The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 425

260. Hawat Tashun (1)

“Uh… what should we do?”

Yurin Hugart hadn’t been able to sleep since confirming a letter.

He looked at the letter on his desk as if it were a monster, letting out a low sigh. Joey Johannsel, standing before him, also looked exhausted.

“Is he really coming?”

“If the letter is correct, he will arrive soon.”

“Haa…”

Joey Johannsel had never seen his master so tormented. But more than anyone, Joey could understand his state.

He knew better than anyone who Carryl was.

“But why send a letter instead of using the teleportation circle?”

“Obvious. It’s a warning.”

“A warning…?”

“It means to find the person written in the letter and wait until he arrives.”

After Rael Stahlen died, the Order was almost shattered.

After learning that she had some connection with the Platinum Dragon and that Wooden Cloud had helped with his illegal experiments, the Order began a major purge.

And the one who led that operation was Yurin Hugart himself.

‘To stain my hands with more blood after becoming a priest… Damn it, I never imagined the Empire would fall. Originally, I should have been granted a territory by now and be living out my life comfortably…’

Until he obtained the Flame Herb that would save the Emperor’s life, he thought his life would be smooth sailing.

But after learning that the boy beside him was a figure who could stop not only the Emperor but even a dragon, his mind became complicated.

‘To keep the Order alive, it’s best not to get on Carryl’s bad side. So, as soon as I returned, I dealt with everyone related to the Empire, starting with the bishop who promoted Rael as a saintess…’

Yurin Hugart thought he had finished all the preparations, but from the moment he heard that Carryl was heading to Heim, he couldn’t help but feel terrified.

The reason was, ironically, that he himself was the person most deeply involved with the Empire.

“But… why is Carryl looking for him? He wasn’t a significant figure within the Order…”

After the letter arrived, Joey Johannsel first looked for the man written inside.

Even though he knew the names of all the competent priests in the Order, the name written in the letter was one he had never heard before.

After searching for all the priests and still not finding the name in the letter, Joey was surprised to find the owner of the name in a completely unexpected place.

It was none other than an elderly lower-ranking priest working in the Order’s medical room.

“Who knows? What’s clear is that he knew about his existence, which we didn’t.”

“I see…”

Joey Johannsel had to admit that until he confirmed Carryl’s letter and went to meet him in person, he didn’t even know such a person existed within the Order.

He was a priest who oversaw the medical room, with excellent healing abilities and had even been the Emperor’s personal physician in his past life.

The person written in the letter was a lower-ranking priest doing menial tasks, but even Joey, with his keen eye, couldn’t remember him, which showed how little presence he had in the Order.

“He must have ordered Kallan Tashun to come here immediately.”

“Of course.”

Yurin Hugart slowly nodded at Joey’s answer.

“I’ve done everything I can. No matter how monstrous Carryl is, he wouldn’t overturn an Order that serves God, would he?”

“Of course.”

Yurin Hugart thought of God as a last resort, but unfortunately, he didn’t know that he was coming to kill the God he believed in without a doubt.

Thump…

It was then.

“Bishop… I have come at your summons.”

Along with the sound of knocking on the central building’s door, a low, weak voice was heard from downstairs.

“Let him in.”

Yurin Hugart watched the opening door with a slightly nervous face. There stood an old man with a hunched back, barely leaning on a cane.

‘…A hunchback?’

The moment Yurin saw Kallan Tashun, his face hardened.

In this era, medical research was being conducted by alchemists, but even now, most treatments still relied on priests.

In the end, it meant that medicine was a world focused on treatment through faith rather than science.

Therefore, before trying to see a disease as it was, they first interpreted the beginning of the disease as a causal relationship with God. Among them, priests believed that changes in a person’s appearance were caused by a lack of faith in God.

The representative example of this was hunchbacks.

When God created humans, he made them in his own image, and those who were not born with that appearance were considered to be cursed by God.

“Joey?”

Yurin Hugart called Joey’s name as if asking how a hunchback could be in the Order.

“That’s… Kallan Tashun is in charge of menial tasks in the medical room. He mostly works in the early morning, so he doesn’t really show his face in the Order.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

Time was not important; what mattered was that there was a hunchback among the Order’s priests, which Yurin couldn’t tolerate.

“Ah…”

Joey didn’t know what to say and was at a loss.

“I am sorry… My only son’s health is not good, so I came to the Order to heal him with faith. It is a father’s heart to hope to prolong his son’s life even by doing menial tasks… If the Bishop does not allow it, I will not come again.”

Sensing the atmosphere, Kallan Tashun answered Yurin instead of Joey, who was embarrassed.

“Son? What disease is it that makes him like that?”

“They say it’s… gigantism.”

Joey frowned and said at his question.

“I’m going crazy.”

And Yurin glared at the two with a disapproving face.

“A father is a hunchback, and the son has gigantism… Bringing in such people? Are you trying to ruin the Order?”

“I am sorry.”

“Better than a madman with the name of a priest who goes around killing people.”

“…!!”

It was then.

Yurin Hugart was startled by the voice coming from the door and jumped up from his seat.

“C, Carryl…”

He looked at Carryl with a pale face. Carryl chuckled at his expression, as if he had seen a grim reaper.

“H, haha. You’ve arrived. What brings you here…?”

“Why? Is there somewhere I can’t come?”

“No. It’s nothing like that. Come this way.”

“That seat.”

Slowly moving his steps, Carryl pointed to the chair Yurin Hugart was sitting on.

“Pardon?”

“It wouldn’t be a seat you got for free, would it? How is it to sit in the Bishop’s seat? Is the chair comfortable thanks to the blood shed beneath it?”

“That’s not true… Didn’t Carryl order me directly to prevent the Order from shaking due to the sudden situation? I am all for this…”

“Right. That’s right. But I didn’t tell you to purge the original bishop, did I? Your head is working remarkably well, isn’t it? Switching from the Empire to my side and creating a justification to take care of your own interests in the meantime.”

Yurin made an awkward expression at his words.

“Well, it’s not bad. It’s easier for me to have someone who knows me well in charge of the Order. You know very well what happens if you make me angry, too.”

Carryl passed Yurin Hugart and looked at Kallan, who was kneeling in front of him.

“Are you the father of Hawat Tashun?”

“Y, yes, I am.”

“Where is he now?”

Kallan lowered his head and only moved his lips instead of answering, unable to look at Carryl properly.

“I’m not trying to blame you. Well, the method was wrong, but I understand. It must have been an unavoidable choice. How can I criticize a father’s heart to save his son?”

“I am sorry… I should not have dared to set foot in this sacred Order.”

“The wrong method I’m talking about isn’t that. You know that too.”

At that moment, Kallan’s eyes wavered.

“What has God done for you?”

And then he gave a meaningful smile with a strange face.

“Let’s meet him first.”

* * *

[Truly astonishing… Weren’t the giants supposed to have disappeared in the age of mythology?]

[Didn’t he say it’s a disease that makes him grow like a giant?]

[Don’t be like that, Lamine. Don’t try to ignore reality. You know that you are familiar with the blood flowing in that body.]

Rasis said as if to scold him.

[But they, like us, have completely disappeared. Even extinct, not just sealed…]

“You’re right about what you’re thinking.”

[Huh…]

[Really? Is the blood of the giants really flowing in his body? How could this be…?]

Carryl gave a short answer to the spirit kings who couldn’t hide their surprise. In front of him was a man huddled in the corner of the room, his head bowed, not showing his face.

Judging by the fact that the sitting man looked bigger than Carryl, who was standing, he was a huge man who could be called a giant.

“…Father?”

He looked at Carryl with a terrified face, not befitting his size.

“Heim has a place like this.”

Yurin Hugart looked around as if he was amazed by the small cabin prepared behind Heim, rather than the giant in front of him.

But he was definitely not looking at it in a good way. He had eyes that wanted to dispose of this place right away.

“Will you stand up?”

Carryl said, looking at the crouching man. But he didn’t know what to do at Carryl’s words and only fidgeted. However, as he moved a little, his head was about to touch the ceiling.

“Hmm, the roof will collapse if you stand up in this spot. How long have you been living in here?”

“…”

The man did not answer.

Yurin shouted with a nervous look, afraid that he might offend Carryl’s sensibilities.

“Why can’t you tell me honestly! How long have you been secretly hiding in the Order without our knowledge!”

Carryl chuckled as he watched Yurin trying so hard not to blame them for being here.

“I’m not trying to harm you. My body also has the blood of a foreign race that was branded as heretical. But I’m standing proudly in the Order’s territory like this. Isn’t that right?”

The man raised his head and looked at Carryl at those words.

“You’re not sick.”

Kallan Tashun’s son, Hawat Tashun, unknowingly swallowed hard at Carryl’s words.

That’s because, until now, no one except his father had ever told him that.

“Rather, you should straighten your shoulders and be confident. You are a descendant of Titan, one of the first Bladers who fought against God. Until now, you may not have known the true nature of that power, but that huge height and uncontrollable strength are a reaction to fight against the corruption that has appeared in this world.”

“Wh, what…”

Hawat Tashun was at a loss, moving his lips at Carryl’s words, not knowing how to answer.

“I am a person who should not have been born into this world. My father has been carrying the burden of sin for his entire life because of me.”

“Yeah. I thought you’d say that.”

But as if he had expected his reaction, Carryl lightly patted his crouching, large shoulder and said.

“Can’t go out into the world?”

Carryl nodded with a smile.

“I’ll make it happen.”

Clang-

At that moment, Carryl drew his sword and pointed it at Kallan Tashun’s neck.

“F, Father!!!”

Crack!!

As he shouted in desperation and tried to stand up without realizing it, he couldn’t control his strength, and the pillar of the cabin collapsed.

At the same time, as the roof of the cabin broke, cold air hit Hawat’s face.

“…”

The winter sunlight was hotter than he thought.

He didn’t say anything and blankly stared at the sun shining down on him without realizing it.

“Hawat. I’m not going to threaten your father to do anything to you. Rather, you and your father should be grateful to me. Because I’m going to cure the disease.”

“…Yes?”

As he heard Carryl’s voice, he hurriedly looked at him as if he had finally come to his senses.

“How about this? If I cure your father’s illness, can you lend me your strength? I think this is a fair deal.”

“Is that possible?”

Everyone looked at Carryl at Hawat’s question.

‘What on earth is that guy trying to do again?’

Yurin and Joey, who were priests, wondered about Carryl, who confidently said that he could cure Kallan’s hunched back, an incurable disease that God had given to humans.

Among them, Yurin especially couldn’t help but feel more anxious.

“Unlike you, your father’s illness wasn’t there from birth. He became a hunchback to save you.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing much. His back is bent because he made a deal with a demon.”

“…!!!”

“…!!!”

People looked at him with dumbfounded faces at Carryl’s words.

“Why? Is it hard to believe? Then, shall we check it out?”

In Heim, the holy land of the Order, Carryl nonchalantly called out a forbidden name.

“Hagane.”