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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 16
It felt too unsettling to attempt anything right now.
And then it happened.
Bang!
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Melissa strode in with a tense expression etched on her face.
She walked over and asked me,
"O... Ooo... Older brother."
Her words came out haltingly, as if she were a broken machine.
Was she worried because I’d collapsed into sleep like a fainting spell?
No way.
I know how short-tempered my sister can be.
At a glance, it wasn’t worry—it was pure tension.
I smiled faintly and answered her nervous face.
"Why are you stuttering? Got a mental illness?"
"You little piece of shit..."
Her tense face twisted into a demonic expression for a moment before she kicked me.
"We’ve got an important guest, you lunatic! How on earth did you get acquainted with someone so extraordinary?"
A guest?
In this remote countryside, a guest worth mentioning?
No, that’s unlikely.
I began to think seriously.
First off, the Cascadia Countship, despite its current decline, is not a family to be underestimated.
Though the family’s prestige has faded, Cascadia’s title as border counts was originally bestowed to oversee the Demon Realm and protect the frontier.
The royal family even acknowledged their contribution, allowing them to maintain a private army larger than most noble families.
In essence, the Cascadia family is the kingdom’s military strength.
Granted, it’s not about size, but quality, since their duty is to face non-human monsters.
In other words, if someone so important that Melissa is making a fuss over them has arrived, they must be either a high-ranking noble or royalty.
'Now, here’s where the problem arises.'
Currently, I have no way of knowing which high-ranking noble is trying to devour the strength of Cascadia.
There’s no guarantee that a royal or noble visitor is an ally.
"I knew I should’ve kept a few of them alive."
[I’ve pondered this in the past as well.]
Even if they were only pawns, interrogating them could’ve yielded a clue.
Was it my overwhelming fatigue and stress that blurred my judgment?
"Who exactly came?"
"I was completely shocked, you know. From the morning, I had to handle preparations for a guest, while you were knocked out cold. It’s been chaos."
Though she spoke as if nervous, there was something else in her tone.
Excitement.
Or perhaps joy.
When she first spoke to me earlier, wasn’t she practically brimming with excitement, even letting out a snort?
Sure, her mannerisms are tomboyish, but at noble gatherings, she still manages to attract plenty of male attention.
Not that I remember clearly.
"Hey."
I fixed my face into a stern expression and asked Melissa.
"Huh?"
Her cheerful response was so out of character that a surge of dissatisfaction welled up inside me.
"Don’t smile. You’re ugly."
"..."
For a moment, her jaw clenched tightly, but then she regained her smile.
This isn’t like her—she’s not someone who calms down so easily.
What’s going on?
She’s acting unsettlingly strange.
"I’m only holding back because of the guest. If you say that one more time, it’s your head or mine. Got it?"
She acted as if my physical prowess didn’t matter to her.
"Fine, but who exactly came..."
Just as I said this and moved to open the door to the parlor,
I instinctively pulled Melissa behind me.
"Wha—?!"
In one swift motion, I snatched her sword from its sheath.
"Melissa, this guest is a bit excessive, don’t you think?"
"Wha... What are you doing?!"
She shouted in shock.
"Let me make one thing clear."
I spoke quietly, my voice icy.
"In my entire life, I’ve only ever seen one Sword Master—our father."
Not even among the knights who served our father was there a Sword Master.
The Sword Master is the pinnacle of swordsmanship—essentially a strategic weapon.
There’s a reason they say the number of Sword Masters or Archmages a nation possesses determines its strength.
"What are you talking about?"
"At this time, an outsider—a Sword Master—coming here? That doesn’t seem normal to me."
I still don’t fully understand the structure of this kingdom’s noble factions.
And as for foreign nations, I know even less.
Right now, I can’t discern whether this guest is a threat to Melissa or an ally.
Yet, during an internal conflict like the one raging in this territory, to have someone of strategic importance, like a Sword Master, suddenly appear?
To my knowledge, even including my father, there are only two Sword Masters in the kingdom.
Moreover, one of them is famously neutral and unlikely to intervene.
And even that person wouldn’t compare to whoever is in that parlor.
Melissa frowned at my question and slapped my back.
"The Sword Saint has come to visit! The Empire’s Sword Saint! A master who has reached the peak of swordsmanship!"
"You’ve lost your mind."
I immediately slapped her back in retaliation.
"The Empire, you say? Even when a Sword Master from within our own kingdom shows up, it’s considered meddling in noble disputes. The Empire? Do you have a death wish for treason?"
There were instances like this in my previous life.
During civil wars, foreign powers were invited in, only for them to seize control of the nation.
The royal family wouldn’t sit idly by and let this happen.
As I shouted at her in reprimand, Melissa clammed up, seemingly out of arguments.
Under normal circumstances, a visit from the Sword Saint would be no issue.
In fact, we’d have to treat him with utmost respect to maintain face.
However.
“We’re in the middle of a civil war right now. Even though the state is turning a blind eye to some extent, it’s still a civil war. Don’t you understand what that means?”
If an outside power, especially an imperial force, intervenes, this is no longer an internal conflict but an issue of international interference.
A foreign power showing up at the site of a civil war?
Whether they directly interfere or not, it’s bound to create controversy.
Naturally, it would also give the neutral Bata Kingdom, including the royal family, a reason to intervene.
Of course, someone like the Sword Saint could completely ignore such problems through sheer influence, but for the current Cascadia family, until Melissa officially became Countess, no vulnerabilities could be tolerated.
“This feels like a trap.”
In other words, my judgment was that if we made contact with the two people inside, the family could be destroyed.
“No… no, that’s not it! The Sword Saint wants to take you on as his disciple…”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Why would that old man come all the way to this remote countship to take me as a disciple? Do they even know who I am?”
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HELHEIM SCANS
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What a joke.
Until just a few days before I fell into Labyrinthos, I was known as a talentless fool with no potential whatsoever.
If he had traveled here from the Empire, it would’ve taken at least a week.
There’s no way he had been watching me from that far back.
As I stared suspiciously at the parlor door, a calm voice came from inside.
It wasn’t loud, but it pierced my ears—clearly, no ordinary person.
“Hoho. Your composure is admirable.”
“…”
“Although I have much to say, I must admit that coming here without notice is indeed impolite.”
Having apparently overheard our conversation, the voice carried through the closed door of the parlor.
In response, I answered back, standing on the other side of the door.
“My apologies, sir. Cascadia currently has many enemies. Leaving any opening would be problematic. I’d appreciate it if you could leave quietly.”
It was the classic “No, thank you, please leave” tactic.
“Do not worry. Very few know of my visit here.”
“Should I take that to mean someone does know?”
“If it’s a problem, how about we consider this a conversation between a passerby and a resident, not as the Sword Saint? If trouble arises, I promise to use every means available to assist you.”
He had no intention of leaving easily.
And if he came this far, the situation was equally tricky for us.
I let out a sigh and glared at Melissa, my enemy in all but name.
“What? What?! I’m just trying to help you… Opportunities like this aren’t common…”
Realizing her mistake in getting overly excited about the Swordmaster’s presence, Melissa pouted and averted her gaze.
Fine.
She’s a sword enthusiast, so her excitement and nervousness about a visit from the Swordmaster are understandable.
She’s brilliant and talented but still a child.
And to hear that he came all this way to take me on as a disciple?
Of course, she’d be too thrilled to care about the family’s affairs.
The name Sword Saint isn’t something tossed around lightly.
“You and I will have a talk later.”
Melissa, left speechless, turned her head sharply like a sulking child.
Finally, I opened the door to the reception and entered.
Inside were an older man with red hair streaked with white and a younger man sitting next to him, sipping tea.
If only the analysis window from the Librarian worked on others, but unfortunately, it only revealed my status.
“It’s an honor to meet the Empire’s Swordmaster. I am Leon Cascadia, the eldest son of the late Count.”
I bowed with utmost courtesy, leaving no room for reproach.
“I apologize for coming so abruptly. If it’s uncomfortable, I can forgo formalities…”
“It’s fine. Please feel free to address me casually. You’re someone who deserves respect regardless.”
At my words, he chuckled with satisfaction.
“I had something I needed to confirm, so I had no choice but to visit like this.”
“Something to confirm?”
When I questioned him, he nodded and pulled out a document from his coat, handing it to me.
It was a permit granting access to the Demonic Realm.
However, what caught my attention was that the seal wasn’t Melissa’s but that of my uncle, Tyvel Cascadia.
In other words, it was a document with no actual legal effect.
“So you’ve met Tyvel Cascadia.”
“Yes. My original purpose for coming here was to secretly investigate the Demonic Realm.”
I didn’t ask further.
The fact that this matter had already been discussed with the royal family was secondary; this was something Melissa needed to verify, not me.
“The person I was supposed to meet directed me to Tyvel Cascadia. I received this document from him, but upon arriving at the domain, I realized…”
“Yes, you realized this permit holds no validity.”
“Exactly.”
Although Melissa had yet to be officially recognized as the successor, her authority wasn’t entirely nullified.
It was clear what had happened.
Tyvel had likely pressured Melissa into stamping the seal to transfer all authority to him, allowing him to issue such permits freely.
But with Tyvel now dead, the permit was utterly meaningless.
“Well, it’s not my place to comment on the internal affairs of the Countship. Now that I know the truth, may I formally request your assistance, Acting Count?”
Melissa, who had been trying to suppress her excitement, responded with a tense expression.
“Y-Yes!”
At that, I subtly stepped on her foot.
Startled by the sharp pain, she glanced at me before coughing awkwardly, realizing her mistake.
“Ahem. Sir Sword Saint, I apologize, but proper procedures are required. Could you explain why you wish to visit the Demonic Realm?”
Although excited to meet the Swordmaster, Melissa understood her duty as the heir and sought to maintain protocol.
Realizing this belatedly, she struggled to regain her composure.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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