NOVEL WEB Chapter 66
The Emergence of the Sword Saint
Sasha was alone at the Highberg branch of Clan Sacred.
Reynold had taken Team Thousand to the dungeon for training. Piasola was instructing the new priestesses at the church, Robin had gone out to play, and Tycoon had gone somewhere.
There were no visitors today.
Normally, Sasha would be busy dealing with nobles trying to get close to her or adventurer teams applying to join the clan… but for now, she had stopped accepting new clan applications and halted all visits.
The adventurer teams and nobles must have realized how overwhelming the workload was, seeing how busy Sasha and the others were.
No one complained, and Sasha was busy catching up on the piled-up work.
“Phew…”
Sasha rubbed her neck.
There were mountains of paperwork to deal with: applications to join the clan, reports to the adventurer guild, greetings and responses to letters from Highberg nobles.
Hiring clerks had made the administrative work easier… but there were still stacks of documents that Sasha needed to review.
She split the work with Tycoon, but it was still exhausting.
Ever since conquering the Forbidden Six Labyrinths, she hadn’t had much time to dive into dungeons.
She kept up with her daily training… but she was starting to crave real combat.
Just then, Rurika, the woman she had hired as a clerk, knocked on the door and entered.
“Sasha-sama, a guest has arrived.”
“A guest? Phew… another noble or adventurer? Sorry, but I’m turning away all visitors. Check the appointment book.”
“N-no. It’s… um…”
“…?”
Rurika was hesitating.
Then, without a knock, the door opened.
“Sorry to intrude~”
“Ah, Ibis-sama!? So you’re the guest?”
“…Hmm. You look quite tired. Overwhelmed by running such a large clan, I see. Well, it can’t be helped… you’re still just a seventeen-year-old kid.”
“…Um, what’s the matter?”
Sasha set down her pen and gestured for Ibis to sit on the sofa.
Ibis flopped onto the sofa and lay down.
“I was like that too. When I first started my clan, I worked day and night, barely sleeping… The bigger the clan gets, the heavier the burden on the master.”
“…………”
“Anyway. I’m not here for myself today. An old acquaintance of mine… well, someone I’ve known for a long time, came all this way to see you.”
“…Me?”
“Yes. He should be here soon… oh, here he comes.”
Sasha didn’t notice, but Ibis, still lying on the sofa, glanced at the door.
Then, there was a knock.
Sasha signaled to Rurika, who was waiting in the corner, and Rurika opened the door.
As the door opened───a man entered.
“Excuse me.”
Sasha realized instantly.
A swordsman.
Overwhelming.
And───… the strongest, she felt.
“You’re late, Crossford.”
“I’m right on time.”
With that, the man looked at Sasha.
At first glance, he appeared to be in his early fifties. But his hair, beard, eyebrows, and even his eyelashes were pure white.
He removed his slightly dirty coat and feathered hat, storing them in his item box.
He wore what seemed to be a knight’s uniform, with a sword hanging at his waist.
Even through his clothes, it was clear he had a well-trained physique.
And then, Ibis spoke his name.
“C-Crossford…? No way… the Sword Saint… Crossford!?”
He was the clan master of the Seifert Knights, one of the Four Great Clans… and the strongest in the human world, possessing the same [Sword Master] ability as Sasha.
And… he was also Sasha’s idol.
◇◇◇◇◇
Crossford removed his sword and leaned it against the sofa.
Then, he glared at Ibis, who was still lying down. Reluctantly, Ibis sat up and moved over to make room for him.
“Nice to meet you, young lady. I am Crossford Orba Seifert.”
“N-n-nice to meet you… I-I’m Sasha.”
Even Sasha was stiff with nervousness.
It was only natural. The master of the Seifert Knights, the clan that every swordsman aspired to join, was standing right in front of her.
Though Sasha’s clan was now recognized as one of the Five Great Clans, she had never considered herself on the same level. Even thinking about it felt presumptuous.
“Fool. You’re stiff as a board. You should’ve sent a letter or something to let her know you were coming. You just tagged along because I said I was visiting.”
“Hah… you’re right.”
Crossford chuckled wryly and glanced around the room.
“…By the way, is there a boy here who can read Nobunaga’s script?”
“Y-you mean Haise? Uh… Haise is a solo adventurer, so he’s not here…”
“I see…”
“Hmph. Hey, Crossford, Haise is mine. I’m not handing him over to you!!”
Ibis puffed up indignantly.
Seeing Sasha’s confusion, Ibis explained.
“Ah, sorry, Sasha. This guy and I go way back. Well, compared to the unsociable Balgan or the playful Merryabel, he’s not so bad.”
“Hah, coming from a lazy bum like you, that’s rich.”
“Excuse me!?”
Balgan was the clan master of The Count of Monte Cristo, and Merryabel was the clan master of Fantastic Fantasia. They were the masters of the Four Great Clans.
Noticing Sasha’s gaze, Crossford spoke.
“Ibis, Balgan, Merryabel, and I were once part of the same adventurer team. A group of oddballs gathered by our leader, Nobunaga.”
“Hmph. Those were the days… It’s annoying that everyone except Nobunaga is a long-lived race. At least one of us should’ve kicked the bucket and gone to report to Nobunaga.”
“…!”
Sasha gulped.
She knew that the masters of the Four Great Clans had once been part of the same team.
The legendary adventurer team, Hinomaru Yamato.
Two of its members were standing right in front of her. This was a big deal.
Crossford turned to Sasha.
“Now, the reason I’m here───…”
“…?”
Crossford stared at Sasha.
Then, he narrowed his eyes… and nodded slightly.
“Sasha, was it? I’ve come to invite you to join the Seifert Knights.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“My clan only accepts those with sword-related abilities. You have the potential to become one of our pillars.”
“…B-but, I’m the leader of this clan…”
“However, you’re still inexperienced. Hah… sooner or later, your clan will collapse.”
“…!”
“Come learn and train under me. In the meantime, my clan will take care of yours.”
“…………”
Sasha fell silent.
Ibis opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it.
“…I must decline.”
“Oh?”
“This is my clan, and the clan of my comrades. It’s true… I’m still inexperienced. But precisely because of that, I don’t want to leave it to others. I want to handle it myself.”
“Hmm…”
And then───in the next moment, an overwhelming aura assaulted Sasha.
“!?”
A platinum glow enveloped Crossford.
And before she knew it, his sword was pointed at her.
Sasha drew her sword, her golden aura protecting her.
“Then, a duel it is.”
“…!?”
“I don’t want to crush you here. But I wouldn’t mind taking you by force.”
“A-are you serious!?”
“Yes. Let’s go outside. I’ll be your opponent.”
Crossford stood up.
Just by standing, he seemed like a giant reaching the heavens to Sasha.
◇◇◇◇◇
At the training ground.
Sasha and Crossford faced each other.
Sasha held the Rainbow Holy Sword, Nanatsusaya, but the hilt was drenched in sweat.
Just a few meters away stood Crossford.
Her idol, radiating a platinum aura, stood before her.
“If you land even a single hit on me, you win. Ibis, you’re the judge.”
“Got it. Sasha, ready?”
“…Y-yes.”
“Then, begin~”
As Ibis lazily declared the start, Crossford’s platinum aura exploded.
A monster.
His power was greater than that of a Shoggoth or a demon.
If Sasha’s aura was like tea pouring from a teapot, Crossford’s was like a raging waterfall.
This wasn’t a match between an adult and a child. It was more like a dragon versus an ant.
“Here I come.”
“Eh?”
Crossford was already in front of her.
His sword was raised.
“!!!???”
Sasha instinctively raised her sword, her aura at full power.
CRASH!! The impact was enough to shatter her sword.
She quickly repositioned her sword, blocking a horizontal slash.
“Guh… gyaaaaaaah!!”
Her arms creaked under the strain.
But she managed to block it.
Sasha created some distance and readied her sword.
Crossford looked slightly disappointed.
“Hmm. A bit underwhelming. Or did you think I’d go easy on you?”
“Hah… hah… hah…”
“An average veteran might say, ‘I’ll let you have the first move’… but that’s foolish. Underestimating even the weakest opponent can get you killed. That’s the way of the sword. I won’t look down on you. Come at me with everything you’ve got.”
“…!”
“Or… are you just a baby who can’t do anything without your comrades?”
“No!!”
Sasha unleashed her golden aura and charged at Crossford.
“Golden Sword, [Chain Fang Slash]!!”
Crossford effortlessly blocked her flurry of strikes.
It felt impossible to land a hit. But Sasha didn’t let up.
“Hmm, not bad. But… too soft.”
“!!”
Her sword was deflected, leaving her wide open.
Crossford’s horizontal slash came in, but Sasha jumped and caught her sword mid-air, slashing down.
However, Crossford stopped the blade with just two fingers.
“Now what?”
“Uooooohhhhh!!”
Sasha’s aura surged. For just a moment, she pushed back Crossford’s aura.
Just a brief, fleeting moment───one even Sasha didn’t notice.
But Crossford saw it.
Sasha’s ‘gold’ had briefly shone like ‘platinum.’
“Golden Sword, [Single Blade Formation]!!”
“Hah…”
As Sasha unleashed her full-powered horizontal slash───her consciousness faded.
◇◇◇◇◇
◇◇◇◇◇
◇◇◇◇◇
“…Ah… wha…”
When she opened her eyes, she saw the blue sky.
Sitting up, she found Ibis grinning down at her.
“Awake, Sasha?”
“Wh-what…?”
“You just got knocked out after getting whacked on the head. Well, you put up a good fight.”
“Huh?… Huh?”
It seemed she had lost.
She hung her head.
“I lost…”
“Crossford already left. Said he had some business to attend to.”
“…Huh?”
“All that talk about taking you with him? Total lies. He saw how rusty you were and decided to give you a workout.”
“…Huh”
“How do you feel? After using your abilities and moving your body like that… you must feel refreshed, right?”
“…Now that you mention it.”
It had been a while since she went all out.
Her aura was fully drained, leaving only a pleasant fatigue.
Her body was pushed to its limits and she could barely move. But it felt oddly satisfying.
“Crossford really just came to say hello. But seeing how worn out you were, he decided to provoke you and let off some steam. What a troublesome man…”
“…………”
“Well, you should rest for today. I’ll take care of the work, so go take a bath and get some sleep.”
“Ibis-sama, what about Crossford-sama…?”
“Who knows? Probably went back to his clan.”
“…………”
“Hah… well, you can always send him a letter later.”
“…Yes!!”
That day, Sasha was so exhausted that she fell asleep as soon as she returned to her room and slept until morning.
Thanks to that, she woke up feeling refreshed and ready to work.
The first thing she did───was write a letter to the Seifert Knights.