YM778.TV Chapter 58
“Master is a bastard who would make even demons cry……”
“I wish I could turn back time. Kirian of the past, why on earth did you sell your soul to that devil……?”
“……From now on, I should be more careful.”
Harun, Kirian, and Jan responded in turn. The boy named Winzer was already sprawled out like a frog. His limbs were trembling.
“Shall I continue?”
“Huh? Oh……”
At Ancelot’s question, the examiner finally came to his senses.
“S-Stop! Th-That’s enough!”
“Then, now I can leisurely watch the others.”
Whoosh!
Ancelot jumped down from the training ground.
“Stretcher! Bring the stretcher! Quickly!”
The examiner’s loud voice immediately followed.
“I’m back.”
“Good work, Master!”
Harun, who recovered first, quickly pulled out a towel and offered it to him.
“……!”
“……!”
Jan and Kirian turned to him with expressions that seemed to say, ‘Look at this guy.’ In response to their stares, Harun just smiled.
‘This is the kind of awareness you develop when you crawl up from the bottom, you pampered young masters.’
Harun knelt on one knee and presented the towel.
“Please wipe yourself.”
“No need. I didn’t even break a sweat. Give it to them later.”
“As you command!”
“And you two.”
Ancelot once again shook his fist at the other two.
“I’ll say it again, but if you end up like my last opponent, you’re dead. I won’t let it slide.”
“……”
At that moment, both Kirian and Jan had the same thought.
‘Mother, am I really doing well?’
‘They say life is hell. Hersen, where you are must be heaven.’
Of course, Ancelot wasn’t someone who couldn’t read their expressions.
“Harun.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Judging by their expressions, they seem nervous about the test?”
“……!”
Both of them swallowed the words that had risen to their throats. It wasn’t because of the ‘test’, but because of ‘you’, you jerk.
“You know that if you lose, it’s collective responsibility, right?”
“……”
Soon, Harun’s cold gaze turned toward them. The faint sound of a beast’s growl was a bonus.
Ancelot nodded.
“I like your spirit.”
“Grrr……”
“Bite.”
“Woof!”
Immediately, Harun rushed at Jan.
“Ah! Hey, you crazy bastard! Why are you biting my shoulder!”
“Grrrrr! Woof woof! Woof woof woof (If you lose! You’re dead! By my hands)!”
“Ack! He really thinks he’s a dog!”
Smack!
Watching the scene, Ancelot smiled and smacked Jan on the back.
“……Ugh…… You too, really……!”
“Stop complaining and take it. I’m passing on good energy.”
“……!”
Jan’s eyes widened.
It was almost his turn.
“Do well.”
“……”
After a moment of silence, Jan finally smiled faintly.
“……Just worry about Kirian. I’ll definitely win.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
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* * *
Before he knew it, it was his turn.
“Heh.”
Jan, who had stepped onto the training ground, let out a small laugh. Just a moment ago, his muscles had been tense with nervousness but his body felt remarkably flexible now.
His mind was calm, too.
“He’s a weird one.”
Of course, Jan knew the reason why. He let out a snicker again as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Recently, the only preparation for the test had been basic training.
He hadn’t learned any advanced swordsmanship or anything special. Yet, he was overflowing with confidence.
“Muscles are like that. They tear, heal, tear, and heal again. Through that process, the body grows, and in turn, the strength grows.”
A voice that made him involuntarily let out a groan echoed in his mind. But when he grasped the wooden sword according to the examiner’s instructions, he could clearly feel that teaching.
His lower body was solid, making his stance much more stable, and his core muscles enhanced his overall balance. All of this was after participating in a demon’s training for a short while.
‘……No, that’s not it.’
Jan shook his head.
Even if the effects of basic training were certain. It was unlikely that his muscles had visibly grown in such a short period.
In other words, it wasn’t his body that had changed significantly, but his previously rotten mental state and his trust in the person named ‘Ancelot.’
‘I trust him. If I do as Ancelot says, I feel like I’ll be stronger tomorrow than I am today.’
That was exactly what Ancelot always said like a mantra. Don’t be greedy, just take one step at a time. A life where today is better than yesterday.
That alone was enough.
‘Until now, I didn’t know that obvious fact.’
At a young age, he was tainted with a misguided sense of authority. He thought even people had ‘grades’.
He enjoyed banding together with those in power and tormenting the weak. He wanted to prove that he was superior to others and didn’t want to be seen as a fool in the group.
‘Without realizing it, I must have fallen for the sweetness of trivial power.’
Because he wanted to get closer to power. He tried to befriend the so-called children of influential families among his peers.
‘But for what?’
No flower blooms for longer than ten days. Where there is prosperity, there is decline, and where there is rise, there is fall.
That was the nature of power. This was clearly evident from the recent forced abdication of the king.
‘Ultimately, what I need to cultivate aren’t connections, but skills.’
He needed to become an irreplaceable resource, not a replaceable expendable. Now, even his mother, who decided his every action, was no longer here.
So, it was time for him to break out of his shell on his own. The role model for that was right down there.
‘Ancelot.’
Yes.
That kid with the name of a great hero.
I want to live a life like him, not caring about anyone’s opinion and just going straight on my own path.
“Hey, Jan.”
“……”
Had he been lost in thought for too long? Jan snapped out of his reverie at the voice coming from the opposite side.
“The unpleasant matter between our families has been resolved, so let’s take it easy as friends.”
The youngest of the Foltaine Marquisate, Haiman de Foltaine. As a late-born child, his personality was not much different from Jan’s in the past.
A guy who only thought of himself and believed that power was everything. A friend who perfectly fit the term ‘birds of a feather’.
“I already felt bad enough about what happened, but it’s a relief that my father finally forgave your father.”
“……”
“You and I have gone through a lot. We’re so close, but…… well, you know how our fathers are. They would discard even their own children without hesitation if they lost their value.”
“……That’s enough chatter.”
At the same time.
The examiner’s voice announcing the start of the match rang out. Immediately after that,
Bang!
“……!”
Jan’s legs, which had been contracting repeatedly, exploded forward.
Swooooosh!
Without hesitation, he brought the wooden sword down on his opponent’s head, who was now wide-eyed like a rabbit.
To Jan, Haiman de Foltaine wasn’t just a test opponent. He was none other than Jan himself.
‘To become a better version of myself than yesterday.’
He cut away his worthless past with this full-force downward slash.
***
Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!
The sharp sounds of blows echoed repeatedly.
It was Jan’s one-sided offensive.
“……Not bad.”
I found myself smiling as I looked up at the training ground. Kirian and Harun were already in a frenzy, shouting for blood. That’s what camaraderie is all about, I suppose.
“You broke our promise.”
At that moment, a new voice pierced my eardrums.
‘There he is.’
I only glanced sideways. Duke Herman was quietly watching the training ground.
“Are you looking down on my warning?”
“Of course not. Who would dare take the words of one of the country’s few Masters lightly?”
“Then why did you do it?”
“To protect your honor, Duke.”
“……”
Duke Herman turned to me with his characteristic smiling face.
“What nonsense is that?”
“I will become a much greater person than I am now. Soon, the name Ancelot will resonate throughout the continent.”
“So?”
“If it becomes known that someone like me was defeated by a mere rookie swordsman from the Kingdom of Hart in the past…… Wouldn’t people find it strange?”
My skills were already acknowledged by Duke Herman.
“Eventually, some people would start to investigate the truth of that incident, and they would inevitably discover your corrupt dealings, tarnishing the honor of the Herman family.”
“Hahaha, child. Power and influence can erase existing crimes and create new ones.”
Duke Herman smiled broadly as he spoke.
“And I have that power.”
“Scary.”
“You ignored my warning. So, you wouldn’t particularly mind if I were to punish you, right?”
I shrugged lightly.
“It’s unfair, but if that’s the nature of power, there’s nothing I can do. What punishment do you have in mind?”
“This year’s international diplomatic event will be held here in Bromhill. It’s been decided since it coincides with the coronation of the new king.”
“I see.”
“On that day, the knights of the Duchy of Meeke will be killed.”
Twitch.
For the first time, I turned my full attention to him. Of course, it was a laughable statement.
“You’re going to harm an envoy visiting the country? The Kingdom of Hart’s reputation will plummet.”
“It’s fine. I’ve already concocted a plausible story.”
“A story……?”
“The exiled seventh prince of the Duchy of Meeke and Count Arsene conspired together. Driven by personal vengeance, they attempted to assassinate the royalty accompanying the Meeke delegation.”
He said such horrendous things with a smiling face which made it even more chilling. However,
“What’s your reason for going so far?”
“There’s no reason. It just happens because I will it.”
“I assert that this isn’t love for your child. It’s twisted affection.”
“Hahaha, do you think that child is my hidden offspring?”
I shook my head at the man who was laughing slyly.
“Not your child, but the daughter of the woman you loved.”
“……!”
It was as if I could hear the sound of something cracking. For the first time, Duke Herman’s smiling face hardened.
Slowly, but surely. Soon, a severe, expressionless face stared straight into my eyes.
“……It seems the one who should die isn’t the knights of Meeke, but you.”
It was the first time I had seen that expression since meeting the sly Duke Herman.
***