Volume 2 Chapter 68 The Story Of ‘Natra’ II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Oswald, huh? He said he learned swordsmanship in Azrael. Could he be a graduate of the monastery?”
He looks like a young man about Kian’s age, but in this world, a person’s age often doesn’t match their appearance.
Robert Pigfoot is a good example of that.
He doesn’t know how old Oswald is, but he might actually be a nearly 60-year-old old man, despite how he looks.
Kitsune shook his shoulder-length black hair and continued.
”He is not a graduate. However, he has received a similarly high education from the House of Malc of the Twelve Divine Generals.”
”House of Malc”
”Yes. As you know, in our country (Azrael), the location of the granary is uneven, and when we need military strength, we buy slaves and train them as soldiers. In the country of Franz,”
”They send hired mercenaries to fight, huh?”
”Yes. We do not trust mercenaries much. Therefore, traditionally we drill all combat skills into slaves we purchase from the ground up. Oswald was kidnapped from a rural area of the Franz Kingdom by the House of Malc when he was young and became a conscripted child soldier.”
”Can a child soldier acquire that level of sword skill?”
”He was personally taught by the head of the House of Malc at that time──Lord Nizaam. He… had a weakness for beautiful boys. Oswald is a person blessed with both sword talent and looks. He is the kind of man that Nizaam would surely like.”
”The Twelve Divine Generals themselves taught him… no wonder he became strong.”
”Soldiers conscripted from the Franz Kingdom are elite troops in our country’s army. Oswald made a name for himself in the war and gained wealth. However, at some point, he deserted the army with a few comrades and vanished. A few years later, he seduced the lord of Ramsey, the northern lord of the Franz Kingdom Margrave Izerland’s territory, inheriting all that land, property, and soldiers.”
Kitsune continued.
”After that, Oswald regularly travels with his subordinates from Izerland fortress to other countries. Around the same time, an international crime organization, ‘Azrael’s Death Sword User,’ was killing targets nearby. The period when ‘Azrael’s Death Sword User’ started committing murders was right after Oswald fled from the Malc family’s legion.”
”He is a banker. I think he often heads to various lordships of the royal domain and other countries for business negotiations.”
”However, I can’t say for sure that he doesn’t kill people while he’s at it.”
”If he is a ‘Death Sword User,’ what could his motive be?”
”We speculated it might be a strong resentment or dislike towards the nobility and privileged classes.”
”……”
Indeed, Oswald has been known to despise the nobility, as he mentioned himself.
He doesn’t seem to harbor hatred towards all nobles, but it seems he at least doesn’t like Maribel, Christy, or Waterman very much.
”The murders committed in Azrael and actions that tarnish our honor using the name ‘Azrael’s Death Sword User’ likely stem from being separated from his family by the Malc family when he was young. We have lost track of what happened after he fled from the Malc family’s army, but if he approached the lord of Ramsey with his beauty, just like with Lord Nizaam, it’s no wonder he felt unbearable humiliation and disgust during sexual encounters. The previous lord of Ramsey was a skilled soldier but also had a peculiar taste for buying beautiful boy slaves. Thanks to this, he couldn’t produce a direct heir, which led to Oswald taking over the house.”
After listening to Natra’s long investigation about Oswald, Kian felt he could now imagine Oswald’s image more vividly, filling in many parts that had been unclear until now.
He was bought by a pervert from another country before he clearly became aware of his father or mother’s faces.
He was trained to kill while being a victim of sexual exploitation nearly every night.
Later, he deserted the army and crossed over to Franz with his companions.
After much hardship, they took over Ramsey’s territory.
(He is shrewd, a materialist. He hates nobles and has a very fierce personality. On the other hand, he shows his heart to those he considers companions, as if they were childhood friends.)
His temperament is fiery.
There seems to be a tendency to seek momentary pleasure.
His house is over-decorated, as if he buys expensive goods to fill the gaps in his heart──.
”However, we chased the ‘Death Sword User’ all the way to East End, and we suddenly removed Oswald from the list of suspects.”
”Why is that?”
”It was a member of ‘Mao Yue,’ who funded the armed organization we were using, that was killed by the ‘Death Sword User.’”
”It’s the Mutilation murder case that happened recently, huh?”
He took on Maribel’s Quest and investigated the case with Christy.
He also met Waterman for the first time at the warehouse where the murder took place.
Kitsune continued with a serious expression.
”The eastern shopkeeper was killed in the morning. It seems his breakfast rice porridge was still undigested in his stomach.”
”You investigated well. Or rather, the information management of the guards in East End is just sloppy.”
”We do not know the exact effect of the Holy Sword of the Sun. However, it is clear that anyone cut with intent to kill while the sun is up will ignite. If he was cut in the morning, his body would have burned.”
Hearing this, Kian remembered the monster of the head magician that was subdued in the ‘Labyrinth of Roses.’
She died engulfed in flames after being cut just once by Oswald.
If a person is cut with intent to kill, even if the weapon is not the Holy Sword of the Sun, the enemy will ignite.
”So it will mean that someone other than Oswald did it──If he did not command his subordinates to commit murder, then naturally, I become the most suspicious remaining suspect.”
Kitsune nodded.
”Kian Vahid is likely stealing the ‘Secret Technique’ from his father, Umar Vahid ── that’s our thought. My elder sister said a failed apostle couldn’t use the ‘Secret Technique,’ and I thought so at first too. However, you defeated the Griffin alone last month, and when we found you, you were carrying that magic sword. Later, when I attacked you while pretending to chase Maribel Danofen among the armed group, Nia was one thing, but Val was torn apart and killed by the magic sword.”
’I see. So the suspicion turned into certainty. Even if you were excited, you shouldn’t have killed excessively like that.’
”Unfortunately, I’m not really a ‘Death Sword User.’ If I had time to commit murder, I’d be busy with women.”
”That seems to be the case.”
’Hehehehe.’
Kian is not a ‘Death Sword User,’ but there is still a possibility regarding Oswald.
If he gains the power of the sun, it’s obvious even to a fool that distinctive bodies will be left behind during the killings.
Then, as a countermeasure, he could send an assassin who was taught the ‘Secret Technique’ by him.
For example, the dark elf Aisha seems capable of using the ‘Secret Technique’ both in terms of magic power and physically, and she could even use teleportation to escape from the murder scene.
(‘As for the identity of the ‘Death Sword User,’ it doesn’t matter to me for now. If Azrael’s side continues to pursue me as the ‘Death Sword User,’ then depending on the developments, it will only require the clarification of the facts.)
However, before the ‘Death Sword User’ matter, Kian had killed too many of his own kind.
Even if he is cleared of the ‘Death Sword User’ suspicion, there was still a danger of being targeted for his life.
(Once the ‘Death Sword User’ issue is settled, an assassin might be sent from the Nakasha family. But, this is for training, for reinforcement of the Wraith.)
If the enemy sends an assassin, that means he can obtain the Wraith’s essence each time.
Next is Tengu.
Even if he is satisfied with Tengu, there are still 5 Night Wraiths left.
If the base form took after the first human it consumed, then an Azrael apostle, devoted to selfless servitude, would rank among the finest delicacies for a Wraith.
”Training isn’t just about improving our abilities. We also need countermeasures for enemy ‘Secret Techniques.’ If getting hit means instant death, there’s no point. And I’ve already used up Ms. Aliona’s Thorn Ring.”
”There is a way to counter ‘Secret Techniques.’”
”Really!?”
”Yes. It lies in understanding the ‘Secret Technique’ being used. Do you know why their details are kept hidden, my Lord?”
”So they won’t be stolen… and so countermeasures can’t be devised. ‘Secret Techniques’ are the ultimate first-strike killers.”
Even if one had seen it before, the lethality remained high. But on the first encounter, survival was nearly impossible.
Natra nodded firmly.
”That’s why we must steal their methods and devise counters of our own. After inheriting a ‘Secret Technique,’ we create what we call a ‘Break.’”
”‘Break’?”
”Yes. Sir Kian, you faithfully adhere to fundamental swordsmanship. Against opponents who merely swing blindly, that alone is enough. But to those who understand swordplay, it is no threat. To kill those who know, we must create ‘Breaks’—techniques that shatter their expectations. By blending these into one’s style, it becomes their own unique swordsmanship.”
Of course, one couldn’t disregard the core of Azrael’s Dance Swordsmanship—the fundamental principles of physics, blade movement, and striking at the weak points of armor.
In short, it was ‘freedom within discipline.’
By understanding the underlying mechanics, one could create a ‘Break.’
And by applying that same principle to ‘Secret Techniques,’ it became possible to turn them against their users.
”We call this ‘Secret Technique Return’.”
”I see… but that’s limited to known ‘Secret Techniques’, right? I don’t know what kind of ‘Secret Technique’ the apostle targeting me will use.”
”The apostle aiming for your life is only from the Nakash family. Therefore, the ‘Secret Techniques’ they use will be limited. Your family’s Vahid family is… trying to forget your existence, for better or worse. Except for Sir Jibril, of course.”
”────”
”A total of 6 apostles were dispatched to Izerland. Among them, Sir Kian has taken down 4. Two are messengers, and they are set to return to the border to report when they learn we have been defeated.”
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply