The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 104

The day after Sword Dragon’s teachings, Rael shook his head, looking at the audience seats of the Dragon Phoenix Arena, which were packed with people.

“The end of the world is near. I can’t believe people gather like this to watch monster hunts… Tsk, tsk.”

He couldn’t understand why these uncivilized medieval folks enjoyed watching blood splatter so much.

“Rael, I heard this event match is going to be really fun. I heard so many nobles came that commoners barely got in.”

“Damn it, so that’s why I got pushed out. What about the people who can’t watch then?”

“If they can’t watch, they can’t watch. What can you do?”

“…”

Rael nodded at Carlson’s firm words.

‘Come to think of it,’ he mused, ‘that was natural in a world without TVs.’

“By the way, did you hear? After the monster hunt event, there’s a party among the top 8 participants?”

“…Why do these guys love parties so much? Are they possessed by ghosts who couldn’t party enough?”

Rael expressed his dissatisfaction, but he understood.

In a world without smartphones or computers, gathering and drinking was the best form of entertainment.

“I quite like parties. There are new connections to be made.”

“Haha, and parties mean free alcohol. I couldn’t drink when I was in the Order, so I’m happy.”

Lukas and Carlson seemed to enjoy parties in their own way.

Rael smiled at them.

“That’s all well and good, but what kind of paladin talks like that in the middle of the Order’s followers?”

Rael looked around.

Rael and Carlson were in the viewing area provided for the Order’s followers.

Because the nobles had taken over the audience seats, Rael had no choice but to be pushed into a place like this.

‘Those damn bastards,’ he thought.

As an honorary knight, he held a quasi-noble status, but how many nobles must have gathered for even he to be pushed out?

Still, thanks to the followers who gave up their seats, he was able to sit here.

If it weren’t for them, he might have ended up clinging to Yuri or waiting outside the arena until it was time for his match.

“Oh, you were here. Sir Rael. And Sir Carlson and Lukas.”

As Rael was resenting the nobles, a well-built man walked through the followers.

It was Cardinal Bernando, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

He tried to avoid running into him if possible, but today he was sitting among the clergy, so he couldn’t help but run into him.

“Congratulations to the Empire’s Three Heroes for all advancing to the top 8. Carlson and his friends, who use the Order’s name, are all showing outstanding skills, so this must be Gaia’s blessing. Gaia-men [followers of Gaia].”

Bernando looked at the Empire’s Three Heroes, feeling Gaia’s blessing.

Except for Belen, who already belonged to the Carmen Knights, the Three Heroes were the most outstanding young people in the Empire.

So, he had to build up goodwill for Gaia’s sake in advance.

“Now, this is the Order’s token. If you visit a nearby branch, they’ll give you some travel expenses, so take one each.”

Bernando put tokens into the pockets of the Three Heroes with a pleasant face.

It was a bribe, the most basic form of networking.

“Huh? Uh?”

His touch was so quick and natural that even the kind Lukas couldn’t find a chance to refuse and had to accept the token.

“Ah, especially Sir Rael…”

Bernando smiled and approached Rael.

He said to Rael as if whispering.

“Don’t forget that Gaia’s blessing is with you on your path. Hehe. Come to me anytime if you need anything.”

Thump. Thump.

Bernando patted Rael on the shoulder.

After asking Commander Marco, the strongest in the Order, he was told that Sir Rael had the highest chance of winning the Dragon Phoenix Arena.

His judgment to invest in advance was correct.

Bernando smiled contentedly and turned around.

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Rael blinked as he watched him leave.

He had already let go of the burden of being a hero… but he still found that man burdensome.

Especially trying to be friendly and informal in a private setting, he seemed more like a neighborhood thug than a clergyman of the Order.

“The Cardinal is such a consistent person. Gaia-men.”

Carlson made the sign of the cross, watching Bernando waddle away.

“Carlson, is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“I’m a member of the Order, so I can’t badmouth the Order’s second-in-command, can I?”

“…So why isn’t that guy getting fired from being a cardinal?”

He was grateful for the money he gave every time, but he wasn’t sure if that person would be positive for the Order’s future.

“Sir Rael. The monster hunting event is starting!”

“Oh. Really?!”

At Lukas’s words, Carlson turned his gaze to the arena.

A noble of the Empire was standing in the arena.

“Who was that guy again?”

“Maven, the eldest son of the Samuel family. I heard he’s at the early Graduate stage [a level of skill or power].”

“Oh ho.”

Rael looked at the arena with interest at Lukas’s explanation.

Maven was standing in the center of the arena, and a thumping sound was heard from the front.

It seemed that the arena’s gate was opening and a monster was entering the arena.

“They’re really fighting head-on? Is there no safety device?”

“The Carmen Knights and the Order’s clergy are on standby. Even if an emergency occurs, they can save you as long as your head is still attached.”

“Even if you survive, you’ll be socially dead.”

If a noble with nothing but pride showed himself being defeated by a monster in front of so many people… that alone would tarnish his career as a knight.

Thump-! Thump-!

After a while.

The gate opened and a disgustingly looking centipede entered the arena.

“That looks like shit.”

The centipede, covered in hard shells, was large enough to swallow a human whole.

“Sir Rael. It’s a mid-tier monster, a Giant Centipede! It’s actually my first time seeing one in person.”

“Lukas. How do you know all the monsters?”

“I learned it in the Academy’s Introduction to Monster Studies.”

“You learned it and you can immediately name it just by looking at it?”

“I was the top student at the Academy.”

“Ah…”

Rael was also a talented individual who had completed modern higher education, but he couldn’t remember everything he had learned… That’s why he hated talking to smart guys.

However, apart from feeling unpleasant, he could tell that Clara’s information was correct.

‘As expected of War God,’ he thought, referring to Clara.

Thanks to Clara, he knew all the monsters the Empire had prepared.

That guy was one of them.

Clang-! Bang!

Rael watched the fight between the giant centipede and Maven with interest.

Originally, the fights of the weaklings were the most fun.

“Rael.”

“Huh?”

“What are those guys doing?”

Carlson frowned as he watched Maven swinging his sword in the arena.

For a guy who was a Graduate to be struggling against a mid-tier monster, it was a disgrace.

“Hey, that’s originally a great monster.”

A mid-tier monster was slightly weaker compared to a mid-tier demon.

It took one early Graduate to catch a mid-tier demon, so Maven was fighting a good enemy right now.

“Didn’t they say that participants could choose the level of the monster in the event match? If a mid-tier monster is that strong, I think I could try challenging an upper-tier monster?”

“Upper-tier monster? Hmm… you might be able to do it.”

It took more than three mature Graduates to catch one upper-tier monster.

It was weaker compared to the upper-tier demons, which required more than ten mature Graduates, but absolutely speaking, it was definitely a strong monster.

Unless they were mutants like the Empire’s Three Heroes, the realm of a mature Graduate was a realm that a talented swordsman could only reach after wielding a sword for decades.

‘Still, Carlson is quite strong… and divine power and demonic energy are incompatible, so he should be able to handle it,’ Rael mused.

Rael nodded.

If Carlson could do it, there was no way Lukas or he couldn’t do it.

Come to think of it, these three were strong enough to be called the Empire’s Three Heroes.

‘…No. Let’s not think positively about the title of the Empire’s Three Heroes,’ he cautioned himself.

He would never be deceived by this crazy world.

Rael watched the arena with that thought.

Maven eventually captured the mid-tier monster after a fierce battle and received applause from the nobles.

The same was true afterward.

Most of the top 8 participants barely managed to subdue the mid-tier monsters.

Only Kyle managed to capture the mid-tier demon without any injuries.

With that level of skill, he seemed capable of challenging even a high-tier demon.

“Was he that strong?”

Rael looked at Kyle with a curious expression.

Was he the same guy who was beaten by him and wandered on the verge of death at their first meeting?

“…Rael, isn’t Kyle also Sword Dragon’s grandson? You’re the monster, not Kyle is weak.”

“I guess so. Sword Dragon was sad, saying he was born in the same generation as us.”

“Haha. Still, isn’t what Kyle has mastered the Virgin Boy Art [a martial art that requires abstinence]? They say it gets stronger over time, so we’ll have to keep an eye on it.”

“Virgin Boy Art, huh…”

Come to think of it, Sword Dragon’s magic power seemed very pure.

That must be because he had mastered the Virgin Boy Art for a long time.

“Yes. Especially Sword Dragon’s domain was really amazing, wasn’t it? That feeling of yang energy [positive, masculine energy] filling the body is something I definitely want to experience.”

“…I felt disgusted.”

Rael narrowed his eyes, recalling Sword Dragon’s domain.

As Carlson said, yang energy filled his body and strength surged, but as a side effect, strength surged in other places as well.

No matter how he thought about it, it was a domain that was of no help in fighting.

‘Besides, considering that the cause is Sword Dragon’s magic power, I’m getting excited because of Sword Dragon… No. Let’s erase those dirty memories from my head,’ he thought, disgusted.

Rael erased the Sword Dragon’s energy palace that came to mind.

There are things in the world that you don’t need to know.

“Oh, Rael. That bastard is out. The guy who stole your career.”

“They deliberately put the three of us after Belen.”

Rael shook his head at the Empire’s childish tactics.

Perhaps they thought that if Belen suppressed the monster with overwhelming power, then the Empire’s Three Heroes, who would catch the monster next, would be underestimated.

It was a very stupid idea from the wrong premise.

[I want to face an upper-tier monster.]

Soon after, Belen’s words echoed in the arena.

Kugugugung-!

A huge roar erupted from the other side of the arena at those words.

It was the cry of an upper-tier monster.

“Rael. It’s an upper-tier monster?”

“That’s right. Let’s watch.”

Kung-. Kung-.

Rael watched the upper-tier monster entering the arena.

The monster had a body like a giant lizard with wings and was covered in thick scales.

A monster that looked similar to a dragon at first glance.

He knew that guy too.

‘Was it a Cockatrice [a mythical beast that can kill with a glance]?’

Kkaang-!

Belen immediately rushed towards the Cockatrice.

Deflecting the Cockatrice’s sharp claws with sword energy, he cut off the poisonous breath.

Rael nodded, reading the mysteries contained in that swordsmanship.

‘Neat,’ he thought.

It was his first time seeing Belen’s sword, but he couldn’t deny his skill.

If he was a swordsman of that level, he could have a decent fight even if he fought directly with him.

Kung-!

After a 10-minute battle, the Cockatrice’s body fell to the floor.

Belen turned his body, saluted in the direction of the imperial family, and left the arena.

A clean victory without any major injuries.

“As expected of Belen. Amazing!”

“To defeat an upper-tier monster alone! It was true that he had the wall of Sword Master in front of him!”

Praise poured out from the nobles as well.

The same was true for the Order.

As the clergy were surprised, Carlson opened his mouth.

“He’s definitely amazing. Rael. Isn’t it your turn now?”

“Yeah. I should go soon.”

Rael watched the scene and got up from his seat.

And he recalled the monster that Belen had just faced.

‘Did it take about 10 minutes? Hmm, 5 minutes should be enough,’ he estimated.

Rael smiled.

Showing his true strength in front of so many people was a feeling he had never felt before.

He had always been hiding behind a mask or using his strength only in places where there were no people.

He felt an unknown sense of liberation at the thought that he didn’t have to hide his strength.

‘It doesn’t feel bad,’ he admitted.

The time had come to spread his wings.

It was an opportunity to show the world the skill of a swordsman named Rael.