Chapter 131
Clank!
Members of the Rose Society surrounded Sieg's group and aimed their multi-shot crossbows.
Sieg asked the woman with a calm voice, "Are you declaring war against the Syndicate?"
With that, the tattooed woman stood up and said, "Even if the Syndicate is flourishing, having knights like you in their ranks? Nonsense. It's obvious you've had proper knight training. Cut the crap."
When the woman raised her hand, the crossbows were loaded.
Felix and Liam, looking tense, kept their eyes on the Rose Society members.
Sieg said to Felix and Liam, "Close your eyes."
As soon as they closed their eyes, Sieg used a Flash Bomb skill.
The tattooed woman quickly turned her head to avoid the flash.
Simultaneously, she shouted to her subordinates, "Shoot! Kill them!"
Whiz! Whiz!
The members shot arrows at Sieg's group, unable to see them.
Sieg drew his transformed Bahamut and deflected the arrows.
Ping!
He then immediately charged at the woman who seemed to be their leader.
The woman had already drawn a mace and was swinging it towards Sieg's sword.
Crash!
Sparks flew as Sieg's sword and the woman's mace clashed.
Despite her physique, the tattooed woman delivered a heavy blow.
'Magic?'
The tattooed woman adjusted her stance and swung the mace at Sieg.
Wham! Wham!
Her movements were not random but well-trained.
Sieg realized her moves were similar to Paladin swordsmanship.
'It seems she really is from the Rose Society.'
He dodged the mace and searched for an opening.
Since they were not enemies, he planned to subdue her without causing harm.
After widening the distance, Sieg drew a dagger from his pouch and threw it at the woman.
Ping!
The dagger, imbued with Energy of Metal, struck the mace and bounced off.
It seemed not only Aura but also strength-enhancing magic was applied to the mace itself.
'Her skills are too good to waste away in the underworld.'
She was more skilled than even the Paladins of the Holy Kingdom.
The tattooed woman dodged Sieg's attacks easily and reset her stance, gripping her mace tightly.
"...... Who in the world are you?"
Sieg lowered his sword and said, "I told you, we are not your enemies."
"Bullshit. That guy back there is using Paladin swordsmanship openly, and you say he's not an enemy? Cut the nonsense!"
Sieg clicked his tongue, seeing Felix energetically performing Paladin swordsmanship.
He hadn't anticipated this brawl turning into such a chaotic skirmish before any negotiation had even taken place.
Whooooong!
Lifting her mace high, the tattooed woman warned Sieg with a changed expression, "You will never leave this place alive."
Wuuuuung!
The mace vibrated, emitting a brilliant light.
'What is that?'
To Sieg, the light seemed familiar.
It was similar to one of the skills he gained through Rubern's artifact.
As the light from the mace permeated the woman's body, her aura changed dramatically.
Whoosh!
Her strength, speed—everything seemed to have increased multiple times.
"Haaah!"
She swung her mace down at Sieg's crown.
Boom!
When Sieg dodged with an illusion movement, the mace hammered into the warehouse floor.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The solid stone floor shattered, and the impact rippled through the surrounding walls, causing them to crack.
'Terrifying.'
Though similar to Paladin swordsmanship, the power was vastly different.
Unleashing Energy of Metal, Sieg engaged the mace head-on.
Boom! Boom!
The collision of sword and mace echoed like an explosion.
When Sieg parried her attack, the woman retreated with a look of surprise.
"How could you deflect my attack?"
Sieg pressed forward and swung his sword.
Whooosh!
As the Energy of Metal engulfed his sword, each subsequent strike grew heavier.
Crack! Crack!
The woman, continuously blocking Sieg's strikes, began to feel her body struggling to keep up.
'Damn it.'
She realized Sieg's group was much stronger than expected.
She searched for an opportunity to retreat.
Moments later, she swung her mace at a crate filled with hides.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The bottom box burst, toppling the stacked crates, and their contents spilled everywhere.
She shouted to her subordinates, "Scatter, everyone!"
It seemed they were used to such situations, as they left their fallen comrades and disappeared in all directions.
Even the woman, who seemed to be the leader, attempted to flee.
Just then, a hand suddenly shot out from the pile of hides.
Grab!
Sieg's arm wrapped around her neck.
"Ugh!"
Sieg said, "Look, calm down. We have no intention of messing with your organization. Things got complicated, but look at this."
Sieg gripped the Orichalcum sword strapped to his back and quickly used his Curtain of Light skill.
Wuuuuung!
Light began to emanate from around Sieg's body.
The light enveloped not only Liam and Felix but also the members of the Rose Society.
The unconscious members awakened, and their exhausted strength was replenished.
As her resistance waned, Sieg released her.
"Incredible, unbelievable."
Watching the Curtain of Light Sieg used, she was struck with disbelief.
She raised her mace and exclaimed, "How can you use light magic?"
"I came seeking the bloodline of Rubern."
As soon as Sieg mentioned Rubern, her expression noticeably hardened.
He attempted to calmly engage in conversation.
"The one using Paladin swordsmanship earlier is named Felix Valencia. He's the grandson of the Apostate Arc Paladin, Pav Valencia, who rescued the bloodline of Rubern 50 years ago."
She was shocked by this revelation.
She frowned and replied, "How can I trust your words?"
Sieg showed her his Orichalcum sword and said, "This was forged by Golyn Jober from the Orichalcum hammer Pav Valencia owned. In the Holy Kingdom, export of Orichalcum is strictly forbidden. Such a quantity of Orichalcum hasn't been leaked since Pav Valencia."
The woman acknowledged the validity of Sieg's statements.
Above all, the matter of Pav Valencia was highly classified even within the Rose Society.
Realizing this, she finally signaled her subordinates to lower their weapons.
Sieg, too, told Liam and Felix to lower theirs.
She addressed Sieg, "If that's Pav's grandson, then who are you? Forget the nonsense about being from the Syndicate."
After sheathing his sword, Sieg replied, "My name is Sieg Draker."
Upon hearing "Draker", the woman froze momentarily.
Not only her but other members of the organization also broke into a cold sweat.
She spoke up cautiously, "...... Turunn is in motion?"
Sieg shook his head, "It has nothing to do with Turunn. This is purely for personal reasons."
Though she started to ease her guard, it was impossible not to be tense in the presence of a Draker.
She said to Sieg, "Damn, it seems we need to discuss this quietly."
She instructed her subordinates to clean up the warehouse and guided Sieg's group to another location.
Leaving the building, they passed through numerous alleys and underground passages, eventually entering a secret hideout.
Sieg thought the nature of underground organizations like the Syndicate and others was quite similar.
In the hideout's office, the woman offered Sieg's group a seat.
Sieg faced her, while Liam and Felix sat on either side, securing an exit.
Observing their positions, the woman chuckled, "Your subordinates' loyalty is impressive."
"It's nothing compared to the loyalty of the Rose Society for Rubern. Or perhaps I should say, the Rose Knight Order."
The tattooed woman shook her head, signaling she couldn't compete with such loyalty.
"I hadn't realized Draker had such extensive information about us. Then again, it's what I'd expect from a Draker."
"I'm not sure how much the Shadow Corps knows about the Rose Society. As I mentioned, I'm here for personal matters."
"What personal matter is that?"
"I can't reveal it here. But I can tell you it involves delivering something to Rubern's bloodline."
She mulled over his words, then glanced at Felix.
"Pav's grandson, huh."
"Still don't believe it?"
"No, viewing the Orichalcum sword convinced me enough. Hmm."
Finally, she nodded, "Very well. I'll lead you to the headquarters. But I need to send a message first, so let's wait for a response before moving. My name is Klone. You can call me Sister Klone."
Felix, standing behind, was taken aback.
"Sister? Are you a nun?"
Klone glared at Felix, "You punk. Want to get holily smacked by a nun? Is he really Pav's grandson? Seems clumsy."
Sieg couldn't refute Klone's words and simply nodded.
Klone sighed, opened a jar on the table, and began eating something.
It was dried scorpion, it turned out.
When she sensed his gaze, she offered him a scorpion, "Want some? It's savory once you get chewing."
Sieg shook his head in refusal.
As Klone munched on the scorpion, she asked, "How did you do that earlier? The light, I mean."
"You mean the Curtain of Light? It was magic engraved on Pav's sword."
Klone shook her head, "That's not what's important. How did you use the magic in that sword?"
"... Huh? I just used it."
Klone appeared even more bewildered.
She took out her mace, "Can you use the magic imbued in this as well?"
Sieg took the mace from Klone and used Dragon Eyes to check its information.
―Mace Information―
Description: A sacred mace containing the power of light created during the Rubern Dynasty
Unique Ability: Breath of Light
Special Note: The absorbed light can increase strength by more than threefold.
'Indeed, it has strength-enhancing magic.'
Sieg used the Breath of Light skill with the mace.
Wuuuuung!
Light enveloped Sieg's body.
Holding up the mace, he swung it.
Whoo! Whoo!
The sound of the wind cutting was distinctly different.
Klone was left dumbfounded seeing Sieg use the Breath of Light skill with ease.
"No, how is it possible... using light magic... without holy energy...?"
Sieg, puzzled by her reaction, tilted his head, "Does this require holy energy?"
With a frown, Klone exclaimed, "Of course! We're Holy Knights because we use light magic with holy energy!"
Though it sounded obvious to her, it was new information for Sieg.
'Well, come to think of it, other skills also didn't require any particular learning, I just used them.'
With the system's help, Sieg had freely used draconic and active skills, akin to magic.
It seemed light magic requiring holy energy was also no exception for Sieg.
After penetratingly eyeing Sieg, Klone shook her head.
"Surely... no, it couldn't be."
"What is it?"
She looked at him incredulously and said, "The way to freely use light magic without holy energy is only one."
Spitting out the scorpion shell, Klone added, "That would be possible if you were a Healer Class."
Hearing Klone mention "Healer Class" was unexpected, and Sieg momentarily felt taken aback.
Klone, noticing Sieg's slight change, said, "Do you know what the Healer Class is? Are you a Healer Class?"
Recomposing himself, Sieg maintained his poker face, "I am a pureblood Draker awakener. It's impossible for me to be a Healer Class."
Despite his calm demeanor, she eyed him skeptically and remarked, "Hmm, but how do you know the term 'Healer Class'? Most people don't even know the concept of class exists."
'Such a suspicious woman.'
Considering it an opportunity to find information on the Healer Class, Sieg devised an answer.
"My mother was a Healer Class."
Klone reacted with surprise.
"Your mother was a Healer Class? Was she part of Rubern's bloodline?"
Sieg shook his head, leading to a more intense reaction from Klone.
"There was another Healer Class aside from Rubern?"
"Another Healer Class apart from Rubern? What do you mean—"
Just then, the door burst open.
"Sister! We've been detected by the Paladins!"