Chapter 20

The Swordsmanship Genius Possessed by a God — Chapter 20

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Allen walked along the Path of the Sword.

It was the fastest route back to the main castle.

This was a sacred path that only swordsmen of the family who had successfully completed their missions were permitted to walk upon when returning.

‘Come to think of it, this is my first time.’

It was a familiar path, but this was his first time returning along it. The unfamiliar feeling was no illusion.

As he walked past the statues of successive family heads lined up on either side of the path,

Allen spotted someone waiting for him at the end.

“Brother?”

The person waiting at the end of the path was Lucas.

Glad to see him, Allen naturally quickened his pace.

When he reached Lucas, Allen asked,

“Were you on your way somewhere? Or were you waiting for me?”

“We didn't meet here by coincidence.”

The main castle was vast. Even three days and nights of walking would not be enough to explore it all.

The chances of encountering someone you wanted to meet by coincidence in such an enormous castle were practically nonexistent.

“You could've just said you were waiting for me. You always make things sound so complicated. But how did you know?”

“Do you have any idea how many eyes the family has across the continent?”

Although the main castle bordered the Owen Kingdom, the carriage journey to reach it was quite long.

Just how far back had his location been discovered?

It brought home to him once again that the entire northern part of the continent belonged to Vishken.

“Then I suppose the report about my mission has already arrived?”

“As it happens, the family head is looking for you.”

“Me?”

Allen was startled.

Originally, he had planned to return to the annex, unpack his belongings, rest for a day, and then visit his father. It was already too late in the day.

But if his father was the one seeking him out, that changed things.

Even if it were the middle of the night and he had to wake from sleep, he would have to go see his father.

“I'd better hurry, then. Ah, I haven't even had a proper wash. That should be fine, right?”

“Do you think the family head cares about such things?”

“True. But is that why you were waiting for me?”

“No.”

Lucas's expression became complicated.

“It's about the sword division.”

“The sword division? Oh, right. You're the commander of the Flying Sword Division, aren't you?”

The Flying Sword Division.

It was a name he hadn't thought about in a long time.

It was one of the most powerful and prestigious sword divisions in the main castle, and Lucas had taken command of it at an early age.

There had been a time when Allen admired his older brother for that. He had even dreamed of succeeding him as commander of the Flying Sword Division.

But that was another matter.

“What does the sword division have to do with me?”

“...We'll talk about that later. Let's go for now.”

With that mysterious response, Lucas abruptly turned around.

His steps toward the Family Head's Hall were brisk.

Allen walked alongside him.

“You took quite a while to return. Did you manage to take care of whatever you went to do?”

He was asking because he remembered Allen mentioning that he had somewhere to visit.

“Very well. Better than I expected.”

“I don't know what you went off to do, but your eyes look different.”

Lucas had noticed the change in Allen's eyes.

Because they practiced the same swordsmanship, he was particularly sensitive to it.

He could tell that Allen's mastery had advanced by one level.

‘He's progressing quickly.’

Although he spoke as though it were nothing remarkable, Lucas was inwardly astonished.

How long had it been since the Curse of Mana Deprivation disappeared? Yet Allen had already achieved so much.

It almost made him wonder whether the curse had been lifted because his younger brother's talent was simply too brilliant for even a curse to suppress.

“Did you manage to obtain an elixir?”

“Want me to share some with you?”

“No need. I can't stand bitter things.”

Allen burst into laughter at Lucas's answer.

He couldn't stand bitter things? What a ridiculous excuse for refusing.

‘Well, I suppose Brother has already consumed plenty.’

Elixirs as precious as the Flower of Stars couldn't possibly be common, but Lucas had probably consumed all sorts of elixirs.

Unlike Allen, he hadn't been afflicted with the Curse of Mana Deprivation and had been a leading candidate to become the next family head.

“Oh, right. About the money I borrowed back then...”

“Forget that too. You can repay me when you're better off than I am.”

“Then I suppose I should repay you right now?”

Allen shook the pouch hanging from his shoulder.

“Do you have any idea how much I could get just by selling this?”

“What is that pouch...?”

Lucas trailed off, looking as though an unbelievable possibility had occurred to him.

“Don't tell me that's a spatial storage pouch.”

“That's right.”

Allen nodded and pulled a backpack from the pouch.

The large backpack he had carried when he first left the family estate slipped neatly out of the small pouch.

Having confirmed that it really was a spatial storage pouch, Lucas looked dumbfounded.

“What on earth have you been doing? Did you raid the Quin family's treasure vault?”

He seemed far more surprised that Allen had returned with a spatial storage pouch than that he had grown stronger by consuming an elixir.

After all, elixirs could be obtained one way or another, but spatial storage pouches were genuinely difficult to acquire.

“I'm sure the Quin family's treasure vault contains things even more impressive than this. Anyway, are you still refusing repayment?”

“Forget it. Didn't I tell you? It was a gift.”

“As expected of the commander of the Flying Sword Division. How generous.”

Lucas's reaction was certainly different from Baudon's or Yusia's.

Although he had been somewhat surprised to hear that it was a spatial storage pouch, he showed no particular desire to possess it.

Then again, if Lucas put his mind to it, he could probably obtain artifacts even more precious than a spatial storage pouch.

Of course.

‘As for the Flower of Stars... I'd better keep that to myself.’

Even his older brother might genuinely be envious of that.

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Lucas parted ways with Allen midway, saying he still had business to attend to at the Flying Sword Division.

Allen wondered why his brother had bothered waiting for him if he was just going to leave like that, but he headed toward the Family Head's Hall for now.

Meeting his father took priority over his brother at the moment.

Apparently, the news that he was expected was true, as Iorga greeted Allen warmly.

“We've been expecting you.”

“My return was delayed. I apologize.”

“Not at all. There was no fixed deadline for your mission, so you haven't returned late.”

Iorga, who had been escorting Allen, stopped in front of the Family Head's Hall.

“Please go inside.”

“What about you, sir?”

“The family head wishes to speak with the Second Young Master alone.”

Although Iorga had heard the instruction, even he hadn't expected to be barred from entering.

Allen felt nervous.

His father wanted to meet with him alone.

There had been occasions when Allen sought a private audience with his father, but never the other way around.

Creeeeak.

The swordsmen on either side opened the doors to the Family Head's Hall.

Far in the distance, he could see his father seated on the throne.

Unlike last time, his father wasn't holding a pen.

Allen entered the Family Head's Hall without hesitation. Behind him, the doors closed with a heavy thud.

Allen slowly approached Axion, stopped some distance away, and knelt.

“Allen Vishken has completed his mission and returned.”

Allen raised his lowered head and looked at Axion.

Despite having requested a private audience, Axion wore the same expression as always.

His son, who had suffered from the Curse of Mana Deprivation, had returned after completing his first mission.

What would his father say?

It was Allen who broke the silence first.

“This time, I succeeded, didn't I?”

At this blatant request for praise, the corners of Axion's mouth rose.

“You killed every last one of them.”

Those words made Allen realize why Axion had summoned him separately.

‘So that's what this is about.’

The original mission had been to eliminate the leader of the Iron Shackles Society.

But during that mission, Allen had killed dozens of people before returning.

Apparently, that was what had caught his father's interest.

‘Did I go too far?’

His father believed this mission had involved Allen's first experience of taking a life.

Yet he had returned after single-handedly massacring more than fifty people. His father must have wondered just what kind of person he was.

However—

“How did you kill them?”

“Pardon?”

Allen couldn't immediately understand Axion's question and asked again.

He had expected a question like why he had done it and had already been preparing an answer.

“Well, with my sword...”

“Do you think I'd ask because I didn't know that?”

Axion surveyed the Family Head's Hall and spoke.

“I'm telling you to do the same thing here.”

Allen blinked in disbelief at Axion's words. Then he glanced around.

Here? In the Family Head's Hall?

By asking him to do the same thing, his father meant that he should reproduce the swordsmanship he had used to wipe out the Iron Shackles Society.

Allen rose to his feet and looked at Axion.

Seeing Allen's expression, which seemed to ask whether he was serious, Axion nodded.

“Begin.”

“...Yes, sir.”

Shing.

Allen slowly drew his sword.

He took a few steps and stood in the center of the Family Head's Hall.

Fortunately, the hall was extremely spacious. There was more than enough room to swing a sword.

Even so, he had never imagined the day would come when he would wield his sword inside the Family Head's Hall.

‘Well, this is a fortunate opportunity too.’

How many chances would he ever have to wield his sword before Axion Vishken?

In some ways, it was an opportunity even greater than obtaining an elixir.

Since he had agreed to do it, he decided to do it properly.

Allen closed his eyes and opened them again.

Dozens of imaginary enemies appeared inside the Family Head's Hall.

Far away, in front of his father, stood the leader of the Iron Shackles Society and Meiran.

Dozens of men surrounded Allen. The exact same situation as before was unfolding.

The moment a man wielding an axe charged toward him—

Allen's sword flashed.

Celestial Star Style, First Form.

Behold.

Whooooosh!

The body of the axe-wielding man split apart.

Allen began racing through the Family Head's Hall in earnest.

Dozens of men charged toward him.

Cutting through their ranks like the wind, Allen's sword accurately pierced and slashed their vital points.

Then came the next technique.

Celestial Star Style, Second Form.

Rainstorm.

Whoooom.

Allen's sword produced the sound of wind.

But the sword energy did not fly outward.

Although he had been told to recreate what happened back then, he couldn't very well wreck the Family Head's Hall.

But Axion could see it.

He could see the technique released from Allen's sword sweeping through dozens of men.

After executing the technique, Allen stopped briefly in place.

The frightened men screamed and stumbled about in confusion. Seizing that opening, Allen once again moved like the wind.

There was no hesitation in Allen's sword as he claimed his enemies' lives. As the sequence of sword strikes continued, Axion's eyes grew increasingly interested.

Finally, Osval, the remaining leader of the Iron Shackles Society, tried to take Meiran hostage.

The moment Allen saw that, he unleashed his final technique.

First Form, Behold.

Splaaash!

In Allen's vision, Osval's arm flew through the air.

Osval screamed and fell to his knees.

With that, the battle was over.

Coming back to his senses, Allen raised his head.

Before he knew it, he had returned from the shabby warehouse to the Family Head's Hall.

Allen stood still for a moment and looked up at Axion.

What would his father say after watching his battle?

Allen had done his best to recreate the events exactly as they had happened. He had tried not to leave out the slightest detail, nor had he attempted to embellish anything.

Even so, deep down, he had expected at least a remark like 'Not bad.'

Tsk.

Axion clicked his tongue.

He seemed dissatisfied with something.

“There was a hostage, I see.”

Allen was startled by those words.

What Axion said next was even more astonishing.

“You should have aimed for his neck rather than his arm at the end. That would have been safer for the hostage as well.”

Allen had thought it must have looked as though he were simply swinging his sword at empty air, yet Axion spoke as though he had personally witnessed the events.

What surprised him even more were the words that followed.

“Your techniques are a mess. Above all, your movements are far too large and predictable. You need to learn how to weave your forms into ordinary sword strikes.”

“When you stopped midway, was it because you were savoring the feeling of executing that technique for the first time? Perhaps because of that, your stride was longer than before when you transitioned into your next move.”

“Your stance is too low. I assume you were trying to deceive your enemies' eyes. The intention was good, but you overdid it. Lowering your body too much inevitably weakens your sword strikes.”

Axion's criticisms did not end there.

His stride, his posture, the resulting instability of his sword, and the transitions between his forms and ordinary sword techniques.

Allen mentally reconstructed the battle according to Axion's observations.

It was clear that following Axion's advice would allow him to fight far more efficiently.

‘So I made this many mistakes.’

Allen lowered his head.

“I apologize. I've shown you something disgraceful.”

He felt ashamed of himself for secretly hoping to receive praise.

To a swordsman of Axion's caliber, his swordsmanship was riddled with mistakes.

He truly had an enormously long way to go.

That was what he was thinking.

“No. There's no need to be ashamed.”

Axion's voice came from above his bowed head.

The words that followed made Allen's breath catch.

“You did well.”