A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

So she quickly ran out of the house and called out to Bray.

The only person she had to thank was Bray.

"Next time that blind, dead-eyed big brother comes, Grandpa and I will definitely treat you to roasted rabbit!"

"..." The Bray car fell silent.

Roasted rabbit? What a cruel dish! Aren't rabbits supposed to be cute creatures...?

They really are a perfect grandfather and grandson pair.

Bray wasn't as energetic as Larry, so he wouldn't call back.

If he shouted like that, wouldn't his public image collapse?

Finally, Bray simply waved casually and continued on his way to the station.

Let's skip the roasted rabbit, since even Bray himself doesn't know when he'll come back here again.

There was no reason left for him to come to this small village.

The Imperial Capital, the most prosperous city in the empire, without exception.

Even cities can evoke an overwhelming sense of grandeur.

Caravans and travelers constantly moved to and fro in this city.

The intensity of the shouts was the most exaggerated I had ever heard.

The city wall was so high that its shadow completely covered a large open space, and almost everyone had to pass through this shadow.

Even Bray was wondering how he could possibly break down the city wall.

It's probably impossible, after all, this is a city wall, and my sword is only so long.

I'm a little nervous. Is this what it feels like for a country person to come to the city?

Now Bray can finally understand it.

People do feel nervous when faced with a city that challenges their preconceived notions.

"Master, your heart is beating very fast," Zetsu kindly reminded Bray.

She couldn't understand why Bray was so nervous; to the young girl, it was just a city.

Maybe it's because I can't be in this city that I don't feel anything.

After all, she can only ever remain in this small world of imagination.

However, this wasn't something that made her feel particularly down.

Sometimes, after falling asleep at night, the Master will keep them company in the mental world.

This was the best reward for her—companionship was the reward.

Although most of the time Bray sat beside her in a daze, while the girl silently read her book.

But for a final piece of music, this is already amazing. What more could she ask for?

"It's just that running here made my heart race," Bray said casually.

How could he be frightened by such a city? He is Blakelas.

Bray took a deep breath, patted the longsword at his waist, and stepped into the city.

---

As expected, the members of the Clas family remained composed.

After entering the capital, he was no longer as nervous as he had been at the beginning.

Ultimately, a city is just a city, not some man-eating monster; it's just that it can be unsettling at first.

This may be due to changes in the environment.

After arriving in the capital, Bray encountered a group of very hospitable barbarians.

However, the reason they were so hospitable to me might simply be because I happened to have helped some of their elders.

Humanity has many branches, and barbarians are one of the major ones.

However, within the capital, they could only live on the outermost perimeter, in what was known as the outer city.

Although Bray didn't know what was wrong with the barbarians, there were still many people in the capital who discriminated against them.

After all, the prefix "barbarian" in the term "barbarian tribe" was added to them by some people without their consent.

Because of their bronze skin, red eyes, and extraordinary strength—characteristics that set them apart from "normal people"—they were labeled as barbarians.

This is not only the responsibility of the ignorant, but also of scholars.

"So, young man, don't you think these guys who spout nonsense all have something wrong with their heads?" The barbarian elder, who called herself the fortune teller, kept slamming her fist on the table in front of her and complained.

“Hmm… there is indeed a problem,” Bray replied vaguely.

The fortune teller was actually very kind and friendly when Bray first met her, but she became irritable after they got to know each other better.

I wouldn't say he's short-tempered, but rather bold and unrestrained?

Because Bray was unfamiliar with the royal family, he stayed overnight in the barbarian settlement for a while.

During this time, he also found Lux, who was in school, fulfilling his wish to visit his family.

Although the outer city is far from the inner city where Lux is, staying with the barbarians can save you some money.

Moreover, Bray surprisingly found living here quite nice.

Barbarians are more straightforward and passionate than one might imagine.

"Speaking of which, young man, you hardly ever talk about what you plan to do," the fortune teller said quietly, then poured him a cup of strong tea.

“Me? There’s nothing in particular I want to do,” Bray replied after a moment’s hesitation.

"If I had to say what I should do, I'd probably learn swordsmanship," he said.

After inheriting Carlogaris's swordsmanship, he often wondered if this level of swordsmanship was insufficient.

Or perhaps the variety is insufficient.

No matter how extensive Carlogaris's knowledge of swordsmanship may be, it is ultimately swordsmanship from an ancient era.

This era, the Third Era, also possesses swordsmanship unique to this time.

"Learn swordsmanship?" The fortune teller was a little surprised when she heard this answer.

She glanced at the sword beside Bray, seemingly accepting the answer.

Indeed, Bray doesn't seem like a sword fanatic, but sometimes appearances can be deceiving, and he might just be someone with an unusual obsession with swords.

If Bray knew what the fortune teller was thinking, he would definitely tell her she was overthinking it.

He simply felt that this was the only thing that was meaningful to him at the moment.

“In that case, I have a good recommendation,” the fortune teller said with a smile.

"You can try going to the Western Continent or the Eastern Continent."

"The swordsmanship in these two places is much better than that in the Central Continent."

"There's actually such a thing as saying this?" This was truly an eye-opener for Bray.

This was the first time he had ever heard anyone say they wanted to learn swordsmanship and travel to those two continents.

"I never lie," the fortune teller said with a smile.

“I’ll consider going after I’ve been here for a while,” Bray nodded.

Even if you want to go to other continents, you have to wait until you've earned enough money, because intercontinental travel is not cheap at all.

Even if you're alone, the expenses are definitely not small.

"By the way, I am a fortune teller, and I am most skilled at divination."

"How about I, an old woman, perform some divination for you?" The fortune teller was very curious about Bray and offered to do so.

Normally, if someone wants to consult a fortune teller, they have to pay a heavy price.

But this time, Bray was completely free.

"Can you tell my fortune?"

"That's right, whatever you want to know, this old man can do divination for you."

“Is that so…” Bray pondered.

Divination is not about predicting the future in the strict sense; it simply shows people the most likely possible outcomes.

It's merely using everything from the past to infer the future.

A predetermined, "predetermined" future does not exist.

“I want to know something about my sister.” Bray suddenly thought of his sister and thought it would be good to do a divination for her.

"He really is a young man who loves his family."

“However, I don’t dislike people like you who value family so much.” The fortune teller chuckled and casually scattered many stones from her cloth bag.

Finally, she solemnly laid some cards out on the table, each card face down, waiting for someone to turn it over.

Flip through the first page, the second page, the third page…

The story of Bray's sister was gradually revealed to the fortune teller.

She frowned as she turned to Chapter Seven.

Bray also noticed the fortune teller's expression.

"Your sister will soon be attending a grand event."

"But during this grand ceremony, the blackness will spread to her body."

"Afterwards, the evil creatures may even contaminate the entire city."

"If there is no fire to burn, then everything will decay."

"A grand ceremony? An evil object?" Bray was a little confused.

"That's the nature of the divination itself," the fortune teller said, shaking her head.

Looking into the future will never give you a clear answer.

"Crack, crack—" While the fortune teller was chatting with Bray, some stones on the table shattered on the same day.

"Oh dear, oh dear... it seems this old woman has divined something about the gods," the fortune teller murmured.

"god?"

"Yes, things about gods, even if they may not be very relevant, are always unsettling when they involve deities."

"..." Bray hesitated, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword.

"I don't know how to solve this either; everything depends on you."

“However, if you are worried, you can let your sister stay here for a while,” the fortune teller said.

But Bray refused the fortune teller's offer.

"Lux won't agree; she'll think I'm crazy." Unfortunately, Lux definitely won't believe in any "festival" or "evil object," let alone let her live in a strange place.

"Is that so? But that makes sense." The fortune teller wasn't angry.

"Don't you want to have your fortune told again about yourself?"

“This… will work.” Bray thought about it and decided it wasn’t a big deal.

I'm not really interested in my own future, but I don't mind a free divination.

"Then let this old woman take a look at your future." The fortune teller washed away all the cards and started flipping them over again.

However, before they could even turn to the third chapter, all the remaining stones on the table shattered.

It's even more exaggerated than before.

“Ah, this…” Bray looked at the broken stone and felt that something terrible had happened.

"Bang!!!!!" The fortune teller slammed her hand on the table, sending the cards flying and causing Bray himself to bounce up.

Don't worry, the fortune teller isn't angry.