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Zephrin’s neck stiffened.
He had clearly given this man an expensive sword out of goodwill.
And yet, the wretched fellow was openly mocking him, saying it was free and that its quality wasn’t worth much.
What kind of scam was he pulling by selling off the sword?
Zephrin gritted his teeth as he glared at Ray.
“Did you sell it and then start making excuses? If my sword has appeared for sale around Phillip’s County in the past few years, I will hold you accountable.”
“Ah, why would I lie to you, Master Zephrin? What grudge could I possibly have against you?”
Shaking his hands, Ray grinned and continued.
“Of course, the sword I bought for ‘ten thousand two thousand gold’ and the complimentary one broke after a few swings, but I’m not petty enough to hold a grudge against you over something so trivial, haha.”
“You…!”
The sudden rise in blood pressure made Zephrin’s vision darken momentarily before grabbing Ray by the collar.
“Hand over the sword immediately! I need to see with my own eyes what exactly is broken.”
Zephrin was a renowned craftsman.
By merely inspecting the scratches on a weapon, he could deduce its history. It was easy for him to determine whether it had been damaged from combat or accidentally ruined.
However, Ray shook his head briefly.
“What’s the point of carrying around a broken sword? I’ve already disposed of it.”
“Grrr…!”
“Well, don’t worry too much about it. I’m not shameless enough to ask for after-service on a complimentary sword.”
“I gave a sword to a madman!!”
Zephrin grabbed Ray by the collar and shook him.
As Ray felt the grip tightening around his neck, he began to think.
‘How do I resolve this situation?’
Even if he claimed he had sold the X Series to someone else or left it in the baron’s warehouse, it would only damage Zephrin’s favor and sever their relationship. With no other options, Ray decided to provoke Zephrin further.
But he had no idea how to wrap things up after aggravating him.
‘Damn, maybe this was a mistake.’
In truth, Ray’s provocation was more impulsive than planned.
Exhausted from a long journey and stressed from people constantly belittling him, his true nature had slipped out.
Regardless, the water had already spilled.
Ray decided to keep pushing forward.
“Master Zephrin, among our group, we have a genius girl who reached the Expert level before turning eighteen. However, she still lacks a proper fine sword.”
“Are you asking me to give another sword for free?”
“Haha, no, not at all. But if you know any excellent artisans, could you introduce us?”
It was as good as saying that his weapons were inadequate and he wanted someone better introduced.
As Ray continued his taunting, Zephrin’s eyes bulged with anger.
Johanna asked Mohamed who Zephrin was.
Mohamed explained that Zephrin was a renowned mage and artisan who crafted her sword.
Upon hearing this, Johanna was shocked and rushed toward the carriage.
After rummaging through the baggage compartment, Johanna returned holding something.
“Uh, Mage sir! Hello!! Hey, isn’t this…!!”
Everyone turned their heads at Johanna’s shout.
Ray, Mohamed, Jenkins, and Zephrin all looked at the ruined sword Johanna held in her arms.
The sword’s identity was clear—it was Zephrin’s melted X Series.
“?!”
Ray, Mohamed, and Jenkins were greatly startled.
None of them knew that Johanna had kept this sword all along.
With hopeful eyes, Johanna asked Zephrin.
“Could you repair this for me?”
Johanna knew that her sword was severely damaged beyond repair.
However, since it was a gift from Ray with special meaning, she secretly brought it along in case its appearance could be restored.
Unfortunately, the timing was bad.
Ray signaled Johanna to step back quickly, but Zephrin acted first.
Whoosh!
Using magic, Zephrin pulled the sword toward himself and seized it.
The sword, which had melted and lost its function, was fully reflected in Zephrin’s eyes.
Though the X Series was just metal, if you put a regular sword into a smelter and took it out, it would look similar.
However, upon closer inspection of the remaining traces, it became clear that it hadn’t simply melted due to high heat.
‘The sword expanded outward as it melted.’
If excessive mana was injected into the sword while countering a high-temperature spell, it might end up like this.
‘Sword Aura…? No.’
The sword swelled minutely following entangled trajectories, resembling the mark of Sword Energy rather than Sword Aura.
Zephrin narrowed his eyes.
Sword Energy was both a powerful weapon and shield when manifested.
Since even decent spells couldn’t scratch it, strategies often involved simultaneous attacks from various angles to wear down Graduates.
‘Yet, to shave away the Sword Energy and melt the blade with sheer firepower from the front…’
Even at the lowest estimate, it would require a spell of 7th Circle Destruction Magic or higher.
‘What in the world…’
Judging by the degree of oxidation, the sword hadn’t been ruined for very long.
Just as Zephrin’s suspicious gaze turned toward Ray, Mohamed stepped forward.
“Actually…”
“…?”
“I borrowed that sword. While testing its performance recently, an accident happened during some experiments.”
“Taking a sword from a disciple? That seems quite dishonorable, doesn’t it?”
“The disciple wasn’t ready for such a fine sword yet. I hope you understand.”
“…”
Zephrin examined the hilt.
The dried blood on the hilt also bore slight dents, reflecting the determination to move forward despite fear in life-or-death situations.
Compared to the towering Mohamed, Ray, with average build, had noticeably smaller hands.
Zephrin smirked and closed the distance until he was right in front of Ray.
Staring deeply into Ray’s eyes, Zephrin slowly spoke.
“Weapons are perfected on the battlefield.”
Zephrin gleamed with the unchanging philosophy he believed in.
“No weapon gains its name without tasting blood. If it does, it’s merely a false reputation.”
“…”
“I don’t care who you are or why you wield a sword. If you’re willing to etch your name into my sword, I am also willing to offer ‘service’ one more time.”
“That is truly an honor.”
“When you’re done with your urgent matters, come visit my workshop in the Imperial Capital.”
Ray tilted his head slightly and sighed.
Once caught by an expert, everything was exposed in an instant.
While Zephrin’s words couldn’t be trusted entirely, running away now would only make things worse, so Ray reluctantly nodded.
“By the way, Master Zephrin, do you have weapons stored in your workshop that can utilize A-Space storage?”
At this absurd question, Zephrin chuckled and handed back the melted sword before turning away.
“I’ll be waiting.”
“…”
As Zephrin walked away, Ray, Mohamed, and Jenkins groaned.
Amid the uneasy atmosphere, Yohana cautiously asked.
“Did I do something wrong…?”
“You’ve complicated things a bit. From now on, don’t show this to anyone else. Got it?”
Ray handed over the melted sword and tousled Yohana’s hair.
“We’ll talk details later. Let’s find lodging quickly first.”
Though his head hurt, getting angry wouldn’t solve anything.
Ray climbed onto his horse with a tired expression.
Yohana smoothed her messy hair and gazed at the melted sword with mixed feelings.
*
They secured their final lodging before entering the Imperial Capital.
With many eyes watching and repairs needed, they had no choice but to choose a fairly luxurious inn.
Though their remaining money was almost depleted, leaving them potentially needing to sell a horse on the return trip, the inn itself was splendid.
Alesya finally washed herself properly and finished her grooming with the help of the staff.
Regaining some confidence, Alesya lifted her chin as she met Ray in the hallway.
“How do I look? My knight!”
“At least we won’t get kicked out of dessert shops anymore.”
“My knight!”
Ray smirked at Alesya, whose face was turning red.
“If you go outside, you might pass for a ‘commoner.'”
“Ray! Stop teasing me!”
Chuckling, Ray pointed downstairs.
“You must be hungry. Let’s eat first.”
“Ugh… So gloomy…”
Despite feeling annoyed, Ray guided the children downstairs alongside the whining Alesya.
It was already dark.
Since it was dinner time, most guests were enjoying their meals in the brightly lit ground floor adorned with glowing artifacts.
Among those eating, knights were especially numerous.
Most were visiting to establish connections with Mohamed, either prepared beforehand or drawn spontaneously after hearing rumors of his recent display of Sword Energy in the streets.
Knights took turns introducing themselves to Mohamed, stating their families and the nobles they served.
Mohamed was unable to eat, busy receiving endless greetings.
Ray sat the kids down and tapped the table with his fork, scanning the surroundings.
Knights from other houses weren’t shy about displaying their power.
‘There are eleven Graduates among them…’
Such overwhelming strength was rare even on large battlefields, but it wasn’t surprising in a city bordering the Imperial Capital.
“Pleased to meet you.”
The visiting knights maintained a certain courtesy toward Mohamed, as Phillips Baronet in the frontier had no conflicts or enmities with other houses, leaving no reason to provoke him.
Still, the harmonious atmosphere didn’t last long.
Subtle pressures began hinting at undesirable prospects within certain families.
There were even verbal spats between knights from unfriendly families, creating an ominous tension.
“Has Lord Lebrul’s gambling addiction improved at all? Last time, he even put one of the annexes on the line.”
“I hope the incident involving your second prince gets resolved smoothly. Things seem to be unraveling fast.”
As the knights continued their psychological battles, Alesya put down her spoon mid-soup.
She knew continuing to eat in this atmosphere would upset her stomach.
Yohana and the other children also looked pale, except for Luna, who remained calm.
Unable to bear it, Mohamed cleared his throat.
“Phillips Baroness has also joined me.”
Forced to muster confidence, Alesya stood up under everyone’s gaze.
“Pleased to meet you all!”
“…”
The knights glanced at each other briefly, gave a cursory greeting to Alesya, and resumed their squabbles.
To them, Alesya was just a country bumpkin visiting the capital—not a wholly incorrect judgment.
Feeling somewhat ignored, Alesya slumped and sat back down.
Meanwhile, a knight who had already indulged in drink raised his voice toward Mohamed.
“To be honest, I admire you, Sir Mohamed. Though you haven’t reached the highest level at a young age…”
Feeling the attention focused on him, the knight smiled proudly and continued.
“Just looking at that cheap armor tells how little support you had. And yet, you’ve achieved so much—truly remarkable. Once you receive support worthy of your skills from your new patron, I’m sure you’ll achieve great results soon.”
Other knights nodded in agreement as the drinking knight toasted.
It was a straightforward compliment. The drunk knight had no malice in his words.
However, Alesya’s presence in the same room was problematic.
Alesya silently stirred her soup with a dejected expression.
Mohamed struggled to maintain his composure but couldn’t retaliate here.
Practically speaking, a Graduate serving central nobility held more real power than a frontier noble destined to inherit a title.
Ray understood this fact and prepared to excuse himself.
Placing the piece of meat he had speared with his fork back down, Ray gestured for Alesya to stand up.
However, at that moment…
An oppressive aura unlike anything Ray had ever experienced descended upon him.
As an overwhelming killing intent enveloped him, making it feel as though his neck would be severed at any moment, Ray instinctively reached for his sword hilt.
‘…!’
Ray realized too late that his reaction was too quick.
For someone who had merely reached the Expert level, it was excessively agile.
By the time he recognized this, his hand was already gripping the sword hilt.
In the next instant, swords were drawn from all sides.
Clangclangclang!!
Graduates who had attained the highest rank trusted their instincts and unleashed Sword Energy without hesitation.
As beams of Sword Energy shot out in every direction, the dimly lit shop became as bright as day.
Altogether, twelve Graduates capable of destroying entire armies were present.
Their combined momentum was directed at a single person.
“…”
Seated in the corner of the dining hall, cloaked in black robes, a frail old man slowly rose to his feet.
Dozens of knights aimed their swords at him.
An intimidating force strong enough to cause even seasoned knights to faint surged toward the old man.
Nevertheless, the figure in black robes calmly pushed through the dense forest of Sword Aura and Sword Energy.
It was an eerie sight.
The valiant knights seemed paralyzed with fear, none daring to obstruct the old man’s steps.
Holding their swords tightly, their knuckles white, the knights failed to swing once.
In the suffocating silence,
The old man walked straight ahead.
Step by step.
Finally reaching someone, the old man smiled curiously.
“You.”
“…”
“Were the fastest.”
Ray realized he was utterly screwed.
Travel Episode (4)
