9. Clash>The main tournament is conducted as a bracket, with a total of thirty-two strong contenders facing off.
Thirty-two powerful fighters who passed the preliminaries in each region gather in the capital for the main tournament, and today is the day the matchups are announced.
The brackets are decided purely by luck, but no one strong enough to advance to the main tournament would pray for luck to grant them a favorable draw.
No, in fact, many do not even check the brackets at all.
But that was how the participating warriors thought. To everyone else, the brackets were a matter of tremendous interest, and as soon as they were released, the attention of the entire capital focused on that single scrap of paper.
“Mm… Sir Kurakan made it up as well… and Sir Mountiv has advanced to the main tournament this time.”
“Who is the one facing Sir Rian this time?”
“If that scoundrel Kuntarian wins, I’m just not watching the matches. That unlucky bastard!”
As soon as the brackets were posted in front of the arena, countless people flocked over, and before long, word of mouth spread them in every direction.
Since several copies of the brackets had also been posted in Garantia’s main building, Sian was scanning through them together with Sir Selin.
He had no interest in who the others were, nor did he know them, but he was curious how his own brother had been assigned.
“Mm… Who is this person named Saion? He’s facing my brother in the first round.”
“He’s an extremely famous Exer. Usually, Exers have such varied traits that they often become famous for things other than combat, but in this person’s case, he has developed telekinesis to its limit and uses it in battle.”
“Oh, by telekinesis, you mean moving boxes and moving a water cup to pour water… that sort of thing?”
“…
That’s right. The only slight difference is that the target isn’t a box, but something like a boulder the size of a house, or a waterfall.”
After correcting Sian’s adorable comparison, Selin added another word.
“Mm… If it’s this man, Sir Rian will probably win. In the case of Exers, when they’re overwhelmed by momentum, they often can’t display their true ability. Then who would his next opponent be…….”
Selin’s expression stiffened slightly as she looked at the team beside Sir Rian’s.
Wondering what was wrong, Sian followed her gaze, and his expression crumpled at once.[Mountiv vs Kuntarian]
The winner would end up facing Sir Rian. And Kuntarian was likely to win.
“Mm… I regret it.”
“…
What?”
“That time, I should have twisted that halfwit’s limbs a little more.”
“…
Mm…….”
“Haha! I’m joking. If I did something like that, my brother wouldn’t be very grateful. It wouldn’t be fair and square.”
Seeing the look on Sian’s face, as if he wanted to run off immediately and snap the fellow’s neck if only his brother would not dislike it, Selin gave a small laugh.
He was a fellow indifferent to all things in the world, but seeing how much he cared for his brother, she thought he was rather cute.
“Haha. You really do take care of Sir Rian. It’s not as though Sir Rian is in any position to be looked after wherever he goes.”
“Good grief, what are you saying? Watching from the side, I’m always anxious. My brother isn’t weak, but how nerve-racking is it that he always goes looking for dangerous situations?”
“Haha. Sir Rian is a bit hot-blooded. Sian, if you want to be popular too, you should learn from him. That sort of thing is what appeals to women.”
“…
I doubt it’s just that one thing.”
“Mm… That’s true.”
Selin readily admitted it. Being hot-blooded could only explain part of Sir Rian’s popularity.
“And if I have to go looking for dangerous places to become popular, then I’ll just choose not to be popular. Haha.”
“…….”
Since Sian’s ironclad rule was survival first, he had no desire to leap into dangerous places merely for the sake of popularity.
Besides, for him to end up in danger, he would probably have to cross the Great Northern Wall or head to the peak of the Sky Mountains, and even if he lived hot-bloodedly in such a place, there would be no women there to watch him. Though there would be plenty of female Harijans.
He was thinking this and that, but inwardly, Sian was a little worried about his brother. He did not know what this fellow Kuntarian might do to him.
Objectively, he was a halfwit—in other words, someone who could not properly make use of what he possessed—but he possessed so much that he was far stronger than Sian’s brother at present.
However, since this fellow supposedly would not do anything that would put him outside the eyes of the Grand-Vander, Sian felt somewhat relieved. If he feared Sian’s father, then he would not be able to do anything too severe to his brother.
Sian inwardly sighed at his own situation, having to take care of his brother like this.‘If I don’t want to have these worries, my brother needs to become a Grand-Vander quickly…….’No matter how talented his brother was, it would not be an easy feat, so Sian braced himself for a few more years of mental suffering.☆ ☆ ☆The martial tournament proceeded just as Sir Selin had predicted.
Sir Rian, who had defeated the Exer Saion and advanced, came face-to-face in the round of sixteen with Kuntarian, who had defeated Sir Mountiv and advanced.
In the stands, Selin watched both sides warming up with an uneasy expression.
“Mm… That fellow Kuntarian doesn’t look like he intends to let this pass quietly today.”
At a glance, the sneer curling around his face made it obvious that he was plotting something sinister.‘Ah… it’s not too late. Even now, I could go and break that bastard’s spine…….’Civilized man or whatever be damned—Sian wanted to run over right away and tenderize that fellow evenly with his scabbard, but he was forcibly holding himself back because of what his brother had separately called him over and said yesterday.‘Sian. I know you’re worried about me, but even if I am losing, you must absolutely not interfere. That would be a disgrace as a warrior. And I’m saying this just in case, but before the match, doing something like breaking Sir Kuntarian’s limbs is absolutely! Absolutely! forbidden. Though the rumors about him are not good, I respect Sir Kuntarian as a strong opponent and wish to fight him fairly and squarely, so please help me.’‘Tch… The problem is that my brother knows me too well…….’He had not planned to jump into the match. He had intended to turn Kuntarian half into paste beforehand, but somehow his brother had known that as well and cut it off at the source.
Since his brother had gone so far as to call him aside and say that, and since Sian respected his brother, he decided to endure it for now.‘Stubborn brother. Do your best.’Watching the match begin, Sian cheered for his brother in his heart.
“I am Rian von Roman.”
“Hoho, you stand before Lord Kuntarian.”
Kuntarian, who had uttered a line that would have sent Sian’s scabbard flying had Sian heard it, looked at Rian with a contemptuous expression.
Just in case, he had watched the previous match, but there was absolutely no element that would make him lose.
Then all that remained was to decide how he would trample this girlish-looking fellow.‘Mm… First, shall I go with a flashy
The fellow named Rian showed movements as if gauging him and could not easily approach.‘Yes, let’s start with
Rian did not miss the moment Kuntarian tried to array Exar and the Vander in his body became slightly disturbed, and he charged in fiercely.
“…
Huh?”
Kuntarian, who had never once been attacked while arraying a miracle until now, gnashed his teeth and gave up on activating
“…
You cowardly bastard. To aim for an opening!”
Even though he was the one who had openly activated an intermediate miracle like
Because the difference in the amount of Vander contained in their swords was far too great, Rian proceeded with the match by mixing in feints to create openings and avoiding crossing blades as much as possible.
“You bastard, you fight as underhandedly as you look. Like a little girl!”
Because the flow inside his body had been disturbed momentarily, and because he had been caught up in Rian’s “Path of the Lion,” Kuntarian had no choice but to defend frantically.
However, since the difference in strength was so great, he was able to regain stability before long.
“Hoho. Then shall we begin now?”
Although the match had begun long ago, Kuntarian, who believed that it started from this moment, drew out the Vander in his body and swung it over himself while simultaneously expelling Exar into his armor.
Then, from Kuntarian’s armor, which had already been shining, an even more brilliant radiance leaked out and pushed away the tip of Rian’s sword.
The third-grade defensive array engraved on the armor,
It was an extraordinary artifact. Armor wrapped in the
“……!”
Rian looked flustered. His opponent’s defensive power had risen far too much in an instant. Even when his sword struck, the recoil made his hand hurt.
Watching Rian withdraw and search for an opening, Kuntarian gave a smirking smile.‘I should have done this from the start.’Having leisurely finished his defense, Kuntarian pondered which sort of miracle he should use to toy with his opponent, then decided.‘This will be good. Eruan’s Binding.’In a brief instant, the fourth-grade miracle
“Mm… It seems he can manage better than I thought?”
“…
This is beyond my expectations. I never imagined that fellow’s flashiness level would be that high. It keeps rising.”
“…
Flashiness level?”
“Look at what he’s doing. He’s using only flashy miracles.”
Only then did Selin, who had been distracted by Kuntarian’s showy use of miracles, realize that Kuntarian was not properly utilizing his Vander.
After all, Kuntarian’s fundamental martial power came from the realm called
“Well… He probably intends to show off everything he has, then suppress my brother splendidly at the end and humiliate him… but doing that to my brother won’t turn out very well.”
“Ah, right!”
Only then did Selin recall another nickname that had been attached to the heads of the Roman family throughout history.
“Mm… But Rian doesn’t seem to be resisting the miracles very well?”
“It’s an act, an act. Look at that. He’s inching closer, bit by bit. While gathering up one blow.”
Hearing that, Selin looked closely and saw that, though he appeared to be suffering from the miracles, the distance between Sir Rian and Kuntarian had at some point become quite close. The damage did not seem as severe as she had thought either. Though she could not tell at all whether he was gathering up a single blow.
But soon, Selin could understand as well.
All sorts of miracles clinging to Sir Rian’s body were suddenly swept away in an instant, and a path opened toward Kuntarian.
And at that moment, Rian’s sword was swung violently and collided fiercely with Kuntarian’s shining armor.
When all the Exar he had been employing abruptly scattered, Kuntarian was stunned for an instant, and because of that, he opened up the already visible gap to Rian even wider.
Naturally, Rian had long since passed the point where he would miss such an opening.
“Keugh!”
Kuntarian let out a deathly scream as he felt the Vander of the sword that had broken through the
To think he had been preparing such a blow! Kuntarian had been so focused on employing Exar that he had failed to properly observe the flow of his opponent’s Vander.
“Grrk! You bastard… I’ll kill you!”
After taking one heavy blow, Kuntarian ground his teeth. To think he had been subjected to such humiliation, when even showing only his most impressive side would not have been enough! And by someone that weak, no less!
The damage was not great, but the fact that his flustered appearance had been exposed to those stands was unbearably humiliating.
Gran
-Vander and Count Roman were both erased from Kuntarian’s mind, leaving only the thought of crushing Rian before his eyes. He circulated the vast quantity of Vander that had lain dormant within him throughout his entire body, threw away even his sword, and charged at Rian.
Even after landing that blow, Rian had not grown conceited, so he calmly blocked Kuntarian’s attacks. But the difference in their amount of Vander and physical ability was simply too great, and his defense was soon broken through.
Thud! Crack! Crunch!
“…
Kuh…….”
Rian tried to defend against the frenzied barrage of savage attacks, but in the end he could not stop them and was beaten all over without a moment to gather himself.
By the time Kuntarian came back to his senses and stopped attacking, Rian’s entire body was already in tatters. He had not fainted, but he had been beaten so badly that he needed a priest’s treatment at once. ‘Damn… this is bad.’ Though he had lost his reason and attacked, if the boy had been injured to this extent, Count Roman might become enraged.
His life was not in danger, and he would not be crippled, but what father would be pleased to see his child beaten like that?
With a worried expression, Kuntarian hurriedly looked toward where King Narasha and Count Roman were seated, and saw an unexpected sight.
Count Roman did not look angry. Rather, with a look of concern, he was looking toward another part of the audience. King Narasha was the same. ‘…
What is this?’ Kuntarian was about to follow their gazes to a corner of the stands, but when Rian continued muttering something, he stopped and listened. ‘Endure it… I’m fine… don’t…….’ “What the hell, you bastard. What are you muttering?”
Curious, Kuntarian leaned his ear toward Rian, who was on his knees. ‘…
Endure it, Sian. I’m fine… don’t do anything foolish…….’ “……?”
Kuntarian did not understand the meaning of his muttering, but he soon dismissed it as the rambling of a defeated man and paid it no further mind.
Thinking the inexplicable chill he felt was because of Count Roman, he resolved to hurry up, win, and obtain that sword.
Because the uneasy feeling kept lingering, Kuntarian’s mood sank. Thinking he had to go to Traan Street quickly and shake off this feeling, he left the arena.
And Sian, seated in the section of the audience where Count Roman and King Narasha’s gazes had been fixed, had been watching the whole scene from above the arena.
“Um… hey… Sian, are you all right?”
Selin leaned closer toward Sian to see his expression, as he had been silently watching the arena for some time now.
“…
Eek!”
And after confirming Sian’s expression, Selin let out a womanly scream like a death cry and retreated.
“Hey… Sian… calm down, calm down. He’ll be fine. See, the priests over there are signaling too.”
The priests who had been standing by to prevent competitors from being crippled or killed by injuries examined Rian, who had been left alone after Kuntarian departed, then raised a yellow flag.
It meant his condition was not good, but it was not worsening or critical. If he rested well for a few days and received intensive treatment from the priests, he would recover quickly.
Seeing Sian with his hand on the hilt of his scabbard, wavering over whether or not to draw his sword, Selin, astonishingly, began to feel sorry for Kuntarian. ‘Uwaa… may you rest in peace.’ This time, it probably would not end with merely cracking the back of his head. ‘Mm… he won’t kill him, will he……?’ Selin could not be certain.
Sian was barely suppressing the boiling rage inside him.
Even until he collapsed, Rian had kept whispering that it had been a fair duel and that he was fine.
He had been whispering softly, but he must have known Sian could hear it all. A few hundred meters was no obstacle. ‘…
What do you mean, a fair match, hyung?’ That bastard Kuntarian had continued beating Rian even after Rian had become incapable of resisting.
His brother had told him to stay still, but if Rian had been beaten like that, he would obviously have been crippled. It was only because Sian had secretly sent his energy to protect him that things had turned out this way. If he had not moved, his brother might have been crippled or even killed.
If his brother had not told him not to interfere, Sian would probably have cut off that bastard’s wrist right here and now.
Because he had helped in secret out of respect for his brother, he could not prevent him from being injured. If he had helped any more, his brother would have noticed that he had intervened.
This much respect for his brother was enough.
Now that it had come to this, his brother could no longer stop him.
First, he would leave him alone until the martial tournament ended. Until the attention on that bastard died down a little.
If he acted now for no reason, people might say that Count Roman, his father, had taken revenge for what had happened to his brother.
In the capital, the only one capable of doing anything to that bastard was a Gran
-Vander. Suspicion would fall on his father, and that would damage his father’s honor. ‘Just wait, halfwit…….’ It did not seem this feeling would subside while he waited. He would steadily add interest to this debt.
And that bastard would have to pay the whole debt back with his body.☆ ☆ ☆Kuntarian continued to win smoothly even after defeating Rian.
After getting burned by Rian, he no longer played around and charged in with all his strength, so even Tian’s renowned warriors found it difficult to defeat him, and in the end, he seized victory.
The one who won at Kaloan could choose one among various prizes.
What Kuntarian chose was not a masterpiece artifact like the
Everyone found it strange.
Compared to armor like the “Guardian of the Northern Wall,” which had numerous defensive magic formations evenly laid across it and allowed its wearer to channel Vander only into attacks, or a weapon like the “Wrath of Karandal,” which had no special function but enormously amplified its user’s Vander, granting several times the usual attack power, the sword Kuntarian chose looked extremely unimpressive.
A nameless sword.
The sword Kuntarian selected was one Count Roman had brought back from the Great Northern Wall in the past and donated to the imperial family.
While guarding the Great Northern Wall, Count Roman had been attacked by a strange tribe living in the forest. After defeating them all, he obtained the strange sword wielded by the one they called their chieftain.
They were not an especially strong race, but the sword held by their chieftain possessed considerable power, so Count Roman had also struggled quite a bit against it. Because of that, his curiosity had been piqued and he had brought it back.
It did not seem to be a sword they had made.
The techniques or supernatural abilities used in it were far too advanced for that.
He had brought it to the Exile Grand Law Arts Association and requested an analysis, but even they could not uncover the principle by which the sword operated.
All they could determine was that the sword contained some mysterious power and greatly strengthened the user’s vitality.
They had also answered that, to begin with, it was not a technology crafted according to the Laws.
It was a precious object of unknown identity, but it had one flaw.
Only those who operated Exar and Vander at the same time could wield the sword properly.
Whether a seal had been placed on it, whether the sword had been altered, or whether its original user had been someone who handled both Exar and Vander at once—none of that was known.
But if one did not meet the above condition, the energy flowing from the sword interfered with the flow of Vander inside the body. As a result, it had failed to find a suitable user and had been left in the royal storehouse, until it appeared this time as a prize for the Great Martial Tournament.
Because Count Roman knew this, he thought Kuntarian’s choice was not bad.
That fellow would be able to make use of the sword’s performance to some extent. Though he did not know what he would use it for. ‘…
But how did he recognize it?’ That characteristic could not be known before using the sword, yet Kuntarian had chosen it at once. The count looked at him with a peculiar gaze.
In truth, that was not the important part. ‘…
Will that fellow be able to go back in one piece?’ From the moment his son Rian began to be beaten, Count Roman had kept his gaze on Sian rather than Rian.
As a father, his heart had ached and he had been angry when Rian was struck, but living life as a warrior meant one had to duly endure such things.
He was no longer at an age where he would cry and tattle to his father because he had been hit.
Rian must have been prepared as well, and he was not the kind of child to reach out for help over something like this, so it was not something Count Roman should step into.
Sian was the bigger problem. Sian would not take the above circumstances into account before moving.
Through constant education, Count Roman had drilled into him that he must always use violence carefully, but this time, that alone would not be enough to stop him.
That child, Sian, did not have many other desires, but he cherished his family. Especially his older brother.
He always showed caution in order to preserve his brother’s dignity, but it was plain to see that he worried his brother might be getting beaten up somewhere.
And now that this had happened… for all he knew, that fellow named Kuntarian might not die, but he might end up wishing he had.
It was astonishing that Sian had remained quiet until now.
In truth, Count Roman himself had been prepared to leap out and stop Sian if Sian rushed forward. Of course, after that fellow Kuntarian had been beaten to an appropriate degree by Sian. ‘Sian, just don’t kill him. An arm or leg or so, well……. In any case, it seems His Majesty already knew about Sian. As expected, he is a capable man.’ He had clearly seen it. His Majesty the king, watching from the audience, had looked in the same direction as him.
It was not a reaction that could come unless he knew a certain amount about Sian.
Seeing that put him at ease.
He would have had to speak about Sian someday, but it was such an unbelievable truth that he had not said anything yet. If His Majesty already knew beforehand, it would be easier to make him understand.☆ ☆ ☆A week after Kaloan ended.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of victory, Kuntarian slowly began preparations to enter the bonding ritual.
Because he could not be disturbed, Kuntarian rented a small mansion on the outskirts of the capital and, in an excited state, looked at the sword before him.
Once the bonding ritual began, he would be reborn anew.
When that time came, old men like Roman or Kirain would not frighten him in the slightest.
The sword that served in place of his heart
—the heart of a Kal-Gul warrior—was telling him that fact with overwhelming intensity.