Chapter 24 (1/2)
Chapter 24. To The Sith Empire (2)
TL: Warriormonk
Editor: Isleidir
Luke and Kurotan arrived at their destination, the Jabel viscountcy, after two days of travel on horseback.
“So this is the Jabel viscountcy.”
Luke looked around the city with an excited look. The view that greeted him was similar to his own home city in Esteban Earldom, with buildings centered on the lord’s castle. Of course, the architecture and people’s clothes were slightly different.
Perhaps due to the martial tournament happening in four days, a high number of armored people roamed the streets with sheathed weapons.
“Let’s find a place to stay first.”
“Good, I want to wash myself.”
Luke looked at Kurotan in bewilderment. How could he forget the troubles he had gone through to get Kurotan to wash himself the first time around?
“I thought you got ‘sick’ if you washed yourself?”
“I tried it and I didn’t get sick. And I like being clean, now.”
Luke clucked his tongue as Kurotan pretended that the past had not happened. They proceeded into an inn that they found, where Luke’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What the h.e.l.l? Why is it so expensive?”
The inn was of standard quality, but the price exceeded Luke’s imagination. The innkeeper looked at Luke as if he was a country b.u.mpkin.
“Most inn’s prices are like this when there is a martial tournament. Our inn currently has a single open room.”
“Even so, isn’t this too much?”
“If you wait until tomorrow, you won’t be able to find a room even if you are willing to pay.”
Luke looked around uncomfortably.
He had exchanged all of his money for the currency used in the Sith Empire at the border post. The innkeeper was requesting that he pay half of the money Luke possessed for a half-month stay.
‘d.a.m.n, it looks like I have to start worrying about how to make money.’
If he were currently in Hansel Kingdom, Luke would not have had to worry about money. He had a house that he could ask for funds from, after all. He was currently in Sith Empire, however, a far away land.
Luke handed over the money with a bitter expression.
“We provide three meals a day. We have an open yard in the back of the inn where you can train.”
The room that the innkeeper led Luke and Kurotan to looked rather comfortable, at least. There were two beds next to each other, a much more appealing alternative to camping outdoors.
“There is a well at the edge of the yard over there, you can use it to wash.”
The innkeeper left the two of them to look around the inn, and Luke counted the rest of his money.
“35 denaris… d.a.m.n it. How should I make money?”
Luke needed money immediately. He had to repair the axe that had been destroyed by earl Wellington as well as buy basic equipment.
He also needed to teach aura cultivation techniques to the Latilla tribe warriors that would soon be given human bodies. It would be a process that would require expensive mana scrolls and potions.
‘We’re not just talking about one or two coins, I’m going to need a fortune… How do I approach this?’
Kurotan jumped into bed and enjoyed the texture of the mattress, clueless to Luke’s headache regarding financial problems.
‘A martial tournament is sure to have gambling involved. d.a.m.n it, I suppose I could try put up some money for the martial tournament, even if it doesn’t sit well with my sense of chivalry.’
Luke’s gaze headed towards Kurotan, who was currently rolling around in bed.
‘If it’s that b.a.s.t.a.r.d, it won’t be impossible to win the martial tournament either…’
Luke organized his thoughts and put away the pouch of coins into his bosom.
‘How much money will I have left after repairing Kurotan’s axe with 35 denarins? It probably won’t be enough to gamble with.’
Kurotan jumped up from bed.
“I’m going to go wash.”
“Wait a little bit.”
“Why?”
Luke took out a book from the traveling bag.
“There’s something you have to train in.”
“Train? Good!”
The book that Luke had retrieved was the book of swordsmans.h.i.+p that he had received from Reynold. The mid-level swordsmans.h.i.+p that the mercenary aura master Belloche had created. Kurotan looked at the book curiously.
“What is that?”
“It’s a mid-level swordsmans.h.i.+p book that I’m going to train you in.”
“Mid-level swordsmans.h.i.+p book?”
“Listen. You’ve currently only learned basic swordsmans.h.i.+p, and your strikes and slashes have predictable and simple paths. Your attacks can be read by anyone who is somewhat skilled with the sword.”
“Kurotan is strong even without learning such things.”
“Even if you can become stronger faster if you learn this?”
Kurotan’s face lit up at Luke’s words.
“Let’s train together. I also have to learn this sword style if I am to train you in it.”
“All right. Your decisions have always been correct until now. I trust you and your decisions.”
Luke smiled bitterly while looking at Kurotan, who was taking large strides to the door.
“You’re so easy to convince, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
There was a large clearing at the back of the inn, just as the innkeeper had said. A couple of men were already clas.h.i.+ng their swords in training. The sound of weapons clas.h.i.+ng rang out harshly throughout the clearing.
Luke took Kurotan into a corner of the clearing.
“The sword style you have been using up until now can be called the basic of basics. A beginner’s style”
“Is that so?”
“Under normal circ.u.mstances, you should learn a low-level sword style after the basic sword style, but…”
Luke flashed his teeth in a smile.
“With your skills, we should be able to skip that and go directly to the mid-level sword style.”
Luke had learned a high-level sword style unique to the Esteban House. Even so, Kurotan was able to dominate him almost effortlessly, with just a basic sword style.
Luke was far superior in terms of sword techniques, but Kurotan was able to defeat him effortlessly thanks to being able to amplify his physical capabilities by using aura. Even in terms of life and death battle experiences, there was a large difference between them.
“To be honest with you, I have high expectations. You are already a formidable warrior with just a basic sword style. I wonder how strong you will become after you’ve learned the proven sword style of Belloche.”
“If I can become stronger faster, I will learn it.”
“The Belloche sword style is a good fit for you. The sword style is mainly made up of continuous attacks without rest, while minimizing defense.”
Kurotan gripped his sword and took a stance. Luke opened the book and skimmed the pages.
“First of all, we need to ingrain the sword techniques and sword skills of the Belloche sword style into our bodies. It’ll be just like the time I trained you in basic sword techniques, so you don’t have to tense up too much.”
“All right.”
The two men began to go through the sword skills and techniques that were in the book. It was usually taken as common knowledge that one could not learn mid or higher level sword styles from just reading a book. However, Luke had already learned a high-level sword style in addition to having trained in the sword since a young age. He was familiar with the points one had to be wary of when learning a sword style from a book.
The other men in the clearing glanced only briefly at the two. It would have been more entertaining if Luke and Kurotan were sparring, but the slow movements with which they carried out the skills from the books made them a boring sight.