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“Do you have to keep calling me ‘Commander’? It’s embarrassing. Can’t you just call me ‘brother’ when we’re not on duty?”

“I can’t do that.”

“Ha. That’s just like you, Urha, always so proper……”

“I’m sorry for visiting so late. There’s something urgent I need to discuss with you.”

That’s the kind of guy he was.

He took extreme caution with what he said and did.

But for my sake, he would have carried a bundle of firewood and leaped into the flames.

Unlike Bastion, whose brain was filled solely with loyalty, Urha was a capable subordinate who actually thought things through.

“Urgent?”

“I’ve restrained myself until now because it felt like gossip, but…… I don’t have a good feeling about Count Theorg.”

“That’s surprising. To think you’re spreading rumors now, Urha……”

“Th-That’s why I told you! It’s not like that……!”

“I-I know, I know. As if I don’t know your personality. It’s a joke. Why is your face all red over something like this……?”

“……Is it fun to tease me?”

“Look at you? ‘Is it fun to tease me?’ Are you talking back to the Commander now?”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

The memory brought a faint smile to my face.

‘Yeah. Even if it wasn’t just some knockoff using this mist, anyone would be tempted by Urha’s swordsmanship.’

Manifestation and Awakening are just means to support swordsmanship in the end.

Constantly honing one’s swordsmanship.

That is the only way to become strong, and the first step toward Awakening.

Fools raised in greenhouses don’t understand this.

They rely on mana and neglect the training of their bodies.

That’s why most kingdom-level knights’ swordsmanship is crude.

‘That’s probably why the Empire’s knights have been the strongest for so long.’

It seems things haven’t changed much in the last 20 years.

However, the swordsmen born and raised in Swallow are different.

They already fought countless battles during the unification of the empire.

The life-and-death experiences made them realize the importance of a strong body.

‘Moreover, just learning Imperial swordsmanship doesn’t make one the best.’

What’s the use of using the same swordsmanship?

Mastery varies by user, and training methods are vastly different.

The small fry who had collapsed in shock before me was no different.

Even though its essence was missing, it was still the swordsmanship of Urha, once called one of the continent’s top ten swordsmen.

And yet, he was defeated so easily by me, whose body hadn’t even fully matured.

‘It’s too late, far too late.’

Like wearing clothes that don’t fit.

Abandoning swordsmanship honed over decades to learn something new.

How can that be easy?

Even if mist and waves are based on the same ‘water’, the methods of mana operation and deployment are vastly different.

‘If he had used his original swordsmanship, he might have at least injured me.’

His ‘Manifestation’ was genuine, after all.

Using a fluid sword suited to that mist would have been much more effective.

“……”

Finished with my thoughts, I looked straight ahead.

My opponent was still staring blankly at his own body, unable to believe the current situation.

“I’ll ask again. Who did you get it from?”

“Protect the captain!”

At that moment, a dozen members of the White Lion Brigade surrounded me.

Swish.

I pressed my sword to Tripier’s neck.

“Come closer, and I’ll cut him down.”

Having captured the enemy leader, this was a signal for them to surrender.

However, an unexpected situation arose at this point.

Thud!

“……We are the White Lion Brigade.”

Suddenly, they began pounding the ground.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“We are the White Lion Brigade!”

Their sudden madness didn’t end there.

Hummm!

They all drew their swords simultaneously, channeling mana into them.

‘……Every single one of them is at least an Expert. Did they leave only the real fighters to protect their leader?’

They’re pretty good.

Even though they lost their leader, they still have the spirit to fight the enemy to the end.

Their desperate resolve is palpable.

“……Yes, you are indeed the White Lion Brigade.”

Tripier, who had finally come to his senses, staggered to his feet.

“Look at you? You think I’m kidding?”

“Kill him! We won’t back down!”

You can tell a lot from just this.

Their leader wasn’t ordinary either.

‘And these guys acted as the Empire’s henchmen?’

It seemed like I needed to verify this.

After all, just because they used the Empire’s swordsmanship didn’t necessarily mean they were spies.

‘They could have received it from their own country’s power figures who had already become puppets.’

A gift of some sorts.

For a knight of this level, unless he was completely naive, he would have quickly recognized the quality of the swordsmanship.

Even so, he must have felt uneasy.

Since it’s a swordsmanship he had never experienced in his own country.

“Did you receive that swordsmanship from a trustworthy comrade?”

“……!”

Was it because I had spent quite a while with Narakas?

I saw the smallest change in his expression.

A smile naturally crept onto my lips.

“……I see.”

“What nonsense are you……”

“Ah, enough. Forget it.”

Whack!

With that, I struck the crown of his head with the back of my sword.

“……Ugh!”

Tripier’s mouth opened wide from the shock of pain.

“Bastard!”

Just as the White Lion Brigade was exuding murderous intent towards me.

“Stop. He’s not dead yet.”

“……We……!”

“If you don’t want to be cremated together, how about getting out of this fire pit first? Looks like you’ve made an escape route.”

“……!”

Boom!

At that moment, a huge explosion was heard.

Those stubborn guys had finally broken through the wall.

“Dying a pointless death isn’t what you think chivalry is, is it?”

“……”

The White Lion Brigade didn’t respond.

They just looked at their vice-captain, who ranked second-in-command.

“Or do you want to get wiped out while fighting a single brat like me? The ‘great’ knights of the White Lion Brigade?”

“……Ugh.”

“Well, if this gets out, it would be embarrassing for your families to even hold a funeral.”

Finishing my words, I slung the commander’s body over my shoulder, indicating I had no intention of continuing the fight.

Only then.

“……Let’s get out of here for now!”

“Good.”

Small Fry 2 grabbed at his throat in frustration.

“Let’s get out together.”

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – San]

[Proofreader – Abstract]

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* * *

Still on the flat ground, slightly away from the intense flames.

“……Hmm……”

A strange standoff had continued for over 30 minutes.

However, unlike before, the morale of the two groups had completely reversed.

In this operation, about 150 members of the White Lion Brigade had fallen.

I had the enemy leader in my grasp, and their deputy was crippled.

‘But there are still 350 of them left.’

Having experienced it firsthand, I was certain.

If we didn’t give up and kept fighting to the end, our side would suffer significant losses too.

“Ancelot, we should proceed with the second plan……”

“……No. Please leave this to me.”

I gestured to Count Arsene to step back, then moved forward.

“I have a lot of questions to ask, but I’ll ask just one.”

At my words, the vice-captain of the White Lion Brigade stepped forward as their representative.

“Are all of you spies for the Empire?”

“……!”

A few of them opened their eyes wide in shock.

That reaction alone confirmed my suspicion.

“……Right, of course not.”

There was no reason to cause unnecessary internal discord.

Thinking is done by the head.

The limbs just need to follow orders.

“What kind of bullshit is that!?”

“Recently, your leader started practicing a new swordsmanship, right?”

Though crude, the form of the swordsmanship was quite decent.

Given that level, the amount of training must have been enormous.

He probably abandoned his previous swordsmanship and became completely immersed in it.

There’s no way the members who ate, slept, and fought with him didn’t witness that.

“The swordsmanship your leader has been using recently is Imperial swordsmanship.”

“Nonsense!”

“……”

Naturally, my eyes turned cold.

I was sure of it.

But seeing their reaction, my unease grew stronger.

‘……Urha……’

Twenty years ago, the ‘Swordsman of the Waves’ made his name resonate throughout the continent.

Yet, no one, even in this remote corner of the countryside, recognized that renowned swordsmanship?

‘Both the practitioner and the swordsmanship itself had been completely forgotten.’

A feeling of suffocation settled in my chest.

I had already asked Narakas to look into the recent status of my subordinates, but there was no time to wait.

“……Watch carefully.”

Hummm!

I lightly channeled my mana.

Splash!

In an instant, I was standing alone at the edge of a vast sea.

The blue ocean continuously created waves.

At first, gently.

Sometimes, violently.

‘Sword energy like the waves.’

My mana rippled.

‘Like the raging wave that sweeps everything around it in the blink of an eye.’

That was the essence of this swordsmanship.

Crash, crash, crash, crash!

“……!”

The members of the White Lion Brigade watching were stunned, their mouths agape.

Their fleeting wariness vanished.

Splash!

The sword energy generated from my sword flew out and instantly extinguished the flames near the breached wall.

“……”

A profound silence descended in an instant.

It was shocking.

I had demonstrated Urha’s swordsmanship far more perfectly than their leader.

“……Wait……”

The vice-captain, who had finally regained his senses, opened his mouth.

“If that’s Imperial swordsmanship, how do you know it?”

It was a predictable question.

“Because I’m also from the Empire.”

“……!”

“……!”

“……!”

It wasn’t just the White Lion Brigade.

Even Count Arsene, who was standing beside me, was so shocked that his jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Don’t lie!”

“Is there anyone here who knows about my origins?”

Naturally, there was no response.

“None, right? I thought so.”

I lightly raised my chin.

“If I wasn’t from the Empire, how would you explain my skills at this age?”

My voice was firm and unwavering.

“And even if it’s a lie, you can’t do anything about me with your current skills, can you?”

“……That’s……”

“First, you need to verify my identity. If you harm me and it turns out I’m an important figure from the Empire, your lord would be in trouble.”

“……”

I took their silence as their understanding.

I quietly turned to Count Arsene.

‘I-Is this true?’

He mouthed silently.

So, I mouthed back in the same manner.

‘Is that important now?’

Count Arsene took a deep breath and then stepped forward.

“I-I promise you! If you surrender peacefully, I won’t harm a hair on your leader or any of you!”

“To add, Marquis Foltaine’s illegitimate child dared to kidnap an Imperial subject. So, do you still want to continue fighting?”

The White Lion Brigade began to murmur loudly.

At this point, Count Arsene’s reputation shone through.

He was a man who valued principles and trust.

There was no lie in his words.

Moreover, if they insisted on fighting to the end, they had to be prepared for complete annihilation.

‘No matter how brave they are, they still value their own life.’

While thinking this, the vice-captain, having finished his discussion, spoke again.

“……We will trust Count Arsene’s words. But we have conditions.”

“What are they?”

“Please treat our leader. And……”

His gaze flickered toward me.

“……Until the Imperial involvement is confirmed, please refrain from making unfounded accusations.”

“I promise.”

Once the situation seemed somewhat resolved, I stepped forward again.

“Conditions are conditions. We can accommodate that many people underground, right?”

“Underground? Are you saying we should go to prison now?”

The vice-captain frowned.

“Are you losing your sense of the situation because we’re being lenient?”

A cold smile appeared on my lips.

“Did you come here paying for lodging? You’re invaders. Bastards who dared to barge into someone else’s home and cause chaos.”

“……!”

“Consider yourselves lucky we’re not killing you on the spot.”

The vice-captain’s face turned red instantly.

Before the atmosphere grew too tense, I waved my hand.

“There will be familiar faces down there. Let’s make some compromises.”

***

The entire White Lion Brigade was imprisoned underground.

However, the cells were left unlocked.

There was only one entrance to the surface, after all.

Guarding that area thoroughly was sufficient.

Afterward, I continued my private conversation with Count Arsene.

“I’ll go meet Marquis Foltaine first.”

“You……?”

“Their carefully planned operation has failed, so we should try negotiating. They might have had a change of heart by now, don’t you think?”

Originally, I intended to crush the Marquis and elevate Count Arsene’s house, making myself the real power in the region.

However, it had become increasingly difficult to overlook the actions of the Empire.

‘Do you think I’ll let you get away with this? Using my subordinate’s swordsmanship for your own profit?’

The various pieces of evidence made it clear.

The Empire wanted to incite a civil war in the Kingdom of Hart.

Therefore.

‘Look forward to it.’

I was determined to sabotage the Empire’s plans first.

____