Davey’s ability to gain insight on someone was definitely due to Perserque’s powers. As the power slightly changed when it was given to him, the descriptions in the status window wasn’t hers but the will of God. As a result, Perserque lived off of Davey, and he borrowed her powers. ‘It isn’t too bad since the power she offers is quite appealing.’

As Davey unhesitantly reached out with his finger, Perserque smiled cutely and shook his finger with her small hands.

-Can I expect that you will do a better job of showing me the world than the current master of [Caldeiras], who isn’t even skilled enough to materialize her yet?

Davey stared at Perserque in confusion. “Show you the world?”

-If you live this long, the only thing that interests you is seeing the world around you.

“Then what do I get in return?”

-My power, of course. This is all I can do for you. However, since my powers have the will of God, it wouldn’t be strange if new powers arose.

“What kind of powers?”

-You said that you were seeing something like a status window, right? Perhaps like what you saw in your past life… Something like ‘skills’ in a game may develop.

“That does sound pretty interesting. And?”

-Unfortunately, that’s all, since I can’t satisfy you physically like a succubus.

“There’s no such thing as impossible.”

-Hehe… Don’t even joke about something like that; I have no interest in a boy who is thousands of years younger than me.

As she joked, Perserque began dissipating into the air. It seemed like Davey unintentionally found someone to share his only secret with.

-Find me when you need me. I will be enjoying the rest of my sleep inside of you, even though I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep at all. Especially since the hearts of everyone around you is topsy-turvy.

After that, Perserque fully disappeared and became silent. Davey’s mind was all over the place because of everything that had happened at once.

* * *

The capital of the Duchy of Felicity, the place that should have been riled up with excitement from the continental swordsmanship competition, was in shambles because of Baltian de Boltis’ monstrous transformation the day before. It was a large and sudden attack that targeted the entire stadium of the competition held by the Alliance of Nations. Although the attack should have resulted in numerous casualties and caused chaos in the continent, the situation didn’t go too disastrously, since Davey had ended it before it became a major problem.

The only ones that saw Davey run wild were the Divine Sword [Caldeiras] and Princess Illyna—the ‘Master of the Divine Sword’ and Sword Princess—who might’ve or might not have been awake. However, it was safe to assume that Princess Illyna did not have a clear memory of the incident.

‘The priests probably think that I dealt with the whole situation from the stigmata on my back and the residue of holy power.’ It was just an assumption based on the circumstances. And Davey had already heard that the priest, who checked him over, was shocked at the gigantic stigmata on his body. ‘How can I handle this?’

Davey couldn’t hide what was already seen, and he didn’t really feel the need to, since news about the trace of God on his body had probably already spread. A stigmata was a big deal because it had only appeared on three people in about 400 years, and they were all saintesses or a saint candidate; it was very rare. It meant the holy empire would do anything to find who had such a valuable mark, because the stigmata wasn’t something that could be attained by genetics or effort. As a result, it seemed that Davey would receive all the unwanted attention. ‘Damn stigmata.’

Becoming known as the ‘Swordmaster’ would cause less commotion than this, since devout priests were kind of insanely obsessed with stigmatas. There would be many who would just rush into Davey and abandon the nobility’s way of life—to put on a smile while hiding their true intentions.

-Hehe… A stigmata is most definitely evidence of the love of God, but to me, it seems like more of a sign of obsession…

‘You don’t really have to rub it in.’ Davey sighed bitterly. He tried to think of a way to change how everyone saw him now. Since the size of the stigmata was beyond common sense, there was only one way to resolve his problem.

-You… What are you thinking?

“Okay, I’ve decided.” Davey’s decision was simple, and the only thing left to do was to swiftly execute it.

As the rowdy days continued, Davey, who had come to a decision, called for the two. “Baris! Winley!”

The kids, who were shivering in front of the heater because of the cold weather, turned to Davey. “Did you call for us, brother?”

“We all don’t like bothersome things, right?”

“Sure.”

“Honestly, I don’t know why we have to stop the priests who are coming to see you. It’s not like we’ve committed a sin or something.”

“And it’s not like this is a shrine, either,” Baris mumbled.

It wasn’t for long, but the majority of this city was a shrine for now. It was seemingly a shrine for Davey.

Most matters were being handled by the ladies-in-waiting and servants, but it seemed like Winley and Baris were firmly declining and sending back the others who weren’t hired helping hands.

‘These lunatic believers.’

It seemed like most of the priests, who all swarmed to meet Davey, were more interested in his gigantic stigmata than the whole story.

Listening to Baris’ mumble, Davey grinned widely. “Pack up! It’s best to book it when things get complicated.” There was no reason for Davey to stay and explain himself in the first place. To him, all that mattered was him still being alive.

Davey wasn’t obligated to stay and explain the story, and he would have to stay and deal with all those obsessive priests if he didn’t leave. Since he couldn’t just leave, it would be a good idea to leave behind someone who would take all the attention instead.

* * *

Clink! It was a delicate sound, like the clinking of a teacup. Holding it with her trembling fingers, Princess Illyna restlessly placed the teacup back on the saucer like a fast-vibrating machine.

“They booked it?”

“Yo… Your Highness! Book it? Where did you…!”

“Answer my question, Linda.”

“Shriek.”

Princess Illyna glared with frightening eyes. “You just said that guy booked, right? You’re saying that he just ran away with his siblings after blaming it all on me and creating a weird misunderstanding?”

“Th… That is… They say the room was already empty when someone went to request your visit…”

Princess Illyna’s voice was low and very scary. It even felt like strands of her blond hair were moving eerily, as if they had their own will. “I had a sudden awakening just in the moment of crisis and took care of the enemy with the Divine Sword? And the reason why a stigmata was engraved on him was because of the Divine Sword’s hidden powers?”

Princess Illyna was collapsed on the ground, unable to do anything, when the incident had occurred. And there was no such thing as a hidden power in the Divine Sword.

“Your High…ness?”

‘Bullshit! Total bullshit! He was the one who made Baltian burst with his strange fighting technique, and he was the one who slashed that red lady with his overpowering swordsmanship!’ 

Everyone seemed to believe Davey’s story, but Princess Illyna knew that Davey, who was acting like the weak prince without even an ounce of mana, was being ridiculous. It seemed like Davey was assuming that she was unconscious or in a daze during the incident, but she had seen it all clearly: what Davey said, and the swordsmanship Davey showed.

“Linda. Tell the knights to gear up.”

“Your Highness! Please relax!”

“Kyahh!! Get him!! Bring that asshole here!! I’m going to rip his hair out!”

Most people would have no idea that the Imperial Princess of the Pallan Empire, who was known to be refined and cold, actually had a personality as loud and romp as Winley.

“Grit. He messed with the wrong person. Prince Davey better watch out since I’m going to suck out everything in his head.” Growling, Princess Illyna’s eyes glistened like a violent beast.

14. A Late-Night Guest

The way back to the Rowane Kingdom was very quiet. The priests had an insane obsession towards stigmatas, but they weren’t people who would blindly run wild like bulls. Since the window of opportunity had closed in front of their eyes, they would simply give up on seeing a stigmata in person.

Baris and Winley, who were leading the group with excitement, leaned against each other and slept on one side of the carriage. They must have been exhausted.

‘Seeing them this way, it seems they really are friendly siblings.’

They were most definitely a good pair of brother and sister. The reality was, not many siblings looked out for each other even while bickering that much.

-You. You’re grinning pretty widely.

‘Leave it. It’s sweet.’

Since Perserque wasn’t visible to others even though she had a form, Davey didn’t have to worry about the two waking up and seeing her.

-Actually, I thought that you would be more interested in [Caldeiras].

‘Hm?’

-As of now, you are the only one, besides the master, who can materialize the [Caldeiras]. Or should I say that you are the only person right now that is able to materialize [Caldeiras]?

‘Ah.’

-Maybe you are more fitting as [Caldeiras]’s master.

Davey chuckled. He understood what Perserque was saying. [Caldeiras] was definitely an exceptional sword. It was hard to come by a sword with an ‘Ego’ that had enough holy power to cast a 9th level holy magic spell with a little help. However…

‘Still, it’s not mine.’

-I thought that you would do anything to get the sword into your possession.

‘It was an enticing offer, but how could I take something from a child? And besides, [Caldeiras] isn’t really for me.’

-A sword that doesn’t fit you well…

To be exact, Davey wasn’t the type to use a large sword.

As Perserque was quietly deep in thought, Davey glanced out the window. He already had a sword in mind. It wasn’t in his possession yet, but there was a twin sword he had to get, as Surtr had requested him to. The sword was made around the time when [Caldeiras] was made, and they even had the same material. However, it was not able to show its true value because it wasn’t completed due to the lack of time.

-I made a dungeon no one could open in the basement of the house I lived in. You should be able to open it, since you learned my trades, but there are two swords that I was unable to finish before I died. Finish it yourself when you find it. Then, you can become the twin sword’s master, or sell it by saying you’ve made it. I don’t care.