WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 33

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Hyenas at the Foothills (1)

In a room dim with sunset, a little girl crouched in the corner and cried.

"Mom... Dad...."

She kept weeping. The front of her clothes was soaked, but she could not stop. Her parents had left the Magic Tower months ago and never returned, now listed as missing. The news was practically a death sentence, and it shattered her.

"...Lena."

"Grandpa!"

After who knew how long, the door opened and an old man stepped inside. The child, eyes red from crying, ran to him at once. The gray-haired man held her with sorrow in his eyes and gently stroked the back of her head.

"You still need to eat. You have not had a single bite all day."

"But...."

"Do you have no appetite?"

"Mom and Dad are not here. They promised me. They said they would definitely come back."

"......."

"You heard it too, Grandpa. Mom and Dad are coming back soon, right? Right?"

The child clutched the hem of his clothes. Seeing her desperate eyes fixed on him, the old man let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Lena."

"......."

"I am sorry. This old man is doing everything he can, but it seems your mother and father cannot come back right away. So for now...."

"Hk...!"

The tears that had briefly stopped burst out again. He sighed once more and hugged her tightly. She cried, shook her head, and sniffled, and only after a long while did the room finally grow quiet.

"Lena."

"......."

When she had cried so much no tears seemed left, the old man took something from his robe. The child, who had turned her head aside, reacted for the first time. Seeing that her attention had shifted, he smiled softly.

"Grandpa, this is...."

"Yes. It was your mother's. A magic tool your father made for her as an anniversary gift. Very expensive, and very precious."

Even to the child, the pendant with its blue sapphire looked beautiful. Her eyes immediately lit up.

"You keep it for now, our Lena."

"...Until Mom and Dad come back?"

"Yes. Until they come back. You are only holding onto it until then."

"Is that really okay?"

"Of course."

The old man placed the pendant in her hand. Caught off guard, she examined the magic tool with eager eyes.

"How do I use this?"

"Pour mana into it. Then it creates a very strong shield that blocks any attack."

The child shook the pendant this way and that. Naturally, nothing happened.

"It does not work...."

"Haha! Of course not, Lena. You have not awakened your mana yet."

The old man took the pendant back and lightly infused it with mana. This time, unlike before, a translucent barrier appeared before them, then vanished.

"Wow...."

"How is it? Cool, is it not?"

"Yeah! It is super cool!"

"You will be able to do it too once you become a mage."

"Really?"

"Of course. Naturally."

After giving the pendant back, the old man opened his palm. Mana gathered above it, and frost rose. A moment later, the frost became a single ice flower.

"And you can do things like this too."

"So pretty...."

The child gasped in innocent awe. The old man chuckled and scattered the ice flower above his palm.

"Ice magic is very versatile. If it is a shape you want, you can make anything."

"Me too! I want to become a mage too!"

"Really? Then this old man will help as much as needed. Our Lena can become a wonderful mage."

Curiosity shone in her eyes. The old man smiled warmly and patted her head.

"Will Grandpa teach me magic later?"

"As much as you want."

"Then promise!"

She held out her little finger. The old man hooked his wrinkled finger around hers.

"Yes, it is a promise. So that you can become a great mage, this old man will do his very best to help you."

He smiled gently at his granddaughter's bright grin.

It was a very old memory, one she could never see again.

***

Her consciousness drifted. A crackling sound wavered near her ears. Between dream and reality, Lena curled up and prayed desperately.

I do not want to wake up. Just a little longer like this....

Against her wish, her awareness kept rising. Before long, sounds from all around became clear, and Lena slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a burning campfire. She lifted her gaze and found a dark stone ceiling above.

A cave?

"You do not have to force yourself up. If you are tired, keep sleeping."

Kyle's voice came from the other side. Lena blinked her groggy eyes a couple of times and slowly sat up. The thick brown fur covering her slipped off. It was the same fur Kyle had draped over her in the ruins a few days ago while she slept.

"Ah, Kyle-ssi...."

"......."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Six hours."

Ssshhhhhh.

At the sound of pouring rain, Lena turned her head. A few meters away was the cave entrance, the same place that had been the dungeon entrance. Only then did she realize it. She and Kyle had escaped the ruins of Alenos, where there had been no survivors for over three hundred years.

"Ah...."

A low sound escaped her lips. The moment she felt she had survived, all the tension in her body drained away. Outside was already dark, and shapes were hard to make out. The reddish campfire inside the cave was the only light.

"As expected, the Lich on the throne was the core sustaining the ruins."

While Lena stared blankly outside, Kyle calmly explained what had happened.

"Right before it disappeared, large-scale teleport magic activated across the entire audience chamber...."

After that, Kyle and Lena returned to the door that had first teleported them into the ruins. Lena had collapsed unconscious, either from fatigue after prolonged tension or from the aftereffects of teleport magic. Unlike her, Kyle stayed conscious. He carried her on his back and climbed up through the cave. By the time he reached the entrance, heavy rain was already pouring down outside.

A sudden downpour. Since it was still early evening, Kyle gathered a few pieces of firewood and set up camp near the cave entrance. They had just cleared the ruins and needed time to recover. The ruins' entrance had already closed, and with rain like this, there was no better place to spend the night.

"That is what happened."

After Kyle finished, Lena, who had listened in silence, lowered her head deeply.

"Kyle-ssi...."

"......."

"Thank you so much. Truly."

"For what?"

"For everything. For accepting my request, for saving me over and over when I almost died, and for carrying me all the way here at the end."

Lena spoke with complete sincerity. Without much reaction, Kyle picked up a wet branch from the pile beside him.

"Um...."

"Speak."

"I have been wondering for a while, but are you both a swordsman and a mage, Kyle-ssi? I mean... you seem incredibly skilled with magic...."

The white ring on Kyle's left middle finger glowed red in the campfire light. Lena narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.

Did Kyle-ssi have that ring before? I do not think he had it yesterday....

A faint glow flickered inside the five-colored jewel. At the same time, moisture streamed out from the firewood in Kyle's hand. It was simple, yet very precise mana control. Lena's eyes filled with curiosity.

"There is no reason a person who uses a sword cannot use magic. The reverse is true too."

"Is that how it is?"

"Do not get trapped by fixed ideas. It is only a difference in method. The foundation is the same. Both use mana as fuel. It is just that even devoting your whole life to either sword or magic is not enough to reach the end, so for efficiency people focus on one side. Once you are used to it, you can handle both."

"I see...."

"And do not spread what happened in those ruins. If it becomes known that the dungeon was the ruins of Alenos, it will become a serious headache."

Especially for Marquis Filein.

Kyle tossed the firewood into the flames as he spoke. Lena met his gaze through the fire and nodded repeatedly.

"More importantly, let us settle accounts. It is easier to organize now."

Kyle pulled out his Inventory Pouch. Watching him, Lena also took out her own from her robe. The two of them gathered and sorted all the money and relics inside. Once everything was laid out, there was more than expected.

"Twenty-one Gold coins. Eighty-three silver coins. Over one hundred copper coins. Nine Magic Tools engraved with spell formations, including the rune dagger."

"......."

"The books are separate. Eleven books worth one hundred Gold each. Plus the Alenos grimoire that managed the archive. Altogether, we are looking at at least ten thousand Gold. If we get a good price on the grimoire, it could pass fifteen thousand Gold."

She had known it, but the haul was massive. Fifteen thousand Gold was more than the yearly tax revenue of Dornel, where Count Metis ruled.

"Wow...."

Lena stood there with her mouth open. Kyle glanced at her, then steadily sorted the items.

Fifteen thousand gold. Split between them, at least seven thousand each. And on top of that, the pendant Kyle was supposed to receive as escort payment.

From Kyle's point of view, it was a jackpot. Yet he felt little about that. What mattered more was The Brightest Star of Dawn.

The ring on his left middle finger was worth several times more than all of this.

Kyle looked down at his hand. The curse in his body remained, but his mana restrictions were effectively gone. Even now, he could feel the mana inside the ring, ready for use at any time. It was also constantly absorbing and refining nearby mana in real time. Just as the Lich had said, this had to be the greatest treasure of the Kingdom of Alenos.

"With this, it should be more than enough. It is a shame there was no relic related to divine power, but with this amount, it might really be solvable...."

"Is this about your grandfather?"

Kyle asked. Lena, who had been smiling brightly, flinched as if struck.

"...How long have you known?"

"Since we left the city. I became sure on the third evening in the ruins."

Lena was not good at lying. More precisely, her emotions showed clearly on her face, so Kyle could read what she was thinking at a glance.

"I see. You knew everything...."

Lena muttered, face stiff.

"Is he in serious condition?"

"Yes. I do not know if you are aware, but my grandfather is from the Council of Elders at the Lenore Magic Tower. Excluding the Tower Master, he is one of the seven highest elders. But...."

In a low, drained voice, Lena explained her situation. A year ago, her grandfather began to lose vitality. A few months ago, it got so severe he could no longer manage daily life and had to stay in bed all day. They called the Lenore Tower Master, famous mages from many lands, and renowned priests, but none found an answer.

"The priest who examined him last said this. Either a Cardinal of the Crescent Theocracy, one who can cast extremely powerful sacred spells, has to treat him directly, or if that is impossible, we need an ancient relic or artifact that can ease the symptoms."

Officially, there were only nine Cardinals in the Crescent Theocracy. Unless it was for a king, there was no chance one would travel all the way from the center of the continent just to heal one elder from a Magic Tower.

"So that is why you left the tower alone."

In the end, the only option left was buying relics or artifacts at auction that could help with treatment.

"Do you know the disease name?"

"That is...."

Lena trailed off. Kyle urged her with a glance, and she reluctantly spoke.

"I do not."

"You do not?"

"Yes. The Tower Master and all the priests who came said they could not identify the exact illness. All they knew was that something was wrong with the mana in his body...."

"What were the symptoms, roughly?"

Kyle asked again. She closed her eyes briefly, then answered slowly.

"Um... from a year ago, he said the flow of mana felt off...."

"And then?"

"A few months ago, when it got worse, he said it felt completely blocked. He could not use magic beyond basic spells."

"What magic did he mainly use?"

"Ice magic and spatial magic. Since I was over ten, he mostly researched spatial magic."

"Spatial magic... did he also have problems around the heart?"

Lena was startled.

"Yes! That is right! He said his heart kept racing and he often felt dizzy."

"It is Magicite Syndrome."

After hearing everything, Kyle said it flatly.

"...What? Magicite Syndrome?"

"Magicite Syndrome. A disease where blood vessels throughout the body, including the heart, turn into magic stone. If what you said is true, that is probably it."

"B-but Magicite Syndrome is...."

"A very rare disease. Extremely hard to detect as well."

The reason was simple. For blood vessels to petrify into magic stone, the body had to hold an enormous amount of mana. Usually it struck either immature mages whose mana sensitivity far exceeded their level, or very high-level mages researching advanced magic.

Once the blood vessels around the heart were petrified, ordinary sacred power could barely treat it, and detecting it was also very difficult. They likely suspected it but could not be sure. Outwardly, there would be almost no visible sign, unless someone was as abnormally sensitive to mana as Kyle.

"You said he started mainly researching spatial magic after you turned ten, right?"

"Y-yes."

"That is likely the cause. Every miracle has a price. Normally, refining internal mana is enough, but advanced magic like spatial magic demands more. If he kept researching high-backlash spells, his cardiovascular system turning to magic stone without his knowledge would not be strange."

He already had excellent mana sensitivity, and his level was high.

Naturally, the amount of mana he could hold in his body would be far greater than ordinary mages. That meant prolonged exposure to massive mana levels.

On top of that, his main field was spatial magic, the most difficult class of magic. With other branches, this might not have happened, but with spatial magic it was different. If Lena was his granddaughter, he was likely quite old too, so it was almost surprising he had not developed Magicite Syndrome earlier. Whether he noticed it or not, his body must have endured accumulated backlash for years.

"Then what do we do? Magicite Syndrome has no cure...."

Lena, who had looked so bright a moment ago, trembled as she muttered. As she knew it, Magicite Syndrome was a severe disease close to incurable. If caught early, high-level priests could treat it with sacred power, but it was known as a disease with almost no warning signs, one that killed once it appeared.

"It is not that there is no way at all."

"H-how?"

"Break it before the cardiovascular system fully turns to magic stone. Infuse mana into the body, shatter every petrified part, then immediately regenerate it, over and over. It is not completely impossible."

Of course, that required a mage with extremely high mana sensitivity to infuse the mana, and sacred power strong enough to restore the cardiovascular system.

"Kyle-ssi... how do you know all that?"

"I searched many books about it in the past."

Magicite Syndrome and Kyle's curse had more in common than one might think. Blood vessels petrifying into magic stone, and mana visibly leaking outside Kyle's skin whenever he stored it in his body. The two shared certain similarities.

"You could call it luck, but I think I can help."

Kyle said as he pushed another moisture-drained log into the fire with mana.

Mana sensitivity? He had never seen anyone better than himself.

Sacred power? A potion stronger than high-priest healing would solve that. Kyle had both.

"R-really?"

Lena, who had been hanging her head, lifted it in a rush.

Her face lit up, then darkened almost immediately as she looked down at her chest.

"But... I do not have anything else to give you now."

The sapphire pendant she had promised as payment hung there. Hesitating, Lena removed it from her neck and carefully offered it to Kyle. Watching her, Kyle pushed her hand, pendant and all, back toward her. Lena's eyes widened.

"Kyle-ssi?"

"There may still be hyenas left."

Kyle narrowed his eyes at the campfire.

Marquis Filein. Alongside Twin Fangs of Silence, another force that had aimed for the dungeon.

Nyx Varkein, whom Kyle had killed, had said Marquis Filein was the type who set traps rather than seizing things directly. Inside the ruins, they had only met Twin Fangs of Silence. No soldiers or knights from Marquis Filein were seen.

Because of that, Kyle could not look at the situation optimistically yet.

At least not until they reached the Magic Tower.

"Then at least, as extra payment, take relics from my share...."

"Forget it. For extra payment, I can receive it from your grandfather. You said he is an elder of the Lenore Magic Tower, right?"

"Y-yes."

"With that level of position, he can certainly pay treatment costs. Even if not with money, there are many ways to pay."

Money was not everything. A veteran elder of a Magic Tower would have vast accumulated wisdom and experience. Especially for Kyle right now, knowledge mattered more than gold.

"Does the Magic Tower have a library?"

"Yes, it does."

"Authority to access forbidden books?"

"Not me, but my grandfather should be able to."

"That is enough. I will extend the escort request. The term is until we reach the Tower City and treat your grandfather. I will receive payment then."

He spoke in a flat tone. Lena looked at him for a moment, then hugged her knees.

"Kyle-ssi."

"Thank you again. Meeting you at that inn that day... maybe it was the greatest luck of my life."

"If you had not found the courage to leave the Magic Tower, that would not have happened either."

"Kyle-ssi, are you perhaps a knight of the Hailen Kingdom?"

For a while, both watched the wavering flames between them. Then Lena asked carefully. Kyle's overwhelming swordsmanship and mana control, and the Black Knight's earlier words, descendant of the Northern King, had remained deeply in her mind. A knight of a kingdom that had already fallen.

"You are wrong."

"What? Then are you a knight-errant?"

"Neither. Just like that Black Knight, I am only a ghost bound to the past."

Kyle answered calmly and turned his head. Outside the dim cave, the downpour was still raging.

"Now I am nothing."

Kyle slowly closed his eyes to the sound of falling rain.

"Nothing."

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