Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Week One
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“Wow~ This is amazing!”
Daisy ran across the hilltop, her arms spread wide. She looked truly excited.
“Old man! You’re so mean! Were you planning on coming to a nice place like this all by yourself?!”
There she goes with “old man” again.
Fortunately, Sea was there to keep Daisy in check.
“Daisy.”
Look at her. So rude to me, yet she can’t do a thing against Sea. Just calling her name and looking at her was enough to completely deflate her…
“Umm… I just meant it’s really nice, that’s all.”
Daisy scurried away, running around the hill as if to escape.
But Daisy had a point.
I’m glad we all came out together.
After days upon days steeped in blood and sweat, getting out like this was a refreshing change of pace.
“A stone monument this well-preserved is truly a rare find!”
The archaeologist, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and glasses, was beside himself with excitement.
The reason for our little outing was, in fact, this man’s discovery.
A stone monument found near the Glowingsteel ruins.
Unlike other monuments where the letters were mostly worn away and illegible, this one was perfectly preserved.
So I was curious. What did it say?
I wondered if it held any news of the people I knew. I wanted to see it for myself.
“Ancient magic is truly mysterious. How can such a powerful barrier remain in the air after ten thousand years!”
What he called a powerful barrier.
It was a massive ‘plane’ that completely covered the front of the monument and extended far out to either side.
Anything that tried to pass through that plane, for some reason, crumbled to dust.
Leaves crumbled, and even stones slowly disintegrated.
He said someone even got hurt when they first approached to make a rubbing.
But in truth, it wasn’t a barrier.
Because the inscription on the stone clearly read:
[Luceras Calendar, Year 4691. Grand Duke Laitena Celsius descended upon the disaster near Glowingsteel and vanquished it with a single strike. This monument marks the trajectory of that sword, so let those who see it approach with caution.]
Grand Duke Laitena.
My master.
I quietly savored the chill that ran down my spine.
‘So… this is the single strike of the greatest swordsman of the ancient era…?’
I had never once seen a true, earnest strike from him.
The sword ki he had shown me?
To him, it must have been nothing more than child’s play.
He was the world’s only Grand Master.
One who could wield the Mind Sword.
‘So with the Mind Sword… something like this was possible…’
He probably never showed me because he knew I wouldn’t be able to understand it even if I saw it.
*Ssssh…*
When I held my hand, imbued with aura, before the monument, even the aura scattered and blew away like dust.
“Haha…”
The trajectory created by a single sword strike from ten thousand years ago… still possessed such power. I couldn't believe it, and an empty laugh escaped my lips.
So this is the pinnacle of ancient swordsmanship.
It was so chilling.
And so very desirable.
As goosebumps rose on my skin, my mind was made up.
‘I have to make the training even more intense.’
Me, and my siblings too. Let’s push them harder!
Ancient swordsmanship… is the future!
“Huh…? Did it suddenly get colder?”
“Hmm… I wonder why?”
Daisy. Sea.
Those two are sharp.
* * *
‘Why did I say I would do this…’
Rivera Pietro regretted his decision to the very marrow of his bones.
It had all started when he saw the Lansen family undergoing their grueling morning training and felt a pang of envy.
In his eyes, Lansen was one of the ten strongest fighters on the entire Roverland continent.
To be trained by such a powerhouse… what a great blessing, right?
‘Are you insane…?’
The result of that absurd thought was this.
Instead of waking up late and strolling among the people, cracking jokes, his mornings were now filled with excruciating pain.
“One. Two. One. Two.”
The commands came without cease.
Everyone swung their swords in time with the count.
In Rivera’s case, he drew his bowstring.
One might ask what’s so hard about that, but it was a different story when you were wearing custom-made, ridiculously heavy armor, holding an equally heavy, custom-made sword or bow, and doing it all without using aura.
“Hahk! Hahk! Haaahk!”
The sound of gasping breaths came from all around.
In truth, Rivera couldn't even tell if the sound was coming from his own mouth or the person next to him.
His body and mind had reached their limits long ago.
“Rivera! Your chest is caving in!”
*Whack!*
His demon-like lord tolerated not even the slightest bit of slacking.
Whenever his posture faltered, the flat of a sword would fly out of nowhere and strike his head, calf, or shoulder indiscriminately.
It hurt.
Whatever he was hitting with, it hurt so much that a scream of ‘Ack!’ escaped with every blow.
This was a balancing act between one pain and another.
Would you endure the agony of pouring your mind and body into maintaining a perfect posture, or would you endure the horrific flogging that followed a broken one?
As he floundered on that scale, every single second was hell.
‘Why… am I doing… this!!!’
Rivera screamed internally as he drew his bowstring.
* * *
My siblings and Rivera were groaning.
But I wonder if they know. That at this very moment, no one is more tense and focused than I am.
‘Not a single deviation. I have to keep them wound tight.’
The key is to push the body to its limit.
Because once the body reaches its limit, it starts devising all sorts of ways to alleviate the pain.
What’s important here is to meticulously watch them so their posture doesn’t break down.
If you’re not careful, they might ingrain bad habits into their bodies just to escape the immediate pain.
“Sea! Your hips are dropping!”
*Crack!*
I patrolled with a flexible sword, bringing it down hard on the thighs, backs, and sometimes even the heads of those whose posture faltered.
A good smack is the best way to make the body, not the head, realize the posture is wrong.
“Keup!”
Sea gritted her teeth and corrected her posture.
That’s right, this is it.
As the body, desperate to lessen the pain, searches for the most optimized movements, a genuine conversation between the sword and the body finally begins.
That’s how you take one more step toward the Sword Spirit.
“Alright, alright! One more set to go! Growth begins at your limits! This is where you improve. Right now!”
To push them just one step beyond their limits.
I squeezed every last drop out of them until the very end.
This was the fastest way to improve their skills.
In fact, Grand Duke Laitena’s Horizon Knights trained in a similar fashion.
However, I added one more step to the process.
‘The problem is that humans are creatures of adaptation.’
Imagine a swordsman who has mastered a perfect form. Can that swordsman become a low-grade Expert who can converse with a Sword Spirit?
My answer was ‘no.’
Of course, they could.
Eventually.
The reason it doesn’t happen right away is ‘adaptation.’
The optimization found through repetitive training in a set form is a dead optimization, rigidly fixed within that framework.
In a real fight, does the opponent let you hit them according to that form?
Sometimes you need to extend your sword further, even if it means breaking your form a little, and other times you have to fight with your form completely shattered.
So, once you’ve ingrained a set form into your body… the next step is to break it.
And fill that space with flexibility.
Bring new tension to the comfortable posture!
There’s only one way to do that.
“Alright! Set’s over! Now, here I come!”
I raised my sword and leaped into the midst of my exhausted and worn-out disciples.
They all freaked out.
“Ugh! Again?!”
“You beat us up when we started! You’re doing it again?!”
This is all for my profound purpose of instilling agile flexibility!
*Clang! Clack! Crack!*
I beat the kids as they tried to fight back, their arms trembling.
I knocked their swords away and beat them, tripped them and beat them.
At every moment, I beat them again and again in new ways.
The ones who couldn’t block well, I made a point to beat even more.
For instance,
Kids like Catch Soroa.
“Can’t block? Can’t block? You can’t even block this?!”
No passion?
That’s fine.
But as long as he’s a living person, he can’t be without a survival instinct.
“Kuk! Ack! Keuk! Kraaaah!”
As I started to focus my attacks, a venomous glint appeared in Catch’s eyes. His movements grew more and more agile.
That’s it! That’s it, Catch! You can do it, can’t you?!
Once he was sufficiently fired up, I changed my tar/get/ and beat someone else.
All the while, I deflected every attack from the kids who charged at me screaming and effortlessly dodged them as a matter of course.
Even while moving so busily, I was kind enough not to rest my mouth, continuously imparting my teachings.
“The martial arts were originally created to avoid getting hit. In other words, by getting hit, you can meet the essence of martial arts!”
And through that, you can also meet the Sword Spirit.
*Thwack! Smack!*
Morning training was peaceful today as well.
* * *
Knight Balseon was confused.
‘Is this right…?’
He was currently serving as the head instructor of the territorial army.
He was in charge of training the entire force, which consisted of about 3,500 existing soldiers, including Experts, and about 3,400 new recruits, for a total of nearly 7,000 troops.
There was no one more suitable for the job.
As the former captain of the Royal Guard, he was a renowned commander who had led thousands of guards and defeated the imperial army several times.
From various tactics and strategies to combat techniques for each type of soldier and training curricula, there was nothing his mind didn't hold. And every single piece of that knowledge was of an elite level, rare even on a continental scale.
But even the highly experienced Balseon was feeling this way for the first time.
“Here is the curriculum. For each troop type, it is most important to have them learn their respective weapon skills, like shield arts or long spear arts, as well as formation drills. That one thing must be drilled into their very bones.”
It happened the moment he was handing over the training plan to the instructors—that is, Rivera, the young masters, and the young ladies.
“Oho.”
“Hoh?”
“Weapon skills and formation drills, you say?”
“That sounds fun.”
The expressions of the instructors receiving Balseon’s words were dark and grim.
A seething bloodlust.
It was not the kind of bloodlust a soldier would display.
To put it in perspective,
Yes. It was the kind of madness a king or emperor—a historic butcher who wouldn't hesitate to burn down a city—might show.
“Don’t worry, old man. We’ll be sure to whip them into shape.”
A cruel darkness fell over the face of Katrina, the head instructor.
“This will be very interesting.”
“To be able to share what I’ve learned. I couldn’t be happier.”
Behind her, Rivera, Sea, and the others emanated a black aura.
*Gulp.*
Feeling strangely tense, Balseon could only swallow dryly.
A short while later, screams echoed from the training ground they had gone to.
Balseon quietly stood up, firmly closed the window, and poured freshly brewed, steaming hot coffee into a cup.
Black steam filled the cup.
He took a sip—*slurp*—and the black steam left a rich aroma and a bitter taste before disappearing through his nose. And the dark concentrate at the bottom of the cup left a smooth yet deeply savory flavor in his mouth.
It was endlessly peaceful.
And quiet.
‘I will absolutely not look out the window.’
Balseon made a promise to himself.
Seeing their murderous intent from before, he felt that if he looked out the window, he would want to stop the instructors.
He didn't want to do that.
‘The young ladies and masters need to relieve some stress, too…’
Balseon was well aware of the brutal training they were subjected to every morning.
‘I don’t know. I don’t know anything.’
He diligently ignored the soldiers’ suffering.
Fortunately, the well-soundproofed windows provided a peaceful silence within his office.
“Do you know?! That martial arts were originally created to avoid getting hit!”
That is, until Katrina’s voice pierced through even those soundproof windows.
Balseon quickly brewed another cup of coffee and closed his eyes.
“I don’t know…”
He muttered under his breath.
* * *
Four weeks of basic training had passed.
Balseon and my siblings had carried out the training mission I entrusted to them perfectly, and then some.
Seeing the soldiers, who had been completely transformed into something resembling elite troops in just four weeks, made me feel full even without eating.
If I had my way, I would have kept them training like this… but unfortunately, we no longer had the luxury.
“The number of magical beasts on the border has increased to dangerous levels. We’re managing to protect the trade routes for now with temporarily hired warriors, but if we leave it like this any longer, a wave might occur.”
Rivera warned of a wave.
Magical beasts normally lived territorially and even fought amongst themselves.
But as their numbers grew, their territories began to overlap, and they encountered each other more frequently, a massive change would eventually occur.
They would stop fighting each other and swarm together for the sole purpose of killing humans.
That was a wave.
Anyone living in Roverland knew of it.
Roverland was a continent littered with legends of cities that had been destroyed by such waves.
Sea’s warning followed.
“I didn’t say anything because training can’t be rushed, but we need to hurry with the subjugation, at least.”
The point she made was different from a monster wave.
“The Gale King’s movements are suspicious. He’s recruiting warriors on a large scale… we could lose Kashu City if we’re not careful.”
“Kashu?”
He’s aiming for where?
Kashu, the city I finally subjugated after killing Blood Count Delkashu and going through all that?
“Yes. The Gale King’s long-held ambition is to control Kinalo City and Kashu City.”
“…Is that so?”
“If he gets his hands on those two cities, he’ll be able to completely control the trade routes leading to the northwest of Roverland. That would be as good as subjugating all of Norverge.”
Norverge was the name for the northwestern region of Roverland.
Kushan City, Kashu City, and Kinalo City were all cities at the entrance to Norverge.
“Until now, even the Gale King couldn’t covet Kinalo. The mage city of Kinalo not only possessed formidable military power on its own, but other cities formed military alliances with Kinalo to keep the Gale King in check.”
“…And the biggest of those allies were Ksias and Delkashu.”
“That’s right. Because they knew they’d be next after Kinalo.”
“But they’re both dead now.”
“Yes. It’s a power vacuum. If I were the Gale King, I wouldn’t miss this chance. I would definitely try to subjugate Kinalo and Kashu.”
“I see what you’re saying.”
“To achieve the Three-Pronged Strategy… we need to make a move on Kinalo and Kashu first. That’s the prerequisite for defeating the Gale King and conquering Ailun.”
In the end, Sea’s request was simple.
Finish the magical beast subjugation as quickly as possible.
Then, make a move on Kashu and Kinalo before the Gale King does.
“Right. However, if Kinalo proves difficult, we can settle for an alliance.”
“Understood.”
“So… how long will the subjugation take? Can you shorten it to under two weeks?”
Sea’s voice was cautious as she asked.
She knew it too. How ridiculous a timeframe of two weeks was.
A normal subjugation took four weeks, and now, due to the postponed subjugations, the number of beasts was overflowing.
Two weeks. It was absurd.
But,
She said we could lose Kashu City?
“One week.”
I can’t stand by and let that happen.
At my firm answer, Sea’s eyes widened slightly. For her, that was a huge display of emotion.
“Is that… possible?”
I reached out and ruffled her indigo hair.
Sea. You may be smart, but when it comes to military strategy, you can’t hold a candle to me.
Do you have any idea how thoroughly Balseon taught me?
How many magical beast subjugations did I carry out while slaving away under Ksias?
“It’s enough. One week.”
Of course,
It won’t be easy.
No,
It’ll be hell.
*Red indicates the main trade route
*Purple indicates a relatively smaller trade route