Chapter 68. < 29. Where did such a monster come from >
A village about two days away from the Kalad Territory.
Lumian, who had been staying at the only inn there, woke from his sleep at dawn.
Having achieved the unprecedented feat of becoming a Sword Master at fifteen, he still did not neglect his efforts.
This was true even now.
Having taken only a very brief sleep, he assumed a posture for cultivation. And in an instant, he entered a state of selflessness.
The aura within his body began to surge.
Wooooong-!
The surrounding mana was drawn into him.
Originally, Lumian's aura accumulation speed was fast enough to be unrivaled by others. After becoming a Sword Master, there was no longer anything to compare it to.
Energy flowed rapidly through the internal paths whose restrictions had decreased compared to before. The mountain that constituted him grew ever larger.
But at that moment.
Sarak
The golden parrot, which had been sleeping quietly with its head lowered until now, climbed onto Lumian's crown.
Very quietly, without even the usual fluttering sounds.
And after a moment, a golden light burst from the creature's eyes.
Seuuuuu-
A mysterious and divine golden energy settled upon Lumian.
His body readily accepted it. Just as the earth embraces rainwater, just as it embraces sunlight.
The golden parrot's energy that had thus seeped in made Lumian's aura clear and pure.
Kwarrrrr!
That wasn't all.
This amazing energy even pulled the mana flowing in the atmosphere toward Lumian.
As a result, Lumian's cultivation method gained even more power. It freely absorbed the overflowing mana from the surroundings, converted it to aura, and accumulated it in his dantian layer by layer. Twice, no, more than three times the usual efficiency!
It was a level that felt impossible to believe.
Lumian, having finished his cultivation, opened his eyes with a surprised expression. And he felt the golden parrot sleeping on top of his head.
"Surely, you did this?"
-Sex!
The parrot answered.
It was a small voice, perhaps considering that it was still early morning.
Lumian let out a hollow laugh.
The more he looked at it, the more amazing the creature was.
'To have the ability to draw in surrounding mana!'
It even served to purify the aura inside his body!
It was fortune. An incredible opportunity.
Each of the treasures obtained from the Incubus's lair was rare, but even combining them all, they couldn't compare to this golden parrot.
Not only gathering mana, but also purifying the inside!
It was a spirit creature that swordsmen and mages throughout the world would fiercely compete for.
'Of course, I suppose no one knows such a creature exists...'
That was true for Lumian as well.
Since even he, who had been a high-ranking official of Zenas, didn't know, it was obvious that information about this creature couldn't be obtained anywhere.
Lumian looked up and spoke.
"What exactly are you?"
-Sex! Sex!
"Why are you helping me?"
-Sex! Sex!
"Is that the only thing you know how to say?"
-Ah! A vigorous man's XX has entered my @@!
"......Morgan, you bastard, teaching it strange words."
The parrot continued to spout only lewd words.
Lumian, watching the creature, chuckled.
His serious expression had already relaxed.
'Well, I suppose there's no way it could answer properly.'
Though it was a spirit creature, it was still a beast after all.
He should be grateful enough that it could understand words; expecting too much was wrong.
Lumian gently set down the parrot from his head, washed his face with washwater, and finished preparing to leave.
Having eaten a hearty breakfast, he muttered as he left the village.
"Starting today, let's make some money."
An enormous amount was needed to repay the mercenary debt to Morgan.
But there was no need to worry.
For he had safes throughout the entire continent that he could withdraw from anytime, anywhere.
***
Kwang!
"Take this, guest!"
"What the!"
"What's with this bastard? What happened to the guys guarding the entrance?"
"You bastard, do you know where you are, just barging in like that?"
"The dialogue is similar in every neighborhood. Do you share a repertoire or something?"
Lumian, hiding his identity with a robe and mask, sneered.
Upon hearing those words, the local thugs got angry and rushed at him.
"This dog-like bastard..."
"Kill him!"
"Daring to attack alone?"
Puk!
Puweok!
Kwadangtangtang!
"Kuheuh!"
"Kkeueu..."
"Kkeureureuk."
Of course, no thug could withstand Lumian's single blow.
Lumian knocked down the small fry while moderately adjusting his power. Then, in a leisurely voice, he called out to the boss.
"Hey, you there posing. Are you the boss? If you don't want everyone to be bedridden and get attacked by another organization tomorrow and shut down your business, show some sincerity appropriately. I won't ask for much."
Having already raided the thugs' pockets over ten times, the memories of his past life came flooding back.
Even his speech pattern became rough. Seeing such Lumian, the thug boss drew his sword.
"You bastard! Do you know who I am... I'll show you the terror of an Aura Sword!"
Wooooong!
'This guy's bluffing too. Real thugs are all the same.'
Of course, even if the guy were a real Sword Expert, it wouldn't hinder his work at all. Since it was impossible for neighborhood thugs to stop him, who had become a Sword Master.
Lumian instantly subdued even the boss, then collected tribute according to the established procedure.
After saying his farewell, he leisurely exited the hideout.
'Now... about 4800 gold. Enough to pay the debt.'
Lumian, checking inside the spatial backpack borrowed from Morgan, slightly nodded.
This was more than enough. He thought he could now enjoy his journey leisurely.
But that was only for a moment.
Changing his mind, Lumian turned his steps toward another organization for one more raid.
'You never know when money might be needed again...'
Right now, while he was going back and forth between the Academy and his family, there were many places to collect money, but during the school term, that would be difficult.
So he decided it was better to earn a lot now. He also thought it was better to handle troublesome things all at once.
'Right. Since I'm at it, let's fill up 10,000 gold!'
Since that day, Lumian increased the speed of his journey. And in his spare time, he began more actively raiding local thugs.
He even expanded into areas slightly off his travel route. To fill 10,000 gold, he needed to head to larger cities.
Thus, one week before the start of the second semester, Lumian arrived at the city where Tarazan Academy was located.
Once again wearing a robe and mask, he whispered to the golden parrot hovering nearby.
"While I work, go find something to eat."
-Sex!
"Ah, I wish that bastard would use different words when answering..."
Muttering quietly, Lumian moved toward a familiar location.
It was a place he had already raided twice.
Honestly, doing the same thing three times to even bad people made his conscience prick a bit...
'The money currently in my possession is... 9700 gold.'
The desire to fill exactly 10,000 gold moved him.
"Mm."
While thinking this and that, a familiar building came into view.
Listening to the sounds leaking from inside, it seemed they were having another drinking party.
Lumian chuckled and moved toward the entrance.
The sentries who recognized his attire turned pale.
"I-It's him!"
"It's that guy!"
"Hurry, inform-"
"You don't need to go to the trouble. I'll go in and tell them myself."
Lumian replied calmly and pushed open the door to enter.
Then familiar scenery and familiar people came into view.
Of course, the thugs were also familiar with Lumian.
The boss jumped up and shouted.
"F-Finally! You've come again, you bastard! This robe-wearing bastard I'm sick of!"
"Finally?"
"Hey, wait! I'll bring someone who will destroy you!"
With those words, the thug boss ran off somewhere in a hurry.
Lumian frowned.
'Finally? Did they know I was coming?'
It seemed there was a network among the thugs.
So they had brought in a strong person to take care of him.
Of course, there was nothing to worry about.
Lumian simply waited leisurely with some curiosity about what level of expert would arrive.
And after a while.
"You bastard! You got caught!"
"Ah, from that time..."
Another familiar face appeared.
He was the Expert-level fighter he had battled when raiding this place for the second time.
A guy he had found strange because, despite being a thug, he possessed veteran knight-level skills.
Of course, he wasn't the main character.
Lumian looked at the tall, cold-looking man standing beside him.
'A Sword Master?'
It looked like it at a glance.
Despite standing still, his flawless appearance and the faint but ominous energy he exuded were unusual.
He was an expert whose skill level made one wonder why someone with such ability was doing thug work.
'Still, there's absolutely no problem though...'
Though Lumian had only just become a Sword Master, the possibility of defeat was zero.
Armed with Mountain Aura, Volcanic Eruption, and his past life's experience, he already possessed skill enough to rank within the top ten on the continent.
There was no way he would struggle against someone who at best was at the early stage of Sword Master.
While he was thinking that.
"......."
Suddenly, Lumian's expression stiffened.
Even though his face was covered by a mask, it was noticeable. His eyes held tension.
Perceiving this, the Expert, a Red Moon executive, let out a vile laugh.
"Kuheheh, indeed! Since you're somewhat capable, you're quick to notice?"
"......."
"Do you know who the boss I brought is! He's the boss of Red Moon, the continent's greatest organization!"
"......."
"For reference, he's my sworn brother. He personally took the trouble to come here to kill you!"
The Red Moon executive kept chattering excitedly.
Seeing the guy frozen and unable to say a word, unlike last time, he felt like his pent-up frustration was going down.
'As expected, I was right! If we can't track him, we just wait for him to come and ambush him. You're finished now!'
The corners of his mouth rose even higher.
He imagined a pleasant future while looking at the guy's face.
He would tear off that unpleasant mask, confirm his shameless face, then pull out his teeth one by one. He would tear his mouth open. He would cut off his nose, and finally gouge out his fear-filled eyes.
Thinking such thoughts while looking at the guy's pupils.
"Hm?"
It was strange.
It was true that the guy was tense. Though he couldn't see his face fully, his attitude had definitely become cautious.
But the direction of his gaze was strange.
He wasn't looking at himself.
He wasn't looking at his sworn brother, the boss of Red Moon either.
Further behind that.
In a direction where there should only be small fry belonging to a mere branch...
Seuk
Tuk, derurururu...
Thud!
That was the Red Moon executive's last thought.
His head fell, and his headless body collapsed. The cut surface was terrifyingly clean.
The entire hall became as silent as death.
It was quiet enough to hear the sound of blood flowing from the dead man's neck.
After a while, Lumian, who had been maintaining an expressionless face, spoke.
"Are you the real boss?"
"No. The child next to me is the boss."
Calling a Sword Master a "child" spoke to his position from the start.
Lumian chuckled and thought.
'The face... is a disguise.'
The newly appeared man had a very ordinary appearance.
To be precise, he looked like a typical small-fry thug. Moderate muscles, moderate fat, a face that looked fierce yet gave off a petty person vibe.
Having mixed in with the group while concealing his energy with such an appearance, Lumian had been momentarily deceived.
But his true nature was chilling enough to make even Lumian tense for a moment.
"This guy had too loose a mouth. Why did you call such a person brother?"
"His skills weren't bad, so I was using him as a substitute... I apologize, sir."
While Lumian was thinking various things, the Red Moon boss was being scolded.
But that time wasn't long. When the man called "sir" made a motion with his head, he took three steps back.
The mysterious man who had finished internal cleanup bowed politely toward Lumian.
It was almost a 90-degree bow.
"I apologize for not recognizing you."