WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
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◈ Unbound Magic Swordsman ◈
Chapter 28: Experience
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“Thank you.”
“This is nothing compared to what you have done for us.”
Loren lowered her hand as she spoke.
Then she hesitated slightly.
She seemed to want to say more, but was choosing her words.
“However.”
Loren finally spoke.
“Your aura flow is very unusual. Your aura circulates abnormally quickly, and your channels are exceptionally broad. Unusual for a warrior.”
For a warrior.
That was how Loren saw Lucian.
Naturally.
Lucian’s mana was pure mana, before it had differentiated into vitality, magical power, and other forms.
To Loren’s senses, it would simply appear to be a dense flow of aura.
It was only natural that she interpreted it as a warrior’s vitality.
A Warden-level warrior having fast aura circulation and broad channels was unusual, but not impossible.
Lucian merely nodded in silence.
Loren still looked curious, but did not press further.
Between a scholar’s curiosity and a healer’s restraint, she had chosen the latter.
“Anyway, if you ever have a problem with your aura channels, come see me. Damage caused by overload can become chronic if it is not treated early.”
He thought of Hector.
Damage to the mana furnace. Strength reduced to a third of what it had been at his peak.
The possibility was slim, of course, but there was no reason it could not happen to him.
Especially when the strain on his mana channels was increasing with every level-up.
“I will remember that.”
Lucian nodded.
Elena took a small box from her clothes.
“I wanted to give you this too.”
She opened it.
There were three glass bottles inside.
They contained a pale green liquid.
“They’re high-grade Healing Potions. My teacher made them herself. They’re on an entirely different level from the healing ointments sold on the market. Even with serious injuries, they immediately stop bleeding and accelerate tissue regeneration.”
Potions personally made by a Mage-level healer.
They were difficult to acquire on the market.
They would be worth at least ten gold coins each. Three bottles meant at least thirty gold coins.
“Hmm. This is too much.”
“No, it isn’t. Not compared to what you did for us.”
Elena spoke firmly.
Her violet eyes held genuine sincerity.
In a battle where he was severely injured, these potions could mean the difference between life and death.
Consumables as important as equipment.
More than anything, Lucian was no fool.
He knew their generosity was not solely meant to repay a debt.
Just as warriors needed Healing Mages, Healing Mages would sometimes need warriors.
In other words, accepting them would benefit them all.
Lucian accepted the box.
“I will use them gratefully.”
“The clinic is north of the square. I’ll always be there. So will my teacher.”
Elena smiled brightly.
Loren rose from her seat and added one last thing.
“There is one matter I should mention.”
“What is it?”
“You know that Kaldia’s situation is not good.”
Loren’s expression grew serious.
“Our departure from the royal capital was not unrelated to that. The political situation in the royal capital is extremely chaotic. As the war with Kaizen escalates, conflict within the kingdom is deepening as well. The struggle for power is growing fiercer, and mages are being used as tools in the process.”
Mages were being used as political tools.
In this world, mages were rare and valuable.
Their value rose even further in wartime.
That went without saying for Healing Mages.
“There may be people after us. The chance of them tracking us from the royal capital all the way here is low, but it cannot be ruled out completely.”
Lucian weighed the meaning behind her words.
Someone pursuing Loren and Elena might come all the way to Kaldia.
She was subtly warning him that, if that happened, he could become involved or be put in danger as well.
They could have said nothing and kept it hidden. They had no obligation to tell him.
But honesty was the foundation of a relationship and the starting point of trust.
Unfortunately, not many people knew how to uphold such basics even in the face of danger.
Lucian nodded silently.
“I understand. Let me know if there is trouble.”
It meant he would help if he could.
Even if someone came after them from the royal capital, they should not be beyond his ability to handle unless the pursuer was High Warden-class.
Had he not already defeated an upper-tier Warden Boss alone?
And naturally, he would grow stronger still.
However, standing against the Arlan Kingdom for their sake was a matter on an entirely different level.
If their pursuers were acting under royal orders, he could not act rashly.
He could help them escape in secret, perhaps. By killing magical beasts in the forest and opening a path for them to flee.
In any case, it was clear that caution was necessary.
A person with experience knew how to understand sensitive matters that could not be spoken aloud.
Loren, too, was a woman with that kind of experience.
If she had not considered Lucian’s position from the start, she would not have raised the subject at all.
Loren gave a slight bow.
“Thank you.”
Soon afterward, Elena and Loren left the residence.
The door closed, and their footsteps faded away.
Under the candlelight, Lucian looked at the three Healing Potions.
The pale green liquid glimmered faintly within the glass bottles.
They carried traces of Ether, the handiwork of a mage.
He carefully stored them in the inner pocket of his pack, beside his three antidotes.
His supply of combat consumables had grown.
Antidotes, Healing Potions, herbs, bandages.
Things as important as equipment.
He returned to the clearing and resumed his training.
Repeated practice of Flash Step. Practice to improve its precision. Mana Edge, mana shots with the bow, and more.
Time flew by, and the sun began to set.
While eating dinner at the restaurant, he heard more news.
“I heard the kingdom’s army was pushed back again on the Eastern Front.”
“They say Kaizen has begun its second offensive.”
“There is a rumor that the Silver Lion Knights may receive a royal order.”
“What happens to Kaldia if the knights leave?”
“We’ll have to hold out with the Mercenary Guild and the remaining garrison forces.”
“Damn it. Will that be enough?”
“If it isn’t, we run.”
Not laughter, but bitter smiles passed between them.
At the next table, another conversation was taking place.
“I heard refugees are coming up from the Belgard Free City Alliance in the south.”
“Is the civil war really that bad?”
“They say the three factions are holding swords to each other’s throats. Several cities have already burned.”
“What will happen to the refugees coming to Kaldia?”
“They say the lord’s agent has agreed to take them in. The population has gone down, after all.”
“Will that old man really do it? Well, I suppose more people would be a good thing.”
“Maybe. If they can feed them. With the trade routes half cut off, who knows whether there is enough food.”
“Damn it. Everything is a mess everywhere.”
Lucian listened as he chewed his bread.
The situation was worsening by the moment.
The war with Kaizen in the east.
The Belgard civil war in the south.
The conflict between dwarves and orcs in the north.
The threat of magical beasts in the west.
Crises pressing in from every direction.
And the effects of all of them were converging on Kaldia.
That was the nature of its position as a frontier city. A crossroads where crises from every direction met.
If the knights left, that crossroads would become completely defenseless.
This was why Kairon had offered Lucian knighthood.
After the knights departed, Kaldia desperately needed forces capable of defending it.
Lucian had refused to become a knight, but he had no intention of leaving Kaldia.
This city was his current base.
He had a residence, a blacksmith capable of maintaining his equipment, and the Mercenary Guild where he could accept requests.
Ernst of the information guild was here, and now Loren and Elena, the Healing Mages, were here as well.
Everything was in Kaldia.
If the city fell, all of that foundation would disappear.
Even for his own survival and stability, it was in his interest for Kaldia to endure.
Even if he was not a knight, protecting the city would benefit him.
And hunting the magical beasts threatening the city would also accumulate experience.
Ogres.
The map he had received from Ernst marked the estimated locations of three ogres in the southern mountains.
The reward for subjugating one ogre was forty gold coins.
Magical beasts ranked above trolls.
He coolly assessed his strength.
The threshold of upper Warden. The Silvermoon Grass sword. Fire Blade. Flash Step. Simultaneous use of both hands.
Both his equipment and skill were on an entirely different level from before.
He was confident he could handle one ogre.
But arrogance was forbidden.
He had been confident against the troll as well, yet had still struggled. He had barely defeated the Beastfolk chieftain-class enemy too.
There was no guarantee an ogre would be easier than they had been.
Thorough preparation was necessary.
He needed to buy detailed information on ogres from Ernst.
Weaknesses, behavioral patterns, habitats.
Information was the foundation of tactics and strategy.
After finishing his meal, Lucian returned to his residence and sat on the straw bedding, pushing at the limits of his mana.
A fist-sized red flame formed at his fingertips. Twelve seconds of duration. A range of one meter.
It was firepower worthy of calling him a mage, but he could not be satisfied.
He needed to make it larger and burn more fiercely.
Lucian extinguished the flame and quietly closed his eyes.
* * *
The next morning.
Lucian stopped by the Mercenary Guild and checked the request board.
The ogre request was still posted.
It seemed no one had taken it.
Naturally.
Even putting together a party capable of facing two ogres was not easy.
The reward of eighty gold coins was tempting, but the request was too burdensome to risk one’s life over.
Even if they formed a party, it could not grow beyond a suitable number, because the reward would become woefully insufficient for the danger involved.
It was far safer and more efficient to take other requests suited to their level.
In other words, Kaldia had not had a mercenary, or even a party, capable of taking this request until now.
Lucian carefully read the request form.
[Two ogres sighted in the western forest. Upper-tier magical beasts. Seen near villages. Formation of multiple teams recommended. Reward: eighty gold coins.]
Two.
As expected, the issue was that there were two, not one.
He was confident he could handle one, but fighting two at the same time was an entirely different matter.
However, there was additional information when he read the request more closely.
[Area of appearance: Southern edge of the western forest, near an abandoned mine. The two individuals have been sighted in the same area, but it is unconfirmed whether they always act together.]
It was unconfirmed whether they always acted together.
If the two had separate territories, he could face them one at a time.
He needed more information.
Leaving the request form where it was, he headed to Ernst’s shop.
He opened the door to the antique shop.
The white-haired old man was reading behind the counter.
This time, he did not even pretend to be asleep.
“You’ve come again.”
“I need information about ogres.”
“The ones in the western forest? The ones posted on the request board?”
“Yes.”
Ernst closed his book.
“Surely you’re not planning to hunt them?”
When Lucian nodded, Ernst spoke.
“If that is what you mean to do, I’ll tell you for free. It would be good for everyone if they disappeared.”
Ernst took out a parchment and spread it open.
“The truth is, we do not know everything. That is even more true when it comes to monsters outside the city. But information has owners too. We have fairly detailed information about these ogres. We acquired records from an earlier garrison investigation.”
The parchment listed the ogres’ characteristics.
[Ogre. Large magical beast. At least four meters tall. Larger and physically stronger than trolls. Its regenerative ability is weaker than a troll’s, but its skin is harder, making it difficult to wound with ordinary weapons. It often uses blunt weapons, such as clubs and rocks. Its intelligence is low, but it has excellent instinctive combat sense. It usually acts alone, though multiple individuals may overlap in areas with abundant prey.]
The hardness of its skin.
That was the key.
A troll’s hide had been thick, but he could pierce it with a mana-infused sword.
An ogre’s skin was tougher than that.
Could he pierce it with the mana conductivity of the Silvermoon Grass sword?
[Weaknesses: Soft tissue, such as the eyes, ears, and inside of the mouth. Joint areas, such as behind the knees, inside the elbows, and armpits. The back of the head, where the skull is thinnest. Skin hardness varies by area, and the abdomen is relatively weak.]
Joints and soft tissue.
He had targeted the seams in the Beastfolk chieftain’s armor as well. It was the same principle.
Avoid the hardest places and strike the weakest.
The problem was getting close to the weak points of a four-meter monster.
[Behavioral pattern: Tends to be nocturnal. It sleeps in shelters, such as caves, abandoned mines, and gaps between rocks, during the day. It becomes active around sunset. Its prey includes large herbivores, livestock, humans, and other monsters. It has a strong sense of territory and is extremely aggressive toward intruders.]
Nocturnal.
If he aimed for the time when they slept during the day, an ambush might be possible.
The same tactic he had used to lure out the troll, launching a preemptive attack while it slept.
But ogres had a stronger sense of territory than trolls.
Even if one were asleep, it might sense him approaching its shelter.
[Additional information on the two individuals at the southern edge of the western forest: According to garrison observations, the two individuals each have separate shelters approximately two kilometers apart. One resides in the abandoned mine, while the other lives in a cave beneath a cliff. Their territories may overlap while hunting prey, but they do not actively attack one another. Their relationship is presumed to be coexistence or indifference.]
Two kilometers apart.
At that distance, he could fight them one at a time.
He could deal with one before facing the other.
It was unlikely the second would hear the sounds of battle with the first and come running.
Two kilometers was a distance at which detecting combat sounds would be difficult even with an ogre’s hearing.
Even if it did detect them, an ogre with a strong sense of territory would have no reason to leave its own territory and run into another individual’s.
Defeat them separately.
That was the core of his strategy.
“Between the one by the abandoned mine and the one by the cave, which is stronger?”
Ernst shook his head.
“There is no information on differences in combat ability between them. The garrison only observed them. They did not engage them.”
There was no further information.
In other words, he would have to go and see for himself.
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