Chapter 144

Chapter 145. The Pride of a Knight (2)

People are judged by their appearance.

No matter how talented one is, if their appearance is deemed “ugly,” they will always face negative perceptions.

Sword Dragon Rajis was such a case.

The heavens had granted him everything.

A strong physique.

Talent in swordsmanship.

A noble soul.

A commanding presence.

But there was one thing the gods had forsaken—his face.

Slender, elongated eyes, high cheekbones that seemed to defy gravity, a flat nose, and an oddly asymmetrical jaw… One poet once described Rajis’s face like this:

“The gods must have tripped while sculpting Rajis’s face.”

Among nobles, marriage is an extension of politics. Bloodline and ability are valued more than age or appearance.

In that regard, Rajis was the perfect groom. At just 22 years old, he was a Swordmaster, destined to become a 7-Star Prime.

Becoming a 7-Star Prime meant becoming the ruler of this land. No woman or family would refuse the chance to be the wife of a ruler.

But Rajis…

He was just too ugly.

Unbearably so.

“Ah, this is just…”

Rajis’s ugliness only worsened with age. Even nobles, who might overlook looks for the right conditions, couldn’t help but grimace at Rajis’s appearance.

Moreover, his body emitted a strange, fishy odor, making it especially difficult for women to tolerate him.

Of course, Rajis knew he was ugly, but he didn’t care. Despite his family’s insistence on plastic surgery, Rajis adamantly refused.

“This body is a precious gift from my parents. I cannot change even a single strand of hair.”

Rajis was the embodiment of righteousness.

“My dream is to end the cold war with neighboring countries. Furthermore, I wish to conquer the Demon Realm threatening this continent so that everyone can live in peace without fear.”

His father, the head of the Garcia family, asked Rajis, who harbored such grand dreams:

“You are a citizen of the Lilian Kingdom. Isn’t it enough to live for the peace of this country… no, our family? Why do you seek to save even the citizens of enemy nations?”

“Because that is the will of our founding ancestor, who created the Heavenly Seamless Path. As a descendant, I wish to carry on our ancestor’s legacy.”

With such convictions, Rajis naturally protected and cared for the weak.

Helping Sephira was a given for him. Rajis could not tolerate the situation where many strong individuals bullied the weak Sephira.

“Sir Rajis. There seems to be a misunderstanding.”

Fighting a 5-Star Master like Rajis would be futile. Since their goal was Sephira, Regan tried to persuade Rajis with kind words.

“We all ‘accidentally’ gathered here and fought. It was only because the cowardly Sephira kept shooting arrows from afar that we strategically decided to deal with the archer first.”

People often mistake many things based on appearance. For example, the prejudice that ugly people are stupid.

Rajis pointed his sword at Regan and warned:

“Don’t try to deceive me with nonsense. Do you think I don’t know that you conspired with a mage to locate Sephira?”

“W-What are you talking about! That’s absurd!”

Rajis ignored Regan and turned to Anis and Taragon.

“Brothers of Sephira, please leave now. I will handle this.”

One 4-Star Knight and eight 3-Star Knights. Not to mention, several 2-Star Knights were gradually joining the fray.

Taragon couldn’t understand Rajis’s goodwill but also couldn’t choose to abandon him and flee.

“We will fight together. If we fight together, we have a chance…”

At that moment, Anis cut Taragon off.

“No. Let’s accept Sir Rajis’s goodwill. Our presence would only hinder him.”

“…!”

Though Taragon couldn’t fully comprehend it in his mind, he nodded.

Tap!

Anis and Taragon ran without looking back. They had already collected 10 badges each while fighting the knights. Their goal of 5 points was achieved.

If they had the energy, they would have collected more badges to lower other knights’ scores, but since they had mostly exhausted their Aura, there was no reason to push themselves. There was no need to risk losing all the badges they had worked so hard to collect.

“Who said anyone could leave?!”

Regan shot a Sword Aura at them.

It was a thick, fully-formed Sword Aura, but—

Whoosh!

Rajis lightly swung his sword, dispersing the Sword Aura like wind.

“If you wish to chase the brothers of Sephira, you’ll have to get past me first.”

At Rajis’s words, Regan bit his lip.

“Sir Rajis. Do you not understand what it means to interfere with us? You are going against the wishes of Marquis Galahind and several other upper nobles.”

“How absurd. Do you think the Garcia family, or I, would fear other families?”

“If that’s your stance… then we have no choice.”

Regan’s sword erupted with explosive Aura. The other 3-Star Knights also drew out their Aura to the fullest.

While their pride as knights prevented them from backing down, a highly subjective delusion that Rajis, who had just become a Master, might be worth testing, gave them unwarranted courage.

In response, Rajis silently raised his sword above his head. Painfully slowly. The sword, which had risen sluggishly, descended even slower.

Then, a sword mark was clearly etched into the sky.

Heavenly Seamless Blunt Sword.

The width of the sword Rajis held was barely the width of a finger, but to Regan, the sword descending from the sky seemed large enough to cover the entire island.

It wasn’t an optical illusion. Just the sensation of its existence alone pressed down on his entire body with an immense weight.

‘Dodge? Block? No, it’s useless.’

Nothing could stop Rajis’s sword.

Fear turned into dread of death, dread into regret, and regret into resignation in an instant—

Boom!

Rajis’s Blunt Sword descended upon the earth.

It left a mark as if a giant had slammed a sword the size of its body into the ground.

Casualties… there were none.

Regan and the other 3-Star Knights were unharmed.

But their bodies had stiffened like statues, thinking they were about to die.

Rajis approached them, took all their badges, and said:

“I hadn’t been able to collect badges because no one wanted to fight me. Thanks to you, I’ve solved that problem. Thank you.”

From the start of the competition until now, Rajis had not attacked knights who fled upon seeing him. Thus, despite being a Master, he had only one badge.

But thanks to Regan and his knights fearlessly charging at him, Rajis was able to uphold his pride while collecting over 20 badges.

“I only need 20, so I’ll leave the remaining 6 here. You can divide them among yourselves.”

After placing the 6 badges on a rock, Rajis immediately headed for the exit.

* * *

At the exit.

Originally, many knights had been lying in wait around the exit, but now there was no one. Dragon Spear Jordic had swept them all away, saying, “What kind of knights hide like rats? What are they doing here?”

Rajis nodded as he found traces of spear marks in the remnants of fierce battles scattered around.

‘It seems Jordic cleared this area. That’s just like him.’

At that moment, he saw Anis and Taragon in the distance, just about to escape.

Rajis pretended not to notice. He knew that acknowledging them would only cause discomfort.

No one had ever liked his ugly appearance. Not even his parents had ever looked him in the face while talking to him.

To expect goodwill from strangers he had just met today, even if they were people he had helped, was something he knew better than anyone was incredibly difficult.

It’s fine. He was used to it by now. Not receiving gratitude after helping someone was nothing to him.

‘Since I didn’t help them expecting a reward, it doesn’t matter to me.’

Rajis waited silently behind them, not wanting to make the brothers of Sephira uncomfortable, until they left first.

But then—

“Sir Rajis!”

Taragon spotted him and shouted.

“…!”

Taragon ran towards him, spreading his hands to show he had no intention of fighting. Rajis instinctively spoke curtly to Taragon.

“What will you do if I attack you, coming this close?”

“Ah! W-Will you attack me?”

Taragon hesitated, tensing up at Rajis’s words, causing Rajis to chuckle.

“It was a joke.”

“Phew, that’s a relief. I, um, wanted to thank you. For helping us.”

“I was merely following the code of chivalry.”

“But Sir Rajis, is there something behind me?”

“Huh?”

“You were looking beside me, not at my face.”

“Ah…”

Rajis had a habit he wasn’t even aware of.

When looking at someone, he didn’t look at their face but beside them. He avoided eye contact first, thinking the other person wouldn’t want to look at his face.

Realizing his habit thanks to Taragon, Rajis gave a bitter smile.

“It’s fine. I’ve received your gratitude. Please, brothers of Sephira, leave first. I’ll go after you.”

“Brother Anis said he had to keep watch, so I came alone, but he asked me to convey his thanks. Thank you again. We will definitely repay this kindness.”

Rajis still kept his gaze elsewhere, but he could clearly feel it. Taragon was looking straight at his face.

Anis and Taragon left. Yet Rajis didn’t leave immediately, staying in that spot for a long time, deep in thought, his head bowed.

* * *

The first day of the Southern Sword Tournament.

The Battle Royal Group A match had ended.

Tens of thousands of commoners and hundreds of nobles had seen both expected and unexpected results.

– Rajis, 20 badges. +7 points

– Jordic, 12 badges. +5 points

– Anis, 10 badges. +5 points

– Taragon, 10 badges. +5 points

– Regan, 9 badges. +3 points

– Polka, 6 badges. +3 points

Rajis earning 7 points was an expected result. Everyone nodded, saying they knew it would happen, praising him.

Jordic earning 5 points was also not surprising. Though not a 5-Star like Rajis, he was a 4-Star with a handsome appearance and skilled with a spear. The audience cheered Jordic’s name more than Rajis’s, thrilled by how he had swept away the knights waiting near the exit.

But—

“Jordic, Jordic!”

“Anis! Anis!”

“Jordic! Jordic!”

“Taragon! Taragon!”

Two names interspersed between Jordic’s.

Anis and Taragon.

Both had earned 5 points each, the second-highest scores after the Sword Dragon and the Dragon Spear. No one had expected this.

The stigma of being the weakest in a prestigious family. The prejudice that archers were unnecessary except in large-scale battles. The preconception that they couldn’t do anything alone.

They shattered all of that.

Everyone had clearly seen their exploits through the screen, so no one could argue.

The two had left a deep impression on the audience.

Their shared excellence in archery. Their ability to make bows and arrows on the spot from wood. Their calmness and boldness in adverse conditions.

Anis had even defeated 4-Star Knight Regan in close combat, causing the audience to burst into laughter when he mocked Regan’s weak lower body.

Taragon, in particular, had left a lasting impression with his close combat skills surpassing Anis’s. His martial arts and physical techniques were precise and deadly. It was rare for an archer to overwhelm a 3-Star Knight with pure physical skills alone.

Of course, he had supplemented his techniques with overwhelming strength and speed using Heavenly Power, but the audience didn’t care about that.

The nobles also began to see Sephira in a new light.

“Was Sephira always this strong?”

“Have we ever seen Sephira fight like this before? We’ve only seen them shoot arrows from the castle walls, not fight in skirmishes.”

“Could it be that all of Sephira’s archers fight this well?”

“Perhaps Rajis helping Sephira was the Garcia family’s intention…!”

Basil’s choice, which should have been a mistake, led the nobles to misunderstand.

Basil’s passive approach and avoidance of conflict, along with the swordsmanship families’ decision not to include Sephira in skirmishes, confused the nobles.

“Have we been wrong about Sephira all along?”

“The head of the Sephira family is truly a fearsome individual.”

“It might be good to foster friendship with them now.”

While the atmosphere was generally praising Anis and Taragon, they weren’t considered top contenders for victory.

“In my opinion, the first match favored archers. The terrain was wide, with few places to hide.”

“That’s right! In the second and third matches, we’ll see the results we expected.”

The second and third matches, being tournaments, had limited space. The team tournament was 70 meters square, and the individual tournament was 50 meters square. While sufficient for swordsmen, it was clearly narrow for archers.

As the nobles happily speculated about Sephira’s future and how the Southern Sword Tournament would unfold, some nobles were far from enjoying the event.

“Damn it all!”

Crash!

A 200-year-old Sangreal worth tens of thousands of gold shattered against the wall. No liquid spilled out—it had already been drunk.

Marquis Galahind trembled with rage, his fists shaking.

“How did this happen? How did Sephira have such strength! Anis and Taragon were only at the level of 2-Star Knights!”

The three nobles allied with Galahind were equally furious and frustrated.

As they rose to vent their anger, the laxative mixed into the Sangreal by Keter took effect.

Gurgle.

Bubble!

The room filled with the embarrassing sound of flatulence.

Galahind’s eye twitched.

“Who dares pass gas in front of me…?”

Pfft!

Galahind suddenly clutched his stomach, his face pale.

“Ahem, ahem.”

“Um, I need to excuse myself for a moment…”

The other nobles were the same, all clutching their stomachs, unsure what to do.

Galahind shouted with a red face:

“Move!”

Feeling his sphincter muscles, which protect human dignity, helplessly loosening, Galahind rushed to the bathroom.

As Marquis Galahind grabbed the bathroom door handle—

Boom!

The bomb Keter had designed to explode when the bathroom door handle was pulled went off.

The explosion was unimpressive, merely shattering the bathroom door and interior.

But it was enough.

A brown liquid flowed from Marquis Galahind’s pants, now trapped under the door.

“Huh? Huh?!”

“Marquis Galahind?”

The knights who rushed to the explosion to check on Galahind covered their noses and stepped back.

The other three nobles—Delmore, Aiwyn, and Bristan—fearing the same fate, frantically knocked on another room’s door, pleading.

“Open the door! Please open the door! It’s urgent!”

“Open the door!! Please, the bathroom!”

Bang bang bang bang!

But the other party was also a noble, unlikely to open the door easily.

“Who is it? What’s the matter?”

“I, I am Count Delmore…!”

Plop.

Count Delmore, trying to explain, lost strength and collapsed.

“What is that… smell?”

Counts Aiwyn and Bristan met the same fate.

Upper nobles, heads of their families, had soiled their pants in a hallway frequented by many nobles.

Even Galahind, who had only soiled himself, was fully conscious. Thus, it was even more humiliating. He ordered the knights while lying face down:

“Find that Baron Monserd immediately and bring him here! Now! Search the entire city if you have to!”

The only thing he had consumed was the 200-year-old Sangreal. It had to be the cause.

Who had given it to him? Baron Monserd. Or rather, his servant had delivered it.

In any case, Baron Monserd was not summoned. Monserd was a title Keter had fabricated on the spot.

All of this was the result of Galahind’s complacency. And Keter’s bold attempt, which would have worked even if Galahind hadn’t fallen for it, created this dirty spectacle.

* * *

Even after Group A’s match ended, the audience’s excitement and fervor did not subside. This was thanks to Group B’s match, scheduled for the next day.

Both commoners and nobles were eagerly anticipating it.

Two individuals in Group B were the focus of this intense interest.

Keter, the first to participate as an unaffiliated contestant.

Henya, the esteemed daughter of Lord Eslow, known as the Witch of the Sword.

Of course, no one thought Keter would defeat Henya.

“That Keter guy participating as an unaffiliated contestant is impressive, but he’s only Diamond Class, right? He’s not a top contender. Besides Henya, there’s also the Red Wolf in Group B!”

“I doubt he could even defeat a 3-Star Knight.”

“But there are rumors he created the Aura Arrow.”

“That’s definitely a baseless rumor. Keter came with a recommendation from Jairo, the gambler. He must have learned swordsmanship from his master. He only joined Sephira about three months ago. How could he have learned archery in that time?”

The audience was curious about what Keter would show, but they didn’t expect him to fight well.

But there was something the audience didn’t know.

Henya owed Keter.

Henya was very much aware of this.

As soon as the Sephira party returned to the palace after Group A’s match, she went to find Keter.