Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Chilly Winter (1)
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Ouch!
Evelyn wrapped her right hand around her left arm at the sudden onset of phantom pain after so long.
Her left arm ached terribly.
Ever since getting the iron prosthetic.
Evelyn no longer suffered from phantom pains.
Nor was she tormented by those endless nightmares.
-It's you. The child who bore the Nereville name.
Even the nauseating stench of Wolfgang that used to make her retch didn't come to mind.
-Born of lowly blood, yet you clearly resemble that child from back then—your beauty is beyond doubt. Good. From now on, you are my pawn. Just like your mother, you will live for me.
But right now,
-This is the path to repay the grace I bestowed upon you—the fortune of being born with even a drop of that noble blood that brought you into this world.
Those nightmares from back then were rearing their heads once more.
Over twenty years ago.
The child who had entered the Ragnar family solely to see her father's face learned of his ugly true nature and turned away.
Taking her mother's name as her own, she gripped her sword.
With a single vow: to one day take revenge on the father who had abandoned her and her mother.
But even after becoming a member of the White Dragon Knights and rising to senior swordsman, that man remained too distant.
Evelyn could hardly bear that fact.
Julius, Theo, even Cecilia and Kirson—they were all stepping up for her sake.
She couldn't keep being pinned down like this.
'I must.'
Clank!
Strength surged into the fist of her iron prosthetic.
'I must overcome this somehow.'
Evelyn lifted her head with renewed resolve.
* * *
[Observing 'Theo Ragnar.']
+
Theo Ragnar (15/Male)
· Level: 32
· Stats(▼)
Strength: 119 Agility: 101
Vitality: 45 Mana: 243
Intelligence: 75 Luck: 27
· Skills(▼)
- Lesser Drake Fear
- Hatching Synchro
- Wyvern Taming
- Fairy Buff
- Worm Eater
· [Viewing Restricted]
+
Theo's level had already surpassed 30, and his other stats were steadily climbing, forming a steep growth curve.
The most remarkable growth was in [Intelligence].
Coefficient of 75.
It was nearing 100 before long.
He had poured all his additional stats from recent gains into [Intelligence].
The reason was simple.
+
[Intelligence]
Deepens thinking and judgment. Increases comprehension of skills.
+
Recently, while fiddling with his status window during the process of absorbing the sword orb, Theo had discovered a few more functions.
One of them was the utility of each stat.
Just as [Strength] reinforced muscle fibers and [Agility] boosted neural response speed,
[Intelligence] greatly aided skill activation, making it the perfect next target.
Thanks to that,
Theo had achieved another massive boost in combat power in just a few days.
[Activating 'Skill: Hatching Synchro' to strengthen the lingering thoughts latent in the sword orb.]
Countless sword trajectories were etching themselves across Theo's vision.
Shaaa-
-Grip the sword.
-Swing the sword.
-Sword.
-Sword.
-Give me the sword.
-Swing me.
His head throbbed from the unrefined barrage of thoughts screaming from all directions, but Theo gritted his teeth and focused on the skill activation.
The sword orb Kyle had given him—regardless of its original owner's identity—was packed with an obsession and madness solely for the sword.
Its profound understanding of swordsmanship allowed Theo to gradually meld the fragmented techniques he had learned from various sources.
The trajectories painting his vision were proof of that.
Simply swinging along those lines would unleash [Dragon's Claw] with even more explosive power.
And through that process, Theo gained fragments of numerous insights.
'So this is why Father said to use this orb as my foundation.'
Kyle bestowed swords suited to each candidate he acknowledged.
For Theo, who had learned swordsmanship from many people, it became the ultimate guiding teacher.
'Who on earth was the original owner of this sword? Even if what I've learned so far is basic swordsmanship, linking [Demon Dragon Six Forms] or [24 Plum Blossom Sword] isn't easy—their traits are too distinct.'
The fact that it encompassed the sword arts of the Nine Dragons alone spoke volumes of the original owner's realm in life.
But no one immediately came to mind.
Kyle had felled too many masters on his path to the throne.
Pushing such musings aside, Theo focused solely on the sword in his hand.
'Someday, I'll find out.'
Boom boom boom boom boom...!
['Skill: Fairy Buff' activated, applying strong blessing.]
['Strong Blessing' reveals hidden effects of the skill.]
[Vitality granted.]
[Dynamic vision enhanced.]
[Reaction speed increased.]
[Recovery speed of vitality and mana rises.]
And then the application of other skills.
['Skill: Worm Eater' applied; attack power rises inversely proportional to opponent's vitality.]
['Skill: Lesser Drake Fear' cast; dragon-slaying intent crushes opponent's will.]
[Effect of enhanced intelligence increases efficiency of all skills!]
Sword orb followed by skill buffs.
Add Ragnar's blessed physique on top, and Theo could display prowess far beyond his realm.
Rumble—
"Aaaargh! I'll kill youuuu!"
Beta's face flushed beet red with rage.
Not only was he being outmatched in skill by a mere field swordsman, but being overwhelmed by sheer presence in that instant was utterly humiliating.
He couldn't even return to the Elder Council in shame like this.
He had to avoid such a disgrace.
He lunged with desperate fury, but
Boom!
Theo's vigorous diagonal downward strike unleashed a fierce burst of lightning, not only shattering Beta's sword but savagely sweeping across his upper body.
After the massive heat storm swept through.
"Guh... Guh...!"
Beta collapsed, bearing a deep gash as if clawed viciously by a dragon.
Thud!
"......!"
"......!"
"......!"
A mere squad member had defeated an Elder Council swordsman.
The crowd gaped in shock, speechless at the scene.
Only Theo casually lowered his sword and uttered one word.
"Next."
His arrogance made Wolfgang and the elders tremble with humiliated fury, fists clenched.
The crowd, meanwhile, erupted in explosive cheers.
-Did you see that?
-He actually won...!
-They called him the lightning yaksha. The rumors didn't do him justice. That's a monster, a monster!
-Isle Demon!
-Isle Demon!!
Niel, watching as mediator, asked.
"You mean to participate in the second bout as well?"
"Yes. I'm not really tired."
Niel chuckled at Theo's words.
Just like Kyle in his youth.
That thought crossed his mind.
Of course, Wolfgang was flabbergasted.
'The momentum... it's all flowing to that brat.'
Ragnars traditionally favored the strong.
And welcomed the strong's confidence.
Theo embodied that perfectly.
Arrogance and confidence.
A paper-thin difference.
To the crowd, it was confidence; to the Elder Council, arrogance.
Grit!
How many times had he ground his teeth today? It felt like his molars might shatter.
"Page."
"Y-Yes... Yes?"
"Step forward for the next one."
"M-Me, sir?"
The called elder startled and asked back, but
"Is there anyone else here named Page?"
Under Wolfgang and the other elders' piercing glares, he swallowed dryly.
-Isle Demon!
-Isle Demon!
The crowd was still chanting Theo's name.
What if he, as the second fighter, stepped up in this atmosphere?
The Elder Council might claim victory.
But his position as an elder would be irreparably tarnished.
Wolfgang gestured impatiently for him to go,
And the other elders ignored Page's pleading looks.
They had no desire to be dragged out instead.
"Under...stood. I'll restore the Elder Council's sullied honor somehow."
In the end, Page rose with heavy steps.
「Remember this. Crush him overwhelmingly. No—kill him outright. Make sure he can never hold his head high again.」
The whisper in his ear at the end soaked Page's back in sweat.
First it was just cut off his right arm; now it was kill him openly.
The gap was too vast.
It could draw the ire of Julius or the Plum Palace Lord.
But he had to do it.
Defy Wolfgang, and his family might suffer later.
Standing in the arena at last, Page gripped his sword with venomous resolve.
-Boooo!
-How can an elder fight a field swordsman!
-Does the Elder Council have no pride!
Jeers rained from all sides, but Page pretended not to hear, unfazed.
No, it only hardened his resolve further.
'Once the duel starts, behead him in one second flat.'
Any hesitation, and if Theo blocked, their scheme would be exposed.
That would invite not just condemnation on the Elder Council, but intervention from Julius and the Plum Palace Lord.
"Page Grayson of the Elder Council. In his active days, he earned the moniker 'Divine Blade.' As an elder of the house, I shall curb that impudent attitude."
"Pleasure to cross swords."
-You're still calling yourself a Ragnar elder after that!
-Just crawl back to your backroom!
Theo nodded indifferently and lightly clashed swords with Page.
The signal to start the duel.
In that instant, Page swung to sever Theo's neck in one breath.
As the strike laden with sword aura flashed,
"Surrender."
Theo abruptly retreated as if he'd known all along, raising both hands.
Page's face twisted in bewilderment.
"......What?"
"Surrender. The second bout is our loss. How could a junior like me dare clash swords recklessly with a senior? At least you got one win—must feel great, right?"
Theo flashed a mocking grin at the still-dazed Page, turned, and left the arena.
-W-What?
The crowd buzzed in confusion at the sudden turn.
-Sudden surrender?
-That mocking look... he planned it? Puhaha!
-Ah...! I get it. The finale will be Demon Dragon vs. Origin Dragon anyway?
-They already snagged one win, so the second doesn't matter.
-Kyahaha! What the hell? The Elder Council dragged out an elder to nab a kid field swordsman, only to get played and done?
-The Elder Council looks like the dog chasing a chicken. Pfft!
"Eeeek!"
Page's face flushed purple with rage.
Only then did he realize he'd been toyed with in Theo's palm.
The first bout had tarnished their honor; the second plunged them into the muck with nothing gained.
And,
From the White Dragon Knights, Julius was preparing to rise for the third bout.
Page whipped around to the Elder Council side.
Wolfgang, trembling with fury, shot to his feet.
Killing intent already swirled fiercely around him.
"You bastards...! Fine. If you're playing dirty, I'll play right back...!"
Thud thud!
Wolfgang strode forward with heavy steps.
* * *
-I'll make the Elder Council look like fools in front of everyone.
Julius recalled Theo's added remark before the first two bouts, where Theo insisted on going himself, and chuckled.
So that's what he meant.
Now the entire Elder Council had been toyed with in Theo's grasp.
This tale would be recounted for ages.
Theo's fame would rise accordingly.
The White Dragon Knights, long subtly suppressed by the Elder Council, would now stand above them in esteem.
'That sly fox, as always.'
That was why he cherished Theo so fiercely.
"Then the finale falls to me."
If he broke the remaining arm of the Elder Council Leader too, they wouldn't have even honor left to stand on for a while.
Just then, Wolfgang stormed out, seething with rage.
Julius smiled and stepped forward, but
"......Evelyn?"
Evelyn suddenly extended her iron prosthetic, blocking Julius's path.
With eyes full of steely resolve.
In her deeply sunken gaze, Evelyn said.
"Let me take the third bout."
"......!"
Julius's eyes widened.
* * *
When had it started?
Julius had always thought this.
Evelyn was like a silkworm.
One that could shed its shell, spread beautiful wings, and soar into the sky—but not yet ready.
That child,
That butterfly,
Was now fluttering to emerge from its cocoon.
In that moment, Julius realized.
Even his own feelings for this child, who had long chafed at him.
'Yes. I've always... loved this side of her...!'
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