948: Divine Sword Knight and Appraisal
The Silver Lady appeared out of nowhere and warned us to be careful about the Holy Nation of Silard.
What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t understand her position at all. She doesn’t seem to be hostile or anything…… But can we actually trust her?
「……Useful, how?」
「They desire people with potent healing abilities and skills that can be pa.s.sed down through bloodlines. Of particular interest is the collection of magical tools capable of giving the wielder powerful skills.」
s.h.i.+t, that last one sounds super familiar to me. I’m probably one of the best in the world when it comes to gear that can give skills.
Come to think of it, my compatibility with Alpha is just insane! If someone managed to equip me and Alpha at the same time, they would become ridiculously powerful.
We need to hide my existence at all costs. My biggest concern would be the extent I have worry about Adol.
「Can Adol use appraisal?」
If he can, we’ll have to constantly avoid Adol the entire time we’re on the same continent. Maybe we should even consider leaving Gordicia right away.
Fran wasn’t looking for a direct answer, only her opinion. However, the Silver Lady responded instantly.
「I believe not.」
「No? But appraisal is useful.」
Considering what we’ve heard about Silard, I can easily imagine them searching out kids with Appraisal and kidnapping them.
「Indeed, appraisal is a bit too useful. Allowing its use would reveal the dark and ugly side of the country.」
Like I thought, it seems Silard was wary of Alpha’s owner.
If the Divine Sword Knight was to start a revolution, they would become an unstoppable disaster. The might of a divine sword would easily overpower the rest of the army. If Alpha’s wielder ever decided to betray the country, there’s little they could do to stop him.
That’s why they needed to hide everything about the dark side of the country. Such a huge nation was not without its dark secrets, and Silard in particular, was pitch-black.
Adol was probably aware of the fact that he’s doing his country’s dirty work, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s gotta be darker secrets he’s not privy too.
And if he ever finds those secrets? I could easily imagine him betraying Silard. Maybe they’ve experienced this issue before.
The Divine Sword Knight’s senses are said to be enhanced tremendously when they activate Alpha. I mean, the story said they saw all the way across the horizon, so what if he had Appraisal on top of that? He’d see literally everything they were trying to hide.
Considering the immense danger, it wouldn’t surprise me if Silard purposely decided not to give Appraisal to the Divine Sword Knight. To the nation, he was to be used as a weapon on the battlefield, and weapons don’t need unnecessary information.
Still, I doubt they could keep him completely in the dark…… I’m sure they’ve taken many other measures too.
But if Adol doesn’t have a means for appraisal, we should be safe, right?
We breathed a sigh of relief, but apparently, we weren’t completely clear just yet.
「Silard has a department in charge of searching for useful personnel, and there are undoubtedly a few members of this department accompanying their forces. You must avoid letting them know your abilities, since you are capable of using high level healing magic, as well as a powerful warrior. Those abilities are exactly what Silard is looking for.」
「Is Appraisal Blocking not good enough?」
「Depending on their skills, some are capable of bypa.s.sing Appraisal Blocking.」
Well, my Heavenly Eye can sometimes break through Appraisal Blocking. It depends on how strong the other person is, so it’s not perfect though.
If we could pull it off, then so could they. With a powerful-enough Appraisal user, they might be able to sneak a peak at our stats.
Should I allocate points to more skills for blocking Appraisal? Maybe I should upgrade Appraisal Blocking or Appraisal Camouflage into SP skills? But if I did that, Fran’s personal resistance to Appraisal would be weakened.
If only my SP skills could be applied to Fran as well……
While I was wondering what to do, the Silver Lady handed something to us. At first glance, it appeared to be an undecorated silver bracelet.
「What’s this?」
「A magical tool that allows further defense against appraisal. It is a first-cla.s.s item made by the divine blacksmith Zechs, so I can a.s.sure you of its effectiveness. Please make full use of it.」
「……Why?」
「As I said before, I am grateful to you. It is thanks to you that I have lost my reason for existence.」
We have heard these words before.
For some reason, the Silver Lady thanked us for erasing her reason for existence by destroying Overgrowth.
But I still have no clue why she’s grateful for that.
「Why are you grateful?」
「……I don’t know.」
「?」
「With Overgrowth gone, I am certain I will deactivate in the not-too-distant future.」
Uh, so…… What does that have to do with being grateful?
「When I realized this fact, I felt “relief”. Yes…… I’m sure this feeling is relief. I have only been given a limited number of emotions in order to understand the feelings of Overgrowth’s wielder, but…… I believe wanted to break down. In human terms, I wanted to die. It has been this way for a long, long time.」
The Silver Lady spoke in a whisper with her face devoid of any emotion. However, I could definitely feel some kind of warmth coming her face.
「It is thanks to you that I can finally break. I can finish my role. I can remove the burden from my shoulders. That is why I’m grateful.」
The Silver Lady bowed her head deeply.
「……I believe you.」
『Wait, Fran. It doesn’t sound like she’s lying, but………』
（It’s okay. She’s not lying.）
My Principle of Falsehoods wasn’t working, probably because she’s a golem. Still, Fran decided to place her trust in the Silver Lady.
Was this her b.e.s.t.i.a.l instincts acting up again? Ever since she went into Divine Beast Form, those instincts seemed to have been sharpened too.
I tried to appraise the silver bracelet offered to us, but it didn’t work. Then, after Fran took the bracelet, I was able to appraise the Silver Lady.
So it’s confirmed that she really is a golem. But, wouldn’t this mean she can’t hide her own ident.i.ty any more?
When Fran asked her about this, the Silver Lady replied nonchalantly.
「Either way, I will be inactive a month from now. Therefore, I would rather be of use to you, my benefactor.」
「A month? Can’t you do something?」
「Do not worry about me. Even if there exists a way to prolong my life, I would still choose to die. That is my wish.」
「I see……」
After sensing the Silver Lady’s strong resolve, Fran could not help but mutter with an indescribable look on her face.
「……Thank you. Is there anything more I can do to a.s.sist you? Or perhaps, is there something you wish to know? For example, would you be interested in data on the divine swords?」
「Divine swords? You know a lot about them?」
「I have observed the ten most used on this continent for the past few millennia: Alpha, Berserk, Chariot, El Dorado, Gaia, Ignis, Krystalos, Sanctuary, Tempest, and Wisdom1, in particular. Based on my observations, I have some knowledge on their abilities.」
It wasn’t just Alpha and Berserk. Among the names coming out of her mouth, there were divine swords we’ve never even heard of, like Sanctuary and Wisdom.
Translation Notes
“Wisdom” is the name of a divine sword that has not been mentioned before. Not to be confused with Cherubim. ↩