novelraw Chapter 22 : My Blade is Equal to All (2)
Chapter 22 : My Blade is Equal to All (2)
Chapter 22 - My Blade is Equal to All (2)
Click.
The sound of the opening button being pressed. The blade slid smoothly from the core of the Para-Blade.
“Hmm?”
The woman's gaze naturally shifted to the blade. Grains of light glittered on its surface.
It was the reflection of the lights. Though it looked like it would break if touched, it seemed tougher than expected, and it was a well-honed blade.
'And here I was, wondering why he was carrying an umbrella in clear weather.'
An umbrella-sword.
The woman, the owner of Eunko Bar, thought.
It's the first time I've seen it, but it's the type of weapon an assassin would use.
“Hmm, this test might end up being longer than I thought.”
Despite her words, she was smiling.
Lee Taebaek could tell at a glance. She was strong. The invisible gap between them was likely quite large.
The analysis and impression of Go-eun, the owner of Eunko Bar, were the same as Lee Taebaek's.
'The look in his eyes is good, but he's still green.'
Of course.
Was Go-eun just any ordinary mage? Her opponent must also be instinctively sensing the difference in their power.
However.
If the opponent was an assassin, the story changed. The matchup between a mage specializing in long-range attacks and an assassin who aims for the back was inherently terrible.
And no wonder; once an assassin entered their effective range, a mage became defenseless.
The only defensive measure they had, if any, was a shield spell.
But Go-eun didn't even have that shield spell.
Why? An all-out offense that disregarded defense. That was the restriction Go-eun had placed upon herself.
But thanks to that restriction, she was able to explosively increase the firepower of her favorite spell, the Samadhi True Fire.
In this way, placing a restriction on a skill or Gifted would trade off for an increase in its power. The stricter the condition, the more times its original power could be multiplied.
That's why variables were always present.
You couldn't let your guard down, even against an opponent who seemed weak at first glance.
Because the opponent could, in an instant, place a huge restriction on themselves and draw out all their potential.
'Of course, if the gap in power is vast enough to overcome all that, it wouldn't matter, but...'
The problem was that it was difficult to gauge her opponent's strength. His aura was too well-concealed.
Even for an assassin, the eyes were bound to reflect some color of emotion.
He was an exception. His expression was completely blank.
As if he had never learned the concept of emotion. Even within the Demonic Cult, those whose emotions were so thoroughly castrated were rare.
She could count the faces that came to mind on one hand. Three people, at most. The Left and Right Emissaries of Light. And, the Heavenly Demon.
Those three were all monsters belonging to the 10 Wings, the ranks of the absolute strongest.
Anyway, that wasn't what was important.
Go-eun slowly shook her head and looked forward again. Her opponent, standing in her wavering vision.
For a moment, she had the illusion that Lee Taebaek and those three had overlapped.
A situation that made no sense. To think she was reminded of those monsters by an opponent who should, by all rights, be weaker than her.
'Or did he offer up his emotions as a restriction?'
If so, it's understandable.
But now that I think about it, that doesn't seem to be the case either...
Shhhk.
While Go-eun was observing, Lee Taebaek quietly took his stance. First, he tilted his blade forward. The top part of the umbrella, held in a reverse grip, was brought to his back as if attached.
And then he lowered his stance. The assassin's habits engraved on his body guided Lee Taebaek's limbs to where they should be, according to the manual of the Siesta assassination arts.
“That's the Siesta's......”
At the sight, she narrowed her fine brows. After a moment, her stiff expression relaxed, and she broke into a broad smile. Go-eun began to speak, her pipe still in her mouth.
“Charging in as soon as the analysis is over. How tough. It brings back a sense of nostalgia for my old days in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
As Go-eun said this, her face looked somehow distant. Smoke drifted from between the teeth clenching the end of her pipe.
“The Kergel Mage Tower of today… the Demonic Cult of the past.”
Putting her murmurs behind her, Go-eun's demeanor changed completely. She wiped the story-filled expression from her face.
“Shall we begin?”
Lee Taebaek simply nodded without a word.
“Ah, right. If you pass the test, I'll deliver the reward the Commander-in-Chief sent over. If you fail, you can just turn around and go back the way you came.”
“Then that reward will end up in your hands.”
“That's right. So I'll only go moderately easy on you. So if you don't want to die, do your best.”
“I'll return those words to you exactly.”
“Puhaha! From what I've seen, you shouldn't have joined the Resistance, but the Cult. Your disposition is a perfect match.”
“If that's a compliment, I'll have to politely decline.”
Her smile deepened.
“We'll have to fix that personality of yours.”
Go-eun snapped her fingers. Immediately, the row of windows on the wall began to melt red or shatter.
FWOOSH!
Unable to withstand the internal pressure, a demon of fire escaped through the windows to the outside of the building.
Seen from outside, it looked as if a kiln the size of a house was spewing flames from its openings.
......
At the same time, at the Resistance headquarters.
The members of the 9th Battalion gathered in the private room provided for each battalion. With the exception of one person, Lee Taebaek.
It was a gathering for Kang Hyunseong to explain the reason and process of Lee Taebaek's departure.
But as Kang Hyunseong's story went on, the expressions on Yoo Da-hee and Rock's faces changed.
Overall, it wasn't good. Only Fumito scratched his head with a baffled look.
“......”
It was quiet for a long while after he finished speaking. The dead silence was broken a short time later. By Yoo Da-hee.
“So you sent Lee Taebaek to 'that place'?”
Her voice was choked, as if a sweet potato was stuck in her throat.
“Yeah. That's what happened. You know it too. The other agencies have no vacancies. And that was the only partner company that would take him......”
“Hey, Kang Hyunseong.”
This time, her voice was low and menacing. It felt as if frost had formed on the surface of the desk. Truly, walking on thin ice.
“Go-eun. You know what kind of bitch that witch is!!”
Yoo Da-hee screamed.
Kang Hyunseong understood. Considering her past, it was understandable.
“I know. Of course I know. Just calm down, Da-hee.”
“And you sent him there knowing that?! If you were going to send him to a place like that, why dispatch him as an external agent in the first place!”
“I understand everything. But Eun-i also—.”
“Eun-i? E-E-E-Eun-iiiiii??”
At Yoo Da-hee's murderously arched eyebrows, Kang Hyunseong tucked his tail.
And I'm supposed to be the battalion commander.
“Go-eun… anyway, she washed her hands of the Demonic Cult a long time ago. The 8th Battalion commander, that sugar-water bastard, investigated her like he was catching a rat, and if there's no evidence, it means she's really innocent.”
“Is there anyone here who doesn't know what happened to our agents we sent there? Tell me. What happened.”
“......”
“......”
“Weren't about eight out of ten of them left half-paralyzed?”
The one who answered was Fumito. He had a terrible lack of tact.
“Ah, of course, not physically but mentally! That Go-eun person is ghostly good at not leaving any external injuries. It's amazing. How did she master control over a fire-attribute spell like Samadhi True Fire to that extent? Man, really… Aaaah– Ouch!”
Rock fiercely pinched the side of the excitedly chattering Fumito. A single tear welled up in the corner of his eye.
“Well said, Fumito.”
Yoo Da-hee whipped her head around.
“You heard that? Almost none of the members who went to that witch's den came back sane.”
“Almost none, not 'none at all'.”
“Is this the time for word games? You said you were friends with Lee Taebaek. What kind of person sends their friend into the jaws of death!”
“Strictly speaking, it's not the jaws of death, but the front line. And for a warrior, there is no better training ground than the front line.”
Kang Hyunseong said with a deep sigh.
He needed to calm her down first. They wouldn't get anywhere like this.
“'Training ground,' my ass. Is a bitch who half-cripples people in the name of a 'test' an instructor? She's a sadist.”
“It might sound like I'm defending her, but there's no sadism in the violence she uses. There's only the characteristic belligerence of a Demonic Cult member. I know because I've fought her.”
“I know how you feel, Yoo Da-hee. But think about it. Is Taebaek just going to take it? Is that guy some ordinary joe? Just looking at what he's done so far, he's obviously no pushover.”
Kang Hyunseong continued, his eyes calm.
“And Da-hee, you need to put your personal feelings aside and admit what needs to be admitted. I'll admit what I need to as well. Was Go-eun a demonic person? That's an undeniable past.”
“......”
“But what if Taebaek has a talent for magic, too? You saw it right beside him, so you should know.”
The great humiliation of the 8th Battalion's Deputy, Playboy James.
“If so, is there anyone who can draw out Taebaek's potential as much as she can? Among the mages who cooperate with us, it's rare to find someone with that level of skill. No, there's no one.”
“......”
“Besides, Go-eun isn't just a mage. She also runs a mercenary brokerage, so she can help Taebaek adjust to Lake City.”
“That's only if Go-eun, that bitch, accepts him. And it's also assuming that Lee Taebaek passes the test safely in the first place.”
Yoo Da-hee roughly ruffled her hair. Kang Hyunseong was inwardly relieved that she had finally softened a little.
“Yeah. You're right. But Da-hee, in your eyes, do you think Taebaek won't be able to pass the test?”
“It'll be tough, but… the probability of him failing is lower.”
“As for injuries, she'll control her strength to keep them minor anyway.”
“Huh? But the last external agent...”
Smack!
“Urk—.”
A single cry of pain. Fumito planted his forehead on the desk. His tongue lolled out between his front teeth like a red carpet.
Rock dusted off her hands. Then she glared at the unconscious Fumito with disdain.
Being clueless is fine. But a clueless Fumito is not fine. Rock said as much with her breathing.
“......”
Kang Hyunseong looked at the crumpled Fumito with tired eyes.
The one who should be in the middle of a bloodbath right now is Lee Taebaek, but somehow the drama over here is more intense.
'So this is why the other battalions avoid us.'
In the lull, Kang Hyunseong cleared his throat. Just as he, as the battalion commander, was trying to somehow patch up the conversation.
A hollow ringing sound echoed in the private room. Kang Hyunseong took his terminal out of his inner pocket to check.
“H-Huh?”
The call was from a hospital in the lower districts that was affiliated with the Resistance. Kang Hyunseong stared at the screen with a dazed look.
Then he quickly placed the terminal in the very center of the desk. And then he switched it to speaker mode.
[Battalion Commander Kang Hyunseong......]
“Speak.”
[Well, uhm.]
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the next words.
[It's just that... it seems an acquaintance of yours has been admitted to the hospital, so I called right away......]
“Is he badly, badly hurt?”
[The injuries aren't deep, but it seems they were quite shocked and went into a light state of shock.]
“See!”
Yoo Da-hee yelled.
“That crazy bitch finally went and did it!”
[Ah? Senior Da-hee, you're there too? Ma'am.]
“Skip the pleasantries. Hey, Sang-jun.”
She brought her face to the screen as if to smash her nose into it.
“The man lying there. How bad are his injuries? How severe are the burns? If necessary, I'll go help right away, just say the word. And while I'm at it, I'll take care of that witch–.”
[Uhm, Senior.]
“Just the main point.”
Yoo Da-hee adjusted her collar and prepared to leave in a hurry.
“I told you not to waste time when there's a patient.”
[I believe there's been a misunderstanding.]
“A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?”
[The patient's gender is different.]
“Huh?”
Her hand, which was just about to grab the doorknob, froze.
[The person who was admitted isn't a man, it's a woman.]