Hard Carried by My Sword-Chapter 129

Unlike C- or B-rankers, A-rankers were irreplaceable, each holding an important position in their own region. Naturally, the expedition disbanded the day after the party in the grand banquet hall. Even being absent for a short time left a serious gap, so most had no choice but to return quickly, promising to meet again someday.

By contrast, Leon and Karen had plenty of free time. They hadn’t settled anywhere, and their achievements had been personally vouched for by Irexana. No one was reckless enough to push the number one contributors of the Great Vein Expedition back into work.

Karen, up earlier than usual that morning, let out a long yawn and said, “The Holy Church is fine and all, but they’re way too diligent. Getting up at four-thirty in the morning on a regular basis? And it’s not like they go to bed early either.”

As someone whose assassin life had made her naturally nocturnal, this schedule was rough. Leon gave a small yawn of his own and joined in her grumbling.

“Clergy see self-discipline and asceticism as a kind of training. Eating less or sleeping less is just another part of it.”

“Does that really make you stronger?” Karen asked.

“Not all training is about fighting, so maybe it’s to cultivate mental strength or faith.”

Aura was refined mana stored in the body, and magic was controlled by turning the inner mana circuits. Then what about Holy Power? How did one train a power directly granted by the Goddess?

“‘Do good deeds and become a better person.’ When I first read that, it sounded like something straight out of a stuffy moral book.”

As Karen said, most people couldn’t really empathize with the idea. That was what made clergy special. One couldn’t awaken Holy Power simply by wanting strength, or by clasping their hands with a goal or ambition in mind.

They needed to have goodwill—a genuine, sincere goodwill. Only those who could live a consistent life of doing good for good’s sake could become clergy—people who were thankful for the life given to them, who eased the suffering of others, who could return a gold coin found on the street to its rightful owner without hesitation.

For some reason, Karen’s expression turned a little bitter.

“That’s... pretty admirable.”

Perhaps it was because she herself could never live that way that those who dwelled in the light seemed so dazzling. Leon stayed silent, unable to think of anything to say in consolation.

Just then—

“There you are, Brother Leon. And Sister Karen, too.”

From the far end of the hall, Holy Iron Inquisitor Geoff spotted them and approached with a bright smile.

They greeted him in return, and noting his full plate armor, Leon asked, “You’re returning to duty already?”

“Yes, I am.”

Geoff smiled warmly, showing not a hint of fatigue—only a refreshing energy. He must have flown in on an airship from far away for the expedition, and yet only three days later, he was heading back to work. He could have complained at least once, but he didn’t.

“I’ve been away from my post for several days. I need to deal with what’s happened in the meantime. It’s not that I don’t trust my subordinates, but if I’m not there to watch over things, I get uneasy.”

“Sir Geoff, you’re a very admirable superior.”

“Haha, praise from you only makes me more motivated.”

Though he looked to be in his mid-thirties, Geoff was over fifty years old. His abundant Holy Power, steady training, and polite demeanor made him appear much younger.

After exchanging a few more words, he checked the time, stood up, and said, “I should get going. I’ve reserved a seat on the airship.”

Casting a satisfied glance at them both, he leaned closer to Leon and added, “Brother Leon, I hope that next time we meet, I can call you Commander.”

“P-pardon?”

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

With that calm statement, Geoff turned and walked away, leaving Leon and Karen staring blankly after him. The commander’s seat of the Holy Iron Inquisitors was always left vacant. It was a position kept open for the true hero who would one day return. That was what Geoff had just hinted at.

“Looks like I’ve been found out...” Leon muttered.

“Yeah. I can see why he’s ranked in the top five of the Inquisitors,” Karen acknowledged Geoff’s class.

They scratched their heads awkwardly, but the moment didn’t last long. An apprentice priest came to guide them.

“Brother, Sister. His Eminence requests your presence.”

Following him to the storeroom door, the priest gave a short bow and left—it seemed he had only been told to bring them this far. There was no need to knock. Irexana wouldn’t fail to notice their presence just outside the door.

“Please, come in.”

At the voice, Leon pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The sharp scent of medicine and the musty smell of stacked paper hit his nose. In just a day, he had already shed his bandages; dressed as usual, Irexana sat behind a table.

“Good to see both of you again,” he greeted them, setting down his seal. “I apologize for calling you so early. I wanted to avoid prying eyes as much as possible.”

“No need. The morning air’s actually nice,” Leon said.

“Is it? I suppose this is when the air in Jugend is clearest.”

Once the forges roared to life, the chimneys would smoke and the sky would turn gray. Playing along with Leon’s comment, Irexana extended a hand. From his spatial bracelet, a light poured forth and took form.

“Ah...!”

Both pairs of eyes were drawn to it, and soon, three items appeared on the table. Irexana picked one up first and approached Leon, holding it to his left forearm to check the fit.

“Mm, good.”

Locking the connection points near his elbow and wrist, he stepped back. Only then did Leon see what had been strapped to his arm. It was an arm guard.

Its silvery-white surface and the golden pattern etched into it were beautiful, more like a work of art than a piece of armor. It was almost too fine to be used in battle.

“This is...?” Leon asked.

“Jugend-Steel number 100, the Sun Shield,” Irexana answered in a calm voice. “It’s a mithril plate inlaid with orichalcum circuitry, giving it the ability to respond to a specific Aura attribute. Would you like to try it?”

“No way...”

“Yes, yes way.”

The Sun Shield was an armor strictly limited to users of Sun Aura. That treasure was shimmering faintly on Leon’s left arm.

If it’s a shield... Does it expand or something?

Examining its exterior, Leon channeled Aura into it. Just as Irexana had said, it responded to the Sun attribute, drinking in his power. Golden circuitry lit up, flowing across the plate like veins, amplifying the power of the sun and enveloping the guard.

And then—

“Whoa...!”

When the power reached its peak, a rounded Aura barrier, a golden hemisphere, formed over the Sun Shield. Enclosed within it, Leon let out a note of awe.

“It certainly lives up to its name!”

Manifested with the Sun attribute, it bore the dual qualities of light and heat. If he poured in more power, it seemed entirely possible to burn anything that touched it or make it shine so brilliantly as to blind.

Its defensive power was absurdly solid. The barrier was denser than when Leon concentrated Aura on his own. It could likely withstand even high-tier magic several times over.

Until now, I’ve had no real way to defend against broad attacks... but with the Sun Shield, I can cover that gap.

It had been the same when facing the Lord-tier vampire in Rubena, and again against the drake in the Titan Mountains. No matter how skilled a swordsman was, they could not swat away a rainstorm. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A blade was ultimately just a single line, but a broad attack was a surface or even three-dimensional. For offense, that might not matter, but in defense, it was far less efficient. Aura barriers were one of the few countermeasures, but their difficulty and massive energy drain made them impractical.

But this shield is different. It not only reduces Aura consumption, but the barrier’s integrity is also absurdly high.

It wasn’t for nothing that it had earned a place among Jugend Steel. With a satisfied smile, Leon dismissed the golden barrier and ran his hand over the perfectly fitted arm guard several more times.

Seeing his reaction, Irexana smiled and asked, “Does that suit your liking?”

“Yes! Without question!”

“I’m glad. I took special care in choosing it.”

Next up was Karen. Watching her rub her hands together in anticipation, Irexana picked up one of the remaining items on the table.

The second item from the spatial bracelet was a dagger. Its sharply curved blade, shaped like a crescent moon, left quite an impression.

“This is Jugend Steel number 139, Crescent.”

“Ah, I was just thinking it looked like the moon!”

Karen accepted the dagger and ran her gaze along the curve of its blade. It wasn’t long like a scimitar, and the curve seemed impractical for real combat—yet if it was recognized as Jugend Steel, it had to have a hidden function. With that thought, Karen poured Aura into it, and something astonishing happened.

“Ah!”

The dagger’s rounded blade suddenly extended straight upward, stabbing into the storeroom ceiling. In an instant, it had grown nearly two meters longer.

Karen’s eyes widened as she thought, A blade with extensibility... How do they even make something like this?

Functionality aside, the method of its craft was enough to pique her curiosity. Smiling as if enjoying Leon and Karen’s reactions, Irexana handed over the last weapon.

It was just the hilt of a sword. There was no blade, only a grip, and it rested in Karen’s palm.

“And last but not least, this is Jugend Steel number 212, New Moon.”

This time, perhaps thinking some explanation was needed, Irexana continued, “It condenses the user’s Aura to form a blade—an Aura-Weapon-type artifact. It’s unique, but if that were all, it would never have become Jugend Steel.”

“What do you mean?” Karen asked.

“Please, try forming a blade with your Aura.”

At her words, Karen focused her mind and sent Aura into the hilt, manifesting a blade. The moment she did, both she and Leon realized the weapon’s secret.

“It’s invisible?!”

It couldn’t be seen. Only by sensing the sharp intent could they tell the extended Aura from the hilt—but its length, density, and other details couldn’t be discerned by any of the five senses. It was an assassin’s weapon of ridiculous caliber.

“Once you get used to the New Moon, it’s said you can even change the shape of the blade, but even I have not seen it in action.”

The performance was outrageous—an Aura Weapon made invisible, with a blade that could change form?

In just seconds after hearing its features, Karen had already conceived twenty-seven assassination techniques using the New Moon. Compared to her existing skills, they were far more silent, far more lethal—some beyond comparison in their deadliness.

“Thank you, Your Eminence.”

Hugging both weapons tightly to her chest, Karen bowed without a trace of her usual mischief. These were not items one could receive merely for a successful expedition. They had been given because she was the hero Leon’s companion, because she was recognized as such. Realizing that made her eyes prickle faintly with heat.

Irexana didn’t say anything more, just smiled warmly, and the room’s atmosphere turned suddenly gentle.

At that moment, the storeroom door opened with an eerie creak. The problem was that no one had picked up any presence.

Huh?!

All three turned toward it in alarm. Not because someone had come, but because none of them—neither Leon nor Karen nor even Irexana—had noticed until the moment the door swung open.

Even injured, to deceive the perception of an Aura Master like Irexana, the intruder had to be of equal caliber.

Who? Who could it possibly be right now?

There wasn’t anyone who came to mind. With identical expressions, Irexana, Leon, and Karen also stared at the door.

As it slowly opened, they tensed from head to toe, having no clue who might appear. Radiance gathered in Irexana’s clenched fist. He might not be at full strength, but he could at least strike once with all his might, and in that opening, he would, at the very least, save the hero.

“Huh...?”

However, upon seeing the face beyond the door, Irexana froze like stone, and Leon and Karen’s eyes widened as well. They couldn’t help it.

Silver hair. Golden eyes. One of the symbols of the Holy Church had appeared out of nowhere.

A silver-haired, golden-eyed woman in holy robes?!

Leon knew the moment he saw her. The depth of mastery in her single step, her formal bearing, the Holy Power overflowing from her presence—

A matched pair of golden eyes of the Hero and Saintess met.

Not knowing what else to say, Leon called, “Saintess...?”

As if she had been waiting for those words, Elahan’s eyes shone, brimming with moisture. Hands clasped before her chest, a blush coloring her cheeks, she smiled like a sunflower blooming.

“Yes! My Hero!”

Thus began the first meeting between Hero Leon and Saintess Elahan.