Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The Swordsmanship Genius Who Transcends Through a Pact Chapter 15

“Huh...”

One noble finally let out a sound, and the gathered crowd erupted into commotion.

“What in the world is that...”

“Didn't they say he spent an entire year shut inside his room?”

“He wasn't even a Sword Beginner before that, yet now he's at least at the level of a Sword User...”

“Did you see? I could've sworn the Frost Giant's hand froze...”

“Nonsense. A monster that lives in the snow freezing? You might as well say a fish drowned.”

The main event was undoubtedly the Subjugation Festival being held the next day, but today's competition had still drawn everyone's attention.

Especially when the nobles who had come to cheer for their own children were sinking into shock.

“I thought there were nothing but chaff here. How interesting.”

For the first time since stepping down from the platform, the Grand Duke of Vahen spoke.

His gaze rested on Ian alone.

* * *

I grabbed the Frost Giant head rolling across the ground and stuffed it back into the sack.

If this weren't the Subjugation Festival, I would've brought back only the ears...

‘But if I'm going to do this, I might as well make the point unmistakable.’

Stopping the massive invasion would require more than increasing my own strength.

I needed allies too.

And to gather them, I had to draw attention with a display this obvious.

The Frost Giant heads lying around were pretty gruesome, but there wasn't much I could do about that.

“Young Master, well done.”

“Ah, thanks.”

Tarian hurried over and handed me a towel.

I really did look ridiculous.

Frost Giants lived up to the word giant in their name, and they bled accordingly, leaving my entire body soaked in their blood.

As I wiped my face, I could feel the gazes around me.

‘Was that enough?’

“Ian.”

“Brother, what do you think?”

“I knew you'd succeed.”

“You looked pretty shocked for someone who knew.”

“...Just let that go.”

My brother smiled as he wiped away some blood I'd missed.

That reaction alone told me everything.

It hadn't merely been enough.

It had been more than enough.

“The way people look at you has changed completely.”

“As it should.”

I glanced around from the corner of my eye.

The other participants were sorting through the materials they'd brought back, but most of them were nothing remarkable.

“What in the...”

“Lord Johannes isn't the winner?”

I chuckled at the bewildered contestants.

“Ian Rashid—no, Sir Ian.”

“Hey, just call me normally.”

“Ahem. Then, Ian. It was a good match.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”

A good match?

For a moment I wondered about that, considering the rather substantial gap between us.

Still, Johannes Vahen's results were fairly good compared to everyone else's.

Aside from getting flustered at the beginning, his movements hadn't been bad.

And he'd killed several monsters, including Frost Giants.

But.

‘At this level, he wouldn't accomplish much even when the massive invasion comes.’

Well, setting that aside.

“Hand it over.”

“Uh...?”

“Your sword. You said I'd get it.”

I held out my hand with a smile and saw his own hand begin trembling.

Since he was a direct descendant of House Vahen, it was undoubtedly a famed sword.

‘But I already have Frostfang.’

Even if it was a famous blade, I probably wouldn't have many occasions to use it.

The reason I still insisted on taking it was simple.

There might be another Pact attached to it, just like Frostfang.

-J-Johan, you're not really going to...?

“A promise... is a promise.”

-Johan! Johan!

The sword called desperately to its owner, but unfortunately, Johannes couldn't hear its voice.

“Hehehe. You're mine now.”

“...”

I could feel the tension in Johannes's hand around the hilt.

He clearly didn't want to let go until the very end.

The instant I practically pried the sword out of his grasp—

[You have successfully completed your Pact with Winterbane (Rare).]

[You have acquired ‘Extreme Cold Art (D)’!]

[Extreme Cold Art (D)]

[Rank: Epic]

[Description: House Vahen's secret mana cultivation art. Expands the mana circuits and increases affinity with mana. Allows energy to be given tangible form.]

Extreme Cold Art.

The cultivation art that had raised House Vahen into the dominant power of the North.

And an Epic-grade skill at that.

“Hoo...”

As I quietly exhaled, I could feel far more mana flowing throughout my body than before.

‘Cold.’

The mana that had previously only strengthened my physical abilities now naturally radiated around my body.

Seeing my own mana given visible form instead of merely using it internally felt strangely mystical.

“What in the world is this...”

“Ian, you've achieved something.”

“Congratulations, Young Master.”

Johannes looked completely bewildered, my brother smiled warmly despite his surprise, and Tarian accepted it with the calm expression of someone who'd expected this all along.

-T-This is cheating!

‘What cheating?’

-Waaah... Johan, save me...

I smiled as I enjoyed the pleasant chill.

It was a cultivation art perfectly suited to the mana attribute I'd obtained through Frost's Blessing.

‘And this isn't all.’

There was no way something with only this much effect could have raised House Vahen to its current height.

The true value of Extreme Cold Art was that it was a growth-type skill.

Here, giving energy tangible form was a slightly different concept from sword aura.

Rather than merely being a product of martial force, it was closer to a magical phenomenon—almost like an innate characteristic of the family.

‘You can see it clearly in the way Luke Vahen fights in the game.’

I remembered him not merely coating his sword in aura, but even using wide-area techniques like massive freezing waves.

Considering that, obtaining this now was almost unbelievable.

“Nice. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.”

-M-Mouth water? Are you planning to eat me...?

“...”

I stared down at Winterbane as it made a bizarre misunderstanding.

Then I glanced toward Johannes.

“Want it back?”

“A p-promise is a promise.”

“If you want it back, say so. I'm willing to make a deal.”

The gazes around us, which had been watching us curiously, filled with shock.

After all, I'd just taken Winterbane, one of House Vahen's famed blades.

I didn't particularly care about them.

The only person whose opinion made me hesitate was my brother...

“You earned it through a fair exchange. It's yours to do with as you wish.”

Perhaps sensing my concern, my brother smiled as he spoke.

As expected of him.

I nodded and studied Johannes.

‘While I have the chance, I should make sure this guy grows properly too.’

I needed to advance Johannes Vahen's growth trigger, and while I was at it, obtain whatever I could from House Vahen.

And if possible, secure House Vahen's cooperation as well.

One way or another.

“As expected, it ended with your victory, Young Master.”

“I told you. I never intended to hand you over.”

“Hmm...”

Apparently Tarian hadn't expected me to say that, because he looked at me and let out a small laugh.

“As always, Young Master, you're a fascinating person.”

“Ahh...”

At those words, Johannes looked back and forth between me and Tarian.

I couldn't understand why he was sighing like someone whose beloved had been stolen away.

“Well, let's stay in touch from time to time.”

“Y-You'd do that? As expected, you're my...”

“Hm?”

“Ah, nothing.”

Even though he'd lost both Tarian and Winterbane, Johannes's expression was strangely peaceful.

‘What's with him?’

The way he kept staring at me was slightly uncomfortable, but at least the emotion seemed positive.

It would've been troublesome if he'd started harboring resentment.

“Well, let's go.”

The judges had already approached and quickly began tallying the results.

Each Frost Giant was worth fifty points.

Considering that monsters on the left path averaged five to eight points, while those on the right averaged ten to twenty, the score was overwhelming.

“Th-The, the final total is... one thousand points.”

“Huh.”

Admiration spread through the crowd at the judge's trembling announcement.

Twenty Frost Giants.

My ability to kill that many was impressive, but more importantly.

‘The fact that House Vahen captured this many is even more impressive.’

As I'd said, a group of them was dangerous enough to destroy an entire village.

The fact that House Vahen could release so many here and still keep them under control showed just how powerful the family was.

“Hah. The winner is practically decided already.”

“What do you think? I told you I was confident.”

“Of course I believed you. Though I didn't expect quite this much.”

To be fair, I hadn't expected it to be this easy either.

In the game, this was the kind of score you'd only attempt around the second year.

Johannes was in second place with two hundred points, leaving a considerable gap.

‘I didn't think the difference in level would be this wide.’

Thinking about the massive invasion arriving five years from now made the road ahead feel long.

Especially when the current North had grown complacent during this rare period of peace and was even reducing military spending.

“Huh, I'd never even heard his name, yet he won. We'll have to watch him carefully from now on.”

“Perhaps the saying that no younger brother surpasses his elder is wrong after all. At that level, he may even surpass Baron Rashid...”

“Haha, rather than standing here, why don't we share a glass of wine...”

Nobles gathered around me.

Among them were several who'd dismissed me at first.

‘Interesting.’

I didn't particularly think badly of them.

Ian really had spent an entire year holed up in his room, and besides, keeping these people alive and bringing them onto my side would ultimately be useful.

Most of them were probably approaching me not because of my current strength, but because of what they imagined I'd become five years from now.

At this rate, half of them would probably be dead by then, though.

“Thank you all for your kind words. But if you'd like to discuss anything further, could you speak with my brother?”

“Ian?”

I felt a little guilty, but matters concerning the family were best decided by its head.

“Wait.”

Amid the nobles, one person walked toward us.

That same frost-silver hair I'd seen before.

Larissa Vahen approached with the same utterly expressionless face.

“Ian Rashid.”

Even though she spoke almost like a murmur, the nobles around us turned toward her.

Some even moved away entirely, which briefly confused me until I searched my memories and understood why.

‘A walking disaster.’

There was a reason she was no longer in the North by the time the game began.

She had gone around challenging not only the nobles here, but every knight under them one after another.

Eventually she left for the central regions entirely and reached Sword Master.

That was her personal storyline.

“It's an honor to meet you, Princess.”

“...?”

She tilted her head slightly, seeming mildly confused.

“Is something uncomfortable?”

“Speak casually.”

“Ah, I'm more comfortable being polite.”

She glanced toward Johan, apparently noticing the difference in how I treated them.

Unlike Johannes, she was someone who deserved formal speech.

The mere fact that she stood on the verge of Sword Master was enough reason to show respect.

‘She's probably around Tarian's level right now.’

Considering how much younger she was than Tarian, it was truly monstrous talent.

“His Grace is calling for you.”

“I see. Understood.”

“But that sword?”

“A reward I won through a wager.”