Juniang said she would need to go and hold a meeting about allowing me to enter the special test.
“They’ll probably allow it. If you want, I’m sure you’ll be allowed to rest today and then start tomorrow.”
“I’m fine.”
Honestly, although my body wasn’t in perfect condition, I didn’t think it would matter much.
“Then wait here for a moment.”
“Ah, just a second,” I said, stopping Juniang as she was about to leave. “Instructor Einsburn. Is he still here?”
“The Instructor of Law? What about him?”
There was a bit of hostility in her response.
Ignoring the feeling that something was wrong, I asked, “I received some information during my battle with Juan. Instructor Eisburn is likely a cultist as well—or at the very least an informant.”
“Really... I thought so.”“...?”
Unexpectedly, Juniang seemed to fully accept my words.
“It happened right after you and Juan disappeared: He suddenly said he was in pain and asked to leave. He probably just wanted to run away.”
“Ah... then has he already escaped?”
“He left the camp.” The edges of Juniang’s lips curled. “But he hasn’t been able to completely leave Bednicker yet. He is probably being held in the checkpoint at the entrance to the forest.”
“Oh... so not even instructors are allowed to leave the camp?”
“That’s right.”
As expected of Bednicker.
Instructors and young heroes were both equal under its laws.
“I’ll interrogate him myself.”
For an acting heretic inquisitor to interrogate someone...
I felt a sense of pride in my heart as I nodded.
“Since you’re going to interrogate him, is there a way to find out if there are any other rats within the house?”
“I didn’t find anything when I investigated before... but I might be able to find something if I use Einsburn properly, yeah.”
Juniang left with a wave.
While I waited for her, I went out to the backyard of the young hero’s lodge.
I drew the Sword of Seven Sins and brushed over the flat of the blade with my hand.
...Martial God?
[Speak.]
As if he had been waiting for me, I heard the Martial God’s voice.
Maybe it was just me, but... he sounded upset.
Are you perhaps angry?
[Angry? Me?]
After letting out a dry laugh, the Martial God adopted a serious tone.
[How could I be? You are not a child unknowing of the world. It was your choice whether to follow the advice I gave you. At the age of fifteen, it is only right that you act as you wish.]
He was definitely angry.
[But in the end, you were able to return to reality without issue, so your decision was proven correct. I was wrong. I made a grave mistake. I won’t say anything in the future no matter what danger you encounter, so do not worry.]
He seemed to be even angrier than I’d anticipated.
I hadn’t expected a god to be so petty...
But I knew this was founded in his worry for me, so I didn’t get angry at him or anything like that.
I apologize.
First, I apologized.
Then, before the Martial God could say anything, I quickly continued, To be honest, after I fell to Hell, I truly regretted it and was overtaken by fear. I regretted it more and more, thinking I should have listened to your advice, Martial God...
[...]
At the end, I understood. “Ah, so this is why the words of our elders shouldn’t be ignored. There is at least a bit of truth in every word our elders speak...”
[...]
After this, I will never ignore or take lightly your advice, Martial God. Really!
[...Really?]
Of course. I do not lie!
[That is a lie right there.]
“...”
[Fuu...]
The Martial God let out a deep sigh.
[...I can tell you’re not truly remorseful, but I sense sincerity in your words to me, so I understand.]
Thank you.
[However, never... never again set foot so willingly into Hell. Demonic energy is far too dangerous for a living being.]
Our conversation had finally gotten around to this issue.
I had been waiting for him to say that.
I’m asking since it came up: Is training with my blessing the only way to resist demonic energies and demon lords’ authorities?
[What do you mean?]
I only have one blessing, and it’s not a combat blessing or something I can train. After being exposed to so much demonic energy, I realized... it didn’t feel like something I can resist just by training my mind or body.
[Hmm...]
The Martial God spoke as if he was nodding.
[It is as you say. Your kind differentiates between the Gods of Disaster and the Righteous Gods, but in essence, they are the same. And until you reach a certain point, the only thing that can resist the power of a god is the power of another god.]
Then if you could possibly grant me a blessing, Martial God...?
The Martial God’s tone turned bitter.
[Unfortunately, I do not have such power currently.]
“...”
[But there is a method. You can form a contract with me.]
A... contract?
[The blessing of a god can only be obtained by those who possess the blood of the heirs. However, the power of a divine beast can be borrowed without much trouble. Of course, you still need to form a contract with them.]
The Martial God seemed surprised.
[Did you not know this, even though you are of a hero’s bloodline?]
I’d known about divine beasts, but I hadn’t known that there existed a method like this to borrow their power.
Just what is a divine beast exactly?
[They are beasts who became gods. In the past, they were called Spirit Beasts, Mythical Beasts, and even Mystical Beasts. They are usually favorable to the seven races. If you wish, it would not be too difficult to obtain a contract with them.]
Hmm...
[Your house inherited the blood of the Black Fairy Kuset, correct? Then the power of the divine beast that supports your house should also be great. Ask your caretaker when you have the time.]
By caretaker, did he mean the Lord of Blood and Iron?
I just nodded for now.
Understood. Ah, and...
[What is it?]
For some reason, the Martial God didn’t seem like he would disappear anytime soon today, so I decided to ask him every question I’d thought of so far.
* * * * *
* * * * *
I want to ask about the White Sun Form.
[Hmm. Go on.]
“I gained inspiration about the techniques in the second half—”
I slowly explained everything I’d thought of during my stay on Spirit Mountain.
The relationship between the Strongest Fire Technique and the White Sun Form.
The symbolism of fire.
The focus on dodging and defense for the techniques in the second half.
After listening to everything I had to say, the Martial God nodded.
[It’s a decent approach... There is no reason for all actions to be offensive. You have enough destructive potential within the first half.]
Right?
[You are flexible in your thinking, Inheritor. Very good.]
“...”
The moment I heard him say “very good”...
I experienced a sudden shock to my emotions.
The Martial God didn’t seem to realize this as he continued speaking.
[However, what is most important is the connectedness of the movements.]
...Connectedness?
[To wrap together multiple different movements into one martial art, the transition between each must be natural, from the very first technique to the very last. Even if you mix up the order, they must flow smoothly without stopping.]
Ah.
So...
Even if I used falling flame right after flaming wheel.
Even if I used scorching heat right after falling flame.
Not just ordinally, from one technique to the technique that follows it, but every sequence, even reverse order, needed to be possible.
I see. That’s the reason I can use all my techniques at once.
Thinking about it now, it wasn’t anything impressive, but it felt as if I had awakened to a new truth about martial arts.
Please teach me more about the secrets of the Galactic Sword.
[Hmm?]
After holding the Sword of Seven Sins upright, I performed the Galactic Sword.
[Hooh...]
This was the first time the Martial God of this timeline had seen my Galactic Sword.
He let out an exclamation before asking me a question.
[Did you perhaps train in the Galactic Sword while I was unconscious, Inheritor?]
Pardon?
[It is surprising to see you entering the realm of Dubhe already.]
Ah... well, it ended up like that.
[I see...]
The Martial God seemed satisfied.
[It is simple to enter the realm of Merak. You only need to condense the sword trajectory you showed just now.]
Condense...?
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar terminology.
[You possess the blood of the black fairy, correct?]
You could say that.
[Since you possess both the blood of a human and that of the black fairy, achieving Merak won’t be difficult. However, Phecda will be difficult to reach with training alone.]
What do you...
[The Sword of Seven Sins possesses the secret of the Galactic Sword, and to unleash the power of the Sword of Seven Sins, you will require the essence of the seven races.]
Is that why the Sword of Seven Sins reacted to Mir before?
[Hmm... this is much too distant a concern for your current self.]
No, it was interesting.
[Is that so? If you have any other questions, you may ask them now.]
It felt as if showing off the Galactic Sword had made the Martial God’s attitude toward me become much more favorable.
Since I had the opportunity, I showed him lightning-walker steps and flame dash before asking my question.
The first technique is the one I most recently created, but I feel as if it connects very naturally to the technique I showed after it, even though there isn’t a great deal of connection between the two.
[Hmm...]
But it also doesn’t feel right to connect the two techniques together. It feels like it’d be more effective to use them simultaneously or in sequence. What do you think, Martial God?
[The technique you showed initially... was it inspired by thunder and lightning?]
Maybe it was to be expected of the Martial God, but his insight was deep.
With a bit of shock in my tone, I responded, That’s right. I named it the lightning-walker steps.
[Quite the bland naming sense...]
“...”
[In any case, if it is a martial art born from lightning, it is not odd that it connects so naturally. Fire and lightning possess similar characteristics, so it is easy to combine the two.]
Yes. I think of fire as a concept that can encompass lightning as well.
[Quite an interesting approach...]
The Martial God seemed uncharacteristically intrigued.
[All martial arts start with observation. The practitioners of old first obtained inspiration from what they saw, and countless martial arts were created from that. However, just because one sees the same as another, that does not mean they will create the same technique.]
What do you mean?
[Let us say that two martial masters observe the ocean. One might be awed by its vastness while the other fears its imperceptible depth. That is why nature is dependent on the interpretation of humans. It doesn’t matter if the characteristic you witness after deep observation differs from conventional wisdom.]
The words the Martial God said next ingrained themselves deeply in my mind.
[The truth of martial arts is already ingrained in the hearts of each independent being.]
Ah...
I let out an exclamation in a daze.
I suddenly had a thought.
This nameless Martial God’s personality was the complete opposite of Baek Nogwang’s...
But if I hadn’t met Baek Nogwang, I might have taken this person as my master.
[You have already understood the nature of stepping and running, so to balance it out, you should research a more effective way of moving your entire body.]
Understood.
I nodded as I realized what the Martial God had told me was the principle of light steps and light body, which my master had spoken about in passing in the past.
“Luan?”
At this time, I heard Juniang’s voice.
“What are you doing in the backyard? I’ve been looking for you.”
I sheathed the Sword of Seven Sins as I said, “...I find places like this to give me peace sometimes.
“Still the perfect individual to become a heretic inquis—”
“So what was the result of the meeting?”
“...Naturally, it went well.” Juniang pointed to the forest. “You can go in now if you want, or you can wait for the Instructor of Swords and Blades to return if you want to talk to him.”
“It’s fine.”
“Have you checked the items you can buy?” Juniang handed me a piece of paper. “It’s pretty similar to what was available during the second special test.”
I glanced over it and then handed it back to her.
“There’s nothing that useful to me.”
“Did you even look at it properly?”
“I did.”
“Hmm... Well, sure. Don’t regret it.”
I looked at the forest.
All right, then...
Let’s start for real.
***
“Ch-Charon has a purple ball...!”
“...”
Hector looked coldly at the one who had said that.
In a sense, he had been the busiest young hero during this training camp.
A young hero who had flapped his wings in every way possible.
Hans Bender.
How should Hector put this...
Hans had looked older than the others to begin with, but he seemed to have aged six more years in the past six weeks.
Eddy let out a laugh as he watched from the side.
“What nonsense. How long has it been since you were rubbing your hands together next to Charon like a mosquito? Did you think that if you came to us now and bowed, we would just say, ‘Ah, really?’ and believe you? Mr. Hector?”
Eddy looked at Hector.
“There’s no reason to listen to him. Since killing him is against the rules, we should just remove an arm and a leg and send him away.”
“I-it’s true! Mr. Hector...! Please believe me...”
Hans begged with his head held down to the ground.
“You know,” Hector slowly began, “no matter what happens during the training camp, I have no intention of carrying any favors or grudges into the outside world. The system here is meant to promote competition, so I decided to keep the events of the training camp within the training camp.”
“Y-yes...”
“But this is different, Hans Bender. If you lie to me, I promise you: The house you are from will not be let off. I swear upon my other name.”
His other name...?
After thinking for a bit, Hans’s face became pale.
H-House Anatos...!
The house of Hector’s mother.
Although it wasn’t as powerful as Bednicker, they still held considerable authority—and more importantly, they were located quite close to the territory of House Bender.
Having been close with Hector in the past, Hans knew.
Unlike Bednicker, Anatos carried out Hector’s will to the letter.
The current family head of House Anatos, Zenon Anatos, was Hector’s grandfather, and he would do anything for his grandson.
Gulp...!
Looking away from Hans, who was nervously waiting, Hector mumbled to himself, “Do you get it? I need to place first within this training camp.”
“...”
“...I promised a dead man.”
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