NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
“Huuh….”
Taking a deep breath, I could feel a surge of energy swelling up in my lower abdomen.
I still lack a proper breathing technique, so it’s not efficient yet, but I’m steadily accumulating Qi.
‘Still not enough to overdo it with my sword technique.’
Thanks to the “Blessing of Growth,” my Dantian has grown bigger than usual, but it’s still insufficient.
‘If I charge it fully, I can probably use it about four times.’
With a better technique in the future, I could reach a state where I can gather Qi even while fighting.
There are first-tier techniques like the Fire Attack Technique, which infuses my Qi with fire energy, and the Qi Explosion Technique, which allows me to unleash high-level skills in one shot.
I need to think more about how to build a concrete plan.
“Alright, this should be enough.”
Once I fill my Dantian with Qi, it’s time to start strength training.
“One…! Two…!”
I followed the exercise routine I learned from Galli, tightening the muscles throughout my body.
Strangely enough, exercising while my Dantian is filled with Qi makes muscle soreness recover quickly, and my stamina returns almost instantly.
I had wondered how the knights in the Valdeon Saga possessed such superhuman physical abilities.
‘Did you guys keep this good stuff all to yourselves?’
After the workout, I washed up lightly, and the sunlight poured down between the mountain valleys.
“What should I make for breakfast today? I think Erina mentioned wanting some fritters last time…”
Thinking about the morning menu while walking along the mountain path that welcomed the dawn was part of my morning routine.
It had been nearly a month since I opened my Dantian.
“Uptcha! Let’s get started!”
I was growing rapidly.
*
It took Alben a full three days to completely recover from the aftereffects of opening his Dantian.
His body healed in a day, but the others forced him to lie down and take it easy.
Eventually, those who had consumed Erina’s “unidentifiable porridge” carefully pushed for Alben’s return.
“Heh-ha! Got it. It’s time to flex some muscles after a long time.”
Alben’s cooking, which he hadn’t made in a while, was still the best.
Having opened his Dantian, Alben made remarkable progress day by day.
As he continued exercising, he swung his sword with even more precision and grace, and within just five days, he reached the stage where he could envelope his sword with sword energy.
Normally, someone raising sword energy within half a year would be called a rare genius.
Three months would make them a prospective talent of continental level.
One month would make them the vessel of a hero who would leave their names in history.
Yet, Alben achieved this in just five days.
And he wasn’t alone!
Around Alben were remarkable mentors.
“Today, we will start the sparring.”
“The essence of dual-wielding techniques lies in swift footwork!”
“Every attack has a center. Even intangible attacks have a center. If you aim and stab at that point, you can nullify and neutralize everything. That’s the principle of the Sword Subjugation Technique.”
“If you think of a greatsword as a straight brute-force technique, you’ll be in for a rude awakening! Concentrating power where it’s needed to cause maximum destruction with minimal effort—that’s greatswordsmanship!”
The other members took time to teach their sword techniques to Alben.
The real intention was to make him his direct knight when he joined the guardian knights in the future, but… who would even suspect?
‘Easy peasy.’
Alben absorbed their know-how like a dry sponge.
As a result.
[You have acquired the “Wind Wave Technique.”]
[You have acquired the “Fierce Claw Technique.”]
With the “Wind Wave Technique,” he boldly charged in and crushed his enemies.
With the “Sword Breaking Technique,” he found weak points and took them out in one hit.
And with the “Fierce Claw Technique,” he concentrated his power to smash through opponents.
‘All of these are pretty handy early on.’
He successfully learned three sword techniques.
It was a cause for celebration, but he hadn’t reached his ultimate goal yet.
Ornika’s “Crimson Moon Technique.”
It was a sword technique that vastly surpassed the previous three in performance.
Perhaps for that reason, the difficulty required to acquire it was extraordinarily high.
“…Well, I guess I’ll just have to keep at it.”
Alben’s body was filled with staggering talent.
As time passed, he was certain to naturally acquire the “Crimson Moon Technique.”
Then, an incident occurred.
*
“The princess…?”
Erina trembled in disbelief.
“…Yeah. I just got the message.”
“What do you mean?! Our side was supposed to…!”
“The breach in the front was from the 5th squad. It seems they’ve somehow circled around the mountains and entered the village.”
“Ah… This is madness! Of all times, now!”
In the serious atmosphere, a squad meeting began.
The topic was “Measures regarding the abduction of the Second Princess.”
The Second Princess. Angela Marteus Rengel.
She was currently hiding in a village in the south of the continent for some unspecified reason.
The task of protecting her had been assigned to the members of the Guardian Knights.
Patrolling the mountains surrounding the village, dealing with assassins and mercenaries.
Thankfully, the western mountain guarded by the 3rd squad managed to neutralize the attackers on time.
The problem lay with the northern mountain guarded by the 5th squad.
By failing to renew the security magic in time, they allowed the assailants to infiltrate.
“I knew those idiots would screw up eventually.”
Corin pinched his brow and groaned.
“The princess went missing early this morning. Fortunately, it seems the enemies’ goal isn’t to assassinate her.”
If the objective was to kill the princess, they would have done so by now.
The fact that she merely disappeared means they have her but have no intention of harming her.
In other words, there’s still hope.
“If they’re not fools, they wouldn’t attempt to head south again.”
Ornika calmly analyzed the situation.
“Having heightened security after detecting the intrusion. Moreover, retreating north would only lead them to uncharted territory. It’s not suitable for transporting a hostage.”
“The same goes for the south and east. It’d be easy to get in, but leaving? Hell no!”
“…Then there’s really only one answer.”
The path they would take is the western mountain.
That is, the place where the 3rd squad stands guard.
“Everyone, eat up.”
At that moment, Alben entered the tent where the meeting was held.
“Uh, whoa!”
Erina quickly dove to cover up the information being revealed.
Information regarding the princess was highly confidential.
No matter how much Alben meant well, that data couldn’t be shown recklessly.
“What’s everyone doing here?”
“Oh, heh-heh! Just having a little meeting! Regular knight squad stuff….”
“I see.”
Alben tilted his head innocently.
Despite having gained strength from exercising for quite some time, he still looked just as soft and white as before.
The [Fragile Appearance] penalty was probably permanent, so he would likely remain that way.
“You still need to eat! I specially made some hot pot today.”
Alben fluttered his apron and presented his small shoulders.
No matter how many times they saw it, his cuteness was never tiring.
Though they all wanted to devour the food he prepared, they couldn’t.
“…I’m sorry, Alben.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t think I can eat this morning. We urgently received orders…”
“Ah… I see?”
When Alben’s eyes fell to the ground, it felt like their own hearts dropped as well.
“I’ll come back quickly and eat something delicious! Right, Galli?”
“Of course! I’ll be back before the soup cools down!”
“It’s alright. You don’t have to push yourselves too hard.”
He smiled bitterly.
He looked like he was downcast even at a glance.
‘…Ugh!’
Ornika suppressed the urge to rush out and hug him with all her might.
“Then, everyone, take care! I’ll leave the remaining hot pot on the table, so you can warm it up and eat.”
As he left the tent.
“Everyone, listen up.”
“Yeah.”
“Sure.”
“Understood.”
Morale skyrocketed within the tent.
“From now on, we’re going to swiftly hunt down those who kidnapped the princess and return to eat Alben’s hot pot. Any objections?”
“Nope.”
“Let’s hurry, Boss.”
“Those bastards… how dare they mess with Alben…!”
As they all radiated a murderous intent and marched into the mountains.
“…Maybe I should start moving too?”
Alben wore a suspicious smile.
*
The Second Princess Rescue Event.
This is an event that occurs “inevitably” in the Valdeon Saga.
Ignoring this event is up to the player’s choice, but if ignored and the Second Princess dies, the probability of a bad ending increases significantly.
If the Second Princess, Angela, dies, the First Princess, Fernia, will become the Empress.
And Fernia’s ambition is to exterminate the “Dragon’s Nest” on the continent’s northernmost end.
In other words, if Angela dies, the continent will be thrown into a chaotic war against dragons.
“At least they’re treating me like a player.”
The Second Princess Rescue Event must occur, and it varies according to the protagonist’s circumstances.
For instance, if the protagonist is in a Mage Tower, the dark wizards will kidnap her.
If they fall under a royal organization, suddenly monsters start rampaging within the palace.
Angela can be said to be a woman destined to face danger.
I took a spare sword from Ornika’s tent and strapped it to my waist.
“It won’t be easy, but let’s give it a shot.”
The opponent is likely to be assassins sent by “that guy.”
With my current country’s strength… I can win.
…Wait.
“I will win.”
I will definitely win.