Chapter 268 : Regret

The festival ended, and people returned to their daily lives.

It was a daily life that had changed a lot from before, but the northerners were strong.

They seemed to be used to losing things.

Even though a considerable amount of time had passed, the area outside the wall was still in the midst of cleanup.

It was the work of removing the magic stones from the corpses of the magical beasts and sorting the corpses with commercial value.

No matter how much they worked without rest, there were so many corpses of magical beasts that there was always a foul smell of burning corpses outside the wall.

The soldiers dug a pit and threw the corpses of the magical beasts into it.

In the pit, the blue flame I had thrown was continuously burning, using the corpses of the magical beasts as fuel.

Ordinary fire would have been extinguished by the cold and fierce wind of the north, so the Blue Flame was used very usefully.

In any case, thanks to the many corpses of the magical beasts, Tundra would be able to recover all the damage it had suffered in this wave, and then some.

The consolation money paid to the families of the soldiers and knights who had died in battle would also all come from there.

They hated the magical beasts more than anyone else, but on the other hand, it was the northerners who could continue their harsh lives ironically thanks to the magical beasts.

It was a strange relationship that could not be separated from the magical beasts, whether it was negative or positive.

"Well, it's none of my business."

I left the inn and trudged toward Duke Elsbears's residence.

Of course, it was to receive the reward for this incident.

On the way, people on the street recognized me and acknowledged me.

"It's the hero of Tundra!"

"The hero of Tundra, Ashuban of the Half-Sword, is passing by!"

"Waaaaaah!!"

"Damn it."

I quickly covered my face with Night Sky and ran away.

I still wasn't used to it, so I would just walk out without thinking and end up in this kind of predicament.

How unfair.

Why did I have to run away like this even after all that suffering?

I wasn't a hero.

I just did it to hold one of Ophosis's famous swords.

I could hear the Heavenly Demon's low laugh.

[If you say so, then it is so. Let's just say that.]

"It's not that I'm saying so. It's the truth."

[I get it, so let's just say that.]

"..."

But if there was a good thing, it was that the name of the Sherwood Mercenary Corps was well known.

The heroic tale of the Sherwood Mercenary Corps, which had played a major role in this defense against the magical beasts by defeating two S-rank magical beasts, would spread far and wide.

I finally felt like I had done something worthy of the old Sherwood's fame.

Now, even those who didn't believe in the revival of Sherwood would have no choice but to acknowledge it.

Even Guston, the former captain, would have no choice but to admit that the current captain was superior in many ways to the previous one.

With those thoughts, I arrived at the Elsbears ducal family.

Just then, I ran into Princess Lilia, who was running down the corridor with her bright blonde hair flying.

"Hero!"

How did she know I had come?

She was a princess with a good sense in many ways.

"I told you, right? That you were the hero who would save Maia? I was right, wasn't I?"

"So it seems. How did our princess know?"

"Hehe, my intuition is never wrong."

As I was talking with the princess with such good intuition, Sir Monde, Princess Lilia's eternal guardian knight, came running out from the corner.

"Hey, Princess. I told you not to run in the corridor. You're gone again. I can't take my eyes off you for a moment."

I let out a deep sigh and scolded the approaching Sir Monde.

"You insolent guardian knight. Are you blaming the princess for your own negligence? How audacious!"

Then, Princess Lilia also stood next to me and, with a feigned stern expression, criticized Sir Monde.

"That's right! Huh? You've gotten comfortable lately, haven't you? From this moment on, you will carry me on your back!"

Sir Monde's face brightened.

"Oh, that's great. Then you can't run away anywhere."

"Huh? This isn't it."

Princess Lilia, with a dazed expression of 'this isn't it', got on Sir Monde's back.

Sir Monde bid me farewell and passed by.

"Take care of your business. In the meantime, I'll go for a walk with the princess."

Princess Lilia, who was trapped in the mobile prison of Sir Monde's back, pounded his back.

"Let me down! Let me down!"

"Oh my, have I gone deaf? I can't hear you well."

"I said, let me down!"

I passed the fantastic pair, Princess Lilia and her guardian knight, Sir Monde, and walked around the mansion.

And then, I ran into another familiar face.

"Oh, who is this? Isn't it the cursed sorcerer of the abyss, the corpse artist, the coordinator of bones and shadows, the aesthetician of death, the black-robed black mage, Adrian?"

"Sir Ashuban!"

Adrian, who was carrying a lot of thick books and heading somewhere, greeted me with a happy face.

"Where are you going?"

"I came to see the duke."

"Oho. Is today the day?"

"So it seems. Will you join me?"

"Yes? Can I go? I didn't participate in the search mission."

"Didn't you diligently craft corpses while we were out on the search? You're more than qualified."

"Oh! It would be my honor! Then I will also participate in this glorious moment."

"Then I'll see you at the inn later."

"Yes!"

After parting with Adrian, I was soon guided by a servant to the drawing-room.

As I sat on a soft chair covered with the fur of an unknown beast and played with the Snow Branch and Blue Flame, clumping them into a ball.

Soon, the king of the north, the Gray Lion, Duke Giyer Elsbears, came in.

"...You're here."

His expression was as unchanged as ever.

But why did it sound like he was saying, 'You finally came?'

"Yes. I'm here."

"Would you like some tea?"

"No."

"Hooo—"

Duke Elsbears let out a deep sigh.

He placed what he had brought on the desk.

"Is this...?"

At my implicit question, the duke nodded without a word.

It was a rectangular box that looked luxurious at a glance, and it even had a lock.

Alcohol with a lock.

"It's not like it's a jewel."

The duke replied to my muttering.

"Because it's more precious than most jewels."

"Is that so."

"It is."

"Hmm. Is it that much?"

"..."

He shook his head and then said, throwing the key.

"Check it."

I carefully opened the wooden box with the key I had received from the duke.

Then, its brilliant form came into view.

"This is... Zilentyn 30-Year-Old."

Golden alcohol in a beautiful, curved bottle carved with various jewels.

It was like a work of art in itself.

'Sorrow would faint if he saw this.'

Since I had the memory of drinking it to my heart's content when I had met the captain after returning from Maia, it was not difficult to recognize it.

To be honest, my palate wasn't that refined, and I wasn't an alcohol lover like Sorrow, so I just looked at the bottle here and there and then nodded roughly.

"Hmm. It doesn't seem to be a fake."

The duke looked at me with a dumbfounded face.

"Do you think I would give you a fake?"

"I was just saying. You're sensitive today."

"..."

I put the 30-year-old Zilentyn back in the luxurious wooden box and then closed the lock.

"The commission reward. I have received it for sure."

"...Yes. Are you going to drink it today?"

"Yes. Or there might be a rebellion."

"I see."

Seeing his somewhat regretful expression, I said casually.

"Then will you come later? Let's have a drink together."

The duke, who had hesitated for a moment, shook his head.

"I can't take what I've given as a commission reward. You guys drink it comfortably."

Oh.

So this is what it takes to be called the king of the north.

He was a man with excellent self-control.

For some reason, I felt mischievous and tried to shake him.

"Are you really not coming? It's your last chance."

Crack!

There was a sound of something being smashed.

It was the sound of the end of the armrest of the chair that the duke was holding being smashed.

The duke closed his eyes tightly and said.

"...I told you to drink it."

If I urged him one more time, it seemed my head would be smashed like that armrest, so I decided to stop there.

"I understand. We'll drink it ourselves."

Actually, my interest was not in this kind of alcohol.

I straightened my posture and then looked at the duke across from me.

"Your Grace."

The duke also quietly met my eyes.

"You commissioned me for a total of two things, right?"

"I did."

"So there were two rewards."

"That's right."

I looked at the duke's gray eyes and opened my mouth.

"The other reward. I'd like to receive it now."

"...Now?"

"I'm a bit of an impatient person."

"So it seems."

"If you're anxious, shall we move to a place outside the wall?"

The duke shook his head.

"There's no need for that. Let's do it here."

And with that, he placed his sword on the desk.

Woooong—

The desk vibrated at the sound of it trembling.

Every time it trembled, even the scabbard was dyed with an eerie green color and emitted light.

It was a sword that seemed to be alive on its own.

"This is the Turquoise Sword, Aurora..."

I observed it with curious eyes...

"May I hold it?"

The duke nodded.

"That was the promise."

The duke, who was saying that, was also watching me with interest.

"Then..."

I was about to grab the hilt right away, but I hesitated.

I looked at the duke.

"Is there anything I should be careful of?"

The duke seemed to be trying not to draw this sword if possible.

In fact, after wielding the sword, he had also looked very haggard.

Indeed, the duke, with a very serious face, warned me in a heavy tone like a lump of iron.

"You'd better prepare your mind firmly."

...For the duke to say something like this?

Don't tell me it's worse than the Crimson Sword, Vlad?

Gulp.

I swallowed dryly.

"Master. I'm going."

The Heavenly Demon snorted.

[Go or not, do as you please.]

I stealthily approached and grabbed the hilt of the Turquoise Sword, which was humming and emitting an eerie green light.

Grasp!

Then, a rather light voice immediately penetrated my mind.

—Wow! New master! Nice to meet you! To introduce myself, I'm Aurora, whose heart is as beautiful as my pretty, emerald-like, sparkling appearance! Your new master is Ashuban-nim, right? I've heard all about you! My previous master was a very blunt person, so it was no fun. But I think it will be a very fun and exciting adventure with my new master! Oh, did I mention this? Your new master's eyes are really pretty! They're like rubies dropped in blood, you know? Can I touch them once? Ah, if I touch them, I'll go blind. Pretend you didn't hear that! By the way, you know. I had a dream yesterday...

"Heok!"

Clang!

I had thrown the sword without realizing it.

The duke looked at me blankly, without showing much surprise.

His attitude was as if he had expected it.

Woooong— woong!

The sword, which had been thrown on the desk, was crying more violently than before.

I looked at the duke and the sword thrown on the desk for a moment, and then I carefully tried to grab the hilt again.

—Waaah! My new master threw me! I hate you! I hate you! I'm going to hate you! Take my curse, hup!

Clang!

I threw the sword again.

I looked at the duke with eyes as if I had seen a ghost.

The duke, as if his head were throbbing just by looking, touched his temples and sighed.

"It's a bit talkative."

"...A bit?"

Damn it. How is that a bit? No matter how you look at it, it's not a bit.

Regardless.

The duke ignored my words and continued to talk smoothly.

The man, who was not very talkative, was speaking without hesitation, as if he had prepared it in advance.

"You wouldn't not know the meaning of becoming the master of the Turquoise Sword, Aurora, now, would you?"

"Yes?"

"For generations, the guardian of the north has selected the most suitable person for the position and entrusted the future to them. Regardless of origin or status. The family has been passed down that way. It's the only succession in Maia that is not passed down by blood."

"Yes? Yes?"

"Tundra has acknowledged you. You are more than qualified. So, will you not succeed me?"

This guy was trying to pass off that haunted sword somewhere.

I couldn't hold back my boiling anger and ended up flipping the desk.

"You son of a bitch! Do you think I would!"

Crash!

The desk between the two was overturned, and the haunted sword that had been thrown away trembled even more and cried.

The duke, who had been staring at the sight blankly, muttered gloomily.

"...Regret."

(End of Chapter)