Chapter 27. Victory at the Martial Tournament.

TL: Warriormonk

Editor: Isleidir

The final round finally began. The two participants advancing to the final rounds were Kurotan and the third son of Earl Lastal, Hagun. Both of them had had to defeat their many opponents, finally reaching the finals for a chance at the glory of victory.

Unlike the other seeded participants who used a sword and shield, Hagun used two swords to execute a speedy sword style. Hagun was an opponent unlike any other faced so far by Kurotan.

In the ring where the final round would be held, Hagun stared down Kurotan with calm eyes. His grip on his twin swords tightened slightly.

'Speed can defeat strength. I will be the victor of the martial tournament.'

Hagun burst into a run towards Kurotan as soon as the referee announced the start of the battle. His plan was to overwhelm his opponent with speed from the beginning, turning the flow of the duel in his favor without allowing his opponent a chance to go on the offensive.

Hagun's plan, however, went astray right from the start. Kurotan's senses, sharpened by aura, were overwhelmingly better when compared to the average person.

Add to his senses his experience and reflexes honed by his time as a veteran Great Warrior as an orc, and Kurotan became an opponent that Hagun could not possibly overcome.

Hagun's sword strikes, although almost untraceable with the spectator's bare eyes, were bouncing off Kurotan's axe, which seemed to barely move.

Ting. Taang. Ting.

Some of Hagun's sword strikes got through Kurotan's defenses, but even those bounced off Kurotan's armor plates that Kurotan maneuvered by turning his body slightly. As long as one was aware of the gaps and joints between the armor plates, an armor was more than enough to deflect sword strikes.

Kurotan continued to receive Hagun's sword strikes calmly as he dug into Hagun's defenses, when he launched a fatal strike. Hagun's face paled as he struggled to dodge, but Kurotan's axe changed its trajectory as if it had eyes of its own and struck Hagun's side.

"Keeuuk."

Hagun screamed out with a spray of blood from his mouth, and fell on his back side. Kurotan had aimed exactly at the joint between Hagun's armor plates, and a pool of blood was already beginning to form on the ground.

"Goddammit"

Hagun scrunched up his face in pain as he put his hand on his wound and backed up, but Kurotan did not let him retreat so easily. Kurotan began to circulate his aura in the efficient manner of a veteran, and ran towards Hagun.

"N-No."

Hagun's face paled as he swung his twin swords wildly, but Kurotan's axe swung through the air to deflect them with ease. The heavy axe soon made contact with Hagun's helmet.

Kwwang!

Hagun's eyes went blank as the sound of metal being crushed rang out, and he collapsed onto the ground in a heap. Kurotan thrust his axe in to the air in victory, prompting the quiet crowds to burst into cheers.

"Whoooo!! That was the best!"

"Finally, someone has won the martial tournament."

Most of the people in the crowds were nobles. They did not bother hiding their surprise at the fact that Kurotan, a commoner, had won the tournament.

However, Kurotan had won with such domineering skill that they had no choice but to admit his victory.

"The final round has come to an end. The victor is Kurotan, who hails from Hansel Kingdom."

The crowds burst into murmurs of conversation when Kurotan's background was announced. Earl Jabel, who had been silently observing the match, stood up from his seat.

"Bring the victor here."

"Yes, my lord."

A short while later, Kurotan was standing in front of the Earl.

Earl Jabel glanced at Kurotan before switching his gaze into a paper in his hand.

It was the paperwork that Kurotan and Luke had submitted in order to participate in the martial tournament.

"Hansel Kingdom, a commoner from the City of Habest Is this true?"

Earl Jabel was wearing a light smile.

This was because Kurotan was undoubtedly the most talented participant he had seen out of all the martial tournaments that he had hosted.

Should he be able to take in Kurotan as a vassal, the strength of his territory and land would be increased significantly.

'If he is a commoner, then he won't refuse my offer.'

Kurotan's next action however, was completely unexpected. Instead of answering, Kurotan took his fist and put it in front of his lips, prompting the Earl to frown.

'Silent training?'

Even the knights of Jabel Earldom were taken off guard by Kurotan's answer. The fact that Kurotan was undergoing silent training meant that he already had a lord who had ordered him to undergo the training.

'He already has a lord?'

The Earl, still frowning, turned towards the crowd.

"Who was the person that ordered the victor of the martial tournament to undergo silent training?"

A figure stepped out from the crowds.

'This is the critical moment.'

Luke swallowed his nervousness before walking up to the Earl. He bowed courteously before the Earl.

"I was the one who ordered Kurotan to undergo silent training, Earl Jabel."

"And who are you?"

Luke took a deep breathe before answering.

"I am Luke Esteban, the fourth son of Earl Esteban of Hansel Kingdom. I am also Kurotan's lord."

Although Luke's manners were impeccable even for a noble, the Earl's gaze remained hostile. The Earl had found a jewel in a pig's trough, only to discover that it already had an owner. The Earl's anger at this fact was concentrated on Luke.

"Hansel Kingdom Perhaps it's because it's such a small country, but the nobles of Hansel Kingdom do not seem to know their manners."

"What is the reason that you do not pause his silent training in front of me? Do you take me for a fool?"

"How could that be?"

"Then what is it?"

Luke's gaze headed towards Kurotan.

"Just as we explained earlier, Kurotan's background is that of a commoner. He has not yet been educated on proper manners, and I did not wish to offend the lord Earl with his lack of knowledge."

"Is not yet educated in manners? Then it must be so for other skills besides swordsmanship that a knight must have. Not yet educated."

The Earl's words were close to a tantrum, to which Luke struggled to reply.

"It has only been a short while since I have taken him in as my vassal."

"Then he is an 'incomplete' knight."

Earl Jabel's eyes looked completely different as he gazed at Kurotan. His view of Kurotan had taken a 180 degree turn after he had found out that he would not be able to recruit him.

"I can understand why you chose to participate in the martial tournament, but it is the choice of the lord hosting the martial tournament whether or not to knight the victor."

"In other words, if the victor is deemed undeserving by the lord of the tournament, there is no reason for the lord to knight the victor."

Luke's face paled. He had not expected the Earl to not give them any face at all.

'Hmm, this is outside of my calculations.

Right then, Cooper, the knight who had been observing Kurotan from the start, walked up. He had been observing Luke carefully ever since he had revealed himself.

"I will ask you one thing."

"What is it?"

"I trust that you will not lie in front of the lord."

Cooper stalled for a few seconds while gazing intensely at Luke.

"Have you broken through to the level of an aura expert?"

"I'm asking you whether or not you are able to use aura to enhance your physical capabilities, the level of an aura expert?"

Luke began to frown slightly. He had been able to increase his aura storage with Kurotan's help, but he had not yet been able to reach the level of an aura expert.

"I have not been able to."

Cooper smirked as though he had predicted the answer.

"I don't understand. The knight in training is an aura expert, but his lord is far less skilled than the knight."

"It seems that your House has given you this vassal to look after you. I don't know how the Hansel Kingdom operates, but it does not work in our Sith Empire."

Cooper finished his sentence coldly and retreated back, as if he had nothing more to say. Earl Jabel continued to look at the crowd of nobles.

The Earl ignored Kurotan and Luke as he addressed the crowd.

"As you have all seen, the victor of the martial tournament has been decided. However"

The Earl turned and looked at Kurotan coldly.

"The victor was merely a 'fake' knight. As you all know, swordsmanship is not the only qualification of a knight. He must also be well educated in the etiquette of nobles and an effective commander. The victor has failed to demonstrate these qualities.

The nobles in the audience seemed to respond positively to Earl Jabel's points. The fact that the victor of the tournament was from another country was a hard fact for them to swallow.

"As lord of these territories and host of the tournament, I have chosen to award the knighthood to someone else. It is my wish that I knight someone who is actually worthy of knighthood."

Earl Jabel, chest jutting out from the cheers of the crowd turned to Luke.

"Do you have anything to add to my decision?"

Luke took in a deep breath.

"How could I possibly go against you, my lord? One thing, however"

"What is it?"

Luke's gaze turned towards Kurotan, who was looking around stupidly.

"It is true that Kurotan is more talented in martial prowess than I. My talents, however, lie elsewhere."

Luke's words seemed to pique the Earl's interest.

"Your talents lie elsewhere? All right then, what is your talent?"

"My greatest talent is"

Luke straightened his back and looked the Earl squarely in the eyes.

"To recognize talent and foster it."

The Earl made a confused expression.

"Explain so that I may understand."

"Of course, my lord."

Luke pointed at Kurotan.

"I met Kurotan exactly a year and six months ago. When I met him, Kurotan was serving in the army for his crimes as a murderer."

Luke's words shocked the Earl. If Luke's words were true, it meant that Kurotan had become skilled enough to win the martial tournament in merely a year and a half.

The participants of the tournament, who had been standing at the Earl's back, couldn't hide their expressions of shock and surprise.

"Impossible."

Hagun especially, who had lost to Kurotan in the finals, had his mouth wide open in disbelief. He had trained in the ways of the sword for fifteen years, and for him to lose to a commoner who had trained for a year and a half?

The Earl shook himself out of his shock and looked blankly at Kurotan.

"I find that hard to believe. You mean to tell me that Kurotan had not trained in the sword previously?"

"Kurotan comes from a dark guild in Habest city. He was familiar with using a dagger or his fists, but it was his first time using a proper weapon."

The Earl's mouth fell open again.

"I can't believe it. I simply don't understand how he could become this skilled in merely a year and a half. Truly a monstrous talent."

The Earl stared seriously at Luke.

"And it was you who discovered his talent at first glance?"

"Yes, my lord. I can't explain exactly how I knew of his talent, but my instincts told me so, and so I gave him an offer."

Luke smiled slowly.

"I pledged to train him in a mid-level sword style and aura cultivation technique in exchange for his lifelong fealty and loyalty."

The Earl remained speechless. The nobles making up the crowd remained shocked as well.

"What a monstrous talent, to be able to train to this extent in a year and a half"

"I can't deny that his potential is enormous, as we have already seen his strength during the tournament."

Cooper interjected once again on behalf of the silent Earl, but his gaze was shaking from the shock as well.

"I will ask you a couple of things."

"Of course."

"Which sword style did you train Kurotan in?

"I taught him the basics of the Esteban sword style, and the mid-level sword style given to me by my House."

"I see, that explains his awkwardness with his sword style. And the aura cultivation technique? Is it from your House as well?"

Luke smiled before shaking his head.

"How could that be possible?"

"What, then?"

"I served in the military for the sake of my House and received an aura cultivation technique from my House in reward."

"Hmm."

Cooper frowned at Luke's flawless answers.

"An aura cultivation technique awarded for military service shouldn't be that high in level."

"It's true. My House admitted to me that the cultivation technique was lacking in stability, but"

Luke smiled while looking at Kurotan.

"Kurotan's talent was beyond even my imagination. He trained in an aura cultivation technique that was lacking in stability, but became an aura expert earlier than I, and I have been cultivating my aura with a more stable technique for ten years."

"Hm, this is difficult to believe."

Cooper could only shake his head. He had trained painstakingly for twenty years before he was able to just barely become an aura expert.

"I acknowledge Kurotan's talent. And I also acknowledge and admire your talent, for recognizing and fostering talents."

Cooper retreated as the Earl took charge of the pace once again.

"Truly a valuable gift you have. To be honest, I am green with envy."

"Thank you for your compliments, my lord."

"Have you come to our Sith Empire in order to fully wield that talent of yours?"

"Yes, my lord. I hope to find and foster many talents in this vast empire, as well as look for a lord to swear my fealty to."

"Completely understandable. Our Sith Empire cannot be compared to a small Kingdom like Hansel, and more likely to have unrecognized talents as well."

The mood had changed dramatically while the Earl and Luke had been conversing. Luke had full control of the situation. The Earl swallowed nervously subconsciously.

'The ability to recognize and train talent truly amazing. Should I be able to recruit this man, the future of my lands would be guaranteed.'

The Earl calmed his shaking hands before speaking in a low voice.

"Do you wish to reside within my lands? I promise you nothing but the best treatment."

Luke answered as though he had been waiting.

"I thank you for your magnanimous offer, my lord, but I wish to travel through more of the Sith Empire. Jabel Earldom is the first land I have visited since entering the Empire. Please allow me to experience more of the Empire."

"Is that so? Truly a pity."

The Earl made no attempt to hide his disappointment.

"My lord, you are the first person of Sith Empire to acknowledge my talent. I shall remember your generous offer of today."

"As you wish. I am ready to welcome you anytime, so remember my offer."

The Earl nodded in disappointment.

"As for Kurotan, the victor of the tournament"

The Earl hesitated for a moment before nodding decisively.

"As a gesture of acknowledging your talent, I recognize Kurotan as a victor in full and award him with knighthood."

Luke's face lit up at the Earl's words.

"I don't know how to thank you, my lord"

"No, I also admit that I was being slightly unreasonable.

The Earl admitted his mistake easily. He was trying his best to give a good impression to the immensely 'talented' Luke. He turned to the nobles to declare his decision.

"As the lord host of the martial tournament, I will award Kurotan, victor of the tournament, a full and formal knighthood."

None of the nobles in the crowd seemed to object, possibly because they were still reeling from the shock of Luke's words. Just like that, Kurotan succeeded in becoming officially knighted by Earl Jabel.

Ch. 28 How to Increase Your Aura

TL: Warriormonk

Editor: Isleidir

Kurotan had become an official knight of the Sith Empire. Of course, had Luke not stepped in, the knighthood would have gone to Hagun, who had made it to the final round.

The Earl, in an effort to appease Luke, had even awarded Luke and Kurotan a hefty sum of gold as well. Normally, choosing the path of a free knight meant that you had to forego all financial awards, but the Earl had been adamant.

"We sincerely thank you for your generosity, my lord."

Ignoring the Earl's insistence that they stay at his castle for a couple of days, Luke and Kurotan left the Jabel Earldom without hesitation.

Kurotan exclaimed as soon as the castle was out of sight.

"Very impressive."

"What is?"

"How you had Earl Jabel hanging on to your every word."

Luke shook his head a little bitterly.

"No, I screwed up. My calculations for the situation were off."

"Didn't we accomplish our goal since I received knighthood?"

"It's a half-way success. We revealed too many of our trump cards."

Kurotan stared into Luke's face with a confused expression for a while before shaking his head in bemusement.

"I have no idea what's going on, but I trust that you'll be able to take care of it."

"The nobles of the Sith Empire seem to be a little bit different from the nobles of our Hansel Kingdom. Of course, it could just be Earl Jabel."

"What's so different about them?"

"They value practicality over their honor. If we were in Hansel Kingdom, the Earl would not have reversed his decision in order to save face."

"I have to keep that in mind as we go forward in dealing with these nobles."

Luke gripped his fists suddenly.

"And I must get stronger. It's hard to appeal to these nobles who value strength and practicality with my current level of strength."

Luke remembered clearly. The condescending look that the knight Cooper had given him.

"I have to at least rise to the level of an aura expert, in order to have some footing to deal with nobles of the Sith Empire."

Right then, Kurotan looked seriously at Luke.

"There is a way to increase your strength."

Luke was startled out of his thoughts at Kurotan's words.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Right now, you are not fully utilizing the power of aura. At most, you can only sharpen your senses."

"I know that. What am I supposed to do more than training, like I am right now?"

"To be honest, you have cultivated more aura than me. The problem lies in your ability to control that aura."

Luke frowned. To be exact, Kurotan's aura only amounted to about half of Luke's aura.

Kurotan, however, was able to wield his aura with maximum efficiency. This was why he was able to use his aura to bolster his strength and speed.

"There is a tradition that's been passed down through the generations within my tribe. If we use that method, we can increase the amount of your aura and your ability to control that aura."

Luke stared stupidly at Kurotan.

"Then why haven't you told me of this tradition before?"

"It's because it's dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"Yes. The tribal method of increasing your aura and control is more likely to fail than succeed."

Kurotan proceeded to say that the success rate of the tribal method of increasing your aura was less than ten percent. In other words, only one orc out of ten orcs would succeed if they tried this method.

"Are you crazy? You're telling me to use a tribal method that kills nine out of ten orcs, even with the insane self-healing traits orcs have?"

"I'm telling you because I've found a way to overcome that problem."

Kurotan took out an empty glass bottle. It was the bottle that had held the healing potion that Luke had made Kurotan drink before the final round of the tournament.

"Healing potion?"

"Without this potion, I would not have recommended that you try the tribal method. However, the healing potion increases the success rate of the tribal method immensely."

"Really?"

Luke's face began to become brighter. If it had been a couple of months ago, Luke would not have considered the dangerous tribal method at all.

However, considering the situation, Luke couldn't help but perk up at the idea of a method that could increase his strength in a short amount of time.

'Well, I've already adjusted my aura cultivation technique with the help of an orc"

Luke looked at Kurotan seriously.

"You're sure, right?"

"Of course. The amount of your aura, as well as your control of it will be increased by a large margin. If the tribal method succeeds, you'll be able to strengthen your physical capabilities with aura with no problem."

"All right. I'll trust you and try this method."

"We will need a lot of healing potions."

Kurotan ran his hand over the empty glass in his grasp.

"Is this the best kind?"

"No. That was a low level healing potion made with a troll's blood. A mid-level healing potion imbued with holy power is a lot more expensive than that."

"We need high quality potions, even if it is expensive. A lot, at that"

Luke nodded his head silently.

"All right. Let's go back to the Jabel Earldom to purchase healing potions. We even have the prize money that the Earl gave us so we are financially in good shape."

A mid-level potion was incredibly more expensive than a low-level potion. After purchasing ten mid-level healing potions that an alchemist had created with the help of a priest, Luke's pockets were empty.

"Maybe it's because in the country side, but the price of these potions were too high."

"Forget it. You're able to become stronger in exchange."

"That's true."

Luke and Kurotan left the Jabel Earldom once again, eventually arriving at a forested area with no signs of humans.

Luke's eyes were shining as he tied up his horse to a tree.

"There's no one around. Do you sense any monsters around?"

"There aren't any monsters around. Shall we?"

Kurotan motioned for Luke to take off the metal plates he was wearing.

"Just leave the leather armor on, but the metal plates must come off."

"What? Why do I have to take off my armor?"

"You'll find out soon enough, just take it off."

"Uh, I'm not entirely comfortable with this."

Luke unlatched his metal armor. Kurotan dragged Luke to a tree and tied him up. Luke's face paled as he asked in confusion.

"Wa-Wait, isn't this a little strange?"

"It's not strange at all. This is the tribal method passed down to us from generation to generation."

"Wait. Wait."

Kurotan ignored Luke's cries as he secured the knots tying Luke to the tree. Luke rolled his eyes frantically as his body remained immobile.

Luke's discomfort reached a critical level when Kurotan grabbed the metal mace he had purchased back in the Jabel Earldom.

"You aren't trying to beat me up with that mace, are you?"

Kurotan finally smiled.

"That's exactly right."

Luke couldn't help but raise his voice into a shout.

"You crazy bastard, how does this make any sense to you?"

"It makes sense."

Kurotan swung his mace through the air a few times, weighing it in his hands.

"If you are beaten within an inch of your life, your aura will feel danger. That's because if you, the host, die, the aura will return to its natural state as well."

Luke's face only continued to pale as Kurotan approached him slowly, swinging around the mace.

"I'm not that smart, so it's hard to explain eloquently. Ah, well. You'll understand once you experience it."

"No, No, wait. Don't! Keeup."

Kurotan was smiling happily as he gagged Luke.

"I have had a lot of experience in giving out beatings from my days as an orc, to my subordinates. Don't worry, I have come to understand the exact limits of the human body through our training."

"Eup, Euuupp."

"Then, I'll begin."

Luke felt a terrible pain in his shoulder the second Kurotan finished speaking. Kurotan had struck his shoulder without mercy.

Puuuk.

Luke's vision turned white as his eyes became bloodshot. The beating that followed was enough to send Luke's consciousness to somewhere far away.

"Keuk"

Luke's lips cracked open as a groan escaped from his mouth. His eyes opened weakly, still unfocused. He was lying on the ground as he drew in his breathe weakly.

"Are you awake?"

Luke's body shook as he heard a familiar voice. His eyes suddenly gleamed with a murderous aura as they focused.

"The tribal method has succeeded."

"You. Devil like. Bastard. Keuk."

Kurotan looked at the limp Luke as he lifted a water canteen to Luke's lips. The water wet his throat enough that Luke was able to speak more comfortably.

"The effect of the healing potion was better than I had expected.

Luke ground his teeth as he raised his head to glare at Kurotan. His body was numb from the beating Kurotan had given him.

Luke's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Kurotan. No one could look kindly at the person that had beaten them within an inch of their lives.

"I'm gonna kill you, you bastard."

"Don't be so angry, just examine your body for now."

Kurotan's words only infuriated Luke further. It had been the most severe beating he had received since he had been born.

"Everything was for you. It was hard for me as well."

"Keeuk."

Luke strained to turn his head away, and focused on his body's current state. It wasn't long before Luke's eyes widened.

"Wh-What the hell?"

Surprisingly, the amount of his aura had increased substantially. It had roughly tripled since before Kurotan had given him the beating. Luke's face was incredulous as he exclaimed.

"How is this possible?"

The response of the aura was different as well. Whereas the aura had defied his attempts to control it previously, it was now as relaxed as a fat cat who had eaten its fill.

"How is it? It's changed, hasn't it?"

"What the hell happened?"

"I told you. Your control of aura will increase substantially I don't know the exact reason behind this change."

"You're saying that if the body is driven to extreme circumstances, the quality of the aura changes?"

"Yeah, that's probably right. The aura probably does not want to return to its natural state."

"I don't believe it."

Luke ignored the pain shooting his body as he dragged himself up into a seated lotus position. The beating had been so severe that not even the healing potion had fully healed him.

"Keeu, I think I'm going to die."

"You should be able to control your aura now. Try it, carefully."

"Shut the hell up, Kurotan."

Luke spit bitterly before doing exactly what Kurotan had suggested. He was trying to move aura with his will. Kurotan spoke an additional warning.

"Don't try to force it."

"Shut your mouth, Kurotan."

Luke's aura was beginning to slowly respond to Luke's incessant poking. Just as Kurotan had said, his aura was responding to Luke's careful mental pokes.

When that happened, Luke was able to get a taste of a whole new world.

He willed the aura to his head, and felt his senses sharpen dramatically. His vision and hearing sharpened. He began to smell things that he had never previously smelled before.

An aura user would have senses roughly twice as sharp as a normal human. However, the aura expert, able to direct aura at will could sharpen his senses to roughly ten times the sensitivity of a normal human's. Luke couldn't help but exclaim.

"This is awesome!"

Luke continued to move around his aura happily. It still felt as if the aura was reluctant to listen to him, but the results were definite. Luke drew his sword while concentrating aura into his shoulder and arms.

"Haaht!"

He slashed at a sword with a battle cry, cutting cleanly and silently through the trunk of a tree as wide as a human waist. Luke stared blankly at his blade.

"As strong as an ogre"

Luke concentrated his aura into his legs and kicked the ground, rising almost two meters in the air.

"Uh-Uhht!"

Unable to control this new strength, Luke ended up sprawled on the ground as he landed. Luke dusted himself off as he remarked about the difference he now felt.

"It's unbelievable. This is why aura experts are so overwhelming."

Senses that were five times better than an aura user's, as well as increased muscular power.

"I feel like a god."

"Wake up, Luke. You are a chick who has just hatched. Bone grinding training is needed in order for you to be able to control aura freely.

Despite Kurotan's words, Luke was unable to calm his excitement.

"This is awesome. I didn't know that aura could do such things."

"I was the one who made this possible, so you should be thankful towards me."

Luke shot a dirty look at Kurotan at his last words. He was extremely happy to have become an aura expert, but if Luke were honest with himself, he did not feel grateful towards Kurotan at all. The memory of being beaten within an inch of his life had been ingrained into his very bones.

"I suppose I will need to train, as you said. How about it, shall we duel?"

Kurotan shook his head.

"Not now."

"What? It's a surprise, you refusing to train."

"I wish to become stronger as well. I wish to undergo the very beating I just gave you."

Kurotan began to unlatch the clips of his metal plate as he talked. Luke's face seemed to flush with excitement.

"You're asking me to carry out the tribal method?"

"Yes. If I can just increase the amount of my aura, I will be able to regain my old strength."

"Hahaha. You can leave it to me."

Luke let out a strange laughter as he grabbed Kurotan's mace eagerly. Dried blood and pieces of flesh littered the surface of the mace.

"I will be sure to give you a proper beating. Better than the one you gave me."

Kurotan frowned nervously at the killing intent Luke was emanating.

"It's not simply a brutal beating. You have to keep in mind my body's limits."

"Don't worry, I've personally experienced the beating that's just sufficient."

"We-We only have about seven healing potions left."

"Too much talking."

Luke quickly gagged Kurotan before tying him up securely to a tree.

"Eeup. Eeup!"

Kurotan continued to make attempts to speak to Luke, but Luke did not even pretend to listen. A smile graced Luke's face as he lifted the mace.

"Shall we begin?"

Kurotan's eyes widened in panic.

Chapter 29. Meeting Angela

TL: Warriormonk

Editor: Isleidir

"My predictions were completely off."

A middle aged man with sharp features shook his head bitterly. He was Lancaster, the captain of the search party sent out by the church of Flora. He had been staying in the outpost guarding the border between Tranbel Kingdom and Sith Empire.

"To think he would cross the border into the Sith Empire instead of Tranbel Kingdom."

Lancaster had immediately crossed over from Hansel Kingdom to Tranbel Kingdom as soon as he had read the suspicious letter in Esteban Earldom. His objective, of course, was to track down Luke who was suspected to have witnessed the massacre of the knights escorting the Saintess.

Lancaster had enlisted the help of the local churches and monasteries in searching for Luke as soon as he had arrived in Tranbel Kingdom. Even the numerous host of worshippers, however, could not discover the whereabouts of Luke.

"I don't understand How can one man avoid the vast numbers of worshippers that I've enlisted?"

Lancaster eventually turned his gaze elsewhere due to the lack of progress. He had begun to consider the possibility that Luke had fled to somewhere else.

Finally, he was able to stumble on a lead at the outpost guarding the border of Sith Empire. He had discovered the records indicating that Luke had crossed the border through the very outpost.

"I remember him. A bright young man trying to secure a future in the Sith Empire I tried to stop him because he was a talented individual, but"

"That's enough. I thank you for your cooperation."

Lancaster left the outpost with a bitter expression.

"I've wasted time. I've turned over the Tranbel Kingdom trying to find Luke when he was really in the Sith Empire."

A sharp light suddenly emanated from his eyes.

"However, there are still numerous worshippers of Flora in the Sith Empire. It's only a matter of time before I find him."

All he needed to do was find Luke and torture the information out of him. Then, they would know what had happened to the Saintess and her party. Lancaster took a deep breathe before barking out orders to his holy knights.

"We cross into the Sith Empire. All we need to do is enlist the local churches, and we'll finally be able to find him."

"Yes, sir."

Lancaster gazed fiercely into the horizon, towards the Sith Empire.

"You fucking bastard. Why would you beat me so stupidly?"

Luke awkwardly avoided Kurotan's gaze.

"How was I supposed to know that giving out a beating would be so difficult?"

"You have to keep the person's limits in mind as you beat him. Or me."

"That's easy to say."

"That's why you should have been careful!"

Kurotan was currently fuming with anger. Kurotan had literally set one foot into the underworld thanks to Luke.

Even Luke, who had been so angry before, could not meet his eyes. He had been able to achieve vengeance for the beating Kurotan had given him, but he had gone overboard.

Kurotan was experienced in giving out beatings to his orc subordinates, but Luke was not.

"You need to exercise caution and technique even in giving out a beating."

"All right, I get it. I'm telling you, I get it."

Kurotan had been beaten by a furious Luke until he had literally stopped breathing. Luke, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation after Kurotan had stopped breathing, had immediately stopped his beating and given Kurotan a healing potion.

However, Kurotan's body was not fully repaired even by seven healing potions.

"Sh-Shit."

Luke had hurriedly rode his horse into Jabel Earldom in order to purchase more healing potions. He had used the rest of his remaining funds, but it still wasn't enough to revive Kurotan. He had eventually had to sell their horses and some equipment in order to purchase enough healing potions to revive Kurotan.

"Keeu, I feel like I'm going to die right now. I need more healing potions."

"Sorry, but we don't have enough money. We'd have to sell out weapons if we wanted to buy any more."

"So that's why you should have stopped before this point."

"I I got too absorbed into giving you a beating."

"Goddammit."

Kurotan stood up with a bitter expression. He had avoided death and even recovered somewhat thanks to drinking expensive healing potions as though they were water.

Kurotan closed his eyes and tried to feel out his aura.

"At least the effect is fantastic. I have around four times as much aura as I did before the beating."

"Thank goodness, it seems that the ritual was successful."

"Why are you laughing like you accomplished something? We don't have any more money to buy healing potions."

Luke silently scratched the back of his head.

"I get it, so stop it. I'll be more careful next time."

"Next time? You know it's your turn the next time."

Luke's face paled immediately.

"Th-That.."

The sound of teeth grinding against each other escaped Kurotan's mouth as he gripped his fists.

"I will teach you exactly how to give out a beating."

Luke couldn't help but shiver as a chill ran down his spine. He had enjoyed giving Kurotan a beating in vengeance, but he had not considered the consequences fully.

"Goddammit, I told you I get it. Please stop."

"You can expect a lot. I will let you see the faces of your tenth generation ancestors"

The two were walking up a mountain path. They had sold off their horses, so they were left with no choice but to drag their tired bodies up with their own feet.

"How could you have sold off the armor as well?"

Luke had sold off the armor that Kurotan had worn during the tournament to purchase healing potions. Kurotan glanced over his flimsy chain armor, filled with holes and tears, before glaring once again at Luke.

"I told you, I'm sorry. Please stop."

"Shut up."

The mountain path was quiet. Not even the common goblin or kobold made an appearance. Kurotan frowned in an unsatisfied manner.

"Damn, I can't even take out my anger on any monsters."

"Kurotan, you used to be a monster as well, before becoming a human."

"You're too loud."

Kurotan, chewing on some jerky that Luke had handed him in an effort to appease him, suddenly stopped and wriggled his ears.

"I can hear metal clashing."

"Really?"

Luke immediately concentrated his aura into his ears, focusing on his hearing. Just as Kurotan had said, clangs could be heard in the distant.

"This is the sound of battle."

"Good. Let's check it out."

Luke and Kurotan took off with incredible speed.

In a field between the forests, battle was ongoing. Two fully armed parties of knights were attacking each other fiercely.

Chwang. Chwaang.

There were no casualties yet, thanks to the sturdy armors, but one side was clearly being overwhelmed. The weaker side was outnumbered as well, and the battle seemed to be decided.

There was a single woman on the side being overwhelmed. A beautiful woman, seemingly in her early twenties, was shivering like a tree branch in winter as she watched the ongoing battle.

The attacking party was made up of fifteen knights, whereas there were eight knights seemingly guarding the woman. One of the knights defending the woman received a fatal strike as she watched on and fell to the ground.

"Keeuk."

Blood rushed through the hole in his armor. The woman paled like paper.

"Sir Jason!"

She cried out the knight's name, but the knight never rose again.

The attacking knight who had slain Jason laughed darkly as he lifted his visor. His face was younger than one would expect.

"Why don't you surrender now, Lady Angela?"

The woman seethed with anger when she saw his face.

"Stefan, you despicable bastard. How could you commit such treacherous deeds?"

"War means that the ends justify the means."

"How can you pretend to be a noble after this?"

Stefan did not stop smiling, even as the woman continued to shout slurs at him.

"This is Jablel Earldom! Do you think that Earl Jabel will allow such attacks on his grounds to go unpunished if he finds out?"

"Hahaha. So why did you leave your territory?"

Stefan was the heir to the fiefdom in opposition to the fiefdom that Angela was loyal to.

"A corpse can't answer any questions. Your bodies will be found, not in Jabel Earldom, but our Tarpan Barony. In other words, you had trespassing into the Tarpan Barony when you were discovered and killed by a party of patrolling knights."

Angela bit her lips. Just as Stefan had said, it was her carelessness that had led to this situation.

'I shouldn't have traveled this way.'

Nijel Viscounty, the fiefdom she was sworn to serve, had not been on friendly terms with Tarpan Barony for generations. Not long ago, a clash between the two for the rights to a mine located near the two fiefdoms' borders had taken the lives of many soldiers.

A great noble, sick and tired of the two fiefdom's bickering, had stepped in and had decided that the rights to the mine would go to the fiefdom that won a knight's competition.

Each side would be able to send five knights to do battle, with the winning side gaining mining rights.

The two fiefdoms had spent enormous sums trying to recruit knights, blinded by the profits that the rights to the mine would bring.

Recruiting knights, however, was not easy. Unlike a martial tournament, a knight's competition only ended when one side was dead or disabled.

The two fiefdoms had a fair number of knights under their command, but a skilled knight at the aura expert level could turn the tides of the competition.

Angela, the daughter of the lord of Nigel Viscounty, had traveled to Jabel Earldom in secret in order to recruit a proven aura expert, Sir Cooper.

Earl Jabel, however, had rejected her request straight away.

"I can't possibly lend you Cooper, as he is a valuable talent to our lands. I will pretend I did not hear that."

"We can provide ample compensation. We are willing to give up a piece of land near our borders."

"I don't need it. I value the service that Sir Cooper can provide more than that."

Angela had had no choice but to bitterly return to Nigel Viscounty. On her way back, she had been ambushed by the knights of Tarpan Barony.

'I screwed up. I should have gone around and taken the safer path even if it had taken longer.'

There was no use crying over spilt milk. Another knight from Nigel Viscounty fell with a pitiful cry as she watched on.

After losing two of their members, the rest of the knights formed a tighter defensive formation around the carriage Angela was in. The knights of Tarpan Barony closed in on them.

One of the knights, face covered with blood and sweat, said to Angela determinedly.

"Lady Angela, we will try to stall them while you escape."

"That's impossible. I can't possibly leave you and the rest of the knights, and my riding skills aren't good enough to break through."

"There are too many of them."

Angela bit her lips bitterly as she unsheathed a dagger from her side.

"Can't help it then. I will die as a noble in this place.

She closed her eyes as the knights of the Tarpan Barony closed in.