Chapter 132 – Return (3)

Did he notice that I was watching through the window?

Before leaving the imperial palace, David, who had been with the hero’s party, came to see me.

“Fortunately, I’m not too late. I apologize. I came with you, but ended up returning with the others.”

I shook my head at David’s apology.

I had come to the imperial capital under the pretext of escorting him, and I even got to rest for a few days in a nice house.

I could also replenish the weapons I had destroyed…

It wasn’t a bad vacation, all things considered.

Although the vacation was shorter than I expected, I still had to finish what I had started.

“I came here as an escort, so I’ll follow you, even if it’s from a distance.”

“Would you do that? Thank you. And thanks to all of you, things have been progressing well.”

After expressing his gratitude for my offer to escort him to the end, he brought up something strange.

“Thanks to us?”

“Ah, there was something like that.”

David waved his hand.

Taking the gesture as a sign not to ask further, I changed the subject.

“By the way, it seems like you’re moving too hastily.”

Although I was disappointed that the vacation was cut short, what caught my attention more was the hero’s party, who seemed unprepared.

The young hero, who seemed to have enough divine power but still lacked as a knight, and the holy maiden, who didn’t seem motivated to fight. On top of that, there were the mages and knights who didn’t seem to stand out in any way.

The new hero’s party gathered in the imperial palace garden was still far behind the previous hero’s party, which had been wiped out in the other world.

“So, it seems that way to you too? We were also worried about that, but there was no other choice. If we gave them more time, the Demon King would become more familiar with our world’s weapons.”

I couldn’t help but agree with David.

The Demon King’s army had poured machine guns and artillery fire on the hero’s party when they crossed the ceasefire line.

If we gave the Demon King’s army more time, who knows what they would do… Just thinking about it made me feel hopeless.

“This time, it won’t just be the hero’s party moving. The allied forces will follow, and our U.S. forces will also move together. We won’t be caught off guard like the previous heroes.”

Certainly, with the U.S. forces helping, they wouldn’t be easily defeated by modern weaponry.

The Demon King’s army’s modern weapons would be handled by the U.S. forces, while the undead would be dealt with by the hero’s party and the expeditionary forces.

Thinking about it again, it wasn’t a bad plan—no, it was a good plan.

“We will depart tomorrow morning. You’re staying at Count Sponheim’s residence, right? You should receive word by today.”

After saying that, he turned and left.

It seemed he had come all this way just to inform us of the schedule.

He could have just sent a servant or an employee…

As I thought about it, I let out a bitter smile.

In my past life, it would have been natural to communicate directly, but it seems I’m still a knight of this world.

After David left, we exited the imperial palace.

As we passed through the large garden in front of the palace and stepped out of the main gate, Hoffman, who had been stiff, let out a deep breath.

“Ugh, that was exhausting. I feel like I can finally breathe.”

Yerim, who had been quiet, also chimed in.

“Really. It was amazing to see the magnificent palace and the people passing through, but I never expected to meet the Chancellor, the Emperor’s brother. One wrong word, and I could have lost my head.”

When I looked at her, Yerim pouted her lips.

“The Chancellor seemed to have misunderstood, so I just told him the truth… I didn’t expect it to be such a complicated matter.”

Actually, it wasn’t a complicated matter.

It was just unnecessary words meant to be shown to others.

After exiting the main gate, Hoffman looked back regretfully.

“Someone like me, coming to the imperial palace and meeting royalty… Even if I told others, they wouldn’t believe me… I should have gotten a camera from the other world.”

At Hoffman’s words, Yerim’s eyes widened.

“A camera? Wait a minute.”

She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a smartphone.

“There’s still some battery left.”

It had been charged at the expeditionary camp before coming to this world, and the battery had lasted until now.

“Since there’s no internet or phone service, the battery lasts a long time.”

The reason she carried a phone that couldn’t make calls or access the internet was that it was a keepsake from her father.

Yerim gathered us together and took a photo with the keepsake.

“Okay, say cheese!”

*Click.*

A selfie with the imperial palace in the background.

On the phone screen, the four party members were captured with awkward expressions.

“I’ll have to find a printer when we get back. I’ll print one for each of you.”

The party members were amazed by the photo, but I felt a bit uneasy seeing the phone working even in this world.

Since arriving in the empire, I hadn’t taken out any items from the other world that I had in my pocket.

I was worried that those items might cause chaos in this world.

But seeing Yerim’s phone, I realized that my actions until now had been meaningless.

As long as both worlds weren’t destroyed by the Demon King, and as long as they continued to interact, many items would pour into this world.

Technology, science, and even culture.

I couldn’t begin to fathom the impact these would have on this ancient continent, but that was a problem for the higher-ups to worry about.

“I guess I don’t need to worry about that.”

Thinking about it, my past life and this continent weren’t so different.

This world was divided by ability and power, while my past life was divided by money.

Moreover, since the Demon King had already wreaked havoc on the other world, the two were even more similar now.

If there’s one thing I hope has come over properly, it’s hygiene and cleanliness.

I wished for a world where we didn’t have to cover up bad smells with perfume.

‘At least my estate, my territory, should be like that.’

After reaffirming my resolve, we boarded the carriage provided by the imperial palace and headed to the street with the blacksmith.

We parked the carriage at the weapon shop and went to the forge at the back, where an old man was waiting for us.

“You’ve come with new companions. Fortunately, you’re not too late.”

The blacksmith, though tired, welcomed us with a proud expression.

“I heard the Count’s family wanted to move up the schedule, so I had to rush, leaving no time to rest.”

It certainly seemed that way. The other blacksmiths were also exhausted, sprawled on chairs.

“Because other work piled up, you should have seen how much my daughter complained…”

At the old man’s words, the weapon shop owner, who had come with us, glared at him.

*Grind.*

“To the Count’s guest. I. Would. Never. Do. That.”

Though she didn’t complain as much as before, the sound of her grinding teeth was audible.

Ignoring his daughter, the old man brought over two swords from the shelf.

One longsword and one thick greatsword.

Their shape and size were exactly what I had wanted.

“As you know, there’s still the final step left.”

“You mean the process of feeding it blood along with mana?”

The process of imprinting, where the sword is infused with mana and recognized by the sword.

It was the process of taming an Aesir sword.

“Yes. Actually, feeding it blood is closer to superstition, but there are those who say it helps with the imprinting.”

When I had my previous swords made, I didn’t feed them blood.

At that time, the blacksmith who made my sword said that blacksmiths didn’t like feeding blood to swords.

He said that human blood was impure and couldn’t be good for the sword.

Since it wasn’t entirely wrong, I had only infused them with mana back then.

The old man nodded understandingly when he heard my story.

“Feeding blood to a sword also requires skill.”

But his next words were completely different from his expression.

Surprised by the unexpected words, I looked at the old man again, but he was calm.

The old man’s words weren’t a joke or a belittlement; they were just a matter of fact.

I shook my head and, following the old man’s instructions, cut my fingertip with a dagger and let the blood flow into the sword.

The blood flowed along the thin groove carved into the hilt.

As a red line formed along the hilt, I gripped the handle with my mana-filled hand.

*Hum.*

The sword began to glow.

A faint light flowed between the blade and the hilt, and a red line emerged.

“How is it?”

The old man’s voice reached my ears as I stared blankly at the sword.

“This… is a sword.”

“Yes. This is a properly made sword.”

I think I understood what he meant by “properly made” as I looked at the sword.

It didn’t feel like I was holding a sword; it felt like my arm had grown longer.

Instead of pushing mana into the sword, the mana naturally circulated from my arm to the sword.

Every time I released sword energy, it wasn’t just because of my lack of skill.

Looking at the sword that felt like an extension of my arm, I didn’t regret the money spent on it, even if it was enough to build an estate.

Next, I did the same with the greatsword, letting blood flow into it and circulating mana.

The new greatsword also felt different from the one I had used before.

Back then, my body had to adjust to the sword’s weight, but now it felt like I was swinging my own arm.

After seeing the blood fed to both swords, the old man’s daughter, the weapon shop owner, bit her lip.

“What a waste. Such a waste. Even if it’s just blood, why feed it? If you sold that, how much money would it be? Even if you just displayed it in the shop…”

Seeing his daughter’s regret, the old man chuckled.

“Actually, feeding blood is like engraving a name on the sword so it can’t be stolen.

A swordsman who uses a sword of this caliber would never use a sword fed with someone else’s blood.”

We left, escorted by the regretful daughter and the satisfied blacksmith, and headed to the Count’s residence.

As David had said, that evening, a dispatch from the allied forces arrived at the Count’s residence, ordering our return.

The next morning, we left the residence.

“When you go to the other world, keep your eyes open and be careful. The allied forces, the empire, and the temple all seem to have their own agendas.”

Before we boarded the carriage in front of the residence, the Count, who had come to see us off, warned us.

“Why is everyone so calculative when it comes to dealing with the Demon King? They shouldn’t underestimate the Demon King just because he fled our lands. Anyway, be careful.”

It seemed the Count had also sensed the strange undercurrents I had felt in the imperial palace.

Well, even as a swordsman, he was from a noble family that had protected the empire for generations, so it was no surprise he had noticed what I, an outsider, had felt.

After the Count’s warning, William, the prospective son-in-law who had come out with us, greeted us.

“I look forward to our next sparring match.”

At William’s words, which were much more knightly than the Count’s, the Count clicked his tongue.

“With your skills, it’s impossible. Good. The atmosphere in the imperial palace is strange, so come with me to the northern mountains. I’ll help you build the skills to spar.”

“I’d love to, but if they find out inside…”

Though William was delighted by the Count’s offer, he soon looked troubled as he glanced at the residence.

Was that expression because he was afraid of the woman he was going to marry? Or was it his future mother-in-law he was afraid of?

“We should leave before they find out. Well, when you come to the capital, drop by.”

The Count dragged his prospective son-in-law away, leaving us unsure which it was.

After the Count left, our party and a mage boarded the carriage and headed to the spatial translocation tower.

There, unlike when we had arrived, many people had gathered.

They were there to see off the new hero’s party.