I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

10 – 010. The Grand Duchess (2)

The triumphal procession concluded with the Duke’s victory declaration and a short address.

“What did you think?”

On the way to the city center, Lancelot asked, his face brimming with pride.

“…Impressive. More than I thought.”

Seeing the well-trained cavalry and infantry, and furthermore, the numerous knightly orders and magical forces, was certainly interesting. If it wasn’t for that intense gaze from the victory procession, I might have been just as excited as Lancelot.

‘Maria saw me.’

The gaze that Grand Duchess, Maria Theresia, had sent was definitely not a misinterpretation. It was like being pierced straight through to the bone, a feeling I’d never experienced in my entire life.

“A trait, or is it a talent?”

Trudging along behind Lancelot, I let out a small mutter to myself.

It was definitely not a common occurrence to be stared at so precisely in a crowd this large. What if she’d broken from the procession and done something rash? It would’ve certainly been a mess to deal with.

That’s because the gap between her and me is massive right now. Avoiding an encounter with a powerful figure right now is a must.

“……Frey? Frey!”

“Ah, what is it?”

“What are you thinking so deeply about? This is the mercenary guild. You have business here, don’t you?”

“……Mercenary guild?”

Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked up. Scanning the surroundings, I saw a three-story building with a large signboard between the Central District and the Commercial District.

“Right, I’d forgotten about that.”

I was a mercenary. Part of the Oak Mercenary Company, having participated in the Northern Expedition, and the war had just ended. That meant there was payment due to me.

“I have to get it. Of course.”

*Creak.*

I muttered and entered the guild building. An interior that resembled a medieval tavern greeted me.

“Welcome.”

The inside of the guild was much quieter than I expected. A few mercenaries who looked like they had seen years of battle were sitting at tables, sipping midday liquor, and in the center of the room, a bartender in a suit was wiping a glass with a white cloth.

“Frey of the Oak Mercenary Company. I’d like to collect my payment for participating in the Northern Expedition.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The bartender gave a short reply and disappeared into the back of the building. Having a bit of time, I slowly surveyed the guild. It seemed to be Lancelot’s first time in a mercenary guild too, as he was looking around with a fascinated expression.

“Hey, kid, you survived the Northern Expedition?”

It was then that a mercenary who had been drinking alone spoke to me.

He was a middle-aged mercenary who looked like he’d been through it all. A rugged scar ran across his face, and a thick beard symbolized the hardships he’d faced.

“You were lucky. All of my comrades were killed by the enemy.”

On the surface, it sounded like he was picking a fight. But I could sense the deep sorrow in his voice.

“Same here. I’m the only survivor from our company.”

“……Damn it all.”

Just like him. The middle-aged mercenary’s face contorted in pain at the fact that I was the sole survivor of my company. He rubbed his hand on his coat and came over, extending his hand.

“Fran of the En’ganu Mercenary Company. It’s… meaningful to meet someone like me.”

“Frey of the Oak Mercenary Company. Nice to meet you too.”

“Huh. What the…”

Lancelot, who had been quietly watching the process, let out a hollow voice. He was looking at the sight of me and the middle-aged mercenary shaking hands with an awkward expression, as if it felt strange.

“This one?”

It was only natural that the middle-aged mercenary would show interest in the spectacle. Lancelot, who had been silently guarding his space, finally spoke.

“Gold Lion Knights, Lancelot d’Almanse.”

“K-Knight… you were. My apologies. I assumed you were a fellow mercenary, being with this one.”

The middle-aged mercenary, who had approached so casually, retreated back to his seat with a terrified look. Silently observing him, I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

“Do mercenaries really fear knights that much?”

“Of course, don’t they? Mercenaries are highly likely to become targets of knights. It could be due to conflicts of interest, or they could be heinous criminals. If this is how they react to a knight, a mercenary meeting a noble would probably have a fit.”

…Was that so? I didn’t really know, because I really hated the ‘mercenary’ route in the original game.

Regardless, I couldn’t help but look at Lancelot with fresh eyes.

Come to think of it, when I first opened my eyes, he did ask me, ‘Aren’t you afraid of me?’ Only now did I understand what he meant. He must have been surprised that a mere mercenary like me was standing so brazenly before a knight.

It was right then that the bartender came over with a clear glass panel.

“Sorry for the wait. Please place your palm on this glass panel. After identification, I will apply for payment.”

It was a fairly reasonable process. I’d been worried they might say something like, ‘Payment is impossible without a mercenary pass.’

*Thunk.*

I placed my palm on the panel without much thought. As I did, clear light radiated from the small glass, like tiny crystals. I guess this is how they verify identity and pay out.

“Identity verification complete. After the guild review, payment will be confirmed. It should take approximately two days.”

I nodded silently at the bartender’s explanation. It was indeed a world where magic engineering had developed instead of science. To be able to receive participation pay in just two days…

“If you’re staying in Loven, would you like us to open a communication channel?”

“…Ah! Yes, please do.”

“Understood. Please visit in two or three days and we’ll let you know the result.”

A communication channel, they had that here too.

I nodded and left the mercenary guild. I caught the middle-aged mercenary’s gaze as we departed, but he only watched us silently, conscious of Lancelot.

“Frey. What’s a communication channel?”

As soon as we hit the street, Lancelot asked the question like he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Simply put… it’s a system where people can contact each other through the guild branch. A lot of mercenaries wander around, after all.”

“…I see. If you’re lucky, someone who remembers your past might contact you.”

“I hope so too.”

I smiled wryly and started walking. I was planning to head back to the lodgings. It was lunchtime, and I was hungry, plus there was something I needed to do after eating.

‘It’s time to get started.’

My initial goal in coming to the fortress city of Loven was to find Lancelot’s mother. The victory parade was just a bonus.

‘Doesn’t look like it’ll take as long as I thought.’

Lancelot’s mother, the woman he’s desperately searching for, was said to be the daughter of Loben the blacksmith.

That meant most of her relatives would be living in Loben. Finding her wouldn’t be too difficult, even within a sprawling citadel city like this.

‘First… I’ll stop there.’

The first place to visit was already decided. The graves on the coastal cliff. He planned to go there.

* * *

A peaceful afternoon. Loben, the citadel city, was in high spirits, the official events concluded and a festive mood in full swing.

But this room was different. Unlike the city’s boisterous atmosphere, the room’s owner sat quietly in a chair, gazing at the paper on the table.

“……”

*Scratch* *Scratch.*

The pen, silent for a long while, began to move. The pen’s owner, Maria Theresia, was deep in thought. It was because she’d witnessed a rather interesting event that afternoon.

‘A blindingly intense light.’

Maria had awakened to a unique blessing as a child. She could see people’s ‘light.’ Something no one else could see, it was one of the powers she alone possessed.

*Slide.*

Rising from her seat, she walked, her heels clicking, towards the window, looking out at the scenery. A groundskeeper was diligently cutting the lawn in the mansion’s garden.

‘White.’

Immediately confirming the groundskeeper’s light, Maria pursed her lips. What he possessed was a single streak of ‘white’ light. An extremely ordinary color.

‘That man…….’

The corners of Maria’s expressionless lips turned up ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly. It was a change that would terrify her family, but thankfully, she was the only one in the room.

Maria Theresia’s clear eyes recalled the recent past.

The cheering crowd, the grand duke’s legion advancing in their imposing figures.

Within it all, Maria Theresia felt boredom. Here was white, there was white. Occasionally, she would see ‘gold’, but Maria was quickly forced to lose interest.

It was extremely ordinary. They may have been born lucky enough to possess ‘gold’, but none of them seemed like individuals who would show any particular aptitude.

But then, Maria’s eyes widened near the end of the victory parade.

“……?”

On a white horse, someone she didn’t even care to know the name of. Maria witnessed a shocking sight.

*Sparkle!* *Sparkle!*

‘Light…….’

The light that erupted from someone unknown filled her vision to the point of daze. So overwhelming she felt like she was drowning in the light, the owner of the awe-inspiring radiance was a young man who looked to have just reached adulthood.

“……Oh my?”

The man was looking at her.

Like when gazing into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. The man was piercing through something within ‘Maria Theresa’.

In an instant, the man’s complexion turned pale.

He saw it too. Just like she had, the fact that Maria was a being fundamentally different from others since birth.

“Ah…”

Maria, above the procession, let out a sigh that didn’t quite fit. The light… the light was fading away. The vibrant, dazzling spectacle of light she was seeing for the first time in her life was leaving her behind.

But.

It didn’t matter. She could just meet him again.

She had both the power and the authority to do so. And she wanted to have a deep conversation. She was curious about what kind of person he was. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight… or anything like that. It was just an intense curiosity that had messed with her reason.

Swee-sh!

The window of the Grand Duke’s residence opened softly. And she threw herself out of the window.