It seemed the bastard had truly fallen asleep. Before long, he even began to snore.
Regardless, I opened the book he had given me. Its title was written in enormous letters on the very first page.
‘Crimson Blade.’
Blade?
Then this was a martial arts manual, not Sovereign Studies.
It was not what I had expected, but I needed to learn Martial Arts as well if I wanted Father’s recognition.
Even at this very moment, Father was leading knights in battle against monsters in the North.
Not only that, countless nobles stood at Father’s side.
When choosing a successor, the quality they considered most important was the ability to wield strength and protect one’s land and property.
Chris possessed an overwhelming Awakened Ability, but Mabel had earned recognition through swordsmanship. That was why the two of them could stand as rivals.
I turned the page. There was not a single word about Martial Arts. Instead, the endless self-praise of some man began to unfold.
‘I, Karoi, the first Dragon Slayer, Watcher of the Northern Forest, Lord of the Dark Throne, and Ruler of Ten Thousand Demons, declare—’
......
‘Thus, all the human Grand Masters fell beneath my sword, and I could find no rival even after searching the entire continent—’
‘Only Solitas could ever be a match for me, Karoi.’
I closed the final page of the book. When I checked the clock, a surprising amount of time had passed.
There was a mountain of things to learn, yet I had wasted two hours on pointless bragging.
Was he telling me to understand just how amazing he was?
What? He captured dragons and turned them into drinking cups, and kept a hydra as a pet?
They say excessive delusion becomes an illness. At this level, he had to be severely ill.
“I’ve finished the book.”
The bastard did not even act as though he had heard me.
“I said I’ve finished it. Get up already.”
I threw the book toward his head. Karoi raised his upper body and gave a grand stretch. His kaleidoscopic eyes blinked several times before turning toward me.
“What? You’ve already finished it?”
“Yes.”
“You really read all of that?”
The bastard pressed me skeptically.
“You told me to read it, so I did. Now teach me something proper. Real Martial Arts and real Sovereign Studies.”
“...I see. You want me to show some sincerity.”
The bastard reluctantly rose from the sofa.
“Follow me. I made a promise to your father, so I will show you a technique.”
He strode out the door. When I followed him outside, I saw a gaping hole in the exterior wall. It appeared to have been damaged along with the formation when it was destroyed.
“Over here, brat.”
The bastard crooked a finger at me from beyond the wall. He led me to the outer garden, to a secluded corner where no one’s eyes could reach.
“I will show you only once.”
Before he even began, he issued an ultimatum.
“It is a sword art called ‘Crimson Blade.’ It is a basic sword art that I learned as soon as I began to walk, but your human race is inferior, so it will not be easy for you.”
He reached toward a garden tree and snapped off a branch. Then he lowered his stance and held the branch forward as though aiming a spear.
WHOOOOOSH—
In an instant, an enormous wave of qi slammed into the garden.
The bastard remained in his lowered stance with his eyes half-closed. He did not move at all. He did not even seem to be breathing, or alive at all.
FLASH.
The branch shot out like lightning and slashed through the air. At the same time, a distant mountain peak erupted and triggered a landslide.
I was a little—no, very surprised.
The only Martial Artist I knew was that flower thief who claimed to be the greatest under heaven, but this bastard was on a level far above him. To be honest, I had never even imagined it was possible to display such power with a simple stick.
“Whew......”
The bastard steadied his breathing.
“Now, it is your turn.”
He handed me the branch.
“If you watched the demonstration carefully, you should be able to imitate it without much difficulty.”
This?
“If you fall short of my expectations, then despite your father’s earnest request, I will have no choice but to reconsider this farce... No, this master-disciple relationship.”
The bastard issued another ultimatum. Holding the branch, I sank into thought.
He had learned such an incredible martial art from the moment he began to walk?
I did not know whether that made any sense, but then again, what did I know about swordsmanship?
At the very least, I had Daoist Power in abundance. If all that mattered was power, I thought I could create a similar scene with Daoist Power.
The movement itself was not difficult either. He had merely slashed forward once at great speed.
The key was the energy carried by the sword. The energy had flown forth without scattering and struck an exact point.
First, one deep breath.
I poured every bit of Daoist Power I could into the branch in my hand. The branch rapidly expanded, sprouting countless leaves and smaller branches before growing into a massive tree with snake-like roots and a thick trunk.
“...Well.”
Had I used a little too much Wood Qi?
This was, in other words... A forewarned disaster. It was not as though Five Elements Arts worked just because one poured qi into them without restraint.
“What are you?”
“Hm?”
“I told you to use swordsmanship. Why are you pulling up trees?”
“Forget it. I’ll try again. I have the hang of it now.”
I snapped off a branch from the massive tree lying sprawled across the ground.
This time, I should reduce the Wood Qi. Instead, I would strengthen the Metal Qi, raise a wind, and launch it forward.
I did not know whether that could be called swordsmanship, but what else could I do? He said he would reconsider our master-disciple relationship if I did not do something right away.
Wind Aid Art,
Tremor Wind Slash.
The branch launched from my hand. Splitting everything before it in two—the trees, the walls, and every other part of the garden—it vanished somewhere on the plains.
“What do you think?”
I asked him with sparkling eyes. What I needed now was shamelessness. As long as I reached my destination, what did it matter how I got there?
The bastard crossed his arms and glared at me for a long time.
“You......”
He dragged out the end of the sentence before saying,
“I do not think you understood what I said, but that is not swordsmanship.”
He delivered a merciless assessment.
“First, I am confiscating this.”
The bastard snatched the branch from my hand.
“What? You said you would teach me.”
“What could I teach someone who does not even know the basics...? You are not qualified to hold a branch.”
The bastard muttered under his breath, then reached out and grabbed the empty air. The air rippled like water, and a book appeared in his hand.
“Here.”
He casually tossed me the book.
“It is a beginner’s manual. It is exactly suited to your level.”
Compared with the book he had taken from me, this one was ordinary. It was made of paper and gave off no special energy.
“Where are you going?”
I asked the back of his head.
“You do not need to know.”
“You are my teacher.”
“Self-study!”
***
The book Karoi had left behind was truly a beginner’s manual. One-third of it explained the concept of swordsmanship, one-third rambled on with pointless drivel, and the remaining third taught basic physical training.
On the final page was the certification mark of a publisher located in Esterji Castle Town. In other words, it was something he had bought from a bookstore with money.
I finished the book in three days and threw it onto the sofa.
Karoi did not so much as show his face during that time. Unable to wait any longer, I asked Thalia about the man named Karoi.
“That man is not human. He is Demonkin.”
Thalia answered in an uncomfortable tone.
“Demonkin? You mean those bastards who are fighting Father?”
“That is correct. Moreover, he is not ordinary Demonkin. He is the only blood relative of the former Demon King.”
The Demon King was the one I had seen in the final section of the monster compendium. An abomination among abominations, one that stood shoulder to shoulder with dragons.
Only then did I understand Karoi’s absurd strength. I had been pitting myself against a Spirit Creature that could speak.
“Then why is the Demon King’s son wandering through the territory as he pleases?”
Thalia sighed.
“I do not know either. I heard that he lost his place to go after the former Demon King died due to internal conflict, but that is their business, not the business of humans. To be honest, I believe Your Highness should drive him out or kill him.”
“That would be troublesome. He is my teacher for now.”
“If it is Martial Arts, I could teach Your Highness myself. As Your Highness’s personal guard knight, I...”
Thalia trailed off. Karoi was leaning crookedly against the doorway.
“What kind of trickery are you pulling on my ‘disciple’?”
The bastard spoke in a tone as crooked as his posture.
“How dare you call someone your disciple, you worthless Demonkin.”
I was startled. There was not a trace of Thalia’s usual composure in her voice, only killing intent sharp enough to flay flesh.
“Ha, a human knight like you, pretending to be strong.”
“And why are you pretending to be strong?”
“Stop!”
I raised my hand and stepped between them. It felt as though real bloodshed would break out at this rate.
“My apologies.”
Thalia quietly lowered her head.
“Leave until the lesson is over.”
Without making excuses, she turned and walked away. Karoi calmly approached as though nothing had happened and settled onto the sofa.
“I have been thinking.”
The bastard spoke.
“I should teach you after all.”
“Why? It is not because you want me to succeed.”
Karoi gave a short laugh as though amused.
“That is right. I cannot stand seeing your kind do well. It is simply that I think someone like you might make a decent match for that bastard.”
“That bastard?”
“You know, the one among your siblings who makes me sick just to look at him... The one who hides disgusting fantasies beneath that thick hide of his face. If things continue like this, that bastard will certainly become the Duke. That would be an uninteresting ending for both humans and Demonkin. His name was surely......”
Chris.
“...Mabel, was it?”