novelraw Chapter 120 : Chapter 120
Chapter 120 : Chapter 120
Chapter 120: Asylum Couple (2)
“Put on some clothes before we go.”
I said to Ellen.
It was also something I said to myself.
We both looked a mess. Our injuries had healed, but there was no way our damaged clothes would be restored.
It would have looked better if we were completely naked, but I was in a slightly better state. My clothes were merely covered in blood.
Ellen was wearing rags.
It was to the point where more skin than cloth was visible.
As if just realizing, Ellen blushed and covered her body.
“……Did you see?”
“You showed me.”
I said that, but it didn't look that way.
Even though they were rags, they were covering everything that needed to be covered.
“I didn’t show you.”
“I didn't actually look, either.”
I handed a robe to Ellen, who was squinting her eyes.
It was the blue robe that Avery Aquins had been wearing.
It must be the color of the Tower of the Deep Sea.
“This is warm, isn't it?”
“Avery Aquins was a Star. He would have received special treatment.”
Avery Aquins's robe was an Outer Item.
It provided considerable warmth and was as sturdy as magical beast leather.
I put on Aroshu's robe.
It was red, as befitting someone from the Red Tower.
“What about that one?”
“Unfortunately, it doesn't have much of an effect.”
Aroshu's robe was ordinary.
Because he was a 4th Rank? That might be part of it, but it seemed to be because he was from the Red Tower.
It would look ridiculous for a being of fire to carry around an Outer Item that provides warmth.
“It doesn't suit you, you.”
Ellen commented on me wearing the red robe.
I looked down at my attire.
To my eyes, it suited me quite well. It wasn't because I was a mage; I was the type who looked good in anything I wore.
“I think it suits you even less.”
The Otherworld's robe looked awkward on Ellen.
“Well, I'm not a mage.”
“But I am a mage.”
“But it doesn't suit you.”
Ellen said something incomprehensible and walked ahead.
“By the way, how was it?”
“What?”
“My body.”
“……?”
Has she gone mad?
* * *
“Just kidding.”
Ellen, who had said that, led me to a certain cave.
It was a strangely shaped cave, as if purple and yellow rocks had intertwined, melted, and then solidified.
It was located in a rather high place.
She must have been conscious of Avery Aquins's river.
In that short time, Ellen had managed to find such a safe place. It was excellent vision and judgment.
‘Was this a cave where a magical beast lived?’
The inside of the cave was surprisingly comfortable. And spacious. I could roughly guess the size of the magical beast that had once stayed here.
The cave was deeper than I thought. The shape of the walls was peculiar.
It looked as if this cave had been dug out with giant claws.
After walking for some time, Ellen, who had been walking alongside me, stretched out her arm and blocked my way.
A sword was swung before my eyes.
If I hadn't stopped, the top of my head would have been split.
The trajectory of the sword was quite formidable.
However, the power behind it was pathetic.
“He's exhausted.”
The man who had been hiding, pressed against the wall, and then swung his sword was panting heavily.
It seemed that holding his breath for the ambush and swinging his sword once had been overwhelming.
“Get lost, mage.”
But his spirit was formidable.
The man was prepared to die.
Ellen would have helped him.
The man didn't seem to recognize Ellen.
‘Ah. He would have only seen her back.’
Earlier, Ellen had blocked the river in place of the man and the fallen woman to protect them.
The man would not have seen Ellen's face.
In the end, the clothes were the problem.
Ellen and I were wearing robes.
They were Aroshu's and Avery's.
The man was mistaking us for mages of the Otherworld.
“If you come any closer, I will kill you.”
The man said. He was panting.
“I don't think you can.”
I said, glancing behind the man. The woman was still collapsed.
She was not dead or unconscious. Her breathing was unstable. It seemed she was awake but unable to move.
“Hand over that woman. Then I'll let you live.”
The man's eyes widened.
He swung his sword instead of answering. It was aimed at my neck, but a hand suddenly intervened, grabbed the sword, and threw it to the ground.
The man, who had suddenly lost his sword, had wide eyes.
Even though she had caught the sword with her bare hands, there was not a single scratch on Ellen's hand.
“Are you serious?”
“No. I wanted to hear that answer.”
I smiled brightly.
The man had a dumbfounded look on his face.
“You saw me protecting them earlier.”
Ellen asked.
It seemed she was genuinely curious, not trying to argue.
“It's different, because I had strength back then.”
Earlier, the man who was resisting Avery had aura left.
Not now.
The sword the man had swung had no aura.
It meant that just protecting his body from the chill of the Boundary was his limit.
“One's true intentions tend to come out when one has nothing.”
The man chose the woman.
That must be his true intention.
“So what's the result?”
“I've decided I want to talk to them.”
“But you don't trust them?”
Ellen seemed to want to trust the man.
It must be because the man was a knight.
However, I shook my head.
“This is the Boundary. And they are asylum seekers.”
This couple was seeking asylum.
If they had been granted permission, they would have become a part of the Otherworld.
I know the plight of continental mages, but I couldn't just blindly trust them.
“And this is a problem you have to think about, not me.”
I looked at Ellen.
They were people who had secretly crossed the wall.
For a Serzila, it was not a problem to be taken lightly.
“……I'm sorry.”
Only then did Ellen seem to realize that she had thought too lightly of it.
“I didn't say that to hear an apology. I meant for you to keep it in mind. And it's understandable. Since this is the first time.”
I spoke gently.
“It's also your role to decide their fate. Since there is no Grand Duke or Grand Heir here.”
Ellen slowly nodded her head.
She must have understood as the Grand Heir.
“……Knight. A knight?”
The man asked, as if he had just come to his senses.
It seemed he had been thinking about Ellen's identity until now.
‘Not very smart.’
Even though he had heard the conversation, the man didn't seem to have been able to guess Ellen's identity.
It was then that the woman who had been lying behind him got up.
“I greet the great wall, Serzila.”
The woman bowed deeply towards Ellen.
Seeing that, my eyes gleamed.
“Indeed, a mage.”
The woman seemed smart.
* * *
Sword Masters of the continent are rare.
At this time, they are known to be only ten in number.
That was excluding the North.
Although they live on the same landmass, the continent that the world speaks of is a land that excludes the North.
It was not out of ostracism of Serzila, but out of respect.
Because the military power of the North was in no way inferior to that of the continent.
Of course, that was an old story. The North could no longer defeat the continent.
Although it could inflict serious damage.
And for good reason, the current number of Sword Masters in Serzila was five.
It meant they had half as many as the continent.
‘If we add Kalinos, that makes six… Ah. Still five.’
I let out a dry laugh after unconsciously including Cassion.
That bastard was a mage.
Five Sword Masters.
And even that was excluding Cassion and the great Elaine.
It's not for nothing that the Empire covets Serzila.
There are ten Sword Masters on the continent, but only five in the Empire.
‘Ten on the continent, five of whom belong to the Empire.’
It was like that at this time.
However, that's not exactly accurate.
Those ten are just the most famous; there were often hidden powerhouses.
Because they were mediocre powerhouses.
“1st Knights Commander of Margrave Gildein, Balbebron Apote… no.”
Balbebron was one of those mediocre powerhouses.
“It’s Balbebron.”
He was about to say his full name but then omitted his surname and introduced himself again.
“I'm Alena.”
The woman said, coughing.
Blood came away on the hand that covered her mouth.
“You can lie down.”
“Are you going to let us live?”
“It won't make a difference whether you're lying down or standing up.”
Alena smiled bitterly at those words and laid herself down.
She must be trying to conserve as much strength as possible, not knowing how the conversation would end. She was a smart woman.
“Did you get caught by the Church?”
“The Church was lucky.”
Balbebron said that it wasn't that they were unlucky, but that the Church was lucky.
“You. You weren't a believer of the Sun and Moon.”
“That is correct.”
“I was going to kill them anyway. And then I got lucky.”
Balbebron nodded his head heavily.
That was the reason why mediocre Sword Masters did not let their existence be known to the world.
Otherwise, they might become a target.
“What does that mean?”
Ellen, the country bumpkin from the North, didn't seem to understand.
“There are ten known Sword Masters on the continent. But in reality, there are more.”
Ellen nodded.
Balbebron was proof of that.
“Why do you think the rest are not known?”
I asked, as if teaching.
“Because they're not yet confident in their own skills?”
“Why would they not be confident?”
“Maybe they’re not satisfied yet?”
Like me.
Ellen, who had not yet become a Sword Master, said, scratching her neck.
“That's only half the answer.”
“What's the other half?”
“Because they don't know when they will die.”
“To whom?”
“The Church.”
Ellen blinked.
She seemed to be thinking of Seria.
“Margrave Gildein. The western front of the Empire. It's a troublesome wall. It would be an eyesore from the Empire's perspective.”
The reason for that was probably the existence of Balbebron.
“Even if it's not known, those who have experienced it know. Because it can't be hidden on the front lines.”
“…….”
“The Church helped. Or the Church also found it to be an eyesore.”
That's the reason why the Elaine of her past life had called the emperor a scarecrow.
“If the Church agreed, the rest is easy. Because the Church has the invincible pretext of a mage.”
Balbebron had fallen victim to that pretext, where the truth did not matter.
“That's what he meant when he said the Church was lucky.”
The Church had used the pretext of a demon to get rid of Balbebron.
And truly, Balbebron's wife was a mage.
“That's why the Sword Masters, other than the ten known ones, do not widely publicize their true worth.”
If either skill or status is lacking, one can at any time serve as prey for the Church.
Even if one is confident in both.
If they get on the bad side of the Church, it would not be strange for that Sword Master to become a minion possessed by a demon at any time.
“The ten known ones are all devout believers.”
That is the reason why the ten known Sword Masters on the continent are still going strong.
They have skill, status, and on top of that, faith.
“Well, it's not like I know everything. They probably don't just kill. They'll try to persuade or threaten too.”
“…….”
“There's probably more to their story that they can't say. It must be related to the Church.”
However, what was clear was that Balbebron and Alena here had gotten on the bad side of the Church.
Or the Empire.
“Don't think of Seria. I told you, she is an exceptional priestess. The current Church is full of ambition.”
“…….”
“From ancient times, faith has a way of interfering in everything.”
The Church held absolute power.
As long as mages do not disappear, that power will not weaken.
“In reality, it's ambition, but the pretext is proselytization. They went to Gildein to spread the faith, but oh my. A demon is lurking there.”
I said, looking at Alena who was lying behind Balbebron.
“And so, peace came to Gildeon. With the Church.”
* * *
Ellen had a shocked look on her face.
Because Balberon did not deny it.
Rather, he had a surprised look on his face.
As if to say, how did you know.
“You were lucky to survive.”
“We have the ability to escape.”
Though mediocre, a superhuman was a superhuman.
Balberon had the ability to shake off the Church's pursuit.
“What Rank?”
“3rd Rank.”
It was a great achievement on the continent, but not enough to escape from the Church.
The reason this couple had come this far was due to Balberon's merit.
“How did you cross the wall. A tunnel?”
Balberon and Alena simultaneously tilted their heads.
It was as if they had heard of a tunnel for the first time.
“We crossed the sea.”
“The western sea.”
A legend lives in the eastern sea.
The only way to enter the Boundary through the sea is from the west.
“You took a smuggling ship.”
Tunnels are not the only means of seeking asylum.
There is also the sea. It was also one of the Otherworld's routes of entry into the continent.
It was not a very good means.
If the ship were to dock, they would have to cross the Boundary diagonally. Only then would the Otherworld appear.
That's the reason why the Otherworld of the past life had focused on tunnels.
Compared to the sea, tunnels were certainly safer.
“A smuggling ship? Is there such a thing?”
“……?”
Balberon and Alena once again had a look of hearing it for the first time.
This time, I was the one who tilted my head.
“How on earth did you get here?”
Soon, my eyes gleamed.
Could it be that there's another asylum route?
It was a fact I didn't know in my past life.
“We swam.”
“It's not an ordinary sea. Your wife?”
I thought Balberon was lying.
Although there was no legend, no 6th Rank magical beast, the western sea was just as dangerous.
That sea is an environment no different from the Boundary.
“I put her on my neck.”
“……Really?”
“On my neck, really.”
It was then.
“Cough.”
Ellen marveled.
“…….”
Knights, I tell you.