The tavern's window shutter was opened from the inside.
Esper leaned halfway out of the window, the night wind blowing her black hair all over her face.
She glanced down and confirmed that Kaylar was standing on the dirt ground by the tavern's back wall, looking up, her iron hammer wrapped in cloth strips and strapped to her back.
“Come up.”
Esper's voice was very low.
“Can't I just use the front door?”
“You're a wanted fugitive. Walking through the front door? Do you think there aren't enough bounty posters of you out there?”
Kaylar puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction. She took two steps back, ran forward, kicked off the wall, and hooked her fingers onto the windowsill without making a single sound.
Esper reached out, grabbed her wrist, and hauled her into the room in one swift motion.
Kaylar stumbled slightly as she landed, then stood in place, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
“Wow, this place is so run-down.”
Eladia sat on the edge of the bed, her quiet gaze drifting over, an old pamphlet she had borrowed from the tavern keeper spread open on her lap.
“Then go sleep outside.”
“Cough, cough... it's still better than a cave,”
Kaylar quickly added.
Renn had originally suggested searching for the ruins overnight, but Kaylar insisted that she desperately needed a safe place to get a good night's sleep.
And so, things ended up like this.
Renn was in the adjacent room, completely silent. He had likely already gone to sleep.
Barring any emergencies or urgent missions, that guy's daily schedule was as regular and stable as a machine.
Esper closed the window shutter, turned around, and crossed her arms.
“Tell me about the ruins. Is there any other loot besides runic weapons? Any other blacksmithing techniques?”
“Yes, but I don't know the specifics.”
Kaylar sat down on a chair, behaving very properly—a far cry from her previous state of wailing on the muddy ground.
However, the skin beneath her eyes was still red and swollen.
“The owner of those ruins didn't leave a name,”
she began.
“All we know is that he was a master blacksmith. Near the end of the Era of Dragon Sovereignty, because he refused to forge weapons for any side in the war, he fled human territory and found an underground ruin near here to settle down. He never came out again until the day he died.”
“Then how did you find out he was here?”
Esper raised an eyebrow and asked.
“Internal texts of the association. They record many unknown secrets, including the whereabouts of this nameless master.”
“Hmm... you mentioned an underground ruin?”
“It seems to have originally been an abandoned structure from an even earlier era, which he partially modified. The entrance is buried, so we have to dig. I roughly know the location, but digging alone is too slow. Besides, even though I have a general idea, I still haven't found the exact spot.”
“So you lingered around here, refusing to leave, preferring to sleep in a bear's cave rather than move on?”
Kaylar's expression stiffened for a moment, and then she cleared her throat to force a calm demeanor.
“This is related to whether I can eat a full meal or not.”
Esper nodded and changed the subject.
“Speaking of which, how did you escape from the association?”
“...They trained me to be too strong, so I broke the prison and ran away.”
She spoke softly, a faint hint of melancholy in her voice.
“Right, I see. In that case—”
Esper drew the Holy Sword from behind her waist and laid it across her lap.
A white halo flowed slowly across the blade's surface, making the light from the room's oil lamp look a shade dimmer.
“There are several fragments of Authorities inside this sword. When it spoke to me, it used a language I couldn't understand.”
The first few times, she would forget the records played in her mind by the Holy Sword right after they finished. But after the resonance a few days ago, that completely incomprehensible gibberish seemed to have taken root in her head, impossible to get rid of even if she wanted to.
And even so, what she remembered wasn't the complete record of the Holy Sword, but rather seven individual words singled out for her to memorize.
They seemed to correspond to an Authority each.
“As an initiate of the Abyss Cult, since you know about the Black Tide and Authorities, do you know anything about the language related to the Authorities?”
“Greek.”
Kaylar nodded.
“Writing from another world. The Creator used it to write the Authorities. The Pope said that the essence of each Authority is a single word, or rather, the 'concept' carried by that word. It's said that as eras progress, new concepts are constantly created. These Authorities, which were not made by 『Creation』, are usually carried by other languages. For example, the Japanese juu and the English kingship.”
“...What?”
“It means gun and royal authority. The former was once held by a Rank S adventurer but was later lost. The latter was originally held by the first Human King and was later integrated into 『Storm』 by Arthur. These two words are carried in Japanese and English, respectively. It's said that some Authorities are even carried in Chinese or something...”
“So you understand what they mean, right? Good.”
Esper placed the Holy Sword on the table, the blade hitting the wood with a dull thud.
“Teach me.”
“...Huh?”
“Didn't you say you'd give me some benefits? Since your information is outdated, we'll swap it for this.”
Kaylar stared at her for a few seconds, then turned to Eladia, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, as if looking for some support.
Eladia merely set down the old pamphlet in her hand, directed her gaze toward Esper, and then stood up, walking over to the side of the chair.
She kept a distance of about three feet.
“I want to learn too,”
Eladia said softly.
“Is that okay?”
Kaylar sighed, slid off the chair, and sat cross-legged on the floor.
“Fine, fine. Since we have nowhere to go tonight anyway, I'll play foreign language teacher for once.”
She unstrapped the iron hammer from her back and placed it beside her. The face of the hammer reflected a dull metallic luster under the oil lamp, covered in tiny dents.
“Just to be clear, my pronunciation might be a bit weird. The Pope had a heavy accent, and she always cursed in her hometown dialect, so I don't know if it's standard.”
“It's enough.”
Esper sat down across from her as well.
Kaylar reached out her finger and drew a few symbols in the dust on the floor. Her finger was steady, her strokes clean and sharp.
“Let's start with the sword you're most familiar with.”
She pointed at the Holy Sword.
“What Authorities are on it right now? Try reading them out.”
Esper tilted her head and thought for a moment.
She had only ever heard these words spoken by that synthesized mechanical voice. If she had to repeat them herself...
“『δύναμις』”
she tried to recite.
“『Power』.”
Kaylar responded, nodding.
“Your pronunciation is alright, just a bit off-standard.”
“Good enough is fine.”
“The original meaning of this word is 'power' or 'ability.' After the reinterpretation by Arkham, the 『Peak of Humanity』, it has now been endowed with the meaning of 'motive force' and 'energy.'”
“Is there a difference...?”
Esper knit her brows.
“Do you know how the mechas in Esperfite operate? By connecting to the Primordial Machine God, an incomplete 『Power』 directly provides the raw motive force, which is then converted through various weapons into different outputs for combat. It even includes mental drive.”
“...Huh?”
“Ork technology, get it?”
“I don't.”
“...Fair enough.”
Kaylar let out a somewhat helpless laugh.
“Alright, alright, what about the second one?”
“『σοφία』”
“『Wisdom』. The original meaning of this word doesn't just refer to being smart. It's more like... how should I put it.”
Kaylar frowned, her finger drawing those winding letters in the dust.
“An understanding of the world, I suppose. Accumulating experience, contemplating the essence of things, and attaining truth—this entire process is called 『σοφία』. Its most basic ability is the direct analysis of all things.”
For example, analyzing Esper's true identity immediately upon their first meeting.
Esper glanced at her.
“Then did Wald reinterpret it?”
“Reinterpretation isn't something everyone can do. The Pope mentioned that Wald is the closest to complete resonance among all the historical holders of 『σοφία』. But even so, he hasn't been able to redefine the meaning of 『Wisdom』.”
Kaylar shrugged.
“It's very strange. According to the Pope, with Wald's consistent performance, he should have stepped into the peak and completed the reinterpretation of the Authority long ago. But for some reason, he still hasn't completed it, and he is only at Rank Nine.”
“The next is 『πίστις』.”
“『Faith』. An ability based on Vow Power, which seems to possess some degree of cognitive modification and brainwashing functions. This is the foundation of the Church of Radiance. From start to finish, Beatrice has been the only one to possess it. So, whether she reinterpreted 『Faith』, I don't know, and I wouldn't dare to ask.”
“『θύελλα』”
“『Storm』. The most straightforward one, literal in meaning. But it underwent reinterpretation by the Storm King, combining with 『Kingship』 to be endowed with connotations and effects like 'royal majesty,' 'command,' and 'authority.' It's said to significantly enhance the strength of surrounding subjects. It was precisely through this power that the Storm Army, which was originally evenly matched with the Wild Hunt Army, managed to overpower them, ultimately leaving the Wild Hunt King isolated and helpless.”
“...And then, 『ἐλπίς』.”
Esper's tone grew inexplicably softer when she spoke this word.
“You should already know this one. 『Hope』. It is also an obsession. The core of your Holy Sword. I don't need to go into more detail, do I?”
The Hero's fingers tightened slightly against her knees.
“There are two more,”
she whispered.
Kaylar looked up.
“『ἆιμα』”
Esper read it aloud.
“『Blood』.”
Kaylar's eyes narrowed slightly.
The thoughts swimming behind her eyes flickered, as if she had understood something in an instant.
“This word isn't hard to pronounce. It literally means blood. But the Ancestor of Blood reinterpreted it. 'Bloodline,' 'family ties,' stories bound by 『Blood』, bonds and emotions etched deep into one's bones. It allows one to directly borrow the strength of nearby blood descendants, establish specific blood covenants by laying down binding rules, and most famously, treat one's own blood as blood scions.”
“Blood descendants...?”
“The 『Beast of Blood』. It creates a boundless hunting ground, turning one's own blood into blood descendants, granting them intelligence and mobility, and enabling them to hunt within the hunting ground. Then, any blood touched by your blood will be assimilated, thereby increasing the number of blood descendants. The assimilated blood descendants will in turn assimilate more, and the blood descendants themselves can provide power and healing to the holder of 『Blood』.”
“...A type specialized for large battlefields?”
“Yeah, pretty much. But it's not bad in a knightly duel either.”
As Kaylar spoke, her tone drifted back to its usual coldness, and her finger continued to draw in the dust.
“But it also depends on the situation. The Pope said that the essence of an Authority is a concept. And a concept is a completely different thing in different hands, even for the same word. In addition to reinterpretation, there are also different manifestations of an Authority. For example, the Ancestor of Blood's 『Beast of Blood』 can summon creatures of various forms—horses, wolves, tigers, lions, dragons. Legend has it he used everything. But the 『Beast of Blood』 summoned by the Blood Hunter... is his army.”
Endless march forged from fresh blood, undead puppets bearing the name of blood descendants.
“...”
What would Sister's Beast of Blood look like?
Esper looked down at the white light flowing along the blade of the Holy Sword.
“I get it.”
“Really?”
“Would I lie?”
“Hmph.”
Kaylar brushed the dust off her fingers and turned to Eladia, who had been listening quietly the entire time.
“What about you? How many did you memorize?”
Eladia blinked. Her fingers traced lightly over her knees, as if silently writing down the symbols she had just seen.
“Power... Wisdom... Faith... Storm... Hope... Blood.”
She recited them one by one. Her voice was very soft, but the order of every single word was completely accurate.
Kaylar raised her eyebrows.
“You have a pretty good memory.”
“Because these are all things very important to Esper... so I must learn them carefully...”
Eladia said calmly.
Kaylar's gaze bounced back and forth between the serene Eladia and the slightly blushing Esper, and then she shut her mouth as if she had suddenly understood something.
“There's one last one. The Holy Sword absorbed a new one from Zhong.”
“Wasn't Zhong a candidate... forget it, I won't ask for too many details. Anyway, it's 『Gluttony』, right?”
Kaylar crossed her legs, lost in thought.
“My pronunciation of this word isn't very accurate. The Pope said it's pronounced...”
She frowned, trying hard to recall.
“『γαστριμαργία』”
The syllables rolled out of her mouth with a strange, awkward stiffness.
The moment the sound faded into the air, the halo on the Holy Sword trembled slightly.
“It reacted to that word...”
Eladia leaned her face closer to the Holy Sword, speaking with curiosity.
“Of course it did. It recorded a fragment of this Authority.”
Kaylar stared the Holy Sword for a few seconds.
“However, the meaning of this word isn't as simple as eating until you're stuffed. Its reinterpretation is a spiritual hunger, somewhat similar to the needs of someone with autism, perhaps. A craving to be recognized and accepted, things like that. And then that craving turns into power. It's as simple as that.”
Esper put the Holy Sword away, leaning it against her knee.
The room fell silent for a few seconds. Outside the window came the buzzing of night insects and the cooing of some unknown night bird in the distance.
“Alright.”
Esper stood up, brushing the dust off her trouser legs.
“That's enough studying for today. Come make a pallet on the floor with me.”
Kaylar shrugged, offering no objection.
But just because she and Esper had no objections didn't mean others didn't.
“Kaylar... you sleep on the bed...”
Eladia's voice drifted over softly.
“Eh? What about you?”
“I can sleep on the floor...”
Kaylar looked at the narrow bed, then at the two rags Esper had laid out on the floor, and finally at the utterly bewildered Esper.
“Fine. I'll take the bed.”
She shook her head and climbed onto the narrow bed, placing her iron hammer at the head of the bed within arm's reach.
Esper sat down against the wall, looking with a complicated expression at Eladia, who had lain down not far away.
The oil lamp had not yet been extinguished. Eladia tilted her head, her eyes quietly watching Esper.
“Esper...”
Eladia softly spoke her name.
“Yeah.”
“Can you teach me again tomorrow...? I didn't memorize a few of the pronunciations...”
“Didn't you just memorize them?”
“I forgot them just now...”
“...You can just have her teach you.”
Esper gestured with her chin toward Kaylar on the bed.
“I want to hear you say them...”
“...”
She fell silent for a moment, then set the Holy Sword aside and recited the word under the light of the oil lamp.
“『ἐλπίς』”
“『ἐλπίς』...”
Eladia repeated after her.
Her voice was very soft, so soft it was almost drowned out by the buzzing of the night insects.
But the white light on the Holy Sword flashed once, as if responding to her.
A rustling sound came from the bed as Kaylar tossed and turned, followed by a mumbled mutter.
She had fallen asleep.
Rate on N.U.
