Chapter 4 – Childhood, the Dawn of Summer (3)


    Kam’s unit busied itself with post-war maintenance.


    Bodies littered the area. Passing an uruk corpse and chasing away crows pecking at the brain matter of a crushed human skull, Kaizen walked through the field of ughter.


    Meanwhile, the mercenaries made small talk.


    “Ha, when will we burn all these corpses? Huh? That kid…?”


    “Look! Isn’t that the so-called ‘uruk yer’?”


    “Oh, wait a minute, that kid became quite a man in just a week. Hey,e to sister. I’ll show you some affection.”


    The mercenaries were ignored, and the ck-haired boy walked to stand before Kam, who was sitting on the corpse of the dead uruk chieftain. “You promised that you’d teach me to use a sword if I seeded in hitting you even once, right?”


    The Fake Warrior raised her forlorn gaze from Aradamantel’s de to focus her golden eyes on Kaisen. “As long as you don’t fall behind.”


    “The agreement is still valid?”


    “I don’t know what you’ve been up to with Wolf, but you only escaped death by my whim, you brat. I won’t be so kind a second time. If you don’t want to die, just go away.”


    Did they feel killing intent in that one statement? Birds flew out of the forest behind Kaisen; the horses pulling the carts stood up on their hind legs, kicked the air, and neighed.


    Even animals were trembling in fear, but the boy was resolute. He calmly lifted his mother’s shortsword from his back, aimed it straight at Kam, and said, “Then this is my answer.”


    A heavy silence hung over them for a moment. Before Kaisen knew what was happening, the mercenaries around them burst into wild cheers.


    “Wow, what did that guy just say?”


    “I just got goosebumps.”


    “He’s got balls!”


    Wolf, who could be said to be an aplice in the situation, smiled and added to the provocation. “What’s wrong? Are you afraid that I might end up teaching him swordsmanship?”


    The mercenary leader, Eltoram, and his subordinate beastmen burst intoughter.


    Kam nced at Wolf and stood up with an irritated sigh. It was clear that she was dissatisfied with the situation, but her gesture implied that she’d ept the result of the duel. “Okay,e on. If you wish to be beaten, then I’ll oblige.”


    The mercenaries cheered wildly.


    * * *


    Six days prior…


    “Isn’t it hard? Take a break once in a while…”


    Every day, as if time itself were engraving it into his body, Kaisen’s clumsy footwork grew more fluid as he grew ustomed to the movements.


    “No problem.” Kaisen was truly desperate. He trained as if it were his only sustenance, moved with the corps, and ate whatever food Wolf provided. Other than that, he trained in the same ce Kam did while cleverly avoiding the times she was there.


    “Show me the next illusion. This is enough.”


    “That’s really amazing. It’s only been three days now.”


    From the fourth day, he even began to imitate Raminea’s hand gestures with his shortsword in hand.


    “Kaisen, there are limits to following along like this.”


    “I have to get her acknowledgment somehow, right?”


    “Yes, but there is a big difference between formal learning and stealing.”


    One more day, and then another. After six desperate days, which were both long and short, he was able to stand face-to-face with Kam.


    “I don’t know why you’re so crazy about being beaten up, but if that’s what you want…” Kam was bare-handed. As if she were saying it wasn’t even worth using a branch, she looked down at Kaisen in annoyance and beckoned him with a twitch of a finger.


    Kaisen’s heart rate quietly soared, and his shaky breathing rattled from his throat. After taking a deep breath, he rushed forward.


    Cheers and jeers erupted from the mercenaries.


    “Yes! Attacking first is essential for men!”


    “Hey, you idiot! You’re going to end up the same asst time!”


    Something was different. The mercenaries were dumbfounded by what unfolded in the next moment, unable to keep their mouths shut. “Huh…?!”


    Kam swung her foot at the boy’s stomach and found herself most surprised by what happened next.


    The moment the boy sensed the attack, he stomped on the ground, halting his forward movement. Twisting his body with the leftover inertia, he swung his sword and channeled the full force of his movement through it.


    “Hey, that move is…?”


    “Huh…?”


    “Do you think it’s simr to Lady Kam’s footwork?”


    ‘What? The footwork of ?’ Kam hesitantly avoided Kaisen’s full-body sh.


    “Haa! Haaa! Haaaaa!” Even Kaisen’s pants of exertion were somewhat cute, in contrast to the fierceness of her sh.


    “Give it to her!” The mercenaries’ cheers reached a climax after the boy overturned their perception of how the battle would go. “That’s right, that’s right! Push back!”


    Though she was surprised, Kam easily dodged the sh while confusion shed in her eyes. ‘His only chance of winning was with the first attack.’


    Kam was the true sessor to the Cross Sword Style. Whether her teacher had jokingly taught her son or Wolf had used a strange trick, the battle was flowing in her favor.


    * * *


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    “You’re pretty surprising.” With her next movement, she slightly turned her body and used the rotational force to swing another kick at the boy.


    ‘It wouldn’t be bad to put him in so much pain that it shakes his brain and he runs away.’ The moment she thought it would end, Kaisen’s eyes sharply shed. ‘What?’


    “Ha…?” Kam scoffed in disbelief at Kaisen’s next move.


    Kaisen held his sword in one hand and its scabbard in the other, alternating his attacks between them.


    ‘How did this brat…?’ It was a unique technique using both sword and scabbard thatposed the first form, which was the foundation and core of the Cross Sword Style. Specifically, it was the cross-blocking stance, ‘Full Circle(圓)’.


    一Taaaang!


    Kaisen desperately maintained his defensive stance. The block sent shock and pain reverberating through his body to the point that it felt like his bones were cracking.


    ‘I blocked it, but I’m still being pushed away…?’ The force behind her kick was truly terrifying. After being sent sliding backward for a short distance, the shock subsided. His feet were already firmly nted, allowing his posture to stabilize.


    Kam, on the other hand, was unable to control her strength.


    The mercenaries couldn’t even breathe and started to scream in excitement.


    “This?!”


    “A chance, it’s a chance!”


    “Her guard is still open, kid!”


    Not missing the opportunity, Kaisen leaped toward Kam.


    “It’s over…” Eltoram sighed. Everyone else was cheering, but he shook his head. ‘Lady Kam is a Fake Warrior.’ Through human modification, she’d acquired physical abilities beyond even beasts and mastered the art of fighting, making her the peak of humanity.


    ng—!


    “Huh…?” The moment Kaisen was certain of his victory and thought his sword would stab Kam, she backhanded the t of his de with lightning speed, sending it slipping out of his grasp. Next, she simply stretched her foot out to trip him.


    ‘What?’ The pitch-ck volcanic sky filled his vision. It seemed like the sky was spinning, but before he knew it, he was spread out on the ground.


    Something sparkled—his mother’s sword spun andnded right next to his face, causing his hair to stand on end.


    ‘I lost…?’ The shadow of death loomed menacingly over him. Was Kam nning to finish him off? Her pure white hair and sparkling golden dragon eyes were the same as his mother’s, but her expression waspletely different.


    “Goodbye.” She pulled his mother’s sword from the ground, spun it around in an instant, and struck him in the face.


    Undeterred by fear of death, Kaisen simply stared at her. Thus, he ended up more surprised than anyone else. “Why…?”


    One second, two seconds, three seconds… What felt like an eternity passed, but nothing happened.


    Instead, Kam found Kaisen’s scabbard lying on the ground and snatched his mother’s shortsword. “I changed my mind. I think this piece of trash can be quite useful. He’s still trash, but if six days is enough for him to get this far, he’ll be worth having in the advance guardter. Isn’t that right, Eltoram?”


    Eltoram smiled and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”


    “What are you talking about? No. I won’t do anything like that. I’ll keep attacking you until you teach me swordsmanship!” Kaisen protested weakly.


    Kam gave him a disapproving look. “You owe me your life. Isn’t thatmon sense? Based on thatmon sense, do you think a day will evere when a brat like you can beat me?”


    “Yeah! Again! I can do it!”


    The mercenaries held their bellies andughed at the bold answer. Of course, they had to nonchntly look away as soon as Kam red at them. “Listen, don’t make me repeat myself. As you can see, there is nothing but trash in this corps, and there is a huge shortage of useful trash.”


    “Hmph, I feel sad hearing you say that, My Lady.”


    “Yeah!”


    “Shut up, you pieces of trash,” Kam berated them.


    “Alright.”


    She turned back to Kaisen. “See? That’s just how they are. If you promise to be my loyal follower, I could be persuaded to listen to your cute request. I need a useful follower anyway.”


    “?”


    “Don’t just blink at me. I might still pluck your eyes out. Didn’t you understand? If I tell you to kill an uruk, you do it immediately; if I tell you to patrol somewhere, you do it; if I tell you to deliver a message, you deliver it.”


    ‘What…?’ The mercenaries shook their heads. ‘How could a little boy cut off an uruk’s head?’


    Kaisen’s reaction was different. “If I do as you ask, then what will you do for me?”


    “What? You want to learn swordsmanship, right? I’ll teach you.”


    Those words would lead him, body and soul, down the path of a sword soaked in blood. The boy’s eyes brightened from their hatred and despair, though.


    Her teacher’s face ovepped with the boy’s, and an unbearably bitter pain hit Kam’s chest. ‘Teacher, did you entrust that sword to your son so that I could teach him?’


    Her thoughts were conflicted. ‘No, you ran away from the world of swords. You certainly wouldn’t want that. If I just sent him away, it wouldn’t be surprising if he starved in the backwoods or was beaten to death after trying to learn from some strange teacher.’


    “You make the choice.” Kam sighed and put her teacher’s de back into its scabbard before holding it out to Kaisen.


    ‘He can make his own choices. As you did for me, I will do for your son. That will work, right?’ She’d been sincerely sad to hear that her teacher, who’d been living happily with her children in a remote vige, had died.


    “Choose whether you will leave or stay with this group of rank trash until you learn swordsmanship,” she said.


    Kaisen gave his mother’s keepsake an intense look and hesitated for a while. In the end, he didn’t take it back. “If I don’t take it back… You’ll teach me swordsmanship, right?”


    “Yeah. I’ll keep it as coteral so that you won’t run away. I can’t just feed and shelter you, only for you to bail on me.”


    “Really?”


    “Have you been deceived your whole life or something? Oh, and if you kneel down and beg, I might just teach you the basics from today so that you can get out of this mess.” Kaisen, her teacher’s son, made strange emotionse to the surface within Kam’s heart.


    Looking untroubled, Kaisen immediately kneeled amidst the mercenaries’ughter and shouts.


    “Don’t you have any pride?”


    Kaisen’s eyes seemed to say, ‘Can pride help you survive?’ “There is no need for pride. As long as I can learn the sword and kill the uruks, nothing else matters.” His voice seemed to be going through a transition of anger.


    He desperately wanted to enter the world of swords and be baptized in the blood of his enemies, until he one day sank into that blood and drowned.


    Kam focused her draconic eyes on her teacher’s son, gave a deep sigh, and stuck the shortsword into the weapon rack. “Hey, Eltoram, find a single-edged sword somewhere and bring it back.”


    “Why a single-edged sword?”


    “You bastard, you call that a question? Shouldn’t I properly teach him swordsmanship?” Had Kaisen’s sincere spirit moved her?


    “Hey, even if he’s a kid, it’s alright as long as he’s that ballsy. Wee, kid!” The mercenaries wildly cheered when they heard her decision. “It’s been a while since my heart felt warm.”


    Wolf watched it all from beginning to end and looked at the boy with a mixture of worry and anticipation. ‘Is it truly a blessing or a curse to have entered the pool of war at such a young age…?’


    Only the gods knew.


    ____