I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

67 – 067. The Ismael Subjugation War (5)

*Kugugugu….*

“Strange.”

Friedrich, standing before the barrier, stroked his chin.

It was as if he were speaking to himself, a low mutter. He truly found this phenomenon strange.

“What’s so strange?”

Standing before the barrier, in front of her makeshift hut where she was training with her sword, Cheon Hwayoung asked.

“Think about it. How has a month passed, without a single reaction…?”

“Don’t tell me you think Brother Frey might be dead?!”

“No. Of course not. If our brother had died, this barrier wouldn’t be this still, I’m sure.”

Friedrich stroked his chin again.

His beard, grown in the past month, felt rough, awkward. That’s how much time had passed.

“Absolutely.”

What Crown Prince Friedrich found strange wasn’t just the meaningless passage of time.

A month. A reasonably long month had passed. Yet, the current situation was utterly baffling.

‘The Imperial family… His Imperial Majesty hasn’t replied to any letters. Neither has the famed Mage Tower, nor the Papal See, or even the nobles in the area.’

How could he not feel something was amiss?

The ‘barrier’ and ‘demon race’ incident that had occurred at this western border was, in Friedrich’s eyes, a grave matter. Naturally, a powerful enemy that required the cooperation of not just the empire, but the whole world, had been born.

But there was a problem.

To enter the barrier, one needs to be at least a 6th-tier master. That’s why he, along with Ariel and Cheon Hwa-young, are stuck here twiddling their thumbs.

If that’s the case…

‘It’s as if… the world has forgotten about this incident.’

The organization called the subjugation force hasn’t produced a single result and has been dragging its feet.

Naturally, it should have been a matter of dispatching knights or mages with more powerful abilities, at least 6th-tier or higher.

‘But, everyone in the world is indifferent. On top of that, how is it that even the Magic Tower, which lost a precious disciple, remains silent?’

The Magic Tower is an organization that boasts such strong ties that even the deep-rooted knightly orders look adorable in comparison. Yet, several mages belonging to the Magic Tower have died, and no follow-up measures have been taken.

“This… doesn’t it feel like an unseen force has just severed their consciousness?”

This is Friedrich, who becomes a playful younger brother only when standing before Frey. Yet, he is of noble birth, renowned throughout the entire empire.

In the latter half of ＜Silver Ring＞, the fact that he, who ascended to the throne, is called a ‘wise ruler’ wasn’t a title won by mere luck. His insight surpasses that of the average person by a vast margin.

“…….”

With a swift turn of his gaze, Friedrich looked at Ariel. She had been learning to knit since Frey went beyond the barrier.

“I, too, think it’s strange,”

Ariel said, awkwardly smiling, as she met Friedrich’s gaze.

Friedrich, Ariel, and Cheon Hwa-young had settled down in front of this barrier. Since they didn’t feel the need to return to their everyday lives, Friedrich had used his personal funds to build three neat cottages.

“It’s like… we’re the only ones fighting against the world… you know?”

“Saintess-nim….”

This strange sense of unease wasn’t something only Friedrich felt.

“That’s right! It feels like other people have even forgotten the existence of this barrier!”

Following Ariel, Cheon Hwa-young also cried out sharply.

“Something… I don’t know why, but it gives me the chills.”

Realizing the nature of the strange unease, Friedrich stroked his arm.

It felt like they, too, had forgotten and let time pass. Just like how the world was forgetting the barrier, Friedrich also felt like his mind was becoming hazy.

*Swish!*

Friedrich swallowed hard and took a short staff from his chest.

Friedrich had learned mana and magic since childhood. His beloved staff soon revealed its beautiful form.

And then.

*Whack!*

He swung the staff like a switch. He struck his own arm with all his strength, leaving behind a red mark where blood began to well up.

“H-Have you finally gone crazy?!”

“Wha, wha… what the…?”

Ariel and Cheon Hwa-young, watching the spectacle, gaped. There was no way they could understand his sudden act of self-harm!

“I have realized it.”

“Realized… what?”

“The flow of the world. It is denying the existence of that barrier.”

“Flow? Denying?”

It was all incomprehensible. Not only the usually boisterous Cheon Hwa-young, but even the composed Ariel couldn’t close her mouth.

“Isn’t it strange? Why were we just idly spending our time here? We can’t even imagine what those three people who went inside are going through, yet we were just passing peaceful days?”

“…!”

“…Huh?”

Ariel and Cheon Hwa-young also suddenly felt a sense of unease.

…That’s right. Recently, they had been spending dull days as if they were bewitched by something.

Frey.

They had even forgotten the existence of the one person who was their center.

Swoosh…

Friedrich, having summoned mana, strode forward. His staff was overflowing with surging energy. If he were to swing it now, it would probably unleash power greater than most siege weapons.

And then.

CRACK—!!

He headed toward the makeshift cabin… and slammed his staff down. Instantly, the neat cabin collapsed in a heap. It was a scene that made him look like one of those barbarian warriors from the north, rather than a mage.

“Huff! Haaa!”

Why?

He realized his breathing had grown ragged.

Rumble, rumble…

Behind him, the green barrier, as if displeased by the situation, produced a bizarre noise.

* * *

Rumble, rumble…

“Ah! I see the city over there!”

The relocation, which had involved gathering the survivors, had come to an end.

Over the course of roughly a day, we had dealt with numerous monster attacks.

‘Finally.’

It was as if a foundation for effective ground and water battles had been laid. Indeed, at the edge of my vision, a city boasting a fairly solid rampart came into view.

‘Being a city on the western border, huh. The entire city is surrounded by a wall.’

Even in the original story, when passing by this area, I only vaguely thought that there was a place like this. To think that such a border city would now become a major stronghold.

“Just a little more strength! There’s probably food, water, and some simple weapons inside the city!”

The priestess following us ran eagerly among the people, encouraging them.

The faces of the survivors, who hadn’t mastered mana, were filled with deep fatigue. They hadn’t properly rested and had walked for more than a day, fleeing from the demonic beasts, so it was only natural.

“But…”

“Heh heh! It’s strangely quiet.”

“You felt it too, Elder?”

I was soon able to notice something strange. The city was quiet. No matter how you consider that they were trapped by the barrier, awaiting death, it was still too eerily silent.

“…I will check the situation first.”

“Please do.”

I lowered my head and immediately drew upon my mana. And then, pouring it into my lower body, I used the mysteries of the ‘Heavenly Flow Step’ and ascended onto the city wall.

Thud!

“…Huh?”

And then, an unfamiliar scene came clearly into view.

The city’s scenery was quite different from what it looked like from the outside. People walked around the streets. Occasionally, knights or local soldiers could be seen, and there were even children running around, laughing brightly as if they didn’t know the situation.

Surprisingly. The atmosphere of the street was almost exactly like normal.

“Wait a minute.”

Tilting my head, I soon realized that the entire city was being protected by ‘something.’

‘…Divine power?’

It was like a lid made of divine power.

An invisible, intangible energy covered the entire city in a dome shape. Perhaps it was mixed with a perception-blocking spell, but when viewed from afar, it was a fact that even I and the Sword Demon were unaware of.

Thud thud!

Returning to the group, I explained the situation.

“Heh, heh! Amazing!”

“Unbelievable.”

The Sword Demon and Geum Ha-rin also showed surprised reactions. Being from the Eastern Continent, they seemed quite shocked by the power that ‘divine power’ possessed.

“…That is probably a power that the priests of the Church have deployed.”

“The Church?”

Two priests, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, approached.

Could priests even wield such power? It was something I hadn’t witnessed in all my time at the Vatican.

‘The priests of Silvering… they usually had abilities skewed towards support magic.’

Well, reality is reality, isn’t it?

I turned back once more and gazed at the high castle walls. An involuntary exclamation of admiration escaped me at such a masterpiece of overwhelming divine power.

And so.

We slowly made our way towards the city.

Perhaps they deemed it the situation demanded it. As we’d seen before, there weren’t any soldiers posted on guard atop the walls. I guessed they intended to weather this crisis silently, like mice.

“It’s a barrier created with divine power. It doesn’t push away humans, but it’s a work containing powerful spells to inhibit recognition and provide defense against monsters or demons.”

“A barrier within a barrier, huh? Absurd.”

With the priest’s confident guidance, we entered the city.

Kreeeek… Kreeeek…!!

Opening the city gates was simple. With a swift push of my mana-infused hand, the city’s gates swung wide open with a grating noise.

“W-we’re alive! We’re alive!”

“Hee hee hee… everyone, it’s all thanks to that person!”

It seemed their tension had finally snapped.

The survivors we had brought from the two villages hugged each other, weeping. Startled by the sudden arrival of outsiders, the city folk’s astonished gazes were a bonus.

But then, it happened.

“Halt! Who are you people? Our city is not accepting outsiders at this time!”

A knight with a long mustache approached us, shouting. His voice, almost a bark, was laced with fear.

“What kind of bullshit is this?”

I shot him a glare, laced with annoyance.

Did he not know what was happening outside? Not accepting outsiders?

“It is the Lord’s order! I’ll say it again, our territory is not accepting outsiders at this time! Leave at once!”

“…The Lord’s order?”

My eyes narrowed on their own accord.

The Lord?

I felt the need to have a chat with that madman.