Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Plan
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“Good work.”
Sea was expressionless as always, but her face was a little pale as she greeted me.
“What happened? Why did the Count invite us? Did he find out? That I killed Nagi?”
Sea shook her head.
“Impossible. The timing is off. And even if he knew Nagi was dead, he'd assume it was the work of the rebels.”
“Rebels?”
“Yes. There's a group that's been assassinating the Count's men lately. They've never killed a big shot like Nagi before... but these days, whenever someone goes missing, people just assume it's them. So don't worry.”
The Count. You've really lost all your support, haven't you?
Before, everyone was so scared of him they'd swallow their complaints, but now it seems they're bursting like an overinflated balloon.
Anyway, it's a relief to hear it's not because of Nagi, but...
“Then why did he invite us?”
“I don't know. But that's not the problem right now. The real issue is that this sudden invitation... has ruined our plan to assassinate the Count.”
Sea frowned subtly and continued.
“The original plan was to strike when the Count was performing his ritual.”
One word caught my attention.
“Ritual?”
“Yes. It's been a while. Ever since... what happened to you... the Count leaves his castle once a month to perform a ritual alone.”
“Like a religious ceremony?”
“I don't know the specifics, but something like that. Religion or sorcery.”
“Really? Count Ksias?”
I found it hard to believe.
Count Ksias is an utterly self-centered snob. If a god were to give him a revelation, he's the type to pick a fight, asking, "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?"
I worked my ass off under him for seven years; how could I not know?
But now that Count has become some religious fanatic?
“Hah,”
Sea let out a short sigh and stared at me with eyes like the deep sea.
“Brother. Forget the Ksias of the past. Daisy told you yesterday, right? That children are being kidnapped and entire villages massacred. Do you know where all those children and bodies go? They're all used as sacrifices for the ritual.”
“That's...”
“I'm sure of it. Those bodies, I saw them with my own eyes. They weren't just corpses. I don't know if they were treated with sorcery, but... they were concentrated with death energy. So foul that I couldn't even sense mana. They were definitely not natural corpses.”
My god.
So the Count is preparing corpses and living sacrifices to grovel before some unknown being?
So much has really changed in the last three years...
As I finally accepted this reality, another new fact caught my eye.
Sea. She was always a smart sister who knew a lot, but...
“But how do you know all this?”
The story about the rebels, the fact that he performs a ritual once a month, what kind of sacrifices he uses—all of that should have been classified information within the castle walls.
And you know all of it?
At my question, Sea slightly averted her gaze.
“...Because I had to survive in this city. I've built up an information network over the years.”
That stung a little.
While I was holed up, having lost all hope, had my siblings been struggling like this to protect us?
The thought that my absence had forced them to grow up too soon left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Sea glanced at me, seeming to notice my thoughts, and changed the subject.
“Anyway. The important thing is that the plan is completely ruined. As I said, the original plan was to target the Count during his ritual. He enters the chapel alone. It's even outside the castle.”
“So, we lie in wait at the chapel beforehand and strike when the Count enters?”
“Yes. We have to eliminate the Count's men to increase our chances. We can't... let it be like last time, can we?”
True.
When we assassinated Count Delkashu, we had to fight our way through the resistance of his men.
It was truly hell.
So Sea's plan was excellent.
The problem is...
“But it's completely ruined. The ritual is expected to be in a week... but the Count has invited us in three days.”
Ksias sent the invitation at such a coincidental time, as if he had seen right through our plan.
Sea, seemingly lost in thought, stared blankly at the floor before her gaze snapped to me.
“Anyway, I'll worry about the method. You just focus on how to take down the Count.”
She moved her lips as if to say more, then seemed to make up her mind and asked in a clear, sharp voice.
“But, brother. Can you really kill Ksias?”
The caution and fear laced in her voice.
As if her words were kindling, Balseon, who was beside us, flared up.
“Th-that's right. Lansen. Do we really have to fight? Ksias has become a total monster now!”
They all followed my lead on the surface, but deep down, they were hiding this anxiety.
They want to trust me, but... they've already seen me become a wreck once before.
They must be scared.
Afraid that I'll end up like that again, just after I've recovered.
But, as I've already said, this isn't optional.
“Mister Balseon. There's no other way. And... we have a chance of winning.”
Woong-
I took out a sword from my subspace necklace.
It was the sword I'd used to kill Nagi this morning.
“A sword?”
“It looks good...?”
While everyone else was puzzled, Balseon alone recognized it and was moved.
“The King's Sword, Vanroah...”
The sword said to have been forged by the first king of Vanroah with the help of a dwarf blacksmith and an elf.
A treasure that bore the very name of the kingdom, symbolizing the king's authority.
“Mister Balseon, you know what this sword is made of, right?”
He answered my question by reciting a passage from the kingdom's founding history.
“The King forged a sword from Starmetal Silver, which held the energy of starlight...”
At those words, even the ever-expressionless Sea parted her lips slightly.
“The Starmetal Silver made by refining silversteel that fell from the sky with Aura? The sword was made entirely from that?”
“Yes. A solid Starmetal Silver sword. Vile things like vampires can't withstand this blade. I killed Delkashu with this, too. But back then... he had many men, and it was my first time fighting a vampire. But this time is different.”
I looked at Sea with an unwavering gaze, and she slowly nodded.
“Alright. I'll trust you, brother. And if it doesn't work out... we can just die together.”
No. Why die together? What are you saying...
“It's a joke.”
As I stared at her silently, Sea added bluntly.
But with her perpetually blank face, it was hard to tell if she was joking or serious.
I warned her.
“That's not a joke. Don't say that.”
I watched her nod before looking away.
“Anyway, we're not dying. You make the plan, and I execute it. Even if things don't go according to plan... don't worry. I'll make it happen somehow.”
If the plan is a sword,
then a ruined plan is a broken blade.
I... will cut, even with a broken blade.
That was all.
* * *
It's not enough.
It's not enough.
I spoke confidently to Sea.
But the situation was far from easy.
The Starmetal Silver sword.
And on top of that, the necklace of protection and magic armor I just found.
Even with all this, it wasn't enough to defeat the Count.
So what should I do?
How can I make up for my lack of strength?
'Ah, why won't it activate?'
If I could, I'd go back to the past one more time. I might find another useful weapon.
But since that day, the Book of Fate hasn't responded.
Time was too short to rely on it.
So, there's only one option left.
'Learn a new sword style.'
Didn't I just witness an incredible sword style a short while ago?
I'll make it my own.
Through grit, determination, and the talent Mister Balseon praised.
Shhhng-
I moved the sword slowly.
Following the traces in my memory, slowly, slowly.
It became clearer and clearer.
The ancient past, ten thousand years ago.
The very sword style wielded by the leader of that heretical cult.
As I moved the sword along the path in my memory, I got goosebumps.
'This is insane. How could he see this trajectory in that situation?'
He played with me, a man called a master of the sword, as if I were a mere child.
Even unleashing the overwhelming Aura of a peak Expert, I couldn't easily subdue him.
That tenacious and solid sword style.
And that sharp energy.
'The more I review it, the more unbelievable it seems.'
How many intentions were packed into a single movement?
Was it possible to use a sword like this?
I was surprised back then, but analyzing it step-by-step is even more astonishing.
It's not like he received a revelation; how could he make such judgments in an instant?
Then, the words that man had said suddenly flashed through my mind.
'What good is it if your Sword Ki has color? You're a half-baked swordsman who can't even read the heart of the sword.'
Reading the heart of the sword.
What on earth did that mean?
It was hard to understand with my head...
It's strange.
As I moved my body, recalling the cult leader's sword style... I felt like I could somehow understand its meaning.
'Listen... to the voice of the sword.'
Come to think of it, that was true.
Me, and others as well...
The swordsmanship of this era is all focused on Aura.
How to increase the power of Aura.
How to wield Aura freely.
We handle the sword with our focus solely on that.
To us, the sword was nothing more than a tool to carry Aura.
But the ancient sword style is different.
The sword is at the center.
It was endlessly sharp, and free.
As if conversing with the sword, no... as if becoming the sword itself.
'When was the last time I truly... faced my sword?'
My heart pounded, as if I'd reunited with a long-forgotten first love.
I fell deeper and deeper into the sword.
Swinging and swinging again...
Gradually, I forgot everything.
I forgot the Count,
I forgot myself,
sharing each and every breath with the sword.
Woong- Woooong-
At some point, the sword began to cry out repeatedly.
It was strange, but without even thinking it strange, I faced the sword and embraced it with my heart.
“Hoo...”
And when I suddenly opened my eyes,
Wooooong-
a transparent haze was burning at the tip of my sword, which trembled finely on its own.
A sharp, piercing haze, just like the one the ancient swordsmen had shown.
Now that I've done it myself, I understand.
This was definitely not Aura.
* * *
The lord's castle in Kushan City.
Once a magnificent castle adorned with glittering treasures, it was now a dark and desolate place, with blackout curtains drawn over every window.
In the grand hall, where a deathly darkness had fallen, a huge man sat alone upon a throne.
Crack-
Crack!
He had lined up several skulls filled with blood beside him, gulping them down before throwing them below the throne to shatter.
Creeak-
The doors to the hall opened, and a vampire approached without a sound and bowed his head.
“My lord. A reply has arrived. They say they will come to the palace in three days.”
“Is that so? Finally...”
“Yes. But isn't it a bit of a waste, regarding Lansen? If you made him one of your bloodkin, his injuries would heal, and you would gain another Sword Master...”
“Kekekek. You fool.”
Crack-
Ksias, the Lord of Kushan City, drained another skull-cup and threw it to the floor, shattering it.
“What does a mere Sword Master matter? I will soon obtain a much greater power.”
“Pardon?”
“Those bastards. They're undoubtedly nobles of the Vanroah Kingdom. Didn't you know?”
“I-Is that so? I did not know.”
“That Lansen fellow might even be the last prince of Vanroah.”
“I did think he used a rather orthodox sword style... so that was the secret...”
“Yes. So just imagine. How pleased will our master be when I offer that noble blood? How much greater power will he bestow upon me...? Even those arrogant Five Kings won't be my match. Kekekek. I've waited so long. For the preparations to be ready to use them as sacrifices.”
Gulp, gulp, gulp, crack-!
Ksias threw another skull-cup.
Madness burned in his eyes.
“Right. All the other sacrifices are properly prepared, I assume?”
“Yes. Once tomorrow's shipment arrives, the preparations will be perfect.”
“Good. It must be perfect. It must be.”
In the darkness, Ksias's large mouth split into a white grin.
His blood-soaked fangs gleamed.