Princess Lilia quickly entered into action after threatening—no, persuading—the royal ministers and the heads of the influential families.
She evacuated the residents living near the Misty Cliff in the Eastern Outskirts and began mobilizing soldiers and knights by pressuring various noble families.
anwhile, we were not idle.
The Sherwood rcenary Corps halted all their current work and accelerated the search for the Dark Heaven Society mbers.
Even with a quick sweep, the sheer size of the search area ant that ti was inevitably consud. It was unavoidable, as they were searching along the vast expanse of the Misty Cliff.
I repeatedly emphasized to the rcenaries that if they found the enemy's base, they should not attack rashly but return imdiately.
This is because our goal is not rely to stop the Evil God's summoning, but to plunge a sword imbued with the power of the Nine Colors into the heart of the Evil God after it has descended in its weakest state, thereby annihilating it forever.
If we rashly attack and stop the summoning ritual, we will fail to put an end to it.
And this vicious cycle will continue to repeat.
Therefore, the best plan was to quickly locate their base and prepare for a full-scale confrontation before the Evil God's descent.
While they were running around, preparing to face the Evil God's descent, I, in turn, prepared to beat up the traitor and the Evil God.
I felt it when I fought Guston and the Knight of Frost.
That I was still lacking.
That I could take one more step forward from here.
I sat cross-legged and delved into my inner world.
The Heavenly Demon was standing with his hands clasped behind his back in my ntal landscape, gazing at a seemingly endless horizon. I approached him and asked.
"Master."
[What is it.]
"Is there any more martial arts you can teach your loving disciple?"
[Of course, there are countless martial arts I can teach you. But that may not be what you need most.]
"Why is that?"
[Because your vessel is complete.]
The Heavenly Demon explained.
[You possess a nature unlike anyone I have ever seen. Learning martial arts created by others beyond this point would be like forcing your body into an ill-fitting mold.]
"Then..."
[Create your own martial art.]
"......!"
It took a non-trivial amount of ti for to understand the aning of those words.
"You want to... create a martial art?"
[It may sound diffiSociety at first, but it is not as grand as you think. Do you rember when I first taught you martial arts?]
"It's a bit hazy."
[I told you that martial arts are a kind of swordsmanship. A way to wield the sword more efficiently.]
"Hmm."
[It's the sa. You are rely paving a path. A path for your inner energy to flow more efficiently and naturally.]
"......"
When I remained silent for a mont, the Heavenly Demon sighed and explained it more simply.
[Think of it as making a mountain path. There is a mysterious spring on a mountain overgrown with bushes where no one travels. You know the location of that spring. What should you do?]
"Um... I should climb the mountain to find the spring, shouldn't I?"
[How will you go? Will you take a roundabout way? Or will you go straight?]
"If I know the location, wouldn't it be faster to go straight instead of taking a detour?"
[Of course, that is often efficient, but it does not apply to every situation. What if there is a cliff or a beast on the way? Will you still insist on going straight then?]
"Uh, well. In that case, I would try to find a path that detours as little as possible."
[Speed is not the only answer. What will you do when transporting hot, steaming spring water? It must be cold by the ti you descend the mountain, so will you still insist on the fastest route?]
I clutched my head.
"...It's complicated."
[It is only a matter of considering the characteristics of the spring water and the terrain of the mountain. It is not that diffiSociety.]
"Hmm."
The Heavenly Demon watched struggle for a mont, then asked.
[How will you find the path?]
"Uh... I guess the only way is to climb the mountain and try to transport the spring water. I will adjust the path as I spill it and stumble a few tis."
[That is the correct answer. What does that an? It ans you must climb up and down the mountain tirelessly. Until a natural trail forms on the wild mountain overgrown with bushes.]
"Ah...!"
[Do you understand now?]
"Yes, Master."
So, it ant I had to travel back and forth hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of tis to find the optimal path.
[That is how you chart the ridians for the Qi(inner energy) to pass through.]
"Did you also create your martial arts this way, Master?"
The Heavenly Demon snorted.
[Why would I do sothing so inefficient?]
"?"
[It is a thousand years too early to compare you and . For , the ridians for a certain martial art are naturally charted without having to climb the mountain.]
"No... a thousand years is a bit much..."
[Since you are impatient, it is better for you to learn by directly climbing up and down and confronting things with your body, rather than sitting still and analyzing the characteristics of the spring water and the shape of the mountain. In fact, even if I told you to sit still, you would rush to the mountain out of sheer frustration.]
"Hmm."
The explanation was convincing.
I was inherently strong in real combat, and I grew stronger by gaining enlightennt through direct confrontation, often near death.
[You have not yet fully unleashed the energy within your body. The vessel is complete, so find a way to maximize the Qi within it.]
The Heavenly Demon said, casting his fishing rod into the sea.
[It is your howork.]
I understood.
I clenched my fist.
'My howork is to create a martial art that can maximize the energy within ...!'
The Heavenly Demon, holding the fishing rod, spoke as if in passing.
[You don't need to think too hard about it. I will help you.]
'...Did I hear that wrong?'
My head tilted involuntarily.
"...Why are you being so kind to your disciple all of a sudden?"
The Heavenly Demon replied in an indifferent tone.
[I thought it wouldn't be bad to play the role of a proper master one last ti.]
My heart sank.
"What do you an, 'last ti'? Are you leaving , Master...!"
As I clung to the Heavenly Demon's trousers, a fierce kick imdiately flew my way.
Thwack!
"Ugh."
The Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue at as I tumbled away.
[Tsk. Stop with the nonsense and do your howork. I will check it later.]
"......Yes."
I asked the Heavenly Demon, who was leaving as if fleeing the scene.
"Master. Are you really leaving?"
The Heavenly Demon stopped walking and spoke without turning back.
[That is the nature of fate. Since there was a beginning, there must be an end. There are no exceptions.]
"......"
I lowered my head.
The Heavenly Demon was sowhat eccentric, arrogant, and self-righteous.
But he was the master who had shown a new world.
I intuitively felt that the Heavenly Demon was also a divine arrangent, and that this arrangent was taking shape and approaching its end, but I had tried to deny it.
I was not naive enough to think that a person of the Heavenly Demon's caliber would remain in my head forever.
But when the Heavenly Demon spoke of farewell, it was true that a corner of my heart ached.
[However.]
I raised my head.
The Heavenly Demon still had his back to .
[The form in which that end will be t has not been decided.]
I quietly stared at his retreating figure.
[Disciple.]
"Yes, Master."
[I hope you do not disappoint .]
I stared blankly at the spot where the Heavenly Demon had left…
Then, I clenched my fist, stood up, and turned around.
A massive mountain had suddenly risen there.
Sowhere on it, there would be the spring I had to fetch water from.
"...So be it."
I strode toward the mountain.
Ti passed.
I continued to create my own martial art with the Heavenly Demon's help.
The reinforcents from Blake had adapted to the Sherwood rcenary Corps' base.
Rutie blended in well, like water seeping into the ground.
"They say Sir Ashuban was called the terrifying Red-Eyed Devil in Blake, you know?"
"Is that true?"
"Oh, it is. He killed a noble with a single stroke, and rcilessly cut down the villains who pursued him. His notoriety was widespread throughout the kingdom. Especially the nobles were trembling with fear."
"That's right. He particularly disliked nobles."
"E-excuse ... I heard Ashuban was knighted by the King of Blake... is that true...?"
"Of course! The current King was called the Black Prince before he ascended the throne, you see? Sir Ashuban single-handedly defeated the First Prince's strong rivals in the decisive battle and placed the Black Prince on the throne. If it weren't for Sir Ashuban, the First Prince would have taken the throne instead of the Black Prince, the Third Prince."
"Ooh...!"
"In recognition of that service, the current King personally designated him as his 'Free Sword' and presented him with a shining silver sword as a token."
When I ca down after focusing on my training to complete my final martial art, I would find them telling stories from Blake to the rcenaries.
Unlike Rutie, Ashley was a bit timid at first, but she gradually beca closer to the mbers by helping Mary, the Sherwood's housekeeper.
"I'll help."
"Oh, no. Please, just rest, guest. It's my job."
"Still..."
"If you really want to help, are you good at cooking, by any chance?"
"C-cooking?"
Ashley, born a noble and having only wielded a sword her entire life, was naturally not good at cooking, but our kind Sir Ashley attempted to cook for the first ti in her life to help out.
It was a miserable failure.
It was so bad that Siri tried to purify the food, claiming it must be cursed.
For the record, Lyle tried to eat the food she made, saying it was delicious, but ended up collapsing.
However, this incident opened the door to conversation, and they naturally blended in and beca close, making wonder if this was what the saying 'a blessing in disguise' ant.
For the record, I learned that saying from the Heavenly Demon.
The two sisters often went out on search missions, citing boredom or a desire to help.
And our cold Frost Knight, Sir Seolkov, socialized with the mbers in a slightly peculiar way.
It was a daily routine for him to go to the backyard with a wooden sword, practice his forms, and then beat up the Sherwood mbers who, out of curiosity, watched and then challenged him to a spar.
Sotis, when I heard the sound of soone being beaten while I was training, and looked out the window, it was invariably Sir Seolkov beating them with a wooden sword.
After being beaten every day like that, at so point, no one bothered Sir Seolkov anymore.
"...Guston? Is that the Guston of the Greatsword I know?"
"Maybe? I heard the Captain fought you once a long ti ago. Is that right?"
The Frost Knight nodded.
"We couldn't settle the match properly."
Then, upon hearing the news that Guston was nearby, he swiftly left with his Frost Blade.
They had t before, and the Captain would also need a sparring partner to practice the power of the Black Sword.
Since it was a win-win situation, I didn't stop him.
Thus, ti flowed.
While I was spending ti training my martial art, climbing up and down the massive mountain in my ntal landscape countless tis.
—Devil!
Linda's urgent voice was heard.
I quickly tried to descend the mountain.
"Ugh."
I tumbled down and reached the ground.
When I ca down, the Heavenly Demon was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, clicking his tongue at .
Knock, knock, knock, knock.
When I opened my eyes, Linda, the Middle Protector, was pounding on the door as if to break it.
I opened the door wide and asked.
"What."
Linda raised both hands and said.
"They found it!"
"Found what?"
"The Dark Heaven Society's headquarters!"
(End of Chapter)
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