Chapter 70 : Chapter 70
Chapter 70. See For Yourself
“If you have something to say, you can just say it inside the academy, can’t you?”
I was currently following Adellian up a mountain.
“No, I want to do it just the two of us.”
Adellian, saying she didn’t want others to hear, stubbornly sought out the mountain behind the academy.
What on earth was she planning to say…….
“Why did you just let Fioren go?”
Adellian, who had stopped on the mountainside to catch her breath, asked as she quenched her thirst.
“Because there’s a use for him.”
Fioren Dickens was on the list of Black Market personnel that Cosca had compiled and given to me.
‘The one who attacked us! Wasn’t it this guy’s order?’
Piontek, who had been looking at the list with me, had exploded in anger, spitting everywhere. He had strongly insisted that we catch him immediately and interrogate him about why he did it. Adellian and Odekerkh had also voiced the same opinion.
‘Let him go for now.’
At my remark, everyone had been furious. They had spouted a series of words like they couldn’t just let him go after nearly being killed, that they at least needed to know the reason, and that he would cause problems even after returning to the academy.
Of course, they could only watch as Fioren was released.
“How are you going to use him?”
“You know that Fioren hangs around with the 4th Prince, right?”
“Who at the academy doesn't know that?”
“So, it’s going to get noisy now.”
At my words, Adellian wore a questioning expression.
“Their relationship is going to get very bad.”
“Why? Fioren does whatever Hans tells him to do. The accident was also because of that……”
Adellian abruptly stopped speaking and watched my expression.
It was because of the incident where Maximilian Caesar had been on the verge of death after being attacked by Hans’s gang.
I smiled to signify that it was okay.
“Sorry. It must be a sensitive issue.”
“Not necessarily. For some, it can be a turning point.”
Adellian, who was looking at me, blinked.
I waved my hand as if to tell her not to think strange thoughts and to continue what she was saying.
“Anyway. Well… it’s not like Fioren doesn’t know Hans’s personality. What’s there to make their relationship go bad now?”
“If a master can’t trust his dog, he can’t use it for hunting.”
For that purpose, I used Armand to craft a letter for Hans to receive. The content was that Dwight and Fioren were forming a close relationship. And it was made to look as if Bryn had written it. In addition, I also created a letter of acceptance from the Hoso Merchant Guild for a meeting.
Hans, upon receiving the letters, would suspect Fioren without even confirming the facts.
Since he was a guy who ground his teeth at the mere mention of Dwight. And the fact that Fioren returned unharmed from the chaotic Black Market would turn Hans’s suspicion into conviction. He might even think that Fioren didn't go to the Black Market at all and was plotting something else. Because once suspicion starts, it grows uncontrollably.
“……Is their relationship getting worse an important matter?”
I nodded at Adellian’s question.
“Why? Because you won’t be bullied? It doesn’t matter anymore, does it? Even if they pick a fight… no, they can’t even pick a fight anymore.”
Her tone implied that since I had become stronger than before, why would I care about such things.
I just smiled. If I said it was for revenge, her opinion of me would obviously worsen. It was also difficult to say it was to catch the spies from Uresra. In a situation where I hadn't found any definite evidence, speaking rashly would only cause confusion. If rumors spread, the Uresra guys might go into hiding.
Instead, I chose a different answer.
“We need to normalize the academy now, too. It wouldn’t do for it to be in chaos just because of one prince, would it?”
At my words, Adellian held up three fingers.
I looked at her with a question mark in my mind.
“3rd Prince, 4th Prince, and you. That makes three.”
She’s strict about strange things too…….
“It was an idiomatic expression, but let’s say that’s the case. It’s not important.”
What was important now was what Adellian was trying to say. What on earth was it that she had to come out of the academy and keep beating around the bush with a meaningful expression?
“Alright, I’ll say it here.”
Adellian, who had looked around, showed a resolute gaze as if she had made up her mind. She took off her coat.
At Adellian’s sudden action, I blinked incessantly.
“W, wait. Why are you doing that here?”
Adellian lightly brushed off my words and gripped her sword. Her mana circle began to sparkle.
“I want you to check for yourself what I’m lacking.”
Adellian held her sword and looked at me. The blade was sharp and menacing.
Something seemed strange ever since she told me to bring my sword…….
“Hah!”
Adellian’s sword, imbued with the power of water, came towards me.
“You told me to look, so why are you doing this?”
“Receive it directly. Then you’ll know for sure!”
Kaang!
Is this woman trying to kill someone?
If I had been a moment later, my head would have been split in half.
I pushed mana into Dawn and forcefully struck Adellian’s sword away.
“Mist.”
The blue mana contained in Adellian’s sword drew a line in the air. The bright blue line spread like paint dissolving in water, creating a hazy fog.
The air became damp. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind, the faint chirping of birds, the sounds of mountain beasts scurrying about—all were muffled by the fog.
My senses became dull.
‘She’s serious.’
It seemed she had drawn out all the power she could, which showed how much she trusted me.
If this was the case, I had no choice.
I sharpened all my senses.
Piiing.
From beyond the fog, the sound of something piercing the air rippled towards me.
‘Here it comes.’
The fog in front of my eyes created several ripples, as if struck by raindrops.
Adellian’s sword, cloaked in fog, cut through the ripples and flew like an arrow.
I righted my grip on Dawn. I opened my eyes wide and looked at Adellian as she launched her sword. I could feel the desperation in her gaze.
‘I’ll take it.’
I stepped forward and moved Dawn.
Kagagagak! Kang!
The sword made of water touched Dawn and scattered into its original form.
The fog that had filled the surroundings also disappeared.
It was then,
“Tahat!”
A snake made of water shot out from Adellian’s body. It rushed at me with its mouth wide open.
I swallowed. Standing with a straight posture, I gripped Dawn and swung it upwards from a low stance.
Paang!
The air exploded.
The snake’s maw was torn, and it split in half. Adellian also lost her balance and was thrown backwards.
Kung, Kururung, Kung.
The tree behind Adellian fell.
Oops, I thought. I didn't mean to go this far, but it seemed I had put too much power into it.
“Ugh.”
Blood trickled from the corner of Adellian’s mouth.
“Ah, uh… are you okay?”
Adellian lowered her head and wiped the area around her mouth with her hand. Then, she put strength into her legs to stand up.
Thud.
Her muscles, as if refusing to obey, only trembled before she collapsed back down.
Watching this, a cold sweat trickled down my back.
‘Maybe I should have held back a lot of power, not just a moderate amount…….’
But was this all the power Adellian had? She had definitely had her mana paths cleared with Nigues’s help in the Black Market. At that time, she had even said she was on the verge of the 2nd Circle. But… ah, was that it?
“Huu. Sorry. I’m okay.”
Adellian, having composed her breathing, managed to get up. The trembling had also subsided, so it seemed her muscles had recovered to some extent.
“I thought you were strong, but you’ve exceeded my expectations.”
She said, looking at me with a bitter expression.
“Is the Black Market bothering you?”
“……”
Adellian bit her lip and averted her gaze. She didn’t say anything, but it was clear her pride had been hurt badly.
Adellian must have had pride in her skills. In swordsmanship, leadership, and various other fields, she was a talent who ranked within the top ten in the academy. She was also the top student. But in the Black Market this time, she hadn't shown anything. Especially in front of Gwanju, she had collapsed helplessly. On the other hand, Odekerkh and Piontek had done their parts. Odekerkh had even reached the 2nd Circle.
‘It must be even more so since it happened even after receiving Nigues’s help.’
It was evident from the sword she just showed. She hadn't reached the 2nd Circle.
“What do you think the problem is?”
I recalled Adellian’s sword. All of it, from when I first met her until just a moment ago.
‘Impatience.’
I knew she had to succeed her family. That she came to the academy to become a knight to be recognized as the heir. Was that why? Her sword was different from the style of Poinus. It wasn't a calm and heavy sword, but a flashy one with great variation. It felt like it was shouting to be quickly accepted as the head of the family.
“Are you in a hurry?”
Adellian, upon being asked, furrowed her brow. Her face said she didn’t know the intention of the question.
“Because I feel impatience from your sword. Assume the basic stance of the swordsmanship you use.”
Adellian caught her breath, gripped her sword, and took a stance. It was the typical basic stance of the Poinus sword style.
“Have you ever learned the sword from your family?”
“No, never.”
I had thought so because she was a daughter. Then, everything she learned would have been at the military academy. The sword of Poinus, Philip's sword, which followed weight over variation, straight lines over curves. The magic using mana circles would have also developed to suit such swordsmanship. But Adellian was displaying it in a strange way.
With her use of mana distorted, she was bound to hit a wall.
“Where did you learn the sword you use now?”
“Everything I learned was at the academy. This is also something I learned at the academy.”
Since she wanted to be recognized quickly, she must have unconsciously pursued flashiness. Because a flashy sword stands out more than a heavy one.
“No. The academy didn’t teach such a flashy swordsmanship. Who are you imitating with the sword you use now?”
Adellian tilted her head with a scowl, as if she didn't understand.
“Try to remember. Where did you see the sword that greatly influenced you, and who used it.”
Only by shaking that off can she move on to the next step.
It wasn't something that could be changed just by saying, ‘It’s not about variation, it’s about weight.’ Adellian wouldn't be unaware of this either.
Right now, she was unconsciously displaying flashiness. The core of the sword she had learned and followed had been swayed by something that caught her eye and changed. So, it was important to know exactly what had swayed her. Erasing it was the next step. The effort of re-establishing the essence of the Poinus sword by comparing the original sword and the imitated sword one by one was necessary.
‘It might be more difficult than when she first learned the sword.’
Adellian’s sword was stained with habit. In common parlance, she would have to go through the pain of carving her bones to be able to move on to the next stage.
“A sword that influenced me……”
Adellian, who had been speaking, changed the atmosphere and looked around.
Sususuk.
The sound of something living moving was heard. It wasn't that of a small animal. Nor was it just one.
‘It’s not the movement of an animal.’
I stimulated my mana heart and released a small amount of mana outwards. The pure mana collided with the unrefined mana floating in the air, creating a ripple.
I expanded my senses and read the flow of mana in detail.
‘People, and several of them at that.’
They were moving cautiously along the path Adellian and I had walked.
“Who would be following us?”
Adellian, upon being asked, retorted, ‘I didn’t tell anyone. Who did you tell?’
“And did you give me time to tell anyone else?”
“……I didn’t.”
Since she dragged me here as soon as she saw me.
‘What is it?’
If it were one or two people, I would have thought they were just hiking. But if several people were following our footsteps, it meant there was an intention. And that intention didn't feel very good.
“I think I asked this once before……”
I opened my mouth very cautiously while looking at Adellian.
She, having read the unusual atmosphere, looked at me with a rather tense face.
“Did you, by any chance, make any enemies at the academy?”
“What? Me?”
Adellian’s eyes sharpened as if to say, ‘Does that even make sense?’
“Or maybe outside?”
“Instead of asking me, why don’t you reflect on yourself?”
Right, even I think it’s more likely that Maximilian Caesar caused trouble rather than Adellian.
Then the ones coming now were aiming for me, but was it the Hoso Merchant Guild? It didn’t really matter. Whatever it was, I just had to smash it.