The Pilgrims of Valtherus.

Sword Pilgrims.

The funereal priests who are called Pilgrims have little to no cooperation among each other.

Even if there is, it is only something that appears from the outside. If you look inside, it's all really ugly.

Because –

"Are you here for my sword, Brother? But I'm sorry. You're one step late."

Each and every one of them is extremely selfish when it comes to swords.

Even if they have no desire for anything else, when it comes to swords, the Pilgrims are far more obsessed than they care about their own Brothers.

Callius laughed inwardly.

The guy had a sweet mouth, but the joy that shone in his eyes could not be hidden.

‘He's hostile.'

The guy wants –

To turn the Lord into a sword.

And then take that sword and turn me, another Pilgrim, into a sword too!

‘The miracle of Valtherus, which was created to relieve the pain of the dead, has long since changed its meaning.'

Therefore, Pilgrims who have the same goal do not seek to achieve it together.

Ironically, Pilgrims –

‘They show the best aptitude to be turned into a Carcass.'

Divine power is essential to unleash the miracle of the Gods from which the Carcass is made.

So, a priest can be said to be a vessel that contains that divine power itself.

A Sword Pilgrim therefore is the best material to make a powerful Carcass.

As a result, the Pilgrims implicitly target each other.

There are even some people who fight openly, so it is natural that the people of the Empire do not view the Pilgrims in a good light.

However, it is inevitable that the Valtherus Church, which is drunk on the faded glory of the past, thinks it is God's wish to have the best sword.

"Isn't this the idiot Arsando…?"

"… Arsando Mirinae! No, what’s your name?"

Pilgrims often kill others that show the aptitude for being made into Carcasses, but usually only at the border regions near the empire.

The young lord of the neighbouring estate –

‘Now I remember.'

The settings and stories I wrote over one night began to come back to my mind.

‘Leone, the young lord of Torrett.'

The mother who had marched into war to save the crumbling estate dies, and the remaining vassals rob the valuables and run away.

Left alone, Leone weeps and tries hard to become the new Lord and revive the estate.

‘He was troubled by the bandits, but then he found the mine they had occupied and got a breather.'

But only for a while.

It was a story about a Pilgrim who helped clear out the bandits, who realized Leone's potential, killed him, and turned him into a Carcass.

‘… ….'

Callius sat slumped on the floor and looked down at Leone, who was looking back at him.

"I came here for nothing."

When the story he had written became a reality and unfolded like this, he felt somewhat reluctant.

"I don't know how you know my name, but seeing that you keep staying here, it seems that you have no intention of going back."

"Unfortunately, I have something to do with that little boy."

Leone slowly approached Callius.

The little kid had some sense.

Well, that's enough to be targeted by Pilgrims, though.

"That’s a shame. To think it’d cause a fight between Brothers…!"

Saak!

"Hey!"

Chaeng! Kkig! Kkigigig!

Arsando's sword, which was aimed at Leone, was blocked by the rapier.

The sound of clashing swords sharply pierced his ear, as if scratching an iron plate.

"Your eyes are far too excited to say that you’re sorry."

Rather, it was an exuberant face, as if things were going well.

"I'm sorry, Brother! It's the first time I shall turn a Brother into a Carcass, so I can't control myself!"

Kuung!

Kkig! Kkigigig!

"It's a pretty heavy sword."

Greatsword.

A wide and long two-handed sword.

It is heavy and cannot be handled freely, but each blow is mighty.

Not very compatible –

‘When I have a rapier.'

The rapier is a thin and long sword optimized for stabbing.

If you make a mistake parrying that greatsword, it will break at once.

The tooth is already starting to degrade.

"Try it once!"

Kwadangtangtang!

Dodging the blow, Callius swung the rapier into the air and took a moment to catch his breath.

‘Tough.'

There is a crack in the rapier.

Even with the same grade of Carcass, the difference in compatibility is inevitably obvious.

If it collides with another sword that pushes with such force, the blade of the sword will naturally degrade.

And the more you do that, the more it will break.

Power or speed, is the difference between the two swords.

"Shall we do it?"

Not very compatible –

But there's nothing that can't be done.

Woo.

The desk shattered and dust flew. A pile of papers scattered and fluttered in the air between them.

Salang, salang.

Through the papers falling down in the wind, the figure of the man can be seen.

Although his face was full of joy, he properly raised his heavy sword.

The tip of the sword cut through the dust and drew a light arc.

Then at once –

Kwaaang! A hit.

"You bastard!"

It looked like an angry bull rushing.

The force of the striking sword was as if a huge rock was pounding down.

Salang. The fluttering papers drifted between them and obscured the view. Once again, Arsando's sword was raised.

Step.

"Huh!"

"You idiot."

It looked like he didn't think about the reach of the sword.

His sword hit the ceiling, revealing a gap.

That gap –

Callius didn't miss it.

Taat! Kwajik!

Callius' steps slammed against the office floor and rushed forward.

The rapier pulled by the waist was sharp as an arrow and powerful as a spear.

Chwasss!

The rapier pierced the papers that was fluttering between them.

"Kuh!"

The tip of the sword approached right in front of the opponent in an instant. Arsando's head moved.

Woo!

It was a great act of reflex.

The sound of bones creaking in his neck from how hard he twisted it, was the proof.

An arc was drawn on Arsando's lips, avoiding the majority of the blow.

"Stupid."

But as if even that was a trick, Callius took back the sword and moved in a strange orbit. Seug. Tuk.

"Aaaaaah!!"

An arm fell to the floor.

Callius opened his mouth, wiping the blood off his sword.

"It was an honest sword."

He looked like a weasel, but his swordsmanship was very honest. Just stab and hit. An honest swordsmanship without any finesse.

It was a heavy sword that struck only with force.

However, Callius was able to bring forth victory with ease.

"That's why the greatsword is so bad. If you lose an arm, you can't fight."

"Ahh! Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Arsando Mirinae.

He tried to hold the sword with his remaining arm, but to no avail.

Even holding it with two hands was slow, how could he fight with one hand?

"Those eyes! Those gray eyes! You must be Jervain!?"

Callius' eyes narrowed in a frown.

Arsando's red, bloodshot eyes seemed to have witnessed the impossible. Arsando could not understand.

If he's really Callius von Jervain, then this couldn’t have happened.

There was no way Callius von Jervain could have shown such a sword.

"How did Jervain’s Scapegrace become able to wield such a sword!!"

"You don't need to know, since you're going to die soon."

Chwasss!

Tuk, degrrr.

"It's not good if the body is severely damaged… but what can you do?"

Callius spoke disrespectful words, but even so, Arsando was a Pilgrim.

The strongest opponent he’d met in a long time.

If it had been a Pilgrim other than Callius, and if the place had not been a small and cramped office, the fight would not have been so easy.

When Arsando died, the sword he had been holding fell down.

"Hmm… what’s this? It doesn’t matter. "

The rapier's condition was also miserable.

It had to fight against the same grade of Carcass, and the compatibility was not very good, so cracks had formed here and there. It couldn’t be used anymore.

"Leone."

"Yes, yes? How do you know my name…"

"This is your mother."

Callius put the rapier in front of Leone.

"Yes? Mother…. My mother died in the Lutens Plains…"

"I speak in the name of Callius, Son of Valtherus and Pilgrim of the Sword. This is your mother's Carcass."

Your mother –

"She wanted to come back."

That's probably why.

"I think she was trying to protect you."

Leone stretched out his hand towards the rapier with surprised eyes.

In the fierce battle before, the blade had been damaged at several places, and cracks could be seen.

Wounded.

It was as if it had come from the battlefield where his mother died.

No, it was like as if his mother herself who had fought an arduous battle and died.

Leone's eyes reddened.

Instantly, hot tears ran down his cheeks and wet the floor.

Leone's tears dripped down on the floor of the dusty office.

"Mother……?"

He held the rapier with hands trembling like an aspen.

Saaaa.

As if it had been waiting, the rapier began to turn into grains of silver light.

"Ah……."

A shimmering silver breeze of light flew in the wind to the window of the office.

Leone trudged towards the window to see the disappearing ray of light.

No, he looked at his mother.

[Leonaire Torrett's regrets.]

[Divine Power +2]

Callius looked at the disappearing Leonaire and was startled.

"Ugh!!"

Intense pain soon followed.

One more stroke begins to be engraved on the stigma on the back of the hand.

"Why, why are you like this. Pilgrim!!"

"Keuuuugh!"

Callius knelt down and grabbed his wrist, sweat dripping down his body.

In return for the completion of the quest, the divine power rose, and this must be evidence that the level was rising even higher.

A single stroke was drawn on the shape of the stigmata, which had previously been in the form of a simple sword, and it began to change shape.

A crescent-like stroke was added to what was originally a sword-shaped stigma.

"Uh huh."

A silver light spread like flames from Callius' body, and sooner a purer divine power rose though him like a fire.

"Haha……."

The body became more comfortable.

‘The divine power rose.'

Although there were many times when physical abilities increased, this is the first time that he received divine power as a reward. Divine power is literally a token of faithfulness to the God you worship.

The corners of Callius' lips rose.

The amount of divine power directly increased greatly and became purer.

As the grade increased, the physical level also rose as a whole.

He was lucky.

「Callius von Jervain」

「Occupation」 – Pilgrim.

「Spirit」 – Level 4

「Divine Power」 – 2971/3251.

「Talent」 – [Bard's Blessing – Best]

「Characteristics」 – [Verse of Grace] [Nobility's Duty] [Scapegrace Count] [Four Verse Composition (사시작비) – Die Not Before the Hour (死時昨非)][1] [Prodigal Son of the Order] [Gluttony]

[Ability]

Strength – 19+(10)

Agility – 15+(10)

Skill – 7

Health – 15+(10)

Faith – 20

Until now, Callius' divine power had been level 5.

This time it seemed to have risen to 4th grade.

The level of divine power is a measure of the Pilgrim's spirit.

The higher the level of divine power, the higher the body level of the believer – exponentially higher.

Depending on the level of his spirit, the body gradually changes to be closer to God.[2]

‘As the quality of divine power goes up, strength, agility, and health also go up.'

After clenching and opening his fists with satisfaction, Callius glanced at the corpse of the man lying in the corner.

Knowing that the level of divine power had risen, it was time to make a Carcass.

Arsando's severed arm and head were roughly joined together and his hand reached out.

"O Great Valtherus, let the forsaken twilight burn in the dawn."

Slurp.

As pure divine power radiated from his fingertips, a strange wind flowed from Arsando's body.

Soon, his body was enveloped in a halo, and a sword formed in Callius's hand.

"Oh."

A Carcass with a darker blue blade than before was made.

A blue blade like that meant a Life Sword.

The dark blue blade of the Carcass proved this.

‘Life Sword.'

It was the first time Callius had made a sword from a Pilgrim.

The first Life Sword he had ever held in his hand.

It was a sword that seemed to stick to the hand from its sense of grip.

"That's why you have to have good gear."

Arsando.

Verse of Grace didn't come out of him, but it didn't matter.

He had no intention of doing that anyway.

Callius, who had put Arsando roughly around his waist, saw the young lord Leone, who was still smiling in tears.

‘But it's amazing.'

This wasn't the original story.

‘I should have killed both Leone and the Pilgrim so that the player could benefit… ….'

Leone didn't die.

Originally, he was an unlucky character who got caught up in a fight and died after being struck by a sword.

In addition, his potential was high, so if Leone himself were made into a Carcass, it would have the aptitude to be even better than a Life Sword.

‘But he didn't die.'

What kind of change is this?

Callius looked at Leone with strange eyes.

‘Should I kill you?'

A sword that is better than a Life Sword might come out.

I can't remember the exact setting, but there's nothing wrong with having one more high-level Carcass.

"Hmm……."

But Callius, who was thinking with his arms crossed, let out a deep sigh.

‘He’s a poor guy.'

I feel sorry for him, but at the same time, I'm curious as to what will happen.

Leone's potential is more than a Life Sword.

If I leave this guy alone, how will he grow, and what kind of impact that will have on this world.

Callius wondered.

"How long are you going to cry? I returned your mother to you and saved your life. At least serve me some food and drink."

"Yes, of course, yes? Alcohol?"

Leone was taken aback by the bold request that didn’t seem like it had come from a priest.

"I want some wine."

Editor's Notes:

[1] 사시작비 is being translated as Four Verse Composition.

[2] 성력 is being translated as Spirit, 신성력 as Divine Power.