------------------
[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
------------------
Chapter 204: Dancing the First Blade
I woke up feeling incredibly refreshed after having shed a major worry.
"Wow, sleep truly is the best medicine."
My body felt so light that I thought I could run across the sea. Though if I actually tried, I'd probably sink immediately.
"Huff, huff-huff-huff-huff."
I trained lightly in the morning sunlight.
"Swoosh, swish-swish-swoosh, swish-swoosh."
I checked my footwork and body techniques with Scarlet Cloud Ghost Path in the air, and practiced punches, palm strikes, and kicks with Flowing Cloud Thunder Fist. My body moved according to my will to a degree that surprised even me.
"Wow, what's going on today? Did someone slip an elixir into my mouth while I was sleeping?"
Next, I took out Voyager of the Night and the bracelet sword to check my swordsmanship. After freely wielding Grunewald's sword and Karzan's sword, I finally tried to forget all forms and stances.
"Good."
My physical condition was excellent. By the time I finished my breathing exercises while seated, it was already past lunchtime.
"I'm hungry. Need to eat well to fight well."
I ate a hearty lunch while exchanging idle chat with my retainers.
"Young master, where are you going?"
"The rooftop. I want to think alone, so everyone go about your business."
"Understood."
Feeling slightly drowsy after eating, I sat down on a chair set up on the rooftop.
"Nice weather."
I stared blankly at the harbor scenery. Seagulls hovering around the harbor flew over me and then left. Not a single one came close to land near me.
'Has the scent of blood already permeated my entire body?'
Animal senses are far more sensitive than humans'. That's why I believe people who are well-liked by animals haven't committed deep sins.
But there was no time to feel sad about that now.
'I still have many tasks to complete.'
I need to meet my mother and master the Ink Soul Sacred Shadow Technique to prepare for the confrontation with the Valkenhain.
'But if I can't defeat Huten tonight, none of the rest will matter.'
Father will be closely watching my battle.
'Somehow this has turned into a kind of test.'
Yet stopping Huten's plans would ultimately benefit Grunewald as well.
'I don't know how much of my plan will work and where it might go wrong.'
After all, things in this world rarely go as planned.
But at least there was no signal flare from Zizek last night.
'That means Huten didn't suddenly barge in.'
"Then I'll be making the first move."
I took out the Mask of Aminicrus from my chest. At first, the mana it drained was quite burdensome.
But now that I've consumed all kinds of potion and spirit medicines and reached the middle level of the 5th tier with proper harmony of spirit, mana, and vital essence, it was hardly noticeable.
'Huten must be quite strong.'
He should be at least at the beginning of the 6th tier. By simple comparison, he wouldn't be much different in power from Karl.
'If he killed such a person, regardless of whose puppet Huten might be...'
He must certainly be a remarkable fighter.
'Those berserker-like executives who attacked Nagan were also quite formidable.'
And that man named Caleb, who overwhelmed Nagan despite losing to me.
If, as I suspect, Huten has obtained some higher power, technique, or martial art beyond those guys...
'He'll surely be the strongest opponent I've faced in this life.'
I don't doubt the superiority of the martial arts I've built up.
But how many thousands or tens of thousands of islands are there in that vast sea?
The world is wide, and if there's one master per island, I'm not yet at a level where I can afford to be arrogant.
'In other words, he's not an opponent I can fight while hiding my strength.'
The wall I must collide with and overcome is probably right there.
'By the way, hmm.'
I thought about the ‘marvel of concealment’ that Skella had told me about. This was quite an important topic.
'Deepening the realm of concealment doesn't simply mean improving the level of Whispering Snow in the Night.'
Among the three powers of the Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique, the 2nd is the Dark Star, a power precisely related to concealment.
'If the realm of the Dark Star rises, naturally the speed of reaching the realm of Seeing Stars beyond it will also accelerate.'
And if I finally master all the realms of the Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique to the extreme...
'I too might be able to glimpse at least the edge of the realm that Vitenfeld, the best of his era, reached.'
...The tower of martial arts stands so tall.
'Let's try testing it.'
I sprang up from my seat.
.
.
.
"Young master, where are you going?"
Caught by Olivier before even leaving the annex, I blinked my eyes.
"...Can you see me?"
Olivier responded as if dumbfounded.
"I am not blind."
"Hmm, this isn't it?"
I rubbed my chin, falling into contemplation.
'The explanation must have been poor. I thought it was somewhat understandable.'
Blaming Skella once for no reason, I made up my mind.
"Alright, let's see who wins."
"What are you talking about?"
"What else, concealment techniques."
I planned to roam around the castle until nightfall, experimenting with various concealment techniques.
.
.
.
Grrrrrrl!
A dog with a build as robust as a wolf bared its teeth at me.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down."
Grrrrrrl!
"Aish. It really doesn't listen."
Since it was so fierce, I took out a treat from my pocket and threw it.
Pant, pant, pant!
Then, as if it had never made a fuss, it wagged its tail happily.
"That's good, oh my."
I clicked my tongue.
"Who's there?"
Oh no.
When I saw a man coming out of the cabin with a sword, I quickly stepped aside using footwork techniques.
Sha-shak!
He seemed to sense something and turned his gaze toward me, but ultimately couldn't find my position. Like momentarily losing sight of a fly or mosquito moving swiftly.
'Oh? Good.'
Flying like a fly, shooting like a mosquito. What a great saying. If I ever write a martial arts manual, I must include that.
'Is that man Jeffrey's father, the fox hunter Wilfred?'
It was the first meeting 'for Karzan.' Perhaps they met in childhood before going into seclusion.
That's why it felt somewhat embarrassing to face him like this, after giving dog treats like some pitiful village man.
'Still, it seems I can't deceive a dog with a keen sense of smell.'
Like the seagulls earlier, animal senses truly can't be underestimated. Besides, dogs have traditionally been the greatest nuisance to assassins.
'Hmm, then sometimes it would be important to erase one's own scent by covering it with soil or something similar.'
Another realization, Allenvert.
I was almost frightened by my own intelligence.
.
.
.
"Got it."
I climbed to the spire of Grunewald Castle and looked down.
Neither the guards, knights, nor sentries looked in my direction.
"Hehe. So this is the feeling?"
It seemed I had roughly reached the level I was aiming for. The sense of 'escaping from the perception of others.' The sense of becoming part of the scenery, creating absolutely no sense of incongruity.
'If I lose to Verdzig and get kicked out, should I become a dependent of the Svaltalfar clan?'
I was internally spouting nonsense, but suddenly took a deep breath and instantly tightened my tension.
"Phew."
Now the brief preparation was over.
And the time for battle had returned.
'Hide the killing intent, keep the senses sharp but not excessive.'
In perfect pre-battle posture, I watched the twilight passing through the time of dogs and wolves...
"Let's go."
I leaped toward the maze of the sprawling city.
* * *
"Nagan. You were dozing."
"Huh?!"
I lightly tapped the shoulder of Nagan, who had fallen asleep with his feet on the desk.
"Who's there!"
Startled, Nagan quickly opened his eyes, and I tried hiding in a corner of the room using concealment techniques.
"It's me, Karzan."
Nagan heard my voice but couldn't find me.
"...Where exactly are you?"
As Nagan, still half-asleep, shook his head from side to side and looked in the wrong direction, I spoke again.
"Can't you see me?"
"Ah!"
Only then did Nagan turn his head toward the sound of my voice and discover me.
"Karzan!"
"You must have been tired all night."
"Well, sort of. I had a lot to handle, so I pulled an all-nighter."
I nagged him.
"Lack of sleep dulls your body. That's not the attitude of a man facing battle."
"You're right."
Nagan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"If it had been an assassin, I'd be dead for sure. You were hiding this skill as well?"
"I gained some insight on the way here."
I grinned. If I could completely deceive the attention of a man like Nagan, this would surely become a trump card in actual combat.
'I have already reached the realm of hiding beyond the perception of the opponent.'
It was precisely the realm that the two brothers of Svaltalfar had shown earlier. Given that reaching this level with just one day of concentrated training seems excessive, I've once again confirmed the fact that I'm a genius.
And one more thing I was certain of—
'The Huten faction wouldn't have noticed my arrival here either.'
That translates directly into my tactical advantage.
"By the way, Karzan, did you handle the matter well?"
Nagan asked.
"Of course. And you?"
"More or less. However, the main executives of the Huten faction have already disappeared."
I immediately grasped the meaning.
"Are they planning to feed them that idiotic concoction again and use them as warriors who've lost their reason?"
"That's probably the case. Apparently, without a certain level of capability, ingesting it would just make your head explode and kill you."
What is that? Ugh, disgusting.
"I don't like a single thing about these bastards."
I stuck out my tongue. Their viciousness was enough to evoke a deep sense of revulsion.
"Then what about the remaining subordinates?"
"Left them be. We can't capture them all, and they're 'soldiers' who need to be gathered after the fight ends."
"Hmm."
I folded my arms.
"Wouldn't Huten be able to use them somehow?"
Nagan answered with a slightly uncertain face.
"...That's possible. But with the battle right before us and being short-handed, managing them didn't seem easy."
"It's not a bad judgment."
But it wasn't the best either.
"Let's do this."
I snapped my fingers.
"Those guys are just remnants who've lost their leader. They must be feeling afraid of being abandoned and unable to join either side."
"I suppose so."
"Bringing such men together is easier than you might think."
This was, of course, knowledge derived purely from experience.
"Is there perhaps someone among the executives who's injured and not at full combat capacity, or belongs to non-combat personnel, yet still has some authority?"
Nagan thought for a moment and replied.
"There's one."
"Then let's send that person to manage the remnants. That way, even if Huten returns, it would be difficult for him to take control in one swoop."
"..."
Nagan nodded.
"That would be better. I was in such a rush that I didn't think of that."
"It happens. People don't always make the best choices."
Nagan sighed.
"This really feels like I'm becoming a burden."
That grumbling was directed not at me but at himself.
'That's inevitable, kid.'
I am one who freely roamed the nights of Flanders with a single blade. It's only natural that Nagan's skills, still at the level of a core executive in a thirdb rate organization, fall short of mine.
However, instead of lengthy explanations, I quietly patted his shoulder.
"No need for self-blame. We're comrades."
Nagan stared at me for a moment and then nodded.
"Then, I'll go see the two brothers of Svaltalfar myself."
"Please do."
Judging by Nagan's disgusted expression, it seemed Ghir had been causing trouble again.
'That crazy guy, as always.'
But his skills are undeniable. Though we both concealed our abilities, we never settled our match.
"It looks like it's going to be a long night."
I will become the most secret dagger, waiting for the moment Huten appears.
So let's entrust the first blade dance to lure out the fox to the ruffian of the Svaltalfar clan.
------------------
[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
------------------
