Chapter 107: It’ll Be More Fun Starting Tomorrow (2)
Chapter 107: It’ll Be More Fun Starting Tomorrow (2)
Thwack! Thwack!
"Urgh..."
"Ugh!"
"Cough..."
"Dammit... How the hell is he even doing this?"
As they groaned in the familiar agony of sealed pressure points, Patrick spoke up.
"Alright, today’s concept: you’re a bunch of greenhorns who’ve been shanked in the leg, had your mana sealed, and are now surrounded by a band of bandits."
"What? What did you say? Our legs—"
"Wait, I really can't move one of my legs."
"How are you even doing this?!"
"More importantly, why the hell are we doing this crazy shit?!"
Patrick ignored their protests and continued.
"Since your mobility is limited, your movement will be sluggish, right? If you don't watch each other's blind spots, you might get a nasty little boo-boo."
"You crazy bastard!"
"You son of a bitch!"
"Demon! You're a literal demon!"
Patrick picked his ear with one hand while swinging his sword with the other.
BOOM!
A single strike exploded right in the middle of the bandits' hideout.
"And... begin."
Having effectively poked the hornet's nest, Patrick smirked and backed away.
"Enemies... It's an enemy attack!"
"To arms! Kill them all!"
Dozens of bandits charged at the group, who could barely stand, let alone move, on their crippled legs.
"Clump... Clump together!"
"Watch each other's backs!"
"Don't let the line break!"
They huddled into a tight formation, desperately swinging their swords against the encroaching bandits. If even one of them made a mistake, the entire group could be wiped out. They had no choice but to give it their all, covering every blind spot with desperate strikes.
*
The next day.
"Yesterday was legs, right? Today, let's try it with everyone losing the use of one arm."
"You bastard!"
"Does this even make sense?!"
"My arm... I can't lift my arm!"
"How the hell are you doing this?!"
As they wailed in frustration, Patrick held out a hand.
"That’ll be five gold if you’re curious."
"You son of a bitch!"
"Die! You die first!"
"Aaaaaagh!"
"You demon!"
Ignoring their screams, Patrick unleashed the bandits on them once again. Perhaps because they had already survived two rounds of this, they somehow managed to repel the bandit group.
And the day after that.
"You've gotten used to ordinary bandits now, haven't you? So, today’s bandit leader is a 2-Star expert."
"What?"
"What? What did you just say?"
"You're joking, right? Hey, tell me you're joking!"
As they tried to deny reality, Patrick gave them a wide grin.
"He’s a former mercenary who suddenly shouted, 'I’m going to be the Bandit King!' and turned to crime. Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
"You crazy prick! How are we supposed to beat that?"
"If the opponent is 2-Star, we should be allowed to use Aura!"
"Unseal just one of us! Just one!"
Patrick clicked his tongue at the complaining youths.
"How do you win? Tsk, tsk. There is a wonderful civilizational advantage in this world called 'ganging up on someone.'"
By now, they had stopped calling him a demon. They felt too sorry for actual demons to associate them with him.
And the day after that.
Patrick looked at the battered group and spoke with a nonchalant smile.
"In life, sometimes you have to fight with an arrow stuck in one eye. When your field of vision narrows, you have to focus on your other senses. If you get shanked from a blind spot because you 'couldn't see,' expect a punch to the face as a bonus."
They were beyond words now. They just wanted to die. Either him or themselves...
The following day.
"There's quite a lot of them today. About a hundred? If you don't want to be turned into pincushions by arrows while surrounded, you'd better move fast."
The day after that.
"Today's concept is..."
It was hell. If a priest had passed by, they would have begged, "I'll repent for everything, just get me out of this hell."
While it was true that real combat helped them grow stronger, experiencing such intense life-or-death battles daily was unheard of. Such razor-edged combat always carried the risk of death. What was the point of training to get stronger if you died in the process?
And then, a truly dangerous moment arrived.
"Aaaagh!"
"Gerard!"
Alex screamed. Gerard, unable to dodge a bandit’s mace, had been struck down. A pack of spear-wielding bandits swarmed toward him like wolves.
"Noooo!"
Alex tried to rush to his friend's aid in this moment of absolute desperation, but the bandits blocking his path made it impossible. No one could help. Facing certain death, Gerard squeezed his eyes shut. And then...
KABOOM!
With a brilliant flash of light, something streaked through the air and saved Gerard from the brink of death.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at this mess."
It was Patrick. Having appeared out of nowhere, Patrick saved Gerard by slicing the surrounding bandits into a dozen pieces.
"Pa... Patrick?"
"Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine. Thanks for saving me."
In that moment, Gerard was sincerely grateful to Patrick. After all, the man had just saved his life.
"Oh? You're fine? Well, that's a problem. Because I'm not fine."
That gratitude vanished like cotton candy in water.
"Didn't I tell you a thousand times not to charge blindly when there are so many enemies? Does the blood rushing to your head make you stop thinking? Why even carry that head around if it doesn't have a functioning brain? Just leave it at home."
"N-No, that's..."
"You're already dead, you dumbass. 3-Star? My ass. You're just a guy who got beaten to death by a lowly bandit."
"Well, that's because you sealed our Aura—"
"Oh, making excuses now? Wow... how fascinating. A corpse is talking back. Is there a dark mage nearby?"
"..."
"What? Shutting up now? Are you defying me? You want a piece of me? Huh?"
"What do you want from me?!"
"That's my line, you 'senior' prick! What do I have to do to make you actually strong? Huh?!"
That day, Gerard had to endure Patrick's nagging until his mental state was ground into dust, right up until he went to bed.
This routine continued until they finally reached Richmond, the capital of the Magellan Kingdom. Having survived life-or-death battles every single day to get here, Alex and his companions were...
"We're alive."
"How long has it been... since I've seen a real bed?"
"We actually made it here alive."
"Forget Arcana or whatever, I wanted to turn back halfway through."
They had realized, deep in their bones, just how precious the peace of daily life truly was. Patrick looked at them with disdain.
"Tsk, tsk. Anyone watching would think you'd achieved some great feat. All this whining over a few scuffles with some petty bandits?"
I hope he dies.
Is he even human? Can a human be like that?
I should take him to a temple later. He might spontaneously combust.
Demon, demonic race, demon, demonic race...
The four of them glared at Patrick as if they could kill him with their eyes.
"Fix those eyes before I fix them for you. You want a taste?"
Of course, he wasn't the type of person such glares would work on.
A short while later.
Professor Late approached the representatives and spoke.
"There will be a banquet tonight to welcome the Arcana representatives. Unless there's an exceptional circumstance, everyone is expected to attend. Keep that in mind."
At the professor's words, Alex and the other representatives frowned.
"Sigh... Everyone's going to be there."
"Do we really have to go?"
"Goddammit..."
Seeing his seniors like this, Patrick asked, "What's wrong? You don't want to go to a banquet?"
"Would you want to go?"
"Of course. I have never once in my life turned down a free meal."
He meant it. He had once gone to a gathering of the Unorthodox Faction just because they said there would be free food.
Alex sighed at Patrick's response.
"The Arcana banquet is essentially a prelude where representatives from each country engage in psychological warfare."
"And?"
"And since we haven't won a single time recently, we're nothing but targets for ridicule and mockery."
"So? What about it?"
"Don't you understand how humiliating it is to be the target of public mockery and scorn?"
"Tsk, tsk. You call that humiliation?"
"What..."
"You kids have too much pride and no grit. This is why kids raised in luxury have no backbone. None."
"You're the youngest one here!"
"You're a noble too, aren't you?"
"Are we the only ones raised in luxury?"
As his seniors argued back, Patrick gave a small smirk.
"Don't worry about it. Just keep your heads up and go. Mockery? Scorn? Let them do whatever they want."
"You're saying it's okay?"
"Yeah. It's fine."
Patrick grinned broadly.
"For people who only know how to flap their gums, all you have to do is prove yourself with skill, right?"
Hearing that, smiles finally began to appear on the others' faces. They realized that if it was this guy, he was more than capable of doing exactly that.
*
The Royal Official Banquet Hall of the Magellan Kingdom.
Known as the Hall of Light, the ceiling was a massive glass dome that allowed sunlight to pour in during the day and offered a view of the beautiful starlit sky at night. It was the venue for welcoming royal guests, and the Magellan Kingdom had spared no effort in its preparations.
Brilliant chandeliers illuminated the room, the royal orchestra played elegant melodies, and the tables were laden with rare delicacies and fine wines. To add prestige to the event, a large number of high-ranking nobles from the Magellan Kingdom were also in attendance. Given the weight of Arcana, such measures were only natural.
One by one, the guests began to enter the hall.
"Entering now, the delegation from the Yuzef Kingdom."
"Entering now, the delegation from the Caesar Kingdom."
"Entering now, the delegation from the Flame Kingdom."
As the representatives appeared, influential nobles from the kingdom approached them, beginning social activities that doubled as hospitality.
"Greetings. I am Count Elight of the Magellan Kingdom."
"You must be exhausted from your long journey. Please, make yourself at home in our country."
"Was there any discomfort on your way here? You likely passed through my territory. I was worried whether my son provided proper hospitality."
This wasn't just about vague hospitality. The Arcana representatives were future talents representing their respective nations, and some were high-ranking nobles or even royalty. Many nobles of the Magellan Kingdom sought to build connections with foreign talents to further their own family's interests.
The most popular targets were those like the Yuzef Kingdom, where royalty participated directly. They weren't just talented; they were princes. Specifically, a prince who was a strong candidate for the throne. For nobles—especially those with daughters—he was an irresistible target.
"Prince Sierion. I am Viscount Liquor of the Magellan Kingdom. My family's merchant group has often traded with the Yuzef Kingdom."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I have always thought of the Yuzef Kingdom as my second home. I have visited personally, and each time, I found it to be a truly wonderful country."
At those words, Prince Sierion of the Yuzef Kingdom gave a cold smile.
"A country constantly devastated by monsters overflowing from the Great Forest is a 'wonderful country'? I find your sensibilities questionable, Viscount."
"Hahaha..."
Stung by the sharp response, the man known as Viscount Liquor retreated with an awkward smile. Many other nobles approached Prince Sierion afterward, but he met them all with the same icy demeanor. Faced with his prickly, hedgehog-like attitude, the Magellan nobles who had approached to build rapport had no choice but to withdraw with bitter smiles.
As this continued, a man standing behind Prince Sierion spoke up.
"Your Highness. You are being far too harsh."
"Is that not allowed?"
"It's not that it's not allowed, but..."
Prince Sierion scanned his surroundings. The magnificent banquet hall was filled with rare dishes, expensive wine, women adorned in jewel-encrusted dresses, and nobles with bellies full of fat...
"The Magellan Kingdom is certainly prosperous."
"Compared to our country, certainly."
"Indeed. Do they know? That the prosperity they enjoy is built upon the sacrifice of the blood we shed?"
"..."
"Seeing these people who know nothing, approaching with smiling faces to act friendly... it makes me want to cut them down. I've settled for harsh words, so as far as I'm concerned, this is my best behavior."
"I understand, Your Highness."
How could he not? For anyone from the Yuzef Kingdom, situated in the Eastern Region, this was a resentment they all shared.