The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 138

110. In the Palm of My Hand

“Lord Jervang.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“This is indeed the only road leading to the South, correct?”

“Of course.”

Oliver, who had stopped his horse, briefly removed the hood covering his face and gazed at the Sand Serpent before him with eyes as if admiring a sculpture.

“So, you’re saying you’ve been passing by such monsters every time you went to the South?”

‘What kind of people are the Knights of the Lamp?’

They were the most knowledgeable about the South in the entire Empire. Yet, Jervang couldn’t understand how this situation had come to be.

“No… Surely not. The roads are always secured for safety…”

Jervang told Oliver with a troubled expression. Amused by his reaction, Oliver chuckled lightly and said,

“Just kidding. I heard that a serpent of this size is unique to the South… I hope even that isn’t something I’m mistaken about.”

At his question, Jervang hurriedly nodded.

The monster before their eyes.

There was no doubt that it was the one.

The Master of the Gulch.

A monstrous beast boasting a fearsome presence, known as the Terror of the Continent.

If Pohnine had the King of Beasts and the Strait had the Sea King, then the South had this Master of the Gulch.

‘Damn it… Why now, of all times, when this monster has never left the Bramble Gulch before?’

Rated as an S-class monster, it was more than capable of exerting SS-class power in a dry environment like this, devoid of any moisture.

“…”

The canyon, made of rocks and arid soil, as was the case throughout the South, was the perfect place for the Sand Serpent.

In this environment, its abilities were comparable to a Sword Master [a master of swordsmanship, a high-ranking martial artist].

“Let’s catch it.”

Despite this, Jervang, the vice-commander of the Knights of the Lamp, spoke boldly.

[Krrrr…]

As if understanding his words, the Sand Serpent, coiled up and crouching, exhaled with a growl.

“What do you think?”

“Hmm. It’s not impossible.”

Harun, the Baron, said, looking around at Oliver’s question. Harun had brought thirty soldiers from his own territory to serve as Oliver’s escort from the Imperial Palace.

Though not a knightly order, the elites he brought from his domain were on par with Experts [skilled martial artists].

‘Jervang can speak confidently because of the Knights of the Lamp he brought.’

Harun looked at the fifty knights behind him.

It was a larger knightly order than the thirty soldiers he had brought. Moreover, they were qualitatively different.

Unlike private soldiers, the Knights of the Lamp were all knights in the truest sense.

All were martial artists who had reached the ranks of Expert.

Although their reputation had declined significantly due to Marquis Vestal, back when the former commander, Jervang’s father, Lord Guron, led them, they stood shoulder to shoulder with Quell McGovern’s Azure Knights.

‘If the North has Azure and the South has Lamp, the Empire will be eternal.’

That was how highly regarded they were.

‘From the start, Vestal wasn’t fit to be a commander, and most of the Knights of the Lamp still consider Jervang their leader.’

As if to prove it.

Out of the 80 knights of the Knights of the Lamp guarding the southern border, more than half disobeyed the commander’s orders and left the Marquisate to greet Oliver.

‘The rest are originally supporters of the First Prince who follow Vestal rather than being true Knights of the Lamp. Even in terms of skill, they can’t compare to these men.’

Harun once again thought that his decision to follow Oliver was excellent.

The knights and nobles in the frontier and border regions were different in character from those in the Imperial capital.

They had lived their lives directly witnessing the stability of the nation and the well-being of the people, not as nobles living comfortably in the palace.

‘The Empress must be feeling bitter. She even used her own brother to gain the Knights of the Lamp, but more knights are loyal to Prince Oliver.’

There was no way the Marquis would have ordered them to help Oliver. The fact that they were here now, disobeying his orders, showed the position of Marquis Vestal within the Knights of the Lamp.

‘But the Empress won’t back down this easily. She is the one who survived to the end in the Imperial Palace, defeating countless enemies and taking her place beside His Majesty.’

“Hmm.”

In any case, the affairs of the Imperial Palace were a matter for later.

Harun accurately assessed his forces.

With 80 martial artists at the Sword Expert level [a rank above Expert, nearing Sword Master], it was no exaggeration to say that they were almost the equivalent of a knightly order.

‘A force capable of hunting the Master of the Gulch.’

There would be some casualties, but they couldn’t afford to waste time here.

With competitors like Ruon and Kromen heading south, even if it meant taking risks, was the most important thing.

“Your Highness, please step back for a moment. We will take care of this…”

Flap—

It was then.

Harun’s words, spoken with firm resolve, were cut off by a carrier pigeon flying in from the sky.

“Wait.”

Oliver interrupted him, checking the note with a blue seal on the carrier pigeon’s ankle.

“Hmm…”

At that moment.

Oliver’s face hardened as he read the note.

* * *

“Why aren’t they fighting? Isn’t Master’s plan to have them engage the Master of the Gulch and then retreat?”

“That’s not it. It’s the opposite.”

“Huh?”

At Suan’s question, Dushalla clicked her tongue and said.

“What did you hear back then? Master told us to check two things in the canyon.”

Dushalla spread her fingers and said.

“First, whether the Sand Serpent is properly blocking the road. In case something goes wrong, we need to detonate the attribute stones planted in the canyon to block the entrance of the detour.”

At her words, Suan nodded.

“Second, after confirming that Prince Oliver has given up heading south and is returning, we will carry out the next order.”

“Hmm… But aren’t there more members of the Knights of the Lamp following Oliver than Master expected? Honestly, with that many, they could hunt the Sand Serpent.”

At Suan’s question, Aidan answered this time.

“It’s not a problem to be decided so easily. How sharp do you think the Second Prince’s mind is that he would engage so easily? To hunt the Sand Serpent, they would have to lose at least half of their current forces.”

Aidan knew Oliver’s personality better than anyone else. He never gave an opening.

‘If it weren’t for Juke Di Hold, my life would have been in danger.’

Aidan, looking at Oliver with a bitter smile, wondered about her whereabouts, which had disappeared without a trace.

‘Well, if she is still helping Oliver according to the orders of the Dark Shadow, it’s still just as dangerous.’

Before that happens…

He knew that he had to make the first move.

“Suan’s words aren’t wrong either. It’s not like they don’t have enough people to hunt it. In Twin Armor, Ruon was even willing to wage war with the Istrian Three Kingdoms. This is also a problem between the Empire and the South, but before that, it’s a fight between the princes. A race against time to see who arrives in the South first.”

“If they happen to hunt the Serpent, should we step in?”

Suan asked seriously.

But the two of them simply laughed at his question.

“That won’t happen.”

Dushalla lightly tapped Suan’s forehead and chuckled.

“I know why Master made you his ally first. And also why he didn’t kill the administrators of Tatur and left them alive.”

“What, what is it?”

“Look closely. The order Master gave us. Even if the Master of the Gulch has high intelligence among monsters, it’s still just a monster. Because it might not be able to carry out Master’s orders properly, he told us to block the entrance of the canyon in case of an emergency.”

“But…?”

“But the second order was just to carry out the next mission after confirming that Oliver is returning.”

Suan still didn’t seem to understand what the problem was with Dushalla’s explanation.

“Master’s words mean that as long as the entrance is blocked and time is delayed, Oliver will definitely return without going to the South.”

Aidan continued the explanation in her place.

“…How can you be so sure?”

“We don’t know either.”

At Suan’s question, the two looked at each other and shrugged.

“It’s Master.”

It was a reason that even they themselves found absurd, but the three seemed to understand with that one word.

“Uh…?”

At that moment, Suan looked down the cliff and exclaimed, “Huh—” in a low voice.

“It’s real.”

As Karil said, Oliver’s forces suddenly began to turn their horses around.

* * *

“If you go straight from here, you’ll reach the territory of the Digon tribe…”

Beykan said to Karil, stopping Kargon as they arrived at the entrance of the Great Plains.

“I know.”

Karil nodded as if he understood what he was about to say. The path ahead was a shortcut through the Great Plains known only to the Four Great Tribes.

He couldn’t show all the hidden cards to Viola and Grace, who had followed them.

“Princess. It seems we must part ways here. If we go any further, it’s barbarian territory.”

“No. I will go with you.”

“There are more who seek to harm the Princess than there are knights to protect her.”

“As a witness from the Three Kingdoms, I have a duty to watch what you do, Karil.”

But she was adamant.

Karil chuckled softly at her.

Swish—

“…!!!”

At that moment, a cold chill was felt.

“You seem to have forgotten. That I am one of them.”

Viola knew well that if she moved even slightly, the blade of the ice claw he was holding would leave an indelible scar on her cheek.

“Don’t do anything childish.”

But her expression didn’t change at all.

At that sight, Karil chuckled and sheathed his sword.

“Besides, there’s something I asked the Princess to do.”

Viola eventually nodded.

She seemed to have forgotten the relationship between them for a brief moment.

The unbelievable victories that Karil achieved were as enjoyable as watching childhood hero tales.

“It will be a difficult fight. Remember that there is more to war than just victory.”

“Like you?”

Karil gave a faint smile at Viola’s words.

Numerous defeats.

And the end was death.

But to her, who didn’t know him in his previous life, he was only portrayed as a perfect war hero.

“…I seem to have been acting spoiled.”

Viola said softly.

As he said, the fight she had to face from now on would not be the same as Karil’s.

“I’ll turn back now. My purpose for joining was to subjugate the Demon Nest in the first place.”

“Are you afraid?”

“It would be a lie to say no. But that’s not my father. Karil, I admit it. I seem to have fallen for the image you showed me. But when I came to my senses, I realized that your powerful sword would soon be directed at us.”

She turned her horse’s head.

“But I must say thank you. Because I know that your words are not empty. That means you saw the possibility that I could become the ruler of Penria.”

It was no longer the back of the naive young girl he had first seen in the office.

Karil could now sense the dignity of a king from her.

‘Fortunately, my eye for talent was right. Anthem Howard chose her for her disposition.’

Karil spoke to Viola, who was returning to the Three Kingdoms.

“The Princess didn’t just follow us around. She did more than you think. The 20,000 soldiers of Twin Armor remember that.”

Karil handed something to her as she turned back.

A glittering piece of gold.

It was none other than a fragment of the Crown of Minos.

“Likewise, many things will have changed when you return to the kingdom. Don’t forget. The foundation of the kingdom comes from the people, not the king.”

Viola received the fragment he gave her and nodded.

“The next time we meet, I will be your enemy too.”

Just like the two leaders of Twin Armor, she too would fulfill her duty as the Princess of Penria.

Karil did not answer her question.

“…”

And Viola didn’t expect it either.

The answer had already been decided since the first time they met.

“The Princess has definitely changed. She’s different from when we first saw her in the forest.”

“Yeah. I think so too.”

Although they hadn’t spent much time together, Beykan and Kinu watched Viola leave with expressions as if they were watching a long-lost younger sister grow up.

“What are you planning to do now? You’ve even turned away the Free Army.”

“In fact, just looking at the subjugation of the Demon Nest, we were enough. But the reason I brought the Free Army was to show my strength to Viola and the defense forces of Twin Armor.”

Nod—

Beykan and Kinu nodded as if they had already expected it.

“Do you know why I made Twin Armor, where Ruon is, my first battlefield? If Ruon retreats, Oliver won’t go south.”

In fact, among the princes, Oliver was the one with the deepest ties to the South.

Unlike the other two, if he, the person involved in this incident, went down to the South, the incident would proceed rapidly.

“In fact, from his point of view, this incident is a difficult one. First of all, unlike the promise, it was the Lionheart Knights who attacked the Five Great Families of the Abyss Rock, so it’s difficult to blame the South, and it’s even more difficult to return to the Empire without any gains because of the Emperor.”

Literally a white elephant [a possession that is troublesome and expensive to keep but difficult to dispose of].

‘Honestly, it would be interesting to watch how he comes out…’

Karil could see Oliver’s next move clearly.

If he received a report that Ruon was returning to the Empire, he would pass on the difficult task of the South to Kromen.

‘Whether Kromen handles this matter or not, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for him.’

If he handles it, the troublesome matter will be resolved, and if he doesn’t, it will be an opportunity to once again publicize Kromen’s incompetence.

“So, the Second Prince won’t really retreat without any gains?”

“Of course, he wouldn’t just return to the Empire like that. He might just pretend to return and watch Kromen’s situation somewhere on the border.”

“Then…?”

Instead of answering Beykan’s question, Karil slightly glanced at him.

‘If it’s Oliver, he’ll at least take someone’s head with him. Whether it’s a barbarian or a member of the Imperial family remains to be seen.’

“We’re going to Digon.”

Karil looked at the deep forest.

Seeing the forest path where he had carried Randol and sprinted again, he felt a new sense of emotion.

“We also got something good from the Minotaur’s Demon Nest.”

A strange smile appeared on Beykan’s face.

He was carrying something big on his back that hadn’t been there before.

“It’ll be fun.”