The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 110

The day of the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament’s semi-finals arrived.

Raël sat in the audience, waiting for the match between Lucas and Carlson. He was focusing, trying to clear his cluttered mind.

“Mr. Raël, are you alright?” Yu Li asked, looking at Raël with worried eyes.

“… Yes. I’m fine.”

“How unusual, Raël. What’s with that constipated look on your face?” Ghent teased.

“Shut up, Ghent.”

“Could it be because you’re too nervous? Hmm, should I cast the Elven Forest’s blessing on you? I could make an exception if you asked,” Reina offered.

“…”

Raël closed his eyes, ignoring the chattering demi-humans on either side of him.

Since meeting the Emperor yesterday, he still had a throbbing headache.

‘Damn it. Why the hell do I sense demonic energy from the Emperor?’ he thought.

No one around him seemed to notice, so it must be deeply dormant within him, only detectable by Raël’s senses.

It was similar to the symptoms of mana poisoning, but different. It seemed he had directly absorbed the demonic energy himself.

‘Should I say something about this? Or should I just wait quietly?’

In the original story, the Emperor indulged in pleasure until his natural death. He was worried that trying to confirm the demonic energy within him might be like pulling a sleeping lion’s whiskers [provoking a dangerous person or situation].

“You need the Forest’s Blessing, right? I’ll cast it if you don’t answer. One, two, three,” Reina pressed.

“Reina, be quiet for a moment,” Raël requested.

“Okay.”

Reina reluctantly withdrew the power of nature she had gathered. Ghent, seeing her dejected look, patted Raël on the shoulder.

“Raël, Reina’s just worried about you, don’t be too harsh.”

“…Tch. Yeah. Sorry, Reina. I’m not nervous, just a bit preoccupied,” Raël said, nodding and apologizing.

An elf like Reina, who was a bit lacking, needed to be taken care of by an intellectual like him, but he had been too inconsiderate.

“It’s okay. I’ll let it slide this once, so let’s go eat after the semi-finals. You promised to eat with me.”

“Did I? Well, it’s not like eating is a difficult thing,” Raël replied. He didn’t remember saying it, but he probably had mentioned it once or twice, and it wasn’t a difficult request.

“Hehe. Ehehe,” Reina giggled.

Raël finished his thoughts, listening to Reina’s laughter.

‘First… let’s think about it after the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament. I need to focus on the match now.’

The Emperor was not something that could be resolved by worrying about it right now. Raël cleared the complex thoughts from his head and looked at the arena.

The match between Lucas and Carlson had already begun.

Clang-!

A deafening sound erupted as thick divine power and Lucas’s sword energy collided. Lucas and Carlson clashed swords without giving an inch.

‘I thought Lucas would be much stronger… Carlson’s not bad either?’ Raël mused.

Was the Sword Dragon’s training helpful? Carlson’s skills were better than he expected.

“Huh? What are those guys doing?” Raël wondered as he watched Lucas and Carlson simultaneously step back.

Raël tilted his head, looking down at the arena.

“Lucas, we’ve come this far before we knew it,” Carlson said.

“That’s right, Sir Carlson,” Lucas replied, smiling at Carlson. When he first entered the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament, he never imagined that all three prodigies would make it to the semi-finals.

“You and Raël are amazing. You get stronger every day when I wake up; it’s hard for someone like me to adapt.”

“…Sir Carlson is not weak enough to say such things,” Lucas countered. He felt it today as he crossed swords with Carlson.

He wasn’t just a funny knight who liked gambling. His divine power was thicker and purer than anyone else’s, and his talent for swordsmanship was also outstanding.

“Thanks for the compliment, Lucas. But you know, I hope the winner comes from the three of us.”

“Yes. Of course.”

There was no need to explain who the three were. The Empire’s three prodigies who made it to the semi-finals.

Lucas, like Carlson, hoped that the winner would come from among them.

“But… if we fight with all our strength here, we’ll definitely lose an arm or something,” Carlson said.

“…I think so too,” Lucas agreed.

Carlson and Lucas knew each other’s level very well. If they fought to the end, Lucas would have a higher chance of winning, but he couldn’t defeat Carlson without any injuries.

“Even if we get treated, the finals are tomorrow. If there are any aftereffects… can we beat that monster Raël?”

“…”

Lucas fell into thought at Carlson’s words.

Raël was an exceptional existence even among the three prodigies. Even if Lucas gave it his all, his chances of winning were less than 10%.

But if he had any problems with his condition in the semi-finals, he would never be able to win.

‘Raël…’ Lucas thought.

Lucas wanted to beat Raël. He wanted to break through the wall that he had encountered for the first time.

“I like Raël as a person, but honestly, I want to beat him at least once,” Lucas admitted.

“I think so too,” Carlson agreed.

“So… let’s decide it with one move next time, how about it?” Carlson suggested as thick divine power sword energy rose from his sword.

“Deciding with one move will be advantageous for Sir Carlson. Isn’t the short-term output of divine power sword energy stronger than my sword energy?”

Carlson’s divine power sword energy was an outstanding technique that changed the swordsmanship system of the Order. Lucas was only superior to Carlson in swordsmanship, and Carlson was more advantageous in simply clashing forces.

“Come on, just do it. Huh? I have my pride too,” Carlson insisted.

“Haha, I understand,” Lucas said, smiling and drawing his sword energy.

It was a disadvantageous match for him, but he didn’t feel bad at all hearing those words. Raël and Carlson made him feel different emotions than the girlfriends at the academy.

That’s why he liked these people.

“In the name of the main god Gaia!” Carlson shouted.

“Supreme Sword Style Chapter 2: Yin-Yang Circulation Sword,” Lucas announced.

Lucas’s magic power circulated in a circle. The new sword that Lucas created after seeing Raël’s sword collided with Carlson’s divine power.

Kwaaaang-!

A tremendous explosion filled the arena, and dust rising from the floor soared into the sky. After a while, only one person was standing in the arena where the sand had settled.

“Thank you for your hard work, Sir Carlson,” Lucas said.

“Haa, damn it, it still doesn’t work,” Carlson sighed as he lay on the floor. His face was filled with a smile of no regrets.

“Are these bastards colluding in the sacred Dragon-Phoenix Tournament? Huh? Who decided to end it in one move? Carlson, and what’s with the monstrous brother? Are you crazy?” Raël exclaimed after the match, grabbing the back of his neck and looking at Lucas and Carlson.

These guys were childish even though they were all grown up.

“Colluding…? Brother? Where did you learn such words? And can you hear everything we say from the audience? Does that make sense?” Lucas asked.

“My hearing is a bit sharp,” Raël replied. The distance between the audience and the arena was quite far, but it wasn’t difficult for Raël to hear the voices if he concentrated, especially since his senses seemed to have become sharper since he started training his sword properly. Perhaps it was because the demonic energy dwelling in his body had increased.

“It’s because we see Raël as such a strong opponent,” Carlson explained.

“That’s right. If we lose to Belen in the semi-finals after doing this, it would be a disgrace, right?” Lucas added.

“…Lucas has become just like Carlson,” Raël muttered.

“I learned it from you, so if you think about it, Lucas has become similar to Raël,” Carlson retorted.

“This bastard never loses an argument with me. Not even one word,” Raël complained.

“Agh! Don’t hit me!” Carlson yelped.

Raël raised his fist, then chuckled and lowered his arm. Then he patted Carlson’s shoulder a couple of times.

“Just relax and watch,” Raël said, smiling and turning his body. He felt a strange warmth in his heart from the gaze he felt behind him.

‘This is… a strange feeling,’ he thought.

The street gang-turned-guards were now standing at the center of the Empire. His thoughts were still the same as back then, but he sometimes felt alienated by the reality that people’s gazes had changed 180 degrees.

Not just Lucas and Carlson, but also Yu Li, Ghent, Reina, Rain, and Uncle Eric. After Raël revealed his power, everyone’s gazes were gradually changing.

‘But… it’s not a bad feeling,’ he thought.

It wasn’t like he was fighting demons, and if he was going to feel burdened by this much, he would have given up everything a long time ago. Now that he had spread his wings to protect his nest, he had no intention of backing down.

Step. Step.

Raël, standing in the arena, looked straight ahead. Belen was walking in from the opposite side.

“I’ll give you a proper lesson today,” Belen declared.

Raël unknowingly raised the corner of his mouth. It was time to give the high-nosed Carmen Knights [an elite knight order] a taste of their own medicine.

*

‘The nobles are coming in like crazy,’ Rain thought, shaking his head and looking at the nobles filling the surroundings. The nobles had started entering around the time Lucas and Carlson’s match began.

It was because the match between Raël and Belen would start soon.

“This match is practically the final,” one noble said.

“Yes. Raël is the best among the Empire’s three prodigies… if Belen beats Raël, there’s no need to watch the final,” another agreed.

“I know Raël is strong, but… hasn’t Belen started using the Carmen Knights’ swordsmanship too?”

“You never know until you try. Besides, there’s also talk that Raël’s swordsmanship is specialized in dealing with monsters.”

The nobles said that, but they secretly hoped for Raël’s victory. The Carmen Knights were not an easy opponent for the nobles.

The reason they pressured the nobles for the sake of the Imperial Family and the Empire was because of their overwhelming power. If Belen, the representative of the Carmen Knights, was trampled by a commoner in the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament… that would also be quite an interesting picture.

“I hope whoever wins puts on a good match,” one noble commented.

“The fact that there are four Carmen Empire natives in the semi-finals of the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament already proves the power of the thousand-year-old Carmen Empire,” another stated.

Rain scoffed at the conversations he heard around him. The nobles of the Carmen Empire were all busy filling their own pockets.

If Belen won this match, they would praise the Carmen Knights and the Imperial Family without hesitation, and if Raël won, quite a few nobles would side with the Second Princess’s faction.

They must have come in person to check the results faster than anyone else.

“What do you think, Sword Dragon?” Rain asked the Sword Dragon next to him.

“Hmm… Raël will probably win,” the Sword Dragon predicted.

“But wasn’t the skill Belen showed in the round of 16 quite impressive? He already seemed to be on the verge of becoming a Sword Master.”

“Raël is the same. Like other people say, you never know until you try, but… strangely, I don’t think Raël will lose,” the Sword Dragon said, looking at Raël. He had only crossed swords with him once, but the Sword Master’s sense was telling him. There was something special about him.

“…Well, I can’t imagine that guy losing either,” Rain nodded, looking at Raël. That monstrous guy was breaking common sense and getting stronger. He would probably show something amazing in this match too.

‘Gideon… must be feeling quite bitter,’ Rain thought, looking towards the Carmen Knights. The man at the front was looking at the arena with a blank expression.

‘He must have prepared a lot for this Dragon-Phoenix Tournament.’ That was the case with the hero, and that was the case with the spectators who came from all over the continent. The Carmen Knights were the strongest knights in the Empire, so they must have wanted to show off their power even more.

But there was a real monster in the Empire. Rain wanted to see the captain of the Carmen Knights’ 1st Division get crushed by that monster.

‘Then the position of the Rain Knights will rise a little bit. I also have a Dragon-Phoenix Tournament victory record… I can naturally tell people about it,’ Rain thought, turning his gaze to the arena.

*

Two knights faced each other in the quiet arena. Amidst the gazes of countless people, Raël spoke first.

“Are you ready to die?”

Belen seemed to be contemplating something. Seeing him act like that even after coming this far, knights must have a hard time.

“…Sir Raël, still rude as ever,” Belen replied.

“Looks like you don’t have any intention of changing either,” Raël said, staring intently at Belen. He roughly understood the guy’s personality.

“Sir Raël has insulted the Carmen Knights. I will make sure you understand today that there is a price to pay for rude behavior,” Belen declared. He was a ‘crazy guy for the Carmen Knights.’

Some knights sometimes have their heads full of muscles. Belen was probably a similar type. His head was full of the Carmen Knights, so he thought that all the guys who didn’t follow the Order’s rules were wrong. As the captain of the Carmen Knights’ 1st Division, he must have great respect for the Order’s leader, so he must have been really angry that he insulted Gideon.

‘I said it to make him angry in the first place, though,’ Raël chuckled and drew his sword. Now that he was in the arena, there was no need for conversation. He could prove who was right with a sword.

“…Sir Raël,” Belen said at that moment, opening his mouth with a troubled face.

“Why are you so talkative?” Raël asked.

“Give up now and leave the arena,” Belen urged. His hand holding the sword trembled. Even though it was an imperial order, he felt ashamed as a knight to use poison. He hesitated when he tried to draw his sword in the arena.

Swish.

The sword came out of Belen’s scabbard. Raël frowned as he looked at his sword.

‘What is it?’ he thought. It was definitely an ordinary sword, but he felt something very unpleasant.

Seeing Belen’s hand trembling, Raël guessed that there was something about that sword.

“Belen, is what you’re doing representing the Carmen Knights?” Raël asked.

“…”

Raël shook his head, looking at the silent Belen.

“And it looks like you want to give me some advice… what I hate most is nobles lecturing me about life,” Raël said, drawing his sword from its scabbard. How disgusting it was to see those who lived a life of luxury pretending to be enlightened.

“Heavenly Slaughter Sword Form 1: Entering Heaven,” Raël announced.

Woooong-!

Sword energy soared from Raël’s sword. Raël circulated magic power throughout his body, looking at Belen with cold eyes.

“Sir Raël, I clearly warned you,” Belen said.

“Warning my ass. You should have investigated what you were planning. Don’t pretend to be vaguely kind, you bastard,” Raël retorted.

“Sir Raël, there will be no more warnings. I too…”

The moment Belen frowned, Raël, who was in front of him, disappeared.

“…!”

Belen, with wide eyes, immediately thrust his sword towards the place where he felt a presence. It was a knight’s instinctive action after wielding a sword for decades.

‘Too late…!’

But Raël’s sword was faster than that. He barely managed to put his sword up, but Belen’s body was thrown back by the force he couldn’t properly block.

Koo-oong-!

“Keuh…!”

Belen, who had rolled several times, bit his lip and got up. He frowned, glared straight ahead, and swallowed.

‘He’s much faster than I thought,’ Belen realized. He had only hesitated to use poison, but he hadn’t let his guard down against Raël. From the moment he entered the arena, he was ready to swing his sword at any time, but despite that, he missed Raël’s movements. This was a difference in pure skill.

‘Why this pressure…’ Belen wondered. Every time he made eye contact with the man in front of him, he felt his body tremble. It was a pressure he had never felt even from the mentors of the Carmen Knights. Belen felt a tension he had never felt before at that fact.

“Don’t worry too much,” Raël said, smiling. Behind Belen, he could see the Carmen Knights in the audience. Gideon Garcia, who was at the front, was also making eye contact with Raël.

“I’m a specialist in rehabilitating beast-like bastards into people,” Raël declared. It was time to crush his unnecessarily arrogant pride.