Chapter 93

Chapter 93. The Law of Trash Preservation (1)

Among the training grounds used for large-scale joint training, the largest is the 2nd Training Ground.

Just a year ago, it was frequently used, but after Sephira began to face serious political pressure, the troops were scattered, and it fell into disuse.

Not even maintained, the stone seats were worn, and weeds grew sporadically.

In this place devoid of human warmth, only the sound of grass swaying in the wind could be heard.

Then, the sound of footsteps.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

The sound grew louder and eventually stopped right in front of the training ground.

The man who arrived at the training ground gasped for breath.

“Huff, huff, huff?”

The first to arrive was Taragon. His hair was soaked as if he had left in the middle of a bath.

Wiping the water dripping from his forehead to his eyes, Taragon looked around.

The training ground was vast, impossible to take in at a glance, but there was no need to look around.

There was no sign of anyone. The only one here was Taragon, all alone.

“Where’s Keter?”

He had received a message from Keter to come to the 2nd Training Ground.

He didn’t understand what “first two to arrive” meant, but the message was filled with the implication that if he didn’t come quickly, there would be consequences, so he ran over in the middle of his bath.

Though no one was here, Taragon didn’t leave and instead wandered around, suspecting Keter might be hiding nearby.

Then, hearing footsteps from afar, Taragon turned his head. The footsteps grew closer to the training ground, and soon two people met.

“Huh?”

“Yeah?”

The second to arrive was Luke. Though not participating in the tournament, he had come after receiving the same message.

The two stared at each other blankly for a moment. Luke, regaining his composure first, spoke politely.

“Ah, Young Master Taragon. I am Luke Blendor, a Holy Knight of the 1st Division of the Holy Knight Order.”

“Sir Luke. I heard you’re Keter’s… my younger brother’s partner.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“……”

Whoosh.

An awkward wind blew between the two. Normally, they would have just passed by, but both had a purpose here and couldn’t do that.

With nothing else to do, Luke broke the silence again.

“Excuse me, but what brings you here, Young Master?”

“Ah… since I arrived first, you go ahead and speak.”

Honestly, Taragon didn’t feel like Keter was his younger brother. He was in a position to receive advice from Keter and had been thoroughly beaten by him before, so it was natural.

That didn’t mean he felt ashamed. Keter was someone worth emulating. He believed age differences didn’t matter.

However, he didn’t feel the need to boast about it, so he kept his words to himself.

On the other hand, Luke was Keter’s partner. Their relationship was straightforward, so he could speak without hiding anything.

“I came here because Keter asked me to. I was in the middle of a meal.”

“Huh? Sir Luke too?”

“Did you also receive a message from Keter to come here, Young Master?”

The two wondered what was going on. They began to speculate why Keter had called not just himself but others as well.

Just as they were letting their imaginations run wild, another person appeared at the training ground.

“Young Master Anis?”

“Brother?”

The third to arrive, Anis, unlike the other two, had brought a bow and arrows, filled with determination.

However, upon seeing Taragon and Luke at the training ground, he spoke with a deflated expression.

“Where’s Keter, and why are you two here?”

“Did you also receive a message from Keter to come here, Brother?”

“How did you know that?”

“I was also called by Keter. Sir Luke here is the same.”

“What? No, what’s going on……”

This time, all three turned their heads simultaneously. Another person had entered the training ground.

“Hmm?!”

The fourth to arrive was a middle-aged man. Seeing the three gathered at the training ground, he couldn’t hide his confusion.

“Sir Brooks?”

“Young Master Anis, Young Master Taragon. And Sir Luke. Why are you all here?”

With the appearance of Brooks, the Vice-Captain of the Holy Knight Order, Anis realized they had something in common.

“I think I get it. Excluding Sir Luke, the three of us are participants in the Southern Sword Tournament.”

“Ah! Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

“If my guess is correct, Sir Darkin will also come.”

As soon as Anis spoke, another person arrived. As expected, it was Darkin, the 2nd Division Captain of the Lunar Knight Order.

With this, all the people Keter had summoned had gathered.

“Excluding Sir Luke, he called all the participants of the Southern Sword Tournament… What’s the purpose?”

The five, who had gathered somewhat haphazardly, were in an awkward relationship, so they waited silently for Keter to arrive.

Then, finally, footsteps could be heard from afar. Clomp, clomp. Just from the leisurely footsteps, everyone knew who it was.

“Finally, he’s coming.”

“The one who called us is the last to arrive……”

The sixth to arrive at the training ground was, of course, Keter.

Appearing with his hands behind his back, Keter nodded as he surveyed the gathered faces.

“Looking at you all, it seems the ‘first two to arrive’ didn’t matter at all.”

“Keter. Why did you call us? Tell us the reason.”

Anis, who could most effectively confront Keter, stepped forward.

Keter then waved his finger.

“It’s not Keter. From now on, you are trainees, and you will call me Instructor. Luke, you’re number 1. Anis is number 2. The one next to you is number 3. You’re the last, number 5.”

As Keter pointed to Darkin with his chin and called him number 5, Darkin flared up and shouted.

“I’m not number 5, I’m Darkin. The 2nd Division Captain of the Lunar Knight Order.”

“From number 5 to number 2. You are the participants of the Southern Sword Tournament. But what were you doing before I arrived?”

Ignoring Darkin’s words, Keter questioned everyone except Luke.

Again, Anis stepped forward confidently.

“I don’t know why you’re curious, but since we’re here, I’ll tell you. I was practicing the linkage ceremony of the Twelve Palaces.”

Taragon showed his wet hands and said.

“I was in the middle of a bath and came out. I didn’t even dry my hair.”

Brooks gestured for Darkin to speak first.

However, Darkin, deeply offended by being called number 5 by Keter, tightly shut his mouth.

Brooks had no choice but to speak first.

“As the Vice-Captain of the Holy Knight Order, I was instructing the training of my knights.”

“I won’t speak. You’re not my superior, are you?”

As expected, Darkin refused to answer.

Then, surprisingly, Anis stepped forward.

“Sir Darkin. As you said, Keter is not your superior. He didn’t even ask politely. But we still answered. If you don’t speak, what does that make us?”

Darkin bit his lower lip at Anis’s words and then opened his mouth.

“I was maintaining my bow.”

As soon as Darkin finished speaking, Keter spoke.

“Raise your hand if you’re confident of taking first place in the Southern Sword Tournament.”

No one could raise their hand. It wasn’t a matter of confidence or anything like that.

“In my eyes, you’re all trash.”

The faces of the four who had instantly become trash crumpled. Taragon might not know, but the other three should have protested.

But for some reason, they didn’t move. No, they couldn’t move. Keter was suppressing them with just his ‘presence.’

Silencing the four, Keter continued in a clear voice.

“Thirty families are participating in the Southern Sword Tournament. Over 200 participants. Among them, 50 are just there for participation, and only about ten are seriously aiming for the prize. So, what do you think the rest are for?”

Swish.

Keter pointed at the four with his finger.

“They’re determined to crush you. Not street thugs, but at least 2-Star Knights, over a hundred of them, gathered just to take you down.”

The history of the Southern Sword Tournament is long.

Sephira’s history is also long. But in that long history, there’s no record of Sephira receiving an invitation to the Southern Sword Tournament.

Everyone knows why they weren’t invited. But now, no one thinks deeply about it.

“Everyone’s head is in the clouds. They think participating in the Southern Sword Tournament is like a thrilling social party. Do you think those who have neglected Sephira for hundreds of years suddenly invited us for a meal and a drink to clear up misunderstandings? Number 2.”

Number 2, Anis, flinched.

“Do you know the rules of the Southern Sword Tournament?”

“…It’s not too late to hear them on the spot.”

“No, it’s way too late. Let me tell you. There’s a rule: ‘Incidents during the tournament are not subject to murder charges.’ Of course, there’s also a rule: ‘Attacking a surrendered opponent is a serious crime.’ But you know what? Ultimately, it’s the on-site supervisors who judge that. Do you know who those supervisors are? They’re from prestigious swordsmanship families. You’re not attending a social party. You’re entering the heart of enemy territory.”

Keter gradually raised his voice.

“Let me tell you your future. You’ll be humiliated, miserable. In front of tens of thousands of spectators from the entire Southern Region, in front of the nobles. You’ll beg for your lives on the ground.”

At Keter’s blunt words, their faces turned as red as apples, and their muscles tensed.

“Whether you’re humiliated or not, I don’t care. Whether your fingers or ankles are cut off, I don’t care. But who are you? Who are you? You’re the bloodline of Sephira and knights. Your defeat is Sephira’s defeat, your humiliation is Sephira’s humiliation. So what are you doing now? What did you say you were doing?”

Keter sighed and shook his head.

“Practicing the linkage ceremony of the Twelve Palaces, bathing, training instruction, bow maintenance… Is this how you’ll survive the Southern Sword Tournament? Your participation was confirmed two months ago. What have you been doing since then? What efforts have you made? Are you planning to practice singing and dancing for the next three months?”

The participants of the Southern Sword Tournament couldn’t say a word.

Keter wasn’t suppressing them with his presence anymore. He had already withdrawn it. As if daring them to say something if they could.

When no one spoke, Keter clicked his tongue.

“If you have no basis, at least have confidence. You’re just complacent, thinking ‘It’ll work out somehow, what could happen?’ and living your days in peace. You, the clan of Sephira, who have sworn loyalty to Sephira, are contributing more actively than anyone to Sephira’s downfall, don’t you realize?”

The four members moved beyond anger to self-reproach. They made gloomy faces or tightly closed their eyes.

They had acknowledged it. Their own complacency.

They had no choice but to acknowledge it. There was no exaggeration in Keter’s words. It wasn’t hard to understand. It was all a future based on facts.

If they went to the Southern Sword Tournament like this, something terrible would have happened.

Facing even one knight would be tough, but being ganged up on by dozens of knights. Even for an archer, revealing their position is like taking on a huge penalty.

Keter’s words were like daggers, mercilessly tearing through their bodies. Just as the air of despair was filling the training ground.

Keter smirked and said.

“But don’t worry.”

Whoosh.

Keter raised his thumb.

“I’m here.”