Vortex Hill (9)

Inside the large room, gold coins and elegant swords were scattered everywhere. Of course, as the swords were old-fashioned, they weren't actually useful for practical use, but just finding these precious treasures and relics was an incredible haul.

Gregory had already achieved the goal he wanted. The practical senses of his companions were being sharpened naturally, and, moreover, the legendary Great Radiant Sword they originally sought was right before their eyes.

However, the Great Radiant Sword was embedded not anywhere else but in the coffin placed at the very center of the room. Alessandro muttered,

"Uh, but... why is the sword stuck in the middle of the coffin? It's kind of bothering me."

Gregory paid it no mind and stepped forward.

"It's alright."

The identity of the coffin was undoubtedly that of a former king from the old dynasty. In the past, before the Arme Kingdom, there had been the Reitel Kingdom during a period of prosperity.

The Arme Kingdom was established when some officials of the Reitel Kingdom recovered a portion of its land to continue the lineage.

According to the information he had heard in his previous life, one of the reasons the Stria group tried to wage war against the Arme Kingdom was precisely to prevent the revival of the Reitel Kingdom, which had been a kingdom of tremendous power.

Even so, the reason this place was so poorly managed was clear. Many believed that the reason for Reitel's downfall lay with the king buried in this coffin.

The king of Reitel, who possessed the ability to swallow up all kingdoms.

However, he was struck by an unknown illness and died prematurely, much earlier than expected. As a result, a young prince seized power.

Around him were officials coveting the throne.

Amid their intense power struggles, the following generations—the princes—were the ones who were ultimately crushed, like shrimp caught between whales.

The young king also died an untimely death.

In the end, the kingdom began to rot from within. There were simply no more blood relatives to inherit the throne.

Gregory calmly explained this as he stood in front of the coffin, easing Alessandro's worries.

"So then, why isn't anyone guarding this place? And why is the legendary Great Radiant Sword just stuck there like that in the first place?"

Alessandro struggled to understand. Surely, a king's position was supposed to be magnificent and dignified.

Yet, it was here—in a remote place, at the very source of monsters. He couldn't grasp what connection there was between this king and the Great Radiant Sword.

Gregory explained again, this time in simpler terms.

"You're wondering what that coffin has to do with the Great Radiant Sword? To tell the truth, the Great Radiant Sword was the legendary sword once used by the king who lies in that coffin. In other words, it belonged to the Reitel Kingdom."

He decided to attribute this knowledge to something he had read in a book when he was young.

After all, the other companions might ask as well.

However, since Gregory had already demonstrated overwhelming knowledge and strength on several occasions, none of them questioned him.

Relieved, Gregory continued.

"The people of the Reitel Kingdom considered that king a disgrace."

"Huh, why? Wasn't he just tossed around from here to there?"

"That's exactly why they thought it was a disgrace."

Gregory spoke with a somber expression. The Reitel Kingdom had once been powerful enough to swallow up the Blandi Kingdom.

But the transition to the new king had thrown the entire kingdom into chaos.

The people became disillusioned by the visible frailty of the royal family.

If war had broken out and they had been defeated, the very chain of events that led Gregory to become a swordmaster might never have existed.

That was how powerful the nation had been.

But for all that, it collapsed without having achieved anything.

It was a reminder that even those who seemed to have a bright, hopeful future could meet with disaster at any time, anywhere.

Just like Gregory in his previous life. That was why he wore such an expression.

"Because the power to unify all kingdoms once lay dormant here. Everyone must have been too busy blaming someone as hope slipped away. The corpse of the resented king was never buried in an honorable place and ended up here."

Alessandro seemed to understand for a moment, but then he asked yet another question.

"Mm... so that's what it is. But, why is the Great Radiant Sword stuck in the coffin?"

As he talked with Alessandro and tried to recall what he knew, Gregory realized something.

This place hadn't originally been a desert. It was simply a remote corner of the Reitel Kingdom.

Gregory did not hesitate to answer.

"Do you know why it's called the Great Radiant Sword?"

"Um... no?"

The Great Radiant Sword. The name literally means to "build a great name".

According to what he'd heard or read in books, it was based on superstition: the Great Radiant Sword was driven into the coffin. But seeing it stuck in this coffin convinced him.

At the very least, the person who put the sword in this coffin must have hoped that the Reitel Kingdom would one day revive and, perhaps, that it might impart even a small measure of strength to future generations.

Even if it didn't amount to much.

It was an act born of the desperate hope to grasp at straws, running the blade through the body of the prince he served most loyally. Gregory guessed that, even by such means, they wanted to show their resolve to the descendants.

Who would devote themselves so wholeheartedly to constructing such a tomb? Only kings who had performed immense deeds were given such elaborate tombs.

But seeing all the treasures and the tremendous care put into its construction, Gregory reasoned that, in the end, it had been the loyal officials and followers who had ensured the king's body was laid here.

However, the world was not so easily changed by such steadfast hearts alone.

Eventually, as the region was devastated and desolated by the source of monsters, the area became a desert, and sand had come to cover the ruins.

Alessandro looked at Gregory with fascination.

"There was such a heartbreaking story..."

"......"

Gregory decided it was best not to dwell further on such a hopeless tale, even if, in his past life, they had been enemies. He thought that talking of such misfortunes could only invite them upon himself.

Alessandro wondered what Gregory would do next in his silence. But Gregory's gaze was fixed on one spot.

"You're not seriously going to try and pull that sword out, are you?"

"Of course."

To Alessandro's question, Gregory nodded. Pulling out this sword would mean inheriting the will of the Reitel Kingdom.

Given that the Arme Kingdom itself could be seen as the successor of the Reitel Kingdom's will, there was no problem with pulling out this sword.

In fact, he believed that retrieving the sword would let the restless spirit of the dead depart in peace. Without hesitation, he placed his hands on the sword embedded in the coffin.

"Hrrgh."

Gregory braced himself and pulled with both hands, but he was not strong enough.

"What? Gregory, I thought this would be no big deal?"

"Yeah, why don't we just go and pull it out ourselves?"

Having witnessed Gregory's earlier awkward attempt, the other companions teased him as they approached. Having heard Gregory's story about the Reitel Kingdom, they didn't foresee any trouble in joining in to extract the Great Radiant Sword.

"One, two."

"Yaaah!"

They pulled together in unison, but the sword didn't budge. Meanwhile, Alessandro, having heard the story about the Great Radiant Sword, felt even more unsettled.

'A sword cherished by a dead king... and stuck in a coffin...? Ugh, I really don't like this.'

Gregory started to sense that something was off. There was no way the Great Radiant Sword should have been this hard to remove. The body inside should have decayed long ago, with only the coffin remaining.

For his companions to be unable to pull out a sword stuck in this ordinary-looking coffin made no sense.

'Wait a second, is there some kind of curse on it?'

Gregory realized that what was happening didn't match up with the information he knew. There had never been any talk in his previous life of the sword being cursed.

While he was puzzling this over, Gregory spotted Alessandro lingering in a corner. He called out to him.

"Hey, Alessandro, come over here for a moment."

After all, Gregory had originally intended to hand the sword to Alessandro, and it had been the sword Alessandro had used in his past life. Thinking that this might be a clue, he called him over.

But Alessandro was so nervous he hesitated to draw near.

"Wh-why? Don't tell me you want me to help pull out the sword?"

"Of course. This is the sword I'm giving you—aren't you going to help?"

Although anxious, Alessandro was still tempted at the thought of receiving the legendary Great Radiant Sword. He couldn't bring himself to move at first, but, pretending to be prodded, he drew closer.

"You really mean to give me this sword?"

Alessandro hesitated for a moment. As if he'd finished sorting out his thoughts, he placed his hand on the sword. The moment he pulled, unlike his companions' previous struggles, the sword slid out smoothly.

Seeing this, Gregory laughed inwardly.

'So, you really were the key, huh.'

TL's Corner:Will Alessandro become the next king of Reitel?What about the current Royal Family of Arme?

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