Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 146
>Chapter Title: Have You Heard of Collective Punishment?
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The Small Sword Hall, residence of the Young Patriarch.
Sion paced restlessly around the reception room.
How much time passed like that?
“Young Patriarch, the Tower Lord has arri—”
“He’s here?”
Sion flung open the door to greet Aster.
“Sit down first. I have a lot of questions, but… let me apologize upfront. I’m truly, sincerely sorry.”
Unlike the roundabout apology from before, this was straightforward contrition.
The little lord of Lortel had bowed his head.
Yet, for some reason.
Aster said nothing, neither this nor that.
Sion cautiously lifted his head to gauge Aster’s demeanor, then asked carefully.
“You… are you alright?”
“…Alright?”
“Your expression doesn’t look good. Are your internal injuries that bad? Hey! Is anyone outside? Bring some potions good for internal injuries!”
At Sion’s call, the attendant waiting outside responded immediately. It didn’t take long for a potion to reach the Young Patriarch’s hand.
“A potion, huh. Unlike the ones from the Internal Injuries Guild, this’ll work great even without any breathing technique.”
A high-end luxury product, worlds apart from the potion Karahen had before.
Aster silently took the vial and gulped it down.
His poor expression wasn’t due to injuries, but it was free, and his wounds weren’t exactly minor.
By the time Aster had emptied the expensive potion.
Sion posed his question.
“Seeing as you came back alive, it seems the talks went well… right?”
Aster nodded.
For now, things had wrapped up nicely, just as the Young Patriarch guessed.
‘I thought I was done for sure…’
Surprisingly, Lortel’s Patriarch had agreed to all their demands.
Not only the original goal of the Infinite Chain, but when Aster slyly mentioned the ‘Grave of the Sword God’ amid the mood, he’d nodded along.
Anyway.
“The Infinite Chain told me to talk it over with you.”
“Hmm…! That’s a relief! I’m really sorry once again. Were there any other discussions? I can hear them separately, but… I’m just curious.”
“Other discussions…”
Aster briefly summarized and explained what he’d discussed with the Patriarch regarding the Infinite Chain matter.
For starters, the deal itself would proceed exactly as agreed with the Young Patriarch.
However.
Call it goodwill… He said he’d send the First Sword directly to Baydun Village to announce the contract’s termination.
It might be routine cleanup for Lortel, but from Aster’s perspective, it was quite grateful.
Why?
‘The Decullans will soon notice the variable in Lortel.’
He’d made too much noise.
In the dead of night.
A pillar of fire piercing the sky right in the heart of Lortel was impossible to miss, even if you didn’t want to see it.
So, not right now, but…
‘…At best, a day or two.’
The Decullans would find out in that time.
Then, how would the Decullans respond?
The variable in Lortel. They might not guess at contract termination, but it was enough to warrant precautions. And once they learned of the termination…
With suspicions already on Parun, they’d seize the road to the Academy. Or pull some unexpected scheme.
But.
‘If the First Sword moves, the Decullans won’t have attention to spare elsewhere.’
They’d likely throw their entire intelligence network at tracking the First Sword’s movements.
Unless Lortel went mad, they wouldn’t send the First Sword to strike Decullan, but even the slightest chance meant significant losses for Decullan.
This was the strategic value of Lortel’s Ten Swords—its leader.
Thus.
“…Father showed quite the goodwill.”
Sion’s dumbfounded reaction made sense.
Sir Zeke ranked ‘third,’ but Hamelan, head of the Ten Swords, operated on a different level from the other swords.
That’s when Sion voiced his doubt.
“But you… why the long face? Did something happen?”
Sion eyed Aster’s expression and asked carefully.
For a success, Aster’s face was unnaturally grim.
“Something…”
Aster gave a wry smile, his face slightly stiff.
“The Patriarch gave me a huge gift.”
“…A gift?”
“Yeah, a huge one.”
It wasn’t sarcasm.
What Muhard gave Aster was truly a massive gift.
Just…
- I heard you’re defying Decullan… A fool’s dream. With a crumbling vessel, you can’t even match their retainers, let alone Decullan.
Bitter beyond words.
- A crumbling vessel.
That meant…
‘Circle.’
The imperfection of his core.
* * *
After all the Shadow Knights had left.
“I heard you’re defying Decullan… A fool’s dream. With a crumbling vessel, you can’t even match their retainers, let alone Decullan.”
Those were the Patriarch’s first words to me.
“What do you—”
“Don’t ask how I saw it. Sometimes, demon swords show what you’d rather not see.”
Probably, his demon sword’s power let him peer into my core.
I worried Reverse Heaven might’ve been exposed too, but thankfully, no.
Anyway, he added.
“It’s not heart demons or backlash. The secret art itself has limits.”
The secret art itself has limits?
‘What nonsense is this…’
Hard to accept.
What was the secret art I’d mastered?
Heavenly Origin Art, Decullan’s foundation, overlaid with the Crimson Flame secret art. Limits? That meant Decullan’s secret arts had limits too!
But thinking it over…
‘I didn’t master the full Heavenly Origin Art.’
The art itself was intact.
I’d just taken a different path forging the core.
So, what did that mean?
‘Circle… is an incomplete secret art.’
Honestly, hard to believe.
Why?
In the Great Forest, I’d reached transcendence by completing the Circle.
If it were incomplete, I wouldn’t have transcended even there.
But I couldn’t dismiss it as nonsense.
“It’s fine for now. But as the vessel grows, so do the cracks. Believe it or not, your choice.”
The Patriarch on his iron throne looked so solemn… even bullshit would sound plausible.
Position matters.
‘Probably why others don’t buy my words—my position’s nothing special.’
Anyway.
At this point, I couldn’t ignore it.
So I pondered.
‘First, the Circle in the Great Forest was perfect.’
What was the issue?
Didn’t take long to find the answer.
‘The current Circle… differs from the one in the Great Forest.’
Size first.
The Great Forest Circle was a thick adult anaconda; now, it’s a starved baby one?
‘At first, I thought it was just mana capacity difference. Not that simple.’
I don’t know all causes yet, but they differ.
“Now do you see? Why I called it disappointing.”
I nodded to the Patriarch’s question.
If I hadn’t known, maybe.
To him, I must’ve seemed pathetic.
The Tower Lord.
A leader mastering a clearly limited secret art—how laughable.
But now, curiosity struck.
“What’s the reason?”
“Speak plainly.”
“Why show such favor?”
“Reason…”
Patriarch Muhard eyed me impassively.
Imagination?
His lip curled slightly, mocking. No, not just a feeling.
“Amusing.”
“…What?”
“Your futile struggles despite limits. Sharpening your blade against an unreachable foe. Know this? The ‘Infinite Chain’ you risked your life for means nothing to the main house.”
In other words.
“Curious.”
Wanted to see.
“What face you’d make upon hearing your limits.”
“If I don’t believe?”
“That’d be entertaining too. Turning from truth.”
Hearing that, a thought hit.
Is this guy really Lortel’s Patriarch?
‘Adopted from Decullan as a kid?’
A knight house lord… Noble seats are similar, but this twisted?
Absurd, no laugh.
But the real spectacle followed.
“So, your thoughts?”
“Disappointing.”
Damn, always disappointing.
Troubleshooter trainee days, instructor’s go-to line.
- This instructor is disappointed in you lot!
Hearing it from Lortel’s Patriarch too!
But his words didn’t end.
“Yet, intriguing too. You always move beyond predictions.”
“Meaning…”
“Your limits are clear. Magic Tower and Sword Garden look pitiful too. Infinite Chain? Dodged Decullan this time—how long?”
Thus.
“Predicted: You’ll crumble under Decullan.”
Not just that.
“If repeats like today, won’t even reach Decullan.”
The Patriarch said…
“Like an insect.”
Why change heart and show favor?
Answer, like before.
“Move beyond my predictions.”
In short… expecting.
Me surpassing his predictions.
Overcoming Circle limits, shaking Decullan pursuit, growing Tower and Garden to challenge Decullan.
This feeling…
‘…A filthy sensation I haven’t felt in ages.’
My twisted expression, like chewing crap, for that.
Circle aside.
Lortel Patriarch punched my solar plexus too hard, too many times.
…Recalling this far, I stared at the Young Patriarch before me.
“Have you heard of collective punishment?”
“Punishing guilt by association, right?”
“Good, no injustice later.”
“…?”
I looked at the puzzled Young Patriarch.
But.
‘Will this punk turn like that as Patriarch?’
Tch, better crush him first.
“Anyway, when’s the Infinite Chain handover? Let’s talk that.”
I swiftly changed topics before he caught on.
* * *
Iron Grand Hall.
Hamelan sipped his cup after hearing from the Patriarch about the Tower Lord.
“Hmm, this old man dares guess… the Tower Lord pleased you?”
“Pitiable, that’s all.”
Charging ahead in an inescapable bind. That recklessness doomed to shatter.
That’s when Hamelan shook his head.
“Seems more than that.”
“Does it?”
“Yes, this old servant was your mentor, no? Feels like unspoken reasons.”
“Can’t fool a Ten Sword’s eyes.”
Muhard sipped, lips curling.
Rare smiles since becoming Patriarch, but today unusually loose.
That’s when Hamelan asked.
“May this old man inquire the other reason?”
“Reason…”
Muhard pondered briefly.
Long ago, he recalled a certain magician.
No resemblance to the Tower Lord—save one thing.
“One more who always frolicked beyond my predictions. Seeing the Tower Lord brought him to mind.”
“‘Him’…”
“Who else?”
Muhard uttered the name he loathed.
“Pahren von Decullan.”
“…”
Hamelan gazed at Muhard with trembling eyes.
‘Tower Lord… with Pahren?’
A glimpse of the Patriarch’s hatred for Pahren.