Ch.30Lieutenant Priest Volkmann (1)

From a young age, Najin had a knack for mimicking others’ movements. He could easily imitate techniques that Ivan had shown him just once or twice, and once he learned something, he rarely forgot it.

While there were cases where he couldn’t replicate movements due to lack of physical conditions like strength and flexibility, he never forgot a movement once he’d seen it.

Najin hadn’t questioned this ability, but after leaving the underground city and through conversations with Merlin, he realized that this trait of his was abnormal.

“Usually, people can’t do that.”

“You’re the strange one.”

Even to the transcendent constellations in the night sky, his powers of observation and memory were abnormal. However, Najin’s eyes had something special that couldn’t be simply classified as those two abilities.

“When you watch, doesn’t it appear like this in your mind? As if each movement is broken down…”

Najin took out paper and a pen.

He quickly sketched the technique Ivan had shown him just before escaping the underground city. A drawing that broke down a single movement into multiple frames. This was how the world appeared to Najin when he focused his eyes.

Not continuous movement.

But a landscape that seemed like dozens of separate movements stitched together.

Remembering a movement by breaking it down into stages, then connecting motion to motion like climbing stairs. That was how Najin mimicked others’ movements.

“Hmm…”

Merlin exhaled in disbelief as he looked at the movements Najin had drawn. The drawings didn’t just express approximate movements. The parts where force was applied, the angle of the sword, the contracted abdomen while holding breath—all were expressed in minute detail.

This shouldn’t be possible after seeing something just once or twice. There was one genius among the Knights of the Round Table similar to Najin, but even he didn’t imitate like this.

Galahad, the strongest knight of the Round Table.

Even that monster of a knight intuitively followed others’ movements, but couldn’t completely mimic them like Najin. To use an analogy with painting…

‘While Galahad would recall the feeling of a painting and intuitively copy it…’

Najin was copying as if placing paper over the original painting and tracing it. In terms of precision, it was on a completely different level from Galahad’s method.

“I’m telling you, normal people can’t do that!”

Merlin was now almost frightened.

2.

Guild Hall.

Sitting in a corner of the bustling counter filled with adventurers and mercenaries, Najin was waiting for his client. With some time left before the appointed hour, Najin was examining a guidebook placed in a corner of the guild.

The guidebook listed the rankers of this city.

Having little interest in other ranks, Najin checked the names and brief profiles of the five White Horn (白角) ranked mercenaries at the top.

Former Ranger of the Tetzel Mountains.

Eagle Eye, Kapman Theosis.

Former Knight Commander of House Zenovels.

Sword Seeker, Rihart Folsen.

Leader of the Red-Eyes Mercenary Group.

Sword Seeker, Roseline Askarlo.

Only the above three had their names, brief profiles, and backgrounds disclosed. The remaining two had refused disclosure. Reading the information about those he was targeting, Najin rubbed his chin.

‘I heard that White Horn rank earns honorary titles, and it seems true.’

“Of course. Sword Seeker-level warriors aren’t common in the mainland. They’re strong enough to be knight commanders of decent houses. It’s only natural they receive such treatment.”

Sword Seeker-level warriors. Strong enough to be knight commanders of decent houses, and capable of securing positions even in the imperial capital beyond this city.

‘And…’

The level that Ivan and Ofen had dreamed of reaching.

The first goal Najin had set for himself. As he was gauging where this level stood, a shadow fell over him.

Najin looked up.

A middle-aged man stood there. With a roughly trimmed, bristly beard and wearing shabby training clothes. He took out a piece of paper from inside his clothes and showed it to Najin.

“Are you Ivan?”

Ivan, a 28-year-old mercenary.

That was the name and disguised identity Najin had borrowed from his master to operate in this city. Ivan’s actual age was in his mid-forties, but…

‘Mid-forties might be a bit too much.’

Wouldn’t that be too obvious?

So he decided on 28 years old. Even if he later proved himself a Sword Expert by drawing out sword energy, at 28 he could pass as “quite talented” without raising suspicions.

Thud.

Najin stood up from his chair and nodded to the man.

“Yes, I’m Ivan.”

“Hmm. You look younger than I expected. The nameplate said 28-year-old mercenary…”

“I have a youthful appearance.”

“That’s somewhat enviable. Well, I won’t pry too deeply.”

The man grinned and extended his hand to Najin.

“I’m Volkman. Middle priest of the Order of the Sword and a Sword Expert. I look forward to working with you today.”

* * *

Najin traveled with Volkman by carriage to the plains. Volkman explained that their destination was a small village not far from Cambria.

“An orc settlement was discovered near that village. When I heard the news, I quickly took the request. Couldn’t let someone else grab it.”

While conversing with Volkman in the carriage, Najin realized a few things.

“You’re asking if I’m going to save the village? No, why would I? There are plenty of people to save villages. I just want to cross swords with orcs. There’s nothing better for gaining experience.”

Volkman was quite talkative.

“Orc skin is exceptionally tough. Tough skin and large bodies. There’s no better practice dummy. It’s very difficult to cut through without using sword energy, making them perfect for training.”

He was a priest who didn’t seem like a priest at all.

Volkman was far from the image of a devout, noble, and pure priest that typically comes to mind. With his sturdy build and shabby training clothes, Najin thought he looked more like a wandering swordsman.

‘Are all priests of the Order of the Sword like this?’

“Why do you think it’s called the Order of the ‘Sword’? They’ve been around for ages, and they’re all like this. They’re obsessed with swords.”

I don’t know why they call it an “order” though.

From what he’d heard, the Order of the Sword didn’t worship any particular deity. The sword in their hands was supposedly the god they served.

“Ah, we’ve arrived.”

As Najin was adding appropriate responses to Volkman’s conversation, they reached their destination. The carriage stopped, and the orc settlement came into view not far away.

“You can follow me or wait here until the hunt is over. Did you bring a sack for the orcs’ heads?”

“Yes, I received one from the guild.”

“Good. What will you do then?”

Najin answered without hesitation.

“I’ll follow you. If it’s not too presumptuous, I’d like to watch your swordsmanship up close.”

“Haha. You’re a passionate young man.”

Volkman smiled. His gaze moved to the sword at Najin’s waist and then to Najin’s palms. The calluses embedded in his palms and finger joints were evidence that the young man before him was a swordsman who didn’t neglect training.

“Feel free to watch. Just don’t get too close. It could be dangerous.”

“Thank you for this opportunity.”

Najin followed a few steps behind Volkman. After walking for a while, Volkman stopped at the entrance to the orc settlement. Standing still, he exhaled deeply.

The flow of air changed.

From that moment, Najin watched Volkman intently. With each breath Volkman took, a flow formed around his body.

Then, with a grip.

Volkman drew the sword from his waist. Unlike his casual and dull appearance, the sword in his hand was sharpened to perfection. The moment he gripped the sword, Volkman’s aura completely changed.

With his sword lowered, Volkman stepped into the orc settlement. Inside were four orcs and numerous small goblins swarming around them.

Grrr!

A goblin that detected Volkman’s presence rushed toward him. At the front was the goblin, followed by orcs approaching Volkman with heavy footsteps.

“Huu…”

Exhaling briefly, Volkman took a step forward. He didn’t swing his sword at the approaching goblin. He simply raised his sword above his shoulder, parallel to the sky.

No big movements were necessary.

Maintaining his stance, Volkman extended his sword forward.

Thunk.

The sword tip pierced the goblin’s neck. After piercing and withdrawing from the goblin’s neck, Volkman lightly swung the sword sideways. The second goblin that rushed in was sliced by the blade.

Amidst the spraying blood, Volkman took another step. Somehow, he had returned to his first stance—sword raised parallel to the sky.

“……”

Najin watched Volkman’s stance and movements with wide eyes. As he observed, he could find a pattern.

‘Repetition and circulation of stances.’

Volkman was repeating four stances.

One stance led to another. The act of connecting stance to stance was both attack and defense.

The movement was surprisingly efficient.

Even without drawing out sword energy, Volkman was slaughtering the rushing goblins with minimal force and movement.

‘It’s different from Ivan’s sword.’

While the sword Najin had been imitating from Ivan was heavy and powerful with single strikes… Volkman’s sword was precise and sharp, creating a continuous flow.

Angled stances and movements.

The sharply penetrating sword combined thrusting and cutting. Movements flowed smoothly into one another. The stance that changed according to the enemy’s movements and situation was almost like watching a dance.

So this is the swordsmanship of the Order of the Sword.

It was definitely a movement worth observing and learning. But as he observed, Najin had one question.

‘It’s efficient, but…’

There’s no powerful strike.

It might easily cut down goblins, but what about those orcs?

Boom.

With heavy footsteps, an orc rushed toward Volkman. However, Volkman still wasn’t drawing out sword energy. As if he didn’t need to.

Then, with a grip.

Volkman, firmly grasping his sword, moved differently than before. His footprints scattered chaotically on the ground. When his footsteps stopped, the stance Volkman took was completely different from the four stances he had been cycling through.

Sword lowered.

Knees bent as if about to spring upward.

The moment the orc swung its club at Volkman, he moved. Straightening his bent knees as if springing up, he swung his sword.

Slash.

Najin’s eyes widened.

Even without sword energy, Volkman’s sword smoothly tore through the orc’s skin. The sword tip, which had cut halfway through the orc’s club-wielding wrist, pointed toward the sky.

A clean yet powerful upward slash.

Like a stone thrown toward the sky falls back to earth, Volkman twisted his sword tip and swung downward. Volkman’s sword flashed, and a long gash was carved from the orc’s shoulder to its waist.

Splash!

Blood sprayed in a long arc. Watching the entire process, Najin clicked his tongue. Precise, powerful, and beautiful. He felt somewhat overwhelmed by the precision of the swordsmanship that the Order of the Sword had refined and improved over the ages.

As Najin was mentally reviewing what he had just seen…

“…!”

Volkman turned his head sharply and looked at Najin.

He shouted toward Najin. Before the sound reached Najin’s eardrums, Najin turned his head to look behind him.

He too had sensed a presence.

Three goblins that had been hiding in the settlement were rushing toward Najin. It was an ambush targeting a gap, but it wasn’t particularly fatal for Najin.

Jumping down from above.

A goblin diving in from the side.

All of it appeared slow to Najin’s eyes. Having time, Najin recalled Volkman’s stance he had just observed while gripping his sword. The precise footwork and precise distribution of force that created the stance.

Where to apply force.

How to place his feet.

In which direction to raise the sword.

All of it was precisely drawn in Najin’s mind. Since it was drawn, all that remained was to imitate it. Like Volkman, Najin adjusted his grip on the sword and took a step forward.

First stance.

Najin gently extended the sword tip raised parallel to the sky. The rushing goblin’s neck was pierced by the sword tip. Before confirming this, Najin’s body was already moving.

Stance connects to stance.

From the first to the second.

The sword tip smoothly cut through the goblin’s body. The goblin, pierced by the sword tip, vomited blood and collapsed.

Tap.

When he connected stance to stance and returned to the first stance, only three goblin corpses lay beside Najin. Najin exhaled briefly and lowered his sword.

‘So this is how it’s done?’

It was definitely efficient.

He hadn’t yet tried to imitate the movement Volkman showed when facing the orc, but he felt he could do it with practice. Thinking this, Najin turned his head.

There stood Volkman, looking at him with an awkward stance. Volkman’s widely opened eyes were trembling, and his mouth was repeatedly opening and closing.

“Priest Volkman!”

Najin shouted toward the priest who seemed dazed.

“Behind you! Look behind!”

There were still orcs rushing toward Volkman. Volkman cleared his disturbed breath with a cough and turned his head. He had to deal with the orcs in front of him first.

“Ah, I think I understand how he feels.”

Merlin’s voice echoed in Najin’s ear.

“That feeling when you want to say something but your words get stuck.”

‘What is that?’

“It’s something like that, you monstrous youngster.”

Regardless of Merlin’s reaction…

Seeing Volkman’s response, Najin was confident. His first plan to make a strong impression on Volkman had succeeded.