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Chapter 6

No. 1 immediately stomped away without even bothering to say goodbye. The lackeys who had been waiting at the door hurried after him in a clamor.

Only then did No. 2 manage to stop laughing. “Ahaha, ha, ha... It’s been quite some time since I’ve laughed like that.”

“Good. For. You,” Leonard said, his words matching the beat of his workout. He pushed himself to the very end.

“I have never seen anyone treat No. 1 like that.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it was quite amusing. So allow me to repay you,” she said, still wiping the tears from her eyes. “I didn\'t mean to eavesdrop, but did you say you would like to skip sword fundamentals training?”

“Yup.” Leonard wasn’t surprised that she’d overheard. In general, members of the Cardenas clan had outstanding physical capacities, which included heightened senses. As a direct descendant, No. 2’s sensory capabilities were likely on par with some long-distance hearing techniques, even though she didn’t use qi. Of course, she’d heard him muttering to himself from outside the room.

“Why do you think we suddenly created groups?” No. 2 asked out of the blue.

“Who knows.”

“Think about it. Both No. 1 and I hate being inconvenienced. Actually, perhaps it’s different for him because he wants everyone to bow at his feet.”

There was only one reason they would put themselves through that. Leonard simply said, “There must be some kind of event that will require people to split into groups. Maybe it just came up.”

“My”—No. 2 clapped at his answer—“that’s right. You’re pretty sharp. I believe No. 3 copied us because she sensed something was going on. And No. 7 is an idiot, so he probably followed along when someone told him it was the sake of the indirect descendants or something of the like.”

“So are we going to start training in teams?”

“If you want to know more, join me,” she said, smiling pointedly.

Leonard turned away without a second thought. “Forget it. I don’t need to know.”

“...” Other than No. 1, whom she’d disliked from the outset, she’d never met a boy who she couldn’t manipulate.

As she pouted, her cheeks puffed up, making her look cute. This expression could soften even the veteran instructors, and it had gotten her out of trouble several times before. However, Leonard only looked like a fourteen-year-old boy and had the soul of a bloodthirsty old man, and he was unmoved.

“I’ll help you exactly one

time. You’ll have to settle for that.”

This was a rule he lived by, even when he was the Sword Emperor. If someone helped him in any way, he repaid the favor. This was the same reason why he’d offered to help No. 7 when they had talked at the mess hall.

He wasn’t sure how she interpreted his answer, but No. 2 giggled. “Okay. I look forward to it, No. 25.”

She smiled and waved as she left, leaving Leonard alone in the training room. He grabbed the barbell.

It’s finally quiet.

That was all he had to say about his encounter with two direct descendants.

***

When Leonard returned to his normal life after his week-long break, people looked at him with new eyes. Among a group of five hundred trainees, No. 381 had been a little below average. No one could have expected him to rise to 25th place after only a week. If the instructors weren’t watching them so strictly, the other children would have flocked to him like sheep.

“I didn’t know you were this strong, No. 25.”

The problem was that the instructors were all over him too.

“You have really great control over your muscles. Let’s try increasing the weight.”

“I’ll spot you. Just three more reps!”

Still, they weren’t entirely useless, so he tolerated them. He was able to learn how to use some unfamiliar workout machines. Therefore, he could train efficiently even when he was on his own.

Time spent learning is time well spent.

He had an open-mindedness that was reserved only for martial arts and had stuck to it even now. He was willing to learn from vagabonds and practitioners of the demonic arts if he had to, and he would ignore reputable masters if they didn’t have anything to teach him.

Leonard finished his morning training session with a word of support from his instructor and headed to the mess hall immediately after.

“Hey! No. 25!”

Just then, No. 7 caught up to him. “I can’t believe you’re already ranked 25th. It’s only been a week. I knew there was something special about you! I heard No. 1 and No. 2 went up to talk to you yesterday and you just waved them off!”

“Word spreads fast.”

“It’s because all the gangs are very on edge right now. Everyone’s trying to get you on their side.”

Leonard shook his head. “I told you. I have no intention to join up with anyone.”

“Were you being serious? I thought you only said that so you would get better offers.” No. 7’s eyes widened, and he looked Leonard up and down. He shrugged. “Well, as long as you’re not gonna suck up to the direct descendants, there’s no reason we can’t be on good terms.”

The two of them went together to get their food and naturally settled down at the same table. Their conversation was one-sided, with No. 7 jabbering on and Leonard giving terse responses, but somehow it kept going. Several times someone had tried to join in, but if they got too close, No. 7 would give them a deathly glare and scare them off.

“Is No. 3 your leader?” Leonard asked, his tray nearly empty.

“Huh?! Oh, yeah. Because she’s the only one who can compete with No. 1 and No. 2. And I’m certainly not smart enough.”

It was the first time Leonard had asked a question, so it made No. 7 both a little happy and flustered. It felt like the distance between them had grown smaller, if just a little.

Leonard put down his spoon. “What about No. 4? Isn’t he a direct descendant too?”

No. 7 scowled. “Oh, that guy’s a snake. He’s making a big deal about being neutral, but he’s planning to join whoever wins. All the trainees who don’t want to get caught in the crossfire or just generally don’t like taking risks joined him.”

“So if someone provokes him, he’ll join their opponent? Is that it? It doesn’t sound like a bad plan.”

“I’m telling you, he’s too sneaky for a direct descendant!”

Leonard thought to himself that his plan would be useless at the Heavenly Demon Cult. He wondered how he should consider No. 4. The training program prohibited the children from killing or seriously injuring each other. Unless one could guarantee their removal, provoking another trainee would only bring trouble.

I think I know how they want to use me. Leonard handed in his tray and turned to leave, all while No. 7 was still ranting about how crafty No. 4 was. They still had an hour left until their fundamentals training began, so he was planning to meditate until then.

Ding!

Ding—!

Ding, ding—!

The trainees had already dispersed and were roaming around, but when the bell rang, they all headed in the same direction. The rhythm of the ringing was a little different from the one that announced the beginning of a session; it was a signal for them to congregate at the parade ground.

It doesn’t seem like there’s an emergency... Is this the event No. 2 was talking about? Is it starting already? Unlike the other trainees, who were freaking out, Leonard showed no emotion on his face. In that case, I suppose we won’t be doing fundamentals training.

As long as it wasn’t a waste of time, he didn’t care what kind of training they did. Whether they were going to fight instructors in teams or fight among themselves, he could enjoy it. Since he only knew about No. 2’s abilities, he also wanted to learn about the powers No. 1, No. 4, and the other high-ranking trainees had. Leonard’s steps grew lighter at the thought.

“Quiet! I have an important announcement to make!”

Within ten minutes of the bell, all the children were lined up at the parade ground in neat rows. The instructor who stood before them was a middle-aged man with a red epaulet on his right shoulder.

“I have judged that this class’s swordplay fundamentals have reached a satisfactory level. Thus, we will now begin field training!”

Field training. The trainees didn’t physically react when they heard the words, but there was an undeniable buzz in the air.

While others were bustling, Leonard noticed several trainees who seemed impassive. It wasn’t that they had particularly calm dispositions; it appeared that they already knew this was coming.

No. 1 and No. 2 were aware, of course... and I think that one’s No. 4. And there are about three more.

One of them should be No. 3, so the others were likely second-in-commands or simply sharp.

The direct descendants would know a lot more about this training mission than members of branch families. Even No. 3 would only have a basic idea of what was going on and would probably know nothing about what awaited them.

Either way, Leonard was happy.

“From today on, you will be living in the forest area of the Cardenas estate! This forest is a replica of the Winter Mountains in the north. You will receive basic camping supplies, but you will have to scavenge for food, water, and shelter on your own!” the senior instructor explained, making the trainees grow even more tense.

The children were tougher and more skilled than most of their peers, and they had confidence in their abilities. But even they were scared of the unknown. They had never faced the perilous world on their own and had never needed to provide for themselves. This training was even more daunting due to their age.

“Be at ease! Be that as it may, you are not alone! Look around! Your classmates will be there to support you!” The instructor chuckled, having noticed how nervous they were. “Form up into groups! Anyone can be a leader, regardless of their rank! Now go!”

The trainees began to move in four different directions, just as Leonard had expected. They trailed after either No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, or No. 4 and crowded into distinct groups.

I knew it. They were No. 3 and No. 4. He immediately scanned them.

No. 4’s golden hair and eyes made him stand out, and he wore glasses, which was rare. Meanwhile, the indirect descendants, including No. 7, were rallied around a girl with black hair, No. 3. Those two hadn’t wavered under the instructor’s announcement.

And the trainees who never joined a side will likely form a fifth group. I’ll probably end up there.

No. 1 had the most members, then No. 2, No. 4, and No. 3. Other than No. 1, who had close to forty percent of the class on his side, the rest had similar numbers, which left about sixty unaffiliated trainees to create a fifth group.

I’ve decided. Leonard made up his mind and stepped forward.

The leaders had been watching him, and their eyes sharpened. The instructors were also curious as to who he’d join.

“No. 25!”

“Yes, sir.”

The senior instructor had a rare look of surprise on his face. “What is the meaning of this?”

Most of the trainees were in one of the four packs, while the leftovers were scattered about. Leonard, however, had stepped into an empty corner, separate from the rest.

No. 1 had sensed the decision Leonard was going to make, so he glared at him, disgusted with Leonard’s arrogance. No. 2, on the other hand, clapped for Leonard again, as he’d surpassed her expectations once more.

No. 3 looked amused, and No. 4 seemed to have a renewed interest in Leonard.

“It’s exactly as it seems, sir.” Leonard looked straight into the instructor’s eyes. “I will proceed on my own.”