Chapter 10.  Career Options (5)

Had it been an ordinary down swing, it would have, most likely, been blocked.  Had there only been Lucas’ memory and no Jenson’s…..Number Five might have dodged it, even before the sword made contact.

However, that was Jenson’s down swing.

At least, it was a down swing which Van could not find any fault in.

The sword which has been perfectly swung down without any feeling of air friction drew a perfect right angle, and did not allow Number Five any moment to counter.  In the dark the black light flashed, and the next thing that followed was only the sickening smell of blood.

“…Aahhh, Ah…..”

As if trying to say something, Number Five opened and closed his mouth.  But, Van’s sword has already split up Number Five’s lungs.  Number Five looked down on his chest with difficulty, and let out the last blow of air, mixed with frothy blood.

That was his final moment.  Pushing Number Five away with his foot, Van removed the sword from his body.  He did not have a moment to reflect on the first kill.  He, immediately, ran towards Dolby.

“You, alright?”

“….How, uuk, can I be OK.”

“Bear with me for a moment.  Fool.  Are you calling that pressuring to stop bleeding?”

Cutting off part of his pants’ inseam, he made a bandage out of it.  As sloppy as it might have been, only after he has wrapped the cloth around Dolby’s abdomen, his face turned a bit better than just a minute ago.

“I’m good.  ….Go.”

Dolby said as if he was murmuring.  Van smiled and said.

“Don’t talk as if you’re about to die.  People don’t die that easily with a simple hole in their stomachs.  It seems the sword missed the organs.  Don’t play too hurt just because you shed some blood.”

“Gosh, you.  Your friend is injured….!”

“Alright.  Alright.  Don’t get too excited.  You might actually die that way.”

Although he spoke lightly of it, Dolby did need to be treated.  To apply medication in order to prevent infection to start with, but it was necessary to see a medic in a sterile environment.

However, first…..

‘Wooryung….Well, he didn’t look he needed help.  Same with Kintnell.  The captain was winning…. And the lieutenant.’

Goad seemed to be having some challenges.  Fortunately, it didn’t look like he was injured big time, but seeing many scratches on his body, it felt like he was barely enduring it.

In fact, the scale of the battles which Wooryung and Kintnell were engaged in weren’t something that he could do anything about.  Every time either the sword or fist was swung, the trees and boulders sprang out like pebble stones, so even if he was to interject, he felt that his sword would just make minor scratches, at best.

‘The people I can help, first.’

Van sprang toward Goad.  Even though he was exhausted, and his heart was palpitating and about to explode, that was.

It wasn’t too bad.

§

“Any last words?”

Wooryung’s voice echoed like the blowing of cold wind.

It was a tough battle.  Dolby sustained an abdominal injury, and Goad lost his left eye.  And others were also covered with blood due to small and large sword marks.

However, it was alright.  The battle ended with them being victorious.  Sonad smiled with self-doubt.  His arms and legs were already torn up as if they had been bitten by a beast.  There was no possibility for a counter attack.

“Woo…ryung.  Are you proud of this kingdom, bastard?”

“I’m not really proud of it, but I don’t hate it any more.  I do not have any intention of inciting revolt like you though.”

“You do not know anything.  You…..”

“Ah, enough.  So, are they the last words?”

“….For the revolution.”

“Goodbye.”

Kintnell’s sword pierced into Isu’s heart.  And with that it has ended.  Wooryung breathed out roughly.  The wounds in the abdomen which he had thought were better split open again, and blood gushed out.

“I’ll treat it.”

“What?  Ah, OK.  You used to be an herbalist.”

“Well, I had not reached that level, but…..”

“I’ll depend on you.”

Van removed the bandage from Wooryung and applied the herbal medicine that he had made personally.  Looking at Van, Wooryung smiled.

“Good work.  I was thinking that I should finish up ASAP and help others, but it turned out exactly the opposite way.”

“….It wasn’t much of a help that I provided you.”

“Just drawing the sword in close proximity, alone, is a big help.  Thanks to you, Sonad’s activity area was greatly reduced.”

From that perspective, it would not be wrong to say that Van was the greatest contributor to this battle ending in a victory.  As soon as Number Five was killed, he staked his sword on the back of the rebel that was fighting Goad, and at that moment, the victory was in their hands.

“Had there been six, rather than five….it could have been much more difficult.”

“That might have been.  Battles are usually won and lost with a slightest of difference. ….Your very first real battle, you said?”

“Ah, yes.”

“It is a tremendous accomplishment for it being the first battle.  I look forward to many more.”

Wooryung tapped on Van’s shoulder.  Van spoke as he tightly wrapped the bandage around Wooryung.

“Please take it easy to not let the bandage to get loosened.  The medicine that I applied only has the effect of stopping blood and sterilizing.  For the flesh to get better to certain degree, it might require about a week or so.”

“Got it.”

Wooryung smiled.  It was when Van was about to turn around from there.  Seeing the back of Van, Wooryung asked with a strange expression.

“That sword….haven’t seen it before.  Did you take it away from one of them?”

“Ah, yes.”

Van replied as he stroked the sword that was hung on his back.  It was a long sword.

“I liked it.  This sword.”

§

[You are holding the bloody, long sword of ‘the swordsman who pursues internal energy’.]

Material:  Steel

Quality:  Regular

Owner:  Number Five (2 Stars)

Memory retention rate:  Low

Note:  It is a well balanced, long sword.  As it is made with high tempered steel, it won’t break easily.

‘Somewhat surprised that it isn’t 3 stars.’

The last journey.  Van stroked the long sword which he took from Number Five while riding on a horseback.

He had thought that the mentioned ‘internal energy’ was the condition for being 3 stars, but was it not.  Or was it only 2 stars because he wasn’t able to manage the so called ‘internal energy’.

Having seen the sloppy piercing skill, he thought that that reasoning might have been correct.

‘It would have been so much better had those knight bastards also used the sword.’

However, the ones that faced Goad and Aidan were 2 stars, just like Number Five, and the one that faced Kintnell used a stick.  The Sonad character that faced Wooryung….The sword that he had with him as if they were his arms and legs all got crumbled.

Still how lucky am I to have ascertained one sword, at least.  Having such a thought, Van looked over to one side.  Dolby, who was on a horse, did not look too good.

“You, OK?”

“….Feeling bad inside.”

“Can’t help it since you’re riding a horse despite those injuries.   Endure it for a little longer.”

“Of course.”

“Haha, so, how is it.  Now that you’re thinking about running a farm with us, and live big, do you like that?”

“Why.  Do you want it, too?  Why don’t you just come to the farm, too.”

“Perhaps.  That may not be such a bad idea when I get older.  However, not now.”

“…..You just made fun of me, like as if I act like an old man?”

“Think what you’d like.  It isn’t all that inaccurate, anyway.”

Dolby let out a sigh as he watched Van snicker.  He felt that even his wounds would revert back to getting worse while talking to him.

“Ah right.  Captain.”

“What is it.”

“…..By any chance, do you know what is meant by ‘internal energy’?”

“I could not now know it.”

Aidan nodded resolutely.  To that, Van immediately followed with the same question as he got excited.

“Are you, by any chance, able to use it, too?  What is it anyway?  That bastard we were fighting against, he became absurdly fast each time he had used that internal energy, and what not….”

“If all he did do was get faster, that meant he did not use the internal energy properly.  If it was used as intended, he would have become faster, stronger, sharper, and heavier, too.  No matter how well both of you fought against him, he would have been a tough adversary.”

“…..Like the time you swung the trees?”

“It is a bit different than though….it could be seen as being similar.  Why.  Do you want to learn?”

“Of course!  Can it be learned?”

“No.  Not sure about other things, but internal energy is not something which you learn.  It is getting used to.”

“…..What is the difference?”

Aidan changed the subject as he smiled lightly.

“Just look ahead.  I think we’ve arrived.”

The castle wall of the Cho family was already before their eyes.

§

The territory of Cho family was rather different.  On top of it being the first visit to the village in the East, it truly felt different from seeing the terra cotta roof lines and people walking around, wearing full length robes.

“…..This is the first time that I’ve been outside the village.”

“Me too.”

“Quiet, you country lads.  Even I’m beginning to feel ashamed.”

Goad complained when he saw Dolby and Van who looked moved with the emotions from this new experience.  However, he, too, wasn’t able to focus as he was also busy surveying the areas around Cho family’s castle.

“You must truly be from the East.  People all seemed to look like you?”

Dolby said, looking over to Van.  Not having the double eyelids, and dark hair were all similar to him.

He was worried that they might have to go directly to the office of the household and meet him, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.  They all unpacked their stuff in a splendid room which they could not have imagined such a room could exist.

With the exception of the servant girls, no one looked for them.  It wasn’t boring though.  Since Wooryung has been insisting on ‘having a clear things to wish for’, everyone was too busy thinking about what would be the most prudent wish could be.

Still, whenever it was looking like it was going to get boring, Van swung the sword of ‘Number Five’.  He felt somewhat strange about learning the swordsmanship from the man who he had just killed, but there was no good swordsmanship or bad swordsmanship.

[Your present sword skill is at 2 stars.  Memory synchronization rate is being raised to ‘high’.]

[Training is needed!]

‘The piercing at that time….’

No matter how hard he tried to make that maneuver in the same way, he could not feel the, so called, ‘internal energy’.  Perhaps, it could only be possible after clearly understanding Number Five’s swordsmanship.

The right answer was that it could only be ascertained through training.  Van’s clothes became soaked in sweat that they needed washing several times, each day.  Even including the servant girls, other members of the Cho family who were inside the training hall often looked over and talked about him.

It was during that time.

Finally, the head of the Cho family  has called for them.