Chapter 296 – The Desert Princess and the Sword Master #3

The drake that attacked us was neatly dealt with by the power of OPG.
Count Harold and his soldiers were relieved to see me, but the combat situation was not yet over.
As we went deeper into the meadow, every drake we encountered went insane and tried to eat people.

[Kurrrr!!]

Two drakes charged towards the Count’s escort.
I quickly froze the ground by hitting the floor with the [Quick Freeze] Quarterstaff.
The drakes, who had been charging fiercely, stepped on the ground that had become icy and rolled on the floor because they could not overcome the frictional force.

“Now! Deal with the drakes!”

Rebecca and Kate attack Drake with the Count’s soldiers.
Drake’s leather was very tough, but in front of Rebecca, who raised her aura, it was only cut mercilessly.

“Father in heaven, protect us.”

The dying drakes made a last resort, but the lives of the soldiers were not in danger.
The moment the thick tail, like a weapon, was swung, the barrier was overlaid with good timing.
The barrier composed of divine power was undoubtedly the work of Kate.

“They’re monster experts.”
“As expected, the adventurers of Galarhorn make sure to pay for their money.”

The soldiers soon showed their trust in me and my lovers.
In the series of battles with the Drakes that followed, they were able to finish the battle without much damage.

It may be because I became stronger thanks to OPG, but I cannot ignore the performance of Rebecca and Kate.
Because they were talented enough to be treated as heroes no matter what group they belonged to.

Was it when he had already defeated more than ten Drakes?
Count Harold, who was escorted by soldiers, suddenly spoke to me.

“Luke. Do you know why the drakes attack us? These guys must be gentle monsters that don’t attack normal people.”
“Let’s analyze the cause.”

Even if you don’t have to point it out, everyone feels strange. All the drakes in the Amgur Steppe had lost their taste. Everyone seems to be in a bad state with saliva dripping from their mouths, as if they were drinking cannabis for dragons.

I immediately stopped and checked Drake’s body.
However, looking at the appearance alone cannot determine the cause. Even if I say that the monsters seem to be on drugs, there is no proper evidence, right? It’s not like you can do a blood test here.

It would be more accurate to entrust the analysis request to Delia’s laboratory.
It’s better than just talking nonsense here for no reason.

“I don’t have enough equipment to analyze it right now. I’ll ask the magicians of Ninggard to analyze why the drakes are frenzied.”
“Are you talking about the rune mages? You have connections with Ninggard? I know they are a group of wise men who rarely interact with the people of the world.”
“Because I’m the same Rune Mage. I happened to know them. You can take a sample of the corpse with you when you go back.”
“Thank you! The mages of Ninggard are trustworthy.”

When I said that I had a connection with Ninggard, Earl Harold responded with a feeling of relief. To the people of the world, Ninggard is recognized as ‘a reclusive but most prestigious organization of wizards on the continent’.

I asked Count Harold what I was curious about.

“By the way, is the delegation coming from Jakarta okay? There are high-ranking monsters the size of a drake going wild in the grasslands.
“Heh heh. That’s true. If there’s a problem with the princess over there, I’ll just go away. In the worst case, diplomatic ties will be severed, so I might have to take responsibility. The royal family will try to punish me personally.”

Even though he said he would be punished, Earl Harold was surprisingly pleasant. He was a know-it-all who would rather joke than pretend to be unnoblely solemn.

However, to joke about this situation meant that there was a corner to believe in.
If the princess was really in a situation where she would die, she would have been angry right now.

“But there is no need to worry. I checked the list of envoys and found that Princess Selma has a strong escort. She is a knight who has reached the level of a sword master. There is no warrior with that level of skill in our kingdom.”

Is the princess’ escort a sword master?
It was only then that I realized why Count Harold could joke like a manager at a drinking party. If it was a sword master, it was the ultimate state that unmanned people could reach. It can be seen as being treated as a nuclear weapon in another world. I said everything because he said he was a strong man who could fight the army alone and win.

No matter how advanced the monster was, it was just a piece of meat in front of the sword master.
The delegation from Jakarta will be traveling in peace.

‘Are you the sword master of Jakarta? She’s heard of it from Rebecca before.’

I asked Count Harold the name of the sword master and looked back at my memory.

“What’s the name of that sword master?”
“They say it’s Pamela Sharma. She’s in charge of the head of the Royal Guard in Jakarta. If you happen to meet her, be respectful. A sword master is no different from a living legend as a warrior.”

Pamela.
Apparently Rebecca’s teacher’s name was Pamela.
Did she say that she is the guardian deity of Jakarta who has lived for over a hundred years? She was told that she was a person with great aspirations in nurturing her apprentice who would inherit her swordsmanship.

‘She was the one who wanted Rebecca to come back to her hometown,’ she said.

Last winter, Rebecca and I met some of Pamela’s students who had smuggled over from Jakarta.
At that time, Pamela’s disciples conveyed the Master’s will to us.
It’s about making a bet on Rebecca’s homecoming.

If Rebecca becomes a first-class drone within this year, she may not have to return to her hometown.
But if she can’t become a first-class drone, Pamela will take Rebecca back to her hometown herself.

Looking back, it was a tricky bet.
Within this year, she will become a first-class unmanned. What kind of nonsense is that! Aura Blade isn’t even a dog’s name. If enlightenment is so easy, I’ll become a soldier as a side job right away! It’s absolutely impossible, so I’m just talking about magic.

‘Was the bet until this winter? There are about 8 months left.’

Even considering Rebecca’s rapid growth rate, it was impossible to win the bet.
It would be better to take this opportunity to meet Pamela in person and examine it. Please cancel the bet because the conditions are so unfair.

I could have my whole body slaughtered after arguing with the sword master, but I couldn’t stand the absurdity. I’d rather die than send Rebecca back to her hometown.

The words long distance dating and goose dad don’t exist in my dictionary.

“Rebecca, did you just hear? Your master is among the envoys.”
“Huh… I didn’t know Master would be coming.”

Rebecca, who has good hearing, had no choice but to listen to the conversation between Count Harold and me even though she didn’t want to. I approached Rebecca and examined her complexion. Rebecca put on a puzzled expression when she realized that she had met her childhood friend, the princess, and even her teacher.

“It was better.”
“What’s good?”
“You know, your teacher made a bet the other day. Didn’t he say that if you didn’t become a first-class fighter by the end of this year, he would take you back to your hometown?
“Could that be…? Our master is stubborn and hates repeating what he said.”
“Just trust me.”

I haven’t come up with a specific way to convince him, but I’ll push through. As I stepped out confidently, Rebecca nodded with a determined expression. If our couple talk at the same time, there will be no opponent they can’t win.

Finally, time passed and we arrived at the place we had promised to meet with the delegation.
As I tied my horse and waited, there were people who appeared from afar.

“It’s an envoy! I see the flag of Jakarta!’

Jakartans in exotic attire approached us. The Jakartans advancing in the lead were clearly visible as they were holding a flag. Fortunately, none of them seemed to have been hurt by Drake.

‘Everyone looks fine.’

Even though it is a dangerous area where monsters are rampaging, it looks bizarrely intact.

“Prepare to greet Princess Selma.”

It was while Count Harold was giving instructions to Hogan and his men.
The moment I thought it was time to join the delegation and hold a welcome ceremony of joy, an unpleasant cry rang from the other side of the meadow.

[Kurururrrr!!]
[Kurrrr!!!]

As expected, the drakes appeared around the delegation as they had been waiting for. Because of the distance, we can’t attack them right now. I heard Earl Harold’s panicked voice.

“Why are there so many drakes? Didn’t they come in droves from the habitat?”
“Count Harold! The scale of the monsters is unusual!”

The number of drakes that could be seen with the naked eye from a distance was about 30.
It was on a different level from the case where one or two had popped up so far.

“Luke! Protect the delegation with magic!”
“All right.”

I quickly cast a spell to snipe the drakes. However, although they prepared, there was no need to materialize mana energy in the form of magic. Because the drakes started being slaughtered before they could cast their magic.

Shall I be more specific?
The drakes swarming in the meadow were ‘split in half’ in an instant.
A terrifying situation reminiscent of an instant death cheat was unfolding in front of my eyes.

“Me-what is that!”
“Is this a magic weapon developed in Jakarta?

A 30m long lightsaber suddenly rose from the place where the delegation was and swept horizontally across the meadow.
The incredibly large lightsaber slashed the drakes in one fell swoop.

Chaaaaa!!!!

The drakes, whose heads and bodies were separated, stopped charging and stopped breathing on the spot.
A fountain of blood gushed out from the cut surface and dyed the whole meadow red.
While the soldiers were making a fuss, I calmly looked at the lightsaber.

And I finally realized
That incredibly large lightsaber is an assembly of Aura Blades! A blade-sized Aura Blade is scary enough, but it has grown to the length of a 10-story building!

“Is that possible…?”

Rebecca, who was by her side, broke into a cold sweat and opened her mouth.

“If you’re a sword master, it’s possible! That’s Master’s technique called ‘Hell’s Demon Sword’! It’s named so because it splits even the demons of Hell in half.”
“Oh my god…! You really use that technical name?”
“Actually, it’s an unofficial name among my students! There’s no such thing as an official technical name. There’s no way to openly use such a cheesy name.”

Thanks to Rebecca, he even learned the technical name of the lightsaber.

Is it a hell yam too!
What a terrible and terrifying swordsmanship!

As the lightsaber swept past, the meadow instantly became peaceful.
The drakes were completely wiped out.

The delegation came close to us as if nothing had happened.
Of course, the lightsaber disappeared neatly before it approached.
The Jakarta Sword Master destroyed the Aura Blade.

Swordmaster Pamela came up to us and greeted us first.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Pamela. She is in charge of escorting Princess Selma. Are you the ones who came from the North to greet the delegation?”