Chapter 216: Gratitude Toward the Master (1)

Yuri left the village at dawn. He didn’t bother to find out what had happened to the fugitives.

Before crossing into the plains, he planned to stop by Liberta to briefly meet with Moyongchan. Although it was urgent to reach Valshard, the visit to Liberta was still necessary according to his plan.

He had to speak with Moyongchan about the recent events, and also about the inner demons.

The four of them rode swiftly.

“Ugh, couldn’t we rest a little…!”

“Rest in your grave.”

Francesco complained from time to time, but Yuri paid him no mind.

Of course, Francesco didn’t spend all his time whining.

Every now and then, during breaks, he would sit alone to practice his mana method.

Although his energy was meager for a knight, he continued training with perseverance.

He still believed he could recover someday and was constantly looking for a way to do it.

“You can tell he was one of the Ten Greats.”

“Right?”

At Jared’s comment, Yuri nodded.

Manipulating a minuscule amount of mana was incredibly difficult. You had to keep that weak energy circulating through your body without letting it escape.

And still, Francesco kept training, sweating profusely as he executed his mana method.

“If he manages to recover his mana, he might become even stronger than before.”

“Definitely.”

“But is it okay to treat him so poorly all the time?”

“It’s fine.”

The training Francesco was doing, Yuri had also practiced in his past life.

He had delved so deeply into the Briol method that he explored different ways to execute his mana method, including controlling minimal amounts of energy to improve precision.

“Besides, I’m good without needing to do that kind of training.”

“Ah, of course…”

“We’re almost leaving. Go wake him up.”

“Got it.”

Jared went to Francesco while Yuri called out to Simon and Guinness, who were training with each other.

“Hey, let’s go!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes!”

Unlike Francesco, who trained alone, Simon and Guinness spent their breaks sparring together.

Maybe because they had traveled through Liberta with Moyongchan, they seemed far more skilled with the sword than before.

When they approached with their horses, Yuri said something in passing.

“Simon.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t just wait for an opening. Try creating one yourself.”

“Ah, understood!”

“And Guinness, your mana is very uneven. Try to keep it more stable.”

“I will!”

Both thanked him with a bow.

Francesco smirked to the side.

“What an eye our Prince of Briol has. He doesn’t seem his age.”

“I also have a tip for you, Sir Francesco.”

“Eh?”

“Straighten your back when you sit. Otherwise, you’ll ruin your spine.”

“Ah… understood…”

“Let’s go.”

The five horses began galloping.

“What’s that over there?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

As they advanced along a rough path, Yuri’s group had an unexpected encounter.

Sometimes you’d come across merchants or travelers, but this time a squad of knights appeared.

One of them raised a hand to stop them, and Yuri’s group slowed down.

“Who are you?”

From the emblem on their chest, they were Liberta knights.

“I’m Yuri Briol, Prince of Briol. I’ve come to see my master, the great hero Moyongchan.”

“Hmm?”

The knight widened his eyes in surprise.

“Ah…”

His gaze shifted. First to Yuri’s black hair, then to the rest of the group.

“Do you have any way to confirm your identity?”

Yuri pulled out his identification medallion.

Although the knight examined it, he still looked skeptical. After all, they came from another kingdom, and distinguishing between authentic and fake medallions wasn’t easy.

Anyone with ill intent could forge one.

Yuri let out a small laugh.

“I gain nothing by deceiving you. Unless you’d like to test whether I’m really as good with a sword as the rumors say.”

“Ah, no, no. I got carried away. So… you said you’re here to see Lord Moyongchan?”

“Yes.”

“Then, we’ll escort you.”

“Were you heading to see him too?”

“That’s right.”

The knight gestured with his chin toward his squad.

“We’re going for training.”

“Training?”

“Yes. Lord Moyongchan is traveling through Liberta providing training to knight squads. He checks our sword technique and teaches us useful training methods. We were lucky to get our turn this time.”

He flashed a wide smile. Apparently, Moyongchan’s training sessions were very popular.

“That’s great. Let’s go together then.”

“Yes, sir.”

Thus, Yuri’s group proceeded along with the squad of Liberta knights.

***

The knight squad that joined Yuri was known as the “Gale Knights.” According to them, it was a group founded by young knights with a shared spirit.

And indeed, they were all young, and their skill level wasn’t particularly high.

The place they galloped to with such effort was a small village near Liberta.

“Is that it?”

“Yes, sir.”

But instead of entering the village, the squad began circling around the outskirts.

“Master Moyongchan is… ah!”

One of the knights pointed in a direction.

“There.”

Yuri soon spotted a flag waving high in the field, just outside the village.

It was written in an eastern language, so he couldn’t grasp the exact meaning, but the calligraphy conveyed a powerful presence.

Beneath that flag stood Moyongchan.

“Ah…”

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

While chatting during the ride, the knight—now convinced Yuri was telling the truth—smiled at him.

“Go greet him first. We’ll follow a bit slower.”

“No problem…”

He seemed excited to witness an emotional reunion between master and disciple.

“You must pay your respects to the master. Hahaha, we’ll take another round and then come.”

Discreetly slowing down, the knight let Yuri ride ahead alone.

Though it wasn’t his favorite thing, Yuri advanced alone from the group toward Moyongchan.

At that moment, the master opened his eyes under the flag.

Yuri thought he wouldn’t feel anything special, but seeing Moyongchan again after so long filled him with a strange emotion.

He dismounted and approached.

It had been quite a while since they’d seen each other, and many things had happened in that time, yet Moyongchan hadn’t changed at all from the memory Yuri had of him.

“Master.”

“Yuri.”

They looked at each other.

And then—

They crossed swords!

“I see your manners are still deplorable.”

“And your pronunciation hasn’t improved at all, Master.”

“What a waste of a sword on you!”

They clashed again and again, trying to cut one another. The sudden burst of mana kicked up a cloud of dust.

Yuri felt the squad’s shock at seeing them fight so fiercely. But neither backed down.

“My, you’ve gotten much stronger. You’ve grown!”

“I’ve always been taller than you.”

“Impertinent bastard!”

As they watched each other, they also analyzed each other’s flow. Both soon showed an expression of admiration.

“Master. You’ve become even stronger.”

“So have you.”

Yuri smiled, sensing the smooth, refined energy flowing through Moyongchan’s body.

When he saw the “Shadowless Sword” from the demon sect, he thought that might be the strongest man from the East. But he was wrong—Moyongchan was no less.

“I met Shadowless Sword.”

“One of the Ten Greats.”

“Yes. He was strong. Also, he was from the East.”

Moyongchan frowned.

“From the East?”

“Yes. He called himself the Heavenly Demon.”

Moyongchan’s brows lifted further. And while swinging his sword at Yuri, he said,

“Keep talking.”

As their swords clashed, Yuri recounted everything that had happened.

That Cedric was a demon vessel. That Fiore and Laurent had vanished.

Moyongchan couldn’t hide the bitter expression on his face.

“That Heavenly Demon Spirit Manual… I didn’t know such a thing existed.”

Suddenly, Moyongchan spoke with perfect pronunciation.

Yuri began to suspect—could it be that Moyongchan didn’t actually struggle with the common language, but only pretended to as a joke? Perhaps when he let his guard down, his true linguistic skills slipped out unintentionally.

“I’ll find out for sure one day.”

But the master’s fierce blade snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Yes. That’s why Shadowless Sword seems to be following Cedric.”

“Expected. The demonic sect grants absolute authority to sacred vessels.”

“Whoever absorbs the power of the Secret Manual becomes more than human. They gain monstrous strength.”

“I see. What a terrifying and grotesque abomination.”

“Such refined vocabulary from someone who usually stumbles over his pronunciation…”

“Anyway!”

Even earlier, when speaking with Fiore, Moyongchan already seemed to speak normally. Now it was even more fluent.

“I thought Cedric was a good lad… But it seems not.”

“Then why say he seemed good?”

“Because most humans aren’t. If someone seems good, that alone is suspicious.”

“Are you sure you’re on the side of good?”

Moyongchan’s worldview wasn’t exactly orthodox.

While they talked and fought, the rest of the group and the Gale Knights had already dismounted and were watching the duel from afar.

Each time the clash of swords shook the surroundings, they couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Yuri, your disciples are watching. You’re not going to give them a pitiful show, are you?”

“All the more reason for you to be concerned, master.”

“You insolent brat.”

“Admirable master.”

The two smiled at each other.

Though he didn’t say it aloud, Moyongchan could feel just how greatly his disciple had grown.

Not only had his presence changed, but so had the energy he gave off. The mana technique known as The Cut of the Soul and the Heart once exuded a refined flow, but now felt oddly murky.

Chaos.

That’s what Yuri had embraced. But it didn’t mean his mana had degraded. On the contrary.

Even Moyongchan could no longer fully grasp it.

Within Yuri existed high-level energy, low-level energy, and others that couldn’t even be classified—swirling together randomly.

Yuri Briol now stood in uncharted territory.

Moyongchan imagined the price his disciple must have paid to get there, and his gaze grew somber.

That path—most would never even attempt it. But Yuri walked it without hesitation.

Admirable, and painful to watch. There is no defeating the inner demon.

So,

There’s only one way to handle chaos.

“Have you made madness your companion?”

The only option was to coexist with the inner demon.

“Yes.”

Yuri smiled broadly.

Every night, he accepted that crushing presence in his dreams as a part of himself.

This life was his second chance. So he didn’t plan to hold back for safety’s sake.

If he were to break, it would be while charging forward. If he could end up killing Cedric and wiping out black magic from the world, he’d endure anything.

“Very well.”

Moyongchan spread his arms.

“Now that I understand your resolve, show me whether your strength lives up to it or if it’s mere arrogance. I’ll be the judge.”

“Likewise, master.”

Yuri raised Guilty. Chaos danced along its blade.

“Now it’s your turn to prove something.”

“What?”

“That you speak perfectly well and just pretend to stutter.”

“Th-that’s not true!”

“We’ll see. If I knock you out and splash you with cold water, I’ll know.”

“What did you say?”

“If when you wake up you say, ‘Ah, how cold!’ then I win. But if you say, ‘Och, chuchupa!’, then you win.”

“You think you can knock me out?”

“Master…”

Yuri stepped forward.

“If you sleep with your mouth open, I’ll cover your face.”

“Perfect. Then I’ll collect all your teeth and keep them as souvenirs.”

Trading insults, both raised their energy.

Yuri lifted Guilty.

At that moment, the wind rose.

They stood in an open prairie. The spectators kept their distance—and all were knights capable of defending themselves.

Which meant there was no problem in destroying everything around. The wind grew fiercer, forming a whirlwind.

Gear-like discs formed from sword energy began spinning and interlocking.

Small wheels inside larger ones, which rotated within even greater ones.

Thus emerged a fractal vortex devouring everything, unfolding across the Liberta plain.

But Moyongchan didn’t remain still. Before the maelstrom, a straight, polished, serene aura rose that silenced all chaos.

Two swordsmen.

Two monsters born of their will.

The Gale Knights watched with mouths agape.