Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Reunion
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Eddie Piscol felt a sense of unease as he looked at Hector's profile.
Of course, Hector Bednicker was fundamentally a cold and imposing person, but...
he was also famous for being a man of strict etiquette and impeccable conduct, a model for other nobles.
The dignity and grace befitting a person of his station, not to mention his charisma and leadership—.
Eddie had judged such a man to be worthy of serving as his lord, and he never doubted that Hector would one day become the head of the Bednicker family.
But that was then.
Over the course of this training retreat, Hector had changed a little.
Whether it was a positive change remained to be seen, but one thing was clear.
Hector had definitely softened.
At first, he was taken aback by this fact, and it felt unfamiliar, but...
his close associates soon came to accept that this version of Hector wasn't so bad.
In fact, seeing the once-frigid Hector now possess a gentle side even gave them the impression that he had grown as a person.
However.
‘Even if they're half-brothers, blood is still blood, I suppose.’
In truth, when Hector first heard the news of Ruan's disappearance, he hadn't been greatly perturbed.
“He's the type who wouldn't die even if you killed him. I'm sure he's fine.”
But as one day, then two, then three passed without a trace of him...
when Ruan was finally declared missing and presumed dead, Hector's face—.
“O-Of course. P-Please follow me...!”
Hans finally said, his face stiff.
He was a fundamentally timid person, so it was unlikely he was lying, but...
Eddie considered another possibility as he followed behind.
Then he glanced back and asked.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
Seren nodded nonchalantly.
Though they had been in the same group for nearly a month, Eddie still found Seren Goodspring an awkward person to deal with.
As a scion of a prestigious family, it was natural for her to exude an understated elegance, but...
separate from that, it felt like she had a wall up, which made her difficult to approach.
“...”
Of course, that was Seren's intention.
Seren wanted to avoid forming deep relationships with the other Young Leaders here, and she acted accordingly.
So, ending up having various conversations with that peculiar fellow was definitely not part of her plan.
‘Was he the type to die like that?’
To be honest, she wasn't sure.
His speech and actions didn't give the impression of an ordinary person, but...
on the other hand, if asked whether he had shown an outstanding performance in the training retreat, that wasn't exactly true either.
Though the composure and judgment he'd shown in his fight with Hariba had been remarkable.
‘An unpredictable guy.’
But.
‘He didn't seem like someone who would die easily.’
That was her gut feeling.
In fact, there were a number of other things she didn't understand.
Why did nothing happen during the second test?
Could it be related to the Sword Master Teacher's sudden appearance, Instructor Juan's departure, and Ruan's death?
Probably.
The important thing was that Seren had no right to investigate or delve into the matter.
Her status as a mere Young Leader was one thing, but the "Goodspring" label was a nuisance.
‘I overdid it in the second test, and this is what I get.’
Seren had been certain a disaster would occur during the second test.
Because of that, she pushed herself a bit, even using the Goodspring name to command the other Young Leaders.
In the end, it was all for nothing.
The second special test, aside from being extended a few days for the search for Ruan, ended uneventfully.
Two Young Leaders died in the process, but they were both killed by monsters...
Consequently, the Young Leaders who had listened to Seren suffered a significant loss.
They had spent valuable points on food and water, much of which was left over, and they hadn't achieved enough to make up for the loss.
Seren was the group leader, but after that incident, her influence had greatly diminished.
Although no one openly gave her a hard time because of the Goodspring name.
That was why Seren's group had merged with Hector's for this final test.
*Rustle-.*
They walked through the grassy path with Hans in the lead.
Eddie approached Hector's side and whispered in a low tone.
“Something's suspicious. I think it's a trap. That idiot is just being used without knowing anything.”
“I'm sure it is.”
Hector nodded and said.
“We're going anyway. If we follow him, we should be able to meet Caron Woodjack.”
“...Understood.”
Hector was genuinely aiming for first place, and to do that, he had to defeat Caron in this test.
His tone was firm, so Eddie had no choice but to nod.
About half a day passed like that...
Hans, who had abruptly stopped walking, pointed to a dark cave.
“C-Caron is inside.”
“...”
One of Hector's group members, Palm, burst out laughing.
“Are you out of your mind? You want us to go in there?”
“W-Well...”
“This bastard must think we're fools...”
An irritated Eddie glared at Hans.
Seren, who was following behind, also looked at the cave with a slightly stiff expression.
Because they all knew where this cave was and who its owner was.
“Let's go.”
At Hector's command, the other Young Leaders turned around in bewilderment.
“But, Lord Hector...”
“I don't mind going alone.”
“...Hmph.”
If he was going that far, they had no choice.
The remaining group members exchanged glances, nodded, and then stepped toward the pitch-black cave.
The interior of the rather large cave was warmer and more spacious than expected.
With this much space, they at least wouldn't be surrounded.
“Palm, can you take the lead?”
“Yes, sir.”
Palm nodded and looked ahead.
*Fwaat-!*
The moment he activated the Blessing of the Raptor, Palm's pupils dilated.
Palm's eyes scanned every inch of the cave's interior.
“It doesn't seem like there are any traps for now.”
“What about Caron?”
“I can sense a presence at the end of the cave. Just one person, but I don't know if it's Caron.”
“Good work.”
The cave was large, but not very deep.
Not long after entering, they came upon a spacious area.
“Ugh...”
Palm pinched his nose.
A foul stench filled the air.
By now, even the delicately raised nobles knew what this smell was.
The smell of rotting corpses.
Piles of old flesh and white bones were stacked all around, and in the center of the space was a large rock.
“...”
Caron Woodjack was sitting there.
“The [Cave's Owner] seems to be out for a bit.”
A low, deep voice echoed through the cave.
“Probably went to get some food. From what I've gathered, it always returns around sunset, which means we have about two hours left.”
“So. I doubt you called us here to hunt it together.”
“Of course not.”
Hector looked around and asked.
“Are you alone?”
Caron chuckled and leaped off the rock.
*Poof!*
At that moment, a number of Young Leaders appeared at the entrance without a sound.
Palm frowned.
‘I'm sure there was no one there just a moment ago.’
“That's Shinba's [Blessing of Swift Steps]. Can only be used twice a day. As you can see, the ability is teleportation.”
Hector narrowed his eyes.
“What's your scheme?”
“Your group and mine are about equal in overall strength. Meaning we can't easily settle this.”
“So.”
“I decided to use the environment. As far as I can tell, none of you eight possess a mobility-related power—.”
“...”
“We can't kill you. But the [Cave's Owner] can.”
...Don't tell me this guy.
“From here on, it's a deal. Put down all the orbs you have and get lost. Then I'll let you go.”
Only then did Hector grasp the situation and twist his lips into a sneer.
“And if I refuse?”
“Then you'll have to fight us. Until the [Cave's Owner] arrives. And when it returns, we'll use the Blessing of Swift Steps to retreat immediately.”
“...Ha.”
He knew how strong the [Cave's Owner] was.
With his group's current strength, they couldn't win. It was doubtful whether that monster was even meant to be caught in the first place.
“Don't touch the other Young Leaders' orbs.”
“What?”
“Your target was only me from the start, wasn't it? Since I'm the only one who can catch up to your score.”
“...”
“Cut the crap and let's fight one-on-one. The winner takes all the orbs. If I lose, I'll concede without another word.”
“Why should I do that?”
Caron asked, tilting his head.
“You're weaker than me, but if we fight, I'll get quite tired. I don't want to waste energy on a pointless battle.”
“Have you no pride?”
“A hunter's pride can only be proven by the value of his prey. It's completely different from the hollow honor of you noble brats.”
“...”
“I'm actually curious, Hector Bednicker. Why are you so obsessed with first place? Because you're a Bednicker? Or was Ruan Bednicker's death that shocking?”
Caron continued in a curious tone.
“I don't get it. He was a half-wit, wasn't he? To not even die in a test, but to just wander off from camp in the middle of the night and go missing.”
“...You.”
“With his level of skill, he would have died in another test anyway. Isn't it actually a good thing you didn't have to see the body?”
Hector sneered.
“You talk too much. I guess you're not confident in a one-on-one fight.”
At those words, Zeros, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
“The young master of Bednicker is making an obvious provocation. As Caron said, we have no reason to take such a risk—.”
“Interesting.”
“Caron?”
Caron drew his dagger and said.
“Instead, I'll change the terms. You and I will have a captain's match. The losers' entire group will hand over all their orbs.”
Hector hesitated.
“That's...”
“Accept it, Lord Hector.”
Eddie said.
When Hector turned around, he saw the smiling faces of his group members.
“Let's show those bastards!”
“Show them how much stronger you've become through this training retreat, Lord Hector!”
“We believe in you, Lord Hector...!”
“You guys...”
Hector smiled back, then looked at Caron and said.
“Fine. I accept.”
“Come at me, brat. I'll show you that I'm on a different level from a greenhouse flower like you.”
As the two Young Leaders burned with fighting spirit, Seren thought to herself.
‘I don't remember agreeing to this.’
***
About an hour after entering the Butterfly Forest.
I was strolling along leisurely, as if on a walk, without anything special happening.
“The air is nice...”
Come to think of it, this seems to be the first time I've explored a healthy Butterfly Forest with such a relaxed mindset.
Untouched by demonic energy, the Butterfly Forest was beautiful.
It was dark due to the dense undergrowth, but the forest, packed with thick, tall, ancient trees, was nothing short of a magnificent spectacle.
If it weren't for the monsters, couldn't this place be developed as a tourist destination?
*Kuuuuoooooo-!*
If it weren't for the monsters, that is.
I saw three bear-like monsters charging toward me.
A grizzly bear, a white bear, and a brown bear.
Of course, just by looking at their abnormally developed fangs and claws, it was clear they were no ordinary beasts.
The white bear was the first to reach me. I dodged the paw it swung, and it crashed into a massive tree.
*Rumble...!*
The giant tree shuddered, shedding its leaves.
Even a knight with a shield would be crushed to death, armor and all, if they took a direct body blow from one of these things.
Moreover, for their size, their movements were surprisingly swift, and their tough hide and flesh seemed to make it difficult to aim for vital spots.
*Slice-.*
In other words, that was all there was to them.
I cut down the three bears in half a breath with the Seven Sins Sword.
A sword path inspired by the movements of the Iron-Blooded Duke just before my regression.
Naturally, no matter how vicious these monster bears were, they were much weaker than demons.
*Thud...!*
The three bears fell to the ground together, and their carcasses were soon enveloped in a haze of light.
Presently, only three orbs were left in their place.
“Oh...”
So this is how it works.
Is this magic, too?
What a fascinating field of study.
“Aww. They're blue.”
Was this worth 10 points, or 15?
In any case, it's meaningless to me if it's not 25 points, but... I might find another use for them.
I walked for a while, juggling the three blue orbs, and before long, I sensed another presence.
Monsters again.
“Hmm?”
But it wasn't just monsters.
Hearing what sounded like battle cries mixed in, it seemed there were Young Leaders as well.
Are they in a fight?
*Fwip!*
I tucked the orbs into my clothes and dashed off, quickly reaching the source of the presence.
Beneath a tree was a set of familiar faces.
Evan, Mir, and even Charles...
‘It's been a while.’
In reality, from my perspective, it felt like I'd seen them just yesterday, but for some reason, I also felt the joy of a long-awaited reunion.
Did a battle just end?
The three of them were panting, looking a bit ragged.
“...The three of us barely managed to kill it, and it's just a green orb?”
“Let's take it for now. We might find a use for it.”
“Got it!”
For some reason, their synchronized movements exuded a sense of experience.
As expected of the Bednicker training retreat.
As if to prove the name "Six Weeks of Despair" wasn't for nothing, these guys had become incomparably more skilled than when I last saw them.
“Ahem.”
At that point, I revealed my presence.
Caught off guard, they flinched and looked up at the tree I was in.
“Hey. Long time no see.”
“...”
“...”
Evan blinked his eyes and then said.
“Un.”
Un?
“It's an undead-type monster! Prepare for battle!”
The three of them surrounded me with synchronized movements.
These guys...
They've completely adapted to the Bednicker training retreat.