Sword Pilgrim

To say that he was lucky was an understatement.

He didn’t get it as a reward for completing a quest, but merely for agreeing to work with those two.

‘Thanks to that, I’ve now gotten entangled with the dragonkin people’s destiny[1].’

But since he got my hands on a fae-stone, Callius couldn’t complain.

He’d simply have to deal with whatever complications came his way.

After watching the stone in his hand for a while, Callius quickly went out of the inn and left the town to enter the surrounding forest.

[Fairies are everywhere, yet nowhere.]

Since they rarely travelled far, it was difficult to meet them even once in a lifetime.

But burning a fae-stone was a different story. A fairy that absorbed the bewitching energy that it exuded would reveal themselves, and even show an affinity for the stone’s owner.

They might even be happy to do you a favour in return.

Of course, not all fairies were like that.

It depended on the fairy’s personality and situation.

A fairy with an overly fickle personality might merely absorb the energy and vanish.

So it was a matter of luck.

And if there were no nearby fairies interested enough to respond while the stones burned, the chance would also be used up.

So one had to be very careful while using a fae-stone.

Because it gave only one chance to please a fairy.

But –

Callius wasn’t afraid.

‘If fairies are attracted by bewitching energy, what if I assimilate it?’

He wouldn’t have to worry about the chance being used up anymore.

What would happen if his body itself exuded bewitching energy?

He’d benefit by having many more opportunities to come into contact with fairies, and the probability of signing a contract would also rise.

Of course, this would be unthinkable for a normal person, but this was Callius.

Owner of the characteristic, [Gluttony], and the constitution, [Smelting Bones]!

The former could digest the indigestible, and the latter could help absorb it efficiently.

‘Heaven is smiling upon me.’

Callius put the stone in his mouth.

Gulp.

Swallow.

It felt like the forest was shaking all around him.

When Callius opened his eyes again, they were shining with a purple glow.

‘This is another conceptual power, different from draconic power I have.’

It was a power very close to nature.

Callius circulated it through his body according to the Six Peak Flowers technique.

[The fae-stone enters your body.]

[Digestion fails.]

[The characteristic 「Gluttony」 makes it possible.]

[It is still difficult to completely absorb. Absorption rate falls by 37%.]

[The constitution 「Smelting Bones」 begins to absorb the new power.]

[The absorption rate of the bewitching energy in the fae-stone has exceeded 78%.]

[Successfully absorbed.]

[Bewitching energy builds up inside your body.]

[The characteristic, Pheromone, responds.]

[Pheromone coalesces with the bewitching energy.]

[The characteristics are recombined.]

[Pheromone is combined with bewitching energy and is reborn as 「Bewitching Scent」.]

“?”

「Bewitching Scent」

• Created by combining bewitching energy with the trait, [Pheromone]. • Your body emits the scent of bewitching energy.

[Fairies are drawn to you.]

[Some fairies will be intoxicated by your scent and will not want to leave.]

After checking the message window, Callius thought with calm eyes.

‘… This is great.’

Not only did his body assimilate the power, it even combined with the characteristic [Pheromone].

Describing it as merely a success wasn’t enough.

Besides, this power –

‘It’s weak, but useful.’

A small amount of power had accumulated inside his elixir field.

Callius’ talent, [Instinctive intuition], gave him a flash of insight.

‘Sacred art.’

He had a feeling that this power would be good at working with sacred arts.

Callius had some knowledge of sacred arts in his repertoire.

Sullivian had given him a whole book when he’d requested her for the reverse scale.

The book inside which the reverse scale had been hidden, was full of words explaining the sacred arts.

There were three ideas that she’d systematically researched and established during her lifetime, which she called the Three Beliefs.

It meant honouring three things.

Venerating Heaven (경천), Venerating Man (경인), Venerating Treasure (경물).

It was a sacred art that aimed to honour the heavens, the people, and all the things in the world.

When facing the Light Dragon, the spell inscribed upon Callius’ body had been Venerating Man – Discipline.

It was a sacred art that used man as a medium.

Venerating Heaven of course meant honouring the sky, and, nature.

Venerating Treasure was also self-evident.

At that moment when Callius was trying to draw a sacred character in the air, imparting the Sutra of the Three Beliefs, according to [Instinctive Intuition] without any conscious thought –

Whiz!

Suddenly something flew in.

It was quite fast. Callius reflexively raised his palm and swatted it down.

– Ack!

???

When he hit something like a mosquito, the sound he heard was that of a little girl.

It was only then that Callius realized his mistake and picked up the little fairy he’d beaten into the ground.

– Ehh…

She fit just about snugly on his two palms.

But she was almost weightless and her aura was also faint.

The translucent body, as if it’d melt into the air and vanish any moment, made it hard to understand whether it was alive or not.

Although the shape was indistinct, the beautiful translucent wings were clearly visible to Callius’ eyes.

A fairy.

‘A low level one.’

The size, and the aura –

And even the form that was still in a state of flux, were the characteristics of a low-level fairy.

This probably happened because he’d assimilated bewitching energy into his body.

Although he wasn’t very familiar with it, Callius’ nose caught more faint traces of bewitching energy.

‘Four, five, no… dozens?’

The number of sources of bewitching energy were beginning to rise exponentially, full of a growing sense of urgency. Why were there so many fairies?

Callius was beginning to feel a little wary, but then he stopped himself.

[Instinctive intuition] wasn’t sounding the alarm. Rather, this was…

‘Curiosity and admiration.’

Dozens of fairies were beginning to converge towards him.

The dark forest was lighting up with tiny motes of light, like a crowd of fireflies.

It wasn’t Callius’ action that first made Serena widen her golden eyes.

‘But he’s just a human… ‘

He was handsome enough to even make an elf who was called the Incarnation of Beauty whistle.

That beautiful and noble face was enough to shock Serena at first sight!

She honestly couldn’t believe that a human’s appearance might reach this level.

Serena even was forced to admit that she’d have to recognize his appearance even if she didn’t care about anything else about him.

To hide such a beauty under that pure white robe –

Serena’s cheeks flushed red.

However, it was only momentary.

Her mouth became agape due to another reason.

‘The fae-stone… ‘

She reacted when he saw Callius’s method of using the fae-stone in his possession.

To be honest, she doubted her own eyes at first.

But there was no way she’d seen it wrong. She was a proud elf who could even pin a fly from afar with her bow.

She was confident in her sight, no matter which race were to make a comparison. Such a dark forest was no obstacle to her eyes at all.

So she couldn’t believe it.

‘Is he crazy?’

He swallowed the stone!

Wouldn’t it pass through his bowels undigested and come out the other end, at best? Why would he do such a thing? Besides, if he made the slightest mistake, he could be devoured by the bewitching energy in turn and become a half-man, half-beast. Hadn’t he considered that at all?

Serena was suddenly feeling very sorry for the stone she’d given away on impulse.

She wouldn’t have done it if she’d known in advance how he’d treat it. But the moment she thought she should go forward and check his condition –

Flinch.

In an instant, her pupils dilated at the sense of magical power suddenly rising from him.

Her mouth hung open.

“Hic!”

She was startled enough to hiccup.

But nobody could disparage her condition.

That man was absorbing the bewitching power.

A person, not a fairy, absorbing the power of a fae-stone? This was naturally absurd.

Only fairies could use that power. There was no doubt about this.

That was common sense and a rule set by God.

But this being was going against it!

Serena’s head couldn’t quite comprehend the situation.

‘Isn’t he supposed to be human?’

If he wasn’t human, it might be understandable.

Maybe a fairy? Possible. If he was a half-breed born between a human and a fairy, the story would have a certain degree of possibility.

The probability would be small enough to liken it to hitting a fly with an arrow after passing it through the eye of a needle, but it’d still be higher probability than a human using the power of the fae.

‘Wait a minute. Come to think of it…’

Serena recalled the faint trace of energy hidden in his aura that she’d felt before.

She’d only gotten a vague sense of it, but it’d been rampant and wild energy that was now bringing up memories.

‘Dragon…’

A true dragon, not a dragonkin.

Could it be that a real dragon had come out to amuse himself?

Taking human form?

Then it all made sense.

‘The appearance that a human definitely can’t have, and the ability to abosorb the power of the fae…’

A dragon could probably meet these conditions.

Dragons themselves didn’t have that kind of ability naturally, but if one took the power of a fairy and turned into a human, it was understandable.

A dragon! She couldn’t believe it!

‘But I… Disrespected…’

Serena’s face turned pale.

Unlike Aldo, who’d been quite friendly, Serena had had a hostile attitude during their interactions.

She’d committed great disrespect.

A dragon! She still couldn’t believe it! Serena’s misunderstanding was quickly deepening.

All kinds of fairies had now gathered around Callius, glowing.

Purple bewitching energy swirled through the air.

Serena forgot her worries and was mesmerized by the sight of the fairies dancing.

The appearance of the fairies flying around Callius and dying the night purple was very beautiful.

The man stood at the centre of it all.

The sight so alluring as if it’d been painted on a canvas, made Serena’s heart thump.

That was then.

The fairies shining purple suddenly began to seep into Callius’ body.

Dozens of fairies disappeared as if they were being sucked into a whirlpool.

“Ugh!”

So many fairies?

No matter how low-level they were, this was impossible. Serena made a reflexive noise.

“Who?”

Callius, feeling her presence, shouted toward Serena’s hiding place.

Serena covered her mouth with both hands, but finally came forward from behind the tree as if she had no choice.

But then –

“Venerating Heaven of the Three Beliefs –”

“…!”

“– Earth Edict (土敎).”

Purple letters were engraved in the air.

When they disappeared, two purple threads of light ran down from Callius’ feet and shot across the ground towards Serena.

“Sacred magic?!”

Serena recognized the spell at a glance and pulled out her bow.

No matter how strong dragons were, they couldn’t transcend the limits of sacred magic itself.

‘At least, a sacred art –’

Wouldn’t be able to stand against one of her arrows.

Two arrows were drawn out in an instant, the bowstring went taut, and Serena fired.

Whiiiiish!

An arrow filled with divine power struck the purple sacred spell.

Serena was about to immediately apologize once the spell was broken –

But –

Crunch!

What broke was Serena’s arrow, instead.

“What…!”

Whizzzz! Zap!

The purple sacred spell attacked Serena from beneath her feet.

But she wasn’t some weakling either.

She struck with her her bow to block the spell, and jumped up on the tree.

But that was no reprieve.

Callius was already executing another sacred art.

“Venerating Heaven of the Three Beliefs – Wood Edict (木敎).”

“Ugh!”

The sacred spell, which Callius had already prepared in advance, emerged from the tree and caught her.

The tree trunks bound her tight, and she couldn’t move an inch.

‘How can sacred magic control the trees…!’

She didn’t know what happened, but this was now the question at the forefront of Serena’s mind.

She had no idea how the power of the Gods could transform a tree that belonged to nature, but she didn’t have time to think about it anymore.

“Ugh!”

No matter how hard she tried, the bindings wouldn’t come off.

The strong constriction was causing her physical pain.

The trunks were squeezing tighter and tighter.

‘This doesn’t make any sense…’

Sacred arts were a form of power that could let you affect the material world using divine power.

It was only enough to suppress ordinary soldiers or knights.

To have a sacred spell deflect one of her arrows, she who was renowned as an archer among the elves, and show such strong power –

‘It’s a divine art made with bewitching power. Instead of a divine art, it’s more like a fairy art.’

A divine art could never be so strong.

That light with a soft purple hue –

Had been divine power mixed with the power of nature.

That’d made it possible to borrow the power of a tree that also belonged to nature.

Serena bit her lip.

“Iki.”

– Hnnn!

A voice came from her bow.

It suddenly ignited.

A strong flame enveloped her.

The tree burned, and Serena, who’d escaped the fire’s range, now lifted her bow again with a slightly tired look.

“!”

However, her target had already disappeared.

A shiver ran along Serena’s spine.

An unknown chill raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

Slide.

A sharp knife gleamed in the moonlight, resting at her throat.

‘He’s caught me from behind.’

It was her complete defeat.

But there was no shame in that.

Serena knew who and what he was.

She’d even found out his secret.

Death was only to be expected.

“Why, is someone like you…”

“You know me?”

“I recognize your noble station.”

“Hmm…”

Serena thought.

How could she survive this situation?

A reason to make this dragon spare her.

There was only one that she could think of.

“I will serve you.”

To become his slave. There was no other way for her to survive.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 팔자, innate destiny.