"Uh, he's opening his eyes?"
"Hey, young man, are you all right?"
A lake in the forest sparkling with sunlight.
Karyl, having opened his eyes, posed the question to the fishermen gazing at him with a mix of worry and doubt.
"Where... is this place?"
"Lake Morria."
"A person suddenly popped up in the middle of the lake. Gave us quite the scare."
Lake Morria lay in Vardia Empire territory, roughly thirty kilometers east of the fortress.
The underground waterway he'd emerged into after passing through the sewer grate had been a fast-flowing torrent.
Short of breath, he'd lost consciousness midway, apparently drifting all the way here along the current.
'Managed not to die somehow.'
It had truly been an incredible night.
He'd set out to night raid the imperial army, only to clash with Cavalier—his nemesis from his previous life—then leaped into a well to escape an explosion, and ended up discovering the Sword Saint's tomb.
'Not the All God, but at least the goddess of luck is on my side... Wait, what?'
Yet his body felt strangely refreshed.
No injuries despite being swept so far by that raging current.
Even the wounds from his fight with Cavalier had healed perfectly.
'Was there potion mixed in the water pouring from the tomb?'
Nothing else explained it.
"Hey, young man, I don't know what you've been up to, but it's dangerous—how about putting that sword away now?"
At the old fisherman's remark, Karyl finally noticed the sword gripped in his hand.
It was the sword from Rolan's coffin.
He must have clung to it tightly even while drifting unconscious.
'Expected a Holy Sword...'
He couldn't help thinking the goddess of luck might only be half on his side.
"Thank you. I'll repay this kindness when the opportunity arises."
Karyl bowed to the fishermen and hurriedly departed.
If they discovered he was a mercenary from an enemy nation, his life would be in jeopardy.
A few of the fishermen were already whispering suspiciously about how shady he looked or how much the bounty was for capturing deserters.
Leaving the lakeshore behind, Karyl quickened his pace toward Valua Kingdom.
To evade any potential pursuit, he cut through the forest rather than sticking to the roads.
-...hear my voice...
A faint voice reached him as he pressed on.
'Huh?'
Karyl hurriedly scanned his surroundings, but no one was there.
'Hallucinating from hunger.'
Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten anything since the previous night.
Just as he dismissed it as his imagination, a clearer voice rang out.
-Do you hear my voice? Please respond if you do.
Standing still and focusing, he realized the voice wasn't entering through his ears—it was resonating directly in his mind.
Karyl checked his surroundings once more before cautiously replying.
"Who are you?"
-You can finally hear me. It's been 500 years, 28 days, 17 hours, 22 minutes, and 15 seconds since I last spoke with a human.
A voice as clear and pure as a temple choir, yet curt and businesslike.
"Are you a mage by any chance?"
There was a spell called Messenger Magic that transmitted voices telepathically over short distances.
Assuming some eccentric hermit mage in the woods had spotted him and was playing a prank, Karyl inwardly grimaced.
'Damn, I can't stand mages.'
Large mercenary companies employed mages, and the Leviathan Mercenary Corps was no exception.
Karyl had encountered the mages in his unit before.
Most were arrogant, treating regular mercenaries like less than dirt under their nails.
Moreover, he'd had a bad experience with a mage in his childhood, so he preferred to avoid them whenever possible.
-I am Angelica, the one in your hand.
"Angelica? That's the name of the Holy Sword... Huh? You mean you're really the Holy Sword?"
Startled, Karyl examined the sword he'd sheathed, rejecting the claim.
"...No way? The Holy Sword I saw didn't look like this!"
-It seems you've seen an illustration of me from the past. But I am indeed the Holy Sword Angelica. My form can change slightly to suit the tastes or swordsmanship style of my resonant.
"Then transform into your original shape."
-Divine Weapons can only change form when with their resonant. I cannot violate the rules.
"Rules?"
-In truth, conversing with anyone other than my resonant is also a rules violation. These rules were established by the All God when the Divine Weapons were sent to the mortal realm after the God-Devil War...
Rules this, All God that.
Karyl scowled as the self-proclaimed Holy Sword chattered on.
"Hey, mage. Cut the jokes. I'm a busy man, and my nerves are frayed after barely escaping death!"
-Hah, so distrustful. I suppose I'll have to prove it.
Prove it? Prove what?
As Karyl wore a dubious expression,
Wooooong!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A sword emitting light and vibrating on its own?
Impossible without it being a magic weapon with an ego—even in death, one couldn't do that.
And while similar to magic weapons, a level above were the transcendent Divine Weapons.
Before his regression, as the Divine Weapon conflicts intensified, information about them had leaked into the world.
Among it: Divine Weapons possessed egos, chose their own resonants, and could converse.
There were also tales of them protecting resonants with Holy Spirit Armor during battle and transforming into primordial forms.
"You're really the Holy Sword? But I'm not even a resonant—how can we converse?"
-That's precisely why it's a rules violation. I had something to confirm, however, so I had no choice but to break it.
"Confirm what?"
Angelica's next words made Karyl flinch.
-This is our first meeting. Yet curiously, I see a wavelength I left—a sort of scar—on your soul.
'No way...?'
Right before his regression, Karyl had been impaled by the Holy Sword wielded by Hakan.
Was that wound lingering on his soul what drew Angelica's attention?
"Curious why? Want to know?"
-Issues related to me must be resolved or explained for my peace of mind.
"Fine. In exchange for telling you the secret, choose me as your resonant."
-I reject such a transaction. I cannot select a resonant while ignoring qualifications. That would be a greater violation than healing you just to converse.
He'd wondered why his wounds were fully healed despite the underground torrent—turns out it was thanks to Angelica's rule-breaking.
Karyl didn't give up and kept pressing her.
"Come on, just choose me. Then all the violated rules get resolved too, right?"
-I refuse. I cannot allow the unqualified to wield my powers.
"Hah, qualifications? Whaaat〜?"
Karyl was dumbfounded.
He'd seen exactly who Angelica had chosen as her resonant before his regression.
"What even are these 'qualifications'? Running a backdoor loan shark racket? Using debtors as human shields or selling them off to brothels?"
All things Hakan had done.
-What on earth are you talking about?
"I know one Divine Weapon resonant real well. Strutted around like a hero, then panicked and shit his pants at a hysterical elf spinster's self-destruct."
-I can't fathom which Divine Weapon chose such a person, but I certainly wouldn't.
'She did, you fool!'
Karyl nearly blurted it out.
But he held back.
To negotiate with Angelica, he couldn't just give away what she wanted to know.
"Then tell me what it takes to qualify as a resonant. How do I earn your choice?"
-That's a secret.
"Fuck, why make it a secret! You're not even giving me a chance? There are no qualifications anyway, right? You just pick whoever catches your fancy? Isn't that it?"
Fuming, Karyl laid into Angelica.
She fell silent for a moment before responding.
-I understand your frustration. But resonant qualifications cannot be obtained through bargaining or pleading.
"Tch, no deal then? Then why even talk to me!"
Up and down she went.
Dejected, Karyl pondered what to do with the Holy Sword.
Deep down, he wanted to become her resonant.
Maybe pestering her would yield some hint?
'The problem is those who'll come hunting for the Holy Sword.'
Hakan, who knew about the Sword Saint's tomb beneath the fortress.
And by now, the Vardia Empire and Valua Kingdom who likely knew as well.
They wouldn't let a Divine Weapon go easily.
They'd search and pursue relentlessly, eventually uncovering his trail.
And an Aura Impotent like him would be effortlessly slain.
"Yeah, if I can't use it, no one can. Kekeke!"
Wasn't that the original plan anyway?
To stop Hakan from claiming the Holy Sword and becoming Mercenary King.
To that end, Karyl approached a nearby river and chucked the sword in.
"Someone'll fish it out when the river runs dry. Whether in a hundred years or a thousand, who knows."
Grinning maniacally, Karyl turned on his heel.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Like most people, Karyl had been profoundly shaped in childhood by his father's teachings.
"Remember this, son. Excessive treasure brings calamity. Even famed powerhouses have been ruined by treasures beyond their station."
"But Dad, then why'd you hide gold coins under the floorboards?"
"Ahem, one or two gold coins hardly count as treasure. That's just emergency funds for dire straits..."
"Can I tell Mom then?"
"Hey!"
Thwack!
Punched by his father's fist, Karyl got a lump on his head.
"Ow ow... Why'd you hit me?"
"Remember this, son. A man sometimes has top-secret matters he keeps even from family."
"But Mom already heard."
"Wh-what!"
Father paled and whipped around.
Standing at the doorway was Mother, fresh from doing laundry by the stream, clutching her laundry bat like a ferocious ogre.
Her appearance was straight out of her mercenary days, when she'd earned the nickname 'Pot Breaker.'
"Sigh... No wonder the accounts never matched. Hiding money behind my back."
"D-dear, it's not like that..."
"No excuses! You stashed it for gambling and booze!"
That day, Father took a thorough beating from Mother.
Through Father's noble sacrifice, Karyl learned a vital lesson: wealth beyond one's means invites disaster.
'Yeah, it's a shame, but discarding it is the right call.'
Suppressing his regret as he walked on after tossing the Holy Sword, Karyl steeled himself.
If he'd had Hakan's power, even as a non-resonant, getting the Holy Sword would've thrilled him to no end.
Thrilled? He'd have danced naked for three days and nights.
But he was just a skilled swordsman—an Aura Incapable who couldn't wield aura.
To him, holding a Holy Sword would be nothing more than a pearl necklace on a pig.
'Wonder how Mom's doing.'
Karyl suddenly thought of his mother back in their hometown.
Having regressed ten years, she should be younger and more vigorous than when he'd last seen her.
His mother, Camilla, was a sturdy amazon stronger than Father.
She'd once beaten down orcs raiding the village with her bare fists.
'And that's not aura, just natural talent...'
Thanks to her blood, Karyl was strong himself.
But he was grateful to take after Father's looks.
Black hair, sharp features.
A slim jawline and fair skin made him one of the few handsome faces amid the burly mercenaries.
Of course, he'd never dare say he was glad not to resemble Mom—she'd go full berserk if he did.
'If I told her I died and regressed, what would she say?'
Call him crazy and smack his head? Or whip his back and tell him to live his second life right?
"Huh, the sun's already setting. Guess I'll rest here tonight."
Starved all day and exhausted from marching through the forest, Karyl decided to bed down early.
A suitable rock cave caught his eye, so he entered—only to come face-to-face with three goblins inside.
"Kyaaak! Human!"
"Exterminate! Kill!"
The startled goblins snatched up their weapons, but Karyl reacted faster.
He drew his sword from its scabbard and cleaved their necks in one fluid motion.
-A remarkably clean iaijutsu draw. Excellent work.
"This is nothing... Waaah!"
Karyl replied without thinking, then startled dropped the sword in his hand.
It was the one he'd habitually drawn from his waist.
The Holy Sword.
He'd definitely thrown it into the river earlier that day—how had it returned to his scabbard?!
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