The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 227

174. Landol (1)

Whoosh-!! Whoosh-!!

Flash……!!

The sharp sound of air being torn, followed by the heavy impact of swords, made it seem as if two blades were becoming one, yet at times they moved completely independently, almost erratically.

The art of wielding two swords was exceptionally rare.

The reason was simple.

In the heat of battle, where every second mattered, extending both arms in different directions simultaneously was more of a disadvantage, doubling the difficulty, than the advantage gained from fighting with two weapons instead of one.

However, there existed a swordsmanship that transcended all those disadvantages.

“Haaah……!!”

The shout echoed in the night sky.

The desert’s heat felt completely different from the daytime; sweat turned cold as soon as it hit the ground.

White steam rose from his shoulders.

Thunk-

He thrust his swords into the ground, burying them deep in the sand.

“Digon’s dual swordsmanship seems quite ingrained in you. I could believe you were a warrior of Digon [a region known for its unique dual-sword fighting style].”

The man who had plunged his swords into the ground raised his head.

His firm muscles rippled with each breath he exhaled.

‘The last time I saw him was half a year ago… Has he grown this much? If the him in my previous life died without seeing this achievement, he must have been truly aggrieved.’

His chiseled physique was evidence of the grueling training he had undergone, in addition to his innate talent.

Crack……!!

The sand beneath his feet scattered violently.

A sharp flash, so swift it didn’t even make a sound as it cut through the wind, flickered in the darkness.

“……!!”

He hastily drew the two swords he had planted in the ground. The swords, held parallel, wavered from the impact.

The sweat on his forehead dripped down.

With a sharp gaze, Landol stared at the person who had attacked him, who was wearing a mask.

“You can take off the mask. Though we may not share blood, we are brothers. Speaking informally to your brother, even if you are the king of a country, isn’t very polite, don’t you think?”

Landol said in a calm voice.

At his words, Caryl chuckled bitterly and removed the mask that covered his entire face.

Snap-

Then, he crushed it with a forceful hand.

Now that Landol knew who he was, he thought there was no longer any need for it.

“……!?”

At that moment, Landol’s expression hardened.

“The color of your eyes…….”

“I don’t know if you heard it from Milliana. I gained the power of the Flame King, and this is how I changed.”

“So that’s why you can use fire.”

Landol muttered, looking at Caryl’s red eyes and the burn-like scar on his left forearm.

‘I thought I had blocked it perfectly…….’

The hidden strike, unnoticed in the darkness, was enough to undermine Landol’s confidence with just that one blow.

The gap between him and himself.

‘Did he show me directly instead of explaining?’

He smiled bitterly.

“…….”

Kwaaaaaang—!!!!

Kwagagang-!!!

As Landol’s expression hardened while looking at the scar, he unleashed his swords towards Caryl with all his might.

It was a sudden attack, but Caryl blocked Landol’s attack as if he had been waiting for it.

Whoosh……!!

Ice Claws [Caryl’s signature weapon] and Landol’s swords clashed.

Like a spinning windmill, Landol swung the released flames he held on the opposite side of the blocked sword horizontally with all his might.

The flames surging from the blade drew a fiery trajectory.

Grdeuk…… Grdeudeuk…….

As the sword strikes continued, Landol’s muscles began to convulse. Caryl wore a surprised expression, momentarily amazed that he could push his limits this far in such a short time.

Paang—!!

With a deafening sound as if the air was exploding, Caryl’s sword cut through the air. Landol’s figure, which had been there just a moment ago, disappeared vaguely.

Thwack-!! Pababak—!!

Landol, who had already circled behind Caryl, thrust his swords into the ground as if digging through the sand.

“……!!!”

Swoosh-

It was a speed that exerted all his strength.

Even though it was so fast that it couldn’t be followed with the naked eye, Caryl evaded Landol’s attack once again and swung his sword.

“Keuk!!”

Landol, who kicked off the ground and leaped up as if doing a somersault, evaded Caryl’s attack and slashed an X with his sword towards his face.

“Heeup!!”

Landol held his breath for a moment.

His muscles swelled as if expanding, and strength surged into both hands holding the sword.

Flash!!!

As if aiming for the fleeting moment,

As soon as he landed on the ground, Landol bent his back so low that it almost touched the ground and charged into Caryl’s arms, twisting his body in the opposite direction and slashing his sword at his waist.

Kwaaaaaang……!!

Even though each attack was sharp, the corners of Caryl’s lips rose as they exchanged blows.

‘This is…….’

A strange light flickered in Caryl’s eyes.

It was a familiar swordsmanship.

Digon Dual Swordsmanship 3rd Form – Flying Bird Wave [a specific technique].

It was one of the ultimate techniques of the Digon Dual Swordsmanship, used only by Milliana’s three sisters, known as the Queen’s Swords [elite warriors of Digon].

‘Did she like him that much? To teach him this.’

He chuckled.

Having exchanged blows, he felt he could fully understand their feelings.

‘Indeed…… he must have been worth teaching.’

He predicted his attacks in an instant and even launched a counterattack tailored to that swordsmanship.

With an outstanding ability to absorb like a sponge, he always practiced his sword alone in the mansion.

There was a swordsmanship instructor, Polhend, the former deputy commander of the Azure Knights [a prestigious knight order], in the mansion, but due to the Countess’s scrutiny, it was difficult to properly teach swordsmanship to the other brothers except for the eldest.

Caryl once again realized how a person’s fate could change depending on the environment they were placed in.

The fact that Mikhail’s face, whom he was going to send to the Twilight Order [a secretive organization], suddenly came to mind was probably not just a feeling.

“Hmm.”

Caryl let out a low sigh towards Landol, who was diligently wielding his sword.

Just before that breath ended,

Kwaaaaaang—!!!

With an exploding roar, Caryl twisted the handle of the sword he was holding.

As Agnel [Landol’s sword] and Landol’s swords twisted together, a tingling tremor was felt in his wrist.

Clang……!

With a crisp sound, Landol’s wrist was bent, and at the same time, the sword he was holding fell.

“Keuk?!”

Thinking that his bones might break if he continued to apply force, Landol eventually dropped the sword he was holding.

“The weapon is a pity.”

Caryl said, looking down at the slumped Landol.

The victory and defeat were decided so absurdly compared to the fierce battle.

“I thought it was a weapon made of Azure Steel [a high-quality metal]… Is your sword unbelievably strong?”

“Maybe.”

Landol let out a low sigh at Caryl’s nonchalant acceptance.

“Geez, you say it like that, and I have nothing to say. I couldn’t catch up in swordsmanship in the first place. I should blame my skills before blaming the weapon.”

He said, massaging his throbbing wrist.

“Anyway, your personality is twisted. Did you do that to make me say this myself? I know you didn’t use your full power.”

Landol shook his head as if there was no room to find excuses.

‘His bloodline hasn’t been opened yet. He only has about 2nd class mana. Thanks to Digon’s dual swordsmanship, his technical aspects are far ahead, but since he’s in the South… he probably couldn’t learn about mana manipulation.’

But unlike him, Caryl was busy checking Landol’s condition.

‘Hmm…….’

Although Digon is the only one among the southern barbarians who has swordsmanship that uses mana, their mana is weak and colorless swordsmanship based on dragon mana.

In other words, the method of using each attribute’s mana was definitely different from the Empire’s swordsmanship.

But if you think about it the other way around, knights don’t use complex magic like mages.

Assuming that all he needs to do is open his bloodline, there are plenty of teachers for opening his bloodline now.

‘I’m glad I remember what my father told me in my previous life. He was most saddened by your short life compared to the other children.’

In fact, the reason why he knew Landol’s talent and could save him from the mansion was because of Kwell’s words in his previous life.

In his previous life, he died without even making proper achievements, so Caryl had some doubts about Landol at the time.

-The six brothers I brought are all children with outstanding talents. You may think Jake looks endlessly weak, but even he has outstanding talent. However… the most regrettable thing in my life is losing Landol.

Kwell fought many imperial knights in the process of enthroning Olyvern. He killed many knights as much as he fought, and he regretted Landol’s absence while looking at the many vacant positions when Olyvern ascended the throne.

To be honest, it was a bit of a gamble.

Except for Mart and Tyren, who were nobles to the bone, he chose Landol as a decisive card, believing in his father’s words.

‘But I’m glad. No, I should say it’s beyond expectations.’

The talent that Kwell discovered in Landol, like the other brothers, was outstanding in itself without explanation.

“Is this enough for the formalities?”

Landol nodded at Caryl’s words.

“I heard it from the Empress. That you were the one who killed the Valkyrie Knights [an elite group of warriors], and that I shouldn’t even expect revenge.”

Caryl shrugged at his words.

“I’m not telling you to give up on revenge. Isn’t that why you’re here, defying the imperial order? It’s a bit strange that you, an imperial knight, rejected the imperial order and learned the barbarian’s sword.”

Caryl deliberately repeated his situation once again.

Landol was an imperial knight who wanted to succeed in his mission to gain the Empire’s recognition.

But conversely, despite being a genius with the sword, he didn’t get a proper teacher.

And Milliana appeared before his eyes.

‘He rationalizes himself with the excuse of revenge and hides his desire for the sword. But anyone can see it. That you are fascinated by Digon’s swordsmanship.’

Caryl smiled faintly.

“I received a note from Milliana. She said that there was a secret communication from the family.”

“That’s right. To be honest, I didn’t know such things had been happening… I’ve been living alone, turning my back on the political situation of the continent.”

“Wasn’t that your original personality? You didn’t hang out with your brothers in the mansion and only held your sword.”

Landol looked a little puzzled at Caryl’s words, but soon smiled bitterly.

“There is an order sent by Father.”

“Tyren, I presume.”

Landol smiled bitterly at his words.

“You’re still the same. Except for the eldest brother, everyone talks to you like you’re below them.”

“Even if it’s the eldest brother, if they forget their position, I’ll make sure they know it, so don’t be too upset.”

“Hoo…….”

Landol, seeing Caryl’s unchanging expression, recalled the first time he met him at the mansion.

“Then, are you here now as the King of Tatur [Caryl’s kingdom], not as a family member?”

“It’s funny to say family when we haven’t even exchanged a word, but that will depend on your answer. Whether I speak to you as a family member or treat the McGovern family as a king.”

Caryl gripped Ice Claws again.

The floor where the blade touched cracked, and white frost spread over the sand.

It was a contrasting sight to the flames flowing from Landol’s sword, which was lying on the ground.

“Landol.”

Caryl called his name softly.

“Tell me what Tyren ordered you to do. I will listen to what you want from me and decide on my future attitude.”

“Future attitude?”

Landol’s face hardened.

“From the time you annihilated the Valkyrie Knights at Narak Rock [a significant battle] until now, the fact that you can still take my life if you want to hasn’t changed. But I can’t tolerate your arrogance when it comes to the family.”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something…….”

Caryl chuckled at him.

“It’s not me who’s taking an attitude, it’s you, brother.”

“……What?”

Landol was rather awkward and flustered when he so easily called him brother.

“Protecting the family is the responsibility of the eldest son, but protecting family members is something anyone can do.”

“Does that mean…… I can interpret that as you as well?”

Landol’s eyes wavered.

Perhaps there was a sense of anticipation in them. The deeper his reaction, the more Caryl needed to confirm the order Tyren had given.

Caryl looked at him leisurely.

“Didn’t I say? I’ll decide whether to become a sword or a shield after listening.”