Chapter 40: The Bet (7)
There are two types of swordsmanship in the world.
The first is swordsmanship practiced without the assumption of an ‘Aura Sword’.
The second is swordsmanship that judges the ‘Aura Sword’ as the most crucial element, researching, digesting, and utilizing it in actual combat.
Naturally, the former is overwhelmingly more common than the latter.
This is because the vast majority of swordsmen living in the world do not reach the Expert stage.
Nine out of ten swordsmen, who will neither face an Aura Sword nor draw one themselves, have no need to trouble their minds with the latter type of swordsmanship.
However, sword families with deep histories are different.
For them, the Expert stage is merely a starting point, not the final destination.
Handling an Aura Sword, and fighting opponents who handle Aura Swords, was an entirely natural affair.
Therefore, they research constantly.
How to better utilize the Aura Sword.
How well they can fuse the supernatural ability called ‘Aura’ into the tool called the ‘sword’… They research this for 50 years, 100 years, 1,000 years, inheriting their own ‘Secret Swordsmanship’.
Portville was no exception.
Assuming the same stage, it was common sense that someone from a swordsmanship family held a significant advantage over a wanderer in a real sword fight.
‘Just what is he planning to do?’
Daereon, the former assassin who had tagged along to the bet, wore an anxious expression.
It might have been different before he took the poison, but now, he was in a position where he shared the same fate as Harang, riding the same boat.
Therefore, until the score reached 2-0, he had been watching the match with a very comfortable and relaxed mind.
After all, since Eddy and Pale had won, he hadn't thought for a moment that Harang would lose.
But if it was a real sword match.
And if the opponent was Portville's Ruffian, Carbin Portville, the story changed.
‘I heard Carbin Portville is the strongest in the family for his age… Will it be okay? Of course, that Harang fellow is strong too, but…’
Honestly, he was worried.
No matter how strong Harang was, he was still young, only around 20 years old.
Moreover, looking at his appearance, it was clear he was an Unaffiliated Person, belonging neither to a swordsmanship family nor an academy.
That meant he had come this far solely through an ‘Aura Cultivation Method’ obtained by luck and self-taught swordsmanship, which had limits compared to the orthodox swordsmanship of a swordsman family.
‘A swordsman family’s Aura is on a different level. From the total amount to density, purity, sharpness, and sustainability… Doesn’t this guy know that even at the same mid-level Expert rank, someone from a family and someone from a mercenary background are incomparable?’
No, even before that!
If they stuck to the initial conditions, the probability of winning was 100 percent, so why fall for the opponent's provocation!
Daereon absolutely couldn't understand it.
An image formed in his mind: Harang becoming Portville's adopted son-in-law, and himself serving as a swordsman family's servant for life under him.
“No!”
“What? Suddenly?”
“No! Boss Harang! What need is there to use real swords? If handled wrong, you could unnecessarily see blood, see bones, have organs pop out… Oof, disgusting! It’s gruesome, and rather sickening…”
“…”
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
‘What’s with this guy?’
Harang wore a dumbfounded expression.
He himself was a former assassin, yet he talked about blood being gruesome and organs disgusting, there was nothing he wouldn't say.
Sighing, Harang took a piece of bread from his pocket.
Normally, he might have said a few words, but he wasn't in the mood now, so he decided to lightly just shut his mouth.
“Euup! Uweck! What is this… It’s bread? But why does it taste like this?”
“It aged for about three days in my pants pocket.”
“Ugh! Uweck! Uweeek…!”
“Just be quiet now, I’m fine with a real sword match. I don’t know why everyone has those expressions, but let’s do it that way.”
Harang completely ignored Daereon and looked towards the Portville family.
Then, just like before, he readily agreed to the opponent's request.
Without asking questions, without haggling, without setting any other tricky conditions… Thanks to that, they had obtained literally the best possible outcome for themselves.
However, despite getting what they wanted, the atmosphere in the Portville family was very sour.
It was because they thought this young brat, whose blood hadn't even dried on his head, was looking down on them.
‘How dare a mere wanderer…’
‘Insult our family?’
‘Fine. Show him, Carbin. Show that rootless fellow clearly how different someone from a prestigious family is!’
Truly the wish of every Portville member!
Of course, that feeling was strongest in Carbin Portville, the actual participant in the match.
Grinding his teeth, he put on a fierce expression, stepped onto the stage, and said.
“Fine. Come up, you little brat.”
“I’m not a little brat, but I’ll come up.”
“Not losing even a single word. We’ll see if you can still run that mouth like that in a few minutes.”
“You’re the one talking more.”
Harang tilted his head and slowly walked onto the stage.
There was no tension whatsoever.
Rather, for the first time in a long while, a truly long while, a slight thrill even bloomed at the fact that he was facing someone with a real sword.
‘Come to think of it, since coming outside, I’ve really learned a lot.’
Harang recalled the events from the outside world one by one.
From Mercenary Captain Carlson, he learned about the direction of life.
From the beggar old man, he learned the excellent technique of Acting Lowly.
He had learned things from the delinquents too. The insight and senses cultivated while teaching them would surely be a great help in future battles.
That's right.
Since coming to the outside world, he had grown every moment.
Meeting new people, having new experiences, he was becoming stronger, tougher, and sharper.
How about this time?
Indeed, from that swordsman staring at him with sharp eyes over there… what could he learn?
Thinking such thoughts, Harang slowly warmed up before the match.
Hwoong
Hoo-woong
Swinging the sword, neither too fast nor too slow.
Tat
Tadat
He also ran around the stage with light steps.
They were truly insignificant movements.
The Eddy Family thought Harang was doing that to relieve tension.
Most of the Portville family members thought the same.
Some even muttered mocking remarks, saying it was too late for regrets now.
“…”
“…”
However, some were different.
Typically, the Elders who had spent over 50 years with the sword were like that, as were the next family head and a few other high-ranking members of the family.
Sensing an unusual atmosphere from Harang's movements, their expressions gradually hardened.
Especially the Family Head, Philip Portville, watched the black-haired young man with an expression even more serious than when he saw the second defeat, his eyes filled with astonishment.
‘Just why?’
But Carbin Portville didn't know.
He didn't feel anything.
Therefore, he couldn't understand.
Why the family elders were making such faces, why they were focusing on his opponent instead of him; he couldn't understand at all, to the point where irritation surged.
‘Fine.’
That was the reason.
‘I’ll kill him.’
Discarding the thought of toying with him moderately.
Deciding to sever the opponent's neck with a single sword strike was merely a momentary impulse born from the ruffian's characteristic nasty personality and the reactions of the family elders.
Of course, he didn't know.
That such a choice had sealed his own fate.
“Match, st…”
Woo-woo-woo-woong-!
The referee's voice echoed. Carbin tightened his grip.
The Portville family cheered at the grayish-white Aura that fiercely surged along the sword blade, while the Eddy Family wore expressions of utter shock.
“…art!”
The referee's word finished completely.
Immediately after, the stage Carbin stood on cracked under a powerful stomp.
His sword, launched at terrifying speed, swung towards Harang's neck.
A strange thing happened right after.
‘?’
Suddenly, everything moved slowly.
His own body rushing towards Harang.
The sword held in his hand, falling sharply.
The wind, the leaves scattering in the wind, and everything else.
Faced with a scene where time itself seemed to have slowed down, Carbin couldn't hide his bewilderment.
However, that feeling was only momentary.
Carbin soon realized.
‘I’ve crossed the wall!’
That his skills, which had stagnated for a long time, had improved through this opportunity.
Peak rage.
Peak excitement.
Added to that, peak concentration, and the unprecedentedly sharp senses awakened by it!
Having obtained that, there was no defeat for him. No humiliation.
In Carbin's blazing eyes, Harang was no longer visible.
The giants of the kingdom, the powerhouses of the continent, the heroes of legend whom such a brat couldn't even compare to, took his place.
However, a moment later.
He realized yet again.
That in the time flowing slowly as if everything had stopped, there was something unique moving at its own speed.
‘!’
Harang’s sword blade lunging towards him.
It wasn't fast.
But it wasn't slow either.
That's right. That was the problem.
In a world where everything seemed submerged in water, that which alone appeared normal could, in other words, be described as uniquely outstanding.
Instantly, Carbin realized for the third time.
This sensation he was feeling right now.
This sensation of solely, lonely waiting for something absolutely unavoidable…
‘Is not the sensation of enlightenment, but the final feeling experienced by one facing death… fee…!’
Seogeok-!
‘…ling.’
Tuk!
De-gu-reu-reu-reu…
“…”
“…”
“…”
The arena fell silent.
A silence deeper than the abyss, darker than pitch black.
The Portville people, mouths agape at the utterly shocking result, couldn't say anything, and the Eddy Family too stood frozen like statues, unable to move.
Of course, Harang was still composed.
Seureung-
He sheathed his sword, breaking the silence.
And quietly muttered to himself.
“There was nothing to learn.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Was it Philip Portville? Correct?”
“…”
“You would know, right? I didn't start it. You guys did.”
Harang said with an attitude devoid of any shame.
It was natural.
He had merely shown the same action towards Carbin who had launched a killing blow at him; not even a fingernail's worth of guilt remained in his heart.
Rather, he was only filled with disappointment.
Because there was nothing to learn from Carbin Portville.
‘I’ve seen too many swords swung to kill back in the village.’
This was even far more pathetic than those.
Tsk, smacking his lips, Harang looked at Philip Portville again and opened his mouth.
“Anyway, since we won the bet, the adopted son-in-law thing? I'll consider that null and void. As for receiving an apology… since the person who should apologize is dead, let's leave it at this.”
“…”
“Ah, some of the people below might not be able to accept what happened, so please explain it well. Why Carbin died. Well then…”
With those final words, Harang stepped down from the stage.
He left the Portville family estate with the same relaxed attitude as when he first arrived, followed by the Eddy Family, who were flustered and didn't know what to do.
Especially Daereon, the former assassin, looked extremely anxious, glancing back every two seconds as if fearing the Portville swordsmen would pursue them at any moment.
His judgment wasn't wrong.
The Portville swordsmen, whose thoughts had frozen from the immense shock, belatedly surged with anger, looked at the Family Head, and cried out.
“Family Head! Are you… going to just let this pass after seeing this!”
“Carbin is dead! Carbin! Not somewhere else, but within the family grounds!”
“No matter if it was a match, overlooking this is unacceptable!”
“Family Head! Right now…”
“Quiet.”
Philip Portville spoke, and the arena fell silent again.
In an atmosphere where even Carbin's family couldn't mourn freely, all members waited with stern faces for the Family Head's next words.
Soon, words summarizing the situation flowed from his lips.
Orders to retrieve Carbin Portville's body and prepare for the funeral.
Orders to distance themselves from outside affairs for a while and for the entire family to observe a period of self-reflection.
Orders to never forget today's humiliation and strive in personal training to prevent such an incident from ever happening again.
Finally…
“Asael, arrange a meeting with the city administrator. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow at the latest.”
“By that, you mean…”
“Yes.”
Nodding heavily, Philip Portville added one more sentence.
“After the discussion is over, erase everyone in the Eddy Family from the city.”
* * *
It was truly a shocking day.
Who could have possibly imagined?
That the rising star of the Portville family, rooted in Marzen for 100 years, would lose to a 20-year-old brat, and not just to another family, but to someone from a delinquent background?
Therefore, the fire of revenge burned hotly in the hearts of everyone in the Portville family.
Once an agreement was reached with the Chief Administrator responsible for the city's major and minor affairs, Harang and the entire Eddy Family were destined to be immediately erased from the world.
Among the Portville people forcing themselves to sleep with swords hidden in their hearts.
“…”
There was one being who awoke from sleep a step earlier than the others.
It was the Family Head, Philip Portville.
Rising from his bed with a stiff expression, he changed into his Martial Arts Uniform and retrieved his sword.
Then he left his room and headed towards the training ground where the bet had taken place.
He spoke.
“You are a fearless one.”
Immediately after.
Harang emerged from the darkness.