Sword Pilgrim – Chapter 3

The pilgrims of Valtherus.

Sword pilgrims.

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

At best, it’s a façade shown to the outside. The inside story is bound to be really ghastly.

Because –

“Are you here for my sword, brother? But I’m sorry. You’re a 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’ obsessions far outstrip their care for their fellow brothers.

Callius chuckled inside.

This guy had a sweet mouth, but the joy shining in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

‘He’s hostile.’

What he wanted –

Was to turn the lord into a sword.

And then take that sword and turn Callius, a fellow pilgrim, into another sword!

‘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 for being turned into a carcass.’

Divine power is essential to unleash the divine miracle that is creating a carcass sword.

And a priest can be said to be a vessel that already contains that divine power.

A sword pilgrim, therefore, is the best possible material for a a powerful carcass sword.

As a result, pilgrims implicitly target each other.

There are even some who fight their fellows openly, so it’s natural that the neighbouring people of the empire do not view the pilgrims in a good light.

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

“Aren’t you Arsando the Idiot…?”

“… I’m Arsando Mirinae! No, what’s your name?”

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

The young lord of this estate –

‘Now I remember.’

The settings and stories he’d written over one night began to come back to his mind.

‘Leone, the young Lord of Torrett.’

The mother who’d 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’d 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 slumped and looked down at Leone, who was looking back at him.

“I came here for nothing.”

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

“I don’t know how you know my name, but since you aren’t leaving, it seems that you have no intention of going back.”

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

Leone started slowly edging towards Callius.

The little kid had some sense.

Well, that was what got him targeted by a pilgrim, 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 you’re sorry.”

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

“I’m sorry, brother! It’ll be my first time turning a brother into a carcass, so I can’t control myself!”

Kuung!

Kkig! Kkigigig!

“It’s a pretty heavy sword.”

Arsando wielded a greatsword.

A wide and long two-handed sword.

It was heavy and couldn’t be handled freely, but each blow was mighty.

Not very compatible with Callius –

‘When all I have is a rapier.’

His rapier was a thin and long sword optimized for stabbing.

If Callius made a single mistake parrying that greatsword, it’d immediately snap into two.

Its edge was already starting to degrade.

“Let’s try it once!”

Kwadangtangtang!

Dodging the incoming blow, Callius struck with the rapier just to create some space, and took a moment to catch his breath.

‘This is tough.’

There was already a crack on the rapier.

Even though their carcass swords were of the same rank, the difference in compatibility was inevitably obvious.

Since it kept clashing with another sword with such strong force behind it, the blade was bound degrade.

And the longer they continued, the more would it break.

Power vs speed, that was the difference between the two swords.

“Should I just do it?”

Although not very compatible –

But it wasn’t impossible.

Whoooosh.

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

Salang, salang.

Through the papers fluttering down in the air, Callius could see the figure of his opponent.

Although his face was full of joy, he still properly raised his greatsword.

The tip of the sword cut through the dust and into an arc.

Then, at once –

Kwaaang! A hit.

“You bastard!”

It looked like the charge of an angry bull.

The force behind the sword resembled a huge boulder 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 hadn’t considered the reach of the sword.

His sword hit the ceiling, revealing a momentary gap.

That gap –

Callius didn’t miss it.

Taat! Kwajik!

Callius’ feet slammed against the office floor as he rushed forward.

The rapier that stabbed upward from the waist was sharp as an arrow and mighty as a spear.

Chwasss!

Piercing the papers fluttering between them.

“Kuh!”

The tip of the sword brushed close to the opponent in an instant. Yet, Arsando’s head moved.

Whoooosh!

It was a great act of reflex.

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

Arsando’s lips started to curve up as he avoided the majority of the blow.

“Stupid.”

But as if even that was a trick, Callius pulled the sword back and moved his feet 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 straightforward. Just stabs and cuts. An honest swordsmanship without any trickery or deceit mixed in.

It was a heavy sword style that struck only with force.

However, facing it, Callius had been able to bring forth victory with ease.

“That’s why greatswords are so problematic. 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 his opponent was really Callius von Jervain, then this couldn’t have happened.

There was no way Callius von Jervain could’ve shown such swordsmanship.

“How could Jervain’s scapegrace 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 disrespectfully, but even so, Arsando was a pilgrim.

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

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

When Arsando died, the greatsword he’d been holding tumbled down.

“Hmm… what’s this? Anyway, it doesn’t matter. “

The rapier’s condition was also miserable.

It had to fight against a carcass of the same grade, and one it wasn’t very compatible with at that, so cracks had formed here and there on the blade. It couldn’t be used anymore.

“Leone.”

“Yes, yes? How do you know my name…”

“This is your mother.”

Callius held the rapier in front of Leone.

“Yes? Mother…. My mother died on 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.”

This was 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 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, to look at his mother departing.

[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, his divine power rose, and this had to be the evidence.

A single new 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…”

His body felt more comfortable.

‘My divine power rose.’

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

The corners of Callius’ lips curved up.

The amount of divine power directly increased, and the quality became purer.

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

He’d gotten a windfall.

「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 of the Count Family] [Death 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 the 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 believer’s level of physique – exponentially higher.

Depending on the level of 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.

Roughly joining Arsando’s severed arm and head together with the rest of the corpse, 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.”

The blade of the carcass sword was of a dark blue hue.

A blue blade means a life sword.

That’s what the dark blue colour symbolized.

‘A life sword.’

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

It was the first life sword he’d ever held in his hands.

A sword that seemed to stick to the hand, so good was its sense of grip.

“That’s why you have to have good gear.”

Arsando.

Verse of Grace didn’t come out this time, but it didn’t matter.

Callius had no intention of doing that anyway.

Callius, who roughly hung the sword called Arsando around his waist, looked at Leone, the young lord who was still smiling amidst his tears.

‘But this is amazing.’

This wasn’t the original story.

‘I should’ve killed both Leone and the pilgrim, to get the most benefit as a player…’

Leone didn’t die.

Originally, he was an unlucky character who got caught up in a fight and died under a pilgrim’s sword.

In addition, his potential was high, so Leone had enough aptitude to possibly transform into a carcass even higher ranked than a life sword.

‘But he didn’t die.’

What kind of change was this?

Callius looked at Leone with strange eyes.

‘Should I kill you?’

A sword that was even better than a life sword might come out.

He couldn’t remember the exact settings, but there was nothing wrong with having one more high-level carcass.

“Hmm….”

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

‘He’s a poor kid.’

He did feel somewhat sorry, but at the same time, he was curious as to what will happen.

Leone who had greater potential than a life sword.

If he left this guy alone, how would he grow, and what kind of impact would that 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 alcohol.”

“Yes, of course – eh? 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 Death Verse Composition (changed from Four Verse Composition).

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

---

Previous Chapter

Project Page

Next Chapter