Chapter 79: Vortex (2)
Chapter 79: Vortex (2)
The winner of this "War Duel," themed around a territory war, was Han.
When I first heard the result, I was skeptical.
Han won? How?
After losing consciousness following my defeat by Seol-yoon, I had assumed the "Great Land" would be the victor of this War Duel. After all, I had committed one blunder after another.
In my haste to devour the Dragon Sword, I had squandered the opportunity to summon the "Guardian Dragon" assigned to me. Furthermore, stepping forward to duel Seol-yoon one-on-one was an act of sheer folly. In a territory war, the defender always holds an overwhelming advantage. A defender who has established a formation gains immensely just by stalling for time. Moreover, hadn't they even specified the exact duration we needed to hold out for in this War Duel?
Instead of stepping out for a duel with Seol-yoon, I would have fulfilled my role just by hiding among the soldiers and steadily thinning the ranks of the Conquest Army. No, it wasn't just "fulfilling my role"—that was exactly what I was supposed to do.
The one-on-one duel I fought against Seol-yoon was irrational, non-strategic, and a purely emotional solo action driven by personal greed. And "emotional solo actions" were strictly taboo in large-scale warfare. In that regard, I was no different from a troublemaker who failed to do his job and instead committed a mountain of forbidden acts.
So, to be honest, I expected my image and honor as a fighter to hit rock bottom because of this stunt. But since when did the world run solely on logic and reason? Besides, this was Steel City—a city of madmen whose brains were pickled in duels and who would worship anyone as long as there was "romance" involved. The conclusion these madmen reached regarding my solo action was simple.
"…You’re saying we won because of me?"
'We won thanks to you.'
To my ears, it sounded like nothing more than a dog barking. Now that my head had cooled down after the duel and my reason had returned, it sounded like utter nonsense.
"Yes! I’m telling you, we won because of you!"
"No, I don't follow."
"Sword Demon Liam! The enemies fled after witnessing your valiant prowess! The moment you emerged victorious in your duel against the Black Bride, they all turned tail and ran!"
"Does that even make sense? From the Conquest Army's perspective, they just eliminated a troublesome elite unit—me—and they’d pushed the defensive line back almost to the castle walls. Why would they run away just because they lost a duel…?"
"The result! It’s right in front of your eyes!"
But the more I listened, the more their voices sounded like sincere outpourings of emotion rather than a joke meant to tease me for fainting. Everyone gathered here was ecstatic, thrilled, and heated by the scenes of the War Duel that had just unfolded. And like the duel-crazed fighters they were, they seemed to be hoping I would raise my sword high and grandly declare victory. If I did, it looked like they might just perform ten backflips in joy.
"No, but logically, it still doesn't make sense, does it?"
However.
"Let's think about it. That—"
Unfortunately, I was the kind of crazy bastard who would keep gnawing at something until I was personally convinced. Ignoring the stinging glares from those around me, I continued to ramble incessantly.
「 Why don't you just give it a rest, young descendant? 」
"…."
「 If you keep this up, you might actually die in the real world too. 」
As even Liam finally stepped in to stop me, one fighter hit the nail right on the head.
"You don't have any friends, do you?"
"…."
"Fuck, are you some kind of chronic doubter? We're telling you we saw it with our own eyes and heard it with our own ears, so stop talking. Don't be such a socially awkward loser…."
"That’s…."
"This motherf—forget it. Just go pick your Dragon's Relic. Man, I don't know what this guy would've done for a living if he wasn't a fighter. He has zero sense of the atmosphere and just blathers on about whatever he wants… zero social skills…."
I couldn't find a single word to refute him.
Master Josef spoke with satisfaction.
「 A rare sage of this era, indeed. 」
"…."
「 How did he realize you were a socially inept, chronic doubter without anyone telling him? Such insight would make even the sages of the War Era marvel. 」
After that minor incident, the conclusion of the War Duel was marked by me choosing a Dragon's Relic. Though some fighters and spectators who heard my rambling began to distort my nickname into 'The Loser Gladiator'… that wasn't particularly important.
Anyway.
Amidst the chilled atmosphere, the Dragon's Relic I chose was, naturally, the Dragon Sword. I didn't even glance at the other items. Liam clicked his tongue as he looked at the Dragon Sword in my hand.
「 Tsk, you won the championship, yet you must feel like crap. 」
"Why would I feel like crap?"
「 Because that treasure you received as a victory prize is the very item you already devoured in the spiritual world, isn't it? Since you consumed the soul contained within, that blade is nothing more than a hollow shell. Anyone would feel like crap after receiving such a thing. 」
"Aha. So that's why you said that."
Liam was right.
In the spiritual world, I had already devoured the Dragon Sword. And the other Dragon's Relics were essentially useless items. After a quick glance, Liam had coldly appraised the others as mere ornaments made to look like the Dragon Sword. At best, the power they held was to resonate with the power of the "Lantern" when it was revealed, boosting the army's morale. That was it. In other words, all these Dragon's Relics were useless to the current me.
However.
"I feel this sometimes, but you are far too pure, Master."
「 What? 」
That was only true from Liam's perspective.
"This blade is useless to me, yes. Because I've already polished off every bit of power hidden within the name of the Dragon Sword. But… I'm the only one who knows that, aren't I?"
「 …Don't tell me. 」
"Yes."
From my perspective.
This was by no means a useless piece of metal.
"I'm going to sell it. Now is the time when I can get the highest price for it. In the eyes of others, this is the sword of the hero who led his side to victory in the War Duel, an ancient treasure capable of summoning a majestic Guardian Dragon… Ah, I wonder just how many Steel Gold Coins I'll get for this."
「 Hahaha, ha, hahahaha! 」
It was a very, very 'expensive' useless piece of metal.
「 It is a strange thing, young descendant. Your shameless face is truly like steel. As far as I know, none of the things a Caravan possesses include a Face of Steel…. 」
"I believe I inherited it from you, my greatest ancestor and Master!"
「 Hahahaha! 」
"Hahahaha!"
Who's calling whose face steel?
Looking at my Master's shamelessness, which I still couldn't hope to match, I announced that I would resell the item I received as the prize for winning the "War Duel." Upon hearing the news, numerous collectors practically lost their minds. Some spectators and fighters ranted about why I would sell such a glorious prize, calling me a madman, but I didn't care. Glory doesn't put food on the table.
The fighters from the Eastern Continent earnestly requested that I hand it over to them in accordance with historical providence, but I naturally ignored them. The condition I set was very simple.
I will sell it to whoever offers the most valuable thing.
And so.
Even before the auction hosted by the Arena could begin, the "reselling" by the War Duel winner commenced. It was an unprecedented event in the history of the "Infinite Duel." A fighter reselling their prize on the spot? It was truly an insane act….
Of course, there was something I had to do first.
"Arhan."
The person who sought me out before any of the customers.
"You're selling it? The Dragon Sword? For money?"
The "Black Bride."
I had to deal with Seol-yoon's anger.
* * *
"You're selling it? The Dragon Sword? For money?"
The girl, Seol-yoon, asked as she looked at Arhan, whose complexion had turned somewhat pale for some reason. Seol-yoon had asked out of pure curiosity, but Arhan was full of excuses.
"Ah, yes. Well, as you know, our territory's situation isn't exactly great, is it? I think we'll need a lot of gold coins in the future, and besides, I don't know if you know, but I've inherited the will of Han from the Eastern Continent that was contained in the Dragon Sword. We even agreed before the duel started that the winner would do whatever they wanted with the item—"
Arhan rambled on, but to Seol-yoon, it looked like he was desperately trying to make excuses. It seemed Arhan felt guilty about selling a treasure of the Eastern Continent for money. Seeing that, Seol-yoon couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"It doesn't matter. Like you said, we agreed the winner would decide."
"Pardon? Then really—"
"Yeah. Do whatever you want."
Seol-yoon meant it.
The Dragon Sword? At this point, she had no obsession with the object.
"But Seol-yoon. You said before that the Dragon Sword wasn't just an ordinary blade…."
But Arhan continued to drone on.
…He really is a soft-hearted guy.
Seol-yoon found it quite amusing. He kept talking about logic and promises, but in reality, he wasn't such a rational person. Rather, he was someone very much swayed by his emotions. If Seol-yoon were to even show a hint of a tear and beg him not to sell it, Arhan would surely come up with another reason—a reason why he should give up the gold coins and not sell the sword. He would force himself to find a reason to keep the Dragon Sword in his hands. He might even come up with some strange excuse to thrust the Dragon Sword into her hands. That was the kind of person 'Arhan' was, as far as Seol-yoon knew.
"It's really okay."
Seol-yoon said, cutting off Arhan's incessant talking. She was sincere. Seol-yoon no longer needed the Dragon Sword. The reason she had sought it was because of the great wisdom left by the ancestors of Han—because of the legend that a true King was contained within. Seol-yoon had intended to ask the true King if a paradise actually existed, and if she could go to the sky. But Seol-yoon no longer intended to seek answers from a true King.
"I've gained something more valuable."
No one on the continent knows what will happen tomorrow. One must find the answers they seek for themselves. That was why the world was beautiful.
"So really, do as you please. I'm fine."
That was the realization Seol-yoon had gained upon obtaining "Thousand Changes." She had no intention of relying on some ancestor. She would find what she was curious about on her own. If there was no paradise at the end of this path, she would create one. And thus, she would reclaim what was precious to her with her own strength.
"Really."
That was the conclusion Seol-yoon had reached.
And the answer she had found for herself.
"…A-Are you sure? Really—"
Looking at the stuttering Arhan, Seol-yoon simply gave him a wide grin. After smiling, Seol-yoon wondered… Was I always someone who could smile so naturally?
* * *
Things went differently than expected.
Seol-yoon, whom I thought would fly into a rage, strangely seemed to have no interest in the Dragon Sword. It didn't look like she was acting cool; she genuinely seemed fine with it. It weighed on my mind a bit, but for me, it was a stroke of good luck.
I'm lucky.
The solo action I took to raise my realm and satisfy my personal greed—the one-on-one duel with Seol-yoon—had ended on a good note. Devouring the Dragon Sword hadn't become an issue either. Furthermore, the right to claim the Dragon's Relic was given to me, thanks to the enthusiastic support of the audience.
I'm too lucky.
Even Seol-yoon said she was fine with whatever I did. All the problems that had weighed on my mind were no longer issues; instead, the things I had done had turned into good fortune. Everything was going smoothly. If it were anyone else, they would be dancing for joy, thinking God was helping them.
But.
Why… is my luck so good?
To a chronic doubter like me, it felt incredibly unsettling.
Moreover, it was a fairly rational suspicion.
There's no way my luck would be this good.
Because my life had always been as twisted as it could be.
So, this situation flowing so easily made me extremely anxious. It felt like the eve before a storm.
"You're from the 'Red Bank'?"
Dressed as the gladiator Liam, I greeted numerous guests. Most of them were big shots. The Red Bank of the "Black Archipelago," which controlled all the gold on the continent. The Masters of the "Machine Empire," who desired any precious item. Besides them, there were famous capitalists and several wealthy families who lived with mountains of gold.
They offered various treasures in exchange for the Dragon Sword. Some spoke of astronomical amounts of gold coins, some offered pure gold itself, some offered noble titles in their countries, and others proposed precious magical tools that could never be obtained through normal routes. All of them were mouth-watering offers. It was almost unbelievable that I could receive such things for a mere hollow shell of a blade.
But even as I received these dream-like proposals, I couldn't shake my anxiety. Why? There was no way these big shots would pull a stunt just to swindle a gladiator in Steel City. The things they offered were valuable to me, but to them, they were just trifles piled up in their warehouses. Even thinking that didn't make the anxiety go away. Why did I keep feeling anxious? Why?
While trying to ignore the persistent unease and weighing the value of the guests' offers, a man arrived.
And.
"Hmm."
I realized that my anxiety—my suspicion—was right once again.
"It was worth the long journey."
The moment the man appeared, my thoughts momentarily ground to a halt. With my mind and body frozen, I doubted my eyes for a second. I wondered if I was seeing things, if my chronic doubt had progressed to the point of hallucinations. After doubting several times, I accepted that what I was seeing was the truth, and that this was reality. With my mouth slightly agape, I looked at the man again.
The man's hair was ash-gray. Or perhaps it could be called gray. But no one in the Iron Kingdom of Chervil would call that hair by such a name.
"Interesting."
In the Iron Kingdom of Chervil, that hair color was known as the color of steel. It symbolized the great bloodline that had reigned as the masters of this kingdom for centuries. And among those who carried that blood, there was only one young man in his twenties. Because every other youth of the Iron Blood, except for him, had been erased from the world by that very man.
"Very interesting."
The madman who had slaughtered all his brothers and sisters to inherit the throne. The man who employed the most powerful sword on the continent as his executioner.
"Watching the things a lowly creature like you has done… it was quite entertaining."
My enemy.
The master of Swordmaster Carlos.
"I shall sit for a moment. I assume that's fine?"
The Iron Prince.
Ian Chervil had appeared as a guest.