Chapter 65: A Sinful Man (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 65: A Sinful Man (2)
Weapon always used to tell me the same thing. Out of everyone he’d ever met in his life, I was the most oblivious.
He was talking about how, back during our first year as Academy cadets, I somehow failed to realize how Ryozo felt about me until near the very end of the second semester.
But Weapon had it completely wrong.
‘It’s not easy to find someone with sharper eyes than mine.’
Do you know what?
Situational awareness—reading the room—is a far more crucial virtue for a swordsman than sheer skill with a blade.
In our line of work, I was the absolute best at it.
I’m not trying to brag. It’s an undeniable fact. Pure truth.
Anyway.
Gooooooo...
Therefore, the moment the prickling stares of the Royal Guard beat against my skin, I picked up on it instantly. Envy and jealousy—the two negative emotions dominating their brains.
Wow, it’s practically suffocating.
A whole group of dark-faced men radiating raw animosity made a chill run down my spine. Back in the military, there was an NCO blatantly dating a popular female officer—I’d become that exact guy. The enemy of all males.
‘Mmm.’
Rolling up to a place reeking of male sweat with women in tow...
The military is a place enchanted so that even an ordinary woman looks like an idol. And here I was, walking in with women whose faces put real idols to shame flanking me on both sides...
‘Unintentionally, of course.’
I swallowed a silent sigh.
‘Well, nothing I can do about it.’
Since I’ve already become a sinful man, I might as well push their buttons properly. Actually, this works out great. To induce a mistake from the Royal Guard, this situation is perfect.
‘Besides, aren't those guys pretty much my enemies anyway?’
I sat down in the provided chair. Then, swinging my right leg out in a wide arc, I casually crossed it over my left.
“I’m ready.”
“On second thought, I do not believe it is appropriate to demonstrate the Royal Guard’s training in front of outsiders...”
Oscar grit his teeth internally.
Oh, I hear you.
I respect that opinion.
“I’m an outsider too.”
Which is why I ignored it.
“And these are my acquaintances.”
I clasped my hands around my knee.
“Now then.”
I flicked my chin up at the Royal Guard as arrogantly as possible. Shail and Choi Seol-ah, taking the cue, positioned themselves right behind my left and right shoulders.
The intensity of the stares piercing me grew thicker.
“Go ahead and start.”
I don't get full of myself over things like this.
After all, doesn't Weapon have another catchphrase he always throws at me?
‘Chief, you’re an impo—’
Episode. A Sinful Man
The Royal Guard’s drill training was impressive enough to make an onlooker genuinely admire it. Curious if I might find some flaw, I ended up watching the drill while temporarily forgetting the purpose of my visit.
“Impressive.”
Shail’s short but punchy review.
Whether her comment reached the ears of the guardsmen or not, the sweat beads forming on their foreheads grew noticeably thicker.
In truth, Shail looked unimpressed. She leaned down slightly and whispered.
“It is not easy for heroes to form ranks in such perfect unison. Since each possesses a different Blessing.”
“Yet their Blessings do not clash with one another. How to put it... it is like a 'puzzle.'”
“Ah, a puzzle. That is a fitting metaphor.”
Most heroes had abrasive personalities.
Each had a strong ego.
Unless facing an ultra-powerful foe like a Corps Commander, they were self-centered people who lived doing whatever they pleased, full of themselves. They lacked a sense of cooperation.
“The jagged edges and cutouts fit together perfectly. The intensity of the training is one thing, but they must have suffered quite a bit just selecting the right personnel.”
I nodded.
“Only the Imperial Family could pull off something like this. Shail, do you know the market capitalization of the East India Company?”
“I only know that it is astronomical.”
“They say it's 110 quadrillion won. 110 quadrillion.”
“...That is a number larger than the stars. I suddenly feel a sense of deprivation...”
“Me too.”
As we whispered among ourselves, we felt those protestations of glares once more. The Royal Guard seemed deeply bothered by our presence. Their bodies and eyes were out of sync.
“Mmm...”
Choi Seol-ah tilted her head with an uncertain expression, so I asked her.
“What is it? Need the bathroom?”
“Well, that too... No!”
Choi Seol-ah almost jumped before instantly composing herself. She covered her mouth with her hand and spoke quietly.
“It's just... I can sense magi.”
“The world’s gone to hell these days. Anyone who knows anything knows magic power flows everywhere now.”
“It’s not quite that...”
Choi Seol-ah glanced at the Royal Guard absorbed in their drill. The guardsmen smirked, showing their teeth, their faces perking up.
They looked a bit foolish, but they were the Royal Guard. It’s just that the military has a way of making people stupid.
“...I sense magi coming from a person,” Choi Seol-ah elaborated.
I snapped my gaze to meet hers and asked back.
“Are you saying there’s a Villain here?”
In her youth, Choi Seol-ah had been a Villain who formed a master-servant contract with Agor, the 5th Corps Commander. Later, she forged a contract with Hontail, which was still ongoing.
She was exceptional at sensing magi. These days, with 'Villains' virtually eradicated, her ability was unmatched.
“They seem like a Villain, but at the same time, they don't. In the first place, you're the one who wiped out the Villain Syndicate, my Lord. Unless they're insane, how could they revive? Above all, even if someone wanted to become a servant right now, they couldn't. There's no suitable host.”
“And that’s because of me too?”
“'Thanks' to you, yes.”
“By the way, you didn't say anything about this earlier.”
“Well, there are two cases where a person leaks magi outside their body.”
First.
When conflicting emotions are mixed together.
When in a melancholy mood—feeling both good and bad at the same time—they unwittingly leak magi. It happens because a gap opens up between conflicting emotions.
Second.
“...It sounds a bit strange to put it like this, but I smell it in their 'bodily fluids.' Though that's because I'm a special case...”
“Are you a succubus?”
“My master used to be Agor, the Succubus Empress. I wonder if I was influenced by that.”
Saying so, Choi Seol-ah stepped back half a pace as if embarrassed. Then, pouting her lips, she gestured to the side.
“...”
Victoria was staring at us through narrowed eyes, looking as if she were dying of curiosity herself.
‘Sorry, but I can't tell you just yet.’
Only after properly ascertaining the truth. It won't be too late to tell her then. I averted my gaze and refocused on the training. Victoria also pouted her lips and looked away.
‘You’re listening, right?’
I spoke while keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead. Purely through thought.
-...
Ignoring me, huh?
‘I know full well you can hear me.’
Only then did Garyeon’s response return alongside a sigh.
-I had turned off thought-reading, but I could not pretend not to hear all your whispering even if I tried. Please forgive my oversight, Heavenly Sword-nim.
‘Instead of forgiveness, let’s hear the Royal Steward’s opinion.’
-...
Garyeon hesitated before speaking. Via telepathic transmission.
-...This is shocking...
‘There is a human wielding magi inside the Royal Guard. Right under the nose of the Imperial Court that Royal Steward Garyeon loves so much. Though I don't know for sure, the host probably isn't among the people here.’
Because if someone here were a host for magi, I would have noticed without Choi Seol-ah having to tell me.
-If that is the opinion of Heavenly Sword-nim.
‘Does the Royal Steward have an outline for our future plan now?’
-I will investigate separately. Furthermore, I will adjust our direction so that your actions are granted full legitimacy.
Quick on the uptake.
A hero colluding with demons is still a severe crime.
If exposed, the punishment is severe. Thus, the Royal Guard and whoever is behind them...
‘If their connection to the demons comes to light...’
I can secure a legitimate cause to legally interrogate them. And Garyeon was signaling her intent to find the connecting link herself.
‘Choi Seol-ah is surprisingly helpful.’
She always pops up out of nowhere, but unexpectedly, she provides crucial clues. It's like a blind dog bumping into a bone, but I reckon it stems from her 'survival instinct.'
Looking at it like this, my lineup is pretty solid. Shail distracts the Royal Guard, Choi Seol-ah senses magi, and Garyeon peeks into their minds.
‘My luck with people is great, just in a weird direction...’
A short while later.
“Haah, haah...”
Breaths resembling the snorting of beasts burst out from all over. The tense, high-intensity drill training finally came to an end.
Clap.
I absentmindedly began clapping. Shail and Choi Seol-ah followed suit, bringing their hands together.
Clap, clap, clap.
A modest round of applause. The Royal Guard reorganized their formation with sheepish expressions.
“It was a lacking demonstration, but thank you.”
Oscar wiped his chin and stepped forward.
“It was splendid. At the same time, it’s a bit disappointing. If talents like these had participated in the 2nd Human-Demon War, the casualty count would have been drastically reduced.”
Oscar knit his brows in displeasure.
“The Royal Guard serves only the Imperial Family.”
“Yes. Looking at your training alone, that seems to be the case.”
“...What do you mean by that...?”
“It feels like your training as a whole is focused on facing a 'specific single individual.' Though it doesn't seem like a magic-wielding Majin.”
“...”
In the silence, I brushed off my seat and stood up. I strode straight toward the Royal Guard. Their eyes darted back and forth erratically, completely lost. They looked utterly flustered, unsure whether to attack or stand down.
“Since we're already at it, why don't you go a round with me too?”
There was something Royal Steward Garyeon had said the moment we entered the training building.
* * *
-Hmm, it seems the guardsmen wish to end this drill training with a spar against you, Heavenly Sword-nim. How ridiculous.
It wasn't ridiculous.
‘The Royal Guard is planning to turn the tables on me.’
They wanted a scene where I indiscriminately beat them to a pulp. It was to leave behind proof that I was a dangerous individual.
-Should you not simply ignore them?
‘If I avoid it, they’ll criticize me for backing down.’
-...A checkmate, then. Exploiting your position as someone with much to lose, Heavenly Sword-nim.
‘Pretty much.’
-Then what do you intend to do?
I smirked slightly, tugging up the corner of my lips.
‘I’ll play along with them.’
* * *
Back to the present.
“Watching your training made my body itch for action.”
Kang Geomma drew two Daixo Sashimi knives. The guardsmen exchanged quick glances. A narrow-eyed man who appeared to be the deputy nodded toward Oscar.
Having implicitly reached an agreement, Oscar spoke up.
“If that is your wish.”
Likewise, he raised his armament, a Zweihänder—a German two-handed greatsword—up to his chest. Kang Geomma spoke.
“What are you all doing?”
“...Pardon?”
One of them let out a dumbfounded noise. Kang Geomma urged them on, exasperated.
“Everyone, draw your weapons.”
“...?”
“Do you really think the Guard Commander alone can handle me?”
Oscar’s expression turned into quite a sight.
Snap.
Regardless, Kang Geomma snapped his fingers. Immediately, a purple barrier with a gentle curvature stretched across the area. Everyone in the venue turned pale and looked around in shock.
“It’s a temporary Subspace Barrier.”
Kang Geomma could freely combine the Blessing of the Sword God with Lycan's magic power. While it lacked durability due to imperfect environmental conditions, he could deploy a subspace even outside Joaquin Academy. Strictly as a temporary measure.
“I set the timer to one minute.”
Kang Geomma bounced lightly in place. His body felt surprisingly light today.
“I’ll stick to close-quarters combat and hand-to-hand fighting, so feel free to hit me with everything you’ve got. I’ve been wanting to work up a sweat for a while anyway.”
Oscar reacted.
“...Even so, that is—”
Swooosh! A streak of light flashed past him. Oscar stiffly turned his gaze toward the presence behind his back.
“Keuh, keuuuugh!”
The deputy clawed at his neck. A red line crept upward like a binding rope, strangling his neck. It was a line of blood.
Thump.
Following that, a head rolled nonchalantly across the ground. Its spinning only stopped once it hit the wall.
All eyes shifted. Under their gathered gazes, Kang Geomma turned around.
“It’s a habit of mine to take out the narrow-eyed ones first.”
...As he pulled his Daixo Sashimi out from the crook of his arm.