A southern wind blew.
‘So summer is now coming.’
Feeling the sunshine that poured down above his entire body as if to shatter, Roan raised his head.
A blue sky without a single bit of cloud endlessly spread.
Swoosh!
At that moment, several small birds formed a flock and flew towards the sky above his head.
Instantly, the light in Roan’s eyes sank low.
From his mana hole, a strand of mana climbed up then quickly spun along the mana road.
His five senses opened up and all his senses turned sharp.
‘Hmm.’
As if sightseeing the scenery, Roan looked around his surroundings naturally.
Through the Kalian’s Tears, every direction was seen clearly as if his hands could touch them.
‘Is it merely birds and mice, cats and dogs……’
A bitter smile hang on his mouth.
‘Clay truly is busy.’
Sensing that Clay was spying on his every little move was something that happened a few days ago.
‘It was the moment before the Arslan Battle.”
At that time before the battle, Clay knew even the fact that Roan had given a secret order to Walter.
Meaning that he was using the spy and monitoring animals of the Bureau of Druids to watch him.
Although there was no definite proof at the time, that wasn’t so now.
‘As a result of checking from time to time after then, there’s usually two, three animals, and about seven animals at noteworthy moments attached to me.’
It was a somewhat excessive measure at the time when the number of animals assigned to Agens and Tenebra Troop still wasn’t large.
‘With what intent does he have……’
If that intent wasn’t just, he had no plan to particularly hold him close to his heart.
The Great Warring Era.
However much talented individuals were important, he couldn’t live while holding a knife to his neck.
Furthermore, the Great Warring Era was when betrayal and treachery were rampant.
‘With the newly gained memories and information as a basis, I will strengthen the internal affairs.’
Looking for Clay’s true intent was also one of those.
“What are you thinking of, my lord?”
At that moment, a quiet voice was heard from his side.
A young man without his left arm.
He was Walter Owells, no, simply Walter.
Roan took his gaze away from the sky and looked at Walter.
‘Walter.’
His heart ached.
With a single wrong judgment, he almost lost a valuable individual.
Although he had at least saved his life, he had lost his possibility as an ordinary knight.
Naturally, his face solidified stiffly.
“Are you blaming yourself again, sir?”
Perhaps having guessed Roan’s complicated heart, Walter formed a faint smile.
With his right hand, he touched his chest.
“The one who said he will personally untie the tie and requested it was me, my lord.”
It was the truth.
From the moment Walter had done undercover infiltration at Owells Camp, he had made a request to at least leave the cleanup of his father Kali Owells to him.
A cruel situation.
Roan too at first strongly opposed.
However, Walter obstinately asked for it saying that the Owells House must untie the knot the Owells House had twisted.
And the deep and adamant wrath towards Kali that showed at the same time.
Roan saw that look and made the wrong judgment and decision.
‘I should have opposed it to the end at that time……’
His heart felt stunned.
Walter, seeing that look, made a much brighter smile.
“It’s my fault for having a weak heart, my lord. It’s not my lord’s mistake.”
He too didn’t expect that he would end up lowering his sword at the last moment.
He thought that he should be able to slash Kali’s neck and perfectly untie the foully tangled tie.
But the result was,
‘I became like this.’
Walter exhaled a short sigh.
Everything was his own fault.
But.
‘Even so, the lord didn’t throw me away.’
Although Roan was endlessly sorry, Walter was instead truly thankful to Roan.
He did not threw away a one-armed swordsman, and a swordsman whose mana hole was destroyed at that, and embraced him.
That wasn’t all.
“I will give you a new chance.”
Roan spoke with a voice full of certainty.
He promised.
A chance to fly once again, a chance to spread his name once again.
Roan intended to open a new path for the one-armed swordsman whose mana hole was destroyed.
Walter, without hesitation, grabbed Roan’s hand.
He too didn’t wish to give up his life like that.
Roan and Walter.
The two people’s gazes fiercely met.
“Then should we go now?”
Now was almost time for the sun to set.
They had to hurry.
The name of a featureless village clearly float up.
‘Theturn village.’
The village itself had nothing special.
But on this season, there was an old man who was doing a bizarre act around the Theturn village.
An old man who no one paid attention to at the time.
But merely three years later, a young man said to be that old man’s apprentice would end up spreading an incredible fame.
‘Theturn’s Steel Warrior Higgs.’
A monstrous man who rejected mana and radically trained the body itself.
Roan’s eyes flashed and shone a light.
‘If Walter can become that old man’s apprentice……’
If it was Walter’s talent, he would easily become a powerful warrior that would exceed the Steel Warrior Higgs from the last life.
His footsteps naturally turned faster.
Together with tension, anticipation floated up on his face.
Far away, the Theturn Village was visible.
Although it was a small and unattractive countryside village, to Roan, no to Walter, no, to both men, it was a land of hope and a chance.
*****
“Is it neither failure nor success?”
The head of the 12 Hatchling and a viscount of the Rinse Kingdom Sith Wiggins, together with a short sigh, shook his head.
“He has now become a count instead of a baron. Meaning that he won’t feel the need to work together with us.”
The beautiful woman, baroness Elva Dionell looked around with a solidly stiffen expression at the young nobles. (t/n note: Elva’s status has been corrected from “viscountess” to “baroness”)
The reason the 12 Hatchlings have all gathered today.
That was because of the issue of recruiting Roan Lancephil.
Although Elva had personally went and appealed, there was no particular progress to now.
“Even so, we can’t stop persuading him.”
Sith couldn’t give up like that.
His gaze naturally went towards Elva.
“Evla. It will be arduous, but I’ll ask of you once more.”
“You want me to go all the way to Lancephil Fief and back?”
Roan had already long left the capital, Miller.
Sith slowly nodded his head.
“Either way, it’s a situation where the members of us, the 12 Hatchlings too have to scatter due to the missions we each took on.”
Numerous nobles nodded at those words and added on.
“I have to follow Mills Voisa and and go to Estia Empire.”
“I’m scheduled to go to the Iimas Union together with Chester Kowan.” (t/n note: “Iimas Union” has been renamed “Aimas Union)
“I’m to the kingdom’s south.”
“I’ve been given the border guard duty.”
The missions that follow one after another.
The majority of them were protecting and supporting the prince they each support.
Sith’s expression turned dark.
‘Since it’s difficult to obtain an opportunity to counter in the kingdom’s interior, they’re slowly turning their eyes towards outside the kingdom.’
Already, the Second Prince Tommy Rinse and the Third Prince Kallum Rinse’s supporting factions had frequent exchanges with numerous empires and kingdoms and their relationships were also on the very positive side.
‘I too can’t simply be sucking on my fingers.’
Sith too had received Simon’s order and had to go around and persuade the neutral faction nobles.
Compared to him, Elva was of a slightly relaxed state.
Although her abilities were outstanding, others didn’t easily entrust crucial duties due to the reason that she was a woman.
“Elva. Please.”
Sith softly stared at Elva’s eyes.
‘Hhm.’
Elva couldn’t quite refuse.
When Sith looked at her like now and asked, she wanted to answer whatever it was.
“Huu. I got it.”
Ultimately, Elva nodded her head together with a short sigh.
“I’ll personally go to the Lancephil Fief.”
A cool decision.
“Thanks.”
Sith faintly smiled and held Elva’s hand.
Throb.
Elva’s face instantly burned bright.
On the other hand, Sith’s expression showed no change at all.
Merely the thankful and sorry looks were lucid.
Elva lightly bit her lower lips.
‘Sith Wiggins. Do you truly don’t know my feelings?’
She wanted to ask.
But she didn’t quite knew.
That Sith was already answering that question with his entire body.
‘I know. Elva. Of your feelings…… but……’
His eyes became colored with inky light.
Tragically, that was not such a pleasant light.
*****
“Uah! Seriously! Oi! You bastards! I told you I’ll make your son into an invincible general if you just leave him to me!”
An unsightly old man with hair that was greyed with bits of white hair strands shouted while spitting out spit.
“Tch tch tch. One should turn old gently.”
“From what I heard, he already went around all the nearby villages.”
“They say he got chased out of all the other villages.”
“To have to pay one silver for entrusting one’s son. That’s a thief, a thief.”
The Theturn Village’s people gathered below a large tree and chattered acrid prattle.
The gazes staring at the old man weren’t very friendly.
“Just one silver! I tell you, I’ll make your son into an invincible general if you just pay one silver!”
The white haired old man, not minding even the people’s pointing, shouted aloud.
However, there was no one who showed interest.
No, rather.
“Oi! You insane old man! At least beg if you are hungry! Who knows if someone might throw you a moldy bread?”
There were ones strutting around and mocking him.
“Ei. So this village is also wrong.”
The old man clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Before he knew it, the dusk was falling on his surroundings.
‘Even though my remaining life isn’t very long……’
Finding an apprentice was as hard as plucking a star in the sky.
He stared at his two bony arms.
‘Do I look really that untrustworthy?’
At that moment.
“Sir.”
A soft and powerful voice was heard.
The old man slightly creased his brows and turned his head towards the direction the sound was heard from.
Two well-built young men were staring at him.
“Who’re you?”
A greeting without even an eye booger much of etiquette.
A manly looking one between the young men lowered his head first.
“You seemed to be telling an interesting story.”
Suddenly, a glow shined on the old man’s face.
‘Alright! I’ve done it!’
He quickly glanced meticulously over the two young men.
‘Both of them have good bone structure and even have good balance. Hhm. But one guy doesn’t have a left arm. Well, that isn’t a very big problem, but……’
His eyes flashed and shone with light.
But at that moment, the light on his face quickly turned dark.
‘Ei. This manly looking kid is already practicing mana techniques. Ei. Tch tch tch. Useless bastard.’
The old man squinted his forehead.
He became excited on his own, then became disappointed by himself.
Because numerous emotions were revealed plainly, it was a sight that naturally brought out smiles from the people who were watching.
The young man who spoke up first, with composed gaze, stared at the old man.
‘This person is the very old man who raised Theturn’s Steel Warrior Higgs.’
The young man’s identity was Roan.
Of course, the one-armed young man was Walter.
To walk a new path, they had finally arrived at the Theturn Village.
Roan looked at the old man in front of his eyes and inwardly shook his head.
‘To think an old man like this raised the Theturn’s Steel Warrior Higgs.’
It truly was incredible.
In truth, many people in the last life tried to find Steel Warrior Higgs’s master after he appeared.
But they ultimately couldn’t find Higgs’s master nor even find the place he had trained, and there was one big reason for that.
Higgs was simply and unbelievably dumb.
Not only the master’s name, he couldn’t even remember where he had trained.
A degree where remembering at least that the village he first met the master was Theturn was commendable.
The people swarmed to Theturn Village, but they couldn’t find Higgs’s master anywhere.
Meanwhile, the dumb Higgs roamed the battlefield believing in his strength then fell into a trap and died an untimely death.
An empty death.
The people quickly forgot about the memories about Higgs and his master.
Because the Great Warring Era wasn’t so poor in talents to hang over past events.
Roan too had completely forgot about Higgs and Theturn.
Even when he tried to remember it again, the name of the village was hazy.
During that time and with the recent hexers’ assault as a catalyst, he had came to remember the old memory.
‘Although he did die anticlimactically, the monstrous strength Higgs showed at the time truly was an incredible thing.’
If Higgs’s head was at least at an average level, he would more than become an invincible general like the old man’s words.
The people of that time often shared fierce debates on just why he had chosen dumb Higgs of all people as his apprentice.
And the instant Roan saw the old man today, he came to know the reason.
‘If it wasn’t someone as dumb as Higgs, no one would’ve became the old man’s apprentice.’
The appearance of old man in front of him was unbelievable to that much degree.
To call him the man who raised the Steel Warrior, he was simply too bony.
The old man, perhaps having read the light in Roan’s eyes, spread out grand words together with a cough.
“Khm. It isn’t just an interesting story. Although it’ll sound absurd, you can be an invincible general if you become my apprenti……”
When his words reached about that point.
“I accept, sir.”
Roan immediately cut his words and took out one silver from his cloth.
Instantly, the white haired old man creased his brows.
“You aren’t perhaps planning to be my apprentice yourself, right?”
The guy who learned the mana could never become his apprentice.
Roan nodded his head.
“Yes sir. The one who will become the apprentice is my brother.”
He turned his head and looked at Walter.
Walter, with deeply moved expression, lowered his head.
Already, he had heard from Roan that they came to meet an eccentric man when they arrived at the village.
And that old man would give him a new chance too.
Because of that, he had absolutely no doubts about the old man.
He was greatly and deeply moved at the fact that Roan had unhesitantly called him a brother.
Roan looked straight at the old man and spoke in a powerful voice.
“Please make my brother into the strongest general in the world, sir.”
“Hmm.”
The old man, who had been smiling sarcastically, leaked out a short groan.
A man who would react seriously and prudently like this to his words was a first.
“You, who are you?”
Even the haughty speech that looked down on them disappeared.
Roan did not particularly hide his identity.
“Roan Lancephil. I am a count of the Rinse Kingdom.”
“Ah……”
Instantly, the old man let out a quiet exclamation.
Although he lived an isolated life that wasn’t quite isolated deep in a middle of mountains, he too had heard of Roan’s name.
The Rinse Kingdom’s rising hero.
The old man quickly lowered his head.
“I’ve been discourteous to Sir Count.”
“No sir.”
Roan gently shook his head and then held Walter’s shoulder.
“My brother’s master is also my master, sir.”
At those words, the old man slightly raised his head, then made an awkward smile.
A look that was indecisive without being able to do this or that.
Roan faintly smiled and asked in a small voice.
“What is it, sir?”
“It’s……”
The old man hesitated for a moment, then answered in a cautious manner.
“My training method is truly arduous and painful. It is in fact even very dangerous. An ordinary person can never endure it. Even though I took in three apprentices until now, all of them couldn’t endure ten days and ran away.”
At those words, Walter, who had been silent, stepped forwards.
“I will never run away, sir.”
A voice filled with a determined will.
The light in his eyes too were sharp and bold.
The old man, looking at that sight, slowly nodded his head.
“You certainly seemed so, sir. But even if the person himself can endure it, there are cases of getting greatly injured with the smallest of mistake.”
To such a degree, the old man’s training method was dangerous.
Walter, this time as well, didn’t hesitate.
“I’m already a body without an arm. I’m not afraid of getting hurt.”
“Hhm.”
The old man once again leaked a groan.
But even at Walter’s bold spirit, his expression didn’t improve a bit.
Walter creased his brows.
“Am I that untrustworthy, sir?”
At those words, the old man shook his head.
“Not at all. I like you very much.”
“Then why is your expression so dark, sir?”
Walter asked again.
The old man hesitated for a moment, then looked at Roan.
“Sir count. The young man next to you is undoubtedly an incredible talent. If I were to teach him, he will certainly become an invincible general.”
Roan quietly listened to the old man’s words.
The old man, with quite a serious expression, added on.
“Would that be fine, sir? If this young man becomes an invincible general, he may climb to a higher position than Sir Count.”
The old man was worrying that Walter would no longer be able to stay under Roan if he became the strongest general in the world..
With a solidly stiffen expresion, Walter spoke.
“Whether I become a count, marquis, or duke when I become the strongest general in the world, I will always serve my lord.”
“But there’s the way of the world……”
When the old man was shaking his head with a serious expression.
Roan, who had been silent, softly smiled and spoke.
“I don’t mind, sir. Please make Walter into the strongest general in the world.”
“Would that be alright, sir?”
The old man cautiously asked.
Roan nodded his head.
“Yes. That is alright. Because I too……”
A gentle majesty poured out from his entire body.
“Merely need to become a man worthy of the strongest general in the world.”
“Eh? If it’s a man worthy of the strongest general in the world……”
The old man dryly swallowed.
Roan merely smiled.
Rather than with his mouth, he answered with his heart instead.
‘I plan to become the world.’
< Lancephil County (1) > End.