Note: The Novel Will Be Corrected Until Chapter 105, After That Chapter It Will Be All MTL
C70 - 71 - 72
Chapter 70: Where the Flow of Force Leads
The direction where the flow of force was heading was not to the parts of the armor they had been searching through until now, but to a collection of various other classified items. Logan followed the force, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was led by a pair of grey metal boots made of an unknown material, lacking any distinctive features.
“What is this…?” Logan wondered, feeling no magical power coming from the boots, which seemed obscure enough to doubt if they were artifacts at all. But the moment he picked them up, a subtle vibration transmitted from his fingertips, and he felt an odd sensation.
‘…Is something blocked?’ The boots seemed to continue absorbing the faintly dispersed force, and the vibration was just perceptible enough for someone with his special senses.
Maybe…
‘It’s a jackpot.’
Filled with vague expectations, Logan immediately infused the boots with his force. As if they were waiting, the boots began to suck in his force.
Wooong.
Initially, his expectations grew larger as the force was sucked in violently, like a waterfall. However, as it continued to grow intense without any signs of stopping, his face could not help but turn grim.
‘What the!?’
He hurriedly tried to put the brakes on the force pouring out like an ebbing tide, but the flow created by the boots was too strong. Forcing it might cause internal injuries.
He thought it was a jackpot, but it turned out to be a mishap—or possibly even a trap.
“Eek!”
Logan decided to give it a try, injecting as much force into the boots as possible.
He had a mind to destroy the boots outright.
And at the moment Logan’s expression turned from blue to ashen pale…
Fzzt.
With a sound in his head like something breaking, the boots began to release the force they had absorbed.
He felt like he had drunk the water of life just before collapsing from exhaustion.
Logan looked at the boots he held with a bewildered expression, “What is this…?”
Despite feeling mocked, the powerful force he covertly felt within the boots dissolved his frustration like melting snow.
There was no reason to hesitate.
Logan immediately tried on the boots.
‘They’re a bit big, aren’t they?’
As soon as he thought that…
Woong.
The boots sucked in his force, rapidly shrinking to fit his feet perfectly.
“Huh…”
Despite their heavy metallic appearance, they felt weightless.
And that moment, Logan intuitively understood the abilities of these boots.
Increase in physical agility and reaction speed by 30%. Triple mid-air jumps. Climbing. Size adjustment. Self-repair.
It was as if the force that returned to Logan whispered these abilities into his mind.
It must be some magic unknown to him.
If that’s the case…
‘At the very least, it’s an artifact of 4th class or higher.’
A treasure more outstanding than any other artifact remaining here.
“Huh… Such a big find…”
Just as he was about to cheer—
“It’s ten minutes ago.”
The knight’s warning call came from outside the passage.
Logan, suppressing the laughter that was about to burst, had no choice but to hastily leave the warehouse.
“Those boots… Are you wearing them?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. Measurement grade: less than 1st class… Huh? Are you really okay with this?”
The knight looked at him as if he was a fool like no other in the world.
“Please convey my thanks for the Count’s grace.”
Logan sincerely smiled with gratitude.
* * *
“Just a sturdy pair of metal boots… So, that guy is still staying in his lane.”
Receiving the report from his knight, Roger Vipros smiled faintly.
Then, a subordinate cautiously asked,
“Shall we cancel the plan then?”
“No. He must still pay the price for making a fool of me.”
The faint smile soon held a chill and was directed towards someone absent from the room.
Even if that person showed gestures of reconciliation, there was no mercy in Roger Vipros’ dictionary.
‘A cunning bastard…’
The Swordmaster sent his greetings on his birthday, which was unusual given they seldom interacted.
And just so happened that his disciple was there at the event.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had been played by the other’s schemes.
“Sir, he’s set to leave immediately. Then we should…”
“What? Haha, he’s determined to mock me to the end, that man…”
Three days left of the party. Could the person who brought shame on Roger on the first day possibly take all the artifacts and just leave?
Before worrying about the rumors that would spread, it was unbearably humiliating for him personally.
“Tell him clear. Don’t kill him, but make sure you cripple him without leaving a trace. And make sure to retrieve his sword and artifacts.”
“…Understood.”
* * *
“Is someone talking behind my back?”
Logan mumbled, feeling a sudden itching in one ear.
Half a day had passed since he left Vipros, riding like a madman.
By tomorrow, he would be able to enter the territory of what was once Syllvan but now belonged to Maclaine.
‘Even if there are trackers, they won’t chase me this far.’
No one would have thought that a welcomed guest would ride hard as if possessed after a formal farewell.
Therefore, Logan could afford to leisurely inspect his newly acquired boots by a simple campfire on a bed of leaves.
‘What exactly is this?’
How could such an item be buried there?
Why hadn’t Roger Vipros discovered the secret of this item?
Though questioning one after another, no matter how hard he stared at the boots, they were not about to open their mouths and answer him.
“Really…”
Size adjustment, enhancement of physical abilities, mid-air jumping, and climbing.
A mere artifact with four 1st-circle magics applied would have been considered equivalent to a 3rd-class artifact.
Adding the extra benefits of the boots to it, it was clear that it was a treasure worth one or two levels higher.
“Haha. It’s a great find anyway.”
He felt fortune had rolled into his lap unexpectedly.
It was even strangely unsettling how luck seemed to come too easily.
‘No, no. A good thing is a good thing.’
Intending to learn how to use them, Logan let go of futile speculation and put on the boots again.
Fwoosh!
A momentary leap, and his body changed direction mid-air three times over. Now lighter, he cut through the forest like a whirlwind.
“Wahaha!”
The ability of the boots, which amplified his speed by a 30% ratio rather than a consistent strength, made him feel as if he had reached a new realm of skill.
Elated, Logan drew his sword, Lux, and swung it into the open air.
Swoosh!
So began the nocturnal gymnastics.
The endless golden sword dance continued even hours after Logan thought he had become accustomed to the boots’ prowess.
“Good. Very good!”
After acquiring Lux, and now this treasure…
It felt like luck was on his side.
‘Thy name is now Boots of the Wind God.’
With that content thought, Logan sat down to meditate, a satisfying conclusion after gaining more than he desired.
The peaceful mind facilitated concentration and eased the fatigue accumulated in his body from adapting to the boots, as consciousness expanded and contracted, sinking inward in a meditative repose.
This meditation replaced sleep.
To him, it was now no different from relaxing rest.
However, that tranquil time did not last long.
‘A murderous intent!’
An eerie feeling struck Logan, who instinctively got up and stared westward.
‘Could a tracker have followed me here?’
Without making a sound, he drew his sword.
Fortunately, the silvery blade of Lux did not flaunt its brilliance under the dark night sky.
Even though he hadn’t fully recovered, his senses were slightly dulled, but thankfully, the aggressors were not breathing, making them undetectable.
“Your senses are quite sharp.”
The altercated voice made Logan frown.
Out of the western bushes, four masked figures appeared.
Dressed in pitch-black leather armor that seemed suitable for covert operations by mercenaries, with masks so tight even their hair couldn’t be seen.
“Wearing all that, aren’t you hot? It must have been quite a struggle coming from Vipros here.”
Logan provocatively let out, seeing them, but they did not respond.
“Do not kill him.”
As the command was issued from a masked one in the back, another raced swiftly towards Logan.
“How troublesome to come all the way here…”
A voice tinged with irritation.
The leader, disguised, had his voice altered; his subordinates did not seem to bother.
A voice certainly heard somewhere before, but there was no time to ponder who it belonged to.
A common longsword approached—a sight usual in a bustling metropolis.
However, the ferocity embedded within was anything but ordinary.
‘A senior knight! They really did send trackers.’
The creeping pressure as the distance closed made Logan furrow his brow and swing his blade.
Crash!
“What?!”
The opponent’s sword was sent flying and dug into the ground.
Logan immediately pursued the stumbling masked man and slashed decisively.
‘They followed all this way. They must be dealt with when the opportunity arises.’
If the first to charge was a senior knight, the others likely were equal or even stronger.
It was essential to reduce their numbers at this opportune moment.
But…
Scrape!
“Ugh!”
The hopeful strike disappointingly did not reach its goal.
As the sword flew, the off-balance knight simply rolled backward.
Logan’s expression twisted as he missed, then…
“…Seize him altogether!”
Sensing the unusual situation, the enemy leader shouted and apart from himself, the other two masked figures rushed towards Logan.
In that instant, a gust of wind arose around Logan’s body.
Clang! Clang!
Boom!
The explosion echoed through the tranquil night sky.
Logan sequentially deflected the senior knights’ strikes and easily parried the initial masked figure’s follow-up attack.
Three senior knights who would normally have struggled to hold their ground.
Matching them evenly was partly due to their restraint, but also thanks to the dramatically altered movement of his body.
‘Definitely impressive.’
Even amidst a dire situation, Logan couldn’t help but admire the Boots of the Wind God once again.
A 30% sharper sensation and a 30% more agile body movement.
That alone had increased his combat power by more than 1.5 times.
Logan’s already unmatched efficiency in his class had transcended grades with the boots’ addition.
The knights could not help but feel the disparity.
“Allow us to kill him!”
“We can’t manage with just us!”
The sounds of the masked men echoed urgently through the quiet forest night.
The leader, who meant to observe from a distance, saw his struggling subordinates grind their teeth and moved into action.
“How shameful…”
The allegedly lurking masked figure vanished for a moment and then suddenly emerged behind the chaotic battlefield.
Swinging a plain-looking but nearly 2-meter tall sword radiating silvery white force, he made a sweeping horizontal strike aiming for Logan’s back.
Boom!
“Argh!”
Logan instinctively parried the incoming strike from behind, which sent him skidding backwards.
Seizing the moment, the trio of knights targeted Logan.
However…
Swoosh!
Scrape!
“What in the world!”
“This… this guy?”
“Huh!”
Logan’s successive direction changes while stepping on thin air left the senior knights’ attacks cutting nothing but empty space.
“Hmph!”
After shaking off the shock, Logan sneered at the leader who had attacked him from behind.
“It seems the title ‘Knight of Moonlight’, Flantz, was earned through surprise attacks.”
‘Curse it, for a supreme knight to come down to such dirty work like this.’
The anger-infused retort caused the dimly moonlit force blade to quiver slightly.
------------------
Chapter 71
“An artifact that not only conceals one’s level but even surpasses it in movement. Huh, young master Logan, you’ve been hiding some remarkable artifact.” The voice wasn’t strained or disfigured but crisp and baritone.
Moon Knight, Flantz, had given up on hiding his identity.
Hadn’t he initially refrained from taking the lead because of his unique Force? There was no need for denial now that the silver force blade had been revealed.
“That artifact can serve as the tuition fee. Is it inside your armor?”
“Huh? Tuition fee?”
“A lesson on the fearsome ways of the world. Teaching a lesson to a noble young master who, with no fear, travels alone only to be robbed on his way home.”
“Are you not ashamed of tarnishing the name of Moon Knight?”
“……I was so ashamed that I wanted the lesson to be harsh, but thankfully you’ve come to me from afar.”
A murderous intent vibrated in Flantz’s voice, unlike before.
“Surround him, so he cannot escape.”
With a low command to his subordinates, Flantz immediately moved.
Swish.
An attack that seemed to claim the previous was mere courtesy, filled with the force to bisect the world at a diagonal.
Using his enhanced physical ability, Logan narrowly dodged the blow.
Just as he tried to retaliate by diving in.
Logan rolled backward, feeling a chilling murderous intent.
Swoosh.
The space where he had been was cleaved by a chilling sound and the silver glow that vanished.
Logan, having narrowly avoided it, broke out in a cold sweat.
‘A whip?’
Though it passed by in an instant, the elongated silver force blade seemed to have been whipped in a direction unrelated to the swing of the sword.
As if to confirm that it wasn’t an illusion.
The whip-like silver glow occupied the space from all sides, targeting Logan’s whole body.
Crack.
Swoosh.
Boom!
“Kugh!”
To fend off the relentless strikes was burdensome; moreover, the blade of Force extending over 2 meters from the tip of the sword unpredictably lashed like a whip.
The swirled motions of the sword and Force sped up, soon creating a phantom-like silver wave that enveloped the surroundings.
A festival of silver from the sword rained down from the sky.
One of the other masked individuals muttered in awe.
“Moonlight…….”
Of course, Logan, at the center of the silver wave, was having a harrowing time.
His Mid-Pressure Sword had been useless so far.
Gritting his teeth, Logan decided to draw upon all his techniques.
“Ha!”
Golden light flickered on Logan’s sword, and soon eight layers of golden waves crashed against the silver waves.
“Whoa!”
Roar!
The golden wave, although not as intricate as the silver, engulfed the space with a force that pushed everything away.
When the gold and silver forces collided making a thunderous sound, dust scattered in all directions.
Flash!
Through the cloudy dust, a golden line momentarily flashed across the space.
“What, what was that!”
“Wait. Lord Flantz’s Force is unyielding.”
Even without the enemies’ voices, Logan also felt it.
Hidden within the dust, Logan’s face paled with despair.
‘Damn it! I can’t feel anything. It’s a failure.’
Using the first and second forms of the Divine Sword Techniques, Wave Cutter and Iron Cutter, Logan had exhausted himself.
Because of that, he couldn’t clearly sense the direction of the killing intent pouring from the front.
“Ugh!”
Instinctively, he thrust his sword forward and threw his body back, the best improvisation he could muster at the moment.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
But that wasn’t enough to completely block the attack, and Logan, overwhelmed by the impact, rolled on the ground before barely getting up.
Then, among the settling dust, the mask flew off revealing Flantz, his hair, irises, and even his skin flushing slightly red.
It seemed that this rush wasn’t due to injury, given his emanating presence.
“That was thrilling. If I had been careless, I would have been killed. Impressive. How did you manage that? Surely, that is not an artifact as well. Could it be the secret technique of the Sword Sage…”
‘He talks more than I thought.’
Huff.
Cough.
He took deep breaths and tried to compose himself with difficulty.
Had he not had the boosted abilities from the Boots of Pegasus, the previous attack would have certainly spilled his blood.
‘As expected, I’m still not a match for him.’
Knight of Moonlight, Flantz, had already been a top-class knight for over a decade.
Even though Logan had only recently reached the high-tier knight and did fairly well, it wasn’t time to be satisfied…
“……as if that would happen!”
“What’d you say?”
Spit, ptui.
Spitting out the blood that had risen to his throat provided brief relief.
“Will you wait for one more secret technique of sword mastery? I’m still inexperienced, you see.”
His body exhausted, his Force nearly depleted, and facing a more powerful enemy.
He could only rely on bluster and luck.
Fortunately.
“Oho! Is that so? Very well, I’ll indulge you. Show me, young master.”
The excited enemy displayed complacency or the height of arrogance.
‘Good!’
The moment those words were uttered, Logan gathered all the strength in the tip of his sword.
There was only one thing left on which to depend.
The third form of the Divine Sword Technique.
Barely directing the newly learned mysterious form while reaching the high-tier, now he thought,
‘I can do this.’
Woong.
As his muscles weakened and his Force wavered, the formidable opponent gleamed in his eyes.
It was the worst possible condition to concentrate.
But he forcibly fixed his trembling arms and legs with Force, drawing upon his last remnants of energy to follow the Force pattern of the new technique.
‘I’ll rob you of the Boots of Pegasus and Lux without killing you. Be prepared!’
He fueled his malice by imagining what the Count of Bifrost would do, and that tactic luckily worked.
Woong.
It took some time, but his Force followed his will.
The image he had built in his mind slowly gained substance.
“It’s ready…”
The moment Logan gritted his teeth to swing his sword.
He opened his eyes wide to see Flantz had already closed in.
“Die!”
The sword precisely aimed for his heart.
‘Damn it…’
As his heightened senses from the brush with death made him feel as though time slowed drastically, he finally saw a hole the size of a coin on Flantz’s right chest.
A trace surely left by the recent Iron Cutter.
And a trace of blood at his mouth.
It brought more disappointment than a sense of achievement.
‘This man…’
Logan realized that the flushed complexion and excited tone were in fact Flantz’s bluff, at that very moment.
His senses dulled, his grip weakened, his vision narrowed.
Moreover, he took too long to respond to Logan’s own bluff.
The one fooled wasn’t him but…
‘Me.’
As the adversary closed in, Logan’s anger fueled the incomplete technique.
Woong.
A 10-meter-high golden pillar suddenly arose above Logan’s head.
The moment a giant sword emerged with a width of over 1 meter.
Within the momentarily heightened senses, in the slowed time.
He alone moved at normal speed.
And Logan brought down that sword vertically.
“Die!”
“Go to hell yourself!”
Roar!
At the site struck by the colossal sword.
Rumble.
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck, and the twilight of the waning moon was covered entirely by the rising dust.
“Sir Flantz!”
“Captain!”
Whiiing!
“Our horses?!”
“Fi-fi-find the captain first!”
As the senior knights babbled amidst the chaos, it took a bit of time for the dust to settle before they could find their captain.
He sat helplessly next to the lengthy, gaping fissure in the ground.
Cough.
“……I’ve, I’ve dodged it. We should have died together.”
Despite coughing up blood, the highest-class knight kept muttering the same words, unable to look away from the fissure, haunted by the vague terror that one feels when confronted with the unknown.
* * *
Cough.
Thud thud thud.
Atop a galloping horse, Logan continued to spit blood.
Although he managed to flee by stealing the horses of his enemies, following the conclusion of battle, nothing else could ease his regret.
‘I could have killed him…’
Flantz. He could have finished the enemy’s top-tier knight.
If it weren’t for the last sword strike that left his insides shaken.
He couldn’t help feeling the remnants of regret, but in a different perspective, that too was greed.
‘If not for the Boots of Pegasus, I would have died.’
Plus, because of his injury, Flantz’s strength had substantially waned.
That’s why it resulted only in internal turmoil.
Nonetheless.
‘Next time… I will win.’
Even as a high-tier knight, he could defeat a top-tier knight.
Considering the exponential difference in power as one ascends the tiers, this was an impossible feat.
Yet, his techniques and treasures were powerful enough to make the impossible happen.
Just having that assurance was of immense value.
Feeling relieved by this thought, perhaps,
Logan couldn’t hold onto his fading consciousness any longer.
Whiiing.
Thump.
A shadow tumbled amidst the dust raised by the horse running without its rider.
What would have been a severe accident for an ordinary person, for the fallen rider, only a smile lingered on his lips.
* * *
The McLean territory was thrown into chaos.
The Grand Duke’s heir, who had departed for Bifrost, returned after two weeks without any message, and in the guise of a beggar, no less.
“Falling asleep on the horse and tumbling down. Hahaha.”
While the young master laughed off the absurd excuse, no one dared to question him,
excluding one person.
“You’ve abandoned the horse but at least brought back the sword.”
“Could I have just brought back the sword? I took it from them…”
“Is this surely Bifrost’s doing?”
Attempting to explain his acquisition of the Boots of Pegasus and to brag, his father interrupted with a somber expression.
“Yes. I was prepared, but it was dangerous. They seem to hold me in high regard.”
“…Having eyes and ears would make it natural. Anyway, I’m relieved you’re back safe.”
‘Probably because of Master Sword Sage rather than me.’
Logan felt a slightly inflated sense of his father’s pride, but that wasn’t important for now.
“We can’t lodge a formal complaint against Bifrost… right?”
“That’s right. Just endure it for now.”
Logan had been attacked by Knight of Moonlight, Flantz, and three senior knights on his way back.
If McLean claimed as much, Bifrost would simply dismiss it.
Where’s the proof?
How could Logan, barely 21, survive an attack by such a formidable force unscathed?
Then they’d claim defamation and start an argument.
Now was not the time for that.
“For now, I’ve attended the Count’s birthday and left with a gift, so it would be difficult for them to pick a fight.”
“…Our family lacks strength, and you suffer humiliation. As your father, I’m ashamed to face you.”
“There will come a day when I can repay that humiliation. Just do as you have been for me.”
“Very well. I shall. I will not forget this matter.”
Watching his father grit his teeth and rally himself, Logan smiled inwardly.
‘Yes, this is enough for now.’
Before the civil war started, while the family continued to build strength, he had more things to do.
‘I’ll settle things with those guys first, and next…’
Logan’s gaze turned toward the northeastern sky, where the capital, Grand, was located.
-----------------
Episode 72
“Haap!”
With a robust yell, a force of a fiery orange hue that differed from the usual red emitted from the tip of his sword, creating two layers of waves that cascaded forward.
The range of the energy waves was a mere 2 meters.
However,
Kwaagwang!
Three training dummies made of ironwood were pulverized and scattered like dust, demonstrating the remarkable power of the attack.
Haak. Haak.
But the look in the eyes of Ronian McLain, the man responsible for that spectacle, was far from satisfied.
Staggering slightly, Ronian steadied his breathing and lifted his sword once more.
His brother’s voice still echoed clearly in his mind.
– The war will be over soon. There’s no need for you to join in. You still need to hone your skills. Times are uncertain; never let your guard down and train hard.
Because of those words, he hadn’t been able to participate in the last war.
Despite being a Force user and even mastering that incredible secret technique.
‘I can’t let my brother treat me like a child forever. I’m a McLain too. I’m the sword that will protect our family.’
The image of his brother returning home the day before yesterday, covered in dirt and looking miserable, surfaced in his mind again.
He had said he fell off a horse while sleeping, but everyone knew that excuse was nonsensical.
Ronian might not understand the specifics, but he could guess the underlying reason.
‘Our family still lacks power…’
He tasted a faint hint of blood as he bit his lip.
His brother insisted he was doing well, but Ronian could sense the urgency.
At that moment, that repeatedly recited advice was heard from right behind him.
“You’re training hard, Ronian. Take a break, I have someone to introduce to you, someone who will train with you from today.”
“Brother?!”
Turning around, he saw his brother’s smiling face and next to him stood a boy awkwardly touching a knight’s armor engraved with a flame emblem.
With blue hair, and red and blue heterochromatic eyes.
Even more distinctive than the red eyes of McLain, it was impossible not to be drawn to him.
“He’s recently awakened and has spent some time gathering and adapting to his Force. Since he’s the same age as you, you’ll be good stimuli for each other.”
Pushed by his brother, the boy took a step forward with an awkward smile and bowed his head.
“New knight, Victor.”
The words seemed awkward even as they left his lips, causing a slight blush on his face.
Same age, and similar build.
Even his height felt slightly shorter than the average 16-year-old.
‘A Force user, though?’
Ronian was keenly aware of his own exceptional talents.
And now to think someone his age was a Force user, and with that distinct appearance, perhaps …
“Is he the one? The one brother brought back, the slave?”
“Yes. He ‘was’ a slave. I granted him his freedom as promised and even knighted him, so treat him with due respect.”
“Of course. But training together means…”
“A duel. What else could it be?”
Even the composed Ronian was surprised at this.
His solo training wasn’t without reason.
He was far better than the average knight in swordsmanship, and even with force-enhanced intermediate knights, he could compensate for the difference in output with his skills.
Hence he trained alone, fearing he might ruin the other knights’ swordsmanship.
If this boy’s talent in swordsmanship was truly as great as his ability to wield the Force…
His brother seemed to answer the unspoken question with a smile.
“Shall we have a light spar to start?”
Ronian had no reason to refuse.
“One guy’s exhausted, and the other’s still raw, so it seems like the perfect time for a match. I’ll intervene if it gets serious, so go all out. Ready, begin!”
As his brother finished speaking, the awkward boy’s eyes filled with fighting spirit.
The moment Ronian saw the boy’s unique grey Force, his own grip instinctively tightened.
Thump.
As the opponent’s right foot stomped firmly into the ground, a wooden sword seemed to spring forth from behind his fully extended body.
Although it felt less powerful than the weapon enhancements of an intermediate knight, the wooden sword bathed in a grey hue was intimidating enough by its force alone.
The cruel intent of the sword mirrored a secret technique that had become a McLain knight’s specialty.
‘Iron Blood Sword!’
Supposedly inexperienced, but that strike showed no sign of it.
Whissh!
A gust passed over Ronian’s slightly lowered head.
And then,
‘I’ll return the favor.’
A similar slash aimed at the opponent’s waist swept forward.
A full-force strike missed, and a counterattack came in its place.
Expecting the opponent to crumble or at best barely block and retreat…
‘What?’
Instead, the boy leaped high, rotated in midair to avoid the offensive, then capitalized on that momentum to bring his sword slashing down.
‘In the air?!’
Jumping into the air during combat was foolish, exposing every vulnerability.
No ordinary knight would ever do such a thing, but the timing here was too perfect.
‘Eek!’
With all his might, Ronian dodged the blow and swung his sword again.
Boom! Bang!
One wooden sword was sent flying into the air.
Thump. Bang! Thud!
“Ugh.”
The two steps back from the collision’s recoil and the aching pain in Ronian’s hands felt unfamiliar.
Yet, the opponent who had been knocked back even harder managed to catch his own wooden sword on the rebound.
‘He even accounted for that?’
The opponent’s face was slightly pale, but Ronian was not pleased.
Even after just a few exchanges, it was clear to see.
“You… you’re a monster.”
“Puhaha. Hey, pot! Kettle!”
Ronian’s impromptu exclamation elicited a hearty laugh from his observing brother.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, recalling that’s what he often said to other knights, his face warmed up, but a sense of satisfaction outweighed that.
‘Let’s do this properly.’
To have a peer with whom he could engage in such close combat.
He had never felt such competitive spirit since he learned swordsmanship.
That feeling must have been mutual, as the grinning boy rushed forward once more.
Ronian liked that belligerent spirit.
At least for this moment, the frustrations and hasty feelings evaporated.
Unbeknownst to Ronian, he, too, was smiling just as brightly.
Bang! Sssk! Thump. Bang! Whack!
“Damn it, watch the fist!”
“What about it!”
“…We’ll see about that, you brat!”
Pffft.
“Indeed…”
Logan watched the duel between the two youngsters, smiling contentedly.
The encounter of two geniuses from the first meeting seemed to have a synergistic effect.
Victor, having trained for weeks, was now tailoring the Iron Blood Sword to his own style.
Ronian, who had previously made a mockery of knights within fixed techniques, was starting to break free and move more fluidly.
A wild and unrestricted sword meeting a controlled and precise one, each absorbing the other’s strengths, slowly changing every moment.
Also, as their fighting spirit intensified, Logan could feel even their Forces subtly evolving.
‘Perhaps the future Aura users will become the mainstay of the family’s forces sooner than I thought.’
Those two, and Logan himself—and not to mention the knight trainees who were likely sparring this very moment, as well as more recruits to come with improved selection criteria.
Assuming they could break away from the history of their previous lives, there were still 8 years until the empire’s wars.
Yet, there was a pleasing premonition that the McLain family’s future blades might be ready within 5 to 6 years.
Logan had only one dilemma now.
“Should I teach Victor the secrets of the Divine Sword or not?”
Considering his father’s case, existing knights couldn’t grasp the essence of the Divine Sword even if they tried.
But Victor, the one who could match or even surpass Ronian’s talent, could have a chance.
And yet,
‘Can I truly trust him…?’
Observing the slightly faltering Victor, Logan pondered deeply before reaching a decision.
* * *
“Her?”
“Yes, she’s that…”
Victoria walked toward the town hall, not yet used to it, as she heard whispers directed at her.
Now, however, it was a trivial matter.
She knew that most of those whispers were out of envy.
“Her brother’s that slave who became a knight…”
“Why does she still work as a maid?”
“Don’t know. Wants to repay kindness?”
Of course, there seemed to be a slight misunderstanding amidst the envious glances.
‘…No.’
She was filled with gratitude toward the noble master, now Logan, who had changed her and her brother’s lives.
Even though her brother had become a knight and obtained a house for them to live together, receiving a salary they couldn’t even dream of during slavery, Victoria continued as a maid out of more than just gratitude.
‘I can’t be a burden to my brother anymore.’
Victoria vividly remembered.
How when they were very young, she was carried on her brother’s back as they ran wildly through the mountains escaping.
Her brother, barely older than her by four years, always bruised and bloodied because of her, perilously hunting or begging for food.
The nights she agonized in fear that her wounded brother might not wake the next morning, how often had that been?
Almost glad to be caught by slavers, thinking now he wouldn’t have to suffer, only to be proven naïve but fortunately finding hope in Logan.
No longer tied down by a weak and insignificant sister, her brother’s shining future was assured.
That’s what the knights meant to Victoria.
‘I’m thirteen now. I must do what I can.’
The thought often brought tears to her eyes, but she held them back.
If rumors spread of her crying, her foolish brother would drop everything to rush to her.
He might even end up in jail after a reckless stunt.
Her brother must not afford that anymore with his current status.
‘I too will become someone useful in this castle. I have to show that I can live even without my brother.’
It would give her brother the peace of mind to focus on his own path.
Thus, Victoria walked energetically toward her duties.
However,
“I’m sorry. It’s no longer possible. The others are uncomfortable with you being a knight’s sister. And you are so young…”
The words of the head maid shattered Victoria’s tender heart.
‘I’m truly worthless…’
On her way home, tears inevitably fell.
Trying to hide her crying, she wiped her tears with her sleeve and looked up to the sky, but tears would not stop easily.
Moreover, Victoria’s short stature was an issue.
Often mistaken for around ten due to her height, she didn’t even reach the waist of one of the tallest and most noble people in the castle, a young man with red hair.
Hence, her tear-stained heterochromatic red and blue eyes happened to meet a pair of red eyes.
“Victoria? What’s the matter?”
“Oh, no, Lord Logan. Just got something in my eye.”
Sniffling.
Quickly wiping away tears, she repeatedly bowed her head.
Although, the excuse was too flimsy for anyone but a fool to believe.
“Did someone hassle you?”
“No, that’s not it!”
“Or is there something bothering you…?”
“Definitely not!”
“Hmm. Well, tell Victor. If there’s any trouble…”
“No, please! Don’t tell my brother!”
Her pleading voice held Logan’s steps.
‘I have my own issues to deal with. Not that it’s necessary.’
After hearing Victoria’s plight, Logan silently smiled.
Her sentiment was noble, yet also a needless self-reproach.
Emotional relationships, let alone interpersonal ones, aren’t sustained by one-sided giving.
Victor, too, had found the will to persevere in harsh life thanks to Victoria.
However, such ideas were beyond young Victoria’s grasp.
So,
“You are too young to determine what you can or cannot do. From now on, try to find your role. By learning various things, someday you will find something that can aid both your brother and yourself.”
“Really…?”
“Of course!”
Right now, bolstering her spirits was enough.
Or so he thought until…
“Can I learn to move those dirt puppets with yellow strings like that? If I had a strong puppet like that…”
“…What?”
Victoria was pointing toward Gric, Clayton’s apprentice, busy with a golem at work.
The McLain Town was declared complete, yet with many trials and errors, adjustments were numerous. But this sight drew a curious question.
Yellow strings?
“Do you see yellow strings? Tying the golem, well, that dirt puppet and the man?”
“Yes!”
…Could she see that?