Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Taming the Prodigies
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Thud, thud!
Was it because this was an old building with an empty corridor devoid of any furnishings?
Ian's footsteps echoed throughout the entire hallway.
'They must be pretty confused by now.'
Ian thought as he walked down the corridor.
No matter how much of hotheads they were, they were still green kids who hadn't even hit twenty yet.
Moreover, unlike the old Ian, these weren't incompetents dismissed as half-baked. They were talents recognized by the vassal families and branches within the martial clan.
It was just that no one had won their hearts until now.
With their talents backing them up to some degree, even if they'd acted arrogantly, they'd never been treated like trash before.
No matter how eccentric or self-centered their behavior had been.
The reason was simple.
Their talents were exceptional.
Their futures were promising.
That's why they'd been even more haughty, twisted, and spoiled.
'I can see it without even looking.'
Ian had subjugated countless talents under his command back in the Northern Continent's Krohoka.
Among all those people, had there not been a single arrogant one?
With types like that, you absolutely could not start by bowing low and acting humble.
But you also couldn't just crush them with brute force.
The key was indifference. Treat their talents like they were nothing special—nice to have, but not a big deal either way.
Encountering that attitude for the first time, they'd panic and grow curious.
Who the hell does this guy think he is, daring to look down on me like that?
And that curiosity would soon turn to anger.
Fine. Let's see just how great you really are to act so cocky.
They'd start observing you, testing you.
'If you fail their test, the prodigy who issued it will leave.'
Overachieving talents like that varied slightly in their methods, but most followed the same pattern.
They never pledged loyalty to someone who didn't meet their personal standards.
They never opened their hearts to someone who couldn't understand their struggles.
But once you passed that stage...
From then on, these hotheads would devote everything to their loyalty.
Ian was confident.
Confident he wouldn't fail the test from kids who hadn't even hit twenty.
Confident he wouldn't fall short of their standards.
Look at them even now.
'One's already started.'
Thud, thud!
The footsteps still echoed through the building, following Ian's pace.
To the casual ear, they sounded no different from before, but Ian's senses didn't miss the subtle irregularity that had begun moments ago.
'Judging by the resonance of the sound now... above me.'
Not a bad choice.
The ceiling was one of the top spots assassins favored, right up there with underfoot.
Simple reason.
Human vision couldn't cover both the overhead and the ground at once.
That's why assassins loved ceiling ambushes.
But precisely because of that...
'Too predictable.'
Shhh!
Ian's senses caught fine powder drifting slowly from above.
Hummm!
Without breaking stride, Ian slowly circulated the Blood Demon Iron Chain Art.
Blood Demon True Qi began flowing through the mana conduits opened by unraveling the Solar Meridian Blockage chains.
It was feeble compared to the majestic energy of his past life, but Blood Demon True Qi was one of the world's most domineering forces in its own right.
Even with most mana conduits still sealed by the Solar Meridian Blockage chains, it wasn't so pathetic that it couldn't handle mere child-made poison.
...Grrrr!
From above, he could feel the agitated energy churning in frustration as the poison failed to take effect.
'Tsk tsk. So immature.'
He'd suspected it from when she'd fallen for Ralph's taunt and bickered earlier.
Sylvia had poor emotional control.
For an assassin of the Clonen Shadow House, losing composure and showing emotion just because her ambush was blocked? Unacceptable.
Shing! Whoosh!
He drew the Lesser Serpent with his left hand and hurled it at the ceiling.
"!"
Clang!
A sharp metallic clash rang out.
Caught off guard by the sudden counter, she hadn't dodged—just blocked.
An assassin panicking at retaliation? Another point deduction.
Sylvia glanced toward where Ian had been, but he'd already vanished.
'...Where'd he go?'
As if reading her mind...
"Right beside you."
Ian's voice came from immediately next to her.
"!"
Her body reacted to the voice before her mind could, but...
Ian's movement was a fraction faster.
By then, the Greater Serpent in his right hand was already at her throat.
"An assassin must never reveal their emotions. The essence of the Clonen Shadow House's killing arts is assassination and ambush. You've probably only handled easy missions due to your age, so it hasn't mattered yet... but if you keep failing to hide your feelings, you won't last long."
"...!!"
His evaluation cut like a blade.
Ian withdrew the sword from her neck and added one more thing.
"And if it were me, I wouldn't have chosen the ceiling. The high ceiling gives your poison too much time before it reaches me."
With his assessment complete, Ian descended from the ceiling and leisurely headed to his room.
Sylvia stared blankly at his retreating back from above.
He paused.
As if struck by a thought before entering the room, Ian added one last remark.
"Who knows, though. Maybe there's a path where mastering the killing arts makes you strong enough not to lose even in open combat. Like how you held your own against Ralph."
"...!!"
His quiet words snapped focus back into Sylvia's dazed eyes.
For the first time, someone had appeared who understood and voiced the path she sought.
Excluding Sylvia, who had chased after Ian into the Latent Dragon Squad building, the remaining four kids were still at a loss over this absurd situation.
"Hah... this is a first for me. Intriguing."
The magic-wielding boy adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and muttered.
"That arrogant bastard... a half-baked punk like him dares treat me like trash?"
Grind!
Ralph Kalia ground his teeth, unable to hide his rage.
"Hmm... we got outplayed. Was the Second Young Lord capable of this kind of scheme?"
"What the hell are you babbling about?"
"If we just leave like this, it'll put us in a weird spot."
"Explain it so I can understand!"
Ralph pressed Ryu An.
"Think about it. Right now, it's not us rejecting the Second Young Lord—it's him declaring us 'unnecessary' after seeing us. If we walk away, word will spread in the clan: 'Oh, those guys got rejected even by the half-baked Second Young Lord.'"
That wouldn't do.
They were the ones supposed to judge talent, not have the half-baked Second Young Lord dismiss them as trash.
"So what do we do?"
"What else? We follow his lead for now."
"Damn it! Nothing about this sits right!"
As Ralph kept venting, Ryu An's expression gradually hardened.
"...And a warning: don't use that vulgar tone with me. I'm not your subordinate."
"Oh? Since we're on the topic, why don't we settle who's above who right here?"
Despite clashing with Sylvia earlier and passing out from Ian's strike, Ralph's fighting spirit hadn't dimmed.
Ryu An shook his head at the bullheaded Ralph.
"...Tch, forget it. Do whatever you want. Your actions are none of my business."
With that, Ryu An slowly headed into the Latent Dragon Squad building.
Perhaps inspired by his words, the mage boy and the girl in priestly robes followed him in.
That left only Ralph in the training ground.
Whoooosh!
The blowing wind wrapped around him in lonely solitude.
"Ah... damn it. I hate being dragged around."
Ralph scratched the back of his head and scowled.
"Damn, getting played by some half-baked punk... Hey! Let's go!"
With Ralph's grumbling bringing up the rear, all the Latent Dragon Squad members entered the building, and the noisy first night of the unit slowly drew to a close.
A full week had passed since Ian and the Latent Dragon Squad members started spending time in the same building.
During that time, Ian showed no interest in anyone.
Or more precisely, he didn't initiate any conversations.
What they needed to open their hearts wasn't clichéd chit-chat or friendly attitudes.
Ian's week was spent figuring out exactly what they wanted and needed.
Hwoooo!
A heavy blade cleaved through the air.
Steam rose continuously from his bare torso where the morning chill clashed with his inner heat.
Veins bulged on his forearms, his abs were sharply defined, and his shoulders were broad.
It was hard to believe this boy's body hadn't fully matured yet—it was massively developed.
Pallkion sword house swordsmen had well-built physiques, but few had muscles this massive.
Their swordsmanship was swift, elegant, and infinitely variable.
Such huge, thick muscles would only hinder that.
But the blade Ryu An swung was slow, crude, and utterly straightforward.
The exact opposite, yet Ryu An had no doubt his training was on the right track.
It wasn't on par with the Kalia soldier house's halberds, battle hammers, or war axes, but his blade was still a far heavier weapon than a sword.
For wielding such a heavy weapon, these muscles were only natural.
"Hoo..."
Ryu An was about to wrap up his satisfying morning training.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you're completely off track."
A voice shattered his refreshed mood like dumping filth on it.
"...Second Young Lord?"
Turning his head, Ryu An spotted Ian squatting on the stairs at the edge of the training ground, chin propped on his hand, watching him.
"What did you mean by that?"
It wasn't something a hothead like himself should say, but after a week of silence, for his first words to be criticizing his training?
Even if Ryu An was milder than Ralph, he couldn't help getting angry.
No—having endured disadvantages as a direct sword house descendant to abandon the sword for the blade, his pride in it surpassed Ralph's.
"You'd better explain properly. If that was just thoughtless trash talk... I'll teach you words come with responsibility."
Yaaawn.
Despite Ryu An's menacing growl, Ian just yawned in response.
"You're off track, so I said you're off track. What else should I say?"
"You little...!!"
"A guy swinging a blade is training the exact same way as the sword house. That says it all, doesn't it?"
...Halt!
Ryu An's body froze mid-rage as he raised his blade.
"...What are you talking about?"
He couldn't be using the sword house training methods. Otherwise, he'd have developed a balanced swordsman's build.
What part of his body looked like the sword house?
Pat, pat!
Ian brushed the dust off his rear and stood, slowly approaching Ryu An and snatching his blade.
Clunk!
"Pretty hefty. Nice blade."
Ryu An's eyes gleamed as he watched Ian swing it effortlessly.
This was a custom weapon made to order at the clan's forge.
Lighter than most blades, sure, but not something the half-baked Ian should handle so easily.
Whatever Ryu An thought, Ian gripped the blade firmly a few times before suddenly swinging it at him.
Shrieeeek!
"...!"
The wind from the swift strike whipped his hair.
Ian's blade halted just before diagonally slicing his shoulder.
"A blade is heavy. And straightforward. So, for the most efficient use of that blade, where do you need the muscle?"
Ian tapped Ryu An's thigh with the flat and continued.
"Your lower body. A blade's explosive destructive power comes from a balanced lower body. But what's yours like?"
At Ian's words, Ryu An instinctively looked down at his legs.
"Pallkion sword house techniques are flashy. Infinitely variable, striking from anywhere. But a blade ends fights in a few clashes. Training footwork for variability with that weapon? Doomed to fail."
"...!!"
Ian handed back the blade and pressed on with his harsh critique.
"Your body's disproportionately upper-body dominant. Keep that up, and no amount of training will yield proper blade arts. You'll end up a half-baked bladesman worse than an average sword house swordsman."
Whoosh!
Ian flipped away and muttered as he left the training ground.
"With skills like that, all that 'lone wolf' talk was just fancy words. Maybe I should just send you packing?"
...Snap!
Thick veins bulged on Ryu An's sweat-beaded forehead.
'This bastard...?'