Chapter 130
"Whirrrrrr!"
A burst of light enveloped Sieg like a curtain and simultaneously permeated both him and Felix.
At that moment, Felix, who had been reading a letter beside him, felt a refreshing sensation as the light seeped into his body.
"What, what is this, my lord?"
A message appeared before Sieg's eyes.
『The Curtain of Light effect partially restores your health.』
It seemed to be a skill that granted a health recovery effect to allies nearby.
Sieg turned to Felix and asked, "Felix, tell me if you feel any changes in your body."
Felix moved his body around. "I don't feel much of a change. It's just that I feel refreshed and it's easier to breathe?"
The effect didn't seem as dramatic as a healing or Endless Stamina skill might be.
Once Sieg deactivated the skill, the light mass disappeared.
Swinging the Orichalcon sword, Sieg suddenly had a question.
'Can someone else use this skill besides me?'
Sieg called out to Felix.
"Felix, hold this sword and chant 'Curtain of Light' while infusing it with aura."
Though confused, Felix did as Sieg instructed.
"Curtain of Light."
Despite infusing aura, the sword showed no reaction. He tried several times more, but to no avail. Felix, with an awkward expression, reported back to Sieg, "Ah, it doesn't work."
"Hmm. I see."
Felix, with a flushed face, said, "My lord, could it be like in the legends? Where the sword chooses its master!"
"Enough of that nonsense. Let's get going. We've found everything your grandfather left behind."
Sieg and Felix gathered everything Pav Valencia had left and emerged from the catacombs. They then covered the coffin as it was before to prevent anyone else from discovering the place.
Night had fallen by the time they returned, so Sieg and Felix decided to spend the night at the village chief's house. Felix's house was so worn out it was hardly better than sleeping outdoors.
Even after dinner, Felix continued to read the letter his grandfather had left, over and over again.
Sieg decided to give Felix some time alone.
'He seems profoundly affected.'
The letter detailed not only that Pav wasn't his real grandfather but also that those who killed his parents were from the Holy Kingdom. It wasn't something easily comprehended or accepted.
While Felix read the letter, Sieg took the Orichalcon sword and went to the backyard. He also checked the book that came with the sword since Felix had entrusted both to Sieg, deeming them too much for himself.
Upon seeing the contents, Sieg was startled.
"This is... a secret manual containing the insights of an Arc Paladin!"
It was a secret manuscript filled with the insights of the Arc Paladin Pav Valencia.
Sieg quickly skimmed through the contents.
It featured quite radical concepts.
"Swordsmanship without using a sword?"
It suggested that once you reach a certain level, you don't need to hold a sword; your entire body becomes a sword, fully capable of executing swordsmanship.
While the book seemed to hint at martial arts at a glance, it argued that it was fundamentally different from typical martial art skills.
It pointed out the difference between using hands and arms to deploy aura blades versus attacking an enemy with chops.
'Isn't it essentially the same?'
With Sieg's current level, Pav Valencia's insights were hard to fully grasp.
Pav Valencia named this insight-laden technique the 'Infinite Spiral Technique.'
"It means you can execute all movements by connecting them seamlessly."
The essence of this technique lay in enveloping the whole body with aura blades and attacking enemies by swinging an arm, a leg, or tackling them bodily, rather than wielding the sword.
Imagining the manifestation of the Infinite Spiral Technique, Sieg thought it could be far more powerful than expected.
In the last part of the secret manuscript, Pav Valencia had written the following,
〈If someone finds this manuscript by fate, they should learn the Infinite Spiral Technique, and if they can't, they're entrusted to pass it on to someone with a good heart.〉
Sieg felt a twinge of conscience upon reading the part about 'good heart', but he justified learning it as he had found the manuscript by fate.
'I'll learn it myself and then teach Felix.'
Aiming to become the strongest on the continent, Sieg was willing to utilize anything to grow stronger.
Sieg scanned the manuscript's contents and stored it in the Whatever folder for future reference. Realizing that understanding the insights would require time, he planned to research it gradually.
For now, Sieg began practicing the movements from the manuscript one by one.
He still found it difficult to distinguish between turning his hands and arms into swords and using knife hands.
"Wow, it seems even a Blue Knight or higher is needed to learn this."
Since all the movements required aura blades, Felix, currently a Purple-grade Knight, wouldn't be able to execute it even if Sieg taught him.
While Sieg was getting familiar with the basics of the Infinite Spiral Technique, Felix came outside.
Sieg stopped his movements and approached Felix.
"Felix."
Contrary to his usual self, Felix's face looked quite gaunt. However, his eyes were much clearer than before.
'He seems to have recovered well.'
Sieg, possessing a passive skill of having a Unyielding Mental Defense, almost never had his mind shattered. Although Felix was strong and talented, he was a normal person who couldn't help but be deeply affected by mental shocks.
Felix approached Sieg and suddenly teared up.
"Huwwaah. My lord."
Sieg gently patted Felix's shoulder, who was crying profusely.
'Looks like I was wrong.'
It took quite a while for Felix to regain his composure.
"Sob. I'm sorry for showing such an unsightly side, my lord."
"It's alright. Such sights are not new for you."
Sieg had never held particularly high expectations for Felix to begin with.
Seeing Felix in a state of gloom, Sieg had an idea.
'I wonder if a wide-area buff can transfer my Unyielding Mental Defense?'
After a moment's hesitation, Sieg decided to test transmitting his Unyielding Mental Defense skill as a wide area buff.
"Whirrrrrrr!"
A wide-area buff spread around Sieg.
Felix, who had been gloomy suddenly, perked up.
"My lord, I shouldn't be wasting my time in sorrow."
Sieg closely observed the sudden change in Felix.
Felix clenched his fist and shouted.
"I'll avenge my parents and fulfill grandfather's mission!"
Sieg contemplated momentarily while observing Felix's burning eyes.
'Did the buff go wrong?'
After confidently discussing for thirty minutes how to exact revenge on the Holy Kingdom, Felix's buff ran out, and he suddenly fell back into depression.
"... My lord, I'll go to bed first."
After the buff's effect ended, it looked like the depression hit him harder.
Through this encounter, Sieg discovered that passive skills could indeed be buffed.
"Using skills related to the mind carries risks. I must use them carefully."
Sieg thought he should also test the Endless Stamina and Combat Sense skills as buffs when Felix regained his senses.
Fortunately, the next day, Felix shook off his gloom and returned to his usual self.
"My lord, I wish to complete my grandfather's mission."
"You mean to save the bloodline of Rubern?"
"Yes. After ruminating on it yesterday, I figured that ultimately, everything aligns with that."
With a voice filled with sincerity, Felix said, "Rescuing the bloodline of Rubern to topple the Papal Faction. I believe grandfather wanted to save the Holy Kingdom, which he loved, as it gradually became corrupt and decayed."
Sieg nodded approvingly at Felix's words.
"Excellent, Felix. The buff was worth it."
"What? What's that?"
"Nothing."
Sieg, too, had a quest to deliver the Book of Light to the Rubern bloodline, so their missions had a common goal.
Sieg and Felix returned to the castle.
Upon arrival, someone sent by Kay was waiting for Sieg.
The syndicate had found traces of the Rubern bloodline.
Reading the material brought by the informant, Sieg was taken aback.
"Are you saying the Rubern bloodline is in Tempel?"
The informant replied with a tense expression, "Yes, that's correct, boss. There's an underground organization that's been established in Tempel for quite some time. Information from agents of the Holy Kingdom indicates that a secret Paladin squad continues to track this group. We suspect with high probability that this group is related to the Rubern bloodline."
"What is the name of this group?"
"It's only known by the name Rose Society."
"Rose Society."
Sieg recalled the chair from the Cradle he had seen during his past life in the Rubern dynasty.
'There was certainly a rose engraved on it.'
The blue rose was the symbol of the Rubern dynasty.
Sieg thought the Syndicate's inference was plausible.
The complication lay with the secret Paladin squad dispatched by the Holy Kingdom.
Even after Pav's death, the Holy Kingdom seemed relentless in capturing and imprisoning the Rubern bloodline within their order.
'Because the Rubern bloodline is said to cause miracles, the Holy Kingdom keeps searching for them. Could it be that the miracle...'
Sieg directed the informant to investigate this 'miracle' of the Holy Kingdom.
Then he called Felix.
"Felix, we've found traces of Rubern. Prepare yourself."
"Yes! Understood."
Sieg decided to head to Tempel with Felix and Liam, leaving the command of the knights to Decker and Pharel.
* * *
"Wow."
As soon as they exited the station, Felix and Liam were left speechless by the vistas of Tempel.
While Atlas was a stylish, modern city and Mycenae was ancient and sophisticated, tempel's scenery was entirely different from both.
Burly mercenaries and warriors roamed the main streets confidently wearing weapons, and rough-looking individuals were everywhere indulging in drink from early hours.
Crash!
A loud sound of something breaking was heard nearby.
"Catch that bastard and kill him!"
A fight had broken out after a dispute among the drinkers.
Despite watching the chaos, Sieg seemed unfazed, as if it was business as usual.
In fact, having spent considerable time in the north during his previous life, scenes like this were more the norm rather than an anomaly, making them not particularly unfamiliar to him.
Sieg said to Felix and Liam, "Tempel is the base of the Turunn family."
Upon hearing this, both quickly understood why the city was in such a state.
Known as former Northern continent royalty, the Turunn family revered warriors and was known for their rough and straightforward natures.
Hence, for them, fighting was practically a daily occurrence.
People who had been brawling moments ago were now raising mugs of beer, singing songs, and linking arms in camaraderie.
Liam, seeing the scene, seemed to approve.
Sieg glanced at Liam with newfound understanding.
'Well, as the future Mercenary King, this might suit him more than a Knight Order.'
Sieg headed with Felix and Liam to accommodations arranged by the Syndicate.
The lodgings were located in a bustling area of Turn, which also doubled as a playground for the underworld.
As Sieg's party changed clothes and prepared, an associate from the Syndicate approached them.
"I received the message from above. I'll guide you to the Rose Society."
Like the Syndicate, the Rose Society was an underground organization, so there seemed to be a channel for communication between them.
Sieg followed the associate into the obscure alleyways of the underworld.
They walked through winding alleys.
Rough-looking outlaws and gang members adorned with tattoos all over their bodies stared menacingly at Sieg's group.
Although their intimidating glares didn't affect Sieg's party, who were officially trained knights, they chose to look away and quietly follow their guide due to their concealed identities.
The associate led them through various alleyways before pointing to an entrance leading underground within a building.
"This way."
"You're not coming with us?"
"I'm just a foot soldier, so I can't go inside. I'll wait for you to come out."
Leaving the guide behind, Sieg's group descended the stairs.
Below, they found a musty-smelling storage.
'A place to store furs, maybe?'
Crates filled with fur hides were stacked all around.
Upon hearing Sieg's group had come via the Syndicate, some gang members ushered them further inside.
Sieg noticed the rose-shaped tattoos on the wrists of the gang members.
Deep in the storage, there was a short-haired woman tattooed on both arms and neck, seated while cracking peanuts.
Behind her stood several burly men.
The seated woman spat out some chewed peanut shells and then looked at Sieg's group.
"You're from the Syndicate? Screw you. Get them, boys."