Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Heroes Grow Through Battle - 4
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I've never gone all out against Kaild even once.
But before my regression, I'd watched his sword hundreds, thousands of times, picturing it in my head over and over.
The image of me defeating him and standing tall before him.
And surprisingly.
I'd never once completed that picture.
‘So from the start, I'll show you a technique.’
Quick Dash!
My leg muscles swelled up enormously.
And.
-Ta-at!
The dirt of the training ground couldn't withstand my kick and shot up several meters into the air.
I closed the distance to Kaild at a speed several times faster than an arrow.
“Eut.”
Kaild wore a flustered expression as he hurriedly raised his sword to block.
-Kagagagang!
Sparks flew from the sword amid an ear-splitting friction sound.
The sword I'd aimed as a surprise attack was blocked by Kaild far more easily than expected.
“Not a special-grade mercenary after all.”
“Nothing beyond that.”
“I can understand your confidence to some degree. But.”
Kaild tilted his sword ever so slightly.
What? Tilting the sword from that stance?
‘Then his neck's wide open.’
Puzzled, I still thrust my sword toward his neck.
But Kaild twisted his body with ghostly skill, raising his tilted sword a full 90 degrees.
How was it possible to shift his stance like that?
“Kuuk.”
Hwiiik.
The sword grazed my hair and missed.
After a brief moment of relief, a tsunami of Kaild's sword strikes came pouring down.
“I admit it. Letting you take the first move was my arrogance.”
“......!”
“So let's get a little serious.”
Ku-gu-kwang. Kwa-ang.
Even though it was just swords clashing, the impact hit like my entire body had been pummeled by a massive hammer.
Ta-at. Tat.
I charged at him with ‘Quick Dash' again and again, then widened the distance.
But he dodged me or kept up with astonishing reflexes and speed.
[Hey. What's with you. Do it properly!]
‘I am doing it properly? This is why office workers suck.’
[Was I an office worker? First I've heard.]
Bing-geul.
I dodged his final sword strike by dropping my body low.
Then kicked off from below, launching upward.
“Die! No, don't actually die!”
“You've still got the breath to yap.”
Tak.
‘Eut?’
What, what was that.
When I snapped to, my sword had stopped dead.
He'd grabbed the blade bare-handed!
Ju-reuk.
His skin and flesh tore against the edge, his hand bone grating horribly.
But it hadn't sliced clean through.
‘Amazing. Normally, it would've cut straight to the bone.’
Coincidentally, Kaild muttered something similar.
“Amazing. Normally, not even the skin would've been scratched.”
“......”
“Let's end this now.”
He yanked the arm gripping the blade toward himself.
Then clenched his opposite fist, drawing it back like a bowstring pulled taut, aimed right at me.
[Danger! If that hits, your head's flying off.]
‘It's fine.’
I'd prepared for exactly this.
The thing I'd hidden under my tongue... the Withering Jewel, now in my mouth.
I blew a hefty dose of its vital energy into my left hand.
“As expected, battle's true flower is a brawl!”
My arm muscles, brimming with vital energy, swelled like they might burst.
“Huh?”
Discomfort flickered in Kaild's eyes for the first time.
But he couldn't pull back the attack he'd already committed to.
And neither could I.
I unleashed everything toward his incoming fist hurtling at my head.
-Pu-eo-eok!
Fist met fist dead in midair.
Just from that, the surrounding sand and small pebbles lifted into the air before falling.
Kwa-ji-jik.
An utterly repulsive sound echoed from someone's arm.
Mine? Kaild's?
The answer came quick.
Ppa-duk.
Kaild's arm shattered.
Not merely broken.
Hundreds of bone shards must've been rattling around lost inside his skin.
“Kuuk!”
Pain enough to black out a dozen times over, yet Kaild didn't scream or writhe.
Instead, he staggered back several steps, clutching his ruined arm.
His pupils shook—mental shock outweighing the physical agony.
“This can't be.”
“......”
“Why'd it end like this? What trick did you pull!”
I ignored him and glanced down at my left arm.
Veins ruptured inside, leaving it swollen, but far better than Kaild's utterly pulverized bones.
“Sometimes the more complicated a problem seems, the simpler the answer.”
“......”
“I'm just stronger than you.”
A-deuk.
He ground his teeth.
“No matter how I slice it, you winning defies common sense.”
“Why? You said it yourself.”
“What?”
“Heroes don't lose. So I didn't.”
Kaild's expression shifted.
He hurled the sword he'd been using to the ground.
Surrender? Hardly.
Seu-uk.
His hand went to the scabbard on his other side.
‘That sword?’
The hilt pattern alone told me what it was.
The hero's sword!
No—the ‘fake' hero's sword he'd supposedly nabbed from Padania Brook's tomb.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
[No need to flinch just ‘cause he switched weapons.]
‘Not flinching. And that's no ordinary weapon.’
[Sure, but it's fake anyway.]
‘Before regression, Kaild wielded that fake hero's sword for quite a while. I saw what he did with it up close—closer than anyone.’
Going for broke now?
I readjusted my stance.
That was when it happened.
“Neuhu.”
A bizarre laugh, impossible to mimic, leaked from Kaild's mouth.
He always played the saintly type, but every so often, he'd make that creepy noise.
Usually when he had some scheme brewing.
“Let's call it. I lost.”
He pulled his hand away from the fake hero's sword.
Trail muttered.
[Unexpected.]
‘Not unexpected at all. He's already figured it out.’
[Figured what?]
‘Not a monster, but swinging a hero's sword at a fellow human—how his comrades would see that. So now he's pivoting to the next play.’
[Even with his arm bone in pieces?]
That guy? Easily.
I held silent a moment, then relaxed my stance.
Pushing him further here might force him to draw the fake hero's sword—and I'd be the one in trouble.
“Yeah. Let's call it here.”
“Thanks for holding back. Your skill really is something else.”
“Sure.”
“Thinking on it, we don't really need to fight like this.”
Kaild flashed his usual soft smile.
“Let's get along from now on. Maide.”
“What?”
“The oracle hasn't dropped yet. Even if we don't devour each other beforehand, it'll reveal the true hero anyway when it does.”
“......”
“Till then, let's build our reps hard. I'll take the south. You handle the north.”
I hadn't seen that coming, so I furrowed my brow.
He kept going.
“And when the oracle hits, loser joins the winner's crew.”
“So the hero gets to swallow up the loser's fame too?”
“Sharp. Exactly.”
Both of us hiding pitch-black intentions, trading blunt words.
Plenty of room to shake hands here—no one'd complain.
I spoke up.
“Basically agree. Minus the ‘get along' bit.”
“That was just me testing the waters anyway.”
“How about some healing? You look rough.”
“Hmm.”
Kaild eyed his arm with deep dissatisfaction.
“What a frail arm.”
“......”
“Doesn't suit a hero. But beggars can't be choosers.”
He glanced backward.
“Serein.”
Serein, who'd been standing there dazed, snapped to attention like a recruit.
“Yes, yes!”
“Sorry. Showed you something ugly.”
“Ah, no. Not at all.”
“Think you could heal me?”
“Of course! One moment.”
Serein—and Risel and (positionally, anyway, a comrade) Offense—rushed to Kaild.
Not to be outdone, Neril, Jenia, and Adwin hurried to my side.
We each received treatment from the priests and holy knights.
“Heavenly God...”
“Please grace this place with your merciful hand.”
As expected, Serein dominated in healing.
Kaild's treatment—which should've dragged on far longer than mine—wrapped up at almost the same time.
Jenia bit her lip.
“Sorry, Maide.”
“No big deal. Just different specialties.”
I gave Jenia's shoulder a light pat and turned to Kaild.
He spoke.
“I'd like to apologize for that sloppy start, right here.”
Kaild bowed at the waist.
He always knew exactly what ‘landed' in any situation.
Refuse the apology now, and we'd be the villains.
But zero interest in chumming it up with him, so I waved it off casually.
“It's fine, fine. Heroes grow through battle or whatever—let's roll with that.”
“Huhu. You're a fun one.”
“More to the point—what now?”
His eyes lit up like he'd been waiting for the question.
“You know what's going down in Tetra territory?”
“Earthquake vibes. Hero senses tingling.”
“Figured you'd...”
He shook his head.
“Same here. And we're gonna stop that earthquake.”
“......”
“You're here for that too, right?”
No.
At first, stopping it wasn't even on my mind.
Just warn ahead of time, cut the damage, rack up fame—that was the plan.
But with Risel here, half-measures won't cut it.
I straightened up and replied.
“Yeah. I am.”
“Hmm.”
He stroked his chin, mulling it over.
Then spoke slowly.
“Per our deal earlier, who stops the quake here might not matter much. Either way, the eventual hero absorbs the fame when the oracle drops.”
“......”
“But this time, I wanna compete for real.”
His proposal:
“Go to the lord's mansion together tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
“Declare to the lord that ‘one of us' will stop the earthquake. Have him spread the word far and wide. Boosts the fame.”
“......”
“Then we each do our thing our way. If I win here.”
He met my eyes dead serious.
“How about joining my side early?”
“Nope.”
“Knew it.”
He shrugged.
“Let's give it our all. You said heroes grow through battle, right? Duel's got me liking you a bit.”
Cut the bullshit.
Lame theatrics from a guy who'd kill me given half a chance.
I swallowed a sigh and stood.
Kaild already had his hand out.
“Alright. Fair and square.”
“Of course.”
We shook, schemes tucked away.
Hard to imagine a faker handshake in this world.
In Trail's words:
‘Idria'd love this one.’
We headed back to the inn and crammed into one room.
Neril eyed my over-healed arm with worry before speaking.
“You sure you're really okay now? Jenia, hit it once more.”
“Ah, seriously—how many times? Even if the Heavenly God came down, couldn't heal it more.”
“But still, what if.”
“It's fine, for real. Grandma, you've been off since earlier—you notice?”
“Uheng. Sorry.”
“......Damn. Super weird. Didn't catch the grandma bit.”
Right?
I swung my arm in circles on purpose before opening my mouth.
“Totally fine. No need to worry.”
“Wasn't worrying? Just a little concerned.”
What's the difference?
Adwin piped up then.
“Bro. That last fist clash, though.”
“Yeah.”
“The Withering Jewel? That thing you showed me before—you used it, right?”
“Sharp eyes.”
I worked my tongue and spat out the jewel. Ptoo.
Jenia tsked.
“Eugh. Had to store it like that? We might need it next time.”
“No other way to keep it from him. I'll clean it good.”
“Whew. Anyway, without that...”
“Yeah. Tough to call the win for sure.”
My calm admission had Neril arching a brow.
“Not saying you're weak, upfront. But what the hell's Kaild? Strong as hell, and that calm with a shredded arm—first I've seen.”
“Hmm.”
“You, me, Jenia—we were known quantities from the jump. Adwin's got no rep, but he's got that standout necromancer Mariana for a dad.”
“......”
“But Kaild? Total nobody. Zero trace of him before he claimed hero.”
Spot on.
Even pre-regression, nothing on Kaild's childhood or teen years.
Nothing to add, so I just gave an awkward smile.
Neril sighed at my grin.
“That guy's seriously infuriating.”
“Same. That's why I'm flipping his fame completely this time.”
“......”
“Neril—the thing I asked for?”
She smirked.
“Risel? Got a message to her somehow. If the plan holds, she'll show here at midnight.”
Good.
Now, time to pull Risel to our side.