Chapter 577

After a ten-minute experiment, the Grave Devourer finally breathed its last, its body melting like slime and collapsing.

[So, did you figure anything out?]

‘Nope, not a clue.’

I pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and shook my head. I thought I’d get an answer if I kept at it, but no such luck.

Even after spending over ten minutes, all I figured out was how to block its regeneration, not why it was blocked.

‘It’s clear that my direct attacks are effective… but I can’t figure out why.’

There was no difference based on the type of force. Whether I punched it bare-handed, slashed it with Durandal, used feats, or employed the Life Force Technique, the result was the same.

In fact, any weapon I threw directly—be it a throwing spear, an arrow, or a rock—could block its regeneration.

If I were to describe it in game terms, it felt like all my attacks had a purification effect added to them.

On the other hand, secondary damage caused by the aftermath of my attacks had no effect. For example, when I smashed the ground around the monster to make rock fragments hit it… it just regenerated like nothing happened.

In the end, since I couldn’t figure out the reason, I decided to stop overthinking it and just assumed that I had a constant purification blessing with no other effects.

I could always ask Lacey later. She’d probably know more about this kind of thing than I do.

—

After the monster-hunting guidelines I wrote were put into practice, the Imperial Knight Order’s casualty rate dropped by nearly 30%. All those nights spent scribbling with a pen while reminiscing had paid off. At least the verification was thorough.

If we could achieve a 0% casualty rate, that would be ideal… but that’s just unrealistic. If we could win without anyone dying, the monster threat wouldn’t even be called a threat.

Anyway, Leopold rewarded me handsomely for significantly reducing the Imperial Knight Order’s losses.

“Jin’s Silver Sword?”

The reward Leopold gave me was enough Jin’s Silver to forge three longswords. Apparently, the production facility for Jin’s Silver, which had been buried during the palace collapse, had just been restored.

“That’s right. You already have that sword, so you might not need it, but it’ll be useful for your knights.”

“That makes sense.”

It wouldn’t mean much to Milia and Nigel, who already wield divine artifacts, or Leonor, who already has a Jin’s Silver longsword… but for one of my comrades who keeps breaking his weapons, it would be a huge help.

At least until he gets his hands on the Holy Sword.

When Leopold asked what kind of weapon I wanted, I suggested a greatsword for Damien.

A greatsword taller than a person, as wide as a torso, and as thick as an arm. A weapon not meant for fighting people, but for slaying dragons or giants.

“Hmm… with that size, it’ll be hard to forge it purely from Jin’s Silver. It’ll have to be mixed with black iron. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine. As long as it’s forged according to my specifications, it won’t break just because it’s mixed with black iron.”

A slight drop in purity wasn’t a problem. A hunk of metal as thick as an arm, made of Jin’s Silver mixed with black iron, could even block a dwarf’s cannonball. If someone could break that, they could easily shatter a pure Jin’s Silver longsword too.

And so, the amount of Jin’s Silver needed for three longswords was poured into a single greatsword.

Damien, that bastard, owes me a thousand thanks.

I helped him reach the level of a master, saved his childhood sweetheart from a fate of corruption or death, gave him a room in a high-end mansion as a wedding gift, and now I’m gifting him armor made from a beastman king’s hide and a weapon forged from three Jin’s Silver longswords.

You won’t find anyone in the world who supports a mere master to this extent.

—

Leopold didn’t summon me to the Imperial Palace just to reward me with Jin’s Silver. If that were the case, a simple letter would’ve sufficed.

After discussing the reward and the Empire’s current situation, Leopold placed a document in front of me and explained why he had called me to the palace.

“The Karmaine Dungeon. I assume you’ve heard of it before, haven’t you?”

What a coincidence. The main topic Leopold brought up was about the dungeon I had been thinking about just a few days ago. I hadn’t expected that name to come out of his mouth, so I was inwardly surprised but nodded anyway.

“Of course. It’s a dungeon I explored. I thought it was completely buried in a landslide. Did something happen?”

“Indeed. Something happened, and it’s a big problem…”

Leopold let out a light sigh and pointed to the document on the table.

“Read this first. It’s a report from the knights stationed around the dungeon.”

…So, something did happen.

I lowered my gaze and skimmed through the report.

As expected of a report submitted to the royal family, the handwriting was neat, but the slightly messy script and a few ink smudges subtly revealed the urgency of the person who wrote it.

—

– After the great upheaval, aftershocks have been occurring throughout the Karmaine Forest. We’ve reinforced the guard to prepare for monster appearances.

– Three days since the first aftershock. The aftershocks have intensified. Cracks have appeared in the ground around the rocky mountain. Suspected to be the work of monsters. Preparing for monster combat.

– Twenty minutes later. The cracked area collapsed. A circular ground subsidence with a diameter of about ten meters occurred.

– Seconds later, a monster believed to be the cause of the collapse appeared. A Spirit Monster resembling an Undead Knight. Armed with a longsword.

It seems the Undead Knight I buried managed to break through the pile of rocks and emerge. I thought it was stuck and couldn’t move.

The fact that it stayed quiet for so long and only now emerged suggests that the upheaval caused the ground to rise and fall, creating enough space for it to swing its sword.

– Attempted to subjugate it following the guidelines for Spirit Monsters, but it was insufficient. This individual was far stronger than a typical Undead Knight. Sir Podrick, a master-level knight, fought it but was killed after three exchanges.

– 70% of the subjugation force was annihilated. The monster’s longsword is believed to have the power to shatter anything it touches. The target’s danger level has been classified as special grade. Decided to retreat.

– No pursuit as expected. The target is slowly advancing toward the Imperial Capital, showing no interest in us.

The report ended there.

—

“Hmm…”

I let out a low groan and furrowed my brow. If I weren’t in front of Leopold, I would’ve lit a cigarette right away.

“Have you finished reading? If so, let me ask you this: the Spirit Monster mentioned in the report… is it the same Undead Knight you faced?”

Leopold asked with a hint of doubt in his voice.

I couldn’t answer immediately. Judging from the report about the sword’s power, it seemed to be the same one…

“I’ve also read the dispatch report submitted by Lady Pailoon, but I find it hard to believe that the Undead Knight you fought back then is the same monster that killed Sir Podrick.”

…It was too strong to be the same monster.

The Undead Knight back then was a tough opponent for me, but it wasn’t strong enough to kill a master-level knight in just three exchanges.

Leopold seemed to share my doubts. If it were that strong, how did I and Freide manage to survive and return?

What did we write in the report again…? Something about the dungeon collapsing during the fight, so we ran… It was so long ago, my memory’s a bit hazy.

“Based on the report alone, I can’t be sure, but the attack pattern seems the same. Back then, it also swung its sword and destroyed parts of the dungeon.”

Actually, it was me who destroyed the dungeon, but its sword was capable of such destruction. More precisely, it seemed to be the effect of the rune engraved on the sword.

“The Undead Knight I faced back then was strong, but not strong enough to instantly kill a master-level knight. Either the sword was passed to another monster… or it’s become much stronger since then.”

“I see… In any case, I believe you now understand why I summoned you.”

Of course, I understood. Sending master-level knights would only increase the casualties, so he wanted me to go and destroy it.

“Even though it’s not showing the usual ferocity of a Spirit Monster and is just walking around without attacking unless provoked… we can’t just let it approach the Imperial Capital. Right?”

“Exactly. It might be calm now, but there’s no guarantee it’ll stay that way. I’ll go and kill it.”

I nodded to Leopold and stood up. I had a rough idea why it was heading toward the Imperial Capital. It was probably coming for me.

After all, an unexpected visitor destroyed its home and stole its treasure. Even if it weren’t a monster, anyone would be furious enough to chase after them.