. And I'll run away!"
"Hey, that's a terrible thing to say in a lot of ways."
"When will they attack?"
"I wonder if they will attack. Is it possible they just want to monitor us?"
In response to Ryo's question, Abel made wishful thinking.
"After all, there have been three people within a radius of 500 meters all this time? Just that alone would put them in a big deficit."
"I wonder if thieves also have a sense of economics …"
"Banditry is a small-scale business after all. If they aren't strict with money, they would quickly collapse."
"I-is that so?"
Abel felt pressured by how passionate Ryo was about the topic.
"Aberdare, where I stayed yesterday, will be the last large city in the central region where the Royal Capital is located. Today, the city we plan to stay in until tomorrow is much smaller than Aberdare. Naturally, there would be fewer people on the highway too. Of course, it is still the South Highway, so there would still be some people who come and go …"
"In other words, they might act soon and it's dangerous while we sleep at night!"
"Why do you look a little excited?"
Abel pointed out that Ryo's expression was a little off.
"Well, you know, it's better they come and we defeat them than to wait without knowing when they would act. After all, it's no good to attack just because they are watching us and they might be thieves … right?"
"Yeah, of course."
Day 4. On the South Highway.
"Here they come!"
Ryo whispered to Abel.
"What do we do?"
"Let's just continue walking. It will take about five minutes before they reach. They are coming from all directions to surround us."
"All directions … how many people are there …"
Abel said with a frown.
Ryo counted the number of people with
"Twenty people."
"For thieves, that's a pretty big gang."
"I'll secretly put on ice armor.
When Ryo chanted, invisible ice armor was created on the surface of Abel and Ryo's clothes.
"Numbers is power. Even though they are thieves, we might be injured if they push through with numbers."
"Ryo is properly cautious in these situations."
Abel said impressed.
"The great assassin and alchemist was also taken by surprise with numbers. I don't want Abel to suffer from that."
"I'm surprised you know an assassin, and an alchemist to boot."
"People have history. I'll tell Abel someday."
Ryo, of course, was thinking about Hassan, the leader of the Order of Assassins.
Five minutes later.
After surrounding Abel and Ryo, three men appeared. The rest seemed to remain surrounding them from a distance.
"You're finally out. It's been a long time since Deopham. Good work."
Abel provoked them.
What did he provoke them? There was no particular reason for it.
"So you noticed it after all?"
The man in the center replied.
He looked overbearing with his skinhead, but it felt like he was the intelligent one among the people surrounding them … Ryo thought so.
"We have already surrounded you. It is useless to resist."
The skinhead guy went on to say.
"Well, leaving aside whether it's useless or not. What's your purpose? I couldn't think of a reason the entire time. Can you tell me?"
Abel replied normally.
He phrased it as though he just wanted information.
"What we want is the sword you have on your waist."
"What?"
Abel instinctively looked at the sword he had on his waist in response to the surprising answer from the skinhead man.
"Is that a magic sword?"
The skinhead guy affirmed.
"No, you're mistaken."
"No way in hell we are."
When Abel denied it, the man with undercut hair next to the skinhead barked.
The man with undercut hair didn't give off the feeling of intelligence … Ryo thought to himself.
"Well, I know it's a magic sword, and I definitely want it. Of course, we can take it by force, but if you're willing to negotiate, we can exchange it for gold, jewels, and more. How about it?"
A skinhead man suggested while controlling the undercut hair man with one hand.
"Not for sale."
Abel denied it with a word.
"We'll take out something that is not for sale too."
The skinhead guy made further suggestions.
As expected, when he said that, they were interested.
Something not for sale?
Where were they keeping it, including the gold and gems?
Did they have a sponsor or were conducting negotiations on behalf of someone?
If so, who was backing them?
Both Ryo and Abel had such doubts.
Causing them to harbor those questions may be one of their negotiation techniques, but … they couldn't help to feel curious about it.
"Ryo, what do you think?"
"I'm kind of curious. I think they want to take us somewhere."
The conversation between Abel and Ryo happened as very soft whispers.
"Honestly, I still don't intend to sell it, but it's also true that I'm interested in the 'not for sale' item that you want to bring out. What's the plan now?"
Abel told the skinhead guy.
Everything he said was true.
When telling the facts, one's persuasive power increases.
The reason is unknown.
Probably various factors are intertwined …
If you want to persuade the other party or make the other party believe in you, it is best to tell the facts.
"Then I'll take you to our village. There I'll be able to answer your questions. Follow me."
Then the skinhead guy started walking.
Ryo and Abel looked at each other, but neither thought of an option other than to follow.
Both of them followed the man.
-x-X-x-
After walking for almost two hours, they finally arrived at the destination.
"Finally … phew, at last … pant, we've arrived … haa, it was quite far."
Ryo breathlessly told Abel.
"…"
Abel stared at him and couldn't say anything.
Only his eyes conveyed that he understood Ryo was doing it intentionally.
Ryo wouldn't get tired from this distance.
"Hmph, was it tough for an untrained Magician?"
The undercut hairstyle man, who was following behind them, watched Ryo and made a fool of him.
He didn't realize that it was 'intentional'.
After confirming that, Ryo sniggered to Abel softly.
For some reason, Abel felt like he lost.
The place they arrived at was a village.
There were about 20 houses, and in the center of the village, they could see a building with a square and an altar.
However, Ryo felt uncomfortable.
He didn't know what the cause was … well, it was a sense of discomfort precisely because he didn't know the cause or reason for it.
However, Abel also felt that discomfort.
"Isn't something strange?"
Abel whispered in a really quiet voice.
Ryo didn't say anything and just nodded.
Ryo didn't know the cause of the discomfort, but he realized that it was a discomfort that he had felt somewhere before.
Thinking of 'a sense of discomfort', Ryo first thought of 'magic nullification', but that was not the case.
(Magic nullification …? One-eyed Assassin Hawk, Behi-chan, and Hassan … Oh! The village of the Order of Assassins! It's the same feeling as that village!)
Ryo finally noticed the true nature of the discomfort.
The home of the Order of Assassins was also a village. It was cleverly disguised.
This village also felt like a disguised village.
What made Ryo feel that way?
Not the lack of women.
There were women in the village of the Order of Assassins and this village.
He felt that many women there had a slight sharpness in their eyes, but that couldn't be helped.
That wasn't the reason …
(The lack of children?)
Yes, neither the Order of Assassins village nor this village had children.
Every village has one or two children.
And you could see them playing or hear their high-pitched voices outdoors.
But …
(There were probably other villages of the Order of Assassins besides that one. Raising children … some other villages or facilities focused on raising assassins. So there weren't children there. What about this village? I'm not sure … a compound that only appears to be a village? Do they have another village where they actually live…? Hmm, I can't conclude either …)
For the time being, Ryo whispered to Abel what he had noticed.
"There are no children."
The moment he heard that, Ryo noticed that Abel's eyes opened a little wider.
And he nodded slightly.
The two were brought to the village square.
There was an old man who wore a black robe and his white hair stretched to his waist, followed by three people on each side, who wore the same black robes.
Except for the old man, all of them also wore hoods, which made them feel somewhat eerie.
However, Ryo paid attention to something else.
The long staff held by the old man.
The ornament and stone carving attached to the staff.
He had seen that combination before.
It was the same as the one Baba-sama in Niel's village had attached to her staff.
Etho said that it was a miniature sculpture … but …
(The shape of this sculpture is different from what Baba-sama had.)
The cord was the same as the one used by Baba-sama, in which seven colors were intertwined, but the stone sculpture was different.
Ryo, who was not a priest like Etho, of course did not know what the sculpture represented.
Therefore, he held onto a sliver of hope and decided to ask the B-rank adventurer next to him.
"Abel, what do you know about the stone carving that old white-haired man has on his staff?"
"Hmm … the seven-colored decorative strings are beautiful."
B-rank adventurers only had that level of understanding too.
However, except for the priests of the Goddess of Light, known as 'Priests', knowledge of these sculptures had already disappeared from the history of the Central Nations.
It was no wonder that Abel didn't know.
The first person to open his mouth was the old man with white hair.
"Welcome, guests. To cut to the chase, what we want is the magic sword on your waist. Of course, not for free. I wonder how much you want for it or what do you want in exchange?"
"No, I told the previous man the same thing, but I'm not going to give it up easily. Please tell me what you want this magic sword for in the first place."
Abel confidently replied to the straightforward demands from the old man with white hair.
That area of Abel's behavior impressed even Ryo.
"Umu. We wish to offer that magic sword to God."
"Offerings to God? Goddess of Light … I guess not?"
"We do not associate with such a false god!"
The reaction that returned was fierce.
It was a sudden change from his slightly aloft carefree attitude.
Ryo kept to himself that he flinched a little.
"… Please excuse my reaction. Let us guide you to the temple and explain about our god. Follow me."
Then the old man with white hair and the six black-robed individuals headed for the hills at the back of the village.
Ryo and Abel looked at each other once and follow them.
From behind, the skinhead men followed suit.
The entrance to the temple was a side hole on a small mountain.
The end of the side hole was a dead end, but when the old man with white hair pushed it by hand, it opened with almost no resistance.
"Come in."
The old man with white hair and the six black-robed men entered first.
Then, Abel, Ryo, and the three skinhead men entered.
The interior was larger than he imagined.
It was about the size of a soccer court?
Also, the height of the ceiling was likely to be more than 10 meters.
The three skinhead men closed the entrance and stood there.
Ryo and Abel were prompted by the old white-haired man to walk to the front of the room.
Ryo felt it the moment he entered the room.
(A hidden temple?)
He felt the same atmosphere as the hidden temple in Niel's village.
And at the end …
Something that looked like a perfect undamaged crystal ball … was placed there.
The one in Niel's village was chipped.
This was an undamaged jewel.
The colors and sizes were different, but somehow he got the feeling that it resembled the one he encountered on the 40th floor of the Rune dungeon and the black jewel collected on the 5th basement floor of the Sanctum this time.
The jewel sitting in front of them was transparent, and you would believe it if somebody told you that it was a crystal ball because of its transparency.
It was different from the two black jewels.
Different, but … the atmosphere he felt was similar.
"Come here."
The white-haired old man invited them to approach the altar in front of them.
As the two approached, the white-haired old man chanted something in a soft voice.
At that moment …,
Abel knelt to one knee.
And Ryo also got on one knee.
"Now, obey me."
The old man with white hair ordered them.
However, the two did not move.
"Hm?"
The old man held some doubts.
Then sang in a whisper again.
"
And give the order once more.
"Obey me."
"I refuse!"
He couldn't raise my face and was still forced to the knee but Abel asserted strongly.
"Impossible! Why isn't Slave working? Casting Slave in the temple … it's said that even the Demon Lord would have to obey … it should work."
"If something like this works, the Demon Lord isn't a big deal."
Abel was sweating from his forehead but resisted the magic of the old man.
"Mental interference magic … Darkness-attribute magic … that's extremely rare nowadays. If this is a temple that strengthens it, are you a priest of the God of Darkness of the Seven Gods?"
Abel saw through them.
"To know that much … you're not an ordinary adventurer."
"I'm only a B-rank adventurer! I just hate mental interference magic!"
Then Abel finally stood up.
His complexion remained pale and he was sweating a lot from his forehead, but he broke the magical effect.
Of course, that was due to the effect of the 『Tranquility Necklace』 that he wore on his skin.
It was a necklace that allowed him to recover from considerably powerful abnormal conditions and mental interference magic in just a few seconds, but even with that, this Darkness-Attribute spell of this white-haired old man took so long to recover from. It could be said that the magic was very powerful.
"Oh … but your companion is in my hands. I'll have your companion fight you. Come on, obey me!"
"I refuse."
Ryo said so and stood up quickly.
"Huh..."
"Huh..."
Abel and the old man with white hair leaked voices of surprise at the same time.
The old man for the fact that his magic was not working.
Abel for how incomprehensibly tough Ryo was.
"Why is Ryo okay …"
"What doesn't work on Abel won't work on me!"
"No, that logic is flawed."
It was thanks to the national treasure-class item that the magic didn't work on Abel.
But Ryo …
"Sera told me. I repel evil. That Slave spell must be evil magic. So it doesn't work on me!"
Ryo stated confidently.
Abel couldn't understand how he could say so confidently … but at least he was confident.
"Damn. Hey, hurry up and call our allies."
The white-haired old man shouted to the skinhead men who were watching the development from the door.
The men hurriedly opened the stone door and left to call their companions.
In the meantime, and thereafter, the stone door remained open.
"What will you do in front of these numbers? If you give us your sword, we won't take your life."
The old man with white hair proposed to Abel.
About thirty new members entered the temple.
That suggestion backed by force was usually threatening.
"Adding any number of riffraff doesn't matter. We'll send everyone to hell so come at us!"
Abel swung his sword menacingly.
It was so beautiful that Ryo was impressed by watching it.
"Now Ryo, do it!"
"Why did you have to throw this to me …"
Ryo regretted feeling impressed.
However, a mysterious event happened then.
The entrance to the temple was suddenly painted black. In a square with a height of 5 meters and a width of 4 meters.
Only Ryo noticed it.
If there were any survivors from the Central University Survey Team there, they would have pointed out that it was what President Clive Staples named the 『Gate』.
If anyone from the Hero party was here, they would recognize it as the portal that appeared near the artificial altar and from inside …
"Fufufu, I finally caught the trace. I always failed to get an accurate picture of the place since there was only a weak reaction … I see, it's a temple built within a mountain hollowed out behind a rock door? Now, where's that Wish-Fulfilling Jewel …"
What emerged from the 『Gate』 was the Akuma Leonor, with horns and a thin black tail.
Leonor's overly loud soliloquy attracted the eyes of nearly forty humans who were there.
Leonor walked toward the end of the temple without worrying about such things.
However, Leonor, who had been looking around for a jewel, found another 'thing'.
"Hn? Hmm? Is that … Ryo? Isn't it Ryo! Oh my, what a strange place to meet."
"Y-o-u-r-e-i-m-a-g-i-n-i-n-g-t-h-i-n-g-s."
"No, I'm not?"
It was the elated face of finding prey.
Of course, Ryo denied it, and Leonor denied him further.
While saying that, Leonor found the 『Jewel』 placed at the end facing them.
Then, she approached and confirmed it at a speed that seemed to be teleportation.
"Yup. It's quite a 『Jewel』. I'll be taking this."
When she held her right hand over it, the 『Jewel』disappeared instantly.
At that moment, the old man and men finally started to move.
"Who the hell are you?"
"What did you do to the Jewel?"
"Are you their friend!"
Leonor walked on, ignoring all the questions asked.
And chanted.
"
Countless stone icicles that formed around Leonor pierced the men's throats perfectly.
More than thirty men, including the skinhead men, instantly turned into silent corpses.
Now, except for Leonor, Ryo, and Abel, there were only the old man with white hair and the six black-robed individuals in the temple.
The old man with white hair chanted something softly since earlier.
He finally finished chanting and glared at Leonor.
At that moment, a thin black smoke covered Leonor.
"Hmm, Darkness-Attribute Magic? But it's weak. Even flies won't obey you with this level."
Leonor commented and waved her hand.
As a result, the black smoke that covered Leonor dissipated.
"By the way, I was told that Darkness-Attribute Magicians were precious these days … I want you as a sample. Hmm, I'll bring you along. I don't need the others.
The stone icicles instantly shot through the throats of the men in black robes.
Only the old man with white hair was knocked unconscious by the stone gravel striking his stomach.
TLN: Upcoming big fight? Leonor vs Ryo Round 2!
-x-X-x-
"Well, Ryo, I made you wait. Let's fight."
The smile on Leonor's face made the word "bloodthirsty violence" come to mind.
"So it came to this in the end …"
Ryo sighed loudly.
"Isn't it natural? It's a fun event that makes you happy to be alive, right?"
"No, I think that's a misunderstanding …"
Leonor said happily and Ryo answered reluctantly.
"Ryo?"
Finally, Abel was able to speak.
"Abel, you should never raise your hand at that. The being that treated the Hero Roman like a child … that is Leonor in front of us."
"…"
Abel was stunned.
He never expected to meet such an existence at this time.
Roman was stronger than him. He was convinced after actually clashing swords.
The fact that Roman was treated like child's play meant that Abel would also be child's play to her.
In the first place, she had been firing stone icicles without letting the other party do anything.
"That sounds like the Hero went to find Ryo? I'm glad. He was born a Hero after all. He needs to be stronger."
Leonor nodded happily many times.
"And … is that Swordsman an acquaintance of Ryo? I kind of felt that was the case so I kept him alive."
Leonor looked at Abel and asked.
"Yes. It's a foul to touch Abel. If Abel gets hurt, I'll die and you won't be able to fight me ever in the future."
Those words seemed to come as a shock to Leonor.
"W-what do you mean!?"
She was clearly perturbed.
(This can be used for negotiations. I thought ensuring Abel's safety was the biggest challenge …)
Ryo first tried to secure Abel's safety.
"I promised a woman that I would deliver Abel safely. If I can't keep that promise, I would have to give my life. So, Leonor, you can't hurt Abel."
"Hmm … But I think there is another way. I hurt that person. Then Ryo will be in a rage. And I can fight a serious Ryo."
Leonor presented her theory while thinking with her hand under her chin.
"Leonor, do you want to fight me at my full strength or just want to beat me?"
"Aren't the two the same?"
"It's totally different. If Abel gets hurt, I'll die anyway. So it will be in vain no matter how hard I try. But if you swear you won't touch Abel, I promise to fight you with all my might."
"… That promise … are you certain?"
Leonor squinted and looked at Ryo.
"Yes, I promise. Leonor, can you swear?"
"Okay. That person … did you say Abel? I swear I won't touch Abel."
(Hmm. I managed to secure Abel's safety. Even though it's a verbal promise, Leonor doesn't feel like she would break such a promise.)
"That's how it is, Abel. Abel, please watch from a distance. Do not attack, even if I'm about to die. Do not pull out your sword. Okay? Please promise me."
"… Okay, I promise."
Under pressure from Ryo's menacing look, Abel promised not to interfere.
"Leonor, I have something to ask you before we start."
"Hmm? I'll answer if I can answer it. What is it?"
"The Jewel that Leonor just recovered. Is that the cause of the Great Tidal Bore in the City of Rune?"
Ryo posed his question unreservedly.
"Ah, that's a difficult question to answer. Certainly, as a function, that … we call it a 『Wish-Fulfilling Jewel』, it's due to a function of that Jewel. But if you are asking if it is something that happens naturally, no. I mean, it is something like clearing away a little trash … or thinning it out … something like that."
Leonor's answer was very confusing.
However, it was very close to the hypothesis that Ryo had, and words similar to it came out.
The word 'thinning out'.
"That is, to reduce the number of monsters that have increased too much in 'a certain place', the jewels connect that 'certain place' to the Rune dungeon. The monsters that have increased in that 'certain place' move to the Rune dungeon. And the humans hunting the monsters that overflow from the Rune dungeon call it a Great Tidal Bore. Is that correct?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Basically, no matter where it is, it should only expel as many monsters as the people who live there can handle. It's somewhat of a regulator. It seems that there were a lot of them this year though …"
"The chaos in the Royal Capital a few weeks ago?"
"No, that's different. A Jewel was indeed used … but it was a different thing. I can't tell you in detail."
For the first time, Leonor frowned and answered.
It seemed that there were various positions among the Akuma and they had their share of human relationships or more appropriately, Akuma relationships …
"By the way, there were Devils on the 40th floor after the Great Tidal Bore in Rune. That too …?"
"Huh … 40th floor? I heard that we installed it on the 11th floor … Hmm, I wonder if the Devils did something. They are different from the goblins that are sent, they have intelligence. They may have done something … I don't know."
"Is that so."
For the time being, Ryo was satisfied because he somewhat found out what he wanted to know.
"Thank you for answering. Let's fight as promised."
"Yup! It's finally time!"
With a terrible grin once again, Leonor drew out her sword from space.
(Oh, that's a storage system that uses a subspace called 'infinite storage' or 'item box' in light novels … I envy her!)
With that thought in mind, Ryo also drew Murasame from his waist and readied.
"Then here I come."
The battle began with Leonor's declaration.
"
A thick pillar of flame approached Ryo from Leonor.
"
In front of Ryo, an ice wall was created, which grew thicker and headed toward the pillar of fire … and struck it.
The flame and ice collided and mist formed. Their vision was obstructed.
(That Hellfire was the same first move as before. She should know that it won't work … then it's a diversion! The real attack will be from a blind spot … behind or above.)
At that moment, Ryo jumped to the left, made one revolution on the ground, and took to a one-knee standing posture.
Sure enough, Leonor landed with her sword in the location where Ryo was.
"
"
Ryo intercepted the stone icicles from a close distance with ice spears.
Of course, Leonor didn't think such an attack would work either.
That was also a diversion.
By diving at the speed of sound, she shorted the distance to Ryo at once and swung her sword down.
Their swords clashed again and again, and it became a sword fight.
That was also Leonor's aim.
"
Sudden pressure was applied to the swords that were locked and Ryo was blown backward with his body.
Leonor, who knew that Ryo would offset magic from a distance, shot the attack magic from her sword.
As expected, it was impossible to intercept magic from zero distance even for Ryo who trained his magic generation speed.
Ryo was blown away and slammed against the back wall.
"Geho."
Blood was mixed in what he exhaled from his mouth.
However, he counterattacked before hitting the wall.
Four icicle lances approached Leonor from the ceiling.
Even if they were attacks at her blind spots, Leonor would deal with them without danger.
Of course, he expected that she would deal with them. The priority was to keep her away.
(
Around Leonor, 256 lines of water were created.
"Here it comes!"
Leonor saw it and deepened her grin.
"
A myriad of Air Slashes began to circulate around Leonor.
They collided with Ryo's Abrasive Jet and neutralized all 256 jets.
All the Abrasive Jets disappeared.
In the past, the leader of the Order of Assassins, Hassan, circulated stone pebbles around his body to counteract the Abrasive Jet, but this could be said to be a Wind-Attribute version of it.
It was a similar idea.
Either way, she had perfectly dealt with Ryo's trump card.
However, Ryo was not particularly shocked.
This time, even the Abrasive Jets were a diversion.
The true goal was to treat his wounds.
It was certain that his internal organs were damaged by the magical attack from zero distance plus the impact against the wall and it was impossible to continue the battle in that condition … he didn't think he could fight a foe at Leonor's class with injuries.
He was not that overconfident.
So while he bought time with the Abrasive Jets, he drank the special potion and tried to repair his wounds.
And the restoration was successful.
"Last time, that magic chopped me up. It won't work twice."
"As expected … it won't work once you see it once … this hurdle is too high. I'll need a new special move each time."
Leonor puffed her chest and said with a smug look and Ryo answered with a deep sigh.
"Then, how about this?
When Ryo chanted, ice walls formed around Leonor with a radius of about 3 meters …
The thickness of the ice wall increased rapidly toward the center, that was, toward Leonor.
"Wha …"
Even Leonor was surprised and tried to make a hole in the ice wall by releasing Hellfire, but the power of the flames and the laminated ice wall were almost the same.
The ice piled up at the same speed as the fire shaved it away so it was disadvantageous to Leonor because Ryo had cast first.
Moreover, the ice walls were approaching from all directions.
She was in a situation where she maintained equilibrium by releasing fire in all directions.
But, of course, Leonor would not let it end that way.
"Don't underestimate me,
When Leonor chanted, the fire that had been emitted in all directions began to rotate around Leonor.
It was a tornado made of flame.
While preventing the invasion of the ice walls from all directions, the tornado increased the amount of shaving and began to push outward.
Finally, it reached the outermost edge of the ice walls and destroyed them.
Ryo remembered Hassan, the leader of the Order of Assassins, when Leonor bested the
And he remembered how Hassan died.
Even such a master could succumb in the end to numbers.
And what Ryo built was exactly that 'trap'.
"
Leonor had just destroyed the approaching laminated ice walls.
While Leonor was destroying the ice walls, the attacks constructed by Ryo were launched all at once.
Thirty-two icicle lances free-falling from the ceiling.
On the ground, Ice Bahn hindered movement.
In addition, icicle lances created diagonally from the Ice Bahn were fired toward Leonor.
To top it off, another attempt of
All of Ryo's magical attacks were activated all at once.
"
Seeing that it was impossible to dodge everything, Leonor surrounded herself with a stone wall.
"
Permafrost, which froze the entire village of the Order of Assassins, was generated inside the stone wall the moment it was created.
He won … he didn't think so.
That was a flag.
Besides, Ryo felt that she wasn't completely defeated.
Leonor was an Akuma.
Somehow, he even considered that it would be impossible to defeat her with just magic.
In fact, the last time he shredded her with Abrasive Jet but she regenerated instantly.
Probably this time too …
The wall exploded.
The interior exploded too.
And Ryo headed towards it the moment it burst …
He saw Leonor.
Leonor saw him.
"Leonor … no!"
It was an afterimage of Leonor, or a split body, he didn't know for sure, but it wasn't real.
He instantly turned back.
The real Leonor was there.
And he understood that it was too late.
Still, holding Murasame with his right hand, he held his left arm up to protect his neck.
While catching his left arm being sliced off at the tip of his elbow from the edge of his field of vision … he didn't think about anything and instinctively slashed with his sword.
There was no resistance and he saw Murasame slice through Leonor's neck.
The battle ended in an instant.
TLN: Finally another epic fight between Ryo and Leonor
-x-X-x-
"Let's tone it down a little."
Ryo said needlessly.
Leonor's head was cut off.
He had his left hand cut off.
The area between the elbow and wrist, in other words, his forearm, was cut cleanly.
For the time being, he froze the cut surface to stop the bleeding and protect it.
And froze the entire left hand that was cut off as well.
After doing so, he was able to think calmly.
However, calming down also meant recognizing the current situation.
As expected, having his arm cut off hurt.
Not in the sense that it was painful … of course, it hurt, but the 'pain' was more in the sense that it would restrict various kinds of actions that he would want to do.
In the first place, he won't be able to swing his sword satisfactorily.
The 'Japanese sword' Murasame was the shape of a two-handed sword after all.
Although it may be used with one hand in fairly special sword techniques or quick drawing the blade, Japanese swords were basically designed to be handled with both hands.
It was very difficult to handle with one hand.
At the training center where Ryo was learning kendo, there was a senior who wielded a sword with only one left hand.
That was because he lost his right arm from the elbow down when he was young.
After considerable training, the senior became comparable to the other swordsmen who use both hands, but it was still not easy to handle with one hand.
Moreover, Japanese swords were even more difficult to handle than bamboo swords … he was not Tange Sazen.
If there was a priest of Rihya's ability there, it would be another story.
That was because the secret technique that high-ranking priests could use was magic capable of repairing missing body parts.
But there wasn't any priest there.
And considering how far they were from the Royal Capital and other big cities, it was not a realistic idea.
Regeneration of a body part could only be done successfully within 24 hours.
Ryo made several potions in the Royal Capital with Baron Kenneth Hayward, a genius alchemist.
However, even the genius alchemist Kenneth could not create a potion that could regenerate lost limbs.
It showed how the magic of Priests, especially their
"Rejoining the amputated arm …"
He tried saying it out loud but only felt despair.
While Ryo was thinking, Leonor's torso portion that had collapsed a while ago rose.
"…"
Ryo just looked at the scene in a daze.
Leonor's torso, which got up, walked and picked up her head.
Then placed it on her neck.
"Eh? It isn't attaching."
Leonor's head finally spoke.
"Ah … Ryo's sword is the Fairy King's sword. This is awkward. I can't repair myself immediately like this."
"You're alive? Isn't that enough?"
Ryo managed to somewhat reply to Leonor's words.
"Hmm. Well, if I return, I can do something about this. Well, this time Ryo won."
"No … I had my arm cut off."
"But my head was cut off? Normally, no matter who looks at this outcome, it's my loss?"
"But you're not dead … and I have to worry about my arm."
"That's … I mean, it's a racial characteristic, so there's nothing I can do about it. Oh, that's right, I have to take that Darkness-Attribute man there."
Leonor, holding her neck under her left armpit, lifted the old man with white hair with her right hand.
"Let's meet again, Ryo. I'll win next time! It was fun."
Then, with a big laugh, Leonor disappeared into the 『Gate』.
Abel approached.
"Ryo, are you okay … I guess not."
"Yeah, I'm not okay."
Looking at Ryo's left arm, Abel also frowned.
"Abel, let's go outside for the time being."
Ryo grabbed his left hand with his right hand and went outside.
While outside, Ryo began to think about the process of rejoining his arm.
Although he felt only despair, there was practically no other solution.
(The connecting parts are bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and skin. The most difficult of these are nerves and blood vessels … I think. Normally, microsurgery would be needed … since there are even tiny blood vessels. Of course, I have never done it before … I would have to give up if this was Earth, but 『Phi』 has magic. And, fortunately, I'm a Water-Attribute Magician.)
He went outside and sat on a bench-like seat for the time being.
"Ryo … the Extra Heal of a high-ranking priest could repair the missing limb but …"
Abel trailed off with a sad look.
He knew that they could not reach a place with high-ranking priests within the time limit.
"Yes, I know. I don't have enough time. So I'll try to connect it myself."
"Y-you can?"
Abel had seen Ryo's many astonishing magic in the past.
Maybe he had magic that could treat amputation of the arm?
"I may not be able to do it. Of course, I have never done it before either."
"Oh … I-I see."
Abel felt depressed.
"But I have an idea so I'd like Abel to help me a little."
"Of course! Ask anything!"
Abel said that and rushed toward Ryo.
Ryo took out a potion from his usual bag.
"This is the finest potion Kenneth has made. Of course, this doesn't cure the loss of a limb but it has a lot of restorative power. I will do all sorts of things with Water-Attribute Magic until this potion can display its power. When I say so, I want you to pour half of this on the place I say."
"Okay, I understand."
Abel received the potion.
"Let's get started."
Ryo said, holding the ice-encased left hand with his right hand and thawing the ice.
Of course, the thawed left hand was not wet because it was magical ice.
All hail magic.
Thawing the cut end of the left arm, he attached the slashed left hand to the place where it was originally.
"Guha."
His voice leaked involuntarily due to the excessive pain.
That was normal because his nerves were exposed and no anesthesia was used.
For now, he didn't know anything about materials that affect neurotransmitters, so he'll just do his best.
Yes, by gritting his teeth!
First, connect the bones.
As expected, when it comes to a sword like Leonor's, even the bone was cut cleanly.
"It's extremely difficult to cut a bone. As expected of Leonor."
Ryo was impressed by strange things. But, he couldn't waste time escaping from reality.
The cut surface was clean and easy to connect, and the angle was easy to understand, which was good for later.
Placing the bones of the left arm and the left hand together, he covered the cut surface with an ice film and fixed it so that it does not move.
Being a Water-Attribute Magician, he was grateful that he could grasp the condition more accurately than he could see, through the water in his body. Ryo thought to himself.
Next was muscle, but to be honest, there was nothing he could do about it.
Of course, it was not possible to connect each muscle fiber one by one, and he could only hope that they would stick together.
He'll leave it to the potion later …
The first barrier, the nerve connections.
There were many nerves in his arm.
Of course, they were all important nerves.
If something goes wrong at this point, he might lose motion in his fingers so he had to be careful …
Originally, nerve sutures or a nerve regeneration induction tube would be needed for nerve connections, but …
Of course, there was no suturing technique and there was no nerve regeneration induction tube either.
In any case, he brought the nerves of the arm and the nerves of the hand into contact with each other and fixed them by surrounding them with ice films.
He could only leave it to the potion later.
For now, he not only had to make sure that the split nerves stuck to each other, but he also had to ensure that the correct ones connected … the outcome would be terrible if he connected different nerves.
His arm and hand were in the correct position because he completely stuck the bones together.
There was no doubt that each nerve connection was near each other, so he won't make a mistake if he chose nerves of the same thickness.
There was when Water-Attribute Magic demonstrated its worth.
If it's in the body, it's as good as in water.
Ryo could recognize the thickness in micron units, so it seemed that there would be no mistakes in connecting the nerves.
The last barrier, joining blood vessels.
If this was Earth, advanced anastomosis would be required.
Moreover, it was a terrifyingly tenacious task.
Dozens of blood vessels had to be connected one by one using needles and threads.
Only after perfect anastomosis was pioneered by Alexis Carrel, blood vessels could be connected without blood leaking out.
However, this was 『Phi』.
The blood vessels were joined with ice, not with needles and threads.
Sticking an ice film on the inner and outer walls of the connected blood vessels.
Since blood passes through the inside of the inner wall, it did not leak out of the blood vessel.
Compared to surgery on Earth, it was a lot faster and not difficult … if you're a Ryo-class Water-Attribute Magician!
In that way, bones, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels were connected … by ice.
"Abel, it's your turn."
"Oh … but your skin isn't sealed yet?"
"Pour the potion into the open skin little by little. I will rotate my arm slowly, so please pour it all around my arm. The inside is immobilized by ice so the potion can penetrate through."
"I wasn't sure which part is okay but leave it to me."
Abel then removed the potion's lid and prepared to pour.
"Then, here I go."
When Ryo said so, he grasped the tip of his left hand with his right hand and slowly rotated his entire left arm.
Abel poured the potion accordingly.
The poured potion shined in his arm.
It was a fantastic sight.
They repeated it about four times and observed for a while.
Somehow, Ryo felt various things connecting in his arm.
After waiting for a while, he didn't feel them connecting anymore.
Then, gently, really gently, he tried moving his finger.
"My fingers … move …"
"Oh!"
Ryo whispered and Abel was exceedingly pleased.
All five fingers were moving properly.
His wrist didn't seem to have a problem either.
"Then, close the skin."
An incision was made on the skin designed to allow the potion to enter the arm and Abel poured the remaining potion onto it.
Light was emitted once again and then disappeared.
Ryo's arm was back.
"That's a relief..."
Ryo was relieved from the bottom of his heart.
Abel could not speak and congratulated Ryo by hitting his shoulder many times.
-x-X-x-
A short distance from the City of Rune.
"So … nothing happened on this journey either …"
"... Ha?"
Ryo's mutter was heard by Abel walking next to him.
"Ryo, who can say that after his left arm was sliced off, is beyond my comprehension."
Abel really thought so.
"No, to be clear, isn't it normal for light novel-like events such as a bandit attack or rescuing a noble lady to happen?"
"Yeah, I really don't understand what Ryo says."
"Look, normally, when you're walking down a road, you'll be attacked by bandits and kill them, and gain the treasures that the bandits have accumulated. Or you would save a noble lady attacked by monsters or bandits and you would gain various conveniences provided by that noble house?"
Ryo enthusiastically talked about light novel contents and the importance of said events.
"I don't think such things happen."
However, Abel denied him ruthlessly.
"Hey, Ryo."
"What? Money again?"
"No! I've never borrowed money from you!"
Abel snapped in an instant and returned to normal after a while.
"It's a serious conversation. I'm wondering why Ryo didn't encase her in ice when you fought that Leonor."
"Oh..."
When asked by Abel, Ryo remembered the battle with Leonor and looked at his left hand for a moment.
There were no more cut wounds left.
"Simply put, I can't freeze everyone."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I don't know if it's a case of magical power or something else, but basically, I can't freeze a powerful Magician. At least not yet."
"Not … yet …"
Abel reacted to what Ryo said at the end.
"No one knows what will happen in the future, right? That's what I mean. So I had tried freezing Sera before, but I couldn't do it at all. Well, in Sera's case, she's an Elf. It may not have been possible because of that."
"Protection of the spirits?"
Abel murmured with knowledge from his royal family time.
"You know about it! Sera said that too. Also, I had the opportunity the other day, so I asked to try on Arthur from the Court Magic Group, but I couldn't do it either."
Arthur Verasis, the advisor of the Court Magic Group.
A core pillar of the Kingdom who came all the way to Stonelake after being called by Ryo.
"You tried all kinds of things … even at the expense of Arthur …"
"That's rude! I just asked him to cooperate in the development of magic. I wanted to know how much I can do with my magic after all. Well, that's why I didn't try on Leonor directly but she probably can't be frozen."
Ryo said with his mouth turned down at the corners. :<
It would have been easy if she could be frozen … was what he wanted to say.
"In the first place, it shouldn't be possible to freeze people?"
"Oh …. Arthur told me that too … I wasn't able to do it from the beginning. When I was in the Rondo Forest, I tried it on a monster, but in the beginning, the magic was repelled off the surface of the monster's body. I practiced a ton until I was able to do it."
"I-is that so …"
"Hard work is the strongest tool."
For some reason, Ryo bragged with a proud look.
"By the way, I also wanted to ask Abel."
"What?"
"Sheesh … that's where you should reply with 'What? Is it money again?' … Abel is still a long way off."
"What on earth are you looking for in me!?"
"Of course, the talent for comedy …"
"Ryo, should I make it impossible for you to laugh for the rest of your life?"
Then Abel pretended to put his hand on his sword.
"Of course it's a joke, sigh …"
Ryo said and laughed loudly.
Ryo understood that Abel's high-speed blade draw was quite fast and it was disadvantageous for him at this distance.
Ryo, who was always thinking about fighting in his head … maybe he was quite a battle fanatic … that is, he had muscles for brain.
"What I want to ask is about fighting skills and sword techniques."
Fighting skills were 『Skills』 acquired by those who fight with weapons, such as Swordsmen and Spearmen.
From Ryo's point of view, it seemed to be something different from the techniques that one learns after training.
Yes, like magic or something.
"Are fighting skills physical magic?"
When Ryo asked that, Abel's eyes opened a little wider.
"It's true that there are researchers who insist on that idea, though I'm not really sure."
"You're not sure even when you're using it?"
"Yeah. In the first place, you don't know everything about magic either, right?"
"Well, that's true."
Ryo answered while thinking about with various magic of other Magicians, including his own.
"Some people can cast magic like Ryo while others can't cast it unless they chant it. Not only humans, but some monsters also use magic too … Speaking of which, there are ridiculous monsters capable of nullifying magic too …"
Abel recalled the battle between the Behemoth and Wyverns that they had seen before.
"Yeah, chanting! I, Sera, and … well, I'm reluctant to include him, but even if we omit 'that Fire-Attribute Magician', everyone else chants. Thinking back, in a village I went to previously, the Baba-sama who worshiped the Earth Goddess did not chant and said to Etho, who accompanied us, "I do not chant. In fact, there was no such thing as chanting in the beginning. From some time ago, chanting and the like began to spread as a matter of course."
"Is that so? I didn't even know that … By the way, I was told a long time ago that fighting skills appeared in the Central Nations 100 years ago. Perhaps it has something to do with that…"
"And … the Hero Roman party members don't chant …"
Ryo remembered when they fought together at the catacombs.
"Now that you mention it, that was the case. They only used trigger words …"
Ryo's face lit up when he heard that.
"That's it!"
"What is it?"
Abel was surprised by the intense reaction from Ryo.
"The word 『trigger word』!"
"Eh? Um words that … invoke magic, right?"
"Not the meaning but the word 『trigger』! Do you know what it means?"
Abel, who didn't understand why Ryo was excited, thought while tilting his head.
"I don't know what you are getting at … trigger word is just trigger word …"
He answered while tilting his head.
『Trigger』 meant a 'trigger' for a gun or 'trigger' for something on Earth.
It was very symbolic to call the word that causes the last magic activation a 『Trigger word』.
Because it was symbolic, it was a perfect match … but why that word?
After all, there probably wasn't a gun on 『Phi』 yet, right?
The 『Black powder』 was finally being manufactured but under national-level confidentiality.
On Earth, 『Black powder』 was gunpowder in English.
It was probably gunpowder or its derivative.
At the stage when such things are beginning to appear, the word 'trigger' was already common and it seemed that it had been used for a long time.
From Ryo's perspective, it felt strange.
And Ryo remembered another related matter.
"There's also that! The highest level of Wind-Attribute Magic that Rin casts? The one with a long chant. Didn't she fire it that time during the Great Tidal Bore?"
"Oh … was it 『Bullet Rain』?"
"Yes! Do you know what 'bullet' means?"
"No … Bullet Rain is just Bullet Rain …"
Bullet was English for a 'bullet' on Earth.
In other words, Bullet Rain was a rain of bullets.
But that's why.
In a world where there shouldn't be a 'bullet' yet, why is there magic named 『Bullet Rain』?
"I really don't understand."
Ryo thought while frowning.
"Well, the only question Ryo had that I could answer is fighting skills."
"Oh … it's okay. I'll ask other people other than Abel."
"I feel like I'm being ridiculed … I'll let it slide. It's said that fighting skills spread to the Central Nations about a hundred years ago. There are no records of who started using them first."
Abel introduced the beginning of fighting skills.
"A hundred years ago? That's quite recent."
"Well … I'm not sure if you can say 100 years ago is recent …"
"Because it's half of Sera's age …"
"Yeah, well to Elves, most things will be 'recent'."
Abel sighed and replied to Ryo's way of jumping to conclusions too much.
"Adding on, I don't know if fighting skills are considered magic, but as I said earlier, researchers haven't come to a conclusion either."
"I see … it would be great if those fighting skills can be used in magic nullification spaces."
Abel froze at Ryo's words.
However, he brought his thoughts back.
"No, well, you would rarely encounter a magic nullification space."
"In a battle with monsters …"
"No no, it's unlikely that you'll be fighting the Behemoth class. Fighting skills won't matter anyway since it's impossible to win."
The only magic nullification that Abel had seen was the magic nullification space that Behemoth seemed to have created.
"As an Assassin Hawk evolves, they will acquire the ability to nullify magic."
"Seriously …"
Ryo experienced the one-eyed Assassin Hawk that activated magic nullification during their final battle.
Upon hearing that, Abel passed the realm of surprise and felt anxious.
Assassin Hawks were by no means common monsters in the Central Nations, but they were not impossible to encounter either.
They were one of the most feared monsters because they could kill without the target being aware of them.
"At least the Assassin Hawk I fought could nullify magic at the end. It was scary."
"Ryo … I'm surprised you survived."
Abel commented from the bottom of his heart.
A Magician without magic … meant death.
"Thanks to this."
Then, Ryo pulled out Murasame from his waist and showed it with its blade.
"It's the one you used to fight with Leonor. Is it an ice sword? The blade is thin but curved? It's a strange shape."
"It's called Murasame. Legend has it that it is a splendid sword that will cause ice to scatter once you pull the blade out."
"O-oh."
Abel looked a little taken aback by Ryo's appearance of looking lovingly at Murasame in his hand.
"Is that an ice blade in the first place? It feels like a sword dedicated for Water-Attribute Magicians."
"That's right. I got it when I made the first strike against my master."
"I see. That's … deeply emotional."
Abel didn't know and answered while touching the sword on his waist.
Afternoon on that day.
The two have finally reached a point where they could see the City of Rune.
The season was March.
Spring had come to the City of Rune, which was located further south in the tropical Kingdom of Knightley.
Ryo saw the City of Rune for the first time in two months.
Initially, he planned to return in about 40 days, but he stopped by the Royal Capital from the Inbury Duchy and was involved in the chaos …
"It's been a long time."
Ryo muttered.
Abel also said after looking at the City of Rune for a while.
"Alright, shall we?"
TLN: End of the short but definitely fun side-arc. New arc next week!