Chapter 966

「The knights of Silard are staying at the inn on the other side of this square.」

After exchanging information with Mea, Fran successfully reunited with Sophie. Soon after, we left the base to meet Adol, with Mea leading the way.

It seems that Velmeria and Frederick already left town in search of the Dragon King.

During our talk with Sophie, we learned that she still couldn’t reactivate her divine sword.

「Can I appraise you?」

「You can use Appraisal? Okay, give it a shot.」

「Nn.」

I performed an Appraisal on Sophie after we got her permission, and found that the Divine Sword Release skill had reverted back into “■■■■”. After Fran told her this, Mea asked for an Appraisal on herself as well.

I guess there’s not much left to hide between us.

Mea’s stats didn’t even have a “■■■■” portion. They’re both divine sword holders, so why the difference?

After thinking about it a bit, I realized that it might be due to whether or not they were recognized by the blade.

In Sophie’s case, she definitely had the talent to activate Divine Sword Release, but could not master its usage properly for various reasons. Based on what she told us, it seems to be a mostly psychological issue.

However, Sophie didn’t look worried to me. She’s apparently confident that she’ll be able to regain the ability when the time comes.

In Mea’s case, her normal state was simply considered not good enough. It seems she didn’t have the qualifications to activate Divine Sword Release in the first place.

「Hmm, Adol.」

『Good timing.』

We didn’t even have to enter the inn since Adol and the holy knights were already standing in front of the door. They didn’t seem to be making departure preparations, so they must be headed for somewhere else in town.

After noticing the approaching Fran and friends, the knights clearly became tense.

「Leave this to me.」

「Are you okay, Mea?」

「Don’t worry, I’ll just calm them down real quick. They’re strangely aggressive right now, probably due to their worries about Adol-dono’s safety.」

Mea smiled and waved to the knights as she approached them. The tense atmosphere dissipated after they recognized her face.

Instead, they switched to giving her condescending looks.

「Hello men of Silard! Are you headed somewhere?」

「You don’t need to yell, we can hear you just fine. So? What do you filthy criminals want? Have you changed your mind about selling the magic sword?」

It seems they never realized Mea’s identity. Since she’s a princess, they’d normally need to be a little more concerned about appearances. Demanding that she sell her sword would probably be considered rude too. They must not know about Lind being a divine sword either.

「Whatever, that matters little. You came at a good time, show us to the Saintess immediately.」

「……Why?」

「Her healing powers are appropriate for our nation. We’ve decided to take her with us.」

What do you mean “decided to take her with us”!? Fran’s temper was about ready to burst. Well, at least it seems like they don’t know about Sophie’s divine sword? They’d probably be acting much more carefully if they really intended to kidnap a divine sword wielder.

Perhaps the Holy Nation’s appraisers didn’t manage to see the extent of Sophie’s abilities.

「I see, but the Saintess has declared that she will remain in this city, yes? I believe any negotiation will be pointless.」

「That is not your decision to make.」

「Either way, you save that for later. I’ve brought a messenger from the Adventurers Guild.」

「Hmph. A messenger?」

The holy knight scoffed in irritation before turning to Fran and Izario, who were standing a bit further away. He clearly didn’t like how Mea acted as if she was their equal.

However, his face soon turned red with astonishment.

「Crimson Blade……!」

The holy knights certainly recognized Izario’s face, and judging by that reaction, they weren’t big fans of him. They hardly talked to Izario back in Nocta either.

「Hey, I heard you guys saved the city? Pretty strange course of action for you guys, no? Since you’re the epitome of arrogance.」

「W-What are you saying?! We are the knights of the glorious Holy Nation! Our mission is to protect the weak!」

「Hmm? Well, whatever.」

The holy knight flew into a rage when Izario blew off their words. Meanwhile, Izario looked completely uninterested, picking at his ear with his pinky finger.

I sensed killing intent from the holy knight, who had a vein on his forehead about to burst. Of course, he couldn’t pick a fight with someone holding a divine sword.

As the holy knights were still murmuring in confusion, Izario suddenly put on his serious face. He switched to a deeper tone of voice when he conveyed his business.

「We’ve got an urgent request from the administrative council. They’re calling on all nations to contribute their forces towards quelling the current anomaly.」

「What?」

「Many nations have already accepted the request. Naturally, the Adventurers Guild will be joining in as well. I don’t think the Holy Nation will forget their duties, do you?」

「O-Of course not! Who do you think we are?!」

「Oh wow! That’s great to hear!」

So that’s why Izario kept trying to provoke them. Angering them would make it easier to bait them into taking the request.

However, that’s when someone else interrupted. The appraiser. It seems he operated under a different chain of command from the holy knights, and had a decent amount of authority over them.

「Hold it right there! The Divine Sword Knight has already activated the blade three times on this continent. We cannot allow any further battles.」

Like the appraiser said, Adol did not look to be in good shape. Though not completely spent, we could clearly see a hint of fatigue. Kinda like an accountant after pulling an all-nighter.

But that’s nowhere close to being unable to fight. Izario scoffed loudly and responded with a clear tone of mockery in his voice.

「Only three times? Then he’s perfectly fine. After all, I’ve got a divine sword too. Not to mention the Holy Nation’s Alpha and my Ignis were forged by the same smith. I know exactly how these babies work, and three times is nothing. Eh, maybe the famed and respected Divine Sword Knight can only manage three uses before he calls it quits? Nah, that’d be way too weak. He can’t possible be weaker than some random guy like me… can he?」

「Kuh……!」

Izario’s words left the appraiser speechless. After all, only a divine sword wielder can truly speak about their usage. He could not claim that Izario was lying.

Besides, Silard absolutely could not accept the last sentence. The Divine Sword Knight, the backbone of their nation’s strength, was thrown the question “Are you inferior to a mere adventurer?”

Confirming this was out of the question, but denying it would affirm that Adol was capable of further battles. Either way resulted in big demerits.

They probably wanted nothing more to do with the anomaly. The only thing on their mind was how to retreat from the continent without pushing Adol any further.

「Just so you know, the Militant Nation of Hagane has accepted the request. Wow, what a country, right? A splendid decision from a similarly great nation!」

「Gnrgh……」

「So? What’s your answer? Feel free to say no. But only if you want to prove your own cowardice and selfishness, as well as admit the inferiority of the Divine Sword Knight to us adventurers.」

「Dammit!」

In the end, they had no choice but to comply with the request. Since we’ve already prevented them from resorting to force, it’s not like they had other options in the first place. Refusing the request would have put Silard under intense international pressure as well.

A nation as large as Silard had to protect its prestige. Well, only Izario, a man on the same level as such a nation, could pull off such a taunt in the first place.

However, I found it a bit strange that Adol didn’t get to make the final decision. Although he was treated as their leader, it seemed like he didn’t have much authority.

In fact, it looked like the appraiser had the final say judging by how Adol never spoke up.