“What’s that supposed to be?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Is it a letter? There are quite a few. Why do they all sound like women’s names? Seems like it’s that time, that time…”
tsk tsk Trancelvia clicks her tongue and turns her head away.
While she nonchalantly brushes off the sarcasm, she starts tearing open the letters one by one.
First, it’s Cornelia’s letter.
‘Ten?’
Only two weeks have passed, and there are ten?
I can understand why Tay showed extreme fatigue.
She opens them in chronological order.
-This is a regular report. We’ve already had the second consultation with the Priestess. It turns out that the Priestess has quite a few misconceptions about you. She thinks you’re bad with swords and never visit dungeons? But she seems to be spot-on about your personality… It’s quite interesting. I’ll contact you again.
-This is a regular report. The Priestess is considering having the Sacred Knights search for you. Of course, I warned her about the improper use of her power… But I’m worried she might take sudden actions at any moment. I’ll contact you again.
The early letters are all business-related.
But then…
-This is a regular report. Actually, I’m lying. There’s no update, but… I’m just bored, so I wrote a letter. I miss you.
-Yoo Jin, I’m starting to forget your face. I know you’re busy, but could you drop by Cologne sometime when you have a moment? I miss you.
Somehow, the letters are losing their flavor as time goes on.
I should visit Cologne when I get the chance.
Might as well grab a bunch of checks while I’m at it.
Next is Alicia’s.
-11th. Fox seems suspicious about the situation in Elvenguard. High probability that I’ll choose to go to Elvenguard.
-12th. Decided to go to Elvenguard, Fox.
-14th. Fox…
“Fox” is a code referring to Yerina.
It’s like a soldier sticking to the code without ever breaking it.
Of course, keeping track of Yerina’s whereabouts doesn’t help me much since I can’t confirm them instantly.
But from now on, I’ll receive real-time updates from Linda, so Alicia’s intel might actually be helpful.
Lastly, it’s Mia.
Time to check the letter from the Priestess of the World Tree.
-A new prophecy has come down.
A new prophecy, huh.
Typically, the prophecies from the World Tree come down about once a year.
How long has it been since the last one to have one pop up already?
Is the situation changing rapidly?
Since the prophecies accurately predict the future, it’s likely to be useful to know as much as I can.
“…Communication. It’s here.”
At that moment, I hear a crackling sound beside me.
Mi Jeong hands me the receiver of the wireless communicator.
In a world where wireless communicators aren’t common, only one person uses this frequency.
As I take the receiver and adjust the frequency…
The crackling noise sharpens into a clear voice.
[Ah. Ah. Can you hear me?]
“I hear you. Feel free to talk, Linda.”
There seems to be a bit of mechanical sound in Linda’s voice, but it’s good enough quality.
Wait, was her voice originally mixed with mechanical sounds…?
Anyway, the sound quality is perfectly fine for communication.
[Just received a letter here. It’s from the Priestess of Elvenguard.]
“What does it say? Read it out loud.”
[A new prophecy has come down again. I can’t provide specifics, but it’s quite serious, so we’d appreciate it if you could come as soon as possible.]
Another prophecy in such a short time…
And it even comes with the extra detail that it’s quite serious.
Considering Mia isn’t one to fuss unnecessarily, it seems the prophecy is genuinely concerning.
I can’t tell if the future it points to is tomorrow or the day after.
It’s better to know it as soon as possible.
With two prophecies piling up, I can’t put it off any longer.
“I need to deal with something in Elvenguard.”
“Elvenguard? It’s rich in mana, perfect for swordsmanship training. If it’s urgent, let’s head to Elvenguard first. There’s no rush to teach you the martial arts secrets afterward.”
“That sounds good, but… are you okay going to Elvenguard?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Ah…”
Trancelvia tilts her head and then smiles as if she has realized something.
“I’ll need to disguise myself.”
Trancelvia once had a record of committing murder in Elvenguard.
*
“My outfit stands out too much.”
“What’s wrong with this?”
“You look like a wandering swordsman straight out of a martial arts novel. Wear this instead.”
“…That’s my clothes.”
Inside the running carriage.
Trancelvia receives the incoming outfit and unfolds it.
It’s a truly tacky hooded sweatshirt.
I’d rather not wear it, but I’ve got no choice.
The current outfit does make my pale skin stand out too much.
If I enter Elvenguard like this, I’ll be caught immediately.
Trancelvia unceremoniously removes her original outfit and puts on the hoodie.
While changing, Yoo Jin turns back after talking with Mi Jeong and gives a nod of approval.
“Fits just right. Try wearing the hood.”
“Oh… I need to let my hair down.”
Even trying to wear the hood gets caught on her tied-up braided hair, causing her neck to stick out.
Trancelvia removes the hair tie, letting her long hair flow down.
The long, silver hair falling past her waist makes Yoo Jin’s eyes widen.
“Why not just cut it all off?”
“Hey! My body hair is a gift from my parents! How could I just chop off my precious hair?”
“Wait… Are you from the Northern Region?”
“Yeah. I had a name that was originally Northern too, but I’ve forgotten it long ago. Trancelvia is a name people have stuck on me, but I have no other name to use, so I’m still using it.”
The North corresponds to the Eastern part of the Earth.
So that’s why her looks and outfit seem so Eastern.
Yoo Jin feels a slight, very slight sense of kinship toward Trancelvia.
Especially since both have to hide their origins to fit in a foreign land.
“Plus, since blood ghouls are already dead, once you cut your hair, it won’t grow back. Cutting it’s always an option, but you can’t grow it back, so it’s wise to be careful.”
“…What do you mean it won’t grow back?”
Mi Jeong’s mouth falls open.
She fiddles with her own bobbed hair, her expression stiff.
Yoo Jin, seeing this, sits her down between his legs and pats her head.
“Short hair is nice. Easier to wash.”
“Talk all you want, you ungrateful brats.”
How can one show filial piety to parents who are already dead?
Mi Jeong had that question in her mind but decided not to voice it.
After hundreds of years of living, her stubbornness must have grown accordingly.
Saying anything would just be a waste of breath.
“Ah. The world has changed so much. Back in my day, blood ghouls were merely targets for extermination, even if they retained their reason and had their fangs pulled. Now, they’re practically pets.”
“…Not pets.”
“What then?”
“…Companions.”
“What the heck.”
What a world we live in.
Trancelvia shakes her head and tucks all her hair into the hoodie.
There’s still lots of time until Elvenguard.
Yoo Jin closes his eyes, seemingly trying to catch a quick nap, and soon begins to breathe comfortably.
While he’s asleep, the blood ghoul girl keeps her eyes wide open and stares at Trancelvia.
‘No openings, huh.’
Of course, “not having openings” wasn’t about the blood ghoul girl.
It was about Yoo Jin.
He seems to be sleeping normally, but in Trancelvia’s eyes, it’s not.
Even while asleep, Yoo Jin never lets his guard down.
Just placing a hand on the sword would make Yoo Jin’s eyes snap open and react instantly.
‘This guy clearly has no talent.’
It was only a brief moment that Trancelvia observed the swordsmanship of this human.
Even that one instance was merely the first movement of the Dakia-style 0 technique.
But just that was enough for her to evaluate Yoo Jin’s swordsmanship.
To Trancelvia, who had swung her sword for hundreds of years without rest,
even seeing a fraction gives you the whole picture.
Yoo Jin is not what they call a genius.
Unlike others who are born with the soul of a swordsman,
Yoo Jin has no talent for swordsmanship whatsoever.
None at all. Not a shred, zero.
He’s the kind of person perfect for doing paperwork in a boring office.
‘It’s all just skills polished through effort. He doesn’t have anything of his own.’
Yoo Jin’s swordsmanship has only solidified durability through effort, rather than innate sharpness.
While a lazy person relying solely on talent might be outdone,
he can never match someone who possesses both sharpness and durability.
A genius aligns his swordsmanship with his body.
A mere practitioner molds his body to suit the swordsmanship.
Geniuses create new swordsmanship out of sheer talent.
Practitioners consider how to utilize the sword they’ve learned.
No matter how you look at it, Yoo Jin is clearly a practitioner.
It’s hard to imagine him creating new swordsmanship beyond his puny body and talent.
Unless they plunge in efforts enough to surpass talent,
it’s an impossible feat for a human body.
‘But what if he could make it his own?’
The Dakia-style is inherently incomplete.
It was born from the fingertips of a long-gone genius.
Blooming into martial arts secrets through Trancelvia’s hands,
but ultimately it has remained unfinished as no one remembers it anymore.
Existing sword techniques are completed products that have undergone many revisions through the hands of countless swordsmen.
It’s almost impossible to fit oneself into such a sword technique.
But if the Dakia-style, which is still raw and shaky,
could be molded, refined, and completed,
perhaps that practitioner could catch up to the heel of a genius.
Just like Trancelvia herself, who reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship after hundreds of years of foolish training without talent.
This human might also break through the walls of talent.
With those thoughts, Trancelvia felt a strange throbbing in her long-stopped heart.
‘I don’t know. Let’s just roll with it for now and think later.’
Of course, how pathetic he truly is can only be revealed once the training begins.
