Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Entry into the Martial World
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The situation was quickly brought under control.
By the time Hector, who had been unconscious, came to, the Bednicker knights had arrived.
“…What in the world.”
The man at the very front was a familiar face.
He was the vice-commander of the Iron-Blooded Knights, wasn't he?
A talent who might soon become the commander himself.
Hector pulled him aside and explained the situation.
“The High Priest, the Young Lord, and the descent of the Demon King… Young Master, are you serious?”
“I am merely relaying what I saw and heard.”
“Hah… For such a thing to happen in Bednicker territory…”
The vice-commander seemed to find it hard to believe, but since the report came from Hector, he appeared to accept it for the time being.
Could that attitude be an act?
It didn't seem like it.
This meant Bednicker's disgusting plan was a top-secret affair, hidden even from the vice-commander of their own knights.
“This might hurt a little.”
A knight was assigned to me as well. As he staunched the bleeding from my severed arm, he asked.
“Do you happen to know where the severed arm is?”
“Why? You gonna reattach it?”
After saying it, I wondered if I shouldn't have spoken so informally, but this guy seemed unusually young compared to the other knights, so I figured it was probably fine.
He was my age at most.
“I’ll have to see its condition, but yes, that’s the plan.”
“If it’s not around here, a demon probably ate it.”
“…I see. My condolences.”
Just then, Hector’s voice cut through.
“Have you seen any of the other young lords?”
The vice-commander replied with a heavy expression.
“Those we’ve secured are at the training camp, but not many are unscathed.”
“…I see.”
“Please follow me.”
We followed the vice-commander back to the camp.
The camp, which took a mere ten minutes to reach, resembled a battlefield moments after a war had ended.
“It hurts… Ugh, aaargh…”
“G-Gilbert…? You’re joking, right?”
“We’re running low on potions! Does anyone have any?”
“…”
The area where the instructors’ quarters had been was now filled with the injured, and knights and servants were rushing about frantically.
In contrast, the area with the young lords’ quarters was relatively quiet; it seemed most of the bodies had been laid to rest there.
Then, among the injured, I spotted a familiar face.
“Charle.”
“…Ah.”
Charle, who had been staring blankly into space, looked at me.
“What happened?”
“…Well, you see.”
Her voice was terribly cracked.
This was the first time I had ever seen Charle like this.
Feeling an inexplicable sense of dread, I looked around.
Basil was there, of course, as were Edi, Shinba, and Zeros, who must have joined later.
Thankfully, none of them seemed to have any major injuries, but…
One face was missing.
“Where’s Mir?”
Even if he was a tiny little guy, his bright blue hair made him stand out from a distance.
Against the backdrop of this gloomy forest, he should have been easy to find.
“…Mir protected us.”
Charle said, her face still vacant.
And I realized her gaze had been fixed on one spot the entire time.
Only then did I find Mir.
In the place where the bodies were laid, there was one corpse that was particularly small, even among the young lords.
“He said… protecting the weak is what a hero does… He took my place…”
“…”
In that moment, the last words I had said to Mir flashed through my mind.
- You protect those guys.
- Protecting the weak is what a hero does, right?
I had said it as a joke to ease Mir’s tension, but it seemed it hadn't been a joke to him.
Mir had fought to uphold the words I had carelessly spouted.
He fought with every fiber of his being, literally.
“…I’m no hero.”
A wetness crept into Charle’s voice, but I couldn't say a word.
* * *
When I came to my senses, I was enveloped in a soft, plush feeling.
Thanks to that, I knew I was on a bed even before opening my eyes.
‘…Did I pass out?’
Given my condition, it wasn't surprising.
“Ugh…”
Even sitting up was difficult.
It wasn’t just because of the side effects of White Sun Eclipse.
“You’re awake.”
A welcome voice came from my side.
It was Keian.
“…How long was I out?”
“Today is the fourth day.”
“Damn, I slept for a while.”
“How is your body…”
Are you alright? He was probably about to ask something like that.
Keian couldn't finish his sentence and closed his mouth, his gaze fixed on my empty right sleeve.
“…The family is searching for a high-ranking cleric. The Council of Elders is also actively pursuing the matter, so you can expect good results.”
“I see.”
I replied nonchalantly and got up from the bed.
My whole body screamed in protest, but I wanted to move.
“Allow me to assist you.”
“No. I’m fine.”
I refused Keian’s attempt to support me and moved on my own.
A little light stretching would be good for rehabilitation.
Keian, who had been watching me quietly, spoke.
“There was a summons from the Council of Elders.”
“What do those old geezers want now?”
“I’m not sure. However, if you are still having difficulty moving, you should rest more. I will handle it.”
I shook my head.
“It’s fine. When did they want to see me?”
“They asked to be notified as soon as you awoke.”
“Then tell them I’m up. I’d like to get something to eat in the meantime…”
“I will have it prepared at once.”
Keian left, and a moment later, a maid brought a well-stewed soup.
Strangely, I couldn't taste it very well, but I ate a few bowls to fill my stomach.
As I finished my meal, Keian returned.
“There is a guest who wishes to meet you, Young Master. In fact, he has been staying at the main estate for two days now…”
“Who is it?”
“Lord Doz Helvin.”
“…”
I knew that was the name of Evan’s father.
Keian spoke again.
“If you find it uncomfortable to meet him-”
“No. Where is he?”
“In the first-floor reception room.”
“Let’s go.”
I headed to the reception room with Keian.
My damn body… even walking wasn't easy, so I eventually had to accept Keian’s support halfway there.
“Ah…!”
When I opened the door to the reception room, I saw a middle-aged man with a haggard face.
I had heard he was once a knight, but it seemed he hadn't trained separately since retiring from active duty.
He wasn't fat, but there was flab here and there on his body.
“My name is Doz Helvin. Are you Young Master Ruan?”
“I am.”
“I-I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Doz Helvin-”
“You just said that.”
My own condition was bad enough, but this man didn't look well either.
He looked like he hadn't slept a wink in days.
And though I knew full well why Doz looked this way and why he had come to see me, I shamelessly asked.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
“W-well… I heard you were in the same group as my son at the training camp.”
“…”
“Have you by any chance seen Evan?”
Immediately after the Demon King vanished, Evan Helvin disappeared without a trace.
Was Evan dead?
Or was he reborn as the Young Lord of the cult?
There was no way to know right now.
“I’m not sure.”
“I-I see…”
He hesitated for a moment, then, with a look of resolve, he asked me.
“Evan’s body was not found. He is still considered missing…”
“…”
“I’ve heard that Bednicker’s Butterfly Forest is larger than most territories, so I was thinking he might be hiding somewhere…”
Doz looked at me with desperate eyes.
“Could you perhaps lend me your strength, Young Master…? As you know, the forest is a place where outsiders like myself cannot set foot, so a search would absolutely require the Bednicker family’s help-”
Keian cleared his throat, making his presence known.
Doz, who had been speaking in a torrent, flinched and lowered his head.
“M-my apologies.”
“It’s alright. I’ll bring it up with the family.”
“R-really?”
“But don’t get your hopes up.”
“Of course! Thank you…”
Doz bowed his head repeatedly.
If not for the difference in our stations, he looked ready to grasp my hand.
After the brief meeting with Doz, I headed straight to the place where the Council of Elders was.
On the way, I asked Keian.
“Have you heard anything about Evan?”
“I have.”
Keian nodded, then asked.
“Did something happen to Young Lord Evan?”
Hector had told the vice-commander about the Young Lord of the cult.
But it seemed he hadn't revealed his identity.
In that case, very few people in the Bednicker family must know Evan’s true identity.
“Who knows… Anyway, where are we going now?”
“To another reception room.”
“Didn’t you say we were going to meet the Council of Elders?”
“Yes. They are there now.”
That was unexpected.
I was sure they’d be lording it over in the Judgment Hall.
“An esteemed guest has arrived.”
“An esteemed guest?”
Keian looked at me and said.
“It’s the Goodsprings.”
* * *
Goodspring.
A great family whose influence rivaled that of the Bednickers.
However, their relationship with the Bednickers was, of course, not good.
To be more precise… the Goodsprings kept the Bednickers in check to an excessive degree.
The Bednickers, perhaps due to the Family Head’s direction, focused most of their animosity towards the Dark Cult.
The Goodsprings were different.
In their prime, their influence extended even to the imperial family.
As a family that valued power above all else, they saw the Bednickers, who had grown explosively in just a few decades, as a thorn in their side.
“Who from the Goodsprings?”
“Sandria Goodspring.”
I’d never heard the name before.
As if sensing my thoughts, Keian explained.
“She is a current elder of the Goodspring family, and was once one of the most powerful spirit users in the empire.”
Why would a figure of that stature come to the Bednicker estate?
And why was I summoned?
Suppressing my questions, I opened the door to the reception room.
This time, of course, Keian did not follow.
“You’ve come, Ruan Bednicker.”
“…”
The room was ten times larger than the one where I had just met Doz.
But surprisingly, there weren't many people.
Just three.
First, Agenor Bednicker.
Chairman of the Council of Elders and the de facto leader of the family when the Iron-Blooded Duke was away.
Next to him was Asad, with his usual seaweed-like hair hanging down.
Today, his face looked not just languid, but utterly exhausted.
He gave me a slight wave when he saw me, and I bowed my head in return.
And the last person…
A middle-aged woman with hair that was a mix of white and blonde.
‘So this is Sandria Goodspring.’
I understood once again why Seren had felt so lonely in her family.
Their impressions were so different, it was hard to believe they were of the same blood.
Sandria’s own impression was warm and friendly, like a bakery auntie, but I also felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
I bowed my head slightly and took a seat.
Agenor looked at Sandria and opened his mouth.
“Now that the person in question has arrived, let us begin in earnest.”
“Very well.”
Sandria began with a faint smile.
“A young lady of our house who participated in your family’s event has died. I will be direct. How do you intend to compensate for this?”
“Let’s skip the tedious posturing, Elder. We have a waiver signed by Seren Goodspring herself. It states that no matter what external injuries she sustains during the training, even death, the Bednicker family will not be held responsible.”
Agenor said with a blank expression.
“The only reason you were invited here despite that is to avoid a troublesome disturbance.”
“A troublesome disturbance, you say?”
“Don’t play coy. We are already aware that the Goodsprings have had certain meetings with the families of the young lords who participated in the training.”
“…”
“No matter how binding the waiver is, if multiple families rally behind a central figure like the Goodsprings, it will become quite tiresome for us as well. The enemies of Bednicker are only the demons and their followers; we have no desire to waste our energy on pointless matters.”
Sandria let out a small laugh.
Somehow, the laugh felt mocking.
“As expected of the Bednickers. Such a grand sense of duty you still have. But Chairman Agenor, let us be clear on one thing.”
“And what is that?”
“That signature was for the Bednicker training exercise. My house’s young lady, on the other hand, died after being caught up in a Demon King summoning ritual. Do you see those two deaths as the same?”
“…”
“Furthermore, to have failed to notice a High Priest infiltrating your grounds, and to have been unable to prevent the summoning ritual… frankly, it raises some questions.”
“What questions?”
“Whether the Bednickers truly were unaware of the plan.”
At that, Agenor’s expression hardened.
“Choose your words carefully, Elder. Are you suggesting that we Bednickers colluded with the cult?”
“Of course not. However, a family like yours, which prioritizes hunting demons above all else, might have learned of such a plan in advance and tacitly allowed it. In order to kill the High Priest.”
“…”
“And it is also curious that, regardless of how it happened, only a scion of the Bednicker family survived.”
At those words, Agenor pointed at me and said.
“Ruan Bednicker nearly died. You saw it yourself, so you should know.”
Sandria’s gaze shifted to my empty right sleeve.
Only then did I realize why Agenor had summoned me here, and I nearly burst out laughing.
Sandria spoke, her face looking a bit deflated.
“…Well, very well. We shall let this matter go for now. And since the Chairman seems to loathe pointless posturing, I will get to the main point.”
“Speak.”
“What the Goodsprings want is one thing. A one-year suspension of Hero activities for all Bednicker members belonging to [Heross].”
For the first time, Agenor’s eyebrow twitched.
“…Are you in your right mind?”
“Of course. I am always in my right mind.”
Just as Agenor was about to open his mouth again.
“Let’s accept it.”
Asad spoke for the first time.
“However, instead of suspending our activities, we will simply omit the performance reports.”
“By that you mean…”
“The Bednickers can’t just stop hunting the cult, can we? Since the Goodsprings’ goal is to lower Bednicker’s achievement rate, I assume that won’t be a problem?”
Generally, the power rankings of the great families were determined by their achievement rates in Heross.
Thanks to the Iron-Blooded Duke’s exploits, the Bednickers had held the top spot for a very long time, but…
A one-year gap could allow not only the Goodsprings but other families to catch up.
Such a setback would mean the gap in influence between the great families would shrink.
And that was surely what the Goodsprings desired.
As expected, Sandria smiled with satisfaction and said.
“Since the Archmage himself has spoken, I suppose I have no choice but to concede.”
And the moment I saw that, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
All eyes in the room turned to me, and Sandria asked.
“What is so amusing to the young master of Bednicker?”
“Who knows… More importantly, if you don’t mind my asking, I’d like to ask the Elder of Goodspring one thing.”
“Go on.”
“What was your relationship with Seren?”
Sandria blinked, then said.
“Within the family, I was the child’s godmother. Personally, I was her great-aunt.”
I looked at the self-proclaimed great-aunt and asked.
“And yet you don’t even ask how Seren died. I thought that was why you called me here.”
I knew this wasn't my place to speak.
But listening to their conversation was driving me mad.
I rose from my seat.
“It seems you have no further business with me, so I’ll be taking my leave.”
Bowing would have been the proper thing to do, but I had no desire to show these disgusting old relics any courtesy, so I walked straight out of the room.
As I walked down the corridor, someone blocked my path before I got far.
“You’ve got quite a temper.”
“…”
It was Asad.
I had just seen him inside the room, but I wasn't particularly surprised and replied.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“Not really.”
“Then I’ll be going. My body feels like shit.”
“And you? Do you have anything you want to say to me?”
Not really.
So I thought, but a question suddenly popped into my head.
“Where is the Family Head now?”
“He’s not at the main estate.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke’s whereabouts were top secret, but I had a feeling Asad would have a relatively good grasp of them.
His words were probably true.
I gave a slight nod and headed for my room, but a voice drifted from behind me as if in passing.
“Anyway, it’s a relief you survived, Ruan.”
“…”
The moment I heard those words, I stopped in my tracks and stood there, frozen.
‘…A relief I survived?’
A numbing shock, as if I’d been struck on the back of the head, coursed through my entire body.
* * *
I returned to my room.
And even though there was a bed, I deliberately lay down on the floor, staring up at the ceiling adorned with a cumbersome chandelier.
- Anyway, it’s a relief you survived.
He was right.
I survived.
My master had foreseen my death, but I ended up surviving, creating a different outcome.
So, did I succeed?
Not at all.
I finally understood my state.
I was on the verge of going insane.
The Bednickers, who condoned the deaths of dozens to kill the High Priest.
The Goodsprings, who sought only profit even after a child they considered a daughter had died.
The face of Doz Helvin, desperate for his son’s survival, and the profile of Charle Rubieta as she gazed upon Mir’s corpse.
The image of Seren, left alone in the winter forest, flashed through my mind in sequence.
I survived?
That’s not it.
This was just prolonging my life.
It wasn't a life I had seized with my own hands, but a pathetic state where I was just barely breathing.
At least, as I was now, I couldn't say I was living as a martial artist.
“…For this.”
The patheticness of my own self made my blood boil.
I returned to the past, acted all high and mighty as if I were different, as if I understood and could control every situation.
And this was the result.
A result so pathetic I wanted to beat myself up.
But…
Conversely, if I had done my absolute best, would anything have changed?
I’m not making excuses.
At least during this training camp, I hadn't been careless.
I had remained tense and did my best to face the training.
Even so, the wall of the High Priest and the Demon King was high.
They weren't opponents that a fifteen-year-old Ruan Bednicker could defeat with just a few months of training.
I doubt I could have changed anything even if given the same chance again.
It was enough to make me laugh sardonically.
It might be a presumptuous thought, but I even began to doubt my master’s intentions.
If the future my master originally saw was my death, was this result what he had hoped for?
This pathetic outcome?
Dozens of young lords died, but I lived and the High Priest was dead, so that was that.
Did the World's Greatest, Baek Rogwang, really think that way?
‘Dammit…’
I met Baek Rogwang again in my memories.
My master gave me a faint smile.
It was a smile that seemed somehow satisfied.
‘What are you so satisfied about?’
I asked, dumbfounded, and the master in my memory grinned and spoke.
- Have you realized that your best is not enough?
…Yes.
- Has a desire you must achieve, a burning passion, been born within you?
Yes, it has.
I answered inwardly, and at the same time, I looked at the master in my memory with bewilderment.
In my memory… or is it?
- If so, my youngest.
- You have today taken your first step into the martial world.
Then, an unexpected voice followed.
[Condition has been met.]
“What?”
It was a voice I had heard somewhere before.
It was definitely from the world beyond the mirror during the Blessing Ceremony—
[The Blessing of the Spirit Mountain is activating.]
…And the view before my eyes inverted.
The surrounding scenery melted like a watercolor painting, and a dazzling light filled my vision.
I blinked my eyes.
It took a little time to get used to the light.
“…Ah.”
Before my vision became clear, a familiar air first touched my lungs.
Then, my slowly focusing vision took shape, creating a familiar place.
A mysterious place surrounded by mist.
The peak of a rugged, rocky mountain where not a single blade of grass could be found.
I could see someone standing in the shabby dwelling there.
“…Master?”
Had Baek Rogwang summoned me again?
Just as I cautiously opened my mouth.
[Is that you, youngest?]
A unique voice was heard.
It was a familiar voice, too.
“…Fourth Martial Brother?”
[You’ve finally come.]
The fourth disciple of the World's Greatest, Baek Rogwang.
Martial Brother Arang was looking at me.