Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: The Final Piece
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Just as Ruan Bednicker had been waiting for today's spar for his own reasons.
So too had Hunting Instructor Tanko been inwardly looking forward to this time.
Perhaps even more so than Ruan.
Usually, in these spars, it was always Tanko who chose to attack first.
The moment he judged Ruan was ready, he would charge like a beast.
But not today.
‘……’
Tanko’s instincts were no less sharp than a wild animal's.
His highly developed senses picked up on a sense of unease without any logical verification, making him hesitate to charge.
Of course, since it was an inexplicable feeling, Tanko wasn't entirely certain.
Was it just his imagination?
*Thud.*
In that instant, Ruan’s form shot forward, closing the distance in a flash.
Parrying the incoming fist with his palm, Tanko readjusted his stance.
Ruan’s movements were clearly different from yesterday.
His power and speed had increased, but what caught Tanko’s attention was the complete absence of any wasted motion.
It was a straight punch so smooth it was worthy of admiration.
‘In that case.’
The look in Tanko’s eyes changed.
He decided to set aside the minor feelings of unease and his questions to focus on the opponent before him.
*Papapat!*
They exchanged a rapid flurry of blows at close range.
In the process, Tanko realized he was naturally using both arms but chose not to dwell on it.
For this moment, he even forgot that his opponent was a Young Lord he was supposed to be teaching.
Somehow, it reminded him of his time roaming the great eastern plains, proving himself as a great warrior.
And then, Tanko felt an absurd emotion welling up.
‘This is… tough.’
The close-quarters combat with his opponent was becoming taxing.
This was the range Tanko had mastered through dozens, even hundreds, of life-or-death battles—the distance he most preferred and was most confident in.
He had been sure he could take down anyone who entered this range, but not now.
He wanted to adjust the distance, to create a gap of two, maybe even three steps.
*Thwack!*
That sense of urgency led to his next attack.
Tanko’s roundhouse kick struck Ruan squarely in the chest.
“……!”
Or so he thought, but on a second look, it seemed Ruan had crossed his arms to block just before impact.
However, he hadn't absorbed the shock completely, and Ruan’s body was sent flying, feet lifting slightly off the ground.
The most astonishing moment of the spar happened next.
While still in mid-air, Ruan righted his posture and landed on a tree.
Not on a branch.
He landed on the side of the trunk—that is, he stood perfectly parallel to the ground for a fleeting moment. And just before his body was pulled downward by gravity.
*Crack!*
Ruan’s form shot toward Tanko like a bolt of lightning.
Tanko would later admit it.
He had completely lost track of Ruan’s movements in that instant.
*Crack!*
The moment his reflexively extended fist made contact, a tremendous sound erupted.
“Hah!?”
“Wh-what was that…?”
It was loud enough to draw the attention of the Young Lords who had been engrossed in their own spars.
Tanko didn't calm them.
He didn't have the luxury.
“……”
He briefly glanced down at his own hand.
An attack, by definition.
Is a deliberate motion to strike an opponent, made with a clear awareness of their presence.
Therefore, what Tanko had just done wasn't an attack.
It was more like he'd simply placed his fist in a set path, and Ruan had recklessly crashed into it.
‘Recklessly…’
Was that technique incomplete?
Did his lack of mastery mean he couldn't handle his own speed?
Or was it deliberate—
“I’ve lost.”
Ruan’s voice came from within the cloud of dust.
Tanko looked his way with a complicated expression before asking belatedly.
“…Are you alright?”
“Mm. I think so, but.”
Ruan stood up, his face showing no signs of serious injury, and said in a troubled tone.
“I think my arm is broken.”
* * *
What happens to those who get injured during the training retreat?
Naturally, they are not permitted to leave.
Unless they are on the verge of death, even losing a limb does not grant them permission to depart midway.
An injured Young Lord is taken to the infirmary in the instructors’ building… and as it happened, the instructor acting as the physician here was my target.
“It’s not broken.”
Junian said with an indifferent expression.
“Just a slight fracture in the ulna. That’s all.”
“Ah.”
“It’s not serious, so just rest here for today. Here, it should heal by tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after at the latest.”
“No potions?”
“This is why you young masters are a problem.”
Junian clicked his tongue and said.
“Do you have any idea how much a single potion costs? It’s a waste to use one on an injury like this.”
“What about healing with holy power?”
“Sorry, but I don’t have any talent in that area.”
Right.
He wouldn't be an Inquisitor for no reason.
His talents were likely focused on combat.
I nodded and looked around.
There were four beds in the infirmary.
“Where’s Hans?”
“Hans? Ah. The kid who was brought in the day before yesterday. He got much better, so I sent him back to his quarters.”
“I see.”
That meant no interruptions.
“Well, I’ll be going now. Take your medicine and get a good night’s sleep.”
“Instructor, you’re an Inquisitor from the Sun Church, right?”
Junian, who was about to leave, glanced at me and asked.
“I am, but why the sudden question?”
“I heard that the followers of Aton are particularly sensitive to evil energy.”
“That’s a rumor.”
A rumor?
As I blinked, Junian continued.
“When the cultists are up to something shady, you can feel a certain presence. To become an Inquisitor, you have to learn how to sniff that out first. Well… someone with a lot of experience fighting evil would naturally be better at sensing it than a layman.”
I see.
“Then have you, by any chance, sensed that presence during this training retreat?”
The moment Junian turned to look at me, I knew my guess was correct.
His eyes were filled with suspicion, but it wasn't the look one gives to someone spouting utter nonsense.
As I thought, Junian at this time was also sensing that something was off.
‘In that case…’
There was no need to say too much here.
My role was to give him a small push of certainty.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’ll be direct. A cultist has infiltrated this training retreat.”
“……”
Junian blinked his eyes, then.
“…Haha.”
He let out a low laugh.
Of course, the laughter didn't last long.
“…Listen carefully, kid. I may be an active clergyman and an Inquisitor, but I am also a Grand Master Teacher. A man of the Bednicker family.”
“……”
“Be grateful you share the Bednicker blood. Otherwise, I would have made you pay for that insult.”
Undeterred by the chilling threat from an active Inquisitor, I spoke.
“The High Priest may be planning to conduct a Demon King summoning ritual here—”
“Hey.”
Junian cut me off.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“……”
“Watch your mouth. A brat who’d tremble before a low-level demon, let alone the High Priest, is talking about a Demon King summoning ritual?”
“I understand why you can't readily believe me. But I, too, am here under orders to infiltrate this retreat.”
“What an absurd lie. You’re telling me they kept it from me, a Grand Master Teacher, and shared this information only with you, the incompetent of the Bednicker family?”
“……”
Honestly, that was something I wondered about as well.
He could have kept it from others, but shouldn't he have told Junian about the operation?
Not because he was a Grand Master Teacher, but because he was affiliated with the Sun Church.
The probability of Junian being a follower of the Dark Cult was nil.
‘Was he concerned about appearances?’
This was just my guess, but.
Perhaps not only the Iron-Blooded Duke but the family as a whole didn't hold the position of Grand Master Teacher in such high regard.
“You should know the reason, shouldn’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Family Head has a famous saying, does he not?”
“……”
Junian remained silent, but he must have realized what I was about to say.
—Potential lies dormant in the blood.
The fact that the Iron-Blooded Duke would assign dangerous tasks even to his own children had been proven by Ludwig's case.
So now, I was acting, repeating the words to myself.
I was here on a special mission from the Iron-Blooded Duke, having infiltrated this training retreat.
“Enough with the verbal proof. Give me something more concrete.”
“Shall I? There was a knight instructor, a man whose skill was impossible to gauge, right? A man far too strong to be a common knight.”
“……”
“He is the one who infiltrated this retreat with me for this mission.”
After using my father’s name, I then used his brother’s—Luke’s.
Junian fell silent.
Of course, he would.
Before my return, it was Junian himself who had said those words.
“I understand you can’t accept it. A cultist, let alone a High Priest and a Demon King summoning ritual, on Bednicker land. However, you must be aware that I was attacked by the cult on my way to the main estate, aren't you?”
“……”
“I will say this much for certain. The Bednicker domain is no longer a safe zone.”
The Dark Cult is changing.
Considering their position on the continent and the power of their forces, one could say the times are changing.
I wasn't saying this lightly.
The incident at the Jewel Mountains, Hariba’s affair, and the tragedy at this training retreat…
As someone connected to all three events, I could declare it with certainty.
“Of course, nothing is certain right now. That’s why I need your help, Instructor. So if you’re not convinced, just treat me like a madman. You can even report me to the main family if you wish.”
That last part was a bluff, but.
“……”
Junian fell silent.
His expression remained impassive, but I could tell he was conflicted.
And I knew what conclusion he would reach.
“…If this is a lie, I swear on Aton’s name, I will not let this go.”
Invoking a god’s name meant he was serious.
Despite his appearance, Junian seemed to be a rather devout believer.
Which was why I smiled and replied.
“Excellent.”
“So? What do you want from me?”
“It’s nothing grand. For now—”
I proceeded to give Junian a brief overview of the operation.
* * *
I had secured the cooperation of Junian, a Doctrine Instructor, an Inquisitor, and an instructor at this retreat.
With this, my chances of success had risen by twenty percent.
Adding Luke to the mix would give us a fighting chance against the High Priest, but…
I still felt it wasn't enough.
The High Priest had a final gambit.
A self-destruct move where he would sacrifice himself to summon the Demon King.
In technical terms, it was a technique of mutual destruction, and to prevent that catastrophe for certain, I needed one more person.
Of course, there were conditions to be met for that.
Someone as strong as Luke or Junian.
And an individual I could trust unconditionally.
Only two conditions, but they weren't easy to fulfill.
The first condition eliminated all the Young Lords. Even the strongest, Karon, couldn't be considered on the level of an instructor.
In Seren's case, her single-strike destructive power might surpass an instructor's, but it came at the risk of her own life, so that was a pass…
There might be someone suitable among the other instructors, but.
‘I doubt it.’
I had seen several instructors siding with Juan during the retreat.
Not all of them were necessarily the High Priest’s minions, but I couldn't rule out the possibility that they had been manipulated through means like brainwashing.
‘However…’
I let out a small smile.
In truth, I had already decided who the final person would be.
A warrior at least on par with Luke or Junian, and in some ways, a man more trustworthy than either of them.
If I could secure his cooperation, the chances of success would rise to over ninety percent.
The problem was, that man wasn't currently at this training camp…
‘It can't be helped.’
I looked at the ring on my finger.
The black ring I received from the Iron-Blooded Duke.
*Vwoom—.*
As I infused it with mana, it responded immediately.
And just like before, I found myself transported to a certain room.
The only difference was that it was a bit darker than the last time I was here.
“…What is it. You.”
A low, gravelly voice spoke.
Where the presence came from, I saw a disheveled-looking Asad.
He seemed to have been sleeping on the sofa, and judging by the book that had fallen to the floor, he might have been using it as an eye mask…
For now, this was a relief.
If the ring had functioned as intended and connected me to my father, the conversation would have dragged on.
The one who could directly solve my current problem was this great magician.
“Hello.”
“…Ruan Bednicker.”
Asad yawned and said.
“You should be in the middle of your training retreat.”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor? Of me?”
“Yes.”
“I need to briefly step outside the training retreat's territory. Could you please disable the barrier?”
Asad rubbed his eyes as he replied.
“What for?”
“There’s someone I need to meet.”
Information that the pre-regression Asad had shared with me.
Another insurance policy he had prepared, aside from Luke Bednicker.
—Sword Master Teacher Kaljak.
That man was the final piece of my plan.