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Chapter 7

The boy didn’t waver in the slightest, even under the scrutinizing eyes of the instructors and hundreds of students. There was a stillness to the boy, like the placid surface of a lake. In fact, he reminded Bruno of Cardenas commanders who led their forces. Once they reached the peak of power, they actually appeared to be like normal people.

But not even the senior instructor could trust his intuition to that extent.

No, that’s too much of an exaggeration. But either way, it’s clear that this child is on a different level from all the other Cardenas descendants I’ve faced. He stroked his mustache in thought. As long as I assign an instructor to watch over him, he won’t be in any danger, and we can keep an eye on his potential. Furthermore, he’ll affect the other students and make their training unpredictable for them.

A flowering plant could never spread its roots if it was kept confined in a vase. On the battlefield, even the mighty could fall to the weak. Such was the nature of war. Identifying and understanding how to use every tool at one’s disposal and turning disadvantages into advantages was an essential skill. The field training was designed to force the children to get a taste of the world beyond their textbooks.

Bruno finally made his decision and accepted Leonard’s choice to be in his own group. “Understood!”

The instructors and students all stared at Bruno in shock, but Leonard seemed to have expected his answer.

Bruno added, “If you were being arrogant, I would have physically punished you and forced you to join a random group. If you were fully confident, I would have placed you in the deepest part of the forest. But you are neither!” That was clear to him.

The children were heading into a mere replica of the real forest; even the monsters and poisonous plants they might have to face were virtually harmless.

The Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyuk had trudged through the vast snowy tundras of the North Sea, the perilous Poison Mountains that kill all those without antipoison, and the Burning Deserts that cut off the Central Plains from the outer territories. This training exercise was nothing. Just because I’m a little smaller now doesn’t mean I’m helpless.

Like that, Leonard created a sixth group comprising himself. Throughout the march to the forest, the trainees couldn’t stop staring at him. No. 1 was furious that he wasn’t the center of attention this time, and No. 2 giggled while watching No. 1’s tantrum. No. 3 and No. 4 kept stealing glances at Leonard even as they faithfully led the line.

Leonard’s heightened senses couldn’t make him stop feeling their stares. He let out a long sigh. Just don’t bother me while we’re in the forest. He sincerely hoped they wouldn’t.

***

“This is the entrance to the forest!”

After nearly an hour of marching, the children finally arrived at their new training ground. For once, Leonard was intimidated by the size of the estate, especially because the training facility was part of it too. It made the imperial palace of the Central Plains look like a run-of-the-mill villa.

They passed by countless buildings and people on the way there, and there were even some formidable fighters that not even the Sword Emperor could overlook. They really must be the strongest swordsmen on the continent.

He almost lost his composure to his desire to spar, but he took a deep breath to quell his competitive spirit. However, the people around him misinterpreted his demeanor.

“He must be a little shaken after seeing the forest. I suppose a child is a child,” Bruno remarked.

“He has spent his whole life in this training facility. No matter what stories he’s read or heard from others, going into the field will be a whole new experience,” Gerald replied.

“Still, he’s remarkable. In fact, there are some instructors that haven’t even noticed that he’s nervous.”

“He became a completely different person after the accident. An Owl even investigated to see if he’s a spy.”

Bruno’s eyes narrowed a little. “And?”

“He’s clean. There’s not a single suspicious thing about him.”

“Good. I don’t want to kill a child.”

“We’ve been more thorough ever since the incident five years ago.”

Five years ago, several unremarkable branch families had allied with a foreign country and sent their children as spies. Naturally, it hadn’t ended well. It was impossible to evade the Cardenas’ iron fist, and they traced these parents and relatives through their children, slaughtering them without discrimination. Even the children, who were unwilling participants, were considered traitors, and no one was spared.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Bruno shook his head and looked up at the vast sky. “The sun should set in three hours. Get the children settled before then.”

“Understood.” Gerald gave a curt nod and stepped onto the dais.

“Attention!” Gerald’s voice boomed, catching the trainees’ attention. “Starting now, each leader will be given fifteen minutes to receive a briefing and pick out supplies. We will begin with the smallest group, Group 6. Am I understood!”

“Yes, sir!”

The reason behind this was simple. The bigger a group was, the more space and resources they would take up. So, this was a trade-off for the smaller groups. However, it wouldn’t decide the ultimate outcome.

“While you’re in the forest, you are allowed to fight trainees from other groups and steal their ranking badges and resources! You can hand in the badges to instructors at certain checkpoints and receive points that you can exchange for rations and supplies! Needless to say, the higher the ranking, the more points you will receive!”

So they would be trying to capture other students. At that, the leaders’ faces darkened. No. 1 might appear to have an advantage because he had the most members, but that also meant he had more badges and points that could be captured. There also weren’t any rules that prohibited alliances. If they wanted, the other groups could team up to take out the strongest one first before battling it out among themselves.

“Hmph! I’d like to see you weaklings try. I’m still winning!” No. 1’s confidence was unwavering. He was certain that he would defeat the other three.

He looked at No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 in the eye one by one, growling. Each one met his gaze, unscared.

Only the trainees in Group 5 held their breaths. They didn’t even have a proper leader, and everyone already knew that they would end up falling prey to all the others.

This is a lot of supplies for survival training. Perhaps the main point is having trainees fight each other. Surviving in the forest is only a secondary factor.

Leonard didn’t care either way. He dug into the camping supplies he was given and began to pick out what he wanted. He wouldn’t need something like a cot.

“No. 25, are you not going to take the cot?”

“No.”

“... It’s up to you, but you should also consider the outcome of your choices.”

“Of course.”

The instructors were only trying to do their job, but they stepped back when they saw that Leonard was firm on his decision.

He emptied about half of the contents of the knapsack he was originally given before he finally stopped. Flints and first-aid supplies were essential, but other than that, he only kept a few perishable rations and heavy tools, removing everything else.

I should be able to carry this around. There were a few other useful items he’d left out, but he had to take his physique into consideration. Even though members of the Cardenas family had impressive physical capabilities, he couldn’t be too greedy. Less was more. He could figure out a way to get everything else he needed in the forest.

At that moment, someone interrupted him.

“May I have a word?” No. 4 said, smiling. He wasn’t stealthy at all and gave off an obvious presence. Unlike No. 1 and No. 2, he actually looked pretty normal. He was neither handsome nor ugly, and his glasses made it more difficult to read his eyes. In addition, his gentle smile made him look like the subject of a decorative painting, and the polite way he spoke made him seem even more mild-mannered.

Leonard nodded once, signaling for him to continue.

“Ah, thank you. You’re a quiet one, aren’t you? In that case, you’ll like my offer even more.”

“If you’re going to ask me to join your group—”

“No. Well, I suppose that’s not entirely untrue.” No. 4 saw his rejection coming and smiled bashfully. “You don’t like to be bothered, right? If you join me in name, we’ll protect you from the others, but you won’t have to help us or fight.”

Inwardly, Leonard smirked. He finally realized where the sense of deja vu came from. This was exactly the type of thing the Zhuge Clan would do. They hid behind their smiling faces and presented a dainty demeanor to make people let their guards down, only to stab them in the back later on. Compared to those snakes, this boy wasn’t inconspicuous.

He’ll use me to win and heighten his group’s—no, his own—reputation, and then join the faction who wins. If I go off on my own, he’ll go back on his word and blame me if things go wrong.

As someone who’d experienced this many times, Leonard saw right through No. 4’s scheme. However, he didn’t intend to bring up the finer points and dispute him. If he gave away the fact that he’d surmised his exact plan, it would only make No. 4 more wary. So, being the Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyuk, he attacked him head-on.

“Get lost.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t trust suck-ups like you. I know you’re up to something. You can fight me on it.”

The trainees, who’d been listening the whole time, gasped. They were surprised that Leonard would challenge a direct descendant—and right before the team training exercise too.

For some reason, they felt themselves getting riled up too, and their instincts as martial artists awakened for the first time in their lives.

“You’re... a proud man.” A crack formed on No. 4’s impeccable mask for the first time. “I understand now why No. 1 hates you. You are two birds of a feather, but you’re not as strong as him.”

“You say all that, but I guess you’re still scared of me. You talk big for someone who won’t even fight me.”

“You will regret this.”

“Make me.”

No. 4 gritted his teeth with a crack and drew his practice sword. The instructors stood by, silent. Pressured by the hundreds watching him, No. 4 naturally aimed for Leonard’s neck and swung his sword horizontally.

Crack!

In an instant, Leonard drew his own sword and blocked the blow.

No. 4 attacked, and Leonard defended. It was only a single exchange of blows, but No. 4’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“How...?”

Most of the trainees didn’t seem to know what was happening, but some of them, along with the instructors, were watching carefully, having sensed that something was off.

Leonard was the first to realize what had happened. He grinned gleefully. The direct lines’ powers were fascinating.

No. 4 also has an interesting ability. He didn’t do anything to make me misread him. I think he just followed the natural flow.

He coursed like water and glided like wind. It was as if he himself were a force of nature.

No. 2 might be able to see his attacks with her eyes... but if she doesn’t pay close enough attention, he could make a decisive move.

However, No. 4’s ability made him undetectable to his opponents. Even if he raised his sword right in front of their eyes, they would never see the blow coming. He was like a man who only existed in the legends about assassins, killing people with no bloodlust or killing intent to warn them. This might also explain his abnormally soft demeanor.

Leonard wanted to try fighting him once he was fully grown. He put away his practice sword with that thought in mind. The other boy also seemed to have lost his will to fight.

“Don’t depend too much on your ability,” he whispered to No. 4.

“...What?”

“If you just work a little harder on your swordplay instead of relying on tactics, you’ll easily be able to stand on equal footing with No. 1 and No. 2.” His advice was sincere.

No. 4’s eyes widened. “W-Wait...!” No. 4 tried to say something, but Leonard had already pulled on his knapsack and departed. Fifteen minutes had passed.

“Group 6, depart! Group 5 will leave in fifteen minutes!”

Leonard stepped into the forest without looking back.

As No. 4 watched him disappear, he felt something forming within him, something he’d never felt before.

Was it a sense of inferiority? No.

Defeat? No.

It was completely different from what No. 4 had felt from No. 1 and No. 2.

I don’t know what this is, but it isn’t a bad feeling. Even though an indirect descendant had met his blow, No. 4 seemed lighter on his feet than usual. His hand stayed firmly grasped around his sword, as if creating a lifeline for his once-broken spirit.

We will meet again in the forest, No. 25. Then, No. 4 thought, I will finally understand this burning feeling in my chest.