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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 169
Srrrrng.
Gailgron gripped the scabbard in his hand and drew his sword, exuding an intimidating presence.
The pressure was immense, but more surprising was his decision to spar in such a cramped space.
"Here?"
"Is that a problem?"
"Uh, no."
Ian hesitated for a moment but quickly realized that the location didn’t matter.
As someone who had requested instruction, he had no right to complain as long as the other party had agreed. In fact, he should be bowing in gratitude.
Gailgron had proven his strength by surviving countless threats over his long career as a Hero.
There was no need to question his swordsmanship.
Ian instinctively reached for his waist but then paused.
'Hmm? Oh.'
He realized that his hands were empty—perhaps a sign of his nerves at the prospect of sparring with a Hero.
The sword, once revered by those driven mad by mental corruption who had worshipped the Black Lord as their "Queen," had been completely purified thanks to the divine power imbued within it. However, its ownership now lay with the Order of Silence.
He couldn’t take it at will, so it had been entrusted to Bishop Tarminan for the time being.
Seeing Ian grasping at nothing, Gailgron shrugged, looking slightly deflated.
"What, you don’t have a sword?"
"...I do."
Ian retrieved a holy sword from his subspace storage. When he drew it from its scabbard, jagged cracks ran across its blade, making it look dangerously fragile to anyone who saw it.
It was in terrible condition. But beyond that, Ian felt a strange sense of unease.
"Hmm?"
Gailgron furrowed his brows as well.
"Wasn’t that a holy sword?"
"You knew?"
"A blade that once flowed with divine power—how could I not recognize it? It was unusual, after all. You weren’t someone with devout faith, so I always wondered which Sovereign had bestowed such a precious relic upon you."
That meant any priest or holy knight would have recognized it as well.
If Ian hadn’t had the golden insignia, they might have questioned his rightful ownership.
"Is this only temporary?"
"Hmm, I doubt it. It’s not common for a relic’s divine power to simply disappear. If I had to guess, I’d say the Sovereign granted you their blessing using the holy sword as a medium. Let me see it for a moment."
Ian handed the holy sword to Gailgron. After examining it carefully, Gailgron shook his head and returned it.
"This is just a regular sword now. And it won’t last much longer."
Ian looked down at the blade with disappointment.
Up until his battle with Galan, he had thought that, given enough time, he could restore the sword to its former state. But that didn’t seem to be the case.
He had obtained it as spoils of war after defeating Bloodclaw and had relied on it for a long time, which made it even harder to let go.
"This won’t do. Hold on."
"……?"
Gailgron sheathed his sword and strode toward the crowd gathered at the temple entrance.
There were already many onlookers, intrigued by the sight of the Hero drawing his sword, and the commotion had drawn even more people.
"Bishop Tarminan! Let me take a look at that sword you confiscated from Ian!"
"...Excuse me?"
"You know, the one that was purified by the Sovereign’s blessing! Let me see it for a moment!"
“…Hero.”
Bishop Tarniman had a troubled expression, but Gailgron simply furrowed his brows and urged him, as if telling him to hurry up and hand it over.
With a sigh, the bishop glanced at a nearby Holy Knight, and soon, two priests brought forth the sword.
Perhaps because it lacked a scabbard, it had been temporarily wrapped in cloth inscribed with sacred texts.
Gailgron untied the string, unwrapped the cloth, and took hold of the sword.
“Oh~”
A platinum sword, as if carved from a single piece of metal, was revealed. The straight, pure-white blade was beautiful.
“Can I take this?”
“You mean to borrow it?”
Gailgron gave a sly smile.
“Oh, you know what I mean.”
“…If the Hero intends to use it personally, there’s no issue.”
“But transferring it to someone else could be problematic?”
When Gailgron directly pointed out what the bishop couldn’t bring himself to say, Bishop Tarniman gave an awkward smile and nodded.
Even if one lacked awareness, it was obvious that the Hero wouldn’t suddenly demand a sword for no reason.
They had just witnessed him preparing to spar with Ian—there was no need to ask whom he intended to give this sword to.
Besides, because of this single sword, the Gray Temple had suffered near-annihilation.
Gailgron gently ran his fingertips along the blade.
Vmmmmm!
The sword trembled as if expressing strong displeasure at his touch.
“Hah, would you look at that?”
Vmmmmmm!
“It’s choosing its owner, huh? Bishop, you saw that, right? No matter who holds it, the result will be the same. It’s practically already decided who its owner is, so let’s skip the complicated procedures and just hand it over.”
“But Hero, if we do that…”
“Oh, come on. If Ian Berger hadn’t been here, not even half of you would be standing here right now. I’m not trying to disregard anyone, just stating the facts based on achievements.”
He wasn’t wrong. In fact, it was an undeniable truth.
There were no witnesses, but the flames and slashes erupting from the temple’s core—anyone within the labyrinthine structure must have seen and heard them.
“What do you think would have happened if Ian hadn’t been here?”
Not only would they have lost the sword that had ravaged the temple, but even Gailgron himself might have been in trouble.
Ian had reached the temple’s core faster than anyone, intercepted the skeletal knight guarding Riorg Ribella, and even defeated it. That was the reason the necromancer ultimately withdrew from this place.
“…Hmm. Then, on paper, I’ll record it as having been transferred to you, Hero.”
Given the circumstances, an audit from within the Church was inevitable.
If word got out that they had recklessly handed over the sword, there was a high risk of censure, no matter how they tried to justify it.
But if they claimed the Hero had taken it? If Gailgron had requested it? No one—not even the High Priest or the Pope—could object.
“That’s how it should be. Feel free to use my name however you need. After all, this was something His Majesty already approved.”
Gailgron readily nodded and returned to Ian, handing him the sword.
“Here, take it. It’s yours now. Consider it your reward for this whole ordeal.”
“Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. If not for you, the Church would have suffered immense losses. Honestly, I should be the one thanking you.”
Ian grasped the platinum sword. Just like when he had held a holy sword before, divine power flowed into him.
He could see golden letters rising above the blade—words in a language long forgotten by the world.
"Veronia."
Was it the name of the sword’s owner? Or the sword itself? Either way, it suited the beautiful blade.
"Veronia."
Wooong!
The moment the name was spoken, the sword hummed in response, as if greeting its wielder.
"Alright, now that I have a weapon, let’s get started. How should we do this? I’ll go in, so try to block me."
"May I go all out?"
"Hmm, you mean you want to use your ability? That might be a problem. If you unleash your flames, this entire area will burn down."
"…Understood."
"I agreed to watch your swordsmanship, so let’s keep this purely about the blade. You can use mana, though."
Gailgron lightly bounced in place before shifting his weight forward and closing the distance in an instant.
Even with Precognitive Vision, keeping up with his speed was overwhelming.
Kaang!
"Not bad!"
Their swords clashed, the tip of Gailgron's blade aiming to cut at Ian’s thigh.
"Your stride is too short. With your leg length, you’d benefit from spreading them a bit more."
Kaaaang!
"You’re leaning too much to the right. Unless that’s a prerequisite for using Bane of Evil!"
Kaaang!
"If it’s not, then fix it! You’re countering well. Shall we speed it up a bit?"
Kakakakakang!
Before they knew it, a crowd had gathered.
Not just priests and Holy Knights, but even Abella, who had been tending to the wounded, was watching.
But Ian had no time to be conscious of their gazes or murmurs.
Gailgron was relentless.
"Good dynamic vision. Excellent reflexes!"
Kakakakang!
"And your swordsmanship—well, I don’t see much to criticize."
Gailgron suddenly pulled back.
Ian felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
Even though he was reading Gailgron’s movements with Precognitive Vision, keeping up was exhausting.
Not only did Gailgron seamlessly shift his attack angles in midair, but each strike carried immense weight.
"Hmm, I don’t think there’s much for me to correct. You must have a lot of experience—you adapt well to unexpected changes. Your natural strength and agility are also outstanding. You have great potential. It’s hard to believe you were once called a delinquent…"
"Thank you."
"You can take pride in it. You may not have a god-given talent, but you’re good enough to be called a genius. But…"
Gailgron tilted his head.
"That sword style you mixed in here and there—what is it? It doesn’t seem like Bane of Evil."
"I modeled and refined a swordsmanship originally used by demonic beasts."
"Modeled? Refined? By yourself?"
Of course, Abella and others had provided advice, but he couldn’t say that.
"It’s remarkably polished… Show me again."
Ian demonstrated the Bloodied Claw technique to Gailgron.
A sharp slicing sound cut through the air, accompanied by the ring of clashing metal.
The moment Ian created distance, his sword shot forward like a spear, aiming for Gailgron’s forehead.
Sweeaaak!
"Oh-ho. This is quite useful, isn’t it? So, this is how it works?"
"……!"
"How do you control your mana with it? I think I have a rough idea, but why don’t you explain? Don’t worry, I won’t leak it. Actually, never mind. I think I can figure it out by watching a few more times. Here I come again."
Whether Ian agreed or not didn’t matter. Gailgron was outright leading him to use a specific technique.
"Aha, so this is it. It’s not as complicated as I thought. By triggering mana repulsion and impact at the right moment… you pull and push simultaneously."
Kaang!
"Like this. Am I right?"
Ian felt a chill run down his spine.
With just a few observations, Gailgron had already grasped the principle behind Bloodied Claw’s most practical technique—Heavenly Revolve—and even replicated it.
Ian couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle.
Gailgron muttered with fascination.
"Let’s see a little more, shall we?"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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