Chapter 95 – The Visitors (2)

Only after seeing the fleeing octopus monster and then seeing the elderly Sword Master from that other world again could I regain my senses.

The world widened again, and blocked information flooded in.

Only then could I understand what had happened.

“Seems you were immersed in mana. Though it’s a lucky experience that sharply increases skill, jumping into battle without someone watching is dangerous.”

The elderly Sword Master clicked his tongue watching me regain my senses.

His expression was like looking at a foolish grandson, and though I felt slight rebellion inside, I couldn’t show it.

Because the elderly man standing before me now was one of the Empire’s proud Sword Masters.

The Empire’s Sword Masters were known to everyone in that world.

Not just Empire citizens who were proud of the Sword Masters, but even citizens of countries that hated the Empire grudgingly acknowledged the Sword Masters’ skills.

That was natural, as the Sword Masters established since the Empire’s founding had achieved even greater feats than their name.

There were Sword Masters who caught living giant magical beasts alone, unlike the undead monster I fought desperately.

Unlike me catching the lich through tricks and luck, there were Sword Masters who charged into undead legions with knight orders and ground up corps commanders’ bodies,

And Sword Masters who raised barriers in the Empire’s capital blocking the Demon King’s invasion.

Amusingly, not all Sword Masters were sword-wielding knights.

The Empire made Sword Masters of mages and clerics who left their orders too.

The Empire had only two criteria for establishing Sword Masters.

Skill and loyalty to the Empire.

That’s why the Empire’s Sword Masters could be acknowledged across the continent.

Yet one of those Sword Masters was clicking his tongue before me.

Moreover, the knight clicking his tongue was a Sword Master from a noble family that had produced Sword Masters multiple times.

A free knight from a small country should naturally bow his head.

“Thank you for your help.”

So I thanked him first.

Sir Schoppenheim the Sword Master waved his hand at my thanks.

Instead he pointed at the octopus monster now barely visible with just tentacles as it fled.

“Seeing death energy pouring out, it’s undead right? First time seeing octopus-form undead. But why is an octopus walking outside water?”

I wondered about that too.

If corpse mermaids gathered to become an octopus, it should move in water.

Why it came out of water to chase me, I really couldn’t understand.

Instead, I knew well that we shouldn’t let the octopus escape like this.

“Seems we shouldn’t let that monster escape…”

Unfortunately my suggestion wasn’t properly conveyed.

Because the Sword Master immediately snorted.

“When an undead runs away on its own, why chase it.”

It wasn’t wrong.

If I weren’t in a position of being chased by the octopus, I might have said the same.

The Sword Master said while tapping his thigh with his sword.

“Plus, I’ve moved too much today already. My joints ache too much to chase more. And anyway, seems I’m not the one to catch that.”

The Sword Master twitched his beard looking at me.

Though I’d heard rumors, seems he really had become nasty after getting old.

I’d heard he was an exemplar of knights more wonderful than heroes when young, but the Sword Master before me now was a nasty old fogey.

“More than that, you should answer what I said earlier. What do you think about becoming my disciple.”

Of course, I remembered well what he said.

Though the Sword Master saying he’d take me as disciple meant the Sword Master acknowledged my skill so it was quite pleasing, unfortunately I couldn’t accept his offer.

“…Sorry, but I am a knight of Sorbia.”

The Sword Master clicked his tongue at my answer.

“Tch. So you’re from Sorbia. Being a knight of that country would make becoming a Sword Master’s disciple uncomfortable.”

In a situation where most continental countries were the Empire’s vassal and allied states, Sorbia alone had endured the Empire’s pressure for a long time.

Actually, being a small country the Empire didn’t pay much attention so there was some sense they endured because of that,

And they quickly surrendered when the Empire properly pushed in, but Sorbian citizens still thought of it with pride.

Thanks to that, Sorbians still had bad feelings toward the Empire.

Of course, I had almost none of those feelings, but it was perfect as an excuse.

For me aiming to retire and establish an estate, becoming a Sword Master’s disciple, moreover a knight of the Empire’s noble Schoppenheim family.

That was no different from saying serve in the military for life.

Though if things went miraculously well there wasn’t no possibility of taking a Sword Master position in the distant future,

I had no reason to strive lifelong for a Sword Master position, nor desire to take a Sword Master position.

Rather than wielding power as a general rubbing shoulders with military fogeys while serving in the military lifelong, I preferred wielding power as a retired building owner.

After refusing the Sword Master’s invitation, the octopus monster wasn’t even visible.

Even with that huge body its escape was truly like lightning.

Seeing an undead flee when situations turned bad, a giant monster doing such a thing made me sigh involuntarily.

Moreover, that giant monster was the one that had been chasing me.

Like this we’ll surely meet again later… Seems I made a troublesome enemy.

As the giant monster fled, the death energy filling everywhere gradually dispersed.

As death energy dispersed, the gathered undead also scattered in all directions due to discomfort from holy power.

What remained was the hundred meter safe zone made of holy power.

Sparks gradually rose over the dome-shaped holy power barrier.

I put the sword with broken blade in my pouch and headed to the safe zone.

“Listening now, seems there is some Sorbian swordsmanship mixed in. But it’s heavily modified making it hard to recognize. The modified swordsmanship wasn’t learned separately but gained in actual combat? Seems that’s also why the swordsmanship is lacking compared to movements…”

The elderly man saying his joints ached followed behind me talking continuously.

Though I refused becoming his disciple, the old man still seemed regretful.

I was regretful too.

Because in the recent fight I felt again that my combat-focused swordsmanship built up was lacking compared to suddenly strengthened body and mana.

It would be good if there was a way to learn skilled knights’ swordsmanship besides becoming a disciple.

Seems I should look for ways when returning to our world.

A small holy power zone not even 100 meters in all directions.

Unlike earlier filled with death energy, the undead filling the surroundings retreated far avoiding holy power.

Blackened corpses and bones were scattered around the small safe zone.

And soldiers destroying those corpses and bones.

Soldiers continuously dropping in the safe zone center were busy cleaning up undead without time to release impact from their legs.

Knights stood guard at the safe zone perimeter, and mages were busily drawing magic circles under the gate opened in empty air.

Since officers had come over too by then, a nobly dressed aristocrat was grabbing Hoffman asking various things,

And Yerim sat in the safe zone center chatting intimately with middle-aged clerics.

Surviving people of this world gathered in one place watching people coming from the gate with scared faces.

Seo Eun who was with them brightened seeing me and tried to speak, but I waved my hand stopping her approach.

With the gate open now, it wasn’t time to deal with this world’s people.

First I approached Zahina who was alone.

There were elves among those who came through the gate. Several elves who came through the gate didn’t approach Zahina.

They just watched Zahina while staying far away.

The elves wore their distinctive robes, but Zahina wore this world’s military uniform and even held guns.

Perhaps because of such different clothing and weapons, Zahina looked different from them.

I asked the still composed Zahina.

“Were you shunned as expected?”

Zahina’s eyes flickered at my words.

“You knew?”

“Not exactly, but I could roughly sense. That you alone dropped in this world became different from the Mother Tree’s children.”

It wasn’t changed in an instant. As time passed she changed, and now even non-party members would find it hard to call her an elf.

Zahina smiled at my words.

That smile she had shown bit by bit recently.

“Rather than changed, closer to standing alone with connection cut.”

Zahina spread both hands making virtual thread and cut that thread with her hand edge.

“There was a similar concept in this world… Since Sir Knight would know this world, you should be able to understand.

We are a network race sharing part of consciousness across the entire race.”

Her analogy was far more impressive than expected.

Seems she had read far more books here than I thought.

“Thanks to the race’s telepathy ability. Thanks to that there was almost no doubt between each other, and division, hatred, fights were rare.

Even after crossing to your world that connection was never cut. And after coming to this world too.”

She made scissors with her fingers and cut virtual thread once more.

“But the moment the gate disappeared the connection was cut. Everything shared with others disappeared.

I had to learn again. Knowledge and emotions, way of thinking and how to deal with people.

So now I’ve become able to stand alone. Thanks to that I could survive while doing my part.”

Though it must have been shocking, she continued speaking calmly.

“Just because of that I became unable to connect with my kind again now.

The reason we, no the Mother Tree’s children look down on you all was because you couldn’t connect with each other.

Because we thought beings unable to share minds must have low intellectual levels.

And I became such a being too.”

“Can’t you connect again?”

Zahina shook her head at my words.

“Well. If it were that easy they wouldn’t shun the Mother Tree’s first daughter like that.”

I nodded after confirming with her again.

“I see. Then you’ll travel together for a while.”

Perhaps because of my speech returning to informal?

She raised her mouth corners slightly looking at me.

“Yes. Seems we should.”

After confirming the temporary party member became permanent, I tried to handle the next matter.

But before that, a bigger matter came flying from the southern sky.

Far away, helicopters came flying from the southern sky.

Unmanned aircraft seen earlier flew beside the helicopters.

It was the US military.