Chapter 362: The First-Generation "Sword Saint"
The man was tall and broad-shouldered, with neatly cropped red hair and a rugged, well-defined face. Though he appeared to be in his thirties, giving him an uncle-like demeanor, he was far from unkempt.
A longsword hung at his waist. Though the blade itself seemed unremarkable, the wear on its hilt betrayed frequent use.
Roy's gaze shifted to the man's hands—firmly gripping the reins without the slightest tremor, exuding steadiness. During his training in the Land of Shadows under Scáthach, Roy had practiced swordsmanship as much as spear techniques. He could tell at a glance that this man had the hands of a seasoned swordsman.
A formidable swordsman—that was Roy's first impression.
The red-haired man's eyes lit up upon seeing Roy, his excitement barely contained. Just as he was about to call out, Roy released the curtain, letting it fall back over the window and blocking the man's view.
The man with the bared teeth froze on the spot, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Inside the dragon carriage, Frugel, who was driving, noticed Roy's unusual demeanor and also sensed gazes directed their way. He immediately tensed up and asked, "...What's wrong? Did you notice something?"
'Quite sensitive to danger, isn't he?'
Roy thought to himself as he saw Frugel looking around nervously, but outwardly he simply said, "...It's nothing."
Seeing Roy's calm expression, Frugel relaxed, only to shudder a moment later, inwardly marveling at how terrifyingly effective Roy's words were at swaying his emotions—even making him feel a sense of security. It struck Frugel as utterly unbelievable.
The carriage fell silent. Shaula, drowsy, leaned against the side of the carriage, swaying with its motion. Satella sat quietly beside her, her amethyst eyes curiously scanning their surroundings. Occasionally, she peeked through the gaps in the window at the grand procession and the scenery outside, her face alight with awe and delight.
This was the first time she had ventured so far from the capital of Lugunica, seeing the world beyond. Until now, her entire existence had been confined to the slums and the forest ten kilometers away.
Amid the quiet, broken only by the steady rumble of the wheels, Roy suddenly asked, "Earlier, you called yourself a 'Sage.' How did you earn that title?"
Frugel, still driving, was taken aback that Roy would strike up a conversation with him. He scratched his head awkwardly, unsure how to respond, when Shaula suddenly perked up, her eyes widening as she launched into an enthusiastic explanation.
"Master has so many brilliant ideas in his head! We've traveled to many places together, even visited some small countries. Everywhere we went, we encountered countless problems faced by the locals, but Master always found a way to solve them. His ideas might seem strange at first, but they're incredibly creative. After helping so many people, he earned the title of 'Sage.'"
"...Though for some reason, Master rarely used his real name when doing these things—he always used mine. Now, many people only know of the 'Sage Shaula,' unaware that Master is the true 'Sage'!"
Shaula went on to recount many of Frugel's past deeds, her tone tinged with admiration. But by the end, she couldn't help but grumble about why Frugel never used his own name, instead borrowing hers as his disciple.
Frugel's face flushed red. Seeing Shaula about to sing more of his praises, he hastily cut her off. "...Enough, Shaula!"
"Master, are you embarrassed?"
"You're the one who's embarrassed!!"
Frugel shouted, though this time Shaula obediently fell silent.
Roy watched the master and disciple with amusement, understanding why Frugel was so flustered. The things he had done were typical of transmigrators—arriving in a relatively backward world, encountering various difficulties, and solving them with modern thinking and methods. To the locals, Frugel's ideas seemed ingenious, earning him the title of 'Sage.'
But these things might impress people from another world, yet in front of Roy, who also hailed from modern Earth, his actions felt like a public execution—so it was understandable why he'd feel so embarrassed.
Seeing Roy's half-smirking expression, Frugel shut his mouth and focused on driving the carriage.
"Anyway, you've actually achieved success in this world—except for not finding the 'bitch' you wanted."
Roy offered a teasing compliment.
Frugel's expression immediately fell, and he forced a bitter smile. "...Please, I already regret it enough. Don't say that word again."
At that moment, Shaula hesitated before speaking up. "...Master, do you really like bitches? I... I could try, you know."
"Ahhh, Shaula, please don't say that either! I don't want to be a pervert!"
Frugel grabbed his head and shouted, drawing stares from the surrounding dragon carriages.
"What's wrong with being a pervert? As a man, you should firmly walk the path of degeneracy, Subaru..."
Roy teased, even using Frugel's real name.
Just as the group on the dragon carriage were bickering, commotion broke out ahead. The lead carriage suddenly stopped, causing a chaotic scramble behind them. Fortunately, the ground dragons reacted quickly, braking in time to avoid collisions.
"What happened?"
Frugel's expression darkened as he noticed the ground dragons growing restless. These creatures were highly sensitive to danger, often used by knights in battle.
Satella also tensed up, and Roy even noticed the shadows beneath her subtly writhing again.
He took her hand, gently patting the smooth back of it, and gave her a reassuring smile. The gesture calmed her, and the surging magic and shadows settled.
"Stop your carriages! Hand over your valuables, and don't even think of running—you might just survive!"
Shouts echoed around the convoy.
They had just entered a canyon—a perfect spot for an ambush—and before they knew it, a group of mounted soldiers had encircled them.
Seeing them, Frugel relaxed slightly, frowning. "...Bandits?"
Ordinary bandits posed little threat to him, so he wasn't too worried.
"Not bandits. Look at their organization and discipline—this is a proper military unit."
Roy dismissed Frugel's guess with just a glance.
"Military? But we're still within Lugunica's borders. Could it be Lugunica's forces? No... it must be the Vollachian Empire. We're not far from their border!"
After a moment of surprise, Frugel pieced it together.
Roy ignored him, instead looking out the window. The red-haired man who had smiled at him earlier now stood, gripping his sword hilt with a solemn expression as he strode toward the surrounding soldiers.
"Why is he here?"
Frugel was stunned when he saw the red-haired man.
"You know him?"
Roy already had an inkling of who this man was, but still asked.
"He is Reid Astrea, known as the 'Sword Saint.' His swordsmanship is incredibly powerful, and people honor him with the title 'Van,' so he is also called Reid Van Astrea!"
Flugel explained.