Chapter 267 : Chapter 267
Side Story 26. Goodbye, Kalia (2)
The second life I gained after death.
As the Demon King said, it might indeed be something that had twisted the natural order.
It wasn't as though I had simply died and come back to life. I had burned completely to death, yet I came to live again in another person's body, in an entirely new world.
If the natural order had been twisted, it couldn't have been twisted only once or twice.
"All right, then tell me honestly. What happened to you? I might even be able to lift your curse! Of course, if you make a contract with me."
The Demon King didn't know the precise details, but he was calling my reincarnation a curse.
When I didn't answer, he continued as though growing impatient.
"You're tempted too, aren't you? You must be suffering because of warped causality. Isn't that right?"
The Demon King's authority of insight was certainly remarkable, but it had gotten one crucial thing wrong—very wrong.
Reincarnation in an unfamiliar world had been a blessing to me, not a curse.
I missed Kalia, and I wanted to reclaim my identity as Johan Raven, but my life on Earth and living as Seo Ji-han had brought me joy and happiness.
That was why I had come to Kalia now—with one certainty in mind.
My resolve to return to Earth would not change.
I had met many old connections here and revisited places I missed, but my conviction that Earth was where I belonged in the end remained firm.
"Let this serve as my answer."
I aimed the Holy Sword at the Demon King.
"Tsk, tsk. Foolish human."
A voice tinged with a sigh reached me.
"It can't be helped. The energy of the universe is trying to eliminate you. If this, too, is the natural order, then perhaps it is."
The Demon King had dreamed of descending upon Kalia during the very time I was visiting Kalia.
I had seen the villagers he had cursed and grown enraged.
And the Red Dragon Lord had made killing the Demon King a condition of the Blood Alliance.
At this point, he simply had to die.
"If that is your wish, I shall take your life and send you back to eternal silence."
Seeing him give up rather than cling any further, he certainly did possess the keen insight he claimed to have.
RUMBLE—!
In an instant, the Demon King's demonic energy swelled enormously.
The energy he had hidden while pretending to be a Demonic Spirit revealed itself without restraint, filling this silent land.
Compared to the Demon King from seven years ago, the gap in power was so vast that it was hard to believe they were of the same rank.
I was genuinely impressed by that strength.
Seven years ago, even I might not have been able to guarantee victory.
But compared to Dragon Lord Abner, I didn't feel much tension.
"Let me make you a promise, human. Death will be but an instant, but I will make the pain you feel turn that instant into an eternity! With my authority, it is possible!"
I immediately cut it off.
"Your tongue is rather long."
SHWAAASH—!
The Holy Sword shone brilliantly as it sliced through the atmosphere thick with demonic energy.
Black energy burst from the Demon King's translucent silhouette, and a pained groan leaked out.
My second conquest of the Demon Realm was rather anticlimactic.
The Arkina Kingdom.
A small island nation that could only be reached after sailing far beyond the southwestern edge of the Kalia Continent.
The people here rarely traveled to and from the continent.
The sea route was exceptionally rough, and they could provide for themselves when it came to essential supplies such as food.
Likewise, the continent had little reason to take an interest in this remote island nation.
The Arkina Kingdom did not produce any appealing specialties, and it was well known for being extremely exclusionary.
Nor did it hold much value as a colony.
Whether geographically or in any other respect, the Arkina Kingdom was often regarded as an isolated world separate from the Kalia Continent.
For that reason, even if something shocking happened in the Arkina Kingdom, news of it would rarely reach the continent.
For instance, even if a Sword Master were born in the Arkina Kingdom, the people of the continent would never hear the rumor.
And even if they did hear it, they would surely snort in disbelief.
What kind of Sword Master could possibly come from such a backwater?
Aiman Blair.
He was born into a knightly family of the kingdom, and he defeated his father in swordsmanship when he was only eleven years old.
An age when an ordinary boy would struggle just to lift a sword with both hands and swing it once.
Mayard Blair, whom that young child had defeated, was a swordsman who had earned considerable recognition even within the Royal Knights. In his youth, he had been called a genius and quickly risen to the rank of platoon commander.
Though he had retired early due to a serious injury, no one could easily believe that a man who had once been a royal knight could lose to a boy barely in his teens.
"There is nothing left for me to teach you."
Mayard Blair gladly acknowledged his defeat to his son.
What if he had not been injured and still possessed his former skill?
He might not have lost to his son so quickly, but Mayard Blair was certain it would inevitably happen in the near future.
That was how extraordinary Aiman's talent for swordsmanship was.
Just as his father wished, Aiman continued his steep growth afterward.
Everyone around him expected Aiman Blair to become the youngest person ever admitted to the Royal Knights.
Such attention was not the least bit excessive for a child with overwhelming talent.
The previous youngest record had been set by Draco, the current Knight Commander, at sixteen years and two months. Since Aiman still had plenty of time, people often debated when that moment would come.
Exactly one year after surpassing his father, Aiman sought out Draco, the Knight Commander of the Royal Knights.
He was still only a twelve-year-old boy.
"Thank you for allowing me to visit you, Knight Commander."
Draco had long heard the rumors about Aiman Blair.
When his longtime friend Mayard Blair asked him to meet Aiman, he had gladly accepted.
He wanted to see his talented friend's son with his own eyes.
"Very well. Why did you wish to meet me?"
"It is presumptuous of me to say so, but I wish to cross swords with you, Knight Commander."
Draco did not properly understand the meaning of Aiman's words.
The boy was not asking to take the Royal Knights' entrance test. He had come to seek Draco out, only to suddenly say that he wished to cross swords with him.
Had he not been a longtime friend of the boy's father, Draco would have sternly scolded him and sent him away.
"I have heard enough about your talent to make my ears ring, but unlike your father, you have an arrogant streak. Have you not heard about me from your father?"
"No, sir. My father always told me that Knight Commander Draco, who currently leads the Royal Knights, is the greatest Knight Commander in the kingdom's history."
Draco's anger eased somewhat at those words, but it was not enough of an explanation.
"You have heard that, and yet you still make such an absurd request of me? Surely your father knows about this?"
Of course, he didn't think that could be true.
The Mayard Blair Draco knew was not a man of such careless character.
But Aiman's answer that followed was surprising.
"What I came to tell you today was my father's idea."
"What?"
He was so dumbfounded that he could barely speak.
Aiman gave a small bow and calmly conveyed his thoughts.
"Even if you refuse, I will humbly accept it. Then, after I have earned more renown, I will come to see you again, Knight Commander."
Draco was bewildered by the calm manner in which Aiman spoke.
There was no sign of carelessness or rudeness.
If anything, the boy appeared to have received a proper education in etiquette.
Still, he was simply too young to properly distinguish right from wrong.
Draco thought there must be some misunderstanding concerning what he had just heard about the boy's father, Mayard Blair.
After letting out a hollow laugh, Draco stepped closer to Aiman.
"You said you are twelve this year?"
"Yes, sir."
"Your body is growing fast, and your swordsmanship is improving just as quickly. This is the age when one becomes full of confidence. I was once the same, and it seems that you are going through that stage as well."
"......"
"Sixteen. That was my age when I first entered the Royal Knights. So for the next four years, if you join the Royal Knights within that time, I will grant the request you made today."
"I understand. Thank you, Knight Commander."
Aiman calmly bowed once more.
He was only twelve years old.
Now that he thought about it, perhaps this challenge had come too early.
But Draco had not finished speaking.
"However, you have traveled a long way, and in consideration of my friendship with your father, I will give you a brief instructional spar."
Aiman raised his bowed head and stared blankly at Draco.
"It will not take long. Exactly three exchanges. Attack me as freely as you wish. I will gladly receive them."
Draco intended to make the young genius realize how vast the world was.
But that well-intentioned offer was immediately shattered.
Only three exchanges.
The one who realized how vast the world was was not the boy, but Draco himself.
Draco stared at the tip of the boy's sword, which had stopped before his throat, and let out a sigh.
'Is this what a true genius is?!'
Aiman withdrew his sword with an indifferent expression, and after that, he never came to the Royal Knights again.
Another eight years passed.
Recently, Aiman had always felt empty.
Ever since he had reached the realm of Sword Master at the tender age of eighteen, nothing had made his heart race.
It had been a long time since there had been anyone in the Arkina Kingdom who could rival him, and his training had always been lonely.
He had privately concluded that there would be no one in the entire Kalia Continent who could rival him, either.
Not long ago, that thought had been proven to be fact rather than arrogance.
He had secretly left the island, crossed over to the Kalia Continent, fought renowned Sword Masters of the continent, and returned.
He had known after the very first exchange of swords.
No Sword Master could defeat him.
The emptiness that washed over him was unavoidable.
'If only that man were here......'
Johan Raven, the legendary existence of the Kalia Continent.
Aiman regretted his absence.
He had long heard the legendary stories about him.
Like Aiman, Johan Raven had reached the realm of Sword Master at eighteen, then commanded the entire continent as the greatest swordsman of all time.
But roughly ten years ago, he had vanished from the world, and there was no way to find him.
'Perhaps he truly no longer exists in this world.'
Aiman pointed his sword toward the moon and let out a sigh.
He could only deeply regret that he had not been born ten years earlier.