Flames of the Sacred Sword and a Blushing Farewell
" !!!!!! "
" !!!!!!!!!! "
My body froze for an instant at the sudden turn of events.
And he didn't miss that opening.
" Grk... "
Grover swung his sword and landed a clean hit on me.
But fuck, this was so goddamn unfair.
How often does a sword just break mid-fight?
Fuck, I'd been using that blade for years.
From my first days as a mercenary right up to now, it had never given me a single problem.
Still, there was one silver lining even in this mess:
Shing.
I had another sword—the one I'd pulled from Tusnis Mountain.
'Looks like a masterwork blade, but I wonder if it'll hold up.'
This was only the second time I'd wielded it.
The first was against a mutant boar we'd hunted on a mercenary job.
And now, the second time was against a human opponent.
The first swing hadn't impressed me much.
I'd just channeled aura into it, so naturally it sliced clean through the mutant boar—no big deal.
I didn't think it was the sword's special power that let me do it or anything like that.
So I'd been worried this one might shatter against Grover's techniques too.
" Whoa... insane. "
But those fears were unfounded.
The moment I infused it with aura, this wide-open, unobstructed sensation hit me—like it was addictive as hell. Anyone who picked it up would know it was a master sword.
Maybe it was just the stark contrast after using a plain iron blade for so long?
Whatever.
With this sword, I was sure I could block everything Grover threw at me.
And sure enough,
Clang!
" !!!!!!! "
It repelled his thrust with a solid rebound,
Shh-shh-shwick!
glided his blade aside smoothly,
Whoosh!
and with faster aura infusion, I could even counterattack.
" Ngh. "
Caught off-guard by the shift, he fell back into a defensive stance, clearly racking his brain.
'Can't give him that breathing room. I'd be an idiot to.'
Right? I had to win.
This wasn't some noble knight's honorable duel over honor or whatever.
I had no honor to uphold anyway.
???: Your parents...!!
'Don't have any?'
???: Your honor as a mercenary...!!!
'Society looks down on us even when we're minding our own business?'
......
So who the hell was gonna stop me now???????
Win. Complete the job.
That was all there was to being a mercenary.
I pressed the attack without pause.
Clang! Clang-clang! Clang-clang-clang!
I thrust.
I slashed.
Blocked on one side? Go for the other.
Thrust not landing? Hack instead.
But Grover handled it with skill.
No counters, just pure defense—someone might think he was losing ground.
But that composure actually showed he was still calm, with mental leeway to spare.
And I didn't like that one bit.
If it was just cool-headedness, fine. But his face screamed, "I won't lose to a commoner scum like you." That arrogant calm pissed me off.
'Time to end this... the opening's now.'
Before he could analyze me more,
before he figured out my patterns, angles, and timing and adapted.
I declared with confidence.
" Gonna smash that smug face of yours flat. "
" What did you... say? "
That look—like he was about to call it nonsense.
Sorry, but it hurts your pride too much?
Over the years as a mercenary, I'd met plenty of nobles.
They all had that same expression.
We're better than you. You're just meat shields. Vulgar scum who'll do anything for coin.
I'd swallowed that shit with a smile and bowed to my employers.
That was my place in society.
But not anymore.
In this tournament bubble, I could beat the crap out of him freely.
And I didn't need to kiss noble ass going forward anyway.
I'd be the Hero's Party meat shield from here on—nobles be damned.
Right now, we weren't divided by class. We were equals, temporarily.
Whoosh!
Aura roared to life like raging flames.
Sword-dark fire licked like a demon's grin, swallowing the blade whole.
Couldn't even tell if it was plain steel or crimson inferno anymore.
Socheonhwageom — First Form: Shinjo Gaehwa
As my resolve burned hot, another vision unfolded before my eyes.
A man stood there.
Engulfed in flames.
Like he was fueling the blaze with his own body as kindling.
Yet the fire was surprisingly calm.
Then suddenly,
Fwoosh!
His long, neat coat began rippling up and down.
Shing.
He drew his sword and took his stance.
I couldn't see what lay before his eyes.
Couldn't say why I sensed his rage.
A monster? A blood enemy? Or...
Himself?
Didn't matter.
All I saw was how he circulated his aura in that instant.
His footwork. His swing arc and angle.
The full sequence leading to that technique.
Nothing else.
The man swung.
Like morning sunlight spreading, igniting the world.
His horizontal slash was radiant glory.
The scene etched into my mental image.
" Haaah!! "
I snapped back—the moment I'd vowed to peel Grover's face off and lunged.
The vision had lasted a split second.
But in that blink, my heart pounded.
Aura instinctively recreated the scene under unconscious control.
I was far from that level, but I chased the slash anyway.
This tangled world of will
clashed head-on with Grover's through my sword.
"Socheonhwageom — First Form, Shinjo Gaehwa."
The perfect horizontal dawn
Sizzle.
vaporized his aura as it spread.
By the time the smoke cleared,
Boom!
Thud.
he was already down, out cold.
A massive scorch mark scarred the arena wall.
The referee, stunned by the sight, quickly composed himself.
" Winner: Evan! "
And officially declared me the victor of this brief tournament.
No one cheered for him.
It wasn't that kind of event.
But one person alone clapped softly, her sole celebration for him.
Too quiet to reach his ears, of course.
A few days later.
I was back to my usual routine.
After the tournament, Grover's family—the Sillon House—had formally protested, trying to get me punished.
They were counts, so I was a bit worried,
but
" The duel between Evan and Grover was a fair match under imperial approval. No liability applies. "
The empire came through, as expected.
I wouldn't make the history books, but from the moment I won, I was Hero's Party material.
They had to cover for this much, right?
Made me think I could strut a bit more from now on.
Feeling good, I took a stroll down the street,
when
" Stop it! "
" Heh, what's the problem, miss? Dropped your herb basket? Or... strutting around with those huge tits on display? "
I spotted Bell cornered by thugs in a narrow alley.
" Hey, you fucking bastards!! "
I yelled and cursed as they turned to me.
I smashed a roundhouse into their dumb heads and piled them in the corner for a group takedown.
Patrols in Rotten weren't that tight.
A little longer, and things might've gotten dangerous.
" Whew... you okay? "
" Ah! Y-yes! I'm fine... thanks to you... "
She blushed.
Bell's ear tips turned bright red.
With a teasing lilt, I asked,
" Blushing over something like this? "
" N-no... it's just... um... "
Piiiiiing!
A kettle whistled somewhere, and Bell went quiet for a while.
I took her to a nearby park and sat her down first.
After a bit, she calmed and spoke.
" They swarmed me out of nowhere, and I panicked... then you swooped in like a fairy-tale hero... it felt... weird. Like, good weird? "
But her words barely registered.
Cute.
Her reaction was just too adorable.
Anyone would've called it cute—not just me.
I wasn't weird; she had plenty of charm.
To lighten the mood, I changed topics.
" Herb gathering going well lately? "
" Yes! What you told me last time really helped... "
That sparked our chat.
Bell and I talked for hours in the park.
Bored? Coffee at a nearby café.
Sometimes we'd laugh at dumb jokes by the fountain.
Before I knew it, the sun was dipping low.
" Um... I should head back. Friends are waiting. "
" Ah... "
A bit disappointed, but I let her go.
Plenty of time left anyway.
Plenty of chances to meet again.
" Got it. Take care. "
" Y-yeah... you too, Evan... "
We parted with goodbyes.
I headed straight back to my lodging.
No way I could train or anything in this state, this mood.
That night, I tossed and turned in bed before finally crashing hard.
Next day.
I wandered the city again.
Hoping, maybe, I'd run into Bell today too.
But
looks like the time I'd been given wasn't as generous as I'd thought.
" Please come to the marquis's castle shortly. "
The Hero's Party was about to leave town.