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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 37:Keep People at a Distance
"Hmm."
I paid attention to the depth and angle of each step I took.
I observed how the muscles in my back and chest engaged in the sword's trajectory, and checked how accurately the sword strike accelerated through my shoulder, elbow, and wrist traced its intended curve.
"Good. This is the feeling."
Gradually, the sword in my mind was aligning with the sword in reality.
You could say it was the process of Allenvert's body implementing the sword techniques that Karzan's soul remembered.
"Hiyaaah!"
Shouting like this really helps channel more power.
Like Ivan who had lost his mind to gambling, I became absorbed in repeatedly thrusting, striking down, cutting deep, slashing upward, and then retreating.
However, there was a small problem.
My palms were still unaccustomed to the rough surface of the sword handle and startted to tear.
Drip, drip.
Blood flowed through the torn skin.
Yet somehow, I felt a small thrill from the sight.
Only the living being can feel pain.
"Young master!"
Someone seemed to be calling out, but I couldn't hear anything.
I just kept swinging the sword mindlessly until scabs formed and tore off again, leaving my skin badly mangled.
I knew I was wielding the sword quite emotionally at this moment. But I couldn't stop.
'If my past self had trained more intensely...'
Even when that final moment came, I could have easily escaped Ivan's encirclement.
'If I had grasped the profound principles of spiral and penetration just a little earlier...'
My death was the result of my own arrogance.
'I used to mock formal training, believing real combat was everything. But why didn't I understand that persistent discipline in daily life creates higher levels of martial arts?'
Only fools dwell on regret. If enduring some hand pain could help avoid the agony of getting stabbed in the gut, I had the confidence to repeat this as many times as needed.
"Young master! You're bleeding too much!"
"Huh?"
Peter's shout suddenly brought me back to my senses.
...The sword handle was stained red with blood. I could sense the guards whispering as they watched.
"My lord. Pushing your body this hard isn't the right approach."
Even Olivier took the sword from me with a grim expression.
"...But it was just getting good."
I handed over the sword while clicking my tongue.
"I apologize, but I've already called for a doctor. Please rest for now."
"Aren't you all being overprotective? This is nothing."
I looked down at my hands which were raw and scabbed.
'Now they finally look like the hands of someone who's held a sword.'
It's shameful for a swordsman to have clean hands.
"Ow. Ssss."
But the skin damage was indeed severe. Once my focus broke, the familiar stinging began to torment my skin.
"Wow, this really stings."
It felt like rubbing salt into the wounds.
"What came over you? Why did you act so crazy when it hurts so much?"
Peter grumbled at my sudden change in attitude.
"See? We weren't making a fuss over nothing."
"You're right."
As I tilted my head wondering why I acted that way, Peter carefully asked.
"Young master, there really was something you didn't tell us yesterday, right? You seemed very angry since morning."
He was certainly right.
The humiliation from last night. And the explosion of certain emotions that had built up inside me after being forced to recall past events I didn't want to remember.
...But I had no intention of being that honest.
"No, not really. Just had some unsettling dreams."
At any rate, it seemed I wouldn't be able to swing the sword anymore today.
'At some point, I was swinging the sword just to vent my anger.'
If that's the case, swinging it ten thousand times would be meaningless.
Feeling my head finally cooling down, I said.
"Let's eat."
"Yes, sir."
"Since you need treatment, it would be best to eat in your chambers today."
I nodded at Olivier's suggestion.
"Let's do that."
I gave Olivier a quick glance before speaking again.
"By the way, Olivier."
"Yes, my lord."
"Has the approval not come through yet?"
"...No. But you should be able to go out by tomorrow at the latest."
"I see. Then there's no helping it today."
"Yes. Please wait a bit longer as we need to finalize the security detail."
"Alright."
We deliberately discussed plans for going out where many ears could hear.
"..."
I noticed several guards who were either watching intently or straining their ears while pretending not to.
Could their eyes and ears belong to Verdzig? Who knows. These are guards not from Verdzig’s unit.
However, there was no guarantee that that cunning man's influence hadn't spread to other units.
"Hey Peter. Hasn't that bastard been staring at me this whole time?"
"Ah, I actually felt that too, sir."
I pointed to a guard whose every movement seemed unnecessarily affected.
"...Ah."
Olivier sighed as if he knew who it was.
"Who is he?"
"Guard Keseg. Third son of a vassal clan. He's ambitious and power-hungry, always trying to curry favor with the Second Young Master."
"If his intentions are that transparent, he must have been making quite a spectacle of himself."
"Yes."
"Then he must be itching to show off right now, right?"
I smiled while looking directly at Keseg.
"For example, by humiliating the pathetic Fourth Young Master who recently showed disrespect to the Second Young Master, through a sparring match or something."
"...You mustn't fight."
Olivier blocked Keseg's line of sight by standing in front of me.
"Who said anything about fighting?"
I twisted my lips into a creepy smile while looking at Olivier's worried brow.
"I'm just saying he might try to pick a fight."
Though apparently not yet. Despite his looks, he seems to be quite the coward.
"Also, my lord."
"Yes?"
Olivier wore a complicated expression.
"...If something is weighing on your mind, please share it with us."
To those words, I couldn't say I would. Not yet.
"I'll try."
I looked down at my palms again.
'What a shame. I felt like I was about to realize something.'
It's frustrating that my body couldn't keep up. But let's not rush. You cannot reach a thousand miles away if you do not start step-by-step.
* * *
I returned to my chambers to get my palm wounds treated. Then-
"My lord. I came as requested."
"Well, who do we have here."
Doctor Joseph carefully opened the door and entered.
"I heard your injuries were severe."
I showed him my palms.
"Ah, this."
Joseph asked in surprise.
"Did this happen while practicing with a sword?"
"It's nothing. Just overdid it a bit."
"!"
"My hands were like a baby's from not holding a sword for so long."
"Even so, this is too..."
I cut off Joseph's words.
"But I didn't expect you to come personally."
"..."
"I heard you've been in charge of my care, but why haven't you shown your face since I woke up?"
"I apologize."
Joseph looked between me and Olivier, explaining in a small voice.
"This may sound like an excuse, but my master forbade me from coming."
"Why?"
"He feared I might say things I shouldn't out of sympathy for Young Master Allenvert."
Unlike Ludan, it seemed the chief physician had strong self-preservative tendencies.
I had no intention of criticizing that. He wanted to protect his position, after all.
'Besides, I already know everything I wanted to know.'
However, Joseph appeared quite troubled by it.
"You're good at following your master's orders. So why come now?"
"There was a change in my heart that made me defy my master's words."
"...Eh, really?"
When I asked in surprise, Joseph replied embarrassedly.
"It's true that I presumptively felt sympathy for you, my lord."
"And?"
"To be honest, I heard that you had become close with the First Young Master. That gave me some peace of mind."
"Ah, then were you not afraid of Brother Verdzig?"
"...Well, with the First Young Master around, he might be more cautious, right?"
Joseph's strangely naive nature and surprisingly candid revelation of his thoughts made Olivier and me exchange glances.
'Is he usually this simple?'
'Generally, yes.'
No wonder his master stopped him. I suddenly felt sorry for his master.
"Joseph. You're unnecessarily honest."
"I-I'm sorry."
"No, I appreciate it."
"Yes. Ah, let me treat your wounds while we talk."
Joseph applied herbs to my hands, poured potion over them, and wrapped them in bandages.
'Wow, this stings like hell.'
I almost slipped into casual speech.
But a man who can't endure pain is no man at all. I maintained a dignified expression and quietly received treatment. Pinching my thigh helped me bear it.
"You endure well. Even the guards cry out in pain from this."
You prescribe something this painful to me? I glared at Joseph while responding.
"It does hurt quite a bit."
"I'm sorry. But this method is the most effective..."
I've always thought doctors tend to be too insensitive to their patients' pain.
"Hehe, Doctor. It's been so long since we've seen you."
Peter laughed airily.
"Have you been well?"
"Yes, thanks to the young master."
I recalled Peter saying he had tried to win Joseph's favor hoping it might help me somehow. Indeed, they seemed quite close.
"Um, my lord."
Joseph lowered his voice carefully, as if ready to get to the main point.
"You can speak freely. There's no longer any risk of conversations leaking from my quarters."
"Ah, I see."
Joseph wiped his sweaty palms on his pants with a very tense expression.
"My lord. The reason I came here despite defying my master's orders is because there's something I absolutely must tell you."
Joseph's face revealed hesitation, fear, and slight confusion all at once.
"What could be so important?"
Joseph finally answered while wrapping bandages around my hand:
"...It's about the survivors from your maternal family, the House of Eisenach."
My blood ran cold.
"What did you just say?"
"I-I'm not certain. But perhaps..."
Joseph couldn't meet my eyes and hung his head low.
"They might be alive somewhere in the criminal underworld of Grunewald city."
Why would Joseph, a mere doctor, know this? How did he find out? Could he be delivering false information from someone else?
Why, coincidentally, would Joseph bring this information just as I was planning to leave?
...Putting aside all those questions and possibilities for now, I said.
"Peter, Olivier. Keep people at a distance."
This warranted extra caution.
"Y-yes sir."
"Yes."
I had a feeling that whatever conversation was about to follow shouldn't reach anyone else's ears.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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