Part 10: Orc Subjugation (3)
“Yaaawn!”

Brian yawned so wide it looked like his mouth might split.

Centum was a boring place.

The annex he was staying in as a guest of the lord was unimpressive, and the garden was just there for show.

One day, he went for a walk through the town out of sheer boredom, but the scale and sights were nowhere near even the toe of the Count’s estate.

He had even thought about fooling around with a maid, but none were to his taste.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He heard a knock at the door.

When he gave permission, the dignified Osward appeared.

“Good day, Young Master.”

“You know me so well. I was just in need of someone to talk to.”

Brian, who had been standing by the window, turned toward Osward.

“How was your tour of the town?”

“I completely understand how you feel, Young Master. There really is nothing worth seeing. There was a small commotion, though.”

“What kind of commotion?”

“Some of the soldiers harassed local residents and were beaten. I cut their monthly pay drastically.”

Brian simply nodded.

He left all matters related to the troops to Osward.

In terms of martial power and leadership,

Brian couldn’t compare to Osward.

He was a great Sword Master after all.

“I heard you met with the Baron this morning.”

“His decisiveness is as small as his territory. He asked for four more days.”

“He said that even knowing I was with you?”

“Yes. It seems he got burned pretty badly during the first orc subjugation.”

Brian, the youngest son of Count Kai’s House, had joined the orc subjugation unit at the Baron’s request.

“Do you think he might have caught on to our plan?”

“If he had, do you think I’d be sitting here like this?”

Brian let out a short laugh.

“The Baron isn’t a cautious man. He’s just a coward.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

“Sir Osward, do you think I’m too cruel?”

Brian asked carefully.

He had a hidden reason for joining this subjugation expedition.

If the world found out,

it wouldn’t just be criticism. He’d be condemned as human trash.

“It’s only natural for the strong to rule over the weak. You have no reason to feel guilty. This land doesn’t suit the Baron anyway.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“Use Centum as your base to spread your ambitions. I’ll support you in every way I can.”

“Thank you, Sir Osward.”

Their warm conversation ended there.

Osward gave a respectful nod and left the residence.

He decided to cancel the soldiers’ scheduled training.

There was no need to take something like orc hunting too seriously.

“Captain.”

On his way to the barracks, a soldier of Count Kai’s House ran up to Osward.

“I looked into the person you mentioned.”

“Already?”

“Yes. His name is Aiden. He works at the tavern. He’s a young man famous for his good looks.”

“Nothing else unusual?”

“I asked around, but all anyone said was that he’s handsome. I saw him myself too, and yes, he really is.”

The soldier bit his lip in frustration.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“His nickname is Confession Breaker.”

“Confession Breaker?”

“He gets confessed to a lot by women, but he’s rejected every single one so far.”

“Really… what a useless piece of information.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not blaming you. It just means there’s nothing special about him. Good work. You can go.”

Osward lightly patted the soldier’s shoulder.

The soldier bowed and left.

As Osward walked through the garden, he thought of Aiden.

‘So it really was just my imagination?’

While scouting the town earlier, he had happened to see Aiden.

From a distance, he’d watched Aiden take down the soldiers.

The problem was…

He hadn’t been able to read Aiden’s movements.

That bothered him.

Not being able to read an opponent’s movements meant the opponent was stronger than you.

He must have been too far away.

Yes, that must be it.

No way.

He was one of the top eighty swordsmen on the continent.

There was no way he could be weaker than some random young man in a backwater town.

The plan would proceed as scheduled.

* * *

That evening.

Aiden began Kevin’s real training.

No, before training him, he assessed Kevin’s potential.

The ten-kilometer run had already shown his stamina and grit.

The rest had to be seen with his own eyes.

He had Kevin lift a heavy boulder (strength test).

Had him sprint (agility).

Gave him one minute to memorize everything around him (observation and memory), and more.

After evaluating his physical abilities,

he tested his affinity with different weapons.

He handed Kevin a sword, a bow, a spear, and an axe, and had him try each.

The aptitude test alone took an hour.

Kevin, drenched in sweat, collapsed to the ground and leaned against a nearby tree trunk.

“Aiden, how did I do?”

Kevin asked with sparkling eyes.

“Terrible.”

“Aww. I’m still a kid. I can get better.”

“If you have talent, it shows sharply even at your age.”

Aiden shook his head.

Kevin’s only real strengths were perseverance and diligence.

The rest…

“Aiden, can I use a sword?”

“You seem more suited for a bow.”

“But swordsmen are cooler. Hero Kravat was a swordsman too.”

“Who’s Kravat?”

Aiden tilted his head.

He knew the names of countless heroes on the continent, but Kravat wasn’t one of them.

Even considering the time since he retired,

there hadn’t been a new hero in that period.

“You don’t know Kravat?”

“No.”

“Kravat’s the greatest hero who defeated the Demon King. He’s the main character of my favorite storybook.”

Aiden felt drained at Kevin’s explanation.

Of course.

“At your level, the bow is the best choice.”

“Why?”

“The farther you are from the battlefield, the higher your survival rate.”

“But fighting from a distance isn’t cool.”

“You said you want to get strong to protect someone precious. So was it just about looking cool?”

“You have to use a sword to protect someone right by your side.”

Kevin didn’t know that if he learned archery from Aiden, he’d also learn techniques to protect his allies.

What should he do?

Should he push archery on him?

Or let Kevin learn the sword as he wanted?

He didn’t think about it long.

“Do what you want.”

Aiden answered flatly.

He wasn’t part of the Thieves Guild anymore, and neither was Kevin.

The environment and circumstances were different.

There was no reason to stick to his old teaching methods.

Whoosh.

A cool breeze swept over their skin.

Even though it was the same wind, the town’s air was hot and stuffy, while the mountain breeze was cool and refreshing.

The wind hadn’t changed.

The place where it blew had.

Just like how Aiden had changed since coming to Centum.

“Let’s head down.”

“Already? I can keep training.”

“I don’t have time.”

Aiden reached a hand toward Kevin, who was leaning against the tree.

Kevin held out his hand.

It was small, white, chubby, and soft.

At Kevin’s age, Aiden had already been committing assassinations. His hands had never been free of blood.

The two walked down the mountain side by side.

“Aiden, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“How can I get strong like you?”

“You just need talent.”

“Isn’t hard work the most important thing?”

Kevin asked, disappointed.

“No. Talent comes first. Even hard work is a kind of talent.”

“……”

“I’ve seen plenty of smart and strong people who never grew because they were lazy.”

In that sense, Aiden didn’t overestimate himself.

He had the extraordinary ability to absorb Death Qi.

He was quick-witted.

Decisive.

And he possessed diligence as a talent.

He already had all the traits needed to become the greatest assassin on the continent.

Maybe it was because of that talent that his life had been so unfortunate.

Heaven never gives everything…

“If talent matters most, then there isn’t much I can do. That’s unfair.”

“The world’s always unfair.”

“Then if I use a sword, how strong can I become?”

“If you do well, you might reach the upper level of Sword Beginner.”

“Beginner? Not Master?”

“Master? Keep dreaming.”

Aiden spoke coldly.

“No way. I’ll definitely become a Sword Master like Kravat.”

Kevin raised his voice.

A few startled birds flapped into the sky.

“The higher your expectations, the bigger your disappointment.”

“I can do it!”

Kevin shouted stubbornly.

When that dream broke, he would become an adult.

As they walked down the mountain,

Kevin said he had somewhere to stop by.

Following a narrow path, a burial mound came into view.

It was Mac’s grave, the place that held his family’s and others’ memories, and now only remained as a signboard.

“Dad, this is Aiden. He’s going to teach me swordsmanship. He’s really strong. He beat up those soldiers easily.”

Kevin introduced Aiden proudly.

Aiden gave a small bow.

“What’s your dad doing now?”

“He passed away.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.”

Aiden tried to recall his parents who had died from the plague.

But it was like his mind was covered in fog.

He had been too young back then.

He barely managed to fish out a fragment of memory, and even that was blurry.

In that memory, Aiden was walking somewhere holding his father’s hand.

His father smiled gently and said,

‘Aiden, I know you’ll be str……’

Street noise drowned out the rest.

What had his father meant to say?

His chest suddenly ached.

It was strange.

In the past, he could recall his childhood without feeling anything.

He could flip through those memories like pages in a book.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“I’ll give you this as a special present.”

Kevin pulled something from the basket slung over his shoulder and handed it to him.

Aiden looked at it closely.

[Great Hero Kravat]

It was a storybook. The cover showed a blond young man and his companions marching toward the Demon King’s castle.

“You said it’s your favorite storybook?”

“I memorized the whole thing. I don’t need it anymore, so I’ll give it to you as a gift. Instead of tuition.”

“Alright. I’ll accept it.”

“You have to read it. You’re not allowed to talk to anyone who hasn’t read Great Hero Kravat.”

“Says who?”

“Me.”

Kevin puffed out his chest proudly.

Aiden let out a small laugh.

Teaching Kevin was clearly different from teaching Thieves Guild members.

This wasn’t a wheel teaching a wheel.

It was people communicating with each other.

After descending the mountain, they returned to the town.

After parting with Kevin, Aiden stored the storybook in subspace.

On the way back to the tavern,

thoughts of his father coiled around and around in his head.

The words he’d heard but not heard echoed in his mind.

He wanted to retrieve them.

And then.

Strangely, he suddenly felt like playing the lute.

Father’s Old Clock.

It felt like he’d be able to hear his father’s voice clearly if he played it.

When Aiden entered the tavern,

his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed at the unusual scene.

Victor was in the middle of an argument with soldiers from the estate.

“Man, you guys really don’t get what I’m saying. I’m trying to handle this nicely.”
 

To be continued