A Severed Pride
...What?
The first emotion that flashed through Jacques's mind was confusion.
Why was his executioner's sword lying on the ground? And whose arm was that, twitching on the floor in a pool of blood?
It had all happened so fast that he couldn't make sense of the situation.
He felt detached from reality, as if he were trapped in a dream.
But that detachment was short-lived. A delayed, agonizing pain surged through him, bringing everything into sharp focus.
"A-Aaargh...!"
A scream echoed across the training grounds.
Jacques collapsed to his knees, clutching the stump where his arm had been as blood sprayed from the wound.
"L-Lord Heibrun!"
"Damn it!"
"What are you all doing?! Go fetch a healer! Right now!"
The paladins and priests who had been watching the duel rushed over in a panic. They crowded around Jacques and began administering emergency treatment.
Hummmm. Divine power enveloped the wound.
Even amidst the chaos, Jacques could only stare blankly, completely out of his mind.
How...
His mind went completely blank. It wasn't just because of the pain of his severed arm.
The sheer shock of this unrealistic situation left him struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
...How did this happen?
He was clearly the one who had swung the sword, yet his own arm was the one that had been cut off. Cause and effect had been completely inverted.
Desperate to make sense of this absurd contradiction, Jacques scanned the ground once more.
"..."
He slowly traced the trail of blood with his eyes.
The fresh blood splattered around his severed limb. And at the end of that dark red trail...
Drip, drip.
...stood Gaon, holding his sword.
Ah.
Only then did Jacques accept the reality he had been desperately trying to deny.
Gaon had cut off his arm. And he had done it at a speed so blinding that Jacques's eyes couldn't even track it.
Right then, Gaon spoke in a flat, indifferent voice.
"I didn't even swing my sword. I merely released a fraction of my killing intent... I didn't expect you to lose your composure so easily and charge like a frightened mutt."
Trembling, Jacques looked up at Gaon.
Not a single trace of emotion could be read on that chillingly blank face.
The way Gaon looked down at him felt strangely familiar.
It was the exact same gaze that had been wandering aimlessly in the air just moments before the executioner's sword was about to crush his skull.
"..."
Indeed. It wasn't that Gaon had failed to perceive the attack. He simply hadn't deemed it worthy of a reaction.
An attack that would have been lethal to anyone else appeared boringly slow in his eyes.
His cold, bored eyes, looking as if everything in the world was utterly trivial, spoke volumes of that unbelievable truth.
W-What...
Shaking violently, Jacques averted his gaze from Gaon.
What kind of monster is he...?
He was terrified. At the same time, he felt deeply humiliated. He could not stop shaking, even with dozens of people surrounding them.
"Disappointing."
Gaon, looking down at him as if he were an insect, slowly spoke.
A faint, mocking smirk played on the corners of his lips.
"Is this truly the strength of the man called the Great Star of Midtemple?"
The very insult Jacques had hurled at Adelia returned like an arrow, piercing his own chest.
Despite the shocking commotion, the situation was quickly resolved. Jacques von Heibrun did not cause any further scene and quietly allowed himself to be taken to Midtemple's infirmary.
I looked around the training grounds. The ground, which had been stained with blood just moments ago, was now clean as if nothing had happened. The cleanup had been swift.
"There shouldn't be any major issues with Lord Heibrun's treatment," Arwen said, stepping up beside me.
"Midtemple is home to the most skilled healers on the continent. Besides, the cut was so clean that he should make a full recovery in no time."
I nodded silently. I had cut off Jacques's arm precisely because I trusted the capabilities of Midtemple's healers.
"You don't need to worry about political retaliation either."
"Even though I severed the arm of a member of a Holy Family?"
"Yes. After all, Lord Heibrun was the one who provoked you first and drew his sword."
Arwen shrugged. "With so many witnesses, the Traditionalist faction won't have a leg to stand on."
The paladins and priests who had been watching the duel from the edges of the training grounds had unwittingly become our witnesses.
"Moreover, Lord Heibrun swung his sword with clear intent to kill you, Seeker. No one here could have missed that blatant malice."
"..."
"In contrast, you only severed his arm to subdue him. This is more than enough to be deemed self-defense."
"I see."
Arwen stared at me intently, his expression suggesting he was waiting for a specific response.
When I remained silent, Arwen finally lost his patience and spoke up.
"Seeker."
"..."
"Harmful actions against a Seeker without just cause is a grave crime," Arwen continued, his expression turning solemn.
"Of course, in Lord Heibrun's case, it was only an attempt. However, if you wish, we can pursue further punishment through a Holy Trial..."
"He has already paid for his crime," I interrupted.
While I could use this incident to punish Jacques and suppress the Traditionalists, doing so would only backfire.
Hadn't I already thought of a good way to utilize Jacques?
For that plan to work, it was best to leave him alone for now.
Of course, Arwen, who knew nothing of my intentions, probably felt it was a waste to miss this chance to crush the Traditionalists.
"...Understood. If that is your wish, Seeker."
It would be odd for a third party to press the issue when the victim himself was letting it slide.
Besides, Arwen had already heard a bit about my 'plan.' He must have realized that following my lead was the smartest move right now.
"Well, putting that aside... the final strike you showed us earlier was truly marvelous."
Perhaps trying to change the subject, Arwen began showering praise on my swordsmanship.
"My eyes couldn't even follow the trajectory of your blade. It wasn't just a fast strike; it felt as if it contained some profound, special principle..."
"...?"
"I only regret that my shallow understanding prevented me from grasping its deeper meaning. I would die happy if I could witness that beautiful strike just once more."
I take it back. Arwen wasn't trying to change the subject; he was genuinely in awe. His eyes sparkled with pure admiration.
He really was Adelia's brother. Their reactions were identical.
But Arwen...
To be honest, I didn't really know what I had done either.
"..."
I retraced the duel in my mind.
My initial plan had been simple. I was going to reuse the trick I had played on Heukgol.
Activating both Ritardando and Soul of the Sword Master, and then layering my killing intent.
It's a clean way to subdue an opponent without killing them.
The effectiveness was undeniable. Even Heukgol had dropped his weapon in sheer terror.
I expected Jacques von Heibrun, a Level 99 paladin who had yet to cross the threshold of transcendence, to react similarly.
But...
I hadn't expected him to get so terrified that he would blindly swing his sword.
Well, there was no need to worry. I still had Ultimate Auto-parrying, which could block any attack.
Just before Jacques's executioner's sword could crush my skull, the skill activated within the slowed flow of time.
Huh?
A strange sensation washed over me.
It was a feeling I had never experienced before. Instead of my body being dragged along by the skill as usual, I felt a sudden certainty that I could actively control its trajectory.
Guided by the skill's correction, I was supposed to deflect the executioner's sword, but I manually altered the path of my blade to aim for Jacques's forearm instead.
I harnessed the skill's power but redirected the trajectory of the Feather Sword to where I wanted it to go.
A violent, chilling sensation vibrated through my fingertips. By the time I snapped out of it, my Feather Sword had cleanly severed Jacques's arm.
The impact sent the executioner's sword flying into the air before it crashed heavily onto the ground.
...I didn't think that would actually work.
In any case, this meant I could now control Ultimate Auto-parrying at will.
Not only could I defend against an opponent's attack, but I could also counterattack. It was practically a new offensive tool.
Perception has increased significantly.
Level has increased. (30 → 31)
A sudden boost to my Perception stat, and a level up to boot. It was an incredible harvest.
But it was too early to celebrate. The unexpected growth didn't stop there.
Along with a chime ringing in my ears, another set of messages scrolled down the corner of my vision.
Even long after the situation had ended, the notification window remained floating in my sight.
You have gone beyond merely defending against a fatal attack, neutralizing the enemy through a perfectly timed counterattack.
Reward: The rank of Ultimate Auto-parrying has been upgraded to 10-Star.
Oh...?
Was it because I used Ultimate Auto-parrying for the first time while Ritardando was active?
Or was it the synergy between my newly acquired Dragon Body trait and my innate talent for swordsmanship?
Whatever the reason, the 9-star Legendary skill had been upgraded to a 10-star skill.
...Things are going surprisingly smoothly.
I wanted to check the upgraded skill details immediately, but unfortunately, now was not the time.
"Lord Gaon...!"
Adelia, who had finished her treatment, was walking toward me from a distance.
I was glad she recovered quickly. Seeing her return so soon, the injuries must not have been as severe as they looked.
Although she still had bandages wrapped around parts of her body and was leaning on a crutch, she looked much better than before.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes," Adelia replied, nodding vigorously.
"They said I just need to rest for about two days. Thanks to the quick treatment, there won't be any lingering side effects."
Two days. That was a perfect amount of time.
I should take this opportunity to rest as well before moving to our next destination. Honestly, I was exhausted.
"By the way, Lord Gaon."
"...?"
"I ran into Lord Heibrun on my way out of the infirmary," Adelia asked hesitantly.
"Did you... do that to Lord Heibrun's arm?"
I nodded. It wasn't something I needed to hide, so I simply acknowledged it.
So she had crossed paths with Jacques at the infirmary.
At that moment, Adelia's face darkened slightly.
Her expression was a mix of gratitude and concern for the current situation.
"I might be overstepping, but if this causes friction with Midtemple..."
"There is no need to worry."
"..."
"He merely paid the price for mistreating my disciple," I replied casually.
There was no need to waste breath explaining that Jacques was the one who attacked first, or that there were dozens of witnesses to prove self-defense.
Hearing my answer, Adelia gasped softly. Soon, a bright smile returned to her face.
"Yes. I will cast aside my useless worries, then."
"..."
"Also... there is one more thing I wanted to ask," Adelia said, stealing a glance at me.
"Lord Heibrun's physical abilities are far superior to yours, aren't they? He has a much larger build and is undoubtedly stronger."
"Indeed."
"Then, how were you able to overwhelm him so completely?"
Jacques von Heibrun possessed a monstrous physique, standing well over two meters tall and packed with muscle.
In contrast, my physical condition was severely lacking.
Although things had improved significantly after consuming the Earth Dragon's Heart, I was still no match for a Level 99 powerhouse in terms of raw stats.
In fact, there were very few in this world who possessed greater raw physical strength than Jacques von Heibrun. Perhaps Pokryong was one of them.
But...
"None of that matters."
...as long as I had the cheat skill Soul of the Sword Master in my hands, all of that was meaningless.
No matter how powerful the enemy, I could defeat them in 0.01 seconds with a single click.
"Ah..." Adelia's reaction to my answer was peculiar.
"So... that was it..." She looked as if she had reached some grand realization, deeply moved.
"...I must work harder to catch up to you, Lord Gaon."
I could only stare at her in confusion.
What? Why is she acting like this all of a sudden...?
"..." The night deepened. Moonlight filtered through the window of the infirmary.
Jacques von Heibrun sat alone in the pitch-black hospital room.
Thanks to the healers' efforts, his arm had been reattached, but a throbbing pain still flared up to torment him from time to time.
His breathing grew heavy. The negative emotions slumbering deep within his heart began to boil over.
Before long, Jacques's eyes were stained with a sticky mixture of inferiority and jealousy.
"Just you wait..."
Jacques gritted his teeth, his expression filled with grim determination.
"...One day, I will tear off one of your arms."