Chapter 162 : Chapter 162

Chapter 162: The Half-Baked One

“……”

Deiron’s mouth hung stupidly open.

In the meantime, I tilted my stiffly aching neck

back once, then readjusted my grip on the hilt.

“Even for a swordsman who has realized the ultimate, even if he’s called the strongest in the Kingdom……”

I had been looking away when a low voice suddenly caught my ear.

“It can’t be helped?”

The end of his sentence rose as if asking a question.

What was he so desperate to deny?

Soon his face contorted, and I couldn't tell if he was laughing or crying.

My own expression must have been just like that a moment ago.

“...This too is emptiness.”

He muttered, looking at the sky.

His expression was that of someone who had gained a great enlightenment.

He was doing nothing but foolish things, just as he looked.

“Don’t make me laugh. You say you’ve seen emptiness, yet all you do is play with corpses and train demonic beasts to torment innocent people?”

“Because in those moments, I feel alive. I can feel a flicker of emotion, even if it’s just for a moment.”

Deiron raised the corner of his mouth.

“Why, you don’t understand?”

“Of course I don’t, you crazy bastard.”

We both threw our bodies forward at the same time.

Jjeong—!

Sparks flew as our blades clashed.

Chaeng! Chaeng!

We swung at the same time, parried at the same time.

The engagement was as precise as if we had practiced together for a long time.

Chae—aeng!

This time, a long, scraping sound echoed.

Instead of striking away the clashing blade, Deiron pushed forward as if forcefully embracing it.

He was determinedly putting strength into both hands, even gritting his teeth.

Kigigigigigik—!

It was a formidable strength.

I was pushed back helplessly.

Between the crossed blades, he suddenly thrust his face forward, baring his yellowed teeth.

“Don’t look at me like I’m a monster! If you were me, if you were standing in my place right now—!”

The locked blades rattled.

Deiron’s laughter was as precarious as the trembling blades.

“You think you would’ve been any different?!”

Deiron shot his left knee up, aiming to strike my side.

‘He’s wavering.’

This was nothing more than a base outburst of emotion.

Peok!

I intentionally did not block it.

Instead, I swung my left fist and smashed it into his jaw.

The fist and knee landed simultaneously.

We had each taken one hit.

The repulsive force sent our bodies flying back, creating distance.

We each rubbed the areas we were hit and glared at each other.

“A mere kid, how dare you.”

“……”

“What do you know to be spouting off like that?”

Deiron mumbled something in his mouth before spitting out a handful of blood.

A shattered molar was mixed in with it.

Good. That last exchange was my complete victory.

“I have never had second thoughts while looking at people weaker than me.”

It was because I never had much interest in the first place.

Come to think of it, being indifferent to others seems to be helpful in times like these.

Wouldn't it be less of a burden for the receiving party?

Well, if it were the opposite, it might have been tiring for both of us.

If you ask how a person indifferent to others can fight for a selfless cause…….

‘…….’

Honestly, I have nothing to say.

What am I supposed to do if that’s just how I am?

“So I’m curious. How can one fill their head with such insidious thoughts like you?”

“Cut the crap. There's a fine line between contempt and pity for the insignificant. No, you can’t even call it a line. They are originally one and the same. And that is the essence of being human.”

I stared at him without either agreeing or disagreeing.

‘I’ve hit his sore spot.’

A madman who has been trapped in his own world for a long time is yearning to be understood.

Quite desperately.

‘...The only way to twist this setup.’

There was no need to force the words. He and I were opposites from the start.

So, just by speaking things as they are…….

Deiron will crumble.

“That is simply your essence.”

“……”

“Don’t delude yourself into thinking everyone is as twisted as you are.”

Deiron grabbed his face as if to tear it off and cackled.

“...You arrogant bastard. Spout that nonsense only after you’ve trampled me underfoot and stood on my neck.”

“I’m trying my best.”

I had been waiting for the moment a shadow fell on the barrier, but now an earthquake had struck it instead.

‘I can’t miss this.’

I stepped forward with my left foot.

Kwang, with the sound of the ground cracking, my body shot forward.

In an instant, I was inside Deiron’s guard.

I swung Heavenly Demon.

The path of the sword soared through the air.

When silence fell, I was already past Deiron.

Soon, a snapping sound came from behind.

The right arm holding the old sword fell to the ground.

“Kaak!”

It was short and grotesque.

The scream sounded like laughter.

“That last one... was good, kid. Very bold.”

Deiron nonchalantly drew another sword from his waist with his remaining left arm.

It was one of two that had been tucked side-by-side.

Seureung.

A much thinner blade than the one he had been using was revealed.

‘A rapier.’

He made a few thrusting motions in the air.

It was only a short series of movements, but I couldn't feel any difference between his two arms.

There was no sense of incongruity at all.

“Ah, so this is what it feels like. To be one-armed.”

He glanced at the arm on the ground, then shrugged as if it were no big deal.

Blood was still dripping from the severed stump.

In that state, he turned his body at an angle.

“It’s been a while, for this.”

“Destreza?”

“Hoh, you know about it?”

“Of course.”

I took a deep breath through my nose and then…….

Cheok—

I stood in the same stance as Deiron.

He twisted the corner of his mouth.

“Are you trying to be stubborn? You think you can do it just by mimicking the stance?”

“……”

My form was certainly clumsy.

Heavenly Demon wasn’t a sword that could be extended lightly like a rapier.

I slowly clenched my left hand, which was behind my back.

“Someone like you would never know.”

“...What?”

“This is the ultimate Destreza.”

Deiron snorted as if it were pathetic and immediately charged.

It was hard to believe he was someone who had just lost an arm.

His body writhed like a snake as he closed the distance.

The tip of his sword flickered ceaselessly before my eyes.

He didn't even give me a moment to blink.

“Those eyes first! I’ll gouge them out!”

I swallowed a bitter smile.

For a one-eyed man from a past life, could there be a more trivial threat than this?

A flurry of strikes rained down relentlessly.

I barely managed to deflect their incoming trajectories by touching them with the tip of Heavenly Demon.

The deflected blades grazed my skin, sending a tingling sensation down my spine.

Every time the blade flashed before my eyes, the world shattered into white fragments.

Through those murky gaps, I could see Deiron’s eyes clearly.

They were filled only with black, like abyssal holes.

‘He said it was only emptiness?’

Anyone can see emptiness.

On the battlefield, on a pile of corpses…….

We all struggled together in an endless void.

Whether to sink as we were, or to struggle and climb out, was up to each individual.

I was lucky enough to be reborn.

And I realized that my sword was the oar I rowed to keep from falling back into emptiness.

An awakening.

In that instant, a white flame sparked from my Baihui acupoint. My mind cleared.

What I needed to move on to the next step wasn't the pinnacle of martial arts.

‘Sword’s Will.’

A single line of purpose—what to protect, and what to cut.

‘And to strive ceaselessly.’

With the left hand I had placed behind my back, I drew Blood Lion.

I remember my code.

What I believe to be wrong must be broken,

If I hold a will, I must rise again even if I fall,

I must not forget to move forward together.

And now, the fourth rule.

‘I must establish a will, protect it, and carry it on.’

This is Chivalry.

The one and only path I believe in and walk.

“Farewell, half-baked one.”

***

Oliver, the Lord of Tarnholt, was staring blankly out the window.

“My lord!”

An urgent call came from outside the bedroom.

As if belatedly waking from his reverie, his gaze, which had been fixed outside the window, slowly moved.

Even now, after ten years, the title ‘Lord’ still felt unfamiliar.

When he turned, the mansion servant who had gone hunting in the forest early in the morning was standing there with two unfamiliar kids.

The two kids’ appearances were unusual; for one, their shiny, shaved heads stood out.

“These children are...?”

Before the servant could answer, the two kids put their palms together and raised their voices.

“It is an honor to meet you, my lord! I am Krnock, a Solari Martial Priest!”

“Likewise, I am Deli, a Solari Martial Priest!”

Oliver blinked and muttered.

“Martial Priest? Solari...?”

Soon, his eyes gradually widened.

—...A priest of Solari and a wandering knight, Bihen Benkou.

—Solari? What is that?

—This place is completely cut off from the outside, so you might not know. Simply put, it's a school of magic with a religious tint. The main order is in the Imperial Capital, and it has branches in about ten territories from Conwell to Aldenfort.

The conversation they had came back to him.

He clearly remembered his answer from that time as well.

‘...I said it was similar to Deiron.’

His face flushed for no reason.

Oliver cleared his throat.

“I-I see. But, what brings you here...?”

He trailed off, looking at the servant.

It was a look that demanded an answer.

“Ah, my lord, that is...”

“We heard that our fellow priests came here!”

“Priest Bolero and Brother Bihen!”

Oliver swallowed. Strength naturally entered the hand gripping his cane and his eyes.

“...You have come looking for them?”

Krnock and Deli frantically nodded their heads up and down.

In the moment Oliver was taken aback, the servant, who had been watching cautiously, quickly approached him.

“My lord, these children say they are from Conwell.”

Oliver’s eyes widened.

“Is that true?”

“I spoke with them for a moment, and they seem quite knowledgeable about the outside world. They seemed to be looking for the people who arrived yesterday, so I brought them here just in case.”

Oliver grunted.

Meanwhile, the servant, who had stopped talking, hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to speak again.

“Have you not been curious about news from the outside all this time?”

The southwestern region of the Kingdom, stretching west from Aldenfort, was an area that the Kingdom’s people were reluctant to visit and avoided.

The perception was poor because demonic beasts had frequently appeared there since ancient times, and most of those who gained notoriety throughout the Kingdom were from this area.

As if the poor public order wasn't enough, the lack of outside visitors only deepened its isolation.

“……”

Tarnholt was a territory located in the middle of that southwestern region.

Although he hadn't received a noble title, let alone formal succession, and was merely a manager forced into the role of lord by Deiron…….

Oliver had his own sense of responsibility.

“For now, have a seat here.”

Oliver guided Krnock and Deli to the table in the center of the bedroom.

The two looked around anew before sitting on the sofa.

The interior was as old and shabby as the exterior.

‘Don’t tell me we were…’

‘Kidnapped, right?’

This thought belatedly struck them with a thud.

The two of them looked at Oliver at the same time.

Oliver smiled magnanimously.

“It's alright. You don't have to hide it. It's understandable to be surprised that the lord's mansion is in this state.”

After exchanging glances, Krnock and Deli cautiously nodded.

“Yes. To be honest.”

“We’ve been invited by nobles several times. Following Priest Bolero and Brother Bihen. So we’re used to most noble mansions, but this one is a little too...”

“Humble.”

“That’s right. Pure.”

The servant who was bringing tea cleared his throat. His face turned beet red.

Oliver gestured as if to say it was fine.

“Yes, alright. For now, the two people you are looking for are certainly in Tarnholt.”

Krnock and Deli looked at each other and clapped their hands softly.

“Where are they now?!”

“Please let us see them right away!”

The two were born and raised in the Litania Order. This was their first time experiencing the world outside of Conwell.

The nobles were kinder than they had heard and expected.

However, they hadn't yet grasped that this kindness was thanks to Bihen and Bolero's prestige, so they had no way of knowing how rude their unreserved attitude was.

“Of course.”

But Oliver also had his own circumstances, so he was far from a person concerned with such hierarchy.

“However, it might be difficult right now.”

“Huh? Why?”

Oliver and the servant made eye contact. They seemed to be choosing their words on how to explain it to the children.

“Um, you see. The two of them are currently very dangerous...”

It was then.

The bedroom door was thrown open so violently it seemed it would break.

“M-My lord! You need to come quickly!”

“What is it now?”

The villager who had barged in caught his breath.

“Th-The Deiron mansion area is in an uproar right now!”

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