Episode 20
#20. northern spring (1)
Crack! Crack! Crackling!
Sigma's mages and knights who survived until the end chewed the poison inside their molars..
“Damn it! Damn it!!”
Traitor Doyle saw this and screamed in disbelief..
“You traitor! You won't die easily!”
Balzac, now in complete disrepair, threatened Doyle with bloodshot eyes..
“No way... … . If you commit suicide like this... … . me too… … . me too!!”
Balzac's will could not be projected onto the traitor Doyle..
“Ughhh…….”
When the mage leading Sigma died instantly after chewing the poison, Doyle's face also instantly began to turn pale purple..
It looks like there's some kind of magical connection..
“Bastard! I shouldn't have died that easily!”
Knights Carrot and Rosie, who watched Doyle's futile end, gritted their teeth..
But the regret only lasts for a moment.
Even though Balzac was on the verge of exhaustion from blood and sweat, he did not forget the priority of the mission..
“Hurry and search their bodies! We must bring it to Lord Arad! Ugh……!”
dump.
“Huh... … . omg…….”
Balzac, who was overexerting himself, cried out like that and fell down on the spot..
“Balzac!”
The two knights who were searching the arms of the dead Sigma Knights and the Mage were startled and tried to run to Balzac..
“I'm fine... … . Hurry up, Your Highness! Give the Imperial Potion to Lord Arad.…….”
Balzac took a deep breath and shook his head sharply..
I approached Balzac at a fast pace..
Officially he is the only sword master in the North, but he was so exhausted that he didn't even notice me approaching..
After standing behind the old knight, I kept my distance to prepare for any unexpected situation..
“Your Majesty, you don't have to worry. I've done all the treatment I can..”
Then, I did my best to approach the old knight and tell him what he wanted to hear most..
“Your Majesty... … How do you feel? It's okay if you can't hold a sword. If you let me live, I'll give you anything you want.!”
Balzac, who heard my voice from behind, was startled, turned around and said:.
“The treatment went well. Now it's your turn to overcome it..”
“Ahhh… … . Is that so? That's it then. Your Majesty will definitely overcome. I guess I'll just close my eyes for a moment... … . I'm so dizzy…….”
After this conversation, Balzac lost consciousness..
From the sound of his breathing, it seemed like he had passed out from exhaustion..
“ha…….”
“Is it really over??”
The other two knights, Karrot and Lord Rosie, seemed to have finally relaxed and sat down with their legs shaking..
“Everyone, please come inside the carriage..”
Since everyone was in bad shape, I had to put Arina and the knights in the carriage..
* * *
“Does this make sense?……?”
“Is there anything more surprising?…….”
“It was definitely small when seen from the outside.?!”
Knights entering the carriage.
Eote, Carrot, and Rosie looked around the inside of the carriage with wide eyes..
Then, the old driver, who was whimpering and fainting, was brought into the carriage..
“Sir Balzac can be laid down over there..”
I put the sleeping Arina on my bed and said to the three people.
In this way, there were six people, including me, in my carriage made of subspace mana circuits..
Arina lying on the bed and Balzac lying on the floor. And Eote, Rosie, and Carot sitting awkwardly in the carriage..
‘Anyway, it smells bad.…….’
It was less so when we were outside, but since we were all together in such an enclosed space, the bad smell coming from everyone's bodies was no joke..
“Since getting out of the abyss here seems to be the priority, I'll go drive the carriage..”
In the end, I felt like I was going to throw up if I stayed any longer, so I decided to go outside..
“Then we……?”
“Please rest for now. I think we can take turns driving the carriage..”
“I understand.”
“There is bread and beer here, so please eat if you are hungry..”
“Eat, something to eat!”
As soon as I finished speaking, the three of them started chowing down on bread and beer as if they were possessed..
“…….”
As I was looking at that with dumbfounded eyes, I sighed and said,.
“Please rest, but do not touch anything..”
“Of course!”
Crunch Crunch Crunch
Gulp, gulp, Kiyaha!
Leaving behind the ravenous noise, I got out of the carriage..
Hmm! Whoa!
After breathing in the fresh air, my head, which had been dizzy due to the bad smell, got better..
Then he walked to the front of the carriage..
“It has stabilized a lot..”
The two horses in the carriage were miraculously alive..
I fainted a few times while foaming at the mouth during the battle, but I've calmed down quite a bit now that the situation is over..
“let's go! I don't want you guys here anymore?”
I sat down in the coachman's seat, moved the reins, and said,.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
As soon as I finished speaking, the golden chariot began to leave the gray horse world..
Inside the running golden carriage.
I took turns with Sir Rosie and looked at Arina inside the carriage..
A mask was covering my face as I examined the Archduke. It was a mask sprayed with perfume to withstand the bad smell inside..
Anyway, it was surprising that everyone was insensitive to smells..
Is it because they are medieval people?.
I don't know if it's because he's a superhuman or if he can endure it, but it's true that it's amazing in many ways..
“Hey, why are you wearing a mask??”
It was then. I heard an old man's voice behind me..
Balzac had just woken up and was standing there drinking beer and bread..
“Because I have a cold…….”
I couldn't bear to say, "You guys smell like homeless people," so I had to tell a white lie..
“Gaaamgiyi?”
The reaction is that they heard something that the drivers couldn't hear..
When I saw that reaction, I suddenly remembered.
‘Oh, that's right. Northerners don't catch colds?’
To be exact, they are adult northerners..
This is because weak people who often catch colds due to living in a very cold neighborhood do not survive until adulthood..
‘Additionally, there is also ancestral virtue..’
There is also a reason why their distant ancestors were druids. Thanks to this, northerners have strong passive survival and stamina..
“Hahahaha! Now I see you as human. Yeah, unless you're from the North, the northern cold can be tough..”
“Make sure you get some rest. From now on we'll drive the carriage.”
“no… … . There's no need for that…….”
“What are you talking about? Absolutely rest! you deserve a break.”
“…….”
But because of this white lie, my only time to vent was gone..
‘shit! There are no windows in the carriage.!’
Due to extremely insufficient materials and equipment, there were no windows inside the carriage that had been enlarged into subspace..
‘They say the enemy inside is the scariest…….’
At this rate, I might suffocate from the stench of our allies rather than monsters or the empire..
“How is the Grand Duke??”
Lord Balzac, perhaps aware of my feelings, naturally asked about the Archduke's condition..
“You've stabilized a lot..”
“But why aren't you waking up??”
“Because the severity of the injury was so severe..”
While answering the question, I secretly wondered, ‘Maybe I can’t wake up because of the bad smell?’.
“I see..”
“however… … . Lord Balzac.”
After checking Arina's condition, I opened my mouth cautiously and quietly..
“speak.”
“Have you ever learned magic??”
“huh?”
At my question, Balzac's face revealed the question, 'What do you mean?'.
“During the healing process, I contemplated His Majesty's Danjeon despite being rude. In the process, it was discovered that there was a circle in the Archduke's heart. It's even circle 2..”
“what is that……!”
Balzac, who heard those words, focused his mind on Arina's intermission with an expression of bewilderment..
“Oh my... … medical charge……!”
Then he responded by admitting that I was right..
‘What I mean is that even Balzac didn't know... … . It means that the heart circle was formed not long ago.?’
I looked at Arina's body, especially her heart, and thought,.
‘When the Danjeon was destroyed, did the mana core in the lower Jeon transfer to the middle Jeon where the heart is??’
And it wasn't long before I figured out why..
A knight who uses a sword creates a core in the lower deck to manage mana..
Clerics who use divine power store divinity in the brain where the Sangdangjeon is located..
Wizards and witches who use magic use magic by engraving a core called a circle on the heart where the middle and middle walls are located..
Arina's lower abdomen was pierced by Doyle's sudden attack. This is where the lower part of the hall is located..
Naturally, the core in the Danjeon was bound to take a hit..
‘If you think about it, it was strange. Even though the Danjeon was pierced, there were no symptoms of mana reflux. I thought it was thanks to the potion that Balzac poured in... … . There was another reason..’
Indeed, a character is a character. At that desperate moment, the collapse of the core was released into the heart..
‘Of course, it is difficult to say that Arina did this intentionally. Perhaps it was her body reacting spontaneously without her knowledge..’
“So, what happens to your charge??!”
After hearing my guess, Balzac, Eote, and Sir Carot asked worried questions..
“I think we will know the details only when His Highness wakes up..”
“black… … . Can you eat black again??”
Balzac asked about Arina's sword..
“Since you are still young, you can train again. All you have to do is create a new core beforehand. In fact, thanks to the newly built Danjeon, you will have a better core than before..”
“Is it really… … ? this… … . Me too once……?”
As soon as they heard what I said, they acted as if they were going to commit seppuku, fearing that these people were crazy about swords..
I was able to get a glimpse of the madness that would do anything to become even a little stronger..
“In your case, you are very lucky. Never copy it. If you die or become disabled, I cannot take responsibility. There is no guarantee that the elixir made then can be made again..”
“Hahahaha! Just kidding, kidding. So what should we do with the circle engraved on His Highness's heart??”
“2Since it's a circle level, you should be able to learn simple life magic. You can create small fire or ice, create a lamp, or move light objects using telekinesis..”
Meanwhile, the knight Sir Eote, who was listening to my explanation with Balzac, reacted with some envy..
“Wait, then… … . Does this mean that our Highness has become a magic swordsman??”
“Should we try learning magic at this time? Ask the witches to make a circle around your heart!”
This was the same for another knight in the carriage, Sir Carrot..
“Now that I think about it, why didn't I think about learning magic until now? I think learning just the 2nd circle will be quite helpful.?”
“Ever since I learned how to use a sword, my teacher always told me to keep my distance from magic. Now that I think about it, I didn't hear the reason..”
They both looked at me at the same time.
It was like looking at a wise man for the truth of the world..
In fact, to them, I was like a wise man or a magician who had just come out of retirement into the world..
“Having two cores in the body is only possible for a very small number of unique constitutions. If it weren't for this incident, your special constitution wouldn't have been activated..”
At the reaction of the two innocent knights, I shook my head with serious eyes and said,.
“Moreover, since there are two cores containing magical power in the body... … . The body's balance is disrupted. If you try to look cool, your body may fall apart..”
“that's right. So usually, I mainly learn and use only one of the sword and magic..”
Lord Balzac was of the same opinion as me..
“So, what happens to you??”
“Isn't it a big deal if your body has two cores??”
After hearing Balzac and I's words, Eote and Carot's eyes looked filled with worry..
“Just ignore the circle in the heart. It's okay as long as you don't grow it any more than this..”
The prescription for this was simple.
In fact, the very few magic swordsmen that exist on the continent live similarly. Use one of the two as the main force and use the other as a complete auxiliary..
“Anyway, I guess we should hurry. I need someone to take a closer look at your condition..”
“Is there something you don't know??”
“I don't know everything. Wizards specialize in things related to the Circle of Heart..”
I continued speaking while examining Arina's body as carefully as possible..
“First of all, the elixir I created is a very, very imperfect and primitive thing. That means it's half-baked. Even if the treatment is successful, there is no way to know what side effects may occur later..”
“I have to hurry and get to the high castle. I'll have to let the Archwitch of Spring see your condition..”
“That sounds good..”
“I'll tell Sir Rosie to pick up the pace. I also make sure to chase away any monsters and adventurers that might approach from the roof of the carriage..”
“I will join you too. Balzac!”
“me too!”
The knights who had recovered their stamina opened the back door of the carriage and climbed to the roof..
‘Don't you trust me too much??’
Inside the carriage where the knights disappeared.
Arina, who was lying in bed, and I, who was taking care of her, were left alone..
‘Phew… … . But now I can finally breathe properly.’
The good news is that once they got out, the air inside the carriage got better..
‘Could it be that they also went outside because of the smell??’
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