Chapter 27-29 (2/2)

”Maybe it's because in the country side, but the price of these potions were too high.”

”Forget it. You're able to become stronger in exchange.”

”That's true.”

Luke and Kurotan left the Jabel Earldom once again, eventually arriving at a forested area with no signs of humans.

Luke's eyes were s.h.i.+ning as he tied up his horse to a tree.

”There's no one around. Do you sense any monsters around?”

”There aren't any monsters around. Shall we?”

Kurotan motioned for Luke to take off the metal plates he was wearing.

”Just leave the leather armor on, but the metal plates must come off.”

”What? Why do I have to take off my armor?”

”You'll find out soon enough, just take it off.”

”Uh, I'm not entirely comfortable with this.”

Luke unlatched his metal armor. Kurotan dragged Luke to a tree and tied him up. Luke's face paled as he asked in confusion.

”Wa-Wait, isn't this a little strange?”

”It's not strange at all. This is the tribal method pa.s.sed down to us from generation to generation.”

”Wait. Wait.”

Kurotan ignored Luke's cries as he secured the knots tying Luke to the tree. Luke rolled his eyes frantically as his body remained immobile.

Luke's discomfort reached a critical level when Kurotan grabbed the metal mace he had purchased back in the Jabel Earldom.

”You aren't trying to beat me up with that mace, are you?”

Kurotan finally smiled.

”That's exactly right.”

Luke couldn't help but raise his voice into a shout.

”You crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d, how does this make any sense to you?”

”It makes sense.”

Kurotan swung his mace through the air a few times, weighing it in his hands.

”If you are beaten within an inch of your life, your aura will feel danger. That's because if you, the host, die, the aura will return to its natural state as well.”

Luke's face only continued to pale as Kurotan approached him slowly, swinging around the mace.

”I'm not that smart, so it's hard to explain eloquently. Ah, well. You'll understand once you experience it.”

”No, No, wait…. Don't! Keeup.”

Kurotan was smiling happily as he gagged Luke.

”I have had a lot of experience in giving out beatings from my days as an orc, to my subordinates. Don't worry, I have come to understand the exact limits of the human body through our training.”

”Eup, Euuupp.”

”Then, I'll begin.”

Luke felt a terrible pain in his shoulder the second Kurotan finished speaking. Kurotan had struck his shoulder without mercy.

Puuuk.

Luke's vision turned white as his eyes became bloodshot. The beating that followed was enough to send Luke's consciousness to somewhere far away.

”Keuk…”

Luke's lips cracked open as a groan escaped from his mouth. His eyes opened weakly, still unfocused. He was lying on the ground as he drew in his breathe weakly.

”Are you awake?”

Luke's body shook as he heard a familiar voice. His eyes suddenly gleamed with a murderous aura as they focused.

”The tribal method has succeeded.”

”You…. Devil like…. b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Keuk.”

Kurotan looked at the limp Luke as he lifted a water canteen to Luke's lips. The water wet his throat enough that Luke was able to speak more comfortably.

”The effect of the healing potion was better than I had expected.

Luke ground his teeth as he raised his head to glare at Kurotan. His body was numb from the beating Kurotan had given him.

Luke's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Kurotan. No one could look kindly at the person that had beaten them within an inch of their lives.

”I'm gonna kill you, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

”Don't be so angry, just examine your body for now.”

Kurotan's words only infuriated Luke further. It had been the most severe beating he had received since he had been born.

”Everything was for you. It was hard for me as well.”

”Keeuk.”

Luke strained to turn his head away, and focused on his body's current state. It wasn't long before Luke's eyes widened.

”Wh-What the h.e.l.l?”

Surprisingly, the amount of his aura had increased substantially. It had roughly tripled since before Kurotan had given him the beating. Luke's face was incredulous as he exclaimed.

”How is this possible?”

The response of the aura was different as well. Whereas the aura had defied his attempts to control it previously, it was now as relaxed as a fat cat who had eaten its fill.

”How is it? It's changed, hasn't it?”

”What the h.e.l.l happened?”

”I told you. Your control of aura will increase substantially… I don't know the exact reason behind this change.”

”You're saying that if the body is driven to extreme circ.u.mstances, the quality of the aura changes?”

”Yeah, that's probably right. The aura probably does not want to return to its natural state.”

”I don't believe it.”

Luke ignored the pain shooting his body as he dragged himself up into a seated lotus position. The beating had been so severe that not even the healing potion had fully healed him.

”Keeu, I think I'm going to die.”

”You should be able to control your aura now. Try it, carefully.”

”Shut the h.e.l.l up, Kurotan.”

Luke spit bitterly before doing exactly what Kurotan had suggested. He was trying to move aura with his will. Kurotan spoke an additional warning.

”Don't try to force it.”

”Shut your mouth, Kurotan.”

Luke's aura was beginning to slowly respond to Luke's incessant poking. Just as Kurotan had said, his aura was responding to Luke's careful mental pokes.

When that happened, Luke was able to get a taste of a whole new world.

He willed the aura to his head, and felt his senses sharpen dramatically. His vision and hearing sharpened. He began to smell things that he had never previously smelled before.

An aura user would have senses roughly twice as sharp as a normal human. However, the aura expert, able to direct aura at will could sharpen his senses to roughly ten times the sensitivity of a normal human's. Luke couldn't help but exclaim.

”This is awesome!”

Luke continued to move around his aura happily. It still felt as if the aura was reluctant to listen to him, but the results were definite. Luke drew his sword while concentrating aura into his shoulder and arms.

”Haaht!”

He slashed at a sword with a battle cry, cutting cleanly and silently through the trunk of a tree as wide as a human waist. Luke stared blankly at his blade.

”As strong as an ogre…”

Luke concentrated his aura into his legs and kicked the ground, rising almost two meters in the air.

”Uh-Uhht!”

Unable to control this new strength, Luke ended up sprawled on the ground as he landed. Luke dusted himself off as he remarked about the difference he now felt.

”It's unbelievable. This is why aura experts are so overwhelming.”

Senses that were five times better than an aura user's, as well as increased muscular power.

”I feel like a G.o.d.”

”Wake up, Luke. You are a chick who has just hatched. Bone grinding training is needed in order for you to be able to control aura freely.

Despite Kurotan's words, Luke was unable to calm his excitement.

”This is awesome. I didn't know that aura could do such things.”

”I was the one who made this possible, so you should be thankful towards me.”

Luke shot a dirty look at Kurotan at his last words. He was extremely happy to have become an aura expert, but if Luke were honest with himself, he did not feel grateful towards Kurotan at all. The memory of being beaten within an inch of his life had been ingrained into his very bones.

”I suppose I will need to train, as you said. How about it, shall we duel?”

Kurotan shook his head.

”Not now.”

”What? It's a surprise, you refusing to train.”

”I wish to become stronger as well. I wish to undergo the very beating I just gave you.”

Kurotan began to unlatch the clips of his metal plate as he talked. Luke's face seemed to flush with excitement.

”You're… asking me to carry out the tribal method?”

”Yes. If I can just increase the amount of my aura, I will be able to regain my old strength.”

”Hahaha. You can leave it to me.”

Luke let out a strange laughter as he grabbed Kurotan's mace eagerly. Dried blood and pieces of flesh littered the surface of the mace.

”I will be sure to give you a proper beating. Better than the one you gave me.”

Kurotan frowned nervously at the killing intent Luke was emanating.

”It's not simply a brutal beating. You have to keep in mind my body's limits.”

”Don't worry, I've personally experienced the beating that's just sufficient.”

”We-We only have about seven healing potions left.”

”Too much talking.”

Luke quickly gagged Kurotan before tying him up securely to a tree.

”Eeup. Eeup!”

Kurotan continued to make attempts to speak to Luke, but Luke did not even pretend to listen. A smile graced Luke's face as he lifted the mace.

”Shall we begin?”

Kurotan's eyes widened in panic.

Chapter 29. Meeting Angela

TL: Warriormonk

Editor: Isleidir

”My predictions were completely off.”

A middle aged man with sharp features shook his head bitterly. He was Lancaster, the captain of the search party sent out by the church of Flora. He had been staying in the outpost guarding the border between Tranbel Kingdom and Sith Empire.

”To think he would cross the border into the Sith Empire instead of Tranbel Kingdom.”

Lancaster had immediately crossed over from Hansel Kingdom to Tranbel Kingdom as soon as he had read the suspicious letter in Esteban Earldom. His objective, of course, was to track down Luke who was suspected to have witnessed the ma.s.sacre of the knights escorting the Saintess.

Lancaster had enlisted the help of the local churches and monasteries in searching for Luke as soon as he had arrived in Tranbel Kingdom. Even the numerous host of wors.h.i.+ppers, however, could not discover the whereabouts of Luke.

”I don't understand… How can one man avoid the vast numbers of wors.h.i.+ppers that I've enlisted?”

Lancaster eventually turned his gaze elsewhere due to the lack of progress. He had begun to consider the possibility that Luke had fled to somewhere else.

Finally, he was able to stumble on a lead at the outpost guarding the border of Sith Empire. He had discovered the records indicating that Luke had crossed the border through the very outpost.

”I remember him. A bright young man trying to secure a future in the Sith Empire… I tried to stop him because he was a talented individual, but…”

”That's enough. I thank you for your cooperation.”

Lancaster left the outpost with a bitter expression.

”I've wasted time. I've turned over the Tranbel Kingdom trying to find Luke when he was really in the Sith Empire.”

A sharp light suddenly emanated from his eyes.

”However, there are still numerous wors.h.i.+ppers of Flora in the Sith Empire. It's only a matter of time before I find him.”

All he needed to do was find Luke and torture the information out of him. Then, they would know what had happened to the Saintess and her party. Lancaster took a deep breathe before barking out orders to his holy knights.

”We cross into the Sith Empire. All we need to do is enlist the local churches, and we'll finally be able to find him.”

”Yes, sir.”

Lancaster gazed fiercely into the horizon, towards the Sith Empire.

”You f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Why would you beat me so stupidly?”

Luke awkwardly avoided Kurotan's gaze.

”How was I supposed to know that giving out a beating would be so difficult?”

”You have to keep the person's limits in mind as you beat him. Or me.”

”That's easy to say.”

”That's why you should have been careful!”

Kurotan was currently fuming with anger. Kurotan had literally set one foot into the underworld thanks to Luke.

Even Luke, who had been so angry before, could not meet his eyes. He had been able to achieve vengeance for the beating Kurotan had given him, but he had gone overboard.

Kurotan was experienced in giving out beatings to his orc subordinates, but Luke was not.

”You need to exercise caution and technique even in giving out a beating.”

”All right, I get it. I'm telling you, I get it.”

Kurotan had been beaten by a furious Luke until he had literally stopped breathing. Luke, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation after Kurotan had stopped breathing, had immediately stopped his beating and given Kurotan a healing potion.

However, Kurotan's body was not fully repaired even by seven healing potions.

”Sh-s.h.i.+t.”

Luke had hurriedly rode his horse into Jabel Earldom in order to purchase more healing potions. He had used the rest of his remaining funds, but it still wasn't enough to revive Kurotan. He had eventually had to sell their horses and some equipment in order to purchase enough healing potions to revive Kurotan.

”Keeu, I feel like I'm going to die right now. I need more healing potions.”

”Sorry, but we don't have enough money. We'd have to sell out weapons if we wanted to buy any more.”

”So that's why you should have stopped before this point.”

”I… I got too absorbed into giving you a beating.”

”G.o.ddammit.”

Kurotan stood up with a bitter expression. He had avoided death and even recovered somewhat thanks to drinking expensive healing potions as though they were water.

Kurotan closed his eyes and tried to feel out his aura.

”At least the effect is fantastic. I have around four times as much aura as I did before the beating.”

”Thank goodness, it seems that the ritual was successful.”

”Why are you laughing like you accomplished something? We don't have any more money to buy healing potions.”

Luke silently scratched the back of his head.

”I get it, so stop it. I'll be more careful next time.”

”Next time? You know it's your turn the next time.”

Luke's face paled immediately.

”Th-That..”

The sound of teeth grinding against each other escaped Kurotan's mouth as he gripped his fists.

”I will teach you exactly how to give out a beating.”

Luke couldn't help but s.h.i.+ver as a chill ran down his spine. He had enjoyed giving Kurotan a beating in vengeance, but he had not considered the consequences fully.

”G.o.ddammit, I told you I get it. Please stop.”

”You can expect a lot. I will let you see the faces of your tenth generation ancestors…”

The two were walking up a mountain path. They had sold off their horses, so they were left with no choice but to drag their tired bodies up with their own feet.

”How could you have sold off the armor as well?”

Luke had sold off the armor that Kurotan had worn during the tournament to purchase healing potions. Kurotan glanced over his flimsy chain armor, filled with holes and tears, before glaring once again at Luke.

”I told you, I'm sorry. Please stop.”

”Shut up.”

The mountain path was quiet. Not even the common goblin or kobold made an appearance. Kurotan frowned in an unsatisfied manner.

”d.a.m.n, I can't even take out my anger on any monsters.”

”Kurotan, you used to be a monster as well, before becoming a human.”

”You're too loud.”

Kurotan, chewing on some jerky that Luke had handed him in an effort to appease him, suddenly stopped and wriggled his ears.

”I can hear metal clas.h.i.+ng.”

”Really?”

Luke immediately concentrated his aura into his ears, focusing on his hearing. Just as Kurotan had said, clangs could be heard in the distant.

”This is the sound of battle.”

”Good. Let's check it out.”

Luke and Kurotan took off with incredible speed.

In a field between the forests, battle was ongoing. Two fully armed parties of knights were attacking each other fiercely.

Chw.a.n.g. Chwaang.

There were no casualties yet, thanks to the st.u.r.dy armors, but one side was clearly being overwhelmed. The weaker side was outnumbered as well, and the battle seemed to be decided.

There was a single woman on the side being overwhelmed. A beautiful woman, seemingly in her early twenties, was s.h.i.+vering like a tree branch in winter as she watched the ongoing battle.

The attacking party was made up of fifteen knights, whereas there were eight knights seemingly guarding the woman. One of the knights defending the woman received a fatal strike as she watched on and fell to the ground.

”Keeuk.”

Blood rushed through the hole in his armor. The woman paled like paper.

”Sir Jason!”

She cried out the knight's name, but the knight never rose again.

The attacking knight who had slain Jason laughed darkly as he lifted his visor. His face was younger than one would expect.

”Why don't you surrender now, Lady Angela?”

The woman seethed with anger when she saw his face.

”Stefan, you despicable b.a.s.t.a.r.d. How could you commit such treacherous deeds?”

”War means that the ends justify the means.”

”How can you pretend to be a n.o.ble after this?”

Stefan did not stop smiling, even as the woman continued to shout slurs at him.

”This is Jablel Earldom! Do you think that Earl Jabel will allow such attacks on his grounds to go unpunished if he finds out?”

”Hahaha. So why did you leave your territory?”

Stefan was the heir to the fiefdom in opposition to the fiefdom that Angela was loyal to.

”A corpse can't answer any questions. Your bodies will be found, not in Jabel Earldom, but our Tarpan Barony. In other words, you had trespa.s.sing into the Tarpan Barony when you were discovered and killed by a party of patrolling knights.”

Angela bit her lips. Just as Stefan had said, it was her carelessness that had led to this situation.

'I shouldn't have traveled this way.'

Nijel Viscounty, the fiefdom she was sworn to serve, had not been on friendly terms with Tarpan Barony for generations. Not long ago, a clash between the two for the rights to a mine located near the two fiefdoms' borders had taken the lives of many soldiers.

A great n.o.ble, sick and tired of the two fiefdom's bickering, had stepped in and had decided that the rights to the mine would go to the fiefdom that won a knight's compet.i.tion.

Each side would be able to send five knights to do battle, with the winning side gaining mining rights.

The two fiefdoms had spent enormous sums trying to recruit knights, blinded by the profits that the rights to the mine would bring.

Recruiting knights, however, was not easy. Unlike a martial tournament, a knight's compet.i.tion only ended when one side was dead or disabled.

The two fiefdoms had a fair number of knights under their command, but a skilled knight at the aura expert level could turn the tides of the compet.i.tion.

Angela, the daughter of the lord of Nigel Viscounty, had traveled to Jabel Earldom in secret in order to recruit a proven aura expert, Sir Cooper.

Earl Jabel, however, had rejected her request straight away.

”I can't possibly lend you Cooper, as he is a valuable talent to our lands. I will pretend I did not hear that.”

”We can provide ample compensation. We are willing to give up a piece of land near our borders.”

”I don't need it. I value the service that Sir Cooper can provide more than that.”

Angela had had no choice but to bitterly return to Nigel Viscounty. On her way back, she had been ambushed by the knights of Tarpan Barony.

'I screwed up. I should have gone around and taken the safer path even if it had taken longer.'

There was no use crying over spilt milk. Another knight from Nigel Viscounty fell with a pitiful cry as she watched on.

After losing two of their members, the rest of the knights formed a tighter defensive formation around the carriage Angela was in. The knights of Tarpan Barony closed in on them.

One of the knights, face covered with blood and sweat, said to Angela determinedly.

”Lady Angela, we will try to stall them while you escape.”

”That's impossible. I can't possibly leave you and the rest of the knights, and my riding skills aren't good enough to break through.”

”There are too many of them.”

Angela bit her lips bitterly as she unsheathed a dagger from her side.

”Can't help it then. I will die as a n.o.ble in this place.

She closed her eyes as the knights of the Tarpan Barony closed in.

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