Arc 1 - Ch 23: "The Lord of the Sword"

CHAPTER 23 - "The Lord of the Sword"

This web novel is a draft of the story. Please expect frequent changes and updates as I see fit. Enjoy! -Cloki

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~Klaus Lamberdt, Provincia's Strongest Knight, was lead into the Oakheart Inn by his father, Jurgen Lamberdt, to speak with Siegfried and Azure regarding the great beam of light that had appeared before the town. Meanwhile at Hasher's Castle, Rigel is recovering from his severe injuries sustained in his battle with Siegfried. A few hours have passed, and the party is starting to wake up~

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-This was the first ounce of sleep I had gotten since Azure and I went to bed in the Formai Inn. I had a restless night preparing for the battle against Rigel, as I was actively racing against my own curse clock, but now that I've been given a chance to really rest, it felt so nice... I slept for a good 7 hours, as did Azure. The hour approached 3 PM, and we were promptly woken up by two men who had entered our room~

Jurgen: "Ah, they're waking up. I can see them moving."

Klaus: "Indeed, however, it looks like Siegfried is having a bad dream, father."

Siegfried: "hnngh, eh, huh? Who's there?"

-Siegfried opened his eyes and was startled to see Jurgen in the room along with the red-haired knight from the guild house. Siegfried glanced at the two men, rubbed his eyes, and looked again, then, his delayed reaction showed itself~

Siegfried: "AHH!"

Azure: "AHH! WHAT!?"

-By shouting suddenly, Siegfried had startled awake Azure, who was in the midst of deep sleep. It was quite comical actually, seeing both members of the party scare each other awake~

Azure: "Siegfried, the hell you shoutin' for!?"

Klaus: "You two sure are....an interesting pair."

Azure: "eugh, I'm going back to sleep, whoever is here, go away."

Siegfried: "How long have you guys been in here!? Were you watching us sleep!?"

Jurgen: "Oh no no Siegfried. We came in to check on you two a few hours ago and saw you both sleeping, so we left and caught up with each other, and then returned just now to wake you two up!"

Klaus: "By the looks of it, I'd say we really gave you a scare, I sincerely apologize, Siegfried."

-Klaus kneeled before Siegfried, as if to show an apology. Even when in the presence of two incredibly under-leveled adventurers, Klaus still showed the utmost respect and elegance~

Siegfried: "Wait, I remember you. You're that knight I saw back in Formai! We locked eyes in the Adventurer's Guild. Why are you here? Jurgen, is this your son?"

-Siegfried instantly noticed the resemblance between the two men. Klaus looked like a younger version of his father, essentially. Klaus looked at Siegfried and chuckled in agreement~

Klaus: "Yeah, I'm his son. My name is Klaus Lamberdt, it's nice to finally meet you, Siegfried!"

Siegfried: "...finally meet me? Have you wanted to meet me for a while, Klaus?"

Klaus: "Well, when I first saw you in the Adventurer's Guild, I thought to myself that you looked much different than the rest of the people I've seen in Provincia, and that instantly got me thinking."

Klaus: "Furthermore, when I saw that great beam of light appear from the sky, I decided to investigate. When I arrived, my father led me here to check on you two. When we left shortly thereafter, he told me all about you, and what had transpired here. It confirmed my suspicions, Siegfried."

Siegfried: "Your suspicions...?"

Klaus: "Yes, Siegfried... Allow me to explain. I'm sure my father has told you the tale of Hiroshi, correct?"

Siegfried: "Well, not the entire story. He told me about Hiroshi, and how I reminded him of him. He said our stories have lined up similarly, and that I appeared to be another one of "those people"...

Klaus: "Indeed. Siegfried, I too believe that you are one of tho-"

-Suddenly, a half-asleep Azure sat up quickly, grunted, threw her blankets off the bed, and stood up. She was wearing a cute blue nightgown, and her hair was slightly disheveled. She gave Siegfried a look of pure annoyance~

Azure: *yawn* "You three decided that it was the perfect time to have a full-on discussion while I was in the middle of catching up on some much-needed beauty rest. If you three don't mind, could you PLEASE, take your tea party outside?"

-Azure then bent over, picked up her blankets off the ground, and proceeded to wrap herself up in them. Then, she gracefully hopped back into bed, and closed her eyes once more~

Azure: "z z z z"

Siegfried: "Well, Azure, maybe if you wouldn't have interrupted Klaus so suddenly, we might have decided to take this elsewhere!"

Azure: "z z.....if I hadn't done that, you would have finished the entire discussion, preventing me from sleeping-z z z z..."

Klaus: "We apologize, Azure-sama. We will exit the room and take our discussion outside. Enjoy your extra rest. Let's go guys."

Azure: "mmmmyes-begone..z z z"

-Siegfried got out of bed and put some fresh clothes on, as well as his green vitality tracksuit. Azure, continuing to sleep, forced the three men out of the hotel room. Siegfried, Jurgen, and Klaus decided to take their discussion to Jurgen's Weapon Shop~

Siegfried: "It's quite a nice day today. It's kind of hard to believe that just a few hours ago, I was flying around trying to defeat some Shaman Cultist dude. Perhaps due to me sleeping for seven hours, my brain wants to tell me that it's actually tomorrow and not today."

Klaus: "I've had my fair share of those experiences myself, Siegfried."

Siegfried: "So, Klaus, what were you going to say? I apologize for Azure cutting you off, seems she gets angry when she's sleepy."

Klaus: "It's no big deal, Siegfried! Anyway, allow me to continue my explanation."

Klaus: "I too believe you to be one of "those people"..."

Siegfried: "When you say "those people", are you perhaps referring to people who can contact the goddess? Are there others like me who have the ability to converse with Camriel?"

-Klaus turned toward Siegfried and rested his hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, and his expression changed. He wore a look of excitement, as if seeing people like Siegfried was a rare, but not unheard of occurrence. Siegfried looked back at Klaus and analyzed his aura. Klaus's aura began to change from that of a god to a more subtle aura of a friendly traveler. They looked at each other for a good minute, before Klaus spoke once more~

Klaus: "You're different than the previous people I've come in contact with. Unlike them, it seems you have a much closer connection to the goddess. Siegfried, when I say "those people", I am referring to those who claim to have been summoned to this world by a higher power. The reason I theorize that you are another one of those people is that all of the previous people I've talked to have spoken about the goddess Camriel."

Siegfried: "Wait, I'm a bit confused..."

-Siegfried closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them once more~

Siegfried: "...so you're saying that others before me have been summoned to Provincia?"

Klaus: "I believe so, Siegfried... I'm not entirely sure of how many people have been summoned, however, I can confirm that you, like Hiroshi, both seem to have been able to contact Camriel. However, it appears that you have a much more serious connection with her. I tapped into your conscious using Mental Synchronization, and I can sense a residual divine presence in your body..."

Siegfried: "A divine presence?"

-Siegfried looked at Klaus, and rested his hand on his own heart. Siegfried then looked up and began to speak~

Siegfried: "I'm sure that Jurgen told you the details of what occurred here? Like about the whole battle? There's a reason you might detect a divine presence lingering inside of me, Klaus..."

Klaus: "Indeed. Siegfried, based on what Jurgen told me, I have reason to believe that you have been blessed by Camriel, and are able to use her power in battle. Is this the case, Siegfried? If so, then you would be the first person ever out of "those people" to be able to use this ability."

-Siegfried's expression changed to that of anxiety. Before now, he was unaware that anyone like him even existed, let alone were able to use Camriel's power.

Siegfried: "What? I'm the only one who's ever been able to use this ability? So, Hiroshi and the others before me, never had access to this ability? What happened to them all?"

Klaus: "Well, I'll take that as a yes in terms of you being able to possess her power... in terms of the others before you, some have died, while others have gone "missing". This doesn't mean they're alive, but it also doesn't mean they're dead..."

Jurgen: "Mind if I step in for a moment?"

Siegfried: "Go ahead Jurgen."

Jurgen: "I have personally spoken to at least four people who have spoken about the goddess. Siegfried, if you'd like, I could tell you their names, and what happened to them..."

-Siegfried's heart began to race. The thought of there being others like him in this world motivated him, and he wanted to find them, and speak with them~

Siegfried: "Please tell me, Jurgen. I'd like to know who these people are..."

Jurgen: "As you wish. Their names are Hiroshi, Kai, Claude, and Ivy. Hiroshi was killed about a month ago in his battle with Hasher. He came close to defeating him but was bested... Kai was around when I was young, he was a knight in the League, and I witnessed him complete many different quests throughout my childhood. I'm unsure if he's alive or dead. Claude is a mystery, I've only spoken to him once. He always wore a cloak, as if he was disguised as a cultist. I'm not sure what happened to him... and Ivy was Hiroshi's wife. The two of them were close in age, and both spoke about Camriel... I have reason to believe they were summoned together as a pair..."

-Siegfried turned his head and gazed out of the window at the sky. He took in a deep breath of fresh air, and turned toward Jurgen and Klaus~

Siegfried: "So, there could potentially be others who have been summoned, who are still alive...?"

Jurgen: "Indeed, Siegfried."

Klaus: "Perhaps. Based on what my father told me, as well as my experiences with Hiroshi, it appears that "those people" don't experience aging as quickly as others do in Provincia. Perhaps aging works differently in their world, and if this is true, then I'd be willing to bet that a few of "those people" could still be alive somewhere..."

Siegfried: "...if there are people out there like me who were summoned and are still alive, I'd like to find them and talk to them... however, I'm confused. If there are more people like me, how can we all talk to Camriel? She would have to take the time to talk to each of us individually..."

Klaus: "Heh, Siegfried, I obviously cannot answer that question, but perhaps you could ask Camriel herself. I'm sure she'd love to explain it to you."

Siegfried: "That's right! I can connect with her! But, I'll save that question for later, I think Camriel's resting right now..."

-Klaus looked confused~

Klaus: "...resting? What do you mean, Siegfried?"

Siegfried: "Well, when I borrow her power, she's essentially sending it right to my body, which means she has to transfer it from her own. This has led her to be extremely fatigued after our battle, so she's resting right now!"

Klaus: "Hm. I guess even divine beings have limited power..."

-Klaus looked at Siegfried and walked over to him. His expression changed once more, and he put on a confident look. His aura shifted back to that of a god, and he proceeded to speak once more~

Klaus: "Siegfried, it's such a relief to know that someone like you exists now. If what you say is true, and you can really use the power of a goddess to aid you in battle, then I have no reason to doubt you could defeat Hasher, and finally, put an end to his agenda..."

Siegfried: "Klaus, I'm not quite sure her power alone is enough to defeat Hasher... although it was easily more than enough to overpower Rigel, I'm sure Hasher has thousands of more people just like him, and I'm certain that I'd eventually be overpowered. This is why I wish to learn magic on my own, so that I may grow stronger..."

-Klaus looked at Siegfried and smiled. He put his hand behind his back, and spoke to Siegfried~

Klaus: "Siegfried, may I ask you a question?"

Siegfried: "Go ahead, Klaus."

-Klaus then backed up, and drew his sword from its sheath. His sword was unlike anything Siegfried had ever seen before. It was a lustrous Excalibur, its blade dazzling with all types of vivid, multi-colored light as if to signify that it was infused with every kind of magic. It was the most beautiful weapon Siegfried had ever seen. When it cut the air, it made a most brilliant sound. It was every knight's dream weapon...

Klaus: "Siegfried...I would like to experience the power of the goddess firsthand. If you could, would you initiate a duel with me? I'd like to gauge your abilities while infused with Camriel..."

-Siegfried looked at Klaus, and his heart sank. Klaus's aura shifted even further, now reaching far beyond god-hood. It was the aura of a singularity, the center of a black hole, signifying that nothing could ever escape from its grasp. Klaus was getting serious...~

Siegfried: "-- --"

Jurgen: "Hm. Things seem to have gotten interesting..."

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~~IN THE OAKHEART IN~~

Azure: "z z z z z"

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