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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Dormant Dragon Now Stretches (5)
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'Captain was right.'
As she crossed swords with Theo, Evelyn gained certainty.
'The talent this young master possesses isn't limited to swordsmanship alone.'
'The charm that turns even enemies into allies, the charisma that captivates hearts, the passion that sets pulses racing, ambition, desire... He has it all.'
That's what they usually call someone who possesses all those qualities.
-Family Head.
'The vessel of a Family Head....'
For a mere swordsman like her to harbor such thoughts might be presumptuous.
But Evelyn truly believed it.
'Perhaps... he might even transform the entire house, stagnant and rotting away for a thousand years.'
Some say it.
That the Ragnar Family currently holds the strongest force in history, across all eras.
In truth, if the Ragnars set their minds to it, a new empire could rise in the North.
A millennium of accumulated legitimacy,
The deep trust of the northern folk,
Battle-hardened prowess and cutting-edge tactics forged fighting sea monsters,
Physical abilities so superior that others call them cursed,
And.
The Six Clans to support them from behind.
As a result, the Ragnars had stagnated to the point of decay.
The stench permeated everywhere without exception.
Evelyn... had been one of the victims of that stench.
That was why she had let go of the sword she loved so dearly.
That was why she had sheathed the blade she valued more than her own life.
But Evelyn had drawn her sword once more and gripped it in her hand.
Even if it was now her only arm.
Even if the imbalance threw off her center of gravity, preventing her from performing at her former level.
Still, Evelyn had something she wanted to believe in.
Of course, that would require pushing even harder.
Kwaaaang!
Kurur-
"Haa... haa...!"
"Hoo... hoo...!"
Theo and Wellington, pushed far back by Evelyn's thrust, came into view.
The two, drenched in sweat, looked ready to collapse at any moment, but their eyes burned brighter than ever.
A fierce determination not to lose shone through.
Yes. That's it.
If you pick up a sword, shouldn't you adopt that stance from the start?
'Shall I push them harder, then?'
Heh-
Evelyn grinned, baring her fangs.
"Block it properly this time. At this rate, the test is a failure."
She said words that didn't match her feelings.
Tadak!
Evelyn kicked off the ground once more.
The sensation she hadn't felt in four years was more exhilarating than she could have imagined.
* * *
A place where sunlight barely penetrated, even in broad daylight.
A certain middle-aged man adjusted the glasses perched on his nose as he reviewed the documents handed to him by his attendant.
"Is this the intel on 'that bastard'?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"Good. You're dismissed."
The middle-aged man waved him off lightly and stared intently at what he held.
Among them were recent photos of Theo, Julius, and Evelyn engaged in conversation.
"The cripple from the Rose Palace meeting with the White Dragon Knights' Captain...? Ha, he's climbed the ladder. Quite the rise."
The emotion in the middle-aged man's gaze as he looked at Theo was singular.
Contempt.
His eyes regarded Theo like a sewer rat.
「This doesn't look like something you can dismiss so easily.」
Right then, an echoing voice from above made the middle-aged man's expression harden slightly.
He looked up.
A dragon's head protruded abruptly from the shadow on the ceiling.
"Didn't I tell you not to come out without my permission, Shaton?"
Shadow Dragon.
Among the myriad dragon species in the world, they boasted the most peculiar appearance and traits.
With fewer than a hundred individuals left, they were on the brink of extinction, and Shaton was their leader.
But this was a top-secret fact unknown to the outside world.
Thus, Shaton was always confined to the shadows, harboring endless resentment about it.
「It's suffocating in here. How long do I have to hide like a rat? I want to rampage a bit!」
"Not yet. The time hasn't come."
「That damn time, time, time.... It's going to wear thin, you know?」
"Enough pointless chatter. More importantly, you say this isn't something to take lightly? What do you mean by that?"
「What do I mean? Exactly what I said. See that other person in the photo?」
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes at Evelyn in the picture.
"You mean this one-armed cripple woman?"
「Yeah. Her.」
"Who is she?"
「Evelyn Nereville. She manages the Fourth Training Grounds.」
"Do I need to know about some woman like that?"
「She's still a former senior swordsman of the White Dragon Knights.」
"Hm...?"
「Back in her prime, rumors swirled that she was the Captain's right-hand woman.」
A 'minor' memory the middle-aged man had buried resurfaced.
One day, Julius had stormed into the Elder Council unannounced, turned it upside down, and beaten several elders to a pulp.
The incident had massive repercussions because it was so out of character for the usually courteous Julius.
The elders, suffering at least twelve weeks of recovery, had demanded immediate disciplinary action against Julius.
But the Council ultimately decided to let it slide.
The Family Head's trust in Julius was immense, and publicizing that a mere vice-captain had trashed the Council would only undermine its authority.
'Back then, they said the Captain rampaged because of some woman...?'
「Looks like it's coming back to you now.」
The middle-aged man nodded.
"A bit. Anyway, why this woman?"
「She's been hanging around that Rose Palace cripple every day lately.」
"What?"
「Looks like she's become his swordsmanship mentor or something.」
"...The White Dragon Knights' former loyal hound and the cripple have become master and disciple?"
「Bingo. About a month or so now?」
The middle-aged man's face clouded with concern.
If true, this was no trivial matter.
If Theo and the White Dragon Knights had truly joined forces, it would thoroughly derail his plans to seize the Rose Palace.
The Knights held immense power within the house, making them a burden he couldn't ignore.
'Renden... That fool botched his mission and died, messing up the sequence already, and now it's tangling further?'
Tok.
Tok.
The middle-aged man tapped his desk with his index finger for a long while.
A habit that surfaced when he was deep in thought.
「Oh, not sure if this news helps, but.」
"What else?"
「Narsio, you know? His son, the young master there, has been getting chummy with him lately too?」
The middle-aged man's deliberation ended there.
"I don't want variables deviating from my predictions. No choice. I'll need to verify this first."
「Ooh, plotting something again? What is it? What? Tell me too!」
Ignoring Shaton's fussing, the middle-aged man quietly pulled out a sheet of paper, scribbled something with his fountain pen, folded it neatly, and slipped it into an envelope.
-To the Esteemed Plum Palace Lord.
He sealed the envelope addressed thus and spoke.
「Here we go again! Just tell me, what's the harm...!」
"Shaton."
「Oh! Finally gonna spill it?」
"You're confined to quarters for the next month."
「W-Wh-What does that mean...!」
"You've been sneaking around outside without permission, picking up all sorts of gossip. Cool your head in there."
「W-Wait, Master! Master? Hear me out...! Hey! Heeeey!」
Regardless of Shaton's outburst.
The middle-aged man took the letter and quietly left the room.
* * *
Over the past three months, Theo's schedule had been devoted entirely to training.
At exactly 6 a.m., he'd appear at the Fourth Training Grounds without fail for runs,
Followed by basic swordsmanship with Evelyn from 9 a.m., and continuous spars from noon.
Those who missed sparring with him on the first day came the next, and those who missed then came on the third,
Stretching into four, five, six days, and solidifying over three months into a kind of culture unique to the Fourth Training Grounds.
They enjoyed doing things with Theo.
Physical conditioning, sword training, continuous spars—all of it.
On days they couldn't spar with him?
They'd draw lots among themselves and take turns sparring.
With Evelyn adding her advice.
It became the catalyst for steady improvement in those once labeled as 'fallen behind.'
Once the group schedule ended in the evening, personal training began.
From 6 p.m., reviewing the day's events,
From 9 p.m., delving into secret swordsmanship based on his insights.
The mechanical routine allowed almost no rest.
Perhaps that's why.
Wellington, who had initially shown great interest in Theo's regimen, looked fed up within less than a month.
"Aren't you tired?"
Today was no different.
After spars concluded, Wellington sprawled on the training grounds in a 대 shape.
Even he, from the notoriously grueling Narsio house, seemed exhausted.
"It's manageable."
"Manageable...?"
"Yes. So I'm thinking of ramping up the intensity starting tomorrow."
"...More?"
"More."
"...I dare say, there's no monster like you anywhere, Young Master Theo."
Theo couldn't help but burst into laughter at Wellington's half-dazed expression.
He knew exactly why Wellington reacted that way.
But.
'When you can see yourself growing stronger in real time like this, how could it be tiring?'
+
Theo Ragnar (15/Male)
· Level: 1
· Stats (▼)
Strength: 18 Agility: 16
Stamina: 17 Mana: 195
Intelligence: 16 Luck: -35
· [Inaccessible]
· [Inaccessible]
+
All five stats except [Luck] had risen by a total of over twenty points already.
[Luck] had dropped significantly too.
'[Mana] has increased by a year's worth. Roughly, coefficient 5 seems to be a year's gain.'
Theo narrowed his eyes.
'The problem is, lately, everything's hit a plateau.'
This had been Theo's recent concern.
About two weeks ago.
The stat coefficients had stopped rising.
The same training methods no longer spurred growth.
'Need something different.'
+
[Tutorial Quest #11]
Experience real combat.
· Difficulty: D
· Reward: Beginner's Top
· On Failure: ■■
+
'After opening Aura Hall and training hard, now it wants me to clash blades for real?'
Theo narrowed his eyes.
But to do that, he'd need to take a mission outside Winterer.
With the Awakening Ceremony looming, Theo was currently under a no-exit order.
'Or...!'
He wondered if a situation like with Renden would suffice, even without a mission.
That's when it happened.
"...so I'd like to invite you to that gathering. What do you think?"
Theo snapped to attention at Wellington's question.
"Sorry. Could you repeat that?"
"Lost in thought, were you?"
"I had something to handle later, so my mind wandered for a moment."
"No matter. It wasn't that important anyway. With the Awakening Ceremony just two months away, we're thinking of holding a gathering for peers participating in it—to build camaraderie. I'd love for you to join and grace it."
'Camaraderie? Ah, he means the Kyoryong Society.'
Kyoryong referred to a dragon slumbering deep in the water, and it was also the nickname for the society first formed the year Theo underwent his Awakening Ceremony.
Theo's generation, including Wellington, brimmed with geniuses.
The Ragnars called it the 'Blessed Generation,' while those before and after were dubbed the 'Cursed Generations.'
Indeed, the Kyoryong Society, starting as a simple social club, later wielded enough power to sway major house affairs.
Even the Elder Council had eyed them warily, scheming to divide them.
But Theo couldn't even set foot there.
Lacking both talent and qualification from the start.
Yet in this life, he'd received an invitation to attend.
What irony.
'Building ties with them would definitely help in many ways. I could gauge the skills of those worth clashing with before the Ceremony.'
But would it truly be worthwhile?
A den of jackals, after all—attending would just give him a headache.
From memory, even Wellington had later regretted it and withdrawn, clutching his head.
'Yeah. I'll decline. Need to organize today's insights anyway.'
"I think you should go, Young Master. It's not good to just train all the time. You need to clear your head now and then."
Suddenly, Evelyn, who had been silently listening, chimed in, backing Wellington.
As Theo scratched his temple awkwardly.
'This is...?'
Paaah-
The invitation Wellington offered glowed blue.
The same light as a message window.