Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The Swordsmanship Genius Who Transcends Through a Pact Chapter 20

“...”

Leaving Larissa behind with her cheeks faintly puffed in what looked like dissatisfaction, I started walking.

Belburg was the heart of the Grand Duchy, and at the very center of Belburg stood the Grand Duke's audience chamber.

I'd already visited once, but seeing it again now felt different.

‘Last time, the pressure crushed me.’

I'd tried my best not to show it, but Luke Vahen had genuinely overwhelmed me.

This time was different.

“It's good to see you again.”

“You've become more casual.”

“You seemed to prefer it this way.”

Luke Vahen didn't answer, merely staring at me for a moment.

The suffocating silence dragged on until Johannes, who had brought me here, began turning pale.

“As expected, young people are entertaining to watch. Every time I see you, you've grown.”

His hearty laughter rang out, and his magical power spread in every direction.

Simply laughing was enough to give his mana tangible form.

A Grand Duke really was a Grand Duke.

“So, do you have any idea why I called you?”

“I assume you wanted to continue the conversation we couldn't finish last time.”

A strong North.

A united North.

It carried a certain dangerous ring to it, but it was probably something the Grand Duke of Vahen wanted as well.

I knew perfectly well that I was still lacking.

But to me, those words had been a declaration.

A declaration that I would stop the massive northern invasion and eliminate one of the apocalypse triggers.

‘Even if the central powers don't like it.’

I couldn't stop.

The train keeps moving even when dogs bark.

“Vahen will not take the lead.”

“That doesn't matter.”

“You don't ask why?”

“Because of the eyes of the central government, I assume.”

It was true that they wouldn't step forward.

But it was also true that they couldn't.

‘And that's probably for the best.’

If a giant like Vahen made too bold a move, the insane Emperor might simply brand the entire North as traitors.

The consequences?

The current Emperor wasn't the kind of man who cared about such things.

His mind was already going, and he had one foot in the grave besides. He certainly wouldn't bother considering the aftermath.

“You've got a decent head on your shoulders too. Yes. If you want the united North you've spoken of, you'll have to create it yourself.”

“I suppose I will.”

“You've done fairly well so far.”

I shrugged at his straightforward praise.

If I couldn't even manage this much, I wouldn't deserve the title of headbutting dinosaur.

“But there are limits to what the second son of a mere baronial family can accomplish.”

“Certainly.”

“No one in the North can casually argue with my words. But anyone in the North can argue with yours.”

There was nothing embarrassing about it.

It was simply the truth.

House Vahen's military strength, combined with Luke's accomplishments.

Both were certainly impressive, but the single greatest reason people couldn't oppose him was that he was a Grand Duke.

‘Which came first doesn't really matter.’

The second son of a baronial house, not even the head of the family.

Compared to Vahen, my position was insignificant.

I might not even inherit anything at all.

My performance at the Subjugation Festival had changed how people looked at me, but it hadn't changed the limits imposed by status.

“If it were entirely up to me, I'd tell you to get engaged to Larissa, but the opinions of the people involved matter most.”

“Uh... That would be far too great an honor for me.”

“Don't tell me you dislike Larissa.”

“No, that's not what I...”

First my brother, and now even the Grand Duke?

I was already sick of this.

“It was a joke. A man of the North shouldn't frighten so easily.”

Apparently amused by my reaction, he let out a short laugh before his expression changed.

“As it happens, a problem has arisen in one of my directly governed territories.”

“What kind of problem?”

At his serious tone, I calmly lifted my head and met his eyes.

His gaze was full of interest, almost as though asking what I would do.

“I've lost contact with the retainers I dispatched to a territory called Brücke.”

Brücke was a city very near Rashid territory.

And the whereabouts of retainers personally dispatched by the grand ducal family had become unknown...

“That's a serious problem.”

“But I'm not in a position to move personally.”

Well, naturally.

House Vahen's workload was enormous.

They practically managed not only their own territory, but the entire North.

And as if that weren't enough, signs of civil war were even appearing in the northeast.

“I'd like to entrust the investigation to you.”

Brücke.

A territory near Rashid lands.

It was practically our immediate neighbor.

But I knew all too well just how important that region was.

‘The actual bridgehead of the massive northern invasion.’

Brücke was a logistical hub connected to multiple northern territories.

At the same time, during the invasion, it became the starting point from which demons attacked numerous cities.

‘That's bad enough, but...’

The instant Brücke fell, Rashid territory right next door would naturally be swept away as well.

The reason Cain Rashid died in the game was also...

‘Yeah. I have to do this.’

This wasn't merely about earning merit.

Lives were at stake.

Mine, and everyone else's too.

“I like how decisive you are. Investigate the truth and bring the matter to a successful conclusion. Depending on your results, you may even be allowed to administer Brücke.”

I simply bowed my head.

Even in its current chaotic state, Brücke was a territory worthy of a count.

It would effectively mean gaining a new title in one stroke.

There was no reason to refuse.

“I will see it through without fail.”

“Ah, and one more thing... That transaction you mentioned. It was settled for far too little compared to its value.”

I slowly followed the Grand Duke's gaze toward Johannes.

Johannes looked flustered at suddenly becoming the focus of attention.

Luke's gaze landed precisely on Winterbane at his waist.

“Winterbane is one of the famed swords passed down through House Vahen. I'll give you compensation befitting its worth.”

When he finished speaking, an attendant approached carrying something.

“This is...”

He held out a book.

The title written across it read <​Berserk - Revised>.

‘A skill book.’

One of the famously rare skill books.

[Berserk - Revised (F)]

[Rank: Rare]

[Description: An ancient spell passed down in the North for generations, later improved by Vahen. When activated, physical abilities increase greatly and mana efficiency rises. Inflicts a mild madness debuff.]

A simple description.

I smiled as I read it.

‘I didn't expect to get this here.’

Normally, this wasn't a skill you could obtain at this point.

You had to satisfy several fairly troublesome conditions first.

You needed high favorability with the North as a whole, along with high affinity ratings with members of House Vahen.

‘I was the one who discovered it in the first place.’

By the time the game began, Larissa Vahen was already active in the central region.

I'd raised her affinity as high as possible and scoured the North looking for some clue that might help prevent the apocalypse.

That was when I discovered this skill.

■ [This skill looks pretty useful, try it lol]

└Look at those insane requirements LMAO

└How the hell did you even find this? Damn

└This guy is just a freak

└Effects are cracked, thanks lol heading over to get it right now

└Holy shit this feels amazing, absolutely delicious with the northern warrior build!

Unlike ordinary Berserk, which boosted physical ability but immediately imposed a heavy debuff, the revised version increased the benefits while reducing the penalty.

‘Technically, it doesn't stray too far from the northern warrior build either.’

The northern warrior crowd had made such a fuss that I'd tried the combination myself.

In the end, Berserk - Revised synergized fairly well with the build.

Cold Heart's resistance to mental effects could minimize the madness debuff, letting you take mostly the physical enhancement.

‘Like I said, it isn't bad.’

But it wasn't exactly a perfect fit either.

The northern warrior build focused on waiting for openings and counterattacking, while this skill suited a more aggressive style.

Naturally, another possibility came to mind.

‘What if I make an entirely different build?’

The skill itself had no real weaknesses, so I'd judged that it could easily serve as a core component.

And one of the many builds I'd created around it was...

‘The Vahen Grand Prince Build.’

Extreme Cold Art, Berserk - Revised, and an aggressive sword art on top of that.

Because the build was nearly impossible to pursue without ties to Vahen, I'd deliberately named it that, and it became fairly popular.

It had even ranked near the top of the build power charts.

Difficult to complete, but extremely powerful once assembled.

‘Another advantage is how many directions the build can take depending on the swordsmanship.’

It was a versatile and efficient build that synergized well with almost any decent sword art.

And I'd already laid some groundwork for learning the swordsmanship I needed.

Thinking that, I slowly raised my head and looked at Luke Vahen.

“Thank you. Something this valuable...”

“As I said, it's appropriate compensation.”

Luke Vahen looked at me with apparent indifference, though one corner of his lips rose slightly.

“So handle this matter properly. I'm expecting great things.”

“Understood. You can count on me.”

I bowed lightly, then slowly left the audience chamber.

Tarian, who had been waiting outside, turned toward me.

“Nothing troublesome this time either?”

“No.”

I casually showed him the skill book.

“We have somewhere to go.”

“...?”

“Brücke.”

A new destination.

Apparently it wasn't what he'd expected, because Tarian tilted his head slightly.

“Aren't we returning to the territory?”

“We'll stop there first, but after that, I plan to leave immediately.”

“Understood. I'll prepare.”

As he'd said, our first destination was still Rashid territory.

While Tarian prepared for the return trip, I went to find Larissa.

“Come with me.”

“Okay.”

Her answer came without hesitation.

She had agreed to grant my requests for a while, but I hadn't expected her to show absolutely no reluctance.

“Are we leaving right away?”

“Ah, yes.”

“I'll prepare.”

With that, Larissa quickly walked away.

I was still staring after her in mild bewilderment when—

“Where are you going?”

“What do you care?”

“If you're going somewhere, take me too!”

“What?”

I sighed at Johannes, who had somehow appeared beside me.

“Why should I?”

“I-I need to compensate you for returning the sword too...”

“I already got that from the Grand Duke.”

“...I want to watch your swordsmanship and learn from it, so I can grow too.”

He hesitated briefly before admitting it.

“Ah, and I can watch Sir Tarian's and Sister's swords too.”

He added the last part belatedly, but the sincerity beneath his awkward expression was obvious enough that I sighed quietly.

“If you come, are you going to listen to what I say?”

“Of course! Who do you take me for?”

“...”

Not exactly reassuring.

I'd had no intention of bringing him originally, but still.

‘Not bad.’

At least I'd gained another useful fighter.