The prayer room inside Jevarsch Castle.
"He's gone."
An old man with a missing arm and a strong-looking middle-aged man were praying before God.
"Yes. What a rapscallion! For three years he's been chirping at me, ‘sword, sword'. But he ran away the moment he got it."
He left once he got his hands on the Thunderbolt Sword.
What a cold-hearted bastard.
"I thought he'd leave after a little while."
"Still, at least he should've said his goodbyes to you before leaving."
"You mean he didn't even tell you, Count?"
"I am no longer a count."
"Ah, that's right. But he didn't even tell the head of the family? That bastard, I didn't even see his hide nor hair before he scarpered."
Seeing Bernard grumble that he shouldn't have given away the Thunderbolt Sword, Elburton was relieved inside.
Callius hadn't said goodbye to anyone.
If he hadn't said it to his daughter, would he say it to his father?
If he hadn't said it to his family, would he say it to his teacher?
There was not much difference between them, it seemed.
His son didn't have a heart of stone, he just felt it too awkward to say goodbye.
It wasn't like they were parting forever.
"I was just wondering if I've given him the title for nothing…"
"Now that cheeky bastard has become a count, nobody can stop him."
"That's right. What kind of fuss will he be stirring up now?"
They talked of their worries, but there was no worry on their faces.
Just small smiles bloomed.
Even if it's sad, what can you do?
He wanted to go to a higher place.
How could they stop the hero who'd protected the North, now that he was going to protect the kingdom?
"Did he look fine?"
"You mean Callius?"
At Elburton's nod, Bernard pondered, thinking of his disciple.
"Once a fool, always a fool, they say. But even such a scapegrace had a daughter, a father, a teacher, and the power of the North, and became a count."
Everything that'd been originally his.
The man who'd lost everything, regained everything. With a victory!
Was there any need to say any more?
"The young boy has now become a young man, and he is trying to become a full-fledged adult. But the brilliance of a late dawn lasts longer, does it not?"
"Is that so."
"The fairy tales I read as a kid were usually about heroes. However, remembering them now, heroes aren't strong from the start."
A hero can only become a hero after suffering hardships, passing trials and tribulations, and encountering the crossroads of life and death a few times.
What is a hero?
Even a roadside beggar or a dying patient can become a hero.
"Even if the beginning is weak –"
Only the ending has to be great.
"Isn't that the perfect phrase for Callius? So there's this thing I'm doing as a pastime…"
"Are you writing a book?"
"Just to pass the time."
The kingdom's greatest bastard.
It was perfect for a story.
Elburton smiled happily and joined his hands in prayer in front of the statue.
"Bernard. Originally, I didn't have many days left to live."
"… Yes. I remember."
"But the doctor who came to treat me a while ago said –"
That his disease had been cured.
An act of God. A miracle.
But Elburton knew –
"I've been saved by him twice."
"Really!? That's a good thing! Maybe, Count, that's why you…"
Elburton nodded.
"He already knew."
"You mean about your condition, lord?"
"Well, he threatened me with it."
Since you were healed because of me, meekly pass on the count title.
It's not yet time for me to take over, so keep a close watch on the northern lands as if your life is at stake.
And that was how Callius had gotten the title. Bernard clicked his tongue hearing this crazy tale.
"He's my own son, but honestly, is he crazy or something?"
A son who threatened his own father.
Of course, it might simply be his twisted personality.
"He's a good kid. He gave Emily that precious stone. It's late, but isn't he trying to be a good father at last?"
"I'm glad. I've been wondering for years about what to do with Emily. Her divine blood has been released, and now she's known as the daughter of my perfect heir, so there's nothing to worry about."
Emily's skills were improving day by day. Unlike Callius, she was a smart and talented kid.
However, Elburton still felt a bit saddened because of her. Unlike before, he now had a legitimate successor in Callius, so his life had become much more relaxed.
There was no reason not to shower Emily, his son's daughter and his granddaughter, with love.
But Emily didn't get close to Elburton. They were still a little uncomfortable around each other.
That was what Elburton felt sad about.
Not that he wasn't reaping what he himself had sown[1]…
Elburton pondered for a moment on their conversation about Callius, then asked cautiously.
"How do you rate his skills?"
"…"
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"Callius, defeated the warlord. I was still conscious, so I saw it clearly."
What was engraved on his sword.
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"It's well-known that only those who have reached the level of a Master can use it…"
Sword boundary[2] (劍畺).
It had emanated from Callius' sword.
Elburton had seen it.
It wasn't complete, but its presence to him had been clear as day.
Because that was the realm he'd longed for all his life.
"Bernard. Tell me. Is Callius… a Master?"
Bernard chose his words carefully before responding.
The Callius he'd seen.
And remembering what he'd accomplished, Bernard answered carefully, word by word.
"He almost died twice on the battlefield. And he grew stronger each time he came back alive."
He'd barely survived the fierce battle against the great warrior Kel'tuk.
And the next time –
Callius, who'd blocked the general's axeblows, had already surpassed Bernard.
It wasn't enough to match the warlord, but his final blow had been something different.
Its power was definitely that of one who'd risen to the ranks of Masters.
What had been contained in Callius' sword –
The technique that had defeated the general – was the proof.
"At the edge where life and death meet, he caught hold of it, what neither of us have managed in all our years."
Though it still wasn't perfect.
But he was definitely progressing step by step.
Towards the realm of the Masters.
At the same time.
‘Master, what bullshit.'
It's all nonsense.
Since the time I dealt with the warlord –
I haven't managed to successfully execute Other Shore Flower even once.
Even Stella, who'd invented the Silver Flower Wave Sword arts in the first place, had invented the third martial skill after reaching the level of Master herself.
There's definitely a feeling.
I've got a sense of which direction I need to go to grow.
But not yet.
It's still too early for me to become a Master.
I remain calm on the outside, but am relieved on the inside.
If they mistake me for somebody approaching the Master's realm, I can only be grateful.
They seem to have misunderstood my hidden aura and the gravity of the Tyrant Sword as proof of being a Master.
Well, it's worth it.
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If you think of the insignificant force of gravity as the momentum of the mighty, it's understandable to be mistaken for a Master.
Because I don't want to fight in the first place, the Tyrant Sword's effect is satisfactory enough.
‘The Worm Soul is definitely bothersome.'
In a one-on-one match, if a bug that gnaws on your nerves and causes pain and distraction, victory would naturally become difficult.
But of course –
‘They're just bugs.'
The spirit sword that guides worms is not very compatible with the Tyrant Sword that manipulates gravity.
No matter how many worms there are, they're still just worms in the end.
If you crush them all with the force of gravity, their special powers are naturally unusable.
This is because the power is distributed among the huge swarm of creatures. Suppressing such dispersed power is only too easy with the Tyrant Sword.
Orcal may have a few trump cards, but it's not difficult to beat him.
But in a situation like this, I can't consider one-on-one fights.
Three captains versus one person.
If it's about defeating each of them one after the other, that's not impossible either. That's how much stronger the War of the North has made me, and I have several powerful swords in my hands.
If I make up my mind and fight, I won't lose, and that's not me being arrogant.
But before that, there's work to be done.
"If you were in doubt, I could've gone to the Church to prove my innocence. You guys didn't need to drag me, I myself was already going there on my own two feet, so I could become a heretic inquisitor."
I take out the Judgment Sword – Medea from my waist.
And among the ones in my front, I raise my sword towards Orcal in particular.
"Was this really your idea?"
"…"
As soon as Orcal sees the Judgment Sword, he flinches and looks away.
But he can't deceive my eyes. For a moment, Orcal was looking towards Druma.
"…"
And, Druma –
When I turn towards him, the elegant blade of the Judgment Sword is dyed black.
"So this is the answer."
It hadn't been their own decision.
Nevertheless, the reason for attacking in this way must be due to instructions from their superiors.
Ryburn, noticing what's going on, has left my side and joined the other two at some point.
"Good."
Whatever I say here, or even if I prove my innocence by holding the Judgment Sword to my own neck, it's no use.
Because they're going to try and kill me anyway.
That's fine.
I've endured a lot so far.
After all, I don't want to listen to their chattering either, so now is the time to have a conversation with our swords instead.
It's also the perfect stage to test out my new sword. Inquisitor-captains aren't trivial opponents, even if I go all out.
I unsheathe the Thunderbolt Sword.
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Editor's Notes:
[1] 자업자득 (lit. self-employment), asking for it; bringing something upon oneself.
[2] 검강 (geomgang, lit. sword river) is being translated as sword boundary. This is not a domain (영역 which is the ability of a vision sword). Geomgang is a common KR martial arts/fantasy concept which was first seen in chapter 55, where it was translated as sword qi becoming tangible. Although the Chinese form is supposed to be 劍罡, not 劍畺…