The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 17

9 Class Sword Master: The Seeker of the Sword – Episode 17 (17/497)

16. The First Achievement (1)

Woo-oong…!!

I focused my strength into the hand gripping the sword.

A faint aura then enveloped the blade.

Ardin frowned, seeing this for the first time, and wondered,

‘I’ve never seen a Mana Blade like that before… What attribute is it?’

The McGovern family’s unique attribute was fire, but that only applied to the eldest son, Mart.

‘I can’t figure out who he is.’

A masked opponent who even knows about Wooden Cloud.

He can’t be just a pawn.

‘Where on earth did he come from? The Tiros Alliance? Or the Istria Three Kingdoms?’

Even after pondering, he couldn’t guess.

And then.

Clang—!!

Caryl didn’t give him any more time to worry.

[Shriek…!! Shriek!!]

The Goblin Chief raised his massive cleaver, blocking his path.

“Hmph!”

At that moment.

He raised both arms and gripped the sword.

Stepping firmly on the ground, he swung the sword down with all his might.

Crack-crack-crack-crack—!!!!

The aura blade surged like an explosion, and the blade seemed to extend.

[Krrrk!!!]

The Goblin Chief raised his cleaver above his head to block the attack.

Slash—!!

The surging blade pierced through the Goblin Chief’s cleaver, instantly cutting the creature in half from head to torso.

“I… Impossible!!”

The sorcerer watched in horror as the monster was cleaved in two with a single blow.

“……”

As if nothing had happened.

Caryl kicked off the ground, not stopping, and leaped into Ardin’s domain.

A wide spear tried to block his approach with a whoosh-! sound.

Barely twisting his body to avoid the glinting spear blade, Ardin aimed for Caryl’s chest with the spear he held in his other hand, as if he had been waiting for this.

Thwack…!

But Caryl, as if anticipating even that, stomped on the ground with all his strength to reduce his speed.

A cloud of dust rose as his left leg became the axis, and he spun around.

Ardin’s spear brushed past Caryl’s back, lightly grazing his collar.

Clang!!

Caryl lifted his left foot and pressed down on the spear shaft with his knee pad. The spear bent sharply, and Ardin couldn’t withstand the recoil, losing his grip.

“Kuh?!”

The distance closed in an instant, and Ardin pulled the remaining spear with both hands with all his might.

‘Too late.’

Swoosh—!!!

The aura blade gleamed like a crescent moon, emitting light.

Then, Ardin’s spear shaft was cleanly cut off.

Stab-

The blade lodged in his left shoulder.

“Kuh!!”

Ardin let out a groan mixed with pain. But Caryl’s attack was not over.

Woo-woo-woong…!!

The blade trembled.

Caryl concentrated his magic power and swung the sword down with all his might.

Slash…!!

His body was cut from the shoulder to the ribs as if slicing through tofu, along with a spray of red blood.

“Kuaaack!!”

Ardin’s scream echoed.

But Caryl’s expression was indifferent.

‘Still not enough.’

There was no way he could cut through ribs with a single blow from a normal blade. It would have been impossible without the sharp edge of the aura blade.

But Caryl couldn’t be satisfied.

‘I can do this much with my swordsmanship. The sword is still the main focus. The one-point explosion of magic power is lacking.’

“Cough… Keuk keuk….”

Ardin’s moans, sounding like he was about to die, reached Caryl’s ears.

“……”

He looked down at him fallen on the floor and asked.

“Do you know anything about the Root?”

“Crazy….”

With blood in his mouth, Ardin sneered at Caryl.

‘Yeah. You wouldn’t tell me.’

But despite his appearance, Caryl stared at him with an indifferent face.

‘Even in my past life, you didn’t talk about anyone related to the Root until you died.’

Caryl plunged his sword into Ardin’s exposed waist, where flesh was visible.

“Maybe you really don’t know.”

“Aaaah!! Y… You!!! Kuaaaack…!!!”

Ardin writhed in pain, screaming.

“Okay. I’ll change the question. What were you ordered to do after this is over? Surely this isn’t the end.”

“Tuh…!! Do you think… I’d tell… you that?”

Ardin roared, unable to speak properly due to the pain.

“You haven’t changed.”

“……What?”

Caryl murmured quietly, recalling the time he killed him in his past life.

“But there’s something different from then.”

‘You were alone back then… But you’re not now.’

Then he turned his head.

“I know what you’re thinking. But I wonder if the other side is the same as you?”

“……What?”

His gaze stopped at a place.

There was a goblin sorcerer sitting down.

[H… Heek?!]

Watching him flinch in surprise, Caryl slowly moved his steps.

“A… Attack!! What are you doing!! Attack now!!”

The sorcerer shouted at the goblin shamans behind him.

[Shriek… Shriek….]

[Shriiiek….]

However, they seemed to have already lost their will to fight, looking at Caryl and bending their backs.

It was inevitable.

They had already witnessed the Chief being defeated with their own eyes.

Knowing that they couldn’t win, there was no way they would follow the orders of a sorcerer who had lost his power.

“H… Heeik!!”

The sorcerer struggled to escape, but he kept falling over as if his legs had lost strength.

Thud- Thud- Thud-

The approaching footsteps were like a death knell.

Caryl looked down at him and said.

“I’ll ask you only once.”

At that moment.

The aura blade shone.

* * *

“What happened?!”

Tiren and Landolt, who saw Caryl walking into the canyon, shouted at him.

“There was a goblin raid. Unfortunately, Lord Ardin was killed by the Goblin Chief.”

“What?”

He put down Ardin’s severed head. Tiren looked at the head and shouted in disbelief.

“What are you talking about!!”

“It wasn’t a simple surprise attack.”

“……!!”

A man was dragged by Caryl.

Looking at him trembling, people looked at Caryl with eyes that needed explanation.

“He is a sorcerer who controls goblins. This was a raid aimed at the McGovern family’s subjugation.”

Then, he whispered to Tiren in a small voice that others couldn’t hear.

“He is from the Lurein Principality.”

“……!!”

Tiren’s eyes widened at his unexpected words.

“It’s not over yet. The remaining goblins who didn’t receive orders will probably be in chaos as they are.”

Caryl looked at the vassal [A feudal retainer or subordinate.] of the Balsar family, whose face had darkened, and said.

“If we leave over a thousand goblins wandering around like this, there will be great damage to the village.”

He straightened his back and said.

“According to that guy, there are monsters lying in ambush on the other side. Hey, you’re the vassal, right?”

“……That’s right.”

“I know that you inherit the position when the commander dies. What are you going to do? Are you going to go back like this? It doesn’t matter, though.”

“……”

The vassal pondered at Caryl’s words.

Losing the commander was a painful result.

It was obvious that he would be questioned if he returned.

But if he just ran away like this, the Baron wouldn’t stand still either.

The Baron was one of the knights guarding the border.

“I will help with the subjugation.”

The vassal said as if he had made up his mind.

“Good.”

At his answer, Caryl nodded with a satisfied expression.

“You’ve saved me some trouble.”

Before he knew it, people began to gather around him.