Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Episode 14.
“Haha.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at the clear and transparent gaze of his blatant enemy. That smile, so innocent and simple, amuses me to no end.
“What is so amusing, Archduke?”
The young man in front of me stood out from the crowd of people who were desperate to eat me.
His gaze was like that of a crippling enemy, and he seemed unwilling to give up. If it weren’t for the sword circle, he would have immediately raised his sword to kill them.
“You must have some sort of grudge against me.”
The young man’s eyebrows arched at the casual remark.
“……I mean, now!”
……I told you it was the rainmaker.
What could I do there, what could a fourteen-year-old do there?
“He has amnesia.”
“……Ha! It’s a dirty world where the perpetrator doesn’t remember, only the victim does, so I guess that’s a saying reserved for the Grand Duke.”
I sighed as I watched him grind his teeth. Then I remembered a voice from my last penance session. It belonged to my uncle.
“My father asked me for a few good warriors, and I took them to the Anhui capital to fight for a sign, I think. I’m sure there are still some who haven’t recovered their strength. ”
“Did I ever take any warriors with me?”
“I do not have a very good memory …….”
I guess that was it. But it was clear enough.
“You must not be as good as you used to be.”
The frowning young man snorted and tapped the scabbard of his sword.
“I wonder who’s to blame for that.”
“I’m a man of my word.”
I said bluntly, looking him in the eye. I felt a sense of relief that my discomfort was gone, and it quickly turned into momentum.
The young man flinched. Gone was the embarrassment of a moment ago, and now he exuded another sharp edge.
“Speak correctly. Because of the Grand Duke, our samurai…….”
“Was it cowardice?”
“……It was.”
“Or did you take down the sign by force?”
“No. But!”
“Rolon, there’s nothing to be said for barging in and doing whatever you feel like doing, and you should apologize. But you had every right to refuse, and you certainly had a certain amount of greed in your desire to win the bimu. The bottom line is that you played the game as it should be played, and you suffered defeat. Am I wrong?”
An argument is an argument. If it’s sophistry, it’s sophistry. But I didn’t feel the need to spend any more time doing penance than necessary for something I didn’t do.
“So you’re taking out your frustrations on me because you’re a terrible player.”
That’s the starting point for awakening to your awareness as the Grand Duke of the Southern Palace Family and the Southern Palace Class.
If what you’ve been doing up to this point has been a disaster, the way you solve it from now on is the way you were in your previous life, the way you are in this life.
The young man from the Kang Wu Pavilion wore a poisonous expression and his mouth twitched. Seeing that he seemed to have a lot to say, I opened my mouth first.
“One.”
I dangled the appropriate carrot in front of him, my temples puffing up and my anger palpable on my skin.
“You beat me here, and I’ll formally apologize.”
“……!”
I shook my head as he couldn’t hide his expression. He couldn’t seem to control his emotions.
“If it’s false…….”
“I swear on the honor of the Southern Palace Family.”
“You will regret it, no. There is no turning back now.”
I shrugged at the young man’s triumphant look, as if he thought he had already won.
Then I looked at Nam Gung-ho. As if he had been waiting for me, he spoke.
“Don’t put yourself at risk of injury. If there is any cause for concern, I will take it upon myself to restrain you. Then…… we will begin our first duel!”
With his thunderous shout, the Rainmaster’s rain gate struck the ground.
* * *
It was indeed outrageous.
Ever since the Grand Duke had led the elite warriors of the Southern Palace to humiliate the Kang Wu Pavilion, I had been trying to be as humble as possible.
I’ve never forgotten that humiliation. I’ve never forgotten the way I laughed at Minister Kang Wu in triumph.
From time to time, he had heard rumors that the Grand Duke was changing, that he was becoming aware of himself as a Grand Duke.
That was the last thing he wanted to hear.
Kang Wu-moon prayed to the heavens. Please don’t let the Grand Duke change.
What would she say if he changed and came to her and apologized?
She couldn’t afford to argue with him now and ask him to make amends.
Even so, as the second son of Minister Kang Woo, I couldn’t let it go.
When he was looking for an opportunity every day, the Grand Duke announced that he would be competing in the sword tournament. Kang Woo-moon couldn’t believe it and had to check again and again.
The Grand Duke was really going to compete.
There would be no tricks this time.
Kang Woo-moon stopped people on the street, asked questions, and even went so far as to question the gatekeepers in front of the Namgungse. With his meager salary, he dipped into his pockets to verify the information again and again.
When the news of his participation became true, Kang Woo-moon practiced martial arts to the best of his ability, to the point where he felt that the word was not enough.
I vowed to myself that I must obtain an apology.
I used to worry that the Grand Duke might not have gotten out of his mess, that he might not have become a new man, but only recently did I realize again.
This man hasn’t changed.
Not even an apology. For him to stand there so boldly, it was an insult that Kang Woo-moon could not bear.
It was a relief. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that he didn’t change.
Kang Woo-moon was going to show the Grand Duke, who was still standing there with his nose in the air and a sullen expression on his face, how it was done.
The tip of his sword trembled slightly as Namgung Ho finished his story.
“I tried, and I tried, and I tried.”
The result.
Woof.
The sound of the sword’s tip was the proof.
Only by crushing the proud Grand Duke’s face here and now, and humiliating him in front of everyone, would he be able to break the spell.
He cried out once, and the crowd let out a short gasp of admiration.
Kang Wumen was only seventeen years old. People were talking and exclaiming about the great talent that had come out of the Kangwu Ministry.
At the same time, there was even the sound of tongue-lashing, as if the Southern Palace thought that the Grand Duke would be so easily defeated.
“My sword has no mercy, my blind sword has no forgiveness, so beware. Grand Duke.”
Not that any of them would be able to stop him.
Savoring the moment, Kang Wu-moon aimed for the Grand Duke’s shoulder with a sharpened blade strike.
It had been less than two years since he had seen him. No matter how brilliant he was, no matter how hard he tried, Kang Wu-moon had only held a sword since the age of seven.
He could clearly see the Grand Duke’s shoulder being slashed open.
Kaang!
The moment he heard the sound of steel hitting his eardrums, his eyes widened as he realized something was wrong.
“The basics are good, but the movements are too big.”
Before he knew it, the sword in the Grand Duke’s hand was glowing blue.
At the same time.
Woosh.
The sword in the Grand Duke’s hand also revealed its presence.
The sword in the Grand Duke’s hand also revealed itself.
* * *
Kang Wu-moon’s sword strike was venomous and sharper than expected. He merely threw out a word that the move was big, but he absorbed it without taking it personally.
It was good. If he hadn’t had a proper teacher, or even if he had a teacher, his skills would have been poor.
A good talent and a bad teacher is a very incompatible combination.
I parried the scattered sword shots one after the other, not caring if they were useful. I briefly admired Kang Woo-moon’s use of the right mix of feces and even herbs.
My mindset was different from the fight against Black Tiger. In order for my profound knowledge to naturally melt away, it would have to be embodied through numerous practical experiences and various objects.
With that in mind, I clashed my sword with the creature in front of me.
As I parried and dodged the sword strikes it unleashed, its seemingly calm body quickly began to tense up. The blows that had been aimed at his shoulders, thighs, and chest pockets were quickly redirected to his throat, jaw, wrists, and groin.
I lowered my stance as the creature turned, ready to give me flesh and bone.
Tada-dada-dang!
As I simultaneously held my center of gravity and applied force to the sword strikes, Kang Woo-moon was taken aback by the unexpected force and had to struggle to catch himself several times as his center of gravity bounced back.
Iron Sword Ten Forms.
Lighten the heavy sword.
Make the hard sword stronger.
Keeping it short and sweet, but not fancy.
The ceaselessly churning Iron Sword Ten Formulas were reborn with the profound power of the South Palace walls from his previous life.
Kang Wu-moon looked puzzled.
“Uh. How. This isn’t the Iron Sword Cross, but…….”
“You’ve been studying hard.”
“You must have studied hard.” ”You think it’s just a basic sword form.
How can you know the depths of a sword that has melted away decades with such a casual mindset?
With a short exclamation, the ninth sword form of the Iron Sword Sixty-Six, the Old Style, unfolded at his fingertips.
Iron Sword Ten Formulas.
Sword Speed.
* * *
“……How long have you been holding a sword?”
A voice came from An Baek’s periphery as he gulped down his drink on the beautiful old tree.
“Half a year.”
An Baek’s gaze was fixed on the Grand Duke, who spoke so bluntly.
“……Certified in half a year. What a ridiculous achievement.”
“Half a year.
Actually, half of the year was spent on losing weight, and half of the year was spent on cultivating the inner arts.
As a result, it was only three months before he was able to take up the sword and train in earnest.
Even as an insider, I was dumbfounded by the sword power emanating from the Grand Duke’s sword.
What a talent.
It’s not like his eyes have become hollow with age.
His gaze swept across the Southern Palace. I couldn’t help but think how shallow his gaze was.
The noisy air fell silent, and the surrounding gazes focused on a single spot. There stood his nephew, the one he had bruised and scolded.
He was proving himself to the world.
Fingers pointed at him.
He had been criticized countless times.
He was proving himself after all the mistakes he had made.
Not the damned Grand Duke of the Southern Palace.
I’m the Grand Duke Namgungban of the Changcheon Namgung Clan.
This is me.
In any case, his nephew.
was proving himself just as he had promised.
As if to say.
“Are you looking at ……?”
I couldn’t help but gulp. The sky was as blue as ever. The woman’s smiling face was as warm as spring.
“Rest in peace. Your son is…… growing up well.”
As if in response to her calm words, the woman smiled back at An Baek.