SMACK—!
“Ghk! Brother, gently!”
“That is enough, you foolish brat. How much more will it take before you come to your senses?”
“Ugh, but I did awaken to magical power.”
“Haa. I suppose it is my failing that I cannot scold you when you have results to show for it. You only just returned from the expedition, and I even prepared a banquet.”
“A banquet?”
“......Were you not the one who asked me to prepare one?”
SMACK.
Even as he said that, my brother personally applied medicinal herbs to me.
“So, are you working this hard because you are preparing for the upcoming Subjugation Festival?”
“It’s a chance to make the family known.”
“Honestly, when you put it that way, I cannot even argue with you.”
I smiled as I watched my brother speak with a bitter smile.
“Anyway, that isn’t what matters right now. The banquet is.”
“Is that really more important?”
“Of course.”
Awakening to mana was not the end of it.
Either way, I had gained access to a power I had never been able to use before.
That meant I would burn through more fuel as well.
On top of that, the process of putting my body through brutal training, recovering, and growing demanded even more nutrition.
‘The banquet is one thing, but......’
That was also one of the reasons I was looking forward to the Subjugation Festival, which was practically a festival in every sense.
There, I would be able to get even more nutrition.
“Very well. I will have everything prepared, so clean yourself up and come out.”
“Yes, sir.”
After even giving him a salute, I began tidying myself up.
By now, my skin had begun regenerating quickly, and my body had grown even tougher than before.
‘Definitely.’
Not bad.
After finishing up with the servants’ help, I headed to the banquet hall.
My brother was the kind of lord who spared nothing, not only for the residents of the territory, but even for the soldiers.
“There are a lot of people here.”
“Ah, Young Master Ian!”
The soldiers looked startled when our eyes met.
The ones who had sparred with me and gone to the Dungeon with me stood out in particular.
“Training going well?”
“Yes! We are doing our utmost so we can earn new weapons.”
“Good. Don’t slack off. Lead the others and keep at it.”
It was not only the Northern Great Invasion.
If we were going to stop the coming apocalypses, every single bit of fighting strength like this had to come together.
No, even beyond that.
‘I’d rather not see them die if I can help it.’
I had grown fairly attached to them, and I would be sad if they died.
“Young Master Ian works this hard, so we need to push ourselves even harder.”
“We heard you’ll be participating in the Subjugation Festival soon. By the time you return, we’ll give you quite a surprise.”
Seeing them speak so confidently made a hollow laugh escape me.
“Then maybe I should check right now?”
“Pardon? That might be a little......”
“Hmm. You guys have been talking back a lot lately. Maybe I should tell them to raise the intensity.”
“Anything but that......”
After enjoying their reactions for a while, I settled in and enjoyed the banquet.
Since my brother was never one to throw his authority around in the first place, the atmosphere was practically like a casual group dinner.
“Young Master, I believe you are well prepared at this point. When I first met you, I never imagined things would turn out this way.”
“You were a big help.”
“I would like to remain by your side and watch you grow, but I do not know how things will turn out.”
“Why? There’s still some time left on your contract, isn’t there?”
“It is not a long-term contract, but more importantly, there is someone I would rather not encounter.”
I glanced at Tarian’s expression.
Given the way he had brought it up, that person was clearly going to be at the Subjugation Festival.
“Would that really be a problem? They probably won’t bother you without reason. You might as well sign a long-term contract with us while you’re at it.”
“......Are you asking me to become your retainer?”
“Of course.”
Tarian was plenty strong, and his ability as a teacher was quite good as well.
‘Except for the first day.’
It was not as though I held a grudge.
Still, it was an unforgettable memory......
‘Was it?’
Either way, he had definitely taught me well after that.
“......”
I patted Tarian on the shoulder as he fell into serious thought.
There was still plenty I had not learned from him yet.
Especially his swordsmanship.
“Take your time thinking about it.”
The day of the Subjugation Festival was approaching.
***
“You have certainly grown incomparably stronger than before.”
After another spar that had practically become part of my daily routine, I shrugged at Tarian’s words.
“What do you think? I should be able to make a decent showing at the Subjugation Festival, right?”
“Of course. If anything, I am worried.”
“Worried?”
“That you might break everyone else’s swords.”
A small laugh escaped me.
The more time passed, the better he was getting at flattering me.
“There really isn’t much time left now.”
I had spent the days since then training continuously so I would not lose my feel for magical power.
And that was not all. I had now started trying out the weapons stored in the family armory as well.
“I wanted to reach Sword Expert before I left.”
“What are you saying now......?”
“Wouldn’t it make for quite the scene if I showed off sword aura there?”
“Your standards are anything but ordinary.”
Tarian rubbed his forehead as though the thought of explaining things to me was giving him a headache.
“At your current level, Young Master, it is difficult to believe you have only held a sword for a few months.”
“Really?”
“Your sword technique itself is seasoned even among Sword Users. If you could only break through that wall, it would not be unreasonable to call you a Sword Expert.”
I shrugged as I looked at him.
But as long as I could not manifest sword aura, Sword Expert still seemed a long way off.
“More importantly, you still haven’t decided?”
“Is that not too soon?”
“I want to try learning your swordsmanship now.”
Tarian looked at me calmly.
“My swordsmanship would be difficult for you to learn at present, Young Master.”
“Don’t we have to try before we know that?”
“......”
Tarian began considering it seriously.
I waited calmly for a moment.
“In that case, would you like to hold my sword first?”
“Can I?”
“Of course. Lending you my sword for a moment is no problem.”
I carefully accepted the sword he offered me.
-Ugh, what is this?
-He’s still a greenhorn.
-I don’t want anyone but Tarian.
The moment I took Tarian’s sword, a clear voice filled with annoyance rang out.
“Hmm.”
-He isn’t even at a knight’s level yet.
-Well, I guess he’s fairly talented, but he still has a long way to go.
It kept talking as though appraising me, until the blade suddenly trembled.
‘Well, I really do have a long way to go compared to Tarian. He’s exceptional.’
-......!
-You understand things a little, at least. There’s no swordsman like Tarian! Especially the way he holds me with that calm air before cutting down an enemy is just...... ahh.
Apparently, Tarian had been carrying around an obsessive fan.
And a slightly strange one at that.
-Still, no.
‘No?’
-You’re still lacking.
-At least learn to manifest sword aura first. Then I might take an interest in you.
With those final words, the sword fell silent.
It seemed like the kind of sword that would insist on Tarian and no one else, but if I wanted to understand Tarian’s swordsmanship, this was probably the best way.
“Sometimes, simply holding a sword can tell you something. Do you feel anything?”
I closed my eyes and calmly ran my hand over the hilt.
Where he had applied force.
How he had swung the sword.
“Yeah. I can’t tell exactly, but I can feel how you’ve been gripping it.”
“Your eye has improved.”
Whenever Tarian swung his sword during our spars, it always looked light.
But the marks carved into the hilt told a completely different story. Naturally, the areas where he applied the most force had begun to wear down.
Tarian’s unique swordsmanship, ‘Wandering Sword’.
Even in Last Savior, it was famous for being one of the better offensive swordsmanship styles.
‘A sword meant solely to kill the opponent.’
Well, considering the problem this Skill had.
It really was a swordsmanship style that would be difficult for me to learn right now.
“The minimum requirement for learning my swordsmanship is to deliberately control your killing intent and give it tangible form.”
-Hmph!
-I’ve taken a slight liking to you, but......
-If you want to gain something, learn Tarian’s swordsmanship first!
“I need to grow more.”
My goal was knight level and beyond from the beginning.
If I wanted to stop that damned Great Invasion and those fucking apocalypses, I had no choice but to keep grinding.
“One more round?”
“Understood.”
So just be patient a little longer.
***
Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, the day we were to leave for the Subjugation Festival had arrived.
“Ian.”
“Ah, Brother.”
“Are you fully prepared?”
“Yes. Let’s leave.”
“Whew. A Subjugation Festival at a time like this. There is still so much left to finish.”
I chuckled as my brother spoke regretfully.
“Well, it’s a good thing. And you have your retainers, don’t you?”
“That is true, but......”
“Besides, you should take this opportunity to get some rest too, Brother. You look absolutely......”
“What? You brat.”
I said it jokingly, but I genuinely wondered when he even slept.
Every day, he worried about the territory, then worried about me on top of that.
He really was a good person.
‘And capable too.’
Someone like him should be the one looking after the North for a long, long time.
I felt a little bad that this probably meant giving him even more work, though.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could raise the family’s prestige while we’re at it?”
“Hah. I could ask for nothing more.”
“Then let’s go. Get some sleep on the way.”
“You are the one who should avoid overdoing it.”
After roughly saying our goodbyes, I climbed straight into a carriage.
I had deliberately chosen a different one from my brother.
‘I’ll be training on the way anyway.’
Training in front of my brother was a little embarrassing.
No, more than that, if he sat beside me smiling proudly the entire time, I would feel too awkward to train hard.
“You two brothers are quite close.”
“Isn’t that normal?”
I had never had a family before, so I honestly had no idea.
I had practically grown up completely alone as an orphan, only to suddenly find myself inside a game.
“Are you looking forward to it?”
“Of course.”
I could hardly stand how much I was looking forward to the rewards I might get there.
Hopefully I could at least obtain an Epic-grade Skill.
“It will surpass your expectations.”
With those words from Tarian, the carriage soon departed.
As we traveled, I briefly reviewed my plans.
‘The Subjugation Festival. My biggest goal is to grow stronger.’
I did not know what kind of rewards I could obtain, but at the very least, I needed enough strength to make my voice heard even in front of the Grand Duke.
That was all the more reason I needed to win.
In the North, only the strong had a voice.
‘I should check the other events too.’
It looked like I was destined to keep grinding at least until I stopped the Great Invasion.
And while I was at it, it would be good if I could nip the signs of the other apocalypses in the bud as well.
After organizing my thoughts for a while—
“Yaaawn.”
My anticipation quickly turned into boredom.
‘This is fucking slow.’
The game had already been frustrating because there were no fast means of transportation, but experiencing the carriage ride firsthand made it hell.
‘At least it isn’t cold.’
Maybe I had adapted to the North by now, because the cold wind felt almost like a spring breeze.
With Frost’s Blessing and Frigid Hide, maybe that was only natural.
“You already look restless.”
“Whew. I might have to get out halfway there and have a spar.”
“Ha ha. What a joke.”
“......?”
“You were joking, correct?”