I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess-Chapter 93: Pursuit (2)

Chapter 93: Pursuit (2)

There are many ways for a human to become stronger.

The most well-known are the four categories: martial arts represented by the sword, magic, divine power, and supernatural abilities.

You’d sometimes hear the names of shamans or spirit summoners said to live in the remote corners of the continent, but they were so rare they weren’t worth mentioning.

In all likelihood, they were only briefly referenced in the original story and not properly developed—probably a way to keep them from having much influence.

In the case of a swordsman, there were two commonly recognized “walls” considered as limits.

The first was the realm of enhancing one’s physical abilities through mana. The second was reaching the level of a Swordmaster, someone who could wield sword aura.

The first one was a bit vague to even be considered a proper wall, but with the Swordmaster realm, there was a clear and undeniable threshold.

In the Empire, the term “master-level warrior” was used based on whether or not someone had reached Swordmaster status.

Each of those individuals possessed enough power to tip the scales of national strength on their own, so even their smallest movements became matters of public interest.

Sirien rested her chin on her hand and spoke.

“Lately, all anyone in the capital talks about is Sir Revan.”

By now, the streets of Edelmarion felt familiar.

We had just finished our business at the Hall of the Gods and were waiting for Isha to join us at the agreed-upon shop.

While spending time in the city, you inevitably caught bits and pieces of conversation.

Right now, the hot topic in Edelmarion was all about Sir Revan.

“He’s the ‘Miracle Swordmaster,’ after all. I guess people see something special in him? They say his sword aura sparkles like a bright white light.”

“Hard to tell just from talk. Doesn’t that white light also show up in the sword aura of the Holy Knights of Asirel?”

“Well, I haven’t seen it myself either. How would I know, when he’s holed up saying he’s dedicating himself to training? That’s just what the rumors say.”

Revan Hintz— the knight who reached Swordmaster status before me, through a so-called “miracle.”

I’d heard that his striking appearance and radiant sword aura left a lasting impression.

He wasn’t even a Holy Knight, and yet his sword aura glowed that brightly.

Usually, when one becomes a Swordmaster through a miracle, their sword aura reflects the emotions or values they held at the moment of awakening.

But what kind of emotion does “light” represent? I couldn’t quite grasp it.

Was he some kind of noble idealist?

It was impossible to say without meeting him in person.

The white wine in Sirien’s glass disappeared with a gulp.

One glass a day—this was the drink she had won after much debate and negotiation.

Since we agreed on it, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to let her enjoy that much.

“What do you think, Razen? Not other people, but you. Do you think he’s really that amazing like the rumors say?”

“I’m not sure. At the very least, the part about him being handsome is probably true. As for the rest... it feels like bias more than fact.”

“Looks are the least reliable thing to trust. Most people have terrible taste, honestly.”

Now that was probably the most misguided bias of all.

Objectively speaking, Sirien’s taste could be... a little twisted.

—No, wait.

We’d already agreed not to question her on appearance-related matters.

She’s the expert when it comes to looks. So if she says I’m handsome, then I must be.

Anyway, setting aside everything else, it was hard to shake the tag of “half-baked Swordmaster.”

Even if Sir Revan had the skills to match his title, it was generally accepted that he lagged behind those who advanced through the traditional route.

Perhaps that fact seriously bothered him.

Sir Revan was the Empire’s only “inactive Swordmaster.”

All other Swordmasters in the Empire held key positions or were stationed at borders and high-risk zones.

Sir Revan alone remained in his territory, focused solely on his training.

This round of gossip wasn’t because he had suddenly taken action or completed his training

He was still doing absolutely nothing.

He hadn’t caused any trouble, so he was probably off swinging his sword somewhere in peace.

So then why was everyone in the capital talking about Sir Revan?

I had no idea either.

Maybe some noble’s daughter happened to catch a glimpse of him.

That’s just how gossip worked in Edelmarion—completely random topics flared up with excitement, only to cool off just as quickly.

Chasing after every rumor floating around the capital was one of the most exhausting things you could do.

“By the way, you’re really focused on that book. Is it that interesting?”

“I’ve always been a diligent reader.”

“Doesn’t look like just ‘diligence’ to me. You haven’t looked away once.”

“I’m just... in a scholarly mood, that’s all.”

As I turned my attention to the book, Sirien quietly closed hers.

Her gaze felt strangely sharp, and her cheeks seemed a bit more flushed than usual. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Was it the wine? It wasn’t that strong of a drink.

Her pretty, crimson eyes subtly scanned me. Then her soft voice let out a tiny cough.

“Ugh. I’m doomed. You just had to bring up books, Razen. Now I can’t concentrate.”

“Can’t you just open it again and keep reading?”

“Once I close a book, I don’t open it again until I feel like it.”

“Well then… since you’re not reading it, maybe I could take a look—”

“Th-that’s not allowed!”

Sirien snatched the closed book into her arms and hugged it tightly.

It was the first time I’d seen such a reaction from her. I just stared in silence, and she flailed her arms, flustered, blurting out words.

“I-I mean… I’m planning to summarize it and explain it to you later! That’s part of the fun for me—telling you about the books I read. And when I organize my thoughts like that, it helps me study, too. But if you read it now, it kind of ruins everything!”

“Ah, uh… yeah. Okay.”

“Ahem. So just leave this one to me. I’ll read it thoroughly and tell you all about it later. You better look forward to it.”

I think I saw the corners of Sirien’s lips curl up into a smug little smile, but for some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t point it out.

Call it instinct rather than insight.

A kind of inner alarm was going off inside me, warning me not to push it.

And honestly, my instincts had never failed me in these situations—so I decided to trust them once again.

“Ah, isn’t that Isha over there?”

“She finally made it. Welcome.”

****

After Count Eshk’s funeral, Isha had been tailing Baron Eclan.

In the worst way possible, Baron Eclan was the textbook definition of a brute.

He relied on muscle over mind, acted openly on his desires, and indulged in luxury and pleasure without shame.

Yet, at the same time, he didn’t trust others.

Whenever something important came up, he had to handle it himself or it didn’t sit right with him.

“Which honestly made things easier for me. There’s only so much you can do when someone’s cautious, but if the baron digs the hole himself, I don’t have to.”

It seemed that going after Baron Eclan had been the right move.

Come to think of it, when we saw Count Eloran in Count Eshk’s domain, he didn’t acknowledge the baron at all.

It probably meant they couldn’t afford to show familiarity in public.

And, just as expected, Baron Eclan’s actions were full of red flags.

“He gave a really weird order. He told someone to buy clothes and toys that looked like they were meant for a child. There were even snacks on the list.”

“Does Baron Eclan have any children?”

“He has two illegitimate kids. My dad told me, so I’m sure about that. But the baron doesn’t acknowledge either of them, so it wouldn’t be for them.”

That could’ve gone in a really strange direction.

Nobles having messy personal lives wasn’t exactly news.

If what the baron was hiding turned out to be something shameful, I really didn’t want to know.

Some things just made you feel worse the more you knew.

“It looked like clothes for a boy. Around ten years old, I’d say? A bit smaller than my size. And the snacks were all sweets that little kids would love.”

“That’s a bias. Sweet stuff is universally loved by people of all ages.”

“…Huh?”

Isha and I both turned to stare at Sirien.

She puffed out her chest like she’d said something perfectly normal, but quickly shrank under the pressure and bowed her head.

“Never mind… Just keep going.”

“What about the gifts? Was it a bunch of different things, or lots of the same thing the kid might like?”

“Oh, right! You can actually tell a lot from that kind of detail. It felt more like he didn’t know what the kid liked, so he just stuffed everything in.”

Isha nodded to herself.

“Now that I think about it, it didn’t feel like he was being thoughtful at all. Like, remember the last festival when you were picking a gift for Sirien? You spent the whole day trying to find the right one.”

“Huh? Razen did that?”

“Yeah. He went to every single stall, carefully checking each one. I got pulled in to help too, so I saw it. The scarf you always wear? That’s what he bought that day.”

“Heheh… Really? You thought that hard about it?”

Sirien beamed, giggling.

It wasn’t even anything embarrassing, but for some reason, I suddenly felt self-conscious.

I could feel her watching me with a soft, almost teasing look.

If I met her gaze now, she’d definitely start teasing me. I did my best to dodge her eyes.

The scarf I gave her had become one of her most treasured items.

She didn’t wear it all the time, but she said she kept it safe in case something happened.

She didn’t want to risk it getting damaged.

It was basically being treated like a sacred artifact, even more valuable than the Church’s own holy garments.

Would it be heresy to say Hibras’ authority had been dethroned?

“Once Baron Eclan finished his preparations, he went to the Northern Mountains. He didn’t take many attendants with him, but the strange thing is—he didn’t even bring a knight. Aren’t the Northern Mountains pretty dangerous right now?”

“He must have something to rely on. Either his own skills, or some kind of support.”

“If he was really that powerful, people would’ve heard of him by now. These days, people are scarier than monsters.”

If Nezra was controlling the beasts, then Baron Eclan wouldn’t be in danger from them.

And with suspicions growing ever clearer, Isha finally delivered a solid lead.

“Honestly, I wanted to keep tracking him longer… but it felt too dangerous. If he really met a demon, they’d be way stronger than me. I wasn’t confident I could make it out.”

“You made the right call. Knowing when to step back is a skill, too.”

“Thanks. Still, I did find out something. This wasn’t the first time Baron Eclan went on a shopping spree like that. It looks like he’s been doing it regularly, about once a week.”

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