Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Swordran Training Camp, Admission (2)
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When Roin asked about Illya Shult, Gillion started with a sigh, which left quite an impression on him.
In his previous life, Roin had never even heard rumors about Illya Shult.
She hadn't made much of a name for herself back then.
As a result, he knew next to nothing about her.
She was the current captain of Swordran's knight order.
And, for some reason, she'd enacted a special rule forbidding anyone from laying a hand on her body.
That was about it.
Oh, right, one more thing.
She seemed like a woman with a seriously twisted personality.
Her looks aren't bad, though.
Being obsessed with beauty, Roin tended to judge people primarily by their appearance.
Whether they were male or female.
It didn't matter.
Pretty or handsome? Instant interest.
Illya Shult's looks were enough to pique his curiosity.
Of course, nowhere near our big sis.
Still, for Seirawho'd inherited Elien's genesto be able to compete in a beauty contest with her meant she'd taken damn good care of herself.
But Gillion's reaction was more negative than positive.
When I was in Swordran, I was just a mid knight. After finishing the full training and getting commissioned... I'd say about three years in was the last I saw of her.
Really? That's not a long time.
Yeah. But she had a real presence. Because...
Recalling the past, Gillion gave a wry smile.
She crippled three of her fellow trainees.
Her fellow trainees? Doesn't intentionally harming a comrade get you expelled?
They agreed not to hold each other accountable and framed it as a spar, so there was no issue.
Knights could spar among themselves if they both wanted to, even with stakes.
One-on-one or one against many.
Even if someone got seriously hurt, they drew up a written oath called the 'Combat Pledge' agreeing not to pursue liability.
It started as a custom to gauge an opponent's skill, but it was sometimes abused to deliberately take someone out.
Illya Shult and her three fellow trainees.
Their Combat Pledge was this:
We won't stop until one side is dead.
That's insane.
Fellow trainees or not, they'd all completed Swordran's rigorous training.
And she was taking on three at onceRoin was floored by Illya Shult's resolve.
That woman's got nerves of steel.
Must've been confidence in her skills.
But how'd it even come to that?
No idea. The Combat Pledge included a confidentiality clause, so no one could pry.
Well, fair enough then.
Once the Combat Pledge was signed, whatever happened was between them.
Swordran couldn't intervene.
And her unpredictable personality caused issues during operations too. Hard to control, you know.
Then why keep her around instead of kicking her out?
The reason was clear.
Her swordsmanship was leagues above the other mid knights.
Personality problems aside.
Her talent with the blade silenced all the controversy.
It was almost like...
Sounds a lot like me.
Gillion just laughed at that.
Swordran's training camp was located in Nosl, a frozen wasteland.
It was so remote that even teleportation circles couldn't reach it.
The plan was to teleport to the nearest city, then rent horses and head to Nosl from there.
It was a long way, so to make the entrance exam on time, they needed to leave now.
Then Father, Mother. I'll be off.
Alright. Be careful out there.
Take care of yourself.
Admission to Swordran's training camp wasn't set in stone yet.
He had to go take the entrance exam.
Pass, and he'd start training right away.
Fail, pack up and head home.
Gillion had originally offered to go with him.
But Roin was a mid knight now.
Lucas insisted he was past the age of needing babysitting everywhere he went.
So Roin set off alone.
Perks of getting mid knight right away.
Just as he'd calculated.
Roin stepped onto the teleportation circle and set the coordinates.
His destination: a village called Hillan.
As dazzling light enveloped him.
He closed his eyes once, then opened them.
The scenery had changed.
Haven't been to Hillan in ages.
It was pretty far from the Redinus Continent's heartland, so he rarely had reason to visit.
Think I came here once during the Vagran subjugation years ago.
That was twenty years back.
Time flies.
Shaking his head, he approached the soldier guarding the circle.
Write down where you're from, your name, and the current time.
To log it, Roin took the pen and filled out the teleportation record form with all the details.
Then he headed to the bustling downtown street, rumored to have Hillan's best shops.
Now, where was that Equid Merchant Group again.
He had someone to meet there.
Roin wandered searching for the Equid Merchant Group's Hillan branch.
That's when something caught his eye.
No way...!
No doubt about it.
That hot item everyone was dying for.
Lip gloss!
The Bien flower, lip gloss's key ingredient.
Until recently, supplies had dried up completely, making lip gloss harder to find than a star in the sky.
And now, spotting some in a backwater village like Hillan.
I have to get this!
His body moved before his brain could catch up.
Only three tubes left.
More than enough for Roin.
You selling these?
The old merchant bowed politely upon seeing him, recognizing his noble status.
Yes, they are for sale.
How much?
Five gran each.
Five gran.
Nearly seven times the original price.
And still, it was sold out everywhere lately.
Plus, with training in the polar regions ahead, lip gloss was essential.
No one wanted cracked, bleeding lips.
Even at seven times the price, it was worth every coin.
Two of them, so here's ten gran.
The merchant thanked him profusely and handed over the lip gloss.
Didn't see that coming.
He'd brought what was left from home.
But for three hundred days of training, he'd worried it might not last.
Stumbling on some in the market felt like finding a treasure chest on the roadside.
Tucking the lip gloss safely in his inner pocket, he turned back toward the Equid Merchant Group.
......
......
......
Suddenly, three men approached him.
Rough-looking types, every one of them.
One blatantly blocked Roin's path.
The guy scowled and threatened him.
Hand over what you just bought, nice and easy.
You mean the lip gloss?
Yeah.
Roin couldn't help but snicker.
These slobs who clearly never cared about grooming suddenly blocking his way and demanding lip glossit was hilarious.
But the men bristled at his reaction.
Looks like the young noble doesn't get the situation.
We're already at rock bottom in life, so noble or not, we ain't holding back.
Hand it over before you start bawling, kid.
As the man raised his voice, passersby hurried away to avoid getting involved.
More thugs who looked like his crew were even joining in.
Roin clicked his tongue.
Security here's a total mess, huh?
Some places were like that.
Especially remote areasmanagement was spotty.
Meanwhile.
Realizing words weren't working, the men decided to take the lip gloss by force.
The one who'd been hassling Roin drew a knife and swung at him.
But only for a moment.
The man's pupils dilated in shock.
Thumb and index finger.
Roin had caught the bladeswung with full forcebetween them.
A slight squeeze, and with a crunch, the knife shattered.
Guess I'll warm up before the entrance exam.
Perfect timing, he thought.
But someone else seized the opportunity first.
A man pushed through the crowd and charged into the scene.
He kicked the thug in front of Roin square in the ribs.
The guy flew sideways, slammed into a wall, and passed out cold.
Another man saving Roin.
He grinned and said,
How's that, Roin? Perfect timing for my entrance, right?
Roin's rich best friend, Dian.
His eyes screamed, Praise me already, Roin!
Always sticking your nose where it's not wanted.
But all he got was an earful.
Dian had this awful(?) habit of meddling in things Roin never asked for.
This time was no different.
Roin had been planning a quick warm-up.
But Dian stole even that chance.
The thugs scattered in fear at Dian's arrival.
They knew exactly who he was.
How could they not?
The heir to the continent's top merchant group, a tycoon.
And his swordsmanship was top-notch too.
Even if all these lowlifes ganged up, they'd never beat him.
Knowing that, they hightailed it early.
Dian, looking miffed, complained,
I ran over here to save you, and that's the thanks I get?
That's why it stingsso let it sink in. More importantly...
Roin pointed at the unconscious thug.
Take that guy with us to your merchant group.
Him? Why?
Can't wrap my head around it.
Why target his lip gloss out of everything valuable?
That's what he wanted to know.