The Great Sword is not the Main Body!-Chapter 122: Branch point (1)

“Thanks to you, I survived, Rubia.”

Hermila, who had been lying on the sleeping bag she brought for camping outside, smiled brightly.

"...How did this happen?"

"I fell while walking. Heh heh."

Through the awkward silence, Ser’s chuckle echoed.

“How hard did you fall?”

“I fell quite hard.”

Hearing Hermila’s casual response, Ser sighed and spoke.

“The companions with you must have fallen so hard, they’ve probably sunk into the ground.”

"...Eh?"

“Ser, what did you just say...”

Rubia and I, both taken aback, inhaled sharply. Meanwhile, Hermila shrugged her shoulders, as if she had expected this.

“Oh? How did you know?”

“I’m a genius, so I know everything.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. I guess being the Tower Master isn’t something just anyone can do.”

“Yes. Only the greatest of geniuses can ascend to the position of Tower Master. But please don’t call me Tower Master. Don’t even call me a spirit master. Just my name is fine.”

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“Is that so?”

Maintaining her unchanged expression, Hermila got up.

“Well, I’ll explain as you wish. Hmm, I think you’ve probably met some unfinished Masters imbued with divine power. Right?”

“...You’ve met them too, Hermila?”

“Yes. Around fifteen hundred. A lot, right? I think I met at least fifty a day.”

“Ugh... You met that many...?”

“Yes. It was so, so hard. I wish Noah would give me a massage...”

Hermila’s gaze, trailing off, turned toward Rubia.

“Like you did for me before, when I was lying on top of you, before bed.”

“...What?”

“Noah has surprisingly strong hands and good technique, it was such a blissful experience... I still think about that night sometimes, you know?”

“No. What, now? What the hell?”

“If we get a chance later, maybe you could try it for Rubia, just like you did for me. I’m sure Rubia would love it too—”

“Ahem.”

Ser, who had been quietly listening to Hermila, suddenly cleared his throat and interrupted.

“This is a strange feeling.”

“Huh?”

“It feels like I’ve had my favorite toy taken from me. No, actually, even worse than that...”

Even Ser’s unexpected words didn’t faze Hermila, as her usual smile stayed in place.

“The enemy of my enemy is my ally... Ah, Ser. I understand that phrase perfectly now, at this moment.”

Straightening his posture, Ser stared at Hermila and, clearly articulating each word, spoke one at a time.

“This conversation is spiraling into nonsense, but we need to address this. Hermila, you are a very unpleasant woman.”

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“...Oh?”

Hearing Ser’s words, Hermila’s smile faltered.

“Eh...”

I froze in place, while Rubia stared at Ser as though she had seen a ghost.

“Huh?”

Ser, who had been speaking so casually, now looked dead serious.

“I too enjoy causing tension between Noah and Rubia. But that’s purely for my own amusement. Just for fun.”

“What kind of insane nonsense is that, Ser?”

“Rubia, please just quietly listen to me. Right now, I’m on your side. I’ll continue. Hermila. Your actions don’t seem to be for fun. What’s with the unpleasant emotions you’re showing?”

Ser’s usual expression had completely darkened.

“Why are you scratching at Rubia’s character without any emotion? Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Of course, if it were just these two innocent, foolish people here, they might never have noticed. But I’m a genius. Don’t try to deceive me with your feelings.”

Rubia’s face twisted further in discomfort as she heard Ser’s words, but Ser kept going, undeterred.

“On top of that, trying to induce jealousy? The methods are childish. Rubia is undeniably your benefactor. Even if Rubia hadn’t been there, you would have still consumed the elixir in your hands. But thanks to Rubia, you were able to preserve it. That means it’s like you’ve saved your life again, doesn’t it? I don’t think your intelligence is lacking, Hermila. So why are you doing such foolish things? Are you desperate because your comrades are in danger? Or...”

Ser’s voice now began to imbue with the power of spirits.

“Are you desperate because you’ve seen a dreadful future? Whatever it is, remove that pathetic mask of yours. There are variables in front of you that even I can’t predict, breathing just fine.”

“...Ahaha.”

Hermila, who had been listening to Ser’s words blankly, now let out a hollow laugh and shook her head.

“Well, I guess... I was wrong. I guess not trusting people is just a professional illness for me.”

Then, she bowed her head to Rubia and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Rubia. I intentionally scratched at your character. And Noah, too.”

This time, she turned toward me.

“I’m sorry. I had bad intentions toward you, Noah.”

“Yes, yes...?”

“Heh heh, yes. I’ll apologize more next time. But now, I’ll continue with the explanation I was giving earlier.”

Taking a brief pause, Hermila slowly spoke.

“First, one of my unique abilities is 'Future Vision.' To be precise, it’s not seeing the future, but observing the countless possible branches of the future.”

Hearing this, Ser returned to his usual expression, nodding as he pulled out a tea set from his space.

“But for some reason, all the futures I’ve seen started to go wrong. The turning point was...”

Hermila’s gaze shifted toward me.

“...Eh.”

“Since I started moving to meet Noah.”

“Yes, yes...? Ah, I... I’m sorry...?”

“Fuhuhu! No, Noah, why are you apologizing? There’s no need at all. It could be a good sign, actually.”

Hermila raised her hand and gently stroked my face.

Rubia, watching this, flinched but didn’t say anything, instead letting out a deep sigh and glaring at Hermila.

“There’s a lot I want to say about this, but I’ll hold back. The matters at hand are more urgent.”

“Good. Please give me a quick explanation, Hermila. Lower your hand now.”

“Fuhuhu, yes. Well... As I mentioned before, our main forces headed to Ursphere. The remaining people went to Cartia. And the three of us, including me, have been traveling around nearby villages, intercepting the unfinished Masters and saving people.”

Hermila’s hand, which had been stroking my cheek, slowly lowered.

“During that time, we got a message from the hunting party stationed at Cartia. Three Masters had come.”

“...That means...”

“Yes. After that message, they were all wiped out.”

After hearing Hermila’s answer, Rubia swallowed and bit her lips.

“Since that moment, new futures started to form. The biggest branch is... after the summoning of Valoran, the fall of Cartia, the birth of the completed Masters, and... Rubia’s disappearance.”

“R-Rubia’s disappearance...?”

“I believe she was kidnapped. Now, let’s think for a moment. The hunting party waiting at Cartia was wiped out. So, we would have assumed that Valoran would be summoned there. Right?”

Hermila tilted her head, alternating her gaze between me and Rubia.

“If that’s the case, the next action is obvious. We, in our haste, would have headed to Cartia to finish our preparations. Rubia would have been preparing the barriers while moving around. Alone.”

“...That makes sense. I was thinking that just now.”

Rubia nodded.

“Yes. I think that’s when Rubia was kidnapped. And so, I intentionally provoked her. To keep her from being separated from Noah. But... in my haste, I made a foolish mistake.”

“I don’t understand. If that’s the case, why not just explain the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) situation from the start and tell her not to separate?”

Ser frowned, clearly not understanding Hermila’s reasoning.

“Even if you put Noah and Rubia together, it wouldn’t have greatly affected the hunting preparations. After all, I, the Tower Master, am here. And while I’m not sure how much help I’d be, you, Hermila, are also here. And the hunt isn’t impossible. Regardless of your combat ability, it could still be helpful. So why cause such a foolish conflict and waste time—”

Ser’s hand, stirring his coffee, suddenly stopped.

“Wasting time? On purpose? For what... Hermila, was everything you’ve said and done until now calculated? Was this all to delay time?”

“Wow... I didn’t think you’d catch on this fast. Ahaha... This is troublesome.”

The relaxed smile disappeared from Hermila’s face.

“Hermila, please. Answer me before I make assumptions and mistakes. Where are your companions? Why did I feel a strong scent of blood coming from you? How could you escape with such injuries?”

Hermila, looking at Ser with an expression of difficulty, cautiously parted her lips.

“...The three Masters who wiped out the hunting party at Cartia came for us. I could’ve fought, but my companions couldn’t. So it was inevitable that we were overwhelmed. Just when... we were all about to die, Sirin appeared.”

Clink-

The coffee cup Ser was holding shattered into pieces.

“Immediately engaging in battle, Sirin transferred us to different locations. The two of them went to Ursphere, and I was sent here. While doing so, Sirin left two messages. One was for us to buy time until she could lead the Masters to another place.”

“Where?”

Blood dripping from his hand, Ser stood up, and thousands of spirits appeared around him.

“The other was for you, Ser.”

“When asked where the battle took place—”

“Stop acting like a brat and wait like an adult. If you do, as usual, the Priestess will come to find you,” she said.”

At that moment, the thousands of spirits scattered in the air, and Ser, looking as though he couldn’t believe it, laughed.

“Who... Who did you just call a brat? That arrogant... Sirin.”