Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 59: A New Beginning (1)

The Royal Knights and the imperial soldiers pursued the Blue Ravens, but in the end, they lost them. They managed to capture a few stragglers, but they were insignificant foot soldiers. Worse still, many soldiers lost their lives in the surprise counter attacks during the chase.

Thanks to General Eugenia, the damage was minimized. However, it became clear that an ordinary army could never catch the Blue Ravens. Their strength was extraordinary, many of them wielding mysterious powers and displaying incredible physical might.

Moreover, with Prince Merka and Grand Duke Decius still at the grand duke’s estate, chasing after the enemy recklessly was not an option.

Days passed as the situation settled.

Both Grand Duke Decius and his wife, the grand duchess, survived, but they had sustained life-threatening injuries. Decius, in particular, had almost lost the use of his lower body due to severe spinal damage. Fortunately, with the help of a priest from the Holy Nation of Sula, sent by the imperial palace, they were able to treat his wounds. However, a long recovery period was necessary for both of them.

Meanwhile, Karon, who had not sustained such severe injuries, regained consciousness in just one day. By the second day, he was able to eat, and on the fourth day, he stood up and removed the bandages wrapped around his body.

Early morning.

“Are you sure you should be moving already?” Shong asked.

“Shouldn’t you rest a little longer?” Flora chimed in. Both were dressed in clean, simple clothes provided by the grand duke’s estate, though Shong still wore his signature cloak.

“I’m fine,” Karon replied, standing and beginning to dress in a neatly folded set of black clothes. His old clothes had been shredded beyond recognition.

“You’re not planning to go after them, are you?” Shong frowned as Karon continued dressing silently. “How do you even plan to track them down? We don’t know where they are.”

“They took my black sword. I’ll follow that,” Karon responded flatly.

Shong’s voice rose in frustration. “That’s not what matters! You barely managed to take on one of them. How are you going to face them alone?”

Before Karon could reply, a calm voice interrupted.

“Shong is right.”

Shong and Flora turned in surprise to see Prince Merka and General Eugenia entering the room.

“Your Highness!?”

They quickly bowed, while Karon remained standing, adjusting his clothes as he stared at the prince.

Shong nudged Karon, urging him to show respect, but Karon stood his ground, unfazed.

“Shong, Flora, there’s no need to be so formal. Please, relax,” Prince Merka said with a smile.

“But… still…” Shong scratched his head awkwardly.

“It’s really fine,” the prince reassured him, then turned back to Karon. “Karon, chasing after them now would be suicide. Why don’t you hear me out?”

“Not interested,” Karon replied curtly.

Shong and Flora’s jaws dropped as they anxiously watched the prince, waiting for his reaction. Surprisingly, neither the prince nor General Eugenia seemed offended.

“Relax, Shong. He’s always been like this,” the prince chuckled, then continued, “Hinshan is already tracking their trail. We’ll be able to pursue them whenever we’re ready. You can trust his skills. But before that, there’s something else you need to do.”

“What is that?” Karon asked, locking eyes with the prince.

Pleased that he had piqued Karon’s interest, the prince went straight to the point. “As I said, the Blue Ravens are still beyond your current abilities. So, what do you think about receiving proper swordsmanship training? You’re strong already, but with formal training, you could become much stronger.”

Without waiting for Karon’s response, the prince turned to Shong and Flora. “The same goes for you both. I can arrange for a skilled martial artist to train you, Flora.”

“Oh, what an honor! Thank you, Your Highness!” Shong and Flora’s faces lit up with excitement, sensing the rare opportunity.

“Now, what do you say? Sounds like a good offer, doesn’t it?” The prince smiled, clearly pleased with how things were progressing.

Karon narrowed his eyes and asked again, “Why are you helping us?”

“I’ve wanted to capture the Blue Ravens for a long time. And now that the perfect candidates have come along, it’s only natural that I assist you. Besides, we need to rescue the grand duke’s adopted daughter.”

The mention of the adopted daughter caught Karon’s attention. He recalled the image of the unconscious girl who had been taken by the Blue Ravens during the attack.

Karon instinctively knew that the girl was the same one who had shielded him back when he was imprisoned.

He could still recall her scent briefly passing by his nose—a scent that had provided him with the only sense of calm he had felt since losing his mother.

“Why did they take her?” Karon asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

“We’re still investigating, but it seems related to the Chakran tribe’s rituals. We’ll need to dig deeper to know more. Speaking of which, we could use Flora’s help as well,” the prince said, turning to Flora with a respectful nod.

“I’ll do my best to assist with what I know,” Flora replied, bowing politely.

“Have you figured out how they managed to launch the attack?” Karon asked, immediately shifting back to the matter at hand.

The ease with which Karon spoke to the prince still baffled Shong and Flora, who couldn’t get used to the informal way they exchanged words. If other nobles saw this, they would surely be shocked.

“We’re still investigating,” the prince replied. “There’s no way they could have infiltrated the grand duke’s estate and escaped without inside help. We suspect there’s a collaborator, but we don’t have solid evidence yet, so we can’t act.”

The prince already had his suspicions about Montecorato, but without proof, he couldn’t accuse him openly. Moreover, Montecorato was still recovering from his own injuries sustained during the attack.

After a brief pause, Prince Merka stroked his chin, speaking with a hint of frustration.

“There’s one more problem. The royal court is suspicious of you, Karon. I’ve been holding them back, but someone’s been whispering into the ears of the council members and generals.”

“Montecorato, no doubt,” Karon responded bluntly.

The prince seemed slightly surprised by Karon’s directness but nodded in agreement.

“Yes, he’s eager to see you gone. That’s why I suggest you leave this place and continue your training elsewhere. I know a suitable location, and there’s someone there who can teach you swordsmanship.”

“Is it remote?”

“Very remote. You’ll likely have to camp in the forest for about a week to reach it. Eugenia will assign a trusted subordinate to guide you.”

At the prince’s glance, Eugenia gave a slight nod. He had already been briefed by the prince and understood the need to accommodate Karon’s attitude.

Karon found the offer tempting. The grand duke’s estate had drawn too much attention to him, and the rumors about him had been exhausting, with everyone whispering about his involvement. His heightened senses made it difficult to ignore the constant chatter. Moreover, after losing to the Blue Ravens, the desire to master his swordsmanship had grown stronger.

“Fine. Let’s do it.”

“Good. Let’s prepare immediately, before Montecorato tries anything else,” the prince said, relieved at Karon’s acceptance. He began issuing instructions to Eugenia and detailing the plan to Karon and the others.

* * *

At the same time, Montecorato was pacing frantically around his bedroom, his belly wobbling with each step. Officially, he was still recovering from his injuries, but in truth, he was perfectly fine.

The attack by the Blue Ravens had been staged as part of a larger plan.

“That wretched boy!” Montecorato growled, furious at Karon. If Karon hadn’t shown up, the grand duke would be dead by now.

“How is he even alive?” he muttered through clenched teeth.

Montecorato had already been informed by his lieutenant that Karon was the same boy they had once encountered in the Colosseum’s underground—a boy who should have died in the deadly antlion pit, yet here he was, alive and well.

For days, Montecorato had been using his influence to push the council and military leaders to arrest Karon, but so far, nothing had come of it. Rumors suggested that Prince Merka was protecting him.

Just then, his lieutenant entered the room to report.

“Well? What’s the situation?” Montecorato demanded.

“We still haven’t…”

Bang!

Montecorato slammed his hand on the table in frustration.

“Damn it! I can’t go out there by myself. Have you made sure to watch him closely?”

“Yes, sir. We’ve spun a web around him, just as you instructed.”

“And the grand duke?”

“He’s still unconscious.”

“What about the prince?”

“He’s likely suspicious, but we’ve erased all the evidence. There’s no trail to follow.”

Montecorato stroked his sagging chin, deep in thought before speaking again.

“He won’t give up so easily. Make sure everything is checked, and if there’s even a hint of suspicion, eliminate it.”

“Understood,” the lieutenant said before leaving.

Montecorato slumped into his chair, his thoughts drifting back to the boy he had seen in the Colosseum’s underground. Karon’s emotionless face and those deep, unreadable eyes haunted his nightmares like a demon lurking in the shadows.

* * *

One year later.

In the northern part of the Rob Empire, beyond the vast Altun mountain range—so far north it was considered the end of the world—lay a land that bordered the wilds of Tamouli, home to barbarians, and Sula, a theocratic nation devoted to the goddess Helprone. To the west was the ancient magical nation of Kolima, though its magic had dwindled as mana across the continent weakened, reducing the once-great empire to a shadow of its former self.

Kolima’s weakened state had put it at odds with the expansionist ambitions of the Rob Empire, leading to strained relations.

Within the dense forests nestled deep in the Altun mountain range, towering trees and massive plant life dominated the landscape. The sheer size of everything—from the trees to the animals—was almost otherworldly.

Among the largest creatures was a massive wild boar, its hooves thundering through the forest as it fled for its life.

Boom! Boom!

Squeal!

The boar, three times the size of a normal one, crashed through trees as if they were twigs.

But a shadow moved swiftly in pursuit, so fast and quiet that it would be impossible to spot without close observation.

The shadow drew closer to the boar, and suddenly, a red flash appeared for just a moment, striking the boar’s neck and embedding itself deep into the ground.

Squeal!

With a final, desperate cry, the boar collapsed, rolling through the underbrush before coming to a stop.

The object embedded in its neck was a slender wooden spear, so thin it seemed impossible that it had killed such a massive creature.

Thud!

The shadow landed gracefully on the boar’s back—it was Karon.

Now 18 years old, Karon had grown tall, his muscular frame far surpassing that of most adults. His bronze skin glistened with sweat, and his short, cropped hair no longer obscured the sharp scar on his cheek.

His intense black eyes now had a faint reddish glow to them.

“Ptooey.”

Spitting out the remnants of a plant he had been chewing, Karon, expressionless, pulled a dagger and rope from his side. He glanced briefly at the setting sun filtering through the leaves above.

“They’ll be waiting.”

Without hesitation, Karon skillfully finished off the boar, tied its legs, and dragged the massive animal behind him as he disappeared into the depths of the forest.

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