Chapter 68

Reincarnated as a Sword Emperor in the Sword Master's Family (68)

>Bermuda<.

It was the busiest of the three major organizations of the Atlantis Maritime Alliance. The >Union Council<, accessible only to the 13 councilors and their guards, and the rare appearances of the wizards from the magic towers, in contrast, the adventurers were extremely active and dynamic.

Starting from the rookies who took their first steps with unwarranted confidence, to the veterans who had survived for decades on the seas of Atlantis, the place was teeming with them.

Just watching the area around the building was enough to keep one from getting bored.

“Hey? It’s Niniann.”

“A one-eyed adventurer? I heard her missions have been less frequent lately.”

Niniann, a top-tier adventurer in the B-rank, was well-known enough to draw the attention of onlookers.

Leonard, who was walking a step ahead of her, also received some attention. The women's gazes felt particularly sticky.

“Wow! Which family’s young master is this? I’ve never seen him before.”

“He must be from out of town. He could be a noble from the mainland. It’s strange to see Niniann, that tough cookie, following him so obediently, isn’t it?”

“His clothes are a bit cheap for a noble. He has a sword, though. Maybe he’s a new recruit as an adventurer?”

“Niniann taking care of a new recruit? That’s hilarious.”

Leonard, overhearing their murmurs, whispered.

“How many sharp edges must you have shown to get such a reputation?”

“Most of them were the ones who started trouble with me first. When I was in their shoes, the more they underestimated me, the more they tried to mess with me. So when I had to take action, I made sure to finish it thoroughly.”

In the industry of mercenaries and adventurers, it was often necessary to earn respect through one's strength.

However, women were at a disadvantage in this aspect.

Physically and outwardly, it was difficult for women to project an intimidating presence, and their options were limited. Especially when dealing with those whose lust had clouded their judgment, it was even more challenging.

“I planted an arrow in the groin of the guy who tried to sneak into my tent and cut off the hand of the one who spiked my water flask. After a bit of blood was shed, the scum quieted down.”

She protected herself by building a reputation for cruel retaliation.

A female mercenary known as ‘Ball Breaker’ was said to have been born for the same reason.

Leonard, understanding what she had done, gave a brief piece of advice.

“Retaliating against malice is good. Instilling fear through cruel methods isn’t bad either. But don’t let even those who don’t know you think of your name negatively.”

“...I’ll keep that in mind.”

After learning the basics of the Yan family’s archery from him, Niniann began to lower her guard and accept Leonard’s advice.

Perhaps she started to see him as something like a mentor.

The two entered the entrance of >Bermuda< and proceeded to the fourth hall. As soon as they entered the Zephyrus Hall, the adventurers who saw Leonard and Niniann became noisy.

“One-eyed and the new recruit? What kind of combination is this?”

“Could they be trying to recruit Niniann into Aquamarine?”

“That troublemaker has a chance. Whether it’s the >Union Council< or ‘Moby Dick,’ they won’t care whose toes they step on as long as they make money.”

Ignoring their chatter, they approached the counter, where Clara, who was always in charge, greeted them warmly.

“Welcome, Mr. Leonard. Are you here to see Mr. Francis?”

“Yes, what is he doing?”

“He’s been using the communication device to try to recruit new members for the guild... but he hasn’t had much success yet.”

“Please call Francis to the conversation room. Tell him it’s about the registration of a new member.”

Clara’s eyes widened in surprise at his words, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded.

Taking the key she handed over, they headed to Conversation Room 3, which turned out to be the same room where Leonard and Niniann had clashed before.

It was a curious coincidence, whether intentional or not.

Niniann coughed once, perhaps recalling the events of that time.

* * *

Less than five minutes after the two entered the conversation room, Francis and Marian burst into the room.

“A new member! Leonard, who did you bring?!”

“Miss, please maintain some dignity!”

To be precise, Francis rushed in, and Marian hurriedly followed behind. As a guard, there was nothing more perplexing than her master’s sudden charge.

Niniann looked at the two with a doubtful expression, then sighed deeply after glancing at Leonard.

They had already crossed the point of no return.

“I am Niniann, a B-rank archer.”

Francis, with a bright smile, replied.

“I am Francis, the leader of the Aquamarine guild!”

“I am Marian, the guard.”

Niniann shook hands with each of them and stepped back.

“I’ve already discussed all the terms of my employment. It would be great if you could talk to him. I’m not very good with words.”

“Wow! Leonard, you’re really quick, aren’t you?”

Leonard shook his head at Francis’s exclamation.

“The employment contract hasn’t been finalized yet. To properly recruit Niniann, we need to resolve the issue she’s currently facing.”

“The issue Niniann is facing?”

“Yes, the situation is...”

His explanation was concise and to the point.

Francis and Marian, listening intently, were momentarily speechless.

It was shocking that an A-rank guild would use such despicable methods to bind Vivian, and that >Bermuda< had not raised any issues about it.

Francis, who had already distrusted >Bermuda< due to her father’s issues, looked even angrier.

“Christopher Conrad, that scum has finally crossed the line. Relying on his talent, he’s now using an A-rank guild as a shield to commit contract fraud! This is a disgrace to the Atlantis maritime region!”

“Do you know about him?”

“Yes! How could I not? Conrad gathered the worst scoundrels in >Bermuda< and led them like a gang. He was also known for secretly handling confidential requests from the >Union Council< as a subcontractor!”

Marian, agreeing with the assessment, but knowing Conrad’s strength, looked grim.

“He’s a rotten individual, but his skills are real. A 10th-level External Force Realm warrior and a 5th-tier mage. It would be difficult to guarantee victory in a one-on-one fight against him, except for a Master-level fighter.”

“Leonard must have thought this through before bringing her here. There’s more to the story we need to hear.”

Francis nodded, and Leonard briefly agreed, then spoke.

This was the plan to吞并‘圣玛丽亚’的行动。

从一开始，弗朗西斯和玛丽安的眼睛就瞪得大大的，随着解释的进行，他们的嘴巴也越张越大，直到故事的结尾，他们表现出截然不同的反应。

弗朗西斯闭上眼睛，开始沉思，而玛丽安则用粗犷的大声音反对。

“这太荒谬了！莱纳德，你把亚奎马林看得这么轻吗？！为了招募一名成员，就把整个冒险团押在赌桌上，这算什么策略！”

莱纳德打断了她的话。

“不是一名成员。”

“你在胡说些什么！”

“还包括被‘圣玛丽亚’冒险团束缚的风系高级精灵使，尼尼安的弟弟比比安。这是拯救两名接近A级成员的机会。”

“不！即使是两名成员，也无法与亚奎马林相提并论！”

“——玛丽安。”

这时，弗朗西斯举手打断了两人的争论。

“小姐！莱纳德说的——”

玛丽安感到不安，大声喊道。

“我也听到了。亚奎马林，你是想用我的船作为诱饵，把那个恶棍康拉德的一切都夺走，对吗？”

弗朗西斯的声音比平时更低沉、更阴郁。

因为这是她无法在面具下隐藏的真实面目。

弗朗西斯无表情地看向莱纳德。

“我的角色是最关键的，对吗？”

“是的。”

“把亚奎马林的购买权、高级精灵使比比安的监护权，以及A级冒险团探索第五海域的许可证都押在赌桌上……”

她首先用冰冷的理智计算了风险和收益。

如果赌赢了，他们可以将回归A级的时间缩短几年，甚至更久。

“我们也可以稳定地增强实力，但如果亚奎马林继续成长，帕布罗议员、>联盟议会<或>Bermuda<的制约就会开始。正面突破需要巨大的时间和金钱。”

莱纳德带来的提议，如果能确保胜利，其成果将非常巨大且明确。

海上非常强大的风系高级精灵使。

不久将晋升A级的弓箭手。

‘圣玛丽亚’冒险团拥有的第五海域探索许可证，几乎等同于A级冒险团的标志。

“最后一点最重要。如果以这种方式回归A级，>联盟议会<也无法提出异议。>Bermuda<中仍有许多对我们和亚奎马林友好的冒险团，一旦我们升上去，‘莫比迪克’也无法对我们动手。”

问题在于接下来的步骤。

“即使在这次赌局中获胜并升至A级，也可能因实力不足而被降级，对吗？”

亚奎马林原本是A级，因实力不足被降为B级。没有保证同样的事情不会再次发生。

但莱纳德已经考虑到了这一点。

“我认为我们可以获得相当长的宽限期。我请拉塞尔作为公证人也是出于这个原因。”

“亚特兰蒂斯魔法塔……几乎是亚奎马林冒险团唯一没有恩怨的组织。>联盟议会<和>Bermuda<都不可信，最终的选择可能只有魔法塔。”

弗朗西斯做出了决定。

她决定相信这个男人隐藏的秘密，以及她也无法洞察的真实面目。

因此，她非常坦诚地问道。

“莱纳德，我必须用亚奎马林作为赌注，这对我来说就像生命一样重要。你能向我展示明确的胜算吗？确保这不是一场靠运气的赌局，而是我们必定能赢的陷阱？”

莱纳德仿佛等待着她的话，像流水般流畅地拔出了剑。

与此同时，一直被压制在对话室内的、达到6级外力境的莱纳德的气势爆发出来。紧张地准备拔剑的玛丽安脸色大变，事先知情的尼尼安也后退了几步，屏住了呼吸。

随后。

五行剑气

集 成罡

从莱纳德的剑身中喷出的光芒像数千、数万根蛛丝般散开，然后凝聚成剑刃的形状。

与在加拉帕戈斯制造时完全不同。

不到一秒钟，完美的剑罡就形成了，燃烧着对话室内的空气，展示着它的存在感。最先察觉到剑罡完成的玛丽安坐在了地上。

“哦，奥义剑刃……？”

黄金时代的亚奎马林冒险团中也存在过的剑术大师，那耀眼的剑光在眼前闪烁。

“无论克里斯托弗·康拉德多么厉害，他都无法战胜我的剑。”

他没有表现出拼命发动的迹象。

莱纳德轻松地维持着奥义剑刃，挥动着手中握着的毁灭之光。

那轨迹上的所有物质都被蒸发的力量。

弗朗西斯、玛丽安和尼尼安都目瞪口呆地注视着光的轨迹。冒险团团长弗朗西斯最先恢复理智，重新戴上她那阳光的面具，开始大笑。

“哈哈哈！果然莱纳德什么都考虑到了！”

谁能预料到6级外力境就能自由使用奥义剑刃？

克里斯托弗再厉害的剑术大师又如何？

超越境的强者为何会被评为不对称力量？

7级以上的高级魔法，低级魔法师即使动用数倍的数量也无法阻止，奥义剑刃的力量可以轻易斩断剑气。

“没有比胜利已定的赌局更吸引人的了！”

弗朗西斯拍了拍手，微笑着。

亚奎马林冒险团最大的幸运，就是捡到了在海上漂泊的莱纳德。

卡德纳斯的天才。

从武艺到心性，深不可测的怪物。

如果是敌人，会让人感到恐惧，但作为盟友，他是最可靠的支柱。

弗朗西斯展开一张羊皮纸，拿起鹅毛笔。

“那么，让我们把我们的赌注也放到赌桌上吧？”

克里斯托弗·康拉德。

是时候准备套住这个恶棍的套索了。