Chapter 131 – Right (2)

Kang Geom-Ma’s group returned safely to Sigurd Castle. The journey was almost identical to their departure.

However, the difference between the atmosphere on the way there and back was immense.

When they left, though there was some tension, their faces reflected confidence.

But now, upon their return…

A heavy stillness, like a dense fog, loomed between the three.

Because of this, neither the Swordmaster nor Karon dared to break the silence.

Among them, Abel was the one with the darkest expression.

Without a doubt, something had happened.

So the Swordmaster called Shail to his study.

Among his responsibilities, he was also in charge of receiving reports on what had transpired in the dungeon.

Shail recounted everything in detail, omitting nothing.

“…That is everything that happened in the undead dungeon, Swordmaster.”

Shail finished her report without lifting her gaze.

“…….”

The silence stretched for a long time. Her shoulders tensed under the pressure.

She would have preferred a direct reprimand.

This stillness pressed against her chest as if it were suffocating her.

Throughout the entire expedition, she had fulfilled her duty.

She handled every procedure, led the two cadets, and ensured everything went smoothly.

Yet, the heaviness in her chest wouldn’t fade.

Abel’s face, shadowed ever since the battle in the Lich King’s sanctuary, wouldn’t leave her mind…

Shail bit her lower lip. No matter how much of a veteran she was, on the battlefield, all she could do was hold back the approaching enemies.

She felt powerless.

‘But even so…’

There was Kang Geom-Ma.

He alone had faced an army of hundreds of thousands.

And not only that.

He also defeated an enemy whose power, by all standards, was no less than an A+ rank—a being that had taken over Orion’s body.

He granted eternal rest to the one who had been lost in the darkness.

Then, all the undead knelt before him.

Even as they vanished, they bowed their heads, as if paying homage to their king.

An unreal scene.

For a moment, Shail thought it had all been a dream.

She pinched her cheek multiple times to make sure.

The pain brought her back to reality.

Perhaps she had just witnessed a historic moment.

“…….”

Shail shook her head. And just as she was about to look up, the Swordmaster spoke first.

“I see.”

That was all he said. But Shail flinched as if she had been struck.

She looked at him intently. His expression was rigid, but nothing more.

He showed no other reaction. The Swordmaster continued.

“Well done, Shail. I imagine this journey has been a shock to you as well. Rest for a few days. Karon and I will handle the affairs of the estate in the meantime.”

A chill ran down Shail’s spine.

She couldn’t comprehend the Swordmaster’s indifferent attitude.

There was a shadow in his gaze, but that was it.

This was his son they were talking about. His son had been turned into an undead.

Yet his face remained as serene as the surface of a lake.

It was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

So Shail cautiously asked,

“May I ask you a question, sir?”

The Swordmaster nodded slowly.

“Speak.”

“…Did you already know?”

A slight twitch appeared in his eyebrows.

Then, he let out a bitter sigh.

“Shail, you’ve always been quite perceptive.”

“I’m sorry…”

“There’s no need to apologize. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for keeping it hidden.”

The Swordmaster took a sip of tea.

The dry aroma filled the study.

He moistened his dry lips before continuing.

“You are correct. I’ve known what happened to Orion for eight years.”

“……!”

“I suppose you saw the tombstone at the entrance. Since you have knowledge of runes, you must have been able to read the inscription.”

“…Yes.”

“I was the one who damaged it. I also sealed off the entrance to the underground sanctuary. Though, in truth, I merely reinforced a seal that was already there. To be honest, the only thing that surprised me today was that you all managed to break it.”

Shail held her breath.

Her voice trembled slightly as she asked,

“If you already knew, then why…?”

“…You want to know why I didn’t exterminate him myself, don’t you?”

The Swordmaster interrupted her with a bitter smile.

His eyes sank into deep reflection.

“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not as powerful as you think. Not even I would have been able to face that force alone. Only Kang Geom-Ma could do it.”

“In that case… why did you hide the tombstone?”

“Let’s end this here. You must be exhausted.”

With those words, the Swordmaster lifted his cup and stared at her.

It was a clear sign that he wouldn’t answer any more questions.

Shail let out a contained sigh.

She realized the Swordmaster had no obligation to explain anything to her.

“…I’m sorry. I overstepped my bounds.”

“Come now, Shail. You know I think of you as a granddaughter, so don’t say that. Truly, rest for a few days and recover.”

Shail bowed respectfully and left the study.

Several minutes passed.

“…So that’s how it ended.”

The Swordmaster lifted his gaze and looked at the sky.

He recalled that day.

When he found his son and daughter-in-law in that deplorable state, he understood the truth.

If the Association were to discover it, they would send extermination squads over and over again.

If that had broken the curse, it would have been different.

But he had verified it with his own hands.

Unless the “Sword Saint” mentioned in the inscription appeared, no one could have accomplished what Kang Geom-Ma did today.

If that were to happen, the outcome was obvious.

The extermination squads would be annihilated by Orion’s hands, corrupted by magic.

He could see it clearly.

And he could not allow that to happen.

He couldn’t let his son, trapped in the shackles of immortality, end up committing even more atrocities.

It was his duty, both as a hero and as a father.

That’s why he destroyed the tombstone where the prophecy was written.

He pressured the Association to shut down the transit station.

He took every possible measure to prevent access to that place.

But deep down, he also harbored a hope.

That one day, the chosen one of the prophecy would come to free his son Orion.

And then, Kang Geom-Ma followed Abel into the catacombs.

At first, he tried to stop him.

He had a bad feeling.

He felt that if it were him, he could break the seal and reach the depths.

If he had followed his reason, he would have prevented that expedition.

But he didn’t. Because that young man, as if blessed by the gods, awakened in him a possibility.

Perhaps he was the “Sword Saint” destined to break this cruel cycle.

And Kang Geom-Ma accomplished it in the most decisive way.

He cut the tragedy of a family at its root.

Plop.

A drop fell onto the surface of his tea.

His eyes, wrinkled by the years, reddened.

A tear slipped down his cheek.

“Rest in peace now.”

His pupils hardened with determination.

If that young man ever needed him, he would offer any support.

Kang Geom-Ma had saved the Nibelung family.

Now, it was his turn to return the favor.

***

Three days have passed since our return to the castle.

During this time, I have dedicated myself entirely to resting.

The Swordmaster recommended it, arguing that rest is also a part of training.

I simply nodded without hesitation.

To be honest, since arriving in Switzerland, I hadn’t had a moment of true rest.

I took the opportunity to relax my muscles, which had been under extreme tension, and sleep as much as I wanted.

“This is my vacation period. Now is the time to rest.”

And so, I allowed myself to do absolutely nothing.

In my past life, I had done nothing but work tirelessly.

Even in this life, the days when I could fully relax were rare.

Until recently, inside the academy, there were always hidden threats lurking.

I lived in a constant state of alert, sleeping with Sashimi under my pillow.

But here, in Sigurd Castle, I had no such concerns.

This was the Swordmaster’s private domain, a place free from all external jurisdiction.

Only a lunatic would dare to extend their malevolent influence here.

Even the Association Elders, who wielded power equivalent to the Swordmaster, could do nothing.

Especially after what happened with Cladi, which left them completely defenseless.

Yesterday, during dinner, I flipped through a paper newspaper and saw a headline.

Here, in the middle of the mountains, neither Wi-Fi nor LTE worked, so the news arrived with a delay.

The headline read:

『[The Hero Association Takes Strict Measures Against the Elders] – Tension Grows Between the Association and the Elders… There Is Talk of Stripping the Council of Its Power Entirely.』

The situation was becoming much more aggressive.

The Association had unsheathed its sword against the Elders.

Although the article didn’t explain the details, it was easy to deduce what was happening.

“The Association realized that Cladi was allied with the villains.”

It was only a matter of time before the truth came to light.

The evidence was too overwhelming, and Auditore kept pushing the investigation forward.

No matter how skilled they were with words, the Elders wouldn’t be able to evade responsibility forever.

“They probably tried to pin all the blame on Cladi, who was already dead.”

But the Association seemed furious.

The President of the Association even announced in a press conference that he would reveal the whole truth.

In other words, this was, de facto, the dissolution of the Council of Elders, an institution with a millennia-long history within the academy.

Under normal circumstances, something like this would have been unthinkable.

After all, the Association had only been around for 40 years.

In a world where tradition and history carried immense weight, there were too many obstacles to making such a move.

But the Elders—or rather, Cladi—had made a mistake far too grave.

There’s a saying: “If the tail is too long, sooner or later, it will be caught.”

And in this case.

“They’re completely screwed.”

To sum it up, the Elders had received an international death sentence.

With their power reduced to nothing, they were destined to rot in the shadows.

“To be honest, those old bastards deserve to decompose even more than the undead in the dungeon.”

However, I couldn’t be too pleased.

Because there were rumors that the Association planned to take the Elders’ place.

“…Are you serious? Escaping one problem only to walk into another?”

I let out a deep sigh.

The Elders were nothing more than a group of old privileged fools with flashy titles.

Arrogant, wealthy, but ultimately useless.

The Association, on the other hand, was a much more complicated enemy.

Military strength, cohesion, intelligence.

They lacked nothing.

According to what Choi Seol-Ah told me before, they even had the technological capability to refine and distribute “Artifacts.”

And the big names involved were no small matter either.

Richard of Mura and the President of the Association…

Both were once heavyweights in the martial world.

…And just now, I was informed that the Association was keeping a close eye on me.

That wasn’t a good sign.

“……Haah.”

I had my Sashimi.

If I stayed locked in my room, my mind would only be filled with useless thoughts.

When I felt like this, the best thing to do was warm up my body.

Besides, my fingers were already feeling restless.

Opportunities like this, where I could relax, wouldn’t come often.

I could take advantage of it to refine my “Sheathing” and “Unsheathing” techniques.

Just then…

—Knock, knock.

Two knocks sounded at the door.

I frowned.

‘Shail always knocks three times.’

Could it be Abel? But she also knocked three times.

I don’t know much about it, but in Europe, it seems that knocking three times is considered polite.

I observed the door in silence.

Then, with one hand, I turned the knob while holding Sashimi in the other.

Out of habit, I always grabbed my weapon first.

Crack!

The door opened. I tensed upon seeing the silhouette visible through the gap.

An unexpected figure stood there.

“Swordmaster?”

“Well, it seems like it’s a challenge to see you, even though we live under the same roof.”

His voice was relaxed, almost playful.

“If you have some time, come with me to the Central Bank of Switzerland. It’s also where the Nibelung family vault is located. Don’t worry, it’s not some kind of financial scam, haha.”

He threw in a trivial remark, but then looked at me intently with his usual imposing presence.

“While we’re there, I have some matters to take care of… And there’s also something I want to give you.”

“Give me… what?”

My face filled with question marks.

Before I could respond, the Swordmaster spoke again.

“Have you heard of Andvaranaut?”

“Yes, I’ve heard the name.”

“Then this will be quick.”

Andvaranaut.

Also known as ‘The Ring of the Nibelungs,’ a legendary artifact that had been passed down through generations since the age of myths.

“I thought it might be useful to you.”

It was an artifact.