Chapter 97: Sun Claiomh Solais (5)
SNCpFQSouth of El Rath Kingdom,CUJ0z
NwuUaThe granary and the most important place of the kingdom in terms of economy that connected trading routes to the archipelagoes as well as the islands beneath was under total control of the traditional Dunareff Family.5upadGb
w8igWCIThat was why it was common for the large festivals of the south to be hosted by the Dunareff.weKYe
DIs4jAfter the Winter festival and the praying ritual of a good harvest was the Spring social meeting. Wearing the new dress she got for this Spring, Marie was getting a shoulder massage from one of her maids.4o2yh
JvqzB“Egogo… my shoulders.”ZeoqgH
tvhFIf“Hmm? My dear daughter, does your shoulder hurt? Do you want your daddy to give you a massage?”t4Q
gGL“Hmm… I’m fine!”QEoH
bQH“…!!”NPKpBmZ
KUqfPsMarie was already an adult at 19 years of age. She was more than old enough to feel slightly uncomfortable by her dad’s touch but Duke Marde was nonetheless shocked.6YVIuz
bpYlfF“T, this has never happened until last year and yet…!”QYqoc7D
nNejiMl“Oh my. Come on dear. Marie is old enough to know men already.”h2w
u47Q“Honey? W, what do you mean by that?”d9u
3zVrLHearing the words of his wife, Duchess Elencia, the duke widened his eyes in shock.IdxJ
CdaX“It’s been half a year since our Mari has been going out with Young Lord Korin. I’m sure they have already—”oQoj
f7VH14Q“Mom?!”GRR4
Wu2Despite Marie’s attempt to stop her, Elencia said things that normally shouldn’t be said to a daughter with a bright smile on her face.Qr0q
6UMnb“Don’t worry about contracepti—”HVh
4Md“Come on! Don’t say that mom! I, I am not… like, in that kind of relationship with Korin yet… I mean…!”fAXFgsr
A55OIn order to fight against the senseless comments of her mother, the blushing girl constantly poked her on her sides. However, Elencia wasn’t the only enemy she had.5eVg2K
ya4“What? Sister. Are you still not going out with him?”xJGcQeG
tgNJIRoSecond daughter, Yennefer Dunareff.fZJGn
d0W706L“Big Sister. I thought we were expecting a cousin already.”SV8MTzv
UdoEOldest son, Eric Dunareff.Dm66
GtE“Huh? Weren’t there stories about how they had done everything already?”fmw
eArTNqL“Isn’t she getting married immediately after graduation?”GLzLO
EevxThe twins, Lily Dunareff and Robert Dunareff.iwH
LqJM6“Sister… Are you marrying the Knight?”oIr6S
HULThird son, Barg Dunareff.H0ySxT
aEn7B3“Kyaha!”XrvsJ
e3bLast one was the 2-year-old fourth daughter, Hilia Dunareff.qNrhUa
L2dBNThey were a friendly family of 3 sons and 4 daughters of the harmonious Dunareff Family but the only downside was that Marie had to be bombarded by questions and attacks from all sides whenever certain topics were brought up.dBCGNd
Cu3“Ahkk, be quiet! Korin and I are gradually climbing up in an ethical… maybe not that ethical… but still, we are slowly advancing our relationship!”Som
mHGWqM“Marie? Why can’t you say ‘ethical’? Didn’t you promise your daddy?”uGwY
dww8W8O“Mari, my cute girl. Look at your mom.”VXCAQ
Xmh7“Y, yes?”hSJ8yE
GkIF“You need to have as many children as me. I am looking forward to having a bunch of grandchildren.”NDIta9P
hmM7“W, we have Doggo already…”Oq9
kUd6i“Doggo is cute too. Come here, Doggo.”U2Z
n8KJfElencia called Doggo, who had been drinking from the wine fountain, dashed up on its four legs. When she reached out, the dog-human wearing a tailor-made 2.4 meter-long branded coat rested its chin on her hand.FIfX2ms
OUye“Hurry up and make siblings for your Doggo.”EE7vemQ
cAjHG“Ugh…!”7OuzC7
6ej“H, honey? What are you saying?”YEv
89ANEShe immediately gave him a slap to the mouth as Duke Marde then shut his mouth.1SvEPGl
CHabIA“You won’t find many boys like that. If you stay still doing nothing, you never know when someone will snatch him from you.”v4tcE
PyCc“Hmm…!”YPgia4g
Aokj5eMarie was rather convinced by her words because there was already a very strong competitor.JiL
l5uDAHua Ran.fCwI7Y6
YIzgxShe was a living Jiangshi girl, who was a demi-human just like her. Despite being aloof and seemingly uninterested in all the happenings of the world, she suddenly started roaming around Korin.YENDMcW
qSrxIIt was probably because of that incident just like herself.EfmEN
6Ys『Sister. You don’t like me, do you?』8wsw
nwVKThat was an open declaration of war. After an intense battle of nerves, Marie and Hua Ran perceived one another as an enemy.olv7aI
QxN3Qy‘Wait!’kIhOd3
12HdiBThe Spring meeting would end in another 3 days. Korin had left a mark of his position while telling her to come find him by the Solar Eclipse on the 8th of February, so she had to depart some time soon.7Y6PMk
44nlOf course, it would only take 2 weeks on a wyvern so there was plenty of time left but for some reason… she was struck by an ominous feeling.PCRIig
YHMAfter becoming a vampire, Marie had gained a sixth sense that far exceeded the capability of a woman’s intuition. Her senses were warning her that something bad was about to happen – to her romantic battlefront that is.aug9XIM
1wSiO“M, mom…!”JoZu
w5GH“What is it?”zgrykYz
KCy“Can I leave now?”h9N
Z0TUe“Good luck, my girl.”94jT
itDElencia waved her hand with a wide smile on her face, and Marie sprinted off. She was already far away before Duke Marde could even say anything.1A90P5
34F7“Let me borrow a wyvern… No! Actually, I’ll use a Hresvelgr!!”M9oZsEl
jOV“Sure. Go ahead.”pnBQ4
fOc“N, no! Where are you going, Marie! Holidays are supposed to be spent together with your family!”JyOacXD
bHqhCMarie’s brothers and sisters chipped in after Duke Marde’s scream.KDh
tJcxOm“It’s fine~ dad. She can just make a new family there.”T8ZJBZ
66dSkC“A Grade 1 Knight brother-in-law huh… I’m going to brag about it to my friends.”rpKAc
VEuaNo one was on the duke’s side. Under the full support of her mother and her siblings, Marie jumped onto Doggo.p6x7uTE
DqWr81“Let’s go, Doggo…! Time to go find your daddy!”G3nTdg
hydWjvT“Knn…!”aSHHeSu
L7MsyEven though she had wasted some time because of the Winter Festival and the Spring ceremonies, she would be there in no time on a Hresvelgr.ld2u3
aih“Alicia… is the only one in the East so it should be okay! Korin said he was busy too…!”GV2bi
4GONfWhat Marie hadn’t expected until then was the engagement of the oldest daughter of the Arden Family.twa3Sg
pCHzIo****If8
fUZ5xtrWhen was the time Alicia was motivated to learn the sword?OGj5p
F1VfRuWAt the start, she was just following the steps of her admired older sister, and next, she was bewitched by the sword. On the first day she cut a human, she found herself smiling.6yn
xMMJMUThat gave her goosebumps. She was afraid of herself – she remembered the time when she was floundering her arms inside a black and tranquil ocean.djD
E5b5OJust like that, she had been turning away from her talents and she only opened her eyes back up because of the advice and assistance of a boy. After picking up her sword again, she was in the process of slowly understanding and accepting the fiendish nature of her talent.e9fMTs
GW7x❰Domain Severance – Eight Dancing Swords❱RAeUsf
Az3QLO『KUKIKIKIKIKIKI—!!!』fba8
OySThat was when she came across another being who had talents that were as fiendish and frightening as hers.QB8Wou
22a9OKFIt was a demonic beast and yet… it was well-versed with swords. Unlike those that recklessly swung their weapons around, that monster clearly knew and understood the way of the sword.TufB65Q
GoetSword Fiend.KCspSzi
q4j1With just one encounter, she understood that that monster was a fiend of the sword just like her. That wasn’t the end – that beast was stronger than her, and was at a level she could not reach.CRJdX
5WuU39‘…Scary.’gN0
tGPtShe was scared of that talent. Because she knew about the evil nature of that talent more than anyone else, she was all the more frightened by it.keMdDY
SFZoSince the monster was one that would be bewitched by the act of slicing things apart, Alicia instinctively realized that it would be inevitable for them to have another clash.xPa
4p1XXJDespite not being fond of fighting, even she drooled just from imagining about a battle to the death against that monster so there was no way that a mere beast would be any less expectant of it than herself.vhrvs
IRNJp‘We will definitely try to kill one another’1ox9W
tji2b3She had to learn how to cut that monster down, because otherwise, she would be the one ending up dying.bYDC
67Zd5x9– Slam…!dU5c
0gGjG“Uhk…!”BfW
KrEdOJRA sharp sword grazed past her side. Pressing down on the bloodstained uniform, Alicia took a step back.omwuov
rpmqJ“Is that everything you have?”YrcaNJr
CW4jTThe old man with a wild appearance gazed down at her with a haughty expression. Alicia looked back at her grandfather in fear.dnVG
ipVWHe was as enormous as Mt. Tai that was too much to fight against.O4A
T8uGEven though he was her family member who cared for her the most when excluding her older sister… and was even kinder than her at times, sometimes, she still got goosebumps when interacting with him.0Q0ag
Pe4G1“Your basics are as awful as always, my granddaughter.”50SI
JjhXCU“I got… a lot better though.”A6X
uFAJER“Do not ever think that your standards are the same as mine.”aZWXPk
D5moEzThe Sword Emperor said while gazing at the horizon. The scope of his vision was already different from that of normal people.s93XYz
tPm1P“However, that was a lot faster than I thought. To think you would ask me to teach you the sword.”pJ4T
4K8xU6W“Grandpa. That demonic beast…”t0T
k3dLJ3x“In my heart, I consider it as my disciple. Huhu, but it probably thinks of me as a stepping stone.”Fjdp1Ec
z6kE“Why aren’t you killing it?”gMP
Y4TOoQJ“Because it is one that can reach the level of Thousand Swords.”rAnZxg
hLki9m“…It’s my first time hearing about that level.”0VX
KmaIP“Of course, because I made it.”Mwce
TZNpHrO“…”jDnb
EaeD“Those who reach that stage will easily cut the heavens and the world! The literal god of swords! I want to lay my eyes on such a swordsman.”cSapfIT
3tnOdJQThe more she heard about his worldview, the harder it became to understand him. Was he leaving a monster like that aside just because of something like that?KugN
9DHldYI“I… don’t really understand what you’re thinking, grandpa.”GO3
vUUmEY“You do not need to understand it. It is just an obstinate wish of an old swordsman… that cannot be understood by anyone whether it be family or comrades.”pQy
ZVoC81The Sword Emperor then pointed his sword at his granddaughter. His sword had just slashed past his grandchild’s thighs and waist and was dripping with the blood of his own family.Tdfl
idOPnh“What is there to question? The world is a survival of the fittest. Even ignorance can only be permitted for the strong.”99vJ
Zrfo“Uhk…”QVU
87nNDnOAlicia stood up with a grumble. Although she couldn’t understand the madman in front of her eyes, she still needed his help with the sword.wfG1
5M1hpY“I shall make you into a fiend yourself. A fiend of swords! Kill the monster, use it as a stepping stone and reach a higher level. Become my true successor…!”ivd7Xmv
LqKhM“You senile old man…!”yf2
Mpj“Hoho. Taking after your sister now!”ZQJXQ
6UXwThe fight continued. From the side, it looked more like a battle of life and death than a simple duel.WSf3
rpw****iJ6Yq
zJNoJ3On a starry night, Alicia carried her exhausted body and headed to the empty plot of land where the final task was taking place.V70q
W6X4Ui“It grew a lot,” she said.gRLmB
tl0ZU“Yeah.”Q1SrCy
kvsJylKorin Lork replied with his eyes still on the oak tree that was growing in that vacant plot of land.N7BE
QMFIt had been 4 days since the final task had been announced. Just like what Uzkias said, the oak staff that they buried as a sapling was growing at a rapid speed to reach the heavens.De8
7vEdF“But it’s not fast enough. I’m sorry to say this to Yuel, but our speed is nothing in comparison to the one being grown by Dumnorix.”z5CBm
a1l“Then… what’s going to happen then?”Q0Br
nKunm“Well, it’s going to be fine. Don’t worry about it.”vNTQ
pcTzjKorin said while munching on a beef jerky that he received after asking the druids of Findias. He nonchalantly offered her one.5DPS
eti“Aht. Thank…”6KG
Jsc5“Sword Emperor that old man is not going easy on you, is he? You’re going to bleed to death before we even get to climb the tree.”q682FUp
ThfS“…”0wCSdO
QA2JNWhile looking at the side of his face as he munched on a beef jerky, Alicia pondered to herself.eHo7k
x1edHNtWhat exactly was this person fighting against? Why did he bother crossing the border to carry out the tests and trials of druids?jLo
Gw6jRsShe had no idea what the ultimate goal he had his eyes set on was, but one thing was certain when looking back at everything he showed her over the past year.ZMI2
PGYjGX4Everything was about helping people.n5Ga5C
Eh7Even when he was stopping the enormous boar from escaping, and even when he was alone fighting against Professor Fermack who infiltrated the Academy… Also, when he was standing off against the undefeatable demi-human of an Unbreakable Vajra Body.Y46lOt
1CmhD8yIn the end, none of those were for himself and were all a part of a process of him trying to help other people. He was like a hero of justice that could only be seen in fairy tales these days.a4eA4
rMNYeaeHow… and why was he so tenacious?Wqd
fYjb1AHe was someone she couldn’t understand, just like her grandfather the Sword Emperor.MGCgjx
U7ds4“I see you are hard at work, this late at night.”O2HKGZY
yRCU7nThat was when a cracked voice echoed from behind. Surprised, Alicia quickly turned around.W0JQmjk
5lR0Behind was an old man with a gloomy countenance that was wearing a robe over his entire body. Unlike the Sword Emperor who was like a scorching active volcano, he was like the tranquil forest of dawn.ekWXFu7
tko“Dumnorix.”zJTFMq8
03LLawmaker, one of the top elders of druids, who was currently acting as Dun Scaith’s assistant – he looked directly at Korin with old murky eyes.gcD60RV
ov3oIMB“Korin Lork. The Spear of the Queen. I wanted to have a conversation with you at least once.”TRQK
DkesR“Why, to persuade me into becoming your ally?”pTbc
IBw2jAs if he was talking to a 10-year-long friend, Korin started talking to his enemy. That strange social skill of his was another element of Korin that Alicia couldn’t understand.tlr03
jeyDD“Of course not. I am here to etch into my eyes the foe that we will have to go against some time in the future.”AGpUp
69e3MfRThe old druid gazed up and down as if he was intrigued by the human called Korin Lork. Alicia wondered, how would Korin appear in the eyes of this druid who was as old as an ancient tree that was about to rot away?Umea
ZH2ORwZ“Really? Then as someone with the exact same thoughts about how we will be killing each other soon, let me ask you a question.”GSUZ9
BBwgWi“Please do speak. O Queen’s Spear.”gCrVCb
W5Xo269“Aren’t druids like, environmentalists that love the forest and spirits? Why are you helping with the ‘Advent of Paradise’ when it’s going to kill countless people?”OBOqYB
kRMnj5vIt was her first time hearing it. Alicia was shocked by their extraordinary goals as well as the fact that Korin Lork was trying to fight against them.GBtrr
Ine“The word, ‘love’, is a bit misleading. We druids are just one with nature.”wjv
Ip8“Then why would you…”pft3e
fjVEgwsIn the middle of her speech, Alicia instinctively realized after receiving the ancient-tree-like gaze of Dumnorix. Even though he didn’t do anything, she still felt her life being threatened.owjb
JeoMpW8“So tell me, why can’t one, that loves the forest and spirits, wish for the death of humans?”8dJ
NsI1qE“??!”YpNw
yotShe felt a chill running down her spine. Korin seemed to have felt something similar as he gave a frown from the side.bEn
Tz9bo1They could not feel any emotion from Dumnorix. The man who was as old as a rotting tree had an incomprehensible aura to him.q4p
aTgR“Humans are beings that destroy nature, and that will only accelerate over time.”EGp
42Ne8o“…Sounds exactly like what a normal environmentalist would say.”IjF
t3tVc“You are not wrong. I might perhaps be just a little bit more extreme and wicked though.”zBD
hgwZHHis lips contorted in a strange and unbefitting manner.Tzr7Tr
IOBqyM4“It is okay for there to be less humans.”xlsP
9H7CA0Alicia gulped from his spookiness. It was a very simple solution to protecting nature that even he himself considered wicked. Maybe it wasn’t incomprehensible that bards singing about harmony with nature and the spirits would hope for the downfall of humans.pnB
TDNEven though her grandfather was a madman, these people were worse. They were continuing on with their evil deed despite being aware of its wickedness.KD8T2y
Jh7FgBRight when Alicia was feeling repulsed and even frightened by Dumnorix’s comments, Korin said after grabbing onto her trembling shoulders.QtvIGB
gcoq2m“Watch me, Alicia. I am going to kill all these evil bastards.”EpkzZlw
PaA1Ys“M, Mr. Korin…”cZiKE
WoEsDespite his murderous declaration, Dumnorix chuckled as if he was looking at the cute tricks of a young grandson.LqKNPA
tCupf“However, that won’t happen just yet. And at least for now, you are destined to fail.”oywn
kzBW8“How confident.”d1F
ELviffyThe two of them glanced at one another’s staff sapling.N67laj
znYSquIn spite of Yuel’s continuous and heartfelt care, Korin’s staff only grew by about 10 meters. That was magical enough already, but comparisons were subjective as always.8n33K
wBPv“…”S1L5
EEexDumnorix’s staff was already 30 meters tall. It was roughly 3 times faster than their own already, and that pretty much explained how this competition was going to end up.DQt
PATa6n“It is a huge problem that you do not have the red rowan fruits but more importantly, will you even make it in time for the Solar Eclipse in 2 weeks?”WoUPWEB
XydXiih“There’s no need to even wait for the Solar Eclipse. It’s about time to climb up.”d4H1
ibLVYy“Mhmm?”yMZSxOY
BQIXUAKorin said while confidently standing up. Under the skeptical gaze of Dumnorix, he took out a bottle from his bag.eQQsh
JtK0NIt was a bottle… that contained some finely ground specks of gold.1RHA
59N“Uhh, Mr. Korin? Is this the same as the one you used during the staff task?”qHWvfI
ObYqRkAlicia asked while recalling their second trial. Korin had taken out his hidden move back then when they were struggling to find an oak tree with a mistletoe.2SGW
pY5yG“What… is that?”oJM
qHoCUEven a druid who had been living with nature for centuries could not recognize it. That was nothing strange though, because the original form of this golden powder was the one and only hidden piece in the world that never existed before, and will never exist again after this.kyU
HNOWL“Watch on. Now this is magic.”ls9Um
pbDC7DOpening the lid of the bottle, he poured a generous amount on the sapling like a farmer pouring compost on his crops.4xu5
Vj35DwR– Kuruk! Kururuk…!nhtBZ
1hlcThe staff sapling reacted immediately. After absorbing the golden fertilizer, the sapling wriggled and—wKFdB8O
z9KS8“Let us watch the miracle brought forth by the fertilizer made with a Yellow Gold Mandrake.”zN5jW
crCaT—Along with a large shriek, the tree began to rapidly soar towards the sky.KdBy5o1
gqoIk0C『Yellow Gold Mandrake Fertilizer』
-> Assists with the growth of magic plants.zV7
YEUCc0-> Creates a circular field of mana regeneration, recovering 185 per minute.H3T
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