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[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 14
My nerves are all twisted.
Why is she being so cruel to me?
[Sica]
-Trait: Ghostly Aura
-Skills: Nermir Shadow Arts (Intermediate), Shadow Swordsmanship (Intermediate)
-Strength: 15.1
-Agility: 20.8
-Stamina: 17.9
-Sense: 20.3
-Vital Energy: 11.6
These stats are absurd.
All this time, whenever I met someone, I would secretly check their stats.
Even when I went to deliver Decaine’s report, I stopped by the barracks where other knights were to check theirs.
She had two stats over 20.
Far higher than the average knight.
This level could easily qualify as a high-ranking knight.
And on top of that, she even has a trait…
[Ghostly Aura]
#Presence fades, and perception sharpens.
Not a single knight in Brillant had a trait.
Stats aside, that alone sets her apart.
Do all high-ranking knights have traits like this?
Trevis’s head did too, didn’t he?
Layton Trevis.
Head of the Trevis family and a swordsman who wields frost.
His stats were even higher than Sica’s.
Compared to him, Sica’s a little lacking… but still strong.
Compared to an ordinary swordsman like me, she’s on a whole different level.
With her skills, she could be treated like royalty in the Baran Empire or the Rosaria Kingdom, not stuck in this crumbling place called Brillant.
So why is she acting as Princess Jane’s guard?
Nermir Shadow Arts and Shadow Swordsmanship…
“Nermir” was a name I’d never heard before.
[Nermir Shadow Arts - Intermediate]
#A secret technique of the Nermir tribe that manipulates shadows.
That’s all the information it gives me.
Shadow Swordsmanship didn’t offer much either.
The only useful bit was that she uses shadows.
For now, I needed to calm her down.
If not for my ancestor, I would’ve been skewered by Sica’s sword.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Sica didn’t respond.
And Princess Jane didn’t seem inclined to stop her.
— Look down.
At my ancestor’s words, I lowered my gaze.
In the moonlight, I saw that my shadow had split into two beneath me.
If I hadn’t been conscious of the shadows, I never would’ve noticed it.
“Uagh!”
A black hand shot up from the ground.
I barely dodged it, flailing like a fool.
Screw dignity—I couldn’t help but scream.
While I was still scrambling to avoid the shadows, Sica charged in again.
There’s no way I can dodge this…
No choice, then.
[Descent - Havenberg Arzen]
[Due to high spiritual energy, the recoil from possession is reduced.]
My body filled with power.
My ancestor’s eyes lit up as he drew his sword.
His blade met Sica’s in midair with dazzling finesse.
Chaeng! Cheng! Cheng!
Ten clashes in an instant.
Even without a proper stance, the skill in his swordplay was unmistakable.
Sica seemed shaken by the seemingly unbreakable defense.
Shit…!
Energy began to emanate from her sword.
But my Energy was barely over 1.
Could my ancestor handle her with this pathetic amount of spirit energy?
This wasn’t like the crude sword aura I’d seen from a grave robber before.
This was something else entirely.
“Who are you? That swordplay is more refined than most Arzens I’ve seen…”
Her red eyes pierced through the darkness, searching for the truth.
“Feel it for yourself,”
My ancestor taunted.
“Fine.”
Beneath Sica’s feet, shadows writhed and burst forth.
Her sword came straight at me, and the shadow blades followed from all directions.
Tap.
One step forward.
Simple, but the precision and weight behind it were on a different level.
The air grew heavy.
Suddenly, all of Sica’s shadows became visible to me.
This is…
I was seeing the battlefield through my ancestor’s eyes.
Despite the chaos of blades flying everywhere, his gaze remained calm, his heartbeat steady.
His blade moved with grace, deflecting the shadows as it carved a path forward.
KWAGAGAGAGAGAK!!
In the gap between the clashing shadows, Sica’s sword came down, creating a wind blast that tore across the ground and grazed my body.
Blood splattered as her sword skimmed me.
And then, Sica stopped attacking.
[Descent ends.]
Drip. Drip. Drip…
Blood trickled down my arm and hit the ground.
Clutching my throbbing right arm, I turned around.
Sica was unscathed.
Not a single scratch on her—but her face was full of shock.
“Ren Arzen… What kind of swordplay was that?”
My head was pounding.
Even with the recoil reduced by my spirit energy, I could barely stay on my feet.
There was no way I could attempt possession again.
“Let’s just say… it’s something I came up with.”
“So it’s not Arzen swordsmanship.”
She sheathed her blade.
Her expression as she turned away was… strange.
Not angry, exactly.
“Why didn’t you use sword aura?”
“…”
What could I say to that?
I didn’t have any, so I couldn’t use it. But saying that out loud felt pathetic.
“Never mind. I guess you just didn’t think it was necessary.”
Her voice carried a trace of bitterness.
What the hell is she talking about?
She was clearly misunderstanding something, but I didn’t bother correcting her.
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[Translator - Night]
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For Jane, this was the first time she’d ever seen Sica go all out in a fight.
Just watching gave her chills—she wrapped her arms around herself to stop the shivers.
But even as Ren Arzen was swallowed by shadows, he stayed calm, his gaze never wavering.
‘He’s insane…’
His very presence felt different.
Even just standing there, the weight he exuded felt so overwhelming that even the great Sica might not be able to withstand it.
And soon, that was proven true.
On the surface, it looked like only Ren Arzen was bleeding, but Sica’s expression was far from that of a victor.
“Sica, what do you mean there’s no need? No need to fight him?”
“He’s stronger than I am.”
“…What?”
“He’s at least the level of a high-ranking knight.”
The clash they had just moments ago wouldn’t leave Sica’s mind.
Ren had countered her technique—which had fused shadow arts with highly condensed sword energy—by using just enough energy to withstand her blade.
And he had done so precisely at the moment their swords clashed.
A feat impossible unless one could predict the exact moment of impact and control their energy perfectly.
Sica couldn’t even imagine performing the same kind of energy control Ren had demonstrated.
‘And that sword strike just now…’
A barrage of slashes that looked like an illusion.
For the first time, the natural flow of a sword path appeared beautiful to her.
‘Was he holding back his energy because of the skill gap? Or is he deliberately limiting himself?’
Hermits often acted in ways no one could predict.
The swordsmanship that had completely neutralized her shadow technique wasn’t something just any fighter could achieve.
It was divine skill.
She couldn’t believe Ren Arzen hadn’t used energy because he couldn’t.
Blood dripped steadily down his right arm.
Yet Ren Arzen looked at them as if the wound meant nothing.
Sica clenched her teeth at her own carelessness.
She realized that if that gravekeeper had intended to kill, both she and the princess would already be dead.
“Your Highness, I believe it’s time to reveal your identity.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. He is far too different from what the rumors say. He’s hidden his strength, and now we’ve uncovered it. If he intends to silence us, we could be in serious danger.”
Jane was flustered.
It seemed like Sica genuinely regarded Ren Arzen as a threat.
A man whose skills could instill fear in even a high-ranking knight like Sica…
‘Is he really just a gravekeeper hiding away in Decaine after being exiled from the Arzen family?’
She even briefly wondered if someone was impersonating Ren Arzen—but dismissed the thought quickly.
“Ahem…”
Jane cleared her throat and stepped closer to Ren.
Sica’s words meant that, if they wanted to survive, they needed to earn his favor—even if it meant revealing her identity.
“Sir Ren Arzen. The truth is… I’m Jane Heretia, the first princess of the Brillant Kingdom.”
“Yes.”
Ren answered calmly.
“You don’t seem surprised. Is being a princess of Brillant nothing shocking to you?”
It wasn’t sarcasm.
She simply asked, wondering if he really thought that way.
“No. I had my suspicions during the earlier clash with your knight.”
“You suspected?”
“Yes. I wasn’t certain at first, but there are things one can notice upon closer observation.”
“Such as?”
Ren calmly cleared his throat and began explaining.
“First, it’s quite rare for young women to travel to Decaine this late at night. You may not realize it, Your Highness, but the roads are more dangerous than they seem. Especially in the mountains.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“I meant no offense. It’s just that nobles and commoners live very different lives.”
“What else?”
“Despite me holding a sword, Your Highness showed no fear. Most would be terrified if a stranger wielded a blade late at night.”
Jane nodded.
Even she had to admit her composure had been unnatural.
“Also, your clothing. While you tried to blend in with commoners by wearing dark attire, the fabric is freshly pressed and spotless. It’s hard to keep clean on a mountain path.”
Jane glanced down at her outfit, then quickly grasped the hem of her robe in embarrassment.
It was clearly a well-maintained, new garment.
“Lastly, only someone of high rank could be guarded by a knight of such skill. And among the noblewomen I know, none look like you. So I deduced you must be one of the princesses.”
As if it was nothing, Ren finished his explanation.
Jane stared at him with a strange expression.
“I see. But calling Sica ‘a knight of great skill’... Are you mocking us?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
She turned to Sica.
“I’ve heard the gravekeeper of Decaine—Ren Arzen—was no good with a sword. But that was clearly wrong. Didn’t you overpower my personal guard?”
Jane spoke calmly, trying to hide her nervousness by locking eyes with him.
He was a force beyond high-ranking knights.
Perhaps even stronger than a commander—maybe more.
She needed to know why someone like that was living in hiding.
Sensing her curiosity, Ren opened his mouth.
“I may have been exiled from my family, but I never gave up the sword. The rumors that I lacked talent were… part of a necessary choice.”
“You chose to let those rumors spread?”
“Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived within my own household.”
Jane gazed into Ren’s eyes.
He didn’t appear to be lying.
“…Just one more question.”
“Go ahead.”
“What’s your goal? With strength like yours, you wouldn’t be ignored if you returned to Arzen.”
“That may be true. But… it’s not time yet.”
Ren gave a vague excuse.
Times like this called for ambiguity.
Watching him, Sica thought to herself:
‘Could it be… he’s aiming for the head of the family?’
That would explain everything. “It’s not time yet” meant he would return when the moment was right.
For someone like Ren to still be waiting for the right moment… there could only be one reason.
He must be aiming to become the next Lord of the Arzen family.
“I have a question as well.”
“Go ahead, Sica.”
Sica stepped closer to Ren.
“You said the sword style wasn’t the Arzen family’s, but one you developed yourself… Do they know?”
“They don’t.”
“I see.”
That confirmed it for Sica.
She had seen Arzen’s sword techniques before.
Ren’s was similar—but undeniably different.
He was likely modifying and evolving the Arzen sword style on his own.
Not something just anyone could do.
‘To think such a monster was hiding in Brillant…’
A genius.
A once-in-a-generation talent beyond comparison—even within Arzen.
Now she understood why he had fled his family.
A child with such immense talent must’ve lived like he was walking on a razor’s edge every day.
And Ren Arzen had grasped that early—and taken action.
‘We have to make him our ally.’
The kingdom’s internal factions were already fractured.
If someone as powerful as Ren backed the princess, her position would become solid—no, he could elevate her beyond all others.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
Sica leaned in and whispered.
“…Understood.”
After stepping back, Jane nodded.
“Sir Arzen.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry.”
She bowed her head.
Ren was caught off guard by the sudden apology from the first princess and waved his hands in denial.
“For my guard attacking you, for trespassing on your grounds, for all the rudeness we’ve shown… I sincerely apologize.”
Jane’s demeanor had changed entirely.
Ren let out a short laugh as he looked at her.
“Heh…”
“I understand that you're hiding your skills and living in seclusion. I won’t tell a soul. If you want, I’ll even sign a—”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
Ren, knowing her personality, didn’t feel such precautions were needed.
Nor did he quite understand why she was being so submissive.
“I want to help. I’ll do whatever I can.”
Jane wanted to ask him right away to become her ally—but she wasn’t that shameless.
First, she needed to get closer to him.
“Oh, do you take requests?”
“…Requests?”
“There’s something only you can do. I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”
She asked in a pleading voice.
Caught off guard by the sudden proposal, Ren racked his brain, trying to figure out what to do.
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