Chapter 166: Divine Sword

Until now, Qiu Nuoya had often been unable even to present his identification and had constantly been restricted in what he could do. But by simply having a proper conversation with them, he had finally gained his freedom!

Qiu Nuoya was not entirely sure what that conversation had actually accomplished, but if he had known things would turn out like this, he wished he had talked things over with Sherria much sooner!

His three years in Oraria had not been wasted time, but from now on, there was nothing left to bind him!

Qiu Nuoya and Igor, who was genuinely happy for him, celebrated by giving each other a high five.

However, two people were not looking nearly as cheerful. Naturally, they were Viktor and Warren.

"Viktor, you should be happier. Things must have been difficult for you too, with everything you’ve had to deal with until now."

"The hardships I shared with Nuoya were never a burden to me, so that is irrelevant. However, I am somewhat concerned about the Divine Sword that Cardinal Bedros mentioned at the end..."

"The Divine Sword?"

"Come to think of it, the Cardinal did ask me whether I knew of the Divine Sword Velikorya. I knew nothing about the sword that shared this country’s name, but perhaps it was a famous weapon?"

"I have heard that the Divine Sword Velikorya was originally a magic sword favored by His Majesty the First King. Although it is now known as a Divine Sword and kept under strict guard by the Church, apparently the magical power surrounding it is so overwhelming that ordinary people cannot even approach it."

Whoa, what kind of sword is that? That’s so cool! Is that what people would call a ’Hero’s Sword’?

It was a classic trope, but the existence of a sword like that was still incredibly exciting!

"Can we see it!?"

"It seems that a finely crafted replica is on display at the Church in the royal capital, but the real sword is apparently kept under strict guard in the treasury. Naturally, they would be careful with such a treasured weapon."

Well, that made sense. Still, it was pretty exciting. There was something incredibly romantic about a Hero’s Sword!

"Even so, I am somewhat concerned about why the Cardinal brought up the Divine Sword at that particular moment. The Saintess said that they were running out of time, yet she never gave us any clear explanation as to why. The story about the missing hero was also completely new to me. And I always thought the Hero Summoning ritual was nothing more than a fairy tale..."

"You’re thinking about this way too much, Viktor. For now, I think we should just be happy that Nuoya is finally free."

"You are as optimistic as ever, Igor."

With that, Viktor shook his head slightly.

A hero who came from another world, and a Hero’s Sword.

None of that had anything to do with Qiu Nuoya, but there were certainly plenty of exciting elements to the story. Becoming a hero himself was out of the question, but watching one from the sidelines sounded incredibly entertaining. Qiu Nuoya could not help wondering where that missing hero was now and what he was doing.

Since the Saintess who had arrived in this world alongside the missing hero was a fourteen year old girl, Qiu Nuoya wondered if the hero had been a boy around the same age. Thinking about it, he wished he had asked for more details about the hero while he had the chance.

"Hey, Nuoya... Is it really true that you came from another world?" Warren suddenly asked the question with a serious expression, making Qiu Nuoya tilt his head in confusion.

"Huh?"

"I’ve never heard anything like that from you. Why did you keep such an important secret from me!? Was I the only one who didn’t know?"

"I didn’t hear it directly from Nuoya either. I had a feeling there was something complicated about him, though."

"Viktor..."

"I knew. There is nothing about Nuoya that I do not know."

Viktor gave a smug little snort.

Stop trying to one up everyone like that! Warren’s going to get the wrong idea!

"I see..."

"Listen, Warren! It’s not like I was deliberately hiding it from you! I just thought you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, and telling you wouldn’t have changed anything anyway. I was simply reborn in this world, but I’m still me!"

"But you told Viktor, didn’t you?"

"It’s more accurate to say that Viktor figured it out on his own."

"So I was just lacking the insight to figure it out..." Warren lowered his gaze. "I’m going home first."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

Qiu Nuoya was left bewildered. He had no idea why Warren suddenly looked so troubled.

"The hearts of boys that age can be shaken by the smallest things. Don’t worry about him. Warren probably has a lot on his mind too, so just leave him alone for now."

"But..." Igor grabbed Qiu Nuoya by the shoulder and stopped him as he tried to chase after Warren. "The more you try to spare his feelings, the more it will hurt him."

Is that really how it works? Is that what boys are like?

Qiu Nuoya could no longer remember what it had been like to be a boy, as those memories were far too distant, so he simply stood there in confusion.

"He is still a child, after all."

"Well, that’s about the size of it."

The two of them were met with a puzzled expression from Rogue, the Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild. He had been practically invisible throughout the entire conversation, but apparently, he had noticed something strange about the way the two of them were treating Qiu Nuoya.

Considering Qiu Nuoya was obviously the youngest person in the group, Rogue seemed rather puzzled that they were treating him like an adult. Still, the fact that he chose not to say anything showed that he was a perceptive adult who knew when to read the room.