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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 54: Even I Have to Admit That Was Shameless
“Thank you, Sister. I appreciate your concern.”
I personally escorted Ulbhild back, after she had finished her meal.
“Allen, you’re quite considerate.”
Ulbhild smiled lightly at me.
“Come find me tomorrow at dawn.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve already talked with the Head Butler. I can’t teach you swordsmanship, but I’ve been given permission to help you deepen your understanding of the mind techniques you’ve already learned.”
She’d already visited the Head Butler? That was unexpected.
“After seeing you today, I realized there’s no need to teach you the basics of such clumsy swordsmanship. That’s fortunate, but mana cultivation techniques are a bit different.”
As she said, mana cultivation techniques were my weak area. Thanks to my time in Karzan, I had easily reached 3rd tier, but I was never the type of swordsman who overwhelmed enemies with the depth of his mind techniques and mana.
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”
“First, elevate your level of mind techniques and accumulate more mana. While doing so, don’t neglect physical training. If you develop yourself as a proper swordsman, you’ll reach the 4th-tier naturally."
“The 4th-tier swordsman who hasn’t learned swordsmanship? That’s quite peculiar.”
…Just like Karzan.
In any case, this was an opportunity. I heard Ulbhild was a genius when it came to martial arts and had a curious nature. So, she would surely be a good teacher, wouldn’t she?
‘The saying that if Ulbhild had joined the succession struggle, she might have outshone Karl.’
I was also curious.
‘What tier has Ulbhilde reached now?’
With her relentless training, her exceptional talent, the exceptional martial arts and spirit medicines of Grunewald, and her teachers,
Where had this genius reached after a period of dedicated training under the most perfect conditions? Perhaps she had already reached the 6th-tier.
‘That’s absurd.’
Even though I had started my path of martial arts without a proper teacher, let alone a third-rate martial art or a single sip of a third-rate spirit medicine—
Hadn’t the sword genius Karzan only reached the very late stages of the 6th-tier after a lifetime of training and strugggles?
‘Of course, tiers aren’t always an objective measure of combat ability.’
Frankly, the system where nobles who ate only the best while accumulating mana and mastering martial arts benefited the most was the tier system.
However, in real combat, one could easily be killed by an opponent at a lower tier who had well-balanced martial arts and experience.
Therefore, if Karzan’s actual combat ability were converted into a tier, it would be at least the mid-7th-tier or higher. I’m making excuses, but it’s the truth.
‘Anyway.’
It was truly remarkable to have reached the 6th-tier at such a young age, in her early twenties. Even better was the fact that Ulbhild’s teachings could fill in my weaknesses.
Just like Grunewald’s martial arts had added the finesse of defense and stability that I lacked.
‘But there’s no need to be overly humble.’
I had confirmed that Ulbhild wasn’t simply offering this favor out of pity for me, as a raw gemstone.
‘The reason she wants to meet me with Angantyr’s daughter.’
Once I knew the reason, I would finally understand her purpose.
‘It’s a good thing.’
It was better to be wary of favors given without any conditions. But now that I knew she wanted something, my mind was at ease.
‘This is a deal.’
So, I intended to be confident.
“Allen.”
Ulbhild, who had quietly waited for my thoughts, extended her hand.
"Let's seal our trust with this."
I clasped hands with Ulbhild, feeling the calluses and scars etched into her palm.
"Your hands are strong, Sister."
"Thank you for saying so."
Ulbhild smiled faintly.
"But you said you met the Head Butler?"
"Yes."
"Why won't Father allow me to learn swordsmanship?"
Ulbhild nodded, understanding my frustration.
"The swordsmanship instructor who would have suited you was on a trip to a foreign land."
"Ah, so that's it?"
"You'll be able to meet him soon. However—"
Ulbhild's expression turned strange as she said that.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing."
What's with the uncertainty?
***
Jeffrey, the captain of the Royal Guard, was on edge, investigating the culprit who had boldly infiltrated the prison and poisoned and killed the prisoners.
"What kind of reckless bastard would do something like that?"
Thanks to this, he was going to have to work all night. If he hadn't won 100 gold, he might have just thrown everything over.
"There are no clues at all, is there?"
"He was very skilled. There's not a single trace. There's no sign of anything being forcibly fed or any wounds."
"A poison master?"
"There were no abnormalities in the atmosphere."
"The world is big. There are assassins who can freely spread and collect poison."
Jeffrey said.
"Get rid of your preconceptions. Foolish preconceptions only help the enemy."
"I apologize."
"Of course, there could be other possibilities. We need to investigate, considering all cases."
"Yes!"
"This is a challenge to the Royal Guards. They dared to underestimate us."
"I will definitely catch the culprit."
Jeffrey nodded.
‘A casual trip abroad is turning into a major incident.’
Coincidentally, Allenvert was caught in the middle of it.
‘I need to find the culprit quickly.’
It was for Allenvert's sake as well.
…Because he had decided to become Allenvert's retainer.
‘Damn.’
Remembering the Head Butler's reaction as he laughed and said he knew it would happen, Jeffrey called one of his subordinates.
"Young Master Allenvert doesn't know about this yet."
Allenvert, who had almost no people on his side, was bound to be the last to know.
"Go to the annex quietly and tell him about this."
***
I returned to my bedroom after seeing Ulbhild off.
"Wow, my head is spinning."
My mind was racing with the things I had heard from Ulbhild.
‘Everyone is so tangled up with each other.’
Compared to the chaos of the underworld, where factions constantly battled for territory and influence, the inner workings of Grunewald seemed even more complex.
"Young Master, I apologize."
Olivier suddenly apologized to me.
"For what?"
"For letting you know about Angantyr's hostage being in the Special Operations Division through Her Highness."
"Ah, that?"
I nodded indifferently.
"Well, it's true that I was furious when I heard it."
I looked at Olivier.
"But I didn't say anything to you at that moment. Why do you think that is?"
"Did you think I had some ulterior motive?"
"That's right."
It's convenient to talk to someone as perceptive as Olivier.
"As you heard, she's been practically abandoned by her own clan."
"I was curious about that part too. What exactly happened?"
I asked.
"The new clan chief originally planned to marry his eldest daughter to the Duke."
"Right. I heard that part from Peter. And that it went awry, so they sent the youngest daughter as a hostage."
Come to think of it, if that had happened, I would have ended up with the daughter of my enemy as my stepmother. What kind of twisted family tree would that be?
"At the time, because of the word 'hostage,' I thought she would keep a low profile. I didn't think it was important and forgot about it."
"Yes, that's understandable."
Olivier cleared his throat and explained.
"Actually, her case is a bit special. She's what you might call a 'guest'."
"A guest?"
"In ancient times, when there were many smaller countries, princes and noblemen from various countries would often flee to foreign lands to avoid internal strife or succession disputes."
I recalled a lesson from my tutor.
"Right, I remember. I heard that the reason they were accepted was because they had a use."
"That's correct. That usefulness, simply put..."
"You would lavish them with hospitality and cultivate their abilities, and in case of need, you could use them as a pretext to intervene in the internal affairs of another country?"
"Ah, that's exactly right."
Olivier replied with surprised eyes.
"I didn't need to explain it to you."
Human nature is always the same. Even in the underworld, such things happened occasionally.
"Do you think Father is aiming for that?"
"I don't think so, but I'm not sure."
"Really?"
"Yes. If he were to give the position of clan chief to someone, it would have to be a survivor of the Eisenach family. I don't think there's any need to give it to the daughter of a usurper who has been abandoned, no matter how little blood relation she has."
"That makes sense when you think about it."
I was curious about Olivier's insight.
"Then why do you think she's here?"
"I don't know exactly. But one thing is clear. She is a formidable warrior. Her battle prowess is undoubtedly valuable."
"Hmm."
"I heard that she's assigned to the Special Operations Division and moves with her personal retainers. It means that not only is she personally powerful, but her retainers are also quite strong."
"I see. So, they're few in number but highly skilled. The Special Operations Division seems to be a special unit where they gather misfits and let them run wild."
"Yes, probably... They're probably closer to sacrificial offerings, given freely to be used and discarded. We could say that this particular offering has managed to survive exceptionally well."
"That's rather cruel."
Peter asked cautiously.
"Did the clan chief know this would happen when he sent his daughter?"
"Peter, that's power. Imagine succeeding in a usurpation at the cost of your clan's fate, only to face a crisis that could ruin everything."
Olivier said with a dark expression.
"If you can prevent it by sacrificing one child, it's almost a blessing. It's harsh, but that's reality."
"Olivier is right."
I said.
"Of course, things would be different from the perspective of the abandoned daughter."
Just like Allenvert.
"In a way, our situations are quite similar."
Both Peter and Olivier looked at me with sorrowful eyes.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing."
Olivier coughed.
"Anyway, I'm sure the clan chief is considering several possibilities. However, I heard that her reputation within the unit is quite good. She's said to have quite a few accomplishments."
"So, she's been living a rather intense life."
I thought about the daughter of my enemy, whom I had never met, but who had been abandoned by her father.
"After hearing about her, I'm even more eager to meet her."
Perhaps we could join hands against a common enemy.
It's common for several organizations to form an alliance to take down a powerful one.
‘Or perhaps I'm just gaining another enemy.’
I didn't intend to jump to conclusions yet.
***
After taking a bath to wash away the day's fatigue, I found Peter and Olivier waiting for me with serious expressions.
"Why are you both looking so glum? Did they forget to pay you?"
"Young Master, we've received urgent news."
"That's strange. Did I even have an information network to send me urgent news?"
"Captain Jeffrey sent someone."
"Jeffrey?"
Was this the 100 gold reward? Well, if he had earned that much thanks to me, it was only right to give something back.
"The thugs you captured were poisoned to death in the prison. All of them."
"What?"
This was absurd news.
"Is that even possible? Was the security that lax?"
"It happened while you were dueling with Keseg. They say it was done by someone very skilled and left no trace."
"Hmm."
That wasn't easy. It seemed like they had hired an expensive assassin.
"You don't know who did it yet, right?"
"Yes, they're still investigating."
I frowned and thought.
‘It couldn't have been Somerset.’
I didn't know how cruel his mother was, but Somerset wanted to bury this matter, even going so far as to accept the demand of an expensive potion. He wasn't stupid enough to do something so obvious now.
"Perhaps it wasn't Somerset who did it."
I had a feeling.
‘Is it an internal enemy or an external one?’
And what was the culprit’s goal? Everything was shrouded in mystery right now.
However, above all else,
“No matter what anyone says, this castle is the stronghold of Grunewald and belongs to my father. To boldly assassinate prisoners belonging to the Royal Guards in such a place? It’s nothing short of a challenge to my father. What a brazen bastard.”
“That’s right. If he were caught, it would be a reckless act that could immediately throw him out of the succession race.”
Therefore, Verdzig couldn’t be the culprit either.
Of course, even though he was a man with enough aggression and cruelty to commit murder without hesitation, he was unlikely to be stupid enough to shed unnecessary blood.
‘If he were that dull, he wouldn’t be my rival.’
However, I knew. Verdzig was a powerful man whom I, in my current state, could never hope to defeat.
‘Damn it.’
A wave of irritation washed over me.
‘I just want to grab all martial arts manuals and spirit medicines and hide in some deep mountain.’
If I trained there for about ten years, I’d be the strongest.
‘…But then I wouldn’t gain anything truly important.’
I licked my lips and thought about the impact that Ulbhild’s teachings would have.
‘I wonder if she’ll give me any spirit medicines?’
Hmm, even I have to admit that it was shameless. Fuck that—I'll take it back.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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