The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 105: Scene of Harmony (5)

It was only natural, but Martin ended up getting thoroughly scolded by Sien.

On top of that, Armand, Paolo, and Solenne joined in.

In the end, things settled down only because he had taken Christian along with him for backup and, crucially, because he had confirmed that applying the dragon blood didn’t cause him any pain.

If he’d fought alone or suffered from the blood’s effects, he didn’t even want to imagine the consequences he would have faced afterward.

“Your actions were certainly unexpected, young master, but in the end, things worked out well. The barrier is restored, and we can now visit the World Tree freely once again,” said Barthez, the Grand Elder of Altair Village, bowing respectfully to Martin.

“I’m deeply grateful for your help, young master. The elves of Altair Village will never forget this kindness,” he added.

“I wouldn’t call it kindness. Please don’t see it that way—I did all of this expecting something in return,” Martin replied.

“You’ve granted us access to the dungeon in exchange for setting up a market. And not only that, you saved the World Tree. Without your intervention, that wyvern would have been a terrible disaster.”

“Well, yes…”

Martin couldn’t argue with that.

In his previous life, the wyvern had indeed drained all of the World Tree’s mana, using the power it accumulated to wreak havoc across the entire north.

“Armand,” Barthez called.

At his signal, Armand nodded, raising his hand to summon an item from a subspace.

A pure white uniform appeared, which Armand presented to Martin with a respectful gesture.

“What is this?” Martin asked.

“It’s called Glaive. Crafted by an elven artisan using leaves from the World Tree and silver essence, it creates a protective barrier over any part struck, offering protection equivalent to dwarven armor. Additionally, it can change its form based on the wearer’s will.”

“No matter what you say, it can’t match armor made by dwarves!” muttered Alexandre, the Grand Elder of Ranens Village, with a scowl.

Several dwarves nodded in agreement, prideful of their craftsmanship.

Martin and Armand, however, paid no mind to their reaction.

“If we’re talking about protection, it seems this is on par with a holy sword,” Martin remarked.

“Precisely. From observing your fight, it’s clear you rely heavily on anticipating and dodging attacks. But not every attack can be evaded. I thought you’d find this useful,” Armand replied.

“Thank you. I’ll put it to good use,” Martin said, accepting Glaive with appreciation.

Good equipment is always valuable. Martin stowed the garment into his subspace storage rather than changing immediately in front of the dignitaries.

Then he turned back to the matter at hand.

“Before opening the marketplace, I’d like to set up a warp portal connecting to Varehein City. I’ll provide the coordinates. Naturally, there should be one in Ranens Village as well,” he proposed.

“A warp portal is essential for traveling to and from the dungeon. However, there’s another matter regarding the market that I’d like to discuss with you, young master,” Alexandre interjected.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Despite the trust you’ve shown us, we still find it difficult to place our faith entirely in humans. For that reason, we wish to sell our goods only to members of the Adalbert family. What happens afterward will be left to your discretion.”

“I understand your hesitation to expose yourselves fully. But I can’t agree to a complete absence of public presence.”

“And why is that?”

“Dungeon access requires adventurer registration, so your presence will be known in that process. Frequent dungeon entry also means inevitable interactions with other humans.”

“So, since our presence will be revealed anyway, you’re suggesting we do it more transparently?”

“Precisely. I’ll establish two official outlets in Varehein City. We’ll showcase the goods you sell to the Adalbert family there, and I’d appreciate it if you could assign someone—just one person—to serve as the custodian of these stores.”

“You’ve thought this through well. Showing actual elves and dwarves will authenticate the goods as genuine.”

“It benefits you as well. People will go to great lengths to purchase elven and dwarven items, meaning they’ll make efforts to treat you respectfully, changing the nature of interactions.”

“And if someone tries to take advantage of us?”

“I promise here and now: such individuals will be punished in the name of the Adalbert family.”

Martin gave a confident smile.

To hold exclusive rights to products made by elves and dwarves—no other power had ever managed this on the Cracian continent.

Before the Empire was founded, such exclusivity hadn’t been feasible, and afterward, large-scale sales of these products had been impossible.

Once these outlets opened, they would bring in enormous wealth, all of which would fill the Adalbert family’s coffers and provide resources for the turbulent times ahead.

More than that, Adalbert knights, mages, and soldiers equipped with these crafts would gain a significant boost in strength.

After some discussion among themselves, the elves and dwarves reached a decision.

“Very well, young master. We shall do as you suggest.”

“I agree as well.”

“Thank you for accepting.”

As Barthez and Alexandre gave their confirmation, Martin’s smile grew even brighter.

‘Finally, it’s done.’

The Northern Unification plan he had conceived to prepare for the turbulent times ahead was now complete.

The first stage involved the northern tour, purging hostile families and removing lords who wouldn’t benefit the north in the long run.

The second stage was handling the rebellious branch families, and the third and final stage was forging an alliance with other races.

Now that all three stages were accomplished, there were no forces in the north capable of standing against the Adalbert family.

Though the family’s power hadn’t fully recovered, it would soon reach the level of its prime.

‘The New Year is now less than a month away.’

The details of the market arrangements would be left to Kurt and the administrative team to handle.

‘I wonder what next year will bring.’

His actions had drastically altered his known future, making it impossible to predict what lay ahead.

But one thing was certain:

The turmoil of this year would pale in comparison to what was coming next.

* * *

By the time all discussions concluded, night had fallen.

Even so, Sien waited for Martin, wide awake.

“You could’ve gone to sleep.”

“Are you kidding? What kind of bodyguard goes to sleep while her lord is working?”

“I have to say, you’re incredibly reliable. And I’m glad I got scolded earlier—it seems you’re not angry anymore.”

“That’s only because the others stepped in. If it’d been just me… well, you know.”

Sien smiled, and Martin instinctively flinched at the sight.

But only for a moment, before he opened his subspace and retrieved the wyvern’s heart and a single World Tree leaf he’d managed to collect.

He extended both items to Sien.

“A gift for you, Sien.”

“You really are something else, Martin. When did you even grab these?” Sien asked, accepting the items with an amused smile.

Martin shrugged, his expression as casual as ever.

“Opportunities to encounter dragonkin are rare. Plus, this one was unique, strengthened by the World Tree’s mana. Chances are we won’t see another like it, so I grabbed what I could. Makes sense, right?”

“It’s not wrong… though I’d hardly say you needed it.”

“Right, since my mana naturally increases even without any help. It’ll be much more effective for you to use it.”

“Then I won’t refuse.”

While she accepted the gift, Sien realized she’d never actually absorbed power like this before, so she asked Martin for guidance.

“How do I absorb the power? And what’s the World Tree leaf for?”

“First, wrap the heart in the leaf. Then channel your mana into it and absorb the energy.”

“Got it.”

Following Martin’s instructions, Sien wrapped the wyvern’s heart with the World Tree leaf.

She then drew mana from the cores in her abdomen and head, directing it toward the heart.

Flash!

A bright silver light radiated from both the leaf and the heart, indicating that her mana had connected with them. Sien began to pull the energy inward.

‘It doesn’t hurt at all.’

Absorbing mana from a dragonkin’s heart is typically painful, much like applying dragon blood, due to the intrinsic volatility of their mana.

But this time, there was no pain. It was as if the heart’s mana harmonized with her from the start, flowing naturally into her body.

‘In that case…’

Sien directed the gathered mana toward her head core, hoping to add a third loop to the two already there.

If she succeeded, she would have both the third circle in her abdomen and the sixth circle in her head.

This was something she was determined to accomplish.

‘I can’t let myself hold Martin back.’

Since he’d partially overcome the dragon’s curse, Martin had been advancing rapidly, his genius shining through with full force.

Though this was a relief, it wasn’t enough to keep her at ease.

The Altaria Empire was on the verge of civil war, and if that happened, Martin would have to face enemies even stronger than those he’d battled so far.

To avoid being a burden to him, she needed to reach the sixth circle, at the very least.

Vwoooom!

As all the wyvern’s mana surged toward her head, a tremendous force emanated from Sien’s entire body.

“Hm…”

Martin, understanding her intentions, felt a pang of concern.

Adding circles by absorbing such a massive amount of mana was indeed possible, but it was highly inefficient and dangerous.

While members of the Igreet family, renowned for their physical resilience, might withstand it, he wouldn’t usually recommend it.

‘It’s always better to reach the next level through natural insight.’

But since Sien had already started, there was no way for him to intervene. Rather than worrying, he decided it was best to believe in her and support her from afar.

If anything truly dangerous occurred, he would step in immediately.

As Martin watched, Sien recalled the way he used his unique abilities.

‘A true genius…’

Using mana from one type to influence another is typically inefficient, as it consumes a lot of mana while delivering less power.

However, Martin managed it because of the dragon’s curse, which granted him a mana reserve far beyond that of an ordinary person.

In practice, he overcame the shortcomings of his technique by flooding it with mana, and his overwhelming talent allowed him to wield these techniques with nearly as much control as those who specialized in them.

In a way, it was almost ironic that the curse that had once hindered his potential was now aiding him in such an unexpected way.

‘But I’m not Martin.’

Multifaceted abilities require delicate control, which wasn’t her strength.

‘I have only one goal: to crush Martin’s enemies.’

Smashing and breaking—that was what the Igreet family excelled at.

Even her unique ability, Spatial Rebound, was specialized in destruction.

The only question was how to amplify her destructive power.

Through Martin, she had found her answer.

‘Compression of power. That’s the key.’

A shiver ran through her at that thought.

Her entire body began to tremble as a brilliant silver light engulfed her.

The changes didn’t stop there.

CRACK!

The mana core in her head shattered and then expanded.

Moments later, a third loop formed, encircling her core.

The light surrounding her grew brighter, and her consciousness gradually returned to reality.

“Looks like it worked. How do you feel?” Martin asked.

“Absolutely incredible,” Sien replied, grinning widely.

She had finally achieved the sixth circle.

“Just remember, Martin, no matter what kind of battles you get into, you’d better take me along.”

“I just might have to. Congratulations, Sien.”

Martin offered her sincere praise, knowing that she had reached the sixth circle a full three years ahead of the original timeline.