《I Became the Youngest Disciple of the Martial God》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Its been 10 years, I said as I looked the old man square in the face. He was resting on his back, but at my words, he turned his eyes to look at me before yawning as wide as he could. What do you mean? Thats how long this disciple of yours has been stuck on this mountaintop. Already? Goodness. Time flies by so very quickly. Now is not the time, Master. When will I be able to descend the mountain? Hearing me say that, the Strongest Under the Heavens of this era, the Martial Saint of Spirit Mountain, my master, Baek Nogwang, blinked. Then he said, Youngest. Yes. You are strong. ... Even as I received praise from the Strongest Under the Heavens, my expression did not brighten. Rather, the grip around my heart grew more ufortable, as if Id just sat on a bed of thorns. Of course, no matter what tricks you try, you wont even be able to touch the edge of my clothes, but you are still very strong. Yes, sir, I know it well. In front of the Strongest Under the Heavens, Greatest of All, Strongest in History... in front of my perfect, immortal master, how could a disciple like me dare to say such things. Hmm. You know your shorings well. Its not something to be embarrassed about. In front of a master like me, even geniuses are like fireflies before the might of the sun. My master nodded in satisfaction before changing the way he was speaking. First came by two days ago, said Master. Eldest Senior Brother? Didnt you say he went somewhere very dangerous? Master had a total of five disciples, myself included, and First obviously referred to my eldest senior brother. Eldest Senior Brother never really stuck around on Spirit Mountain. Honestly, unlike me, most of my senior brothers were like that. He did. But thats not whats important. Did something happen? The end result is that First is now expelled. Pardon? To be precise, he left of his own ord. So, Youngest, youll need to go bring him back. Pardon? I was flicked on the forehead. Smack! Ack! It was only technically a flickMaster could destroy an entire mountain with just his fingerso I held my throbbing forehead. What does your master hate most of all? ...Asking twice. But it was only because I really couldnt believe it. If Eldest Senior Brother left on his own ord, then is there a reason to drag him back? Well, since Master used the word expel, there probably was some sort of friction between the two... But Eldest Senior Brother was already at a point in his martial journey where he could even be considered a grand master. If he left to escape the shadow of our master, to pursue his own independent martial enlightenment, he should honestly be praised. There is a reason, said Master. What is it? That man stole the Spirit Pill before he left. Ah... The Spirit Pill was the supreme mystic elixir that Master had created through much time and dedication. I had little interest in mystic elixirs, so my understanding wascking, but from what Id heard from my other senior brothers, the Spirit Pill was a treasure iparable to the existing mystic elixirs like the divine pill. Why would Eldest Senior Brother do that...? Stealing it couldnt have been difficult. Master never went out of his way to hide the Spirit Pill; he just left it sitting in in sight. What I was shocked about was that Eldest Senior Brother had stolen it at all. He probably thought he needed it to aplish his goal. Goal? I thought about Eldest Senior Brothers appearance. What came to mind first were his always-smiling face and gentle voice. On the days when I was beaten up by Master a little, Eldest Senior Brother would apply medicinal herbs hed personally dug up. Personally, of all my senior brothers, I followed Eldest Senior Brother the most. Im guessing he rpsed into the madness he was suppressing all this time. He always had useless thoughts, so this isnt that shocking. Ehm... I went to say something, but then I stopped myself. I rubbed my throbbing forehead lightly. I understand the circumstances... but why me? I asked again. Im pretty sure this would be easily resolved if Master just went personally. Didnt you say you wanted to descend the mountain? ... And it cant be me. Why not? Youll understand if you go personally. And I think your tone of voice is particrly impolite today. Am I perhaps mistaken? ...You must be mistaken, Master. I politely lowered my head while scheming within my mind. Master seemed set on sending me instead of my senior brothers or going himself. I couldnt understand his true intentions... but he was someone who wouldnt change his mind after he made a decision. ...Still, handling Eldest Senior Brother alone is a bit... Of course, itll be difficult for you to bring First back. ... As you are, that is. Master rose from where he was seated, and I held my breath. His body was very thin, and he was practically wearing a straw mat, but his form was more imposing than any mountain. Master took a step toward me. Step. At this point, he began to feel a little ominous. Youngest. Y-yes... How old were you when I first met you? I didnt understand this random question, but I still answered, Five years over twenty, Master. I could never forget that day. At that point, I hadpletely given up on life. I had been awaiting death. But just when I''d felt like all was lost, Master appeared in front of me. My meeting him then was practically a miracle. Twenty-five. Not a young age. They say one is never too old to learn, but it is different for martial arts. The body and mind are intimately connected. At that point, your physique had stopped growing at an immature state, so your body wasnt able to be the most suitable for the Strongest Technique in History. This was a regret of mine as well. Because of this issue, my training on Spirit Mountain had been many times harder, and Id nearly died countless times. But if, with your masters perfect training and kind teachings, you could be good enough to be even remotely useful... tsk. I... Ive never forgotten your overwhelming grace, and I will always be thankful. Just what is he trying to say? I started to step back a little as Masters continued approach felt more and more ominous. What do you think wouldve happened if youd properly learned the Strongest Technique in History during your youth? Who knows... I guess Id at least be stronger than I am now? I replied. Immediately, I asked my own question. But isnt this all in the past? Youre a little peculiar today. The master I knew wasnt attached to the past like this. This was the first time he had ever talked about such a what if scenario. However, Master just gave a heartyugh. Listen till the end. Didnt you ask when you can descend the mountain? Do you still not get why your master here never allowed you to descend? Wasnt it because you needed someone to care for you? Yes, Master joked, But thats not the only reason. The joking air disappeared from Masters face, and I found I had backed up all the way to the edge of the cliff. I thoughtlessly looked backward, and all that I could see was the sheer drop covered with an odd fog. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. Master pushed me. Push. What...? I btedly tried to bring out my internal energy, but my consciousness suddenly started to fade and my body refused to move, as if it was covered tightly in steel chains. I fell like a bird with broken wings. I was falling so fast that Masters face instantly disappeared, covered by the fog. But even while falling, I could weirdly still hear his voice. Lets see... 15 should be good. The fact that you dont need to make preparations from boyhood is another advantage of the Strongest Technique in History. W-wait! Now, Youngest, Ill see you in 10 years. Bafflingly, that was thest thing I heard before my consciousness faded. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 What was your name again, Youngest? Eldest Senior Brother used to ask me this question a lot. Honestly, it wasnt just Eldest Senior Brother. My other senior brothers were no different. Initially, it seemed like he was asking because he found it hard to remember, but I could definitely tell that he continued askingter as a joke. Regardless, I couldnt do anything but smile and say my name again. Its Luan. Luan Bednicker. At first, they had thought Bednicker was my name. Theyd also thought my surname was Lu and my given name was An. Iter corrected them and said my name was Luan, and they just nodded in eptance, saying I remember there being a naming convention like that as well. As such, my origin was a little peculiar among Masters five disciples. House Bednicker. It was a family innately born with incredible strength due to our ancestors fairy blood coursing through us, a monstrous family that showed peerless talent in most fields. The attractive faces inherited from the fairies were just a bonus. But I possessed none of those traits. My looks? Objectively, I wasnt ugly. If I were to say so myself, I was pretty good-looking. It was just that all the other members of the house were supernaturally handsome and pretty. To put it into perspective, it was like putting a masterwork of ss amongst the highest-grade jewels. My talent wascking as well. ...Ehm. Let me rephrase that. It wasnt that I wascking, it was that I had no talent at all. It wasnt that my understanding of the study of martial arts wascking. It might be a little too much to say this of myself, but I wasnt stupid. Rather, I was good with memorization, and I was quick-witted as well. Since Master personally said these things to me in the vein ofpliments, I was certain. The problem was my constitution. I had a special constitution that prevented me from receiving blessings. As a member of one of the Great Houses, descended from a hero, this was practically a curse. During the Blessing Ceremony when I was 15, I did not receive a blessing. As a rule of thumb, Bednickers usually received at least three blessings, up to five in the more extreme cases. My case waspletely unprecedented. In a bad way, obviously. I thought back to the person I was before the Blessing Ceremony: I didnt think that that Luan had a rotten heart. He always respected and held within his heart the stories of adventure, of the heroes and powerful beings throughout the continent. That was why my despair was that much greater. I honestly wanted to die. My brothers and sisters didnt show me any pity. They just looked down on me like I was no more than filthy trash. It was hard living with such contempt, especially when we had been ying and swinging wooden swords together not long before. Its fine. As a Bednicker, youll be able to attend the Second Blessing Ceremony, so your mother will train you until then. Or so my mother told me. But I honestly wasnt confident I could endure the looks of contempt for that long. In the end, I didnt even go to the noble academy. I just acted as I pleased instead. Which is to say I just acted like an idiot. I used the familys money however I wanted and acted violently toward the servants. The highlight of all this was when I sold the sword of House Bednicker. I was insane. Why did I get into gambling... It was one of the worst things I ever did, and news of this event spread throughout the nation. Even other nations heard about it. Naturally, the honor of the house fell significantly, and my more extreme siblings even unsheathed their swords to kill me. To be honest, I didnt understand why my father, the family head, stopped them. I wasnt dead, but only in name. I ended up getting kicked out to the frontier... In practice, I waspletely abandoned by House Bednicker. But even after ending up in that state, I still couldnte to my senses. I lived like trash, and the tendon in my right arm ended up getting severed... After that, I became a wandering knight and even acted as a minstrel before finally bing a mercenary. I had no blessing and my right arm was weak, but at least I was still pretty good with the sword, so I was able to prolong my life somehow. But I never once felt at peace with my life. Of course, I was the problem, but due to my stupid pride in having a noble houses blood coursing through me, I wasnt able to easily mix with others. When someone would open their heart and approach me, I would use my bloodline and status as an excuse to ignore them. However, when I was 20, my mother passed away due to an incident, and Ipletely lost my mind. I went around the continent like I was looking for a ce to die. At 25 years old, death finally came for me. I got swept up in a war caused by the worshipers of the gods of disaster. So, my damned life ends here... As I felt the chill of death crawling through my body, I somehow felt my body rising into the air. When I opened my eyes, I somehow found myself atop a mountain, in a basin covered in fog. Huh? There were no wounds on my body. While I was spacing out without any clue what was going on, an old man suddenly appeared before me. He was wearing clothes that were practically rags, and his hair was very unruly. How do you do? Wh-what? Starting today, youre my disciple, the old man said, grinning despite speaking nonsense. Of course, my reaction waspletely reasonable. Is this old man insane Even before I could finish insulting him, my neck spun sideways. Id been pped hard on the cheek. My chin was nearly dislocated. How dare you speak that way to your master? Do you want to die? Wh-who are you? Do you know who I am? You? Youre my disciple, you punk. The old man smiled brightly as he threw a punch at me, and our conversation didnt continue until sunset. Meaning, I was beaten to shit. This was assuredly the most painful day in my treacherous life. I was honestly surprised I didnt fall unconscious, but it wasnt because of my tenacity; it was because this old man was that proficient in beating people up. When I recovered my senses, one simple truth was engraved into my mind: I should not make this old man angry. Hmm. Seems youre now ready. The old man nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. Then hell started. Technically, it was just training, but for me at that point, my training was no different from hell, and Master became synonymous with the devil. Baek Nogwang was the devil. In the beginning, I couldnt help but resent him. Evenpared to everyone in the Bednicker n who had treated me like trash, the anger I felt toward Baek Nogwang was iparable. However... Straighten your back. Your vision will narrow if you see the world from below. I told you to narrow your legs. Should I break one of your balls? You punk. Calm your breath and cool your head. The world is too wide for you to get heated just from training. The ways the world will burn you are like the des of grass in a field. I told you to erase that look of defeat from your eyes. Just who are you afraid of opposing? You are the disciple of Baek Nogwang, the Strongest Under the Heavens. You have no need to lower your head to anyone other than this master. Hahaha. Now youre starting to get it. Well done. ... Well done. I didnt know how long it had been since Ist heard those words. At some point in my life, praise had ceased to exist. Even my mother, whom Id followed after the most, had not praised me even tofort me. Id been treated with unbearable contempt and hatred. I had only been treated better than actual waste. The devil, the one I thought of as the devil, had at some point be my savior. I still truly recognized this fact. I knew just how uncontroble Id been before. If not for Baek Nogwangs violent teachings, I probably wouldve never been able to change my trash mind. In any case, this hellish training continued for about a decade. I became proud of the growth in my strength, and I enjoyed the feeling, but I still was a little regretful. * * * * * * * * * * The only people on Spirit Mountain were me and my master. My strength continued to slowly increase, but I had no target to test it upon, so I became increasingly frustrated. Of course, those existences known as senior brothers visited us a few times. By number and strength, I was the youngest and weakest, and each of these senior brothers was like a monster. It truly seemed like they were geniuses Master had handpicked afterbing through the entire world. My senior brothers rarely visited, so my opponents were usually monsters who lived on Spirit Mountain. But eventually, they could not be my opponents either. The only sparring partner left was Master. However, I was never able to even touch the edge of his clothes. Even though I sparred against him for 10 years, even though I sparred against him 20 times every day. Not even once... And then, after living each day getting beaten up, yesterday happened... Y-young master has awoken! Oh ho. My goodness! By Bhaal! Are you okay? ... And I woke up as the 15-year-old Luan Bednicker. ...Curses. *** If someone were to ask me what period of time in my life I would most hate to return to, I could give them an immediate answer: 15 years old. What was Luan Bednickers life like when he was 15 years old? I was experiencing it now. As soon as I woke up, my entire body was racked with pain. But, well, this much pain was bearable. ...Ehm. Opening my eyes was difficult with all the swelling. Are you okay, young master? Its a relief that you woke up. The butler really might have gone too far... ... I couldnt really understand my situation. I used my half-open eyes to check my arm. ...Well, seeing my arm, which looked like someone had draped a leather sheet over a skeleton, I seemed to have returned to the past. Whas all zhis? I was trying to say Whats all this? Damn it. The inside of my mouth was too torn up. But one servant was able to understand my toothless words and responded, Do you not remember? You had a mock battle against Butler Arzan. Arzan? It seemed like you exchanged some words during the mock battle, and the butlers swings became much harder. ... Arzan. I remembered her. A young butler of House Bednicker. She wore apletely ck suit with a necktie, gloves, and a monocle. She really looked like a model butler. I had heard that she became indebted to my father, the family head, during a territory war 10 years ago, and so shed sworn loyalty to him. When did that happen? I asked. I was starting to get used to talking without messing up my pronunciation. It was three days ago. So Id been unconscious for three whole days? What of Arzan? She is self-reflecting in a separate building. For thest three days, she hasnt eaten anything, and shes had nothing to drink but water. Did I order that? No. The butler did it of her own ord... This situation... I didnt really remember it. What did I do that Id ended up in this state? I furrowed my brows before I suddenly remembered. Ah. Yeah. In this, my 15th year of life, Idpletely crossed a line I shouldnt have crossed while Arzan was helping me with training. Then let a war happen! If a war happens now, I can be much stronger than you or the family head! Arzan gave no response. Am I wrong, butler? Heroes are created in eras of chaos, they are born through war! Wow. I once again realized just how brazen 15-year-old Luan Bednicker had been. Arzan was a war orphan. She had lost her entire family to a war that swept through the kingdom, and it had happened when she was just 5 years old at that. It was, in some sense, only natural that I would get beaten up like this after telling such a person that a war should happen again. Of course, one could argue, How dare a butler assault her employer? But unfortunately for me, Arzan was probably higher in the family hierarchy than me. Since I was 15, this was probably right after I sold the sword of House Bednicker... and Arzan had received great trust from my father, the family head, while shed been working at the main house, so she was definitely popr. I was probably treated at the same level as the lowest-ranking servant, or perhaps even a little bit worse. And father gave Arzanplete authority over my education. Although this was a bit too far, this act of violence still fell under the category of education. Even so, Arzan had gone into solitary confinement by herself and was punishing herself for putting me in this state. It truly showed exactly how serious a person Arzan was. Mirror, I said, and one of the servants held a mirror up in front of me. I looked at my face before nodding. My face was swollen all over and covered in bumps. It reminded me of a food called dumplings that my master had made for me a few times. Even though it looked quite serious, the wounds were closing and the swelling was starting to fade. If I used the Strongest Technique in History... wouldnt I be able to recover by tomorrow, or the day after at thetest? I think Ill need to rest a bit more. I wasnt just beingzymy body really didnt have any strength. My eyelids felt heavy, as if something was pressing down on them. What time is it right now? I forced myself to ask. It has just passed 11 in the night. So there was a reason for my sleepiness. Got it. You can go for now. Pardon? Ill call for you again if I need anything. Ah, Understoo But then I heard something troublesome happening outside the door. Y-you cant do this. This is the young masters room... Then Im at the right ce. The young master only just woke up! That is a relief. Even I am a bit opposed to collecting someone who is unconscious. There seemed to be an altercation happening outside... but the moment I heard the word collect, my mind immediately cleared up like Id been drenched with cold water. m! The door swung open and an old man who looked very gentlemanly appeared. His white hair and the wrinkles around his face made it clear that the old man was in the twilight of his life, but his straight back and wide shoulders couldnt be hidden even by his outfit. ... The old man casually looked around the room, and the servants who met his eyes hurriedly lowered their heads. Thest ce those eyesnded on was, of course, me. The old man bowed his head with discipline. Please excuse me, Young Master Luan. I am Collector Kayan. ... ...Fifteen. The era I never wanted to return to. The worst days of my life. This was the year I attended the Blessing Ceremony... Was deemed talentless... Was practically kicked out of the family... Was beaten up by a butler to the point I was near death... And also had the tendons in my arm cut. By the order of the family head, I am here to collect. Right now, right in front of my eyes, was the culprit who had cut those tendons of mine. And he had the same goal as before. ...Curses. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 I was born into House Bednicker, but unfortunately for me, this family was insane. They judged people based solely on their skills and aplishments, and the direct bloodline was no exception. Their tendency for exclusion was extreme even whenpared to the other houses. It was so extreme that the family head would even send a collector after his own son. But what was a collector? C-c-c-collector...! Ahh... Hieek! I didnt do anything! The servants standing around the room all screamed and fell into panic. One servant went pale as if he had just seen a ghost, while another looked like they might froth at the mouth and copse any second. It was a natural reaction if you had heard a rumor or even a crumb of information about the collectors that roamed House Bednicker. Bednickers executors, the teeth of the Lord of Blood and Iron, hunting dogs... They were called a lot of names, but most regrly, they were called collectors because their mission was to collect things. And the things they collect are usually souls. It was obvious that my tendons would be cut if I just stayed still like this. What did I do the first time I encountered this situation? C-c-c-collector?! A collector came? Th-theres no way thats true...! I am a Bednicker! Theres no way my father, the family head, would...! Well, I tried to deny reality and then ran away. In the end, I was caught by that old man and collected. Meaning, my arm was cut. That was the role of a collector. House Bednicker was also called the Great Martial House, and due to this, they were very exclusive with the familys secret martial art. If one were to leak the houses secret art to outsiders, they would be killed, of course, but so would everyone near them. I had been treated quite decently by the house before the Blessing Ceremony, and thanks to that, I obviously knew some things about the martial arts of House Bednicker. This was probably what those old men of the house were displeased about. The Council of Elders had decided that I was unfit to learn the Bednicker martial art, and they had made it so that I couldnt use it ever again. I thought they went too far, but the Council of Elders thought this was very generous. Since, in most cases, those who are collected have their tendons cut in all four limbs or are just killed outright. Of course, this treatment was not because I was of the direct bloodline. It was because I was still young and hadnt gotten strong yet. What should I do about this...? I obviously had no intention of just closing my eyes and bing a victim. If I became unable to use my right arm, my strength would be decreased by at least 30 percent in the future. The external body was especially important for the Strongest Technique in History. On the other hand, how can I ovee this situation? My options were a bit awkward since my bodys current condition was like this. On top of not having a sliver of internal energy, it would be impossible to try and escape from the collector with this unrefined body. Even if I were to run as fast as I could, I would be caught within three breaths. Why did it have to be when I was 15 years old? Although I wasnt panicking, it was difficult to imagine a worse situation, considering the circumstances. I let out a deep breath and looked at Kayan. Even though Id been silent for quite a while, he had waited patiently. Maybe he was giving me thest mercy he could give as a collector. Or maybe he was just looking at a rat he had already caught. Even if it was just to buy some more time, I started to talk. Sir Kayan. Its been a while. Yes. Have you been well? Have I been well? There was no way he couldnt see my bound, bedridden state. You look quite hale, but have you already gone senile? Pardon? ...Nothing. I tried to recover the situation. Looks like you came here in a hurry. Have you eaten yet? Ive eaten a little. I tend not to eat much before work. Have you been guided around the mansion? Ill call a servant for you, so take your time looking around the garden... Thank you for your generosity, young master, but I wish to focus on my work for now. It didnt work at all. I was trying to buy some time to think up a n, but that wasnt seeming too promising either. I hadnt expected much, but he truly was a target that seemed difficult to weasel away from with words alone. One month... No, if I had even a weeks time, this situation would be so much better. Now, my only option was to just keep talking, so I did so. I see. But as you can see, my situation is like this. Its quitete, so you can work tomorrow... If I may be impertinent, young master. Kayan looked at me before turning his hand. When he did, a sharp dagger appeared from his sleeve. Kyaa! One of the servant girls screamed, but Kayan didnt seem to react as he continued to talk in a calm manner. I, Kayan, have never dyed my collection for even a single day. Of course you havent. This old man wasnt called the Collector of Blood and Iron for nothing. After saying that, Kayan stepped toward me. Step. It wasnt quick, nor was it dragged out. He looked just like an official focusing on his work. Really? Was my tendon really going to get cut as soon as I returned to my past? As that possibility suddenly started to be a reality as he stepped confidently toward me, my head quickly cooled. I continued to merely look up at Kayan from my bed. ... As I did so, the old man with no blood or tears stopped and looked at me. Although it wasnt made obvious, hed probably expected a different reaction from me. In that short instant, I thought up a quick n and opened my mouth. I am not your collection target. The hand reaching out to me stopped. The one who decided on the collection was the family head. Defying that decision is the same as defying the will of the family head. Youre wrong. The family head only makes the final decision. The ones who decide both the collection target and the severity of the punishment are the familys Council of Elders. As I said that, the old mans face shifted for a second, but that change disappeared faster than it had appeared. It is as you say. It was also the family heads decision to hand over that authority to the Council of Elders. In the big picture, it is no different than an order from the family head himself. What about in the small picture? You are persistent in picking at my words. Nothing will change even if you stall for time. Youre right. ...? Suppressing me is easier for you than blowing your nose. You can do it whenever, so do you have to be so hasty about it? As I told you, I have never dyed a collection for even a single A single day, yeah. But theres still some time left before tomorrow starts. Kayan quietly eyed me. It was difficult to guess what he was thinking, but I had no choice but to hope that this old mans caution became the snare that caught his foot. Luan Bednicker, who acted like a moron in every way, is acting like he has support from somewhere. What hes saying might not be mere nonsense... Hopefully he was thinking something like that. ... The silence went on for longer than expected. This silence was a boon for me, but I couldnt rx in this situation. Since Kayan always perfectly carried out the orders he received, he woulde to the conclusion that his own thoughts about the decision werent important. I needed to disturb his concentration a little more before he coulde to that conclusion. Sir Kayan. The collection of Bednicker has to be fulfilled in a much more thorough and precise way. It cannot be undone even if you want to. Its not toote to make your decision after you hear me out. After that, I promise I will take the punishment without any resistance. For the finishing blow, I said something that any loyal servant of the house would love... I swear it upon the name of Bednicker. Although he still remained silent and his face was still expressionless, this should work against the Collector Kayan that Id seen and heard about in the house. It had to work. ... * * * * * * * * * * Finally, the hand with the pitch-ck glove retreated from me, and the pressure I had been feeling the whole time melted away. Please send out all the servants. Sure. I gave a slight gesture with my eyes and all the servants took the chance to swarm out of the room. It might be obvious, but none of them tried to stay by my side. Schwung... The dagger that had been aiming to cut my tendon disappeared into a sleeve, and Kayan pulled out a pocket watch and nced down at it. 23:56. ... There are about four minutes until the day ends, Kayan said as he looked at me. Please share with me, young master, the proof that you are not the target of todays collection. At least for now, Id managed to evade the worst-case scenario: helplessly having my tendons cut. I will say this just in case, but if you were just dying the collection without a clear reason... Of course... I will have no choice but to increase the punishment. The real persuasion started now. *** Kayan Goldan, 68 years old. Although he was the longest-active collector of Bednicker, his skills were still within the top three. Due to not making a single mistake in his long career, others sometimes called him the Collector of Blood and Iron. Kayan had not even remotely expected this. To feel like this while doing his job... Luan Bednicker. The trash of Bednicker, the sole failure of the Lord of Blood and Iron, the seller of the house sword, the useless child. And on top of all that, Luan Bednicker had absolutely no blessings. He was a brat born from a great house who brought more shame by being alive than he would by dying. Kayan didnt hold any sort of emotion for this boy. All hed had was a very faint sense of pity. However, after seeing Luan Bednickers actions after the Blessing Ceremony, that pity had changed into disappointment. Not receiving a blessing was, of course, a terrible event that could make one consider ending their life. As one born ofmon blood, Kayan couldnt even imagine that despair. But what about it? It had already happened. It was now reality. One must ept it, because if they could not, they would not be able to take even a single step forward into reality. However, Luan Bednicker had stood still in that spot, then stepped backward and disappeared from sight. After that, even Kayan had forgotten about the person called Luan... until hed received this order. It wasnt any sort of special mission. Although it was peculiar because the target was a direct family member, Kayan had done simr jobs in his long career. Although Luan was a family member, although he was young, Kayan wouldnt let his emotions waver. But the trash of Bednicker hed met for the first time in a while had greeted Kayan with apletely different attitude. Usually, collection targets tried to deny reality, and a few of them even resisted. Very rarely, there were those who tried to negotiate, but Kayan had never slowed his hand because of the words that came out of their mouths. Until today. For the Council of Elders to send a collector... A bloated face and a bandaged body. In thispletely defeated state, Luan said, It means theres something they want to collect. In this case, its probably the hereditary swordsmanship of House Bednicker. Of course, its impossible to make me forget a sword art that I have already learned, so theyre probably trying to at least cut my tendons. Hes correct. Since meeting Luan, Kayan had constantly been pushed off bnce. Now, he realized the reason. Luan didnt show the expressions he saw from many others when he collected them. Luan Bednicker showed no fear. It didnt feel like Luan had lost his fear, nor did it seem like he didnt understand his situation. Luan wouldnt have even been able to get Kayan to sit at the negotiating table otherwise. Then, should I get back to the main topic? Why do you think the Council of Elders want to retrieve the swordsmanship of House Bednicker from me? As amon collector, I cannot know the reasons behind the decisions of the Council of Elders. I now see that youre quite proficient in dodging the subject, sir. Then should I say it? Luan suddenly adopted a serious expression. He changed his voice to imitate an elder as he said, The houses martial art will be wasted on him. At this rate, he will live and die pathetically. ... He has damaged the honor of House Bednicker. He went and sold the sword of the house... Luans face and voice returned to normal. They might have talked around it, but this is the real reason. They cannot see a future for me. Kayan didnt know if this was the truth or not. Although he had worked as a collector for a long time, there was no way he could know the thoughts of the Council of Elders. But... What Luan had just said matched up with everything Kayan had subconsciously thought. Then Ill say this: this collection will definitely be a loss for the future of House Bednicker. What do you mean? To put it simply, youre trying to cut down a sapling that will grow into a mighty oak. A pretentious deration. But its true. Tick. At this moment, Kayans gaze moved to his pocket watch. The time had suddenly be 23:59. There was not even a minute left until the day ended. If he collected now, then he wouldnt bete. I need the swordsmanship I learned from Bednicker. Why is that? Because Ill create a new martial art based on it. Tock. And as the minute passed into the new day... ... Collector Kayan still didnt move. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 I would lose if I fought. I would get caught if I ran. The only way out of this was to convince him. Even as I tirelessly prattled away, I constructed a n in my mind and repeatedly improved upon it. The snippets of information I had heard about Kayan, the rumors about his actions, my impression of him after seeing him directly, and the values I could theorize from all of this information, Ibined and examined them dozens of times in my head. At some point, I arrived at one fundamental piece of information: Collector Kayan is foremost a man of principle. He was not someone who would be swayed by emotions. This old man could stab anyone as long as it was an order from his superiors. So that was what I needed to pierce and use. Since he had sworn loyalty to House Bednicker, I needed to make use of his curiosity while observing the orders of his superiors. Of course... ...An original sword art, said Kayan. The most important thing was how I could handle him from this point onward. The collector observed me with a cold gaze. You speak of something ridiculous. Kayans skills, which had seemed like they were covered in ayer of fog, were starting to be revealed to me. My conclusion was that he was a monstrous old man. There was no other way to put it. Honestly, it was obvious. One could neither be a collector nor maintain the position if they werent strong. Half-useless people like myself arent the only targets hes given. Collectors needed to be able to collect from the elites of House Bednicker, the elites of other Houses aiming for those elites, and even mercenaries who would do anything if paid enough... Every single one of them would have to be collected if the need arose. And Kayan was among the top three of such an elite group. A monster among monsters. Ridiculous? I scoffed. As one of the Bednicker bloodline, dont I need to be able to make one or two personal martial arts? House Bednicker was quite the special family in The Empire in many ways, but most importantly, they had one weird tradition: everyone who held the name Bednicker, whoever they might be, needed to create their own personal martial art before bing an adult. There were no exceptions to this rule. If one couldnt create their own martial art, then they would be stripped of all the privileges they had as a member of House Bednicker. Of course, I still have some time left until I be an adult, but my second elder brother created his martial arts at around this age, so its not out of the picture. As I mentioned the second son of the Lord of Blood and Iron, Kayans eyes became even colder. Young master. Yeah? How old are you right now? So suddenly? Fifteen, I answered, feeling a little confused. At your age, Young Master Hector had already created seven sword arts. ...So hed asked just to embarrass me further. From a young age, he showed talent that was second to none. He memorized every action in just one try and could move the same way the next day as well. At the mere age of 11, he pointed out areas of improvement he could see in the familys secret martial art, and a few of them were actually implemented. Only a few of the Lord of Blood and Irons offspring showed overwhelming intelligence. Obviously, Hector was one of them. Compared to me right now, he was doing unfairly well. I have worked for House Bednicker for many years now, and I have met a lot of people. That time was not a waste, as I became able to read people quite urately. What are you trying to say? Young Master Luan, are you equating yourself to Young Master Hector? How absurd. I couldnt hold back myughter as I said, How could that be? Then He is below me, I told Kayan. I recognized that Hector was incredible. And it wasnt just Hector; all the children of the Lord of Blood and Iron were extraordinary. But evenpared to the other children, the eldest son, Hero, the second son, Hector, and the second daughter, Nero, were special cases. In the past, Id looked up to them as people worthy of respect. Even when I became a good-for-nothing, my ears constantly chased news of them, and when I felt inferior to them, I purposefully distanced myself from the news. But now? Ive seen true geniuses. How many times had I been dejected after seeing my senior brothers on Spirit Mountain? They werent confined by the worldly concept of genius, and they couldnt even be described as monsters. That was the first time Id realized beings like them existed. After silently looking at me for a second, Kayan let out a tant sigh. You will need to take responsibility for those words. What? Please stand up. His expression was serious. I felt like if I said But I cant get up? then he would just say Is that so? and slice my tendons right then and there, so I silently stood up withoutint. ...Ugh. A groan escaped my mouth as I stood on two feet. If I was feeling like this, then my body was in much worse condition than Id expected. It wasnt just because Id been beaten up by the butler. My useless daily life beforehand was the bigger factor. Do you have a de? Collector Kayan asked me. A de? Like a sword? Yes. I should? Please raise your sword. Obviously, the sword wasnt in this room, so I called for a servant to get it for me. Do you mean a wooden sword or a real sword? A real sword. Hi-eek... The servants shoulders tensed a little at Kayans t response. He quickly ran out of the room before returning with a sword soon after. As I received the sword, I thought, Hes not even asking what the sword is for. Well, as members of the house, no one here had the authority to stop a collector from doing their job. Unsheathe the sword and swing it, said Kayan. What? Three downward strokes will be fine. I was starting to be a little irritated, but I somehow felt like this would be thest request. I left the sword in the sheath as I cut the air three times. One, two, three. Just three times. Kayan watched the process with a serious expression. Young master, do you know what the most important aspect of any martial art is? It was quite an interesting question. It was also a question without a particr answer, but one could use it to discern the level of martial skill the target had. I can just say what I think. But I guessed that answering that way wouldnt get me 100 points. Kayan, Collector of Blood and Iron. A man who had proven his own worth and loyalty after decades of work for the house. Someone who had been active for all that time. What answer would he like to hear the most? Effectiveness in realbat. ... No matter how excellent the technique is, theres no point if you cant use it in a real battle. Who did you learn that from? It was just a thought I had while reading and training by myself, I stated. I was honestly surprised at the words that came out of my mouth. I had intended to lie to try to earn some extra points with him, but the answer I gave was a partial mix between the answer Id prepared and my true thoughts. Kayan stared directly at me with his hollow eyes. He seemed to be trying to discern if I truly believed my words or not. I dare you to try. See if you can ever figure out what Im thinking. If I truly yed ignorant, not even Master could be 100 percent sure of my intentions. Although I would get beaten up like a ragdollter after Master had obtained evidence. If you truly think that, then the story bes simpler. * * * * * * * * * * Schwing. The dagger that had hidden itself appeared again. Kayan took his gloved fingers and wiped the de. As you say, the most important aspect of any martial art is practicality. A sword technique one cannot use in a real battle is worse than a sword made from straw. So youre going to personally test me? To see how practical my sword skills are? My apologies, but that is the case. The whole point of talking was because I was certain I would lose in a direct fight. Just when I was starting to feel like all my effort had been a waste... Of course, it wont be an ordinary duel, Kayan said. I will keep your level and condition in mind. How so? That movement you showed when you swung your sword a moment ago, I will not move faster than that. I had wondered what that was about. So hed wanted to see how fast I moved. If he truly adhered to those words, that was as fair as it could get. I looked at Kayan once more. I, of course, hadnt shown him everything, but I had the sense that that was true for him as well. This old man was still a bundle of mysteries. However... All right. I would get collected if I didnt ept this offer. I knew that for a fact, so I nodded. Id never really had a choice. Of course, I understood the reason: this was the simple truth of the world. Kayan was strong, and I was weak. Unfortunately, it was hard for the weak to make choices in this world. And so... I wanted to congratte myself. No matter how it had happened, I had dragged someone strong to the result I wanted. *** The talk of creating martial techniques had probably disturbed Kayans mood. This old man had likely invested countless hours into his training. The reason Kayan didnt show a single sign was because he kept a perfect divide between his personal and professional thoughts. Schwing. I pulled my sword from its sheath, and I looked over the entirety of the de to check its quality. Although the edge was a little dull, it was a real sword. A sword that could easily kill a person if one was skilled enough. In truth, I had been able to tell by its weight the moment I picked it up, but confirming with my eyes gave me certainty. Please tell me when you are ready, said Kayan. His actions and words were still those of a gentle old man. I threw the sheath on the bed and held the sword with just my right hand. ... Heavy. And awkward. In my previous life, even after the tendon in my right arm was cut, I hadnt been able to forget the Bednicker martial art. I hadnt even tried to forget. After getting kicked out of the house, the hereditary martial art that I had learned was the final connection Id had to House Bednicker. While Id been going around the continent, this martial art had experienced its own changes at my hand. I guess you could say it had been altered to fit a left-handed swordsman. Of course, it hadnt been altered methodically and scientifically but instead out of a need to survive, so it was all over the ce. You couldnt even call it a new creation. I could be cut into a paraplegic if it was deemed an insult to the original martial art. However... Whats with that awkward movement? Oh ho. So you changed the original martial art to fit your body more. I can see what youre trying to do, but get rid of it. I fixed your right arm. See? It moves normally. The martial art I was going to show wasnt created by me alone. You have too many useless movements. Youre wasting your breath. There are too many openings. How many times do I need to drill the importance of distance to your target into your head? You can try and take a stance after that. The most important thing in a fight is controlling the distance. If you can always keep in mind how many steps, how many breaths you are from them, you will never be hit a single time. This was a martial art created with Masters advice. I was bing a little curious. How would Collector Kayan judge the martial art I was about to show him? Lets start, I mumbled. A secondter, I suddenly felt like the light had be a little darker. It might not be an illusion. The air felt heavier, and as the lights flickered ominously... Kayan started to move. He moved slowlybut strangely, the distance was being shortened quite quickly. Is it because of those weird steps hes taking? The speed of his actions was slow, but the movement was fast. Wasnt this the perfect skill to kill someone while they were zoned out? Its pretty useful. Of course, it wasnt something I could just stare at in awe, so I focused intently on Kayans movement. When the distance between us had been reduced to about two steps... I struck first. Kayan dodged my simple stab with just a movement of his head. Dodging an attack by moving the minimum amount possible was something that could only be done when one could precisely predict the opponents attack. Although the ambitious first strike was a miss, I didnt falter and continued to attack. I stabbed multiple times in a row, tried to slice him, and even swung the sword like a club. Kayan didnt let a single attack hit him as he continued to close the distance. Soon, an odd scene wasid out. Although I was the one attacking and Kayan was just dodging, it hade to the point where I was slowly backing away. Tap. Before long, I had my back to the wall, but I hadnt managed to cut even a thread of Kayans clothes. The distance was too short for me to swing the sword properly. Kayan was standing a head taller and stood in front of me as an oppressive aura emanated from him. Hah, hah... This damned body. I was sweating all over after swinging the sword a few times. Half exhausted, I looked up at the old man. I was looking forward to it a little, said Kayan. ... There was emotion in those words, but I could tell Kayan had said this purposefully. This old mans calm voice and unwavering eyes showed no intention of hiding his disappointment in me. But that was all for naught. I gritted my teeth and swung the sword again. I could get hurt trying to swing a sword at such a close distance, but I ignored it. Grab! My wrist was grabbed. The old mans hand was as big as his physique might suggest, and his hand could wrap around my entire wrist with some left to spare. Press. Keuk! As he grasped and squeezed my wrist, I ended up letting go of my sword from the numbing pain. The dull sword ttered to the ground. Swoosh! A fist came flying toward me. It was just his left fist; the dagger was nowhere to be seen. I twisted my shoulder a little to dodge the punch. At that, Kayan opened the palm of his outstretched hand and grabbed my shoulder. Crunch! My shoulder de screamed. This old man was pretty strong. Was he trying to dislocate my shoulder? I saw well the sword art you created. If you havent named it yet, may I make a suggestion? ... How about Straw Swordsmanship? Maybe because he had pride in his martial arts, I could sense a bit of ridicule in his voice. After pulling out his pocket watch again, Kayan let out a sigh. It seems I have wasted my time. It iste, but I will now perform the collection. Please remain still. The moment Kayan turned back into a collector, Iughed aloud. Straw Swordsmanship. Its a funny name. But sir, when did I say I created a sword art? Are you trying to stall for time with more useless talk? I just want to fix your misunderstanding. What I created is a fist art. Crunch! Kayans chin shot upward. The difference in size, the closeness, and most importantly, the blind spot in his vision... With just these at my disposal, Id created my strategy. The one factor required for a weakling to defeat a strong being: wait for the target to lower their guard in arrogance. ...! Kayan didnt seem to get flustered even as his chin was raised into the air because he instinctively swiped with his hand. It was clear that he wouldpose himself in less than a second, so I didnt let this opportunity go. I continued my assault. In order, I struck the middle of his chest, his sr plexus, and then his stomach. Bam, bam, bam. At these strikes that flowed naturally like water, Kayans body was finally pushed back a step. Even so, he still had strength left in the hand that was grabbing my shoulder. It wasnt bad. I used my fingers to stab Kayan in the crook of his arm, a soft, internal part of the body that couldnt be covered with trained muscle. Stab! My finger stabbed about one segment deep. Kayan let out a short groan as the strength in his hand disappeared. What happened next was lightning fast. After pushing over Kayan, who hadnt recovered his footing, I picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground... And then I pointed its tip at Kayans neck. ... The Collector of Blood and Iron was looking at me with wide eyes. Your naming sense is terrible. What was... This martial art already has a name. The name of the martial art created by myself and my master, the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang. I calmly spoke it aloud. White Sun Form. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 If one were to ask anyone close to Collector Kayan which word defined him the least, most would answer with conceited, arrogant, or careless. He had worked as a Bednicker collector for 34 years and hadpleted 1,031 missions. Although he wasnt the strongest collector, no one could contest that he was the most perfect collector. He hadnt expected that today would be the day that put a stain on his career. Of course, with his dry personality, Kayan didnt put too much meaning in his personal record, but this was still very unexpected for him. Kayan nearly let out a sigh as he remembered the voices of those who suggested that he retire. It seems Ive finally be old. He looked forward again. The dull de was pointing directly at his neck without a single tremor, and the one holding that sword had a crooked smile on his face apanied by a cold gaze looking straight at him. Since when had Luan Bednicker possessed such eyes? What was with everything hed seen at the main house? Had Luan be enlightened in such a short time? And if not... Was everything just an act? Kayan dismissed the thought. He checked the pain embedded in his body from the attack Luan had justunched. ...The sword art passed down through House Bednicker: Iron Heart. ... The attack that hit me on my chin was the seventh technique, sky piercer. The repeated attacks on my chest, sr plexus, and stomach had traces of the fourth technique, three-fold strike. Kayan looked at Luan as he asked, Did you perhaps create a fist art based on the houses sword art? At that, Luan smiled brightly as he retracted his sword. Thats what I told you. Kayan thought to himself. Although it might be obvious, the difference between a sword art and a fist art was quiterge. The more one looked into it, the more obvious the differences became. After all, the role a de yed inbat waspletely different from that of a fist. What did this all mean? If he really did create a fist art based on the Bednicker familys swordsmanship... Just as Luan had insisted before, this couldnt be exined away as just the creation of a new martial art. This was much moreplicated than that. This was like painting over an alreadypleted painting with a new piece of art, but still maintaining the mood of the original piece because there would be no point if the strength of the original was altered too much. Kayan knew just how unbelievably absurd such a feat was. This is only possible if you have a level of understanding multiple times deeper than even the original creator of the sword art. House Bednicker had to be informed. There was another genius who could stand next to the eldest son, Hero. * * * * * * * * * * After retracting the sword and stepping away, I didnt say anything for a moment, just waiting. I wanted to give the collector, who seemed to be deep in his thoughts, time to organize them. Without saying a word, Kayan stood up. He checked over his disheveled clothes and evenbed his hair to be perfect before looking at me with aplicated expression. White Sun Form, he said. He let out a sigh. Is that the name of the martial art that you have created? Thats right. Its outstanding. Honestly, because it wasnt something Id made alone, I felt a little guilty. I changed the subject to free myself from the difort. Your movements were excellent as well. Your footwork was quite unique. What skill was that? For some reason, the light returned to Kayans eyes. He looked toward me with an expression that was hard to describe. It cant be helped if you cant tell me. That isnt the case, but... Kayan dragged out his sentence before shaking his head and looking directly at me. Could you perhaps show me the full White Sun Form? Is this the final test? That isnt the case. You have already proven your worth, young master. Oh. Seeing how his attitude toward me hadpletely flipped, I mischievously asked, Are you saying Im better than my second elder brother? If what I saw is correct, Kayan said as he again checked the condition of his clothes, you are far beyond Young Master Hector. ... Everyone who knew Kayan knew that he didnt give outpliments easily. He was practically going out of his way to tter me. Since I didnt give an immediate reply, Kayan answered first. He spoke calmly, but there was a trace of uneasiness in his tone and expression. What I just asked was purely a personal request. Please forget about it. He seemed to want to maintain his attitude as a collector, but he still wished to see the entirety of the White Sun Form. So this is the reaction Ill get if I show someone the White Sun Form. As stated before, a collectors job had many aspects. Two of them were inspecting and assessing. They were to personally observe the martial arts of the Bednicker bloodline and assess them. The old man in front of me was the oldest working collector and had assessed many different martial arts. Seeing a person of such caliber get this excited after seeing part of the White Sun Form made me feel pretty good. But I cant just show him everything. Collector Kayan. He was a target I could obtain a lot from. I quietly looked at the man. The White Sun Form isnt a finished martial art, I said slowly, so I cant really show you everything. I see. There were bound to be many weak points in a martial art that wasnt yetpleted. If one were to mindlessly show it off to another person, they might be able to see its weaknesses and find ways to break through it before it was trulypleted. Kayan seemed to understand this point even without me stating it outright because he started to look a little down in the silence. Should I throw out some bait here? Of course, I began, I know that Sir Kayan is a trustworthy man. So I have a suggestion... With a nervous expression, I looked at Kayan. Ill show you a few techniques from the White Sun Form. In exchange, could you teach me the footwork that you showed a moment ago? By footwork...? The thing you showed off before. The skill to make your opponent misjudge your speed by changing your steps. The moment I said that, Kayans expression changed greatly. Had I said something wrong? His expression was difficult to read, and it was hard to describe it in a few words. I looked at Kayan, who had aplicated expression on his face. Did I perhaps ask for too much? Thats not it. Its just... Kayan closed his eyes. He seemed to go deep into his thoughts, but he spoke again before long. It was 34 years ago. Huh? When I was just another free knight, I met Lord Derkthe current family head. ... It was after the end of the Krunbell War. The Empire had truly lost, and I spent three days and nights running away without being able to sleep. Those damned followers of Dark Genesis were tracking me relentlessly. I raised my sword, ready to face my death, and fought them. I fought for who knows how long. When my consciousness was starting to fade and my body refusing to move, the family head appeared. I never knew Kayan was someone who could talk so much. But, unreflective of that thought, I was listening quite quietly, and the scene from his tale seemed to start ying out in my head. He ughtered the followers of Dark Genesis and saved me. After that, the first words he said to me... A faint smile appeared on Kayans lips. Your footwork is quite peculiar. What skill is that? I furrowed my brow. Was it a coincidence, or an inevitability? The Lord of Blood and Iron had said the same thing in the past as I had said here. Though I guess it would be more urate to say that I said the same thing as the family head. He continued to talk and asked me if I could teach it to him. ... After meeting you here today, young master, those dusty memories of the past have been relighted. So... Kayan paused to find his words before shaking his head. I seem to have gone off on a tangent. I dont know why, but I wished to tell you this. Even Kayan didnt seem to know why he had told me this. I closed my mouth for a moment as well. The smile I had just seen on Kayans face was the smile of an old man reminiscing about the past. Considering his age, it wasnt unexpected, but this was the first time Id ever seen Kayan smile like that. The one fact making me feel particrly strange was that I wouldve never known about this if I hadnt returned to the past. If not for this opportunity, I wouldve remembered Kayan as a cold-hearted collector who shed neither blood nor tears until the day I died. The footwork I showed you doesnt have any special name. I personally just call it hidden steps. Hidden steps. Its not difficult for me to teach you... but I dont know if it will be useful to you. What do you mean? Its quite a difficult skill to master properly. Id expected that. Kayan continued, As you saw, it is a practical skill, so a few collectors and even other young masters have asked me to share the technique with them. It wasnt something I needed to hide, so I did teach all of them... But none of them were able to learn it properly, I guessed. From what I know, the only one to have learned it properly is the family head. Hmm... It did look like a difficult skill, but was it that difficult? I couldnt tell from just watching. Maybe sensing my doubt, Kayan took a few steps back, then moved forward a few steps to give me a practical example. Whats more important than the footwork is the movement of your shoulders. People generally use their shoulders as a guiding point for their upper body. The difference was that he was moving much slower this time, and since he was walking sideways, it was a more objective viewpoint for learning. I stared intently at the way he was moving for a time. I understand the basics. The main point is to confuse the targets senses by desyncing the movement of the upper and lower body. Thats right. Gentle upper-body movementsbined with slow butrge steps. These are the basics, but... But you need to synergize them perfectly. All right. I nced to the side to look at Kayan and copied his movements. Is it... like this? One step, two steps, three steps... Oh, oh, oh ho!? I couldnt make the fourth step. I lost my bnce and facented on the carpet. It was such an embarrassing scene that I couldnt help butugh. Looks like itll be difficult for me to use it right now. I cant even copy it properly since my hips dont support me at the moment. How were my hidden steps? Kayan was silent, like he had lost the ability to speak. How long has it been? Hmm? How long have you been deceiving the house, young master? Deceiving the house? What? Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Kayan asked, Did something happen during the Blessing Ceremony that I dont know about? I wondered what he was talking about, but then it clicked. Was he perhaps misunderstanding that I had been hiding my talent all this time? I was a little taken aback, but actually, thinking about it, he wasnt technically wrong. This was the year I would be banished to the frontier. Meaning, it hadnt even been a year since I was kicked out of the main house, and although that wasnt a long time, it wasnt short either. But it was difficult for someone topletely change within a year, and Kayan would know this from his own experiences. It was more natural for him to think that I had been hiding my talent all this time. I came to a conclusion: this was a misunderstanding that I didnt really need to resolveone that might even benefit me. You can think what you want. Yes. Kayan lowered his head without saying any more. Seeing this, I started to think that something was a little off about the situation. His face was filled with the same determination hed shown when hed been about to cut my tendon. Young master, about the report... The report. As stated before, the ones who decided if a collector would be sent or not were those in high seats within the house, the ones on the Council of Elders. Even if I were to send Kayan back, if they did not ept the situation, they could easily send a second or third collector after me. Kayan, who had shown a bit of a favorable attitude, became serious once more. I am nning on reporting everything I have seen and experienced today. Yeah. Although I wasnt surprised, it was a bit of a bummer. I didnt know much about the personalities of the Council of Elders, but it was certain that they considered Luan Bednicker to be an insignificant existence. Would they be able to ept this report? The report of how Kayan, the Collector of Blood and Iron, didnt collect anything from Luan Bednicker? Probably not. I was 90 percent sure that they would send another collector to confirm the situation. For this reason, I wanted Kayan to hide some facts in his report about today. Of course, the odds he would do so were minuscule. Before I asked him about it, I thought about the opening Id just spotted in Kayan. Lets try it. Im curious to hear your opinion. What do you think the Council of Elders will do when you give them the report? As I have said before, for amon collector like me, the will of the Council of Thats why I asked for your opinion. Kayan thought for a second. I do not think they will fully trust the report. That was obvious. But the same words held different levels of importance depending on who said them. That was why I was looking at Kayan with a bit of expectation. Will they doubt it even though its a report from the Collector of Blood and Iron? There can be no guarantees with such an empty reputation, Kayan responded, his face expressionless. Then, when they doubt the report, the Council of Elders... They will try to eliminate that doubt. So theyll send another collector? Yes. Who do you think wille? At the very least, they wont send someone weaker than me. Ah, fuck. I had to hold back from letting that curse out. Thats too much of a waste of manpower for a kid. How could that be? The world may think that, but you are still the direct blood of the family head. This is a matter that must be treated very carefully. ... Kayan wasnt wrong. Thinking about it, theyd sent him as the first collector. If they had really thought of me as insignificant, then they wouldve sent a collector of a lower caliber. My head... How could I deal with the next collector? Would I be able to talk them out of it like with Kayan? Then, Kayan, who had just been looking at me, spoke up. Young master, the night iste, so I shall return for now. What? What about the White Sun Form? I still have work to do. I must finish my work before day breaks, so I shall depart now to not bete, he said, a hint of regret in his voice. He didnt look like he would change his decision, though. An attitude that put his given task before his curiosity... He really was a model collector. Even though I got some information about hidden steps from him. Since I now understood its fundamentals, I shouldnt have trouble practicing it alone in the future. In any case, I felt a little uneasy at being the only one who gained anything. It didnt feel awful, just a little weird. Could I perhaps visit you againter? Any time, if its not for collection. Thank you. But do you have the time for it? You always look pretty busy. Who knows... Kayan didnt give a concrete answer as he looked at me. Young master, could this old man unnecessarily interfere once? What is it? Kayan began to speak with a calm tone. The personalities of the collectors are all different. If there are a hundred collectors, then they will act with a hundred methods. Among them, some dont even speak with their collection targets. It is rare, but there are some that finish their job without even exchanging a single sentence. It didnt sound too serious on its own, but considering we were talking about the collection of souls, it was a little spooky. The target could die before they even realized what had happened. You need toplete your White Sun Form. ... Whichever collectores for you in the future, that will be the only way to make them back off. Ill engrave your words in my heart. I apologize if I said something useless. Not at all. Thank you for that. Honestly, Kayans goodwill struck me more deeply than his advice. A person I hadnt even dared to look at in my previous life was showing such respect to me now. It made me a little ticklish. Then, I shall be going. Yeah. Its dark outside, so be careful on your way down the hill. Youre at that age where your vision fades. Thank you for your worry. Peace be with you until we meet again. I was a bit saddened that I didnt get any kind of reaction to my joke. Kayan left the room with elegant steps. He had appeared as a collector, showed the form of a martial artist, and then disappeared as a collector once more. He was an old man with an incredible presence. It felt like the air became lighter just because he had disappeared from my sight. ... However, even after Kayan left, I didnt let my guard down. I stared at the door for a bit. First 10 seconds, then 30 seconds, and then a full minute... Like this, a few more minutes passed. ...Are you gone? Seeing how the door didnt open, I mumbled quietly to myself... Youre gone. I was certain that the Collector of Blood and Iron had truly left. The nervousness that had been bundled up inside of me escaped in the form of a deep sigh, and I copsed onto my bed like a puppet with its strings cut. ...I somehow made it through that. In such a hectic situation, I had been able to attain the best result. I was more relieved than satisfied with the result, and tiredness naturally followed relief. Now that I thought about it, I had been woken up in the middle of my sleep. I guess Ill sleep a little more... Although there were multiple problems in my life right now, I chose to sleep and recuperate first. And so I ended up falling asleep in the unfamiliar bed. * * * * * * * * * * Kayan went down the hill as he left the mansion. Its dark outside, so be careful on your way down the hill. Youre at that age where your vision fades. He smirked. How long had it been since he wasst treated like an old man? Not too far away, Kayan could see the city under the cloudy night sky. He would find his next collection target there. However, before he even reached the walls of the city, Kayan stopped moving. ... Kayans eyes soonnded on the forest covered in darkness. The moon was covered by clouds tonight, and the dark forest over the hill looked as dark as a monsters jaws. ...! Kayan looked at the darkness with a calm expression, but it soon morphed into one of fear. He hesitated before slowly saying, ...Family Head? ... The person within the darkness didnt answer, but Kayan was certain his intuition was right. For what reason are you...? A mission. A mission for the Lord of Blood and Iron... A special mission given by the Imperial House. Kayan held his breath. It wasnt something he could dare ask about. While Kayan was regretting asking the question, the dry voice asked him, What about you? ...It was a collection. I see. Did it go well? Kayan hesitated for a second before answering, I was unable toplete the collection. What do you mean? I held off on the collection. I am nning on giving a formal report to the Council of Elders after I finish my next collection. You held off on a collection? Was this your personal decision? Yes. A moment of silence passed before the voice spoke again. You wont need to report to the council. Tell me, what happened? This was tant disrespect for the systematic report structure, but these were the words of the family head, the Lord of Blood and Iron himself. In House Bednicker, the words of the Lord of Blood and Iron werew and truth. Kayan lowered his head. The collection this time was in regards to Young Master Luan, one of your blood. Luan. Yes. Your youngest son, Family Head. ... The Council of Eldersmanded me to retrieve the houses sword art that Young Master Luan learned. They deemed it punishment enough to just cut the tendons in his right arm The point. Young Master Luan has created a personal martial art. ... The level ofpletion was significant enough that I decided to defer the collection. Any details? If the martial art bespleted without much trouble, it will bring you great joy, Family Head. The Lord of Blood and Iron did not immediately respond. A long moment passed before his faint voice could be heard once more. That is unexpected. Yes. Is there anything else you want to say? Hmm. I was nning on telling you this after returning to the main house... Say it. Could you allow me to retire? A sharp wind passed by, and the ruffling of leaves was heard. ... The conversation faded into a new silence, longer than the one before. Did the elders of the house tell you some nonsense again? No. Then why? You were the one who said you could easily do this work for another 30 years. Hearing the family heads words, a light smile appeared on Kayans face. Its just that I now have something I wish to see in my old age. Hm. There was a small pause, but an answer was given not long after. Ill respect it, my old friend. Ill tell the Council of Elders. Thank you. Ive kept you here for too long. You may go now. Yes. While bowing his head, Kayan said goodbye, and then he headed toward Favizo. After his silhouette disappeared under the hill... Shwoo... The clouds parted and the form of the Lord of Blood and Iron was revealed in the forest, his red eyes gazing up at the mansion atop the hill. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 I woke up the next day to an awkward smell piercing my nose. What is this scent? A rose? I looked around with my half-open eyes and quickly discovered the origin of the scent. Atop the table next to the bed, there was a vase with a bright red rose in it. Luan Bednicker and the smell of roses. There might not be a bigger mismatch. So stupid, I muttered. Of course, the rose wasnt meaningless. One of the symbols of House Bednicker was a rose. In fact, the outer walls of the main house were covered in rose bushes. Ehm... I stumbled a little as I sat up. It got a bit chilly as I left the warmth of my nket. I couldnt remember properly if this was at the end of fall or the beginning of winter, but it was somewhere around there. The room was still a bit cold. Seeing how I was still tired, it seemed I hadnt slept for the entire day. ...Is it still early in the morning? That was the feeling I got. The period when, even though I wanted to sleep more, my body was waking up out of habit. A weird time when, although I was a bit tired, it would be hard to fall back to sleep. Doing so would only be a waste of time anyway, so I got up out of bed. But then my entire body, from my head to my toes, screamed in pain. Urgh. Why were my muscles so sore? I probably forced myself too much yesterday. This body truly could only make me sigh in disappointment. But I could bear with it, so I waddled up to the mirror. It was a historical moment, my first good look at myself since my return... But a dead fish was staring back at me in the mirror. Of course, the dead fish was me. This is worse than I thought. I had tinum blonde hair and pale skin, so I looked pretty weak to start with, but since I was also skin and bones on top of that, I practically looked like a patient. I was honestly surprised Id even been able to use the White Sun Form with such a thin body. I needed to deal with this body somehow, but it wasnt an easy problem to fix by any means. As a baseline, I didnt like eating a lot, and my constitution didnt allow me to gain weight easily. On top of that, I was also stupidly picky with my food. Somehow, I knew how to act like a food critic, so Id ended up bing sensitive to the smell of the raw ingredients and the texture of the dish. Food was the one thing Id never been able to let go. Even after getting beaten up by Master all day and having my bones broken, I would still spend time cooking. A sensitive pte was one of the most noble traits one could have in high society... But for the path I needed to walk in the future, it was but a stumbling block, a talent that met the wrong master. Hungry. Thinking about food made my stomach growl. It was only natural, I hadnt been able to eat anything since themotion yesterday. In any case, I would once again be able to eat the food of my hometown. I guess I should go to the dining hall. It was early in the morning, but the kitchen started its work even earlier. Theyd probably give me something if I asked. I went to leave my room to fill my appetite, and also to take a look around the mansion. Creak. Ack... Someone met me at the door. It was someone I was familiar with. One of the servant girls that had been standing in my room when I woke up yesterday. She looked like an easily-scared squirrel, and I remembered that she was the one who had reacted the most when Kayan appeared. Y-young master. Have you woken up? Who are you? My name is Liza. The servant girl named Liza lowered her head. I just nodded without care. So, Liza, what are you doing here so early? I... I came to check on your condition, young master. When I saw you yesterday night, I wasnt able to see any particr symptoms with my naked eye... Are you perhaps ufortable somewhere? Other than being hungry right now, Im fine, I said. Since the topic hase up, could you get me something to eat? Ah, yes. Ill prepare your breakfast now. Right. Also, what about Mother? Liza suddenly looked a little startled. Mistress returned to the main house three weeks ago. ... Id been wondering why I hadnt seen her even when a collector came. So, that was the reason. Thinking about it now, Arzan wouldnt have been able to beat me up if my mother had been here. All right. You can go now. Yes. Liza lowered her head, came into the room... and switched the flower in the vase. Hey, that rose... Yes? ...No. Return to your work. Yes. *** Not long after, Liza returned with a simple breakfast. Perhaps my appetite hadnt returned yet, because it tasted terrible. I ate just enough to stop being hungry, then went to wash my body. I suspected I had been covered in far too many medicinal herbs, because I smelled foul. When I finished washing myself and stretching my stiff body, the day was fully bright. As the sun swept away the darkness and chill of the house, my mood returned as well. Maybe it was because of the martial art I had learned, or maybe because it was just human nature, but I really liked the day more than the night. Young master, have you awoken? Are you ufortable anywhere... ...I liked it a lot more before these guys started to approach me. I looked at the employees of this house with cold eyes. I could still clearly remember how they all ran away as soon as Kayan entered the room. Honestly, I had no intention of criticizing them for that. My personality had been pretty trash around this time, but they should at least be consistent. It hadnt been that long since they ran away like they didnt care. Now that the collector was no longer here, however, they swarmed me and spoke empty words. In any case, since I was also to me, I couldnt just beat these guys up and kick them out. I waited until their false worries ended before speaking. I got it, so leave for now. Im going to rest for a little longer. Yes. But, young master... What? How did the collection go? Cant you tell? Even though I waved my two arms in front of them, they just stood there blinking. The collection didnt proceed. Pardon? I asked him nicely and he went away. H-how could that... Thats what happened, so get out. While Im telling you nicely. They seemed to want to ask me more questions, but I forced them out of the room. As I closed the door, I didnt forget to say onest thing. No one cane in for the time being. Dont even knock. Sorry? U-understoo Boom. The room finally became silent as I closed the door. I enjoyed the peacefulness for a second before opening the window wide. Its the middle of winter, but the day is good. Strong sunlight but cold winds. I liked it. It was just the right amount of cold to awaken a drowsy mind. I smiled a bit as I sat in front of the window, facing the sun. This was the first time Id been able to be alone since returning to the past. I straightened my back and sat in the lotus position. I closed my eyes... And started to do the first thing I shouldve done upon returning to the past: practice the Strongest Technique in History. The creation of the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang. *** The Strongest Technique in History was a breathing technique. By the concept of this world, it could be called a refinement technique. The best time to practice the Strongest Technique in History was when the sun was highest in the sky. The Strongest Technique in History had its roots in the Five Elements. ording to this breathing technique, most humans could be divided into five elemental attributes. They were either wood, fire, earth, metal, or water... Whether by my masters intention or simple coincidence, all five of his disciples possessed different elemental attributes. The attribute I possessed was fire, but Master told me that it would be unbing if I only aimed to be a simple match, so I should aim to be a great existence that could swallow the sun. Anyway, the surrounding environment was very important when practicing the Strongest Technique in History, though this was probably true for all breathing techniques. Just having dense ki in the air wasnt enough, one needed to find a ce that resonated with ones attributes. To put it simply, someone with a wood attribute would be able to practice more efficiently when inside a forest. For me, it was better to focus during the day. It was most effective if I practiced when the sun was highest in the sky. In truth, the most effective ce was andmass with dense yang energy like a volcano or the historical site of a fiery cmity, although that was a little extreme. Its not like I can go to those ces in my current state anyway. So, after a few moments of meditating while sitting in the lotus position on the floor, I ended up opening my eyes with a frown. Wow, I instinctively eximed. Id been able to see that the state of my body was terrible just from looking in the mirror, but it was even worse inside. Even a six-year-old kid was probably healthier than me. It wasnt that the innate constitution I was born with was bad. Rather, after living like an idiot for so long, and maybe because I had been beaten up recently, this body was no different from a patient on their deathbed. Will I be able to recover in a month? It felt like it would take at least half a year to turn this body into something usable, especially because the outer body was a lot more important for the Strongest Technique in History than for other techniques. Ill need to cut back on my sleep... * * * * * * * * * * I focused my attention on the warm rays of the sun between the cool winds, on the warmth that I felt over my clothes. This warmth would be my foundation, the foundation for the fire-attribute branch of the Strongest Technique in History, or Strongest Fire Technique for short. I would need to absorb the heat from my skin and change it into fire ki within my body before I could use it. ... A fire that I could control as I pleased. I spent a long time sitting perfectly still just to obtain a me the size of my fingernail. If I moved even a little, all the fire ki I had umted would dissipate. For me, training this technique was like trying to maintain a candle me in the middle of a raging storm. But even though it was extremely difficult, it wasnt impossible. ... More time passed. My entire body became drenched in sweat, and the moment I felt a bead of sweat drop from the bottom of my chin... Fwoosh. A small spark of fire lit up within my inner core. Of course, it wasnt a literal fire. Rather, my internal energy now held a trace of fire ki. Fuu... I let out a deep sigh and took a short break. That light breath exuded heat like a warm breeze, and this was proof that I had seeded in taking the first step along the Strongest Fire Technique. It would get easier from here on out. I stoked the me carefully to not put it out, and as its size became bigger, I spread the fire ki out into my entire body. It spread through the many blood vessels and through the waste that had piled up within my internal organs. After easily burning the first piece of waste I encountered, I opened my mouth a little. Fshwoo. A small bit of ck smoke leaked from my mouth. It was a little disgusting because of the smell, but it couldnt be helped since this process was so important. Andpared to other breathing techniques, this oue was preferable. Normally, when practicing these techniques, the waste inside the body would be forced out through the bodys holes. What did that mean, exactly? Filth would start to flow out of all of the mouth and all of the bodys pores, and as the stench began to fill the air... Uwek... I stopped thinking about it to avoid throwing up. In truth, the Strongest Fire Technique was also the best of all the branches of the Strongest Technique in History at cleansing the body of filth. It could just burn the filth away. Of course, if ones proficiency with the technique was low, there was a risk of huge damage to the blood vessels and internal organs... but there was no way I wouldmit such a novice mistake. This is more fun than I thought. Id expected it to be quite boring since I was basically just cleaning a vessel, but it was unexpectedly enjoyable. Maybe it was because the cleaning process was much faster than when I first tried to practice the Strongest Fire Technique? It started quite slow, but the rate elerated as time went on. So this is why learning martial arts at a young age is good. I realized again just how big of an opportunity this was. A mature consciousness within an immature body. With this experienced mind, I was able to identify the problems that would hold me back and the measures I could take to improve this body... Even if I had an extremely proficient teacher, they wouldnt be able to discern these factors in my own body as sharply as I could. In the end, the only one who couldpletely understand oneself was oneself. My rate of umting internal energy will probably be multiple times faster than before. And the purity of the energy will also be multiple times clearer. If I could recover the level of martial prowess Id had when I was on Spirit Mountain but with my current body, I was certain that I would be much stronger. I was beginning to understand why Master had sent me back into the past. If I could properlyy out the foundations for a strong body, use that body to master the Strongest Fire Technique, and alsoplete the White Sun Form, then I would have a chance against Eldest Senior Brother. Of course, that didnt mean all my questions were answered. Why had Eldest Senior Brother been exiled, and why hadnt Master personally gone out to retrieve him? Why had he chosen me out of the remaining four disciples? And what did any of this have to do with sending me to the past? ...Ill think about itter. I forced myself to stop thinking about the questions that had instinctively resurfaced. The answer to all these questions would be found with Master or Eldest Senior Brother; there was no point in trying to learn the truth at this stage. It should be obvious, but my current body was far too weak to concern itself with other things. Lets get stronger first. As the words that Master used to say echoed in my mind, I focused on practicing the technique. *** I stayed in the room for a while to continue putting effort into the Strongest Fire Technique. Even as I forced myself to eat the disgusting food, I gave my all to cleaning the vessel called my body. It required a certain level of patience. I had finally returned to my homnd after being stuck on Spirit Mountain for so long, yet I was staying in my room again just to train. It was understandable that my body itched to go outside. Even so, this was a process I had to ovee. So, after spending about a week in this state, this trash body of mine finally improved somewhat. Of course, it was only an improvement. Nothing had fundamentally changed. In that time, I figured out the biggest problem facing me in this situation: my internal energy reserves were too low. Of course, since I wasparing my current self to my past self, my reserves felt even emptier, but even with that in mind, my inner core was too empty. I wish I had an elixir or something. Iughed to myself. It wasnt like mystic elixirs grew on trees... Especially in this era when the Great Houses were in fiercepetition with each other, even low-quality elixirs were hard to find. ...Should I look for one anyway? Even the lowest-grade elixir would be a boon, and Id been thinking about going outside today anyway. I wanted to scout out the area around the mansion, and if I checked the nearest citys night market, wasnt there a chance I could get lucky and find a low-grade elixir? I was decently lucky with things like that. All right. I opened the door to my room with a light heart. After taking light steps down the hallway, I walked confidently out the door of the mansion Hello, young master. or at least, I tried to. A group of knights in red armor were blocking my way. I looked at the knights with a confused expression. The first thing I noticed was that they werent the mansions knights. It wasnt like I had memorized the faces of all of the knights in the mansion; rather, I had seen that distinct set of red armor elsewhere. I am Osel of the Fang Knight Order. The Fang Knight Order. It was affiliated with House Bednicker and worked directly under the Lord of Blood and Iron. The family head has given an order to escort you back to the main house. That knight order had suddenly appeared in front of my door. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 I looked at the Fang Knight Order in its entirety. There were fewer people than Id expected. Is everyone here? Thats right. There were only five of them. Even though it might feel like I wasnt being treated like a direct descendant of the family head, this was still better than a swarm of soldiers. In any case, this was beyond my expectations. The knights of the main house had nevere for me in my previous life. This meant that my actions had created a change in the future. Did Kayan already submit his report to the main house? It had only been a week. Considering the distance between the main house and this mansion, this feat was physically impossible, but it was possible if magical transportation methods were used. Why is the main house looking for me? It is the family heads order. Order? Whats the order? Yes. I will now ry the message the family head asked me to tell you. The one standing at the very front, the knight named Osel, cleared his throat. Luan Bednicker is to visit the main house to attend the Second Blessing Ceremony before the end of this month. ... ... Is that all? Yes. I let out a dryugh. So, why is he calling me back for the Second Blessing Ceremony now? It is the order of the family head. Why? Osel looked surprised at my answer. Please excuse me, but I am just a messenger. There is no way I could know the family heads thoughts. Honestly, if I had heard this in my past life, I wouldve shouted in celebration. Depending on how I interpreted it, an order from the Lord of Blood and Iron to attend the Second Blessing Ceremony could mean that my father was giving me a final chance. Of course, no such garden of hope was blooming in my head right now. Somethings a little fishy. Had Kayans report already gone through the Council of Elders and reached the ears of the Lord of Blood and Iron? Wait, when did you say the time limit was? Before the end of this month. And whats the date today? Today is the 17th of December. Theres not even two weeks left. From this mansion situated at the edge of The Empire to the main house... Even if I took a coach, two weeks was quite the tight deadline. I just stared at the knights. I considered whether they might be lying to make fun of me. We wont bete if we go through the mountain range, said Osel. The mountains? The Gem Mountains, to be precise. I felt like Id heard about them somewhere before. We came here through the Gem Mountains to survey the area on the way, and it took about a week. Now I realized why the group was so small. Theyd been nning on taking me through the mountains to begin with. Arge group would only be cumbersome when climbing mountains instead of going across the fields. ...Since its the order of the family head, I dont really have a choice. Themand of the family head of House Bednicker was absolute. It wouldnt be a stretch to say his word wasw. Although the tone suggested that I might have a choice, if I were to refuse, waves of collectors woulde after me, not just to slice my tendons but to end my life. In all honesty, I didnt really like getting forcibly pulled away, but going to the main house wasnt bad for me at all. The main house of House Bednicker contained the Council of Elders and the family head. If I showed them the White Sun Form or negotiated with them through other methods, I wouldnt need to fear interruptions from the house any time soon. Of course, my siblings from the main house would take the opportunity toe and insult me, but that didnt bother me much. I could ignore most of them, and if they crossed the line, I could crush them. After finalizing my decision, I nodded at the knights. All right. Lets go now. Today is a littlete, so lets head out early tomorrow morning. The sun was still high up in the sky... but it could be that the sun would be setting when we arrived at those Gem Mountains or whatever. Really? Well then, we have guest rooms, so you can stay in the mansio Thank you for your words, but we have already booked lodgings for the meantime. I see. I just nodded as I looked at Osel again. His smile was annoying me. As I looked at his face, I couldnt help but say something. Did you say youre Osel? Yes. Since this was our first meeting, and since he wasnt directly under me, I decided to let him off with a light warning. Dont cut me off when Im speaking. Osel maintained his smile as he lowered his head a little. I will keep that in mind. * * * * * * * * * * After the knights left, I began my own preparations. Although I didnt have any luggage I needed to pack, I still needed to prepare enough to survive a week inside the mountains. First, I ordered the servants to pack clothes that would protect me and make it easier for me to move around. My sleeping bag was packed as well. The servants all looked a little surprised, but no one said anything. They still seemed to be wary of interacting with me. I was a little sorry, but it was easier for me since I didnt need to exin or justify any of my actions. What do I do about food? It might be obvious, but it was impossible to pack a weeks worth of food inside my bag. Even if I could, it would go bad during the trip. Of course, I didnt think the knights would make me starve, but it wasn''t bad to pack something just in case. Since we were heading into the mountains, if push came to shove, I could just run about and gather things to eat myself. Id thought that maybe I would have enough space to pack simple cooking utensils and seasoning, but that proved to be false. I looked at my bag packed to the brim. I should go check the mansions safe, I muttered to myself. I had gone through the safe in my previous life before I left, and there had been a few useful artifacts back then. A bag enchanted with expansion magic, a wristwatch more useful than apass, and a sword that could change its shape and size at will and usually took the form of a ring... were these the only useful items I could take for this trip to the main house? I returned to my room and started to shove everything into the enchanted bag. Since it wasnt an extraordinary magic item, I couldnt fit too much more than a normal bag. At most, I think it was about three to four times the size? But while I had more storage space, the enchanted bag did nothing to help with the weight. After putting all of my things into the bag, I tried lifting it. It was a bit heavy, but it wasnt to the point that I wouldnt be able to move. Rather, I felt that climbing through the mountains with this on would be a decent way to train. ...It reminds me of Spirit Mountain. There had been a training course that ended only after climbing to the top of Spirit Mountain. Id needed to climb while dragging a chunk of iron the size of a house. Although there hadnt been a time limit, the paths had had so many monsters that Id nearly died more than ten times. After finally reaching the peak, Master had thrown me a huge peach. That thing had tasted heavenly. It wasnt just because Id eaten it after suffering for so long, it was just that good. It was probably the tastiest fruit Id ever had in my life. Later, Id heard from Eldest Senior Brother that it was apparently some great mystic elixir. Mystic elixir... Thoughts of elixirs filled my mind again. Normally, practice was the safest and most surefire way to umte internal energy. Inparison, inheriting the internal energy of another person, taking internal energy by force, and consuming mystic elixirs all had various degrees of risk. But that wasnt true for me right now. Even if I were to consume an elixir, there was no chance that I would suffer side effects or fail to digest it properly. This was a path I had already walked down. I had already gone through the process of obtaining internal energy, learning external arts, and developing techniques I had learned and improving them. I had experienced quite a lot of things. No, wait. As the words mystic elixir and Gem Mountains crossed my mind together, a memory that had been buried resurfaced. Was it... the extreme fire herb? Just as the name suggested, it exuded extreme yang energy, and I had once heard that when it was observed by human eyes, it would stop growing, meaning extreme fire herbs had the easiest time growing in deep pockets of nature far from human sight... The Gem Mountains. I did think that name sounded familiar... I had heard that the biggest extreme fire herb was probably there. The reason for the uncertainty in that sentence was that Id never heard of anyone actually seeing the extreme fire herb for themself. It might be odd, but the reason the extreme fire herb had be famous in the Gem Mountains was because of an insane criminal. Fire Demon. They were an arsonist who would cause fear all over The Empire in a few years, a lunatic who burned down around fifteen towns in only a year, and the number of victims was close to ten thousand. In any case, they ended up getting caught by a knight order while trying to n an arson attack on a major city. However, the truth that was revealed after investigating their actions... was that he actually had the appearance of an ordinary young man. He was a magician that used to be a part of the Red Tower. None of the people close to him said that theyd felt like he was dangerous before he started doing this. Due to the scale of the damages, the investigation and interrogations were thorough, and the reason this ordinary magician became the Fire Demon came to light. It was because of the extreme fire herb. The line between poison and medicine was razor-thin. Too much medicine could be poison, and a well-rangled poison could be medicine. The magician who consumed the extreme fire herb hadnt been able to properly absorb the mystic elixir and had thus be the Fire Demon. ...I dont remember anything that could be of use. Of course, the extreme fire herb was the elixir I needed the most right now. I would be able to absorb the herb that made an ordinary magician go insane. But so what? Even though I knew the extreme fire herb was in the mountains, the search area was far too wide. Searching just one mountain would take at least a few weeks, but I might have to look through the entire mountain range! It would be impossible unless I was extremely lucky. I paused and realized that I had mostly finished packing up while thinking about such useless things. Knock knock. I heard a knock on the door, which I responded to without turning around. Come in. Yes. Only after hearing that formal voice did I stop and turn my head. An unexpected person was standing there. Please excuse me, young master. ... Red hair and a full suit. Standing there with a straight back and a stern, unchanging face. Unlike the knights I had seen before, this was someone I already knew. No, knowing didnt do it justice. This was the woman who, in my past life, had made me shiver in my boots at the mere mention of her name. This was a source of fear. Butler Arzan. She was the one who had beaten up this body right before my regression. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Without a doubt, the person I had been most afraid of in my previous life was my father, the Lord of Blood and Iron. Of course, I had not held even a few conversations with the man. No, even the number of times Id seen him could be counted on one hand. Though I possessed the Bednicker family name and had lived off the wealth of the house, the influence of the Lord of Blood and Iron had still been an invisible crushing force that restricted me. However, the fear I held toward the Lord of Blood and Iron was an uncertain thingthat fear had never been proven correct. In contrast, the fear I felt at Arzan standing before me was very certain. In my previous life, just seeing her face had been enough to make me tremble in fear, so Id tried to evade her as much as possible. Of course, there was more to my fear of her than just the violence Id endured. Shes still the same as I remember. Her eyes were especially cold. When shed been beating me up like a machine, shed had the same emotionless expression she was wearing right now. She hadnt listened to my words, and since shed just been swinging her fists at me even as I apologized, of course Id been afraid of her when I was young. Honestly, Id been a little curious: what would I feel when I saw her again in this life? The body and soul were intertwined, and fear engraved in ones body was difficult to remove. Unexpectedly, I now had the opportunity to resolve that curiosity. Hello, I said. As expected, I didnt feel anything. For thest ten years, I had been beaten up over a thousand times more, and by someone a hundred times scarier than Arzan. At this moment, I also realized something that wasnt particrly important right now: never again would I grovel at someones feet because of their violence. Yes, young master. Its been a while. Whats with the sudden visit? I apologize. Arzan bowed at a right angle at her waist. I intended to take another week of self-reflection, but I overheard something from one of the servants that I couldnt ignore. You overheard something? I heard that the Fang Knight Order hase here. And that they are going to take you to the main house. I nodded. Thats right. I still felt that something was off, though. It was surprising to me that even though it happened only recently, Arzan had already heard about it. And I dont think shed sneakily try to eavesdrop on other people... It seemed that there were a few individuals within this mansion acting as Arzans eyes and ears. Of course, it was possible that the servants went and told her without having been instructed to do so, but if she really did have people working under her, she might be a much slyer character than Id previously thought. ...Although it is good that the young master is going back to the main house, I heard that the process would take you through the mountain range. Thats what the knights said. Hearing that, Arzan became quiet. It seemed like she was holding back from letting out a sigh, but she also seemed like she was looking at a young master who didnt know of the dangers of the world. Young master, do you know what kind of ce the Gem Mountains are? Theyre the biggest mountain range in The Empire. Do you know anything else? The name is a bit odd? Maybe theres a mine there. Although I had lived as a mercenary in my previous life, I didnt know much about The Empires geography. I hadnt been active in this area. Back then, just hearing the Bednicker name had been painful, so Id tried to work in the other areas of The Empire that were furthest from that name. Its one of the Four Forbidden Areas of The Empire, said Arzan. Do you perhaps know what a forbidden area is? Even I knew that, but I chose to remain quiet. As expected, Arzan continued with her exnation. Even though thend is part of The Empire, all attempts to conquer it have failed. ... Although The Empire has sent multiple subjugation squads to the area, none of them found sess. In the end, they gave up on conquering the area and decided that it would be deemed forbidden to enter, so it became a forbidden area. Haha. ... ... Idughed thinking she was making a joke, but I was only met with awkward silence. I stopped smiling and got back to the topic. I heard that the knights made their way here through the mountains, and they didnt make it sound like it was that dangerous. They only passed through the mountains once. Arzan stretched out her thumb. Statistically, the number one means nothing. ...She wasnt wrong. Listening to her talk, it seemed like the Gem Mountains really were much more dangerous than Id initially expected. However, there was one thing Arzan didnt know. Still, I need to go. Do you want to go back to the main house that badly? Thats not the problem. This is an order from the family head. For the first time, Arzans calm expression turned to one of surprise. As a butler who worked in the main house, shouldnt you know this better than me? This isnt something I can refuse. ...I see. I understand. She epted that rather quickly. Perhaps I was the one whod been unreasonable in our conversation, not Arzan. As I thought that, Arzan looked at me and said something quite shocking. If thats the case, I will go with you. * * * * * * * * * * The next day. Even before the sun rose over the horizon, the Fang Knight Order came to find me at the mansion again. They looked at me standing in front of the mansion, then turned to look at Arzan standing next to me. And who is this? Butler Arzan. Shes the pride of our mansion. Due to some circumstances, shell be traveling with us. Hmm... Two of the five knights that had gathered here looked at Arzan in a daze. As part of their job, they shouldve seen quite a few youngdies of noble houses, but it seemed she was still a striking beauty to them. However, Osels brow narrowed. We are not going somewhere an ordinary butler can join us... I instinctively raised my head, feeling that something was wrong. I slowly looked toward his face, but he didnt shy away and looked straight at me. As we exchanged stares, Arzan began to speak. I can look out for my But I cut her off. Are you telling me to cross the mountains without a single servant? I frowned deeply as I said, I dont think I can do that. Of course, if one of you knights acts as my hands and feet for the entire trip, then Ill think about it. Iughed like an idiot, and the expression on the knights faces hardened. A few of the knights even looked at Arzan with pitiful expressions. ...Understood. However, if a situation does ur, do know that the only person we can protect is you, young master. Dont state the obvious. Between a regr butler and me, the son of the Lord of Blood and Iron, it is obvious who you should protect first. Arzans expression probably hardened as I said this, but rather than nce at her, I continued to slowly observe Osels face, as if to taunt him into saying what he was thinking. However, just like before, he just raised the edges of his mouth a little. ...Then shall we go? *** The Gem Mountains are southeast of The Empires capital, Arzan exined. The average altitude is 3,000 meters, so theyre not the tallest in The Empire, but the dangers here are unrted to their height. ... The reason is the monsters that live in the mountain range. Young master, please wake up. I swallowed the spit that had pooled in my mouth. ...Im not sleeping. After looking at me for another second, Arzan continued her exnation, and I looked out the window as I pretended to listen to her. It was still peaceful, though this was because wed spent most of the day traveling. On the day wed set off, we visited the closest town to the mansion. From there, we hired a carriage heading toward the Gem Mountains, and I spent the entire day sleeping. Of course, Osel paid for our expenses. When the day became brighter, we set off again... and if what Osel had said was correct, we would reach the mountain range by afternoon. Its faster than I expected. Was the mountain range always this close to the mansion? I asked. Arzan answered, Its because the mountain range is quite big. From the capital, any southeastern route will lead to these mountains. Hm. They say that every time someone tries to explore the Gem Mountains, new nts and animals are discovered. Its the reason some schrs say that the mountains truly are a gem. Because of the conditions in the mountains, there is a very high chance that mutants appear. To start with, in the outskirts of the mountains... As she continued to speak, I felt my eyes growing heavier. Before I started to fall asleep again, I took the initiative. Butler. Yes. You can stop the detailed exnations, so get to the point. The point? Arzans expression clearly stated, Isnt that what Im doing? So those hundreds of words shed said so seriously had been the entire point? First of all, why is it called the Gem Mountains? Is there a mine there? I was pretty sure Id asked a simr question when we first set off, but I hadnt heard an answer back then. ... Arzan just blinked at me. It looked as if she hadnt expected me to ask such a simple question. Even so, befitting her aloof and calm nature, she schooled her expression. There are monsters within the mountains that you must not encounter. Monsters? Yes. They are especially dangerous organisms even among mutants. They are known by a few names, but the mostmon... Arzan deepened her voice and said, is gem beasts. ...Then should we be heading into a ce crawling with such dangerous entities? That is why I am going with you: to ensure your protection, young master, Arzan said, her voice calm. Of course, Ive heard that the chance one encounters a gem beast in the mountain range is like getting hit by a bolt from the blue. From what Sir Osel has said, we wont be going that deep into the mountain range, so the chance is even lower. ...A bolt from the blue, I mumbled to myself as I looked out the window. So its not that unlikely. As I said that, we crossed over a hill. In the distance, I was able to see the huge shadow of the mountain range. Two days after leaving the mansion, we entered the Gem Mountains. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Getting rolled around like a dog for a year is better than isting oneself and training for ten years. That was one of the phrases that my master, the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang, often said. It simply meant that there could be no growth without hardship. Of course, Master also said that hardship wasnt a simple obstacle in ones life but rather a situation that could be used to motivate oneself. What do you mean? Of course, the attitude of the one listening is much more important than the one who is teaching. Even if you receive the greatest advice in the world, whats the point if you let it go in one ear and out the other? Youre off topic again... Master, who wouldve normally struck me over the head at this point, instead gave a slight smile. People can be whatever they want to be if they put their mind to it. Talent is secondary. ... A clear goal. Unshaking determination. Just because one wants something doesnt mean they can obtain it. In the same way that someone who loses their family doesnt instantly be a spirit of vengeance, failure and despair do not always be stepping stones for sess. I have seen the highs and lows of humanity during my stay here, but a persons fate is not the ce for calctions. Although I didnt fully understand my masters words, I still epted a few points. I was living proof, after all. I am sometimes envious of the weak, for they do not have to seek out hardship. ... However, youngest, do not hurry. Enjoy the time you are weak. Master seemed to want to end the conversation here, but I had more questions I wanted to ask. The words Master had just said clearly came from his own experiences. It was advice one couldnt give unless they had experienced and realized it themself. Then, has Master also suffered through such hardships? At my question, Master smiled and began to talk about his past. And I was surprised. The Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang, my master... He had started as a ve. *** The Gem Mountains. One of the Four Forbidden Areas of The Empire. As they stepped into this danger-ridden area, Arzan Winter suddenly had a thought. Why am I here? Is it because of my masters orders? That was probably the most significant reason. The master of the mansion, Lucia Bednicker, had told her to keep Luan Bednicker safe. Lucia was someone worthy of her respect. Of course, Lucias public perception wasnt good. Although she was one of the Lord of Blood and Irons many wives, she practically held no influence within House Bednicker... And although she was of a royal bloodline from a fallen nation, she was treated like a fallen noble from the outskirts. Unlike the other wives, she couldnt receive any support from her own family. As a baseline, one needed great offspring to exercise influence within House Bednicker, but Lucias one and only son was talentless and was looked down upon by not just House Bednicker but by the Great Houses as a whole. House Bednicker, called the Two Wings of The Empire, was the house with the best reputation among the Great Houses. Arzan couldnt dare to imagine the mockery Lucia had surely endured. But even so, Lucia had never faltered. Even while wearing worn-out clothes like a servant girl, her actions still held ss, and she always minded her manners even while filling her te with bread and soup. In some sense, Arzan might have felt a sense of kinship with her. Even though they were in simr situations, Lucia hadnt given up. For this reason, she had held a sense of interest and expectation for Lucias one and only son. But that all came crashing down the moment she met him. W-wait...! Arzan stopped moving. The knights walking a little ways ahead looked back with an expression that said, Again? Luan Bednicker was sweating profusely from head to toe. Lets, huak, take a rest... Understood, Osel said in a displeased tone. A momentter, Luan fell to the dirt floor. Huep, huah...! He was still of the Bednicker blood, but why was it? Why, from this boy, could neither his fathers dignity nor his mothers ss be seen? At least he looked like them. ...Well, even that couldnt be seen in a good light as he dropped to the floor and spread his limbs. The knights all said a few words as they looked at Luan struggling like an old man. Were going slower than expected. At this rate, we might not get there within the given time. Its truly infuriating. Is that thing really the family heads... Although it could be said that they were mumbling, they werent really that quiet. Arzan looked at Luan, but it seemed he didnt hear them, given his expression didnt change. Young master, are you okay? Yeah. I think Ill be fine after I rest for a bit. Although it sounded like he was lying, it had proven true. Oddly enough, even though he would pant like he was about to die, he always recovered very quickly and then hastened his steps. Maybe because he didnt want to cause trouble for others, or maybe because he had his own sense of pride... only Luan could say. But Arzan was quite proud of Luan because she knew just how terrible this foolish young masters stamina was. His body had been dulled after living azy and useless life for thest year. Just running had to be difficult, but he was climbing a mountain at the speed of the knights. Although he had to take the asional break like this, Luan was acting much more tenaciously than she had expected. Of course, not knowing these facts, the knights only looked at Luan with disgust. Why did he suddenly change? As the butler of the mansion and Luans teacher, Arzan had tried everything she could to fix this immature young master. Most of that effort had produced no results, and she had even ended upmitting a crime that a servant must nevermit. That had been two weeks ago. From what shed heard, Luan had changed about a week ago, meaning it was right after he woke up after falling unconscious. ...Maybe my education finally showed results. Arzan thought that might be the case, but she also felt a little uneasy. Though she was making a fuss about it, as an educator, she felt a sense of aplishment at seeing tangible results. Fuu... Done. Shall we go? While shed been thinking that, Luan had gotten up. Although his sweat hadnt even dried, it looked like he had recovered a bit of strength. Or maybe he was just acting tough. As a servant of the mansion, Arzan couldnt ignore that possibility. Young master, you can rest for a little longer. Hmm? That wont do. What if we dont arrive in time? So he had heard them... Its fine. If it reallyes to that, I will take you myself. Take me? I will carry you on my back. Thats a bit... Luan hesitated. He seemed to hate the proposition. Lets just keep going for now. I dont think Ill need to rest before lunch now. Truly? Surprisingly, it was Osel who said this, not Arzan. Of course. Im getting used to walking through the mountains now. Osel smirked, and the rest of the knights also showed varying reactions of ridicule. Arzan didnt need to worry if he could hear them or not this time. They were all butughing directly in his face. Even so, Luan showed no change in his emotions, and Arzan felt a sense of incongruity at this. The Luan she knew had no such resistance to mockery. Then well go to the next destination without rest, so if he cant move anymore, youll have to pick up his ck, butler. Understood. * * * * * * * * * * How much time remained before lunch? Pulling out her watch from her pocket, she checked and found that lunch was approximately two hours away. This will be difficult. Even if Luan pushed himself, an hour would be his limit. His body wouldnt be able to handle anything more than that. Arzan contemted this issue deeply. She thought about how she could execute this order without damaging Luans feelings. Since he didnt like getting carried, what if she supported him from the side? What if she spoke more forcefully to him? She wished she had learned a bit of magic, for situations like this... However, in the end, these worries proved unnecessary. The first to realize this was Arzan. It was natural since she was the one who continued to look at her weak young master who might fall over at any moment. Luan was panting just like before. Huak, huah... An unnatural amount of steam wasing off his body, and his face looked like he might just copse. Just a little longer. Arzan had nned to intervene when Luan reached his limit and stumbled or fell over. Even he wouldnt mind her helping him right before his face hit the dirt. Oddly, though... Luan didnt fall over. In this dangerous state where it wouldnt be strange for him to copse, Luan continued to walk. He might fall over at any moment. He should be at his limit. ...An hour had already passed since she had first thought that. As if her preparing to reach out with her hand to help him had been unneeded, Luan didnt stop. The knights also began to feel that something was off. They had expected him to have already started to rely on Arzan, and so they looked at each other with surprise when they saw him still walking on his own. Young master, are you okay? Arzan asked again. Luan didnt seem to have the strength to answer because he just lightly nodded. Arzan nearly said, Please tell me if you are tired, but she closed her mouth instead. She felt that he would take it as an insult if she did say that. In any case, since Luan was no longer baggage, the group continued swiftly. For the first time in a while, they were able to pick up their pace. Despite maintaining a steady pace in their travels, they stopped before the lunch break, before the two hours had passed. The terrain had changed. Looking at the surroundings, Arzan said, a little flustered, Is this the only path? Yes. It was a cliff face. The path was exceedingly narrow, and below them was a direct fall to their deaths. Arzan instinctively turned back and met Luans eyes. Luan was still panting, but he gave a quick gesture with his chin. What are you doing? Lets go. Will you be all right? Of course. Ive run down this path a thousand times. That was a refreshingly typical lie. He hadnt told one in a while. Arzan didnt say anything. There was nothing she could do here. Only the knights knew this path. Their formation changed. Rather than Luan being at the very end, two knights were stationed behind him. Just in case the worst-case scenario urred. The moment the knights took their first step onto the path, bits of rubble fell down. Crumble... This is pretty high. The knights turned to look at Luan. Please be careful, young master. A misstep wont end with one or two broken bones. Arzan couldnt tell if they were really worried about him or just making fun of him again. She hadnt had an eye for these things since long ago. Regardless, Luans expression didnt suggest he took it as mockery. Arzan let out a sigh as she continued to walk. ...At that moment, she heard the sound of something crumbling. She quickly turned around to look, but all she saw was Luan falling down the cliff. It happened before she could even react. Young master! She was a step toote. That was all Arzan could think even as she reached out with her hand. At that moment, Luans hand unexpectedly reached out at lightning speed. Clench! His hand grabbed a boulder that was jutting out of the cliff face. He was holding on. Are you okay? I will Stop! Itll copse! At Osels words, Arzan pulled her hand back. She could see that there was a crack in the stone. If she tried to help and made a mistake, they would both fall. But... Although the cliff was very high, if she could cover Luan as they fell, they wouldnt die. Injury would be unavoidable, though. I told you to stop, Osel warned her again, his voice low. Do you wish to kill us all? You say too much. It is very high, but its not high enough that we will die if we fall. Of course, but we wont be able to avoid injury. I dont know about you, but the area below this is dangerous. We dont know if there is a path back up here either. Then are you supposing we leave young master here to die? Its fine, butler. That was Luans voice. His sweat-drenched body was shaking as he held on to the rock. He looked like he would fall below the cliff at any moment. Ill get up by myself, so get ready to run. Pardon? A momentter, Luans body shot upward. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 In this kind of environment, the biggest problem was what to do once I was in the air. I had to find the right ce tond. For that reason, I had picked anding spot while I was still hanging on to the boulder. After rising into the air, I made sure tond on the spot I had picked out and immediately began running. The path on the cliff shook from my impact and began to crumble. Rumble...! This path had clearly been unstable from the start. Its copsing! Only now did they realize what my previous shout had meant, and they began to run after me. R-run! I didnt even need to turn around. I could feel the path starting to crumble under us. It wasnt andslide, but the scale wasnt small either. If anyone was swept up in it, we wouldnt even be able to find their bones. I could feel them really close behind me. They seemed to be quite frustrated. Cant you run a bit faster?! No. This is my max speed. Keuk... Seeing these knights get so flustered made me feel pretty good. Even though I was panting, I couldnt help but let out augh as I ran. Behind me, the knights and Arzan quickly followed. Like this, we continued to run for our lives until we were off the cliff path. *** The various attributes of the Strongest Technique in History each had their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Eldest Senior Brothers Burgeoning Forest Technique was a very simple martial art. Its specialty was its directness; just like a huge tree that shoots upward, it was strongest when it could ignore all the small branches and focus on one thing. But that was only one type of technique. The Dark Steel Demon Prohibition Technique that Second Senior Brother had learned and the Thousand-Faced Indestructible Technique that Fourth Senior Brother had learned each had their own specialties as well. So what was the greatest strength of my Strongest Fire Technique? It was my recovery. One could ask what fire had to do with recovery, but I had heard before that fire represented the revival of ones soul... or something like that. In any case, just by learning this technique, my regeneration speed had increased greatly, and this regeneration didnt just apply to healing wounds. It showed the greatest effect during physical training: because it amplified my metabolism, my exhausted muscles rapidly recovered, meaning the time it would take me to train this body was greatly reduced. That was why I was climbing the mountain without using internal energy. Of course, it wasnt without drawbacks. Firstly, the pain that my body had to endure was beyond imagination. It was honestly better while moving; every time I stopped to rest, a side effect of the rapid regeneration was that my entire body felt like it was being ripped apart. Secondly, my food consumption was increased. I scratched my head as I thrust my te toward Osel. Another one. ...I believe you have eaten enough. Im in a growth period, so I need to eat a lot. We need to conserve our food supplies. Why? If we run out, we can just hunt wild animals. Hearing that, Osel let out a sigh. ...Young master, we are knights, not hunters. And do you think hunting wild animals is that easy? In a way, it is much harder than killing monsters. ... Although I didnt like his tone, he wasnt wrong. It wasnt an easy task to hunt mountain beasts at all. Also, this mountain was riddled with monsters. The animals that lived here were probably much more observant and sensitive than normal beasts. I guess Ill have to pick some fruit or something if it gets to that point. But that was a bit... For recovering energy, meat was perfect. But given Osels reaction, I didnt think I would be able to easily get more food from him. I held on to my regret as I chewed on a piece of jerky. Also, you said that there would be monsters around the entrance as well, but its quieter than I expected. Arzan, who was standing next to me, nodded in agreement. Thats true. We might be able to finish this entire trip without seeing a single one. Ah. If you say that Roar! Suddenly, out of the brush, a monster appeared in front of us. * * * * * * * * * * The obstacle one encountered most while living as a mercenary was not humans but monsters. Of course, as someone who had lived as a mercenary for a few years, I had fought a lot of monsters. The one in front of me right now was among them. With an unintelligent-looking face and primitive clothes, this monster, known for its regeneration, was considered somewhat high-ranking among green skins. A troll. In all, five trolls appeared before us, and as I came face to face with these monsters, I realized why the Gem Mountains were a forbidden area. These things are huge. The word normally generally shouldnt be used to describe monsters, but at least for trolls, they normally" didnt exceed three meters in height. These trolls looked at least 50 percent bigger than the ones I knew. Now, 50 percent might not seem like much, but if trolls were normally three meters, that meant these were four or five meters in height. There were monsters the size of houses running around. Prepare for battle! Osel loudly shouted, and the knights took their formation. Maybe because they sensed our battle spirit as well, the trolls decided to charge toward us. Roar! I want to fight against one of them as well. Even though my body was thoroughly exhausted, I could still take at least one of them. My body was itching because I wanted to use the White Sun Form, but I figured neither the knights nor Arzan would allow me to fight, so I decided to just enjoy the fight as a spectator. This was an opportunity to see the famed Fang Knight Order in action. Blue energy surrounded the knights swords. Fschwoo! That was a mana de. Anyone who called themselves a knight could use it. However, the intensity of the blue me that flickered around the de showed their level. The me grew more transparent the denser the mana was. Make fewer unnecessary attacks! Well finish this in one strike! I was a little surprised by Osels order. It was quite difficult to kill a troll in one strike. Of course, as a high-ranking monster, their leather was thick, and their bones were dense as well. Their regeneration made it all the more tricky. However, difficult didnt mean impossible. Just like any other living organism, even a troll would die if an attack struck its brain or heart. Osels order was difficult but precise. But... Despite his precise order, I noticed a weakness in the knights formation. Maybe they hadnt noticed due to the intensity of the battle? Suddenly, a troll pushed through that weak point and broke the formation. Oh no! Be careful! As the knights shouted in embarrassment, I saw the troll running at me while roaring. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something swiftly move forward. sh! I saw a sh of steel, and the troll stopped moving. Although its outward appearance showed no change, I could see a small hole had appeared in its throat. Grrk... The gurgling of blood could be heard. Looking to my side, I could see Arzan holding a very thin dagger. Butler, youre pretty good? I am not deserving of such praise. I wasnt being sarcastic, I was genuinely impressed, but I ended up needing to say something as I saw her put her dagger back. But it looks like your experience onlyes from sparring. Pardon? A troll wont die from just that. Roaaaar! As the troll got up and charged toward us again, I spun the ring on my middle finger. It was the artifact I had brought from the mansion, the Ring Sword. As dim light surrounded the ring, it quickly changed into a clean sword. I took a big step forward and stabbed the sword into the hole in the trolls neck, into the wound created by Arzan. Blood flowed out of the trolls neck once more. Its eyes became bloodshot as it stared me down before blood started to pour out of them as well. But since it had been attacked in a critical spot two times in a row, there was no way it could hold on. The troll fell to the ground. Boom! One shouldnt becent when facing a troll. There was the possibility that it could be a mutant, so I stabbed it in its weak point several more times, ending the fight for sure. As I was cleaning off the blood that had sshed on my face, the knights finished up their battle. Btedly, Osel ran toward me. Young master? He looked genuinely worried and rushed. Ah. I remembered what had happened on the cliff path before this fight. The path had copsed suddenly. Even though I had been tired, it wasnt to the point that I would lose my footing. It wasnt odd that Arzan hadnt been able to catch me, but what about the knights behind me? They wouldve seen me stumble, and they hadnt been that far away from me either. If theyd wanted to, they probably couldve grabbed me before I fell. Of course, I hadnt been certain, so Id held on to the thought because I couldve been wrong. However, something simr had happened again: the weakness in the knights formation. Compared to the knights rapid response, the opening had been too obvious. As Id stated before, I had an annoying habit: I always expected the worst. At this moment, a seed of doubt sprouted as a face appeared in my mind. Fourth Senior Brother was a master of dirty tricks, ns, schemes, all sorts of underhanded things... including psychological warfare. I remembered a phrase that Fourth Senior Brother had said a lot: Smile for your friends, and smile more for your enemies. Osel finally reached me. Are you okay? he asked, sounding shocked. Following my senior brothers advice, I smiled. Im fine. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 After that first troll encounter, the monster party officially started. We encountered monsters, fought them, continued onward, encountered more monsters, fought them as well, continued further onward... Many different types of monsters appeared. In addition to those green skins, we also saw weird beings that were more like chimeras than mutant beasts or abominations. Everything was hectic because we had to change our approach with each new monster, but the real problem wasnt the amount of monsters we were facing. The problem was that I couldnt even fight them, I had to just spectate like a fly on the wall instead. Thebats looked fierce, but being forced to just stand and watch made me itch for battle. But I held myself back. Since the knights seemed to be getting suspicious of me, prioritizing my safety was the right call. Eventually, after continuously killing monster after monster, the sky began to darken. Before the sun could fully set, we started preparing to camp for the night. In a wild mountain like this one, it would take some time to find a good ce. Thankfully, we were able to find a decent-sized clearing before it becamepletely dark, and we took it as our campsite. Osel gathered a few dried branches from the forest and used them to quickly create a campfire. I didnt ask why a knight like him was so proficient in camping in the wilds... Instead, I became confused by what he was doing right now. Were going to have smoke. Will that be okay? Most of the monsters in these early sections of the mountains are diurnal, so we should be fine. But youre still saying theres a chance. There is nothing more foolish than beingpletely sure about something in the Gem Mountains, Osel said. There are a few nocturnal monsters as well, but you wont have to worry about them. Why? Because well die the moment we encounter one. ...Was he trying to scare me? I couldnt tell. We will keep watch for the night, so please dont worry and rest, young master. As you should. The thing I hate most in the world is getting woken up. I decided to lecture them a little bit. Diligently keep watch and dont ck off, all right? ...Ill keep your words in mind, Osel said, his expression a little weird. It looked like there was more he wanted to say, but I just ignored him and took out my sleeping bag. Unlike the magic items Id taken from the safe, this was just a normal sleeping bag. Still, its quality was high, so my body quickly became warm. I was assaulted by drowsiness due to the pain I had suffered through today... but I didnt have any intention of sleeping soundly here. I thought about maybe snoring as well, but I figured that might be too much, so I stayed quiet. Since I didnt have anything else to do, I practiced my cirction. Like this, time passed until, from somewhere in the camp, I overheard a conversation. You can take a rest as well, Ms. Butler. Im fine. Haha... Now that I thought about it, Arzan was here. She had alsoid out her sleeping bag, but it didnt seem like she had any intention of sleeping anytime soon. Maybe she just didnt get sleepy, or maybe, like me, she was suspicious of these knights. You used to work in the main house? I dont think Ive met you before... Its unfortunate. I see. I was pretty sure the one talking to her right now was called Victor. He looked sleazy, so he didnt really look like a knight. Honestly, I felt this way about all the knights other than Osel. It was amplified due to the light equipment they were wearing from having to hike through the mountains. How about we have a meal together after we get back to the main house? I know of a pretty good restaurant in the nearby city... Thank you for your offer, but I am nning on returning to work right away. Ah. It had to be tiring to even respond to them, but Arzan was diligent in her responses. However, she did have her unchanging expression, which blocked them like an iron wall. In any case, I wished they would talk about something interesting. Because I had to listen to these boring and useless snippets of conversation, it was getting pretty hard to stay awake. Even so, I held on. I hoped they might slip up, even a little, if I waited long enough... After about an hour had passed, though, this thought process changed. I should just sleep. This decision wasnt made due to the overwhelming pressure on my eyelids. There were two factors. First, I came to the conclusion that these knights probably wouldnt try and harm me for the first few days. I wasnt the only one harboring suspicions; at least two of the knights were wary of me as well. This was true even now, while Iy in my sleeping bag. Id been acting like I was asleep for thest hour, but I could still feel two knights tenaciously observing me. I knew I was being observed, but not by whom... but there was a good chance that one of my observers was Osel. They were surely being thorough, so my expectation was that they wouldnt act for at least a day or two. The second factor was the existence of Arzan. She really didnt look like she was going to go to sleep, and she seemed to be suspicious of the knights just like I was. There was a chance that she was actually on their side and was acting to fool me... but, yknow... that didnt seem very likely. In my past life, I had learned thoroughly exactly what kind of person Arzan was. She was impossible to threaten or entice. She was the type of person to bite her own tongue and die rather than do something dishonorable. Most importantly, the knights hadnt wanted Arzan to apany them in the first ce. As I finished thinking all this, I lightly let my tensed body and guard loosen... and I drifted away on my first night in the mountains, feeling light nervousness. *** On the second day, I awoke in the early morning. My body wasnt bound, I wasnt hurt anywhere... Nothing had happened. As I checked my surroundings while still acting like I was asleep, I saw one of the knights on watch staring at the campfire as it started to die out. I saw Arzan sitting a little further from the fire, but she looked fine for having stayed up all night. Looks like shes used to staying up all night. It seemed like shed received training to be able to at least somewhat maintain her condition without sleeping for a few days. Id felt it when she first beat me up, but Arzan wasnt a simple butler. Although the situation was interesting, it was also bothersome. The knights were a problem of their own, but I was cautious of Arzan as well. On top of all this, I was curious why the family head had summoned me. I was starting to think that maybe Id left the mansion without thinking about it enough... But this was better than running away and defying the family heads order. A day passed, and then another... I didnt see any suspicious activities from the knights. Monsters didnt break through the formation a single time, and the gaze I was feeling from them faded as well. It was as if everything that had happened on the first day had just been a coincidence. Were the suspicions I had felt on the first day just a misunderstanding? Was I just off in my own imagination due to being unnecessarily distrustful? * * * * * * * * * * If I were a little more optimistic, I couldve stopped thinking about it here. However, I was still suspicious of them. They had simply noticed that I felt threatened by them, so they were acting as if nothing had happened. A psychological battle like this was won by tenacity, and the calmer party was bound to win in the end. And I was sure that they were less certain about me than I was about them. After ying some monsters, Osel approached me. Young master, are you all right? Im fine. But Sir Osel, about your knights... Yes? At this point, I decided to try to disturb the calm pond of his heart by tossing in a stone. Cant you all fight with a bit more finesse? ... Osel blinked stupidly and took a while toe up with a reply. What do you... Every time you guys finish fighting, the smell hurts my nose. You and your knights all get covered by blood and waste whenever you fight. ... I honestly expected a lot more from the Fang Knight Order. One of the two proud wings of Bednicker. Famous enough to be known throughout The Empire. But now that I see you fighting in person, how should I put this... Its crude. After a moment, Osel btedly raised the edges of his lips into a smile, but I could tell that he wasnt really smiling. Another clue was that he didnt say anything even though he was usually never at a loss for words. Like I was talking to myself, I mumbled, Is it a difficult problem...? Well, finesse is something one is born with. But I hope you dont tarnish the Bednicker name. Wow. Even I felt like this was a detestable thing to say, now that I thought about it. On top of that, the same words could hurt more or less depending on who said them. Luan Bednicker... how many people existed in this world who could stay calm after hearing something like that from the young master who was openly despised by his entire family? I said a lot of things to continue to gnaw away at the hearts of Osel and the knights: I think you need to work more on your formation. Its not effective. Ah, lets rest a little here. My legs hurt. Whats this stew? Is it pig feed? No, not even pigs would eat this. Fuck. Eating bark would be better than this. Thatst one ended up being a little longer since it was the truth. Once again, as I riled them up with just my words, I remembered my fourth senior brothers words. It is hard to find a persons wrath, but digging it up is easy. Osel tried to keep his calm at the start, but eventually, he became unable to do so. His replies started to have less sincerity, and at some point, he just started to ignore me. However, I had kept a much more effective attack up my sleeve. I cant bear to watch this unskilled disy, I said quietly. Immediately, the expressions on all the knights faces changed. Im starting to feel it,a crack in the facade. Most of the time, the members of a top knight order were children of good families, but that wasnt always the case. Sometimes,moners could enter into these groups. These guys probably werentmoners, though. Commoners wouldnt react like this to being called unskilled because they wouldve received much harsher treatment in the process of bing knights. Are they the children of concubines? Even if they werent, they were probably half-bloods who werent treated well by the family. Such people would have half-learned manners and both love and hatred for the word noble. For them, being called unskilled or uneducated would be a severe trigger. I had wondered why my taunts were working so well, but this was probably the reason. Wouldnt someone like me be the kind of person they hated most? An idiot who only caused trouble after being born into a good family? Of course, I still had unanswered questions. Even if they were children of concubines, why would members of such a righteous knight order antagonize me? I turned my head and acted like I didnt see the knights expressions, but I identally ended up looking at Arzan. It was good that Id looked at her, though for a different reason. Bloodshot eyes and dark circles under her eyes... If I hadnt known her beforehand, this change wouldve been easy to miss, but, well... At this point, Arzan seemed to realize I was looking at her because she looked back at me. Are you all right? I asked. ...Yes. Her voice was weak as well. Did the knights also realize her condition had deteriorated? As I thought about the situation, Arzans condition, and the ferocious expressions the knights showed, I quickly came to a conclusion... From the very front of the group, Osel said, Well rest here today. Hearing that, I looked up at the darkening sky. Tonight, or tomorrow at thetest, something would happen. *** Her head was heavy, and her eyelids were heavier. It felt like the warmth of the campfire was hugging her eyes. Arzan forced her eyes to stay open as she stared at the fire. While doing that, she asked herself, How many days has it been since we entered the mountains? Four days. Although the answer came quickly, she was ashamed at having forgotten it for even a split second. Arzan had learned that no matter the time, she needed to bepletely aware of her situation. Here, situation meant three things: time, location, and condition. However, Arzan honestly became a little confused that she wasnt sure of all three. Have I gotten dull? Arzan spaced out as she stared beyond the campfire. Four of the five were asleep, and one of them was on night watch. Arzan was currently leaning against a tree while wrapped in a nket, but due to how her eye was half-closed, one could mistake her for having fallen asleep. In front of these knights, Arzan had spent thest four nights acting like she was sleeping. One could ask why she was going through all this trouble... but she couldnt give a clear answer to that either. Sometimes one had to put their instincts above their logical thinking, and this was one of those times. Some signals could not be ignored. She had survived a few times thanks to believing in her gut like this. But still, I might have gone too far by not sleeping for thest four days. At times like this, she hated how inflexible she was. She wondered if perhaps this suffering was unneeded. Was she too suspicious for her own good? These people had been sent here on the order of the Lord of Blood and Iron, after all. Most sane people wouldnt dare to misuse the name of the Lord of Blood and Iron. This wasnt a problem of being brave or fearless... Everyone knew just how brutal of an end they would meet if they did that. ...Ehm. Her eyelids were too heavy. She felt like she was at her limit. She needed to close her eyes and take even a small nap. But Arzan didnt fully lower her guard. She stayed wrapped up in the nket and lowered her head a little. It was an ambiguous stance where one couldnt tell if she was asleep or looking at the campfire. It helped that, for thest four days, no one had approached her except for the knight called Victor. He had approached her again today, but since he was asleep, she wasnt in danger. Due to all sorts of justifications, Arzans guard slowly lowered, and the fatigue that had umted in her body started to flood in. ... ... ... As the night deepened, the forest was encased in silence. In this open area where not even the sound of bugs could be heard, the crackling of the campfire was the only constant. Fwoosh... Even though not a single strand of wind was blowing, the heat of the fire started to be weaker. It had started to run out of fuel. As the current night watch, Osel knew this fact very well. It had been clear to him that the fire was starting to die down, and a bundle of firewood was right within his grasp. However, Osel did not throw the fuel into the fire. She was tenacious, he mumbled to himself in a dry voice. His voice was the signal. The knights who were sleeping in their sleeping bags started to quietly wake up as they responded. She was. I dont think shes an ordinary butler. It doesnt matter, said Osel, still looking at the me. Kill them. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 The butler as well? Yeah. But before they could proceed, one of the knights spoke up, worry in his voice. I heard that she worked at the main house. Her outfit as well... Maybe she used to be a collector...? It doesnt matter what she used to be. Whats important is what she is now. In any case, shes just cleaning up after the young master. ... The walls of Bednicker only protect those that are important to the family. Being kicked out of the main house means they exist outside of that protection. Eliminate them. Ill take responsibility. The knights nodded and started to walk toward Luan, who was deep asleep. No matter what, Luan Bednicker was their primary target. Their priorities didnt change just because they now knew that Arzan wasnt ordinary. Without making even a single sound, the knights pulled daggers out from their sleeves. A dagger sliced toward Luans neck. Swish. ng! But before the dagger could cut Luans neck, the knights were forced to retract their weapons and pull back. A projectile had been thrown at their critical points. Stand back, said a familiar voice. Over the fading light of the campfire, a red-haired woman could be seen. Arzan, who theyd thought had fallen asleep, had pulled out her own dagger and was ring at them. Osel said, Butler, you were acting as if you were asleep? ... Your guard ismendable. Or did we perhaps make a mistake? From the very start, something has felt off about all of you. Even so, you couldnt have beenpletely sure. No, Arzan replied with a cold voice, so the moment I felt the most safe, I doubted you once more. ... Hearing that, a small change appeared in Osels eyes. They were like the fierce eyes of a beast. I see. Osel stood up and stomped out the fading campfire. Fwoop. The area was instantly covered in darkness. The midnight battle began. *** Even though Arzan waspletely submerged in darkness, she didnt panic. She quickly began organizing her thoughts. There were a total of five enemies. Since Osel was the one who had given the order, there was a high chance he was the leader of this operation. And right that instant, when the campfire went out and everything became dark... This is advantageous for me. In a battle of one against many, the many had more to think about duringbat. Cooperation was crucial for a sessful joint attack. In a sense, an ally you couldnt cooperate with was a much trickier variable than an enemy. And this darkness would make cooperating at least twice as difficult. Of course, these were knights. Technically, their real identities were unknown, but at least for now, they were knights. They wouldve trained in join attacks countless times No, that thinking was wrong. Shed nearly overlooked one crucial fact. The one who had put out the light was not Arzan but Osel. He wanted this situation. They were crafty individuals who had hidden their true intentions for more than three days. Would they not know of the disadvantage this situation would bring them? No. Theyre professionals. There was another thing she had overlooked. One versus many? That wasnt the case at all. Arzan wasnt alone. ng! She deflected a dagger that hade flying in the darkness. It hadnt been aimed at Arzan. They had been aiming for Luan Bednicker from the start. That was the reason they had stomped out the campfire. If the enemys goal wasnt to fight but to assassinate, then the darkness favored them. Arzans expression became serious. The situation was worse than she had anticipated. I need to keep close to the young master. Having your area of movement restricted in the darkness was a death sentence. ...At least, under normal circumstances. Arzan closed her eyes. Fuu. She let out a low breath, and her eyes opened in less than an instant as they red like those of a beast. Arzan charged forward. Dash! Seeing this sudden movement, the two knights hiding in the darkness stopped moving. Shes charging so recklessly even with Luan here? So she doesnt care what happens to this idiot young master? Of course, that wasnt the case. She moved because she needed to protect her young master. She moved while the locations of the enemies were still fresh in her mind. Hide yourselves! Osel shouted, having figured out Arzans intentions. But it was toote. She had already arrived before the two knights. Earlier, Luan had said that Arzansbat experience was focused on sparring. This was true. sh. Compared to a monster, the human body was far too weak and full of openings. This was true even for trained knights. The moment Arzans dagger shed, the two knights fell over as blood spurt from their wounds. It was far too vain an ending for them who had defeated dozens of monsters in the mountains. After swiftly and directly taking their two lives, Arzan took a more diligent movement back to her original position. It had taken less than three seconds for all this to happen. There are still three left. Although she had practically cut theirbat capabilities by half, the real fight would start now. ... She couldnt sense them. It was proof that they showed no change in emotion even though two of their allies had died. Arzan tried to focus to find any clues in this blinding darkness... but she wasnt able to keep up her focus for long. As the silence continued, the exhaustion and tiredness assaulted her once more. Damn it... Her body felt too heavy. A wave of regret came over her. I wouldve taken a few naps here and there if Id known this would happen. The enemies still didnt look like they would act any time soon. Maybe it was because they knew Arzans condition, but regardless, the more time passed, the more disadvantageous it would be for her. But she couldnt act first either. Arzan was practically being bled out in this standoff. Like this, time passed. She felt like 10 minutes had passed, but she still hadnt felt any movement from them. ...Perhaps they had left? Swish! At that moment, something shed in the darkness, like they had been waiting for this. Arzan turned her head to just barely dodge it. Something sharp flew past her cheek. A momentter, Osel revealed himself right in front of her. The moment she saw his shining de, Arzan reflexively swung her dagger. ng! The metal des crossed in the air, and Arzan nearly let go of her dagger. Osels attack was much stronger than she had expected. There was no point in conserving her strength. Arzan gritted her teeth and shouted while putting strength into her thighs. ng! Osel frowned a little at her explosion of strength and took a few steps back. After separating a few feet away, he let out a sound. Hmm... Osel looked at Arzan with a bit of a surprised expression. Its interesting. Howe I have never heard about someone as skilled as you? ... Im starting to be curious about your identity... but for now, drop your weapon. Silence. Silence? Have you already forgotten? Osel asked, a beaming smile on his face. I have two more allies. Arzan turned around and saw two knights standing near Luans sleeping bag. She saw their swords aimed at the sleeping bag. Was Luan still deep asleep? She supposed it didnt matter; the young master inside the bag would be a bloody mess with no effort from them. She subconsciously clenched her fists. It was an obvious tactic, and although shed expected it, there was nothing she could do to stop it. This was the advantage of numbers. What should I have done? Maybe she shouldve overextended herself to try and kill a few more at the start. Or maybe she shouldve just picked up Luan and run away Arzan didnt know. She had never before fought while protecting someone. Ill say it again: drop your weapon. ... Or do you not care if we kill this foolish young master? * * * * * * * * * * She couldnt follow his order. In the end, it was obvious that they would both die. However... if she didnt listen, Luan would die immediately. She could tell from the looks on their face that they had no aversion to murder. Wouldnt that be better? In the end, Luan would die, but Arzan might be able to live. It was rational for one to survive rather than for both to die. In that second, many thoughts and many faces passed through Arzans mind. The final face she saw was the face of Lucia Bednicker. Drop. The moment she saw that face, Arzan instinctively released her dagger. Osel looked at the fallen dagger for a second. You should have more than that. Arzan took out the daggers she had hidden in her inner pocket, her back, her sleeve, her ankle, and her thigh. ... Osel narrowed his eyes as he looked at the dozen or so daggers on the ground. From that short exchange of blows hed had with her, hed realized he was somehow familiar with her fighting style and the way she stored her daggers. On top of that, Arzan was staying mighty calm even in such a cornered situation... To Osel, this didnt look like her natural personality but rather something developed after being trained to suppress ones emotions. The final point was what shed said before. When you think youre safe, doubt once more. Osel knew that saying. But knowing wasnt the end of it. Butler Arzan... Now I know why I never saw you even once at the main house. If my guess is correct, only a select number of people would know about you in House Bednicker, and less than a handful of people would know your identity. ... I have a few suspicions, but if possible, Id like to hear it from you. Do you still have no intention of talking? Osel said, a slight sense of excitement in his voice. Right now, it was as if he was witnessing a crucial point for the Bednicker family. Its fine if you dont want to answer. We have all the time in the world. Then, Ill ask something else. ... Between you and Luan Bednicker, whose limbs do you want to save first? At that moment, Arzan realized why shed felt something was off about Osel from the moment she first saw him: this man had been wearing a mask this entire time. This bastardly action had just revealed his true face. Even while feeling a dense sense of murderous intent, Arzan didnt fall into panic. She calmly thought over her remaining strategies and tactics... and quietly resigned herself to the fact that there was nothing she could do to ovee this situation. She hadnt been sharp enough. Shed needed to be more on guard from the start. Just because shed had no proof, just because shed thought they wouldnt misuse the name of the Lord of Blood and Steel... In the end, those biases had led her to make the wrong decision. If you dont answer Cut my arm off first. Hmm. Hearing her respond without any hesitation, Osel tilted his head. I cant understand it. Thats Luan Bednicker over there. A piece of trash abandoned by even his father, the Lord of Blood and Steel. I dont know why he was suddenly summoned to the main house, but I dont suspect its for a good reason. ... Even if he dies here, the Lord of Blood and Iron wont take action for him. Why do you intend on giving your life for that trash? The young master isnt trash, and you are not in a position to insult him. What a humorless answer. Osels excitement seemed to fade as he pulled out his sword. Although Osel had said he would cut off a limb, he definitely wouldnt stop there. Arzan had a hunch that she was going to die. As the movement of the des edge shed under the moonlight, it reflected the life shed lived back to her. Her first memory was one of pain. Then an experiment that seemed to tear through her entire body. Death had been all around her, and shed needed to throw away her emotions to survive. In the end, Arzan had survived through sheer circumstance. Although it was a meaningless life, there had been a ray of sunshine. I want you to be my sons teacher. If its you, youll be able to be that childs signpost. The request shed received from Lucia had be her ray of sunshine. Shed looked forward to the concept of education. Shed thought that even she would be able to teach someone, that she would be able to correct him from his wrong path. Shed taken this as the only path to purging herself of her cursed past. It was a greedy wish and desire. However, Arzan knew well... every person had something they were good at, something they had an aptitude for. For Arzan, it was killing. Last chance. Although she looked like she had given up, Arzan was quietly condensing her strength. This was the moment her target was most likely to let their guard down. When they thought that they had won, that it was over, that they had aplished their goal. If she used that opening, she would be able to kill at least two of the three. One would remain, but it would still increase the chance that Luan survived. Arzan nearly let out augh. Hah. Damn it. She had been running her entire life because she didnt want to kill, but her final act in life would be that of murder. If there was such a thing as fate, she wanted to go and smack whoever created it. If there was one difference, it was that she was killing to save another person... but honestly, that fact didnt bring her any peace. Whats her identity? Good question. Something came flying from behind her with fierce intent. The ck entity made Arzan flinch for a second, but it flew over her shoulder toward Osel. Osel instinctively made to swing his sword, but for some reason, he met the entity with his body. Boom! Osel was sent tumbling to the ground. Only then did the ck entity be visible. Surprisingly, it was one of the knights who had been hiding. What is this... While Osel was still surprised, another knight came flying as well. This time, Osel didnt try to receive the blow and instead dodged. Boom! The knight tumbled to the ground as he vomited up blood. Unlike the other one, this knight was still conscious. Cough...! Just whats going on? Th-that guy used some weird trick... Useless bastard. Suddenly, they heard footsteps apanied by a tsk. Arent you embarrassed, making excuses like that after getting beaten up? Arzan dazedly looked into the darkness. The clouds parted, and the face of a blonde boy shone under the moonlight. Arzan didnt know why, but for some reason, it looked as if dawn hade early for her. Osel, Ill ask you one thing as well. Luan Bednicker smiled brightly. Why are you assassin bastards pissing around in Bednicker? Osels expression hardened. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Those whose job was to assassinate people were called assassins. Sometimes, they were also called executioners. I had no idea what it had been like in the past, but currently, assassins pointed to one major group, the enemy of the Great Houses and the greatest danger to The Empire: the Church of Darkness. One of the five gods of disaster worshiped by that damned organization, the Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon... They were followers of Hadenaihar. I dont know what youre talking about, Osel said. Dont act clueless. How are you going to exin this? As I smirked while pulling out a dagger, Osels expression worsened. This wasnt my dagger. Rather, I had taken this dagger out of the pocket of one of the guys Id just thrown. I showed the marking engraved on the dagger. Youre not going to tell me you got this as a souvenir, are you? Emotions seemed to course through Arzan when she saw the marking of the demon lord on the dagger. Honestly, I was pretty surprised as well. I had never expected informants of the cult to have infiltrated the Bednicker family. Within The Empire, House Bednicker was the house that those bastards were most afraid of. I dont think I ever heard about this in my previous life. Of course, House Bednicker didnt usuallymunicate with the other houses. Naturally, that meant news about them spread slowly. A simr incident couldve happened in my previous life as well, but news of it might have just been suppressed. There was also a slim chance that they had never been revealed. ... Osel let out a sigh and then red at me, his eyes shing with murderous intent. You want to kill me? As I let out a slowugh, Osel kicked off the ground and charged at me. I could see the sword in his hand be dyed ck. So hes a Cursed One. The power opposite to mana and blessings... that power was called the Demon Lords Curse by the Great Houses, and the Blessing of the Gods of Disaster by the Church of Darkness. But unlike blessings, this power wasnt only avable to those born from a great bloodline. A power that anyone could obtain was generally pretty dangerous. But this guy looks fine. I had heard that the Cursed Ones usually went a little insane, but Osel seemed sane enough. He might be more powerful than I expected. While I was thinking, Arzan recovered her senses and stood before me. Please stand behind me, young master! With that, she kicked up the dagger she had dropped and responded to Osels attack. Victor! Osel shouted as he swung down with his de. The knight I had just thrown ran toward me. I noticed Arzans shoulders flinch a little. Im fine, I quickly said, so just focus on them, butler. With that, I took out my Ring Sword and immediately swung it. ng! It had been a while since Id felt the sensation of steel on steel. Although I had swung my sword to kill that troll a few days ago, fighting people definitely had a different feel to it. Schwoo! The edge of the knights de was imbued with a blue energy. Sword aura. That was a mana de. Tsk. In a fight of mana or internal energy, there was no way I could win. And the quality of my weapon wasnt good either. The Ring Sword was a magic item, but it wasnt very durable. In the end, I gave up on a direct confrontation and focused more on dodging his attacks. As I observed the attacks while focusing on my defense, I started to get used to the knights movements. He uses imperial swordsmanship? Why was he still fighting like a knight even though their identities had already been revealed? The answer was obvious: these guys were assassins. They were more proficient in sneak attacks than direct fights like this. He was trying to act like he was going all out while still aiming for an opening... The knight spat toward me. Ttu! ...Like that. It wasnt spit but a thin needle. I swiftly tilted my head backward. Hah...! I heard himugh, thinking his attack had worked... But I lowered my head to show him my face. As I showed the needle I was holding between my teeth to the knight, the smile disappeared from his face. Since I had been attacked like this, it was only fair that I reply. I punched the knights face as he just stood there like an idiot. Kugh! Blood spilled from the knights nose and mouth. Maybe he hadnt expected me to punch him with the hand that was holding the sword, but the attack worked better than Id expected. Even while bleeding from his nose, the knight tried to counterattack with his own punches, but I would be truly stupid if I got hit by his iling. I grabbed the knights cor and punched him repeatedly in the face before kicking him with my feet. Bam! Boom! The knight tumbled to the ground. He tried to regain his stance and get up, but I wasnt such a novice that I would let go of this advantage. I moved forward and stomped on the knights chest. Push... Kugh... I couldnt bind his limbs, but after putting enough pressure on his chest to fracture his ribs, his iling slowed. It wasnt enough, so I stabbed the knights right hand with a sword, practically nailing his arm to the ground. Kuaah! It seemed even an assassin couldnt bear the pain of being impaled by a sword. At that moment, I took his sword and stabbed his left hand as well. Another blood-curdling scream echoed into the forest. Only then did I take out the needle Id been holding in my teeth. Shut up before I stab your tongue as well. You... you... You what? You bastard. Talk properly. At that, the knights expression solidified a little, and he slowly began to talk. You... Who are you...? Where is Luan Bednicker? You dont look stupid, but your questions sure are. At my taunting, the assassins eyes started to shake a little. A lot of thoughts were probably going through his head right now. Wicked people usually had a lot to think about. Im not a double, nor am I wearing a skin suit. I am Luan Bednicker. Im the young master youre trying so hard to kill. ... He didnt seem to believe me even as I told him the truth. Of course, there was no reason for me to reason with him, so I just said what I wanted to say. So, what are you guys doing? Why did you impersonate the Fang Knight Order? And who did you receive the mission to kill me from? ... No, this probably isnt an impersonation. The walls of Bednicker arent that fragile. You were probably knights to start with, and you came into contact with the cult through some means and betrayed us. Something like that? This guys just a small fry, I thought as I saw his shocked expression. Osel wouldnt have even reacted to my words. * * * * * * * * * * In any case, since it didnt look like he wanted to talk, there was nothing for me to do here. Smack. As I once again delivered a strong punch to the knights face, he fell unconscious without a peep. It didnt actually matter to me if I killed him here or not, but since I could try and get some information out of himter, I decided to hold on to him for now. Then... I retrieved the Ring Sword from the knights hand and looked at the battlefield. Arzan was still inbat with Osel, and it didnt look like the fight was going to end any time soon. Its neck and... not neck. Looks like Osel has the upper hand by a little bit. The two looked to be of simr skill, but Arzan was being pushed back due to her condition. This is troublesome. Even if I were to join the fight, I wouldnt be that much help. In addition to my bodys current state, I wascking in internal energy. Of course, that didnt mean I had no way of helping. I observed the situation for a bit before taking the knights sword and throwing it toward Osel. ...! Osel was surprised by the sudden intrusion and swerved his body to dodge. At that moment, a huge opening was created, and Arzan didnt let the opportunity go. sh! The sharp dagger cut from his hip to his corbone. He wasnt dead, but it was still a fatal blow. However, Osel didnt even let out a groan as he showcased his incredible tenacity and kicked Arzans hip instead. Tumble! After rolling on the ground for a moment, Arzan coughed as if shed choked on something. Are you okay? I asked. Yes. Arzans reply sounded tough as she looked toward Osel. Drop your weapon, Osel. ... Osel looked toward us as his blood dripped to the ground. You should know better than me that you wont be able to win with a wound like that. ... Why are the assassins of Hadenaihar hidden within Bednicker? If you tell the truth, you can save the lives of others. Keuk. The ends of Osels lips twisted. Do you think a scratch like this can stop me? I suggest you stop talking. Unless you want to die of blood loss, that is. Blood loss? From just this? As Osel let out an ominousugh... I threw my Ring Sword at him. Stab! Kugh... ...! Arzan looked at me in shock. Osel also looked like he couldnt believe it as he put his hand up to his neck and touched the de that had stabbed him. He let out a horrid gurgling sound, like blood had mixed in with his spit. Then he copsed to the ground. Y-young master? Bulter, theres no point trying to listen to someone like him. Its obvious he had something up his sleeve. But... Maybe if he was a small fry, but you cant interrogate a Cursed One. It would just be a waste of time to try and press him for answers. Cursed Ones were people whose bodies had been tainted by demonic energy, and their brains were no exception. Just like people on narcotics, he would be dull to pain, meaning that even professional interrogators would have a hard time acquiring information from him. From what I knew, the only people who could interrogate them were the inquisitors of the church. I knew this would happen and kept one alive, so lets hear it from him At that moment, I heard something rip through the air. I sensed the attacking, but responding to it was a whole different problem. Young master! Stab! I felt a de pierce my skin. *** Kekeke... Oselughed as he rose from the ground. Crack, crunch. The horrible sounds of bone and muscle moving around could be heard. However, he felt no pain. Rather, Osel was in the depths of joy like he had never experienced before. Young master, we need to quickly treat your wound Im fine, so stay still. Even while Osel was feeling this catharsis, there was no way he couldnt interject into their conversation. Theres no way youll be fine... During this time, the transformation of his body finished. Even without looking in a mirror, Osel could tell that he was no longer human. Even so, he didnt feel bad about it at all. ...You look like a walking toad, Luan said as he saw Osels new form. But your bodys as big as a troll Seems you still have the energy to talk. But not for long. Osel didnt say the rest, but Arzans expression was deathly serious nheless. The dagger had prated Luans shoulder. It wasnt a critical spot, nor was the wound that big, but even so, Osel was looking at Luan like a hooked fish. ...Did you coat the de? Thats right. You seem pretty smart in our ways, Osel said with a smile. Its the most terrible poison in the world. Be honored. I was nning on using it if we ever had to fight the gem beast... The gem beast? We were nning on fighting the Sapphire Snake after this. Its a gem beast with extreme yin energy, so most people freeze to death just from approaching it. Osel felt like he could fly through the air right now as he continued to spout information without care. The demonic energy had twisted his brain a little, but he didnt particrly care. The two of them were going to die anyway, so what did it matter if he told them? To pierce the scales of the Sapphire Snake, we looked for a mystic herb with extreme yang properties, and we were finally able to obtain it. The poison that was coated on the de was the essence extracted from that mystic herb. Mystic herb...? Then isnt it medicine You are a fool. The line between medicine and poison is razor thin. Arzan finally understood the situation. Hand over the antidote. Osel gave up trying to sound polite as he joyfully looked at Arzan. You are also a fool. Do you think an antidote exists for such an extreme poison?! Osel opened his mouth and a thick tongue flopped out. Fwish. His tongue whipped around the forest, and all the trees it hit were crushed like twigs. Arzan was busy just trying to dodge it. Unlike the previous confrontation, this seemed impossible for her to deal with. We tested this multiple times before using it on you! Even the smander, with its strong resistance to fire, screamed for over 10 minutes before burning up into a pile of ash! ... Im getting excited! Luan Bednicker, just how long can you hold on? Osel had expected Luans expression to be filled with fear and despair, but he was wrong. Luan was spacing out. It seemed that idiot still couldnte to terms with his impending doom. But then Luan spoke like he was in shock. Five minutes. I think itll take about five minutes. Osel felt something was off with what Luan was saying. No, before that... How is he still talking? Chapter 15 Chapter 15 I wasnt a particrly lucky guy. Back when I worked as a mercenary, a D-rank mission turned out to be as dangerous as a B-rank. Of the ten people who had participated, only two survived. Of course, we didnt emerge unscathed. The other guy lost his legs, and my face was severely wounded. A guy I pissed off in a bar coincidentally happened to be an executive of the underworld... I even had a day when a sword Id bought shattered while I was swinging it just a little harder than normal. If I were a lucky guy, I wouldve already gotten at least four or five blessings. That was why I was quite shocked by my current situation. It just so happened that the extreme poison my enemy was using as his ultimate weapon was the best elixir in the world for me. If the hero of some story was ever this lucky, the author would get cursed out. I let out a breath of hot air. Haah... I could feel the heat, on the level of moltenva,ing from my shoulder. This heat was spreading throughout my body as if to burn it all away, but then it met my inner core. The extreme heat that was rampaging through my body faltered. It had touched the fire ki residing in my inner core. Of course, the total amount of fire ki was minuscule. Compared to the White Sun, my final goal, the amount I had right now wasnt evenparable to a campfire. However, I was certain: this energy, condensed with my heart and soul while practicing the technique created by the Strongest under the Heavens, was the purest form of yang energy. To put it in simpler terms, the fire ki that was sitting in my inner core was, in theory, the highest-ranking me of all the mes in the world. Clutch! The two sources of yang energy naturallybined. It felt as if the fire ki was consuming the heat. In truth, this was the nature of fire. When water and water sh, waves form. When earth and earth sh, earthquakes ur. When trees sh with other trees, they get tangled and be bound... And it would be difficult to find anything harder to mix than metal. However, when fire meets fire, they naturallybine into one. I let out a short breath. Haaa... My head felt hot, and my body felt even hotter. A good heat like one would feel when they dip their body into a hot spring had spread out through my entire body. After enjoying my short burst of energy, I charged toward Osel. What...! Osel seemed genuinely surprised as his expression morphed into one of shock. I couldnt really be sure, though, since his face now looked like a toads. Right before I reached Osel, I shouted an incantation: White Sun Form, Second Technique. ming Wheel. A me erupted from my palm and shot out toward Osel. ming Wheel was one of the only ranged techniques I currently possessed. It wasnt very powerful, but it was good for chipping away at an opponent, so I used this palm technique a lot. Weirdly, it used a lot of inner ki, so I hadnt been able to use it before now. The ming Wheel hit Osel directly in his face. The embers shed in all directions, but not much damage was done. Cover my nk, I said, giving a short order to Arzan. I again narrowed the gap between myself and Osel. Osel violently shook his head to get rid of the embers. How are you still moving?! Youre the one who said the line between poison and medicine is razor thin. Thanks for the elixir. You, you dare...! Osels neck bloated a little before he spat out a glob of spit at me. Such an obvious attack. Poison again? I dodged the purple liquid that Osel had spat at me and charged directly into close quarters with him. As I did, I struck him with multiple punches to his upper body, which had also bloated up. Bam bam bam! His slippery skin wasnt pleasant to touch, to say the least. It wasnt just that it felt unpleasant; theck of friction probably diverted some power from my attacks. At this rate, it might be difficult to kill him through purely physical means... Perhaps Osel realized this as well because he smiled. Mere punches cannot defeat His talking suddenly gave way to screaming. A dagger had been stabbed into his huge eyes. Nice assist, Arzan. I looked at Osel, who was iling while holding his eye. Although he was a more annoying enemy than Id first thought, I now had a way to end this problem. My master once said, Most problems in this wide world can be solved if you have enough internal energy. I imbued internal energy onto my fist. I packed so much in there that it felt like it was going to burst at any point. When that internal energy was nearing its limit... I threw a punch. White Sun Form, First Technique. Scorching Heat. Unlike its cool name, Scorching Heat was just a simple forward punch... but even a simple technique could show extreme power if one used enough internal energy. Also, every technique in the White Sun Form was made to kill. Kuah... Osels neck bent backward, and his slimy tongue spilled out like a wet rope. Although the reaction was good, it seemed like this attack hadnt worked properly either. Then I had an idea. I grabbed Osels limp tongue and tied it around his neck. Puhah...? Osel had already lost his sight, and the moment he made that stupid sound, I tugged on his tongue. Only then did Osel realize the situation he was in and begin to struggle. Butler! Thankfully, Arzan noticed quickly. Even without me having to exin the situation, she moved to stop Osels movement by stabbing daggers into his entire body. I was pretty sure she had aimed for his tendons, but it didnt seem to have as big of an effect as shed hoped. It didnt seem like shed made a mistake either. Maybe the structure of his body had changed when he became a monster? In any case, Osel seemed to still be able to feel pain because weird sounds continued to erupt from his mouth. His appearance, and now his screams as well... It didnt feel like he had ever been human. Just die nicely... Osel struggled and iled like a madman, but I hung on to him like a monkey and put more and more strength into my hands. In truth, I was getting tired as well. I had used too much strength with this weak body. My muscles were starting to shiver. But this had to be done. This was the safest way to kill Osel. His screaming was proof of that. If he was full of demonic energy, he wouldnt be able to feel pain, so his body was probably being steadily drained of demonic energy right now. Like this, Osel continued to il about and destroy the surrounding trees. After a while, I felt the strength leaving Osels body, and then he stopped moving altogether. ...Are you dead? The corpse gave no response. And all the strength left my body. * * * * * * * * * * Puhah... I had really felt like I was gonna die. For what honor and glory had I started climbing this mountain? Right, it was an order from the Lord of Blood and Iron. Curses. I couldnt even think properly. As I took deep breaths to calm myself and looked up at the dark sky, Arzan approached me. ...Is he dead? I at least had the energy to talk, so I responded to Arzans question. Yeah. Im sure of it this time. Arzan looked down at Osels corpse with aplicated expression on her face before falling silent for a while. But eventually, she looked at me with a simr gaze. Is your shoulder okay? My shoulder? Ah... She was talking about where Id been stabbed by Osels dagger. Im fine. This will heal up if I just rub some spit on it. That wasnt entirely true, but it wasnt entirely false either. elerated regeneration was one of the strengths of the Strongest Fire Technique. Still, there is a threat of infection, so lets sterilize the wound. Fine. A moment of silence passed. Arzan seemed to hesitate before finally asking a question. Young master... What? Are you really the young master? It was simr to the question Id gotten from the first knight I suppressed, but I couldnt afford to taunt her like I had that knight. The target was different. No matter what, Arzan was someone who had seen me for at least a year at this point. And it was probably by her hands that Luan Bednicker had been beaten up the most. How could I convince someone like that? Thats right. Since I was tired right now, I decided not to give tiresome excuses. What need was there to convince her? I was Luan Bednicker, so what about it? Then what about you, butler? Pardon? I saw you fighting them. Just like they say, you are not an ordinary butler. Just what did you do in the main house? Arzan hesitated. Thats... Its difficult to talk about, right? ...Not particrly. Its fine. I dont intend to force you to reveal it. I forced myself up from my seat. My body creaked all over, but I couldnt just stay seated the entire time. Although Osel had said that there werent that many nocturnal monsters nearby, with how big of amotion wed caused, some sleeping monsters mightve woken up. Lets do this, I began. You have some questions about me, and I have some questions about you. Our simrity is that we arent scared of each other because of our questions. Right? Pardon? We currently dont hold any hostility toward each other. We just fought as a team, right? Thats... true. Seeing Arzan so confused made her look a little younger than usual. For some reason, I suddenly wondered about her age. There was a chance that she was around my age. So lets forget about whatever questions we have until we get out of these mountains. We eliminated these guys, but that doesnt mean werepletely safe. Arzan hesitated for a moment before slightly closing her eyes. She seemed to be organizing her thoughts. All right. She agreed more easily than Id expected. All right, then... I approached Osel, who had died with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, and began going through his things. What are you doing? We need to learn more about these guys. Therell probably be a clue of sorts in his belongings. You can search through the other knights. Ah, also, I left one of them alive. Hm. Understood. Osel would probably be the one holding the most clues. Anyone could tell that he was the boss. As expected, I got quite a few useful things from Osels belongings: twelve gold coins, a rough map of the Gem Mountains, and a note written in a script that I had never seen before. The note was also written with pretty small letters in apact method. Young master, none of the knights are alive. What? I instinctively put away the gold coins and tilted my head. Really? I stabbed through his hand. It seems he ingested poison. Hoh. Maybe he took his own life after seeing that Osel was losing? Or even before that? In any case, he clearly hadnt been afraid to die. Arzan approached me again. There wasnt anything noteworthy on their corpses. Really? I found these. I handed the map and note to Arzan. She looked at the map, then furrowed her brow as she looked at the note. Her expression quickly turned to one of horror. Butler, can you actually read that? Ah... Arzan was visibly dismayed. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 [...The corpses of gem beasts have a lot of value. Every individual part of their body, from a drop of blood to a cut of skin, is useful. Brothers, you should know that a long time ago, the Bednicker family head killed three of these terrible gem beasts and used the materials to strengthen House Bednicker. If we can retrieve an entire corpse, it will be a huge benefit to the church. Of course, I cannot understate the danger of gem beasts, but even though its been 17 years since the Lord of Blood and Iron slew three of the beasts, the reason no one else has defeated one isnt because the beasts are strong. Its because no one knows the whereabouts of these mysterious creatures. However, thanks to the incredible work of the brothers of our church, we have seeded in finding the habitat of one gem beast. This gem beast is as big as a small mountain, has azure scales, and can chill the body down to the bone. The church has named it Sapphire Snake due to its outer appearance and special characteristics. We postponed the initial mission and used the base in the mountain range to collect information about the Sapphire Snake. During that time, we discovered a rare mystic elixir called the extreme fire herb, and we started research on mass-producing it. Our attempts were somewhat sessful, but before long, we discovered a problem. As you know, brothers, it was because of the appearance of the disrupter. Our best guess is that the disrupters identity is either the Hunting Dog of Bednicker, the White Knight of Gusspring, or one of the elite rangers of The Empire] I cut Arzan off. Butler. Yes. Can you summarize that into three sentences? The note wasnt even particrly big, so how did it have so much text? So... the Church of Darkness seems to have been in this mountain range for a long time, trying to hunt gem beasts. ...Huh? What is it? I felt something was off, but for now I just nodded. Its nothing. What shed said did make sense. Since the Gem Mountains were forbidden, it made sense to use them to avoid the watchful eye of The Empire. And considering the circumstances, it looked like the experiments using the extreme fire herb were being carried out in the mountain range... Wait, does that mean the Fire Demon was also...? Was the Fire Demon, who went on a rampage after consuming the extreme fire herb, the result of one of their human tests? I was starting to think that maybe the cult had been behind the entire incident. Maybe sending him out into the world was one of the final steps of their tests. If that was the case, the scale of their base, which should be somewhere around here, might be pretty big. Then why did they lure me all the way here? This is just a guess, but they might have intended to use you as bait. Bait? It says in the note here that they encountered a disrupter. If that person was a member of House Bednicker, the cultists thought that they might be able to use you to lure the disrupter out. Hmm. Using someone like me as bait... My first thought was that was a stupid n, but... it wasntpletely nonsensical. Although my current state was pathetic, it was true that I was a blood rtive of the Lord of Blood and Iron. Of course, the great Lord of Blood and Iron never showed any interest in me even until the day I died... but facts like that were hard for a third party to confirm. I turned my attention away from the note and looked at the map. It seemed to depict the mountain range and was noted with symbols and scripts that I had never seen before. However, the writing itself seemed ominous. This is that, right? Yes. The symbol of the demon king. The symbol seemed to depict a blood-red moon. It was the symbol of the Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon, Hadenaihar. The number of symbols on the map was far more than Id expected... But the bigger problem was where they were ced. I stared at the map for a while before letting out a sigh. This is near that ce, right? Yes. Ehm... A simr conversation from before, but with an additional sound this time. The map noted that we were surrounded on all sides. At this point, our current situation was no different than being in the middle of the enemy camp. Osel, that son of a bitch... That guy had probably nned on either visiting a base or contacting his allies after dealing with us. But there was another problem still. There are symbols on the path we came through. There was no way that the symbols were mistakes. There was only one natural exnation for this: while we had been distracted, Osel had been making contact with his allies through secretive means. Which meant that our exit path would bepletely blocked as well. It would be great if that was the end of it. Butler, can you move? Yes. Although Arzan still looked sleepy and tired, I didnt mention it. Right now, even if she was on the verge of copse, we needed to move. The followers of Hadenaihar would soon notice something had gone wrong and begin to pursue us. *** It was a relief that it was still night. It might be obvious, but in a dark environment like this, the escapees had the advantage over the pursuers. Even if we didnt move as stealthily as we could, the veil of night would hide our tracks well enough. On the other hand, we were in a situation where we needed to find a safe ce before the sun rose again. I opened the map again. Seeing the symbol of the demon lord surrounding our location made my head spin a little. Although I had been able to obtain some internal energy through sheer luck, fighting that many cultists was impossible. In any case, we needed to avoidbat and escape the mountain range as fast as possible... * * * * * * * * * * Fwip! Curses. Already? Arzan and I both lowered our heads at the same time, just in time for a chilling projectile to barely fly over us. Immediately afterward, three assassins wearing pitch-ck clothing appeared before us. In this circumstance, I probably would need to deal with two of them. I kicked off the ground and threw a punch at the closest assassins face. Keuk... As the assassin staggered back while clutching his face, I readied my follow-up attack. I grabbed his head and kneed him in the face. Crack. I felt the sensation of a skull cracking in my hands, but then the one standing behind him threw a dagger at me. Do these bastards only know how to throw daggers? I used the limp assassin as a shield, and after the attacks stopped, I threw him toward the other assassin. ...! The assassin quickly dodged his allys corpse, and I used that opening to stretch out toward him with my left hand. Fwoosh! ming wheelunched from my hand and hit the assassin. Since I had used the technique so quickly, it didnt do a lot of damage. The fire wasnt strong enough to burn him to a crisp, or even burn him at all. However, distracting the assassin for a second was enough. While the assassin tried to put the fire out, I closed the distance and kicked him in the abdomen. Bang! With a sound simr to an exploding bomb, the assassin was sent flying directly backward. I wondered if I was making too much noise, but I decided that this was the best course of action since I needed to eliminate them as quickly as possible. Arzan approached me with a serious expression on her face. Have we already been discovered? I noticed she had blood on her pale face, so I tapped my own cheek. Arzan stopped moving. After a second, she realized what I meant and wiped her face. I dont think so. Theyre probably just scouts. The pursuers sent after us would be much stronger than this. They would know that we had killed Osel. Lets hurry, young master. Since that fight wasnt quiet, more enemies will be approaching this position. ... I suddenly stopped moving, and Arzan looked at me with confusion. Young master? I hade to the conclusion that this was the point at which I would need to make a decision. I pulled the map out of my pocket again and showed it to Arzan. Theres exactly one opening. Pardon? Look here. As Arzan looked where I was pointing, her expression lightened a little. It is as you say. If we take this path, well be able to escape the cults encirclement. Yeah. But theres one problem. I moved my finger and pointed at what was at the end of that path. Butler, what do you think this symbol represents? A lizard? Or perhaps a snake... Ah. Arzans expression hardened. She had finally realized why the encirclement didnt form aplete circle. Snake. Sapphire Snake. It was the gem beast. Lets decide, butler, I said as I looked at Arzan. Will we fight it out against the cult, or will we fight the gem beast? If we took this path, we would encounter the gem beast. *** Was it the right choice to face the gem beast to avoid the cult? Was this any different than fighting a lion to avoid the wolves? Honestly, I thought both sides had simr levels of risk. Although a decision like this should be made after thorough consideration, we unfortunately didnt have the time. We needed to decide right here and now. But Arzan had a strange reaction. Decide... The moment Id said the word decide, Arzans face had be even more pale. Me, deciding... Butler? The gem beast or the cult... We still dont know the full strength of either side, but maybe if we obtain a little bit more information about the cult? But the time... Hey. In the end, my decision will once again Snap out of it. I pped my hands, and the light seemed to return to her unfocused eyes. It seemed that the word Id used without thinking had ended up being a trigger for her. Its fine. I was just asking for your opinion. Ill be the one who decides anyway. Having said that, I took out a gold coin from my pocket. It was one of the twelve coins Id gotten from looting Osel. ...? As Arzan looked at me with confusion, I flicked the coin into the air... Ting. And covered it with my hands before it fell to the ground. Arzan looked at the back of my hand. What did you do? The lion is the cult, the old man is the gem beast, I said. Those were the images etched on the faces of the coin. Honestly, I didnt know which side was supposed to be up or down, so I was just using the images themselves as a guide. Thats not it. Are you going to make such an important decision on a coin toss? Why are you saying it like that? Were not going to get an answer trying to think it out, so Im leaving it in the hands of the heavens. That doesnt mean Do you have a better way to do this? Arzan fell silent at my retort. In any case, right now, we have no way of knowing whether the cult or the gem beast will be more dangerous. But that doesnt mean we can just directionlessly go with the flow and hope for the best. But a method like this... Butler, Ill tell you one thing. asionally, at times like this, its not bad to rely on luck. ... All right, then. Lets confirm the result. I ignored Arzans gaze toward me and checked the face of the coin on my hand. It was the face of an old man with a handsome beard. Its the old man. So, the gem beast, then? Although I was acting confident, I didnt feel calm at all. This decision could lead me to my death. While I was thinking that, Arzan spoke. Keshinus I. Huh? The person on the front face of the gold coin isnt merely an old man. Hes Keshinus I, the founder of The Empire. ...I see. Id learned something. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 After we decided on our path, we encountered cultists three more times. Thankfully, unlike the ones wed faced previously, these cultists werent a big deal, but it was still troubling how their numbers kept increasing. First we fought four, then five, and then seven in ourst encounter. They werent easy fights either. Even ignoring their skill level, the cultists were tricky to deal with because of our numbers disadvantage, the fact that it was nighttime in a dark and shadowy forest, and the fact that they were assassins. Also, unlike the cultists, who charged us without any fear of death, Arzan and I needed to preserve our strength. Eventually, after running like that without end, we arrived at our first destination right as the sun was about to rise. There it is. There, before us, was what looked like a monsters huge open mouth. It was the huge cave within which we might find the gem beast. Thats stu~pidly huge. When Id seen it on the map, Id expected it to berge, but the pressure I felt from just seeing the cave was immense. I even thought that it was odd that the mountain hadnt copsed with such a huge hole in it. I dont feel the presence of any monsters, Arzan said, suppressing her tiredness. Just as she said, the entrance itself looked decently safe, but we wouldnt actually know anything about the inside of the cave until we went in. However, considering the size of the entrance, it didnt seem impossible for us to run away if need be. Arzan and I stepped inside. The interior was pretty chilly as well, although not as much as the outside. Moss was stuck to the stones, and I could see stctites on the ceiling. And considering the damp feeling I was getting, this looked to be a limestone cave with an underground water source somewhere. As I looked at my surroundings, I found a decent spot hidden away in a corner. The spot was slightly hidden by the rocks, but we would still have a good look at the entrance. We moved to the spot Id found, and then I turned to Arzan. Now then, butler, take a rest. Pardon? Youre tired. Im fine. What do you mean youre fine? Her eyes were as red as a rabbits with how bloodshot they were. Well, her condition was understandable. She had stayed up for four nights straight and had even fought off the exhaustion from yesterday night through to early morning. Even though she looked tough on the outside, she had to be on the verge of copse. I removed the nket from my bag andid it on the floor for her. Dont say that, just sleep. Youll only be a burden in your current state. Arzan hesitated for quite a while before eventually replying with the quietest voice possible, Understood." After wrapping herself up in the nket, she leaned on a suitable wall and began to sleep. She does all sorts of things. She shouldve just syed out on the ground. There was no need to do all that. Maybe she couldnt help it because this was the way shed learned to sleep? It wasnt like one could change their habits on a dime. I tutted internally and found a decent ce where I could sit in the lotus position. It wasnt urgent, but I had things I needed to do as well. I could feel a burning heat in my inner core. It felt as if I had swallowed a ball of fire. Hmm... Honestly, I had nearly died because it was bothering me so much even while we were being chased. It wasnt warmth but heat. The difference was minor, but it was an important difference for me, whose focus was entirely on fire ki. If my internal energy was hot instead of warm, it meant that the energy wasnt wholly mine. It was proof that the yang ki that had been injected into me from Osels poison hadnt beenpletely assimted yet. It was also proof that I hadnt been able to extract all the impurities yet. For this reason, I quickly started to circte my energy. There shouldnt be any big problems for a bit. I had been able to use the White Sun Form in this state, but ignoring it and continuing would be dangerous. I needed to integrate this power into my body and absorb it as true ki. Thankfully, the process did not take long. About 30 minutester, I opened my eyes. Fuu... Dark smoke escaped my mouth as I exhaled a little. Although it smelled disgusting, it couldnt be helped since this was the proof Id neutralized everything. I dont think anything happened... huh? At that moment, I saw Arzan. She was shaking and sweating heavily, and she looked very pale. The cave wasnt that cold, but her shivering lips looked drained of blood. Maybe she was having a nightmare, but there wasnt much I could do about that. I hope thats not the case... I put my hand on Arzans and transferred some heat into her body. As I did, her paleplexion returned a little, and her breathing also stabilized. Id had a simr thought before, but she really looked much younger when she wasnt frowning. Of course, I didnt know Arzans age. It was just a feeling I got. She was always in a suit and wearing gloves, and she was rather tall for a woman, so she always looked a lot older. Perhaps shed created that effect intentionally? Hmm... Since it was rude to look at someones sleeping face, I turned away from her and went to take a quick look around the cave. Of course, since I couldnt move while leaving Arzan behind, I only walked around the vicinity. I obtained some information and I could make some guesses... but none of them were certain. About two hourster, Arzan woke up. ... Having just woken up, she looked at me with a dazed expression. This was the first time Id seen her look so stupid. It honestly fit her more than Id expected. In any case, the daze didntst for long. Arzan quickly regained her senses, patted down her clothes, and returned to her perfect butler form. ...My apologies, young master. I thought about using what Id just seen to mess with her a little. You dont need to sleep more? Yes. That was enough. She still looked a little tired, but honestly, we werent in a situation where I could give her that much more consideration. I nodded at her answer. All right. Then lets keep going. * * * * * * * * * * Arzan and I officially began to delve deeper into the cave. Since the cave was a tunnel with only a single straight path, I was able to put away the map and focus more on being aware of my surroundings. Funnily, we didnt find any traces of monsters even as we went deeper in. But even so, I kept my guard up just in case. As we went deeper into the cave, the path started to narrow. In addition, the naturally created stone pirs started to fill the cave, creating a moreplicated path. But even so, the cave was much bigger than most caves, so we werent going to get lost any time soon. However, it wasnt like there were no problems. I think its getting colder and colder, I said. Yes. Something about that really bothered me. I also disliked how this ce wasntpletely dark despite not a single ray of light reaching us from outside. ...I had a feeling I knew why that was, but I didnt say it aloud. I didnt want to speak it into existence. Arzan and I carefully walked for about three hours... and then we reached what looked to be the end of the cave. Our exit was probably on the other side. There, at what seemed to be the end, Arzan and I discovered the origin of our ominous feeling. Shweeee... There was a monster blocking the cave entrance with its body. Shweee... It was asleep. Even so, its huge body, which lurched with every breath, made all the other mutants wed seen on the mountain range lookughable inparison. This huge monster had the form of a snake, and its scales were beautiful, as if each one was individually carved from a block of ice. It was a sparkling gem in the darkness. Fuck. I couldnt help but swear. This was the worst-case scenario. This wasnt something we could defeat. *** Arzan and I quickly returned to the path wede from. There was no exchange of words or signals; we just made the same decision as if we had nned this beforehand. Only after we moved somewhere we couldnt feel the chill of the Sapphire Snake did I blurt out the thought that had been stuck in my head. ...Are gem beasts all like that? Thats just a wingless dragon. Arzan also seemed surprised, but she spoke in her characteristically calm tone. Thats not the case. Gem beasts are a very diverse species and cannot be ced into a single category. In addition to their appearance, their characteristics and behaviors also vary. Then why are they all called gem beasts? Thats because of the strange shine given off by specific parts of their bodies... like their eyes, teeth, nails, mane, and scales. Its a characteristic that can only be found in the mutants of the Gem Mountains. Hm. Young master, lets go back, Arzan said in a very serious tone. Itll be better for us to fight against the cultists. Really? Didnt Father kill three of those things by himself? Thats different. The gem beasts the family head defeated were the Emerald Scorpion, the Ga Crocodile, and the Topaz Mouseamong gem beasts, they were all mid- to low-rank monsters. However, the one we just saw was different. Its at least a few hundred years old... Its clearly closer to a mythical beast than a monster. Oddly enough, Arzan seemed to have aplete understanding of these gem beasts even though shed had no idea how to deal with a troll. It was unexpected, but it wasnt something I needed to concern myself with right now, so I put the thought away forter. So is it about an S-rank monster? Pardon? If we were to rank it the way mercenaries do. Honestly, mercenaries ranked things to an unnecessary degree, but the ssifications were decently urate. I knew that fighting the cultists would be better for us than fighting this gem beast. I knew that... But for some reason, Im getting fired up. I needed to suppress this thought. If I didnt have even a 1% chance of winning, it wouldnt be a fight but a gamble. I understand. So lets think about how to break through the other I immediately stopped and took out the map. Arzan also flinched. We silently exchanged nces and moved to hide behind a stone pir. ... ... We stayed as silent as we could, suppressing even the sound of our breathing. Time passed. ck silhouettes appeared at the other end of the cave. They moved without making a sound or letting their presence be known. One might even mistake them for a trick of the light. Of course, they were no mistake. The one who had revealed themself first looked around before gesturing with their hand. Behind them, many different monstrous men appeared. One, two, three... eight, nine, ten... I gave up after counting twenty of them. At just a nce, they looked to number at least thirty. Their clothing was also different from the goons wed seen before. The fact that the hoods that covered their bodies were a bit redder tipped me off. Id heard of them before. The Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon. Among those who worshiped the flowing blood, the color of their clothing became closer to the color of blood the higher their rank in the organization. This is fucked. We were stuck between a rock and a hard ce. The worst-case scenario had now officially urred. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 How had they tracked us? Arzan and I had made sure not to leave any trace of our passage as we moved. Id been sure that they wouldnt be able to follow us this quickly even with the sun rising. That was why wed gone into the cave and Id let Arzan sleep. But they hade to us so quickly, like theyd known where we were. ...No, nows not the time to think about it. This was the worst possible situation, but one saving grace was that the assassins didnt know where we were specifically. Do we just hold on for now? I prayed the assassins wouldnt notice us and would just walk past, but for some reason, I suspected it wouldnt end that neatly. If there was one thing Id learned in my not-so-long life, it was that feelings of misfortune werent unfounded. Suddenly, one of the assassins surveying the area turned his head and threw a dagger toward me. The attack was unexpected, but I responded calmly by deflecting it with my Ring Sword. ng! As the sound of shing metal rang out, I also heard some noises from behind the assassin who had attacked me. I couldnt see them, but it seemed that Arzan was also engaged inbat. Arzans situation could be worse than mine, but unfortunately, I didnt have the freedom to worry about her right now. The moment I made to attack the assassin in front of me, I felt a chilling sensation from my side. I retracted my half-stretched hand and stepped back. p! Two assassins appeared, their robes loudly pping as they pulled out their weird curved des. I clicked my tongue. At my current level, it would be disadvantageous for me to face an opponent in direct swordbat. In the end, the only method avable to me was to avoid their attacks, but their swordsmanship, iid with killing intent, was nothing to scoff at. They were proficient in jointbat as well, I could tell just from looking at their formation. Only three of them were attacking me directly. The rest were supporting them from behind. They understood that if more than three of them engaged in closebat at once, they would only get in each others way because of the terrain. As I came to the conclusion that dragging out this fight wouldnt do me any good, I kicked off the ground to create some distance. Because I used my internal energy, the distance between me and my enemies instantly lengthened. Of course, the three assassins instantly charged to close the gap, but before they could, I threw my sword away and said, Good work. One of the assassins scoffed. Evidently, he had misunderstood my intent. I was saying goodbye to a weapon I had be rather familiar with. Crunch! A crack appeared in the de, and then it exploded. mes engulfed the shards of broken metal from the shattered sword as they showered my opponents. I had imbued internal energy into the sword. That fire ki had continued to grow hotter and hotter before finally shattering the de. I hadnt been able topletely control the angle of the attack, so some of the shards were flying toward me as well. I swung the cape I was wearing around my body to block the fragments. As I looked at the cape afterward, I noticed that its ends had caught fire. Can I use this? I couldnt confirm it yet as I closed the distance between myself and the assassins. The assassins, who were now covered in blood and shards of broken metal, swung their swords to counterattack me instead of writhing in pain. I had heard that among cultists, the followers of Hadenaihar were the most resilient, and I was beginning to think that might be true. Fwaah! I swung my cape as if expecting them. The mes at the edge of my cape started to roar before bing a fire demon that swallowed up everything in the surroundings. Of course, it only looked fierce. A fire of this level would have a hard time burning even strands of cloth. However, it was enough to block the vision of the assassins assisting them from the back. The same was true for the assassins near me. The mes surrounding them cut off their sight lines for just a moment, and in that split second, I struck out with my fist at the one standing in the center. He btedly noticed my strike and tried to cross his arms to block it... Crunch. Despite his guard, my fist didnt just punch through his arms but even crushed his nose. As his hood flung back, I could see the white of his eyes. Ive knocked out one of them. I moved my attention away from the unconscious one and put up my guard against the two assassins at my sides. They swung their curved des at me at the same time like the attack was coordinated. However, perhaps because they were pressured by the heat around them, the attack felt less precise than their previous strike. I could definitely use these. I bent at my waist to dodge the des and then kicked the shin of the assassin to my right. Crack. The bone brokepletely, and the leg bent at an impossible angle. As that assassin copsed to his knee, the sword he was swinging changed trajectory to strike at his ally on the opposite side. The assassin to my left was surprised and moved to block the sword. It was the wrong decision. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they say. I approached the assassin and put my hand on his chest. Tap. As a look of confusion crossed the assassins face, mes erupted from my palm. Bang! The assassin was flung into the air as if hed been hit by a boulder, then plummeted back down to the ground. Judging by how his neck snapped, he died instantly. The second technique of the White Sun Form could be used like this as well, in very close proximity to the target. Fwoosh... As this happened, the me Id used as a smoke screen faded awaypletely, and those assisting from the back noticed the situation and sent three more assassins toward me. Damn. I went to face them head-on, then changed my mind and began retreating instead. Daggers and needles struck where I had been standing. The assassins had started to support from the rear once more. I wouldnt be able to use the same cape-flinging method Id used before... And the assassins that had gotten close to me were continuously sticking to me. ...This isnt good. Of course, this fight had been the worst from the start, but the situation was continuing to worsen even now. I had some opportunities, but my internal energy reserves werent sufficient yet. The White Sun Forms basic techniques were very powerful, but they also consumed that much more internal energy. How long would I be able to fight while keeping up this tempo? Five minutes? Ten minutes? I need something else. I continued the exchange as I started to think rapidly. What could I do in this situation? * * * * * * * * * * Suddenly, I thought about Kayan. That weird movement the old collector had shown me, hidden steps. That movement technique showed extreme effectiveness in a duel, and it would be even more effective against assassin bastards like these guys. The one problem was that I had only used that movement technique once before. Curses... I should have practiced it beforehand, but there was nothing else I could do. I dodged the des that were starting to slice the air in front of my nose and kicked the assassins closest to me, and when there was a bit of distance between us, I took my stance. Shake. Shake. My body moved with an odd rhythm. It might have looked like Id forgotten how to walk altogether, but they were sure to be on guard since I was suddenly moving weirdly after having fought quite well. There was a high chance they would think this way because, for an assassin, caution was of the utmost importance. As expected, the ones closest paused to observe me, and I took that opening to step forward. Step. My steps were light, and they felt good as well. I was certain that I had seeded in copying Kayans movements. I continued to step forward, closing the distance between myself and the assassins, but they failed to notice due to a misjudgment of their senses. Killing them would be as easy as just shing their necks. Ting! Damn it. I dodged the dagger and quickly stepped back. I didnt dodge enough, though. A dagger was embedded in my left shoulder. Funnily enough, it was the same ce Osels dagger had stabbed me before. Should I have done emergency treatment on it like Arzan said? Thankfully, I could still move my left arm without issue, but I realized then the fatal weakness of hidden steps. This only works against targets who are directly in front of me. It might work in a one-on-one fight, but in a one-on-many fight, and more so in a situation where I was nearly surrounded, I couldnt use this skill. How did I not realize this? It was obvious when I thought about it. Id thought my condition was normal, but I might be doing worse than Id expected. Clench. I bit down hard on my lips, and I swallowed the metallic blood that flowed out as I red at my targets. The weakness of hidden steps was fatal. However, the only way for me to get out of this situation was with hidden steps. The answer, then, was simple: If it has a weakness, I just need to adjust it. The fact that I needed to do so now made this task multiple times more difficult, but my life depended on it, so I had to do what I had to do. Crunch! I stepped forward once more. Smoothly? No, sharply. Steps that I would normally take. Of course, that wasnt the only change to my steps. Fwoosh! mes ignited from below the soles of my feet. Like with the cape before, it was to disturb their vision, but the goal wasnt to inefficiently spread the fire to all sides like before. I was imagining the shaking waves under a hot sun. A mirage. With that, I ran. Dash! My steps, imbued with fire ki, were nowpletely different from the hidden steps Id initially taken. I stepped hard, as if to crush the earth below, and footprints made of mes were left in my wake. Although the steps were no longer dark, they still had an element of concealment. I renamed this technique sun shadow steps. Swoosh. The assassins thrown weapons passed by me. The more precise their aim, the harder it was for them to hit me. Because it was still just a subtle trick of the eyes, a few attacks managed to scratch me, but they werent life-threatening injuries. During that time, I seeded in arriving right in front of the assassins faces. One by one, I crushed their jaws, shattered their ribs, and snapped their necks. Tew. Support again? I clicked my tongue, but an unexpected individual revealed themselves. It was Arzan. Butler? ... Arzan was letting out heated breaths. She was covered in blood, so much so that her face was nearlypletely covered, but judging by her stance, the blood wasnt hers. Just how many people did she kill? Id assumed she was fighting a simr number as me or that she would be just hanging on by a thread at the end. And there was something off about how she looked right now. Her eyes were shing like those of a beast. Still, as if to confirm that she was still the Arzan I knew, a muted voice flowed out from her. This way. Without even giving me time to respond, she grabbed my wrist and started to run. The moment the assassins tried to stop us, Arzan swung widely with her right arm. Boom! An explosion echoed out as all the assassins around us were flung back. I became speechless upon seeing this spectacr disy of power. It was as if a high-ranking wizard had just cast a spell. The destructive power was enormous. Just what is this girls identity? My initial suspicion about Arzans identity had fallen into chaos once more. Of course, this wasnt the time to ask her, so I just quietly followed after her. Like this, Arzan and I ran away from the battlefield as fast as we could. *** It was a relief the cave was so big. If this were a normal cave, we wouldnt have been able to evade our enemies. As stated before, there was a single huge passageway that went straight through the cave, but there were many side spaces in between. Arzan and I were using one of those side spaces to hide. Haa... Haa... Arzan was panting aloud like she was choking. Butler, are you okay? She seemed to find it hard to answer because she just nodded slightly in reply. I looked through the gaps to watch our surroundings while I waited for Arzan to recover. Some time passed, and Arzan recovered a bit of her strength. Im fine now. I took a moment to look at her face. I could no longer feel the overwhelming martial prowess or the explosive energy shed exuded before. Her eyes had returned to normal as well. I was curious to know how Arzan had been able to use that much power... but I decided to stay quiet for now. I had a feeling that she wouldnt give me a straight answer even if I asked, and we already had a few questions wed decided not to ask each other anyway. This is a problem. Their numbers have been reduced, but this much wont... At that moment, I felt a gaze on me. As I quickly turned my head to look, I noticed a ck silhouette between the cracks. When did they catch up to us? He seemed to realize that he had no chance against us alone and tried to turn around to run. Oops...! He intended to call for his allies. I could throw something at him, but there was nothing suitable around, so I gritted my teeth and decided to chase after him. At that moment... Swish! A sword appeared from nowhere and pierced the assassins head, and the assassin copsed on the spot. ... I closed my mouth once again. This wasnt Arzans work. She was already so tired that she hadnt even noticed the assassins presence. More than that, what had pierced the assassins skull was a sword. A longsword, a weapon that neither of us had. On top of that, the attacks skill, its speed... An incredibly skilled person just threw that. I felt a chill go down my spine. I became much more nervous than Id been when I faced Osel, the assassins, and even Kayan. Then, a voice called out to me. You there. Go pick up my sword for me. I wondered where the voice wasing from, but then I noticed a crack in the cave wall. There was a very narrow crack that could just barely fit one person, and the voice wasing from inside there. Who are you? I asked, my voice full of nervousness. The voice from beyond the crack let out a puff ofughter. Hoh. You cane in if youre curious. It looks like youre not a part of the cult. Im also curious as to your identities. The voice stopped there. It seemed to have no intention of saying any more than that unless I entered. Young master, its dangerous. It was a very Arzan thing to say, but this time, I found I agreed with her. If I had a bomb on hand, I wouldve thrown it into the crack already. However, there was a very simple reason I was hesitating right now. ...I think Ive heard that voice somewhere before. But who was it? Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Although it might be a little boastful of me to say this, my memory wasnt bad at all. Rather, it was rtively good. If I saw something even once, I rarely forgot it. If I didnt understand a concept, I could learn it without much trouble after a few repetitions. For me to not recognize a voice meant that person and I had not had a close rtionship. The only information I was able to gather from the voice was that he was an adult male... After taking a moment to think, I took the sword out from the corpse and walked toward the crack in the wall. Arzan immediately spoke up. Young master. I know. But regardless, this person saved our life. If he wanted to kill us, he couldve done so with just that attack. ...Then Ill go. Are you being serious? Look at that crack. Its too narrow. I can get out quickly if things go south, but youd need some time. Arzan was pretty tall for a woman, and although her clothes helped hide it, she was quite muscr. Inparison, it hadnt even been a month since Id stopped being a super unfit walking skeleton. It was clear which of us could move more easily through this crack. Also, my overall condition is better than yours, butler. But... I waited to see how Arzan would try and convince me, but she said somethingpletely unexpected. ...That voice. I recognize it. It could be someone I know. Really? I said while massaging my chin. All the more reason for me to go, then. Pardon? I ignored Arzans confusion as I pushed my body into the crack. As I did, I heard a groan from behind me. If you dont return in five minutes, I will follow after you. Sure. As I waded through the darkness, I continued to think. It might be obvious, but I hadnt had many interactions with Arzan. The fact that we lived in the same mansion didnt change that. I didnt even know what Arzan liked to eat, so the people that both she and I knew were very few and far between. At this point, the answer was simple: the person beyond this crack was somehow rted to Bednicker. *** After moving for about a minute, I exited the crack. Beyond was a prettyrge area, and I became quite shocked as I looked around. First, it was decently bright. I wondered why this was, and as I looked closer, I saw the walls themselves were glowing. Glow rocks? In one of the corners, there was a small puddle, and I could see a thin flow of watering from another crack. Honestly, although these things were rare, they could still be found in any natural cave. What got my attention was something else. There were traces of a dwelling. Made from stones from the area, there were what looked to be a table, a chair, and even a bed... ... And above the stone bed, a man was observing me. He had unruly hair on his head and a scraggly beard. He didnt look particrly clean, and his clothes were only a little better than rags, but something seemed to be missing. As I looked closer, I noticed he didnt have a right arm. Even so, despite him only having one arm, what left the greatest impression on me were his eyes. The eyes that peeked through his messy hair were like those of a beast. What the? Its just a small brat, said a very t voice. Of course, he was talking about me. I understood how my outward appearance came across, so I nodded and agreed with him. Im small but strong. Oh ho. The mans beard made it hard to guess his age. Initially, Id thought he was just an old man, but he could be decently young as well. The man roughly scratched his hair. I hoped that the kes floating around him were just dust, not dandruff. I handed over the sword I was holding. Here. Just leave it anywhere over there. Okay. I took the edgeless sword and propped it up against the wall at an angle. All the while, the man was quietly observing me. ...Goodness. I was wondering who was fighting the cult in the Gem Mountains. Who couldve expected a brat like you? Heh. Thanks for saving my life, but dont treat me like a kid who doesnt know anything. Even if I had the appearance of a kid, it didnt feel good to be treated like one when my mind was over thirty years old. Really? After saying that, the man tilted his head before suddenly flicking his finger. Flick. I turned my head to dodge the pebble that flew toward me. Hmm? I let out a tant sigh. There are many different ways to test people. But why do hermits like you always use sudden attacks like this as a I stopped talking to dodge four more pebbles. Damn it. Ho oh. Only now did the look in the mans eyes change a little. So youre not aplete brat? Well, since you entered the Gem Mountains, you have to be at least a little bit skilled. ... Kid, whats your name? Its Luan. I wanted to hide my surname for now. I still wasnt sure of the mans identity. Although there was a high chance that he was rted to House Bednicker, there was no guarantee that the rtionship was positive. Honestly, I still couldnt get any sense of who this man was, though I felt like I could get an idea if that beard wasnt in the way... And whats your name? At my question, the man paused for a second. ...Call me Dan. Judging by his attitude, that wasnt his real name. Was it an alias? Or an abbreviation of some kind? What was it short for? Dany, Daniel, Dainer, Jonathan... No matter how much I thought about it, nobody came to mind. It looked like you had an ally outside. Why did youe alone? I thought it might be dangerous if both of us came in. Im not a dangerous person, so go get your friend as well. I had a feeling he was telling the truth. I couldnt sense any wickedness from this man. Unlike his blunt tone, I could feel a weird sense of ss from the way he moved... But I also knew just how foolish it was to judge someone as either good or bad. Being a good person didnt guarantee that they would act in my interests, nor did being a bad person mean they would harm me. To know whether this unfamiliar person was an ally or an enemy, there was one piece of information I needed more than any other. What are you doing here? ... To judge a persons character, no knowledge was more significant than their goal. Upon hearing my question, Dan slowly blinked. Who knows... Just what am I doing here? said Dan. Hmm. Asking such a direct question, it doesnt leave me much to say. ... Dan acted like Id asked him a question about the nature of reality itself as he suddenly delved into philosophy. Who am I? What am I doing here? What have I done? And what will I do in the future...? Is he crazy? I wasnt trying to insult him; I genuinely wondered if he wasnt of sound mind. If he was suffering from any sort of madness, it made sense for him to dodge the question about his goals. As I took a small step back, Danughed aloud. Im joking. I paused and waited for him to continue. I am here dreaming of revenge. Revenge? Yeah. I was done in badly. By whom? That snake bastard. You speak of the gem beast. Thats right. Hmm. Arzan had told me before, the gem beasts of the Gem Mountains were existences who werent any different from a cmity or death itself. Having seen one with my own two eyes, I could tell that sentiment held some truth. Especially the Sapphire Snake Id seen, it probably had enough power to easily annihte one or two knight orders. Were you alone? Yeah. What should I call this man who was trying to kill a gem beast alone? It was starting to be difficult to describe Dan as merely entric. I looked around the area again. This ce, hidden behind a crack in the cave wall, could barely be called a dwelling. Suddenly, another question popped into my head. How long had this man been staying here? How long has it been? Dan habitually brushed his beard. Hmm. Ive been chasing it since the day my arm was severed. I dont know the path through the mountains in detail, but I feel like Ive been everywhere there is to go here. Did you know if you go to the center of the mountain range, you cant tell the difference between night and day? The trees be so dense they blot out the sky. Thanks to that, I dont have any sense of time anymore. He was talking so much about how he didnt know anything, but something else he said caught my attention. Chased? Arent you living here? And the snake as well. At that, Dan shook his head. This is a temporary dwelling. That monster is unpredictable. It continuously changes its dwelling. Well, its been a while since it moved here... In any case, theres no guarantee that youll see it again if you lose it in these mountains. That''s the reason Im sticking so close. ... I closed my mouth, which had opened slightly. Judging by the traces of activity here, Dan likely hadnt been living here for a short amount of time. It had been at least a few months. Then... how long had this man been chasing after the gem beast? It was at this point that I felt a presence appear behind me as Arzan entered through the crack. Butler? It had been five minutes. I had forgotten due to the conversation. However, rather than me, Arzan was looking at Dan. She seemed to be in a state of half-doubt. You are... In contrast, Dan immediately recognized Arzan. You are... ah, the red-haired brat from back then. His attention turned straight to me. You, brat, are you perhaps Derks son? I almost replied, Derk? Not because it was a name I didnt know but because I hadnt expected to hear that name from the mans mouth like that. I couldnt help but change my tone. May I ask who you are? Derk C. Bednicker. In front of the man who could say the name of the Lord of Blood and Iron like he was a close friend, what else could I do? Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Dan looked at me for a moment. Ill ask you first, Dan told me. Answer me, are you Derks son? ... As the tone of his voice shifted, so too did the tone of the conversation. For some reason, I felt like I needed to answer this question more genuinely than I had his previous ones. Yes. I am Luan Bednicker. Luan? Luan Bednicker... Never heard of him. Dan mumbled as if talking to himself. He had never heard of me. Thats unexpected. Not to boast about my status, but Id been pretty infamous in the house around this time. I was the mad kid who went and sold the house sword, after all. No, wait. If this man called Dan had been living in the Gem Mountains for a few decades, it wasnt weird for him to not know me. I revealed my identity to you. Now, you should tell us who you are. Hmm... Dan contemted for a second. I should. Firstly... Dan isnt my real name. Its fake. Okay. Dan seemed a little confused by my easy eptance. What thewhy arent you surprised? Dan was obviously a fake name. Really? Dan looked shocked. After a moment, he let out a sigh. Well, so be it. My real name is Calzark. Arzan couldnt keep her shocked reaction from showing on her face. Calzark...! she said in a low voice. Are you perhaps the grand master of the main house? At that, Calzark nodded. I am the Instructor of Swords and des. *** Bednickers influence was international. It wasnt simply because of their wealth. They were one of the Great Houses, and they ruled a rich territory under their name. They had heroes active in many different areas, and the Lord of Blood and Iron was a symbol all on his own. In addition, only a select few could even enter the main house of Bednicker, known as the Rose Mansion. From what Id heard, the Rose Mansion library had documents gathered from all over the empire, their armory had weapons and equipment from all sorts of master cksmiths, and their storage had more mystic elixirs and potions than there were stars in the sky. This overwhelming pool of resources was only avable to those who were a part of House Bednicker. For that reason, many people were always trying toe under Bednickers wings. It didnt matter whether or not they were connected by blood. Knights, guards, servants, and even gardeners, just by being within the walls of Bednicker, they might enjoy even a small portion of those resources. As a result, those who worked for Bednicker could only enter after undergoing an intense screening process, and even one-time contractors took pride in having provided some assets to the house. And then there were the grand masters of the house, who were on a different level of existence than those people. Unlike ordinary people, grand masters didnt need to knock on the doors of Bednicker themselves. For the education and training of the members of the Bednicker family, the Lord of Blood and Iron personally went around The Empire to extend invitations to these individuals. The Instructor of Swords and des. Even though Id been kicked out of the main house, I still knew of his prestige. Among the ten grand masters, he was the only one who wielded the sword. Thanks to that, he was very popr amongst the Bednicker brothers. The most prestigious martial art within Bednicker used the sword, after all. To be honest, I had also dreamed of bing the disciple of the Instructor of Swords and des when Id been at the main house. Not that I had ever spoken with him personally; Id only attended the general education lesson that all children of the house could join. To start with, I had heard that due to the Instructor of Swords and des trash personality, he had no disciples. Also, a few years ago... He went missing. I narrowed my eyes. Maybe... In the world before my regression, Calzark might not have been able to defeat the gem beast. Right up to the moment of my death, perhaps he was tirelessly fighting against the beast, or maybe hed died to that snake early on instead. Whatever his ending might have been, hismitment was impressive. This was a battle that a person with ordinary willpower would have failed to even start, but this man had been continuing in the mire for years now. Calzark looked at me. You look like you want to ask me something. I corrected him. I have two questions. What are they? You said you lost your arm to the gem beast. Is that true? Calzarks eyes became fiercer as he looked at me. What is the intent of that question? The cultists couldve interfered in the middle of your hunt... I said, trying to talk around the issue. It didnt seem like he was checking if I was being respectful or not, though, so I decided to get to the point. I dont think youre any weaker than the gem beast. Calzark suddenlyughed. Uhahaha! Meaning, you dont believe a grand master couldve been defeated by a mere monster. Isnt he just twisting it to suit himself? Well, I hadnt been trying to be sarcastic. Thankfully, Calzark didnt seem to be angry. It was a difficult fight on many fronts. We fought in the swamp, and that snake utilized its minions. I had also lost my sword at that time. I see. Seeing my reaction, Calzark smirked. Do you think this grand master is pathetic for trying to find excuses after losing? Not at all. The misunderstanding could easily deepen right now, so I spoke first. If you were at that much of a disadvantage due to the circumstances, its honestly more amazing you survived. Also... Also? The winner hasnt been decided yet. At that, Calzarks expression calmed a little as he looked at me. Then, he seemed to be a little embarrassed as he scratched his head. You said you had two questions? Whats the second one? I became a little nervous. This question was honestly more important. Why Dan? ...Your real name is Calzark, so why did you introduce yourself as Dan? I dont think you can abbreviate Calzark to be Dan. Calzark grinned Thats why. If I say Im Dan, people will try and connect it to my real name even if they realize its fake. Thinking its an abbreviation or whatever, even though there was never any connection to begin with. ... I enjoy watching people waste energy like that. He had a twisted mind to match his appearance. My mood fell quite heavily at being taken for a fool by such a shallow trick. If Fourth Senior Brother saw me now, he would tell me Youngest, you were fooled again with his signature emotionless face. * * * * * * * * * * But why are you in these mountains? asked Calzark. I dont suppose youre trying to mimic the family head, are you? No. But its notpletely unrted to the family head. What do you mean by that? I gave him a short exnation of how Id ended up in this cave. After listening to the whole story, Calzark gave a dryugh. Assassins in Bednicker? And you say the followers of a god of disaster crawled in? I know its difficult to believe, but everything Ive told you is the truth. Huh... looks like Bednicker is in rough shape without me there. Does the family head know about this? Who knows? Ill have to go and ask. I see. All right. Calzark went through his pockets and then threw something at me. As I caught it, I noticed it was a weird-looking fruit. What is this? Just crush it and spray it on your head. You guys were exposed to the tracking scent those cultists use. He tapped his nose. Tracking scent? Its a scent they put on their weapons. Normally, you cant even smell it. Theres a partner scent to the tracking scent, and youll only be able to smell the tracking scent if youve already smelled the partner scent. Ah. So our tracks hadnt been the issue. I clicked my tongue and did as Calzark had told me. Crack. Uwek. The fruit, which looked like a walnut, exuded a terrible scent as I cracked it open. I looked at Calzark with a shocked expression. ...Is this the only way? Yeah. Honestly, I didnt think there was anything better to use to hide another scent, so I let out a sigh and dripped the fruit onto my head. Arzan didnt seem too taken aback, but looking at her more closely, she was just barely maintaining her expression. Calzark silently observed us all the while. When we finished, he spoke. Now that youve dripped it on yourselves, the assassins should pull away from here. I dont think the assassins of Hadenaihar will give up that easily. They usually dont. But for some reason, they dont like staying long in this cave. Probably because of the gem beast. I thought that might just be a convenient interpretation, but it did seem to hold some truth to it. Even the map didnt note any forces near this ce. And not all of them will pull out. A few of them will remain to patrol, but I can deal with them. Have you eliminated cultists in this manner before? I do it whenever I have some time to spare. Assassins are good sparring partners, they keep you on edge. Maybe I shouldve expected that. It seemed the disruptor that the cultists were on the lookout for was Calzark. Honestly, as such a skilled individual, it wouldnt be hard for him to kill the assassins and even eliminate any traces afterward. In any case, an unexpected ally had joined us. If webined our strength with this man, it would be possible for us to break through the cultists siege. This put a load off my mind. All right. Calzark suddenly smiled and said, Then youll help me with my revenge. Sorry? The gem beast. Lets kill it together. I want to kill it quickly and return to Bednicker. What the hell is he talking about? *** What do you mean? Arzan asked, a shocked expression on her face. Its just as I said. Lets kill the gem beast together. ...I dont understand how the conversation came to this point. Because this is the only way. And its not a bad deal for you guys either. At this, I had to interject. Are you saying the cultists are more dangerous than the gem beast? Thats right. Because a high priest is here. ...! Arzan was shocked once more. I was pretty surprised as well, though not as much as Arzan. A high priest of the Church of Darkness practically referred to an executive of the organization. They were beings who had the authority to directly converse with the demon lords. Excluding the cult leader, whose existence was shrouded, and their close personnel, these people were honestly the strongest and most dangerous beings in the cult. ...Are they that strong? To be honest, I dont know their full power either. I didnt even realize what happened before my arm got taken. I didnd a blow as well, but I definitely lost that exchange. I looked at Calzarks empty sleeve. So you didnt lose it to the gem beast. I suddenly had a question. I had initially thought that Calzark lost his arm to the gem beast and that was why he was staying here, to avenge the loss of his arm. But if the one who cut off his arm was the high priest of the cult, then... that meant Calzark might have lost something more precious than one of his arms to the gem beast. I suddenly had another question. Theres something I cant ept, I said. What is it? If what you say is true, the cult is stronger than the gem beast, then why havent they killed the gem beast yet? With total confidence, Calzark said, I dont know. Pardon? Ive also thought about that, but I havente up with an answer. But the cult never steps deep into this cave. Whenever they need to enter for some unavoidable reason, they move very carefully. ... Was there another secret to this cave? A secret only the cult knew? I felt the situation a little strange as I pulled out the map. Calzark seemed a little interested. What is that? Its a map I stole from the assassins. Looks like they were a big shot if they had a map. Show me it as well. I handed the map to Calzark. As someone who had fought against the cult for a long time, Calzark might be able to see things that Arzan and I had failed to notice. After looking at the map for a bit, Calzark furrowed his brow. ...I see. Its this. Did you find something? Yeah. I now understand why those bastards cant get too active in this cave. Calzark pointed to a spot on the map. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 It was a peculiar mark. It looked like an upside-down triangle surrounded by a circle of varying symbols. It would be hard to exin it in more detail than that. This mark was ced decently close to the Sapphire Snake. To be precise, the mark was close to the entrance of the cave wed entered. ...What is this? Its an upside-down tower. They are ancient buildings hidden in multiple ces around the world. Evidently it was a tower, not a triangle. But what did it mean? The altar of a forgotten god. You should understand what I mean. Ah. I understood what he meant by forgotten god. Some of the gods in this world were widely known. There were the 72 gods worshipped by The Empire. The 13 dragon gods were protectors of all sorts of monsters and beasts. Finally, there were the 9 spirit gods and 5 kings. Some people included the gods of disaster worshipped by the Church of Darkness, but when most people spoke of gods, they were referring to the 99 stated above. On the contrary, forgotten gods were those who had lost their divinity due to having no one left who remembered them. Of course, forgotten gods had only lost their status; they still possessed god-like power. That was why the altars of these forgotten gods were important. If one could disy a suitable offering and be recognized by the forgotten god, they could be that gods first believer. Forgotten gods dont forget acts of kindness. They would fulfill practically any desire of the first believer that pulled them out of the swamp of oblivion. To put it simply, a forgotten god would act differently depending on the personality of their first believer. If the cult can obtain the divinity of this god... I began. Then theyll probably be able to add another demon lord to their ranks. In the worst-case scenario, at least. Now it all made sense. The assassins didnt like entering the cave because they were afraid of offending the god by fighting or identally damaging the altar. Compared to that risk, subjugating a gem beast was not worth it. Then subjugating this gem beast is less of a priority for these cultists, I said. Thats right. Thats why theyre just waiting around. Theyre waiting for the Sapphire Snake to awaken from its hibernation and leave the cave. Shouldnt we stop them? Calzark shook his head. How? We dont have any idea how strong their forces in this mountain range are. A high priest alone is a problem, but considering their goal, it wouldnt be weird for them to have a few more people ofparable strength. Securing the forgotten gods altar is one of the highest priorities for their organization. Then what should we do? ...There are only two entrances to this cave. Since one of them is being blocked by the gem beast, theres really only one. The cultists will be stationed there so long as youre here, Calzark said while stroking his beard. Thats why we need to kill the gem beast. And use that entrance to get out of the cave, I added. Thats right. Then, after leaving the mountain range, well ry this news to House Bednicker. From there, well form a subjugation party to eliminate these guys. This is the best course of action. Calzark turned to look at both Arzan and myself. Of course, these are just my thoughts. If you think youve got a better idea, Ill hear you out. Although I took a moment to think, I already knew the answer. Considering all the factors and possibilities, Calzarks decision was the best one. Of course, this was only because of how itpared to the other options avable to us. Calzarks n was by no means perfect. As a general note, fighting a gem beast was beyond difficult. I take it that both of you agree with my n? Dont say otherwiseter. Will the three of us alone be enough to kill the gem beast? Of course. I was trying to kill it by myself in the first ce. We have two more people now, so theres no reason we cant, Calzark said nonchntly. As for testing your strength... well, well do thatter. Rest up for today. You both look terrible right nowyou must be pretty tired. Got it. Both Arzan and I werepletely exhausted after our multiple consecutive battles. I found a decent spot andid out my nket before flopping down on it. The ground was still decently hard, but I fell asleep quickly. *** As I opened my eyes, my entire body ached like I had been beaten all over. Ugh... This was what I got for just lying down to sleep on the hard floor. It was a relief that Id woken up at all. As I began to sit up, I heard a conversation. Calzark and Arzan were talking about something. ...So who currently knows about you? asked Calzark. The family head, the council of elders, and the mistress. I see. Good work. It mustve been tough for you. I instinctively acted like I was asleep. How about him? He hasnt said anything, but he seems to have noticed something. He definitely looked quick-witted. Very confident as well. Its interesting. Why havent I heard Derk talk about him? It seemed the important part of their conversation had already ended, but I didnt particrly regret missing it. Rather, I would feel bad if I overhead anything major since I had made that promise with Arzan about keeping secrets. * * * * * * * * * * I purposefully moved around a little and then sat up. Young master, are you awake? ...Yeah. Good morning. Though I dont know if its morning or not. Pulling out my watch, I saw that it was 9 in the morning. I looked toward Calzark. Did you not sleep at all? As Ive gotten older, Ive started to sleep less. Also, thanks for the jerky. It was good. Jerky? Calzark gestured with his chin toward an empty jerky bag that was rolling around. Evidently, he had taken the jerky out of my bag and eaten it. Its been a while since I ate meat. I liked the salty taste. ...Well, its good that you enjoyed it. A bag of jerky was a cheap price to pay to someone who saved my life. Lets start talking about something productive. How should we get rid of that snake bastard? You probably know a lot about it since youve fought it a lot. As I said that, Calzarks eyes narrowed and he nced at me like he was displeased with something. What is it? I asked. I dont like how you keep saying you, you when you refer to me. Then what should I call you? Call me master. Im not even your disciple, so thats a bit... Then brother. Ill call you senior. Why senior? You are a senior to me on the martial path. Hmm... well, call me that if you wish. Calzark didnt seem to like it all that much, but he just stroked his beard and continued with the conversation. In any case, there are a lot of things we need to prepare to kill that gem beast. Although I dont really want to, Ill be teaching the two of you starting today. Teaching? Isnt this too rxed? We dont have that much time. You dont need to worry about that. Who do you think I am? I am that famous grand master of House Bednicker. Youll get the basics down within one or two months. One or two months? Senior. Could I ask what kind of hunting period youre imagining for the gem beast? Lets see... Ill need to know how strong you two are before I can give a proper estimate, but itll take at least three months. I felt like Id just been drenched with cold water. I knew things had been going too well. Three months? Yeah. Thats too long. Too long? Then what were you thinking? I thought about what I would do after subjugating the gem beast and returning to the main house. At most, about three days? Calzarkughed. What? Hahaha I didntugh with him. In a situation like this, remaining expressionless was the only way to convey how serious I was. As I stayed quiet without showing any other reaction, Calzarksugh started to fade. Soon we fell into total silence. I felt like the silence made the mood ice-cold. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded like the growl of a beast. Brat. Youre underestimating the gem beast. Do you think gem beasts are easy targets just because Derk went and killed three of them? Do you think Im an idiot for having chased this one snake for years just trying to kill it? Of course not. You... haah. Calzark smacked his own forehead before speaking again, but less energetically this time. ...After Derk, countless people came to these mountains to gain their own fame and honor, yet not a single one of them seeded in killing a gem beast. And the number that returned alive? Calzark put up his one thumb. About one out of every ten people? The funny thing is that only half of them even saw a gem beast. The other half ran away without being able to see a gem beasts shadow. ... Its good to have fire in your blood when youre a young kid, but you need to know what youre getting into if you want to live long. Ill forget you ever said tha As Calzark tried to end the topic, I cut him off. I felt like I needed to properly talk about this before we moved on. I know what Im getting into. Although not as much as you, I still know the gem beasts capabilities. You only just saw it sleeping from a distance. What confidence is letting you yap on like this? There wasnt much I could say to that. I let out a sigh. Didnt I tell you my circumstances? I need to return to the main house before the end of this year. I must. This isnt a problem of possibility. This is an order from the family head. ... I heard that you were close with the family head even before you became a grand master, Senior, so you should know better than me just what kind of treatment a child who doesnt follow orders receives in House Bednicker. Calzark closed his mouth, and the look in his eyes changed. I felt a sense of sympathy and pity from his gaze. Just because youre Derks son doesnt mean you can only have a life within Bednicker. Your life wont end just because you dont fulfill Derks expectations. You are still young. I blinked my eyes in shock. I hadnt expected someone who thought like this to exist within the frustrating and conservative house. At the same time, I had a different thought. If I had met Calzark even once in my previous life and heard such advice from him... I mightve been able to live a better life. I know that, I replied, smiling, but Im not getting tangled in the Bednicker name. Right now, the house name is not binding me, it is a tool for me to use. A tool? The Bednicker name is useful. One should use useful things. Calzark stared at me. His eyes were analyzing whether or not I was lying. I didnt avoid his gaze, I stared right back. ...Youre not lying. All right, then you can only prove yourself. Was he perhaps going to fight me? Thinking back to Kayan, I could honestly say I was sick of this. But Calzark just walked past me. He picked something off of the stone desk and showed it to me. Do you know what this is? It looked like a mirror. It was as big as my palm and shone with a mystical blue sheen. Doesnt this look a little familiar? Take it. Calzark thew it at me. Catch. It was a decent weight in my hand. Its texture was sturdy but slippery. At that moment, I understood what I was holding. Is this a scale from the Sapphire Snake? Yeah. I picked up a few when I fought it quite some time ago. Calzark was leaning against the wall as he spoke. It doesnt matter what method you use. Damage that scale. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Damage it? Breaking it will be too difficult for you, so damage it. Bend it or even make it crack. Ill let you go if you do. ... Calzark looked at our expressions and smiled. Why? Do you think its too easy? Then go ahead, try it. Arzan looked at me as if to ask for my consent. Despite her still-expressionless face, I sensed she was strangely motivated; she probably didnt want to remain here for half a year either. Try it. ...Excuse me. Arzanid the scale down on the ground, then took a dagger from her sleeve. I still didnt understand how she was able to store that dagger in that sleeve. Arzan red at the scale like it was her sworn enemy before striking down toward it with the dagger in a two-handed grip. ng! It sounded like she hit a sheet of metal, and Arzan seemed to nearly lose control of her dagger. If her form had been off even a little bit, her wrist might have broken. This... Calzark turned his head to look at the scale, which had been deflected to the side. Ill tell you now, its current scales are much stronger than this. Its been a while since this scale fell from that snake bastards body. ... But you, who cant even destroy a single one of the gem beasts scales, what...? You want to kill it in three days? Dont make meugh. Arzan shut her mouth. Her face was still expressionless, but she seemed a little down. Her lips were quivering slightly like she wanted to get back at him. Calzark told us, Now that you understand the situation... I picked up the scale and spoke before he could continue. So I just need to destroy this? ...Were you even listening to me? I was. I looked down at the scale for a second. I could feel my hand holding the scale getting a little cold. The scale itself was emanating yin ki. If this scale had been separated from the body for a while as Calzark said yet was still emitting this much cold energy... actually fighting the snake might feel like fighting a snowstorm. So thats why Osel prepared such a poison... In that case... The one holding the key to defeating the Sapphire Snake might not be Calzark... but me. Sure. Try it. What weapon are you going to use? Should I lend you my sword? Its fine. I flicked the scale into the air and caught it like a coin again and again. Calzark crossed his armswell, he moved his one arm like he was crossing it with another, which looked pretty funnyas he looked at me. After Id flicked the scale into the air maybe five times, I threw it high up. Ting. While the scale was flying up, I took my stance. I had gained an understanding of its texture after touching it a few times, and I had learned how strong it was as well. Naturally, I tried to figure out the best technique to attack that scale, that gem beast, that Sapphire Snake. As the scale fell before my eyes, I pushed the fire ki within my body into my fist. White Sun Form, Sixth Technique. Falling me. Crunch! With the sound of cracking ice, the scale scattered to the side. The aftereffects were destructive, but thankfully, both Arzan and Calzark were strong. They were able to dodge or block the fragments of the shattered scale. Sorry. ... ... Even with my apology, the silence didnt break easily. Calzark and Arzan were both looking at me with simr expressions. I dont know if this is the rightparison, but they look like they just saw a tap-dancing dog. It might sound a little cocky, but Id expected the two of them to be surprised, so I gave them a moment to catch up. The first one to snap out of it was Calzark. He seemed quite conflicted as he stomped toward me. That, just now, he stated. Its a martial art with multiple forms. Thats right. Who did you learn it from? I made it myself. At that, Calzarks brow furrowed. Dont lie to me. There wasnt just a few years of essence within your movement. It held the essence of a master whod spent their entire life polishing their martial art. As expected of the Instructor of Swords and des; his insight was iparable evenpared to Kayan. However, since I couldnt actually tell him the truth right now, I just pushed on. It really was made by me. But I referenced a lot of books. Calzark silently stared at me with suspicion in his eyes, but he wouldnt be able to learn anything just from looking at me. Honestly, I didnt have anything to feel guilty about either. It wasntpletely wrong to say that I made it, and it wasnt like hed find anything even if he tried to look into my pastter. But... No, since youre Derks son... Calzark groaned as he thought to himself, but then he suddenly raised his head. Kid. Yes? He was looking straight at me. He wasnt going to not ept my answer, was he? While I was thinking this, Calzark said something unexpected. You, be my disciple. Arzan had a shocked expression on her face. Uh, no. Now, Arzan looked even more shocked. *** The obsession that the family head of Bednickerthe Lord of Blood and Ironhad with bloodline was beyond imagination. To be exact, he was obsessed with his children. Possibility istent in ones blood. Such words were so symbolic of the Lord of Blood and Iron that even people within The Empire knew about it. He was more serious about nurturing his children than anyone else, and if he could see even a sprout of possibility, he didnt hesitate to give them all the support they needed. They would be given all sorts of mystic elixirs, they would consume potions like food, and they would inherit the great swords stored within the house. In pursuit of growth, they would receive excessive treatmentparable to a royal. However, there was one exception. No matter how much the Lord of Blood and Iron cared for his children, there was one thing that he could not provide for them. He could not teach them. When people spoke of the strongest beings within The Empire, they naturally talked about the skills of the Lord of Blood and Iron. Of course, children look up to their parents the most, and they desperately desire to receive even a word of advice from their father. But this was physically impossible. * * * * * * * * * * The Lord of Blood and Iron was the best demon hunter in The Empire, the sword of the imperial pce, and the executive of the Great Houses on top of being the family head of House Bednicker. His work would be difficult enough even if he had two bodies, so he didnt have the time to overlook the training of his precious children. That was why the Lord of Blood and Iron personally traveled around The Empire. He was personally inviting those who could teach his children. That was how the role of grand master had been created within Bednicker. A total of ten grand masters, each a master of a different category of study. From masters of the sword, spear, ax, bow, and other weapons, to schrs who taught manners, culture, and history. There were even masters at the peak of theology, spiritcraft, and the arcane arts. All these individuals were at the peak of their craft, and they had all been personally recruited by the Lord of Blood and Iron. Among all these masters, the children of the Lord of Blood and Iron were most interested in the Instructor of Swords and des. Calzark knew this as well. It was only natural, after all; the weapon of choice of the Lord of Blood and Iron, the family head, was a sword. For the children who mostly looked up to the family head, it was natural that they would show the most interest toward the Instructor of Swords and desCalzark himself. That was why Calzark was so confused by this situation. What the hell is this kid? What did this kid just say to him? Uh, no. That was what hed thought he heard. And since his ears still worked, he hadnt heard wrong. So Calzark thought about other possibilities. Did you say the wrong thing? Thats natural. Ill be nice and ask you again. Kid, do you wish to be the disciple of the Instructor of Swords and No. Calzarks jaw dropped. *** Even at the sight of Calzarks shocked expression, my decision did not change. You... Calzark said after suddenly regaining his mind, dont you understand just how precious of an opportunity this is? Or do you think Im lying to you? Aha, now I get it. Youre doing this because you think I wont follow up on my wordster, right? Hey, Im not such an underhanded bastard. I never go back on my word. Really? Really! So think hard about it one more time... Im fine. ...Hah. Hahaha. Calzarkughed like he had lost his mind. But then, as if his target had changed, he turned to Arzan. Hey, your young master here seems to be out of his mind. Do you have anything to say as his butler? Arzan took a moment to think before looking at me and speaking in her characteristically calm voice. Young master, this is a great opportunity. Forming a master-disciple rtionship with the Instructor of Swords and des doesnt just mean youll receive his martial arts. If you receive the recognition of the grand master, the way the elders look at you will change, and before long, the news will reach the ears of the family head as well. At the very least, this could be the first step in changing your poor image. ...That argument is a bit too political, but good enough. Calzark gave Arzan a thumbs-up before looking at me. This old man, whose beard was long enough to touch his corbone, was looking at me with such sparkling eyes. It wasnt a good look. But shes not wrong. I knew what Arzan was talking about. Beyond even everything shed just exined to me, there were a lot of benefits to taking Calzark as my master. Im still fine, I said. I wasnt refusing this opportunity because I was stupid. Honestly, I wasnt sure why I was being so rigid about this either. But after thinking about it for a second, the reason became obvious: I didnt want to take another master when I already had the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang. No, but Lets end the disciple talk there. Since I broke the scale, you agree to my schedule, right? Calzark paused for a moment. Then, still looking a little displeased, he spoke. Even if you did, Arzan wasnt able to break it. Shes hiding her strength, so its fine. Calzark probably understood this better than me. Theyd had that conversation before I woke up, after all. I assumed it was rted to her. As expected, Calzark hesitated for a second before letting out a sigh. ...Theres no point trying to repeat something to a son of Derk. Its not my problem whether you live or die. I wont die. I smirked. Lets go together, Senior. *** Three days was the ideal timeframe I came to after thinking about a lot of factors and situations. Not just considering the condition of my allies but also the remaining food, the information we had, and even the time it would take for us to get to the main house. This is blindingly delicious. Any more? asked Calzark. Oh ho. You need to eat them sparingly, I replied. Calzark had be addicted to the jerky. Id been wondering how hed sustained himself in here, but evidently hed been drinking the water that leaked out of the cracks and eating moss and the asional bat that came into the cave. With that in mind, it was understandable that a hard chunk of meat jerky was like a feast to him. After the short meal ended, I heard about the gem beastthe Sapphire Snakefrom Calzark. Did you know that there are ranks amongst gem beasts? Yes. I heard that the ones the family head killed were mid-to-low rank. Calzark nodded. Thats right. And the Sapphire Snake is definitely a high-rank gem beast. You can tell just by its size. Calzark took a sharp rock and scratched a drawing of the snake on the wall. Mass. This is an important factor inbat. Even a snail bes a disaster at that size, but its a snake on top of everything else. Its uncharacteristically crafty for its size. Hm. A direct confrontation is suicide. Thats why I was observing it for so long, and in the fight before ourst... Calzarks snake drawing was more impressive than Id expected, and he was drawing pretty well with just his left hand. Just judging by this drawing, I wouldnt be surprised if hed always been left-handed. ...I found its weakness! Calzark cracked the stone on a particr spot on the snake drawing. Crack! It has a flipped scale under its chin. That is its weak point. A flipped scale. I thought about the imugi I once killed on Spirit Mountain. ...Reverse scale. Did you say something? No. Calzark habitually stroked his beard before looking into the air as if reminiscing. While we were fighting chaotically, I ended up tapping that scale. It thrashed around like it had been kicked in the balls. Arzan suddenly clenched her fist. So, she liked jokes like that? That was surprising. If Id struck it deeper, it wouldve been a fatal injury. So even though hitting it there might not instantly kill the Sapphire Snake, it will turn the tide of the battle in our favor? Thats right. The strategy is to silently approach it while its sleeping and strike its weak spot before the fight starts. Calzark looked a little embarrassed. Honestly, there have been a few opportunities during my stay here, but I am terrible at moving silently. This was true for me as well. Hiding my presence wasnt my specialty. My gaze naturally turned to Arzan. Calzark, who probably knew more about her than I did, also turned to look at her. Arzan immediately recognized her role. Then Ill take on that mission. Will it be fine? Yes. All right. After that, Calzark shared a few more points that I needed to be careful about. Id been worried that maybe he was forcing himself to go along with my schedule, but upon hearing his passionate exnation, I realized those worries had been unfounded. In truth, Calzark was much more serious about hunting this gem beast than either Arzan or I. After the exnation ended, I exercised, trained, ate, slept, and talked with Arzan. Of course, there was an annoying thing as well. Hey, are you really not going to be my disciple? ... When he saw me training, Calzark started to be annoying again. When Id refused him on the first day, I had still tried to maintain a level of respect for him, but his continued yapping since then was causing my patience to hit rock bottom. If you have nothing to do here, please go away. Let me train alone. After sending him away as if he were a peddler, Calzark shouted, You rude bastard! Fine! and left. But he soon returned to say the same thing. Honestly, chasing Calzark away was more tiring than my actual training. As these chaotic encounters continued, three days passed in an instant. ...Are you ready? Yes. Lets go. All right. Crack. As Calzark stretched his neck joints, he mumbled to himself, ...After this is over, lets eat some snake meat. The day of the snake hunt was upon us. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 The Sapphire Snake seemedrger than I remembered. It hadnt even been a few days. Now that I think about it, dont snakes keep growing as long as theyre alive? This gem beast certainly had a longer lifespan than a normal snake. I was struck by a sudden curiosity: how old was this snake? Fuu I heard a sigh and turned to look at Calzark. The atmosphere was chilly enough to make ones breath visible, but he was dripping with sweat. Are you okay? Am I okay? Are you asking me that right now? Calzark was smiling nonchntly, but I could tell something was off. Still, one must respect a mans ego. But even so, this was a little unexpected. No matter how strong the opponent was, it was rare to see a man get this nervous. And Arzan is... Based on her position, we still had some time until the fight began. To try and raise our chances of victory by even a little bit, I tried to talk with Calzark. Are you hiding anything? I asked. What? Is there anything between you and the gem beast? Why do you think that? No reason." I hadnt ced much importance on the question to begin with. If theres anything you want to say, please say it now, while we have some time. Calzark red silently at me for some time, until... Arrogant bastard. Cursing, here? Youre pretty simr to Derk. ... That thing took away what was most precious to me. More precious than your arm? Yeah. What was it? My family, Calzark said. He didnt continue immediately. He seemed to need some time to choose his words. I had a younger brother. We werent the same agehe was actually about as old as you are. He kept pestering me about walking up the mountain with me. In the end, I couldnt refuse him. ... He wasnt skilled, but his senses were good. He was the first to notice the gem beast deep beneath the swamp. When that snake bastard opened its mouth, he pushed me out of the way. That was thest I ever saw him. The one I needed to protect was, in the end, the one who protected me. There was nothing for me to say to that, so I kept quiet. Rather than looking at each other, we were both observing the huge gem beast. I chased after the snake and fought it countless times. But I couldnt see a way to finish it. When I felt like I was being pushed back, I retreated and nned for another day. At that time, I thought that was the right course of actionif I died, then I wouldnt be able to avenge my brother. But... Calzark looked down at his hand. Seeing my current state, maybe I wasnt cautious, just a coward. ... Shit. Im just talking about whatever now. Maybe its really my time to die. You need to live, I told him. I pulled the Ring Sword from my finger and handed it to Calzark. What is this? Its an artifact. The Ring Sword. Although it had blown up in the fight with the assassins, the Ring Swords actual form was the ring itself. With this ring, I could create an endless... no, about two or three more swords, at this point. I already have a sword. I know. Please use this if you want. Why? Im strong even without my swordsmanship. Hah. The edges of Calzarks lips twisted as he put the sword he was holding in his scabbard. I also smirked. Its easy to use. You can adjust the length of the sword by how much you spin the ring... I looked at Calzarks missing right side and shrugged. Ill put it on a finger for you. Calzark wordlessly lifted his middle finger toward me. What a character indeed. How long do you want the sword to be? A little longer. ...This much? Perfect. Calzark had aplicated expression as he looked at the Ring Sword. He quietly mumbled to himself, ...Dan always personally handed me my sword before my missions. ... So Dan was his brothers name... I couldnt dare imagine the emotions of an older brother who used the name of his dead younger brother as a pseudonym. It was impossible for me since I didnt have a younger sibling, and it wasnt like I was close with my older brothers or sisters. Will Dan be happy if we kill that bastard? Calzark stared at me. How could a dead person be happy? Its not like nothing will change. I believe requiems are a ritual for the living. When we kill that thing, your heart will definitely experience change, Senior. That much is enough. At this point, we confirmed Arzans position. She had skillfully climbed the wall before approaching the area around the gem beast. Senior. What. Thats an artifact, I noted. You told me that already. Its expensive, so please return it properly afterward. Hah. Kruaaaaah! At that moment, an explosive roar rippled through the cave. In the distance, we saw the gem beast iling and Arzan being flung back. She seeded. It was time. *** It was a critical strike. The moment she hit the reverse scale, Arzan was certain. Of course, this certainty wasnt born from having aplete understanding of the snakes bodily structure. What Arzan was focused on was the Sapphire Snakes reaction and the feeling in her hand. The roar of pain, its iling and thrashing, and the blood dripping from its eyes and mouth... Its reaction was far too severe for a mere scale being disturbed. Arzan was flung back by the snakes power, and shended near the roof of the cave. Luckily, there was a protrusion jutting out of the wall. From this position, she observed the Sapphire Snake in its entirety. Its... way too big. Right now, Arzan couldnt even dream of killing this snake alone. Even if she threw the dagger in her hand a thousand times, it wouldnt be enough. With how big it was, trying to make it bleed out would take days. That monster could probably only be killed by an attack from Calzark. The Instructor of Swords and des should be powerful enough to create an aura de that exceeds a few meters. A sword of that size should be enough to behead this huge snake. That was why Arzans role was to create distractions. Head, body, tail... On the battlefield made of these three parts, she was responsible for the head. Kraaaaaah! In its rage, the gem beast seemed to be focused entirely on Arzan. This reaction was understandable given it had been woken from its sweet dreams by the worst pain it could imagine. Arzan focused on dodging, but even as she put her all into evading its attacks, she could feel the constant threat of death looming over her. No matter where she ran in this cave, she could not escape the reach of the gem beast, and she had no choice but to dodge most of the attacks at thest moment. But even when she dodged an attack, shards of stone from the destroyed wall behind her would ricochet off and cause small wounds on her body. Of course, she wasnt running away the entire time. sh! The gem beast screamed once more. Masters attack worked. Although she couldnt see it happen due to the snakesrge size, it seemed Calzark had begun attacking the snake. Calzark was handling the snakes body. To continuously damage the snake, he would stay in the safest spot andnd direct blows against the gem beast whenever an opportunity arose. His attack power was the strongest among the three, so this was his role. * * * * * * * * * * Arzan felt the gem beasts attention move off of her. It was a clever beast. Even though it was just a snake, it didnt let its ragepletely overtake its decisions. Even in this short battle, the snake had decided on its priorities, and after thest attack, Arzan had been pushed down to the lowest priority. Right now, it was most wary not of Arzan but of Calzark, who was swinging his sword down below. This was much better. As the enemys attention shifted from her, she was naturally able to fade away and hide her presence... Situations like this were the best for fighting like an assassin. Next time. She would aim for the gem beasts eyes or tongue. The snake hadntpletely forgotten about Arzan, but it didnt matter. This would be a long, worn-out battle, and the snake wouldnt be able to always pay attention to Arzan. If itpsed for even just a moment, that was good enough for her. At some point in this battle, perhaps when Calzark went for another attack and its attention faltered for just a split second, that would be Arzans golden opportunity. The gem beast would once again be forced to recognize her existence. *** Some days are perfect. When your head feels strangely clear, when your body, mind, and every single cell dere that they are in peak condition... Calzark wanted to kill the gem beast on such a day. Unfortunately, his condition wasnt that good today. ...Or at least, it hadnt been that good before the battle began. My head is clear. My body feels light. Maybe he was imagining it, but his de didnt seem to be at all rusted either. Calzark realized the reason for this andughed in his heart. That cheeky brat. The kid had spoken to him before the battle began. It hadnt been a grand speech or some deep discussion. The brat hadnt given any meaningful advice either. But there were moments when ones head felt lighter because one shared something deep within ones heart. Calzark suddenly thought back. It had been quite some time since he had shared his thoughts with someone else. Thoughts became heavier the longer one held on to them. One needed to speak them aloud, to share them, if one wanted to lessen their weight, but he hadnt been able to do that. Arrogant bastard. Because of him, Calzark was experiencing a rare phenomenon. Although hed started the fight in his worst condition, his mind was bing clearer and clearer as he fought. As if his body was being carried by momentum, he felt this sword be sharper and sharper the more he swung it. This gem beast... He knew it was dangerous, but he also felt like it was weaker than thest time hed fought it. Dash! Calzark jumped high into the air and swung his sword downward. Crunch! A line appeared across the gem beasts huge body. Were this bastards scales always this easy to cut? Calzark smirked. As he fought, certainty arose in his mind. Today, this gem beast will die. *** The gem beasts tail swished around like a whip as I pummeled it. Although my wrists were bing numb, I deflected the snakes attacks as best I could. This tail was one of the ways the gem beast could attack. It was as big as a boulder and covered in scales as sturdy as steel. On top of that, the incredible speed every time the snake flicked its tail was enough to kill just about anything in its way. This was the most dangerous part of the battle against the gem beast. Arzan would distract its head and Calzark wouldnd lethal blows on its body. My job was to keep this tail from moving too widely. At this point, the n was going smoothly. Easily. In other words... Its going too well. As time passed, the gem beasts movements began to slow. The damage inflicted by Calzark seemed to be starting to umte. We had coated the de with all of the poison wed looted from those assassins. Evidently, Osel had been correct when hed talked about how effective it would be against the gem beast. Kyaaaaaak! With another ripping sound, something thumped to the ground. I thought it was some weird pink snake, but looking at it closely... Is that the Sapphire Snakes tongue? That meant that Arzan, who was in charge of the head, had seeded. A snakes tongue was a much more important sensory organ than its eyes or its nose. Since she had seeded in cutting it off, the snake shouldnt be able to perfectly detect our location. In that case... We had passed what we expected to be the most dangerous part of the battle. All that was left was to continuously damage its body and stop it from moving, and then we could cut off its head. ... I furrowed my brow. Is this it? The gem beast was by no means weak. We were still fighting with our lives on the line. But... why had Calzark and Arzan been so afraid of an enemy of this caliber? Its too easy. My head felt cold. I remembered the teachings of my senior brother. Hed told me that one should be more nervous the more favorable the situation appeared. Had we perhaps missed something? I deflected the tail with another punch. Bang! The gem beasts tail struck the wall. The collision was so great that the wall itself crumbled down. Its movements were bing more and more desperate as it got closer to death, but it wouldntst long. When an opportunity arose, I would try topletely destroy its tail. ... Suddenly, I stopped moving. Beyond the section of the wall destroyed by the tail, a new area had been revealed. There was a space here behind the wall. It wasnt unexpectedthe area Calzark had been staying in was simr in design. However, the moment I saw the area that had opened up, I felt a chill go down my spine. Behind the wall was a group of countless white eggs. And these were Theyre already hatched! I quickly looked toward the battlefield. From the other cave entrance that the Sapphire Snake had been covering with its huge body... Rumble...! I could see a cloud of dust moving toward us. ...Fuck. Id expected something like this would happen. I gritted my teeth as I saw the gem beasts babies swarming toward us. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Baby snakes! Arzan and Calzark didnt immediately understand what Luan was shouting about. It took a few seconds for them to fully process his wordsit wasnt like hed said The Sapphire Snake has babies inside the cave. Baby snakes? Calzark immediately checked his surroundings, and it wasnt difficult for him to sense the group of creatures approaching the cave entrance. What the hell is this... However, sensing was different from not panicking. Calzarks mind went white as soon as he detected them. Just... when had itid eggs? And how had he not known? Right after Calzark processed these thoughts, he saw what Luan had seen. He saw the area that had be visible behind the cracked wall. The moment he saw the white eggshells, a chill went down his spine. This situation... It hid them from me on purpose? Calzark felt a new sense of fear. Hed known the gem beast was smart. Hed been the one to tell Arzan and Luan such in the first ce. However, hed been too arrogant. Although he treated the gem beast as his lifes enemy, hed still thought of it as just a beast. Hed thought it couldnt be as smart as a human. But in this moment, he fully realized how wrong that thought had been. This monster, which hed thought was just a beast, hadpletely fooled Calzark while also hiding its wicked intent. Just as the gem beast was the target of Calzarks rage and hatred, the gem beast mightve also thought of Calzark as an overly tenacious and annoying enemy to face. That was why it had hidden the fact that it had eggs. This monster might not understand deception orying traps for others... but it had instinctively realized that hiding these eggs would turn the situation in its favor. That was why the gem beast had blocked one of the entrances with its huge body and raised its children in secret. If thats the case... The snake taking over this cave as itsir might have actually been the start of its insidious n. While Calzark had been engaged in a mental tug-of-war against the gem beast, the gem beast had been sessfully nurturing its children. All so that, in the future, these snakes could kill Calzark in their mothers stead. Calzark, you idiot. How did you not notice?! Thinking about it, there were multiple oddities. The Sapphire Snake was much weaker than it should have been... Its hibernation hadsted far too long even though it was winter... And although the gem beast was known to change its dwelling at every opportunity, it had remained in this cave for a few years now. What if Luan hadnte here? What if hed decided not to subjugate the gem beast today and instead waited another half a year? Calzark wouldve continued to look for an opening like an idiot and then been ripped apart by the snakes children, which would be fully grown in a few months. Kieeeek! The children of the gem beast slithered toward them. Compared to their mother, these snakes were still small, but their small size made them quite nimble. Calzark moved toward the group of baby snakes and cut through them. From this short exchange, it became clear that the strength of their scales wasnt anything to scoff at either. Just how many are there? At a nce, he could see at least a few dozen. Calzark had to use quite a bit of mana to properly kill one or two, but he wasnt in a situation where he could afford to keep wasting mana like that. In the first ce, the enemy that he needed to absolutely destroy was the Sapphire Snake itself. Hed been so close to getting his revenge, so hed used his mana without much worry during the fight. As he thought about it now, he shouldve suspected something was off from that moment. Hed thought the gem beast didnt feel as strong as it used to because Luan and Arzan had joined the fight, or perhaps because hed been in better condition, but that was wrong. The Sapphire Snake had been exhausted afterying its eggs. This isnt good. If he ran out of mana, not even he would be able to deal proper damage to these snakes. Honestly, it was enough to make his future seem bleak, but he didnt intend to lie down and die. Fuck. Calzark gritted his teeth and imbued the edge of his sword with mana. Come here if you want to die with your mother! he shouted. You bastards! *** Maybe the snakes understood his cursing. Maybe that was the case, or maybe they were just threatened by Calzarks shouts. Regardless, Calzarks shouting seeded in attracting the snakes attention, and I used that moment to think. Firstly, there was the gem beast. At this point, itll die even if we dont do anything to it. ...On the other hand, that meant it was still alive. Something might happen. If left alone, perhaps it would regenerate. Enough blood had been spilled from the snake to make a pond, but one couldnt underestimate the life force of a gem beast. I looked at Calzark and Arzan. Firstly, I was surprised by Arzans movements. She was using the same movements shed used when we were trying to escape the assassins before. But it seemed like the skill might have a severe drawback; even from afar, I could tell her body was starting to falter. She wontst long. Calzarks situation looked worse than hers. That couldnt be helped, though, since he had already given his all to kill the gem beast. To make matters worse, he had pulled the attention of most of the young snakes, so he might die at any moment if he made a mistake. In other words, the person in the best condition was me. I was the only one who could turn the tides of the current situation. * * * * * * * * * * With that decided, I didnt hesitate a single moment longer. I instantly enacted the n Id thought up. Dash! I stepped on the tail that had be tattered from the repeated attacks and used it as a boost to run directly up the snakes back. Kyaaaaak! The snake screamed as it twisted its body. Tenacious bastard. Calzark shouldve cut into it at least ten times by now, but it still had this much strength left? The cave was massive, but it wasntrge enough to amodate this hill-sized gem beasts tantrums. The gem beasts rampage made its body hit the floor, walls, and sometimes even the ceiling. The entire cave shook as if it was going to copse at any moment. Rumble...! Did this bastard want to crush everyone here? I thought about it for a moment but ultimately rejected the idea. Its kids were still present, and the wounds it had endured werent light enough for it to survive if it did. Since it was smart enough to haveid this trap, I weirdly felt that I could trust it to follow my expectations. In any case, it was flopping around like it was atop a fire, making it difficult for me to run along its back. But it also made the young snakes chasing after me fall off. Although it was a little weird to be thankful for such a thing, I was able to remain on the snakes back by moving a little slower. But suddenly, the gem beasts movement stopped. Shwoo... I freaked out as I heard the sound of air being sucked up. Calzark had mentioned this phenomenon. Breath! The moment I heard Calzarks shout from somewhere below me... Shwaaaaaah! Coldness spread out from the gem beasts entire body. *** Usually, breath attacks originate from the mouth. But its said that snakes and amphibians such as frogs can breathe through their skin too. So was this snake able to use its breath attack through its skin to exude cold ki as well? Arzan nearly lost consciousness from the raging snowstorm. It had been chilly enough before, but now, she thought she might actually freeze to death. ...That would probably be the case if she fell unconscious. Haa... Arzan let out a warm breath. She needed to use mana. Pump the heart and make the body circte the blood that had slowed down. But it didnt go as she wanted. The cold ki had already invaded deep into her body. It was... too cold... ...I cant move. This is much colder than what I heard from Master beforehand. The snake shouldve been in a weakened state after birth, so how was its cold ki so strong? Arzan looked around the cave and quickly realized the reason. It wasnt just the gem beast that was using its breath; its children had also understood their mothers intent and were using their breath as well. Arzan gripped her dagger. She honestly couldnt tell if her grip was tight or loose. Shed lost feeling in her entire body from the cold. This was everything Arzan could do right now. Damn it. Although she was the farthest from the gem beast, shed still been left in this state. Calzark, who had been swinging his sword near the snake, and Luan, who had been running up the gem beasts back, would already have frozen to death. Arzan could feel her consciousness starting to slip as well. Yet, in this situation, where she couldnt even draw blood from her lips by biting down... Arzan felt like she saw something unbelievable. In this area that was dense with cold ki, on the back of the gem beast that looked like it was carved from ice, she saw a rising pir of fire. *** Id nearly died. That wasnt a joke. Spirit Mountain had just shed before my eyes. I wouldve instantly turned into an ice sculpture if Id realized just a secondter that it was emitting cold ki. Of course, I was fine right now. I wasnt frozen solid, or even feeling the cold. And that wasnt all. Crack! I was still running. From the moment the gem beast had started emitting its cold ki, I hadnt stopped running. This was the reason I was still alive. Id used the sun shadow steps to cover my entire bodyespecially the soles of my feetwith fire ki. I didnt need to control my firepower like when Id fought against the assassin because I didnt need to try and confuse my targets perceptions. As a result, every time I stepped down, a burning footstep was left on the snakes back... Despite being in such a critical situation, I habitually decided to name this technique... Sun Shadow Step, me Dash Kieeeeek! Take it. It surely burned a lot. I was putting all of my internal energy into each step. For the weakened gem beast, each ming step had to be unbelievably painful. Because my steps were holding my entire weight, maybe it felt like small meteors repeatedly falling on its back. In any case, the breath attack might have been its final act because it didnt even seem to have the strength to struggle like before. Thanks to that, I was running quite fast without any impediment. Shshshsk! But when I was about halfway up the gem beasts back, its kids, which had fallen off before, started to catch up to me again. Quite the filial children, caring for their mother like so. Snakes were usually seen as cold-blooded, yknow? But it looks like they at least care about each other. Then what should I do now? I couldnt stop running, first of all. It would be the end of me if I became surrounded at this point. And running to the end wasnt going to work out either. Although the snake was unbelievably long, it naturally had an end. I would have no choice but to jump down after reaching its head, and I would be instantly surrounded when Inded on the ground. ...Even while thinking, my internal energy was being drained at a rapid pace as I continued to me dash. Right on time, I reached the snakes head, and I looked behind me while I caught my breath. The swarm of baby snakes were approaching me quickly. At that moment, when I needed to make a decision... I poured my internal energy into my fist. White Sun Form, Sixth Technique. Falling me. My first, coated with a red me, struck down on the gem beasts head. Crunch! The gem beasts scales cracked, and I felt its skull get crushed beneath my fist. Although half my internal energy was spent on this one attack, it was fine. With this, I was sure that the gem beastthat the Sapphire Snake waspletely dead. Boom! The gem beasts huge body fell to the ground, and I saw the gem beasts kids that were chasing after me fall off of it. Although they fell from pretty high up, I didnt expect any of them would be hurt by the fall. It would be a miracle for me if a few of them crushed each other or even got tangled up. In any case, while their pursuit of me was dyed for a second, I sessfullynded on the ground. I saw the Sapphire Snake dead with its mouth wide open. I saw blood flowing from its eyes, mouth, and where Arzan had cut off its tongue. I stepped right into the Sapphire Snakes mouth. Kieeek! A momentter, the baby snakes all charged toward me. Perhaps they realized that their mother was dead, because they all looked pretty enraged. Fuu... I looked at my enemies and let out a breath. The snakes mouth. This was the battlefield Id chosen. It was a damp and unpleasant ce, but in this ce, I only needed to focus on what was in front of me. At the very least, I wouldnt be surrounded here. Though that means I dont have anywhere to run either. I let out a self-deprecatingugh. Since Ide here, I no longer had any thought of running away. There were only two possible oues: either I killed all these snake bastards, or I would be killed. Kiyaaaaak! Of course, I wasnt going to die in a smelly ce like this. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Although Id reached the battlefield I desired, I couldnt say my situation was much improved. After about a minute of fighting inside the snakes mouth, I started to regret giving Calzark my Ring Sword. Sigh... I wouldve held on to it if Id known this was going to happen. My weapon of choice was my fists, not a sword, but a sharp edge was definitely preferred when I needed to conserve my internal energy. The baseline attack power of a sword was on a different level from a fist. Since my external arts and body still werent good, I needed to use all of my internal energy to face these snake bastards. If I fought them with just my body, my muscles would be ripped apart and my bones crushed in an instant. If I hadnt been hit by Osels poisoned dagger and been able to convert its extreme yang energy into my own internal energy, I wouldve died already. ...Thinking back on it, could I really say that was just a stroke of luck? I suddenly had a useless thought. Maybe getting hit by that dagger was the start of an extraordinary fate or something. But since it was a useless thought, I ignored it and focused on the battle. ... ... My body felt hot. As I kicked, punched, and ripped apart these small snakes that were swarming me, I suddenly wondered... How many have I killed so far? I couldnt remember. This was dangerous. It was proof that my cognitive ability was starting to be affected. Even as I swung my fist imbued with fire ki, it felt like I was gradually getting colder... and soon, my breaths started to form mist. This isnt good. In fact, it was really bad. The reason I had been able to hold on this long wasnt because I was amazing; it was because of the matchup. The martial arts I had learned just happened to be of the extreme yang type. On the other hand, the matchup was bad for Calzark. Against an enemy like this, it would be difficult for him to use even half of his total power. I let out another hot breath. Haa... Thinking about it simply, fire would melt ice, but the melted ice would turn into water and the water would put out the fire. Beyond the regr elemental interactions, this meant that the longer I fought, the more disadvantageous it would be for me. If I had be strong enough to instantly vaporize all water with my fire, it wouldnt matter how long the battle dragged on. But unfortunately for me right now, my proficiency in both internal and external arts was terrible. The biggest variable in the battle right now was definitely the children of the gem beast. The cold ki they emitted naturally from their bodies saturated their surroundings, and it was affecting me as well. Haa... I let out another deep breath. How many more enemies are there? Their numbers didnt seem to have changed from when I first saw them. p! My cheek was pped by a tail while I was busy thinking such useless thoughts. If the hit had been any harder, my teeth mightve fallen out. You bastard... For pping me when even my mother never did, I personally reached out to that snake and ripped it to death. Then, as I spat the blood out of my mouth, I had another thought: I might die here today. ... ... At some point, my consciousness felt like I was drifting in a dream. Every part of my body hurt, especially my right arm. As I looked at it to check its condition, I saw quite a severe injury. I had bled a lot, but what I was feeling right now was a little different from the light-headedness caused by excessive blood loss. It felt as if my mind was disjointed from my body. Even while I continued to have useless thoughts, my arms and legs diligently destroyed my enemies. I ended up remembering something my talkative third senior brother used to say. You get stronger the angrier you get? Thats like The Hulk. Rather than anger, I feel like Im resonating more deeply with the Strongest Fire Technique. Also, whats a hulk? Just something with green skin, a huge body, and great strength... An ogre? He looks simr, but... hespletely different. My third senior brother was known for how talkative he was, but nine out of ten things he said were useless. However, he asionally said something helpful. Youngest, I heard that you were a mercenary beforeing here. Ah, yes. Did you know? Everyone who walks the path of a mercenaryes to at least one situation where they must bet their life. His words back then werent wrong. As a baseline for mercenary jobs, not even the most simple of missions was without the threat of death. Honestly, even if they werent aware of that, most mercenaries truly put their life on the line in every situation. A few people think putting their life on the line is some grandiose thing, but its not like that. Even so, those situations are indeed opportunities for immense growth. Listen closely, youngest. Oveing your limits and throwing away your life as if youre betting with it, those are twopletely different things. Because... ...Spite and perseverance are two different things. In my previous life, Id never truly understood what he meant by this. Id died on the battlefield without oveing my limit. Id only realized it after I experienced death and arrived in a new ce called Spirit Mountain. * * * * * * * * * * ... ... My body still felt hot. My throat was burning up like I had swallowed a ball of fire, and my skull felt likeva was flowing through it. Even so, my entire body was suffused with a sharpyer of cold ki. It had gotten to the point where I didnt even have the luxury of thinking useless thoughts. I continued to fight. Even the thought of victory started to fade at some point. My body began to move more on primal instinct. Even until my internal energy bottomed out, to kill just one more... I punched. Tap. ...I definitely punched. ...Uh. But my fist, which had been destroying these snakes all this time, only powerlessly tapped against a snakes scales. The snake also seemed to be shocked for a moment as it shrunk in on itself... but after realizing it felt no pain, it tilted its head to look at me. Swish swish. I looked at my fist in a daze. When I tried to squeeze my inner core, no energy poured out. The confused snake immediately changed its attitude and lunged at me. Kyaaaaak! I could see the snakes disgusting throat, its shing white fangs, and the cold ki it was constantly emitting. I was in a desperate and dangerous situation. ... ... To put it another way... This was the moment to exceed my limits. *** Youre a funny one. Sometime in the past, Master said that to me. I have seen countless individuals who were all called geniuses. You have four senior brothers above you, and they all have unbelievable talent that one would have difficulty finding anywhere under the heavens. Like you, they also trained here. He continued to talk in his monotonous voice. They needed to do whatever they could to survive on Spirit Mountain for a month. I silently listened like I was a sinner being lectured. Every one of them experienced all sorts of dangers. Although those dangers werent guaranteed to lead to injury, they all faced death once or twice. The words once or twice cut deeply into my soul. Master looked directly at my face and observed my reaction. How many times have you nearly died on Spirit Mountain? I didnt know. I couldnt count because it had happened too many times. I was too busy trying to survive. Twenty-seven times. Twenty-seven times in one month. You could say you nearly died once a day. I became ovee with emotions. What... are you trying to say? Compared to my senior brothers who were only in danger one or two times, I shouldve already died. The unbelievable difference in our level made me feel miserable. I felt like a failure. I expected to hear the words I had heard countless times in House Bednicker, the words I had never wanted to hear from my master. Well done. As I looked up in surprise, I saw the face of a benevolent old man. You were in a lot of danger this past month. You were hurt a lot and suffered a lot. A person can never truly be insensitive to death. You spent a month wrestling with the biggest fear one can have, and you overcame it. You were able to truly train yourself. Thinking about it now... Im pretty sure thats the only time Master ever genuinely praised me. It seems the me will suit you. Why is that? It was an unexpected suggestion. If I were able to fully personify the me, I would be a very passionate and fiery individual. When I thought about it, that person was far too distant from me. But despite my thoughts, I already knew it in my heart. The fire elemental technique of the Strongest Technique in History can only be embodied by one with the utmost tenacity. In the world of martial arts, my masters words were truth. *** Was the gem beast a poisonous snake? And had its children inherited their mothers poisonous fangs? I would never be able to learn the answer to these questions because, right before its fangs could touch my arm, the swarm of snakes disappeared from my sight like dried leaves before a me. My head felt numb, and my vision went white. Even though my body had been shivering until just a moment ago, it felt warm now. ...! ...! Even though the baby snakes were screaming as they charged toward me, I couldnt hear them properly. My five senses felt extremely dull, but the movement of the snakes somehow felt very clear, as if I was touching them with my hands. ...I broke through. I couldnt help butugh. Maybe my ears werent working anymore. I couldnt even hear my ownughter. But thanks to that, I was able tough as loudly as I could without caring about anyone who might hear me. The snakes hesitated briefly, like they wanted to avoid me somewhat, but then one of them swung at me with its tail as if it were a whip. It looked so slow that I nearly yawned. I grabbed the snakes tail and ripped it apart. This was definitely easier than punching it with my fists, though it did have the downside of being messy. I took a step forward. Step. Thinking about it, this was the first time... This was the first time in this battle that I had walked toward them. While fighting the snakes, the one thing Id worried most about was being surrounded. As a result, Id taken a more defensive stance. But there was no need to do that anymore. I now had aplete understanding of their numbers. The remaining snakes... There were only around fifteen left. Maybe they thought Id stepped into the jaws of death myself, but the snakes that had been hesitating started to attack me again. Evidently these snakes would need a lot more time before they could inherit the title of gem beast from their mother. Their attacks were all so simple. This group of snakes seemed tock cunning. In that case, right now, while my physical ability was at its maximum, it didn''t matter if they numbered in the tens or hundreds. Fwoosh. The red mes suddenly changed color and became white. The surroundings also looked like they were covered with white mes. But, on closer inspection, it was because I was within the white mes myself. ...The reason only the most tenacious person can embody the Strongest Fire Technique. This technique had the characteristic of bing stronger and stronger the longer the battle went. As time passed, the body would heat up, but in contrast, the practitioner would feel colder. Their body would feel lethargic, their mind would seem faint, and the pain would be unbearable. Due to these factors, one might have thoughts of death at every moment, but if one held on and didnt give up, it would be even hotter. Gradually, they would be stronger, burning until the moment of fading like a fire that burns without restraint. The growth of the body would also reach its limit. In the end, when one broke through to the point of overheating, white mes would cover their entire body... Master called this condition ming White. Only realbat could let one see true growth. A result that could never be achieved unless one overcame the valley of death... That was why I was thankful for this hardship, this battle, this day. I snapped the neck of thest snake. Crunch. I took deep breaths and stood still. I stood there in the mes, enjoying the feeling of being born anew. The chill disappeared from my surroundings. ... ... But then somethingpletely unexpected happened. [Truly amazing!] [This dance of fists that you showed with your life on the lineI, Martial God, recognize it as an offering worthy of awakening me from my deep slumber.] [Inheritor, you have the right to be my first follower.] ...What the hell was this? Chapter 26 Chapter 26 When people be exhausted, they sometimes start to hallucinate and see things that are not there. I had experienced it before as well. Right now, though, I wasnt seeing things, I was hearing things. ...Martial God? [Thats right, inheritor.] Martial God. God... It wasnt like I waspletely clueless. The upside-down triangle symbol Calzark had shown us. The altar of a forgotten god somewhere within this cave. No way... Did the forgotten god awaken because of that battle? [Are you surprised? However, inheritor, this Martial God does not repeat his words. This glorious offer is also not a false one. Now, approach my altar.] So noisy. Maybe because Id gone all-out for the first time in a while, even little things were starting to annoy me. This Martial God, Marital God, or whatever, I just wished he would shut up for a second. [Hm. It seems you do not find value in our connection. I see. Maybe you were not my inheritor...] I dont know. Im just going to sleep for a second and [Then I must look for another follower. An excellent martial artist seems to be on their way here just in time.] ...What? Hearing that, I forcibly opened my eyes, which had been on the verge of closing. A martial artist wasing here? He probably wasnt talking about Calzark or Arzan. If my guess was correct, those two should still bepletely frozen from the cold ki emitted by the Sapphire Snake. [Someone is running here from the other side of the cave at quite an impressive speed. Hmm. I also feel the blessing of a god from them.] The blessing of a god. Though, that being said, the personing here probably wasnt a member of one of the Great Houses. As exined before, gods were beings who had ambiguous definitions of good and evil. To them, blessings included not just the blessings bestowed by the 72 gods but also the curses of the gods of disaster. Meaning the person approaching this ce was most likely a servant of Hadenaihar, and if that person became the follower of this forgotten god... In the worst-case scenario, it could mean the creation of an additional demon lord. No way. I grit my teeth and stood up. Where do you need me to go? *** The ce I was headed to was the area where the gem beasts eggs had been stored. The opening that had been revealed during the battle against the Sapphire Snake. Step. It smelled horrible. I stepped over the old eggshells and moved forward. As I walked through the darkness, crossroads continuously appeared... [Right.] [Left here.] [Go straight forward.] But the one who called himself the Martial God continued to guide me, so it wasnt difficult at all. After passing countless crossroads, an impressively big area suddenly appeared. It was wide enough for many buildings to be built side by side, and the ceiling was high enough for the Sapphire Snake to have stood upright. In this spacious area, there was one singr building. ... An upside-down tower. A relic of a forgotten god who embodied defiance against the heavens. It seemed the building hadnt managed to escape the winds of time, as the tower itself looked very worn down and damaged. However, the moment I saw it, I became overwhelmed by its pressure. Rather than looking unsightly, it looked vintage. [Inheritor, this way.] At the words of the Martial God, I again moved forward. At the front of the tower was a simple altar. ...This isnt upside down. [Of course. If this were upside down as well, how would you ce my offerings upon the altar?] Offerings... I let out a sigh. Martial God, I have no way of knowing much about a forgotten god. If I am to be your first follower, what specific benefits could you give me? [Hoh. How could you measure the worth of faith through gains? Just bing this Martial Gods follower should be honor enough.] Its difficult for humans to ept the standards of gods. I dont believe worldly beings desiring worldly desires is truly a bad thing. [Hmm...] A moment of silence followed. [You are not wrong. Sure. There are differences between gods and humans.] After contemting for a moment longer, the Martial God spoke confidently. [Understood. Then... if you be my follower, I will teach you the greatest martial arts technique I know!] I dont really need something like that. * * * * * * * * * * The Martial God seemed flustered by my direct response. [You dont need it? How could that be?] I already have a martial arts Im learning. [That is not a problem. You still seem quite young. There is no problem in you learning a new martial technique.] I have no intentions of learning a new martial art any time soon, though... [Why is that?] Because the martial art that Im learning is the strongest. The Martial God seemed to be struck speechless for a second. [Inheritor, it seems you dont know because you are young in the ways of martial arts, but as one who walks the martial path, the word strongest isnt one you should say so easily.] But you just said it as well. [I am the Martial God. A god of the martial way. If I cannot call my own martial art the strongest, then wouldnt that be more strange?] Well, he wasnt wrong. [How frustrating. You do not know how great of a boon this is for you.] His reaction felt weirdly human for a god. From his weird way of speaking and the energy he was conveying, I could tell he was a very mature and magnanimous being. Maybe he really was the Martial God. The moment I had that thought, many other questions appeared in my mind about this Martial God. Martial God, the master that taught me said this: Under the heavens, all martial arts are equal. Whats most important is the capability of the one using the martial art, or the aptitude of the practitioner in rtion to that art. [Those words are not wrong.] Do you agree with his words? Then how could you say that your martial art is the strongest? Although you might not be the right way to address him, I couldnt think of anything better. [Inheritor, you are much more mature than your age would suggest.] The Martial God sounded like he was smiling. [It also seems you have reached a hint of your own martial truth. Ignoring your aplishments, it is a difficult result to produce at such an age...] ... [I will give you an answer to that question. First, when a martial artist reaches a certain point, their opinion about the strongest will be different from everyone else''s.] I blinked at that. It had been a while since Id heard something I couldnt understand. [For some, strongest could just mean unbeatable, while others might say it is undefeated. For some, simply allowing one to survive could be the strongest there is. How theyve lived their life will create a difference in their assessment.] After hearing the Martial Gods exnation, I somewhat understood. Unbeatable and undefeated might seem simr in meaning, but the difference was clear. Being unrivaled and winning every single fight were different things, after all, and not caring about losing because surviving was itself a victory in the end... well, from my point of view, that was closer to a scuffle between animals rather than humans. [The reason my martial art is the strongest is simple: no matter who you are, ifunder identical circumstancesyou put the same amount of time and effort into mastering it, it will give you the highest chance of bing the strongest among all.] Has that been proven? [Thats right. A long time ago... in an age you people have forgotten, it was proven countless times.] There was a sense of longing in his voice. [...But I am curious. The one who taught you seems to have been quite the expert. What did your master say about his martial art?] He said that under the heavens, no other martial art that could defeat it exists in the past, present, or future. Of course, this was in reference to the Strongest Technique in History, not the White Sun Form... but since it was still my masters martial art, it didnt really matter. [A peerless martial art, the strongest in history... How arrogant. However, it seems he has the right to say that.] ... [From the impression you have given me of your master, I believe I can guess his thoughts.] Even if I were to half-learn a random sword technique, I would still be the strongest with it. I instantly felt goosebumps on the back of my neck. There was no way hed met Master before, but the Martial God seemed to havepletely seen through Masters personality. [Interesting. I too know of such a person...] ... [In any case, if those are his thoughts, its natural that the martial art or cultivation technique he created would be the strongest. Thus, when he told you all martial arts are equal, I believe he meant something like...] Under the heavens, all martial arts are equal, except mine. ...Ehm. This was the first time Id met someone who could instantly understand Masters personality without even seeing him. The Martial God had neither personally met nor seen Master; he had deduced this from just a few things Id quoted from Master. I understand, I replied politely. Beyond whether his words were true or not, I realized he was someone worthy of respect. Still, that didnt mean all my curiosities had been answered. However, Martial God, if what you say is true, then the martial art that you are willing to teach me might not be the strongest but just one that you consider to be strongest. The Martial Godughed loudly. [Hahaha.] ...Thankfully, he didnt seem offended by myment. The Martial God thought for a moment. [That is true. Then show me the martial art that you are practicing. I will tell you how you can improve it.] ... [I have no intention of mocking your master, so ease your expression.] My expression is fine. I nearly touched my face on instinct, but that might have been offensive, so I held myself back. [Hear my criticism and apply it if you feel it is useful. How about that?] Hmm... This was the first time Id heard such an arrogant suggestion. He was going to critique the martial art of the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang? I wouldnt have even scoffed at him if not for what had just happened. However, now... I was a little curious. In some sense, this Martial God could be the summit of the martial path that Master was getting close to. All right. I immediately took my stance. *** As if holding a demonstration, I performed the White Sun Form from beginning to end. Since there was no need to hurry, I showed everything slowly, enough so that this Martial God could observe and understand the core and truth of this martial art. [...] In the midst of this, I suddenly remembered Calzarks suggestion. He had suggested that I be his disciple. Calzark was a person worthy of respect. He was strong, emotionally mature, and knew when to be stern in his teachings. In addition to all that, he was also a man of perseverance. His societal standing was high and he was proficient in teaching others as well. It wasnt idle chatter to say that if he had continued to remain in the main house, then my life before my return couldve taken a drastic turn. However, Id still refused Calzarks offer, not just once but multiple times. Weirdly enough, I didnt want to call him teacher, master, or instructor. Honestly, this was true for everyone, not just Calzark. Shwoo~ [...] The martial art created with my master, White Sun Form. For me, White Sun Form was a memory. From the first technique to the tenth technique... the origin of each technique, the process of creating them, how they were born, it was all still fresh in my mind. ...I had learned a lot of things, and not just martial arts either. Bad parts about myself as a person, things I needed to fix, how to live my life, what kind of life to live, what kind of life I wanted to live... And things even a person like me was good at. That was why, to me, Baek Nogwang was someone who couldnt just be called my master. ... Ipleted my demonstration of the White Sun Form. I was panting slightly as I looked at the altar. Maybe because my body was still trash, but even that demonstration had been enough to make my body feel hot. Damn it... I recalled the aftereffects of the White me, which would soone, and I held back my groans. I probably wont be able to even move a finger after waking up tomorrow. The Martial God, who had been quiet this entire time, finally spoke. [Inheritor, what is the name of the martial art you performed?] It is the White Sun Form. [Hm.] After a moment of silence, Martial God spoke with a stern voice. [Inheritor, I wont say much. Stop practicing the White Sun Form.] Chapter 27 Chapter 27 I was at the point where I half-acknowledged that this being could be the Martial God he imed to be. Maybe that was why, instead of getting angry at his rude remark, I became curious instead. Why is that? [This martial art is iplete.] I hesitated for a moment before deciding on my next question. ...How do you know that? There shouldnt be any gaps in itspletion. [This is difficult to exin to you logically. Put simply, when I see the full imageeven if the image was drawn by an aplished painterif there is an obvious empty spot in one ce, one would naturally think it is an iplete artwork.] ... [However, the White Sun Forms ipleteness isnt the only reason why Im saying you should stop learning it. There are a total of ten techniques that you showed in the White Sun Form, and those techniques dont have any specific simrities that bind them together beyond that they all utilize extreme yang energies.] I nodded. His interpretation was correct. As stated once before, every single technique in the White Sun Form was supposed to be lethal. Of course, depending on how I used them, they could be used to create space for me or to chain into other techniques, but as a baseline? Each technique was built to definitely kill the enemy. [There is one more interesting characteristic to them: they be stronger the further into the technique you go, like a me that burns brighter the more it burns.] ... [With your current body, you should only be able to use up to the seventh or eighth technique. I do not believe that you can use the final two techniques, correct?] ...Correct. [And the techniques you will create in the future must be much stronger. From about the eleventh technique, you shouldnt be able to call it the martial arts of a mortal.] It was as he said. This was the reason I hadnt even been able to begin creating theter techniques of the White Sun Form. I wouldnt be able to use them anyway. The Martial God sighed. [This is a dangerous martial art.] ... [Its destructive capabilities are impressive, but fundamentally, it is a technique that can only be performed with a supernaturally sturdy body. A body made of flesh and bone will definitely reach its limits.] Although I couldnt see him, I could tell that he was observing my reaction. [You arent surprised. Did you perhaps already know this truth?] Yes. [Then why do you continue to learn it? Are you not afraid of the potential ill effects?] It wasnt as if this godly entity was going to shout my secret out into the world. I stayed quiet for a moment. The refinement technique I practice has a great effect on my physical recovery. Even with side effects of a certain level, I can recover from it using my refinement technique. [I saw clearly that you have learned a special refinement technique during your battle. Even when you were fully exhausted, I saw you recover your energy quite quickly. However, that is only a temporary solution. You ended up using your true ki.] I was once again surprised by the Martial Gods discerning eye, but I didnt make it known this time. The Martial God let out another sigh. [Most martial arts have a trainingponent. After taking steps to improve, the martial artist will reach the peak of their level, and the trainingponent naturally helps them transition to the next height. This is why the martial arts of your predecessors are themselves mileposts.] ... [Thanks to this, the next generation can not only improve their physical strength but also train their mental acuity. This is also the generosity of the martial arts creator. In the end, to wield powerful martial arts, you must also have a strong mental foundation. However...] When the Martial God continued, his voice was lower. [The White Sun Form has none of those generosities. It is but a collection of destructive techniques. I dont even want to call it a martial art.] ... [I am not telling you to stop using it; I am telling you to stop learning it. Even with just the ten techniques you have shown me, you wont have any problems withbat. Desiring even more than that will be like shattering your own te.] The Martial God paused. [To be honest with you... I do not understand the intention of your master who taught you such a martial art.] Im sure he had a reason. [What reason could there be to break ones own disciple?] Although the Martial Gods words were sharp, I wasnt particrly hurt or shocked by them, and it wasnt because I thought the Martial Gods words were false. I had honestly thought about this myself somewhat. The more I trained in the White Sun Form, the more I felt that it was odd. It was true that continuing to train with it would be dangerous. However, was that wrong? People have certain aptitudes for martial arts. For some, a martial art could be like a glistening treasure, while for others it is just a pebble on the roadside. [That was not ament about aptitude. That was ament about its dangers.] I know. I just want to tell you that there are levels ofpatibility between a master and disciple. [...] Martial God, my master didnt force me to learn the White Sun Form. This was my decision, and it is my responsibility to bear it. I felt the Martial Gods gaze on me. I mightve said something that crossed the line. What Id learned from our short exchange was that this Martial God was somewhat virtuous. His suggestion likely came from a ce of care. However, I did not want someone else to invade the rtionship between my master and me. Even if it came from a ce of goodwill. [...I understand your will. I can also begin to see why you declined my martial art.] Yes. So I think itll be best for you to find a different inheritor [Do you mean the oneing here right now?] Theyre a bit... Thinking about it, the Martial God had said one of Hadenaihars servants was approaching this ce quite quickly. Since the cave was pretty big, it would take them some time to get here... but it shouldnt be taking long enough for me to sit around wasting time. I quickly schemed up a n. How about this? When I get out of this ce, I will look for a follower that suits you. [Hmm. Then youre telling me to not look for a follower until then? Yes. [It seems you dont like the martial artist approaching this ce.] Of course. They are an evil being that worships a god of disaster. [Hmm] The Martial God took a moment to think. [Inheritor. If you ept this one condition, I will ept that offer.] What is it? [Learn my martial art.] As I said before, I [You can continue to learn the White Sun Form. I will not interfere with that. However, it is still an iplete martial art. If you are not nning on focusing solely on its development, learning another martial art wont be of harm to you. And I have my own confidence.] Your own confidence? [I am confident that my martial art will be of great help to you.] ...Why are you doing so much for someone like me? I asked. I couldnt understand his intentions. [It is my insistence as the Martial God.] Pardon? [I am confident. As you learn my martial arts, your thoughts will change.] That I will change and personally choose to give up on learning the White Sun Form? [Thats right.] Heh. I couldnt help butugh. ...Shouldnt you normally hide intentions like that? [I dont think its important if its hidden or not. No, in truth, hiding something like this will cause problems in the future. A master-disciple rtionship requires a foundation of trust.] I am not your disciple, though... [Thats correct.] The Martial God was acting like that wasnt important. I felt like I was being pushed back, but I didnt try to continue. I just epted it. Understood. An existence that called himself the Martial God was lowering his head to me this much, so I didnt think it would be polite for me to continue to decline him And in truth, his suggestion itself couldnt bring me any harm. Ah. Now that I think about it, I forgot to ask the most important thing. Whats the martial art you will be teaching me? [Its called the Gctic Sword.] My jaw dropped. ... This was a name that everyone in The Empire knew. I managed to hold back my shock and ask, ...Martial God, are you perhaps the Nameless King? *** The Gctic Sword. This was the swordsmanship technique of the Nameless King, the king named the greatest king in the history of The Empire after the Founding King. The Nameless King was the one who united the nations that had been separated due to the great demon invasion, and he was also the one who formed a positive rtionship with most of the other races. With just one sword. With the rtionships created by the Nameless King as the foundation, the kingdom of today was called The Empire. No one thought it odd nowadays that one singr nation controlled the entire continent, yet less than five hundred years ago, many different nations and races had lived in separate groups and been hostile to each other. Even though the cult, a greater evil, had existed alongside them. However, the Martial God let out a bitterugh and corrected me. [I am not. The Nameless King is a human, is he not?] The Nameless King is one of the Five Kings, who are considered in the realm of gods by The Empire. There is a religion that puts their faith in him as well. [Is that so? The world has changed a lot...] the Martial God mumbled to himself, sounding faintly surprised. [However, I am not the Nameless King. A famous existence like him wouldnt be a forgotten god like me.] He wasnt wrong. I epted the Martial Gods words. Then what rtionship did you have with the Nameless King? I cautiously asked. [...He was my inheritor in the past. That is all.] Suddenly, I heard the entire cave rumble. Rumble... Small fragments of stone fell from the ceiling. [It seems the cave will notst for long.] Are you saying itll copse? [The battle you just had was that fierce, inheritor. Inheritor, if you are to inherit the Gctic Sword, there is one thing you must take here. There should be a sword atop that tower.] ...Is it the Sword of Seven Sins? That was the weapon the Nameless King had used when hed united the seven races of the continent. Even though it had shed with all sorts of powerhouses, it had never broken, and it was the sword that had granted him victory through all those battles. The Sword of Seven Sins... Of course, Id heard that it had been lost; the sword on disy in the pce was a mere replica. Id read in a book that its appearance was striking. Its de had many smaller des branching from it, and there were weird markings on the t [If youre picturing a sword with oddly shaped edges branching from the de and twenty-seven runes of the Sword God engraved upon it, then yes.] So it was that. ...You said its at the top of the tower? I should definitely grab it before I leave. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 I climbed the upside-down tower. Thankfully, the tower had an entrance, and there was a staircase inside. I didnt need to climb the walls. The outside of the building looked much weirder than any other building I had ever seen, but the inside looked pretty standard. It didnt look badpared to the outside, but it was very dusty. When was this tower built? [It was built before I died, so about 2,000 years ago.] Im more surprised its still standing after 2,000 years. [Thanks to the great materials it was built with, it wont lose its ce in the world even after five thousand years.] Then this building still has about 3,000 years left to go? [You could say that.] The tower was pretty tall, so it wasnt easy to climb. I normally wouldnt have had any trouble, but I was more exhausted than I had ever been. In addition to internal energy, I had even used my true ki. Id been able to feel my body starting to ache all over when the White me form ended. To be honest, I wanted to fall over and copse right now. [Push onward, inheritor. You only need to go a little further.] I think youve said that five times now... [This time, it is the truth. Look.] Hearing that, I raised my head, and I noticed a dusky light. There was a hole in the ceiling, and the staircase was connected to something that looked like the roof. ...Youre right. [Why would I lie to you about something like this?] I nodded as I pressed onward, up the remaining stairs. Finally, I ascended to the roof of the tower. There, in the center, I noticed a shabby-looking sword stuck in a small decoration. Is this it? It looks different from the Sword of Seven Sins Im familiar with. [It is, although it has lost its original form.] What do you mean? [I will exin the detailster. I dont think this is a situation you should rx in.] Rumble... As if in answer, I felt the cave shake. I wiped off the dirt on my shoulder as I grabbed the sword. Does it have a scabbard...? [Why would it?] ...Right. I nodded as I pulled it out. I used some strength, but it came out without any trouble. It came out so easily. [What do you mean?] Well, you know. Dont you need the right to pull out the legendary sword or something? Theres also the saying that great swords choose their own masters. [Youre talking nonsense. Swords are tools. You arent even using it yet. No one needs a right to just pull it out. Its nonsense to say that a sword chooses its own master.] ... Maybe because he was a god, but he didnt seem to enjoy the tropes. Maybe heroic tales hadnt existed 2,000 years ago? I hid my sadness and stuck the Sword of Seven Sins in my belt. Thankfully, it looked pretty rusty and rtively safe to wear. Thats done, right? I want to get out of this damned cave now. [There is one more thing.] What is it? [Go back to the altar, raise the sword, and make an offering.] An offering? I dont have anything on me... I put my hand in my pocket and discovered a piece of half-eaten jerky. Is this good en [Not food. Just go to the altar and give a short prayer while holding up the sword. Ah. Okay. I hurriedly descended the tower. Maybe because my body wasnt normal right now, but getting down was harder than climbing up had been. I felt like I was going to copse the moment I stopped focusing. And now, in this condition, I needed to pray. I feared I might fall unconscious the moment I closed my eyes. ...While hiding these thoughts, I brought my hands together and lowered my head a little. How was I supposed to pray? Although I wasnt an atheist, I wasnt religious either. I didnt believe in any god. It might sound childish, but it was simply because I was unable to receive any gods blessing. This ego of mine was the reason that Id never looked for a god, not even as I died. I was talking and interacting with a godly existence right now, but... I still couldnt find any faith in my heart. How should one without faith pray? What I was doing right nowputting my hands together and standing in silencewasnt even the normal way people prayed in this world. I closed my eyes and mouth and stood in silence, and like this, time passed. I felt a smooth wind pass by me. The wind was warm, enough to make me forget the season. In that wind, I could hear the Martial Gods voice. [Open your eyes now.] I opened my eyes. As I did, I saw a faint silhouette appear over the altar. It had the form of a human, but it didnt feel like a human. It merely looked like a bright shadowI could identify neither age nor gender. [Hmm. It seems I cannot fully manifest due to ack of faith.] That form... [Didnt I tell you, inheritor? I will teach you the Gctic Sword.] You dont have to teach me now... [I do not know when I will next have the opportunity to do so. With this forgotten altar, I can at least teach you with my iplete form.] He thought about it that much, for me? [Watch closely. I will now show you a grand disy.] The Martial Gods silhouette reached out to grab the Sword of Seven Sins... and took his stance. ... The name of a martial art held the form and truth of itself. The White Sun Form Id learned took inspiration from the fiercely burning sun. Due to that, the breathing technique created for it, the Strongest Fire Technique, put importance on its explosiveness, tenacity, and regenerative capabilities. Meaning, the truth held behind the Gtic Sword... ... The Martial Gods movements were full of consideration for me. Every single stroke was shown slowly and precisely. The movements put importance on teaching me. If he hadnt moved this slowly, I probably wouldnt have been able to attain any enlightenment from the Martial Gods movements. I could faintly feel it. It felt as if I had grabbed on to one petal while the rest of the flower was falling around me. Still, I was able to feel some of the Gctic Swords truth. Its big and majestic. These were the characteristics I felt were true to the Gctic Sword. It was obvious if one thought about the origin of this martial art. Forgetting my tiredness and sense of time, I focused fully on the disy. I tried my best to take in even the smallest movements. Although I wouldnt be able to understand even one percent of his movements, just engraving them in my memories would definitely help me in the future. ... Finally, the Martial God stopped moving. It felt both as if an eternity had passed and as if no time at all had passed. * * * * * * * * * * I remained silent. I couldnt easily escape the imagery the Gctic Sword had shown me. Then, I heard the Martial God speak with a gentle voice. [The gxy refers to the groups of stars that endlessly shine in the night sky. Inheritor, do you know that even your sun is, from a wider perspective, but a star?] Ehm. That would make any follower of the Sun God copse from rage. [I have no intention of mocking their faith. I am only speaking of the truth of creation.] ... The Martial Gods shadow put the Sword of Seven Sins down on the altar. [What did you feel when you saw the Gctic Sword?] It was majestic. Then, I added, It also looked a little overwhelming. [Overwhelming?] Well... it scared me a little. [Hmm.] The Martial God let out augh. It seemed he liked how honest I was. [Youre honest. Even as a young one, it isnt easy for a martial artist to concede that they are afraid...] ... [But it is natural. Humans fear that which is beyond the scope of their understanding.] Like the gods? [Not just the gods. Have you ever thought about the age of the earth you walk on, inheritor? Who was the ruler of the ancient world that no records or stories remember? On the other hand, how will the world look a billion years from today?] The Martial God watched my reaction, then let out a gentleugh. [It seems you have never thought about these questions, inheritor.] I havent. [And why is that?] They are too distant. My life is always focused on where my next steps should be, so I have no leisure to think about such distant things. I felt the Martial God nod at my answer. [That is human nature.] Human nature... For some reason, I liked those words. [What I wish to say is that existences beyond recognition can make others feel awe with just their existence. This is in line with the emotion a human feels when they meet a god.] ... [And the universe is a grander concept that epasses all things.] Only then did I understand what was imbued within the Gtic Sword. Embrace... [That is right.] Fwoop. The silhouette disappeared like a candle being blown out. [The basis of the Gctic Sword is to embrace all of creation.] Then, if one masters this martial artpletely... [Your te will be big enough to embrace the entire universe. Even when youplete the Gctic Sword, it will not conflict with that martial art that imitates the sun.] I quietly let out a breath. Only now did I understand everything the Martial God had said. In some sense, the Gctic Sword was the martial art I needed the most right now. This didnt mean that the Gctic Sword was a better martial art than the White Sun Form. This also didnt mean that the Martial God was a more enlightened being than my master. This was just a problem of aptitude. [The Gctic Sword is divided into seven stages. In order, they are Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid. If you wish to obtain what you desire, you need to reach at least the fifth stage, Alioth.] I nodded at the familiar-sounding names. Are these steps taken from the Seven Stars of the Red Heavens? [Thats right.] The Seven Stars of the Red Heavens referred to the seven brightest stars in the night sky. Interestingly enough, this constetion shone brightest during dusk, which was why they were named as such. I looked down at the Sword of Seven Sins. Is the Sword of Seven Sins form also taken from the Seven Stars? [Thats correct.] I felt a chill on the back of my neck. The Seven Stars not only had importance in astrology but also in ck magic, the arcane arts, spiritcraft, alchemy, and the divine arts. In most disciplines, the Seven Stars represent light, dark, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. And thus... Thinking about it in a bigger sense, the Gctic Sword could also be said to have been created by the inspiration of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. In that sense, there was a part that resonated with the Strongest Fire Technique, which was my foundation. I immediately recalled the Martial Gods swordy. Martial arts was an amazing subject. Even though I had only just found one simrity with the Strongest Fire Technique, I no longer felt afraid of the Gctic Sword or thought it was too grand. Rather, I became excited. If I use the principles of the Gctic Sword I just realized with the White Sun Form... ...Of course, this wouldnt be an easy task. There was a big difference between a sword technique and a fist technique. Even so, my mind continued to race at a thousand miles per second, and I instinctively infused the Strongest Fire Technique throughout my body. Fwoosh. This minuscule amount of internal energy raced through each of my veins. I had repeated this process hundreds and thousands of times during my stay on Spirit Mountain, but I started to feel something unfamiliar and new. The fact that this familiar path of practice now looked different meant that my perception had changed. Right now, I felt as if my own body had be a small universe itself. Universe? In this moment, I couldnt help but realize something: the concept of a universe wasnt restricted by size. Every human being had their own universe. This was a simple truth once you realized it. The human body itself was a small universe. [This is...] I heard the Martial Gods voice, but I couldnt reply. I was in the middle of being swept away by the mental ecstasy of enlightenment. ... ... Time passed. Although my body was sweating all over, I didnt feel disgusted by the dampness. It was the aftermath of obtaining a piece of enlightenment. In this state, people wouldnt want to be bothered by others, preferring to stay alone for quite a while. [Inheritor. I congratte you on taking your first step on the path of the Gctic Sword.] I felt a gentle emotion in the Martial Gods words, but when I heard what he said next, my consciousness returned to me as if I had been suddenly drenched in cold water. [But... what is your rtionship with Baek Nogwang?] Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Baek Nogwang. The Strongest Under the Heavens and the Strongest in History. The martial saint of Spirit Mountain and a transcendent. He was my master. Even though I thought about that name multiple times a day, Id never expected to hear those words from someone elses mouth after my regression. Master was not a person of this world, not just in the metaphorical sense but literally. How do you know that name...? Just how did a being of this world know my masters name? The fact that this was a godly being didnt diminish my surprise at all. [I see. So Baek Nogwang was the one who taught you martial arts. However, how did hee to have a disciple like you...?] ... The Martial God suddenly felt like apletely different person. I didnt know why, but I felt chills as he mumbled and spoke to himself. The image Id had of the Martial God was warm like the spring breeze and full of mercy. But now, I felt as if he would cut me to pieces if I stepped any closer. He was warning me not to pry any deeper. My instincts were ringing like mad... But I ignored them and asked anyway. How do you know my master? This was important enough for me to ignore something like my survival instincts. [...] The Martial God stayed quiet. That alone was nearly enough for his pressure to overwhelm me. It was funny. Even though I was the one waiting for an answer, I was the one feeling nervous. I clenched my jaw and held on. Since he didnt have a physical form to see, I didnt know where to look, so I just looked above the altar. [I cannot tell you.] ... [Do not misunderstand. It is not that I do not want to tell you. I simply cannot.] I wasnt stupid enough to not understand his meaning. However, understanding his position was a different matter. Youre a god. Even if youre a forgotten god, are you saying there is someone who can pressure you into making certain decisions? [This is rted to the incident that made me be forgotten.] The incident? [Inheritor, how many gods do you think exist on this continent right now?] Those in the position of gods... If he was asking about godly beings, there were 72 gods, 13 dragon kings, 9 spirit gods, 5 kings, and the gods of disaster. I went on to name the gods of The Empire in order of recognition by the people. After hearing my answer, the Martial God gave a nod. [The gods you talk about are but a minuscule portion of the godly beings. No one knows their exact number. Why do you think that is?] I couldnt think of a reasonable response and decided to shake my head. [It is because there is no Supreme God that can act as their core.] Supreme God? That was a new word for me. [To put it in another way, the god of creation. Did you know? All myths have a record of creation, the start of all things. A myth without a creation story is in itself contradictory.] ... [However, in this world, no matter what myths you observe, there is no mention of how the world was created. The first of the 72 gods, the rod of the 13 dragon gods, the head of the 9 spirit gods, and even the 5 kings you talked aboutalthough each of them possesses immense strength, none are rted to creation.] The Martial God paused to observe my reaction before continuing his exnation. [...Of course, even though you know this fact, you cannot feel any doubt or disharmony knowing this because everyone has forgotten. This is what it means to be forgotten.] I took a moment to think before nodding. I get what you mean. Now that I think about it, it is weird. The Martial God seemed a little surprised by my response. [Do you believe my words?] Not 100 percent, but if everything you said is true, it really is a bit odd. [That alone is surprising enough... Are you perhaps the descendent of a hero?] I understood what the Martial God meant by descendant of a hero. I nodded as I replied, Looks like I waste in my introduction. My name is Luan Bednicker. [Bednicker...! You are the descendent of ck Fairy Kuset!] ck Fairy Kuset was one of the heroes who ended the hopeless hours of the Era of Darkness. He was also the progenitor of House Bednicker. I scratched my forehead as I answered, Well, the blood of the ck Fairy isnt that pure in me... Honestly, rather than my father, I took more after my mothers side. Thats why I was blond even though most of my siblings had dark hair. My eyes, however, were purple. You know of my progenitor. Was he also an inheritor of yours? [Not quite. In truth, Kuset was like an ally of mine.] Now that I thought about it, the Martial God had told me while I was climbing the tower that he had died about 2,000 years ago. Although there werent many records left of that time, it did ovep somewhat with the era in which ck Fairy Kuset was active. I ended up falling deep into thought after hearing the Martial Gods words. At that time, the two of them had worked together. Although one had be a god and been forgotten, the other was remembered as a hero to this day. Bing a god and then being forgotten, or being remembered by all as a hero... I didnt know which ending was better. [Then...] Martial God looked at me. [It seems you may be able to reach the truth of the forgotten age.] I have something else I need to do... [I do not intend to force you. This can be treated as your lowest priority. This is one of those tasks where, the more you try to look for it, the further away you will get... But remember this and do not forget, inheritor. You only need to go where fate calls you.] ... [However, I will tell you this now: just like the Gctic Sword, knowing of the forgotten age will be beneficial for you.] I looked at the Martial God and said, Will learning about the truth of the forgotten age also let me learn about my master? [I cannot answer that question.] The Martial God said that, but that in itself was an answer. I took a moment to think. Id been astonished when my masters name was mentioned... but Id also had a thought. Should I even be surprised by this? Although I didnt know the process, my master had called me to Spirit Mountain right before I died, and he had also sent me back to this ce. And through space and time at that. It wouldnt be odd if my master could travel to this ce either. Nor would it be impossible for him to travel through time. With Baek Nogwangs personality, it wouldnt be odd for him to go back in time to the age of myths and fight amongst the gods. The problem was that I had no idea what my masters true intentions were. Was it really just because of Eldest Senior Brother that he sent me to the past? So that I can be much stronger than before and catch him myself? That might not be the only reason. There could be more I was missing. And this secret could have a deep connection with the truth of the forgotten age... I had no proof, but I was certain. I nodded. Sure. I will ept your suggestion. What should I do? The Martial God looked at me. [The one who continues the will of Kuset should be a member of your House. There is a high likelihood that they are the family head. You may be able to get much more information from them than me. I do not know. Time has passed, so they may have more than me.] Hmm. So there was that connection as well. In any case, what I needed to do right now hadnt really changed. The direct descendent of ck Fairy Kuset, and the family head of one of the Great Houses, the man who was the sword and executioner of the imperial pce... My father. I needed to meet the Lord of Blood and Iron. * * * * * * * * * * I went back the way Ide. Even though that was all I had to do, I still felt like I was going to die. Just go to sleep after White me ends. I remembered my masters advice. I had said it before, but since Master wasnt prone to kindness, every piece of advice he sparingly gave carried a great weight. How much time has passed since White me ended? One hour? Two hours? In any case, the price of defying that advice was too severe. Huak... Haak... Even though I was just walking, my consciousness started to wobble. This was the reason I was walking slowly like a turtle and not running. The corpse of the Sapphire Snake felt too far away. [Inheritor, do not push yourself too hard. How about taking a rest and movingter?] The one who ising to this ce is my enemy. If we sh, they will try to kill me no matter what. I took deep breaths. Where is that person right now? [I do not know.] Eh? [The reason I was able to sense the happenings within the dungeon was because the Sword of Seven Sins was nestled at the top of the tower. Now, my consciousness has been separated from the cave and is within the sword instead. I can no longer track them. I may fall asleep after we leave this cave.] What the fuck? [Inheritor, be careful with your words] Whatever! Where were they thest time you checked? [Hmm. From this position, they would be about 10 minutes away from here.] And when was that? [About 10 minutes ago.] Damn it! I started sprinting. I felt my entire body creak and groan, but I pressed on with all my might. Before long, I arrived. The corpse of the Sapphire Snake and its children continued to emit cold ki. I was tired... I was cold... It was hell. Where were Arzan and Calzark? Young master! Suddenly, someone fell from the sky. It was a woman covered head to toe in red blood. Of course, I knew who she was. Arzan. Youre alive. Are you okay Wheres Senior? Arzan shook her head. I dont know. ...The situation isnt good. The cultists areing this way. Ill give a detailed exnationter, so lets look for Senior and get out of here first. Understood. Thankfully, Arzan was smart. She didnt question the little things like how I knew this. She immediately carried out her mission. I took my nearly broken body around to check the surroundings before I looked to the entrance, the opening that the Sapphire Snake had been blocking. I could see the open sky and the mountains. Only now did I realize that it was day. The sunlight that I hadnt seen in a while pricked my eyes, and I ended up closing them. Now that I think about it... I felt like Id forgotten something. Rumble... Ah. Id forgotten about the state of the cave. Arzan! Now wasnt the time to look for Calzark. This cave wouldntst long. We needed to get out and Duck! The moment I heard Arzans voiceing from somewhere, I lowered my head. I felt something cold graze the top of my head. A chill went down my spine. I hadnt even been able to detect that someone had attacked me. It was proof of the horrible state of my perception. Arzan dashed past me and shed with someone directly behind me. Theyre already here! No, they had probably arrived while I was meeting with the Martial God. Arzan was shing with a mysterious figure cloaked in a crimson-red robe. I had seen dozens of Hadenaihar assassins here, but I could tell that this persons clothing was different from just one nce. Because this bastard... The high priest! Their entire body was surrounded by a thickyer of killing intent. Just seeing it was enough to make me shiver a little. It was natural. My enemy was an executive of the cult. Even if I was in my best condition, I would lose against them every single time. I looked at Arzan. She didnt seem to be able to use the mysterious power she had used when escaping from the assassins and when fighting the Sapphire Snake. That meant she wouldntst long either. Smack! As I expected, Arzan was kicked in the stomach and came flying toward me. The moment I instinctively caught her body, the high priest swung a ck de toward me. It was going to cut both me and Arzan. This was a disaster. I couldnt dodge this. ng! At that moment, Calzark appeared out of the sky and deflected the high priests ck de. Senior? Go! I shut my mouth. As Arzan shakily got up, I spoke to him. Senior, this cave I know, so go! He had heard the cave crumbling. Even though he knew, he intended to stop the high priest. Even as I was amazed by Calzarks decisiveness, I also realized that he had already made up his mind to put his life on the line. Calzark intended to be buried with the high priest if he had to. You said this sword is expensive, said Calzark. Even though I couldn''t see his face, there was a hint ofughter in his voice. Ill get it back to you in one piece, so dont worry. Go back to the main house first, Ill be right behind you. ...Yes. I gave a short answer and took Arzan with me. Arzan, lets go. She seemed distressed as she gritted her teeth. We supported each other and quickly escaped the cave. Although I heard the sound ofbat behind me, I purposefully did not turn around. The moment we finally got out of that damned cave... Rumble! The sound of a hugendslide echoed around the area. The huge cave entrance that could house the gem beast came crumbling down into a pile of rocks. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Arzan was devastated as she looked at the copsed cave. She trudged up to the rubble and put her hand on the huge stone. Step back, its dangerous. Ah, yes. It was dangerous to get close to a cave-in like this. It wouldnt be strange if there was a second or even third cave-in. But how... Arzan didnt finish her sentence. It seemed she didnt understand why the cave had copsed like that. She had probably only recently regained consciousness and hadnt heard the screams of the cave like I had. You dont have to be so surprised. The cave showed signs of copsing Before I could finish, I stumbled and fell over. Young master! Arzan hurriedly ran to me. I tried to nod to signal to her that I was fine, but even that was difficult. So this was what it meant to have not even the strength to lift a finger. I took deep breaths as I said, Butler. You were pretty charismatic. Pardon? Duck!... was it? My head dropped before I even realized. Ah. Th-thats... Arzans face became tinged with red. My apologies. Please forgive my rudeness. Its fine. It would be more stupid to try and force manners in a situation like that. More importantly, are you okay? I think we should worry about your state first, young master You need to be fine so that you can carry me, butler. ...Oh. Arzan nodded. I have enough strength to carry you. Then Ill leave it to you. Ive reached my limit. I think if I copse now, I wont wake up for at least a few days. Pleasemand me. Go down the mountain and take me to the main house. If we are quick about it, well arrive on time. Arzan closed her mouth. Are you worried about Calzark? I asked. Thats... I understand. I feel the same way. ... Arzan looked at me as if she was observing me. But we still need to go. This is not a matter of morality, and even less so of efficiency. I thought back to thest thing Calzark had shouted. This is what Senior wanted. In that instant, he understood the situation and made a decision. Honestly, I was pretty surprised. Grand master, Instructor of Swords and des. I hadnt really been underestimating him, but I might have been unintentionally looking down on him. I had subconsciouslypared him to my master and other senior brothers of Spirit Mountain. It truly was the thought of a frog in a well. Physical strength wasnt the only gauge of power. What Calzark had shown in that moment was enough for him to be engraved in my mind as a strong person. Waiting around here or going back to the cave would be an insult to Senior. Thats why we need to follow his will and go down the mountain. Understood? ...Understood. All right. Then... How many days did we have left? Wed spent three days in the cave, so how many days had we spent in the mountains...? Ah... This was a big problem. I was instantly overwhelmed by drowsiness now that my nerves had rxed. I wanted to take out the map, which was in my pocket, but my vision started to fade. Even thinking was bing difficult. My pocket... has the map...? The one taken from the assassin... Use that to find the road... Ah, and the gold... just use it and dont worry... Young master! I lost consciousness before I could finish my sentence. I even had a thought. Maybe Ill wake up at the main house. *** The Blessing Ceremony. The greatest event in The Empire, which only those who possessed the blood of the Great Houses could attend. However, in the modern day, the Blessing Ceremony wasnt just a ce to receive incredible talent from the gods. In truth, nearly all of The Empires influential and powerful figures attended it. At first, the goal of the event had been to personally see the future of The Empire through the young talents, without any other distractions... But now, it had grown sorge that the nobles who boasted great power woulde to scout each others positions and exchange pleasantries and promises of cooperation. In any case, as this had be the ce where the influential powerhouses of The Empire gathered, politics were inevitable. There was now even a saying: If you wish to know the true hierarchy of the nobles of The Empire, see who sits where during the Blessing Ceremony. Of course, as the Blessing Ceremony was significant to The Empire both historically and traditionally, its preparation could also not be given to some random normal house. There were only three great noble houses that were allowed this honor, including the imperial pce. House Bednicker. Currently, they were one of the houses that wielded absolute strength in The Empire. This territory, which held the name of The Earth in thenguage of the ancient fairies, held some of the most beautiful scenery and bountifulnd in The Empire. Each year, visitors from both The Empire and beyond visited thesends. There was a part of this territory that neither those tourists nor the people who had lived their entire lives here could approach. The ce was called the Forest of the Butterfly. The main house of Bednicker, the masters of thisnd, had been built in the deepest part of this forestimpossible to reach through conventional means. There were only two ways to not get lost in the Forest of the Butterfly. Either one needed to be of Bednicker blood... Or they needed to have been given the right by the family head. Fuu. Luan Bednickers mother, Lucia, was of the second variant. Being one of the Lord of Blood and Irons wives did not make her an exception. As she was of some other noble blood, the blood of Bednicker did not flow through her. Maybe that was why... but Lucia always felt ufortable whenever she stayed in the main house. Another sigh was heard. Fuu... It had been about a month since shed returned to the main house. That was it. I honestly feel its been a year at this point. Although shede all the way here for the sake of her son, her life here was anything but smooth. Cough. Lucia coughed up dust. She had been assigned a room that was no different from a shabby storage room. Lucia knew that even the servants of the main house had better rooms than her. Her body had always been weak. More recently, her neck was itchy and headaches assaulted her mind. The small window wasnt big enough to allow airflow into the huge room. She had no servants to clean her room for her, and it was toorge for her to try and clean herself. Lucia at least tried to keep her bed clean, but it didnt make any discernable difference. How childish, Lucia said as she sternly shook her head. She knew the reason she was being treated like this. The wives of the Lord of Blood and Iron. Those women whowith one exceptioncouldnt even be called thedy of the house were trying to keep her in check through childish means. Those women who hadnt been able to do anything while the Lord of Blood and Iron had been present in the main house. However, ignoring their antics, Lucia couldnt help but concede that their torment was resilient and concentrated. It had started with small things, at first. I apologize. We cannot spare any of the guest rooms because of the uing Blessing Ceremony... Or so they said, even though she could clearly see empty rooms. Whenever she went to the kitchen, they would make excuses about how no food remained. Weve used all the ingredients we had today. We have some in bread left, if you would like? Its a bit hard, however... It wasnt just cleaning her room, she even had to do her ownundry. Apologies, mydy. We currently dont have any vacant manpower, so there is no one we can assign to you. And the next day when she said that her dress was ripped, theyughed wickedly while handing her the clothes of a servant girl. Your dress was ripped? But we only have this left... It was always little things. Lucia thought such harassment was trivial. To begin with, Lucia hadnte from a well-off noble family. In thend of the far north, her home territory was Cond, once called the Kingdom of Ice. Although Cond was currently part of The Empire, due to how distant it was, some might say it was an entirely separate entity. The farther one was from the center of The Empire, the less influence The Empire had over them. Honestly, this was natural. Their environment was different, their culture was different, and they even looked different. Although theyd joined under the banner of The Empire due to the great enemy called the Church of Darkness, that was the extent of it. Most of the people of The Empire considered them outsiders and discriminated against them. Though, it was better than the treatment received by those races that lookedpletely different... All in all, Cond was closer to a small kingdom than a frontline territory. Lucia had been what could be considered a princess of that smallnd, though she did have ten or so siblings in line before her. In any case, the reason the Lord of Blood and Iron had be interested in a daughter of such a house was that House Cond had once produced the strongest swordsman in The Empire. But that had been several hundred years ago. * * * * * * * * * * Lucia smirked. Conds pce was smaller than this Bednicker mansion. Sleeping in the storage? It wasnt bad. Being warm without having to light a fire was a boon. No food? in bread was delicious. If she got tired of it, she could borrow the kitchen and cook her own food. She was already quite familiar with cleaning her own room and washing her own clothes. If her body was healthy, then she could probably make this entire room sparkle. Be it clothes or shoes, if they ripped or tore, she just needed to sew them up. Indeed, for Lucia, these insults and humiliations meant nothing. Yes, they were tiring, and yes, they hurt her ego somewhat... But for Luan, her one and only son, nothing was unbearable. This was the reason she clung to the main house even while being humiliated so. I truly hope Luan can attend the Second Blessing Ceremony this year... Every fifth year, two Blessing Ceremonies happen, once in the first half of the year and once in the second half. Since Luan had been kicked out of the family this year after not receiving a single blessing, it would be difficult for him to attend the Second Blessing Ceremony. A total of only five people could attend the Blessing Ceremony from each house. Because the Lord of Blood and Iron had sired so many children, thepetition for the Blessing Ceremony was brutal. Depending on ones talent, they could attend up to two Blessing Ceremonies. For Luan, who hadnt managed to receive even a single blessing after being given such a prestigious opportunity, he would receive no mercy. That was why Lucia had changed her ns. The Blessing Ceremony happened over two weeks. During that time, she would attend the Exchange. The grand masters will be in attendance. The ten honored guests who possessed great influence within House Bednicker, the powerhouses that the Lord of Blood and Iron had personally picked from within The Empire would be attending this Exchange. If one was lucky, they might catch the eye of one of these instructors and be their disciple. In truth, many people attended the Exchange with this goal in mind. The Exchange begins today. Lucia stood in front of her mirror and tidied up her outfit. Never have I thought that I am ugly... Maybe it was because of her clothes, but something looked a little off. The aura of poverty that she exuded wasnt befitting of the wife of a powerful noble house. That was why she straightened her back even more. If she didnt even have confidence, then what did she have? As Lucia opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, she saw the servants moving diligently. Moving past them, she went to the ce where the Exchange was being heldthe main hall on the first floor of the mansion. When she arrived, she saw many nobles in fancy clothes. Tables were separated at set distances, and fragrant wine and scents were apanied by gentle music. Even though there were so many people present, the hall was quite calm, as if to show the level of education and refinement of everyone present. Lucia felt herself shrink a little, but she held her heart and stepped forward. At that moment, someone blocked her way. Excuse me. Judging by his outfit, he was a butler of the main house. Is there something you wish to say? she asked. Im checking the attendees before they enter. Which house have youe from? ... Lucia felt like her head was spinning. Checking the attendees? Do you... not know me? Unfortunately... Ah. The butler saw Lucias face and lowered his head, but his expression didnt change at all. My apologies. Mistress Lucia. A small giggle echoed out from the hall. When Lucia looked over, she found a familiar scene. The second and third wives of the Lord of Blood and Iron. They wereughing while covering their mouths with their hand fans. It is the Exchange, after all. Its good that the exchange ended there. I say. Thats why she should show her face more often. Well... More importantly, I dont particrly like her dress. I do agree. A dress sewn up like that... I dont think even my servant girl would wear thateven if I told her to. They were talking too loudly to be considered merely gossiping. It also seemed that the music had stopped, and Lucia felt her face flush. Regardless, she stood tall as if she couldnt hear them. It was just another act of humiliation. She couldnt step away from here, for Luans sake. ...If you have confirmed my identity, may I enter now? However, the butler didnt seem to have any intention of stepping away. Hm. My apologies, but did youe alone, Mistress? What do you mean? Far more houses are attending this Blessing Ceremony than we anticipated. As a result, to reduce the chance of unnecessary confusion if a situation were to ur, the House has implemented a new condition for attending the Exchange. An annoying smirk appeared on the butlers face. If you do not have an entourage to aid you, then you cannot attend the Exchange this time. What? Please excuse me, Mistress, but return for today. As Lucia stood there in a daze, she heard another stifledugh. Pft. There was one difference this time. Thatughter wasnt just from the wives of the Lord of Blood and Iron. I was wondering who she was, but its her. That, you know, Cond native... Aah. I was wondering why she looked a little plumper. Look at that hair. How scary. Hah. Its good that shes being sent back. ... Lucia had never expected that she, a member of House Bednicker, would be insulted directly to her face like this. Her face started to be pale, and at that moment, the butler reached out. Lucias expression froze solid. Was he going to drag her away by force? This is... Going much too far over the line. Grab. But someone else grabbed the butlers outstretched hand. The huge hand in a ck glove easily covered the butlers hand. Keuk... The butler frowned a little at the grip on his hand before his expression froze. He couldnt even get a word out. He only repeated, Uh, uhm. For her aid, I am here. It was a low and strong voice. I shall be Lady Lucias entourage. The hall suddenly became quiet. Everyones attention was directed toward an old man. A surprising person, one Lucia had never expected. Will that be fine? The Collector of Blood and Iron. A small smile appeared under Kayans mustache. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Four days into the Exchange at the Bednicker main house. No matter how joyful an asion might be, the energy was bound to drop a few notches if it continued for four days straight. The Exchange was no exception. The hall, which had been filled with people on the first day, had begun to empty. In truth, this was only natural. Attending the Exchange took work. For ones dignity, they couldnt wear simr clothes on two separate days, and their clothes obviously had to be wless. One also needed to be wary of the words they spoke because they couldnt know how their words would be ryed. This wasnt an easy task. Supposedly, many noblewomen didnt attend the second day because they were too exhausted from the first. However, although her body was weak, Lucia seeded in attending all four days of the Exchange. There was an unfortunate reason for this. It wasnt as if she had enough clothes or jewelry to care about her dress, nor did she have a lengthy conversation with anyone at the Exchange. Whenever she approached someone to speak with them, the conversation neversted more than a minute. ...Fuu. Lucia let out a deep sigh as she walked out to the garden. Even though shed moved diligently for the past four days, she hadnt achieved any results. Her primary goal for this Exchange was the grand masters, but they were barely avable. The one Luan liked, the Instructor of Swords and des, was nowhere to be seen, and although the Instructor of Laws and the Instructor of Arts were present... They tried their best to ignore Lucia. Especially the Instructor of Laws, they looked displeased that Lucia had even tried to initiate a conversation. She felt humiliated. As she spaced out while breathing out into the cold air, a deep voice spoke to her from her right. The day is cold. Let us go inside for today. ... His white hair and mustache apanied by wrinkles signified his long life, but they were contrasted by his healthy body. When Kayan was standing next to her, she felt as if she was being guarded by an old retired knight. Sir, have I told you how thankful I am? Multiple times. And I will say it again. Thank you. At that, Kayan gave a small bow with a slightly awkward expression. Seeing this, Lucia stopped talking. The Collector of Blood and Iron, Kayan. No, a former collector at this point, but regardless... It was shockingly unbelievable that she was receiving help from such a man. So unbelievable, in fact, that on the first day of the Exchange, all the tables had been talking about this. At first, Lucia had thought that Kayan had misunderstood something and made a mistake. But that wasnt the case. When shed asked him for his reason... Hed said he was doing this to get on Luans good side. Hearing that was so shocking that it had made her heart drop. Had something happened since shed left the mansion? If the Council of Elders saw no future in Luan and ordered a collection... Then Luan, who was at the mansion right now... But Kayan firmly dispersed Lucias rampant imagination. You dont have to worry about anything, Mistress. Although he wouldnt tell her more than that, he had told her something else. Luan is currently on his way to the mansion. On the order of the Lord of Blood and Iron at that, and for the Second Blessing Ceremony! Lucia couldnt help but be overjoyed. Did the family head perhaps change his mind about that child? She couldnt know. Although she believed herself to be a good judge of character, even she couldnt fully understand the Lord of Blood and Iron. Not even after having his child. However, there was one thing she was sure of. The Bednicker family head, the Lord of Blood and Ironpletely ignored anyone who didnt interest him even a little bit. If that man had personally called for Luan toe and attend the Second Blessing Ceremony... It at least meant he had some interest in the boy, and that meant the worst-case scenario had been avoided. Lucias mood lightened as she thought about how she would be able to see her son for the first time in a while, and at the main house at that. Although she hadnt been able to aplish the small goal she had set for herself for the Exchange, Lucia didnt feel too down. Rather than hold the attention of some random rabble, it was more important for her son to be recognized by his father. Well, that was the case... ... But a day passed, and then another day. Lucia let out a sigh as she turned to ask Kayan, who stayed by her side even when they were not attending the Exchange. How long does it take for someone to get to the Bednicker main house from the mountain range? About a week. ...A week, Lucia mumbled to herself. You said its been about fifteen days since the Fang Knight Order left the main house. That is correct. If that was the case, Luan waste. Kayan looked at Lucias worried expression. Please do not worry too much. As the Gem Mountains are one of the forbidden areas of The Empire, it is only natural that they would move quite carefully. ... Naturally, the knights who went are experts. If they are taking a longer path, it just means that it must be safer. She understood what Kayan was telling her. Even so, she still found herself feeling uneasy. The Second Blessing Ceremony would be on the 31st of the 12th month, thest day of the year. Preparation was a concern as well. He would need to arrive at the main house at least a daypreferably twobefore the ceremony. If he could not, he would miss a heavenly opportunity, and the family would shun him even further. No matter the reason, it would just be excuses at that point. Today is the 26th of the 12th month. If Luan couldnt get here within four days, his right to attend the Blessing Ceremony would be passed to the next in line. ...No. In truth, the Blessing Ceremony wasnt the real problem. Although her son would not be epted, there would be no problem in him living his life even if he didnt receive the blessing. Luan, youre safe, right? Lucia only wished for her sons safety. * * * * * * * * * * The main house of Bednicker. Among the many guest rooms, one was particrly dark. Although it was the middle of the day, the curtains were closed and the room was spookier than one would expect. You will be attending this Blessing Ceremony. House Garcia. One of the branch families of House Bednicker. It was the family head of this house, Reagan, who was speaking. There is a chance that, through this opportunity, you may receive the Bednicker name. Although an event like a branch family member receiving the name of the main family was normally rare, it was a different story in Bednicker. This house waspletely meritocratic. Nothing was impossible if one could prove their skill. However, while listening to his fathers words, Hariba Garcia couldnt help but question something. Doesnt thest position in this Blessing Ceremony belong to Luan Bednicker? Although it hadnt been officially announced, word had already spread throughout the mansion. It was yours to begin with, Reagan said with a stern voice. He wasnt wrong. The person who had originally been set to receive thest position in this Blessing Ceremony was the eldest son of House Garcia, Hariba. However, that decision had been quickly reversed with just one word from the only person who could do sothe Lord of Blood and Iron. The sole person above the House Laws of Bednicker was the Lord of Blood and Iron. However, for the first time in a while, this order had caused an unpleasant rumor to go around about the family head. They said that the Lord of Blood and Irons obsession with his bloodline had evolved into something undesirable. After all, Luan Bednicker was a useless person who couldnt receive a single blessing. Just hearing of Luans misdeeds would make anyone shiver with disgust. In the end, he became a madman who even sold the sword of the house. But giving such a failure another chance? Although none woulde out and openlyin about it, no one could understand the family heads decision. And Luan Bednicker will not be able to arrive at the main house in time for the ceremony, Reagan said as he brushed his mustache. Did you arrange some kind of guarantee? Not quite. There is no way to fool the eyes of the Lord of Blood and Iron in this house... I just heard rumors about a n. Hariba became silent. Reagan was an opportunist. One of the traits of an opportunist was that no matter how foolproof a n was, they could never be rxed with just one n. More than that, they could be exceedingly cruel and brutal if the opportunity required it. Hariban knew this about Reagan. But knowing wasnt the end of it. It seemscking. Hariba possessed an even more brutal outlook than his father. What is? The guarantee that he wont arrive before the promised date. That is toocking. Then what do you suggest? We need to make it certain. Even if Luan is somehow alive or arrives at the main house on time, we need to create a situation where he cannot attend the ceremony. Reagan silently looked into his sons eyes. How. Isnt Luan Bednickers birth mother in the main house right now? She is. Lets kill her. Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Reagan pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to hide his shaking eyes. Goosebumps had already climbed up his arms. Although Hariba was of his blood, he sometimes felt he was looking at a monster. It was as if Hariba was missing a few pieces that would make him a whole human. Hariba hadnt always been like this. The first time Reagan had seen his son in a different light was at the Birthday Banquet of the second imperial prince two years ago. Afterward, Hariba had said that he had something he needed to study and left for Ulca. I shouldnt have sent him there. Although Ulca was famous for being the holynd of alchemy, the city was not viewed in a good light by society. It was only natural since the ce was filled with alchemists who would not hesitate tomit all sorts of acts for their research. A few people even called Ulca the worst city imaginable. Considering the general atmosphere of the city and its public order, it wasntpletely wrong to say that either. In any case, upon returning from thend of alchemy, Hariba had stopped hiding his urges. There were rumors that he mingled with a dangerous crowd as well. After a few moments, Reagan spoke. What does killing her have to do with the Blessing Ceremony? He might join the Blessing Ceremony even if Lucia is dead. The funeral could be nned after the Blessing Ceremony. From what Ive heard, Luan Bednicker isnt that mentally resilient. Still, this is too difficult. More importantly, its too likely that this act would be discovered. Dont you know where we are? Although the Lord of Blood and Iron was away right now, it didnt change the fact that they were at the Bednicker main house. The Houses Council of Elders, the knight orders, and even the grand masters were present. Although there were countless ways to assassinate a single woman, he wasnt confident it could be done without being caught. Reagan looked at his son. Hariba. Yes. Control yourself. ... That advice came from his heart. Although Reagan believed that some brutality was needed to be the best, Hariba was too excessive. Hariba stayed quiet for a moment before lowering his head. Im sorry. You dont need to worry about Luan. From thest report I received, he is but a rat in a poisoned barrel. Death is merely a matter of time. Reagan rose from his seat and opened the curtains. Fwoosh Bright sunlight filled the room. With narrowed eyes, Reagan said, There is no possibility that a brat without a single blessing can escape the Gem Mountains, so do not worry so needlessly. ...I understand. Go. Hariba lowered his head once more before quietly leaving the room. Reagan looked out the window. He saw a beautiful garden and, beyond it, a dense forest. Only the chosen ones could enter the main house of Bednicker. Although he was here as a guest for the Blessing Ceremony and his stay was only temporary... If Hariba became a member of House Bednicker, Reagan would be able to see this beautiful scene every single day. Four more days until the Blessing Ceremony. Reagan decided to rx a little and wait for the time. *** Of course, it wasnt just the blood of Bednicker that was attending the Blessing Ceremony. For the Blessing Ceremony, all the famous houses of The Empire had gathered. They were so famous that even a country bumpkin wouldve heard of them. Of course, most of them couldnt even try to contest with Bednicker. ...Most of them. House Goodspring: the only other house in The Empire that could stand shoulder to shoulder with House Bednicker. ...Im going to die of boredom. The third daughter of House Goodspring, Sellen Goodspring, didnt try to hide her frown at all. It had been nearly two weeks since shede to this damned mansion. It would be a lie to say she hadnt looked forward to seeing how fancy the main house of the esteemed House Bednicker was. At first, shed been surprised. Seeing this beautiful mansion situated in the middle of a dream-like forest, Sellen had feltfor the first time in a whileas if shed entered a fairy tale. Even on her second and third day here, that mystical feeling hadnt left her. But shed reached her limit about a week in. After getting used to the beautiful scenery, the downsides had begun to stand out. The city is too far away. Forget the city, she couldnt even go into the forest. Sellen knew about the Forest of the Butterfly. Anyone who wasnt of Bednicker blood would be lost forever within that ce. She had also heard that many different and dangerous monsters lurked within the deep forest. At this point, Sellen couldnt tell this mansion from a prison cell. Also, this Exchange was so long that shed started to get sick of the music being yed. ...Why am I here? How great would it be if the Blessing Ceremony was being held at Goodspring instead? Sellens house was one of the three housesincluding House Bednicker and the imperial familythat could host the Blessing Ceremony. With a little luck, Sellen could have attended the Blessing Ceremony from her own home. ...Of course, it had been Sellens decision that led to the Blessing Ceremony being held at House Bednicker this time. The Blessing Ceremony wasnt the end of it. Sellens true goal was to attend the Bednicker training camp that would take ce after the Blessing Ceremony. That infamous Bednicker training camp, also known as the Six Weeks of Despair... If one could endure those six weeks andplete the training, they would be an excellent talent even if they had entered as useless trash. Honestly, the people around her couldnt understand why Sellen wanted to join the training camp. Sellen was a Goodspring. Goodspring had countless heroes who had received blessings, and their education wasnt any worse than Bednickers. So why was she trying to enter Bednickers training camp? ...Hmm. Sellen subtly nced around. In this huge hall, many boys and girls of differing ages rustled around. Today was the final day of preparation. Today was the final process of checking the members who would attend the Blessing Ceremony tomorrow. Because of that, everyone attending the Blessing Ceremony had gathered here early in the morning. Even the kids who stayed in their rooms for two weeks are showing themselves. At every Blessing Ceremony, there existed a main character. The main character was naturally decided by how many blessings they could receive... And naturally, the more talented the individual was, the more likely they would receive multiple blessings. Sellen was confident that she would be the main character of this Blessing Ceremony. Just looking around, she did acknowledge that there were a few talented individuals... The eldest son of House Dosreta, the third son of House Helvin, the youngest daughter of House Rubyeta... There was also the only son of Hyde Woodjack, the greatest ranger in The Empire. In any case, although they were each quite famous in their own right, there were other people that Sellen was worried about. Sellens gaze turned toward them. * * * * * * * * * * She saw two annoyingly good-looking boys, one with ck hair and one with red hair. These hair colors were difficult to find in The Empire, but they were also the colors that represented their houses. The t ck hair was Bednicker. The flowing and burning red was the Imperial House. Indeed. These two were the second son of House Bednicker and the fourth imperial prince of The Empire. Posh bastards... Sellen cursed the two boys in her heart, but she couldnt deny the fact that most of the attention was directed toward them. It was natural. Those precious faces wouldnt have been seen before today. The two of them had stayed in their rooms every day. Superstitious, maybe? Then, the ck-haired boy turned toward her, and an annoying smile appeared on his face. I was wondering who it was, but its the esteemed daughter of House Goodspring. ... Sellen held back from cursing him out on the spot. Its an honor for the famous Young Master Hector to recognize me. Haha. You dont have to use that awkward tone, soe here. Have you met Lantus yet? She didnt like how he naturally adopted the tone of a superior. In truth, she didnt even want to get closer to him, but there were no excuses she could make when the imperial prince was included in the conversation. Even if someone had no idea about politics, they would still be able to tell that he was acting close with the imperial prince just to unt his influence... And the imperial prince was looking at her with a warm smile as well. As Sellen tried to reply with a nk smile... ck. The door to the hall opened quite harshly as a man appeared. He had an ordinary body, face, and outfit, but the young heroes in the hall all became nervous upon his entrance. The man climbed the tform and began to speak. Wee. It is an honor for me to be able to see all you young heroes. I am Rook. His name was ordinary as well. His identity, however, was far from ordinary. The captain of one of the two knight orders that represented Bednicker, the Iron Blood Knight Order... Knight Captain Rook. By blood, he was also the younger brother of the Lord of Blood and Iron. Thank you for gathering here this morning. Today is just a simple member confirmation, so it wont take long. In any case, he was a very ordinary man in most regards, but his voice was quite peculiar. It was as if listening to him speak was enough to make one depressed. Sellen became nervous as she continued to listen. ...Amazing. This was a house that, less than a hundred years ago, hadnt been able to even look in House Goodsprings direction. To be precise, before the Lord of Blood and Iron had be the family head, Bednicker hadnt been this mighty. Although theyd been one of the Great Houses that represented The Empire, they hadcked in many aspectspared to Goodspring. But now? If one grabbed a random person on the street and asked them whether Bednicker or Goodspring was better, how many would choose thetter? While she was busy thinking, Rooks monotone speech resumed. As this event was dered three days ago, anyone who is missing today will not be able to attend the Blessing Ceremony. The process is simple. Please reply when I say your name. If there is no reply even after I repeat your name three times, then you will be marked as not attending the Blessing Ceremony, so please pay attention. Also, I will omit any honorifics, so I ask for your understanding. Now then, I will start. Komun of House Tenfield. Here. Naturally, nobody here would be foolish enough to choose to not attend the ceremony. The Blessing Ceremony was a major opportunity. Although most problems in this world could be solved with enough money and authority, there were a few exceptions. Lionis of House Tramon. Here. The Blessing Ceremony was one of them. Only those who possessed the blood of the heroes, those who possessed the aptitude of the Demon Hunters were allowed. And this Blessing Ceremony was the only way topletely awaken the blood of the hero. Sellen of House Goodspring. Her name was called, and she answered, Here. As she did, she felt attention directed to her from those around her. A few children started to whisper rudely amongst themselves. Thats the third daughter of House Goodspring? Her hair color is peculiar. She looks fine on the outside, but I heard shes rotten on the inside... Sellen was used to these reactions and maintained her expression... But then she heard something that nearly made her snap. Her personality worsened after her marriage talks with House Bednicker broke off. What marriage? The marriage talk had happened without her consent, nor had she ever been able to see her marriage candidate. Honestly, she couldnt even remember his name. Was it the idiot who sold the sword of House Bednicker? In truth, marriage talks between the Great Houses did not ur as often as people thought. Even though House Bednicker and House Goodspring were the two houses that represented The Empire, the marriage had nearly been confirmed. The reason for this was simple: there were some ws in the people being discussed. It was a traditional way for a house to get rid of a troublesome person in the family. Anyway, the marriage talk had only happened in the first ce because the young master from Bednicker had be infamously troublesome. Due to this, due to the idiots idiotic actions, Sellen had been put up for offer. Although she wanted to be of help to her house, this wasnt the way she wanted to do it. Also, what was his name? She had heard it before, but she couldnt remember right now. It was something like Lu... Luan of House Bednicker. Thats right. Luan Bednicker. Huh? Only now did Sellen raise her head. Was he attending this Blessing Ceremony as well? She hadnt known. A lot of things had changed since Sellen Goodspring was confirmed to attend the Blessing Ceremony. However... From what I heard, he attended the First Blessing Ceremony at the start of the year and was unable to receive a single blessing. It was unprecedented for a member of a Great House to not receive a single blessing. Of course, Sellen had heard about this. After all, this was the final straw that had ended the talk of marriage. Rooks dry voice once more echoed throughout the hall. Luan of House Bednicker. Now that she thought about it, if there was no reply until the third call, he wouldnt be able to attend the ceremony, right? It seemed that coward wasnt nning on attending even though he had been picked by the House... But thats understandable. Humiliation on that scale didnt need to be repeated. Honestly, Sellen couldnt understand the Bednickers decision to give Luan another chance. Luan of House Bedni Bang! At that moment, the doors swung open. The attention of all those in the hall, including Sellen and even Rook on the tform, turned to the door... Many of them furrowed their brow as they saw the person standing there. ... It was some bum. He clearly was wearing something dirty and smelled terrible. What the... Sellen said in surprise. Although she had insulted Bednicker as a backwater ce before, she had never truly meant it. In particr, thend on which the main house was built was as safe as the imperial pce. The knights who were protecting the entrance spoke up. Stop right there. This isnt a ce you can enter as you please. It was amazing that the knights could maintain their decency in this situation, but unlike their polite words, they were very threatening. But the more surprising thing was the bums reply. Really? My butler told me I should be here. Only then did the knights begin to feel that something was off. My apologies, but may I know who you are...? At that, the dirty-looking guy looked around for a moment before... Im the youngest son of this house, he replied. Chapter 33 Chapter 33 As if I had thrown cold water on a fire, everything became quiet. Did I say something I shouldnt have? At this point, I looked back at the words Id said. I... am... the youngest son... of this house. Subject, verb, object, prepositional phrase. I couldnt see anything wrong with my sentence. Someone called for me. Luan of House Bednicker? It was the man standing atop the tform. I had seen him a few times in the main house. Thats Rook. Captain of the Iron Blood Knight Order, Rook. Half brother of the family head. Here. Rook looked at me for a second longer before nodding. You have been confirmed. Please sit down. ... What was he being so polite for? And sit down...? To begin with, what was this ce? I scratched the back of my head as I recalled the events that had led to meing to this hall. I had arrived at the main house with Arzans help somehow, and even though Id wanted to take a warm bath and fill my belly with delicious food, I hadnt been able to. I had met someone unexpected near the entrance to the mansion: Collector Kayan. Oh! Sir Kayan, its been a while... Young master, you need to hurry to the hall. What? Because of Kayans fussing, I was practically pushed all the way to the hall... and this situation was the result. In any case, I didnt want to stay standing up, so I stumbled a little and sat down on an empty seat. With that short interruption out of the way, I will continue. Tonio of House Paris... Rook continued to name people from his tform. Now that I think about it, wasnt the Blessing Ceremony tomorrow? I felt like I had a general idea of what was happening, but just to check, I turned to the person sitting next to me. Whats happening right now? Dont act friendly with me unless you want to die. Wow. I reeled back in shock. She was a girl of simr age to me, but she had an interesting hair color, somewhere between white and silver. More than anything, though, her expression was the most memorable. I hadnt even done anything wrong, but she red at me like I was an insect for a moment before whipping her head away. [Hooh... Shes a holder of a peculiar origin.] Holy I was caught by surprise by the Martial Gods sudden voice. Have you awoken? You didnt give a single reply when I tried to talk to you. [Didnt I tell you? I wont wake up unless I feel a special presence near me.] You never said that. [Did I not?] Martial God sounded a little yful. [More importantly, it seems everyone here has the blood of the heroes. Am I right?] I guess? [This truly is a gathering of gems. This girl in front of you especially, she seems to be the descendant of a brilliant bloodline that rivals even yours. Do you perhaps know her?] No way. Unlike with Calzark, I was familiar with neither her looks nor her voice. Frankly, there was no way I wouldve forgotten a face as memorable as hers. Still, something was a little off. I didnt think I could just discount her personality as being harsh... Ah. Now that I thought about it, I probably looked like a dirty beggar and smelled terrible. Well, I still want to check out the situation, so please stay quiet. [Even if you didnt say that... it seems I must return to my slumber...] The Martial Gods voice faded. I waited for Rook to finish reading through his list of names... Ehm... But my eyelids felt heavy for some reason. Maybe because I felt safe after arriving at the main house, but my body started to loosen a little. ...Luan. ... Luan Bednicker. ... Get up. ...Shp. I opened my eyes a little as someone shook my shoulder. It seemed I had fallen asleep at some point. As I swallowed the drool that had gathered in my mouth and raised my head, I saw Rook looking down at me. ...The schedule for today has ended. The hall needs to be cleaned, so go back for today. I looked around in a daze; I really was the only one present. O... okay... My words were a little slurred, and as I tried to stand, I found it wasnt as easy as Id expected. It was probably because my bodys condition wasnt the best right now. I was still suffering the after-effects of ming White. And since it had only been four days since we defeated the gem beast in the mountains, it would take three or so more days for my body topletely recover. I need to go see Mother as well. I wanted to go see her right away, but I probably shouldnt show her my current state when it was my first time seeing her in a while. I decided to go wash my body, but as I went to leave the hall, someone was standing next to the door as if he was blocking the entrance. Since it was a new face, I tried to just walk past him, but he spoke to me. Luan Bednicker. Who are you? Hariba Garcia. Garcia? I remembered one of the Bednicker branch families having that name. I tilted my head a little. Do you have business with me? ... Hariba looked at me with a nk expression, but I narrowed my eyes. Whats with this guy? This should be the first time wed met. His fingers were fidgeting without rest, his breathing was broken, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot. These factors informed me of his true feelings beneath his cold expression. This man harbored killing intent against me. Hariba continued to re at me for a moment before leaving without saying anything. I felt like I needed to smack him on the back of his head to not feel bad about this encounter, but it would be difficult for me to chase after him in my current state. More than anything, cleaning up was my first priority. As I took my first step again... Its been a while. * * * * * * * * * * Fuck. Let me go wash myself. I was getting pissed that every step I took invited a new conversation like it was a regional tradition. I looked to see who was calling out to me this time, and thankfully, it was someone I knew. Hector? What? ...Elder brother, I added btedly, and Hector let out a dryugh. Of course, he wasntughing because he found it funny. I never expected to see you here again. Was it really that odd that someone of the Bednicker bloodline was at the Bednicker main house? I couldnt tell for sure what he meant just from looking at his expression. However, because he missed me after not seeing me for so long, because he wanted to deepen our rtionship as brothers... those probably werent the reasons for his reaction. Even though the same blood flowed through us both, we were only half-brothers. The person who had spearheaded treating me like trash after I was deemed talentless was Hector himself. Im sick of it, said Hector. Maybe I shouldve expected this. Hectors lips curled as he continued to re at me. I am sick of your shamelessness. ... Just what face do you have to return to the main house? Was it not enough to taint the honor of the house after the First Blessing Ceremony? I could see the veins in Hectors eyes. It seemed as if he was going to tear me apart right here and now, and I could make an easy guess as to why he was so angry. Although all children of the Lord of Blood and Iron wished to be recognized by their father, Hectors case was a lot more severe. If it meant he might hear the words well done from the family head, Hector wouldnt hesitate to turn dozens or even hundreds of people into corpses. The family head personally called for me, I said. I heard that as well. I still find it difficult to believe. Hector let out a sigh. Its definitely because the Council of Elders... because those old and weak fools said something stupid. ... Father is a busy man. He cannot perfectly understand every small detail of this house. From his expression and tone of voice, I could tell that he held immense respect for the Lord of Blood and Iron. However, in the next moment, his expression changed as if that had been just a mask. Youre the problem. To crawl all the way back here just because Father called for you... Do you ever think? This is different from the First Blessing Ceremony. At that time, neither the imperial house nor those damned Goodsprings were in attendance... but the fourth imperial prince and the daughter of Goodspring are both here now. ... If you had any shame left in you, you wouldnt havee. I looked at Hector. So what? What? Im here now. What are you saying I should do? I wasnt in the best mood because I was still dirty, but I was even more pissed because of his random insults. If I had note here as Father told me to, you wouldve told me off for not obeying Father. So stupid. Hectors face hardened into a frightening scowl, and he raised his hand toward me. I could easily see his movements... but it would probably be difficult for me to dodge it right now. As I had stated before, the after-effects of ming White hadntpletely disappeared yet. Maybe I shouldnt have said that. But still, getting hit once here and going to the bath was better than just standing around. ...But before his fist reached me, someone stepped between us and caught his attack. Hector furrowed his brow. Who are you? It was Arzan. She had been stationed outside the hall and seemed to havee in at the right time. My apologies. It seemed to have exceeded a siblings conflict. Are you his butler? ... Let go. Arzan did as Hector said. p! Hector pped Arzans cheek, and her monocle was sent flying. Drip. Did something tear in her mouth? It wasnt surprising since she was smacked with the back of his hand. Arzan couldve dodged it, but she seemed to have chosen to get hit to pay for stopping the attack headed for me. ... It was weird. Why did seeing her get smacked feel worse than if I had been smacked? I dont know what the Council of Elders are thinking. Isnt the purpose of collection to get rid of trash like this? ... You should pray for at least a single blessing tomorrow. If it is again dered that you have not even received one blessing, I will not stand still. Hector had a look on his face that pissed me off as he turned around. Right then, I walked up and smacked him in the back of the head. Smack! ...?! Hector couldnt even understand what had happened to him. With his skill, he shouldve been able to notice that I had approached him from behind. However, what had surpassed his expectations was that I would smack him on the back of the head. You bas Hector regained his bnce and turned to me. As he did, his fist, filled with anger, swung straight at me. No matter how fast an attack was, it was easy to dodge if you knew the timing. Especially for a direct punch like this. I dodged his punch without a problem and smacked him on the cheek. p! ... Hectors eyes lost focus for a moment. It wasnt from the pain; he looked like a schr who had seen something unbelievable. He was losing his mind. I quickly removed my hand from his face and swung the back of my hand at his other cheek. Smack! After having been smacked on the cheeks twice now, Hector finally came to his senses. This time, he didnt even say anything, he just punched. But it was a much sharper punch than before, as if he had regained hisposure in that short time. Vwoong As I again dodged that attack by the skin of my teeth, he ground his teeth. You... In his anger, he actually reached for his sword on his hip. Is he really going to draw it here? I had my Sword of Seven Sins on me, but in its current state, it was no better than a butter knife. While I was considering how I should respond to him... Stop right there! A lions roar cut between us. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 The captain of the Iron Blood Knight Order and younger brother of the Lord of Blood and Iron, Rook Bednicker was a disciplined man. He was moderate in all things. When he slept, when he ate, when he rxed or enjoyed his hobbies... even his desires were moderate. Even those religious folk who praised moderation as a virtue werent as disciplined as Rook. Of course, it wasnt like hed been this way from the day he was born, but he wasnt forcing himself because of themand of another either. Rooks moderate personality was a decision he had personally made. He believed that this was the way to achieve the greatest power he desired. Also, good self-restraint meant that he was very patient... That was the reason that he had interfered now even though hed known of the mess outside the hall since it first began. ...What do you two think you are doing? Rook stomped closer and looked at Hector. Hector Bednicker. Yes. I will ask just in case. Have you been granted permission to draw your sword in the main house? No. Then is your current situation so dire that you needed to break that rule? No. Then why did you reach for your sword? ...Im sorry. Im not asking for your apology. I am asking for your reasoning. Why did you want to draw your sword and cut down Luan Bednicker? Hectors head lowered as far as it could, but Rook continued to stare at him with his cold eyes. Do you believe you have that authority? Have you reached the level that you can just ignore the rules of the house? I never thought such Keep this in mind, Rook said with a low voice. There is only one being that can exist above thews of the house. Do not equate yourself with the family head. Shame appeared on Hectors face. Compared to how he was being shamed by Rook, he was much more ashamed that his actions had insulted the Lord of Blood and Iron. Rook let out a sigh in his heart. The reason he had spoken so severely was because he didnt want to make this an even bigger mess. Things would get tiresome if this incident reached the ears of the Council of Elders, who always examined everything in too much detail. I will forget I saw anything. Go back for now. Pardon? ... ...Understood. Hector gave a bow before leaving. He didnt forget to re at Luan before he went, but Luan was spaced out and ignored him. ...Luan Bednicker. Yes. At Luans nonchnt reply, Rook paused. What he had just seen between the two was still fresh in his mind. The scene of Luan walking up to Hector and smacking him in the back of the head... Why did you do that? There was a lot Rook wanted to say, but the first thing he said was a question. Only then did Luan turn to look at Rook. I dont know what you mean by that. Why did you hit Hector? He deserved it. Rooks eyes glinted at the unexpected answer. He deserved it? He pped my subordinates cheek in front of me. Rooks gaze turned to the butler beside Luan, to Arzan. Arzan didnt show any emotion on her face, but there was a small cut on her lip. I thought Hector, elder brother, crossed the line, so I paid him in kind. Thats all. And that was the reason you hit your elder brother on the back of his head and pped his face? When Rook said that, Luan stared directly at him, and Rook felt goosebumps start to appear as he met that tant gaze. He didnt know why. Is him being my elder brother so important? What? No matter who it is, if they damage something of mine, I will not let them go. With a quiet voice, Luan added, I will pay them back threefold. Whether or not that was the right thing to do didnt matter. ...You talk well. But do you have the right to say those words? Rook looked at Luan with the same cold eyes that had gazed at Hector. What would have happened if I hadnt intervened? Hector was overflowing with killing intent as he reached for his sword. For breaking the rule, Hector wouldve been punished by the house, but you would have be disabled at best. In that case, which of you suffers the bigger loss? ... Youcked restraint and nearly died because of it. Thus, your actions cannot be considered brave. Luan Bednicker, your actions were foolish. Thats notpletely wrong. So its notpletely right either? As Luan continued to talk, he seemed to find some confidence in something. Would my subordinate here have let Hector just pull out his sword? What? In that situation, Arzan and I could have justified each others actions. I retaliated when Hector pped Arzan, and if he went mad and drew his sword and charged me, then Arzan would have stepped in. ... Didnt you talk about losses? If Id stayed still, I wouldve lost her. You exaggerate. Even Hector wouldnt murder someone here. All he did was p her cheek. Im not talking about lives. Let me ask you, if you endured great humiliation for a master, but that master onlyughed without doing anything... would you truly be able to offer your loyalty to such a person? Rook didnt say anything, but he felt a small ripple stir within his heart. This was a very rare feeling for him. ...Ehm, well, I understood your worry, Knight Captain. Ill be more careful in the future. Rook nearly let out a dryugh. He couldnt believe Luans tone, as if Luan was the one holding back from further humiliating him. Who is lecturing whom? As Rook mentally shook his head, Luan spoke up. If theres nothing else, can I go? ...Sure. You may go. Rook no longer needed to keep him here, so he gave his affirmation with a nod. Luan bowed his head as well before leaving. Rook took a moment to observe Luan as he walked away. ...Luan Bednicker. When the Lord of Blood and Iron had personally called for Luan, Rook had felt that something was up. But he was even more surprised than hed expected, now that hed met Luan face-to-face. Had Luans nature always been like that? He couldnt know. Rook didnt have any particr memories of Luan. Of course, he had heard of Luans many infamous deeds, but Rook was of the belief that he needed to meet the person before he could make his judgment. So, with this being the first time Rook had met Luan, to give him a score for his first impression... On a scale from 1 to 10, Luan was at least a 9. When the timees, I wish to hear Elder Brothers opinion as well. Rook liked Luans boldness and capacity to lead his subordinates well. Why was he only realizing this now? Rook had thought that he had already seen everyones potential. Of course, quick judgments werent reliable... but Luan was someone Rook wanted to observe closely in the future. As a page of the Iron Blood Knight Order... Hm. Rook shook his head. It was too early for that thought. He honestly wanted to speak with Luan a little longer, but he held back for now. It wasnt difficult. After all, disciplined was his middle name. * * * * * * * * * * My back itched. Evidently Rook was still looking at me. Only after entering my room did that itchy feeling disappear from my back. I let out a sigh. Why did you do that? Arzan suddenly asked. I already said my reasoning before Sir Rook. You said that you nearly lost a subordinate. That is not an answer. To start with, I am not one of your people. Right. Thats true. ...This isnt something you can brush off so easily, Arzan said with a serious expression. You know the position Young Master Hector has in the family. If he harbors ill intent toward you because of this incident and decides to take revenge... Then it wont just end with his head and cheek being smacked and pped. I looked at Arzan, who looked surprised by my words. Dont misunderstand. I didnt do it because of you, I was just in a bad mood and didnt want to let him go. I know what I did, and I know what youre worried about. I can also estimate what the consequences will be. ... You dont have to worry so much. I have my ns as well. Having been listening the entire time, the Martial God suddenly interjected. [Inheritor, do you really have a n?] No. How could I? Still, I couldnt just tell her that I beat him up because he pissed me off. [Hooh.] I dont regret it. In the long run, this was the right decision. [What do you mean?] The most important thing is acting as a Bednicker should in the main house. One could say that in the main house of Bednicker, there were eyes and ears everywhere. If it was made evident that I couldnt protect what was mine, then this would quickly be reported to the Council of Elders, the family head, or one of the higher-ranking members... And I would be given a failing mark. So, how about you? Pardon? When I smacked Hector in the back of his head and pped his face, how did you feel? Was it good or bad? Arzan hesitated. You can be honest with me. There is no one here to listen in. ...It did feel a little refreshing. I grinned. Then it''s fine. How about your face? Any wounds? Theres a small cut on the inside of my mouth. Looks like your monocle broke. Its fine. It wasnt a real lens. I was the one shocked this time as I looked at Arzan with disbelief. So that monocle was just for fashion? Arzan hesitated for a moment before lowering her head. Thank you, young master. Its fine. Youre going to make me cringe. Still, please be careful. Young Master Hector will not let this incident slide. Probably. I didnt really have any intention of avoiding all conflict with him. But, strangely... rather than Hector and the incident, I was more worried about the other person. The one of Garcia blood that had looked at me with dark eyes. His name, I think it was... *** As soon as he returned to his room, Hariba kicked the nearest table. Bang! As if it had been made of rotten wood, the table instantly shattered into countless pieces. That wasnt enough to quell Haribas anger. He proceeded to destroy all the furniture in the room. All the while, the image of the boy with the light-blond hair never left his mind. Neither did the face of the silver-haired girl that the brat approached without knowing his ce. ... In the middle of the ruined room, Hariba panted with an expressionless face before saying, Father. ... Didnt I tell you? We need to be certain of everything. Be certain? Then do you truly n to kill him? Reagan replied, having arrived at the door at some point. In any case, today was only the final check, tomorrow is the true Blessing Ceremony. Luan Bednicker just needs to not be in attendance tomorrow. Haribas eyebrows flinched for a moment. What are you saying I should do? You said killing is not allowed. Killing isnt the only method of solving problems in this world, Reagan reprimanded him with a stern voice. Son, why dont you understand that murder is thest of thest methods one should use to achieve their goals? ... The most important thing we need to ensure is that he does not attend the Blessing Ceremony. We do not have to act ourselves. If he somehow decides with his own will to not attend, there is no difference in oue. What do you mean? Reagan rxed his eyes. You will know soon. After saying that, Reagan left the room. Hariba stared at the door Reagan had left through. After a short moment of contemtion, he came to a conclusion. He couldnt leave his fate up to that man. After calming his breath, Hariba pulled something from his coat pocket. It was a ss vial with a red liquid inside. ... A look of hesitation crossed Haribas eyes as he looked at the ss vial, but it was only for a moment. Pong Hariba opened the vial. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 My n to take a bath was foiled once more. As soon as I stepped into my residence, my mother, Lucia, ran into me. Luan...! My mother ran toward me as her golden hair swayed erratically. W-wait. Im still dirt I wasnt able to finish my sentence as my mother hugged me. I could see her clean dress being ruined by the dirt and dust I was covered in. Mother. Really, my mother said in a quiet voice. ...Im d youre okay. ... I swallowed what I was going to say when I heard her trembling voice. ...Ah. Mother. My one and only true family. Not a night had passed where I hadnt wished to meet her again. There was a lot I wanted to say as well... but for some reason, I couldnt say anything. I just continued to pat her on the back and waited for her to calm down. *** After reuniting with my mother, and after finally getting to take that bath... I changed into new clothes prepared by a servant. Thats better. I was satisfied by the weirdlyfortable clothes and headed toward her room. The room was quite out of the way, and in front of her door were two familiar people. Kayan and Arzan. The two were talking to each other with a serious expression, but their conversation stopped as soon as I arrived. What were you talking about? We were catching each other up on the things that have happened. Sharing information, let us say. Really? You two knew each other? I asked with a tilt of my head. Kayan answered, When Arzan first came to the main house, I helped her train a few times. I nodded. Ah. Then you guys can take some time talking with each other. Im going to talk to my mother. Yes. I had some things I wanted to talk with Kayan about as well, but I decided to put that off forter. I walked past the two and into the room. There was a faint scent of ck tea in the air, and I couldnt help but chuckle. It was the same scent as in my memories. Youre here. Come, sit. Yes. I looked around at the shabby room and sat in front of my mother. I was only able to prepare ck tea. Is that all right? Of course. Some teas were better with refreshments and some werent. My mothers tea was thetter. Great scent, residual warmth, and a deep vor. A cup of this tea was theplete package. ...Ive really returned. Although it might beughable, only after having this sip of tea did I truly recognize that I had returned to the past. It was an absurd notion. When Id seen Kayan and Arzan, when Id witnessed the true colors of the knights in the mountain range, and even when Id faced off against the Gem Beast... I hadnt truly epted reality yet. Did anything happen? What do you mean? I heard the overall situation from sir Kayan. You came back to the main house at themand of the family head. And to do that, you crossed through the Gem Mountains... Unexpectedly, it seemed my mother knew quite a bit about my journey. Was this because of Kayans excellent information-gathering skills, or had it just been that easy to track my whereabouts? I couldnt know, but regardless, my mother seemed to know what kind of ce the Gem Mountains were. That was why she was worried. At this point, lying to calm her could be fine... A lot of things happened. Honestly, there were a few dangerous situations as well. But I decided to be honest ande clean. There were two reasons for this. First, I didnt want to lie about something like this. Second, I believed she was a strong person who could at least handle this much. ... After hearing what I had to say, she took another sip of her ck tea. Then, she spoke to me slowly. I see. Youve been through a lot. Yes. And you seem to have calmed down a lot since Ist saw you. My mother wore a small smile. They say that a person mentally matures when they experience a life-threatening situation. In the mountain range... was your life ever in danger? I could hear a slight tremble in her voice, but I answered her directly. Quite a few times. I see. It must have been difficult for Arzan as well. I nodded; she wasnt wrong. My mother lowered her voice a little when she asked her next question. Then... did you perhaps learn about Arzan as well? I noticed that shes not an ordinary butler. I dont know the details, but I saw her use some special power a few times. I see... I spoke with her a little while you were washing up. For the time being, she will be your aid. I tilted my head a little at the unexpected words. What? I dont think you need to do that. Did you order her? I did request she keep looking after you, but I did not order her. In truth, I have been asking her since she was at the main house, but shepletely rejected the notion back then. ... It seems she owes her life to you, and she wants to serve you until that debt can be paid. I was surprised at that. A life debt... Am I wrong? Youre not wrong... but its the same for me. Without Arzan, I wouldve died. We saved each other. This time, it was my mothers turn to be surprised. I already half-regretted blurting that out. Id said something too mature for Luan to be saying at this age. ... My mother quietly looked at me for a while with aplicated expression... But this was also a necessary process. I couldnt hide the fact that I had changed, especially from my mother. I could make up an excuse to get through this situation, but what about the next time? I couldnt act like the idiot Luan forever. At that point, it would be easier if I made her think, My son changed a lot after his life was put into danger. However, my mother eventually said somethingpletely unexpected. Youve returned to your younger self. ...Pardon? I didnt understand what she meant. Younger self? Yes. When you were confident and courageous, the best version of you. ... You were always like this before the Blessing Ceremony, dont you remember? I couldnt help but be shocked by her words. I thought I had grown due to what Id experienced on Spirit Mountain and through just growing up... But my mother thought that I had returned to my original self? Thats... I nearly denied her im outright, but I stopped myself. I knew that the person anyone had the most difficulty looking at objectively was themself. This im wasing from my mother, someone who had watched me grow up my entire life. Even if she was looking through rose-tinted sses, her words might still be true. * * * * * * * * * * My mother grabbed my hand. Luan. Yes. Blessings arent everything in your life. This was something she had said often before I regressed. These words had never reached Luan Bednicker in the past. But I understood now. Yes. Her words were true. Even without a blessing, you could be stronger than anyone else in the world. To be the Strongest Under the Heavens, the blessing of a god was unnecessary. ...Truly, truly. Theres no need to give up on your life because of one thing. However, it didnt seem like my mothers goal was to simply make me understand the truth that my past self had failed to ept. I had an idea of what her intentions were... Shes worried about the Second Blessing Ceremony. If I didnt receive a single blessing in this Blessing Ceremony either... she was worried about the despair I would feel. Dont worry. I wont give up. Even without a blessing, I will be the strongest of the family heads children. Haha. I hope that bes true. Of course, my real goal was to exceed my father, the Lord of Blood and Iron... but if I said that, I thought even my mother would think me crazy. I grinned and raised my teacup... Knock, knock. But I was interrupted by a knock at the door. Enter. At my mothers permission, I saw Kayan open the door. Unlike his usual calm self, there seemed to be a slight look of haste on his face. I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but young master, you need to move quickly. Me? Whats going on? With an uncharacteristically stiff expression, Kayan answered, The Council of Elders has summoned you. *** The main house of House Bednicker was a five-story building. The first and second floors were open to guests and were always filled with people, but the third floor and above didnt have many people. Starting with the third floor, outsiders were forbidden to enter. Still, it wasnt apletely foreign ce for me. This floor held the rooms of the houses important people, ssrooms for study, and the library. I had visited these ces many times before Id been deemed blessingless. However, right now I was going to the floor above that. Step. On the fourth floor, only my and Kayans footsteps quietly echoed. Although it was rare to meet someone on the third floor, it was even more rare to meet someone on the fourth. It wasnt just that there werent any people, there didnt seem to be any life up here at all. There seemed to be some kind of soundproofing as well. It was difficult to hear any other sounds. It felt like I was walking through a different world. Like this, without seeing anyone else, I continued to follow behind Kayan. Suddenly, Kayan stopped and said to me, Its here. ... I looked at the door for a moment. It was pretty big. It was as big as the doors to the dancing hall. The interior was probablyparable to the door. I didnt see any other doors on the way here either... Meaning this one room took up an incrediblyrge amount of space. I cleared my mind of unnecessary thoughts as I opened the door. ck. ... Despite its huge size, the door opened quite easily. But as I opened it, I felt the air get heavier. Its dark. It was an overall dim ce. Either the curtains were shut or this ce didnt have windows in the first ce. Step. I stepped in about seven to eight steps before stopping. There was nowhere else for me to go. My sides were blocked by tall walls. Atop those walls, I could see a group of people sitting. Youvee. Luan Bednicker. As if they were judges, they sat above the walls. The room was so dark that it was difficult to even see their outlines, let alone their faces. These people were the infamous Council of Elders of House Bednicker. I had heard that there were eleven in total. I counted their number, and it seemed a few of them werent present. What is the reason you summoned me? I could guess what the reason was, but I yed dumb and asked instead. It was unlikely, but this could be about my fight with Hector. There are a few things we wish to ask you. It is about what happened in the Gem Mountains. Thankfully, that didnt seem to be the case. We sent five knights from the Fang Knight Order to escort you. Where are they? Why were you the only one to return? Tell us everything. Everything that happened in the Gem Mountains. The Council of Elders had a habit of speaking one sentence each when one of them could just say the entire thing. There wasnt a big reason for this, from what I remembered. If I were to make something up, I guess it was to help hide their identities? These spooky guys liked to hide their identities more than anyone else, but the one listening was the one who suffered the most. We couldnt even see their faces, and they spoke with ambiguous voices as well. Luan Bednicker. Why do you not answer us? ... In this situation, which could be a moment of danger, I lightly licked my lips once. The room on the fourth floor was called the Trial Room. And I knew of a secret about this room. The room to discover the truth. To be precise, it was a room to decide on the truth. I slowly started to speak. All members of the Fang Knight Order have died. Before these old fellows of the Council of Elders could respond, I continued. A few of them died by my hands. This was an opportunity for me. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 There was no particr reason Id said that. The more shocking the deration, the easier it was to disrupt the opponents breathing and seize the initiative. As expected, the atmosphere quieted down like everyone had been doused with cold water. It wasnt an ufortable silence for me. As I stood there innocently, one of the Council of Elders spoke up. What are you trying to say But Id been waiting for that, and I quickly interrupted with my reply. Every single one of them was an assassin. Before these old fogies could even point out my rudeness, I continued talking. I dont know how it happened. Did they kill the original knight order and impersonate them? Did they join House Bednicker while hiding their impure motives? Maybe they changed in the course of their duties for some reason? Regardless, they were the worst kind of assassins. ...Do you have proof of this? Proof... Their question amused me. If they could truly see through all truths and lies, they wouldnt need something like proof. Meaning... There was no need for you to be scared about going to the Trial Room! Its not like they could actually see through all truths and lies. And theres a restriction. That room only works on the blood of Bednicker, and they cant use it often. The words my bigmouth brother had spoken in my past life were true. He always exaggerated and bluffed so much that I hadnt really trusted him at first... Of course, I said. Do you have it on you? Yes. Show us. Whats with their tone? I grumbled inwardly as I followed theirmand. I pulled the dagger and note from my inner pocket andid them out on the table before me. A ray of light came down from the ceiling and brightened the table. That symbol...! The mark of Hadenaihar... A smallmotion urred within the Council of Elders. How could this be? You mean to say the servants of the Six Demon Lords infiltrated Bednicker? Since when did the agents of the cult The demon lords and the gods of disaster were one and the same. The cultists called them gods, whereas the Great Houses called them demon lords. There wasnt a big reason for this difference. The more conservative groups felt it was too much to call those horrifying beings gods. That was the extent of my knowledge... I honestly didnt know much about the gods of disaster. Id never had any contact with them, nor did I care to. From the start, I hadnt even known there were six of them. I knew them as the Five Demon Lords. Did you truly obtain that dagger from the Fang Knight Order? Yes. ... The Council of Elders fell silent. What did this silence mean? Unlike what Id expected, they didnt seem to be too surprised by the betrayal. But they werentpletely calm either. Which means... Theyd known of the existence of a traitor, but they hadnt known the traitors backing... That was the most natural exnation. ...Is that all? The objects you recovered from the assassins. Id known they would ask this as well. No, I replied. There was a note and a map as well. The map had information about most of their activities in the mountain range. A map? Show us. Huh? Look at these bastards. I wasnt that much of a pushover. Why should I? What? These are mine. As a descendant of the Great Houses, I killed the members of the Church of Darkness and obtained these trophies in return. I gave up the dagger as proof, but theres no need for me to share the map as well. Information on the cult was precious. I wasnt going to let them have it for free. Even if I didnt know the specifics, if I put this up for auction for the heroes of the Great Houses, I would be able to gain quite a pretty penny. Those guys who called themselves heroes were all a little crazy. You dare. Say that to us? Where do you think this is? A ce to exin myself. And I am exining myself, I said with a smirk. And now Ive finished exining myself. Was there anything else? ... The room became silent once more. This part was unexpected. It wouldnt be odd for them to go mad with rage at the sight of such a little kid acting so rude. I guess theyre not that easy. The Council of Elders... They were the old monsters of Bednicker who led the house in ce of the Lord of Blood and Iron whenever he was busy in the outside world. Maybe their presence as the supreme authority figures in this house is also just a mask? ...You have not fully exined yourself. Luan Bednicker. You havent exined the most suspicious parts. What are they? I asked. How did you kill the servants of Hadenaihar? It could not have been possible with your skills. The most ufortable question finally came. Of course, I had been expecting it for quite a while. The Trial Room. A ce to discern truths from lies. If that was the case... I had an advancement during my training. The result of that training allowed me to defeat them. I wasnt lying. Of course, the training I was talking about was the training Id received on Spirit Mountain... but regardless, that training was what had allowed me to kill Osel. ... There was another moment of silence. However, I could tell that the Council of Elders was oddly bewildered. Just like I wanted. If this room really had the ability to discern the truth, they would know that my words were also true. If I had just said all this without any confidence, no matter how concrete the evidence I presented was, these old fogies wouldnt have epted it easily. Interesting. At that moment, a new voice joined in. It was a rtively younger voice. Among the insects of the cult, the assassins of Hadenaihar are some of the most annoying. Even one of the current heroes could lose their life in vain depending on the ce and situation. However, you killed many of them by yourself? Yes. A slight chuckle could be heard. What happened to the rest? You said all members of the Fang Knight Order were killed. I furrowed my brow. My ally who was with me at the time killed them. So you had an aplice. Who was it? It was Arzan. Arzan. It wouldnt be odd for the Council of Elders to know about Arzan. They likely knew more about her than about me. Who is this person? This person who had suddenly interjected had a different feeling from the rest of the Council of Elders. It wouldnt be wrong for me to say he was annoying. I can see the general flow of what happened. Quite clever, Luan Bednicker. ... No, beyond that, you are wicked, Luan Bednicker. Why is that? Do you know why you were suddenly summoned the day before the Blessing Ceremony? There were probably a lot of reasons, but by bringing it up now... To verify my ims ahead of the Blessing Ceremony? Thats right. And that is also why you are embellishing your actions. Embellishing? The lie of having killed the servants of Hadenaihar. ... The Council of Elders continued to talk. We understand what happened in the mountain range. You did suffer a grave danger. However, you speak as if you evaded the danger with your own strength. Although I didnt do everything, I still think I did my part. No. You just avoided losing your life. Arzan must have been the one to solve the situation. Look at these assholes. If you are that doubtful of me, why dont you ask Arzan? Dont make usugh. Although she worked for the main house in the past, that is not the case anymore. For you, it is not unlikely that she would lie to us. ... The situation would be different if the Trial Room could be used on Arzan as well... But the rooms effects only worked on the Bednicker bloodline. They had no method of figuring out whether Arzans words were true. The most disgusting part of all this is that you truly believe that you were helpful. The blessingless dreg of Bednicker. * * * * * * * * * * I see. I had a decent idea of how this room detected the truth. It wasnt absolute. Even if one didnt speak the truth, if that person truly believed what they were saying, perhaps the system couldnt differentiate? That was why the Council of Elders thought I was a delusional lunatic. I understand where theyreing from. At this point in my life, it wasnt odd for Luan to be treated like this. I wouldnt have believed me either. Yeah, I can understand them... But as I heard them continue to w away at my heart, I ran out of patience. Honestly, at times like this, I couldnt help butugh. So, what are you saying? Prove yourself. Prove myself? Prove that you indeed fought against the assassins of Hadenaihar. And how am I supposed to do that? You can prove yourself in a fight. Hmm. I scratched my head. As I thought, this was the most certain method... We will prepare your opponent. You have no need to worry. They wont be stronger than the assassins of the cult. I dont really mind, but my current condition isnt that good. Your condition... I thought I heard a snicker. Then when do you want to fight? ...In about three days? I said this because that was when I expected to fully recover from the aftereffects of ming White. As I said that, an obviousugh was heard. Naturally, I looked at the Council of Elders. I had never joked with them. So you continue to harbor nonsensical thoughts. You are gambling with time after having already given up. Gambling? In three days? That is not the case. You are aiming for the Blessing Ceremony tomorrow. Your intention is obvious. If you can receive a new blessing, you will be able to defeat the opponent we will prepare to fight you. Their rudeness slipped my mind as I couldnt help but let out an exmation. Heh. They were just arranging the situation as they pleased. You will not be able to attend the Blessing Ceremony. And you will be punished for your contempt against House Bednicker. When did I act with contempt against Bednicker? You confessed to a false truth. As a descendant of Bednicker, you lied about something you must never lie about. I lied? Keep this in mind. The subjugation of the Church of Darkness is not a light matter. You are lucky you stand here as a Bednicker. If you had said something like that outside, the honor of our family head wouldve been damaged. I smirked. Is the family heads honor so useless that a few words from me can damage it? Luan Bednicker, did you just insult the I cut off the Council of Elders growling. Im trying to use the Blessing Ceremony to gain an upper hand in this situation. Thats an interesting assumption. Then cant you just get me an opponent that can flip that advantage? What do you mean? Prepare a difficult opponent that I will have a hard time defeating even if I receive a good blessing. In a sarcastic tone, I added, Or... one of the members of the Council of Elders could fight me. ... The room immediately became quiet. Naturally, this wasnt because they thought Thats a great idea! Bzzt, bzzt. I could feel my skin bing numb. These old men didnt even think to hide their killing intent. ...So you finally crossed the line. Its done. You have nothing to prove. As you stand there, you will need to pay the price. Are you going to punish me? Without the permission of the family head, youre going to punish a direct descendent of the Lord of Blood and Iron? Thats right. While the family head isnt here, we are Thats a funny lie, I said with a smile. Isnt the family head at the main house right now? ... Although I couldnt see any of their faces, I could tell the Council of Elders had frozen like stone at my words. ...What do you mean? The family head is currently away. Its the opposite, I said. I knew of the Lord of Blood and Irons authority. For example, the end of some random hallway, the inside of an empty guest room, the bustling dining room, the main hall opened for the Exchange, the rose garden Id seen on my way here... No... Where I was looking in the middle of the Council of Elders, and even beyond that. A thought Id had from the beginning... Family head. Was it really the Council of Elders that had summoned me? Youre here, right? .... Silence. And then... Impressive. For the first time in a while, I felt goosebumps from just hearing a voice. The Council of Elders flinched before parting to the sides. Between them was a warping darkness. It wasnt like someone had revealed themself from an unseen position... It was more like someone surrounded by darkness was moving that darkness away. And then, I witnessed him. They werepletely different from mine, his ck hair and dark-red eyes. Its been a while. ... The Bednicker family head and the Lord of Blood and Iron. My father. Derk C. Bednicker. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Derk C. Bednicker. He was the extraordinary genius born of House Bednicker and the name that was always brought up whenever someone discussed the strongest people in The Empire. If there was one word to summarize the deeds aplished by this man throughout his not-long life, it was insanity. He had started walking within a few dozen days of his birth, grabbed a steel sword before he was one year old, and punched and killed an ogre with his bare fists at the age of four... He had read all the texts avable in the house library by age seven, and hed learned all the secret swordsmanship techniques and created a unique swordsmanship technique for himself at just age ten. At age twelve, he enrolled in the Imperial Academy under special consideration, finished the entire curriculum, and graduated within just a year. After this shocking and unbelievable chain of events, he received twelve blessings during his First Blessing Ceremony. Twelve blessings. Receiving just three blessings was usually enough for one to be called a prodigy, and five was enough to be called a genius. Seven or eight blessings was enough to be one of the heroes of history. Even if one wasnt very bright or wanted to deny Derks talent as much as they could... the moment his blessings were revealed, it was impossible to not acknowledge that he was on a different level. The more surprising fact was that during his Second Blessing Ceremony, hed received nine more blessings. No one knew what all the blessings Derk had received were. However, after the Second Blessing Ceremony, Derk had stopped growing old. His appearance was stuck as that of a youngd. However, his power had never stopped growing. The following year, Derk had officially inherited the position of family head, and even though House Bednicker hadnt been able to match up to House Goodspring at the time, he pulled House Bednicker above and beyond House Goodsprings level within just twenty years. The thing he took part in most was the extermination of the cult. Even if he discovered only a small trace, if it was rted to the cult, he would chase them down to the ends of the world to uproot them. It didnt matter to him how long it took or how many sacrifices he had to make. Even with his position as family head and the Lord of Blood and Iron, he was at the forefront of the destruction of the Church of Darkness. The emperor had personally given him a middle name to honor his achievements, and the honor of the house had grown with him. In the end, Derk had obtained the position of one of the Great Lords, and as he was the most thorough and cold-blooded in all the empire, he was named the Lord of Blood and Iron. *** The Martial God, who usually didnt reveal himself unless there were special circumstances, spoke as soon as he saw the Lord of Blood and Iron. [So thisd is the descendent of Kuset... Quite the extraordinary martial artist. Its regretful... If I had a physical form, I would havepared martial arts with him in a duel.] A duel? Wasnt that the greatestpliment a god of martial arts could give to a martial artist? However, as I quietly looked at the Lord of Blood and Iron, I couldnt say I was particrly surprised. It could be that I had already unconsciously thought that this man was deserving of such apliment. In my past life, he was the being I had both loved and hated. Seeing his face right now, I could feelplicated emotions shing within my heart... but they werent emotions one would feel about their father. This disharmony wasnt just because the man looked young on the outside. He didnt look to be that much older than me. This was the reason he was also called the Boy Duke... But whether he had the appearance of an old man, a monster, or the ideal father, I didnt think I could ever feel a sense of fathership from him. Family Head. If you reveal yourself now... I could hear the Council of Elders panicking a little. Clearly, they hadnt expected the Lord of Blood and Iron to appear. Its fine. The Lord of Blood and Iron stopped their murmuring with that one sentence before looking at me. Luan. Yes. Luan Bednicker. What? I nearly said out of habit. Even I would need to ask myself Did you think before you spoke? in front of this man. Please speak. Why did you think I was at the mansion? From your tone of voice, you were certain I was here. ...Isnt this the Blessing Ceremony? No matter how busy you are, its a national event you cant easily ignore. ... Even if you wouldnt be present for the entire two weeks, I figured you would at least be at the mansion on the day of the Blessing Ceremony, perhaps even a day prior as well. At that, the Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me with eyes that looked like they could pierce straight into my soul. Is everything you say true? I didnt avoid his gaze as I responded, Not really. But theres nothing more I can say to you right now. ... Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was obvious, but the Lord of Blood and Iron very quickly picked up on what I meant. Everyone, leave now. Pardon? But ... The Lord of Blood and Iron didnt hurry themhe just remained silent. The Council of Elders flinched a little before lowering their heads slightly and leaving the room. I could sense a bit of displeasure in their exit. Even in my past life, the rtionship between the Lord of Blood and Iron and the Council of Elders hadnt been particrly good. * * * * * * * * * * In any case, it wasnt as if the Council of Elders would openly oppose the Lord of Blood and Iron. The presence of the Council of Elders instantly disappeared from the room. The darkness that had covered the room faded a little and the room became brighter, as if someone had turned on amp. Sit. Where? I thought for a moment before sitting atop the table that I had put the dagger and notes on. Strangely, when I sat on the table, it felt like a circr chair. So, what is the truth? ... Before answering the Lord of Blood and Iron, I closed my eyes for a moment. He was truly an incredible being. I knew well why I hadnt been able to say even a single word in front of him in my past life. However, he looked a little different from that time. In the past, I had thought that the Lord of Blood and Iron created this atmosphere on purpose, that he was expressly showing off his overwhelming pressure to others. Seeing him now, I didnt think that was the case. It was a natural emission of his strength that had nothing to do with his intent. Meaning the Lord of Blood and Iron never intended to suppress the people around him. Just from realizing that one fact, I felt my heart lighten a little. Did you perhaps listen to my conversation with the Council of Elders? I did. Then you heard about the assassins as well. I did. What does that have to do with now? ... It was an overwhelming presence. Even though he didnt have any intention to suppress others, he could change his mood depending on his emotions. That meant he had reached the peak of Conscious Intent, a level that I hadnt reached even after 10 years on Spirit Mountain. I massaged the back of my neck to try and calm my nervous heart. About the fact that there are rats in Bednicker... Didnt you already know this, Family Head? ... But you didnt make this known publicly. There are probably only a few in the house who know, and in this situation, you hid your whereabouts. Since you do this quite often, nobody suspected your movements either. Honestly, half of this was just guesswork... But if I made my doubts known, I felt I wouldnt get a good score, so I was acting confident. And in truth, you stayed at the main house the entire time to watch for the rats movements. The Blessing Ceremony is one of the few events where the main house is opened to the other families. Even though it will be dangerous for them, It is worth it for a rat to infiltrate... ... The Lord of Blood and Iron didnt show any reaction. While Id been talking, he had put his hand on his chin, but I couldnt see any change in his expression. Please just give me a reaction. Anything. My entire theory could be wrong. Maybe he had just been hiding among the Council of Elders for fun. I honestly couldnt tell. I was also a little flustered because this was a target I had never faced before. Suddenly, the Lord of Blood and Iron spoke. Most of that is spection. ...Yes. Sure. The Lord of Blood and Iron changed the topic. If you went into the Gem Mountains... Yes. Did you meet Calzark as well? I was a little surprised. So the Lord of Blood and Iron knew of Calzarks whereabouts. How did you know? I had a feeling. ... To be precise, it was a sixth sense. Ah, it was a blessing. Is Calzark well? I paused before replying, The situation is a littleplicated. What do you mean? So, what happened is... I gave a general outline of what had happened during my travels through the Gem Mountains. How we had ditched the assassins and entered a huge cave while running away, how Calzark had appeared at a dangerous moment and saved us, and how we had helped him fight the gem beast... and about the high priest that had appeared in the final moments. I only hid one thing: my encounter with the Martial God. ... After hearing everything, the Lord of Blood and Iron became quiet for a moment. You fought a gem beast. Yes. He took another pause before suddenly nodding. I see. Well done. Ill go for now. Pardon? Lord of Blood and Iron stopped talking as if he was done here. How he understood my words, what was going to happen from now on, if I was going to be punished, or whether I was going to attend the Blessing Ceremony... He didnt talk about any of that. He just looked away from me as if hed lost interest. ... Could I say that I had escaped the danger? I didnt know. The funny thing was that I became relieved the moment the Lord of Blood and Iron shifted his gaze away from me. I was also happy that I could leave this ce. However, more than the relief and joy... ... My confidence hit rock bottom. For some reason, I felt that if I left here, nothing would change from my previous life. Of course, I hadnt been collected by Kayan, I knew the Strongest me Technique, and I had managed to defeat a gem beast... I had met the Martial God, obtained the Sword of Seven Sins, and even hit that damned Hectors back. I had achieved things that couldnt even bepared to my previous life. However... If I couldnt be recognized by the Lord of Blood and Iron, what use was all that? Father. I didnt rise from where I was sitting. Instead, I red at him. His gaze turned back to me. Although I couldnt sense even a hint of killing intent, his gaze was still chilling. From what I knew, among the many children of the Lord of Blood and Iron, only three of them called him father. Honestly, in my past life, I had never called this man father. But in this moment, I forced myself to address the Lord of Blood and Iron as Father. Lets make a deal. To make him ept the words I was about to say, I needed to use whatever small remnant of affection he held for me. *** The Lord of Blood and Iron remained silent for a long time. One thing I noticed was that while he was sitting there silently, his gaze never left me. I didnt evade it. The oppressive feeling was intense, but remembering my master made it manageable. Then, the Lord of Blood and Iron spoke. Make a deal. Yes. Hmm. Other people might say that this was an outrageous thing to say to the family head... But the Lord of Blood and Iron didnt care about etiquette that much. He tilted his head a little as he asked, What deal? I let out a breath in my heart. Why was it so difficult to hear those words? Before that, I havent told you something. The traitorous Fang Knight Order, among them was a strong person named Osel. A strong person? Yes. I obtained a map from him. If the map can be deciphered, then the cults hideouts in the Gem Mountains can be found. ... For the first time, the Lord of Blood and Irons expression changed. This was natural. For this man, the most important thing was the annihtion of the cult. There was a reason he was also called the Executioner. Given the number of assassins I saw in the mountain range and the existence of the high priest, the number of hideouts in the mountain range wont be low. It could be said its a major area for them. Hm. I put the map back into my inner pocket. Father, please spread a small rumor. A rumor? That Luan Bednicker killed the assassins of the cult and killed a gem beast in the Gem Mountains. I clenched my fist. I will be the bait. ... There are still members of the cult in the house. They should know of the identity of Osels group as well. Perhaps they also know of the existence of this map. They will approach me to retrieve the map, or perhaps to figure out what happened to them. Even if their leader is that bold, would they dare to do anything within the main house of House Bednicker? If I were anyone else, probably not... but Im Luan Bednicker. Honestly, I can be considered to have already been kicked out of the house... The damnedst son. Our gazes met in the air for a second. Surprisingly, the first person to lift their eyes was the Lord of Blood and Iron. In that case, you could be a usable trap. Then what do you wish for your reward? Before I spoke, I thought about the Sword of Seven Sins in the room. I have a question. Not now, butter. A question. The Lord of Blood and Iron took a moment to think. All right. No matter the question, if I can answer it, I will. ... If you want, you may attend the Blessing Ceremony. I do not mind if you dont want to. No matter the decision you make, there wont be any annoyingments from the House. He was a man who always kept his word. In the future, I probably wouldnt have to deal with any more collectors or be annoyed by members of the family, including the Council of Elders. I am thinking of attending the Blessing Ceremony. This was the truth. On that topic, I was curious. Even after returning all the way to the past like this... What if I once again didnt receive a single blessing? Chapter 38 Chapter 38 The Lord of Blood and Iron nodded before speaking in a calm voice. Do as you wish. But I will give you this warning: if the assassins of the cult truly harden their resolve, not even the main house can perfectly protect you. Of course, those who harmed you will not leave this ce alive, but they wont be nning to escape alive in the first ce. But dont I need to endure at least that much danger to get results? ... Despite saying that, I obviously had no interest in dying. Even if the assassins were to ambush me, I was nning on having at least a few pieces of insurance to save my life. Then, the Lord of Blood and Iron spoke. You. Yes. You have lost your mind a little. ...What did he mean by that? As I stupidly just sat there blinking, he continued to talk. Do you have any ns for after the Blessing Ceremony? ...Not particrly, no. Then lets have a meal together afterward. I couldnt really follow the flow of the conversation, but I answered as best as I could. Shall... we? Hm. Then I will send someer to inform you of the time and ce. I saw the Lord of Blood and Iron rise from his seat. In my confusion, I tried to stop him. Is that everything you wanted to say? Ah. If you wish to sell the map, tell me. I will give you more than any other ce can offer. Ah, okay. Before I could say anything else, he hid his presence from me. In the end, I was left alone in the room. ...I think that went well, right? I didnt know... I didnt know, but my heart felt a little lighter than before. For now, I decided to be satisfied with that. *** Finally, the day of the Blessing Ceremony came with a bright morning. For me, it was a well-rested morning, something I hadnt had in a long time. Really, beds are the best. I got out of my soft bed and opened the window. The weather was amazing. Although it was a little chilly because of the winter winds, the warm rays of light and clear air made up for it. It might be obvious because this mansion was built in the middle of a forest, but it was also dense with nature ki. Doing ki cirction in an area like this would certainly lead to good results. That was why being able to stay in this ce was in and of itself a blessing for martial artists. I washed my face before leaving the room and headed straight for the dining hall. Although Id eaten quite a bitst night, I waspletely empty right now. I wont need to be wary of the food at the main house. I swallowed my drool as I imagined having a grand breakfast for the first time in a while. As soon as I entered the dining hall, the delicious smell of food swept through the air. Normally, I would need toe here during meal times to eat hot food, but while the Blessing Ceremony was ongoing, food would always be ready in the dining hall. There was meat, vegetables, seafood, fruits, and all sorts of different types of food ready here. I mainly piled on the meats before looking for a good ce to sit down. There are a lot more people here than I expected. As I took a nce around, I could tell that most of them were around my age, and most of them seemed to be those who were attending the Blessing Ceremony today. I looked for the table with the fewest people and sat down. When I did, I heard a clear voice call out to me. Youll be a pig if you eat only meat like that. There was a girl sitting at the edge of the rectangr table. Maybe the young master of Bednicker doesnt know anything about nutrition. She was the one Id seen in the hall yesterday... the one with hair somewhere between silver and grey. Now that I looked at her after having rested, I could see that it was closer to silver. I know about nutrition. And youre still eating like that? I only ate grass for a week. Lets say Im making up for it. Whats that? she said in an annoyed tone before quickly whipping her head away. She didnt look like she wanted to talk to me at all, so why had she called out in the first ce? As I sliced the sausage Id stabbed with my fork, I came to a conclusion: she wasnt trying to talk to me, she was trying to provoke me. Hey, I said. What. Why do you wear your gloves when youre eating? Why do you care if I wear gloves or a hat when I eat? She had a point, but I wasnt just going to tell her that. You know... What now? Its a little unfortunate that you already have so much white hair at your age. This is silver, idiot. It looks white to me, so Ill just call you Whitey from now on. Youre crazy. Whitey. At that, she red at me with anger in her eyes before suddenly getting up from her seat. I thought she was just going to leave, but she suddenly sat in front of me and shoved her head toward me. Look at it properly! Does this look like white hair to you! I frowned. Put that away. Your hair is getting in my food. What? Are you saying Im losing hair as well? Even if youre not losing hair, about a hundred strands still get shed each day. R-really? I didnt actually know. Anyway, I pushed out my head which was covered in densely grown hair. So, why are you trying to fight me, Whitey? I have a bad habit of trying to fight people who look stupid. Really? I thought you were doing it because youre the daughter of House Goodspring. ...! Whitey flinched in surprise at my nonchnt reply. The look in her eyes changed as she spoke. You, you know who I am? Of course. Wait, is the reason you acted like you didnt know me at the start... Theres no way. I just heard on my way here. In truth, it would be difficult to identify her solely from her appearance. Members of House Goodspring usually had a warm appearance like the spring sun, but she was more like a winter storm with her cold appearance. Anyway, Im eating my food now, so dont disturb me. As I waved her away with annoyance, Whitey pouted, dissatisfied about something. Honestly, I didnt think she would listen... But for some reason, she actually shut her mouth and didnt say anything. But she didnt leave me either. It looked like she had already finished her food, but she continued to sit in front of me looking pissed. Maybe she had something to say? But I just continued to eat my food. She stayed there as I took my second serving, became surprised when I came back with a third, was shocked when I got my fourth serving, and looked done with me upon my fifth. I took one more serving before ending my meal. * * * * * * * * * * Do you have a beggar in your stomach or something? A beggar wouldnt be able to get food like this. The food at House Bednickers main house was amazing. It was enough for even me, who had a peculiar palette, to gorge this much. I drank a refreshing ss of water as I looked at Whitey. So, do you have something to say? ...Im Sellen Goodspring, Whitey suddenly introduced herself. I didnt give my own introduction, instead taking a moment to think. I remembered her name from somewhere. Sellen? Do you recognize me now? Mr. Ex-Fianc. So she can say the word fianc while looking like that. Well, I wasnt really fond of eyes filled with love and affection anyway. Sellen stared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh. Anyway, I just have one thing I want to ask you. What is it? You, are you really attending the Blessing Ceremony today? Why were so many people interested in my attendance? Even as I felt this question in my mind, I nodded. Haah... Why are you sighing? It doesnt matter to you. Its because of the situation. If you get a blessing at this ceremony, the worst-case scenario could ur. The worst-case scenario? I quickly understood what Sellen meant. ...Ah. Our engagement could be renewed? So youre not aplete idiot. Ehm... From what I remembered, this engagement had been annulled after I was deemed talentless. But that also meant that if I received a blessing today, the engagement talks might reignite. Sellen looked depressed, like she had just seen the end of the world. She let out a sigh and even cursed a little. Damn it... For some reason, it was a little awkward but also suited her well. Goodspring was one of the greatest among the Great Houses, and I heard that they valued dignity and refinement above even their lives... But I couldnt really sense that from Sellen. You dont want to get engaged to me? Are you actually asking...? No. Sellen stopped herself from roasting me and continued, Its not that I hate the idea of getting engaged to you. I just hate the idea of getting engaged. Why? Do I need to tell you that as well? I couldnt really get a read on her. I decided not to worry about her situation and rose from my seat. Dont worry. Even if a blessing does appear, I wont get engaged to you again. Why? Well, thats because... Suddenly, someone walked into the dining hall. It was a familiar face, none other than the second son of House Bednicker, Hector. Hector looked around as if he was looking for someone. Is he looking for me? As I had that thought, our eyes met and the edge of Hectors lips twisted a little as he approached me. So you were here, Luan Bednicker. Did you need something? Need something? Of course. Do you think Id approach trash like you without a reason? Murmurs could be heard around us. Hector was already famous for being the second son of House Bednicker, but other people talked about him a lot as well. Though hed waited yesterday for people to leave before approaching me, he was now openly insulting me in front of all these people in the dining hall. What happened yesterday must have shocked him quite a bit. But I had a feeling that wasnt the only reason... Father, please spread a small rumor. That Luan Bednicker killed the assassins of the cult and a gem beast in the Gem Mountains. It hadnt been even a day. Evidently, the Lord of Blood and Iron had gone overboard in fulfilling my request. ... Sellen, who was suddenly stuck in the middle of this, also looked to be at a loss for what to do. This was honestly better. I kept my gaze fixed on Hector as I checked my surroundings. The dining hall was full of people. If there was an agent of the cult here, they could be watching this situation. Its too early in the morning for you to go that far with your words. Youre the one who went too far. I at least thought of you as my younger brother. Although you were living a deplorable life, I still thought that you had a few points I could be sympathetic toward. I was totally taken aback. You thought of me as your younger brother? I didnt know about the other things hed said, but I at least knew that this wasplete garbage. If he truly believed that, then he had gone mad. But you, you went too far. Hector reached out and grabbed me by my cor. I could hear Sellens surprised voice as she let out a gasp. Killed a gem beast? Someone like you? Theres a limit to how much you can tarnish Fathers name...! Hector looked many more times angry than when Id pped him across the face yesterday. This was a good way to see just how highly he thought of our father. I really killed one. Ha. Where is the proof? What did you take from the gem beasts corpse? I didnt see any real reason to do that, so I didnt take anything. ...Are you trying to joke with me? At that moment, Hector let go of my neck with a push and kicked the table. The decentlyrge table flipped and the cups and tes scattered into the air. It would hurt quite a bit if I got hit by that. Bang! However, the table that was flying through the air suddenly fell straight down and returned to its original position. Of course, I wasnt the one who had done that. Atop the table was a dainty hand covered with a glove. Sellen looked at Hector with annoyance. I dont want to get in the middle of a family feud, but youre being a bit extreme. Hector looked at Sellen for a moment before ignoring her and ring at me. Yesterday, you had your butler, and now you have your fiance? How pathetic. Whos next? Are you going to ask your mother to protect you? Hector sneered at me with a cold expression. The Blessing Ceremony will soon begin! Young heroes, please gather at the rose garden! ... Hector took a deep breath to calm down before whispering in a low voice, After the Blessing Ceremony is over, I will lodge for an official fight against you. It would be wise for you not to reject it. It would be better for you to lose your arms and legs rather than your life. ... After Hector said that with an annoyed expression, he quickly left the dining hall. Sellen looked at me and Hector in turn with a look of annoyance on her face. I did hear that fights between Bednicker siblings are always crazy, but seeing it in real life, its beyond anything I imagined. The familial love you have for each other is impressive. Are you blind? Sellens face became red as she shouted, Im mocking you, you idiot! ...Anyway, youre truly pathetic. Even if hes your older brother, you didnt even say anything when you got insulted like that right in your face. ... I understand that its how a weakling survives, but I cant think of you as the son of the Lord of Blood and Iron. Sellen nced at me with a look of disappointment before leaving. I looked at the back of those two before wiping away the water that had gotten on my clothes. It seemed to have stained my shirt when the table was flipped. Insulted... Sellen was right. Hector had insulted me. But if one asked whether or not I was angry, I wasnt. Of course, when hed suddenly brought up my mother, I did get pissed at him... I looked around. The dining hall, an open area. In front of the children of many noble houses... I was openly insulted by my brother and hid behind my ex-fiance, who protected me. I truly looked like an idiot, a fool, an insect. But the thing I was more curious about right now... If the rat bastards in the house had seen this event, what would they be thinking? Ah. I broke free from my thoughts. The people had started to leave the dining hall, so I mixed in with them and left as well. First, the Blessing Ceremony. Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Id heard that the Blessing Ceremony would be held at the hall Id attended yesterday. It was located a little ways from the main house, perfect for events like this. Within was a grand stage where many seats had been prepared. The main stage was visible from not just the first floor but also the second, third, and fourth floors; it was like a huge theater. I heard the Imperial City has many buildings like this. In any case, the lighting was overall darker than before, and the atmosphere felt quite different. Young heroes, pleasee this way. Someone who looked like a knight guided us personally. I should note, the title of young hero wasnt something that would change if one received a lot of blessings or became an adult. Being chosen as a hero of one of the Great Houses was something entirely different. With the guidance of the knight, we moved behind the stage. Although it was simply a ce for us to wait, it was unnecessarilyrge. There were tables and chairs of course, but simple foods had been prepared as well. Theyre already forming groups. The young heroes sat together with those they had gotten close with. Honestly, this wasnt particrly odd. They had spent at least two weeks within the main house of Bednicker. The biggest group was the Imperial Prince and Hectors group. There were a lot of mutts swarming around them... Obviously, I wasnt talking about actual animals. They were opportunists who were trying to gain recognition from the children of great noble lineages. If these people had floppy ears and tails, I was sure they would be wagging right now. Unexpectedly, Sellen was sitting by herself. The opening ceremony willmence when all the young heroes are on the stage. Afterward, the proxy for the Bednicker family head will give the opening ceremony speech, which will be followed by the congrattory message from His Highness the Imperial Prince, then the other family heads will speak... Maybe it was because this was a national event, but there were quite a few annoying procedures to go through. The worst part was that I needed to sit silent and still through the entire thing. I wanted to at least pass the time by practicing my cirction... but since assassins could be anywhere right now, I didnt have that luxury. As the young heroes all got together, we walked onto the stage at the knights signal. The sound of apuse filled the hall from thepletely packed seats. So these are the people who wield power and authority in The Empire. Then, from the side opposite where wede up, a young man appeared. I am Asad, the proxy for the family head. Thank you, esteemed guests, foring to this grand asion... A big shot had suddenly appeared. Asad. Hermit, Protector of Bednicker, Hidden Dragon... However, to the outside world, he was best known as Archmage. Outwardly, he looked like an ordinary young man, but this man had protected Bednicker for hundreds of years. A legendary, historical figure, one even the Council of Elders needed to pay their respects to. Asad was also publicly known as the right-hand man of the Lord of Blood and Iron... but even without that, no one would have a problem with him acting as the family heads proxy. [Hooh... That young man as well...] The Martial God was once again showing interest in someone. Regardless of whether they were a martial artist or a magician, he was probably just curious about anyone who was strong. When Asads opening ceremony speech ended, the Imperial Prince went up to talk about something while his red hair waved about. Next, the family heads of the other houses went and said their boring words. Only after all that did Asad speak again. We shall now begin the Blessing Ceremony. The hall fell silent. The young heroes all went back behind the stage to wait, but unlike before, not a single person spoke. Nervousness, excitement, anticipation, anxiety, and even a small sense of fear... myriad inexplicable emotions were mixing together. It was a fresh reaction. Today is the day my life changes! Most of the kids here were probably thinking something like that. Randolph of House Trion. To the stage. Y-yes! He looked pretty tense as he went up to the stage. Because Randolph was the first one to be called up, every eye in the waiting room was directed at him as he stiffly walked up to the stage. I am Randolph of House Trion. With a short self-introduction apanied by a bow, he stared at the mirror on the stage. This was the Mirror of Bhaal, one of the 72 gods worshiped in The Empire. As the mirror held the leader of those gods, it naturally wasnt an ordinary mirror. ... Randolph walked up to the mirror and into it. As he did, a ripple formed on the surface of the mirror and Randolphs body was weed inside. Somewhere, a noble who seemingly had never seen this before let out an exmation. Ah... The Mirror of Bhaal was a divine instrument. Depending on how one used it, it could let one borrow the power of a god or even help onemune with the gods directly. One could even be connected to the gods. However, there was a restriction: one must possess the bloodline of one of the Great Houses. Where did Randolph go, and which god did he meet? I didnt know. Although I had walked through the mirror as Randolph had just done, I hadnt been able to see anything, not even a shadow of a god. I had simply walked through an empty darkness and then walked out. From what Id heard, the scenes each person saw were unique to them. Shwoo... Right after Randolph disappeared into the mirror... Rays of light flowed out from around the mirror and formed a shape above it. [1] Everyone knew what that number meant. That was the number of blessings that person had been granted. At this point, Randolph walked out of the mirror. Ah... Randolph scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. He checked the number above the mirror, and his expression changed slightly. I could tell that he was very disappointed. Of course, it was true that only having one blessing could be unfortunate, but that depended entirely on the blessing. It wasnt as if no hero in history had ever be famous despite having only one blessing. The people watching pped and congratted him. Still, the process is pretty quick. Maybe that was obvious. If the process were slow, this would take the entire day. As I quickly looked around, I saw that there were 50 or so young heroes attending the Blessing Ceremony today. [2] [1] [1] [3] For the most part, the number above the mirror was either 1 or 2. People who received a [1] elicited a bit of dry apuse, whereas the audience put some energy into their ps for [2]s. For [3]s, there was some murmuring and exmations. Sellen of House Goodspring. To the stage. At some point, my ex-fiance was called up as well. Sellen rose from her seat with refined movement. As she was heading to the stage, she momentarily nced at me for some reason. Is this her first Blessing Ceremony? That was probably the case. I didnt remember seeing her during the First Blessing Ceremony at the start of the year. As Sellen got up on stage, small murmurings started to echo out from the seats. This was only natural. After all, she was the sole attendee from House Goodspring in this Blessing Ceremony. Sellen ignored their gazes as she confidently walked up to the mirror and, after briefly introducing herself, immediately disappeared within it. Almost immediately, lights appeared from the mirror. The audience eximed in surprise. The number of light rays, their strength, and their brightness, nothing was normal. And then... [6] Woah...! someone loudly eximed. Even the nobles who had been pretending to be calm couldnt hide their excitement this time. It was understandable. Before Sellen, the highest number of blessings anyone had received in this ceremony was 4. Hm. Sellen confidently put her hands on her hips. But, maybe because she was still a kid, her expression looked a bit awkward. She wasnt able topletely hide her satisfied smile. Aftering down backstage, Sellen smiled brightly toward me. Good luck. Though, you wont be able to beat my record. * * * * * * * * * * How rude. Sellen was receiving attention not just from me but from many people around us, including even Hector and the Imperial Prince. This was Hectors second Blessing Ceremony. If my memory served me right, he had received five blessings in his first Blessing Ceremony. He lost. As I snickered to myself while thinking that, Hectors gaze met mine. The moment a cold smile appeared on Hectors lips, the knight spoke. Young master Hector, pleasee up to the stage. Hector turned his attention away from me and went up. I looked at him from behind the stage. Usually, one would receive fewer blessings in the second Blessing Ceremony than in the first. Hector would probably receive one or two more blessings this time. Hector had a rxed smile on his face as he climbed up on the stage. It was apletely different smile than the one hed shown me before. Age really showed a difference here, since Hector was much more proficient at hiding his true emotions than Sellen. Wait, maybe...? I momentarily doubted Hector, but he was a fanatic of the Lord of Blood and Iron. The possibility was low. ...However, it wasntpletely impossible. p p p. While I was thinking that, I heard apuse from the seats. It seemed Hectors Blessing Ceremony was already over. He had received a total of three blessings this time. Considering this was his Second Blessing Ceremony, it was a good result. Luan of House Bednicker. To the stage. I looked at the knight who had called my name. Even though he was a Bednicker knight, he had addressed Hector as young master and me as merely Luan of House Bednicker. And I just had to be ced right after Hector. Although the order wasnt arranged by house, I felt a sense of evil intent from this. But I simplyughed as I rose from my seat. Step. ... Many different gazes were on me as I took the stage. Curiosity, ridicule, contempt, disgust, and a bit of sympathy? The young heroes still controlled their gazes a little, but when I took the stage, the mockingughter became audibly loud. I know Hector is Hector... But if the mastermind was here, wouldnt they be hiding within the crowd? ... As I stepped up to the mirror, it started to reflect apletely different scene. It was as if I was seeing a swirling darkness. Something was raging within, but its form wasnt solid. In any case, I didnt hesitate to put my hand into the mirror. The part I touched felt refreshing for some reason... Shwoop! In the next moment, I stepped into the mirror. Hm. I was in a region of total darkness. Although there wasnt even a single ray of light, I could for some reason see myself clearly. Maybe it wasnt darkness? It felt like I was surrounded on all sides by pitch-ck wallpaper. Its simr to before. Would I receive zero blessings this time as well? With that doubt in my mind, I continued to walk forward. Before long... Its definitely longer thanst time. I noticed that the darkness didnt end even though I had already walked for a few minutes. I heard that the flow of time here was different from the outside world... but I was starting to wonder how long I needed to stay here. [The 72 Ranks look at you.] Ah. Was this it? The voice of god that you were supposed to hear inside the mirror? It was a jarring experience. I had never heard this immaterial voice in my past life. [Many of the Ranks are interested in you.] [Many of the Ranks desire to grant you their blessings.] This situation began going in a direction I had never expected. The 72 Ranks were the gods worshiped by The Empire. They were also the beings that personally granted blessings to the descendants of the Great Houses. [Rank 1, Bhaal, shows interest in you.] Bhaal? The leader of the 72 gods was interested in me? Suddenly... [The Guardian reveals themself.] Who the hell was this Guardian? [Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang res at Rank 1, Bhaal.] What. [He asks, What kind of bastard are you to try to poach my disciple?] [Bhaal bes enraged.] Even during this chaos, I understood one thing. You shouldnt make my master angry. [Baek Nogwang emits killing intent.] [Baek Nogwang advises Bhaal to stop ring like that before he takes Bhaals eyes out of their sockets and shoves them down his throat.] [...] [...] [Bhaal res.] ...Goodness me. Chapter 40 Chapter 40 While I was still confused by everything that was happening, a violent gust of wind stormed around me. Woosh The winds swept away the darkness around me that Id thought had just been ck walls. Ah... Right after they did, I realized I was in a far-too-familiar ce. A stony mountain without a single tuft of grass. A messy fog that mystically disturbed the surroundings. A grey sky. ...The ce I had spent myst 10 years. It was like home to me, now. Spirit Mountain. On the ruined building atop the peak of this stone mountain... ...Master? Master was sitting there. *** It was an unbelievable scene. I felt like I was dreaming. After I finished spacing out while looking at him, I called out to him again. Mas Why are you calling me? ... I flinched a little at his bored tone, but a seed of doubt also popped up in my heart. Are you really my mast Smack! Ack! I clutched my head and crouched on the spot. A dried stick had suddenly appeared in masters hand. I was familiar with that as well. That was the wooden stick master had used to hit my head countless times when Id been on Spirit Mountain. Youngest. Yes...? It seems youve be stupid while you were away. While I continued standing there speechless, Master spoke slowly. Am I really your master? Of course its me. In the first ce, none under the heavens nor upon the earth can imitate me, Baek Nogwang, the Strongest Under the Heavens. ... That arrogant way he spoke... it was definitely Master, though Id realized that truth the moment I was hit on the head. I rubbed my head slightly as I asked, ...Whats going on here? I had to use this method to give my foolish disciple some advice. Advice? About the First. .... My expression became serious at the mention of my eldest senior brother. I also have a lot of things I want to ask you about that. Why did you send me to the past when you told me to bring Eldest Senior Brother back? Is it because you want me to grow up steadily from a young age? And whats the forgotten era? And it looks like someone called the Martial God knows about you; just what is I got swept up in my emotions and began to rapid-fire all my questions. Master calmly looked at me before a light smile appeared on his face. My master rose from the ruined building and rested his arms behind his back as he walked toward the edge of the cliff. I stopped talking and followed after him. Soon, we were looking down at the foggy world from atop the peak of Spirit Mountain. So, how have you been? ... Masters questions sometimes had many different meanings hidden within them, and this seemed to be one of them. I hesitated, unable to give a direct answer. A lot of things must already be differentpared to your past life. Although it hasnt even been a month, many things must have changed. ... The Strongest Fire Technique has found a good cement in your body, and youve met a new opportunity as well. Youve also endured through a few life-threatening moments. He was still speaking calmly. However, as Master continued to talk, I was unable to say anything. I knew what it meant when my masterthe Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwangchose to speak like this. Do you think youre doing well? ... Only when Master wanted to criticize his disciples did he show a gentle side. I felt my heart drop as I felt the truth. I... I know. You werentzy at all. However, you should know what I am asking isn''t something like that. ... Was the month you spent there as valuable as a month spent on Spirit Mountain? Has the time you spent built a better foundation for your future? In truth, its difficult to answer a question like this. There is no right answer. You can only make that judgment for yourself. I couldnt answer. I wasnt holding back; I really couldnt think of what to say. Youngest. ...Yes. There must be many things youre curious about. None of the questions you currently have are light. ... However, if that were all, I wouldn''t have appeared like this. Master looked directly into me. Do not let your guard down. I have never let my guard down. At least... that was what Id thought. I had spent my time very carefully and fiercely. ...But was that really the case? Since returning to the past... maybe, in some corner of my heart, Id thought that life was too easy and everything was too simple. Of course, Id survived many different life-threatening dangers, and thest month had never been boring. However, my master wasnt talking about anything like that. He was telling me to always be diligent in my work and to be wary of thecency that could sprout in my heart. Master tapped me on my shoulder. I didnt send you to the past to simply improve your growth. I dont know if you believe me, but its tiresome even for me to regress someone. Be wary of the world youre in. If I must give you advice, you should have already felt that something was off. Tap, tap. Every time his wrinkled hand touched my shoulder, I felt my exhaustion fade and my body be energized. Then, my surroundings started to turn blurry. The darkness that had been swept away by the winds came back. Without any resistance, my body was swallowed by the darkness as well. Know this, Youngest... said Masters calm voice. If we hadnt met today, you wouldve died next month. *** I blinked. I thought that I had lost consciousness and then woken back up, but for some reason, my mind was clear. ... ... I was still standing on the stage... but it took me a moment to notice this because my surroundings werepletely silent. [Inheritor, did you just...] As soon as I heard the Martial Gods words... Murmur A small wave of murmuring broke out around me. The nobles that were sitting in front of me seemed to be talking to each other in shock. Only now did I notice that they were looking not at me but behind me. I turned around to look at the mirror. More urately, I turned to look at the number above the mirror. [1] It was true. I had received a blessing. But... What blessing is it? I couldnt really tell what had changed about me. But since others needed to receive their own blessings, I got off the stage. After getting off the stage and sitting in my spot, I thought about everything that had just happened. It didnt feel like Id hallucinated or fallen asleep and dreamed. I had truly met my master again, and I would need to seriously heed his warnings and advice. The reason he sent me to this world... I nodded. I had a question, but there was no one I could ask. In the end, I turned and asked my one and only friend. Good friend, let me ask you something. At that, Sellen frowned. Friend? Did something happen to your head? Did you get the Blessing of the Fool? Then should I call you fiance? Sellen chose to ignore that question. What is it? The gods of disaster... No, do you know about the demon lords? Do you think Im stupid? If youre a descendant of the Great Houses, you shouldve been hearing about them since you were a baby. I nodded as I said, My memory is a little blurry, so just tell me if what I know about them is true. ...Go on. I proceeded to name each of the demon lords. Demon Lord of the Blood-lit Moon, Hadenaihar. Demon Lord of the Green Tongue, Tangtata. Demon Lord of the Golden Horn, Kingarodtus. Demon Lord of the ck Swamp, Ahop. And the worst of the demon lords, the greatest threat to The Empire and the sole great demon... The Great Disaster, Behimos. ... After naming all the demon lords, I looked to Sellen. She tilted her head a little. Youre kinda weird. How so? How do you know a minor demon lord like Tangtata when you dont even know the most recent one, the Demon Lord of ck and White? When I heard that, I felt the same oddness Id felt during my conversation with the Council of Elders. How could this be? You mean to say the servants of the Six Demon Lords infiltrated Bednicker? The oddness Id felt toward the phrase Six Demon Lords. I honestly didnt know much about the gods of disaster. Id never had any contact with them, nor did I care to. From the start, I hadnt even known there were six of them. I knew them as the Five Demon Lords. The thoughts Id had back then... ...Whats the name of the Demon Lord of ck and White? I asked. And Sellen answered, Haru. I forcibly held back a sigh. Haru. The Unrivaled Sword Under the Heavens, Haru. That was the name of the first disciple of the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang... the name of my eldest senior brother. Chapter 41 Chapter 41 At this point, the truth was simple. I didnt know how the Five Demon Lords had be the Six Demon Lords... but the one who had filled that new spot was my eldest senior brother. What the hell is this situation? Did my eldest senior brothere to this world before me? Or was this not the world I knew but instead a different world that is very simr to the world I knew? Does this fact have any rtion to the forgotten age? Martial God, did you also see my master? [...As I thought, you did meet with Baek Nogwang.] As I thought? [I couldnt see him. Until just now, I was asleep.] Then what did you mean by as I thought? [I felt it.] Pardon? [...] The Martial God didnt answer me. It didnt seem like hed fallen asleep again. It was more like he was deep in thought this time. I spent the remaining time withplicated emotions brewing within me... ...With that, the Blessing Ceremony will conclude. With new questions to look into, the Blessing Ceremony ended. *** After the Blessing Ceremony, only the final banquet remained. Tables were set up everywhere, including the entirety of the hall on the first floor and even the rose garden. Since it was thest banquet, arge feast was prepared. Although the day was over, the garden was bright. It wasnt because the moon was particrly bright tonight, there were simply manymps around the area. Maybe it was because of the martial arts Id learned, but I didnt really like artificial lighting. As a result, I ended up sitting alone in a corner where there was nearly no light. I wanted to go back to my room to rest because I had a lot to think about, but unfortunately, the young heroes were forced to attend the banquet. Maybe it was natural since we were the main characters today. Still, the food is great. As I sat there shoveling food into my mouth, a familiar person approached me. Luan, you were here! It was my mother. Arzan and Kayan were nking her, and just looking at them filled me with pride. Why are you sitting in a corner like this? It took me so long to find you. Unlike how she usually spoke, there was warmth and emotion in her words. My mother sometimes showed this side of herself when herposure was disturbed. Well, she did look a little excited. Its good because its quiet. More importantly, did something happen? This boy, Im here to congratte you! Congratte me? You received a blessing! Iughed as I looked at my mother. Yeah. Its amazing! Still, its just one blessing. There are countless heroes who left their mark on history with just one blessing! Like Hyde of the Swamp, or Sir Valter from my hometown, or the one called the Strongest Ranger, or even one of the imperial knight captains, Sir Steel Sword Ehiri... I listened as my mother talked, waiting for her to calm down. Soon, after shed calmed somewhat, she took a sip of water before continuing, I got too excited. So, Luan, what blessing did you receive? I dont know. Eh? I dont know yet. ... I still didnt know what blessing I had received. I heard that one instinctively understood any blessings they received, but I didnt feel anything like that. Thats... My mother seemed speechless for a second, but she immediately schooled her expression. Thats... the first time Ive heard something like that, ehm. It could be an incredible blessing that takes some time for you topletely understand... Its fine, mother. The blessing is just a bonus for me. ...Really? Still, Im thinking of hiding this fact for now. It wouldnt be particrly odd for me to hide my blessing. Of the Lord of Blood and Irons 21 blessings, only 10 were known. Of course, there were some blessings one couldnt hide, but hiding a blessing wasnt suspicious at all. My mother let out a sigh of relief. Okay. that might be easier for you. Seeing her reaction, she might have intended to advise me to hide my blessing if I hadnt said it first. Luan,e here for a moment. Why? Do you have apple juice? For reference, apple juice was my favorite drink. The grand masters are gathered over there. Grand masters? I nced in the direction my mother was gesturing. There were a lot of people there, unlike the other areas. Eight of the ten grand masters attended the banquet. Since this is thest day, they must want to see the level of the young heroes, Mother said with some excitement. How about going there and introducing yourself? Since you received a blessing as well, youre a respectable hero. Im fine. Why? I nked out at that question, but I soon found a reasonable excuse. The Instructor of de and Swords isnt there. I dont want anyone other than him. Ah... You did like Sir Calzark the most. My mother seemed a little disappointed, but she didnt pursue the topic any further. Rather, it looked like she intended to go there on her own. ... I gestured with my chin at Kayan and Arzan. The two of them simultaneously bowed their heads slightly. If both of them were with her, nothing annoying should happen. After being left alone, I took a look around the garden and regrly sipped my drink to keep myself busy. Its about time I get a reaction... Today was officially the final day of the Blessing Ceremony. Depending on the choices of the young heroes, they could stay at the main house of Bednicker to receive training like how to use their blessings. But that was their choice. In truth, the group could be separated in two: those who were going to go home and those who were going to stay. Thus, if anyone wanted to kill me, they would need to do something now. They couldnt know whether I would remain at the main house or leave it. * * * * * * * * * * At this moment, I caught a glimpse of someone with a deep hood over their face, but they quickly disappeared from my vision. Hmm? I instantly became suspicious of them as I looked around the garden for a while... and that person eventually revealed themself again. I saw them a bit more clearly this time. I saw the hair that flowed out of their deep hood. White hair...? No. Silver hair. Considering the form under the hood and the umon hair color, I naturally could only think of one person. Sellen Goodspring. Im pretty sure she didnte to the banquet because her condition wasnt good, or so she said. Id heard that sometimes, when someone received many blessings at once, they experienced intense stress on their body and mind. But why was someone who should be resting in her room out here? Perhaps she had changed her mind or her condition had improved... but I didnt think either of those was the case. Looking at Sellen again, I could tell she was trying to hide herself as much as possible. She was moving so secretively that if I hadnt been staring off into this corner of the garden for no reason, I wouldnt have even noticed her. In any case, it didnt look like she expected to be seen by someone here... While I was watching her, she disappeared into the darkness beyond the back garden. ... In truth, Sellen was a possible mastermind. Although Id never felt any hostility from her, Sellen was a member of House Goodspring, the eternal rivals of House Bednicker. Regardless, Sellen had be the main character of this banquet... In the end, no one had received as many blessings as her. Theres nowhere beyond the back garden that she should be going. Since I had lived in the main house for some time, I knew its generalyout. I also knew the ces that absolutely should not be entered. Crunch. I ate the remaining ice in the ss and rose from my seat. *** After walking through House Bednickers back garden for a while, one would reach a tall fence. It was a fence with a rose bush messily climbing all over it. I had heard that there were unused training grounds beyond it. Entry was currently forbidden. I hadnt been there either. Anyway, as I quietly chased after Sellen, she jumped the entire fence at once. ... My suspicions about her started to grow. For what reason was the third daughter of House Goodspring, which possessed a good reputation, jumping the fence of a different House without hesitation? I heard hernd on the other side, and I waited for her footsteps to fade a little before jumping the fence myself. In an instant, the area became quiet, as if the sounds of the banquet had been but a dream. The ground beyond the fence was covered with dead grass and dried leaves that would crumble if one stepped on them. Its winter now. Were these grounds unmanaged because this was a forbidden area? But this was still within the bounds of the main house. Even as I felt that something about all this was off, I paid particrly close attention to my steps. The dried leaves would create loud sounds if I touched them even a little. In any case, my pursuit ended not long after. Sellen stood in the middle of the shabby training ground and called out with a cold voice, Come out. ... It was natural for one to feel their heart drop when they heard that, but I didnt get scared. I was confident in my stalking skills. More importantly, Sellens attention was in the opposite direction from me. Crunch. As expected, a presence showed itself on the other side of Sellen. Who is it? A familiar face appeared. So that man... Its that person from yesterday. Hariba of House Garcia. For some reason, he looked a bit sinister. Although he usually looked sinister, he looked about twice as sinister right now. The environment was probably ying into that as well. Youre here, Sellen. ... Sorry. Hariba suddenly fell to his knees on the spot. Whats he up to? Im really, really sorry... What the hell? Hariba started to bawl like a kid as he sat on the ground. But its still fine, my Sellen. This unforeseen situation had me speechless. My mental question mark became even bolder as I listened to what he said next. Ill definitely kill Luan Bednicker. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Millions of possibilities sped through my mind. The hell are you saying, you crazy bastard? Its you, right? The one whos been sending me those weird letters since I came here? And there was even a threat in yourst one. One of those possibilities was removed as I heard Sellens annoyed response. It seemed these two werent on the same side. I let out a sigh of relief. If Sellen had been hiding her true intentions and acting dumb, and I had fallen for it without even a sliver of doubt... I would never be able to face Fourth Senior Brother again. Sellen continued to talk. I dont know who you are, but if youre tired, just shut up, head back, and go to sleep. ...You dont know who I am. Nope. Why? Ive been thinking about you ever since that day. Ive always worked in your interest. What the hell are you talking about? I was the one who made Luan Bednicker sell the sword of the house. What? I flinched when I heard Haribas words. It might be obvious, but I didnt remember receiving the sword of the house from him. I paid off the servants around him and ensured that information about the sword of the house would reach his ears. I thought he would steal it and run away, but I never expected him to sell the sword. Hoh... This wasnt something I had expected to learn at this time. In any case, as I sat there observing the situation, I started to get an understanding of what was happening. So hed made me ruin myself without anyone telling him to, and he thought that would help Sellen... How could I put this? Are you a pervert? Perfect. My Sellen, dont say that. Thanks to me, your engagement with that imbecile was broken, right? What the hell are you talking about, you crazy Why! Woah. Why are you looking at me like that! I narrowed my eyes. There were a few types of people you shouldnt associate with while living in this world; one of them was those who were out of their mind. Like this man. Why shouldnt I? This is the face I always make when I look at bastards like you. Dont say that. I will. The situation was starting to go downhill quite fast, but I chose to remain hidden. It would be better to see where this is headed. That was my intent, but... This was still within Bednickers domain. Although I didnt hold any loyalty to House Bednicker, seeing a daughter of House Goodspring get into a situation concerning the Bednickers... How should I put this? It wasnt a good feeling. Thus, I revealed myself. ...! You! The two of them turned from their serious conversation to look at me. I was a little overwhelmed by the attention, but I still took a moment to introduce myself. Yeah, its me. Why are you here! Is that something you should be saying? This area isnt open to outsiders. Of course, it wasnt just outsiders. This area was forbidden to me as well. Probably... But there was no way she would know that. As expected, Sellen shut her mouth like she had no way to retort that. I looked at Hariba. I heard everything you said, you son of a bitch. So you went all out trying to kill me? ...Luan. Yeah. Luan Bednicker. Whats up? I had a feeling Id had a very simr conversation recently. Luaaaaan! Hariba suddenly shouted as his body twisted in horrifying ways. Whats gotten into him? Crunch, crack. Horrific sounds wereing from Haribas body. It was as if his bones were being twisted. Luaaaaan! Why does he keep doing that? Does he have feelings for me? Maybe? Haribas body inted like a rubber balloon, and I became very confused. I dont think its a curse? Although Haribas body was undergoing a weird transformation, I couldnt feel any negative energy from his body. Well, if he were a demon, he wouldn''t have been able to step foot into the main house in the first ce. Then what was this transformation? Tsk! Suddenly, Sellen dashed forward. Winds surrounded her body as she charged. This was a power I was familiar with. Sellen had activated her blessing. Woosh! Dried leaves on the ground were kicked up and away. Although Hariba was still ring at me, it didnt look like he hadpletely forgotten about Sellens presence as she ran directly in front of him. When she did, Hariba swung his right hand, which had inted a few magnitudes, at Sellen. If she got hit by that, shed suffer more than just pain. Sellen probably had the same thought because she didnt move straight ahead. Instead, she dodged to the side. Her intense movement made her hood drop and her silver hair wave about. Fwip! Dodging Haribas punch with a spin, Sellen used that momentum to move closer andnd a cool spinning kick. Crack! ... The attack was clean. The sound alone was enough to tell me how strong the attack had been. However, Sellens expression wasnt good. She suddenly retreated from Hariba before grabbing my wrist. Eh? This way! We started to run into the forest, leaving Hariba behind. Luaaaan! His annoying voice trailed off after us. *** The main house of Bednicker was quiterge. No one knew its full scale except the family head and the Council of Elders, but I felt its scale every time I needed to take a carriage to go to the next building over. As a result, I didnt know precisely where in the main house we were. I think Ive heard that the northern area doesnt have any fencing. Meaning if one kept walking in that direction, they would leave the territory of the main house and arrive in the Forest of the Butterfly. Already, there were so many trees and nts that it didnt feel like we were in a garden anymore. Where is that bastard? Dunno. I cant see him right now. Really? Hooo... Only at this point did Sellen let out the breath shed been holding and release my wrist. She had grabbed me so hard that there was a mark on my arm now. I rxed my stiff wrist as I asked, So why did we run away? What kind of stupid question is that? Were you going to fight that monster? We shouldve at least tried. It wouldnt be toote to run away afterward. No, it would definitely be toote. Sellen looked directly at me. As I met her gaze, I got an idea of what she was thinking. Shes looking at me like Im dead weight. I was shocked at first, but I quickly understood as I considered Sellens perspective. I had only shown her how weak I was, like how Id stayed quiet when Hector was insulting me. She had concluded that it would be too much of a risk for her to fight Hariba while also trying to protect me. Hey, I know what youre thinking, but Im not that much of a weakling. Im actually really strong. Shut the hell up. ... Do you think youre something just because you got a blessing? Didnt you see how his body was being twisted? An ogre would look cute next to him. So shut up and listen if you want to live. * * * * * * * * * * Sadly, I couldnt refute her. Because of the situation, I couldnt even fight her under the pretense of showing off my strength. But also, the way she tried to sound oppressive was weird. I had felt this before as well, but Sellen... Shes kind. Though the way she spoke was a bitno, it was quite harsh. Anyway, I thought that she was naturally a good kid. Shed shown it just now as well. She couldve run away by herself, but instead shed taken me, dead weight, with her. I was even a Bednicker, whom the Goodsprings didnt even like. Shes unique in a lot of ways. I had heard that the children of Goodspring did their best to maintain their ss and act with refinement, but she didnt seem like that at all. She didnt particrly present herself as a Goodspring either, and the way she spoke was reminiscent of mercenaries. Was there a special reason for this? Who doesnt have a reason? Anyway, I decided to listen to Sellen for now. It wasnt just because I was thankful to her... Sellen Goodspring, the hero that would be called Silver Moon in the future. Right now, though, that hero had not yet fully awakened. I was curious to see how she would handle this situation. More importantly, where are we? I think weve left the main house at this point. Not fully. Were probably in the northern area. Whats the northern area? A ce that you cant enter as you please. I heard this from some servants, but apparently, theres a witch living here. Sellen smiled. Heh. A witch in your main house? Those are some weird rumors you have; House Bednicker is quite the gloomy ce. So the Lord of Blood and Iron lets her live here? Of course, I didnt think the rumors were true either... But I had never asked why the northern area was off-limits. I would understand if there was a forest beyond the fences, but this was still within the territory of the main house. Sellen seemed to be deep in thought for a moment as she started to mumble to herself. Going back... is a bit risky. We could encounter that pervert again. And just waiting here is also a bit... I looked at her for a moment before interjecting, By the way. ...What is it? Do you really not remember who he is? At that, Sellen flinched before letting out a sigh. ...I do remember him. Then why did you act like you didnt know him? Because I didnt want to. Hes unpleasant. Had something happened between them? As I narrowed my eyes and waited for an exnation, Sellen let out a sigh. Was it about... two years ago? I think it was the Birthday Banquet for the First Imperial Prince. We met there. Thats all. Really? ...I think I told him off because he was being annoying and mumbling something even though hes a man, but I dont really remember. I have no idea why hes acting like that either. Hmm. Was it love at first sight? It wasnt apletely baseless guess. Sellen was rather pretty. Anyway, in this situation... I put my index finger against my mouth as I shushed her. Wait, be quiet for a second. What is it? I think I hear something. What are you talking about? Listen closely. Sellen had a displeased expression on her face as she quietly listened. nk... nk... I heard the unpleasant echo of metal hitting metal. Sellen seemed to notice as her eyes went wide. We didnt say anything as we both moved behind a huge tree to hide ourselves... Soon, the owner of that unpleasant sound revealed themself. nk... nk... It was a knight. A knight wearing ck armor was walking through the forest with an odd stride. What is that? As I narrowed my eyes and looked at the knight, Sellen said, Hey, thats... I know. The armor worn by the knight looked so unstable that it might fall off at any moment. There was no way the armor could remain like that on any person with a musculoskeletal system. Also, there was what looked to be ck smokeing out of the gaps in the armors joints. Was it an undead creature? Inside the territory of House Bednicker? And it wasnt some small-fry undead either. If we get found out... it might get a bit dangerous. Thankfully, its senses didnt seem too sharp. The creaking knight continued to move away from us. Sellen looked at me with aplicated expression. ...How did you hear that? I couldnt hear anything. My hearing is pretty good. More importantly, the situation might be worse than we expected. I think this ce is dangerous. Hmm. Sellen took a moment to think before speaking. ...Still, if we stay here and hold on, wont someone from your housee and rescue us? Why? What do you mean, why? The son of Bednicker and daughter of Goodspring are missing. Thats true. But you didnt attend the banquet today. At that, Sellen became a little flustered. Thats true... Or did you tell your servant beforeing here? Did you say you were going out for a moment? ...No. Does anyone regrly check up on you in your room? ...I dont particrly like it when they do that. Then they wont know youve disappeared until tomorrow morning, right? Thats me, sure, but you Havent you seen how I am treated? The useless child of Bednicker, trash, the crazy kid who sold the sword of the house. Thats me. They probably wont even notice I disappeared. ... Honestly speaking, that was a lie. At the very least, Arzan, Kayan, and my mother would notice that I was missing. Itll be better for us to try and escape under our own power. ...Isnt that too dangerous? Its the opposite. It might be much more dangerous for us if it''s found out that we came to this ce. Why? ... I shut my mouth. Entry to this ce was forbidden to those from outside the house, but also to those within. The weirdly gloomy atmosphere, thend without any sign of management, and finally, an undead creature walking within House Bednickers territory... What Bednicker wouldnt understand this situation? This meant that House Bednicker knew about this but chose to not deal with it. Naturally, this led me to a thought... If it was found out that wed entered this ce without permission, both Sellen and I would end up with our mouths sewn shut. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 The Lord of Blood and Iron had twelve children: seven sons and five daughters. His blood seemed rather strong. Each of his offspring was talented... but they didnt all make it to adulthood without issue. From what I could remember, three had diedtwo from idents that urred while they were carrying out territory missions and the third under mysterious circumstances. Hed been deemed missing for three years before the case was closed because he couldnt be found... Thatst incident had happened within House Bednickers main house. His name was Rudbick. The fifth son of House Bednicker. From what I could recall, hed been full of curiosity. Why was I thinking about Rudbick right now? I dont think hed kill his own son just because his son stepped into a forbidden area... However, this belief only applied to the Lord of Blood and Iron. Even if I was correct, what if the Council of Elders were the first to hear about our trespass? They could kill me and then feign ignorance or even just report it. Although this thought could be brushed off as just my own delusion, I didnt believe a monster like that knight could walk around without anyone knowing anything. There were rumors about House Bednickers main house being gloomy and spooky... and I didnt particrly think that was wrong. Hey. Say something. I turned my head as I heard Sellen speak. She looked a little uneasy. Shes somewhat trustworthy... But there was no need for me to tell her all this. At least by my calctions, the best course of action was to escape this ce and not tell anyone we had been here. Looks like well need to fight Hariba. What? Thats the best option. I understood that jumping straight to the conclusion wasnt the proper way to talk to someone, but I had no choice. As expected, Sellen looked quite shocked. Have you gone mad? Not at all. Then youve gone crazy. Isnt that the same thing? Didnt you see him? I kicked him with the might of three blessings, but all it did was make him flinch for a second. It felt like I kicked a steel wall. It might be possible if I had a weapon, but I cant defeat him with just my fists. Since shed said that, I couldnt help but reply, My entire body is a weapon. ... Anyway, no one can know that we came here. Thats especially true for youif things go south, there could be a fight between House Bednicker and House Goodspring. Will you be okay with that? As I mentioned our houses, Sellens expression darkened. This was odd as well. She usually acted like she didnt care at all about her house, but sometimes she seemed to care about them a lot. But I wouldnt have said that if I was alone. Im saying this because I think we have a chance with the two of us. How can I trust you? She had a point. I took a moment to think before giving the best excuse I could give her right now. Its my blessing. What? I cant tell you what my blessing is, but because of it, I can say that we have a chance to win. ... Sellen seemed to realize something. No way... Did you receive the Blessing of the Star? she asked me. ... Its that, right? You received a revtion that we will win. What was she talking about? Blessing of the Star... a blessing from the stars above, or something like that? ... I was surprised by how sure Sellen sounded, but I maintained my calm expression. I concluded that this was the best choice. A moment of silence passed. Sellen looked at me and said, ...Fine. Ill trust you. In that case, itll be better for you to make the n as well. Should I? Id intended to argue that myself, but shed brought it up first. Anyway, my ns would be better than the young Silver Moons at this point. I recalled the terrain wed passed, and I thought about Hariba. Although I hadnt personally shed with him, Sellens kick had been pretty powerful. Since hed shown no reaction to being kicked, it was safe to say his physical defenses were high. But I didnt believe that his body would be harder than the scales of the gem beast Id fought, the Sapphire Snake. As long as his defense was worse than that, I could easily deal with Hariba myself. ... However, such thoughts could lead tocency. Right now, Sellen could use her full power, so there was no need for me to try and fight alone. And the transformation his body went through is bugging me... In less than ten seconds, his body had blown up like rubber and changed into something that couldnt even be called human. There was a chance that the transformation could still be active. Ill need to fight him first to find out. My general thoughts ended there, and I began to slowly exin my n... * * * * * * * * * * It wasnt difficult to find Hariba. We returned the way we came and found him screaming monstrously. Luaaaaan! He was going to ruin my hearing. At this point, Hariba didnt look like he had ever been human. I didnt know what to call him. Maybe an inted piece of meat? It doesnt seem like a curse. Was he subjected to human experiments or something like that? Only the wicked alchemists would do something as cruel as this. Regardless, I waited for Hariba to approach us a little more. Sellen and I had split up. I nned to act as bait in the beginning. The reason was simple. Haribas attention was entirely directed toward me right now. The signal should be soon... Hoh. At this point, having moved behind Hariba, Sellen gave me some hand signals. She had finished her preparations. Which meant... Crack. I habitually loosened my neck as I revealed myself. Hariba immediately noticed my presence and charged me with a roar. Lu...! I narrowed my eyes and observed him. I could feel neither the essence of a curse nor any mana. The only ability of his that we were sure of was his substantially increased physical strength. There was nothing more I could learn about him until we shed head-on. Crunch. I clenched my fists. I knew it was stupid, but I wanted to sh with him directly at least once. I looked at Hariba, who had arrived right in front of my face, and unleashed my attack. White Sun Form, First Technique. Scorching Heat. Boom! The moment my fist collided with him, I realized something. Hes... much stronger than I expected? I was quite surprised as I was flung back like a cannonball. Luan! I thought Hariba was shouting my name again, but evidently, that wasnt the case. The one running toward me while shouting my name was Sellen. She seemed to have noticed a weak point in Haribas defenses because she threw a kick toward his neck. But there was no point in trying tond a sneak attack after shouting like that. As expected, Hariba turned his body while swinging his hand. Smack! Sellen was hit by the back of his hand and sent flying. Toward me. I moved forward to try and catch her just in case she got hurt when she hit the ground, but shended perfectly by herself. Hey, I said. Youre bleeding. ...I know. A stream of blood was flowing from her forehead. She was pretty pale to begin with, making the red blood look even more striking. Sellen wiped the blood before turning to worry about me instead. Are you okay? You got flung much harder than me. Im fine. ...Looks like you have a tough body. But what were you trying to do? How could you just fight him head-on? If youre fine, get up; you can nag meter. Hes charging again, I said as I looked toward Hariba, who was walking while twisting his body in horrific ways. Did you find his weakness? Sellen hadnt snuck behind him for no reason. She had moved in a wide arc on purpose to observe Hariba. Compared to his big body, his neck is pretty thin. It doesnt have much musclepared to the other parts of his body. Really? I couldnt tell from the front. Its covered by his chest muscles. Hm. That means itll be difficult to defeat him from the front. I nodded. Then Ill act as bait again. ...Will you be okay? Its a moot point. Hes only looking at me. ... Sellen couldnt say anything to that, but she did look at me with an uncharacteristically worried expression. I wont be reckless this time, so go. Really? Really. ...Dont die. Iughed instead of replying. Luan...! Haribas attention was still stuck to me. He continued focusing on me even when Sellen, the target of his love, left his vision. Between love and hatred, could I say that his hatred was stronger than his love? ... I felt a slight sense of wrongness. Something was off. While Hariba approached me, I observed our surroundings. In this dead area where not a single other human was present, the ground was starting to look a dark red. Lets try something. After approaching me, Hariba started to attack me again. His attacks were just swinging his two fists in random ways, but these simple attacks were supported by his supernatural body and exhibited great destructive power. Boom! Hariba chased after me while carving up the ground before him. He wasnt slow by any means. The movements he was showing right now in his attacks, and the reaction hed had to Sellens sneak attack... I thought he had moved with explosive quickness... Luaaan! But even though he had been attacking me for a minute at this point, he didnt show any signs of getting tired. I dodged Haribas attacks and walked into an especially dense grove of trees littered with what looked to be foundational pirs of ruined buildings. It was a ce with many different obstacles. Sorry, Sellen. I needed to check something. Crumble! While running through the forest, my battle with Hariba continued. Since he was such an explosive enemy, the sounds of explosions and crashes echoed behind me. Through this confrontation, I noticed something. Although it was always very brief, Hariba would sometimes stop moving. It happened when there were a lot of obstacles around him. But his movements werent slowing because there were many things in his way. It looked more like his body was suddenly paralyzed sometimes. Of course, those moments of stillness disappeared faster than they appeared... but they were still noticeable to me. I continued my fierce battle against Hariba as I looked around. At some point, my hunch turned into confidence... Somewhere in this forest, someone was controlling Hariba. Chapter 44 Chapter 44 That was the one thing I was sure of. Hariba was being controlled by someone. The fact that he was calling out my name... Rather than iting from his contempt for me, I imagined it was something of a side effect of amand being forced into his mind. The person in front of me probably didnt even have a conscious anymore. The problem now was that I had no idea where the person controlling Hariba was hiding. Are they further away than I thought? It was possible, but I rejected the idea. If that were the case, the mechanism for domination would be closer to ck magic. They would be possessing his mind, and in that case, there wouldnt be any need for Hariba to abruptly stop every time an obstacle got in his way. Its not assimtion but shared senses. Not domination, control. Once I was sure of this difference, I got back to working through the problem at hand. The one controlling Hariba should be close by, and I had to assume their stealth technique was good enough to evade my senses. This is tricky... The controller was probably the mastermind. The one who had made the assassins infiltrate House Bednicker and who had tried to kill me. Although it wouldnt be difficult for me to defeat Hariba here, what would the mastermind watching all this do afterward? Would they reveal themself to deal with me? No way. From how events had been ying out all this time, the mastermind was very thorough. They would prefer to continue hiding and wait for the perfect moment. Personally, this was the most annoying enemy to face. If thats the case... While I was quickly going through my options in my head... ...! Sellen suddenly appeared behind Hariba. Emphasis on suddenly. It was like when someone broke through the surface of the water. It was like shed been behind a veil that had suddenly been lifted. Her blessing! At that moment, Sellens heel struck down on Haribas head. Since his neck seemed to be the weak point, was she nning topletely crush his spine? That thought was wrong. The moment Haribas head snapped to the side, Sellen raised two of her fingers. Her fingernails grew at an rming rate. Shining in the moonlight, they shed like the ws of a beast. I knew about this blessing. The blessing that gave Sellen the nickname Silver Moon... this was the Blessing of the Silver Moon. sh! I heard the sound of meat being chopped. Sellens nails, her ws... whatever they were, there was blood on their edges. The attack seems to have worked. I briefly thought that, but then I noticed Haribas eyes start to spin toward her. Dodge! I immediately shouted at her. But it was no use. Hariba bent down a little before kicking his feet back. His movement was reminiscent of when a horse kicked backward. Sellen immediately brought up her arms in a cross in front of herself to block the attack. It was an excellent defense, but it could only reduce the damage, not negate it. Although I was a bit worried about her, I couldnt let this opportunity pass. I clenched my fist and charged directly at Hariba, who had his guard down. Haribas body was already more than double my size. Looking up, I could only see masses of flesh and his face. I had a particrly good technique for times like this. The skill created by referencing House Bednickers ancestral sword art, seventh technique, sky piercer. White Sun Form, Third Technique. Rising me. Crack! Unlike the first attack, this punchnded squarely on his face, just as Id intended. With a cracking sound, I also heard the muscles in Haribas body start to rip. It wouldve been difficult to get this result with just my punch. Sellens ws must have cut away about half of his neck. Haribas neck flopped about like it might tear away at any moment. It was a disgusting scene to watch, but the more shocking part was that he could still move in this state. Uh... ugh...? Hariba let out a dumb groan as he grabbed his own head. He was tougher than Id thought. Considering that he was only being controlled, it wouldnt be weird to think that decapitating him could still kill him. I ran toward Sellen. I suddenly became dizzy and nearly fell over while running. It felt like Master hadnt fully regenerated my body. When I finally arrived next to Sellen, I saw that she was stuck in a half-broken tree. Her condition wasnt good. Are you okay? As long as she had no broken bones, that would be enough. My bones are broken. Where? As long as its not both her arms... Both my arms. Curses. She didnt have a weapon, and since both her arms were broken, she was practically done for at this point. She could try and distract it and grab its attention, but the target we were facing was immune to that. Sellen seemed to know this as well as she gnawed on her lips. Her face had turned a bright red, and I could tell that she was embarrassed by her situation. I hadnt spent that much time with her, but I could tell that she hated being a burden to others even more than death. Uwahgh... As I turned after hearing Hariba make a sound, I saw something incredible. Hey, hes... I know. The muscles of his torn neck had started to stitch themselves together. Had he been given troll blood? I felt like Id had a bad rtionship with trolls since the Gem Mountains. Weve wasted a lot of time as well. It wouldnt be odd if the main house noticed something was off at this point. If this battle continued and we were found out by someone from the main house... Honestly, I was confident I would survive. The Lord of Blood and Iron was still at the main house. But what about Sellen? As one of those annoying Goodsprings, shed stepped foot upon the forbiddennd of House Bednicker. This would be the perfect opportunity for House Bednicker. She might even be killed. Even if she wasnt, there was a high chance that this would be used against the Goodsprings for a while. With how prideful she was, how would she feel if her house suffered because of her mistake? But even if I told her to run away, she wasnt the kind of person who would flee in this situation. ... I took a moment to think about Sellens many qualities. She was very confident and quick-witted. Although her way of talking wasnt refined, she was kind. And for some reason, she caused a lot of misunderstandings... Sellen. What. Do you remember the way we came? Youre asking that right now... Do you think Im stupid? Thats a relief. I got up from my squat first. You go first. Sellen flinched as she heard that. What? Was I too blunt? Ill deal with him, so you go first. Are you sane right now? Of course I was sane. Sellen wordlessly opened and closed her mouth for a second before a deep frown appeared on her face. My legs are fine. And if Im leaving, we should both leave. Why are you telling me to go first? That bastard over there is so slow that he wont even be able to catch us. Maybe. The reason Hariba hadnt beening after us at full speed was probably because we had been running away from the main house. There was no need to be quick when hunting rats that were cornering themselves. And I have yet to find the person hiding around here. I couldnt predict when that person would appear. There was no guarantee that Hariba was the only tool they had at their disposal. The only thing I knew was that I was their target. That was why, even if Sellen ran away, they wouldnt chase her. Of course, there was no time or reason to exin all this. As I stood there in silence, Sellen spoke first. ...You, did you hurt your leg? What was this misunderstanding now? Ah. Now that I thought about it, I had nearly tripped on my way to her because of my dizziness. Shed probably misunderstood that. I was a little shocked when I heard that, but I decided to harden my expression a little as I looked at her. ...As I thought. Damn it, Sellen cursed. Thats all the more reason for us to run away together. Be real. With your arms like that, you cant even support me. Then are you saying its more realistic for you to face him in your condition? Unlike you, my arms are fine. My legs arentpletely broken either. And I told you, I saw the future. ...Future. Sellen became quiet before she slowly said, ...But what if this wasnt your original future? What? If this all went wrong because I interfered for no reason, and if you werent supposed to die here originallydoesnt that mean I killed you? What the hell are you talking about? Stay focused. I waved my palm in front of Sellens face, but her loosened eyes didnt focus easily. It couldnt be helped. I pped her cheek once. p. ...Fuck, what are you doing? Was she really a noble? Sellen looked at me like she would kill me before Hariba did. I just nced at her as I replied, Just go. Ill be right behind you. Really. Sellen pursed her lips before lowering her head. She then looked back up at me. Just wait a little bit. Ill bring other people here. Didnt you hear what I said? We need to keep the fact we came here secret. This is for your sake as well. It would be annoying if everyone found out about this incident. I wanted to keep the fact that wed entered a forbidden area as secret as possible. But naturally, Sellen didnt seem to follow. Are you being serious? If thats the case, Ill just fight with you. ...Ill tell you who you can call. Who are they? Kayan and Arzan. And who are those people? Theyre my subordinates. Theyre trustworthy. What about your mother? Dont tell her. She worries too much. ... Sellen bit down on her lips before speaking with a hurt voice. ...Why are you doing so much for me? Well... I dont know either. As I said that, Sellen looked as if shed been pped. It was quite memorable how dazed she looked. ...You idiot. Crazy, insane, she always spoke harshly, but thisst insult of hers didnt have any heat behind it. Luan Bednicker. Yeah? If we meet again... Sellen said with a serious expression, Ill tell you one of my secrets. What? There isnt really a need for that... As I tried to say that, Sellens body disappeared. Just like when shedunched that sneak attack against Hariba, I saw her appear some distance away. It was as if she was using multiple short-distance teleports. That was probably the power of her blessing. It seems like she cant bring other people with her when shes using it. That was a relief. If that were possible, I would have had no choice but to escape with Sellen. Naturally, I had no intention of running away. I still had business with Hariba. And I think she misunderstood something again. I could resolve that misunderstandingter. I decided to first focus on Hariba in front of me. Uah... ugh... Hariba finished regenerating his wounds and finally walked toward me. All right. Then... Since we wont have any interruptions now... Lets start round 2. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 I loved psychological battles. Not like the slow shing of mental strategies seen in chessI loved the moment-to-moment mental battles of real fights. It was exciting to see through the opponents intentions, and I enjoyed hiding my own. Exchanging strategic blows and ultimately achieving victory was a great source of joy. This was one reason I preferred fighting masterbatants over beasts and monsters. However, in the same way that one couldnt spend their entire life just eating their favorite food, I sometimes craved a different type of fight, a fight where I didnt have to think and could win through brute force. Boom! That was the reason I was fighting Hariba head-on once more. Of course, Hariba was strong. Right now, he was stronger than me, faster than me, and tougher than me. But these factors werent that noteworthy. I was used to fighting enemies stronger than me. Crunch! Although I called it a head-on fight, I wasnt just trading blows like an idiot. If I tried that, I would quickly be turned into paste. However, I wasnt running away from him either. I never took a step back. I continued to fight in extremely close quarters with my gigantic enemy. It felt like a heavy storm was raging right in front of my face. It felt like if I let down my guard for even a moment, I would be swept up by his power and be shredded to dust. However, even in this oppressive situation, I was able to have a decent fight against this monster. There were two factors that allowed me to fight a superior enemy on equal grounds: my skills and my discerning eye. A punch missed me and continued to the side, destroying a huge tree. Crack! It was proof of Haribas destructive power. If I get hit even once, Ill die. But if I only focused on dodging, I wouldnt be able to defeat him. For that reason, as I barely dodged his attacks, I continued to deal small amounts of damage to Haribas body. Still... The fact that I was in a dangerous situation hadnt changed. Although I was acting like I had a lot of room to spare, my body and mind had been pushed to the limit at this point. Haribas attacks were getting closer and closer to hitting me. I wasnt getting tired, nor was he bing faster. Rather, I was purposefully dodging by as little as possible so that I could focus more of my strength on attacking him. Fwip Haribas fist grazed past my cheek and ear. That alone was enough to tear my skin off. Even though I had seeded in dodging that attack, the pressure he was applying to me was insane. Moments like this made me think of what would happen if I failed to dodge. This was the reason that, in many different ways, this battle was bad for my mental health. Generally speaking. Haah... I let out a deep breath as we traded blows. Although my entire body was covered with sweat, my breathing was still calm. My head felt hot from excitement, and my heart was beating at a rough pace. However, seeing how the heat was building up within me with a pleasant aura... I came to the conclusion that I might have be a little crazy since learning the Strongest Fire Technique. Vwoong. I dodged Haribas attack once more. This time, I decided to respond in a different way. I grabbed his wrist right after dodging his punch. Of course, since his wrists were as thick as tree trunks, it was more like I put my hand on his wrist... But the mes that bloomed from my fingertips ran up Haribas arm all the same. Kaaaaack! It only took an instant for Haribas entire body to be engulfed in me. Even while he felt the pain of his entire body being burned alive, Hariba continued to swing his fists with all his might. It was closer to iling than calcted attacks, but since he was unfairly strong, I couldnt outright ignore them. However, because the trajectory of the attacks was much simpler, I was able to dodge them quite easily. I held back my urge tough and taunt him as well. If I acted like I was having an easy time right now, it would ruin my n. Lu... aaan! Stop calling for me, you bastard. As I grumbled that in my heart, Haribas body violently shook. He looked like a beast drying itself after falling into a river. He shook his body so strongly that the mes disappeared like they had never been there. Still, judging from all the burn marks on his body, he was badly damaged. In this state, Hariba continued to fight for a few more minutes. At some point, he started to shout like a beast devoid of any humanity. I had a feeling that the time was sooning. Fwoosh! A huge fist came flying toward me. I recognized the attack, and just like when Id first attacked him, I punched back. Boom! This time, though, I wasnt flung back. I didnt step back either. I was still standing. It was Haribas turn to be surprised as I felt his fist flinch. I didnt know if that reaction was Haribas true feelings or the reaction of the hidden person somewhere in the forest. I wasnt particrly curious either way. This feels great. Although I hadnt entered my ming White state, I finally felt like my bodys condition had recovered. When Hariba recovered from his flinch, he swung another fist at me. I gritted my teeth as I smiled. The greatest strength of the Strongest Fire Technique: the longer the fight, the stronger I got. The power in my body had finally exceeded the point where I could match his strength and continue fighting... Finally, at this moment... Boom! I exceeded Haribas strength. *** Inded a solid blow on his sr plexus. I felt my fist punch straight throughyers of muscle and touch his internal organs. Kuah... Some liquidI couldnt tell whether it was blood or spitdripped from Haribas mouth. I didnt want to get any closer to him, so I kicked him away. It was no secret that that kick was an imitation of what Id seen Sellen do. Her martial arts were pretty good. And they were too intense to be some basic self-defense martial art. Where had she learned something like that? No, nows not the time to get distracted. I looked over at Hariba, who had copsed to the ground. It didnt look like he would ever move again. When Id made that final attack, Id put my entire body into the strike, and I had focused more on destroying his internal body than on creating external wounds. Seeing the results, I knew Id chosen the right strategy. Now then... It was time to disy my acting! Kugh... I let out a gasp of pain and copsed to my knees. Then I contorted my face as if to say that I couldnt move anymore. That hurt... That was pretty good. I was seriously getting into the act and was even judging my own performance. Honestly, the truth of the situation was apparent in the color of my face, but the night tonight was as ck as the void. No matter how good someones eyes were in the dark, they wouldnt be able to see my expression in all its detail. Anyway, I continued to act like I was writhing in pain before I finally fell over to the side. This was what true acting was like! However... ... ... It didnt seem like my opponent intended to take the bait. This bastard, had they just left me here? If that was the case, acting like this was beyond pointless. If I had just acted my heart out without an audience, I might die of embarrassment. Had I perhaps judged them wrong? What if there was no controller here? What if it was pure coincidence that Hariba had stopped whenever he got too close to an obstacle...? * * * * * * * * * * Rustle. Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps in the grass. They were so faint that even I nearly missed them. I probably would have if there was any other noise in this forest, even if it was just the sound of bugs. Theyre approaching me. Soon, I was able to see the silhouette of the controller. I waited for them to get closer to me, and when they were within my range, I instantly rose from where Id copsed. When I reached out to grab them... My hands only grasped thin air. They dodged? ... I stared at the person who had created a bit of distance between us. Their entire body was covered by their robes, so I couldnt discern their identity. From the build, I suspected they were a man, but since that could also easily be falsified by their disguise, I couldnt be sure. So, you still have enough strength to move. The voice sounded male. Who are you? I asked, not particrly expecting an answer. But he replied with somethingpletely unexpected. Youve grown a lot. I asked who you are. You dont need to know that. What the hell? Then why did you act familiar with me? Anyway, from the voice, I could tell that he was a man. I stood still before quickly reaching out with my palm. It was ming wheel. A gust of ming wind in the shape of my hand flew out toward the mysterious stranger. He seemed unperturbed as his robes pped, revealing darkness cker than the night sky. Then something surprising happened. My ming wheel disappeared under his robes. I couldnt see a single sign that my attack hadnded. Although this was beyond my expectations, I had closed the distance between us after firing off the ming wheel. p! As the robes pped once more, something that looked like iron chains shot out from the darkness. It doesnt seem like magic. Was it a blessing? Or maybe a curse? Regardless, it was easy to tell what the chains were for. He was trying to bind my movements. I didnt slow down and added slight movement to my upper body. I was using Kayans hidden steps. I was d to have learned it beforehand. ...! Since not a single one of the chainsnded on me, he seemed to be a little surprised as he took a few steps back. I grabbed one of the chains that had moved past my body and pulled on it strongly. Ugh...! My opponents body was flung toward me. I stared down at him as he flew toward me and put strength into my fist. I was nning on just punching him right in the jaw when he entered my range... But then I had a change of ns. I quickly ducked my head. Cling! A chain had flown at me from behind. If I hadnt noticed it, my neck couldve been bound. What the? How did a flying chain change trajectory midair? Was it a godly relic? Or... Another wave of chains shot at me from the back. They were faster than before. I stopped trying to pull him closer to me and decided to focus on dodging. There are a lot more of them now. There were about twice as many chains as before, and I realized why that was the case as I turned around to look at them. A second mysterious stranger was standing there in a simr outfit. He mockingly said, You didnt expect there would be more than one? Dont get too cocky just because you have a friend with you. How about two friends? What? At that moment, hands appeared from the ground beneath me and grabbed my ankles. What the hell? Even I hadnt expected this. In the moment my movement was halted, chains flew at me from my front and back and tightly bound my body. In an instant, I had turned into a bug wrapped in spider silk. ...Live captureplete. The stranger let out a bleakugh. Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Iron chains. A special chill unique to this weapon enveloped my body. I let out a sigh as I struggled to twist myself around. Stop wasting your energy. This chain is a relic, the Iron Chains of B. Im sure youve heard about it, correct? This is the first Ive heard of it. You wont get hurt if you dont act stupid. From how they were talking to me, it didnt look like they were nning to kill me any time soon. As if displeased by that fact, a deep voice echoed from underground. What are you talking about? The one who had grabbed my ankles appeared from beneath a mound of dirt. Funnily enough, he didnt have robes covering his body like the other two. His head was clean-shaven and his body resembled a boulder in both size and shape. His figure wasparable to Haribas inted body. He looks quite fierce. His face seemed more like that of a mercenary or a bandit than an assassin. That scary face turned to look at me. You, are you nning on taking this kid back? I am. No, I oppose that decision. He barely has one blessing. He wont even be useful as an offering. Thats not your decision to make. It seemed the two didnt have a good rtionship. For some reason, there were sharp des hidden between the words they spoke to each other. I decided to stay quiet and watch for the time being. He is still a descendant of the Lord of Blood and Iron. If he didnt have even a single blessing, I wouldnt have bothered bringing it up. Even so So what is your n, then? The Hariba that you put so much effort into has died. Should we return with just a bloated carcass? I couldntpletely grasp all the nuances of this conversation, but I understood that to them, I was already a bird in the hand. What do you think? the bald guy asked the one behind me. It didnt seem like he was asking a superior, just looking for a third opinion because the two of them couldnte to an agreement. I think we can take him with us. Her voice indicated that she was a woman. Whats your reasoning? We cant go back with nothing to show, and this guys blessing doesnt seem too bad. You saw it too. He defeated Hariba, who had ingested the reagent. ... And he had enough energy left to put on that ridiculous act. Evidently hed noticed that we were hiding. The trash of House Bednicker progressed that much in just one day; his blessing is probably one of the best. People were busy misunderstanding things again. But since they didnt know anything about Spirit Mountain, their exnation was reasonable. A few people had turned their lives around due to a blessing, after all. Hmm... The bald giant paused for a second. Still, taking a direct descendant of the Lord of Blood and Iron is too risky. Its apletely different matter than taking someone from a branch family like Hariba. You dont have to worry about that part. Theres no way the Lord of Blood and Iron will care about someone who has lost his favor even once, even if theyre of his bloodline. I lifted my head and looked at the stranger. I still couldnt remember whether or not I had heard their voice, but something about how they said that felt off. ...If you say so. And the bald guys reaction really hammered that odd feeling home. I closed my eyes for a second to organize my thoughts. Although they were still keeping guard and being careful with what theymunicated with each other, I could understand a few small points. The first mysterious stranger knew me. The bald giant was hasty. Finally, the woman was the most coolheaded. After I came to this conclusion, I spoke. One of you three... What? If one of you undoes these chains right now, Ill let you live. ... They look like they just heard a dog speak. Of course, I couldnt see two of them. I just had that thought when I saw the reaction of the bald guy in front of me. What did you say? Are you deaf? I said if one of you unties me, kneels, and begs for mercy, then Ill let you live. The bald oneughed while showing his white teeth. It didnt seem like he wasughing from joy. Youve gone mad. Not at all. Are you so confident because we were talking about taking you alive? Do you think youll be treated well as our prisoner? You may not know this, but there are fates in this world worse than death. And I... am a professional at making them happen. The bald one smirked. With the right technique, I can keep you alive for at least a month even after removing your eyes, ripping out your tongue, and cutting off all four of your limbs. I dont know if you can call that living, however. ... Do you get it, punk? Be sure to think before joking with people you shouldnt. If you don''t You talk too much. Im excluding you for now, Baldy. Immediately, Baldy threw a punch at me. Not at my head but at my chest, even while I was covered in chains. Mukad! shouted the mysterious stranger as if to stop him. ...That was probably Baldys name. Was it his real name or a false one? Regardless, it was still useful information. Crunch! Despite the mans shout, Baldy didnt halt his attack. I received his punch and was flung backward through the air. * * * * * * * * * * Idiot. But really, just how strong is he? Even though the chains were covering my body like armor, I could still feel a throbbing pain in my ribs. It was a familiar feeling, the pain of having one of my ribs cracked. However, Id aplished my goal. I didnt even think about stopping. Rather, while I was flying through the air, I kicked off the ground once more to run even faster. Uh... Before the one who had thrown the chains at me could take action... I quickly turned my body. Fwip! Ugh... Spin, spin. Although I was getting a bit dizzy from how fast I was spinning, I didnt stop. Like this, after spinning my body a few dozen times while flying backward, the chains reeled around my body like a fishing line. Keuk...! You...! Although my intentions had been discovered, his reaction was too slow. Ting! I heard the sound of something breaking. The mysterious man btedly reached out with his hand, but the end of the chain had already escaped his grasp. It might be obvious, but there was a limit to how long a chain could be, which meant it also had an end. Even a relic was no exception. That was why, rather than untie myself, I had opted to wrap the entire chain around my body as I ran away. But this is more tangled than I expected. It wasnt like a yarn of silk. It didnt seem like I could get out of this in a reasonable amount of time, so I decided to just run through the forest with the chains nking under me. Because I was running with my arms bound, I soon sensed a presence behind me. Thats pretty cute, little punk. It was Baldy. I didnt know what he was so happy about, but he was chasing after me at full speed with a grin on his face. Since he was the one who had objected to me being taken alive, he was probably happy that he now had an excuse to kill me. Wow, you look terrible. What? Shouldnt you be the one wearing a hood? Youre so rude. Hahaha...! Even when I insulted him, he justughed. But just like before, this wasnt augh of joy. He was probably the kind of person whoughed when he got angry. Schwing An odd-looking curved de appeared from his hip. So hes got a weapon as well? But since he was so big, the de looked more like a toy. Dash! Therge bald man quickly closed the gap and swung his de at me. It was fast. But it wasnt so fast that I couldnt dodge it. Woosh! I dodged the first attack, but his assault had only just begun. He was pretty agile for his size. He had the perfect bnce of strength, speed, and killing intent for his monstrous appearance. Im starting to get tired. He wasnt any harder to fight than Hariba, but my condition was worse this time. I couldnt really counterattack either since both my hands were bound. I could attack with my legs, but I couldnt afford to kick unless my timing was perfect. Id be left wide open right after I attacked. But one thing is a bit relieving... It didnt look like Baldys allies were chasing after me. I didnt think it was because they trusted him to finish the job. Perhaps their rtionship was closer to acquaintances than allies? This isnt good. Although buying time wasnt a bad strategy, it wouldnt be odd for me to get cut by his de at this point. I took a short moment to decide on a n. Once Id made my decision, I ran toward the giant bald man. As if expecting me, the de swung down, but I pushed even closer. ng! I used the chains binding my body as a shield. You bastard...! He clearly hadnt expected me to do that, but he quickly regained hisposure. Hes a proficient fighter. Were it not for the current situation, I would be fighting very differently... but I wasnt in a position to experiment. I gathered all the heat in my body up into my head. There was a way for me to attack without using my hands or legs. Although the heat had gathered in my head, I wasnt trying to use a technique from the White Sun Form. This was just a simple headbutt. Crack! Ugh... I winced a bit. For a second, I thought that maybe trying to headbutt Baldy would end up worse for me, but since my skull hit him right in his face, he probably suffered more damage than I did. As I nced up, I saw his eyes lose focus for a second. Still, he had a strong grip on his de. I quickly turned my body and used the end of the chain to attack Baldys hand. Ack...! Having his fingers smacked with a metal chain seemed to hurt a lot, enough for him to drop his weapon. I didnt waste any time when Baldy dropped his weapon. I grabbed the falling de with my mouth. I was honestly quite surprised I pulled it off. I used the de to cut Baldys neck while he was stumbling backward. Crack... I felt blood pool in my mouth. If my bite had been any weaker, my teeth couldve fallen out instead. Suddenly, all the strength drained from my body as I copsed to the ground. ng! The de fell from my mouth, and I tasted the rotten leaves and dirt instead. I didnt even have time to spit them out as I turned to check on Baldy. He seemed to be dead. It wasnt wholly unexpected. Although this was a crazy situation, I had sessfully cut him somewhere critical. Ugh... Although my jaw still felt numb, I didnt have time to spare. I slowly got up. You would know if youd experienced it before, but trying to get up without the help of your arms is quite difficult. At this point, a chilling voice called out to me. Dont move. I saw the mysterious man crouching in the branches. He was a strange one. Even though I was looking up at him, I still couldnt see inside his hood. Those clothes were probably relics as well. Another chilling voice called out from behind me. You just had to make this bothersome. It was their female ally from before. I let out a sigh. There was no way they would just leave everything to Baldy. I had already experienced how thorough they were. Anyway, this was the end for me. I couldn''t defeat two more unknown enemies in my current state. ...I killed one of them. So what? Im not talking to you. I let out a deep breath as I continued, Cant you help me at this point, Family Head? ...! At that moment, they both froze. They slowly turned their gazes in the same direction. For the record, I had already seen his figure, that of a young boy leaning against a tree. Didnt you say you would let one of them live? The Lord of Blood and Iron spoke without looking at either of them. You decide, Luan. Who should live? Chapter 47 Chapter 47 I waspletely exhausted, so I just copsed and sat on the ground. It was proof that Id rxed. In contrast, the two next to me were clearly frozen solid. Thats what you get, bastards. The ones who didnt even blink when their ally died were nowpletely frozen in fear. I could understand them, though. Even I felt a little overwhelmed by the auraing off of the family head. The first to act was the mysterious man. Damn it...! Maybe hed concluded that he would definitely die if he got caught here, because he instantly turned around and started to run away. Flop. He fell over before he could even take his third step. Drip... After copsing, blood started to pool around his body. I blinked twice. I prided myself on having decent night vision, but I couldnt even understand what had just happened. The Lord of Blood and Iron didnt even look at the copsed man. I wanted to give you the choice, he said to me. I wondered what he was talking about, but I realized he was referring to my earlier bluff. Id said I would let one of the three live if they let me go. I could onlyugh in reply, but I would have preferred to capture the man rather than the woman. Kya! But then the woman did something unexpected. Impressively, she was able to ovee the pressure from the Lord of Blood and Iron even though she was still covered in cold sweat. Her robes pped, and I felt an incredible wave of power emanate from her. Shortly thereafter, a green tentacle showed itself from beneath her clothes. A curse? How had she been concealing that all this time? Its size wasnt ordinary, nor was the energy I could feel emanating from it. I wasnt confident I could fight against that power even if I was in top condition. Meaning... That tentacle held the power of a demon lord. As expected, she had an ace up her sleeve. But I wasnt particrly worried. As if to agree with me, the Lord of Blood and Irons expression didnt change either. He looked at the woman before unsheathing his sword. Even though a frightening edge appeared from the sheath, it made no sound as it was drawn. It was only for an instant, but I felt the sounds of the forest cut out for a split second. However, the sword did make a clear sound when it was sheathed. ck. The Lord of Blood and Iron had put away his sword like someone who had finished their attack. Its impressive how it doesnt look like hes showing off when he does that. I let out another dryugh. I hadnt even been able to see the start or end of that attack. The woman was probably the same. Huak... Blood erupted from the womans body, and she fell over like a puppet with its strings cut. ... Even though everyone who had disturbed me had disappeared, I couldnt fully rx. It wasnt because I thought there were more enemies around me but because of the man standing in front of me. You dont have to worry. There are no more enemies here. ...How do you know? I can feel it. It was a vague answer. I had a few questions as well. I thought about containing my curiosity, but I felt like I wouldnt get a second chance if I didnt ask here... so I did. Were you aware of their presence this whole time? I was. Then why did you not help me from the beginning? The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me with his calm eyes. At this moment, I realized why I wasnt able to feel any emotion from the Lord of Blood and Iron. It wasnt that he was hiding his emotions. Rather, he didnt have any to begin with. Thats interesting. He cares a lot about his children could be considered a very emotional description. However, he acted like the epitome of a tearless, bloodless monster. This contradiction in his character was particrly odd. What about mosquitoes? ...Sorry? I asked. Even if you can feel that there are mosquitoes in your room in the middle of the night, it is difficult to catch them. It is something like that. Although I could sense them, it was difficult to catch them. That is, until they crawled out here like this. ... I couldnt tell whether or not that was a good analogy. Although I couldnt really understand what he meant, I couldnt think of a response at the moment. Even if I said something like people arent insects, I didnt think the Lord of Blood and Iron would understand what I meant. In the end, I changed the subject. Could you untie the chainsah, thank you. Shroong. Before I could even finish talking, the Lord of Blood and Iron had undone the chains binding my body. Even though he had just reached out with his hand toward me, the chains had fallen apart by themselves as if they were alive. I took a deep cool breath after having escaped the suffocating feeling. Did you kill all of them? Why do you ask? That guy over there. I pointed to the mysterious stranger. I think he knows me. Itd be a shame if he just died like this. ... Family Head, do you know who that is? You dont need to know his identity. So he did know. And at the same time... You wont show him to me? Thats not the case. However, he could cause distracting thoughts in you that will interfere with your growth. Ehm, excuse me, but I dont think you need to worry too much about that. At that, the Lord of Blood and Iron gave a calm nod and made no further attempts to stop me. See for yourself. I approached the corpse of the mysterious man and pulled down his hood. ... My expression hardened as I saw his face. Although it wasnt a familiar face, I recognized him. Rudbick Bednicker. The second son of the Lord of Blood and Iron, the one who supposedly went missing, was the one under the hood. *** ...Hes alive, I said while looking at Rudbicks current situation. Although he had copsed instantaneously, he was surprisingly still drawing breath. There was no way the Lord of Blood and Iron wouldve made such a mistake. It seemed more likely that hed left Rudbick alive on purpose. You dont seem too surprised, said the Lord of Blood and Iron in a calm voice. For some reason, it looked like this man had been closely observing my expression. But why? ...Hes suspicious of me. * * * * * * * * * * I was frightened by myte realization. And I felt something anew. The Lord of Blood and Iron. The man with an iron heart. The man standing in front of me always doubted others without trusting anyone. Even his children. Even me, who was well known as a generational fool. ...I kind of expected it. That he is Rudbick? No. Just that he is a member of the house. With what evidence? He seemed to know a lot about House Bednicker. A lot about you as well, Family Head. The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me. I thought I saw a hint of amusement in his expressionless eyes. What did he say? ...He said that if someone loses your favor even once, you wont care about them, even if they are of your bloodline. Hmm. He neither confirmed nor denied the statement. He just spoke with a calm voice. Cover his face again. Nothing good wille of him being seen by others. Didnt you say there was no one else here? I did. He gave a weird answer, but I quietly lowered the hood back over his face. It felt like I was covering a coffin, but he was still alive. Were you close with Rudbick? Not really. It wasnt as bad as with my other siblings... Rudbick had gone missing before my First Blessing Ceremony. If he had seen that I wasnt able to receive even a single blessing, it wouldnt have been odd for him to ostracize me like my other siblings. Why did Rudbick attack our house? You seem curious. I think I have the right to know. I did put my life on the line. An appropriate im. The Lord of Blood and Iron held out his hand. It wasnt to attack me. Shwoo... The dried branches and leaves that had been covered with dirt on the ground started to gather together, and then... Fwoosh A small fire was created. The Lord of Blood and Iron sat down close by before looking at me. It felt like he was telling me to sit down, so I sat on the ground opposite him. How much do you know about Rudbick? Uh... not much. I just know that he went missing two years ago. That is what is known to the public. The public? Rudbick left the house of his own ord. And then he joined the Church of Darkness to be a servant of the demon lords. ... I was a bit shocked. The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me as he said, Do you now know why I hid the truth? It would be dishonorable for a descendant of Bednicker to be a servant of the demon lords... I intentionally dragged out my sentence to obverse his reaction before changing tack. ...Is probably not the real reason. ... Isnt there a different reason? What is your evidence? Otherwise, thered be no reason for you to keep Rudbick alive. There is a reason to keep him alive. I can extract information from him. Then you wouldve kept Rudbicks ally alive as well. Why? Was he asking because he didnt know? There was no way that was the case. He was testing me right now. I started to heat up a little. Id never particrly liked being tested by other people. But this was unavoidable. This was one of the authorities that came with being strong. To get precise information from them, youll need to match both of their testimonies. What you can learn from just one person is limited. And for you, the difference between capturing one alive and capturing two alive is trivial . Of course, that was the extent of my guess. There was no way for me to know why hed kept Rudbick alive if not for an interrogation. Was it because Rudbick was his son; because they were rted by blood? This was an impossibility I didnt even need to think about. But suddenly, I heardughter. It wasnting from the Lord of Blood and Iron. I turned and looked at Rudbick in surprise. He was giggling like a madman, and he then quickly stood up. Family Head, this guy is very interesting. The Lord of Blood and Iron didnt give a reply. He didnt seem ready to attack either. Then, as if it were natural, Rudbick sat next to the Lord of Blood and Iron. ... As I looked at the two of them in turn, a new possibility crossed my mind. Wait, is Rudbick perhaps... He is a spy that I nted. As I thought. ...Was it by your order? At that, Rudbick snickered again. No. It was my decision. I was interested in what sort of ce the cult was. His personality was simr to what I remembered. Then was this his true self? But to be a spy within the cult... I simply needed to know more about it because its such a dangerous ce. As you know, it is a dishonorable act, so after consulting with the family head, he decided to im I was missing. I felt like it had been a long while since Id looked at someone and thought they were insane. So in the end, Rudbick destroyed his status just for the sake of his curiosity? Who knows about this? Just me, the family head, and you. And probably Mr. Asad as well? Ah. So the reason the family head had told me to cover Rudbicks face wasnt to hide it from an enemy but from House Bednicker. Rudbick, what happened with the high priest? At the Lord of Blood and Irons words, Rudbicks smile vanished and he became serious. It seems he left after the Blessing Ceremony ended. Sorry. They hid their tracks to the very end... They wouldve already died by my hand if they were so easy to catch, the Lord of Blood and Iron nonchntly responded before turning to face me. Luan Bednicker. Yes. Why do you think I told you about Rudbick? I had no idea. I had to. To reveal our secrets to each other, I felt we needed to be more honest with you first. What do you... I heard Kayan say that you created a martial art. Hes notpletely wrong, but if what I saw is correct, you received help from someone else during the process. I closed my mouth. The Lord of Blood and Iron stared at me as he spoke. Who did you learn from? ... I didnt have the time to think long about this. If I hesitated, then I would only be saying I was guilty. Right now, he was suspicious of me. Im not out of danger yet. But maybe I was fortunate? Because I now had the perfect excuse to give. It was a forgotten god. A forgotten god? Yes. In truth, there was one more thing that happened in the Gem Mountains. I talked about the altar, and about the Martial God Id met there. Oho. A forgotten god... Rudbick seemed interested. If what you say is true, then you have achieved something amazing. Obtaining forgotten gods is one of the most important goals of the cult, and you took that from them. I knew that lying was bad, but I felt I had no choice in this situation. It is true that you met a forgotten god, the Lord of Blood and Iron said as he looked at me. However, I felt like his eyes were colder than usual. However, that isnt it. Pardon? You didnt learn that martial art from the forgotten god. Why do you say that Discerning the truth. ... Many people think that this is an ability of the Trial Room, but that is false. Its a false rumor that started to circte because I regrly acted as a judging entity in that room. What? The Blessing of Truth. That is one of my blessings. ...! I closed my mouth. Was he bluffing? No. He wasnt the kind of person who would use a flimsy technique like that. ...This is bad. I was in a lot more danger than Id expected. In the middle of the forest, under the night sky, I suppressed a groan. Chapter 48 Chapter 48 What question was he going to ask next? I waited with bated breath, but the Lord of Blood and Iron didnt say anything. He simply turned his gaze to the campfire and took it in. ... Should I stay still? Or should I say something else? While I was hesitating, Rudbick suddenly got up, retrieved the iron chains, and handed them to me. Want them? Sorry? What are you surprised about? Im an older brother who hasnt seen his younger brother for a while; theres nothing wrong with me giving you a gift. A gift from my older brother? I was taken aback. This was the first time in my life Id been told that. Youre giving me a godly relic? Yeah. ... Look at this kid. It wouldnt be weird for you to go wild with joy, but you look bothered instead. I have learned that unprompted goodwill requires scrutiny. Not cute at all, Rudbick said as he shook his head. You, do you know what a godly relic is? One of the most precious treasures in the world. There are only 99 in existence. To be precise, godly relics referred to the relics of the 72 gods, 13 evil gods, 9 spirit gods, and the 5 kings. The Sword of Seven Sins Id acquired from that altar could also, in a sense, be considered a godly relic. Yeah. Theyre treasures that cant be bought even if you have dozens of carriages filled with gold. I know. Still, I do not trust unprompted goodwill. Look at how he talks. Rudbickughed as he looked to the Lord of Blood and Iron. It looked like he was asking for permission. When the Lord of Blood and Iron gave a nod, Rudbick continued, To put it frankly, that isnt the real relic. Its a replica. A fake? Thats right. But that doesnt mean its effectiveness or worth is diminished. It was astronomically expensive to create. Did the cult make it? No, Rudbick said as he kicked the chains with his foot. This iron chain, I borrowed it from the cult for this mission, and Im pretty sure itll just be collected from me if I return it. I dont want to have to return it, so I was going to use this mission as an opportunity to give it to the main house and say it was taken from me. And youre going to return to the cult? Thats right. Isnt it dangerous? It looks like you failed your mission. Rudbick smirked. What do you know about the cults mission? Isnt it to kidnap someone who received a Blessing? Youre pretty smart, Rudbick said with a smile. But I havent failed that mission. What? I have already secured someone who attended the Blessing Ceremony. I thought for a moment... I dont think youd kidnap just any normal young hero... so was it someone particrly evil? He seemed genuinely surprised. It took him a second to reply, ...Thats right. It was one of the rat bastards who tried to sneak into House Bednicker. I cant give you the details, but theyre an enemy of Bednicker. If they suddenly disappeared from within the main house, wont the suspicion fall on us? Do you think House Bednicker would handle it so sloppily? We waited for him to return to his territory. We left no traces either. In my heart, I finally realized that this young man before me was also a member of House Bednicker. Sending someone to the Church of Darkness meant nothing less than death. No, it would be even more terrifying than dying. However, this man showed no hesitation or regret. The only thing I saw were his eyes, which seemed to treat this as a natural oue. He didnt care how someone was treated if they were deemed an enemy of the House. But I was a little surprised to find that I wasnt much different. When I return to the cult, I will be praised for my work. Although the two people I was working with are dead, I finished the mission alone. I will be questioned about the loss of the chains, but I dont think Ill receive any real punishment. I looked at the chains and shook my head. Theyll try to retrieve the chains, so Ill refuse. I didnt know what might happen in the future, so I decided to maintain a low profile for now. I didnt want to walk around with a relic. Funny kid. Rudbickughed. Family Head, I think this guy could work under me. Now that I thought about it, Rudbick was being much friendlier with the Lord of Blood and Iron than the other children. I had a feeling that the Lord of Blood and Iron treated Rudbick better than someone like Hector. Under this dark sky, I felt like I was seeing a personal side of the Lord of Blood and Iron. If you ever visit Ulca, go to Bixs Workshop if you need help. I dont know if Ill ever need to go there... But still, I stowed away the name Bixs Workshop. Then, the Lord of Blood and Iron said, Go back for today and rest in your room. Pardon? Try not to meet anyone else, and return immediately to your room. For some reason, it felt like this was the first true order the Lord of Blood and Iron had ever given me. ...Arent you going to ask more about my martial art? I asked. I knew this question might create some friction, but I couldnt help myself. No. Why? I dont care about the origin of your martial art. The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at the campfire as he continued, Whats important is how strong you can be after learning an excellent martial art like that. ... Im looking forward to it. Was he praising me? I felt a weird emotion I couldnt express as I nodded. Ill be going now. See ya, Rudbick said with a wave of his hand. When I got up to leave, I looked back to see the Lord of Blood and Irons reaction, but he remained quiet as if he had lost interest in me. As I left the forest, the Lord of Blood and Iron finally disappeared into the distance. When I got over the fence to return to my room... I finally felt like the day had ended. * * * * * * * * * * Rudbick looked in the direction Luan had left as he spoke. This wont be the end. ... Harba Garcia is but one of many frayed ends. He doesnt have the power or the intelligence to nt people in the Fang Knight Order. Hm. I felt that the movement of the Council of Elders was particrly odd... The Lord of Blood and Iron remained silent. For now, the investigation into Haribas father, Reagan, has also concluded. He has had contact with the Church of Darkness, but he has only made a few deals with small fries. It might be worth keeping him around until he forms a stronger bond with the higher-ups. No. Deal with him immediately, the Lord of Blood and Iron said with a stern voice. Rudbick nodded. Understood. Anything else to report? Not really. I see. Good work. With that, their conversation paused for a moment, and only the crackling of the me could be heard. The person to break that silence first was Rudbick. Hes a funny kid. He is. Rudbick raised his head as he looked at the Lord of Blood and Iron. Although he had said that to start a conversation, he had honestly just been talking to himself. He hadnt expected the Lord of Blood and Iron to agree. Did he interest you as well, father? He offered me a deal. What? He offered to use himself as bait to draw out the cult. ... Rudbick closed his mouth. Since receiving the order from his father, he had been watching Luans every single movement. Although the two who had been with Rudbick had also been from the Church of Darkness, they hade from different sects. As the Church of Darkness worshiped six different gods of disaster, there were six different sects in the cult. If one counted the subsects as well, there were dozens of different groups. In any case, that was why Rudbick hadnt revealed himself recklessly. Honestly, ambushing Luan and teaming up against him hadnt been part of the n. The other two had interrupted them. So it wasnt your n but his. Haha. Should I call this fearlessness? He was confident he could at least protect himself. Is that why you didnt ask any further? It was obvious what Rudbick was talking about. How Luan became so strong. The Lord of Blood and Iron stretched out his hand, and the firewood started to jump about. It is the most boring question in the world. Power is a pure thing. No matter what goal he has, it will be revealed clearly through his strength. The Lord of Blood and Iron quietly mumbled, I will know what Luan is truly thinking. Is that all? Dont you have other thoughts about Luan? What do you mean? Hes your youngest son... Hes still a plump little kid. Maybe you want to hear him call you Dad... Im sorry. Rudbick quickly lowered his head. The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at Rudbick expressionlessly before saying, When will you be leaving ? Ill have to leave soon. Theyre pretty quick at catching on to things. I shall await your next report. Yes. Please stay safe, Family Head. With that, Rudbick left. The Lord of Blood and Iron wasnt worried. Rudbicks greatest talents were his survival skills and his adaptability. He knew that even if Rudbick were thrown into the middle of a war, he would be able to live quite normally for at least a few months. After being left alone next to the fire, the Lord of Blood and Iron mumbled, ...Dad? It was an odd thing to say with his own mouth. He erased from his mind the weird thought imnted by Rudbick. *** I awoke in my bed. Immediately after opening my eyes, I became quite confused; my mind and body feltpletely refreshed. What the...? When was thest time my condition had been this good? It felt as if I had slept for three days and three nights. I got up and did some light exercise to wake my body. I opened the window, enjoyed the warm sunlight, and took in the scenery. For some reason, it felt like the mansion was particrly quiet today. Growl... As I did my morning exercises, I felt an enormous hunger consume me. If I went to the cafeteria right now, would there be any food? What time was it? There were so many useless pieces of furniture in this room, but there wasnt a single clock. Knock knock. As I was thinking that, the door opened with a knock, and Arzan stepped into the room. Arzan seemed surprised to see me up as she lowered her head. Im sorry. I didnt realize you had awoken Its fine. Why are you so surprised? Because Arzan hesitated uncharacteristically. Seeing her reaction, I felt that something was off. Was I asleep for long? Yes. How long? Today is the fourth day since the conclusion of the Blessing Ceremony. You have been asleep for three days, young master. So I did sleep for three days and three nights. Well, even though I hadnt done much after my initial White me state, sleeping on Arzans back hadnt been restful enough. My physical exhaustion had finally disappeared. I was wondering why I was so hungry. Give me food. Im starving. It will be prepared immediately. But before that, young master, there is something Another knock was heard, and the door opened again. The person who appeared this time was Kayan, who also looked surprised to see me awake. My apologies. I didnt realize you were I already heard that, so please move on. Kayan shut his mouth. His expression looked more hardened than usual. What is it? Did something happen? No. I just thought that you woke up at a very peculiar time. What do you mean? The Council of Elders have taken action. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Speaking of the Council of Elders, I thought I remembered something. From what they said, young master, you... What did I do? ...Crushed the ns of the cult in the mountain range and defeated a gem beast by yourself. Then, when they asked for an exnation, they im you said... What did I say? I asked, suddenly feeling a little uneasy. I can beat up the entire Council of Elders myself. I mumbled to myself in shock, I think they exaggerated that at least 10 times over. Kayan let out a sigh of relief. As I thought. But most of Bednicker now believes that nonsense. Let them believe what they want. My reputation is already at rock bottom. It cant go any lower. Even if your current position is worse than right after you sold the sword of the house? Thats a bit... So there was a floor below the floor. More importantly, it would be tiring if my position fell even lower. So what, did the Council of Elders say that theyll personally teach me a lesson or something? No. It seems you will face a member of the Iron Blood Knight Orderor perhaps the Fang Knight Order. Kayan checked for my reaction before clearing his throat. Young master. The skill levels of the knights vary widely. I know. Some knights have just entered the order, and some have been in it for more than 10 years. Even within a single knight order, the skill difference between two different knights can be like heaven and earth. I said I know. ...Whats important is that your opponent will be decided from among them by the Council of Elders. At this point, I was beginning to understand what Kayan really wanted to say. You dont need to be impatient, young master. With your skill, you can catch up in just two years, perhaps even one year He was talking around the point, but what he wanted to say was... So I shouldnt fight right now? Kayan closed his mouth and nodded. Yes. I looked at Kayan in a new light. I had heard that my mother was quite indebted to this man, but I didnt fully trust Kayana yet. To begin with, I was averse to trusting someone just because they suddenly started to treat me well. In addition, this old man was the one who had cut my tendons in my previous life. But right now, Kayan was trying to give some painful advice. I understood that it was difficult for someone of a lower position to say, Youll get destroyed if you fight now, so hold back. Its fine. But even though I understood the situation, my answer didnt change. I wasnt looking down on the knight orders. I knew them well. Within the knight orders, there were some members who were as monstrous as the children of the Lord of Blood and Iron. That was even more of a reason that I needed to fight now. ...Understood. Thankfully, Kayan didnt pry further and instead backed away. At this, Arzan seemed to suddenly remember something. She said, Ah. I have something I must tell you regarding the third daughter of Goodspring. Sellen? What is it? Ill first exin the situation from three days ago. Immediately after Lady Sellen returned from the banquet, she told me that the young master was in danger. I nodded. Id hoped that she wouldnt actually say anything, but considering what Id seen of her personality that day, that had always been a foolish hope. When Sir Kayan and I heard that, we immediately went out to search for you, but Lord Asad stopped us mid-search. Asad? The Archmage stopped them? Had he received a request from the Lord of Blood and Iron? Although Kayan and Arzan werent pushovers, they could in no way bepared to Asad. In any case, while we were searching for a different method, you returned. The problem is what happened the day after. I heard that Lady Sellen spent the entire night looking for your whereabouts. I was surprised by Sellens actions, and a question formed in my mind. Why? Couldnt you just tell her that I had returned safe and sound? The Council of Elders didnt give a definite answer about your whereabouts, and even when I informed her that you were safe, she didnt seem to believe me. And just showing me to her... Ehm. I stopped talking. Sellen was still a Goodspring. Since I understood her character now, I trusted her somewhat, but Kayan and Arzan were a different story. They wouldnt allow a member of House Goodspring to see my unconscious body. The situation had indeed been a bit tricky. Growl... My stomach threw a tantrum, demanding to be fed after being empty for three days. We will prepare your meal. Please wait a moment. I replied with a nod. * * * * * * * * * * After eating, cleaning, and clothing myself, my mother came to visit me. Is your body okay? Yes. Its fine now. I see. It seems you were quite tired. Even though I had slept for three days, my mother didnt seem to be particrly worried about me. From what I had heard from Kayan, reactions like this didnt seem to be umon after a blessing ceremony. Was this an after-effect of the ceremony as well? Was the reason Id copsed for three days not because of the exhaustion that had piled up but because of the Blessing Ceremony? I couldnt know for sure. I couldnt feel any big difference from before, and I still didnt know what my blessing was. But it didnt matter. My main strengths would always be the Strongest Fire Technique and the White Sun Form. Even if I had received an incredible blessing, I had only intended to use it as another tool in my arsenal; Id had no ns on changing my whole fighting style around it. ...Do not say anything during the hearing, my mother said. It was simr to what Kayan had said. Her expression was simr as well. I heard that one guardian can attend with you. I will do the talking, so leave it to your mother here. Will you be okay? The corner of her mouth quirked upward. Of course Ill be okay. Who do you think I am? Well. Although her authority had weakened a lot, she was still a noble of a territory called Cond. Her political wisdom was greater than mine. Of course, I also know that the Council of Elders isnt a simple bunch. Im not acting thoughtlessly. Hm. I understand. For now. For now...? She let out augh as if baffled by my words, but she didnt ask any further. Was it because she thought there wasnt time to discuss this further? Kayan checked his pocket watch and said, It is time. Let us depart. I got up from my seat and followed after Kayan. As we walked through the particrly quiet halls, I mumbled to myself, I guess theres a reason its so quiet. All the tiresome guests have left since the Blessing Ceremony is done. They havent all left. The ones who wish to attend the Bednicker training camp have remained. There are quite a few present. Really? Are they not in the main house right now? They have been moved to special amodations away from the main house. Hmm. The Bednicker training camp was pretty infamous. It was educational only in name. Honestly, one needed to put their life on the line to survive the dangerous and extreme training regiment. It even had a funny nickname: the Six Weeks of Despair. Still, if you canplete it, the results are undeniable. Lessons like these to teach heroes werentmon, so anyone with grand ambitions would choose to attend. If Sellen is joining as well, it would be nice to get the misunderstanding out of the way. Of course, the odds she would attend were very slim. Not because of her personality but because she was a Goodspring. House Goodspring could provide an education that was on par with House Bednicker, so there was no need for her to remain here and work harder. Perhaps because he thought the atmosphere was too heavy, Kayan spoke up with a joking tone in his voice. You must be the first person to enter the Trial Room twice in the same week, young master. I smirked as I remembered the scene Id seen in the Trial Roomst time. Would the Lord of Blood and Iron be there this time as well? More importantly, had the Lord of Blood and Iron not interfered with the Council of Elders summoning me to question me? That was probably the case. Although he seemed to be interested in me, he wasn''t one to reach out with a helping hand when his children were in danger. Weve arrived. I saw the huge doors of the Trial Room before me. One difference was that people were standing in front of the door. Two people were present. I immediately realized who they were when I saw their outfits. Collectors? And both of them were very skilled as well. Although Kayan halted for a moment in front of them, he didnt try to talk to them. The man standing on the left looked at us. He was a handsome man with gentle features and a natural smile on his lips. What reason are you visiting the Trial Room today? A hearing is set this afternoon for this child. At that, the mans gaze turned to me. Are you young master Luan? Thats right. It has been confirmed. Please enter. My mother nodded as she tried to step forward. The two men took a step inward, narrowing the distance between them and blocking my mother from moving forward. What are you... Please excuse us, ourdy, but only Luan is permitted to enter today. But hearings before the Council of Elders allow one guardian to enter alongside... That is normally the case, but this instance is special. ...I cannot ept such an ambiguous reason. ... At that, the man standing on the left let out a troubledugh, and the man standing on the right answered, Of course, the house rules of Bednicker are firm and must be applied to everyone in every instance... This one looked much more hardened than the other. With but one exception. My mother flinched. Naturally, it was because there was only one being in Bednicker who fit that description. So its by the order of the Lord of Blood and Iron. Although it wasnt unexpected, I didnt like it either. Just like Id expected, the Lord of Blood and Iron wasnt reaching out with a helping hand. However, he shouldnt be trying to obstruct me either. Which meant that there should be no reason for him to stop my mother from entering with me... Young Master Luan, please enter. ... There didnt seem to be much time. I turned to face my mother. Ill just go by myself. Will you be okay? Of course. Honestly, this might be easier for me. As I walked forward, the two collectors stepped aside to let me through. They even opened the door for me. Step. With that, I stepped foot into the Trial Room once more. Chapter 50 Chapter 50 The interior of the Trial Room was the same as before, but the lighting was brighter today. It was still an annoying arrangement, though. I could feel a sense of hostility as well. This room made the person standing at the center feel like a sinner regardless of whether theyd actually done anything wrong. But still... ...? The atmosphere seemed different than before. I looked up over the walls and realized the reason. There was only one person atop the walls this time. That person is... A young man with green hair syed atop his head like seaweed. That was Archmage Asad. He was difficult to meet, so much so that Hermit was one of his nicknames. Why was he here today? Youre here. From the tone of his voice, he seemed to have been waiting for me as well. I nkly stared at his face before giving my introduction as per procedure. Greetings. I am Bednickers You dont need to give that formal greeting. Okay. Sit. At that, I sat on the table Id usedst time. At this point, I felt like it was just my exclusive chair. I looked at Asad and asked the thing I was most curious about first. Wheres the Council of Elders? Right in front of you. Are you a part of the Council of Elders as well, Sir Asad? Not officially, but I am part of it. An honorary member, per se. I didnt know this. Asad was looking at me with an annoyed expression. It looked like he was being forced to do something he didnt want to. He didnt seem to have any interest in this. It was an understandable reaction. Those people called magicians all had a few screws loose. Things that didnt interest them were treated worse than trash. Though it felt like he didnt think of me as pure trash... I seemed to be around the level of a weed on the sidewalk. Then, Luan Bednicker, lets confirm a few facts before we continue. Okay. The events you experienced in the Gem Mountains. The betrayal of the Fang Knight Order and their identities, the encounter with the Instructor of Swords and des, Calzark, and... from what I heard from Derk, you yed a key role in the subjugation of the gem beast. Is this all true? Yes. After that, when the Council of Elders didnt ept your confession, you asked for a duel to prove yourself. Is this also true? It is. Asad only spoke the barebone facts. No rumors, no twisted lies, only truth itself. Judging by his attitude, I didnt expect him to give me a tough verdict either. Were Kayans worries unfounded? All right. Asad put his hand on his chin with a bored expression. It does seem the Council of Elders was a bit forceful, but you were the one to bring up talk of a duel. As a member of House Bednicker, you must take responsibility for the words you utter. ... Your opponent will be an apprentice knight of the Iron Blood Knight Order. Thats fine, right? An apprentice knight. I had been expecting to fight one of the stronger knights. When I didnt quickly respond, Asad pressured me by ring at me with a look of boredom. I dont mind. Really? If youre fine with it, the duel can happen right away. But if your bodys condition is poor, we can postpone this a day or two. No. Lets do it now. Then go to the training grounds in the garden. Right now. Schwoop. After saying that, Asad disappeared. Was that magic? Couldnt you have just taken me with you? I grumbled as I left the Trial Room. *** It might be obvious, but there was more than just one or two training grounds within the grounds of Bednickers huge main house. From what I knew, there were at least seven. Thankfully, finding out which training ground would host the duel was easier than I thought. Only one training ground was swarmed with people, after all. What the...? Why were so many people here? As I stood there like an idiot, a familiar face approached me from the crowd. It was Arzan. Ah. Young master. Whats all this? Havent you heard? The Council of Elders made a public announcement. This afternoon, Young Master Luan will fight a Duel of Proving. What was this Duel of Proving now? As I stood there in a daze listening to Arzans exnation, she told me that my conversation with Asad had been heard all throughout the main house. The main points were thus: The duel would happen at the Fourth Training Ground of the main house, and Luan Bednicker would be dueling. It would be an opportunity for Luan to prove himself People were free toe and watch. Although it didnt seem too serious, I could see clearly how they intended to make this a bigger deal than it needed to be. They just want to bury me. With a bit of excitement in her voice, Arzan said, I think this is a good opportunity for you, young master. With this many people watching, it will be difficult for the results of the match to be altered or falsified. Look, its not just knights and servants, even the grand masters will be watching. I turned my head to where Arzan was pointing and saw a group with a great presence. The grand masters. It was my first time seeing them all gathered together like this. Where is my mother? She is with Sir Kayan. All right. Ill leave her to you. Yes. After tapping Arzan on the shoulder, I headed into the training ground. Young master Luan. As I did, though, I heard a voice calling out to me, one Id heard once before. It was the guy whod been standing in front of the door when I visited the Trial Room not long ago. The one who had looked more serious between the two of them. It is now time. Please enter the training ground. Okay. Are you not wearing any armor? Armor? Isnt this duel more like a spar? Yes. However, the duels of House Bednicker are serious. If you are unlucky, you might lose your life. I took a moment to think, but in the end I shook my head. Im fine. You will regret it. I didnt like the way he said that. As I stared back at him, he added one more thing. I have informed you. Sure. I entered the training ground. * * * * * * * * * * I was stretching my body and loosening up my joints a little, but I could hear some murmuring from the other side. As I was wondering what was happening, a familiar face walked through the crowd toward me. You didnt run away. Although we had the same blood flowing through our veins, his face wasnt particrly simr to mine. A not-so-wee face was smiling back at me. Didnt I tell you? I would educate you soon enough. Hector. Hector? ...Elder Brother. I tilted my head a little as I said, I heard that my opponent would be a member of the Iron Blood Knight Order. Thats right. I am a member of the knight order. I became an apprenticest year. Hm. I got the gist of what was going on here. Naturally, this wasnt a coincidence. It seemed the will of the Council of Elders and Hector were aligned since both of them were just waiting for me to get destroyed. The Council of Elders had managed to procure an opponent who wouldnt be put in a bad position for beating me up... And Hector was allowed to educate me as he pleased. The person standing next to me, the one who was probably the judge for this event, spoke up. Would you like to wear armor now? Thinking about it now, this collector wasnt trying to piss me off, he was genuinely looking out for me. But my mind was unchanged. Im fine. I couldnt decrease my mobility just for that much protection. Everyone had their own fighting style. Understood. What weapon would you like? I considered fighting barehanded but changed my mind. Hmm... A sword. Soon, a longsword befitting a knight was given to me. I held the sword and gave it a few swings. The sword hasnt been tampered with. I guess Hector and the Council of Elders arent that underhanded? I am Jein, the overseer for todays duel. So the emotionless collectors name was Jein. I nodded while thinking that it sounded like a girls name. Afterward, he exined the goal of this duel, how the duel would proceed, when an intervention could be called, and how getting hurt didnt matter but lives mustnt be taken. At the end, he said one more thing. Both sides, forward. I put my sword in my sheath as I walked up to meet Hector. Hector still had that annoying smile on his face, so I couldnt help butment on it. Please stop smiling. Lets have a serious fight. What? I know youre getting excited at the opportunity to beat me up, but this is still a duel. We need to do our best. This was a problem of basic manners. Even my master had dueled me seriously even when not in the context of educating me. Haha. At that, Hector let out a lowugh. As if theugh was infectious, the crowd started tough as well. Now that I looked around, most of the audience was from the Iron Blood Knight Order. You even prepared yourckeys. Thats right. Hector smiled. Against an opponent, a knight must do their best. But you are not my opponent. Know your ce. Ah. Okay. I just nodded. There was no use saying anything further to him. Hectors expression hardened. He didnt seem to like my reaction. Begin the duel! Dash! With Jeins signal, Hector quickly closed the distance between us. The speed at which he drew his sword was faster, and it looked like he was moving through sound. A blue de was thrust right in front of my eyes. For now, I decided to deflect it. ng! Hector looked a little surprised, but he continued his storm of attacks. I chose to focus on defense as I observed Hectors swordsmanship. Is this the secret swordsmanship of the House? I didnt think that was the case; I could see a few differences. Maybe this was Hectors self-created swordsmanship, made with the houses swordsmanship as a base? Fierce and explosive. A mostly aggressive style. It was a sword style that made it difficult for the opponent to regain the initiative if they lost it once. As if to prove that he was worthy of being called a genius, the swordsmanship hed created looked nearlyplete. Even during this short exchange, I understood that it would be difficult for me to defeat Hector through swordsmanship. ng! Maybe I should say it was expected, but I ended up letting go of my sword not long into the duel. tter. As my sword hit the ground and spun away, a smile appeared on Hectors face again. For a moment, his chain of attacks slowed down as well. Even while he was smiling, I could see his eyes darting to see which part of me to attack. He was looking at me like a fish in a barrel. Heh. I couldnt help but let out a smallugh as I saw this, and Hectors expression hardened a little in response. As someone who loved tough at others, he couldnt take it when othersughed at him. Before Hector could speak, I kicked off the ground. Hectors eyes instantly widened, and even though I could see him tense his sword hand, my fist was faster. Punch. Hector flew backward after being punched in the face. Hended on his back on the training ground. ... ... The surroundings suddenly became quiet, but I ignored them as I spoke. I told you to take this seriously. Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Hector looked up at me with a look of disbelief, and funnily enough, his nose started bleeding as he did. I couldnt hold back and ended upughing. Not even the most good-looking guy could avoid looking funny when he was bleeding from both nostrils. You Hector quickly got up and resumed attacking me. Although his attacks were fiercer, it was easier to predict them because they were driven by emotion. I calmly dodged his attacks as I asked, Whats the name of this sword technique? Shut up! Aha. Shut Up Swordsmanship. Hectors face became red with rage. Even the children of the Lord of Blood and Iron, no matter whether they were born with incredible talent, would fall to this level if theycked real experience. Hed lost hisposure to some simple taunts. Honestly, if I were not his opponent, he might not have gotten this angry. Are you only going to dodge like a rat bastard! If I was, I guess your nose would be fine. Shut up! You already told me that. As I saw blood veins pop on Hectors forehead... Hector! Someone called to him. I nced toward the audience. There, I saw an older man who looked simr to Hector. Someone from Hectors mothers side? Anyway, it seemed Hector found his cool again after that mans shout. Although he still looked angry, I saw him stop his attacks for a moment to calm his breathing. I couldve used that opening to attack him and ended this duel quite quickly, but I decided to ask a question instead. By the way, Brother, why do you hate me so much? What? There should be a reason youre going out of your way to mess with me. Hector red at me. ...Cant you tell your rude behavior is only fanning the mes of my anger? Stop talking nonsense. You hated it when I groveled to you as well. ... Brother Hector, youre not someone to put your all into punishing someone just because they wronged you. You dont have the time for it either. Hector continued to re at me, but I felt the hand grasping his sword loosen a little. A moment of silenceter, a low voice spoke to me. How much do you know about the Great Houses? Although it was an unexpected change in topic, I replied without being flustered, The descendants of the heroes who repelled the Church of Darkness 2,000 years ago. That is the summary. Including the Imperial House, the Goodsprings, House Bednicker, and all the other houses who attended the Blessing Ceremony... whether their blood be thick or thin, they have all inherited the blood of our great ancestors. Our blessings are living proof of that bloodline, clearer than anything else. Proof? Hector suddenly stabbed his sword into the ground. Rumble... At that moment, the ground rumbled like a wave. It is the definite proof that one has inherited the blood of the great heroes. It was as if there was a shockwave underground. Naturally, everyone here knew that this wasnt a natural phenomenon, so they stayed calm. Split, crack! As if water were being drained from the ground, cracks started to appear. I maintained my bnce on the shaking earth. And for thest 2,000 years, among the many heroes, not a single one was blessingless, Luan Bednicker. That is, until you appeared. Crack. mes flickered in Hectors eyes. Do you not know how much humiliation Father had to endure from the Great Houses because of you? Humiliation? The lowly ones insulted and spoke ill of Fathers bloodline, saying that the blood of the ancestor was thin, that he was a weed, not a hero... Such nonsense was said about him. Only now did I understand the situation. As said before, Hector was a fanatic. The Lord of Blood and Iron was like a god to him. From my perspective, he wasnt too different from the cultists who worshipped the gods of disaster. But regardless, I was the one who had brought shame to his god. Now I understood why he had gone out of his way to bully me. I wanted to kill you when I heard the news, but I held back because Father didnt say anything. However, you chose to again step foot into the main house with your dirty feet. But I seeded in receiving a blessing. That is the reason you will not die today. Hector pulled his sword out from the ground, then pointed the tip at me as he charged. The trajectory of his sh, it was different this time. Stab! I definitely dodged it. However, blood started to squirt out from my shoulder which hadnt been hit. I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Hectors sword. Unlike his earlier swordsmanship, I clearly recognized what this was. Is this Shadow Sword? This was the swordsmanship that hed created around the time he was 14 years old. By imbuing the de with mana, he could change it at unseen intervals to create irregrities in the sword ki. Meaning, while using this swordsmanship, the opponent needed to be wary of both the real de and also the sword ki created using mana. sh! As if surrounded by a blessing of some sort, Hectors movements became faster. The killing intent within the de of his sword became stronger as well. I could no longer treat this as a normal duel. Its a tricky sword technique. But if one asked if it was dangerous, I would tell them no. I suffered a few scratches in the beginning, but eventually, wounds stopped appearing on my body. It happened when my eyes got used to his attacks. To give a short review, the idea was good, but his proficiency seemedcking. An unpredictable swordsmanship technique was good in theory, but his heart was simple, making all his movements predictable. In many senses, it could be said this was the worst swordsmanship technique for Hector right now. It might have been better if hed just focused on the fierce swordsmanship hed used before. * * * * * * * * * * Once I was done observing the Shadow Sword, I started to take steps toward Hector. At this, Hectors expression fully hardened into a serious face. It looked like he hadnt expected me to purposefully close the distance while he was disying his Shadow Sword at full force. Soon, Hectors frustration became apparent in his sword. Crack. The sound of him grinding his teeth told me it was my time. I intentionally left an opening on my side. The timing was amazing, so Hector took it without a smidgen of doubt. He charged headfirst into the trap I had dug for him. I immediately twisted my upper body to dodge his attack, but it didnt end with just dodging this time. sp! I mmed down on my arm to grab Hectors sword in my armpit. What! Hector sounded genuinely surprised. Although I had grabbed the side of his sword, it was still a dangerous action. And since Hector was still using his Shadow Sword, I could feel a piercing feeling in my armpit. Since I couldnt hold on like this for long, I kicked Hectors chin while he still looked surprised. Crack! Did I shatter his chin? It felt like that. Hector hesitated for a moment before charging at me again while screaming, but I blocked his mouth with my hand to shut him up. People say weapons are used in close-quarterbat, but against bare hands, swords are more like medium-range. Meaning, for the first time in this duel, I had broken through Hectors range. ...! I held on to Hectors mouth as I twisted and mmed him into the ground. It was admirable that he maintained his grip on his sword even in this situation, but that wasnt enough to regain his bnce. Maybe he read my thoughts, because Hector quickly let go of his sword and reached out toward me, but I used my other hand to deflect his hand and put more force into my grip on his mouth. Crack. ! I could feel Hector let out a silent scream. Your jaw might fall off if I use a bit more strength. Have you ever eaten nothing but porridge for a month? ! It was an experience one could only endure once. At that moment, Hectors eyes glowed yellow and he pushed me away with great power. Is that a blessing? It seemed to be a blessing that temporarily increased his physical abilities, but why was he only using it now? Because hes not used to it yet? Or because he didnt want to use it against someone like me? It was probably both. As I looked at Hector charging me like a beast, I remembered Hariba for some reason. Although he was bursting with power, it felt like he didnt know how to control it properly. His physical strength had increased by about two levels, but this just made it easier for me to fight him. It seems he received some martial arts training as well. His movements indicated that he wasnt just iling about. Butpared to his swordsmanship, I could see that his training wasnt up to standard. I dodged around Hectors awkward attacks and punched him. Smack, smack, punch! In particr, I focused on his face. After getting hit a few times, Hector began to find it difficult to see what was in front of him. His movements changed. At some point, they went from adhering to some sort of training to fiercely iling. Stomach, hip, thigh, forehead, and thigh again. What are you doing? Your entire body is open. Who taught you how to punch? I could tell that my behavior had be quite childish and emotion-driven, but I didnt want to stop. Since I had be younger again, it didnt feel wrong to act my current age on asion. At some point, Hector had be hard to look at because of how terrible he looked. His face was swollen and dripping blood, and his armor, which I suspected to be of Iron Blood Knight Order origin, had be crumpled. He was letting outbored breaths from his swollen mouth, but somehow he could still talk. You... who... are you... I let out a sigh. It was the same as when Id fought the assassins. Why do the people who get beaten up by me always have the same reaction? p! I pped Hectors cheek to tell him to get his senses together. And then I shook him by his cor. You dont know who I am? I am Bednickers cute youngest son. The youngest brother that you bullied. You cant... be... Luan... Even though his face was swollen up severely, his pronunciation was pretty good. That felt disgusting to me, so I pped his face once more. p! I pped him again because there was still fire in his eyes. I pped him again because I didnt like how he looked. I pped him one more time because I didnt like his ck hair. I continued to p him out of the goodness of my heart. But then I heard Hector mumble something with his swollen face. What did you say? I stopped pping him and paid attention to his mumbling. C-cra-y... bastad... Although his pronunciation had slipped a little, I could understand what he was trying to say. It was only natural to respond when insulted. I pped Hectors cheek once more, and he fell unconscious on the spot. Well done, Hector. ... ...Elder Brother. I turned my gaze away from the copsed Hector and looked around, but I could only hear the sound of silent breathing. I looked at Overseer Jein. He hesitated for a moment before saying, Victor, Luan Bednicker. ... ... Maybe I should say Id expected it... But no one cheered. Chapter 52 Chapter 52 It was rare for all the members of the Council of Elders to gather in one ce. They were all busy and had their own responsibilities to fulfill. Of course, a grand event like the Blessing Ceremony was enough for them to gather together, but afterward, most of them returned to their original duties. It was for this reason that only five members of the Council of Elders were in the Trial Room right now. Agenor Bednicker, the one who had called for this meeting today, spoke first. Luan Bednicker won. It wasnt a simple victory. It was an overwhelming victory. A surprising oue for sure, but Hector wasnt able to exhibit his true strength. Even so, that holds no bearing on Luans victory. Still, the way Luan fought wasnt to my liking. To the one who had said that, Agenor asked, What do you mean? ...He intentionally goaded Hector. After that, he focused only on defense while saying words to disturb Hectorsposure. It was far from a fair fight. Fair and square... Agenor smiled. You know, Zenon. Yes? Are we the Goodsprings? The middle-aged man named Zenon hardened his expression. Only victory is required in a fight. Of course, poisoning the opponent, giving them a rusty sword, and other such nonsense should be condemned. However, that was a simple disturbance of the mind that he utilized by focusing on his defense before crushing his opponentsposure. It was a well-executed strategy. ... I know how highly you think of Hector, but this is the Bednicker Council of Elders. Maintain equality. ...My apologies. Zenon Anatos, the family head of House Anatos, one of the main supporting houses of House Bednickerand Hectors maternal grandfatherlowered his head. Although the members of the Council of Elders had equal rtionships with each other, a single personAgenor Bednickerwas different. This man was directly rted to the family head two generations prior, and he could be seen as the chairperson of the Council of Elders. As a result, all the members of the Council held some respect for Agenor. Except for the honorary member Asad. Even so, isnt it true that the duel was unsatisfying to watch? a sharp voice interjected. It was the youngest among the Council of Elders, Philis. At the start of the year, Luan Bednickers level was below average. In contrast, everyone here should know of Hectors skills and genius. Zenon gave a big nod. I know Luans personality very well. He wasnt someone to goad his opponent into fighting a battle of wits or brutally crush someone who had already given up. I agree. That was my thought as well. Agenor looked around, taking note of the faces of those who agreed. What is it that you want to say? Do you remember the incident in the Gem Mountains? The one reported by Luan Bednicker? Yes. Luan said that the assassins sent by the cult were disguised as knights of the Fang Knight Order and that he nearly died. Are you doubting those words? Didnt the family head reveal that Luans confession was the truth? Yes, he did. However, we only know that the words he revealed to us were the truth. There is no way for us to know anything he hid from us. Agenor finally understood what Philis was trying to say. So you suspect that Luan might be ackey of the cult? Its just a hypothesis, but I say that the possibility cannot be ignored. You know this as well, Chairman: the cult has sorcery that can allow the transfer of souls. ... One year is not a short time, but Luans changes are too extreme even so. This suspicion is not unwarranted. I understand what you wish to say, but there are a few details that seem forced, Agenor said as he shook his head. If what youre saying is right, then Luan Bednicker killed his own subordinates from the cult who had sessfully infiltrated us... just so he could infiltrate us instead? I feel that is too extreme, even for the cult. They might not have been his subordinates. Everyone here should know that the cult contains many different sects. They dont hesitate to kill other members of the cult from different sects. Although they can work together, they can also have antagonistic rtionships with each other. Agenor couldnt refute Philis words. Philis was an expert on the cult, more so than anyone else here. At that, one of the elders who had remained quiet this whole time carefully spoke up. If we could request that the family head look into the truth of this one more time... That would be a difficult task. And if he has been cursed by a god of disaster, then the Blessing of Truth might not work perfectly. Hmm... Agenor thought for a moment without showing his emotions. Including himself, there were a total of five members attending the meeting today. Among them, three openly opposed Luan, while Agenor and thest were neutral. Decisions by the Council of Elders were made by majority vote, so their opinion would have more strength under normal circumstances... ... But Agenor felt that something was off. Ackey... Agenor was well aware that there was a rat inside Bednicker. However, even Agenor, who had lived for over 200 years, wasnt certain of their identity. There were only two people he waspletely sure were innocent: the Lord of Blood and Iron himself and the Archmage Asad. Meaning... The members of the Council in front of him had not escaped his suspicions. Difficult. Their demands were suspicious but also reasonable. If the traitor had taken all this into consideration before making their move, then they were beyond a mere rat. Agenor concluded his contemtions as he opened his eyes. I understand why you speak of this. However, Luan has already proven himself. We do not have any standing to pressure him again. What if we dont outwardly reveal any ns against him? Make him think that he is no longer a target of our scrutiny. And then? We will continue to observe him and indirectly apply pressure. We will also make him attend the educational process of the main house that is starting tomorrow. By the educational process, he meant the Six Weeks of Despair. The grand masters will heed our request. Agenor nodded. ...They will. They hade to a consensus. Although Agenor felt slightly sorry for the young Bednicker, it was only for a brief moment. Luan would have to endure great difficulty during the educational process, but it could be an opportunity for him as well... and as a child of Bednicker, he naturally needed to take it. * * * * * * * * * * Afterpletely destroying Hector Bednicker in the duel, I left the training grounds, whichcked any cheers or apuse, and rested for the entire day. Although I hadnt strained myself too much during the duel, I had been cut a little by the Shadow Sword. Of course, thanks to the Strongest Fire Technique, it would take me less than a day to recover from bleeding of this level. Unexpectedly, the Council of Elders remained quiet. I had expected them to create a fuss again, so it felt even weirder that they were staying silent. Maybe they had finally acknowledged me? Or had the Lord of Blood and Iron intervened again? I couldnt know for sure right now. In any case, after destroying Hector, my life in the main house started to see some changes as well. When I went down the hallways, the servants greeted me politely. When I walked past the training grounds, the knights saluted me. The cooks of the main house even prepared the tasty parts of the meat for me. That was my favorite change. Its been quite overwhelming recently. Maybe that wasnt the case for my mother? What has? Its just, seeing the people of the mansion instantly reverse their behavior is a bit... Shallow? Iughed. Its not their fault. Its the culture of House Bednicker, to be so driven by power. Youre not wrong... Lucia let out a sigh as she looked at me. Are you okay? Im fine. I wont get bullied by anyone anymore. You saw it yesterday as well, Mother. Yes. It seems you have received an incredible blessing. Mother thought that my blessing was the reason I had suddenly be so strong. Most people probably thought that. The kid who had been known as the useless son of House Bednicker at the start of the year had ended up defeating the genius Hector. But I didnt need to fix that misunderstanding right now. I was wondering if you had a reason to continue staying here. I did have a reason. I still had things I needed to talk to the Lord of Blood and Iron about. Of course, although I wouldnt have any collectorsing after me even if I went back to the other mansion, I had a new goal now: to obtain information about the forgotten age and the Demon Lords. There should be a lot of information in the main house. Well... stay safe, Luan. I nodded to my mother before I turned to look at Arzan standing next to her. Arzan was tasked with safely sending my mother back to the mansion. She would return to the main house afterward and would look after me... but that was a little too much to say aloud. I didnt particrly need a servant right now. Of course, since Arzan was so helpful, there were many benefits to having her by my side... In any case, since she wouldnt be going through the mountain range, it would take a little longer for her to return. I decided to postpone my thoughts on the matter until then. ...Talking about the mountain range, I was reminded of someone else. Calzark. What happened to him? Of course, his opponent had been a high priest, and hed been quite tired after the battle against the gem beast, so objectively speaking, there wasnt a high chance Calzark had survived. However, he was still a grand master. I didnt think someone recognized by the Lord of Blood and Iron would die so easily. I will be back soon, young master. Okay. In any case, after I saw Arzan and my mother off, only Kayan was left beside me. ...Hm. You worked hard as well, Sir Kayan. It was a bit awkward when it was just the two of us. Maybe because he was the one who had cut the tendons in my arm in my previous life. I wasnt one to hide my emotions too much, so I spoke honestly. Honestly, this situation is a bit much for me. In what ways? The fact that youre now standing next to me. And the fact that he was now retired, and had been helping my mother while I wasnt here... I had wanted to ask about that beforehand, but this was the first time Id had the opportunity. What kind of change of heart did you have? I didnt have any particr change of heart. I quietly waited for him to continue, and he did. People talk about me as the Collector of Blood and Iron and how perfect I am. Even though I receive such overblown praise, I am not that impressive of a human being. I wasnt a collector for such a long time for some grand reason; it was just because I didnt have anything else to do. I was a little surprised at Kayans sudden confession. So the reason you retired from being a collector is because you found something else to do? Something along that line. What is it? As I asked that, I saw this upstanding old man hesitate for the first time in my life. ...When youplete the White Sun Form in the future... Yeah? Could you meet my daughter once? What? Hed said something totally unexpected. You have a daughter? An adopted daughter. Ah. Collectors usually didnt go and make families because of how much resentment they gathered. The existence of Kayans daughter was probably a secret. I was flustered at hearing such an unexpected secret, but it caught my interest as well. Who is it? Her name is Ka. You may have heard of her. ... Only one person came to mind when I heard that name. I blinked twice as I asked, ...Are you talking about the Mercenary Queen Ka? Kayan seemed a little surprised by my question. How did you know? It hasnt been long since she started being called that. You wouldnt know her if you werent interested in mercenary work... ... It seemed to be around that time right now. But there was no way I wouldnt know of her. That name had been hammered into my ears in my past life when Id been kicked out of the house and had to live as a mercenary. The Mercenary Queen Ka. The one called queen in that dirty, vast, and severe industry. Although she wasnt there yet, her name would sneak up into the ranks of the strongest in The Empire whenever people discussed the topic. That was why, in some ways, she was a monster on par with the Lord of Blood and Iron. What do you want me to do upon meeting that daughter of yours? I hope you can spar with her and, if possible, defeat her. Me? Yes. I have seen many geniuses in House Bednicker. But none of them made me think they could defeat her. Theres the family head. I am talking about those who are still proving themselves. Then you mean... I dragged out the sentence on purpose, and Kayan nodded as if hed been waiting for it. Yes. When I saw your White Sun Form, I thought you have what it takes to defeat her. ...I dont get it. Isnt it good for your daughter to be doing well? Why do you want her to lose? I made a promise with her birth father. ... Although this was a clear signal saying Dont ask any further, I felt like I wouldnt ever have an opportunity to ask if I let it pass now. What promise? Chapter 53 Chapter 53 My apologies, that is difficult to say. I didnt expect him to reject me t-out. At this point, even I, with my thick skull, would find it hard to dig deeper. I smacked my lips as I mumbled, Its too difficult of a mission. I am not asking for your victory. I just hope that you can duel her once in the future. As it will be in the form of a spar, you wont lose your life. Hmm... That meant the fight itself was the goal. What was Kayan ying at? I couldnt think of anything right now, but I didnt think it was malicious. If this was a trap, then calling it inefficient would be an understatement. I nodded. Got it. I had done a few calctions of my own, but the reason I epted in the end was simple: mypetitive heart. If I could get the opportunity to fight someone who would be considered one of the strongest in The Empire, I would have requested this myself. Then when do you think will be the right time? I hope you can fight her before your 20th year. Then I had about five yearsno, I guess since this year wasing to an end, it was closer to four years? While thinking about all this, I saw Kayan in front of me and stopped. Also, Im using the Hidden Steps you taught me well. I did change it a little to suit myself a bit more, though. That is very interesting. Ill show it to youter, so give me an honest assessment then. And there is one other thing I want to ask... Please do, Master. ... Not young master but Master. It was not a simple change of titles. Kayan politely bent his hips and showed me respect. For some reason, I felt certain that Kayan would never betray me. It was an odd feeling. Among the higher-ranking members of House Bednicker, every single one of them must have tried at least once to recruit Kayan as their direct subordinate. Although Kayan spoke humbly of himself, it was still impressive that he had been able to perfectly fulfill nearly all of his work over his decades-long career in the House. The fact that his work was that of a collector, the job known as the most difficult within House Bednicker, didnt even need to be said. That was why I was able to reveal my goals without holding back. I need information about the gods of disaster. The demon lords? Yes. Kayan seemed slightly surprised as he took a moment to think. Firstly, you could look through the main houses library. You mean the library on the first floor of the main hall? Yes. But the information I can get from there is the ordinary sort. Im looking for more in-depth information. The specific appearances of the gods of disaster, their strengths, traits, the damage theyve caused to The Empire, the actions they have taken, and if possible... their current whereabouts. ... Kayans expression shifted. ...What you speak of are secrets among secrets. Ordinary people might not even stumble upon a hint of that information even if they spend their entire lives looking. I knew that as well. That was why I had asked. Young master, I believe that you will one day be recognized for your talent and be granted ess to the underground library of the main house... The underground library of House Bednicker was filled with rare and precious martial arts manuals that would be difficult to find anywhere in The Empire. Of course, entry into the library was also heavily restricted, and at this point in time, it was unlikely any of the children of the Lord of Blood and Iron had been granted ess. Kayan seemed to know this as well as he shook his head. But that is too far into the future. If my guess is correct, you seem to want this information as quickly as possible. Thats right. I think that obtaining the qualifications of a hero would be the fastest path. Not just a hero by title, but a hero that is officially part of Heroes. Hm. It was a straightforward answer. Heroes was the greatest hero institution in The Empire, and anyone could join if they passed the harsh tests. It was affiliated with many different people, including the Great Houses, the Imperial House, nobles,moners, and even ves and nonhumans. As thergest institution in The Empire, the authority held by Heroes was immense. Neither the Imperial House nor the Four Great Religions of The Empire could openly reject their intentions. But to be an official hero, Id need at least a year for the test and the probation period. Even though I was young right now, I didnt want to waste my time. I didnt want to spend a year to be a hero that way. That is how it usually goes. However, there is a method you could use that would greatly reduce that time, young master. What is it? You could attend the training camp. The training camp? Kayan had said something unexpected. You mean the Bednicker education program that takes six weeks? Thats right. Bednicker has the authority to educate young heroes, which means they can grant you the status of a hero through their own tests. Is that possible? It is possible because we are House Bednicker. Although it was unbelievable, it was also true. House Bednicker was one of the two houses that protected The Empire. So I just need toplete it? I have heard that that right is only given to the three best-performing students whoplete the camp. I see. Good to know. Six weeks wasnt that long a time. And since the training camp was being carried out at House Bednickers main house, I didnt mind staying a bit longer in thisnd filled with natural energies. This seemed like one of those rare great ces to train. You could personally ask the family head as well. The family head? Kayan said, Yes. If the family head personally tells you the information or grants you the right to enter the underground library, who in House Bednicker could oppose you? Now that I thought about it, he was right. However, the family head didnt announce his presence in the Blessing Ceremony. There is no telling when he will return, so if you could instead gain a majority vote from the grand masters, or even from Sir Asad... At that point, the door swung open and the Lord of Blood and Iron revealed himself. Youre awake, Luan. Ah, yes. You havent forgotten the promise to share a meal? I have not. Good. Its a littlete for lunch, but is now possible? I have something to do at dinner. It is. Change intofortable clothes ande to the fifth floor by three in the afternoon. I will be waiting. Yes. Then, the Lord of Blood and Iron turned to Kayan and said, Kayan, it seems your face has lightened up since your retirement. It is unfortunate that I wasnt able to invite you to this meal. I will prepare ordingly next time. P-pardon? Sorry for the interruption. The Lord of Blood and Iron closed the door and left. I was shocked as well, but Kayan, still standing next to me, suddenly pped his own cheek while looking 100 times more surprised. What are you doing? ...This doesnt seem to be a dream...? ... * * * * * * * * * * I left Kayan behind in the room. Ill take this just in case. I brought the Sword of Seven Sins that I had been keeping under the bed. The Martial Gods consciousness might awaken again when we neared the Lord of Blood and Iron. Also, if an opportunity arose for me to ask about the forgotten age, I might receive some advice. Fortunately, the Sword of Seven Sins just looked like a toy sword, so I probably wouldnt be reprimanded for carrying it. People would look at me like I was crazy, but I was used to that. Once I was ready, I headed toward the fifth floor with the heart of a soldier going to war. Yeah, the fifth floor of the main house of Bednicker... The third floor was forbidden to entry by outsiders, and only a small number of individuals allowed on the third floor were allowed up to the fourth. And then there was the fifth floor... There was no news nor rumors about the fifth floor. It was a ce no one even dared to speak about. The fifth floor of the main house was open only to the Lord of Blood and Iron. Even members of the Council of Elders were forbidden entry without explicit permission. From what I knew, except for the Lord of Blood and Iron, the only one who could freely enter and leave the fifth floor was the guardian of the House, Asad. I was even more curious than when I had gone to the Trial Room on the fourth floor. While moving up to the fourth floor from the third, I met a familiar face. You...! Hector pointed at me with wide eyes. It didnt feel right to have someone point at me, but I magnanimously let it slide. Hello, Elder Brother. How is your recovery going? ...Wh-why are you asking that? Why? Im the one who beat you up, so why shouldnt I? I didnt really care much about Hector. Although he had smacked Arzan and said some annoying things, those feelings had all been cleansed when Id beaten him half to death. Of course, if he tried to berate me here, those emotions would begin to rue again... but for now I was fine. Your face looks good. I didnt think those injuries would recover in a single day. ...I called a high-ranking priest. Ah. Moneybags. Now that I thought about it, his mother came from a pretty good family. Financially, that is. I think Ill be staying at the main house for a while, so lets not treat each other as strangers. But lets not get too close either. Moderation. Honestly, I wanted to say this to all my siblings, not just Hector. There was no need for us to always be at each others throats, but that didnt mean I wanted to be thick as thieves with them either. I wanted a decent distance between us and to greet each other as we passed in the hallways. There was nothing more I wanted to say to him, so I tried to walk past, but Hector suddenly asked a question. Where are you going? The fifth floor. What? Why there... Im having a meal with the family head. Hectors face made a very funny expression. It was as if he had just seen a meteor fall right in front of him. Hector said with a stutter, Wh-why are you having a meal with Father... Because he invited me? When did... I forgot. More importantly, move. If I wanted to talk about that, I would need to tell him about how Id met the Lord of Blood and Iron in House Bednickers forbidden area. Naturally, there was no need for me to do so, so I tried to move past Hector while he was weirdly mumbling to himself. Before I could, though, he suddenly grabbed my shoulder. Stop! ... When he saw my expression, he quickly let go. I-I mean, wait just a second. Getting punched a few times seemed to have had an effect on his mentality. At this point, I thought a fist was probably needed to fix the personalities of a few members of House Bednicker. What? I... Ill go with you. Do as you want. But why are you telling me that? Thats... Hectors expression hardened for a second before he shook his head. ...Youre right. I-I will be going to the fifth floor. Sure. I walked up the stairs with an unexpectedpanion. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 The moment I passed the stairs on the fourth floor and entered the fifth floor, the scenery around me suddenly changed. It happened the moment I took my final step up the stairs. The interior of the mansion suddenly transformed into the scene of a sheer clifftop. I couldnt believe it even though I saw it with my own two eyes. ...Interesting. Was this an illusion? But it was too realistic. A darkening sky and the birds flying around... Birds? Looking closer, they seemed more like bats. In any case, it was a cliff with a dark mood. Looks like this is the first time youve been on the fifth floor, Hector said with a bit of a haughty tone. The scenery changes every time. Thest time I was here, it was a beach at sunset. Is it illusion magic? Who knows... Although the area was wide open, I could easily find where I needed to go. That was because, at the edge of the cliff, there was a random table surrounded by chairs. I didnt know if I could even swallow food while sitting in such a ce, but thinking about it, Id had no problem eating on Spirit Mountains peak. Hector and I looked at each other before walking over. Youre here, the Lord of Blood and Iron said with his signature emotionless voice while sitting at the table. Yes. I havee. I nodded before ncing to the side. The Lord of Blood and Iron wasnt the only person present. There was someone to each side of his. Fortunately, I knew who they were. The eldest son, Hero Bednicker. The second daughter, Nero Bednicker. By reputation alone, they were greater than Hector. They were the two most famous children of the Lord of Blood and Iron. Are they in the main house as well? That probably wasnt the case. These two were currently active heroes and had enough of a reputation to be known by name anywhere in The Empire. From what I remembered, they should be just as busy as the Lord of Blood and Iron. Meaning this cliff wasnt an illusion but a different ce altogether. Maybe it was a demine, something only archmages could create? If one had permission from the owner of the demine, the demines coordinates, and a magic tool that could serve as a conduit... then anyone, from anywhere, could freely enter. It was the best way to gather people from many different ces. Of course, as it was high-level magic that was incredibly difficult to learn, I heard that only ten people within the entire empire could use it... There was one person within Bednicker who had that incredible qualification. Guardian Asad. That archmage would be able to cast a demine spell without much trouble. I was a little spooked by the fact that I had been transported so naturally without even realizing it, but I was up against a monster among monsters who had been protecting Bednicker for over 300 years. Thats a new face, a dry voice interjected. I turned toward the voice that naturally dragged out and saw the face of a man who looked to have just woken up. The eldest son, Hero. Even before Id regressed, he had never harmed me. It would be more correct to say he had never cared. In any case, how to put this... I didnt know if this description fit him or not, but he was someone who didnt feel like a Bednicker. He didnt seem remotely sneaky, and hecked the typical darkness and bleakness. If the Lord of Blood and Iron were not present, he wouldve just flopped onto the table and started sleeping. ... On the other hand, the second daughter, Nero, was the most Bednicker-like. I could feel a dark aura from her just by looking at her, and she was sipping her tea without even looking in my direction. At this point, Hero suddenly tilted his head and asked the Lord of Blood and Iron, Did you call them both? No. That means one of them is an uninvited guest, said Nero. Luan was the one who responded to Fathers words. Meaning hes the one that was called here. Hector, by what right have youe here? ...I have something to tell Father. I looked at Hector with surprise. For some reason, this bastard of a brother was showing much less attitude. I didnt think it was simply because he was before the Lord of Blood and Iron. Does he have a bad rtionship with those two? That was probably the case. A look of disappointment crossed Neros face for a second, and Hero spoke with a low voice. You dont have that right. I always thought that you would be kicked out of the family in the future. What do you... You have no talent. Hectors expression hardened. Although it was earlier than expected, and the person who reced you was unexpected as well... that doesnt give you the right to talk. I... Hectors eyes hardened. Am not talking to you, Brother Hero, but to my father. Oh ho. I was impressed. Even while being suppressed, he was still dering his intentions. Although Hector wasnt a good person, it was cool to see him face his fears. And thats why... Im saying you dont have that right. Hero rose from his seat with a bored expression. A look of nervousness appeared on Hectors face. He kept track of Heros every move, and I could feel an intense level of concentration emanating from him, waiting to instantly react to whatever might happen. But the results were in and simple. Rumble! ...!? A clear difference in power. It didnt seem like he noticed the moment Heros outstretched palm hit him in the stomach... and the movement Hero showed wasnt any sort of special martial art. It was just a pure difference in physical prowess. If, among the children of the Lord of Blood and Iron, Hector was a genius... Then Hero was a monster. And right now, I was able to see the clear distinction between a genius and a monster. Cough...! Hector stayed on the ground while trying to breathe through his coughing. Go back. Dont show your disgrace any longer. I, Im...! Hector got up and charged while letting out a weird scream. It seemed that, in many ways, today just wasnt his day. I had never expected him to look so disgraceful today. On the other hand, Hero continued to wear an expressionless face, and he seemed to have taken Hectors actions not as grit but as a final struggle. Hero easily dodged Hectors simple but fierce charge before grasping his neck. Kuak! Dont bother me any longer... Or do you want to die here? Crack. I could see him putting power into his palm. Hectors face immediately drained of color. My brows flinched for a moment. This is too much. * * * * * * * * * * Hero didnt seem to care. Right now, his expression suggested he was killing an insect, not his brother. Not even Hector had been like this during our battle. Although hecked maturity in many different ways, Hector had at least tried to not cross the line... But I didnt feel any such hesitation in Hero right now. I looked at the Lord of Blood and Iron for a moment. I was curious what he was thinking. The Lord of Blood and Iron continued to observe the events with an unreadable expression. He simultaneously looked to be deep in thought and like he wasnt thinking about anything at all. I couldnt tell what his true emotions were, nor whether he was going to act at all. Kuah, kak...! Hectors face continued to be paler and paler. Curses. What a crazy house. Brother Hero. Lets end it there. Although I spoke while grabbing his hand, he didnt even act like he noticed me. It might be obvious, but no one likes to be ignored. Naturally, I put more strength into my grip. Crack. I asked you to stop. ... Only now did Hero look at me. A weird light seemed to dance in his half-open eyes. ...Why should I? Brother Hector surely understands you now. Probably not. I know him better than you. Ill make him understand. Hm. Hector looked at me with interested eyes before letting go. Sure. I looked down at Hector, coughing while copsed on the ground, with pity. So why did you charge him like that? I dont think your body has fully recovered yet. ...Move. And what if I move, what will you say to the family head? Give me one Give you one more chance? ... That seemed to hit the mark. I clicked my tongue so he could hear me. Brother, youre so obsessed with the family head, how do you not know anything about him? ...What are you saying. Do you think anything you say right now will reach his ears? ... Rather, his disappointment in you will only increase. So dont disappoint him anymore and go back for today. Thats the right thing to do in your position. But...! I whispered so that only Hector could hear, Or do you want me to beat you up here in Brother Heros stead? ... Do you want that to happen? Youll be more embarrassed if you get beaten up by me. Fathers disappointment will also be greater. Hectors expression hardened, and he got up while gritting his teeth. Then he politely bent at his hips to give a bow to the Lord of Blood and Iron. ... The Lord of Blood and Iron didnt reply or show any reaction. In some sense, it looked like his interest in Hector the human being had disappeared. Hector seemed to have expected the nonreaction as well because he just turned around and left. I wondered how he was going to get out, but Hector just disappeared from my vision after walking a little ways away. It was like magic. I couldnt find any disturbances in the scenery, but it seemed there was an exit somewhere in that direction. Hero asked in surprise, What did you say? I just convinced him. Theres no way. Hes quite stubborn. ... Well, you dont have to tell me if you dont want to. Hero sloppily walked back to his chair and sat down. He then syed his upper body over the table and let out a yawn. The funny thing was that even while he was acting like that, the Lord of Blood and Iron didnt show any reaction. Rudbick acted freely in front of the Lord of Blood and Iron as well... But that was iparable to how Hero was acting right now. Maybe it just showed how much the Lord of Blood and Iron trusted Hero. Then, the Lord of Blood and Iron spoke in his signature calm voice. Let us begin eating. Hero, who had been syed himself on the table, and Nero, who had just been sipping her tea, both immediately straightened up. As soon as Nero put down her teacup... sh. The tea set on the table immediately disappeared, and many different types of food appeared on the table instead. The smell of delicious food assaulted my nose. Now that I thought about it, I hadnt had breakfast yet. Lets eat. Thank you for the food. Thank you for the food. The two answered the Lord of Blood and Irons words. I also btedly said, Thank you for the food. I took a bite of the juicy steak that seemed to have just been cooked, and put a sd with a dressing that I had never seen before in my mouth. I usually liked meat more than vegetables, but this sd was as delicious as the steak. Its great that I get to eat delicious food... ...but was this really just an event to eat food? Even while feeling a little uneasy, I continued to eat. For a while, only the sounds of cutlery quietly echoed about the table. Although I wasnt the type to overindulge myself, I ended up eating more than usual because the food was so tasty. And there was more food than usual on the table as well. In any case, after the quiet meal ended, the Lord of Blood and Iron spoke while wiping his mouth. Hero. Yes. I heard that you were victorious in the martial artspetition hosted by the Second Imperial Prince, that you were able to reach the finals without a single wound. That is correct. When I heard the Lord of Blood and Irons next words, I realized the true nature of this event. Tell me if there is anything you desire. This was a ce to recognize achievements and hand out rewards. Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Hero answered first. I need to go to The Bog soon. I need a scout and a magician, but they seem difficult to procure with my current connections and funds. I will personally ask Heroes for a scout. Will a director-level magician suffice? That will be enough. Director was the magician rank right below master. Directors were high-ranking magicians who could construct their magic tower in a city if they fulfilled a few conditions. Hiring a magician of that level wasnt a problem that could be solved simply with money, but the Lord of Blood and Iron had said that so casually... Do you desire anything else? I do not. After the Lord of Blood and Iron nodded, he turned to look at Nero. Nero. Yes. I heard you carried out a B-rank mission at Heroes by yourself. I also heard that your assessment within the organization is high. It is. Do you desire anything? Nero hesitated for a moment before she spoke. I feel like Ive reached a wall recently and am having difficulty progressing to the next level. I ask if you can spare me some time in your schedule. The Lord of Blood and Iron nodded again. I will make time soon. Thank you. I have heard that you are learning the swordsmanship of the old fairies. I am. As a baseline, the swordsmanship techniques of old use a lot of mana. Although your mana capacity is greater than your peers, it will not be enough. I will send you an elixir soon, so take it. Thank you. A satisfied smile appeared on Neros calm face. Finally, the Lord of Blood and Iron turned to me. Although the conversations were short, the rewards he gave werent small at all. How many Houses were there in The Empire that could grant rewards of this level without worry? Luan. Yes. I heard that you have created a martial art that can rival the secret martial art of the House. We had had this conversation before, in the forbidden area of Bednicker after Hariba was defeated. Why was he bringing it up again here? I felt Heros and Neros attention fall on me as I answered, I cant really say if thats true since Ive never learned the secret swordsmanship technique of the House. So youre saying that your martial art could be better than the secret martial art. I had answered in a vague way, but he still understood what I meant. I didnt reply to his statement. Thankfully, the Lord of Blood and Iron didnt ask anything further and instead changed the subject. You defeated the assassins of Hadenaihar in the mountain range, subjugated a gem beast, and defeated the rats that infiltrated our House. After that, you answered the questions of the Council of Elders to prove yourself and were victorious in your duel against Hector. Yes. Well done. Heros and Neros gazes became stronger as the Lord of Blood and Iron praised me. I didnt know why for sure, but I could make an educated guess. Anyone could tell that the Lord of Blood and Iron was a man of fewpliments. He didnt go into detail about what happened at the House. It wasnt unexpected. Even Hero and Nero probably didnt know about Rudbicks infiltration. Do you wish for anything? Uh... I had never expected an opportunity toe this quickly. I gave an immediate answer. I wish to enter the Houses underground library. The underground library? Yes. ... The Lord of Blood and Iron stopped for a second before a rare furrow appeared on his brow. What the. Compared to what the two before me had asked, this didnt seem like that big of a deal, but why was he reacting like this? So ominous. No. ... Thats not enough. ...Not enough? Even ignoring the other feats, eliminating Hadenaiharsckeys is a great deed. Just giving you ess to the underground library isnt a fitting reward. So that was what he meant. What else do you wish for? Hmm... What did I need right now? The Houses secret martial art? I was already busy with practicing the White Sun Form and Gctic Sword. It was also my principle that it was better tock material than to be overwhelmed. I wasnt having trouble at a bottleneck and I didnt need to ask him to personally teach me like Nero had. In the end, there was only one thing I could ask for. I want an elixir as well. An elixir? Yes. If possible, it should possess an extreme yang attribute. Hmm... The Lord of Blood and Irons brows narrowed. There should be a mystic bead in the House Vault. I will send you that. Whats a mystic bead? I didnt know, but since it was being given to me by the Lord of Blood and Iron, it was probably better than a regr elixir. I quickly nodded my head. Thank you. Take this as well. * * * * * * * * * * It was a ring. A silver ring without any special markings or jewels embedded in it. What is it? Its a magic item. By feeding it your mana, you can return to this ce at any time. Ah. It has only one use, so use it when in a dire situation. So this ce was indeed a demine. Finally, when you visit the underground library, be careful of the librarian. The librarian? Yes. Who was the librarian that the Lord of Blood and Iron was telling me to be careful of them in advance? I wanted to ask for more details, but I ended up missing the opportunity as the Lord of Blood and Iron suddenly rose from his seat. Today was one of the most pleasing days Ive had in a while. As a way to promote your growth, I will also show you something. Hearing this, the expressions on Heros and Neros faces changed. They looked like children waiting to receive their presents. What is he going to show us? My question was answered in the next moment. Schwing. The Lord of Blood and Iron had risen from his seat and unsheathed his sword. So he was going to show us swordsmanship. Now I understood why those two were so excited. This was the same as the Lord of Blood and Iron dering that he would personally teach us. This was an opportunity that the children of the Lord of Blood and Ironno, any martial artist within The Empire would desire at least once. I was looking forward to it as well. Although the sword wasnt my main weapon of choice, this was a personal demonstration by none other than the Lord of Blood and Iron. Maybe Id have a moment of enlightenment just from observing him. The Lord of Blood and Iron moved past us with his sword in hand. Crack... The ground suddenly shot up before wriggling and folding in on itself like y. Soon, the y rose to take on the form of monsters. While I was thinking that the demonstration was getting pretty intense, the Lord of Blood and Iron calmly walked up and swung his sword. Ssh! Five monsters standing at the front exploded with a burst of blood. It wasnt just a single attack. In that split second, the Lord of Blood and Iron had shed each monster at least five times. The funny thing was that he hadnt unleashed a sequence of attacks; each attack had been unique. The marks left on the monsters bodies didnt even look like they had been made by one person. Rather, they looked more like five knights had attacked at once. The Lord of Blood and Iron usually seemed like a calm and quiet man, but in battle, he looked more like a beast. He didnt pant or unleash a roar, but he also didnt react even slightly to being covered in the blood of his enemies. This also showed the mindset the Lord of Blood and Iron adopted when he enteredbat. A human who didnt care if he was covered in chunks of flesh and blood, only for the most efficient movements. A man who would stay hidden under a corpse for three days and nights if it was necessary to kill his target. ... After his disy of swordsmanship ended, the Lord of Blood and Iron didnt even think to clean the blood dripping off him as he turned to speak to us. Did you get a good look? We all quietly nodded as if we had agreed to do so. How was it? The first to answer The Lord of Blood and Irons question was Hero. ...That swordsmanship was fierce and persistent. Most importantly, it didnt seem to have a set form; it looked like the freest swordsmanship among those I have seen. I feel like it is a sword style that can better show its strength when outnumbered than it can in a one-on-one fight. As the Lord of Blood and Iron nodded, Nero added her thoughts. I feel that this swordsmanship wasnt created with fighting humans in mind. Your attacks didnt stop even after doing enough damage to kill a normal human. It seemed to me that this was created to battle immortals or even demons. The Lord of Blood and Iron nodded once more before he turned to me. It felt like I needed to give an opinion as well, so I gave a generic answer. I agree with my brothers and sisters assessments. Is that all? Yes. There was one thing Id thought of, but I felt like it would be better to stay quiet about that. I didnt want to create any friction here. My answer made Hero, Nero, and the Lord of Blood and Iron furrow their brows a little, but he didnt question me further. Hero asked, Father, are you perhaps going to teach us the swordsmanship you just showed us? Thats right. To personally receive the sword art that you created... I could sense some excitement in Heros voice. Although Nero didnt show any reaction, I could sense that she was the same. However, even when I heard that I would be taught this, I didnt feel that excited. The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me. Why is your expression like that? I hid my bitter expression as much as possible as I answered, Family Head. Speak. I do not need this sword art. Why is that? There are two reasons. First is that the sword isnt my main weapon. I know well that you have learned unarmed martial arts. I heard it from Kayan, and you used your fists when you defeated Hector as well. The Lord of Blood and Iron uncharacteristically continued speaking as he asked, What is your second reason? I recalled the martial art the Lord of Blood and Iron had just shown me. I am still growing. As you must have heard from Sir Kayan, the martial art I am creating is also still iplete. I know that as well. Then you should understand. With a nod, I continued, It is difficult for me to learn multiple iplete martial arts at once. ... The Lord of Blood and Irons lips curled slightly. Chapter 56 Chapter 56 That smirk on the Lord of Blood and Irons face soon turned intoughter. It was the first time Id ever seen the cold and emotionless manugh like that. A sense of wrongness also grew alongside hisughter, and I found myself thinking that hisughter was befitting of the family head of House Bednicker. Withughter still in his voice, the Lord of Blood and Iron called my name. Luan Bednicker. He took a moment to return to the table and sat down before he continued. What you say is right. The swordsmanship technique I just showed you is iplete. Many parts require more work. I see. Its interesting. I showed this technique to three people, but only you were able to notice that fact. The Lord of Blood and Iron crossed his legs as he looked at Hero and Nero. Hero, Nero. Yes. ...Yes. I do not believe that you are less perceptive than Luan. However, Luan was able to correctly identify a truth that you two were unable to notice. Why do you think that is? The two contemted for a while before shaking their heads. I dont know. Nor do I. Its because you two deify me too much. The Lord of Blood and Irons smile fell from his face. He calmly said, How many times have I told you? There are moments when I am wrong and make poor decisions. A swordsmanship I have created can have its own awkwardness, and you should discover it yourself. However, the two of youpletely abandoned that possibility and observed my swordsmanship through your own bias. You assumed, for no real reason, that a technique I created would be perfect. ... In truth, its not just you two; most within the bounds of House Bednicker see me in such a light. There is a reason I do not train in the main house like Hatehm of Goodspring... The Lord of Blood and Irons gaze turned back to me. But Luan, you looked at my sword with clear eyes. I can at least sense that you do not believe me to be the strongest being. Have you perhaps met someone simr to... or even stronger than me? ... I felt a chill go down my spine. Of course. This man wasnt just strong. He was intelligent and could deduce someones thoughts by observing minute changes in their reactions. At least from what I knew, there was no one more uneasy to talk to than someone like this. Was having a man like this as my father a blessing or a curse? ...Who knows. Of course, that didnt mean I was just going to reveal everything about Spirit Mountain. The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me for a little longer before he continued, There are no textbooks that exin how to fight demons and cultists. There isnt a set strategy you can use, unlike when fighting beasts and monsters. In addition, from their high priests to theirckeys, each of them is unique. At most, they may share some general tendencies depending on which sect they are from. In a calm voice, the Lord of Blood and Iron exined a few traits. The pawns of Hadenaihar, the Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon, were covert. The pawns of Tangtata, the Demon Lord of the Green Tongue, enjoyed plotting and scheming. And the pawns of Kingarodtus, the Demon Lord of the Golden Horn, were violent and impulsive. I felt that an unexpected opportunity had arrived as I naturally asked, What about the Demon Lord of ck and White? From what I know, he doesnt seem to have any pawns. He is an interesting one among the demon lords. Ah... The Demon Lord of ck and White is particrly unique. He appeared quite recently, and his influence isnt deep in The Empire. Then why is he categorized as a demon lord? He ended an entire nation by himself 100 years ago, so he has the qualifications to be called a demon lord. My mouth snapped shut in shock. My eldest senior brother tended to avoid killing others, even more so than any of my masters other disciples. Even when he ate food, even when he killed the monsters who lived on Spirit Mountain, he always repented for his actions. How could someone like that destroy an entire nation? And he went mad couldnt be the answer. The Great Yin-Yang Technique that my eldest senior had learned required that he maintain hisposure. If hed gone mad, he wouldve lost that power. Meaning... Eldest Senior Brother had to have gone mad in a very rational way. What the hell does that mean? Even though I was the one whod thought it, it sounded like nonsense. The swordsmanship I just showed you does not have a name. I have no intention ofpleting it. Instead, I want you toplete it. By that, you mean... Use what I showed you as a baseline to create your own martial art. ... I will give you one year toplete it. You dont need to follow every single stroke of my sword, just use it as a reference. What I wished to show you is the mindset you must have when fighting against demons. Hero and Nero both nodded. Okay. ...Understood. The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at the two of them. You two may leave now. Ah, just the two of us? Yes. I have something I wish to speak with the youngest about. At that, Nero looked dissatisfied, and Hero seemed to be intrigued as he looked at me. Understood. Then, I will leave for now, Father. Please stay safe. The eldest son and second daughter of Bednicker left, leaving only the Lord of Blood and Iron and myself. I wasnt particrly fond of what was happening. Although this was the second time I was having a one-on-one conversation with the Lord of Blood and Iron, I felt even more uneasy thanst time. I couldnt at all predict what he was going to say. I heard that you will attend the training camp at the main house. Yes. What is your reason? I wish to be a hero. Do you want to join Heroes? Thats an option. So your final goal is something else. I looked at him for a moment. I felt like I was throwing a rock into a pond as I spoke my goal aloud. Im thinking of defeating one of the demon lords. The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me with his lightless eyes before saying, The Demon Lord of ck and White. I wasnt too surprised as I answered, Yes. For some reason, I felt like the Lord of Blood and Iron couldve deduced that through the conversation wed just had. The true locations of the demon lords are very mysterious. There is a hypothesis that they do not exist on the same ne of existence as us in the first ce. Does that mean they could be in demines like this one? That could be the case. Alternatively, there could be a separate world where demons and spirits live. The Lord of Blood and Iron continued, I know where the Demon Lord of ck and White is. I looked at him in shock, but in that same calm tone, the man continued and said something even more shocking. I personally fought him. * * * * * * * * * * The Lord of Blood and Iron had fought my eldest senior brother. I couldnt easily conclude who had won that exchange. At my current level, I couldnt fathom either of their levels. How was it? Hes not someone that you can underestimate at your current level. I knew that even better than him. Maybe the Lord of Blood and Iron was telling me in a roundabout way that he had no intention of telling me the whereabouts of the demon lord. The demon lords do not remain in one ce. That is true for the Demon Lord of ck and White as well. Although he has remained in the ce I detected for a long time, there is no guarantee that he will continue to do so. For that reason, the Great Houses, Heroes, and the powerful individuals of The Empire are preparing to create an alliance. An alliance. An expedition force will soon be formed. I flinched for a moment. ...Isnt it a very secret endeavor? It is. Then the reason youre telling me this... Depending on your effort, you could join the expedition force. I thought for a moment before asking, When will the expedition be held? I dont know. It could be a month from now, or it might not have begun even after 10 years. What do I need to do? Only formal heroes and those A-rank and above can join the expedition force. However, I can add one or two members without their ranks being questioned. And for me to be a hero as soon as possible... If you wish, I can create a position for you as a probatory member of Heroes, but I suggest that you attend the training camp instead. The training camp came up again. But this time, the Lord of Blood and Iron was personally rmending it. At this point, I didnt even have a reason to decline. I thought it over, then said, I will attend it. Could I hear more about the expedition after Iplete the training camp? The Lord of Blood and Iron nodded. Luan. Yes. If youre going toplete the camp, aim for first ce. ... I locked eyes with his and nodded. Ill try my best. *** After my private chat with the Lord of Blood and Iron ended, I returned to the main house. Some time after I returned to my room to rest, Kayan visited me. Youve returned. Yeah. I am relieved that nothing serious seems to have happened. I neither affirmed nor denied Kayans words. It was true that nothing serious had happened to me, but the contents of the conversation had been pretty serious. Master, I heard from the grand master just now. If you wish to attend the training camp, then you must move your lodgings by the end of this week. Where to? A building north of the forest beyond the fencing of the main house. It was used as a training ground for the knight order of old, but now its be the lodgings and educational center for the young heroes who attend the training camp. Ah. I heard that the other young heroes have already moved there. Since everyone was from a different house, that was the right call. It wouldnt be right to have them continue to stay in the main house just because the training camp hadnt started. Even among the Great Houses, House Bednicker was especially exclusive. Then I should move there as well. There is still some time left, so you dont need to move too quickly. All right. Then Ill go out for a moment. Kayan tilted his head. Where are you going at this time? The underground library. I didnt need to go there immediately, but since I also had a few questions for Father, I intended to go there now. Kayan looked surprised. You received permission from the family head? Yeah. I dont know if the librarian has gotten the memo, but I doubt theyll send me back when I say the family head gave me permission. Now that I think about it, do you know anything about the underground librarys librarian? My apologies, but I have never entered the underground library. I see. Why do you ask? The family head told me to be careful of the librarian. At that, Kayans expression hardened slightly. The Lord of Blood and Iron does not give out unnecessary warnings. I know. Thats why Im a little spooked. But I was looking forward to it even more so. As I went to step out, Kayan spoke. Should Ie with you? Nah. Im the one who got permission. That is true. Ille back soon. Yes. Please be careful. After leaving the room, I headed straight for the underground library. But I suddenly realized that I had forgotten one crucial detail: I didnt know where the entrance to the underground library was. In the end, I couldnt help but walk down the corridors for a bit before speaking to a maid I met. Where do I need to go to go to the underground library? The underground library? My apologies, but I dont know either. She was a servant of the house, how could she not know? Is she an apprentice? But she seemed a little old for that. In any case, I continued on and asked a few more servants... I dont know. I dont think Ive heard of that before...? I-Im sorry. I dont know. But I kept receiving the same answer. What the hell? I stood in the middle of the corridors and thought for a second. Unless all the servants of the main house had be stupid, this situation was definitely weird. After thinking for a while, I spoke to a maid who seemed a little older. From what I remembered, she seemed to be the head maid. A veteran who probably had over 10 years of experience in the main house. Her reaction was different. I cannot tell you. What do you mean by that? There is nothing more to say. However... the head maid said with an expressionless face, Please be careful. ... When I heard that, I felt the incongruency Id felt before taking shape again. I didnt try to keep the head maid as she left. Instead, I looked through the entirety of the first floor of this massive mansion. After dozens of minutes had passed, I realized something. There was not a single staircase in this entire mansion that led underground. Chapter 57 Chapter 57 In the end, I didnt find the underground library and ended up returning to my room. I considered spending a few more days looking for it, but there was no time to spare since I needed to prepare for the training camp. Vwoong. I saw the fist swing down toward me. As the ck-gloved fist approached in front of my eyes, it felt as if I was suddenly facing the night. Fwoosh! Before I was taken into the night, I quickly turned my head and returned to the light. My opponents attack continued. The fist swinging at me opened and grasped at my clothes. Remembering the routine I had faced in thest few days, my body automatically put strength into the needed areas. This time, though, I wasnt just iling; I was using the strength my opponent had put into pulling me for my own benefit. I somersaulted through the air andnded in a rather cool way. ... A smile appeared on Kayans face. Excellentnding technique. ...Its because you went easy on me. He had let go of my clothes at the end. If he hadnt, I wouldvended in a much more unttering way. On my back or my butt, probably. It is only a mock battle. Theres no need to go all out. He wasnt wrong. This was a mock battle to improve mybat senses for a real fight, and its goal was to encourage growth. It wouldnt be too bad to fight even more realistically... But neither Kayan nor Icked realbat experience. Since that was the case, it was more effective to instead train in a way that would iron out our weaknesses. Ding, Ding. I heard the sound of bells in the distance. It was hard to believe, but this gloomy bell was the sound for lunch. After looking at each other, we both lowered our guards. Good work. I learned a lot thanks to you. Those should be my words. These words werent empty. Over the course of this week, I had trained continuously with Kayan and eliminated the disharmony between my mind and my body. It wouldve taken a few more weeks if I had trained with someone less skilled. The smaller the changes, the greater the skill of the opponent needed to be. In any case, my heart felt lighter. I felt like Idpleted a piece of homework. Tomorrow is the day, Kayan said as he walked behind me. Yeah. He was talking about the training camp. Since it was starting tomorrow, I needed to move this afternoon. There wasnt anything more I needed to do, so I was considering packing lightly after lunch and leaving immediately. It seems a total of 43 people will be attending this training camp. Hm. Is that a lot? A lot more thanst time, and it seems to be a lot more than usual as well. Also, I heard that there are a lot more talented individuals among the candidates. Really? The third son of House Helvin, the youngest daughter of House Rubyeta, andalthough he didnt attend the Blessing Ceremonyeven the sole son of Sir Ranger Hyde... I mentally filed away the names Kayan had mentioned. And the third daughter of House Goodspring as well. It was unexpected to hear that Sellen had chosen to stay behind. I didnt feel like there was a reason for the daughter of Goodspring to remain in Bednicker to attend the training camp. Rather, considering the rtionship between the two houses, attending could even be seen negatively. It might make it seem like she was dissatisfied with the level of training she would receive at House Goodspring. That wasnt something her House would allow. Theres no way she doesnt know this. Although she had a few quirks, she wasnt stupid. The carriage that will lead to the site of the training camp will arrive in the afternoon. Carriage? It seems you cant bring anything except your clothes and your weapon. Your basic toiletries and other necessities will be provided there. Ah. It was nice how he told me all the necessary information without me having to ask him. Having a butler who was good at his job was amazing. I understood why the other people at the mansion also wanted Kayan. How many people within Bednicker were as universally capable as him? Maybe I can take the Sword of Seven Sins with me. I thought about it for a moment, considering whether I should leave it behind or take it with me. I wasnt nning to use it as a weapon, but it probably wouldnt get vetoed anyway since it looked like a sword... One thing I was worried about was the magic item given to me by the Lord of Blood and Iron, but since it looked like a ring, it would probably be fine as well. My n was to eat, wash myself, put on some light clothes, and leave for the camp, but I suddenly heard a knock on the door. You may enter. Yes. The one who entered was someone I hadnt been expecting. So you are... Its Jein. Right, Collector Jein. The one who had overseen the duel between myself and Hector. I hadnt forgotten him. The mismatch between his name and his appearance had made an impression on me. What is it? The family head told me to deliver this to you, young master. He pulled something out and handed it to me. It was a very expensive-looking wooden box, and it seemed to have a mechanism in it as it automatically opened with a click. Inside, I saw something like a red jewel. What is this? This is the mystic bead. Mystic bead? Ah... The elixir the Lord of Blood and Iron had said he would give me. I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the mystic bead. I know that elixirse in many different forms... But was this edible? It was too big to just swallow, and it looked like I would damage my teeth if I tried to chew it. Then I shall leave this with you. Wait. Jein turned back and looked at me as if to ask what I wanted. For some reason, he was exceedingly polite. Were Collectors all weirdos? I need a bit more of an exnation. Did the family head not say anything else? Nothing particr. Hmm... I looked at Jein with a bit of a troubled expression. He replied, However, if you require an exnation about the mystic bead, I could give you an answer. Oh. Please. This is a mystic bead, also called a realized mystic bead, and it is an elixir. It is only obtainable from a certain type of spirit. Spirit? Of course, spirits dont have any concept of physicality. And naturally, there is nothing you can obtain by defeating them either. That is normally the case... but a mad spirit is a little different. Whats a mad spirit? As the name suggests, its a spirit that has gone mad. Spirits that remain too long in the real world and end up materializing are called that, but from what I have heard, a spiritual being obtaining a physical body is the worst thing that can happen to it. Having a body was the worst thing that could happen... Although it wasnt a concept I could understand, since spirits werent categorized as living beings in the first ce, I could move on. From its color, it seems this is from a fire spirit, and the highest-ranking one at that. I heard that the Lord of Blood and Iron went to the Tasmas Volcanic Area recently, and I suspect he obtained this there. And how do I absorb it? Do I just eat it? The better the elixir, the easier its form is to ingest so it can also be absorbed more easily by the body. For example, liquids and soft jellies. Although it looked like a gemstone, there was a chance it was actually good to eat... That might be the case for an ordinary mystic bead... but who knows? You may need to melt it slowly and digest it. Ah. Like rolling a piece of ice in your mouth? No, by using mana. Right. That was what I thought as well. Even though my expression was serious, I had been making a joke. I gave a nod. Thanks for the exnation. Then I shall take my leave. Jein left for good this time, and I immediately grabbed the mystic bead and poured my manainternal energy into it. ...Woah. My hand felt hot. The hard metallic shell started to shed a little when my mana touched it, and the extreme yang energy within started to be absorbed into me... I instinctively understood what Jein had meant by melt it and slowly digest it. This is pretty impressive. The extreme yang energy flowing out from the mystic bead was of very high purity, so much so that even with my Strongest Fire Technique, I didnt need to refine it. I could just absorb it as it was. Also... * * * * * * * * * * The advancement I would experience by fully absorbing the mystic bead would probably do more than just increase my internal energy a little. After infusing my mana and getting a feel for the internal structure of the bead, I noticed that it was denser closer to its core. Meaning that the internal energy required to melt the bead would continue to increase... In a sense, the process of melting the bead would itself be an exercise. After Ipletely absorbed the mystic bead, wouldnt my strength increase to the next level? ...As expected of the family head. Giving me a reward wasnt the end of it. He had also given me a clue to getting stronger. As expected of the Lord of Blood and Iron, who so valued the growth of his children. All right. I would need to keep the mystic bead close to me for the time being. I would need to fix the storage method, but for now, I could only carry it around. What if someone has a problem with me taking it to the training camp? Ill just have to tell them the family head gave it to me. *** After eating, washing myself, and donning the lightest clothes I could find, I left the mansion. In front of the mansion was a huge carriage. A knight standing in front of it noticed me andughed like a horse. Greetings! Young master Luan. Good afternoon. Haha. The day hasnt ended yet. Going to the training camp, are we? Yeah. You just need to get on. I nodded and climbed aboard the carriage, where I saw an unexpected face. ...Ugh. It was Hector. He looked like he had just seen something disgusting, and he rolled his eyes slightly when our eyes met. What is it? ...What do you mean? Thats not the face someone should have when seeing their baby brother. B-baby...? Hector quickly turned his head away. Thinking about it, it wasnt that unexpected that I would meet Hector here. He was also of Bednicker blood, and that meant he also lived in the main house. There was nothing weird about us taking the same carriage that was parked in front of the mansion. In any case, I sat in front of Hector. Thankfully, it was a high-quality carriage and there was a lot of room. Its a strange carriage. The seats werefortable, and there was a good scenting from somewhere inside. But in contrast, there were no windows. There was no way to check the outside situation, and if my senses werent wrong, outside sounds were blocked as well. It was like a carriage that would be used to transport criminals. Of course, I understood the purpose. It was probably to hide the exact location of the training camp. As I was silently sitting there thinking, the door opened slightly as the knight from before poked his head in. We shall soon depart. Is there perhaps anything the two of you have forgotten to retrieve? We both shook our heads. It has been confirmed. The trip willst about three hours. Thats quite a bit. I didnt know the exact size of the Forest of the Butterfly, but if a good carriage like this still required three hours, it wouldnt be weird to imagine that we were at least a towns distance away. Meaning if one didnt know the exact distance and direction back to the main house, it would be impossible to return on their own. Please tell us if you be hungry during the journey. A simple dish shall be prepared for you. Okay. The knight bowed his head and left. Are we moving now? Probably. I couldnt feel the carriage shaking at all, so I couldnt tell for sure. As I sat there in a daze, Hector started talking to me. ...It seems youre close with Sir Valter. After thinking for a moment, I realized that the knight just then was probably named Valter. A little. How? It hasnt been long since you came to the main house. Elder Brother, are you making fun of me? Hector shook his head. N-not at all. Sir Valter is a member of the Iron Blood Knight Order, and he has a strong sense of pride. Hes someone who could be picked out for Uncles special operation unit. By uncle, he was talking about the knight captain of the Iron Blood Knight Order, Rook Bednicker. Ah, so thats why. What do you mean? I fought him once, and he fought better than the other knights. Fought him? Hector looked confused. For the past week, as long as the sun had been in the sky, I had been at the training grounds. Howeverobviously, in factI wasnt the only one who had been using the training grounds. The knights had watched me spar with Kayan, and a few of them hadnt been able to ovee their curiosity and had requested to spar with me as well. There wasnt anything bad about fighting many different people, so Id epted... and Valter had fought particrly well amongst the knights. After providing Hector with a summary, he wore a bitter expression as he mumbled, So you were epted by the Iron Blood Knight Order. Dont take it too far. We just sparred a few times. Hector looked at me. That is being epted by them. They wouldnt try to fight someone they didnt acknowledge. Luan Bednicker, although I lost in the duel, the training camp will be different. I will definitely get a better mark than you, he dered with a serious expression on his face. I suddenly thought back to the Lord of Blood and Iron telling me to aim for first ce. Him too? Although it seemed that way, I ended up not asking. The conversation ended with that and I was able to fall back into my thoughts. I thought about my eldest senior brother, my time on Spirit Mountain, and finally, my master. Do not let your guard down. Those words Master had said from beyond the mirror... Know this, Youngest. If we hadnt met today, you would have died next month. It had been a week since Id heard those words. In about three weeks, there was a high chance that grave danger would befall me. The training camp wouldst for six. ...I could die during this training camp. I looked at the walls of the carriage. For some reason, I wanted to at least look at the scenery outside. Chapter 58 Chapter 58 ...Wake up, Luan. I awoke to the feeling of someone shaking my shoulder. It was Hector. He was looking at me as if he was done with me. You slept even while in front of me. ...Why shouldnt I have slept here, Elder Brother? As I answered with a tired tone, Hector replied, Ive been wondering, why do you alternate between polite and regr speech? Because I want to. ...! I ignored Hectors shocked face as I left the carriage first. Heup... The cold air touched my lungs. Although the air at Bednickers main house was very clear, this ce was beyond that. One thing that annoyed me was that this clear air contained faint animal scents. ...Why is it so cold? It reminded me of my mothers homnd, Cond, though I had never been there. It wasnt anywhere close to this cold back at the main house. I straightened my cor and took a look around. The forest surrounded an open area, and there were a few tall buildings present. The buildings were built along invisible lines separating the left and right sides. One interesting detail was that the building on the left looked shabby, like it could copse at any moment, whereas the building on the right looked very clean and sturdy, like it had been constructed recently. I saw multiple people around my age standing in the middle of the open area, blinking their wide eyes. If one just looked at their expressions, it looked like they had been kidnapped and brought here. Maybe their danger senses were dull or they were good at adapting, but I saw a few people standing together with others they were friendly with. It wasnt difficult to pick out Sellen from among the group. She possessed a rather unique appearance, after all. As I stared at her, she seemed to notice me as well as she looked back at me. It was good to see her again, so I waved at her. Sellen looked at me before rubbing her eyes and looking at me again. You! Her eyes went wide. ATTENCTION! A thunderous voice echoed through the area. It was a shout imbued with mana. The one who had let out that shout was a man with dark skin and a scar that covered more than half of his face. His eyes stood out to me. In them, I saw the look of a veteran who had survived for at least a decade in the grueling life of a mercenary. Isnt he a grand master? Was he the Instructor of the Hunt? I couldnt remember his name. In any case, the young heroes who were stuck in a daze because of his voice quickly regained their wits and scurried to the open field. The Instructor of the Hunt looked at us with cold eyes. Wee, young heroes. I am Tanko. A few of you here might know me as a guest of Bednicker and a grand master, but it would be wise for you to forget that while youre here. Also, be aware that the only other people youll meet in the training camp shall be your instructors, so watch your manners. Most of the kids spaced out when they heard his words. The ones who were slow on the uptake were like that. A few of them seemed offended by what theyd heard. Even though this was House Bednicker, they were still nobles who had lived like kings back in their own homes. The Instructor of the Hunt looked at our reactions and smirked. Those are good looks. Even if you didnt make those faces, I was still going to drill you like dogster. Before that... A few knights walked up from behind the instructor and handed a piece of paper to each of the young heroes. I took one at it and saw that it was a waiver. Sign it. One young hero bravely spoke up. Wh-what is this waiver? Tanko seemed to have been waiting for this as he fiercely twisted his lips. What do you think it is? Its a waiver to say that you forfeit any me you would ce upon Bednicker for any injuries you might sustain, even if you are left crippled forever. Murmur. I realized why this man had been chosen from among the many grand masters to go on stage. Beyond his appearance, the way he spoke was very effective at gaining everyones attention. Back when Id worked as a mercenary, most of the mercenaries who had given instructions to the new kids had been like him. I will give you this one and final warning. The training camp of House Bednicker is merciless. Any random knight training center will say the same of themself, but this training camp is on a different level. Our training camp has a mortality rate of 20 percent. The Instructor of the Hunt lifted his two fingers. Twenty percent. Do you think that number isnt that high? If youre a noble who only looks at numbers as pure numbers, you might think that. However, that means that among those present, at least seven of you wont make it out of here alive. One of the young heroes standing next to me gulped loudly. You may want to ask why it is so brutal, but it is only natural. For a young hero to be recognized as an official hero, they need to spend one to five years on probation. But here, depending on your performance, you can reduce that period down to only six weeks. It would be unfair if the camp wasnt brutal. ... You are free to not sign the waiver, but once you do, that will be it. No matter how much you cry and struggle and beg, you will not be able to leave until six weeks have passed, at which point you will leave here alive... or dead. He wasnt just putting on airs. The Instructor of the Hunt was showing the importance of this choice. Just listening to him, leaving here alive or deaddidnt it seem like there was a 50 percent chance? The ones with weak hearts would be affected the most. I-Ill go back. Me too... As expected, a few people gave up. At a nce, there seemed to be four people. Was that a lot? I had no idea. The Instructor of the Hunt, who probably knew the answer to that question, nodded as he pointed to one of the carriages. Those who are dropping out, get on the carriage and you will be escorted away by the knights. The four of them walked dejectedly to the carriage. A few young heroes couldnt take their eyes off them. They were the ones still hesitating to make a choice. However, just like what the Instructor of the Hunt had said, this was theirst chance. Boom! The sound of the carriage door closing was louder than usual. All right. The final carriage leading out to heaven has left. You fools left in hell, I truly wee you here, and I will give you your firstmand. Roll. A moment of silence passed. When one person with vacant eyes stupidly asked, ...Pardon? The Instructor of the Hunt roared, Roll, you dog bastards! *** On the continent, the name Bednicker usually caused fear. This was true for the Church of Darkness, but also for many ordinary people within The Empire. The House had an istionist tendency. The rumors surrounding the House were very dark, and the people of the house were usually quite brutal. However, that did not mean that people didnt respect Bednicker. The incredible achievements the members of the House produced in their lives were undeniable. A fallen house of the past had revived itself and reimed its past glory. The story of their revival ignited the hearts of those who listened. Simrly, House Helvins honor had fallen to less than half of what it had once been. This was the reason that Evan Helvin, the third son of this declining House, had elected to join the training camp of House Bednicker. Hoping that if he was to receive the excellent education of Bednicker, he would be able to revive his House... Such thoughts were on his mind. And if he became a direct disciple of one of the grand masters, or perhaps was noticed by the Lord of Blood and Iron... Roll, you dog bastards! ... When he heard that, Evan froze. Roll? Roll what? No, he was told to roll himself, not roll something else. Is he telling me to roll? On the dirty ground? The five slowest to roll will have their points deducted! Ah. I forgot to exin this. All young heroes who join the training camp start with 10 points. The lower your points drop, the more exciting your life here will be. Hearing that, one person standing next to him immediately started rolling. Evan looked at him in total surprise. He looked like an ordinary noble boy. He was currently rolling on the ground like it was his bed, looking like an insect as he did so. In the time Evan had spent thinking that, the other young heroes had started to roll on the ground as well. Among them, the young daughter of Goodspring, who looked like she would never do something like this, was rolling as well. Helvin tried to quickly follow this insane situation, but the moment he ducked his body... Everyone stop, the Instructor of the Hunt said with a calm voice. His frightening eye looked toward the five people who still had clean bodies. Evan Helvin, Hans Bender, Sho Greenwood, Bruno Hammer, Laura Rosi. One point deducted. ...! Resume. As the five stood there in a daze, the instructor shouted at them. What are you doing! Start rolling! At that, the faces of the five went pale as they started to roll on the ground. The damp mud got on their clothes and skin and dirtied their hair as well. It-its so dirty...! Of course, as the son of a martial house, this wasnt the first time Evan had been covered in mud, but it was his first time willingly rolling around in the stuff. The Instructor of the Hunt looked to the one next to Evan. And... you, whats your name? It was the boy with golden hair who had started rolling faster than anyone else. Yes! My name is Luan Bednicker! Helvin was shocked. Bednicker? It took him a moment to realize due to the hair color. If its Luan, its that one. The crazy kid who had sold the sword of House Bednicker. I see. Since hes crazy, he was able to act crazy faster than anyone else? Your answers are sharp, and your actions were faster than anyone else. Thank you! Luan Bednicker, you will receive one point. Thank you! Hm. The Instructor of the Hunt looked at Luan with narrowed eyes before raising his head. Everyone, get up! Scurry. This time, the thirty or so young heroes got up at nearly the same time. The official lessons will start tomorrow. Your rooms will be assigned to you today, so you can rest in your rooms if you dont hear any other orders. He let out a chillingugh. ...Be sure to rest your minds and bodies properly. Youll only have today, so rest to your hearts content. Evan spaced out as he heard this, and he had a thought. He shouldve left with the four earlier. * * * * * * * * * * After stepping foot into his lodging, Evans face became even more pale. This... is my lodging? Dust covered every corner, the stairs creaked every time he walked, and the roof seemed to just barely be holding. Had he identally been sent to a pig pen? Wait! You over there, it seems I was sent to the wrong ce. As he was thinking that, another young hero seemed to have the same thought as he spoke to the knight who had guided them here. The knight responded with a tilt to his head. Wrong ce? This isnt a lodging but a storage vault! This is your lodging. What? I said it is your lodging. This is the ce you will stay for the duration of the training camp. What...! And Bruno Hammer, speaking impolitely to your instructor is a point deduction. One point deducted from you. He was the one who had called out earlier. At the knights dry reply, Brunos face became red. Evan quietly gulped. Hed nearly had a point deducted again. Though, Evan didnt have any idea what the points meant. L-lets just y it safe for now. Ignoring that, he wanted to wash his body before going to his room. After rolling around on the dirty ground, it felt like the dirt had invaded his body. Excuse me. Could I ask where I can wash myself... another person asked the knight. Their tone was polite, probably because of what had just happened. Evan paid close attention to their conversation. The bath will only be opened twice a day: when you wake up and before you go to sleep. That means you cant wash yourself right now. Th-thats... Then was he supposed to stay like this until nightfall? Evan shuddered. Of course, that didnt mean he had the confidence to directlyin to the instructor. In the end, he trudged into his room. It was a room with the number 3 on the door. After opening the door and going in, he saw two beds and two desks. One peculiar thing of note was that the beds and desks seemed to have beenbined. The desk had a roof, and the bed was on that roof... and he had no idea why it had been designed that way. ...Ah. But after looking at the state of the room, Evan realized something. To fit both the desks and the beds in such a cramped room, this was the only possible arrangement. No way... Im supposed to live here? Even Dux, the dog back at Evans home, lived in arger room than this! Although it made him feel dizzy just thinking about it, he didnt have the confidence to argue with the knight like Bruno had not too long ago. He didnt know why, but he didnt want to lose his points. Evan didnt even have any luggage, so he just flopped onto the bed on the left side. ck. Suddenly, the door opened and someone walked through. Ah... It was the person who had been standing next to him before: Luan Bednicker. Evan quickly gave a polite greeting. H-hello. I am Evan of House Helvin. Youre the young master of Bednicker, right? Even if the other party was a crazy person who had sold the sword of their house, House Helvin was practically a fallen noble house; he needed to be polite no matter who they were. Luan just looked into the room before turning to Evan and smiling. Evan Helvin. Youre pretty famous. Eh? M-me? Luan tilted his head as he spoke. Maybe not yet? Anyway, Ill be in your care. Ill use the right side, okay? Ah, yes. And you can speakfortably to me. Well be both eating dirt and living like dogs from now on. What do you... Luan didnt answer as he jumped onto his bed while giggling. He doesnt seem like a noble. Honestly, Evan wasnt a model noble either, so he couldnt reallyin, but he was a little taken aback since he couldnt figure out what kind of person his roommate for the training camp was. [Ah, ah.] Huek! Evan was surprised at the sudden voice he could hear. [A message to all young heroes. Those who wish to eat,e to the cafeteria between the 18th and 19th hour. That is all.] Wh-what was that? Itsmunication magic. Luan didnt seem particrly bothered. They probably already set upmunication marbles in the rooms. Ah, its over there. Luan pointed to where the marble was. Its both amunication tool and themp. Looks like everything in the room has a purpose. ...Ha, haha. Wake up and lets go eat something. Ah, okay. Evan followed behind Luan with a tilt of his head. Why does it feel like hes already used to this? The answer came to him quickly. Luan was a Bednicker. Maybe he had already heard a few things about the training camp? Evan felt slightly betrayed. Finding the cafeteria was easy; they just followed where the smell of food wasing from. Evan had skipped out on lunch today, so he was starving at this point. I dont think the food will be that tasty... He had at least prepared himself for that much. Even if it tasted disgusting, it wouldnt matter to him so long as it was edible and had enough nutrients. However, in the end, Evan didnt learn what food was being served. Evan Helvin, you are barred from entering the cafeteria. Wh-why is that... sir? He had nearly slipped up. At that, the knight standing in front of the cafeteria responded with a dry voice. Young heroes with less than 10 points cannot set foot into the cafeteria in the afternoon. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Evan immediately protested. Th-that doesnt make sense. Are you saying I cant eat food if I dont have points? Who said you couldnt eat? Listen properly. I said you cannot set foot into the cafeteria in the afternoon. With a bored tone, the knight continued, Gorge yourself tomorrow morning. ... A-are you being serious right now...! Evans face immediately became red. Although he was pretty meek for a noble, his father had told him to never allow another person to mock him! He took a deep breath and prepared to let this rude knight know his ce! Shut the hell up! ...But Evan wasnt the one who shouted that. Behind him, another person was being stopped by a knight. That guy... The one whod had his points deducted not long ago. Was his name Hans Bender? Not even Bednicker can treat this Hans Bender like this! If you do not offer me my meal right now... Crack! He couldnt finish those words. Hans flew into the distance before dropping to the ground. C-cough...! Hans didnt seem to realize what had happened to him, but Evan had seen it. The knight standing next to Hans had kicked him. What will you do if I dont offer you your meal? ...Y-you dare... And you think after doing this... So what? You signed the contract yourself. Young Hero Hans, if you are hungry, go chew on the grass. Dont make a scene here. ... Hans suddenly got up and dered, I will leave the camp...! ... Im not going to continue at a training camp like this! Send me back right now! The knight let out a sigh. I will be in charge of this idiot from now on. Hans Bender, my name is Rogers. Ill.be.in.your.care for this training camp. Step. As the knight took a step toward Hans, Hanss face became pale as he stumbled back. G-go away! I said go away! If youy even a finger on me... Ack! The squealing of a beaten pig continuously echoed through the open area of the training camp. ... Having witnessed the entire event, Evan turned to face forward again. The knight standing in front of the cafeteria spoke to him. Young Hero Evan, was there something you wanted to say? ... Evans eyes lost focus as he looked at the knight. Not at all, Instructor. *** After dinner ended, everyone heard a simple warning from the instructor. In the afternoon, if there isnt a lesson, it will be free time for you to do whatever you please. Of course, leaving this field is forbidden, as is approaching the instructors lodgings. Any consequences you receive for breaking these rules will be suffered by you alone. Evan realized that the shy building on the right was the lodgings for the instructors. The building on our side has three stories and looks like itll copse at any minute... But the other building was six stories tall and designed beautifully. The interior facilities were probably amazing as well... Additionally, tonight, you will receive your basic clothing and daily necessities. They will be handed out in the open field, so line up and receive them. The clothes they received were called young heros garments, and although their design was basic, they were oddly worn out and had a dusty smell. Instructor, there isnt a size that fits me. Just take whatever. Yes, sir. One good thing about them was that the material of the clothes was sturdy enough that they wouldnt rip from simple rolls or falls. ...But why are the sizes so bad? Should you be worrying about the size at this point? The structure of the young heroes building was simple. Floor 1 had the lounge. Floor 2 was for the female young heroes. Floor 3 was for the male young heroes. Of course, without special circumstances, it was forbidden for the members of one floor to go to the other genders floor. As a result, most of the young heroes gathered in the lounge on Floor 1... But it was a lounge in name only. The only items present were a few worn-out wooden tables and chairs, a firece, wrinkled cards for entertainment, and a few books with crumpled edges. But it was still better than staying in the dusty and small rooms, so most of the young heroes used it. Evan was no different. He had taken a table with one of his friends and was staring nkly at the firece. Now that I think about it, how was the cafeteria, Karis? Karis Earthman was Evans friend. Their homes were close, and their parents had had many interactions since he was young, so they had grown up like brothers. The two of them had lined up their blessing ceremonies on purpose, and theyd intentionally joined the training camp together as well. It was better than I expected. They were self-portioned as well, so I could eat as much as I wanted... but the knights were ring at us and observing us the entire time. It was a little nerve-wracking. I see... Ah, Im so hungry. Evan gulped down his water again. Thankfully, there was a water dispenser in the lounge, so he could drink as much water as he wanted. What about your roommate? Did you get a decent guy? Hes a dwarf, but hes pretty good. I think hes going to snore a lot, though. What about you? I... dont know yet. Who is it? Evan hesitated for a moment before replying, Luan Bednicker. ...Huh, really? Yeah. Wow. Karis seemed afraid of the thought. You really got the worst one... Yeah... but I think he might be decent. The rumors might not be urate. Really? But youve heard how crazy he is. The one who sold the sword of House Karis swallowed his words. He had just seen someoneing down the stairs. And that wasnt the end of it. The young man stomped all the way to their table and sat with them. This is definitely better than being stuck in that room. There are books here as well. ...The Important Thing Is the Unbreakable Spirit? Is it a self-help book? The title is pretty cool. ... The two of them remained silent. It couldnt be helped since the person who had sat there with them was Luan Bednicker. * * * * * * * * * * Did he hear us? I dont know, you idiot. The twomunicated with just their eyes before Karis spoke up with an awkward smile. H-hello. I am Karis Earthman. Luan Bednicker. The crazy one who graduated from doing things like selling the sword of the house. He had heard everything. Karis immediately lowered his head. Im sorr Im joking. You seemed like my roommates friend, so I came to say hi. Ah, ha...? Youre Karis Earthman? Y-yes. You can talkfortably with me. Were the same age. Probably. E-ehm. I see. I mean, sure... But Karis knew. When those above him said to befortable around me, he should never take those words to heart. The true meaning of those words was Itll be ufortable for me if you keep being too polite. Ah, but you know youll die if you get too close, right? That was likely the case... Oh, really? So youre from the north as well. Are... I mean, you too? My mother is from Cond. Ive never been there personally, though. Ah. I was wondering why your hair color was familiar. ...But the conversation started to flow smoothly... Thats what Im saying. A blessing might not be a blessing. Having too many blessings can also be a curse. Really? Yeah. ...And talking to him was fun... You guys have heard about the genius of House Max as well, right? Ah, Ive heard about that. He was called a prodigy before he received his blessings, but he became an idiot after his blessings. Thats right. He became consumed by his talent. If he hadnt received any blessings and had just focused on his swordsmanship, he probably wouldve be much stronger. ...And they started to understand each other. Ah. There is one exception. Who? The family head of my house. Hes the only one who can perfectly manage multiple different blessings at once. So in the end, youre just flexing your house. I guess that is whats happening. ...And he seemed like a decent person as well? Karis ended up having the same thoughts about Luan as Evan. At some point, a lot of people had gathered around Luan. Karis recognized that most of them were fallen nobles, nonhumans, or justmoners. But that wasnt to say they were the majority of the people present. There were only about ten at most. Naturally, this was because most of the people here were nobles from Great Houses. Flush! All right, so I win all this, right? You idiot, are your eyes just for show? Thats a diamond, not a heart. Ah. Pfthaha! Just like most children around this age, they quickly became friendly with each other. They had only needed an opportunity to get closer. Especially for an isted area like this for the training camp, it was the perfect environment to nurture camaraderie among the young heroes. Not long after, the young heroes started to casually joke around with each other andugh while ying with the worn-out cards. Naturally, this seemed wrong to a few of the nobles. Hey, you lowly peasants, cant you just shut up and stay quiet? one of the nobles criticized them with a frown on his face. The mood cooled somewhat at the tant hostility, but Karis didnt want to cause any trouble on the first day either. ...All right. I dont feel any sincerity. ... Hey,moner. Do you think youre at our rank just because were in the same camp? Know your ce. Kariss expression hardened. First, because the other side continued to spit in his face even though he had backed down. And second, even though his house wasnt as notable as theirs, Karis wasnt amoner to begin with. What about our ce? Do I need to exin The noble stopped talking as an odd expression crossed his face. It was because he saw who had just interjected. Luan Bednicker. Someone with enough authority to never be considered amoner no matter what he did. Of course, everyone knew of his infamy and his supposed position within his House... But he was still a Bednicker. No matter what words came after that surname, it had an odd power to make it difficult for anyone to treat him harshly. By the way, whats your name? ...Hans Bender. Hans? Aah, the one who acted up in front of the cafeteria and got beaten up by that knight? Ack...! Hanss face became red with shame, but Luan didnt relent. I know that you were sensitive because you didnt get to eat dinner, but dont be too mean. Well be hanging out together for the next six weeks. It would be better to get along. Hah. A noble should know who they should form friendships with...! Hans felt proud of himself for talking impolitely to someone of Bednicker blood. That pride became confidence as he began to speak more loudly. These low-lives here, as soon as the training camp ends, I wont ever see them in my life ever again! At that, Luans brow quickly furrowed as he gave a nod. ...Hm. Thats true. Ive never heard of the name Hans Bender, so I guess you will be different from the people here. ... Hanss face reddened again at Luans mocking tone. There was one more characteristic of a young child at this age: they had no resistance to insults. You, you useless child of Bednicker...! Even though Hans was the one who had said it, he flinched a bit and checked for Luans reaction... But Luans expression didnt seem to change. Seeing his reaction, Hanss expression became brighter. Hes all bark...! Hans smirked as he continued, Are you protecting the other talentless kids? Haha. How fitting. Sure. Thats why you were only able to receive one blessing! At that moment, the main door opened wide as a man appeared. Ah. That person is... The ck hair that was rare to see in The Empire, covering his statuesque face... it was Hector Bednicker. Hanss expression became even brighter. He didnt know all the internal workings of Bednicker, but he at least knew that Hector treated Luan like trash. Youre here, Sir Hector! Hans was someone who would immediately join Hectors side. This young man will one day be famous enough to be known throughout The Empire, and he might even be the Bednicker family head... Hans felt sure of this when he looked at Hector. Hector took a look around. What is happening here? Ah, its just... there was a bit of trouble with your younger brother here. Not even Hans could be truly rude to Luan in front of Hector. Even if he didnt like Luan, Hector wouldnt respond well to tantly mocking someone of Bednicker blood. ...What trouble? Hans was busy scheming how to turn this situation in his favor. That was why he didnt notice that Hectors voice had lowered a little. ...It seems that he isnt self-aware of his position as a Bednicker. He hangs around those lowly folk. I think you should say something about this as his older brother, Sir Hector He was cut off in the middle of his speech. Hans Bender. Only now did Hans feel that something was off. Yes? This is surprising. I never realized House Benders authority had risen this much... ...Pardon? To the point that you dare to interfere in House Bednickers business. Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Hans was pretty quick to understand most situations. The Bednicker bloodline didnt usually show themselves publicly, and Hector was one of the most elite among the children. There was a reason Hans had been able to get closer to him. Hans could observe the other persons emotions, subtle changes in their expressions, the way they spoke, and the movement of their body andbine them all together to make an educated guess of what his target was thinking... And that instinct of his was ringing right now. Damn it. Hans had stepped on andmine. Hans Bender. ...Yes. Know your ce. M-my apologies. With those short words, Hector looked around at the crowd before meeting Luans eyes for a moment. ... ... A moment of silence passed. But Hector didnt say anything before leaving for the water fountain with a nk look on his face. W-woah... Damn. I-I thought my heart was going to pop. Only then did Evan, Karis, and the other young heroes let out sighs of relief. It was their first time experiencing the bloody mental warfare of the imperial nobles. Although they had heard about it before, actually experiencing it firsthand was beyond anything they had imagined. Fallen nobles and nobles from the outer regions werent used to this atmosphere. Wow, Luan... Your rtionship with Hector seems better than the rumors suggest, said a girl named Pam in a surprised tone. The rumors? Yeah. From what I heard, Luan Bednicker is shunned by everyone in House Bednicker, and you dont have a single sibling youre close with. They also say that your rtionship with Hector Bednicker is the worst. Pam was a girl with freckles and orange hair. She liked to keep up to date with all the news of The Empire. She was outgoing and sociable, but she wasnt sensitive to how others thought. Hey, why are you saying it like that? What do you mean? Im saying you should be careful of how you talk, Ms. Freckles. You beanpole, are you done? Luan snickered. Its fine, its fine. You cant trust rumors about House Bednicker. Were a very exclusive house, as much as the cult, so a lot of the rumors that spread around outside are part theory or exaggeration. Then whats the truth? The truth... Luan thought for a moment before replying, Brother Hector cares for me a lot every day. Gulp. The sound of someone swallowing was heard. At that sound, everyones attention turned to the water fountain, where they saw Hector wiping his mouth. Hector looked ufortable before he let out a dry cough and went up to the second floor. Woah... Looks like its real! Im so jealous! Luan tilted his head in confusion as he saw their reactions. Whats with that reaction? Well... it means youre really close to Sir Hector! The Third Fang of the Lord of Blood and Iron! What does that mean? Dont you know that Hero Bednicker and Nero Bednicker are being called the First and Second Fangs of the Lord of Blood and Iron? Of course, he hadnt known that. As stated before, Luan had purposely not gone looking for rumors about the house around this time. The other young heroes seemed frustrated at Luans reaction. Those two are the most famous among the Young Bloods as well! Whats a Young Blood? The heroes under the age of 25! Its not an official term per se, people just call them that... Hey, are you really a Bednicker? I wonder that sometimes as well, Luan replied as he scratched the back of his head. Since most of the people in the family had ck hair, his gold hair stood out even more. ...Anyway, just like how the performance of those two right now is amazing, people also have great expectations for Hector Bednicker, who will soon be an official hero. His performance in public events like the Martial Arts Competition was impressive as well. Woah... He sounds pretty amazing. Hes your brother! Pam said with a reverent expression. It was a great idea for me to join the training camp! I got a little scared when the instructor talked about the survival rate, but its just as my mother said. The training camp of House Bednicker is worth it. What did your mother say? She said that the training camp is a great opportunity to get to know more people! And I made a list myself as well. I need to get close to the BIG3 no matter what. With a confused expression, Karis asked, Whats the BIG3? The most prospective people in this training camp! And who decided on that? Me, of course. ...What a confident metric. Pam let out a creepyugh. Hehehe. Anyway, sir Hector is naturally part of the BIG3! And who are the other two? Naturally, one of them is the Goodspring It was then. ck. The main door opened and a girl with white hair appeared. Luan Bednicker! Woah. At the appearance of another big shot, the young heroes became silent again. Sellen Goodspring had appeared, her hair whipping in the cold night air. You,e with me for a [Announcing to all young heroes.] ...But Sellens voice was cut off in the middle. Everyone suddenly heard the instructors voice through themunication crystal. [It will soon be your bedtime, so return to your rooms. Anyone found awake past the 22nd hour will have their points deducted.] Ah. Luan got up as he said, You heard that, right? Lets talk tomorrow. What? Hey! Sellen hurriedly called for him, but Luan didnt even look back as he went up the stairs. Karis, who was still sitting in his chair, wore a dazed expression as he mumbled, Luan, that guy, is he a bigshot as well? Well, he is a Bednicker. Thats true. As Evan looked at the stairs, he also mumbled in a low voice, ...But still, I think theres something different about him. * * * * * * * * * * The second day. Before the sun rose, the young heroes who had gathered on the open field suppressed their drowsiness as they looked up at the tform. There are four main categories of learning you will undergo during this training camp: hunting, survival, theory, and misceneous topics. The Instructor of the Hunt was on the tform. He was looking at the group of young heroes with a fierce look in his eyes, and those nodding off without realizing the situation had already had points deducted from them. The most points you can get in each subject is 10, and toplete the camp, you must obtain at least 20 points. That means even if you get only half for each subject, you can still pass. Isnt that quite generous? There was not a single person who smiled or showed agreement to that. Then, one of the young heroes raised their hand. It was Sellen Goodspring. Even in this dirty ce, she was still a shining beauty. What is it, Sellen Goodspring? Please allow me to request a detailed exnation for each of the subjects. Hmm... After a brief pause, the Instructor of the Hunt nodded. Fine. Firstly, all young heroes here right now have received a blessing, which means you have also naturally obtained the qualifications to be a demon hunter. In other words, you have the minimum requirements to fight those disgusting cultists. The Instructor of the Hunt repeated, The minimum requirement, that is. ... I know that you are all confident after receiving your blessings. However, listen closely. If you enter their territory in your current state, you will die or be captured without surviving a single day. Evan felt resistance in his heart toward those words. Through this Blessing Ceremony, he had obtained three blessings, and each of them was useful. Also, during his time in House Helvin, he had dedicated himself to training for more than 10 years, ever since he was but a little kid. Even if he were to receive a mission right now, if he was told to hunt a regr cultist, not one of the executives, then he was confident he could subjugate them. Defeating cultists and demons is a long and boring processqualities currentlycking in you punks. So first, you must learn to hunt. The Instructor of the Hunt raised one finger and then raised one more finger. Also, you will experience istion multiple times during your missions. The curses of the cultists can oppose your blessings, and depending on how they are used, your blessings could even be nullified. However, if you hold on, reinforcements will alwayse for you, so you must learn survival as well. ... Finally, those who dont know anything about demons cant hunt or even hope to survive them. They are disgusting creatures, but that is why you must know even more about them. That is why theory is included. Someone raised their hand. What about misceneous topics? Karis Earthman, one point deducted. Hearing a response different from what had been given to Sellen, Kariss face fell into confusion. Pardon? B-but why... I was going to exin it, but you broke my flow. Evan looked at him with pity and recalled the truth hed learned yesterday and again today. Just staying quiet can get you halfway there. Misceneous topics includes everything else. Your attitude while at the training camp, your behavior, and your actions on a day-to-day basis will be marked by the instructors. There is no set marking standard. Each instructor has their own standards. ... That is why, this week, we will test you in all sorts of different ways. The first of those ways is your physical test. Crack. The Instructor of the Hunt warmed up his body with harsh movements. The method is simple. Follow me until the end. The five fastest will receive points, and the five slowest will have their points deducted. Now, start. With a calm voice, the Instructor of the Hunt started running and soon became a figure in the distance. ... ... ...Ah! Damn it! The young heroes who realized a step toote began their chase. *** The Instructor of the Hunt put importance on the martial philosophy of the individuals. Even if a martial art looked odd from an outside perspective, no one but the practitioner had the right to interfere in that art. A hundred people should naturally have a hundred different techniques. However, if someone asked those hundred martial artists what the most basic part of being a martial artist was, they should all give the same answer. It was physical strength. In every case, one needed to grow their strength. ... The Instructor of the Hunt continued to run at a fast pace as he nced behind him. It had been about an hour since hed started running. At this point, the results should be starting to show. Those who were following after him without much trouble, those who could sessfully run after him after pushing with all they had, and those who would fall behind in the end... For now, most of them were following after him pretty well. In truth, this was only expected. Most of the ones following him were from noble families and had been treated like gold since they were young. But that wasnt to say that they had grown up in sheltered environments. They all had expectations ced upon them, to be the next generation of heroes who would bring honor to their houses. As those who had received those expectations, these young heroes must have gone through every conceivable training possible. They would have hired good tutors, trained with a strict regiment, consumed all sorts of expensive elixirs, and learned martial arts with all their might. Of course, even with that, an individuals talent couldnt be controlled. The Instructor of the Hunt shouted at the few at the back who looked as if they would copse at any moment. Are you tired? Do you think youre going to die?! Then just sit down and rest! But you should all know what kind of ce this is, right?! Monsters freely roamed the Forest of the Butterfly. Of course, since they were in the training camp, the chance of meeting a monster was pretty low... But these young heroes wouldnt know that. On the other hand, the Instructor saw a few who copsed to the ground even after hearing him say that. The Instructor of the Hunt let out a sigh in his heart. This was why he hated training nobles. Excluding talent, these peoplecked one of the most important things required to be stronger: tenacity. The Instructor of the Hunt hated those who only trusted in their talent and acted up, and he hated those whocked tenacity even more. These nobles were always one of these two groups and sometimes had both traits. ...However, one surprise was that the one who looked as if he would fit those criteria the most was the one who was showing the most unexpected attitude. Luan Bednicker. Kids like him were the type that the Instructor hated the most. They had no talent andcked tenacity, yet they always acted up. In any case, based on the rumors the Instructor of the Hunt had heard about Luan and the few times he had seen Luan, the Instructor thought that he was someone who deserved to receive all the woe of the world... But that guy was currently running after him while panting and dripping sweat all over the ground. His stamina shouldve bottomed out already. At this point, even inhaling cold air should burn, and his throat should be burning even hotter. Luan should be starting to feel dizzy from theck of air. He is tenacious, but hell copse soon. It wasnt a point of worry for him. Although only a few young heroes had noticed at this point, a few knights were following after them at a set distance. They were there to pick up the young heroes who had dropped out. The Instructor of the Hunt pulled his attention away from Luan and increased his pace, proceeding to run even faster. Ugh... N-no... Seeing the Instructor increase the gap between them, a few of the young heroes let out groans. It was those who had just barely been keeping up. After running at that pace for another 30 minutes, the Instructor of the Hunt looked back once more. About half of them had dropped out at this point. Most of the ones remaining were those hed had his eyes on even before the training camp. Hm? It was unexpected to see Luan among them. He was still teetering as if he would copse at any moment. Impressive grit. It seemed he needed to change his evaluation of the boy. The Instructor suppressed the smirk threatening to form on his lips as he continued to run. And so, about another hourter, when he looked back again... Only ten or so young heroes were keeping up with him. ... And Luan Bednicker was still among them. ...What is this guy? Chapter 61 Chapter 61 The Instructor of the Hunt suddenly sped up. As I chased after him, I had a thought. So he intends to test our stamina first. It was true that this was first on the list of things to check. If I used my internal energy, I could run for three days and three nights, but this time I chose to run with only my physical strength. Honestly, since my regression, I hadnt ced too much importance on training my physical body. Unlike internal energy, which could grow explosively in a short period, physical strength could only be grown through consistent effort over a long time. Of course, that didnt mean I could forever ignore training my body. To be the Strongest Under the Heavens, both my internal and external energies needed to be excellent. I dont think I would lose to anyone here in terms of internal energy. Taking into ount the incident that had happened in the Gem Mountains and the mystic bead Id obtained... Right now and for the foreseeable future, I didnt think I would lose to anyone in terms of internal energy. On the other hand, my external strength, my body, was probably the worst among the people here. The body is very honest. It bes stronger the more stress you ce upon it, and it will weaken as much as you let it. At the age of 15, after having failed in my First Blessing Ceremony, I had practically wasted a full year at this point. It was my own fault I had be this weak. Of course, I would need to deal with the pain that woulde with trying to get back into shape. I diligently followed after the Instructor of the Hunt. Breathing became hard about 30 minutes into the run, and my head became dizzy about 30 minutes after that. The tempo was faster than Id expected, and my bodys condition was worse than Id expected. Thus, my goal for today was to try and make up for this failure of a body. I guess Im still holding on thanks to raising my stamina just that little bit while traveling through the mountain range... If not for that, I wouldve copsed 10 minutes into this exercise. At some point, my vision started to blur as well. Not yet. I held on and continued to run. A persons body is stronger than one expects. By my standards, someone had reached their limit when they threw up. Although my throat was starting to dry out, I couldnt feel any sign of throwing up. I was still far from my limit. Is this why we were called out here even before breakfast? If we had eaten something, a lot of people wouldve thrown up already. No matter what, the role of the Instructor of the Hunt was to teach us. Although the young heroes were being treated harshly, it wasnt because he held ill will toward us. But he wouldnt be expecting anything extraordinary either. Due to these thoughts, I was sure this run would end before noon. *** The run that had started early in the morning indeed ended before noon just like Luan expected. ... The Instructor of the Hunt looked at the six young heroes who had followed him the entire time withoutgging behind. If there are no major idents, these six will probably survive andplete the camp. It was a sense he had obtained after overseeing many training camps. Hector Bednicker, Sellen Goodspring, Evan Helvin, Mir Giant... These four had been promising prospects from their Houses even before the training camp and the Blessing Ceremony. But even among the six here, the one that had stayed within ten steps behind the Instructor of the Hunt the entire time was a young boy. Charon Woodjack. The son of Hyde Woodjack, the man called the Strongest Ranger of The Empire. Although he had sweated a little, his breath was stable. Hes already looking like a professional. The Instructor of the Hunt looked at Charons face. The young boy had a scar going across the bridge of his nose. For the warriors of the ins, scars werent a weakness but a medal, an opinion the Instructor shared. He expected Charon had a few more scars under his clothes. In any case, such a young boy having a scar like that wasnt ordinary. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. The Instructor could tell just how Hyde had taught his one and only child. In truth, Hyde was one of the grandmaster candidates that the Lord of Blood and Iron had scouted. However, the Lord of Blood and Iron had changed his mind for some reason after meeting him. Due to the importance of the mission Hyde was responsible for in the swamp, this wasnt particrly unexpected. And... The Instructor of the Hunt looked behind the five young heroes. There stood a person who had piqued the Instructors interest for a different reason. So he finallypleted the run. Luan Bednicker. He was panting as if he was nearly out of breath, but he had ended up following the whole way without dropping out. He was the holder of a level of persistence and grit that the Instructor of the Hunt had never seen before. Although he was thest among the six here, he had experienced the most pain and ovee it. It would be a lie to say the Instructor of the Hunt didnt feel proud of him. Honestly, he wanted to give Luan a point... Charon Woodjack, Hector Bednicker, Sellen Goodspring, Evan Helvin, Mir Giant. But that was impossible. The Instructor of the Hunt was an instructor for the training camp, and if the points given out by the instructors were inconsistent, then the order of the training camp would be broken. You five will receive two points. After saying that, he looked toward Luan, but Luan didnt seem to give any particr response as he just stood there recovering his breath. Perhaps he still didnt know the importance of points? Thats certainly not the case. Luan didnt seem like an idiot. ...Afternoon training will begin after lunch. The precise time will be announced then, so return to your rooms and rest for now. Yes. The Instructor of the Hunt left the young heroes behind and returned to his room. Although the lodging for the instructors was shiny on the outside, it wasnt as shiny on the inside. The reason the outside was made to look so fancy was to motivate the young heroes. The Instructor of the Hunt went down to the cafeteria to get his lunch, which was also his breakfast. After taking the in foods in particr, he sat down and felt someone walk around him. Quite the early lunch. The one who sat opposite him with a smooth smile was the Instructor of Martial Arts, Juan. I skipped breakfast. As expected of Teacher Tanko. Since the young heroes didnt eat anything, you didnt eat anything either? Haha, Ive learned another lesson today. ... The Instructor of Martial Arts was the type of person the Instructor of the Hunt didnt really like. He recognized Juans talent and the results of his education, but for some reason, the methods Juan used didnt align with the way the Instructor of the Hunt taught. It was weirdly unpleasant. Now that I think about it, are you the one taking the afternoon lesson, Teacher Juan? Thats right. Haha. Im getting a bit nervous. I heard that there are many children of especially noble houses this time around... Although it might be nitpicking, the Instructor of the Hunt didnt like Juans thought process either. No matter how noble their blood was, after entering the training camp, they were just young heroes. That was why the instructors needed to focus on their aptitude, their talent, and their tenacity. The Instructor of the Hunt didnt want to stay here any longer, so he put the half-bread into his mouth and stood up. Ill be going first. Sure. Right. Was there any young hero in particr who caught your eye? ... There were a few. The one who received most of his attention was an unexpected individual. However, as if he had no intention of revealing that, the Instructor of the Hunt just shook his head and left. * * * * * * * * * * Fuu... I only got up after my breathing calmed down. I felt a bit dirty due to being drenched in sweat and dirt, but I didnt feel like washing myself either. Much harsher training than this probably awaited us this afternoon. And its not like the baths are open right now. I headed to the cafeteria to sate my hunger. Thankfully, there wasnt a set portion for the food. I could eat as much as I wanted. I mainly took the meats and piled them on my te before taking a seat and digging in. The training camps cafeteria wasnt too highly regarded by the nobles here, but it matched my tastes quite well. Although it wasnt particrly seasoned, it didnt have any weird smells or bad textures. More than anything, the nutrients were bnced pretty well. But then someone took a seat right in front of me. Hey...! It was Sellen. I kept chewing my food as I answered, Hello. Why do I feel like we meet while eating a lot Shut up. What happened? Sellen asked while cutting me off. Only then did I remember myst meeting with her. Shed reacted like I hade back from the dead. I swallowed my food as I answered, It was dealt with. What? It was dealt with. Isnt that why Im here? Sellen looked at me in disbelief before speaking more quietly. Did you defeat that monster by yourself? It wasnt as if she would believe me if I told her the truth. For a better flow of conversation, I added a small lie. Someone from the house helped me. Who? You wouldnt know even if I told you. Shut up and tell me. Hey, weve only just reunited, but why are you so aggressive? The important thing is that we both made it out alive to meet again. Dont try to change the topic. Answer me. This girl... I was going to show her what changing the topic really looked like. Before that, whats your secret? ...What secret? Sellen tilted her head with a calm expression, but I didnt miss how she flinched a little. You said youd tell me a secret if I made it out alive. ...Hm. D-did I? Uh, yeah. I heard it with my own two ears, swear on everything. So tell me, what is it? ... Whats with that expression? Was your secret that big of a deal? Are you actually a man or something? A-are you serious? Sellen shouted in shock. Of course, my eyes werent so bad I couldnt distinguish a man from a woman. Or do you not have a secret at all? Perhaps you just said that? Now that I think about it, seeing your reaction, you just said that because you didnt expect me to make it back alive, right? Sellen raised her voice. Thats not it! She took a look around afterward before letting out a sigh. ...Just, I never expected to tell you in this way. Damn it. Then why did you make a promise like that? ...I dont know. I wish I could go back in time and p myself in the face. Unexpectedly, I was the one who flinched a little when she said that. It was a thought I had had multiple times since my regression. ...Its not right to say it here. Ill tell youter. Got it. More importantly, why did you attend this training camp? Thats what I should be asking. Why are you here? Dont you know just how dangerous this training camp is? At this point, someone might think she was the Bednicker, not me. Its my Houses event. I got a blessing as well. I would be aughingstock if I didnt join. Thats... true. Sellen hesitated for a moment before continuing, ...After joining this training camp, is there any way to leave in the middle of it? No. What if you suffer a serious injury? Theyll probably let you rest in the infirmary in the instructor lodging. We have a grand master whos a current priest: the Instructor of Healing. That person will heal you. ... It was a weird reaction. Although it was known that the Bednicker training camp was dangerous... was it something the daughter of Goodspring should be this scared of? Although the training camps death rate was decently high, with Sellens skill, she shouldnt die. Seeing how she was acting, it didnt seem shed joined the training camp to meet me, so she probably had a different goal. What is it? ...Ill tell youter. Why? I dont want to be treated like a crazy bitch. What did she mean by that? In any case, Sellen left without saying anything further. She even picked the seat farthest from me to eat her food. Maybe she was annoyed with me or something, but she didnt look in my direction even when I stared at her. Her personality is so weird. Although she wasnt a bad person, her words were too rough to say that she was nice, and talking to her wasnt thatfortable either. It seemed like she was hiding a lot as well. In any case, I decided to file Sellen Goodspring away in my mind as a prickly person. As soon as Sellen left, someone ran up to my side and sat next to me. I remembered...! It was the girl with the freckles, Pam. What? The rumor about the engagement between the youngest son of Bednicker and the third daughter of Goodspring! She pointed at me. The youngest son of Bednicker! Me. The third daughter of Goodspring! Sellen. As I thought! Pam was hyperventting. Her condition seemed dangerous. I was wondering why a Goodspring joined the House Bednicker training camp...! But with a situation like this happening behind the scenes, its only obvious, obvious! Karis approached us and pressed down on Pams head. Ah, youre so noisy. Be quiet. My roommate Evan also arrived with an expression filled with curiosity. So shes your fiance. I was wondering why you were so close. Were not close. And its been a long time since our engagement got called off. Ack! That was true as well! Huh! Wait! So the engagements already been broken, but your love for each other hasnt disappeared, and youre both going to leave your houses and elope... Pam went off like a cannon even while her head was being pressed down. Evan looked at me for a moment before saying, You were pretty impressive in this mornings lesson. I honestly didnt expect you toplete the whole run. Was he changing the subject for me? How considerate of him. I thought I was going to die. I havent gone that hard in a while. Haha. Good one. You, on the other hand, got third. You passed at the top. Im confident in my physique. ... I looked at Evan giving a bashful smile. Evan Helvin. The third son of House Helvin. He used the sword as his main weapon. He used the secret swordsmanship, Raven, created by his father and family head, Doz Helvin. It wasntpletely off the table that he might just have the same name. I continued to think as I stabbed the meat with my fork. I didnt know for sure yet. This guy, who always looked so exhausted... Was he really going to be the greatest criminal on the face of the continent in the next 10 years? Chapter 62 Chapter 62 The most surprising thing about the training camp was that it was filled with individuals so famous that even I had heard of them at least once. There was nothing that needed to be said about Hector and Sellen, but there was also Charon Woodjack, who had imed first in the morning run, as well as the Executioner of House Rubyeta, the ck Knight of Chevalier, the young Nightwalker tribe leader, and the future hero of the beastmen... It wouldnt be wrong to say that this was a gathering of the future heroes who would be the pirs of The Empire. However, the name I had heard most among them was definitely Evan Helvin. It wouldnt even take 10 years. In just five years, nobody in The Empire wouldnt know the name Evan Helvin. In the next year or two, Evan would enter the hero institution, Heroes. Then, as a member of Heroes, he would umte grand achievements and receive the expectations of The Empire. That was why the betrayal of the hero Evan Helvin was called the Worst Betrayal to Humanity in History. I looked at Evan. He had grey hair and the innocent face of a boy. I didnt know much about House Helvin. From what I could remember, it was just a small house in the countryside. It was true that he had a faint trace of the blood of heroes within him, but to date, House Helvin had never produced an excellent hero. Even so, Evan had be so famous that even I had ended up hearing about him. From a young age, he had trained in many different swordsmanship styles and produced results. Each of his swordsmanship teachers had praised his talent. News of this had quickly spread to the Imperial City as well. I dont think hes a bad guy by nature. In truth, there was only one of two possibilities. Either he was so truly evil that he fooled even my intuition... Or an incident urred that turned even this innocent kid into the worst criminal imaginable. Since weve ended up as roommates... The answer should be obvious if I observed him for a while. However, what if the result was that he truly was that evil, and there was no room for even a sliver of doubt...? I dont know. I decided to think about thatter as I ate my final bite of meat. *** Upon going out to the field after eating lunch, I saw the ones who had dropped out during the run copse to the ground after returning to camp. It was interesting in many ways to see these haughty nobles crawl on the ground like worms. I sat down a small distance away and watched the situation. After some time passed, knights appeared. They were carrying a noble on each shoulder, and without any consideration for the floppy nobles, the knights just threw them onto the dirt floor. Guhek. Ugh... So they were still alive. Maybe because they had grown up eating well, they were all pretty sturdy. Although they were the children of noble houses, most of the Great Houses were martial houses. It wouldnt be entirely correct to consider them sheltered brats since they wouldve started their own training when they were young. S-so hungry... I saw one of the young heroes crawl toward the cafeteria. I could feel their drive to survive. You can do it. I cheered for the young heros survival instinct, but a heartless human blocked their way. Stop, said the knight. As the young hero looked up with a pitiful expression on their face, the knight seemed to truly have no heart as he coldly responded, Lunchtime is over. Th-that cant be. I havent even eaten breakfast... You shouldve returned earlier if you wanted to eat. Guyak... The young heroes all copsed while making odd sounds. Truly, it seemed food was the best way to control and punish these young heroes in this environment. Although I felt the tactic was cowardly and shameful, the fact I felt that way about it meant it was working. Even though there was no limit to the portions, the daily activities were harsh, and exhausted people became hungry quickly, no matter how much they ate. All right. Looks like everyones got their rest. Gather up, the afternoon ss is beginning. Although I had rested well, eaten well, and had enough time to digest the food, there were countless kids who had just arrived and were still crawling around on the ground. Of course, it didnt seem they were going to question the instructors words either. The other instructors kicked the kids who couldnt move to round them up in the center of the field. Are you okay? U-ugh... I could see Evan helping out a few of them. He braced them or even carried them on his back to move them. He looked and acted just like a model citizen. He seemed the type to incur losses upon himself for others. In any case, when the young heroes stopped swaying and stood straight in the middle of the field, a man climbed atop the tform in front of them. He was a young and handsome man, but his lips were thin, so his face was uneasy to look at. Hello, young heroes. I am Juan. As the Instructor of Martial Arts for this training camp, I will be teaching you all the basics of martial arts. He spoke with a smooth voice, perhaps the first smooth voice Id heard since the start of the training camp. It was unsettling to hear an instructor speak with that voice. Ehm... Juan scratched his cheek as he looked back at the young heroes standing there like zombies. The instructor for your morning training was Teacher Tanko, right? It seems youre all very tired. It cant be helped; since todays the first day, well proceed with the lesson while sitting down. Oh-oh...! Thank you... thank you... At those words, most of the young heroes fell on their butts. These were the kids who had hesitated to roll in the dirt yesterday, but it seemed that thought couldnt evenpete with their physical exhaustion. However, I felt something was slightly off about the Instructor of Martial Arts. At a nce, it seemed like he was being nice to the young heroes and was granting them a moment of rest... But at a time like this? Today was only the second day of the training camp. The Instructor of the Hunt hadnt treated the young heroes harshly because he wanted to. The young heroes had been treated harshlyeven more than was necessaryso that they could get used to the training required during the camp. But the rest this person was offering was loosening the tension that had been building up. Sure, its nice right now... But who knows? Everyone would be treated like trash during the other lessons anyway, so would this moment of rest be any good for the young heroes? Of course, I could just be twisting his intentions as a result of my paranoia. Maybe the Instructor of Martial Arts really was a kind andpassionate person. Then, the lesson will begin. I raised my head. Since the other instructors would start marking us now, my points could be deducted if I didnt show that I was paying attention. I couldnt afford to look bad since I was aiming to take first ce. First? I was slightly startled by my thoughts. The words the Lord of Blood and Iron had said to me in passing had ended up bing my goal. Maybe because Im confident. I had felt in my core that the Lord of Blood and Iron was someone who properly rewarded achievements. If I finished this training camp in first ce, I was sure that it wouldnt end with just a few words of praise. I might receive something even greater than the mystic bead. Martial arts began as a way to protect ones body, but that has changed. Many new categories of martial arts have appeared. Martial arts specialized for a specific weapon, a specific body part, to fight a specific enemy, to fight in a specific environment, or even for those born with a rare bodily constitution or form. At that point, someone raised their hand. What do you mean by rare bodily constitution or form? Someone born with only one arm, with ame leg, or blind. Ah. Such people naturally cant practice martial arts the same way. The lesson was mostly about the theory of martial arts itself. The heart one must have as a martial artist, the signature martial arts of The Empire and its characteristics, the pros and cons of each martial art... training and sparring, things one must be careful of in real battle, and so on. Honestly, most of the information here should already be known by the young heroes who were children of martial houses. His voice was pleasant to listen to, but the ss itself was boring, so a few young heroes nodded off while sitting on the ground. Please wake up. When he saw them, the Instructor of Martia Arts only gave a quiet warning and didnt even give any real punishments, not even a deduction in points. The one who got called out just let out a dumbugh as if he was fully rxed. In any case, the boring lesson soon ended, and dinner was upon us. You cannot enter. N-no...! The young heroes with less than 10 points all copsed to the ground in despair, but no one tried to challenge the instructors since they had all seen what happened on the first day. The hungry young heroes roamed around the cafeteria like zombies, and I watched them as I ate my food. ...I never thought being able to eat dinner would make me so happy, Evan mumbled in a low voice while sitting next to me. Now that I thought about it, he had gotten two more points today. It was enough to make up for the deduction from yesterday. Ill need to be thankful for each meal I have in the future. For some reason, when I heard Evan say that, it reminded me of my time on Spirit Mountain. When I had starved for a week straight, I had even considered eating pebbles off the ground. ... I had never expected the training camp to make me remember that moment. A blessing in disguise, as he used to say... I flinched as I remembered something my eldest senior brother used to say, and I let out a quiet sigh. Maybe it was because my heart had be ufortable, but I didnt feel hungry and ended up eating less than half of what I usually ate. * * * * * * * * * * During the evening training, the Instructor of the Hunt appeared again. There were eight grand masters, but the frequency he was appearing here was a bit rming. Although it didnt seem like there were any hierarchies among the grand masters, this man probably had the position of head instructor for this training camp. For evening training, you will be sparring. Use the weapons that will be handed out and form pairs. I will give you five minutes, the Instructor of the Hunt said with a calm voice. Then, he added one more thing: Also, the person who wins the spar will be awarded one point, and the one who loses will have two points deducted. Murmurs were heard from the young heroes at that shocking announcement. Among them, one person who looked to be in disbelief raised his hand. I-isnt that unfair? How is it only one point when you win but two points when you lose? I was wondering who it was, but it turned out to be Karis. With a smirk, the Instructor of the Hunt responded, Karis Earthman, you have quite an optimistic view of life. It makes me want to open up your head and look inside to see if you have a flower garden in there. At that chilling response, Karis instinctively clutched his head with his two hands. Listen closely if you want to live a long life. Dont make the mistake of thinking there will always be a reward just because you tried hard. This world wont remember your suffering. If you have something you wish to gain, you can only crawl toward it from the bottom. On the other hand, there will be moments where one failure makes you lose everything in life. I ended up nodding without realizing because of how aligned those words were with my own attitude toward life. The Instructor of the Hunt, Tanko... Based on his appearance, he seemed to be a minority from the ins, and from what I had heard, the people there grew up living alongside nature from a young age. Hed probably had thew of the jungle ingrained in his mind before hed even reached puberty. Karis just stood there dumbfounded while the quick-witted ones had already started moving. Hey... you. Want to spar with me? N-no. Youre a Chevalier... Then what about me? Hmm. I want to fight a regr swordsman... Most of the young heroes moved quickly to find someone weaker than them. Only now did they understand the weight of losing two points. Currently, most of the young heroes had 10 points. As soon as they dropped below 10 points, they wouldnt be able to eat dinner... and they were afraid of what additional penalties might appear in the future. The young heroes had finally felt the weight of the points. However, among the confusion of looking for only weaklings, a few duels had started. You wont regret it? Of course not. I hadnt expected this. Hector was sparring Sellen. I watched the scene with anticipation. Personally, I expected Hector was a level above her. Hector was older than her, and since he had blessings from the First Blessing Ceremony, he was probably more proficient. But that didnt mean Sellen would definitely lose. I understood since wed fought together for a brief period: Sellen wasnt on the level of a regr young hero. She likely wouldnt have any problems even if she was thrown into a real battle right now. But then the Instructor of the Hunt spoke to me. Why arent you looking for an opponent? I continued to look at Hector and Sellen as I replied, I want to ask you something. What is it? I know that there are a total of 39 young heroes in this training camp. If everyone forms pairs, there will be one person left. Who will that person spar? They will spar against me. ...! Hearing that, the young heroes who hadnt formed up yet all froze. The prowess of the Instructor of the Hunt was known throughout The Empire. Honestly, it was expected since he was a guest that the Lord of Blood and Iron had personally scouted. However, because he focused more on educating his students, he wasnt counted among the strongest on the continent. Still, it would be embarrassing to try andpare him to an ordinary young hero. If they spar against you and lose, will they still have their points deducted? Naturally. I see. I nodded as I looked forward again. The remaining young heroes began to hurriedly form up. Hey! Just fight me! S-sure. Do you want to spar against me? Ugh... it cant be helped. The nobles from good houses and those who were avoiding fighting others began to form up. They believed that would be better than sparring against the Instructor of the Hunt. Why are you standing still? the Instructor asked me as I stood there watching the others. I nonchntly answered, Didnt you say that the remaining person will spar against you? I did. That is why. Confused, the Instructor of the Hunt furrowed his brow for a moment... But he soon let out augh while baring his teeth. He probably found it funny for the same reason I did. Knowing this, Iughed with him. Chapter 63 Chapter 63 I didnt know much about the Instructor of the Hunt, Tanko, but just from looking at him, I could tell he didnt live an easy life in The Empire. A rough way of talking, tough features, and even the distinctive appearance of the people of the ins... He had probably endured quite a few insults before hed gained his reputation. The Instructor of the Hunt said, You should understand the importance of points by now. Luan Bednicker, you currently have 11 points. If you lose to me, you will drop to 9. I dont mind. Is that so? The Instructor of the Hunt nced behind himself. As he did, a few knights standing at the back approached and began observing the spars between the other young heroes, probably to stop any fights from getting too extreme. I heard that you use your fists. Since he was still a grand master, he had probably heard about the duel between myself and Hector. Although there were iron swords avable, I wasnt even considering using them. That was just how confident I was. Thats right. All right. I will face you with my bare fists as well. Although it sounded like he was looking down on me, I wasnt bothered. Rather, it was an appropriate handicap. And I will only use one hand. That should make things fair. ... Whats with that expression? I think youre going too far. I will be the judge of that. Hm. I guess. I gave a silent nod, but internally, my fighting spirit was roaring. More than the fact that my opponent was strong, it was the call of my pride as a martial artist at being looked down upon. *** Among the nonsense I hated hearing, one of them was You cant show your true power in a real fight. The purpose of spars and duels was to prepare for a real fight. But even if you were undefeated in practice, there was no point if you couldnt repeat that performance in a real fight. You cant show your true power in a real fight? Thats backward. What you show in a real fight was your true power to begin with. However, even with that, I had never denied the importance of spars. ... The Instructor of the Hunt had a very particr aura about him. Although this was a spar, a fearsome killing intent was wafting out of his entire body. It was enough to make me nervous even though I knew he was doing it on purpose. If I were some other young hero who didnt understand that, then it would be difficult to even keep a clear mind in front of this man. Dash The moment the Instructor of the Hunt kicked off the ground, I felt the heavy pressure of a muscr beast charging right toward me. He made the first attack? That was unexpected. In a spar like this, it was usually the weaker fighter who was granted the first attack. Also, this man was my instructor. Ah. Is that why? Maybe since he was an instructor in the position of educating me, he was going on the offensive to make this more realistic. Honestly, even without that, Id guessed that his fighting style was like this. Regardless, I didnt think that arguing with him about the conventions of sparring would get me anywhere. I didnt dodge the Instructors charge. Rather, I ran right toward him. The moment the distance between us began to close, I saw the Instructor of the Hunt slow slightly. I immediately noticed a shift in his weight... and the moment his upper body turned, I could see that he was going to throw a kick. Fwip! It was an iron rule to not use mana during a spar. Despite that, I was still surprised by the sound made by the Instructor of the Hunts kick. How was he still able to throw such a fast kick without mana? I didnt think Id ever seen someone who had trained their body like this, even in my past life as a mercenary. Although I managed to dodge it by the skin of my teeth, I wasnt confident I could dodge the next attack as well. Honestly, half of this felt like luck. Or is it? Maybe the Instructor was going easy on me. I didnt feel too bad about it now. Since I now knew the Instructor of the Hunts level, I was able to ept the difference between an Instructor and a young hero without issue. If I didnt take this seriously, I would crumble. But if I faced him head-on, I would lose within five breaths. What a missed opportunity... It wouldve been much more fun to fight the Instructor of the Hunt with my grown body rather than thecking mass I had right now. But on the other hand, it was exciting. Being able to fight such a strong opponent while my condition was bad meant that I would be able to gain a lot more experience from this one encounter. I created a few different strategies in my mind as I bent my hips. First, I decided to use one of the few advantages I had: my smaller stature. Swoosh. I instantly dashed close to the Instructor and punched forward with my palm. Although it didnt carry any internal energy, this was the form of the Second Technique, ming wheel. Bam. The attacknded. No matter how tough someone was, they would have a hard time not staggering when they were hit directly in the stomach like this. Many openings were momentarily created in the Instructor of the Hunts body, but I didnt continue my assault. Instead, I fell back. Swipe. By a hairs breadth, the Instructors palm wisped past the edge of my chin. I didnt just stand there and watch his hand move away; I immediately reached out and grabbed the Instructors wrist. It was his right hand. The fact that he responded with his right hand means hes not using his left. He wasnt using his left hand by his own rule, and I had grabbed his right hand. And the distance we were at was the distance that I preferred. I turned his right hand as I punched the Instructor on his chin. Crack! His chin became red from the hit. My first actual hit. Although it was proof that my attacks worked, it didnt feel particrly good. That was because of the Instructor of the Hunts expression. He didnt look like someone who had just been attacked. Before I could even think about attacking again... Bang. A sound rang out right as I felt extreme pain in my abdomen. My vision went ck for a second and strength left my legs. Before I could recover either my mind or my body, I was kicked again. I rolled on the ground about two rotations before jumping up on the spot. Cough. I let out my breath a beatter than I wanted to as I looked directly in front of me. I saw the Instructor of the Hunt charging toward me like a besat. I didnt have the time to recover my stance as I shed with the Instructor. We exchanged blows at close quarters. I took a responsive stance to defend against the Instructor of the Hunts attacks, and I was able to realize how I had been attacked. It was his knee. That wasnt all. The Instructor of the Hunt used his elbows multiple times to try and hit me. ...What a liar. I couldnt help butugh. The Instructor using only one hand hadnt been a penalty to begin with. * * * * * * * * * * He mainly fought by using his legs. Its an interesting martial art... Was this the unique martial art used by the warriors of the ins? In any case, getting hit by either his knees or his elbow was painful enough to nk my mind for a split second. If he had used mana in any of those attacks, each of them wouldve been a fatal blow. Unexpectedly, I concluded that his fighting style was actually simr to mine. Each technique of the White Sun Form was designed to be fatal as well. Usually, the way I fought started with responding to every new situation that popped up, which I guess could be called fighting without a n, before using the appropriate White Sun Form technique at the pivotal moment to end it. As I began to see the simrities between my martial arts and my opponents fighting style, my brain went into overdrive. I forgot that I was in a fierce battle and began to be overwhelmed by my imagination instead. Thetter half of my White Sun Form was still iplete. I began to think that maybe I would be able to find some clues in this spar. *** Most of the spars ended pretty quickly. To be precise, they didnt take more than five minutes. In the first ce, since these were spars, everyone focused more on attacking, and it was only natural that the fights ended quickly as a result. You lost. I lost... Kugh. Many of them lowered their heads in despair. Most of the people who had lost wouldnt be able to eat dinner tomorrow. On the other hand, the ones who had won looked very happy. Although the use of points hadnt been fully discovered in detail, they still knew that the points were as valuable as their lives. I... I lost... Hector epted his defeat with a stunned look on his face. Sellen retracted her sword and expressionlessly responded, Well fought. Seeing her reaction, Hector bit his lips. His clenched fists were shaking. He didnt resent his opponent. Rather, he couldnt ovee his shame at his own weakness. He had dered proudly in front of Luan that he would be the better between them in this training camp and would produce better results. But since making that deration, he had lost in such an unsightly way. ...Were you hiding your strength? He didnt care if it just sounded like a losers poor excuse; Hector couldnt erase the feeling that the figure in front of him had suddenly be stronger. Sellen Goodspring. She, who had not a single simrity with a warm spring breeze, looked back with her icy eyes. Not at all. Then are you saying you became this strong in such a short amount of time? I guess. And Ill be stronger in the future, Sellen thought but didnt say. In the first ce, Sellen had the potential to be stronger faster than anyone else in the world. She had never told this reason to anyone... or at least, she had nned not to. You said youd tell me a secret if we meet again. Curses. Stupid girl, were you out of your mind? Why did you say that and create such a tricky situation? ...Of course, since she was the one who had said it, there was nothing she could do but curse herself. Sellen clicked her tongue as she looked for Luan. She was curious who he was fighting, but Sellen couldnt easily find him. Instead, she looked over to where a lot of people had gathered and walked over there. Thankfully, she didnt need to push past the other young heroes because they parted for her. In moments like this, she was a little thankful for her fame, troublesome as it usually was. In any case, beyond the crowd, she found Luan... as well as the Instructor of the Hunt. Heh. She had wondered which idiot would end up fighting the Instructor, but it was him? What had happened? Sellen knew that Luan wasnt an ordinary kid, but most of the young heroes here shouldnt have known that. Since his reputation was as low as it could be, she had expected someone toe and challenge him... Did he n to fight the Instructor from the beginning? Although that sounded crazy, she thought it might be possible for a crazy guy like him. Regardless of her internal grumbling, Sellen soon stopped thinking about it. ... ... Rather, she understood why everyone had gathered here and why no one was talking. First of all, the two of them were fighting bare-handed. Considering that most of the young heroes here used deless spears and wooden swords, it was an odd choice to see them fighting without a weapon. But after spectating their battle for a bit longer, those questions disappeared. Rather, wouldnt it be safer for the two of them if they were using wooden swords? The Instructor of the Hunt, Tanko. Everyone knew just how strong that grand master was. Sellen actually knew a little more about Tanko than ordinary young heroes would. That man was quite the expert not just at hunting but also against humans. That was because he was a great warrior of the ins. The wide open area in the eastern part of The Empire... There, if one wanted to gain the title of great warrior of the ins, one needed to be an expert in every aspect. Naturally, this included hunting, but it also includedbat. One of the tasks that needed to be aplished to be a great warrior was to gain the respect of the 27 main tribes in the ins. And to gain their respect, one usually needed to defeat someone inbat. From what Sellen knew, Tanko had gained the most victories as a great warrior in the history of the tradition. The Undefeated Warrior. He wasnt truly undefeated, but none opposed Tanko being called by that title. Then... Considering that the spar looked equal, was it because, right now, he wasnt fighting as a great warrior but as the Instructor of the Hunt? Of course, Sellen was able to quickly deduce with her sharp eyes the penalty the Instructor had imposed on himself: Tanko wasnt using one of his arms. Swoosh! Luan dodged the Instructors kick. In that critical opening, the Instructor of the Hunt threw out a punch. Woah...! Exmations could be heard from many people. Sellen was probably one of them. Luan dodged in mid-air by twisting his body before grabbing onto the Instructors arm. It looked as if a huge snake had wrapped around the Instructors arm. Crack! Hes breaking the joint! Sellen was surprised. Even to Sellens eyes, the technique looked very precise and refined. At this rate, the shoulder could pop out, and if it became serious... The Instructor mmed down on Luans back with his left elbow. Crunch! Kugh. Luans body fell to the ground. However, when Luan lifted his head, there was a smile on his face. You used your left arm. ... The Instructor of the Hunt looked down at his arm with a stern expression. Chapter 64 Chapter 64 The Instructor of the Hunt silently opened and closed his mouth several times as if in shock. While he was doing that, I began to think. For now, ignoring the rules and form of the battle Id just had, I realized that there was not much more I could gain by fighting here. Which meant that there was no point in prolonging this battle. I lost. ... Although losing the fight was a shame, it was more regretful that the spar had to be in this format. In a spar or mock fight, it was much more difficult for the weaker fighter to defeat the stronger fighter. That was because they couldntunch extreme attacks that might cost both their lives. But the moment such a restriction was removed, it could no longer be called a spar. ... The Instructor of the Hunt looked at me with calm eyes. Since his face was rough to begin with, I couldnt really tell what he was thinking. He probably wouldnt take my deration of defeat as me taunting him, right? ...No matter the format of the spar, you lost in the end, so you will have two points deducted. Yes. I calmly epted the deduction. Naturally, losing those two points didnt feel good, but I felt I had gained something far greater than that. The spar Id just had with the Instructor of the Hunt was, toy it out in the open, one of the highest-level battles Id had since my regression. Although that was a bit mean to Kayan who had sparred against me for an entire week, it was the truth. Since I had gained inspiration for thetter half of the White Sun Form, I nned on thinking about a new basic technique in between my circtions. At this point, the Instructor of the Hunt spoke up. However... ...? The level of martial arts you disyed, your quick responses to new situations, your tenacity, and even the fact that you maintained your focus until the end and attempted a counterattack... and also because I had to go back on my word, I reward you three points. So... Since Id had two points deducted and gained three additional points... In the end, I was up one point. I was a little shocked as I responded, Thank you, but the Instructor of the Hunt had already turned around. At that moment, I felt a sharp reing from someone. As I turned my head to see who it was, between the young heroes, someone a head taller than anyone else was looking at me. His name was... Charon Woodjack? The only son of Hyde, the one called the Strongest Ranger in The Empire. I had never really spoken with him, but I knew that he was as famous as Hector and Sellen. What are you looking at? I mouthed, but Charon silently turned away. What was his deal? *** After the day ended, as Iy down in my bed, Evan spoke to me. You were pretty impressive today. In what way? I responded, my eyes closed. You fought the instructor. Well, I still lost. At that, Even let out a dryugh. Its only natural to lose. The Instructor of the Hunt is also called the Undefeated Warrior. Ive heard that he is known throughout the Eastern ins. I wasnt particrly tired; rather, I was going over the spar in my mind. He was interrupting me, so in an annoyed tone, I replied, Sure. Thankfully, Evan seemed to pick up on it as he shut up. Hm. I hated having to care about how other people thought, but I felt like I needed to be close with this person for now, so I thought up a topic we could talk about. In the end, I had to open my eyes and ask, You won today, right? Yeah. Did you watch me? No. If youd lost, you would look pretty sad right now. Thats true. Evan smiled. I fought against the youngest daughter of House Rubyeta today. Oh ho. She would be a big shot in the future. House Rubyeta had considerable authority even among the Great Houses, and Sharyl Rubyeta, the youngest daughter of that house, was someone even I had heard about. In the same vein, since Evan was famous in his own right, the spar between them had probably garnered some attention from the other young heroes. She was strong. Honestly, I won half because of luck. I heard that she usually uses a blunt weapon, but the instructors didnt prepare weapons like that. Truthfully, it was probably harder to create blunt weapons than to make swords or spears out of wood. Maces would be impossible, and even if they were forced to make one, it would probably only be something like a club. ...But I still won. I proved that my fathers martial arts are strong. Did you learn your martial arts from your father? Evan pridefully responded, Yeah. He is my one and only teacher. No one in the world thinks highly of my father. Honestly speaking, its because he wasnt able to produce achievements as a martial artist. He smiled. Still, my father is my pride. And with the Raven he taught me... I will be sessful. His calm voice carried a trace of passion. I knew very well in what situation people sounded like that. That was the voice of a disciple proud of and truly respectful of their master. ... I still didnt know much about Evan. Before my regression, I had only heard rumors, and Id only known scraps about House Helvin. Naturally, I didnt know anything about their family headEvans fathereither. However, listening to Evan now, I learned something. Evans father seemed to be a good teacher. Whats your definition of sess? Huh? Evan hesitated for a second at my random question, but he managed to respond eventually. Joining Heroes and bing a hero... helping a lot of people... and eventually, defeating the cult and the Demon Lords and bringing peace to the continent? Surprisingly, Evans goals aligned with mine. If he didnt lose sight of his goal, he would be an ally of mine in the future. But my goal right now is to safelyplete the training camp. I see. Good luck. Yeah. Thanks. Evan randomly thanked me. I closed my eyes and didnt respond. Thankfully, Evan wasnt stupid, so he didnt try to continue the conversation. Not long after, only the sounds of breathing could be heard in the room, and in this quiet night, sleep soon took us... ... ... [Alert! All young heroes, wake up now!] ...For just 10 minutes. [There is an emergency! Monsters have invaded the camp! All young heroes, prepare for battle and gather on the field!] What was going on now? * * * * * * * * * * After putting on my clothes as fast as possible, I ran out of the building. Thankfully, due to the loud voice of the instructor, even though most of the young heroes here looked like they had just woken up, they still managed toe out and stand in the field. Atop the tform was an instructor we hadnt seen before. I am Soimond, one of the instructors. I will omit my self-introduction, so focus on the situation at hand. Currently, the magic barrier surrounding the camp has been broken for an unknown reason. Pardon? The young heroes all paid attention in shock. Since a lot of people are gathered here, the monsters of the forest will soon surround us. The instructors are stopping the ones at the frontline, but a few monsters will unfortunately slip past them. Soimond took another breath. You understand what I want to say, right? Survive in any way you can. ... With that said, I will go join the other instructors. He descended from the tform, and we all watched his back as he disappeared into the forest. Only now did the young heroes gripped by uncertainty squeeze out their voice. Monsters areing here? Th-they have to be lying, right? I heard that the magic barrier created in the Forest of the Butterfly was created by Sir Asad. Theres no way it would break that easily... Thats where you are wrong, Hector corrected the stupid-looking young herolooking at him, it was Karis again. Sir Asads barrier only covers the fences of the main house. It doesnt seem like he created a barrier into the deepest parts of the Forest of the Butterfly. Even if he had, it would be more of a sealing barrier that stops monsters from leaving. N-no way... Kariss face fell in despair. I also agreed with what Hector had said... but I was still certain that this was another test. There isnt a single instructor here. It wouldve been fine if Instructor Soimond hadnt left, but it was odd how the young heroes were left all by themselves. Another instructor or two at the frontlines was unlikely to change the oue, and since that was the case, leaving an instructor here to guide the young heroes would be more effective. Are they trying to test how we deal with emergencies? Considering how we would need to fight against the cultists in the future, this was one of the more important topics to cover. How many people noticed? Although it wasnt a hard fact to deduce, it was difficult to remain calm in situations like this unless it came to you naturally. Or you had a lot of experience. Experience. This was one of the only factors missing from the geniuses gathered in this training camp. And a fight with their lives on the line... would explosively increase their experience. Twenty percent... The death rate of young heroes in Bednickers training camp. Among the young heroes here, at least 20 percent would die. Since that was the case, even if a young hero was about to die tonight during this test, the instructors wouldnt intervene. I started to get a sense of what direction this training camp was taking. Krrr... A frightening presence was felt from beyond the trees. The young heroes, pale with fear, pulled out their weapons and naturally stepped backward, away from the sound. Obviously, not all of them did this. A few took battle positions while remaining calm. The first to act seemed to be Charon Woodjack. I could tell that he had walked the line between life and death many times from a young age. He was probably one of the only young heroes here who had sufficientbat experience. Afterward, Hector, Sellen, and Evan took up their positions as well. In a way, they were all the people who had received points during the run before. I didnt join them. Since they would do fine by themselves, I had something better to do. I finally have a chance as well. I drew the Sword of Seven Sins from my hip. Its appearance wascking, but since it was still the relic of a king, it probably wouldnt break even if I swung it too hard. Crunch! The tree was toppled as the monster revealed itself. Its here! Th-thats... Uck...! It looked like a centipede, but it was as big as a house. It also wasnt alone. Small copies of it that looked like its offspring were crawling all over it. Centipedes were disgusting even when they were centipede-sized, and this one was much worse because of how big it was. Many young heroes were surprised at its striking appearance, but thankfully, none of them seemed to fall into panic. Although the instructors treated these kids like brats, that was more just to set the tone... Objectively speaking, the ones at the training camp right now were all pretty decent in their own ways. Rumble! The first to charge was the swam of baby centipedes. Damn it! We need to fight! The young heroes held up their weapons. At this point, they were probably thinking of fighting them in the ways they werefortable with, but that would be difficult to keep up until the end. No matter what, during this battle, they would experience at least one moment of danger... and to ovee that danger, they would need to employ every trick they had at their disposal. I expected that was the reason the instructors were putting on this show: so that the young heroes could get used to using the mysterious powers called Blessings. After thinking up to that point, I halted for a moment. What about me? I had received a blessing as well. I had received a blessing, but I still didnt know what it was. Compared to the others, it was like I wasnt even at the starting line. But even in that position, I had thought myself better than the other young heroes. Dont be overconfident. In a sense, this was overconfidence and vanity. Heup. I remembered my masters advice as I calmed my heart. I suddenly had a thought. Maybe, in this training camp... Did I also need to figure out how to use my blessing? Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Just as Luan expected, the early morning raid was intentionally carried out by the instructors. The instructors hadnt gone to the frontlines to fend off the monsters but rather gathered in the meeting room inside their lodge. Sitting in their seats, the instructors watched the light emitting from the magic crystal, which soon changed to show the young heroes inbat. The Instructor of Survival, Soimond, the instructor who had just left, was the next to speak. It starts now. The good shall be separated from the bad. Honestly, I can already tell which of them will be sessful heroes. Its the same young heroes who performed well during your run, Tanko. The Instructor of the Hunt, Tanko, nodded. They were the kids he was sure would be official heroes if nothing went horribly wrong. After observing the young heroes for a while, Tanko said, There were five who received points, but I dont see one of them. Its true. Mir Giant isnt here. Giant... Is she a giant? Yes. Thats interesting. I dont think Ive seen anyone among the kids here that looked like a giant. As the name suggested, giants were multiple timesrger than humans on average, so they were easy to spot no matter the battlefield. But the video feed didnt show any such person. At this point, the Instructor of the Hunt pointed to a section of the video. Its her. The Instructor of Survival narrowed his eyes. Hmm... Shes quite small for a giant. She was indeed quite small, not just on the scale of giants but evenpared to the other young heroes. Is she of mixed blood? Not from what I know. Rather, she inherited the blood of the greatest giant. The greatest giant? Are you perhaps talking about the Frost Giant Ymir? Thats right. Ah. So thats why her name is Mir. The Instructor of the Hunt nodded. In her personnel report, there was a short note about her situation. To put it simply, shes a mutant. Even though she looks like that, she is stronger than the average giant. Hmm. Then why is she over there like that? Mir Giant hadnt moved and was standing there with a frozen face even though the other young heroes who had also frozen up at the start had started to move. Shes probably the type who cant use her strength in realbat. She seemed to be the type of person who would die easily in the ins. There was nothing worse than the death of a talented individual. The Instructor of the Hunts heart became heavy for a moment, but he couldnt help her. Not even if Mir died today. But if she can survive tonight... He would not spare anything to help her ovee that weakness of hers and help her train. The Instructor of the Hunt turned his attention away. He was looking for the one that had caught his interest the most in this training camp. Recalling the spar hed had with that daring brat, the Instructors scarred lips quivered a little. If he taught Luan more proactively, more diligently... Luan could be the sole person to inherit the martial art that the Instructor of the Hunt had created. Does that mean Im going to officially get a disciple? Just like the Instructor of Swords and des, the Instructor of the Hunt was famous for being a grand master with no disciples. Oddly enough, he didnt mind the thought of taking Luan as his disciple. ...But are you keeping the rules fair? The Instructor of Survival quietly turned to the voice that had just spoken. All attention fell on the Instructor of Martial Arts. Even as a reward, to give that much authority to a single young hero... I still think it was too much. Havent we already had this discussion? The Instructor of Martial Arts quieted down. Strictly speaking, among the eight grand masters who were participating in this training camp, three of them had opposed the decision. Of course, what mattered was that five of them had given the okay. If Calzark were here... The Instructor of Survival shook his head. Although the Instructor of Martial Arts had acted as he pleased more than just once or twice in the past, he had been going over the line more and moretely. That was because the Instructor of Swords and des, the one who would have shut him down before, was not here. The Instructor of Martial Arts gave a slight smile as he said, Lets stop talking and focus. Lets begin marking the young heroes. *** It had been a good idea to take the Sword of Seven Sins with me. Thanks to it, the monsters disgusting fluids didnt ssh on me as much as they would have. At first, I thought about mimicking the Martial Gods Gctic Sword, but I wasnt proficient enough to use it in realbat, so I decided not to attempt it right now. Ssh! While cutting down the centipede, its blood got on my face and I nearly made to rub it off instinctively. Instead, I took another step forward and swung my sword again to cut down another enemy. Just like the swordsmanship the Lord of Blood and Iron had shown me in the demine, I eliminated all the unnecessary movements and only focused on attacking. Even though it sounded easy, it was pretty difficult. Inbat, it was only expected that unexpected situations would pop up one after another, and maintaining consistency throughout was difficult. However, I silently focused only on attacking. I was intentionally fighting in a different way than usual, and it was because of my stubbornness that I was using the Sword of Seven Sins. Since Id only used my fists since the Blessing Ceremony, Id hoped that maybe using a different weapon would allow me to find a clue about my blessing... But I dont feel anything different. Honestly, I wasnt too frustrated about not knowing my blessing at this point, but it was still annoying. Although some blessings only activated under special circumstances, people usually knew instinctively what those special circumstances were... But I had no clue whatsoever. When I took a nce around, I could see many young heroes were actively using their blessings. Although they still looked a little awkward, they at least knew how to use them. Maybe the mirror was wrong? While Id been having those useless thoughts, the number of baby centipedes was cut down by half. I couldnt see any dead young heroes either. That was within my expectations, but it was surprising to see that no one had even been severely injured. They were truly the descendants of heroes. They were adapting faster than Id expected. The ones who survived tonight would probably be at least twice as strong as they currently were. Clitter tter! The huge centipede made a horrifying sound and began to crawl toward us at an incredible speed. Although it was smaller than the Sapphire Snake Id fought before, it was that much faster. Having said that, it still wasnt small, and I could see divots being created in the ground and rocks flying to the sides as it crawled. Stop it! one of the young heroes bravely shouted while charging the centipede. That idiot... Had he be overconfident after so easily dealing with the baby centipedes? The result of such overconfidence was difficult to look at. The moment he collided with the centipede, a crunching sound was heard as he was flung into the distance. Boom! With a loud sound, the young hero flew into a tree, and I approached him to check his condition. Honestly, Id expected his bones to turn to dust and him to die, but he looked rtively fine. Of course, his bones were broken and he was bleeding all over, but he was still alive. He probably has a blessing that boosts his endurance. Then I could be a little bit rougher with him, right? I grabbed the young hero and threw him into the bushes without any baby centipedes. Uwaaah! At that moment, I heard the scream of another young hero. Id thought it might be about time for someone to try to run away, but the direction the sound wasing from was interesting. One small young hero was screaming whilein contradiction with her fearcharging the centipede. What the hell is she doing? As I stood there confused, the huge centipede turned its body and used its huge tail to strike the small kid. * * * * * * * * * * The scene that followed surprised me. The kid blocked the tail swipe head-on. Oh... Was it a blessing? But that didnt seem to be the case. A momentter, I realized that she had blocked the giant centipedes tail attack with pure physical strength. Was that even possible? Both I and even the Instructor of the Hunt, who had a much stronger body than me, would have a difficult time blocking that centipedes attack with our bare body. As I looked at the screaming girls face, I realized that she was one of the notable individuals in this training camp. She was the one who hade 5th in the Instructor of the Hunts run. Was her name Mir Giant? As I saw her memorable bouncing twin tails, I recognized her. Giant? Ah. Shes a giant. In that case, her monstrous strength was understandable. However, what she did after was too embarrassing. After blocking the tail attack, Mir simply threw whatever attacks she could before being surrounded by the swarm of centipedes. At this rate, she could be the first death of the camp... Suddenly [That giant...] The Martial God woke up from his long slumber. What is it? [Inheritor, save that giant.] I was thinking about doing that anyway. But why did you suddenly wake up... [You should at least know what kind of sword the Sword of Seven Sins is.] I nodded mentally. It was the famous sword used by the Nameless King to unite the seven races. [Do you know the races united by the Nameless King?] That escapes my memory. [Humans, Dwarves, Fairies, Beastmen, Dragons, Spirits, and Giants.] Wait a second... [The one defeated by the Nameless King back then was the Frost Giant Ymir. That giant is definitely one of his descendants.] Hmm... [You must save her. To unseal the Sword of Seven Sins in the future, you will certainly need her help...] How do I unseal it? [...] Hello? [...] Martial God didnt answer me. He seemed to have fallen asleep. Goodness me. Did he just say what he wanted to say and then leave? I clicked my tongue in my heart before cutting down the baby centipedes surrounding Mir. I made an escape route for her. Hey. Come here. However, Mir didnt seem to hear my voice as she moved forward once more. Did she want to die? I instinctively moved to grab her shoulder, but something caught my leg. I didnt know why it was here, but it was a rope. Was it someones weapon? Anyway, I could use it. I picked up the rope and threw it, trying to bind Mirs body just like I had been bound by those steel chains. Uwat! Ah. But I ended up tying up her head instead of her body. Im not that proficient with it... Of course, there was no time to untie her and try again since she was in a lot of danger from the baby centipedes, so I just pulled her with all my might. Mir iled her limbs in panic, but I still slowly pulled her toward me. I-I cant see anything...! I cant see...! Is this perhaps Jotunheim... Obviously she couldnt see anything because the rope was around her eyes. Since she was a giant, I overlooked hercking intelligence. After dragging her to safety, I untied the rope. After regaining her sight, Mir immediately jumped up and moved away from me. You are... Gold-Hair Bednicker...? Gold-Hair Bednicker? Ah. It was to distinguish me from Hector. What are you doing? I threw the rope to the ground as I responded, Thats not it. What? You should thank me first since I saved you. That was saving me? Then did I attack you? What nonsense! Those centipedes could not have defeated me! Although she wasnt wrong, she wasnt right either. I took a closer look at her and saw that she wasnt in her right mind. Her entire body was shaking like a branch in the wind, and her face was pale. Her eyes were quaking as well, and I could tell that her heart was in disarray. I judged that she would die tonight if she kept fighting like that. Thank you for helping me... but dont get in my way again! I... I will prove that I am a warrior! Mir said before running back toward the giant centipede. I looked at the back of her head for a split second before smacking her with the Sword of Seven Sins wrappings. Bam! Upon having the back of her head smacked with the iron chains, Mir copsed to the ground. I easily recovered her, then plopped her down next to the person who had been knocked out earlier. Convincing is tedious. The fist is faster. Masters advice was useful today as well. What are you doing? a low voice said to me. As I turned my head, I saw someone standing sneakily on the branch above. Rescuing them. Why? Theyre too young to die now. ... There was no expression on Charons face as he replied, So you are a hypocrite. What was this guy talking about? When I turned my head up to him again, he had already disappeared. I wanted to chase after him and hit him on the back of his head as well, but I decided to focus on what I was doing. I looked for the ones who had already fallen unconscious or were about to die and picked them out from the battlefield. After about 20 minutes had passed, only the ones who could handle themselves remained on the battlefield. At this point, I stopped focusing on the uncharacteristic rescue mission and joined the fight against the centipedes. As I made to cut down the centipede in front of me... Boom! An arrow flew in from somewhere and pierced the centipede. The arrow boosted with a blessing was more destructive than a cannonball as it blew apart the centipedes head. After moving around the remains of the monster, I looked for my next target. It happened when I went to attack the nt-type monster near me. Fwip! Another arrow flew in. It wasnt as powerful as the one before, but there were a lot of them. The arrows fell down like rain and punched holes in the monster. ... I felt that something was off, but I ignored it and moved toward the next monster. However, the monster was pierced with an arrow this time as well. Now I was certain. Someone was killing the monsters I was aiming for. There was no need to guess; I already knew who it was. I spoke toward the tree nearest to me. Hey. I looked at the person standing on the branch. What are you doing? Charon notched another arrow as he replied, Theyre my prey. Dont touch them. What? Just go curl up and take a nap, Luan Bednicker. Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Charon also seemed to have realized that this night ambush had been orchestrated by the instructors. Otherwise, he wouldnt be here saying things like that. In any case, even though I had been so openly mocked, I remained calm. Even though he was strong, I felt disappointed in him focusing so much onpetition even though people could be dying all around him. But it would be ugly to respond with anger at such an open taunt from a disappointing person. If I did, Id be saying I was on the same level as him. As I just looked up at him without giving a response, Charon red at me with anger before leaving. Afterward, he continued to shoot his arrows like mad and kill monsters. Is he that desperate for points? Compared to the other young heroes, it could be said that Charon was a head above them in skill. Compared to Hector, Sellen, Evan, and so on fighting over there... He had distinguished himself even amongst the geniuses. From what I could see, his talent was simr to theirs, but he had enough experience to create a gap. Charon had probably endured countless battles with his life on the line from the moment he could think straight. Since he was a person of such caliber, this exercise probably wasnt fazing him all that much. It meant that he could maintain a calm mind and move efficiently... But for some reason, I could sense some impatience in his movements. It felt as if he was being chased by someone. It was unexpected to see from such an experienced fighter, but I decided to stop thinking about him and proceeded to look out for the other young heroes. Id been serious when Id said that they were too young to die. And so time passed once more... Boom...! As the giant centipede fell over with a thud, silence filled the area for a moment. Evan was the one to break the silence with his tired voice. ...Its over. Flop. I saw many other young heroes copse to the ground as their tension flew away. I could also see a few of them still diligently checking the surroundings for more enemies. Although we had gotten through the danger, the field was filled with silence rather than cheers. p, p, p. Sudden pping broke the silence. A few young heroes rose in surprise, but thered been no need. An instructor had arrived. Incredible! Id been wondering who would p in this situation, but I understood when I saw his face. The Instructor of Martial Arts, Juan, wore a bright smile as he spoke. You were incredible in your defense. The techniques this time were as incredible as expected. Instructor? Just what is this... Looking at the few young heroes who still looked shocked, Juan continued, I congratte you for passing our first special test, young heroes. ...!? Murmurs started to break out; there seemed to be a lot more who hadnt realized this than Id expected. A test? W-wait... Was the monsters attack... Yes. It was a scenario crafted by us. ... Seeing him answer so casually, the young heroes froze up. A few faces started to be red with rage. A scenario! How could something like this be a test? I-I nearly died just now! But then, contrasting Juan, a colder voice appeared. So? It was the Instructor of the Hunt. Not just him, but many more people appeared, and I tilted my head left and right as I saw their faces. All the grand masters are here. A total of eight people. Although it wasnt the full 10, they still looked pretty intimidating as the knights of the main house nked them like two wings. The Instructor of the Hunt spoke with ice in his voice. Did you just say you were about to die? Then thats a relief. One of the goals of the training camp is to make you experience the danger of death. Th-thats... Still... this is going too far... Too far? The Instructor of the Hunt smirked. It seemed to be a habit of his that popped up whenever he got annoyed. I will ask you this. While living as a hero, do you think you will never encounter an ambush? I will say this now, todays exercise was very kind. We woke you up in advance, and we even gave you time to prepare yourselves before the ambush truly began. If this were a real ambush, you would have had no such freedoms. By the time youd sensed something was off and opened your eyes, a knife wouldve already been stuck in your neck. Hearing that, one of the bigger guys replied, S-still, this isnt real yet, right? Seeing how he had a tail, he probably wasnt human. An excuse like that makes me want to personally bring you halfway to death. Lets stop there, Teacher Tanko. We arent here to criticize them, are we? said the Instructor of Martial Arts, reviving the atmosphere. ... Look here. Surprisingly enough, all the young heroes survived. Although this isnt without precedent, we must still acknowledge that this is an incredible result. The Instructor of Martial Arts started pping again. At that, I could see a few of the grand masters and knights pping as well. ... However, there were a few who stood there looking serious until the end. Looks like not all the instructors are friendly with each other. I could feel that there was a divide even between them. I logged into my memory the faces of each instructor who was standing still. As stated before, this was a test, so each young hero was marked based on their performance. Itste today, so your results will be ryed tomorrow. ...Then are the tests over for today? Hector asked, and the Instructor of Martial Arts nodded. Yes. Only now did gasps and sighs of relief flood out. A few of them immediately turned to go back to their rooms. However, the Instructor of the Hunts cold voice stopped their steps. Where do you think youre going? The young heroes who had been swaying left and right turned around with despair. Youre not babies. You need to pick up after yourselves after creating a mess. Sorry...? The Instructor of the Hunt pointed to the corpses of the monsters littered around the field and smiled. Clean it all up. ... * * * * * * * * * * The morning of the next day. I woke up feeling a little tired. Hmm... If I, who was used to not sleeping a lot, had woken up like this, the other young heroes were probably struggling to even get up. Ugh... As expected, I heard something like a zombie waking up in the bed next to mine. Evan had lost his usual bright aura and looked quite depressed. He got up out of his bed like a floppy seaweed. His movements were rather spooky to look at. Are you okay? Yeeaaaah... Probably not. I just patted him on the shoulder without saying anything and left. Upon exiting to the field, I found that it was filled with zombies. Well, I guess it was to be expected since theyd had to work all night and hadnt been able to sleep properly. I yawned a little as well, but that was because the sun wasnt out yet. When the day became brighter and I could bask in the sunlight for a bit, my condition would improve. Though I tended to feel extremely tired in the evenings. At that point, someone walked out of the instructors lodge. It was the Instructor of the Hunt, wearing his signature cold expression. ... It felt as if the air around us froze with just his entrance. Even the young heroes whod had their noses held high seemed to understand which of the instructors they needed to be careful around in this training camp. The Instructor of the Hunt maintained his signature expressionless face as he checked the members before nodding to himself. Follow closely today as well. Then he started to run again. This morning run might be part of the routine for the training camp. I liked it. There was nothing better than running to increase overall stamina. The top-performing members were simr today. Charon was the one at the very front, and behind him were Sellen and Hector at practically the same speed. Behind them were Evan, Mir, the next Nightwalker tribe leader, the daughter of Rubyeta, and the only son of Chevalier... My speed was simr to yesterdays, but my ranking fell quite a bit. It seemed everyone was starting to understand the importance of points and was trying even harder. I wasnt worried. For me, getting a good mark didnt mean too much. While having these thoughts, the run came to an end. Huak... haak... Im... going... to die... Fewer young heroes had dropped out than yesterday, but the field was filled with their copsed bodies. I recovered my breathing while drenched in sweat. Thankfully, todays morning schedule was a bit freer. In addition to the allotted time for breakfast, we were even given a short break afterward. It seemed the instructors also knew that the sudden test yesterday had been a bit too much. Although it was only 30 minutes, a few of the young heroes used it to catch up on their sleep. After that, we gathered on the field again. ...We really have no time to rest. I wish I had just an hour to sleep. Its a relief that the morning lesson is with Instructor Juan. As they said, the Instructor of Martial Arts, Juan, climbed atop the tform and began to speak with his signature smile on his face. Good morning, everyone. You must be tired, right? You can all sit down. Uwah. Thank you...! The young heroes all fell to the ground and sat down. There is a short announcement I need to make before the morning lesson. It is the results ofst nights test. We watched that battle carefully and recorded our observations. We have objectively marked each and every one of you. It hadnt even been yesterday. It had happened early today before dawn. If the instructors had truly marked everything, that probably meant they hadnt slept either. The young heroes whod had what amounted to naps were all like this, but the instructors looked fine. It would take too long to announce everyones marks, so well only announce the top 5. Theyre also the only ones who will receive points. From first ce to fifth, you will receive 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2 points. Murmur. The young heroes were surprised at the high point rewards. First, I will announce fifth ce. Evan Helvin. Ah...! Evan eximed. Judging by his expression, he was half proud, half regretful. I nodded for him. Considering his future fame, this might be a low ranking, but Evan was still growing. After him, we have Hector Bednicker at 4th, and Sellen Goodspring at 3rd. Hectors expression hardened, and Sellen looked calm. It seemed she agreed that that was her current ranking. However, she suddenly looked around as if something hade to her mind before looking directly at me. It seemed she was curious as to what my rank was... but there was another persons gaze on me as well. Someone ten times more persistent and a hundred times more tiresome than Sellen. Charon Woodjacks burning eyes were ring at me. Ah. I did forget one thing. Just like this ambush, there will be a Special Test once every week. But for just this test, instead of points, the one ranked 1st will receive a special reward. A special reward only for 1st? After saying something that would obviously make the young heroes murmur amongst themselves, the Instructor of Martial Arts smiled. The special reward will be exined after all the ranks are announced. Then, in second ce... Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Luan Bednicker. I was in second ce. And since second ce received eight points, I was at 20 points. Or was it 21...? I wasnt really sure. Since it wasnt that important to me, I hadnt made it a point to remember. In any case, as soon as it was dered that I was second ce, I felt many eyes fall on me and heard murmuring all around me. The nobles especially gazed upon me with suspicion... Considering I was still hearing talk of me selling the sword of the house and all that, it seemed it would be a while before my bad reputation changed. Young Hero Luan didnt show great results in terms of defeating monsters, but he was the only one who correctly understood the intent of the test. Evan, who was standing near me, reflexively asked, The intent of the test? Didnt the Instructor of Survival tell you before he left? To survive in any way you can. Ah. Survival. Many of the young heroes were probably thinking about that word right now. Luan was the only one among you who cared not just for his life but for the lives of others as well. It was enough to grant him second ce even without taking the monsters he defeated into ount. The young heroes nodded. A few of them nced at me with gratitude, and I recognized them as the ones I had saved. Finally, first ce: Charon Woodjack. He was the one who defeated the most monsters the quickest and most precisely. a featparable to an official hero. Congrattions. Charon looked at the Instructor of Martial Arts before an annoying smile appeared on his face. So he did know how to smile. The Instructor of Martial Arts smiled and continued, Now, I will exin the special reward. Young Hero Charon will be granted the authority to add a rule to the training camp. Charon flinched for a moment. What does that mean, add a rule? Its just as it sounds. For example, one of the rules in this training camp is young heroes who possess less than 10 points cannot use the cafeteria at dinner. You have the authority to change that rule, Charon. The Instructor of Martial Arts moved his fingers as if drawing an image. For example, you could change it to those who possess less than five points cannot use the cafeteria at dinner, or perhaps the cafeteria is open to anyone regardless of their points, and so on. Hearing that, a few young heroes gulped as they nced at Charon. They probably had less than 10 points right now. Or maybe something like this? Only the one ranked first in points can use the cafeteria at dinner. ... ... Most of the young heroes looked up at the tform with grim expressions. Only now did they realize just how much power this special reward possessed. Charon paused for a moment before asking, Since it is such a powerful authority, I suspect that there are some restrictions. Of course. You cannot add any nonsensical rules. For example, Charon Woodjack receives one point per hour. Something like that? ... However, the rule you create can be beneficial to you. That is why this is a special reward. When must I decide? There isnt a deadline, but the earlier you create your rule, the better it will be for you, as this rule will only apply during the training camp. ... Charon became quiet as he fell into thought. I could tell that he was trying his best toe up with the best rule possible for himself. I got the sense that he was very obsessed withing first for some reason. Wouldnt he use this additional rule to solidify his position? The Instructor of Martial Arts changed the topic as if to lighten the mood. In any case, today is already the third day of the training camp. Haha, time really flies, doesnt it? However, this sudden change in topic broke the minds of the young heroes. ...Three days? Not three months? Th-theres no way. Its been at least three weeks. We need to spend five more weeks and then four more days on top of that? Is that a joke? Heh. Hehehe. Kill me... I understood that each day of the training camp felt quite long... But that just meant that the curriculum set by the instructors was very dense. If it hadnt been nned out properly, they wouldnt feel this way. Everyone, please quiet down. Since you must all be quite tired, the morning lesson will be about the theory regarding martial arts. Hadnt he talked about theoryst time as well? And he didnt tell us to stand up, so everyone remained seated and just nodded. The Instructor of Martial Arts sat on the edge of the tform to meet the eyes of the young heroes as he spoke. ...As stated previously, martial arts began as a skillset to allow oneself to protect their body from opponents who were bigger, stronger, and faster. The Instructor started with a recap of thest lesson. Due to the boring revision, I nearly let out a yawn. There was nothing more boring than listening to something you already knew. Afterward, the Instructor of Martial Arts began to talk about his own martial beliefs, which was even more useless for me. Of course, listening to the thought process of others was a good way to increase ones view of the world, but I had alreadymitted myself to my own martial path. I was currently in the process of refining that path, and I nned to stay on this path for a while. Advice from others wasnt particrly helpful at this stage. After all, I wasnt in the process of adding anything to my martial art. Instead, I was carving away at it. That was why I stopped paying attention and began to quietly think about something else. Firstly, my spar against the Instructor of the Hunt yesterday... I thought about the martial arts hed shown me, the characteristics of his movements, the flow of the battle, and the way Id responded to him, and Ipared it all to the battle Id had against the monsters in the dead of night while thinking of ways to refine the basic techniques of the White Sun Form. During that battle, I had thought up a few techniques that could be used with the Sword of Seven Sins. Since Id thought them up quite recently, they werentplete yet, but I could see how useful they would be after I refined them. However... Could I say these swordsmanship techniques were part of the White Sun Form? Honestly, nothing said I couldnt. In the first ce, the White Sun Form was apound martial art consisting of finger, fist, palm, and kicking techniques. It could also have w techniques if any fit the overall style, so there was no reason I couldnt add sword, de, or spear techniques in the future. However, I didnt know if that was the right direction to take my martial art. Was there some criteria that needed to be satisfied for a technique to be added to the White Sun Form? If there was, what was it? At what point could I say that the White Sun Form wasplete? This was a problem. Because this was my first time acting as the creator, I couldnt help but look at it in apletely different way from others. The techniques in the first half of the White Sun Form already made it an excellent martial art. Its destructive force didnt need to be discussed, and its tones were clear. Just like the Martial God had said, it might be too focused on destruction... but that could be considered a trait of the White Sun Form. Even still... I feel like Im missing something. I decided to treat this missing thing as the final piece of the martial art needed for it to be consideredplete. Even though I didnt know what it was, I felt that if this feeling was satisfied, couldnt I say the martial art wasplete? I dont think Ill be able to find it any time soon. It might be the case that this was a problem I would need to mull over for my entire life as a martial artist. I decided to leave it here for now. I opened my eyes a little to cool down my burning head... And I immediately felt that something was off. The Instructor of Martial Arts was still sitting on the tform, but Evan was standing in front of him for some reason. * * * * * * * * * * Whats going on? Thankfully, there was someone nearby who could tell me the answer. I scooched over and tapped my target on her shoulder. What? responded a sharp and aggressive voice. As expected, she was a prickly person no matter the time or situation. I was sleeping and just woke up. Whats happening? You were asleep? Youre such a mess... So whats happening? Sellen looked at me like I was a worm. ..That instructor was talking about secret martial arts techniques and then Raven got brought up. Those two got into a bit of an argument over it. Raven was the name of the secret martial art handed down within Evans house, House Helvin. An argument? The Instructor said Raven is a useless martial art and should be discarded to learn something else. I looked at Evan. So that was why he was wearing that expression. With a serious expression, Evan said, ...I dont believe there is a martial art that can be the strongest in all situations and can defeat all other martial art techniques in every instance. It seemed the argument was still ongoing. Just as you say, Instructor, Raven might not be asplete as other martial arts, but you cannot conclude that it is a weak martial art. Not a weak martial art... Thats funny. From what I know, didnt your father, Sir Doz Helvinwho also learned Ravennever win a single spar with it? With a smooth voice, the Instructor of Martial Arts continued, If what you say is correct, shouldnt he have won at least once? ... Evan became silent. Honestly, you could object to the Instructor of Martial Arts stance right now. What Evan had said was right. There were no weak martial arts. Only weak martial artists. However... Could Evan, the one who respected his father more than anyone else in the world, say such a thing? That it wasnt Raven that was weak but his father? The Knight of Total Defeat... At that, I heard a few young heroes try to stifle theirughter. The Knight of Total Defeat was famous. He was a knight who had gone around the entire empire and challenged people to spars after dering he had created a secret martial art. I had heard that many people in The Empire said the wandering martial artist had done something unsightly as one of the Great Houses. Most of the nobles furrowed their brow at him. Even if his results had been great, he wouldve been criticized for hisck of ss, but he hadnt even won a single one of the countless spars hed participated in. That was why the world insulted him as the Knight of Total Defeat. Young Hero Evan, I do not like pressing my points, but for your sake, I will say this one more time. The Instructor of Martial Arts erased the smile off his face as he continued, If you wish to be stronger, abandon Raven. Evans head lowered at the insults all around him. I thought I could see ck smokee out of the top of Evans lowered head. This might get dangerous. *** The schedule for the training camp was packed. However, even the greatest of talents would crumble if they were pressed too hard. There were moments of rest sprinkled throughout the intense schedule. Excluding the free time after dinner, mealtime was when we could most rx. Although the instructors were still around, they wouldnt interfere unless the young heroes started fighting. Even if we spoke loudly and argued, we would be left alone. It seemed the young heroes who had been wary of the instructors had realized this fact as well. Because of this, the cafeteria became quite lively. After finishing her meal, Sellen approached me. Looks like youre being targeted by someone annoying. Yeah. Did you know him before? No. Did you do anything to wrong him? No. Then is he just keeping you in check so he can get first ce? Sellens eyes turned slightly. Not far away from us, I could see Charon eating his own food, and there were a lot of people around him for some reason. Looks like hes quite sociable. Even though he looks like a wolf or something. Sellen snorted when I said that. Youre acting like you dont know. Humans are bound to create factions, and the ones here are mostly nobles who have been learning politics since they were kids. They can probably smell a good source of leftovers even better than a dog. I dont think hes the type to leave behind leftovers for them. Well, hes strong, and hes good-looking as well. I agreed with the first part, but I tilted my head at the second. Good-looking? Even though he has a scar on his face? It doesnt matter if he has a scar or three eyes or whatever. If hes good-looking, hes good-looking. Rather, a unique mark like that can make him even more handsome. Hey, if people are trying to get closer to handsome guys, I should be pretty popr as well. At that, Sellen slowly turned to me. Have you ever looked in a mirror? ... Well, sure, youre not ugly or anything. Butpared to Charon or your brother, dont you think youre a bitcking? How can I put this... Its like your face tried to be handsome but gave up halfway. Even at Sellens shockingment, I calmly nodded. So its not an ugly face trying too hard. How optimistic. Thanks. Anyway, thats not all. The decider is probably the authority to add one rule he received today. Depending on how he uses it, the other kids could benefit as well. Aha. And the most important part is that Charon is smart enough to use all those people swarming him right now. This girl... I thought she wasnt doing anything, but she had even calcted that as well. Sellen tapped her head. Right now, he has no weaknesses. Theres no point talking about his strength, and his proficiency with his blessings isnt at the level of a young hero either. And he has enough wisdom to use the ones who are approaching him. Even though hes just the son of a ranger, hes weirdly adept at a lot of things. Hmm... And since someone like that is trying to mess with you, it looks like youll have a hard time this training camp. Whats that pitiful expression shes giving me? ...But dont fight him too hard. Ignore him if you can. Why? Because soon, fighting like that wont mean anything. I looked at Sellen. I could see traces of fear in her. I had seen it many times in this training camp. Hey. Sellen, by the way I was cut off by a loud shout. Take that back! The voice was so loud that it was enough to make my ears ring. It was also a voice I was familiar with. A kid with a small body was grinding her teeth. Opposite her, a female young hero was scoffing at her with her arms crossed. Why should I? Its true. You werent able to do anything because you got scared. ...Its not that I got scared. My body just didnt move. Thats what we call getting scared. Really, you giants... I pointed to the girl shaking her head and asked Sellen, Im pretty sure shes... Sharyl Rubyeta. Yeah. The youngest daughter of House Rubyeta. The one who had sparred against Evan. I had seen her in passing a few times, but this was the first time I was directly paying attention to her. So hair like that is physically possible. Her hair looked like it had been styled by a tornado. From what I had heard, you needed a special tool to consistently roll your hair up to maintain that look... But since there wasnt a tool like that here, wouldnt her hair return to normal over the course of the training camp? I... have inherited the blood of the Great Giant Ymir. So? Who here hasnt inherited the blood of a hero? Sharyl said with a cold voice. Of course, youre not the only one who looked pitiful. However, youre a giant, a crazy race who cant distinguish between friend and foe when you go on a rampage. ... Id rather not die to a giant. So if a situation like yesterdayses up again, please dont try and fight, just go into a corner and curl up. Got it? Mir ground her teeth, but she didnt say anything in response. Sellen gestured with her chin. What are you going to do? About what? Which group are you going to stand with in this training camp? What group? Were not kids. I looked at Sellen as I continued, Youre not going to join a group either. Hmph. Sellen continued, Youre right. Still, I suggest you pick a faction. Why? Because thatll give you the highest chance of survival. Sellen tried to leave as if she had said everything, but I wasnt going to let her. I hated things ending after I felt like Id lost. I tried to grab her wrist, but Sellen dodged out of the way a little and I ended up grabbing her hair. ... ... Let go. Yep. Not even I could try and stop her again after that. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Had they brought in experts in every field and debated for three days and three nights to decide how to most efficiently spend 24 hours, just to create the schedule for this training camp? That was how packed our schedule was. If not for the free time sometimes given in the evening, a few of the young heroes would have already copsed. We somehow survived today as well... Evan mumbled with a tired tone. Karis flopped onto the table as he added, Time isnt flying at all... How does it make sense that it hasnt even been a week? Yeah. I want to eat cookies... I want to eat meat... Fatty meat with lots of unhealthy spices. I wontin at all if I can just get a jug of beer....I feel like Im going to die. I didnt take my eyes off the book I was reading as I replied, But you havent died yet. Hmm? That seemed to draw the attention of the others around us. Whats he talking about? Hes saying something weird again. Evan, get a grip on your roommate. Look at these guys. Just because wed gotten a little closer in thest few days, theydpletely lost their filters. In the end, I closed my book and kindly exined to the idiots, What dont you understand? Thats just how effective the instructors and the camp are. A few of the ones near me blinked their eyes in confusion, so I exined a bit more. Were being pushed until were about to die, but none of us have died yet. They perfectly understand our level. Im saying they know exactly how much they need to squeeze us and when to let us breathe. ...I guess? Well, its just a theory. So youre notpletely sure either. Although I was just guessing, I was pretty confident. Maybe because Id experienced something simr on Spirit Mountain, I felt I had a decent read on what the instructors were thinking. I tried to go back to reading my book, but Evan interrupted me. Is that book fun? Somewhat. Do you want to read it as well? Whats it about? Its a history book. Its a story about the 21 Heroes who became the ancestors to the Great Houses. Evan gave a brittle smile. Uhm... Im good. It was to be expected. As a member of one of the Great Houses, he had probably read all of the books rted to the 21 Heroes. I wasnt any different, but because of my time on Spirit Mountain, my memories had faded. Reading this book was helping me recover them. Ah. Its Skull. Of course, his name wasnt Skull. The one who had just passed by us in the lounge was stick thin and had hollow cheeks that made his head look like a skull. Someone had called him Skull once, and then everyone had started calling him Skull. I had heard that he was from some decent noble house, but I couldnt remember the name. Hey! Skull! As Karis waved his hand, Skull became surprised. He looked around a little before running up the stairs. Whats with him? Leave him be. He lost points today. Hes probably sad even though he doesnt talk much. Shouldnt he be angry rather than sad? Maybe if he only had one brain cell like you. Huh? What did you say? I shifted my attention away from my book to watch Skull as he went up the stairs. His movements looked awkward, like he was being chased. No, this was beyond looking awkward. ... Something smelled fishy here. *** Crack! I stumbled a little due to the shock to my shoulder. Although I didntpletely lose my bnce from the momentary impact, I didnt just stand still either. I forced myself to lower my body to dodge the next attack. Vwoong. The sharp tip of the foot just barely missed me. My hair stood on end. This guy was getting closer and closer. That attack wouldve killed me if Id gotten hit by it directly. Of course, I didnt show any fear toward him. I acted as if I was stumbling a little more before focusing my senses and immediately transitioning to offense. Today, the Instructor of the Hunts self-imposed penalty was the sealing of his right leg. Naturally, I should move in and attack his right side... ...Is how normal people would think. So I made a slight change. I intentionally attacked his well-defended left side. The Instructor didnt seem surprised, though his response was slightly dyed at my unexpected attack. Using that gap, I swung my arm like a sword and cut through my targets neck. Thud. ... I cut through, right? It felt like I had just hit a tree trunk with the de of my hand. Bang. Wow. So I can fly as well I looked at the calm night sky of the Forest of the Butterfly as I momentarily felt weightless. After falling back down to earth, I immediately got up and lowered my head. Its my loss. The Instructor of the Hunt looked at me as I dered my loss. He said slowly, Your technique is as excellent as always. You also prated your opponents openings well. Thank you. But as always, your stamina is holding you back. Your movements slowed quite a lot in thest moments. I knew that as well. The importance of basic stamina and strength cannot be stressed enough. However, stamina isnt something you can gain overnight. Do not be vain, and always train diligently. Yes. Even if it wasnt overnight, this body should reach a usable state in about a month. The Strongest Fire Technique just had that much potential. The Instructor of the Hunt nodded. As you lost todays spar as well, you will be deducted two points... I could guess what he was going to say next. ...But I saw your tenacity as you fought for 10 minutes even with yourcking strength. You have impressive willpower. And since you were excellent even to thest exchange, you will be granted two points. Thank you. As expected, todays points were a zero as well. Since this was the oue every time we sparred, I wasnt particrly surprised anymore. As soon as the Instructor left, Karis came up to me. Looks like the Instructor likes you a lot. I brushed off the dirt on my body as I fixed his misunderstanding. Not really. Hes just acting like a Bednicker. Like a Bednicker? What do you mean? Dark, reserved, sly... It could mean a few things, but in this case, Im saying hes meritocratic. Eh-heh. Karis couldnt tell if I was joking or not and looked a little nervous, but I meant all of that. Hey, you remember what happened to Hans, right? I do. It had happened yesterday. Since I hadnt suffered too much in my spar against the Instructor of the Hunt, Hans had suddenly called out to him. Ill spar against you today, instructor! ...The result was obvious. As soon as the spar started, Hans was thrown to the ground and his arm broke. The ones watching the spar got to witness what instant defeat looked like. The Instructor wasnt a cruel person, and he hadnt gone easy on me like Karis suggested either. From what I could tell, the Instructor of the Hunt was a logical and stern person. Since someone who didnt deserve to fight him had challenged him, he had educated his opponent... However, after seeing how Hans had been treated, a few people mistakenly thought the Instructor favored me. Pathetic idiots... If you think its unfair, then hold on properly. There was one thing I was sure of, and it was that I was probably the only young hero who could continue to spar against the Instructor of the Hunt like this. Hector, Sellen, and even Charon would be defeated without being able to put up much resistance. There were two reasons for this. First was that most of the guys here werent used to fighting without their blessings... And the second reason was that I had a lot of experience fighting against opponents stronger than me. Maybe I should say I had more experience fighting stronger foes than weaker ones? Charon knows this as well. Thats why he isnt trying to one-up me. He would be doing it if he could since he was crazy about points. It was then that I heard cheersing from somewhere. * * * * * * * * * * That surprised me. Whats going on? That direction... I think its where Evan was fighting. I exchanged nces with Karis before we moved over together. Just as Karis had said, Evan was there. And his opponent... was Charon Woodjack. The state of the two contrasted quite a bit. Compared to Charon, who didnt seem to have any injuries and looked rather clean, Evan was in a total mess, as if he had rolled around on the ground a few times. Whats going on? Its as you can see: Evans losing pretty hard, replied the talkative Pam. Honestly, I didnt expect there to be this much of a difference between the two of them. I thought Evan was within the higher ranks among the young heroes in the camp. ... Evan was within the higher ranks. Charon just wasnt on the level of a young hero. Suddenly, Charon spoke. Evan Helvin, why dont you listen to your instructor? ...What? That swordsmanship you obsess over is too crude. With it, not just me... At this moment, Charon looked at me. You wont be able to defeat anyone. ... Ill give you some advice. At this rate, you wont be able to enter the top three. Evans face darkened when he heard that. I continued to watch the spar. Of course, it ended with Evans defeat. During the spar, Evans sword never even touched Charon. *** Finally, Saturday afternoon arrived. Compared to other days, the young heroes were in a better mood. Even I, who was pretty insensitive to the general atmosphere, could tell that, but it was honestly expected. Today and tomorrow were the weekend. Of course, that was how it usually was, and the training camp might not care about weekends at all... But in the morning, the Instructor of Martial Arts Juan said, On the weekends, you will only have morning lessons. In the afternoon, your ranks will be announced and you will be able to select your subjects, but it wont take long. Then after that... Of course, its free time. Woah...! Free time! Those sweet words were enough to make all the young heroes cheer with joy. But, not getting swept up in the excitement, Evan looked rtively calm as he asked, What are the rank announcements and the subject selection? Firstly, everyone will be ranked based on their current points, and everyones pointsfrom first ce tost cewill be made public. Murmur. Everyone immediately became noisy. This reaction was only possible in front of the Instructor of Martial Arts, who was rtively mellowpared to the others. If Tanko, the Instructor of the Hunt, had given this announcement, no one wouldve made even a single sound. It was obvious why they were making the points public: it was to incite a sense ofpetition within us. And from the second week on, you will have to select sses depending on your aptitude. To put it simply, you will have different lessons at the same time. Aha. The 39 young heroes gathered here all had different aptitudes. The environments theyd grown up in, the martial arts theyd learned, and even their races were different. Basic lessons could be done together, but to deepen their education, it was necessary to split the heroes into different sses since everyone needed to focus on something different. The rankings are disyed in the first-floor lounge in your lodge. Check them yourselves. The individual subject selection will happen after lunch. After saying that, the Instructor of Martial Arts left. The young heroes nced at each other before all moving toward the lodge. I waved off the dust cloud with my hand. Theyre so impatient. Whats the point of running like that? Right? Evan was in a daze before he responded, ...Huh? Eh, yeah. This guy... Hed been spacing out a lot more since his spar with Charon. I silently looked at him, but Evan didnt seem to notice as he replied, Arent you curious? I am. But its not like getting thereter will stop me from checking the ranks. They just want to see it quickly. I can understand. So why are you so calm about it? Uh... I already know how many points all of the young heroes have. What? How? Evan gave a small smile. The Instructor always says it aloud during lessons. Someone gets one point, someone loses one point... like that. Ive just been keeping track. Lets say you did track all of those. What about the spars? The Instructor of the Hunts spars happened every day unless there was a special asion. There had been three spars this week. The victors obtained one point, and the losers lost two points... Even if he was smart, he wouldnt be able to track the oue of each pair. Whenever we go to the lounge after the spars, everyone talks about who won and who lost. If Im ever unsure about the points, I just ask them directly and they usually give me the answer. ... This moment was the first time Id gotten chills because of Evan. I could understand a little why his betrayal was called the Worst Betrayal to Humanity in History. To put it simply, Evan was someone you didnt want to have as your enemy. Thats amazing. No, should I say thats creepy? Ill take that as apliment. Also, youre tied at rank 16th. Aha. That was a dryer reaction than I expected. I expected it to be somewhere around there. No, I guess its a bit higher than I expected? It could be said that my grade in the training camp was impressive since I had always been held back by my stamina. Even in lessons about using mana, I only focused on my physical strength, which helped me in my spars. Even so, the reason Id ended up in the upper half was because of the points Id umted with the Instructor of the Hunt. While we were talking, we arrived at the lodge. The young heroes were swarming around the notice board in the lounge. What is this? ...I dont believe it. They mustve made a mistake... I could hear the young heroes voices of despair. Just looking around, it looked as if they were all in a state of shock. Whats with everyone? Yeah... maybe their ranks were different than they expected? Their reactions were too severe for it to be some simple miscalction. Hello. Excuse me. Coming through. I pushed past the young heroes and arrived at the front of the board... When I saw the ranks... ...Huh? I couldnt help but be surprised as well. Chapter 69 Chapter 69 1st: Charon Woodjack, 43 points. 2nd: Zeros Silver, 31 points. 3rd: Sinbar, 29 points. 4th: Hans Bender, 28 points. 5th: Hector Bednicker, 25 points. ... ... 16th Luan Bednicker: 18 points. ...... There were a few oddities here. Second and third ce were new names I hadnt seen before, and who was that in fourth ce? Hans Bender? Even I, who hadnt been paying that much attention in ss, knew that his name had been called multiple times. Naturally, it wasnt because he was earning points. Most of them were deductions. Hans Bender, one point deducted. Hans Bender, one point deducted. Hans Bender... you again? That guy had more points than Hector? Of course, what was even more odd was Charons points. ...Forty-three points? Wed all started the training camp with 10 points. Did that mean hed earned 33 points in a single week? I turned to Evan for confirmation. Evan had a grim face as he returned with a shake of his head. Even the person who had been keeping track of all the young heroes points didnt know what was going on. Then, I heard a low voice speak. Charon Woodjack. When I turned around, I saw Charon sitting at the table sipping some water and Hector standing before him wearing a cold expression. Whats going on? Who knows? I dont know what youre talking about. Are you nning on feigning ignorance? Then I will ask you directly: what happened with the points? In response, Charon smirked. Do I need to tell you? You do. You dared to cheat in the Bednicker training camp. Your father would be ashamed if he saw this. Youre saying some funny things. Charon seemed unaffected by Hectors aggression as he calmly replied, To give a short defense to my and my fathers honor, I havent cheated at all. What? But I will give you this piece of advice, Hector Bednicker: give up on getting into the top ranks and focus on finishing the training camp. With your skills, you should be able to do at least that. Hector ground his teeth. You bastard...! And just as hed done in front of me before, he grabbed the sword on his hip. The moment Charons eyes started to narrow, I intervened. Brother, calm down. ...Get out of the way, Luan. What? Are you really nning on fighting here? I nced at themunication crystal. Through that, the instructors were probably watching everything that was happening here. The moment an actual fight started, they would intervene and people would be penalized. Calm down. How many times have you lost something because of that short temper of yours? Hector flinched. Charon, who had risen from his chair, left the lounge followed by a group of young heroes. I could see Hans and a few familiar faces among them... the ones in the higher ranks on the notice board. A sharp voice pierced my ears. Whats going on? I could see the daughter of House Rubyeta fuming in anger. I calmly looked around. There are about 25 people here. Although it seemed we had more people than them, I needed to be sure. Karis. Gather the tables. Why? I have something to say. Its lunchtime, though... Nows not the time to be eating food. I looked at Hector as well. Brother, you sit down too. ...What do you intend to talk about? Of course, its about Charon Woodjack. Honestly, Id nned to not get involved in their fight and just focus on developing myself... But it was difficult for me to stay still when the scale was this big. Also... For some reason, Charon being in first ce was starting to annoy me. * * * * * * * * * * The noble faction and themoner faction gathered together. Of course, the noble faction containedmoners, and themoner faction contained nobles... But the people from the two groups I hadbeled as such were now in the same ce, ring at each other. A total of 26 people remained in the lounge. Although it wasnt a small number, it wasnt arge number either. What is there to talk about? That disgusting guy must have done something dirty! shouted the daughter of Rubyeta, anger and sadness in her voice. Although she looked pretty, her personality was harsh. First, I fixed her misunderstanding. If he had done something dirty, wouldnt the instructors know about it? Of course...! She raised her voice before immediately closing her mouth and ncing at Hector. It was a natural reaction. Doubting the grand masters meant doubting House Bednicker and even the Lord of Blood and Iron who had invited them here. And since Hector was the number one follower of the Lord of Blood and Iron, he wouldnt take that lightly. Lets pretend what youre saying is right. Do you think its possible for him to control not just his own rank but also the ranks of his entire group? Thats... Doesnt everyone know now? Excluding Brother Hector, the young heroes in the upper ranks are all members of Charons group. Ah, I guess that also excludes Hans? ...Hans Bender has been sticking close to Charon recently, Hector said with a displeased voice. At that, many different voices erupted from the sides. Did he really just raise his own groups points? How is that possible? ...He added a rule, said Hector. Everyone stopped for a moment. Yes. Now youre starting to think. If theyd been able to reach that conclusion from the beginning, I wouldnt have needed to get everyone together like this. Thats right. He couldve used that authority to do all sorts of things. By things...? I dont know for sure, but I do have a guess. What is it? Skull. Skull, who was sitting in the corner, flinched. Wh-what? When did you drop to two points? At my question, his already pale face paled further. I-I dont know. Ive had a lot of deductions recently... Evan, is that true? Evan firmly shook his head. No. Since the start of the training camp, Skull has only had one point deducted, and since he was awarded one point, that was neutralized. As for the spars, he won one and lost two. Really? Then shouldnt he have seven points right now? I looked at Skull again. Then Ill ask you, Skull: where did your five points go? Its not like they left on their own. ... Skull. I-I didnt expect things to end up like this either...! Skull shouted with tears in his eyes. He covered his face and said, At first... at first, they were just small trades. Trades? Yeah...! If I gave them one point, I could eat the best steaks as much as I wanted... Steaks? Where can you find something like that here... Of course, it wasnt like the cafeteria food was of bad quality, and naturally, we had meat as well. The problem was the taste. As expected, healthy food didnt use a lot of seasoning. It meant that many factors for growing boys and girls were missing. More importantly, how can you give points? Can we even give and take points like that...? I held a hand to my chin as I spoke. You can use points to trade. If Charon added a rule like that, its possible. Exmations and murmuring were heard all around. Hector narrowed his brow. Lets say he did that... Where did he get steaks? He shouldnt have been able to smuggle any in. He probably doesnt have a magic item either. We were thoroughly searched on the first day. That was true. The instructors had searched our bodies quite thoroughly the day we entered the training camp. They hadnt said anything when theyd seen my mystic bead, but Id brought it for training purposes, and it wasnt as if that would be enough to cause problems for me. ...Zeros Silver, Skull spat. Its that guys blessing. By Zeros, you mean the one in second? Hes been hanging around Charon for a while. The one who acts like the know-it-all. Skull nodded. Thats right. I dont know what kind of blessing it is... but hes got a lot of things that cant be found here. A lot of food, beer, cigarettes, even rare armor that would be difficult to find outside... Is it something like a teleportation blessing? I didnt know for sure, but I now had a general understanding of what was going on. So hes the smuggler. Then... I looked around at the rest. Skulls not the only one who traded with Zeros, right? At that, more young heroes than Id expected flinched. They seemed to conclude that they couldnt hide it any longer as they began to confess. ...Honestly, I havent been able to eat dinner a single time sinceing here, but they suddenly said theyd give me something to eatst night. I was lured in by beer. When a newly opened beer bottle bubbles up in front of me, I cant pass it up and still call myself a dwarven warrior...! ...I-I bought perfume. It was great at covering the smell of sweat... Hearing them confess like this, the daughter of Rubyeta shook her head in disbelief. How pathetic... Im going to have a stroke thinking about how people like you are going to be heroes like me. Ms. Rubyeta. What? In a calm voice, Evan said, From what I know, you should currently have 23 points, but it says 20 on the board. H-how do you... ... Ah! Everyones eyes fell on her in an instant. She realized her mistake and stuttered for a few seconds before lowering her head in shame. ...Th-there was a limited edition tiara from Ja Jewelry. I was able to get it for just three points... ... Thats something you cant even get with money anymore...! Dont you know how much I can sell it forter? If I can get it here for only three points...! Yes, yes. I get it, so shut up. Ms. Rubyeta seemed a little offended, but she closed her mouth, seemingly from shame. It might be obvious, but dont hand them any points no matter what they offer. If the gap between us gets any bigger, itll be difficult for us to catch up. The reaction to this was colder than I expected. Although a lot of young heroes agreed with my words, there was a near-equal number who didnt seem to want to do so. What is it? If you have something to say, speak up. ...I-Im well aware. With my skills, I cant enter the top ranks. It was Skull. Its not a problem of will or ambition; its just the limit I was born with. So? ...Points only matter to thosepeting for the top ranks. I just need to pass. If I can get through the Bednicker training camp without a problem, that alone can boost my career. I see... I understood what Skull was trying to say. So youre going to keep selling your points? Skull ground his teeth as he red at me. Do you know what Zeros said to me? He said hed pay me 100 gold for every point I sell here! He looked around before shouting, Ten points is a thousand gold! Dont you know how much can change with that much gold? You wouldnt know since youre part of a great noble house...! Youll regret it. ...No. Even if I dont have any points, I wont have any problemspleting this training camp. So... sorry, but I''m going to keep selling my points as I want, Skull said before getting up from his seat and leaving the lounge. ... I''m ashamed, but me too. Sorry. I cant help it. With that, a few more people left with Skull. Nearly half of the members left. Only about 10 people remained. Naturally, Hector was still here, as were Evan and Karis. I could see Sellen as well, though she hadnt said anything all this time. I took note of everyone who had stayed. It seemed these were the only ones who werent shaken by money or desire. ...Looks like the situation is worse than expected. Goodness. A hundred gold per point? Do they think gold just appears out of nowhere? As Evan and Karis each said something, the daughter of Rubyeta sneered. It does for them. Zeros House Silver is a pretty big merchant house. As much as the Imperial House, if not more. ...Are they? Then do we not have any way to stop them? Well have to wait and see. Hearing that, the other young heroes looked at me. Do you have a n? Ah, if we tell the instructors that Zeros is bringing things in from outside... Karis said, but I shook my head. No... Most likely, the Instructors already know. They monitor everything that happens within the camp. Which meant that the instructors were allowing whatever Charon and Zeros were doing. Charon had started this. If we could end this just by reporting them, he wouldnt have bothered. I got up from my seat. Lets go eat lunch. ...Why are you so calm about this? A dozen people said theyll continue to sell their points. Were no longer the majority. Who knows? For some reason, I felt that the ones who had just stormed out would regret itter. But for now, that was only a feeling, so I didnt say anything further. Chapter 70 Chapter 70 After eating lunch, we headed to the open field again. Most of the young heroes had already gathered. It looked like we were thest few to arrive. I could see Skull standing in the middle... A few people he had gotten close to in thest few days were standing around him, but they all turned away the moment they saw us. ... An awkward mood swept through the area, and Evan let out a bitter smile. Although we hadnt spent long together, hed probably thought of them as his friends. Karis had the same reaction. And I... weirdly didnt have any fluctuations in my emotions.It wasnt like I didnt regret it all. Wed gotten along pretty well. Maybe I was just cold-hearted to begin with? Hmhm. The Instructor on the tform cleared his throat. It was the Instructor of Martial Arts, Juan, but he wasnt alone. All the grand masters were standing behind him. Juan nced over the group of young heroes before he spoke. Young Hero Charon, is everyone gathered here? Yes. Now that I thought about it, the instructors had at some point started to treat Charon like the leader of the young heroes. It wasnt just roll calls like this; all short directions were ryed through Charon. Charon always stood at the front whenever we moved to a different area for lessons. And hed been taking on this role like it was the most obvious thing to do. The ranks... hm. By the looks of it, it seems everyones checked them out. A weird smile appeared on Juans face. You should all know by now, so I will tell you: the rule added by Charon is Young heroes can trade points among themselves. Hector held back his anger as he asked, ...Is there a reason youre telling us this now? Juan looked at him before replying, Not at all. Pardon? Just as there isnt a reason not to tell you now, there wasnt a reason to tell you before either. ... Juan smiled. Young hero Hector, if you wished for kind exnations and systemic education, you shouldve enrolled in the Imperial Academy instead of Bednickers training camp. It was the first time the Instructor had said something that made sense. If that is all, we will now proceed with the subject selection. You see the instructors standing behind me, right? They are each responsible for a different subject. They will give a short introduction, and you need to select the subjects you feel best fit you. At that, Tanko stepped forward and gave his introduction. I am Tanko. Naturally, I will be teaching things rted to hunting. If you want to stay up for three days and nights to kill a cultist, follow me. It was a fitting introduction. The other instructors also gave their introductions. I will teach survival. If you want to know how to survive even if you have to roll in mud and feces,e here. I am the Instructor of Laws, Einsburn. Although we all live under one empire, itsws do not apply to all thends. I will teach you thews that must be followed in thends of the nonhumans and those outside of The Empire. I will teach you the history of The Empire, from its founding to now. Of course, if you wish, I can teach you about the 21 Heroes that you love or the age of the gods before them. I am the Instructor of Doctrine, Juniang. I dont believe that everyone here desires to be a hero. If you wish to follow the will of the Church of the Sun,e to me. I will exin the dogma of the Sun God. After the other grand masters gave their introductions, Juan finally gave his own. Instructor of Martial Arts, Juan. I can teach you about most weapons... be they swords, des, spears, axes, clubs, daggers, bows... At that, the eyes of the young heroes lit up. I guess since they were still young, rather than boring theory lessons, they desired more practical lessons in line with realbat. The Instructor of Martial Arts seemed to be the preferred choice. The Instructor of the Hunt and the Instructor of Survival had below-average numbers of applicants, probably due to their teaching habits. Luan, which subjects are you going to choose? Hmm... I paused to think over Evans question. What was the lesson I needed the most right now? The answer was simple. Its blessings. Forget proficiency with my blessing, I needed to learn how to even use it. Of course, there was no such subject. And it wasnt as if I could just ask them to teach me something else... Then did I need to hide the fact that I couldnt use my blessing even though Id been granted one? Thus, my choice... I have a question. As I raised my hand to ask, Juan smiled. Young Hero Luan, what is it? What happens if no subjects are chosen? I cannot allow that. It would mean that you arent doing anything during the lesson periods, Luan. What about self-study... That is not allowed. That was a shame. So it wouldnt be that easy. I contemted for a moment before walking up to a grand master. * * * * * * * * * * ...Hm. She looked at me and tilted her head. Luan Bednicker. Yes. I didnt expect you toe here... Is there a special reason? Was it so unexpected? Well, this was the least popr subject among the young heroes. I looked at the Instructor of Doctrine, Juniang. She was a grand master of Bednicker, a cleric of the Church of the Sun, and also the heretic inquisitor. I feel like you would know the most about the Church of Darkness, Instructor. That is true... The Instructor of Doctrine looked a little annoyed as she mumbled to herself, ...I cant fool around with you here. Pardon? Its nothing. I looked at her in shock, but she quickly moved past the point and remained quiet. The Church of the Sun. I chose this since the doctrine of the Sun God Aton could be a source of inspiration for my Strongest Fire Technique and White Sun Form... Did I make a mistake? Anyway, before long the subject selection ended and the grand masters returned to their lodge. We wanted to go and rest as well, but the Instructor of Martial Arts didnt leave the tform. It seemed he still had something left to say. Young heroes, it has already been a week since you started this training camp. Although many talented individuals attend Bednickers training camp, I believe the cohort this time is even more amazing. He was almost certainly just saying that just for show, but a few gullible people had smiles on their faces. They seemed to be taking it at face value. One week. You shouldve gotten used to life here by now, so I guess we can begin the proper training camp. Proper? Evan mumbled at the ominous word. The other young heroes seemed to feel the same way as they quieted down. As everyone looked up at the tform, the Instructor of Martial Arts continued, We will now form teams. ...Teams? Yes. What do you mean by that? asked a thin young hero wearing a stupid expression. Their speech was a little rough. If it were a different instructor on the tform, they probably wouldve said it differently. Despite the rude words, the Instructor of Martial Arts maintained his smooth smile. Is something wrong? When you be official heroes, you will have many missions where you must move as a team, not individually. Teamwork is one of the most important aspects of being a hero. I-I know that, but... the young hero mumbled at the Instructors sound reasoning. Its too sudden... Haha. Sorry about that. I looked at the Instructor of Martial Artss smiling face... At least try and sound sorry. I will give you a few more pieces of information regarding the teams. Unless a special circumstance arises, the teams you create now will not change until the end of the training camp, so I hope the young heroes who form each team can be nice to each other. What special circumstances are there? one young hero asked. With a smile, the Instructor responded, It is possible you might unintentionally lose a few team members. ... The young heroes who had been standing around in a daze all wore serious expressions now. They were all probably thinking about death. Also, each team will consist of four members. Since there are a total of 39 members in this training camp, there should be nine teams. If there are nine teams... wont the members not line up properly? Thats right. One team will have only three members. I took a moment to think. Was there any reason that fewer team members would be bad? Finally, the members of a team will have their points awarded and deducted as a group. So if one member of the team performs great and is awarded points, the rest of the team members will also benefit. Murmur. It instantly became noisy. I felt like the instructor had mentioned the best-case scenario on purpose. Maybe it was because the other young heroes had suffered in the training camp for a week at this point, but they werent easily swayed by those words. That means well have our marks deducted together as well. If that was the case, teamwork would be an issue. It would be very strange to not have any internal fighting. For something like this, fewer team members might be better. Charon, who had stayed quiet the whole time, finally spoke. How will the teams be formed? The Instructor smiled. They were selected fairly and objectively on the foundation of the instructors discussions. I doubted that. I acknowledged thepetence of the grand masters, but I couldnt tell what a few of them were scheming. And the head of that scheming group was the Instructor of Martial Arts himself. Charon closed his mouth. He seemed to be in deep thought, but that was to be expected. After having added a rule to obtain an overwhelming first-ce advantage, he would lose all his points if he ended up on a team with losers. And if the teams were chosen fairly, there was an even higher chance that Charon would be teamed up with people who were rtively low in the ranks. That is all for the exnations. I will now announce the teams, starting with Team 1: Laun Bednicker, Evan Helvin, Sharyl Rubyeta, and Mir Giant. ...? What? Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Sharyl thought for a moment, then said, Lets save as many points as possible. This is our chance to close the gap with the top rankers. If we save enough points here, our ranks could change. Mir didnt seem to want to talk to Sharyl at all... and I felt that Evan didnt really like interacting with her, so as the captain, I asked her, How many points should we save, then? Lets just buy four water bottles, one per person. Hmm... Honestly, if we can find a river thats clean enough to drink from, we could save these points as well... Sharyl looked at me. Just in case, how well do you know the Forest of the Butterflys terrain? I thought she had forgotten because she treated me so differently from Hector, but it seemed she still recognized me as a Bednicker. Not well, I replied. Of course, even as a Bednicker, there were still things I didnt know. Hearing that, Sharyl looked at me with eyes that said As expected as she continued, Anyway, since the situation like this, water is a necessity, but there isnt anything else we need. We can starve for a day, so we dont need to pack food, and its not like were going to be there for many days, somps or tents arent needed either.What about bandages and potions? Just dont get hurt. She wasnt wrong, but wasnt this too extreme? I disagree! Mir shouted as if she had been waiting for a chance. A vein appeared on Sharyls forehead. ...Why? You are underestimating the hunt! Do you think you can find high-quality prey in just one day? Thats impossible! Oh ho. Id thought she was disagreeing just to fight Sharyl, but she had a solid reason. Mir continued, More than anything, the instructors didnt give us a time limit! Sharyls expression hardened a little, and I was surprised; I hadnt expected Mir to catch the fact. Maybe it was just the way she spoke, but was she actually pretty smart? It was as Mir said. Wecked far too much information about this special test. We didnt know how we would be marked either. The most important thing was what the maximum points were for this special test... Since this test was being done in teams, the points should also be obtained as teams. If my guess was correct, then first ce in this test could obtain at least 50 points. It would average to about 12C13 points per member, so it wasnt that shocking of an amount. One day is not enough! Be it two days, three days, or even more, we need to invest the greatest amount of time to achieve the greatest hunt! Thats how we will obtain first ce! Hah! And what if you fail during that? If we cant produce results here, we wont be able to catch up to the others anyway! How can you know that?! This is only the second week! Stop fighting, you guys. We must be wary of Sharyl when her speech changes. I vowed to remember that rule as I stopped them. When I did, the attention fell back on me. Hah! Then give us your opinion, captain! What do you think? Thats right! Gold-Hair Bednicker! Tell us your n! Are you two going to follow my n? The two of them nodded at once. Honestly, my decision had been set from the start. Well save our points, but we wont be as extremely frugal as Sharyl suggested. At that, I could see the expression on their faces split down the middle. I looked at the depressed Mir and spoke to her. Mir. Yeah? I agree with most of what you said, but there is one thing I disagree on. What is it? Time. Mir tilted her head. ...Time? No matter how much time the instructors give us, our team will n to return before the sun falls on the first day. Why? I thought for a moment about how I should exin it to her before suddenly remembering a quote. I looked toward Charon for a second. The Strongest Ranger in the Empire, Hyde Woodjack, visited the Forest of the Butterfly, and he said this about it: Even as a first-ss ranger, surviving a day inside the Forest of the Butterfly is a challenge. ... Dangerous doesnt even begin to exin what well see inside the forest at night. Sir Hyde called it hell, and he lives in the swamp, one of the Four Forbidden Areas. Hmm... Well try our best during the day and return before night falls. That shall be our one absolute rule. Mir and Sharyl both looked a little shocked for a moment before they finally nodded. ...Got it. Okay. It was something of a relief. Thankfully, these two knew when to stop being stubborn. Then rest well today. Ill see you tomorrow. *** Early in the morning, at a time when the majority of the young heroes were asleep, the instructors'' lodge was as bright as day and just as noisy. The instructors had all gathered together for a meeting. ...We no longer have any dropouts during the morning runs. A few of them have even started gossiping while running. I think we should start raising the intensity of the training. I agree. Familiarity breeds negligence. The theory lessons arent progressing as fast as expected. Im thinking we should maintain tempo in them for now. The spar results are being recorded properly, right? No education was equally effective for everyone. Each person had a different way of learning that fit them best. That was why the instructors of the training camp examined the levels of the young heroes they were teaching and how the young heroes were progressing, and they used that information to actively alter and develop the young heroes schedule and its intensity. The young heroes werent aware of this, but the instructors actually rested less than them and worked even more. Hear, hear! Attention, please. Juan, the Instructor of Martial Arts, pped and gathered everyones attention. Even the ones who had been raising their voices closed their mouths and turned to him. Well discuss the training scheduleter. First, lets talk about the young heroes. What are everyones thoughts about the batch this year? When Juan said that, the instructors turned to look at each other. The first to speak was one of the knight instructors. I feel that, individually, they are the best weve had, even considering that the training camp was directly after the Blessing Ceremony. Although theircking experience cant be helped due to their young age, they are adapting at an incredible rate. Were only going into the second week, but its incredible that no young hero has died or been seriously injured. And even though theyre born of the Great Houses, they listen to our instructions properly. Most of them gave positive reviews. Even though they berated and insulted the young heroes at every chance, all the instructors acknowledged that the kids this time were very talented. Juan nodded. It seems everyone has simr sentiments. I also regret that only three people can receive the position of hero. The Instructor of Survival brushed his beard. Only three... Im also at a crossroads as to who should hold that honor. Well, except for one person. When he said that, all the instructors thought of a single person. Juan, their representative, spoke up. Are you talking about Charon Woodjack? Yes. The skills Charon has shown are incredible. To be honest, this training camp may not mean much to him. At that, the grand masters who had remained quiet all gave their opinions. During the hunting lessons, he was the first to find traces of the prey, track it down, and hunt it. I suppose its only natural for the son of Sir Hyde. He has maintained his position as first in the morning runs, and he has never lost a spar either. He iscking in a few areas in theory lessons, but his academic ambition is amazing. During breaks, he focuses and studies on the parts where he iscking. Juan nodded to all of them and agreed with their sentiments. Sword, spear, dagger, ax, bow... He knows how to wield most weapons, and his proficiency with each of them is passable. At that, there was much murmuring about how Charon Woodjack was guaranteed to obtain first ce. Juan continued, Does anyone stand out other than Young Hero Charon? Hmm... Honestly, it has to be Hector Bednicker and Sellen Goodspring. They were the two young heroes with as many expectations ced upon them as Charon. In terms of swordsmanship, Hector Bednicker is a head above. He is definitely one of the strongest in this cohort. Even among the children of the Lord of Blood and Iron, Hector was known as a genius, and he was showing that incredible talent in this training camp. In addition to his swordsmanship, he also had excellent leadership skills, and the haughty nobles all followed his words without resistance. Sellen Goodspring... We still dont know the reason she joined this training camp, but her talent cannot be doubted. One special note is that she seems quite proficient with her blessing. She is showing skillsparable to an active hero. The instructors shared the names of many other young heroes they were paying close attention. Ryud Chevaliers overall bnce is excellent. Sharyl Rubyetas performance is beyond our expectations, but she is a bit too aggressive. I feel she needs to cultivate a little before continuing her training. * * * * * * * * * * Of course, just as some were praised, others were not. Even with an incredible cohort, this didnt change. Other than them, Bruno Hammer, Sho Greenwood, Evan Helvin, Mir Giant... theyre performing below expectations. Hmm. It seems the nonhumans are a mess. Humans werent the only race in the training camp. The Great Houses were the descendants of the heroes who had saved the continent in the past, and naturally, the races of the heroes had been varied. To start with, the ancestor of House Bednicker had been a ck fairy, though the blood had thinned quite a bit. Evan Helvin... Juan said. His mouth twisted a little more than usual, and that was enough to make him look much colder. His talent and blessing arent bad, but he is too focused on his house. Hes still trying to learn a trash martial art like Raven. At the Instructor of Martial Artss overly aggressive tone, the Instructor of Survivals brow furrowed. Arent you going too far? Not at all. Im sure youve heard of the Knight of Total Defeat. ...Lord Doz Helvin, the creator of Raven, naturally suffered a lot of humiliation through that process. However, enlightenment is better obtained through defeat than victory. I dont believe that Raven, born through such defeat, is deserving of such an opinion. Juan nodded. I see. But in terms of martial theory, am I not more specialized than you? The mood immediately cooled as the Instructor of Survival lowered his voice and said, Are you saying my martial knowledge isckingpared to yours? However, Juan didnt seem to care about the colder atmosphere as he smiled brightly. Everyone has something theyre good at. At that, other instructors agreed with him. Thats right. Everyone needs to respect everyone elses specialties. Isnt that why there are ten grand masters? Instructor Soimond, Instructor Juan isnt called the Instructor of Martial Arts for nothing. Instructor of Martial Arts? Ah, are you talking about the title that he dared not use when the Instructor of Swords and des was around? ... For the first time, Juans face hardened. It could be said that the Instructor of Swords and des, Calzark, had been Juans direct enemy. When Calzark had been staying at the main house, he had been the one that represented the grand masters, and he had also had a close rtionship with the family head, the Lord of Blood and Iron. The fact that Juans position had begun to increase around the time the Instructor of Swords and des disappeared was a point of mystery and suspicion. In any case, with this argument, the mood of the meeting fell considerably. However, the Instructor of Survival knew that he wasnt in a favorable position in this downed mood. But then someone interjected without a care for what was going on. I am paying attention to Luan Bednicker. It was Instructor of the Hunt, Tanko. Even as everyones attention fell on him, he maintained his calm expression. Luan Bednicker...? He did show quite a bit of intelligence during the special test... He hasnt given any outstanding performances since then. In the special testthe morning monster ambushLuan Bednicker had obtained second ce. His performance during the test had been impressive, so a few instructors had started to pay attention to him, but he hadnt done anything special afterward. Rather... He seems to find my lessons difficult. He is physically on the weaker side. Objectively speaking, he is the worst among the young heroes here. Juan turned his gaze away from the Instructor of Survival and toward Tanko. Thats what they say, Instructor of the Hunt. In fact, I have heard rumors that you favor Young Hero Luan. Favor him? Yes. You always let Luan spar against you, and you give him points under all sorts of pretenses. A smirk appeared on Tankos face. All sorts of pretenses... I suppose that says more about your level. Youre saying too much. Its not too much. Rather, the one who ignores my decisions is crossing the line. ... Remember this. As a great warrior of the ins, I do not lie in my assessments. Tanko was that type of man. Unlike most of the grand masters, who took pride in their role as a grand master granted to them by the Lord of Blood and Iron, Tanko was most proud of being a great warrior of the ins. Juan felt friction in his stance, but he didnt say anything aloud. Understood. Since afternoon spars are your jurisdiction, I wont intervene. However, it will be difficult to ept you giving out any more points like that. Cant be helped. In most cases, Tanko naturally epted the majority opinion. It wasnt because he was magnanimous; it was just because he hated getting into unnecessary squabbles. Juan remained quiet for a bit before asking, Are any other instructors paying close attention to Luan Bednicker? ... ... No one raised their hand. Even the Instructor of Survival, who wanted to oppose Juan just because he was Juan, remained quiet. Juan looked back at Tanko. Instructor, to be honest, there is nothing much I can say about Young Hero Luan either. Honestly, assessing him without any bias is difficult work to begin with. After all, most of the people here... have heard the rumor about how he sold the sword of the house. The rumor, huh? Then didnt you hear the rumor about how Luan Bednicker defeated Hector Bednicker? At that, Juan gave a small smile. No one believes that rumor. Most people consider it an act of mercy on Hectors part to give his youngest brother some face. Youre just saying that you only believe what you want to believe. Then Ill ask you a different question. During your lessons, no matter which lesson it is, has Luan Bednicker ever failed? Youre asking an odd question. How many experts do you think are gathered here? As exined before, the training camp marked the young heroes in only four subjects, but those were only the major categories. The details were much moreplicated. Even within the subject of survival, there was discerning and procuring food and information, making good use of terrain, and even stealth and tracking. That was why nobody in the Bednincker training camp should have a perfect score. Even Charon, who was heads and shoulders above the level of a young hero, showed weaknesses in a few subjects that didnt suit him. The training camp had experts from The Empire on all different subjects, and the range of subjects they taught was even wider and deeper than the Imperial Academy. It was expected that each young hero would fail at least two or three subjects. However, no instructors responded to Juans words. They seemed surprised by this as they turned to look at each other. When the mood shifted a little, Tanko spoke up. As you said, Luans physical abilities are the lowest among the young heroes. However, he has never failed a single lesson. ...What are you trying to say? Nothing. I just wanted to answer the question you asked in the beginning, Tanko mumbled in a calm voice. However, since were on the topic already, Ill say it here: I believe Luan will obtain first ce in the second special test. At Tankos deration, the lodge became quiet. It was the deration of a man who didnt joke. Due to the weight of his words, the instructors who had taught Luan up to this point began thinking about the gold-haired Bednicker once more. Juan didnt seem to get swept up in the mood as he spoke. Is that so? I also think the second special test will produce an unexpected result, but my theory is different from yours. What are your thoughts, then? During the first special test, no one died. This was outside of our expectations, but it wouldnt be odd for something unexpected to happen during the second special test. What do you With a smile, Juan said, I feel that half the young heroes may die during the second special test. Chapter 73 Chapter 73 I started my day earlier than other young heroes, at four in the morning. Without bothering to make my bed, I took the lotus position and focused my mind on the mystic bead. ... I could feel a familiar warmth from it. It was a good temperature that didnt make me feel tired, but the power held within was extraordinary. Just from receiving the warmth slowly emanating from it into my inner core, I felt significant progress happen within me. However, just like the Lord of Blood and Iron himself when I was gifted this mystic bead, I couldnt be satisfied with just this alone. I gripped the mystic bead firmly in my hand, enough to create a mark on it. Simultaneously, I ignited the fire ki umted within my body and faced the mystic bead head-on.Fwoosh... How could I describe this process... It felt like trying to melt fire with fire. It was an impossible phenomenon in reality, but it wasnt as if internal energy and true ki were limited by those concepts. If different people encountered the same energy, they would react to it in different ways. Regardless, I was sure that my current method was correct. The warmth of the mystic bead became heat, and at this point, it started to feel more hot than cozy. This is it. My fire ki and the mystic beads heat... as the two yang energies mixed, they began to run through my veins and circte through my body. This flow of energy was the most basic method of umting internal energy, but its effectiveness was currently multiple times better than normal. In addition to enhancing my internal energy, it also amplified the effect of the Strongest Fire Technique, elerating my healing and cirction. That was the reason I was fine even though Id only been sleeping two to three hours a night since the training camp started. Fuu... Around the time light began to trickle in through the window, I finished circting. Although todays meditation was very satisfactory, the size of the mystic bead in my hand didnt seem to have changed at all. But I didnt need to be hasty. In the first ce, this was a long-term project. I expected it to take at least half a year to fully melt the mystic bead. Ugh... I massaged my sore neck as I took a moment to think. Should I go out to the track and run for a bit? Or should I sleep a little more? Usually, I wouldve chosen the first option, but we had the special test today. Since we didnt have to do the usual morning run today, I could tell that the instructors wanted us to be in our best condition for the special test. Lets just sleep. As Iy back down on the narrow bed, I felt a small vibration. It wasnt the mystic bead. The Sword of Seven Sins next to my head was shaking. Martial God? [...] It didnt seem like he was awake... I looked at the Sword of Seven Sins for a second before noticing it was moving in a specific direction. It was moving toward the field. Is there something outside? After pausing for a second, I grabbed the Sword of Seven Sins and got up. I carefully made my way down the creaking stairs, through the lounge, and out of the lodge. Fwooosh. Wind was blowing through the empty field. There usually wasnt anyone out here around this time. Honestly, I had never seen another person out here when I came out at this time to warm up. Today, though, someone was here. A small kid was swinging her hammer under the slowly fading moon. What are you doing? I asked. Mir looked at me in surprise. ...Gold-Hair Bednicker? As I continued to silently look back at her, she turned her face away. ...Ehm, Im just warming up. She was a terrible liar. I see... It seemed something was going on, but I wasnt the type to dig deeper into something like this. I ignored Mir and decided to warm up myself since I was here anyway. As I was stretching to loosen up my dull joints, I felt someones eyes on me. ...So what are you doing here? Im warming up as well. I-I see. Silence fell again. But for some reason, I could feel Mir hesitantly approaching me. I can tell this is going to be troublesome. I slowly stopped my exercise and began to turn away... But as expected, Mir grabbed me. ...Arent you nervous? Stuck in an awkward position, I asked, Nervous about what? Todays the special test... What if we dont get a good result... Stuff like that. She hesitated for a moment before continuing, ...Gold-Hair Bednicker, arent you also treated as an outsider in your own house? She knew about my situation. And considering the way she was talking, it seemed she felt a sense of kinship toward me. I am simr to you... Even though Im a giant, I was born this small. Small kid, little bean... It wasnt just my siblings, I was made fun of by all the others. Even my parents considered me an embarrassment... Mirs voice began to thin. After that... at some point, I found it hard to move when meeting someone bigger than me. What do you mean? As I said. When someone is bigger than me, my thoughts be a mess and my body freezes... I-I feel like Im not myself when it happens. Drip. A teardrop fell from the edge of Mirs chin. ...Its as that tornado girl said. I wont be of any help during this test. You probably expected that. So... if the situation calls for it, abandon me. ... I understood a bit better now, the reason Mir wasnt getting good marks even though she was so strong, the reason shed given such a pitiful showing in her fight against the giant centipede. The wind blew by once more. The morning wind in the middle of winter was cold and biting. After standing there in a daze for a moment, Mir shivered before quickly wiping her face. F-forget I said anything! What? For a proud giant and the descendant of Ymir to show something like this The Frost Giant Ymir. Those words dredged something up from my memories. Hey, have you heard the story about how the Frost Giant Ymir was cursed to be small? ...Eh? Mir stopped rubbing her eyes and looked at me. I read a lot of myths and heroic tales when I was young. Naturally, I read stories about Ymir as well. This is one of his stories: Once, due to a trickster god, Ymir ended up bing smaller. By smaller... like me? I smiled. Like you. Oh... Ymir was lying in the field, heartbroken... but then an ant came up to talk to him. Great Frost Giant, a storm will soone through here and sweep all of this field. Could you please stop it for us? Ymir shook his head. I pity your circumstance, but I have be smaller than even my fist. I cannot hope to stop the great storm. But... youre still great in my eyes. Mir tilted her head. What does that mean? From the perspective of the ant, humans and giants are both huge. Do you know which of the peaks above the clouds is the highest? You only know that theyre tall. Ehm... Anyway, Ymir realized something when he heard that. I have be smaller physically. But so what? To the ant, I am still great. Size is subjective; what is important is how I see myself. Although I have be smaller, my heart has not shrunk. Mir seemed dazed as she repeated my words. ...My heart has not shrunk. He stood up, ran toward the storm, and ripped it apart with his hands. Due to the trickster gods prank, he had be smaller, but his strength was unchanged. At some point during my tale, Mirs eyes had regained their sparkle. You endured the swipe from the giant centipedes tail with your own body. Without any mana or a blessing, with just your body... No one else in the training camp could have done that. Really? I grinned. Yeah. I doubt even the instructors could have managed it. So lets show everyone in this special test. You and me, who have both been ignored by our families... our great rebellion. Great rebellion...! Mir waved her hands up and down. She looked like a small kid who couldnt hide her excitement. Thank you! Gold-Hair Bednicker! My name is Luan. Mir smiled brightly. Ah...! Im Mir Giant! I know. Anyway, go back to your room and sleep for a bit. You didnt sleep at allst night, right? How did you know? Youve got dark circles under your eyes. Ehem...! I will! Ill sleep as hard as I can and wake up at full strength! Thank you! Gold-Hair... no, Luan! Dont sleep too hard, only for a bit... I started to say But Mir had already left. As I stared at the dust cloud shed left behind, I mumbled, Simple. Yeah. Mir Giant was a simple girl. But the benefit of being simple was that she could recover her mood easily. I had said all that because shed ended up getting energized by my messy constion. For some reason, she had been depressed the entire training camp. It seemed she hadnt had anyone around her to give her such simple encouragement. ...Maybe it wasnt just the training camp. Maybe it was her whole life? Then had her asional shows of confidence just been an act? The fewer things one had, the louder they were. I looked in the direction Mir had left in. As one of Ymirs descendants, she was among the greatest beings. If she had be a hero in the future, I wouldve at least heard about her once like the other kids here. But I had never heard of a giant named Mir. If that was the case... Mir Giant had probably died in this training camp. * * * * * * * * * * Day finally broke. Since we didnt have the usual morning run, all the young heroes were ready at the field, fully energized for the first time in a while. Of course, the mood was still turbulent. Usually, theyd be talking amongst themselves before the instructors arrived, but this time, since the teams had only been created recently, everyone seemed wary of each other. In any case, the instructor showed up on time. It was once again Juan, Instructor of Martial Arts. Young heroes, did you sleep well? ... The Instructor of Martial Arts smiled at the silent young heroes. Haha. Well, if you stayed up all night, thats not unexpected... Lets move on to the main topic. The Instructor began to exin the test. Firstly, for this special test, there is no specific area you must stay within. You may go wherever you wish within the forest. However, none of the instructors will intervene in this test. You understand what that means, right? Juans signature smile faded a little as he spoke. Do not expect any help even if a situation arises. Keep this in mind: the Bednicker training camp officially starts now. ... The test shallst for three days, a total of 72 hours. Also, attacking other young heroes is forbidden. Vitors will fail the test and have their points deducted. All right, team captains,e hand me your purchase orders and receive your items. At that, the captains of each team stepped forward. It seemed most of the captains were those who had good achievements, like Charon and Hector. Suddenly, someone called out to me. Luan. When I turned, I saw that it was Sellen, but I mistook her for a moment. Her voice was much lower than usual... And it was odd for her, who always called out to me with hey, to suddenly use my name. What is it? Its real now. What? Sellen had said something simr to what the instructor had just said. But for some reason, the way shed said it was a little odd. Although theyd said the same thing, it felt like their meanings werepletely different. Be careful. And dont let your guard down. Obviously. But it looks like youre confident. Youre even worrying about someone else. Sellen didnt react as she normally would to my joke. She looked straight at me with her ss-like eyes. Dont die. ... I blinked. Was this just simple worry? Was this special test so dangerous that I could lose my life? Something was odd. For some reason, at this moment, I remembered the words of my master. I didnt have time to ask for rification. It was now my turn, and I gave my list to Juan and received my items. When I turned around, Sellen was no longer there. ... I took a moment to look back on myself. For about a week, I had mingled with Evan and the other young heroes and had let go of a lot of tension. It wasnt just me. The others had probably let their guards down somewhat as well. Twenty percent. That means that among those present, at least seven of you wont make it out of here alive. ...That meant that at some point, we had ended up forgetting the warning given to us by the Instructor of the Hunt. Except for Sellen, it seemed. Thinking back on it, Sellens expression had been serious the entire time shed been at the training camp. Did she know something? I couldnt say for sure. I had a feeling that she wouldnt tell me anything even if I asked her. I could only face things head-on. Juan gave a bright smile. The second special test will now begin. With that... An unforgettable special test began. Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Evan had likely begun learning Raven before hed even hit puberty. Hed likely begun learning swordsmanship at an age when even holding a toy sword would be difficult. Starting at that age would make the boundary between martial arts and everyday life hazy. Traces of his swordsmanship could be seen when he was walking, eating, and doing mundane activities. What would happen if he tried to forcibly stop using the swordsmanship that had been ingrained so deeply into his body? Naturally, he would start tripping over himself, just like he was now. Evan! Fight properly! Evan flinched at my shout, but he still didnt use Raven. This guy... His condition was poor from the start... Since this was a real fight, there was no point in me pressing him further.I decided to more actively join the battle as I attacked the spider... Crunch! Soon after, Sharyls mace crushed the spiders head. The spiders eight legs wriggled for a moment before it copsed. Uwaaaah! Mir continued to wail away at the spiders corpse. Evan dropped his head low. Sharyl wiped her face of the spiders blood and let out another sigh. ...This is even worse than I expected. Agreed. *** Breaking a habit was a difficult task, even more so when it was rted to martial arts. People often say that in a contest of skilled experts, the one who first identifies their opponents behavioral patterns is bound to win. For that reason, the more a martial artist trained, the more effort they had to put into breaking their bad habits. Of course, there were side effects to this. By trying to forcibly break a habit, they could mess up the movements they had learned properly with it. Why was I talking about this now? Because it seemed like, for Evan, Raven was the totality of those habits. Generally speaking, martial arts are best learned young. I recalled the words my master had told me not long after Id arrived on Spirit Mountain. But that isnt without downsides. An untrained body is not fit to carry out all martial arts, so even if one learns all the movements properly, it is natural that there will be mistakes. A childs learning capability will absorb even those mistakes without filtering them out. This is one of the reasons a master is required for early education in martial arts. Hmm... That is why, Youngest, in some ways, you are lucky. Your head has already hardened as much as it can, so we can quickly fix your mistakes. Of course, fixing those mistakes was carried out physically in the form of his fists... ...Anyway, what I wanted to say was simple: Evan shouldnt let go of Raven. Even if he really wanted to, trying to get rid of it in such a short amount of time would be detrimental to him. As if to prove my prediction right, the next few times we encountered monsters Dieeeee! ...Kugh! S-sorry! Mirs and Evans situations did not improve. Sharyl and I were the only two holding our weight. With a serious expression, Sharyl said, ...It seems we should try collecting rather than hunting. Hm... Since the first battle, Sharyl had been speaking to me a lot more, but it looked like it was because I was the only one she considered worth talking to. I was a little thrown off, but I understood how she felt. Since Evan, the one whose performance Id been most counting on, was now in that state, Sharyl had be the teammate I had to rely on the most. Wont it be difficult to hunt with those two with us? Sharyl asked as she nced back. A few steps behind us, Mir and Evan were trudging along. I took a moment to think. Mirs trauma and Evan straying from his path... Neither of these were problems that could be solved in a short amount of time. Even 72 hours wasnt enough time to take care of them. Honestly, between the two, I was more worried about Evan. Although Mir seemed disappointed in herself due to her current state, she wasnt despairing. Evan, however, was spaced out entirely. Disappointment in Raven, guilt toward his father, and doubt in his decision... There was probably a storm raging in his heart right now. I nearly let out a sigh. Being a teacher wasnt an easy job. A teacher contemted with their student, gave advice, and ensured their student went down the right path. But what were these people who called themselves instructors doing? When he needed help, they couldnt even do that and instead damaged his psyche. Those guys are the grand masters? ...Of course, I shouldnt group them all together and curse them as one. From my perspective, the Instructor of the Hunt was a pretty good teacher. Calzark as well. Of course, I think well be tight on time if we change our n to collecting... Hey, are you listening? I am. I think we should change our n. What? I think well need to use all three days. Sharyl blinked. I said, Were still within the range of the instructors. What do you... Look closely. Although its faint, there is a path here. The grass is a little lower where were walking. Sharyl took a look around us, but she didnt seem to notice what I meant. Honestly, it was to be expected. No matter how much hero education one received as a child, why would a nobledy go out into the wild mountains? What was important was that wild forests were even more of a mess than where we were. Of course, I didnt think the instructors were anywhere near us. Isnt it because its been used a few times? Maybe a carriage went through here. Theres one more piece of evidence. Didnt Instructor Juan say that if we attack other young heroes, well immediately be disqualified? ...Ah! * * * * * * * * * * An exmation mark appeared above Sharyls head. Thankfully, she wasnt dull. Immediate disqualification... means the instructors can track the movements of the young heroes. Yeah. So if we dont go too far, we should be able to spend the three days in rtive safety. There was probably a restricted area within a certain range of the training camp. If Id known this was going to happen, I wouldve bought the sleeping bags. They hadnt even been that expensive. Well, theres merit in what youre saying. The monsters we fought back there werent that strong. Shary looked at me with a different look in her eyes. Luan Bednicker, Im seeing you in a new light. Although its not as much as Sir Hector, I guess blood really doesnt lie. Hey, do you like my brother? Not at all! Sharyl shouted loud enough to scare the two walking behind us. You couldve just said no. Why did you have to scream so loudly? How rude...! Im taking back everything I said about you! Sure. I ignored Sharyls tirade and looked up at the sky. Although I couldnt see much due to the canopy... I could still tell due to practicing the Strongest Fire Technique. The sun was slowly setting. Lets look for a ce to spend the night. Do you have experience sleeping outside, youngdy? No. As expected. I took a moment to think. I think itd be best to stay in the trees, but Im worried about the cold. It was the middle of winter. Nights in the forest would be deathly cold, and we didnt have any tents or sleeping bags to keep ourselves warm. Just sleeping as we were was a death sentence. We can just light a fire. In the trees? No, just light a campfire on the ground and take turns on watch. Hmm. It was a pretty decent suggestion for a youngdy... But it didnt sit right with me since this was the Forest of the Butterfly. My gut was saying that his ce was more dangerous than the Gem Mountains. Even if were still inside the area the instructors control, we still need to be careful... It would be troublesome if the fire drew the attention of monsters. Evan, who had been standing there and spacing out for a while, finally spoke up. ...How about not sleeping? I didnt know when hed started listening to our conversation, but evidently he had. However, I shook my head at his suggestion. No. Staying up for one day is fine, but our condition will crumble from tomorrow onward. It would be fine if we just aplished our objective tomorrow, but if we didnt, the risk was much too high. And searching through the forest at night is too ineffective. What can we see when its so dark? E-ehm... He wasnt one to act stupid at a time like this. It seemed he still wasnt in his right mind. Why dont we just sleep in a shack! Mir suddenly shouted. At that, Sharyl responded with a p of her hands. A shack! Woah! What an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G idea! Then should we start cutting down trees? Since were surrounded by them, we shouldnt have any problems! You stupid giant! What are you talking about? Why would we need to cut down the trees? Then is a shack just going to fall out of the sky? Mir pointed forward. Theres one right there! ...Huh? Hoh. In the direction she was pointing, there really was a shack. ...I dont think Im tired enough to start hallucinating. Hey, in this forest, is there anything that can cause illusions? asked Sharyl. Who knows... An illusion... Since that could be the case, I focused fire ki into my eyes. As I did, my vision brightened and I clearly saw the form of the shack. This was my fire eyes. It wasnt much; it was just a skill that allowed me to see the movement of mana a bit more closely... I dont think its an illusion, though it could be a trap. Hmm... I looked at my team members for a moment before nodding. Ill go first to check it out. You guys stay here on standby. Will you be all right alone? Its more dangerous to go together. Sharyl nodded. ...All right. If you think youre in danger, send us a signal. A signal? How? Lets just use these two. Sharyl used her arms to make an O shape. This is safe. And then she crossed her arms into an X. And this is danger. Hm. Can you show me them again? Safe, danger... One more time. Safe, danger. Onest time... Evan stopped Sharyl from grabbing my throat. Taking that view as my payment, I moved toward the shack by myself. It truly was more dangerous for multiple people to go at once, so Id acted as if I was the best for it, but it wasnt as if I had any skill with stealth or disguises. But I felt like I was a better choice than those younglings, so Id volunteered. Hmm... Looking closely at the shack, it seemed ordinary. It was a little small, but I couldnt see any problems with it. I couldnt feel anyone inside either. However, despite those facts, my guard heightened. ...I could smell blood. I put my Sword of Seven Sins into its sheath. Unlike other people, letting go of my weapon wasnt a sign that I had be more nervous; it was so I could fight with my bare hands. In any case, this shack didnt even have a window. There was a small chimney, but it wasnt big enough for a person to fit through... In the end, after counting myself down, I mmed the door open. Right away, I realized that my nose hadnt been wrong. Inside the shack was a corpse. ... It was drenched in blood, but I could see the bodys clear orange hair. I knew that face. The girl had aplex about her freckles and was a bit too talkative. However, due to her bright personality, it was difficult to hate her. Pam was lying in a pool of her own blood. Chapter 76 Chapter 76 I checked the interior of the shack. It was quite small and there wasnt a single piece of furniture, just a firece and the chimney connected to it. There wasnt any ce to hide, but I kept fire eyes active as I checked my surroundings again. I couldnt detect anything suspicious. To check on the corpse, I called for my team members, and they approached the shack. Ugh... Is that blood? This... ...Pam? They also checked Pams corpse.It hasnt been long. I guess that should be obvious since we saw her alive and well this morning. ...Is she dead? Yeah. I cant believe it... Its a lie, right? P-Pam cant... Shut up, Evan Helvin. As I warned Evan in a low voice, he flinched and stopped. Did you not expect something like this to happen? I hope you didnt expect the Bednicker training camp to be a walk in the park. The Instructors definitely told us at the start. There is nothing odd about a young hero dying. Thats...! Still... I let out a sigh. Despite saying that, it wasnt as if I didnt understand how Evan felt. However, panicking in a situation like this would only bring us harm. I could sense that Evans stress was reaching its limit in many ways, but I didnt have the time to console him. Mir, check the surroundings one more time and watch out for anyone approaching us. Hm. Okay. It seemed Mirs mental state was the most normal. Whether because of the life shed lived or because she was a giant, she didnt seem to show any reaction to the blood. While she stood guard, I began to properly investigate the corpse. There were marks of dried tears on Pams face. I could tell that shed experienced extreme fear right before she died. And I dont think she resisted at all... Even if Pam looked like this, shed still been a young hero. Shed still been confident enough to enter the Bednicker training camp. But someone like her hadnt even been able to properly resist and had died in fear... Something was very wrong here. As I continued my investigation of the corpse, that sense of wrongness began to reveal itself. Hey. Are you actually going to find anything just by doing that? Somewhat. First of all, this wasnt done by a monster. Hearing that, the expressions of the two other people here changed. That cant be. Didnt they say that teams arent allowed to attack each other? Were the instructors not able to intervene at all? But that doesnt mean its impossible to kill anyone. Although this is an extreme case, someone couldve killed her while knowing they would get punished. ... Sharyl stared at the corpse as she said, ...So whats the proof this was a murder? Technically, I hadnt yet said that this was a murder. Of course, it was more likely that shed been killed by a person rather than a monster... but there were quite a few factors that made it difficult for me to be sure. The corpse is too clean to have been killed by a monster. If this had been done by a monster, then her corpse would be in a much less recognizable state. Rather than a corpse, she would be chunks of meat. Naturally, the next question was... who had done this? Among the young heroes, the one I thought of first was Charon. He wouldnt hesitate to do anything to maintain first ce. It was possible that hed been the one to harm Pam. ... It was too early to pin him as the culprit. There wasnt enough information. Evan, do you remember who was on Pams team? ...Yeah. Tell me. Denma Galgar, Bazil Jule, and... Evan nced at me before continuing, Hector Bednicker. *** Around ten hours into the Forest of the Butterfly, Hector Bednicker felt that something was off. There are too few monsters. Hector knew quite a bit about the Forest of the Butterfly. In addition to the characteristics of the forest, he even knew about the types and numbers of the monsters that lived in it. His family on his mothers side had ensured he had that information. Thanks to that, Hector had even known that one of the special tests in this training camp would involve the Forest of the Butterfly. The surveince range of the instructors is about 15km from the base camp. In truth, young heroes would find it difficult to move past this area. There was a barrier set up with the training camp in mind, so if one tried to leave this area, they would naturally return to the center. The one who had set up this barrier was none other than the Archmage Asad. No matter how excellent the young heroes blessings were, there was no possibility that anyone could leave. The other side should be fine. Bazil Jule. He was about the same age as Hector, but the dwarven young hero already had a full beard. Were only hunting a butterfly. Honestly, this is more collecting than hunting. Hmm... The target Hector had chosen for this test was a butterfly. Naturally, it wasnt any ordinary butterfly. It was a rare butterfly called a scarletfly... and there were only a few of them in the forest. One characteristic that differentiated it from other butterflies was that it glowed a blood-red color. Also, the feces of the scarletfly was a rare material used in the arcane arts and alchemy, and the butterfly itself looked beautiful when pinned to a board, so it was expensive among collectors as well. The problem is how to find one. It was difficult to find a scarletfly in this vast and dark forest. Of course, Hector knew one piece of information about them. Sunset. Right before sunset, the glow of the Scarletfly was the strongest, enough so that it should be visible from a fair distance away. Of course, that intense light wouldnt evenst 10 minutes... That was why, right after entering the forest, he had invested most of their time looking for the ce with the most butterflies. And at sunset, hed discovered a scarletfly. But something unexpected had happened. There had been two glowing balls of light. If their team had moved as one and lost them, they would have needed to wait until tomorrow. This was why Hector had split his team into two groups to each chase a different light source. I told them not to go too deep into the forest, so there shouldnt be any problems. That would be nice... Bazil Jule was a dwarf who broke a lot of Hectors preconceptions about dwarves. Unlike other dwarves, he wasnt rude or loud. Bazil was generally calm and cold, and he spoke to everyone with a respectful tone. One fault was that he was far too easily scared. Hector turned his attention away from his fearful team member and smiled as he looked at the scarletfly currently in his possession. There is nothing in this forest more precious than a scarletfly. * * * * * * * * * * With this, not just that arrogant Charon Woodjack, he would even be able to beat the Goodspring and Luan. ...Luan Bednicker. Remembering the face of his youngest brother, Hector calmed hispetitive spirit. At first, hed thought it was a coincidence or a misunderstanding, but not anymore. Hector recognized Luan. And in this training camp, he had the desire to confidently defeat Luan. Had had one regret, though. For some reason, he could tell that Luan wasnt taking the training camp as seriously as he was. Having experienced Luans true worth, Hector was frustrated by Luans attitude. Charon Woodjack? Hector of course conceded that Charon was impressive. He might have even felt inferior if he hadnt experienced that incident. However, he had met a much greater monster than Charon, someone who the one considered the best among the young heroes refused to even look at. I dont know why he isnt showing his full potential... If Luan cared to show off his full strength, that arrogant son of Hyde would fall from first ce... Suddenly, Bazil spoke with a cold voice. ...Hector. Hector slowly raised his eyes as he responded, I know. He could feel a presence beyond the brush. With his senses, he could tell that it wasnt his team members Pam or Denma. Hector drew his sword. Kieek! As he did, a monster jumped out of the brush. It looked just like a wolf, but it had three eyes and its teeth were unnaturally sharp. Hectors expression hardened a little when he saw the monster, but he swung his sword. The wolf copsed while spraying ck blood. ...Its tougher than I expected. His sword mightve gotten stuck in the wolfs muscles or joints if he hadn''t used his mana. I-impressive as always! So this is the swordsmanship of the genius of Bednicker... Bazil was quick to praise him, but Hector didnt respond. Rather, his brow narrowed. ...A wolf? He knew that wolves existed in the Forest of the Butterfly. However, he had never heard of a wolf-type monster that looked as weird as this one. Of course, no matter how strong the information-gathering power of his mothers family was, they wouldnt be able to sweep through the entire forest... Was that swordsmanship perhaps the famous Shadow Sword Bazil, draw your weapon as well. Pardon? There are more. Rumble...! Soon, he felt vibrations that seemed to shake the entire forest. Even the dull Bazil seemed to recognize their situation as his face became pale. J-just how many are there At least a few dozen. Of course, Hector knew that telling Bazil would only make him more scared, so he didnt say anything. Bazil isnt abatant. Of course, it wasnt as if Bazil couldnt fight at all, but he could be considered a nonfactor in a fight. That meant that, realistically, Hector would need to be the one to kill this pack of wolves... This wont be easy. Although it was sudden, Hector was thrown into a battle for his life. Follow me! Y-yes! Hector ran through the forest as he continued to wonder. The appearance of a wolf-type monster in the forest wasnt a problem, but so many of them appearing to chase just two young heroes was definitely odd. Krrr! A wolf appeared as if it had fallen from the sky. Did it jump down from a tree? Hector gritted his teeth as he swung his sword. Schwing! S-sir Hector! Keep running! He wouldnt be able to run forever. Due to the forests terrain, he couldnt outpace a beast running on four legs. Hector kept looking around until he noticed a decent ce. An area with difficult terrain created by knots of exposed tree roots. In a ce like that, he at least wouldnt be surrounded. Though I wont have anywhere to run either. Hector smirked. It didnt matter. Here or there, if he couldnt kill these wolves, he would die. Bazil, I dont think Ill be able to look out for you. Keep yourself alive. ...U-understood! Hector could at least show one act of kindness, and it was to face the side the enemies were charging from. Thankfully, Bazil didnt fall into panic and followed Hectorsmands. Growl! There, the pack made contact. *** How many had he cut down at this point? Hector couldnt tell if the wetness he felt all over his body was from blood or sweat. Bazil... Looking to his side, although Bazil was in a terrible condition, he seemed to still be alive. Fuu... Hector let out a deep breath. Although he just wanted to fall over, the battle wasnt over yet. Growl... The wolves were standing not too far away from him. It was frightening to see these monsters just staring back at him without attacking. Thankfully, we have some time to catch our breath... ...but what were they waiting for? All of a sudden, he heard a voice from above. Hector Bednicker, it seems youre in trouble. As he raised his neck, he saw an annoying face sitting in the branches. ...Charon Woodjack. Hm. So you still have enough strength to talk? Hectors expression hardened. Seeing Charons sudden appearance, an absurd theory crossed his mind. ...These wolves, are youmanding them? Who knows? But I can change the tide for you. What are you saying? Charon put his hand on his chin. Its a trade, Hector Bednicker. If you give me all your points, Ill save you. Chapter 77 Chapter 77 We first tended to Pams corpse. Although that only amounted to us moving her body and burying her in a nearby hole wed dug up, it was better than nothing. It was all we could do for her for now. ...Ill request a proper funeral for her from the Instructor of Doctrine. Since shes an official priest of the Church of the Sun, she should know the procedure. Evans eyes darkened. Whoever did this to Pam... Ill make them pay. I believed that such resolves were good. An unwavering goal could be a steady marker, helping someone stay on course even in difficult situations. However, Evans current state seemed a little shaky.I felt that this goal would be detrimental to him in the long run. I didnt say much, instead making my way back to the shack with Evan. About the shack... Yeah? I think it was originally prepared by the instructors as a resting ce. Pam probably wandered through the forest alone before finding the shack and trying to rest here. ...I see. Upon returning to the shack, we noticed that Sharyl and Mir had partially cleaned the messy interior. But the blood stains remained. So... what do we do now? Mir answered Sharyl, Werent we looking for a ce to sleep? You want to sleep here? I didnt say that... but we cant hope to find some perfect ce to sleep. Unexpectedly, Mir had said something pragmatic. As shed said, though the blood stains and the scent still remained, that didnt change the fact that this was a suitable shelter for us to spend the night in. It would at least be better than sleeping outside, either on the ground or in the trees. ...What do you think? Sharyl seemed to at least be treating me as captain now given she was asking for my opinion. I took a moment to think before replying, I think we should postpone going to sleep for a bit. What are you going to do? Scan the surroundings. In response to my words, my teammates just blinked. Its not for the test. Were going to look for other teams, not monsters. Sharyl was the first to catch on to what I was talking about as she nodded. So we can ask questions. Other teams might have witnessed incidents simr to what we just saw. Thats right. And though its unlikely, we could even meet an instructor... Of course, this could all just be nonsense and Pam couldve died because of a monster. If that was the case, I was just barking up the wrong tree right now. But wouldnt that be better? Even if it meant all my effort had been a waste, it was my misunderstanding might be the best possible oue. Well look for a few hours, and if we dont find anyone, well return and take a short nap. Of course, well be taking turns standing guard. How about it? None of the team members objected as they nodded. I immediately got up. Then lets get started before it gets even darker. *** The Forest of the Butterfly was quite dark even during the day, so it was much darker at night. This was because the butterflies that illuminated our surroundings had hidden themselves. The surroundings were dark, and we could hear eerie noises now and then. Most of all, the cold air made us feel as if our bodies were freezing. The situation was so bad that Sharyl, the one whod most wanted us to save our points, ended up saying, ...If wed known this was going to happen, we couldve bought amp. More importantly, do we know were going the right way? Do you want to lead us if youre unsure? ... Since even the night was decently bright to my fire eyes, I ended up standing at the front. The other three kept a careful eye on our surroundings as they followed after me. Can you see anything? Nothing yet. Compared to the atmosphere, the forest was pretty quiet. To be precise, it was oddly quiet. The sounds of beasts and insects and even the wind seemed to be muffled. Step. Step. The only sounds we could hear were our footsteps. Marching through such a quiet ce, even the most talkative people would end up quieting down. We didnt say any more than we needed to as we walked through the forest at night. This continued for another ten minutes. Then, for the first time since entering the forest... I noticed a humanoid form. ... I raised one of my hands to signal the others, and everyone following me stopped moving. ...Is something there? About 50 meters in front of us. Impressive... So you can see that far even at night? I couldnt spare a response to Mirspliment. The others seemed to sense my hardened demeanor as their expressions also changed. ...What are you looking at? Would the others believe me if I told them what I was seeing? No matter what the oue was going to be, we needed to get ready. Do you guys have any experience fighting demons? ...What? Running away had never been an option. Its blood-red eyes had been staring at me before Id noticed it myself. p! The moment the demon pped its wings, I shouted, Take formation! Soon, a horrifying scream echoed through the entire forest. My entire body felt electrified as I automatically covered my ears. Curses... Why was a demon in Bednicker territory? * * * * * * * * * * It had the leather hide of a ck panther, the horns of a mountain goat, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a snake. Its eyes burned as if they heldva, and ck ominous energy emanated from its body... This was the first time Id seen a demon, but it had all the characteristics of one I had seen in the books Id read. p! The demon didnt directly attack us. Instead, it unfurled its huge wings and flew up into the sky. Crunch! I hadnt expected it to fly, but it did, breaking through all the branches in its way. Soon, the demon was silhouetted by the moon as it looked down at us. D-demon... Mir said, voice trembling. It was understandable. The number of people who had ever seen a demon was tiny. The creations of the Demon King, existences akin to a gue... they were terrifying organisms. They were monsters that couldnt even bepared to ordinary monsters. That was what demons were. I dont believe it... A d-demon... W-were all going to die. When I heard Mir continuing to despair, I whipped my head around and pped her cheek. How long are you going to say that? Are you really going to die here? Did you forget our promise? Promise...? We are going to make a great rebellion. Ah... Hearing my words, light returned to Mirs eyes a little. That was a relief. I probably wouldnt be able to watch out for her much during the fight. With another scream, the demon fell from the sky toward us. Spread out! After I pushed the other members away, I raised my internal energy and faced the demons dive head-on. Rumble! Was this what it felt like to get hit by a siege cannon? Uck... My vision went white for a split second as I felt my internal organs rattle around... But I gripped even harder. It seemed this hard and cold thing I had grabbed was the demons horn... Thinking about it, I had heard that a demons strength was focused in their horns. Should I try to break it? Crack... Why did that sound like my ribs cracking? Okay. I guess I wont try to defeat it in a contest of strength. I immediately let go and tried to push the demon away, but he was too heavy. In the first ce, he was as big as four bulls stuck together. Did I need to use even more internal energy? Luan! Mir shouted as she dragged the demons body away from me. I nearly let out augh at what I saw. Mir had grabbed the demons snake tail as if it were a rope and was pulling on it. Seemingly waking up due to Mirs actions, the other two also attacked with their weapons. Small wounds began to appear on the demons body, but no real damage was dealt. Use your blessings! The power of blessings was greater than that of demons. At my shout, my teammates each used their blessings. Sharyls blessing appeared, the same translucent energy as when shed escaped the swamp earlier, and her mace was dyed red. Evan didnt show any obvious changes, but his swordsmanship became sharper. Mir... well, I couldnt tell if she was using hers or not. In any case, the three of them were able to buy me some time. I had time to do my thing now. Heup... Instead of joining the fight, I began to use the time Id been given. The strongest attack I could unleash right now... Just one big shot. Things would get messy if I couldnt kill it in one shot. I started mentally going through the first half of the White Sun Form, but it was difficult to find a technique that was a good fit for this situation. When Id made contact with the demon, I had felt the thickness of the demons leather and the density of its muscles. I concluded that I would not be able to kill it with any old technique. At this point, as I drew out my internal energy, I thought up a new technique. During the multiple spars Id had against the Instructor of the Hunt, I had theorized a few new techniques as a fun exercise for myself. One of them came to mind. The fiercest and most deadly technique I can think of... A technique that utilized the bodys hardest part. Fwoosh! My knee felt hot. The moment the demon let out another scream while pping its wings in the air, I kicked off the ground toward it. The demon turned its head and looked at me before opening its mouth. For some reason, its mouth smelled like sulfur. In addition, I thought I saw something wriggle below its neck... Fire? Luan! Dodge! Immediately after that shout, my vision was covered in mes. Red mes covered my entire body. L-Luan got hit! Calm down! We need to keep our formation... You monster bastard! Shut up. I chastised my team members panicked words as I grabbed the demons two horns. Krrng? The demon let out a weird sound. Was it surprised? So demons could be surprised as well. Well, from this guys perspective, he just saw someonee out fine from his mes and grab his two horns. I smirked. Maybe because it was a demon, but its mes were much hotter than normal. My entire body might be covered in burns. The demon opened its mouth again. mes danced around the back of its neck once more. Of course, I wasnt going to get hit a second time. I thrust up with my knee and forcibly shut its mouth. Crunch! It closed with a lot of force, and I saw a few fragments of teeth fall from its mouth. Of course, this wasnt even close to being enough. Cover me! My teammates, who had been watching the spectacle in a daze, came to their senses and began attacking once more. The one who gave the best performance was actually Mir. Mir showed off her power as she swung her hammer at the demon, forming deep dents in its body with every swing. Each dent was apanied by an ear-piercing scream from the demon. The demon was moving about so much that I was being flung about as well while I held on to its horns. I was holding on for dear life. I gathered my energy in my forehead and headbutted the demon. ng! Ugh... My head spun. It felt like Id taken more damage from that than the demon. But it wasnt for nothing. The demon momentarily lost its bnce and faltered. It finally gave up on trying to toss me off and instead reached out with both hands. At this moment, my teammates attacked its body once more, but it seemed focused on getting rid of the most annoying one first: me. Seizing the opportunity, I stepped on the demons nose and wrapped my body around to cling to its back. Since its body was sorge, I couldnt even strangle its neck like I had Osels back in the Gem Mountains. Still, I needed to finish it off. Because I was still hanging on to the demon, my teammates couldnt find any openings to attack it. I hammered down with my elbow. Crunch! This feeling... I was certain, my attack had worked. The demon iled both its arms before crumbling on the spot. Boom...! The demon let out another stupid sound before it finally stopped moving. Fuu, fuah... Sharyl looked at me in surprise. What... was that? Dont know. I hadnt named it yet. I didnt tell them that, though, and instead wiped the blood off my forehead. We need to get out of here now. Why? Didnt we defeat it? We did. But this is a beast, the lowest among the demons. So what? With a cold expression, Sharyl replied, ...The lowest rank demon, beasts. Their trait is that they move in groups. Nothing more needed to be said. More horrifying screeches rang out from all around us. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 We returned to the shack. Honestly, I didnt know whether the shack was actually safe... But if it would be dangerous no matter where we went, then at least the shack could shield us from the cold. Here. Sharyl pushed something toward me. I wasnt sure what it was for a moment, but then I recognized it was a potion. What about it? Use it... You dont look too good right now. I looked down and checked my condition.Due to the demons mes, my entire body was burned. Its fine, so put it away. Ill heal. Thanks to the regenerative property of the Strongest Fire Technique, a burn of this level could be healed in only a few days. Although my skin itched somewhat, it wasnt unbearable. If my predictions were correct, we would encounter many more opportunities to use our potion in the future. There was no need to waste it here. This isnt the time to act tough. Luan, were really fine, so please use it. I said Im fine. Were not going to give it to you if you ask for itter. Sure. Hmph. Sharyl huffed as she took back the potion. Another moment of silence passed. ...Im asking just in case... This isnt, like, some special show put on by House Bednicker, right? Sharyl still didnt look to have fully calmed down, but she seemed to have regained herposure somewhat. I couldnt help butugh at her strange guess. What kind of crazy house would gather young heroes and bring in a demon to fight them? Right. But you cant know for sure with the Bednickers. Is that how my house is seen? Evan was the one who answered that question. There are rumors about how Bednicker captures demons alive, imprisons them underground, interrogates them, and so on. Ive heard that as well! Those are false rumors. ...I guess. Of course, unrted to that, it seemed true that all sorts of secrets were hidden beneath Bednickers main house... In any case, no matter how insane House Bednicker was, they wouldnt do something as insane as unleashing a demon to increase the difficulty of their training camp. Ignoring how imusible something like that was, it was impossible due to the nature of the family head. The Lord of Blood and Iron, letting a demon live within his territory? It would never happen, not even if the sky was falling. ...Of course, there were still a few possible exnations for the demon. There were still traitors remaining within House Bednicker. Hariba had just been a pawn; the true mastermind was likely still within House Bednicker, continuing to scheme. If this was the fruit of that masterminds n, it wasnt unbelievable that something like this had happened within House Bednickers territory. ...Sigh. Its said that House Bednickers territory is one of thends safest from the cult. I never expected something like this to happen. Yeah. Had something like this happened in my past life? I couldnt remember anything of the sort at the moment. If it hadnt happened, then was this incident because of me? I calmly began topare my actions in my previous life to the actions Id taken in this life. The first thing that came to mind was how Id killed Osel in the Gem Mountains and defeated Hariba in the main house. These actions could have kicked the hos nest... The other thing that crossed my mind was Pams face. If I hadnt taken those actions, something like this might not have happened and Pam might still be alive. In that sense, it could be said that Id killed Pam. Wuaaaaah... An odd cry was heard. ... ... It was from far away, but we immediately quieted down. That was how strong the demon we had just fought was. ...What do we do now? Sharyl was asking for my opinion, but she seemed a little different from usual. Before, her tone had been Sure. I guess Ill hear you out, but now it was more like she was shunting the responsibility of the team and even of thinking over to me. As I immersed myself in that useless thought and didnt answer her question, Sharyl grew impatient. What if we just wait here? No matter howrge the forest is, its still Bednicker territory. The House should send someone out to deal with them. Maybe... That would be nice... but it was too optimistic. The ones whod caused this incident werent some lowly pawns. They were skilled enough to infiltrate Houe Bednicker. They were surely confident that they wouldnt be found out. Someone like thatsomeone who could create an incident of this scale within the grounds of House Bednickerprobably had a reason to be confident. Even if help did arrive, it would take quite a while. Maybe theyd calcted that they could aplish their goals before help could arrive? ...Of course, if I revealed my thoughts to everyone here, they would only fall further into panic, so I didnt say anything. S-say something. Why are you stuttering? Because you usually talk a lot, but now youre quiet! ... Now that I thought about it, I hadnt been talking quite as much since seeing Pams body. Hmm... what did you ask me? My thoughts? Yes. If you want to know so badly... Im thinking about going back out to look for others. ...Youre joking, right? Unfortunately, no. Didnt you hear the demons roar? Sharyl said, sounding frustrated. I did. And youre going to go out again? Yeah. Why? Because that gives us the highest chance of surviving. What? A house divided against itself cannot stand. Havent you heard that before? I havent. What about those who seek death shall live, and those who seek life shall die? Never heard of it. Really? Well, these were random phrases that my third senior brother had said a lot, and I had never heard anyone say them but him... But I felt like those sayings were applicable in this situation. Even though I didnt know for sure how many demons there were, there would be at least a few dozen. Even if I entered my White me form, there was no chance I could kill all those demons. If we keep hiding here, well be safe for a day, maybe two if we get lucky... I paused for a moment before asking, But what about after that? What? Three days, four, five, six... maybe even a week. Do you think the demons wont have found us by then? Thats... I looked at my team members. Well have to fight a demon at least one more time, and itll probably be two demons at the same time. If we want to live, we must increase our numbers. We need to find at least one more living young hero. This test wasnt the main goal at all anymore, nor was thepetition. Honestly, what I was most curious about wasnt the state of the other young heroes. The instructors. The instructors, the grand masters... what were they doing now? * * * * * * * * * * Instructor of Doctrine, Juniang. She was an official priest of the Church of the Sun, a heretic inquisitor, and a grand master of House Bednicker. Among the grand masters, she was a special case. Usually, those who came to Bednicker and became a grand master cut off their connections with outside organizations and no longer performed the jobs theyd had outside. That wasnt the case for Juniang. She was still a priest of the Church of the Sun and its heretic inquisitor. There was no grand reason shed epted the role of one of Bednickers grand masters. The Lord of Blood and Iron, the family head, was said to instill fear even in demons. She just wanted to have a close friendship with such a man and see his skills. Of course, the Lord of Blood and Iron was a very busy man. Sometimes, she couldnt even think of him as the family head of one of the Great Houses. From what shed heard, he rarely stayed in the main house for even a month out of the entire year. Juniang couldnt say how true that was, but after her first meeting with the Lord of Blood and Iron, it had been quite a while before she was able to see him again. Shed aplished her goal about three years after bing a grand master. Due to some circumstances, shed ended up going demon hunting with the Lord of Blood and Iron. A greynd already deeply infected with demonic energies,nd which had be the territory of demons and monsters, a so-called deadnd... Although this was a job given to the heretic inquisitors of the Church of the Sun, the Lord of Blood and Iron had ended up joining up with her in the middle of her mission. There, Juniang had realized something. The Lord of Blood and Iron wasnt like any demon hunter. One of the heretic inquisitors standing next to her had mumbled, ...I cant tell who the real demon is. Hed received a warning for that. Though Juniang hadnt shown it outwardly, shed agreed with the sentiment. Generally speaking, a great deal of preparation was needed for a hunt. All sorts of weapons, tools, and information about their target, even a method of escape if the worst came to pass. The reasons were simple. Even veteran heretic inquisitors couldnt be sure of victory in a direct confrontation against either the cult or the demons. That was why what the Lord of Blood and Iron had shown them couldnt be called a hunt. People usually didnt call the act of killing two hundred demons in under 10 minutes hunting. ...Nothing to report here. As she received a report from one of the knights, Juniang raised her head. They were from the Fang Knight Order. She couldnt remember their name. What do you wish to do? It doesnt seem theres any point looking any longer... ... The knight was subtly expressing his tiredness. The others around her seemed to be in the same boat. I guess this is it. This was the limit of how much she couldmand the knights with her position as a grand master. Juniang nodded. All right. You may return. What about you, Instructor? I will look around a little more. Shes wasting time. Thats what the knights expression said as he lowered his head. Understood. As the knights walked off, she could hear themining. ...I dont know why she had to be out here so early in the morning. A weird omen in the forest... Has that woman never heard about Sir Asads barrier? Heretic inquisitors are always weird. ... Juniang could hear their whispers clearly, but she didnt call out to them or chastise them. Since she was the one whod used the excuse of weird energying from the forest to call them here, she could at least forgive them for thinking that. Of course, Juniang didnt say what she was really thinking. There was no way she could. Who would believe that shed felt demonic energy within Bednicker territory? ...Hm. Juniang raised her head. A dense forest, a dark and cloudy sky... Maybe a cool rain would improve the situation. ...Lord Aton. Please let all this be a mistake. Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Hector swung his sword. ng! The smell of blood and the stench of the beasts intermingled. This wolf bastard didnt die even though its jaw was cut in half. Rather, it red at Hector and tried to tear into Hectors skin with its teeth. This is dangerous... He didnt have the energy to dodge. Hector! Bazil suddenly mmed into the wolfs body with his own and pushed it away.The wolfs dangling head fell off from the force, and disgusting blood sshed on his face. Are you okay? Hector couldnt even respond; he just nodded. He swept back his hair, which had stiffened from the blood, and looked in front of him. The number of wolves in the pack had decreased significantly. There were only ten or so left, but they werent attacking, only observing him. Have they noticed my condition? Well... he looked pitiful enough that even a beast should be able to tell. Hector couldnt tell how many of these dirty dogs he had decapitated, but he was certain that he was approaching his limit. This was something that couldnt be ovee by grit and mentality alone: he was reaching the physical limit of his body. Hector Bednicker. He heard the voice again. Hector couldnt raise his head, but he knew to whom the voice belonged. Charon Woodjack was still observing the situation from the trees. Will you ept my offer now? What did Charon mean by that? The answer was points. Charon had offered to help if Hector handed over all of his points. Charon probably wasnt lying... He was definitely capable of upholding his end of the deal. As annoying as Charon was, Hector knew he was a genius. Hector smirked. He had run away from that word his entire life, yet that hateful word had continued to chase him. Genius... Hector Bednicker despised geniuses. *** The first thing Hector had ever grabbed was a sturdy ck wooden sword. A toy sword, made from a light wood and short enough to be used by a child. When hed first grabbed that sword... For some reason, Hector had felt like the sword was stuck to his hand. Just grabbing the sword had made him feel great. So hed swung it. As hed recklessly swung the sword, his mother had been delighted. This child is a swordsmanship genius! Hed been called a genius when he hadnt even known the meaning of the word. Still, he recognized that he was being praised, and he was ted to hear it. Soon, the swordsmanship hed begun for fun fulfilled his sense of self. Hector became even more excited as he energetically and diligently swung his sword. Every time he did so, his mother pped her hands. However, this wasnt a path that could be trod because of joy, and that was even more true in House Bednicker. When Hector turned six, he began to receive swordsmanship instruction. However, he had not one instructor but twelve. Honestly, we wanted to hire the Instructor of Swords and des, but that man isnt motivated by money. Still, its fine; these people are all experts that other houses desperately wish to hire. Hector loved his mother. Every time his mother spoke to him with those blue eyes, he epted everything she said. I trust that you will do well, okay? The six-year-old Hector nodded. Yes. From that day on, Hector was unable to simply swing his sword against a scarecrow or even his peers. Its stillcking! Here, swing a hundred times more! How can a child of Bednicker be so weak? Young master, your right shoulder is unguarded. The lessons were intense. The young boys hands started to form calluses, and his entire body became covered with bruises. How is Hector? ...To be honest, his talent isnt that outstanding, though he is very resilient... Thats not enough. That child, Hector, needs to be a genius. ...Miss? Help that child create a sword art. What do you... Youre only giving the child advice. The creator will be my son, Hector Bednicker. Do you understand? Hector Bednicker, the genius. One of the three greatest children of House Bednicker. None of it was true. Hector just liked swinging his sword. He just didnt want to disappoint his mother. He was just a little brighter than his peers. He was just an ordinary kid. *** The Lord of Blood and Iron, Derk C. Bednicker. Even though Hector had inherited his blood, he didnt meet the man until he was 12 years old. The Shadow Sword was said to have been created by Hector, but it had actually been created by the twelve swordsmanship instructors over many months. That swordsmanship was disyed before the Lord of Blood and Iron. ... After finishing his demonstration, Hector lowered his head. Although there hadnt been any mistakes in his swordsmanship, he still felt ashamed for some reason. Who created this swordsmanship technique? Of course, Hector Stop. Wife, I wasnt asking you. Hector realized that the Lord of Blood and Irons gaze was directed toward him. However, oddly enough, he found it difficult to talk. A smooth but oppressive hand covered his shoulder. It was his mother. Hector? You need to answer. The family head is asking you a question. Hector gulped as he answered, ...I-I created it. It couldnt be helped that his voice trembled. His mother tried to cover up his awkward response. Hm. It seems hes quite nervous in front of you. But even in that moment, Hector felt the gaze of the Lord of Blood and Iron on him. Was it truly you who created it? Ah. At that moment, Hector realized the truth. He already knows. Although Hector had no evidence, he was certain. His father already knew that he wasnt the one who had created this technique, that he wasnt a genius at all. Hector felt his face burn up. Embarrassment. This was the first time Hector had ever felt embarrassed. Simultaneously, his lips quivered. He had heard countless times just how cold and scary the Lord of Blood and Iron was. He wasnt someone who would overlook a liar, even if it was his own son. If thats the case, make itpletely yours. ...! Hectors head immediately shot up. For the first time, he saw the Lord of Blood and Irons eyes. Although they were the same color as his own, the Lord of Blood and Irons eyes were much colder. He finally understood why the man was called the Lord of Blood and Iron. However, he also noticed a faint sense of interest in those eyes. Hector...! Amazing, the family head has acknowledged you! Incredible, young master. Congrattions! A genius! My son is a genius! After his father left, his mother and his swordsmanship instructors gathered around to say things to him, but he couldnt remember them very well. Make itpletely yours. The Lord of Blood and Irons final words alone were engraved in his heart as they stirred up a storm within him. * * * * * * * * * * After that day, Hector began training like his life depended on it. He cut down on rest, meals, and sleep. He also decreased his interactions with his peers. The time he saved was spent solely on bing stronger, on developing his swordsmanship technique, on being acknowledged by his father once more. With that, the attitude of the people around him began to change. Your swordsmanship bes sharper with every passing day, young master. As expected of the family heads child. His swordsmanship instructors praised him, and the servants became much more polite. His mothers family treated him well too. However, what Hector loved most was getting to see his father more frequently, even if it was still only two or three times a year. One day, his father called him up to the fifth floor. Hector was so happy he could have cried. Even among the family heads children, only a select few were allowed there. Father has acknowledged me...! When he first stepped foot onto the fifth floor, the scenery instantly changed into a beach at sunset. Hector saw his father standing on the orange beach. Hector. Yes. I will one day cut down the demon lords. Hector flinched with a shiver. He understood the weight of the term demon lords. I know that it is impossible for me alone. Even our ancestor and great hero, ck Fairy Kuset, was unable to aplish this feat. ... But if I am not alone, if I have an ally who could be my strength, it is doable. That is why you were created. Confessing to a child that he was born out of necessity... that was something no father should ever do. However, Hector wasnt shocked. Nor did he feel sad. I wish for you to fight by my side in the future. Instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of duty. It didnt matter what the reason was; he was d that his father needed him. The wish of the Lord of Blood and Iron became Hectors desire. It became his dream to go out onto the battlefield where his father needed him, to protect his fathers side. I can do it. Genius... Hector began to consider himself a genius. He felt his swordsmanship improve day by day, and he became confident that he was stronger than others his age. The word he had considered a burden was now held up high with pride. ...The moment he had that thought, Hector witnessed a true genius. ...I didnt expect there to be this much of a difference. It seems Hero will be the family heads sessor. Shush...! Miss will hear you. Hero Bednicker... In a spar with the eldest son of the House, Hector lost within ten seconds. However, Heros parting words were a much greater humiliation than the loss itself. ...Thats funny. Why is father relying on an ordinary kid like you? ... The words that hed finally forgotten and believed hed never have to hear again had reappeared to pressure Hector. Ordinary and genius. Hector could feel it. For the rest of his life, he would be chased by those two words. *** Hector hated geniuses. He hated those who looked down on andughed at people who worked hard. He also knew that this was born of a feeling of inferiority. He knew that, but so what? ...I refuse. If he didnt follow his heart, he would stop being Hector Bednicker. Charon tilted his head slightly. Youll die at this rate. I know. And youre still going to refuse? Is your pride more important than your life? I dont understand. You wouldnt. You wouldnt be able to see the pride of someone below you from your position of arrogant genius. Also, Hector had no intention of dying here. Bazil. Y-yes? Ill create a path, so use it to escape. Now that the number of wolves had decreased, it was possible. There was an opening in their encirclement. Bazils face became pale. B-but what about you? Ill be right behind you... is a guarantee I cannot make. But its more difficult to fight while trying to protect you. I can pull my weight. Dont try to show off. Youre about to copse. But... Im pretty sure I said this at the beginning: during this test, the team captains word isw. ... Hector was thankful for Bazil. Even in this moment of danger, Bazil had never once tried to convince Hector to hand over his points. Hector didnt know why that was. Maybe Bazil was as pure as he was weak. Hector chose to view it as the dwarf respecting his useless pride. And if that was the case, he would respect this young heros life. ...Understood. At this moment, Hector forgot the situation andughed. So dwarves cry like that. Hector looked at Bazilsughable face. Bazil, I dont think being a hero suits you. If you survive, look for a different career. To be honest, my dream job is to be a brewer. Really? Ive heard that dwarven stout is rather good. Of course. Ill treat you next time. After listening in on their conversation, Charon spoke once more. Hector Bednicker, are you really going to kill yourself and your teammate just for some points? Its not a problem of points. I am a Bednicker. What about it? Bednickers dont negotiate with trash. ...Those words had note out of Hectors mouth. Crunch. Something fell from the sky. It was a bloody wolf that looked like it had been crushed by a boulder. It was the work of a young boy. ... Hector couldnt help but smirk. It was a face as annoying as Charons. However, he was more than d to see that face here. ...Right, Brother? Luan smiled as he looked at Hector. Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Hectors condition was terrible. It was difficult to tell it was him at a nce, he was so bloody. More than his wounds, though, it was his exhaustion that seemed the bigger issue. One could tell that he had been swinging his sword the entire day with how many wolf corpses surrounded him. Woof! I punched a wolf that was charging me. My me-covered fist mmed into the wolfs lower jaw. I felt its teeth and jawbone both shatter from my punch. Crunch. Right after breaking its jaw, I grabbed its extrarge mane. Grasping its coarse hair, I picked up the wolf and threw it forward.The wolf was sent flying and collided with the other two wolves that were charging at me. They had their mouths open, which ended up being filled with the wolfs corpse. I looked at the staggered wolves and thrust my right palm forward. White Sun Form. Second Technique ming Wheel. Maybe it was thanks to diligently making time to train with the mystic bead, but my ming wheel was double the size itd been thest time Id used it as it swept up the wolves. The remaining ones... There were four wolves left, but I didnt need to kill them myself. My team members had already seeded in dealing with them. Crunch! Sharyls mace shattered the spine of one of the panicked wolves. ...Fuu. Seeing Sharyl let out a deep breath, I joked, I told you,ing out here lets you rx a bit. And its good exercise! Are you really saying that right now? Sharyl noted that Hector was about to copse, so she quickly ran over and supported him. Sir Hector, are you okay? My goodness, look at these injuries... When she immediately went to take out the potion, I stopped her. Sharyl. What now! Thats something we bought with our points. We cant just use it lightly. Are you joking right now? Do you think I am? The potion had been bought with the points of all our members. It would be fine to use it on one of us if we were injured, but using it on someone from another team was apletely different matter. ... Sharyl bit down on her lip. She wasnt stupid, so she should be able to understand my intentions. But... at this rate, Sir Hector will... Hes not even that injured. What? Even though hes covered in blood, most of it isnt his blood. He should be fine if he sleeps for a bit. Right, Hector? Hector had an expensive body. He had consumed all sorts of elixirs while he was growing. His body was on apletely different level than an ordinary young heros. Hector slightly pushed Sharyl away as he said, ...Its as Luan says. Im fine. He then looked at me and let out a sigh. Im in your debt, Luan. This debt... You wont forget and will repay someday? ...Yeah. I smirked before looking up at Charon in the trees. Well talk about thatter. I want to talk with him first. Jump. Unexpectedly, Charon jumped down from the tree. He then red at me. Why were you only watching? Are you saying I needed to save Hector Bednicker or something? If you werent going to, you shouldve pissed off. Im asking why you were just sitting there and watching it all happen. He refused my offer. Id arrived in the middle of the battle, so I didnt know exactly what had happened. However, judging by the attitude Hector had shown in the end and Charons words, I could guess. I didnt expect you to be so obsessed with points even in a situation like this. Hectors danger is an opportunity for me. Im not a fool that would kick away an opportunity that found me. Do you even know whats going on in this forest? It seems demons have appeared. ... I was speechless. So even while understanding the situation, he was threatening Hector for some points? Luan Bednicker, I knew from the beginning that you were hiding your strength. You were intentionally half-assing all the lessons to seem weak and detestable. Youre mistaken about that. I hadnt hidden my strength. I hadnt half-assed my lessons either. Id panting while running because I hadnt wanted to use my internal energy, but Charon had mistakenly thought that I was acting weak instead. But you arent the only one who has hidden his power. For you all, the training camp is a ce of suffering, but not for me. I have never lived in a morefortable ce in my life. ... Even if you are a child of the Great Houses, youre just a fragile flower protected by those houses. I am on a different level than you. He had a weird sense of pride. Like something you would hear from an old man, perhaps? I have suffered so much more than you, sopared to what Ive experienced, your experiences are nothing... People who said things like that tended to have terrible personalities. Then should we settle this here? What do you mean? Your points. Hearing that, Charons eyes lit up. Are you saying we should bet our points? On a duel? No. Just give me all your points. Everything you have. I extended my arm toward Charon, elbow bent, and motioned twice with my hand, fingers curling inward. Or get stomped here like a rat. * * * * * * * * * * Charon looked at me for a moment before smirking. Ill take that as an invitation to fight. W-wait. Are you really going to spar here? This isnt the time to As Evan quickly tried to interject with logic, Charon drew his shortsword from its scabbard and then immediately charged me. Melee? His specialty should be long range. In any case, this wasnt a bad battle for me. Charon swung his shortsword. We were still about ten steps away from each other. Forget a sword, even a spear wouldnt reach me at this distance. Vwoong! Charons shortsword emitted something. I narrowed my brows. It wasnt sword ki. Only sword masters were capable ofunching an attack with sword ki. Even if it was Charon, that was impossible. Meaning... Its his blessing. I couldnt see the attack properly because the surroundings were so dark, but the attack was so loud that it wasnt difficult to dodge. After dodging the sh, I looked in front of me, but Charon had disappeared. Slice! I heard the air tear behind me. Even without looking, I could tell that it was an arrow. I grabbed the flying arrow with my bare hand. ...! I could sense shocking from Charon, hidden somewhere in the forest. I threw the arrow back in his direction, and Charons presence instantly disappeared. It wasnt that hed stealthily hidden himself; he was teleporting short distances. Another blessing. Short-range teleportation was actually prettymon among blessings. The Lord of Blood and Iron had something simr, as did Sellen. Charon probably had a simr blessing as well. Id guess he has three or four blessings. If hed received five or more blessings, it wouldve been a hot topic. I would have heard about it. Also, there were countless types of blessings. Since it was unlikely that all his blessings were rted tobat, I probably only needed to be wary of his ranged sh and his teleportation. Charons presence repeatedly appeared and disappeared around me. It was a trick to try and dull my senses, but frankly, it was useless. Bang! I mmed my right foot down and made the earth quake. The corpses of the wolves lurched into the air as the terrain around me was disturbed. ...! And Charon, who had just finished another short-range teleport, stopped moving for a moment. This was one of the tricks Id learned while living as a mercenary. A weakness of skills like teleportation was that the user was naturally slow to take in information about the terrain around them. It wasnt like they were moving directly while observing their surroundings; there was a dy in their reactions because their surroundings before teleporting suddenly looked different afterward. It was a short pause, less than a second long... But one second was more than enough to end a fight. Crack! Kugh... Charon stumbled after being punched in the face. Even as he did, he used his right hand to aim for a critical strike against me. He definitely had more experience in real fights than most young heroes, but he was still just a baby chick. He was much weaker than the average mercenary or even the cult assassins Id fought in the Gem Mountains. Grab. I stopped the attack of the shortsword aimed for my neck and kicked Charon in the stomach. Keuk...! Charon gritted his teeth as he swung his left hand, but most of his attacks were blocked by me. What are you doing? Is this all you can do? At that moment, Charons expression shifted. I sensed killing intent from his eyes and his expression, and he began to attack me while ignoring his own safety. They were reckless attacks, the kind I would expect from assassins, and they were much sharper than any of his prior attacks. I could tell what he was thinking as well. If I were inexperienced, I wouldve shrunk back from these attacks. Even if I had realbat experience, feeling the weight of death was an entirely different matter. I stopped his shortsword with my palm. ...! Charons eyes widened to the point that I thought they might tear. He was more surprised than I had ever seen before. With my left hand now punctured, I kicked Charons face. Ugh... Who did you learn this attack from? Its not a skill a young hero should have. Was it your father? Shut... up. No. I didnt imbue any internal energy into my palm as I pped his face. No, no, no, no, no. p, p! Every time I hit his face, Charons head spun left and right. Honestly, because his face was pretty lean, there wasnt any texture, but I intentionally only pped his face. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, people like himwho lived and died on their pridedidnt have any tolerance for humiliation. And secondly, focusing my attacks on one ce was my specialty. Ill kill you...! At first, Charon red at me in defiance... p, p! S-stop... Let go... But after a dozen ps, his resistance faltered significantly... p, p! Around twenty ps in, he dered defeat. I-I los Of course, even though his face was now bloated, he still had a surprising amount of energy left, so I didnt stop pping. p, p...! By the time thirty ps had turned to forty... Charon was no longer resisting. He was just mumbling quietly. Around this point, I stopped. I listened closely to try and hear what he was struggling to say. ...rry... What? Sor... I... sorry... Aha. He fell unconscious. I finally let go of Charon. As I turned to Hector, I recalled having done something simr. ... Hectors eyes had been clenched shut the entire time. Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Although we returned to the shack with Hector, the dwarven young hero, and Charon, we werent able to hear the details of their situation. All three of them seemed to be at their limit; they all copsed as soon as we arrived at the shack. ...I dont think Charons unconscious because of exhaustion. Do you care? Compared to the three of them, we were a bit better off, but since we didnt know what might happen, we decided to close our eyes and rest for a bit as well. Over the course of the night, the four of us took watch one at a time. The first day of the special testthough I didnt know if we could still call it thatcame to an end. The morning of the second day... After going outside to get some fresh air, I looked up at the sky and tilted my head....Is it morning? I cant tell because the forest is so dark, Mir said, echoing my own thoughts. Due to the sheer number of trees, it was always quite dark... but for some reason, it felt darker than usual. I was quite sensitive to the presence of the sun, so I could tell even without being able to see through the branches. Has the sun not risen yet? I took out the hourss from my pocket. About a third of it had fallen, meaning that approximately a day had passed since the beginning of the test. And since the test had started in the morning, the sun should be up now... I hope this is just a bad feeling. But since demons had already appeared, hoping for the best was just denying reality. For now, I should check in with the others. I returned to the shack with Mir. There in the small shack, I saw the other young heroes sitting together. ...Its so stuffy in here. Maybe because there were no windows, but it felt harder to breathe for some reason. If it were summer, I wouldnt be surprised if we just died from overheating. I first looked at Hector. Are you okay now? Ive recovered a lot. What about you? Me? Didnt your hand get pierced yesterday? And you had burn scars as well... He was more attentive than Id realized. It was right before he copsed, but he was talking like hed seen the entirety of my duel against Charon. Im fine. I should be all healed by tomorrow. I see... Are you okay as well, Mr. Dwarf? Ah, yes. Im good. I looked at the dwarven young hero for a moment. Your name... I am Bazil Jule. Right. Id forgotten even though Evan had told me. Bazil looked dejected as he mumbled to himself, I heard the general situation from Evan and Sharyl. I never thought Pam would die... I guess we cant be too hopeful for Denma either. There was no point in trying to console him right now, so I just stayed quiet. Finally, I looked at Charon. Just yesterday, he had been so swollen that it had been hard to even see his face and neck, but it had settled down quite a lot now. His healing is quite impressive as well. Hed probably eaten as well as Hector had while growing up. So why are you here alone? Where is your team? ...Our team decided that we would all work alone. Aha. It was stupid to be acting alone in a dangerous ce such as this one, but I understood Charons reasoning. So you wanted everyone to go around and get their own points. Did Zeros try to go around selling potions with his blessing? ... Charons silence told me I was correct. Seeing his secretive attitude, I felt the desire to bully him further bubble up within me. But before that... I let out a fake cough to clear my throat. Before we start, who here knows a lot about the Church of Darkness? Hector was the only one of the seven who raised his hand in response to my question. Then Ill ask you something, Elder Brother. What is it? Do any of the cults rituals rte to sr eclipses? Hectors expression hardened. ...Are we in a sr eclipse right now? Probably. This isnt something to be taken lightly. Give me a direct answer. I nodded. Thats right. The sun is covered by a shadow. In response to my words, everyones attention focused on Hectors expression. His expression, which had previously been hardened, was now pale like a corpses. Sir Hector? Do you perhaps know what is happening right now? From what Ive read... a sr eclipse that happens only in a specific location without any warning can mean only one thing. My theory became reality as Hector continued, A demon lords summoning ritual. The Church of Darkness. Those crazy bastards intended to summon a demon lord on Bednickernd. * * * * * * * * * * Naturally, all the young heroes were shocked. We had just barely defeated a demon pawn. With the sudden shift to talking about demon lords, we lost the sense of scale. Y-youre joking, right? A demon lords summoning means... Not just anywhere but in Bednicker territory... Theres no way thatll happen, right...? Of course, it wont be a full summoning. They shouldnt have the time or the sacrifices necessary. Bazil seemed to get scared quite easily, unlike a regr dwarf, as his face became pale at Hectors words. S-sacrifices... Only a part of the demon lords body will appear here. I-I guess thats a bit of a relief. A relief? Hector gave a dejected smile. Do you remember when, 20 years ago, the Great City of Pilpia was demolished in just 27 minutes? Even now, thatnd is covered by such disgusting demonic energy that even high-ranking priests have given up on trying to purify it. What the cult summoned back then was just a demon lords finger. ...Ive heard about the tragedy of Pilpia as well, Sharyl said, but I heard that a few hundred people were sacrificed then... Theres no way we can know what preparations the cult has made. Regardless, we need to be wary because the sr eclipse has already happened and the ritual has begun. I asked, What will happen next? First, living creatures will start to mutate. Life without any resistance to demonic energy will be affected by it and start to be twisted. Affected? Originally, this forest didnt have any wolf-type monsters. The beasts who live in this forest were affected by that energy and turned out like that. Hmm... Second, demons will begin to appear. Most of them should be low-ranking demons with the intelligence of animals, but after the gates of hell have been opened, theyll appear in swarms. While looking at me, Hector continued, Finally, therell be a sr eclipse... just like you saw. How many stages does the ritual have? From what I know, there are four stages. The final stage is when thend itself starts to rot and begins to emit suffocating demonic energy. This energy is so strong that even active heroes have a difficult time resisting it. So if we reached that point, everyone was going to die helplessly. ... ... In any case, Hectors exnation had instantly brought down the mood. I was no exception. Id expected the situation to be serious, but this was worse than I had ever imagined. A cmity of this scale might be enough to kill even me... Was this what my master had foreseen? But I couldnt think of how the advice Id received could affect this. Could I have grown enough to respond to this situation in just a month? But then Evan, who looked rtively calmpared to everyone else, asked, Theres no way House Bednicker wont know this is happening when its such a huge deal. Wont the house send support soon? There will be support sent... but we cant know when. Pardon? Centered on the campground, there is a barrier that is 40 kilometers across. It was created by the Archmage himself, Sir Asad, and it was created topletely separate the inside of the training camp from the outside. Why was a barrier like that... Because without it, this training camp couldnt have been created in such a dangerous area. The barrier stops monsters from invading and also removes the effect the forest naturally possesses. That is, the loss of direction. Ah... The culprit is likely aware of this fact. Although he didnt say it out loud, Hector seemed to also understand that the culprit was inside House Bednicker. ...It would be nice if there was a way to ry this news to the outside. Shouldnt someone here have a blessing like that? You know, theres that guy who smuggled all sorts of items in from outside... As that person was mentioned, we all turned to Charon. His expression didnt change at all, as if he was trying to hide whether he knew anything about this situation... But he soon bluntly replied, ...If youre talking about Zeros, its impossible. His blessing doesnt create a path to the outside world. He just has a huge vault. It was impressive how he was able to maintain that rough personality of his after getting beaten up so badly. I sat there amazed at Charon for a moment, but then I suddenly had a thought. Wait. Did you say that the barrier was made by Archmage Asad? Its Sir Asad. Yeah, Sir Asad. Hector looked at me with a displeased expression before nodding. Thats right. Thats why theres no point in someone using a power with a lower rank than him. I have a magic item given to me by the family head. Shouldnt it be enough to break through Mister Archmages power? A magic item? I held up my middle finger. Of course, I wasnt insulting Hector, I was showing off the ring. Thats...? He told me that if I pour mana into it, I can go to the fifth floor. Hector closely checked the ring before his expression brightened. Ah! Its a regr ring without a gem or any detailed inscriptions... Sir Asad was definitely the one who made this. Oh. With this magic tool, you should be able to get through the barrier. Ah...! As he said that, exmations of relief were heard from everyone around us. It felt like a ray of sunshine had shone through the cloud of despair. Okay. Wait just a moment. I quickly began to imbue mana into the ck ring. Vwoong... I was worried about what Id do if it didnt activate, but thankfully, the ring epted my mana without any issue. Soon, mana flowed out from the ring and engulfed my body. Then... sh! My surroundings instantly changed. ...Hm? Suddenly, I was standing inside a worn-out room. There wasnt even a window. Instead, the huge room was covered in bookcases, and most of them were ancient books written innguages I couldnt understand. Now that I thought about it, hadnt he said that the fifth floors scenery changed every time? That meant that the Lord of Blood and Iron was somewhere around here... Whats this? I was immediately surprised since I hadnt detected a single presence. I looked backward, but rather than the Lord of Blood and Iron, I saw someone else sitting at a desk. The man was wearing a magnifying ss as he read a book; he wasnt looking at me at all. It was the Archmage Asad. Luan Bednicker, why are you here? ...What about you, Sir Asad? Is it odd that Im in my room? It is odd. This ring was supposed to send me to the fifth floor of the main house. Ring? Only then did Asad take his eyes off the book to look at me. His exhausted-looking eyes saw my ring. Where did you get that ring? The family head gave it to me. Derk did? Hmm. Asad seemed to have his doubts, but he soon lost interest. I guess if you say so. ...So where is the family head? I dont know. Youre distracting me, so leave. As Asad said that and tried to get me to leave, I hurriedly spoke. W-wait! What is it? Were in a dangerous situation. Its because of your barrier, Sir Asad. My barrier? I began to exin everything to Asad. The training camps special test, the deaths that had already urred, and even the premonitions of a demon lords summoning. ...Asad closed the book he was reading. He put his chin on his knuckles and seemed to fall into deep thought. All in all, his reaction was calmer than Id expected. I thought he would make a bit of a fuss when he heard about the demon lords summoning... Now that I thought about it, didnt magicians who lived long lose their human emotions and be more and more detached? I thought it would be boring to live life like that. Finally, Asad spoke. I see. ...Ehm. Excuse me, but is that all? Theres no need to make a fuss about it. Even if you didnt make a fuss about it, I thought that youd at least be surprised. You have only told me what I already know, so why should I be surprised? ...What? What had this man just said? Chapter 82 Chapter 82 I narrowed my brows as I activated my internal energy. Maybe Asad felt it because he looked at me with a confused expression. Ill say this now, but Im not a cultist. I know. Also, I shall expand upon myself a little. Im an atheist. ...The old man could joke. One of my strengths was that I could respond favorably to boring jokes like that, but now wasnt the time. Havent you received a lot of blessings, Sir Asad? I have.But you dont believe in the gods? With a crooked smile, Asad responded, The one I think of as God is a much higher being. The 72 gods are strong, but they are much too restricted. They dont fulfill my criteria. As I heard Asads sphemy, I randomly remembered something the Martial God told me. The story about the forgotten god. What had he said back then? The Supreme God. Hmm? Asads eyes showed the first hint of surprise I had ever seen. Where did you hear those words? Pardon? Supreme God. Since I couldnt tell him about the Martial God, whom I had hidden even from the Lord of Blood and Iron, I tried to smooth it over with words. I think I saw it in some book... Youre lying. There isnt a single record of that word in this empire. He spoke as if he had read every book in The Empire. Of course, since he had lived for over 300 years, he had certainly read many more books than the average person... It looks like you dont intend to tell me. Hm. This could be fun, but... Surprisingly, Asad didnt question me any further. Rather, heughed to himself, looking like he had found a fun toy for the first time in a long time. For some reason, I feel like Im the one losing here. I didnt normally lose the initiative in conversations, but the way this man spoke and the way he acted were rather peculiar. If I didnt pay attention, I would get swept up by his tempo and lose control of the conversation. Were you talking about the demon lords summoning? The reason I already knew about that n is simple: I have already seen through all the ns of the rats inside Bednicker. I blinked, then asked, So... there is a traitor within Bednicker, and you already noticed that they would try and pull something during the training camp... Something like that? Correct. This is getting confusing. With a confused tone, I asked, If you already knew, why did you just sit by? Did you not expect things to get this serious? I do not intervene in any of the houses internal conflicts. That contract has existed since the ancient days; I cannot break it. What do you mean? Asad looked at me for a moment before speaking in a thin voice. Hm. You look smart, but it seems that is all. ... It had been a while since I had been called stupid. Its simple. This is a conflict between two parties of the house who have different opinions. ... I can tell that you want to ask me if there is even a choice in deciding to confront a traitor inside the house. Yes. There wouldnt be a choice in an ordinary house. However, we are House Bednicker. Our way of thinking is different from ordinary people. Asad lifted his two index fingers and touched them at the tips as if his fingers were fighting. First is the very logical opinion, like yours. When we realized that there was a traitor inside the house and learned of their ns, we immediately considered assassination. I mostly agreed with that opinion until someone provided a counterargument, Asad said while wriggling his right finger like a worm. Rather, wasnt this an opportunity? Opportunity? We learned that there is a traitor. We also learned what sort of scheme they would try to pull during the training camp. However, we werent able to find out exactly who the traitor was. We only learned of their n in the process of getting rid of the small fries. ... If we stopped the training camp, everything would end peacefully. However, it would also mean letting go of a huge opportunity. Asad looked at me as he said, You, do you know of the three criteria needed for a demon lord''s summoning? No. As I thought. ... This was why I hated magicians. The funny thing was that Asad was normal for a magician. Asad lifted his fingers one at a time as he exined, First, you need sacrifices. Second,nd filled with mana. Honestly, these two criteria arent that difficult to fulfill. Whats especially important is thest one. Asads expression changed. The rxed expression that I had seen all this time disappeared, and a chill took its ce. A being fluent in ancient demonic, able tomunicate directly with a demon lord, and capable of overseeing the entire ritual. I knew what Asad was getting at. ...A high priest. Oh. Asad looked at me with surprise before smiling brightly. I take back what I said. You arent that stupid. ... Thats right. A high priest. The core of the cult and the main enemy of the Great Houses. I now understood the stance of the opposition. But I was still a little baffled, so I asked, So... the great elders of the House allowed something like this to happen just to catch a high priest? Something like that. And even if young heroes end up getting caught and killed, theyre just going to ignore it? Its already been six years since thest high priest was killed. ording to public information, anyway. What was this guy going on about? Do you know how many heroes died then? I do not. Ny-six. If you included people who got injured, then the number gets multiplied many times. ... Of course, they didnt all die at the hands of the one high priest. As I said before, the high priest is a high-quality powerhouse that cant be reced within the cult. The cults wont hesitate to protect their high priests at any cost. Thats why high priests rarely expose themselves at all, usually staying in the most secretive ces. Asad put a hand on his chin. If we can kill a high priest, just a few dozen young heroes dying is more than worth it... ... ...Is what the person who opposed intervening probably thought. Haha. I couldnt help butugh at the truth of the situation. In the training camp, there was a girl named Pam. Thats a funny name. Thats what I thought as well. With a smile, I continued, Although she talked a lot, she was such a pure soul that I cant imagine anyone truly hated her. What are you trying to say? She died. ... We found her corpse in a shack. I dont know what happened before she died, but her face showed nothing but fear. Asad looked at me for a moment. Its a shame that a young hero died. However, they have prepared themselves for death in the training camp. My head instantly heated up when I heard Asads words. Prepared? Of course. But they prepared to face that death and ovee it. They werent expecting to die a dogs death as a sacrificialmb. ... You say that a hundred heroes are needed to kill one high priest. So sacrificing a few dozen young heroes instead is more than worth it? Why do magicians always think like this? Asad scratched his chin. Hm. Its refreshing to see someone so insolent. This is the first time in a few decades. Do you have the Blessing of Immortality or something like that? Even if I had a second, ten, or a hundred more lives, I would say the same thing. Asad rubbed his chin. So you dont have any sense of fear. However... I like that. Looking at the man who was opposing me, I asked what I felt was the most important question. Was it perhaps the family head who suggested this unbelievable n? * * * * * * * * * * This was something I couldnt know unless I asked. There were two traits that represented the Lord of Blood and Iron: killing demons and obsessing over his bloodline. That was why I couldnt understand. To turn the training camp that two of his sons were participating in into a ce where a demon lord would be summoned... I couldnt tell whether that man had agreed or opposed the decision. Asad shook his head. No. Derk opposed this n. ...But it still went through? The Lord of Blood and Iron is the being who exists above thews of House Bednicker... is something that only outsiders who dont know anything about what happens on the inside might say. So he doesnt exist above thews of the house? To give you an extreme example, if I openly opposed Derks opinion, he would have no choice but to reconsider it. That was difficult to deny. Even the family head needed to respect Asad, the House Guardian. Youre in a special position, Sir Asad. At that, Asadughed. Brat, you know nothing about House Bednicker. You know nothing about the true power and secrets this House possesses. ... Theres no point in me telling you this now. However, we have prepared things to minimize the damage as much as possible. What preparations? Rook Bednicker is among the instructors. Rook Bednicker, the younger brother of the Lord of Blood and Iron and the captain of the Blood Iron Knight Order. ...I dont think Ive seen him. I was the one who personally cast illusion magic on him, so theres no way a young hero wouldve been able to see through it. Hmm... There is another safety mechanism that has been prepared... but theres no point telling you about it now. I hated people who talked like that, so I forced myself to say, Please just tell me. Asad furrowed his brow. Now that I think about it, I guess its notpletely unrted to you. Pardon? The Instructor of Swords and des is on standby outside the barrier. Calzark... It was an unexpected piece of good news. Is Calzark all right? When did he return to the main house? Hes abnormally fine, and I guess its been... about a week since he returned? But there is a problem. A problem? Thats right. The order was given for him to immediately enter the camp as soon as something happened, but oddly enough, there hasnt been any news. ... I dont think hes dead, but its clear that something has happened, so itll be difficult for you to wait for his help. He was right. Of course, Calzark would be of great help if he could join in, but given the situation, we couldnt exactly go looking for him. Any more questions? ... After calming down a little, I realized something. Unexpectedly, Asad was answering my questions quite freely. Considering his position and power, he couldve just ignored me. Was Asad feeling a little guilty? ...Then when will this high priest be taken care of? Who knows? That will depend on what the high priest does. Also, do you know about the stages of the demon lord''s summoning ritual? Since Id heard from Hector, I nodded. We dont know the exact time, but itll be just before or immediately after entering the fourth stage. At that point, the high priest will have no choice but to reveal themselves fully... So you still dont know who the high priest is. There is a significant chance that its one of the instructors, but we cant ignore the possibility it is of one of the young heroes either. Thats why, until they fully reveal themself, Rook wont act either. Asad looked annoyed. Do you know why it is difficult to kill a high priest? They have many lives, yes, and often you catch one only to find it is a puppet... but the main reason is because of their evasion skill. Their evasion skill? It is a skill called ghost path. Path? No, ghost path. Asad continued, Its a skill only used by high priests that allows them to run away instantly, and its an authority thats much higher in level than regr teleportation. Even I cant track them when they activate that skill. Well, to be precise... I could track them, but Id end up dying if I did. The ce they escape to isnt anywhere on the continent, its the world of the demons. ...Hm. Anyway, Ill stop the question time here, and Ill bring up the main topic myself. Main topic? Luan Bednicker, I didnt intend on intervening in the training camp no matter what happened... but since you seem like a pretty funny guy, Ill provide you a special service. Asad stood up from his seat. He waved his hand, and a door was created in this doorless room. Creak. The door opened. Through it, I could see the main house of House Bednicker. Beneath the warm sunlight, I could see the buildings boasting their fancy designs. Ill take you out of the training camp. Really? A magician doesnt lie. That sounded like a lie. In any case, I let out a sigh of relief. Thank you for your help. Then Ill return now and gather as many other young heroes as possible before No, that wont work. Pardon? The high priest might notice if so many young heroes disappear so suddenly. So you mean... Im only extending this offer to you. Asad rested his chin on his fist as he asked, How about it? Chapter 83 There was no need to think about it. So how do I return to where I was? Asad narrowed his eyebrows at my response. Hm... so youre refusing my offer? I guess. Why? Do you not understand what I said? Did you be stupid again? Really, this guy... Although he didnt have any ill intentions, he wasnt the kind of person Id want to have a long conversation with. I understood you just fine.And you still want to return to that hell. With a smile, I replied, Well have to see whether or not its hell. Asad stroked his chin. Hmm... So you have your own reason for doing this... Sure. If that is your decision, I am not one to try and change it. He pointed behind me. Ive created an exit behind you. You just need to walk through the door. As I turned around, I saw a door that hadnt been there before. Before I leave, you wont tell me who it was that put forth this insane n even if I ask, right? No. Asad seemed to think of something as heughed to himself. I think Ill still be able to ry any words you have for them. Words? Yeah. Is there anything you wish to tell that person? ...Old bastard. Asad tilted his head. Hmm? Is that all? Yes. I see. But did I tell you their age? No, but some ordinary brat wouldnt be able to force the family head to change his decision. Thats true, Asad said, confirming my words. Of course, that itself could be a lie, but I didnt think Asad would do tiresome mind games like that. I felt like hed just thrown in a hint for me while acting ignorant. The person who had suggested the n was probably one of the old monsters of Bednicker hidden behind the veil. All right. Ill ry your message if I feel like it, so go on your way. Asad flicked his hand. After lowering my head, I turned around and grabbed the door handle. Luan Bednicker. Yes? I hope you survive. As I nced back at him, Asad had a bright smile on his face. Im serious. *** H-he returned! Luan! Are you okay? Did you meet with Father? What did he say? ...Wait. Im a little tired. I faked a stumble as I organized my thoughts. Everyone was looking at me with expectations in their eyes. Even Charon, who was sitting in the corner, was ncing at me to assess the situation. Should I tell them the truth or just hide it? If I told the truth, the honor of House Bednicker would crumble. Things might get even worse than they were now. The other houses werent stupid, so they wouldnt just sit by when Bednicker had allowed their children to die. Of course, this was none of my business, but Asads behavior was troubling me. There was no way such a smart man would not expect such consequences, but hed still just told me the truth without hiding it. Is he saying that House Bednicker doesnt care what the other Houses will think? If things went poorly here, it wasnt just our rtionship with the other houses that would suffer; restrictions could be imposed upon House Bednicker by the imperial pce. They would be d to see House Bednicker go up in mes because of its own actions. ...I went to some weird room, but there wasnt anybody there. In the end, Id decided to hide the truth. Naturally, it wasnt for House Bednickers sake. I just didnt think that these young heroes, who couldnt even be called real heroes, would be able to handle the truth. Of course, they still seemed to fall into despair when I said we couldnt expect any help right now... But wouldnt their despair be even greater if I told them that they had be bait for the high priest? Of course, that was just my personal opinion. ...Then what do we do now? Shouldnt we try to hold on...? Bednicker should realize at some point. It was as hed said. But the house had actually known from the very beginning. As I looked at the young heroes discussing among themselves, I revealed my next destination. Im thinking of going back to the camp. ...The camp? Yeah. Im suspicious that the instructors havent done anything at this point. Im going to go check what theyre up to. I-itll be dangerous... No pain, no gain. The cowardly dwarf, Bazil, quietly said, A-aha... th-then Ill guard this ce... Judging by his reaction, he didnt even have an ounce of desire to leave with me. I wasnt nning on taking everyone with me in the first ce. Itll be dangerous to move as a group, so Ill only take volunteers. Does anyone want to go with me? Although I said that, I didnt particrly mind going alone. Ah, there was one exception. Charon, youll being with me. Why? What do you mean, why, you bastard? Do you want to get beaten up before we go, or will you juste willingly? ... For some reason, I felt my words bing harsher whenever I spoke to him. Was it because of the way he looked? He looked exactly like a mercenary would, so he reminded me of that time. In any case, Charon shut his mouth. The reason Id chosen him was because he was the most useful among the people here... But that wasnt the only reason. Among the people, I was the only one who could suppress him, so if I left him alone, he could scheme something stupid again. He had been obsessed with points even after a demon appeared, so there was no telling what he would do. ...I was thinking of going without you telling me to, Charon said, showing the least amount of resistance possible. Id really been nning to beat him up again if he didnt listen to me. Thankfully, Id be able to spare my strength. Ill go as well, Hector said, and I nodded. Id expected him to say hede. With that, the three Id expected to go were set... I looked at the other young heroes who were still hesitating. If youre not confident, you can stay here and guard this ce. Its better than anyone else getting hurt, I dered clearly to everyone. The forest today was iparably dangerous to the forest of yesterday. Now wasnt the time to try something risky. ...Ill go as well. It was somewhat unexpected, but Evan Helvin also showed interest in going with us. I wondered why he wanted to... but then I noticed that Evans eyes werent on me, they were on Charon. Usually, a sense ofpetitiveness was a good thing, so long as it wasnt in excess... But I didnt know whether it was good in this situation. Evan, if you perform like you did yesterday, Im going to send you back even if were halfway there. ...That wont happen. I swear on it. If he was that confident, then sure. Then thats the scouting unit formed. Me, Charon, Hector, and Evan, us four would go to check out the camp. You guys stay here, and if you can find the time, secure some food to eat. If youre forced to leave the shack for any reason, leave a mark. Understood. But why food...? We need to be wary of the worst-case scenario. If demonic energy invades thend, everything from the forest to the streams will dry up and die, so you need to secure some food before that happens. Hmm... Understood. I finally turned to look at Mir. She had a shocked expression on her face. It seemed she still didnt understand the situation. Mir. H-hmm? What is it? Ill leave them to you while Im gone. Mir looked at me in a daze. Leave them to me? Yeah. Youll have to protect them. I... She looked very nervous, so I made a little joke. A hero protects the weak. ...Who are you calling weak? Sharyl grumbled. I was half joking, half speaking the truth. Mir had enough potential to notg behind Charon or Hector. If she could ovee her fear, then she wouldnt have any problem dealing with the low-ranking demons around us. Got it! I will protect them, so dont worry about us and go! Regardless, with her pure personality, my words of encouragement reached her. I patted Mir on the shoulder a few times as she held up a clenched fist. Then are we leaving for camp? That is our final destination. If we meet any young heroes on the way, I n to help them. Although I hadnt told them yet, there was one young hero that I needed to meet: Sellen Goodspring. Shed been acting like she expected something like this to happen. How had a Goodspring, not even a Bednicker, learned about the cults ns? I needed to check that first. * * * * * * * * * * The map the instructors had given us wasnt particrly detailed. It had just enough detail for us to guess our general position. The camp isnt that far off. If not for the situation, we could reach it in two or three hours. But now? Itll at least take two days, maybe three or four if we get dyed, Hector said as he pointed to a ce in the forest. Thats why, rather than heading straight to camp, we should make our first destination the river that crosses through the forest. We can refill our water there. The river was where our team had faced that giant spider before. Since we didnt have a lot of drinking water left, we agreed. At that, Charon silently left to check the area around us. When he returned, he bluntly said, I checked our surroundings. This area is full of demons. They were moving in groups of twos and threes. It seems the demons were summoned in droves like you said, Brother. If they were moving in groups of two or more, ambushing them was too risky. Even if it meant taking a long detour, not facing any demons was our number one priority. Charon became our guide. This guy moved around the demon-infested forest like it was his own front yard, and his presence erasure was perfect while doing it. Hector knew a lot about the forest and its characteristics as well. I couldnt tell if it was because he had just heard about it or because hed been informed before he came here. Regardless, the information would be useful to us until the forest became fully consumed by the demonic energy. Theyre better than my team. It was natural since both Charon and Hector were two of the best young heroes. In any case, although we were moving slowly, we were making steady progress. We were progressing much less eventfully than wed expected. It was difficult to be sure because of how many variables there were, but if we maintained this speed, I thought that we might be able to reach our destination tomorrow. It was then that I had a thought... Hmm... I took out the hourss and checked it. It had been quite a long time since wed started traveling. Even the open field wasnt anywhere to be seen, and we shouldve at least been able to see the river at this point. Charon said, ...Somethings off. What do you mean? I dont feel like were moving forward. What do you... Wait, havent we been here before? Hector said. Charon stopped for a second before asking, We were here before? Yeah. What proof do you have? That tree over there, it looks the same as the one we saw before. Charon looked at the tree Hector was pointing at, but it didnt seem he agreed. That was why I backed Hector up. I think my elder brother is correct. Really...? I cant tell no matter how I look at it, Evan said with a tilt of his head. ... ... At that, Hector and I looked at each other as we both understood. Elder Brother. ...Yeah. The fact that only Hector and I had noticed... That meant that only the Bednickers had noticed. One of the special traits of the Forest of the Butterfly: all those who were not members of House Bednicker would get lost within this forest. The barrier around the forest has broken. Its probably in the process of breaking. If it waspletely broken, the House wouldve reacted already. ... Hector knew a lot about House Bednicker... But even he probably hadnt expected them to be crazy bastards who would sacrifice young heroes just to kill a high priest. Hed learn that someday, but not today. I didnt say anything. Then... Uwaaaaah... I heard a piercing scream echo out from somewhere. ...Did you hear that? Yeah. It was to the west. Yes... the direction opposite the camp. We still need to go, Evan said. He was still speaking respectfully to Hector, as if he still found talking with him awkward. Luan said as much before we started. If we meet other young heroes, we need to help them. I did. But what if its not a young hero? Pardon? It could be a banshee, Hector said. Theyre demons who mimic the screams of humans. Theyre even more tricky to fight than beasts even though theyre also low-ranking demons. So they couldve been summoned with the beasts. We cant ignore that possibility. Everyones eyes suddenly fell on me, and I looked back with a begrudging expression. I understood Evans reaction since we were on the same team, but why were the other two also looking at me to make a decision? My response was straightforward. We need to go save them. If we hadnt heard it, there wouldn''t have been anything we could do, but since we had, I couldnt ignore it. Even though we were still young, even though we were still inexperienced... We still aspired to be heroes. Chapter 84 Hector wasnt rotten to the core, and Evan was a generally kind guy, so Id expected them to follow me without any objections. But I hadnt expected Charon to also follow along without issue. I asked why he was willinglying along, and he answered, Its an opportunity to have someone in my debt. Im going to beat you up again if you try and make a deal for points. Charons mouth snapped shut. In any case, we moved quickly toward the origin of the scream. While on the way, we saw some disturbing scenes... The corpses of other young heroes. ...... Hector approached one such cold corpse and checked their face. In a low voice, he said, Its Nasil, the eldest son of House Pallom. With a quiet voice, Evan added, ...His sister was beautiful. I always joked about having him introduce her to me. The mood instantly became heavy. Only Charon seemed to be fine. You dont seem affected, he said to me, echoing my own thoughts about him. Im just not showing it. It was true. Right now, my heart was boiling like magma. Bednicker. In my past life, I had always wanted to be a part of that title, but now I could only feel a sense of loathing toward it. I didnt know what right the family had to kill the people here as they were. No matter how tiring, hurtful, dirty, or trash ones life was... If you just lived... If you could just live another day, a good day coulde. Many young heroes who attended the training camp probably held that belief. Bypleting the infamous training camp of House Bednicker and producing results, they could try to turn their lives around. I pulled out the map. After I figured out our approximate location, I ced a mark on the map. Charon noticed and questioned me, What are you doing? Im marking the map. Im asking why youre marking the map. Well need toe backter to bury them. We didnt have the time right now. The best we could do was hide them in the trees so the demons and beasts didnt damage their corpses any further. Seeing my actions, Charon gave a sarcastic smile. Youre doing something useless. Why is it useless? Theyre already dead. Even if you recover their corpses and bury them in good soil, they wont feel anything. I agreed with the sentiment, but it seemed Charons thoughts only stopped there. Funerals were a ceremony for the living. Thats true for the people who are dead, but we need to think about the hearts of their families wholl see themter. How do you think their parents will feel if their childrens corpses were mauled by beasts? I had learned this during my life as a mercenary. It was a dangerous upation where, every day, lots of people died for no reason... But due to those deaths, I had met the friends, families, and lovers of those who had died. Their kin would crumple on the spot when they saw the bodies of their loved ones ripped to pieces. Even I had had a hard time looking at them. Unexpectedly, corpses could tell quite a story. How they had died, what theyd felt right at the moment of their death... Personally, it was an unnecessary truth we had to face. ... Charon flinched for a moment before snorting. Although he was acting fine on the outside, I could tell hed been caught off guard. He was like a kid whod been told off because of something he hadnt thought about. What a funny guy. I didnt know what education he had received that had made him so twisted. The Strongest Ranger in The Empire, Hyde Woodjack... He was so famous that even I knew of him. His name was known widely within The Empire... But as I thought about the way Charon acted, something felt a little off. Regardless, there were a few more corpses around us still. And every time we found another one, we discovered something. They were scared to death. Yeah. Just like Pam, Evan replied with a heavy voice. Its not a beast. If a beast had killed them, it wouldnt have left a corpse. Then was it a banshee like you said? Who knows... We continued on a little longer. Soon, we finally found young heroes who were still alive. ...Hmm. There were seven of them in total, and their conditions didnt look good. They were surrounded by about a dozen demons, but one of them looked quite different from any demon I had seen before. ...What is that? It wasnt a beast or a banshee. The one who answered Evans desperate mumbling was again Hector. Its a grim reaper. A grim reaper? The monsters robes floated menacingly like seaweed, and it carried a huge scythe that didnt look real. The name definitely checked out. Its a demon that feeds on peoples fear. I hear that they capture souls with their scythe. It doesnt look like a small fry. Didnt you say that the ritual only summons low-ranking demons? Its rank isnt that high, Hector replied. Theyre only at the position tomand beasts and banshees. If were going to fight it, well need to risk our lives. ... That was to be expected. Just looking at it sent chills down my spine. However... ... There were seven young heroes still alive. Among them, I could see someone with white hair. Well save them, right? Evan asked as he looked at me. * * * * * * * * * * I nodded. We will save them. At that, Evan smiled and Hector let out a sigh. ...It cant be helped. I cant sit by and let any more young heroes die within Bednicker territory. I turned to Charon. Thats what he says. What about you? With a dissatisfied tone, he replied, Youre going to force me to help you anyway. I wont demand you put your life on the line. Hmph... Charon snorted before replying, ...If any are alive, we need to save them. I snickered openly. I hadnt expected him to say something so nice. Then is everyone in agreement? I think well be a better team than expected. Evan seemed to have loosened up a little if he was trying to joke like that. Whos going to be team captain? Dunno. The one who kills that demon? Id said it as a joke, but I noticed Hectors and Charons eyes sh for a moment. Mir was the same way. The young boys and girls of this age group were pretty simple. That was what I thought. ... ... But I could see Evans and even Charons and Hectors hands subtly shaking. It was natural to be afraid. Even if you had a lot of realbat experience, even if you were a young master educated from a young age, it was only natural to be afraid of facing the cursed existences called demons. It was only natural to shake in front of them. That was why it was heroes who faced those demons head-on... I guess they were a little off in the head? At that, I smiled andplimented them. You crazy bastards... ... ... Unfortunately, they didnt react. *** The grim reaper wasnt the only problem. There were more than a dozen beasts around it. Something I hadnt expected was that those cursed beings werent outright attacking the young heroes. Honestly, it wouldnt be odd for those demons to instantly kill seven young heroes... But as I took a moment to check the situation, the answer came to me. They were acting on the order of their leader, the grim reaper. Didnt Hector say they feed off fear? There were so many delicious things you could eat in the world, so I didnt know why it would choose to eat fear. In any case, this was fortunate for the young heroes. If it didnt need to harvest their fear, theyd be dead already. We formed a simple n. First, we would ambush the demons and kill as many of them as we could. Once the battle had truly begun, we would fight them head-on. We were currently moving to our ambush positions. We also created a signal so we could synchronize our attack. There were three beasts cornering the young heroes, but evidently they could get tired as well because they sometimes switched with each other as if on shift. We would aim for that moment. ... I was sitting in the branches of a tree and looking down. ...Itd be nice if we could each kill one beast in the first attack. Naturally, the point of the ambush was to decrease the total number of enemies we would need to fight before the real battle started. At least four enemies needed to die for the battle to turn in our favor. I was confident I could kill two by myself, so if the other three killed two in total, that would be nice... But something unexpected happened. The one hiding next to me, Evan, suddenly started signing to me. What is he saying? While I was busy wondering what he was doing, Evan suddenly dropped down from the tree. ...! Did he lose his footing? At a moment like this? Even though I didnt know what had happened, this called for a change of ns. I immediately jumped down from the tree as well, and I saw Hector and Charon jump down a momentter. Boom! However, because the ambush was mistimed, I ended up only killing one demon, and the others only ended up injuring a few other demons. This is bad. The difficulty of this battle had just increased threefold. Of course, we didnt have time to whine about our failures. I quickly dodged the attacks of the demons that charged me. Since they were sorge, it wasnt difficult to dodge their attacks, but there were so many of them that it was difficult for me to try andnd a hit back. Still, this is manageable. I now understood why they always moved in groups of two or three. With so many of them here together, I felt vulnerable while fighting them. This was going to drag out quite a bit, but at this rate, we might be able to defeat them without any casualties. It was when I had that optimistic thought... Raaaaaaaah! A monstrous sound rang out. It was the grim reaper who had been standing at the back. Suddenly, the beasts began to move in a more orderly fashion. So its like this? Rather thanmanding them... it was more like the grim reaper was controlling them. The beasts free will had been hijacked. They were like golems following whatever orders were given to them. Of course, in aplicated battlefield like this, the one who could fight more simply had the upper hand. Damn it. The situation had instantly turned against us. The most disgusting part was that the grim reaper hadnt even joined the fight yet. In moments like this, the slow-starting nature of the Strongest Fire Technique was a bit painful. The other guys... Were fighting pretty well. Hector and Evan in particr had started to even protect the young heroes who were injured. I also realized why Evan had jumped down early. Among the injured young heroes, I recognized a familiar face. Karis. He had a huge gash across his chest and was coughing up blood. I understood why hed acted as he had upon seeing his best friend in such a condition... But I couldnt say it was the right decision. While I was looking around the battlefield and taking our situation into ount, an unexpectedly cold wind blew through the area. Fwoosh! It wasnt a simple winter gale. As soon as I felt the wind gnaw at my skin, I realized that this was either magic or a blessing. Sellen? This wind had definitely originated from her. Sellen was standing there with one of her arms outstretched as the wind ripped apart all the beasts it swept up. Even the grim reaper standing at the back was assaulted. Crack! The grim reaper looked at the cutting winds blowing toward it and fought back with a ck energy of its own, but it was destroyed without managing to resist for even a second. The fight ended just like that. What was that... Hector mumbled with a defeated tone. The grim reaper and over a dozen beasts had been destroyed all at once. Thud. The source of that miracle copsed to the ground face-first. What... Hector mumbled to himself. I immediately answered, Lets head over first. Chapter 85 We grouped up with the surviving young heroes. It might be obvious, but they were not in good condition. They looked like theyd been living in a trash heap for thest three days. Though rather than smelling of trash, it was more blood and sweat. ...Charon. So you were here, Zeros. Zeros Silver, who had always stuck with Charon. The young hero was the core of Charons points operation, the one who had sold all sorts of outside goods by smuggling them in. Where is Sinbar? I dont know, but hes probably not dead. Hes a tough one.I see. While the two talked, Evan checked on Kariss injury. ...Evan? Yeah. Its me. ...What a stupid hallucination. Shouldnt I see a beauty right before I die... From the way he was speaking, I could tell thatwhile he wasnt going to die immediatelyit would be dangerous to leave him be. Evan seemed to realize this as well as he looked up at me. I gave a slight nod and handed him the potion I had gotten from Sharyl. Thank you. Hector was also talking to a young hero. He was probably one of the nobles who was a member of Hectors faction. As I looked over, he approached me with the noble and introduced him. This is Eddy. Hes the son of House Piscol. I have heard a lot about you, Sir Luan. Just call me Luan, and dont use that cringy polite speech toward me. At that, Eddy turned to look at Hector. When Hector nodded, Eddy turned back toward me. Got it. How is Sellen? Shes just unconscious. Two of the young heroes were tending to Sellen, who wasid out on the ground. Hector said, If she had such a powerful ability, why didnt she use it before? I looked around as I replied, Who knows... Its probably restricted in some way. I think its a high-risk blessing of some sort. Should we talkter? I dont think were safe here. Yeah. Lets move to the area our group found and bunker down first. We picked up the unconscious Sellen and the injured Karis and moved off. *** The area that Eddys team had found was behind a huge rock. The surrounding area had been dug up a little to disguise it. The disguise looked pretty solid with the brush and trees nearby. We also had a light meal with the food Eddys team gave us. Theres quite a bit of food here. We invested a lot of points into food. Even though it was just water and jerky, it was still precious in moments like this. ...Fuu. We somehow survived, Eddy mumbled with a hint of sadness. It seemed he was starting to finally understand the situation now that his hunger had been somewhat sated. Sir Hector, whats going on here? Were trying to figure that out. One thing were sure of is that nows not the time to be worrying about the test. Before the mood could be any heavier, I jumped in. By the way, how did you guys end up in that state? Seeing how there were seven of you, it looked to me like you were all together before you were attacked. ...Youre right. Zeros was the only one who joined up in the middle. We originally had twelve people. Three different teams were moving together? It was a strange situation. Hector also seemed to have no idea how this had happened. Eddy apologetically replied, Im sorry, Sir Hector. It was the team captains order, so there wasnt much I could do... Its fine. I was the one who said we shouldnt try and team up during the special test. Whos the team captain? Eddys gaze turned to the unconscious Sellen. Sellen Goodspring? Yes. Then why did she make this n? She said she knew a lot about the Forest of the Butterfly. She said there was a monster called the Queen Butterfly in the forest, and we would need more help to kill it. Queen Butterfly? Do butterflies have queens as well? Like ants? Its a monster. As I turned to Hector, he gave a general exnation. There is such a being in the forest. It is said that most of the butterflies in the foreste from the Queen Butterfly. The house knows that there is such a being, but even they dont know its exact location. ...Thats right. Although the story was absurd, since I had heard from you that something like that existed, I believed Lady Sellens words. And believing those words, three teams joined together? Eddy let out a sigh. There were a lot of young heroes who were looking to make aeback in this special test. Although I didntpletely trust her words, Sellen is still a Goodspring. She wasnt going to spoutplete lies. Though... a lot of odd things happened afterward. Odd things? Before that, I have something to ask the two Bednickers. This is the first time Sellen Goodspring hase to this forest, right? Hector nodded. Of course. If not for the Blessing Ceremony, a Goodspring wouldnt have had any reason toe to our main house. Even when talks of marriage between her and Luan were ongoing, we only spoke through letters. But why ask that question? When she first entered the forest, she seemed familiar with it. Other people backed up his words. She knew a lot about the monsters found in the forest. Ms. Sellen was the first to find the river as well. She found some weird hidden altar as well. Thatst sentence caught my attention. Altar? She then mumbled something in anguage Id never heard before, and it became like this. And also... Theres more? ...Right before the test began, Ms. Sellen was the one who told us to purchase as much food as possible. I was honestly a little displeased because of how inefficient it seemed. But given the current situation, were relieved we did. Sellen certainly seemed to have known this was going to happen. But how? Did she overhear someones n? My gut told me that wasnt the case. Andalthough it was a baseless suspicionI suspected that Sellens secret was not something I could easily deduce. I spoke to the female young hero tending to the unconscious Sellen. How is she? Her body is as cold as ice. Its as if... She was like a corpse. That was what shed wanted to say. Although it was amonparison in situations like this, the young heroes who had now seen real corpses would obviously have a hard time even saying the word. * * * * * * * * * * I looked at Sellen. She had been pale to begin with, but now she waspletely white. Lets see. I softly held Sellens wrist. I felt a chill as if I had dipped my hand into a winterke. Her yin ki is going on a rampage. From the outside, her condition didnt seem that serious, but she was in a much more dire situation than Karis, who had coughed up cups of blood. At this rate, Sellen would die in only a few hours. I looked in the direction of Hector. He seemed to be exchanging information with Eddy and Zeros. What do you n to do? We intend to go back to the camp. Eddy let out a bitter smile. The camp... Although we want to help you... Honestly, I dont think we will be of any help. I see. Then well tell you where our hideout is located, so go and meet up with the young heroes there. Staying together will be more beneficial. Understood. Meanwhile, Karis was talking to Evan. Evan, dont push yourself too hard. Take care of yourself first. Im fine now. That potion was amazing. I might even be able to join your little group. Before their group left to join the others, I said to them, Could you leave Sellen to us? Hm? I think I can help her. It was a relief that Sellens body was only being damaged by cold ki. My fire ki should be able to neutralize it somewhat. Also, if Sellen could be cured, she would be of great help to us. I knew this better than anyone. Wed fought Hariba together. Got it. Theres not much we can do for her anyway... Well leave her to you. Right. You guys should hold on to these. Before they left, Eddys group handed us food and potions. Six bags of jerky, a water bottle, and five potions. Oh, thanks. Be careful. Eddys group left, and I turned to talk to those who remained. Im going to focus, so please guard the area. How long will you take? Hmm... At least 30 minutes, an hour at most? Sure. With that settled, I put my hand on Sellens upper core, her forehead, and closed my eyes. Sharp cold ki pierced my hand. It was fiercer than Id expected and nearly made me clench the ends of my fingers... but of course, I couldnt let that happen. I forcibly inserted my fire ki to drive out the cold ki. Although traversing someone elses kiwork was difficult, Sellen was unconscious, so she didnt offer any resistance. I need to find the origin. Since there was no way a normal humans body could be like this, the cold ki had to have originated from somewhere. Shed already be dead if it wasing from her central inner core, so I suspected it was somewhere around her lower core. Because Id started with the head, it would be a long way down, but since this entry method would only work where the cold ki was weakest, I just had to push through. I continued to flood fire ki into her body and steadily moved downward, but I ended up getting stuck in the middle. There, the force of the cold ki became multiple times greater. It was like an intense snowstorm, so my fire ki had no chance of getting through. What do I do? If I had more time, I could find a different path, but I didnt have that luxury. As I was considering exerting myself... Fwoosh! I felt an unexpected burst of heat. The mystic bead? I suddenly felt the presence of the mystic bead I had been keeping on my body since the start of the training camp. I was a little surprised since this was the first time this had happened. Instantly, the heat of the mystic bead entered my body as if it was rampaging, and it roughly mixed in with my fire ki. Did it react to Sellens cold ki? Even though I was surprised, I controlled the new fire ki. Although this was unexpected, it wasnt bad for me. As a result, the strength of my fire ki increased multiple times, and with this empowered energy, I pierced through the extreme cold in her body and reached the origin of her cold ki. However, I noticed something odd there as well. Huh... Inside Sellens body, the power that was twisting in her deepest point wasnt yin ki but yang ki. ... Even though it was causing such a strong storm of cold ki, its true nature was yang ki. It was peculiar. Fwoosh! In any case, I melted the core made of cold ki. ...Thats done for now. Id gained something unexpected. With what had just happened, my mystic bead had melted quite a bit. It seemed to have decreased by about 10 percent, and the parts that had melted had added to my strength. And perhaps because it had mixed with Sellens cold ki as well, it felt like Id gained double the amount of internal energy... Id ended up obtaining several times more internal energy than when Id consumed the sacred herb. It was an unexpected miracle. I guess being nice has its merits. Sellens life was no longer in danger. Though when she would wake up was entirely up to her... Ugh... At that moment, Sellen groaned while shifting where shey. Afterward, she forced her eyes open and I saw those ss-like eyes underneath. You... Hello. Are you alive? ...Seems like it. Sellen sat up while shaking her head. Chapter 86 How do you feel? ...Terrible. Sellen closed her eyes and ced a hand over her inner core. When she opened her eyes again, she turned to look at me. So youre the one who saved me? Something like that. Thanks. I honestly thought I was going to die. I took a look around. Charon, Evan, and Hector were standing guard along the perimeter of our hideout. They didnt seem to have noticed that Sellen was awake.This was my only chance to talk to her about this, so I got straight to the point. You predicted this situation would happen, didnt you? Sellen wasnt surprised or caught off guard. She just stared at the canopy-covered sky with a nk expression as she mumbled, Predicted... ...? I guess you could say that. It was a little vague, but it was basically a confession. How much do you know? I at least knew that the demon lords summoning would happen. Then Why didnt I try and stop it from happening? Sellen smirked. Me, a Goodspring, going around talking about a demon lord being summoned in House Bednickers training camp? The biggest problem isnt even that nobody would believe medepending on the situation, it could lead to a war between our two houses. ... You know, Ive been trying to figure out how to stop this from happening for a long time now. In the end, though, there was only one decision I could make. Joining the training camp yourself? By staying silent, Sellen confirmed my words. Did anyone you know join this training camp as well? Who would that even be? All my people hate Bednicker. Then did you join just to save these people? ...That was a factor. But there were also opportunities for me in this forest. For some reason, that sounded like an excuse to me. Although I hadnt known her for long, I knew that she had a tendency to not let herself im her own good deeds. You wont live long with that personality of yours. Says you. Then was that secret you were going to tell me the demon lord''s summoning? Sellen paused for a moment before blurting out, That was a part of it. ... So whats the situation now? I was knocked out for a while, so where are the others? Did they perhaps... They didnt die. Sellen didnt seem to remember exactly what had happened. I had noticed that her eyes had gonepletely white when shed used the wind des. We were heading toward camp, but then we heard a scream, so we came to help. The people who were with you evacuated to a safer ce, and its only been an hour since you fell unconscious. Hmm... Anyway, we were nning on continuing to the camp. What about you? ...Nothing else to do. Ill have to go with you. By the way, are you alone? Sellen asked. No. As I pointed to the others keeping the perimeter, Sellen nodded. You got all the ones who dont like listening together. Words didnt work, but my fist worked quite well. Aha. Just as I was about to call out to the others, Sellen suddenly asked me, ...Arent you going to ask me more? About what? A few things. You must have a lot of questions you want to ask me. I did have a lot. However, after talking with her directly like this, I felt like it wasnt that important right now. Its pretty long, right? What? Your story. Sellen flinched for a second before letting out a bitter smile. ...Its unbelievably long. Enough to fill a few books. Then Ill hear itter. Are you okay with that? We dont have time for me to sit down and hear everything out right now. Thats true. Ah, but Ill ask this: what was that power you used against the demons? A blessing? Sellen answered me, You could technically consider it a blessing, but at the same time, its not a blessing. Its the blessing of a forgotten god. A forgotten god... An unexpected phrase had appeared. I touched my Sword of Seven Sins a little as I asked, Then was that altar you visited the altar of a forgotten god? Did you hear that from Eddy? Thats right. How Sellen knew the exact location of the altar, as well as which forgotten god she had interacted with... Neither of those things was particrly important right now. Can you use it again? ...I think Ill be able to use it one more time. It will be very risky, though. It might be obvious, but the power wasnt something she could use at will. It was a bit regretful. If she could use that ability as she pleased, then it would be like having a powerful magician on our team. In any case, since we didnt have a lot of time left, we ended our conversation there. I waved lightly to the others standing a fair distance away, and they all returned to me. So shes awake. Yeah. ... ... What was with this mood? Problems like this arose because I gathered people only based on their strengths and not their rtionships. An aura of awkwardness surrounded us for a moment since everyones personalities were different. In the end, it couldnt be helped that I, as the team captain, took the initiative. To get to know each other better, how about we introduce Shut up, everyone but Evan said simultaneously. I guess they are lining up. It was my misunderstanding. * * * * * * * * * * Charon, Hector, Evan, and Sellen. They were the young heroes who were thought to be the best in this training camp. Wed gone through a lot of ups and downs, but now that we had everyone here together, I had a different feeling. It felt like we had created a dream team... or something like that? Despite having practicallye back from the dead, Sellen moved quite well. And since no one wasgging behind, we were able to move at a much quicker pace. Around the time the hourss bottomed out... that is, about three days after the test had started, we managed to return to camp. What a dramatic return. Yeah. Upon arriving at the camp, we noticed that it was eerily quiet. It felt off because we couldnt sense a single presence in the vicinity. It probably wasnt helped by the groans of the young heroes and the loudmands of the instructors that normally filled this ce. ...Something must have happened. Yeah... What do we do now? When Hector asked that, I quickly replied, We obviously have to go in. But since it could be a trap, only two of us should go. Which two? Charon and I. Immediately, Charons expression soured, but he hadnt had a choice to begin with. Then well wait here. Yeah. Ill send a signal if something happens. What signal? Ill shout really loud. Hmm... Sure. With that, Charon and I entered the camp. The first ce we headed to was naturally the instructor''s lodge. Right before we entered the building, Charon quietly whispered, ...I can sense a presence inside. Is it weird? A demon? It feels human. How many people? Im not sure, but I think theres one. One person... For some reason, this felt off. In any case, if someone was inside, we had to hide our presence. We didnt enter through the front door. Instead, we tried to enter through the window... but all the doors and windows were locked. Do they not ventte this building? Of course, we could break through the window, but then we wouldnt be moving quietly. It cant be helped. Lets enter through the main door. Although it was dangerous, we concluded that it would be safer than breaking in through the windows. I couldnt tell if we were fortunate or not, but the main door was unlocked. Step. With that, we entered the instructor''s lodge. Upon entering the building that young heroes were forbidden to enter, we noticed that it was much more ordinary than wed expected. Only the outside was shy. The inside wasnt that different from our building. Hey. I know. As soon as we entered, the smell of blood pricked our noses. It was odd. With a stench this severe, we shouldve been able to smell it from outside... but the smell of blood seemed to be somehow restricted to the inside of the building. Are there no instructors here? Were they all dead? Was that even possible? The ones who had been inside the instructor''s lodge were the knights of Bednicker, the grand masters... and the younger brother of the Lord of Blood and Iron, as Id learned via Asad. Even a high priest wouldnt be able to kill all those people alone... While tracking the scent of blood, we walked through the hallway on the first floor. But we stopped in front of a certain room. The door was rtivelyrger than the others, but that wasnt the reason wed stopped. Blood was leaking out from below the door. ...Are they inside here? No, the presence I sensed is above us. Of course, I couldnt just blindly trust his senses... But I felt like we needed to check, so I grabbed the door handle... And opened it. Hmm... The stench of blood that assaulted my nose was iparably disgusting. I furrowed my brow as I took a look around the room. Was this their meeting room? The wide room was covered in blood, but I couldnt see any corpses or body parts. No. There was exactly one corpse, stuck to one of the walls. It was a familiar face. The instructor whom I had talked with the most during this training camp. The Instructor of the Hunt, Tanko. Charon, check around to see if there is anything else. Ill take a look at the corpse. Dont order me around, Charon grumbled as he took a look around. While he did that, I approached the Instructor of the Hunts body. The cause of death was clearly therge hole in the middle of his chest. It was the size of a fist, and seeing how smooth the edges were, it seemed that the Instructor of the Hunt hadnt even realized he was dead the moment the hole was made in his body. He died in a single hit? Someone as strong as Tanko? I couldnt understand it. And there was too much blood here to havee from a single person. Hey. It was at this point that Charon returned. ...This guy, does he only know how to call others Hey? Charon had no way of knowing what I was thinking as he pushed something toward me. I picked this up. This is... It was amunication crystal. These crystals had been installed in many spots in the buildings. This was in the room. Its damaged, but it does activate. So... this might have recorded what happened here? Good work. ... Charon frowned a little at my words. So he didnt even like me praising him? In any case, I activated themunication crystal with my mana. Vwoong. The magic item began to disy a slightly blurry video... And it told us what had happened in this room. Chapter 87 In the instructors lodge, the meeting room... it could also be called the observation room, as there were a total of 128munication crystals installed here. In addition to observing the every move of every young hero, this setup allowed the instructors to quickly respond if a strong monster came too close to the training camp. Usually, only three or four people tasked with observation were on standby here, but because the special test had been ongoing, most of the instructors were present. A few people were openly sleeping in the room, so the meeting room became a lively ce. There were about twenty instructors in the meeting room. ...Hm? Among them, the first person to notice that something was off was the Instructor of Survival, Soimond. Of the 128munications crystals, only 28 were observing the campgrounds. The remaining 100 were installed in many ces in a 10-kilometer radius around the camp.They were there just in case. Thats... One of themunication crystals seemed to be in poor condition. After blinking sporadically for a few moments, the crystal wentpletely ck. Since the crystal was in one of the corners, the other instructors didnt realize immediately, and Soimond didnt think much of it. The Forest of the Butterfly was a mystical ce. The flow of mana around the area itself was quite special, and the many divine artifacts and magic items set up in the areaplicated the flow even more. As a result, it was somewhat normal for amunication crystal to go offline. Soimond noticed that something was wrong when five moremunications crystals went ck. At that point, the other instructors also noticed the situation. Whats with the crystals? Isnt today the full moon? Magic items often malfunction at this time. Even so, arent too many of them malfunctioning? Its probably not anything serious. After he said that, twenty moremunication crystals went offline, and that feeling disappearedpletely. Even the rxed instructors realized that something was going on. ...I have a bad feeling about this. Is one of the young heroes destroying themunication crystals? It should be quite difficult for someone of their level to discover the hidden crystals... But this cant be exined away as an ident. At that, the knights went out. We will take a look around the area. Wheres the nearest crystal? Its in Area A-3... but will it be okay? Of course. Well return within 30 minutes. The knight didnt return even after an hour had passed. By then, over half of themunication crystals had turned ck. I have a bad feeling about this. Alongside the uneasiness he felt, Soimond also felt an inexplicable sense of wrongness. The one who should be the loudest in an emergency like this was nowhere to be seen. ...Did anyone see where Instructor Juan went? The Instructor of Martial Arts? I didnt. Me neither. I think I saw him leave the meeting room some time ago. Soimond turned to the one who had said that. When was that? I dont really... This was why he felt that something was off. Looking around closely, it wasnt just the Instructor of Martial Arts who was missing. Several grand masters werent present. Notably, it was the grand masters who had been supporting the Instructor of Martial Arts more than normal recently. ... As Soimonds sense of unease grew, he stood up and left the meeting room. ...More urately, he tried to leave. I am here. Juan revealed himself at the entrance to the meeting room. ... ... Usually, a lot of people gathered around Juan whenever he appeared, but that wasnt the case this time. Rather, silence filled the room. Juan was covered head to toe in blood. Those with good eyesight noticed that the blood wasnt his. ...Instructor Juan, where and what have you been doing? Juan took off his outer clothes covered in blood. You sent the knights into the forest, right? We did. I came back after killing them. What...? At that moment, someone lept from between the instructors like a spring. It was a quick and fierce movement reminiscent of a wild beast. Tanko...! However, the moment the Instructor of the Hunts body reached Juan, he stopped in midair. ...! It looked as if hed been grabbed by something invisible. Tanko swung his fist to attack something but only hit empty air. Please stay still, Instructor of the Hunt. You dont want to die yet. ...What did you do? I havent done anything yet. You are an important sacrifice as well. Of course, if you annoy me any further, I may have no choice but to Tanko kicked. However, before his foot could reach Juans face, a loud sound rang out as Tankos body was mmed into the wall. I told you to stay still. Instructor Tanko! * * * * * * * * * * Soimond hurriedly ran to Tanko, and his expression quickly solidified. Tanko was dead. H-how can this be... Despite being a great warrior of the ins and a grand master, Tanko had died in a single strike. What do you think you are doing! Instructor, did you know? Just one century ago, doctors didnt even know that peoples blood had different types. They didnt know that different types of blood mixing together would kill their patients, so they allowed all sorts of transfusions. Do you know how many people died because of that ignorance? Soimond felt fear toward Juan even as he asked, What... what are you talking about? Ignorance leads to tragedy. That is why Instructor Tanko died. He didnt know an obvious truth, that attacking the high priest during the ritual would be met with death. Ritual? A few people forced a smile. Y-your joke is going too far, Instructor of Martial Arts... Haha. So you still think that Im joking. What is this if it isnt a joke! Y-you killed Instructor Tanko just like that... Something is wrong! Juanughed silently. Theres nothing wrong here. Everyone, this is the pinnacle of what it means to be Bednicker. Only then did Soimond realize the situation. The identity of the person in front of him was clear. You dare say the name Bednicker with that disgusting mouth... Why shouldn''t I? I am talking about one of thews of Bednicker. Whichw? Thew of Strength. Juan opened his arms wide. ck liquid started erupting from the ground and began consuming the instructors and knights in the room. Wh-what is this...! Dont panic! Take formation! Our a-attacks arent working! The viscous liquid that moved like it was alive seemed immune to weapons, magic, and even blessings. The liquid ignored all the instructors attacks as it approached and devoured them. The instructors didnt give up even when their entire bodies were covered in the liquid, but they only looked like animals who were struggling in vain after being caught in a trap. The liquid settled down after consuming all the instructors in the meeting room. ...The God of Disaster shall soon descend here, a being much stronger than House Bednickers Lord of Blood and Iron. That is why it is only right that we bow to him. ... Is anyone having trouble following what I said? No one was left behind to answer Juans question. *** ... ... The recording ended. We stood there silently for a short while. The video had simply and unexpectedly given us the true identity of the High Priest. The Instructor of Martial Arts was the traitor... This was beyond my expectations, Charon mumbled to himself. It seemed that was the case for him. But it wasnt that unexpected to me. For some reason, from the very beginning, Id had a weird dislike for Juan, the Instructor of Martial Arts. I believed that those who went aroundughing when things werent funny were very likely twisted on the inside. Was that the end of the recording? It looks like it. We didnt know where Juan had gone after this or what had happened to the other instructors. However, Charon and I naturally turned back to start walking to the upper floors. ...Wait, Charon said. The presence is starting to move. What? Is it trying to run away? No, itsing this way. At an unbelievable speed. Its already Step. We heard a step outside the door. I covered my fist with fire ki, and Charon lowered his stance slightly. Creak. The door to the meeting room opened. What the... You kids are still alive? It was a woman with a bored expression. She had a familiar face and wore a sisters habit. One of the grand masters, the Instructor of Doctrine, Juniang. ... ... Of course, Charon and I didnt lower our guard. We couldnt know if this woman was our ally or an enemy. While we were contemting this, Junaing said in a dejected voice, I thought reinforcements from Bednicker had arrived... ... Charon nced at me, and I nodded. We lowered our stances as we asked, Instructor Juniang, what happened here? Instructor? In this situation? Just call me Juniang... By the way, do you kids have a cigarette on you? ... Could priests smoke? I didnt know much about the customs of the Church of the Sun. In any case, seeing how she was asking a young hero for a cigarette, she didnt seem to be of sane mind. We dont. Really? Thats a shame. What really Instructor happened here? We only saw that Juan revealed his true self and did... that to the Instructor of the Hunt. You saw? Ah, you used themunication crystal. Quite smart. After saying that in a quiet voice, Juniang nodded to herself before sitting down on one of the bloody chairs. He already left. I was doing something out in the forest. Thanks to that, I survived. Did the high priest not notice you? Avoiding demons is my specialty. ... I knew that Juniang was a heretic inquisitor of the church. She would be even better at fighting demons than Tanko. Do you know where the high priest went? Hell probably go toward the altar. Its one of the tools necessary to summon the demon lord. Altar. When I heard that, I thought about Sellen. If Juan knew the location of the forgotten gods altar... he could carry out the demon lord''s summoning ritual there. Is it just the two of you? Charon responded, There are a few more outside. Really? Is Evan Helvin with you as well? Yes. I looked at Juniang again. She still had that bored expression from which I couldnt feel any amount of faith... Instructor. I told you to call me Juniang. Could I request a reading of a few lines of your churchs scripture? So suddenly? Right now? While Charon was looking at me like I was crazy, I nodded. Yes. Why? We saw a demon on our way here, and I got really scared. I know that as a young, its shameful, but the fear consumed my body. I think Ill be able to recover my courage if I hear a few lines of scripture from the instructor who is a true believer. Juniang looked at me as if I was bothering her. Hmm... doing it so suddenly is a bit... And the location is a bit off as well, she said, looking around the bloody meeting room. I brought my hands together. Even more so because were in this room. And I dont think youveid them to rest yet either. Hmm... Or instructor, do youas a heretic inquisitornot even know the scripture? ... Only now did Charon seem to realize the situation as he looked at Juniang with a hardened expression. Chapter 88 Juniang looked like she was caught off guard as Charon charged her. And just like when hed fought me, he swung his sword from a distance. Vwoong! A sh flew out from his shortsword toward Juniang, but she didnt seem surprised. No, more than that, her expression didnt change at all as she held out a hand. ng! The sharp sh that could dent even the thickest of trees dispersed as if it were just a breeze. Not a single mark was left on Juniangs hand. Thats an insane level of durability... Was it just her arm?Or was it her whole body? In any case, it was clear that the two of us wouldnt be enough to face her. Hector! After shouting loudly enough to be heard outside, I joined the battle. Was our enemy a human? I didnt know, but I needed to act as if she wasnt. For some reason, though, something felt off. Juniang had been looking only at my face. Her kic vision... A heretic inquisitor of the Church of the Sun... It was a small and elite group whose members were all said to havebat capabilities on the level of a master martial artist. I could now see that that was true. Dash! At that moment, Juniang kicked off the ground and appeared right in front of me. It was the first time that hidden steps had been so ineffective that I was too slow to even respond. How is she going to attack me? As I tried to block whatever move she used, Juiang reached out with her palm in front of me as she spoke. Lord Aton... ...! The moment she mumbled the name of the Sun God, divine power erupted from her palm. I immediately crossed my ears to block the energy st, but it didnt do anything to reduce the impact. Boom! I crashed through the wall of the meeting room and rolled on the ground outside for a bit. Luan! I saw Evan approaching me from a distance away. What is it? ...Im figuring that out. It was the most honest answer I could give. I still wasnt certain that she was our enemy. Another section of the wall was destroyed as Charon also flew out. After rolling on the ground not too far from me, Charon immediately jumped up before staring through the wall. So impatient... From the broken hole in the wall, the Instructor of Doctrine walked out. Juniang looked around with a bored expression, but she stopped when she saw a specific face. You were alive, Evan Helvin. Pardon? Evan didnt seem to have been expecting to be called out by the Instructor of Doctrine, who hed never talked with particrly much. He was so surprised that he spaced out for a second. I pped my hands. p! When I did, the others quickly regained their senses and took on a circling formation. Of course, I still didnt think we had the upper hand. Juniang brushed her hair back as she said, Im not your enemy. ...Then why did you attack us? You attacked first. ...That was true. I had been the one to first show suspicion toward her. Honestly, I hadnt expected Charon to charge her like that. I let out a sigh. The cult and those who received the authorities of the demon lords had ess to something called necromancy. It wasnt simply raising a corpse to act; it could fully take over someone elses body. However, the Instructor of Doctrine hadpletely proven that she wasnt a cultist. She could still use the divine power of the 72 gods. The baptized faithful alone can truly prove their innocence. This was a saying from the priests of the Church of the Sun, and the reasoning was simple: the cultists of the Church of Darkness could not be baptized by the Church of the Sun. It had been confirmed that the blessings unique to descendants of the Great Houses could coexist with the demon lords curses. But that made sense. Be they the 72 gods or the demon lords, if one ignored the division of good and evil, then they were both just gods, and blessings and curses were just words. The divine power that Juniang had just utilized was more than enough to prove her innocence. I lowered mybat stance first, and the others around me began to lower their guard in turn. Confused, I asked, If youre a believer of the church, why couldnt you recite a passage for me? Saying a few lines from memory shouldnt be that hard. Juniang avoided eye contact as she responded, People have things they are good at. Pardon? Im not good at memorizing things. Even though its the scripture? Whats the use of writings like that? She closed her eyes and gathered her hands together in prayer. The most important thing is our faith in the lord. ... The sight of her praying with the damaged building behind her looked quite divine, and we were all left speechless for a second. Honestly, having seen her like that, I wouldnt be surprised if she told me she was a saint. If your misunderstandings have been amended, shall we talk? Are you hungry? * * * * * * * * * * We followed Juniang back into the instructors lodge. We went to the cafeteria and sat at a decently long table. There, we shared the video in themunication crystal that wed found in the meeting room. A high priest? Instructor Juan? I cant believe it... ...Hm. Hector and Evan were quite surprised, while Sellen seemed to fall into thought. Take this. Juniang, who had disappeared somewhere for a moment, reappeared and threw some items at us. One was a water bottle, and the other... What is this? Its called an energy bar. Youll have to eat these until youre sick of them once you be official heroes, so get used to it. ... From what I could see, it looked like a dried chunk of various vegetables all mashed together... Crunch. It was terribly hard to chew, so I chose to focus on the fact that it filled me up. Juniang looked at us as she asked, Are you thest remaining young heroes? Theres a few more of us. I see. Having eaten his energy bar without a problem, Charon opened his mouth and said, What happened to the other instructors? They were killed or suppressed. By who? Instructor Juan. Or... I guess I should call him the high priest? ...A high priest. I looked at Hector, whose expression had hardened. Elder brother, do you know anything about the Instructor of Martial Arts? For example, what he was like before bing a grand master? Right now, I was curious about what kind of person hed been before all this. I was also curious about how someone who had the rank of a high priest was able to take up a job at the main house as a grand master without anyone realizing it. Instructor Juan is from House Baskes, a famous house in the southern region. He showed a genius talent for martial arts from a young age, and with that excellence, he became the youngest in history to join the Third Imperial Guard Unit. At age 30, he reached the position of unit leader. After that, the pce offered him a master position, but he politely declined and instead became a grand master of our house. Hmm... Hed been born into an influential house and had even had a career in the Imperial Guard. With such a career, it would have been odd to even doubt him. Thinking about the timeline, there didnt seem to be any gap where he could havee into contact with the cult, so how had this happened? In a low voice, Evan mumbled, ...What do we do now? ... Juniang looked at Evans face for a second. She was staring at him so much that I was beginning to get embarrassed for him. Now that I think about it... Juniang had been observing Evan all this time. When Evan started to get put off, Juniang shifted her gaze away from him. Due to the barrier around the Forest of the Butterfly, nobody outside will be able to enter any time soon... ... ...Is what most people would think, but something is suspicious. Suspicious? Even if this barrier was created by an archmage, does it really make sense that no one from Bednicker noticed? ... She was sharp. Rather than excelling in a logical sense, I got the feeling that she had great intuition. Hector frowned slightly in what seemed to be displeasure. Are you suggesting that Bednicker might be overlooking this event? Im just saying Im a little surprised. How would I know what those high-headed old people are thinking? ... Stuck inside among enemies, unable to even hope for reinforcements from outside... In this situation, we need to abandon pointless hopes and create a strategy we can carry out with what resources we have. The most likely strategy is to rally everyone who is still alive and kill the high priest. Sellen looked at Juniang with her signature transparent eyes. ...Even the instructors werent able to do anything but die. What can the young heroes even do? He didnt kill them, he just created an opportunity for the demon lord to intervene. What do you mean? Juniang crossed her arms and began to speak quite quickly. Didnt you see it in themunication crystal? The high priest said that ignorance is a tragedy. The people there were only able to attack the high priest after the ritual started. Thats why the demon lord was able to intervene. Thus, we need to do something else to mess up the ritual. Then, the enraged demon lord will kill the high priest. Honestly, I didnt really understand what she meant. The demon lord will kill the high priest? Really? However, Juniang was a heretic inquisitor, one of the people who knew more about the cult than even active heroes. How can we mess up the ritual? Take away the sacrifices, mess up the forests mana, destroy the altar... We just need to create a big enough mess that the ritual cant continue. Hmm... Of course, those are the most radical methods... There could be other options, so lets think about it for a second, Juniang said as she looked at us. For now, though, rest. And... Luan Bednicker? Yes? Come see me for a second. Alone? As I pointed to myself, Juniang nodded. I ended up following her. After walking up to the second floor, Juniang entered a room, and I could tell that this was her personal room. Is there something you want to talk to me about? Yes. Ill ask you this first: youre their leader, correct? To be honest, I really wanted to avoid answering that question, but since there was no one I could shift the focus to, I nodded. Hmm. Juniang gave a vague response before opening a drawer and taking something out. I wasnt sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a smoking pipe. Alongside the pipe, Juniange had also withdrawn some tobo leaves, and she pressed them into the pipe. About Evan Helvin... Evans name came up again. I felt like shed called me out because of him. Is there anything off about him? Nothing in particr. Hed struggled a lot against the monsters because hed sealed Raven, but I didnt think Juniang was asking about something like that. Why are you obsessed with Evan? Hmm. You noticed. You keep mentioning him, again and again. I would be stupid not to. I see. But Im not the one obsessed with him. The high priest is. Pardon? I noticed that Juniang looked depressed. It took me a moment, but I noticed that she didnt have a match for her pipe. This woman... Give it to me for a second. I focused fire ki on the tip of my thumb and ignited the leaves for her. Oh... pretty good. Its nothing. Shwoo. Juniang smoked with a satisfied look on her face as she continued, There are a lot of problems with this summoning ritual that cant be exined. One of the biggest issues is that there arent enough sacrifices. Juniang leaned on the wall and looked out the window toward the cold and dark forest. A demon lord... to borrow the words of the cult, the gods of disaster are quite fussy. They need to read the book of the cult, Wicked Scriptures, from front to end without stopping, and if they make a single mistake, the consequences can range from their bodying morphing to loss of life. Hmm... Thats why they always proceed with these rituals with great caution. If a ritual that has begun fails, all the cultists that contributed are punished. It was an interesting piece of information... But what did it have to do with Evan? But there is someone who ispletely free from that penalty. Even if they mess up a ritual, they will not be punished, and they can speak with the demon lords without any conditions. The one who is favored by all six demon lords, the greatest enemy of The Empire, the Incarnation of Evil... I knew who Juniang was talking about. Everyone in The Empire knew of them, but no one had ever seen them in person. They were shrouded in a veil. The Cult Leader. Thats right. If the cult leader directly oversees the ritual, then the difficulty drops significantly. Less sacrifices are needed and theres no need to read the entire book. Are you saying the cult leader is here? No. But the ritual is indeedcking in sacrifices... and I overhead the high priestsmands. What did he say? That before the ritual finishes, he needs to secure the vice-cult leader. At that moment, I remembered the Evan Helvin of my past life. Evans corruption had been the Worst Betrayal in Human History. ...But what if it hadnt been a betrayal? What if Evan had only returned to the ce hede from? Fuu. Juniang exhaled the smoke. In a low voice, she said, Evan Helvin. He is the vice-cult leader the high priest is looking for. Chapter 89 I had never heard that term, not even in my past life, so I quickly asked, Does the church of darkness even have a vice-cult leader? Theyre shrouded in a veil of secrecy just like the cult leader, but weve confirmed that such a person does exist. ...Then has it also been confirmed that Evan is the vice-cult leader? The cult leader is a sacred position in the Church of Darkness. Theres no way someone like a high priest would lie about such a thing. Itd be like if we impersonated a god. I see... ...But if Evan is the vice-cult leader, then is his father, Doz Helvin, the cult leader? We dont know anything about young hero Evans birth, and its not important. The trickery of the cult is beyond our understanding. What do you mean? Do you know about recessive genes?No. Simply put, it is when the ancestor''s genes dont show up for many generations. Your father is one of the best examples. The Lord of Blood and Iron? The family head shows more of the ck fairies characteristics than his siblings. Now that I thought about it, that did seem to be the case. The Dark Cult Leader is an ancient monster who has been alive for at least a few hundred years, and no one knows his identity. No one could have guessed that seeds sown by that monster a few hundred years ago would begin to bloom now. So... Hundreds of years ago, the man called the Dark Cult Leader might have hidden his identity and formed a rtionship with a houses ancestor? I couldnt help butugh at that. Wow. That would shake the bloodline supremacists of the Great Houses. They dont like to talk about it, but most people are aware of the possibility. I paused before continuing, Are you going to kill Evan? Junian looked at me. I couldnt tell what she was thinking as I looked at her half-closed eyes. Without the vice-cult leader, the ritual will fail and the demon lord will rip apart the high priest without us having to do anything. It is the only way to salvage this situation. But if Evan isnt the vice-cult leader... Are you defending him? ... No, I do not think that is the case. When I first told you, you werent surprised. Did you suspect it yourself as well? It might be obvious, but one of the main jobs of a heretic inquisitor was carrying out inquisitions. They didnt just hunt demons; they also had to master psychology. Of course, unrted to that, the responsibility will fall entirely on you. The reason I told you this is simple. It wasnt to gain your permissionI was simply checking. Even so, I think just killing him is too hasty. Juniang looked at me. You, how many blessings did you receive? One. At that, Juniang seemed to think for a moment. Hmm. Did you say it was too hasty? That might not be the case, especially for you. What was she talking about? At that moment... I felt something warm around my nose. ...? When I instinctively wiped it away, I saw blood. Huh Then I felt vertigo. I nearly copsed, but I held myself up by pushing against the wall. It appears that it is having an effect. Well, its impressive that you were able to hold on for so long with only one blessing. What do you... When the ritual enters the fourth stage, the demonic energy of the demon lord starts to spread out into the surrounding area, and those with low resistancethat is, low demonic resistanceare affected. ...Demonic resistance? Im talking about blessings, Juniang said as she looked at me. Those with fewer blessings will be the first to die. Youll be among them since you only have one blessing. Juniang exhaled smoke. Fuu. Its simple. If you dont kill, youll be killed instead. Nothing difficult, no? ...Hmm. Was it really like that? I felt resistance to Juniangs words. It wasnt a simple sense of rebellion. It was more like I was missing something. I waited for my dizziness to settle down a little. Once Id recovered slightly, I said, How much longer will I be alive? ... At that, Juniang paused and looked at me. Her expression hadnt changed at all, yet she also looked a little surprised. ...Who knows? Its different for each person, but if your nose is bleeding, youll die within the next six hours. So I had about a quarter of a day? I looked at Juniang. Only a cleric who received a baptism can truly prove their innocence... In any case, this woman had shared a lot of information with me to make me ept her. In that sense, I needed to show at least a bit of sincerity as well. Rook Bednicker has hidden himself within the training camp. Rook? You mean the captain of the Iron Blood Knight Order? Yes. That person has hidden himself within the training camp? And more importantly, how would you I heard it directly from Sir Asad. Hmm... She looked at me with doubt in her eyes. I had no choice but to raise my middle finger to show her the ring. Youre not suddenly flipping me off, I presume. Of course not. Please look at the ring. Its a magic item I received from the family head. Juniang narrowed her eyes. A ring... Its definitely not an ordinary item. Right? And supporting your words, there is someone that fits. Someone that fits? One of the knight instructors showed extraordinary skill. I continued to observe him because I wanted to see his level, but I was never able to catch him. Who was it? A knight named Koor. Koor... Rook backward... ...That was the fake name hed used? Is he dead? You saw themunication crystal as well. The knights went out to patrol before the incident happened. Of course, the high priest said he killed them all... but it might not have been all of them. What if Captain Rook is still alive and joins the battle? ... Juniang unexpectedly started to seriously consider the situation. Against the demon lords retribution, even the Instructor of the Hunt died instantly, unable to react... but the Iron Blood Knight Captain should be able to put up a fight. And if others attack the high priest during themotion ... Our chance of sess doubles... no, maybe triples. Juniang looked at me as she said, But the odds are still bleak. Killing Evan Helvin is a much simpler method. When people always walk down the simple path, they are bound to suffer even moreter down the line. And were not evenpletely sure that Evan is the vice-cult leader. ... Juniang looked at me. She seemed to be thinking about whether she should just ignore me or try to persuade me. ...Six hours. Pardon? Within six hours, prove that Evan is innocent. If you cant, then Ill just kill him. Honestly, given her position as an instructor, Juniang was giving me a good opportunity with quite a bit of leeway. I nodded. Lets do that. Then I guess finding Knight Captain Rook is our first step? Sure. If themunication crystals recording is true, then he went to Area A-3. Lets go there first. Got it. After the conversation ended, as we were about to leave the room, Juniang suddenly made me an offer. Luan Bednicker, have you ever thought about bing a heretic inquisitor? ...This is kind of sudden. You stood before me during thest lesson as well. Arent you interested in this line of work? Now that I thought about it, I had done that during the subject selection. She remembered. Its not that I dont want to... but why are you giving me the offer? Were always looking for more people. Wed wee someone like you. What do you mean, someone like me? My mood lightened a little because I thought she saw me in a more favorable light, but then Juniang raised her index finger. She spun it next to her head in a circr motion... Someone whos gone insane. ... Im not joining you. * * * * * * * * * * Juniang said she had something to prepare in her room, so I returned to the first floor by myself. As soon as I came down, everyone naturally looked at me, and I could tell that these awkward kids hadnt said a single thing to each other since Id left. Hector asked, Youre here. What did you talk about? We discussed what we were going to do next. Couldnt you have had that discussion here with us? That was true. Hes sharp. While I was thinking about how I should respond to him, Sellen thankfully changed the subject. So? Did youe to a decision? I think well be able to find someone who can help us, so were going to move toward him first. Someone who can help us? Who? Rook Bednicker. At that, Hector became very surprised. The knight captain is here? Are you sure? I dont know. I just heard about it as well. From who? The Instructor of Doctrine. Of course, I was the one who had known about Rook, but I had gotten Juniang to agree to use my story. Why should I do that? I think itll be more trustworthy if the source is an instructor instead of me. Thats true. Thankfully, Juniang had immediately epted the n. As expected, they didnt doubt my words. The knight captain is here... With him, the high priest wont be a problem, Hector said. He was wearing a bright expression I hadnt seen on him in a while, and the others had simr reactions. The Iron Blood Knight Captain Rooks reputation was greater than Id thought. And around this time, I nced at Evan for a moment. I had been observing him since our first meeting, but I honestly didnt know anything about him. I didnt know whether he truly had nothing to do with the cult or was just clever enough to hide it well even from me. Evan, how is your condition? Evan wore a bitter smile. Its not bad, but its not good either. I see. I smirked. Dont overdo it. You look terrible. Thanks. Then, I sensed a gaze. Charon was looking directly at me. What, I mouthed, but he turned his head away. What? *** After the Instructor of Doctrine came down, we immediately headed for Area A-3. We checked the map and saw that it was rather close to the field. Of course, since demons were roaming the forest, it took an hour for us to get there when it usually wouldve taken us ten minutes. ...Hm. I could feel my condition bing worse and worse as time went on. Because Id learned the Strongest Fire Technique, my condition was affected by the state of the sun... I was in a simr state to when Id been stuck inside a sunless cave for a week. You look terrible. Even Sellen, rough as she was, was worrying about me, so there was no need to say how I looked. ...Yeah. I think I ate something bad. Thats true. Theres nothing worse than those energy bars. I was getting tired, but I could still walk, so I didnt fall behind. In the end, we arrived at Area A-3. This... Hm. As soon as we arrived, a gathering of knights corpses greeted us. Looking at them closely, they didnt seem too damaged, and they all looked like theyd died from a single hole through their body. They seemed to have suffered the same fate as the Instructor of the Hunt. ...Lets look around here for a moment. I dont think there are any demons in the area, so spread out and search. At Juniangs order, we immediately spread out and began our search. Rustle. I headed in the 9 oclock direction and quickly found another corpse. The cold corpse looked simr to the other ones I had seen, but this knight had a hole in his forehead. I furrowed my brow and imagined that wound in my mind. Could I block that? An attack that neither the knights of Bednicker nor the Instructor of the Hunt had been able to block... Even so, I knew that this was the demon lords divine retribution attack. Knowing the attack in advance made a difference, so I thought that I might be able to block it... But since death would greet me if I was wrong, I thought about it more. I think I might get a sense for it if I see it myself. I couldnt be certain with just what Id seen through themunication crystal. After that, I found a few more corpses, but I didnt discover anything new. Rather, my feeling of uneasiness continued to grow. Rook didnt die as well, right? If that wasnt the case... I stopped and turned around. Whats up? Step. Through the dead grass, Sellen appeared. Since it was someone I knew, I wasnt startled, but it was still unexpected. Hadnt she headed off in theplete opposite direction from me? I have something to ask you. What is it? Are you close friends with Evan Helvin? What? It was a random question. As I looked at her with a furrowed brow, Sellen responded, Charon told me. About what? What you talked about with the Instructor of Doctrine on the upper floor. ...That guy? Did he overhear us? I hadnt sensed his presence at all. Charon said he has the Blessing of Chiroptera. Chiroptera... Bats? I recalled that bats had incredible hearing. Id never expected a blessing like that to exist. I took note of Sellens expression as I said, What are you trying to say? Evan Helvin probably is the vice-cult leader. Im almost certain of it. Almost certain doesnt mean anything. Sellen had a serious expression on her face. Nows not the time to joke around. We need to follow the advice of the heretic inquisitor when hunting demons. No, even if that wasnt the case, I agree that we should kill Evan Helvin. So... if you dont want to do it, you dont have to, Sellen said with darkened eyes. I can do it myself. Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Did he overhear the whole thing? Yeah. Then stay still for now. We still have six hours until Evans judgment. Or was it five hours now? It didnt really matter. However, Sellen seemed to misinterpret my words. She said, Are you ufortable with it because youre friends? Or do you dislike the idea of killing people? You should always dislike that. I wasnt going to disagree that there were many people in this world who deserved death, but treating death lightly was a whole different matter. Sellen looked frustrated as she red at me.We dont have time. The Instructor of Doctrine said six hours, but we dont have any guarantee that youllst that long. So youre going to kill for my sake? That brings a tear to my eye. Crack. Sellen ground her teeth. Do you not understand the situation? At this rate, youll die. Are you going to lie down and die when your life is in danger? I have no intention of lying down and dying. And your justifications are all over the ce. Has Evan ever said that he would kill me? From my perspective, you are the ones who went insane. Only now did Sellen look like she understood my motives. ...So in the end, you arent going to kill Evan Helvin. After that, Sellensomewhat unexpectedlydidnt say anything further. Id expected her to try to pressure me or argue with me a little more, but she just quietly looked at me. ...Somethings odd. She wasnt the type to passively ept my opinion like this. No, wait. I suddenly had a thought. Maybe...? I tried to walk past Sellen, but she blocked me. Sellen was blocking my path. Get out of my way. Follow the Instructor of Doctrinesmand. We are here to try and find traces of our helper. And while Im doing that, you guys are going to kill Evan? ... As I thought. Thats surprising. Did everyone except me agree to this? Hector hesitated the longest, but he agreed when we told him you didnt have long to live. ... I can tell by your condition: you cant defeat me right now. So stay still. Its not wrong to rest in this situation. You made a mistake. What? I clenched my fist. When you tell me to do something like that, I suddenly dont want to. * * * * * * * * * * Just like every other young boy, Evan Helvin had once dreamed of bing a knight. Knighthood had been Evans dream even before he knew what a hero was. Of course, though his dream had changed to bing a hero, hed never once looked down on knights. After all, Evans father had himself been a knight. ... Evan closed the eyes of the nameless knight. There was no trace of pain or fear on the face of the knight who had suddenly met his death. The knight had died without knowing he was about to die. Could he say that the knight had been fortunate? Evan recalled Pam''s fearful face as he pondered that question. Fuu... The chill seemed to assault his cheeks. Evan let out a sigh as he stood up. Joining the expedition team had been an impulsive choice on Evans part. If someone were to ask him why he had joined, he wouldnt be able to give an honest answer. However... For some reason, Evan had felt that he would be miserable if he didnt join. Though that might be a little rude to all the people who didnt join. Thankfully, since joining the group, Evan had realized his true aspirations. Hector, who had an encyclopedic knowledge of the forest. Charon, who was the perfect guide through the area. Sellen, who had swept apart dozens of demons at once. And Luan Bednicker. ...Evan didnt just want to be a burden. He wanted to be helpful. He wanted to use his intelligence among these capable young heroes and prove that he wasnt falling behind them. Evan Helvin. Evan''s thoughts stopped as he suddenly heard a voice. The Instructor of Doctrine had appeared behind him without making a sound. Hadnt everyone spread out to search the area? How much do you know about the Church of Darkness? Juniang randomly asked. ...The cult? Yes. Why are you asking me... Dont. Just answer the question. Something about this situation was making Evan feel oddly pressured. Arent they the main enemies of the heroes, and The Empire in turn? Is that all? Ehm... sorry. If I survive this situation, Ill study more about the cult The high priest is calling you the vice-cult leader. Evan blinked in shock. The vice-cult leader? Yes. Someone who has inherited the blood of the cult leader. Uh... Do you ept that truth? W-wait... I dont understand what youre saying. I Evan stopped talking. At the Instructor of Doctrines sides, Charon and Hector appeared. They were looking at him with the same eyes as the Instructor. Suspicion, doubt, hostility... And... ... Sometimes, the look in someones eyes was worth more than a hundred words. Evan realized that these people werent here to listen to his words. If he couldnt clearly prove his innocence, there was no point in saying anything. Badump. Even though he hadnt even been running, he felt his breathing elerate. A heat that made him momentarily forget the cold rose up his throat. Anger, confusion, sadness, and resentment... Complicated emotions began to flow out. Thatbination of emotions made Evan do something meaningless. N-no. Im not... anything like a vice-cult... Even while knowing it was useless, he tried to dere his innocence. At that moment, Charon and Hector both charged him. Schwing! Evan drew his sword to respond, but he wouldnt have been able to defeat them one-on-one, let alone one-on-two. Unable to exchange many blows with the two of them, Evans sword was soon flung from his grasp. ... Flop. Evan crumpled to his knees on the spot. At this moment, the emotion Evan felt most strongly was not anger or sadness but futility. Evan had sparred against both of these young heroes. At that time, even though hed clearly felt the difference between them, he had held one thought in his heart... It would be different in a real fight. He wouldnt lose so easily if he fought with his life on the line. He now realized just how foolish that thought had been. They also had more realbat experience than Evan. After Evan crumpled in despair, Juniang approached him. I will tell you about one of the cults most wicked sorceries. ...Pardon? It hides parts of ones memory. Juniang tapped her head with her index finger. Should I simplify that for you? For example, what if a cultist hid all of their memories of being cultist? Would they be confused because of the gap in their memories? Or would their mind crumble? She wasnt asking because she wanted him to answer. Juniang proceeded to answer those questions herself. Both are wrong. They just bepletely different people. A clear personality that doesnt have a single speck of dust, someone who nobody would ever think was a cultist. What... do you... I havent told Luan Bednicker yet, but I have already found proof that you are a cultist. At some point, a cultist must unseal their hidden memories, so they always carry their medium with them. Of course, in this training camp, you were forbidden from bringing in most magic items, Juniang paused for a moment before continuing, except weapons. She grabbed Evans sword that had been flung away, then wiped its de with her finger. She was acting like she was just wiping away dirt, but she was surging divine power into the sword. Bzzt! The de sparked with ck light, and words appeared on the sword. The pure white sword immediately turned ck and began emitting ominous energy. Even if you dont know the demonnguage, you should be able to feel the demonic energy of the cult, Evan Helvin. This cant be... Where did you get that sword? The sword... Where had he gotten the sword? Evan grabbed his own head. I-I cant... I cant remember... Juniang looked at him as she closed her eyes. ...Lord Aton. It was a scene she had seen many times as a heretic inquisitor, but she called for her god every time it happened. In her mind, risking her life fighting against a demon was preferable to seeing this. It made her feel like she was framing an innocent person with anothers sins. This was why Juniang hated the cult. Luan Bednicker will soon die. ... At that, Evan looked up in a daze. There are roughly five hours left. I still think of you as a cultist, but I will trust the behavior that you have shown so far. ...What do you mean? Die a hero. ... In a low voice, Juniang said, If you truly are Evan Helvin, if you have any attachment to the rtionships you have made, ept your purification. The fact that you were a cultist will be buried with you. Evans name and the name of House Helvin will maintain their honor. ... This is my offer to you, to respect Evan Helvin. The Instructor of Doctrine threw the sword toward him. ng... The ck sparks that had appeared on the sword disappeared, and the letters hid themselves. ... Evan closed his eyes. His first thought was of the face of his father. If his father realized that his son had been a cultist, what would his reaction be? It was obvious: he would end his own life. ...Are these thoughts also fake? Pehehe. Evan let out a dejectedugh. One thing was certain... Evan still wished to be a hero. He still hated the cult. Thinking of it that way, there had only ever been one choice. Evan opened his eyes again. After looking at the three of them with a calmer mind, he noticed their true feelings. The Instructor of Doctrine, Hector, and Charon, all three of them were desperate. They were struggling as hard as they could so that they could live, so that they wouldnt meet death. The others here were likely thinking the same. Since hed begun to dream of being a hero, Evan had sometimes thought about the moment of his own death. One of the most extreme possibilities hed imagined was dying in his allies stead. Just like a scene from a story. It was funny. Right now, Evan was trying to die for his allies, but there was no honor in this act. Instructor. Speak. The words you said to me just now, please keep them. Juniang nodded. I swear upon my lord. I promise. Evan grabbed his sword with both hands. The sword was still emitting disgusting dark energy. ...I wanted to be a hero. Stab. Evan Helvin stabbed the sword through his own heart. Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Cold wind licked my cheeks. I wanted to raise my cape but instead remained still as I looked at my opponent. Sellen looked back and asked me, Are you really going to fight me? Youre not going to get out of my way. We have to fight. ...Fuu. Sellen let out a breath as if she had no choice before taking her own stance. I slowly began to circte my internal energy. Now that I thought about it, was this the first time Sellen and I had fought? This girl defeated Hector during their spar.In that case, her sparring skills were simr to or even greater than Charons. I wanted to observe her movements for a bit... But I didnt have much time, so Iunched the first attack. Dash. At the same time, Sellen charged toward me. I saw something sh with silver, and I noticed that her ws had grown and were reflecting light. The Blessing of the Silver Moon... Shes taking this seriously. That was a bad omen. With my current internal energy levels, facing those ws head-on will be difficult... That was what I had thought just yesterday. ng! ...! I covered my fist with fire ki as I deflected Sellens ws. Sellen was the one who ended up being pushed away. There was no need to hide it: this was thanks to the mystic bead. While curing Sellens internal state, I had explosively absorbed the energy of the mystic bead and my internal energy reserves had increased threefold. My power currently outssed hers. Sellen was probably well aware, but she didnt back down. She approached even closer to exchange blows. ...Somethings off. Frankly, Id been confident I would be able to suppress Sellen without much issue. I wasnt looking down on her, but the experience Id gained during the training camp wasnt insignificant at all. However, thebat prowess Sellen was showing was easily beyond anything Id expected. It wasnt just a small difference. She had grown so much that it felt like she was someone else. Was this also rted to Sellens secret? Crack! Sellens backhand mmed into my palm. Through the numbing pain in my palm, I realized two things. One, I had less than half of my full strength at the moment. And two, Sellen was matching my level while fighting me. ... Why are martial artists so stupid? When I realized that my opponent was going easy on me, a fire erupted within my heart. Of course, I was holding back attacks that could kill Sellen as well... But... what was it that Third Senior Brother had said about situations like this? Hypocritical? Bam bam bam! As punishment for having had those useless thoughts, Id suffered a minor wound. I knew what the Blessing of the Silver Moon entailed. It was the power of choice of the future hero Silver Moon and the blessing that allowed the power of the divine beast Silver Fox to inhabit her body. Now that I think about it... What Arzan had shown while we were in the Gem Mountains looked simr to what Sellen was showing now. Did Arzan have a blessing as well? Dash. Suddenly, Sellen stepped back. She looked at me like she was looking at a monster. Arent you supposed to be in terrible condition? Thats right. I cant even use half my full power. Half... Sellenughed in disbelief. I wiped the blood from my face. It wasnt a lethal wound, but due to how terrible my condition was, that small amount had been enough to make my head feel light for a moment. Perhaps Sellen had been aiming for that... I knew that it was unfavorable to me to drag this out. I knew that, but I couldnt help but ask. Is this on Goodsprings order? What? You heard about Evan from your house and entered the training camp to kill him... If I think about it like that, it helps exin the way youve been acting. Sellen sneered at me. Kekek. Thats a funny theory, but you missed one thing. What is it? Sellens smile turned cold as she responded, The way Im treated within House Goodspring. Did you know that Goodsprings bloodline is pretty strong? Interestingly, no matter which houses blood they mix with, their children all end up being born with the same characteristics. Id had nearly no interactions with House Goodspring. However, I had seen their family head once. Hatehm Goodspring... He had warm golden hair that looked like melted sunlight and deep blue eyes reminiscent of the ocean. He was so unlike the Lord of Blood and Iron that the imagery of the two standing next to each other had stuck in my mind. ... I looked at Sellen. I was simr in that I looked quite different from the average Bednicker, but at least I had inherited the dark-red eyes of the ck fairies. However, Sellen looked nothing like Hatehm. Ive heard that this is the first time its happened in the history of House Goodspring. Thats why people hate me as much as they hate the Bednickers. Theyve treated me like a witch since the moment I was born. Thats unexpected. I thought Goodspring and Bednicker were total opposites. Total opposites? I thought House Goodspring was like a warm spring morning, as the name suggests. In response, Sellen burst intoughter. When peopleughed at something I said that I hadnt intended to be funny, it always made me feel disrespected. It felt like they wereughing at me. But for some reason, Sellensugh felt different. Even though she wasughing loudly, I could feel a sense of sadness from her. After she stoppedughing, she smiled and said, You cant live a life thats always like a spring morning. At some point, you have to face the cold. Thats why I hate the spring. Thatfort makes humans weak, it makes them forget their suffering. The winter is cold, but it wakes them up to reality. Goodsprings order? Sellen raised her middle finger. They can go die. If theyd tried to do something like that, I wouldve been the one to mess it up. Then why are you trying to kill Evan? Is it just because you dont want to die? Although I hadnt known her for long, I knew that she wasnt the type to kill someone just for something like that. ...If we kill the vice-cult leader of the Church of Darkness, then the emperor will probably reward us for our achievement. Its a great achievement that even the elders of the House would have to respect. Sellen smirked. What you said isntpletely wrong. Rather than the order of the house, Im here by my own will. You want to be respected by House Goodspring. Who cares about respect? I just want to show Sellen to the house again. What? I asked. The way Sellen had said that was a little odd, but she just closed her mouth as if she had made a mistake. Then she shook her head. ...Lets stop the useless discussions here. You arent in a position to be wasting time either. Thats true. I didnt know much about Sellen. However, I could tell that it wasnt simply because she hated her house like shed said. I could understand her heart. Living while leaving behind your house... It was an easy thing to say, butpletely distancing yourself from your birthce was very difficult. I had experienced it as well, so I knew. That was why I also knew the answer to that problem. It was actually quite simple: find a ce more important to you than your house. And I had found it. Although it had happened after Id died, Id ended up finding my spring day. On the other hand, it seemed Sellen hadnt gotten to that point yet. ... Did I need tofort her? That didnt seem to be the case. Ignoring myme wordy, I wondered if trying tofort Sellen would in itself be mocking her. She was epting her winter just as she was looking for her spring. A rash act of sympathy would only insult her. Thus, the answer was simple. We just needed to fight until both of us were satisfied. Boom... It was then that I heard what sounded like an explosion in the distance. Just as we were about to charge at each other again, Sellen and I stopped to look in the direction of the explosion. I could feel on my skin that a terrifying energy had been unleashed. Thats... ...Demonic energy? Sellen spaced out. She seemed worried. No... She gritted her teeth before running directly toward where the sound hade from. I instinctively recognized that this wasnt the time to fight, so I followed after her. * * * * * * * * * * The ce we could feel the demonic energying from wasnt far. Sellen and I arrived there quite quickly. The scene we sawid out before us... Hector and Charon were lying on the ground. The Instructor of Doctrine, Juniang, was covered in blood. And... ...Evan? [...] An entity that looked like Evan was standing still between them. Of course, he looked very different from before. His skin waspletely ck, and his eyes had flipped up so only the whites were visible. I wasnt skilled in medicine, but I could clearly tell that his condition was abnormal. The Instructor of Doctrine coughed. Sellen quickly ran up to support her. What happened? Did it fail? ...Fail? Yeah, I guess you can call this a failure. What do you... This might sound irresponsible... but I dont know... Evan definitely died... Yes. He did die, Instructor of Doctrine. It was neither I nor Sellen who had answered her. With a creepyugh, the sky turned ck. Oooooooh~ A sorrowful cry filled the forest. Pshwoo! Even though there wasnt any wind, the trees shivered as if they were possessed. Suddenly, the quiet forest became noisy. Creak! The canopy that had covered the sky began to bend in odd ways. The trees creaked as if their joints were being twisted and broken. Then, for the first time since entering the Forest of the Butterfly, I saw the sky above the trees. Instead of the night sky, all I could see were the dozens of demons waiting in the air. The winged beasts and banshees were flying in a circle around the high priest. ...Instructor Juan, Juniang spat. Juan, the high priest, smiled brightly. You dont look well, Juniang. Have you had a bad day? The worst day. Because of you. Because of me? Juan acted surprised as he pointed at himself. Cut it with that disgusting act of yours. Its not an act, I am truly hurt. I saved your life, yet youre treating me like this? Saved my life? Do you think Im joking, Instructor of Doctrine? As a person of your station, did you really think you survived because you were excellent? Tsk, tsk, Juan said as he wagged his finger. Arent you looking down on high priests a bit too much? What do you... I know that youre an expert in demon hunting. For that reason, you were required for this training camp. The final piece, so to say... The high priest seemed to be enjoying the situation. He didnt seem to consider us a threat anymore. Rather, he was looking down on us like rats in a barrel. Evan Helvin is different from regr cultists. Regr cultists must destroy their medium to recover their sealed memories, but the vice-cult leader awakens through death. ...Death. Yes. That is why we needed you. You knew about the Church of Darkness as well as the cults memory-sealing techniques and ways around them. Juniangs expression hardened. And by our hands, you made him experience the worst death. Haha! Evan Helvin will be reborn as the strongest vice-cult leader! That cant be... Juniang shook her head. In the short time Id known her, this was the first time Id ever seen her despair. It seemed she couldnt handle the fact that she had ended up birthing a great evil with her own hands. In the end, you were right, Luan Bednicker, Sellen mumbled in a dejected tone. Of course, if I shouted I told you so! at this moment, I would only look like an idiot. ...Hm. I told you so. ...But I couldnt hold back after what Id had to endure. Sellenughed a little at my absurd response. Sure. Then Ill need to pay for the consequences of my actions as well. Do you have a n? That thing I used to defeat the demons, Im going to use it again. Oh ho. Itll take some time for me to focus. You know what I mean, right? I cracked my neck joints out of habit. You want me to buy you some time. Roger that. Chapter 92 Chapter 92 The Instructor of Doctrine seemed to have heard our conversation because she stood up and asked, Is there any chance youll actually win? It couldnt have been easy to ovee her shame this quickly, but evidently, she had made up her mind. Sellen has something up her sleeve. We dont know if itll work against the high priest, but theres no other options, so we should at least try. Then Ill be the vanguard. You protect Sellen. Got it. Juniang nodded, and the dozens of demons circling the sky immediately descended. Vwoosh! They fell toward the forest. I suddenly felt the pressure of death raining down to capture my soul.Although I felt the pressure, I didnt feel afraid. Just like in the Gem Mountains, no matter how many enemies there were, only so many could attack me at once. Boom! The demons were as big as boulders, and as they fell to the ground, the earth shook. Juniang fearlessly threw herself into the group of demons. She had positioned herself at the most dangerous part of the battlefield. Crunch! Juniangs weapon of choice was the morning star. It had what seemed to be spikes jutting out from its round head, giving it a menacing appearance. Swinging that fearsome weapon with her monstrous body, it didnt take long for her to be covered in the demons blood. Ugh. Vwoosh. I just barely dodged a demons punch. This wasnt the time to be sitting around and watching her. I responded to the beasts attacks with the White Sun Form, but I felt that it alone would becking. ...Did he say that beasts dont have much inmon with each other? The Lord of Blood and Iron had given me that advice at some point. I understood his meaning now that I was fighting them. Even though all the beasts looked simr, varying mostly in size, they all behaved differently. Some moved while only trusting in their instincts, while others schemed and looked for openings. Even though many demons surrounded me, some attacked with their snake tails while others began by charging me with their horns. Some breathed fire, ignoring that it was hurting the other demons. This is a bit tricky. In this situation, not only did I have to kill the demons, but I also had to protect Sellen, so I was quite strained. I wascking in options. Other than the White Sun Form, all I can do here... As I was deeply thinking about how to get out of this... The Martial God suddenly spoke to me. [Draw your sword.] He always woke up in the most random situations. My main strength is in my fist technique, not my swordsmanship. Although I wasnt aplete novice in swordsmanship, it wasnt the best idea in my current situation. I was only barely holding on thanks to my White Sun Form, which I was quite familiar with. If I had begun this battle with my sword, Id already be dead. [I know.] And youre still asking me to draw it? [Thats right. And I didnt tell you to stop using the White Sun Form either.] My head suddenly felt a bit heavier. So you mean... [Use both the White Sun Form and a sword art.] I couldnt help butugh at the nonsensical advice. Unfortunately, Martial God, Im not at a level where I can use two different martial arts at once. If I wanted to use two different martial arts at once, I would need to be enlightened in the art of splitting my consciousness. My master had told me that splitting my attention like that was impossible to learn just through simple training. A certain amount of talent was required to even attempt it. [I didnt tell you to use them simultaneously.] Nows not the time to nitpick... [Inheritor, you are the one who must decide if these words are nonsense or advice.] ... [Whats important is the rapid alternation of your weapons. If you can use sword techniques and fist techniques in quick session, it may look like youre using both of them at once.] What is he talking about? If not for the situation, I definitely wouldve made a sarcasticment or two. I seemed to have gone mad as well, or maybe it was just the situation... but the Martial Gods words began to oddly make sense. And I was the type of person who would try something out once if it made any sense at all. Schwing! The Sword of Seven Sins was drawn like thunder. The White Sun Form in my right hand, and the Sword of Seven Sins in my left... I was used to swinging the sword with my left hand. In my previous life, before Id regressed, the tendons in my right arm had been cut, so Id had to learn to swing a sword left-handed. Its not using them at the same time. Instead, alternate them fast enough that it seems theyre connected... I slowly began to digest the Martial Gods words. Thankfully, my focus was at its peak due to the stressful situation. I began to understand what the Martial God had meant by rapid alternation. Split my focus. I couldnt give all my focus to either of the techniques. To put it into ratios, the sword received seven-tenths of my focus and the White Sun Form received the remaining three-tenths. The White Sun Form was the one I was most familiar with. It was the martial technique I was most confident in. I had trained it so much that I could use it the moment I woke up, so I didnt need to focus on it too much. From there, I began to contemte how I should use the sword in my left hand. I first used the swordsmanship that I had used a lot as a mercenary. This third-rate swordsmanship technique that didnt even have a name had been created by taking House Bednickers secret martial art, which I had learned when I was young, and modifying it for my left hand. Honestly, there were quite a few awkward areas that made it difficult to use right now. It might have been fine against low-ranking monsters, but it was toocking to be effective against demons. ... A scene flicked through my head. At the edge of that sheer cliff... The sudden appearance of a mud monster, and one young man calmly walking toward it... The following scene had showcased swordsmanship built for efficiency, to wield maximum killing intent. As I remembered the swordsmanship demonstrated by the Lord of Blood and Iron, I raised my left hand to follow it. [Hooh...] The most important requirement for this nameless sword art was to have a heart fully focused on killing. The goal wasnt to kill in one or two strikes but in half a breath. You could attack multiple times within that half a breath, but the target needed to be killed in that time. If even a single mistake was made, the demon would still be alive and would deal a fatal blow. ...Its a haughty sword art. The swordsmanship carried a sense of confidence about its ability to defeat any enemy in half a breath. It was an excessive sword art for my current body. At this rate, I would copse before the demons were all dead. Whats next? I had used the third-rate swordsmanship Id used as a mercenary, I had also used swordsmanship that was to be used against the great demons, demonstrated to me by the Lord of Blood and Iron. The only thing left... Ah. The final swordsmanship I remembered was the sword art shown to me at the altar of the forgotten god, the symbol of the Nameless King... The Gctic Sword. If I could imitate it even just a little bit... [...] They say that ignorance is bliss. My situation resonated with those words. If Id understood the truth of the Gctic Sword, I wouldnt have dared to use it with the White Sun Form. Since it was a sword technique that I had only seen from a distance and had only awkwardly copied, I was able to mimic the Gctic Sword. And in that moment, I witnessed an odd situation. * * * * * * * * * * It was chaos. I couldnt alternate between the techniques smoothly. Sometimes I punched a demon with the fist holding the sword, and sometimes I used the Gctic Sword with my open hand while holding the sword out to the side. At that moment, I somehow couldnt feel a big difference between my fist techniques and my sword techniques. I realized that if I wanted to, I could use the Gctic Sword with my bare hands while using the White Sun Form with my sword. But if that was the case, then what was the clearest distinction between sword techniques and fist techniques? The sword. I looked at the Sword of Seven Sins. Swords were definitely convenient. They were generally tougher than the body, they were forged in a way that improved how much damage they dealt, and they had greater range as well. The body. However, swords werent so great that they could rece the body. It was obvious, but the body was much more flexible than the sturdy sword, and there were a lot of ways it could respond to new situations. And unlike a sword, the body gave instant feedback whenever something went wrong. If thats the case... Maybe the techniques in the second half of the White Sun Form had been unnecessary to begin with. But then why had Master told me that the White Sun Form was a half-finished martial art? Did he not want the White Sun Form to be my only martial art? It was just a theory, but perhaps hed foreseen that this martial art would end up limiting me? [A sapling born from within the raging mes. It is worthy of seeking the Crimson Sky.] The Martial Godughed. [I congratte you on beginning the path of the Gctic Sword, Inheritor.] *** My body felt hot. Alternating between the White Sun Form and the Gctic Sword was putting serious strain on my body. But honestly, Id been looking for something that could push my body in this way. My body, which was moving beyond its limits, was creaking like it was about to break at any moment... but it continued to burn hotter. The conditions were almost perfect for the Strongest Fire Technique. A moment came when I could only feel the heat. I momentarily forgot the influence of the demonic energy... And finally entered White me. Ssh! My fingernails cut through two different beasts. It wasnt as clean as if I had used a sword, so the wounds made it look like they had been mangled. It was difficult for me to exin the state I was in. Normally when I entered White me, my exhaustion and pain were reced by exaltation, but this time, my head was still dizzy and my insides felt rough. It seemed that the curse of the evil god couldnt be ovee even by White me. Gaaaaaaah. I heard a disorienting wail. A banshee? The cry of the low-ranking demon Hector told me about soon turned into a scream. Kyaaaaaak! The moment the piercing scream reached my ears, my body numbed a little. Was that scream intended to slow my body rather than to inflict direct wounds? But the scream wasnt the end of it. The banshees long tongue pierced toward me like a spear. sh! No thanks. I dodged the attack and grabbed the tongue. Its tongue seemed quite sturdy. Even though I tugged on it, it didnt rip; instead, the banshee was dragged to me. I used the banshee as a windmill to spin and hit all the beasts around me. It wasnt easy since I needed to be wary of hitting Sellen. A little more... The number of demons had decreased considerably. I didnt need to look; judging by the sounds of crushing skin and bone, Juniang seemed to still be alive as well. Honestly, I was more surprised about myself. Despite how Id acted earlier, I hadnt actually realized I could fight like this. Was this why being in real battles was important? I wasnt trying to lessen the importance of my training on Spirit Mountain, but if I were still stuck there, it would likely take me a few more years to realize the things I was realizing now. But... Even though my body had already been slow, I could tell that I was reaching the limit. How much longer could I hold on? The high priest hadnt even joined the battle yet ...! At that moment, I saw a demon approach Sellen from behind. Sellen was focusing hard enough that shed started sweating even in this cold weather, so she couldnt notice the demon. I quickly threw the Sword of Seven Sins. Stab! The ck demon was struck in its head and fell backward, but the absence of my sword quickly turned the tide of the battle. Kyaaaak! It seemed the demons also realized that this was their chance. The group of banshees that had been flying in the air screamed as if they were in a choir. This time, my body didnt just stop at numbing a little; itpletely froze. Sssssssh! The high priest, who had only been watching the battle, raised his palm to create a ck storm. I gritted my teeth so hard that they nearly cracked to try and make myself move, but I was a step toote. sh. Pain rushed me like a wave. An emptiness I hadnt ever felt before... St. I saw a part of my body fly up before falling to the ground. My right arm had been severed. Chapter 93 Chapter 93 The Church of Darkness didnt have just a single vice-cult leader, but not even the high priest knew exactly how many there were. The only vice-cult leader that Juan knew about was Evan Helvin. Harvest Evan Helvin. As Juan obeyed themands of the cult leader, he thought that the word harvest fit the situation very well. The seed of darkness that had been sown hundreds of years ago... The cult leader was the only one who could sense their ripening, and the high priest would be the one to collect. Of course, the high priest thought that the timing of his betrayal was a bit regretful. House Bednicker was one of the greatest enemies of the cult. Such an important person as the high priest infiltrating enemy territory and not getting caught for so long was quite the feat.He could have been the secret upper hand in the great war that would soone. That wont happen. However, the cult leader had negated Juans expectations with a simple sentence. No matter how long you remain in House Bednicker, they will not truly ept you as one of their own. Cult leader, please enlighten me. The position of grand master may well be a trap that Bednicker has dug for us. Juan couldnt refute those words. The Lord of Blood and Iron he had seen was the type to do that and even more. Within the continent, the Lord of Blood and Iron was the only person who treated the cult not as enemies but as prey After that discussion, Juan had let go of his desire and decided to turn the training camp into the stage for the birth of the vice-cult leader. And when hed seen Evan Helvin at the training camp... Juan hadnt been able to hold back his rage. Evan Helvins level had been too pitiful. Is this real? Was this person really the heir of their cult leader? Despite knowing that the identity Evan was presenting was false, Juan had been unable to be anything but disappointed. However, nothing had enraged Juan as much as Evans swordsmanship. The secret art of House Helvin: Raven. It was aplete mess. It was embarrassing to even call it a sword art. Of course, Juan knew that his true identity was a high priest of the cult, but hed felt the same way as the Instructor of Martial Arts. He had confidence and pride in the study of martial arts, and in his role as the Instructor of Martial Arts, he hadnt just been able to let Evan continue on that path. Juan had felt that the vice-cult leader he had respected had be tainted, and hed forgotten his position as high priest and urged Evan to change even though hed known that after Evan was reborn, he wouldnt be using swordsmanship like that. ... Juan looked down upon the forest. As expected of the Instructor of Doctrine, Juniang was persistent. She was showing clearly why the heretic inquisitors were a thorn in the cults side. The others who remained were Sellen Goodspring, who was gathering strength with her eyes closed, and ...Luan Bednicker? That was outside of his expectations. If hed had to guess the identity of thest remaining young heroes, hed expected it to be either Charon or Hector. Of course, talent wasnt directly connected to survival. Surviving in a situation like this was half luck. If an excellent young hero had been with him from the beginning, then Luan still being alive wouldve been understandable. The fact that Luan was fighting against dozens of demons on his lonesome was beyond Juans expectations. I am paying attention to Luan Bednicker. Remember this. As a great warrior of the ins, I do not lie in my assessments. The words of the dead Instructor of the Hunt rang in his mind. Did I miss something? Juan hadnt thought deeply about the young hero Luan. Of course, he had at least known that Luan wasnt as big of a troublemaker as the rumors suggested. Even though that was the case, the average level of the young heroes who had gathered in the training camp this time was too high. If Juan had been forced to pick the three young heroes he most needed to be wary of, it would have been Charon, Hector, and Sellen. The other young heroes were too green for him to consider them enemies. But hed now changed his mind about Luan. Luan Bednicker didnt copse. At some point, Luan began to fight at the level of and then above Juniang. He didnt just use his fists. At some point, he began using a sword as well, and a rough sword style began to take shape. Around the time when Luans form began to match the movements of the Lord of Blood and Iron... ... Juan decided to stop observing. He thought that the despair of the ones still alive would be of great help for the vice-cult leaders birth and to the god of disaster. That was the reason he had remained still even while knowing that Sellen was up to something. However, these three people heretwo, to be precise since Sellen hadnt joined the battle yetcouldnt be killed by the demons present. That was expressly not within his calctions, and there couldnt be even a single error during the summoning ritual. Once Juan had made his decision, he aimed at Luan... St. And personally used his authority to cut off Luans right arm. I intended to kill him... Still, as a martial artist himself, he knew just how important an arm was. The shaky bnce crumbled, and Luans body was soon smothered by the demons. Juan heard the sound of crushing meat and bones as he turned his attention to the next target. Sellen Goodspring. A mere young hero wouldnt be able to turn the situation in her favor with just a blessing, but it would be foolish of him topletely ignore someone of Goodspring blood. I need to avoid using my authority as much as possible... But it was better to be sure now than sorryter. Shwoo... Dark energy was emitted from Juans body and flew directly toward Sellens unprotected body. Bang! Sellen flew away like a doll with its strings cut as she mmed into a tree, unmoving. However, Juan could sense that Sellen was still alive. One more, a little stronger High priest! The loud bellowing cry made Juan stop for a moment. Surprised, he turned his head toward the source of the sound. Luan Bednicker was ring up at him with fire in his eyes. Had Luan been hit in the forehead? His face waspletely drenched with blood and the stump of his right arm was still dripping, but even in that state, Luan was grabbing and ripping demons apart, and he was doing all that while still ring at Juan. Were you calcting who to get rid of first? Is the blood of Goodspring or the exhausted heretic inquisitor the greatest danger to you? Luan smirked as he roared, Look closely! Who here on this battlefield is the greatest threat to you? * * * * * * * * * * Juan felt goosebumps travel all up his arm. The blood of Bednicker. The Lord of Blood and Iron. Juan couldnt even remember how many times he had been suppressed by that mans aura alone. It wasnt unheard of for cultists who saw the Lord of Blood and Iron on the battlefield to be useless. At the very least, they couldnt be sent to work on any operation rted to House Bednicker. Cruelty wasnt enough to describe what they experienced. They felt fear that could dull even their faith in the cult. High Priest Juan knew that well. Considering the original meaning of hunter, the only person within The Empire who was worthy of being called Demon Hunter was the Lord of Blood and Iron. Luan was obviously provoking him right now. The boy was scheming to draw his attention away to save those who were still alive. Juan understood. He understood that... Ill respond. Juan readily took the bait. If he couldnt stomp on this sapling today, Luan Bednicker would definitely be a great enemy of the cult in the future. Tap. Juannded on the ground. It was one of the greatest secrets of the cult, but a high priest wasnt able to use most of his strength during a ritual. Only about thirty percent was avable to him. But that was enough. Shwoo...! Juan focused the authority in his hand, and the darkness coalesced into a spear. Maybe he was overdoing it a little, but Juan swallowed back the blood that had gushed up from within his body. Bzzt. The ck spear sparked with ck lightning, but Luan was still smiling. Stab...! Suddenly, Juan saw a de had pierced his body. The blood he had barely held back flooded out of his mouth. Cough...! Juan forced himself to turn his head. He saw a knight standing there with a bloodied helmet. However, the face beneath the helmet was a face he had never seen before, at least in this training camp. That man... Rook... Bednicker... ...An underhanded ambush like this will leave a mark upon my honor as a knight, Rook said with a calm face, but it doesnt matter if it means I can kill a high priest. *** I hadnt noticed Rook Bednickers existence at all. He had hidden himself so well that I hadnt detected him even in my White me state. At this point, I felt that he was more like an assassin than a knight. Id first heard Rooks voice after my arm was cut off. [Do you need my help?] It probably wasnt magic. Was it a blessing? [Dont make it obvious, just respond with a nod. Do you need my help?] ... [If you can hold out for a little longer, I can kill the high priest. But not yet. At best, itll only work half the time.] Half at best. Our target was still up in the night sky. No matter how well he could hide his presence, he would have no choice but to reveal himself if he were to climb up into the empty sky. I shook my head. Rooks reply was short. [...I see. Dont die.] I shouted on purpose to drag Juans attention toward me. Finally, when Juans attention was on me and hended on the ground... Rooks sword pierced the high priests heart. The moment Juans eyes went wide, a ck form appeared from behind him to m Rooks body away. Rook drew back the sword to defend himself, but he wasnt able to absorb all the shock and ended up being flung away. Is that the demon lords retribution? To be honest, that was too fast for me to respond to in my current state. Even if I noticed it with my eyes, I would die before my body could react. Kugh... Juan held a hand over his heart in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but he was trying to hold back a dam with his bare hands. Rook rose from the broken trees and debris. So the demon lord can only intervene when youre aware of the target. Blood was trailing down his forehead, but he had a satisfied smile on his face. If youre a demon, piercing your heart wont be enough to kill you, but you probably arent. If you were that corrupted, you wouldnt have been able to step foot upon thend of Bednicker. ... Your ritual is over, high priest. Your demon lord will not descend here. Having stood there with a nk expression on his face, Juan fell to his knees. A quietughter echoed out from him. Had he gone mad from the despair? That would have been nice... But things never went right in situations like this. ????? ????? ??????... A chill went down my spine as I heard words I had never heard before. The bloodied high priest looked to the sky and shouted. Disaster God of Despair, Lord Ahop! Rook and I realized that Juan had begun to recite an incantation and ran toward him, but... Damn it. He was too far. Descend upon thisnd! The world fell into darkness. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 For a moment, Rook thought he had gone blind, that was how dense the darkness was that surrounded him. Blind... Maybe that wasnt the right word. Rook hadnt lost his sight. Rather, the world seemed to have lost its light. Vwoosh! As frightening energies swirled around him, the darkness that had covered his surroundings melted away like candle wax. Laughter rang out from all around him. As if ripping through the bark, multiple mouths, eyes, and ears formed on the huge trees before letting out a maddeningugh. The darkness that had surrounded the area faded and seemed to be sucked toward the center of the forest.The gathered darkness bubbled like magma and then shot upward like a fountain. Ssh... There, the darkness took form. All those who were still alive witnessed it... [...] A huge dark being. The huge trees that were themselves dozens of meters tall werent even half the size of the entity. ck cloth cascaded down like a waterfall, and a crown sculpted from bleached skulls sat on its head. Aah! Juan let out a scream of joy as blood gushed out of him. Our God of Disaster...! The demon lord looked down, but it didnt seem to be responding to Juans call. Rip. The swirling darkness parted as something popped out of the cloth. Rook realized that it was a huge pure-white finger. Even giants fingers werent that big. [...] The demon lord pointed at Juan with his finger, as if to announce something. Aah, God of Disaster! I am but a lowly servant Crunch... Thest expression on High Priest Juans face was that of joy as he turned into a puddle of blood. In a daze, Rook looked down at the puddle that had been Juan. The blood had an ominous ck color and reminded him of a deep swamp. Demon Lord of the ck Swamp, Ahop... For the first time, he agreed with the ssification given by the cult. This wasnt just a demon lord. This was a god. This was a supreme being that one had no choice but to worship, that one couldnt even beg for their lives to, a being who could sweep away humans without effort. Rook felt his body shake. This was a level of fear that he had never felt before. The only reason that Rooks mind hadnt yet crumbled was his restrained upbringing. Uh, ah... But the other person still alive was different. Heretic Inquisitor Juniang. Even the warrior who had forged herself in fear and fought against demons dozens of times was ovee by fear upon seeing a god of disaster. Juniang fell to her knees, her gaze fixed upon the demon lord as drool escaped from her open mouth. [...] The demon lords finger pointed at Juniang... Crunch... And Juniang also turned into a puddle of ck blood. ... Rook prepared for his final moments. ...The high priest used himself as a sacrifice. He hadnt even known that was possible. It had probably been thest ace up Juans sleeve. With that price paid, the demon lord had manifested, and with a single goal in mind... The death of all humans present. Unlike their initial n, the entirend wouldnt be overtaken by demonic energies, but there was nothing Rook could do to avoid death. He nearlyughed. Hed known that this wouldnt be an easy operation. It involved a high priest, after all. Hed known his life was at risk. However, he hadnt expected to die such a vain death. But hadnt House Bednickers n seeded in the end? The high priest was dead and the n had been stopped? Crack. Rook ground his teeth. This couldnt be the end. As a Bednicker... As the captain of the Iron Blood Knight Order... And most importantly, as the younger brother of the Lord of Blood and Iron... He couldnt die here. Haaaah! After clenching his teeth, Rook let out a roar. Storm-like energy swirled around his body. What could he do here? Face the god of disaster and fight? No, that wasnt it. Rooks attention fell upon Evan. Although hed known that Evan was the vice-cult leader, he hadnt expected this ce to be the birthce of that vice-cult leader. Even if hes the vice-cult leader... He needed to escape with Evan. Using all his remaining strength to surround his body, Rook dashed toward Evan. Crunch... That was his final moment. There were still a dozen steps until he would have reached Evan. To be precise, after taking only five steps, Rook had turned into the same ck puddle he had seen before and copsed. ng. The white sword Rook had held in his hand ttered to the ground. *** In an instant, three people had died. High Priest Juan. Heretic Inquisitor Juniang. Captain of the Iron Blood Knight Order, Rook Bednicker. These three were so powerful that I had no chance of defeating them in my current state. But they had all died in an instant without being able to resist. [...] The demon lords gaze turned to me. I also felt fear, but it wasnt enough to freeze my body. The problem was that I couldnt think of any way out of this situation. What if I stick next to Evan? If Evan really was the vice-cult leader, then not even the demon lord would mindlessly kill him. I didnt know how he was attacking us, but if it also affected objects in the area... Of course, it might not work, but if I was going to die anyway, I needed to try something. And I dont think I can talk to this demon lord either. The problem was that my body seemed to bepletely exhausted after that fight. It wasnt moving as easily as I wanted it to. I had lost quite a lot of blood as well, so my consciousness was on itsst thread. Even so, as I gritted my teeth and took a step... The demon lords finger moved. Then, something unexpected happened. For the first time, the finger stopped. [...] An ominous glowing eye looked at me from under the skull mask. I thought that the demon lord was hesitating for a moment, but it passed in an instant. As the bent finger stretched to point at me... Fwoosh! A storm erupted around me. I felt the familiar energy as I turned to look back. Sellen? Sellens blood-drenched silver hair was roiling about as she stretched out her hand. Unlike before, her eyes were sharp. Sellens eyes were looking directly in front of her. ng! Crackle! A much stronger sword wind cut through toward the demon lord. The demon lord tried to use his finger to block the wind... [...] But I saw it all from within the sword wind. The demon lord withdrew his hand right before the wind hit him. Crash! * * * * * * * * * * The gale summoned by Sellen cut through the demon lords manifested form. Ah... The darkened surroundings brightened up again. The ominous and frightening energies disappeared with the wind, and the trees returned to their original forms. The night forest became silent. It felt as if nothing at all had happened. ...Its over. My legs gave out and I dropped to the ground. The tree branches the high priest had broken were still broken, so I was able to look up at the open night sky. It was the first time Id realized the night sky could shine so brightly. Even though it had only been three days, the night sky embedded with stars felt so beautiful that I nearly cried. Of course, it was too early for me to get swept up in my emotions. I let out a sigh and said, Hey, Sellen, youre no joke. You defeated a demon lord. With this, Goodspring I stopped talking. Sellen was leaning against a tree. She smirked as she looked at me. What about Goodspring? ... I looked Sellen in the eye as I asked, You... are you dying? *** Sellen let out a lowugh. I told you, it was pretty risky. ... The high priest? I looked down at Sellen as I responded, Hes dead. Did you use that technique knowing that youd die? Itd take an idiot not to know. Was there any other way? There might have been. Sellen smirked. But... this is fine. She sounded tired. I calmly waited for her to say something else, but Sellen only let out light breaths and refused to say anything. In the end, I was the one who asked first. What made you so tired? Who knows... I could see Sellens nk eyes. Rather than her normal clear and intelligent look, her eyes were foggy. Even though it had to be difficult to use her vision, it seemed like she was looking at something. Maybe her life was shing before her eyes. Cough. When she coughed, dark, dead blood spilled out from her mouth. Sellen didnt even think to wipe away the blood flowing down her young hero uniform. Hey, you... I stopped talking. Are you okay? Dont give up. You can live. In this situation, I didnt want to say those irresponsible things. Instead, a totally random word came out of my mouth. ...Secret. You said you had a secret to tell me. ... Or was that something you just said back then? I made myself sound annoying on purpose as I continued, If you confess now... Ill forgive you. You just wanted to sound cool and said it without thinking back then, right? Sellen silentlyughed before forcing herself to say, No. Then tell me. Really? Eventually, she spoke. You know... I know the future. ... One of the unique heirlooms of House Goodspring is the Tome of Las. It contains things that will happen in the future. A sort of... prophecy. ... But... no one actually trusts it. Its written in an unknown script that no one is able to read... Sellen paused. ...Except for me. There was another moment of silence. I looked at Sellen. Is that it? What. Im asking if thats all there is to your secret. Is that it? Although Sellen had said that, I couldnt ept it. What shed just told me probably wasnt a lie. It was definitely the truth. However... The words that Sellen was speaking right before her death didnt seem like the secret that she had been holding all this time. I didnt have any proof or logic as to why. It could just be my mistake. However... ... Sellen looked at me once more. She probably couldnt even see my face properly. I thought I mistook a hint of joy in that gaze. ...Heh. I hadnt been mistaken. Sellenughed as if she was happy. Although she coughed up more blood in the process, Sellen was happy right now. She looked even more carefree. I couldnt understand how someone who was always annoyed and full of frustration could look so joyful and free in her final moments. My name... isnt actually Sellen. I blinked. That was a condensation of a lot of big topics. I looked at Sellen as I slowly asked, Then whats your real name? ... At that, Sellen flinched a little. Her hazy eyes seemed to go through a dusty bookshelf. My real name... Sellen looked around the bookshelf in her mind for a while, searching for her real name. Huh... Her lips quivered for a moment. What did it sound like... ... The sound of bugs became louder. A crescent moon appeared behind the clouds to shine down on the forest. Step. I walked toward Sellen and used my one hand to close her nk eyes. Then, after hesitating for a moment, I removed my bloodied cape and covered her. Sellen Goodspring, the girl whod yearned for the warmth of spring but most resembled the cold winter shed shivered in... May she never shiver again. Chapter 95 Chapter 95 The situation was resolved quickly. Around when Hector regained consciousness and got up, the knights of Bednicker appeared. Just what... The person standing at the very front was a familiar face. Were they the vice-captain of the Iron Blood Knight Order? Well, they would be the captain now. Hector called to him and exined the situation. The high priest and a vice-cult leader, and the descent of a demon lord... Young master, is this all true? Ive only told you what I have heard and seen.Hoh... I never expected something like this to happen within House Bednickers territory... The vice-captain seemed to find it hard to believe, but ultimately, he chose to believe Hectors words. Is he putting on an act? That didnt seem to be the case. That meant that this disgusting n of Bednickers had been kept totally secret, hidden even from the vice-captain of the Iron Blood Knight Order. One of the knights approached me. He spoke to me while stopping my arm from bleeding out. Itll hurt a little. Do you know where the severed arm is? Why? Are you going to reattach it? I immediately regretted saying that, but this knight seemed a little younger than the others, so it was probably fine. He looked about my age. Well have to see its state, but that is what we will attempt. If its not around here, it probably got eaten by a demon. ...I see. Thats unfortunate. I then heard Hectors voice. Did you perhaps see the other young heroes? With a heavy voice, the vice-captain responded, The ones we were able to rescue are at the campgrounds, but not many of them are fine. ...I see. Please follow me for now. We followed the vice-captain to the campgrounds. We arrived at the camp in just a few minutes, and what we saw there looked like a battlefield. It hurts... Uh, ugh... G-Gilbert...? Youre lying. Were running out of potions! Does anyone have any more? ... The instructor''s lodge was filled with injured patients. The knights and other helpers were moving about feverishly. Inparison, it was quiet around the young heros lodge. It seemed that most of the corpses were being stored there. At this point, I noticed a familiar face among the injured group. Sharyl. ...Ah. Sharyl looked to be in a daze as she turned to look at me. What happened? ...Its... Her voice was on the verge of breaking. It was the first time Id seen Sharyl like this. I felt something was off as I took a look around. Bazil, Eddy, Sinbar, and Zeros, who had all joined our groupter, were in the area as well. Thankfully, none of them seemed to have suffered any grave injuries... But there was one person I couldnt find. What about Mir? No matter how small she was, she had bright blue hair that was easy to pick out of any crowd. It shouldnt have been difficult to find her even with a dark forest in the background. Mir protected us... Sharyl said, still looking a little out of it. I noticed that Sharyls eyes were fixed in a certain direction. Only then did I find Mir. Among where the corpses wereid, I saw a uniquely small body. Saying that... protecting the weak... is what a hero is... in my stead... ... In that moment, I remembered thest words Id said to Mir. Youll have to protect them. A hero protects the weak. It was a lighthearted joke Id said to ease Mirs nerves, but it seemed she hadnt taken it as a joke. To fulfill the words Id said in passing, Mir had fought. With all her might. ...I... am not qualified to be a hero, Sharyl said, her voice quivering. I couldnt say anything in response. *** As I came back to my senses, I felt something smooth and cozy surrounding my body. Thanks to that, I realized that I was lying on a bed even before I opened my eyes. ...I passed out. It wasnt too unexpected since my condition had been so terrible for so long. Ugh... Even sitting up was difficult, and it wasnt just because of the side effects of White me. Youre awake. I heard a very wee voice from next to me. It was Kayan. ...How long was I asleep? Today is the fourth day. Looks like I was passed out for a while. Is your body... All right? Thats probably what he wanted to ask me. Kayan couldnt finish his words and closed his mouth. His gaze was stuck on my still-missing right arm. ...The house is looking for a high-ranking priest. Its said that the Council of Elders is actively pursuing the matter, so you can await good news. Sure. I gave a nd response as I got up. My body was still screaming in pain, but I wanted to move. I will help you. No. Its fine. I refused Kayans support and moved by myself. Simple stretches would be helpful for my recovery. After looking at me silently for a while, Kayan said, The Council of Elders has summoned you. Whats with those old-timers? I cannot say. But if it is still difficult for you to move, please rest a little longer. I will try to appease them. I shook my head. Its fine. When should I be there? They wanted me to notify them as soon as you woke up. Then inform them that I woke up. Before I go, I want to eat something... It will be prepared immediately. Kayan left, and a maid soon came with some stew. For some reason, I couldnt taste it properly, but I ate a few bowls to sate my hunger. As I was finishing my meal, Kayan returned. There is a guest who wishes to see you. In truth, theyve been at the main house for two days now... Who is it? Its Sir Doz Helvin. ... That was Evans fathers name. Kayan spoke again. If you dont wish to meet him No. Where is he? Hes in the sitting room on the first floor. Lets go. I went to the sitting room with Kayan. This damned body... Even walking wasnt easy. In the end, I had to be supported by Kayan. Ah...! As we opened the door and entered the room, I saw the face of a haggard middle-aged man. Id heard that he was once a knight, but it seemed he hadnt kept up with his training since then. He wasnt fat, but he had excess mass all over his body. I am Doz Helvin. Are you Young Master Luan? I am. I-I see. This is probably our first time meeting. I am Doz Helvin You already said that. I wasnt in the best condition, but he didnt seem to be having a good time either. It looked like he hadnt slept at all in thest few days. Even though I obviously knew why Doz was like this and why hede to find me, I still asked, Do you have business with me? I-its just... I heard that you were in the same group as my son in the training camp. ... Have you perhaps seen Evan recently? Evan Helvin had disappeared without a trace right after the demon lord disappeared. Had Evan died? Or had he been reborn as the vice-cult leader? At this point, I just didnt know. Not really. I-I see... He hesitated for a second before looking at me with a serious expression. Evans body hasnt been discovered. It seems hes still missing... ... Ive heard that the Forest of the Butterfly is asrge as even the average territory, so I was wondering if he might be hiding somewhere... Doz looked at me with desperation in his eyes. Could you perhaps use your authority, young master...? As you know, outsiders like me cannot enter the forest, so we desperately need the help of House Bednicker to Kayan coughed to make his presence known. Doz flinched in the middle of his rapid-fire sentence before lowering his head. P-please excuse me. Dont worry. Ill put in a word to Bednicker. R-really? But dont expect too much. Of course! Thank you... Doz repeatedly bowed his head. If not for the difference in our status, he wouldve grabbed my hand with both of his. After that short meeting with Doz, I immediately moved toward the Council of Elders. On our way there, I asked Kayan, Have you heard anything about Evan? I have. When I nodded, Kayan asked me, Did something happen to the Young Hero Evan? It seemed that Hector had told the vice-captain about the vice-cult leader but not exactly who it was. If that was the case, maybe only a small minority within House Bednicker knew Evans true identity. Maybe... By the way, where are we going? Another sitting room. Werent we on our way to the Council of Elders? Yes. That is where they are right now. That was unexpected. Id assumed they were sitting pretty in the Trial Room. An important guest hase. An important guest? Kayan looked at me as he replied, The Goodsprings. * * * * * * * * * * House Goodspring. The Great House thatwith House Bednickerformed the Two Walls. However, they didnt have a good rtionship with House Bednicker. To be more precise... the Goodsprings were excessively wary of Bednicker. Due to the direction House Bednickers family head had chosen, most of Bednickers hostility was directed at the Church of Darkness. This was different from House Goodspring. In their heyday, Goodspring had held as much authority as the imperial pce. As a house that valued authority above all else, they treated House Bednicker, which had grown explosively in thest few decades, as a thorn in their side. Who from Goodspring? Sandria Goodspring. It was a name I hadnt heard before. Kayan seemed to notice my confusion as he exined, She is the current elder of House Goodspring, and she was one of the most powerful spiritualists in The Empire back in the day. Why had such a powerful person came to Bednicker? And why had I been called to meet her? I suppressed those questions and opened the door to the sitting room. Of course, Kayan didnt enter with me. Luan Bednicker, youre here. ... The room was about ten times bigger than the sitting room Doz had been in, but there werent that many people here. In all, just three people were present. First was Agenor Bednicker, chairman of the Council of Elders and proxy for the family head whenever the Lord of Blood and Iron vacated his position. Next to him was Asad, his hair as piercing green as always. He looked even more tired than usual. When he saw me, he gave me a little wave, so I lowered my head back down. And finally... There was a middle-aged woman who had hairs of gold and silver intertwined with each other. So this person is Sandria Goodspring. I was reminded of why Sellen had felt lonely in her house. This woman looked so different that I couldnt believe they were rted. Sandrias expression was calm and weing, like the owner of a bakery, but I could feel a level of inexplicable pressure as well. I slightly lowered my head as I took my seat. While looking at Sandria, Agenor said, Then since the person in question is here, lets properly begin our talk. Lets. Sandria smiled. The child of our house who attended your houses event has died. I will ask this directly: how do you intend topensate us? With a in expression, Agenor responded, Let us not engage in this boring mental battle, Elder. We have the contract personally signed by Sellen Goodspring. No matter what sort of injury she was to sustain during the training camp, even if she were to die, House Bednicker was not to be held responsible... We called you here despite that for only one reason: to avoid any annoyingmotions. Annoyingmotions? Dont feign ignorance. We already know that House Goodspring has met with the houses of the young heroes who attended this training camp. ... Even with the existence of the contracts, itll be bothersome for us if the other houses gather around House Goodspring in this matter. House Bednickers enemy is solely the demons and the cult following them; we do not wish to waste our efforts on anything unnecessary. Sandria smirked. I could sense mockery in her smile. As expected of Bednicker, quite the impressive sense of duty. However, Chairman Agenor, lets make one thing clear... Go on. That contract pertained to House Bednickers training camp. However, the daughter of my house died because she got swept up in a demon lords summoning ritual. Do you truly see those two scenarios as one and the same? ... And the fact that your house couldn''t even notice a high priest infiltrating the training camp or hinder the demon lords summoning ritual... To be honest, it raises a question. What question? Was House Bednicker truly unaware of the scheme? When he heard that, Agenors expression hardened. Be wary of your words, Elder. Are you suggesting that House Bednicker conspired with the cult? Not at all. However, as a house most obsessed with demon hunting, perhaps you knew such a scheme was afoot and stayed quiet to kill the high priest. ... And no matter what the situation was, it is suspicious that only the Bednicker children survived. At those words, Agenor directed her attention toward me. Luan Bednicker nearly died. You should be well aware since you can see him right now. Sandrias gaze moved to my empty right sleeve. I barely repressed augh as I finally realized why Agenor had called me here. Sandria looked tired as she said, ...Well, fine. Well overlook that for now. Since it seems you dont want to prolong this psychological battle, Ill get to the point. Go on. There is only one thing House Goodspring wants: we want the heroes affiliated with House Bednicker within Heroes to stop their activity for one year. Agenors brow furrowed for the first time. ...Are you in your right mind? I am always in my right mind. When Agenor went to respond... Well ept it, sure, Asad said, speaking for the first time. But rather than stopping all activities, well only stop the reporting of deeds and achievements. By that, you mean... Bednicker cannot stop hunting the cult. And since the intent of House Goodspring is to lower the public results produced by Bednicker, this change shouldnt matter, no? Generally, the ranking of power among the Great Houses was influenced by the ranking and achievements made within Heroes. Due to the activity of the Lord of Blood and Iron, House Bednicker had held the number one spot for a long time... But if Bednicker didnt publish their achievements for a full year, then other other houses, including House Goodspring, could catch up. It also meant that House Bednickers influence among the Great Houses would decrease, and that was what Goodspring was aiming for. As expected, Sandria gave a satisfied smile. Hearing the Archmage say that, I cannot refuse. When I saw that, I couldnt hold back and ended up letting out augh. The attention of everyone was pulled toward me, and Sandria asked, What is so funny to the young master of House Bednicker? No... If it isnt too rude, I have something I wish to ask the elder of Goodspring. Speak. What was your rtion to Sellen? Sandria blinked before replying, I was that childs godmother. To be precise, I was her aunt. I looked at the one who had called herself aunt as I said, But you didnt even ask how Sellen died. I thought that was why I was called here. I knew that this wasnt a situation where someone like me could talk like this... but sitting here listening to these people talk was driving me mad. I stood up. If you dont have any further use for me, I will go now. Bowing my head would be the right thing to do, but I didnt want to show any respect to these old monsters, so I immediately left the room. Shortly afterward, as I walked through the hallways, someone blocked my path. Quite the temper. ... It was Asad. I had seen him in the room not long ago, but I wasnt surprised to see him here as well. Do you have something to say to me? I asked. Not really. Then Ill be going. My body is in terrible condition. What about you? Is there something you want to say? I do not. Despite thinking that, I suddenly became curious about something. Where is the family head right now? Hes not in the main house. Although the location of the Lord of Blood and Iron was a secret, I assumed that Asad was more likely to know than most people. What he told me was probably the truth. I nodded my head a little before heading to my room, and as I did, I heard a voice call out to me from behind. In any case, its good that you survived, Luan. ... The moment I heard that, my bodypletely stopped. ...Its good that I survived? A numbing shock went through my body as if I had just been hit on the back of the head. *** I returned to my room. Even though I had a bed here, I chose toy on the ground and look up at the ceiling decorated with a gaudy chandelier. In any case, its good that you survived. It was as hed said. I had survived. Although my master had prophesied my death, I had ended up surviving and producing a different result. Then had I seeded? Not at all. Only now did I realize my condition. I was on the verge of going insane. Bednicker had caused the deaths of dozens of people just to kill the high priest. Goodspring was only looking for their own gains even though their daughter had died. I remembered the face of Doz Helvin praying for the survival of his son, and the side profile of Sharyl Rubyeta staring at Mirs dead body. Finally, I remembered the face of Sellen, left all alone in the forest in the middle of winter. Survived? Not at all. I had just barely held on. I hadnt even held on to my own life, Id just happened to be able to keep breathing. At the very least, I was in a state where, as a martial artist, I couldnt say I had survived. Just... I felt embarrassed by how pathetic I was. Since returning to the past, Id acted like I had changed from before, like I could understand every situation and control it as I wished. This was the result of that. It was such a pathetic result that I wanted to beat myself up. However... On the other hand, if Id done my best, would anything have changed? I wasnt trying to make excuses. In the training camp, Id never let my guard down. I had maintained a level of caution while doing my best in everything in the training camp. Even so, the wall of the high priest and the demon lord had been too high. They werent opponents a fifteen-year-old Luan Bednicker could face just because he had trained for a few months. I doubted that I could produce a different result if I was given the same chance again. I had to hold back myughter. Although it might be presumptuous, I was a bit suspicious of my masters intent as well. If the future my master had first seen was of my death, was this result what hed wanted from me? A result like this? That it was fine because I survived and the high priest died even though dozens of young heroes died? Would the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang, really think that way? Damn it... I reunited with the Baek Nogwang of my memories. My master was showing me a faint smile. For some reason, it was a smile of satisfaction. What are you so satisfied about? I asked, baffled, and the master in my memory smiled wider. Did you realize that doing your best is not enough? ...Yes. Did you obtain the desire to aplish something at any cost? Yes. As I answered in my heart, even while feeling a little surprised, I could see Master in my memories. Were these really my memories? Then... You have truly entered The World. Suddenly, I heard a voice I couldnt ever have imagined. [The conditions have been fulfilled.] What? It was a voice I had heard before. During the Blessing Ceremony, in the world beyond the mirror... [The Blessing of Spirit Mountain has activated.] The world shifted before my eyes. The surrounding scene melted away like watercolor and bright light filled my vision. I blinked. It took a moment for me to get used to the light. ...Ah. Before my vision could return, familiar air touched my lungs. Next, my murky vision returned to normal, and I saw a familiar environment. A mystical ce covered in fog. The peak of a stone mountain where it was difficult to find even a tuft of grass. I saw someone standing at the worn-down dwelling there. ...Master? Had Baek Nogwang called me back? After my cautiously spoken words... [Its the youngest.] It was a distinctive voice. It was another voice I was familiar with. ...Fourth Senior Brother? [Youre finally here.] The fourth disciple of the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang... Senior Brother Arang was looking at me. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 My fourth senior brother took my confused self into our masters dwelling. The interior was dim andcked even a bed. There was a worn-down drawer, a table, and two chairsit was exactly as I remembered. Fourth Senior Brother spoke in his signature dull voice. [Sit down.] Ah, yes... I didnt know what was happening, but I found it difficult to ask questions. In the first ce, the mood that Fourth Senior Brothermanded was quite unique. Fourth Senior Brother had his back to me as he messed with the tea set, and a calm smell soon flowed throughout the area.[Do you still like tea?] Yes, well... [Thats good.] As I reached to grab the teacup handed to me by Fourth Senior Brother, I realized something. ...Huh? My right arm had sprouted back. No, rather than sprouting, it looked normal, like it had never been severed in the first ce. [What is it?] Uhm... nothing. I epted the teacup. After enjoying its scent, I slowly drank the tea. Sip. ...The nameless tea my fourth senior brother had brewed for me tasted just as it did in my memories. He had only prepared one cup of tea. It seemed that he wasnt drinking anything. I felt it was a waste for someone so adept at brewing tea to not drink any himself... But I had never actually seen my fourth senior brother eat or drink anything. I nced at Fourth Senior Brother. There were a lot of things I wanted to say and ask, but the words that broke through my lips werepletely unexpected. Its been a while since weve seen each other, so how about you take that helmet off? The five disciples of the Strongest Under the Heavens Baek Nogwang all had their own characteristics... But the one with the most striking appearance was definitely Fourth Senior Brother. He wore a helmet created from abination of all sorts of alloys, and the outside surface was shiny and smooth like ss. But his helmet was dozens of times more sturdy and even produced artificial light. Fourth Senior Brother chuckled. [Ive told you this before, but this isnt a helmet.] If I believed what my fourth senior brother always insisted, that helmet was actually his face. My request was basically like asking him to take off his skin to show the flesh underneath. At first, Id thought he was lying, but... exactly once, I had seen my fourth senior brothers face underneath the dark exterior. How could I describe it... If his face was the helmet, his body was like armor. Of course, it was like very slim andpact armor without any sort of mass. A body made of machinery. The mostplicated machine I knew of was a clock, but my fourth senior brothers body was iparably moreplex. He seemed to be one of those artificial beings like the golems that alchemists created. But honestly, I had never asked him about it seriously. The five of us had all lived in different worlds, and wed never really talked about our pasts. Fuu... As I drank all of the tea, my chaotic mind calmed significantly. That was probably why Fourth Senior Brother had brewed it for me. So, what is all this? Just a moment ago [You were in your world.] When he said that, I suddenly had an ufortable thought. ...Was everything I experienced a hallucination or something? I was in a long dream and my real body was just sleeping on Spirit Mountain the whole timesomething like that? That thing Third Senior Brother used to talk about... [Brother, is this bastardughing?] Yes, that. [No. Not at all.] Fourth senior brother smiled. [I heard about First Senior Brother as well, and also themand Master gave you.] Fourth Senior Brothers voice was very calm. It tended to calm the person listening to him as well. Words that could settle the ripples in ones heart. Having returned to being the youngest of the five martial brothers for the first time in a while, I couldnt help but whine a little. ...Im saying this since he isnt here, but I wonder if he finally went crazy. Four Senior Brother chuckled quietly. By strength, Second Senior Sister, by kindness, Third Senior Brother, and if he wanted someone who could aplish this no matter what, I think Fourth Senior Brother wouldve been better. [Youre not wrong, but I also agree with Masters decision.] Pardon? [You are the perfect choice to deal with Eldest Senior Brother.] I hesitated a little before letting out a sigh. In my world, I found traces of Eldest Senior Brother. Hes acting as a demon lord. [Demon Lord?] He destroyed a nation. [...] To be honest, I dont know whats going on. I feel like Ive been swept up in a grand current I know nothing about, and I cant even tell which direction Im being dragged. I was being honest. This was why Id focused solely on short-term goals since my regression. Protecting my tendons from the collector... Escaping the Gem Mountains... Resisting the pressure of the Council of Elders... Fourth Senior Brother spoke. [Then you havent met with Eldest Senior Brother yet.] No. [As you know, Eldest Senior Brother wasnt the type to kill people without reason. But if someone like that ended a nation... There are only two possibilities I can think of.] * * * * * * * * * * I thought I knew those two possibilities as well, so I replied, Either he went totally insane, or he had a reason. Fourth Senior Brother nodded. [Follow me for a moment.] I followed after him and exited the dwelling. Fourth senior brother went to the edge of the cliff, and it was a ce where I couldnt help but feel ufortable. Because... This was where Master had thrown me off to send me back to the past. ... As I stood warily there, Fourth Senior Brother called for me. [Come a little closer.] Ehm... Although I really didnt want to, I ended up standing right next to my fourth senior brother. Still, I had faith that Fourth Senior Brother wouldnt suddenly grab me and throw me over the edge. Fourth senior brother looked out into the fog-covered scenery as he spoke. [Spirit Mountain. We call it that here, but Luan, do you know where exactly this ce is in the world?] Not really... What I knew about Spirit Mountain... A stone mountain where it was difficult to find even a single de of grass. A fog that never disappeared. Except for the peak, the rest of the territory was swarming with horrifying monsters. Lastly, I knew that this was where Baek Nogwang, Strongest Under the Heavens, dwelled. As I slowly exined everything I knew, Fourth Senior Brother spoke. [What youve just said merely scratches the surface of this ce. By its nature, Spirit Mountain is Masters personal space.] Personal... what? [To put it simply, this is a world created personally by Master himself.] ... I had never heard of anything more absurd than that. Of course, I knew that my masterthe Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwangwas an incredible person. I knew that, but if he was able to create a world himself ...Then isnt he a god? [If creation is all you think a god must be capable of, then you could call him that.] ... [Spirit Mountain is a ce outside of conventional space and time. Thats why I call this ce the Rest Stop of Time.] Im starting to lose what youre saying again... Fourth Senior Brother always mixed weird words into his sentences. It was even more confusing today. [Ill exin it simply: You came to Spirit Mountain via our masters guidance, and after training for 10 years, you returned to your world. But did you return to the ce you left it from?] Ehm... no. In my original world, Id died at the age of twenty-five, but after spending time in Spirit Mountain, I had returned to when I was fifteen years old. Ten years on Spirit Mountain and ten years difference in the original world... By pure time alone, I had returned twenty years into the past. [There is one trait simr to everyone who enters these mountains. Whether they be big or small, those who dont have any regrets cant enter this mountain.] Hmm... [Its the same even now. The regret you held pulled you back to the mountain. And Master said this: by the time you return here, you will have obtained the final thing you need as a martial artist.] The final thing I need as a martial artist? [A desperate heart.] Fourth Senior Brother pointed at me. [A desperate heart cannot be obtained with supernatural talent, golden advice, or even effort that could grind bones to dust.] Then what do you need? [An event.] ... [Only an event shocking enough to ignite the fire in your heart can grant you such desperation. I believe that is the first step on the path to bing a martial artist.] At that moment, I remembered my masters faint voice. You have truly entered The World. [You have the talent. You have the will and the perseverance. However, you never had a clear and certain goal to strive for. You didnt feel it yourself, but Master was likely bothered by that every day.] Shocked, I responded, I definitely have the desire to be stronger now. As you said, if even my best is not enough, I will need to hold on by putting my life on the line. But... I dont know. I thought back to the things Id experienced before returning here. Dozens of young heroes dying... Evan bing the vice-cult leader... The high priest who had caused all of it was already dead. After experiencing all of that, I btedly realized that I was angry... But this anger had no path forward. Would these emotions disappear if I killed Evan, the vice-cult leader? What if that didnt do anything? Would I need to kill the demon lord? [What do you mean?] Many people have already died because of me, and I failed at the thing I needed to do. My anger is still within me, but if I cannot use it in the right way, I will only be a spirit of vengeance. [You seem to have already forgotten what I told you.] What? [Luan, remember. When you finished your training on Spirit Mountain and returned to your original world, did you return to when youd left it?] Well... No. At that time, I hadnt returned to the twenty-five-year-old Luan about to die after getting swept up in the war but the fifteen-year-old Luan about to get his tendons cut by Collector Kayan. No, wait... Then you mean... [One hundred days.] Fourth Senior Brothers words shook my heart. [That is how long you will be able to stay on Spirit Mountain this time. In that time, you will finish your training here and then return to your world, swimming against the current of time once more.] Only now did I understand what kind of power the Blessing of Spirit Mountain possessed. [You have been given one more chance.] This blessing could change everything. Chapter 97 Chapter 97 The Blessing of Spirit Mountain. I still didnt know its activation condition, but I had a general idea of its structure. Basically, whenever the blessing activated, I would be transported to Spirit Mountain. Then, after training here for a certain time, I would return to my world. However, I would return a little earlier than Id left. Meaning... I could alter the shitty ending of that training camp. [Your expression has brightened a little.] I didnt even try to fix my face in response to Fourth Senior Brothers words. There was no point. He was a master of psychology who would be able to see through my expressions even if I controlled them. Of course, Id heard that he wasnt actually looking into my heart but instead observing my heartbeat, blood flow, and pulse, as well as the quickness of my breathing...But Fourth Senior Brother, when in the past will I return to? [Before the event that caused you to feel this despair.] If that was the case... It would be immediately after the training camp started, or perhaps when the second special test began. It seemed that Fourth Senior Brother didnt know the exact point himself. Regardless, it was enough to calm me down a little. Returning to the very beginningbefore Id met Kayan and had to trudge through the Gem Mountainswould just be annoying. [Now, everything is up to you. Depending on how you spend your time on Spirit Mountain, everything or nothing could change. It could even change for the worse.] ...Please dont say that when I havent done anything yet. [In general, humans should act with the worst-case scenario in mind. To borrow the words of our master...] Getting hit while knowing youre going to get hit is better than getting hit while unaware youre going to get hit? [Correct.] Weughed for a moment while looking at each other. Then are you going to be overseeing my training for the next 100 days? [I dont have any talent in teaching others. My job here only entails being someone you can talk to.] Hmm... Then what about sparring? [If you want, its possible, but I dont know if we will have the time.] Even though I have 100 days? I didnt ask that, instead just nodding. For some reason, I felt a little lost. But training... Im drawing a nk on what I should be doing right now. [Thats why Im here. Tell me what happened and Ill give you advice on what training you need.] Shall I? Honestly, I wanted to tell someone everything I had experienced and everything I had felt. Also, Fourth Senior Brother was as great at listening as Eldest Senior Brother. I gave a short summary of everything I had experienced in the training camp. Fourth Senior Brother didnt interrupt a single time, only nodding along to my words. Thanks to that, even though the story was long, I was able to exin everything without breaking my flow. When I finished my story, Fourth Senior Brother asked me a question. [Tell me in detail about the demon lord you saw.] Hmm... First, it was unbelievably huge. I was a little out of it at that point, so I couldnt see it properly, but just being in its presence felt like standing at the foot of a mountain. It looked like it was wearing a straw mat or something, and it had a mask that looked like a skull... This time as well, Fourth Senior Brother only said something after hearing everything I had to say. [Thats enough about its appearance. You said that powerful people died instantly. Tell me more about that process.] ...Sure? There wasnt really any process. It just pointed at them with its finger. I pointed at my senior brother like the demon lord had. Everyone it pointed at died. They became a puddle of ck blood. I know you dont like this description, but... [It was like magic?] Yes. Fourth Senior Brother thought for a moment. [From what Ive heard, it doesnt seem like the demon lord had fully manifested. But if it could exercise that much authority, then it is on apletely different level from you. Though, thats expected since that demon lord is supposed to be on par with Eldest Senior Brother.] I see... I guess Ill ask this now: how strong is Eldest Senior Brother? [Hm.] Fourth Senior Brother seemed to think for a moment. Beep, beep. The interior of his helmet lit up with lights as he made interesting sounds. [Its natural, but he is the strongest of us five disciples.] I know that. [To put it more simply... Second Senior Sister, Third Senior Brother, me, and you... if all four of us were to fight him together, we only have about a fifty percent chance of winning. And if Senior Sister Cheon is not with us, that probability drops significantly.] That much? [Yes.] To be honest, I hadnt expected such arge gap in strength. I wasnt overestimating myself. Rather, my seniors were all very powerful. If Fourth Senior Brother was correct, then other than Second Senior Sister, none of us were a match for Eldest Senior Brother. [And he has likely consumed our masters Spirit Pill by now. Hes not the type to bezy in his training either, so Eldest Senior Brother will be much stronger than even I remember.] ...Thank you for that demotivating information. Fourth Senior Brother smiled. [Lets get back to our original topic. In your training camp, two entities can be considered your primary foes: the high priest and the demon lord.] Thats right. [Firstly, we dont need any specific n for attacking the high priest. If you can train yourself to reach that level, youll be able to defeat him one day. The problem is the demon lord. By my calctions, the ways to oppose that authority... there are only two.] What are those? [The first is to increase your defensive capabilities. Strengthen your body to the point you can resist the demon lords crushing authority.] ...Hm. I thought back to Rook Bednicker. Rook had been wearing the armor of the Iron Blood Knight Order, but the armor didnt seem to have done its job. I think thatll be difficult. [You dont have to strengthen just your body. Increasing the total volume of your internal energy can also work.] You mean The Big Dippers Bodily Ki Infusion. It wasnt an impossible task for me. Rtively, anyway. [Of course, there is a risk when this method fails. If the authority of the demon lord ovees your trained endurance, youll die without being able to do anything.] I hade to the same conclusion. And it didnt feel right to try to resist an unknown authority and power with just my bare body. What is the other method? [Move faster than the demon lords authority.] I immediately understood what my senior brother was saying. Dodge it. [Thats right.] * * * * * * * * * * Defend or dodge... Those were the two ways I could try to oppose the demon lord. It might beughable to use the word oppose here, but the demon lord wasnt an entity I needed to defeat. Do you think the demon lords attack can be dodged? [An entity of that level wouldnt raise its finger just for show. You may not have noticed it, but there are probably a few conditions that need to be met to kill a target.] Hmm... [Of course, this is all just theory since I didnt see it myself. In the end, the decision is yours.] I nodded. There wasnt much I even needed to think about. Ill try dodging. In the first ce, considering the specialty of the Strongest Fire Technique, dodging fit me better than enduring. Fourth Senior Brother nodded as if hed expected that answer. [All right. Then the first thing youll have to train is your leg strength.] Leg strength? [Thats right. And training your legs is actually quite simple: descend the mountain.] E-eh? It didnt sound like he wanted me to leave Spirit Mountain right now. You mean... I should descend to the ground? [Ill leave the decision up to you, but I wont force it. Its your life. Hmm... [Whats important is that descending the mountain will be enough training on its own.] Hm... I had stayed on Spirit Mountain for ten years. However, I had never gone down to the bottom of the mountain. Did this world even have a ground to begin with? [As I said, you have 100 days.] And what if I cant descend during that period? [Youll lose this opportunity.] Fourth Senior Brother spoke with an uninterested voice. [Youll return not to the past but to the failed present you came from.] ...There was no choice to be made. *** [This will help you.] Saying that, my senior brother pulled up his sleeve. I saw his skin for the first time in a while, and of course, it was the expected ck metallic substance. Rather than rough, his metal skin felt very smooth. A crack appeared in his skin, and then something floated up and separated from his arm. ck, ng... The separated piece of his arm changed and took on a different form. It looked like a flying box. It had wings and its front face was smooth like ss. [Hello, I am the additional system of RAN-4700 Type-A, remote system helper FAD.] The thing even knew how to speak. For some reason, its voice sounded simr to Eldest Senior Brothers. Whats this flying box? [As it just said, its a remote helper. Itll be helpful to you while you descend.] A helper...? [Its main function is long-rangemunications. You can talk with me through this.] Aha. So it was like amunication device. [Call me with this if you want to give up. Ill be watching you.] I didnt have even an ounce of desire to give up, but I still nodded. All right. Then Ill begin going down the mountain. I left my senior brother behind me as I began to walk down the mountain. It might be obvious, but 100 days wasnt a short period of time. Even if I were to descend from the peak of the highest of the Gem Mountains, 100 days would be more than enough to make the trip. On the first day... I followed a steep cliff down. I didnt sleep at all the entire day. Beep. [Current Progress: 0.06%.] ...Uh. Obviously, I wasnt taking my sweet time. I was moving at a pace fast enough that I wouldve descended any old neighborhood mountain. But I hadnt even made it one-thousandth of the way to the ground. ...All right. I changed the way I was thinking about this. I wasnt here on a hike. Now wasnt the time to rx. I increased my pace much more on my second day. I practically ran down the cliff. I would plummet if I made even a single misstep, but I felt like I needed to risk at least that much. After running the entirety of the second day, I couldnt even see the peak anymore. Beep. [Current Progress: 0.31%.] [FADs one-linement: Youre as slow as a snail. Ohoho.] You what? I wouldve destroyed it if it wasnt part of Fourth Senior Brothers body... I calmed my anger and checked the situation. Problem one. Had Spirit Mountain always been this tall? ording to my memories, that wasnt the case. I had made it to the halfway point of the mountain a few times on my masters order or to train, but for some reason, this felt different. The scenery looked different as well. And I cant sense a single monster... Id expected the biggest obstacle to my descent to be dealing with the monsters. However, it was as if they had all moved away or something. I hadnt seen a single monster during my two days of travel. Problem two. Im not hungry. Even though I hadnt eaten for four days, I felt neither hungry nor thirsty. My body still felt tired, but I was recovering unusually quickly and I could tell that I wouldnt have to sleep. These conditions were ideal for me to only focus on descending the mountain... but at this rate, I would never be able to reach the bottom. Hak, huek... After running for a few days straight, my internal energy finally hit rock bottom. At that time, Iy down on the ground to rest. I thought I wouldnt have to worry about my internal energy thanks to the mystic bead. But it seemed I was far from that point. Fuu... I looked up at the gray sky, which was neither bright nor dark, as Iy somewhere that was neither hot nor cold and calmed my breathing. Iy there for a while before I suddenly felt that something was off. ...What the hell? Problem three. My internal energy wasnt recovering at all. I quickly sat up to properly circte my energy, but there was no sense that my spent internal energy was recovering at all. It was as if I had a hole somewhere in my inner core. Of course, that couldnt be the case. I wasnt that hurt. Meaning... ...This is one of the penalties given to me by Spirit Mountain. I couldnt help butugh. So I needed to reach the ground without using internal energy? Bibeep. [Contact RAN-4700 Type-A?] [Y/N] ...Whos that? [The entity that Mr. Luan Bednicker calls Fourth Senior Brother.] Hah. I smirked and pressed the N that had appeared on the screen. Fine. I hadnt expected this to be easy. I looked down at the steep path covered in fog. It wouldnt be Spirit Mountain if things were easy. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 I had never seen Spirit Mountain in its entirety, but I knew its general appearance: a tall stone mountain that was dangerously thin. Naturally, that meant it was sheer cliff faces all the way down... Fuu... I let out a long sigh. Today was the seventh day. A week had now passed. In that time, the progress Id made... [Current Progress: 1.44%.] ...Looks like Im done for. At this pace, even if I didnt take a single break, I wouldnt see the ground at the end of all this.That meant I needed to change my method, but the problem was how. ...Hm. There was one thing I wanted to test. Step. I stood at the edge of a sheer cliff and looked down. Beyond the fog, I could see a faint path. If the dangerous path around Spirit Mountain was a helix that circled the mountain''s exterior, then... Wouldnt jumping off the side would be much faster than running down? Can I do it without internal energy...? To begin with, this drop looked higher than the roof of House Bednickers main house. No matter how trained my body was, it wasnt a safe distance. However... ... When had I started worrying about all these small things? Jump. I didnt hesitate as I jumped down. Fwoosh. It was difficult to keep my eyes open due to the air resistance, but I kept my sight on the path below. It might be obvious, but a propernding was more important than the jump. It was a cliffside path that was too narrow tond on safely. If I misstepped, it wouldnt end with Oops! That was a mistake! Boom... Fortunately, Inded properly. An electric numbing sensation coursed up through my spine, but I let out a sigh. [Current Progress: 1.51%.] [FADs one-linement: Thats cheating! Youre quite good at it.] Shut up. I ignored FADs words. *** Although it was an idiotic approach, it was effective. [Current Progress: 9.84%.] I was quickly nearing 10%. This was the result after five days of using my new methodtwelve days since Id begun my descent. I think my legs are getting stronger as well. FAD kept saying I was cheating with this method, but wasnt this the proper way toplete this task? ...I realized how wrong that was on the morning of the next day. Beep. [Current Progress: 10%.] It happened when I reached the 10% mark, which shouldve been a moment of celebration. Thud! Ack...?! I ended up falling t like a frog at the sudden pressure. Whaaaat issssss thissssss...! It wasnt my physical condition deteriorating or anything like that. It felt as if Id be ten times heavier. I found it difficult to even move. Ha, haah... At this pace, forget running, I wouldnt even be able to walk properly. ...You... little...! After letting out a few dryughs, I couldnt help but start swearing as well. It seems a lot has changed with Spirit Mountain while I was away...! Boom...! Boom...! I continued forward, putting all my strength into each step as if I were a giant. Naturally, the strain on my body was insane. One thing was certain: I couldnt cheat by jumping off the side in this state. If I did, either my entire body would be crushed or I would misstep and slip off the cliff. Then was I supposed to properly walk down the cliff path? With this heavy body? ...I took a few steps as a test. Kugh...! Spit drained out from my mouth. My movement was odd. It looked more like I was twisting my body than walking. I was still in the body of a fifteen-year-old. Even with my increased athleticism due to my time in the Gem Mountains and the training camp, I was still far too weak. After taking but twenty steps, I copsed to the ground. Huak, haak... I was sweating as if I had run 20 kilometers, and my legs, especially my calves, felt hot like they had been burned. Curses... I forced my neck to turn to look over the cliff path. I could still only see fog. The ground was nowhere to be seen. If I needed to take a break like this every twenty steps... Forget 100 days, even 1000 days wouldnt be enough. A hundred days... To be precise, I had 87 days left. Would I really be able to reach the ground before time was up? Impossible. That word passed through my mind. Beep. [Contact RAN-4700 Type-A?] [Y/N] I raised my head. I was a little out of it as I looked at the screen FAD had pulled up. ...Hey. [Yes?] I can contact Fourth Senior Brother through you, right? [Thats correct.] Then, perhaps... can Fourth Senior Brother see everything Im doing? [...] For the first time, FAD became silent. [Thats right.] ... My mind woke up as if I had been sshed with cold water. Before I could think any more useless thoughts, I pped both of my cheeks at once. p! ...Sigh. I couldnt let Fourth Senior Brother see me struggling like this. To me, Fourth Senior Brother was something like an older brother, but he was also apetitor. Naturally, all four seniors were existences who I couldntpare to yet, but I wanted to exceed them at some point in the future. It was a thought Id had constantly, even before Eldest Senior Brother went astray. Even though I hadnt told anyone. [Contact RAN-4700 Type-A?] [Y/N] I suddenly had a thought. Maybe the one who was making that message appear wasnt the flying box but Fourth Senior Brother himself. Maybe he suspected that I would give up around this point. With that simtion or whatever that Fourth Senior Brother talked about a lot. As I had that thought... ...Thats pissing me off. * * * * * * * * * * I had a twisted personality. For some reason, I became more motivated when I was being looked down on rather than when I was praised. A defiant mind was one of my core principles. Thud! Iy on my back on the cliff. Even with how heavy my body felt, it was manageable when I spread out. I should cool my head first... I went over the negatives of my situation first. A limit of 100 days. A goal that was still nowhere in sight. Unrecoverable internal energy. As for the positives... I didnt need to eat anything. I didnt need to sleep. My physical recovery was quick. ...Huh? I felt like Id just realized something. Jump up... was what I wanted to do, but instead I slowly raised my body. Then, I took the lotus position. Although it wasnt as bad as standing, sitting was still backbreaking. My spine is creaking a little... I forced myself to ignore the pressing pain and began practicing the Strongest Fire Technique. Fwoosh... As stated before, one of the secondary benefits of the Strongest Fire Technique was that it granted incredible physical regeneration. And if thatpounded with the effect of Spirit Mountain... ...Ah. As I expected. The muscles that had ripped to their limits regenerated at a rapid pace. Am I a troll or something... It was a disgusting regeneration rate, even for me. At this rate, wouldnt I recover immediately even if I had a few fingers cut off? Of course, I didnt intend to test that. In any case, I stood up. With my regenerated body, I began to trudge down the path. Each step left me overwhelmingly exhausted. It felt like I was being ripped apart. Not yet... I ignored my bodys screams as I continued to walk. When I reached the point where I couldnt walk further, I copsed on the spot... and began circting again. I repeated this process for a day straight. On the next day... Step. I managed to walk normally. It still felt like I was twisting my spine and legs in weird ways, but it was much better than the clown walk Id been doing yesterday. ...Leg strength. I thumped my tensed calf with my fist. Although it was terrifyingly difficult, I could see the path. *** It might be unexpected, but even on Spirit Mountain, where there was no boundary between night and day, there was still a way to figure out the flow of time. Kaaaak. Exactly once every day... an odd scream could be heard from beyond the fog. A crow? An eagle? I couldnt know, but I thought it might be a monstrous bird I had never seen before. In any case, I was thankful for it. I could tell the flow of time through FAD, but that crowing sound signaled to me the start of the day. A rooster just for Spirit Mountain. All right... I got up from my seat. Today was the 30th day. A month had now passed. What changes had I experienced in this time? Firstly, my body was decently trained now. It was to the point that I could sprint for ten minutes straight. Of course, I would copse immediately afterward and have to quickly circte... But while repeating that process, Id realized something. Although running was important, circting was even more important. Maybe because of the limit of 100 days, Id recently been focusing more on finding a method to speed up my cirction. [Current Progress: 17.6%.] The progress not being 20 percent yet ignited a fire in my heart. I was still elerating, but it was still too risky. And I dont know what other situations might await me below... Like when my weight suddenly increased. ...Cirction. Of course, the general use of all cirction was to improve ones internal energy. Naturally, depending on the technique and its core form, each had its own specialty. That was why the incredible regenerative power of the Strongest Fire Technique was a secondary effect. It felt like my technique was misaligned with my will. I wanted more regeneration from the technique rather than an improvement to my internal energy. ... I was hesitating right before taking action. Recently, I had been contemting this deeply. While running, circting, and resting, I had never let go of this thought. However... There was nothing else I could do. ...Ill need to alter the techniques form a little. Although I said it easily, I would have to risk my life. I knew how dangerous altering a techniques form was. Internal energy was coursing within my body, and it naturally passed through a few critical ces. If the altered form didnt ount for those ces or created an ident in an unexpected area... ...And this cirction technique didnt have any ws to correct. The technique that I called the Strongest Fire Technique was originally the fire-attribute part of the Strongest Technique in History. Unlike the White Sun Form, it had been created purely by Master. I knew just how insane and arrogant it was for me to alter that technique. I knew that, but I was still going to do it! At my current level, shouldnt I be able to alter it just a little? Uwek! Not at all. After altering the technique a little and then attempting to circte, I felt my entire body lurch, and the reaction made me throw up blood. Normally, that internal injury wouldve forced me to stay in bed for at least a few weeks... But after a short time, my burst internal veins quickly regenerated. So did my disturbed breathing. This was within my expectations. It seemed that if I didnt die, I would regenerate from any damage I took. I was doing something crazy that could only be done under these circumstances. ...Can someone develop martial arts in a more stupid way than I am doing now? I was like a mad alchemist performing human experimentation on himself. Still, it was so direct and stupid because I could adjust the errors I made and aspects I missed and continue altering the technique. While doing all of this, I continued to think. Why was the Strongest Fire Technique so good at physical regeneration? That was because the internal energy created by its form held the nature of fire. Fire was usually connected to heat, life, and rebirth... but with its indiscriminate burning, it was also called hellfire. That was why, in my opinion, fire was the most contradictory element among the Five Elements. The Strongest Fire Technique my master had created was definitely an aggressive technique. That was why the greatest effect of this technique was to amplify the other techniques used alongside it... And also why the White Sun Form was such a destructive technique. However... Was there a reason that needed to be the case? If the Strongest Fire Technique originated from a small me, couldnt I focus more on the warmth it provided? That wasnt moving too far from its origin. ...Wait. At this moment, a thought suddenly crossed my mind about the second half of the White Sun Form. The Martial God had suggested that I make the techniques in the second half stronger than the first half... But was there a reason that needed to be the case? During a fight, switching between offense and defense needed to be smooth and wless. So if I made the second half of the White Sun Form focus not on offense but on defense, evasion, and regeneration... And if I could switch between the first and second half quickly and smoothly... Wouldnt thatplete the White Sun Form? Haha... I couldnt help butugh. Inspiration was said to alwayse at the most unexpected times, and this was no exception. Chapter 99 Chapter 99 In any case, I finally decided on my routine. Squawk. When I heard the monstrous bird cry, I got up from my seat. And then I ran. I ran as hard as I could. I ran until I couldnt squeeze out another ounce of energy and copsed on the spot when I reached my limit. And then I immediately began circting. Of course, I wasnt simply doing what I had been doing before. Instead, I was constantly adjusting the form to see if I could increase my physical regeneration even a little bit more. Uwek!I spat out another glob of blood. I suddenly wondered how much blood there would be if I pooled together every drop I had spat out during this endeavor, but I knew that was a stupid question. There was definitely at least enough to fill a beer keg. I wiped away the blood. Even though my body recovered automatically, that wasnt true of my clothes. Id had to learn to spit blood without getting any on my clothes. Now, I could spit without a single dropnding anywhere near me. [FADs one-linement: very impressive.] ... I waited for my damaged body to recover as I let my thoughts drift, imagining what I would do after these hundred days were over. In my imagination, I faced off against the Demon Lord of the ck Swamp. The monstrous entity overwhelmed me even in my thoughts. Still, it wasnt to the point that I couldnt recover from it. Rather, the more I imagined it, the more I felt like I was getting used to its aura. This became a form of training as well. The authority of a demon lord... How could I respond to this power that could turn its enemies into nothingness in an instant? Do I me Dash and elerate as fast as I can? Or should I use the mes to disturb its vision...? When my body recovered, I stopped imagining the demon lord and began running again. When I again became exhausted, I sat down, circted, adjusted the form, and imagined again. ... ... [Current Progress: 23.3%.] ... ... Repeating a simple routine every day to be stronger. People usually called what I was doing exercising and training. [Current Progress: 25.9%.] ... ... Eventually, I lost count of how many times I had repeated this simple, familiar, and tedious work. At this point, I probably could have done it in my sleep. I would be lying if I said the process wasnt boring. Of course, there were a few people who could enjoy such training... but generally, humans adapted to things at a frightening pace. To put it another way, humans be numb to repeated stimuli and lose their enjoyment. If this symptom worsens, the act of training itself bes torturous. [Current Progress: 27.1%.] I... didnt particrly hate training. But that was only when I was certain that the training was helpful. [Current Progress: 33.2%.] The 50th day. After spending half of my total days, I suddenly had a thought. Was I doing this properly? Of course, my body was constantly bing stronger. I could now run for an hour without a problem. However, I still wasnt at all convinced that I was going about this the right way. I thought about it a dozen or more times each day. Was there a better method? Was the method I was using wrong? Was I unknowingly running in the wrong direction...? It was on another such day. You trash. Through the fog, I saw the form of my master. ... Of course, I knew that he wasnt real. Do you really think you are at a level where you can adjust my martial arts? It was obviously a hallucination. To begin with, Master didnt talk like that. Whenever I did something stupid, his first reaction was to hit me over the head. Then... was this one of the trials of Spirit Mountain? Or had I just gone insane? I shouldnt have taken you as a disciple. ... A sigh echoed out from within my heart. Even though I knew it was a hallucination, seeing Baek Nogwangs face and hearing Baek Nogwangs voice say that to me, I found it difficult to keep myposure. I had been having more and more negative thoughts recently. Although I wasnt a pessimistic person, Id not had anyone around to talk to for weeks at this point. Id just been alone with my own thoughts. Id also randomly be impressed with trailzers. This wasnt a path that someone could walk just because they were talented. Walking a path that no one else had walked before was only possible if one had confidence and certainty in their beliefs. At every moment, I doubted myself, regretted my past, and wondered what mightve happened if I had made a different choice. But I couldnt continue thinking about those things. Even while wandering, I chastised myself and did my best to take one more step forward. [You seem quite exhausted.] The hallucination spoke. No, was it something else? It sounded like Fourth Senior Brother this time. [You can give up here.] ...Was it not a hallucination? I could hear the voiceing from FAD. I rolled my eyes as Iy down on the ground. I dont think I remember calling you. [I know. Thats why Im talking to you through FAD.] ... [As of today, 70 days have passed.] Time had passed by pretty quickly. I hadnt realized it because Id stopped counting after the 50th day. [This is your current state.] At that moment, FADs screen flickered before reflecting my face like a mirror. There, I saw a battered and weakened young man. For some reason, my current self didnt look like the fifteen-year-old Luan Bednicker but instead the Luan whod died in the war at 25. Hows my progress? [Thirty-five percent.] Im not even halfway there. I got up again. Fourth Senior Brother hurriedly spoke. [Are you going to keep going?] Yes. [Do you think you can descend the entirety of the mountain in the remaining 30 days?] Who knows? Its not very likely... I stopped talking. My current emotions were too difficult to exin with words. ...But I think Ill figure something out. It was a little vague, but that was all I could say. Walking through the fog, I spoke as if talking to myself. Senior Brother, this might be random, but Ivee to respect the trailzers who create their own path in life. [Why?] Dont those people live their lives like this? Always wandering through fog and running a race alone? I couldnt help butugh. It seems the path to truth is crushingly lonely. [...] Even if Id gained something, I couldnt tell right now whether it was the correct result or a mistake. If I had to choose everything alone, by myself, wasnt that the continuation of suffering rather than freedom? Finally, I asked my fourth senior brother something I had been thinking about for a while. Did Master feel this way as well? I thought about the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang. He was always confident, prideful, and arrogant, but he was worthy of being like that. Had he suffered like this as well? If he had, then how had he ovee it? ...If this was difficult even for our master, I dont know if I am even qualified to think about creating my own martial arts. [What are you afraid of?] I hesitated for a minute before replying, That I wont be able to meet his expectations. I had experienced it in my first life. Id had expectations ced upon me by my house, and Id walked the path of those expectations. The result had been brutal and horrible. Id be too familiar with failure, and even more so being ignored by others. However... Maybe I am a stain on Masters legacy... That is what I am most afraid of. I was familiar with not meeting peoples expectations. But I was still afraid. If it was anyone else, it would be fine, but at least Baek Nogwang... I at least didnt want to disappoint my master, the person I respected more than anyone. What would Master think of me? What expectations did he have for this kid named Luan Bednicker? Was heparing me to his other four disciples? At the lowest point of this person called Luan Bednicker, these thoughts of inferiority still circled my heart. It was then... Fourth Senior Brother suddenly spoke. [My real name is RAN-4700 Type-A.] ...Pardon? Ah, yes, I heard from FAD. Despite my dull response, my senior brother continued to speak. [I am a fourth-generation android. My original purpose was as a military unit.] What do you mean...? [My first master was a soldier. After one of his arms was cut off in a war, he retired.] Was this... the story of Fourth Senior Brothers past? I couldnt remember ever hearing about this before. As I realized the context, I carefully said, Were you a ve? I didnt say, like our master. [It was simr, but my master didnt treat me like a ve. Even after he retired, he always sparred against me so he might be able to return to the battlefield.] Fourth Senior Brothers voice lowered a little. His voice was still steady, but I could sense that he was nostalgic about his past. [My master didnt like easy victories. He didnt spare any effort in making me stronger. In a short amount of time, a lot of data was input into me, and I repeated the spars I lost in my mind throughout the night to create new patterns. Even still, I couldnt defeat him. Even though he only had one arm, he was a master martial artist.] ... [But one day, I suddenly thought aboutbining two different moves in my mind to create a new movement. My master wasnt able to respond to it and was defeated. He was very d, then, and he said something to me...] What did he say? [That I was now a martial artist.] ... [I think that was when I was born.] I couldnt understand most of what my senior brother had said. The world he had lived in seemed vastly different from mine. However, that world still had people, and emotions were not something you understood but instead epted. I epted all of my fourth senior brothers words through his emotions. [See, Luan. I dont have a heart. I dont have muscles, nor do I have blood. I dont have an inner core, so I cant umte internal energy, and since I dont have muscles, exercising doesnt make sense. But does that mean I cannot strive for the martial truth? Is just speaking about the martial way an unforgivable sin for me?] ... [From the moment I was born, I thought about it continuously. For a long time, though, I was unable to find an answer. A machine that strives for the martial path wasnt recorded in any database.] While listening, I suddenly felt that Senior Brother was smiling beyond the screen. [At that point, I met Master, and he said this: why couldnt I just make a martial path that doesn''t care about any of that?] Pft. Although Fourth Senior Brother hadnt attempted to sound like Master, I still imagined it in my head and ended upughing. [I wont say anything about the qualifications needed to be a trailzer. However, everyone has the right to aspire to their own martial path. Even a tree knows toy down its roots so it wont shake in the storm. From the way I understand it, that tree has its own truth it follows.] Its own truth it follows... [My martial truth isnt anything grand; its just to never lose my heart in my pursuit of strength. Because power is always rtivistic, and battles are bound to be inconsistent.] Fourth Senior Brother spoke to me. [Luan, what is your martial truth?] ... Although it could be a question that defined me as a martial artist, I didnt feel particrly pressured. Senior Brother was right: martial truths didnt need to be grand. My martial truth... is to improve every day, even if its just a little bit. It didnt need to be obvious. It didnt mean that my body had to be stronger, that my internal energy had to intensify, that I needed to realize the form of a technique. Just the improvement of my mind by gaining new information was a big step forward in my growth. And so... Thank you, Fourth Senior Brother. I felt myself take another step. Chapter 100 Chapter 100 I decided to forget everything about my situation. My progress down the mountain, the time limit, even the routine I had formted, I erased it all from my mind. Id realized: thinking everything through just wasnt how I did things. The method that fit me best was ordering my obstacles by their priority and solving them one at a time. First, I decided to adjust the cirction form. I wasnt going to proceed as I had been, using my spare time to make adjustments. I was going to focus on this task until it was done. And if it took all the time I had left... it couldnt be helped. Even if I trained my body for a hundred days, it was impossible for me to reach the ground at this pace.I mightve been too arrogant. I tore my muscles like crazy and used the time spent recovering to begin my adjustments. I didnt know if this was the most efficient or effective method, but whatever. Thinking about it now, I was attempting to alter the martial arts of Baek Nogwang, so any such doubts would only get in my way. Fuu... The basics. I would start with the basics. As I stepped foot into this task, I first abandoned all of the adjustments I had already done... And then I began circting using the original method. Just like someone who was learning the Strongest Fire Technique for the first time. ... Leaving behind all the adjustments I had made didnt mean I had wasted my time. Thanks to the time Id spent adjusting this technique before, I was able to focus on it for a long time, and I learned even more about this breathing technique. As a result, even though I was using the original form, I had a deeper understanding and appreciation for it. The channels Id thought were natural, the intersections, the total amount of internal energy being circted and its divisions, and even the thin routes that spread out into their own little sections, they were all that way for a reason. I see. I had only understood this martial art through memorization before. Rather than feeling surprised or dumbfounded, I felt amazed. I felt like I understood how some of the effects Ide to be familiar with were produced. Fuu... When I finished circting, it felt like I had executed a proper rotation of the Strongest Fire Technique for the first time in my life. At the same moment, I also had a thought. Am I even allowed to alter this amazing martial art with my hands? With such a perfect work, adding or removing anything would make a mark. However... ... I once again began to adjust the form. I wasnt doing this to descend the mountain. I wanted to prove that my initial selection wasnt wrong. I wanted to prove that altering the form wasnt a mistake and that I hadnt chosen the wrong path. I wanted to prove it to myself. ...One step at a time. Other people wouldnt even notice that I was walking. They wouldnt be able to even see it. Even so, I could see it. I knew that I was taking one step at a time. My steps might have been slow, but I was moving forward nheless. And maybe that was good enough for now. * * * * * * * * * * Not all surges of enlightenment seemed toe immediately. Kraaaah. As the nameless monster bird let out another cry, I rose from my seat in a daze. ... I looked at the thing that had been by my side this entire time. ...FAD. [Yes?] What day is it today? [It has been 90 days since you began your descent.] Time flowed slower than I expected. Id been sure that 100 days had already passed. [Current Progress: 33.2%] My current progress was disyed on FADs screen, but my heart remained calm. I didnt feel even a hint of urgency. I felt likeughing, but I held it in for now. As it was an important problem, I felt the need to check onest time. I immediately sat back down in a lotus position... And began circting. Fwoosh... The mes that erupted in my inner coremy true ki moved as I directed the current of my me. I didnt allow the mes to deviate even a little bit within the Twelve Standard Meridians or the Eight Extraordinary Meridians as they spread throughout my body. The core of the new form Id created wasnt for the ki to pass through the baihui point. To increase the regenerative capabilities of the Strongest Fire Technique, it was important to spread the heat evenly throughout my entire body. Among the many bodily organs, there was only one that could aplish that task. The heart. Badump! Each heartbeat felt like a small explosion. This explosion then turned into a congration as it spread throughout my body. Rather than spreading out... it felt more like the me was expanding. Naturally, the body had a few spots that were less sensitive than others. For example, the butt was less susceptible to pain, and it was difficult to move itpared to my hands and feet. No matter how sensitive someone was, there were muscles that they couldnt control with will alone. Through this cirction technique, I was freed of that limitation. In my current state, I could tear the muscles in my body without lifting a single finger, and I could elerate or even stop the beating of my heart. Rumble... At this moment, I realized a huge pir within my body had crumbled. Haah... The moment that pir was destroyed, I let out a hot sigh. My breathing feltfortable. It was like I had only been allowing half the energy to flow around my body my entire life and I was finally experiencing it all being let through. After opening my eyes, I realized I could see the fog much more clearly and even taste the air around me. My senses had improved at least threefold. Although the internal energy within my body wascking, I was confident I could use the energy I had better than anyone else. ...I see. I realized that I had reached beyond my original level. Id reached the second stage of the Strongest Fire Technique. Just like all breathing techniques, the Strongest Fire Technique had its own stages, but unlike other breathing techniques, the boundaries between them werent clear. Master had told me that this technique had a total of five stages... Hed also told me that I would reach the stages naturally so long as I was patient. So simply increasing my internal energy wasnt the method. ...To reach the next stage, Id had to alter the fundamental form. I wondered if there was another martial art as crazy as this in the world, but I could ept it since this was a martial art created by the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang. Maybe he was aiming for this from the start. I suddenly thought back to my first meeting with Kayan. Back then, Id struggled a lot due to my terrible body andck of internal energy. But it would be different now. Although the situation would still be difficult, I realized that I didnt need to focus only on my internal energy and external body. Just having a normal body with four limbs was enough. Step. I walked through the foggy path. It felt like the limitations ced upon me by Spirit Mountain had disappeared, but that wasnt the case. The pressure still surrounded me. Since I could exhibit this much power here, how much stronger would my body be after I left Spirit Mountain? Hm. Im looking forward to it. I shook my head. [First... I guess I should congratte you.] I heard the voice of my senior brother through FAD. [I expected you to make some progress, but I didnt realize you would enter the second stage of the Strongest Technique in History. There was only a slim chance.] Really? My mood improvedFourth Senior Brother wasnt one to say empty words. [Now, you will be able to descend the mountain much faster than before...] But itll still be difficult, right? [Right.] When I heard his words, I thought back to his attitude all this time, and I suddenly felt that something was off. Senior Brother, even before I started, were you perhaps expecting me to fail? It was in the form of a question, but I asked while already being half certain. [Thats right. Its not that I was looking down on you or anything of the sort. You havent even begun the true test of Spirit Mountain.] So there was something worse yet toe. [Your innovation is definitely impressive... but I suggest you give up at this point.] Hm. I continued walking and reached the edge of the cliff. [Are you going to take a shortcut again? Unfortunately, my suggestion was made with that in mind.] A shortcut... Maybe he wasnt wrong. Honestly, since the first time I jumped down, Ive been thinking about another method. I never thought about actually putting it into practice, but it might be possible now. [What is it?] I didnt answer with words, instead replying with action. I stepped onto the empty air. Of course, I hadnt reached the level of Sky Walking at my current stage. My body immediately fell due to the force of gravity. Even if I couldnt take a step on empty air, I felt that I could at least step on the sheer cliff face of the mountain. Crunch! This... is more tricky... than I expected...! I couldnt tell if I was running down or simply tumbling. My legs, which continued to extend forward, felt as if they were disconnecting from my body. But even in this state, my eyes only looked forward. I cant see properly because of this damned fog. In any case, I hadnt been nning on running all the way down the mountain like this. There was far too much distance to travel. Fourth Senior Brother shouted at me with an uncharacteristic amount of worry. [Luan, this is dangerous!] I continued to run as I shouted back, Why! Am I not going to meet the deadline even if I keep running like this? [Thats not it. A straight path is the fastest path to your destination... in theory. However, this path is dangerous.] Spirit Mountain is already dangerous! [Thats not what I mean. Even if your physical capabilities were boosted, its impossible to run all the way down the mountain without stopping. Youll get exhausted before that happens.] He was right. However, I had already thought of a way to take a break. After running down for a while, when I felt that I was about to run out of stamina, I put all my strength into my steps. Boom! Boom! Boom! I took about ten steps this way before my leg became embedded in the side of the mountain like a tree. My calf was dug into the mountain. Fuu... In this position, I pushed my butt against the wall and leaned back. It was an odd position, but so what? I could rest like this. I can rest like this if I need to. Im pretty sure Im a genius. Seeing my actions, my senior brother sighed. [...As expected of Masters disciple.] For some reason, it didnt sound like apliment. Chapter 101 Chapter 101 The average altitude of the Gem Mountains was around 3,000 meters. They werent tall enough to be grouped with the tallest mountains on the continent, but they definitely still deserved to be called tall. It was difficult to climb a mountain even 1,000 meters tall. That is... if you tried to climb honestly Rumble! Even a mountain that was 10,000 meters tall was only 10,000 meters if one fell straight down. Right now, it wouldnt take me even a few minutes to travel those 10 kilometers. Oddly, the fact that the sides of Spirit Mountain were more sheer than most mountains was a positive here. Of course, I didnt know how tall this odd mountain was...But youre saying that I can make it down within the next 10 days, right? [Theoretically, it is possible, but...] For some reason, Fourth Senior Brother seemed to sigh. [You cant treat Spirit Mountain like an ordinary mountain.] Of course. I had never considered it as such. Senior Brother seemed to want to say something else, but he instead shook his head and mumbled, [...Itll be better for him to experience it than for me to try and exin it a hundred times.] ...? It was on the second day that I realized what hed meant. Beep. [Current Progress: 50.0%] When I reached the halfway point... Fwoosh! A powerful gust of wind blew in from nowhere, making it difficult to open my eyes. Gyak! I nearly lost my bnce and flew away. Due to the sudden shift in the situation, I even made a weird sound. This wind didnt seem to simply be the air resistance created by my direct fall down. Spirit Mountain seemed to have suddenly gone mad as the winds continuously blew with great fury. Even though this was the only change, the difficulty of my descent had increased several times over. Its like I just dropped into a storm! It was a superstorm that would blow away even a sturdy building. I had no choice but to put more strength into each step to stop myself from flying away. Naturally, that meant that my speed decreased significantly. ...! Then, suddenly, a wall appeared before my eyes. Of course, since I was nearly running down at a 70-degree angle, it was less a wall and more a cliff path. Specifically, it was the path I would have walked down if I had taken the proper route. But that wasnt the important part right now... Damn it. Because it had appeared so suddenly within the fog, my face nted straight into it. Thud! My body bounced from the impact and flew into the empty air. This is really dangerous. It might be obvious, but I didnt have any way to fly. Even on this dangerous cliff-face run, there was a significant difference between having my feet on solid stone and not. At my current trajectory, I would have no choice but to plummet powerlessly to the ground. What can I do? If Id had any internal energy remaining, I wouldve had a way out, but all that remained in my inner core was crumbs. At this moment, I saw FAD in my periphery. It didnt even have a face, but it still felt as if I was meeting its eyes. [...] ... [...Wait] Sorry. I immediately turned my body in the air and used FAD as a base to jump up. Crunch. With the sound of crushing metal, I was able to just barely return to my original path. Boom! I purposely put more strength into mynding. In that moment, FAD disappeared into the distance. ...FAD? A short moment passed. From beyond the fog, a flying entity approached me while wobbling in the air. Bzzt, bzt... A word appeared on its cracked screen. [FADs one-linement: bitch.] ...Im really sorry, I apologized again. * * * * * * * * * * I couldnt rely on being lucky like that. Ignoring the fact that FAD was now keeping a consistent distance between us... Since that event, Id begun to move with much more caution toward my surroundings, even if it meant I had to slow down a little. It wasnt easy. The winds became stronger and the fog began to thicken. I wondered why the fog wasnt being blown away by the strong winds, but I knew not to use logic on Spirit Mountain. Five days passed. [Current Progress: 78.7%.] Considering my remaining distance and time, I should be able to reach the bottom. I just need to keep covering about five percent each day. Of course, that was only true if no further variables appeared. I hoped that nothing else changed severely... But, perhaps as expected of Spirit Mountain, it tried its hardest to stop me. Rumble...! On the 98th day, with just two days remaining... Rain started to fall from the sky. The sudden storm created many problems for me. It lowered my visibility even further, and the rain that dropped on my skin annoyed me and lowered my body temperature, but those were all minor. The real problem was that the cliff face became slippery. I ended up having to put even more strength into my steps to stop from losing my bnce. Rumble...! I mean, I guess I should be thankful that no lightning bolts are falling from those storm clouds. Crackle! ...Damn it. A lightning bolt struck the surface not far from me. Crumble. I looked at the stone fragments that fell away and gulped for the first time in a while. Still, this was fine. I heard that getting hit by a lightning bolt was very unlikely. Youd need to be beyond unlucky to be Boom! The bolt mmed down a little closer to me, and I realized something obvious. These lightning bolts werent natural. I raised my head a little to look up at the sky. The moment it felt like I met eyes with the thundercloud... Crackle! I saw a bolt of lightning falling down toward me like a spear. Since I can see it with my eyes, isnt it slower than a regr lightning bolt? ...That was a useless thought to have in the moment. It was still a lightning bolt falling from the sky. I noticed that the spear of electricity had already reached in front of my nose, and I felt my hair stand on end. If it even grazed me, I would be electrocuted and the fog would take my body. Dash! I kicked off the cliff and forced my body to change trajectory. Boom! I just barely managed to get out of that bolts range, but I was still struck by fear. For some reason... it felt like the bolts were falling faster and faster. Rumble! Unfortunately, it wasnt just a feeling. I continuously dodged the bolts that fell on me one after another. Even so, I couldnt give all my focus to dodging them since I was still running down the mountain. I was wary of another path appearing in front of my face likest time... But even while keeping that in mind, I also needed to put a lot of strength into my legs to not slip on the wet cliff face. Calcting both of these at the same time wouldve required me to have two brains, but my body carried out all themands given to it. It felt different from a normal sh of enlightenment. Instead of my mind going into a trance, it was my body. sh...! The bolts were no longer falling one at a time. I now knew what it meant to see a thousand lightning bolts at once. Boom! I took another step on the rtively quieter cliff path. For the first time, I stopped my charge despite still having the energy to keep going. ... I had a premonition that the space in front of me was very dangerous. I felt pressure and danger beyond anything I had felt before. [It seems your danger sense hasnt changed.] I could hear the voice of my fourth senior brother from beyond the rain, but due to the heavy downpour, I wasnt able to see FAD. [In front of you is the Field of Ten Thousand Lightning. Its not something you can tread through lightly.] ... [Lets stop here, Luan. Ill repeat what I told you before: returning to the past is very enticing, but its importance shouldnt outweigh your own life.] Id been curious about something for a while. So if I die here, I really die? [Thats right.] Thinking about it, it was obvious. However... ... [Luan?] I stood there and silently looked at the crackling thunder. [Are you giving up?] I could hear Senior Brothers voice, but I didnt respond. I didnt have time to. Rather, I looked up at the shing bolts of lightning that continued to fall. The lightning that jumped between the gray thunderclouds made me imagine they were the cracks in reality before a world died. But in reality... wasnt that true? Some huge entity from beyond the sky... was using a monstrouslyrge hammer to smash down on the sky again and again. Thunder was the sound created due to the strikes, and the lightning was the cracks it made. It might be a stupid delusion, but I needed to personify it here. Just like how Fourth Senior Brother hadpared a tree to a martial artist, I needed to turn the lightning bolts into an enemy I could defeat. Maybe because of myck of imagination, I found it difficult to make myself believe that nature was an enemy I had to defeat. That was the reason I needed to imagine an even bigger enemy who could control the lightning bolts. And to defeat a strong opponent, I needed to take the time to analyze them. At some point, I stopped hearing anything. Had my ears gone deaf due to the continued thunder? It wasnt too bad. Rather, with the disrupting sounds no longer present, I was able to focus better. Around when I began to forget the passage of time... ... I suddenly felt that a lightning bolt was going to fall where I was standing, so I moved to the side. A silent sh of light filled my vision. Even with my eyes closed, I could see them in the darkness. How did I dodge that? I asked myself, but it was a question I wasnt able to answer. It didnt feel like luck. For some reason, Id felt like I could guess where the bolt was going to fall. I felt like I understood why enlightenment couldnt be exined with words. I let out a deep sigh. At some point, this had be the signal that I was ready. A weak flow of heat began to move from my inner core all throughout my body. In this perfect silence where I couldnt even hear the ringing in my ears, I took a step as if possessed. I threw my body into the Field of Ten Thousand Lightning. sh! I instinctively understood that the ce being struck by lightning was the safest ce. I utilized everything I had analyzed and fused my sixth sense with the other five. That still wasnt enough, so I also started predicting where the next bolts would fall. My eyes seemed to have be weird as well. The ces I needed to step looked like they were glowing brightly, as if to distinguish them. I connected the multiple glowing areas and walked through them. It was an odd feeling. Even though I had never moved like this before, my legs moved naturally as if I had walked this path many times. As if I was utilizing a familiar martial art ...Ah. Goosebumps ran up my arm. Even though I hadnt realized it myself, this was a movement technique. I realized the thoughts and analyzing Id done before stepping into this area had been to move as effectively as possible through the field. The process wasparable to when a martial artist created a martial art. What did all that mean? It meant that without even realizing it, I had created a martial art. Ha, haha... In this silent space, only myughter could be heard clearly. I couldnt help butugh. This way of walking was my own martial art. Itcked the influence of House Bednicker, the forgotten god, and even my master. A martial art created by me alone through the situation and phenomenon I was experiencing. I always enjoyed giving names to new techniques. Maybe thanks to that habit of mine, I thought up the perfect name for this identally created art. ...Lightning-walker steps. Steps that walk on lightning. It sounded a little extreme, but I couldnt think of a better name at the moment. Dash... Finally, Inded safely on the ground. The raging storm had stopped. Chapter 102 The harsh winds, heavy rain, thunder, and lightning all disappeared as if washed away. Only the fact that I was still drenched proved it hadnt been a hallucination. Is this the ground? I couldnt tell. I couldnt tell whether I had seeded or failed. While observing the lightning storm, Id been so focused that Id lost track of time. I had no idea whether the 100 days had passed... I could ask FAD, but I saw no sign of it when I looked around. ng, ng, ng... I suddenly heard a peculiar sound, of metal hitting metal.I knew that it was being caused by someones footsteps. As I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw Fourth Senior Brother walking toward me from within the fog. Fourth Senior Brother. [You did it.] I did it. That meant... [This is the ground.] I observed my surroundings. What I saw wasnt particrly different from the summit. The ground seemed to stretch into the distance a fair bit, but because of the fog, it didnt feel any different. Then my senior brother raised his arms toward the sky. As he did, FAD flew in from somewherethough it was clearly strugglingand reattached itself to Fourth Senior Brothers arm. He stood there for a while before speaking to me. [Honestly, this was beyond my expectations.] I let out an awkwardugh. I couldnt believe it either. [Your progress with the Strongest Fire Technique was impressive on its own, but you achieved results beyond that. Especially that footwork you disyed at the end. Depending on how you use it, you may be able to avoid the demon lords authority as well.] Then... did I seed? [Yes.] My legs gave out and I copsed to the ground. Haah... I released the breath Id been holding. Due to the nature of Spirit Mountain, I wasnt tired, but I wanted to sleep for two days straight all the same. So I can return now? [If you wish, you can return right now.] Hearing that, I became a little curious. How much time do I have left? [Of your 100 days, approximately one hour remains.] That was really close. Honestly, I felt like Id gotten lucky. But... one hour... I looked at my senior brother. So what youre saying is that I can stay here for another hour? [Thats true, but you dont need any more training.] I thought the same. Even if I had training left to do, I would turn it down. If I had training left to do. Do you remember the first thing I said? [What did you say?] I checked my condition and got up. Due to the effect of lightning-walker steps, my legs were sore, but I could still move. At the very least, I had enough strength to fight onest time. I showed the proper etiquette just as Master had taught me: pulling up my two hands, making a fist with one of them, and covering it with the other. A useless disy of manners not needed in the world of martial arts. [...Hah.] Fourth Senior Brother smirked. With a more excited and joking tone than Id expected, I said, Luan Bednicker, fifth disciple of Baek Nogwang, the Strongest Under the Heavens, formally requests a spar. Fourth Senior Brother looked at me. [Dont you need to rest?] I think this moment is perfect. [Really...?] He let out a lowugh before taking the same posture as me. [...Arang, fourth disciple of Baek Nogwang, the Allmaster. I ept the request of Luan Bednicker.] *** To be honest, I had never properly sparred against any of my senior disciples. They were always so busy and rarely visited Spirit Mountain, and even when they did, they never stayed for long. However, I had still heard about their martial arts. If what Master had told me was correct, then Fourth Senior BrotherArangs martial art was the Thousand-Faced Indestructible Metal Technique. The Thousand-Faced Indestructible Metal Technique is a breathing technique, but also not. I hadnt understood what Master meant back then, but I had an idea now. Fourth Senior Brother had said that his body wasnt able to rue internal energy. That meant he didnt need to circte, so his technique was probably different in form from other breathing techniques. Fourth Senior Brother put his hands in his pockets as he looked at me. Should I attack first? Or should I wait? As I mulled that over... [Whats the first thing you think of when you hear the word metal?] It was an unexpected question. I thought for a moment before replying, Sturdy? [Thats right. Although metals have their differences, they are generally hard and study. However, there are all sorts of metals in this world.] He showed me his metallic arm... Ssh. ...And it began to change. ... I lost focus for a moment as I watched something unbelievable. The metal of his arm was moving like a slime. * * * * * * * * * * What... is that? [Shape-memory alloy.] ... So... what is that? [Iming.] At that moment, the sloshing metal began to take shape. It took the form of a sharp and deadly sword. Dash! The moment I saw him dashing toward me, I quickly reeled in my senses and prepared to respond. Vwoong! It didnt seem like an ordinary sword. The moment I dodged the de, I felt heat as intense as magma. That sword was hot enough to be dangerous even to me, who had learned the Strongest Fire Technique. For some reason, I wanted to respond with my own sword as well, but... ck! ...? Suddenly, I felt a weight on my hips. Unexpectedly, when I looked down, I saw the Sword of Seven Sins. It might be obvious, but I hadnt had it before this moment. [Do you use the sword as well?] Do you want to see? [This will be interesting.] When he said that, I drew my sword to face him. Recalling myst fightagainst the high priestI performed the Gctic Sword. ng ng ng! The attacks were so fierce that sparks poured from our shing des. Fourth Senior Brothers sword was imbued with intense killing intent. Rather than a sword art, it felt more like an assassination art that valued lethality above all else. [Its a good sword. Most weapons cant withstand my de.] Its a relic. [I want to disassemble it.] Ehehe. Youll be punished if you... do! I said, emphasizing thest word as I kicked his chest. ng! It felt like hitting a sheet of metal. Okay. I guess I wont be able to get through without using internal energy. Honestly, it didnt truly matter. This was not a real battle where we were after each others lives, it was a spar to sh with our martial arts. Fourth Senior Brothers arms continued to shift. From a sword to a long spear to a club to an ax to sometimes just a fist. Once, it turned into a fierce weapon with many whirring teeth, and once, his fingers curved like a raptors. The scary part was that Fourth Senior Brother utilized all those weapons with equal proficiency. Thousand-Faced was an apt description of the technique. But... Even with so many methods at hand, he was still just one person. Being able to use so many different weapons wasnt necessarily a good thing. I recalled the feeling Id had in my final fight against the demons. Gctic Sword with my left, White Sun Form with my right. On top of that, I considered using hidden steps with my left leg and lightning-walker steps with my right, but I stopped myself. Steps needed to be harmonious, notplicated. Pwoosh! A storm of heat escaped Fourth Senior Brothers body. Steam poured out of his body like a boiling kettle. I flinched a little, and when I looked, Fourth Senior Brother was already in the air. I couldnt tell what, but I could see that something wasing out of the soles of his feet. Was he using that to fly? He reached out with one arm and grabbed it with his other arm as if to stabilize it. It looked like he was aiming his arm toward me... ck! As Id expected, his arm changed forms once more. ng ng ng! It looked more terrifying than anything else Id seen him do. I was in awe as I asked, ...Whats this? [What does it look like?] Hmm... a cannon? [Something like that.] Fourth Senior Brother chuckled. [Though its about a thousand times stronger.] Immediately, light seemed to condense in his cannon arm... BOOOOM! And an energy st shot at me with a deafening boom. What the Was he trying to kill me? That thought crossed my mind, but then I noticed that the projectile was slower than lightning. I immediately used my lightning-walker steps. Lightning-walker steps was the technique Id created while dodging lightning, and I honestly thought it was nearly perfect. I didnt think it was perfect only because of a single characteristic... When I finished moving to a destination, my body would stop for a moment. If I could eliminate that downside, I could use it as my core footwork technique. ...Now isnt the time to be thinking about that. I felt the ground I had just been standing on flip upside down as I jumped up toward my fourth senior brother, who was still standing in the air. As his body filled my vision, I swung the Sword of Seven Sins. ng! He blocked with his left arm without any trouble. It had suddenly taken on the form of a wide metal shield. And his right arm... Was still a cannon. Hmm. Maybe he couldnt change it as quickly due to howrge it was? Only now did I feel like I could understand how my fourth senior brother fought. I noticed that most of his attention was on the Sword of Seven Sins. Bam! I immediately grabbed his shoulder with my left hand before kneeing him in the side. I think that worked? My knee definitely struck him, and I felt a little more than when Id punched him earlier. Of course, he immediately batted me away with his shield arm. Boom! I flew back down like a cannonball and was struck into the ground. Puha... I couldnt help butugh. So this is it for me for now. When Id been descending the mountain, Id believed I could do it without any internal energy, but it was definitely needed when fighting someone stronger than me. Fourth Senior Brother seemed to have noticed that my fighting spirit had disappeared as he slowly descended. Youre really strong. [It would be different if you had internal energy.] He hadnt used everything either... But since we werent so awkward with each other that we needed to be only nice to each other, I justughed. [Are you satisfied?] Yes. [Good. Then... its time to go.] I looked at my fourth senior brother. It was a funny feeling. His face was smooth, with no discernable facial features... But every time I saw him like this, it was as if we were meeting eye to eye. Maybe Fourth Senior Brother felt the same because he suddenly gave me something. [Its a parting gift.] I reflexively caught the object that tumbled through the air. What is this? [A coin.] It definitely looked like a coin. [Just once, you can use it to call me to you.] Uh... in my world? [In your world. That object has enough authority to do so.] I looked at the coin, fascinated. It looked ordinary. I couldnt sense anything special about it. How do I use it? [Just flip it into the air.] Ah. I nodded. Although there wasnt much to say, I felt like I wanted to talk a little more. A hundred days wasnt a short amount of time, but I hadnt had much time to talk with my fourth senior brother. Will I see you again? Fourth Senior Brother chuckled before calling out to me. [Youngest.] Yes? [What was your name?] ... I blinked twice before bursting intoughter. For some reason, it felt like Fourth Senior Brother was smiling. ...Luan. Its Luan Bednicker. [Good. Dont forget that.] At that moment, the fog around us converged toward me. Rather than feeling unpleasant, it feltforting. It was as if I had been dunked into a hot spring. The fog consumed Fourth Senior Brothers visage. Through it, I faintly heard his voice. [Youll be able to do it.] *** ...Are you listening? ... Whats with your expression? Do you want to go home? This is his home. Ah, right. A fleeting conversation. I blinked for a moment before adapting to the situation. The feeling of a busy building with the smell of food, and the gazes of two different people. These guys... Karis. Yeah? Evan. What? I looked at Karis, who wasnt bleeding from his chest, and Evan, who wasnt the vice-cult leader. Seeing them looking normal, I let out augh. Was I in the cafeteria right now? As I looked around, I saw Hectors unamused face and Charons frustrated expression. I even saw Sellen, who was just leaving the cafeteria. You dont look too good. Are you hurt somewhere? Evan looked at me with worry in his face, but I shook my head. No. Rather... Stab. I used the fork in front of me to stab a sausage. It was a little cold, but I aggressively ripped it apart with my teeth as I smiled. ...This is perfect. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Around the time I finished my meal, I realized just when I was. This was the first week of the training camp, today was Friday, and it was lunchtime. It was about when the green young heroes were getting used to the training camp. Thinking about everything that would happen, in order... Tomorrow, Saturday, was when things would officially begin to go awry. First, in the morning, the rankings of the young heroes would be announced, and in the afternoon, the young heroes would decide on their personal subjects and be formed into groups. In thete afternoon, the groups would use their points to prepare for the test. And finally, on Sunday... Apocalypse would begin with the second special test.Since Id returned to Friday, I still had time before things actually happened. Of course, that didnt mean I could waste time. Luan, where are you going? Im going to get some fresh air. You head on first. Ah, sure. I sent Evan and Karis back first before going to the empty field. I wanted to organize my thoughts. I found a secluded corner where I could lie down, and I just stared up at the sky in a daze. It still didnt feel fully real to me, and I needed some time to get used to this new truth. I have sparring with the Instructor of the Hunt tonight, and my afternoon ss... what was it? Maybe because it was something that had happened 100 days ago, I couldnt remember all the details that well. I figured that if it was truly important, Id remember it, so maybe it was fine. It was then, while I was by myself in the field, that two suspicious young heroes caught my eye. ...You. L-Luan? Fortunately, I knew them both. One of them was Skull, who still looked pale. The other was Charons... ally? Friend? In any case... it was Zeros, the one from that rich family. I waved at them and offered my greetings. Hi. H-hi. ... Skull responded with an awkward smile, and Zeros turned around with no change to his expression. Lets go somewhere else. I could tell that they were going to try and leave, so I gave a kind suggestion. You can just do it here. What? The point exchange. Isnt that why youre here? ...! A shockwave passed over Zeross face, but he quickly controlled his expression before saying, ...I dont know what youre How did you know?! Zeros red at Skull, and only then did he put his hand over his mouth. S-sorry... ...Sigh. Zeros looked at me. How long have you known? For 100 days. Hah. Zeros snorted. Birds of a feather flocked together, and this guy spoke like Charon did. The atmosphere around him was simr as well. Zeros smirked. I dont care if you dont want to tell me. Youre already toote. You might not know it, but weve gathered points beyond even what you could expect. No matter how much you struggle, closing the gap will be Its only 31 points. Thats still doable. ...! Looking at Zeros shocked face, I continued. Charon has 43 points. That Sinbar has 28, or was it 29? Y-you... how did you... Of course, their points would be announced tomorrow, and since we still had lessons left, there could be a one- or two-point difference... I wiped the smile from my face and got to the main topic. Youre trading here to avoid the instructors, right? That probably means that you know where themunication crystals are set up, so can you teach me? Why should I? If you dont want to, we can trade. Zeros reacted to that word. ...Trade? Yeah. Ill buy the information with points. They were both surprised by my words. Buy it...? Why? Did Charon tell you not to trade with me? He... didnt. And even if he did, I dont have to listen. Im better with deals like this than him. Oho... As expected, it seemed that he wasnt just a simpleckey of Charons. Im asking because I dont understand. Luan Bednicker, arent you aiming for a high rank? Thats true, but its not like youre going to ask for 10 or 20 points for something like this. Youre not wrong, but using your points here may prevent you from getting into the top ranks. Are you worried about me? Zeros looked at me, baffled. ...A merchant who only looks at the gains in front of him will never escape the cycle in his life. Its important to always understand the nature of each deal. It sounded cool. Im not hiding anything here. I just dont think Ill be in danger even if I use a few points. ...Youre pretty confident. Is it because youre a Bednicker? I could feel the emotion he spoke those words with. Do you hate Bednicker? Are you seriously asking? Theres not that many people among the Great Houses who like you. Hmm... Was it that serious? Then are you going to refuse me? He shook his head when I said that. No. I cant let my personal feelings get in the way of my professional work. ... So this was business. ...Three points. Then Ill tell you about the location of eachmunication crystal I know of. All right. Ill take that deal. I jokingly pushed out my hand toward him. Considering his personality, Id expected him to refuse, but he shook my hand normally. His hand felt rough for a merchant, and I realized something. At the very least, Zeros never made a deal lightly. * * * * * * * * * * The afternoon lesson that I hadnt for the life of me been able to remember was Theory with the Instructor of Doctrine. Heretic Inquisitor Juniang. The woman I had seen copse into a bloody puddle was standing atop the tform giving a lesson in a dry voice. ...And as the Church of the Sun is a sect of the 72 Churches, they are treated as the national religion of The Empire. The current emperor has also been baptized directly by the bishop of the Church of the Sun ... For some reason, I felt like I was dreaming. But wouldnt it be more usible if the 100 days Id spent on Spirit Mountain were the real dream? ...Heretic inquisitor... I recalled the conversation Id had with Juniang. Ignoring the small things, she was quick-witted and perceptive. Although shed been used by Juan in the end, I wouldnt say she was dimwitted. It wouldnt be a bad idea to get her on my side. After that, I acted as if I was paying attention while trying to formte a n. Honestly, this was thest time I would have to n something. Firstly, the cause of this entire disaster was the high priest. I tried to simte in my head what would happen if we were to fight one-on-one. Dismissed. Although I had gotten pretty strong from my 100 days of training, the enemy wasnt someone I could for sure win against. Juniang and Rook werent the only ones whod died in vain. High Priest Juan hadnt been able to reveal even half of his power before being killed by the demon lord. Trying to fight him when I didnt even know what else he might have up his sleeve wasnt bravery, it was just stupidity. Should I tell Asad? That Juan is the high priest? That Archmage could probably fix this entire situation in an instant... But the risk was too big. He might not fully trust my words, or he might ask me how Ide to know of Juans identity, and I didnt have any excuses I could give. Hmm... hmm... I continued to roll my head around as I wrote things and erased them over and over. Luan Bednicker. One bonus point. ...Huh? I raised my head when I suddenly heard my name. I met my eyes with Juniang as she said, Its good to see you so focused. ... It was an unexpected gain. I was a little more wary after that. I at least acted like I was focusing on the ss. Finally, the afternoon lesson ended and dinner came around. I scooped the food onto my te and looked for a seat... And then I saw the back of an orange head of hair. ... Pam. I went and sat right in front of her. Hi. Hmm? Luan? Pam looked at me with her round eyes. I took a moment to look at her. The face Id seen, of her literally scared to death, oveid her own for an instant before disappearing. Is there something you want to tell me? Not really. I see. By the way... you, do you like vegetables? Pams te was, well... It was full of leaves. Id never been to the Great ins in the east before, but maybe this was normal there. Pam blushed a little as she smiled. Yeah. Honestly, I cant eat meat. I can never get used to the smell. So she was a vegetarian. I hadnt known that. To be precise, Id never tried to know. Since the young heroes had eaten together about a dozen times over the week, this was something I wouldve known if Id just taken the time to look around. I like meat. I can tell even if you dont say that. Really? After that, Pam and I held a light conversation. I didnt really know why myself. However, when Id discovered Pams corpse in that shack... Id felt regret that Id not gotten to know her better. It was always toote to regret... but Id been given the opportunity to escape that convention. My dad understands, but my mom is too inflexible. To be honest, its sad to see them still trying to live like nobles... While conversing with Pam, I gradually learned about her. She had one older sister. She was from a fallen noble house, simr to Evan. And evidently, she wanted to be a publisher in the future. The reason shed joined the training camp was to make connections before that time came. So introduce me to Sir Hector in the future. And Ms. Sellen as well, if you can! So youre aiming for those two. Those two are at the top of my connection bucket list! Maybe its just a feeling, but I know those two will be huge in the future. Pams eyes sparkled before she nced at me. And other than them, Charon, Zeros, Sharyl, Evan... She continued counting on her fingers before suddenly pointing at me and shouting, And you as well! Me? Yeah. My gut feelings are never wrong, haha. Was she being polite? For some reason, it didnt feel that way, so Iughed as well. Suddenly, Pam flinched and quickly controlled her expression. Ack... Its your fianc. Sellen? This is trouble. What if she misunderstands us? I told you, shes my ex-fianc. And she wasnt the type to care about something like that to begin with. Sellen her te put away and left the cafeteria. She still didnt look at her surroundings properly. Before, I might have thought that she was haughty... But if she knew everything that was going to happen, maybe her mind was busy trying to think of ways to stop it. She wouldnt have any focus left for anything else. ...My real name. I recalled Sellensst words, but it was a waste of time right now, and it wasnt something I could just up and ask her either. I ate the rest of the food on my te before getting up. *** After dinner, it was time for sparring. The n that I had been thinking about and adjusting all day could be said to start here. Once again, as the young heroes went about looking for decent opponents, I stood still. Soon, a beast of a man approached me. The Instructor of the Hunt looked at me. So you want to fight me today as well? Although he was asking a question, judging by the way he spoke and the aura he was giving off, he clearly knew I did. Of course. Hmm. Fine. The Instructor of the Hunt gave a satisfied smile... and we immediately prepared for our spar. We walked about ten steps apart as we looked at each other. ... I could see his well-trained body. Although hed died an empty death in the other life, it was true that he was a master of his craft and a skilled individual. So, to be honest... I was looking forward to this spar. The Instructor of the Hunt was the perfect opponent to face after my 100 days on Spirit Mountain. ...What do I do? That was why I felt conflicted. My n required that I lose horribly here, unlike before. However... ... Luan Bednicker the martial artist had a different opinion. Just once, I wanted to face this man at full power. Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Just as Luan Bednicker had been looking forward to this spar... The Instructor of the Hunt, Tanko had also been secretly looking forward to it. Maybe even more than Luan. Usually, Tanko was the one whounched the first attack in their spars. He would charge at Luan like an animal as soon as he concluded that Luan had finished preparing himself. However, that wasnt the case today. ... Tankos senses were in no way inferior to a wild beasts. His extremely enhanced senses immediately caught the irregrity without his logical mind having to decipher it, making him hesitant to charge.Of course, Tanko couldnt exin this cautious feeling, so he couldnt be sure of the reason. Was it a simple mistake? Dash. At that moment, Luan arrived right in front of him. Tanko used his palm to swat away the fist Luanunched and then took his stance again. Luans movements werepletely different from yesterday. His force and speed were greater, but more than that, Luan no longer had any wasted movements. It was such a smooth straight punch that it nearly made him exim. If thats the case... The look in Tankos eyes changed. He chose to ignore the unknown uneasiness he felt and focus on his target. Bam bam bam! A session of attacks were exchanged at short range. Through this exchange, Tanko btedly realized that hed used both of his arms, but he didnt think too deeply about it. He even forgot that his target was a young hero he was supposed to be teaching. For some reason, he recalled when hed roamed the Great ins and been judged a great warrior. Suddenly, Tanko felt something absurd. This is difficult... He began to feel overwhelmed in this meleebat. Tanko had refined his ability to fight at this distance over hundreds of battles. It was the distance that he most desired and was most confident in. No matter the opponent, he was confident he could suppress them and win... but that wasnt the case this time. He wanted to add two steps, maybe even three steps of distance between them. Smack! That impatient feeling led to his next attack. Tanko spun and hit Luan in the chest with a roundhouse kick. ...! At least, that was what hed expected, but Luan had crossed his arms to block the attack. However, it seemed Luan wasnt able to fully absorb the impact. Luans body lifted off the ground a little and was pushed back. The most surprising event of this spar happened next. Luan took his stance in the air andnded on a tree. Notably, Luan did notnd on a tree branch. Hended on the side of the tree, horizontally. And before his body could be dragged down by gravity... Crunch! He moved like lightning directly toward Tanko. Tanko couldnt help but concede that in that moment, he lost track of Luans movement. Crack! The moment he felt contact on his instinctively stretched-out fist, a loud sound echoed. Huh?! Wh-what...? The other young heroes who were focused on their own spars turned to look at the source of the noise. Tanko didnt turn them away. There was no need to. ... He looked down at his hand. Normally, an attack was a deliberate action made by an individual to convey force to a target they were aware of. That was why what Tanko had just done wasnt an attack. Luan had run into his fist, which had been on a set trajectory. By himself... Had Luan used an iplete skill? Maybe Luan couldnt handle his speed due to ack of proficiency. But if that wasnt the case, if Luan had done that on purpose, then Luans voice came from within the dust cloud. Its my loss. Tano looked toward the cloud direction with aplicated expression in his eyes before btedly asking, ...Are you all right? Ehm. It seems so. Luan got up, looking fine but sounding a little embarrassed. I think my arm is broken. *** What happened to people who were injured during the training camp? It wasnt like they could go home. Unless they were about to die, they were not allowed to leave the training camp even if they had lost a limb. The injured young heroes were moved to the nurses office in the instructors lodge... and the person who was acting as the nurse here was my goal. Juniang looked at me with a bored expression. Its not broken. Theres just a small crack in your forearm. Ah. Its not serious, so just rest here for today. Youll be out by tomorrow or the day after at the worst. Dont I get a potion? This is why young masters are... Juniang clicked her tongue. Do you know how expensive potions are? Itd be a waste to use one on an injury like that. Then what about healing it with divine power? Sorry, but Im not talented in that area. I mean... She wasnt a heretic inquisitor for nothing. Most likely, she specialized inbat. There were four beds in the nurses office. Where is Hans? Hans? Ah, the one who got carried in the day before yesterday. Hes healed a lot, so I sent him back to his lodging. I see. Then there shouldnt be any interruptions. * * * * * * * * * * Im leaving. Take your medicine and rest for today. You are a heretic inquisitor of the Church of the Sun, right, Instructor? Just before she was about to leave, Juniang nced back at me. I am. What about it? I heard that the faithful of Aton are especially sensitive to demonic energy. A baseless rumor. Baseless rumor? When I blinked twice, Juniang continued, Theres a disgusting energy we can sense when cultists are doing something, but if you want to be a heretic inquisitor, you first learn how to detect that smell. Well... since we experience demonic energy more often, were able to detect it better than regr people. Ah. Then have you perhaps felt that energy during this training camp? The moment Juniang turned to look at me, I realized that my prediction was correct. Although her eyes were filled with suspicion, she wasnt looking at someone who she believed was talking nonsense. As I thought, even at this point, Juniang felt that something was off. If thats the case... There was no need to drag this out. My goal was to give this person a little bit more certainty. What are you trying to say? Ill say this directly: a cultist has infiltrated this training camp. Juniang blinked widely before letting out a dryugh. ...Haha. Of course, herughter didntst long. Listen closely, kid. Although Im a cleric and a heretic inquisitor, Im also a grand master, a person of House Bednicker. ... Be thankful that you are a Bednicker. If you werent, youd have to pay for that insult. I didnt back down at the active heretic inquisitors cold threats. A high priest could conduct a demon-lord summoning ritual here Juniang cut me off. Hey, do you not know what you should and shouldnt do? ... Be careful with what you say. Youd shake in your boots in front of a low-ranking demon, let alone a high priest. Really? A demon-lord summoning ritual? I understand that you dont believe me, but I entered this training camp under orders as well. Dont even try to lie. Information was hidden from me, a grand master, and was instead shared with the dropout of Bednicker? ... To be honest, this was a little surprising to me. Of all the people in the camp, Id at least expected to be able to talk to Juniang about the n. Not because she was a grand master but because she was part of the Church of the Sun. There was no possibility that Juniang could be a member of the Church of Darkness. Maybe shes saving her own face. That was my guess. Maybe House Bednicker and the Lord of Blood and Iron didnt consider the grand masters that important. You should know the reason. What do you mean? The family heads famous saying. ... Juniang closed her mouth, but she mustve realized what I was trying to say. Possibility lies dormant in blood. The fact that the Lord of Blood and Iron gave his sons dangerous missions was proven by Rudbick. That was what I was repeating in my mind as I acted this out. Ive been given a special mission by the Lord of Blood and Iron to join the training camp. Enough trying to convince me with your words. Give me something more solid. Shall I? Among the knight instructors, there is someone so skilled that you cant tell how strong they are, right? A man who is too strong to be amon knight? ... Hes the one I came in with for this mission. After selling out my father, I sold out his brotherRookas well. Juniang closed her mouth. Yeah. The one who had told me about that before my return was none other than Juniang herself. Its understandable if you dont believe me. A cultist in the territory of House Bednicker, and a high priest and a demon-lord summoning ritual on top of that. However, you should know that I was ambushed by the cult on my way to the main house. ... Ill at least say this: House Bednickers territory is no longer safe. Something was changing within the Church of Darkness. Considering the positions they held in the continent and the power they possessed, I didnt think it was wrong to say that times were changing. I wasnt saying all this for no reason. The incident in the Gem Mountains, what had happened with Hariba, and even the tragedy of the training camp... I was giving my assurance as someone connected to all three. Of course, there is nothing we can be certain of. Thats why we need your help as well. But if you cant ept that now, just treat me as someone who is out of his mind. Well, you could even send a report to the main house in that case. Of course, thatst one was a bluff. ... Juniangs mouth closed. She didnt show any external emotions, but I could tell that she was seriously contemting what Id said. I could also tell what the response would be. ...If you are lying, by Lord Atons name I will not let this slide. The fact that she used the name of her god meant that she was quite serious. Despite how she looked, Juniang seemed like a devoutly faithful person. Because of that, I smiled. All right. So? What do you want from me? Its nothing much. For now I gave a short outline of the operation. *** The Instructor of Doctrine, a heretic inquisitor, and one of the instructors for this training camp, Juniang promised her cooperation. With this, my chances of sess had increased by practically 20 percent. If I added Rook as well, it might be enough for us to face the high priest... But I didnt feel like that was enough. The high priest had a secret weapon. A suicide action where he used himself as an offering to summon the demon lord. It was a method of mutual destruction. To stop it from happening for certain, I needed one more person. Of course, that person needed to fit some criteria. They needed to be as strong as Rook and Juniang. And I needed to be able to trust them without a doubt. Although it was just two criteria, not a lot of people qualified. Firstly, all the young heroes were disqualified. Even the strongest, Charon, couldntpare to the instructors. Sellens one attack was strong enough, but since it ate away at her life, I passed... There could be someone qualified among the instructors... But I dont know. I had seen that quite a few instructors were on Juans side during the training camp. Although they certainly werent all minions of the high priest, I couldnt ignore the possibility that they could be brainwashed or messed with in other ways. But... I smirked. I had already decided who thest person would be. Someone at least as strong as Rook and Juniang, and someone I felt I could trust even more than them. If I could gain the aid of that man, our chances of victory might be above 90 percent. The problem was that that person wasnt currently within the campgrounds... It cant be helped. I looked at the ring on my finger. The ck ring Id received from the Lord of Blood and Iron. Vwoong. As I poured my mana into it, it immediately responded. Just like before, I was transported to some room. If there was one difference, it was a little bit darker this time. I heard a low voice. ...Whats up with you? From the direction of the sound, I saw Asad sitting there looking disheveled. It seemed he had been sleeping on the sofa, and judging by the book that had just dropped, he had probably been using that as his pillow... For now, I was relieved. If I had ended up meeting my father after using the ring like hed said I would, this might have taken much longer. The one who could directly solve my problem right now was this Archmage right here. Hello. Luan Bednicker... Asad let out a yawn. You should be in the training camp right now. I have a request. A request? For me? Yes. I looked at him. I want to leave the training camps area for a bit, so please release the barrier for a moment. Asad rubbed his eyes as he responded, What are you trying to do? There''s someone I need to meet. The information Asad had shared with me before Id regressed: Rook Bednicker was not the only person who had been sent as insurance. The Instructor of Swords and des, Calzark. That man was the final piece in my n. Chapter 105 Chapter 105 ...Someone you need to meet, Asad said in a low voice. He rose from the sofa with a stagger before reaching for the cup atop the low table. Splish. Although the cup had definitely been empty, it filled with water as soon as Asads hand touched it. Asad took a gulp before looking at me. And who is that? For now, I decided to keep my guard up and tell a lie. Kayan. While doing so, I observed his reaction.Asad seemed to have a headache. He furrowed his brow while using his fingers to knead his head. He looked like he had a hangover, though I couldnt smell any alcohol. Collector Kayan? Why that guy? There couldnt be many people in House Bednicker who could call Kayan that guy, but it didnt seem out of ce when Asad said it. Just because. Just because? I think Ill need him if I want to kill the high priest. ... It felt as if Asad had been wearing a mask this entire time. He suddenly moved his hand away from his head and looked at me with a neutral expression. Ah. At this moment, I understood. Why the Lord of Blood and Iron trusted Asad the most. Why the Council of Elders respected him. Wearing a neutral expression, Asad looked like apletely different person. It even made me feel pressured for a split second. I could tell that it wasnt on purpose. The Lord of Blood and Iron was simr. An individual at that level could make the mana in the air shiver just from small changes in their emotions. Thats odd. What do you mean? There should be no way for you to have obtained that information. ... That was true. Truthfully, I hadnt realized this was going to happen. This conversation was the core of my n and also the biggest hurdle. In a sense, it was as difficult as fighting the high priest. Im curious now, how did you get that information? Only five people within the house should be aware. I wondered who those five people were. The Lord of Blood and Iron, Rook, and Asad, obviously. Next... maybe the chairman of the Council of Elders? I didnt know who thest one could be. Ill say this now, but dont speak nonsense or try to lie. I hate having my time wasted. Are you going to kill me? No. That would be too easy. ... I had a feeling that depending on how I answered, I could end up worse than dead. That was why I gave him the truth. Fine. I learned of this because of a blessing I received. A blessing? Yes. I was hoping that Asad also had a way of discerning the truth, like the Lord of Blood and Iron. Just like when Id exined myself in the past, I wasnt lying. The Blessing of Spirit Mountain had allowed me to return to the past, giving me a chance to learn about the future. From what I know, the blessings that allow you to know the future are the Blessing of the Star, the Blessing of Prediction, and the Blessing of the Farsight Fairy. Which one is yours? I had heard about the Blessing of the Star. I remembered Sellen telling me she had that blessing. Should I just say I have the Blessing of the Star? Maybe it would be fine to try and substitute that if it allowed me to look into the future... I shook my head. No. Its apletely different blessing. Asad had been genuine when hed threatened me. If I gave him an excuse that he couldnt ept, then he would do whatever he wanted to me even though I was the son of the Lord of Blood and Iron. For that reason, I decided to not lie to Asad. I concluded that this was the best course of action when dealing with this man. Suddenly, Asad said something odd: Hmm. I should know most of the blessings... The Blessing of Prediction shows you your targets movements a few seconds in advance. ...? The Blessing of the Farsight Fairy tells you the future in a vague and cryptic way. Its a characteristic of the ancient fairies who love riddles. Asad looked at me as he said, And finally, the Blessing of the Star only tells you a brief summary of a great incident that will happen in the future. Something like... In the next few years, a great fire will ur. The moment he said that, I felt a chill go down my spine. Going by what hed just said, of the three blessings... None of them were capable of giving me detailed information about a high priest performing a demon-lord summoning ritual in Bednicker territory. Which meant that his question had been a trap. Rx your face a little, I dont like talking this way either. House Bednicker and arcane arts... those are already enough to make my head explode. ...I see. I have a lot of questions, but since you dont seem like a cultist, I dont think youre going to do something stupid. Though it doesnt seem like youve revealed everything yet. This was the sense of a veteran. I felt amazed as I hid my emotions. Its a little weird for me to be asking, but do you trust me? Yeah. Even the most hardheaded cultist wouldnt be brave enough to face me. And... Asad pointed to my ring. Cultists cant use that ring. Ah... This was an unexpected bit of information, but if Asad was the one whod made it, he was probably correct. Then shall we summarize the situation first? You know that a high priest has infiltrated the training camp and also what will follow from that... I wont ask how you know. This is still House Bednicker; if you kill the high priest and the n goes well, then it doesnt matter where you got the information. Thus, I only want to ask you one thing. What is it? Do you know the identity of the high priest? ... I became silent. For some reason, this question felt like the crossroads to multiple different oues. Yes. Once again, I didnt lie. I followed that up by asking about Asads intentions. Will you help me? * * * * * * * * * * Honestly, if I could gain the cooperation of Archmage Asad, all of my scheming would be unnecessary. ... Asad looked uncharacteristically conflicted. I couldnt understand why. Finally, Asad spoke. ...The camp is in the western section of the Forest of the Butterfly. That isnt my area. I blinked at the unexpected news. ...What do you mean? I protect the main house and the center of the forest. The area youre in is under someone elses jurisdiction. Who is that? Liseradigos. This was the first time I had heard that name. If I am the outward House Guardian, then he is a hidden guardian. Specifically, the guardian of the forest and the librarian of the underground library. The librarian of the underground library... So he was the person I had been looking for before the training camp... Then, I realized something about the tone of Asads voice. Although I didnt know who Liseradigos was, I could tell that Asad treated him like an equal. He doesnt have a particrly good rtionship with me, so hell get mad if he notices me invading his space. I was baffled by that. Will he care when a high priest is currently also in his area? Whether it be high priests or demon lords, hes not the type to get involved. Hes a bit of a weirdo. ... If Asad was calling someone else a weirdo, they had to be very abnormal. Although I thought that, I didnt say it out loud. So cant you ask this Laseridigos for help? Its Liseradigos. And help... honestly, Im skeptical I can. Asad seemed troubled for some reason. How about you ask him? Well, if you introduce me to him... That wont be difficult, but youll have to risk your life. In a way, hes more dangerous than the high priest. ...Even though Ill just be talking to him? Asad let out a bitterugh. About the barrier around the forest... As you know, it protects the people of House Bednicker from the monsters, right? But thats not the truth. Wait... Its because of Liseradigos. It exists to seal and surveil him. Hmm. But why was someone so dangerous also considered a guardian of the House? The moment curiosity began to well up in my heart, I recalled what Asad had told me before my regression. The Lord of Blood and Iron is the being who exists above thews of House Bednicker... is something that only outsiders who dont know anything about what happens on the inside might say. Brat, you know nothing about House Bednicker. You know nothing about the true power and secrets this House possesses. Maybe this Lalisedigos was one of those secrets of the House? Ill introduce you to a different person. Hes good to talk to, and maybe better than that Collector Kayan you want to recruit. Finally, Asad said what Id been hoping to hear. The Instructor of Swords and des, Calzark. Join up with him. We just lost contact with him in the forest, so you can go and check out what happened while youre at it. *** Asad ced a spell on me. I didnt know what it was, but it seemed that I would be able to walk through the barrier as much as I wanted for a day. The morning of the next day, I immediately left the camp. Of course, officially I was still resting in the nurses office, and Juniang would maintain that alibi for me. Next, I needed to move while evading themunication crystals spread around the camp... But thanks to my trade with Zeros, that wasnt too difficult. The problem was themunication crystals installed in the forest. I had learned about thesemunication crystals when visiting the instructors lodge before my regression. When Id asked about them, Juniang had given an easy answer. Ah, those? They arent usually active. Its too ineffective. They are only used when we have special tests in the forest, so you dont need to worry about it. Thanks to that, I was able to run as fast as I wished through the forest. Ah... this feels so good. I became ted as I ran as fast as I could without having to worry about anyone watching me. Unlike the stone and fog that had filled my vision on Spirit Mountain, this was quite different. During my run, I saw a few monsters, but I didnt go out of my way to deal with them. As a result, I was able to reach my destination. Compared to the middle of the forest, the trees here were a little shorter, so sunlight was able to fall through the leaves. This ce seemed to be the midpoint between the forest and the main house, and there was a decentlyrge building... There were also a few knights stationed in front of it. They were standing with their backs to me. Considering their behavior, they hadnt been expecting anyone toe from the forest. Only when I purposefully made my presence known did they turn around. Whos there! Me, its me. You are... Young Master Luan? One of the knights seemed to recognize me, and I recognized him as well. Sir Valter? It was the knight I had sparred with a few times before leaving for the forest. Valter looked pleased to see me as he bowed his head. Whats the asion? Isnt the training camp still ongoing? I had something to do. I received permission, so dont worry. Ah, yes... By the way, did the Instructor of Swords and dese through? The Instructor of Swords and des... At my question, both Valter and the knight standing next to him showed pensive expressions. What is it? Its, hmm, someone dide here iming that they''re the Instructor of Swords and des. What do you mean? Uhm... Valter thought for a moment before responding. It might be quicker if you see it for yourself. Please follow me. With that, I followed Valter into the building. This building seemed like it acted as a checkpoint for the forest, and it wasrger than Id expected. In addition tomunication crystals, this ce had food, weapons, and even bedding. It seemed that some knights spent their nights here. Then... You bastards! Is this what you want! Someone was cursing. I furrowed my brow at the voice that bellowed out. ...Who is that? The voice wasing from an inner room. This way. Valter opened the door with a conflicted expression. As I entered the room, I first noticed the steel bars. A handsome man with brown hair was sitting behind them. Huh? You! The good-looking young mans expression brightened when he saw me. I offered my natural response: Who are you? You... even you... ... I looked at Valter to ask for an exnation, and he whispered to me, ...He came here three days ago. He ims that he is the Instructor of Swords and des... ... ...I wasnt too close with the Instructor, but I at least know what he looks like. This is so frustrating! The brown-haired man smacked his own chest. I didnt remember seeing anyone like him, but his voice was familiar. I-al-rea-dy-told-you! the man shouted. I am Calzark! Chapter 106 Chapter 106 After the young man who called himself Calzark shouted, silence fell across the room. ... I looked at the brown-haired man. The Calzark I knew had a bit of a beard... Thats because thats when I was stuck on the mountain! Since Ive returned to civilization, of course I would take care of my appearance again! Hmm. Sure. Your voice is simr to Calzarks, and I can ept that you would have that face under the facial hair. He looked at least twenty years younger than Id expected, but since my father was the pinnacle of looking young, it wasnt that uneptable. However, there was one thing I couldnt ept. Sir Valter, could you leave us for a moment?Pardon? But... Understood. Valter signaled his fellow knight and they left the room together. Seeing that, the young man whistled. Wow. I thought you were treated pretty badly by the house, but youre getting some respect. This is a meritocratic household, no? Oh ho, so you received recognition for something. I sat in front of the man who called himself Calzark. I slowly examined his every feature. Looking closely, his hair and eye color were simr, and the position of his facial features matched up as well. It was unexpected that he was so young... but I had a more important question than that. I pointed to the so-called Calzarks right arm. What is that arm? The Calzark Id seen in the Gem Mountains had been missing an arm. He had lost it in a battle against the Sapphire Snake. This? Keke... Calzark wasnt taken aback by my question but rather let out a joyousugh. To put it simply, its all thanks to you, Luan. What? So what happened is... Calzark exined the situation. After sending me and Arzan out, the cave had continued to crumble, and then arge rock had fallen between him and the high priest. Calzark hadnt had the energy to continue fighting, so hed tried to run away... only to find himself surrounded by boulders. I dont know how long I stayed like that. Anyway, I got so hungry that I thought I was going to go insane. Thats why I ate it. Ate what? The gem beast. I blinked twice before asking, You ate the Sapphire Snake? Yeah. ...Can you even eat that? Probably not? I nearly broke all my teeth. But what could I do? I needed to survive. In any case, while barely surviving by consuming the gem beast, hed noticed his body changing. The moment hed eaten the core in the deepest part of the Sapphire Snake... I felt so cold that I thought I was going to freeze to death, but when I opened my eyes, I was like this. Ah... I looked pretty young for my age already, but I got twenty years younger still, and look at this. Calzark waved his right arm. My missing arm grew back as well. I narrowed my eyes a little. From what he was saying, it seemed Calzark had gone through a rebirth... But it wasnt as if hed reached the peak of martial arts. Maybe his body had just reconstructed itself after consuming the gem beasts flesh and core? If that wasnt the case, it was impossible to exin his regrown limb. It was difficult to believe, but since the person was right in front of me, it was even more difficult to deny. The problem is that no one believes that Im me because of this handsome face. They treated me like I was crazy at the entrance, you know? Honestly, I was disappointed. How does everyone who knew me in the past Was Calzark always so talkative? He had talked a bit, but now he was hurting my ears. He seemed to be frustrated after having been interrogated here for thest few days. ...It wouldve been fine if there was anyone left to notice me, but Derk and the other grand masters are all somewhere else. Theyre at the training camp. Yeah, crazy timing. In any case, after being stuck in the main house for a while, I was barely released to the forest, but these guys caught me. Evidently, they didnt get the memo. And thats why youre in this situation? Calzark nodded. Thats right. And since theyre Bednicker knights, its not like I can mess them up or anything... I was about to die from the frustration. Now that I understood the situation, I was puzzled. Had this entire mess happened because of a bunch of little things adding up? What a mess... If Calzark had been there before Id regressed, things wouldve looked much better. I was also a little frustrated, but I decided to not linger too much on the past. Anyway, Ive recovered my strength. Im back in my prime, Luan. I wouldnt have been able to defeat the Sapphire Snake if not for you, and since Id ended monopolizing its corpse, I might owe you until the day I die, Calzark said with a confident smile. Ill back you no matter what you do in the future. If someone messes with you, tell me; Ill beat them up. Oh ho. That was weing to hear. All right. Then risk your life with me once. What do you mean? I gave Calzark a summary of everything Id learned. His expression changed at each beat of the story, and he looked horrified when I told him about the demon-lord summoning ritual. ...A demon-lord summoning ritual in Bednicker territory? Why are you so surprised? Didnt you hear everything from Sir Asad? No. I didnt hear anything. Calzark looked flustered by the information. Sir Asad just told me to quickly join up with the others since the training camp was already underway. Thats why I thought I was going there as a grand master. ...Hmm. So Asad hadnt told Calzark everything either... * * * * * * * * * * I mean... If Calzark had known that a demon-lord summoning ritual was happening, it was obvious, given his personality, that he wouldve immediately gone to try to stop it. Maybe Calzark wasntpletely innocent in the eyes of the house. Though it wasnt too odd since theyd hidden it from Juniang as well. So do you know who the high priest is? Yes. Who is it? The Instructor of Martial Arts. Calzark closed his mouth for a moment. ...Juan? Really? That guy? He was more shocked than Id anticipated. Im pretty sure. I... see. I looked at Calzarks face for a moment before asking, What is it? ...Its nothing. Sure, if thats how it is, then I naturally have to help. What are you going to do now? Please move with me for the time being. Of course, you wont be joining the camp. Im thinking that maybe you should stay hidden in the forest for the time being. For the sake of my n, I wanted to keep Calzark hidden. Last time, Rook had ambushed the high priest when his guard was lowered. I wanted Calzark to take on that role this time. However, Calzark proposed an alternative. No, if Juan is the high priest, then itll be better for me to join the camp. Why is that? Just by me being there, hell change his behavior. ... Change... For me who knew the future, that wasnt particrly wee. However, Calzark spoke with certainty. Luan, trust me this once. I cant exin it to you, but things wont go poorly. Hmm... Calzark had been a mercenary before this. There was one characteristic that all veteran mercenaries possessed: they sometimes got a gut feeling that they couldnt exin. I had experienced it a few times as well. It was like... looking at a request that seemed easy but feeling that something was off and declining it, and thenter learning that the mercenaries who had taken that request had all died. Things like that. I nodded. Sure. Lets go to the camp together, but hide that I met you. *** We returned to the camp together. I ran through the forest with Calzark, and he suddenly said, Ive been wanting to ask this since I saw you again... What is it? Did you get something as well? What did he mean? As I tilted my head, Calzark continued, Obviously, I obtained an opportunity and ate the core of the gem beast, bing stronger in a short amount of time, but since west met, you seem to have advanced as much as I have. ... No. Advanced isnt the end of it... To be honest, you seempletely differentpared to the brat back in the caveeven though you werent normal back then either. Perhaps I shouldve expected as much of the Instructor of Swords and des, but his intuition was impressive. I smirked. I had a few things happen as well. I also rolled around as much as you did. I even received a mystic elixir from the family head. Mystic elixir? I took the mystic bead out from my pocket and showed it to him. This. Calzark was impressed. Isnt that a mystic bead? And judging by the size, it looks like a high-quality one. Are you jealous? Jealous of what? Calzark shrugged at my joke. Because I ate the core of the Sapphire Snake, Im not good with fire ki anymore. You can eat as much of that as you want. Aha. By the way, that Derk... it seems he likes you a lot. A mystic elixir of that level could be used for quite a lot... While conversing, we arrived at the camp. Itll be awkward if we enter together, right? Probably. Then Ill take a walk around the area. You can enter first. Okay. Ill see youter. After separating from Calzark, I returned to the nurses office. When I entered, Juniang was writing something while sitting in her chair, and she turned to see me. Youre back. Did you aplish your goal? Yes. We now have a reliable helper. Really? Then I suppose you can finally tell me who it is. I had hidden from Juniang that I had gone to meet with Calzark because I could have failed. But since it no longer mattered whether or not she knew, I told her. Its Calzark. Juniang tilted her head a little. ...The Instructor of Swords and des? Yes. When did he return to the main house? I think its been about a week? Really? Juniang thought for a while before speaking with a more rxed expression. If its the Instructor of Swords and des... then he will definitely be helpful. Even against the high priest, he should give us a decent chance. I nced to the side to check the time. Maybe it was because I had set out early in the morning, but there was still a lot of time left. The young heroes were probably taking their morning lesson. I remembered it being the Instructor of Martial Artss lesson... Wait. I suddenly had an idea, and I looked at Juniang. Instructor, does the instructors lodge also have two people per room? Generally, each person has their own room. Why? One more thing: are theremunication crystals installed in the instructors lodge as well? Juniang looked at me with suspicion in her eyes before shaking her head. Nowhere except the control room. Themunication crystals exist to observe the young heroes. I see. I looked at Juniang and asked, Where is Instructor Juans room? Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Hearing my words, Juniang asked, ...Are you suspicious of the Instructor of Martial Arts? For now. Juniang looked surprised for some reason. His image doesnt fit. Maybe it was another grand master...? Like who? ...Instructor Tanko? This woman has no ability to read people. I couldnt tell why she was saying it was unexpected or impossible when it was obviously him. ...Well, fine. The Instructor of Martial Artss room is the room on the right at the very end of the third floor. Theres nomunication crystal there, but another instructor may be present, so if you meet someone else, just tell them youre running an errand for me.Yes. And since youre going that way, get me a cigarette from my room as well. ... Then... arent I actually running an errand for her? After giving a slow nod, I made my way toward Juans room. Thankfully, I didnt meet any instructors on my way there. The door opened without issue. It seemed thatjust like the rooms in the young heroes lodgethe rooms in the instructors lodge didnt have locks. ck. After entering Juans room without issue, I closed the door. I had visited an instructors room once before regressing. It was when Id had the conversation with Juniang. Back then, due to the situation, I hadnt been able to take a proper look at the room... The first thing I noticed was that it seemed a littlerger than our rooms. But that didnt mean that there was a lot of room. Rather, the room looked like it only had the bare minimum of furniture. I slowly looked around. I didnt expect the man whod stayed hidden even from Bednicker to have left any clues here... But since I was sure that Juan was the high priest, I might notice something that others would overlook. First, I checked his desk. There were a few books on the table, but they were all rted to martial arts. Seeing how worn the corners were, he must have read them quite frequently. p. I opened a book to look through it. The pages were fading from the light, and there were a lot of notes written here and there. I didnt know if this was Instructor Juans handwriting, but it did seem like hed written these himself. Was this acting as well? For some reason, that didnt feel right. I put the book down and went through the drawers. There wasnt anything special there either. Stationery, a mirror, essories, cologne, even makeup... Every time Id looked at him, Id felt that something was off about him, but it seemed that he did take a lot of care of his appearance in his daily life. It was unexpected, but I found a cigarette as well. It had been stuck in the corner, and the paper was a little crushed. I found a notebook as well, but there wasnt anything special written in it. It contained preparations and summaries for his lessons and even thoughts about each young hero. [Charon Woodjack.] [Excellent in all aspects. Too perfect, so much so that I wonder if the curriculum means anything to him. He seems to be the type who bes stronger faster if he has someone topete with...] [Hector Bednicker.] [Better-than-average talent, but if asked if hes a genius... In my eyes, he is a product of his efforts. But he shows excellent leadership for his age, so Im looking forward to his future.] [Sellen Goodspring.] [Generally excellent but seems to avoid getting along with others. Maybe she is hiding herself because this is Bednicker territory.] Something was written for all 39 young heroes. Ah. Except one. [Evan Helvin.] [Do .] Only one word was written about Evan, but I could see traces of something else Juan had written and then erased it. I was curious, so I looked for mine as well. [Luan Bednicker.] [Not as much of a troublemaker as the rumors suggested, but pays poor attention during lessons. Doesnt have any desire for growth and seems to only be doing the bare minimum.] [Unexpectedly, he is decent at socializing.] Hmm. From what I remembered, I thought Id been pretty active in lessons... Was that not the case? In any case, after closing the notebook,plicated thoughts swirled through my mind. If I had seen this without knowing he was a cultist, I wouldnt have felt even a little bit suspicious. Rather, he looked like the most model instructor. The descriptions he wrote in his notebook were too detailed to just be for his cover. I couldnt learn anything else. It seemed that until he revealed his true allegiance, the Instructor of Martial Arts would be diligent in his role as an instructor. I dropped the notebook into the drawer, feeling like Id wasted my time. ck. ...Hm? But the drawer made an odd sound. Was there... empty space underneath it? After messing around with the drawer a little, I realized that my suspicion was correct. I revealed the false bottom of the drawer to find a hidden area. There, a precious piece of paper was found. It wasnt an ordinary piece of paper. This... It was a photograph. Id heard that a photographer was in Ulca, the holynd of alchemists. Id heard that if you used that thing, you could capture a moment of scenery or people on paper... I had only seen it once, during my time as a mercenary. In any case, whenever I saw a photograph, I was amazed. Not even the greatest artist of The Empire could draw something so realistic. That was why Id heard that some artists had gone mad when theyd heard that the photographer had been invented... But that wasnt important right now. In the photograph, two young men had their arms around each others shoulders, and a woman was smiling brightly while standing between them. I recognized one of them. It was the young man I had been with not long ago, Calzark. Was this back when hed been a mercenary? He did look as handsome as he had boasted. However, there were a lot of scars on his face. Next to him was a man who looked a little gloomy, and he was wearing some knight orders armor. He looked dissatisfied for some reason... After looking at the second man for a while, I realized that it was Juan. I couldnt tell his exact age, but was he the same age as Calzark? It seemed that this was before they had both be grand masters. I didnt realize that the two of them had been close in the past. Wasnt Juan a noble? That... House Baskes or whatever. Why would the son of such a noble house have been with Calzark during his mercenary period? Had Juan also been a mercenary? From my experience, for a noble to be a mercenary, their life needed to be pretty bad... A lot of questions passed through my mind, but I stopped thinking about it. It was time for me to leave. I felt like I had gotten everything I could here, so I left the room. * * * * * * * * * * Juniang wasnt in the nurses office. I left the cigarette on her table and left the instructors lodge. I wasnt nning on returning to the other young heroes right away. I had something I needed to check first. The young heroes were gathered on the field, and Juan was standing on the tform. You should all know by now, so I will tell you: the rule added by Charon is Young heroes can trade points among themselves. So its this point. It was when the points of the young heroes were publicized and when Charons new rule was revealed. If that was the case, I needed to check something. I went the long way around the field to avoid them and hid myself. I then looked at the announcement board on the first floor of the young heros lodge. 1st: Charon Woodjack, 43 points. 2nd: Zeros Silver, 31 points. 3rd: Sinbar, 29 points. 4th: Hans Bender, 28 points. 5th: Hector Bednicker, 25 points. The points of the high ranks looked the same as in my memories. And my points... 19th: Luan Bednicker, 17 points. I had one less point than I remembered. Without that point, my rank had changed from 16th to 19th. Although it was only a one-point difference, my rank had changed significantly. Suddenly, I heard a loud cheer outside. WOOOOOOOH! I looked through the first-floor window and saw that Calzark had made his appearance. Hello. I am the Instructor of Swords and des, Calzark. I had some business, so Im joining the training campte, but Ill be in your care going forward. The reaction to Calzarks introduction was explosive among the young heroes. The Instructor of Swords and B-des...! Doesnt he... look younger than expected? I dont know anything about that, but hes really handsome... Even Hector, who usually didnt show much of a reaction, looked excited. I could see the emotion clearly on his face. So this is the subject selection, right? If you want to learn about the sword,e to me. Its mostly practical lessons, so you wont get bored. Its time for subject selection. It was a good chance for me to naturally introduce myself to Calzark in front of the others. But as expected, the young heroes crowded around Calzark like a cloud. As expected of the Instructor of Swords and des. As expected of the most famous of the grand masters. And his younger face seemed to be putting in some work as well. No, wait. There are too many of you... Calzark looked overwhelmed. I counted at least twenty people around him, more than all the other instructors hadbined. Juan was the one who had secured the most young heroes before Id regressed... Ah. At this moment, I saw a man emitting a gloomy aura. ... The Instructor of Martial Arts, who had smiled even until the moment of his death... Juan was looking at Calzark with an emotionless face. *** After subject selection ended, Calzark and Juan stood behind a building with their backs to each other. You look good. I nearly didnt recognize you. Ah, but it does look like youve put on some weight. ... Give me a cigarette if you have one on you. For the first time in a while, Juan spoke inly. I stopped. His mouth felt odd for some reason. ...You did? Yeah. But more importantly, why are you here? Shouldnt I do my duty as a grand master? Although Bednicker was quite wealthy, they werent so wealthy as to give money to people who werent working. However, Juan smirked. Thats funnying from the guy who left his station for years to resolve some personal issue. I still cant ept why the family head let you keep your position the entire time. ...Well, I am sorry about that. Ill do my best from now, so overlook it a little. More importantly, its been a while since myst training camp, so I dont remember much. Has anything changed since I left? Juan didnt respond to that. He finally spoke after erasing even the sneer from his face. Stop joking, Calzark. Weve known each other for a while. What do you You, did you hear something about me? Calzarks breath hitched for just a moment. Juan noticed and let out a bitterugh. Dont worry. It wasnt obvious. I dont know what you are ...I dont know who or what you heard from them, but hear me out first. You can decide after that. I can exin everything. Calzark let out a sigh as he replied, I dont know what the hell you are talking about. Its... difficult to tell you everything here. We dont have time either, so lets meet at midnight tonight. There should be a small open area west of the camp. Ill wait there, soe alone. ...Really, are you making fun of me because I havent been doing anything? Im asking you what youre talking about. Juan looked at Calzarks furrowed face. He didnt show any change, he just responded with a calm voice, Barbara is dead. ...What? ng! A loud bell rang out. Break time was over. Juan looked at the speechless Calzark and said, Remember what I said. Come alone. Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Juniang spoke to me after she returned to the nurses office. For your subject selection, you have been assigned to me. Why? No one came to me. Its just the natural progression of things... It was a sad reason on both sides. Of course, I didnt make that obvious. I just asked, The young heroes have been assigned teams, right? Do you know who is on my team? Yeah. Should I tell you? I nodded. Id been with Evan, Mir, and Sharylst time.But my actions had already deviated from back then. Since I had one less point, it wouldnt be odd if I was ced with a different team. However, Juniangs response was truly unexpected. Youre alone. Pardon? Youre a one-man team. Youre alone, though its only temporary. ...How did that happen? Its probably a penalty for getting injured. Self-preservation is part of being a good hero. ... So why did you fight the Instructor of the Hunt without knowing your ce? That man doesnt know how to go easy. Hed said he was holding back quite a bit. However, the n had been a sess. My original goal had been to get hospitalized so I could meet Juniang. But a one-man team... Wasnt this situation better for me? Of course, since I was alone, it would be difficult to make it into the higher ranks in this test. At my continued silence, Juniang said, Dont feel too down about it; its only for this special test. You will be assigned a fitting teamter. Is that so? Of course, the gap between you and the rest will be enormous by then, but lets focus onpleting the camp. ... Why was a priest by trade so bad at consoling others? ...By the way, Instructor, theres something I want to ask you. What is it? How does a high priest get selected? Juniang nced at me and asked, What do you mean? When Bednicker chooses someone, they dont just casually investigate and research the candidates background and career. From what I know, there werent many points in Instructor Juans life when the cult couldve made contact with him. One thing we know for certain is that he wasnt born a cultist. ... Meaning he became a cultist because they recruited him... but to be recruited into such an important position as high priest, has he really contributed enough for that? Juniang looked away from me for a moment before picking the cigarette up from the table and lighting it with a match. Tsch. Do you know about the cult leader? I dont know too much. That guy... Fuu... Her voice, mixed in with the smoke, reached my ears. Knows how to control dreams. ...Like a dream demon? Yeah. I blinked at the information I was hearing for the first time in my life. Then, suddenly, I had a thought. Is this perhaps top-secret information? You noticed. Its my repayment to you for revealing your own secret. Dont go talking about it anywhere. ... As a controller of dreams, the cult leader doesnt care about time or space. If he wants to meet someone, he can just enter their dreams. It hasnt been confirmed, but Ive heard that he can make you feel hundreds of different things in a single nights dream. Hmm... Of course, just because he has met someone doesnt mean he can fully control them. And I dont think its easy for him to use it either. Thats why most of the high priests who have died were people without name or status. Juniang lowered her voice and continued, If Juan is a high priest, hes a very special case among high priests. That was likely the case. An executive of a secret organization with a deep history... Most people selected for such a position woulde from within the organization and would have been nurtured for said position. Or perhaps theyd be an orphan without any records. As someone from a famous house, Juan didnt fit either case. ... The photograph Id found in his drawer shed through my mind, but I decided to ignore the pointless thought. Did you talk with the knight captain? I was talking about Rook. Yeah. I ryed your story as well. What did he say? He said he would follow along for now, but hell move by his own judgment. So he was going to hide and look for an opening this time as well? I thought he might be overly cautious, but since I had seen the results of his cautiousness, I could ept it. What are you going to do about your test tomorrow? Are you going to take it? Im thinking of skipping it for now... but could I look at the buy list just in case? Sure. I received the buy list from Juniang and looked through it. By the way, has Calzark said anything? Juniang shook her head. No. He hasnt said anything. *** The schedule for the young heroes usually ended at 10 in the evening, and other than those on night watch, the instructors usually went to sleep at 11. Meaning that after that time, it was possible to leave the camp without anyone noticing. Step. Hearing the footsteps, Juan looked away from the particrly dark night sky. Youre here. ... Calzark revealed his presence. Juan spread his senses for a moment, confirming that no one else was nearby, and nodded. You came alone, as you promised. I didnt promise anything. Im not here to talk either. What do you mean? Calzark reached behind his back. Juan noticed toote because of the darkness: Calzark had a long spear strapped to his back. A spear that Calzark threw in front of Juan. ng. Pick it up. What? For the first time in a while, lets spar, Instructor of Spears. With a grim expression, Juan asked, Do you not trust me? Ill ask you this instead: why should I trust you? Because we wererades? Because weve known each other for a long time? I said I would give you an exnation you can ept. Dont speak nonsense. Do you still not know? Im not educated. It doesnt matter no matter how much you talk. Schwing. Calzark drew his sword. Its been five years since Ist saw you. I had to chase that damned snake around, so I wasnt able to focus on honing my swordsmanship... What about you? Mr. Instructor of SpeaMartial Arts. Calzark kicked the spear up with the tip of his foot. If youre the person I knew, then you wont have skipped out on your training no matter how busy you became. Lets do this. If your martial strength hasnt changed since five years ago, you will die by my hands here today. ...Hah. Juan smirked. Interesting. * * * * * * * * * * Come alone? What nonsense. That was what Calzark thought in his heart. If Juan had noticed that he was a suspect, he shouldve shut up and brought evidence that could prove his innocence. Then Calzark would attest to his innocence. Of course, Calzark trusted Luan, but Luan couldve misunderstood something. ...Of course, Calzark knew the odds of that was minuscule. He had learned that that small kid wasnt ordinary back in the mountain range. However ng! When the gap between them shrunk, Calzarks sword mmed into the body of the spear. Juan was the one who stepped back. Crunch. With just this one attack, Calzark realized. Yeah. He had changed. Bing weaker was still a change. The spearmanship Calzark had experienced five years ago had been much sharper than this. Meaning this man hadnt trained his martial arts in thest five years. Then what The man who had swung his sword until he got sores on his hand, the one who had purchased every martial arts book that money could buy... For five long years Creak. Calzark ground his teeth, and mes danced in his eyes. Why did you devote yourself to the cult, Juan! sh! He bisected the spear in one strike. After disarming Juan, Calzark kicked him in the chest. The moment Juan faltered and fell over, Calzarks sword moved to his jugr. A drop of blood dripped down his sword. If I said it was to save Barbara... would you believe me? Seeing Juans defeated smile, Calzark gritted his teeth once more. Shut the hell up. Theres no way that you, a man of the Imperial Guard Unit, wouldnt know that the cults mostmon lie is promising to bring people back. Thinking about it now... were we like this when we first met? In that barren wilderness in the south, the cult performed quite a few revival rituals. The Keltron Mercenaries, Hero Institution Heroes, and Imperial Pces first joint mission ... do you remember, Calzark? That was when you, Barbara, and I first met. ... We liked Barbaras smile. Calzarks tone softened as he said, Barbaras death is unfortunate, but the living must continue living. Are you being serious when you say that? Juan red at Calzark. Now that I think about it, you never asked me how she died. Answer me, does Barbara not mean anything to you anymore? Or... did she never mean anything to you? You... Thinking about it, that would make more sense. You ignored the living Barbaras affection for you while you ran off looking for your dead siblings soul. Kekeke. Juans disturbingugh echoed out. Calzark, are we so different? We are both obsessing over someone who is already dead. If Barbara could see you now, she would curse. ... She would punch you in the head and tell you to stop focusing on something so stupid. Thats the kind of woman she was. ...Yeah. Stubborn beyond belief, she was, Juan said with a bitter smile. Calzark gritted his teeth. Die. The determination in his eyes was interrupted by a sh of hesitation, but it onlysted a short moment. Stab. Calzarks sword pierced Juans neck. The sound of gurgling blood... A disgusting feeling spread through Calzarks hand. Looking directly into the eyes of his friend, he withdrew his sword. Ssh. Blood squirted out from the wound. Juan stumbled a bit before copsing face-first to the ground. ... Calzark staggered a little as he moved away and leaned against a nearby tree. The clear sound of forest insects irritated his ears. Calzark suddenly felt like he was going to throw up. He suddenly realized that it had been quite a while since he hadst killed a person. He had stayed in the mountains for a long time, only killing monsters. But this feeling of disgust didnt seem to onlye from the act of killing. ...Youre right. She was stubborn. She was too generous to me. The moment Calzark swallowed those words... Yeah. If shed been a little more flexible, I wouldnt have needed to kill her. He heard a voice he never expected. Calzark responded on instinct. What? Crack! Something flew in and cut into Calzarks abdomen. Calzark instinctively swung his sword to cut it away, but this unknown entity was so tough that not even a mark was left by his sword. Bang! Calzark was pushed back and nailed to the tree. His face contorted from the pain he felt in his stomach. Drip... The something that had pierced his abdomen disappeared slowly, and he heard Juans voice from a fair distance away. I was nning on cutting you in half at the waist, but you reacted immediately... youve gotten stronger, Calzark. You... Despite being stuck in those mountains for many years, I guess your growth never stopped. What an envious amount of talent. Juan slowly rose, brushing his clothes. ...That is what my past self wouldve thought. But not anymore, Calzark. Even with you in front of me, I feel confident. This must also be the blessing of the great god of disaster. The hole made in his neck by Calzarks sword continued to flow with blood, but Juan didnt seem to be in any pain or difort because of it. ...Juan. Did I look like a tragic person? Or did you think I devoted myself to the forces of evil because of some noble ambition? Did you really think someone like that could have reached the position of high priest? Juan let out a wickedugh. Youre too naive, you idiot. You lost all your sense after living in the mountains for too long. You were much sharper than this in the past... ...You bastard. Goodbye, Calzark. You were once a friend. To be honest, it wasnt good to see you. A green tongue flicked around Juans mouth. It seemed that that tongue was what had struck his abdomen. Disgusting... Calzark couldnt help but sigh at himself for having that thought in this situation. The moment the tongue flicked toward him again, a sword flew in from behind Calzark. ng! They shed in midair, and the tongue was deflected. The sword that had intercepted the attacknded in front of Calzark, and he noticed it was much worse for wear than hed expected. It seems our roles have swappedpared to when we were in the mountains. Calzark forced a smirk. ...You brat. I pierced his head that time. That was a small fry. With the sound of steps, Luan revealed himself. Juan tilted his head in confusion. Young Hero Luan? Leaving the campgrounds without permission will lose you points Calzark came here alone out of respect for you. Luan picked up the Sword of Seven Sins and ced it in its sheath on his hip. I dont know if its because you were friends or because you were both grand masters, but hes too inflexible. ... Whereas our Lord of Blood and Iron says this: never converse or negotiate with cultists... Luan smirked. Now I understand why. Aha. Juan smirked as well. So it was you, the one who exposed my identity. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 I knew this would happen. Whats the point of gathering people and creating a solid n when nothing went as nned? Even so, I felt unexpectedly calm. Maybe it was because, in a corner of my heart, Id been expecting something like this to happen. You said it wouldnt go bad. ...I have nothing to say, Calzark mumbled shamefully. I hadnt expected that reaction. To be honest, it didnt fit him. It cant be helped. Well have backup soon, so we just need to survive until then, I said, making sure that Juan could hear me. I was obviously bluffing. I hadnt even had time to inform Juniang before leaving.My stroll out here today had been quite spontaneous. While resting in the instructors lodge, Id been able to sense the presences in the building a bit more clearly... And Id focused quite a lot on Juans room... Where is he? Was he going around in the middle of the night? In the end, even after 11 at night, Juans room continued to stay empty... I felt that something was off, so I carefully sneaked out of the nurses office. And then, while looking around, I found this ce. Naturally, I hadnt had the time to inform Juniang or Rook. Heup...! At this moment, Calzark stood up. I was surprised by his movement. Are you okay? I think youre bleeding quite heavily. Ive stopped the bleeding. I cant say Im at my full strength, but I cant be a burden to you. Despite his words, it was difficult for me to expect much help from him. The injury to his abdomen was critical; that part of his body would strain with every movement he made. He attacks with his tongue. I saw. I killed someone simr in the mountains. Laughter was heard. Keh. It was Juan. Osel was quite the promising cultist. I was the one who arranged his contract with the demon... ... But more importantly, Luan Bednicker... Your attack just then showed much more skill than I expected. Have you perhaps been hiding your talent? Its been a while since I wasst asked such a question. I estimated the distance to Juan as I answered, Not particrly. Is that so? The moment he said so, his tongue flicked out from his mouth again. It was fast. If not for my training on Spirit Mountian, I wouldnt have seen it. Ah. He wasnt aiming for me. His tongue was headed for Calzark. Maybe Calzark wouldve been fine if his condition was normal, but could he respond in his current state? ng! Thankfully, Calzark parried the tongue. At least, that was how it seemed at first. Shwip. ...! The tongue wound itself around Calzarks sword. It was an unpleasant movement, reminiscent of a snake coiling around its prey. After the tongue had tightly wrapped around the sword, it pulled Calzark like a rope. Kugh! Calzarks body lurched forward, but he never let go of his sword. It was impressive to see his tenacity as a swordsman, but we soon learned that this wasnt a good idea. Juan lifted Calzark by the sword using his tongue and whipped him into the air. Calza! His strength was monstrous. Calzarks body was thrown into the night sky like a pebble. I looked up in shock, then quickly moved my upper body to dodge the iing tongue. Dont worry about someone who is already dying, Young Hero Luan, Juan said as he smiled at me. He spoke pretty well for someone whose tongue was all the way out of his mouth. It may be troublesome if I keep you alive. Ill have to kill you here before the reinforcements arrive. ...Well, if my guess is correct, there werent any to begin with. Damn it. He was quick. Well, fine. Although the situation had taken a turn for the worse, I had trained for situations like this. The rage, despair, and humiliation Id felt after the training camp, the 100 days of training on Spirit Mountain, and even my spar against Fourth Senior Brother... All those memories returned to me like a storm. Fuu... I let out a long breath and red at my target. ...Lets go, High Priest. No distractions, just you and me. * * * * * * * * * * Calzark flew up to a frightening height. His senses, which had improved quite a bit after consuming the Sapphire Snake, rang their rm bells. The scenery was quite beautiful as he looked down at the expansive forest in the middle of the night like this Woomp. But when his ascent turned into a descent, he could no longer enjoy the scenery. Swoosh! ...! ...! He fell. It was difficult to even keep his eyes open due to the rushing air. It was also difficult to do anything else due to the pain in his abdomen. In the end, Calzark crossed his arms to prepare himself for the crashnding. Crunch! Perhaps fortunately, the thick branches of the tree absorbed his impact. Around the time he stopped feeling the branches wing away at his skin... Crash! Calzark rolled to the ground. At least for now, he was still alive. Though he could feel cracks in his arms, ribs, and legs. Damn it... Calzark forced himself to stand. The green tongue that had appeared out of Juans mouth... It was dangerous. Of course, hed allowed the attack by letting his guard down because hed thought Juan was dead... Calzark, you idiot. What was the point of talking as if youd forgotten the friendship of the past if you were going to be that pathetic? His opponent had been a cultist, and a high priest at that. In the cult, where all sorts of nonsense happened, Juan was an executive, a rank that numbered less than two dozen. It had been foolish to assume that Juan had died from being stabbed in the throat once. Of course, it wasnt as if Calzark didnt have an excuse. The high priest hed met in the mountains hadnt been able to regenerate like that. ...The kid is in danger. Just walking was difficult, but Calzark quickly returned to the open field. ... When he arrived, he was dazed by what he saw. ng! A close-quarters battle was ongoing as if the wide-open area wasnt wide enough. The green tongue continued to shift in shape as itunched continuous attacks. And the way Luan was perfectly responding to all of it, made him seem like a seasoned fighterif Calzark ignored his appearance. Luan, you... just what happened to you? Calzark forced the question down. Instead, he quickly analyzed the situation and contemted what he should do. Honestly, he wanted to join the battle right away... but he would only be a burden in his current state. ...We need assistance. He would return to camp and bring back reinforcements. But that didnt mean he could bring everyone. Juan might have subordinates among the instructors, and if he brought too many people, Juan might try to run away. He thought of the two most capable and trustworthy people at the current time. The Instructor of Doctrine. Knight Captain Rook. Those two and Luan. If those threebined their strength, they could definitely kill High Priest Juan. Calzark buried his past friend Juan and decided to face him purely as the high priest of the cult. He would hesitate no longer. ...Dont die, Luan. He now had one more debt to repay. Calzark staggered as he made his way to the camp. *** As exined by Juniang and guessed by Luan, most high priests were chosen from among individuals who were already a part of the cult. But the reason Juan had been able to be a high priest... The reason he had been scouted personally by the cult leader was because of his special talent. Juan was able to serve multiple different demon lords simultaneously. No one else had been allowed this except for the cult leader, the incarnation of darkness, not even the vice-cult leaders whod inherited his blood. Demon lords were egotistical beings. Although the uneducated Imperials grouped them together, calling the demon-lord worshipers the Church of Darkness, their internal affairs were much moreplicated. To begin with, the six Demon Lords didnt have good rtionships. They each had their own personalities, and their scriptures werepletely different as well. Each sect had its own rules, teachings, and peculiarities between members, so if they didnt have the cult leader to act as the central joining force, they wouldve all been separate forces. Naturally, the demon lords didnt like the faith they received being split with other gods. However, Juan worshiped three demon lords at once. The Demon Lord of the ck Swamp, Ahop. The Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon, Hadenaihar. And the Demon Lord of the Green Tongue, Tangtata. Among them, Ahop needed to be worshiped with the utmost care because of how powerful he was, and his scriptures were the heaviest among even the other demon lords. On the other hand, Tangtatas personality waspletely different from Ahops. Even if someone wasnt a worshiper, he might ept their request if their ideals aligned with his, if he liked thepensation, or even for no reason at all. Of course, imbuing people with authority was apletely different matter. sh! Juan no longer kept his green tongue in his mouth. He pulled it out with his hand and swung it around like a whip. His green tongue was a demon lords authority had personally gifted to him by Tangtata. The liquid that constantly oozed from its surface had a rusting quality that broke down all weapons and defensive tools it came into contact with. An ordinary weapon wouldve rusted away already, and even extraordinary weapons wouldnt be able to hold on for long. Even the pces swords, which were famed for their strength and toughness, would not be able to resist the tongues corrosive liquid. What is that sword? The already-rusted sword that Luan was swinging showed no sign of receiving any damage from the liquid. And most peculiar of all... This young hero... ...Was that the talentless child of House Bednicker, who had never shown anything extraordinary, was showcasing an absurd level of martial arts. Juan was genuinely surprised. ...Fifteen. Just how were you able to achieve this level of power at that age? Not even the Lord of Blood and Iron couldve fought a high priest at that age, he said while continuing his assault. However, Luans reaction was quite nonchnt. I used a trick. Juan didnt understand what Luan meant by that. So he decided to not think on it too deeply. Clench. The moment he put strength into the hand holding his weapon, the flowing weapon that had been flicking around like a whip solidified. He grabbed the hardened tongue with both hands and stabbed forward like a spear. Although it took a long time to describe, the attack didnt take even half a breath tounch. Fwip! ...! Luan dodged that attack like it was nothing. Juan felt as if he must have suffered a blow to the head at some point. In this fierce meleebat, Luan had responded to a sudden change in his opponent with ease. That was impossible with talent alone. He has experience as well? At just fifteen years of age? Juan swung his green spear. As he did, he continued to change its form. He broke off the spear head to use as a shortsword and wielded the long spine of the spear like a sword. Sword, de, Spear, Staff, Ax, Club, Whip... Seeing so many different weapon arts, Luan couldnt help but be impressed. I wouldve been in big trouble if I hadnt sparred with Fourth Senior Brother. Fourth Senior Brother? Yeah. Do you perhaps know anything about Shape-Memory Alloy? First time hearing about it. I was like that as well. It as at that moment... Juan felt as if thunder had pped in front of him. Rumble! In less than a breaths time, Luans sword arrived in front of his face. By the time hed realized it, the sword had already drawn blood. sh. The sound and pain arrived shortly after. Juan moved back a little and grabbed his severed right arm. Frustration and despair filled his face. Does it hurt? Luan smiled. It hurt for me as well. Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Third Senior Brother was very talkative. It wasnt like I didnt talk a lot myself, but when I spoke with him, all I could do was nod along. Of course, he wasnt simply a man of many words. Third Senior Brother knew how to be entertaining with his words. Even Second Senior Sister and Fourth Senior Brother, who didnt usually show much emotion, chuckled whenever they spoke with Third Senior Brother... Even Eldest Senior Brother, who usually epted everything with a gentle smile, had onceughed loudly in front of him. Because he talked so much, Third Senior Brother naturally had quite a few famous sayings. Some of them had stuck with me. Youngest, do you understand? Getting excited about something before it happens is a sin.Getting excited before it happened was a sin. Simply put, it meant to not get swept up in expectations and anticipation... But in another sense, it also meant to not act rashly and to stay calm. The most important thing for a martial artist was maintaining a calm and stable mind. However, honestly, I was getting pretty excited in this battle against the high priest. Wont it be troublesome if I go all out against Juan? What Id meant was: Juan would abandon the battle and try to run away if I overpowered him too quickly. Id heard from Asad that high priests had a skill called Ghost Path, and Juan would most certainly survive if he used that. ...But in the end, Id been worried for nothing. ng! Even though the high priests right arm was cut off, it didnt seem as if he had taken a hit at all. Rather, his attacks became more fierce. His attitude changed. It was no longer like he was facing a young heroalbeit one who was stronger than expectedbut instead an old enemy. ...! A chill went down my spine. As pressure that was beyond what I would normally feel in a real battle continued to oppress me, the chill soon turned into fear. Are they the same? In any case, as the battle continued, I realized that I was still maintaining the upper hand somewhat. Of course, it didnt mean much. Putting the difference into a ratio, we were bouncing between 6 to 4 and 5 to 5. The initiative could be taken by a single mistake. The high priests skills with his weapons were impressive, and his proficiency with all the weapons he could use was at the level of a master. Even while using all sorts of weapon arts, it didnt look messy but rather harmonious. But... As far as adaptable opponents went, he couldnte close to Fourth Senior Brothers Thousand-Faced Indestructible Metal Technique. Though the high priest used many different types of weapons, they were all still melee weapons. However, Fourth Senior Brother was able to utilize closed-fist techniques, finger techniques, open-palm techniques, piercing techniques, striking techniques, and shing techniques with just his hands... And he could fly through the air as he pleased and even had long-ranged attacks using something like a cannon. The reason I was able to maintain any sort of advantage over the high priest was thanks to that spar. Purely in terms of skill... the high priest is about a level or two above me. Although I had obtained a lot of understanding from my 100 days of training, I still couldnt ovee the wall of time. It wasnt something I needed to rage at or despair over. The fact that Juan was simr in age to Calzark meant that he was from a simr generation as the Lord of Blood and Iron. In any case, after cutting off one of his arms, the gap in skill narrowed a bit further and the battle became simpler. Now it was just a matter of endurance. Dash. While using lightning-walker steps, I alternated between the Gctic Sword and White Sun Form. I wouldnt have been able to even attempt this without the training Id undergone on Spirit Mountain. Utilizing three different martial arts at once... It would usually be impossible, but it wasnt difficult for my current self. Still, dont let your guard down. Although I had cut one of his arms off and currently had the upper hand, I remained vignt. ... It was then that I saw an odd movement from the high priest. He had been focusing only on attacking, but suddenly, he jumped back to create distance between us. Naturally, it wasnt easy to move his body away like that in such close-quartersbat. To punish his movement, I cut a line down his chest. ... It didnt feel like a light cut, but something felt off for some reason. Juan stood on top of a tree, making me lose sight of him for a moment. He looked down at me with aplicated look in his eyes. Among the Lord of Blood and Irons children, I thought I would only need to be wary of Hero and Nero... I didnt let my eyes drift from Juan as I humored this conversation. What about Hector? Hes far toocking. You should know that. ... It seemed that grand master wasnt just a title; his assessment was correct. I wasnt looking down on Hector, butpared to the eldest son and second daughter, hecked in quite a few aspects. Juan raised both his arms. Ill concede here. You have won today. What was he doing? I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Juan. Ill definitely remember this, Luan Bednicker. The cult will be wary of all your actions moving forward. Are you running away? At my taunt, Juan just smiled. Yes. I shall run with my tail in between my legs. And I promise you this: I will be a very troublesome enemy for you in the future. If you leave this ce, I will kill the vice-cult leader. Juan flinched at my calm threat, but he quickly returned the smile to his face. What nonsense are you Do you think Im lying? Then go. But Evan Helvin will die by my hands. I will make sure of it. Juan spoke with a cold voice. ...How much do you know? It sounded like he had lowered his voice to try to sound more threatening... But because of how much blood he was losing, it didnt sound particrly scary. I just chuckled and went along with the mood. Your tail was too long, high priest. If youd wanted everything to go as nned, you shouldve infiltrated alone. Id spoken without any expectations, but Juan immediately took the bait. ...Einsburn. Disappointing. He might be stupid, but I thought he would at least be tight-lipped, Juan said, his voice leaking out of his growling face. That was an unexpected gain. I had thought that it would be beneficial if I could learn whether there was a mole among the others, but Id never expected he would say it out loud. Einsburn was the name of the Instructor of Law. He looked terrible, so I didnt like him too much. Birds of a feather... Juan red at me. Did you tell anyone else about the vice-cult leader? Who knows? Maybe? ...At least Calzark likely knows. Fine. Juan let out a deep sigh. The green tongue he had been holding in his hand wriggled and took on a new form. * * * * * * * * * * That Soon, the green tongue turned into a staff. A staff was, of course, a weapon, but this didnt look like a staff used for hitting people. It looked more like a casting staff. At this moment, Juan closed his eyes and began chanting. ?? ?????? ??????......! ...! It was the terrifying voice andnguage I had heard before. I was sure. This was thenguage he had used when hed summoned Ahop in his final suicidal act. Bzzt! I used my Lighting-Walker Steps and thought. How? Even if he was a high priest, he would not be able to summon a demon lord in his current state. Forget starting the ritual, it hadnt even been prepared properly. And if what Juniang had told me was true, even a high priest would not survive trying to talk with a demon lord if they hadnt made the proper preparations. At this moment, the Martial God made his presence known. [This is...] His tone was much more hurried than usual. [Inheritor! You cannot let him finish his chant!] Is it a demon lords summoning ritual? [No! At this rate, you will be overwhelmed by the authority of that evil being!] What is the high priest trying to do? [If my interpretation isnt wrong, that chant...] After listening to everything the Martial God had to say, I flinched. ...Is that true? [Why would I lie to you, Inheritor?] Hmm... Was everything the Martial God had just told me true? I thought for a moment, but I came to a conclusion quickly. It was obviously true. There was no reason for the Martial God to lie to me at this point. If thats the case... After organizing my thoughts, I dashed once more to reach up highup to where Juan was. As he continued to chant, I swung the Sword of Seven Sins toward him. sh. The de just barely missed his neck. Even while chanting, Juan had dodged. That wasnt the end, though, as he grabbed my de with his bare hand. ...! You look quite surprised... Did you think I was performing a summoning ritual or something? What did you do? As expected, it seems you dont know the demonguage. Young Hero Luan... did you know? Ignorance is a tragedy. After saying something I had heard in the past, Juan smiled. Keep that in mind. You died today because of your ignorance. Fwah! The darkness that suddenly appeared around us consumed both myself and Juan. Feeling my surroundings be dark, I heard Juans voice. Lets go together, to hell...! *** It was a dark ce. Not just because there was no light. It felt like my mind and body were suspended in something. I was a little startled since I had never felt anything like this before. As I moved around, my body swished as if I was swimming. Ah. Youre here? At that moment, Juan appeared from within the darkness. It was interesting. Even though there was not a single ray of light here, I could see him clearly. Also, even though I had severed his arm and his chest should be bleeding profusely, he looked fine. I tried to draw my Sword of Seven Sins, but I realized that my weapon was gone. Fighting is strictly forbidden here, Young Hero Luan. I stopped before I went to charge him. For some reason, it didnt seem like he was trying to buy time or lie to my face. Is this hell? A ce where only you exist... it seems hell is much more horrible than I first expected. Hmm. Do you know know about the Space Between? ... I can tell by your expression that youve never heard of it before, Juan said with augh. Lets say that this is something like a path to hell. The Space Between is a ce you will always encounter whenever you move through spaces. Why am I here? You were moved by my authority. It is usually impossible, but it is possible when using the relic of the god of disaster. That green tongue. Id known that it wasnt an ordinary weapon, but it was actually a relic. I didnt see him use it before my regression. Mentally, I clicked my tongue. I realized now that trusting only the knowledge of my past life wasnt good enough. I also had a general understanding of what was happening. You used Ghost Path, didnt you? Juan smiled and replied, So you know about Ghost Path as well. It seems the Lord of Blood and Iron has given you quite a thorough lesson on the cult. Can I get out of this ce if I kill you? The opposite. If I die, your soul will be trapped here. Forever. That wasnt ideal. Honestly, this is my first time using Ghost Path with another person... and this has be a little troublesome. It seems that the right of selection has gone to you. Right of selection? Thats right...! You are truly unworthy of it, the right to choose which god we will meet...! Juan shouted madly. The Six Gods of Disaster...! You will be able to meet one of them! All right, Luan Bednicker! Choose! Will you be stuck here forever! Or will you entreat the god together with me! ... I recalled what the Martial God had told me. Thats a method of return that only the worshipers of hell can use! I dont know the mechanism of it, but the relic he is holding has amplified its power! At this rate, you will be swept up in it as well! If thats the case, you will be forcibly transported to meet the ruler of hell! ...That was what the Martial God had told me. Meaning that my gamble had half seeded. All right, nows the important part. The god of disasterthe demon lord I needed to meet had already been decided. I spoke slowly. ...Demon Lord of ck and White. sh! The world turned. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 A gloomy hue dominated my vision. I saw a green sky I had never seen before, and below it a dead city. The buildings that rose ufortably into the sky had odd shapes, and... how could I put this... It was as if someone had stretched and twisted them. Even so, the buildings didnt show any sign of crumbling; instead, they stood upright. Kwoosh. The winds that passed by were as disgusting as a monsters belch. Even though we were outside, it felt as dank and suffocating as the inside of a cave. A red light shed from the window of a twisted building, and a chillingugh was heard. Ket, khehe...I could feel the eyes of things looking at me. The number of beings I could sense continued to bloat like a snowball, and my heart sank as I realized that not one of them felt like a small fry. So Eldest Senior Brother is in this kind of ce. I had felt something simr to this before. Right after the Demon Lord of the ck Swamp had been summoned. The faces of demons had been embedded in the barks of the trees, and ominous winds had been blowing about. The worst part was that the pressure I felt now was dozens of times more intense than then. [Inheritor, are you... out of your mind?] The Martial God spoke, sounding baffled. [Do you realize where you are? This is Hell! The birthce and the homnd of demons! A ce riddled with death!] It certainly feels like it. Maybe it was because of the demonic energy, but my body already felt numb. When demonic energies had been unleashed in the Forest of the Butterflywhen that ce had turned into something trying to resemble HellI hadnt been able to hold on for long and had nearly died. With that in mind... how long would my bodyst in true Hell? Half a day? An hour? More importantly, youre sure that I can return to my original world, right? [...From the beginning of time, it has been a rule that one cannot reside in another world for long. If that were not the case, the gods of disaster wouldnt be restricted to using demon-lord summoning rituals to enter the real world. It is the same for you, Inheritor. No matter how long it may be, when the timees, you will be forced back to your world.] When the timees? Can I get a precise timeframe [The recall time is different for each person! Its dangerous because we dont know!] It was a rare moment when the Martial God showed his anger. [There is no guarantee that you can survive until that time! I dont know why you took such a reckless] Suddenly, the Martial Gods voice vanished. Martial God? [...] He didnt reply. It felt different from usual. It didnt feel like he had fallen asleep; it felt as if my connection to him had been forcibly cut. ... To exin my situation, I hadnt thrown myself into Hell without a n. Id known it would be dangerous, but Id concluded that the risk was worth taking. By the way, where is Juan? Wed been together before, but I couldnt see him anywhere anymore. It was at this point that I heard an odd sound. Tang... tang... I heard what sounded like a ball being bounced in the field beyond the buildings, and with it, I also heard an unpleasantugh. I felt the presences gazing at me quickly hide, as if they were frightened. At this moment, I felt an absurdlyrge presence quickly approaching me. There was a familiar sense of pressure I had felt before as well. The same pressure Id felt when facing the Demon Lord of the ck Swamp, Ahop, before my regression. A demon lord. The moment those words crossed my mind, my breathing elerated a little. Would I finally be able to meet my Eldest Senior Brother? [Heup...! Heup...!] Finally, from beyond the road that didnt harbor any other presence, the being I sensed revealed itself. With the darkness as a backdrop, I saw something with a bloated body running toward me. While kicking a ball. [Heup...! Heup...!] With the way he wobbled and shook from side to side as he ran, I felt like I was looking at a clown, and the way he panted for air was disgusting... But for some reason, I didnt find any of it funny. Finally, the creature arrived in front of me. [Ho, hohoho...] He looked to be about three meters tall. Although he was muchrger than a human, he was walking on two legs and even had two arms. He was even wearing clothes. Of course, that didnt mean I could treat this entity as a human. [Ah, hello...! Human! I-its nice to meet you.] To put it simply, he was a green tongue wearing clothes. The clothes were too small for his fat body and made him look bloated, and his additional fat and skin were oozing out from between his ripped clothes. Naturally, this wasnt my eldest senior brother. ...Who are you? [Ah! So... Im... in yournguage, uh...] The monster took out a notepad. He then flipped through a few pages before letting out an Ah! [Tang, ta, ta, is my name...!] ... From what I remembered, that was the name of the Demon Lord of the Green Tongue. I didnt think this thing just coincidentally shared that name. The pressure I had felt was emanating from him, and the perverse gazes Id noticed earlier had disappeared right after this monster revealed himself. I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask this entity that was called a demon lord, but I shook my head. I am Luan Bednicker. [I see. Oh, ohoho! L-Luan...] Tangtata spoke with a stutter, and he took out a rag from within his clothes. He used it to wipe away the disgusting liquidI didnt know if I should call it sweat or something elsethat was being produced all over his body. Maybe it was a handkerchief, not a rag? Although I had only seen two demon lords in my life, this things first impression waspletely different from Ahops. Of course, that didnt mean I could let my guard down. Tang... tang... Tangtata yed by himself, kicking the ball around. Considering how fat his body was, he handled the ball pretty well. He didnt use his hands, instead juggling the ball with his foot, knee, and even his head. While watching that, I had a question that I just needed to ask. Could I ask what that is? Since this was a godly being, I was trying to be a bit more polite. But I didnt think he really cared whether or not I spoke casually. [E-eh? A-are you interested in my ball?] Tangtata seemed d for some reason and rolled the ball toward me. [H-here...! P-pass...! Ohoho...] Roll... The ball rolled and stopped upon touching my foot. ... I looked at Juans empty eyes. * * * * * * * * * * Did you do this? [Yes!] Why? This human was your servant... [S-servant? N-no! H-he was my... uh...] Tangtata took out his notebook again and flipped through it quite a bit before responding. [Associate!] Associate? [Or... partner...? E-ehm. Thenguage of the continent... is too difficult...] ... [Anyway, I made a trade with th-that human...] A trade... you and Juan did? [Yes...! I-I... respect the creatures of the continent...! Im j-jealous!] Tangtata continued to wipe away his sweat with the drenched rag. [I-isnt it great? Respect... and trust... among humans...! If that isnt present, a trade... can never happen...! Wh-why would they give something up if they couldnt trust? Ho, hohoho...] ... [Trade... is a good system...! A system... we need to take up as well...] He wasnt something I could continue conversing with. I clicked my tongue before asking, What trade did you make with Juan? [I-it was simple.... Th-this human... said it would entertain me...! Said it would do... what I wanted...! And with that, it borrowed my authority] Tangtata was practically giggling as he spoke. [S-so... recently... I learned about toys, and I wanted one... so I created Juan Ball.] ... [L-Luan? Could you pass... Juan Ball to me?] I didnt do it. When I just stood there and sighed, Tangtata immediately became saddened. [H-hmm... this game... you dont seem to like it... I will respect... your t-tastes...] Where am I? [This is m-my territory...! I-I call this a city... and I gave it a name as well...!] Tangtata spread its arms wide in ecstasy and shouted, [Hells Heart...! Hells only, biggest city...!] I had a question about that. ...If its the only city, isnt it naturally the biggest? Theres nothing else topare to. [Cough...!] In response, Tangtata seemed to clear his throat before changing the topic. [D-dont worry...! Luan Bednicker... I know that you people... call this ce Hell...! But this ce... at least here... isnt dangerous...!] ... A city in Hell. I let out augh at the absurdity. Seeing meugh, Tangtata alsoughed. With how close together his face was, hisugh was disgusting to look at. [L-Luan Bednicker. Follow me...! I-I yearned to invite a guest...!] Guest? [Yes...! Guest...!] Tangtata smiled. Within the mouth I saw open, I saw countless teeth, sharp like the teeth of a gear. Im not your guest. [Eh...?] I was trying to meet the Demon Lord of ck and White. [ck, and, White... uh...] After thinking for a while, an exmation mark appeared above Tangtatas head. [Ah...! I s-see...!] From what Juan said, I was the one who could decide on the destination... so how did I end up in your area? [Th-that... was Juans misunderstanding... The moment he used the authority he borrowed from me... the destination was set to here...] ...Hmm. So that was the case. I felt a bit bitter. I didnt like that this situation had ended up exactly as the Martial God had told me it would. [But... you are... really... an entertaining human...] Tangtata spoke as he looked at me. [When a human sees me... they either... lower their heads... or go insane... yes...] ... [A h-human... who can talk with me... is a first... ohoho... f-fun...] I felt a sense of favor in Tangtatas eyes, but it only put me off. The favor of a demon lord... [H-how about it? Luan Bednicker... w-would you like to be my partner?] Partner? [Y-yes... instead of that human... from before.] I reacted with a nod. Its an honor that someone on the level of a demon lord sees me favorably. What happens if I be a partner? [N-nothing much. You just need to entertain me once in a while.] Entertain you? [Yes...! The human from before... said it loved another person...] Tangtata suddenly gripped his two hands. [L-love...! I-I long for... that emotion...!] ... [Th-that human... got an illness... and didnt have long to live... ah...! This... humans... what a fragile species...] Tangtata let out an exaggerated sigh. [S-so... I told him... to give me... that humans... heart... Th-the face I saw from that human back then... s-so delicious...! Ssp, e-excuse me...] Tangtata wiped away the liquid that continued to flow down his body. [Wh-when I requested the heart, the human screamed... s-saying it could give me anything else... b-but that wouldnt do. Th-the face of someone who loses something of theirs... is the most entertaining... right...?] ... [In the end... Th-that human brought me... a lot of entertainment... even as he died...] I looked at Juan, near my feet. This was only a possibility... But when Juan had first begun worshiping the cult... the human named Juan might not have been so corrupt. Maybe he had truly cherished his love for that woman and had tried his best even after bing a cultist. Maybe her death was the point at which hed truly gone mad and be a high priest. I could no longer find out. The one person who knew the truth was now dead. I want to ask you something. [Ho, hoho... Ask me anything...! I-I have a duty to answer... everything that my part-ner... might be curious about...!] Tangtata pped as he spoke. Seeing how pleased he looked, I felt I could ask him candidly. I looked at Juans head, lying next to my feet, and asked, Do you remember this mans name? [Pardon?] Tangtatas one tiny eye blinked. The name of the person you turned into a ball. [Uh... n-not really...] I let out a dryugh. Despite giving it a disgusting name like Juan Ball or whatever, this thing had already forgotten Juans existence. It was proof that this creature didnt treat people as people. Honestly, when this demon Tangtata had first spoken to me, Id had a thought. If he was capable of talking, couldnt Imunicate with him? Maybe turning Juan into a ball had just been a difference inmon sense. But that wasnt the case. Just because he felt emotions and could talk, that didnt mean we were simr in any way. Humans and demons were created in a way that meant we could never understand each other. For some reason, at this moment, I understood a bit of the unending rage the Lord of Blood and Iron felt toward these demons. Then... what shall I do? As I pondered, I rubbed the coin in my pocket. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 If I summoned Fourth Senior Brother here, I could easily escape this danger. That this monster before me was a demon lord didnt change that. Of course, the creature before me was a monster on par with Eldest Senior Brother, and Fourth Senior Brother had said that the difference between their martial arts was like heaven and earth... However, it was difficult for me to believe everything Fourth Senior Brother said. He was the most humble of my four senior disciples. But ignoring the fact that I was in danger of dying... In a sense, I might have obtained quite a rare opportunity. It was usually impossible tomunicate directly with a demon lord. Even the cultists, who knew the most about them, had to put their lives on the line every time they initiated a summoning ritual. I looked at Tangtata again.[Hmm... I-it seems that you dont like my suggestion.] Tangtata touched his fingers together like he was in a predicament. I considered ttering this monster to get on his good side, but I quickly erased that thought. I did not believe it would be possible for a human to get on this monsters good side with just any random act. If that were enough, Juan wouldnt be dead. I need to be more careful of him because dealing with him seems so easy. I had to stop myself from getting fooled by his ridiculous appearance and stuttering words. Maybe Tangtata was the most dangerous demon lord among them. [I-it cant be helped. Ohoho... E-everyone has their own tastes...] I looked at Tangtata and slowly said, Instead of a partnership... how about a trade? I was changing the topic. Trades are different from conversations. Theres no need for one party to perfectly understand the other. All that mattered were the gains of those involved. Maybe such calctions were how the cult had formed a rtionship with the gods of disaster. [Trade...?] It looks like yourecking in toys, so Ill help entertain you. [Ho, hohoho...!] Tangtata pped and looked happy. He then said somethingpletely unexpected. [A-all right...! Th-then... lets y tag...!] Tag? [Th-then... staaaart...!] Bang! After pping, Tangtata immediately reached out toward me. ...! I barely dodged his rotund hand. I sessfully dodged it, but my arms were covered in goosebumps. [Oh, ohoho...!] Tangtataughed before continuing to reach toward me. It suddenly reminded me of my masters grasping palm, and I felt as nervous now as I had back then. A wave of nervousness swept through me. I felt like if I was grabbed even once, my bones and flesh would be destroyed. Whats with that movement? Tangtata wasnt that fast. He was rtively agile given his obese body. However, every time I felt him attack me, my stamina and mental strength were carved away significantly. Perhaps this pressure, which made me feel like I wanted to copse and fall to the floor, was just the aura Tangtata possessed? As far as I could tell, he didnt even know he was emitting such an aura. [Ohohoho...! Y-you dodge well! Th-then how about this?] Tangtatas green face was dyed red. It looked ridiculous, but I remained serious. As some sort of liquid began to ooze out of his jelly-like face... [Ohohohohot!] Ssh! Tangtata began to swing his head in a circle like a madman. ...! The red liquid sshed all around him because of his movement. For some reason, I felt that it would be dangerous to get hit by even one drop of that, so I quickly put some distance between us. Splish! The objects touched by the liquid immediately corroded. It was iparably more acidicpared to Juans green tongue. The problem happened afterward. Even though I had dodged everything, that wasnt enough. Stumble. Even though not a single drop touched me, I felt dizzy for an instant and felt my body be slower. No. Was it because of the toxic fumes created from the acid? I held my breath the moment I noticed, but I couldnt help the little bit I had already inhaled. [Oh, ohoho...! You cant run anymore...!] Bang! [...?] Iunched a ming wheel at Tangtatas face. Feeling his face be engulfed in mes in the middle of his speech, Tangtata tilted his head. [U-uh...? Its still my turn to tag...?] Theres no rule that says I cant attack the chaser. [Uh...] Tangtata thought about it for a bit. Then, still spaced out, he nodded. [I-I guess we didnt decide on that...?] While Tangtata was talking nonsense, I ignited my internal energy in my inner core. Crack! I might have just cracked my teeth. Thats how much strength I put into my mouth as I circted my true ki throughout my entire body fast enough to create heat. Fwoosh! The toxic fumes I had inhaled were flushed away as soon as the mes touched them. Of course, this only stopped the situation from worsening. It didnt help return my dulled physical abilities to normal. I suddenly dodged with lightning-walker steps as Tangtataunched another attack. Can I attack him directly? The disgusting liquid that Tangtata had sshed all around him was still flowing down his oily face. It was too disgusting for me to directly make contact with him. The only offensive options that remained were to attack it over its clothes or use the Sword of Seven Sins to ...What if I infuse my fist with ki? I didnt know what the result would be. It was aplete gamble. I also suddenly had a thought. If Id met Tangtata instead of Ahop before my regression, I wouldve trained my defense instead of my evasion. [Ho, ho, ho...!] But then the green pig began to move again. * * * * * * * * * * It used its wide hands to p, but it wasnt an ordinary p. p! p! Each p was so loud that it felt like my ears were going to pop. Through my ringing ears, I heard his joyful voice. [Its so fun...!] Disgusting bastard... I swallowed my curse and tried to use lightning-walker steps again, but my foot caught on something and I nearly tripped. The shockwaves created by those ps were ripping through the air; they were the most likely culprit. This was a serious problem. I had been able to use lightning-walker steps to walk through the storming cliff face without any problem, but now Id been stopped by just a few ps. The authority of a demon lord... Just how was I supposed to oppose that power? Training my mind and body didnt seem like it would be enough. Do I have to use my blessing? Although I knew what my blessing was now... I didnt think I could train to handle this ability. It didnt seem like I could raise my resistance against demonic energy with just training either. [D-dont break...! Dont breaaaaak!] After slurring his words a bit, Tangtata began to destroy his surroundings as if throwing a tantrum. Id already been fully aware of the difference in our levels. If he made up his mind and came at me with the intent to kill, I would die instantly. After letting go of my pride and epting the current situation, a question appeared in my mind. Why was I still alive? He is treating this like a game. And all games had rules. What were the rules that Tangtata was following? Now that I thought about it, my legs hadnt moved when hed first reached out to me. In that case... Fwoosh! Rather than lightning-walker steps, I used me dash. I emitted fire ki in all directions as I moved. My trajectory was simple. I was going to circle Tangtata like a wheel. [Hohohoho...!] Even as the buildings around him burned, Tangtata continued to smile. Fuu... When the toxic fumes and the smoke from the mes mixed, I started breathing again. The dark green city was now engulfed in mes. At this point, I changed from me dash to my stepping technique, lightning-walker steps. Bzzt! When the small shot of electricity zapped through my steps, I realized something. These two are prettypatible. The transition from me dash to lightning-walker steps was quite smooth. It felt as if they were supposed to be connected. And for some reason... Instead of transitioning from me dash to lightning-walker steps... I had a feeling that switching from lightning-walker steps to me dash would be much more natural. Maybe it was because running after walking was much more natural than walking after running. They felt a little different. Lightning-walker steps, derived from bolts of lightning. White Sun Form, derived from the raging me. It was just a feeling I had, but I felt like mes were moreprehensive than lightning. Maybe that was why me dash was able to cover lightning-walker steps. Of course, I could be wrong, but that was my theory. sh! The unexpected enlightenment I gained was immediately utilized by my actions. I used lightning-walker steps to close the distance with Tangtata. When I was about two steps away from him, I threw my punch. I still didnt want to touch whatever that liquid was, but neither did I want to ignore the sudden idea that had crossed my mind. Bam, bam, bam. The punches I threw while using lightning-walker steps were exactly the same in form as the first technique of the White Sun Form, scorching heat, but their power waspletely different. White Sun Form, Improvised Technique. Lightning Fist. Rumble! The moment my fist touched him, Tangtatas face exploded like a balloon. What? Seeing a result Id not expected at all, my brain stopped for a second. I quickly jumped away from Tangtata and observed the situation... [...] Tangtatas body just stood there without a face. Although his face had disappeared, I didnt get the feeling that he was dead. The pressure being emitted by his fat body remained the same. Fwip! Tangtatas body suddenly turned toward me before making all sorts of gestures. [...! ...!] It looked like he was trying to say something. I waited for a moment, and green flesh bubbled up from below his neck like a geyser. [Ho, hohoho...!] With that, Tangtatas face regenerated. ... I had prided myself on having witnessed all sorts of oddities in my life, but I couldnt help my jaw dropping here. This was the first time Id seen someone regenerate their face. [Th-that was fu-fun...! Electrifying! Hohohoho...! Th-then...] Tangtatas voice lowered for a moment. [I should entertain you as well...?] Im dead. I couldnt risk it anymore. The moment I tried to put my hand into my pocket to take out the coin... Crackle! A long spear fell from the sky like a bolt of lightning. The spear let out a piercing sound as it turned Tangtata into dust. As the wind and lightning swirled around me, my nervousness calmed for a moment. Bzzt. That spear... I looked at the lightning-d spear. The Spear of Wind and Lightning. A divine weapon that could bring about both great gusts and bolts of lightning. I I knew who that weapon belonged to. At this moment, a ck figure fell from the sky andnded without making a sound. Their characteristic presence, reminiscent of an ancient oak, was unchanged even in the midst of this dark and suffocating hell. The martial artist who had made the second greatest impact on my life grabbed the spearstill crackling with lightningwith his bare hand. ... Eldest Senior Brothers gazended on me. Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Eldest Senior Brother used three different mystic treasures. The Spear of Wind and Lightning, which controlled both wind and lightning... The Dark Star de, which was said to hold the principle of the Union of One Truth... And the Severing Sword, which could cut through anything under the heavens. In my memories, my eldest senior brother wore a long and flowing grey robe, his hair done up loosely and an easy-going expression on his face. As if to contradict all that, he would wear his three monstrous mystic treasures tied to his back... But right now, I could see neither his de nor his sword. Other than that, he looked the same as I remembered. I guess... his hair looks a bit longer?Eldest Right as I began to speak, it happened. Frighteningughter suddenly echoed out as a green storm formed. At the center of this storm, a round ball took shape as Tangtata reappeared. [Ohohoho...!] What would it take to kill him? It was shocking, seeing him revive after getting hit directly by the Spear of Wind and Lightning. [Steeeaaar...!] For a second I thought he was talking in demonic, but his expression told me that wasnt the case. Ster... Was that senior brothers other name? [Wh-what business do you have, in my territory...?] Thats what I should be asking. Why did you take my guest? Tangtata looked surprised. [G-guest?] With a neutral expression, Eldest Senior Brother responded, You can stop that useless acting of yours. That spear strike just now was your punishment. [Ho-hohoho... I dont know what youre talking about...] I will take this human. Do you have a problem with that? [N-not at all...! I-Im not so brave... as to f-fight you... oh, hohoho...] Tangtata gave a thumbs up. [H-have a good time...! Pyong...!] With that, Tangtata jumped into the air and disappeared through the murky sky. Huh... It was an impactful departure. I was looking up at the sky in a daze when I heard Eldest Senior Brothers voice. Will you follow me? His expression was still cold, but his voice was warm. The voice from my memories. I hesitated for a second before nodding. *** Eldest Senior Brother went into one of the many buildings in the alleyway. The twisted building waspletely empty on the inside. It wasnt just missing furniture; the walls and floor were bare,cking any sort of wallpaper or flooring. A truly empty room. The alleyway looked better than it. So effort was only spent on the outside appearance. Tangtata talked about this ce like it was a city or something, but it was clearly an empty husk with no real substance. ... Eldest Senior Brother was the first to enter the room, but he just stood there in silence with his back turned to me. Why didnt he immediately turn to look at me? Maybe he doesnt want me to see the expression hes making. Usually, I would ask these questions before theyd even settled in my mind, but because it was Eldest Senior Brother, I couldnt easily say the words. So youve reached the second stage of the Strongest Technique in History. He suddenly started talking about martial arts? Considering how long its been, its an incredible achievement. Congrattions. I was a little taken aback even as I answered, ...Thank you. Only now did Eldest Senior Brother turn his bodyslightlytoward me. Tangtata... ... ...Is a dangerous demon lord. Of course, from the perspective of humans, all demon lords are dangerous, but he is the most evil. It would be right to consider everything you just saw of Tangtata a lie. I dont know why youre here, but conversing with him and even ying with him was very dangerous. Is that advice? When I asked that, Eldest Senior Brother stopped talking. His dry eyes matched the worn-out window behind him. Through the window, I could see the terrible sight of Hell, but the exhaustion on Eldest Senior Brothers face was something else entirely. He looked like he hadnt slept in a long time. I suddenly wondered when Eldest Senior Brother hadst smiled. I knew you woulde. ... I didnt know it would be this quickly or in a ce like this. In many ways, it is too early for you to be here. I feel the same way. Baek Nogwang must have given you a time. At this moment, I stared directly at Eldest Senior Brother. He didnt show any reaction, instead continuing, What did he say? ...He said wed meet again in 10 years. Its as he says. Youre 10 years too early to kill me. Kill you? Didnt Baek Nogwang tell you to kill me? Master... said to bring you back, Eldest Senior Brother. For the first time, Eldest Senior Brothers expression changed. It was a minor change, but there was nothing minor about the emotion in that change. But all I could read from the shift was a small disturbance. Eldest Senior Brother shook his head as if to shake away his exhaustion. ...Lets forget we met like this. Next time, I wish for you toe to me purely on your own strength. Where? Spirit Mountain. Pardon? Eldest Senior Brother didnt say anything further, so I just nodded. So you want me to figure it out myself? Sure, but can I ask you one thing? Go on. How many times have you killed? His reply was instant: Countless. ... And I will kill many more times in the future. Whats your reason? My reason? For the first time, Eldest Senior Brotherughed. His lowughter was closer to a jeer. Personally, I didnt think it fit him. Ill ask you this instead: If I give you a suitable reason here, do you think youll be able to ept and understand it? What do you... You wont. You only trust in Baek Nogwangs words, you only follow him. Youd just take my words as excuses, not reasoning. Eldest Senior Brother paused before shaking his head. ...Sorry. Im not ming you. Im not trying to say Im right either. Im only saying you treat Baek Nogwang as if hes invible. As if... Eldest Senior Brother paused. When he spoke again, there was an added weight to his words. As if that man is the god of martial arts. ... As long as that fact doesnt change, there is nothing I can say to you. I looked at Eldest Senior Brother as I said, Youve definitely changed. The senior brother I knew wouldnt judge other people like this. What? Do you think I wouldnt be able to understand and ept your reasoning? Of course I would. Even though I respect Master, I have my own thoughts and my own way of life. I dont agree with everything he does. This was another lesson Master had taught me. He must have given the same lesson to Eldest Senior Brother. That was why Id believed that Eldest Senior Brother had left the nest to stand on his own... His eyes met mine. We had been looking at each other the whole time, but this felt like the first time Id truly seen his eyes. ...Phehe. When Eldest Senior Brother let out a dryugh, I felt as if I had been transported back to Spirit Mountain. It was good to see you, Luan. What? Suddenly, I felt that I could no longer stay here. It was truly an instinctual feeling, one that was difficult to describe... How should I put it... It was as if my body was about to leave this ce. Is this what the Martial God said about the rule from the beginning of time? Eldest Senior Brother seemed to have noticed as well. And my name is Haru. It was a random introduction, but I understood what he meant. Yes. I realized something. ...Ill see you soon, Eldest Senior Brother. Id ignored it because I wasnt ready. Although I had avoided it this time, I wouldnt be able to at our next meeting. I would need to clearly refer to him. No longer as Eldest Senior Brother... But as Haru. * * * * * * * * * * Chirp chirp chirp. The sounds of forest birds, the smell of grass, and the slightly damp feeling of lying on the ground. I took in the senses I hadnt been able to feel in Hell. Beyond the cool breeze, the warm light of the sun surrounded me. I wanted to lie down like this for a little longer. Maybe I will. I didnt open my eyes, just lying there for some time. Eventually, I went over the meeting I had just experienced. Eldest Senior Brother had called Master by his name, and he no longer wanted me to address him as senior brother... So he hadnt been expelledhed walked out on his own. The end result is that First is now expelled. To be precise, he left of his own ord. Only now did I understand what Master had meant. And... although Id finally met with Eldest Senior Brother, I still didnt understand. Eldest Senior Brother had definitely changed. However, it didnt feel like he had changed into apletely different entity from the Senior Brother Haru that Id known. Although he no longer smiled and his words had be much colder... Those words had been used to reprimand me for falling down to Hell suddenly. They were the same words the Eldest Senior Brother I remembered would have used. Hmm... Hed told me to go to Spirit Mountain. I didnt know what hed meant by that. Was he telling me to activate my blessing again? Imcking. Imcking too much. In a lot of ways. I wascking in information, and I wascking in power. The power Id gained on Spirit Mountain wasnt nothing, but my desire for strength had only be stronger. Only now did I remember Master saying I had finally entered The World. ...Lets get up. My head was heavy, but my body felt light. I quickly rose and let out a long sigh. Pfuuuuu... I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, revealing a silent field in the middle of the day. I could see the marks of battle littering the area, informing me that this was where I had fought with Juan before our disappearance. I had returned to the ce I had left from. The fact that it was day meant that a day had already passed. Honestly, I didnt think that much time had passed, but then again, I hadnt been gone for a short while either. Fwoosh. Ow, cold. My body felt cold. My training uniform had been ripped while ying that damn game of tag with Tangtata. It was in a terrible condition to face the winds of winter with. I quickly ran through the forest and returned to camp. Maybe because Id just seen all those twisted buildings in Hell, but even the worn-down young heros lodge looked quite good. It looks normal on the outside. Nothing had happened, right? In the end, Juan had died, so the demon lords summoning ritual shouldve been stopped. ... My heart becameplicated as I once again thought about Juan. It wasnt that I sympathized with him. Juan had nned for a massacre, and hed paid the price for it. But unrted to all that, I suddenly wondered what his final thoughts had been when hed died to the demon lord in the world before my regression. Had Juan always been destined to die at the hands of a demon lord? Although I didnt believe in destiny, those thoughts circled my mind for a second. Ouch. My head hurts... For now, I wanted to rest. Of course, I needed to visit Calzark and Juniang to report that nothing had happened. By the way... Why is the camp so eerily quiet? I couldnt feel a single presence. Maybe I should go and visit the other young heroes before returning to the nurses office? No. The second special test would already be underway at this point. They should be in the forest right now. That also exined why the camp was so quiet. The number of instructors was only half the number of young heroes. Hmm? Uh. At this moment, I saw a knight instructor. I hesitated for a moment before brushing myself off and standing straight. They should be aware that Im still in the nurses office, so it shouldnt be weird for me to still be at camp. Well, if they picked up on my ragged and exhausted appearance, there was nothing I could say about that. I was just walking around to get some fresh air! Ill return to the nurses office Young Master... Luan? Young master? I was still part of the training camp, though. I am Young Hero Luan... L-Lu-Lu... The knight looked at me with shaking eyes before shouting, Its Young Master Luan! ...What? Whats with this reaction? ____ Chapter 114 Chapter 114 I changed my clothes in the nurses office. ...Its a little too big. Why did these uniforms onlye in too big and too small? Still, bigger was better than smaller. I could at least adjust it with rope or the buttons. The young hero Karis wore clothes much too small for himself, and his pants looked terrible as a result. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Iming in. Okay. ck.The door opened and Juniang appeared. I had nothing to hide. The one who had stopped the knights from swarming me like a cloud was the Instructor of DoctrineJuniang. ... Juniang looked at me with aplicated expression. As if on instinct, she moved for a cigarette in her pocket. Tsch. Fuu... After letting out a cloud of smoke, she finally spoke. ...Luan Bednicker. Right? Of course. Whats going on? You saw me yesterday. What do you Juniang looked at my expression before continuing, This is thest week of the training camp. What? Its been four weeks since you went missing. What? *** I received a general outline of what had happened. To summarize... That night, not long after being forced to leave the battle, Calzark had brought Juniang and Rook to the open field. But only the traces of battle had remained. They had found neither Juan nor I nor any trace of our presence. That made senseit was practically impossible to find someone in the dark forestso theyd gone on to perform a wide-scale search and even postponed the special test an additional day... But naturally, they hadnt been able to find even our shadows despite searching the whole of the campgrounds for over three days. The Instructor of Swords and des is still looking for you, in fact. I have frequently seen him venturing out into the forest when he is off duty. Hmm. Maybe he felt guilty about me? I didnt know what sort of rtionship he had shared with Juan in the past, but... if I were to judge this situation more coldly, I would say that the n had failed because of Calzarks independent actions. To be honest, if it had been anyone other than Calzark, I wouldve already gone to smack them over the head. I owe him my life from the Gem Mountains, so one time is fine. At this point, Juniang said, In that situation, I heard amotion outside and came out to look, and there you were. Tell me, just what happened? ...Where should I start? As I hesitated in my indecision, the look on Juniangs face shifted a little. ...Among the cults sorceries, there is one that allows them to steal the body of a regr person. It is difficult to use against someone who has a blessing, but it is not impossible. It had been a while since Id been suspected of this. Thats an extreme misunderstanding. I got it, Ill talk. So, what happened is... I provided a short summary of what had happened to me. ... Juniangs personality was usually cold and calm, but as she listened to my story, her expression changed a little with each beat. Starting from suspicion and doubt, she outwardly showed her surprise before clearly bing shocked. ...You went to Hell? And you met a demon lord there? Yes. Do you even understand what youre saying right now? It sounds insane, but Ive only spoken the truth. Sigh... I tried tofort Juniang, who had flopped back onto her chair while holding her face. I know, its difficult to believe. If Id known this was going to happen, I wouldve at least picked up a stone from Hell to Juniang looked at me from between her fingers as she said, Its also difficult to not believe you. The Instructor of Swords and des told me that he saw you fighting the high priest one-on-one. And if what he said is true, then... I have to ept... I, to ept... Right as she seemed about to ept my words, Juniang shouted, No, butfuck! A demon lord is too much! I calmly nodded in agreement. I understand. As a currently active priest, Juniang would have a harder time epting my words. If I had heard this story from another young hero, I wouldve told them off for lying to my face. A demon lord... Not even the bishops of the main church have seen one... Hmm... But... sure. I can believe that you went down to Hell. If you went to another dimension, then that exins how, despite searching for you for so many weeks, we were unable to find even a trace of your body. It also exins how you suddenly appeared here. Yes. I dont lie. Thats a lie. Ack. I understand the situation. Its a littlete to say this... but Im d youre alive, Luan Bednicker. Dont mention it. By the way, what happened to everything rted to Juan? Considering the mood, I cant imagine it was announced. Thats how it went. If it were revealed that a high priest had infiltrated the training camp, the camp would be turned upside down, so it was just quietly covered up. By whom? Sir Asad. Well, since it was the Archmage, Juniang had probably epted it without much problem. So theres a chance that this incident will just be overlooked... Juniang looked a bit dissatisfied before looking at me and asking, Arent you angry? Angry about what? You basically killed a high priest by yourself. From what I heard, the Instructor of Swords and desall that man did was get in your way. It was true. Not even the Lord of Blood and Iron had killed a high priest at your age. If this achievement is made known, your infamy and bad name within the house should disappear instantly. Aiming to be the next family head wouldnt be a dream either. Im not interested in either of those things. I was being sincere. My head was about to explode from just trying to deal with one high priest, so bing the family head wasnt tempting at all. ...Youre humble. So are you saying youre satisfied just silently dealing with trouble while in the darkness? Well, not like that either. Luan Bednicker, Ive been watching you all this time, but I really feel a sense of kinship with you. How about it? Have you not thought about bing a heretic Im fine. ...Sure, Juniang responded, seeming disappointed. In any case... youll need to return to the main house. Pardon? Now? From what Ive heard, the main house has already started preparing for your funeral. If you dont return soon, youll officially be a dead man. That wont do. And youll need to exin your situation to the Council of Elders as well. Ehm... Id already lost any sort of positive feelings I mightve held toward the Council of Elders. Asad and the Lord of Blood and Iron still had a chance. Then what about the training camp? What training camp? Didnt you say that this is thest week? Then its not over yet. If I leave now, wont I be unable to finish it? Is finishing the training camp the problem right now? And even if you do stay, you wont be able toplete the training camp. Why is that? You disappeared for over four weeks. You want toplete the training camp after only finishing the first andst weeks? Bednicker isnt some neighborhood house; dont even try it. ... Now that I think about it, I need at least five points in each subject, a total of 20 points. It would be difficult for me to even attempt with the time remaining. * * * * * * * * * * Is there anything I can do? I need toplete the training camp. Why? Its the Lord of Blood and Irons order. E-ehm... the Lord of Blood and Iron... Juniang became a little flustered at the mention of his name. She furrowed her brow a little and began to think. ...There is one way. What is it? You just need to enter the top three in points. If you do that, your attendance and the minimum point requirements for each subject wont matter. I thought for a moment before asking, Could I perhaps see the total points ranking? It should be on disy within the first floor of the young heros lodge. Go and check it there. Got it. Upon moving to the first floor of the young heros lodge with Juniang, I saw the announcement stered there. 1st: Charon Woodjack, 102 points. 2nd: Zeros Silver, 67 points. 3rd: Hector Bednicker, 65 points. 4th: Sinbar, 51 points. 5th: Sellen Goodspring, 49 points. Oh ho... The first thing I noticed was Charons overwhelming lead at the top. Next, I noticed that Hector had closed the gap to second ce quite a bit, and that Sellen was within the top five. Since I was looking at the ranks, I checked the points of the others as well. 9th: Evan Helvin, 39 points. 22nd: Mir Giant, 27 points. And finally, my points... 34th: Luan Bednicker, 14 points. Eh? Last time I checked, I had 17 points. As I looked at Juniang with eyes that said give them back, she pulled something from her pocket. I was curious what it was, but it turned out to just be a notebook. Flip. Luan Bednicker... It says here that you made a trade with Zeros Silver? It says you bought information for three points. Ah. Id forgotten about that. By the way... how am I notst when I have so few points? Youre practicallyst since there are only 37 people total. Only 37? While you were gone, two more people died. Ah... My head felt a little numb. I hadnt expected that. Thinking about it now, even though I had stopped the demon lords summoning ritual, the training camp hadnt be any less dangerous. The 20 percent death rate hadnt changed. Whats with your expression? This is the best weve had yet. Its not like I can smile upon hearing that people died. Thats true, but the number of deaths in this training camp is very low. Everyone has done excellently. Its not even over yet, so isnt it too leary to make that conclusion? But when I said that, Juniang shook her head. Statistically, it is very unlikely that someone will die at this point. Most deaths ur in the first and second weeks while theyre trying to get used to the training camp. I see. In any case, to change the topic... if you want to aim for third, you need to obtain 51 points. ... I was done for. Even if I joined the final special test, I wasnt expecting them to give out that many points at once. It wouldnt be fair. But if its the final special test... you might be able to do it. ...As expected of Bednicker. I always believed in you. Of course, Ill need to discuss with the other instructors if we can even allow you to participate Juniang nced at me and asked, But are you really going to join? To be honest, itll be very difficult for you. Youll have to endure quite a few penalties, and despite what I just said, there is still the danger of death. Now that I think about it, I havent heard what the special test is about. What is the final special test? To put it simply, its just team survival. It started four days ago andsts for a week. If it started four days ago andsts a week... then I only have three days left? Then is thest week set aside just for this one special test? Thats right. Itll be a cumtive test of everything you learned during the training camp. Hunting, survival, theory, weapon skills, blessings, everything. Aha. Give me a second. Juniang pulled out something from her pocket and showed it to me. It was a round red ball. What is it? A ball. This is one point. There is a ball for each color of the rainbow, from red to violet. The various colors are worth 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 points respectively. This ball is one point. Toss. Juniang tossed the ball up and then caught it as it fell. These balls are hidden all over the forest, and naturally, the higher-point balls are more difficult to obtain. Also, you can only ever have three balls on you. Oh... So if I get three violet balls... A total of 75 points, Juniang said. Even if first ce is impossible, it is theoretically possible to get second. Of course, its not like second and third ce are going to sit around and twiddle their thumbs. I looked at the ranks again as I asked, Can I steal balls from other people? Of course. Everything short of killing each other is allowed. So it was like the second special test. If youre entering the special test, youll have to do it by yourself. Since the test is already underway, its not like we can put you in an already established team, right? So unlike the others, youll need to move and act alone. Since a few days have passed since the start of the test, there might be a few teams who have banded together to oppose the teams hoarding the good balls. But will they ept your presence if you suddenly enter the picture? Its not like you showed a great performance during the training camp before. ... Well... considering you fought a high priest by yourself, I probably dont have to worry about you. Juniang seemed to half-doubt my capabilities, but it didnt really matter to me. Its perfect. What is? I didnt reveal my inner thoughts. The emotions I was feeling were all too childish. ...After fighting the high priest and meeting a demon lord, Id reunited with my eldest senior brother. Things hadnt ended well, nor had the process been a cakewalk. I hadnt been able to overpower the high priest, and Id beenpletely fooled by the demon lord. Honestly, if Eldest Senior Brother hadnt intervened in the middle of the demon lords act, I had no idea what wouldve happened to me. If what Eldest Senior Brother had said was true, then Tangtata had basically just been toying with me... After training rtively hard on Spirit Mountain, Id returned thinking I had progressed a decent amount. To then be toyed with like that... Honestly, it had left a deep cut in my delicate heart. To put it simply, I... I wanted to throw a tantrum. Angrily. Furiously. Sincerely. Charon...! Hector...! Thinking of my two friends who would resolve this problem of mine, I clenched my fists as my heart burned. Wait for me...! Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Juniang said she would need to go and hold a meeting about allowing me to enter the special test. Theyll probably allow it. If you want, Im sure youll be allowed to rest today and then start tomorrow. Im fine. Honestly, although my body wasnt in perfect condition, I didnt think it would matter much. Then wait here for a moment. Ah, just a second, I said, stopping Juniang as she was about to leave. Instructor Einsburn. Is he still here? The Instructor of Law? What about him? There was a bit of hostility in her response. Ignoring the feeling that something was wrong, I asked, I received some information during my battle with Juan. Instructor Eisburn is likely a cultist as wellor at the very least an informant.Really... I thought so. ...? Unexpectedly, Juniang seemed to fully ept my words. It happened right after you and Juan disappeared: He suddenly said he was in pain and asked to leave. He probably just wanted to run away. Ah... then has he already escaped? He left the camp. The edges of Juniangs lips curled. But he hasnt been able topletely leave Bednicker yet. He is probably being held in the checkpoint at the entrance to the forest. Oh... so not even instructors are allowed to leave the camp? Thats right. As expected of Bednicker. Instructors and young heroes were both equal under itsws. Ill interrogate him myself. For an acting heretic inquisitor to interrogate someone... I felt a sense of pride in my heart as I nodded. Since youre going to interrogate him, is there a way to find out if there are any other rats within the house? I didnt find anything when I investigated before... but I might be able to find something if I use Einsburn properly, yeah. Juniang left with a wave. While I waited for her, I went out to the backyard of the young heros lodge. I drew the Sword of Seven Sins and brushed over the t of the de with my hand. ...Martial God? [Speak.] As if he had been waiting for me, I heard the Martial Gods voice. Maybe it was just me, but... he sounded upset. Are you perhaps angry? [Angry? Me?] After letting out a dryugh, the Martial God adopted a serious tone. [How could I be? You are not a child unknowing of the world. It was your choice whether to follow the advice I gave you. At the age of fifteen, it is only right that you act as you wish.] He was definitely angry. [But in the end, you were able to return to reality without issue, so your decision was proven correct. I was wrong. I made a grave mistake. I wont say anything in the future no matter what danger you encounter, so do not worry.] He seemed to be even angrier than Id anticipated. I hadnt expected a god to be so petty... But I knew this was founded in his worry for me, so I didnt get angry at him or anything like that. I apologize. First, I apologized. Then, before the Martial God could say anything, I quickly continued, To be honest, after I fell to Hell, I truly regretted it and was overtaken by fear. I regretted it more and more, thinking I should have listened to your advice, Martial God... [...] At the end, I understood. Ah, so this is why the words of our elders shouldnt be ignored. There is at least a bit of truth in every word our elders speak... [...] After this, I will never ignore or take lightly your advice, Martial God. Really! [...Really?] Of course. I do not lie! [That is a lie right there.] ... [Fuu...] The Martial God let out a deep sigh. [...I can tell youre not truly remorseful, but I sense sincerity in your words to me, so I understand.] Thank you. [However, never... never again set foot so willingly into Hell. Demonic energy is far too dangerous for a living being.] Our conversation had finally gotten around to this issue. I had been waiting for him to say that. Im asking since it came up: Is training with my blessing the only way to resist demonic energies and demon lords authorities? [What do you mean?] I only have one blessing, and its not abat blessing or something I can train. After being exposed to so much demonic energy, I realized... it didnt feel like something I can resist just by training my mind or body. [Hmm...] The Martial God spoke as if he was nodding. [It is as you say. Your kind differentiates between the Gods of Disaster and the Righteous Gods, but in essence, they are the same. And until you reach a certain point, the only thing that can resist the power of a god is the power of another god.] Then if you could possibly grant me a blessing, Martial God...? The Martial Gods tone turned bitter. [Unfortunately, I do not have such power currently.] ... [But there is a method. You can form a contract with me.] A... contract? [The blessing of a god can only be obtained by those who possess the blood of the heirs. However, the power of a divine beast can be borrowed without much trouble. Of course, you still need to form a contract with them.] The Martial God seemed surprised. [Did you not know this, even though you are of a heros bloodline?] Id known about divine beasts, but I hadnt known that there existed a method like this to borrow their power. Just what is a divine beast exactly? [They are beasts who became gods. In the past, they were called Spirit Beasts, Mythical Beasts, and even Mystical Beasts. They are usually favorable to the seven races. If you wish, it would not be too difficult to obtain a contract with them.] Hmm... [Your house inherited the blood of the ck Fairy Kuset, correct? Then the power of the divine beast that supports your house should also be great. Ask your caretaker when you have the time.] By caretaker, did he mean the Lord of Blood and Iron? I just nodded for now. Understood. Ah, and... [What is it?] For some reason, the Martial God didnt seem like he would disappear anytime soon today, so I decided to ask him every question Id thought of so far. * * * * * * * * * * I want to ask about the White Sun Form. [Hmm. Go on.] I gained inspiration about the techniques in the second half I slowly exined everything Id thought of during my stay on Spirit Mountain. The rtionship between the Strongest Fire Technique and the White Sun Form. The symbolism of fire. The focus on dodging and defense for the techniques in the second half. After listening to everything I had to say, the Martial God nodded. [Its a decent approach... There is no reason for all actions to be offensive. You have enough destructive potential within the first half.] Right? [You are flexible in your thinking, Inheritor. Very good.] ... The moment I heard him say very good... I experienced a sudden shock to my emotions. The Martial God didnt seem to realize this as he continued speaking. [However, what is most important is the connectedness of the movements.] ...Connectedness? [To wrap together multiple different movements into one martial art, the transition between each must be natural, from the very first technique to the veryst. Even if you mix up the order, they must flow smoothly without stopping.] Ah. So... Even if I used falling me right after ming wheel. Even if I used scorching heat right after falling me. Not just ordinally, from one technique to the technique that follows it, but every sequence, even reverse order, needed to be possible. I see. Thats the reason I can use all my techniques at once. Thinking about it now, it wasnt anything impressive, but it felt as if I had awakened to a new truth about martial arts. Please teach me more about the secrets of the Gctic Sword. [Hmm?] After holding the Sword of Seven Sins upright, I performed the Gctic Sword. [Hooh...] This was the first time the Martial God of this timeline had seen my Gctic Sword. He let out an exmation before asking me a question. [Did you perhaps train in the Gctic Sword while I was unconscious, Inheritor?] Pardon? [It is surprising to see you entering the realm of Dubhe already.] Ah... well, it ended up like that. [I see...] The Martial God seemed satisfied. [It is simple to enter the realm of Merak. You only need to condense the sword trajectory you showed just now.] Condense...? I tilted my head at the unfamiliar terminology. [You possess the blood of the ck fairy, correct?] You could say that. [Since you possess both the blood of a human and that of the ck fairy, achieving Merak wont be difficult. However, Phecda will be difficult to reach with training alone.] What do you... [The Sword of Seven Sins possesses the secret of the Gctic Sword, and to unleash the power of the Sword of Seven Sins, you will require the essence of the seven races.] Is that why the Sword of Seven Sins reacted to Mir before? [Hmm... this is much too distant a concern for your current self.] No, it was interesting. [Is that so? If you have any other questions, you may ask them now.] It felt as if showing off the Gctic Sword had made the Martial Gods attitude toward me be much more favorable. Since I had the opportunity, I showed him lightning-walker steps and me dash before asking my question. The first technique is the one I most recently created, but I feel as if it connects very naturally to the technique I showed after it, even though there isnt a great deal of connection between the two. [Hmm...] But it also doesnt feel right to connect the two techniques together. It feels like itd be more effective to use them simultaneously or in sequence. What do you think, Martial God? [The technique you showed initially... was it inspired by thunder and lightning?] Maybe it was to be expected of the Martial God, but his insight was deep. With a bit of shock in my tone, I responded, Thats right. I named it the lightning-walker steps. [Quite the nd naming sense...] ... [In any case, if it is a martial art born from lightning, it is not odd that it connects so naturally. Fire and lightning possess simr characteristics, so it is easy tobine the two.] Yes. I think of fire as a concept that can epass lightning as well. [Quite an interesting approach...] The Martial God seemed uncharacteristically intrigued. [All martial arts start with observation. The practitioners of old first obtained inspiration from what they saw, and countless martial arts were created from that. However, just because one sees the same as another, that does not mean they will create the same technique.] What do you mean? [Let us say that two martial masters observe the ocean. One might be awed by its vastness while the other fears its imperceptible depth. That is why nature is dependent on the interpretation of humans. It doesnt matter if the characteristic you witness after deep observation differs from conventional wisdom.] The words the Martial God said next ingrained themselves deeply in my mind. [The truth of martial arts is already ingrained in the hearts of each independent being.] Ah... I let out an exmation in a daze. I suddenly had a thought. This nameless Martial Gods personality was theplete opposite of Baek Nogwangs... But if I hadnt met Baek Nogwang, I might have taken this person as my master. [You have already understood the nature of stepping and running, so to bnce it out, you should research a more effective way of moving your entire body.] Understood. I nodded as I realized what the Martial God had told me was the principle of light steps and light body, which my master had spoken about in passing in the past. Luan? At this time, I heard Juniangs voice. What are you doing in the backyard? Ive been looking for you. I sheathed the Sword of Seven Sins as I said, ...I find ces like this to give me peace sometimes. Still the perfect individual to be a heretic inquis So what was the result of the meeting? ...Naturally, it went well. Juniang pointed to the forest. You can go in now if you want, or you can wait for the Instructor of Swords and des to return if you want to talk to him. Its fine. Have you checked the items you can buy? Juniang handed me a piece of paper. Its pretty simr to what was avable during the second special test. I nced over it and then handed it back to her. Theres nothing that useful to me. Did you even look at it properly? I did. Hmm... Well, sure. Dont regret it. I looked at the forest. All right, then... Lets start for real. *** Ch-Charon has a purple ball...! ... Hector looked coldly at the one who had said that. In a sense, he had been the busiest young hero during this training camp. A young hero who had pped his wings in every way possible. Hans Bender. How should Hector put this... Hans had looked older than the others to begin with, but he seemed to have aged six more years in the past six weeks. Eddy let out augh as he watched from the side. What nonsense. How long has it been since you were rubbing your hands together next to Charon like a mosquito? Did you think that if you came to us now and bowed, we would just say, Ah, really? and believe you? Mr. Hector? Eddy looked at Hector. Theres no reason to listen to him. Since killing him is against the rules, we should just remove an arm and a leg and send him away. I-its true! Mr. Hector...! Please believe me... Hans begged with his head held down to the ground. You know, Hector slowly began, no matter what happens during the training camp, I have no intention of carrying any favors or grudges into the outside world. The system here is meant to promotepetition, so I decided to keep the events of the training camp within the training camp. Y-yes... But this is different, Hans Bender. If you lie to me, I promise you: The house you are from will not be let off. I swear upon my other name. His other name...? After thinking for a bit, Hanss face became pale. H-House Anatos...! The house of Hectors mother. Although it wasnt as powerful as Bednicker, they still held considerable authorityand more importantly, they were located quite close to the territory of House Bender. Having been close with Hector in the past, Hans knew. Unlike Bednicker, Anatos carried out Hectors will to the letter. The current family head of House Anatos, Zenon Anatos, was Hectors grandfather, and he would do anything for his grandson. Gulp...! Looking away from Hans, who was nervously waiting, Hector mumbled to himself, Do you get it? I need to ce first within this training camp. ... ...I promised a dead man. Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Eddy Piscol felt that something about Hector was off. Of course, Hector Bednicker was always quite cold and oppressive... But he was also an example of what a noble should be, with his strict etiquette and clean manners. He possessed the elegance, ss, charisma, and leadership required for someone who would stand above themon folk... Eddy had concluded that Hector was worthy of being his lord. He hadnt doubted that Hector could be the Bednicker family head in the future. Had. But over the course of this training camp, Hector had changed slightly. Eddy would need to wait and see if it was a positive change, but one thing was for certain: Hector had be gentler. At first, Eddy had been surprised and taken aback by this change...But hed decided that the current Hector wasnt bad either. Hector used to be fierce and cold toward others, so when he had suddenly be gentler, it had felt as if hed grown as an individual. However... Even if they were brothers from different mothers, blood is still blood. Actually, Hector hadnt been too shaken up when hed first heard Luan had gone missing. Hes the type to not die even if you kill him. Hell be fine. However, when one, two, and then three days had passed without any trace of Luan... When House Bednicker had dered Luan missing, Hectors face... O-of course! Hans finally said, his face stiff. P-please follow me...! He was normally timid, so he probably wasnt lying straight to Hectors face... Eddy worried about the other possibilities as he followed after Hector. At some point, he nced backward and asked, Are you okay? Sellen nodded and quietly responded, Yes. It had been more than a month now that they had been working together, but Eddy still found interacting with Sellen Goodspring to be ufortable. As a child of a famous house, it was natural that she be more dignified than others... But sometimes it felt like he was talking to a wall. ... Of course, that was what Sellen wanted. Sellen had wanted to avoid forming deep rtionships with the young heroes here, and shed been acting to make sure nothing of the sort happened. That was why talking so much with that weird kid had been beyond her expectations. Would he really have just died like that? She couldnt say. From the way hed spoken and acted, shed been able to tell that he wasnt ordinary... But on the other hand, if she were asked about his performance during the training camp, she wouldnt be able to say he was extraordinary either. However, she was still impressed by how calm and calcted hed been during their battle against Hariba. I dont get it. But... I dont think he wouldve died so easily. That was what her intuition said. To be honest, there were a few more things she couldnt understand. Why had nothing happened during the second special test? The sudden appearance of the Instructor of Swords and des and Juans sudden departure... were those connected to Luans death? That seemed likely. What was important was that Sellen didnt have the authority to look into and investigate this incident. Ignoring the fact that she was just a young hero, the Goodspring name was an obstacle here. And I ended up in this state because I did too much during the second special test. Sellen had been sure that a cmity would ur during the second special test. That was why shed pushed so hard, even using the Goodspring name tomand the other young heroes. But in the end, it had all been for naught. Other than a few days'' extension due to the search party being formed for Luan, the second special test had ended without incident. During that process, two young heroes had died, but that was due to monsters... In the end, the young heroes who had listened to Sellen had ended up suffering major losses. They had used their precious points to buy lots of food and water, and they hadnt been able to achieve results that couldpensate for that. Because Sellen had been the leader, her authority had disappeared after that incident, although nobody had actively gone against her due to her name. It was for that reason that her team was working alongside Hectors in the final test. Step. They walked through the forest with Hans at the front. Eddy approached Hector and whispered in a low voice, Its still odd. I feel like its a trap. That idiot is probably just being used without realizing it. Hector nodded as he responded, Probably. But well still follow him because if we do, well be able to meet Charon Woodjack. ...Understood. Hector was truly aiming for first ce, and if he wanted to do that, he would need to defeat Charon during this test. Given how strongly Hector had said those words, Eddy couldnt do anything but nod. After about half a days of travel... Hans suddenly stopped and pointed toward a dark cave. Ch-Charon is in there. ... One of the members of Hectors original team, Pam, let out augh. Are you serious? You want us to go in there? Th-thats... Eddy felt a burst of anger rise up as he red at Hans. This bastard thinks were stupid... Sellen, who had been following along, looked into the cave with a hardened expression. Because she knew of this cave, and she knew of this caves master. Lets go. When Hector gave themand, the other young heroes looked around at each other in surprise. But Sir Hector... I dont care if you donte with me. ...Ehm. There was nothing they could do when he said that. After exchanging nces with each other, the other team members nodded before stepping into the dark cave. The cave was decently wide on the inside, and it was warmer than expected. It was so wide that they didnt have to worry about being surrounded. Pam, could you take the lead? Yep. After nodding, Pam stepped to the front. sh! She used her Blessing of the Raptor, and her pupils became erged. Pam quickly looked around the entirety of the interior of the cave. I dont see any traps. What about Charon? I feel a presence at the end of the cave. Theres only one person, but I cant tell if it''s Charon or not. Good work. The cave was big, but it wasnt that deep. After walking a bit deeper, they found another open area. Ugh... Pam pinched her nose. This area was filled with a disgusting stench. At this point in the camp, even these nobles knew what the smell was. It was the stench of a rotting corpse. The area was filled with mounds of rotting flesh and bones, and there was a huge stone at the center. ... Charon Woodjack was sitting there. Looks like the Master of the Cave left for a moment. His deep voice echoed throughout the cave. He probably went out to get something to eat. From what I can tell, hell return around sunset. Theres about two hours left until then. So? I dont think you called us so we can defeat it together. Of course not. After looking around a little, Hector asked, Are you alone? Charon smirked before jumping down from the rock. sh! At this moment, many young heroes suddenly appeared at the entrance. Pam furrowed her brow. There wasnt anyone here just a moment ago. Its Sinbars Blessing of Shortened Earth. He can only use it twice a day, and as you can see, it allows for teleportation. Hector furrowed his brow. What are you nning? Your team and my team, our overall capabilities are simr. We cant easily decide who will win. So? I decided to use the environment a little. From what I can tell, none among your eight has a mobility blessing... ... We cannot kill you, but... we arent the Master of the Cave. No... this guy... So well make a deal here. Drop all the balls you have and leave. Then Ill let you go. Only now did Hector realize the situation. He smirked. And if we dont take that deal? Youll have to fight us. Until the Master of the Cave returns. And when he does, well use the Blessing of Shortened Earth to immediately withdraw. ...Sigh. He knew just how strong the Master of the Cave was. With his current forces, Hectors team couldnt defeat it. He wondered why they even let a monster like that roam the training camp area. Dont touch the other young heroes balls. What? In the first ce, isnt your goal me alone? Im the only one who has a chance of catching up to your points. ... Shut up and just fight me one-on-one. The winner will take all of the losers balls. If I lose, Ill honor the terms without resisting. And why should I do that? Charon responded with a tilt of his head. You are weaker than me, but if we fight, Ill definitely be exhausted. I dont want to waste energy on a useless fight. Do you not have any pride? The pride of a hunter is determined only by the worth of their prey. Itspletely different from this empty honor you noble brats talk about. ... Rather, Im curious, Hector Bednicker... Why are you so incessant about getting first ce? Is it because youre a Bednicker? Or was Luan Bednickers death that shocking to you? As if Charon was confused, he continued, I cant understand it. He was an idiot. He didnt die during the test, he just went missing because he left the camp in the middle of the night for no reason. ...You. If he was that weak, well... he wouldve already died in one of the other tests anyway. Rather, isnt this better for you because you didnt have to see his corpse? Hector gave a cold smile. You talk too much. It seems youre not confident you can beat me in a duel. When he said that, Zeros, who had been quiet the entire time, finally spoke. The young master of Bednicker is using such an obvious provocation. As Charon said, there is no reason for us to take such a risk Interesting. Charon? Charon drew his shortsword as he said, But Ill change the conditions. I will duel you, and the team of the one who loses will have to give up all their balls to the winners team. Hector hesitated. Thats... Please ept it, Sir Hector, said Eddy. When Hector turned around, he could see the slight smiles on the faces of his team members. Lets show these guys! Show them just how strong youve be in this training camp, sir Hector! We believe in you, Mr. Hector... You guys... Hector gave a satisfied smile as he turned back to Charon. All right. I ept those conditions. Come, brat. Ill show you the difference between me and a sheltered flower like you. While the two young heroes burned with fighting spirit, Sellen thought to herself, I never agreed to this. * * * * * * * * * * It had been about an hour since Id entered the Forest of the Butterfly. I wasnt doing anything special. Really, I was just taking a walk. The air is nice... Now that I thought about it, this was the first time Id been able to look around the Forest of the Butterfly with a calm spirit like this. Without the influence of demonic energy, the forest was beautiful. Due to how dense the foliage was, it was pretty dark, but it wouldnt be wrong to call this vastnd filled with thick and tall trees a grand scene. If not for the monsters, this ce couldve probably been used for tourism. Roaaaar! If not for the monsters. I saw monsters that looked like bears charging toward me. There was a grey bear, a white bear, and a brown bear. Of course, with their protruding fangs andrge ws, it was obvious they werent ordinary beasts. The white bear was the first to reach me, and when I dodged its w swipe, its front leg mmed into one of therge trees. Rumble...! The tree shook as leaves fell off of it. Even a knight holding a shield would be crushed if they took one of these bears body ms head-on. In addition, considering their size, their quick movements and tough hide made it difficult to hit their critical points. sh. But on the other hand, that was all they had going for them. With my Sword of Seven Sins, I beheaded all three bears in half a breath. This was the sword sh Id obtained before Id regressed, after being inspired by the movement of the Lord of Blood and Iron. It might be obvious, but no matter how tough a monster bear was, they were still much weaker than a demon. Boom...! As the three bears all fell nicely next to each other, their bodies were soon enveloped by light. After that, they disappeared. Only three balls remained where the bears had fallen. Oh... So it worked like that. Was this magic as well? It was honestly quite an interesting field of study. Eh. Its blue. Were these 10 points or 15 points? Well, it didnt matter to me unless they were worth 25 points... but that didnt mean I had no use for them. I walked a little longer while juggling the three blue balls and soon felt another presence near me. It was a monster again. Hmm? But it wasnt just a monster this time. I could hear a few shouts in between the other sounds, so there were probably young heroes present as well. Were they fighting? Dash! I put the balls in my pocket before going into a full sprint, and I soon arrived where the sounds wereing from. Under the trees, a few familiar faces were fighting together. Evan, Mir, and Sharyl... Its been a while. Technically, it had only been yesterday that Idst seen them, but it really felt like it had been a long while. Had their battle just ended? They were panting and looked a bit disheveled. ...We barely defeated it, but its only a green ball? Lets take it for now. We might be able to make use of it anyway. Got it! For some reason, I sensed a bit of experience in their ordered movements. Maybe it was to be expected of Bednickers training camp. It wasnt called the Six Weeks of Despair for nothing. These guys had grown tremendously since Idst seen them. At this point, I revealed my presence. Ahem. The three, who had let their guard down, were all startled as they looked up at me. Hi. Its been a while. ... ... Evan blinked before saying, Un... Un? Its an undead monster! Prepare for battle! The three moved quickly to surround me. These guys... They hadpletely gotten used to Bednickers training camp. Chapter 117 Chapter 117 As I made to prove that I really was Luan Bednicker, I suddenly had a thought. Four weeks. Around a month. It wasnt a short period of time at all. I was curious: How much stronger had they be? I jumped down from the tree. Jump. As Inded, Mir immediately charged me. She swung her hammer with great force.I dodged the attack by slightly twisting my upper body, but I was surprised by her powerful strike. This girl She didnt have any wasted movements. The Mir of the past would have frozen upon seeing someone bigger than her, wasting a few moments... But this Mir didnt seem afraid. She was looking directly at me. Vwoong! Next, I dodged Evans sword, which shed toward me diagonally. I couldnt say it was an impressive sh, but the follow-up was quite natural. As I saw his sword smoothly continue into a second and third strike, I mentally nodded. Its Raven. Had Juan seeded in the ritual, what would have happened to Evans future? I had seen the answer to that question in my first life. Although Evan would have somehow survived the training camp, it would have been as the vice-cult leader. He would have then infiltrated the hero institution Heroes while hiding his status within the cult. Meaning... The true moment of Evan Helvins betrayal had been many years earlier than the world had believed. Then what about now? He was still the Evan Helvin that I knew. He stubbornly held on to the swordsmanship he had learned, his goal was to improve upon his fathers honor, and he was a young hero who held the ambition of one day defeating a demon lord using Raven. I was happy for this truth. In the end, if the high priest hadnt interfered with Evans life. Evan was still someone who would choose to advance his fathers vision after but a moment of doubt. Fuwah! At this moment, a formless arm erupted from the ground. This was Sharyls blessing. I dashed a little to dodge the grey hand, and I kicked both Evan and Mir in the chin as they charged me from the sides. Crack! Kugh... Uwek! As they staggered back, I jumped up into a nearby tree again. What are you doing?! Dont lose focus! Ugh... B-but its too fast...! I can tell that as well! Its able to dodge ourbined attack without a problem... Sharyl gritted her teeth as she red at me. I just sat, rxed, on the tree branch and said, An eavesdropper might think you pulled off some impressive coordination. Your formation was good, but your execution wascking. The timing of your ambush was a bit too obvious as well. Mir looked up at me in a daze. ...Why can an undead talk like that? Something is odd. They seemed to have realized something was wrong as they slightly rxed their grips on their weapons. Sharyl was the only one who didnt lower her guard. Dont let your guard down. This is a terrible forest; do you know all the monsters that can appear here? It might not be an undead but a monster that uses illusions. Now that you say that... Well change our formation. Ill go in, so Evan, you ... I looked at their faces as they took a moment to n. Although the words being exchanged were a bit harsh, I could sense the trust in her voice. Maybe they werent close friends yet, but they had gotten close asrades, at leastpared to what I remembered of our first meeting. ... While looking at them, I momentarily imagined myself standing between them and let out a small chuckle. I was a bit regretful. Maybe if Id been there with them, they wouldve gotten closer fasterand stronger faster as well. Of course, that could just be my ego speaking. p! I pped my hands to draw their attention. Lets stop fighting. Im not an undead or a monster using illusions. Im really Luan. Hah. Sharyls lips curled as she said, Someone who went missing for over four weeks just suddenly appeared in front of us... you want us to just believe that? Youre right. Then ask me something only I would know. ...I wasnt saying we should suddenly do a Q&A session Sharyl suddenly stopped in the middle of her insult beforewith a much tenser expressionasking, K-khem. Then what does S-Sir Hector like? I dont know. Then, Sir Hectors birthday...? How the hell would I know that? Youre brothers! Were not even that close? In the past, you bragged about how much your older brother pampers you! Had I done that? Sharyl, Ill ask. Putting Sharyl, who was looking at me with suspicion, behind him, Evan stepped up. Then in his characteristically calm tone, he asked, Where did you say your mother was from? Cond, in the northern area of The Empire. What is the name of the swordsmanship I use? Raven. Last time you checked, who was the young hero with the most points? That damned Charon. Who is your roommate in this training camp? Its you. Ehm... Evan spoke with a troubled expression. I-I think hes telling the truth. He then looked at me with an even moreplicated expression. ...We thought you were dead. What happened? I had a few things going on. I guess I ended up getting a little lost. For four weeks? Thats just how big the forest is. Hmm... Evan didnt seem to fully ept my excuse, but he probably found it difficult to outright denounce it either. In any case, its good to see you all working well. Have you gathered a lot of balls? ...! When I spoke about the balls, their expressions again turned nervous. Theyd finally moved on from the possibility that I might be a monster, but it seemed they had only now realized that even fellow young heroes could be enemies. You dont have to be so scared. Im only aiming for violet balls. As I said that, I observed Mirs expression especially closely. She had the least control over her expressions. I saw Mir let out an obvious sigh of relief as her grip on her hammer loosened a little. It looks like they dont have any. With this, I knew they didnt have any violet balls. I suddenly became curious. What would I have done if theyd had a violet ball? Would I have forcibly taken it from them? Or would I have just let them go? I wasnt sure. ...How can we believe that? How about this? I took out a blue ball from my pocket and tossed it at them. They were caught by surprise and hurriedly dodged the ball. This... Its a blue ball. I dont remember how many points theyre worth. Its 15 points! Ah, right. Thanks. Hehe... its nothing much. Sharyl shot a quick re at Mirs rxed behavior before asking me, A blue ball has considerable value... What are you scheming? I dont have any ulterior motives like that. You can only have a total of three balls, right? Im nning on filling those slots with violet balls, so I dont need blue ones. ... Heres the deal. Do you know where any violet balls are? If you tell me, Ill give you these as well. I juggled my other two blue balls as I clicked my tongue. Buying this information with two balls didnt seem right to me. Maybe I shouldve given them theseter? In any case, after hearing my offer, the three looked at each other before their eyes turned to Sharyl. Unsurprisingly, shed ended up bing the team captain. After thinking for a while, Sharyl said in a serious tone, ...All right, we ept. But since the situation in the forest is always changing, you cant rely too much on this information. Obviously. First, we know where three violet balls are. Oh... I hadnt expected them to know where they all were. This is going to be easy... is the expression on your face, but it wont be that easy. Hmm? Firstly, Charon and Sir Hector have one each. Maybe it was too obvious. Well, my expectations were correct. All right. Then wheres thest one? At this point, Evan spoke up. Thest violet ball is in a dangerous ce, Luan. It would be better not to go for it. Hmm? That was unexpected. Someone more dangerous than Charon and Hector had it? Was there anyone among the young heroes like that? There are only three violet balls in this test, and the instructors told us the locations of all three before we began. I hadnt known that. There are three especially strong monsters in this test. The One-Eyed Ogre and Queen Butterfly were defeated by Charon and Sir Hector respectively. Thats how they obtained their violet balls. With a hardened expression, Sharyl continued, ...But thest monster was too much. Even though a group prepared to defeat it together at one point, they failed and had to run away. What is it? Weve been calling it the Master of the Cave. Evan continued, Its a monster in a cave in the northern area of the forest. No one knows exactly what kind of monster it is. Its wearing some weird straw mat. We only know that its as big as a giant... Its not a giant. Never, Mir interjected, clearly annoyed. I nodded. Sure. Thanks for the information. I threw them the other two blue balls. After catching the ball in surprise, Evan asked me a question. Why are you giving us everything? I told you, Im going to get the violet balls. In truth, I had nned to hold on to one of them if I couldnt figure out where all the violet balls were, but I no longer had to worry about that. I stretched my back. Although three days was a considerable amount of time, it would still be difficult to find both Charon and Hector in this wide forest. I needed to move quickly. As I was about to leave, Evan stopped me. W-wait. Luan! ...? He wore aplicated expression before letting out an awkward smile. ...Its great to see you alive. You guys too. After giving them a thumbs-up, I left. Had he said the cave was in the northern area of the forest? I should go there first. * * * * * * * * * * Charon Woodjack had been born in one of the four forbidden areas of The Empire, the Sunken Swamps. When hed obtained self-awareness, hed already had a weapon in each hand, and by the time hed been able to run on his two feet, hed already known the taste of every leaf that grew in the swamp. Hed survived ten different life-threatening dangers before hitting puberty. While those haughty noble children had been learning about etiquette and refinement, hed been engraving survival and hunting into his body. That was why, no matter how tough Bednickers infamous training camp was going to be, hed not seen any reason to be nervous. The life he had lived was different, and his experiences were different as well. Even whenpared to these young heroes. Outstanding teachers, an excellent curriculum, and priceless elixirs... but real experiences were a hundred times more important. And so long as the safety of the instructors existed, this training camp couldnt be considered a truly real experience. That was why Charon hadnt been able to understand when the father he respected, Hyde Woodjack, said... Do not touch the blood of Bednicker. To Charon, this was an unfamiliar piece of advice. Previously, Hyde had only ever warned him about monsters, which were just prey in the end. Was this training camp different? Would the children of the Great Houses change the preconceptions Charon had about nobles? In the end, they had not. Even though there were young heroes from all over thend who were quite famous in their own right, there wasnt a single person who had caught Charons eye... Except for exactly one person. Among the grand masters, the person Charon had been most impressed by was the Instructor of the Hunt, Tanko... Charon had heard about his past as a great warrior and considered his ss to be the best of all the instructors, both in how he taught and what he taught. There was nothing more that needed to be said about his skill either. However, there was a crazy bastard who had sparred against that Tanko from the first day on. Luan Bednicker? In truth, Charon had been keeping an eye on Hector Bednicker initially. But he had soon realized that even Hector couldnt match up to him. So hes one of the three children that the Lord of Blood and Iron treasures? As far as Charon knew, Luan wasnt one of those three. This is a good opportunity. It was an opportunity for him to observe the skills of the Great Warrior Tanko. But that would only be the case if his opponent could take a single exchange. How many of the great warriors strikes could that weak-looking kid take? Charon spectated the battle while holding such thoughts... ...and his expression stiffened at the skill of a peer he had never seen before. How is that guy... Those without a discerning eye wouldnt have been able to see it. They wouldve just assumed that Tanko was one-sidedly suppressing Luan. Idiots like Hans said that Luan was receiving special treatment. That wasnt the case at all. Although Luans physical capabilities werent impressive, there was no fault Charon could find in his actions. If Charon had been in Tankos position, even he wouldve given out those bonus points. He has an unbelievable amount of dueling experience. It was the one thing that Charoncked: experience fighting against other people. Despite that, due to the gap between himself and the average young hero, he had never lost a single spar... But it would be impossible for him to spar against Tanko as Luan had done. That was when hed felt it. More than Hector and Sellen, he needed to be most wary of this Luan. However, the person he had decided to focus his attention on had disappeared for a stupid reason. Luan had gone out into the forest at a time that wasnt allowed and ended up going missing. Of course, Charons instincts had told him that there was a reason for Luans disappearance... But he hadnt felt a need to look deeper into it. After that, Charon had created an overwhelming difference between himself and the other young heroes to maintain his first-ce ranking, and he didnt doubt that this would be his final rank atpletion. ng! As soon as he had his first exchange with Hector, Charon furrowed his brow. His opponents sword felt heavier for some reason. Creak. Even as their swords were locked together, Hector spoke. Do you know the gap between your points and mine? Not really... I dont particrly care about the points of those below me. Its 37 points. But that gap shouldve been much shallower. Ah. Is that so? Even though Charon was outwardly mocking him, Hector responded as if he didnt care, For thest however long, I have had one point deducted from me every day. ...What? Thest four weeks, my sparring partner was the Instructor of the Hunt, Tanko. Charon stopped for a moment. You wouldnt have known. As you just said, you never looked back to look at those chasing after you. ... I was like that as well, said Hector. It might be obvious, but I could never win against Instructor Tanko. And my sparring skills werent acknowledged like his were, so I wasnt able to receive any bonus points. With a grin, Hector continued, But in the end, it looks like I made the right call. ...! The moment Hector twisted his wrist, Charons shortsword glided along the t of his de and was deflected to the side. Not letting go of the opportunity, Hector put strength into his hands and struck upward. ng! A clear sound rang out as the shortsword was flung away. Charon furrowed his brow as he felt the stinging sensation in his wrists. Charon Woodjack, looks like Im better at spars than you are. Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Charon! Zeros shouted quickly. Standing nearby, Sinbars expression hardened. As expected of Sir Hector...! Amazing! Hespletely overpowering Charon Woodjack! On the other hand, Hectors team members were letting out exmations of praise. He had finally knocked that arrogant kid down a few pegs...! Schwing. But Charon didnt get swept up in the atmosphere. He calmly took out his spare shortsword and immediately resumed the duel. ng!However, after exchanging a few more blows, Charon couldnt help but admit, I am weaker than him in direction confrontations. This didnt damage his pride. The shortsword wasnt Charons primary weapon, nor was close-quartersbat his preferred range. Of course, he was decently proficient with most weapons... but the weapon that fit him the best was the bow, and his preferred way of fighting wasnt direct confrontations but hunts. Considering that fact... The interior of the cave wasnt at all ideal terrain for Charon. It was in to all that this wasnt the best ce to try and fire a bow. Luring Hector here had been another blunder on his part... Things would be different if he had a crossbow, but he didnt have one with him. Since thats the case... Should he try to suggest stopping this duel? Return the situation to how it had been? If they went back to fighting a team versus team battle and dragged it out until the Master of the Cave returned, then Hector would have no choice but to ept Charons offer. He knew thatunexpected as it might beHector cared about his allies quite a bit. It would be cowardly, but Charon didnt particrly care about things like that. What power did a promise made only with words hold? However... ... For some reason, the feeling of wanting to crush Hector here continued to erupt within Charons heart. This was a new feeling for Charon. Interesting. Then Ill also It was then that somethingpletely unexpected happened. Rumble! With a loud rumble that sounded as if the sky was falling, the ceiling actually began to cave in. ...! Broken shards of stone fell like hail. Some wererge enough to be called boulders, so Charon immediately shifted his attention to dodging. Rumble... After dodging all the falling rocks, he coughed from the dust cloud that had been stirred up. What is At this moment, he saw the silhouette of some huge creature straighten its back within the dust cloud. ...! It was sorge that one would need to tilt their neck to see its entirety. It was wearing worn-out clothes that covered its pale skin. And in its hand was a huge club as big as a tree. The Master of the Cave! Had it perhaps entered the cave by breaking through the ceiling? It was unbelievable, but this monstrous creature might well be capable of that. Charon immediately checked his surroundings. Due to the dust, the interior terrain of the cave had changed. He couldnt see the young heroes who had been spectating the duel from a distance. Had they been crushed to death? That was unlikely. Although this situation was unexpected, they werent so useless as to just die without even reacting to the threat. It was more likely that the stones and debris were blocking his line of sight to them. The problem was that the fallen rocks had blocked the entrance. Dodge! As he heard the sudden shout, Charons focus returned and he rolled on the ground. Boom! The tree club smashed into the ground right where he had been standing, and the hard ground of the cave shattered like ss. It was a frightening level of power... ... But he also felt that something was off. He had fought the Master of the Cave before, and for some reason, this felt a little different. It was acting much more aggressive. After looking at the creature for a moment, Charon immediately realized why. Is it hurt? The straw mat over its body was dyed with blood, and he could hear its breathing was harsher as well. It seemed to be injured... In that case, the Master of the Cave might not have intended its sudden entrance. Maybe it was being chased by something, so it hurriedly tried to return to its hideout? But who could damage this creature? Hector approached him within the dirt cloud. Charon. What? When the ceiling caved in, the entrance was blocked. My reinforcements and your group, we dont know whether theyre alive or dead. I dont think theyd die so easily, but we cant wait for help here. So? The only usible exit is that broken ceiling, but I dont think this monster will let us be while we try to climb out. Just get to the point. How about we work together until we defeat it? Charons brow twitched. Hector let out a sigh as he continued, That is the only method I can think of right now. Or do you have a better idea? Charon thought for a moment, analyzing the situation, before letting out a sigh as well. ...No. All right. Then since we dont have much time, Ill just say this: Ill buy you time from the front, so fire your arrows at its weak spots. Kraaaaaah! The monsters roar was amplified in the crushed cave. It was so loud that stones fell away from the damaged walls. Charon blocked his ears for a moment, but Hector just ran toward the Master of the Cave by himself. What does he believe thats letting him act like this? Charon observed Hectors back with a look of disbelief. With Charons movement speed, he could definitely escape while Hector was buying him time, and doing so would be better for him. He had already learned that the Master of the Cave was a powerful enemy during hisst attempt. Good riddance. You can fight the monster while I escape. Charon smirked as he turned around. ... At least, that was what he should have done. But Charon looked at Hector, who was fighting the Master of the Cave. Hector didnt look back a single time as he fought a monster close to 10 meters tall. It was as if the possibility of Charon just running away had never crossed his mind. It wasughable. Why did he think they had such a trusting rtionship? ...Damn it. Charon immediately drew the longbow on his back and aimed for the Master of the Cave. From what hed learned in his previous fight with the monster, it possessed a thick skin that couldnt be pierced by most attacks. Also, it was strong enough to uproot a tree with its bare hands. It was generally on the slower side, but the explosive speed of its attacks couldnt be ignored. That was why Charon had deemed it impossible to fight and defeat with his current power and equipment. Right now... This was not a hunt but a fight for his life. Where are its weak points? Creak. As he pulled on his bowstring, Charons eye shed with golden light. Blessing of Insight. Although he hadnt been able to see any weak points thest time hed used it, maybe it would be different now that the Master of the Cave was injured. Vwoong! He saw red energy flowing violently within the Master of the Caves body. Its face? No, toward its neck. It seemed to have been injured around its neck already, and if that was the case, then the bastard was even tougher than hed thought. One of the basics of hunting was to estimate how much the target was bleeding. It was a decently massive creature, but even so, it had already spilled so much blood that it wouldnt be odd for it to drop dead at any moment. But the swings of the monsters club were still fast and destructive. However, unlike before, Charon had seen its weak point. There was evidence that this thing could be defeated. The moment Charon let go of his taut bowstring, a pwing sound rang out as the arrow flew forward. The arrow was surrounded by a faintyer of light before it elerated in the air. It was a physically impossible phenomenon, but this was the grace of a god, a blessing. Charons arrow carried two of his blessings. The first, the Blessing of Throwing, did as its name suggested: It increased the power and speed of all thrown and fired attacks. And the second * * * * * * * * * * Boom! ...! Hector was startled. The moment the arrow hit the monster, there was a small explosion. Did Charon use gunpowder? Hectors guess was wrong. Charons Blessing of Explosives allowed him to detonate an object he made contact with after a set duration. To be honest, it doesnt have great synergy with the Blessing of Throwing... Since the explosions power was greater the longer it had been primed, it didnt work particrly well with a bow. Charon had only used it here to increase the power of his attack even a little bit. And in the end, the arrow had found its mark andnded deep into the weak point of the Master of the Cave. The attack had worked. The monster, which had been swinging around its club, suddenly stopped moving, and Hector instinctively realized that this was the first andst opening he would get. Boom...! As the Master of the Cave fell to one knee, Hector immediately charged forward. Since the monster was over 10 meters tall, one dash wasnt enough. Afternding on the enemys knee, Hector immediately ran up the wide giants body and reached its neck. Its neck is too thick. It looked difficult for Hector to slice it off in one breath with his current weapon. Or at least, that wouldve been the case normally. Creak. Sword ki erupted from his hilt up the entire de, dyeing it blue. In this state, he twisted his wrist to perform a unique movement, creating an odd shaking in the de as an afterimage was formed. This was Hectors sword art, Shadow Sword. -sh! Although he only swung his sword once, it sounded as if he had swung multiple times. After his strike, blood flowed from the monsters neck. Is it dead? Hed definitely felt it through his sword. He hadnt merely sliced the monsters veins, he had cut deep into its body. You idiot! Dodge! The moment he heard Charons voice, Hector jumped down from the giants body without hesitation. Vwoong! He felt as if an iron mace had flown by his head. Had it swung its club right before it died? If Hector had taken that head-on, he wouldve immediately been ttened. He shivered as goosebumps ran down his back. Boom...! The Master of the Cave finally copsed. It was so big that it created a ton of dirt clouds even when it fell over. ...Is it dead? Perhaps because he heard Hectors mumbling, Charon drew his bow back again. This time, it was nocked with three arrows. P-p-pwing... Like magic, the three arrows allnded on different weak points. B-b-boom... And three small explosions were heard afterward. The Master of the Cave didnt react at all, and soon, its body began to be surrounded by light. Fuu... Seeing this, Charon and Hector both immediately rxed. Hector was honestly in a state of shock as he looked down at his own sword. That Shadow Sword I just used... It had been much stronger than usual. He couldnt say how he had done it either. He wasnt confident he could replicate it even if he tried right now, while the feeling was still fresh. If I can make that feeling mine... He might have just found the hint that would allow him to reach the next level. On the other hand, Charon just stared at the body of the Master of the Cave as it began to slowly disappear. Because it was so big, it was slow to vanish. We somehow ended up defeating it with just the two of us. But he didnt feel especially good about this situation. If the monster hadnt been hurt so badly, they wouldnt have had a chance. Finally, freed from thinking about the battle, his brain began to function again. Why had it been injured? Thinking about it now, the way it had crashed through the ceiling of the cave and moved about, it was as if... Maybe it was being chased by something, so it hurriedly tried to... Charon looked up at where the monster had broken through into the cave. Through the broken ceiling, he could see the cold air of winter and the sun making its presence known. ...? Suddenly, a shadow covered the sun. The moment he wondered what it was... BOOM! Something fell into the cave, making a loudmotion as it did. More than falling in, it was so fast that it looked like it had dashed directly into the ground. Not even Charon could track it even though he had been looking up at the opening the entire time. ...What the? Why is it dead? When Hector heard that voice, he doubted his ears. From between the clouds of dust, a familiar gold-haired young hero raised his head. ...Luan Bednicker? Hm? Luan looked around, his expression curious as he said, Charon? Charon flinched as his body shivered. And Hector. Hector couldnt tell him off like usual with a demand that he be called older brother. What the? Luan smiled. Everyone was here. It shouldve been the two brothers touching reunion, but both Hector and Charon took a few steps back instead. Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Roll... The ball that had been rolling across the floor bumped into my foot, so I picked it up. Thankfully, the monsters juices that had drenched the ball were disappearing into light with the rest of the monster. My pocket wouldnt get dirty. A violet ball. So the monster I had happened upon on my way here really had been the one Sharyl had told me about, the Master of the Cave... I had thought he was pretty tough. Charon trained his bow on me and, in a low voice, said, Dont touch that. It is mine. At this moment, Hector became startled and stopped him. W-wait. Stop for a moment.Are you protecting him because hes your younger brother? You disappoint me, Hector Bednicker. Did you forget that were in the middle of a test Its not that. First of all... Hector looked at me with aplicated expression. Are you... really Luan? Yeah. Youre not an undead, right? Please dont say that. Im already tired of that misunderstanding. Even if this was only the second time. So you were alive... Obviously. Then where have you been? Just what happened to you? ... I looked at Hector for a moment. He was still a Bednicker. Id brushed it off with the others, but I might be able to tell him the truth. Maybe I would have, were Charon not right next to him. Ill tell youter. I want to aplish my goals here first. Goals? I silently showed him the violet ball. Hector was quick-witted, so his expression hardened as he realized what I meant. ...Youre not satisfied with just that ball, so youre going to take both of our violet balls as well? Im in a pretty dire situation. Hah. Charon sneered openly. I dont know where you were rolling around, but your skills wont be Shut up and focus, Charon Woodjack, Hector warned him, his voice low. Youll be robbed of all your balls if you let your guard down. That guy... hes stronger than the monster we just defeated. ... Charon didnt seem to fully believe Hectors words... But he did seem to realize something. He asked, ...Were you the one who injured the Master of the Cave? Thats right. You guys practically stole my prey, so you have no right toin even if I attack you, right? Hector interjected, What if we willingly give you the violet ball? What? What nonsense. Charon whipped his head around to re at Hector, and I looked at him with a bit of surprise in my expression. If this was the Hector I knew, he wouldve never made a suggestion like that. It was true that Idnded a serious blow on the Master of the Cave... But hed escaped from me in that state. My attack hadnt been fatal. Meaning they had needed to do a lot to actually defeat the monster... yet now he was freely offering to give up the reward for their effort. Of course, Hector seems to have some understanding of my skill level... Giving up because he would lose if he fought... that option hadnt existed in the original Hectors mindset. Hector had learned to suppress his ego. Sorry, but that wont do, I responded with a bright smile. Honestly, I was even more interested after seeing Hectors reaction. I wanted to check just how he had lived in thest four weeks of the training camp. Hector let out a sigh. I knew you would say that. ng! As he drew his sword andshed out, I responded in kind with my Sword of Seven Sins. I couldnt help but whistle at our first exchange. The power I could feeling through my sword was overwhelming. In our short sh of des, I realized that Hectors swordsmanship had improved quite a bit. That wasnt all. Elder Brother, did you perhaps spar with Instructor Tanko? I did. As I thought. I could feel a more beastly nature in his sword swings. These wild movements hadnt been part of Hectors repertoire before, which was to be expected given hed been receiving structured lessons from tutors since he was young. Its good. His stiff swordsmanship had found some flexibility. The fact that he had fixed his weaknesses meant that he himself had internally recognized that he wascking. There werent many martial artists who could recognize their own shorings. While this was happening... Pwing! I quickly dodged the arrow that was fired at me amidst our spar. Looks like you havent grown at all. Are you also going to judge me? I smirked before attacking Hector with my right hand. Hector quickly retracted his sword hand to defend against my attack, but the power of my palm wasnt meant to destroy, only to push him away. Kugh...! Hectors body was lifted into the air as he was flung toward the wall of the cave. I could see him trying to immediately regain his stance, but I threw the Sword of Seven Sins at him before he could do so. Stab! Perhaps it was obvious, but I didnt want to kill Hector or even leave him with a major injury. The Sword of Seven Sins caught Hectors clothes and embedded itself into the wall. It would take some time for him to escape that pin. While Hector was busy with that, I charged toward Charon. P-p-pwing. Charon fired his arrows at me again. I dodged two of them and grabbed thest with my hand. Hah...! Then try grabbing this! The edge of Charons mouth curled as he fired just a single arrow at me. Its trajectory was quite honest. Your traps are too obvious. Maybe it was because he had only fought beasts and monsters? No matter how clever they were, they still werent as smart as humans. I let out a chuckle and decided to face this trap head-on. I grabbed the arrow out of the air with my hand. Idiot! As Charon shouted his insult, I felt the heating off of the arrow. A small explosion followed. Boom! As the dust cloud blocked our vision, I heard Charons voice from beyond it. Things like this happen when you trust your opponents words blindly, Luan Bednicker. That arm will be useless now At this moment, I dashed through the dirt cloud and arrived directly in front of Charon. I saw his eyes go wide as I used the arrow I had been holding as a shortsword. Keuk! Charon quickly focused on dodging. Youre putting your all into dodging. Did you apply poison to the arrow or something? He didnt have the time to respond. At this point, I felt a presence behind me. Hector had finally returned to the fight. ... Even though he was behind me, he didnt try to attack me. He recognized that any openings I gave him were a trap. As I continued to attack Charon, I said, Elder Brother. Wh-what is it? You can get hit a little less today. Step away. Huh? Hector responded, sounding uncharacteristically dumb, so I spoke again. Step back if you dont want to die. Hector became silent for a moment before taking a violet ball out from his pocket and cing it on the ground. ...Thanks. Charonughed in disbelief. You bastards, just because you share blood, youre doing p! I pped Charons cheek with the hand holding the arrow. ... When I did, he was struck in a daze, as if this was the first time he had been hit on the cheek. I mean, I guess it is his first time in this timeline? In any case. Since Elder Brother has stepped away, youll need to receive his share as well. Stop spouting non p! Who do you think I p! Listen when someone is talk p! p! After a moment of silence, Hector said, I... I will go and see if there is a way out. Sure. W-wait! Hector. What happened to our temporary allia I dont remember anything like that. You son of a p! p! Hector ignored the familiar sound as he coldly turned away. * * * * * * * * * * In the end, I obtained the three violet balls, but I still hadnt fulfilled my goal. I needed to mess with the people who had about as many points as me. My current point total was 14 plus 75, for a total of 89... Although Id ended up getting all the violet balls, which were worth 25 points each, there were still balls worth 15 and 20 points. Depending on the balls obtained by those in the 30- to 60-point range, I could be overtaken. After thinking for a second, I came up with something clever. You got it, guys. Were now in a temporary alliance. ... Charons mouth flickered at temporary alliance, but since Id healed him right before suggesting it, he didnt say anything. I had been healed by Master like this frequently, so I understood what he was thinking right now. Hector asked, A temporary alliance? Yeah. The two of you want to keep your high ranks, right? Of course. All right, then lets do this: First of all, Im going to keep stealing all the balls you find. When I said that, their expressions became grim. So your points will stay the same until the end of the test. What are you nning...? Its simple. If you want to keep your current ranks, youll need to mess with the other young heroes so that they cant get any more balls. That was my n. I would ensure all the young heroes who had joined the special test ended with the same amount of points theyd started with. At my irresponsible words, Charon snidely remarked, Then arent we just cleaning up after you? How is this an alliance? Do you really think that? Hey, Charon, think about it. Even with three violet balls, I only have 89 points. Its impossible for me to get first ce even if I die ande back. ... My goal is only to make it into the top three. I need to get a podium finish for personal reasons, so I dont mind if Elder Brother Hector overtakes me. I wont say anything. Hm. Hector nodded as he felt that I was telling the truth. I got it... Its true that if we want to be in the top three, we have no choice but to steal the balls of the other young heroes. Thats right. Charon, you have 102 points, right? If Sellen somehow gets three indigo balls, she will obtain 60 points for a total of 109. Youll lose your first-ce spot. ... Since its going to be like that, Im asking you to stop the other young heroes as well. Only now did Charon realize that I wasnt talking nonsense, and he took a moment to think about it. Honestly, I couldve just beaten him into submission, but I was still willing to give him this bare-minimum level of respect. And since he wasnt a weak-willed individual with low self-esteem, there was a limit to what physical violence could do. As expected, after Charon finished organizing his thoughts, he said, ...If I can maintain my rank this way, then sure, Ill ept. All right. Then lets maintain our first, second, and third ce spots like good friends. I put my hand forward with a smile on my face. One, two, three, teamwork! ... ... The two least expressive young heroes did not respond to my cheer. *** After leaving Charon and Hector behind, I left the cave. Although walking around with them didnt feel like a bad idea, I suddenly felt a desire to be alone. Today is Friday... The test would end Monday night, meaning there were still three days to go. It was neither a short time nor a long time. It was, however, just the right amount of time for me to rest. When I had been truly focused on my training on Spirit Mountain, I had received periodic periods of rest from my master, and they had usuallysted exactly three days. Master definitely knows a lot. Two nights and three days is the perfect length for a rest. One night and two days is too short, and three nights and four days is too long. Third Senior Brother, the most talkative of the bunch, had agreed with my thoughts. And for some reason, I felt that I wouldnt have many opportunities to roam the Forest of the Butterfly like this after the test, so I decided to treat this ce as a sort of rest spot. For now, I used the shack east of the main camp as my base and momentarily escaped my orderly lifestyle. After napping for multiple hours, I was unable to sleep at night, so I stayed awake until morning. I evenid down on a thick branch and looked up at the night sky to count the stars through the leaves. During this period, I forgot about the special test, the demon lords Id met in Hell, and the duty that had been given to me. I didnt even consider circting my internal energy. I was satisfied by thiszy moment, something I hadnt experienced in a long time. Food was the one pain point. When I got hungry, I would go down to the river to catch fish to cook, but naturally, they didnt taste particrly good. I wanted to eat other meats and fruits to cleanse my pte, but... Monsters vanished immediately after being killed, and although we were past the height of winter and arriving in spring, the weather was still too cold for any fruit to grow. Regardless, my heart was very calm. Now that I think about it, I havent spent a peaceful moment like this since my regression. I wasnt talking about the regression in the training camp. Id had practically no time to rest since waking up again as the fifteen-year-old Luan Bednicker. I mean, my tendon was in danger of being severed the moment I opened my eyes. After that, Id nearly died during my travels in the Gem Mountains, and aftering down to the main house, Id been swept up in many different incidents. Honestly, thanks to my nature as a martial artist, even this hectic and tough life didnt seem that bad... But I also felt that everyone needed a moment to rest. Staying alone like this once in a while didnt feel bad. When I felt the presence of other young heroes near me, I avoided them on purpose, and I didnt mess with monsters as long as they didnt enter my area. Like this, one day passed, then two days... and then finally the morning of the final day of the training camp arrived. ... I looked at the rising sun and circted my Strongest Fire Technique for the first time in a while... And I was slightly surprised. I didnt know why, but my inner cores internal energy was settling in an odd shape. How could I put this... My internal and exterior energies, which had been shing awkwardly since my regression, finally seemed to be moving in tandem. Ah. I realized something. Even my body needed time to adapt. I needed these moments of rest so my body could settle. Fwoosh... I enjoyed the morning rays as I began my cirction. A bnced body and my Strongest Fire Technique, which had reached its next stage. The amount of internal energy that was piling up in my body increased multiple times. Since I was on a roll, I even tried melting the mystic bead a little. Oh. As expected, it was much quicker to do so. At the current rate, I could probably melt the entirety of the mystic bead in half a year at most. I think... I took two steps forward today. I chuckled as I stood up. Clear and refreshing air enveloped my lungs. Just four weeks ago, the morning of the forest had been quite chilly, but it had warmed up quite a bit now. Spring would arrive soon. ...? At this moment, my heightened senses detected a presence I couldnt ignore. The origin of the presence was approaching me quickly but silently through the forest. I couldnt sense any hostility yet, but... Dash. Soon, a young man in a proper suit appeared before me. His face was familiar. You are... Collector Jein. Right. For some reason, he looked much more proper than when wedst met. Do you have business with me? Young Master Luan, we have been ryed the general situation from the Instructor of Doctrine. I learned of the situation as I was given the message to ry. Firstly, I wish to show my respect for your great aplishment. As Jein said that, he took a bow. When I saw his face again as he lifted his head back up, I felt a sense of goodwill from him. Even as a son of the Lord of Blood and Iron, receiving a collectors goodwill was very rare. Just like with Kayan, these people were hunting dogs who would raise their swords even against the direct bloodline of the houseso long as their mission called for it. As expected of House Bednickers staff. As the house ced skill and achievement above all else, even their servants and staff had simr thoughts. I nodded. I had a feeling I knew why he was here. Its forbidden for an outsider to enter the training camp while the camp is ongoing. Yes. But the fact that you can confidently reveal yourself to me like this means... ...There is only one person who can stand above the housews of House Bednicker. Jein wore a faint smile as he said, The family head has summoned you. Chapter 120 Chapter 120 I asked, Is the family head at the main house? Thats right. And he called for me... Thats right. Hmm... This was a problem. Not that the family head had summoned methe problem was something else. Cant I see him after the camp has ended? The special test isnt over yet. Another collector is speaking with the instructors. You will not be disadvantaged because of this.Ah. I couldntin if they were doing all that. I nodded. Why has the family head summoned me? Of course, to reward you for your aplishments, Young Master. ... Jein gave a faint smile. He seemed quite delighted. I havent served the family head for long, but even so, I have never seen him like that before. I believe you can look forward to it. *** I left the forest with Jein. Honestly, I wanted to at least check whether Charon and Hector were doing their job well, but I didnt get the opportunity to do so. I nced back as I said, We just passed through Sir Asads barrier. This was permitted by him as well. With that, I returned to the main house for the first time in a while. Since I had spent over 100 days on Spirit Mountain, I had been away from the house for a considerable amount of time. Though nothing about the ce felt different to me. Is he on the fifth floor? No, the family head is in the annex building. Wheres the annex? Ill lead the way. Sure. We can go now, right? When I said that, Jein responded, his tone worried, I feel that maybe we should clean you up first. Ah. Only now did I notice how dirty I was from rolling around the Forest of the Butterfly for thest three days. Although the Lord of Blood and Iron didnt much care about things like this, it was only right that I try to look my best before meeting him face-to-face. I cleaned myself up and donned the clothes Jein prepared. This is ufortable. They fit you well. It was killing me, wearing something formal like this after only wearing loose andfortable training wear for so long. Should I help style your hair? Thanks for the offer, but no. After refusing Jeins offer to touch up and style my hair with perfume and such, I was guided by him to the annex. However, this annex, within which was the Lord of Blood and Iron, waspletely different from what I had anticipated. It was beyond the back garden of the main house. This was the forbidden area that I had entered in secret with Sellen. So... the Lord of Blood and Iron was waiting for me here? ... For some reason, my fight with Hariba felt like it had been a lifetime ago. I mean, I guess it had been a long time considering the time Id spent on Spirit Mountain? Young Master? Iming. I followed after Jein through the messy back garden. Because I had juste from the Forest of the Butterfly, it was apparent that this area was much darker and more tightly packed than the forests interior had been. Honestly, since there wasnt anyone else here and there was no proper path, this ce could hardly be called a location. After walking through the forest a little longer, a building appeared. I will wait here. While looking forward, I asked, Is the family head inside? Yes. Considering that the Lord of Blood and Iron was within, the building itself looked rather worn down. Speaking inly, it looked more like arge shack. This was a house that would be used not by nobles but by hunters. Even as I felt a little taken aback, I approached the shack and opened the door. ck. Ugh... Immediately, I scrunched my nose at the piercing smell of blood. The memory of the tragedy Id seen in the forest whipped through my mind in a split second. An ominous feeling, a small shack, and the girl lying in a pool of her own blood... Youre here. Unlike back then, I was weed by a voice, not a corpse. I hadnt known that the Lord of Blood and Iron could speak in such a tone. It was... kind, and benevolent. Family Head? I couldnt see properly because the interior was dark. I was considering using fire eyes, but then... Fwoosh. Amp hanging on the wall was lit, illuminating the room. And I was left speechless by the very first thing I noticed. There was a long metal table in the center of the room, upon which sat all sorts of terrifying tools. I recognized them as tools specifically made for torture. I also noticed that the blood on them was fresh. There was also a chair. It seemed like a binding chair, and someone was sitting in it while bound up in chains, their face covered with a leather bag. It looks like hes alive. The body looked like a mans, but there was no movementhe seemed to be unconscious. What are you doing? I asked. Did you not hear from Jein? No. Hm. The Lord of Blood and Iron removed the bag from the mans head. H-huak, h-hiek... hiek... hek! ... The man gasped for breath as if he was choking. It was a familiar face. I spoke the mans name in a low tone. ...Instructor Einsburn. Instructor... that profession was not a lie, though his true identity is that of a cultist, said the Lord of Blood and Iron, a smile in his voice as he looked down at Einsburn. Ah, were you the origin of that information, Luan? The Instructor of Law, Einsburn. This man had once had the appearance of a noble schr, but I could see not an ounce of the grace and wisdom hed once possessed. He had aged a few decades since I hadst seen him and was even worse for wear. N-n-no...! Einsburn said with tears in his voice. I-I-Im not a cultist...! Family Head...! Please believe me...! I-I was just threatened by them, so Shush. The Lord of Blood and Iron put his index finger on Einsburns lips. ...Circumstances. That is always the problem, Instructor. Is there anyone in this world who devoted themselves to the cult without a reason? F-F-Family Head...! Use that smart brain of yours to think. Arent you the genius who graduated as valedictorian from the Imperial Academy? As if toying with him, the Lord of Blood and Iron tapped Einsburns forehead with his finger. Tap, tap. Einsburn flinched every time the finger touched his forehead. To be honest, I dont particrly care that you had no choice because of your circumstances. Right now, I am just happy. P-p-pardon? Those cultists who always avoided me were actually growing deep within my own house. I at least want an answer to this: Those disgusting rat bastards, have they finally gained the courage to face me directly? I-I-I... dont know anything about the cultists situa The Lord of Blood and Iron used what looked like a skewer to stab Einsburns ankle. Stab. Kuaaaaah! Your voice still works. One of mycking talents is that I can estimate my targets remaining vigor by their screams. H-heuk, h-hiek...! Calm down. You can live for at least three more days. Ah, of course, for you, those three days will be an eternity, Instructor... F-F-Family Head...! I-I was wrong...! I was wrong...! Ill tell you everything! I was wrong! So please... please... forgive me this once...! Please save The Lord of Blood and Iron ced the bag back over Einsburns head. When he did, Einsburns voice stopped immediately and his movements ceased. He wasnt dead; it seemed to be a magic item that made someone fall unconscious? ...You were in the middle of an interrogation. In a sense. Do you still do these things personally? Why not task one of your subordinates with this? Thats a stupid question. None within this house can interrogate as precisely as I can. ...The Blessing of Truth. With that ability, his interrogating skills must be greater than even Juniangs. Do you want to sit down? Its a bit dirty. He wore an uncharacteristically bright smile. * * * * * * * * * * Honestly, it felt like this was the first time Id ever seen him act in a way that genuinely matched his appearance. Just what was the cult to the Lord of Blood and Iron... and what had the cult done to him? I suppressed these questions and sat on the worn-down chair the Lord of Blood and Iron had pointed to. He walked over the creaking wooden boards before straightening out his clothes in a nearby dusty mirror. The Lord of Blood and Iron took off his bloodied gloves and spoke while wiping blood off his face. Luan. Yes. You have done very well. ... Was it possible for praise to be scarier than that? The Lord of Blood and Iron was probably the only father who could say something like that while wiping blood off of his face. I was a little dumbfounded as I replied, Thank you. It is a great achievement to kill a high priest at the age of fifteen. Honestly, an achievement isnt enough to describe what you have aplished. ... If this is made known, everyone in The Empire will know your name. The Great Houses, yes, but also the imperial house, the nobles of the Imperial City, Heroes, the mercenary industry, the wizard groups, and even religious organizations... they will all know your name. Please suppress it. The Lord of Blood and Iron turned his head at my reply. There was still some blood left on his face. You want me to suppress it? Yes. Why? Fame is a double-edged sword, and I am not yet ready to handle something like that. Are you worried that annoying flies will flock to you? With the Bednicker name, you shouldnt have to worry about such a thing. That name wont be able to stop the cult. The Lord of Blood and Iron fell silent. How did the cult be the greatest enemy of The Empire? Was it because their ideas were dangerous? Because they possessed immense power? I dont think either is correct. ... The cultists hide perfectly in their day-to-day lives and only reveal themselves at the perfect moment. And every time they do, blood is spilled within The Empire. Their covertness. The Lord of Blood and Iron nodded. A hidden de is the deadliest. Of course, I dont want to waste this aplishment. Itll be useful to me at some point in the future. So please make it so that the information doesnt leak until then. So youre saying that now isnt the time? Yes. The Lord of Blood and Iron nodded. I will respect your wishes. ... However, within Bednicker at least, none will be able to ignore your name. By that, you mean... Starting today, you are the deputy family head. I looked at the Lord of Blood and Iron, filled with sheer surprise. Depending on your decisions, you maymand up to thirty knights of the main house, and not even the Council of Elders will be able to oppress you without a suitable reason. If you require funds for personal reasons, you may ask the treasury... and you may use the Small Iron Hall, east of the main building, as your own. Uh... Butlers, maids, and other such servants will be sent to you at the earliest opportunity, and you shall have final say over who may serve you. It is important to be proficient at discerning people. The Small Iron Hall was an empty building. That was natural. The position of deputy family head had been vacant this entire time. If you ever need to speak to me, go and tell Asad at any time. Even if I am unable to immediately reply, I will respond to you within a week. I had even received the right to talk to him privately whenever I wanted. ...I dont intend to be the family head. Even though I had just been given everything the Luan of the past had desired, I couldnt help but voice my disinterest. However, the Lord of Blood and Iron replied as if he had expected that response: Being the deputy family head doesnt mean you will be the family head in the end. What I wish to give you is authority within the house, and the process will be tedious if I try to grant you everything individually. Still, this is too much. It is not too much at all. Rather, this isckingpared to the aplishment you have wrought. Since he was a man who handed out clear rewards and punishments, what hed just said was probably true. Everything had ended so quickly that I still couldnt believe itbut I was now realizing exactly what kind of feat it was to defeat a high priest of the Church of Darkness. So I will ask you here and now: Do you want anything else? I will give you anything within my power. What I wanted... I spoke. Family Head. Speak. I am still weak. He furrowed his brow at my words. Are you being humble? No. You killed a high priest singlehandedly and survived a direct confrontation with a demon lord, but you are still weak... the Lord of Blood and Iron mumbled, but then he nodded. That makes sense if your sight is set much higher. I am curious, What is the level of strength you desire? I want to be at least strong enough to fight a demon lord with my fists, I said. As you know, I encountered a demon lord in Hell... but I didnt survive because I was strong. The monster encountered apletely unexpected situation, and so I barely retained my life. ... Something like that, I never want to experience it again. At this, the Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me and said, Demon lord... although many religious individuals in The Empire call them that, they are not too different from the gods. I knew that as well. I had realized it upon first meeting them. There was Eldest Senior Brother, of course, but even that Tangtata was a monster beyond myprehension. What youre saying is... you desire to be able to fight a god with your fists. Is that impossible? He fell silent. He seemed to be organizing his thoughts, but I sensed a bit of hesitation in him as well. What could make this man hesitate? Luan, I have contemted and fought that question my entire life. I have thought deeply about it and sought answers to it, and in the end, I did find an answer. He then said something thatpletely shocked me: To fight a god, you must first be a god yourself. ...Pardon? I could be a god right now if I so desired. ... If someone else had said that, I wouldve dismissed it as a joke or the ramblings of a madman. But because it was the Lord of Blood and Iron, I couldnt help but furrow my brow a little. I dont understand what you... You, having killed a high priest, have the right to know the truth, so I will tell you. The gods who grant us their blessings are not omnipotent beings. Most of the gods who exist on this continent were mortals who became gods after their death. I looked at the Lord of Blood and Iron in aplete state of shock. I felt as if I had been shown a secret of this world that I could never have learned through normal methods. In a calm voice, the Lord of Blood and Iron continued, However, even the divine have their ranks and sses. And those demon lords... the ones called the gods of disaster, are quite strong even among gods. In the past, they werent able to rampage like this because there existed a powerful and good god strong enough to keep them at bay. A cold me ignited in his purple eyes. That ce is my goal, and it is the only divine name that has remained empty for thousands of years. I asked as if possessed, What is that divine name? In ancient texts, that god is given many names. Though sometimes called the Military God, the Combat God, or the Battle God, there is one name that represented them the most: the God of Martial Arts. To put it simply I instinctively realized what the Lord of Blood and Iron was about to say. The Martial God. A stillness settled over the shack. Chapter 121 Chapter 121 My hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of the Sword of Seven Sins where it rested at my waist. It felt like the forgotten Martial God was listening in on our conversation. [...] Many questions were swirling through my mind, but one demanded an immediate answer. "What do you mean you can be a god right now?" "It''s exactly as I said. My aplishments are far from insignificant, and I have even pinpointed the location of the Pantheon. All other conditions have been met. I could ascend to godhood anytime I desire." "..." "But I won''t. Not yet. Ascending now would only grant me the divine name of a minor god. There''s only one divine throne capable of vanquishing all the demon lordsthe Martial God." The Lord of Blood and Iron turned his impassive gaze upon me. "Luan, if you truly seek to eradicate the demon lords, you too must set your sights on the Throne of the Martial God." His words rang with an undeniable truth. And yet... "You seem hesitant," said the Lord of Blood and Iron, his voice cutting through my thoughts as if he''d plucked them from my mind. After a beat of silence, I nodded. "Why?" "It''s difficult to articte... It doesn''t feel like my path. It feels antithetical to the very foundation of my martial arts." "..." "Is it really impossible for a human to defeat a god? Is there truly no way?" I asked, my voice heavy with the weight of my plea. What must someone do to defeat a God while retaining their humanity? "..." The Lord of Blood and Iron responded to my stubbornness with genuine consideration. He stroked his chin, lost in contemtion, before finally... "To achieve such a feat... one would need multiple opportunities." "Opportunities?" "Spare lives, or a method to challenge your foe countless times. Or perhaps evenand this is the most absurd yetthe ability to rewind time." A shiver shot down my spine. "For a human to even dream of facing a god, they would need to wield that level of absurdity. And even then, the path would be fraught with peril. Consider it the bare minimum..." The Lord of Blood and Iron fixed his gaze on me. "Why the grim expression?" "...It''s nothing." The back of my head throbbed. I felt as if Id been struck a blow, and a strange sense of dislocation told me the one who had struck me was none other than my own master, Baek Nogwang. The effect of my three-day respite settled upon me. It had been the right choice. Had I not taken that break, I would have crumbled under the weight of his words. I knew this blessing was too good. Defying the Heavens. To go against time... It was a power coveted by all, yet ording to the Lord of Blood and Iron, it was merely the starting point when facing a demon lord. And having stared into the abyss of a demon lord''s power myself, I knew he was right. ...Fine. Fine! This was never going to be an easy task. It had been bestowed upon me by my master, after all. Demon lord or not, I would simply have to be strong enough to crush them all. "If there''s anything else you require, speak now. As long as it is within my power, it shall be yours." Speak now, he says... Did I have to decide the entirety of my reward here and now? Well, it wasnt like I intended to indefinitely cling to the glory of taking down a high priest. With a nod, I fell into thought. One thing came to mind immediately. "Does the main house possess a divine beast?" It was something I had discussed with the Martial God as a way to build resistance to demonic energy. "Of course." "Would it be possible to arrange a contract for me? I need a way to counteract demonic energy." "A simple request." The Lord of Blood and Iron agreed with a casual nod. "Bednickermands five divine beasts: the Viridian Deer, the Ivory Mouse, the Pewter Sheep, the Ebony Serpent, and the Cerulean Hound. Which one do you desire?" "Hmm..." The deer, mouse, and sheep held no appeal. If I had to choose, it would be between the serpent and the hound... My decision was made quickly. "The serpent, please." A flicker of surprise crossed the Lord of Blood and Iron''s face. "Im curious to hear your reasoning." "The deer, mouse, and sheep seem too weak. And I dislike the color blue." I didnt have any particr fondness for snakes; it was simply a matter of elimination. The Lord of Blood and Iron chuckled, and then, unexpectedly, he said, "It seems you haven''t met the librarian yet." "Huh? Ah... Not yet. I departed for the training camp immediately, so the timing wasnt ideal." I scratched my head sheepishly. "If I may ask, does the underground library actually exist? I couldnt find any stairs leading down within the main building." "It exists, but it is not essible through any staircase." "..." "Since you''ve chosen the serpent, your meeting will ur soon enough." His cryptic words piqued my curiosity. "Have you, by any chance, formed a contract with a divine beast?" "I have." "If you don''t mind my asking, which one?" "The deer, the mouse, the sheep, and the hound." "So you''re saying..." "Indeed. I have formed contracts with all but the serpent." The Lord of Blood and Iron''s expression was unreadable. "Since the Dark Fairy Kuset, no one of Bednicker blood has formed a contract with the Onyx Serpent." "..." His words gave me pause and raised a flicker of doubt about my choice. But the Lord of Blood and Iron was looking at me with a glint of anticipation in his eyes, so it was difficult to retract my words. "...I''m kind of looking forward to it now." "Anything else you''re curious about?" The Lord of Blood and Iron seemed to be in an unusually good mood, and he appeared to have time to spare. I decided to seize the opportunity and ask everything I could. * * * * * REAPER SCANS [Trantor C YinYanski] [Proofreader C Gorm] * * * * * "Is there any news about the expedition? Has there been any progress?" I was referring to the subjugation team assembled to hunt down Eldest Senior Brother, the Demon Lord of ck and White. The Lord of Blood and Iron shook his head. "That endeavor has been postponed indefinitely." "...Why?" "The demon lords are an elusive lot, as I mentioned before. The Demon Lord of ck and White has relocated hisir." Relocated? Was it because of our encounter in Hell? "Fortunately, we were able to track him..." The Lord of Blood and Iron trailed off, a rare hesitation in his speech. "...But the first reconnaissance team,posed of fifty elite members, has gone missing. Considering the location, it''s safe to assume they have perished." "Where is this ce?" "The Continent''s Worst Demon Zone." "Are you referring to one of The Empires Four Forbidden Areas?" He had to be talking about the Gem Mountains I had traversed, or perhaps the swamp. The Lord of Blood and Iron shook his head. "It''s far more dangerous than those. Dozens of times more so." A ce dozens of times more dangerous than the Four Forbidden Areas? Did such a ce even exist on this continent? "Therefore, I apologize, but consider my previous offer rescinded. I doubt even I could ensure your safety in such a ce." "If you could just tell me its location" "I cannot. However, I have already given you a clue." The clue, it seemed, was the ominous title Continent''s Worst Demon Zone. "Uncover information about that ce yourself. If you cannot even manage that, then it''s not somewhere you should even dream of setting foot..." "..." "However, I can offer you some advice." "Advice?" "There''s someone within the Imperial Academy who possesses knowledge of this Demon Zone." "Who is it?" My attempt to glean an easy answer was met with a wry smile. "Telling you would defeat the purpose, would it not?" As expected, the Lord of Blood and Iron was not one to be easily manipted. "If you can make contact with this individual, you''ll learn much. Whether you still aim for the demon zone afterward is your decision." This was valuable information, but there was one problem. "...Isn''t the Imperial Academy Kartell off-limits to outsiders?" "That''s correct." "It''s a littlete for me to enroll, wouldn''t you say?" Besides, I didn''t have the time to waste attending an academy. "Perhaps with Bednicker''s influence, I began slyly, we could circumvent some of the imperialw" "That is impossible." "I understand." Then, the Lord of Blood and Iron said something entirely unexpected. "How did the training camp go?" "I ced third," I said, omitting that it was only probably. "Then you will surely find a way." I was confused, but... "I''ll take your word for it." "Anything else?" His tone suggested that this would be the final question. I took a deep breath and, with utmost seriousness, said, "Bednicker knew a high priest had infiltrated the training camp." "That''s correct." "It was intentionally allowed to happen. In order to kill the high priest." "That is right." The Lord of Blood and Iron simply nodded, offering no excuses or justifications. Derk opposed this n. Had I not spoken to Asad before my regression, I might have believed the Lord of Blood and Iron had orchestrated the entire thing. "...Someone must have been pushing for that n. Are they really positioned so highly that they cant be held ountable?" Brat, you know nothing about House Bednicker. You know nothing about the true power and secrets this house possesses. Asad''s words echoed within my mind. Someone whom even the family head, the Lord of Blood and Iron, could not touch... But the faces of the dead still haunted me. "It won''t be easy," the Lord replied. Id expected as much. Truth be told, it had been an empty threat. "But if you wish for that person to be punished... then it shall be done." I stared at the Lord of Blood and Iron, shocked. After a moment of stunned silence, I said, "It is my sincerest request." "Very well." A simple nod, but it was enough. The Lord of Blood and Iron was not a man who made empty promises. "This conversation has gone on longer than anticipated. As you intend to lie low for a time, we''ll postpone the ceremony appointing you as deputy family head. However, all the rights I mentioned will be yours, and half the people of Bednicker shall be at yourmand." One could think that it was only half... but considering the sheer scale of the family, it was an immense amount of power. Those I couldn''t control were likely in positions too lofty for a deputy family head to manage, or they belonged to factions that supported my siblings. "The training camp''s closing ceremony will be held soon. Don''t bete." "I wont be. Thank you." "I will be in touch." "Sorry?" "You will receive a gift soon." There was more? As I stared at him in shock, the Lord of Blood and Iron let out another uncharacteristic chuckle. "Don''t overthink it. It is something that rightfully belongs to you." "Yes..." I decided to keep my mouth shut as the Lord of Blood and Iron''s gaze shifted back to Einsburn. Since I had no interest in watching someone be tortured, I left the cabin. "Whew..." Stepping out of the blood-soaked cabin, I was met with a sky of inky ck. We talked for quite a while... Jein was nowhere to be seen. Had he returned already? It was a servant''s duty to wait, but it was understandable considering his position as a collector. They were probably the busiest group in Bednicker. My stomach growled. "Ugh, I''m starving." I hadn''t eaten since morning. My stomach was gnawing at itself. Should I head back to the main house for a bite? Or would there be food at the closing ceremony? While making my way over, I nced down at my sword. ... The altar of a forgotten god, the Martial God, and the Sword of Seven Sins. Id wanted to ask the Lord of Blood and Iron about them, but Id decided against it in the end. It felt too early. I must first achieve at least the level of Merak. With various thoughts in mind, I headed toward the main house. I cut across the secluded back gardensjumping the fence along the wayuntil I finally arrived back at the manor. I wondered where the closing ceremony would take ce. Surely I could just ask any of the servants passing by? As I looked around, a familiar head of hair caught my eye. ''Isn''t that...?'' It was rare whiteno, silver hair. During the training camp, it had been pulled back in a single braid, but now it flowed freely, cascading down in shimmering waves. "Whitey!" I called out. "...Eep!?" Sellen jumped, whirling around with wide, shocked eyes. "U-uh. Uhm..." She seemed even more surprised than I''d anticipated. Oh, right. She must have not been aware I was alive. Charon and Hector must not have told her. How do I exin this...? As I wondered, I noticed something strange about Sellen''s demeanor. "Uh. Um, so..." Flustered, she curtsied awkwardly. It was a noble''s greeting, entirely out of character for her. "...H-hello...? I mean... Sir Luan...?" "..." "O-or is it... former fianc...?" Her usual sharp gaze was downcast, and her normally abrasive voice was barely a whisper. "..." I narrowed my eyes at the girl who, despite her uncharacteristic behavior, was undoubtedly Sellen. Who is this? Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Did she just look like Sellen? Was this her sister? I felt an intense sense of wrongness as I wondered who this was. The main problem was that my eyes were not so bad that I couldnt recognize someone standing in front of me. Isnt she Sellen? Surprisingly, she couldnt even handle me staring at her and squirmed beneath my gaze... It was refreshing to see her act like that while looking like Sellen. What is it? Why are you speaking so politely now? Uh, uh... Right...! Yeah. Haha.Haha? The weather, today. Its, good? ... How am I supposed to take this? If I wasnt hallucinating, if the person in front of me really was Sellen... Then there were only two possibilities I could think of. Either her personality hadpletely changed in thest four weeks... Or she was acting. Of course, if that was the case, I couldnt tell whether the act was her timid and gentle behavior now or her rough and rude demeanor before. Hey, you Ah...! I-I just remembered something I have to do! I mean, Im going! See youter! Sellen said before quickly scurrying off. It wouldnt be hard to follow her... But it would be way too rude of me to chase after her when she was obviously trying to get away from me. Though, if someone asked how long Id cared about being polite, I wouldnt be able to give them an answer. I dont know. My head felt numb, maybe because of the hunger. Since Sellen was still here, thepetition ceremony clearly hadnt started yet, so I decided to go to the main house and eat something first. *** The training camp. That hellish event, also known as the Six Weeks of Despair, had finallye to an end. So this has day finallye... Are you crying? Yeah, I am crying. Fuck... Im crying tears of joy. Im going to treat my mom and dad so well from now on. That resolution wont evenst a month. The young heroes, who had endured those six weeks that had felt like six years, let out tears of joy and gratitude as the training camp finally concluded. They were now being treated with a feast in the garden of Bednickers main house. Ah... Ive missed this. Juicy steak... Whats this? Are these fish eggs? Woah... You can usually only eat this in port cities! I heard this is butterfly wine. Did they put butterflies in it? Ew. Definitely not drinking that. It says here that this is great for recovering from mana exhaustion. Woah. The grand feast presented on the table was befitting the name of Bednicker. Even the nobleswith their picky tasteswent wide-eyed at all the food. Of course, being forced to eat whatever wasid before them in the training camp was a factor. Although the feast was smaller than the Blessing Ceremonys afterparty had been, the energy and excitement were beyond even that event. Most of the people here were descendants of Great Houses and thus nobles... But, perhaps because of the six-week training camp... Most of the young heroes present had stopped caring about etiquette. No one was around to look down on them, so most of the young heroesughed loudly and enjoyed the mood. ...A drink for Rex. He was a good guy. Damn it... Of course, some of them had lost people, either their teammates or just friends. They stood a bit away from the feast, to not get swept up in the mood, and quietly mourned those theyd lost. Its really over. Evan Helvin was still in a bit of disbelief. He couldnt believe that he hadpleted the training camp. In truth, this feast was actually a trap prepared by the instructors, and there was one final test still left toplete! ...Evan still wasnt convinced that wouldnt happen. Woosh. The night winds, which had be a little warmer, caressed his cheeks. The light from themps, the scent of the food, the voices of the young heroes... it all seemed pleasant to him. Although he didnt drink any alcohol, he felt a little drunk on the mood. He heard Sharyl say, What are you going to do now, Evan? Her face was a little red. It seemed shed drunk some of the wine. What do you mean? After the training camp. There are a lot of paths you can take. Ah... Arent we just going to go back to our own homes? Right, youre from the frontier territories. He understood now that she wasnt trying to insult people when she spoke like that. As Evan quietly nodded, Sharyl began to exin. A young hero whopletes the Bednicker training camp has three choices. First, they can immediately join Heroes. Of course, only the top three can start as official heroes; everyone else will begin as a provisionary hero. A provisionary hero was to a regr hero as a squire was to a proper knight. They worked with and supported a hero to learn the trade. If they received that heros and the institutions recognition, they could be a proper hero. Evan nodded. That sounds nice. Joining Heroes had been a goal of Evans even before hed entered the training camp. He believed that he needed the identity of a hero to aplish his dream. What are the other two? One is to just return home. Ah. Thinking about it now, he understood why many young heroes would choose that option. Even Evan, who had held on to his firm determination, wanted to see his home and his fathers face again. Thest is to receive additional education in the Imperial Academy. ...Really? Evan was a little surprised. It wasnt like he was looking down on the academy, but after the training camp, the idea of going to another educational institution wasnt particrly appealing. From what hed heard, the Imperial Academys educational periodsted at least three years. There were a few geniuses who managed to finish everything within one or two years, but theyprised a small percentage. It doesnt take yearsrather, the special course onlysts three months. And there are benefits you can only gain from the academy. Such as? Even though the Bednicker training camp is the best for real-worldbat, what about theory? Although Bednickers grand masters were amazing, their lessons werent much. Hmm. Evan agreed with that statement. The training camps lessons had all been focused on real battles. On the other hand, the academy has experts on theory, and there are connections you can only make there as well. It sounds like youre nning on heading to the academy. Sharyl nodded. Thats right. And to be honest, I want you toe to the academy as well. Me? As a noble, you are toocking in etiquette and manners. ... Im joking. Dont you want to fix your fathers bad name? I do. The imperial capital truly is the heart of The Empire. Its where news spreads the quickest from. If you show off in the academy, your name might be known throughout The Empire in just a couple of months. * * * * * * * * * * That was enticing. Thanks to the training camp, his wanderlust had faded somewhat and he had even be more confident. He was sure he wouldnt lose to any of his peers now. ...With a few exceptions, anyway. Thanks for that. Ill seriously consider it. Sure. By the way, where did that kid go He really was there! Evan heard a loud shout not too far away. Sharyl furrowed her brow and looked in the direction of the noise. As expected, they saw Mir surrounded by young heroes. And Im telling you it had to be an illusion. Thats right. You probably made a mistake because of the barrier around the forest. I was shocked too when I saw my older sister. Pam was among the young heroes, and she shrugged while looking at the others. Look at everyone present. All the surviving young heroes are here at the feast, but Luan isnt here. B-but still... Or maybe... Pam began, her voice low with mock horror, you really did see a ghost. Mir flinched. Well, the true ghosts of this training camp were Charon and Hector. Karis shivered while hugging himself. I think it was on the fourth day...? Around then, they entered an alliance or something, and they just went around stealing all the balls. With a dejected expression, Skull mumbled, I-I waspletely stripped of everything... Thats because you hid the balls in your underwear like an idiot... With Charons blessing, you shouldnt even think about hiding anything. Argh. Stop talking about that while were eating. Evans expression was subdued as he listened in on the conversation. Sharyl asked, What do you think? Was what we saw a hallucination? I dont think so. The Luan Bednicker theyd suddenly met in the forest had given them three blue balls before disappearing. During that exchange, hed conversed with them. Evan didnt know much about magic, but he didnt think that had been an illusion. At least, that was what hed felt when hed seen and talked with Luan. Butter, hed learned... Other than his group, not a single young hero had met Luan in the forest. Its like a ghost story... Evan shook his head. We can tell just by the results. It doesnt make sense unless he was a hallucination. Thats true. We dont even know whether the balls he gave us back then were real or not. Charon and Hector, the two strongest people in the training camp had suddenly formed an alliance in the final test. They had swept through the Forest of the Butterfly and stolen the balls of all the young heroes... I understand Charon acting that way, but why would Sir Hector...? Sharyl was confused by that. The fact that the two of them had stolen all the balls meant that theyd wanted the ranks to remain unchanged... Although it was understandable for Charon, who was in first ce, it didnt make sense for Hector, who shouldve been aiming to overtake Charon in the final test. Yet the two of them had worked together to clear the forest. It was as if theyd suddenly developed a sense of kinship. ording to witness testimonies from the young heroes whod run into them, even when theyd quarreled, theyd still seemed rather close. A young man with brown hair cleared his throat to reveal his presence. Ahem. It was the Instructor of Swords and des, Calzark. He climbed the tform in the middle of the garden and shouted to the crowd, Attention, all young heroes! We will now announce the final results of the 61st Bednicker Training Camp! The raucous crowd settled down as every young hero present gave Calzark their full attention. Only the instructors knew what the point distributions were like after the final special test. Right now, not a single young hero knew what their points were. I know that Charon and Hector went around stealing everything... But who knows? Maybe someone held on to theirs to the very end. If Im lucky, I might have made it into the top ranks... As the young heroes nervously looked up at the tform, Calzark spoke. As you all know, the top three will receive a hero te from Heroes and a gold reward. Now, I shall announce first ce! Charon Woodjack! That meant there hadnt been an upset. Sharyl, who had been quietly rooting for Hector, was a little disappointed, but as a noble, she needed to be polite, so she offered her congrattions. Next second ce! Hector Bednicker! Ah. Sharyl was a little surprised. Before the start of the test, Hectors rank had been third. So he did get to bounce back. Although it was regretful that he hadnt gotten first ce, second was still pretty good. Sharyl was clearly happy for him as she pped. It seemed to Evan that she was pping louder for Hector than she had for first ce. Maybe third ce changed too? Yeah. Sharyl thought about who could be in third ce. Probably Zeros or Sinbar. Charons two subordinates. If she excluded them, then maybe Sellen? Sellen was sitting alone at a table, wearing a calm expression. Sharyl was a little amazed. Sellens ssy etiquette hadnt suffered at all despite the six weeks of training. She was so refined that even as a fellow noble, Sharyl couldnt help but be amazed. Look at her. Even just the smooth movement of the wine up to her lips... Third! Luan Bednicker! Yep! The moment Luan walked up to the tform from behind with energetic steps... Pfft! Sellen coughed up her wine. Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Stepping onto the tform, I surveyed the two young heroes on stage with meHector and Charon. Good job, you two. I gave them a thumbs-up for keeping their word, but they averted their eyes. Their expressions were bitter, like theyd just been made to swallow bugs. Calzark, standing on the tform, looked at me with an unreadable expression. He quicklyposed himself with a cough. Ahem... These three young heroes have sessfullypleted the 61st Training Camp with excellent results. In recognition of their achievements, they will be awarded hero qualifications along with the prize money. Whoa...!We get money too? Even better. Id not had much need of money back when Id been holed up in the Bednicker estate, but things were different now. Leaving Bednicker meant paying for everythinglodging, food, clothes... the necessities. Of course, the Lord of Blood and Iron had told me to contact the treasury if I was ever short on funds, but... Even if I now carried thest name Bednicker, getting too entangled with this family felt wrong to me. And minimizing my reliance meant I could cut ties whenever I wanted.I saw a knight approach the tform, carrying a wooden chest with both hands. When he arrived in front of us, it opened automatically as if by a hidden mechanism. Click. Inside were three identical metal tes. These are hero tes. Charon Woodjack, Hector Bednicker, and Luan Bednicker, I expect all three of you to live up to the title of hero. Everyone, a round of apuse! Apuse echoed through the banquet hall, though most of the young heroes seemed more stunned than celebratory. I told you! He was alive! Mir, clenching her fist, shouted as if proving a point. A g-ghost? Thats impossible! What in the world is going on...? As murmurs rippled through the crowd, Calzarkunched into an exnation, as if reciting a prepared script: ...Young Hero Luan had to leave the training camp midway due to unavoidable circumstances, but he returned three days before the end of the final exam. He showed a strong will toplete the training, so we allowed him to participate, and he achieved remarkable results. He is an amazing young man. ...Thank you. It didn''t feel like enough of a cover story, but I nodded and descended the tform. Several familiar faces rushed toward me. Luan! You bastard! I thought you were dead! What the hell happened? Their relief was palpable, and I couldn''t help but grin. Its just like the instructor said: The forest was so damn big, I got a little lost. For four weeks? Yeah, somehow. Ugh... You stubborn bastard! To think you survived being lost in the Forest of the Butterfly for four weeks. Thats incredible! Surprisingly, Karis seemed especially happy to see me. He might have looked like a bear, but he was more kindhearted than Id thought. Beside him were Evan, Mir, and Pam. Im so d youre alive. Even Sharyl offered her congrattions. I nodded and surveyed the room. ...A lot of them managed to survive. A strange sense of relief washed over me. Various images shed through my mind: Sharyl, staring at Mirs corpse with vacant eyes; Evan, who had vanished without a trace; and Juniang and Rook, copsing into blood before me. Mir! I told you already! Dont just eat meat, eat your vegetables too! And why are you drinking when youre the size of a pea?! Mind your own business! Fifteen is an adult for giants! They were the same age...? But right now, Sharyl was smacking Mir on the head as the giant caused a scene while Evan watched on with an awkward expression. Juniang, a little distance away, smoked a cigarette as she gazed up at the moon. It was only now that reality sank in. I had prevented the disaster. The thought brought a surprising warmth to my chest. I clinked sses with other young heroes to celebrate our reunion. ...Of course, not everyone was thrilled at my return. How could someone like that get third ce...? He must have been ridiculously lucky. Who knows, maybe he cheated somehow. Just leave him alone. He wont survive long in Heroes anyway. It wasn''t an unreasonable reaction. I hadn''t exactly been a star performer before Id disappeared, so most of them had probably forgotten about me. It was natural that theyd react this way after I suddenly reappeared and snagged third ce. Normally, I''d just put them in their ce. However, I was feeling generous, so I decided to let it slide as long as they didnt cross the line. Ignoring their gossip, I slipped away from the group to search for something to eat. I''d had a bite back at the main house, but that wasn''t nearly enough. I spotted a table piled high with steaks. There was far more food left on this table than any of the others, and the reason was clear: the upant. But that wasnt a reason to stop me. I approached the table and asked, Is this sirloin? Tenderloin. How is it cooked? Rare. I prefer mine well-done. So? Just making conversation, I said, spearing a steak with my fork. Youre still as prickly as ever. ... Sellen gave me an exasperated look. I never thought Id see you alive again. I came close to death many times, but I guess Im doomed to live a long life. If you say so. Her tone was back to its usual clipped sharpness. This was definitely the Sellen I knew. Then had that been about earlier? Had I imagined it? Here, in Bednicker of all ces? Sellen nced at me, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes, though she tried to hide it. By any chance... ...? So the thing is... Sellen hesitated, then sighed. Ugh. Never mind. Im sure its difficult for her to ask directly. There was no way she could casually bring up the demon lords summoning ritual or the high priest to a Bednicker. She seemed to have some suspicions about my disappearance. No evidence, but plenty of suspicions. Of course, I also wanted to ask Sellen some questions. What was that earlier? I asked casually. What are you talking about? We met for a bit in the garden at sunset. What are you talking about? Sellen was looking at me like I was crazy. I couldnt tell if she was being serious or putting on another act. It was definitely you. You must have been mistaken. You think Id mistake someone else for you? Sellen closed her mouth, unable to retort. I asked, What were you doing at that time? I changed my clothes and took a nap in my room... Why am I telling you this? ... It didn''t sound like a lie. The Sellen I knew wasn''t good at hiding her true feelings... But then again, I didn''t know much about her. Id seen her die in my previous life, but her true identity remained a mystery. Should I try to pry information out of her using my knowledge from the past as bait? I could say, I know your real name, and observe her reaction? That feels risky. Strangely, I had a feeling that would backfirewe were both hiding something, after all. What mattered was Sellen''s nature... and I knew exactly what that was. She was the type of person who would dly sacrifice herself to save others. The world called people like that heroes. Thinking about it like that made me feel a little guilty. Im sorry. About what? If it wasnt for me, you might have been in the top three. Whatever. Judging by how things turned out, you must have had something to do with those two suddenly going crazy, Sellen said, gesturing toward Charon and Hector. She was as sharp as ever. Youre right. I had to get into the top three somehow. Sellen snorted and sipped her wine. If you say so. I studied her face for a moment. The Tome of Las, was it? The book of prophecy in Goodspring. It bothered me. Sellen imed shed learned about the future from it, but was that really true? I could find out. I was probably the only one on this continent who could verify the authenticity of a book of prophecy. I might only have partial knowledge, but it was still knowledge of the next ten years. The problem is that its in Goodspring... House Goodspring wasn''t as closed off as House Bednicker, but as a Bednicker, it wouldn''t be easy to get in. I wondered whether Id be able to set foot in the mansion if I were Sellens friend... but it didn''t seem like shed been treated well by her family either. My curiosity piqued, I asked, What are you going to do now? What do you mean? What are your ns? Are you going back to your family? Family? Ah Sellen chuckled coldly and swirled the ss in her hand. The crimson liquid sloshed around, creating a small whirlpool. Well... I think Id rather live here than go back there. Is this how our arranged marriage reignites? Sellen ignored my nonsense. Im thinking of staying here for a while and then going straight to the Academy. The Academy? Why there? ...Well, you know. There are opportunities for me there. At that moment, I remembered a conversation Id had with Sellen in my previous life. Then did you join just to save these people? ...That was a factor. But there were also opportunities for me in this forest. Sellen knew the future, perhaps even more clearly than I did. Even though I had glimpsed the future, I hadn''t known that a disaster of that magnitude would ur at the training camp. In other words, Sellens path was worth paying attention to. That her next destination was the Imperial Academy might mean that some other incident would ur there. I need to get information about the demon zone anyway, so Ill be killing two birds with one stone. The academy was in the Imperial City. Surprisingly, I had never been to the Imperial City before. One might wonder how a noble could have never been to the capital, but it wasn''t strange for House Bednicker, which rarely interacted with other families. The safest ce on the continent. The heart of The Empire, so to speak. If the cults influence had reached even that ce... The situation might be far more serious than it appeared. * * * * * * * * * * I ate and drank until I was pleasantly full and slightly tipsy. Come to think of it, this is the first time Ive drunk alcohol since my regression. The good-for-nothing me of the past had loved alcohol but hated drinking parties... Now that I thought about it, it was probably because of my inferiorityplex and sense of inadequacy. The main topic of conversation at those noble drinking parties was always some pathetic loser, and back then, I had been the most pathetic loser of them all. Lost in thought, I was on my way to my room when Kayan suddenly appeared. This way, Young Master. Huh? He led me not to the main house but to a different buildingthe Small Iron Hall. ... The sight of the imposing building sobered me up a bit. The family head has ordered that you use this ce from now on when you are staying at the main house. Ordered...? I scratched my temple. This feels a bit too much. You shall get used to it. Hmm... It felt strange to refuse, so I opened the door to the Small Iron Hall and stepped inside. Young Master, theres something I need you to check. Would you minding with me for a moment? Something to check? Will it be quick? Of course. From experience, I knew that passing out drunk would only make the next morning miserable. I followed Kayan to a room on the first floor, figuring I could use the time to sober up a bit. Click. Unlike other ordinary rooms, this one had multipleyers of security. Kayan unlocked several locks before telling me, Please, go in. The room wasn''t that big. Inside were arge chest and a couple ofrge leather pouches. Whats this? Would you like to open them yourself? Kayan asked in a yful tone. It was rare to hear from him and totally unexpected. To think such a serious man was capable of such behavior. What if theres a dead body in there or something? There probably wasn''t, but then again, this was House Bednicker. Anything was possible. I opened the leather pouch, feeling a little nervous... To my surprise, I found that it was filled to the brim with gold coins. ... I rubbed my eyes and looked again. The gold coins were still there. My drowsinesspletely gone, I asked, Kayan? Yes. What is this? Your assets, Young Master. My assets? Dont tell me you forgot about the gem beasts corpse? The voice that suddenly cut in belonged to Calzark. When I looked, I found him leaning against the doorframe. This is the money from selling it. The gem beasts corpse. Id been told it was worth a fortune... Remember how the cult was acting in the Gem Mountains? They were likely after the gem beast as well. Derk destroyed the cult branch in the mountains. Unfortunately, the high priest got away. Ah... So that''s why hed been running around so busilyhed gone to the mountains. How did he find out where the branch was? I didnt tell him. I dont know any demon hunter better than Derk. If hed managed to capture even one cultist in the mountains, extracting information from them would have been childs y. Hmm... Having just witnessed Einsburns gruesome state, I couldn''t deny his words. After the branch had been, someone was sent to retrieve the corpse. The family head has a message for you, Kayan said. He said he had to sell it quickly because the corpse had been left unattended for quite some time. Its value was depreciating by the minute. Fortunately, it was winter, and the Sapphire Snake was a monster that emanated cold air. We were lucky. I nodded. Thats great. I hadpletely forgotten about the corpse anyway, so this wasn''t bad at all. You will receive a gift soon. Thats what the Lord of Blood and Iron had said to me before wed parted ways. So this was what hed meant. How much is all this? I havent counted it all, but Id estimate it at about five or six thousand gold. Its exactly 5,700 gold, Kayan said. Not all of it has been sold yet, so youll likely receive more. Wow. Sounds like a jackpot. ... My thoughts suddenly stopped, and for some reason, my mind recalled a conversation Id had with my third senior brother. Little Brother, whats the value of currency in your world? You said you use gold and silver, right? The value of currency? Hmm... Wait, let me guess! One gold coin is enough to cover a family of fours living expenses for a month, right? Right? My third senior brothers eyes were sparkling with anticipation as he asked that. Not quite. Its enough for one person to livefortably. Ah... So its about 2,000,000 won per gold coin. 2,000,000...? Why are the units like that in your world, Senior Brother? -Intion. So people there just carry around tens of thousands of coins? Thats right. Thats why we used to hire hundreds of workers when trading expensive goods. And thats not all! After the deal was done, we had to count hundreds of millions of coins one by one, so it took at least a few months toplete a big trade. Oh my goodness. ...Of course, I had eventually realized that my senior brother had been lying, but that wasn''t important right now. The point was, 5,700 gold meant that I could live for at least 5,000 months without working. ... ... ...What do I do? I suddenly felt a strong urge to do absolutely nothing. Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Hey, snap out of it. Ugh... I shook my head, fighting back the urge to revert to my old good-for-nothing habits. Theres more to see here than just money. Take a look. Calzark was right. Another box sat in the room, separate from the leather pouch. I crossed the room and cautiously lifted its lid. This is... Inside was a suit of silver-white armor. An extraordinary aura seemed to emanate from its gleaming surface. Armor crafted from the highest-quality segments of the Sapphire Snakes hide. Impressive, isnt it? Hmm...Calzark noticed my hesitant expression and tilted his head. Whats that look for? I dont think Ill be able to make much use of it, Imented as I trailed a finger across the armors surface. It was as cold as ice. Defensive capabilities aside, the armor radiated a lot of cold ki. It wouldnt suit someone like me, who practiced extreme yang martial arts. Can I just sell it? Itd be a shame, considering how priceless it is, but its yours, so do as you please. Calzark rummaged deeper into the box and pulled out another item. If the armor doesnt appeal to you, how about this? What is it? A belt. It was a snakeskin belt. Feeling dubious, I said, I dont think its really my style Dont fixate on the design; consider its function. Its quite useful. How so? It naturally emits cold ki, making it quitefortable to wear in the summer. Thats more practical than I was expecting. Plus, its incredibly durable and sturdy. In a pinch, you can even use it like a whip. Calzark cracked the belt like a whip. Whoosh! Crack! A satisfyingly sharp sound echoed as ice particles scattered through the air. See? Awesome, right? Am I crazy or did it get longer just now...? Thats another one of its features. Hmm. A whip, huh? I already had the Sword of Seven Sins, but a whip wouldnt be a bad secondary weapon. Depending on how I used it, I could catch my opponents off guard... But more than anything, it seemed satisfying to whip around. I like it. Im d you found something to your liking. Calzark nodded, then suddenly cleared his throat awkwardly. Ahem... Sir Kayan? Could you give us a moment alone? Of course. Kayan bowed his head slightly and excused himself. It felt like theyd nned this beforehand. Now it was just me and Calzark left in the room. I looked at him, his face etched with resolve, and decided to speak first. Its okay. ...You havent even heard what I have to say. You were going to apologize, werent you? ... Calzark fell silent, then ran a hand through his hair. Yeah. I almost ruined everything with my stupid stunt. Indeed you did. ... He didnt react to my teasing jab. His uncharacteristically dejected demeanor made me feel strangely deted. I know you feel bad, but you dont need to dwell on it. Because it worked out in the end? Thats not what I meant. You saved my life back in the mountains, Calzark. But that was Lets not talk about the circumstances or how it was the most logical choice at the time. Lets just say were finally even for you saving my life back then. Youre good with that? A life owed can only be repaid with another life, right? Calzark let out a bewilderedugh. Interesting. Thats what those southern mercenaries say... Come to think of it, hed been a mercenary too. Judging by his speech pattern, he had definitely spent some time down south before bing a grand master. Before being dragged to Spirit Mountain, that shithole was where I had spent most of my time. ...Fine. But if you ever need help with anything, just say the word. Anything? Yeah, anything. ... He might have been a carefree guy, but he wasnt the type to joke about something like that. By the way, what happened to my Ring Sword? I asked. Sorry, it broke. I will need you to pay for that. Calzark chuckled and turned away, waving his hand dismissively. As I watched him go, I spoke up again, About Instructor Juan... Calzark stopped in his tracks. I dont think he was always crazy. ...What makes you say that? It was something the demon lord said. I recounted verbatim the words spoken by Tangtata, the Demon Lord of the Green Tongue: Yes...! The human from before... said it loved another person... Wh-when I requested the heart, the human screamed... s-saying it could give me anything else... b-but that wouldnt do. Th-the face of someone who loses something of theirs... is the most entertaining... right...? I didnt pity Instructor Juan. To be honest, I thought hed gotten what he deserved when hed died at the hands of a demon lord. But my personal feelings aside, I felt Calzark deserved to know the truth. Is that so... Calzark didnt turn around, but his head drooped slightly. I had told him the truth; how he chose to process it was up to him. Thanks, Luan Bednicker. His voice was slightly strained, but I pretended not to notice. * * * * * * * * * * The next morning, for the first time in quite a while, I woke up feeling refreshed. Ah... that feels good. After enduring the ufortable and cramped bedroom in the dormitory and then the cold, hard ground outdoors, I finally had a proper bed to sleep in. Feeling rejuvenated, I immediately began my morning training. I was just finishing up, rolling my shoulders to loosen my neck, when I stepped out of the room. Oh, Young Master. Youre awake. ...Uh, yeah. A maid Id never seen before bowed her head. The Small Iron Hall seemed unusually bustling this morning. Had everyone been asleepst night because itd been sote? I nced around and saw maids and servants diligently cleaning the hallway, wiping the windowsills, and watering the nts. Did you sleep well, Young Master? Good morning. Please let us know if you need anything. The servants and maids paused their tasks and bowed respectfully as I passed by. It was a stark contrast to the way theyd treated me when Id first arrived at the main house. It dawned on me how much my situation had changed. Maybe I can skip the trek to the main house for breakfast from now on. With that thought, I headed to the dining room on the first floor. The food wasnt set out yet, but an appetizing aroma filled the air. A man who appeared to be a chef approached me and bowed. Wee, Young Master. Breakfast will be ready shortly. Please let me know if you have any dietary preferences. Ill eat anything as long as its delicious. Very well. I sat down at the table and was waiting for my meal when I spotted a familiar face... Kayan. Good morning. I hope you had a good night, Young Master. Kayan bowed his head and said, Would you care for a cup of tea before breakfast? We have a lovely ginger tea that is perfect for hangovers. Sure. As I nodded, Kayan began to brew the tea with a gentle smile. Did he enjoy tea ceremonies? For the first time, I saw a side of this stern old man that seemed to fit his age. Here you go. Mmm. I inhaled the aroma before taking a sip. Sorry, this tea is amazing, but Im not eloquent enough to describe it. Your words are praise enough. Soon, the chef brought out the food, and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast for the first time in a while. What are your ns now, Young Master? Kayan asked after we finished eating. I sipped my post-meal tea. Im thinking of going to the Academy. I see. Then your break will notst very long. Huh? The carriage to the Imperial City departs in a week. Youll need to leave then to make it in time for the special course schedule. One week, huh... I nodded. Thats just enough time, I guess. Do you know who else among the young heroes is going? Im afraid I dont. Applications are open until the day of departure, so there will be constant changes. I believe the maximum number of participants is 10. Ten people... I wondered if all the slots would even be filled. What happens if there are more applicants than that? Theyll be cut based on their performance at the training camp. A very Bednicker way of handling things. I rose from my seat. I was full, and it was time to stretch my legs outside. How are the other young heroes doing? More than half of them left this morning. The rest will either join Heroes through House Bednicker or head to the Academy. Theyre staying in the guest rooms on the first floor of the mansion, right? Thats correct. Maybe I should go see what they were up to. I was curious how many of them were nning to go to the Academy. With Kayan in tow, I left the Small Iron Hall. The sun was warm, but the wind still carried ate winter chill. As I strolled through the Bednicker estate, which was still quite barren, I wished I could see some freshly bloomed flowers. Unfortunately, Id likely be at the Academy when spring arrived. At this moment, a powerful shout reached my ears. Hiyah! I looked over and spotted two familiar figures in the training grounds beyond the garden: Charon and Hector. Are they sparring? It appears so. Oho. There was nothing quite like watching a good fight. Charon was wielding two shortswords, while Hector naturally had his sword. At a nce, Hector seemed to have the upper hand. That wasnt surprising. I had realized it back in the cave. When it came to one-on-onebat, Hector was definitely the superior of the two now. The spar didntst long. Charon, who had been on the defensive the entire time, lost one of his shortswords in a moment of carelessness. Hector seized the opportunity and swiftly subdued him. ... Charon gritted his teeth and tossed his remaining shortsword aside in defeat. Good spar, Hector said curtly as he sheathed his sword. The young heroes who had been watching erupted in cheers. Sharyls voice seemed especially loud. As Hector wiped away his sweat, a small, pleased smile graced his lips. Sharyl suddenly screamed, Kyaaah! I rolled my eyes at her overboard reaction. Charon retrieved his sword and stormed off the training grounds. Naturally, he was headed in my direction. He stumbled as he walked, then flinched when he saw me. You... Good morning. ... When he didnt respond, I raised my fist and repeated myself. Good morning. G-good morning. Did this guy not even know how to greet someone in the morning? More than being offended, I was baffled. Sometimes, he seemed even more clueless than Mir. Thanks for the show. You gotpletely destroyed, huh? ... I bet it makes you sick to your stomach. You were much stronger than Hector before the training camp. Charon red at me as I continued to needle him. I chuckled under his intense gaze. Maybe I was bing more like my master. I preferred someone who still had fire in their eyes even after getting beaten up over someone who would grovel at the victors feet. ...Fighting people isnt my specialty. Hunting is. Sure, sure. But that precious hunting skill of yours will also be surpassed soon enough. What did you say? I didnt answer, instead tilting my chin in a dismissive gesture, signaling him to move along. Charon clenched his fists, then brushed past me. He could be useful if I polish him up a bit. Charon might be a strange one, but for the time being, I had bigger fish to fry. The underground library. Once I left the main house, who knew when I would be back? I had one week before I left for the Academy. I had to find it within that time. *** Being the acting deputy family head, even temporarily, had its perks. I could roam this vast estate as if I owned it and no one would bat an eye. Right. I guess this is my house, after all. Whenever I had free time, Id chat with the other young heroes staying at the main house or share a meal with them. Thanks to that, I had a pretty good idea of who was nning to go to the Academy. The rest of my time was, of course, dedicated to searching for the underground library. I scoured every nook and cranny of the main house, the surrounding annexes, the servants quarters, and even the storage rooms... I searched every building I could find, but the entrance to the underground library remained elusive. There were a few underground spaces, mostly in the servants quarters, but they were all used for storage. On the third day, I came to a realization. Trying to find it just by searching will be impossible. My only option left was to ask around. The first person I sought out was the head maid, the same one who had given me that cryptic message about the underground library before the training camp. I dont know the exact location. However, I do know it exists. The head maid, with her usual stoic expression, spoke as if she had been expecting me. Young Master, just because it is called an underground library does not mean you need to pass through a building to reach it. Oh... Something clicked in my mind. I expanded my search beyond the buildings, focusing on the entire estate grounds. There was a chance the entrance was hidden somewhere in the Forest of the Butterfly, but if that was the case, I might as well give up. The forest was simply too vast. But still... I had a strange feeling that the entrance to the underground library was somewhere on the estate grounds, not in the forest. And two dayster... ... I finally found it. It was beyond the restricted rear garden, in a spot where the wall ended abruptly, opening directly into the forest. Ironically, it was near the shack where Id had my previous meeting with the Lord of Blood and Iron. Behind the shack was a well, though its water source had dried up and long been abandoned. In other words, it was a passage that a person could easily fit through. Whooosh. A cool draft flowed from the opening despite the increasingly warm weather. Hmm... Looks like I have no choice but to go down there myself. I rubbed the back of my neck and jumped down the well. ... The well itself was narrow, but the area below was surprisingly spacious. A crudely paved dirt path stretched out before me, wide enough for three people to walk side by side. It wasnt immediately obvious, but this tunnel was not naturally formed. It looks like its been some time since it was dug. I pressed onward, staying alert for anything that might jump out at me. I soon arrived at a fork in the path, in the middle of which was a signpost bearing a strange message: [1. Choose the correct divine beast of the Bednickers from the following options. (1 point) Lion Wolf Deer Owl Caution In case of an incorrect answer, one finger.] ...What in the hell was this? Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Whats with this sudden quiz? The thought had barely crossed my mind when the sound of a clock echoed around me and the shadow of a clock hand appeared on the sign. Tick. Tock. Is this magic? The sign itself didn''t seem special, so magic was the most likely exnation. The clock hand moved slowly, taking a full 60 seconds toplete a rotation. This sudden turn of events was baffling, but my conversation with the Lord of Blood and Iron had taught me a thing or two about divine beasts. Bednicker had five divine beasts: the Deer, the Rat, the Sheep, the Hound, and the Serpent. The correct answer had to be option three: Deer.Coincidentally, there were four paths and four options. Did that mean I had to take the third path? Step, step. When I passed through the third path... [Correct.] [The reward has been enhanced.] [Go right if you wish to stop here.] An artificial voice rang out. Another fork appeared in the tunnel. I see. So continuing straight meant facing the next question, whereas going right led to the end? I had no idea what questions awaited, but I pressed onward. Soon, another sign appeared, this time in a slightly wider space. [2. Choose the answer that best fits the description from the following options. (2 points) - One of the Four Grand Swords of the Continent. - A sword of the house passed down through generations of Bednickers, once wielded by Dark Fairy Kuset. - Among the Four Grand Swords, it possesses the strongest anti-demon properties. Michael Gabriel Uriel Raphael Current Score: 1 point. Caution In case of an incorrect answer, two mrs.] The potential points had increased, and Current Score had been added. Once again, the clock hand began to tick. I studied the question. ...Hmm. I was clueless. The Bednickers possessed numerous swords, and these names meant nothing to me. Even I, who had sold my own family''s ancestral de, had never heard of these names. And what was with the caution note? Two mrs for an incorrect answer? Was it going to rip out two of my teeth? Like hell it will. A scoff escaped my lips. Blindly guessing was out of the question, though. As I pondered my next move... [It''s Michael.] The Martial God''s voice echoed in my mind. You even possess knowledge about relics? I asked, surprised to hear from him after a while. [That''s not a relic. It is a now-forgotten divine name] What do you mean? [It''s nothing important. More importantly... I sense a tremendously evil aura ahead.] While picking the first path, I asked, Then should I stop here? [Correct.] [The reward has been enhanced.] [Go right if you wish to stop here.] Remembering the encounter with the high priest, I was ready to heed the Martial God''s advice. I could find information about my eldest senior brother at the Academy, and contracting the Serpent as my divine beast wasn''t that essential. [No. Although it''s evil, it doesn''t seem immediately hostile.] Hmm. [Let''s keep going, Inheritor. I''m curious about these questions. I''ll warn you if something feels off.] Understood. I nodded and began to venture deeper. As I went, I noticed a subtle detail: The tunnel sloped downward. The more questions I answered, the deeper underground I would go. The path was devoid of light, but strangely, it was notpletely dark. It was dim, but I could still make out my surroundings. [3. Which race was once considered intelligent and treated as a member of the federation but is now considered a monster? Choose from the following options. (2 points) Kobold Orc Lizardmen Gnoll Current Score: 3 points. Caution In case of an incorrect answer, two ears.] [4. Though they were one of the most powerful among the seven races, which one is now the rarest and hardest to find? Choose from the following options. (1 point) Giant Dragon Fairy Winged Celestial Current Score: 5 points. Caution In case of an incorrect answer, five fingers] Some questions I knew, others I didn''t. Actually, I didn''t have the answers to most of the questions, but I still managed to solve them without any trouble... [It''s Lizardmen.] [Dragon.] Because the Martial God was providing me with the correct answers. [Whoever created these questions is incredibly knowledgeable about history.] His initial admiration shifted slightly when we got to the eighth question. [8. The Nameless Empire, the only nation on the continent today, began as a federation. How many nations were there when the federation was first established? Choose from the following options. (5 points) 5 nations 7 nations 10 nations 15 nations Current Score: 15 points. Caution In case of an incorrect answer, tongue.] I didn''t know this answer either, but I was drawn to the second option. I had heard the legend of the Nameless King uniting the seven races countless times. I waited for the Martial God''s voice, but he seemed hesitant. Martial God? [...It''s the fourth option. 15 nations.] I nodded and entered the fourth tunnel. As expected, a voice congratted me. Thinking about it now, thatst question was worth a whole five points. The Martial God''s tone was heavy. [...I never thought there would still be someone who knew the origins of The Empire.] Is it really that difficult to learn about? [Indeed. That era was one of the most turbulent in the Continent''s history. Every faction, fearing how even the smallest of their actions might be recorded, was obsessed with destroying their enemies'' records.] Hmm... [Could some ancient texts remain? Or perhaps...] I remained silent while the Martial God contemted something. [Let''s keep going for now.] I did as hed suggested and eventually encountered the next question. [9. Choose the most unusual demon lord from the following options. (5 points) Demon Lord of the Green Tongue Demon Lord of the ck Swamp Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon Demon Lord of ck and White Current Score: 20 points. Caution In case of an incorrect answer, one arm.] I nced beyond the tunnel for the first time. I couldn''t shake the feeling that something was observing me. * * * * * * * * * * [...Hmm.] Even the Martial God, who had been answering without hesitation, seemed troubled. [This question is strange. The criteria of unusual is too subjective. It''s unclear what standard we should use.] ... [Gods of disaster are rulers of Hell, transcendents by nature. Humans group them as demon lords, but they have little inmon. They are all unique beings.] ... [...Inheritor, what are your thoughts?] I was just thinking about how many bastards have a bone to pick with me, I thought, my mind elsewhere. I had already encountered three Demon Lords, and as the Martial God said, they had nothing inmon. Evenparing Ahop and Tangtata, their appearances, demeanors, and abilities were all different. Despite that... I knew exactly who the most unusual Demon Lord was. The term unusual was indeed vague, but even if all Demon Lords were unique, only one came from another world. Step, step. Though there was still time remaining, I stepped into the fourth tunnel. [Inheritor? That''s too rash] [Correct.] As the emotionless voice spoke, the Martial God fell silent, seemingly embarrassed. Though the forgotten Martial God knew a lot about Baek Nogwang, he seemed to know little about the disciples of the Strongest Under the Heavens. He had been surprised to hear that Baek Nogwang had even taken a disciple. Suddenly, I was curious too. Why had Master suddenly taken a disciple? Why was Elder Senior Brother his first disciple? Was there any connection to Eldest Senior Brothers expulsion? I realized how little I knew about Master. ...How many more questions are there anyway? I felt like I had descended quite far. As if on cue, another sign appeared, but this one was different. This time, there were only two tunnels. [10. Choose the correct answer. (10 points) Left Right Current Score: 25 points. Caution In case of an incorrect answer, life.] Was this a joke? Without any clues, I had to choose between left and right? [Inheritor...] I cut off the Martial God. Hold on a second. Hadn''t he sensed evil from beyond? Even if it wasn''t evil, it certainly wasn''t someone sane. Tick. Tock. I looked at the question again. My life was on the line. Judging by the risk, this was thest question. I wondered if this was indeed the only clue avable. Should I give up? Maybe I could go back and take the right path? It was a tempting thought indeed, but I shook my head. The creator of these intricate questions wouldn''t throw in such a thoughtless question at the end. There had to be some kind of hint. Tick. Tock. Ignoring the ticking clock, I closed my eyes. I recalled the previous questions, trying to imagine the quiz maker''s personality. It was a train of thought that required making subjective assumptions, but still... An erudite and gloomy person. Someone who enjoys toying with others and has a tendency for cruelty... It sounded like a recipe for an unpleasant fellow, but... they also clearly defined rewards and punishments and were surprisingly fair. They had given me several opportunities to stop, and the rewards had supposedly been increasing as I progressed. Would such a person really ask such azy question at the very end? I thought about the unnatural choice presented at the finish line. I cooled my hot head and slowly opened my eyes. I should have about three seconds left. I counted in my head. Three, two, one. Tock. The clock hand stopped moving. ... Nothing happened. Then... [Correct.] Rumble... With the emotionless voice, a new passage opened between the two existing paths. Rumble... I let out a deep sigh of relief. ...You devious bastard. I had guessed correctly. Unlike the previous questions, this descriptioncked the phrase "from the following options." The answer wasn''t among the choices, leaving only one option. Choose nothing. One could say it was an obvious trap, but the previous nine questions, with their time limits, had created an atmosphere of pressure. With an exasperated look, I nced into the newly revealed space. What kind of twisted game are you ying? I simultaneously wanted to see their face and also noty eyes on them at all. For the time being, I walked toward the central tunnel. Trudge, trudge. The moment my footnded inside the unusually dark tunnel, I felt as if Id been enveloped by an unknown liquid. I was startled at first, but I soon recognized the sensation. It was simr to teleporting with the ring Id received from Asad. Just like then, my vision went ck before the scene inside came into view, albeit blurry. ...Hmm. Could this ce really be called a library? While books in a library were usually organized on shelves, here they were scattered haphazardly on the floor. Some areas had books piled up like mountains. Ssh. There was even water pooled on the ground, but strangely, the scattered books weren''t wet. I decided to move forward. As I observed my surroundings, I realized many of the tools were out of ce for a simple library. Grey matter, internal organs, body parts of unknown monsters, skull-shaped candles, ss bottles, and beakers filled with various reagents... Unknown dolls and taxidermied beasts hung from the ceiling and walls, and a crystal ball emitting a bright light rested on the table in the center. However, the most striking object was a cauldron. It was filled with a dark, greenish-ck porridge-like substance, stirred by a staff moving on its own. Rather than a magicians study, it''s like a witch''s workshop. Though it wasnt like I knew the exact difference between the two. Anyway, I couldn''t sense anyone present. Was the owner out? ...To think that such a young greenhorn would answer all ten questions correctly. A muffled voice reached my ears. Unless my ears deceived me, it sounded like it came from beneath the mountain of books in the center of the room. Rustle... As I thought that, the pile of books began to shake. Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Oh my stars! I prided myself on my courage, but a shiver ran down my spine as I looked at the voices owner. The first thing I noticed was her pitch-ck hair. No matter how dark someones hair was, it should reflect some light, but this hair seemed to absorb it all. It was also unbelievably long. At a nce, it looked to be several meters at least. It flowed down the figures body and spread out on the slightly pooled water like seaweed. Her bangs were so disorganized that I couldnt even see her face properly, but her frame seemed rather small. It didnt feel right to judge by appearances, but even so, I could only see a kid. Its been close to forty years since Ist had a guest... Her voice was slow and devoid of hostility, but my instincts had been screaming in warning since I encountered this magician.I feel like I might be fucked... I wiped my sweaty palms on my clothes. The powerful presence emanating from the magician was different from the pressure of absolute beings like the Lord of Blood and Iron or Asad, nor was it like the awe Id felt when facing divine beings like the demon lords. I bowed my head to show respect. My name is Luan Bednicker. I know that the blood of Bednicker flows through that flesh, the magician responded in an indifferent voice. What I want to know is this: How did you solve all of those problems? They were not the kind you could solve with mere wit. The wording itself wasnt awkward, but her tone felt strangely unnatural, like she hadnt had a proper conversation in a long time. I guess she did say its been forty years since herst guest... I had a feeling that thest visitor might have been the Lord of Blood and Iron. In any case, her attitude wasnt threatening and she didnt seem to be trying to intimidate me, but I didnt intend to let my guard down. I gathered my thoughts and slowly answered, Ive always been interested in the forgotten age and unrecorded history. Hmm. The magician tilted her head. When that darn Derk mentioned a kid Id never heard of, I thought hed finally gone senile... Well, I suppose you meet the bare minimum inpetency. ... I had met a few people who spoke the Lord of Blood and Irons name casually, but this was the first time Id heard someone speak ill of him so openly. Excuse me, but... are you the librarian of the underground library? I asked cautiously. That is one of my duties, the magician responded in a t voice. She sat down on a mountain of books and stretched out a hand. A book floating on the water flung into her pale hand, and she began to flip through it. I heard you were the one who requested entry to the library. Yes. What are you looking for? Information about the demon lords. It seemed the magician hadnt heard about that from the Lord of Blood and Iron because her gaze, which had been fixed on the book, turned to me. The demon lords. Yes. I dont think they are beings the likes of your skill should be discussing. Well, she wasnt wrong. When I didnt answer and remained silent, the magician continued, Are you saying that despite your age, you still are of a Great Houses bloodline? That wasnt it. What had happened at the training camp had made me sick of demons and cults, but... I was trying to get information about the demon lords because of Eldest Senior Brother. There is nothing more dangerous than premature knowledge... but you did indeed solve the problems I prepared and earn a total of 35 points. You may borrow 35 points worth of books. Ah, I see.So thats how it works. It seemed that she hadnt prepared those difficult problems just to mess with intruders. Of course, considering how she had threatened to take my eyeballs and fingers every time I got a question wrong, I couldnt say she had a good personality. How many books can I borrow with 35 points? That depends on what books you are looking for. The value of each book varies greatly, she exined, stretching out a hand dramatically. This is a tomb of forbidden texts. The books you seek about the demon lords are, of course, also kept here, but their danger is particrly high, even among forbidden texts. Even the least valuable book will cost at least 10 points. ... Child, if you have inherited the blood of Bednicker, you must be a martial artist. With the points you have earned, you could easily borrow lost refinement techniques or martial arts manuals containing formidable power. Do you still desire books about the demon lords? I do. Any martial artist would be tempted, but I nodded without hesitation. Hmm... very well. Which demon lord are you looking for? The Demon Lord of ck and White. And what information do you seek? Everything. Insufficient, she immediately replied. Excuse me? Child, it seems you havent heard anything about this ce. The moment the magician waved her hand, strange lights began to float around us. They looked like ordinary fireflies, but they also reminded me of the will-o-the-wisps I had seen on Spirit Mountain. Regardless, the unidentified lights illuminated the surroundings... and I was finally able to see the true nature of this space. The number of books kept here is 230,000. Oh... I realized at once that this underground space was muchrger than I had thought. The bluish streaks of light that gently fell on the shallow water were like moonlight on ake at night. Not a small number, is it? Among them, there are well over 1,000 books about the Demon Lord of ck and White. Even at a minimum of 10 points each, you would need 10,000 points to borrow them all, and you only have 35. Woefully insufficient. Hmm. This ce held far more books than I had imagined. I had to organize my thoughts. What information about Eldest Senior Brother, the Demon Lord of ck and White, should I ask for first? Appearance? Personality? Characteristics? The martial arts hed mastered? The weapons he used...? Ironically, I probably knew more about Eldest Senior Brother than anyone else in this world... But that didnt mean I could ignore the information here. I knew the Unrivaled Sword Under the Heavens Haru, the First Disciple of Baek Nogwangnot the Demon Lord of ck and White. * * * * * * * * * * I needed time to think, so I changed the subject slightly. Great magician, do you happen to know a lot about divine beasts? Why do you ask? I asked the Lord of Blood and Iron for advice on divine-beast contracts. He mentioned five divine beasts, and I chose the Serpent. Why did you choose the Serpent? ...I thought it would suit me best. In response to my vague words, the magician fell silent. I continued after a short pause, I heard you know about the Serpent. Could you possibly arrange a contract for me? The magician let out a dark chuckle. ...Kekeke. I clenched my fist discreetly. Unlike thenguid, transcendental atmosphere she had shown so far, herughter now held clear malice. Is that what Derk told you? Yes. What else did he say? I thought carefully about my conversation with the Lord of Blood and Iron. I heard that no one has made a contract with the Serpent since Dark Fairy Kuset. Thats right. I have no intention of making a contract with anyone. ...What did she mean by I? But then it hit me. You mean... It seems Derk didnt tell you anything about me. The corners of her mouth stretched into a crescent moon, and her hair, which had been floating like seaweed, abruptly surged as if it had a will of its own. Swoosh! Slither slither! Her hair transformed into dozens of snakes. Not figuratively but literally. The snakes surrounded me, flicking their long tongues. It was obviously a dangerous situation, but... I instead had an absurd thought. Ever since the Gem Mountains, I cant seem to rid myself of snakes. My name is Lise Ladygoth Oll Haimudd. I am the Serpent Dragon who swims in the deepest darkness, the Sorcerer of Dark Heavens whom even the Seven Colors that crossed the skies could not taint. ... I had heard the name Lise Ladygoth before, but what caught my attention more than that was this beings middle name. Oll. As far as I knew, only one race on this vast Continent was allowed that middle namea race that had disappeared from the continent. The ancestors of House Bednicker. Dark fairy... So the magician in front of me... was both a magician, a divine beast, and a dark fairy? What kind of mutt Lise Ladygoth interrupted my thoughts. Enough about the contract. Ask me about the demon lords again, she said, sounding like she was dealing with an annoying, uninvited guest. I had wanted to delve deeper into the contract, but my primary goal was the demon lord, not the divine beast. Instead of borrowing the books, could you perhaps enlighten me with the information? I requested. What do you mean? I have heard that the duty of a true librarian begins with reading all the books in the library they manage. And Im certain that you have read every single book here. On what grounds? I decided to hide my true feelings: that she must have read a ton of books because she seemed to have nothing better to do. Instead, I replied, It was none other than the Lord of Blood and Iron who called you the librarian of the underground library. You may be aware, but he has strict standards. He will not acknowledge anyone, no matter who they are, who does not meet his standards. And yet, he called you a librarian without a moments hesitation. You trust Derks judgment? As far as I know, he is the fairest man in Bednicker. Since what I was going to say next could be taken the wrong way, I continued cautiously, ...So, could you perhaps do me the honor of summarizing the information from the books I require and sharing it with me? Lise Ladygoth, after a brief silence, chuckled. You have a silver tongue. Everyone else who came here prior was obsessed with the forbidden texts... ... To think youd respect the profession of a librarian... Thats not very Bednicker-like. How amusing. Swoosh... The ck snakes that had been staring at me turned back into hair and settled atop the water. The pressure I had felt disappeared without a trace. Only at this point did I breathe a sigh of relief. Very well. Then I shall tell you about the Demon Lord of ck and White based on my own discretion and prejudice. Exactly 35 points worth of information. May I ask for more details if I have any questions while you speak? Go ahead, Lise Ladygoth said in anguid voice. First of all... the Demon Lord of ck and White is the most unique demon lord. No one has ever seen his face because of the jet-ck armor that covers his entire body, but in terms of form and physique, he is the closest to human. Armor? I hadnt seen any when Id encountered him in Hell. I wondered if he usually wore something like that. Even in Hell, he doesnt form factions and doesnt hold territory. Hes known to move alone. Also, there is no longer a faction within the cult that worships the Demon Lord of ck and White, though he does have a faction outside the cult. Slightly surprised, I asked, Does that mean... hes be apletely separate force from the cult? Not necessarily. Interaction between them has lessened, but there is still a connection. He does seem to follow the orders of the cult leader to some extent, and he does still have some followers within the cult... He just is not as proactive as the others. Hmm... The followers of the Demon Lord of ck and White are the least numerous and the most secretive. Theyre harder to find than even ordinary cult members, and their rtionship with their demon lord is one-sided. It is said that not even a high priest canmunicate with him directly. A stream of valuable and important information poured out, beyond even what Id expected. So there are cultists that follow him, even if their numbers are small. To me, he was still my eldest senior brother. It was a veryplicated feeling, knowing that there was an organization that worshipped him as a god. ...I''d like to meet them at least once. Of course, it would be nearly impossible to find a follower of the Demon Lord of ck and White when even ordinary cult members were hard to find... but somehow, I felt confident that I would run into them at least once before I faced Eldest Senior Brother head-on. Even though its a hunch with absolutely no basis. I recalled Tangtata, whom I had seen in hell, and asked, What is his rtionship with the other demon lords like? Neither good nor bad. That is how demon lords generally are. Then do you happen to know the Demon Lord of ck and Whites objective? Nothing has been revealed yet. Hmm... Lastly, the current whereabouts of the Demon Lord of ck and White... I was stunned. Shes going to tell me that too? The magicians next words came as a greater shock than anything she had said before. The Demon Lord of ck and White is currently on Spirit Mountain. Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Spirit Mountain. To think I would hear that name here, in this ce of all ces... and from the mouth of a dark-fairy magician at that. ...Where did you say? I said Spirit Mountain, Lise Ladygoth replied tly, her gaze fixed on my stunned expression. On the eastern edge of the continent, theres a strangely shaped penins. It is one of therge mountains there. It is considered one of thergest demon zones on the continent now. ... My mind snapped back to reality from her exnation. The Spirit Mountain she spoke of and the Spirit Mountain I knew were twopletely different ces. But thinking about it, that was only logical. Thats a rather... unique name for a mountain. I hear the followers of ck and White gave it that name....I didnt think she was intentionally lying to me, but that probably wasnt the truth. I didnt know what this worlds Spirit Mountain was like, but it couldnt be a coincidence that the ce where Eldest Senior Brother resided was also called Spirit Mountain. Eldest Senior Brother had to have been the one to name it. His followers were just parroting him. But why? Eldest Senior Brother left Spirit Mountain of his own volition. At first, Id thought there might have been some misunderstanding, but now that Id met him in person, I knew that wasnt the case. Eldest Senior Brother had abandoned everything. His ties, his rtionships, even his memories of his master and fellow disciples... It was amon sight with people who prioritized their mission above all else. So why would Eldest Senior Brother, who had given up everything, name it Spirit Mountain? ... I tried to recall my eldest senior brothernot the demon lord Id seen in Hell but the one in my memories. Eldest Senior Brother was always smiling, but not to hide his true feelings. Hisughter boomed when he was happy. He smiled awkwardly when he was troubled. He always offered a prayer of thanks before every meal. And after killing the monsters that dwelled on Spirit Mountain, he always repented in silence. Even if it was his masters orders, which were like the heavens themselves, he would fight back if there was anything he couldnt ept. That was why I respected and followed Eldest Senior Brother second only to Master... Id always thought that he was always smiling because he approached life with constant joy. After all,ughter stemmed from peace of mind. But in my world, the Demon Lord of ck and White had destroyed an entire nation. An entire nation. Just how much blood had been spilled because of him? p p. Well then, Lise Ladygoth pped her hands together, bringing me back to reality. That should be more than enough information for 35 points. You would have had to search through hundreds of ancient texts at least to find this information out in the world. She was right. Todays Q&A session had probably saved me at least a few months worth of time. But it left my heart feeling strangely heavy. You look troubled. ...Do I? Perhaps Im just tired fromck of sleep, I replied as I shook my head. But the fog in my mind wouldnt clear. If youre done, you may leave. My throat is parched from speaking so much after all this time. You can exit the way you came. ... What are you waiting for? Leave. I looked at Lise Ladygoth and asked, May Ie here again? The Underground Library does not wee repeat visitors. Every guest is allowed only one visit. Id thought as much. As befitting a ce with a grandiose name like the Tomb of Forbidden Text, most of the knowledge here was likely dangerousthe kind of knowledge that ordinary people were better off not knowing. In other words, its absolutely essential for me. One way or another, my life was going to be deeply intertwined with the cult. On top of that, there was the Martial God, the Sword of Seven Sins, the forgotten age, the Divine Throne... The list of things I needed to know seemed to only grow longer. If I could make the knowledge of the Underground Library my own, it would undoubtedly be a great help in my future endeavors. Is there no other way? Id like to visit this library regrly in the future. Theres no use pertaining to that in the contract. Now scram, she said, her tone starting to sharpen. I felt like her limp hair was about to stand on end again. Before it could take the form of a snake, I said, Then how about a deal? A deal? If you allow me to borrow books, Ill give you something of equal value in return. A look of disbelief shed across her eyes. Do you truly understand what a deal is? Of course I Dont answer yet. I dont think youre unfamiliar with the definition. What Im curious about, child, is what a little brat like you could possibly offer me. I felt like this was the crucial moment. This magician, entric as she was, could be reasoned with. Of course, there was no telling how quickly that attitude could change. Magicians were a fickle bunch. However... Is there anything you desire? No. Could she be lying? If she truly desired nothing, there would be no reason for her to continue this conversation, even if she bore no ill intent toward me. She could kick me out by force at any time. Of course, judging by her earlier mention of a contract, there might be some condition preventing her from directly harming me... Either way, Lise Ladygoth was testing me. She was devious, but that was also why it seemed doable. I quickly made a mental list of what I could offer her. I could simply offer money as payment. I was currently a wealthy individual with a whopping 5,000 gold to my name. Alternatively, I could use that money to bring her materials needed for magic research. But... A strange certainty washed over me. All the ideas I hade up with so far were definitely wrong. Lets hear it. But if your answer doesnt please me, you will pay the price. What price? I wont take your life, seeing as youre still young. But youll have to at least give up your right arm. I almost sighed. At this point, it felt like my right arm was cursed. I was reminded of when Kayan severed the tendons in my arm, and again when the high priest cut off my arm right before my regression. Half out of spite, I blurted out, Ill teach you magic. ... Youll teach me magic? Yes. ...Hak. She looked taken aback, then let out a strange sound before I could even respond. Aha, hak, hahak, hahahaha... It took me a moment to realize it wasughter. This magiciansughter was just as bizarre as her appearance. How amusing, child. Its been a long time since Iveughed like this... ... Youll teach me magic? Thats a first in centuries. Child, do you have any idea who I am? ...Youre the Serpent Divine Beast of Bednicker, an ancient dark fairy, Librarian of the Underground Library, and a magician. That is but a fraction of who I am, she said, her voice thick with amusement. Ill ask again, child. You im to be able to teach magic to me, Lise Ladygoth? Warden of the Night Sky, rightful master of the Dark Tower, and creator of the nine runes? Can you take responsibility for your promise? I could sense the angerced in her voice. She seemed to think I was mocking her. Despite that... I answered, Yes. There was no way this magician could know, but I was rather pleased with how this situation was turning out. I can teach you magic youve never experienced before. * * * * * * * * * * Lise Ladygoth observed the young boy before her. His traits were incredibly faint for being of Bednicker blood. For one, that irritatingly bright tinum-blonde hair was a trait not found in dark fairies. His skin was also as white as porcin. If not for the color of his eyes, she wouldnt even know he was a Bednicker. In other words, even face-to-face like this, her heart shouldnt be swayed. How strange. He was courteous at the very least. At times, she could see a flicker of wariness in his surprised and flustered expressions, a typical reaction from those who met her. The difference, however, was... Hes not afraid. That was the strangest part. Lise Ladygoth was well aware of how her aura affected others. To a certain extent, it was intentional. Unless someone had gone through a great amount of mental training, they would find it difficult to remain unaffected. But this brat... Despite the considerable effort shed put into intimidating him, his demeanor remained unshaken. Judging by his age, it was unlikely he had much experience with this sort of thing. Was it just his natural disposition? ...Very well. Tell me, then: What is this magic Ive never experienced before? In any case, whatever this boys true intentions were, he had seeded in one thing. He had brought her to the negotiating table. He had piqued her curiosity, a magicians most important emotion. But there was one more thing this boy needed to know. If you are trying to make a fool of me with your meager knowledge, you will pay the price. Depending on the situation, piquing a magicians curiosity could be a life-threatening endeavor. *** What price will I have to pay? I asked. The magician replied in an indifferent tone, As I said before, Ill start with your right arm. And Ill take your tongue as well. A wagging tongue that spouts nonsense should be of no use to you. Taking my arm and my tongue... The old Kayan seemed like a saintpared to her. But child, you ask unnecessary questions. Are you trying to deceive me? Of course not. There was something I wanted to know, and our conversation so far had given me the confirmation I needed. Then... Miss Lady Lisegoth. Its Lise Ladygoth. L Sedigoth Just call me Lise. Yes. Let me preface. My talents are not limited to magic, Lise said matter-of-factly. Alchemy, summoning magic, and elemental spirit arts are a given. I have dabbled in the holy arts as well as ancient shamanism practiced by the small tribes on the ins. Not to mention I even possess knowledge of curses, demon contracts, and necromancy. I paused at her words. If the magic you intend to teach me happens to be one of these, this is yourst chance to stop. Ill at least spare your tongue if you do. So shed still take my arm? That wasnt a real improvement to me. The only saving grace was that the magic I was going to teach her was a fundamentally different kind of power than anything Lise had mentioned. About the magic you cast on the cave... I began, watching Lises expression closely. It was impressive. They said ttery could even make a whale dance, but it didnt seem to apply here. Lises expression remained unchanged. What about it? she responded in her usual dry tone. Usually, that kind of magic prefers to distort the intruders senses, but you didnt do that. You cast magic on the entire cave. The reason for employing the former method was simple: It was more efficient to cast a spell that distorted the intruders perception than to constantly change the cave with magic. Despite my rather pointedpliment, Lise remained indifferent. It was a natural response, really; no adult would be ttered by a child telling them they were smart. I could already tell you were a magician of considerable skill just from that, but thats not all. I abruptly decided to switch gears. I once went to the old training grounds beyond the mansions back garden. This was something I had never nned to tell anyone in my family, but if my hunch was correct, there was no need to hide it from Lise. It waspletely neglected, with no sign of human activity. And? I saw an undead there. I kept my gaze locked on Lise as I spoke. Avoiding her eyes wouldnt be effective in this situation. To me, the flow of mana is like written letters. Its not something one can hide even if they want to. Everyone senses mana, a.k.a. ki, differently. Some distinguish it by color, while others sense it through touch. In rare cases, some even identify it by smell. Second Senior Sister had particrly keen senses. Luan, how do you see the flow of ki? She had asked me in her usual soft-spoken manner, and I had replied... That I saw the flow like calligraphy. The mana signature I had sensed from the undead back then matched the one Id seen while passing through the cave earlier. In other words... The mysterious necromancer who had been handling undead in Bednicker was none other than Lise herself. ... Lise silently closed her mouth. Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Though Lise did not respond to myment, her silence was confirmation enough. She herself had admitted to having knowledge of curses, demon contracts, and necromancy. Besides, Asad had hinted at it before. I protect the main house and the center of the forest. The area youre in is under someone elses jurisdiction. Who is that? Lise Ladygoth. If I am the outward House Guardian, then she is a hidden guardian. Specifically, the guardian of the forest... as well as the librarian of the underground library. "Thinking back, there were many strange things about that ce. My guess is that you cast a spell over the entire rear garden..." It was the only exnation for undead roaming so close to the Bednicker main house, even if it had been in the dead of night. If Lise was also a guardian of the family, then those undead were on our side. Lise, sensing the cult''s intrusion, must have sent them as reinforcements.I decided to take a gamble. "But you didn''t cast any greater magic." Finally, Lise broke her silence. "Greater magic?" she asked. Though her eyes were hidden beyond her hair, I did my best to meet her gaze and cautiously continued, "You didn''t ce a spellrge enough to epass the entire mansion or the forest. Instead, Asad created a barrier around the forest." Crash...! A thick book grazed past my ear. I didnt dodge, knowing she intended no harm, but it was incredibly fast nheless. If I hadn''t been on guard, I wouldn''t have reacted in time. "Never again..." Lise said, her voice harsh, utter that disgusting bastard''s name in front of me... Do you understand?" "...My apologies." Were they on bad terms? I had heard they weren''t close, but I hadnt known it was that bad. "The barrier around the forest... she began. Most of the family thinks it was put up to control the monsters, correct? It wasn''t." About the barrier around the forest... You are aware that it protects the people of House Bednicker from the monsters, right? But thats not the truth. Its because of Lise Ladygoth. It exists to seal and surveil her. Oh. I see. Lise was sealed away here. Asad was likely the one who had sealed her here or, at the very least, the one keeping watch. No wonder they weren''t on good terms. "Child." "My name is Luan." I had lived to my thirties back in my Spirit Mountain era, so it didnt sit right to be called a child. "Fine. Luan, do you even know anything about magic?" "What do you mean?" "That disgusting bastard wasnt able to create a barrier around the forest because hes greatly skilled. No, it was because of the relics he hid throughout the forest. Do you think we magicians don''t use the method you described because we are unaware? You''re talking about it without addressing the biggest problem." I was, of course, aware of the problem Lise was referencing. "Its inefficient," Lise stated. "Casting a spell over this entire cave is not difficult for me, but it''d be a challenging task for most magicians. Of course, I could cast a spell over the entire mansion as wellif that hermit doesn''t interfere, that is. But the entire forest? Do you have any idea how vast the Forest of the Butterfly is?" "..." "What you''re suggesting is impossible even for the Archmages of Seven Colors." "I understand." "...Are you trying to y games with me?" Lise''s voice was threatening, but I didn''t back down. "Excuse me, but do you consider efficiency in the face of nature?" "What?" "Whether it be a downpour or snowfall, nature doesn''t discriminate between where it should and shouldn''t, does it?" "Are you trying to discuss the order of nature with me, Lise Ladygoth?" "Of course not. But have you ever considered applying the flow of nature to magic to escape the logic of efficiency?" Lise stared nkly at me before muttering, "It doesn''t seem like you''re simply talking about absorbing and refining mana." "The mana contained within seas and mountains is practically limitless. Even the greatest magician wouldn''t be able to hold one ten-thousandth of it. If we could fully utilize that mana, the scale of magic would no longer be an issue." "What you are saying merits no response. Your theory is no different from saying we should just wipe out our enemies with naturally urring storms or tsunamis." "Not at all. I''m not talking about praying to a god or relying on luck; this is a skill that can be honed, and in fact, it''s closer to science than anything else." In an incredulous voice, Lise said, "Science? Didn''t you say you were going to teach me magic?" "Isn''t magic also referred to as magic research?" I said shamelessly. "The ignorant will say that nature has nows or rules. However, its actually the opposite. There is no ce where rules take precedence as strictly as in nature. It''s just too vast andplex for human understanding. What I''m trying to exin is..." ... ... ... "...the interpretation of the natural cycles and the principles of all things, and then utilizing thosews," I finished, looking at Lise. "That is Qimen Dunjia." The foundation of Qimen Dunjia lies in defense. My second senior sister, a master of Qimen Dunjia, exined while polishing her iron fan. The goal of those who first created this art was to achieve immortal ascension and be divine immortals. I see. So the starting point was a desire to to artificially manipte the terrain to create an environment that wouldn''t hinder their training. Truthfully, I wasnt sharing some great truth, but it was still enough to shock the magicians of this world. It was a shock stemming not from a difference in knowledge but from a difference in environment. Naturally, this continent, where magic originated, waspletely different from the world where mystic arts originated. There were countless differences that made it impossible to equate them simply because they were both inhabited by people. The continent was constantly gued by conflict and strife. Dozens of races were crammed into the vastndmass, and that number was far higher when sub-races were also included. Each race had its own unique history and culture, so conflict was inevitable. Only now, with themon enemy of the cult and the continent''s unification under a single nation, had an era of stability arrived. So, regardless of how magic had begun, it had ultimately developed in a direction that pursued destruction. On the other hand, Qimen Dunjia originated from a desire to avoid conflict. I had learned the basics from my second senior sister. If I had taught her about the magic system of this world, she would have been quite surprised. I figured Lises reaction would be simr. * * * * * * * * * * The silence stretched longer than I had expected. I wanted to guess what she was thinking, but her face was obscured. I still couldn''t see her eyes, let alone her face, because of that creepy hair. But I took the silence as a good omen. She hadn''t thrown me into a grave yet. After a while, Lise said, "...So youre saying, by slightly twisting the flow of mana dispersed in nature, one can create formations and manipte the situation to the casters advantage." Manipte wasn''t quite rightshape was more urate. But considering Lise was a magician, it wasn''t entirely wrong. Amazingly, Lise seemed to have grasped the general characteristics of mystic arts from my brief exnation, interpreted through a magician''s perspective. "That is correct." "Impossible," Lise retorted, pausing briefly beforeas if to reassure herselfrepeating, "Yes, it''s impossible." "Why is that?" "Why do you think we absorb mana into our bodies? To control it as we see fit. Mana that isn''t stored within the body cannot be refined, and unrefined mana cannot be controlled. This is an absolutew." "It''s not about controlling the mana, its about utilizing it." Lise''s tone seemed to have softened somewhat as she asked, "Is there a difference?" I nodded. "What if we were to absorb mana but not refine it? Use our bodies as conduits for natural mana to flow through." "Just use it as a conduit? What is the point of that? If you don''t arrange the mana in a specific order, no phenomenon will ur. There will be no activation of magic." "It can be rearranged without being refined. It''s not impossible. For example, if you limit the output to your finger and then move it, you could rearrange the mana as if drawing with a brush." To be honest, I was a little confused myself, even as I spoke. I had to trante the concepts of ki and formations into the context of this worlds mana and magic. "Mana released into the air like that would disperse before long," Lise countered. "That''s why the most important part of performing mystic arts is the environment. For example, in a ce with dense fog, the spatial density is high, so the scattered mana wont move easily. The same goes for a dense forest or the sea." That was also why the dwellings of divine immortals were mostly located deep within untouched nature. "Then, if you destroy the environment itself, the mystic arts will naturally unravel." "That''s true, but if someone can topple mountains, what''s the point of trapping them in a maze?" At some point, my conversation with Lise had turned into a debate. She persistently tried to find ws, and I deflected most of her attacksthough I epted them on asion too. "It doesn''t seem without its drawbacks. First of all, you can''t cause destruction with these mystic arts you speak of. Even if you could, the power would be significantly lessened. To increase the power, you would have to artificially refine mana to forcibly increase its purity, so that method is still far from efficient." Surprisingly, Lise seemed to have grasped the general characteristics of mystic arts from my brief exnation. I was impressed, but I didn''t let it show. "A shield can also be wielded like a weapon, but would you say that''s the right way to use it? The foundation of Qimen Dunjia is defense." Lise fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words. The silence persisted much longer than before, but eventually, she spoke again. "Very well. I admit it was quite an intriguing story." I had a feeling she was faking it. There was a hint of forced indifference in her tone. "But I''m curious. Who taught you all this?" I yed dumb, using the excuse I had prepared beforehand: "It''s rted to my blessing, so it is difficult for me to say." "...Hmm." Lise groaned once more before sighing and saying, "I suppose I can''t pry if it''s rted to your blessing. Now show me this Qimen Dunjia in action." "Huh? Im sorry, but I cant do that." "What? Why not?" Lise asked back, her voiceced with urgency. I shook my head. "I can''t use Qimen Dunjia at all." Everyone had their talents, and unfortunately, I had no talent in mystic arts. Of course, if the conditions were right, I could manage a passable imitation, but I couldn''t manipte the atmosphere without any preparation like Second Senior Sister. "If you can''t use it, how do you intend to prove what you just said? You could have made it all up." "Do you really think that? That everything I just told you was but a figment of my imagination?" "..." Lise knew better than anyone that that was impossible. What I had described was far too detailed to be dismissed as a brat''s delusion. I cleared my throat and said, "I only learned this knowledge in theory. I never dared to attempt it. But you, as a magician, are different." I meant that. Qimen Dunjia was different from the Strongest Fire Technique, which was manipted within the human body. To use Qimen Dunjia correctly, one needed a deep understanding of the world we stood upon. That was impossible for me. I didn''t have the time, and it wasn''t my path to begin with. But as Lise herself had said, and as I had witnessed firsthand, she was an extraordinary magician. Perhaps she could find a unique way to utilize Qimen Dunjia even in this world. "I said I would teach you about a new kind of magic, not help you master it. I''ve told you everything I can." "..." Finished with my exnation, I quietly looked at Lise... After another period of silence, she said, "The deal has been established." I breathed a mental sigh of relief at her words. Id figured this oue likely since the middle of our conversation... But even so, theres a limit to how confident you can be with peoples hearts. Especially with a fickle magician. She could still change her mind at any moment. Of course, I judged that she wasn''t that kind of person. She was entric, that much was clear, but I didn''t sense any madness in her. If anything, I felt a sense of virtue. This might be too much of a leap, but... would she really have cut off my arms or ripped out my tongue...? Looking back, the threats, which had seemed somewhat exaggerated, might have been mere bluffs. Bluffs that Id taken at face value because she was a magician. Hmm... Perhaps it was because I had been so badly burned by magicians during my time as a mercenary. I had to ept that I might have held a strong bias against magicians. "I shall grant you permission to revisit the underground library. Also... I will enter a contract with you, as the Ebony Serpent Dragon." "..." When someone suddenly bes friendly, its best to first be suspicious. Especially if that someone had just threatened to cut off your arms and rip out your tongue. Cautiously, I said, "I have a feeling there''s a condition..." "There is." Lise looked at me with a faint smile, then said somethingpletely unexpected: "Luan, be my disciple." "Uh... no thanks." Lise''s confident smile instantly froze. ____ Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Really, I was just as shocked as Lise. Whats going on? In this life, I kept meeting people who wanted to teach me. And Lises proposal was even more surprising than Calzarks or Juniangs had been. She was a magician, a master in a field with little relevance to my own pursuits. Lise took a moment to rpose herself. You dont seem to grasp how fortunate you are, she stated. I, Lise Ladygoth Oll Haimudd, have never taken a single disciple. You have a chance to learn knowledge beyond your wildest dreams. Follow my teachings faithfully and the seat of family head could easily be yours. I see. Thats right. Im okay.... For the first time, Lises expression seemed to match her youthful appearance. She wore a disgruntled frown, the kind a child might wear things didnt go their way. Why are you rejecting my offer? Im not particrly interested in magic. I am fully aware that you walk the path of a martial artist. But martial artists and magicians have themonality of handling mana. My guidance will be of use to you. Im still okay. ... After my third rejection, Lise finally fell silent. She sat atop her mountain of books, impatiently kicking her feet. Ssh, ssh As I watched the water ripple, a question formed in my mind. Why the sudden interest in taking me as your disciple? Simple curiosity. That doesnt seem to be the whole story. Hmph. If I tell you the truth, will you ept my offer? I cant promise anything, but Ill reconsider it. Though I was still likely to say no. Lise pondered for a moment before saying, ...I always intended to take at least one member of the Bednicker bloodline as my disciple. But for ages, none have been worthy. Not a single one. Is that so? Even though my siblings are quite talented? Talented, you say... I considered them, even though they fall short of my standards. Frankly, I don''t like them. Its a matter ofpatibility. Compatibility? Indeed. Compatibility isnt just important in rtionships and friendships. It exists between a master and disciple as well. ... I had never been anyones master, but Lises words resonated with me. I highly respected Baek Nogwang, but I didnt think he would be a good master to just anyone. And you, youre different from Derks other children in many ways. How so? The most obvious distinction is that you dont blindly idolize him. ... We hadnt discussed the Lord of Blood and Iron directly, but Lise had seen right through me all the same. Also, the fact that you solved all ten problems in the cave... Our areas of interest clearly align. I chose those problems on a whim, you know. Hmm... And the Qimen Dunjia technique you described was quite intriguing. I also admire your courage in not being intimidated by me. You seem intelligent enough to grasp my teachings. ... Lises words were undeniably reasonable, but my instincts told me that wasnt the whole story. What tipped me off was her demeanor. Her gaze was distant, not meeting mine, and she was fidgeting restlessly, sshing her feet in the water. This was a stark contrast to her earlier attitude: reading her books and barely acknowledging me. Just moments ago, Lise hadnt shown much interest, but now, her curiosity had blossomed to the point of wanting me as her disciple... Yet her deliberate avoidance of my gaze and her fidgeting suggested she was hiding something. Mind games are like ying chess. Lise might be a dark fairy who had lived for a few centuries at least, but her intentions seemed surprisingly transparent. In this case, it could only be one of two things... Either she was an exceptional actress, so skilled that even I couldnt detect a trap... Or she had lived in such istion that she had little experience interacting with others. Considering shed been sealed here for a long time, thetter seemed more likely. I broke the silence first. ...The reason a master seeks a disciple is to pass on their umted knowledge... Is that so? But from the way youre speaking, that doesnt seem to be the case here. Cautiously, I offered an alternative: How about I be your assistant instead? My assistant? As your assistant, I can offer my full support. Discussions about Qimen Dunjia or other shared interests, even errandsIm happy to help... Though I cant promise frequent visits. That was the most I was willing to concede. If she refused, I would have to ept defeat. As much as I desired ess to the librarys knowledge, I would have to give up. * * * * * * * * * * Hmm... that doesn''t sound bad. To my relief, Lise seemed content with thepromise. She nodded and flicked her finger. Something shiny flew from the depths of the library andnded in front of me. It was a crude-looking key. This is the key to the Underground Library. Insert it into any door and it shall open to the library. A magic item. How fascinating. What about doors without keyholes? The key is durable. ...? Im telling you to force it in. Oh. I see. So this small key was imbued with teleportation magic. I nced at the ring on my finger and muttered, It feels simr to this. Thats... Did you receive that ring from Asad? Ha! Technically, I had received it from the Lord of Blood and Iron. It was single-use, and thus no longer valuable as a magic item, but I continued to wear it for some reason. You have terrible taste. A ring made by me would be a hundred times superior to that single-use disposable. You must be superior to Sir Asad in magic-item creation. That goes without saying. It had been a casual remark, but she seemed pleased by it. As I observed Lises smug expression, a thought struck me. Ignoring her dislike for Asad, she seems to view him as a rival. But you... the fact that you received that ring... Yes? Did that bastard offer to take you as his disciple? Is that why youre refusing me?" Of course not. Magic really isnt my path. ... Lises suspicious gaze lingered despite my exnation. She nibbled on her lip before speaking again. I have a proposition. What is it? Never ever be Asads disciple. If you promise, Ill offer you extremely favorable conditions in your divine-beast contract. Hmm... Naturally, I had no intention of bing Asads disciple. Honestly, it was doubtful hed even want me in the first ce. Still, I pretended to contemte the offer. For some reason, Lise seemed to lose herposure whenever Asad was mentioned. As expected, Lise sounded frustrated as she said, Then how about this! Ill allow you to immediately reach the Augmentation stage after the contract! Whats Augmentation? Lise looked even more flustered. You... You came here for a divine-beast contract, yet you dont even know the stages? I scratched my cheek. Ive never had much luck with blessings, so I havent paid much attention. Is that so? How many blessings do you possess? One. Oho... Lise showed a strange smile. Thats not bad. Huh? Not bad? This was a first. Most people, especially those from the Great Houses, mocked and ridiculed people who didnt receive a blessing or who only received one. The ridicule had been even more intense because I was a Bednicker. But Lise wasnt being sarcastic. She seemed genuine. Before I could ask about that, Lise exined, limation, Augmentation, Ascension, Union... these are the stages of a divine-beast contract. Generally, it takes years in the limation stage to be able to directly borrow power. I see. Of course, reaching the Augmentation stage doesnt mean you can immediately use my power, but it will significantly shorten the time. That sounds good. As I readily agreed, Lise let out a sigh of relief. She must have really loathed the idea of me training under Asad. All right... Thene closer. I walked up to Lise. Up close, she was much smaller than I had imagined. Her long hair and the pile of books she sat upon must have made her seem taller. How do we form the contract? Hold out your hand. Dont tell me shes going to cut it? As that ridiculous thought crossed my mind, Lise flicked her finger, and a single snake slithered out from her flowing hair. This snake had a peculiar form. Unlike the ones I had seen before, its tail wasnt connected to her hair. It was also smaller. Stay still. The small snake flicked its tongue at me, then poked its head into my outstretched palm. What happened next was startling. ...! The snake vanished, as if absorbed into my palm. Immediately, a snake pattern appeared on the back of my hand. Moreover, the snake pattern moved, slowly winding up my arm as if it were alive. Ugh... I said stay still. How can I, in this situation? I wanted to jump up in disgust, but I forced myself to remain calm. The snake pattern, which had been slowly ascending, stopped near my neck. Vwoooom. A cool sensation washed over me, and Lise said, The contract isplete. ...Thats it? Yes. It will take a few weeks for the snake pattern to settle, so dont overexert yourself during that time. Youll gradually get a sense of how to draw on the divine beasts power. I touched my neck and asked, ...Dont tell me I now have a snake tattoo on my body? Don''t worry, it wont be normally visible." So it really was a tattoo? Damn it. A snake tattoo near my nape... If anyone ever sees it, I swear Ill just bite my tongue and kill myself. Anyway... Is that all? Yes. Then Ill be on my way. Ill visit again. ... Lise simply stared at me without a word. Is there something else you want to say? I asked. ...No. You can go now. All right. I nodded at her dismissal and left the Underground Library. *** I retraced my steps. Maybe it was another one of her magic tricks, but the way back was much shorter. Still, I must have spent a considerable amount of time in the library because it was dark outside when I climbed out of the well. While I walked back to the Small Iron Hall, I organized my thoughts. My gains were greater than Id expected. I had secured concrete information about my eldest senior brother and also formed a contract with a divine beast. I still needed to figure out how to use this power and what the stages like limation and Augmentation meant, but none of that was urgent. It was time to think about my next destination. The Academy... I had actually received an eptance letter from the Imperial Academy this year... no, earlyst year. Back when I hadnt received a blessing and had still been acting like aplete degenerate. It was generally customary to enter the Academy at the age of fifteen. Mother had wanted me to attend, but I, not in my right mind at the time, had torn up the eptance letter and locked myself in my room. Anyway, I knew a little about the Kartell Academy. It was thergest academy on the continent, with a three-year program at its base. Meaning it was customary to enter at fifteen and graduate at eighteen. In total, there were around 1,000 students. It had dozens of faculty and was located in the Imperial City. If I remember correctly... I can bring a maximum of two attendants. One would, of course, be our versatile collector, Kayan. But who should the other be? Calzark briefly crossed my mind, but bringing someone of his caliber, a grand master, seemed a bit much. I dont think Calzark would refuse, but it would draw too much attention. Who would be a good choice? Should I bring one of the Iron Blood Knights, or ask if I could borrow a collector? There was Jein. Id met him a few times, and he was morepetent than his apathetic face suggested. Lost in thought, I returned to the Small Iron Hall and was greeted by the slightly surprised servants. Youre backte, Master. Have you eaten? Not yet. Well prepare something right away. Would you like to wash up first? I think I will. Wandering around the cave had left me feeling grimy. I nodded and headed to the bathroom to wash up. When I emerged, refreshed and changed into clean clothes, I saw Kayan. Youre back, Master, he greeted me. Yes. Everything all right? I asked perfunctorily, and Kayan gave a strange smile. A wee face awaits you. A wee face? Who? Chapter 130 Chapter 130 A very wee face greeted me when I arrived at the dining hall. With her distinctive monocle, impably neat attire, and auburn hair, Arzan stood waiting. Master. So even shes adopting the title now. Her expression remained as impassive as ever, but I could swear herplexion seemed a touch brighter than usual. My apologies for my dyed return. The handover took a little longer than expected... Its fine, dont worry about it. Its good to see you again. Arzan had been the head butler at the remote mansion where Id been staying. It was not a small estate by any means, and given Arzans meticulous nature, it had been obvious the handover would be thorough. That knowledge brought me a sense of peace.How is Mother? She is well, of course, Arzan replied. Then in a slightly brighter tone, she added, I heard about your outstanding results at the training camp. Thedy will be delighted. Thanks. I stared nkly at Arzan. She looked slightly flustered as she asked, Is there anything you require, Master...? You have a divine-beast contract, don''t you? Pardon? Ah, yes, that is correct. Just as Id thought. The explosive movements Id seen in the Gem Mountains had to have been the power of a divine beast. Which divine beast do you have a contract with? The Viridian Deer. What stage? Ascension. Oho... Ascension was the third stage. Even though Id managed to instantly reach the Augmentation stage through Lises abilities, Arzan was a level higher than me still. In other words, she was my senior in divine-beast contracts. I smiled faintly at her. This is sudden, but Ill soon leave for the academy. Would you mind being my attendant? *** The next day, I woke a little before the crack of dawn, probably because Id gone to bed early with nothing better to do. Moonlight bathed the world in its pale glow as I looked out the window. It must be three or four in the morning. With the sun not yet risen, it was too early to start cirction, but Id gotten a good nights rest, so I wasnt tired enough to go back to sleep. I decided to go for a walk and enjoy the fresh morning air. After a quick warm-up, I thought about my time at the training camp and decided to take a stroll around the main house... but as I approached the deserted training grounds, I noticed I wasnt alone. For a moment, I thought back to my encounter with Mir at the training camp... But the person standing there was someone I hadnt expected to see at all. Charon Woodjack. Hes still at the main house? That was surprising. The only ones left at the Bednicker estate were those hoping to attend the academy... and Charon didnt exactly strike me as the academy type. Hiyah! What was he even doing up at this hour? Moonlight calisthenics? I stopped jogging for a moment and observed him. He was wielding shortswords in both hands, but it didnt look like any serious training or martial arts practice. He just seemed to be swinging them around haphazardly. After what felt like an eternity, Charon finally stopped and let out a frustrated curse. Damn it! He was panting heavily. When he finally noticed my presence, he whirled around with a start. You... Burning the midnight oil, are we? Charon stared at me for a moment. Then, as if hed lost his mind, he charged at me. The chilling moonlight glinted off his shortswords. I had no idea what he was thinking, but I was rather bored, so I decided to indulge him. I waited until he was almost upon me. Just as he entered my range, I closed the distance between us. ...! Charon abruptly halted his advance, surprised by my sudden movement, but it was already toote. I struck his right wrist with a swift blow. Thwack! One of the shortswords ttered to the ground. His body stiffened in pain, leaving him wide open. I seized the opportunity by grabbing his left arm and throwing him to the ground. Thud! I sat on his back as hey face-down on the ground. * * * * * * * * * * Ugh... Did you drink a stupidity potion or something? Charon, his chin buried in the dirt, didnt answer immediately. His lips moved silently for a moment. Then, in a low voice, he finally said, How can I... Hm? How can I be strong like you?? ... Well, this was a first. No one had ever asked me that before. I scratched my cheek, feeling a little awkward. Dont be so impatient. I was way weaker than you at your age. How old are you? Fifteenno, sixteen now. Im eighteen, though... Charon responded, sounding bewildered. I felt a wave of exasperation wash over me. I cant exin to him how much of a pathetic loser the eighteen-year-old Luan Bednicker was... This called for a change of subject. So, what happened? I asked. Charon hesitated for a moment before, in a resigned voice, saying, ...After the training camp ended, I continued to spare with Hector Bednicker. Forty-five times in total. His voice heavy with defeat, he continued, And I lost every single time. ... Today, he refused my request for a spar. I asked him if he was done fighting me now that he can beat me. Do you know what he said...? *** ...Give it a rest, Charon Woodjack. Imend your spirit, your refusal to back down despite your losses, but I see no improvement in you even after countless sparring sessions. Most of the young heroes who attended the training camp are still weaker than you. Like you said before, I might be inferior to you in areas outside ofbat and swordsmanship... but weve all grown. Even someone like Hans Bender improved tremendously in the training camp. The only one who hasnt changed, before or after the training camp... is you, Charon Woodjack. Perhaps you should be the one to answer my question. What did the Bednicker training camp mean to you? For the first time in a long time, Charon was left speechless. *** I mentally apuded Hectors words. Hed been absolutely right. Looking at Charon, who seemed to have shrunk in defeat, I asked, Do you want to beat Hector? Yes. And youre asking me, a Bednicker, for help with that? ...Thats right. Hmm. I chuckled. Youve got guts, Ill give you that. ... Youre probably more talented than Hector. But he improved far more drastically than you in the training camp. Why do you think that was? ...I dont know. I shrugged. Neither do I. Stunned by my response, Charon let out an exasperated breath. Not knowing is why you lost, I continued. Whats that supposed to? If you asked Hector the same question, hed have a clear answer. He knows how to get stronger. ... Its still rough around the edges, but... hes developed his own martial truth. Charon fell silent. Then, with a hint of desperation in his voice, he asked, Then teach me this... martial truth. Dont be a fucking moron. You cant just teach someone martial truth! Everyone has different values and mindset. ... Charon didnt seem to understand. He wasnt stupid, but sometimes he acted in a way that seemed disconnected from basic logic and reasoning. I looked down at the back of his head. The feeling of dissonance I was experiencing, I had felt it a few times before. Was it your father who taught you? ... He wasnt a very good master, was he? Charon stirred beneath me. My father was an excellent teacher...! Go on. He always taught me the optimal way to do things...! How to be stronger, how to survive, even the purpose of life...! Im only alive today because of him! So he spoon-fed you all the answers without giving you a chance to think for yourself. Hey, dumbass, how is that a good master? He should have at least let you find your own purpose in life. What...? Ive never met Hyde Woodjack, but I can guess why he raised you the way he did. Youre not his disciple, youre his substitute. I patted Charons head condescendingly. He gritted his teeth and tried to get up, but fat chance of that. I pushed him back down as I chuckled. Grr... ... I realized I was angrier than Id expected to be. Everyone has their triggers. Some people cant stand bad parents, while others get enraged by children who exploit their elderly parents. Its the same with ones martial truth. We alle from different walks of life, so its only natural that we get angry about different things. And if there was one thing that really pissed me off, it was this. A master who isnt fit to teach. ...If your so-called master forced his own goals and aspirations onto you, thats not teaching, its indoctrination. You were taught all wrong. The struggle, the uncertainty, thats all part of the process, I berated Charon. But look at you, youre facing your first real challenge and youre just lost, helpless. I paused, and a long sigh escaped me. If all youre taught are the answers, then whats the difference between a master and an answer sheet? Someone who has lived their whole life without a map will at least try to find their way, even if they dont know where theyre going, but someone whos always relied on a map will crumble the moment they lose it. Theyll just sit there and cry because their vision is too narrow. But if you broaden your perspective, you can tell time by the position of the sun and you can navigate by the stars. Everything you can see bes a map. I had a feeling that Charon, of all people, understood this. But that was what made him so pitiful. He was an expert in hunting and survival, but he had no idea how to apply those skills to life itself. Thats why he was here at the training grounds before dawn, pointlessly pushing himself to the limit. Because he couldnt live with himself otherwise. Are you going to keep doing this? I asked. ... Are you going to run crying to your daddy every time you face a challenge, every time youre lost and confused? Whether its sooner orter, the time wille when you have to stand on your own two feet. Then what am I supposed to do...! Charons voice was still rough, but there was a note of despair in it now. I... I dont know how to live any other way...! I sighed again. In the training camp, Charon had been particrly hostile toward Evan. What was it that Charon had said? That if Evan insisted on Raven, he wouldnt make it into the top three? It was strange that someone as indifferent to people as Charon would say such a thing to Evan, especially since Evan hadnt even been doing that well at the time... But now I understood. Evan never shut up about how much he admired his own father, and because of that, Charon envied him. ...What should I do, I wonder? Part of me wanted to just walk away. Charon hadnt exactly been the most likable guy at the training camp. But now that Id talked to him, I couldnt help but feel sorry. He was just as much of a mess as Id been in the past. One thing was for sure: Hyde, Charons father, didnt see Charon as his son. I stood up, and Charon scrambled to his feet, immediately on guard again. He looked like a wary stray dog. Charon. ...What? You want to know how to get stronger, right? ...Yes. Then I guess I have no choice but to show you how I got strong. I balled my hand into a fist and took a step toward him. Charon flinched back. W-wait! You dont have to p meC Nah, my master wasnt really one for pping. Fwoosh. I gathered fire ki in my fist. As a matter of fact, Im free for the next two days. So... Ill full-heartedly mold you, like I have a new junior brother. Charons face paled. *** The next two days flew byat least for me. Monday morning... As soon as the sun rose, the young heroes boarded the carriage bound for the Imperial City. This is a carriage...? Its like a mansion... The country bumpkins, Evan and Karis, could barely find their wordsthey were too in awe of the enormous carriage. To be honest, I was pretty surprised myself. It wasnt quite a mansion, but it was the size of an average house, and the horses pulling it were twice the size of any normal horse. Well get to the Imperial City in no time in this thing. Itll still take at least a week. Of course, long journeys were always unpredictable. The biggest factor was the weather. If we got caught in a heavy downpour, we could be dyed for days. I could live in this carriage forever... I second that. The interior of the carriage was spacious. It could easily amodate ten people, maybe even twenty. Since it was just the young heroes inside, the atmosphere was quite lively. Of course, it probably helped that the more serious typesnamely Hector and Sellenwere in a differentpartment. There are so many ces I want to visit in the Imperial City, Karis said excitedly. The swords schools, the magic towers, the history museums dedicated to the seven races and the 21 Heroes, various art galleries... they even have ys that are only performed in the Imperial City! They have the biggest publishing house in The Empire there! My dream, the Empire Journal! And they have these things called trains that can get you from the north side of the city to the south side in an hour! Karis and Pam were particrly excited. They seemed to have the most romanticized view of the Imperial City of all the young heroes. Say, Luan, why are you here with us instead of with your elder brother and your fiance? Ex-fiance, remember? And its too boring over there. Hector wasnt exactly the best conversationalist. Even when wed shared a carriage on the way to the training camp, wed barely spoken a word. Id almost dozed off. Sellen was a little better, but she was always so conscious of her image in public that it took a lot of the fun out of teasing her. Yeah. Big Bro says he prefers it here, said a low voice. Every cadet present turned to look at the source with a bewildered gaze. Completely unfazed by all the attention, Charon Woodjack red back at them. What are you all staring at? Got a problem with Big Bro? Chapter 131 I smacked the back of Charons head, and he fell t on his face. Ack! He asked, Why did you hit me all of a sudden...? Just cause. Just cause...? I seeno, I mean, there must be a deeper reason behind it. Let me try to figure it out... I gave him a t stare and shook my head. Had I beaten him too hard thesest two days? It seemed like he wasnt quite all there. Ignoring the baffled looks from the young heroes, I recalled the events of the past two days. Though there wasnt much to recall. Id taught him, advised him, and beaten him up. That was it. Honestly, I dont enjoy teaching others, nor do I think I have any talent for it.Just thinking about lecturing or giving advice made my face burn ufortably. Teaching might be the grandest thing one could do, but I was well aware of the weight words could carry. As seen when Mir Giant took my words to heart and eventually sacrificed herself, good intentions do not guarantee positive oues. However... Did that mean it was incorrect to offer words of encouragement or support? If I let myself be afraid of the impact my words could have, I would be forced to live my life in silence. But I was selfish. I couldnt bring myself to do that. So I wanted to approach everything in moderation. Id treated Charon with that mindset. Id taught him just enough, given just enough advice, and... well, maybe Id gone a bit overboard with the beatings. But it seemed like hed learned something in his own way. No, wait a minute... Id taken Baek Nogwang as my master, and he used to beat me half to death. Was it that strange that Charon, in a simr situation, saw me as his big brother? As expected of Master... I once again felt like I had discovered something new in the teachings of my great master, Baek Nogwang. *** In the same way that The Empire didnt have a real name, neither did the Imperial City. Since the only city that could be called the capital of this continent was the Imperial City, people referred to it as such. We now had the maximum number of people who could head to the academy. There were of course the top three from the training camp: Charon, Hector, and myself. Evan, Sharyl, and Mir, who had been on my team before my regression, were also present. Then there was Pam and Karis, who couldnt stop going on about the things they wanted to do in the capital. The remaining two were Sellen, who seemed to have her own agenda, and Zeros Silver, Charons friend and heir to a great merchant family. I was surprised to see so many people whom Id crossed paths with, but as I thought about it, I realized that wasnt really true anymore. Because Id regressed, I hadnt really had a heart-to-heart with Sharyl or Mir, nor with Hector or Sellen. Most of my conversations had been with Evan, Karis, Pam, and even Charon. In fact, they were the most talkative ones in the carriage. Two days into the journey, someone suddenly said, Dont you think its about time we run into some bandits? As usual, it was Karis with yet another of his crazy ideas. Bandits? What are you talking about? Have you never read a book? Weve gotten strong enough. After all the crap weve been through, its about time we kick some worthy opponents asses to test our strength, Karis said confidently. And bandits are perfect for that. Its just like in the novel. What novel are you referring to, exactly? The Knight Who Returned After Ten Years. ...Yeah, that sounds like ass. Pam snorted, and Evan, sounding unimpressed, added, Yeah, as if bandits would even think about attacking us after seeing the Bednicker emblem. Very true. Especially since we hadnt yetpletely left Bednicker territory. Are there even bandits around here? I muttered. Surprisingly, it was Zeros who responded, Bandits are everywhere. Maybe because Charon had started following me, Zeros had been a lot more talkative with me these past two days. Since I was looking for a way to handle my 5,000 gold, having a connection with the heir of a merchant family wasnt bad at all. Still, the current state of The Empire isnt too bad, Zeros continued. We probably wont be ambushed. I see. I understood Zeross rationale, but Mir tilted her head in confusion. What does the Empires state of affairs have to do with bandits? I wasnt expecting him to, but Zeros calmly exined to Mir, Generally, when a country is in turmoil and many people are starving, even ordinary citizens can turn into bandits. Such people rarely have any sense of propriety, meaning they will attack anyone without a second thought. Uh, umm... On the other hand, those who steal during stable periods are usually more professional. They avoid targeting those who might be a nuisance. If they werent at least that cautious, they would have been wiped out rather quickly. ...Got it. Mir bobbed her head with an obvious look of confusion. Anyway, what I realized during the ride was that these ten people had managed to bond in their own ways while staying at the main house. Of course, they still had their own close-knit groups, but everyone present was now on a first-name basis, and they were actually chatting amongst themselves. I figured this was likely due, at least in part, to the unspoken improvement in Hector and Charons rtionship. Everyone probably felt more at ease opening up because there was no longer any friction between the two leaders. Looks like the only one still keeping their distance is Sellen. There was a small window in the carriage partition, and I saw a glimpse of Sellen beyond it. ... She was leaning back against her seat, gazing out the window. What a strange girl. Despite speaking barely a word or two each day, she didnt seem lonely at all. To be able to look so unbothered andposed was quite a talent in itself. Though she did mutter to herself sometimes. A forgotten god, perhaps? Assuming no other variables had interfered, Sellen should have met a forgotten god at the altar in the Forest of the Butterfly. The one with the power that had driven away the demon lord and exterminated the demon. Rattle...! At this moment... The carriage suddenly stopped. Because the carriage was sorge, there wasnt any risk of it tipping over, but the stop was still so sudden that the water Mir was drinking sshed across her face instead. Apuah! W-what happened? Amidst the flustered young heroes, Karis jumped up. Sounding like a lunatic, he said, B-bandits...! What?! Atst, the heroic debut of the Great Karis, the legendary hero Sit down, you nutjob, I said, immediately extinguishing Kariss fantasy. I leaned out the window to look at the coachmans seat. Was it really bandits? Whats wrong? Whats going on? The man who seemed to be the coachman said, in a bewildered voice, The thing is... His eyes werent looking forward. He was looking back... at someone among the leaders. I quickly realized his gaze was directed at Sellen. I looked forward again and quickly I understood why the carriage had stopped. The road was fairly wide and steep, but arge carriage was blocking it. In contrast to the dark carriage of House Bednicker, the carriage in front of us was white with white horses. And... The emblem of a daisy was ingrained into the carriage. The design was familiar even to someone like me, who didnt care much about outside affairs. It was the emblem of House Goodspring. * * * * * * * * * * ncing back, I saw that Sellens expression had hardened slightly. The carriage was quiterge, and as I watched, the door opened and people began to pour out. The first thing I noticed was that they all seemed to be roughly the same age as us. Soon, Pam walked up to my side and poked her head out. Ah, could it be... Do you recognize them? I asked. Uhh... I think theyre probably young heroes whovepleted their Proof Ceremony. Whats this Proof Ceremony? Basically, its like the Goodspring version of Bednickers training camp. Is there such a thing? There is. Thatstment wasnt from Pam. Sellen had at some point crossed the partition and joined us, her face twice as cold as normal and her voice thrice as harsh. It was enough to make Pam flinch. Why are they suddenly blocking our way? I asked. Sellen eyes subtly shifted as she replied, I dont know. Maybe because its Goodspring. When Pam saw the face of thest person to disembark the carriage... Wow... She let out a sound of awe almost unconsciously. The guy was just that good-looking. He had an air of elegance and formality about him even though he looked to be only two or three years older than Hector. In other words, he was a grown man. What a pretentious face. Especially his dazzling blond hair. Another trait of his on the long list of things I already hated about him. Guys who looked like that were always so buttery and slimy. I was prejudiced, but still. Excuse us. To the young heroes of Bednicker, I am Barter Goodspring. Wow... His name is actually Butter. Its Barter, not Butter. Sellen looked at me with a stony face, then added with a heavy sigh, ...My oldest brother, Barter Goodspring. Oh. So he was the eldest son of House Goodspring? I shot a curious nce at Barter. shing a smile that weirdly reminded me of Juan, he asked, Excuse me, but who is the leader here? Pam stuttered, L-leader? Her confusion was understandable. We didnt really have a designated leader. There were only ten of us heading to the academy, plus the coachman, a guide, and a couple more people responsible for preparing the food. It was not a formal setup, but it worked because we had already earned the recognition needed to operate without such formality. Since the moment the training camp had ended, wed been expected to stand on our own two feet no matter the ce or situation. After surviving a week in the Forest of the Butterfly together, none of us had any real issue traveling like this. W-whos gonna step up? How about Karis? Hes the most gone in the head. If we go by rank, shouldnt it be Charon? I said while looking at Charon. But he just shook his head. Theres no way I could y leader with you here, Big Bro. For crying out loud. I mentally screamed every swear I knew at the fucker. With no other choice, I sighed and, as the youngest in the group, turned my pleading eyes toward Hector. ... Hector stood up with a face like hed just eaten something sour. I knew I could count on you, Elder Brother. ...Yeah, yeah. With half-defeated eyes, Hector walked past me and stood in front of Barter. ...Its been a while, Sir Barter. Ah, Lord Hector. Long time no see. From their tones of voice, it sounded like they knew each other. Which wasnt surprising. Hector not only stayed dedicated to his training, but he also put a lot of effort into building connections. It was an unusual move for someone of Bednicker blood, but given how powerful our family was, it shouldnt have been difficult. Come to think of it, he has some connections to the imperial family, doesnt he? He was a well-rounded second-oldest brother in more ways than one. By the way, whats the deal with the sir? Is your brother a knight? Hes the captain of Goodsprings Chrysanthemum Knight Order. Guess hes pretty strong, huh? ...You really dont know? He tied with Hero Bednicker in the Martial Arts Tournament two years ago. Ah. Now, that I found a little surprising. Hero Bednicker was a full-fledged hero, already a well-established talent. From what Id seen, Hero and Nero were on apletely different level in strengthpared to Hector. Which meant that this guy, Barter, was a few levels above Hector. Maybe that exined Hectors ufortable expression. So, what brings you here? Nothing much, really. It seems like youre also heading to Kartell Academy. It might be nice to travel together since its a long journey. Hearing that, I mumbled, Them too? Pam said, It sounds like... the young heroes of Goodspring who finished their Proof Ceremony are also heading to the academy. Oh, is that always the case? I asked. Not that I know of... Pam responded. She nced at Sellen, who looked a little angry for some reason. This is new to me too. Barter smiled brightly. We could help each other out, no? Perhaps we can make up for each others shorings. What do you think? I appreciate the offer, but were fine on our own. Hmm, is that so? With a grin, Barter continued, I believe you have a troublemaker from our family with you. We do, yes. Although she has undergone Bednickers training, she is still one of ours. Ill be taking her with us. You can do as you wish, Hector began. He didnt stop there, though. But first, we should confirm what Young Hero Sellen wishes to do. At that, Barter gave a small smile and said, Butterfly. Was that supposed to be someones name? Interesting. I feel like Ive heard it somewhere before. A boy around my age stepped forward from amidst the Goodsprings. He wore a nk expression and was staring off into space with an unreadable gaze. Sellen, who hadn''t seemed much bothered by Barter, flinched slightly at the appearance of this Butterfly. Did I see that wrong? This child is the youngest member of our family. A smallmotion broke out behind me. The prodigy of Goodspring...! Butterfly Goodspring! Hes the talent talked about as the future of the Goodspring family! I heard he swept various martial arts tournaments without even a blessing... The buzz continued as the word prodigy jogged my memory. Butterfly Goodspring. This kid was also destined to be a hero in the future, surpassing even Sellen in fame. But seriously, Butterfly...? Barter Goodspring, Butterfly Goodspring... The family heads naming sense was extremely questionable. It was a mystery that Sellens name was even decent. I couldnt help but wonder if her real name was something ridiculous like theirs. As I was thinking these pointless thoughts, Barter said, Lord Hector, since we have fatefully crossed paths today, would it be too much to ask if you could impart some wisdom to our familys inexperienced youngest? Here? Are you serious? Hector replied, an edge to his voice. Barter chuckled softly. No need to look so serious. Just think of it as a friendly spar. ...Was it really? Hector wasnt some fool. Hed probably caught on to the underlying implications. The oue of this match would determine the results of the training camp and the Proof Ceremony. It would determine which familys system was superior. The kid named Butterfly said, The genius of Bednicker, Hector Bednicker. His voice was quite a bit more childlike and weak than Id imagined. You alone are not enough. Hector frowned while the kids seemingly unfocused gaze swept over us. Three of your strongest young heroes. All together or one-on-one, I dont care. If you win even once, well call it your victory. ... In an instant, silence enveloped us. ____ Chapter 132 Most of the young heroes from Bednicker stiffened. Butterfly didnt seem to be spouting empty words. Hes not bluffing. Most likely, only Hector or Charon could take him on. He looked to be around my age, maybe even a year or two younger. Who the hell was he? ... Sellen seemed to have something on her mind, but clearly, this wasnt the time for casual questions. Barter broke the silence. Sellen.Yes, Elder Brother. Elder Brother, she says... Before today, I could not have imagined her ever saying such a thing. Brother or not, I expected something like Hey. Even the nonchnt Butterfly nced at Sellen with slightly more emotion than before. Elder Sister, its good to see you. Barter said, Sellen, let me ask you directly: Wont you join us? Im currently on my way to the academy as a graduate of the training camp. Since we started together, it is only fitting that I finish with them. It sounded like she was reading off a script. It would have been easy to be irritated by her response, but Barter just gave a low chuckle. I figured youd say that. Then lets make a deal. If Butterfly wins, youe with us without a fight. Thats... Your elder brother is asking nicely. This is the least you can do, Barter said, his tone gentle, but there was definitely a coercive edge to his words. Sellen fell quiet. Before long, she sighed and nodded. Look at them. Theyre acting like theyve already won. It rubbed me the wrong way. For a split second, I seriously considered saying fuck you and fuck House Goodspring and just beating the crap out of them... and that startled me. The thought process was eerily simr to that of my master, Baek Nogwang. Thats a bit... I needed to rein it in. At this rate, I would turn into Baek Nogwang Jr. I used to be such a patient, kindhearted person... Look at me now. This is all Charons fault. Meanwhile, Hector nodded in agreement. All right. We will ept. Oho... Even after all the disrespect, Hector was still calm. It was surprising, given how much he worshiped the Lord of Blood and Iron and took pride in the Bednicker name. On the inside, though, he was probably more pissed than I was. Which meant this guy had learned to keep his cool. Perhaps it was a bit of an exaggeration, but the training camp might have been a turning point for him. Considering how much he had grown, both physically and mentally, it sure seemed likely. Under one condition: Ill be the only one to fight. I alone should be more than enough. At that, Butterfly paused and asked, ...Youre saying youll fight alone? Yes. I heard the Bednickers training camp has rankings. What did you ce? Second. And who came in first? Charon Woodjack. I see. Butterfly nced around before quickly spotting Charon and smiling. It was clearly a belligerent smile. So youre talking about Lord Hydes only son. Ive heard quite the rumors about you. You seem like you could definitely be my match. I wouldnt be too sure, Charon retorted with his typical blunt tone. Let me just say this: Hector Bednicker is stronger than me when ites to one-on-onebat. What? One-on-one, that is, Charon emphasized again, but Butterfly had already switched his focus to Hector, who looked surprised by Charons admission. Afterward, Charon subtly gave me a thumbs-up for some reason I couldnt understand. ...Did he want me to do something? Anyway, everyone was staring at someone, which looked quite funny. I felt like I had to follow along and find someone to stare at too. Well, fine. If youre really that good, it might not be so boring. Butterfly drew his sword from his waist. Both were using real swords, but obviously, this wasnt a life-or-death match and nobody should get seriously injured. They were Bednicker and Goodspring after all. ... ... The tension increased several times over. When the two young heroes locked eyes, the fight began. Hector made the first move. He took one step forward as he drew his sword, then charged with ferocious momentum, closing the distance to Butterfly. Hm? I cocked my head slightly. Charon, who had at some point in timee up beside me, quietly said what Id been thinking: Ive never seen that footwork before... He might have learned something new from the family head, I responded. As Id mentioned before, the Lord of Blood and Iron handed out clear rewards and punishments. Even Hector, who had ranked second in the training camp, had surely received some rewards. Hectors footwork technique was quick. It wasnt quite as fast as my lightning-walker steps, but it seemed to be the kind that unleashed explosive speed in an instant. Hectors speed caught Butterfly off guard, and Butterfly reacted a bit too hastily to the attack. ng! When their des shed, Butterflys expression hardened even further. He quickly realized his opponent wasnt someone to be taken lightly, and his previouslyidback and unworried demeanorpletely changed. He adapts quicker than I expected. One very important skill in realbat was adapting quickly to the unexpected. Butterfly Goodspring didnt seem old, but his real-world experience was likely on par with Charons. The difference between the two, though, was that while Charon had spent most of his time struggling to hunt and survive in harsh environments, Butterfly seemed to be specialized in one-on-onebat. If that kid had fought Hector before the training camp, my brother might have lost without a chance. Even now, although his physical ability is greater than Butterflys... That was the interesting part. Butterfly wasnt particrly big or naturally strong, yet his physical strength and agility were almost unnaturally sharp. He wasnt using mana since this was a quick duel, but something about him made me think he must have abnormal mana reserves. Is he Goodsprings wild card? Still, there was no reason for Hector to lose. No matter how skilled that kid was, he was still at the level of a young hero, and Hector had spent most of the training camp fighting the Instructor of the Hunt. Whack. Butterfly was suddenly kicked in the shin from a blind spot. ...! Butterflys face scrunched up in pain, and Hector took this chance to bring down the hilt of his sword into his opponents wrist. Butterflys pure-white de ttered to the ground, and in the next instant, the end of Hectors sword was pointed at Butterflys throat. The fight had ended in an instant. Do you wish to continue? * * * * * * * * * * But then... Butterfly clenched his teeth so hard I thought I heard something crack. His expression turned to one of anger, and an aura emanated from his entire body. It felt simr to the Blessing of the Silver Moon that had surrounded Sellen. A divine beast? Suddenly, Barter sharply shouted, Butterfly! Butterfly flinched in surprise, and in seconds, the power he had been gathering dissipated like mist. Barter turned toward us and said, This duel... is our loss. We concede your victory, Lord Hector. Youve grown unrecognizably stronger since west met. Without sheathing his sword, Hector faced Barter and, in a calm voice, said, Excuse me if Im out of line, Sir Barter, but such remarks should not be made lightly. What do you mean? You cannot urately gauge someones growth without even crossing swords. Not to mention that I did not give my all in that duel. Butterflys eyes zed in anger, clearly irked even more by Hectorsment, but Hector paid him no mind. Hector continued, Lord Butterfly from House Goodspring said so himself, did he not? Bothbined and consecutive matches are eptable. Hector nced at Butterfly, the end of his sword still pointed at the kids neck. But I do believe my skills are still quite humble, thus I dare not imagine withstanding abined match with you, Sir Barter... Hector paused to give his signature smirk, reminiscent of those annoying days from the past. However, as far as consecutive matches go, I daresay that should pose no great challenge. What do you say to this proposition? Damn... look at him talk. Way to go, Elder Brother. Watching him beat them up a second time with words was extremely satisfying. I couldnt help but give Hector a thumbs-up for his eloquent reply, returning to the Goodsprings the same disrespect theyd shown us. It was truly an aristocratic way of handling things. Barter stiffened slightly under Hectors gaze but soon recovered his smile. ...Let us postpone that to another asion. Thats a pity. Only now, in one smooth movement, did Hector sheath his sword. Given the oue, I would appreciate you looking after our familys youngdy, said Barter. If you dont mind, since we are on the same path, why not travel together? Very well, Hector replied. Thank you for your consideration. Dont mention it. Then we shall take our leave. Barter Goodspring backed off quietly, to my surprise, although Butterfly Goodspring continued to re at Hector until the end. Unlike his great experience in one-on-onebat, he seemed tock any skill in hiding his emotions. What was the point of all that? Sure, theyd wanted to take Sellen back, but I couldnt shake the feeling that they had another reason for sticking around. I felt like theyd only brought up Sellen as an excuse. Of course, this was all just a hunch for now, but one thing was clear: We now had unweepany on our journey to the capital. Again, I just wanted to say screw it all and start beating them up. However, not unless they started something first. It wouldnt be right for me to stir up trouble, especially not when Hector had already handled things perfectly for Bednicker. Whatever. Itll only take three or four more days to reach the capital. Wed be fine until then, right? *** They returned to the Goodspring carriage, and even before sitting down, Butterfly said, I apologize. Because of me, he ended up dragging you into this mess... Never mind that. How is your injury? Barter asked while nodding to Butterflys shin, where Hector hadnded a solid kick. It seems to be a little bruised, but Im okay. Thats a relief. ... There was a brief silence before Butterfly, voice strained with frustration, said, If we fight again, I will win. As you should. But its not Hector Bednicker you should be baring your fangs at. At the very least, aim for Hero or Nero Bednicker. But! Are you going to continue to insist on having your way? Im sure Father told you to obey me on this matter. ... At the mention of Hatehm Goodspring, the family head, Butterfly immediately fell silent. Barter looked at his youngest siblings face and slowly said, But... I suppose a little venting wouldnt hurt. Venting? When you fought Hector earlier, did you see the blonde-haired young hero standing next to Charon Woodjack? Butterfly thought back for a moment, then nodded. Yes, there was someone who looked like a delinquent. That boy is also a Bednicker. What? But his hair is blonde. The majority of Bednickers had dark hair, a trait inherited from their ancestors, the dark fairies. Barter calmly continued, He likely inherited much of his mothers bloodline. You must have heard the rumorshes the family disgrace. Ah... Butterfly grimaced. Wasnt he the one who was engaged to Elder Sister? Thats right. And on top of that, hes the one who sold the sword of the house. His name is Luan Bednicker. He would be the perfect target for your frustration. I actually wanted to give him a good beating... but wont there be bacsh? No matter how much a fool he is, hes still a Bednicker. Barter smiled. The children of Bednicker dont have good rtionships. Hector Bednicker in particr is a strict meritocrat. He loathes Luan Bednicker for tarnishing the family name. That story is quite well-known in social circles. Oh, I see. But of course, you shouldnt beat him so hard that he is left crippled for life. And youll need a good cause for your actions. A good cause... If we say it was just a friendly spar between the youngest of each house to strengthen our bonds, they wont be able to say much about it. Butterflys face lit up. Oh! Thats perfect! As expected of you, Elder Brother. As I said, dont go overboard. Youck restraint. Haha, I know, I know. Ill keep that in mind. Butterfly beamed, happy as a kid who had just found a brand new toy. ____ Chapter 133 The atmosphere in the carriage had been rxed, likely a continuation of the rxed vibe following the training camp. We werent expecting any hardships or crises, so that was expected. But things were different now. A quiet, tense atmosphere hung in the air, like the calm before a storm. The reason for this change was obviously the addition of the Goodspring carriage. We were five days into our journey, and it had been three days since the Goodsprings started to apany us. Outside of meals, we barely crossed paths with them because we had separate carriages. Still, it was obvious they had their eyes on us. But if that were all, things would not be so tense. Likely because Butterfly Goodspring had been so totally defeated, there was definitely some hostility in the looks they were giving us. Charon, having just finished his stew, said to me, Aside from Butterfly Goodspring, none of the others seem worth worrying about. Zero set down the water hed been drinking and nodded in agreement. Im sure. From what Ive heard, House Goodsprings Proof Ceremony is just an extension of The Exchange. I dont know about the quality of their teaching or their instructors, but its definitely not as brutal as the training we went through.Evan, looking unusually irritated, chimed in. They tried to pick a fight over something dumb today. What did they do? I was making the stew, and one of their young heroes gave it a look, then t out mocked us, saying, Why are Bednickers eating pig flop? Evans words seemed to set things off. Others also began to speak up about the treatment theyd had to endure from the Goodsprings. I was practicing swordsmanship before dinner and they came up to me to ask why I was doingte-night yoga. Bunch of rude bastards. I finally mustered up the courage to go say hi, but all I got in return was sneers... T-to my face, they straight up told me I was tiny as a pea! To my face! Sharyl listened to theints and sighed. So theyre trying to pick a fight the sly, dirty way. Reminds me of the old days of high society. If we react seriously, well just end up looking like fools. It seems like while we were rolling about in the wild, the only thing those idiots learned to do was p their mouths. That wasnt true for all of them, though. Butterfly Goodsprings social skills were a total mess. Id seen the young heroes of Goodspring, and they were just as Charon had said. There was no need to look deeper; a half-assed nce told me everything I needed to know about who they were. Most of those idiots were pampered kids from rich families. No. Maybe not exactly pampered... More like the kind of brats who hadnt yet received proper training. Like these guys had been before experiencing the Six Weeks of Despair. I wasnt trying to say that Bednickers training camp was superior, but when focused on raising the next generation of heroes, one could not deny the impact of whatever training they received. Even Bednickers dont enjoy seeing their young heroes die, thats for sure. The reason they filled the training camp with unexpected dangers, ones that could even cost the young heroes their lives, was simple: If one aspired to be a hero, they were bound to face danger eventually, and people who had experienced simr dangers were far more likely to make it out alive. I didnt know what kind of curriculum the Proof Ceremony followed, but one thing was clear: Those idiots in no way looked like theyd been to hell and back. What should we do, Big Bro? Charon asked me quietly. Thankfully, hed finally learned to whisper quietly enough that others wouldnt hear him, though itd taken a few good whacks... Hed just been drawing way too much attention to me every time he called me Big Bro. A little ways away, I saw Hector stand and say, We will arrive at the Imperial City in a day or two... So lets just quietly keep an eye on them for now. Understood. Except, if my hunch is right, something big will happen before we reach the city. I kept that thought to myself, though. *** Traveling in a carriage was boring. The excitement at the start of the trip had faded within half a day, and watching the scenery pass by had lost its charm about an hour or so after that. Though Id never gotten the chance to get bored on this journey. Focus, Master, came Arzans silvery voice, bringing me back to the situation at hand. Slowly, concentrate your mind where the beast mark lies. It may help if you just think of it as moving your mana. At the moment, I was in the workers carriage with Arzan, learning how to harness the power of my divine beast. This was the reason Id never grown bored: Arzans talent for teaching. ...Its hard to focus on the beast mark when its on the back of my neck. Arzan chucked softly. You are correct. People usually begin concentrating on something by looking at it. If they cannot see what they are focusing on, it bes much more difficult. Unless I grow eyes in the back of my head, theres no way Ill see the mark on my back. Its location is downright cruel. Its like she wanted to see me suffer. Oh, by the way, wheres yours, Arzan? Its near my temples, so I can somewhat sympathize with your struggle, Master. Her temples? Id had no clue. Her hair covered it well. Its a bit of a struggle now, but once you get past this stage, the advantages will far outweigh the hardships. For example? The cement of your beast mark is convenient since you can hide it easily. Since its not an area easily exposed, there is less risk of the mark being damaged. So the beast mark can actually be damaged? Will the contract break? It depends on the extent of the damage, but yes, that can happen. You can re-establish the contract, but it is difficult. Divine beasts treat their marks as part of themselves. If they see their contractor being careless with their mark, they will be very disappointed. That made sense. In that case, it was definitely better to have the mark on the back of my neck than somewhere like my hand or arm. Unless I was attacked from behind, the chances of it being damaged were quite low. Lets end it here for today. Are you sure? Yes. Master Luans ability to limate is astonishingly quick. At this rate, you might seed in partial divine-beast transformation before the month is over. Divine-beast transformation, simply put, was an advanced application of Augmentation. It was a technique used to maximize physical abilities. For example, Sellen when she fought Hariba, or Arzan in the Gem Mountains. In addition, there was something of a side effect to the transformation, which was that the users appearance changed a bit... In Arzans case, antlers sprouted from her temples. In Sellens, all her nails, finger- and toenails both, grew abnormally long. What about me? Since Id made a contract with a serpent, for all I knew, I could end up with a forked tongue or a scaly body. Really, I just hoped my legs didnt fuse into a snakes tail. ...Maybe I shouldve made a contract with a different divine beast. A human-snake hybrid... Yeesh. All I could imagine was myself turning into a lizardman. If things start looking too weird, I will seriously consider finding another divine beast. It would probably be difficult to break an established contract, but the Lord of Blood and Iron was evidence that it was possible to have multiple divine beast contracts. Divine-beast transformation... I wanted to master it before we reached the capital. * * * * * * * * * * We started setting up camp as the sun began to setobviously, it wasnt anything fancy. The inside of the carriage, while not quite a bedroom, was a far better shelter than a tent or sleeping bag, so setting up camp really just meant finding a suitable t spot before sunset and preparing dinner. Our dinner was a stew that was neither good nor bad, plus some slightly stale bread. After dinner, most of the young heroes trained or went inside the carriage to rest. These days, hanging out outside inevitably led to getting caught up in some pointless scuffle with the Goodsprings, so we preferred to stay inside and away from them. As for me, I generally passed the time taking lessons from Arzan or chatting inside the carriage, but today, for some reason, I felt like taking a walk around the nearby forest and breathing in some fresh air. I wanted to think a bit more about the divine-beast transformation. Oh... As I was wandering around, I found argeke, and I promptly looked around. It didnt take long to find a suitable t rock to sit on with my legs crossed. I feel like I''m close to getting somewhere, I thought. Although Arzan had said it would take at least a month to even partially transform, the truth was that my current stage was not limation but Augmentaion. In other words, at this stage, I should already be able to use the power of a divine beast. Though I''d also been told by Lise that I''d need some time to adapt to the changes. The most important thing is the image. Image? Yes, Master Luan. If youve made a contract with the divine beast, then you must have encountered the beast. Focus, try to remember what you sensed from the divine beast you saw with your own two eyes. If that memory feels as vivid as thendscape you just saw, it will serve as the gate that opens the path for you. What Id sensed from Lise Ladygoth... Gloomy, dull, arrogant,petitive, dislikes Asad. But werent those more impressions than feelings? None of that was particrly useful, so I thought of the ck snake that Lise had made from her hair. Deep, dark. What else? I wondered if there were any clues in anything Lise had said. My name is Lise Ladygoth Oll Haimudd. I am the Serpent Dragon who swims in the deepest darkness, the Sorcerer of Dark Heavens whom even the Seven Colors that crossed the skies could not taint. The Serpent Dragon who swims in the deepest darkness. The moment I remembered those words, the beast mark made its presence known on the nape of my neck. Wooong. It made a strange sound and seemed to be glowing faintly, though I couldnt be sure. What I now knew, though, was the exact shape and location of the mark. ... I opened my eyes to see dark clouds swallowing up the moon. The once bright moonlight disappeared without a trace, and the vastke before me transformed into a bottomless hole of darkness. A serpent dragonotherwise known as an imoogi. People say an imoogi is a serpent that yearns to be a dragon, but do all serpents truly dream of bing dragons? Who knows? Maybe some serpents really are content to remain serpents. At the very least, Lise was. Even as she called herself a serpent dragon, I knew from her voice that she was proud of what she was. A serpent that holds no desire to be a dragon. A serpent that scoffs at the existence of dragons. That, I felt, was the true identity of the Ebony Serpent Dragon. A thought came to me as I looked into the dark waters below... Swimming there below the surface, within the water devoid of light, seemed a much more fitting fate for a serpent. If the sky beyond the clouds was the realm of dragons, then the darkness below the moonlitke seemed the domain of serpents. Ah... This fleeting realization quickly sparked a change. A chill ran the length of my spine, raising goosebumps as all my senses sharpened and the veil of night pulled away. For a moment, I thought the moonlight had returned, but that wasnt it. The world waspletely different. Wow... My surroundings were now clear as day. Even with fire eyes, I doubted everything would be so bright and clear. I walked to thekes edge and looked at my reflection in the dark water. Ahh! My once-round pupils were now vertical slits. It wasnt as terrible as Id imagined, but it gave me a distinctly sinister look. As if my face didnt look unapproachable enough, now Im going to make people run the other direction. As I sighed in frustration, I sensed someone far in the distance. I looked behind me and spotted Butterfly Goodspring wandering through the dark forest. What was he up to? As I observed him a bit longer, I realized he wasnt lost at all. He was slowly making his way toward me. Swish... I gathered and stowed away the power of the divine beast, then looked back at the waters surface to confirm that my slit pupils had returned to normal. Afterward, I went back to where Id been sitting and sat facing the direction Butterfly wasing from. Momentster, he emerged from the bushes. ...Oh, there you are, he said with a smile. Were you looking for me? Yeah. What business do you have? I know you. Youre the useless one from the Bednicker family, right? I tilted my head at his words. In the end, I decided to reply, Im Luan. Right, Luan Bednickerthe idiot youngest who sold the familys precious sword. I had a pretty good idea of why he was here. I picked my ear and, just to confirm, asked, You''re here to pick a fight with me, right? Pick a fight? Please, youre not even worth my time. Youre barely worthwhile as a punching bag. Surprisingly, I actually liked his bluntness. He was straight and to the point. You alone? I asked. I had seen him approach alone, but I wanted to confirm. Yeah, theres no one around. The carriage is far away, so even if someone screams, no one will hear. Why? Were you nning to tattle to your brother? ... But I heard that the Bednickers are practically enemies, right? Is that the Lord of Blood and Irons policy? I heard your rtionships are pretty terrible. I noticed that you and your brother never make eye contact. Like, at all. Every time you look at him, he tantly looks away. Hector does have a slight tendency to avoid me. Yeah, I can tell. Butterflyughed loudly. Hisugh sounded just a little evil. I can tell it wont be a big deal if you get hurt. I remained silent. Of course, it would be a friendly spar... in name only. The youngest of Goodspring and Bednicker, unable to control their tempers, went at each other. Aha, I said as I rose from my seat. Coincidentally, I didnt have the Sword of Seven Sins with me. I had left it behind in the carriage. Noticing how I was feeling around my waist, Butterfly chuckled slyly. Want me to lend you a sword? Even I dont particrly enjoy just beating someone up. I need them to fight back at least a litt I suddenly raised my two fists toward his face. What do you think these are? Your hands, obviously. Do you think Im an idiot? Wrong, I said, clicking my tongue and shaking my head. Ill introduce you to two of my very good friends here. This ones called Etiquette, and this ones called Decorum. ...What? And if you put them together? Butterfly was frowning in clear confusion. As if in a trance, he replied, ...Etiquette and Decorum? Exactly. I nodded as I brought my fists together. BANG! As the sound of the collision echoed around us, Butterfly burst intoughter. Haha! Youve got time to spout nonsense? I wonder how long you can keep that up. After receiving my hits for ten or so minutes, I imagine youll be crawling on the ground. You really are ignorant. Ill teach you something today, I said as if talking to a little kid, so listen carefully: It doesnt take ten minutes to make someone crawl on the ground. It took one fight with Hector and about two days with Charon. Suddenly, I became curious. What about this guy? I honestly had no clue how long hedst. It seemed Etiquette and Decorum would have to find out. How dare you... Butterflys face flushed with anger as he charged at me. Who do you think you are to speak such nonsense to me? ... ... ... Keuk, Kuk, Gaah... ... Th, tho... th-thorr. I paused my punches and looked down at the bloodied Butterfly. What was that? Thhor... rry... I... mathe... meethake. Mmm. Puh-lz... thtop...hithing... I nodded once, released him, and checked the time. Six minutes and 17 seconds. A new record. Chapter 134 The current head of the Goodspring family, Hatehm Goodspring was not like the Lord of Blood and Iron, who had a strong attachment to his children. As the head of a great family, he of course worked to exterminate the cult, but was he as driven as Bednicker? Not really. Did he have political aspirations? He maintained good rtionships with the imperial family and the central nobilities, but that was merely to keep House Bednicker in check. He had no other motives. So what was Hatehm Goodsprings true aspiration? What did he truly desire? The answer was simple: To surpass House Bednicker. A few decades ago, House Bednicker had been called The Fallen Noble House and The Fading Sun. People had casually dismissed them as a relic of the past. Meanwhile, the power of the Goodspring family had been great enough to rival even the imperial family. But not anymore. While their positions hadnt flipped, no one in The Empire would ce House Goodspring above House Bednicker. If anything, they would say House Bednicker was superior.Was this simply fate? Though Goodspring still stood strong, would they soon fade away? Hatehm didnt think so. The current situation had been created by just one person: Derk C. Bednicker, the Lord of Blood and Iron. The man who had: received more blessings than anyone else in history, defeated multiple gem beasts, graduated the academy early, be the youngest to inherit his family title, been granted a middle name by the imperial family, be a duke with a second name, hunted demons, and eliminated a high priest. Those explosive achievements had captured the attention of many, and those who had feared him initially hade to revere him. Derk, the Lord of Blood and Iron, was far too unrestrained to be called a typical family head, he was too brutal to be considered a hero... and yet no one could deny his aplishments. In time, people had begun to see his boundless hatred for demons as reassuring as theyd begun to understand one thing: His cruelty would never be turned against them. The dukes natural charisma could not be imitated. House Bednicker snuck past us during my time, so before my time ends, I shall surely set things right. A select few within the Goodspring family knew this was one of Hatehm Goodsprings favorite sayings. Could that have been the reason most members of House Goodpring held a strong dislike for the Bednickers? But only most of them. *** I realized as I was beating him up, he was strangely sturdy. Naturally strong-boned, one might say. People like him were rare. But it was odd. With muscles and bones like his, I was surprised he wasnt bigger. Butterflys physique was on the scrawnier side even considering he was still growing. But my realization did him no good. The fact that he was tough just meant I could hit him harder. It didnt seem like he was all that resilient to pain, which Id kind of expected. Even in his spar with Hector, he hadnt been able to handle a kick to the shin, creating the opening that had led to his defeat. ... ... Sitting on top of the rock again, I looked down at Butterfly, on his knees on the ground. A gust of wind blew past and I saw him shiver. Cold? N-no. Figures. Winter might be ending, but the night is still cold. Especially near theke. Y-yes. I stared at his face. Moments ago, it had been swollen beyond recognition, but the puffiness was already going down. It wasnt a blessing, though, so it had to be his natural physical constitution. Butterfly, I said with a voice that left no room for jokes. Yes... I know you guys have something shady going on. Sellen was just an excuse, right? ... I wont dig too deep. Honestly, I dont much care. Sure, Im a Bednicker, but I could care less about the political enmity between our houses. Truth be told, I found it rather pathetic that House Goodspring busied themselves with rivalries even though there was a bigger enemy on the horizon... But since Butterfly seemed to take pride in his family, I decided to not to hurt him too much. Barter is just tagging along as a guardian, right? All the young heroes have actually been following your orders? Th-thats correct, sir... Well arrive at the capital soon, so lets keep things quiet and peaceful until then, mkay? A nice, calm ride to the academy. Doesnt that sound great? Y-yes, s-soundz great... I patted Butterfly on the shoulder and asked, How old are you? ...F-fourteen, sir. You are only two years younger than me, theres no need to be so formal. N-not at all, sir... Im serious. Its fine. I-its really fine! said Butterfly. His tone was strange and slightly unhinged. This... this ish moretable for me, sir...! Since he was so insistent, I didnt push. I just acknowledged him with a nod. All right. Anyway, youre free to go, but take a walk and let the swelling go down before you head back. Theres no need to make Barter suspicious. ... Well? I said you can go. For some reason, Butterfly didnt seem to be in a hurry to leave. Had I hit him too hard? I hadnt injured his legs, I was sure. Big Brother... Yo weally strong. Big Brother? His way of speaking reminded me of Charon. Butterfly wore a conflicted look as he said, ...Most of Goodsprings attention was on the eldest son, Hero Bednicker, but the Lord of Blood and Iron used that to his advantage and hid a secret weapon. Duke Bednicker really is terrifying. The injuries inside of his mouth must have healed because his speech was back to normal. That recovery rate almost matched mine when Id been training the strongest fire technique on Spirit Mountain. Its not that serious. No, thest time I was this helpless was against Elder Brother Barter. Even if I fully unleashed my divine beasts power, I dont think I could win. Is that so, I replied. Butterfly suddenly looked determined. Ive changed my mind. Seeing you, a man of such caliber, I dont need to go through the trouble of taking her with me. Taking her? You mean Sellen? Yes, he said, sounding a little bitter. Im sure theres a reason youre hiding your strength, so Ill forget what I saw today. It didnt really matter to me whether Butterfly reported to Barter... but itd be better to keep things hidden for the time being. Itd save me the hassle of unnecessary pests buzzing about. Instead, might I ask you for one favor? Youre going to ask me to look after Sellen, right? ...Thats correct. Id expected as much. Even if Barter didnt care, I had seen it: Butterflys eyes were full of affection and care whenever he looked at Sellen. Hmm... well, she manages just fine on her own. You should know that; shes your sister. Yes, Im aware, but you never know what will happen. I nodded. I owe her in more ways than one. If she ever needs help, Ill step in, but I dont n on interfering too much. Thats more than enough. Butterfly let out a deep sigh of relief. His body trembled slightly as he rose to his feet, ready to head back. I wanted to stay out a bit longer and breathe in more of the crisp, night air, so I turned my gaze back to theke. Well then, Big Brother Luan... Since I can''t do it myself, you''ll have to look after Sellen for me. We are sisters by blood, after all. With those parting words, Butterflys presence faded into the distance. Around the same time, the moon emerged from behind the clouds. Its a full moon. The moonlight that descended across theke once again revealed the gentle flow of the waters surface. It was as if time, which had been frozen, began to tick again. I was staring at theke, entranced by the reflection of the bright moon, when I suddenly realized something. Reflexively, I murmured, ...Sisters? * * * * * * * * * * The next day, the young heroes of Goodspring were unusually docile. They no longer approached us with their usual underhand jabs and were no longer picking fights. Butterfly had kept her promise. Whats with them all of a sudden? Did something happen...? I guess ignoring them was the way to go. Since we were so unresponsive, they must have gotten tired of picking on us. I heard sighs of relief from Bednicker''s young heroes, free from the stress of having to deal with Goodsprings bullshit. On the other hand, some were giving me suspicious stares. Namely Hector, Charon, and Sellen. I met their gazes for a couple of seconds, blinked, and then swiftly turned away. I clicked my tongue and decided to just ignore them. It was too much of a bother to exin the situation. Besides, I was really enjoying training with the divine beasts power. Since getting the hang of it, Id made great progress. You have extraordinary talent. At this rate, you might be the youngest ever to reach Ascension. To hear such words from Arzan, who never bothered with emptypliments, made it clear how impressive my progress was, even ounting for the advantages Lise had given me. Oh, and I also learned how exactly my appearance changed during the divine-beast transformation. Aside from your eyes, your hair turns ck. Hm? And your skin takes on a bronze undertone. Um... Those traits are likely to be more pronounced as your abilities grow. ck hair, bronze skin, and slit pupils... Funny enough, those were the exact features of the ancient dark fairies. I might not be turning into a full lizardman, but it definitely didnt feel like the most ttering change. I kind of wish Id grown horns like you. At least they look cool. Arzan chuckled softly at my grumbling. Anyway, time passed uneventfully after that... Until finally, exactly one week after leaving the main house, we arrived at the capital. *** Back when Id been a mercenary in the South, Id heard this one song so often that it was still stuck in my head. The city of dawn, Hope always beckons. The city of dusk, Even the darkness flees. The city of tomorrow, A ce I will surely return to. The Imperial City! Oh, the capital Eternal and immortal, the city of twilight and dawn... That song could be heard in any tavern in the South. It was cried out by drunken bards and mercenaries with their arms slung over each others shoulders. It wasnt surprising that the song had been somon there. It was the South, after all, the harshest and most dangerous region of The Empire. Many people there longed for the Imperial City. Id been one of them. Despite being a noble, I had never been to the capital, so the song had stirred a secret longing in me. Now, seeing the capital with my own two eyes, I was shocked enough topletely forget the song Id yed in my head and heard with my ears hundreds of times. Wow... Its so... magnificent. It had to berger than even the Forest of the Butterfly, whose vastness I still could not fully grasp. The city was spread out in arge circle centered around an imposing maroon castle. If I didnt know any better, I might have mistaken the city for an entire nation. It was to the point that even from a fairly high hill, I couldnt see the citys end. The surrounding walls were not only incredibly tall, they were also thicker than anything I had ever seen before. And through them ran dozens of rivers that wove together to create the breathtaking scene we were staring at. The Twilight River. Id heard that at dusk, the river took on a hue more beautiful than the finest wine. Since the imperial familys most identifiable trait was crimson hair, red was considered the most sacred color in this country, followed closely by orange, representing the sun. That was why, even though the Archmage of Seven Colors represented The Empire, the Red Magician was the leader. Anyway, we made our way down the hill and soon found ourselves at the entrance to the gates of the grand Imperial City. Murmurs. The entrance was bustling with people, but of course, we didnt use the gate meant for ordinary citizens. After all, most of us were nobility. We passed through the gate and stepped into the city. I, Ive never seen a road this big in my life, Evan said in awe. I understood his amazement. Even though Bednickers carriage wasnt small, it stillfortably fit the massive road. If this were any other city, a carriage this size would turned heads as it passed by, but here, its size was barely worth noticing. A few people did whisper when they recognized the Bednicker crest, though. I-is there a festival or something? There are so many people! If I get lost here, Ill be lost for a week... Whats that over there? It looks delicious...! Whoa! A giant just passed by! The four hillbilliesEvan, Karis, Mir, and Pamwere practically glued to the window, busy darting their eyes in amazement. The high-ranking nobles like Hector, Sellen, Sharyl, and Zeros looked unfazed, like they were used to it all. Charon was surprised at first, but he seemed to quickly lose interest. As for me... Karis! Move your big head! Would you just scooch over? Man, that buildings gotta be at least 10 stories! Yeah. I was definitely in the country bumpkin group. I couldnt help it. Like Id said, this was my first time in the capital! They say that the first time you see the capital, youll get dizzy from how much you look around. I finally understand what they meant. I was tempted to forget about the academy and just spend a week exploring the city. But of course, Bednickers carriage sped down the road, leaving the bustling city scene behind. We continued traveling through the city for quite some time. Eventually, the country bumpkins peeled themselves from the windows and started to calm down... [Inheritor.] For the first time in a while, the Martial God made his presence known. [Where is this? I sense something familiar...] It felt like hed been speaking more oftentely. Were in the Imperial City, I replied. [The Imperial City...] The Martial God paused for a minute. [In that case... is this thend where the Nameless King rests?] Chapter 135 That... should be the case? I didnt know exactly where the Nameless Kings tomb was located, but the remains of kings were normally enshrined in the Imperial Citynot to mention that this was the Nameless King we were talking about. He was the most well known and respected of all kings. It was possible hed been buried in his homnd, but no one even knew his real name, let alone his origins, so that seemed unlikely. Records stated that hed just appeared out of nowhere during the war. However, people had recognized him as human from the descriptions of his most famous weapon, the Sword of Seven Sins, and the size and shape of the Crimson Kings Armor. But his most famous trait had been his fiery red hair, which had zed brightly like the sunset. [Somewhere here, then, a shard of the Dubhe must exist.] A shard of the Dubhe...?[One of the seven pieces needed to restore the Sword of Seven Sins.] I fell silent for a moment. Right, the Sword of Seven Sins was in a half-broken state. I had forgotten about it since it was still quite useful. [This is perfect. While youre here, you should retrieve it.] Is that really necessary? I dont see how restoring the Sword of Seven Sins will benefit me. [Inheritor, I know you are not the type to rely on weapons, but obtaining a shard of Dubhe doesnt mean only the sword will be stronger.] What more does it do? [Restoring the Sword of Seven Sins means restoring my own existence. As Ive said before, even simple things like conveying information are restricted in my current state. As more shards are obtained, those restrictions will gradually weaken.] Then could you also tell me about my master? The Martial God chuckled bitterly. [Thats still a long way off, but as we gather the shards, Im sure you will eventually find out.] Mmm... Actually, I had other ways to obtain information now. The Martial God was no longer my only option; I could ask either the Lord of Blood and Iron or Lise. However, a thought urred to me. The one who knew the most about the forgotten age had to be the forgotten Martial God. After all, he had witnessed it firsthand. The Nameless Kings tomb, huh... There was someone I could ask. I stood up and quickly slid open the partition door, crossing into the section with Hector. Thergepartment was upied only by Hector and Sellen, and the scene inside was oddly amusing. They sat at opposite ends of the space like strangers being made to share the room against their will. Sellen had her forehead against the window and was staring outside with a bored expression, and Hector was engrossed in a book. Youll get motion sickness if you read in a carriage. Im not prone to motion sickness, so Ill be fine, Hector said. He calmly closed his book with a soft thud, then looked up at me and asked, Do you need something? I have a question for you. I jumped straight to exining the situation to him. After listening carefully, Hector thought for a moment. You want to ess the Nameless Kings tomb... Its not impossible, but it will be very difficult. Why? Well, the Founding King is usually considered to be Keshinus I, but some believe the Nameless King is the true founder. After all, it was the Nameless King who united the seven races to form the empire. Thats why his tomb is located in the deepest part of the imperial pce grounds. That means... Basically, its off-limits to anyone but royalty. What a pain. I thought for a second before asking, You said basically, so there must be exceptions, right? Correct. If youre apanied by a member of the imperial family, you can enter. The imperial family... To ordinary citizens, they might as well be untouchable, but this was where the Bednicker name was useful. House Bednicker was one of the most powerful houses in the empire. Not even royalty could look down on them. Elder Brother, do you think you can pull some strings for me? I didnt realize you were so interested in the Nameless King, Hector said, sounding slightly surprised. But then, with a troubled expression, he added, I could... but itll be difficult to do right now. The only person Im on good terms with is Lantus, and hes likely not in the capital at the moment. Lantus... That was the fourth prince. He had even attended the Bednicker Blessing Ceremony. Hmm... While I was still thinking about what to do, Hector said, That doesnt mean there is no other way. Coincidentally, our destination is the academy. What do you mean? There are two royals currently attending the academy. Oh? Who are they? The third prince and the fourth princess. If you get close to either one of them, you should be able to gain ess to the Nameless Kings tomb. Sounding slightly hesitant, Hector continued, Of course, getting close wont be easy given the academys environment, your status as a transfer student, and the three-month time limit. Mhm. I would personally rmend aiming for the third prince. Ive heard that the fourth princess, Ferith, doesn''t enjoy socializing. Okay. Thanks. ...Yeah. Hector nced at me and suddenly cleared his throat. W-well, as the older brother, I can help the youngest with At that moment, the coachman peeked his head in. Hector, sir? Do you have a moment? Whats the matter? We will soon arrive at the academy, and we will need the Bednicker seal to be allowed entry. ...All right. Hector left, though he looked somewhat reluctant to do so. Just as I was about to follow suit, I was stoppedSellen had suddenly grabbed me. Hey, she said. What? What business do you have with the Nameless Kings tomb? I met her clear, ss-like eyes and replied, Ive always been kinda interested in the Nameless King. Visiting his tomb has long been a dream of mine. Says the guy who didnt even know where the tomb of the Nameless King was, Sellen said, not believing my lie. ...Good catch. I kept my mouth shut since I had nothing to say in response. Sellen hesitated briefly before continuing, Dont get close to the imperial family. What? Why not? I warned you. With that, Sellen leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, making it clear she was done talking. ... If it were anyone else, I would just take it as a warning not to act recklessly in front of the imperial family, those of the royal bloodline. After all, I had been well known as a troublemaker in the past. But this was Sellen. There was likely a more significant meaning. ...Is something up with the royal family? Before I could dwell on that thought, the carriage came to a stop and the coachmans voice rang out. Weve arrived at Kartell Academy! * * * * * * * * * * The Twilight River, which ran through the empire, had several branches, the widest of which stretched an impressive five kilometers across. Kartell Academy had been established on an ind located in the middle of that river. The ind itself wasrge, almost toorge for the academy alone, though it hadnt always been so big. The ind had expanded over time through multiple construction projects, eventually reaching its current size and its current shape: a long, narrow strip ofnd. After all, the river could not be blocked. After crossing the bridge, the only way in and out of the ind, we finally stood at the entrance of the academy. Wow... This is insane. As we took in the sight before us, oohs and aahs came from all directions. Even I was at a loss for words to describe what this structure was supposed to be. Was it a castle? A tower? A temple? Usually, when a building gave off so many different impressions, it felt chaotic and muddled. But I wasnt well versed in architecture, so all I could think was how amazing it looked. Our honored guests have finally arrived, came a soft voice as an old man stepped forward. He had deep wrinkles and a long beard reaching down to his navel, and he wore thin sses and a gentle smile. He was just missing a wide-brimmed hat and an ancient wooden staff to perfectly match how I imagined magicians. ...Im getting emotional. I felt a slight sting at the tip of my nose. All the magicians Id encountered since my regression had been so shady and evil, so seeing such a ssic, normal-looking magician brought a great sense of relief. Hector and Barter bowed politely. Greetings, Headmaster. I am Hector Bednicker. I am Barter Goodspring. The Headmaster gave a deep chuckle, Its an honor to see not one but two of the empires future stars. The headmaster of Kartell Academy... That meant this kind, smiling old man was none other than Alderson Maveur, the Archmage of Violetranked seventh among the Archmages of Seven Colors. Alderson looked at Hector and asked, How is Sir Asad doing? Hes in good health. Thats good to hear. Asad, House Bednickers hermit and protector, was also an Archmage of Seven Colors, ranking fourth as the Archmage of Emerald. Naturally, as fellow Archmages of Seven Colors, they knew each other. I see theres more people than I expected. I wasnt expecting the Goodspring group, so this is a little troublesome... As Alderson said, there were more than twenty people on the Goodspring side. Combined with the ten people on our side, there were thirty in total, which was quite arge number to amodate for transfers. Alderson stroked his beard while chuckling heartily. In a cryptic voice, he said, Well, well manage somehow. For now, follow me. We all followed Alderson through well-paved roads and polished street lights until, eventually, we reached a tower-like building. This is...? The Kartell Academys famed Tower of Trials, Alderson answered. It was tall. Really tall. Roughly... 200 meters, maybe? A building of this scale could easily be called a magic tower. Alderson shed a smile. As I mentioned, we need to thin the numbers a bit. Consider it an entry exam... Whichever fifteen of you ascend the highest will be epted into the Academy. Um, then... what happens to those who dont make the cut? Im sorry, but they will not be allowed to enroll. They will have to return home. There were immediate sounds of distress from the Goodspring side. Th-that cant be. This isnt what we were told! We came all this way...! Meanwhile, our group was calm, likely because we were more familiar with situations like this. Cutting people off based on rankings... wed all experienced that in House Bednickers training camps. I turned my gaze back to the tower. The height was daunting, but it didnt look like it would be too difficult to climb. But... something feels off. There was something about the name and the overall unclear situation that was nagging me. Hector must have felt the same uneasy feeling because he asked, What matters isnt how fast we climb but how high? That is correct, Alderson replied. He looked around and exined, This tower is 217.1 meters tall and has five floors. There are stairs inside, so climbing up the tower shouldnt be too difficult. About 200 meters. It was tall, sure, but for the people here, it wouldnt pose much of a challenge. In other words... ...Is there something inside? Alderson smiled warmly. It wouldnt be fun if I exined everything, now would it? There is no need to rush. You will figure it out once you are inside the tower. Um... You have until the end of the day. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, Ah, and onest thing: Anything you find inside the tower is yours to keep. By anything, you mean...? Anything from simple gold coins, precious metals, and jewels, to books and even magic items I personally crafted. Various rewards have been prepared, Alderson exined. ...! The crowd buzzed with excitement once more, and Anderson let out a boisterousugh. Think of it as a fun attraction and enjoy yourselves. Hohoho. With that, the young heroes rushed toward the tower, and I couldnt help but be impressed. It seemed not all magicians had loose screws. Feeling a bit guilty for holding such a prejudice toward magicians, I followed the others inside. *** Shortly after the young heroes left... A young man approached Alderson. This was Mond, one of the professors at Kartell Academy. This is a bit excessive for a joke, Headmaster, said Mond. Hmm? Half of them wont even make it past the first floor. Alderson let out his signature chuckle. We cant know that for sure, Professor Mond. One should never underestimate the potential of younguns. Mond sighed. Im not underestimating them... At first nce, it might seem like Alderson had high hopes for the young heroes, but actually, that was not the case. Every student at Kartell Academy knew well what kind of ce the inside of the Tower of Trials was. Each floor of the five-story tower was filled with various challenges, puzzles, and traps meticulously prepared by Alderson. While they werent life-threatening enough to cause serious injury, they were certainly capable of leaving young dreamers feeling defeated or even traumatized. Whats the harm? Its a win-win for both parties, aint it? I get motivation from witnessing the bold challenges and attempts of the spirited youth, and in return, they have the chance to earn rewards worthy of their great efforts... Im all about fairness. ... He wasnt wrong. What was hidden in the tower was nothing short of a treasure trove. Inside were magic tools that Alderson, Archmage of Seven Colors, had personally made, as well as various collectibles that had been acquired at a high price... and even the item that Alderson cherished the most. However... For someone who values fairness so much, why have all the rewards been ced on the fourth and fifth floors...? Mond was well aware that no matter how talented a young hero was, passing the third floor was practically impossible. Even most of the Academy professors ss had given up halfway through the fourth floor. With a voice full of excitement, Alderson said, All right, lets not waste time! Lets quickly head to the control room. Id like some of Professor Bettys ck tea. There are also some cookies left over from Etiqus Refreshments. Its the perfectbination to watch with. Mond sighed once again as he followed along. Pity for the young heroes, but theres nothing I could do... All he could do was hope that not too many participants would feel disheartened afterward. *** A sign greeted us as we entered the tower. [Wee to the Rainbow Floor!] [ Rule Number One ] [Conversation is prohibited on this floor.] [Vitors will face penalties.] ...Deja vu? ____ Chapter 136 The inside of the tower was like a different world. The moment I stepped inside, the air felt different, and it wasnt just the temperature. Whoosh. Crackle... The area was lit by torches that flickered in an odd mannerburning brightly, suddenly extinguishing, and then ring up again, as if by some mechanism. The walls were damp and bumpy like a cave, making it difficult to believe this was actually a building. But the most puzzling part was the number of doors. There were many identical doors spaced evenly apart. [Wee to the Rainbow Floor!] [ Rule Number One ] [Conversation is prohibited on this floor.][Vitors will face penalties.] The sign caught my eye before anything else. ...A nice magician, my ass. Ignore it. Ignore whatever I said before. I fucking take back what I said. Entirely. If anything, the fact that he was two-faced made him seem far more sinister than either Asad or Lise. Regardless, I knew the nature of magicians, so I made sure to keep my mouth shut. It was quite strange. Even though everyone here was a proven elite, I knew I was about to be disappointed. Was there some naturalw that ensured the spread and conservation of stupidity? So something happens if we talk? asked Idiot #1. Surprise, surprise... With a sh of light, Idiot #1 vanished into thin air. Evidently, the rule hadnt been obvious enough for them. It should have been even simpler; that would have helped these brainless morons understand. I think Ill call it thew of conservation of idiots. ...! ...!? ...! ...!? Heek The young heroes were in a soundless uproar. Some were barely able to muffle their screams. Where had he disappeared to? Theres no way he died just like that... right? Curiosity piqued, I used divine-beast transformation to see through the shadowy darkness. With the cold energy focused into my eyes, my senses expanded beyond the first floor and even outside the tower. Oh, hes outside. Hed been forcibly ejected. He was pounding on the towers door with a pale face, but it didnt budge. In fact, from the inside, there was nothing to indicate he was banging on the door. It was as if we werepletely cut off from the outside world. A small chill ran down my spine. It wasnt that far, but still. Someone had been tossed out without even having time to realize what was happening. That, to me, was unsettling. Could I resist it? I wasnt sure. I would have to experience whatever force was responsible first-hand to say for sure, and that was too much of a risk. By the way, what exactly is considered conversation, anyway? For example, could wemunicate by writing on paper? What about methods like sound transmission? Could wemunicate indirectly through spirits or summoned creatures? Could we use blessing-granted telepathy? Ehem. Someone cleared their throat to test the waters. When I looked over, I saw it was Karis. It sounded deliberate, but unlike the previous person, he wasnt forced out. But when Karis realized that, the nutjob got a bit too bold. He cautiously opened his mouth and said, Oh hey, I wasnt kicked out...? The young heroes all looked at him in surprise. ... ... ...! Again there was no penalty. Did the system actually count that as him talking to himself? W-what a shitty ce... Ehem. I should think about how Ill get up there...? Hmm, so many doors! It looks suspicious! Which door I see you guys gonna chooah, crap. sh! The one who had been speaking weirdly predictably vanished in a sh of light. Dumbass... I shook my head and shot a look at where Idiot #2 had been standing, then shifted my focus back ahead. It seems the definition of conversation is a bit morex than I expected... I used serpents eye to see through the doors, but even though it could see outside the tower, I couldnt tell what lurked behind the doors. Ah. But I did figure one thing out. The torches lighting the interior... They werent real torches, they were torch-shaped magic items. I figured that out thanks to serpents eye letting me visually tell the temperature of objects. The torches flickering on and off at regr intervals were cool enough to touch with bare hands. Did they have a hidden purpose? When no one else seemed eager to make the first move, the first to step forward was none other than Butterfly Goodspring. Has she already solved the puzzle? All eyes were on her. She smirked, flung open the nearest door, and entered... And we witnessed something amazing. ...! Another door on the wall, far from the one shed entered, suddenly swung open. Huh...? And from that door, out walked... Butterfly. W-what, how... stammered the dumbfounded heroes, clearly thrown off by what they were seeing. It was a hard sight to believe, even having seen it with my own eyes. Through one door, I could see Butterflys back, and a few doors down, her face. Huh... What... Butterfly looked just as confused as everyone else. Judging from her face, it was clear she hadnt solved the puzzle. She had just randomly picked a door without thinking. With that, the others started to act as well... But they just began opening doors left and right, only to emerge from different doors... and that led to asional collisions. A head trying to enter a door collided with another attempting to exit. Thunk! ACK! What the hell! Because talking was forbidden, the two who had collided resorted to exaggerated facial expressions and bodynguage to show just how pissed they were. ...! ...! ...! ...?! ...! I was watching the situation from a distance when I started to feel that something was off. Wait... theres fewer people now. It wasnt obvious, but a couple of people who had been busting down doors were gone. Including Pam and Karis. Had they solved the puzzle? Pam? Maybe. But Karis? Doubtful. Just then, someone whooshed past me. A sh of fluttering whiteno, silver hair. Sellen Goodspring. She strode swiftly through the confused group of young heroes and entered a door. I widened my vision to take in all of the doors at once, but there was no sight of Sellen anywhere. Shes moved on to the next stage. She was different from the mindless others. Her expression, her demeanor... it was likely that Sellen had solved the puzzle. Or... perhaps shed known the answer from the very start. Either way, keeping my heightened senses active for too long was draining, so I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them again, my normal vision was back... It was at thismoment that I noticed something strange. Hmm? The doors seemed to have changed color slightly. It hadnt been too noticeable in the dim lightning, but now they looked orange. Fwoosh... It wasnt my imagination. As the torch flickered off and red back, the color of the doors changed again. This time, it was yellow. I realized that the color of the doors changed with each flicker of the torch. Wait. I recalled the color of the door Sellen had just entered. Red. And this floors name? It was the Rainbow Floor. Hmm... I was starting to get a feel for it. Step. I made my move the moment the doors changed back to red. * * * * * * * * * * Upon opening the door, what greeted Sellen was another room. Just like before, there were roughly a dozen doors in the wall, but this time, no other heroes were around. The sudden silence should have been unnerving, but it had little effect on Sellen. Instead, she focused on the subtle shift in the color of the doors as the torches flickered. Orange. Now. Sellen pushed open a door and stepped through to find yet another room. This time, she opened a door when the color was yellow. This was the puzzle of the Rainbow Floor. The doors changed color in ordance with the flickering of the torches, and the key was to follow the sequence: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Step through the doors seven times in that correct order, and that was it. It was a simple enough problem when looked at properly, but the towers interior was so dark and the color change wasnt very dramatic, so it was difficult to see the changes. Click. After closing the violet door, Sellen let out a sigh. Before her was a staircase, and in front of it was a sign. It read: [Stairs of Infinity.] ...I guess the real challenge starts now. To be honest, Sellen had no idea how long it would take her to climb these stairs, but... If she didnt perform well here, she would be kicked out of the academy and be unable to enroll. That was something she wanted to avoid at all costs. Thus, Sellen began to slowly climb the stairs. *** Hector Bednicker was climbing the stairs. The rainbow puzzle hadnt been too difficult for him. He had solved it in just fifteen minutes. He didnt know it, but he was the second fastest of the thirty-ish young heroes. Considering that Sellen had been the fastest, he had basically been the quickest to solve the problem. Then came the stairs. Hed found himself climbing up grandly named Stairs of Infinity. ...For the past hour. Strange... With his physique and how long hed been climbing, he should have already reached the top. Honestly, he felt that hed been walking long enough to make two or three round trips. And yet the circr staircase showed no sign of ending. I see. Its magic. Hector realized that, but he couldnt pinpoint exactly how the magic was affecting the stairs. Could it be... that there really is an infinite number of stairs? Or maybe there was some other way out? Wondering if this might also be a puzzle, Hector tried every method that came to mind. He sprinted up the stairs with all his might. He swung his sword against the wall. In the end, he tried to return the way hede, but even that turned out to be futile. It felt like he had climbed tens of thousands of steps, but as soon as he started to descend, the entrance appeared before him. Ugh...! So very determined, Hector pushed himself up the stairs, refusing to go back down. Another hour passed. Hectors entire body was drenched in sweat. His mana had long since run out from his intense sprinting earlier. No. It felt like my mana drained much faster than usual... Was that also a power of these stairs? Huff, huff... He was breathing hard, and his thighs and calves felt like they were about to burst. He wanted nothing more than to copse right then and there, but instead, Hector red up at the stairs and muttered, You think Ill give up? *** Kahahaha... Alderson let out a wickedugh, the kind you wouldnt expect from an educator. His expression was like that of a child who had just picked up his favorite toy. This...! This is the first in Alersons masterpiece series, the Mana-Devouring Stairs...! The Mana-Devouring Stairs was a device designed by Alderson himself. It generated an endless staircase using the mana of those ascending it. That meant that the moment you became overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite staircase and used your mana, the number of steps you needed to climb snowballed into an insurmountable amount. Of course, even without mana, the staircase was already incredibly longat least fifty thousand steps. So the true condition to clear the first floor was to climb fifty thousand steps without using mana. No wonder theres so much resentment toward the Tower of Trials... The professors shot pitiful looks at the young heroes struggling to climb the tower. Most were exhausted. Quite a few had already given up. Of course, there were also some who showed great talent. Charon Woodjack. Hes definitely one of the best. His climbing speed is out of this world, and his stamina is beyond that of young heros. If were talking about speed, Butterfly Goodspring is the fastest. Shes already climbed halfway up the stairs. Hector Bednickers tenacity is impressive too. He must be at his physical limit, yet he shows no signs of stopping. Alderson stroked his beard, satisfied. It was far more enjoyable to see students properly using the tower he had so painstakingly prepared. The level of this years transfer students is quite impressive! By the way, whats the current record for the Rainbow Floor among transfer students? It is 6 hours, 13 minutes, 27 seconds. Alderson nced at the time. Only three hours had passed since the transfer exam began. Oho... Theres a chance one of these young heroes may break the record today. Aldersons face lit up as he watched the disy in front of him. This was what he lived for. Their expressions, their pain, their desperation... The faces of them younguns filled with anguish fueled Alderson. Kehehehe... The kind expression when hed first appeared was nowhere to be found. The professors exchanged horrified looks. They silently decided to pretend they couldnt see the headmaster. It wasnt that he was a bad person. Alderson was objectively a remarkable headmasker, someone worthy of respect. After all, he had received recognition from the imperial family and earned the title of Archmage of Seven Colors for a reason. However... ...Its true that all magicians have a couple screws loose. Ironically, he was among the more stable magicians. And there was no malicious intent behind what he was doing now. Wait... Professor Mond, known for his meticulous nature, caught the attention of those in the room as he was checking every corner of the screen in a daze. He blinked a few times to make sure. As soon as he realized that what he was seeing wasnt an illusion, Mond called out, Excuse me... Headmaster? Oh, yes, Professor Mond. Have you finally found the cookies? The tea has chilled a bit, but I can always warm it up quickly with my mag N-no, thats not it... Mond said, sounding bewildered. Someone has alreadypleted the Stairs of Infinity...? Crack. A crack appeared in Headmaster Aldersons expression. Chapter 137 [Stairs of Infinity] The sign with the grandiose words caused a small, involuntary chuckle to slip from my mouth. For some reason, it reminded me of when Id descended Spirit Mountain. Of course, descending is easier than climbing, but were these stairs really harsher than what that mountain had put me through? I paused. There was a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Just like on Spirit Mountain, I didnt know what challenges these stairs might present. No matter how hard and grueling the training on Spirit Mountain had been, I should not approach this trial with a light heart. However... I want to try.Without the help of internal energy, without the use of blessings, I wanted to challenge this so-called infinity with my physical body alone. After a moment''s pause, I decided to do just that. Tap tap tap! I thought it over as I sprinted up the stairs. No matter how powerful Alderson was as one of the Archmages of Seven Colors, he couldnt possibly have made an infinite number of actual stairs. So why had he named it Infinity? Was it simply to intimidate the climber? Or was it actually endless somehow? Probably both, I concluded with a chuckle. Alderson was a mage, after all. Just from the earlier riddle, I knew the old mans personality wasnt the best. The shape of the stairs was wicked too. The spiral design made it impossible to gauge how far Id climbed or how much farther I had to go. With no idea where the start or end was, forced to keep facing forward and climbing, it was no wonder this staircase was called the Stairs of Infinity. In that sense, its simr to Spirit Mountain. Back then, Id felt a simr sense of disorientation. Id been unable to see above or below because of the fog surrounding me. Even then, Id had FAD with me, lent to me by Fourth Senior Brother so he could keep track of my progress. In terms of sheer maliciousness, these stairs might be the worse of the two. I like it. Right now, the unknown aspect of this challenge was what fascinated me. I had spent 100 days on Spirit Mountain. In that time, I hadpletely eliminated the gap between my mind and body, and my stamina had increased several times. All thanks to the strongest fire technique. And yet, since my regression, I hadnt truly pushed myself to the limit. The fight with Juan had been too one-sided... As for Tangtata, he still wasnt someone I could handle. And there wasnt anyone among the young heroes that I could really call a worthy opponent. That was why these stairs were the perfect test. ...This is good, I muttered to myself. I ran for about an hour and a half before my body started to heat up. But my breathing was still stable. Should I pick up the pace a bit? Or should I hold off a little longer and observe the situation? I still didnt know the full length of these stairs, so I couldnt act hastily. However, I realized something: Taking my time and conserving my energy with a leisurely pace just wasnt my thing. Then let me just put on a bit more speed As soon as I made up my mind and bunched up my muscles to start sprinting, I abruptly came to a stop. But not voluntarily. The stairs had ended. Now, situated in front of me, was a wall. What the... I had almost mmed face-first into it. At this moment, a cold, mechanical voice reached my ears. [Congrattions. You have passed the Rainbow Floor.] Thats it? As if in response, a sh of light filled the area and the scenery changed. The cold, dark colors of the staircase and the stone walls disappeared and were reced by an old-fashioned library with an air of antiquity. But that wasnt what was important to me. ...That really was the end. I was left sad and disappointed. If I had known, I would have sprinted full speed from the start. Feeling a bit regretful, I clicked my tongue and started to look around. A library, huh... No wonder the tattoo at the nape of my neck is tingling faintly. Of course, this ce feels nothing like the gloomy Underground Library. First of all, its well lit. I could see no windows, but there was a warm light radiating from the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. [Wee to the Floor of Knowledge!] [ Rule Number Two ] [More than three incorrect answers will result in a penalty.] There were questions here too... Did all mages think the same? Well, although there were penalties here too, it was unlikely I would have my tongue cut off or my eyeballs gouged out if I messed up. Though they could still pull some mean pranks on me. How funny. It was surely a coincidence, but once again, I felt a sense of deja vu. This was like a less intense version of an ordeal Id already undergone. It kind of felt like Id gotten a practice round beforehand without meaning to. Been there, done that. But it kind of feels like cheating, in a way. Did I feel guilty, though? Not in the slightest. Whats the problem Im supposed to solve, anyway? I was standing in the middle of the library when a book flew out of nowhere and hovered in front of me. Flip flip flip. The book flipped to a certain page on its own, and then I heard a voice. [This is the first question.] Ah. So this is how it works. The pages stopped flipping, and I leaned in closer to read the question. *** Aldersons eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets as he stared at the screen. His voice trembling, he said, Th-that young hero, what is his name? He should be... Mond flipped through the profiles submitted earlier by the two houses and responded, Blonde hair, purple eyes... he should be Luan Bednicker. Luan Bednicker? The youngest child of the Lord of Blood and Iron? Y-yes, that is correct. But that cant be. I heard he was a talentless failure who didnt receive any blessings... Mond couldnt say anything in response to that. He had heard simr rumors himself, after all. Bednickers youngest child. A child whom even the Lord of Blood and Iron, who valued blood ties above all, had deemed hopeless and cast out. One rumor he clearly remembered was that Luan Bednicker was a lunatic who had sold off his familys prized sword. And the merchants, after realizing theyd bought the Bednicker familys sword for dirt cheap, ran straight to the Bednicker estate. Some imed that it was a trap set by the lord himself for the merchants, but no one knew for sure. Alderson nced at the screen with aplicated expression. Hmm... It seems that without any blessings, he must have focused on physical training to make up for it. Now that I look again, thats one impressive physique. Slightly calmed down, Alderson sipped his tea to moisten his dry mouth before leaning back in his chair again. An impressive physique, yes... but if he solely relies on his body, hell be in for quite the challenge. The Tower of Trials demands a well-rounded participant more than anything else. Alderson nodded, his expression slowly twisting back into a wicked grin. Itll be quite the sight when his grin, inted by arrogance from easily conquering the stairs, twists into pure despair... Kehehehe! Um... Headmaster? What now? Luan Bednicker just cleared the second floor... *** [Congrattions. You have passed the Floor of Knowledge.] It was that robotic voice again. It couldnt have been more than thirty minutes. Id cleared the second floor much faster than the first, but to be honest, it felt like I was cheating this time too. Maybe people should call you the Trivia God instead of the Martial God, I said with a slightly jaded tone. The Martial God responded with a shortugh. [Its simply good luck. What todays people record as history is, to me, memories and rtionships.] It doesnt seem like you only know about the past. Your knowledge is quite extensive overall. [Really? Im not quite sure.] I had the help of the Martial God this time as well. Seriously, even a history professor at this academy would barely hold a candle to him when it came to discussing history. That was how vast and deep his knowledge was. Take one of the problems wed been given, for example. [In general, the level of ones arcane arts is determined by the colors one can manipte. What is the rmended order for mastering colors in modern arcane arts?] I definitely knew thenguage, but I had no idea what it meant. Unlike the questions Lise had thrown at me, the questions on the Floor of Knowledge were all free-response... and most of them were outside my area of interest. This was the moment I learned that the level of ones arcane arts was decided by the colors they could manipte. Obviously, I had no idea what the answer was and just stood there frozen, but the Martial God spoke with his usual calm voice. [Choose between red or purple, whichever suits your disposition. From there, its a matter of going either in order or in reverse order. Once youve mastered all seven colors, you can choose one and focus on it or you can move on to the mixed-color phase.] Apparently, the Martial God wasnt well-versed just in martial arts but also in history, mythology, heroic figures, and even arcane arts. Thanks to him, I was able to clear the Floor of Knowledge without much trouble... [Wee to the Floor of Training!] [ Rule Number Three] [The use of blessings is forbidden on this floor.] [Vitors will face penalties.] * * * * * * * * * * My surroundings changed as I heard that voice again. This time, I was greeted by a gray room with three doors lining the wallsimr to the first floor. As expected, there was a sign in the middle. It was the longest sign among the three Id seen, so I began to read it slowly. [Congrattions on reaching the third floor, you who possesses boundless stamina and vast knowledge!] [On the fourth floor, a great reward awaits you, prepared by the great archmageAlderson of the Violet!] [Of course, not just anyone can set foot in such a precious ce, right? To enter the fourth floor, you must pass three tests!] [Test your strength, speed, and agility! If you can achieve a total score of 150 points, you may proceed to the next floor!] Strength, speed, and agility. I looked at the doors colored red, blue, and green. [Room of Strength.] [Room of Speed.] [Room of Agility.] Hmm... So theyre measuring my physical abilities this time, huh? Interesting. My immediate thought was to start with the Room of Strength, but I promptly changed my mind and moved toward the Room of Agility instead. Agility, specifically reaction speed, was the most heavily influenced by exhaustion. Strength and speed, on the other hand, were less impeded. Click. I opened the door to the Room of Agility and was left in a daze by the wide, open space. Before me was a spacious roomthergest Id seen since entering the tower. In the middle of the empty room stood a single signpost. [Wee to the Room of Agility!] [This rooms test consists of four stages.] [You must dodge the projectiles by any means necessary.] Projectiles? I questioned, but the voice continued without care. [Beginning Stage One.] Whirr! A hole appeared in the wall in front of me, big enough to fit my head through. I was standing there, staring at the hole, when I suddenly heard Thwip thwip thwip! With quiet sounds, balls began shooting out of the hole. ...! They wereing at me fast. I immediately twisted my upper body to dodge the flying balls. Thud! Bang! The balls collided with the wall behind me. From the sound alone, I knew that getting hit would leave me with more than just a small bruise. [Beginning Stage Two.] This time, two holes appeared, one on each adjacent wall, and they unleashed volleys of arrows. As expected of stage two, the projectiles were much faster and more dangerous, but... Maybe it was because I was more focused? I had an easier time dodging the arrows than I had the balls. If stage two is two holes, then stage three will be... [From stage three onward, there will be a risk of injuryand possibly death.] [Do you wish to proceed?] Were they serious? Stage one or two alone could have sent me to the afterlife; how much more dangerous were thest two stages? Not that I was going to back down now. To technically no one, I said, Start. [Beginning Stage Three.] ck! There was a loud noise and holes appeared all aroundfront, back, left, and right. What woulde after balls and arrows? My body tensed, ready to react immediately, when a projectile I hadnt expected came flying at me. Fwoosh! It was discs. Discs asrge as manhole covers. To make matters worse, they were edged with deadly des... Getting hit by one of these wouldnt end with an injury; Id be sliced in half. The discs flew far faster than the previous obstacles, and they werenting at me randomly either. They seemed to be aimed to cut off my escape routes. Avoiding them all would be difficult. I could try to block them, but something kept me from doing so. You must dodge the projectiles by any means necessary. The voice had instructed me to dodge the projectiles. That meant blocking might not be allowed. I had no more time to think. I drew my sword from my waist with a quick motion and lightly tapped the nearest disc with the tip of my de. Keek! The discs trajectory changed. It turned slightly to the left and collided with the nearest disc, causing a chain reaction. nk! ng! ng! The discs crashed into each other and ricocheted away, embedding themselves into the walls. Am I safe? I mean, I hadnt actually deflected them directly. My heart beating loudly in anticipation, I waited for the voice... [Beginning Stage Four.] Phew. Id passedno, now wasnt the time to rx. What could stage four possibly be? A loud noise came from above. Baaang...! With the sound of dirt and dust falling, I looked up only to gape at what I saw. The ceiling was flipping. The flipped ceiling was densely littered with hundreds, maybe even thousands of holes. It literally looked like a beehive, but massive. There, inside the many holes, I saw something gleaming like cold metal. Just as I was trying to make out what they were... ...! Weapons of all kind came pouring out from the hole. There was a downpour of steelswords, daggers, spears, axes, and more I didnt even know the name of. nk, nk, nk, nk! ...! How the fuck was I supposed to dodge this? To avoid injury, I needed to immediately swing my sword, but somehow, I knew I would fail if I did. Of course, there was no way topletely evade the raining weapons. It wasnt a matter of physical ability, it was a matter of spatial density. That meant Id have to resort to a trick like in stage three, but I couldnt force the projectiles to change their path this time. So how would I At this moment, my gazended on the disc embedded in the wall. Upon closer inspection, it looked less like a disc and more like a shield. And the projectilesing from above just happened to be weapons. My body moved faster than my mind could process. I immediately ran to the shield and slid under it. I got into position and pushed the shield up with my hand to support it. Thud! nk! Bang! It felt like a storm of weapons. The sound of them hammering down on my shield rang painfully in my ears. My wrist was aching from all the jolting impacts by the time my surroundings finally fell silent. [Congrattions! You have passed all the trials prepared in the Room of Agility!] [...Calcting your score...] [Please wait a moment.] With a sigh, I crawled out from underneath the battered shield. The weaponry scattered about soon turned into particles of light and disappeared. Ah, I get it now. Neither the ded disc nor the torrential rain of weapons from the ceiling had been as dangerous as real weapons. They were likely conjured items. Even if I had been hit, I probably wouldnt have diedthough it might have hurt like hell. Somewhere, there was probably some unknown person enjoying watching people scream their heads off as if they had been struck by actual weapons. Seriously, that twisted sense of humor of his... Just as I let out a sigh, a small screen appeared in front of me, and before I could react, I saw words floating on the translucent disy. [Room of Agility All-Time Rankings.] If it was the all-time rankings... it had to also have the records of all of those who had cleared the trials. I scrolled through with my finger and a long list of names passed by. Of course, all I was curious about was the top rankings. I scrolled all the way to the top and spotted a familiar name. [1st ce: Derk Bednicker - 94 Points.] [2nd ce: Leone - 87 Points.] [3rd ce: Hyde Woodjack - 85 Points.] [4th ce: Ka Goldan - 84 Points.] [5th ce: Glenn Scarlet - 81 Points.] ... Come to think of it, the Lord of Blood and Iron was also a graduate of Kartel Academy, and hed graduated afterpleting all the courses in just one year. It felt a bit surreal. Id never imagined I would get a chance topare myself directly to someone like him in a ce like this. [Your score has been calcted.] All right, it was time to see where I was at. ____ Chapter 138 [NEW!] [2nd ce: Luan Bednicker - 90 Points.] Tsk... I smacked my forehead. No, it wasnt a low score, and yes, Id ranked quite high, but even so, very few people would be happy abouting second. To be honest, I didnt think my performance had been bad. Id even wondered if I had beaten the Lord of Blood and Irons score. I was reminded of the wise words of my third senior brother. Getting too excited and jumping to conclusions is a sin. Then I began to wonder, how had the Lord of Blood and Iron cleared the Room of Agility? Tap. Without thinking, I tapped on the name Derk Bednicker on the floating screen. I briefly wondered why there was no C. in his name, but that was obvious: This was before he received his middle name.[Would you like to view Derk Bednickers records?] [Y/N] Huh? It had features like this? Without thinking, I pressed Y... A momentter, a small screen disyed the Lord of Blood and Iron. [...] He still looked young enough to be called the Boy Duke even now, but back then, hed looked so much more youthful. Is that... really Father? He looked like apletely different person, but something was off... and it wasnt just that he looked a few years younger. I soon realized the feeling of ipatibility came from his expression, posture, gestures, and general difference in demeanor. In the video, the Lord of Blood and Iron didnt seem so coldhearted. He wasnt expressionless, nor did he give off his usual ruthless vibe. If anything, he seemed... timid. He kind of looked like a small, frightened animal. For a moment, I thought he looked oddly adorab Im crazy. I shook my head to dismiss those thoughts. I shouldnt have those kinds of thoughts about my father, the Lord of Blood and Iron or not. Anyway, the duke took on the trials with a slightly nervous look on his face. His approach to stages one through three wasn''t particrly different from mine... The difference appeared in stage four. The moment the ceiling flipped over, revealing honeb-like holes and the weapons within [...] The Lord of Blood and Iron nced up. Then, in the blink of an eye, he drew his sword with a speed nearly impossible to follow and swung it toward the sky. BOOOOM! RUMBLE! The force of wind unleashed from his de tore through the air, obliterating the ceiling. I let out a breath of disbelief. ...Ha. No matter how young he was, I was reminded that he was still the Lord of Blood and Iron. Only now did I start to get a vague idea of how the scoring worked. There didnt seem to be a clear-cut correct answer to this trial, but he had certainly responded faster. The moment the ceiling began to flip, the Lord of Blood and Iron immediately predicted the barrage of projectiles and counterattacked by destroying the ceiling in a split second. ...Mmm. Hepletely outssed me in both reaction speed and execution. While I was impressed by him, there was also a sting to my pride because I knew how old hed been when he entered Kartell Academy. Just 12 years old. Even if I wasnt giving it my all, I still lost to a 12-year-old. I pped my cheeks. No, thats just another excuse. Thankfully, I still had a chance to make up for it. There were two more rooms to go. I guess I should be relieved? Im far more confident in my strength and speed than my quick thinking. As I was about to leave the room... [Would you like to re-attempt?] [Y/N] I read the pop-up. ...Eh? *** About eight hours into the exam, more than half of the participants had been eliminated from the tower. In other words, the participants who were still climbing the tower had been epted into the academy. They just had yet to realize it because they were still climbing. No one bothered to tell them either. After all, this tower was an evil yground carefully nned and built by the headmaster... And a yground only truly served its purpose when people were ying in it. As long as the headmaster didnt intend for them to be eliminated, the remaining participants would have to keep climbing the tower for the rest of the day. That aside... Professor Mond watched the screen, slightly surprised. The results were somewhat unexpected. A total of thirty-five participants had entered the Tower of Trials. Ten of them were from Bednickers training camp, while twenty-five hade from House Goodsprings Proof Ceremony. Right now, all the participants from the training camp were still inside. That meant every single one of them had sessfully passed the Mana-Devouring Stairs... In contrast, only six of the young heroes from the Proof Ceremony had passed the first floor. I never thought there would be such a difference in level. On average, the skill level of the young heroes from Bednicker was significantly greater. Given that the two families werepared to each other in near every field they were involved in, it was honestly a baffling result. ... Meanwhile, Headmaster Aldersons gaze remained fixed on Luan, leaving aside the other participants climbing the tower. Luan was currently the only one who had made it to the third floor. It had been eight hours since the start of the exam, yet most participants were still stuck on the second floor. But that was only natural. The questions on the Floor of Knowledge were extremely difficult to answer, even for renowned schrs and experts in their fields. Arcane arts in particr was an area where even basic knowledge was strictly regted by magic towers and academic institutes. The knowledge itself wielded immense power, but it also carried great risk. Of course, Luan was of Bednicker blood. With Asad as House Guardian and an archmage, it was certainly possible that Luan might have learned about the arcane arts. Even so... How had he been able to answer questions frompletely different fields? Was he a genius? No. This was something else. What he achieved isnt something that can be aplished just by being more intelligent. Notably, he hadnt passed the second floor the standard way. Why did the Floor of Knowledge resemble a library? It was intentionally designed so that participants, when stuck on a question, could seek out relevant books to get clues. The shelves of the second-floor library were packed with rare, old manuscripts that were hard toe by now. The reason the Floor of Knowledge took this form was purely due to Headmaster Aldersons stubbornness... It was unfortunate that young people nowadays visited libraries less and less. This trial had been specifically prepared to help them rediscover the fun of finding knowledge with their own hands. ...Of course, a system that required one to spend anywhere from one to four hours to solve a single problem was not normal. After this test, the participants would probably be hysterical at the mere sight of a library. Anyway...! That cheeky kid had casually solved it all in half an hour and just left the second floor! But, unexpectedly, it seemed that even Luan Bednicker was stuck on the third floor. * * * * * * * * * * Professor Mond. Yes? How long has Luan Bednicker been on the third floor? It has been three hours. Hmm. Hes having trouble, it seems. Alderson stroked his beard, his demeanor calm again. Watching Luan charge forward so fearlessly had brought back memories of the Nightmare of Bednicker... But even the most exceptional talent didnt seem to match up to someone like the Lord of Blood and Iron. That was really only to be expected. The Lord of Blood and Iron was the kind of talent that appeared only once every few centuries. The odds of another being born so soonand from the same family at that? It was nigh impossible. Still, he did quite well. Luan Bednicker was only sixteen. To achieve such feats at such a young age, before fully maturing? He was undeniably a promising talent for the future. Regaining hisposure, Headmaster Alderson smiled calmly and took another sip of his ck tea. ... Meanwhile, Mond was watching Luan with a hint of uneasiness. The third floor, unlike the others, had only a fewmunication crystals. All they could see was the waiting room. As for the three other rooms, the Rooms of Strength, Speed, and Agility... they didnt know what was going on within. Hmm... Only those who scored a total of 150 points on the third floor could advance to the fourth floor. That meant that, on average, a participant needed to get 50 points in each room... but that wasnt easy. For each room, the difficulty jumped drastically from stage three on. Professor Mond knew there werent many talents among the current young heroes who could ovee such hardship. ...Still, considering he is the young hero who broke the record for the [Mana-Devouring Stairs], its very strange that hes taking this long. Mond turned to look at the screen. Just as he was thinking that he really wanted to have a peek at what was going in there... A voice came from Luan Bednickers screen. [Congrattions. You have passed the Floor of Training.] ...! *** [Room of Strength: 99 Points.] [Room of Speed: 97 Points.] [Room of Agility: 93 Points.] [Overall Ranking.] [NEW!] [1st ce: Luan Bednicker - 289 Points.] [2nd ce: Leone - 281 Points.] [3rd ce: Derk Bednicker - 280 Points.] [4th ce: Hyde Woodjack - 277 Points.] [5th ce: Ka Goldan - 265 Points.] ... While I had secured first ce overall, my immediate response was not any sense of aplishment. Rather, I had... questions. First of all, I was surprised that the Lord of Blood and Iron hadnt held first ce. Hed ced first in the Room of Agility, but only second and third in the Rooms of Strength and Speed respectively. The one whod held first ce in both of those rooms was Leone. Who is Leone? I frowned at the unfamiliar name. At least the other names were somewhat familiar. There was, of course, the Lord of Blood and Iron, but I also recognized Hyde Woodjack, Charons father and the strongest ranger of the continent. Then there was Ka Goldan, whom I briefly mentioned before: the current Mercenary Queen and the adopted daughter of Kayan. It was surprising that both Hyde and Ka had attended the academy... But most surprising of all was still this person named Leone. I had never heard the name before, yet here they were, ranking higher than the Lord of Blood and Iron. It might be an alias. Curious, I checked the record like I had with Lord of Blood and Iron, and I saw a girl with jet-ck hair and red eyes. Of course, it wasnt a face I recognized. Leone tackled every trial with a fierce grin, and I clearly saw that her physical abilities were exceptional. Shes still beneath me, though. Anyway, that wrapped up the third floor. Only 150 points were required to move on, and I had nearly doubled that. Having passed well over the requirement, I should now be able to head to the fourth floor. I didnt see any stairs around. Maybe if I waited, the surroundings would change on their own like before? ... ... ... But for some reason, the surroundings werent changing. As my brows knit in confusion... [Ahem.] A voice came out of nowhere. Was it amunication crystal? [Ah, ahem. Can you hear me, Young Hero Luan?] It was the voice of Headmaster Alderson. Whats the matter? [Well, its nothing serious. First of all... Ive been closely watching your remarkable performance from the control room. Truly impressive...] I let the unnecessary ttery go in one ear and out the other. He wasnt here just to give outpliments. [...Now, getting to the main point, Young Hero Luan... Im sorry to say that you wont be able to move on to the fourth floor just yet.] What do you mean? [The next floor, the Floor of Duels, has a minimum participant requirement. At least two people are required to challenge the floor.] I froze at the headmasters words. So youre saying... [You cannot advance to the fourth floor until another young hero arrives.] What a stupid-ass system. There was probably a genuine reason for this setup, but I couldnt help the irritated undertone in my voice as I said, So what youre saying is on the Floor of Duels, young heroes who made it this far have to fight each other? That exined the minimum requirement of two people since there couldnt be an evaluation without an opponent. [Im afraid I cannot give you the details, but its a bit different from that.] If thats not how it works, I dont mind challenging it by myself. [Thats simply not how it works, Young Hero. Rules must be followed at all times.] As I listened to the headmasters words, I realized something: This old man did not want me to proceed any higher up the tower. [However, it would be a shame to just go back down after passing the third floor... Luan, your performance in this tower has been remarkable, so Id like to reward you ordingly. Besides...] Headmaster Aldersons voice lowered. [Youre exhausted, arent you? We are hosting a wee party for the new students this evening, and weve invited one of the empires finest chefs along with an exceptional orchestra. You will need to change into something suitable for the party, so why not head down for today?] Something stirred within me. A bit of my rebellious nature, perhaps? I grinned slyly and replied, So, Headmaster, you said the minimum requirement is two, right? [Indeed.] Then whoever it is thates up next, I can challenge the fourth floor with them? [That is correct, but it will not be easy for the other young heroes to pass the second floor. Even if they do, theyll need to score at least 150 points on the third floor. And even if they seed, the odds that student will want to challenge the fourth floor as well are sli] Sounds good, I said, cutting off the headmaster a bit rudely. To be honest, while the challenges on the first and second floors werent exactly a walk in the parkand the third floor was even more difficulta few faces crossed my mind. People who had it in them to make it this far. And one face stood out among the rest. For some unknown reason, I had a gut feeling they would be the fastest to reach this floor. Though, that was just a hunch. [So... who are you waiting for?] Alderson was curious after seeing how I maintained my calm demeanor. But I chose to remain silent, instead closing my eyes and beginning to circte. Yes, there was no sunlight, which did make it less effective... but I had nothing else to do, so I figured Id take my time and wait leisurely. Afterpleting the microcosmic orbit ording to the guiding principles of the strongest fire technique... sh! A figure appeared in the center of the waiting room with a sh of bright light. Another hero had just entered the third floor. I waited patiently for the light to fade before greeting the revealed figure with a cheerful wave. Hi! ____ Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Sellen saw me and tilted her head to the side. I thought shed be more surprised. With her usual expressionless face, Sellen calmly said, You got here... faster than I expected. I might be overthinking it, but I felt like there was more to those words. It sounded like she was trying to say, You managed to get here before me. It also sounded like shed anticipated that I would make it to the third floor. I wasnt sure, so I just asked her outright: What are you trying to say? Not much. I assumed youd pass the first floor, but I thought you might get stuck on the second. ... Her words poked at my guilty conscience. If not for the Martial God, I would probably still be wandering the second floor, looking for answers.Feeling awkward, I quickly changed the subject. Are you nning to take on the trials on this floor? Yeah. How far do you n to climb? Well... Sellen thought for a moment, then coolly responded, At least the fourth floor, I expect. Great. Our goals were aligned, at least for now. To get up to the fourth floor, you need to obtain at least 150 points total from the three rooms behind me. You can score a maximum score of 100 for each room. I see. Sellen nodded and studied the three rooms. After a short while, she made up her mind and headed toward the Room of Agility. Is her thinking the same as mine? Though Id never been able to tell what she was thinking, I thought it was likely. I wordlessly followed after her. When she noticed, she stopped walking and turned to face me. She asked, Why are you following me? I want to watch. Can I not? ...Suit yourself. A wide grin stretched across my face. I hadnt really needed her permission, of courseI wouldve done as I wanted regardless. I followed Sellen into the Room of Agility. I knew what would be thrown and from where, so I moved just out of range and made myselffortable. Come to think of it... She hadnt asked me about the trials even though having advance knowledge was quite helpful. Was she that confident in her abilities? Or... did she already know what the tests were? My thoughts now were simr to those on the first floor. For now, I decided to just observe Sellen. [Beginning Stage 1.] Thwip thwip thwip! Sellen dodged the flying balls with ease, and she passed stage two with flying colors as well. Finally, what Id been waiting for: stage three. This was when the real challenge began. ck! ded disks flew out from the holes in a terrifying manner, and I watched Sellens eye glint with something unknown. Is she trying to figure out how to respond? But she didnt have time to waste thinking it through. Within moments, Sellen took a deep breath. Heup. PUAAAHHHHHH! Sellens long hair whipped around her as a frigid wave of chilling air radiated outward from her. The air crackled with energy and the room shimmered from the scattered fragments of white ice. Crack, crack...! The flying discs froze mid-air the instant the icy wave touched them. Ah. It wasnt a blessing. She had released the extreme-yin true ki stored within her body, expelling it out through her skin like the Sapphire Snakes breath attack in the Gem Mountains. She gave her mana an attribute. I was slightly surprised. The technique Sellen had used was more than just wrapping mana around her body or weapon. Not only had she infused her ki with an inherent attribute, but she had also released the mana through her skin instead of her hands. Seeing her like this, I couldnt quite gauge how strong Sellen had be. She seemed much stronger than the Sellen I knew... as in, the Sellen from before my regression. Maybe the forgotten gods altar shed discovered in the forest had inspired her. I cant believe that worked, though. Wasnt that technically an act of defense? If she passed simply because the projectiles hadnt touched her, then... as a martial artist who fought barehanded, I found that a bit unfair. With that technique, stage four shouldnt pose much of a challenge for her, but I was looking forward to her reaction regardless. Kwagagagak! As expected, Sellen froze at the sight of weapons raining down from above. [Congrattions! You have passed all the trials prepared in the Room of Agility!] [...Calcting your score...] [Please wait a moment.] ... ... [Score calction isplete.] [NEW!] [1st ce: Sellen Goodspring - 97 Points.] ... We had a new record. She had surpassed the Lord of Blood and Iron and myselfbut more importantly, shed dropped my ranking to third ce. Sellen let out a deep, cold breath. Haahh... She nced at the ranking board and paused for a second. ... Whose name had made her freeze up? I tried to guess by looking at her eyes to see where she was looking, but Sellen just turned and walked past me, heading to the next room. Of course, I followed right behind her. [Room of Speed] The way points were given here was simple. The participant just had to sprint down a long, straight path. It was about 50 meters, which was rtively short... The first stage was just running. The second stage added obstacles. The third stage added a strong wind blowing from somewhere. And finally, in the long-awaited fourth stage... Rumble...! ... The interior of the room suddenly copsed and crumbled away, and the path became absurdly narrow. It became so narrow that it resembled a thick rope. The ground to the left and rightpletely disappeared and became a cliff. The darkness below was so deep that the bottom could not be seen. Of course, falling in wouldnt result in death since this was yet another of the Headmasters creations. This kind of scene had a great effect on the participants state of mind. It wasnt clear whether it was real or an illusion. Even knowing it was a trick, it was easy to still be deceived. Sellen looked a little nervous, but she didnt look like she would give up. She posed as if ready, and when the signal red, she dashed down the narrow path. However, it was in to see that she was noticeably slower. [Room of Speed: 71 Points.] Yes! I won! And I hadnt just wonthat was nearly aplete victory. Sellens gaze snapped to me cackling on the side. She then nced at the rankings and, in a slightly surprised voice, muttered, Ny-seven points...? Pretty impressive, right? Sellen kept her mouth shut. Evidently she had no intention of responding to my gloating. Finally, we came to thest room, the Room of Strength. This room didnt pose as much of a threat as the Room of Speed or the Room of Agility. It was the simplest of the three trials. The first stage just required the participant to break a wooden scarecrow. In the second stage, arge boulder. In the third stage, a suit of armor. And in the final stage, arge ck shield. I crossed my arms as I reminisced about my attempt. The shield in thest stage was quite sturdy. Generally speaking, of course. I hadnt even broken a sweat, which was expected since my White Sun Form and Strongest Fire Technique were martial arts focused on destructive power. I wonder how shell do. Personally, I thought Sellens greatest weakness was herck of destructive power. And I was right. She broke the scarecrow and the boulder with her hands, but when it came to the armor, she only made a slight dent. Sellen didnt even qualify for the fourth stage. * * * * * * * * * * [Room of Strength: 52 Points.] Euk. She sounded unhappy with her low score. It had to have been quite a shock because her expression darkened. She sighed before looking at the rankings again, then back at me, looking even more shocked than before. She must have seen my score. What the...? How did you do it? I proudly answered, Im actually pretty strong. For once, she didnt get irritated at my nonsense and just stared intently at my face. Then she said something rather unexpected. Youre... Yeah? Really strong. I just knew she wasnt talking about my physical strength. It was actually something Id been hearing a lottely, but I was still a bit surprised to hear it from Sellen. She looked at me with an expression that told me there was a lot going on in her head. Anyway, with this, her total score was 220 points. It wasnt enough to ce her in the top rankings, but it was enough to qualify for the fourth floor. Rumble... The wall of the waiting room shifted, revealing a hidden staircase. Oh... So that was where it was. Without further ado, we headed straight for the stairs. Fortunately, this time it wasnt a spiral staircase, and we could clearly see the end. But it was still quite long. As we were climbing up, Sellen said, Hey. What. Are you a man of justice? Huh? I couldnt help but stop in my tracks. Id never been asked a question like that before. I looked at her to see if she was joking, but her face said she waspletely serious. I had no choice but to answer. Um. In moderation, I guess...? I see... Sellen fell deep in thought for a moment before hesitantly saying, Then, do you think you could help me with something at the academy? With what? Its hard to exin in detail. But... its for the peace and well-being of innocent people. When I didnt respond, Sellen became flustered and quickly added, Its nothing suspicious. Really. I swear on my life. ...Whats with this sudden change in atmosphere? The now-serious atmosphere gave me the creeps. I wasnt generally a fan of this kind of heavy mood. Is it dangerous? You could die. She wasnt holding back, huh? I nodded and said, Helping you isnt hard. In a way, I owed her. But if youre being this vague, I cant help. If you really want my help, youve got to tell me whats going on, and youve got to exin it clearly. Obviously, that shoulde first before I go and ept whatever you want to ask of me. ... With nothing to say in rebuttal, Sellen fell silent and suddenly nced around. Was she checking to make sure no one was eavesdropping? I extended my senses too, but I couldnt sense any presences nearby, nor anymunication crystals. Certain that there was no one nearby, Sellen said, The academy may be in danger. Im not sure, but... In danger? From what? That... I cant tell you that yet. Why? Because if I tell you, youll think Im a crazy bitch. ... As soon as I heard that, I recalled a conversation Id had with her during the camp before my regression. Ill tell youter. Why? I dont want to be treated like a crazy bitch. And what had happened after that? Priest Juan had revealed his true form, Evan had be the vice-cult leader, and eventually a demon lord had been summoned. As a result, more than half of the participating heroes had died. Now, I understood Sellens position. If she had told me the truth back then, how would I have reacted? Being told that a high priest had infiltrated House Bednicker and that a Demon Lord would be summonedI wouldnt have believed her. I would have treated her like a crazy bitch. I let out a sigh and said, Fine. Ill help you. Really?! she said in a slightly uplifted tone. I dont think Ive ever seen her so ted. I, on the other hand, felt a bit uneasy. ...She didnt even ask for help in the training camp. But she was asking for my assistance now? It couldnt just be because I was strong, which left only one option... Soon, a disaster would befall the academy, one even worse than what wouldve happened in the training camp. ...Something demon lord-rted is going to happen here too. Damn it. The Empire was in deep shit. *** Alderson was staring intently at the screen. The once-noisy atmosphere of the control room had gradually quieted down, creating a feeling like the calm before a storm. But that was only natural. Starting on the fourth floor, challengers were rewarded with actual prizes, and those rewards were the precious collection that Headmaster Alderson had gathered with his blood, sweat, and youth. Though he pretended to be rxed as he held a teacup, his hand was trembling slightly. ...They dont know about that, right? The Treasure Vault was essible from the fourth floor. Although it was called a treasure vault, hardly any heroes reached this floor, so for some time now it had been used more as a safe. Every time a valuable item was acquired, it was thrown in there. All the items in the Treasure Vault were literal treasures that Alderson had carefully collected, but... Of course, the treasures in there werent all of equal value. Currently, there was a particrly valuable item in the vault. One that had been put in recently and hadnt yet been removed. No. No, no, no. Theres no way theyll pick that one. That was correct. There was no reason for them to pick it. It looked shabby and useless, so unless someone had lost their mind, there was no way theyd choose it. But... ... Aldersons anxious gaze shifted back to the screen. The moment he saw the two heroes who had just entered the fourth floor, he swallowed hard to ease his dry throat. Bednicker... Thatst name raised goosebumps down his arm. *** I had a lot of questions for Sellen. Honestly, Id felt that something was off ever since she decided toe to the academy... But that feeling was now a certainty. What could possibly happen in Kartell Academy, one of the safest ces in the Imperial City? I was on the edge of my seat, I was so curiousbut I decided to wait to ask for more details until we had finished climbing the tower. [Wee to the Floor of Duels!] [ Rule Number Four ] [A minimum of two people are required for the trial on this floor.] [...Confirming...] [Two participants confirmed.] [Please choose your reward before the duel.] I tilted my head in confusion. Reward? [All challengers who reach the fourth floor are granted ess to the Treasure Vault.] [You may choose one reward before the duel begins.] Giving us rewards before we even fight... Hes more generous than I thought, I muttered. Sellen cynically responded, Generous, my ass. He didnt give us anything for the first three floors. I say he can''t get any more stingy and cheap than this. ...You know, hes probably listening to us. Sellen snorted, all but saying, Let him hear. I kept my mouth shut. Honestly, I agreed that the headmaster was stingy. Anyway, we stepped into the so-called Treasure Vault. sh! Wow... My eyes widened at the dazzling scene. It wasnt exactly filled with piles of gold coins, jewels, or expensive ornaments as one would typically imagine of a treasure vault... But there were plenty of weapons and suits of armor on disy that looked valuable at first nce. Additionally, I could see old books, mystic elixirs, and magic items that looked like antiques. Wow, would you look at these... Theres so much fascinating stuff here. Whats this? It looks like a teapot. There was no real exnation. Were we supposed to just pick something on our own? While I was browsing, Sellen gave the ce a quick scan and then said, Ill take this. When I turned to look, I saw her holding a wooden box. Whats that? Instead of answering, Sellen opened the wooden box. Click. Inside was an icy orb that gave off a chilling aura. It was clearly an elixir from its appearance. Its a ten-thousand-year crystal. Ive never seen one this big before. Was it like my mystic bead but icy? In the next moment, Sellen proved me correct by taking out the crystal and tossing it into her mouth. Then, as if it were candy, she rolled the crystal around in her mouth, her cheeks puffing out slightly. Is it good? Col. ...Cold, she says. She red at me, clearly telling me to stop making her talk, at least for a while, so I turned my gaze away and continued to browse. Weapons? Pass. Armor? No thanks. essories? Not really my thing. Then should I just grab one of the pricey jewels? I wasnt sure. Having money was great and all, but it wasnt like I was strapped for cash at the moment. Just in case anyone has forgotten, I was currently quite wealthy with a solid 5,000 gold to my name. Man, this is an issue of its own. Even with all these optionsid out before me, it was hard to pick when there was nothing I truly needed. ...But that was okay. I had a trump card up my sleeve! I took a deep breath and called out. O dear Martial God...! [...What is it?] Despite my slightly over-the-top call, the Martial God responded in his usual calm voice. I smirked and asked, What is the most valuable item in this Treasure Vault? When you dont know what anything is, you might as well grab whatever is most expensive, right? Chapter 140 [...] Oddly, the Martial God didnt immediately respond to my request. No, more than that... the silence felt a bit strange. Martial God, sir...? I cautiously called out. I had to wait another couple of seconds for his rather curt reply. [...The reasons for your calls, I feel, have been somewhat irreverent ofte. Or is it just my imagination?] Irreverent...? What did he mean? I knew what the word meant, of courseI just didnt understand his im. As I stood there, trying to guess the Martial Gods thoughts, he let out a sigh. [Inheritor, I am the Martial God.]Yes, of course... [Not a historian, not a magician, and certainly not an antique dealer.] ...Erm. [Questions regarding martial arts, I will always wee, but calling me repeatedly for reasons like this is, to be truthful, a bit unpleasant.] Was he... sulking? That was probably not the best word to describe his current state, but my dictionary was by no means the most extensiveI couldnte up with a better word to describe him. I thought for a moment about how to solve this situation. For a long time, Id dealt with everyone who was upset with me the same way. And that way was... Im sorry. [...] I never imagined you felt that way. I was in the wrong. Just apologize. When in doubt, it was better to swallow my pride and apologize. [Mmm...] Youve been so kind to me, Martial God, that I got toofortable and overstepped without realizing it. I apologize. From now on, I shallpletely avoid calling upon you unless its rted to martial arts. [...Ahem. Well, you dont have to avoid calling me altogether...] As I thought. This man, true to his stubborn nature, got flustered when I was falling over myself to apologize. Id noticed this before when I tried to appease him after he got upset over that whole thing in Hell. [...Just dont summon me too frequently over pointless things. Im still tethered to you, so things tend to get a bit boring here. If you adjust the frequency a bit, it could serve as a decent diversion for me.] Thank you. Your generosity is truly as boundless as the sea. [Is that sarcasm I hear?] ...Of course not. He wasnt exactly clueless, so I needed to hold back on excessive ttery. It was only after that ordeal that the Martial God seemed to take in his surroundings. [Ah, this is a treasure vault. You wish for me to pick out the most valuable item here?] Yes, sir. [Hmm. Thats quite the tough request.] I carefully asked, How so? [The value of an object is inherently in a state of flux. It depends on supply and demand, of course, but also on how much one needs it and when the next opportunity might arise. Various factors can influence an objects worth. Thus, from a general perspective, jewels and ornaments tend to have the most stable value.] Then, it felt like the Martial God was pointing toward something. [For example... that one.] In the direction hed pointedy a gem that was clearly rare and valuable. [That is a scarlet ruby, a gem so precious that it is often called the king of gemstones.] Red corundum, AKA ruby, was the most valuable gem in this country. But that much was obvious given its sacred red hue. In particr, the scarlet ruby that the Martial God pointed out looked much brighter and clearer than any ruby I had ever heard of. I dont really need a gem... [I suspected as much. In that case, what you truly want is not an item of high value but something you currently need.] Actually, thats the problem. I dont need anything at the moment. At that, the Martial God barked out augh. [To say you have no needs... Thats quite a bold statement. From what I see, you stillck many things.] Like what, for example? [You have yet toplete your White Sun Form. Your refinement technique also needs strengthening, and the harmony between your outer and inner self is not fully unified. Not to mention that your physique is underdeveloped.] Those will be fixed with time. [That is true.] I felt the Martial God smirk. [However, martial arms, often referred to as divine instruments, have one thing inmon: They allow one to experience a level of power they have yet to reach.] What does that mean? [For instance, a hunk of steel that you could not possibly cut through at your current level could be sliced like tofu with a divine sword. If you were equipped with armor that couldnt even be scratched by a sword, then training your muscles would be a low priority.] Ah... What the Martial God was saying made sense, and it was quite a new perspective. He wasnt treating martial arms as mere tools. [That is why getting too attached to divine instruments can be perilous. Many mistake the glimpse of a new level, gained through shortcuts, for their own level. However...] It sounded like the Martial God was deliberately trailing off, so I picked up where hed left off. Other than that disadvantage, using an excellent martial armament must be an undeniable advantage. [Indeed.] I was a bit surprised. From his demeanor and the way he talked, Id thought him a very hard-headed and proud martial artist. Yet he also had a very practical perspective in this area. Suddenly, I was curious. What kind of life had the Martial God lived before bing a god? Suddenly, the Martial Gods tone became doubtful. [Hm...? This presence] Is something the matter? [Inheritor, head to the left.] To the left? A little puzzled, I obediently walked left as the Martial God had instructed. [Just a little more, a little further up... now stop.] I stopped. Before mey an object somewhat out of ce in this dazzling treasure trove. It was a menacing tool with two fearsome crossed des capable of cutting through anything in its way. It was... Scissors? [Hmm.] The Martial God regarded the scissors with aplicated expression. [Could you touch it for a moment?] Sure. I picked up the scissors. The des were so ancient and rusted, I doubted they could even cut hair. [As I thought...] Martial God sounded inplete disbelief. What is this? [...Its one of the few holy artifacts remaining on the continent.] A holy artifact? [A medium that can directly connect to a god. I believe... in this era, humans more often refer to them as divine artifacts.] Oh! I eximed. I finally realized what he was talking about. He was referring to godly relics. Treasures among treasures, only 99 of which remained across this vast continent. I had encountered a divine artifact before. The Iron Chains of B. I had seen them used by Rudbick, although that had only been a replica... Even as a fake, it had been impressive. Wait a minute, now that I think about it, isnt the Sword of Seven Sins also a divine artifact? The Nameless King was one of the Five Kingsbeings revered as gods after their deaths. Of course, the famous martial armament that represented the Nameless King... well, the Sword of Seven Sins wasnt the only contender, so things were still a bit ambiguous. Are these scissors the original, not a replica? [Yes.] If the Martial God was being this assertive, then it had to be true, but... I couldnt help but look down at the scissors with a hint of skepticism. ...They seem too shabby to be a divine artifact. [They have likely been neglected for a long time. I would guess they were excavated only recently.] Ah. [They should be usable as is, but they risk breaking after two or three uses. Youll need to find a skilled cksmith to carefully strip away the rust and reinforce the scissors.] A skilled cksmith... Naturally, the first image that came to mind was the dwarves, who were natural craftsmen. If I had known this would happen, I wouldve gotten closer to that dwarven young hero, the one always hanging around Hector. If I remember correctly, his name was Bazil Jule. Well, it wasnt that urgent, so I asked the most important question I had: So, is this thing valuable? [Its hard to put a price tag on such things, but let''s see...] The Martial God examined the area. [If I had to choose between this pair of scissors and everything else in the vault, Id take the former.] A wide grin spread across my face. Well, that settled it. * * * * * * * * * * At the same time. Alderson, who had been nervously watching the monitor, fell out of his chair. Crash! Headmaster...?! Are you all right? Ugh, uurrgghh...! M-my treasure...! My treasure! My Scissors of Amon, gaaahhh...! H-Headmaster?! Hes having a seizure! Q-quickly, carry him to the infirmary! Keuaaghhh! *** The Scissors of Amon. That had to be the name of these scissors. Apparently, there was nothing they couldnt cut. The scissors were an incredibly powerful artifact, but there was one particrly important problem. ...They dont seem all that threatening. Being so small and narrow, I couldnt think of much that I could cut with them. Maybe a finger? Or an ear? With some effort, maybe even a tongue. Honestly, stabbing someone with the des folded together seemed way more dangerous. [The Scissors of Amon are currently sealed, but once they are stripped of rust and reinforced, their true form will be revealed.] Hmm. If the Martial God said it, then it had to be true. I nodded to myself and headed over to Sellen. While Id been busy choosing the scissors, it looked like she had melted all the ice in her mouth. A quick nce confirmed she seemed to have consumed it well. She hadnt fully absorbed the elixir yet, but the flow of air around her had certainly changed. Did you pick what you want? Yup. What did you pick? I slowly showed her the old pair of scissors in my hand, curious to see whether shed recognize them. ...Thats an ugly pair of scissors. Your taste is horrible. She didnt recognize them... though she hadnt seemed all that interested to begin with. Anyway, Sellen and I finally left the treasure vault. It took us a bit longer than expected, but we were finally ready to face the fourth trial. We opened the door at the back of the treasure vault and were greeted by a wide-open space. The size andyout felt familiar to me... Sellen must have thought the same, because she said what I was thinking: Its a training ground. This is the Floor of Duels, right? I guess well have some sort of duel here. Sure enough, there was arge door on the opposite side. Before we could explore further, a voice echoed in the air. [Thats correct.] It wasnt the mechanical voice from earlier; this was Headmaster Aldersons voice. His voice sounded heavily forcedbut more than that, he sounded exhausted. Sellen asked, You said its not us two fighting each other, so who, then, is our opponent? Another young hero? [Thats right.] Tension filled the air. Another hero? Just like that, we had to face other heroes two-on-two? Im confident I wont lose. It was obvious which young heroes were capable of climbing all the way up here. Charon, Hector, or Butterfly... perhaps Evan as well, if he was lucky. But not only was I well out of their league, Sellen wasnt at all inferior to Charon or Hector. No matter who came up, the match would be one-sided. The real question was, when would they reach the fourth floor? The Headmaster suddenly began to speak. [Humans are beings that evolve. To evolve, one must move beyond the past. I designed this ce, the Floor of Duels, to witness that process with my own eyes.] ...What are you talking about all of a sudden? [I acknowledge that you two are no ordinary heroes. You are alreadyparable to active heroes.] I felt Aldersons gaze fall upon me. [You in particr, Luan Bednicker. Your physical ability is phenomenal. When the dayes that the doors of the Tower of Trials close, I expect the top ranking of the third floor will remain unchanged... Youve set such an overwhelming record that my predictions seem foolish in hindsight. The record of your attemps will be of immense help to me, so I thank you in advance.] ... Alderson was unquestionably a magician. He rambled on without a care, seemingly lost in his own world. Because he was the headmaster, I couldnt just blurt out something rude, so I settled for exchanging knowing looks with Sellen and letting out a sigh as he continued to yap. [This tower meticulously records everything about those who climb it. Not just their physical abilities but also the martial arts they use, their distinct personalities, their speech, habits, and quirksall of it is documented, without exception. The recorded information is saved in the form of puppets.] ...Saved? [My name is Alderson Maveur. I am the Headmaster of Kartell Academy, one of the Seven Colors that Crossed the Skiesand the empires only Puppet Master.] Lise had introduced herself in a simr manner. Was there some rule dictating how magicians had to introduce themselves? Setting that pointless question aside, the atmosphere felt a bit strange. What even is a puppet master? A puppeteer. A puppeteer? Whats that? A person who maniptes puppets. ...Like in a circus? Sellen turned her head away from me and rolled her eyes, then turned back, sighed, and said, If those are the kinds of puppets were talking about, theyll just have their strings cut. [The fourth floor of the Tower of Trials: the Trial of Combat. Here, the challengers shall face beings of the past. It would be a lie if I said I am not looking forward to it. Its been decades since I built this tower, but this is the first time Ive ever sent out two puppets simultaneously...] Rumble... With a loud noise, the door on the other side slowly opened. Sellen and I focused our gaze on the widening gap. ...! As if wed nned it, our faces darkened at the exact same time. The faces of the figures that emerged were far beyond our expectations. [Leone. And Derk Bednicker.] Alderson voice wasced with satisfaction. [To face the challenger who ranked first overall, I have no choice but to bring out these two masterpieces.] ... Only now did I understand Headmaster Aldersons earlier words. So... he meticulously recorded every detail of the physical abilities of the heroes who climbed this tower, and he seemed to have injected that biological data directly into the puppets. This old man is batshit crazy... He was more sane than Asad and Lise? I have been proven wildly incorrect, so let me fix that real quick: Alderson is far more insidious and dangerous than those two. Far, far more. If the first two had a couple of screws loose, this geezer had at least a dozen. Sellen clicked her tongue and red at me subtly. So if not for your score, I wouldnt have to face those two impossibly strong puppets. ...I have no excuse. Forget it. Sellen turned to look back at the puppets. The Lord of Blood and Iron wasnt born the strongest. Im sure they arent as strong as the real ones are now. Even that person, Leone, looks to be about our age, maybe even younger... And no matter how simr the puppets are, they wont be able to use divine blessings, so it should be a fair fight. Mhm. I agreed with Sellens words, but... I still felt a sense of unease. Shing. Leones puppet drew its sword. The sight brought back memories of the records I had reviewed on the third floor. Leone, who ranked second overall. Nost name means she was amoner... Seeing her directlyor rather, as a puppetshe gave off a certain elegance. That wasnt the only thing that puzzled me. I observed Leone as if searching for something, then said, Ill take care of Leone. You can handle the Lord of Blood and Iron. You want me to face him? Dont misunderstand, Im not trying to make you draw the short straw. I have a n to win. Sellen paused for a moment. Is it a matter ofpatibility? Something like that. ...Fine. But I wont be able to hold him off for too long. Ill join you as soon as I can. As soon as Sellen nodded... Without warning, the fight began. I dashed toward Leone, drawing the Sword of Seven Sins as I went. With limited information about my opponent, I nned to start probing with my de to test the waters. ng! ...HAHA! The instant our des collided, an unexpected sound echoed through the airLeones puppet had burst intoughter. Such humanity in its expression caught me off guard, sending goosebumps up my arms. Krr! nk! We exchanged a second time, then a third. With every sessive sh, my wrist throbbed under the strain, but I pressed on. Her attacks were no clumsy third-rate techniques. Her movements were elegant, harmonious, and systematic. Forck of better words, it felt as if her movements were steeped with historylike the prestigious swordsmanship of a noble lineage. Would amoner ever have the opportunity to encounter such techniques? This level of mastery was anything but ordinary. What struck me most was how Leone wielded this style with so ferociously. Each swing of a de was not only a disy of skill but also an expression of individuality. Being able to seamlessly blend ones own style into their swordsmanship indicated a high level of skill for a swordsman. This was actually moreplex than simply copying a technique. In simpler terms, it was akin to a skillfully executed variation of a rigid, old-fashioned sword style. My initial hunch had now turned into certainty. As expected. At this moment, Leone was stronger than the Lord of Blood and Iron. But that wasnt all. ...You. Arent you a child of Bednicker? said the puppet. I slowly looked up to gaze into those crimson eyes, which shimmered with unnerving intensity. You are quite strong. ...Was this really a puppet? ____ Chapter 141 For a moment, I forgot I was facing a puppet. Youre quite skilled yourself, I said. Without a word, Leone simply smiled wider. If her reactions were more human, I wouldve been even more suspicious, but her smile was too indistinct. I wasnt convinced one way or the other. Regardless of her true identity, though, determination blossomed within me. When faced with an opponent who exuded such confidence, the instinct of a martial artist was to crush them, no matter what. Sorry. Hang in there a little longer, I silently apologized to Sellen before swinging my sword toward Leone, deliberately putting force into my forearm to make my swing rougher and more aggressive. In other words, I swung my weapon like a club rather than a sword. Fortunately, the durability of the Sword of Seven Sins was impressive, allowing me to use force like this without having to worry about scratching it. After a few more exchanges, Leone began to tilt her de to an angle to deflect my attacks. ng! ng! I noticed the change but decided to y the part of the fool, acting like I was angry at my opponents defensive maneuvers.I swung my sword with reckless abandon as if I had lost my mind in a fit of rage. After a couple of these reckless attacks, I felt faint cuts begin to appear on my body. At the same time, Leons defense grew increasinglyckluster, as if her heart was no longer in the fight. When next our swords shed... KAANG! Leone tilted her sword to deflect mine and then pushed upward, sending the Sword of Seven Sins flying from my grasp. In an instant, my upper body was leftpletely bare. I had no weapon with which to defend it. Fwip! Leon pointed her de at my throat. Is she really nning to kill me? I quickly pushed that thought aside and swiftly transitioned into a brawling stance. ! For the first time, Leones expression shifted. It seemed she had finally realized my intent. Toote. I rxed my knees and my body dropped. To her, it likely looked like I was copsing, not dodging, but it did its job; I evaded Leones swordpletely. Then, channeling strength into my loosened calves, I kicked off the ground, ready to strike back. THUMP! Leones chiny exposed, and I instantly closed the distance to my opponent. I wasnt sure if this was the right expression, but... shed left me one delicious opening. White Sun Form, Third Technique. Rising me. WHAM! It was a clean, direct hit that could shatter even a jaw made of iron. But... It didnt feel satisfying. Instead of the crunch of bone shattering, it felt as if I had merely struck a shield... And she didnt even get knocked back, let alone stagger. All my attack did was make her head tilt slightly to one side. ... She pulled her head back into position, and our eyes met. Leone shed me a grin before suddenly bursting intoughter. Pft-ahaha! Her left hand shot out toward me. Whooom...! Her outstretched palm seemed to fill the entirety of my vision. The golden palm technique. Difficult to block. Toote to dodge. My best option? Meet it head-on. White Sun Form, Second Technique. ming Wheel. My ming hand collided with Leones palm. The shockwave rippled out in every direction, yet neither of us fell back an inch. All we could hear and feel was each others breath. The fight continued. I batted away her unnaturally pale hand and threw a knee. Pak! She easily brought up her own knee to block it. Pffft... This time, it was me who burst outughing. It felt like I had finally met my match, which... thinking about it now, wasnt this the first time Id met someone my age who could fight me head-on with no weapons? It no longer mattered to me whether or not she was a puppet. I was simply grateful for this encounter, and I let my excitement show through my body. This is whats great about fighting an equal. I dont have to worry about distractions or pesky mind games, I can just fight on instinct. Of course, Leone could still be holding back, like how Id hidden my White Sun Form by using the Sword of Seven Sins. However... ... As soon as I saw Leonesughing face, I knew all my worries were for naught. Papapapak! Fists, palms, hands, nails, fingers, feet. Even the bones themselves. A trained human body was nothing less than a weapon. Leone and I were locked in closebat, using those weapons to attack each other. We swung our hammers called fists, raised our shields called palms, and stabbed with our daggers called nails. Leones dagger aimed for my eyeball, and my hammer hurled forward to crush her ribs. We both blocked and we both dodged. Leones martial arts were like mine: Every move was meant to be a lethal strike. Knowing how powerful my opponent was, I didnt allow myself to be attacked easily. With no final blows dealt by either party, the seconds dragged on50, 100, 150... Then, at the 200-second mark... Fwoosh... My vision blurred, overtaken by white light. A pleasant heat rushed through my entire body, passing through every nerve, and my awareness of my body heightened several times over. My heart pounded as I broke into a wild grin, and I couldnt stop myughter from escaping again. It had been a long time since I had entered White me. Now, Leones movements felt much slower. I promptly mmed my fist into Leones face. WHAM! Thud! Unlike earlier, when shed barely flinched despite being hit head-on by rising me, this time she flew back. She crashed into the ground and rolled. But it wasnt a critical blow. Not a momentter, Leone sprang back to her feet and spat out a thick glob of blood and part of a tooth. Was she really a puppet? Leone tilted her head and asked, What is that form? Despite bleeding from her mouth and nose, her sharp, clear eyes remained locked on me. A martial art I learned. What? Im saying if this keeps going, Im going to win. I see. Is she really just going to ept that whatever reply? Evidently. Leone didnt question me further, she justughed while extending a hand toward me. Youre a funny guy. How about I show you a bit of my real power? With the hand raised toward me, Leone spread her palm. Another grasping palm? No, this was different. We were a good ten feet apart, way out of range of her grasping palm unless her arm could stretch like rubber. That meant she was about to pull another weird trick out of her sleeve. Gu-gu-guk... I was stunned by the ominous scene in front of me. Dark energy condensed in Leones hand. The power felt familiar. Demonic energy? There was no way. That was a power that shouldnt be wielded by humans, let alone a puppet. As countless thoughts raced through my mind... [Leone!] Headmaster Aldersons shout echoed through the sparring ground. Crack. As if reacting to that cry, a crack appeared in Leones palm. Seeing that made the reality of the situation hit me hard. The fact that the opponent Id been facing so far had not been a human but a puppet... ...Tsk. The crack spread through her body like cracking porcin. Did she feel no pain? Leones cid expression showed only regret. Crumble... Her body slowly crumbled to the ground as bits and pieces broke off. She turned her face to me. I had fun. I was too dumbstruck to respond. She waved at me nonchntly and said, Say hello to Derk for me. What? I stood there, puzzled. But I received no response because Leone had already copsed away. I felt a rare moment of bewilderment. What the hell. A quick nce at Sellen showed that she was just as surprised. The Lord of Blood and Iron, who she had been fighting, hadnt crumbled like Leone, but hey twisted in a grotesque position, like a puppet with its strings cut. [Ehem.] Aldersons grave voice echoed through the room. [It seems the puppets went berserk. That was my oversight. I apologize.] ... [...That aside, you both have proven yourself strong enough to pass the fourth floor.] Aldersons voice was followed by the usual mechanical voice. [Congrattions. You have passed the Floor of Duels.] Then, Alderson spoke again. [...I grant you both permission to re-enter the Treasure Vault.] *** [Those who have passed the Floor of Duels are once again granted ess to the Treasure Vault.] [Please select one reward.] After passing the Floor of Duels, Sellen and I returned to the vault for an additional reward each, but... ... My mind was not on rewards. That was definitely demonic energy. There was no way I was mistaken. Despite my looks, I had seen demons, fought a high priest, and even been to Hell and back. There was no way I could confuse it, that unmistakable aura. Demonic energy. It was a dark, sinister power that only demons and their followers could wield. Yet a fragment of that power had been found in a puppet. Which meant... Is Headmaster Alderson a cultist? Forcedughter escaped my lips. If he was, Juan bing a grand master paled inparison... and the repercussions would be so much greater. To think the great Alderson Maveur, one of the Archmages of Seven Colors and headmaster of the academy, was a member of the cult? What are you doing? ...Huh? I snapped out of it at Sellens voice. She was giving me a weird look. Arent you going to pick? Oh. Whats with that face? Was that Leone puppet that strong? My face must have looked more serious than Id thought if it had even worried Sellen. I shook my head slightly and replied, It wasnt weak. Really? The Lord of Blood and Iron turned out to be more manageable than Id expected. Though he was insanely strong for his age. He couldnt use his blessings, and his mana control felt limited. ... From the way she spoke, it seemed she hadn''t noticed Leones demonic energy. If that was the case, could it be that the help Sellen had asked of me had nothing to do with Headmaster Alderson? No, I shouldnt jump to conclusions. In Bednicker, Sellen had seemed unaware of the high priests identity despite knowing the future. So, I decided to ask. Keeping my voice low, I began, You know, I was wondering if puppets can also use demo Have you finished choosing? Just as I was about to get to the point, the Headmaster suddenly appeared, cutting me off. Sellen, who had been listening intently to me, naturally turned to look in his direction. Ive chosen. I see. Lets see if the young hero of Goodsprings judgment is as keen as they say...? Alderson trailed off in surprise when he saw the lump of ck metal in Sellens hand. Ah, you chose that antique. The metal was about the size of her palm. It was thick and elongated, and it appeared to be made from an unusual alloy, one I had never seen before. I picked that up in a ck market twenty years ago by chance. The outside looks like a rectangr metal with a smooth surface, but the inside has a very intricate structure. Sellens expression hardened slightly. ...Youve disassembled this thing already? Indeed. But do not worry, I put it back together just like it was before. ... But... do you actually know what that item is? Sellen paused for a moment before answering, Ive been interested in lost technologies since I was young. Ive studied them a little. Hmm. That is understandable for someone from Goodspring. Alderson nodded and continued, So, what will you do now? Do you n to climb further? No. Sellen shook her head. I used up all my stamina fighting the puppet. Im not sure I can face any more trials. Very well, then Ill have you out of the tower immediately. What? There are teaching staff on the ground. Just follow their directions to your amodations, and then you can head straight to the banquet hall. Good job. W-wait a second Swish. Just like that, Sellens form vanished from the Treasure Vault. ... ... I stood on the side and watched it all unfold. Alderson focused his gaze on me, staring at me with aplicated look. ...You did not stop me. What do you mean? You must have realized I wished to forcibly send Sellen away. That you did. Why did you just watch? You could have dragged her into this mess... Was that really so important right now? There was a lot to discuss, but it seemed Alderson prioritized the immediate question. So I gave him what he wanted by just answering honestly. She really is exhausted. I dont think shed be much help if anything unexpected happens, so I decided I might as well send her out to safety first. She didnt even notice anything, so Im the one who needs to have his mouth shut. ...Hoho. Alderson shook his head. Its like Im talking to a mercenary who''s been through thick and thin. What kind of life have you lived? ... Never mind that. Just treat it as me talking to myself, sorry. Alderson pursed his lips and seemed to hesitate over what he should say next. FrustratedI wasnt one for drawn-out conversationsI asked outright, Headmaster Alderson, are you a cultist? My! There is no way...! Hed found his voice again, but with a very startled tone like hed been struck by a sudden shock. His white beard even trembled. Of course, I thought. If he were a real cultist, thered be no reason for him to be so wary of my gaze. I took a moment to collect my thoughts and came to a conclusion. In that case... From this point on, my words were spection. Have you been making things like demons in this tower? ... Alderson fell silent. His expression remained neutral, but I saw him drawing in a breath. His reaction suggested that I had struck a nerve. Headmaster Alderson. As an aspiring hero, a member of Bednicker, and most importantly, a citizen of The Empire, I must ask: are you perhaps out of your mind? ...We are ignorant about demons, he finally said, his voice low. Did he think that exnation justified it? Did you know? To them, all intelligent beings on this continent are considered mere humans. From the seven races to even the sub-races, they are all mere humans to demons. ... It may sound absurd and foolish, to group together entities that differ so much in appearance, characteristic, habit, history, and culture... Yet we are making the same mistake. What do you mean? There are far more types of demons than our continent has races, and demons are more diverse as well. The cult only worships a small fraction of demonkind. The rest, most of whom we dont even know exist, live their own lives in their ownnd. Forget wishing to harm us, they couldnt care less about the continent. Aldersons voice grew more fervent as he continued, Yet we lump them all together and call them demons...! Do you think this is a normal way of thinking? ... I began to wonder, If there are so many different types of demons and their numbers surpass all the intelligent beings on the continent, then maybe, just maybe, might there be good demons too? I couldnt help but let out a smallugh at the Archmages nonsense. Alderson was ring at me now, but I just turned to face him directly. Excuse me. Youre joking, right? ...Ive spent half my life studying demonology. No one in the Empire knows more about demons than I do. Really? But dont they say its better to see once than hear a hundred times? Headmaster Alderson, have you ever seen a demon lord? ...Of course not. Obviously. If he had ever seen a demon lord firsthand, he wouldnt be spewing such crap. You mentioned good demons. To me, that sounds as absurd as hot ice or a stone sock. In other words, I was telling him to stop with the bullshit. It was a pain in the ass to continue phrasing my words so indirectly, but I had no choice since he was an archmage of The Empire. But that didnt stop a hint of snark from slipping into my tone. Do you want me to teach you how they really see us humans? You think they see us as equals? I scoffed. Of course not. Weaklings? Prey? Were either of those true, I would not be speaking so harshly. What, then, were humans to demons? If we were neither equals nor prey to be devoured nor livestock to be raised, then how exactly did they see us? We are their toys. ... Nothing more, nothing less. Things to be yed with to kill time and to be thrown away once were of no use and no fun. ...There are children who treat toys like friends. That made meugh, but it wasnt a joyousughit was a dry, mockingugh. I hadnt expected an archmage toe up with such a childish retort. So, Headmaster, are you saying that you think humans and demons can be friends? Is it wrong to think that way? You are free to think whatever you want, but Id advise against revealing it. There will be idiots swept up by that kind of crazy bull. Not to mention that your position is not to be taken lightly either. Crazy bull... This time, it was Alderson whoughed quietly. He looked at me with bloodshot eyes and asked, Even if this idea came from the Lord of Blood and Iron? ...What? ____ Chapter 142 Before I could say anything, Alderson slowly raised an arm in a smooth circr motion. He stopped his arm at shoulder height, and at that moment, like a curtain descending after a show, numerous threads fell from his arm. ck... And there appeared a puppet, tied to those strings. It appeared without warning, but I wasnt surprised; this was just how magic worked. This is what the puppet looks like before it is infused with information. How does it look to you? It just looks like an articted doll made of wood. The puppet wore no clothes and had no eyes or ears. Its body was so rigid and unshaped that it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female. Truly, it was a wooden puppet in its most minimal form.To think it could transform into someone like Derk or Leone, whom Sellen and I had just fought, if it was infused with information. If I hadnt seen them with my own eyes, I would not believe it. The puppets I create are among the finest in the Empire, but that doesnt mean they are without ws. Just processing the information is a difficult task itself... For the two puppets you fought earlier, that process alone took over a decade. Thats very inefficient. Not very magician-like, hm? Alderson nodded and continued, Puppets are not alwayspatible with the information I infuse into them. Sometimes the information doesn''t harmonize with the puppets body and the body breaks down. But even if this step is sessful, the puppet is not a perfect replica of the original. As youve seen, it cant use blessings, and since the mana has to be installed, theres a mana capacitynot to mention that the puppet can only use half of that capacity. The imitation is limited to physical abilities, and only partially, but even that is not Whats your point? I rudely interrupted. Really, hed been talking for way too long. Thankfully, Alderson didnt seem particrly offended. Leone, ranking first on the listwhich is in the past now since you took that spot... Anyway, what Im saying is I only infused the doll with the information I gained when she was climbing this tower. Nothing more, nothing less. My expression grew serious as I asked, Hold on a minute, are you saying Alderson nodded. Leone had the blood of evil flowing in her veins from the beginning. Ha. All the tension left my body. Are you telling me that Leone was a vice-cult leader? Alderson sounded mildly surprised as he said, You are very knowledgeable about the Church of Darkness, to even know about the existence of vice-cult leaders... He paused, then nodded, answering my question. But she was not your typical vice-cult leader. Leone... she was very special, even aside from being a vice leader. ... Perhaps it was due to that background, Leones information carries a very strong personality. Usually, when information is infused into a puppet, it doesnt behave like a real person. It simply does what it is programmed to do. But Leone is different. She has self-awareness, and she can even hold a conversation. This was the perfect time to ask the question I was most curious about: Who is Leone? I do not know. ...Im sorry? Alderson exined, The Church of Darkness, Hell, demons... All of that, I know she has extensive knowledge of. But aside from that and the fact that she was a vice-cult leader, I never learned much about Leone. You said you obtained information. Only physical data. You cant learn everything about a challengers life just by observing them. ...He had a point. Even her being a vice-cult leader, I only learned because Leone told me herself. You only know because she told you? That sounds a bit odd. Yes, it does sound strange, doesnt it? Like I said, Leone is special. Alderson gave a wry smile. She doesnt follow my orders. She keeps secret the things she doesnt wish to share. She won''t reveal anything even with a knife at her throat. I was surprised at his admission. Just as hed said, Leone truly sounded special... ...Then why not go find the real Leone? That is impossible. Why? Because she is already dead. ...I didnt know what to say. After a minute of silence, Alderson spoke with a serious face. Derk C. Bednicker, the Lord of Blood and Iron, the Demon Hunter, the Executioner, the Sword of the Imperial Family, the Charisma of the Great Housemost of those titles, Derk earned through ying demons. Yes. And you mentioned, Headmaster, that the same person imed he could befriend demons. ... Can you take responsibility for that statement? The headmasterughed. I cannot. And Id appreciate it if youd not report to the Lord of Blood and Iron that I said it. Why not? Because the Lord of Blood and Iron of today is nothing like the man he once was. I finally understood Headmaster Aldersons words. It was natural for a persons thoughts to continuously change over the course of their life, even to the day they died. I knew that better than anyone, having lived the most pitiful life imaginable. It was understandable that the Lord of Blood and Irons thoughts now were different from those of his youth. But... To hear that he, of all people, had once hoped for harmony with demons? It was shocking. What kind of event had made him undergo aplete 180? I have told you most of what I can, Alderson said. He closed his eyes, bowed his head, and stood there, as if awaiting my verdict. ... Whatever his reason, Alderson hadpletelyid bare what he knew. He could have easily overpowered me, yet here he was, confessing the truth, hoping for my understanding. An Archmage of Seven Colors. The Headmaster of Kartell Academy. Even ignoring those titles, it was no small thing for an elder who had lived over a century to show such an attitude to a young upstart like me. Of course, he probably couldnt kill me over this. After all, I was a descendant of House Bednicker. Even so... I found myself appreciating Aldersons honesty. Besides, I had my own principle: If the other party revealed everything, I should at least share something of my own. * * * * * * * * * * You said there might be good demons out there, right? Yes. Then do you think good demon lords can exist as well? What? Alderson looked up at me in disbelief, but as soon as he saw my face, he fell silent. Hmm. He thought for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts. Demon lords... We call them that, but in reality, they are divine beings. They are powerful, even among gods. Do you know why? Alderson asked. Id heard the answer to the question several times recently, but I still pondered before answering, The Empires national religion, the 72 Churches, is a polytheistic faith that worships 72 gods. Beyond that, every family, race, and region has their own god they put their faith in. If you add them all up, they easily number in the hundreds. Blessings. Powers granted by the gods to the bloodlines of great families. Put simply, the number of blessings corresponded to the number of gods who are friendly to The Empire and humanity. On the other hand, there are six beings known as the Gods of Disaster. Even though there are only six of them, they pose the greatest threat to The Empire... which means they are equivalent in power to dozens of Righteous Gods. Alderson nodded in agreement. Exactly. In the past, a group of malicious beings, called the Thirteen Evil Gods, plunged the continent into chaos... but I can say with certainty that todays Six Gods of Disaster are far more powerful and terrifying than the ancient Thirteen Evil Gods. They must be far, far stronger than the Thirteen Evil Gods were. Its not just their power. The most terrifying trait of the Gods of Disaster is that they arepletely unaffected by reverence or faith. I titled my head in confusion. What do you mean by that? All gods require followers. Without faith, a god cannot wield significant influence... That is why there are forgotten gods. Mhm... Yet demon lords are exempt from this rule. To them, faith is meaningless. Even if the cult werepletely eradicated, the power of those dreadful beings would not diminish in the slightest. I didnt know that... But as I listened, I naturally came to understand and ept his words. Take Ahop or Tangtata. Had they ever expressed even a hint of love or mercy to those who worshiped them? Id seen nothing of the sort. Ahop had equally turned his believers and his enemies into pools of blood, and... Tangtata took no sides. As long as someone could entertain him, he would pursue them. In other words, it didnt matter to them at all what happened to their believers. Eldest Senior Brother as well. His strength was a tower built entirely by his own effort. It would never be influenced by anyones worship or faith. You asked if a good demon lord might exist? My answer is No. If such a being ever did exist, it would never be called a demon lord. ... However... Alderson thoughtfully continued, You never know. Perhaps there is one, hiding their own secret we are unaware of. What do you mean by that? Do you know the most mysterious demon lord? Is it not the Demon Lord of ck and White? Correct. While it is said that he destroyed an entire nation in ancient times, he hasnt wreaked any havoc since. He has the fewest followers within the cult... and his priest has never shown their face. ... The nation that the Demon Lord of ck and White destroyed was called Seititus. Little is known of it today, but some documents refer to it as the Empire of Evil. I hummed to show that I was listening. But of course, that doesnt excuse the sin of snuffing out countless lives. Even if it was truly the Empire of Evil, its hard to justify such a massacre. However, isnt the idea of good and evil inherently subjective? Regardless of the sin, if there were circumstances behind the action, should it automatically be ssified as evil? Who knows, perhaps we can sympathize with the Demon Lord of ck and Whites story. ... The Demon Lord of ck and Whites story... I wasnt sure if it would justify anything, but I felt I needed to understand Eldest Senior Brothers story before I met him again. Only then would I know how to approach him. ...Hm. In the meantime, Alderson infused mana into the wooden puppet he was holding. Shhhh. Faint mist surrounded the puppet, and its appearance slowly began to change. It was a magical sight. The hard wooden puppet transforming into a girl... I could only describe it as magical. Leone opened her eyes. She blinked her red eyes a couple of times as she surveyed her surroundings before finally settling on me. Oh, youre here too. That was the most fun Ive had in quite a while. Imend you. Ignoring Leones pretentious greeting, I turned to Alderson. The puppet was destroyed, I noted, yet she still remembers what happened. Do you have a separate vessel for storing memories? That is urate. I took inspiration from a lichs phctery. I see. Alderson called out, Leone, this boy in front of you is the son of the Lord of Blood and Iron. Oho... Do you care to exin? Exin what? Leone smirked. I refuse. With that, Alderson let out a deep sigh and waved his hand. Sshhhhh. Leone transformed back into a wooden puppet. I see you cant force her toply. I told you, Leone does not obey mymands. She simply pretends to listen when shes in a good mood. Where in the world did she crawl out from? At the very least, you should have figured that out by now. The academys admission requirements were quite strict. I knew that from experience. However, Alderson shook his head. I do not know. Everything about her life prior to Kartell Academy is a mystery. What in the world... Theres a special admission process in this academy. A special admission process? Anyone who sessfully climbs to the top of the Tower of Trials can be admitted, regardless of race, age, or background. Additionally, they dont have to pay a dime in tuition until theyve graduated. Ah. I still did not know what was on the fifth floor, but... based on my brief fight with Leone, I dont think whatever was up there would pose a challenge to her. Have you tried threatening her or anything? It is pointless. She doesnt feel pain and isnt afraid of her systems shutting down. Over the past ten years, Ive tried talking to her countless times, but I havent gotten much out of her. To be honest, I have no idea what she is even thinking. Hmm... There are rare moments when Leone is in a surprisingly good mood. When she is, shell tell me all the secrets of the cult without being asked. The value of her information is immeasurable. For example? It was thanks to Leone that the Empire learned about vice-cult leaders. I instantly understood. So the 72 Churches also know of Leones existence? Only a select few among the bishops and cardinals. Mhm. I too consider the cult an enemy that must be destroyed, unlike demons. Their ideology is far too dangerous... and Leone is the one who will change that. The more he spoke, the more I realized how important the dark-haired girl was. Alderson sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time. Leone told me that if I wanted to know more, I should bring another vice-cult leader of the Church of Darkness. Eh? Isnt that an absurd demand? No one knows who is a vice-cult leader until that seed of evil sprouts, not even the yet-to-be vice-cult leaders themselves! And it was none other than Leone herself who taught me that...! As I was listening to Alderson grind his teeth in frustration, I suddenly tilted my head in realization. Hold on a minute... Chapter 143 I did, in fact, know of one vice-cult leader of the Church of Darkness. Evan Helvin had been responsible for the catastrophe at the training camp involving High Priest Juan. Despite that, I wasnt too concerned by Evans identity. In the end, he was only a potential threat. Of course, vice-cult leaders were dangerous, but it was safe to say that Evan wouldnt awaken under normal circumstances. I remembered Juans excited rambling. Evan Helvin is different from regr cultists. Regr cultists must destroy their medium to recover their sealed memories, but vice-cult leaders awaken through death. And youve given him the most horrific death possible. Haha! Evan Helvin will be reborn as the greatest vice-cult leader to have ever existed! Death was the key to Evans awakening as a vice-cult leader... and the nature of his death would determine his potential as a vice-cult leader. Id had no intention of discussing his identity with anyone, but now... Hm...I nced at Alderson as the gears in my head turned. Despite the headmasters candidness and likable demeanor, I didnt fully trust him yet. I decided to keep Evans identity secret for now. Besides, how would I exin that I knew Evan was a vice-cult leader when Evan himself was unaware? And why was Leone even searching for a vice-cult leader in the first ce? Ugh... This situation was tooplicated; it was making my head throb. This sort of difficult thinking really didnt suit me, and it was starting to be an annoyance. In an attempt to clear my head, I changed the subject. How did Leone die? After graduating from the academy, she immediately joined Heroes. Then, one day, she and Derk were ced on an S-rank mission together. It was a difficult mission, certainly, but given their impressive performances, no one was worried. However... Derk returned alone. ...A vice-cult leader awakened through death. If Leone had died during that mission, then she might have awakened as a vice-cult leader and attacked the Lord of Blood and Iron. In the end, he might have had to kill Leone with his own hands. Of course, that was merely spection. In the first ce, Leone seemed to know exactly who she was, unlike Evan. So, its one of two things. Either, as Alderson kept repeating, Leone was truly special... Or she had already died once. The person who knew Leone best was Derk, Alderson said, his voice low. They were in the same year and were quite close during their academy days. This is just an assumption, but I think Leone may have told Derk more than shes told me. I did notice that the family head has always been particrly well-informed about the cult. To be the best demon hunter, strength alone was insufficient. He needed to know exactly what he was hunting. If the Lord of Blood and Iron had won Leones favor and received a lot of key information about the cult from her... it would exin why he had made such significant contributions to suppressing the cult. I subtly shifted the topic. If I capture a vice-cult leader and bring them here, what would you do for me, Headmaster? Is that a response to my earlier soliloquy? Alderson asked. He chuckled deeply. He seemed to think I was joking. I dont doubt your ability, but identifying a cultist is a challenging task even for a seasoned heretic inquisitor. And vice-cult leaders are even worse; they are more enigmatic than even high priests. I have no intention of dismissing youthful vigor, but please refrain from wasting your time. He didnt sound dismissive. It was more like he was gently scolding a naive youngster. I wasnt offended; it was a perfectly normal reaction. However, I felt the need to reveal a bit more about myself. Headmaster, Ive had my fair share of conflicts with the cult for someone my age, and Ive already dealt with a few cultists myself. In fact, recentlyhere, I paused to build suspenseI killed a high priest recently. ... The smile on Aldersons face slipped off. ...Ha. A cold, hard gaze settled upon me. Do you understand what youre saying right now? I knew he wouldnt easily believe me. Even I would be skeptical if I were told that someone like me had killed a high priest. Im a Bednicker. What? I hold deep respect for the things my family has aplished, and Im not fool enough to lie about anything to do with the cult. ... If you still dont believe me, feel free to directly ask my family headter. ...Ehem. Alderson did not further rebuke my im. He obviously did not believe me, but my calm demeanor must have made him uncertain. I mean, Id even mentioned the Lord of Blood and Iron. Regardless, I knew Id said something truly unbelievable, so getting this reaction was an achievement in itself. After a moment of silence, Alderon said, Certainly, you seem to know much about the matters of the church, so I cant outright deny your words. We were discussing rewards, werent we? Id like to ask you: In return, what do you want from me? I was pleased that the conversation was moving so quickly, so I got straight to the point. Actually, Im looking for someone in this academy. Who is it? Ive got no name, but I heard they have a good understanding of the demon zone. Hmm. A frown marred Aldersons brow as he thought. There are quite a few ces in this vast continent that are called demon zones. Which zone are you looking for? I spoke two words sure to make the listener ufortable: Spirit Mountain. For some reason, in my world, simply mentioning this name felt like a sin. Aldersons expression darkened slightly. He knows about Spirit Mountain. Not that it was surprising for an Archmage of Seven Colors to know about Spirit Mountain... I think I know who you are looking for... But meeting that person will be quite difficult. Why is that? It sounds like youre looking for Alec, a professor of historical geography here, but he doesnt show his face much nowadays. I knew it. He was a professor here. Then going to see him directly... I would not rmend it. Youd likely be turned away at the door. He sounds a bit entric. Not exactly. Rather... he is not in his right mind at the moment. ...? Was he going through something? I asked again, So theres no way I can meet him? There is one way: You can attend one of Professor Alecs lessons. Theyre held twice a month. Hm... He doesnt hold many lessons. Not a popr subject, Im assuming? Alderson smiled, but it didnt reach his eyes. Youre not wrong... but that is not the only reason. Professor Alec is undergoing rehabilitation. Rehabilitation? Youll have to see him for yourself. Anyway, it will not be easy for you to take historical geography. Do I have to take an exam or something? If that was the case, it wouldnt really matter since I had the forgotten Martial God. But Alderson shook his head. The historical geography ss is very advanced. You need to earn credits in both the history and geography departments before you can apply. How long does it take to earn those credits? On average, about six months. Im leaving in three months, though...? Indeed. I bluntly asked Alderson, Cant you do something about it as headmaster? There is a way, Alderson said. He took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. I looked at it curiously and saw that it was a card with a book and a tree engraved on it. This is a student ID for the main academy. However, this is not a typical ID. It has the book and tree engravings, identifying you as a distinguished student. A distinguished student? Alderson nodded and said, I will rmend you as a distinguished student. Wow... Do you know what a distinguished student is? No. ...Being a distinguished student at Kartell Academy not only exempts you from tuition, it also grants you ess to the highest tier of dormitories, known as the Violet Hall, and allows you to freely acquire anything from the shops inside the academy. However, the greatest privilege is that you can attend any ss without having to meet the conditions. Ah. It sounded quite amazing. But this is all I can do for you. Note that the professors here at Kartell Academy have significant authority. Once a student is epted into a ss, a professor can expel them at any time entirely at their own discretion. Oh... Alec''s personality can be... rather prickly, so you should be careful not to fall out of his favor. I nodded in understanding. Thank you for your consideration. There is no need to thank me. I am going to check with the Lord of Blood and Iron, so if any of your statements turn out to be false... That is unlikely, but Ill dly ept any punishment. I bowed my head to him. Headmaster, I had a great time. I should be on my way now. " "There is still the fifth floor. Are you not going to challenge it? What do I get if I clear it? You get to choose one of the treasures again. I shook my head. Then Im fine. I still have to pick something out for the fourth floor. Ehem. Take your time and choose wisely. Also... Alderson forced a smile and continued, ...The scissors. Take GOOD care of them, all right? Yes, sir... If you dont know how to use them, or if you feel ufortable having them on you, you can always tell me. Okay, I answered... not that I had any intention of doing so. Alderson went on his way, and I had a chance to look around again. * * * * * * * * * * Hmmm. What should I choose? I didnt really need anything, and summoning the Martial God again didnt seem like a good idea. I considered just taking the scarlet ruby or something else Id seen earlier. [That one looks valuable.] To my surprise, the Martial God initiated the conversation this time. Feeling pleasantly surprised, I asked, Which do you mean? [That mask.] Hm...? What kind of mask is he talking about? I wandered over and looked. It wasnt anything fancy; the mask was mostly white with bits of red, and its only distinguishing characteristic was a horn. It looks like a ghosts face. [Its a mask from the Linchal Tribe.] Linchal Tribe? [They are a small group in the eastern grasnds. Though their numbers are few, they have a long history and are quite creative with their shamanism. The red pattern on the mask is unique to the Linchal tribe.] Oho... I looked at the mask and asked, What does this mask do? [It holds the power of transformation.] Transformation... So it can change the wearers appearance? [Correct.] It might be more useful than I thought. It was at least better than another piece of armor or a weapon. All right. I choose you. I tucked the Linchal mask away. *** Upon leaving the tower, I was greeted by the cool night air. The weather has warmed up. The long winter was finally over. So much had happened over thisst winter... Now that the weather was warming up, I hoped for nothing but good things for the foreseeable future... But the way things were going, I doubted that would be the case. Youre here. Kayan? I saw Kayan standing under the streetlight in front of the tower. Have you been waiting for me? Yes. Sorry about that. You mustve been bored. Kayan smiled gently at my words. Not at all. It was good to see the academy again after such a long time. It was a nice treat. I see. Lets head to your quarters for now. Ive already moved your belongings and prepared some clothes for you to change into. My expression immediately soured. Clothes to change into... Is it because of that wee party or whatever? I see you already know about it. Yes. Cant I skip it? Im a little tired, I said. Honestly, I felt fine, but I dreaded going somewhere so noisy, so Id just picked the first excuse that hade to mind. However, Kayan wore a stern expression as he shook his head. The wee party is like an entrance ceremony for the new transfer students. If you dont attend, you will not be admitted to the academy. Er... There wont be too many people present. To my knowledge, it will only be the student council and a few professors. Well, that didnt sound so bad. Speaking of which, what subject do you hope to study, Master? For now, Im leaning toward history. That is unexpected. I thought you would surely aim for martial arts. I dont think the professors here can teach me any better than the familys grand masters. The academy specializes in theory, so I should learn that. I see. Even though Id missed more than half of the training camp, the grand masters had still been impressive teachers. In particr, the Instructor of the Hunts and the Instructor of Survivals lessons would be helpful in the uing battles against the cult. As I walked alongside Kayan, I made small talk. By the way, the tower was really interesting. In what ways? It had a ranking of the all-time greatest challengers. I saw the family heads name and Kas. Kayan smiled a little. She also attended this academy. Did she graduate? She did not. She was always a free spirit... Indeed, it was a miracle shested two years. Is that so? I looked at Kayan and suddenly asked, Do you know the name Leone? ... Though Kayan showed no reaction, his silence felt awkward to me. Given the flow of our conversation, he would have naturally denied it if he didnt know her. And Kayan seemed to realize this. The old man quickly forced out augh. You really cannot be underestimated, Master. I smirked and said, Yeah, dont mention it. Kayan stared off into the distance for a moment before saying, I dont know the details... but I can tell you this: Without her, the family head would be a very different person today. A statement with many implications. Does he mean positively or negatively? I wasnt sure. Perhaps... were those two were in a rtionship? I asked. At my question, Kayan chuckled softly. At that time, he was twelve years old. Even twelve-year-olds can date, you know. Youre not wrong. In fact, he was very popr when he was young. He was tantly changing the subject, but I decided to go along with it. I see. By the way, how bout me? You dont look like youve been in a rtionship. Ouch. What a mean way to say I have no experience. I apologize. I nodded, epting his apology. You shouldnt say such a thing, even if its true. Are you not interested in rtionships? There are many talented individuals at this academy who excel in many subjects. As far as I know, there is no rule prohibiting rtionships. Im just a bit busy. That certainly seems to be the case. But surely someone might find my busy self attractive? You dont look like youve ever been in a rtionship. ... Hearing the same hurtful words a second time could really sting, and I certainly felt stung. ...Then I suppose you were quite popr, huh? Kayans only reply to my words was a bright smile. Even as a man, his dandy smile was striking. Wow... What an unfair world. Chapter 144 I entered my dorm. From what Id heard, there were seven dormitories in Kartell Academy, and the seven buildings were colored from red to violet, to match the Archmages of Seven Colorsa theme that was already feeling a bit overused. I recalled Headmaster Alderson exining, when hed given me the student ID, that Violet Hall was the top-tier dorm. Although Violet was number one, Alderson clearly hadnt been brave enough to reverse the order of colors. The second-best dorm was Crimson Hall, and then it proceeded in sequence to the worst, Indigo Hall. Anyway, although distinguished students were automatically assigned to Violet Hall, the decision had been so sudden that I had to live in Amber Hall for a bit. I was assigned a double room. It wasnt very spacious, but after the training camp, I had noints. There was a uniform on the bed, and thankfully, the design wasnt over the top, though the color was a little too bright for my taste. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about that. I wanted to wash up before donning the new clothes, and I was happy to find that this room had an attached bathroom. Ssh.The sound of water filled the room as I poured cold water over my head. As I did, I thought about how Kayans personality had softened ofte. Id never imagined I would one day be trading jokes with the Collector of Blood and Iron of all people. That just showed how the pressure of work could change a person. Work often forced people to fake smiles, hide their emotions, and say things they didnt mean. It made me wonder if the way Kayan had been acting since his retirement was just his true self. After my quick wash, I felt strangely tired. No, actually, isnt this normal? After all, I entered White me again. My body wasntpletely wrecked like after the Gem Mountains, but I wasnt able to stop the fatigue from kicking in. I still had some time before Kayan was due to arrive. Ill just close my eyes for a couple of minutes... I threw myself onto the bed. The soft mattress seemed to swallow me whole, and I snuggled into the pillow, feeling quitefortable. I didnt notice my consciousness slowly drifting away. *** Chirp chirp. My eyes snapped open, and it took me a moment to realize it was the next morning. Oh fuck, I mumbled as I slowly came to reality. Im so fucked. I couldnt do anything but listen to the birds chirping under the ring sunlight. I nced at the bed next to me. It was unupied. Not even the sheets were rumpled. That meant my roommate hadnt returnedst night. Honestly, if anyone had entered the room, I wouldve woken up. Its probably one of the young heroes. To have stayed out all night... had something happened at the wee party? Scratching the back of my messy hair, I decided to take my time and enjoy a leisurely shower since things had already turned out this way. After a quick shower, I looked at the wrinkled uniform lying on my bed. ...Oh. I must have slept atop my uniform. Perhaps because it was all crumpled up, or perhaps because of the bright morning light, my uniform looked so much uglier than it had yesterday. It didnt match my hair color at all. In the end, I chose the clothes Id worn yesterday and left the room. Click. Kayans face immediately came into view. ...Good mornin, I said. Good morning, indeed. Youve finally woken up. ...I really hope you didnt stand there collecting dust all night... or did you? As your servant, there was no reason for me not to wait. If you are at all curious, he said, pausing to pull out a pocket watch, its been exactly 7 hours and 31 minutes. ... Im just kidding. After waiting for an hour, I checked and saw you asleep, so I went back. I shot him a nk look. He was even pulling out his watch to joke around... His work must have done him dirty indeed. But since I was in the wrong, I kept my mouth shut. Hed had to stay upter than me, and hed clearly woken up earlier to wait outside my room. Hed likely gotten less than five hours of sleep. Sorry. Its all right. So, I ended up missing the wee party. Whats going to happen to me? Will I get kicked out of the academy? I heard that Headmaster Alderson pulled some strings, so there shouldnt be any major issues enrolling into the academy. Thats a relief... However, today is thest day to select your sses. Okay. How do I do that? Let us head to the main building first, Kayan said. I nodded in agreement and followed him out of the dormitory. From here, we have to take the tram. Whats that? It is a streetcar. Youve heard of the railways that run all over the capital, right? Think of this as a smaller version of those. Ah, I see. So it was like a carriage that made rounds within the grounds. We waited at a stop near the dorm, and soon enough, with the sound of nking metal, a train appeared in the distance. It was bigger than Id expected, and I thought it looked quite cool. So thats why its called a magical vehicle instead of a horse-drawn carriage. I nodded to myself, thinking that it surely operated on some magic. * * * * * * * * * * Please show your student ID, said the streetcar attendant. I pulled out and showed the card the headmaster had given me. The attendant looked at me a little surprised, then bowed politely. Confirmed. Please take a seat wherever youd like. Thanks. I passed the attendant and took a seat in a suitable spot. ncing up at Kayan, who was still standing upright, I asked, Arent you going to sit? This is morefortable for me, he replied. The human body is designed to be morefortable sitting than standing. Its a matter of my ownfort. I had nothing more to say after that. Soon, with a deep bellow, the train began to move. Not bad. The ride was incredibly smooth. It would be hard to tell we were even moving if not for the scenery shing by outside the window. Speaking of which, wheres Arzan? I asked. Kayan replied, She is taking care of the admission paperwork. Sounds like shes going through a lot of trouble... I gazed out the window, listening to the rhythmic turning of the trains wheels. Beyond the neat gardens, the Twilight River came into view. It was beautiful, even without the titr twilight. Clunk... The train came to a stop. Weve arrived already? I asked. That was fast. Not yet. The main building is six stops away. It will take about twenty minutes. ...Then wouldnt it be faster to just run? I suppose so, but wouldnt we look less dignified? There is also the risk of getting lost. Hmm. He wasnt wrong, so I nodded in response. Suddenly, the silent train became noisy. Curious, I looked up to see a group of students rushing aboard. Is there another dorm here? There were several dozen students, maybe close to a hundred. It had been a long time since Id seen so many people my age. Even the Blessing Ceremony had not had this many people. Hm... We were definitely around the same age, but... They had different attitudes than the young heroes whod undergone Bednickers training camp or Goodsprings Proof Ceremony. If I wanted to be nice, Id say they seemed innocent. If I wanted to be mean, Id say they seemed immature. Really, that was probably more natural at this age. Im sure those kids have their own struggles too. Id heard that to get into Kartell, you had to study so hard that your hair fell out. ... I was suddenly ovee by a strange feeling. If, before the regression, I had put aside my stubbornness and entered Kartell Academy... Would I have immersed myself in my studies alongside those kids? Would I have let go of my unnecessary pride? ...In the end, who could say? Certainly not me. Anyway, while there were plenty of seats inside the train, it seemed there wouldnt be enough for all the hundred or so students to sitfortably... But I found myself in an awkward position. For some reason, no one took the open seat in front of me. Murmur. Not only that, but for some reason, the students seemed to be ncing in my direction out of the corners of their eyes. I felt like a monkey in a zooa rather unpleasant feeling, honestly. Most of them were probably more curious than wary, but none dared to sit in front of me. I didnt know what to even say in such a situation, so I just turned my attention back to the window. Then, all of a sudden, themotion stopped. Step. Step. With the sound of footsteps, I felt a presence near. Um, m-may I sit here? Without turning away from the window, I nodded in response to the faint, young voice. Thank you very much... As the timid voice faded in volume, someone sat down across from me. Only t this point did I look to see who it was. I saw a boy around my age. He had a slender build, and his voice was a bit high-pitched. I began to doubt myself a little... but no, there was no doubt that I was facing a boy this time. He wore sses and arge hat, which he didnt bother to take off even when seated. Maybe hes balding? As I thought that rather rude thought, our eyes coincidentally met, and he awkwardly smiled at me. This atmosphere really called for some kind of conversation, so I decided to be the brave one. Its Luan. Whyes? My name, I mean. Ohh... Uh, Im Glenn. Glenn? That sounds familiar. I tilted my head in thought as the train started moving again. We still had five more stops to go. I felt bored just sitting around, so I decided to strike up a conversation with this rare encounter. How old are you? I-Im sixteen. Were the same age, so speakfortably. His eyes grew wide as saucers, and I realized that behind his sses, he had red eyes. Surprised and slightly hurt, I muttered, ...Do I really look that old? N-no...! I just wasnt sure it was okay... What a dramatic character. Was he amoner? This academy wasnt just for nobles, after all. This ce also had departments for butlers and maids who needed training. If they were serving a young master or youngdy, it wasmon for them to attend the academy together. In that case, it might be better not to reveal my surname. I wasnt sure how poorly this timid guy would react to hearing the name Bednicker. Er, um... Glenn nodded hesitantly. O-okay. He gave me a wary look before asking, By the way, I dont think Ive seen you around...? Oh, Im a transfer student. T-t-transfer...! Glenn said, his voice rising a bit in volume. Then youre a young hero?! At the end, he flinched at the sound of his own voice, then carefully watched my face. Thats right. Wow... Ive never met a young hero before. His gaze was filled with a mix of awe and envy as he looked at me. While it made me feel a bit awkward, I understood why he was reacting this way. Young hero. An aspiring hero, or future hero. As such, they were naturally the subject of admiration and envy among their peers. In fact, before my regression, I had idolized young heroes. More than that, I had burned with jealousy. Wh-where are you going? Im heading to the main building. I have to sign up for sses. Oh! ...What ss? Historical geography. Glenns expression lost a bit of his prior cheerfulness. After a short pause, he looked at me cautiously and said, Th-that subject shouldnt be avable for transfer students... Yeah, Ive been told. But I''m a distinguished student, so its okay. Heuk...! Glenn gasped so hard in surprise, I thought he was choking. He wasnt the only one, though. I felt other people on the train looking over in surprise. I wanted to squirm in my seat at the sudden attention, but I couldnt take back what Id said. A y-young hero and also a distinguished student... th-thats amazing. Its nothing. B-but... Glenn hesitantly lowered his voice slightly. Historical geography... m-might be a bit dangerous... Uh huh. I heard the professor isnt quite sane. Th-thats a misunderstanding. Professor Alex isnt a bad person... Glenn said, his voice dropping in volume. He just struggles with expressing himself... th-the real problem is... the students who take that ss... By the end, his voice was a whisper, barely audible. If I couldnt hear him even with my advanced hearing, that basically meant hed stopped talking by the end. When I looked at him in disbelief, Glenns face turned bright red. We ended up not talking any further after that. He seemed ufortable talking to me, so I turned my attention to the window. I really liked this train. When there was nothing to say, I could simply turn my focus out the window. I wasnt normally a quiet person, but after everything that had happened yesterday, I felt like being a bit reserved today. As I watched the Twilight River, I thought about whaty ahead. There were three main things I needed to do at this time. First, meet with the professor of historical geography who knew about Spirit Mountain. Second, help Sellen prevent whatever disaster might ur at the academy. Third, bring a vice-cult leaderEvanto Leone. Hmm... Laid out like that, it seemed surprisingly simple, but in reality, thest two would be quite challenging. They would take some time, too. So I decided to focus on the first one; it seemed the simplest. Master, we have arrived at the main building. Okay. At Kayans words, I hopped off the streetcar, and I saw Glenn hurriedly following behind me. Is he also heading to the main building? Its really big... From a distance, it would be easy to mistake for a royal pce. I was awestruck, but I also felt a little overwhelmed. It was so huge that it wouldnt be weird if I got lost inside. Ill quickly find the way around the building, said Kayan. Please wait here. T-to register for sses, you need to go to the faculty office on the first floor, Glenn said nervously. I could show you the way, if you dont mind? Id thought he was avoiding me, but maybe not? Ill take you up on that offer, I said. Though I found Glenns unpredictable behavior questionable, I wouldnt refuse his kindness. Well then, Master Luan, I can only apany you this far. Please call me anytime. Huh? Where are you going? Servants are not permitted to apany you within the main building. I see. Then you can head back to rest. Theres no need to wait for me. But... I put you through a hard time yesterday. Go rest. Mm... Then. Kayan bowed his head. I will gratefully ept your consideration, Master. It was kind of him to havee all the way out here just to help, but I should manage things myself. I still didnt feel toofortable having a servant apany me. Back to the task at hand, the inside of the main building was just as impressive. The hallway was incredibly spacious and bustling with people. Without Glenns guidance, I really would have gotten lost. Eventually, Glenn stopped at a ratherrge door. I-its here. There were many familiar faces gathered around the door: the other young heroes. It seemed theyde to pick their sses too. Oh hey, its Luan. He looks fine. Of course, nothing could have happened to Big Bro. I waved my hand casually at them, and then suddenly, all attention turned to Gelnn, who flinched and scurried off. W-well then, Ill be off! Ah, wait... He was already too far away for me to thank him. My hand was left hanging in midair, so I awkwardly used it to scratch my chin. Sellen approached me and asked, Who was that? A student here. ...Hm. Sellen looked at Glenns retreating figure with a knowing expression and turned to look at me. Do you know his name? He said it was Glenn. What? Sellen whipped her head back to try and catch sight of Glenn as he disappeared among the crowd. Why, do you know him? I asked. Sellen murmured something under her breath. I wasnt sure, but it sounded like hes so dumb. You know... Sellen began. Sometimes I question how smart you actually are. Like now, for example. What do you mean? Sellen sighed. Glenn Scarlet. Thats the name of the Empires third prince. Oh. ____ Chapter 145 Hectors advice aboard the carriage faintly crossed my mind. I would personally rmend aiming for the third prince. Ive heard that the fourth princess, Ferith, doesn''t enjoy socializing. It was... the opposite of something to brag about, but I was not very good at remembering peoples names. Once a name exceeded five letters, I started to get confused. I was never really sure why. Maybe it was just the way I was born? In my defense, Glenns name wasnt the easiest to remember. It was too in a name for a prince. Hmm... But it wasnt just Hector. I was sure I remembered the name from somewhere else. I thought hard for a momentand thankfully, I quickly figured it out. [5th ce: Glenn Scarlet - 81 Points.]Id seen his name etched into the rankings of the Tower of Trials, probably in the Room of Reflex. If he ranked fifth among all the climbers, he must have been pretty good. Then what was the behavior hed shown on the train? Was he actually timid despite his ability, or was he just ying coy? If it was the former, thatd be a relief, but if it was thetter... ...Im not going to have my head chopped off for treason or something, am I? Did you do something wrong? Not really, but I mightve spoken to him a bit informally. Students of Kartell Academy are essentially considered equals. Phew... Though that doesnt mean anyone would be crazy enough to just casually speak informally to royalty. I frowned and pinched the bridge of my nose. Damnit. Sellen looked at me and smiled. It seemed she found this situation amusing. You dont need to worry too much. You saw Prince Glenn yourself, right? Hes not the type to throw around his authority. Mhm... Actually, this is perfect. Why dont you keep an eye on the prince for me? Keep an eye on him? Its nothing serious, just... observe his movements. I couldnt believe what she was saying. Youre asking me to spy on a member of the royal family? You said youd help. Sellen shot me a sideways nce. And Im not asking you to go as far as spying. Just... stay close and observe him, thats all. Most people call that spying, Sellen. ... All right, fine. What exactly is it that I should be doing? ...Theres nothing specific. Just act like you normally would. If you can get closer to him, all the better. And if anything strange happens, tell me. Strange thing... I had a feeling that might not be as easy as it sounded. From what I saw of Glenn... Prince. ...Prince Glenn, hes already pretty strange, I said, looking at Sellen. Let me get this straight. A strange guy doing something strange isnt technically strange since he was strange to start, so should I report when he does something normal? Or should I just report every single strange thing he does? ...You figure it out, Sellen said coldly like the frosty person she was. After a moment, a hint of desperation crept into her expression. Help me out, please, yeah? I have to take the same sses as Princess Ferith. I only have one body; I cant spy on both of them at the same time. Even she called it spying! But at least I finally understood why she needed my help. Then do you happen to know which ss Prince Glenn is taking? Of course, I looked into it in advance. Hes taking historical geography. Oh, what a perfect coincidence. Thinking about it, Glenn had seemed to know quite a bit about the historical geography ss. Hm. I pretended to think hard about it because I found Sellens reaction amusing... but in actuality, befriending Glenn wouldnt be bad for me either. After all, if I wanted to enter the Nameless Kings tomb, I needed a connection with the imperial family. Aside from that, though, I was also a bit bothered about whatever secrets Glenn was keeping. Surely the royal family arent members of the cult... If by chance they were, the empire was truly doomed. That would be a much bigger deal than Juans status as a high priest or even the possibility that Headmaster Alderson had been a cultist. In this country, the imperial family didnt just represent the pinnacle of power. They also had the symbolism and the legitimacy that came from inheriting the Red Soul of the Five Kings. Even if the third prince had low political standing, that didnt undo his symbolic significance. All right. Ill do it, at least for now. Sellen breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back. As if theyd been waiting, the other young heroes crowded around me. What was that? What were you guys talking about? We were just talking about sses. She said shed kill anyone who takes the same subject as her. Sellen red at me for suddenly turning her into someone whod threaten murder so easily, but I pretended not to notice. That aside, how was the weing partyst night? Oh, it was amazing. The meat practically melted in my mouth. And the bands singer was absolutely beautiful I tuned out Kariss rant and looked around. Id thought everyone was here, but when I looked again, a few were missing. I dont see Hector or Evan. Huh? I thought Sir Hector was with you. Me? You two are sharing a room. Evidently, my mysterious roommate was Hector. I shook my head and said, No one came to the roomst night. Really? He said he was tired and left a bit early. Mm. Id be lying if I said I wasntpletely worried, but really, he wasnt the type to go out getting beaten up. What about Evan? He had swordsmanship ss early this morning, so he left a while ago. Oh yeah! Listen to thisyesterday, thinking it was juice, he identally downed a couple sses of alcohol. And he suddenly turned into apletely different person, acting all corny! Oho... That sounded like quite a funny sight. I was a little disappointed Id missed such a rare moment. But was Evan that much of a lightweight? Just as I started to wonder, Pam approached me. Luan, she said, if youve decided on your subjects, you should sign up quickly. Theres not much time left. Right. I nodded and headed into the office. * * * * * * * * * * I have ss right away? Yes. The stern-looking staff member nodded. She added, Todays also thest ss of the month. If you miss it, you wont have another one for three weeks. Then can I register for it right now? Of course. ss starts at... 9:00 AM. Theres only half an hour left, so youd better hurry. ...Sorry? Head to room 108 in the Theory building. Have a good day. Wait, where exactly is that ... The staff member ignored my question, her bloodshot eyes already returned to sorting through papers. I judged that there was no point in inquiring further and left the office. Karis was waiting outside. When he saw me exit, he asked, Did you finish applying? Yeah, I did. What course did you choose? Historical geography. ...That doesnt suit you at all. I nodded slightly in agreement. Pam peeked over and asked, Is that the only ss you enrolled in? For now, yeah. Seriously...?! I had so many more I wanted to take, Pam said. I literally cried because I had to drop some! How many sses are you taking, then? Fifteen! Karis sidled closer to me and whispered, Shes not in her right mind either. I can hear you, ya know? And its not me whos crazy, you are! Do you have any idea how much it costs to get into Kartell Academy? Someone like me, from a poor family, couldnt even dream of... Okay, okay, I get it, Karis said. Luan, why dont youe grab a bite with us? After that, we can check out the academy. While I was on the train, I heard a staff member say they offer a full tour of the grounds. That sounds great, but Id better get going; my ss starts soon. If I miss this, I wont have any sses for the rest of the month. Oh, thats a shame. By the way, do any of you know where the Theory Building is? Uhh. Not sure... The others nearby looked like they didnt know either. Guess Ill have to ask someone else. Anyway, Id better be off. All right. See youter. I left the young heroes behind, and then left the main building. Outside, I was scanning my surroundings and searching for someone approachable to ask for directions when I unexpectedly spotted a familiar face. H-hey there...! It was Glenn. He was standing there awkwardly like hed been waiting for me, and when our eyes met, he shed me a nervous smile. Ah, hahaha... I... I thought since you were applying for historical geography... i-if its okay, I could, um, show you the way to the ssroom... So this... wimpy kid in front of me was actually a prince, huh? And that oversized hat was hiding the imperial familys signature crimson hair? As I continued to stare at him, Glenn awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Th-the truth is, Im also taking historical geography... Oh, you are? In that case, I would be so very honored to ept your kind offer. Glenn took a step back at my formal tone. ...Whats with the sudden change? You are a prince, correct? I apologize for not recognizing earlier such an esteemed figure. Glenn looked down and pursed his lips. Dont call me that, he said, his voice unusually rough. ... Just... treat me like you did before. That wasnt hard to do, so I happily obliged. Should I? Sure, no prob. Weve only got 30 minutes until ss starts, so lets go. ...H-huh? Glenn stuttered, visibly taken aback. Oh, yeah, mhm. Thankfully, the lecture hall wasnt too far from the main building. A leisurely 15-minute walk? That meant we didnt need to take the streetcar. We werent in a hurry, so Glenn and I walked at a nice pace. Glenn, once again sneaking nces at me, finally drummed up the courage to ask, Um, Luan, so, do you have a strong interest in, uh, history or geography? If I didnt, why would I have chosen historical geography? Oh, yeah. Glenns face brightened, albeit only a little. Thats good... But, uh, th-the thing is... the atmosphere in that lecture room is kind of weird right now... Weird? Weird how? Like... a few delinquents are treating the room not as a learning space but as their personal lounge... Seriously? What kind of situation was that? I stared at him until he continued his exnation. Well, hardly any sses are held in that room, so now its a great ce for students to hang out... And the professor just leaves them be? Glenns face saddened a little. Professor Alec isnt very enthusiastic about his ss. Ive heard he used to be quite passionate, though... I hummed in response. ...Anyway, be careful because there are some intimidating upperssmen in the lecture room. B-but if you stay next to me, they probably wont bother you too much... Yeah. He was right. No matter how timid he was, a prince was still a prince. No one would dare to mess with him. Itd take an idiot whose ego was bigger than their brainless head. Before long, we arrived at the Theory building and entered room 108. ... As soon as the door opened, my expression scrunched up involuntarily. For a moment, I thought I had walked into a Southern tavern. The foul stench of alcohol clouded the room, and the air was thick with the pungent smoke of countless cigarettes. Were they not even bothering to ventte? Even with my sight restricted by the foggy condition, I could see that the room was structured with tiered seating, and at the very top, about a dozen students were seated. Judging by their faces, decaying from all the alcohol and cigarettes, I assumed they were the so-called intimidating upperssmen Glenn had mentioned. As I was staring at them, they looked over and smirked. Cough, cough... Even though Glenn was coughing from the smoke, they didnt bother to open a window. Crazy bastards. No matter how timid Glenn was, he was still royalty. I seriously could not understand their behavior. How had they even gotten epted to Kartell? What was even more surprising was that Glenn didnt say or do anything. He just sat at the front of the ss and hunched over. Everyone here was officially out of their minds. To me, the upperssmen were crazy, Glenn was crazy, and even Professor Alec, who was letting this happen, was crazy. But I wasnt crazy, so I did what any normal person would do. I went to the window and flung it wide open. Oh...! Glenn looked at me, wide eyed and mouth agape. The stench and the thick smoke were finally able to escape. Much better. ... I turned around. The moment I saw arge guy sitting at the top shooting me a re, I felt a desire to whip out my best buddies Etiquette and Decorum and give them a nice greeting. However... ss would start soon, so I shouldnt turn this ce into a bloodbath. Today was my first day too, so after summoning the superhuman force of will needed to crush that desire, I plopped down next to Glenn. Luan... What. Um... never mind. Do you... want to borrow my notebook? Thanks. Evidently Glenn just had an extra notebook and pencil. I took them just in case there was anything worth noting down. But... ...Hm. I nced at the clock. It was currently 9:10 AM. ss should have started ten minutes ago, yet the professor was still nowhere to be found. We waited a little longer in case hed been stalled by something, but... Nobody entered the room even after 30 minutes. Is he always thiste? H-hes unusuallyte today. Meaning heeste often. Id known things wouldnt be easy... but it felt like I was already off to a rough start. I sighed and ced my elbow on the table, resting my face on my palm. Erm... Glennsplexion did not look good. I had noticed him squirming in his seat for a while now, so... Need to go use the restroom? I asked. N-no... Go. Um, but... Glenns gaze darted back for a quick second. Was he worried about leaving me alone in the same space as those guys? Im not a kid who needs to be taken care of. Or maybe I looked surprisingly weak or something? Ill be fine, really. Besides, the professor should be here soon, right? ...I guess so. After hesitating for a moment, Glenn rose from his seat. Th-then, Ill be right back. By how he dashed away, he must have been holding it in for a while. I waved goodbye to his retreating figure, and then... Screech. As soon as Glenn was gone, I heard the sound of chairs scraping and noticed a number of bodies approaching me. Arent you a new face? the biggest guy said as he leaned in closely. He resembled a bear. Thats one ugly-ass face. You look like a freshman... am I right? I nodded my head. Probably. Even though I was a transfer student, we were probably all considered freshmen, right? Probably? The ugly-ass bear burst intoughter. But it didntst long. In a sh, his smile vanished and he red at me. You, white-haired twerp, which family are you from? ... Theing chapter contains disturbing scenes that might surprise readers, so please keep that in mind. Enjoy reading! Chapter 146 Content Warning - The following chapter contains material that may be harmful or traumatizing to some audiences: Mentions of Self-Harm and Suicide. When I didnt say anything, the dimwit decided to continue. Its always the same with you idiots who refuse to mention your family name. Its obviously such a pathetic family that you dont even want to say it. ... Theres always fuckers like you: clueless little shits who dont know their ce and still manage to worm their way into the academy. Is that why youre clinging to the prince? Youre hoping for some kind of life-changing miracle, huh? The thugs minions started cackling, but I was taken aback for another reason. So these guys knew Glenn was a prince, yet they were still puffing out circles and chugging drinks in the back? Regardless of how down-to-earth Glenn was, I couldnt wrap my head around their stupidity. I wasnt particrly bothered by their childish taunts, but I was curious about what made these idiots think they could run their mouths and get away with it.Then what family are you from, Sir BCahemCUpperssman? I asked politely The bear sneered as he replied, Even a hick like you mustve heard about us... Im from the Rozallus family. Id expected to not recognize the name, but unfortunately, that wasnt the case. Rozallus was a noble familya county, I thinkthat was pretty well known in the city. Just the fact that I recognized the name told me he wasnt some small fry. And I am Talis Rozallus, legitimate heir and firstborn of the Rozallus family and future lord of the house. Mmmm. I see. Hey,moner. Youve already fallen out of favor with me, so dont even think about running away. No matter where you go, you wont escape my sight, got it? You wont even be able to drop out of this ss without my permission He was cut off by the sound of the door opening, revealing a middle-aged man with empty, tired eyes. His hair was greasy and unkept, his back was slouched, and arge blemish extended from his cheek down to his chin. Was this Professor Alec? ... It seemed likely seeing how the delinquents shut their mouths and retreated. Talis red at me and mouthed fuck off when he saw me looking at them. I gave a firm nod and sat back down. ...Lets begin the ss, the professor said. His voice was as dreary as his appearance. Although this was my first ever ss at this academy, I still knew this wasnt the normal flow of a ss environment. Even if he skipped all introductions, shouldnt there be at least a basic attendance check? Furthermore, Alec didnt even nce my way even though I was sitting in the front row. Usually, Teachers showed interest in new faces. And that still wasnt the end of the issues. What is he saying? I could barely hear him. It was one thing to have a small voice, but to mumble every syble, making even individual words hard to understand? Is this actually real? I was staring at him with a look of disbelief when Glenn finally returned. After seeing that Professor Alec was here, he quietly approached me, scribbled something in his notebook, and then showed it to me. Everything okay? it read. I nodded in response. Glenn let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the front of the ss. The moment he did, his demeanor changed. ... His usual timid, awkward demeanor vanished, and behind his sses, his red eyes brightened with eagerness. ... Seeing his new attitude made me focus on the ss too. As I continued to focus, I could somewhat make out Alecs mumbling voice. ...In todays world, thend conquered by our intellects ounts for not even one-tenth of the continent. Beyond The Empires border lie threats and death in abundance, and we only know the shape of the world from sifting through ancient texts. Those who once burned with yearning, passion, longing, a sense of adventure, and desire for the unknown are now dead. Within the next hundred years, The Empire will meet its demise. I blinked. Id just heard something that shouldnt be easily dismissed. Hes talking about the end of The Empire? This man, who had earned the title of history professor, was saying that in front of a member of the imperial family? Even worse was Glenns reaction. He wasnt angry, sad, or even surprised. ...In 100 years, he echoed, as if hed heard that over and over again. Sitting in this room suddenly felt stuffy and ufortable, even though the room was now clearly ventted. I felt as if I had been suddenly thrown into the midst of some kind of madness. It left me feeling both irritated and ufortable. Frustrated, I raised my hand. I have a question. Professor Alec looked at me with full eyes and said, I dont take questions during my lectures. Then do you take them afterward? If I feel like it. That sounded like a no. I was positive that he would leave the room the moment his lecture was over and never look back. I was left with no choice but to press the matter. What evidence do you have that The Empire will fall within 100 years? Alec stayed silent. I wondered if he would ignore my question and just continue his lecture, but surprisingly, he did answer me. ...For the past 1000 years, the domain of intelligence has been shrinking. Thousands of years ago, this vast continent was home to many different races. The snowy north was thend of the giants, the forest in the far east was home to elves and beastfolk, and the southernnds were inhabited by dwarves and dragons. But now? We are confined to this small Imperial territory, and even that is divided into five parts. We arent having issues yet, but it wont be long before we reach our limit. Once the poption exceeds capacity, you mean? Alec shook his head. No, he said. When the cult and the demons truly begin to take action. Hm. So his prediction that it would take around 100 years was based on that assumption. I smiled as I said, I see, so youre an optimist. ...What? Its not going to take 100 years for The Empire to fall. Alecs nk stare turned to me. Although I felt a little ufortable, I continued without flinching. Ten years, I said. Thats how long it will actually take. ...If youre just spouting nonsense Its not nonsense. Right now, how many ces in The Empire are even remotely safe except for the Imperial City? Probably just the Bednicker Duchy, right? And I wasnt saying that because it was family. It was a fact. But of course, I now knew that that wasnt true. The cult had infiltrated Bednicker as well... and given Sellens attitude, the Imperial City was not safe either. The truth was, nowhere in The Empire was absolutely safe. The north is so cold that few people lived there in the first ce, and the hunter-gatherers of the eastern ins are fiercely independent, I said. The Imperial House is not whom they follow. They follow their tribe leaders, their great warriors, and their ancestors. The South? When disaster strikes, it will undoubtedly begin there. Right now, The Empire cant control even half of that vast wastnd. It was the truth. The Empires conflict had indeed begun in the south. Alec focused his gaze on me. Do you truly believe in The Empires demise? he asked. Im uncertain about itsplete downfall, but I am certain there will be war. There was no one in the world who knew that better than me. After all, I had experienced it firsthand, when the Church of Darkness began to rise from its shadows. Ten years from now, Id been swept away in that war and died. ...Come to think of it, I dont recognize your face. He was finally showing interest. I smirked slightly at his question as my earlier sense of unease solidified into certainty. Im a transfer student. This guy wasnt crazy. He only pretended to be. * * * * * * * * * * ss was over. Normally, this would be thest ss of the month. However... Ill hold another ss in three days. Will you be able to attend? asked Professor Alec. He was looking me in the eye, and of course I nodded my head. I watched Alec leave the room, then turned to Glenn. I have something urgent to take care of, so Ill head out first. H-huh? O-oh, okay! Take care I didnt hear him out. I quickly left to follow Alec. Fortunately, he hadnt gotten too far, so I was able to catch up to him just as he was exiting the Theory building. Professor, I have something to ask. ...If its your question, it should be worth listening to. Have your questions prepared by the next ss. No. I want to ask now, when were alonenot in ss. ... I hoped he could hear how sincere I was. Alec seemed to, because he stopped and turned to face me. I seized the moment and asked, Professor, you know about Spirit Mountain, dont you? I saw his face muscles bunch up as he clenched his jaw. It wasnt a big reaction, but it was enough. ...Where did you hear that name? Im sorry for thete introduction. Im Luan Bednicker. ...Bednicker, Alec repeated. Right, and you are a young hero. The family head, the Lord of Blood and Iron, must certainly know of it. Yes. The family head himself told me to seek you out, Professor. Alec let out a lowugh. ...Hoohoo. He cracked an unsettling smile and said, Follow me. I did just that. We walked past the Theory building, the main building, and a building I didnt recognize. Eventually, we stopped in front of a shabby building. This was probably where Alec was staying. Alec pulled out a bundle of keys. Clink. Can I ask why you are inquiring about Spirit Mountain? Its a ce I must go someday. ...Is that so. Clink. When the door opened, I was struck by a familiar smell. Is that the smell of medicinal herbs? It probably was. The interior looked like aboratory. There were countless ss bottles, liquids, and stic beakers, and old books and documents were scattered haphazardly across the desks and floors. As per the records, Alec began as he stepped inside, the existence of Spirit Mountain was first confirmed 157 years ago. On a penins on the eastern edge of the continent, it was discovered: a mountain range shrouded in mist year-round. Rustle. He pushed out a nearby document to me, but upon closer inspection, I realized it wasnt a document at all but a newspaper. [Empire Journal] It was a name I had heard before. Hadnt Pam mentioned that it was the Empiresrgest publishing house? I couldnt help but be surprised by the publication date. Nearly a century ago... [The great Empires expedition team sets out once again to unravel the mysteries of the East.] This is... ording to records, over the past hundred years, countless individuals have been dispatched to Spirit Mountain, and a handful of them each carried a special magic item. Alec pulled something out of a drawer and showed it to me. It looks like an old wristwatch, I said. But it didnt have hour or minute hands, and the ss was square. While it can tell time, that is only one of its functions. This was created by Penne: Archmage of Amber and the person generally acknowledged as the world''s greatest alchemist. Although it was made over a hundred years ago, I can assure you that it is still one of the mostplicated magic items in the world. It allows wearers tomunicate with each other as well as check heart rate and body temperature. It is shock resistant and waterproof, and it has a storagepartment that can hold some items. After a short silence, Alec continued, Thanks to this watch, we know two things. What things? The wearers location and whether they are alive. Alec gnashed his teeth. Grind. However, I didnt feel anger from him. Instead, I sensed fear. His voice trembling, Alec struggled to say, ...Everyone is alive. What? Over the past hundred years, every expedition, scout, and subjugation party thats ever headed for the Spirit Mountaineveryone wearing these watches...! It shows they are still alive...! ... Their locations change constantly. Sometimes, it shows that theyve soared hundreds of meters into the air. Sometimes, theyve plunged thousands of meters underground. And sometimes, wearers whove been missing for decades suddenly reappear. Alec wrapped his arm around himself and chuckled ominously. I know, I know. Its reasonable to assume the devices are malfunctioning... But I believe... ... If Hell exists, its there. Why do you think so? I have a photograph. A single photo, taken on Spirit Mountain. I paused for a moment to think. A photo was taken? Yes. I took it. I was on an expedition ten years ago... It was the most foolish decision Ive made in my short life. ... I honestly dont remember when or how I took it. I dont remember anything from the six months after I returned either... But Ive been told that I shouted and screamed,ughed uncontrobly like a madman, hurt myself frequently, and tried to hang myself at every opportunity. I studied Alecs face. After a moment, I carefully asked, Would you mind showing me the photo? ... Alec hesitated briefly before pushing his frail-looking body over to the drawer. It was taken with an old model, and the photo is quite damaged, but... He opened the drawer. I saw his hand flinch and his body freeze up like he had just seen something especially grotesque. Trembling, he reached into the drawer, and a momentter, a yellowed, discolored photograph was pulled out. ...Take a look. This... I felt a chill run down my spine. I had seen all sorts of monsters during my mercenary days. After my regression, I had encountered a gem beast. During the training camp, I had even witnessed the descent of a demon lord. However, the disturbing strangeness I felt now was several times greater than any of those. All I had was a photograph in front of me, yet it exuded palpable dread. It felt as if the darkness captured within the frame was about to be reality. In the photo was a creature. Its beady eyes were filled with malevolence. It felt like I was making eye contact with a living existence. It was clearly a beast, but it wore a wicked, evil grin that looked strangely human. It wasnt just scary or intimidating. No, it defied such simplistic descriptions. It was grotesque, eerie. It is a beast. There are records left by the eastern minorities calling it a Tiger? Alec looked startled by my interruption. You... are surprisingly well-informed. Indeed, it is as you say. It is a creature long extinct on the continent. But Alec wasnt done. Through gritted teeth, he continued, However, the tigers recorded in literature didnt look like this. They were not this massive, nor did they wear such horrific expressions...! ... How many of these creatures existed? What happened to the remaining exploration teams? Some might hope for their return, but not me. I hope the opposite. I would rather they are dead. Dead and liberated from that hell... Even after all this time, I still think and pray that same thought tens of thousands of times every night. But... Alec''s face looked like it had aged 10 years. He closed his eyes and said, I... I think... I have a feeling that those left there are still alive. And I think they are writhing in agony, suffering a fate worse than death. Only now did I realize why Alec had shown me this photo. Young Hero, I do not know what purpose you have in heading to Spirit Mountain. But... ... Please, value your life. Chapter 147 I truly appreciated Alecs genuine concern, but I was determined. Is there anything else? Hm? Anything else? Alec responded. An expedition journal, for example. Alec did not answer me immediately. His intense fervor, almost like madness, subsided, and his desperation dissipated like fog. When Professor Alecs calm demeanor returned, he turned away from me dismissively. ...You may leave for today. Professor... Ill see you in ss three days from now, he said. His tone was so firm that I was left with no choice but toply. Reluctantly, I nodded. Ill see you then.*** When your mind is at war, sometimes the best choice is to just walk without thinking. To let your gaze wander wherever it may, to let your steps fall freely and your arms swing loosely. After leaving Alecsb, I wandered the academy with no real destination in mind. My eyes roamed aimlessly. The sky was beautiful, as was the river. Even the well-paved roads, the well-maintained street lights, and the buildings beyond were pretty. It would be hard to find any ce as beautiful anywhere in the capital. Eventually, I found a bench along my path. I sat down on it and stared up at the blue sky for a moment. Spirit Mountain, known as the Continents Worst Demon Zone... Its survival rate was less than 0.1%. It was a cursednd that left trespassers in a state where they could neither live nor die. I felt like I was starting to understand, if only indirectly, what kind of ce it truly was. ...So this is why he wanted me to find out for myself. I finally understood the Lord of Blood and Irons intention. Sometimes, the weight of words isnt in the words themselves but in who delivers them. This was one of those times. If the Duke had been the one to exin the dangers of Spirit Mountain, it would not have been so impactful. But... Oddly enough, my resolve didnt falter. Instead, my desire to go to the mountain red. Am I going a little crazy too? I chuckled to myself as I tried to sort through my thoughts. Alec had a journal from his expedition to Spirit Mountain. I was certain. The tools and old publications in hisb, the photo, the books, documents, beakers filled with mysterious solutions, and even parts of unidentified creatures'' bodies... All of it, in one way or another, was definitely rted to Spirit Mountain. If that was the case, perhaps Spirit Mountain was also the underlying reason Alec spoke of the Empires doom. Doom, huh... Doom wasnt necessarily grand or far off. If the Six Demon Lords were to fully manifest into their true forms, it would mark the beginning of the end. I paused for a moment, my mind catching on a particr detail. The photo... The monsters face had been so overwhelming that I only just now realized... Thered been a sun in that photo, a sun that was dyed ck. An unnatural eclipse, one of the signs of a demon lords summoning. In that case... could a demon lord have already been summoned on Spirit Mountain? Grooowl... Ah. I was wondering why I couldnt think straight, but its because Im so hungry. Come to think of it, I havent eaten sincest night... First things first, lets get something to fill this stomach. In an academy this big, there should be more than one ce to eat. If I asked someone for directions, I should find something quickly... But instead, I decided to wander, searching for a dining hall as though I was exploring. Even though this ce was called an academy, there were many people other than students here. From gardeners to cooks to guards, servants, staff members, and even what looked to be family members. It was fair to say that Kartell Academy was like a small vige. After walking around for a bit, I came across a ce that felt more like an actual vige than the academy grounds with its overly fancy structures. So this is the shopping district. Remembering something the headmaster had mentioned, I strolled down the street, knowing my pockets were full. It turned out that the shopping district had more than just food. There were bookstores and general stores and clothing stores and even cksmiths and magic shops. Prices were rtively high, but that made sense given that most of the academys students came from rich families. Coincidentally, it was lunchtime, so the streets were filled with students, and I could smell many delicious foods being cooked. Today, however, I felt the urge to escape the hustle and the noise, so I found myself searching for somece quieter. After wandering through the back alleys for a few minutes, I finally stumbled upon a ce with just the right atmosphere. It was a tavern with a rather bizarre name, Your Moms Trumpet Sound. I was filled with a sense of nostalgia. For some reason, the name reminded me of the taverns in the southern regions. Ring. Wee! a gruff voice greeted me as I entered. The inside was dimly lit by the barest amount of sunlight, just the way I liked it. I settled down on a seat and ced my order. Id like your best dish and a drink. We dont serve alcohol during the day, the owner replied. Oh, really? It surely felt like nighttime a minute ago, I insisted, flicking a silver coin into the air. With a practiced motion, the owner snatched the coin midair and drew the curtains over the sunlit window. The days have certainly been getting shortertely. The owner disappeared into the kitchen and I nced around, curious about what kind of meal Id be served. It was quiet, but notpletely deserted. There was a couple dining quietly, their utensils clinking softly against their tes. I also spotted a familiar face. Urmph... Butterfly Goodspring was shoving a sausage into her already quite full mouth. Then we made eye contact. Butterfly choked on her food and quickly chewed and swallowed what remained before awkwardly greeting me. ...Hellow, she said. Hey. I wasnt really in the mood to chat, which was why Ide all the way to this remote ce. I definitely hadnt expected to run into a familiar face. At least its not someone Im close with. I kept my reply short and sent every signal I could to show that I wasnt in the mood for conversation. Yet this kid... this kid must have swallowed her sense of tact with her sausage because soon enough, she approached me. What a coincidence, running into you here. Why didnt youe to the wee ceremony yesterday? I was busy. Busy? With what? Some things. What things? ... Yup, it was confirmed: She was just clueless. When I gave her an unimpressed look without responding, Butterfly finally faltered a little. ...Ehem. Now that I think about it, is Hector doing okay? Elder Brother Hector? What about him? You know, after he ended up like that yesterday... Like that? My confusion must have been evident on my face because Butterfly suddenly smirked in an irritating way. Oh, so you dont know yet? Did something happen? Huhu. Something did I raised a fist and she quickly cut to the chase. ...After the wee party, he had a little fight with Elder Brother Barter. Butter? Hes still here? Barter is one of the swordsmanship professors here. Though hes often absent, he manages to meet the minimum ss requirement each year to keep his position, Butterfly exined. Mm... Anyway, since news of Hector taking swordsmanship was going around, Elder Brother Barter told him he could take a look at his skill level before actual sses start. I didnt need to hear the oue. Though Hector had grown stronger over the course of the training camp, he stillcked the strength and experience to match Barter. So thats why he didnte back to the dormst night... Was he feeling discouraged? Was he sulking in a corner somewhere, crushed by defeat? I wasnt too worried about him given how much hed grown, but Id have to check on himter just in case. So, what are you doing here? I asked. I was eating, obviously. All the way out here? I could ask the same... I just prefer ces that are dark and dingy, I replied. Sorry that this ce is so dark and dingy, came the owners voice as he set down my drink and a te of food in front of me. He didnt look all that offended, though. The drink was beer... And as for the food, it was chicken. Judging by its look and smell, it seemed to be a stew simmered with sauce and wine. The portion wasrger than Id expected. Even for someone with my appetite, two tes of this might actually be enough to make me full. Clink. The owner ced another dish with bread on the table and added, It tastes much better if you dip bread. I nodded at him. Preciate it. * * * * * * * * * * I took a sip of my beer first. Was it the atmosphere of the tavern? As I drank the beer, it was like I was transported back to my mercenary days. Of course, back then, luxuries like this frosty mug with chunks of ice floating on top had been unheard of. I nced at the small stage set up in the corner of the tavern. I nodded toward it and said, I suppose bards drop by from time to time? Oh, no, not really, the owner replied. I y a bit of the harp as a hobby, so I use it asionally. Most of the time, though, its just drunken donkeys getting up there to imitate pigs being ughtered. So it was just a prop, then. I nodded and said, The vibe here is quite simr to a southern tavern. Oh... you recognize it. My father is from down there, so I put a bit of thought into the decor, the owner replied with a grin. I nced back at the smiling owners face, and I noticed he had a particrly bushy beard and a sizable nose. Dwarf? He seemed a bit tall for that. Just my fathers side. Ah. So he was mixed-race. That wasnt exactly umon. I smiled and raised my ss. No wonder the beer tastes so good. The owner chortled heartily. Ahaha, I appreciate thepliment, but dwarves are good brewers is a stereotype. While heughed, I took a bite of the chicken to find that it was free of any smell and the thick sauce was rich in vor. Just as hed said, it would taste great with bread. Butterfly asked again, What about Elder Sister? What about her? I was just wondering if shes been getting herself into any more dangerous situations. It seemed Sellens reckless behavior was well known even within her family... Shes doing fine. ...Is that so? Well, Im d to hear that. She must have been quite a handful even in your family. Butterflyughed softly at myment. She wasnt always like that. From what I remember, she started to change when she was around ten years old. Sometimes it feels like shes apletely different person. What was she like before? She was very timid and would express her emotions very often. Sheughed a lot and cried even more. ... Butterflys words reminded me of the brief encounter Id had with Sellen Goodspring at the Rose Mansion. ...H-hello...? I mean... Sir Luan...? O-or is it... former fianc? You know, about your sister ...! At this moment, Butterfly suddenly jumped up from her seat and eximed, Big Brother Luan...! You didnt see me here! Us meeting here must stay a secret! What? Butterfly didnt even bother to answer. She just shoved a sausage into her mouth and hurried out the back door. Almost immediately, the front door opened, revealing yet another familiar face. ... It was Barter Goodspring. Everything from his appearance to his attire contrasted sharply with the shabby tavern. He surveyed the area until his gazended on me, and when it did, his eyes lit up with surprise. You are... I didnt want to get involved, so I took a sip of my drink without saying anything. Drinking in broad daylight? Bednicker always manages to surprise me in the most unexpected ways. Care for a drink? I offered, shaking my half-empty beer mug. Barter smirked. You can have it all. ... By the way, did my younger sibling happen to be here? Sellen? Im not sure. Hmm. Barters gaze fell to the table where Butterfly had been sitting. A piece of cold sausage remained on a te. Well, if you havent seen her, thats unfortunate. If you do happen to see her, please tell her Im looking for her. Sure thing, I replied. Barter smiled widely and walked away. Seeing him and his buttery smile had me feeling a bit queasy, so I downed the rest of my beer in one go and called out, Owner! Another round over here! *** Two uneventful days passed just like that. I mostly stayed in my room because I had only signed up for one ss, so there wasn''t much reason to venture out. I was not, however, particrly bored. During the day, I immersed myself in practicing my cultivation, and at night, I trained the power of my divine beast. That was enough to keep me upied. I was undergoing something of a growth spurt. Watching my inner energy swell day by day felt exhrating. I almost wanted to go find a sunny, secluded spot and do nothing but focus on my cultivation for a whole year. Unfortunately, I had too many responsibilities to attend to, so that wasnt an option. Still, I didnt stay locked away all the time. Whenever it was time to eat, I wouldzily crawl out to the dining hall. Whenever I ran into the other young heroes, we would exchange greetings and get caught up. ording to Pam, I was the only one who had chosen just one ss. While no one had signed up for a whopping fifteen sses like her, it seemed the others were taking at least four or five. On average, even if they had a lot of sses, it urred two or three times a week, so it didnt seem too heavy a workload to have a sessful academy life. To be honest, I shouldnt be this leisurely. As Sellen had told me to do, I needed to keep an eye on Glenn. ...If you know that, why are you here? Thats a very good question. I was here at Your Moms Trumpet Sound again, having another meal. The prices werent the cheapest, but for Luan, who became rich at sixteen, they posed no problem. Sellen had no sses today, so shed decided to join me to exchange information. I have no idea where Prince Glenn lives, not to mention that I have no method of contacting him. But I do have historical geography tomorrow, so I can ask him then. Well, arent you breezy and carefree. Cut me some ck, that guy is oddly difficult. Putting aside his royal status, I cant figure out what hes up to. At that, Sellen burst intoughter. Difficult, you say? At least you can have a conversation with him. Im... ha, honestly about to die. Was it... Princess Ferith? Why? Is she difficult to be around? Shes At this moment, the tavern door flew open. Standing there, backlit by the bright light from the outside, was a girl draped entirely in darkness. I stared, curious who it was this time... The girl scanned the room and, in a voice like she was performing in a theater, called out, Is, by any chance, my dear friend Sellen Goodspring here? Sellen flinched and very slowly raised her hand. ...I am here, Your Highness. Oh my, so you were here. The girl, apparently the princess, began tough. In her arms, she held a ratherrge doll. She looked down at it and said, See, Deathberry. I told you wed find her here. As I stared at her in bewilderment, the princess spoke again. My dearest friend Sellen, you mentioned youd show me a fine restaurant. Was it this ce, by any chance? ...Yes, it is. Hmph. Its dank and dark... I feel like Ill have a rush of inspiration. I like it. Then her gaze shifted toward me. And you are? ...Im Luan Bednicker. Oh my, a Bednicker. With a bright smile, the princess moved her doll while saying, Did you hear that, Deathberry? Its a Bednicker. You should say hello too. ...Hi! Mean-looking Bednicker! Im Deathberry. Hohoho. Now, now, Deathberry, its rude to say such a thing to someone you just met. The doll in the princesss arms greeted me with a little bow, and... the princess looked at me expectantly, clearly waiting for something. ... ... ...Hello, Deathberry. Hehehe, the princessughed, clearly pleased. I felt Sellen slowly turn to look at me, her gaze half dead. I could almost see the tears in her eyes. I could only nod and give her a small smile in sympathy. Glenn really was a saint. ____ Chapter 148 Truthfully, the doll''s appearance was even more eye-catching than the princess herself. From its clothes to its skin and its hair... if not for its short limbs, it could be mistaken for a person. Most people probably called it a bisque doll or a ball-jointed doll. Do people actually find that cute? I didnt mean to mock anyones tastes, but... how should I put it? It looked like something that would be left behind in some eerie, abandoned building. The materials of its clothes and essories were high quality, but that wasnt nearly enough to make me want to take it home. In terms of craftsmanship and overall quality, the Leone and Lord of Blood and Iron puppets made by the headmaster had been far moreplete. Even so, the princesss doll, due to its uncanny resemnce to humans, was far more unsettling. Most disturbing of all were its eyes, where the whites and pupils were reversed. If only I could just... pluck them out... ...Even ignoring the doll, I found the princess personality a bit overwhelming, so I was hoping shed just leave. Maybe shed even take Sellen with her?Of course, she did not leave. She came right up to me and took the seat across the table. Then, looking at me with eyes that looked exactly like Glenns, she offered a slight smile. I heard that all Bednickers possess rare ck hair and bewitching violet eyes. You have the eyes, but your hair color is a bit unusual. I take after my mothers side more. Ah, I thought perhaps you used hair dye, but I guess not. Hair dye? I took a closer look at the princess. The princesss hair was jet ck, which was quite a contrast to the crimson hair that the imperial bloodline was usually born with. Noticing my stare, she smiled at me. She twirled her hair with a finger and said, Pretty, right? ... Suddenly, I remember my Third Senior Brothers favorite phrase: in an unavoidable pickle. Indeed, I was in such a situation right now. If Iplimented her hair, Id basically be saying I preferred her dyed-ck hair over the imperial familys signature crimson... If I said no, couldnt that be considered insulting the imperial family? Thankfully, our benevolent princess changed the subject. Whats good here? ...Their braised chicken and grilledmb chops are delicious. I see. Then Ill have one cup of ck tea. ... I wasnt sure they even served such a thing here, but thankfully, it seemed the owner wasntpletely clueless; he nodded quickly and said, Ill bring it out right away! Let me tell you, he looked ready to grow, harvest, and dry the tea leaves on the spot if he didnt have any. Princess Ferith turned to us with a rxed expression. Sellen, it looked like you were having a secret meeting. Did I interrupt? Of course not. Hmm. Dont worry, I do have a ss this afternoon, so Ill be disappearing soon, she said. So the princess wasntpletely oblivious. Eventually, after actually having a cup of ck tea, she stood up from her seat. The ck tea was average, said the princess. Anyway, Ill be leaving now. By the way, have you gathered any members yet? I apologize. There hasnt been any progress yet. At that, the princess turned to look at me. How about your friend here? He seems like hed be a good fit. Um... If you think so, Ill have a talk with him in private. Yes, you do that. With that, the princess smiled and walked out the door. Sellen rubbed her temple with a tired face. ...Can you order me a beer? Sure. Owner? Coming right up. The owner brought over a draft beer immediately, as if hed already had it prepared. Sellen gulped down the beer, which looked to be about a pint, and wiped the back of her hand over her mouth. Fuhooo... To think youre quite the drinker, how unexpected. Want any food to go with it? Sellen nced down at my te. I want fried chicken, she said, her voice downcast. All right. Well then... what was that about members? The princess was talking about the Ghost Story Club. Shes the president. Whats a club? To put it simply... It''s like a meeting between students with simr hobbies. Hm, so they meet up just for fun? The princess wants to get five members total, though Im not sure why. I see. I took a bite of chicken and asked, How many people are in it right now? Only two: me and the princess. Three if we count you. That means we need to find two more members. Yeah, Sellen replied anxiously. If I gather five, she said shell invite us to the club room. Im hoping to find clues there. Should we hurry? There isnt much time to spare. We have less than ten days until the full moon. What about the full moon? Our conversation hit a dead end here. Sellen simply wasnt willing to share more information with me, but that would be a serious inconvenience if we were to continue working together. As I looked at Sellen, I had a feeling that this was the moment to ask. I still havent been given an exnation of the full situation yet, but I have to ask... I lowered my voice and continued, ...Is one of them a member of the cult? ... Sellen didnt answer right away, but I saw her chin lower a fraction. I know its hard to believe, she said. No, I believe you. Youve seen a glimpse of the Tome of Las. Bang! Sellen jumped up from her seat and stared at me in total shock. How do you know about the Tome...? I sniffed and drank my beer. Id been thinking about this for a few days. Even though I had some idea of what was going on, pretending to bepletely ignorant was exhausting. If we were going to keep meeting each other and, at times, working together, it wasnt like me to keep walking on eggshells, fearing Id identally say something stupid. So Id decided to reveal some of my own thoughts as well. First, take a seat. Are you trying to draw attention? Sellen nced around. Although the people who came here werent particrly interested in other peoples business, Sellens sudden action had obviously drawn some attention to us. Sellen noticed the watching eyes and sat back down, and I continued, You know things I dont, but there are also things I know that you dont. And I know much more than you think. ... You know, I dont believe that trust between people is necessarily built on total honesty. Even between a parent and a child, I believe some secrets are best left unspoken. I was being a bit ambiguous, which was unlike me, but I hoped Sellen understood what I was trying to say. If Sellen dismissed it and demanded everything be out in the open, there wouldnt be much I could do. It would just mean the end of our cooperation. But as far as I knew, Sellen Goodspring was not such an inflexible person. When the situation called for it, she was fully capable of bending. More than anything, it would be a shame to end the partnership here, even for her. ... After a moment of silence, Sellen nodded a little. ...Youre right. Thanks to the Tome of Las, I do know parts of the future. It seemed her decision was made. We were keeping our alliance for now. Although this might raise her guard toward me just a bit, it didnt matter. Id behaved that way toward Sellen too, after all. But Id seen Sellen clinging to her own sense of justice, even up to the moment of her death, and Id realized something: Perhaps I didnt need to exhaust myself trying to figure out whatever secrets she was hiding. I was keeping secrets of my own too, but they werent anything to be ashamed of. What was written in the Tome? In a slow, measured tone, Sellen said, ...Upon the second full moon, the deepest crimson of the River of Twilight shall reach the darkened sky. As despair and sorrow whirl like a tempest and the tree of knowledge crumbles, the rivers of blood shall dye the full moon its true color. Prophecies were often spoken in hard-to-understand riddles. Thankfully, this one wasntpletely unintelligible. I said, ...The second full moon seems to refer to the full moon in February. The only ce in the capital that could be called a tree of knowledge is Kartell Academy, said Sellen. And darkened sky... Does that mean the disaster will happen at night? I think so, and in thest verse, where it says rivers of blood shall dye the full moon its true color... The Blood-Lit Moon. I finally knew which demon lord would manifest in Kartell Academy. Hadenaihar, I said. Sellen nodded, her expression dark. Thats right. * * * * * * * * * * The Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon. Hadenaihars faction was also known as the Church of Assassins. It was the most secretive power within the Church, mostly consisting of experts in assassination, infiltration, and subterfuge. Id had my own personal run-in with this particr demon lord... It had been none other than the assassins of Hardenaihar who tried to kill me in the Gem Mountains. In other words, they were adept at concealing their identities. Lowering her voice even further, Sellen said, To be honest, Im almost convinced that the insider is on the princesss side. ...Usually, an assumption like that means the traitor is on Glenns side. That''s just in novelsreality is different. Suspicious people act suspiciously, thats what makes them suspicious. It would be stranger if the culprit wasnt suspicious. That was very true. Do you have any proof? I asked. Sellen nodded. Her behavior is too suspicious. When she''s not in ss, Ive heard that she holes up in the academy''s research wing, located on the north side of the academy, and Ive heard a bunch of weird rumors about it. Only professors can rent out researchbs normally, but asionally, exceptionally talented people are allowed to rent personalb space. What are the rumors? People have heard screams from inside, theyve seen the bloodied princess wandering the halls or carrying mysterious leather bags containing unknown substances... You know, that sort of thing... That sounds like a bunch of baseless rumors... ...Where theres smoke, theres fire, Sellen countered. Hm... Of course, we shouldnt jump to conclusions. Ill do a bit more investigating, so if you could continue to keep an eye on Prince Glenn, thatd be great. I nodded. I will. *** Later, I ran into Pam in the dining hall. The research wing? I know that ce! Pam eximed. I heard it''s really scary. A legitimately spooky ce, no joke. Scary? Yeah! There are tons of ghost stories. Like, they say you can hear tapping on the windows at midnight when the building is all dark, and youll feel like someone is watching you from somewhere. They say if you lock eyes with a pale, translucent woman in the window, youll lose your body... Hearing this reminded me of the strange rumors Sellen had told me about Princess Ferith. Pam, without me even asking, let out a sinister chuckle and continued, The most impressive tale is about Building 13, the building that shouldnt exist. Building 13? Apparently, there are only 12 buildings in the research wing, but on Friday the 13th, a 13th building appears. If you can''t resist your curiosity and step into building 13, you''re halfway to the otherworld. What happens then? They say a game of tag begins. If you havent lost the ghosts inside by morning, you cant return to the real world. Hmm... The other details are interesting too. Like, evidently the infirmary is the only absolutely safe ce within the building, and supposedly you can only attack the ghosts with the cleaning tools in the storage room... I was barely listening to Pams words when suddenly, she pped her hands as if shed just remembered something. Oh! Speaking of which, Evan went to the research wing yesterday! Evan? Yeah. He was running an errand for the swordsmanship professor Pam was cut off by a pitiful scream. AAHHHHHH! Pam, who had been building up the atmosphere with her spooky tales, jumped in surprise. I wasnt as startled, but my heartbeat did quicken. I turned to look at the source of the scream, which I found was none other than Evan himself at a nearby table. He was looking at a student on the floor with an expressionless face... Upon closer inspection, I realized he also looked familiar. Talis? The guy who had provoked me in Professor Alec''s ss. It seemed he had taken a hit or two, as he was looking up at Evan with blood dripping from his nose. You... you! Do you really think you can get away with this? Werent you the one who insulted House Helvin first, Senior? You also threw the first punch. Immediately, all eyes turned to Talis, and the big-ass bears face flushed a deep shade of red as he fumed. When did I ever do that...! There should bemunication crystals installed in this dining hall. Should we use them to verify the truth? I dont mind. At this moment, Talis abruptly stood up and charged at Evan. He was fast, but his movements were clumsy and his attacks were simple. His emotions had too much influence on his actions. Evan easily dodged Talis''s attack, then twisted his arm and mmed his face onto the dining hall table. Crack! ...! The sound of shattering tes was apanied by a short scream from someone before a chilling silence quickly fell over the once-noisy dining hall. Pam looked startled. Uh... Things seemed to be getting out of hand. ...I know your kind too well, Evan whispered as he looked at the blood sttered on the table. The disgusting kind who resorts to authority when things go wrong. But why cant you just get it through your thick skull? The authority you pride yourself on doesn''t feed you. It wont even save your life. MMPHHH! Perhaps you simply don''t realize that you need to pick your battles wisely. Allow me to teach you a lesson today: If you do something foolish, you must pay the price. Evan tightened his grip on Talyss arm, twisting it at an impossible angle. Ugh, arghh...! As Talis thrashed against the table, Karis, seated nearby, quickly made to intervene. Evan! Thats enough! ... Hey! Cant you hear me? Let go of his arm Karis stopped in his tracks and flinched slightly. He had just caught a glimpse of Evan''s face, though unfortunately, I couldnt see it from my angle. You... ...Hmm. Did I go... a little overboard? Evan chuckled softly and rxed his grip. With a loud crash, Talys dropped to the ground, though he quickly stumbled to his feet. The moment his eyes met Evans, he let out a terrified gasp and rushed out of the dining hall. What''s been up with youtely? You''ve been acting weird. Weird? Whats so weird about this? Its what we learned in the training camp: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. What? Honestly, I held back a bit. If Id been carrying a sword, I would have taken a limb or two for good measure. Kariss face stiffened, which made Evanugh again. Rx. Im just kidding. ... Lets just continue our meal. Ah, how fortunate. I got very lucky, no blood sttered on themb. Evan sat down and began picking at the food on the messy table. ...M-man, I was so scared. Pam had her hand against her heart, which was probably pumping wildly. She looked like a squirrel that had seen a bloodthirsty predator. Has Evan always been like that? I think this is the first time Ive seen him angry. Ah, of course, he wasughing and all, but still... ... W-wait, could he have been possessed by a ghost...? No way, right? I didnt respond, instead just gulping down my drink... But I kept my gaze fixed on Evan the whole time. Не удается получить доступ к сайту This chapter is missing , we are fix soon ! Chapter 149 Chapter 149 After that whole ordeal, I returned to my room to find a familiar face. Elder Brother? ...Mm, he hummed in answer. He was busy organizing his things, but his head was tilted slightly toward me, indicating he was listening. I hung my coat on the hanger and said, Youve been hard to findtely. Where have you been sleeping? Theres a ce inside the martial arts building where people can rest. I stayed there for a few days. Sorry I didnt inform you, I was deeply immersed and didnt want to break my flow. No need to apologize. Just dont overdo it. Yeah. I nced at the back of Hectors head for a moment. ...The side of his face was slightly swollen.I was quite skilled at beating people up, so I could tell: That injury hadnte from a simple spar. I could almost feel the malice behind the blows just from looking at the wound they left. I scratched the back of my neck and said, The air tonight is pretty good. Fresh and breezy. I think Ill go for a walk. At this hour? I like wandering about at night. You can go to bed first, or... finish organizing or whatever. All right. I grabbed my coat from the hanger and left the roombut just before the door closed behind me, Hector spoke, his voice filled with emotion. Luan. Yeah? Thanks. I smiled. Dont mention it. *** The next day was, finally, the day of Professor Alecs second ss. After wandering around the campus so much these past few days, I was starting to get familiar with the academy grounds. There were still plenty of areas I hadnt visited yet, of course, but... I could at least find my way around on my own now. Bringing Kayan and Arzan along just to attend a single ss felt a bit unnecessary, so I had been going around on my own most of the time. Apparently, apanying servants had the right to take sses too, so Id told them that they could go and take whatever subjects interested them To that, Kayan had smiled and politely declined, while Arzan had thanked me. She was probably interested in one of the sses. I was a little curious which ss she was interested in, but I didnt want to pry. That was her business. Even though they were my servants, asking felt like it would be an invasion of her privacy. I didnt want to do that, and thus, it would remain a mystery. Anyway, it was already time for ss. H-hi! I hadnt seen Glenn in a while. I waved and said, Hey. My goal for today wasnt just to not part ways with him after ssI hoped to grab a bite to eat with him and, if possible, set up a way to stay in touch. Of course, I wasnt going to bring that up right now, at the start of ss. He seemed quick to catch on to things, and I didnt want to make him suspicious. Hmm. ...Anyhow, the ssroom was unusually quiet today. Likely because Talis and his stupid friends werent upying their usual seats in the back. It seemed theyd decided toy low for a few days after Taliss nose was crushed by Evan yesterday. Creak. At this point, the door opened and Alec appeared, just in time for todays lecture. Alec took one look at the two of us sitting in the front and nodded without a word of greeting. Lets begin the lesson. Professor Alecs lecture began, filling the hushed atmosphere with historical geography. Maybe it was just my imagination, but he seemed more engaged thanst time. asionally, he even made eye contact with me. Had he had a change of heart in thest few days? While focusing on Alecs ss, I considered how Id get him to give me his exploration journal. When there were ten minutes left until the end of ss, he proved that I wasnt just imagining his change in attitude. That is it for todays ss. Are there any questions? Glenn, clearly surprised, drew in a sharp breath. Judging by his reaction, this must have been the first time Alec had ever asked that. Otherwise Glenn urgently interrupted him: Professor! What are your thoughts on the Church? Alec turned his focus to Glenn. Youre not talking about the 72 Churches or the Church of the Sun. Do you mean the Church of Darkness? Y-yes. Alec said, in his characteristic emotionless voice, Practicers of eschatology, they are the empires primary enemy. They are clearly recognized as a hostile force by all of The Empires citizens, yet their identity is more mysterious than any other. Does that answer your question? Glenn shook his head. ...I wasnt asking about the general perception of the Church. Behind his sses, his eyes bore a look that I found unfamiliar. The prince stared at the professor with zing eyes and said, Im curious what you think of the Church, Professor. ... You taught us that the Churchs main method of co-opting individuals is by instilling fear. ...A sailor facing a tidal wave sometimes throws himself into the sea. Its an old saying, but its meaning is misunderstood today. The sailor does not jump into the wave because they have been driven mad by fear. The real reason the sailor jumps in... Is to be the tidal wave, Glenn said, continuing where Alec trailed off. Then he would have nothing to fear, for he has be fear itself. ...The cults Wicked Scriptures detail the ny-nine possible endings for humanity, Professor Alec exined, and that twisted doctrine corrupts the minds of those who hear it. It creeps up on those sufficiently deranged, and in their ear it whispers... Will you join us? It was, in a way, a ssic tactic for turning victims into aplices... But the cults methods went a step further. They were much more sinister and wicked. I didnt believe that fear was their sole tool. They wielded and manipted madness even better than fear. In this world, no person should be avoided as much as a madman... but far scarierthe scariest of all, in factwere those who knew how to manipte madmen. That was why, from my point of view, the Church of Darkness was the most dangerous. I have a fundamental question, said Glenn. They im to be a religiona group that cannot exist without faith. And? asked Alec. Glenn hesitated briefly before asking, Professor, is the Church really a pure, simple evil? In the aftermath of Glenns question, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. It wasnt just me who was shockedeven Alec narrowed his eyes. Your Highness... Alec said, his voice dropping an octave. Though status holds little weight here at the academy, I advise you to be more mindful of your position. Im asking this because it''s you, Professor, Glenn said, his voice growing more intense as he spoke. No one is more certain of the Empires downfall in this academy than you, Professor Alec. In this moment, I saw a glimpse of Alec in Glenns eyes, when Alec and I had spoken about Spirit Mountain. I saw a glimpse of that madness. Many are under the illusion that the ultimate goal of the cult is The Empires downfall, said Glenn. In reality, Im sure that is only half of their goal. I want to know: After the fall of The Empire, what will their next move be? Will they choose to destroy themselves, for they are the ones whose purpose is demise? ... I think not. They must have a real purpose, one they are keeping hidden. That is what I want to know, even if... Glenn closed his mouth. The storm of insanity that had been raging behind those eyes reduced to a slight simmer. But I knew, and perhaps Alec did too, what Glenn had been about to say. Even if it means bing a cultist. DING. The sound of the bell broke the silence. After ss, Professor Alec left. He said hed see us again in three days. It seemed like sses would continue like this for the time being. Let us pretend todays discussion did not happen. Alec had said that right before he left... and Glenn hadn''t said anything in response. After the whole ordeal, hed instantly returned to his usual timid self. Having heard the entire conversationId been sitting right next to himI felt as if I had just woken from a strange dream. I looked at Glenn, sitting on a bench. Behind his sses, his eyes stared nkly into space like two frozen suns, devoid of warmth. I sat next to him, stared forward, and asked bluntly, Are you a cultist? ... Like this, we sat side by side in simple silence. Our eyes took in the sight of the academy before us. Under the bright sunshine, I could see young sprouts, eager to learn new things. Someone could easily capture this scene in a painting and title it Peace. Suddenly, Glenn asked, Do you like the color red? I dont particrly dislike it. To me, red was the color of inspiration. It reminded me of the sun and of mes. Of course, Glenn probably hadnt asked because he wanted to hear a reply like that. I... hate it. I hate it a lot, actually. I dont understand why red is revered as a symbol of royalty, why its symbolized as the color of beginning. ... I dont like my hair. I dont like my eyes. I dont even like looking at the sky when the sun sets. For me, red is just the color of blood. With a pained voice, Glenn murmured, ...I miss my older sister. Do you mean Princess Ferith? No. My real sister. Glenn turned to look at me. You asked me if I was a cultist. Is that even a real question? But, in all honesty... I think the church is more right than the imperial family. Why? Do you know of House Bednicker? Another sudden question. I nced to the side, wondering if he was being rhetorical, but he seemed serious. I know about as much as anyone else, I responded. A lot of people say that the way the Lord of Blood and Iron treats his children is wrong, that hes too harsh, but I dont think thats correct. Nobody is as cruel as the imperial family. Glenn smiled at me. You know, Luan... would you believe me if I told you that there were once hundreds of princes? What? Glenn let out a low chuckle and stood up. Pretend you didnt hear that. ... It seemed like you had some business with me, but... sorry, Im really tired today. Im going to get some rest. Im staying in room 305 in the Crimson Hall, so Ill see youter. With those words, Glenn staggered away. It would have been easy to grab him, to chase him down, but I didnt. Instead, I felt my stomach slowly twist itself into a knot. ...Haa. I was starting to feel a bit irritated. *** As Id said before, I didnt particrly enjoy drinking Despite that, beer had been on my mind a lottely, for some reason. Maybe it was because a lot of frustrating things were happening? That was probably it. It was just like when Id been a mercenary. Just... living one day after another. A life that wasnt getting any better, but also one that I couldnt just end peacefully. I knew best what living such a life was like. My heart feeling as heavy as a block of lead, and no matter how long I slept, I never woke up feeling better. And to forget that shitty life, Id had no choice but to resort to alcohol. ... As the sun was setting, I was on my way to Your Moms Trumpet Sound when I suddenly stopped in my tracks... I thought of my master. If he saw me now, hed probably p the back of my head. Phew... I let out a pent-up breath and tilted my head up to look up at the night sky. Id never believed I could easily uncover everything, but even so, things were unfolding in a much moreplicated way than I had anticipated Fuck alcohol. This wasnt the time to get drunk. I needed to sort out everything that was going on in my life. ...Thats how I ended up standing randomly in the middle of the path to the tavern, trying to sort the chaos in my mind. I dont think Glenn is a cultist. At least, not yet. From what Id seen of him today, it seemed more urate to say that he hated the royal family more than he supported the cult. It felt like he was forcing himself to side with the empires greatest enemy just to spite the royal family. While it was impulsive and immature, it wasnt surprising given his age. He didnt seempletely out of his mind, so it was unlikely he would do something as reckless as throwing himself to the cult out of anger. But, to reiterate, I thought it unlikely. However small, there was still a chance. When someone loses their shit, theres no telling what they might do. It was safe to assume anything was possible. So, did that mean Princess Ferith was a member of the cult? I did think that was more likely, but I couldnt say for sure. It suddenly hit me that I knew almost nothing about the Church of Darkness. In fact, that was probably true of everyone. The people of the empirewhether it be the Great Houses, the hero institution Heroes, or even the believers of the Church of the Sunand even those directly involved with the cult, they all knew very little about the cult. Then, who knew the most? ... I turned on my heel. For once, I didnt take the train or walk at a leisurely pace; I sprinted through the academy grounds like I was being chased. Before long, I arrived at the Amber Hall... Standing before room 202, I knocked on the door. Yes? I sensed movement inside, and the door opened immediately after. Oh, Luan? Evan looked at me, bewildered. He shared a room with Karis, but it seemed he was the only one here right now. I need to talk to you for a second. About what? Theres something I need to ask you about the cult. The cult? All of a sudden? Evan cocked his head. As innocent as the act looked, I couldnt help but release a breathlessugh. Yeah, I said. I dont mind, but... why me of all people? If its about the cult, of course I have to consult a vice-cult leader. ... A smile crept across Evans face. It was a slow shift, like the turning of a page. The human face was a fascinating thing. Even subtle shifts in the shape, size, and positioning of a feature couldpletely change an expression... Even identical smiles could feel totally different depending on the situation. Evans smile was exactly the same as usual, there was no doubt about that. Evans smile was refreshing, gentle, warm... It was that kind of radiant smile. However, after hearing me say vice-cult leader, he smiled in a way I never expected from the Evan Helvin I knew. ...This is going to be a long conversation, Evan said with his usual friendlynow unsettlingsmile. He gestured to his room. Care toe in? After a brief inconspicuous pause, I nodded. Chapter 150 Chapter 150 TL/N: Fajin is a martial arts technique wherein the user unleashes a strong pulse or shock wave of ki into their target. It happened just as I stepped into Evans room. In the center of the ceiling, a pitch-ck puddle formed. Its darkness spread down the walls like brush strokes as ck droplets traced their way downward. The once spacious room was quickly consumed by total darkness. Though Evan had just weed me inside, he was nowhere to be found. Faint, mockingughter echoed from somewhere far away. Hahahahaha. I blinked, my eyes straining against the sudden ckout. Why draw the curtains on such a beautiful day? What are you, a child of darkness? I muttered, irritated.As I was speaking nonsense, I was also taking the chance to calmly look around. Even painting the walls ck couldnt possibly make it this dark... which meant Evan must have used some ability. The space I was standing in felt quite vast. In fact, it felt so vast that I didnt feel like I was confined to a small roommy senses stretched outward in every direction without hindrance. I walked soundlessly through the darkness. After taking about twenty steps, a writhing mass of darkness from my right lunged toward me. Ssshaaak! I easily sidestepped it, raised my fist, and punched it back. The darkness sttered like ink, but I didnt feel any real impact from the blow. It was as if I had just struck muddy water. Then, from beyond the darkness, came a voice: It would be wise for you to answer my questions honestly from now on. It sounded like Evan. It also sounded like we were in a cave; it was difficult to pinpoint where his voice wasing from. And if I don''t? You will be trapped here forever. How scary. Go on, ask away. How did you know Im a vice-cult leader? I had a hunch. ... It just so happens that my intuition is rather sharp. Hisughter echoed once more, and I decided to use the power of the divine beast. However, serpents eye did not rid the darkness around me. Oh. With that came a realization: It wasnt just dark. The walls all around me were literally painted ck. My initial impression that it resembled brush strokes hadnt been wrong at all. Having good night vision was pointless when I used the flow of ki to see. I immediately concentrated fire ki into my eyes and activated fire eyes. Fwoosh. This was the first time Id ever used these two skills simultaneously, but it came more naturally than Id expected. As anticipated, swirling ck currents became visible all around me, twisted into chaotic, evil threads. It was aplex formationso intricate that most people couldnt even attempt to untangle it, in fact. But... For someone like me, who had trained under my second senior sisters rigorous discipline, it wasnt all that difficult. I quickly located the core of its defense and instantly devised a way to break it. Clenching my fist, I gathered my true ki. Crunch. The volume of internal energy surging within me was still far too small to be called an ocean, but it was sizable enough to resemble ake. I should be able to use them now. The White Sun Formstter-half-of-the-first-parttechniques. Calling them the tter-half-of-the-first-part techniques sounded shitty, but whatever... Since my regression, I hadnt used anything beyond the sixth technique. Thetter techniques of the White Sun Form, from the seventh to thest, not only demanded immense internal energy but also ced a heavy strain on my body. For that reason, Id not even considered using them before this. But now I was ready. My body was solidly conditioned, and my internal energy, while not limitless, was sufficient. Probably the only technique I couldnt use right now was the the tenth and final technique. A technique that I could call my signature move. Fire ki surged from my inner core, enveloping my entire body. Ssssss. In this moment, I sensed Evan, lurking beyond the darkness and watching me intently. The greatest disadvantage of thetter techniques was that they took a bit of time to prepare. Because of that, in a head-to-head confrontation where every second counted, they were more challenging to execute than Id like. Papapat! Many hands came at me from within the darkness, but they were automatically repelled by the overwhelming energy waves radiating from my body. I hade up with a strategy to mitigate the shorings of such great techniques. While I was concentrating my power, I released fire ki from my entire body to form a ming barrier. The reason I hadnt done this before was, of course, that it required an immense amount of internal energy. Now. The moment the concentration of my inner energy reached its peak, I took arge step forward, almost in slow motion. Though it wasnt intentional, it felt as if I stepped over a threshold as the very space around me shook and trembled. I imbued my fists with the essence of fajin and bunched up all the muscles from my arms to my legs. I slowly pulled my arms back, and then... White Sun Form, Seventh Technique. Twin mes. I struck the dark, empty air. KWA-BOOOM! The twin impacts of my fists created a thunderous sound. The two blows created shockwaves that rippled through the atmosphere, and the point where the waves met wavered and bent, unable to withstand the raw power. From the space within, the dark wall strained and strained until, finally... CRAAAACK! The ck wall splintered like a pane of ss... Revealing Evan on the other side, sitting on his bed with a dumbfounded look on his face. He stammered, Wh-what the Hell. * * * * * * * * * * I surged forward, quickly closing the distance to the panicked Evan. Evan''s eyes widened as he snapped back to his senses and drew his sword. ... The moment I saw that, I deliberatelyslightlyslowed my attack. ng! My fist, infused with ki, was practically invulnerable to des, unless the wielder was a master swordsman. And a room this small was not a good environment to wield a sword in. It didnt take me long to seize him by the cor. Evan grabbed my wrist in a desperate attempt to pry me off, but it was a futile struggle, like thest thrashings of an animal already caught in a snare. I mmed Evan down onto the bed. Craaaack... The bed, unable to absorb the full impact, buckled and sank beneath him. Evan coughed harshly as his breaths came out ragged. Taking advantage of the moment, I snatched both his sword and my Sword of Seven Sins, and drove them into the mattress in an X-shape right above his throat... Stab! Just a hairs width from his neck. One wrong move and his throat would be cut. But... ...Pft! Evan suddenly began tough. He looked amused despite the pain that had to be radiating from his back. Did he still have some trick up his sleeve? I tilted my head and looked down at him. Oddly, I noticed that he wasnt even trying to struggle against me. ...How kind of you to throw me on the bed. We dont want to have to worry about noiseints, right? What? Oh. It took Evan a moment to realize that his room was on the second floor, but when he did, he again began tough, It seemed he found that very amusing. Eventually, he turned to me, his eyes harboring a wicked glint. Ah. That was fun, he said. You can kill me now. ... You were a lot more fun than I thought. It might not be such a bad way to go, dying by your hand. Id expected more resistance, but he was surprisingly calm, almost nonchnt. All it would take was a slight press on the hilt, but... Instead, I asked, When did you awaken as a vice-cult leader? So you even know about the awakening? Answer the question if you dont want to get hurt. Oh, does that mean youll spare me if I do a good job answering your questions? Depends. If I like your answers, I might hold off on chopping off your head. Well then, Id better give it my all, huh? he said with a smirk. I awakened justst night. ...You mean you diedst night? Thats right. It was quite an unexpected death. Who? How? I asked, not actually expecting an answer. But with an unexpected cheeky grin, Evan responded, A cultist. I let my guard down and went straight to the afterlife. A cultist? Well, to be precise, I died to a trap set by a cultist. A word of advice: Dont bother checking out the research wing. Its already a lost cause. Watching Evan cackle to himself, I pulled one of the swords free from its sheath. He let out a small sigh as the pressure lifted slightly. Next question. What happened to the original Evan? The original Evan? The one I used to know. Ah. Evan smirked slightly. That Evan. Hes dead, of course. I neared Evan and gripped the remaining sword firmly in my hand. If I brought it down, I would most definitely slit his defenseless throat. ... But I did not. ...Wh? Evan nervously fumbled with his neck, as if to make sure it was still attached. Weren''t you going to kill me? If I were going to kill you, I would have done so immediately. Why else would you still be alive? To extract information about the cult? Well, thats part of it. Hmm... I cant think of any other reason. You used Raven earlier. Evan paused. Raven is aplicated sword technique. Its not something you can just pick up by ncing over someones shoulder. Most people, when faced with a crisis, instinctively resorted to moves they were familiar with. Evan had done exactly that. In a moment of crisis, Evan had responded with Raven without a moment''s hesitation. That was where my question came from. Evan smiled. So, what? Because you see Evan Helvin in me, youre saying youll let things y out while keeping an eye on me? Don''t be mistaken. Killing you would be easy. I can do it any time, any day, without breaking a sweat. But if I just get rid of you like this, itll feel too much like unfinished business, so I want to make sure. The truth was, that wasnt the only reason I felt a sense of unease. Of course, you might have absorbed all of the old Evans memories, knowledge, experience, and skills when you awakened as a vice-cult leader... but that doesnt exin themotionst night. Last night? When you beat Talis to a pulp. You said it was because House Helvin had been insulted, right? If you were truly a vice-cult leader, it would be none of your business what happened to that family. ... At this point, Im curious too. What exactly is your current condition? Evan smirked. Funny you ask. It seems you dont know much about vice-cult leaders. ... Fine, Ill give you an answer. First of all, theres no such thing as the original Evan. Technically, I am the Evan you knew. Though he still had that annoying grin stered on his face, his tone now was serious. I remained silent, so he continued his exnation. So you thought that when someone awakens as a vice-cult leader, their original ego vanishes and is reced by a different one, like theyve been possessed by an evil spirit? Is that not what happens? No. Still, youre so different from the Evan I knew. His expression suddenly turned grave. People change, he said. ...Youre right, but its still strange to see someone change so much in just two days. Maybe from your perspective, but dont you think ten years is enough time for a person to change? Ten years? When you awaken as a vice-cult leader, the memories of evil engraved in your lineage reawaken, but the quantity varies. It depends on the emotions you held just before you died. ... I recalled the high priest Juans words. And youve given him the most horrific death possible. Haha! Evan Helvin will be reborn as the greatest vice-cult leader to have ever existed! Hmm... So, the shittier the death, the more memories of evil reawakened? That exined Evans current state. How should I put it? He looked... strangely nd, as if all his venom had drained away. From the way he talked, his death must have been rather abrupt... It sounded like he hadnt had the chance to fully savor the deep, dark emotions of his death. If that was why fewer memories of evil had awakened in him, and therefore why he had a rtively untainted mind... ...Of course, it was still too early to make a judgment like that. I couldnt take everything he said at face value. But... It was hard to deny that ten years could change a person. I was a living example. Anyway, while my biggest question had been answered, another had arisen. I looked at Evan and asked, Why did you act like you wanted to die just now? ... The fact that you got caught as a vice-cult leader is one thing. Im very good at sniffing things out. But your response after being caught was pathetic: You admitted defeat immediately after you were subdued, and then you started yapping about how I should just kill you. What are you trying to say? Every cultist Ive ever encountered was far more tenacious than you. Even when they recognized the gap in our strength, they threw themselves at me with no regard for their own life, like rabid dogs. ... Evan smiled faintly and replied, Because itd be pointless. I red at Evan. What do you mean? He didnt respond immediately. Instead, he rose from the bed and walked over to the window. You ask why I acted like I have no more reason to live? Its simple. Right now, Im as good as dead. What? Honestly, so is everyone in the academy right now. Evan chuckled, his shoulders shaking with amusement. Want some advice? Get the hell out of the academy while you still can. If youre lucky, you might just make it out. What are you talking about? What do you think? This ce is already Hell. Evan looked at me with a nk expression. You mentioned wanting to ask something about the cult, right? he said. By the way youre speaking, it seems like youve caught on to whats happening here... but a little toote. Evan turned his gaze out the window. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a warm, crimson glow across the world. Beneath that vibrant sky, the river flowedzily. The muffled, far-awayughter of academy students drifted pleasantly up to the room and danced around my ears. Evan took in the scene like it was a work of art before he spoke. The demon lord has already been summoned. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 151 Chapter 151 After meeting three demon lords, Ide to a conclusion... I should not view them as enemies to be defeated. Not yet. I dont stand a chance against them. Lets face it, demon lords werent the kind of opponents that should be challenged out of martial pridethey were catastrophes to be avoided, at least for now. Naturally, my focus had shifted toward stopping the ritual, but... "A demon lord has already been summoned, I said. Evan nodded nonchntly while staring at the sky lit by the setting sun. "Yeah." I followed his gaze and said, But theres no eclipse."His gaze didnt waver as he replied, "Because its Hadenaihar." I paused, then recalled Hadenaihar''s other name. "...Wait, does that mean Hadenaihars sign isnt a sr eclipse but a lunar eclipse?" "You''re half right. But that doesnt mean we can see it with the naked eye. The erosion happens on the Veiled Side." Veiled Side? What''s that?" The shadow realm, the world beyond thekes surface... To simplify, you could call it the dream world. Hadenaihar is also known as the Demon Lord of the Veil," Evan exined with a smile. Light and darkness, day and night, the sun and the moon, two sides of a coin... The Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon is also the ruler of the False World. ... How much of what he was saying should I believe? I couldnt believe everything he was saying, of course. I knew all too well how deceitful and cunning cultists could be. And Evan wasn''t just any cultist, he was a vice-cult leader, someone at the top of the hierarchy. It was entirely possible he was lying through his innocent expression. But... I too had a way to discern whether or not someone was speaking the truth. Of course, my method was not as precise as Fourth Senior Brothers, which relied on biological responses. My method wasrgely based on experience with a ssh of instinct. Generally, humans are not good at lying when their survival is at stake. That wasnt to say they couldnt lie, just that it was harder. After all, how many people could calmly lie through their teeth when a de was at their throat? In that sense, what Evan was saying right now felt... ...Pretty genuine? A person on the brink of death doesnt always react violently. Instead of anger, sadness, despair, fear, or frustration, some people feel a sense of emptiness, which was exactly how Evan seemed now. He didnt appear to fear death at all; rather, he seemed to have resigned himself to it. Anyway, it was clear that Evan had awakened as a vice-cult leader, but his attitude was a little puzzling. If a demon lord has been summoned, isnt that good for you? The cult leader received the demon lords unconditional favor. ording to Juan, vice-cult leaders were treated simrly. Only if Id been the one to officiate the summoning ritual. But evenst night, I was barely able to escape. I died once and awakened as a vice-cult leader, but the demon lord still tried to kill me. I was quite surprised by that revtion. I knew the factions within the order didnt really get along with each other... but Evan was a vice-cult leader. Juan, a high priest, had seemed to care about vice-cult leaders. The Demon Lord of the ck Swamp had crushed and killed the high priest who had officiated the ritual without hesitation, yet Evan, who had just awakened as a vice-cult leader, had managed to escape that death sentence. In many ways, the treament Evan received within the Church of Darkness clearly varied. So the demon lord just wanted to kill him? Of course, I couldnt rule out that this too was a lie. Do you understand? The bastard who caused this mess has no sense of propriety, and hes hell-bent on killing anyone who gets in his way. Vice-cult leader or not. Evan twirled his finger. They must be a bit unhinged. If they were sane, they wouldnt have summoned Hadenaihar in the first ce. ... The difort I got from Evan. Of course, it probably stemmed from the fact that he was acting in ways that the Evan Helvin I knew would never behave. But it wasnt just that. This guy doesnt feel like hes loyal to the cult at all. I had sensed it vaguely before, but now I was certain. The Church of Darkness was still a church, so perhaps it would be more urate to call it faith than loyalty. Yet Evan showed little sign of it. Is that why hes so willing to share information about the cult? At least one thing was now clear: a demon lord had indeed been summoned. It was the thing Id been most afraid to hear, but denying reality would only lead to further denial. That was how life often was. The more you wanted to deny something, the closer it was to the truth. Of course, that didnt mean all my questions had been answered. To summon a demon lord, three conditions must be met: a sacrifice, and rich in mana, and a high priest to recite the Wicked Scripture. Thisnd, where the academy stoodwell, it was a small ind in the middle of a river, so calling it a nd felt a bit off... but still, it was filled with mana. In fact, the Twilight River itself was like a massive mana stream. I had heard that this location had been chosen to be the heart of The Empire, the Imperial City, because of the river. Lets assume, for the sake of argument, that a priest is hiding somewhere in the academy. What about the sacrifice? To summon even a fraction of a demon lord, youd need dozens if not thousands of sacrifices. Naturally, that many people couldn''t possibly disappear without a trace, especially in a ce like Kartell Academy. But I knew some people could summon a demon lord without paying such a big price. Is there another vice-cult leader? Who knows... Evan smirked. Im still a member of the cult. It wouldnt be appropriate for me to reveal everything about it. For a couple of seconds, I just silently stared at Evan. You do know that youre currently a straggler, right? Of course. Yet youre still acting so confident. Do you think Luan Bednicker would go easy on you, Evan Helvin, his former roommate? I said with a smile that didnt reach my eyes. ...Evan wisely kept his mouth zipped shut... Good job. For what? If youd given me another one of those smirks, I would have chopped off one of your arms. Fortunately, he wasntpletely oblivious. It seemed he understood that I was in no mood for jokes. He wasnt visibly intimidated by my threat, but he became more careful with his words and actions. Anyway... If Evan Helvin was indeed a cultist, then it would be impossible to extract information from him through interrogation or torture. That was the nature of cultists. They couldnt be broken through pain, they had no ties outside of the cult, and they had no particr weaknesses to exploit. In other words, I would need to extract information through conversation, which would require the specialized skill of someone like a heretic inquisitor. Truthfully, someone like Einsburn, whom the Lord of Blood and Iron had interrogated, shouldnt be even considered a cultist. * * * * * * * * * * Anyway, what youre saying is that everyone inside the academy is going to die soon? Yeah. Timing-wise... Id guess around the full moon this month. The second full moon, exactly when Sellen had said it would happen. I nodded. This was probably all the information I could get from Evan right now. In that case, it was probably time for me to cut to the chase. Evan, I said, and I realized this was the first time Id called him Evan. You could say I was finally admitting it. Even though hed awakened as a vice-cult leader, even though hed changed a lot, he was still Evan. Yeah? he replied. The way he tilted his head slightly was the only thing about him that resembled the Evan Helvin Id known. Lets work together on something. On what? While we are here at the academy, how about we work together to drive out the demon lord? Evan stared at me in shock for a second before bursting into a heartyugh. ...Are you seriously telling me that you will join hands with a cultista vice-cult leader no less? You? Someone from the Bednicker bloodline? Every time the Bednicker name was brought up at times like this, it annoyed me. It felt like every conversation revolved around Bednicker this or Bednicker that. I felt like I was being stereotyped against my will, regardless of my actions. Im not like the other Bednickers, and I think you realize that. I had a feeling, but I never expected you to so openly propose joining forces like this. Perhaps youre a cultist yourself? That joke rubs me the wrong way Evan coughed awkwardly. Sorry, he said. And if I''m a Bednicker heretic, then arent you a church heretic? Me? I am, in a way, suggesting that you rebel. Evan smirked and said, Youre not wrong, but... my views on the demon lords are different from the rest of you. Different how? I believe that human affairs should be resolved by humans, Evan murmured in a strange tone. After a moment of silence, he looked back at me with a bright smile. Ill take your word for it. Im sure a normal Bednicker would have cracked my head open the moment they realized I was a cultist. But I have a condition. Shoot. First, dont tell anyone my identity. I nodded. All right. It was a condition I had expected and one that worked in my favor. Bringing him into the fold now meant there would inevitablye a time when he would have to meet others in the group... like, say, Sellen... I didnt think it would be a good idea to reveal his identity when that happened. It would only add unnecessary confusion. The second condition is that you will have to trust mepletely during this operation. What do you mean? Exactly what I said. In this temporary alliance, I will do everything I can to stay alive. Ive thought about it, and Ive decided I dont want to die just yet, Evan said with a tiny shrug. Im going to make use of all the memories of evil that reawakened in me. Well, whats bad about that? It sounds like a good thing. It is. But themon sense of the cult is very different from what you know. You seem flexible for a Bednicker, but even so, youll find it hard to follow my orders without any doubts. I smirked and said, Youre worrying over nothing. Im far more experienced and flexible than you give me credit for. In truth, whatevermon sense Id once had, it had basically been destroyed in the ten years I spent living on Spirit Mountain. That said, I wont blindly follow everything you say, I said. But I promise I wont dismiss your words as bullshit. Evan offered a firm nod, his face serious. Good enough. Right now, as far as I can tell, the two most likely suspects are Glenn Scarlet and Ferith Scarlet. The prince and the princess. I was surprised. It hadnt even been a few days since wed arrived at the academy, yet he had already narrowed it down to them. Either way, it seemed that my decision to bring Evan into the fold had been a good one, impromptu as it had been. Right. Evan nodded and continued, Its hard to be certain which of the two is a cultist. Rather, its impossible. As I said, we dont have much time left. Threats, torture, and interrogation wont do much good. If they officiated the summoning of Hadenaihar, nine times out of ten, their mind is already broken... So I came up with a clever solution. Lets hear it. We kill them both. I can take out the princess and you can take out the prince. How does that sound? Evan looked at me with an expectant expression, clearly waiting for praise. I nodded, thinking over it for a moment, but I couldnt find any hidden reasoning, so... I decided to respond like this: Evan, you fucker, I said no bullshit, Evan was visibly puzzled by my profanity, but then he seemed to realize something. He pped his forehead with an Aha! and said, Got it, then Ill kill the prince, you can kill the princess. He turned to me with hopeful eyes and a look that just screamed Happy? Now it was my turn to facepalm, albeit for an entirely different reason. Should I just kill him? Our alliance was off to a rocky start. ____ Chapter 152 Chapter 152 I let out a deep sigh, and Evans expression shifted. Youre not going to bring up something trivial like being moral, are you? he asked. Im sorry, but I have to. Also, excuse mynguage. I paused, then said, You crazy fucktard, why would we kill them when nothing is certain yet? I just exined why, said Evan, looking rather puzzled. There are over a thousand students at Kartell Academy right now. If you add in all the faculty and staff, its probably half again as many people, if not more. I know. Were talking about killing two to save well over a thousand. Why shouldnt we? Unless, of course, you happen to be some kind of diehard devotee of the royal family. I cut off Evans nonsense with another heavy sigh. And if neither of them are cultists? I asked. Theyre the prime suspects, but Ive got a list of other suspicious individuals. We just have to work our way down the list. By killing them? Evan raised both his hands in surrender, looking thoroughly bored with this conversation. Look, I admit its extreme, but its the only way to definitely save everyone within the time we have left.I couldnt help it. My shoulders slowly shook as my chuckle turned into augh. Eventually, once I had calmed down, I said, There are so many things I need to ask, but lets get this out of the way first. Go ahead, Evan replied. If doing that could truly put an end to this entire ordeal, why did you ask for my help in the first ce? What? The prince and the princess... If you wanted to kill them, you could have done it alone. Evan shut his mouth. Want to hear my guess? Killing the prince and princess is just step one of your n, or maybe even step zero. You need my help for whateveres after, right? ... And if we get caught murdering members of the imperial family, no one will believe me even if I try to spill your identity. Plus, youll have something to ckmail me with. Evan smacked his lips and scratched his cheek. Tsk. It was odd to see him so flustered and caught off-guard, so much like the Evan Id known. After a moment, he shrugged in silent affirmation. My frustration was up to my eyebrows. For a moment, I thought about how his head would make a great punching bag... but my curiosity won out over my anger in the end. So whates after? I asked. You mean after we kill the high priest? What high priest? Whoever temporarily summoned the demon lord. Im calling them a high priest since it''s clear theyve been performing rituals here. ...Fine, call them whatever you want, I replied with a sigh, too tired to argue anymore. Technically, killing the priest is more of a follow-up to the demon lords summoning. Kind of like how... once a forest fire starts, putting it out won''t bring back what burned, right? asked Evan. Where are you going with this? But putting out the fire prevents it from spreading further. Likewise, killing the high priest will prevent the demon lord from getting any stronger. ...Getting stronger? Yeah. Of course, the demon lord will need a steady supply of sacrifices, but... Honestly, even at this stage, our chances of defeating the demon lord are close to zero. That means we need to kill the high priest as soon as possible if we want even a sliver of hope. So far, so good? Yeah. Then youre on board with my n?" I shook my head and said, No. Evan let out a long, deted sigh. Fine, let''s hear your take, then. Do you have a better idea? For starters, Id like to ask something. Go ahead. What exactly happened to you in the research wing? Mm. Evan nodded. Long story short... It''s fair to say the twelve buildings in the research wing are already under the cults influence. During the day, theyre rtively safe, but its a different story after dark. Chances are high that youll get sucked into the Veiled Side. Sucked in? Yeah. My memories are a little fuzzy after that. Like I said before, it feels vague, almost like a dream... but Ill tell you what I remember. What Evan said next was almost unbelievable. He said that after cking out, he woke up in the middle of the night to a blood-lit moon hanging over the academy. Apparently, that was the Veiled Side hed mentioned. I remember there were a lot of others there too. I dont remember their faces, but Im pretty sure most of them were academy students, though there were a few professors. Thats... weird. A lot should mean at least dozens of people... As Id mentioned before, keeping track of everyone was much easier in the academy. If a student skipped a single ss, it was immediately marked in the attendance. If absences piled up without reason, the instructors would notice something was off. Evan was a special case because he could dieonceand still be alive. Demon Lord Hadenaihar likes to y, so I''m sure there are rules even in the Veiled Side. Unreasonable as they may be, there must be some chance of returning to the real world. Hm... Anyway, there were three key things I remember from that world. Doll, Exploration, andstly, the Blood-lit Moon. ...Doll, you say. Although the image of Princess Ferith holding that doll came to mind... something felt off. How should I put this... By all ounts, the princess was the obvious culprit, but somehow, that obviousness was making me second-guess myself. Of course, as Sellen had pointed out, this world wasnt a novel. Suspicious people were suspicious because they were acting suspicious by doing suspicious things. Still, I couldnt ignore the feeling of difort creeping over me. I get the gist of what youre saying, I said. So your real goal Is to take out the high priest and head back to the Veiled Side. There, the two of us will kill the demon lord. Hm. I nodded. Yeah, I think Ive got it. But doesnt that seem a bit too much for just the two of us? I agree. The more allies we have, the better. Id say five would be a good number, but... Evan suddenly stared me in the face and asked. What''s with that look? I shook my head and said, ...Its nothing. Id just suddenly remembered what Sellen had said to me earlier. The princess wants to get five members total, though Im not sure why. The princess wanted five members for her club. Evan imed that at least five people were necessary to take down the demon lord. Was it just a coincidence? Got anyone in mind to recruit? Someone trustworthy for starters, and they shouldnt becking in skill. That means no Hector or Charon. While Hector and Charon were certainly excellent fighters on a basic level, they were certainly not ready to take on a demon lord. The first person who came to mind was Sellen Goodspring, but... Yeah. There is one. Who? Headmaster Alderson. The master of this academy. I needed to tell the Archmage of Violet the current situation and get his help. * * * * * * * * * * The headmaster is in the Tower of Trials right now. In fact, he spends most of his time there rather than in his office. Id rushed to the Headmasters office in the main building only to be greeted by a man who appeared to be his secretary. Normally, he wouldnt have given out the headmasters whereabouts, but thankfully my distinguished student ID had pretty much forced him to give me an answer. Evan and I promptly left the main building and headed toward the Tower of Trials. As we walked through the darkened academy, I noticed that the streetlights were unusually dim today. I nced at Evan, who had followed me without a word, and thought to myself, I wonder if I can arrange a meeting with Leone. After all, Leone had said she would share more information if I brought a vice-cult leader with me, but... I was still unsure. I didnt even know why Leone was looking for another vice-cult leader. Who knows, maybe she has sinister intentions, like trying to steal a vice-cult leaders body. Hmm... Actually, thinking about it, I couldnt fully trust Evan either. Ugh. My head. I sighed in frustration. This was ridiculous. It was said that an ordinary person could live a whole lifetime without ever seeing a cultist, let alone a high priest... And here I was, caught between two damn vice-cult leaders. It was killing me. Still, it wasnt like I could just cast this issue aside. A demon lord had been summoned, and I absolutely needed Evans help to get out of this mess. Are you familiar with Headmaster Alderson? I asked, hiding my thoughts. Evan didn''t seem to mind the question. He''s the Archmage of Violet, of course I know of him. But I doubt he''ll take the word of a mere young hero so easily. It would certainly be hard for any sane person to believe that a demon lord had been summoned right in the middle of the capital. Still... Hell believe it if Im the one to tell him. It seems the Bednicker name really carries some weight, huh? Evan said in a voice that did little to match the tension of the situation. ...Maybe Ill just put them together without saying anything. I figured that observing how the two vice-cult leaders reacted might reveal something I hadnt considered. Before long, we arrived at the Tower of Trials. The towering structure in the middle of the night reminded me of a lighthouse standing vigil on a dark shore. What floor would the Headmaster be on? If he was all the way at the top, would I have to climb every single floor? Just as that daunting thought crossed my mind... Whoosh. A light breeze swept by, and Alderson, the headmaster, appeared before us. What brings you both here at this hour? Though he said both, his gaze was fixed squarely on me. I met his intense stare with ease and replied, Theres something I need to discuss with you. What is it? ...Could you call Leone for me first? Regardless of my n with Evan and her, I wanted to ask Leone about the current situation unfolding at the academy. Hmm... Follow me. As Alderson waved his hand, the surroundings transformed. I realized wed arrived at the treasure vault. He turned to me and asked, Asking to summon Leone... can I take that to mean youve made some progress? Some, yes. Hm... Alderson studied me for a brief moment. Then, just likest time, he extended one arm. tter... From under his arm appeared a wooden puppet, tied with thin strings. Wow... Evan murmured just as Alderson infused the puppet with his mana. The once-blunt wooden puppet began to take shape. Although this was my second time seeing it, it was still fascinating. The featureless face transformed, developing eyebrows, a nose, and lips. A momentter, the doll of Leone had an appearance more lifelike than the princess''s own face. Her appearance was so realistic that it was nearly indistinguishable from a human. While that was happening, I watched Evans expression out of the corner of my eye, intent on catching any subtle shift as he saw Leones face for the first time. Contrary to my expectations, he hardly showed any reaction. Maybe Evan was more sly and thorough than I thought? ...Hm. Leona let out a snort. She had the same striking looks, captivating eyes, and ambiguous confident smile with a hint of mystery. All in all, she really seemed more human than doll. She didn''t even spare the headmaster a nce. As soon as her eyes flicked open, she directed her gaze at me, then briefly nced at Evan behind me. ... For a moment, her smile seemed to deepen just a bit. Kurrr... "Hm...?" Suddenly, the entire tower shook faintly. It wasn''t a massive tremor, but it wasnt small enough to be ignored either. "This... must be the armored cavalry causing trouble again." "Armored cavalry?" Its the trial of the fifth floor, another of my masterpieces. Ill be back after checking whats going on, and then well talk. Ill leave Leone with you." Pft. With that, Alderson vanished from the spot. As soon as only the three of us were left alone in the treasure vault, Leone burst out inughter. "Its been a while. You came faster than I expected." "So you can sense the passage of time?" "Of course. Though it flows a bit differently for me than for you." With a chuckle, Leone walked toward me. It was not easy for a simple stride to exude such elegance, but hers did. After circling me once, Leone smirked and said, By the look on your face, Im getting an idea of the situation... ... Child of Bednicker, do you know? Know what? How to distinguish a person from a doll." What was she suddenly talking about? As I looked at her in confusion, Leona stepped closer, almost within one breath''s reach. Her piercing red eyes stared directly into mine, and the corners of her eyes curved up like crescent moons. ... It was then that I realized. This girl... She wasnt breathing. It was, in fact, obvious. There was no reason for a puppet without a heart, blood vessels, or respiratory organs to breathe. ...Every worm that crawls the ground, every creature that swims beneath the sea, every weed along the roadside knows how to do one thing: to breathe. In other words, breathing is the most definitive sign of life. Leona leaned in close to my ear and said, Im quite rare among puppets because most dont even realize they are puppets. Tied-up subjects that mistakenly believe theyre moving of their own volitionoh, its just soughable... ... A young Bednicker and a vice-cult leader... Leone hummed. Brings back memories. How amusing. Let me give you one piece of advice. Her cold, breathless whisper brushed against my ear like ice. Question everything. Cast aside futile preconceptions. Yet, should the curtain of deception and suspicion still envelop you from all sides, continue to reflect endlessly... even with your eyes closed. I frowned. What? I despised such vague, nebulous words. I narrowed my eyes slightly, but Leone merely smiled brightly and created some distance between us. There was no hint of malice in her cheerful smile. Evan tilted his head and asked, What did she say? He must not have heard Leones whisper. But rather than answer him... I took the opportunity to assess Evan Helvin as a whole. Naturally, one didnt typically check if others were breathing unless they were seriously injured. ... The subtle rise and fall of his chest, the steady rhythm of his pulse, the airflow near his trachea... Evan was breathing. Pat. Headmaster Alderson returned. I apologize for leaving so abruptly. The matter has been taken care of. ... So, where were we? Headmaster Alderson asked with a warm smile. Oh. I paused for a moment, looking at his face while pretending to organize my thoughts as I silently counted in my head. So, um... It had been five seconds since Headmaster Alderson returned. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds. ...Twenty seconds. ... He had not breathed once. Beneath his beard, his chest remained utterly still. Standing beside the Headmaster, Leone smiled softly, and... A chill ran down my spine. There was no room for uncertainty or suspicion. The truth was evident. Headmaster Alderson was a puppet. ____ Chapter 153 How long had Headmaster Alderson been a puppet? From the very first moment wed met? Or only for the past few days? I couldnt say. Could there be another exnation? Perhaps, for example, hed simply used his own memories to create a puppet for a more efficient division ofbor, yet here I was, throwing a massive fuss over nothing Hope circuit overloooaaad! ...Damn. I suddenly recalled a warning my third senior brother had given me, and I snapped back to reality.I shoved aside my wishful thinking and faced the facts. "Are you all right?" Headmaster Alderson asked, sounding concerned. At this moment, I had a gut feeling: I should not reveal any of the information Id gathered. Especially not about the Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon. A strange expression crossed Dean Alderson''s face. Young Hero Luan? he asked. Did the puppets also mirror the originals thought process? If they did, that meant I needed to fool the archmage himself. He seems to have already picked up on something, so Id better choose my words carefully. I opened my mouth and, in a somewhat stolid tone, said, ...I met with Professor Alec. I had to organize my thoughts as I spoke so I didnt look suspicious or awkward. On the outside, I kept my tone calm, but on the inside, my brain was practically steaming as it worked at full speed. And I saw a picture of Spirit Mountain. Oho... Sounds like Professor Alec was more cooperative than expected. He didnt seem entirely stable. His tone and demeanor were calm, but his lectures were full of disturbing madness. He even spoke about the downfall of The Empire, I said, a hint of anger in my voice. These are dangerous ideas for a professor to hold, so why hasnt he been dismissed? I felt a pang of guilt toward Professor Alec, but with all due respect, I had no other excuse. Headmaster Alderson looked at me with a strange look in his eyes. Is that what you called me here to tell? Yes, sir. ...Hmm. Then why did you ask to see Leone? Thankfully, Id predicted this question, so I had an excuse ready just in time. In the photo Professor Alec showed me, there was a ck sun. Sr eclipses are a sign that a demon lord has been summoned, which means the entire demon zone is under its domain. I thought Leone might know more about it. Alderson nced at Evan. And this young hero? It felt as though he was implying, Wasnt he brought here under suspicion of being a vice-cult leader? I shook my head. Evan is a trusted ally and friend. He did exceptionally well during the training camp, and if all goes well, hell be joining Heroes with me. I see... so youre working together in advance. I nodded in agreement. I felt Alderons gaze sweep over Leone and Evan. Thankfully, they were astute enough that even I had trouble reading them. Leone maintained her smile, while Evan caught Aldersons eye and casually nodded in acknowledgment. I wondered, Is Alderson convinced? Or has he just decided to let it slide for now? Alderson allowed the slightly suspicious situation to pass. As you mentioned, Professor Alecs ideology is a bit extreme... but hes neither mad nor an idealist, he said, his tone ambiguous. The academy needs individuals with diverse perspectives. In education, what matters most is creating an environment where no single viewpoint is favored over another. That meant that Alec wasnt meant as a cautionary example... Alderson wanted people to build and broaden their horizons by observing a variety of people. It would be strange not to mention it at all, so I decided to bring up the cult first. "Isnt it dangerous? I asked. I dont mean to be rude, but he could be a pawn of the cult, couldnt he?" I carefully observed Aldersons expression, but there was no noticeable change. ording to Leone... Headmaster Alderson was unaware that he is a puppet. But all this raised a question: Where was the real Alderson? Could he already be dead? Alderson Maveur, one of the Archmages of Seven Colors? No need to worry. Alec is not a cultist, I can assure you of that. ... Under normal circumstances, I would have believed him, or at least trusted him to some degree. After all, he was an archmage. But now, it felt like his words had some hidden meaning. Suddenly, a question arose in my mind: If Alderson had fallen victim to the demon lord... when could that have happened? ... I realized I was missing an important piece of information. I didnt even know when the demon lord had been summoned. *** We talked for a while, trying to avoid suspicion the whole time, before leaving the Tower of Trials. Leone didnt say much, but just before I left, she looked at me and said... Ill see you next time, when things are over. There was likely some hidden meaning to that, but I had so much to think about that I pushed it to the back of my mind. And it wasnt like I didnt n to meet Leone again soon enough. I pondered and considered and mulled over the situation carefully, but I always came to the same conclusion. This is real fucked up. The more I thought about it, the more this situation seemed worse than when Ahop had been summoned in the training camp. Evan had been silently following me since we left the tower. He waited until fewer people were around to say, You see? Why the Academy is already half done for? You knew? Sort of. I just didnt realize Headmaster Alderson was already a victim. ... I told you, didnt I? That we wouldnt be able to escape this. I was trying to figure out how to respond when I spotted a bench under a streetlight. Lets sit down, I said. Sure. We sat down on the bench. Of course, we didnt sit side by side but instead at opposite ends, as if an invisible wall stood between us. It looked somewhat ridiculous, but... I suddenly realized that this was the current rtionship between me and Evan. We could sit on the same bench and talk, but there was enough distance between us that we couldnt quite be called friends. I muttered, Is the real Headmaster Alderson dead? Well... Im not sure about that either. But its unlikely that hes in any condition to make a move. I cant believe that an Archmage of Seven Colors has already fallen victim to the demon lord. Were up against a demon lord, so its not entirely impossible. A sacrifice... I muttered. The biggest question had been how the demon lord was summoned without sacrifices. But now we knew the answer. The sacrifices were reced with puppets. * * * * * * * * * * Aldersons puppet was indistinguishable from a real person. The puppets could replicate memories, habits, and actions. They could even handle mana. The puppets were perfect imitations. Evan offered me a small smile. Every student at the academy is required to climb the Tower of Trials. In theory, Headmaster Alderson could create a puppet of every single student. Of course, the headmaster had mentioned that making such puppets took considerable time... But for upperssmen, students who had been at the academy for more than three years, he might just have been able to do it. Even so, it wouldnt be easy. Some students share rooms, and some of them would inevitably sense that something was off. Maybe thats why those ghost stories were spreadto cover it up. Youve heard the nonsense going around about the research wing, right? A slight chill ran down my spine. If he could manipte even simple rumors at will, he effectively controlled all of Kartell Academy. I suddenly let out a dry, forcedugh. I hade here to find out about a demon zone only to discover that this was a demon zone. The situation is too fucked up for just the two of us to handle, said Evan. Its like trying to literally break a rock with an egg, I replied. Finding allies wont be easy, and leaving the academy is obviously out of the question. As far as I know, leaving or contacting anyone beyond the academy grounds requires faculty approval. And with the headmaster being a puppet, the faculty cannot be trusted either? Exactly. Evan looked at me and said, ...So, Luan, why dont we just kill the prince and princess? Think about it: If two members of the royal family die, the imperial family will intervene without us having to contact them. Its the most reliable way to bring in reinforcements. And putting reinforcements aside, the chaos alone will make it easier to move in secret. ... Was I starting to lose my mind as well? Evans bullshit was starting to sound more and more reasonable. Even so, I shook my head. No, I said. First, lets secure a few people we can trust, one at a time. How? Youre not nning to check whether every single person is a puppet, are you? That would take too long, and it might give away our intentions. I agreed with that, though I didnt say so. Instead, I nced at Evan and said, While Headmaster Aldersons puppets are impressive, I confirmed something in the Tower of Trials. What? There is a specialty unique to our Great Houses, something that even those puppets cannot replicate. Uhhh... Blessings? Evan tilted his head and said, So youre going to tell the other young heroes everything thats going on? Ill keep quiet about you, but the rest, Ill share. I n to bring them in one at a time, not all at once. Theres always the risk of leaving a trail. I know, but at this point, its a race against time. I looked up at the sky. Right at this moment, the moon, which had been hiding behind the clouds, revealed itself. It was a bit beyond a half moon. Theres only about a week until the full moon. Lets settle things before then. *** I returned to my dorm room and opened the door to find Hector, who was back earlier than usual. His face looked to be in a better condition than when Id seen him before. Without a seconds hesitation, I got straight to the point. Elder Brother, can I talk to you for a moment? Whats up? Without a doubt, Hector would be a valuable asset. He might not meet Evans standards, but I thought differently. Hector and Charon were good enough to be thrown into battle immediately. How many blessings do you have, Elder Brother? Eight... Why are you asking all of a sudden? Can you show me one? Whichever is fine. Sure, I dont mind. d to hear that. If he had refused, I would have used a sparring session as an excuse to drag him out and beat him up a bit to see his blessing. ...? Hector shook himself off, then looked at me and said, Most of my blessings focus on physical training, so all I can show you right now is... this. Hector drew his sword and pressed his palm against the hilt. ng! Suddenly, the number of des increased. Thats cool. What kind of blessing is that? Its a duplication blessing. Its nothing fancy, but it lets me temporarily duplicate objects. That sounds pretty impressive to me. Not really. The duration is short, and the duplicates have far worse durability than the original... so its difficult to use in battle. Still, it seems like a good match for your Shadow Sword. Hector nodded. Yeah, thats why Ive been researching ways to integrate it naturally. Ah. I nodded in agreement, but my mind was elsewhere. I was thinking about the puppet checks. Hector could use his blessing, and I could feel him breathing, so the Hector in front of me was definitely not a puppet. Actually, theres something I wanted to talk with you about. What is it? Do you happen to know whats going on in the academy? ... Hector looked at me in surprise, and seeing that, I was a bit taken aback as well. The look on his face didnt seem to say, What are you talking about? It was more like... How could you possibly know that...? You know about it too? I asked. Yes, but... Id like to hear your side first, Hector said. I decided to go along with it for now. I told him about the uneasiness I felt here, the suspicious behavior of the two royals, the rumors in the research wing, and even the true identity of Headmaster Alderson. The only thing I didnt mention was Evans true identity. Naturally, I also kept quiet about the information hed given methe fact that the demon lord had already been summoned. ...Hm. As expected, Hector wasnt surprised. He must have realized the situation was more serious than he had thought. I understand what youre saying. I didnt think things had progressed that far... Did you know about it too? ...Just that the academy is a dangerous ce now. Hector looked at me, his expression dead serious, and said, Luan, youre bringing this up because you want my help, right? Thats right. Then could youe with me to meet someone right now? I swear upon my name, theyre someone we can trust, and they know much more about this than we do. Who is it? Right now, other than Evan, there didnt seem to be anyone trustworthy enough, much less who could afford help. I was skeptical of Hectors words at first, but the moment I heard the name, I couldnt help but reconsider. Barter Goodspring. He might be able to help us. ____ The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 154 I wasnt sure how to take that, but... Hectors expression was more serious than Id expected. I paused for a moment before asking, Wait, no way. You were actually taking lessons from that guy? Yes... but why the surprise? Given your appearance, I thought he was beating you up out of anger. Hector sighed. ...Sir Barter can be a bit rough in spars, yes, but he takes the time to personally train me, so I cantin about that. A knights training should be harsh. I knew that. The Bednicker training camps curriculum had been based on the schedules of knight orders, after all. Sir Barter is an exceptional knight and an excellent instructor. His teaching is on par with that of a grand master. Really? Hes that good? Yes. The bruises looked a bit gnarly, but the wounds were not the type to leave scars orst long. Hector touched his face. Seemy face is already back to normal.Sure enough. Then why were you like that back then? Like what? When your face was all swollen, you lookedpletely dejected. Thats... Hector hesitated for a moment, then sighed and replied, I was... doubting myself. No matter how skilled Sir Barter is, Id been sparring with him every single day sinceing to the academy, yet I hadnt evene close to grazing him. I was so persistent, kept pushing so hard, that he ended up going a bit overboard that day. He apologized, of course. ... Often, the only reward for uncovering a hidden truth was disappointment. This was, sadly, a prime example. I felt almost deted, honestly. Hector narrowed his eyes at me and continued, To begin with, the most brutal spar I ever had was with you. If I hadnt been treated by a high-ranking priest, I''d have shown up to the training camp with my facepletely bruised and swollen. I forced a cough. ...Ehem. I had given him his fair share of ps and then a few more... I was finding it hard to refute that, so I changed the subject instead. All right, I get it. So we can trust Butter, yeah? Sir Barter. And, for the record, he''s the one who first told me that something is amiss within Kartell Academy. And Ive seen him use his Blessing, so he cant be one of those puppets you mentioned either. Who exactly is that guy? ... Hector hesitated for a moment before replying, You''ve heard of the Imperial Special Forces, right? That was a surprise. Just to be sure, I asked, Are you saying he''s part of the Special Forces? Yes. I finally understood. The Imperial Special Forces was an organization that directly served the imperial family. It was a specialized unitposed of elite agents who handled highly specialized or covert missions, but... Due to the nature of the organization, everything about it, from its size to the location of its headquarters to even the missions it undertook... it was all a mystery. This led some to dismiss the Imperial Special Forces as nothing more than a myth... However, as a Bednicker, I knew they were very real. One of the many roles of the Lord of Blood and Iron, Bednicker family head, was Imperial Special Forces agent. So the imperial family is at least somewhat aware of whats happening in the academy? I was slightly relieved. At least the empire wasntpletely ipetent. In any case, if Barter was part of the Imperial Special Forces, it made sense why Goodspring had suddenly joined us. I had wondered why they woulde here. Hector was ostensibly the leader of the students from Bednickers training camp, so Barter had probably talked about it with him for that reason. I thought for a moment, then said, I dont want to meet him yet. Why not? If more people join us, itll draw too much attention. Well be under close watch sooner than I nned. For now, dont tell Barter about me. What about the information you shared? Feel free to pass that along. Just cover up the source however you want. Mm... Understood. And stick close to him for the time being. Hector looked at me and asked, And you? What are you nning to do? Ill work with the other young heroes separately. Oh, and Ill have Charon stay with you. Hector and Charon didnt really need me watching their backs. They were more than capable of handling themselves. So youll move separately from Sir Barter? Im sure theres some information only his side knows. I will meet him, just not now. And when I do, it will be on my terms. Where does he usually stay? Near the swordsmanship department in the training center. All right. Then Ill go there in two... no, three days. Hector nodded. Okay. * * * * * * * * * * The next day, I made my way to Your Moms Trumpet Sound early in the morning. Owner? Id like to rent this ce for maybe a week. And if you wouldnt mind, Id like you to clear out too. ...What the hell are you on about first thing in the morning? the owner said as he threw his arms up in anger. Losing some business is one thing, but where the hell am I supposed to stay for a whole week? Even One hundred gold. The owners iling arms froze midair. Even a month away is too short! Haha! Feel free to make yourself at home. Heck, you can even smash the furniture if you get bored! I could almost see the dor signs recing his eyeballs, hriously. Anyway, my n was to buyout the shop from the owner and use it as a temporary hideout. If I had to guess, Id bet that the most poorly monitored and managed ce in this academy was the shopping district. Moreover, this shop was located in a fairly secluded area of the shopping district, making it perfect for secret talks. Next, I called over Sellen. Sellen showed up early in the morning, sat across from me, and after listening to what I had to say, lookedpletely dumbfounded. Seriously? Yeah. Seren was speechless. Her eyebrows furrowed and unfurrowed a couple of times, and she twirled her hair and fidgeted with her fingers. Finally, she let out a sigh and said, ...This is at least five times worse than I thought. Is that so? Since it was rtive, I couldnt tell how serious shed thought the situation was. Sellen said, ...For now, we need to get a better idea of the state of the academy. How? I asked. Theres an Introduction to Mana ss this afternoon, fortunately. Its the most popr lecture at the academy; there are 102 students enrolled in it. Cool. It was definitely a popr subject. If it had 102 students, that meant nearly a tenth of the academys entire student body was taking the ss. Ill use the method you suggested to find out how many of the 100 students are puppets. How? I asked. Itll take all night to check each one individually. Ill use my blessing to lower the temperature in the ssroom a bit, just enough to make breaths visible. Its February, so it wont be that strange if its a little chilly. Ah. I nodded in understanding. That was a clever approach. Sounds good. Then lets meet here again after ss, around dinner. Bring Mir, Sharyl, and Pam with you. Got it. I left the restaurant and headed toward the next train stop. I didnt have ss, but I had an extra stop to make. I actually had two allies who were far stronger, far more trustworthy, and far more loyal than the young heroes who were still growing. Kayan and Arzan. I nned to share the situation with them as well. Not only would it boost our sides strength, but they were not clumsy enough to have gotten caught. They''d be a great help with surveince and information gathering. Plus, since servants were monitored less closely than the actual students, there was a chance I would be able to send them outside the academy. They said they were staying in Azure Hall. As I sat on the tram, picturing the academy map in my mind, someone suddenly sat across from me. H-hi. That stilted voice and awkward tone... I looked over and saw Glenn Scarlet. I felt a sense of dj vu as I waved my hand. Mornin. Er, y-yeah. Are you heading to ss? No. I see... Glenn fell silent. He nced at me with a look that suggested he had something to say but was hesitant to speak up, but... Before he could work up the courage, a group of cadets boarded the carriage. I naturally shifted my attention to them and instinctively scanned to see if any were puppets. A wryugh escaped me. Of the twenty who boarded, three were puppets. Did you see Professor Rons assignment? Its so bad. Im telling you, hes crazy. No wonder my hair is falling out... A student gasped. Professor Ron! Hello! ...!? Just kidding. You...! A female cadet burst into giggles as the girl with brown hair in the middle was teased. Though the brown-haired girl in the middle acted like she was annoyed, her expression was yful as she lightly nudged her friend''s shoulder. A natural human reaction with a natural expression. But that brown-haired girl? She was a puppet. Neither her friends nor herself were aware of the truth, but that was the reality. Ha... I leaned my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes. It felt as though the dignity of being human was being trampled on. Was that too grand a thought for someone like me? Glenn called out to me again. Um, Luan. I turned my head slightly to look at him. Well, uh, if you dont have anything else to do and havent had breakfast yet, would you like to go to the shopping district with me? Shopping district? Yeah... I know a ce with really good food... Glenn ducked his head as if to hide behind his big hat. I didnt say anything for a couple of seconds, then nodded coolly. Sure, I said. I didnt necessarily need to meet Arzan and Kayan right now. I was more curious about Glenn''s intentions. R-really? Thank you!" Glenn lifted his head, his face lighting up with a bright smile. A momentter, the train arrived at the shopping district. Glenn got off the train with an air of excitement before turning to me with a question. What kind of food do you like? Ill eat anything as long as it tastes good. Really? Then I hope it''s to your liking... It seemed like Glenn frequented this ce, whatever it was. Glenn led the way, and I followed closely behind him. Does hee to the shopping district regrly? He moved with familiarity through the streets, and before long, he was heading toward a darker, more secluded area. I recognized the direction... we were heading toward an alley near Your Mom''s Trumpet Sound, the very spot I had rented as my hideout. I continued to silently follow behind him, feeling a little uneasy... but to my relief, Glenn passed my hideout and walked deeper into the alley. This is it, he said. "...Hmm." When we arrived, the sign outside the shop read To Die For Tomatoes. Are all these back-alley restaurants named in the Southern style? I wondered as I entered behind Glenn. Wee in, I heard a smooth voice say. The inside was quiet; there was only one rugged-looking man inside. Was he the owner, perhaps? Judging by his clothes, that seemed to be the case, but he didnt look past his thirtiesvery young for the owner of a restaurant. And judging by his build, he was quite strong. Do you drink? Glenn asked. Ive been drinking a lottely. Then...! Two tomato beers, a tomato stew, and a tomato sd, please! ...The menu surely lived up to the name. The tomato beer arrived before the food, and its faint red color was characteristic. When I took a sip, I was surprised by the rich vor. How is it? I usually cant stand the smell of tomatoes, but this is good, I admitted. Im d to hear that... Glenn shed me a quick grin, then downed the entire ss in one go. Quite the drinker, he was. The owner reappeared with more food and set down a mug of fresh beer. Just make sure not to go over five sses today, he said, sounding familiar with Glenn''s habits. It seemed Glenn really was a regr here. Glenn nodded absent-mindedly, then lifted the new ss. You really can hold your liquor, I said. Mhm... I like alcohol. Helps me forget everything... A brief silence settled over us. Glenn was a really good drinker. By the time I was halfway through my first beer, he had already downed four sses. ...I hate the imperial family, he said suddenly, his cheeks tinted red. Normally, most people started losing focus in their eyes and slurring their words after a few drinks. But not Glenn. His voice, usually soft and timid, was now clear and steady. Aside from the slight flush, he looked more alert and intense than normal. Do you know what I hate almost as much as the imperial family? Glenn chuckled. He didnt wait for me to answer, though. The Goodspring and Bednicker bloodlines. ... The loyal fucking dogs of the imperial family. I sensed multiple presences begin filtering into the bar. A dozen or so academy students streamed in from the front and back doors and circled our table. Some were familiar faces, others were not. You, said one of the students. Its been a while. I looked over and saw Talis, who was sporting a bandage across his nose. Evidently, he hadnt fully recovered from his run-in with Evan. Luan Bednecker, Glenn said, his voice colder and harder than usual. You have slowly been getting under my skin. He probably assumed Id hidden my family name on purpose, but the truth was that Id just been too busy to bring it up. But I knew that that excuse wouldnt get me anywhere. I gave the room a quick once-over. Talis, hisckeys, and some academy students who seemed like upperssmen. Judging by their builds, these guys were likely all from departments that required they hone their bodies. Even at a nce, I could see muscles bulging beneath their clothes. Hmm. It was an unexpected turn, but hardly a shocking one. Honestly, I wasnt particrly impressed. Whether this was the real Glenn or a drunken, off-the-rails version, his current state wasnt much of a surprise. After all, I had learned the headmaster''s true identity justst night. For Glenn to shock me now, he would need to reveal some hidden cardlike secretly being the demon lord. Which, of course, was not going to happen. I snorted at my own thoughts. You still have the guts tough? said Talis. Maybe my attitude was rubbing him the wrong way? He sneered as he approached me. You still dont get it, do you? Right now, youre Crack. Talis''s voice cut off as I mmed his face into the table. But I might have mmed his head a bit too hard because I heard the sound of wood splitting. ...! This development was clearly unexpected. The students around me stirred and started to make some noise, but I wasnt paying them any attention. All I could think was that this was working out perfectly. If things go well today... I would finally uncover the true identity of Glenn Scarlet. ____ Chapter 155 There were eleven cadets surrounding me, but surprisingly, none were puppets. Well, maybe its not that surprising. Thest thing a puppet needed was to be seriously damaged. People wouldnt normally bother to check whether someone was breathing properly, but anyone would be suspicious if someones broken skin fell off like shards of porcin. I wondered if certainmands were integrated into the puppets instincts. For example: avoid situations where they might get hurt at any cost. Crash! The moment Talis went down, two cadets lunged at me simultaneously from both sides. I kicked up the table hard. As the food on the table shot into the air, I snatched the empty beer mugs and smashed them over the charging cadets heads.With the sound of ss breaking, the two cadets copsed on the spot. And thats me being nice, I thought. If I had struck them in the face instead of the head, no doubt the ss shards would have shredded their faces. You bastard! A particrly bulky guy reached out toward me. He was quick for his size, but that was it. I grabbed his outstretched hand and threw him toward an old rickety table nearby. Crash! He was such a big guy that hended on two tables and broke them both. I wasnt bothered by the excess destruction, thoughtheyd been the ones to start this fight. Cleaning up these nobodies was a bit of a hassle, but it wasnt particrly difficult. After eight or nine of these greenhorn cadets had hit the ground... I heard the chilling sound of steel ring out as one of the guys in the back drew his sword. Shiiing! No! No weapons! Glenn shouted, sounding slightly panicked, but the cadet was already too far gone. His eyes were rolled partway back in madness. As if he hadpletely lost it, he let out a feral scream and thrust forward with his sword. Shooting the idiot a look of disapproval, I focused my inner energy to my finger and flicked it. ng...! The cadet dropped his sword as vibrating pain shot from his sword through his wrist. In the brief moment he was reeling, I hit his face with my hand. Not with my palm or my fist but with the back of my hand. Smack! The sound alone made clear that it equaled a punch, and I was sure the pain matched. Like the big oaf earlier, this one went flying, and just as dramatically. ???? A deep, heavy voice cut through themotion. ...I heard the Bednicker familys youngest was just a little kid. Was the Lord of Blood and Iron deceiving everyone? It was the owner of the tavern. Even as Id been dealing with the ipetent greenhorns, my attention had never left him. It wasnt just his agethe air around him was beyond that of these average cadets. You dont seem like the kind of guy who should be running a tavern, I said. The man snorted, then charged at me. The mana in his fist was obvious and potent. His refined energy was undeniable. It was even visible to the naked eye. A smile made its way onto my face. Not bad. I focused my inner energy and raised my fist as well. BOOM! Our fists collided in midair. ...! Unlike swords, it was rare for fists to collide in the air. If it wasnt coordinated, it meant one of the fighters was able to hit the mark with perfect precision, which was impossible without exceptional perception. Are you underestimating me? he growled out. As expected, he had the skill to realize this much. He charged me with renewed aggression. I easily dodged his attack, but my mind was racing. He had plenty ofbat experience, there was no doubt of that. In an empire where bare-handed martial arts were looked down upon, it was rare to find someone this skilled. As I continued to fight, I couldn''t help but consider the possibilities. His rtively young age... His face and demeanor, unbing of a tavern owner... The subtlety with which he had concealed his internal ki pathways up until now... And finally, his mastery in unarmedbat. Swords were great weapons, but their biggest disadvantage was that they inevitably made enemies vignt. That was why those who specialized in infiltration or covert operations were trained to either hide their weapons or hone their unarmed skills. Thinking back to what Id learned about Barter, I took a guess. Special Forces? I asked, and immediately, I saw his breath hitch slightly. ...! How boring. Id wanted to keep fighting for a bit longer, but I couldnt pretend to ignore such an obvious opening. I immediately reached out and grabbed him by the cor. He instinctively grabbed my wrist, but then he stiffened. Hed realized the difference in skill level. Wham! As I yanked him by the cor toward me, I threw a punch at his stomach. I then threw the man high up into the air, into the kitchen. There was a crash, and then silence descended upon the restaurant. I turned to Glenn. I wanted to see his reaction, but hisrge hat and the wide sses that reached down to his cheeks made it hard to read his expression. You... The man who had been thrown into the kitchen groaned as he rose to his feet. His eyes narrowed, ring at me as he said, If youy a finger on him... Just shut your mouth and bring me more tomato beer. The owner looked dumbfounded. What...? I only got to drink half a ss before you all ran at me like headless chickens. I didnt even get to touch the food, so now Im hungry. ... Glenn, who had been silent, ordered, Marco, do as Luan says. ...Understood. The guyMarconodded and disappeared into the kitchen, but I still felt his watchful gaze on me. In the meantime, being the kind person I was, I picked up the overturned table and quickly swept off the remnants of the fight. Your Highness... please, r-run away... I heard Talis say. So you were his loyal follower, not an asshole. Then, what happened in the ssroom, I said to Glenn, you ordered that, didnt you? Glenn looked at me for a moment before saying, Talis, leave us. Yes? Quick. ...U-understood. Slowly, Talis and the other cadets struggled to their feet and left the tavern. A few of the more injured ones had to be practically dragged out by others like defeated soldiers. It makes sense, I thought. No matter how few brain cells a noble child had, they wouldnt have the guts to act like an ass in front of imperial blood. Especially an authoritarian like Talis. People like him would always shrink in front of stronger figures. * * * * * * * * * * Can I offer you a piece of advice? Glenn said. What? Even if you leave me half-dead right here, it wont be a problem. I quietly stared at him, wondering what nonsense he was going to spout next, but Glenn''s face grew serious. Im just saying that if you arentying a hand on me because youre afraid of the imperial family, you dont need to be. ... I wasnt sure if he was spouting all this nonsense because hed drank too much, but I really had no intention of beating up Glenn. Not because I didnt believe him but simply because it wasn''t something Id ever nned to do. I continued to stare at him wordlessly, and eventually he shut up. However, I could see his chin trembling ever so slightly. Do you like getting hit? His eyes widened. N-no! Is that even a question? I shrugged. I just wanted to be sure. Then why say such a thing? I asked. ... Glenn didnt look like he was going to answer any time soon, so I continued, You did a background check on me, gathered your whole gang to bury me six feet, and yet you cant even answer something so simple? ... Come on, you can tell me. I may look like this, but Im actually pretty good when ites to giving friends advice... At my words, Glenn burst outughing. It was the kind ofugh youd give after hearing a terrible joke. As you said, I did some digging and found out about your reputation. They call you the only imperfection to the Lord of Blood and Irons name, the disgrace of House Bednicker, a worthless piece of trash who earned no blessings. Dont forget that I even sold the familys prized sword, I added casually. ...If I were to get beaten to a pulp by someone like you, no one would ever think of me as a member of the imperial family, and my royal authority would be at an all-time low. Mhm. I told you before that I had hundreds of siblings, right? That you did. But there are fewer than ten of us officially called prince and princess. So what do you think happened to the rest of my siblings? Your Highness, a voice interfered from the kitchen, seemingly to stop Glenn from saying whatever he was about to say. Glenn forced a smile and continued anyway. Most of them are dead or gone, and those that are gone... I dont even know whether they are alive or dead. ... Those ten granted the name Scarlet, through what criteria were they selected? How did a failure like me end up in the position of fourth prince? Glenn tapped his hat a couple of times. "Hair color. Thats it. Not status, not achievements, not talentlike grading livestock in a ughterhouse, only the vibrancy and intensity of my hairs color determines my score." He burst intoughter, a boomingugh mixed with many different emotions... but none of them were joy. This is the reality of The Empires imperial family. Rotten old bastards blinded by this shitty symbolism. A cesspool of lunatics so obsessed with a fucking color. At this moment, more tomato beer was served. I nced up to see Marco ring at me like he wanted to kill me, so I asked, You didnt spit on it or anything, right? I dont mess with food. Ill take your word for it, I said solemnly... and then proceeded to switch drinks with Glenn. Judging from hisck of reaction, hed been telling the truth. I took a couple of sips of the uniquely vorful tomato beer, then said, I just realized... ...? You are a puppet too. Of course, I didnt mean that kind of puppet. From my perspective, Glenn lived a life not so different from a puppet. "What?" And with that, I sshed the remaining tomato beer on Glenns face. Your High Marco, startled, immediately lunged at me. Unlike his earlier moves, this punch carried deadly intent. He was swinging to kill. But without so much as ncing his way, I swung my hand. Smack! Marco didnt even have time to react before the back of my hand hit him in the forehead, sending him flying into the wall with a heavy thud. I turned to Glenn, who was watching me with wide, fiery eyes. If you hate the imperial family so much, if you truly cant stand the color of your hair, why dont you just shave it all off? Your sister here at the academy dyes hers, so why havent you? ...Thats... Im not exactly happy about the Bednicker blood running through me either. Thanks to our oh-so-great family head, the expectations tied to this name are no joke... but so what? To be honest, I found this Glenn so pathetic that I wanted to give him a good smack in the head. But considering his age, he still had the potential to improve, so I held back. Sure, the hatred you carry is probably heavier than mine, not to mention that the authority of the imperial family is far greater than Bednickers... but is that really such a bad thing? What? I decided to use my bloodline to my advantage. There are plenty of people who grovel at the mere mention of the Bednicker name. At the very least, it helps weed out those pathetic people who are too intimidated by reputation. And lets face it, being from a prominent family means I can always borrow some money or call in a favor when needed. But what really matters is... I locked eyes with Glenn as I continued, ...that I dont take pride in this name. To me, Bednicker isnt a stigma, its a tool. But look at yourself. I clicked my tongue and crossed my arms as I scanned the prince drenched in tomato beer. You hate the imperial family so much that you hide your hair under a hat? You cant stand being called a prince or treated like one? Grow the fuck up, will you? I saw Glenn clenching his fists, but I didnt stop. Do you even remember what you told me when I spoke formally to you for the first time? ... You told me not to. Thats your nature. The moment your emotions run even a little high, you stop asking and startmanding. Just like you did with those idiots who left the shop earlier, or the guy passed out over there. I pointed with my chin to where Marcoy motionless on the ground. And yet you go onining about how much you hate the imperial bloodline, the cult being evil, h h... Fucking hell. I thought there was more to your tantrums, but youre just a pathetic teenager going through puberty, arent you? What do you know...! To me, Glenns words sounded more like Ive got nothing left to say. I shoved my hands in my pockets, stood up, and said, Youre buying, right? The food and drink were fine, but the atmosphere? I give it a fucking zero out of ten. Im out of here. Wait, s His half-opened mouth shut abruptly. From the look on his face, it seemed like hed been about to order me to Stop! or Sit down! I snorted and shot him a sneer before walking out of the tavern. I could feel Glenns gaze burning a hole in my back, but honestly, what the hell could he do? Sure, I had given him something close to a lecture, but... This hadnt all been for nothing. At least one thing had be clear. Glenn Scarlet was not a cultist. *** After returning to the Amber Hall, I went around finding the members of the young heroes one by one to share the current situation. T/N: From now on, the Archmage of Red will be called the Archmage of Crimson, and the Archmage of Yellow will be called the Archmage of Amber. As a result, this will also change the names of the halls to match their corresponding archmages (e.g., Yellow Hall will be Amber Hall). The sses were so spread out that by the time I found them all, the sun had already set. I led the group of young heroes back to the hideout. Inside, many female young heroes, including Sellen, were already present. They must have already used the kitchen because there were several loaves of bread on the table alongside roasted meat, sausages, and stew. I picked up a sausage with my hand and asked, Howd it go? Out of a hundred and two members, twenty-one were puppets. There might be some margin of error, but if this ratio applies to all the students within the academy, were looking at about two hundred student puppets. ... A heavy silence descended upon the room. It was Sharyl who suddenly spoke up, her voice fearful: ...What you''re saying is hard to believe, but Ive also seen some cadets who dont breathe. Denying it would just be running away from reality. From her tone, it seemed like she had epted the situation. I liked that she didnt throw a fit and instead calmly epted reality. But of course, not everyone responded that way. Karis couldnt ept it. I-isnt this some kind of event? It doesnt make sense. This is the Kartell Academy... Isnt this supposed to be one of the safest ces after the imperial house? Pam seemed terrified. Sh-shouldnt we ask for help? If we call for the Imperial Guard Unit or active heroes from Heroes... "In case youve forgotten, this is an ind, I said, and while the river isnt that wide, theres only one bridge across it. Im sure the headmaster has it under tight surveince. What if we use a magic item...? Something like amunication crystal? I dont know... I doubt a great archmage failed to consider that. ... I looked at Pam, who seemed to be shriveling up more and more with each passing second. I pped to get her attention. Get a grip, I told her. We learned this at the training camp. The cult can attack anytime, anywhere. Sure, its insane that this is happening at Kartell Academy, but... isnt this why we participated in the training camp? To learn how to deal with unexpected situations like this? The young heroes around me started giving small nods in agreement. Still, a couple of faces simply didnt seem to care, which pissed me off. I decided to give them a firm reality check. To be exact, were still in the experimental stage. There are several ways to detect puppets... but it wont always be like this. What do you mean? What do you think will happen when they create breathing puppets or puppets with real blood and veins under their skin? "What will happen? Karis asked. I shot a disappointed look at Karis before continuing nonchntly, No one will be able to figure out if someone is or is not a puppet. And once those puppets graduate from the academy, it will be even worse. Im stating the obvious, but all the students here are verified talents. Most of the students here are outstanding, right? Itll take them just a few months to rise to important positions within The Empire. Just think about it, the imperial guards, heroes, the heirs of noble familieswhat if they all be the demon lords servants? ... "We will be in a shitload of trouble then. The Empiresrgest educational institution will be turned into a ce that just produces cultists. The faces of the young heroes stiffened. It was not that I wasnt a skeptic. If things continued like this, my prediction woulde true. We would end up in an all-out war with the cult within ten years. The rising Church of Darkness and the crumbling empire... Realization came crashing down on me. The beginning of the end of the Nameless Empire might have been initiated by the puppets created at this very academy. ____ Chapter 156 Chapter 156 It waster than I had expected, so after a brief exchange of information, I sent the young heroes back. I wanted to give them time to sort out their thoughts. They would probably have a sleepless night, bute morning, their minds might be clearer. However, some people did not need time to sort out their thoughts, and they stayed in the hideout. It was close to midnight, now. Under the dim light, Sellen said, Im about to talk about something important... Sellens gaze fell on Evan as she intentionally trailed off. I understood that look. cing a hand on Evan''s shoulder, I made up an excuse to support him. Hes trustworthy, I said. In fact, it was only thanks to Evan that we learned about the puppets existence. Although it had been Leone who actually gave us that crucial piece of information...Still, Evan was the one who had told me about the demon lord being summoned and made me realize the urgency of the situation, so it wasnt aplete lie. From Sellens perspective, though, I could see why she might not approve of him. Sellen had only spoken to Evan a few times, so she probably couldnt tell whether she could really trust him. Is this about the princess? I asked. Yeah. Evan suspected the royal family even before I brought it up. At that, Sellen turned her gaze toward Evan. She raised an eyebrow as if to ask, Really? Evan scratched the back of his head somewhat sheepishly. Seeing him react so naturally like that still felt unreal considering he had already awakened. While I was lost in thought, Sellen began to speak slowly. ...Fine. Remember what I said before? About how, when the sun sets, the princess always locks herself away in the research wing? I remember. I searched every room in the research wing, and not a single one belonged to her. Blink... The lights inside the tavern flickered on and off at an odd rate. This ces interior felt slightly chilly as well, as if the heater wasnt working properly, creating an eerie atmosphere. I even checked the ledger in the staff office, just in case, Sellen said. The ledger said that the princess rented Room 104 in Research Building 12, but when I went there, it was long abandoned. Surprised, I asked, You didnt go at night, did you? No, I went during the day. It wasnt intentional, but I was a little wary of the ghost stories myself. Her cautiousness might have saved her life. Perhaps that was another quality a hero needed. Sellen continued, Anyway, the room was filled with creepy dolls and ult items, and strange symbols and writing covered the walls. It looked like it hadnt been touched in months. Symbols and writing? I copied them down. Of course, thorough as ever. I took the paper Sellen handed me and unfolded it. ...Hmm. I couldnt make sense of the writing, let alone the symbols. They dont feel anything like what I saw in the Gem Mountains. I discreetly showed them to Evan as well, but all I got was his characteristic awkward smile, suggesting he had no clue either. I couldnt tell if he genuinely didnt know or if he was just ying coy in front of Sellen, though. Id have to ask himter, when we were alone. So where on earth did the princess spend the night? I didnt have any sses yesterday, so I followed her around all day. And? I lost her. I couldnt help but narrow my eyes slightly at that. As Id said before, Sellens skills were far beyond the average young heros. If someone like her had lost her target, it probably wasnt carelessness or a simple mistake on her part. She headed to the research wing around dusk, but as soon as she stepped into Building 12, it was like she vanished into thin air. Then?" I checked inside the building just to be sure, but only the professor was present. Hmm... The darker it got outside, the more uneasy I felt, so I had to turn back. The princess, however, was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the day, but she attended ss the next day like nothing had happened. The princess wasnt a doll, right? Yeah, I already confirmed she was breathing. Then its pretty much confirmed: The princess is part of the church, I said. Then I told them what had happened with Glenn in the morning. After listening to my story, Sellen nodded in agreement. Glenn Scarlet''s behavior was suspicious, but that confirms it. It seems hes just gathering his own faction within the academy. It doesn''t seem directly rted to this situation. I paused for a moment, then held up the note. Mind if I hold on to this? I asked. Got a hunch about something? Kind of. Sellen nodded readily. Keep it, then. * * * * * * * * * * Sellen went back to her dorm, leaving only myself and Evan in the hideout. I still had something to discuss with him. However, Evan had wandered off to the kitchen,ining about being hungry, and he still showed no sign ofing back out. What the heck are you doing? I called out. Luan! Look at this! Evan said shortly before he emerged with a delighted expression, holding something in his hands. Thats...? Cookies! I found them hidden in the corner of the kitchen. ... See this brand? I think theyre from De Marlin Confectionery. I heard you have to book at least a month in advance to buy their products. I was about to tell him to put them back, but I stopped myself. Cookies were certainly a luxury... but Id paid a hundred gold to rent this ce. Surely he wouldnt make a fuss over a few hidden cookies? We sat side by side, munching on cookies. Crunch. Not bad. Yeah, theyre pretty good. How long has it been since Ist ate something like this? As I ate a couple of the crunchy, sweet cookies, I pulled out the note from Sellen and showed it to Evan. Do you recognize this? Evan nodded. Yeah, thats demon tongue. The symbols look like theyre from a dark-magic circle. Can you interpret it? No. Youre a vice-cult leader and you cant even do that? Evan justughed, unaffected by my jab. Do you know how many dialects of demon tongue there are? Even high priests who study the Wicked Scriptures dont actually trante this stuff directly, they just recite what they have memorized. The only one who haspletely mastered the demon tongue is the cult leader. Mm... Still, it looks like it came from a magic circle, so if we can interpret the symbols, we might get some clues, but... Evan shrugged. I''m pretty bad at dark magic. But his words made me pause for a second. Dark magic... What is it? Did you think of something? Maybe. I nodded, then snatched the half-empty bag of cookies. Stop stuffing your face already. J-just one more... said Evan. No. Youre gonna make the owner cry, you little brat. I nced at Evan, who was visibly disappointed. If I hid the cookies somewhere in this hideout, there was a good chance he would find them, so I decided to keep the cookies on me for the timing. I would hide them somewhere he wouldnt findter. Afterward, I told Evan to stay in the hideout for the night. Early tomorrow morning, we would head to Room 104 in Research Building 12. I had looked over the notes on the writing and symbols, but going there in person might help us catch something Sellen had missed. This ce wasnt an inn, but there was a small resting area with a cot in the back of the kitchen. It wasnt massive, but there was enough room for two people to sleep. Of course, I wasnt nning on sleeping just yet. After sitting up for a moment to collect my thoughts, I checked to make sure Evan was asleep before quietly getting up. The ce I was headed for was the pantry. It was the most important ce in the restaurant, so I was sure I''d find what I was looking for there. I knew it. There was a keyhole in the door. I couldnt help but smile as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the unnaturally cold key. But this wasnt the pantry key the owner had given me. Click. The key fit into the lock perfectly, as if it belonged there, and with a creak, the door opened. ... Beyond was not the pantry. Instead, aheady a pitch-ck void, one I couldnt see into at all. It looked like a mass of darkness or thick mudor perhaps like the surface of the ocean at night. A feeling of unease washed over me, but I shook it off and stretched my leg forward. Almost immediately, I felt an indescribable energy envelop my body, a strange intangible something wrapping around me. Ssh. I was standing in a puddle of cold water up to my ankles, and floating on the surface were dry books. In the middle of this area was a mountain of books... And sitting atop it was a small childlike figure. Hello. ... The librarian of House Bednickers Underground Library. Lise Ladygoth Oll Haimudd looked at me. Was it because itd been a while? I felt a strange pressure, so I awkwardly blurted out, Its been a while. ... Lise turned her attention back to the book she was reading. I worried that I would bepletely ignored, but thankfully, she decided to honor me with her attention. Its been a while? Did we not meet just recently? Its been about half a month already. That is but a moment, Lise responded, uninterested and nonchnt. I looked around the room. The dimly lit underground space made it hard to tell the passage of time. Moreover, Lise Ladygoth was an ancient being who had lived for at least several hundred years. It made sense that a mere fifteen days would likely feel like the blink of an eye to her. Suddenly, I wondered if Lise Ladygoth was truly content with the way things were. There was something about her demeanor that suggested to me a strange sense of resignation, as if she had made peace with this situation. You, descendant of Kuset, do you have some business with me? This isnt the time to be worrying about others. I snapped out of it and said, Ivee to seek your advice, Lady Lise. Advice? It is rted to magic. What magic? You mentioned before that you are knowledgeable about curses, demonic contracts, and necromancy. Lise nodded readily. Indeed, she said. I was wondering if you might also have insight into dark magic and the demon tongue. With a soft thud, Lise closed her book and looked at me, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly beneath her disheveled bangs. The bloodline of Bednickeres seeking advice on dark magic and the demon tongue... She paused. How interesting. Go ahead, humor me, Lise said, her raspy voice carrying a faint hint of curiosity. I immediately took out the slip of paper from my pocket. I have this. Lise didnt move to take it herself. Instead, a long strand of her hair transformed into a ck serpent and slithered forward to take the note in its mouth. Lise unfurled the note held in the serpent''s grasp. Her eerie, violet eyes quickly scanned its contents. She made a small noise of amusement. Hmph... Now smiling openly, Lise said in a wintry voice, The seventeenth demon tongue and the dark magic of Hadenaihar, concerning the formation of the Veiled Side and the establishment of itsws. Quite interesting... ... Can she understand it at a nce? I couldnt help but marvel. Though she appeared as a child, Lise Ladygoth was indeed a monster who rivaled the Archmages of Seven Colors. I see. You are curious about the interpretation of this demon tongue and the direction of the dark magic''s influence. Thats correct. Is it possible? It isnt particrly difficult... Lise''s lips stretched ominously into a wide grin. But a renowned mages advice is worth more than gold, young Bednicker. I hope you did not expect to receive the invaluable advice of Lise Ladygoth Oll Haimudd without giving something in return... did you? ...Cant you just think of it as helping out your poor assistant? I asked, trying to appeal to the bond wed built. But Lise let out a strange snort. Evidently, she found my words funny. With a smile, she said, Sorry to let you down, but I am a mage. When ites to deals, I hold family and foe both to the same standard. ...Hmm. I had expected this response, so I reached inside my outer clothing and pulled something out. How about this? Lise nced at the item and smirked. A mask of the Linchal tribe? It seems to be etched with a transformation spell. A rare item, perhaps, but to me it has no use. Then how about this... A mystic bead? If it were an unblemished gemstone, I could use it as an ingredient, but I see it has already been used quite a bit, so no. Then this? A belt made of serpent scales. I suppose it could double as a whip, but... well, no thanks. ...Or, maybe, Im kind of loaded, so You already have and know what I want. Lise''s wicked grin widened. Something far more precious than that old, tattered mask, or the feces left behind by a spirit, or a belt made of animal carcasses. Did you really think you could hide it? Foolish, foolish little Bednicker, Lise whispered in a sly tone, and I gulped involuntarily. Hissss... The sound of a snake filled the air. Before I knew it, a jet-ck serpent made of Lises hair had glided across the water and slithered up my leg. This underground library is my domain. The moment you stepped inside, I became aware of everything you carried. ...Well, fuck me. So shed known about it the whole time. The crown jewel of Archmage Aldersons collection and undoubtedly the most valuable item I possessed... The divine artifact known as the Scissors of Amon. Sssssssss... All the hairs on my body stood on end as I felt the sensation of snakes slithering across my body. Were these really made from her hair? The cold, scaly texture was unmistakably reptilian. Youd better tread carefully. In a way, shes even more dangerous than a high priest. I suddenly remembered Asads warning about Lise. Sure, Id managed to talk my way into bing her assistant, but trusting her as an ally? That would be a fatal mistake. I briefly weighed my options, but the truth was, I had no choice. No matter how priceless the Scissors of Amon might be, they werent worth holding on to at the cost of leaving unchecked the catastrophe that would result from the demon lords summoning. After taking a moment to make my decision, I was about to take out the scissors when an unusually small snake slipped into my pocket. Kekekeke... With Lise Ladygoths sinister cackle, the serpent snatched it away. The half-empty bag of cookies. ... ... ...? ____ The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 157 Over the past few centuries, said Lise, the confectionery industry has made astonishing advancements, unlike the endlessly tedious field of magical studies. Just look at this blend of moist and crisp. It is asplex asbining opposing elementsa brilliant aplishment. And then theres this interesting texture... ah, it must be peanuts. Theyve hidden a touch of nuttiness within the sweetness. The confectioner who crafted this cookie possesses extraordinary creativity and skill. ... Lise, who had devoured the cookies as if someone were about to steal them, looked at me with a satisfied expression. Unable to withstand the pressure, I blurted out, ...Ill bring more next time. Sugar is a mages closest friend and lifelongpanion. ... I couldnt bring myself to mention that the bags of cookies had already been half eaten, so I chose to change the subject. May I ask you a question now? First, exin the situation clearly. Where did youe across the demon tongue and magic circle? At Kartell Academy.Lise cocked her head slightly. Kartell Academy? That is an educational institution in the capital, is it not? Yes, it is. What happened is... I summarized the series of events urring at Kartell Academy as concisely as I could. When I finished telling the story, Lise looked intrigued. It is clear the Empires power has waned significantly over the years, she said. A demon lord being summoned right in the heart of the capital? It is not aplete manifestation, but that is only possible because it is Hadenaihar, the ruler of the Veiled Side... ... It would be interesting to see the entire academy turn into a demonir. Ahaha, that would be rather amusing. ...Judging from the way she was speaking, I didn''t think I could ask for help from House Bednicker through Lise. ...Speaking of which, I said. I used the magic item you gave me to meet with you, but Im worried the puppet headmaster might notice. At my words, Lise gave a smallugh. Puppets cannot achieve perfect replication. The higher the level of the original, the harder that level is to reproduce. It will suffer from partial memory gaps as well. The puppet of an archmage likely wields less than half of the originals power. I see... So it was more wed than Id initially thought. Then again, wasnt that obvious? There was no way one could churn out puppets of that caliber without having to give up something significant. Of course, even the most skilled archmage wouldnt be able to see through this Lise Ladygoths magic item, so you neednt worry overly. Her assurance wasforting. If only her personality were a bit softer, she would make the perfect ally. Then again, no one is perfect. Anyway... things seem to be getting interesting. So your goal is to directly enter the Veiled Side and defeat the demon lord, yes? Thats the current n, yes. Liseughed. Very well. In that case, I can share a few things with you. The magic circle you showed me signifies the creation and maintenance of the Veiled Side as well as the enforcement of newws. Once you step into Hadenaihars domain, you will have no choice but to adhere to its rules. ? What happens if I break them? You will be trapped forever, your body bound to the world of the blood-lit moon and your soul endlessly toyed with in the clutches of the demon lord. Not even death will set you free. Her words reminded me of Alecs description of the expedition team to Spirit Mountain, longing for death. Not even death can liberate you. The Demon Lord of the Green Tongue, Tangtata... The image of that fiend ying with Juan''s severed head like a ball shed through my mind. Back then, even with all the animosity Id held toward Juan, Id felt more pity than satisfaction, but... I was suddenly struck by a thought. Perhaps, in the end, death had been a blessing for Juan. Lise nced at the note and continued, It seems the text written in the demon tongueys out the rules of the Veiled Side. I will only say this once, so memorize it well. Maybe it was the sugar, but Lise seemed exceptionally happy right now. Her voice was light, almost singsong. First, if you get caught by a puppet, its over. Second, you must not leave the designated area. To win, you must find the ritual officiant and defeat the demon lord. The time limit is until the full moon rises. Hmm, the rules are simpler than I expected. I pondered for a moment before asking, If defeating the officiant is the victory condition, isnt there no need to enter the Veiled Side? Killing the officiant outside holds little to no meaning. The demon lords power wont grow further, but nor will the manifested demon lord disappear. Rather, theres a strong likelihood the demon lord will go on a rampage. ... That was exactly what Evan had said. At least it confirmed he wasnt lying about how to subjugate the demon lord. At least in the academy, I dont think I will need to worry about him betraying us. Still, I didnt think I could fully trust him. Or perhaps I should say that fully trusting him felt impossible? As I was wrestling with these thoughts, Lise said, Let me give you one piece of advice. What is it? Run away, Lise said, offering me a slight grin. All those who understand the rules are hopeful at first, thinking Maybe I can win, Maybe I can survive. They chant it like a mantra, almost as if theyve been brainwashedunaware that even that hope is nothing more than a vehicle for the Demon Kings amusement. The deeper you delve, the more youll realize: From the beginning, the game was structured to favor Hadenaihar to an absurd degree. Lise extended a hand toward me. Of course, it might be a puppet, but it is still an archmages doppelganger. It wont be easy for you to deceive or escape from... but for me, Lise Ladygoth, it would hardly be a challenge. I suddenly remembered being told something simr. It mustve been in the first training camp, when I met Asad. I almost let out a dryugh. Come to think of it, this situation was surprisingly simr. The only differences were that it was the Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon, not the Demon Lord of the ck Swamp, and that was Lise the one giving me that advice, not Asad. But still... Perhaps blindly refusing, like I had back then, was not the best course of action right now. If I left the academy, I could try to seek outside help. What if I can get the Lord of Blood and Iron to help? Granted, the duke was the busiest man on the continent... but this wasnt some random matter. This was a demon lord. Wouldnt he rush over without hesitation? Lets say I take your advice. How can I escape? Its not difficult. There are six days left until the summoning of the demon lord isplete. Stay hidden here until then. * * * * * * * * * * The unexpected answer left me momentarily stunned. What kind of...? The moment the demon lordpletely descends, everyone trapped on the Veiled Side will be offered as a sacrifice. At least half of the people in the academy will meet that fate, and those lucky enough to survive will have seeds of evil nted within them. Seeds of evil? What are those? Think of them as dark instincts destined to eventually sprout... Once a seed of evil blooms, you will strangle the ones you once loved, destroy the treasures you once cherished, and harbor unending hatred toward your parents and children alike. ... If you stay here, you can avoid being affected by it. Afterward, you can leave the academy and leave the cleanup to the Imperial Guard Unit, another archmage, or even Derk. Considering this matter involves a demon lord, that guy would rush here even from the far side of the continent. Id had the same thought about Derk, but I kept my mouth shut. Lise looked at me, questioning myck of response. Over two hundred people in the academy have already been reced by puppets, I said. Yes, you told me that previously. I thought they had already been sacrificed to the demon lord, but you''re saying thats not the case. Lise smiled. Those who were reced by puppets are still trapped on the Veiled Side, clinging to fleeting hopes, trembling in fear and terror, longing for a sun that will never rise under the blood moon. Then isn''t it still possible to save them? Do you desire to save them? If they can be saved, it is only right to try. Lise gave an udy-like snort. And how do you n to do that? By stepping into the demons game with no chance of victory? Walking into hell on your own two feet... isnt that what a fool would do? ... They are as good as dead. Jumping into the sea for someone swept away by the storm is not kindness. It''s a matter of intelligence, and that, Luan, is not a rescue. That is a joint suicide. Lise''s gaze fell upon me from above. Yet strangely, in this moment, her piercing violet eyescked their usual wickedness. Instead, they were filled with a starry, inquisitive gaze. However, Luan Bednicker, before my judgment, I wish to ask you one thing. Lise looked at me like I was something she had never encountered before. Are you a virtuous person? *** I left the underground library, leaving Lise behind. I still had not responded to her proposal. For some reason, talking to her made me grow restless... Whenever I was in this state, I had to take time to sort out my thoughts alone. In a quiet ce, facing my inner self. Fortunately, the pantry was quiet, and the moonlit window added to the solitary atmosphere. I sat down on a crate and lost myself in thought. Kartell Academy. To me, this was not a ce of learning but a fog-filledbyrinth. The difort I''d felt from the moment I''d first set foot in this ce... Sellen Goodspring, the prince and princess, Professor Alec, the ghost stories, Spirit Mountain, the demon lord, the vice-cult leader Evan and the big conspiracy Id uncovered from him, and Headmaster Alderson, who it turned out was a puppet Id thought I was observing from a distance, but before I knew it, Id been swept up in the current. I had wandered aimlessly, not knowing where I was going. On many days, confusion had weighed heavier than helplessness. And though the fog had finally lifted... seeing the monster revealed within it made me let out a breathless, hollow chuckle. They say ignorance is bliss. That felt more true now than ever. If only I hadn''t known. If only I hadn''t known that two hundred innocent cadets were still alive and suffering on the Veiled Side. I chuckled bitterly. What a despicable thought. Are you virtuous? The answer to that question was No. Lise Ladygoth did not understand the nature of people like me in the slightest. There were many people in the world who were good deep down. Take Sellen Goodspring, for example. She rushed into the Bednicker training camp to save young heroes who were no better than strangers. I was not like Sellen. I could not be. But that didnt mean I saw myself as a bad person either. A rtively conscientious guy. That was how Id describe myself. Shiiing. I drew the Sword of Seven Sins. Its rough, unpolished de neither reflected me nor caught the moonlight... Yet somehow, in this moment, I felt as though I was staring into the eyes of the Martial God, whom I had never seen before. You heard everything, right? [Indeed.] Am I making a reckless choice? [It is hard to deny that.] The Martial Gods voice was solemn. [No matter how many lives you have, it will not be enough. No one would me you for running away. In fact, at your age, that decision would make sense if you were thinking of your future]. ... [But you don''t want to, do you?] I chuckled at the Martial Godsment. [Don''t do what you don''t want to do]. He probably wasnt saying that tofort or encourage me, but his words deeply resonated with me nheless. Will you join me? I asked. The Martial God smiled. [A world where the moon never sets is, in other words, a world where the sun never rises. How terrified those poor, fragile children must be. How many nights they must have spent in fear.] ... [Perhaps no one still hopes to see the sunrise. Perhaps they have forgotten the feeling of sunlight on their skin. But I think, in a world like that, the dawn muste. It must be proven that the sun will rise.] ... [Let us go, Inheritor.] At the Martial Gods words, I rose from my seat. [Even if you walk the path of Hell, I will walk beside you.] Just as I was about to leave the pantry... A faint beam of light poured in through the window. I blinked, adjusting to the unusually bright light. The sun was rising. ____ The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 158 I walked back to the resting area where Evan was sprawled out on the bed, and I pped him on the cheek. Evan, the suns up, I said. We need to get going. Ugh... He groaned and opened his eyes groggily while yawning wide. Morning... You''re up early. ...Yeah. Even though I hadn''t slept at all, I felt better than I had in a long time. My head felt clearer now. Come on, let''s get moving before people wake up, I said. Evan rubbed his face like azy cat. Give me a little to clean myself up... Had this guy always been this weak to mornings? I remembered him being something of an early bird in the training camp... but then again, that ce could whip even theziest person into shape.Regardless, I dragged the half-asleep Evan out of the hideout. So early in the early morning, the usually bustling shopping district was quiet. Even the merchants, who needed to be out early to prepare for the days business, were likely just getting out of bed. Most of the academy was likely still lost in dreand... which was exactly why we were moving so early. We did not take the tram. Sure, it would be faster, but I had a nagging feeling that it would leave a record of my ride that might be used to track meter. Luckily, the shopping district and the research building were not too far apart. It almost made me feel a bit better about having to go through with this n. We''re here. Is this Building 12? Research Building 12 was a two-story building, shaped like a ?. Even with the faint morning light, it gave off a gloomy vibe. Had wee in the middle of the night, it would surely have looked like an abandoned building. Dont professors do their research here? Why does it look like this? I heard the research buildings are ranked. Building 1 is very nice, but it gets worse as you go down. Building 12 is basically no different from an out-of-service restroom. Mm... Well, what else could I expect from the academy? Like everywhere else, this ce was also a meritocracy. I was used to this culture, being from House Bednicker, but still... ...Mm. The moment we stepped inside, Evan and I both let out quiet, instinctive hums. Something about the ce felt... off. Something about it pricked at my senses. It was hard to put into wordsa mix of eerie and something like... mncholy, if I had to describe it. I just knew that if wed walked in here at night, it definitely wouldve been dangerous. What a ce to do research, in a dump like this... It cant be easy to earn or keep a professorship here, Evan responded. I heard they have to produce positive results every two years or they might be fired. ?? I see... But how do you know so much about the academy? Oh, I had a few sses with Pam. You know how talkative she is. Back to the task at hand, most of the presences I sensed inside the building belonged to professors... but none of them had anything to do with martial arts, so none of them realized we were here. With no security around, we made it to our destination, Room 104, without problem. Creak... The door opened with an unpleasant sound, and the smell of old dust immediately hit my nostrils. The room was unusually dark. There was one window, but ckout curtainspletely blocked out the morning light. Whoosh... I pulled the ckout curtains halfway open to get a better look, and the state of the room finally came to light. Wow... ... Like Sellen had said, there were mountains of ult items and old dolls, and the walls were etched with intricate characters and symbols. How to describe this... It was not a ce I''d want to spend even a second in. Not because it was dirtywell, a little bit because it was dirty. Mostly, though, it was because of the atmosphere. This ce is just... really bad, said Evan. You check the dolls. I''ll check out the ult items and see if I can tell whatever the hell theyre used for. Urk. Evan made a gagging sound and headed for the dolls while I rummaged through a variety of unpleasant items. Bloodstained handkerchiefs and rotting flower petals, half-broken mugs, bottles of some unidentified liquid, a baby''s rattle, a rusted carving knife... These items had nothing inmon except being ominous. I used fire eyes to see if there were any magic items in the mix, but... Nope. There was nothing in this room but old, worthless antiques. I then turned my gaze to the walls. Dark magic circles for the creation, maintenance, and enforcement of the Veiled Sides rules, andws written in the demon tongue that had to be followed. Just as I was thinking that Sellen had actually done a good job of copying down these squiggly, worm-like symbols... ...? I felt a strange sense of unease.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Quickly, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the note, thenpared it to the carvings on the wall. ...Theres another line of demon tongue? A chill ran down my spine. It couldn''t have been more than a few days since Sellen had visited. Someone hade here in those few days. ...Luan? asked Evan. What is it? Somethings off about the dolls, Evan said, his face unusually stiff as he pointed at a pile of dolls. What about them? They... they keep staring at me. What? Look, Evan said. He moved slightly, and... Creak... Squeak... With the sound of creaking joints, the dolls heads turned to follow Evan. ...Lady Sellen didnt mention anything like this, did she? No. Also, theres an extra line of demon tongue. Seriously? Something about this stinks. Lets bail for now Hoohoo. A shortugh froze us both in our tracks. When we turned around, there she was. The princess was standing there like a ghost. ... I hadnt sensed her presence at all. ...In fact, I still didn''t. Even though I could see her standing right there, calm as ever, I didnt feel like I was facing her. It was like I was looking at a ghost. The princesss dark gaze pierced through us. I''m sure you didn''te here to join the club... Deathberry, what do you think they came here for? ... You''re right, they''re here to interfere, to stop us from creating Paradise. It wasnt worth responding to. The princess radiated a sinister aura of tant malice. In an instant, it hit me. If the princess discovered Evans identity, wed be in serious trouble. Go, I muttered sharply, and then immediately charged at her, thrusting out my palm when Id covered half the distance to her. Fwoosh! The White Sun Forms second technique, ming wheel shot toward her. The princess smiled faintly at the sight. The next moment... Creak! The dolls lined up against the wall suddenly sprang to life, throwing themselves into the path of the ming wheel. Like moths to a me, they moved unnaturally to form a shield to protect the princess. I heard the sound of shattering ss behind me. Evan had broken the window and made his escape. Ahaha, the princessughed again. She showed no intent to chase after him; instead, her gaze remained fixed on me the whole time. So I locked eyes with her too. Her hair was ck, but she couldnt conceal the royal crimson in her eyes. Hadnt Glenn said that the selection criteria for the imperial family was based on the purity of the noble crimson color? That certainly seemed true. The princess''s eyes were even redder and more beautiful than the scarlet ruby Id seen in Alderson''s treasure vault. Crack, thud... Through the charred, burning dolls, I met the princesss gaze and casually said, I want to go to the Veiled Side. If I fought the princess here, I could probably force her to surrender or even kill her. But that wasnt what I wanted. The princess smiled faintly. Interesting, she said. How do you know about Paradise? You wrote it down here. I jerked my thumb at the demonic writings. The princesss smile deepened. So you can read it. Hoohoo, looks like Deathberry is going to make some new friends... ... Fine. My Paradise wont turn away any child who wishes toe. Luan Bednicker, youll surely like it there, so long as you follow a few rules. Rules? I asked, pretending not to know. I wanted topare her words to Lises. First, you cannot get caught by the inhabitants of Paradise. Second, do not try to leave Paradise. ... If this paradise was the Veiled Word, her exnation was the same as Lises. And third, you must y with the children in paradise once a day. ... Well, this was new. Was this a new addition? And what did she mean by y? Before I could ask, my surroundings suddenly began to darken. Creak, creak, creak... The remaining dolls crawled up the walls and covered the windows with their bodies. It was a disgusting sight, reminiscent of cockroaches scurrying about. The princess reached out and slowly closed the door. Eeeeeee... The princess was unperturbed by the screeching of the door. In fact, she even smiled and whispered, Lets have fun until the full moon, Luan Bednicker. I hope youll enjoy it too. Click. The door shut. The room was plunged intoplete darkness. ... ... ... Silence. I still couldnt feel the princesss presence, but I realized that the atmosphere around me had changed drastically. My heart was beating faster for no reason, and my breath was quickening. I fumbled around the darkened room. Using my memory of where the curtains had been before the lights went out, I found them and pulled them aside. Whoosh. ... I remembered the light of dawn and sunrise. It had not been long since dawn. But this was different. Outside the half-broken window, the night sky tinged with blood seemed to stretch endlessly... And a blood-red moon,rge and looming, filled half the sky. This was the Veiled Side. ...Whats with this atmosphere? The sight was ufortable and unsettling, so much so that I was about to pull the curtains back closed. Aaaaah! In the distance, a desperate scream echoed. It wasnt too far away. I quickly opened the door and ran outside. * * * * * * * * * * Arin O''Handel, like most girls her age, liked dolls, though she didn''t buy and collect them herself. She felt a little embarrassed by the thought of purchasing a doll at the age of seventeen. Plus, she lived in a dorm, so shed have nowhere to hide them. Still, someday... When she graduated from the academy, if she moved out and got her own ce... She had dreamed of having a corner of her room with a few of her favorite dolls. Hic, heek, hik...! Now, those ideas had vanished without a trace. To Arin, dolls were no longer a dream but a nightmare. With panicked gasps, she ran down the long, dark hallway. A hallway that seemed to go on forever... Her shadow, cast by the blood-red glow seeping through the windows... The sight of a girl running, desperate to live, to avoid death, to escape pain, was pitiful and absurd. Kehehehehe! A doll chased after her from behind. It was only about half Arins size, but its face was hideously distorted. In its hand was a huge knife, asrge as its own body. A butcher''s knife, stained with rotting blood and chunks of flesh. Arin remembered the cadets who had been cut to pieces by that knife. Hic... Tears suddenly filled her eyes. In the midst of her frantic running, she could barely control her breathing, but she unconsciously started to mutter, Please save me... I''m sorry, I was wrong, I''ll do my homework, I won''t skip anymore. I won''t eat junk food, so Her next words never came out. It wasn''t just because her voice cracked. It was because she knew it was meaningless. She had already learned that speaking those words was useless. Arin tripped and fell. Crash! It wasnt merely a misstep, it was inevitable. Her legs had long since lost all feeling. Her body had already surpassed its limits, but fear had forced her to keep running. Human beings on the verge of death could suddenly disy superhuman strength, but even that had a limit. The chillingughter came closer. Almost too close. The doll stopped running and began slowly walking. It had probably always been this way. If it had wanted to, it could have caught her at any time, but it had chosen not to. This was their nature. They reveled in human fear, despair, dread, and defeat. Ugh, hic... Arin OHandel had learned magic, but at this moment, she bore no thought of fighting back. In her current state, she couldn''t use her mana... but even if she could, she knew it would be futile. There had been an upperssman, Theus, who was famous for being one of the best in the swordsmanship department. Shed even heard that Theus had nearly secured a spot in the Imperial Guard Unit. That upperssman, who had also been captured here, had tried to lead the surviving students. His proud face and confident attitude had made her trust him. Following his lead, shed had hope that they could escape. But that hope hadntsted long. Theyd fought with the dolls. Within a minute, Theus had been left on the ground with all his limbs severed. Aaaaah... S-save me... Help...! P-please, i-it hurts. It hurts so much... M-Mom... Theus had tried to crawl away with only his torso until just before he died, when his strength finally ran out and his face was crushed like a fruit. H-hick, heup... Arin realized that it was now her turn. She knew death was inevitable, but she didnt want to die a painful death. She would rather diefortably, but she didnt have the courage to bite her tongue. Now that she thought about it... Hadnt someone said that biting your tongue tomit suicide was a myth? How stupid. To think such pointless thoughts at a time like this... Arin wanted tough bitterly, but she had neither the energy nor the time. Before she knew it, the doll was at her feet. Kieeek... Its gaze fell on her right leg, on her swollen toes and peeled toenails. Ah. It must be nning to cut those first. The butcher knife was raised high. Somehow, the scene felt unreal, even though she had seen it countless times before. She couldn''t even imagine her leg being cut by that knife. Ah... I get why the stoic senior Theus sought his mother in hisst moments. Arin''s voice broke as she said, ...Mom. At this moment... A warm light flickered to her right. It wasn''t the dreary, frightening red moonlight that had haunted her like a nightmare all day. It was the kind of light that made you feel dizzy when it touched your skin, that brought a sense of drowsiness, but was so brilliant that no one could look straight at it if they looked up. It felt like sunlight... ... Arins impression was urate. What she witnessed was a martial art inspired by the sun. BAAANG! The doll shattered. The demon, a being she hadn''t dreamed of facing, shattered like an ordinary doll made of wood. Are you all right? a voice asked. ... Arin looked at the figure with vacant eyes. The white-haired boy shook his fist off casually. He looked like he had just killed a scarecrow, not a demon. You are...? A transfer student. Judging by the color of your tie, you''re an upperssman, right? I''d like to ask you a few questions first... His tone was light. She wondered if he hadn''t figured out what was going on yet. There were often cadets like this. Headmaster Aldersons personality was so nasty that they thought it was just another of his events or tests. They were the cadets who died the quickest and most miserably. W-wait a minute... This ce is dangerous. There are killer dolls everywhere, and there are other people trapped here. And, and this isnt some kind of test I know, the boy said, cutting off her rambling. Uh, huh? It''s a demon outbreak, and you got caught up in it. Arin blinked at him. W-were you taken here too? Not quite. I chose toe here. You chose toe here? Why...? She stopped. She wanted to ask why he would willinglye to this hell himself, but... But then the white-haired boy answered, To save you all. ... Then Arin O''Handel''s expression twisted. Her lips curled, the tip of her nose twitched, and water formed in the corners of her eyes. The words she''d been keeping inside her all along... Please help me. Trapped in this unknown world, running, terrified, begging, despairing, and running again. Thousands, tens of thousands of times she''s said those words. Please help me. But at some point, she had stopped saying them. Because shed known it was pointless. Because shed known the plea would not, could not reach anyone. So the words Please save me hadn''te out until she was on the brink of death. And only then because she was terrified. More than her current situation, shed been scared that her voice wouldn''t reach anyone. That she would die here in silence, without anyone knowing. But that wasnt true. Her voice had in fact reached someone. That realization brought tears to her eyes. Thank you... Like a dam breaking, her true feelings, shattered with tears, spilled out. Th-thank you. Thank you. I thought it was the end, heuk... Thank you so much... She bowed her head in gratitude again and again. The boy, Luan Bednicker, smiled faintly as he watched her. He didn''t know what woulde next. It might have been a foolish decision to step into the Veiled Side alone. He wasnt sure, but... One thing was certain. Im d I came. He truly thought so. ____ Chapter 159 Chapter 159 As I looked down at the sobbing Academy student, the door behind me suddenly opened. Drrr...! I immediately went into fight mode, but the student reactedpletely differently. W-were saved...! She had been bawling just a moment ago, but now she suddenly brightened up and, with a look of relief, dove headfirst through the doorway. Y-you! she said to me. Hurry,e over here! ... She waved me over with a smile on her face. I was slightly suspicious, but it didnt seem like a trap, so I followed her inside. The door mmed shut right after I stepped through. Phew...The cadet let out a sigh that came from deep within her chest. Great... We should be safe for a while. Safe? I looked down at the cadet. There was a lot she needed to exin. * * * Arin O''Handel. Seventeen years old. Third-year cadet in Kartell Academys magic department. Id never heard of any OHandel family, so it probably wasnt famous. It should be around here somewhere... Arin began rummaging around as soon as she entered the room, while I took the time to look around. This seemed to have been ab, though it wasn''t veryrge. It was about half the size of my dorm room, maybe? There was a window, and through it, the crimson moon was still visible. Earlier, I''d been too distracted by the sky. This time, I lowered my gaze to examine the ground below. ... Bathed as it was in the moons red glow, the ground looked like it had been soaked in blood, leaving me wondering if it was really the same path I''d walked just moments ago. This wasn''t just a result of the darkness. The withered garden, the dried-up trees, the old streetlights, the cracked roads, and the demons... Demons? I narrowed my eyes. Even though they were quite a distance away, they were still clearly visible.N?v(el)B\\jnn Upon closer look, they also had doll-like forms. These dolls were just overwhelminglyrger. Judging by what I could see, they were at least three meters tall. They''re adult dolls, Arin whispered as she walked up next to me. Adult dolls? Yes. The one you defeated earlier was a child doll. There are only child dolls inside the building. All the ones roaming around outside are adult dolls like that. Mmm... That''s why we don''t dare leave the building. Arin sighed deeply and shook her head. Then, as if to lighten the mood, she cheerfully said, Look at this. I nced over to see her holding two bottles of water and some long sticks. The sticks looked somewhat familiar. ...Energy bars? Oh, you recognize them! Yeah, thats right. Food is hidden around the rooms. Luckily, these happened to be left here. Arin held out an energy bar to me. You can have this...! What? O-oh! Since you saved me, you can have both...? Grooowl... Arins face instantly flushed red. I already ate outside, so you can have them both, I told her. R-really? Really. Thanks! The moment Thanks left her mouth, an energy bar was shoved in. With a crunch, she began munching on the tough energy bar made of hardened mixed grains. I remembered eating something simr during the training camp, given to us by Priest Juniang. They were easy to preserve and were packed with calories. The only thing horrible about them was the taste. It wasnt something I would touch unless I was in some sort of emergency... But Arin seemed happy enough to fill her stomach. Not that I can me her. From her sunken cheeks to her gaunt frame, she must have been starving for at least a week, if not longer. After downing an entire bottle of water in one go, Arin let out a satisfied sigh, a happy expression on her face. Phew... Now I feel alive. Now that she finally looked ready to talk, I turned my gaze away from the window and asked, Senior how long have you been here? Im not sure. The sun never rises here, so... But it feels like its been a couple of months. ... It was hard to take her words at face value. Without expert survival skills, it was unlikely a regr student could urately track the passage of time in such extreme conditions. Arin hesitantly nced at me before asking, By the way, who are you? You managed to defeat that hideous doll in a single strike...? My names Luan. Im a young hero. A young hero!? Arin looked at me in surprise. Oh! You said you were a transfer student... Right. I remember hearing that young heroes wereing about a month ago or so. That means youre from one of the Great Houses! Oh, I mean, sir...? She must be a lower-ranking noble. I chuckled at her sudden respectful tone. Just speak normally. Im just a transfer student here anyway. R-really? Th-then, dont mind if I do... This is my first time meeting a young hero. Thats amazing... You seem so calm too. Are all young heroes like you? Arin seemed quite talkative. If I put her next to Pam, I was sure they would talk all day. Anyway, the title of young hero sure dide in handy. Just like with Glenn, kids at this age tended to admire the status of young heroes. Arin''s gaze was filled with trust, and though it was a little burdensome... It wasn''t necessarily a bad thing. It meant she''d be more likely to follow my orders in an emergency. The top priority is to ensure the safety of the civilians. That didnt just mean eliminating physical threats, it also meant providing as much mental reassurance as possible. I looked at Arin and said, Senior, you don''t have to worry anymore. I''ll protect you. Huh?! Arins face reddened slightly and she quickly nodded repeatedly. Uh, o-okay...! Is this not the way to do it? Honestly, I wasnt particrly good with words. And it wasnt like I had the luxury to choose my words carefully, so I asked again, Do you know where this buildings entrance is? I do, but... In a heavy voice, Arin said, It''s impossible to get out. Because there are adult dolls outside? That''s one thing... but first, let me tell you about this building. This research building is unusuallyrge. As you can see, the corridors seem to be dozens of times longer than the average buildings. I nodded. It wasn''t just the length but the width as well. They were wide enough for a carriage. Arin continued. We''re on the first floor... but to get outside, you have to go up. Why? Because there are no entrances on the first floor. The only way out is to go up to the roof and jump down. There was something strange about her tone. She was one hundred percent certain about this. Have you actually tried it? ...Not me, the seniors from Crimson Hall. There were seven of them in total, Arin said sadly. The higher you go in this building, the more vicious the enemies get. Even the dolls on the first floor are too much for me, so what kind of monsters do you think will be on the roof? Of course, after thinking it through, it was obviously better to leave the baggage behind. ... Those seniors were really strong, though. They took down the dolls inside the building just as easily as you did, but... Arin looked at the window, her eyes nk. They were all killed by a single adult doll. Ah. It wasn''t even a fight. They stood no chance against it. Those dolls out there... they''re real monsters. They were that strong? I had gotten a glimpse of them, but it was hard to gauge their strength from a single look. If they were living beings, I would have been able to get a rough estimate of their skill by observing them, but unfortunately, dolls were too different. * * * * * * * * * * I took a moment to collect my thoughts. What was my top priority? Killing the princess somewhere in this world was important, but there was still time until the full moon. In that case, my top priority right now should be... First, let''s get out of here. To where? We need to find the others. There might be others still alive. They might have information that Arin didnt know. Maybe some had even seen the princess. Uhm... Arin hesitated. She seemed afraid to go out into the hallways. If you''re scared, you can stay here. N-no! I''ll go with you! I-I won''t be a burden. Promise! Arin said urgently. She seemed to consider being left alone here worse than dying. I nodded, headed to the door, and walked out into the blood-lit corridors again. I snuck a nce toward a window and said, By the way. Yeah? If we break this window, can''t we just go outside that way? Oh. Arin smiled bitterly. I tried that, of course. I tried hitting it as hard as I could with a metal chair, but it didn''t do anything at all. Oho... So it was tough enough that doing something like that wouldnt even leave a scratch? Hearing that stirred up my defiant spirit. Right before I could unleash the Strongest Fire Technique on what seemed like an ordinary window... U-um... With a sharp intake of breath, Arin pointed ahead. Where she pointed, there stood a doll in the middle of the hall. Motionless. It was a stuffed doll, so small that it only looked to reach my ankles, and in its hand was a knife. Like the previous dolls knife, this one was also dripping blood. Kekeke. Ugh... The moment the dollughed, Arin stumbled backward and wrapped her arms around herself. She reacted like this was a nightmare turned real. I thrust my right palm forward. A roughly made ming wheel flew toward the doll. It looked more like a mass of mes than a palm. But that was intentional. I didn''t want to waste my strength and energy on this small fry. Whoosh! The ming wheel covered the doll''s entire body, and since it was a stuffed doll, it burned intensely. Eh...? By the time Arin made a confused noise, my attention had already shifted away from the doll. Senior, can you run? Oh, yeah. Then let''s hurry. Do you know where the stairs are? I do, but before that... Arin hesitated, then said, Could you save my friends before we go upstairs? Save them? I tilted my head in confusion, puzzled. It was strange. Save them implied they were still alive, but in this ce, a single moments dy could lead to death, especially for untrained cadets. The opponents were murder dolls, after all. Yeah... They are being held captive. By whom? By other cadets. Arins eyes glinted with resentment as she gritted her teeth. They''re from Indigo Hall. They''ve taken over the dining hall on the first floor. Indigo Hall? Yes, are you familiar with it? It''s where the academy keeps all the troublemakers. It''s... kind of like a detention center. That was news to me. Indigo Hall... I knew it was the lowest-ranking dormitory, but I hadn''t realized it was used as a detention center for troublemakers. That means they''re not exactly possessing the best of characters. It was only in extreme situations that a persons true nature was revealed. Limited food, limited space, and the threat of death down every hallway... I wondered how such an environment would affect cadets with delinquent tendencies. I didn''t want to think too much about it. Where''s the dining hall? Hold on. Arin pressed her face against the window. The ?-shaped building resembled a long, straight main section with two protruding wings. Beyond the window, the opposite wing of the building was visible. Arin looked at it and seemed to recognize our current location. We should keep going this way. We just walk straight, take a left at the bend, and keep going until we see an unusuallyrge door. That''s the dining hall. Okay. Let''s go. I hurried my steps a little more. We ran into a few more dolls, but they only appeared one at a time, so they weren''t much of a bother. The terrain itself was also in my favor; the open corridors offered no hiding ces. Those small bodies would have been advantageous in an ambush. If they could jump out from some hidden location, they would be more of a nuisance. Even the senior swordsmanship department couldn''t take down a single one of those dolls... Arin seemed to have mixed feelings as she watched a doll sprawled out on the ground. At least the fear in her eyes had faded significantly, which was good. The path bent once, then continued straight ahead again. We entered the building I arbitrarily called the main body, where the corridors were noticeably wider. Along the way, I spotted a staircase leading up, but I passed it by... ...Here it is. We had finally arrived in front of an unusuallyrge door. * * * Russo Haffwit felt like it had been well over a month since hede to this ridiculous hellhole. Maybe it had been two months? He didnt know. At first, hed felt despair and fear. Hed even thought about death. But that wasnt necessary As long as he stayed out of the corridors, he was safe... and this dining hall provided food every day based on the number of people seated. That was the only reason they bothered to keep the other useless cadets confined here. A student approached him. Senior Russo, please... The student had a paleplexion, dull eyes, and protruding cheekbones. I haven''t eaten for four days now... Please... just a little something... Funny how you lie. You haven''t eaten anything? I gave you water yesterday. I-it was a single sip... That''s right. Russoughed. You know, a person canst a month on just water? Why not think of this as a chance to go on a diet? ... Or you could just go out there and find food yourself. Like... you know, what was her name? Arin? Like her. The cadets lips pressed together tightly. Russo knew better than anyone that such an act was suicide. He was fully aware of that, yet he still suggested it. Because he knew the cadet would never leave this dining hall. At this moment... With a dull thud, the door to the dining hall opened. The cadets in the dining hall were not surprised because the dolls never opened doors. The corridors alone were the domain of demons. That only meant one thing: The ones who opened the door were people... Two figures appeared. Standing in front of the cadets was a brazen-looking tinum-haired boy. Senior, is the right ce? Uh, y-yeah... Came a small, mosquito-like voice from behind him. Russos gazended on the source. It was a familiar face. Arin O''Handel. Youre alive. ... You had fun outside and decided you missed home, huh? Wee back. Of course, for your insolence, youre banned from food for a week. Aha. The one who replied was not Arin but the boy. So that''s how youve been keeping control. Sure, it''s an underhanded method, but nothing beats food as a bargaining chip. Who are you? said a cadet sitting near the entrance, a rugged-looking guy whose muscles were visible even beneath his cadet uniform You look like an underssman to me, and yet you have no manners. Do you think theres professors or school rules to protect you here? ... If you want to live even a minute longer, youd better mind your manners. At that, the young boys expression changed. His gaze sharpened and he gave a good, long look at the cadet. There was an unintelligible word. ...Manners? ____ Chapter 160 Chapter 160 There was a phrase: as in as day. It meant that a situation was so clear and simple that it could be understood at a nce. There were thirteen people in the room. Five of them were big and healthy. The other seven looked like they''d been starving for weeks. If not for their cadet uniforms, they could be mistaken for bums. So you also take matters of manner seriously? Huh? Me too. Thats what separates humans from beastswhether or not you know your manners. I wondered if this ignorant-looking cadet even understood what I was saying. I got my answer in the next moment.He immediately swung his fist. At least he still acted humangetting mad at being insulted. Had being stuck in such a closed space increased his violent tendencies? Or had he always been this way? Not that I really cared. SMACK! Gaaahh! With a loud scream, he dropped to the ground, clutching his face in agony. Most people like him were like this. They knew how to inflict pain but rarely had any tolerance for it themselves. Shitty, I know, but it was the bitter truth. Three of the remaining four scrambled to their feet, but one remained seated, watching me. The look on his face pissed me off. Pat. I closed the distance to that shit-face cadet with my sun shadow steps. The moment the smug cadet''s mouth dropped open, I snatched him by the cor of his uniform. ...! I saw his hands il in the air. It was a pathetic response, but I was surprised he reacted at all. He might be about equal to the lowest rank of young heroes. In other words, about the same level as Skull or Hans. Bam. His eyes bulged as my fist sank deep into his gut. I clicked my tongue. Dont be so dramatic. His reaction was too much. I had held back. Russo! some cadets screamed. So this guys name was Russo. I grabbed the so-called Russo by the shoulders and hurled him toward the cadets who had just shouted. Crash. They fell over trying to catch him. ... ... The two still standing back flinched but didnt make a move, merely ring at me in disbelief. Id expected as much. They were just like a pack of hyenas. The group simply crumbled the moment it lost its leader. The way their eyes darted around made me sicklike they couldnt decide whether to run, fight, or piss themselves. Maybe... if these guys weren''t cadets, and if they''d crossed the line just a little bit more, I mightve just [Inheritor]. The Martial Gods low, brusque voice echoed in my mind. Ehm. I shook my head, forcing down the rising urge to kill. I didnt show it, but I was a little taken aback. I could be impulsive, sure, but I wasnt the type to casually consider killing someone. [Its because this is a demon lords domain. Keep your wits about you. Don''t let the madness consume you.] Could these guys also be affected?N?v(el)B\\jnn [Perhaps. They are no saints, but they would not normally be this evil.] ... So in a way, they were victims too. That fact made the pent-up steam inside me disappear. I said tersely, Go share some food with the seniors. And you, Russo, why don''t youe over here. Cough... Cough... Stop overreacting and get your ass over here. Unless you want another, I said, subtly bringing my fist up. Russo shot to his feet and hurried over to stand in front of me. Luckily, he wasntpletely clueless. Exin what''s going on. Wh-what, exin what...? Everything. From beginning to end. Everything you know. Uh... I red at him as he hesitated, and he began spilling everything he knew like a man with a de to his throat. I listened quietly, but he didnt have much new information. Most of it ovepped with what Arin had said. But then a cadet munching on an energy bar suddenly blurted out, Th-there was an undergroundcoughstaircase! He was in such a rush to speak that he started choking on the bar. I calmly waited for the cadet to finish drinking his water before asking, An underground staircase? Y-yes. I was too scared to go down there, but... it was kind of hot down there, and just... unsettling. ... The way out of the building was said to be the roof... The basement wasnt exactly known as an escape route. However... This was a demon lords realm, a ce unbound bymon sense. I stood up. I was curious about these underground stairs, but there was something I had to do first. Wait here for a moment, I said. Startled, Arin hurriedly asked, Wh-where are you going? She nced in Russo''s direction, seemingly worried that if I disappeared, they would revert to their previous ways. Don''t worry, I''ll be back soon enough. Which was true. No matter how brainless they were, even they would not repeat their garbage behavior just hours after a rough beating. It would take at least a day, maybe even two or three. If I was not back by then, they would slowly resume their despicable antics again. Luckily, my task shouldnt take that long. Drrr. I took a deep breath after closing the door behind me, then... I activated my serpents eye. Thankfully, I could make out the building''s structure to an extent. Damn this huge ce. The once shabby research building was now muchrger than several of the Academy''s main buildingsbined. Even the floors had doubled from two to four stories. Beyond the ceiling that separated floor from floor, I could see clusters of heat moving frantically. Those were the cadets who were still alive. There was no time to waste, so I immediately began a rescue operation. I found five on the first floor, three on the second, three more on the third, and one on the fourth. A total of eleven cadets. Th-thank you... Thank you so much... It was terrifying... ...I thought I was done for. The cadets all expressed their gratitude. Some cadets were as terrified as Arin, while others were surprisingly calm. The cadet who had been alone on the fourth floor was one of thetter. Judging by the color of his tie, he was in the highest grade. He was a dignified-looking young man whose name was Jidon. Thank you for saving me. Your martial arts are remarkable... This guy was also quite skilled. As Arin had said, the dolls on the fourth floor were strong. They were ball-jointed dolls rather than stuffed. Their movements were grotesque and creaky, but despite their twisted forms, they moved surprisingly fast. Jidon seemed to have held out against those dolls for quite a while. The path to the rooftop was treacherous... We should probably leave this building to call for help. Senior, I''m sorry, but could you head down to the first floor? Hm? I exined the situation to Jidon: the cadets being held captive and Russos group throwing their weight around. Jidon''s face immediately scrunched up. ...What a dreadful situation. As a future knight, I cannot condone this. Very well, I will handle this Russo fellow. Thanks. By the way, I have yet to ask for my saviors name. Its Luan. Currently a transfer student. A transfer student? Ah! A future hero, then. Jidon grinned and squeezed my hand warmly. I, too, dreamed of joining Heroes before I decided to be a knight... I think they are the true heroes of the continent. ... Haha. I just want to say that if its you, Im relieved. You seem very dependable. The people here in the capital seemed especially envious of Heroes. Just as those from the South were envious of the capital. I found that attitude a little strange. Anyway, I followed Jidon to the first floor, and then sent the rescued cadets to the dining hall. Then, after making sure Russos face turned pale, I headed for the basement stairs. * * * * * * * * * * It didn''t take long. At the very end of the right-side wing was a staircase leading down to the basement. Mmm. A gust of hot air hit me. It felt a bit different from the heat of the sun. There was something else in the air besides heat. The Martial God offered me a quiet warning. [Inheritor, I sense unusual demonic energy.] I nodded, then cautiously stepped down. Though not a single ray of light entered, it wasnt dark. Hot mes were emanating light from below. The air was getting hotter too. Even though I was ustomed to heat, beads of sweat broke out on my forehead. Finally, the staircase ended. This ce is... [It looks like a prison.] He was right. The sight before me was undoubtedly an underground prison. Except there were no prisoners. Beyond the iron bars, I saw no signs of lifenor even traces of past inhabitants. With no n in mind, I just walked around. I passed by quite a few cells, keeping my guard up the whole time. It was exactly the kind of ce where those tiny doll creatures could hide and make an ambush. Those things emitted zero presence as living beings, nor did they contain internal energy or mana, so I had to rely entirely on my senses to deal with them. Fortunately, I passed by several cells without being ambushed... Eventually, I spotted a prisoner. ... Headmaster Alderson. Twoyers of chains were bound around each limb, and a blood-red dagger was embedded near his chest. It was said that mages controlled their mana with their heart. The dagger''s purpose was likely to seal the archmage''s magic. The real Headmaster Alderson. Not a puppet. The real headmaster of Kartell Academy. But I could not act recklessly. Because standing before the chained-up Alderson was the source of the heat. ... Whoosh...! It was a demon. It certainly seemed that way, at least. However, the heat radiating from it was so intense that it even blurred the presence of its sinister demonic energy. The figure resembled a ck knight in full armor. But it wore no helmet, and where its head should have been, mes flickered. The bright red mes seeped out from the seams, unable to bepletely contained by its armor. I imagined a monster whose body was made of mes, covered in ck armor. The Martial God spoke in a heavy voice. [Its dangerous.] He did not speak of danger easily. He had never shown much rm except when High Priest Juan used ghost path to escape, but I heard a hint of unease in his voice now. [With that much demonic energy and such an overwhelming presence, that is undoubtedly one of the demon lords direct legionmanders.] A legionmander? Are they strong? [They are not like other ordinary demons. They are either of the demon lords bloodline or former rulers who once imed parts of Hell as their territory.] Even the low-ranking demons and beasts summoned during the training camp had been troublesome enemies, as had their leader, a grim reaper. But standing before me now was a legionmander. The title alone made it a monster that no lesser demon couldpare to. [It is an iplete manifestation... but even so, its great energy is unnerving.] It was as he said. That heat and that demonic energy... I was no match for them currently. This was a monster that made even a high priest look like a child inparison. And yet, why? ... Why did the image of the ck knight draped in mes leave such a deep impression on me? Despite its armor, it had no weapon in sight. My gaze shifted to the demon''s hand. ck gauntlets. I was sure crimson me writhed beneath them, I couldnt help but feelwas I losing my mind? From the armored demon with a body of fire, I felt the dignified aura of a grand martial artist. For a moment, it reminded me of my fourth senior brother. In fact, that stood out more than the demonic energy or the heat ... A thirst for challenge stirred within me. Since returning to the past, I''d never felt such a strong desire for battle. Perhaps it was hubris, but I felt like this fight might actually be winnable. The foundation of my identity as a martial artisty in the Strongest Fire Technique, a breathing technique particrly resistant to heat. If that demon, given its appearance, harnessed heat and used martial arts of extreme yang, I might barely have the upper hand. But... I should not act rashly. I knew all too well how vile demons were, how despicable. That meant the aura it was exuding could very well be nothing but a deception. I nced at Headmaster Alderson. He might be the most important figure in the uing battle against the demon lord. If I could rescue him, he could provide invaluable information and, even more importantly, be a powerful ally. After a moment of thinking, I came to a conclusion. It was worth the risk. Martial God, I said, intentionally speaking with a raised voice. I wanted to show my determination. [Speak]. Im going to have to fight. All alone? Thats gonna be tough. I instinctivelyshed out at the sound of a sudden yful voice. My extended fist was a simple, basic punch, but it carried more than enough internal energy. Which meant that it naturally unleashed the first technique of the White Sun Form, scorching heat. Thud. It was easily blocked. A gentle palm not only stopped my punch but also subdued the raging energy surging within it. Shh. I felt a finger press against my lips. yful, mischievous red eyes looked into mine. Hello, Luan Bednicker. ... I couldn''t hide my surprise. Here, of all cesno, no matter where we might meet, I would never get used to this unfamiliar figure smiling at me. Leone whispered, I came to help. ____ Chapter 161 Chapter 161 While I took a moment to understand what was happening, Leone gently pushed away my fist. She stood there with a bright smile as if waiting for my response. ... Who was this girl? This was the third time we''d met. I didnt know exactly what she was thinking, but I''d talked with her enough to get a general idea of her thoughts and her purpose... I still know very little about her, so let''s keep it simple for now. Might she be an enemy? No, she definitely wasnt.It was thanks to Leone''s advice that Id realized Headmaster Alderson was a puppet. And just now, she could have easily ambushed me when I hadnt sensed her presence. If she really were my enemy, shed had plenty of opportunities to cause more trouble for me. Is she an ally, then? I couldnt say that either, though. Something about her reasons for helping me reeked of ulterior motives. At the very least, her actions were noting from a ce of goodwill. That was all to say that I could trust her... for the time being. How do you n to help? I asked. It would be better if she had a n of her own. At the very least, she wouldnt stab me in the back until her n was finished. The right amount of cooperation, the right amount of caution. Perfect conditions for a temporary alliance. You''re trying to get the headmaster, right? That''s right. Hmm. Leone''s head tilted at an angle. I stopped for a moment as she seemed to be considering a n. Was she formting one on the fly? Her head tilted from side to side and her inky hair swished, flowing gently down. I took a moment to note the color of her hair. In The Empire, ck hair was in some ways rarer than red. While zing crimson like Glenn''s was rare, reddish-brown or orange hair was surprisinglymon. Like, for example, Arzan and Pam. ck hair, on the other hand, was rare. In the case of Bednicker, our dark-fairy ancestry made ck hair moremon... But outside of that, it was a rare color across the continent. And those eyes, red as a rabbits. ck hair and red eyes. Leone possessed two of the rarest colors in the Empire. Was it mere coincidence that shed been born with those particr features? Or... All right. Leone''s lips curled, interrupting my thoughts. That''s Kajita, themander of the Infernal Legion. For a demon, its quite the oddball. Her way of speaking was different fromst time, I suddenly realized. It didn''t feel awkward. It wasnt that this was her natural way of speaking. Rather, any tone seemed to suit her. An oddball? More like an innate martial artist? You cant really call it honorable, but it does prefer one-on-one duels. A demon being a martial artist? I chuckled at the absurdity. Closer to a scoff, if you prefer. But Leone didn''t seem offended by my response. If we both attack it, itll quite literally explode in rage, use its full power, and burn us to ash in no time. Then what do you say we do? We''ll split the tasks. One of us deals with Kajita while the other rescues the headmaster. We just need to buy time. The demon is bound to this underground prison, so once the headmaster has been rescued, we can make a run for it. ... It was a decent n. If everything she said was true, at least. Let''s assume that I do go along with her n. There was one important question that still needed an answer. Who''s going to fight that guy? It would obviously be much harder and more dangerous to stall a high-ranking demonmander. Leone had to be aware of that. Of course, I had already intended to face the demon, but... I was curious about Leones intentions. You decide, Leone said, smiling. I don''t mind either way. I''m pretty versatile. ...That was not a response Id been expecting. Crossing my arms, I replied, Which are you more confident in? Hmm. Probably the rescue, since Im good at concealing my presence. Swoosh... Leone''s presence faded as she said that, even though she was right in front of me. Its like shes a ghost. I nodded. Okay. I''ll take the demon. The corners of Leone''s eyes curved up. Good choice. Her reaction was hard to read. Part of her seemed amused by my unexpected response, and another part seemed satisfied that it was what shed anticipated. I had a lot of questions for her, but I decided to save them for after Headmaster Alderson was rescued. Good luck, then. Leone waved and promptly disappeared into the darkness of the prison. As I looked at where she''d been, I realized one thing. She was not a doll. ...Mm. That was good enough for now. I took a moment to clear my head before turning to face the legionmander named Kajita and deliberately revealing my presence. * * * * * * * * * * The smell of sulfur assaulted my nose, and it grew stronger as I got closer. Step. [...] I thought it was faceless, but that wasnt the case. Inside its zing head, blue mes flickered, twisting into shapes resembling eyes and a mouth. It was not pareidolia. I was certain I was making eye contact with the me. ... Apart from that, I was momentarily distracted by the demonic me. It felt like I had stumbled upon a gem in an unexpected ce. [You are...] To my surprise, this one could even talk. [Have youe to rescue this old man?] ... I was caught off guard. You? Old man? Was I really having a conversation with a demon? What are you? [...I am Kajita,mander of the Infernal Legion. Due to circumstances, I am serving as the gatekeeper of this prison. And you?] ...Luan Bednicker. Upon my instinctive reply, Kajita''s mes flickered strangely. Whoosh. It felt as if my entire body was being scanned. A slight chill ran down my spine. From this me-eyed being, I felt the gaze characteristic of a master. Its gauging my level. I almost let out augh. A demon martial artist. Leone''s words, which I had dismissed as nonsense, were now ringing true. [I sense a presence simr to mine in you.] I am not a demon. [I am not speaking of the innate aura of a living being, but of the essence youve cultivated as a martial artist. You certainly possess mes like mine... though yours are more reminiscent of the sun.] ... [However, your body is still developing. What a pity. I heard that human life is but a fleeting moment. Ten years... If at least five more years had ripened you, this would have been a worthy duel.] I smirked as I replied, Take a look at yourselfI dont think youre in any position to talk. [This is indeed an iplete manifestation. I spoke with that in mind.] Kajita looked at me. [Go back, young martial artist.] What? [It is my duty to kill all intruders, but your current situation is precarious. I am saying that if you leave now, I may turn a blind eye.] ... How much more did this demon n to surprise me? First, it had seen through my background with one nce, and now it spoke of mercy. Suddenly, Headmaster Alderson''s words about a good demon came to mind. I wouldnt say I agreed with him, but... I had to admit, having witnessed a creature like this with my own two eyes... Even demons had their outliers. Sorry, but I cant do that. Lets skip the formalities and fight, Mr. Demon Martial Artist. When Kajita spoke next, its voice was low. [...Foolishness.] Then Fwooosh! Kajita''s me red as if fanned by a powerful gust of wind. What had been like a candles flicker now swelled asrge as a forest fire. The temperature around us rose sharply, and a frenzy of heat swept through. Even my sweat seemed to dry up from the powerful heat. I felt an ufortable heat in my eyes as well. Kajitas me body, emitting this scorching heat, seemed to have doubled in size. [Inferno is a heat that even fire-resistant demons cannot withstand. Young martial artist, you are in no state to face me now, let alone touch me.] ... [I will warn you once more: Retreat. It is too early for you.] It wasnt just speaking empty threats. Even I, who remained unfazed by most heat, faltered for a moment. And it was not just the heat that made me flinch. It is controlling the mes. Thanks to that, Headmaster Alderson, chained right behind him, didn''t seem to feel any of the heat. Even though Kajita was emitting enough heat to melt iron bars, Alderson was unaffected. Then what of Leone? Could she pick up on the flow of that heat and move close to Headmaster Alderson? ... Well, shed figure it out. I cleared my thoughts of Leonepletely and, as if entranced, fixated my gaze on the inferno. For some reason, the crown of my head itched. It felt like my brain was either softening or wiggling around. But it wasnt unpleasant. Though I felt a slight sense of urgency, it was not otherwise a bad feeling. So, I just have to touch it, huh? I murmured, feeling oddly like a moth drawn to a me. [Why do you hasten to your demise...] Step. Ignoring Kajita, I took a step forward, at the same time activating the Strongest Fire Technique. Whoosh. The sensation of the energying from my inner core was different than usual. Its cold. It had to be because of Kajita''s inferno. It was refreshingmore than that, it was fun. It was natural, of course, but I rarely felt cold internally. Thud. One step after another. I walked with force, as if to leave marks on the ground. At a nce, it might have looked like I was struggling, but I was not. The reason for my sluggish stepsy within me. As I circted my true ki as usual, the pleasant coolness rushing through my meridians suddenly revealed a way to improve my true-ki control. It was a fascinating experience. A path I had walked for decades. It was as if I had discovered something new in andscape that was now so familiar that it had be boring. [How in Hell...] I had taken about five steps when Kajita''s baffled voice reached my ears again. I ignored it once more. Instead, I fully embraced the heat of the inferno. I opened wide my half-closed eyes, stung by the heat. mes seeped into my slightly parted lips. It felt like I had swallowed fire as my throat felt the thrum of the heat. Yet within the inferno, my senses only sharpened. If a parched person was dying in the middle of a desert, the sensation of a single drop of water on their skin would be so vividly felt. So too was the pration of the heat. It was as if it was seeping directly into my body. ...Ah. The true ki writhing inside me... It wasnt just the flow, every individualponent of it became palpable. For me, the true ki coursing through my body took the form of me, but Id often heard others describe it as feeling more like a liquid. Since true kiCor manaflowed through the meridians, thatparison wasnt exactly wrong. If anything, it was probably my perception that was unusual. Yet sensations, by their very nature, were difficult to describe in words. Someone couldnt truly understand a sensation until theyd experienced it firsthand. So this is what it feels like. I finally understood the true ki in my body in terms of water.N?v(el)B\\jnn It was a rare and unique experience. The true ki I had always carried was not truly fire, after all. True ki was capable of transforming into anything. It was energy with boundless, infinite potential. This coldness, this chill. A cold me. The thought that suddenly came to mind etched itself deep within me. It was a spark of inspiration that hade out of nowhere. The third stage of the Strongest Fire Technique. Id thought I wasnt ready to bring it out, but now... Fwoosh. The inferno I had epted scorched my insides ck. [...] At some point, the distance between Kajita and me had narrowed to a single foot. His fiercely flickering mes filled my vision. They reminded me of a bonfire struggling under the rain. I reached the source of the heat, and oddly, the pain disappeared. The Strongest Fire Technique had absorbed the inferno and I had, to some extent, adapted to it. The coolness of my true ki began to feel like heat again. Feeling somewhat disappointed, I muttered to myself, ...A little too lukewarm for an inferno, dont you think? [...] Isnt there any way to turn up the heat a bit more? ____ Chapter 162 I wasnt trying to provoke it. After all, the being in front of me was a demon. Just like how a beast wouldnt understand any insults shouted at it... I doubted whether it was even possible to get under a demons skin using human standards. The words I had just spoken were my honest feelings. [Understood.] Its voice, rumbling and intense, now carried an unusual calmness, even as it locked eyes with me from just an arms length away. [That power you possess seems to contain the heat of the sun, granting its wielder resistance to heat]. ... [I admit my misjudgment.]Even as it spoke, the fire demons mes swayed ferociously. As if they were dancing. Ssss. The air slowly grew hotter. As the tension rose, Kajita spoke as if delivering a verdict. [You are worthy enough to challenge me.] Kwoooossh! As soon as the demon finished speaking, a scorching gale swept through, a whirlwind centered on Kajita, far more turbulent than anything before. Creak creeaaak...! The iron bars rattled and shook, producing a cacophony. It was a chilling sound, but there was no time to cover my ears. Thud. Kajita''s palm rested on my abdomen. It wasnt an attack, it was a casual gesture, almost as if it had been ced there absentmindedly. But it had been fast. Even with my senses on high alert, I hadnt been able to react. All Id managed to do wasyer bodily ki over my abdomen a split second before its hand touched me. With the sharp sound of an explosion, the rush of heat ceased. And then, in a sh... Fwooosh! The mes that had vanished erupted from its palm. It was the essence of fajin. KABOOM! The protective ki over my abdomen shattered like ss, and a momentter came waves of pain. It felt as though my body was lifted off the ground, a feeling of intense pain radiating through my back. I groaned in pain. Fuuuuck... An instantter, I realized I had been flung across the prison and mmed into the other end several dozen meters away. I saw the bars Id been flung into, bent like marshmallows. The high temperature had softened them, leaving them deformed from my impact. Cough... I swallowed hard at the blood I felt rising in my throat. It was a heavy blow, and I wouldnt have been surprised if it had knocked me unconscious. ...Should I be thanking Calzark for this? The belt around my waist, infused with the coldness of the Sapphire Snake, had absorbed some of the mes. I was lucky. What would have happened if it had hit my chest or head instead? Instead of continuing that pointless train of thought, I got to my feet. My insides were in turmoil, but I could still move my limbs no problem. [To think you can still stand.] I wanted to reply with something like Im a hard egg to crack... but I kept my mouth shut. I needed to focus on getting my insides calmed before I wasted energy saying something like that. BANG! Of course, my opponent was no idiot. As if its words about me being worthy weren''t enough, Kajita kicked off the ground and charged at me. It''s changing gears so quickly. Just a moment ago, it had been dismissive of me, but now it was treating me like a sworn enemy it couldnt underestimate. In the blink of an eye, Kajita, who had been some distance away, had closed the gap right up to my nose. The scorching heat pressed against me. I drew up my ki. As the cool mes coursed through my meridians, I managed to counter just in time. BOOOOOM! Kajitas fist and my palm collided midair. [Haha!] Did this demon justugh? With no facial expression to read, I was left wondering if I had misheard. ng ng! With no time to overthink, we rapidly traded blows. At this close range, we used every weapon at our disposalarms, legs, forehead, knees, and elbows. White Sun Form... its going to be hard to use it. Even the most basic form of the first technique, scorching heat, required at least some time for preparation and concentration. In this close-quartersbat with Kajita, I didnt even have the time to afford that. I was constantly drawing and using energy from my inner core. This was the first time since my regression that Id experienced such an extreme speed duel. Fists and gauntlets. Feet and boots shed countless times. But the only one gradually taking damage was, of course, me. Crack. I could feel the cracks forming in the protective ki around my body. Not once since the training camp had I felt like my reserves of internal energy werecking, but now I did. My energy was depleting faster than I could keep up. I couldnt keep up with Kajitas speed or win a battle of attrition. Internal energy is the foundation and basis of a martial artist, and no amount of it is ever enough. So, Luan, you must never let yourself think This is enough or I''ll never run out of internal energy in the future. Such arrogance is fatal. Stupid. Idiot. I kicked myself mentally. Why did these warnings only evere to mind after I''d experienced the consequences? Haaa... I let out a scalding breath.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Gradually building physical fatigue and damage, dwindling energyand now even breathing was bing a struggle. Was it because I was exhausted? No... this was something else. Ah... its because of the mes. I realized the obvious far toote. Was my brain fried too? I wouldnt be surprised if it was. Inferno seeped through the cracks in my protective ki. The hot pain I felt was enough to make me ck out. However, I endured. And at the same time, augh escaped me. It was not bravado, and I certainly had not gone crazy. I didn''t know why. The moment I felt Kajitas Inferno directly on my skin, a spark of inspiration shed through my mind. But it was still unclear. Almost within reach, yet still out of reach. The ring fragments of inspiration flickered like intangible mes. I attacked, half entranced. I blocked. Dodged. Blocked again. Parried. Attacked once more. Blocked. This time, I failed to dodge. Bam! A fist connected with my thigh. For a moment, my strength gave out and I almost fell to the ground. I barely managed to hold myself up by straining against my creaking knee. Our fists shed again. Snap. My right wrist twisted in an impossible direction. Ah... More than the searing pain, the pang of disappointment hit me harder. More. I wanted to fight a little longer, a little more. Damn this body. This weak, iplete, immature body of mine got on my nerves, this body that was still so very young. Five years. No, not even five. If only I had three more years, or even one more, I could have put up a much better fight. I could have better seized this fleeting inspiration. I now understood Kajita''s pity. It had genuinely been expressing its disappointment. In the end, the oue was not determined by martial arts, internal energy, techniques, or even split-second decisions... But rather by the difference in our physical bodies. Pow pow pow! I was struck simultaneously in the forehead, chest, and once again in the abdomen. Dull pain shot through my entire body. I let out a choking gasp and copsed on the spot. [...Impressive.] With that, the relentless barrage of attacks ceased. The mes that had engulfed our surroundings disappeared as well. Kneeling, I stared down at my blistered skin. It was an ugly sight. [I will remember your name, Luan Bednicker]. ... Its voice was like thest embers of a dying me. In a cooled, fading tone, Kajuta had dered the end of our battle. My spine and legs shook violently. My left thigh, which had been struck hard, was numb, and I could only limp like a man shot with an arrow. [You still stand?] Yeah. [Why?] Because Im not done yet. [...I see.] Kajita''s blue mes flickered to life again. [I will respect that.] * * * * * * * * * * With a roar, the heat engulfed us once more, and I couldnt help but smirk at the sight. Kajita really did never let its guard down, not even till the very end. However, that was proof that it acknowledged me as a martial artist. I was grateful for it, but it was also annoying; it was a constant reminder that Kajita was stronger. Thud. The figure of Kajita approached me as it took a step forward. The seconds stretched into eternity. I used my fevered brain to calcte my odds. Luckily, I could afford to pull off the White Sun Form this time, but I only had a small amount of internal energy left. At most, I could do it onest time. But. I knew. Even if I used thest of my energy to use the White Sun Form, my defeat was guaranteed. I needed another way. But what? Throb. The pain from the burns covering my body was distracting me. I had a fairly high pain tolerance, but this searing pain was undeniably irritating. It was as if my whole body was caught on fire. It was an extreme nuisance. ...mes all over my body? The sudden sensation hit me like fleeting inspiration. I focused once again on the burning pain in my skin. From the moment the flow of my Strongest Fire Technique had been cut off, Kajitas inferno had been directly touching my skin. Thanks to that, I could feel it all too clearly. This damn hellfires heat. It is anything but lukewarm. I shook my head, remembering my boastful words. The Strongest Fire Technique. This martial art could absorb any me that existed in the world. So perhaps my inability to fully absorb Kajitas me was because Hell was not included in my realm. If so, the solution? Easy. Expand my realm of thought. Expand my realm under heaven. Kwagagagagak! I realized why martial artists risked their lives for that short moment of inspiration that could strike out of nowhere. Pleasure raced down my spine, enough to make me momentarily forget the heat. I absorbed thest of the inferno from my skin into my body. And for a moment, two kinds of mes burned within my body at once. Inferno and cold mes. Red me and blue me. What should I do with these? The best thing would be to merge them, but that would be difficult for me at this moment. Surprisingly, this inferno, despite being mes, didnt easily mix with my own energy. I guess Ill just have to use them separately. Even if it was less powerful, it was the most likely way to win. That was when something absurd happened. BOOOOOOOM! The ceiling crumbled, and a single de cloaked in light and dark embedded itself between me and Kajita. [This is...!] I heard Kajita''s shocked voice. But I stared at the de with a strangely calm heart. A single de with an elegant curve. A distinctive yin-yang pattern carved at the end of its hilt. This was the Dark Star de, one of Eldest Senior Brothers weapons. ... Before I could even wonder why it was here, my hand was reaching for the hilt. It was fortunate that the wrist that broke was my right one. I was more ustomed to handling swords in my left, after all. The power held within the Dark Star de. This mysterious de was capable of fully embracing opposing forces and harmonizing them into their most ideal form. Yin and yang. A divine weapon capable of uniting even the two most opposing forces in the world. That was the true merit of the Dark Star de. Kwagagagak! In other words, merging two different mes was no challenge at all for this de. Without hesitation, I poured all of my remaining energy into the Dark Star de, and itpletely absorbed both mes. Fwooooosh! The moment the red and blue mes intertwined, a me with an impossible color was born. [...Purple me.] Kajita sounded despondent. I felt the surging power rising from the hilt of the de. At the same time, I erased every sword technique I knew from my mind, deciding that none of them could possibly handle this me. On instinct alone. I let my body move as it wished and took the stance that felt most natural. Before I knew it, the des tip was aimed at Kajita. ...Round two, Kajita. Now I understood, after epting it into my body. The nature, the traits, and the zing essence of the inferno. And at the same time, a new realization struck me. Let''s heat things up a bit. This purple me would be able to devour Kajitas Inferno. * * * Meanwhile, Leone approached Headmaster Alderson with her presence suppressed. She knew theyout of the underground prison well enough. Even if she didn''t know the exact way, it wasn''t hard for her to track the faint traces of Kajitas weakened energy. And so, as she steadily closed the distance between her and Headmaster Alderson, Leone... ... A sudden rush of heat made her turn around. She saw Luan Bednicker fighting against the legionmander. Idiot. Why is he taking the demon head-on? Shed thought he was reckless, but... No matter how weakened it was, it was still a legionmander, an opponent no mere young hero could hope to match. The n had been simple: Stall for time, rescue the headmaster, and flee immediately after. Had that not been the n? Leone clicked her tongue in silent disapprovalbut it didn''t take long for her mind to change. ... Luan did not back down. Even though she saw his eyes burn, his skin blister, and his wrist shatter, he continued to trade blows with the legionmander with unrelenting tenacity. The pain from the inferno should be unimaginable. It didnt just burn flesh, it tore into the persons soul. The faint of heart would cower and copse from the barest touch. But not Luan. His body scorched. His skin ckened. But he kept smiling. For a moment, all Leone could do was stand frozen, just watching. Though his face burned and scrunched up in agony, his smile shone more radiant and happy. But... He, too, would soon reach his limit. The mind could never truly ovee its body. Like how a severed tendon could not hold up a sword. Like how a broken spine could not hold up a body. With his body at its limits, Luan would soon be reduced to ash. A martial artist of his caliber must have surely realized his end. And yet Luans smile persisted. ... There were humans whom pain alone could not break. Leone liked such humans. She wanted them to live long lives. A sudden urge rose within her and grew into a strong impulse. An impulse to do something reckless, something unthinkable. Right here and now. Impulse, too, is a humans privilege. Leone chuckled softly, then abruptly dropped to one knee. In the dark, sweltering underground, beneath a pitch-ck ceiling. Leone ced her right hand over her chest and prayed. ...Holy Six Judges. The most just of gods. The transcendent who deceive yet bear no malice. A trial has befallen your humble servant. I beseech thee, grant us the sight to see through all deceit and illusion, bestow upon us the strength to punish our enemies. In doing so, let it be known that a worthy and just exchange has been passed between you and us. Wooooong. Deep, crimson energy rose from every inch of Leone''s body like a red me. Arbiter of the ck and White, watch upon your apostle, who has been caught in a battle from which they cannot retreat. If such a trial is necessary, grant them the strength to ovee it. If strength be denied, offer a word of guidance. And if guidance be forbid, then bestow upon them even a single blessing. mes swirled in the dark underground dungeon. But far brighter and redder than those mes were Leone''s eyes, which burned with an intensity that could pierce the very depths of hell. ...I, leader of the Church of Darkness, humbly plead to you. ____ Chapter 163 Chapter 163 The oue of our match would be decided in a single strike. I looked at the purple fire. What an ominous me. When I lit this me, Id meant to erase all sword techniques and movements from my mind... But as I looked at the Dark Star de, I couldnt stop myself from imagining Eldest Senior Brother. He was very skilled in spear- and swordsmanship. His hand-to-handbat was probably far beyond mine too. I had sparred with him often on Spirit Mountain. Unlike Master, he had never hurt or injured meand most importantly, he was always kind. Quite the opposite of the nearly neglectful teachings I had received from Master. Along the way, Eldest Senior Brother had given me numerous demonstrations.Stances focused on destructive power. Stances focused on defense. Stances focused on dodging. What I need right now is... The fastest strike. With the purple me wrapped around the Dark Star de, I shouldnt becking destructive power. Id never used it before, but I was certain. Shhhh... I steadied my breathing and took a widened stance. With no scabbard or even a belt, I tucked the Dark Star de against my waist like a sheathed sword and slightly bent my upper body. My bent right wrist, I gently wrapped around the de. The swirling purple mes died down, and I felt the aura from the des chilled metal. It wasnt that the me was extinguished. I had condensed it within the de. ... This was my first time using the quick-draw sword technique. I didnt know if I would be able to use it sessfully, but I didn''t want to turn away the sudden inspiration that hade to me. [It seems you are ready.] I nodded at Kajita. I felt a small amount of gratitude for its patience, and at the same time, I understood. It must have sensed that the oue of this fight would be decided in an instant. Shhhh... Kajita built up its momentum. It faced me with both palms outstretched, drawing its left arm close to its chest while extending its right arm toward me. Its waist and knees were slightly bent. It was a strange stance Id never seen before, but... Maybe it was because of the dark armor. Or perhaps because of the ki emanating from its entire body. There was a sense of grace, like an ancient piece of art, or the heavy presence of armor on disy. It was the aura of a master. It must have been acquired after tens of thousands of tedious repetitions. * * * * * * * * * * Does it intend to use fajin again? If one side was feeling irritated, it was proof that the others judgment was correct. If the attack involved releasing energy waves from the palm, it could momentarily extinguish my purple mes. Because no matter how hot and persistent they were, they were still a me. In the end, the situation was straightforward. It would be a contest of speed. The ignition of my me and the release of my opponents attack. A sh between my quick-drawn sword and Kajitas fajin. ... The pain in my thighs was distracting. It was distracting enough that even with the new power of the purple me, I didnt rate my chances high. The muscles in my thighs were the most important requirement for this explosive speed, but ever since taking a direct hit from Kajita, all Id felt was throbbing pain. The poor condition of my right wrist, which was wrapped around the de, was another disadvantage. Eldest Senior Brothers voice echoed in my head. The secret to drawing a sword lies in the lower body. He was always so serious when it came to teaching that even someone like me had no choice but to give my utmost focus. Even though it is the upper body that draws the sword. It''s strange, isnt it? But it''s the truth. From your abdomen and waist to your thighs and even the soles of your feet... You must coordinate all the muscles in your body as if they are one. You need to twist and draw the de with the feeling that not just your muscles but every single cell is aligned in the same direction. That''s the secret to achieving ultimate speed. Of course, the hands y an important role too. You have to pull with your right and push with your left. Ah. Come to think of it, our youngest is left-handed, arent you? ... I suddenly realized something obvious. The person who had left the biggest mark on my martial arts after Master was Eldest Senior Brother. Teachings I had forgotten came back to me as clearly as if I had heard them yesterday. The scenery, the smell of the air, the emotions I had felt at that time, and even his casual face and faint smile... it was all so vivid. Im in no condition to even draw my sword properly. No sheath, a shattered wrist, trembling thighs I couldnt help but chuckle at my sorry state, but I epted it with humility. This was how most real battles went. Expecting perfection in every fight, even in life-or-death situations, was arrogance. Whoosh. The inferno that had engulfed the area died out. It was as if space and time were being sucked into the palm of Kajitas hand. Here ites. At the same moment, I held my breath. I squeezed out every bit of energy I had remaining, and with every muscle in my body, I performed this single movement. Quick de Draw The Dark Star de drew soundlessly, and purple mes burst forth like lightning. It was followed by a thunderous crack that echoed into our surroundings, resembling a real thunderp. Ah. The sound wasn''t caused by the drawing of the sword but by my instinctive use of lightning-walker steps. FWOOSH! As the condensed and concealed purple mes erupted into a storm... I saw Kajita, right in front of me. [...] Its expression was still unreadable, but at this moment, I felt as if the demon was grinning in delight. It was not an illusion. I was certain. The exchange of emotions between martial artists often came through in the sh of techniques. Even if I were blind like Second Senior Sister, I would still be able to tell. Psht. A faint, weak sound followed. I stifled a groan. Although I hadn''t taken a direct hit, the bacsh from the strain of overexerting my muscles to their limits hit me hard. ... The shock must have affected my organs too because I could taste metallic blood in the back of my throat. I forced it down hard and kept myposure. I didn''t want to show any weakness, at least not at this moment. [Youve condensed mes into a single de.] Yeah. [Does it have a name?] Kajita asked in its calm, emotionless voice. I thought for a moment before answering, meburst. [Intuitive. It suits the technique well]. Crack. A fissure appeared in Kajita''s full-body armor. It started cracking, and a momentter the shattered pieces broke off. The shattered shards of the dark armor scattered in all directions. The sparks from the fragments, trailing like tails, resembled fireworks. Was the armor some kind of seal? Kajita''s inferno surged skyward as it suddenly unleashed, but then it subsided just as quickly. The embers fell like snowkes, dimly illuminating the underground prison. ... For a moment, I was overwhelmed by the sight. It was beautiful enough that even someone as drab as me couldnt help but marvel. And like fireflies descending, a voice came from the scattering embers. [It is my defeat, Luan Bednicker.] ... [It''s a shame, it would have been fun to fight you when you were grown and at your full strength...] I slowly sheathed my sword. We met. We fought. And there we had it. In the end, one of us had to die. It was a fitting martial oue. Despite the regret in its words, Kajita sounded oddly satisfied. I understood how it felt. If I had been on the losing side, I would have felt exactly the same. I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I acted on my instincts. ...I learned a lot, I said while giving the martial arts salute, a palm against a fist. I had gained much from this battle. Some lessons could only be learned by risking your life. Beyond even the achievement of the purple me, I had much to take away from this battle that I was grateful for. Id realized what I wascking, and that was not just an intellectual understanding but something deeply engraved in my heart like a mantra. This sense of realization was what brought about a change in mindset and led to real improvements. In other words, Kajita was truly a martial artist. I hadnt believed that at first, and Id doubted myself along the way, but now Ide to ept it. As I was immersed in these lingering feelings, Kajita spoke. [You have...] Just before disappearing, Kajita said something rather unexpected. [You have already met my lord. I can sense their presence from you...] The Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon? I haven''t met them yet, though. Kajita let out augh. [My master is not Hadenaihar...] What? [The one capable of embracing even the fires from Hell... the beacon of the ck Sea... the adjudicator of the Abyss... and the master of the ck Swamp...] ... Kajita gave off an eerie vibe as it muttered lowly, [My one and only lord... Ahop... Please forgive this unfaithful one, who meets their end on the Veiled Side...] Finally, the emberspletely died out. All that remained in the underground prison was the armor that had once covered Kajitas body. With the inferno gone, the prison returned to its original cool, deste atmosphere. ... But I could only stand in ce. The Demon Lord of the ck Swamps vestiges still lingers? How? Thest time I encountered that demon bastard was at the training camp before my regression. In this life, I had not faced Ahop. Ugh... I slumped to the ground with a groan, unable to continue thinking. I started feeling the waves of intense pain rushing through my body. I don''t think its just physical fatigue or my internal energy being depleted. Was this a side effect of the purple me? This is much worse than White me. I could barely lift a finger, the exhaustion coursing through my body was so overwhelming. Perhaps it was the aftermath of the inferno. The residual heat on the ground enveloped my body in a pleasant warmth. I was tired and felt sluggish. If only I could close my eyes for just a little while, even for ten minutes. Im amazed. I never thought youd win against a legionmander. ... A voice snapped me out of my wishful thinking. I didnt have the strength to lift my head, so I remained lying down with my eyes on the ceiling as I asked, ...What about Headmaster Alderson? Rescue sess, of course. Itll take him a while toe to his senses, but... ... You should worry about yourself more. Are you sure youre not about to die? You look like shit. Cackle. I heard Leoneugh at her own joke. You''re burned all over, your wrist is shattered, your thigh muscles arepletely torn, you look like you''ve got a lot of internal damage... but most of all... At that moment, I felt something running through my hair. My mind went nk and I was instantly dumbfounded. Was this bastard patting my head? Your pretty tinum hair is ruined. How heartbreaking.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ...Get your hand off me. I feel like Im really gonna fuckin die. You have any potions or anything? There''s no way Id have anything like that. Leone smiled and stroked my hair briefly before suddenly gripping my scalp tightly. ...However, I am rtively omnipotent when ites to members of the Church. ...! Rumble! Immediately, a torrent of energy rushed out from Leone''s palm. Normally, it was extremely dangerous to directly inject energy into the upper dantian, but... What kind of magic was she using? The energy Leone injected naturally seeped into my upper dantian, then smoothly traveled through my bodys meridians without obstruction. But the most amazing thing was what happened next. ...! My body began to rapidly recover. It was regeneration, beyond mere healing. My horribly burned skin regained its color and sticity, and my dried-out eyeballs, scorched throat, and even overturned internal organs were restored. The various bruises all over my body quickly disappeared, and even my wrist, turned at an unnatural angle, was returned to its original state. What the... My eyelids were still heavy with mental exhaustion, but... My body, which had been half crippled, was restored whole in an instant. A true miracle had happened in the blink of an eye. With a satisfied expression, Leone said, The effects are certainly outstanding. As expected, it works well on a high priest. ...What did you just say? I said its effects are outstanding. After. That it works well on a high priest? I locked eyes with Leone for a moment. ...High priest? I asked. Yup. Who. You, she said. ...Who? You, Leone repeated simply, pointing to me with her chin as she watched me sit speechless. Oh, right. Congrattions, I guess? I''ve never met a high priest of the Demon Lord of ck and White. How does it feel to be the first in a hundred years? ... Luan Bednicker? I just healed you. Why do you look so pale? So... ording to what shed just said... I, the youngest son of the Bednicker family, was actually a high priest of the Church of Darkness? The mental fatigue as a result of having fought for my life... My brain rattled, froze, and malfunctioned, unable to process the sudden information. "...Ack" And just like that, I was out cold. ____ Chapter 164 In a dark room... Princess Ferith suddenly opened her eyes. ... Unlike her dark hairdyed ck to conceal its natural colorher deliberately revealed red eyes glowed fiercely, resembling the reflective eyes of a beast. Though her eyes had been closed, she hadnt been sleeping. It had been a long time since she hadst slept, and yet her mind remained ever in peak condition. Even now. ...Never thought Kajita would lose. Her voice carried a hint of amusement, faint but tinged with an almost childlike naivety.The princess gently stroked the head of the doll in her arms. As we suspected, Deathberry. I told you the transfer students would bring a wind of change. Things are certainly about to get a lot more interesting. Smiling, the princess rose from her seat, made her way to the window, and flung it wide open. The light from the blood moon illuminated the room, revealing the dolls that filled the room. Dolls of various types and appearances filled therge space. Whoosh. A warm breeze blew in. As the translucent curtains fluttered softly, the princess stepped backward, bathing herself in the glow of the blood-lit moon. Her steps were graceful, as if performing a dance. At her designated spot, the princess gently leaned backward. With a soft thud, the dolls that filled the room served as cushions. Buried among them, Ferith held up Deathberry. And she smiled, making eye contact with the ominous heterochromatic eyes. Luan Bednicker, what an interesting guy... Hmm? Youve taken a liking to him? Ahaha, so have I. Hugging Deathberry tightly, the princess whispered, ...The atmosphere is ripe. Its time to move on to the next stage. * * * Shortly after leaving the research building... Evan Helvin sprinted through the academys grounds without so much as looking back. The zing sunlight, faint chilling breeze, chirping birds, and the students just waking up...n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The sun had just risen and bathed the academy with its radiant sunlight. It was a peaceful scene. Evan''s face, however, was horribly twisted into a grim expression. ...I am in debt. What if it had been him and not Luan who was left behind? The princess had had an unmistakable demonic energy around her, a clear indication that she was the mastermind behind all this chaos. Hadenaihar''s followers were generally unhinged. No words would get through them. They were beyond reasoning. His awakened memories of evil spoke. Lunatics. Hadenaihar, the Demon of the Blood-Lit Moon, was also a god of madness. There were those who called the Blood-Lit Moon''s faction the Church of Assassins, treating them as an offshoot religion. While the Blood-Lit Moons high priest obediently followed themands of the cult leader... conflicts with other factions were frequent, just as they had been throughout history. In other words, his identity as a vice-cult leader would not protect him. Theyd probably just say, Ah, is that so? with little surprise before either killing him or taking him captive. And that would only make his situation even worse. After all, a vice-cult leader had many uses. They could make an excellent sacrifice to a god of disaster, or the demonic energy inside them could be extracted, leaving them for dead. In short, making Evan flee had been a wise decision. Not that Luan Bednicker had considered such things. I have a bad feeling about this. Of course, it was bad enough that the demon lord had been summoned... But somehow, that felt like a precursor to some greater catastrophe. Ha. Evanughed dryly at the sudden thought. If the summoning of the demon lord was just a precursor... Then what kind of nightmare could possibly follow? And more than that... What is it that I want to do? Evan abruptly stopped running. He stood in front of the academys main building. The cadets nced at him curiously as he stood there motionless, but he didn''t care. The demon lord had already been summoned, and he instinctively knew that something worse was yet toe. If he stayed like this, hed either get caught up in it and die, or hed face a fate worse than death. Should I just run away? Evan seriously considered the possibility. Of course, as long as the headmasters doll was present, escaping through normal means would be impossible. There was no way he''d be able to escape the headmasters watchful eye. But wasnt trying to escape better than just sitting here and waiting for death? That''s right, let''s just run. The moment he had that thought... Shut up, Evan Helvin snapped back at it. He''d known this shit from the start. From the moment he''d awakened as a vice-cult leader, before hed been discovered by Luan Bednicker. But Evan hadn''t done it. He hadnt run away. If he left, what of the cadets here? Was he supposed to just abandon them, leave them to die knowing that disaster would strike? So what? Whether a few hundred or a couple thousand infidels die, it won''t stop the spread of our doctrine in the slightest, came the mocking voice. He ignored the whispers of the memories of evil, which seemed to have a sinister will of their own. Though he would never admit it to anyone, Evans mind was in a state of deep turmoil. Thanks to his absurdly meaningless death, the memories of evil had failed to properly seep into his personality. While he acknowledged the doctrines of the Church of Darkness, he still retained the pride of a young hero who had once admired and wished to be one. As a result, two identities coexisted within him: Evan the Vice-Cult Leader and Evan the Young Hero. A split personality? Perhaps that would have been better. At least then he would be more emotionally stable. But this was different. Even the inner voice within Evan was a reflection of his true feelings. Stop. He shook his head. Continuing to dwell on a question he could not answer right now was dangerous. If he wasnt careful, the madness could resurface and he couldpletely lose his mind. Evan forced himself to redirect his train of thought. Luan would not be able to return easily. Given the way things were looking, it was likely he had already been dragged to the Veiled Side. So what would happen next? Would the princess deploy a stand-in puppet for Luan? Thats impossible. Creating a stand-in puppet was not easy. House Bednickers young master had only been at the academy for a few weeks, far too short a time to make a puppet. Shell make a move by the end of today. After all, Evan had been able to slip right underneath the princesss nose. In that case, sharing the situation was a priority. Looking back, Luans decision to share information with the other young heroes had been a good one. By now, even the slower ones among them should havee to terms with the situation. First, to the Amber Hall. Just as Evan decided on his next course of action... Thud. His body suddenly copsed to the ground without any warning. He had lost consciousness. Normally, someone copsing in the middle of the main building would surely attract attention... but not a single cadet spared him a nce. That was because he wasn''t the only one with these symptoms. Thud, thud... Cadets and staff walking near Evan copsed one after another like narcoleptics. And this wasn''t just happening here. Professors inside the main building, a group of cadets chattering away on the train, a student just waking up from ate nap, a merchant who had just opened their shop, and even their children... Every human living in the academy fell unconscious. ... ... ... A cloudless, clear sky, and the sun shining brightly overhead. At what would normally be the busiest and noisiest time of day, the academy was plunged into unprecedented silence. * * * * * * * * * * Dad! Save me! I shouted as I shot up. I quickly swerved my head around to look. ...The fuck?! What kind of batshit dream was that? I muttered. I scratched my head furiously. For some reason, I couldn''t clearly recall the moments right before Id passed out. I closed my eyes and tried to think. I must have heard something horribly shocking... and then just cked out. ... I looked at the Dark Star de in my hand, and it all came rushing back to me. I... Im a priest. Seriously? The absurd turn of events made my head spin all over again. Thinking I must have made a mistake, I looked around to confirm, but... Leone was nowhere to be seen, there was only Headmaster Alderson lying stiffly on his back. Leone? I called out in a low voice, but there was no response. I wondered if she''d stepped away for a moment, but I immediately realized that wasn''t likely. Leone had appeared so suddenly, so there wasnt anything strange about her disappearing just as abruptly. Of course, that left me in quite the predicament. Leone must have had something to do with the Dark Star des sudden appearance. Even if I was acquainted with the Demon Lord of ck And White, my eldest senior brother, it was still strange that this de had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of my fight. Did Leone make me a high priest? Or was this some kind of arrangement made by Eldest Senior Brother when Id met himst time? No, maybe it was neither of them. Maybe Leone was just pulling my leg. I carefully closed my eyes to examine the inside of my body, but I soon let out an annoyed groan. ...There it is. It was faintpared to my internal energy, but there it was... There was definitely a small amount of demonic energy gathered in my inner core. Ahh, shit. Fuck me. I wasnt the type to get easily agitated, but in this case, I couldnt help it. It was at this point that I finally remembered the dream Id had while passed out. I had met the Lord of Blood and Iron. In the dream, he pointed his sword at me and spoke. A high priest of the Church of Darkness, from my bloodline? Unbelievable. You are truly a disappointment. No, Father, it''s all a misunderstanding. Hold your tongue, Luan... No, even uttering your name disgusts me. Be silent and just prepare to die, you disgrace of the Bednicker bloodline. Gack! ... The thing was, if my true identity were exposed, the chances of that exact scene urring were ridiculously, terrifyingly high. Honestly, I would even thank him for giving me such a quick, easy death. I still remembered vividly what had happened to Professor Einsburn. The Lord of Blood and Iron didnt offer cultistslet alone the traitorous ratspainless deaths. Instead, he took his time inflicting the most excruciating pain imaginable. But if that person finds out that I, a Bednicker, am not just a rat but a high priest...? I couldnt fathom the horrors that would unfold. Anyway, I needed to meet Leone again and demand answers about how in the world all this had urred. ...Huh? At this moment, I realized there was something clutched tightly in my right hand. I opened it and found a note. [See you in Seititus.] [P.S. I''m bored ying puppet.] Seititus? I''d heard that name before... Ah. The nation that the Demon Lord of ck and White destroyed was called Seititus. Little is known of it today, but some documents refer to it as the Empire of Evil. Headmaster Alderson. Well, strictly speaking, it was Headmaster Aldersons puppet whom Id heard that from. The country my Eldest Senior Brother destroyed. So if I went there, would I find the cause of this cursed mess? ... No. This wasnt good. I had too much useless information swimming in my head. First, lets deal with the Blood-Lit Demon Lord. I crumpled the note into my pocket and stood up. Headmaster Alderson was lying beside me. He wasnt dead, and he didnt look to be in too bad of shape. The ces where the chains had been were a little red and swollen, but nothing life-threatening. The strangest part was the spot where the dagger had been lodged in his chest; the dagger was gone, and there was no sign of any deep puncture wound. Could it have been a magical item? I''d heard of tools that could interfere with mana cirction. As I took a moment to observe Headmaster Alderson carefully... Ruuumble...! ... The entire building shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck. I have a bad feeling about this. Not knowing exactly what was happening just made the situation all the more ominous. I quickly pulled Headmaster Alderson over my back and started climbing up the underground stairs. I reached the first floor... And there, through the window, I witnessed an unbelievable sight. ...The fuck? What in hell is going on now? The adult dolls that had been roaming outside the building... The group of dolls, as Arin had called them, were shrieking as they charged toward the building I was in. Chapter 166 There was no way I could beat two hundred and fifty armored cavalry. Whether I used the purple me, White me, or pulled some batshit crazy miracle out from my ass... Id still be screwed. Not even with the help of Headmaster Alderson and the rest of the young heroes. So I looked at Alderson in disbelief. Why in the world did you make that manybat golems? Were you nning a rebellion or something? It is as I said: I admire the tinum Knight Order. There were two hundred and fifty knights in the legend. Im asking why make so many? Why not just one or two, maybe ten at most for decoration? That would have been plenty. That''s... the headmaster began, and I narrowed my eyes at him. He hesitated before continuing, Because historical uracy must be respected... ...I imagined lunging at him and yanking his gray beard out. Young Hero Luan, what are you doing? ...Hm? When I came to my senses, I found a hand clenching his beard, and when I followed the hand to the arm, I realized it was mine. I quickly let go and took a step back. Once again, I was reminded that Alderson was a weirdo. Even though what I had met was a doll, it had copied the original personality perfectly. I let out a sigh and said, If the demon lord has already descendedand even revealed itselfit is safe to assume that most of this world has been corrupted by demonic energy. Thats correct. The concentration of it outside the building is especially thick. An ordinary cadet wouldn''tst half a day before dying, which means... The only ones who can survive in this situation are those from the Great Houses, people who have been blessed. Indeed. After a short moment of thinking, I asked, By any chance, are dolls also affected by demonic energy? What do you mean? The first omen of a demon lords summoning is the mutation of creatures affected by demonic energy. I cast my gaze out the window, where I could see dolls running around the manor like rabid beasts. I wonder if the puppets were turned into demons by demonic energy? That would exin their current state. Hmm. The headmaster thought for a moment. That would be possible if the dolls have souls. Souls? Necromancy, as people often call it. Youve heard of the Abraham Coven, yes? Ah, them. Alderson immediately saw through myme act and exined, ...They are one of the continents mysterious powers. They are a mysterious organization whose base and members both remain aplete mystery. I do have some acquaintance with the Witch of Puppets, who is affiliated with them... But to answer your question, binding a soul to a doll creates what is called a cursed puppet. Depending on how you look at it, it might even be considered a form of life. Then, I guess its fair to say that the smaller dolls are mutated lifeforms and therger, adult ones are summoned demons. Summoning demons was the second stage. And the third stage was a sr eclipse... I nced at the blood moon. In a ce without sunlight, there was no way to identify an eclipse. Honestly, with the demon lord already descended, this wasnt really the time to be analyzing omens. There is something off about the demonic energy, I told Alderson. Hmm? Headmaster, is this building safe? Alderson replied, What I unleashed earlier was a grand magic. It is a fortification barrier used inrge-scale wars to defend a stronghold. For now, not even the demonic energy of the demon lord can breach it. R????? So you mean it will be breached eventually. ...If I were at full strength and I had amplification tools, it would hold for at least a week... Alderson muttered, looking slightly dejected. It seemed that even as an archmage, admitting his own inadequacies in this dire situation wasnt easy. It was only fair to respect the dignity of such a great master, so I just nodded and said, That''s a relief. At least the students here are safe for the time being. It also makes things a lot simpler: We just need to take down the princess to win. Which brings us back to the beginning. Two hundred and fifty cavalry protect the princess. Your defeat of the demonmander is impressive, but taking on my tinum Knights is pure recklessness. Is there no way to control them? Powerful means dangerous, and forbat golems of that caliber, Id assume you built in at least a safety mechanism or two. Mm... Alderson looked troubled for a moment before letting out a sigh. Of course there is. The golems use mana stones that I personally crafted. Injecting mana in a certain rhythm will stop their movement. It sounded like a simple solution to this whole problem, but... Alderson wouldnt be making such a grim face if it was truly that easy. Is there a catch? Yes. You may have noticed that... Im not exactly in top form. My insides are all tangled up, so Im not in any state to control mana properly. However, the rhythm I designed is quite intricate, and itd take at least 10 minutes to sync. Ten minutes? Alderson shook his head. I know. It''s impossible. No, I think I can manage something for ten minutes. Really? I nodded half-heartedly, my mind elsewhere. Of course, I wasnt entirely confident in my idea. It was definitely a long shot and there were a lot of uncertainties, so I decided to borate. Aldersons face lit up. Then Just as he was about to say something... AAHHHHHHHH... He was interrupted by a scream from beyond the window. The headmaster and I fell silent and moved to look outside, where we saw the academy grounds bathed in a crimson hue. And also a group tearing across it. Those are... They were academy cadets. The headmaster urgently said, They are being chased. I have to save them quickly. With your body in that state? It may not be in its best state, but that many dolls, I can handle with no problem. I hmphed. No. You need to conserve your energy, Headmaster. Ill go instead, I said while staring at the face of the cadet running at the front of the group. A guy wearing arge newspaper cap. I happen to see someone I have some business with anyway. * * * * * * * * * * I walked to the edge of the building, jumped down, andnded softly. Then I quickly dashed across the ground stained red by the bloody sky. The concentration of demonic energy seems to be much thicker than during the training camp. I supposed it made sense since the demon lord had already been summoned. Still, it was more bearable thanst time. My magic resistance had increased quite a bit, probably because of my contract with the divine beast. Not to mention that Id been training here at the academy, which was proving worthwhile. As for the rest of my condition... Thanks to Leone, my physical condition was nearly perfect... but I had very little internal energy left. If I were to give a percentage, maybe about 5 percent? Thinking about it now... it wasnt enough, not for the battle ahead. That aside... I could feel the demonic energy inside me, faintly tucked away. It started to stir and writhe as it met with the demonic energy outside the building. It was so ridiculous. I instinctively knew that if I opened myself up even a little bit, demonic energy would rapidly fill my body. Not a chance. Even if it was impossible to get rid of the energypletely, I had to stop it from growing any bigger than it already was. Because at some point, it would be impossible to hide. I need internal energy. If I filled my inner core with internal energy, the presence of demonic energy would naturally diminish. Normally, the way to recover lost ki was through energy-cultivation techniques, but... I sneaked a look at the sky. The sun was nowhere to be found. All I could see was a blood-colored sky. In a ce like this, no matter how many times I practiced the Strongest Fire Technique, I would only recover a small amount of energy. But I did have one way. I pulled the mystic bead from my pocket. The bead, which I had been consuming regrly, was now only about half of what I had started with. It was a somewhat ignorant and inefficient method, but I had no other choice. I put it in my mouth and chewed. Crunch. Sure enough, it didnt break easily. So damn hard. But I was a man who had never once managed to suck on a candy until it dissolvedpletely. I was the type who crushed it with my teeth halfway through to feel that satisfying crunch. I wouldnt lose to this candy just because it was hard. Feeling almost sorry for this bead that would soon meet its end, I ced it between my mrs and bit down with all my might. I even used what little internal energy I still had to help. Crack, crunch...! Finally, the mystic bead shattered. The immense yang ki stored inside exploded like a flood. For a moment, my jaw went ck and it almost fell right out my mouth. I quickly covered my mouth with a hand to prevent that from happening. I chewed the shattered piece of the mystic bead and swallowed it. Once broken, it became mushy, which meant it was not difficult to swallow. It felt like my throat was burning, but I managed to endure. Gulp. After swallowing all of it, I continued to run, absorbing the yang ki into my body as I went. What I didn''t fully absorb, I let roam freely in my energy meridians. I focused on filling the empty inner core for now. Of course, this was only possible thanks to the Strongest Fire Technique. An ordinary martial artist would have been reduced to ashes. Not bad. By the time my empty inner core was finally filled with internal energy, I''d reached my destination. I could see Glenn Scarlet and the group of cadets. There were more cadets than I had expected. I estimated around fifty were present. At first nce, they seemed to be running away, chased by dolls, but most of their eyes were unfocused and zed over. Some of them were even drooling. Probably because of the demonic energy. Judging from their condition, they would either die or be consumed by madness if left for another hour. With no time to waste, I wrapped my hand around the Dark Star Sword and got ready to dash in. However, at this moment, the bushes to my left rustled and there was a sh of golden light. Fast. I caught a glimpse of the face of the figure that appeared like lightning. Barter Goodspring. The sword ki around his de glinted brightly, as if it were wrapped in gold... Crack. As Barter bent his knees and tensed his legs, the ground slightly overturned, and in the blink of an eye, this new figure rushed to the students. Pft! He very quickly swiped his sword, and the neck of the adult doll was severed. A single strike. Fast and clean. And Barter was not alone. Behind him, a group armed with weapons appeared out of the shadows. Judging by their ages, they were not students. Could they be Barters subordinates? Either way, they quickly joined the fray and swiftly subdued the dolls. Among them was a familiar face. Luan. I turned to see who had called my name and found Hector smiling brightly at me. The situation was urgent, so I only nodded curtly before joining Barters group to kill the dolls. There were quite a few of them, but Barters team was skilled enough that they quickly handled the situation. After a few moments, when all the dolls were down, Barter let out a small sigh. Phew... He sheathed his sword with a clean click, then bowed his head to Glenn. I''m d to see you safe, Your Highness. ...Sir Barter. Were they familiar with each other? Their interaction suggested as much. ...Actually, it would be strange if the imperial family and House Goodspring didnt know each other. As I tilted my head at an angle to eavesdrop on the conversation, another familiar face approached me. It was Sellen, the owner of the white head. You''re safe. As you can see. I looked at Sellen and asked, I didn''t expect you to be dragged here too. What happened? I was in the main building, taking a tea ceremony ss, and I remember taking notes, but at some point, I opened my eyes and I was here. I paused at Sellens answer. You were taking a ss in the main building? Are you sure? Yeah. She didnt get dragged here because she went to the research building? I looked around again. ...Theres definitely... There were too many people. There was no way this many people had gone to the research building together. I gathered my thoughts. There''s a temporary base. It''s one of the buildings in the research wing, and Headmaster Alderson used grand magic, so it''s safer than anywhere else. Let''s take shelter there for now. Sellens expression darkened slightly. Hmm. Its not a bad idea, but... What was with her reaction? I noticed the subtle jerk of her chin in Barters direction. Then I heard a slightly raised voice. That''s ridiculous. It was Hector''s voice. Barter and Hector... The two of them were ring at each other as they argued about something. I had heard that they got along pretty well, but there was no evidence of that right now. Hector, noticing the attention he had attracted, flinched and lowered his voice. It was barely above a whisper, but it still reached my ears. ...If we leave the students here as they are, they will all die. And the opposite is just as true. If we cant kill the demon lord, we will all die anyway. Thats true, but... Hector paused. ...But we could just take them to a rtively safe ce nearby. We are in a time-critical situation. There is no guarantee that the princess will stay in the same ce for long, and if we lose track of her in this vast academy, it will be our defeat. Then allow me to temporarily split away. I will lead them. Rejected. We cannot afford to waste precious manpower on unnecessary tasks. Our chances of victory are slim as it is, Barter said in a grim tone. Hector Bednicker. In a time of emergency, the authority of the Imperial Special Forces surpasses even the Imperial Guards. ...n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Disobeying orders is a serious crime. Do you understand? I got the gist of what was going on. Barter and his units had located the princess... But they were now torn between pursuing her immediately and protecting the students they had encountered along the way. I guess they figured out that the princess is the mastermind. Anyway, it seemed that Barter was in favor of pursuing them... while Hector was in favor of protecting the cadets first. To be honest, it was hard to tell which side was right. Barters seemingly heartless statement wasnt entirely wrong. But not allowing Hector to leave is a bit much. In any case, this argument was actually meaningless. They didnt know, but thanks to the headmaster, a safe ce had already been secured... Instead of Hector, I could escort the students and take them to the building. I was about to interject, but Barter sneered. Or is it because you''re a Bednicker that you don''t want to obey a Goodspring''s orders? I bristled at the off-topic remark. I cant listen to this any longer... Hey, Sir Butter, youre being unnecessarily harsh here. Bartor''s gaze snapped to me. It''s Barter, not Butter. Are you Luan Bednicker? Barter smirked. I heard you received a blessing during the second Blessing Ceremony. In that case, I suppose you may be somewhat useful. As of right now, you are a member of my unit and must follow my orders. I stared nkly at Barter for a moment, then asked, I''m not even one of your men, and I''m supposed to follow your orders? Of course. In a situation like this, someone like me needs to be inmand. What do you mean, someone like you? What''s so special about you? Someone who can urately assess the situation at hand, someone who can make the right decisions based on that assessment, and someone who can take responsibility for their decisions. In other words,Barter''s gaze turned to methe strongest person here. I see. I nodded at his words without so much as a reaction. But Im not interested in taking charge, you know? ... Barter blinked. Then his eyes narrowed as he processed my words. His eyebrows twitched, although not significantly. My words were not a joke, but I inwardly gleamed in happiness at being able to get a reaction out of him. ____ Chapter 165 Why were the dolls that were supposed to be wandering outside suddenly charging like crazy toward this building? I didnt have time to think about it. I locked eyes with the adult doll at the head of the group. It let out a monstrous screech as it picked up speed and mmed through the window with a full-body tackle. Crash! Damn, werent the windows supposed to be unbreakable? Maybe I should just assume the opposite of everything Arin said... The doll that had broken in red at me. It looked like a teddy bear, but there wasnt a shred of cuddliness about it. Thick drool dripped from its jagged teeth, and its blood-red eyes glinted with malice.The tattered and torn fabric of its body was visibly stitched together, and some of its patches looked disturbingly like human skin. It was a horrible, grotesque sight, like a stuffed doll sewn together with human parts. Tap. With Headmaster Alderson on my back, I had to leap aside to avoid a head-on confrontation. The energy waves radiating from its movements were quite strong. I could see why they were called adult dolls. Compared to the dolls inside the building, it really was like the difference between an adult and a child. But of course,pared to Kajita, whom I had just fought, this thing was nothing more than a fly.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Since the Headmaster made it difficult for me to userge-scale techniques, I remembered Kajitas use of fajin in our fight. Should I try it? I was familiar enough with the mechanics of Fajin. Pulling it off wouldnt be a problem. Tap. As I passed the teddy bear, I ced my palm against its head and channeled my ki. BANG! The teddy bear''s head exploded. Blegh. A foul stench assaulted my nose. And it wasn''t just the stench. The exploding head had sttered ck blood everywhere mixed, with some unidentifiable gunk. This is why I hate fighting bare-handed. I casually wiped my bloodied-ck hands off on Headmaster Alderson and looked ahead. Graaaahhhhh! Did these damn dolls have a sense of smell? Several adult dolls swarmed toward me, their eyes visibly rolled backthey seemed riled up by the blood. Still, I was a bit pleased that they seemed more demonic. I felt emotionally better about destroying them than I did burning a bunch of tiny dolls with my White Sun Form. ???????? In truth, no matter how many came, they werent particrly dangerous unless they managed topletely surround me... But sure enough, the unconscious Headmaster Alderson on my back was proving to be a nuisance. I slung him over my right shoulder and sprinted down the hall. Naturally, the dolls chased after me with their signature shrieks. Damn, theres a shitload of em. It wasnt just the ones chasing me from behind. Soon, a few adult dolls crashed through the windows up ahead, lunging at me. Shhring. I drew the Dark Star de with my free hand. Right now, this weapon was my best option. The White Sun Form required too much movement, and the Sword of Seven Sins was suited more for heavier, stronger opponents. Against these masses of stuffed cotton, a sharp de like the Dark Star de was ideal. sh! sh-sh-sh! After I sliced through about eight dolls, I arrived at the first-floor dining hall. Since I didn''t have an empty hand to open the door nicely, I kicked it open with my foot. It smashed open with a crack, revealing the situation inside. Bang! D-donte any closer...! Taylor, you dumbass, get down! Inside, it was just as bad. One massive doll had already broken in, and a fair number of smaller ones were swarming about. The cadets were using the long dining table as a barrier and were fighting back desperately. Thankfully, no one was dead or even seemed seriously injured. The one currently fighting the adult doll was Jidon, the knight cadet I had met on the fourth floor. He was also the one in the most danger right now since he was fighting the adult doll entirely on his own. It really couldnt be called a fight, thoughhe was no match for the adult doll. Blood poured from a gash on his forehead and one of his arms was dangling uselessly at his side. It must have been broken during the fight. I nced at those not fighting, those huddled in the corners, trembling like leaves. Pathetic, sure, but honestly, it was the right move. Better to stay out of the fight than get in the way and be dead weight. Take care of the headmaster. Yeah... Wait, what? I handed the headmaster over unceremoniously and immediately jumped into the fight. First to Jidon, who was in the most danger. I kicked the adult doll he was fighting in the head. Thunk...! Its head popped off and flew through the air like a kicked ser ball. W-with a single blow... Jidon said, his voice full of shock. You did well holding out, Senior, I said, offering him some brief praise. I meant every word, too. If Jidon hadn''t held on, every cadet here would be dead. I patted him on the shoulder, then moved on to deal with the rest of the dolls. Shit...! Don''t back down! If we lose here, we''re all dead meat anyway! Surprisingly, holding the front line was Russo and hisckeys. A bloodied Russo was barking out orders with a raspy voice as he fought off the dolls, so engrossed in the battle that he had yet to even notice mying. sh. The dolls'' positioning was just perfect for me to cut them all down with a single swing. Huh...? Russos eyes zed over as he realized the enemy had been instantly wiped out, and the others were no different. Snap out of it, I told them. But they just stood there side by side, frozen... so I smacked each of them in the cheek in session. Then, seeing the light return to their vacant eyes, I said, You can all stand, right? Im sure you understand the situation by now: This ce is no longer safe. In this hell, the barely maintained order had copsed. The adult doll that had been roaming outside had broken in through the window... and even the rooms wed thought safe were now dangerous. Th-then what are we supposed to do...? All eyes turned to me. Truthfully, I did not have a perfect answer to that question, but showing hesitation or fumbling with my words would only add to their anxiety. To the rooftop. R-rooftop? But we could end up trapped up there if something goes wrong... They werent wrong. We could end up trapped. While the cadets looked at each other uneasily, only Jidon nodded. In a situation like this, getting trapped might be the better option. At least we won''t be surrounded by enemies. I nodded in agreement. Outside was swarming with adult dolls, and the rooms inside the building were no longer safe. In that case, it was better to evacuate to the roof, barricade the single entrance, and hold them off that way. Of course, I could be wrong, but... In such an urgent situation as this, it was better to make a quick decision, even if it was wrong, than to be right toote. I coaxed the cadets along and sprinted down the hall. GRAAHHHH! From adult dolls to small dolls, they lunged at us one after another, but I easily cut them down with the Dark Star Sword. And I found myself surprised by my sword techniques. Hmm... My strikes were smooth and clean, and the de extended exactly as my mind willed. It wasn''t just because the Dark Star Sword was a rare divine weapon. The battle with Kajita... The full-body burns I had suffered had deepened my understanding of fires nature... And Id also learned much about the flow of my internal energy. Of course, my inner core was still empty, but thanks to those insights, I was able to envelop the de with energy and send sharp sts of wind flying from it. We passed the second floor, then the third and the fourth... and finally reached the roof. I heard a group of dolls chasing us while stomping up the stairs as if to break them down. C-close it! Quickly! Russo hurriedly mmed the door shut. I knew the door wouldnt hold for long. Was there something I could use to hold the door closed for longer? Something sturdy. Anything that was sturdy. I immediately drew the Sword of Seven Sins from my waistband and wedged it into the handle. [Inheritor?] Pologies. Immediately after my quick apology to the Martial God, the iron door trembled with a loud thud. Bang...! BANG...! ... I could hear heavy, dull noisesing from the other side of the door. It sounded like someone was mindlessly ramming their head against it. The steel door was beginning to dent, but it should do for now. Ill leave it to you for a moment. Jidon nodded firmly. Dont worry. After entrusting things to Jidon, the only reliable one here, I went to the headmaster. How''s he doing? I asked Arin, who happened to be taking care of him. I-I think he''s in a deep sleep. He... this is Headmaster Alderson, right? Where was he? The underground prison, I replied. Then I ced my hand on Alderson''s abdomen to observe the inside of his body. ... It was a mess. A tangled mess of energy and blood and mana that was all running rampant. I mentally clicked my tongue. From the look of it, he wouldnt be of much help even after he regained consciousness. Still, he should at least be able to talk. I forcefully injected my true ki into the archmage''s body to calm the rampaging mana. * * * * * * * * * * Cough...! Alderson coughed harshly and his eyes snapped open. He looked up at me with wide, confused eyes. You''re...? I''m Luan Bednicker. B-Bednicker!? Arin, who was standing next to me, was the most surprised. Come to think of it, I had never revealed my family name to her. Bednicker... cough. I see... you must be a young hero of the... training camp that was supposed toe to our academy. I''ll keep it brief. This ce is the Veiled Side, and we''ve just rescued you, Headmaster, from captivity. As I spoke, I sensed his condition stabilizing considerably and withdrew my hand. ...I see. Headmaster Alderson looked at me with calm eyes. His title of archmage wasnt just for show. Despite the chaos of the situation, he showed no sign of panic. Please, he said, continue. The dolls of this Veiled Side, probably demons dressed up as dolls, have suddenly gone berserk. We''re on the roof of a building, and beyond those iron doors are rampaging demons. To put it bluntly, we are in a crisis. Mm, I understand. Then we must first resolve the current situation. Headmaster Alderson rose to his feet. Headmaster? I asked. Just a moment. He stood there and took a deep breath. Suddenly, I felt a surge of mana swirling around him. This is... Alderson took a few breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly as if to catch his breath, before suddenly speaking. I dere... ...! By now, the other cadets had noticed the overwhelming mana rippling through the air. Headmaster Alderson''s robes whipped fiercely in the wind. Five, then six, then seven magic circlesyered over one another, spinning like interlocking cogs. This ce shall be my domain. Hwaaaaaah! It was like a fountain of light erupted into existence. Centered on Headmaster Alderson, a colossal column of light surged upward, reaching the sky before breaking into tiny particles that rained down on the building. The way they drifted down resembled snowkes more than rain. Kyaaaaa! A horrifying scream rang out as the entire building shook. I sensed countless sinister presences disappearing all at once. ...Everyone can rest easy. This building is safe now, Alderson said with a faint smile, and the cadets immediately erupted into cheer. Some of the weaker ones even copsed on the spot, sobs wracking their bodies. Like someone who had been stranded for weeks on end and had just been rescued. But who could me them? These cadets had been forcibly dragged into the Veiled Side out of nowhere. After living in fear daily, trembling at the thought of their approaching demise, they had finallye across an adult they could trust. And not just anyoneHeadmaster Alderson, the most powerful figure in this academy. So of course their bodies rxed so much that they lost the strength to stand. Its all right now. Stop those tears. Cadets of the proud Kartell Academy shouldnt shed tears over something like this, Alderson consoled and encouraged them, a faint smile on his face. ... I seemed to be the only one who realized: Aldersonsplexion was far paler than when hed awoken. ...This is bad. I didnt know much about magic, but I could tell that Headmaster Alderson had pushed himself too hard. Of course, it was impressive enough that hed been able to perform such magic despite being in such a weakened state... Headmaster Aldersons unreadable eyes turned to me, and he said, Young Hero Luan. May I speak with you alone for a moment? I nodded. * * * Hoo... Alderson slumped back heavily into a chair. I rummaged through the room and handed him a canteen of water I found. Here you go. Thank you. After gulping down half the bottle, Alderson closed his eyes and was silent for a moment. And it wasnt to organize his thoughts. He was just trying to calm his shaken insides. Even after he finished drinking the water, his throat moved, swallowing btedly. I suspected he had to swallow down blood. ...A legionmander should have been guarding me. It was a formidable opponent. Alderson paused at my words and asked, ...Are you saying you defeated it? Yes, I did. ... Alderson looked at me for a brief moment, as if to discern whether I was telling the truth or not. Luan Bednicker. Youngest child of the Lord of Blood and Iron, and the disgrace of the Bednicker family... I heard you were a fool who sold off the family treasure. Was it all just a front? Mm, well... Maybe. By now, I was tired of clearing up this misunderstanding. The headmaster rose from his seat and walked to the window. His deeply sunken eyes turned toward the blood-lit moon. Its gotten a lot closer. What do you mean, closer? I asked absentmindedly as I followed the headmasters gaze to the moon... And I immediately understood what he was saying. Indeed, the moon loomedrger than when Id first seen it. That moon, is there something about it? It''s not just something, that blood-lit moon is Hadenaihar itself. What? I blinked my eyes. So Blood-Lit Moon wasnt just a titleit was literal? Well, then again, Tangtata did look like an actual green tongue... Alderson said, It will continue to get closer, and when it fully touches thisnd, it will corrupt the minds of everyone on the Veiled Side. The repercussions will spread into the real world too. Then we just have to take down the mastermind before that happens. Alderson looked at me, slightly surprised. You know far more than I expected. Youre correct. But... Is there something else? The headmaster sighed heavily and asked, Do you happen to know who the mastermind is? Im fairly certain its Princess Ferith. It is as you say. It seemed like he had also known that. Now it was my turn to ask: Are you concerned about the imperial family? Not quite. The Empiresws do not apply to cultists. Then what was the issue? When I gave him a questioning look, the headmaster shared his thoughts. I''m ashamed to say, but its been a long time since I was dragged here. I assume there was a puppet impersonating me in the real world? Yes, there was. In that case, the princess should have secured full control of the Tower of Trials. That is the problem. The Tower of Trials? Is mass production of puppets the issue? No. Young Hero Luan, have you climbed the Tower of Trials as well? I have. How many floors did you climb? Until the fourth floor. I see. Alderson nodded gravely. ...On the top floor of the Tower of Trials is the armored cavalry that administers the final trial. I dare say it is my greatest masterpiece: thebat golem. Ah. I remembered hearing that from the headmasters puppet. And the princess likely has control over that cavalry. Is that a major issue? Unless, of course, this cavalry is stronger than the demonmander? I wasnt trying to be sarcastic; I was genuinely curious. Alderson shook his head. Of course not. Even in its weakened state, themander who was watching over me was a formidable demon. Kajita, the Infernal Legionmander... My cavalry could not stand against such a demon. ... Even so, it would not be a one-sided defeat. Not only does my cavalry have exceptional durability and resistance to water, weather, and heat, but theirbat abilities easily surpass even the high-ranking knights who use aura. With at least ten, or fifteen to be generous, together, they would be a match for Kajita. I still was unsure of his point. While avoiding my gaze, Alderson murmured, The cavalry was inspired by the tinum Knight Order. Do you know of them? The legendary knight order that served the tinum King three hundred years ago? The tinum King. One of the five kings of The Empire, revered as a god after his death. But my focus wasnt on the king but on another word. ...A knight order? That''s right. I admired the legend of the tinum Knight Order and wanted to form a knight order with armored cavalry. So I spent a massive fortune to mass-producebat golems... totaling two hundred and fifty. Holy crap. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 167 Barter seemed to take my remark as a joke. That was a good joke, Luan Bednicker, said Barter. I might have actuallyughed if not for the circumstances. But you really should work not just on your skills but also on how to read a room. Since I wasnt trying to start a fight, I just nodded in acknowledgment. Of course, that didnt mean I wasnt going to say what I wanted to say. I''d like to ask your permission for Brother Hector''s withdrawal. That conversation is over. We dont have the luxury of finding a safe ce. So you are suggesting we leave the cadets here, in the middle of dangerous enemy territory? Not exactly. There''s a building we just left, one where we took care of most of the dolls inside, and it''s a much safer ce than anywhere else. I n to leave them there. ... I was silent for a moment. He really was nning topletely abandon them.Given the situation, that was a reasonable decision, I supposed... If so... Perhaps Hector''s emotions had overruled his judgment... If I ignored Barter''s mocking tone. This hateful jerk. There were some people you just wanted to punch, even if they were right, and in my book, this Barter guy was one such person.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om What if there was a much safer ce? What do you mean? I told him about Headmaster Alderson and the safe haven created by grand magic. Barter remained silent for a moment. When I was done exining, his expression changed slightly. In a crisis like this, it meant a lot, having a safe ce to go. It seems reckless in many ways to continue pursuit in this state, I said. We should go to the headmaster and regroup. However, Barter shook his head. No. We must continue the pursuit, even if we don''t fight the princess. At the very least, we need to know where she is staying. Then what about the cadets? Im changing the n. A select few will continue in pursuit while the rest escort the cadets to the headmasters safe haven. Ill be the one to select the team for the pursuit. Then Barter listed out the names of those who would join him. Myself, Hector, and Marco. The three of us will assess the situation. Luan Bednicker, you will be in charge of the cadets. God, this was so damn frustrating. Id probably have a more sessful conversation with a rock. Hence, I spoke my next words with a bit of a sharp edge: I''ll take Brother Hectors ce. You? Barter stared at me intently, and for a moment, his emotionless blue eyes reminded me of Sellen. I was reminded that no matter how different they looked, family was family. I wondered if anyone thought the same of me and Hector. After a moment of idle thinking, Hector interjected, Let him take my ce, Sir Bart. Luan is much stronger than I am. There was a slight murmur from Barter''s men when Hector vouched for me. Hector was known for his pride, so his words must have been a little shocking to them. You expect me to believe that? Its the truth, Captain, came an unexpected voice in support of Hector. That guy is... I looked up and saw a familiar face. It was Marco, the man who had disguised himself as a tavern owner under Glenn''s orders. The man who, after a short skirmish, I had identified as a member of the Special Forces. I can vouch for Luan Bednickers skills, Captain, he said. Hes far above your average knight. Even without Hector Bednicker, our force will be stronger. ...Hmm. I wondered what his role was in the unit. There was a subtle shift in Barters expression. His attitude was very differentpared to when he was listening to me or Hector. ...Fine. Lets do it that way. Elder Brother, I''ll join too, Sellen said, her voice calm. Barter frowned slightly and opened his mouth, most likely to reject her, but Sellen quickly added, You know my blessing. Even if it''s a blood-lit night, the full moon is up. Im in better physical condition than usual. Barter hesitated, then let out a long sigh. ...Hah. All right. Then the four of us Glenn, who had been a few feet away, raised his hand. M-me too...! Ille with you, Sir Barter! Such sharp ears he had. We had been speaking quietly on purpose so that the prince and the cadets wouldnt overhear. Barter''s expression hardened more than I had ever seen it. ...Your Highness, he said, I apologize, but I cannot ept that order. Youre going after my elder sister Ferith, arent you? ... Ill be helpful. The blood of the imperial family can feel each other. If you''re tracking her, you''ll need me. I casually chimed in, Allow him toe. That guy wont be dead weight. For all I knew, Glenn might actually be stronger than Marco. Given his ranking in the Tower of Trials and the fact that he hid so much, that was probably true. Besides, if hes of royal blood, he must naturally have good resistance to magic. Even without a blessing, he would hold up better than most blessed individuals. Barter nced at me and said, I make the decisions, Luan Bednicker. Do not overstep. I was just offering advice. Or guidance, whichever you prefer. Theyre the same thing. And you... your words are too informal and rude. It seems like Bednickers etiquette lessons are as great as they say. Hahaha. That was not apliment, Barter said while ring at me, but I just shrugged. ... Sellen looked at me in disbelief. It was like she''d never seen anyone treat her brother like this before. Hooo... Barter let out another sigh. I understand, Your Highness, but you must obey my orders at all times. Of course. In the end, he decided that the advantages of the prince''spany outweighed the risks. It was a favorable development for me too. What should I say? For some reason, I had a feeling I wanted to keep Glenn within my sights. ... Does Glenn sense something? I could feel his eyes on me, observing. * * * * * * * * * * After showing Hector and the cadets the way back, we immediately resumed pursuit. It was quite a bizarre turn of events. Barter Goodspring was in the lead, followed by Marco right behind him. In the rear were Sellen and I, with the prince positioned between. This formation was clearly meant to protect Glenn. Perhaps that was why Barter had allowed the prince to apany us. Did he feel it safer to keep Glenn close? Im going to die of frustration. He would have been much safer with the headmaster, I grumbled to myself, but I suppose Barter is just that kind of person. The type who didn''t believe anything unless theyd seen it with their own eyes. ...Well, I was kind of like that myself, so it was hard to just curse him out... Anyway. Outside of the building was literally an otherworldly demon zone, so we moved cautiously, but for some reason... ...How strange, Barter muttered Yes. It''s too quiet, Marco agreed. It was as they said. It had been about an hour since wed separated from the group, yet in all that time, we hadnt encountered a single demon. Even in the rtively safe building, we would have bumped into a couple of dolls in the time wed been walking. Somethings off. Suddenly, I felt the gaze of a doll watching us from a distance. It seemed like I was the only one who noticed. I subtly sharpened my senses to prepare for the uing battle, but... [...] The doll didn''t move. It simply watched with its empty, beady eyes. I-I think it''s this way. Whenever we lost the trail or Barter''s memory was too fuzzy, Glenn stepped in to guide us. I quietly watched his back, and Sellen asked me, What''s wrong? ...You said before that either the princess or the prince was responsible, right? I whispered, in a voice so low that Glenn wouldnt hear. Even Sellen had difficulty hearing, and she was close to me. Thats right. Looking at the situation now, its clear that the princess is the mastermind. But even so, there are still some things that seem off, so I tried looking at it from a different angle. And? I lowered my voice even further and said, Is it possible that they''re both members of the cult? I saw Sellen pause. Maybe I''m overthinking this, but I just want to consider everything. ...No. You''re right, I forgot about that possibility. I''ll keep it in mind. Our conversation ended with us nodding to each other. Barter stopped walking. We were in front of a building. ... It was without a doubt the most run-down building I had ever seen. But calling it just a building didnt give the right impression. It was clearly abandoned and haunted. It gave off a chilling atmosphere in the unique blood-red lighting of the Veiled Side. However, it was smaller than the other buildings. To be more precise, it was about the size of a building in the real world. That makes things even more unpleasant. It was Barter who spoke up first. Thest time I checked, the princess had entered this building. Your Highness, what do you think? Glenn''s gaze turned toward the building. The presence seems to continue inside this building, but I dont know beyond that. Well have to go in to find out. In the meantime, I tilted my head and observed the building, remembering where we were and trying to fit it into the alteredndscape of this Veiled Side. I found my answer quickly ...Research Building 13? All eyes turned to me. Barter asked, What do you mean? There''s a rumor circting the academy that although there are a total of 12 buildings in the research wing, a nonexistent 13th building appears at certain times... I counted the research wing buildings in the distance, one by one. Based on the location, this seems to be the 13th building. ... The atmosphere sank. Did I say something unnecessary? Just as I was thinking that, Barter said, First, let''s go inside. Barter took the lead and opened the door. AAHH! With a loud shriek, a dark figure flew at us. As Barter quickly drew his sword, I urgently shouted, Wait! I ran past Barter and caught the flying figure. Kek. Why was it so heavy? It felt like Id caught a flying rock. If I''d been any less physically fit, I would have gone flying. A rare blue-headed someone raised their head and looked at me. G... Gold-Hair Bednicker? It was Mir Giant. Had she been dragged here too? But she was not in good shape. Her hair was disheveled, her breathing ragged, and her eyes spinning. Calm down. What happened? Th-this ce is weird! We need to run away right now! What are you talking about? A monster! In there...! At the same time, hurried footsteps were heard in the distance, and this time, several figures appeared. It was Evan, and with him were the young heroes Karis, Sharyl, Pam, Zeros, and Charon. As soon as we stepped into the building, Charon, who was in front, shouted, Get out of here right now! It wasnt just anyone, it was Charon who shouted that. Charon was one of the best in terms of situational awareness. Without a moments hesitation, I kicked open the door we had just entered through. Sir Barter! Its dangerous! Barter was still looking inside, but he snapped out of it when Marco shouted a warning and he finally turned his gaze. Thud...! Thud...! Thud...! Heavy footsteps sounded from inside. A huge creature was stomping down the hallway, so heavy that I could feel the vibrations through my feet. It was cloaked in darkness, so it was hard to make out its form in the dimly lit hallway. But I could tell it was thick and tall. When thest one, Carl, was out, I quickly mmed the door shut. But it wasnt safe outside either. GRAAAAHHH! Immediately, a swarm of dolls, dozens of them if not more, suddenly appeared behind us. Wh-what, whats with these numbers? Theres so many! They weren''t here just a moment ago... Amidst the confusion of the young heroes, I turned my focus to Glenn. Theres so many... he said. I wondered if his pale face was an act. In this uncertain situation, Barter said to me, Luan Bednicker, guide us to the building you spoke of. I nodded and drew my Dark Star Sword. Follow me. ____ Chapter 168 We fought off the stubborn swarm of dolls and returned to the building where Headmaster Alderson resided. It wasnt far, but even so, it felt like it took three hours. The dolls literally clung to us like crazy. Fortunately, there were no casualties... but the mental exhaustion was hitting me hard. It almost made me think fighting monsters would have been better. The demon puppets didnt feel like living creatures. Not even the beasts I''d fought at the training camp or that grim reaper who collected souls had given the same vibe. There was something about their reckless charges, disregarding wounds and even death, that made one weary of them beyond their strength. You have made it back safely, Headmaster Alderson greeted us as we returned, battered and bruised. Hisplexion was a little better than when Id left. Barter, still catching his breath, responded, I''m d you''re okay, Headmaster. I''m Barter Goodspring, second-inmand of the Imperial Special Forces. It''s a pity I have to identify myself in a situation like this.Alderson nodded with a slightly displeased expression. Mmm... It is all right. Sir Barter''s public identity was that of a professor within the Academy''s swordsmanship department, but being a member of the Special Forces meant that was a cover. From the headmasters perspective, of course he wouldnt be pleased. Anyway, the two of them began talking, exchanging information and so on... Meanwhile, I looked around the buildings interior. I saw the cadets who had been with Glenn. Their condition seemed to have improved a bit, they weren''t quite so lost and unconscious as before. ...What''s going to happen to us now? This is a nightmare. It''s all a nightmare... Ahh, ah... Urgh... ... Of course, it wasnt necessarily a good thing that their sanity had returned. I passed by the cadets muttering depressing monologues and reached the ones who were still sane. The young heroes. ...Luan. The ones sprawled in the hallway looked up when they saw me. They weren''t in the best shape either, but they were more exhausted physically than mentally, so I was at least able to have a conversation with them. d to see you''re all safe. Are you guys okay? Were fine, but... ...I don''t know what the hell is going on. They clearly wanted an exnation, so I said, Come on, I told you already: Cultists infiltrated the academy, and the demon lord has already been summoned. In short, weve been dragged into the demon lords Veiled World. We needed to save the cadets, right? But does this mean we ended up in the same situation as them...? Sharyl asked dejectedly. You did, yes, but not me. What? I walked in on my own. I wasnt dragged here, I came to hunt. Dont treat me like we are in the same boat. Sharyl shook her head. ...I can''t believe you''re making jokes in this situation. You''re definitely not normal either. But I wasn''t making a joke? Although they understood the situation, it seemed they were still panicked and confused. I let the other young heroes have a moment of their own and pulled Evan to the side. He should have the best grasp of the situation. Exin what happened, I said. Evan gave a wry smile and exined, Thanks to you buying me time, I easily made it out of the research wing. However, although I managed to make it to the main building without any trouble, I cked out right after. Hmm... The only thing I saw before losing consciousness... was the people around me copsing as well. After hearing his exnation, I roughly understood what had happened. I guess it''s fair to assume that everyone at the academy got dragged into this. I agree. It''s not about skill or mental strength or some kind of resistance... No one had any time to react. I did expect the princess to do something, but I didnt expect her to act so quickly and aggressively. In a serious voice, Evan muttered, ...Probably the entire resident poption of the academy has been dragged to the Veiled Side. They''ve all been kidnapped, so even if things are quiet for a day or two, the empire will surely notice something is amiss eventually. What the hell is the princess thinking? Hisst words were more for himself than for me. I thought for a moment, then said, Maybe theyre thinking of finishing it in a day or two. Finishing what? Everything. As Evan looked at me with a puzzled expression... BEEEEEEEEEEEEP. A piercing sound echoed through the entire building. It was ear-splitting, like a metallic screech, and very disturbing. Amunication crystal? I''d seen a few inside the building, but I had doubted they worked. The young heroes, cadets, and even the headmaster and Barter couldnt do anything but quickly cover their ears. [Hmm. I wonder if you can all hear me clearly? Attention, academy members]. That was the princesss voice. Her voice was crisp and cheerful, as if she was casually speaking while taking a stroll. [My name is Ferith Scarlet. I am the one who invited you to this world. First, Id like to begin by expressing my heartfelt thanks to those who are participating in my game. But...] ... [Since I doubt any of you wish to hear that, Ill just cut to the chase.] With a low chuckle, the princess continued. [The total number of humans currently in this world is 613. Of course, that excludes those whose souls are already held hostage by the dolls. On the other hand, the puppets scattered across the academy... total 3,600.] Sharp gasps spread through the room. Fear shed across the cadets faces. She had to be watching this unfold because in the next moment, the princessughed again. [Of course, that''s not counting the armored cavalry that Headmaster Alderson so kindly gifted me]. ... [I''ll give you a days reprieve. After that, every puppet in the academy willunch an all-out attack on the building you''re in, Research Building 12. Now, thats simple, isnt it?] The princess voice dropped to a whisper as she continued: [However, if you reach Building 13, where I am, and kill me before then, it is your victory]. ...! [Then I wish you the best of luck. Please y by the rules and have fun.] With that, her voice cut off. It was a one-sided announcement. * * * * * * * * * * ...Shespletely insane, Evan muttered, and as he clicked his tongue, the room around him erupted again. Th-theyre going to attack tomorrow? What''s going to happen to us then? I-I don''t want to die yet...! There''s still so much I want to do Their panic was understandable. It hadnt been long since these cadets were simply focused on their studies and enjoying their youth, yet they had suddenly been dragged into this Veiled Side and effectively been sentenced to death. Demanding they they calm down in this situation would be ridiculous. Barter looked at Alderson and asked in a low voice, Headmaster, what do you suggest? He didn''t bother to listen to anyone else, but he at least showed respect for Alderson, an archmage. Hm... When the headmaster didn''t answer immediately, Barter spoke again. If nothinges to mind at the moment, may I share my thoughts first? Go ahead. We must gather all our forces and attack the princess immediately. If we kill her within the day, we win. Failure, on the other hand, will mean defeat and our total annihtion. ... I''ll take charge of selecting and leading the attack force. If you are able, Headmaster, your assistance would be invaluable. Wait a moment. Alderson''s gaze turned to me. I''d like to hear from you as well, Young Hero Luan. Barter''s eyebrows twitched. He didnt seem to understand why my opinion was being sought in this dire situation. But to the headmaster, it was the natural choice. Of all the people in this room, he was the only one who knew I had taken down a legionmander. Speaking slowly, I shared my thoughts. I agree with attacking the princess, but arge group wont work. We should keep it to five people. What nonsense Hold on, Sir Barter, the headmaster said, to calm Barter. He turned to me with a measured look and asked, There must be a reason, I suppose? Of course. Pam? H-huh? Pam, who had been quietly resting, was startled She clearly hadn''t expected to be called upon in this situation. You told me about some ghost stories rted to the research wing, didn''t you? Y-yeah, I did. Tell everyone. Right Now? Here? Me? Quickly. Ah... With all the attention on her, Pam froze stiff. But her cheeks were flushed, as if she was a little excited to have the attention of such influential figures. She said she wanted to be a journalist. If so, she should learn how to take advantage when everyones attention was on her. Her voice shaky, Pam started, Th-the nonexistent Building 13 and the ghostly game of tag that takes ce inside it, the woman in white wandering the halls, and the sound of tapping on windows but no one is there... That''s enough, thanks. O-okay. I patted Pams shoulder as she took deep breaths, then turned back to the headmaster. So the ghost stories Pam mentioned, theyre actually happening here on the Veiled Side, albeit a little differently." What are you trying to say? The princess said it herself: y by the rules and have fun. In this world, will besw, and the one who defines thew, the rules, is Princess Ferith. Even after all this, their faces showed confusion, so I continued, I also heard this: The princess is part of a club and wants to recruit up to five members. I felt Sellens gaze on me. She was the one who had told me this information. We need to pay attention to the number five. Perhaps if we limit the attack team to five members, well face minimal resistance and reach the princess more easily. Barter sneered. Thats not worth listening to at all. Its baseless drivel with no logic or basis. You expect us to bet our lives on some silly rumor? My logic may be poor, but I do have evidence. Have you forgotten already? When we headed to Building 13 earlier, we were not attacked once. ... There were exactly five of us then. ... Barter shut his mouth. There''s no fancy reason for these rules. Theyre just the princesss whims. ... As weve just heard, the princess views this whole situation as a game. Logic? Sure, such a thing is important in other circumstances... but not here. Why would you try to find logic in a madwoman? Sharyl sucked in a sharp breath. As an innate noble, she was shocked by my remark. Headmaster said, You may have a point, but... is there a chance its a trap? A ploy to limit our team to five? Schemes are for the weak, but the power disparity here is obvious; if the princess truly wanted to kill us, she could just crush us right now. With her thousands of puppetsbined with the headmasters damned tinum Knight Order... A day? Building 12 would be reduced to rubble in an hour. ... The headmaster fell silent. The only reason shes not doing so is simple: She does not want a one-sided game. She wants to feel the thrill of possibly losing. I felt like shit for being so tantly belittled by her, but given the situation, I had to ept it. In fact, we needed to use it to our advantage to the fullest. Sharyl, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up. Now that you mention it... Inside Building 13, nothing happened until Karis and Mir joined us. As soon as they appeared, demons suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Before that, there were only five of us in the building. So Sharyls experience reinforced my hypothesis. I nodded and said, As I said. Anyway, Ill be in charge of picking the attack team. Itll be in this order: Me, Sellen, Evan, Charon, and finally, Mir. That makes five. ... Mir, who had been sitting in a daze, snapped to attention. M-me? ME?! Yes, you, I replied simply, then looked to Barter, who was smiling. Do you have anything to say? Im open to advice. Barter kept smiling at me. Of course, he wasn''t smiling out of joy. ...You''re crossing the line, Luan Bednicker. I''ve been as respectful as I can toward you so far. I couldn''t help but burst intoughter at that one. Why did all authoritarians sound so alike? Probably because they didnt realize. They didnt realize that such a tone only appeared when they were trying to be disrespectful. What''s your problem? I was just following Sir Butters philosophy. I said its Barter. And what do you mean? Who should take the lead in times like these? ... Someone who can urately assess the situation at hand, someone who can make the right decisions based on that assessment, and someone who can take responsibility for their decisions. In other words, the strongest person here... Oh my. I covered my gasp with a hand and pointed to myself. That''s me, I said with feigned shock. ... ____ N?v(el)B\\jnn The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 169 At this point, there was only one way left. The most primitive method, passed down since ancient times. A barbaric method, but all the more effective because of it. Sching. I wonder if you''re as skilled in a fight as you are with your mouth, Barter said as he drew his sword. I also began to draw up my true ki. I''d saved it during the fights with the demons, but... It would be hard to hold back against this one. Though Id been dismissive of him, Barter Goodspring was no slouch. Even among skilled individuals, Barter stood out. Hector, Charon, Evan, and Sellen would all lose to him.Even now, despite how much I had gotten under his skin, he remained calm. Anyway... I figured this was my chance to put Barter in his ce. Having twomanders in this crisis was thest thing we needed. Confusion in the chain ofmand is a recipe for defeat. The good news was that Barter knew that. Now that he recognized me as someone he needed to crush, he wouldn''t shy away frombat. But at this moment, Headmaster Alderson broke his silence and made his presence known. I will not permit a duel here. Sssss. Perhaps Aldersons inner turmoil had finally calmed, because the mana radiating from his body spread out like ripples and took control of the space. It wasn''t particrly threatening, but... Its serene, gentle flow naturally drained the tension from the air. It felt like my burning fighting spirit was doused with ice-cold water. I shook myself off and withdrew my true ki, and Barter lowered the sword he had drawn. Of course, we both knew this was only a temporary truce. We were probably thinking the same thing: We would settle this somewhere Alderson wasnt. Perhaps the headmaster realized this as well, because the next moment, he looked at us and slowly said, However... I do understand that there are irreconcble differences of opinion between the two of you. Let us do this: In twelve hours, youll duel, and we will proceed with the victors n. In a cold voice, Barter said, My opinion was that we should head to Building 13 as soon as possible. You must understand that Lord Luans opinion has some validity, dont you? Twenty-four hours is not a long time, but its not short either. We should rest first and then discuss the correct course of action. ... I know it wasnt easy to return here. You need to rest too, Alderson continued. I will officiate the duel. No mana will be allowed. This will be a contest of pure, brute strength. Understood? ...Huuu. Barter let out a rather long sigh, then sheathed his sword. He nced at me briefly before turning away without another word. Marco and his subordinates, likely members of the special forces, followed behind him. I clicked my tongue openly. Just look at that asshole. Walking away before the elder has finished speaking... Tsk, tsk. Ill never grow up to be like that. You should stop provoking him too. I nodded at the headmasters words. Should I? Alderson suddenly beganughing like a madman. Watching you makes the despairing atmosphere feel faint. What kind of nerves do you have? Is it because youre a Bednicker? Who knows... No, looking at Hector Bednicker, that is not it. Perhaps its just your nature... There''s no reason to despair if theres still a chance. If Ive tried everything and nothing worked, then Ill curse andin. What will you say? Something like, God, you bastard. Aldersonughed heartily. Be thankful that I am not a religious man. If you were, I wouldnt have said it. Indeed. Alder chuckled. Never give up until the end. Its something everyone knows in their heads, but the human heart is a peculiar thing. The more dire the situation, the harder it is to control.N?v(el)B\\jnn ... One thing is clear: Your optimism will one day be a beacon for everyone. I wondered how peculiar I must be. It felt more burdensome than outright insulting when he praised me or ced his unsolicited expectations on me like that. ...A beacon, huh? You have not noticed how the young heroes look at you, have you? Regardless of what you think, you are already their leader. Alderson chuckled lightly. Take a walk with me. Did he still have more to say? I followed behind Alderson, who had started walking immediately, without waiting for my response. His steps were rather slow. It wasnt just because of his age. He was not quite fully recovered. I reached out my hand to offer support, but he simply shook his head and continued struggling. When the sounds of cadets sobbing and voices filled with despair faded into the distance... Alderson said, I feel responsible for this situation. ... The academy... is a ce of learning. We spared no effort to create the best possible environment for education. We deliberately encouraged ideological and philosophical shes among the cadets in the hope that productive debates would arise, hoping they would be better people as a result. I had only seen the entric side of Headmaster Alderson. He had built a ridiculous structure called the Tower of Training within the academy, seemingly enjoying the pain and suffering of the cadets climbing it... He had also produced 250bat golems out of admiration for the tinum Knight Order. Above all, Alderson was a mage. People who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. And at the pinnacle of such individuals stood the archmages. I had never been in awe of mages. The more Id learned of them throughout the years, the more Id sensed the madness that only came from those who bet everything on their single chosen field. To teach without restrictions. To allow thoughts and ideologies to change freely. To let them explore their paths to their hearts'' content. These are the privileges of youth. And we, the faculty... It was our responsibility to protect them until they went out into the world. That was why I found this side of Alderson a bit unexpected. For the first time, I saw not the Archmage of Violet but the headmaster of Kartell Academy. I felt like I finally understood why he was the headmaster. I scratched the back of my head for a moment, trying to think of something to say... but nothing came to mind that wouldfort an old man who had lived several times longer than me. In the end, the words that came out were words anyone could have said: I''m sorry to hear that. The children are all still alive. As the princess said, their souls may be held hostage, suffering. ... I will save everyst one of them. Even if it costs me my life... I swear it here and now, Headmaster Alderson said, his voice clear and resolute. This bloody world will be swept away by my violet. The Archmage of Violet, Alderson Maveur. Though it was only seen in the ranks of the dormitories, his words carried the weight of one who ced violet above even the imperial familys crimson. You must like violet. Alderson smiled faintly. Is it not the most mysterious color? That is why I like Bednicker too. For a moment, I wondered what he meant, but he had to be referring to the color of my eyes. I chuckled softly and said, Headmaster, youre the most sane mage Ive ever met. Alderson paused at myment, then smiled in return. Not all mages are like Sir Asad. Hes an entric, even among archmages. Oh, is that so? Indeed. After a moment of silence, I looked to the headmaster and said, Rest assured, Headmaster, Ivee here to bring dawn to this world. Recalling the Martial Gods words, I looked at the dark, blood-red sky. The harder times are, the more certain it is that the sun must rise. * * * * * * * * * * After that brief conversation with Alderson... I found a suitable room and shut the door. Then I began cultivating my energy. The yang ki from the forcibly shattered mystic bead was still raging inside me. Huuu... I slowed my breathing, stabilized the energy, and absorbed it as smoothly as I could. A pleasant heat coursed through my body, rxing my muscles. As I did, my mind naturally drifted back to my conversation with the headmaster. My optimism? Was I really optimistic? Honestly, I wasnt sure Id call myself that. The way I approached life right now boiled down to one rule: I would do everything I could from wherever I stood. I did not think it was a perfect answer because even if one did their best, there were bound to be regretsI''d experienced that firsthand. Like during that training camp, in the past that no longer existed. So, to be honest... I didnt want the Blessing of the Spirit Mountain to activate. It was a great boon. Getting a second chance at life was undeniably incredible. But... Somehow, it left me with a deep sense of emptiness. It felt as though all my struggles, my efforts as a person, were reduced to scraps of paper to be thrown away. Am I being too arrogant? Suddenly, I remembered a conversation Id had with the Lord of Blood and Iron. What must someone do to defeat a God while retaining their humanity? To achieve such a feat... one would need multiple opportunities. Spare lives, or a method to challenge your foe countless times. Or perhaps evenand this is the most absurd yetthe ability to rewind time. It was true. If I was going to face the absurd existence that was a demon lord, I too would need such absurd means. I chuckled and rose from my seated position. I was done cultivating. I was done sooner than Id expected, and I still had some time before my duel with Barter... Intending to loosen up my stiff body, I opened the door and stepped out... Thud. The top of someone''s head bumped right into the pit of my stomach. Wondering who it was, I looked down and saw a blue head. Hmm? There you are! said Mir Giant. Do you need something from me? I asked. Yeah! And that is? Take me off the attack team! Why? I asked, staring at her without a change in expression. Mir flinched slightly, but raised her voice even louder and said, Th-there are many who are much stronger than me! I crossed my arms and asked, Like who? L-like, that blond knight... or your brother... or... Wrong. What, what? You are stronger than them both. Mir''s eyes widened, as if to ask, Really? Whats this? I thought she hadpletely gotten over the trauma from the training camp, but apparently not. Shed stopped shrinking back at the sight of strong, overwhelming opponents, but it seemed her self-esteem had yet to fully recover. If anything, I was the one caught off guard. This kid had no clue about her potential. Perfect timing. Follow me. Huh? Ack. I grabbed Mir by the nape of her neck and dragged her along while I looked for a suitable spot. * * * My search for an open area led me naturally to the dining hall on the first floor... Which, of course, was still a mess. I understood why nobody had cleaned it, but still... Bang! I kicked over and tossed aside a few fallen tables, pushing them into the corners to clear some space. Then I looked at Mir, still standing there dumbfounded, and asked, Want to warm up first, or should we just get started? St-start what? Fighting, of course. So suddenly? Most fights start unannounced, I said, and promptly threw a chair at her. She got startled and reflexively threw a punch straight at it. Crack! Wow. The wooden chair shattered into a million splinters, leaving no trace of its original form. What are you doing?! Mir shouted. I ignored her words and lunged forward, throwing a punch. Infused with a moderate amount of inner energy, my fist emitted a faint me. Mir gritted her teeth and thrust her hand forward to meet it. Boooom! All five of my punches were blocked, and my fist ached from the impacts. It felt like I was mming my fist against reinforced steel, not flesh and blood. Which was only natural, really. The giants were the strongest and toughest of the seven races when it came to pure physical prowess. In a contest without mana, the strongest would surely be a giant. Moreover, Mir wasnt just any giant. She carried the blood of the legendary giant Ymir. In terms of status, that put her on par with House Bednicker, the descendants of Dark Fairy Kuset. Ugh... But as I continued my attacks, Mir''s responses became increasingly reluctant, and at one point, she hesitated and stumbled backward. Thanks to her resilient body, she was unscathed... However, the frustration was palpable. Why in the world are you so scared? What...? You were born with the strongest spear and shield. Don''t you know how much of a blessing that is? She didnt need to dodge or defend. That alone allowed her to focus almost entirely on offense, which was a huge advantage... If Mir were to charge at me right now and use her body to its full potential, even I would have to get serious. Mir backed away, looking troubled. Had I pushed her too hard? I... I... Her response was even weaker now. The Martial God offered me his advice. [Turn up the heat.] Will that be okay? [It should be. Breaking the shell is up to the child, but anyone can lend a bit of help.] ...Pecking together to hatch, huh? It was as the Martial God said. It was up to the hatchling to break its egg, but the mother could peck a little too. Fwoosh! My mes red up. After my battle with Kajita, my mes had grown stronger and were now divided into three distinct stages. Red me, blue me, and purple me. Naturally, with each change in color, the temperature would rise. Ughh, urghh... The moment my me turned from red to blue... Mir''s expression changed. A rough grinding sound came from her small teeth, and her eyes gleamed with a chilling blue aura. AAAHHHHHHHH! It was an ear-splitting roar. The kind youd expect not from a kid-sized body but from a mountain-sized monster. With that deafening noise, the windows shattered with a loud crash, and a burst of freezing energy erupted from Mir. WHOOOSH! I braced myself against the sudden blizzard, wrapping my body with blue mes. It wasn''t protective bodily ki, but it was enough to keep the cold from invading my flesh. Just beyond my skin, the cold and heat shed, producing a mist that rose like steam. Boom! From within the chaos, a small projectile flew out and struck me. It was Mir''s fist. I crossed my arms to absorb the impact, but my body was flung across the room in a sh to m into the far wall. ...? I felt a sharp, freezing pain in my arm, and when I looked, I saw that icy frost had seeped into my arm... Suddenly, something startling happened. For a moment, I felt both fire and ice surrounding me. It was a strange sensation. Fire and ice. The two most ipatible elements in the world. [Remember this feeling.] What? His voice faded as quickly as it hade. Once again, he loved giving cryptic advice. It was bing his signature, to drop some awesome-sounding remark and poof, disappear. Meanwhile, Mir was gasping for breath and staring down at her arm. Hah... Heuk... Wh-what is this...? That must be the power of the Frost Giant. Youve awakened the strength of your ancestors. Congrattions. Ah... In terms of raw physical power, youre already the strongest. And now youve got a special power. Thats reassuring. I bent my knees and crouched down slightly to meet the little giants eyes. In Building 13, the demon lords realm, anything can happen. Your blessings or mana may be sealed at any moment. When that happens, the only thing you will be able to rely on is your trained body. ... Got it? I added you to the group because we need you. But, I''m so small... Small doesn''t mean weak. Let me ask you a question, then: Why did you join the Bednicker training camp? I... Mir murmured hesitantly. ...Because I felt so pathetic. I wanted to change... I wanted to be a hero. Good. Look at the situation now. The headmaster is injured, the special forces are up to who-knows-what, and the cadetswell, as you can see, they are all incapable. This unprecedented crisis... its the perfect moment for a hero to rise, dont you think? ... Lend us your strength. We need you. Mir hesitated for a moment, then slowly looked up at me. ...All right. Mir nodded, clenching her fists tightly. Something simr to my blue me seemed to be burning in her blue eyes. I... I think... I can do it! Yeah? Yeah! It''s a strange feeling! I feel like I can do anything... Mir whipped her head to look at me. You... you awakened me, Luan Bednicker! You taught me a lesson! Its not like I taught you anything. I just gave you a little nudge. Do you mind if I call you Master? No. Master. I said no, I replied, shivering with a scrunched-up face. Mir being Mir, however, stared up at me with sparkling eyes like she hadnt heard a word Id said. Master! she shouted. I said no... Chapter 170 Barely managing to peel off the clinging Mir, I made my way to the roof. As I did so, I recalled the sensation of heat and cold swirling around me. It was an unfamiliar feeling, one I had never experienced before, but as I thought about it, I realized something. Is it because of the Dark Star de? Themon trait of those martial armaments called divine weapons, divine objects, or divine instruments was their ability to perform beyond the basic function of average weapons. This was the case with all three of Eldest Senior Brothers weapons. The Dark Star des principle of the Union of One Truth affected not only the weapon but also its wielder.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om In other words, simply possessing the Dark Star de allowed one to acquire the sense of harmoniously managing opposing energies. Extreme yang and extreme yin.Hot and cold. Fire and ice. These two ipatible forces had been united for a moment because I, influenced by the Dark Star de, unconsciously bnced and controlled them. Is this another clue? I had thought that the way to reach the third stage of the Strongest Fire Techniquey in fully mastering the purple me... But now, I realized there might be another way. This was the nature of martial arts mastery. There were always multiple paths to a mountains summit. One had to find the path that suited them best. Its too bad... To be honest, every time I found a clue to the next stage, I felt a twinge of annoyance. If the world had been a little less crazy, I could have secluded myself in the mountains the moment such thoughts surfaced and focused on training. This was why closed-door training existed. Separately, I realized how difficult it was to cut ties with the mundane world with a clear, working mind. As my mind wandered more and more, I suddenly recalled Baek Nogwang. What kind of life has Master lived? This was a thought Id often had since my regression. The strongest martial artist I knew... What could have driven someone so godlike in martial arts to retire to seclusion in the remote world of Spirit Mountain? Hed even gone to the trouble of taking disciples from other worlds. To personally raise his own opponent? It was the most usible exnation, given his entric personality, but... well, I wasnt sure. Somehow, I had a feeling that there was a hidden reason that I wouldnt be able to understand no matter how much I wracked my brain, at least not right now. Hmm. These unnecessarily long hallways really made all kinds of thoughts cross my mind. I shook my head to clear my mind. Barter and I would fight on the rooftop. It was the most spacious part of the building, and itcked obstacles. However, in front of the stairs leading to the rooftop stood a familiar face. It was Prince Glenn Scarlet. ... How should I put this? It felt a bit awkward running into him now. After all, ourst meeting had not exactly ended pleasantly. Still, apart from that, I didnt really hold any strong grudges against him. While he was pathetic in many ways, he didnt stray beyond the standards I had set. I was human too, so I was subjective and biased when it came to judging people... And by those standards, Glenn Scarlet hadnt particrly crossed the line. So what were my standards? Simply put, whether or not someone was more pathetic than the past Luan Bednicker? Luan, Glenn said, his voice stiff. I cocked my head and asked, Youve got something to say? Glenn must have been a little taken aback by my calm response because he flinched slightly before pressing his hat down firmly. I''m sorry. For what? I''ve been thinking about what you said back then, and at first I was angry, thinking, What does he know, to talk like that? But... ... I heard you saved all the cadets in this building. The headmaster mentioned how you came straight to save us the moment you heard our screams. You flew straight to save us, and you didn''t reveal your family name in the entire process. You saved them and earned their respect solely as Luan, not as a Bednicker. As he spoke, his hunched back and rounded shoulders gradually straightened. Eventually, Glenn looked me straight in the eye. Everything you told me was true. ... As I listened, I couldn''t bring myself to ask, What exactly did I say? I quickly forgot things I didnt consider important. Still, I was perceptive enough to just absentmindedly nod along. Even in front of Sir Barter, you didnt back down and stayed true to your I held up a hand, cutting Glenn off. Okay, okay, thats enough. I get it. H-huh? G-get what? Apology epted, as well as the sentiment. I don''t have any hard feelings toward you, so let''s just chalk up what happened at the tavern as a minor scuffle. O-oh, yeah. Okay. Is that all you wanted to say? I asked, and Glenn hesitated. It seemed he hadnte here just to apologize. I don''t have much of a rtionship with Elder Sister Ferith. Hm? Every member of the imperial family has someone they rely on. Even if life is hell, they can get through it just thinking about that person. Like a beacon of light in their life. What was he trying to say? I could have just ignored him and walked past, but for some reason, something about Glenns desperate expression made it hard to move my feet. So I asked, The Elder Sister you mentioned you missed before, was she your beacon? Glenn smiled faintly. It was the most genuine expression I''d ever seen from him. Yes. She was the kindest person Ive ever known. Everyone loved her, not just me. But her imperial bloodline wasn''t strong enough, so she was disposed of. So, what I mean is... Glen fell silent. His crimson eyes fixed on me during the brief silence that fell between us. It was clear that Glenn had not fully organized his thoughts before approaching me. I don''t think Elder Sister Ferith ever had anyone like that. Mm. Im not saying it excuses her actions. What shes done is wrong. So many people have been swept up in it that it cant simply be considered a mistake. She has to pay the price. Im telling you this because... how should I put it? I feel like you need to know. As much as I hate to say it myself. Glenn hesitated. Sometimes I get these feelings. A sort of instinct or intuition, if you will, as a member of the imperial family. After he finished, Glenn let out a deep sigh and... I suddenly remembered the conversation Id had with him. Hey, Glenn, you know... As usual, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. * * * * * * * * * * As soon as I stepped onto the rooftop, a strong wind greeted me. It amazed me that even in this twisted world, the wind still blew. ... There were more people on the open rooftop than Id expected. It wasnt just my opponent, Barter. Headmaster Alderson and the young heroes were present as well. And standing near Barter, I saw Marco and the other special forces members. Big Brother! Even Butterfly was here. I don''t think I''ve seen her in this world. When did shee here? Anyway, she was skilled enough and blessed, so it wasnt surprising that she was still alive. Butterfly approached with a sullen face. Wh-why are you doing this? What? Youre dueling Brother Barter...! Last I checked, yeah. You know Elder Brother Barter is the captain of the Special Forces! I know youre strong, Big Brother Luan, but a young hero... Ignoring Butterflys rambling about how she could smooth things over or how I should think of Sellen or other useless things, I brushed past her and kept walking. It was only then that I clearly saw the expression of the cadets standing a little further away. That Luan... Will he be okay? Theres no way hell be fine. His opponent is the eldest son of Goodspring, and a member of the Special Forces at that. Not to mention that Sir Barter is at least ten years older. Thats a gap that talent alone cant bridge... ...What is he even thinking? Unexpectedly, they all wore looks of concern. Even Charon, Hector, and Sellen, who knew me to some extent, looked worried. The Special Forces members behind Barter whispered openly. Is that him? The fool who challenged our captain, thinking he could measure up? The Bednicker brat? This is beyond ridiculous. Even Hero Bednicker wasnt able to settle the match... The youngest Bednicker... Isnt he the disgrace whom even the Lord of Blood and Iron abandoned? This is no surprise. The only ones who were calm were Headmaster Alderson, Evan Helvin, and the ever-impassive Mir Giant. Ah. I realized that everyones reactions were only natural. Currently, everyone knew Luan Bednicker as the epitome of pathetic. That had been somewhat intentional on my part, but... it was a different story now. We were in a critical moment. In a life-or-death situation, I needed them to obey my orders without hesitation. I needed to leave a definite impression on everyone present. So I did just that. Step. Lightning-walker steps. Boom! ...! The thunderous sound of my steps cut through the restless atmosphere. With the first step, the current of energy coiled in the soles of my feet spread through the ground... Rumble...! The trembling spread in all directions like thunder rumbling through storm clouds, shaking the entire building for seconds. This was a martial art of my own creation. Luan Bednickers unique and original martial art. ... ... Just three steps were enough to change the way everyone looked at me. ...What kind of footwork was that? Such aggressive and domineering mana maniption. I instinctively took a defensive stance... ...How old is Luan Bednicker again? Has Bednicker been hiding such a talent all along? I could see the Special Force members staring at me in shock, but I paid them no mind and instead focused on my opponent. In Barter''s hand was a ratherrge shield. It wasrge enough topletely cover his upper body when held upright. I want to propose a term for our duel, I said. Bartor did not look fazed by my informal tone. The only reaction I got was a mere stiffening after seeing my lightning-walker steps. However, the condescension in his gaze was mostly gone. ...Speak. Let''s end this in one exchange. You look like you''re confident in your defense, so if you can block a single strike of mine, Ill admit defeat. Barter''s eyebrow twitched. The terms seem too favorable for me. Eh. I shrugged. Not really. Having the time to gather my strength was a huge advantage with my White Sun Form. But of course, Barter was not aware of that. Why would you suggest such a term? Look at our situation. We both need to conserve mana, but if we fight all out, who knows what might happen? What if emotions run high and one of us gets seriously injured or even dies? What then? We havent faced the princess yet. ... He would have scoffed at this before I had demonstrated lightning-walker steps, but having seen it, he was bound to think differently. Barter, who had been ring at me, nodded. I ept your proposal. BANG...! Barter drove his shield into the ground, then pressed his body against it as if to get behind cover. Wooooong. A hum resonated, signaling that several blessings had reinforced his sturdy physique. The Blessing of Iron Wall...! For ourmander to prepare to this extent... He fully activated the holy power of the shield. Now even a giants punch would be deflected with ease... ... Meanwhile, I also took a stance and concentrated. The chattering of the onlookers began to fade into the background. Ignition of body and mind. Thinking about nurturing a small me in my heart, I gathered all the heat in my body. Barter Goodspring. The prodigy of the Goodspring family,parable to Hero Bednicker. That was the caliber of opponent I faced, and I could sense that he was giving his all against me. In that case, it would be rude of me to attack half-assedly. I might not go all out, but Id give it my best. Crk-craack... I tightened my muscles, veins pumping hard as I forced the flow to elerate. My clenched fist was solid as reinforced steel, and I coated it with ayer of ki like a second skin. In the meantime, the temperature of my entire body rose to the perfect level. Haah... I let out a slow, heated breath, and faint steam blew from my mouth. I fixed my eyes on the shield that stood solid and on the man behind it. The technique I was about to unleash was the First Technique of the White Sun Form. But I nned toyer it with the principle of Internal Rupture that Second Senior Sister liked to use as well as my recent insights into fajin. If I could pull this off, that shield wouldn''t do a damn thing. Sssssss. I took a deep breath and immediately charged forward. As I used lightning-walker steps, I naturally felt a sudden jolt of electricity shoot through me from the soles of my feet. The unexpected surge of lightning ki coursed through my calves and thighs and to my fist, which it coiled around. Another fusion, huh. Thinking about how good this would be, I couldnt help but smirk. In my own unique interpretation, fire and lightning were very simr... And a metal shield stood no chance in the face of pure lightning ki. I could hear the blood rushing in my ears and feel the strong thuds of my heart against my ribcage. My tightly coiled body endured theplex currents of true ki flowing within. It was then, when my outstretched fist made contact with the shield... BAAAAANG! ... ... The silence was broken when someone muttered in disbelief, ...What...? Because nothing happened. The shield was intact, and Barter stood unscathed behind it. Just as I had intended. ... Barter said nothing. Still holding his shield upright, he stood there, frozen like a statue, his wide, fierce gaze fixed on me. Though he hadnt suffered internal injuries... I was sure he could feel the residual traces of my true ki that had pierced his body and lingered inside. The sensation of foreign energy invading his body without consent must be as repulsive as worms burrowing beneath his skin. At the same time, he should have realized. If I had truly intended to do so, that single strike would have torn him apart from the inside. Or maybe not. Was he really unaware? The maniption of intricate ki that utilized not just my thin pulses but every muscle in my body, the mastery of fajin Id learned from my battle with the demon legionmander, the essence of Internal Rupture often used by Second Senior Sister, the sudden fusion of lightning ki, and hidden within it all, a faint trace of restraint and consideration toward my opponent... That single strike contained too many meanings, so I couldnt help but wonder. How much had Barter actually felt and understood? Barter Goodspring. Tilting my head slightly, I asked a simple but ambiguous question: ...Do you understand? ... The Novel will be updated first on this website. 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