episode_0094

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s have a match.”

“……Didn’t you say you met Cheon Geomsal? Wouldn’t it be better to fight her instead?”

Diago added one more thing as he said that.

“At this point, I’m more of an instructor dabbling in politics than a knight.”

Don’t overwork someone like that.

Diago sighed.

That might indeed be the case.

Diago hasn’t changed much since the first time I met him.

After sticking around him for a while, I’ve noticed he does train, but—

‘It’s barely enough to maintain his current state.’

In fact, Diago might have even grown weaker since we first met.

That’s the impression I got.

“Judging by your eyes, you don’t want to deal with Cheon Geomsal, and since you’re singling me out… it seems you don’t want to get tangled up with her either.”

Diago had accurately assessed my current situation.

Getting involved with Cheon Geomsal would likely be a huge hassle.

“In that case, I’ll handle that matter for you.”

“Handle it?”

Don’t tell me he means eliminating her.

Now that I think about it, Diago had mentioned something like that before.

Cheon Geomsal is a Sword Hero created by the nobility.

Because of her origins, the imperial palace isn’t too fond of her existence.

Yet, the imperial palace still lent her their support.

If Cheon Geomsal were to truly become the Sword Hero, they intended to use her as a tool of the imperial power.

That’s why Diago had once proposed to me—

Why don’t you become the Sword Hero instead?

‘Veronica said something similar too.’

At this point, Diago might even consider her existence unnecessary.

“But can you actually win?”

“……?”

At my words, Diago tilted his head for a moment before looking at me with an incredulous expression.

“You… did you seriously think I’d deal with her like some brutish, brainless knight?”

That’s not it?

I stared back at Diago with a shocked expression.

Diago let out a quiet sigh and shook his head.

“No, perhaps that was a miscommunication on my part. Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that.”

Saying so, Diago looked at me with an odd expression.

“We’ve strayed a bit from the topic… but let’s get back to it.”

“You mean the spar.”

“……Cut me some slack.”

Diago exhaled deeply as he spoke.

“That wouldn’t end well for me. And more importantly… fighting you now doesn’t seem like it’d turn out in my favor.”

“When we first met, you fought me just fine.”

“That’s because I didn’t know anything back then. And at the time, I was confident I could beat you.”

“But you lost.”

“……I consider that cheating. I was caught off guard by too many variables in that fight.”

“Variables.”

That might have been true. I had just learned Hyeoncheon back then.

And Diago was already struggling against the Holy Sword.

Not to mention, his disciple, Erme, had suddenly barged into the situation.

“Anyway, let’s drop that. I’ll take care of the Cheon Geomsal matter for you.”

With those words, Diago waved at me and left.

I was lightly stretching.

I wanted to warm up, but I didn’t have a suitable sparring partner.

‘Should I go find Volkan?’

That old man might just laugh and accept.

Or maybe not.

Lately, he’s been giving me more horrified and concerned looks than usual.

‘And ever since my recent level-up, I’ve learned a lot of new things.’

Since Diago said he’d retrieve the item I originally came here for,

I just needed to wait quietly.

With that thought, I entered the adventurer’s guild.

‘…….’

The atmosphere was different from usual.

The adventurers looked visibly tense.

As if someone important had arrived.

A nervous energy hung in the air.

‘Who could it be?’

When I looked inside, Volkan was sitting there.

Across from him was an elderly man.

If Volkan had a rough, intimidating appearance,

the old man opposite him was neatly put together—though his physique suggested otherwise.

‘Another old man like Volkan.’

His uniform hid it, but the outline of his sleeves gave it away.

This old man had biceps thicker than my waist.

‘……Is he over 2 meters tall?’

Even seated, his overwhelming presence was undeniable.

At that size, the chair beneath him looked like a toy.

“Good heavens, to think he would come here…!”

A familiar voice gasped in shock.

Following the sound, I spotted a pair of glasses.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, it’s you, Yuseong.”

“Greetings, hyung-nim.”

Next to him was Finn, who immediately bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle the moment he saw me.

“Who is that man?”

“……You don’t know who he is?”

When I asked about the old man, Glasses responded in a deeply bewildered tone.

Is he famous?

But I’ve never seen him before.

‘……Huh?’

I looked at the old man again.

At first, I’d only noticed his physique.

But now, I felt something strange.

Just sitting there, he exuded a chilling aura—as if an invisible blade was pointed at me.

“The Empire’s Duke, one of the greatest adventurers to emerge from the [Cradle]… His Grace, the Duke of Black Abyss.”

“The Duke of Black Abyss…?”

“Yes, one of the pillars supporting the Empire, and a man second to none in the art of the sword.”

Glasses was practically gushing about the Duke in an excited voice.

‘……I’ve always had a feeling about this guy.’

He must be the son of some noble family.

Raised in privilege, yet chasing some romanticized dream—barely a day goes by without him diving into dungeons as a mage.

While I was lost in thought about Glasses,

a pair of eyes locked onto me.

Glistening like crimson gemstones.

“……Hello.”

Staring straight at me.

Reluctantly, I greeted So Yeonhwa.

“I’m not saying hello.”

She ignored my greeting and kept her eyes fixed on me.

“How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“That movement you used to evade me. I couldn’t replicate it.”

“You couldn’t?”

This was unexpected.

That she couldn’t mimic the Hero’s orthodox footwork.

‘When the Holy Sword taught me, I got it on the first try.’

He hadn’t demonstrated it—just explained it.

Yet, I’d managed to replicate it just by listening.

‘Even if it wasn’t perfect, I thought she’d at least grasp something from it.’

Maybe I was wrong.

Or perhaps the footwork the Holy Sword taught me was far more advanced than I realized.

“You couldn’t replicate it?”

A voice I’d never heard before spoke beside me.

At some point, the old man called the Duke of Black Abyss had stepped in front of me.

“Yeonhwa, you saw it yourself?”

“Yeah, I did. But I couldn’t copy it. I couldn’t even keep up.”

“You couldn’t keep up?”

“Kuhahahaha! See that, you old fool! This kid’s the real deal!”

Thud! Thud!

Volkan slapped my back with his massive palms.

Ow, you damn old man! That hurts!

“Fufu, it seems we’ve won this wager.”

“Nonsense. Your disciple might have learned something impressive, but in the end, our Yeonhwa will prevail.”

“You hyped her up as the Empire’s hidden sword, yet look at her now—failing to replicate a mere movement! Did you really believe in her that much? Puhahahaha!”

Volkan was laughing heartily at the Duke, enjoying himself far too much for a man his age.

“By the way, when did you learn that footwork?”

“I picked it up on my own.”

“Is that so?”

The old man’s eyes scanned me, filled with a mix of curiosity and disbelief—as if wondering what I’d eaten to get this strong.

‘Hmm.’

I looked at Old Man Volkan.

Back then, he’d seemed impossibly far above me.

‘What the hell, old man?’

Just how strong is he?

I’ve grown a lot stronger myself, but—

‘……And he’s just a Sword King?’

Gifts can reflect one’s profession.

Sword King, Volkan.

As his title suggests, Volkan had obtained the profession of Sword King.

And that title had remained unchanged to this day.

Yet, I had a strange certainty—

that Volkan had reached something beyond that.

“So, what was that footwork?”

So Yeonhwa asked me directly.

“You think I’d just reveal my secrets like that?”

“I’ll pay you.”

“You think money can buy anything?”

“100 platinum coins.”

100 platinum coins roughly amounted to 10 billion.

“……………………………………………………………………You think I’d waver over something like that?”

I’m not the kind of man to bend for money.

“He’s wavering hard, this brat.”

The Duke stared at me with an exasperated expression.

“I knew he had a weakness for money, but this is worse than I thought.”

Volkan muttered in disbelief.

What’s wrong with being weak to money?

“But this kid…”

The man called the Duke of Black Abyss studied me.

His eyes gleamed with intrigue—but also something darker.

As if I were a dangerous existence.

He was wary of me.

“If you love money that much, I could give you some.”

“Ah, that’s a bit…”

“?”

“Money from strangers never comes without strings attached. You’re definitely plotting something.”

I looked straight at the Duke as I spoke.

Nothing in life is free. Easy gains always come with hidden costs.

“……It’s not without conditions. How about five platinum coins?”

“What do you want?”

“Spar with our Yeonhwa.”

“No thanks.”

I’m not fighting that girl for a measly five platinum coins.

No matter how it plays out, a spar would inevitably lead to a decisive outcome.

‘……Even if I threw the match on purpose—’

There’s no way I could fool these old men.

And if I did, the Empire’s attention would be on me.

‘That’d be a real pain.’

More importantly—

I don’t want to become the Sword Hero.

If anything, I’d rather be the Thief Hero.

‘……I’d rather not make enemies with the Hero who’s basically the game’s mascot.’

Besides, the Holy Sword once told me—

if she became the Hero, her combat prowess would be extraordinary.

That she’d surpass even Cheon Geomsal or whatever her name was.

I don’t know what that means, but I had no intention of interfering.

Perhaps sensing my resolve,

the Duke looked at me with visible annoyance.

“That girl over there…”

“My name is So Yeonhwa.”

“……I don’t want to fight her.”

“Why?”

Why?

I glanced at So Yeonhwa.

She was staring blankly at me, completely clueless.

“Ah, but that’s not up to you.”

“……?”

“Because it’s about to begin.”

“What is?”

“The tournament to select the Hero.”

Volkan grinned like a mischievous child as he spoke.