Chapter 231
Translator: AkazaTL
Pr/Ed: Sol IX
***
Chapter 231. The New Era (2)
The fleet of the Black Archipelago suffered heavy damage due to the dragons’ assault.
Thankfully, they managed to save their important forces and core personnel. It was thanks to Martina Gold stepping in.
The dragons that had risen into the sky were all slaughtered by a single Swordmaster, and under the master of Gold, the sea turned red with blood.
The Gold family and the army of the Black Archipelago left the sea, deciding to lend their strength to the Sky Empire in order to take revenge on those close to being their mortal enemies.
During that process, the eldest son, Sherpa Gold, departed for the borderlands of the Iron Kingdom while tracing the youngest’s trail. And just as Sherpa Gold had left, Martina Gold also headed elsewhere instead of joining the coalition. The goal was the same—tracing the youngest’s tracks.
Martina Gold chased the one who had been with Zeppelin Gold at the moment of his death.
She chased the last Karavan, Arhan Karavan, whom she herself had told to follow along.
Martina Gold carried a deep guilt regarding Zeppelin Gold’s death. The youngest—who should have simply become an idler wasting money on sloppy business—had been the one she offered to “raise,” the one she fed information about the Karavan, the one she urged to embark for the Southern Continent. Was it not she who had done all that?
That was why Martina Gold did not act passively this time. She resolved to meet Arhan Karavan directly. After meeting him, she intended to hear how Zeppelin Gold died—and if even a sliver of responsibility belonged to ‘Arhan Karavan,’ she would exact payment in her own way.
For the master of Gold, finding Arhan Karavan was not difficult. Martina Gold, who had lived since the Age of War, remembered the aura of ‘Liam Karavan.’ And the last Karavan exuded Liam Karavan’s aura strongly. A scent of Steel she could never forget.
***
“It has turned into complete chaos.”
「Indeed, it resembles the scenery of the Age of War.」
Wherever I went, there was only sorrow.
A landscape carved by war.
The war described in knightly novels was different. Unlike those wars where only the heroes’ glory, victory, and waves of exhilaration existed, real war was utterly horrifying.
The faces of the conscripted soldiers, the shadows cast upon the faces of wives and mothers who had sent their sons or husbands to the battlefield—every one of them carried a weight.
Most taverns had closed their doors, and there were no merchants selling anything on the streets. The frozen city, the chilling silence—it all created a strange atmosphere.
“Master.”
「What is it?」
“How did you end the Age of War, Master?”
I asked what I had been wondering.
“You told me before that you alone brought an end to the Age of War, and that to carry out that method, one must become a Swordmaster.”
「That is right.」
“What is that method?”
This air.
This terrible air— Could a single person truly change it?
「One must become an existence that no one can oppose.」
“What does that mean?”
「According to the laws established by the Seven Lords and the Nine Goddesses, duels are sacred. And the higher one’s soul ascends, the heavier one’s words and decisions become.」
“…….”
「What I did was simple.」
Liam looked at me.
「I challenged every transcendent being that existed in the Age of War to a duel.」
“…….”
「After that, I dueled every Great Warrior, then dueled all generals, and finally, I dueled every sovereign of every nation and every chieftain of every race.」
What Liam said… It was a method utterly beyond my imagination.
“No, what are you talking about—?”
「There were those who seized me and called it madness. I dueled those bastards too. Some refused the duel and raised armies. I massacred their armies entirely, then challenged them again, so that if they rejected my duel, their underlings would lose loyalty and revolt.」
“…….”
「I repeated duels, and repeated them again. Eventually, the Seven Lords and the Nine Goddesses intervened. It must have horrified them, seeing for the first time a ‘Swordmaster’ who shattered the balance of the world. But I challenged even the gods who revealed themselves.」
Insane.
It was the only word that could come to mind. How could such an idea exist in any human’s mind? Yet something even more insane followed.
「And my blade reached the gods.」
I knew that already. It was the reason the Seven Lords and Nine Goddesses hated the ‘Karavan.’ Because Steel had once reached the heavens.
「Under a single sword, war vanished. There were no sovereigns left to continue wars, no ministers left to incite them, no generals left to command them. I completed that continent.」
“…….”
「In your era, multiple Swordmasters exist. It is different from mine. In my time, there was no powerful empire unifying a continent. But fundamentally, nothing has changed.」
Liam looked at me.
「The low desire for no war. And if the high who desire war and blood vanish, war does not occur. When those who ignore the low and endlessly crave blood disappear, swords, spears, and shields do not clash.」
“…….”
「This is the way of Steel.」
Would such a method even work now? But my doubt dissolved quickly.
‘Not much has changed.’
The current continent ran according to the Five Great Houses and the Sky Empire. Such blocs formed only because the ‘Five Houses’ held Swordmasters, and the Sky Empire held Swordmasters.
The world still revolved around Swordmasters.
Only a Swordmaster could harm a Swordmaster. That principle remained the center of the world.
And— Liam’s method would work again.
The problem was—‘Can I become as strong as Master?’
The first Swordmaster, an unprecedentedly powerful Swordmaster.
Could I become like him? Of course, I did not need to agonize too deeply. I did not need to follow Liam’s method strictly.
I had my own method.
Not the way of the Karavan— but Arhan’s way.
***
Whether I chose Liam’s way or my own, certain conditions had to be fulfilled first. I had to become a Swordmaster. It was not only the Iron Kingdom that operated according to the logic of strength. Ultimately, the entire continent’s logic was determined by power.
The destiny I absolutely had to fulfill was killing Swordmaster Carlos. On top of that, I needed to make those who had taken everything from me pay the price. The farther my journey took me, the more my ‘enemies’ increased one by one. And to create an outcome that I could accept, I needed a blade strong enough to hold every one of them accountable.
And I also had to protect the people who trusted me and followed me. With chaos sweeping across the world, returning to my territory was essential—not only for maintenance and preparation, not only to protect those precious to me, but also to regroup with those who would become my strength.
To be honest… I missed it.
Every time I saw the Karavan territory—now plentiful and far more prosperous than in the past—I felt a sense of pride. A familiar nostalgia billowed within the warm, welcoming atmosphere. The only place I could truly rest was my land. My people and my home that I had protected…
“Child.”
But then.
“Let me ask you just one thing.”
My karma waited for me.
“Do you know about Zeppelin Gold?”
A karma I had not known about.
A friend I thought I had protected. But in truth, I had not.
***
“…I do know about Zeppelin Gold.”
“Do you now?”
“He was my friend. A close friend.”
I looked at the woman—Martina Gold.
The living witness of history who had survived since the Age of War, the oldest Swordmaster still alive, appeared strangely in the form of a young woman. She did not look like someone who had lived for several centuries.
“What makes you ask? Zeppelin Gold and I grew close together from the Southern Continent onward, and we built many memories together. Not only that, but as business partners we—”
I did not lie. Lies did not work before a Swordmaster. And I had no reason to lie. Why would I be anything less than sincere about Zeppelin? I truly considered him a friend. After returning to the Karavan territory, I had planned to search for him, meet him again, and greet him happily. I looked at Martina Gold and said:
“Is he… suffering a lot?”
Yes, he must have suffered greatly. Even if he had thrown himself forward with firm resolve—death was still death. Torn flesh, shattered bones, blood spilling—pain anyone would struggle to endure. Perhaps, after being revived in his homeland, Zeppelin had fallen into phantom pains and collapsed into ruin.
Was physical pain all? What about the people he had lost? The terrifying memories he had no choice but to experience before the rampage of the Great Land—how heavy must those have been? I owed Zeppelin a debt. If Martina Gold demanded that I pay the price for his suffering, I was prepared to accept it willingly.
“It was my fault. He volunteered himself, but I should have stopped him, and I didn’t. I owe Zeppelin my deepest gratitude. And if he resents me, then I am ready to accept punishment. If you came to repay a descendant’s anger by judging me, then please, do so. But I ask just one thing.”
Perhaps Zeppelin no longer considered me a friend. In pain and agony, friendship could fade, replaced only by resentment and anger. If so, I would bow my head and apologize. I would bear his anger. It was my duty. One who received must repay the one who gave.
However,
“Please spare my life. And if you cannot forgive without taking my life, then please take it after I finish my revenge. I still have things I must do.”
I had things left to do.
“I beg of you, master of Gold.”
Martina Gold closed her mouth for a moment. Gently closing her eyes, she walked up to me and placed her hand atop my head, stroking it carefully as though petting a small animal.
“Child, you know nothing.”
“……”
“You truly… know nothing.”
Her voice carried deep bitterness.
“Why did you do it, Zeppelin? You foolish child. Have you forgotten all the teachings of the Red Bank? Never give something without receiving payment, and if you give, then take in return…”
“……”
“Why did you give everything, and before receiving anything back, vanish so meaninglessly? Why did you forget the precious teachings of the Red Bank and follow only the golden blood that flowed within you? Without gaining anything, chasing only what glittered—why did you wander so far away…?”
Strange. Her voice sounded incredibly strange.
I lifted my lowered head. And I looked at Martina Gold.
“Wait…”
“Zeppelin is dead.”
She already knew what I was about to ask.
“His body and soul were torn to shreds, unable even to return to the Spirit World, completely erased forever.”
Dead. Truly obliterated.
Hearing that, my mind went blank for a moment.
“Zeppelin…?”
Then had he lied to me back then? Why? To become bait? For what? That way, I would not even remember a noble sacrifice properly, nor would I have given him a proper farewell. Then… what I had seen—that last moment—had that been Zeppelin Gold’s true end? Had I even thanked him properly? Did I truly understand the weight of his choice? My thoughts spun. A crushing headache surged through me.
“Last Karavan.”
“……”
“I wanted you to be a bad child. Then I could hate you more, ease my guilt, and lessen my sorrow. But… but after hearing your words, my sorrow has only grown heavier.”
“……”
“How am I supposed to console the soul of that child no longer found anywhere in this world? Even with all my overflowing gold, I cannot buy back lost memories, nor retrieve the family I’ve lost. I… I…”
Martina Gold wept. Her eyes remained closed as she spoke.
「Young descendant.」
Liam’s voice slipped in.
「Deliver my words.」
Deliver them?
「Just as that foolish kid said, Zeppelin Gold died there. But he did not disappear.」
He did not disappear. What did that mean?
「I’ll explain, so prepare to pass on my words.」
Liam looked at me.
「If you do it well, one Swordmaster will become completely your ally.」