The scene was rather grim.
Aside from the two Mages, Li Xiuman and Mia, everyone was covered in wounds.
Li Xiuman and Mia had completely drained their mana and holy light as well.
Even so, they remained vigilant of their surroundings, taking no chances.
By now, the group had made it to a small island in the middle of the lake. A golden barrier enveloped the island, keeping all the monsters at bay outside.
“Looks like we're safe for now.”
“Everyone's in bad shape, so let's rest and recover before moving forward.”
Brad spoke as he pulled food and medicine from his bag.
The medicine was sealed inside glass bottles that looked immensely expensive, inlaid with gemstones and threads of gold and silver.
The green liquid inside glowed faintly.
Beside them were several purple potions in bottles of identical design.
Brad opened a green potion and downed it.
Immediately, the wounds covering his body stopped bleeding and began to scab over.
So this is a magic potion?
An uncultured skeleton like Li Xiuman, hailing from a small city, had never seen such fancy stuff before.
Even in a major city like White Crystal City, Li Xiuman had never seen anyone selling these.
The potions themselves were average enough, but the recipes for high-grade magic potions were strictly held in the hands of nobility.
The amount of magic potions reaching the public market was minuscule.
Illegally brewing magic potions was a severe crime in this country.
Of course, that was only true for this duchy. Rumor had it that other duchies weren't quite as strict, merely limiting private production.
“Xiuman, here's one for your mana.”
Brad took out three bottles of purple potion and handed them to Li Xiuman.
“Thank you.”
Li Xiuman naturally had no reason to refuse, so he accepted them.
What an exquisite bottle. Look at the gold and silver foil inlaid on it... Just the bottle alone must be worth several gold coins.
Li Xiuman gave the bottle neck a cautious tug, not daring to exert too much force, and found it wouldn't open.
It's too high-end. How do you open this?
He didn't dare use too much force either. After all, the bottle was so expensive—breaking it would hurt his soul all night.
If I ask outright how to open it, will it hurt my dignity?
And it'd make the great Li Xiuman look like an uncultured country bumpkin.
Li Xiuman quietly shifted his focus to the others, watching how they opened their bottles.
That was when he realized...
They were just snapping them open directly!
The stopper at the top was seemingly pressed together, snapped off just like that!
And then they casually threw away the gem-encrusted bottle top!
These damn spoiled rich kids!
Whatever, I'll splurge today. Say what you will, I'm a wealthy man with tens of thousands of gold coins to my name.
I can totally afford to be extravagant for once!
Li Xiuman held the bottle neck and snapped it open gently.
Then he poured the liquid from the bottle into his mouth.
Since Li Xiuman had no flesh, the purple potion splashed directly onto his soul fire.
His deep blue soul fire expanded slightly as a surge of mana burst forth, rapidly restoring his reserves.
Good stuff!
Using a magic potion for the first time left Li Xiuman thoroughly exhilarated.
He finally understood why the nobles banned private brewing and sale of these potions.
A Mage with already terrifying destructive power, paired with a potion like this...
They would essentially become a walking turret with infinite firepower, posing a massive threat to noble rule.
Only after restoring half his mana did the potion's effect begin to wear off.
So one bottle only restores half my mana?
Looking at the remaining two bottles, Li Xiuman tucked them away.
After reaching Tier 3, even Li Xiuman's immense mana pool was starting to feel insufficient.
I'll keep these potions for emergencies later.
“Xiuman, who taught you your sword techniques earlier?”
While waiting for the healing potion to take effect, Brad sat on the ground and struck up a conversation with Li Xiuman.
“Why do you ask?”
Li Xiuman looked over at Brad.
“It's just that your sword style looks a bit familiar.”
“It resembles the Divine Princess Style.”
Divine Princess Style? What's that?
Li Xiuman's sword techniques had all been taught to him by Ilu.
“The Divine Princess Style is a sword style founded by the Divine Princess.”
“Currently, its most famous successor is... Princess Ilu Mantield, who holds the title Princess of the Sword.”
“Princess Mantield is quite the legendary figure in the royal capital.”
“At twelve, she defeated a titled Senior Knight. At sixteen, she was granted the title Princess of the Sword by the King.”
“And at eighteen, she fought as a core force alongside the Royal Knights to slay an adult black dragon.”
Brad's eyes twinkled like stars, looking like a fan discussing his idol.
Li Xiuman felt a bit awkward.
Does Ilu really have fanboys like this...?
“Xiuman, since you aren't from the royal capital, you might not know the legends about Princess Mantield.”
“In short, in short! Princess Mantield is definitely the strongest swordsman!”
“Although she's currently only the strongest of the younger generation, in ten years, Princess Mantield will undoubtedly become the strongest among all swordsmen!”
“Wait, Captain, I can't agree with that!”
Someone interrupted Brad.
Li Xiuman glanced in the direction of the voice, seeing one of the other two swordsmen in the party.
He remembered his name was Lierof.
“Lierof, are you really going to contradict your captain?”
It was the first time Brad had pulled rank as captain.
He clearly stood on ground where he refused to yield an inch.
“Captain, Princess Mantield is indeed very strong.”
“But she can't claim the title of the strongest.”
“The title of strongest belongs to someone else. You know who I'm talking about.”
Lierof stood up, matching Brad's intensity point for point.
“That's right! The man who climbed up step by step from common birth!”
“Rising from humble beginnings, earning his fame step by step through talent and sheer effort!”
“The man known as the Lone Wolf of the Sword—Carmen Smith!”
Hearing Lierof's words, Brad shook his head, replying with a trace of pride in his eyes.
“Lierof, that's where you're wrong.”
“Although Carmen is strong, he is by no means a match for Princess Mantield!”
“I respect Carmen, but his flaw is glaringly obvious.”
“He has no inherited style and relies on self-taught, wild techniques. Do you really think he has the talent to single-handedly rival generations of accumulated legacy...”
“...like the Divine Princess Style?!”
“Not to mention, Princess Mantield's talent is downright terrifying!”
“Captain! Carmen beat a Legendary Troll single-handedly!”
“Princess Mantield slayed a dragon.”
“Carmen's sword skills can unleash over a hundred strikes in a single second—so fast you can't even see a shadow!”
“Princess Mantield slayed a dragon.”
“Carmen's sword is forged from superalloy! Heavy as a mountain, indestructible, perfect for both attack and defense!”
“Princess Mantield slayed a dragon.”
“Dammit! Captain or not, I'm not holding back today!”
“Princess Mantield slayed a dragon.”
Li Xiuman watched from the side, completely stunned.
Is this some kind of fantasy world performance art?
Wait, weren't we talking about my sword style at first?
Whatever. Shifting the topic works out best for me.
Rate on N.U.
