Chapter 144 - Pangaea (10)
What Deli proposed was a one-second match.
Frankly, it was a bit laughable.
Even if she was one of the most renowned mages in all of Pangaea, she would be far below a dragon.
Furthermore, considering the Holy Sword’s magic resistance, there would be nothing Deli could do to .
“Shall we start right away?”
“As you wish.”
She seed to think the sa as , her eyes brimming with confidence.
The fact that she, a mage, was continuing to allow , a swordsman, this much distance was a display of that confidence.
I decided to wait for the ti being.
My plan was to defend against her one-second attack and then imdiately subdue her.
Deli grinned.
The magic was cast.
At that mont, she must have been thinking of her victory.
Her common sense would dictate that there was nothing a swordsman could do in a situation where they had given a mage the timing.
A palm-sized area. Through that narrow space in the air, a blade-like wind whipped toward .
Her target was my solar plexus.
I was initially surprised.
Because it was by no ans an easy feat to control the space of magic activation so perfectly.
If I were to translate it into swordsmanship, it was a level of mastery where one could unleash Sword Qi only on the enemy forces in a situation where countless allies and enemies were packed together.
But that was as far as it went.
Swaaaaak!
The blade of wind was extinguished by the sword path created by the Holy Sword Bastian. And then.
Seogeok!
The extended sword blade cut off a part of Deli’s long hair.
The severed hair scattered and flew away in the wind.
Deli’s smiling lips trembled.
“Let's stop here.”
I retrieved the Holy Sword Bastian.
“We agreed to decide the match in one second.”
Deli exhaled a breath she had been holding in and said.
“……You, what is your identity?”
“I told you. An explorer.”
“I’ve never even heard of an explorer like this.”
“You may not have heard, but you’ve seen one in person now, haven’t you?”
“It's a bit much for to say this myself, but my magic is easily in the top five in the entire empire. And yet, I just lost!”
“Then let's just say I'm an explorer who fits in one finger.”
“Cut the crap. There are no explorers like this in the world.”
“There is one right here, so you can go now.”
“So you’re never going to tell your identity?”
“Aren't you a famous mage? Figure it out with your skills.”
“I was planning to.”
As she said that, she fiddled with her cut hair.
“Why are you still here?”
“Didn't I say I would teach you a spell if I lost?”
“Ah, that’s okay.”
I still had a long way to go in swordsmanship, so I thought there was no reason to dabble in magic as well.
Also, if I really wanted to learn magic, I would have asked Rosie.
Whether she would listen was a separate issue, though.
“I didn't mishear you, did I? You said it’s okay?”
“Magic is outside my interests.”
At my words, Deli looked at as if I were crazy.
It seed that magic was as precious here in Pangaea as it was in Kalia, but I had no intention of learning sothing just because it was rare if I wasn't drawn to it.
It would be more beneficial to spend that ti imrsing myself in the old book I had newly acquired.
***
‘Deli might be right.’
That the author of this book was a dragon.
The more I read, the more certain I beca.
The thought that a human with a finite life could not reach such a profound level.
This book did not contain a single sword form, but it made realize the infinitude of swordsmanship.
It beca my task to fill the blanks intentionally left by the author, and the ultimate state of the sword would be when I could fill these blanks in the most ideal way.
For now, the priority was to imprint the movents from this book into my mind.
My friend, there is no need to feel too burdened. Because I am here!
I was not the only one engrossed in the book.
The Holy Sword was also showing great interest.
“Reassuring.”
Of course, I couldn't completely entrust it to the Holy Sword.
There was bound to be a difference between what my own head and eyes rembered directly and what was passed down secondhand from the Holy Sword Bastian.
I went out into the garden and spent my ti intensely, swinging my sword again and again.
It had been a long ti since I had such fresh stimulation, so it was a very enjoyable ti.
Elsewhere, Yoon Joo-hee and Ral were also engrossed in their sword training.
As the difference in their levels was stark, Yoon Joo-hee often instructed Ral, but nevertheless, the two were good partners for each other.
The questions Ral asked from a beginner's perspective gave Yoon Joo-hee an opportunity to look at swordsmanship from a new perspective.
“Um, Unit Leader. I'm sorry, but Ral has asked a difficult question. This is sothing I hadn't even thought of….”
One troubleso thing was that the questions would eventually co to .
Every ti I gave an answer, the two of them would have sparkling eyes.
“Nuna! I’m so jealous!”
“Of what?”
“Nuna, you can learn swordsmanship from sir anyti.”
Ral’s titles were a bit unique.
Yoon Joo-hee was nuna, and I was sir.
Even after telling him we were the sa age, this title did not change.
“That’s true, but this is the first ti for to ask the Unit Leader so many questions like this.”
“Why? Don’t you improve your skills by asking right away when you don’t know sothing?”
“Th-that’s….”
Seeing her glance at , I could tell the reason.
“Am I difficult to approach?”
“N-no, sir.”
“If you have questions in the future, don't hesitate to ask. I'm not a difficult type to deal with, am I?”
Yoon Joo-hee couldn’t answer right away.
For the first ti, I began to think that my own perception might have been wrong.
***
Count Berwood brought so good news.
“You there. Did you say there was soone you needed to et in the Jero Knights?”
“Yes.”
“You would have made a wasted trip if you had gone there. I've just co from hearing news about the Jero Knights.”
“Have the knights perhaps left the Imperial Palace?”
The Count nodded.
“They left for training a while ago, I heard. But don't worry too much. They have a schedule to move to the dar region in two days.”
“The dar region?”
“Yes. It's a place about two hours from here by carriage.”
I raised the corner of my mouth slightly.
It wasn't just the fact that the physical distance had beco closer that was good.
If the Jero Knights were staying in the Imperial Palace, eting the princess would not have been easy.
But since they were out for training, it had beco a much simpler matter.
“Then I think I will leave this place in two days.”
“I expected you to say that. Then, after you've finished your business, do you have any intention of coming back here?”
“I cannot give you a definite answer.”
“A pity. It would be nice if you could join us in opening the ‘new world’.”
The Count was preparing to go to the new world that was said to exist sowhere in the vast sea.
That was precisely why the mage Deli was staying at the Count's house.
It would be nice if I could join them as well, but I must not forget the reason I ca to Pangaea.
To et the dragon researcher through the 3rd Princess, Clera Erendina.
‘Was it Lord Jenolf?’
I didn't know how much he knew about the clues regarding dragons, but if I could obtain even one piece of the puzzle, that would be enough.
And the sa went for my eting with Deli tonight.
“By the way, who is the person you are eting in the Jero Knights?”
“You’re only asking that now.”
“I’m trying to find out to maintain a connection with you. If you leave here in two days, you might never seek out again.”
A connection.
It would be a useless endeavor anyway, but I decided to tell him.
Since I had also received a gift from the Count.
“I intend to et the 3rd Princess.”
“What? Who are you eting?”
The Count, who had not expected it at all, showed a surprised expression.
“You. Did you have connections with the Imperial Family as well?”
“Not exactly. It’s just that I have a small personal connection with the 3rd Princess.”
“I didn't believe you when you said you were a wandering explorer, but you really are a mysterious person.”
“I'm telling you this so you don't waste your efforts, but even if you investigate , you won't find anything.”
Seeing the Count’s flustered expression, it seed he had already started.
I simply smiled slightly.
***
In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep.
I was still engrossed in reading a single book.
The more I looked at it, the more new and surprising it was.
How could it express the subtleties of swordsmanship in such an amazing way without containing a single sword form? I wondered.
At first, I thought the author of this book was a genius who was very close to my level of swordsmanship.
But as I read it a second and third ti, that thought changed.
A being on the sa level as , sothing I had never seen before in my life.
At least in swordsmanship, I had never once thought that there could be a being who could be placed on the sa line as , so the fact that I had this thought itself was a very surprising thing.
But in reality, that wasn't the end of it.
‘Perhaps half a step above .’
This was the conclusion I ca to as I closed the last page of the book today.
Surprisingly, my pride was not hurt at all.
I had no choice but to admit it cleanly.
That there was a being who had reached a higher level of swordsmanship than .
I even felt a sense of thrill.
Co to think of it, dragons are truly cheat-like creatures by their very existence.
Born with imnse magical power from birth, a ntal level that ordinary humans can by no ans reach.
Above all, the absurd thing is a lifespan that approaches nearly ten thousand years.
If there was a dragon crazy about swordsmanship, it would be precisely for this reason that it could see the pinnacle of the sword.
In any case, it was a great fortune that I ca across this book.
At that mont, I felt a presence from outside the villa where I was staying.
‘It’s Deli.’
Two nights ago, I had only noticed after she had entered the villa, but now I could easily recognize her presence because I had beco accustod to her unique way of operating mana.
The locked door of the villa was unlocked futilely, and her footsteps beca louder.
Knock, knock!
A neat knocking sound.
And then she revealed herself.
“I'm here.”
“You're later than I thought.”
“I thought that might make you anxious.”
A typical psycho-like idea.
“You looked more anxious when we ran into each other.”
“Tsk! You saw that, didn't you. Anyway, eting in your room like this late at night feels different, don't you think?”
“It's late, so let's start the trade right away.”
“That's so an.”
When I cut her off, telling her to stop with the nonsense, she pouted her lips slightly.
“But on the other hand, I'm glad. It ans you haven't changed your mind. By the way, did you really master that book in two days? I don't know what it's about, but if a dragon wrote it, it must be profound.”
“You don't need to know that. You go first. Tell everything you know about the dragons' whereabouts.”
What would co out of her mouth?
It was true that I was also a little anxious.
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