By Zephyria 
The third Wednesday of November.
As soon as day broke, I looked for Ranunculus first. The recipient was, of course, Duke Widrow.
I couldn’t tell him I had met a god. I merely wrote that I had seen the Oasis and the Statue of the Goddess’s Head, and that I intended to travel towards the Sanctuary of the Sun.
I also asked him to investigate and reply regarding the movements of black magicians and the disappearances of skilled mercenaries or knights. I earnestly requested him to look into it, considering the possibility that these might be two separate incidents involving different organizations.
I added that I would be waiting at the Sanctuary of the Sun at the end of the year, one month from now, and that replies should be sent there.
Since the third god was so leisurely, the world wouldn’t be torn apart within the next year or two. That meant I could expect the Imperial Knights to still be alive by then. Even if I couldn’t save them, I figured I could at least prevent further suspicious incidents.
This was the Sierran Empire, which Ruben would lead. It was only right to clear away the troublesome matters quickly.
I made preparations to depart for the Sanctuary of the Sun.
The Sanctuary of the Sun was quite a distance away. Starting from Felix, it was a journey that took a full month. From the Statue of the Goddess’s Head where we were, it would normally take a little over a month and a half, but since we were all martial artists, we could increase our speed and arrive a bit faster.
I recalled hearing that the further west we went, the closer we got to the Sanctuary of the Sun, the higher the temperature. It was a relief, in a way. Perhaps because we were still far from the Sanctuary of the Sun, the weather had turned considerably colder.
The wind was quite biting, and each gust would turn Ruben’s pale cheeks a rosy red. He would stand as if he didn’t feel the cold, but each time I readjusted his scarf, he would realize his mistake and nod. I figured he was lost in thought, and felt great pity for him.
Hugh, Elvin, and Leon took the lead.
Behind them, Ruben and Marianne were in the middle, with Benjamin and I at either end.
Further behind them, four mercenaries followed in a group, guarding our rear.
To my eyes, it was a vast desert that looked like the same sand dunes everywhere, but I followed obediently, trusting that those ahead could see a path. The shadows of the camels, walking in a diamond formation, stretched long in one direction.
Suddenly, Marianne asked, “By the way, about Philix’s Divine Relic. Did the Emperor borrow it? The current Emperor?”
“…Ah, that.”
Ruben hesitated for a moment, then told Marianne the story he had previously told me.
Originally, divine objects were not meant to have their forms or functions passed down.
However, Philix’s Divine Relic was well-known for its ability to distinguish between royal blood and those who were not. Because the Empire and kingdoms were always curious about whether the divine bloodline was properly maintained, Philix lent out the divine object under various transactional conditions.
But the story of the current Emperor, Beneto Loki Sheeran, borrowing that divine object was not widely known.
It was considered a sign of poor virtue to doubt the legitimacy of the First Prince. That record was more detailed in the special Nobility Yearbook, which was only passed down to the Emperor. Naturally, Ruben, who had received and read a copy, knew more than others.
“Because it was top secret, its form couldn’t be widely revealed, but Philix’s Divine Relic… is said to be shaped like a round silver platter. Its diameter is about 45cm, and its depth is not even 2cm.”
“Wow… Do you know how to use it?”
“You fill the silver platter with water, just enough not to overflow, offer a sincere prayer, and then the Pope directly holds the First Prince to let him reflect his face in the platter. If a faint golden dawn light emanates from the platter, it means the divine blood is correct, and if nothing happens, it means it is not divine blood.”
After hearing the answer, Marianne made a sound like a donkey again, humming and shaking her head.
“I see why they hide the shape so carefully. It’s smaller and more ordinary than I thought; if someone stole it, they wouldn’t be able to find it.”
“Yes. It’s said to be lighter than a feather, and that it might float in the air if it weren’t filled with water.”
“What do the other divine objects look like?”
“Well…”
There was silence for a long time again.
I lectured Marianne about properly wearing her scarf, which made her laugh. When she started showing off the ring on her finger again, I chided her, saying that rings couldn’t block sand particles carried by the biting wind. Marianne, like Rubel, only felt at ease after wrapping her scarf up to just below her eyes.
Then Ruben asked with a soft smile, “Aren’t you going to scold me?”
“…Ruben, you’re doing well.”
“Mmm, it’s frustrating.”
Ruben playfully hooked his scarf on his index finger and pulled it down. Instead of reprimanding him, I reached out and tidied it for him, just as I had done before. Then Ruben rubbed his cheek against my hand, acting cute. I had been worried because the child had been less prone to acting spoiled lately. I was very pleased.
“Ouch!”
“What… You’re not being careful.”
“Ah, ahh… Sorry, I’m sorry. Don’t look back. Let’s keep going. I’m going.”
John, who had been following behind, happened to fall off his camel, but he wasn’t the type to be seriously injured from a fall. It seemed difficult for him to maintain his balance because of his large build. I dismissed it as a minor incident.
At night, I also took time to organize the insights I gained from defeating the Sandworm previously.
That day, I had cleaved through more than fifty targets in a single strike.
It was the first time in both my lives that I had performed such a feat with a sword.
In my past life, I mostly fought in areas where allies and enemies were mixed. I was always careful, fearing that if I swung my sword with all my might, I might accidentally harm an ally. It wasn’t much different when fighting alone. There were houses just across the wall, so it was right to show mercy in my attacks.
But at the time I defeated the Sandworm, there was only one enemy in front of me, not many. The ones I cherished were standing at a safe distance, far enough not to get hurt. I never imagined that the sword I swung without hesitation or reservation would contain such good energy.
Would I ever get such an opportunity again?
Sitting in a corner of the tent, practicing Circulating Qi, I grew tired of drawing swords in my mind and went outside.
I practiced the Changcheon Muae Sword Art in sequence, performing it physically once more, and also adapted swordsmanship techniques I learned at Shierun Academy, such as Imperial Swordsmanship, Plants Sword Art, and Siren Sword Technique, to suit my body.
Practicing various things like this reduced my sleep, so others became curious and came to watch.
Ruben was the first to join the training.
For some reason, the child stood at a distance instead of staying by my side. In the all-black desert, he seemed like a snow flower blooming under the white moonlight. I watched for a long time, captivated by the sound of his sword cutting through the wind and the way the moonlight sparkled. His hair, tied high in a single ponytail, swayed with his movements.
When he stopped, panting for breath, I asked him, “Why aren’t you coming closer and staying so far away?”
“…I didn’t come to… disturb you… Fuu, so…”
“Disturb me, what.”
Panting and gasping, he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and pointed his sword at me, grinning. I was happy to play along and immediately drew my sword.
I thought his sword would be weak because he was tired, but it wasn’t.
Perhaps it was because he had seen a lot, or perhaps because he had fought many monsters himself. His Sword Posture was sharper than before, which was quite satisfying. As I looked into his eyes, Ruben followed my sword with his gaze. I found it endearing, like watching a puppy chase a butterfly.
Hearing the clash of swords, the children came out one by one, like bees drawn to a flower.
Elvin offered to spar, and I gladly accepted. Since Elvin had often watched my swordplay since the Duke Widrow’s territory, it wasn’t awkward. Last year, his aggressive and powerful style made my hands tingle with each clash of Swordplay Technique. Today, the gap had noticeably narrowed.
The mercenaries, who had been watching for a while, asked me to look at their swords too, and I gladly agreed.
If I were to rank the skill levels of those present, Elvin would be the strongest. After him, Hugh, and I, and Leon were of comparable skill. The remaining four mercenaries were also skilled enough to follow closely behind, one after another.
However, swordsmanship that has not been systematically trained tends to reveal weaknesses. Even pointing out a few things I noticed made the mercenaries very happy. I couldn’t help with the morning star, which was not my primary weapon, but Giselle and Ann, who used longswords, clapped their hands and were delighted.
Hugh Benson came out of the tent and scolded us for not sleeping, and we played together like that for a long time until he did.
❖ ❖ ❖
We encountered monsters once or twice a day, as usual.
We were just passing by after killing a monster we encountered.
Each time, I felt an unsettling feeling, different from before. Ann, who was wiping the blood off her sword after first removing the blood with a cloth after sticking it into the hot sand, chattered with a mournful expression.
“Were those monsters humans once?”
“…Hmm.”
I couldn’t answer immediately, but Ruben, who was beside me, quickly gave a gentle reply.
“Even if they were never human, killing any life should be done with caution.”
“…”
“But we are killing to survive, so it’s not much different from a hawk eating a mouse, or a mouse eating a grasshopper. The best we can do is send them off without pain.”
“…Without pain.”
“And without getting hurt, if possible.”
“You really… speak like a leader.”
“Do I?”
Perhaps because of that.
Normally, when on a subjugation mission, the standard practice was to kill all monsters, but it wasn’t like that in this desert.
We let the monsters in the distance live and passed them by. They weren’t harming the Empire’s citizens, and we weren’t gaining any byproducts to sell.
Occasionally, we even took a slight detour to avoid monsters. Each time, Ruben would smile at me brightly. Each time, for some reason, my face would flush.