Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Paths to Promotion (2)
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"......Isn't the Cho Clan one of the Nine Great Clans?"
Yuri asked as she brought out the roasted pork ribs from the hearth. Dolbi shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah. Among all the nobles I've seen in this village so far, he's the highest-ranking one."
The news that the young master of the Cho Clan had come to the village turned the quiet hamlet upside down. And not in a good way. Yuri trembled with unease.
"Isn't something bad going to happen? I've never seen anything good come from getting tangled up with highborn folk......"
"Don't worry too much. That's why we have the Yuri Guard Unit—to make sure nothing bad happens."
Dolbi said with great vigor. Ban watched the two of them quietly, lost in thought.
*Nine Great Clans.*
They were the owners of the most prestigious bloodlines in this world. There were tales that there used to be ten in the old days, but what mattered wasn't that—it was that one of those exalted figures had personally come all the way to this village.
And in a state that anyone could see screamed he needed help.
"That's exactly why I'm more worried about the guard unit. For the sake of our child, no one can get hurt. You get what I mean, right?"
Yuri said, stroking her belly. It wasn't bulging that much yet, but it wouldn't be long before it swelled like a hill. Dolbi nodded with a pleased smile.
"Of course. Don't worry about a thing. Nothing's going to happen."
And that was before the meal had even ended. Someone pounded on the door, so when they went out, a messenger from the guard unit was there.
"The captain's calling you. Dolbi, Ban. Both of you."
Tension etched across Dolbi's face, while anticipation lit up Ban's.
The time had come.
§
"To sum it up simply: we'll be escorting Young Master Cho Urong here until he reaches the Cho Clan."
"......By 'we,' you mean...... you're coming too, Captain?"
"It's not an easy mission."
Aidan said with a tense expression.
"We'll have to assemble the best of the best we can, even if it means leaving the village undefended."
There were six in total. Cho Urong and his one knight. Aidan and Dolbi, Ban, and one vice commander—God.
Dolbi looked slightly flustered.
"Me...... included in the elites?"
"What, because you keep losing to Ban?"
Aidan gave a wry smile.
"That guy's a monster. No one would call you weak for losing to a monster. Even God over there rarely beats Ban these days."
"No, Captain. What kind of talk is that? I go easy on him in spars, that's all. In a real fight, a guy like him would be......"
"A loss is a loss. I'm saying this for your dignity—keep it short. Dragging it out won't do you any favors."
God scratched the back of his head with an awkward look. Ban clenched his fist and spoke, his voice trembling with barely contained fervor.
"Has their identity been verified?"
"......Yeah. The herald just came by, checked their emblem, and left. Said it was genuine."
"Then...... this could be dangerous."
*Dangerous.* Even as Ban said the word, his heart pounded like he'd just met his first love. Aidan watched him for a moment before speaking quietly.
"Ban. I won't fault you for your fighting spirit. But don't get overexcited. Excitement is a lousy friend for a swordsman."
"......Understood."
"Any questions? Dolbi. Anything to say?"
"Could...... we refuse this assignment?"
Aidan let out a groan at that. He'd half-expected as much. He knew Yuri was pregnant.
"I won't force you. We do need someone to guard the village. But we should at least get some compensation separately."
"Hey, Dolbi. You really gonna sit this out? Think it over. This might be the first and last chance of your life. Opportunities to earn a favor from a great clan heir don't come around often, you know?"
God stroked his beard with a grin. But Dolbi still looked hesitant. And that was when it happened.
"Then maybe I should tell you what the reward will be for helping me out. That might help you decide, right?"
Everyone whipped their heads around at the sudden voice. Standing by the door—having slipped in unnoticed—was a black-haired man covered in wounds, smiling at them. He looked about Ban's age.
*Tenacious one.*
Ban couldn't tell how deep the injuries were, but blood soaked through the bandages wrapped around his torso. The man, Urong, gazed calmly at Aidan despite it all.
"Captain. Mind if I do a little pitch? Tell 'em what the reward is, what the risks are."
"......Go ahead."
"First, the bad news. The risk? Obvious, but you could die. Right now, those terrifying revolutionaries are on my tail. No idea how many. Could be five, could be dozens. Depends on how badly they want me, I guess."
Dolbi groaned at that. Revolutionaries. Their tenacity and persistence were infamous from rumors alone. They rarely showed up in their village on the central outskirts, but to get tangled up like this......
"Now for the good news. Uh, yeah...... Hey, you, the hesitant young man. Got any dreams? Or something you want......?"
"Not really. I've never even thought about it before......"
"Ah, yeah. Makes sense. How about this? A vast ranch you couldn't cover end to end, a huge mansion. Servants too many to count on your fingers."
Urong grinned.
"I'll give you riches and glory beyond your wildest dreams. Help you achieve any wish. And it's not just for helping some great clan kid. You're on a bigger stage than you think. Help me, and it won't just be the patriarch...... His Majesty the Great King might even commend you."
"Y-Your Majesty?"
"Ah, it might happen. Or not. Anyway, it's simple. Shake off the revolutionaries' pursuit and guide me to the Cho Clan lands. So, quick decision. I'm not exactly swimming in time. In or out?"
Dolbi couldn't answer easily. And that was when Ban quietly asked,
"You said earlier. Any wish can be granted."
"Within reason."
"I want to become the world's strongest swordsman. Can you help with that?"
Ban was prepared for ridicule. It was a familiar reaction. Even after his swordsmanship had skyrocketed, the guard unit members treated such talk like childish nonsense.
But Urong reacted in a way Ban hadn't expected.
He looked at Ban's face, then down at his callused hands. For the first time, the smile faded from his lips.
"You want something even grander than riches and glory. But...... fine. That's the kind of wish worth helping with. Confident you can pull it off?"
"Very."
"Good. Then we're comrades in life and death from today. Proper introductions. You probably heard, but Cho Urong. Third son of the Cho Clan."
Urong extended his hand. Ban grasped it firmly.
"Ban. I'm an orphan."
§
Dolbi ultimately decided to join. Yuri fretted anxiously right up to the end, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.
They set off at dawn. Despite the terror of ruthless revolutionaries on their trail, the road was surprisingly peaceful.
When he'd first arrived, half-dead in a crumbling carriage, now Urong held the reins casually, as if unscathed.
"So, you've only been wielding a sword for about a year?"
Urong seemed to like Ban a lot. Maybe the bold claim of aiming for world's strongest from the get-go amused him.
"Yeah. That's how it turned out."
"Impressive. Growing from newbie to guard unit ace in a year? Hmm, dreaming of number one isn't so crazy."
God, riding beside them, looked like he had plenty to say but stayed silent. Urong chuckled and continued.
"You know, once you hit knight level, you can slice through steel with a sword?"
"......I've heard the rumors. Thought they might be exaggerations...... Is it really true?"
"Exaggerations? Heh, you just haven't seen real monsters. Among the true powerhouses, cutting steel is kid stuff. If you wanna be the world's strongest? Hmm...... You'd better be ready to carve mountains."
"Wha, mountains?"
Even God beside them clicked his tongue in disbelief. He secretly thought this young master was mocking them as country bumpkins. It sounded too absurd.
But not Ban. He was used to believing the absurd. Aiming for world's strongest was absurd to begin with.
Just as Urong took a liking to Ban, Ban liked this boyish young man too.
They made camp and lit a fire as soon as the sun set. Dolbi looked uneasy, fearing pursuers at any moment, but Urong was nonchalant.
"Their horses are no better than ours. Revolutionaries can't just borrow from villages, so they'll run by day and rest by night. Better for us to rest easy. Right, Captain?"
"......Makes sense."
"We head out at dawn. Sleep well till then."
Ban and Dolbi took first watch. As Ban fiddled with Lucas's shortsword, Dolbi sighed.
"You're not even tense."
"......I am. How could I not be?"
He just didn't hate the tension. Maybe it was naivety from not knowing true battlefield peril, but he was even looking forward to his first real fight.
Dolbi muttered,
"Once this mission's done, I'm quitting the guard unit. If I really get that ranch Young Master Urong talked about...... I wanna lie around days and drink nights away with Yuri."
"......You've never told me you wanted that life."
"No point. Who'd think a regular guard gets a shot at that?"
"Fair. Then I can crash at your ranch whenever I want?"
"Heh, might even make you a dedicated guest room."
"Oh, that's cool. Do it. Let me have one rich friend."
They chuckled together. The idle chatter continued until God's shift.
*First time sleeping with my sword gripped tight.*
The night was still dark. Ban turned from the campfire's sparks and hugged Lucas's shortsword close. He felt his heartbeat slowly spread over it.
And that night,
Ban had a dream.
A dream featuring Lucas.