Chapter 255
Last time, he only saw her neck and face, and even that had left a strong impression on him. Her amber eyes and golden hair were exactly the same as before, but this time, the rest of her body was visible.
‘A white robe?’
She was wearing a robe almost like the ones worn by magicians.
‘And…’
When he saw Isabel last time, he saw the powerful mana storm enveloping her body. Now, that storm was encapsulated in a single form.
‘Isn’t that a staff?’
In her hands was a winged magic staff the same color as her hair.
‘And…’
Between the wings was a purplish jewel. It wasn’t an actual jewel, but a mana in the form of a jewel.
‘The mana it’s giving off is insane.’
By all appearances, Isabel looked like a light-attribute magician. She looked far too mage-like for someone who claimed to be a sword.
“Huh?”
“This energy is…?”
“What?”
One by one, the white lights that had been floating around began approaching, roused from their slumber.
“Hey, Naphthan. What’s going on?”
They had shown zero interest before and had continued to sleep, but as soon as Isabel appeared, they suddenly woke up and took an interest in what was happening.
Isabel clucked her tongue.
“You guys have starved for a long time, haven’t you? That’s why you were just sleeping the whole time.”
Hyukjin could feel the power imbued in Isabel’s voice. Her presence was far more powerful than when she was a sword. She bore the ‘transcendent’ title even in sword form, but now, he had the feeling she was somewhere above transcendent.
‘How?’
Hyukjin hadn’t grown.
‘I think I get it.’
This place, the environment they were in, made this possible. The Sea of Clouds seemed to have a far greater density of mana compared to regular fields.
‘That’s why Isabel appears a little more complete than before.’
Now he knew: Isabel’s growth wasn’t purely tied to his growth, but also to environmental factors. It was an excellent piece of information for Kim Hyukjin.
Natalie’s father, Naphthan, responded.
“That is correct, noble sword… folk. We have starved for a long time.”
“I thought so. The mana here can’t fill your starved stomachs.”
Hearing that, Hyukjin had another realization. This place had mana dense enough for Isabel to appear in a more complete form, but it was nothing compared to the Endless Sky. Just how much mana was up there, and what would happen if he went there? Wouldn’t Isabel be able to appear fully?
‘I think her outer appearance is complete.’
In Hyukjin’s eyes, the only word he could use to describe her was “beautiful”. He could come up with no other word. Some people might say Senia was prettier, but not Hyukjin.
“But if I may ask, noble swordfolk. Are you truly a swordfolk?”
“…”
Isabel flinched. “What do you mean by that?”
“The aura I’m feeling is indeed from a powerful swordfolk, but…” Naphthan trailed off.
Hyukjin was curious, too. It was his first time hearing the term swordfolk, but Hyukjin was confused as to why that swordfolk looked like a magician.
“I am a swordfolk. My true name is Isabel.”
“…”
Naphthan chewed on the name ‘Isabel’ for a long time.
“Isabel… Isabel… Isabel.” And then, his eyes widened. “Surely not. — — —-!”
System interference kicked in again. It was information Hyukjin wasn’t allowed to know, which frustrated him to no end. Even though it was about Isabel, he couldn’t hear it.
“That’s right. That’s me.”
“It is an honor, oh noble swordfolk.”
That made Hyukjin realize that the leader of the whalekin, Naphthan, had been naturally speaking down to him, and Hyukjin hadn’t taken offense to it.
‘It just felt natural.’
It had felt all too natural. It could very well be that Hyukjin had cowered before Naphthan’s immense power without even realizing it.
‘But Naphthan is being extremely polite to Isabel.’
Whalekin.
Swordfolk.
What kind of relationship did the two have?
‘Isabel is my contractee, and my bride.’
He did bear the title of ‘sword’s bride’. And it was true that to him, Isabel was incredibly beautiful. But that had nothing to do with Playing.
‘The scenario must be led by me, not Isabel.’
For the Guardians watching above, the one creating the content had to be him. Because the protagonist of this scenario wasn’t them, but him. Back when it felt natural, he didn’t realize it. Since he didn’t realize it, it couldn’t be helped. But now that he knew, he just needed to confidently take charge.
Hyukjin cut in with a cough, speaking confidently in the informal.
“The swordfolk Isabel has a Sword’s Pact with me.”
“I see… sir. Please excuse my offense, I was unaware.”
Now, their positions were switched—Naphthan was speaking formally, and Hyukjin informally. To the Guardians, it would look like Hyukjin had the initiative.
“That’s why I’ll help you guys go up to the Endless Sky.”
“With the power you mentioned earlier, correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Understood. You are the pactee of Lady — — herself. We will do our best to do as you suggested. What is it that our people must do?”
Hyukjin smiled. As she streamed, Senia’s wings trembled.
‘That smile.’
Every time she saw that smile, the hapless target was fleeced for all they were worth. That went for Song Junghye, Michelle, and Song Kiyeol.
‘But my heart feels a little strange.’
Normally, seeing that smile made her happy. After all, it was a surefire precursor to a great deal of profit for Kim Hyukjin. But today, ever since Isabel showed up, she was having trouble getting fired up. Senia shook her head to clear her thoughts and consoled herself.
‘As a business partner, I need to focus on my job.’
Strangely, her gaze kept moving to Isabel.
Completely unaware of Senia’s feelings, Hyukjin continued. “Before that, there’s something I need to be sure of. Leader of the whalekin, Naphthan. You proposed a marriage contract between me and your daughter.”
Earlier, this topic nearly aroused the anger of someone who looked as mild as milk and showed no anger towards the waterdrakes who robbed his homeland and the skybirds who almost killed his daughter. That was just how important this matter was.
“That was essentially a show of the greatest sincerity you can offer. Correct?”
“Of course.”
A whalekin’s contract must be the best thing they could give.
“You’ll need to promise me something else of equivalent value, then.”
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