The musty smell of sweat and the savory aroma of food.

  The tavern in Solera Village, which I returned to with Sancho, was no different from when we left. Except for the fact that we were the only ones there.

  "We can talk quietly in the back room over there."

  Sancho guided us to a back room in the tavern. He stepped out for a moment, then returned carrying an armful of food.

  Thickly grilled boar meat. Soft whole wheat bread, thick stew, and a wooden mug filled to the brim with dark beer.

  The beer was exceptionally thick. Just drinking this would make a meal.

  "Wow, this is basically a protein shake."

  "Sir Jihoon, what does that mean?"

  "Nothing, just thinking out loud."

  I smoothly brushed off Lumira's question.

  I got straight to the point.

  "Sancho. So, what kind of person was Daniel?"

  "Straight to the point, eh? Well, he was an interesting fellow. Always came walking from way down south. Said he'd walk for days straight just to trade some goods."

  "Solera is already the southern part of the Alba family's territory, so Daniel came from even further south?"

  "That's right. I don't know exactly where he comes from either."

  "If it's further south from here, could it be the Aurum family's territory?"

  "He didn't really have the vibe of people from those parts. The way he spoke, his mannerisms..."

  "Right. He spoke kindly and gently. He didn't feel like someone from Aurum."

  The two of them were having a conversation only they understood.

  'Terminal, what's Aurum now?'

  [Yes, Master. The Aurum family is one of the Four Great Families, granted dominion over the southern part of the kingdom. They are a great noble house on par with the Alba family in the east.]

  'Oh really? So there's one Great Family for the North, South, East, and West? Does the King live in the middle or something?'

  [Exactly! It is truly rare for someone to draw such a precise conclusion from limited information. Just as you said, the Four Great Families are Ferrum in the west, Volkov in the north...]

  'Ah, shut up.'

  I don't really care about the Four Great Families or whatever.

  My goal is just to go back home anyway. I have zero intention of getting tangled up with the VIPs of this neighborhood.

  I turned my attention back to Lumira and Sancho.

  "But Uncle, if it's further south from here, the only place to live is Viento City, isn't it?"

  "That's true, but the security there is terrible. Last time we spoke, he mentioned living alone somewhere in a forest..."

  So ultimately, they don't know his exact location.

  Next question.

  "What did Daniel look like? When I saw him last time, he had his hood pulled down so I couldn't get a good look."

  The basics of a manhunt start with physical description.

  "He's a guy who hates showing his face, so I only saw it a few times myself. Brown curly hair, freckles on both cheeks. His cheeks were a bit sunken too. Makes you wonder if there's nothing to eat in that forest..."

  Lumira nodded as well. Cross-verification complete.

  However, a question naturally arose.

  "That's weird. You said there's a city down south, right? Viento, was it? So why bother coming all the way up here?"

  "Maybe he's not from Alba? Viento is a rundown place, not really a good market for selling things. Also, he mentioned before that he was researching some kind of relic, so it might be related to that."

  Relic?

  My eyes snapped open.

  I remembered meeting Daniel in the sewers. He definitely mentioned a relic back then. He even mistook me for a pursuer after that relic.

  My gut feeling told me that this 'relic' was somehow connected to the 'Core Module'.

  "Did he ever talk about the relic in detail?"

  "Well, he was reluctant to talk about that stuff. I only know it's something incredibly important to him. Complaining about whether his research was progressing slowly or quickly was his daily routine."

  Daniel, the relic researcher.

  It's a little strange.

  'Terminal, didn't you say standard sword arts in this world are passed down to family retainers?'

  [Yes, Master. Standard sword arts are advanced martial arts learned by vassals who have sworn loyalty to a noble house. They are inferior to the family's heirloom sword arts.]

  Daniel's sword art was definitely the Alba family's standard sword art. Meaning he was affiliated with Meisa's family.

  Since he learned a sword art, he must be a combatant. Why did he suddenly become a researcher? Did he get sick of living by the sword and suddenly burn with academic passion?

  Pushing the question aside, I moved on to the final question.

  "Daniel. Was he being chased by anyone, by any chance?"

  I still remembered it vividly.

  The giant dog I met in the sewers. The Hound.

  It was incredibly agile and exuded an ominous aura. If I hadn't cloned the Enforcer Blade beforehand, it would have been difficult to deal with.

  Daniel definitely mistook me and the Hound for his pursuers.

  "Chased, you ask? Hmm..."

  Sancho looked up at the ceiling for a moment. Then he spoke again.

  "He did give off that vibe. Every time I told him to stay a little longer, he'd refuse."

  "Right! He said he couldn't stay in Cadeiro for long because suspicious people might show up at any moment!"

  Lumira chimed in.

  "Do either of you have any idea who those 'suspicious people' might be?"

  Both Lumira and Sancho shook their heads.

  Back to square one. I still had no information on the relic Daniel mentioned, or his pursuers.

  It was a disappointing result, but just as I was wondering if I should be satisfied with this much.

  [Checklist: You have not mentioned the 'Reward for hunting the Earth Sprite King'. It is highly recommended to initiate a conversation regarding this.]

  I almost forgot and moved on.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The reward.

  I still hadn't received payment for taking down the Earth Sprite King.

  "Sancho. Thanks for the info, but the math doesn't add up. I took care of the Earth Sprites, plus their King, so I need to get something more out of this."

  Sancho slapped his knee.

  "Ah, I almost forgot! Of course I have to pay up! I told you earlier, but I was originally going to tell you this info for free. The villagers just stubbornly forced that request on you."

  Sancho thought deeply for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

  "Come to think of it, you and I did all the work, but those bastards reaped all the benefits! Just sitting on their asses."

  Sancho abruptly stood up from his seat.

  He opened the door to the back room and stepped outside.

  "Sancho! Are you done talking?!"

  "Got any more beer?! I'm parched!"

  Wait, do these guys not work?

  Before I knew it, the tavern was packed with farmers again.

  "Saves me the trouble of looking for you. Anyway, aren't you lot working today?"

  "Finished it all in the morning!"

  "Regardless, the swordsman here brought up an important point. The Earth Sprite King wasn't part of the original deal. Since he did extra work, it's only right to compensate him, isn't it?"

  Sancho's gentle proposal.

  Hearing that, the farmers looked at each other. Then, one by one, they started speaking.

  "Well, Sancho, didn't you already pay him by telling him about that guy, whoever he was? Extra compensation? It puts us in a tough spot if you bring this up without prior notice!"

  "It rained so much it almost ruined the farming. We'll turn a blind eye to that, so let's call it even."

  Wow. Unbelievable.

  This is why passion pay is a scam. It's rare to actually get compensated for the work you do.

  Everyone changes their tune before and after using the bathroom.

  Should I have finished the fee negotiations before hunting the Earth Sprite King? But I didn't have the luxury to casually do that while fighting the damn thing. Even if I went back, I probably couldn't do it.

  "That makes no sense! The Prophet almost died fighting that thing, and this is how you all act?!"

  Chief also squeaked furiously from Lumira's shoulder, protesting fiercely.

  With the neighborhood's generosity being this terrible, no wonder the Earth Sprites infested the place. It felt sketchy from the start when they barged into my conversation with Sancho and started demanding conditions.

  And if they're going to play it like this.

  I have an idea too.

  "...I was planning to clean up before I left. But if that's how everyone feels, it can't be helped."

  The snickering stopped. The farmers' gazes gathered on me.

  "Clean up? What do you mean?"

  "Do you think it's easy to beseech the heavens for rain? Since I've requested it once, it will rain at the exact same time every single day. I was originally planning to hold a ritual to stop it before leaving, but..."

  The farmers' complexions changed.

  Listening to their chatter earlier, they seemed to mistakenly believe I caused the rain with my Heavenly Sword or whatever. I should milk this for all it's worth.

  "...T-That's bullshit! There's no such thing as a sword dance that summons endless rain!"

  "And have you ever seen a sword dance that summons rain before today?"

  "You pathetic fools. What are you worried about? It's obviously a bluff!"

  "But what if it really does keep raining? Are you going to take responsibility?!"

  The farmers were now bickering amongst themselves. After watching them silently for a moment.

  "Tsk, tsk. Ugly, ungrateful fools."

  An old man clicked his tongue and stepped forward.

  He was gripping something tightly in his hand.

  "I know how hard you worked for the village. It seems those wicked fools have no intention of offering anything, so would you please accept my sincerity at least?"

  What's this? I took the item the old man handed me and examined it.

  It was a pendant. A round pendant with stars engraved around the edge.

  "I am acquainted with Daniel. He used to play with my grandson quite often. Other than Sancho, I was probably the closest to him in this village."

  And the old man began his story.

  The gist was this.

  Two months ago, the old man's grandson caught a deadly illness. When he couldn't afford the medicine, Daniel sold this pendant to a peddler to raise the money.

  Thanks to that, the old man's grandson's life was saved, but...

  "It turned out this item was very precious to Daniel. Not knowing that... I sold off most of my assets and bought the pendant back from the peddler."

  However, Daniel hadn't visited the village recently, so he couldn't return the pendant.

  "I am old. I have no guarantee I'll be alive to wait for Daniel, who knows when he'll return. So, I wish to entrust this item to you. If you find him, please give it to him."

  Hmm.

  So basically, he's asking me to deliver this pendant to Daniel while I'm on my way?

  This feels more like an errand than a reward.

  But my curiosity was piqued.

  A pendant engraved with eleven stars.

  In this world, 'stars' always held a special meaning.

  Me, a Stranger of the Stars. The Language of the Stars Lumira talks about.

  A pendant obtained while chasing Daniel, the clue to the Core Module. Is the star decoration on this pendant just a simple coincidence?

  "Understood. I will definitely deliver it."

  I pocketed the pendant.

  At that moment.

  Pop!

  A message popped up on the Terminal window.

  I couldn't hide the smile forming on my lips.

  Thanks to Sancho's consideration, we spent the night on the second floor of the tavern.

  And the next morning, as we were preparing to leave the village.

  "Take this at least. The road ahead will be rough."

  Sancho came all the way out to the front door of the tavern to see us off. With a heavy sack of provisions in his hand.

  "We won't have to worry for three days. Thanks, Sancho."

  "Don't mention it. I should be thanking you for taking care of the village's headache. Give my regards to Daniel when you see him."

  "Uncle, I'll visit again!"

  After saying our goodbyes to Sancho, we started walking south.

  I walked, breathing in the damp air filled with the morning dew of the forest. Crunch, crunch. Along with a familiar sound.

  "Prophet, you are truly amazing!"

  Once we were sufficiently far from Solera Village, Lumira suddenly spoke up. Her eyes sparkled burdeningly.

  "To think you actually got compensation out of that situation! Usually, it's hard to even bring it up in an atmosphere like that!"

  "I know, right? I took a shot in the dark, but it's a good thing I said it."

  "Doesn't it feel refreshing? Your steps seem much lighter today somehow!"

  Is it that obvious? Come to think of it, my steps did feel lighter than usual.

  Because I was in a good mood.

  I stroked the pendant hanging around my neck.

  At that moment, a golden aura flowed out of the pendant. An aura so faint and thin it would immediately scatter if I didn't focus on it.

  But that aura was unmistakably pointing toward my destination.

  [Visually displaying the traces of the 'Core Module' detected from the pendant. Proceed? (Y/N)]

  The prompt that popped up right after I received the pendant.

  In short, I had acquired a navigation system to my destination.

  A faint streak of light visible only to my eyes. If I followed this soft light, I would definitely reach my destination.

  The need to wander aimlessly was gone. I was one step closer on my journey back home.

  "I'm one step closer to escaping this garbage free plan, too."

  I muttered to myself.

  "Excuse me? Prophet? Free plan...?"

  Lumira asked back. Her purple eyes rolled around in thought.

  "Could it be... the Covenant of All...? I read about it in a book once. You mean to say, Prophet, that you will transcend the fundamental providence of this world and become an entity beyond it...!"

  Here we go again.

  I just didn't say anything. What kind of books is she even reading?

  "I am even more certain now. If I am with you, Prophet, the revival of magic is definitely possible! It is an honor to join you on this great journey!"

  "Yeah, think whatever you want."

  Casually nodding along to Lumira's excited chatter, we left Solera behind and headed south.

  Late evening of the same day.

  Solera Village was in an uproar.

  "Enforcer Meisa!"

  "Why would the Lady of the Alba family visit such a humble place!"

  "Thanks to the Alba family, we always live and eat in peace, my Lady!"

  Flattery you hear everywhere you go. Meisa let the farmers' words go in one ear and out the other.

  "Do you know of 'Zion of the Soft Sword'?"

  The female knight's low voice. Excitement and awe bloomed simultaneously on the villagers' faces.

  "Of course! When he danced, rain fell from the sky! It was truly the Heavenly Sword!"

  "It was incredible! He cut down the Earth Sprite King with a single strike of his red sword!"

  "His skills are amazing, but he's a greedy bastard! Good thing the old man over there mediated..."

  "The Earth Sprite King... with a single strike?"

  A faint hint of confusion appeared on Meisa's face.

  A second-rate swordsman clumsily mimicking someone else's blade. That was the entirety of the Jihoon that Meisa had confirmed with her own eyes.

  But for some reason, the fame of 'Zion of the Soft Sword' was growing day by day.

  First, a soft sword. And this time, what? Controlling the weather, and killing the Earth Sprite King in one blow?

  Throb!

  The headache returned. Meisa gently massaged her forehead.

  Kang Jihoon.

  No, Zion of the Soft Sword.

  Whenever she thought of that man, this headache always followed.

  An existence that violated all the common sense Meisa had built up until now.

  The discrepancy between the sword art he used and the Sword-Testing Stone. His association with Daniel. The humiliating apology he forced out of her. And now, these rumors of his outstanding skills growing day by day.

  As the greatest knight of the Alba family, Meisa was certain. The sword art she saw Jihoon use that day could not possibly defeat the Earth Sprite King.

  Then how on earth?

  The Commandment of the Sword in Ensidia clearly states:

  The First Commandment. The sword is the mirror of the soul.

  Therefore, the knights of Ensidia continuously hone their blades. To prove their nobility and purity.

  The effort is slow, but honest. Sudden leaps in skill are rare.

  But this man.

  This man, who showed a completely different level of swordsmanship in such a short period.

  With Meisa's common sense, there was no way to explain this phenomenon. Unless he had intentionally hidden his true skills from the very beginning.

  Meisa gritted her teeth.

  If she met him and interrogated him, she would get her answers.

  Both the truth behind the man's skills, and the whereabouts of Daniel, whom she had been tracking for so long.

  Meisa approached the old man the farmers had mentioned earlier and asked.

  "Elder, have you by any chance seen a man named 'Zion of the Soft Sword'?"

  "Yes, my Lady. He was a young man with a righteous heart."

  A flicker of doubt crossed Meisa's face.

  'That man? He was cunning beyond belief.'

  Suppressing her questions, Meisa continued her inquiry.

  "Where did that man head toward?"

  "I heard he left heading south this morning."

  "Thank you, Elder. I wish you a bountiful harvest this year as well."

  At Meisa's words, the old man smiled bitterly and pointed to his field.

  "Don't mention it. My field is in that state... Do you see it? It's overflowing with mud, so farming properly is a lost cause."

  Meisa looked where the old man pointed. Indeed, the field was a mess, covered in mud.

  "Congratulations, Elder."

  "Excuse me? What are you congratulating me for...?"

  "You will be blessed."

  The mud from the land where the Earth Sprite King resided is more fertile than any manure.

  Of course, it might be difficult to farm right away. But that land's fertility would not wane for decades to come.

  Meisa didn't bother explaining that fact.

  The old man, not understanding the reason, simply laughed heartily and calmly saw the female knight off.

  "It's late at night, our home is humble but please...!"

  She brushed off the villagers approaching with flattery.

  The female knight headed south without hesitation.

  Because she was used to camping out.