The Heat of Battle and the Taste of Uncertainty
Days after the clash between Jubern and the Baron of Blanser had ended, somewhere far to the east of the continent.
“I found him… but I couldn’t kill him. Not that he was dead—I just couldn’t finish the job?”
“…!”
“You pathetic excuse for a scoundrel. Is that all you can say for yourself? That you merely confessed your own weakness?”
“I-I… I beg your pardon, Your Highness. Though I did not kill the man, I did bring back several useful pieces of information that will serve in your place.”
“What exactly?”
The Eastern King, who had already given up hope, stared with his rotting-fish eyes at the useless information Blanser had delivered and gave a half-hearted shrug.
“The culprit who interfered with Your Highness’s plans is a subordinate of the Wind Slayer. And he shared an acquaintance with the little brats from the National Academy that I met in Dongye.”
The Eastern King had expected nothing spectacular. But when Blanser’s mouth kept spitting out unexpected names, his eyes slowly began to gleam with renewed power.
“If he’s really the Wind Slayer’s man… wait, the Wind Slayer? For a moment, I thought I heard that he was traveling with this generation’s descendants of that family. Then do the little brats you met in Dongye really belong to that cursed bloodline? Describe their appearances and features as you remember them.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Of the three black-haired children suspected to belong to that family, two appeared to be siblings. The boy had his hair tied back, and the girl wielded a hammer as her weapon. The third one used the Bright Light ability. And the last one…”
“Hold on. The ones you saw who broke into the ruins in Okjeo—these catfish—bear a strong resemblance, don’t they?”
The Eastern King, listening quietly to Blanser’s report, cut him off and frowned.
“So the people you met in Dongye are the same ones who invaded the ruins, meaning they truly belong to that family…”
“Hey. That’s all well and good.”
At that moment, Ampon, who had been listening silently, interjected with a bored expression, ruining the tension.
“My throat is dry as hell. When are we getting some booze around here? First, I need a drink. Now.”
“You dare…! How can you speak to His Highness like that…!”
Blanser’s eyes blazed with fury as he turned his glare on Ampon, but—
**KWAJIK!**
“Ugh…!”
Before Blanser could even blink, Ampon appeared at his side and slammed a fist into his face.
Blanser staggered back with a cry, clutching at his belt to draw his sword, only to realize he couldn’t even manage that.
**KWANG—!**
Ampon pressed the pommel down with his foot before Blanser could draw, sheathed the blade again, grabbed the back of his head, and slammed it into the ground.
“I went out of my way to save your worthless hide, and this is the thanks I get? Did you think I’d just let you die? Now that I’ve saved your life, you should at least lick my shoes if you’re a real man… Or are your eyes not open?!”
“G-Gah…!”
Blanser struggled desperately to escape Ampon’s grip, but the crushing pressure pinned him in place like a mountain.
“Hey. You brat. Your education is completely shot. Yelling at everyone like this. How are you supposed to protect your lord like that?”
“Th-this scum—!!”
“…I shall keep my distance from now on. For sparing you after looking you in the face, how about we call it even?”
“What? You’ve already taken enough from me. One more won’t matter.”
At the Eastern King’s command, Ampon released him without protest. Only then could Blanser finally move again.
Watching his writhing form, the Eastern King clicked his tongue in displeasure and ordered the attendants waiting outside.
“…Tch. Bring the wine.”
Before the servants could even react, Ampon snatched up a bottle and demanded, “So, what exactly do you need me to do this time? Capture those little brats and kill them?”
“Doesn’t matter how. Just kill them. Understood?”
“Hmm.”
Ampon set the bottle down, pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
“No. That’s probably not going to work.”
“…Why not?”
“Too many moving parts. To kill them, you’ll inevitably have to face the Wind Slayer and the Second Seat as well. Even if the kingdom tries, it’ll be impossible to handle all three at once.”
“If you just take care of those rats, I’ll give you whatever you want. And I’ll throw in some decent allies who can handle the job properly.”
“Fine. I’ll think it over.”
“Don’t expect an answer anytime soon.”
* * *
The battle that had erupted outside the Imperial Capital days earlier had sparked countless questions.
Why had they fought in the first place? Why had the location been the capital? And how exactly had the two of them come to know each other?
But neither Lan nor Jubern had offered any clear, satisfying answers.
Well, if they wouldn’t tell us, we can just dig around ourselves…
“…Hah! Hey!”
“Hm? What’s up?”
“What are you thinking about? Done yet?”
From the seat behind him, Teraden leaned over and asked quietly.
“Yeah. Just finished.”
“Warning! Interacting with others during the exam is considered cheating—pay attention!”
“…Ugh. I’m done too. Let’s get out of here.”
“Alright.”
After receiving the proctor’s warning, we handed in our exam papers and left the lecture hall.
“Brother!”
“Hyungs! You’re out!”
“Thank you for your hard work, Haru-nim, Teraden-nim.”
Outside the lecture hall, the others who had finished earlier were waiting for us.
“Ah, Junior.”
“Yes, Haru-nim.”
“How are the two of them? And did you make any progress on the information I asked you to look into?”
“If it’s them… do you mean the man and woman with the names Ohban and Ellien?”
“Yeah.”
‘Didn’t see him? The ability he used to stop the bleeding in that wound. If I grab him and hand him over to them, it’ll be worth the call—but I can’t let him be wasted as my personal plaything.’
I had once asked Junior to investigate the identities of the mysterious group Ohban mentioned after returning from the Seven Stars’ ruins in Okjeo.
“I heard from Jered that they seem to have repented and reformed more easily than expected. The fact that Ellien can no longer use her ability must have been the biggest reason.”
Junior paused, glanced once at Teraden, then continued.
“Probably because Teraden-nim’s ability neutralized him.”
It wasn’t neutralization—it was theft, but the result was the same.
“And after asking Jered about the information you requested, Haru-nim, it seems the two of them are ordinary people who happened to meet them near the Northern Kingdom. Apparently, they’re slave traders who buy people with rare abilities at high prices.”
“Yeah. Thanks for checking that out.”
Slave traders near the Northern Kingdom… I’d have to look into that separately later too.
“No need to thank me. If you require anything else, please let me know.”
“Kiyo! Brother, you’re heading to Arirang Academy right now?”
“Not yet. There’s something I need to do first.”
The moment our conversation with Junior ended, Blanser, who had been waiting nearby, asked, “The Danju Selection starts next year. Applications must be submitted this year, so you should have them ready by then.”
Danju—those who assist the Seven Pillars. Selected once every seven years, exactly seven in total.
From every corner of the continent, the most promising youths and renowned figures had fought each other tooth and nail. Only the final seven who survived would earn the title of Danju.
They were usually chosen through several stages: initial document screening, face-to-face interviews, and a tournament. The rest changed every time, so no one knew how many stages there were or how the final evaluations were conducted until it was announced.
“Why is this continent obsessed with the number seven? Still… it’ll be fun fighting guys who can actually match up with us.”
“Whoa! I want to do it too, Maru!”
“If the hyungs are going, of course I’ll follow!”
“As you wish.”
After our support decisions, the others reacted the same way.
Anyway, with our pre-written application forms in hand, we arrived at the submission office, which was already bustling with quite a few candidates.
Surely there wouldn’t be that many applicants…
“Excuse me… Haru-nim! You’re planning to apply for the Danju Selection too, right?”
While we waited at the end of a long line, someone called out to me.
It was one of my classmates from the same class.
“I won’t even bother applying—too obvious for me to succeed—but Haru-nim has a real shot. Being able to see the Seven Pillars up close must be amazing. And if they take notice of you, maybe you could even receive direct training from them! Isn’t that incredible?”
“Hm, yeah?”
“Eh? Your reaction is so lukewarm. ‘Yeah’? You mean the Seven Pillars? The Seven Pillars!”
For some reason, I wasn’t as impressed knowing Lan and Wolhyang personally…
“Got it.”
“…!”
“Eh? Hey, those guys. They’re the ones who got beaten up by us last time, aren’t they?”
On the other side of the room, we ran into some friendly faces we hadn’t seen in a while.
They were the top students from the same year as us—the strong guys we had clashed with during the welcoming night.
“You got beaten? By who?”
“Seriously? We won, so you got beaten. Why are you so mad?”
“You bastard—!!”
At Teraden’s words, Daebang—the second-place student from that year—flushed red and flared up.
“Hiiik!”
Nakrang, standing next to him, looked terrified the moment he saw Blanser.
I remembered Maru saying something about Blanser interrupting a fight between her and Nakrang.
Were things that serious between them?
“Long time no see.”
After exchanging greetings with the familiar faces, Hyeondo, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, extended his hand in welcome.
“It’s been a long time.”
I shook his hand firmly.
“It seems all of you are planning to apply for the Danju Selection as well.”
“Of course. But the upper-years from Eul Academy don’t seem to be here.”
“Ah, they said they won’t apply. They judged themselves unqualified.”
“I see. They really are talented, though. That’s a shame.”
“You haven’t forgotten what I said back then, have you? I hope you get another chance to settle the score fairly. I wonder if that chance will come, but I hope we can decide it once and for all in the Danju Selection.”
“Thank you. I hope so too.”
The wait, though lively, wasn’t boring. After submitting our applications for the Danju Selection, we left the National Academy and headed straight for Arirang Academy.