Chapter ~ 06
No. 1’s face had turned red with anger. He soon ground his teeth and glared at the two of them as if he wanted to kill them.
“…Hah, enough. The foolishness of failing to recognize whom one ought to serve… This body’s personal appearance was not worth the effort after all.”
Despite his furious demeanor, his eyes were sharp.
He had recognized from Leonard’s attitude and the atmosphere around him that Leonard was someone who could not be recruited.
If that was the case, staying here any longer would only be a waste of time.
Without even offering a word of farewell, No. 1 turned around and left the room with brisk steps. The sound of his followers, who had been waiting outside the training room, hurriedly chasing after him echoed through the corridor.
Only then did No. 2 finally manage to stop laughing.
“Ahahaha, ha, haaa… It’s been a long time since I laughed this much.”
“That’s… good.”
Leonard replied between breaths, his words broken by the rhythm of his exercise. He had pushed himself to the limit until the very end.
“I’ve never seen anyone deal with No. 1 the way you did.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. It was fun. So I’ll repay you, too.”
No. 2 gently rubbed the corners of her eyes as she spoke.
“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on you, but didn’t you say you wanted to skip basic swordsmanship training?”
“Yeah.”
Leonard wasn’t surprised by her words.
The Cardenas bloodline possessed exceptionally high physical abilities overall, and that included their sensory organs. As a direct descendant, No. 2’s hearing was probably close to Jicheongsul—the martial art of listening through the earth—even without using qi.
So there was nothing strange about her having overheard the words he had muttered from outside the training room.
“Why do you think we suddenly formed factions?”
No. 2 abruptly asked him that question.
“I don’t know.”
“Think about it. Both I and No. 1 hate troublesome things. Well, he’s a little different since he wants everyone to worship him, but anyway.”
Leonard gave a simple answer.
There was only one reason someone would force themselves to do something they didn’t want to do.
“So there must be a need to form a group. Or perhaps one has just been formed.”
“Oh.”
No. 2 clapped her hands together and nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. You’re pretty perceptive, aren’t you? No. 3 seems to have guessed it instinctively by watching us, while No. 7 is an idiot, so he probably went along with the excuse that it was for the sake of the collateral branch.”
“Is training that requires us to move as a team about to begin?”
“If you want to hear that much, then join my side.”
Instead of answering his question, No. 2 merely smiled meaningfully.
But Leonard turned his head away without the slightest trace of regret.
“No. I’m fine. I don’t need to know.”
“……”
Aside from No. 1, who had annoyed her from the moment they first met, No. 2 had never encountered a boy who simply refused to do what she wanted.
Her cheeks puffed up adorably.
It was the kind of expression that could make even battle-hardened instructors restrain themselves after intending to scold her.
But Leonard, who was only fourteen on the outside while an old man obsessed with swordsmanship sat within, didn’t move an inch.
“I’ll help you once. Be satisfied with that.”
It was a principle he had maintained since his days as the Sword Emperor.
If someone ultimately did him a favor, he would return at least the minimum amount of goodwill.
It was the same reason he had helped No. 7, who had given him information about the factional struggle in the dining hall six days ago.
Whatever those words sounded like to No. 2, her puffed cheeks deflated with a soft pfft, and she giggled.
“Okay. I’ll look forward to it, No. 25.”
After No. 2 waved goodbye with a smile and left the training room, Leonard was alone once again.
He grabbed hold of the exercise equipment.
‘Finally, some peace and quiet.’
That was the entirety of his impression after meeting two direct descendants in person.
When Leonard finished his week-long break and returned to his usual routine, the way people looked at him had changed considerably.
Among roughly five hundred people, No. 381 had been so ordinary that he was actually somewhat below average. But the fact that he had climbed all the way to No. 25 in less than a week was something no one had anticipated.
If not for the instructors watching him with their eyes wide open, children would have swarmed around him like a hive of bees.
“I didn’t expect your skills to be at that level, No. 25.”
The problem was that the instructors were becoming a nuisance as well.
“You have incredible control over your muscles. Let’s increase the weight.”
“I’ll support you. Just three more reps!”
Still, they weren’t merely annoying, so Leonard could tolerate them.
He had also learned how to use all the equipment he previously hadn’t known how to operate, meaning he would be able to use it efficiently even when he came alone.
‘There’s no time wasted in learning something I don’t know.’
His tendency to be open-minded when it came to martial arts was one of the reasons the martial world had never been able to classify him as belonging to the orthodox, unorthodox, or demonic factions.
If there was something to learn, he would seek instruction even from wandering martial artists or demonic practitioners. If there was nothing worth learning, he would ignore even the most famous masters.
After finishing his morning training with the instructors’ assistance, Leonard immediately headed toward the dining hall.
“Hey! No. 25!”
At that moment, No. 7, who had followed behind him, approached.
“To think you’d become No. 25 in just a week. As expected, my eyes were accurate! I heard No. 1 and No. 2 personally came to see you yesterday, and you turned them both down?”
“…Rumors spread quickly.”
“It means the factional rivalry is that intense. Looks like they’re competing over who gets to recruit you.”
Leonard shook his head.
“I told you. I have no intention of joining anyone.”
“You were serious? I thought you were just saying that to raise your value.”
No. 7 looked Leonard up and down with wide eyes before shrugging.
“Well, as long as you don’t suck up to the direct descendants, there’s no reason for us to treat you badly.”
The two walked side by side, received their meals, and naturally sat at the same table.
No. 7 did most of the talking while Leonard gave short answers, but their conversation continued nonetheless.
There were attempts to join them, but whenever anyone approached even slightly, No. 7 glared at them menacingly, forcing them to stop.
“Is No. 3 your leader?”
Leonard asked after nearly finishing his meal.
“Hm?! Uh, yeah. He’s the only one who can actually contend with No. 1 or No. 2. I’m not exactly the sharpest thinker, either.”
Since this was the first time Leonard had initiated a conversation, No. 7 looked surprised but answered with a pleased expression.
It felt as though the distance between them had decreased, if only by a tiny amount.
Leonard soon put down his spoon and chopsticks.
“What about No. 4? Isn’t that one also a direct descendant?”
At that question, No. 7’s face twisted with displeasure.
“Ah, that guy’s a bat. He keeps claiming to be neutral, but he’s planning to side with whoever wins. All the guys who don’t want to get dragged into the factional struggle, or who don’t want to take unnecessary risks, have joined him.”
“So if someone attacks him first, he’ll simply join the opposite side? Not a bad little scheme.”
“Even though he’s a direct descendant, that guy is seriously crafty!”
If this were the Demonic Cult, that wouldn’t mean much, Leonard thought as he analyzed the position No. 4 had taken.
At this training camp, killing another child or inflicting an injury severe enough to leave lasting aftereffects was prohibited.
If one couldn’t completely eliminate an opponent from the competition, attacking them carelessly would only result in losses.
‘I can roughly guess how he’ll try to persuade me, too.’
Leaving No. 7 to passionately explain why No. 4 was someone he shouldn’t associate with, Leonard finished clearing his tray and stood up.
He intended to meditate until swordsmanship training began an hour later.
It was at that exact moment.
Ding— Ding— Ding-ding—.
All the trainees walking around suddenly froze before beginning to move in the same direction.
It was the signal ordering:
<All trainees, assemble on the parade ground.>
The interval between the bells was slightly different from the usual bell signaling the start of class.
‘It doesn’t seem like an emergency or anything like that… Has what No. 2 mentioned already begun?’
Unlike the visibly tense children, Leonard’s expression remained calm.
‘If so, I won’t have to do basic swordsmanship.’
As long as it wasn’t a waste of time, Leonard didn’t care what kind of training he received.
Whether they were told to fight instructors as a team or ordered to fight one another from this moment onward, he could enjoy himself.
He was also curious about the abilities of No. 1, No. 4, and the other higher-ranked numbers, unlike No. 2, whose characteristics he had already more or less figured out.
Leonard’s steps naturally became lighter.
“Silence! From this moment on, this instructor will announce the instructions!”
Not long afterward.
Less than ten minutes after the bells rang, all the children were lined up tightly across the parade ground.
Standing before them was a middle-aged man whose shoulder insignia was uniquely red. He shouted in a booming voice.
“This instructor has determined that the trainees of this class have mastered basic swordsmanship to a satisfactory level. Therefore, we will begin outdoor training!”
Outdoor training.
Even after hearing those words, the children didn’t move, but they couldn’t hide the ripple of unease that passed through the air.
Amid the commotion, Leonard spotted several children who remained completely unfazed.
They weren’t merely maintaining their composure. They looked completely at ease, as though they had already known this was coming.
‘No. 1 and No. 2, obviously… And excluding the one who appears to be No. 4, there are about three more.’
One of them would be No. 3.
The others were probably second-in-command figures within each faction or simply children with sharp minds.
There was a significant difference between the direct descendants and collateral descendants when it came to obtaining training information in advance.
Even No. 3 had only guessed the general direction of things. She probably had no idea how the training would proceed or what awaited them.
As far as Leonard was concerned, none of that mattered.
“Starting today, you will live in the forest located within the Cardenas estate, a forest constructed to resemble the winter mountains of the northern region! Basic camping supplies will be provided, but you will have to take care of everything yourselves—from securing food, water, and a place to sleep, all the way to hunting!”
At the senior instructor’s words, the children became even more tense.
Even children who were unusually strong for their age and possessed confidence appropriate to their abilities were still afraid of the unknown.
They had never been thrown alone into a harsh world.
They had never experienced having to shoulder their entire lives by themselves.
Because they were still only fourteen years old, the training felt all the more brutal.
“Rest assured! Everything I just said is true, but you are not alone! The trainees standing beside you, in front of you, and behind you can all become one another’s strength!”
The senior instructor let out a hearty laugh after sensing the uneasiness in the atmosphere.
“Form groups from this moment onward! The number of members doesn’t matter! I’ll recognize anyone as a group leader regardless of their number! Now, begin!”
The trainees immediately began moving in a great rush.
The flow of movement divided into four directions, exactly as Leonard had expected.
No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4.
Children gathered around the four leaders, leaving the parade ground—which had previously been filled with neat rows—empty in several places.
‘So those two really were No. 3 and No. 4.’
Leonard’s eyes quickly swept over the two of them.
No. 4 was a boy who wore glasses, a rarity among the trainees. His identity was obvious from his blond hair and golden eyes.
No. 3 was a black-haired girl surrounded by collateral descendants, including No. 7.
They were the children who had remained unfazed by the instructor’s earlier announcement.
‘And there are five groups if we include the children who haven’t decided which side to join. In that case, is there a high chance that I’ll end up in the fifth group as well?’
The factions were ordered by size as Group 1, Group 2, Group 4, and Group 3.
Except for Group 1, which accounted for nearly forty percent of the total trainees, the remaining groups were all fairly similar in size.
There were perhaps around sixty trainees who could be considered unaffiliated—the fifth group.
‘…I’ve decided.’
Having reached that conclusion, Leonard moved his feet.
At the same time, the higher-ranked numbers watching him sharpened their gazes, while even the instructors became curious about which side he would choose.
And then—
“No. 25!”
“Yes.”
The senior instructor asked him with an unusually surprised expression.
“Explain what that action of yours means.”
The trainees had dispersed into four groups, leaving the parade ground sparsely populated.
Leonard had moved all the way to the outer edge.
No one remained beside him.
No. 1 immediately narrowed his eyes, instinctively understanding what Leonard had chosen.
As expected, what an arrogant bastard.
No. 2 clapped her hands, delighted that Leonard had once again gone against her expectations.
No. 3 looked intrigued, while No. 4 pushed up the frame of his glasses and revised his assessment of Leonard.
“You can see exactly what I’ve chosen, Instructor.”
Leonard answered while looking directly at the senior instructor.
“I’ll be going in alone.”
