Jacques von Heibrun (2)
"Ugh, cough...!"
Her entire body throbbed with pain.
Adelia, who had been sprawled on the ground, grit her teeth and managed to push herself back up.
Panting heavily, she raised her head and glared at the opponent standing before her.
"I simply do not understand."
Jacques von Heibrun.
The giant of an old man looked down at Adelia, speaking with a cold sneer.
Throughout their duel, Jacques had not swung his sword even once. Instead, he had toyed with Adelia, keeping his weapon hand completely idle.
Yet the outcome was utterly one-sided, proving that his title as a giant of Midtemple was not just for show.
"Is this truly the skill of a Sword Master's disciple?"
Adelia ground her teeth.
Her eyes blazed at the blatant provocation.
Instead of despair, a fiery determination began to kindle within her blue eyes.
Gripping her sword tightly, she took her stance once more.
"It's not... over yet...!"
"Oh?"
A cruel smile played on Jacques's lips.
"Indeed. If nothing else, your grit is somewhat commendable."
The surrounding paladins could only watch the scene unfold in silence.
Even Sikan Bauer did not dare step forward.
And for good reason—Jacques von Heibrun was not just the leader of the Traditionalists; he was effectively the true power behind Midtemple.
Between his political influence and his overwhelming martial might, no one dared to stop him.
"That is enough."
Jacques paused.
At that moment, a cold voice rang out.
There was only one person.
The only man in the Holy City capable of putting a brake on Jacques's tyranny began walking toward the center of the training grounds.
It was Arwen von Goldheart, the other giant of Midtemple and the young leader of the Reformists.
Step, step.
And behind him followed a man with a grim, expressionless face.
"Ha."
Jacques von Heibrun let out a dry chuckle at the sight.
Then, he whispered in a voice too low for anyone else to hear.
"...Finally showing your face."
This is a total mess.
I scanned the training grounds.
Adelia was battered and bruised, barely keeping her balance.
She was in terrible shape. To exaggerate only slightly, she looked almost as bad as she did after fighting the Heavenly Dragon Bird.
Arwen, observing the situation with cold eyes, issued an order.
"Take her to the temple and treat her. Immediately."
"...Yes, sir."
A nearby paladin carefully supported Adelia.
Arwen watched their retreating figures for a moment before turning his gaze to Jacques.
His usual gentle smile was gone, replaced by a chilling expression.
"Just when did you arrive in the Holy City, Elder?"
"I have only just returned."
"And the very first thing you do upon your return is this?"
Jacques laughed at Arwen's biting question.
"This? I was merely offering some guidance to the young lady of the Goldheart family."
"It looked less like guidance and more like one-sided violence."
"Sometimes, guidance requires a firm hand. Besides, if a disciple of the Sword Master cannot even endure this much, isn't that the real problem?"
"..."
Jacques shrugged nonchalantly.
"Receiving instruction from a giant of the temple is the dream and goal of every paladin. Since you are far too busy to spare the time, I simply stepped in on your behalf."
"..."
"And yet, instead of receiving your gratitude, I am treated like a criminal. It is quite baffling."
"That is...!"
Arwen bit his lip.
He started to speak but forced himself to shut his mouth, his face tense as he struggled to suppress his rising fury.
Jacques chuckled at the sight and shifted his gaze slightly to the side.
"Well, putting that aside..."
The old man's sharp, piercing eyes began to scan me from head to toe.
"You must be the rumored Sword Master."
"..."
"I am Jacques von Heibrun."
He extended his hand as if offering a handshake.
I didn't say a word, simply staring down at his outstretched hand.
Though the gesture was rejected, Jacques chuckled as if he hadn't expected me to take it anyway, and continued speaking.
"I was truly sorry to miss the Holy Trial. An urgent mission required me to leave the Holy City for a short while."
"..."
"I had no idea the Black Bone, summoned by Midtemple, would arrive so quickly. And I certainly did not expect the Holy Trial to conclude in less than a single day."
His seemingly casual words carried a sharp thorn.
His dissatisfaction with how quickly the trial had wrapped up in his absence was palpable.
...So it wasn't a coincidence.
There was a reason Arwen had tried to wrap up the meeting so quickly on the day the trial ended.
He had clearly taken advantage of Jacques's absence from Midtemple.
"So, when do you plan on accepting my handshake?"
Jacques smiled, his hand still extended. I replied to him in a cold voice.
"You beat my disciple to a pulp, and you intend to remain shameless to the end?"
Jacques let out a weary sigh.
"Sigh... Why must even the esteemed Sword Master be so difficult?"
"..."
"As I said before, I was merely offering guidance."
Guidance?
I slowly looked past Jacques's shoulder.
In the distance, I could see Adelia being carried away, supported by the paladin.
A translucent window floated above her head.
There was no change in Adelia's level.
In other words, she hadn't grown at all.
For someone as talented as Adelia, it made no sense to show zero growth after a duel of this intensity.
Especially considering her opponent was Jacques von Heibrun.
After all, he was...
...A powerhouse at Level 99, standing right on the precipice of transcendence.
"The two giants of Midtemple."
In truth, even that phrasing was misleading.
While both Jacques and Arwen were exceptionally strong, an unbridgeable chasm lay between them.
Others might not have sensed it, but to me, who could see their exact levels, the difference was glaringly obvious.
In that sense...
If Jacques had truly intended to guide her, Adelia's level would have gone up.
Therefore, his motive was clear.
Pure violence, wrapped in the excuse of "guidance." Nothing more.
"Lord Heibrun."
Naturally, Arwen knew this as well.
Given the relationship between the Goldheart and Heibrun families, this was nothing short of a blatant declaration of war.
Arwen spoke, barely keeping his rage in check.
"Whatever your intentions were, you have crossed the line. The Goldheart family will not take this matter lightly—"
"Listen here."
Jacques's brief interruption froze the air in the training grounds. A chilling dread crept down everyone's spines.
"You were the ones who crossed the line first."
The old man's eyes changed. The relaxed smile from moments ago vanished, replaced by pure, unadulterated bloodlust.
"Slaughtering a member of the Heibrun family inside the Holy Temple, and storming into the council chamber with a sword to threaten us..."
Rage dripped from Jacques's voice.
"You pulled these dog-like tricks while I was away from Midtemple... and you still dare to speak?"
"I, Cedric von Heibrun, cannot accept this!"
Cedric von Heibrun.
The Midtemple hothead who had been sliced in half and killed during the Holy Trial.
As his surname suggested, he was a member of the same Heibrun family as Jacques.
If I recalled correctly, he was Jacques's nephew.
"Lord Cedric merely paid the price for committing blasphemy,"
Arwen said, his voice unwavering. Hearing this, Jacques let out a scoff of disbelief.
"Ha! Blasphemy? Since when has voicing an opinion at a trial been considered blasphemy? If we applied such strict standards, half the council would deserve to die."
At this point, most would have backed down, but Arwen stood his ground.
"Setting aside who was right or wrong, it makes no sense to hold us responsible. The one who executed Lord Cedric was the Black Bone Sword Master, not us."
"..."
"If you have a grievance, why not take it up with the Black Bone Sword Master directly? We, too, find Lord Cedric's death regrettable."
Jacques stiffened.
His mouth shut tight.
His fury blazed in his eyes, and his lips, visible through his white beard, began to tremble.
Honestly, even I would be furious if someone spoke to me with such sarcasm.
Though, of course, Arwen was no less angry after seeing his sister severely injured right before his eyes.
"Right..."
Jacques nodded slowly.
His anger hadn't subsided. If anything, the tightly compressed wrath threatened to explode at any second.
A twisted, chilling smile played on his lips, sending shivers down the spine of anyone who saw it.
"Arwen, I think I will take your advice and pay a visit to the Black Bone."
"..."
"I've heard quite a few people are displeased with that Death Knight lately anyway."
He was completely undaunted, even in the face of a Sword Master's name.
But I knew this wasn't mere arrogance. Jacques had the power to back it up.
A terrifying powerhouse who had reached Level 99.
A superhuman who wasn't content with just following the will of the Elder, but sought to become a transcendent himself and walk the path of a Seeker.
No one could afford to ignore the wrath of such a man.
"But now that I see you in person, I understand why everyone was so dissatisfied."
...And that chilling wrath began to shift toward me.
Jacques stared intently at me, and I met his gaze.
Behind his burning anger lay deeper, darker emotions.
Jealousy, hatred, and even a sense of inferiority.
"I can understand the others, but I have no idea how a piece of trash like you was chosen as a Seeker."
It was a blatant insult.
Of course, I could understand why he felt that way.
He hadn't witnessed the Holy Trial firsthand due to his absence.
To his eyes, I probably looked like nothing more than a common mercenary around Level 30.
An entity so pathetic it made the title of Sword Master seem like a joke.
Furthermore, as a Traditionalist who disliked the emergence of a new Seeker, he was bound to view me through a biased lens.
"Maybe it's because I'm old, but I've always liked the old sayings."
"..."
"I believe that if you receive something, you ought to give something in return."
Screeech!
Scraping against the stone floor of the training grounds, his executioner's sword flew up and pointed directly at my throat.
A cyan aura began to ripple across the broad flat of the blade.
I felt the searing heat singe the skin of my neck, but I didn't even blink.
...Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I couldn't even react.
The strike had come in the blink of an eye. It was so fast that I didn't even have the chance to flinch or close my eyes.
"Well, how about it, Sir Sword Master?"
Jacques sneered.
"Will you be the one to offer me some guidance this time?"