I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

78 – 078. Return (2)

“That our existence was ‘briefly’ erased from the world….”

Guharinn mumbled, her face gaunt. It seemed she still couldn’t grasp the reality of what they’d just been through.

The situation was over.

The Sword Demon’s remains had been handed over to the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Western Continent branch. From what they’d heard, being a respected elder of the Demonic Cult, a grand funeral and memorial service were planned.

“……Haaah.”

So, what were the rest of us, including me, doing?

Resting at an inn in one of the villages that hadn’t been included in the barrier.

“This is fucked.”

“……I agree.”

Guharinn answered my muttering with a blank stare. She probably couldn’t believe it either. That the time inside the barrier Ismael created could have flowed so quickly.

“Frey, really… did time flow slowly inside the barrier?”

“Yeah. Roughly ten days. Around that much time passed.”

“Th-, that’s… a relief, it’s a relief.”

Ariel, sitting on a chair in the inn’s dining area, said.

She’d been teary-eyed ever since she’d seen me. Even someone who didn’t know the situation would feel a pang of sympathy looking at her.

“A relief… is it.”

*Creak*

I said, leaning back in the old wooden chair.

I still couldn’t believe the Sword Demon was dead. His voice, patting my shoulder and offering a cheerful word of encouragement, still echoed in my ears.

“Brother, what… what exactly was the nature of that barrier?”

“Nature, nature you say.”

At Friedrich’s careful question, I tilted my head back, sinking into the chair.

The view of the old inn’s ceiling came into sharp focus. Beams covered in dust, spiderwebs lurking in every corner.

“I can’t give you a definite answer easily. But, I do know one thing.”

“……”

“……?”

Everyone’s gaze turned towards me, sitting in the center.

Perhaps because they were all renowned figures of the continent, I could clearly hear the innkeeper swallowing nervously.

“The gods are not watching us.”

And, within that atmosphere, my bombshell was dropped.

*Flintch!*

“Wh-what… what’s that noise…?”

“F-Frey?”

Friedrich and Ariel were the first to react.

They weren’t privy to everything I’d experienced inside the barrier. Naturally, for the two of them, living within the providence of the gods, this must sound shocking.

“Hoo.”

“Oh? Your thoughts are similar to ours.”

“……?”

However, Lancelot, and Tristan, the ＜Mentor＞ who always followed him around, had a slightly different reaction.

Both of them had a gleam in their eyes. It was as if they had a topic of conversation they wanted to delve into.

“What is it?”

“…There’s no need to avoid the conversation, it seems.”

Lancelot, after a quick look around, murmured with an unusually cold expression.

Then, he clasped his hands together and continued.

“Frey, as I mentioned earlier, about two years have passed. I happened to meet Tristan and have been traveling with him.”

“That’s right! We’ve faced death together several times!”

“….Anyway, during that process, we surprisingly glimpsed the ‘truth of the world.’ Frey, are you aware of beings called ‘False Gods’?”

Lancelot’s serious gaze turned to me.

I couldn’t help but show a startled reaction.

Again.

‘False Gods. I never thought I’d hear that damn word from Lancelot.’

The word Ismael had been wailing about was ‘False Gods.’ False gods. Does that mean they’re deeply connected to this world?

“It’s just a conjecture, but they say that they’re the primordial gods who ruled this world in the distant past.”

“…..Primordial gods?”

Fortunately, Lancelot seemed to know more than I thought. I couldn’t help but adopt a rigid gaze.

After all, this information wasn’t something I knew while playing ＜Silvering＞.

“Yes. The evidence is flimsy. However, the ancient texts we successfully decoded contained the following: [The demons of hell won the war. Fleeing from those who falsely claim to be gods, the primordial gods escaped beyond dimensions. The demons who call themselves gods referred to those who fled as ‘False Gods’]. …or so it is written.”

I suddenly felt a headache coming on.

“So, you’re saying the current gods are actually from the hellish demons, and ‘False God’ is the term for the banished gods?”

“…..You’re sharper than you look.”

….Is this b*stard serious?

To hear such praise from Lancelot. Didn’t feel good at all.

“Anyway, it’s a story on too grand a scale. Primordial gods, demons turned gods… none of that really clicks with me.”

“I understand. Tristan and I had the same reaction at first.”

Yeah, I figured. It’d be weirder if I *did* feel moved by sudden secrets of the world and truth and all that.

Like how could an ant easily grasp the truth just by seeing an elephant’s leg?

“…Let’s talk about that later. Lancelot, how did you meet *him*?”

I said, gesturing with my chin at the man sitting primly next to Lancelot.

Maybe seventeen, give or take?

＜Mencius＞ Tristan, was a much younger character than I thought.

‘In the original he always wore a boar or bear taxidermy, so I had no clue.’

＜Knighthood＞ and ＜Mencius＞ having a connection?

Sorry, but if you posted that in the community, they’d just call it bullshit. The two seemed like total opposites, after all.

Lancelot, always so blunt.

Tristan, a bit… eccentric and unconventional in his actions.

How did these two end up together?

“…It was an accident. When I first said goodbye to my mother and started wandering, I met this guy.”

“Haa, ha ha… The terror of that day still makes my hand tingle.”

Tristan’s voice was full of playfulness.

But despite his tone, the young knight was indeed shaking, as if he’d truly faced a brush with death.

“Terror?”

“Yeah. This guy stuck to me like a leech. Said he wanted to join me since I was going on an adventure.”

“So what? I know you like traveling alone, but what’s the big deal with one more person tagging along?”

“……”

Lancelot shook his head silently.

He looked like he was remembering something from the past, and spoke with lingering dread.

“It mattered. This b*stard… he had trackers.”

“Y, yes. I’m still sorry about that.”

“Dodging those trackers took an enormous amount of time and money. Deciphering that ‘ancient text’ I mentioned earlier, that all happened while we were on the run.”

“B, but! I covered most of the costs.”

Typical Lancelot.

We travelled together, but it seems the money all went to this young knight. Truly, a fitting act for a miser king.

Anyway.

I gave a small nod and looked around at everyone seated.

Unbelievable, but as fast as time flowed outside, everyone’s faces had changed slightly.

If their appearances are like this, then their strength must be too. Probably, everyone here has gained more power than before.

“Alright. Since we’re all gathered, let me make a proposal.”

*Sigh*

I stood from my seat and spoke in a calm tone.

“Huh? Frey, a proposal?”

“…I, I have a bad feeling about this.”

Ariel and Chun Hwa-Young responded in bewildered voices.

I chuckled and told everyone my idea.

“I’m thinking of creating a ‘Guild’.”

“…Huh? A Guild?”

“Finally, you’ve made up your mind, it seems.”

“I agree! I agree! I’d follow my brother anywhere, even to hell…”

The reactions that came back were diverse. I raised my hand to calm everyone and then reiterated my intention.

“Yes. A Guild. And, I’m thinking of inviting everyone here to join.”

Let’s think. The owner of the ‘eye’ and ‘hand’ within the rift, Ceres… or perhaps a Celestial God, that’s an undeniable fact.

And that being didn’t exactly welcome us. No, rather it tried to kill us. It seemed to view us as obstacles.

So,

There’s nowhere left for us to retreat.

* * *

Clip-clop! Clip-clop!

“The Imperial Capital…!”

Having left the border, we returned to the Imperial Capital.

Since our numbers had grown greatly, we travelled in two carriages. In the one I rode, were myself, Ariel, Friedrich, and Lancelot.

“B-But, will it be alright? Hwa-Young and… this Geum Ha-Rin, they seemed to get along quite badly.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Wouldn’t it be fine?”

I answered Ariel’s question nonchalantly.

Ah, everyone at the inn accepted my invitation.

The only ones who gave me pause were Geum Ha-rin and Cheon Hwa-yeong; both said they’d try contacting their sects.

‘It won’t be an easy decision.’

Both are from the Eastern Continent.

And they’re not just any ordinary members, either. One is the young sect leader of the Demonic Heavenly Sect, and the other is the daughter of the Martial Alliance Lord. I had already anticipated that the two of them wouldn’t be able to come together.

‘Well, at least it’s better to grant them honorary positions.’

Connections created by fate, by ‘networks’ as they are, carry far more weight than one might think. I had no intention of letting go of them so easily.

In the Eastern Continent, their backgrounds are enough to challenge even an emperor, so why would I let go of such a lifeline?

“…We’ve arrived!”

Lost in thought, Friedrich suddenly shouted, looking outside the carriage.

“Finally, we’re back.”

*Creak-*!

I opened the carriage door, muttering to myself.

At the mansion, Leon and Mary would be there. Both of them would have grown up significantly since last time…

“Huh?”

The moment I stepped out of the carriage, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I rubbed them and looked straight ahead again.

“…What is this?”

Before me, an absurdly unbelievable scene unfolded.