Chapter 79 – Stranger (2)

“A desert kingdom… Don’t tell me you tore that spatial teleportation scroll?”

The territory adjacent to the Flowing Forest. He was referring to the scroll obtained by killing Karven’s mage. Kara nodded. Soon, she sat down on the ground with a thud and opened her mouth.

“I had no choice. The Duke tried to kill us.”

“Georg?”

Kara grit her teeth.

“When you fell unconscious after killing the Archdemon, the three of us regained our senses. And then, that bastard who has no honor appeared.”

Her brown eyes shone cloudily, and dark red capillaries popped out on her face. Adel was startled and shouted at her to calm her anger. Kara touched her chest and let out a deep sigh. Then, she spoke in a much calmer tone.

“He immediately thrust a sword at us. Saying that now was the perfect time to kill you. We were completely done in by the nobles’ unique way of handling things. We resisted it and managed to flee here.”

It meant that if it had not been for his companions, his throat would have been slit without anyone knowing. *Fuck.* Like a godforsaken nobleman of Medieval Land. He should have just killed them all regardless of the consequences. No, the next time they met, he would peel the skin off his face… Belloc cursed inwardly and turned his head. One person was not in sight.

“Isabel?”

At that moment, an uncomfortable air hung heavily. It was not just because of the yellow dust unique to the desert.

“That is…”

As Kara trailed off, Adel answered in a heavy tone.

“She went missing.”

Belloc closed and opened his eyes. His dark pupils shook for an instant. He spoke.

“Surely, you said the success rate of the teleportation spell was eighty percent. Then… did Isabel get caught in the remaining twenty percent chance?”

Kara muttered as if making an excuse. She seemed to feel a sense of responsibility as the one who cast the spell.

“At the time I tore the scroll, the spell was highly unstable due to the surrounding circumstances. So… it seems she alone was separated. She might have gone to some remote dimension, or… she could be drifting in a completely random place somewhere on this continent. It’s my fault… I should have done better!”

Kara explained that her physical condition had been very poor at the time of teleportation, and that the underground mana was wriggling inside her body. She also mentioned that unless she found a priest to receive purification as soon as possible, she could also become a demon. All of these were scars left behind by the Archdemon. With the goddess’s answer as well, it was one obstacle after another. Belloc frowned. His mind was in a tangle.

“Is that why Adel stopped you when you got excited earlier? The black veins and cloudy eyes as well?”

Her brown eyes were not as clear as before. They only showed a mysterious and eerie light. Kara nodded. Then she touched her chest.

“That’s right. Right now, the underground mana is also dwelling in my body. Whenever my emotions run high or I use a spell, I hear dark whispers. It is trying to seize me… Even if Isabel is alive, it probably won’t be a good situation. Perhaps…”

She spoke while thinking of the worst-case scenario. It meant she might have fallen. Just like the dark elf back then… Adel was already murmuring a prayer, emitting her holy power. She seemed to be trying to shake off the mana residing in her body. Once her treatment was finished, Kara would also be able to expel her mana.

Belloc buried both arms in the sandy ground and raised his head. Perhaps because they had left the underground realm, the crimson moonlight had long since disappeared. Instead, only the unfamiliar foreign sun welcomed them radiantly. Belloc knit his brows. The bright yellow visible light. The hair color of the elf, whose mental state was a bit peculiar, had also been like this.

He let out a deep sigh. A life always accompanied by blades. They said a swordsman’s life was one where you never knew when or where you would die, but not like this. Was she alive? No, could he find her?

Belloc shook his head. How could he find her on this vast continent? As of now, there was nothing they could do. He only hoped she was holding onto her life. He could only harbor a meaningless wish.

Leaving his gloomy mood behind, Belloc stood up. Then he sheathed the greatsword that had been lying beside him. Adel, who was reciting a prayer, spoke with concern.

“Wouldn’t it be better to rest a bit more?”

“No, the situation does not seem that leisurely.”

He looked around at his battered companions and the sun beating down enough to heat up armor. With a missing shoulder guard and a gaping hole in the side, Adel’s once-glittering armor was in shambles. The sword and shield she favored had also long since vanished.

It was the same for Kara. Her luxurious red robe was frayed here and there, looking like a rag. The hole pierced around her abdomen was also serious. ‘We look like defeated soldiers,’ Belloc spoke.

“Since we have no food either… if things go wrong, we’ll starve to death.”

Since their luggage bags had also long since vanished due to the aftermath of the battle, it was a desperate situation.

“You’re right… I’m worried about Isabel too, but we are in just as much danger. An endless sand tomb is not something that can be overcome with swords and magic. If we don’t want to bury our bones here, we have to come up with a plan.”

Kara bent her knees and stood up. Soon, she shook out her ruined robe. Adel also tucked the holy book she was reading into her clothes and pulled out the whip at her waist. Yes, if one did not want to die, they had to move. They had to push through. That was what living was. Belloc was about to take a step with a calm expression. Something caught his eye. A blade buried in the sand, scattering a dark aura. It was the magic sword wielded by the king.

“Why is this here?”

“It seems it was swept along when the teleportation took place. Should we call it a good thing…? If a sword like that had fallen into the Duke’s hands, I can’t even fathom what more he would have done.”

Belloc pondered for a moment. To give it to Adel, who was without a weapon, it was a magic sword. Surely, there would be strong resistance. Kara couldn’t use it since she was a mage to begin with, so should he just bury it in the sand? Around the time he was thinking that, the sword trembled and floated gently into the air. Soon, it flew slowly toward Belloc and began to shake its body. It was as if it was acting cute.

“What kind of weapon is that…”

Adel, who was about to swing her whip, had a bewildered look. Kara knit her brows as if looking at something unpleasant, then voiced her opinion as a mage.

“A sword that moves on its own. Perhaps it’s an item with a will of its own. It must be an incredible magic sword. Since it was used by a king of a country. Still, since it’s tainted by evil, it’s danger… Wait! Belloc!”

“So that’s how it is.”

Belloc grabbed the sword, ignoring Kara’s words. Inwardly, he thought that gaining just one such sword instead of his lost companion was not profitable all at once. It was shitty. Sinister voices echoed in his head.

[Kill, tear, destroy, serve me… *Gag*]

Belloc swung his fist and struck the sword. The thing seemed to tremble for a moment, then opened its mouth again.

[Kill, tear…]

Belloc swung his fists multiple times with emotion. ‘Give me back my friend. Damn it.’ A loud metallic clank continued for a long time. Eventually, the eyeball attached to the blade cracked with a shatter and broke with a ping. The sword went completely limp. Then, it began to change its appearance on its own. It became the pitch-black, dark-colored greatsword he had seen at the very beginning.

Belloc wondered if he should just break this strange blade into pieces, but realized that apart from leveling up, he had gained nothing from this journey. He tilted his head to loosen his neck once and slung the new sword on his back. Perhaps because the sizes were similar, it fit perfectly. A magic sword… he could melt this down and make a new weapon out of it. Or, he could take it and sell it.

“You really! Can’t you stop doing reckless things?!”

Kara, panting as she approached, struck his shoulder. Perhaps due to the hardships she had faced, there was quite a bit of power in it now. Belloc chuckled. Yes, once they found a town, he would get her armor custom-fit and buy her a sword. She would make a very fine magic swordsman. Adel watched the two of them silently, then lowered the corners of her mouth slightly. She spoke in a much lower voice.

“Sir Belloc. Where shall we go?”

Belloc slightly raised his head. He looked at the horizon and tried to estimate the positions where the sun rose and set. Like hell he knew. He shook his head and maximized his five senses. Soon, just as he had always done, he took steps guided by his body and his sixth sense. Was it good luck? Before long, the group was able to find a fairly prosperous desert city.

#

“That’s an unusual style of armor. And that skin color. Where did you come from? Adria? Or the Holy Kingdom?”

A guard, who wore something like a rolled-up turban on his head and only covered his chest with chain mail, opened his mouth. The spear shaft he gripped tightly as if ready to thrust at any moment and his sharp eyes seemed to reveal his intentions. A mere guard acting this way toward them? Irritation showed on Adel’s face.

She could not tell if this feeling arose because her pride as a knight was crushed, because she was worried about her lost companion, or because of the subtly changed relationship between Belloc and Kara. Just as harsh words were about to escape Adel’s mouth, Kara spoke.

“We are from the Kingdom of Adria. It was quite a grueling journey.”

“Looking at your state, it seems so. Well, all sorts of things are happening outside these days anyway. Buried corpses coming back to life, or oversized man-eating insects and birds attacking people.”

The guard muttered as he examined the group’s attire. His gaze was especially focused on the knight who possessed two greatswords. One was slung on his back, and one was held in his hand. bloody tough. Isn’t it heavy?

“That’s right. Because of fighting those monsters, we crossed the line between life and death several times. We’re exhausted too. We want to quickly get into an inn, have some soup and a cup of beer, and rest. Could you step aside?”

Kara spoke with a faint smile. A look of pity appeared in the guard’s eyes. But contrary to that, his spear shaft firmly blocked the gate.

“I’d like to do that too, but you guys are foreigners, aren’t you? If people without any proper identification enter the city as they please and cause a commotion, it becomes my responsibility. I don’t want to get whipped by the Lord. I don’t want my head to fly off either.”

The guard subtly let them know that the title of knight was a power that only passed within one’s own country. It was a guard against unfamiliar strangers, and the pride of a local inhabitant.

“This ignorant dark-skinned bastard…”

“Adel. Be patient for a bit.”

As Adel growled softly, Kara coaxed her. Then, she began rummaging through her clothes. ‘Something to prove our identity…’ While she was struggling like that, Belloc, with one fist clenched, stepped forward. The guard waved his hand.

“I told you it’s a no?”

“Here.”

Belloc placed a few copper coins he was holding into his hand. The guard’s lips curved into a smile. The firm spear shaft was also moved aside. He spoke.

“Welcome to Altanis. The city is chaotic in many ways, so please be careful.”

In a world where materialism was rampant, the group passed through the city gates. From soldiers wearing turbans and carrying curved swords, to women walking somewhere in robes that only exposed their eyes, and men dressed in flowing, skirt-like garments. People of all kinds passed them by.

The common factor was that they all had deep copper-colored skin. Thanks to this, the group, who had relatively pale skin, instantly attracted the attention of the people.

Belloc thought, without reacting to their glancing eyes. The desert, the clothing… it seemed close to Egypt. But it wasn’t exactly the same, it was mixed like some kind of hodgepodge. Later on, maybe a sphinx and a pyramid would appear too.

It was a part where he could realize once again how sloppily the creators of this game had made it. What a shitty world. As they walked through the desert city like that, Kara spoke haltingly.

“Uh… well. Is it because we’ve only been bumping into monsters lately? It seems my realistic sense had dulled a bit. Right, there was such an easy way.”

“I had completely forgotten about it too. Even though I clearly saw the actions Sir Belloc did before.”

Just the fact that Adel had not brandished her weapon was a huge step forward. ‘Yes, that was how things gradually changed. Just like he was adapting to this shitty world.’ Belloc chuckled and spoke.

“I think we should buy some everyday clothes, starting with armor. Shall we go to the market first? Or the inn?”

“I think it’s better to stop by the blacksmith first. If we place the order first, it’ll be convenient when we walk around.”

“I think that would be good too.”

“Let’s do that.”

Belloc nodded readily. Beating iron to flatten it and crafting things in a jiffy was no ordinary task. The group asked passing pedestrians for directions and headed to the street where the workshops of the market area were gathered. Passing by craftsmen of all kinds—makers of hats, swords, ropes, and even tanners refining leather—they entered a blacksmith shop engraved with a hammer.

The group widened their eyes. It was because of the identity of the blacksmith sitting by the fire. The blacksmith was short enough to be considered a child, but at the same time, his entire body was made of solid muscle. He was a dwarf.

“Hmm? Are you customers? I’m a bit busy now, so come back later.”

Just as he stroked his beard and was about to turn them away, the dwarf’s eyes widened. His gaze shifted to the two greatswords Belloc was holding.

“Y-you. Where on earth did you get those swords? No?! Now that I look, that armor too…!”

The dwarf gasped. Soon, he kicked back his seat and rose, rushing toward Belloc.

“H-hey, customer! That sword! Could I take a closer look at that sword?!”