Ch.226EP.50 – The Knight Ruminates on Defeat (5)

……It was a strange dream.

[You have revealed your sin! The Plum Blossom Swordsman losing to someone from Jongnam! How pathetic! You are a disgrace to the Hwasan Sect!]

A dream where an old man who looked like a Taoist master was angry at him.

And there wasn’t just one or two Taoist masters.

[We must cut off his tendons and expel him from the sect!]

[The name of Hwasan weeps…]

[How can we face our ancestors now!]

They were treating him like a traitor, and Ihan casually scratched his cheek.

[Look at that arrogant attitude!]

[He doesn’t recognize his mistakes at all!]

[Th-this…!]

The Taoist masters’ blood pressure was rising, and Ihan said to them-

“Hey, you evil spirits. I don’t know who you are, but let me correct one thing. First of all, I’m not part of the Hwasan Sect, you idiots.”

[……?]

He hurled insults refreshingly and continued speaking calmly.

“I was formerly an assassin for a strange experimental organization, and later a mercenary. So my origins are more like those of a demonic cult member or a ronin, definitely not someone from an orthodox sect. Even if I were from an orthodox sect, my first technique was from Shaolin, so Shaolin would be more accurate than Hwasan. Above all, though my technique names are borrowed from martial arts novels, that doesn’t make me a real martial artist, right? When you think about it, I created everything myself, you fools. So I’m the founder, you morons. I’m the ‘Sect-Founding Patriarch.'”

[……]

“Expulsion my ass. If anyone’s going to expel anyone, it’s me who’ll expel you.”

[B-but the Plum Blossom Sword is…]

“Do you hold the patent for the Plum Blossom Sword?”

[……]

“Anyway, you evil spirit bastards. Making a fuss without even having a patent.”

[Th-that is…]

“Stop the nonsense and come over here. How dare mere disciples of a sect defy the Sect-Founding Patriarch?”

[W-wait…!]

“Let me see your Plum Blossom Sword!”

[…!]

…The Hwasan Sect evil spirits screamed.

* * *

-Bolt upright!

“…Hmm, is it because they’re evil spirits? Their footwork was quite unique.”

Ihan, who had been dazed for a moment after opening his eyes, looked at his palm.

Originally, he had planned to hit them 500 times, but he only managed 300.

Ghosts will be ghosts—they were quite good at running away, perhaps because they had no feet.

…Could that be the [Shadow Step]?

“Hmm, should I try to create it?”

Ihan nodded, saying he had gotten a hint for a new footwork technique.

To him, then.

“…What nonsense are you muttering right after waking up?”

“It’s just something.”

Baltar spoke to him, and Ihan, who had already sensed his presence, answered casually without even looking at him.

“How long was I unconscious?”

“30 minutes.”

“…I thought so. I feel refreshed.”

“Haha, your resilience is still impressive. You recovered just from that short nap?”

“I’ve only recovered about 40%. Wouldn’t anyone recover this much after resting for that long…?”

“Heheh, if you say that in front of others, they’ll beat you up for being obnoxious. Ah… but the ones who rush at you would end up getting beaten instead.”

“……”

Instead of responding to Baltar’s teasing, Ihan glanced around.

Crackle…

Thud!

Crash…!

“…Ahem.”

He smiled awkwardly with an embarrassed expression.

It was devastating.

The training ground, which boasted an area of approximately 6,000㎡ (1800 pyeong), was devastatingly collapsed.

The ground had caved in as if a sinkhole had formed, and the surrounding castle walls had completely collapsed, clearly exposing the outside.

That’s not all. The high-temperature energy left by the sword aura and sword rings had caused flames, which were now burning well here and there.

This seemed like the aftermath of an atomic bomb.

…Is it any consolation that there’s no radiation?

However.

“I’m screwed…”

Ihan broke into a cold sweat as he took in the destructive act he had committed.

When he had lost his mind, he had fought indiscriminately, but now that he had come to his senses, he realized he had caused an accident.

‘I went crazy…’

The property damage alone was enormous, and he had dared to reduce a part of the royal palace to this state.

The day before, when he had knocked down the 1st and 2nd Cat Knight Brigades, it could have been considered self-defense since they had attacked first, but this time he had caused the accident himself, so…

‘Hmm, being a debtor is one thing, but will I be dragged away as a criminal?’

He might be dragged to the guillotine.

“If I fix this, will I still be punished?”

“Hmm? Can you fix it?”

“I’ve done a lot of engineering work. If you give me about two weeks? No, a week, I can restore it cleanly.”

“…You have unexpected talents sometimes, don’t you?”

“Haha…”

In his previous life, he had even been a work crew leader who built training grounds in the military!

Moreover, now his entire body could substitute for heavy machinery, so he was confident he could rebuild everything in a week even working alone.

As he was contemplating how to reduce his punishment even slightly, at that moment.

“I can guess what you’re worried about. It’s a very typical concern for you, you foolish fellow.”

“Isn’t it a natural worry?”

“Well, at times like this, you seem so innocent and solid, but why do you become a madman when your eyes turn? Sigh…”

“…Of course I should clean up the mess I made, right? Really.”

“Haha, you’re like a diligent man despite being a madman.”

“?”

While he was momentarily confused about whether this was an insult or a compliment, Baltar spoke again.

“Don’t worry unnecessarily. ‘These things’ are common.”

“…These things?”

“In the days when the former king was in his prime, this happened frequently. Knights would duel and often destroy parts of the royal castle. Haha, it was like an annual event…”

“……”

“Well, after the former king passed away, the level of knights declined, old comrades gradually went into seclusion or departed for Avalon, and such events disappeared, but… it still exists in royal law. [Even if the royal castle is damaged due to knights’ duels, as long as there are no casualties, no crime shall be charged], so don’t worry unnecessarily, hehe.”

“…Oh.”

Along with the good news that he wouldn’t be sent to the guillotine.

Plop, pitter-patter.

Crash…!

As if to reassure him further, rain began to fall just in time, cooling the flaming ground, and Ihan smiled as he was rained upon.

“…It’s been raining frequently these days.”

Thankfully.

* * *

Whoosh!

“……”

“……”

Ihan and Baltar maintained silence as they watched the heavy autumn rain.

Though the training ground had been completely swept away by their duel, they were sitting under the lone remaining roof of the rest area, using it as an umbrella.

It was one thing for Ihan, but it was a strange sight to see a man of Baltar’s stature—an Aura user—resting in such an unsightly place.

“At your age, they’d give you a large room anywhere in the palace, so why are you sitting here? You could be drinking tea in a warm place.”

“Such refined activities aren’t to my taste. Cooling off after a fight with rain is more familiar to me.”

“You’re not some wild man… Even our little barbarian doesn’t rest like that.”

“A corrupted barbarian, I see. Bringing shame to their ancestors, tsk tsk.”

“…Old man, that’s racial discrimination.”

Meaningless conversation.

Meaningless atmosphere.

It was hard to believe this was a conversation between knights who had been fighting to the death just moments ago.

But somehow, the sight of the two knights sitting under a roof that might collapse at any moment, talking in the rain, seemed to fit perfectly.

Rather than a luxurious mansion, the two men seemed more natural on a battlefield right after combat, as if they should be smoking.

Well, the funny thing is that both men are non-smokers and don’t drink much either.

They were two men who were completely different yet somehow similar, and because of that.

“If you have something to say, say it now. I’ll listen.”

It wasn’t difficult for Baltar to see through Ihan’s inner thoughts.

“…What are you suddenly talking about?”

“You have something bottled up inside, don’t you? That’s why you came.”

“I just came to fight.”

“Don’t bother lying. It shows all over your face, tsk tsk. Sigh, you’re a lot like me. Keeping things bottled up and staying silent.”

“……”

“Just speak your mind. There’s no one around to hear. And I have no intention of gossiping about your story elsewhere.”

“……”

…Ihan remained silent, and Baltar didn’t particularly rush him as he watched the rain.

After about 10 minutes had passed?

“…It’s a bit subtle.”

“……”

Ihan finally opened his mouth.

Quietly.

“Just, well… It’s really strange.”

Ihan grumbled incoherently.

At a glance, it might look like a grandson complaining to his grandfather, but there was no such tenderness between the two, nor would it suit them.

Rather, they gave off the feeling of mischievous friends or comrades.

So Ihan’s grumbling was like revealing his true feelings to a friend.

“But isn’t it strange? Clearly, I haven’t suffered any direct harm, but somehow I don’t feel satisfied. It feels like I’m dancing in someone’s palm, giving me a sense of defeat. …Yes, I feel dirty, very frustrated.”

“Heheh, if you speak so incoherently, how am I supposed to understand? Explain one by one.”

“…Hmm.”

Aware that he had uttered words that even he found disorganized, Ihan nodded.

With a bitter smile, he slowly spoke about what had happened.

“So…”

The ambush at the temple and the succubus, the cult’s schemes including the Holy Maiden plan.

The half-demons and hell beasts, the enemy strategist called the [Prophet], and the inexplicable sense of defeat he felt.

Besides these, he mentioned the fight with the Magic Tower and the Tower Master, being forced to learn fighting techniques, and still being at a beginner’s level—trivial details.

Big and small, stories that didn’t need to be told flowed from Ihan’s mouth.

Perhaps if it had been someone else, he wouldn’t have been able to speak so candidly, but Ihan could tell everything because his counterpart was Baltar.

Because he was a strong person.

Because he wasn’t someone who would gossip about his stories elsewhere.

With that belief in a corner of his mind, Ihan could speak honestly, and Baltar showed he was a good listener by nodding during the story, or adding interjections like “Is that so?”, “Hmm…”, and “Oh!”

“…Honestly, it’s strange. It’s not like I lost, and the temple just got beaten one-sidedly, but why do I feel defeated?”

“Haha, it’s because you danced to the enemy’s tune. You can’t help but feel defeated. I had such experiences when I was young too.”

“You did?”

Baltar lightly shrugged his shoulders.

“When I was young, about 60 years ago, there was a man named Hannibal, a brilliant general and strategist of Britain. He wasn’t just limited to military strategy; he showed tremendous talent in scheming, politics, economics, and the arts. And when I was young, I was defeated by him more than a hundred times. In battle, in schemes. He outmaneuvered me in various ways.”

“…He must have been an incredible person.”

“There are such people once in a while. Those who excel at everything except physical combat, and who can wield power more terrifying than swinging a sword. The former king also had many headaches because of him.”

“……”

“He was more fearsome than all the brainless king and nobles of Britain combined.”

“So, what happened to this incredible man?”

“He died by my hand.”

“……”

“I was forty-five. It was around the time I had just become an Aura user.”

“……”

Gulp…

Ihan swallowed dryly.

The look in Baltar’s eyes as he recalled killing Hannibal had a ferocity that made even Ihan feel intimidated.

One that couldn’t be defied.

“General Hannibal was remarkable to the end. But when I became an Aura user, no one could stop me. No matter what military strategy Hannibal devised, what schemes he plotted, or what diplomatic strategies he deployed. I smashed through all of them head-on and eventually put my blade in his neck. That’s how I won. …Do you understand what this means?”

“…What does it mean?”

Snicker.

“It means you shouldn’t be half-heartedly strong. Before overwhelming power—power that renders any means meaningless—nothing is of any use.”

“……”

…Under normal circumstances, he might have grumbled “Are you mocking me?”, but Ihan couldn’t say anything.

Because he instinctively felt that Baltar was only speaking the truth.

“Become stronger. If you become stronger, you won’t need to feel such defeat. Don’t remain in that ‘half-hearted state’, understand?”

“……”

“So let me ask you one thing. Do you want to escape that half-hearted state?”

“…What are you saying?”

“What else?”

—I’m asking if you want to become a [Superhuman].

Baltar had asked Ihan if he wanted to advance to the next level.

Like throwing a pebble into a calm lake…