Chapter 72: If You're Frustrated, Try Keeping Up

As I gripped the hilt, my vision momentarily sank into darkness.

And then, after a while.

A scene I had witnessed before unfolded before my eyes.

The only difference from last time was.

Through whose eyes I was seeing.

Now, I was observing the world through the eyes of the one holding the sword.

Before me stood a father who looked young.

The sequence of events unfolded similarly to what I had seen previously.

While before it felt as if I were watching the situation from the sky or from a distance.

Now, it was different.

It was all too clear whose eyes I was borrowing to witness this scene.

Observing a clash, a desperate struggle, from a third-person perspective versus borrowing the perspective of one of the participants… the feeling was entirely different.

The pressure. The threat. The tension. The escalation.

…Even though it was surely an indirect experience.

Every single detail felt as if it were breathing, transmitted vividly.

Finally, at the end of the short yet long duel.

The two clashed.

The outcome was clear.

However, unlike before, I could not quite understand why Grandeus fell without using his Arcane Secret.

The Jet-black Knight, having collapsed with one knee on the ground.

Used the sword as a support.

And the sword that had been driven in diagonally at that moment was precisely.

…This one, right now.

“…….”

I returned to reality.

The sword that had endured countless storms for a brief moment to hold this position.

…Still stood there, guarding its place.

I pulled hard on the hilt.

It didn’t budge.

As if it were rebelling, asking who the hell I thought I was.

No. That wasn’t it.

Perhaps I was inwardly disappointed, feeling rejected simply because there was no reaction.

“…….”

Since the people behind me were waiting, I let go of the hilt without lingering.

Is today not the day?

Or… has the time not yet ripened?

Or perhaps.

…I have not yet been granted the qualification to hold this in my hand.

I don’t know what’s what.

“Your master is the same, isn’t he?”

Luirin nudged my arm with his hand, as if to say, ‘look at him.’

“I suppose so.”

I didn’t say much, only letting a smile slip.

As I stepped out of the line, I spotted Leo and Luciri in the distance.

Seeing them looking anxious in front of a Flower-selling Stall, I instinctively approached.

“Ah, Lord Riel!”

Leo’s face lit up with joy, as if he had met me at the perfect time.

“If it wouldn’t be an imposition, could we ask for your help?”

“…I’ll listen.”

The girl, who had forced herself to stand up while leaning on a cane, looked visibly urgent, as if she were ready to step forward at any moment.

It seemed the problem lay more with her than with Leo’s group.

“A child named Rio was taken away by men who looked like adults. Ah, Rio is… Lady Luiness here….”

Was the girl at the flower stall named Luiness?

Behind the girl, Luiness, a tiny girl who barely reached her knees was clinging to her leg, looking up at me with anxious eyes.

“It seems urgent, so keep the explanation brief.”

“I’ll explain,” Luciri said, stepping in for Leo.

“The child, Rio, is an orphan who stays at a small chapel here in Somern.”

The point was simple.

Under the guise of being orphans, a few motivated children were tasked with various errands, which often led to low-quality work.

Because of that, whether due to a mistake or other reasons, there were rare cases where they were caught or kidnapped for human trafficking.

“Appearance. The place where he disappeared, and the estimated location where he might be?”

“That… I think I know a bit.”

Since there was no map, Luiness waited until they reached the very edge, which was no different from a cliff, before pointing to several spots and roughly indicating specific buildings or locations.

“I can’t pinpoint exactly where… but it’ll be either there or over there.”

“Then we can just split into two groups,” Leo said naturally.

“…….”

Was he just a good person, or did he have some other motive?

The flower stall girl was certainly beautiful… but to think he was offering help because of such ulterior motives… that boy, Leo, was a bit… how should I put it.

‘He seems prone to being a pushover.’

And what about Kariel himself, who was actually helping?

‘True.’

Was it because his chivalry had kicked in? No.

Sympathy? It was slightly different from that too.

…It’s not that I particularly hate admitting it, but.

“Then I’ll head over there first. That way seems a bit further. Luirin, you go with these people.”

“…….”

Luirin looked quite uncomfortable at the idea of doing something without any reward, but he didn’t complain.

He simply cursed with his expression.

“Then.”

Toward the void, which was no different from a cliff and where one would fall immediately upon stepping off.

I stepped back, leading with my back.

Then.

In an instant, my vision flipped.

The endless sky captured my eyes.

And my body fell without hesitation.

“Eh?! W-wait a minute—?!”

Leo, Luciri, and even Luiness and the little girl clinging to her watched in shock, their eyes following me as I plummeted.

‘It’s not that high.’

I lightly stepped on the wall to pivot my body.

Then, after controlling my speed by stepping on the wall a few times.

I leaped again.

Landing in a way that didn’t damage the building roof, I sprinted toward my target.

====

“…Is he an Elf?”

At Luciri’s half-impressed remark, Leo let out an awkward laugh.

“Moving across buildings isn’t impossible if one’s body is naturally agile, but….”

Adding a footnote.

Since the buildings were packed closely together, it was true that it wasn’t impossible.

“Just accept it as it is. And instead of admiring him, why don’t we move? Or do you want to jump off from here like the master?”

At Luirin’s indifferent words, Luciri and Leo shook their heads simultaneously, as if they had made a pact.

“Let’s talk about what each of us can do while we walk. Or should we just go in and cause a scene?”

“Who would benefit if we get caught by the guards?”

Leo cut into the realistic conversation between the two girls.

“Let’s just think about that once we get there.”

“Isn’t it too late to think about it once we arrive?”

“It’s better than delaying and finding it’s too late to do anything.”

“That… is true.”

Surprisingly, he hit the nail on the head.

Naturally, since the three of them couldn’t confidently perform a high-altitude drop like Kariel, they immediately ran toward the stairs.

====

Kariel, who reached the destination in just a few minutes—a distance that would have taken at least several dozen minutes at fastest—first landed on the roof of a large building that looked like a warehouse and began checking for presence inside.

‘…….’

A thick scent of iron drifted on the wind.

In the time it took to cross just a few roofs, the smell had become so strong it was almost foul, enough to make one feel nauseous.

“…….”

If I get entangled in the wrong way, I might end up in a bad state.

But if that child, Rio or whatever, is here….

‘If he’s dead.’

Would I have to retrieve the body?

Feeling a slight sense of disgust at his own cold reflection.

Kariel gave up on stealth, descended from the roof, and headed toward the warehouse entrance.

Blood was already splattered from the entrance.

The sprawled men had long since breathed their last, without a trace of presence or life, like corpses.

“…….”

As I opened the warehouse door, the smell of blood grew stronger.

“…….”

Inside, of course, there were plenty of corpses.

There must have been more than ten.

Fortunately, among them, there were no corpses that looked like children.

Only.

“Scary.”

The person standing on the flowing blood suddenly glared toward me.

A nervous gaze.

Sharp eyes.

Deep amber eyes and dark navy hair that seemed to lurk as if to hide them, scattering their presence boldly amidst the dark warehouse.

“I heard that if I killed them all, someone would come, but someone actually did.”

The young man muttered nonsense, whether to himself or to me.

His gaze remained fixed on Kariel.

“I came to find the child.”

“Child? What child?”

The young man frowned as if he had no idea what I was talking about.

“In a cruel world where children drop dead everywhere, did you rush here so busily to take care of a complete stranger?”

“…….”

What does he know?

His tone wasn’t just guessing.

He knows something.

“That’s why I’m hunting like this, considering things. Don’t worry. I don’t care what you do elsewhere, but we aren’t soft enough to leave someone running wild here.”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

After scanning the surroundings, I concluded that the child wasn’t here.

“Leaving?”

“…….”

“I wanted to see your skill. If you’re that thing from the prophecy, didn’t you come here to get the Sword of Grandeus or something?”

“…….”

Prophecy. Grandeus. Sword.

The reason for visiting this place.

Wanting to see my skill.

…Kariel could roughly guess how much of an informational advantage the opponent had gained from just a few fragments.

More than that, ‘that thing from the prophecy.’

In other words, does it mean Kariel himself is a certain entity wandering within some damn prophecy that someone babbled or recorded?

“Does that prophecy say whether you’ll win, live, or die?”

“Why? Will you try to make it happen if I tell you?”

The young man swung his sword into the air.

The raised sword pointed toward the ground without a trace of presence.

Before I knew it, the blood clinging to the sword sprayed out like a waterfall.

It scattered over the blood on the floor that was just beginning to harden, creating countless ripples.

It happened in a mere instant.

…It was not a speed that could be followed by the eye.

“You’ve been up there, so you know, right? But even you, the chosen one, couldn’t pull it out. Then isn’t it ultimately a matter of superiority in skill?”

“…What is it you’re trying to say?”

“You. I heard you inherited Grandeus’s Technique even though you’re not from the Order of Relief Knights. How is that possible?”

I had expected that we might get entangled.

…But I didn’t expect it to be in this manner.

“Then are you from that great Order of Relief Knights?”

“Yes. I am the Third Sword.”

“…….”

Does such a rank even matter?

Kariel could not understand the mindset of someone bragging so proudly.

“What’s with that look in your eyes?”

“So what? Third, fourth—what does that have to do with me?”

“This is why people without roots are such a pain.”

That’s my line.

Confidence that transcends reason. Pride.

Those shoulders, that gaze, that expression, so upright it was arrogant.

…It’s a sight I’ve seen far too often.

Those who called themselves Blue Blood were like that.

And above all.

…Alessius.

That bastard who claimed the Golden Bloodline always showed confidence in that way, casting aside all reason, even if he called it a mask.

In the end, he turned that into a basis and actually achieved it.

That was possible because he was that talented.

I have to admit what must be admitted.

If Elhermina hadn’t been there, he was certainly a genius beyond a gifted person, a genius in his own right.

Strangely enough.

The guy in front of me was completely different from him, and their ways of life were surely different.

Yet, for some reason, he smelled similar.

“Drop the gloomy face. Let’s fight. We aren’t exactly on speaking terms, are we?”

“…And is there a reason to start a sword fight?”

If I stay here too long and a situation arises that leads to a misunderstanding, that would be more painful.

“Then shall I ask that kid instead? That girl you dragged here.”

“Do you have the skill to do that?”

A cheap provocation.

Above all.

“…Wasn’t the Order of Relief Knights a group that championed things like justice, protecting the weak, and guardianship? It seems their identity has changed a lot after Grandeus’s death.”

“You’re the Ringleader of the Demon King, aren’t you?”

Those words unexpectedly pierced my vitals.

“What?”

“You’re not denying it.”

What is this?

“Rumors are floating around everywhere right now. That the child of some great Hero is plotting the resurrection of the Demon King.”

“…….”

Utter nonsense, unlike any other.

But the truth isn’t important.

Whether it’s a fact or not is even less so.

The fact that someone believes it and is spreading such stories.

That is the only thing that matters.

“Shall I go around telling people that the child of that great Hero is here? Then it’ll cause quite a stir, right? Probably?”

“…….”

Is this a threat?

Or a bluff, or a preliminary step for negotiation?

“Sigh.”

Forget it.

“Fine. I’ll play along.”

I drew Elhermina’s sword.

No matter how I thought about it.

I didn’t think a better idea would come to mind even if I thought more.

Besides.

…Is there any reason to avoid a fight that comes walking toward me?

What I was wary of was the possibility of being falsely accused by fighting in this vicinity.

In other words, if that problem is solved.

“Hmm?”

Instead of entering the warehouse, I left the area as if disappearing.

“You bastard?!”

Like a child who had been teased, he chased after me in a frantic rage.

“Hey, you bastard! You said we’d fight! Where the hell are you running to! Stop right there!”

…Why is this guy, who looks several years older than me, acting and looking no different from a brat?

Having instantly landed on one side of a warehouse roof, I waved my index finger at the guy looking up at me.

Then, I gestured with my chin for him to follow and immediately left the spot.

“Yaaaaaa—!”

The young man’s roar, close to a scream, shook the area.

So what, you idiot.

If you’re frustrated, then keep up.