Chapter 409
Chapter 409 The Optimal Sparring Partner. (2)
The master is someone who has completed their own world.
Even someone who has never experienced real combat can become a master by contemplating the sword and realizing its principles.
Whether it’s someone who realizes enlightenment after swinging their sword hundreds of thousands of times or someone who recklessly increases their mana until they gain insight, anyone can become a master.
Thus, the forms of realization vary from person to person.
But Tenant had yet to achieve any enlightenment. His outstanding talent was what had been blocking him.
Anyone he faced was easily defeated, and aside from his youth, he had never truly experienced a real fight. Because he easily won against anyone, he never strived intensely to surpass others.
He had never even contemplated the principles of the sword.
Therefore, he had become trapped in his own talent and arrogance.
‘We have truly become lazy.’
Marquis Roderick felt the same, as did he. They had become complacent under the title of the strongest in the West, not even thinking about how the world was changing.
Since those at the very top acted this way, their followers naturally grew lazy as well.
However, the people of the North were different. They had fought fiercely to survive and had persistently sought to grow stronger.
It was only natural that they were defeated in war.
Kwaaaang!
The swords of Ghislaine and Tenant collided once, and the distance between the two widened.
Surrounded by black energy, Ghislaine’s red eyes shone as he asked.
“Finally, that outstanding talent has stripped off its arrogance and crossed the wall. Are you not considering surrender?”
It was extremely rare for Ghislaine to persuade someone. Especially when encountering an enemy.
But Tenant shook his head.
“I am a body that has killed my lord and benefactor. Even if I were to win this match, I have thoughts of taking my own life.”
Tenant thrust his sword forward, a long blue aura blade extending from it.
“That is my pride as the greatest sword of the West.”
“I recognize that.”
Paaaan!
Ghislaine launched a beam of light and swung his sword.
Now, the opponent had reached the level of a master. There was no need to hold back anymore. And to the opponent, it was unfortunate to say…
“You are the optimal sparring partner.”
Kwaaaang!
Tenant, who blocked Ghislaine’s sword, managed a strained smile as he spoke.
“It will no longer be easy.”
Kwaang!
With every clash of their swords, shockwaves erupted that were incomparably stronger than before.
Those watching the duel gasped and retreated further away.
Goooooo!
The area around the two became a vacuum due to the clash of mana, to the point that not even air could enter.
The mana that could not withstand that pressure spiraled around them, creating a massive vortex.
People stared in astonishment at the sight.
“Is, is this a master’s fight…?”
“How can a human wield such power…?”
A huge vortex was created without the use of magic. This was the result of pure strength causing a natural phenomenon without artificially bending the laws of the world.
Kwaaaang!
Every time their swords clashed, it sounded as though thunder was crashing. If one were nearby, their eardrums would surely burst.
Kwaang! Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!
Indeed, Tenant unleashed incredible strength, unlike before.
The long, blue aura blade magnificently blocked Ghislaine’s red aura blade.
Paat!
At times, Tenant’s sword managed to pierce through Ghislaine’s crimson barrier. Dark red smoke poured out violently from Ghislaine’s body where the sword struck.
But sadly, that was where Tenant’s limits lay.
Kwaaaang!
“Ggh!”
With a lightning-fast swing of Ghislaine’s sword, Tenant’s left arm was severed from the shoulder.
Kwaaaang!
Tenant struggled to retaliate, but Ghislaine swiftly pierced his chest.
The just-awakened Tenant, even in terms of mana and swordsmanship, could not compare to Ghislaine.
Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
Before long, Tenant’s body became a ragged mess. The once bright aura blade began to flicker and fade.
Still, Tenant smiled.
“It’s a tremendous honor to fight like this as a knight and die!”
Having reached the coveted level of a master and engaging in a duel for his life against another master, the opponent being Count Penris, who was called the saint and strongest of the North, there could be no more glorious rival. No other knight could have such an experience.
“I have no regrets!”
Kwaaaah!
Tenant poured every ounce of his strength into his sword as he swung it towards Ghislaine, no longer caring about defense.
He merely poured everything into that single strike.
Tenant’s massive aura blade soared towards Ghislaine with the intent to break him.
“Excellent.”
Ghislaine smiled back, swinging his sword.
The two swords collided again.
Kwaaaang!
In the darkened surroundings, an incredible light burst forth, momentarily blinding the onlookers.
And when that light faded…
The whirling vortex that had been tearing apart the surroundings disappeared, leaving silence in every direction.
Tenant looked at his sword.
The shining aura blade had vanished, and only half of the blade remained.
In contrast, Ghislaine’s aura blade continued to emit a fierce energy.
The aura blade, which could cut anything, had been sliced by the opponent’s aura blade and disappeared.
Swoosh.
Blood seeped from Tenant’s neck, drawing a red line.
Although it wasn’t deep enough to sever his neck, it was a wound sufficient to claim a life.
Tenant smiled. A trickle of blood ran down his lips.
“Thank… you.”
Kuwung!
Those were his final words as he collapsed to the ground.
“Huff…”
As Ghislaine sighed, the energy enveloping him lifted.
Though his body was riddled with wounds and he looked quite disheveled, there were no serious injuries to pose a problem.
Ghislaine was approaching the level he achieved in his previous life through his repeated training.
After staring at Tenant’s corpse for a moment, Ghislaine slowly opened his mouth.
“Gather the prisoners and contact Claude.”
As he surveyed the battlefield filled with silence, Ghislaine laughed softly.
“We have claimed victory. The war is over.”
“Waaaaaaah!”
As the declaration of victory was made, people finally erupted into cheers, raising their weapons.
The battle between the strongest of the North and the strongest of the West concluded with an overwhelming victory for the North.
*
“Ahem, ahem.”
Claude strutted along, and every time he passed by, the people around him bowed their heads.
In this war, he had defended not only Silverlight but also other castles with incredible tactics.
Administrative work often goes unnoticed, no matter how well it’s done. Despite his meticulous managing, Claude received little recognition due to his bothersome personality.
In reality, those who felt their lives had improved praised only Ghislaine for his efforts.
However, in war, even a single act of valor could change people’s perceptions.
All the territory residents looked at Claude anew.
“See? It wasn’t for nothing that he became the chief officer.”
“Come to think of it, the efficient functioning of our territory is all thanks to the chief officer, right?”
“It would have been better if he didn’t accept bribes.”
With his fame suddenly skyrocketing, Claude felt quite elated. Soon enough, news would spread throughout the entire kingdom.
“Hah, I didn’t know I could be this good. What do I do with this insane talent?”
“……”
Wendy didn’t respond at all.
At first, she had surprisingly complimented him and took better care of him than usual, but after hearing him boast non-stop, her ears were about to bleed. It was maddening.
Belinda avoided Claude every time she saw him, as it was now difficult to tease him.
It wasn’t just Claude behaving this way.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Alfoy walked around with an air of arrogance, having finally made a name for himself in this war.
In truth, it had been Vanessa who neutralized the opposing mages. Without her, Penris would have faced significant trouble.
However, people’s memories of Alfoy’s fireballs and fog spells were much more vivid.
After all, he had indeed done all sorts of flashy things.
The territory residents reevaluated Alfoy too.
“I thought he was just a guy who gambled and drank all the time.”
“Did you hear? He’s a level 50, level 50!”
“Whoa, with that, isn’t he practically a dragon? Alfoy was that strong?”
Thanks to that, Alfoy’s reputation escalated to the point where even Hubert, the owner of the Tower of the Bloody Flame, wouldn’t dare speak down to him.
Feeling good, Alfoy wandered around the territory, unnecessarily giving advice and showing off.
Even Vanessa, who always scolded him to study, allowed him some free time this time.
And on the day Ghislaine and the Penris Mobile Army returned to the territory…
“Waaaaaaah!”
“We are the strongest!”
“Congratulations on your victory!”
All the territory residents rushed into the streets, cheering.
This war was somewhat different from the previous ones. All the residents had united to prepare traps without Ghislaine’s guidance.
Even without a lord, they banded together to fend off tens of thousands of troops.
They did not forget that they could do this because of Ghislaine.
Thanks to their lord, they could eat their fill, find jobs, and gain the strength to defend themselves.
Now, they had gained the confidence and conviction that they would not lose against anyone.
“Long live Penris!”
Amidst the cheers, Ghislaine entered the lord’s castle.
He raised his fist at Claude, who smiled as they bumped fists.
This was a gesture that Ghislaine replicated from the ever-present actions of Claude and Alfoy.
“Wow, I told you to hold out until I got here, but you annihilated them? Impressive!”
In his previous life, Claude had been an excellent strategist and military commander. Trusting him with the defense, Ghislaine had not anticipated he would do this well.
Originally, his plan was to hold on while using the Perdium Army and mercenaries to encircle and wipe out the enemies.
But thanks to Claude, Ghislaine ended up chasing down the fleeing enemies.
With a still arrogant expression, Claude cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem, well, my lord also conquered the West, so you did reasonably well. It’s not that difficult of a task, though…”
It was indeed a much tougher job, yet Claude downplayed Ghislaine’s accomplishments, worried his own merit would become overshadowed. He truly was petty.
Thankfully for Claude, Ghislaine was not the type to care about such petty things.
“Yeah, yeah. Good job. So now you know what we need to do, right?”
“……The victory festival?”
“No, we need to work. The West needs to be stabilized quickly. And we need to increase our territory’s productivity. We have to make more Galbarium catapults.”
“……”
Claude’s face instantly darkened. He felt like he would die before he could rest. He should have died in this war.
Yet Ghislaine was not wrong. The West was in a state of extreme chaos. He had heard that Count Selburk was in charge, but there was no way he could stabilize such a vast area on his own.
“Ugh, I’ll send the stewards quickly. There’s a lot of work to do.”
You can’t make the entire West pristine like Penris in an instant. Unfortunately, once the West is stabilized, it would have to play a role in bolstering Penris’s deficiencies.
However, since it’s a region with original resources and population, the quicker it stabilizes, the more helpful it would be.
“First, let’s borrow troops from the Crown Prince faction.”
At Ghislaine’s words, Claude nodded.
Count Selburk wouldn’t be able to handle the rifts in the West. Managing the remaining lords and bandits would be challenging enough for him.
But now, troops from the Crown Prince faction could enter the West under the pretext of dealing with the rifts.
Marquis Roderick had always made things difficult by doing as he pleased and not listening to others, but now that Ghislaine was the lord of the West, there were no issues.
Ghislaine immediately gathered his retainers and held daily meetings on how to utilize the West and stabilize it quickly.
Around the time they began selecting the stewards to send to the West, bad news arrived.
“The Salvation Society has started to move openly!”
Upon hearing the words of the panicked messenger, Ghislaine’s eyebrows twitched.
The Salvation Society had begun moving much earlier than in his previous life.
The reason was obvious. He had revealed the identity of the Salvation Society too early.
Ghislaine muttered softly.
“…Is this the beginning?”
He knew too well what the cornered Salvation Society would do.
