For the next several days on the road back to the territory, I sparred with Tarian again and again.
We called it sparring, but it was practically real combat.
“You’ve improved a lot.”
“It feels like he’s pushing me right up to the brink of death.”
“Yeah, it looks that way.”
So it really did look like that.
I let out a small, hollow laugh as Larissa, who had been watching the spar, came over and spoke to me.
Still, the efficiency was high.
‘I’ve definitely grown compared to before.’
I had at least reached the point where I could control killing intent somehow.
Manifesting it was still a long way off, but I had taken the first step.
If I didn’t have Pact, I probably would’ve had to learn even Northern Swordsmanship this way.
“You need to pay more attention to what’s happening inside than what’s visible.”
“Whew...... Understood.”
“Was it like this?”
Larissa demonstrated it herself as she spoke.
As a swordswoman who had established a domain of her own, she knew exactly how the body was supposed to move.
Bringing her along had definitely been helpful.
“Thank you.”
“Mm, this isn’t much.”
“You also stop things whenever they start going too far.”
“Isn’t that better than getting hurt?”
She said it as though it were obvious.
I nodded.
Sometimes she seemed absentminded, but at times like this, she also seemed surprisingly thoughtful.
“Guh!”
“You still have not broken that habit. When you are pushed onto the defensive, your left foot becomes sluggish.”
“Ghk!”
“If you are going to block, then block properly. Merely raising your sword will not stop everything.”
I let out a small sigh at the strange cries coming from beside us.
Tarian was not merely teaching me.
He was personally instructing Johannes as well.
“This is the only way I feel like I can preserve some semblance of humanity.”
Or so he said.
In any case, thanks to the rapid progress over the past few days, I was starting to get a feel for it.
By now, the territory was close.
“Ugh......”
It felt as though I was just about to grasp something, yet not quite.
Like I was stuck on an ambiguous boundary.
‘I can control it, but manifesting it is difficult.’
It felt somewhat different from the manifestation of energy described by Extreme Cold Art.
Still, one fortunate thing was that the killing intent had not swallowed me up.
‘My prediction was right.’
The mana control I had gained through Frost Benediction and Extreme Cold Art, combined with Cold Heart, kept it from consuming me.
As I was checking the wounds Tarian had left all over my body—
“Here.”
Larissa had come up beside me without my noticing and held out some ointment.
“......Thank you.”
“Ian, you’re like Johan.”
“That’s a little harsh.”
“I told you not to get hurt.”
Considering the way she usually spoke, that had definitely not been a compliment.
The slight furrow of her brows made that clear.
I turned my gaze away for no particular reason and saw Johannes.
“......Sister, am I really like Ian?”
“No. Ian is like Johan. Johan still has a long way to go.”
“Ah......”
What kind of answer had that guy been expecting?
While I was thinking that—
“Ian, grow faster.”
“What?”
“You can, right?”
The eyes she turned on me looked exactly like those of a knight.
No.
More precisely, a warrior.
One hunting prey.
‘This......’
Larissa had already gone off by herself to polish her sword.
Johannes watched her for a moment, then whispered to me.
“My sister is truly looking for a rival. That is why she says things like that.”
“A rival?”
“Yes. There is no swordsman around her age with skill comparable to hers.”
I already knew that story well.
That was why she eventually left the North and went all the way to the central regions.
‘So she sees me as a future rival.’
It did not feel bad.
I had no intention of losing to anyone either.
“Fine. I’ll work you hard first. Look forward to it.”
“Hm? Good!”
I chuckled at the sight of him smiling despite the bruises all over him.
‘He has been working hard lately.’
That was a good thing.
Tarian.
Johannes.
Larissa.
I might have been called a headbutting dinosaur, but I had no intention of letting winning lottery tickets slip through my fingers.
Especially when the tickets were guaranteed winners.
“Grow nice and fast, you too.”
“Understood!”
After that brief rest, the carriage began moving again.
There was less than a day left, so it did not take long to reach the territory.
The problem was......
“Young Master Ian!”
“I knew you would succeed, Young Master!”
“This will be a great help to the territory......”
The crowd I saw the moment we arrived.
Not only the residents, but the family soldiers, knights, and retainers as well.
Everyone had gathered to welcome me.
“The return of a hero.”
“Please shut up......”
Unable to tell whether Johannes was mocking me or being sincere, I jabbed him in the side where no one could see, then accepted the welcome with a smile.
After that, I quickly escaped toward the family head’s office.
“Brother, what exactly is all that outside......?”
“They volunteered to welcome you.”
At those words, I fell silent as though I had a mouthful of honey, then let out a sigh.
“I’m planning to leave right away.”
“You are leaving?”
“Yes. Something came up.”
“Huh. We even prepared a banquet. How can you leave immediately?”
“Then let’s have it all at once when I come back after finishing this.”
I answered with a smile.
My brother pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.
“So, you have no intention of telling me what this is about?”
“Hmm......”
I began thinking seriously.
He was already busy with his duties.
Would he really want to get dragged into something this large as well?
Would I only be increasing his workload for no reason?
“The truth is, His Grace the Grand Duke asked me for a favor.”
“His Grace the Grand Duke?”
“Yes. He said there was a problem in Brücke, one of his territories......”
Still, he was my brother and the family head.
There was no way I could simply keep it from him.
Now that I truly thought of Cain Rashid as my brother, hiding it would be meaningless.
‘Besides.’
When I remembered how he had died protecting the territory alone, I knew I needed to tell him in advance so he could prepare.
“I did notice an unsettling trend around Brücke......”
“An unsettling trend?”
“Yes. Several merchants traveling through that area have already gone missing.”
“I also heard that the people His Grace the Grand Duke sent there have stopped reporting in. That is why he asked me to investigate.”
My brother’s expression turned serious as he listened.
“This does not sound like something you can handle alone. It would be better to take knights and soldiers with you......”
“If I did that, the territory’s budget would take a serious hit. We’re already running something close to military farms, aren’t we?”
Winters in the North were harsh.
Food was always scarce, and naturally, the economy could only worsen.
The Rashid territory was at least small, and my brother had built an ecosystem that allowed us to be somewhat self-sufficient.
But that alone was not enough to escape the North’s clutches.
“So have the knights train the soldiers and focus on governing the territory.”
“Haa. Of course the territory’s situation matters, but it does not matter more than you.”
“I am only saying this because I can at least keep myself alive.”
Larissa and Johannes were coming with me, after all.
Even then, my brother’s expression did not ease.
So I calmly explained my plan.
“I intend to unite the North.”
“Unite the North?”
“Yes. Right now, the North is like a lamp before the wind in more ways than one.”
The terrain was heavily affected by the weather.
There was no telling when the remaining barbarians might attack.
And recently, even the Monsters had been running rampant.
“On top of that, there is someone in the central regions waiting in the shadows who is mad for power.”
“Ian. Watch your words.”
“It’s only because I’m speaking in front of you, Brother.”
I smiled.
My brother gave me a helpless look and nodded.
“I know the structure itself has problems. But what do you intend to do about it?”
“We need a common enemy.”
It did not necessarily have to be the central authorities.
It could be the Demons who might appear at any time.
Or the remaining barbarians.
If not them, then targeting the Monsters running rampant would work just as well.
“To do that, I intend to gain the influence I need.”
“......You have thought this through deeply. Deeply enough that I almost wonder whether this is all you thought about during that year. I suppose that is why you are heading straight to Brücke as well?”
As expected of my capable brother, he seemed to understand immediately what visiting Brücke meant.
Family profit.
Personal fame.
I was aiming for both at once.
“I will prepare for the Brücke matter in advance. It would be troublesome if administrative issues ended up holding you back.”
“I’ll take that as permission.”
“You have chosen to pursue your ambition. How could I oppose you? But always remember that your safety comes first.”
“Of course. And you should keep training too instead of spending every day looking at paperwork.”
“Hah. Are you worrying about me now?”
I chuckled at Cain’s words.
After all, Cain himself was already strong enough to be considered a Sword Expert.
Of course, compared to Larissa or Tarian, he was only at the lower end.
Even so, he was still more skilled than I was.
“Look forward to it when you return. I will prepare a special reward for you.”
“......”
A reward.
I nodded, then slowly headed outside.
“Did your conversation go well?”
“Yeah. Let’s leave right away.”
There was no need to think about it any further.
After packing only some basic supplies, I climbed into the carriage immediately.
RATTLE-!
The carriage sped forward.
There were only four of us.
It was more than enough fighting strength.
Unlike on the way here, the four of us were traveling in a single carriage, so our speed was relatively faster as well.
“We should probably stop and rest here for a while.”
“Yeah, all right.”
“Ugh, my whole body is stiff.”
We were moving quickly, but the trip still took a full day.
So we stopped once along the way to rest.
After finishing dinner, just before going to sleep—
“Could I ask you for one last bout?”
“Yes. Any time.”
With those words, the spar began.
Just like before, a vicious killing intent pierced straight through even Cold Heart.
But this time, I did not back away.
‘Keep watching.’
Tarian’s movements.
The path of his sword.
Even the mindset with which he gripped the hilt.
I had to analyze and dismantle every last part.
Only then could I make his swordsmanship entirely my own.
SWISH—
Even when the sword strike grazed my cheek, I did not hesitate and kept waiting for an opening.
The next strike came.
Red killing intent stretched out from every direction.
As I rolled and deflected the attacks, killing intent passed so close it barely grazed my cheek.
‘I can’t just keep taking this.’
Manifesting killing intent was still difficult.
But since I could control it, I layered several feints into a single sword strike.
Being able to control killing intent meant being able to create openings in my opponent.
“Huh.”
CLANG—!
With a sharp sound, the sword I thrust forward was blocked by New Moon.
And then—
-......You’ve already adapted?
New Moon’s bewildered voice rang out.