Published at 28th of August 2022 2:46 pm

Chapter 375 - The Story behind Yazekapos’s Dagger

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

“You know it?”

“Yes…” Kisara answers while staring at the bluish-white blade.

For just an instant sadness flashes across her face.

Suloza, who can appraise items, has talked about a legendary crow monster… Let’s ask her about that.

“When I had an appraiser look at it, he mentioned a legendary crow monster.”

Kisara nods. She gazes at the dagger as if licking it all over with her eyes, and then looks past its blade, directly at me.

“…What is the name of that appraiser? The name of the ancient Great Desert Crow Yazekapos hasn’t been carved onto this blade, so he’s quite amazing…” She explained passionately.

The dagger’s blade has clouded slightly over after being exposed to Kisara’s hot breathing. While admiring the charm of her wet lips, I think back on Pelneet.

Recalling the face of the bald, middle-aged man, I answer, “Suloza. He’s running an Old Sorcery Store. It’s also called an antique store. He’s a first-class item appraiser with his shop being located on a small plot of land in the best district of the city, namely the First Ring Road of Pelneet. According to Rebecca, he’s also known as Shadow Ruler. And he’s under a curse by the Cursed God Tengaln Bububa. It seems somewhat shady, but he’s a refined, cool old man.”

“Suloza. I shall remember that name.”

It’s not said that she knows, but let’s ask her about the creator just in case.

“Anyway, it looks like he could appraise the name of the one who created Yazekapos’s Dagger. Kisara, do you know by chance?”

“No, I don’t.”

Figures.

“I see. A man called Oze Sulligan, also known as Oze of the Silver Blue, carried it, and I obtained it after defeating him.”

“Oze Sulligan. That name doesn’t ring a bell either. In the past this dagger used to be the beloved magic dagger of Latifa, one of the Black Witch Church’s Four Heavenly Witches. She had mentioned that it got stolen by Grand Thief Meyhan, who was later discovered to be a leader of 【Oriental Temple】, during a conflict with that religious group…”

Oohh, Four Heavenly Witch Latifa. I heard Kisara talk a bit about another For Heavenly Witch with the name Aphra Beazuma, but I’m hearing about Latifa for the first time.

“…So it was stolen, huh? What is that Oriental Temple anyway?”

“One of the associations flowing in from the east. They’re a religious group worshiping ancient demigods of the east, and the Demigod of Creation Baal. They desire to obliterate the other gods. I’ve heard that they’re a dangerous group considered to have started especially many conflicts with the gods of the Spirit World.”

Demigods, huh? I know about Geronas and Glass, at least.

Glass is a Demigod of Time who had sealed the Time Pinyin. Back then I had my penetrate the forehead of an illusionary Glass.

At that moment, the words of Suloza crossed my mind.

『…The spirit world? So you’re saying you’re in the same category as Collector Shiki-san…I understand. If you know about cursed gods, I will also tell you about ancient gods. The aboriginal gods of old, who have lived on this Mahaheim Continent before the wild gods came into existence…they are called the forgotten gods. By the way, depending on the region, there are places where the powers of demigods, wild gods, and cursed gods are deeply rooted』

That was his explanation at that time.

In addition to Glass, wild gods such as Cazdolo also exist, so you can really say this world has a myriad of gods and goddesses.

“…That means the thief passed it on to Oze, and I took it from Oze after killing him.”

“It looks like it… By the way of your phrasing, that Oze person was not a member of Oriental Temple.”

I’ve never heard the name of Oriental Temple before now.

“At least I think so. I don’t know whether that Oriental Temple still exists either. Back when I fought Oze, he was a leader of 【Owl’s Fangs】. And although the details remain shrouded in mystery, he might actually have been an undercover agent of 【Noctal’s Oath】…”

Hogbar’s 【Noctal’s Oath】 was mostly active in the royal capital Fa’Dyke. So maybe Oze has been active in that area as leader of 【Owl’s Fangs】 while working as a double agent?

“Dark guilds…” Kisara mutters with a very sad and pained expression while shifting her eyes from the dagger to Muu.

“Oze had used Yazekapos’s Dagger together with the Sword of Rendil. It was a skilled dual-wield style. He also managed to injure me as a Flying Sword Practitioner.”

Kisara nods at my words. Mana particles, looking like a cloud of ashes, drift up from behind her, causing a sad atmosphere. Then she shifts her eyes from Muu to me.

“Wounding you, Shuuya-sama…if it’s an opponent who stole the dagger in battle against an Oriental Temple member, he must have been skilled enough as a fighter…”

Then she returns her eyes to the dagger in her hand once more. For a while Kisara remains silent as if brooding about something.

“Did you remember something?”

“…Yes.”

Still, assuming the association called 【Oriental Temple】 still exists nowadays, they surely might have been in conflict with 【Noctal’s Oath】 which used to be one of the Eight Lights.

Assuming Oriental Temple doesn’t exist in Leften…Oze must have obtained a superb item like Yazekapos’s Dagger by coincidence, bought it from a merchant with platinum coins, or plundered it from someone else.

Speaking of Fa’Dyke…it houses that space elevator-like Indomitable Lion’s Tower. The place where I encountered Yui and Chardonnay is around that area as well. It’s a region with an abnormal amount of abandoned mansions and lots of various crimes happening all the time.

I wonder whether Nereis’Kary is doing fine with the capital being like that. It’s an area loaded with many conflicts.

Oseberia’s Hekatrail governed by Chardonnay lies in the south. If you head even further south on the continent, you have Duke Langreed, another noble of Oseberia who owns the Eight Lights dark guild 【Beycala’s Hand】. Though I doubt the war with Zamalia is unrelated to Leften’s situation.

Currently Chardonnay is in the midst of fighting over Zamalia’s Ancient City Musaka, which is also known as Leopard Pattern City Musaka, and its surrounding areas. That’s why she probably won’t meddle with Leften.

But, it’s the schemer Chardonnay I’m talking about here, and she did obtain some excellent personnel during the Underground Auction. Someday she might get interested in northern Leften.

Zamalia, which is under Chardonnay’s attack right now, has lost Hyatos, but the high-ranking nobles Marquis Rasni and Marquis Lorges, who are both supporting Zamalia’s royal family, are still going strong. I’ve heard from Kaldo and Yui about their subordinate organization 【Rozen’s Commandment】.

I think it’s only logical, but Zamalia shouldn’t only possess that thief guild, but also a dark guild with the power at the level of the Eight Lights. No, it’s also possible that even bigger organizations are on the move here behind the scenes. And I have no doubt that swarms of bad guys, who use patriotism as cover, and true patriots are on the loose as well.

Moreover, Bloody Long Ears, the mighty organization in Senapua, is around as well. It looks like they house many survivors of the Great Empire Befaritz, another empire like that of Quiche’s ancestors.

Well, although you might call them similar, the Great Empire Befaritz possessed a huge territory stretching across the Mahaheim Mountain Range. Just like the elves of the Terramay Kingdom, which extends into the northern parts of the Whirlpool Forest, there seemed to be many internal conflicts between the various elven clans.

I don’t think that the elves of Bloody Long Ears and Quiche’s ancestors had much to do with each other. The Bloody Long Ear members have a white whale tattoo on their cheek. It’s the symbol of their military unit. I think that’s yet another proof that they’re different from Quiche’s clan that has been continuing for centuries.

Though, that is something I won’t know for sure unless I ask Lezalaysa about it. The guild master of 【Bloody Long Ears of the White Whale】 didn’t participate in the current war between Oseberia and Zamalia. Even though her guild should have close ties to Oseberia, they haven’t joined up with Chardonnay.

I guess that’s only natural, though. I think it’s valid to believe that they turned our Remains of the Moon, no, the Four Dark Guild Alliance 【Blood Star Ocean Moon Alliance】 into their pivot. She also mentioned something about strife with the city councilors within Senapua as well, didn’t she? I heard a bit about the Air Battle Sorcerer who leads the Sky Magician Unit under the control of the councilors.

I suppose the reason for the city to maintain its neutrality isn’t just the achievement of Bloody Long Ears who have vested interests in the Azel Dimension.

Besides, even before Bloody Long Ears lost several of its leaders in the fight at the Dignified Heaven Shrine, they lost two of their leaders after they suffered an attack by the Black-Hair Unit during a retreat in the war against the western Radford Empire. In other words, them having lost too many combat forces plays a role as well.

It’s great that I managed to rescue Fran at the battle in the fort, but at the same time I ended up rescuing Curél, one of Bloody Long Ears’s leaders. I’m sure that Mia, who sent me a letter, would become upset if she knew that I saved her enemy…

Still, I wonder how the meeting with Chardonnay went. I can’t believe that she, who’s called Female Fox, would obediently pull back after having gotten her combat forces ready

These folks, who switch back and forth between underworld and normal world, are going to point their fangs at Leften someday, huh…? Nereis’Kary’s future prospects look bleak.

Oh well, I saved her, so I fulfilled my promise with her. She’s a beauty, and I do have some sympathy for her situation, but I don’t plan to help her with her country building. But, I’ll gladly pray that her aspirations come true through her luck as princess and wisdom.

Then again, if I were to personally ask to link her up with Chardonnay…I’d love to cooperate.

Even while thinking that, I end up imagining how I’m going to rescue the beautiful princess again.

Anyway, I’ve got my own stuff I need to do. Besides, I don’t have any means to contact her as Blood Messaging is no option. As I was pondering while predicting all kinds of situations, Kisara shifted her eyes back on me again.

She moves her dark purple lips, “…Shuuya-sama, I told you already before, but this is also one of the Black Church’s duties.”

It sounds like the history behind Yazekapos’s Dagger runs deep.

“Did you recall a dense battle of the Great Desert that involved dark guilds from that dagger? I’m interested, so please share some of your past memories with me.”

“Sure. Then let me go back a bit… There are many ruins of the ancient Dawn Empire, which got buried by the desert, like the Ancient Ruin Muhgo in the vicinity of Lake Rhinoceros, a rich water resource, Lake Rhinoceros town which is said to house an underground waterway that’s a part of Tree King Kyulha who appears in the Harvest Legend, and Lake Rhinoceros City which is close to Mephalla’s Shrine and Mount Damon’Anun. In addition to the invasions by desert worms, there were battles spanning over many, many years concerning the Eight Star White Shadow Swordsmanship which affected the hegemony of Lake Rhinoceros by the 17 Masters of the Black Witch Church and the Ten Lake Rhinoceros Tomboy Demonoids. On top of those battles over Lake Rhinoceros, I fought on many occasions against leaders of 【Heavenly Bamboo Umbrella】, 【800 Nuns】, and 【Abhi】, commonly called the Three Sari Alliance, who had each built one of the Oasis Cities. Just as I mentioned before, many people competed through pure martial arts as warriors assembling in the desert, which also included demonoids. I remember that a thieves guild with the name 【Gate of Hidden Evil】 also maneuvered in the underground.”

【Gate of Hidden Evil】, she says? It’s my first time to hear that they also existed in the Great Desert of the past. It’s the thieves guild to which Fran belongs.

I’ve heard from Melissa that they possess power stretching across countries, but…they’ve been around for quite a long while then, eh?

“…Do you know a member of 【Gate of Hidden Evil】 called Fran?”

“I don’t. One was called Buhabi, a person with half her body being a ghost. Her trait was the third eye on the forehead. She was quite famous as a triple-sword-wielder.”

A ghost race, huh? I wonder whether she had space-time abilities like Remrona and Fran. I suppose I’ll ask about the cities I’ve heard about in the past.

“I see… Then how about the cities called 【Grazing City Telezabil】, 【Curse Complex Ehim】, 【Magic Fog City Eden】, and 【Steel Sand City Zekshia】? All independent cities which might not exist anymore.”

Those cities might have already vanished under the current Great Desert.

“Just as I have been saying, it’s the Great Desert nowadays. It seems like the name of the Freedom Commonwealth doesn’t exist anymore, and the number of existing, independent cities is likely low. But, in the same way as the church worshiping Holy Man Ameph has taken over the desert, religious organizations which believe in the Spirit World god which has Magic Spirit Wave users that brainwash others, or organizations worshiping the gods of the divine domain should be still left. Also, we had a hard time with the heretic group of fanatics who ate the corpses of the 【Sebdola Faith】. I think the labyrinth managed by the Dark God’s evil general is remaining as well, although it didn’t cause overly much damage to the outside. There’s no way that Dark Church Hades’s 【Shadow Speed】 Horror Siblings, who have been offering corpses to the Spirit World, have perished. Moreover, there were master fighters who had a close relationship with the Muryu race who manipulated the monsters in the Eyhabra Plains extending in the western direction of the Great Desert. Usually they were masters in nothing but indulging in indolence, but…”

“All waters lead to the sea” applies anywhere. To say nothing of oasis cities located in a desert.

I don’t know whether Lake Rhinoceros still exists over there, but I’ve heard that the area has developed quite a bit. I’ve also heard about the Religious Capital Mestrazan as a desert city. If it still exists, I have no doubt that it’s frequented by so many cities that no weeds can grow on the ground over there.

I have a friend who wanders the Great Desert Goldix and its cities. Spirit World Knight Rulizeze.

I wonder how she’s doing right now… After all, Rulizeze has been living the proverb 『Hardship makes the man』 even more so than my bloodkin Kaldo.

“…Sounds like there have been all kinds, huh? You also fought the beast nobles of Jiardan, the Barrier King who had been invading from the Highground Forest, the Blood Bone Nymphs, the remnants of the Hazarn Empire, the Loregund family of the twelve founding vampire families, the orc empire, the Pebble Mercenary Band, and the Corpse King of the Demonoid Empire who manipulated cowrie, right?”

The Great Goldix Desert is huge…

However, Viine was interested in the dark elf who used rose magic as a subordinate of the Barrier King. Besides, a name like Corpse King immediately makes me think of a powered-up version of the Burning Knights. At least he does sound mighty…

But, it’s a desert. The terrain must have changed completely when comparing the area from the time in Kisara’s story and now. Yet, names like Blood Bone Nymphs are still remaining, so quite a few of those powers might still be around.

“…Yes. I can’t believe that they’ve completely fended off Demonoid Cuberas of the 【Black Prophets】, Head Priest David of the 【War God Faith】 and the hollow wolves who served Human God Ameph, and Chief Adjutant Mashul.”

Demonoid, huh? Speaking of Demonoids, it sounds like it could be related to Mel’s father, Demonoid Zarlp.

I don’t know much about the War God Faith. Although it seems like some aspects resemble War Maiden Ivanka, and the Demonoid Naromivas has been speaking about it boastfully.

“And just as I told you some time ago, I fought the first-class sorcerers of the General Battle Sorcerer Assembly over the Secret Book of Wisdom and Reincarnation, and Grand Wizard Akie Enigma targeted my cherished, special magic book…”

Kisara stares at the grimoire hanging at her waist. So it’s something dear to her, as I had thought. Just, it appears to not be the Secret Book of Wisdom and Reincarnation.

I wonder what kind of book contained the spell allowing her to manipulate origami-like pieces of paper with her like the one she had shown me during our training.

Also, I’ve heard about them before already, but it seems the General Battle Sorcerer Assembly has been active for quite a long time now.

I’m also curious about Kisara’s magic book, her grimoire. But…since it looks like it’d turn into a long story, I’ll shelve it for now, I think.

“…Each of those battles allowed the Black Witch Church and me as a Four Heavenly Witch to grow, but…”

“But, even with that strength, and continuing training sessions after training sessions, in the end Hoffmann…”

“Yes, I can’t excuse that. You cannot underestimate the power of the Death Angel-based magic crests, the weapon called Ten Evil Star Lanwen which is one of the 68 Spirit World blades, his ability to manipulate the ten swords, and his various other secret techniques. Well then, with this…” Kisara politely turns around Yazekapos’s Dagger with the hilt pointing to me, and tries to give it back to me.

“No, I’ll give it back to you. It’s been an item originally belonging to the Black Witch Church. I don’t know Latifa-san, but if she’s still alive, it’d be great if you could give it back to her in person.”

“You’re very generous, Shuuya-sama. To give back a precious weapon and treasured item so easily…” With her lips trembling, Kisara genuflects, her head lowered.

“Don’t mind it. Stand up. Muu and Riedel are looking strangely at us.”

Rollo’s Squad has left the training ground to some other place.

“Thank you―― If Latifa is still alive…I’d love to give it back to her. I’m sure it’d make her very happy to get it back, too.” Kisara gets back up with a smile on her lips.

Then she hooks the dagger’s hilt to the cord fastener connected to her grimoire. After nodding with a smile after seeing her do that…I decided to ask her about the Oriental Temple first, although I’m also curious about Latifa-san.

“…Could you tell me more about your battles with Oriental Temple?”

“It’s something I’ve heard directly from Latifa as I haven’t fought them myself. Is that still okay for you?”

“Sure.”

————— End of Part 1 —————

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