Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 107 : Irregular (1)

Irregular (1)

If I crossed over the Olten Range, I would reach the midpoint of Mount Tylaris in no time.

It was truly the shortest path, but I was the only one who ever took this route.

'Well, that's because the Olten Range is filled with a deadly poison mist.'

Long ago, a dragon drew its last breath in the Olten Range.

The ruler of the Olten Range, the Black Dragon known as "Poison Dragon."

Typically, when dragons die, they revert to mana, but the Poison Dragon was different.

Perhaps it was the will of the Poison Dragon, who desperately wanted to leave its mark on the world, that caused this change.

The dragon's corpse spewed forth a dreadful poison, contaminating part of the mountain range.

The horrific toxins dissolved rocks and earth, creating valleys, and the Olten Range became eternally shrouded in caustic poison mist, eventually being designated as a forbidden land.

So, aside from me, there was no madman who would ever come here.

"The view is really nice."

The cliffs, melted by venom, were soft and strangely slick.

For an ordinary lifeform, just touching those soft walls would mean losing one's fingers or being poisoned to death, but I was different.

If anything, the moderately firm yet pliable wall made it easier for me to climb.

[I doubt anyone would ever imagine someone actually climbing up here.]

"That's true. Guess I'll get climbing again soon."

I crawled out from a crevice in the cliff and placed my hand back on the wall.

"Hup!"

A moment later, I reached the end of the cliff, and as I hauled myself up, a cold wind enveloped me.

Given the height, a chilly air coursed through my whole body.

I could definitely sense that the air had grown thinner compared to before.

"This much, and I'm only halfway up..."

Getting to the midpoint was easy, but the true challenge started from here.

There was a reason Mount Tylaris was known as the highest and roughest peak on the continent.

[This too feels like a kind of trial. I suppose you have to at least climb this high to have the right to challenge the title of hero.]

"That makes perfect sense."

The wind was fierce, but not unbearable. I'd heard that those who achieved the rank of Swordmaster were somewhat immune to heat and cold, and it seemed I'd attained that level as well.

If this was what a Swordmaster could endure, I wondered what people who'd surpassed this realm would be like.

'But how are there trees in a place like this...?'

High mountains usually aren't suited for plant life, so it's rare for anything to grow.

But on the upper slopes of Mount Tylaris, trees somehow grew tall and proud.

[Probably because there's a spirit vein flowing with magic power throughout this whole mountain.]

'There's something like that?'

[Yeah. Since they've taken root in the spirit vein, they can continuously absorb its magic power and survive the cold.]

As I nodded, a sudden thought struck me.

'Then, would the fruit on those trees be different from ordinary fruit?'

[Right. While eating them won't grant any miraculous effects like elixirs, you'd still get a slight increase in magic power. Of course, for most people, eating one would also be fatal.]

Grancesia's following explanation was simple.

Since the fruit grew abnormally, saturated with magic, it would also possess harmful traits.

'That sort of thing isn't a problem for me.'

Ah, how glad I was to have obtained Divine Blood in advance.

The number of benefits I'd gained because of it was truly countless.

As I climbed the mountain, I picked the fruit from the trees and stored them in my bag whenever I could. Still, even though I searched hungrily, there weren't that many fruits to be found.

"Ian Sylvest is moving to the right!"

"Somebody catch him!"

As I ascended, I spotted a group engaged in a pursuit through the forest.

As expected, the famous drew attention and quickly became targets.

'I never expected to run into someone I knew this early.'

So Ian Sylvest was also participating in this Seven Heroes Convocation.

He was also a Swordmaster, so it only made sense.

"Tch!"

Ian unleashed his Sword Ki at the pursuers; however, they were at least advanced-rank Sword Experts, so it wasn't easy to land a hit.

He dashed across the snowy ground, swiftly passing right by me—then stopped.

"Clay Vanhart?"

It seemed he'd noticed me climbing unhurriedly, as if on a picnic, and looked me over.

"What happened to you in the meantime? Last I saw you, your skills weren't anywhere near this level."

"Shouldn't you be checking behind you first?"

"...!"

At my words, Ian quickly ducked his head.

Just then, an arrow sliced through the air, narrowly missing him.

"Damn! I could have killed him... Is that guy a ghost or what?!"

"By the way, who's the man in front of Ian Sylvest?"

About a dozen men closed in, steadily tightening their encirclement. None of them seemed easy to deal with.

But I just looked at them and let out a relaxed whistle.

"They're saying outright they'll kill a duke's heir. Guess no one cares about anything during the Seven Heroes Convocation, huh?"

"They're probably knights from the Kingdom of Orland."

"What?"

"Orland's trying to make their Swordmaster one of the new Seven Heroes, so they're targeting skilled people. Of course, they disguise themselves as mercenaries, but their distinct movements give them away."

"So you're a target too?"

Ian nodded.

"They're all advanced-rank Sword Experts or higher. Plus, coming from a mountainous nation like Orland, they can use the terrain to their advantage. It's practically their home ground here."

"I see."

Even at a glance, Ian looked wounded and exhausted. I could tell how hard he'd struggled to reach the midpoint of the mountain.

He must have fought off several groups like those Orland guys while getting here.

"That guy! That's him—Clay Vanhart!"

"What? The owner of the Divine Sword?!"

"Yes, he looks just like the portrait!"

One of the Orland knights who'd been watching shouted loudly while staring at me standing beside Ian.

It seemed I was also on their hit list.

'Climbing the Olten Range was definitely the right choice.'

If I'd come by the official route, it would have been much more troublesome.

"They say the owner of the Divine Sword is still just a Sword Expert! If we all attack at once, we can finish him off easily. Go after him!"

"Yes, sir!"

Just as Ian said, they'd only disguised their attire and speech—everything else screamed knight.

"What'll you do? Keep running?"

"That was my plan... but now I've changed my mind."

"Good choice."

At his calm words, I grinned.

I didn't want to waste energy running away for no reason.

Besides, running would only draw more attention and lead to more situations like this.

In that case, I would take care of all of them here.

And with Ian by my side, it was the perfect opportunity.

Saaah!

Magic power surged throughout my body as it rapidly circulated.

It poured into my arm, traveled through my sword, and began to shine brightly.

That was the symbol of a Swordmaster—the Aura Blade.

"Aura Blade? He's a Swordmaster?!"

Shock spread in the eyes of the charging knight.

Officially, I was only recognized as a Sword Expert.

I'd only reached that realm during the war with the Kingdom of Kainzel half a year ago.

But in just half a year since then, I had become a Swordmaster.

No wonder they were surprised.

'I'll just handle the left side.'

Ian was definitely a genius.

Just by shifting his weight, he signaled which area he would take.

Naturally, we established a formation, and I picked out my opponents.

'All right, then.'

In the past, I would have needed the Eye of Insight to clearly read the flow, but now it came naturally.

Five enemies charged at me.

I could see their movements as if they were within reach.

Light gathered on the blue Aura Blade, melting the snowy ground and sending up plumes of steam.

Sunwheel Ascendant Heaven Sword.

Its first technique swept toward the five knights.

* * *

It took less than five minutes to dispatch the dozen or so knights.

Once they realized I was a Swordmaster, the knights who had charged in were thrown into a panic.

Ian and I didn't miss the chance when their shaky movements crumbled.

By the time we brought down even those who fled, the snow all around had melted, exposing patches of green grass beneath.

"... That's the swordsmanship of the blazing sun. Did the Kingdom of Talua have such a technique?"

Ian seemed more intrigued by my swordsmanship than by the defeat of our foes. The Sunwheel Ascendant Heaven Sword had clearly left an impression.

"It's a recent creation."

"Don't tell me you made it yourself..."

"Hardly. Someone truly extraordinary made that sword art. If you're curious, ask your princess."

"Hm."

At that, Ian folded his arms and shook his head, seeming to realize I wouldn't answer further.

"Let's hurry up and climb. There's only a day left, right?"

"All right. Still, I'm not sure we can make it in time."

He looked slightly worried.

After all, from here, to reach the place of the tower, we'd have to go through rugged peaks and thick fog.

"Don't worry about that. I'll help you out especially this time."

The Sylvest family was also Riya's closest ally. Since things had turned out like this, I figured lending him a hand wouldn't be bad.

Besides, helping now might come in handy during the upcoming Seven Heroes Convocation.

Afterwards, we ascended the mountain by routes almost untouched by others.

Even though Ian might have been worried about my pace, he just followed wordlessly without asking a single question.

[Why is he following you so trustingly?]

'How am I supposed to know what's going on in his head?'

For my part, it was just comfortable having someone quiet beside me.

"Wait."

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Ian called to me.

I wondered if he was finally getting anxious about whether we were on the right path, but his gaze was fixed somewhere ahead.

"Someone's collapsed over there."

"What? Another person attacked like us?"

Though we'd picked a secluded path, we'd still seen corpses here and there. Among them were even some famous faces, enough to send a chill through me.

Some of the dead were even Sword Masters like myself.

"This way."

Ian jumped-nimbly down a slope.

Curious what he'd seen, I followed him down, and spotted something small buried in the snow.

'How did he even notice something like that?'

[Seems that Ian kid's Only Mind has a huge range. You could say he's specialized in sight.]

As expected, Ian was no ordinary Swordmaster.

He truly was the son of Ban Sylvest, the strongest of the Seven Heroes.

Honestly, it put me on edge.

"But are they...?"

"They're alive."

Ian brushed the snow off with his hand.

There, something huddled under a blanket poked its head out.

"A-are you enemies?"

To my surprise, the face under the blanket was a beautiful woman.

Her voice was frail and weak, but her red hair left a distinctly deep impression.

"No. We only came because we saw someone collapsed and wanted to help. Isn't that right, Clay?"

Why was this guy suddenly acting friendly?

'But why would someone with such a timid personality try to enter the Seven Heroes Convocation?'

The woman's clear, sincere gaze as she looked up at me reminded me of Monet.

'Let's see...'

I narrowed my eyes and checked her profile. Characters like this were often the ones that delivered shocking twists later.

Then I gasped in disbelief.

"...!"

"Clay?"

Ian called to me, puzzled, but I couldn't say anything in reply.

'... I really got blindsided.'

[The true heroine of the novel "Sound of the Sword".]

Kisea Varundark.

That was her true identity.