Chapter 154

When I returned home, an unexpected guest was waiting for me there.

“Ho there, you sure do wander around a lot, don’t you?”

With that, the old man rose heavily from the sofa and finally approached me. It was the Sword Master.

“What brings you here?”

“Brings me here? Giving me such a fine show… Hmm?”

The odd groan tacked onto the end of the Sword Master’s words made me tense up for no reason.

After a while, the old man tilted his head in confusion, filled with question marks, then came over and lightly pressed his finger near my heart area.

Then he burst out laughing heartily.

“Hahahaha!”

“…?”

“You… You’re something else.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Why am I laughing? Huh. Your acting skills aren’t half bad either.”

From the strange laugh of the Sword Master, I realized he had figured out where I had arrived at.

A mix of surprise and astonishment in his laughter. The Sword Master had noticed that the guy who was one step below him had finally reached the same height.

“Ah.”

“I spent forty years facing that wall, but it seems like just one phrase was enough for you.”

At those words, I ended up laughing awkwardly because they had actually been very helpful.

One realization.

Not something given by the system but the joy of overcoming something entirely on my own.

The generous help he gave me without reservation over forty years of accumulated knowledge.

And the slight regret that this fact had been immediately discovered by the Sword Master.

All these mixed emotions resulted in a strange smile bubbling up.

“Actually, that wasn’t the main reason I came here… Anyway, it’s certainly worthy of celebration.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes. Yes.”

The Sword Master sipped his tea and took me outside.

‘It must be something difficult to talk about indoors.’ With that thought, I followed his movements smoothly.

The evening sky, tinged with dusk, was quietly descending into darkness.

The Sword Master glanced up at the sky and then brought up the real purpose of his visit.

“You know why I stay as a Duke, right?”

“With that much power, isn’t it natural?”

“Does this level of strength seem fitting to you?”

I don’t know much about the power balance in this world. Still, now that I’ve come this far, I have a vague sense of it.

Ability comparable to a dragon.

Perhaps even the power to hunt one.

“Hmm. Does that mean you could advance to become a King or more?”

“It might be possible. Anyway, the reason I remain as a Duke is quite simple.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it’s troublesome.”

“…What?”

“I’m busy getting stronger; where would I find time to manage subordinates? Isn’t that right?”

“Aha ha…”

“Running things is a hassle. I’m too busy getting stronger to bother with being a king. That’s why I stay as a mere Duke of a country and take it easy.”

“That’s surprisingly simple.”

“Simplicity that isn’t grandiose is often easier to understand.”

“True.”

“Good to hear.”

Saying that, the Sword Master grinned.

His teeth, still pristine despite his age, gleamed white, hinting at the robust health of his physical body.

“Management isn’t really my style. But you seem a little different…”

“I find it interesting.”

“Hmm. That could be. Still, try not to start any rebellions. Ideally, staying around the rank of a Duke allows you to relax without pressure.”

“Aha ha. I’ve never thought about rebellion.”

“Typically, Masters interested in management seize the throne and start wars. Just a word of caution—don’t worry too much about it.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Yeah. Independence is a pain. Being a Duke is the most comfortable.”

Why does he keep emphasizing how comfortable it is to be a Duke?

It almost feels like he’s trying to pass something on.

“Scouts will probably approach you frequently. There will be temptations, attempts to guide you towards independence—I’ve experienced all that.”

“How did you handle it?”

“What handling? Too troublesome, so I rejected everything. All boring stuff. Independence isn’t great, and moving elsewhere isn’t good either, so I just stayed here. If you need land, I can give you some of mine.”

“I’m fine as I am.”

“If you need anything, let me know. I’ll put pressure wherever necessary to make things easier for you. If anyone bothers you or causes trouble, let me know. We can’t treat someone who has surpassed the level of a promising disciple this way.”

I appreciated the gesture anew.

But even without it, I haven’t felt particularly uncomfortable.

Even when I debuted at the banquet, it was okay.

There are no issues with the transactions I’m currently handling.

“Thank you.”

“Alright. Let’s move on from this topic… Seeing how quickly you’ve advanced made me excited for a moment. Anyway, that’s not why I came.”

“Do you need something from me?”

“Not originally, but suddenly I have something I want to test.”

Saying that, the Sword Master’s eyes rounded.

They carried a warmth akin to looking at a successor or disciple, along with an ambiguity—whether this guy can actually do it.

“The position of a Duke is comfortable. Everything is done roughly as instructed, and if there’s inconvenience, it gets resolved automatically. However, every position comes with certain duties. For a Duke, we could call it the duty of asymmetrical power.”

“What kind of duty is that?”

“Duty as an asymmetrical force.”

Saying that, the Sword Master’s lips curved into a smile.

“It’s usually about standing firm and maintaining weight. Simply existing suppresses war. However, unlike war, nature doesn’t always follow our wishes.”

“That’s true.”

“So, we need to go against nature when it harms human life.”

“Understood.”

“We have the duty to protect citizens from things like supercells, tsunamis, earthquakes, and the like.”

At those words, I paused momentarily.

A single human going against natural disasters?

I remember the massive scale of disasters I saw through videos in the modern era.

An unimaginable scale.

And the overwhelming power that swept everything away in an instant.

“Better than taking lives in war. This at least involves saving lives.”

“That’s true.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

“…Pardon?”

“We should go see. You should experience it once, right? They say a top-notch supercell born from abnormal weather is waiting for us.”

“What exactly is a supercell?”

“Think of it as a kind of storm. A tornado accompanied by thunderstorms. You’ll see directly—it’s quite a magnificent sight.”

“I’ll inform my family briefly before we go.”

“There’s no need to be so serious. Just think of it as sightseeing.”

“But I should still greet them.”

“A harmonious household. Go ahead.”

Thus, I told my family I’d be out for a bit and said it was fine if they went to sleep early, then stepped outside.

The Sword Master was already waiting, having torn open space.

That surreal scene never ceased to feel strange.

“Come over.”

“Yes.”

The sensation of crossing space.

The air touching my skin felt different.

A fierce gust of wind rushed in.

Fine pebbles and dust carried by the wind lightly grazed my skin.

“Have you arrived?”

“Yes. Where is the supercell?”

“It’s almost here! According to observations, it should reach Bartlang within an hour!”

“An hour is plenty.”

The Sword Master moved forward confidently, unbothered by anything.

I matched his pace and slowly followed.

Eventually, the darkened form of the supercell revealed itself.

Filling the entire field of vision, extending endlessly left and right—a solemn display of clouds.

The immense size moved slowly, illuminated by flashes of lightning, brightening the darkness.

Just gazing at it was overwhelming.

A spectacle so majestic it was almost miraculous.

If only it weren’t an adversarial phenomenon… I would have wanted to watch it with my family.

“Isn’t it splendid?”

“It’s incredible.”

“Now, we’re going to cut through that. Are you confident?”

“Hmm…”

At that, a peculiar competitive spirit arose.

Could it be due to the suppression of never fully unleashing my power after gaining strength?

Or maybe because I estimated that pushing beyond limits would barely suffice in this situation?

I pulled out my equipment from my bag and equipped it.

My protective abilities and sturdy gear.

Watching me, the Sword Master smirked.

“You must be curious now. What changes when you reach this level? What becomes new?”

The Sword Master’s words faded away.

The wind grew fiercer, slicing through human voices with its sharpness.

“Can I go first?”

“Of course. That’s why I brought you.”

Recently, the full extent of my abilities was displayed in parting sand.

So, combining my combat skills with that, could I slice through this massive storm?

A strange competitive spirit welled up.

The tiny thrill of a human battling nature.

In modern times, no one forcibly stopped natural disasters.

We merely detected them early, prepared, and evacuated.

“Phew…”

I took a deep breath.

Following the steady heartbeat, I slowly raised my hand.

Straightening.

A perfectly straight line of a sharp sword stood upright.

My sword spewed flames.

Even though I changed all other equipment, I kept this one because… it was a small romantic touch, and unexpectedly, it performed well.

I could have used better gear, but I had distributed all accessories, including upgrades, to my family.

Still, the rest of my gear is excellent.

No, my fundamental skills are also decent.

So, it’s not about the sword.

Suddenly, an amusing thought crossed my mind.

If the flames emitted by my sword touched the storm…

Would it create a storm made of fire?

Smiling faintly at that thought, I raised my sword to the sky.

“Suuuu…”

I held my breath.

The storm hitting my face grew fiercer, disrupting the air entering my lungs.

Raindrops fell, and the world violently shook.

Now, my task was to subdue this.

I set aside doubts for a moment.

Whether it’s possible or not…

That’s a story to discuss after seeing the results.

The insight I gained was about enlightenment, but if asked whether it directly relates to combat, I’d say no.

Still, I can use it effectively.

Purely through my application, imagination, and creativity, this ability gains value.

The goal is to speed things up.

I can’t rewind time, so I’ll just accelerate it rapidly.

Momentarily accelerating forever to restore normalcy.

Thus, my slowly swung sword moved forward with clear intent.

I wavered slightly from the excessive energy draining from my body, but the Sword Master caught my arm, allowing me to stay upright.

“Hmm.”

The old man’s faint smile.

Through my shaking body, I looked at the scene I created.

A giant wave of fire.

Its upward movement slowly erased the clouds, restoring the sky to calm darkness.

The enormous flames illuminating the world gradually subsided, erasing the supercell.

It was a magnificent spectacle that would likely remain etched in my memory forever.

“This is better than expected. You’d make a perfect successor. Maintaining the Duke’s position for 100 years was troublesome anyway…”

“Haha…”

With the Sword Master’s burdensome words, I collapsed onto the ground.

By now, the moisture and wind touching my skin had vanished completely.

Only a quiet, warm breeze remained.

“The rest is my job.”

“I leave it to you.”

It wasn’t a complete victory.

Still, I was satisfied with breaking its momentum to this extent.

Maybe because I poured all my strength into one move.

The feeling of relief and powerlessness was surprisingly not unpleasant.

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