Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 196 Current Situation, Analysis

On the carriage.

Rudius met the gaze of the woman opposite him. Normally, being in a room with a beautiful woman would have made him incredibly excited, but at this moment he could only sigh helplessly.

The other person's hairstyle resembled that of a long-eared person from a French baguette.

Although the outfit is in an adventurer's style, it still looks a bit like a formal dress.

Her baggage, sword, and shield were set aside. If she had to describe her appearance in one word, it would be "beautiful."

Slender eyes, long ears, and shiny blonde hair.

With her slender figure, full breasts, and long ears, she was a typical long-eared person. Would Hilfi be this beautiful when she grew up?

Alina Lige Duragonrod.

Paul's former teammate, a member of "Black Wolf Fang".

It is said that during the transfer, she and Loki helped find Paul's family.

They also traveled across the Demon Continent together, arriving at the Central Continent.

Being with Loki... I'm truly grateful.

As for his teacher, Loki, it seems he has returned from a corner of the Demon Continent to the starting point to inform Paul of the discovery of Senis.

In other words, if this woman hadn't made that unreasonable request, it would have been Luo Qixi who came here to inform him. How despicable!

Oh well, since they're supposed to go to the magic university together, we'll see each other eventually.

Returning to the original question, this Alina Lige has an adventurer rank of S and a class of warrior.

Rudeus and she took on a subjugation mission together. As expected of an S-class, their strength is not bad.

His attack power is a bit low, but his skill in managing aggro is extremely high, making him top-notch for a warrior.

However, it's not number one.

His strongest "warrior" is Rijkaard, so it's kind of pitiful to be compared to him.

She is a long-eared woman with shiny blonde hair curled into a luxurious cone shape and possessing the beauty of a rich young lady.

Her gentle demeanor and actions made men feel proud were very obvious.

She always looks into men's eyes and uses unintentional physical contact and body language to seduce them.

It was the same when she first found him; she would naturally do things that made people think, "Huh? Has this woman fallen in love with me?"

In addition, she possesses formidable strength, so naturally, men in this world would fall at her feet.

Unfortunately, after these few days of getting to know her, he has come to a clear understanding of the fact that Alina Lige is an exaggeratedly slutty woman.

After all, if you pay attention, you'll find that she brings men into the room again, and she does this almost every day.

She is a woman whose very existence is a crime.

Moreover, it seems that she is extremely skilled in that area, and almost everyone who spends a night with Alina Lige will be captivated by her.

His father's teammate, an extreme slut, his responsibility to Alice, the reason she sought him out... all these reasons led him to be able to look but not touch, which made him extremely depressed.

This was no ordinary torture for him; it was like a pack of good cigarettes appearing in front of a smoker trying to quit – it was practically a crime.

Fortunately, such days are numbered, as he will soon be going to La Noah Magic University, at which point he should no longer have to endure this torment.

Moreover, I'm about to see my elder brother; I can't let the gods down.

The magical city of Sharia was bustling with activity as usual, exuding an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

On the bustling street, a tall, muscular figure in a white cloak walked slowly forward. Soon, he arrived at a rather secluded restaurant.

.

"Welcome...!"

The young woman, who was working with her head down, sensed someone's presence. She instinctively looked up with a smile, but her smile froze on her face after she saw the person's face clearly.

There's no way around it; his tall stature, the frighteningly large whites of his eyes creating a piercing gaze, and his unsmiling face all contribute to the impression that he's not someone to mess with.

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"

Suppressing her inner unease, the young woman, maintaining her professional demeanor, forced a smile and inquired.

The latter was also used to it, or rather, he was already very happy that the woman in front of him hadn't fainted from fright. He had been slowly adapting to this change over the past few days, and it was quite nice not to be afraid.

"I have an appointment, it should be here, my name is Kawasaki Koshito."

His voice is steady, giving the impression of a mature adult speaking, but if you listen carefully, you can sense a certain depth or stagnation.

"Ah, so you're a friend of the 'Flower Magician'! Yes, the master did indeed instruct you to go upstairs to the innermost room. Would you like me to show you there?"

The young woman immediately put on a genuine smile, and her fear of this seemingly intimidating person lessened considerably.

This surprised the cloaked man who had asked the question; he hadn't expected the other person's name to be so useful.

He wouldn't be surprised if it was a renowned expert, but according to the letter, the other party seemed to have only been in this city for a short time.

"No need, I can go by myself... Thank you."

Ignoring the slightly disappointed-looking young woman, the man turned and went upstairs.

Arriving at the door, I reached out and knocked.

"Please come in."

Pushing open the door, I saw a familiar figure sitting at the table by the window, admiring the street view outside.

He turned around after hearing the door open, revealing his signature smile.

"You're here? That was quick. Have a seat."

"That's quite rare to see you dressed like that."

Looking at the "Dragon God" clad in a white cloak before him, Yue Ren smiled and joked.

"Your method of removing the curse is very useful; this will further enhance its effectiveness."

Clearly, Orstide, who doesn't communicate much with people, didn't understand the meaning behind Yue Ren's tone and instead explained in a very formal manner.

That's right, the strange man is none other than the "Dragon God" Orstide, ranked second among the world's seven great powers. Since his last battle with the young man in front of him, the curse on him that would make him fear everything in the world has been greatly reduced thanks to Yue Ren's sword. Now, his attire, with a cloak covering his entire body, is a method he has summarized over this period of time to further reduce the fear of others.

Now, when others see him, they might only give the impression that he is someone they don't want to mess with, but the deep-seated fear he felt when he saw his natural enemy has almost completely dissipated.

"Looks like this helped you. That's great!"

"Yes... thank you."

Alsterd's gratitude was genuine.

The young man from another world before him was indeed a variable that made him re-examine his plans.

To be honest, without this curse, his room for maneuver has really increased a lot.

Putting everything else aside, he no longer needed to hide too much when traveling, and he could enter settlements of different races, making his movements much easier. At the same time, he also saw many things he had never experienced before.

To be honest, he's feeling quite conflicted right now, like the world is no longer coldly rejecting him.

"It's good that it's helpful, after all, we're allies. Here, take this."

"This is...

Looking at the books that Yue Ren pushed over, which had a very familiar style, Alsterd remained silent for a while, but still picked them up and started reading.

Taking this opportunity, Yue Ren took a sip of the drink on the table while explaining.

"This is a relic of the Demon Dragon King Laplace, discovered in the labyrinth of the continent of Begarit. I took a look at it, and the technology on it should be useful to you, so I brought it here."

"...Is this why you sent me here?"

After a quick glance, confirming that it matched what the other party had said, Orstide turned his gaze back to the young man opposite him.

"Of course, that's not all. Didn't I say before that you have to teach me swordsmanship? Also, if possible, I hope you'll join my and Seven Stars' research on teleportation magic."

"The former is fine, but the latter is not; I have other things to do."

"Influencing the fate of certain specific individuals?"

'

"...It seems you already knew."

Orstide finally chose to admit it, after all, everything the young man had done was enough to prove that he really wanted to help him.

Although Orstide had never had any allies, his gentle nature led him to decide to be sincere with his allies.

"Well, after all, Laplace's 'memories' should be considered canon, right?"

"Then you should be able to understand."

Defeating a god is no easy task. Before this life, Orstide had reincarnated countless times, and countless possibilities were imprinted in his mind. He needed to gradually change the fate of different people to tip the scales of final victory in his favor.

"The fact that you were able to come here means you should have at least one or two years."

'

...That's right!

"Then let's make it a year, how about that? As compensation, besides what I just mentioned, I'll find you another job."

"?"

"Do you remember the little devil next to me when we first met?"

"Um."

"He is also an otherworldly being, just like me, but only a soul. Unlike me, he came earlier and descended into the body of a child who was supposed to die young. That child was named Rudius Greirat, the eldest son of Paul Greirat."

"So that's how it is. No wonder he didn't show any fear when we met last time..."

Orstide had also had doubts before, partly about the brat's behavior and partly about the other person's name. Now it seems that's how it is. This cycle of reincarnation has really shifted in an incredible way, with so many variables appearing.

"But that guy's been targeted by your enemy, and I have a feeling there's some secret involved. Why don't you try to snatch him?"

'

"Isn't he your partner?"

"That's precisely why I want him to escape that guy's clutches, isn't it?"

The man from Yue waved his hand.

"Since he's already involved, he might as well choose sides early if he can't escape. That guy doesn't have much ambition, unlike Qixing who wants to go back. All he looks forward to is a life with his wife, kids, and a warm bed, the so-called family first. But he's still capable."

"You should know what kind of guy you're dealing with. He would never allow his subordinates to have happy families and lives. So there's an inherent, irreconcilable conflict between them. In the end, he might use his family to blackmail you. Just make that clear to him: protect his family from the clutches of gods and men in exchange for him working for you. Trust me, you'll like him."

"I see, I understand, I'll consider it."

The Dragon God understood what the Yue people meant, and at the same time became somewhat interested in Rudeus, whom the young man had mentioned.

To be considered capable by the young man before him, he must possess extraordinary abilities. I recall he had a lot of magical power; he should be a Laplace factor holder...

"Now, please explain to me the conditions for defeating the 'God of Men'. Also, is that guy really a 'God of Men'?"

"Is that right?"

While Alster was still pondering, the discussion about the Yue people had moved on to the next stage.

"He is not, or rather, he is definitely not the first human god."

Orstide was certain of this, because the first human god, the one who separated from the creator god, should be considered his grandfather by seniority.

His mother, the wife of the first dragon god, was the daughter of the first human god and served as the link between the human and dragon realms in ancient times. Therefore, Orstide is a human-dragon hybrid.

It was because of his mother's death that his father, the first Dragon God, and the other Dragon Generals launched a war to conquer other worlds, because the suspect who was misled by that guy to kill his mother was the key figure in the other four worlds.

"To defeat that guy, the first thing is to get to his location, and the way to open the gate is the secret treasure that Laplace placed on the Five Dragon Generals."

"How many have you acquired so far?"

"Three."

"I guess what's missing is Percy, the Ankylosaurus, and Laplace, the Demon Dragon, right?"

'

...That's right.

Perkius, the Ankylosaurus, was one of the three heroes of the Second War between Man and Demon. His true identity was the son of Ankylosaurus and Steel Dragon, two of the original Five Dragon Generals. Before he was born, he suffered the destruction of the Dragon Realm and was brought to the human world by the old Dragon Realm members.

If we consider the close relationship between ancient dragon generals and dragon gods, Orstide and Percius should be considered childhood friends.

If obtaining security information requires a life-threatening situation, it's understandable that it might take a long time to arrive.

This man, in contrast to his immense strength, possesses a deep-seated sense of responsibility and tenderness.

"The Demon Dragon King transformed into the 'Demon God' and the 'Skill God.' If it were the 'Skill God,' you should have been able to obtain it. The reason you didn't is because it's unattainable. So, it must be on the 'Demon God.' After all, the 'Demon God' Laplace is already dead, so the treasure on his body can only be obtained after he completes his reincarnation, right?"

'

....Yes."

"As for you, because you bear the enormous ritual of reversing time, your magic power recovery is extremely slow. In order to conserve enough magic power, you generally do not go all out. Once your magic power is excessively depleted, or you die, you will start the next cycle of reincarnation again."

That's right.

"9

Alsterd was completely out of options; they had practically stripped him bare. The young man's sensitivity in this area was truly unbelievable.

Given his ability... Orstide couldn't imagine how he could defeat him if he were an enemy.