“What is the bet?”
Edquill raised his eyebrows. He couldn’t hide his impatience because he thought he could avoid becoming a bag carrier.
“Naturally, the bet has to be about this.”
Raon tapped the sheath of his sword.
“A spar?”
“Yes. Since we live by our swords, both conversation and the bet should be performed with this.”
“That’s such a simple way of viewing the world, befitting a child.”
Edquill’s mouth curved like a wet twig.
“Do you really believe that I’m at the same level as those monsters or mercenaries?”
“If you are that confident, you just need to accept the bet.”
“……”
He didn’t respond immediately, taking his time as he bit his lip.
“I have a condition.”
“Condition? I don’t think you are in a position to suggest something like that.”
The words were oppressive from the start. Raon knew exactly who had the upper hand in the situation.
“Let’s fight using only our personal prowess.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean to say that we should fight using swordsmanship and aura, without any special equipment.”
“Hmm…”
Raon took a glance at the Blade of Requiem hanging behind his waist and narrowed his eyes.
He used the Blade of Requiem on purpose when killing the troll shaman, and it was already bearing its fruit.
Just as he thought, Edquill believed that he’d killed the shaman in a single strike thanks to the Blade of Requiem’s special power, rather than his own strength.
“Let’s do that, then.”
Stopping himself from smiling, Raon nodded nonchalantly.
“Then, what’s the penalty you are going to add?”
“It’s simple. You will become the scouts.”
“Huh? What?”
“I’m telling you to stop being swordsmen and become scouts at the lowest rank. About three months should be enough.”
People like Edquill and the Snow Strikers, who were so self-centered and arrogant, needed to be put in other’s shoes to learn their lesson. Even if they were chased away from Habun Castle, Raon wanted to teach them the error of their ways before chasing them away.
“Are you serious?”
Edquill shouted, pointing his finger at Radin and the scouts.
“They are nothing but dregs that can’t even use aura! Why do you even care about them? There’s no way the commander would allow such a condition!”
“Keuh…”
“Ugh…”
The scouts bit their lips in frustration, but they couldn’t say anything when facing Edquill’s savage pressure.
“Is that so?”
Raon’s eyes froze even colder than the northern glacier.
“You are…”
“Edquill.”
As Raon was about to speak his thoughts, Terian walked up to them.
“I thought you would do it in moderation, but you crossed the line.”
He scowled like rotten tree bark and stood in front of Edquill.
“V-Vice-commander.”
“I never imagined you would call your fellow soldiers ‘worms’ or ‘dregs’.”
“No, that’s not…”
“Shut your trap, Edquill. I’m currently suppressing my urge to behead you immediately.”
Terian made Edquill step back, then turned to look at Raon.
“I’ll allow it. I’ll be the notary of the duel between you two.”
“V-Vice-commander!”
“It doesn’t matter if you are weak, since you can become stronger. However, I won’t allow anyone to be trash that treats his companions like that when you should be able to entrust your back to them.”
“There will be various problems in Habun Castle if all of us become scouts! The castle might end up collapsing!”
“If the castle was going to collapse just because you weren't there, it would’ve collapsed already. Don’t overestimate yourself, Edquill.”
“Ugh…”
Edquill’s lips trembled.
“However, I can’t endanger everyone here because of your duel.”
Terian narrowed his eyes and pointed under the mountain.
“The duel will take place once we reach the safe place.”
* * *
Habun Castle’s troops took the ice troll warrior and shaman’s heads as spoils of war and left Stallin Mountain.
As soon as they reached the safe area, Raon and Edquill put down their baggage at once and warmed themselves up.
The scouts and the Snow Strikers cleaned the surrounding area so that they could focus on the duel. The temporary arena was created, and Raon and Edquill faced each other.
“This is your last chance.”
Edquill showed his teeth, drawing the sword from his waist.
“If you give up right now, I’m also willing to stop.”
“That’s proof of your anxiety.”
“You bastard!”
“Step back. I’ll double check before the duel starts.”
Terian, who was standing between them, turned his head towards Raon first.
“If you win, the entire Snow Strikers become the recruit scouts for three months, correct?”
“Yes, and they also have to carry the scouts' baggage and do their chores until we check the northern ocean and return.”
“Alright. Then, Edquill.”
Terian turned to look at Edquill this time.
“Yes.”
“If you win, you won’t have to be the bag carrier anymore, right?”
“Yes, but it’s too disadvantageous for me.”
“What?”
“Let me have another condition!”
“What do you want?”
Raon tilted his chin and smiled.
“That dagger, give me that dagger if I win.”
Edquill’s eyes were filled with greed as he looked at the Blade of Requiem. He was really a horrible person for coveting the weapon in that situation.
“Fine.”
The Blade of Requiem vibrated, but Raon caressed the sheath to reassure it.
He’d already analyzed the flow of Edquill’s swordsmanship. He was certainly strong, but he couldn’t imagine himself losing.
Being the prize of a bet is truly befitting an insignificant creature like you.
Wrath giggled at the Blade of Requiem, but he didn’t realize his flower bracelet wasn’t getting anyone’s attention.
“You know, I haven’t used my true strength yet.”
Red energy burst across his shoulders. It had to have been true that he never used his true strength, since the burning energy was much more powerful than when he fought against the troll.
“Hah. Are you proud?”Raon clicked his tongue at his pitifulness.
“Killing is forbidden. Begin the duel, now!”
Terian announced the start of the duel and stepped back.
“Kuaaah!”
Edquill dashed at him, screaming like a troll. He immediately followed up with a swing of his sword, incorporating a tremendous amount of aura.
Slam!
Even though Raon blocked it precisely, the blade faltered. Despite his nasty personality, his powerful sword was properly trained.
“I’ll make you crawl on the ground before you can do anything!”
He kept swinging his sword with a powerful pressure, trying to keep the winning flow. The tremendous wind pressure and shockwaves were almost ripping apart his arctic clothes and armor.
“Save the scouts? Become the scouts? Talentless guys like them are everywhere. Why do you even care about them so much?”
The energy imbued in Edquill’s blade became more and more intense. The threads of the aura blade gathered to form a thick line. It was the next level of the aura blade, the aura thread.
Slam! Slaam!
Raon could feel the shock in his bones each time the two swords collided with each other. They were powerful attacks, but Raon’s eyes grew calmer and calmer as he blocked them.
“I had two expectations for coming to Habun Castle.”
Raon twisted his mouth, defending himself from the incoming barrage.
“The first was the expectation of getting stronger on fierce battlefields, and the second was trust.”
“Trust?”
A small light shone in the eyes of everyone watching the duel as he said the word ‘trust’.
“I expected the scene of everyone standing together with trust in order to fight against powerful enemies from the outside.”
Because that was something he’d never experienced before. He’d arrived at Habun Castle, imagining the future the fifth training ground would reach after a long time.
“But that wasn’t the case. You spoke about your position and power to divide your ranks. Even the mercenaries, who were here temporarily, looked at people’s nature. But you treated your fellow soldiers as servants.”
Raon’s sword resonated like a beast’s roar.
“You asked me earlier why I cared about the scouts. I’m not caring about the scouts, I’m caring about the people.”
The ’s chain was unleashed, and the ferocious pressure covered the space.
“The price you have to pay for betraying my expectations will be huge.”
* * *
* * *
“Price, my ass!”
Edquill ground his teeth. He couldn’t understand why he had to go through all that because of some crazy bastard. However, since the fight had already begun, he had to win at all costs.
Just as he’d expected, Raon had become significantly weaker when he didn’t use the dagger with ghastly energy.
The Kator Swordsmanship he’d been practicing his entire life would be able to pierce through his solid defense and make him kneel.
“Kuaaah!”
Edquill used the later five techniques of the Kator Swordsmanship consecutively. The silver blade ripped apart the cold air and stormed at Raon.
Slam! Slaam!
Even though he was under the fierce sword’s attack, Raon walked up to him. He brandished his sword to attack, rather than to defend.
“It’s my turn now.”
Raon’s sword soared up violently, his eyes becoming visible. His eyes were a crimson color, like the moon in the sky. The frightening light, without a single trace of wavering, gave him goosebumps.
“Argh!”
Edquill grabbed his sword tightly and slashed diagonally. It was the sixth technique, which was able to break an opponent’s sword.
Wham!
When the tremendous power incorporated in the blade was about to swallow the space, Raon rotated his wrist. His sword shone like a ray of light and smacked the flat of his sword.
Clang!
The blade wavered violently and Edquill was pushed back to the right. The aura he had created with all of his might had already disappeared.
“Keuh! You bastard! What was that just now?”
Edquill’s mustache was trembling.
“That powerful sword, twisting the trajectory.”
Raon looked down on him with cold eyes.
“I’ve already finished analyzing your swordsmanship.”
“Bullshit!”
Edquill screamed and rushed at him. He held his breath and thrust his way through the 7th, 8th and 9th techniques of the Kator Swordsmanship consecutively.
The powerful attacks that vibrated the air were targeting Raon’s neck, his hand dashing fiercely.
Clang!
The blade, which was rotating like a saw, bounced back once again.
“H-How…?”
Edquill swallowed his spit. He couldn’t believe he was pushed back despite his aura being faster and more powerful.
“This is impossible! It doesn’t make any sense!”
He kicked the ground and rushed at Raon’s right side. He targeted his chest and swung his sword from the bottom to the top. It was the 10th technique, which was the fastest of them all.
However, the attack was snapped before it even reached Raon’s body. And—
Whack!
A giddy pain could be felt from his waist, along with the sound of a ball bursting.
“Kuaah!”
Edquill grabbed his ribs and withdrew, his body faltering.
“Wh-What was that?”
“I said it was my turn.”
Raon smiled lightly and swirled his sword.
“Now, try blocking.”
He kicked the ground and pounced at him like a wolf.
“Uha!”
He slashed the 11th technique of the Kator Swordsmanship at Raon, who was dashing at him from the front. The powerful strike, which could grind a boulder into powder, engulfed the air.
Clang!
Even though it must’ve been his first time witnessing the technique, Raon remained calm as he advanced. He looked like he was just flailing his sword around without any form or anything, yet Edquill’s sword was pushed back instead.
Clang! Clang!
Raon didn’t miss the opportunity, his fierce attacks continuing like a savage beast. Edquill couldn’t even breathe because of the crimson aura that was falling down like a heavy rain.
“Keuh!”
He tried to hold his ground with everything he had, but Raon kept targeting his weakness. He was really a demon.
Clang!
His sword was pushed back in the end. Raon came up to him and thrust his fist at his abdomen.
Whack!
Edquill’s body snapped at a 90-degree angle. His wide eyes looked like they would pop out.
“Keuh!”
“It’s not over yet.”Raon swung his sword at Edquill before he could regain his posture.
“Huff!”
Edquill hurriedly stepped back and tried to defend himself, but Raon’s sword wasn’t something a sloppy defense could block.
Wham! Whaam! Whaaam!
Edquill flew away like paper in the wind and rolled on the ground.
“Y-you… Ah!”
He barely managed to stand up, but the sword thrusting at him was even more ferocious. He felt like he was locked inside a sandstorm alone.
“Kuaah!”
The scream that Edquill had been holding back up to that point burst from him.
Every technique of the Kator Swordsmanship had been countered, as if he was really stating the truth when he said that he’d analyzed his swordsmanship. It felt like a nightmare to Edquill.
Tap!
His sword had tilted during the short time he was thinking, and Raon’s sword pierced into that opening like a snake.
Whack!
A mind-blowing pain rose in his left thigh. It didn’t feel like his bone was broken, so he couldn’t understand how it could be that painful.
“Argh…”
Edquill dragged his unmoving leg and stepped back. However, Raon had no intention of letting him go—he followed him like a shadow and smacked him with his sword.
Whack!
His heart tightened each time he crossed swords with Raon. His teeth clattered in fear that surpassed the pain. He wanted to give up, but there were too many things at stake and too many people watching.
“Uwaaaah!”
Edquill let his aura explode and held his sword with two hands. Using all of his remaining aura, he swung the sword he was holding up to the sky. It was the Kator Swordsmanship’s final technique, .
Whir!
A red line formed on Raon’s blade. The lines that were tangled up in a disorderly manner spread out at once, radiating with the red light of the evening glow.
Creak!
The moment it faced that powerful light, his was crushed and the blade was shattered.
“Keuh!”
The sword flew away, tearing his skin as it slammed into the ground.
“Ah…”
Edquill looked ahead while his chin trembled. Raon was standing in exactly the same way he had been in the beginning.
“I-I los… Huff!”
As he was about to admit his defeat, Raon covered his mouth.
“There’s no way I can tell what others are thinking. However…”
Taking one step closer to him, he smiled coldly.
“The moment you admit it, you have to take responsibility for it. Belittling the fellow soldiers that have fought alongside you with their lives on the line was a no go, even from a recruit’s perspective.”
“Wait! I los… Kuah!”
Raon smacked Edquill’s face with his fist.
With a rock-shattering sound, Edquill’s teeth popped out like corn. His blank face slowly turned with unfocused eyes before he collapsed on his back.
Raon walked in front of the Snow Strikers, holding his sword as it radiated a deadly light.
“If you have any complaints, step forward now. I’ll listen to you.”
Hearing his cold voice, which felt like ice passing over their shoulders, the Snow Strikers trembled.
Their eyes were fixated on Edquill, whose blood was flowing from his mouth. Obviously, no one stepped up.
This is exactly the future the King of Essence has foreseen.
Wrath snickered, looking at the unconscious Edquill.
* * *
Raon woke Edquill up. He quickly regained consciousness, but he couldn’t even look straight at him anymore because of the pain and fear he felt.
It looked like he was extremely shocked by the way he shattered his powerful sword with the , cutting through both his sword and aura with the ’s technique.
“Vice-commander.”
Leaving the trembling Edquill behind, he walked up to Terian.
“Ah, yes.”
Terian’s eyes were trembling violently, as he hadn’t expected such a one-sided victory.
“Is that really okay?”
“It was a bet, and the terms have to be upheld. Having people like them ruining the mood will only spoil the morale. Habun Castle won’t be ruined just because the Snow Strikers become scouts, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“I see.”
“Listen, everyone.”
Terian went inside the temporary arena to gather everyone’s attention.
“The duel has ended with Raon’s victory, and the Snow Strikers will be demoted to the scout recruits in accordance with the terms of the bet. I hope no one has any complaints, as those were the terms everyone agreed upon.”
The Snow Strikers seemed to have a lot of complaints, but they all flinched and turned their heads once Raon glared at them.
“Ah, so they are our juniors! Right?”
Dorian grinned and stood up. He walked up to the depressed Snow Strikers and took the baggage they gave to the scouts earlier from his belly pocket.
“This is the baggage you need to carry from now on, juniors.”
“Ugh…”
“Damn it!”
The Snow Strikers ground their teeth, looking at the baggage piled up in front of their eyes.
“Ah, there’s one more.”
Dorian giggled and took out four long logs from his belly pocket.
“Wh-What are these?”
“Logs?”
“Wh-Why were there logs in there?”
It wasn’t just the Snow Strikers. Everyone’s eyes grew wide upon seeing the logs.
“Anyone would carry around some logs to build rafts or houses.”
Dorian shrugged his shoulders.
Raon unconsciously shook his head.
“Well, anyway.”
Dorian’s eyes grew unusually cold.
“Carry them carefully, juniors. Be prepared to die if you get a single scratch on the logs.”
Returning the Snow Strikers warning right back at them, Dorian came back with a refreshed expression.
“Ah, this feels great!”
“You look happy.”
“Well, I did go easy on them. I initially planned to take out some boulders.”
Dorian snorted, murmuring that he went easy on them.
He also has boulders?