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Friedrich Konrat Rotbart von Schwaben Hohenstaufen, the legitimate son of the Imperial Kaiser and Count of Schwaben, and a candidate for the throne of the Griffin King.

Originally, his position as the most legitimate heir would have been unshakable, but ironically, it was precisely because he was the most legitimate heir that his status began to waver.

Although the Empire was a nation where successors were elected by electors, all other royal, ducal, and noble families, except for the Imperial Kaiser, followed the Walong Law, which prioritized primogeniture.

The core of the Walong Law was that it partially allowed divided inheritance, but the most legitimate and traditional rights were granted to the firstborn. If this land were not the Empire but another kingdom, and if he were not the son of the Imperial Kaiser but the son of an ordinary king or noble, his right to succession would not have been shaken.

However, for the nobles of the Empire, a successor with impeccable legitimacy was nothing but a burden. The legitimacy of a ruler meant a stable position, and a stable position ultimately translated into authority.

The foolish subjects and lower nobles of the Empire would eagerly listen to every word of the next Kaiser, who possessed unshakable legitimacy, and would joyfully follow his commands to raise their swords against local magnates.

If Count Friedrich of Schwaben had been problematic in conduct and had various controversies, the vassals of the Empire would have accepted him as the next successor without much burden. Flaws meant that the unity of the various lords could always overwhelm the Kaiser’s sovereignty. In that case, there would be no need to aggressively oppose legitimacy; it would suffice to compromise and go with the flow.

However, Count Friedrich of Schwaben’s appearance and conduct were impeccable. That was the problem. Impeccable legitimacy, flawless appearance, and conduct. If this were to align with the Kaiser’s throne through proper procedures, it was impossible to predict what would happen.

It was precisely Count Friedrich of Schwaben who, with a smile on his face, extended his hand to the beautiful Nun Knight before him, offering a handshake.

“This Friedrich, though in a humble position, is not so rotten as to forget the debt of gratitude to a benefactor.”

“I have heard much about Count Schwaben’s fair and upright character. However, do not trouble yourself too much over this matter. I, as a knight of the Church Order, merely did what was right.”

The moment Sophia, who had removed her gauntlet, clasped Count Friedrich’s hand, he thought to himself.

‘Her hand is softer than I expected.’

The palm was incredibly soft for a swordsman’s hand. However, Count Friedrich was not mistaken. He soon realized that this softness was not the delicate softness of an ordinary woman’s hand.

‘An artisan’s hand develops calluses up to a certain level, but beyond that point, the calluses begin to diminish.’

Before being the legitimate son of the Kaiser and Count of Schwaben, he was one of the Empire’s Hauptmanns (military commanders). Although he had minor experiences, such as being taught mercenary tactics by the condottieri of Rotaringia in his youth, Friedrich’s standing in the Imperial military after reaching adulthood was not at a remarkable level, but it was solid enough.

From such experience, he could say that a swordsman’s hand tended to show a consistent pattern depending on the depth of their training.

When one first picks up a sword, the hand is too soft and tender, often becoming scarred. To build a solid foundation, one must constantly wield the sword, even with insufficient skill, and through repeated damage and recovery, calluses gradually form on the hand.

Up to a certain stage, these calluses could be a measure of how skilled one was in swordsmanship. Compared to the uneven calluses of a beginner, the calluses of a seasoned swordsman were evenly spread across the hand. Steady training and ingrained know-how were revealed through these calluses.

Thus, a good swordsman was one whose calluses were evenly distributed.

Those who delved deeper into the profound realms of swordsmanship were different. When the skill of wielding a sword became extremely refined, and the natural balance of power was completely integrated, as if the hand and sword were fused, the calluses on the swordsman’s hand gradually disappeared. There was no longer a need to protect the hand with calluses.

‘The theory was that one could draw any stance or technique with the highest efficiency, so wielding the sword no longer burdened the hand.’

Whether this made sense or not, Count Friedrich did not know. However, among the knights under his command, only Hermann Lingeck, the senior knight, and Karl Hector Meyer, the guest knight, had fewer calluses, and their skills were undoubtedly superior to the other knights.

‘Whether it is a swordsman’s hand or not, as someone who is not a master swordsman, it is difficult for me to discern…’

He was an Imperial Hauptmann, but that did not mean he was a master swordsman himself. Of course, as an Imperial Hauptmann and a territorial noble, he was not entirely ignorant of swordsmanship, but he was no more than a moderately skilled swordsman.

However, even he could understand one obvious truth.

‘If she were just a delicate woman, she would not have been affiliated with a place like the Paladins in the first place. Knights like Lingeck and Hector Meyer would not have shown such respect.’

The martial prowess she had just displayed was truly remarkable. Although he did not have the eyes to discern the profound principles within, one thing was clear: she had effortlessly slaughtered the undead that the party had struggled with, as if pulling something out of a pocket, and then subdued the black hand behind the undead with a single hand.

At this moment when the entire Empire was engulfed in chaos, such strength was invaluable. The presence of a strong ally was precious, almost as if it could sprout from one’s throat.

‘…That’s what he must be thinking.’

Even though she could guess Count Friedrich’s thoughts, she pretended not to know and shook his hand. It wasn’t that she had any sinister intentions; she simply wanted to rely on a strong ally in a difficult situation. If he behaved appropriately, there was no reason not to lend her strength. She had intended to do so from the beginning.

After the meeting with Count Friedrich of Schwaben, the highest-ranking member of the carriage party, the others also stepped forward to introduce themselves to Sophia.

The man who had been riding in the same carriage as Count Friedrich was Friedrich Wolfgang von Österreich Hohenstaufen, the son of the Imperial Minister of Justice, Archduke of Österreich, who supported Count Friedrich of Schwaben.

He was originally Count Friedrich’s cousin and also served as his personal attendant. While Count Friedrich was a seasoned man in his late thirties to early forties, this attendant Friedrich was a young man in his late twenties to early thirties, full of vigor but beginning to show signs of maturity.

Sophia could see in the young attendant Friedrich’s eyes both loyalty to Count Friedrich and a confidence bordering on ambition for himself.

If the two Friedrichs were riding in the rear carriage, the women were in the front carriage.

As Sophia looked in that direction, a woman with ash-blonde hair, much like Count Friedrich, stepped forward and began to introduce herself and her companions.

“Ulrike Evangelina Barbara von Schwaben Hohenstaufen, the foolish older brother’s younger sister. Please call me Ulrike. And this is…”

“Wilhelmina Franziska Ursula von Wein Berger. I look forward to working with you.”

“By the way, Sister Wilhelmina is engaged to my brother.”

“Indeed, the Count and his fiancée are traveling together.”

Upon hearing the full name of the silver-blonde woman introduced by Count Friedrich’s sister Ulrike, Sophia suddenly remembered something and spoke up.

“By any chance, are you the daughter of the Court Count of Wein?”

At Sophia’s question, the atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavy. Seeing Wilhelmina’s expression darken in an instant, Sophia inwardly regretted her mistake.

+++++

After the introductions and a brief cleanup of the scene, the carriages set off again, heading towards Vienna, the capital of Österreich. Sophia, reunited with Karl after a long time, rode in the rear and engaged in various conversations.

“You’ve achieved quite a bit in the meantime, haven’t you?”

Looking at Karl, who was driving the carriage beside her, Sophia narrowed her eyes. Through her spiritual vision, she could see the knight’s spiritual entity, composed of ethereal muscles, faintly glowing.

The form was not as clear as before. Considering that Sophia had dramatically improved her realm since their last meeting, it meant that Karl had also achieved unparalleled growth in the aspect of ethereal muscles.

This was an extraordinary feat. Even though Sophia had not been able to focus solely on the training of her spiritual entity, the gap between the Sophia who had first met Karl and the current Sophia was by no means negligible.

“It’s all thanks to Sir Chazel. If Sir Chazel hadn’t taught me a training method specialized in developing ethereal muscles, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Unlike before, when he had been somewhat arrogant, Karl now humbly expressed his gratitude, showing that he genuinely believed he owed his current self to Sophia.

Karl’s progress was not limited to his spiritual entity. Through the subtle aura emanating from him, Sophia could sense that his swordsmanship had reached an even more refined level.

‘Perhaps he has almost completely mastered the techniques possible with a longsword.’

Seeing the flowing aura surrounding him, Sophia could guess that his swordsmanship had surpassed the peak level. Most swordsmen would likely have their vital points slashed by the reverse edge of the longsword the moment they crossed blades with him.

“When we arrive in Vienna, let’s cross swords again. I’m very curious about your achievements.”

“That’s what I wanted to ask. The thought of receiving your teachings again makes my heart leap.”

Karl was delighted by Sophia’s proposal to spar again after a long time. After reaching the first level of ethereal muscles, Karl had been training to form the second level, but recently, he had hit a slump and began to doubt his methods. In such a situation, the promise of a duel with Sophia, from whom he might gain some insight, was not something he could afford to miss.

The distance to Vienna was about a day’s journey by carriage. However, the party soon stopped at a clearing by the roadside without pressing further. Nightfall was approaching.

Horses, being creatures with poor night vision, were prone to accidents at night, and night was also a time when monsters were most active.

With the malevolent energy that had spread across the continent after the incident in Arden increasing the ferocity of monsters, continuing the journey at night was practically suicidal… In such times, it was wiser to use well-equipped campsites with defensive measures like palisades.

As the western sky glowed with red haze and the rest of the sky turned shades of grape and blueberry, the party, having stopped the carriages, began to prepare for camp by scouting the area.

The campsite was empty. The number of travelers had significantly decreased recently. With the entire Empire divided into factions engaging in sporadic conflicts and undead rising and roaming everywhere, the number of people traveling long distances had greatly diminished.

Even among merchants, unless they were adventurers risking danger for a chance at a fortune, there was a reluctance to engage in long-distance trade within the Empire, let alone others.

Upon arriving at the campsite, the party quickly began setting up defensive measures around the palisade to guard against external threats. They moved and secured barricades placed around the palisade, checked ballistae and rollers on the moat and watchtowers, and busily prepared.

Sophia also began to contribute to protecting the campsite in her own way.

The art of combining the feng shui of the land, the celestial mechanisms of the sky, and the harmony of people to respond to all directions is called formation. The eight directions refer to the eight trigrams: Heaven (乾☰), Marsh (兌☱), Water (坎☵), Fire (離☲), Thunder (震☳), Wind (巽☴), Mountain (艮☶), and Earth (坤☷), representing the interactions of eight natural elements.

When water and fire exist between heaven and earth, mist rises and storms rage. The presence of mountains, marshes, wind, and thunder adds infinite variables to this cycle, sometimes fixing phenomena. This is the principle of formation.

By understanding the principles of yin and yang and the five elements aiding and controlling each other on earth, and the principles of the sun, moon, stars, and constellations determining and shifting destiny in the sky, one can recreate various mysterious natural phenomena by reproducing the conditions.

Some places shot sword energy to dig the ground, others used void manipulation to gather piles of earth or stones, buried fragments of stone, wood, or metal in the ground, and in some places, flags of different colors, patterns, and shapes were planted. To those without knowledge, Sophia’s actions might seem like incomprehensible eccentricities.

However, even amidst this, someone showed interest in Sophia’s work. It was none other than Brantley Somz, a rune mage from Jutland.

Originally, the tradition of skalds originated from the northern tradition of inscribing runes on stone arrays. At least in terms of knowledge about stone circles, skalds were no less than the druidic relics of Caledonia like Stonehenge.

To him, Sophia’s work seemed to share some similarities with the core elements of the skald tradition, the stone circles.

Spellcasters are those who observe and contemplate to uncover and recreate the mysteries of nature. It was only natural for the curious Brantley Somz to approach Sophia and strike up a conversation.

“Sorry to bother you while you’re busy…”

As he approached Sophia to speak, Brantley Somz suddenly felt something amiss and stopped in his tracks.

Swish—

‘What is this?’

Though he couldn’t articulate it precisely, something had changed. The experience and senses Brantley had accumulated as a skald, aided by the highly refined spirit nerves, acutely detected the changes in the space and environment around him.

A strange and unfamiliar change he couldn’t quite describe. After several attempts to put it into words, Brantley Somz finally managed to articulate the nature of the change and was immediately astonished.

“The flow of spell waves has been rearranged!?”

Realizing this, Brantley immediately focused his consciousness on the objects Sophia had arranged. However, he felt nothing from them. If they had been refined through spellcasting, he should have sensed some spell power, but not a trace was detected.

‘It’s not that the spell power is concealed. They are simply ordinary natural objects.’

The only peculiarity was that the flags placed on the marsh, piles of earth, and stones seemed to carry a sense of time, a kind of “thought.” Even including that, there were no objects that could be considered spell artifacts among the items Sophia had set up.

‘Spell waves are moving without any spell artifacts?’

By cultivating the ethereal brain, one naturally gains the ability to manipulate spell power, the force that interferes with the flow of spell waves. Spellcasting is the act of using spell power to interfere with the flow of spell waves and combining the spell waves from different conceptual domains to manifest desired phenomena.

Without spell power, one cannot enter the world of spell waves. This was a truth universally accepted by spellcasters across the continent, regardless of direction. The fundamental principles that compose the world, the domains, and the shadows projected by ordinary objects from those domains could never interfere with the more essential spell waves.

Yet, that truth no longer held before Brantley Somz’s eyes.

The flow of spell waves was changing without any spell power. The changes occurred in real-time as Sophia altered the terrain and arranged objects.

As Brantley observed this, an infinite inspiration of unknown origin surged and swirled in his mind.

The ethereal brain grows through the stimulation of mental activity, but the greatest impetus comes from new knowledge that reshapes one’s worldview. At this moment, Brantley Somz’s spiritual entity, stimulated by the bottomless whirlpool of inspiration, began to grow.

This moment could not be wasted. Realizing this with a spellcaster’s intuition, Brantley Somz’s steps quickened. His mind was filled with questions he wanted to ask this mysterious and enigmatic nun knight.

 

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