The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 91

< The Preliminary Rounds >

Finally, the day of the Yongbong Tournament preliminary rounds arrived.

As befitted a competition drawing the most attention on the continent, nobles from all over had gathered in the Empire, awaiting the preliminary matches in the arena.

“What on earth are you thinking, Perma?”

Grand Duke Eric, waiting for the day’s matches in the nobles’ box of the massive arena, looked at his friend sitting next to him.

The Second Princess Yuriel’s power had now reached half of that of the Second Prince Simon.

Considering that just two months ago, Yuriel wasn’t even properly recognized as royalty, it was a remarkable development.

And the most significant force that recently joined the Second Princess’s ranks was the Blue Magic Tower.

Nobles were paying close attention to the relationship between Perma and Eric.

The fact that they were friends was a widely known secret among the high-ranking nobles.

However, Eric still couldn’t understand why the Blue Magic Tower was supporting the Second Princess.

“Don’t worry, Eric. I know everything already.”

“So, what… Ha.”

Eric pounded his chest, frustrated by Perma’s reaction.

Was this man even listening to him?

He felt like agreeing with the theory that most high-ranking mages were crazy, at least today.

“Eric, why are you angry? Isn’t it a good thing if the Blue Magic Tower Lord joins your faction?”

“Perma…! I told you to fix that habit of not listening properly, didn’t I? I said I’m curious about the reason.”

It wasn’t that he doubted his long-time friend, Perma.

He was just curious about why he had jumped into politics.

“Tsk. How can you do politics with so little sense? It’s about Rael. Is that enough?”

Perma turned his head as if he didn’t want to talk anymore.

He couldn’t talk about that person in a place like this.

“Rael…?”

Eric frowned at the mention of Rael’s name.

Why was that name suddenly coming up?

‘…What did you do to him, Rael?’

Eric was curious about his skills, persuading Perma, the master of the Blue Magic Tower, the most powerful of the Empire’s magic towers.

“Your Excellency, Grand Duke.”

At that moment, Rein, the commander of the Rein Knights, approached Eric.

“Rein, what’s going on?”

“The Great Chieftain Muback of the Jeongcheon Alliance wishes to speak with you.”

“Ah, Great Chieftain Muback.”

Eric was well aware of the Jeongcheon Alliance in the eastern part of the continent.

The organization, created under the guise of walking the righteous path, had grown in size and swallowed up the eastern part of the continent.

Now, it was more appropriate to call it a nation rather than an alliance.

“It’s been a while, Great Chieftain Muback.”

Eric smiled as he watched the approaching man.

Muback (無白) [meaning ‘without white’ or ‘pure’ in this context].

As the vice-chieftain of the Jeongcheon Alliance, he was a powerful figure who had reached the early stages of Sword Master.

“Your Excellency, Grand Duke. Have you been well? I was worried when I heard you had a chronic illness, but it’s a relief to see you looking healthy.”

“Haha, thank you for your concern.”

Eric had come from the Elven forest today to purify his mana.

Thanks to Rael, he had found a clue to cure his long-standing illness.

“Caring about Your Excellency’s health is something I should naturally do as the vice-chieftain of the Jeongcheon Alliance.”

“Come to think of it, the Chieftain is absent again this time.”

“Yes. He is currently focusing on training to overcome his limits.”

Muback looked at the knight behind Eric while talking to him.

Rein. He knew him well too.

“Rein. Your aura has become stronger too. You might surpass me at this rate.”

“Thank you, Great Chieftain.”

Rein bowed his head.

The Vanessa Kingdom, the Desert Kingdom, and the Jeongcheon Alliance.

Among the three nations, the Jeongcheon Alliance was the most reasonable to deal with.

‘Nagore is especially concerning.’

The Vanessa Kingdom was just a bit strange, so it wasn’t a cause for concern.

But Nagore was different.

Rein checked the seats where the warriors of the Desert Kingdom Nagore were sitting.

In the Vanessa Kingdom, the Sword Dragon himself participated, and in the Jeongcheon Alliance, Vice-Chieftain Muback came.

However, the only high-ranking noble from Nagore was Princess Skaria.

‘Is it just my imagination, or does it feel like a discarded pawn?’

The rumor that the defenses of the Millennium Empire Kamen had weakened had already spread throughout the continent.

Knowing the inferiority complex that the Desert Kingdom Nagore had towards the central part of the continent, Rein was even more uneasy.

“By the way… the opening match will start soon. My son is participating in the opening match.”

At that moment, Muback pointed to the arena with a proud face.

“Oh, really?”

“He’s a talented young man who reached the early stages of Graduate in his mid-twenties. Haha.”

Muback smiled kindly.

His son, Mujin, was already active on the continent as a martial artist.

He had no doubt that if that child grew up and took over the Jeongcheon Alliance, the Jeongcheon Alliance could become a great nation comparable to the Vanessa Kingdom.

“I’m looking forward to it. Who is his opponent?”

“He’s quite famous. I think his name was Rael? But our Mujin is also quite a famous talent on the continent…”

“Tsk.”

“Oh dear…”

Eric and Rein turned their heads simultaneously at the mention of Rael’s name.

Rein, in particular, wore a bitter expression as if he was unlucky.

“Sir Rein. What’s wrong?”

“You’ll see when you watch. There’s a monster participating in this Yongbong Tournament.”

Rein shook his head as if he felt sorry for him.

He knew Muback’s son, so he felt even more sorry for him.

To meet that guy from the start… Mujin was unlucky.

“…A monster?”

Muback sensed something was wrong, but soon turned his head.

Because the match was about to begin.

*

Rael felt the festive atmosphere filling the Empire as he walked towards the arena.

The crowds filling the arena showed the high expectations for this Yongbong Tournament.

‘Why does it have to be the opening match? I want to finish quickly and rest.’

Rael had the first match of this Yongbong Tournament.

It wasn’t that he felt pressured because it was the opening match.

Since the round of 128 would only have weaklings anyway, he was planning to finish it quickly and leave.

‘I did get a recommendation from Uncle Eric, but… there are too many trash because they give out the round of 128 spots through recommendations.’

In particular, there were many cases of people putting in their own children.

Originally, even hedgehogs think their own babies are pretty, so they expect their talents to bloom in the Yongbong Tournament.

‘If that were the case, they would have gotten stronger already. Idiots.’

Rael shook his head and entered the arena.

“Waaaaaaaah-!”

As he entered the arena, a huge cheer poured down on him.

Looking around, the large arena was packed.

‘I don’t recognize that face… Judging by the clothes, it’s Jeongcheon Alliance.’

Rael turned his head and looked at the opponent in front of him.

Seeing him wearing martial arts attire that was far from the era made him speechless.

“Nice to meet you. I am Mujin from the Jeongcheon Alliance.”

The man with the shiny head bowed and greeted him.

Seeing his shaved head, he seemed to believe in Buddhism.

“Rael.”

“Oh… Sir Rael, one of the Empire’s Three Heroes. I’ve heard a lot about you recently among the young people of the Jeongcheon Alliance. As a follower of Gaia, I wanted to meet you at least once.”

“…You’re bald.”

“Are Gaia’s followers not allowed to have shaved heads?”

“No, it’s not that… Tsk.”

Looking at Mujin, who looked like he was from the Shaolin Temple, Rael sighed.

It was strange that there was a Gaia Order in the Jeongcheon Alliance, and he didn’t like that his name was famous in the Jeongcheon Alliance.

This continent was unnecessarily trendy for a medieval fantasy.

“I’m honored to meet someone like Sir Rael in the first match. I hope we have a good match without regrets.”

“Well… yeah. Thanks.”

Rael also bowed his head appropriately.

As an intellectual, he wouldn’t be rude to someone this polite.

‘Yeah. How great would it be if everyone was like this.’

People need to learn.

Seeing Mujin after seeing someone like Kyle made him nod his head.

“Mujin, was it? Sorry it’s the opening match. I can’t go easy on you just because you bet your entire fortune here.”

“Entire fortune…?”

Mujin tilted his head, not knowing if there was something like predicting the outcome.

Shwing-

Rael drew his sword.

He just felt sorry for the polite guy, but he didn’t say it expecting an answer.

“Ugh…”

Mujin also drew his sword immediately.

Feeling the tremendous aura in front of him, he instinctively swallowed.

‘The name of the Three Heroes is no joke.’

He had thought it was just a rumor about the young knight, as there had been many rumors like that before.

But the knight in front of him was real.

The rumor that he was one of the Empire’s Three Heroes and had killed a high-ranking demon alone was true.

“I’ll do my best, Sir Rael.”

Whoosh-!

Sword energy rose from Mujin’s sword.

His sword energy, which had reached the early stages of Graduate [a rank of martial skill], burned as if it were setting the sword on fire.

‘I have to seize the initiative.’

Mujin had to achieve excellent results in this Yongbong Tournament.

As the son of Vice-Chieftain Muback, he had to be recognized in the Jeongcheon Alliance.

“I’m coming, Sir Rael!”

Thud-!

Mujin charged at Rael with his sword.

Rael’s strength was the same as his or greater.

He couldn’t win if he lost the initiative.

“Tsk, telling the opponent that you’re going to attack. The world has become so much better.”

He should get his act together after getting hit in the back of the head on the street.

“Heavenly Slaughter Sword, First Form, Lipcheon [a specific sword technique].”

Thud-!

Rael took a step forward and drew out the sword energy of Lipcheon, and Mujin’s eyes narrowed when he saw it.

‘Why is that sword energy so thick?’

Mujin gripped his sword even tighter.

In the end, all he could trust was the sweat and blood he had shed so far.

Whoosh-!

Mujin swung his sword with all his might at Rael.

He was also a promising young talent of the Jeongcheon Alliance.

The power contained in his sword was by no means light, and it quickly approached Rael’s neck.

‘He let his guard down!’

Mujin did not miss the opportunity he had seized.

He swung his sword with the conviction that Rael could not block this sword.

“Ugh…?!”

But at that moment.

Rael’s body disappeared from his sight.

“What is this!”

Mujin cut through the empty space and turned his head.

To find the disappeared Rael.

“Kuh-eueup!”

At that moment.

Wham-!

A tremendous impact was applied to the vicinity of Mujin’s solar plexus.

With the excruciating pain spreading throughout his body, Mujin’s body bent backward like a bow and flew away.

Kaboom-!

Mujin flew straight into the wall of the arena and crashed into it with a loud noise.

‘Did I misjudge the power?’

Rael tilted his head, looking down at his sword.

He thought he was a pretty good guy from the Jeongcheon Alliance, so he used the sword energy of Lipcheon to deal with him… but it seems that was too strong.

“He didn’t die in one hit, did he?”

Looking at the bald man stuck in the arena wall, Rael turned his body.

Now that he had won the match, he was going to go get the winnings from predicting the outcome.

‘If I bet on Lucas and Carlson… how much money would that be?’

Rael smiled and left the arena.

*

“Wh-what is that…”

Muback, who had risen from his seat, trembled.

His son was stuck in the wall of the arena, but what he was looking at was not Mujin.

‘A mature Graduate…? No, more than that.’

Muback’s eyes widened as he looked at Rael.

Rael’s movements just now were simple.

He lowered his body at an incredibly fast speed to deceive Mujin’s senses, and then struck his solar plexus.

However, even Muback had missed Rael’s movements for that brief moment.

No matter how strong he was, that was a strength that surpassed common sense.

“That’s what I told you. …A monster.”

Rein was also surprised by the match just now.

He didn’t miss Rael’s movements, but he was impressed by the speed.

Mujin probably fainted without even knowing why he was hit.

‘Really… he’s a guy who doesn’t know what moderation is.’

Is that the guy who couldn’t even draw sword energy just a few months ago?

Rein couldn’t help but be amazed at his unbelievable growth.

“Huh…?”

“What’s going on?”

“Mujin flew away with a ‘thud’….”

“Is this the end?”

Most of the nobles didn’t even grasp the situation properly.

That’s how fast and strong Rael’s sword was.

“Rael, one of the Empire’s Three Heroes… Was it not a false rumor?”

At the words that flowed from someone’s mouth, the nobles looked at the man in the arena.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t understand the flow of the match.

They could tell the result just by looking at Mujin stuck in the arena and Rael, who was already turning around and leaving the arena.

Mujin was a martial artist who had been doing good deeds under the name of the Jeongcheon Alliance in various parts of the continent.

There were quite a few who knew his strength.

That’s why they couldn’t hide their surprise when they looked at Rael.

“Mujin. Mujin was… knocked down in one hit… This doesn’t make sense. Really…”

Muback muttered as if he was dumbfounded.

But he also knew.

The power and speed that Rael had shown just now were not something that Mujin, who was only in the early stages of Graduate, could withstand.

“Think of it as bad luck, Great Chieftain Muback. Mujin is also very strong compared to his age. There are no talents in our knight order who can match Mujin.”

Rein shook his head and comforted Great Chieftain Muback.

Mujin was by no means weak compared to his age.

Considering that most of the preliminary rounds of the Yongbong Tournament were trash nobles who had advanced through the recommendations of noble families, he was definitely not a talent who should have been eliminated here.

He was just unlucky to meet that monster.

“That’s really outstanding swordsmanship, Sir Rein.”

At that moment, a man approached Rein.

Rein turned his head as soon as he smelled the strong scent of sand.

“…Sir Namaha?”

The commander of the Desert Kingdom Nagore’s knight order, Namaha.

Rein swallowed his surprise at the sudden approach of him.

“Yes. Sir Rein. That knight, Sir Rael, is really amazing. Did Sir Rein teach him directly?”

“…I am acquainted with him. But he is a knight who has nothing to do with me.”

“Is that so. No relation…”

The eyes of Namaha, the commander of the Desert Kingdom Nagore’s knight order, narrowed.

He recalled the face of the man he had met a while ago.

‘He’s the knight that he told me to be careful of. I need to be careful not to let him interfere with this.’

He had also heard that he could deal with him directly if he could, but Namaha had no intention of becoming their dog.

They were just holding hands for a while, and the ultimate winner would be them, Nagore.

‘I will let them taste the pent-up anger in the parched sand.’

Revenge on those who rejected the desert and occupied the fertile land.

The energy of black magic bloomed in Namaha’s fist.