What’s going on over there?
While I was talking with Jahat in the arena, I noticed a commotion in the “VIP Room.” Two men were quarreling. Although a thin curtain obscured their faces, it was clear what was happening.
“I see, the ‘Closed Eye’ has come all the way here to catch a criminal, is that it?”
The blind warrior, Jahat, snapped me out of my thoughts with his voice.
“Of course.”
Not really.
In fact, I didn’t even know about it, and I came to the Arena out of curiosity, hoping to gain some technical inspiration.
“That’s troublesome. I can’t afford to be caught right now.”
Clank.
Speaking lightly as if joking, Jahat, who had subdued Kagum, prepared to draw the sword hidden in his staff.
“Considering our old friendship, can’t you turn a blind eye? The royal family isn’t too desperate to capture me, after all.”
Indeed.
The ‘Blind Warrior’ Jahat isn’t a heinous criminal who committed a grave crime against the Empire. I merely wanted to detain him for my own purposes. Therefore, letting him go wasn’t an option. His skills were genuine.
While he might not be stronger than the Sword Saint, he could certainly rival him.
“I can’t…”
Just as I was about to say “I can’t,” a sharp aura lunged straight at me.
But I was already aware.
I knew the purpose of this aura, which the blind warrior used to gauge the distance to his opponent.
As soon as he initiated the attack,
Flash─!
A swift, dazzling strike came at me.
‘Damn, that’s insanely fast.’
It was so fast it almost made me curse. But I had seen this “One-Point Stab,” the Blind Warrior’s specialty, hundreds of times, and I was well aware of it.
He used his ‘aura’ to replace his vision, gauging distance and delivering a lightning-fast strike.
That’s the Blind Warrior’s winning pattern.
“Hmm…?”
Knowing this gave me a significant advantage against an opponent like the ‘Blind Warrior.’
I could predict his habits, thoughts, and movements.
Furthermore,
Trait: Insight
Aura detected.
===
Thanks to my high mana sensitivity, I could track the aura that the Blind Warrior emitted with my eyes, allowing me to discern the direction of Jahat’s attack.
This enabled me to evade Jahat’s strike with a slight sidestep.
Blocked from his sure-win pattern, Jahat showed a hint of displeasure. As a swordsman, his pride in his skills was immense.
However, instead of continuing his attack, Jahat chose to retreat a step.
“Aren’t you going to continue?”
I taunted Jahat.
After all, his aura was proving quite useful to me.
If I apply this, I feel like I could reach the level of ‘One Stroke, One Kill’ a bit sooner. But more importantly,
‘This is fun.’
I’ve never felt my emotions soar this much just by crossing swords. Maybe, after acquiring the trait <New Sword Saint>, my attitude towards the sword has changed. If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t have come to a place like this for the sake of honing my skills.
“By the way, to recognize me even when I’m wearing a magic item enchanted with a disguise spell, the royal family’s mad dog must have an extraordinary nose.”
Although I was slightly surprised by his appearance, which differed from the ‘Blind Warrior’ I knew, it wasn’t difficult to recognize him with the clues from <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord>.
Unfocused pupils.
And a blind man’s cane hiding a sword.
“Criminals always have a certain aura about them.”
“Haha, I was just joking.”
With a bitter laugh, Jahat turned his gaze towards me.
“Can’t you pretend you didn’t see me? Didn’t we bond over catching demons together on the northern front?”
“If you were still the mercenary you once were…”
I smiled at Jahat, who was showing a slightly vulnerable side by bringing up old times.
“But as a criminal, I cannot ignore you without losing face as a member of the ‘Closed Eyes.’”
Do you know how hard it is to find a sparring partner like you? Just quietly help me improve my skills.
“You’re as stubborn as ever. Ha, I just wanted to make some quick pocket money.”
Sighing, Jahat gripped the sword in his cane tightly with his right hand.
Is he planning to fight again?
“Looks like I have no choice but to use my trump card.”
A trump card?
I was intrigued by this unfamiliar term.
Besides his trademark ‘Aura Sonar’ and ‘One-Point Stab,’ did the ‘Blind Warrior’ have another technique?
This should be interesting.
A mix of tension and excitement wrapped around me, intertwining two contrasting emotions.
“Julian, do you remember the conversation we had on the northern front?”
No, I don’t.
“I don’t remember any conversation with a petty criminal.”
“It’s not the strong who survive, but those who survive that are strong.”
A very reasonable statement. No matter how revered a Sword Saint is, once they’re dead, it’s over.
“This time, I’ll prove that I am strong.”
Sensing the ominous atmosphere in his confident smile, I strengthened my grip on my sword. Although I came here for growth, I also considered using ‘Sombra’ in case things got out of hand.
Fizzzzt!
Huh? That’s a strange sound. It’s like a fuse burning in a movie…
‘A fuse…?’
No way, a bomb?
Boom!
My suspicion was confirmed as a loud explosion erupted around Jahat.
However, I didn’t retreat.
The <Insight> trait revealed that this explosion was just a ‘smoke screen.’
“If we both survive, let’s agree that we are both strong.”
Through the smoke, Jahat’s voice came through.
“Weren’t those words meant to provoke a fight?”
Amidst the thick smoke, Jahat’s form, shimmering like an aura, came into view, and he appeared to be trying to leave the arena.
“Should I chase him?”
No, if I chase him now, it would really come down to a life-and-death struggle.
Besides, it’s troublesome to catch or kill Jahat right now.
He’s supposed to capture the Tri-horn Demon for me.
“Sir Julian!”
As the smoke cleared, a masked man entered. It seemed to be Bairon.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Why did you suddenly rush out?”
The usually terrified Bairon, who would tremble even at a casual conversation, couldn’t hide his true feelings in this unexpected situation.
“There was a criminal.”
“A criminal… do you mean that blind man from earlier?”
When I nodded, Bairon’s face turned pale.
“Surely, you don’t mean to call in ‘The Closed Eyes’ to investigate this place?”
“No, I have no intention of doing that.”
At my words, Bairon sighed in relief. He must have been worried about being kicked out of his new job that he barely got into.
“So, Sir Julian, you came to the Arena to catch a criminal!”
Well, let’s go with that for now.
I didn’t expect to find the ‘Blind Warrior’ here.
“How unfortunate. Since the guy escaped, you must have gained nothing…”
“That’s not true. There was a harvest.”
Unlike the disappointed Bairon, I glanced at the ‘Moon Blade.’
Somehow, I feel like I’ve grasped the concept of ‘One Stroke,’ which had been eluding me all this time.
***
Elenoa was waiting outside the Arena for someone.
That person was, of course, Julian.
Normally, she would avoid meeting him in private, but today she had something to discuss.
“Using me, huh.”
She wasn’t particularly displeased with being used. After all, she felt indebted to Julian. She had become an Archbishop thanks to his help.
The problem was that he hadn’t told her anything about this matter.
“Did you foresee this far? I played right into your hands.”
Because of that, when she saw Julian, Elenoa naturally opened her mouth.
“Well, I guess it’s mutual.”
She knew she was being shameless. After all, she had planned to use eavesdropping magic on Julian as well.
Surely, Julian would point this out too.
“What are you talking about?”
Contrary to her expectations, he played dumb.
With a faint smile and half-closed eyes.
His attitude, as if trying to test her, made Elenoa frown slightly.
“Don’t play dumb. You noticed the eavesdropping magic I placed on Bishop Korund and used it, didn’t you?”
“Bishop Korund… ah, you mean that pig of a man?”
He was playing dumb again.
Considering Julian’s strategy that cornered Aiden in an instant, he couldn’t possibly be unaware of what happened here, yet he was pretending not to know.
“Yes, because you deliberately appeared at the Arena, Aiden and Korund’s secret meeting was foiled. Moreover, after today’s events, Aiden will become even more desperate.”
“Hmm…”
Julian slightly trailed off.
He seemed to want to convey the nuance of ‘I really didn’t know,’ but Elenoa wasn’t fooled.
This person, who hated crowded places, had come here, the place furthest from the capital, and had even discarded his mask to hide his identity.
“Is this supposed to be a coincidence?”
There couldn’t be anyone foolish enough to think that.
***
“What are you talking about?”
Watching Elenoa suddenly appear and say something so random, I briefly fell into thought.
The only thing I could make out was that ‘Aiden’s plan had gone awry, and he would become anxious.’
If so, Aiden would certainly act more aggressively to ensure his research bore fruit as soon as possible.
‘That’s how it went in the original story.’
Eventually, he ended up being killed by the Sword Saint.
“Is it time now?”
As I said before, Aiden is a character who becomes problematic if he dies.
It’s not that his death would significantly hinder the story, but his death serves as a catalyst for events.
That’s why I decided to change my approach.
‘There’s no need to blindly wait for unfavorable events to occur like in the game.’
If Aiden’s research results are the problem, then they just need to be eliminated.
That’s why I’ve been going through the trouble of keeping him alive, and it’s been making me anxious.
“With this incident, Sir Aiden will probably become more engrossed in his research on the fake horn.”
“Indeed. If today’s events become known, other bishops won’t be willing to lend him a hand.”
“That’s good.”
“Did you do all this to steal that research?”
Elenoa seemed to be quick-witted.
Judging by my actions so far, she seems to have easily deduced my intentions.
“Are you going to tell Sir Aiden?”
“Of course not. I don’t intend to take sides, but if I had to choose, I’d side with the one who helped me.”
As expected, she instinctively realizes which side is more advantageous.
“You’ve made a wise decision.”
“But, it’s Aiden we’re talking about. Aiden from the Donassien family. He must have hidden the research on the fake horn very well, making it hard to find.”
“The research lab is probably in the slums.”
Elenoa looked slightly puzzled.
“How can you be so sure?”
Aiden’s secret laboratory is usually set in a random location, but it’s often in the slums or nearby.
‘Because that’s how it was in the game.’
Of course, I can’t say that out loud.
“I am Julian. Julian Crypart Frason of the Royal ‘Closed Eyes.'”
When I returned her words, Elenoa showed a look of disbelief.
“Even if you’re lucky enough to be right, how do you plan to search the vast slums?”
A valid point.
How could one person search that vast area alone?
But there’s one thing she doesn’t know.
‘Two of the three organizations that divide the slums.’
The Nameless Gang.
The Blood Ghost Gang.
She doesn’t know that I have connections with these two groups.
Cliche Novel 