Sword of the Philosopher Chapter 18

Translator: Roaclaynous

Hosted by: http://animeholics.org

After providing Sophia with a weapon, the other equipment was then prepared.

Adding details into the white long overcoat, inside was threads bundled with magic with blue as the primary basis of the clothes. It was a Kantoi-like type garment that was divided into top and bottom parts with the sleeves and hem having become so long so as to not show the skin.  I also bought a leather waist pouch to put in a belt and recovery items.

(TN: Kantoi is a simple type of clothing consisting of a large piece of cloth with a hole in the middle for the head.)

Since the clothes itself were made up of threads composed by magic which then increases defensive strength, then this should already be alright even if a barrier was not put up… I usually change my equipment most of the time in the game in order to increase my defenses but since this is now reality, such people almost never exist. There would also be problems with money but people who fight monsters usually have learnt magic and acquire the use of barriers and so, those are often made used of.

In the game, such a spell did not exist… Well since this already differs from the game, being able to recognize one difference should be fine.

A day after we had done preparing our equipment, we headed towards the town of the person called Order. Along the way, we had pa.s.sed by a travelling merchant who had a depressed expression. It was a perfect sunny day for travelling as the sky from yesterday had cleared up but as expected, the feeling would start to feel depressing if you see someone with a depressed face.

However, Sophia seemed different. Whenever people see someone with a depressed expression, your face will start stiffen to some degree. My decision to not fight, such determination was renewed once more.

“……Is there something bothering you?”

Somehow, a question was managed to be asked. And then,

“No, that is… How did Luon-sama managed to become strong?”

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─ While making full use of lesser spells and sword skills, I should be able to hide my original ability but… is there some kind of a clear criterion which would decide if I’m strong?
Or possibly, the king seemed to hold [Something] against me ─ Then could it be that she too may have thought of the same thing?

“Well… It’s the fruits of effort from young age”

I did not tell a lie. Sophia then answered with “Is that so…” and talked up a tale.

I felt that the gaze that she was seeing me through was mixed with emotions… it’s just that those emotions were not negative ones but those of favorable things.

Well, It’s not like I don’t have any confidence in my abilities but things like “I’ll become strong” If I’m followed or something is felt as some kind of basis… I apparently got too strong and consequently obtained something that would attract people. Just that at the time when I was with Fili, something like this wasn’t there. Even though the same lineage of the philosopher was there, I wondered if there are any differences.

Continuing to harbor these questions… I along with Sophia walked towards our objective.

Before long, we arrived at the concerned town. It was a town connecting from the Post Town that strayed ahead with mountains to its back.
Upon our arrival, Sophia walked straight through the street into the direction of the mountain. The town was on a slope along the way to the back and the place where the person called Order lives at seems to be on the upper side.

I’ve thought of asking “Do you remember the place?” towards Sophia who continued to go on while thinking of how I would talk to Order as I chased her back… eventually, we arrived.

“……Eh?”

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However, at the moment where Sophia saw the whole mansion was in full view, she was stunned. I too again looked at the state of the mansion and fell silent.

First was the grid of the iron doors were tightly shut. From the gap, the foyer can be seen a little before the stone pavement but untrimmed gra.s.s was growing out here and there from both sides of the roads.

(TN: The view was similar to an abandoned house with the lawn gra.s.s growing tall because they were not being groomed.)

If for example the attack on the capital was heard and he rushed to its aid─ like if such shouldn’t seem to be rough. Even if you lightly estimate, hasn’t several months had already pa.s.sed since this was left? ─ When I looked into the Mansion. It was as if the life within it had been lost, and the impression that I felt from it was extremely dark.

(TN: This explains the person “Order” losing his cool and rushing into the capital to help at the first sentence.)
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I feel that it was something that had nothing to do with the battle with the Mazoku. Those should be unrelated.

“……Oiya, isn’t it another guest”

When I was looking at the mansion, a voice came from behind. Turning around, it was a single old woman with a cane. Following after, Sophia then raised her voice.

“Well, This is─”

“Of its Order-san, he had already died two months ago.”

With those words ─ Sophia’s eyes were wide open with surprise.

“He already died…”

“I also explained the circ.u.mstances to a knight clad in armor that came yesterday and felt dejected. It seems that he had not talked to anyone about it. “

He already died… Un, wait. If he died two months ago, this phrase should have been mentioned in the game.
“Perhaps it was Eina’s scenario” is what I had thought but…well, I wondered what kind of flow it was.

“Then the people of the mansion are now…”

“They’re not there. It’s seems like the maids had already vacated the place.”

“─Ah!”

I remember. As I suddenly raised my voice, Sophia and the Old woman sent their gazes here.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Ah, no. Sorry. It’s just that I remembered something but it’s something unrelated.”

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As I give an excuse, I again thought back to it… that’s it, Eina’s opening event. At the time where the knights gathered and after escaping from the capital, a knight who came here reported to Eina.
It was the same thing that the Old woman had explained earlier. Coincidently, I remembered Order’s lineage. That person is the one who taught Sophia and Eina in the ways of the sword, their master.

This name was not mentioned in the game. He until the very end was only mentioned as ‘master’. However, there is something to remember about the name. It was when I purchased the game with the doc.u.ment collection of the settings in my previous life. In the rough picture of ill.u.s.trations that came with it, there was a character whose name was listed as the master of Eina. However, it did not appear in the game. As expected, remembering this immediately was impossible… well how gracious of me.

Eina was at the very beginning, trying to bring herself to Order’s place. Many of the knights also moved to gather the knights and appoint him as leader but it did not come true after all since he was already dead.
When it came to it… Sophia too had lost a person to rely on so we have to think of something to do from now on.

“What… shall we do?”

With the old woman gone, Sophia looked at the mansion and murmured those words. This is what it had come to and a topic that cannot be avoided but again I was unable to say anything.
Although… there is no place to hide anymore and if I were to leave her like this, I wouldn’t know of what would happen.

The most fearful thing is if she encounters someone from the Knights. If from there a discussion with Eina was opened, it is possible for the scenario to collapse… Hmmm.

“Sophia… I want to confirm something.”

“Yes”

At my words, Sophia turned towards me and replied.

“Well, let’s say for example that you need to go to the place where the king is at… you won’t right?”

“With I myself… It is a fact that you could not convince me to do so.”

Her will to fight is this strong so it would be natural for her not to be convinced. Since the person set as our objective is dead, there shouldn’t be any other options… but honestly, even if we go to the place where the king is at now, it wouldn’t do us any good. Perhaps it would be better to move out independently.

If so, what would be the better choice ─ In here, I remembered Sophia who was observing me as we journeyed. It had only been several days since we met but there was also the fact that I had saved their lives and it seems that there are other reasons somewhere for them to hold their trust… Then,

“What if…”

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I gave out said words. Sophia kept her eyes on me and listened closely to those that followed.

“If wanting to fight is what you really wish for… I know the means to become strong”

“Luon-sama does?”

Sophia asks in return… there would be no helping it if I were to say something like ‘No, thank you’ here but the feelings from hearing her voice seemed to had got me very eager.

“Ohh. There are some ways around it. Though I won’t necessarily know whether Sophia would become strong in the way you wish to be so…”

“There is a way, is it not?”

Without hesitation, Sophia stepped one step closer. Here on the other hand was the opposite as I was a little bit surprised that I wasn’t able to get into it immediately but… well, if that’s the case, I will gladly make use of that well.
Then when I gave her a nod, she responded to me with a strong gaze.

“I understand. I will─”

“However”

In here she interrupts what she was about to say.

“There is a condition”

“Condition?”

“My way of doing things, it needs to reach a certain degree of quality. Sophia having the lineage of the Philosopher may be enough as a qualification but I will not agree unless I do not check it directly.”

“In other words, you would like to confirm my power?”

“That is correct. If you can clear what is I am about to say, I will teach you a lot of things”

─ Originally, I decided to take steps in verifying her powers after I left her in Order’s custody. Rather, it may be better if I were to control her movements to a degree.

First of was confirming if she posses the same level of growth like Fili… If there is nothing like that, there is no other way but to pitifully announce that she needs to go to the place where the king is at. There is also the case if she did but… if it’s a way in how to confirm her strength, there is something in here. If that were to work well, I would need to encourage her to not act on her own.

“Unless it’s a fight with the Mazoku, you won’t hear superficial things from me. This will be a harsh test, are you prepared for it?”

“Of course”

At Sophia’s nod. I answered with a ‘understood’.

“Well then, let us depart from here. There’s a larger town up ahead. In there, we would do various things for your test.”

I walked ahead for some time. And then, Sophia replied with a “Yes”─ we had decided to leave town.

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TN: As you can see I decided to place the names of who is speaking after the dialogues, if it’s better or not please do comment on it.