Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Advancing Calmly, Step by Step (3)
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Thud.
Conrad halted his steps, unable to find any flaw in my stance.
The particles floating in the air suddenly straightened up and began to vibrate finely.
It meant Conrad was emanating killing intent toward me.
"……."
Requiem opened its eyes to the killing intent brushing against it. It glanced at Conrad and swallowed once, but didn't surge forward to pounce right away.
'-Good.'
This meant that while Conrad's life force looked appetizing to it, it wasn't desperate enough to devour him.
And it was proof that I was keeping Requiem well in check, making it feel that way.
'I get a sense of how to play with him now.'
I needed to let him feel that I was several moves ahead of him, that vast gap between us.
Lick.
I stuck out my tongue and slowly licked my lips. At the blatant provocation and leisure, the corners of Conrad's eyes twitched faintly.
Whoosh!
Conrad's sword flew toward my heart. It was the first form of Ovest Swordsmanship, something I'd experienced before.
Clang!
I blocked it with the flat of my blade, then spun my sword half a turn to target his lower body immediately.
"-!"
Conrad quickly retreated, dodging the follow-up attack.
A glint flashed in his eyes. He seemed surprised that I'd spotted the weakness in the first form right away.
"Hmm."
Conrad rolled his shoulders with a crack and regripped his sword. Then he launched the next attack without delay.
'Ovest Swordsmanship, second form!'
This form, which covered the lower body's vulnerability, was something I'd dismantled in my spar with Liam long ago.
This time, I didn't block. As his sword came slicing toward my wrist, I lightly placed my sword against it.
Clang!
Conrad's sword seemed to be sucked in as it met the tip of mine.
"-!"
The moment Conrad's eyes widened, I twisted my wrist and lightly pushed his sword aside. In that same motion, I thrust toward his shoulder.
Whoosh!
The sword rushed at Conrad with a menacing sound. He hurriedly recovered his deflected sword and turned it to defense.
Clang!
Our swords clashed fiercely, and both our bodies recoiled backward simultaneously.
"……."
Conrad's lips twitched.
His expression was one of having so much to say but not knowing where to start.
Meanwhile, the knight order members were all speechless, staring at me and Conrad in turn with dumbfounded faces.
Of course, they never would have expected me to fight evenly with the vice-captain.
"……I'll go again."
Finally, Conrad spoke in a terrifyingly low voice. He raised his sword once more and charged at me.
The subsequent attacks were all too obvious in their intent.
'As far as you can go?'
Starting from the third form of Ovest Swordsmanship, he methodically unfolded every technique before me.
Clang!
I swiftly blocked attacks meant to tire me with feints,
Clang!
and counterattacked, using their recoil against Conrad.
"Urgh!"
At last, a low groan escaped through Conrad's gritted teeth.
Despite being superior to me in build, age, and experience, he was being pushed back by me, and the situation continued.
Slash!
Conrad's sword repeatedly sliced through empty air.
"How did he block that?"
"No, was that attack supposed to miss?"
"What's going on? Why is Young Master Abel winning?"
"It's because he's Captain Diego's son, right?"
All the while, the knights were whispering furiously, faces so tense they'd forgotten to breathe.
'Perfect.'
My breathing was relaxed, my limbs brimming with strength. I brimmed with confidence that I could block any attack, no matter when or where it came from.
"……."
Conrad, on the other hand, was gradually losing his composure.
His complexion stiffened like a starch-stiffened shirt. Or it rippled complexly, as if caught in inner conflict.
Tap!
After several sharp exchanges, Conrad retreated. He eyed me closely, as if gauging something or searching for something in me.
"……Hoo."
He took a deep breath and raised his sword before him. His aura sharpened like a honed blade, and cold killing intent began to seep in.
"No way, is that…?"
"It's coming, it's coming."
"Vice-captain, maybe you should stop there…"
The members shuddered, teeth chattering. Meanwhile, I calmly observed Conrad's change.
'He's going to use that, huh.'
Even at the cost of giving up some flesh, to take the opponent's life. The ultimate technique of Ovest Swordsmanship.
It was the very thing Diego had used on me before to correct my manners, now about to be unleashed from Conrad's sword tip.
'Yeah, you're curious, aren't you?'
Just how far I can go.
As our swords crossed, I'd realized Conrad was testing me. Having shown me all his techniques, this was his only choice left.
"Hoo."
My mindset was different from when I'd clashed with Diego before.
Back then, I'd trembled in rage at him using such a technique on his own son, but now…
'This is fun.'
I was simply enjoying it.
The chance to break a fairly high-level expert's technique, even if it was somewhat weaker than Diego's.
'Come on.'
Conrad lightly closed his eyes, then opened them. His swamp-like pupils rippled once, then began emanating pressure that seemed to suck everything in.
Flash!
Conrad's body vanished.
In the next instant, his sword was approaching me in a chillingly clean trajectory.
I followed that trajectory with my eyes and felt a thrill.
'I can block it.'
Unlike the past when it had felt utterly hopeless, a clear and firm premonition came over me.
I gripped my sword hand tighter. Without even blinking, I focused on his flow.
I felt the air being roughly torn apart and read the wind brushing my skin.
'Now.'
Then I moved my hand. Fluidly like flowing water, naturally as if I'd known from the start.
Boom!
His sword and mine collided, creating a thunderous roar.
"……."
Through the locked blades, Conrad's face was visible right before me. Pale with shock that I'd blocked his attack.
Conrad's arm receiving my sword trembled faintly. Mine, however, didn't budge an inch.
Even his final move had been stopped. He had no more options.
'How should I end this to make rumors spread that I've cooked him well?'
Pondering that, I let a chilling smile curl my lips. Reflecting my twisted mood, my aura grew thicker and colder.
Ruthless killing intent extended out, enveloping Conrad.
"-!"
The corners of Conrad's eyes twitched. In the next moment,
Thud!
He suddenly shoved my sword away forcefully. I pretended to yield and stepped back, resetting my stance.
'This time for sure…'
I'd been about to smash down from above to force him to his knees.
Clink!
Suddenly, his sword slid into its sheath. The surrounding killing intent vanished into it as if sucked away.
"Huh?"
"What?"
The watching members uttered dumbfounded questions.
Thump.
One of Conrad's knees hit the ground.
"Please forgive my impertinence, Young Master."
With perfect courtesy as if addressing his lord, he spoke in an unwavering voice.
"As Young Master wishes. I shall obey."
The members' jaws dropped.
So wide that it seemed their chins might hit the ground.
"What are you all doing? Pay your respects to the Young Master."
Conrad quietly scolded them.
"What did you just say?"
"Vice-captain, what are you doing right now?"
"Has your head gone funny all of a sudden?"
"Was there something wrong with the food we ate earlier?"
Regaining their senses, their protests poured in. As if Conrad had surrendered to me and betrayed them.
"What nonsense is this!"
Conrad shot to his feet and turned to the members behind him.
"Do you take me for some fool who can't tell heaven from earth! My mind is perfectly sound!"
His face was ashen as he shouted.
❖ ❖ ❖
'You idiots!'
Conrad wanted nothing more than to shut every one of the knight order members' mouths if he could.
"Our lord is Captain Diego!"
"Kneeling to someone else? Have you no knightly pride!"
These rigid, inflexible fools were shouting away, oblivious to his own burning frustration.
'Just shut up already!'
They had loyalty despite their simplicity, but right now, they just seemed downright stupid.
"……."
Stabbing killing intent emanated from Abel standing behind him.
It was focused solely on him, so the other members hadn't noticed yet.
'Damn. What kind of killing intent is this…'
His fingertips trembled finely, cold sweat trickling down his back.
Knights are trained to be acutely sensitive to killing intent. That's why Conrad could feel Abel's eerie killing intent so vividly—not just stabbing him repeatedly, but as if carving him out entirely.
'It's like…'
He'd felt all sorts of killing intent from monsters over the years, but Abel's was even more monstrous.
It felt like facing something more vicious than a monster. A massive, turbid energy was pressing down on him like it would crush him.
'Keep blabbering with those loose lips?'
Abel's killing intent seemed to say.
"Vice-captain! We can't understand this situation at all!"
"You're telling us to accept this?!"
With every word from the members, Abel's killing intent condensed further, becoming something on the verge of exploding.
'…We're dead. He'll kill us and then some.'
If this continued, the members' lives would be in danger. Even if he and all the members attacked together now, he wasn't sure they could beat Abel.
Clashing swords with Abel, Conrad had realized it clearly.
'He's toying with me.'
Abel could easily render him combat-ineffective but had held back, drawing out everything he had.
'How? I heard the captain never allowed him to hold a sword.'
But that wasn't important now. The problem was that the twisted Abel seemed ready to break one leg from each of them.
'Kneel? Or die?'
Just as Abel's killing intent surged like a wave about to crash over him,
"All of you, shut your mouths!"
Conrad's commanding voice echoed thunderously through the hall.
"If you have eyes, did you not see? Young Master Abel is several levels above me, the strongest swordsman among us!"
The members fell silent.
They looked as if they never dreamed Conrad would admit it himself.
"Moreover, Young Master Abel is Captain Diego's legitimate firstborn son. What is wrong with showing due respect to the rightful lord we ought to serve!"
The members lowered their heads one by one under his fierce gaze. But some still frowned, unconvinced.
'Such stubborn fools.'
Why were superiors and subordinates alike? Well, that temperament was why they'd guarded the harsh Ovest borders.
'What's the point of keeping your pride if you end up dying like dogs?'
Conrad felt no shame in sparing lives for the future. Even rolling in shit was better than being dead.
"Hayden."
Conrad let out a hollow laugh and pointed at one member.
"What did the captain say when we left Ovest Territory?"
The pointed man, Hayden, stiffened. He replied, unable to hide his displeasure.
"To treat Vice-captain Conrad as myself and obey orders thoroughly."
"That's right. I hold full authority. This is a decision I've made after thorough consideration as the vice-captain of the Ovest Knight Order."
Conrad lifted his chin high and issued his final ultimatum.
"Those who refuse, I'll make kneel myself."