The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 302

203. Fate

The Imperial Capital.

The streets were dark and deserted. An aura of death hung over the vast plaza, a silent testament to a period of mourning.

“Let go of me!!”

“Y-Your Highness…! Please, calm down.”

Unlike the desolate streets, the Sun Palace was in chaos.

“Get out of my way!!”

*Thwack*—!!!

Chief Advisor Brin Inique was sent sprawling by the blow. Blood trickled from his mouth, and several teeth were missing, but he barely registered the pain as he scrambled back to his feet.

“Brother.”

A low voice echoed from the depths of the Sun Palace.

“…Please be quiet. His Majesty’s funeral is not yet over.”

“Shut up. How dare you…”

The First Prince, Luon, snarled at Olivon.

“What a disgrace. The dead Emperor must be weeping. It seems the Empire, boasting a thousand years of history, will end with this generation.”

Another voice cut through the air, directed at Olivon, who remained bowed in grief, and Luon, who roared like a wild beast.

“Insolent!! Before the Emperor of the Empire…!!”

*Bang*—!!

A fist smashed into the face of the knight who had spoken so bravely. With a sickening thud, the knight’s head exploded, and his body crashed against a pillar of the Sun Palace, leaving a trail of blood.

“……!!”

“Emperor?”

Even Luon, in his blind rage, was silenced, swallowing hard as he turned his head.

The massive figure, easily towering over the sturdy knights by two heads, filled the entrance of the Sun Palace.

Despite the murder of a knight within the Imperial Palace, no one dared to stop him.

Law? Rules?

They meant nothing to him. His very existence defied the norm.

Gordon Fabian.

He tore off the cloak of the dead knight, wiped his hands, and spoke softly to Olivon.

“Kid.”

The knights, who had been on guard, trembled at his mana-infused voice.

‘His mana has become denser.’

‘His strength is the greatest among the Five Masters… Has he even achieved mastery over mana?’

‘Was the report that his health was deteriorating false?’

The people of the Empire, unaware of the events at the Fortress of Specters, stared at him with fearful eyes.

“Why are you sitting there, acting like a king?”

“What do you mean?”

“You, with your sharp mind, can’t possibly misunderstand me. With the rightful heir, the First Prince, standing right here, what gives you the confidence to sit on that throne first?”

“Gordon……!!!”

“Hold your tongue!!”

Kwell McGovern and Bellin Valentian, the Chief Commander of the Knights, shouted as his words ended.

“You heard that, didn’t you? You ignored the justice that even a common mercenary understands!! I will never forgive you…!!”

Luon seemed emboldened by Gordon’s words and shouted again. However, despite his show of courage, Olivon’s expression remained unchanged.

“After Kroman, it’s Brother Luon’s turn, is it? The Kyodo Mercenary Corps [a renowned mercenary group] seems to have an unfortunate connection with me.”

“I don’t side with anyone.”

Gordon placed his hand on Luon’s head.

“……!!”

The massive hand, large enough to cover his entire head, was incredibly heavy, causing Luon to choke and shrink back.

“If you can withstand an attack from Gordon Fabian, I can make a contract with you. But if you succeed in countering, I can forge a solemn oath [an unbreakable magical vow].”

“…….”

“The reason the Kyodo Mercenary Corps helped the Empire is because the Emperor and I forged a solemn oath. Do you understand what that means?”

Gordon threw down the cloak he had used to wipe his hands.

The cloak landed on the corpse of the knight whose head had been blown off, like a shroud.

“Kid, time flows equally for everyone. You may see him as just a senile old man full of ambition, but at least when he was your age, he was great enough to forge a solemn oath with me. I don’t know if you have what it takes.”

*Thump*—

Gordon pointed his blood-stained fist at Olivon and sneered.

“Will you try?”

Silence fell.

Few could remain calm in the face of his fist, which had killed a knight of the Gold Knights, the Imperial Guard, with a single blow.

“Or will you?”

Gordon said, looking down at Luon.

“T-That’s…”

Luon stammered, flustered.

His earlier bluster had vanished without a trace, a sight that was etched into the minds of the advisors.

In the end, the First Prince was not a beast in a cage, but a flower in a greenhouse.

“Gordon. The former Emperor treated you, a mere mercenary, like a noble. But just as youth is not eternal, as you said, be aware that the respect for you has also changed. Leave if you’re going to cause trouble.”

“The two sons of the Conqueror King are both unworthy. I’ll give you one piece of advice out of old friendship. Olivon, besides Tylan Shutean, only one person has ever thrown himself into my fist. That’s who you have to fight.”

“Certainly, as you say, I don’t have the courage to take your fist. I don’t want to throw myself into certain death.”

“Hmph…”

Gordon scoffed at Olivon’s words.

“Then there’s nothing more to talk about. I just came to see the funeral. Remember, the Kyodo Mercenary Corps only deals with the Emperor of the Empire.”

He waved his hand and turned away.

“Sir, is only the courage to risk death great?”

Gordon stopped in his tracks.

“I think living is more important. People are born with their own achievements, though they vary in size. Some are destined to cultivate fields, while others are meant to flatten continents.”

“So?”

“The greater the achievement, the more sacrifices must be made. The late Emperor could only exist in the stable land created by his predecessors. But now, it is a time of war. Those born to bear the achievements of a king may seem to care for all on the surface, but inside, they must have cold daggers.”

*Clang*—!!

It was then.

The knights in the Sun Palace moved in unison.

Gordon quickly braced himself. But the sword was aimed elsewhere.

“Cough…!”

The sword pierced Luon’s side.

Gordon stared at the knight in disbelief.

“Y-Your Highness!!!!”

Chief Advisor Brin Inique’s scream of despair echoed through the Sun Palace, but no one except him shared in the grief.

Even more astonishing was that the knights who had struck Luon were members of the Vine Knights, the only ones Luon and the Empress truly trusted.

“You may call me a coward. But I have things I must do, so I will look after my own safety. And the safety of the people as well.”

“Kuh… Keuhaha.”

Gordon couldn’t help but laugh at Olivon’s ruthless act of cutting down Luon.

“Who likes war? Even wandering mercenaries want to build families and live peaceful lives. Especially mercenaries who never know when they might die, their desire to leave behind descendants is even stronger, isn’t it? A king must care for even them as his own people.”

*Twitch*—

Gordon Fabian’s eyebrows twitched.

“You… Don’t tell me.”

“I have created an estate in a quiet area on the Empire’s border. Now, the members of the Kyodo Mercenary Corps can comfortably meet their families. The location is somewhat north due to the need for a large area for airships to land, but there is an excellent knight order there, so you don’t have to worry about safety.”

The northern border of the Empire.

There was no need to explain what that meant.

Gordon glared at Kwell, his voice a growl as if he wanted to devour him.

“Since when has the Azure Knights Order been reduced to thugs holding hostages? Are you threatening me now?”

“Of course not.”

Olivon raised his hand.

Then, soldiers brought in a large box.

“We are offering a deal to the Kyodo Mercenary Corps with due compensation. We will give you as much as you want for your trouble.”

“You’re even more cunning than your father.”

“It is fate, ordained by the gods. Even if you curse me, who knows, the families of your members may be glad of our meeting in the future. History will judge, but what matters is that it begins now.”

“…….”

“You better be careful. I will repay this debt someday.”

Olivon gave a faint smile at his words.

“Don’t worry. The Empire I will create will have the ability to repay even that debt. History will record us anew.”

* * *

“Kwell.”

A corridor leading out of the Sun Palace.

“That guy must have killed the Emperor.”

Gordon Fabian continued without turning around.

“I don’t care what the world says. But I am interested in things the world doesn’t know. The nobles didn’t bat an eye. The Emperor’s funeral was actually a setup to lure the First Prince in order to kill him.”

He smirked.

“The Empire is being hit by successive typhoons [periods of turmoil]. In the end, that guy stood on a throne built on blood. But…”

Gordon said to Kwell.

“It seems you haven’t told Olivon what we saw in the north on the day of the Edict of Heresy [a formal declaration of forbidden beliefs].”

“…….”

Kwell, who had followed Gordon out of the Sun Palace, stiffened at his words.

“You know why I showed it to you and not someone else. It’s because you were a friend of Karil, despite being from the Empire.”

Kwell’s expression turned grim, as if he had swallowed a blade at the mention of that name.

“I still don’t know what you’re thinking. But don’t worry. The Kyodo Mercenary Corps fulfills its contracts. But don’t think I accepted him because I was really worried about the safety of my family.”

Gordon continued.

“It’s to see both of them with my own eyes. Karil, and now Olivon. I don’t know yet which of the two we saw in the ice of the Thousand-Year Ice Cave is the rightful king… It’s to confirm the bloodline, not the personality.”

“Yes, you needed a valid reason to go north as well. But I don’t know if siding with His Majesty instead of Karil will be a boon or a bane. Can you cut down Karil?”

“Yes.”

Gordon nodded.

“But I can cut down your king too.”

“…….”

“The two will eventually meet in the north.”

Kwell was silent at Gordon’s words.

Both sensed that the secret of the north they had seen would be a major variable.

“At Karil’s tomb.”

* * *

“Hoo…”

White breath escaped with each exhale.

“The mountains are rugged. Do people really live in a place like this?”

“There are those of you who live in towers where no light enters, so this is much better in comparison.”

“Ha… Haha.”

Aidan gave a faint smile at Karil’s words.

“The tower is dark, but at least it’s not this cold.”

“Do you prefer darkness to cold? That’s just because you’re used to it. To the barbarians, the cold is like the darkness of the abyss.”

Despite Karil’s words, Aidan didn’t think he could ever get used to the biting cold.

“You should be glad you came here.”

“I suppose so. If I were in my right mind, I wouldn’t have set foot in this cold on my own. Thanks to you, my lord, I’m having a good experience. I think I’ll hate snow for the rest of my life.”

Aidan replied playfully, pulling his collar tighter.

“From the Mythic Era to the Magic Era and up to the present, the war between the barbarians, the savages, and the continentals has continued endlessly. But there is not a single story of the barbarians winning. Why is that?”

“……?”

“Because the barbarians’ victory was not recorded in history. You know what? The barbarians have no history. They don’t leave it behind, nor do they try to. They only live in the present.”

Aidan simply stared at Karil, wondering what he was suddenly talking about.

“But conversely, the continentals leave everything in history. Posterity uses that history to evaluate the prophets and define someone as a hero and someone as a villain.”

Karil murmured softly, as if speaking to himself.

“Don’t blindly believe in history. There is more that we don’t know within the hidden side of the history we know.”

“……!!!”

Aidan instinctively braced himself at the sight of the barbarians staring down at him from a great distance. But Karil continued to climb the mountain, unconcerned.

*Clang*——!!

*Chagaang*——!!!

Thousands of barbarians drew their swords at Karil in unison.

“Are you the one who will challenge the Sword Festival [a barbarian tradition]?”

“That is correct.”

“Then draw your sword. I am Na Hwarin, the chieftain of the Zannabi tribe, and I will represent the barbarians to welcome you.”

Even in that moment of shivering fear, Karil looked at her with a welcoming expression.

“You may rejoice.”

Then, he turned to Aidan and said.

“Finally… To be able to see this moment when I take the last step to erase the history of the Empire.”

One who seeks to build history.

One who seeks to erase history.