I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

39 – 039. Maria Theresia (2)

A high-class suite in the Papal Palace, reserved for Cardinals and other high-ranking clergy.

“You’re really coming back, right? Soon?”

“I told you, yes. A week at most? It’ll be over by then.”

I was in the middle of an untimely squabble.

The reason was Ariel, who had regained the source of her life through the power of the Holy Grail.

That clingy little thing, the moment she heard I was going to be away for a bit, was acting like this.

“Promise me.”

“Okay. I promise.”

Seeing her even make me pinky-swear, I let out a small sigh and answered.

The place I was headed was the primeval forest north of the Papal Palace.

It was a place rarely visited by people, full of wild animals and monsters.

…So, why was I heading into such a dangerous place?

‘I can’t just pass by after coming all this way.’

It was all thanks to me being the guy who knows the ＜Silvering＞ lore inside and out.

The place we were preparing the expedition to was the very edge of the northern primeval forest… a place like an unknown world to the people of this world, the ‘Storm Highlands.’

There was an item you could only get there. Right now, I was aiming for that.

“Okay. I understand. Be careful?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back. Don’t worry too much. I’ll definitely be back soon.”

I forcibly peeled off the rice-cake-like Ariel, who was stuck to me. And right away, I put on my coat and headed for the main gate of the Papal Palace.

“……?”

But, stepping outside the building, the air was strangely bustling. The Vatican, a place usually filled with an almost eerie quiet, was somehow teeming with this commotion.

“Come on! Give us a straight answer!”

“Holy Grail Knight! Is it true a legendary knight has been born?!”

“—No! Just say something already!”

“W-well, that is…!”

The culprits of the ruckus were the swarm of people.

Was it, by any chance, information about me they were after? Some were even screaming at the top of their lungs, veins popping in their necks.

‘That old man’s having a rough time.’

Bishop Cleo, who was in charge of the gate, looked like he was dying, his face ashen.

It seemed that such boisterous voices were quite difficult for a priest who had walked the path of faith his entire life.

*Swish.*

Turning away, I headed towards another exit.

The Vatican was enormous. Its very existence was a city-state within the empire, so there were plenty of exits besides the main gate.

As I walked and reached another gate,

“Your Grace! I greet the great knight chosen by the Holy Grail!”

One of the Holy Knights guarding the back gate rushed over and saluted.

It was such an awkward experience that I just waved my hand to answer.

‘Great knight, my ass.’

Even I thought it was ridiculous and bizarre. This stranger from far away had somehow become a person revered by Vatican priests and Holy Knights.

Then,

“…Frey, sir.”

*Whoosh-*!

“…?”

Someone called my name and appeared.

It was the first person I had met since I entered the hellish rift. It was Maria, who had suddenly appeared here.

“Lady Maria? What brings you here?”

“…I heard the news that you have achieved a great feat, Frey sir.”

“Ah.”

Even though she was far away in the Grand Duchy, it seemed the news of me had already reached her ears. That must be why she arrived here, panting for breath like that.

“That’s the case.”

“……So then.”

“Yes?”

“Right now, where are you headed?”

“Ah. They say Ariel’s full recovery will take more time. So, I’m thinking of being away for a few days.”

“……Is that so.”

Having heard my reply, Maria looked at my face without a word.

It was her usual gaze, yet something seemed different, leaving me no choice but to feel puzzled.

‘Her cheeks are strangely flushed?’

I could sense, from how breathless and ragged Maria’s breathing seemed, just how urgently she must have rushed over from the Grand Duchy.

That’s my sister for you. She clearly came in a flash for the sake of her cute junior.

“Frey-nim.”

“Yes. Speak.”

“For that outing, could I… go with you?”

“……?”

It was a sudden question.

To the Storm Plateau… with Maria?

It didn’t matter. From the start, the Maria Theresia I know is, quite literally, my benefactor. She’s given me a legendary item, and countless aids, so how could I refuse?

“I don’t mind… But it might be a somewhat tiring journey. Are you sure?”

“……Of course!”

Uh, uhm?

Maria’s bright response flew straight back at me. Her face was its usual expressionless self, but there was something oddly cheerful about her…

‘She’s like a puppy.’

A shiver!

The thought suddenly dawned on me and, mumbling it to myself, I shook my shoulders. Chiding myself for it was a given.

‘Get a hold of yourself!’

Maria is an invaluable benefactor to me. How could I dare to compare her, of all people, to a dog!

“Ahem.”

“……?”

Having cleared my throat, I met her unwavering gaze.

“Understood. If Maria-nim is alright with it, let’s go together.”

Just like that.

An unexpected companion appeared. Even a comrade who couldn’t be more reliable.

* * *

The road toward the Plateau of Storms was extremely rough and desolate.

This was mostly thanks to the fact that the northeastern part of the Empire was practically treated as uncharted territory. Naturally, there were few residents, so it was difficult to even spot villages.

“Ah. It would be good to rest there for a bit today.”

“……Understood.”

Our five-hour walk was coming to an end.

At the edge of my vision, the largest village in the northeast came into view.

Its name… I don’t know it. I only knew from past memories that this was the biggest village before entering the plateau.

“Welcome! It’s been a while since we’ve seen travelers!”

As soon as we entered the village, the welcoming gazes of the villagers turned toward us.

It was Maria’s appearance that caught the eye of passersby. For these people living in the backwoods, just seeing her was quite a unique experience, I’m sure.

“Is there an inn where we can stay in this village?”

“Of course! If you go to the center of the village, you’ll find a pretty well-maintained inn!”

Perhaps because both Maria and I were wearing swords…

The villagers spoke with a very friendly attitude. After offering a brief thank you, I headed toward the village center as they had directed.

“W-wait, just a moment!”

It was then.

A small voice grabbed my attention.

“What is it?”

The one who called out to me was a small boy. Next to the child, a smaller girl stood awkwardly, looking shy.

Judging from the fact that I didn’t recognize their faces, they were probably just ordinary village NPCs.

“U-um, maybe…”

“……?”

“W-would you like to have your… fortune told?”

Fortune?

It was a little, no, very out of the blue. There’s no way there would be a skilled fortune teller in a village like this, so it was probably just a childish money-making scheme, I figured.

“……What do you think? Miss Maria. Shall we have our fortunes told?”

I turned my head slightly, asking for Maria’s opinion.

The rather cute initial assault by the two kids stirred a strange feeling of goodwill. They didn’t seem the type to demand a fortune for a reading.

“We, we can do it cheap! One shilling! Just one shilling! The price to peek at your fate is only one shilling!”

“Yeah! My brother’s really good at reading fortunes!”

“……”

Their chirping voices nearly made me burst into laughter.

“……Alright,”

With Maria’s agreement, I nodded and said to the two kids,

“Okay. Let’s have a look then. Where are we doing this fortune telling?”

“Ah! This way! Come this way!”

Dododo.

The two kids excitedly dashed ahead. They led us to a shabby stall.

“……Huh?”

On the stall was a strange crystal ball and all sorts of papers.

Seeing magic circles and diagrams of mechanics made me wonder if these weren’t ordinary little kids.

“Alright! Let’s start with the handsome guy first!”

“Okay.”

“Put your palm on this crystal ball!”

I chuckled, taking a seat on a chair at the stall.

An event like this in this kind of village? Could this be an effect of ‘the tumult’?

Thunk!

I placed my palm on the crystal ball.

“ooo!”

Along with the cute sound effect, the boy stretched both small palms towards the crystal ball.

‘……Huh?’

The smile faded from my face as I watched the scene with warmth. It was right at that moment.

ooong……!

The crystal ball vibrated slightly.

A bewildered feeling washed over me and I glanced to the side. A flicker of curiosity was visible on Maria’s expressionless face.

“It, it’s coming out!”

“Already?”

The boy, who had been whimpering at the crystal ball, cried out cheerfully. Naturally, my absurd feeling couldn’t help but resurface.

*Flap!*

“The results of the divination are…!”

The boy pulled out a piece of paper, his face full of excitement.

*Scratch! Scritch-scritch! Scritch!*

He began to scribble something down with a stubby pencil.

And then.

“Hyung’s destiny is… um… ＜Composure＞, ＜Insight＞, ＜Cold-bloodedness＞…? What’s this?”

“……?!”

The boy looked at the result, tilting his head in confusion.

But, unlike him, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

The ‘divination’ this unidentified kid was doing wasn’t like a normal tarot reading.

The three results he mentioned… were characteristics I possessed, in other words, blessings. So, in short, this kid had the ability to see right through the blessings I possessed!

‘Well, would you look at that? Is he randomly showing me three of the blessings I have?’

I had just thought his babbling was cute. But, didn’t it turn out he had an even greater power than I imagined?

“How about you get a reading too, Miss Maria?”

“……Sure, I will.”

*Scratch.*

I got up from the chair and offered Maria my seat. She too seemed pretty curious, and sat down right away while speaking.

“Oh, oh! Is the pretty noona getting a reading too?!”

“Waaah—! We can have meat today!”

The two siblings were so happy, they hugged each other and shouted in delight.

Maria nodded silently and held out her pale white palm. And placed it on the crystal ball.

“I’ll start right away! Hyaaap!”

*Whooosh……*

‘Ooh, ooh.’

Watching the spectacle, I waited for the results with an intrigued expression.

Maria Theresia von Britzhart.

One of the transcendents appearing in ＜Silver Ring＞, an 8th-tier powerhouse… a rare character about whom there was infinitely little information revealed.

Naturally, I couldn’t help but be curious about what her characteristics were.

This fact, this is information only *I* can know!

*Ssk! Sasa-sak!*

Just like I did, the boy picked up his pencil. The child took out a paper and wrote down the results for a good while.

“……Eeing?”

“Whyyy? What’s wrong, Oppa?”

The boy, frowning, didn’t answer his younger sister’s nagging.

Then.

“Only one result came out. I think the crystal ball is broken.”

……Could it be because of me?

Indeed. The faint light that had been flowing through the crystal ball had vanished by now. If we considered the worst-case scenario, it might be broken because of the many traits I possess.

“That’s too bad. So, what did the reading show?”

“Ah! I’m sorry. I forgot my professionalism for a moment.”

*Palak!*

Checking the paper again, the boy shouted in a cheerful voice.

“The pretty noona’s fate is! The reading is…! ＜A Good Wife and Mother＞……!!”

……A good wife and mother?!