Chapter 42 : Chapter 42
Chapter 42: The Sea God's Grace is Endless (4)
“You arrived sooner than I thought. I figured it would take a week.”
Bow said nonchalantly, placing a hand on his hip.
“You knew that teleporting was impossible?”
“Of course. I’m an expert when it comes to the geography here.”
“Would it kill you to tell us beforehand……”
As Jeina grumbled, Bow looked at her as if she were pathetic.
“If you’ve decided on a destination, it’s only natural to do some research. That’s the party leader’s fault.”
“What?!”
“Jeina, Bow is right. It’s my fault for not investigating thoroughly enough.”
He had never asked the party members if they knew anything about Gigas Hall.
Besides, Bow had left Pons not long after, so he simply hadn't had the chance to say anything.
Artier sighed and looked straight at Bow.
“Since we’ve met here, let’s have you join us.”
“It wasn’t intentional. I thought you already knew.”
“Alright. Then let’s move on.”
The County of Tobes happened to be in the middle of a festival.
Thanks to that, many residents from nearby areas had gathered.
And among them, the most conspicuous were the non-human races seen from time to time.
‘Seeing it like this really makes me feel like I’ve come to a fantasy world.’
Elves with long ears, dwarves with small but sturdy bodies, and beastkin with animalistic features.
Most of the non-human races that commonly come to mind in fantasy were nonchalantly strolling the streets, mixed in with the crowd.
“This is… different from my expectations. I thought this place, being an Imperial territory, would be filled only with humans.”
As Gerard spoke, Bow shook his head and said.
“There are many non-human races who dislike humans, but not all of them are like that.”
“Is that so?”
“There are those who force themselves to be friendly because they don't want to get on the Empire's bad side, and there are many who simply admire them. Humans are a popular race, after all.”
Bow glanced at a merchant laughing heartily while showing off a fish and said.
“If anything, that over there is more surprising. It’s the first time I’ve seen a human treat a non-human race so kindly.”
In <Cross Destiny>, all non-human races were treated as minority races.
And most of them were not treated well.
Features like having a stronger magical lineage than humans, better craftsmanship, or more developed senses were just things to be exploited.
“The County of Tobes is the Imperial territory closest to the cities of the non-human races.”
Ropin said.
“The non-human races next door are more conspicuous than the Imperial citizens scattered throughout the Empire. The Count has no reason at all to ostracize the non-human races.”
“That’s more political than I thought. But I like it for that reason.”
“Why do you think so?”
“A clear relationship of interests is more comfortable than some pathetic sympathy, isn't it?”
Bow said, fiddling with his mask.
In the meantime, they arrived at the lodging where they would be staying in the county.
“Let’s disperse here.”
“What?”
After paying for the rooms, Artier turned to the party members behind him and said.
“Spend your time as you please, and come back before it gets too late.”
“What are you talking about? Then who will stay with the client?”
“I will.”
“Huh?”
Artier pointed to himself and smiled brightly.
“Who here could be a better bodyguard than me?”
A damage dealer who handled both offense and defense using Parrying and counterattacks.
While Jeina was good for protecting the entire party, there was no one better than Artier at protecting a single person.
No one could deny that fact, as everyone quietly nodded their heads.
“Alright, then I’ll come to switch with you in the evening. It’s a festival, so I should at least take a look around, right?”
“Got it.”
Just as everyone scattered in their desired directions and Artier was about to stick by Ropin’s side, there was one person who hadn't left for anywhere.
“Gerard, why are you just standing there?”
“I intend to stay at the inn.”
“Pardon?”
As Artier tilted his head, Gerard slowly crossed his arms.
“I plan to train in magic. I don’t think this is a situation where I can be playing around.”
“Ah…… Gerard, you’re already doing a great job. You always use the right skills at the right time in the right place.”
“Thank you. But I’m still not confident.”
Despite Artier’s praise, Gerard’s smile lacked sincerity.
“I shall also rest in my room for a bit. A sea journey at my age is quite taxing, you see.”
Ropin said so and entered his private room.
“Well then, let’s see each other in two hours.”
Click.
As Ropin closed the door, Artier leaned his back against a nearby wall and looked at Gerard.
Gerard, paying no mind to Artier’s gaze, opened a Grimoire and repeatedly created and broke a round Shield in one hand.
Unable to bear the quiet stillness, Artier finally spoke up.
“What’s written in that Grimoire?”
“It’s a formula for designating coordinates when infusing mana.”
“Can’t you designate coordinates when using magic even without that?”
“It’s different.”
Gerard said, tossing the Shield he created on his hand like a ball and catching it.
“There’s a pretty big difference between coordinates designated by eye and those designated precisely.”
“How so?”
“It’s the difference between understanding the principles of magic and not. You can think of it as the difference between learning swordsmanship professionally and swinging a sword by feel. At first, there might not seem to be a big difference, but as time passes, the gap between someone who learned systematically and someone who didn't becomes more pronounced.”
“Aha……”
“In that sense, your swordsmanship is quite unique.”
“Pardon?”
Gerard closed the book with a snap.
“Your swordsmanship seems systematic, yet it's mixed with a wildness. It’s like your head and hands are moving separately.”
Flinch.
Artier felt his entire body stiffen.
‘Did he notice that I move like a game character?’
Gerard stared intently at Artier and then continued.
“That's why when I first saw you, I thought you had learned my master’s swordsmanship.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“I am from the frontiers of the eastern part of the continent.”
***
Gerard’s hometown was an ordinary fishing village.
‘If I stay here, I’ll be catching fish for the rest of my life.’
In his childhood, Gerard wanted to escape from such a life.
He didn't want a life of barely getting by, catching fish that were worth only a few pennies.
Boom!
“It’s a monster attack! Everyone, evacuate!”
Gerard’s wish came true in a form he had not wanted.
When a horde of goblins climbed over the village’s palisade, Gerard had to watch as his friends and family fell helplessly and lost their lives.
“Ugh……!”
Stab!
Wanting to live, Gerard made a hole in a goblin’s chest with the dagger he used to clean fish.
He then snatched the scimitar the creature was holding and resisted desperately.
But there was a limit.
The young boy’s intuition hadn't fully developed yet.
Pfft!
“Ugh!”
As the wounds from the goblins' attacks increased and his chest was finally slashed open, Gerard thought it was all over.
In his fading vision, he could smell the scent of death.
Crack!
“Kieek!”
“……?”
But in the darkening vision, he could see someone rushing in and slaughtering the goblins.
‘Who is that……?’
A very faint scent of lavender brushed his nose.
With that scent, felt clearly even amidst the smell of blood, as his last sensation, Gerard lost consciousness.
***
“Your sword, which is calm yet full of personality, greatly resembles my master’s.”
Gerard, who had been lost in a deep recollection, fell silent after those words.
Artier couldn't get his head straight.
‘Not only did he survive a goblin attack as a kid, but he also snatched a weapon and fought back……?’
It was a good thing Gerard, who was always serious and only said what was necessary, was the one who said it.
If someone else had said it, I might have thought they were spinning some ridiculous tall tale.
“Did that person teach you swordsmanship, Gerard?”
“Yes, her name is Arihenne.”
Arihenne had introduced herself as a wandering adventurer to Gerard when he opened his eyes.
“But I don’t believe it.”
“Why?”
“When she found me, a sense of relief was visible in Arihenne’s eyes. For someone who had just saved a child in a nameless village, it was a rather intense reaction.”
Moreover, according to Gerard, even though she called herself an adventurer, Arihenne had almost no basic knowledge that an adventurer should have.
Things like how to pitch a tent, how to start a campfire, how to erase the smell after cooking, etc., she was often flustered, not knowing things that even Gerard knew.
“……How did the childhood Gerard know all that?”
“Isn’t it basic common sense?”
‘No, it’s not.’
Gerard tilted his head as he looked at Artier, who was sweating profusely.
“Anyway, she taught me the sword so that I could stand on my own, and we traveled together for a long time. Then, the day after I became an adult, she suddenly disappeared. Leaving only a single letter.”
“And you became a mercenary after that?”
“That’s right.”
“To find Arihenne?”
At his question, Gerard smiled and shook his head.
“If she had left without a reason, it might be different. But I have no intention of deliberately searching for someone who bid me farewell.”
Raising a trembling hand, Gerard said in a self-deprecating voice.
“Besides, in this state, it would only be embarrassing to meet again……”
“Why do you think so?”
“Hmm?”
Artier looked straight at Gerard.
Gerard was constantly questioning his own skills.
Having abandoned the sword that was his mainstay and continuously using Shield magic and Mana Bullets, which were only for self-defense, he must have wondered if he was still demonstrating the capabilities of a high-grade mercenary as before.
‘I should make it clear this time. Gerard’s talent is too good to be kept on the front lines.’
But in the first place, the one who proposed that rear support role was Artier, who held the title of Supreme-Grade Mercenary.
“Of course, since Gerard was a swordsman, he might have prejudices against mages who cast spells from the rear.”
A flicker of stiffness appeared on Gerard’s face, as if I had hit a nerve.
“But now that you’ve tried it yourself, you know, don’t you? The rear has its own job to do.”
Melee classes take on much higher risks compared to ranged ones.
On the other hand, rear support doesn't have the pressure of attacking, nor does it require intense physical movement.
Gerard, who had used a sword until now, would have felt that even more.
‘But there are no free-ride jobs in this game.’
Gerard’s barrier was a meaningless skill without the keen eye to cast it before damage was taken.
Tactical Command also only activated when he used his head to come up with a reasonable tactic.
This required the judgment to check allies' health while simultaneously checking enemy attacks, and additionally reading the overall situation of the battlefield.
“It’s amazing enough to bring the utility of those skills to this level.”
“But there’s a limit. I haven’t been able to bring about a groundbreaking change in the flow of battle.”
“That’s because you don’t have enough skills, Gerard.”
If a swordsman was a class that showed average performance from beginning to end, a tactician was a late-bloomer class.
In the early stages, they struggle because there are limited things they can do, but from the latter half, when they learn various utility-type skills, their presence skyrockets like crazy.
“Trust me. Gerard, you can be more successful as a mage.”
“……”
At Artier’s words, Gerard quietly rubbed his eyes.
“Is that just simple consolation? Or is it advice from a Supreme-Grade Mercenary.”
“Whichever it is, it’s not important. What’s important is how Gerard takes it.”
“Hmph, right. In the end, it’s me who has to build that conviction.”
Pat!
As soon as Gerard's words, filled with a small hope, ended, a message popped up before Artier's eyes.
[Gerard, who was questioning his own skills, reaffirms his own path.]
[Gerard’s class changes from ‘Swordsman’ to ‘Tactician’.]
‘I don’t know what it is, but it seems the problem is solved.’
Artier smiled as he checked the information window.
There were no particular changes.
After all, <Cross Destiny> didn't have concepts like class bonuses.
But in Gerard’s appearance as he opened his Grimoire again, there was a sense of motivation.
If he hadn't been able to shed his identity as a swordsman until now, it seemed he had now taken a definite interest in the position of a tactician.
“But still, just using support magic doesn’t suit my aptitude. I need a new offensive magic book……”
But Gerard suddenly stopped what he was saying and lifted his head.
His gaze was directed towards the private room Ropin had entered.
“What’s wrong, Gerard?”
“……No, it’s just that something feels strange.”
“What is it?”
Gerard looked around and said.
“Is an inn supposed to be this quiet?”
Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.