Chapter 15

The Genius Knight Who Devours Memories

Chapter 15

The swordsmanship of the Nakandiya Tribe was threatening in and of itself.

Especially in places dense with trees, or in narrow spaces.

After all, the swordsmanship itself had been born in the jungle and modeled after the animals that lived there.

Ordinary soldiers had difficulty even predicting the movements of Nakandiya swordsmanship.

But the sword Rohan had just shown went beyond that.

“Hah. This really is absurd. How did you do that?”

After taking a deep breath, Creed asked with genuine curiosity.

One might have expected his pride to be wounded after having his hair cut by a subordinate, but he showed no such reaction.

“I tried combining Swift Sword with Nakandiya swordsmanship.”

“So the thrust was a feint, and you used Swift Sword to draw and swing the crescent blade?”

“Something like that.”

“...”

The crescent blade seemed to be what he called Meiwa’s sword.

For some reason, Creed stabbed the sword he was holding into the ground and stared at Rohan as though observing him.

“And you used a shorter one-handed sword because you wanted to adapt Nakandiya swordsmanship?”

“A longsword doesn’t work well with Nakandiya swordsmanship. It interferes with agile movements.”

“...”

Nakandiya swordsmanship had weaknesses just as clear as its strengths.

Its greatest weakness was its short reach.

It compensated for that with agile movements, but that only worked because Nakandiya swordsmanship was unfamiliar.

Most people on the continent had never experienced Nakandiya swordsmanship.

Rohan believed that was why the swordsmanship was so highly regarded.

The moment its movements were read, it was structurally incapable of defeating a longsword.

Just as Rohan had cut off Meiwa’s wrist after seeing through his movements.

‘I need to adjust the sword length again.’

He had used a one-handed sword slightly longer than half the length of a longsword, but even that had been awkward.

He had nearly caught it against a tree while moving.

He had cut Creed’s hair because he had failed to judge the length properly.

It seemed he would also have to find the proper sword length that suited him.

Creed suddenly spoke.

“...You crazy bastard.”

“...”

Rohan stared at Creed.

“Ah, that was a compliment. Don’t misunderstand. Do you remember what I told you before?”

“Before?”

“Yeah. That your swordsmanship was crude.”

“Of course.”

Creed gave a faint smile and said.

“You’ve already broken through that wall. Your growth rate is astonishing.”

“I’m still only following the swordsmanship in my memories.”

Rohan genuinely thought so.

He had combined several styles of swordsmanship, but if asked whether it was truly his own sword, even he had doubts.

Creed shook his head.

“No. You’re doing well enough. You’re taking the swordsmanship from those memories and making it your own.”

Creed gestured toward Rohan’s sword with his chin.

‘Am I...?’

He could not feel it himself, but Creed was not someone who said things he did not mean.

That meant he had improved, at least a little.

Rohan did not know how to respond, so he simply remained silent.

The two sat without speaking for a while.

The mountain breeze passed through the trees and stirred their hair.

Creed suddenly scowled.

His hair fluttering in the wind was shorter than usual.

“If you were going to cut it, you could’ve at least made it look good. What the hell is this?”

Looking at his head, Creed’s previously long bangs had been cut straight across.

“...”

It had been meant as a joke, but Rohan’s expression did not move in the slightest.

Feeling awkward, Creed cleared his throat once and changed the subject.

“Anyway, with this much, you’ll be useful in battle.”

“It’s not enough.”

Rohan answered immediately.

Creed looked fed up.

“You have a talent for making people not want to talk to you.”

Creed had been talking about surviving in battle, but that was not Rohan’s goal.

‘Can I kill Myuria with this?’

Rohan thought about Myuria.

The Myuria in his memories was not an easy woman.

Swordsmanship, stamina, agility, strength, intelligence... she excelled in everything.

‘I can’t win.’

Rohan concluded that he could not defeat her at his current level.

But.

“So, what’s the favor?”

Creed asked with a wary look.

“There isn’t another spy, or someone you need to kill... something like that, right?”

Rohan shook his head and answered.

“All you have to do is enjoy eating some meat.”

“...Meat?”

Creed’s eyes widened.

___________

Fourth Company, Fourth Platoon, Fourth Squad tent.

“Aah. Aaaah.”

A deep, rough groan echoed through the tent.

It belonged to Kaisen.

“Aaaah...”

“Will you shut up already? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Unable to stand it any longer, Johanna abruptly stood and shouted at him.

She wore an expression as though she were looking at an insect.

Kaisen either did not hear her or did not care, because he kept rolling around on his bed.

“I’m hungry. I’m so hungry. I feel like I’m going to die. Aaaaagh!”

“You’re disgusting to listen to.”

In the end, Johanna left, and Kaisen, now alone, abruptly sat up.

Then he flexed his arm.

“It’s gone. It’s really gone.”

The muscles that should have bulged prominently had visibly shrunk.

This was no small matter.

Muscle loss right before a major battle, of all times?

‘It’s all because of the potatoes.’

Potatoes three meals a day.

Boiled potatoes. Roasted potatoes. Mashed potatoes.

Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes!

Those damned potatoes!

Of course he was losing muscle when that was all he ever ate.

Kaisen looked at the serving tray.

Only two potatoes had been distributed for breakfast today.

‘Damn it! Should I have eaten when he told me to?’

The meat Rohan had brought all this time flashed before his eyes like a dying memory.

He had refused the meat Rohan offered every single time.

This was a matter of pride.

It was bad enough listening to some brat speak informally to him, but then the brat would hand him meat and say, ‘Eat’?

Yet Kaisen’s gaze drifted toward the serving tray where the meat Rohan had brought that morning had been placed.

The meat was long gone.

‘...What the hell was I protecting my pride for?’

Just as regret filled him to the same degree his muscles had diminished.

“Sniff, sniff. Sniff.”

An irresistibly enticing smell began drifting in.

Meat.

It was definitely meat.

‘Don’t tell me they’re giving us a special meal before deployment?’

Kaisen’s expectations soared.

Rustle- The tent flap opened.

Until the tent entrance opened, Kaisen had been smiling.

‘Rohan? You again!’

The moment he realized it was Rohan and Creed, his expression stiffened.

Tender meat was steaming in Rohan’s hands.

Rohan placed the meat on the serving tray and looked over.

“Eat.”

“No thanks.”

‘Fuck!’

The words left Kaisen’s mouth instinctively before he could think.

He immediately covered his mouth.

“Move aside.”

Creed walked past Kaisen.

The two sat down, and Creed tore off a long strip of meat.

Kaisen stared in shock.

“Squad Leader. W-what are you doing?”

“What do you think? Eating.”

After answering, Creed bit into the meat.

It was the first time Creed had eaten meat Rohan had hunted.

Rohan also sat in front of the meat and began stripping flesh from it.

‘Damn it! Why is the Squad Leader suddenly doing something he never did before...!’

Rohan always told him to eat only once and never offered a second time.

It was something Kaisen neither understood nor wanted to understand.

“Why don’t you eat?”

But today, for the first time, Rohan offered him the meat again.

“Yeah. Stop being stubborn and eat. We ran into Johanna on the way here, and she said hearing you whine about being hungry was so disgusting she wanted to kill you.”

Rohan’s behavior was surprising enough, and Creed’s reaction only added to it.

‘What the hell got into them?’

After clearing his throat once, Kaisen sat down while pretending reluctance.

“Ahem. If... you insist that much.”

His gaze moved toward the meat.

It looked exceptionally good.

He checked again.

“C-can I really eat it?”

“I said just eat already!”

Creed forcibly opened Kaisen’s mouth and shoved meat inside.

For a moment, a tingling sensation shot through the area beneath Kaisen’s ear and around his temple.

A smile automatically spread across his face.

“Chew, chew. Damn... how long has it been since I ate meat...”

After glancing once at Rohan, Kaisen began devouring the meat greedily.

After he had eaten for some time, Rohan suddenly asked.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah. It melts in my mouth.”

While he was busy eating, Kaisen gradually began to feel something was strange.

Because he could feel the two of them staring openly at him.

Even while watching them warily, he could not stop his hands.

Once he stripped the last piece of meat from the final bone, Creed stood.

“Get up. Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

Kaisen blinked, confused.

“You have to pay for the meal. Did you think you were going to stuff yourself for free?”

“No, but... you told me to eat...”

Kaisen looked at Rohan with an incredulous expression.

Rohan shrugged.

“They say people from the Ruki Mountains repay favors twofold. Isn’t that right, Kaisen of the Ruki Mountains?”

“Hah.”

The moment his birthplace was mentioned, Kaisen’s eyes widened almost enough to roll back.

‘He’s dragging my homeland into this? Cheap bastard.’

Fine, let’s at least hear what this is about.

It was probably something involving Rohan anyway.

Kaisen had already thought he could not keep interacting with Rohan like this forever.

He did not know what this was about, but perhaps it would be good to settle things today.

“Tch.”

Kaisen picked a piece of meat from between his teeth with his finger and jumped to his feet.

“Let’s go.”

_____________

Rohan, Creed, and Kaisen.

The three stood in front of the training ground.

Kaisen clicked his tongue irritably and spoke to Creed.

“Tch. So you’re saying you want me to teach him swordsmanship?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not particularly difficult.”

Kaisen’s gaze swept Rohan from head to toe.

“Condensed Burst too?”

“Yeah.”

Condensed Burst.

A technique that compressed mana and caused a powerful explosion.

It was practically a secret technique of those from the Ruki Mountains.

Rohan also believed it was an absolutely necessary technique for the upcoming operation.

Through the countless memories that had flowed into him, he had directly experienced how the technique was used and how destructive it was.

Kaisen sneered, clearly offended.

“Why should I?”

“You ate the meat, so you have to pay for it.”

“No... no. Squad Leader. Do you seriously think that’s a fair trade?”

Creed fell silent at Kaisen’s incredulous rebuttal, apparently having nothing to say.

Even he knew very well that a few pieces of meat were nowhere near enough payment for a secret technique.

Besides, until recently, Kaisen had barely had anything to do with Rohan.

With his head half tilted, Kaisen turned toward Rohan.

“And.”

Kaisen strode toward Rohan and began pressing various parts of his body with his fingers.

Rohan found it unpleasant, but did not show it.

The places Kaisen touched were the muscles most heavily used when wielding a sword.

Kaisen clicked his tongue.

“Impossible.”

“Why?”

Rohan immediately asked.

“Because you’re a weak little twig.”

Kaisen pressed firmly on Rohan’s shoulder.

Rohan’s body swayed back and forth with the pressure.

“You’re practically made of paper.”

Kaisen snorted and twisted his lips at the sight.

It was obvious mockery.

“Why are you deciding I can’t do it without even letting me try?”

Rohan asked in a tone suggesting he genuinely did not understand.

“Hoo. Hearing that informal speech this close is really making my blood boil. Draw your sword.”

Whatever happened, crossing swords was apparently unavoidable.

Rohan silently lifted his robe.

Kaisen frowned when he saw.

A one-handed sword. A longsword. A crescent blade.

Rohan was carrying three swords.

“Are you screwing with me?”

“I’ve never screwed around.”

“Ugh. That damn informal speech...”

Rohan pointed at the swords one by one.

“Which one should I use against you?”

“...?”

Kaisen’s eyes widened as though he had misheard.

He could not understand what gave this skinny brat in front of him the confidence to act this way.

The informal speech annoyed him, and he did not like Rohan’s attitude either.

“Haa... You seem to think swordsmanship is a joke. Fine, use whatever you want. But let’s make a bet.”

“A bet?”

“If I win, stop speaking informally to me.”

“If I win?”

Kaisen answered with a mocking smile.

“That won’t happen.”

“Teach me the technique.”

“I said that won’t happen... Haah. Fine. If you win, I’ll teach you the technique. Happy?”

The corners of Rohan’s lips curled upward.

His eyes were not smiling.

“Good.”

He answered and nodded.

Kaisen rolled his shoulders and asked Creed.

“Squad Leader. I’m allowed to beat him up, right?”

Creed, who had been listening quietly, shrugged.

“I have no reason to interfere with the spar.”

“Hehehe. Good. Don’t blame me if something breaks. I’ll stretch that short tongue of yours nice and long.”

Kaisen pulled a massive greatsword from his back.

The blade was nearly as thick as Rohan’s torso.

“We’ll end it when one of you becomes unable to fight.”

Creed, who was watching, added.

That meant when one was injured, had a blade aimed at a vital point, or dropped their weapon.

‘What is he thinking?’

Creed thought as he looked at Rohan.

Rohan should have been begging Kaisen to teach him the technique, yet instead he agreed to a bet he could not possibly win?

Rohan was someone who always came up with absurd strategies and somehow achieved what he wanted.

But this time, he had poured oil onto Kaisen’s fiery temperament.

Creed glanced at Rohan and flinched.

‘...Those eyes again.’

Rohan’s eyes always sparkled whenever he coveted something.

And whenever that happened, someone usually ended up dead.

‘Hmm.’

Creed knew that Rohan absorbed the memories of those he killed.

Kaisen was clearly more skilled than Rohan...

Yet for some reason, Creed found himself worrying about Kaisen.

And then.

“I’m coming.”

BOOM-!

Kaisen charged at Rohan.