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Rising Life Volume 2, Chapter 17

Episode 17 Azrair-Rash of Owl (アズライールかぶれのフクロウ)

 After the duel, Kian, having cleaned himself up, returned to the operations room and had a late breakfast with Oswalt. He enjoyed the meal while conversing with him for a while, and he even treated to an after-dinner dessert.

 The young man with shaved blond hair seemed to want to continue enjoying conversation with Kian afterward, but in the middle of the dessert time, a subordinate came into the room and overheard that he had some paperwork to do as a banker and had to leave the training camp.

「I'm sorry, even though I summoned you here.」

「You don't need to apologize. You even treated me to lunch. Thank you very much.」

「Aisha is ......going to see Her Excellency, huh. I'll tell my men to arrange horses.」

 Oswalt said as he put on his aristocratic jacket. He stood up from his seat in the operations room. The host of the dinner table was standing up, and Kian could not remain seated, so he stood up as well as the blonde-haired young man.

 Oswalt winks at Kian.

「Next time, I'll invite you to my home in the Citadel. And you bring the coins you wanted me to redeem at that time.」

「Thank you very much. It's an honor.」

「I don't care about that. I'm just inviting you here on my own. ...... Hey, what's with the knot? I think you messed it up.」

 His last words were directed at the maid who was tying his cravat.

「M-My apologies」

「That's enough. I'll do it myself. You can go back.」

 At the young man's words, the maid turned pale and left the room.

 Oswalt, fixing his own clothes, turned his attention back to Kian again.

「I would have liked to know what kind of effect that magic sword has. You ought to definitely tell me next time we meet.」

「Will I know by then? After all, I can hardly read the magic language either. ...... It's good that I got a magic sword, but I might be in trouble if I don't know how to use it properly.」

「I don't know much about magic and weapons either. It would be best to ask Aisha. She's an excellent magician.」

「I know. She brings me out of the city using a transfer.」

「It's convenient to have a magician under your command. It cuts the effort required for everything in half or less. But if you have two or more, they might start up some evil tricks, so you have to be on your guard.」

「As for the effect of the magic sword, I'll check it out later by wielding it at the training ground and so on.」

「Be careful not to blow up the training ground. I sense powerful magic power from that sword.」

 When he finished checking his clothes, Ostwalt said, "I'll see you later, then. I'll take my leave now, but you can enjoy your meal at your leisure.", and leave the room.

「―――」

 A sign of life disappears from the operations room.

 From outside, the loud voices of knights and squires training their sweat on the training ground could be heard.

 Kian turned his back to the doorway through which Oswalt had left and picked up the magic sword that was propped up on his seat.

 It was a straight sword with a white cloth wrapped around it, about as long as Kian's chest.

 The weight is as heavy as it looks.

 It weighs about as much as a light woman's, but that's not a problem at all since he is well-trained.

 However, it is much heavier than a wooden sword, so it would be better to get used to the sensation by swinging it well before using it in actual combat.

(Glasses, do you know anything about this magic sword's ability?)

『Why don't you go ask the person who made it about that? To that flying dragon imitation.』

(The flying dragon imitation reminds me, but what the heck was Renault de Chatillon? Is he really a dragon?)

『It's faster to ask the person himself.』

(I don't think he's the kind of person I would feel comfortable asking, though)

『As for the fact that he turned into a flying dragon, it's probably because he ate a flying dragon that he was able to change into one.』

(He ate one?)

 Kian raised his eyebrows.

(Are you saying he makes a steak out of a dragon?)

『I don't mean that he digested it, it means he absorbed its very existence. It may be done differently, but it's the same as when you ate the vampire before.』

「......, then.」

 Kian looked from the cloth-wrapped sword to the glasses in his breast pocket.

「So you're saying I can become a vampire like Renault did?」

『You can't become a vampire as you are now. But if you kill more vampires and absorb their cells and magic power, you can get closer to becoming vampires.』

(Get closer? That's a subtle way of putting it.)

『You are not afraid of silver, nor of losing your magic power when exposed to running water, are you? You are not burned by the ritual magic―Cleric's Player―that speaks to God the Father.』

(Right.)

『That's because you are only human. You will never become a full vampire, even if you absorb the existence of a vampire. You will eventually become a vampire with human characteristics』

「Does that mean ......, from a different perspective, I might become a vampire without the weaknesses of a vampire?」

 When Kian asked this, Glasses laughed, "Kufufu".

『Correct. You will be beings that do not lose your immortality even if you are subjected to silver, fire, running water or the Holy Word. Though vampires were powerful, they also had many weaknesses. Your being could overcome them all and become more vampiric than vampires.』

「――――」

『That is why I told you that you could be the strongest. I told you that you could be the greatest of all races. How can you defeat an immortal being that neither silver nor fire can defeat? And what if he had the powerful abilities of a vampire? Even God's army is not enough to be feared.』

「...... Oswalt and you, you are the kind of people who make me strong without compensation.」

『I'm not asking you to do it for free. I am asking you to let me travel. If you become strong and free of all ties, you will be able to see the ends of the world as I have never seen them, right? The scenery of the Ezerland fortress and the hills was absolutely breathtaking. Next time, I want to see even more captivating sights. I want to enjoy the adventure. My desires will never cease.』

「......My journey continues. Slowly but surely, my place will change. I think your expectations will probably be met.」

『That's splendid』

 Glasses with a wry smile.

 Kian took his eyes off her and untied the white cloth binding the magic sword.

 What came out from underneath was the silver sword's body with countless holes in it, as he had seen before the duel.

 The holes were of various sizes and shapes.

 It was as if it were a picture of the phases of the moon.

 It is a distorted sword, and some onlookers may find it horrifying.

「――――」

 And after releasing a sword from the cloth, Kian found out that the whispers coming from the sword seemed to be coming from the countless holes in the sword.

 Somehow, the holes seemed to be drawing in the wind.

 Whispering.

 Whispering.

 Giggle, giggle, giggle――

『What a creepy sword, isn't it』

 You're one to talk――He's swallowed that word, and Kian takes the sword in both hands.

(The weight is not a problem, although the holes in the sword make it less durable. I could wield it just fine. I suppose it feels about the same as Robert's axe.)

「Fuhh ......!」

 Kian kneads his chi and put it directly into the sword.

 Instantly, a wind erupts from below around the sword.

 It's a fierce wind.

 If the air had been colored white, he would have seen it swirling like a tornado.

 The wind through the hole also became stronger, and the hissing sound the sword made turned into an ominous scream as if a ghost was weeping.

 If this sound had been heard in a graveyard or other such place, a request must have been addressed to the Adventurers' Guild the next morning.

「............」

 Kian instantly dissipated the magic power, thinking that the knights outside might come.

 The sound stopped.

 The wind also subsided.

 Apparently, the knights outside didn't hear it, and there was no sign of anyone running into the room.

「...... It sounds terrible. What is this sword?」

『You who gambled and took it away from him, say that? Let me look, you put some magic power into it again. I will decipher the magic language engraved on the sword's body.』

「Thank you. ...... However, if I take it to a covert request, I have to seal it tightly.」

 Put the magic power in again.

 The sound the sword makes becomes a little louder.

 A high-pitched laugh, as if it were laughing after being tickled.

 On the surface of the silvery-white sword blade, orange letters appear as if seared into the surface.

 The wedge-shaped letters are powerful magical symbols discovered by the ancients.

 Kian took the glasses out of his breast pocket and held them close to the blade. The glasses gave him a brief summary of the magical language on the blade.

『This sword is called the Sword of the Windcry, or the Claymore of the Missing Moon.』

「The Sword of Windcry――』

『It is engraved with letters that kill all magic and properties related to wind. It also seems to be able to perform great magic, such as summoning a storm or binding the wind to reap opponents. Perhaps the monster from which this bone sword was made was a powerful magical beast. The meaning of the item about wind alone is this strong.』

「Does this mean that this sword can be used to become the master of wind?」

『It's not a mistake. It defeats the opponent's wind magic and characteristics and can be activated by simply pouring magic power into this sword. A magician who uses wind magic as a weapon would be outmatched by someone with this.」

「If you look closely, you can see the magic languages that I know. "Acceleration", "Hard Sword", "Cutting", "Blood Wipe" ― all the orthodox things you can get engraved at a blacksmith's shop are engraved on it. But isn't that a bit excessive? If you activate all of them, the material will break down because it can't take it.」

 For example, an orthodox iron sword should have only one or two magic languages engraved on it, or else the material will deteriorate and break depending on how much magic power the user pours into it.

 This is a natural consequence of the strain being placed on the weapon.

 If you carve a sword that looks as strong as this "Sword of Windcry" one after the other, an iron sword will probably be useless after just one or two swings.

『Is this the first time you've held a magic sword in your hands?』

「Well yeah. Because it was very expensive.」

 I've seen one belonging to my father, Umar Vaid, from afar, but that's it.

 This is the first time I have actually held it.

『This sword is,....... very powerful, much to my chagrin. If the material is of high quality, the craftsman who made it must have been a master craftsman. It is difficult to say which is better this sword or the ancient weapon that lies in the Citadel.』

「Now that you mention it, we had a bet on who would procure the better weapon.」

 If Kian won, Glasses had to honestly answer one question of any kind.

『Why did you want this magic sword in the first place? You took the risk because you instinctively realized that it was no better than the divine sword that the High Elf hag had, didn't you?』

「No, it was because I liked the way it looked. ......」

 Kian looked down sullenly at the distorted, cavernous magic sword.

 The sword's golden hilt and silvery white blade shone brightly, reflecting the sunlight that streamed in from outside the window.

(Still, I was also fascinated by this brilliance. I see, perhaps I had unconsciously sensed the strength of this magic sword.)

『Your intuition is correct. There is no use in worrying about whether it will break soon.」

「There's no point in gabbling here. Let's go back to the East End town and visit the Guild's training grounds as soon as possible. I'll try my hand at slashing with the right tree.」

『Also, get a scabbard so that the sword won't cry out in vain.』

「Good idea. I'll make one myself soon. If it's just a scabbard, I can make it myself」

 Kian replied and wrapped the white cloth around the "Sword of Windcry".

 As the sword was wrapped in the white cloth, the whispering sound of the sword became quieter and quieter.

 When the cloth was finished wrapping the sword, he carried it on his back.

 At that moment, the wooden sword hit the sword and got in the way.

「―――. I'll just hang one on my hip」

 And the club would go into his backpack.

 Even if you are fighting in a tight space such as a cave, you have an outstanding grasp of space and swordsmanship.

 To be honest, the "Sword of the Windcry" is all he needs.

 It has a magic language engraved on it, and with it, it should be possible to cut down both enemies while gouging out rock walls.

『If you were to be greedy, you would want a knife that's just as powerful.』

(Is the ancient equipment you will introduce me to in a Citadel is a knife?)

『You'll have to wait and see. It's more fun to bet when you don't know who's going to win until the end.』

「Don't put on airs. ......」

 As Kian muttered in amazement, he suddenly felt the presence of someone in the doorway.

 When he turned around, he saw a glasses knight with owl feathers on his armor--Owl--opening the door and entering.

 His long brown hair swung.

 His armor clanked.

 The threadbare eyes under his glasses caught sight of Kian.

「Yo, checking out the loot?」

「Ah, yes. ....... Something like that.」

 Kian chuckled faintly and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

「I heard from Oswalt's men. I hear you're riding back to the East End on horseback.」

「Yes, that's right」

「If you don't mind, I can send you back there with the Art of Transfer.」

「Eh?」

「The Art of Transfer. It is magic to jump through space. As you can see, I look like a knight, but I am actually a magician.」

 Owl said and picked up a tin staff with a large white jewel stuck in it from behind his back.

「Can I? But I thought you were busy.」

「Unlike Oswalt and Renault, I don't own any land. I'm just a small jewelry dealer in the back, so I have more time on my hands than they do. Besides, it doesn't take much time to jump from one place to another.」

「I see. Then may I ask you for a favor? Ah, but for people who are preparing horses for me...」

「I have told them that you don't need a horse if I am sending you by transfer.」

「That's very thoughtful of you. Thank you very much. Then, I'll take your offer using an Art of Transfer.」

「Of course, please leave it to me. We can't jump from here because of the wards, so could you please leave the fort at once?」

 The owl knight said so and opened the door of the operation room fully and stopped with his foot.

 He seems to be asking Kian to leave first.

 Kian took him at his word and walked out of the operations room into the stone square.

 A few guards are standing outside.

「I'm going to send the adventurers here to the East End now. If any other Lords ask where I am, please tell them that I am jumping to East End by transfer.」

「Yes, sir.」「Yes, sir. Have a good day.」

 The two guards salute fearlessly.

 It looks like they are not Owl's subordinates, but Kian guessed they are bowing to him because of his status. According to Owl himself, he is a knight who is not a nobleman nor does he have a fiefdom, but it seems that this has nothing to do with hierarchical relationships.

「Shall we go, Kian-kun」

 With these words, he began to descend the narrow passage ahead of Kian.

 Soon after, Kian and Owl left the training ground of the Order of the Sun.

  ×  ×  ×

「Kian-kun, are you from the rocky area of Azrair?」

 Owl asked Kian this as he walked ahead of him through the hilly terrain after leaving the Order of the Sun training ground.

「Yes, I am.」

「From which oasis are you from? Isla?」

「No.....Azrair, the capital city.」

「Are you from the city of Azrair!?」

 For some reason, he looked very happy.

 He turned his face to Kian and briskly pressed up his glasses, clicking them.

「That would mean that you are a graduate of a monastery, right?」

「Yes」

「I knew it! I thought you might be when I saw you fighting with Renault de Chatillon. Aha!」

「Umm ......, you seem to be enjoying yourself very much」

「Oh, pardon me.」

 Owl lowered his eyebrows and turned to proceed.

「You see, I've been doing a lot of research on Azrair. It's interesting, isn't it, Azrair? A city of justice, law, and commandments. It flourished as a trading city, and because it is a place that connects the east and the west, it is strict about morality and justice. As a rule, information about the country's warrior monks is kept secret. However, from time to time, I have the opportunity to meet those who travel to the western world as practitioners or on some other mission. I am a person who deeply sympathized with the precepts and laws of the Azrair religion when I heard about them from such people.」

 A brown-haired knight who talks very fast.

 Kian's first impression of him was neither good nor bad - normal, but he got the impression that he was a bit strange.

『You're one to talk』

「I see, the teachings of the Azrair religion......There are certainly some good stories in the Bible. It's more like a fable or a sermon that would enrich even your heart if you read it.」

「Azrair's Bible describes the ideal way of human life. I have read a copy of it and it was wonderful. If that way of thinking spread throughout the world, there would be no more conflicts in this world, and there would be no more infestation of treachery!」

「Maybe so.」

「I am a Westerner as you see, but one day I want to cross over to the city of Azrair, train there, and become a priest of the Azrair faith.」

「You mean you will convert from the Western Church?」

「Yes, I will. But I think it is worth it. Kian-kun.」

 Owl took out a tin staff from his back and created a Gate of Transfer.

 Then he looks back at Kian and turns his sparkling eyes on him.

「I love Azrair very much. If possible, I would like to hear many stories about Azrair from you. I'd love to talk with you about it!」

「Haa」

 The wind blows over the hills.

 The owl knight's hair swayed and the smell of Azrair's incense tickled Kian's nose.

 It was an exotic scent in this Franz kingdom.

 It was a very nostalgic scent for Kian――


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