Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Episode 008 (4)
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4.
Killingham Meyer, the former captain of the Red Lion Knights and current Inspector General of the Jordic Elder Council.
Having crossed countless brushes with death since his youth and amassed a wealth of experience, he was famous for never revealing his true feelings.
In fact, within the Jordic Family, he was known not only as the "Veteran of a Hundred Battles" but also as the "Sly Old Fox," worn smooth by the world's ways.
Even that Killingham was now raising his voice, a rare flicker of emotion breaking through.
"Who... hunted what?"
He quickly masked it, but his voice trembled ever so slightly as he spoke.
Other tells were there too—the faint narrowing of the space between his brows compared to usual.
"...So you're saying a trainee from the Lion’s Den not only hunted a mutant mine wyrm measuring 7 meters and 19 centimeters long, but also discovered a Kallior ore vein in its lair?"
His question dripped with obvious bewilderment.
A knight in light armor standing near the entrance to the Lord's audience hall swiftly replied.
"Yes, sir."
He was one of the Lord's direct guard knights, tasked with relaying all information related to the Lion’s Den to the audience hall.
But.
That didn't mean he knew about the connection between the trainee "Ethan" mentioned in the recent report and "Kuhn Jordic."
After all, only a tiny handful within the Jordic Family knew that Kuhn Jordic was the Lion’s Den trainee Ethan.
'The Lord, me, the captain and vice-captain of the Black Lion Knights... anyone else who knows...'
That person must have been involved in forging the Elder Council's orders to send the youngest young master to the Lion’s Den.
As Killingham pondered this, the knight who had answered bowed his head and politely extended a few sheets of the report in his hand.
"And here is the full report just received from the Lion’s Den."
"Hm!"
At once, the papers in the knight's hand floated lightly into the air.
They shot through the air in an instant, leaving the knight's grasp.
Whoooosh!
It was a movement as swift as an arrow loosed from a bow.
The bundle of reports sliced across the room and was sucked straight into Killingham's waiting palm!
'Gasp!'
Even for a mage who had reached the master realm.
This mana surge was so swift and subtle that even he, a direct guard knight of the Lord, hadn't detected it.
If that had been an attack spell, he might have been hit without a chance to react.
'When did he...?'
A chill raced down the knight's spine alongside cold sweat at that eerie display of mana control.
By then, Killingham had finished scanning the report and let out a long sigh.
"Hah, it's real. No way that young pup wrote nonsense, and there's no sign of tampering in the report either..."
He shone mana light over the papers this way and that, then floated the bundle back into the air.
This time, they drifted slowly toward a certain spot.
Swoooosh—.
A far more deferential flow of mana compared to when it had been yanked toward him moments ago.
And within the Jordic estate, only one person warranted such deference from Killingham.
As he sent the report drifting toward the man seated at the head of the Lord's audience hall, Killingham continued his musings.
'Mine wyrm.'
A mine wyrm on its own wasn't particularly remarkable.
With proper preparation, even an ordinary adult man—no knight required—could subdue one.
But...
'The problem is its size.'
Typically, it took 20 to 30 years for a mine wyrm to grow to about 1 meter.
Moreover, mine wyrms grew progressively slower with each stage.
So—
'How many decades did it take for one to reach over 7 meters, and how many ore veins did it devour in the process?'
And among those veins, Kallior.
'If that included some bloodgold...'
Its hide might have been tougher than steel tempered a hundred times by a master smith.
No ordinary sword strike—not even one infused with mana—could guarantee cutting through such armor.
'He didn't crack the shell but targeted the inside of its mouth to hunt it? Hah, impressive.'
No matter how tough a creature, it couldn't harden the inside of its mouth. Destroying the brain inevitably stopped life functions.
He hadn't breached the shell directly, but it was still remarkable.
Two things especially impressed him: the bold plan to charge into the monster's maw, and the audacity to execute it.
'Even devising a plan is one thing, but leaping into the jaws of such a behemoth is another.'
No ordinary mind could manage it.
It was hardly the demeanor of a late-teen boy.
Especially not from the youngest young master, who'd only shown disappointment and weakness until now.
Recalling the boy he'd glimpsed in the Lion’s Den darkness the day before, Killingham let a faint smile slip.
'Hah. No wonder he seemed like a completely different person. My eyes didn't deceive me that day.'
A sharp awl would eventually tear through its pouch.
Or rather, in this case, he'd likely hidden himself in the pouch until now.
'Hahaha.'
A misunderstanding born of ignorance about Kuhn's soul having changed bodies.
And.
As if sharing Killingham's assessment, Ernst Jordic paused while reviewing the report and spoke gravely.
"Indeed. Understanding one's limits and exploiting the enemy's weaknesses is strength in its own right. Well done."
His low, resonant voice filled the entire audience hall, carrying a subtle pressure that made the guard knight's shoulders twitch.
'...The Lord just said "well done"?'
It was no surprise.
Ernst Jordic, head of the Jordic Family and pinnacle of all swordsmen.
The Sword Emperor had rarely praised anyone as "well done" in his life.
Even the famed captain of the Black Lion Knights had only earned "not bad" in his youth.
No need to elaborate on his stinginess with praise.
'But just now, what...?'
As the knight struggled to hide his shock, Ernst Jordic continued.
"Those who achieve merit deserve commensurate reward."
Rewards for merit, punishments for failure.
This principle of strict meritocracy, alongside Survival of the Fittest, had upheld the Jordic Family for ages.
"First, assess the Kallior vein's scale and feasibility. Gauge how many weapons can be forged from the mine wyrm's carapace. We'll decide the reward after. And..."
"...?"
"......, ..., .................."
No sooner had Ernst finished than Killingham bowed deeply, raising his voice.
"Your will be done!"
5.
A full month later.
The trainees from Dens Three and Four, returning from the second trial, were enjoying days of unwonted peace.
Peace in name only, of course.
It was more like the calm before the storm.
The Lion’s Den training wasn't over yet, after all.
Precedents suggested three to four trials total.
So, one or two more remained before full graduation.
Sensing this instinctively, the trainees rested while sneaking in personal training.
Amid this, Kuhn exhaled thinly.
'Hooo—.'
Focus sharpened, and he felt the massive mana currents swirling through his body.
Hummmm—.
A chilling mana, like plunging into a winter lake.
The Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits mana.
Grown substantially over the month, it now flowed with incomparable stability and majesty, permeating Kuhn's body.
Even the curse-like yoke of the dead had noticeably eased.
'Who'd have thought absorbing the mana residue from that mine wyrm corpse would help this much.'
The mana of Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits had growled hungrily.
By his predecessor's memories, what he'd absorbed was yokai energy—or evil energy.
Mana laced with ominous, sinister connotations from its very name.
And Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits was an aura cultivation method specialized in devouring such foul, eerie essences to fuel itself.
'Thanks to that, I absorbed every last bit of yokai energy from the wyrm's corpse without waste.'
A few more absorptions like this, and...
Not only might he shed the yoke of the dead ahead of schedule, but reach his primary goal faster than planned.
'The issue is finding spirit beasts or monsters isn't easy, and what qualifies as absorbable yokai energy...'
He circulated the Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits mana through his body several times.
Half-opening his eyes, he heard Taylor Rosetta and the Silver siblings bickering nearby, as usual, about training.
"So, here you try stepping a bit faster..."
"No. To boost the sword's power, better slow down and step heavier, even if it costs speed."
Lately, they'd taken to orbiting him, squabbling daily.
Today, it was about sword strike power.
Then.
A sound drifted from the far side of the training ground.
Clatter, clunk—.
Like a round something rolling over a gravel path, a discordant noise.
'This sound...?'
Trainees scattered about training or resting turned as one.
Clack, clunk—.
It was a cart.
Senior instructors from Dens Three and Four led regular instructors pulling a large cart toward the grounds.
Clatter, clunk—.
Creak, clack, clack—.
Each roll of the wooden wheels made the contents jostle and rattle.
"A cart?"
"What's inside?"
A jumble of oddly shaped items.
As eyes fixed on it, Kuhn pierced its secret, his gaze sharpening.
'By the sound, gear and equipment. Reward for passing the second trial?'
Meanwhile, the cart and instructors rattled closer.
Creak, clack, clack—.