Chapter 238: Opening (5)
Chapter 238: Opening (5)
“You’ve improved a lot.”
The Iron Kingdom, Chervil.
Deep within a small forest in the Verdi Region, a boy and a young man stood together in a humble, makeshift training ground in front of an old shack. The two shared similar features, yet their auras were distinct; they were brothers. Though they shared the same blood, they had been born to vastly different fates.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. You can finally manifest a proper wave.”
Edan Rhapsody and Toma Rhapsody.
The brothers, successors to a legendary bloodline, stood before the simple hut. Toma Rhapsody, now dressed in modest cloth instead of his former luxurious silks, smiled brightly at Edan’s praise. The lethargy and boredom that once defined him were nowhere to be found.
Clutching his wooden sword, Toma hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“At this level… do you think I could finally face him?”
Edan Rhapsody understood exactly who his younger brother was referring to.
The boy who had cured Toma’s boredom; the one Toma had first called a friend. The boy with a heart of tempered steel, who refused to bend even before a massive wave. Arhan Caravan. Toma was asking if he was finally ready to duel him.
“I wonder.”
Edan Rhapsody reached out and stroked his brother’s hair.
Since that fateful day, Toma had lived for nothing but the sword. He had lost his life of luxury, his authority, and his power, yet he was more vibrant now than he had ever been. The once-delinquent youngest brother had become diligent, and his talent had finally begun to bloom, its sharpness now reaching just beneath Edan’s own chin.
However.
“You are still lacking.”
He could not reach Arhan Caravan.
That was the cold conclusion Edan Rhapsody had reached.
“You must be sharper. You must be faster.”
The weight the two carried was different. The goals they looked toward were worlds apart.
Edan Rhapsody thought to himself: My youngest brother will likely never reach Arhan Caravan in his lifetime. Arhan would go further and higher. He would go beyond Edan himself, and perhaps even beyond their great father.
“Brother.”
Even so.
“Will the moment ever come when I can finally face him?”
“It will.”
Edan Rhapsody did not say it was impossible.
“It will surely come, Toma.”
“…”
“As long as you do not stop.”
It wasn't an impossible goal. It was a peak that could one day be grasped.
Toward that goal, Toma would run without end until he became a towering wave. As long as he remained a wave, Toma would never succumb to boredom or laziness again. By constantly refining himself, Toma would eventually become an ocean.
“A single drop of water can pierce a stone.”
“…”
“Be the drop of water that falls relentlessly upon the same spot. Be the drop that carves the hole. Become a wave, then a waterfall, and finally, become the infinite sea, my brother.”
Toma nodded solemnly.
After quickly stuffing a piece of dry bread into his mouth, Toma Rhapsody picked up his wooden sword again. His 'Wave Sword' had reached a surprisingly high level of mastery. Watching his brother’s growth, Edan Rhapsody touched his sightless eye. It was a scar born from the karma of his past. A world seen only in halves was a fatal flaw for a swordsman, but for Edan Rhapsody the man, it was a glorious wound that allowed him to see a wider world.
Gazing at his halved world, Edan Rhapsody looked up at the sky.
The Six Free Cities had fallen, and the Rhapsody family—one of the Five Families—had lost its honor and authority. They were a great family that now had nothing left but a few descendants and their swords. Could such a family still be called great? Edan Rhapsody shook his head at the thought.
Greatness is not determined by the evaluation of others or the standards of the world. Greatness is born solely from one’s own integrity, nobility, and the achievements one has forged. Greatness is only completed when one becomes a person who has nothing to be ashamed of. That was Edan Rhapsody’s conviction, and the world he had created for himself.
Father.
The day Edan Rhapsody lost an eye, his father had lost an arm.
His father had said: I am sorry for making you endure such things. This is a sorrow you must bear because I was not better. It is all my fault, so you should resent me.
But neither Toma nor Edan Rhapsody resented their father. He was still their proudest hero and a man more magnificent than any other.
Holding his sword, Edan Rhapsody listened to the chirping of birds. Amidst the birdsong, the sound of hoofbeats echoed for the first time since they had settled in this shack. The sound was heavy. Judging by the powerful gallop even on the rough forest path, it seemed someone was riding a noble steed that didn't belong in these rural outskirts. Edan Rhapsody climbed to the top of a tree.
Soon, he saw a woman riding toward them. She was passing through the forest and ascending a hill.
She wore pure white clothing and carried a flag engraved with a brilliant emblem. On the flag was the crest of White, one of the Five Families, symbolizing the Watchers. Edan Rhapsody knew her identity. Duchess Daisy White. Why had a woman with such immense power in the Iron Kingdom come here? After watching her for a moment, Edan Rhapsody looked at a tombstone standing at the summit of the hill she was heading toward. A short name was inscribed on the stone.
Petel.
Has she come to bid farewell to the departed?
Edan Rhapsody guessed as much, seeing the complex emotions swirling on Duchess Daisy White’s face. As he watched her, he soon heard another sound. At the edge of the forest, a group was pursuing Daisy White’s trail. Armed with various weapons, the group did not fit this rural landscape. Edan Rhapsody stood still, watching the strangers who had entered the forest with a steady, quiet gaze.
* * *
Liam was gone.
The one who had been my only friend and teacher while I wandered the Abandoned Land after losing everything—Liam Caravan had vanished from my world. Not a single trace of him remained. No, perhaps there were things that could be called traces: the sword I wielded, and the still-undigested 「The Maverick」.
Liam hadn't disappeared. He had simply returned to the place where he belonged.
And as long as I keep moving forward, I will one day meet Liam Caravan again. The greatest Swordmaster in history, an absolute being who was never once wrong when it came to the sword. To ensure I am not ashamed when I eventually face him, I must finish this journey successfully. After such a grand farewell, how pathetic would it be to meet him as a corpse after being killed by Swordmaster Carlos?
Therefore.
“Is everyone gathered?”
I must complete my revenge. For myself, and for my master.
“Everyone who needs to be here is here,” Seol-yoon said.
Looking around, I saw many faces. Seol-yoon, Audrey, Hailyn, Sherizik, Tom, Sancho… my neighbors, and the many people who had come here to help me. They were the footprints of the path I had walked, and the people to whom I owed my gratitude.
They were all looking only at me.
Accepting their gazes, I nodded once and spoke.
“Those gathered here surely know my purpose.”
Now was not the time for meticulous preparation.
“I am going to kill Swordmaster Carlos. Not only him, but I will also make everyone involved in the erasure of my territory pay for their crimes. There will be no exceptions. Not even the Seven Chief Gods or the Nine Goddesses will escape my judgment. Never.”
It was time to move.
“If any of you are afraid, speak now. If you withdraw here, I will understand without asking for a reason. I won't hold it against you later, nor will I be angry. I swear it on the names of the gods, and on the honor of Caravan. So, do not worry about appearances; those who wish to leave may do so. Those who want to argue that it's too dangerous and I should stop, feel free to do that as well. Raise your hand and shout at me. Tell me to stop this foolishness.”
I looked them in the eye.
“If you stay with me, you will be making an enemy of the most powerful Swordmaster on the continent. You will be fighting the strongest kingdom in the Western Continent, which has joined the ranks of the great powers. You will be fighting at the very center of this chaotic war.”
I warned them. Even so, no one withdrew. No one raised a hand. Even Audrey, who complained constantly, remained still.
“Are you still okay with this?”
There was no verbal answer. Instead, there was a heavy silence. The eyes of everyone looking at me resembled my own. Seeing their unwavering gazes, I knew I had chosen my neighbors well.
I couldn't make them swear on the Land of Swords; I had already used that. For my future plans, I had to trust these people completely. Even a single moment of hesitation would cause my plan to crumble. My revenge would fail, and my path would be severely shaken. A single failure would mean the collapse of everything. Even at this moment, I forcibly suppressed the doubts that constantly bloomed within me.
Once the decision is made, there is no turning back.
I trust them. I trust them even without an irreversible oath. Though I am suspicious by nature, I trust them nonetheless. To receive trust, one must give trust.
I forced the words out.
“First, we are going to kill Ian Chervil.”
That was the first step of the plan.
* * *
The Land of Swords.
The master of this realm sat upon the Sword Throne, crafted from inverted blades.
Liam Caravan looked down at the mortal realm with narrowed eyes. From the higher world, the scenery of the mortal realm was always clearly visible. In such a chaotic era, it was even clearer.
Gazing down, Liam Caravan saw the Seven Chief Gods and the Nine Goddesses plotting amongst themselves, and he saw the small lives struggling to survive beneath them. In the world of sword, spear, and shield, a whirlwind was raging. Within that storm, the greatest Swordmaster saw a boy who had finally taken shape but was still insignificant. His descendant—still young and lacking, yet finally possessing the mettle of a man.
“My young descendant.”
Liam Caravan slowly rose from the Sword Throne.
“The next time I see you, you must have a name other than 'my young descendant.'”
In an instant, every single blade filling the Land of Swords vibrated. As the entire world trembled, the blades screamed as if in joy. It was a response to their master’s anticipation.
“Because if you don't…”
Liam Caravan’s eyes burned with a cold light.
“Your world will cease to exist.”
He issued a challenge to the boy below.
“So, hurry and come here.”
To the anticipation of the Master of All Swords.
“Arhan Caravan.”