Chapter 71
The movements of the two men were so fast that even decent knights struggled to follow.
Although they weren't using Aura, it could be called a battle between superhumans who had surpassed human limits.
“Ah…! How can such a sword path emerge from there…!”
Just when they thought Karl would surely crumble under the spear strikes that followed like a snake as he retreated.
The knights, who saw Karl twist his body to dodge the incoming spear thrust, then abruptly straighten up and thrust his sword, momentarily rose from their seats.
“Heo…!”
As Maximov's spear shaft barely blocked Karl's surprise attack, Karl retrieved his sword and this time stabbed towards the side.
As the distance closed, the fight proceeded disadvantageously for Maximov.
The series of strikes thrust into the side just moments before was a perfect move that accurately targeted the opponent's weakness.
Maximov briefly escaped the defensive posture he was in by swinging his spear widely.
The knights strained, eyes wide open, trying not to miss a single movement.
For them, it was a moment of teaching more precious than anything else.
After exchanging offense and defense for quite some time, the two suddenly increased the distance and separated far apart.
“My goodness… I’ve wielded a spear for fifty years, yet you are truly too much. You look like you’re only in your mid-twenties….”
“I am not unaware that your spearmanship, Senior, is far above mine. It is thanks to your consideration that I can clash swords like this.”
Formal language, which rarely came from Karl's mouth, emerged.
It was proof of how much he respected his opponent.
“Senior, you say… That sounds pleasant to hear. Then, shouldn’t I offer some guidance, inadequate as my skills may be, to my junior?”
The momentum of the two, who had briefly distanced themselves, changed in an instant.
In that moment, Maximov became a single point and flew towards Karl.
An airflow formed from the spear as if wind was swirling.
The incredibly fast thrust was difficult even for Karl to avoid.
‘I cannot avoid it.’
If so.
Block it.
Karl extended his left foot forward, firmly fixing his lower body, then raised his sword straight up.
And at the very moment he was about to block the spear thrust, having focused all his body's Ki and strength, he dropped the sword towards the ground with all his might.
Kwaaaang!
The onlookers watching the two flinched at the deafening roar produced by the collision of their weapons, which lacked Aura, and the momentary spread of Ki waves in the vicinity.
“…Thank you for the lesson.”
The outcome was that Karl's sword lay fallen from his hand.
Maximov still held his spear.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!
All the knights present roared and applauded.
The cheers and applause contained pure respect for the two great knights.
“Truly incredible… I am impressed.”
“It is I who am purely impressed by you, Senior. If you had used Aura, I probably wouldn’t have lasted 10 minutes.”
“Excessive humility is not polite. Feel free to visit anytime. It would be good to train together by clashing again when the opportunity arises.”
“Thank you for your kind words. I shall visit often.”
Maximov smiled at Karl’s polite demeanor.
Although he was a knight of Alcantara, he was a knight among knights, a very serious man.
“Do you like alcohol?”
“Only its absence stops me.”
“I shall prepare my cherished liquor.”
Maximov turned his body, laughing heartily.
‘…He released his strength at the last moment.’
Maximov felt his right hand holding the spear trembling.
If Karl had put a little more strength into it and hadn't let go of his sword, Maximov would have been the one whose weapon had fallen.
‘Talent born in the West Continent, remarkably forged by the war in the East Continent.’
Even if he didn't know which side Karl leaned towards, the fact that he could stay in Alcantara for so long meant he was different from those Holy Knight bastards.
Maximov wished, if possible, that Karl would join forces with Alcantara.
The more he saw him, the more he liked this junior.
***
Karl received a significant shock from the sparring match with Maximov.
He had been confident that he could sufficiently defeat even a Master in a duel without Aura, but that confidence was shattered in his confrontation with him.
‘If it had been a life-or-death battle, it would have been my definite defeat.’
There were moments in several situations where it wouldn't have been strange if Karl's body had been pierced.
If Maximov hadn't held back and retracted his spear each time, the sparring match would have ended then.
‘I’ve been too complacent lately.’
He had been complacent.
He thought that at this level, lacking only Aura, he could face anyone sufficiently if he just had Aura.
It was immense arrogance.
Karl looked into the Zen Meyer Sword Manual once again.
Swordsmanship based on the premise of using Aura.
Even the person named Zen Meyer eventually reached the stage of using Aura simply by training swordsmanship to its extreme.
It meant that even excluding the element of Aura, it was a complete form of swordsmanship.
Having changed his mindset, Karl began to repeatedly practice the forms of Zen Meyer swordsmanship, excluding Aura.
Through endless repetition, the form of Karl's Zen Meyer swordsmanship began to transform at some point.
Karl was already immersed in a state of complete selflessness.
He fell into a perfect state of selflessness where all distracting thoughts disappeared.
Karl's own practical swordsmanship, ingrained in his body while desperately surviving on the battlefields of this world, merged with the Zen Meyer swordsmanship.
[Karl Meyer Style. Form 1.]
The moment Karl's sword seemed to draw the diagonal cross shape of Essus, numerous X-shaped sword lights appeared before him and then vanished.
[Karl Meyer Style. Form 2.]
This time, whirlwind-like sword strikes raged in all directions centered around Karl.
In this way, Karl created a total of 8 new sword forms.
He achieved powerful sword forms that seemed to tear even the surrounding air and could be wielded powerfully, without any outwardly visible Aura.
“Hoo….”
Karl slowly opened his eyes.
Obtaining the Zen Meyer Sword Manual was the greatest fortune for Karl, more so than acquiring skills or other weapons.
“Good.”
His eyes flashed for a moment.
As his level of swordsmanship rose, Karl's own stature naturally ascended a step as well.
Karl then left the training ground and entered his room.
***
“Sir Karl, many guests have come to see you again today.”
The Alcantara Knights Commander had given Karl the best room among those reserved for distinguished guests.
And as Karl's stay lengthened, many figures within the knight order began to seek him out.
The purposes of those who sought him out varied: pure curiosity, a desire for learning, attempts to recruit him, and so on.
Karl met every single one without refusal.
Among them were individuals with whom he spoke for a long time, and others with whom he exchanged only a few words.
Through these interactions, Karl continued to weave various hypotheses and deductions.
‘If one snake is Owen, then who is the other one?’
He excluded Maximov.
As a result of crossing swords and conversing with him, he could not possibly imagine him being a snake.
***
The spiders of Tarantula gathered.
From the Three-Legged Mask to the Eight-Legged Mask.
Out of the total of 6 spider masks, the Three-Legged Mask had died recently, leaving 5 of them.
“The reports from that assassin have ceased.”
“It seems unlikely he will move further.”
“He has never failed before, let's watch a bit longer.”
They racked their brains.
“Karl Meyer being at the Alcantara Knights headquarters is ominous. Why now, of all times?”
“There is nothing he can change. The operation within the Alcantara Knights has been ongoing for years.”
“Four-Legged Mask, I don't think we can be so certain. Three-Legged Mask, who was so confident elsewhere, also had his head severed.”
The gazes of the other spider masks converged on the Four-Legged Mask.
“I will go myself and conclude the matter. Once the job is finished, you will have to pay the price for your suspicion.”
He abruptly stood up, not hiding his displeasure.
***
“You seem to be associating frequently with that man Karl lately, Sir Maximov?”
Behind Maximov, who was warming up in the training ground, a dark-skinned man revealed himself.
He wore a thin sword resembling a rapier.
“Does my association with him displease you?”
Maximov and Shylock had different inclinations, and their relationship was not good either.
Unlike Maximov, who was steadfast in his pursuit of 'Mu' (The Martial Way), Shylock was like a wolf.
“That man is different from us. Though he denies it, he still has one foot planted in the Holy Knights.”
“What does that matter?”
Shylock met Maximov’s straightforward gaze and shook his head.
“It is something I always feel, but Sir Maximov and I are too different.”
“Still, I respect you, Shylock. Your aspiration for the sword is sincere. And, I believe your loyalty to the Alcantara Knights is also sincere.”
“What is your intention in saying that?”
Their gazes intersected in mid-air.
“You know as well, don't you? That people have appeared who wish to disrupt this order that we built together with the Commander.”
The two exchanged glances for a while longer.
It seemed they were reading the intentions held within each other's hearts for quite some time.
It was Shylock who turned away first.
He let out a short sigh once and began to walk.
“You, of all people, should know best. That without the Commander, we could not have been united like this.”
“…”
Shylock briefly closed his eyes at Maximov's words coming from behind him.
Shylock, who became a Master in his mid-40s, a relatively young age compared to Maximov, was one of the two pillars of Alcantara.
Compared to Maximov, who had many knights following him, Shylock preferred to move alone.
Few people approached Shylock due to the chilling aura felt when near him.
Only in situations requiring a Master’s martial power did the knights affiliated with Alcantara stand behind Shylock.
“Be careful, Sir Maximov. If it were me, I would prefer to cut off the Commander's hands and feet first before making a move.”
Shylock turned back, left that one remark, and departed.
***
Holding steaming, fragrant tea, Karl and Owen sat facing each other.
“Sir Karl, how do you view our Alcantara Knights?”
Karl pondered the intention behind the question.
“An excellent order of knights. However, it looks precarious.”
His eyebrows twitched.
“Precarious?”
“Indeed, because what Alcantara pursues is the individual desires of its members.”
“Is that a problem? Are you not the same?”
“You are not wrong, but surely you are not saying this because you are unaware that an organization can hardly survive if its members only pursue their own individual desires?”
Owen fell silent at Karl’s counter-question.
Something places like the Holy Knights possessed, but they lacked.
It was a greater cause and justification to suppress, even if only partially or temporarily, selfish greed.
“Why is that a precarious element?”
“Because they could turn their backs on you at any time for their own benefit. Seeing your expression, it seems you have a reason for asking me such a question?”
“…”
Karl could ask so directly because of the quest.
He was one of the main subjects of this mission.
“There is no particular intention. I was merely curious about an outsider's perspective.”
(There are traitors. Perhaps many.)
He wrote a sentence on the paper with the pen he now somehow held in his hand.
“My opinion is as I have already stated.”
“I see, yes. Then how did you find this city?”
(I hope you will assist in identifying the traitors.)
“I do not know well.”
Owen, reading the refusal in his response, picked up the pen once more.
“Are you going to feign ignorance after I have paid for all your recuperation expenses? Think about it carefully once more.”
(I ask this as a favor. If you help me, I too shall set everything aside and help you when you need it.)
Karl paused, lost in thought for a moment.
The mission was related to Owen anyway.
While granting his request, indebting one of the 11 largest knight orders on the continent seemed like a decent bargain.
“If you truly wish it, I shall look around once more and then we can talk.”
Owen’s eyes shone as he watched Karl nod.
“Thank you.”
(I shall surely repay this kindness.)
After the final written exchange, Owen crumpled the paper and tossed it into the fireplace.
Owen watched until it burned completely, leaving not even a single fragment, then casually scattered the ashes with a poker.
The most sensitive discussion was over.
The rest was talk suitable for mixing with the tea and their voices.