Chapter 363: I Was Once a King, and I Ruled the World
Reid Astrea—the first-generation 'Sword Saint.' Roy had suspected as much when he saw the red-haired man, and now Flugel confirmed his guess.
The name 'Van' was actually the highest honorific for a swordsman. Any swordsman acknowledged as the strongest could add 'Van' to their name. The reason every generation of the Astrea family bore this name was simply due to the inheritance of the 'Sword Saint's Blessing.'
Roy was fairly familiar with the anime Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World. Aside from the basic setting, he even remembered events that would happen four hundred years later. It couldn't be helped—though he wasn't an otaku, he did enjoy anime, and he had watched this famous series at least once.
This time, arriving in this world four hundred years earlier was slightly unexpected for Roy. However, he wasn't the type to lose his composure over girls. His main goal was to grow stronger, so even when he met the Witch of Envy, Satella, he didn't get overly excited and simply treated her like any other girl.
Roy had already encountered too many beautiful women—mere looks couldn't stir his heart anymore.
Seeing that Reid Astrea was going to handle the current conflict, Roy calmly sat in the dragon carriage. He had no interest in showing off his abilities. Flugel, too, seemed like someone who preferred to avoid trouble, so he simply watched coldly as someone else took charge.
Flugel was likely the four-hundred-years-later version of 'Natsuki Subaru.' The two were identical in name, personality, and even their affinity for magic. The only difference was that the future Subaru was a powerless weakling, while the current 'Great Sage' Flugel was a formidable mage skilled in 'Yin' magic.
During his chat with Shaula, the young girl had proudly mentioned that Flugel's magical prowess could already be called 'Archmage'—a title not officially recognized in this world's magic system.
As a fellow transmigrator, Flugel had the makings of a typical overpowered protagonist. Unfortunately, his luck was terrible—he had encountered the real deal, Roy, a Campione who stood at the pinnacle of the world. Moreover, the strongest power in this world wasn't magic, but Authorities and Blessings.
"Why would the Vollachian Empire send soldiers to plunder ordinary people? If this were exposed, it would tarnish the empire's reputation," Flugel wondered aloud.
Reid Astrea was negotiating with the 'bandits,' but the discussion wasn't going well—tensions were rising, and the situation was on the verge of exploding. Meanwhile, the ordinary merchants in the caravan and the few nobles traveling with them were already trembling in fear inside their carriages.
There were indeed a few Lugunica knights steadfastly guarding the noble carriages, but compared to the thousands of regular troops from the Vollachian Empire, their numbers were merely a drop in the bucket.
"The western city-state of Kararagi has been established for some time now, ending the era of warring western lords. In this merchant-dominated city-state, Lugunica's traders inevitably seek business with Kararagi. In the past, the western regions were embroiled in constant warfare, so no one paid attention to them. But with the political stabilization of the west, certain specialty materials from there have become necessities for Lugunica."
"...This route is currently the only safe passage from Lugunica to Kararagi. By having soldiers pose as bandits here, the Vollachian Empire can sever Lugunica's trade line with Kararagi."
"Lugunica could theoretically retaliate in kind. Though deeply divided between humans and demi-humans, the kingdom's knight orders are undoubtedly formidable. Unfortunately, they're bound by chivalric codes—too rigid to engage in plundering civilians and merchants. As for assigning knights to escort every caravan, that would require massive manpower, something Lugunica can't sustain. Meanwhile, the Vollachian Empire, embracing survival of the fittest, couldn't care less about such appearances."
Roy paused before continuing, "...By now, Lugunica's leadership must be discussing alternative safe routes to bypass the Vollachian Empire. This situation can't persist indefinitely for them."
All of Flugel's confusion dissipated as he stared at Roy in astonishment. "...You couldn't have worked in government before, could you? You understand these political intricacies so well."
Roy chuckled lightly in response, "...You could say I worked in government. I've been a king before. I've ruled the world."
He was referring to his past in the Moonlit World and the Campione universe—where he'd reigned as King of Chu in the former, and by the end of the latter, had commanded nearly all the magicians among the Campione.
Flugel thought Roy was boasting, but seeing his calm expression, he couldn't help but feel that Roy's words might actually be true. For a moment, he was utterly bewildered.
While Flugel was lost in his thoughts and Satella naively believed Roy might be the king of some country, Reid Astrea finally clashed with the regular soldiers of the Vollachian Empire.
This "Sword Saint" showed no mercy in his killing—swift and decisive. As corpses fell one after another and blood pooled into rivers, the civilians in the caravan screamed in terror.
At this time, the Astrea family was not yet one of the great nobles of the Lugunica Kingdom, and the "Sword Saint" was merely a wandering swordsman. Naturally, he adhered to no chivalric code—his skills were purely for slaughter.
Roy could sense a mysterious power emanating from Reid Astrea. He knew this must be a "Divine Protection."
He observed with great interest.
Unlike the "Sword Saint's Divine Protection" possessed by the later generations of the Sword Saint lineage, this first-generation Sword Saint's blessing was not about wielding the Dragon Sword. Instead, it granted Reid Astrea absolute mastery over the sword. If this were the Moonlit World, his Origin would be "Sword"—he was, in essence, a "Sword Incarnate."
With unparalleled talent in swordsmanship, rigorous training from childhood, and the Divine Protection bestowed by the world, Reid Astrea was undoubtedly the strongest swordsman in this world. Even Reinhard, his descendant many generations later, could never surpass this first-generation Sword Saint in pure swordsmanship.
More abilities did not necessarily mean greater strength—it was a matter of the "bucket theory." Unless one reached the realm of a "Demon God," quality always trumped quantity. What use were numerous abilities if most went unused and proved ineffective against true adversaries? Thus, someone like Reid Astrea embodied the purest form of strength—a single sword capable of breaking all techniques.
Roy even began to doubt whether Reinhard of the future could truly defeat Reid Astrea. Because he had discovered that Reid possessed an ability so overpowered it was practically a bug—the "Divine Protection to Sever Divine Protections." Any blessing could be sliced apart with a single stroke of his blade!