Chapter 24. To The Sith Empire (2)
TL: Warriormonk
Editor: Isleidir
Luke and Kurotan arrived at their destination, the Jabel viscountcy, after two days of travel on horseback.
“So this is the Jabel viscountcy.”
Luke looked around the city with an excited look. The view that greeted him was similar to his own home city in Esteban Earldom, with buildings centered on the lord’s castle. Of course, the architecture and people’s clothes were slightly different.
Perhaps due to the martial tournament happening in four days, a high number of armored people roamed the streets with sheathed weapons.
“Let’s find a place to stay first.”
“Good, I want to wash myself.”
Luke looked at Kurotan in bewilderment. How could he forget the troubles he had gone through to get Kurotan to wash himself the first time around?
“I thought you got ‘sick’ if you washed yourself?”
“I tried it and I didn’t get sick. And I like being clean, now.”
Luke clucked his tongue as Kurotan pretended that the past had not happened. They proceeded into an inn that they found, where Luke’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What the h.e.l.l? Why is it so expensive?”
The inn was of standard quality, but the price exceeded Luke’s imagination. The innkeeper looked at Luke as if he was a country b.u.mpkin.
“Most inn’s prices are like this when there is a martial tournament. Our inn currently has a single open room.”
“Even so, isn’t this too much?”
“If you wait until tomorrow, you won’t be able to find a room even if you are willing to pay.”
Luke looked around uncomfortably.
He had exchanged all of his money for the currency used in the Sith Empire at the border post. The innkeeper was requesting that he pay half of the money Luke possessed for a half-month stay.
‘d.a.m.n, it looks like I have to start worrying about how to make money.’
If he were currently in Hansel Kingdom, Luke would not have had to worry about money. He had a house that he could ask for funds from, after all. He was currently in Sith Empire, however, a far away land.
Luke handed over the money with a bitter expression.
“We provide three meals a day. We have an open yard in the back of the inn where you can train.”
The room that the innkeeper led Luke and Kurotan to looked rather comfortable, at least. There were two beds next to each other, a much more appealing alternative to camping outdoors.
“There is a well at the edge of the yard over there, you can use it to wash.”
The innkeeper left the two of them to look around the inn, and Luke counted the rest of his money.
“35 denaris… d.a.m.n it. How should I make money?”
Luke needed money immediately. He had to repair the axe that had been destroyed by earl Wellington as well as buy basic equipment.
He also needed to teach aura cultivation techniques to the Latilla tribe warriors that would soon be given human bodies. It would be a process that would require expensive mana scrolls and potions.
‘We’re not just talking about one or two coins, I’m going to need a fortune… How do I approach this?’
Kurotan jumped into bed and enjoyed the texture of the mattress, clueless to Luke’s headache regarding financial problems.
‘A martial tournament is sure to have gambling involved. d.a.m.n it, I suppose I could try put up some money for the martial tournament, even if it doesn’t sit well with my sense of chivalry.’
Luke’s gaze headed towards Kurotan, who was currently rolling around in bed.
‘If it’s that b.a.s.t.a.r.d, it won’t be impossible to win the martial tournament either…’
Luke organized his thoughts and put away the pouch of coins into his bosom.
‘How much money will I have left after repairing Kurotan’s axe with 35 denarins? It probably won’t be enough to gamble with.’
Kurotan jumped up from bed.
“I’m going to go wash.”
“Wait a little bit.”
“Why?”
Luke took out a book from the traveling bag.
“There’s something you have to train in.”
“Train? Good!”
The book that Luke had retrieved was the book of swordsmanship that he had received from Reynold. The mid-level swordsmanship that the mercenary aura master Belloche had created. Kurotan looked at the book curiously.
“What is that?”
“It’s a mid-level swordsmanship book that I’m going to train you in.”
“Mid-level swordsmanship book?”
“Listen. You’ve currently only learned basic swordsmanship, and your strikes and slashes have predictable and simple paths. Your attacks can be read by anyone who is somewhat skilled with the sword.”
“Kurotan is strong even without learning such things.”
“Even if you can become stronger faster if you learn this?”
Kurotan’s face lit up at Luke’s words.
“Let’s train together. I also have to learn this sword style if I am to train you in it.”
“All right. Your decisions have always been correct until now. I trust you and your decisions.”
Luke smiled bitterly while looking at Kurotan, who was taking large strides to the door.
“You’re so easy to convince, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
There was a large clearing at the back of the inn, just as the innkeeper had said. A couple of men were already clashing their swords in training. The sound of weapons clashing rang out harshly throughout the clearing.
Luke took Kurotan into a corner of the clearing.
“The sword style you have been using up until now can be called the basic of basics. A beginner’s style”
“Is that so?”
“Under normal circ.u.mstances, you should learn a low-level sword style after the basic sword style, but…”
Luke flashed his teeth in a smile.
“With your skills, we should be able to skip that and go directly to the mid-level sword style.”
Luke had learned a high-level sword style unique to the Esteban House. Even so, Kurotan was able to dominate him almost effortlessly, with just a basic sword style.
Luke was far superior in terms of sword techniques, but Kurotan was able to defeat him effortlessly thanks to being able to amplify his physical capabilities by using aura. Even in terms of life and death battle experiences, there was a large difference between them.
“To be honest with you, I have high expectations. You are already a formidable warrior with just a basic sword style. I wonder how strong you will become after you’ve learned the proven sword style of Belloche.”
“If I can become stronger faster, I will learn it.”
“The Belloche sword style is a good fit for you. The sword style is mainly made up of continuous attacks without rest, while minimizing defense.”
Kurotan gripped his sword and took a stance. Luke opened the book and skimmed the pages.
“First of all, we need to ingrain the sword techniques and sword skills of the Belloche sword style into our bodies. It’ll be just like the time I trained you in basic sword techniques, so you don’t have to tense up too much.”
“All right.”
The two men began to go through the sword skills and techniques that were in the book. It was usually taken as common knowledge that one could not learn mid or higher level sword styles from just reading a book. However, Luke had already learned a high-level sword style in addition to having trained in the sword since a young age. He was familiar with the points one had to be wary of when learning a sword style from a book.
The other men in the clearing glanced only briefly at the two. It would have been more entertaining if Luke and Kurotan were sparring, but the slow movements with which they carried out the skills from the books made them a boring sight.
After training into the late night, Luke and Kurotan left the inn after a good night’s sleep and breakfast. They were trying to repair Kurotan’s axe.
“I still do not enjoy using a sword, because it’s small and thin.”
“Yeah, and I think the Belloche sword style would be better executed with an axe than a sword. The destructiveness of an axe along with the continuity of the sword style would be extremely hard to deal with.”
Luke and Kurotan walked towards a smithy, asking people for directions if they got lost on the way.
Ddaang. Ddaang. Ddaang.
The size of the smithy was rather big. Armored men and their weapons crowded the smithy. They seemed to be there to repair their equipment for the coming martial tournament.
Luke’s sharp gaze scanned the room. His face brightened when he discovered a free blacksmith sitting in the corner.
“Follow me.”
Luke and Kurotan walked over to the corner. The blacksmith was an old man with a face full of wrinkles, currently slowly enjoying a beer. His face and arms were covered with burns, testifying to his lifetime of hammering away at steel.
The blacksmith glared at Luke who had come to stand in front of him.
“I don’t even wish to know why you are here, go find another blacksmith. I do not do small jobs.”
There was definitely a reason the blacksmith had been free. Luke smiled, despite the old man’s grumpy mood.
“It’s not a small job. Would you take a look at my weapon first?”
Luke placed the damaged axe on the old man’s work station. The blacksmith’s disapproving stare disappeared immediately as his eyes widened.
“What?”
The old man immediately sat up straighter and studied the two pieces of the bisected axe.
The surface of the cut, having been severed by an aura master, was impossibly smooth like a mirror.
The old man’s voice trembled as he spoke, rubbing the surface of the cut with his finger.
“Ho, how is this possible? It-It doesn’t even make sense.”
People started to gather around at the old man’s response. The other blacksmiths also ceased their hammering and looked towards the old man.
“This axe was made with molten steel, not by hammering. How could it be cut this cleanly? This is impossible even with a magic blade enchanted with a sharpness spell.”
The old man looked at Luke with wide eyes.
“What happened to this axe?”
The crowd’s eyes all turned to Luke, or more specifically his mouth. Luke took a deep breathe before seriously facing the old man.
“This axe was cut by the aura blade of an aura master.”
The old man immediately slapped his knee in excitement.
“Of course. Of course, it would be impossible if it wasn’t an aura blade. But….”
The old man glanced Luke up and down rather suspiciously.
“You don’t seem to be at a level where you can take on an aura master.
“There was a misunderstanding and a brief clash. I didn’t take him on, just blocked his attacks twice.”
Luke remembered earl Wellington and Kurotan’s clash.
“A mysterious aura master mistook me for an enemy and attacked. You see the bottom of the axe also has a cut?”
The crowd’s eyes now looked at the axe. Indeed, there was a cut going through about half of the axe.
The old man nodded.
“Yes, this is only possible with an aura blade. Yes, of course.”
“That was what happened after the first clash. The second clash is what cut the axe clean in half.”
Luke glanced briefly at Kurotan, uncomfortable because he was telling the story as if he had been the one to clash with the aura master. Kurotan, however, was standing expressionlessly.
“Afterwards, the aura master’s kick sent me flying back quite a distance.”
The audience held their breath. Just imagining the one on one battle with an aura master was enough to give them gooseb.u.mps.
“When I blocked two of his attacks, the aura master ceased attacking me and asked for my ident.i.ty. Fortunately, we were able to solve the misunderstanding.”
The old man heaved a sigh with the end of the story.
“I see. That explains the axe.”
The audience continued to look at Luke without dispersing. To their eyes, Luke seemed to be a kid with incredible luck.
“So why are you hear at the smithy?”
“I am thinking right now… I’ve considered repairing the axe, but it doesn’t seem like a bad idea to leave it in its current state as evidence of my battle with an aura master.”
The old man’s eyes flashed with greed.
“Give it to me. I will give you three axes from my personal collection.”
“Well…”
It was then that someone from the audience shouted out.
“I will pay you fifty denarins. You should be able to buy four axes with that money, so sell the axe to me.”
The first offer set off a cascade of offers from the rest of the crowd.
“I will pay you seventy denarins.”
“One hundred denarins. Any object with the mark of an aura master is priceless.”
Everyone at the smithy was here in order to attain fame at the martial tournament. Their final goal could be said to reach the end of their martial path and become an aura master.
It would have been impossible for them to ignore an axe that had been cut in half by an aura master.
“Two hundred fifty denarins, my entire fortune. Please sell it to me.”
After a while, the price of the axe had exceeded three hundred denarins. Luke couldn’t help but gape at the sight of the frantic crowd.
‘This is why the Sith Empire has been able to survive while surrounded by unfriendly countries.’
Although Luke felt impressed by the crowd, he still desperately needed the money. The axe was finally sold to the highest bidder for a grand sum of five hundred denarins.
“Here you go. Please, take care of it.”
The hairy man who had handed Luke five hundred denarins worth of gold coins only smiled wholeheartedly.
“Don’t worry, this will be my heirloom and handed down through the generations…”’
Luke smiled bitterly watching the back of the hairy man as he walked away while cradling the axe.
Although the hairy man had stated that he would treat it as an heirloom, it was more likely that he had purchased the axe just to brag to others about the story Luke had told the crowd.
‘Well, that’s that. I have the money to bet on Kurotan, as well as prepare some equipment for him.’
Luke turned to look at the old smith, who looked disappointed. It seemed that the old man had had high hopes for purchasing an object with an aura master’s mark.
“I will definitely give you the chance to purchase another object if the opportunity comes, sir.”
“d.a.m.n, I don’t think that opportunities like yours are common. Anyways, I suppose you will need a new axe.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You are a man who has survived an encounter with an aura master. You have more than enough qualifications to fight with a weapon that I’ve made. Come, follow me.”
Luke and Kurotan followed the old man as he walked deeper into the smithy.