Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Spear and Shield (5)
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And I had only just begun again.
I had plenty of opportunities to correct past mistakes.
So, from the very beginning, the Trial of Baegya was never a true trial for me.
…….
The wave of emotions that had been crashing over me abruptly ceased.
*Pop.*
The collapsed fortress and the corpses scattered like a mirage.
I was once again standing alone in the middle of the empty training ground.
“Is it over?”
It seemed I had passed the Trial of Baegya.
I examined Baegya with the blessing of 「Pathological Curiosity」.
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*You have passed the Trial of Baegya and earned the qualification.
*You can now use a portion of the sword's dormant abilities.
*Protects the owner from cold.
*Can freeze things that touch the blade.
*The efficiency of the freezing effect varies greatly depending on the user's ability.
*Currently, it is only capable of forming a thin layer of ice on water in a bucket.
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“Oh!”
There were new entries I hadn't seen before.
Freezing, huh.
“A petty curse and a trial. The ability is petty too.”
For a treasured sword chosen after casting aside exceptional blades like Hwaryeong and Changrin, its function was quite stingy.
But it was too soon to be disappointed.
Since the freezing efficiency would grow with the user's abilities, who knew if it might one day become a divine sword that could freeze anything on contact?
I continued to check the information provided by the blessing of 「Pathological Curiosity」.
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*Bestows the 'Trial of Baegya' upon the unqualified. (1/3)
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I had seen this line before, but the number written after it was new.
I understood it at a glance.
It seemed the trials bestowed by Baegya wouldn't end with just one.
I had merely passed one of them.
It looked like Baegya would only become truly useful after I passed the two remaining trials.
“Please. Don't make me regret this.”
I hoped that the sword's true nature, which would finally be revealed after overcoming the trials, would be enough to make me forget any lingering attachment to the other two treasured swords I had given up.
But that wasn't an immediate concern.
There was something more important right now.
“Hoo.”
I held the sword and took my stance.
Thanks to the elixir Professor Yuria had forced me to take, my body was overflowing with energy.
I couldn't bear it unless I swung my sword.
As always, I started with a downward slash.
I raised Baegya high and brought it straight down.
*Swoosh.*
“Oh.”
I let out a sound of admiration.
The wind from the blade was unusually cold.
I reached out and felt the empty air.
A chill lingered where Baegya had passed.
“Ah.”
But the chill quickly dissipated.
I adjusted my grip on the sword.
This time, I swung the sword from left to right.
A wind as cold as the north wind rose again.
It was strangely fun.
I felt as if I were a knight who had received a blessing.
“Hup! Hup!”
Excited, I continued to swing the sword.
Each time, a cold wind blew around me.
“That damn human. No wonder he never broke a sweat.”
Come to think of it, I had rarely seen the Roman of my past life sweat.
Even in the sweltering south, in the suffocating heat, Roman was always fresh and dry.
At the time, I just thought it was because Roman's status was so high.
But that wasn't it.
It was thanks to Baegya.
“It keeps getting cooler. It’s constantly cool.”
I could feel the air around me growing colder the more I swung the sword.
The sweat that would have normally drenched my entire body by now was just a few drops trickling down my forehead.
Even that soon cooled and dried in the wind from Baegya's swings.
Thanks to that, I could swing the sword for much longer.
“This is nice.”
I smiled in satisfaction.
At this moment, I didn't feel the slightest regret for the two treasured swords I had given up for Baegya.
It wasn't just a matter of convenience.
This was a matter directly related to survival and combat effectiveness.
Armor was certainly an excellent tool for protecting the body, but it also came with many inconveniences.
The weight was one thing, but the heat was an even bigger problem.
Wearing thick leather or cloth to prevent chafing and then donning iron armor over it was an excruciating experience, regardless of the season.
Add a helmet to that, and then try to rampage around with a heavy shield and sword, and the inside of the armor would inevitably turn into a steam bath.
How could anyone be expected to display their full skill while fighting and enduring such heat?
Of course, being able to endure even those conditions and draw out one's best performance was also a skill.
The only ones who could fully display their skills while wearing thick, heavy armor were knights blessed by the stars, or rich bastards who owned masterfully crafted pieces that offered good ventilation without sacrificing defense.
And unfortunately, I didn't belong to either group.
But that was all in the past now.
Because I had Baegya.
In fact, despite training more intensely than usual, my body felt fine.
And that was the problem.
I had trained to burn off some energy because I was getting restless just staying in my room, but I hadn't tired myself out as much as I'd thought.
“Ah. I'm bored.”
Just as expected, not long after returning to my room, I started to feel restless again.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] You can't stay still for a moment, just like a little puppy.
[The Curious Sloth] Hahaha~ So true~~~
As I paced around the room, the stars from the fringe constellations spoke to me.
[The Elegant Left-Hander] More importantly, you. You've overcome the Trial of Baegya.
[The Curious Sloth] Huh? You really did! When did that happen~~? Congratulations~~~
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Even so, you haven't been fully acknowledged as its master.
[The Curious Sloth] That's still something~~! You know how picky the swords made by 'The Masked Cripple' are~~~
The stars of the constellations had immediately noticed that I had overcome Baegya's first trial.
[The Elegant Left-Hander] It's better that you haven't been fully acknowledged as its master for now.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Ah. Is it because of that?
[The Curious Sloth] That's right~~ If you're suddenly acknowledged as the master without the power to protect it, 'that thing' will become aware of Lord Manjong~~~
I wondered what this was all about.
[The Emperor Who Abandoned His Country] Baegya has a paired weapon.
[The Elegant Left-Hander] If they meet, one of them is bound to break. Isn't it a bit of a stretch to call them a pair?
[The Curious Sloth] Isn't it an even more fitting expression~~? Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, you know~~~
They say there is a natural enemy that cannot coexist with Baegya under the same sky.
[The Elegant Left-Hander] The two have never found masters in the same era, so nothing of note has ever happened. But it looks like something is about to happen this time.
[The Curious Sloth] Hahaha~~ 'Something of note' he says~~ We're stars~~~ and he says 'something of note'~~~~
[The Elegant Left-Hander] ......Anyway, that half-wit is petty as hell. To think he'd create something to destroy a gift he gave to a lover he broke up with, just because he couldn't stand to see it exist.
[The Curious Sloth] Don't ignore me~~~ I know you and His Majesty are holding back your laughter~~~
Filtering out the uninteresting love life of some star and the Curious Sloth's unfunny jokes, the gist of it was this.
The being who created Baegya also created something else to break it, and that something exists somewhere in this world.
The moment I am fully acknowledged by Baegya, that something will come for me.
I asked what it was and where to find it, but the stars wouldn't tell me that much.
They only told me its name.
[The Elegant Left-Hander] Geugya (Polar Night).
The day that drove out the night.
The night that drove out the day.
Their very names were polar opposites.
“Geugya, Geugya…”
I searched through the memories of my past life.
But no matter how hard I thought, I had never heard the name Geugya.
In the end, I gave up and simply engraved the name Geugya in my mind.
“Ah. I'm bored.”
The stars, who had been chattering nonstop, had fallen silent, and I was once again seized by boredom.
“You look better than I thought. You should be able to attend classes tomorrow.”
Remembering Professor Yuria's words to visit her in the morning if I had time, I went to the infirmary.
“I've seen that you're fine, so you can go now. I'm a bit busy today.”
She was the one who told me to come.
Professor Yuria quickly shooed me away, saying something had suddenly come up.
Even after visiting the infirmary, there was still a lot of time left.
I wandered aimlessly around the Satellite City before returning to the dormitory.
“Hah. The guy who skipped class because he was 'unwell' has been gallivanting all over the place. I've been waiting for a while.”
The Vice Director was waiting for me.
“…?”
The Vice Director's gaze scanned me up and down, then lingered on my head for a moment.
I frowned at his strangely unsettling gaze.
“Fortunately, it seems nothing happened.”
But the Vice Director paid no mind to the small change that had occurred to my hair.
Seeing him sigh in relief, it was clear he already knew about Baegya's nasty temperament.
“More importantly, why were you looking for me?”
He hadn't done anything wrong, but I felt irritable for no reason and asked his business sullenly.
“It's about the condition you set before.”
“A condition? What condition?”
“The price for the Myeongbu. What else could it be.”
“Ah…”
Only then did I remember the deal I'd made with the Myeongbu as a condition.
‘Let me tour the inside of the Satellite City.’
‘Like, say, the heart of the Satellite City?’
In exchange for the Myeongbu, I had demanded that the Vice Director let me see the core of the Satellite City.
“…Don't tell me you forgot?”
The Vice Director's face twisted.
He seemed furious at my attitude—making a fuss and setting conditions, only to forget and ask about it again.
For me, who had been preoccupied with curses, trials, and Baegya, the situation felt a bit unfair.
But that wasn't an excuse.
This was related to nothing less than the fall of the Satellite City.
On a small scale, it was a matter concerning the lives of a hundred cadets, a hundred professors, and countless others.
On a large scale, it was a matter that could change the future of the empire.
“Can I see the heart of the Satellite City right now?”
The Vice Director shook his head.
“If I openly grant such a privilege to a cadet with a low security clearance, it's bound to cause talk.”
“Then…?”
“Come to the Director's office this evening, after the sun has completely set.”
Without being seen by others.
As stealthily as possible.
The Vice Director, who had repeatedly emphasized secrecy, held out a small bundle.
Inside the bundle was a black cloak.
It seemed he wanted me to wear this and use the cover of darkness to come find him as secretly as possible.
“See you later, then.”
After the Vice Director left, I returned to my room and waited for the sun to set.
The night deepened.
A time when even the most diligent cadets had finished their personal training and gone to sleep.
“I'll be back.”
Yom yom.
I gave a short farewell to the Mandragora seedling and left the room.
The hallway was dark.
The dormitory lights, which always cast a soft glow regardless of the time, were off today.
It seemed the Vice Director had taken measures.
*Fwoosh.*
Pulling the cloak down low, I muffled my footsteps and slipped out of the dormitory.
And I made my way to the Director's office, choosing the darkest paths.
“You've come.”
When I arrived at the Director's office, the Vice Director was nowhere to be seen; someone completely unexpected was waiting for me.