Chapter 202
Overpowered Sword Chapter 202
Level up with the sword (202)
It was three days later.
While Leon and his party waited for Cardinal Adela, they tried to find a gap in the gateway city, but they could not find a single loophole in the barrier directly managed by the archmage.
Since it was not a barrier installed for defense, it was easy to break it with force, but entering without being detected was close to impossible.
So the three decided to wait quietly.
“Today, right? “The day he said he would arrive.”
“Yes, you said you would join us a little after noon.”
Ellahan’s ‘revelation’ was not limited to just knocking down the staff. Anyone with divine power could easily find personal information, and although it was only received one-sidedly, it was also possible to hear a few words.
It was the same principle that no matter where you prayed in the world, you would reach the ears of the goddess. Because she received God’s grace from birth, she was able to borrow that power, even if only slightly.
Kieeeeek!
It was then.
A sharp cry was heard from the other side of the sky, and the three people stood up from their seats without anyone else taking the first step.
It’s Wyvern.
A flying monster with a risk rating of A+ when acting in a group, and equivalent to A rank when acting alone. It wasn’t at a level that could pose a threat to Leon and his group, but it would have been a big deal if the gateway city noticed their presence.
What if the watchtower of that gateway city has not only barrier magic but also magic for observing the outside world engraved on it?
‘Should I drop it from a distance? No, it’s more dangerous that way.’
You can defeat it with a throw from Ellahan or Karen without having to go to the Seven Star Sword. However, due to the barrier magic that senses the flow of power, I had no choice but to hesitate to attack first.
Meanwhile, the wyvern got closer.
It was a movement that seemed to have known their location from the beginning. Without even making a special gesture, it soon stopped above the heads of the group and looked down at the ground.
“what? “I don’t feel any hostility?”
Karen tilted her head as she faced him.
“Iknow, right. Even if you look closely, it looks like a wild wyvern…”
Ellahan also agreed with those words and expressed his doubts.
As the two people said, the wyvern flew in a straight line towards Leon and his group, so let alone attacking first, it didn’t even make a light threat.
It was behavior unbecoming of a wyvern known for being violent and vicious.
As if reaching this place was the only goal.
[Coming.]
El Cid said.
‘what? ‘What’s coming?’
Leon questioned those unexpected words, but someone jumped out of the way faster than the answer came back.
A small shadow fell from the wyvern’s back.
Coo!
The falling speed was so fast that the ground flipped over upon landing, sending out thick clouds of dust in all directions.
If I had felt any hostility, I would have thought it was a smokescreen.
“bout!”
Immediately after that, the dust cloud was shattered with a single word of energy.
It was a kind of technology similar to the Lion’s Roar, which strengthens the voice and turns the vibration into a shock wave.
At the same time, the two people’s eyes widened.
I was a child.
A very cute girl with light brown hair and wide green eyes was standing inside. It didn’t fit his appearance, and his expression was as languid as that of a donkey in the summer.
“Hey!”
The girl glanced at the three people, then looked at the wyvern still in the sky and shouted loudly.
“I’m going to ride it on the way back, so don’t leave me and hide around here! “I know that if I run away, I’ll get crushed this time!”
The wyvern trembled and cried at the threat, and began to flap its wings toward the nearby forest.
The girl, Cardinal Adela, grumbled while glaring at the guy with a disapproving look on his face.
“Egh! You’re like a heartless monster. If you’ve been together for a week, shouldn’t you at least give it a little tea? “Next time you come and whine again, I’ll have to give you a slap.”
The sight of him clenching his cute fists was cute, but after seeing the space crumble around his hands, I would have changed my mind.
The same was true for Leon and his group.
Only Ellahan smiled bitterly and took a step forward.
“It’s been a while, Cardinal Adela.”
“oh! How are you, our cute saint?”
Only then did Adela look back and smile.
There was something about that expression that seemed like an innocent child appropriate for his age, greatly stimulating maternal and paternal feelings.
Leon, who was unconsciously trying to smile like a father, stopped the corners of his mouth.
It was a warrior’s intuition.
“You’re so perceptive. Do you like it?”
Adela, who did not miss that moment, smiled.
Before Leon could reply to that, Ellahan stepped in front of him and blocked Adela.
“You must not be rude to the Cardinal! And why did you come riding a wyvern? “If you were a cardinal, it would have been faster to just run.”
“It’s because my legs are short and my efficiency is poor. What is ten steps for you is twenty steps for me? “As I get older, if I run for a long time, all my bones start to tingle.”
As she looked like a girl about ten years old and complained like an old woman, Ellahan also had nothing to say and closed her mouth.
Gnomes live their lives as children. Since their appearance did not change from the time they reached adulthood until just before their death, it was difficult to estimate the ages of gnomes based on the knowledge of other races.
“Or did our cutie just want to see this old lady lying around on the street? huh? “No?”
Ellahan turned his head in response to Adela’s sly question.
“no! And since that way of speaking really doesn’t suit you, please change it back to how it was.”
“Oh my, look at this guy. Are you showing off in front of the hero? Well, I heard that our cutie has been singing with the warrior, warrior, ever since he was trained at the headquarters? “How dare I memorize all the lyrics, even though I don’t often visit the headquarters?”
“Aaaahhh!”
As Ellahan screamed as his forgotten dark history was exposed, Adela laughed and looked sideways at Leon.
Ellahan looked to the side at that gaze and his face turned bright red.
There was no further question as to its authenticity.
Still, she desperately held out her hand.
“When will I!” I’ve never done that! Cardinal, please cancel!”
“I’m sorry, but I have sworn to tell the truth in front of the goddess~”
“Lie!”
“Oh, your voice is loud? If the squadron hears this, they will be very surprised. Come to think of it, I heard you failed the etiquette course three times?”
As the former saintess came out, Ellahan’s complexion turned pale.
“Hee hee… Please don’t tell your mother…”
“So, behave yourself well.”
“yes.”
After stamping Ellahan so that he could not make a sound, Adela turned her eyes towards the next targets.
Leon and Karen.
Both of them were exciting people to her.
“Let’s see.” “The hero of this generation…?”
Adela walked around Leon’s side, looked him up and down several times, and sniffled.
“Hmm…Hoo…Hmm…Umm…Hmm…”
Adela looked at him, touched him, and even smelled him as if appreciating a piece of art, and immediately laughed cheerfully.
“good! Perfect score! “It’s just nice to look plain and handsome!”
“It’s so plain…”
Leon, downcast, frowned at that innocuous assessment.
Then Adela encouraged him by patting his back.
“Why are you disappointed because I said it was simple? “I said it as a compliment in my own way, so don’t be discouraged.”
“Is this… a compliment?”
“huh.”
Adela said, nodding with an innocent expression on her face.
“I don’t like people who are too flashy. If you gild it to make it look good, it sometimes looks vulgar, right? It’s similar to that. If you’re a good guy, there’s no need to say you’re good. “Just because the packaging is gold-plated doesn’t make the food healthy.”
Although their mental age is often disparaged because of their appearance, the lifespan of gnomes is longer than that of dwarves and slightly shorter than that of elves.
There was no way Adela, who had experienced all the hardships of childbirth, lacked insight into human nature. Experience means becoming familiar with something in one year, becoming skilled in 10 years, and turning it into karma in 100 years.
Adella was a person like walking history who had been involved in the Holy Church for hundreds of years.
“And the child hiding behind it…” When
Adela, who naturally stood in front of Karen, opened her eyes, Karen, overcome by an unknown sense of intimidation, took a step back.
Either way, Adela continued.
“The smell of blood is strong. “I have no intention of persecuting you based on your origin, but I will have to go through a lot of trouble to repay you.”
“…I’m prepared.”
“okay! “If you are a person who is determined to move forward even in the face of hardship, you have no choice but to trust Adela of ‘Maengjin’!”
Adela gently lowered her eyes with a satisfied expression on her face, hearing the soft but firm voice.
If there was an axis that ran through the center of the Holy Order, the name of that axis was mercy. Like the hand of a goddess looking over this world. Giving one more chance to those who regret their sins and want to move forward on the right path.
Just as Cesare turned a blind eye to Karen’s identity even after finding out, Adela also decided to acknowledge her.
“Well, should we stop talking about each other here? “You can do the rest by going over that wall.”
Adela clapped her hands once and changed the topic.
“Did you say Karen? “If you’re a former assassin, you probably have quite a bit of skill in infiltration. Can you explain?”
“Ah, so-”
Adela, perhaps because of the elder’s authority, casually intervened in the strategy meeting being held by the three.
“―This is what happened.”
“I see. Was it a barrier created by the great wizard? “If it’s for detection rather than defense, it’s difficult to sneak in.”
After hearing Karen’s explanation, Adela nodded once and jumped down from the rock she was sitting on. Even the movements were so childish that the three of them could barely hold back the laughter that threatened to burst out.
Adela, perhaps knowing what Leon and his friends were up to, started walking without even looking back.
“Now then, follow me. “I have to go in quickly.”
Ellahan asked cautiously.
“Cardinal Adela? “Do you know of any side roads?”
“It’s a side road…”
Adela thought for a moment and then agreed.
“Yeah, it might be similar.”
* * *
With Adela joining, Leon and his party became four people. In just a few minutes, they reached the area outside Portroy’s walls.
The walls are as high and long as the size of the city.
Some would praise its grandeur and say it was truly an empire, but others would notice its weaknesses, which were bound to be noticeable due to its enormous size.
That weakness was vigilance.
Because the length of the castle wall is so long, there are areas that the defenders cannot see even if they patrol according to principle. If someone were to carefully analyze the movements of the defenders over several days or weeks, it would be possible to approach the castle walls without being detected.
‘…This is where the real problem starts.’
Leon looked up at the walls of Port Roy and then looked away.
“Cardinal, is there really a way to get over the castle wall without being detected by the Archmage’s barrier?”
“of course! “Just trust me.”
Adela, showing off her biceps that she didn’t even have, passed the three people and approached the castle wall.
If you take just one or two steps further, you will be detected by the barrier.
Adela stopped exactly at the border and stretched out her hand.
“Just because it’s magic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all-powerful. Both magic and aurors are ultimately nothing more than movements of power. All power in this world comes from ‘vibration’. Heat and sound. “Once you enter the realm of the microscopic world, it’s all just the same phenomenon.”
Gnomes are naturally very sensitive to vibrations.
The sound of falling pins could be heard tens or hundreds of meters away. What would happen if you refined that sense as a martial artist and trained it to its extreme level?
Adela was showing it now.
The aura flowing from her small, slender fingers began to shake in a movement that even Leon could not understand.
“It’s the same with barrier magic. It covers a certain area in the form of a membrane and recognizes foreign objects that come in contact with the surface. “If you resonate with the correct frequency, it is possible to pass through the barrier without defying it.”
Before I knew it, Leon was concentrating with his eyes wide open.
It had to be that way.
Because Adela’s fingers were digging beyond the surface of the barrier magic seen as the ‘Stigmata of the Watcher’. Nevertheless, without the barrier shaking or breaking, she pushed her entire body through the barrier, starting with her fingers.
“how is it? “It’s simple, right?”
“….”
“….”
“….”
“Ihihi, it’s a joke, it’s a joke.”
As the three remained silent, Adela smiled with a mischievous face and fluttered her palms.
Then, a round hole opened in the barrier from where she passed, widening to a size where one person could pass through.
Leon and the others entered the hole without hesitation.
“Is this the next castle wall? Well, if you break it physically, it’s not difficult. “I don’t feel like I’m popular anyway!”
There was no time to do anything other than hold back.
Adela placed her palm on the surface of the castle wall and made a cheering sound, which sounded like a swarm of bees chirping somewhere.
‘Uuuuuuung!’ do.
A short, strong sound rang out.
“…what what?”
It was right after that.
A hole with a radius of about 1 meter was created centered on the area where Adela touched. Isn’t it a bit strange to say that there is a hole? The castle wall, which must have been well compacted with solid rock, collapsed like loosely packed dust.
It was a phenomenon that could not be called destruction or pulverization. If I were to describe it somehow, it was closer to disintegration.
[It’s a super tremor. Am I underestimating the gnomes too much for the Auror’s control to be that good?]
El Cid said in a very admiring voice.