Night sky.
A being sat atop a branch reaching high enough to poke the stars.
Succubus.
The horned succubus had just witnessed the battle between Duke Yuma and the Sword God Chronos.
“…God of War, huh? What a load of crap.”
Her feet and knees trembled on the branch. With moves like that, he was definitely worthy of the title.
She had never seen sword strikes that transcended common sense before.
“Teamwork my foot.”
Death. There was no escape against that gray-haired man.
That certainty filled the Succubus’s mind.
“If you’re gonna die, you better go and die alone, Kailon.”
The Succubus resolved to turn down the collaboration offer from the Empire’s 3rd Seat, the vampire Kailon.
Pop!
The Succubus vanished from her spot on the branch.
*
A hero’s tale began to spread.
The legendary tale of the God of War who saved the city of Arkan.
The princess’s sword stopped the underground king Belrak, who sought to control the city with drug domination.
That tale spread throughout the Empire.
It seemed that the stories of the Arkan guard were quite impressive.
Ironically, Belrak died by the sword strike drawn by Chronos.
Still, witnesses from Belrak’s side started spilling the beans on his crimes.
Revelations about drug trades from the market overseen by Mayor Gelmore, who had facilitated the distribution of drugs.
And linked to that, nearby nobles involved were implicated with transaction records related to drugs.
Eventually, even members of the Astes Empire’s 3rd Knights Brigade descended upon the city of Arkan.
Unlike the 1st and 2nd Brigades, the 3rd Knights Brigade acted as inspectors to investigate corruption within the Empire.
A total of 20 personnel.
Deploying 20 members of the 3rd Knights Brigade was proof that the Empire deemed the situation quite significant.
Yuma was sleeping in the luxurious accommodation prepared by Mayor Gelmore.
When he opened his eyes.
What filled his vision were spears, the same kind he had seen when he first fell into this world.
[Ultimate Strike – You have defeated one who has reached the ‘Grand Master’ level.]
[You have achieved an accomplishment that far exceeds your own capacities.]
[A reward will be granted!]
New!
[Skill – Ultra Concentration (★★★★): When you decide to focus, you can pierce through the essence clearly. This includes the attacks and skills of enemies.]
New!
[Skill – Indomitable Will (★★★★): At the moment of performing Parrying, the player will not falter against significant damage or shock. However, pain will still be felt.]
At that moment. The player doesn’t crumble under considerable damage or shock. However, they do feel pain.]
[There is no growth potential.]
[As a reward for the accomplishments achieved, stats will increase.]
[Name: Yuma
Lv.20
Alignment: Good Personality Trait: Cold
Strength: 30 Health: 45 Defense: 30 Agility: 50 Growth Potential: 0 – Ordinary Person]
The Sword God Chronos was someone who had achieved the level of Grand Master.
A transcendent warrior who surpassed the human limit of level 149, that was Chronos.
Yuma stared attentively at the status window.
His crummy stats had become slightly less crummy.
All stats increased by 20.
‘This body has no talent.’
The growth potential of 0 said it all.
The attached description of “ordinary” was almost a death sentence.
The only talent he possessed was the “Parrying” skill that belonged solely to [Don’tScrewMeOver].
To continue raising his stats from here on, he would need to achieve extraordinary accomplishments.
‘I think the engraving system should be here too.’
Engraving.
An element that also appeared in ‘Loop Blood’ and its previous Loop series, which can be considered the predecessor of this world.
A system that allows one to acquire a kind of “skill” by engraving it onto the body.
Yuma felt the need to gather information about engravings.
While checking the newly acquired skill.
Knock knock—
A rhythmic sound echoed as someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
In response to Yuma’s question, a hearty voice came from beyond the door.
“This is Rohan from the Third Knights Brigade, sent from the capital. I’ve come to meet you, Sir Yuma, representing Her Highness, Princess Brigitte.”
“Please wait on the first floor.”
“Understood.”
*
Yuma dressed up and went out.
“Sir Yuma!”
Cloney approached with a bright smile.
“You were called too?”
“Yes, I was also summoned. As Sir Yuma’s companion!”
Not me but you should be the main character.
You’re one of the protagonists of the prophecy. Yuma patted Cloney’s head.
Yuma and Cloney descended the stairs side by side. As soon as they reached the bottom, two knights showed up, kneeling to pay their respects.
It felt as if they had rehearsed this moment together.
“We meet Yuma-sama, the Sword of Her Highness, the First Princess Brigitte. I am Rohan, the inspector of the Third Knights Brigade.”
“Sir, I have the sword of Her Highness the First Princess. It is an honor to meet you, Duke Yuma. I am Rohan, an inspector from the 3rd Knight Brigade.”
These were the words of a knight.
“I have the honor of meeting the mage Cloney, a close aide of Her Highness the Princess. I am Ermel, an inspector from the 3rd Knight Brigade.”
These were the words of a female knight. Cloney’s eyes widened in surprise. The term “aide to the Princess” seemed meaningless at first, but it carried great significance.
It meant that Brigitte herself had informed the imperial knights of Cloney’s existence. She was essential. She was her aide.
A new surge of ambition rose within Cloney’s golden eyes.
“I’ll make sure they call me High Mage Cloney next time!”
So she could stay beside Duke Yuma.
Cloney nurtured her desire for magic.
“Were you sent down to investigate the incident involving Belrak?”
Rohan nodded.
“That’s right. I’ve come to Arcana to investigate the incident involving Belrak.”
The female knight, Ermel, spoke up. Her bright, sparkling eyes were filled with admiration for the man with the dark gray hair standing before her.
“I’ve already received testimonies. From Arkan’s Guards. They say Duke Yuma saved this city. And…”
Rohan’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“I’ve received testimonies claiming you defeated the legendary Sword God Chronos in combat. You easily deflected one of Chronos’s strikes and then delivered a horizontal sword strike that ended his life.”
“….”
Yuma remained silent.
Rohan truly regarded Yuma as a master swordsman of the highest caliber.
Having seen the body of Chronos himself.
He had witnessed the aftermath of that singular strike left on the Sword God.
The sword strike that completely nullified the divine protection surrounding Chronos, penetrating with lethal force.
That supreme swordsmanship.
And the devastating fissure it created around the surrounding buildings!
The swordsman who attained the pinnacle mistakenly thought that slicing through space was an exaggeration by his master.
But that wasn’t the case.
The sword before the princess was wielded by someone who could do just that.
“The situation is being resolved. Mayor Gelmore’s brother has begun divine healing. The issue lies with the other corrupt nobles associated with Belrak… it seems the judgment for those nobles will take place in the Elder Council.”
“Is that so?”
Yuma nodded slowly.
To be honest, he was not particularly concerned about how things were unfolding.
Ermel vigorously nodded her head, so much so that her crimson hair swayed.
“Thanks to this incident, Duke Yuma’s name is becoming well-known among many nobles! Because of this, Princess Brigitte’s standing is also rising! At this rate, it won’t be long before her position becomes equal to that of the First Prince!”
“Thanks to that, Princess Brigitte’s position is growing! At this rate, I think she’ll soon be on par with His Highness the First Prince.”
That was quite an encouraging outcome, Ermel continued.
“Since something unfortunate happened to Princess Brigitte, it was suggested that if she wishes, she could return to the palace for a bit of maintenance before starting her journey again.”
It didn’t seem like that was necessary.
“I’ll just push through today and head to Count Rubelt’s territory tomorrow morning.”
Ermel and Rohan were genuinely impressed by Yuma’s nonchalance in ending all of this.
Ermel and Rohan bowed their heads.
Rohan spoke up.
“May everything you do be blessed.”
Ermel and Rohan departed.
Yuma headed to Gelmore’s office.
He had received a heartfelt request to come by before leaving.
Gelmore bowed deeply to Yuma.
“Oh, you’ve come.”
“Sit down.”
Gelmore hurriedly sat in his chair as if he had received a divine command.
“…Thank you very much, Yuma. This incident made me realize my incompetence and shortcomings.”
Yuma didn’t really have much to say to the downtrodden leader of this land, Gelmore. He wasn’t particularly interested.
He decided to give a very formal piece of advice.
“The Empire still believes in you. So gather your spirits and lead the city again.”
Gelmore’s eyes widened.
“…Thank you. Thank you so much, Yuma.”
His voice trembled, not with fear, but with the tremor of emotion.
‘What’s up with him?’
Yuma maintained his expressionless face and stood up.
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
Gelmore bowed again.
“May only blessings accompany your great strides.”
It’s unbelievable how much everyone loves blessings.
Yuma waved his right hand casually.
Of course, the Noble Dignity trait was always active, so to Gelmore, it appeared as a noble gesture.
“Repaying a favor to you, Yuma, means helping the First Princess become Emperor.”
Gelmore’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
More than at any point in his life.
“I will definitely repay this favor.”
He would make this city so magnificent that he could exert influence over the Empire.
Gelmore’s mind began to churn.
All he could think about was turning Arkan into a more powerful city.
