I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

17 – 017. Letter (2)

Maria left.

I stared silently at the pill placed in my palm.

Shaped like a bead, this was an ‘elixir pill’. Given it was made from pounding a thousand-year-old he shou wu, the fact that it was something one couldn’t buy even with a fortune remained unchanged.

“…Why did she give this to me?”

It was a question without an answer, even when I asked myself.

＜Sword Saint＞, Maria Theresia von Britzhart.

Her taking an interest in me? I could understand that. Her perspective, as someone near the pinnacle of humanity, must be vastly different from ordinary people. She did mention ‘light’ during our previous encounter, after all.

But that wasn’t enough to justify this unprovoked gift. First Britzhart’s sacred relic, and now an elixir?

“Well, I’m going to eat it anyway.”

I muttered to myself, rolling the pill around in my palm.

Thinking too deeply is poison. Knowing this, I decided to stop pondering.

‘How do I consume it?’

‘First, sit in a lotus position and put it in your mouth. The elixir inherently suffers a fifty percent loss of effectiveness. You don’t need to forcibly hold onto the energy.’

Recalling the conversation we had just before she left, I slowly brought the elixir to my lips. Immediately, a sharp, clear fragrance tickled my nose.

*Gulp!*

Without hesitation, I tossed it into my mouth. Then, like I’d just downed a potent liquor, I felt a searing heat travel down my throat and esophagus.

*Thump!*

The strange experience didn’t end there.

As the pill inside me slowly began to dissolve, an immense shockwave slammed into my body. It was like a massive ogre had just punched me in the vital organs.

*Whoosh…*!

I sat cross-legged with my eyes closed, but I could vividly feel a vibrant, colossal force coursing through my body.

*KWAHAA!*

The surging elixir’s energy was akin to a tireless wild horse. The untamed beast galloped through my meridians and organs, lower, middle, and upper *dantian*, unleashing its raw power everywhere.

‘…Is it enjoying this?’

It was obvious that *mana*, or ‘ki,’ lacked any will of its own.

But why? I knew instinctively. The energy coursing through my body was full of exhilaration. It seemed like a horse running in a meadow, and at other times like a child encountering a playground for the first time.

‘Starting to feel… tired?’

I didn’t know how much time had passed, but the energy that had been rampaging for so long slowly began to calm down.

After that, it did something incomprehensible.

The massive mass of energy broke into pieces, with some moving to my head, some to my chest, and some to my lower abdomen.

And like saplings taking root in fertile soil, the silent energy no longer moved. It had completely assimilated into me.

At the end of the cycle, a strange, refreshing feeling awakened my entire body from its deep slumber.

* * *

High in a tall tree, the hotel’s second-floor room was clearly visible.

Maria quietly watched the scene unfolding inside.

Frey, sitting cross-legged, without hesitation tossing the elixir into his mouth. Those scenes played out vividly before my eyes.

*Screech!*

It was right then that Lancelot returned to the room.

*Swoosh!*

Lancelot, having brought food on a tray, immediately drew the sword from his waist. It was an action that occurred the instant he saw Frey on the bed.

“……”

And so, time passed.

One hour, two hours, six hours, twelve hours.

Lancelot’s sword, guarding the room wordlessly, did not waver. Like a raptor protecting its nest, he shone with sharp eyes, wary of any possible intruder.

“……”

After some more time passed. An astonishing thing occurred.

*Flash! Flash!*

A dazzling light burst from Frey, sitting on the bed with his eyes closed.

In the void where nothing should exist, a fresh, green laurel leaf appeared with a faint light. A testament to enlightenment, it floated above Frey’s head for a while before disappearing.

*Whoosh….*

“……”

Frey, who had been sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes. It was then that Maria released her stealth and left the hotel.

Her mind was in turmoil. She fell deep into worry about what the next gift should be.

* * *

“I’m tired.”

“…Tired? Why?”

The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was Lancelot’s gaunt face.

“Never mind. I’m going to rest now. I’ve been away too long; my mother will be worried.”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

The emaciated Lancelot left with only those short words.

“…?”

Feeling puzzled, I slowly got up. As I walked to the window, the outside scenery, almost identical to when I had closed my eyes, caught my gaze.

“Could this… have been a whole day?”

My body, which had been so heavy until just now, was suddenly much lighter. No, not just lighter, but so light I felt like I could float away. Remembering this wasn’t something that could have been resolved in just a few minutes or hours, the answer was clear.

‘So much time passed?’

The situation sunk in, and a wave of unbidden guilt washed over me.

While I’d been off, Lancelot must have been keeping watch against any potential danger. There was no other explanation for a knight, whose stamina was his lifeblood, looking so drained.

“…Ah.”

A pretty decent solution popped into my head.

I’d momentarily forgotten. The mercenary guild, the money I was owed was there.

If my hunch was right, it’d be a pretty sizable sum. It wasn’t like I’d been thrown into some trivial request, and as a mercenary attached to an Imperial-led expedition, the payoff should be beyond what one might imagine.

‘I should get him a gift with it.’

Since Lancelot gave up the support of the Almans family, it was inevitable he’d be facing a cash crunch. Why else would a strange profession like “wandering knight” even exist? It’s all about the money.

I rustled around, getting dressed. The freshly laundered clothes gave off a fluffy, clean scent. Then, I grabbed my sword and headed for the mercenary guild in the center of town.

Thunk!

“Welcome! We’ve been waiting for you. I was worried when you were later than scheduled.”

“……?”

Inside the mercenary guild, where I was visiting for the second time, was the bartender I’d seen before.

What was odd though, was how excessively large his greeting was, causing everyone inside to stare in my direction.

“I’d like to collect the participation fee I applied for earlier.”

“Oh! All the procedures are already done. How would you like to receive payment?”

“Cash.”

“Yes! Understood! Please wait a moment.”

“……Okay.”

I felt suspicion rising due to the bartender’s unnaturally over-friendly demeanor. Some of the mercenaries were muttering “Why is he like that?”, so I guess what I was feeling wasn’t strange after all.

After a short wait,

the bartender appeared with a heavy pouch. Even at a glance, it looked like it contained a not insignificant amount of money.

“This is your participation fee. The mercenary guild deeply appreciates Mr. Frey’s participation in the expedition.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

The weight of the pouch felt pleasantly substantial, making me feel inexplicably giddy.

Swish.

I grabbed the money pouch and turned around. Now that I got paid, I was done with the mercenary guild. From the outset, the ＜Mercenary＞ route never interested me, and the mercenary life doesn’t suit my temperament either.

But then,

“W-Wait! Mr. Frey!”

“……?”

“You didn’t think I’d actually leave, did you?” the bartender called out, flustered. I turned back to him with a questioning look, and he bowed his head slightly, saying,

“A magic mail has arrived at your contact point.”

“……Mail?”

It was an instantly surprising statement.

To begin with, the number of people I knew in this world of ＜Silvering＞ was ridiculously small. Which meant there was also no one who would send me mail through a contact point.

‘……Which means.’

Someone who knew my name and identity had made contact.

“The sender is ‘Helios Magic Tower’.”

The bartender, putting on a lot of weight, uttered it quietly. He seemed to emphasize ‘Helios Magic Tower’ so that the other mercenaries could hear it.

As he intended, the mercenaries, each drinking at their spots, started to murmur.

“He, Helios Magic Tower?”

“Good heavens. This guy’s more of a big shot than I thought!”

“Is he a mage? Doesn’t look like one to me.”

“…….”

A magic tower, a magic tower. It was certainly an unexpected word.

The Helios Magic Tower, considered the best among the magic towers, was like the main headquarters of magic. If you grabbed a random person on the street and asked them to name the most traditional magic tower, everyone would choose the Helios Magic Tower.

“Would you like to receive the mail?”

“Yeah.”

I answered casually. If it was the Helios Magic Tower, then it was the Helios Magic Tower, I didn’t see the need to be so dramatic.

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

After a short time, the bartender came back holding a postcard. The gold leaf on its surface was striking.

[ From. Helios Magic Tower, Ariel ]

‘……Ariel.’

It was a name I didn’t remember. That meant the sender wasn’t a major figure in ＜Silvering＞.

“Delivery complete. Frey-nim, please do use our branch again next time.”

“Okay.”

I replied briefly to the bartender’s greeting and turned around. And with a thump, thump, I walked towards the guild’s exit, tearing open the seal.

*Ziiiip-*!

Then.

*Whooosh!*

A ridiculous thing unfolded. From the torn-open envelope, a blinding golden light burst forth.