The person walking from the camp of the Royal Guard officers was shouting at the top of their lungs.

Was it just an empty bluster, or a solid roar proportional to their skill?

“Hey, barbarian! Remember me?”

Making such a derogatory remark right off the bat, there was no way it would elicit a kind response. Moreover, it was a completely unfamiliar person. Lebel tilted his head, trying to recall.

Given that this person wasn’t in his clear memories, it was obvious they were an insignificant opponent.

“…I don’t remember small fry.”

“This bastard… I’ve come to pay you back for the humiliation I suffered from you at the Clover Tavern!”

What humiliation did they suffer and come to repay when they were the one who got drunk and made a fool of themselves? Truly a pathetic epic of revenge.

“So you still haven’t come to your senses after that beating.”

Lebel sneered lightly as he assessed his opponent’s skills. Back then, they would have been slow due to being drunk, but…

‘Even now, they don’t seem particularly skilled.’

Even a short time away from the sword dulls both the blade and one’s skills. No matter how much of a relic of history it may become, it was always tricky to handle and required constant attention.

The person shouting enthusiastically in front of Lebel now was no different from a rusty and blunt sword.

Despite their rather zealous provocation, the officer became even more agitated as Lebel remained still. Finally, he mockingly sneered at the members behind Lebel in a shrill voice.

“Right, we have to admit those northerners are stupid, don’t we? That’s why they can’t even remember someone they met recently.”

Lebel heard the groans of the members behind him as they grabbed their necks. It sounded like Lailo or someone was shouting something in anger.

“Boss! If you lose to that guy, the Rikas Mercenary Group disbands today! I’ll be the leader! You got that?”

“That won’t happen.”

Though it probably wouldn’t reach the back, Lebel muttered quietly. The whistle signaling the start of the match had already blown long ago. While the opponent was busy running their mouth, Lebel didn’t miss this opening of distraction.

“Eek!”

With a loud noise, the two swords clashed with a clang. Dramatic screams and sighs erupted from the audience.

The opponent’s sword didn’t even reach Lebel. Literally, they barely managed to block it. It was fortunate they blocked it; if they had made the slightest mistake, they would have bid farewell to this world with a hole straight through their chest.

The flag was raised on the Rikas Mercenary Group’s side. It was too trivial an ending to even cheer for.

From the mercenary group’s side came a short cheer followed by boos.

“Hey kids over there, come back after you’ve mastered the basics!”

“Wasn’t that a new record for the boss just now? Luth, how many seconds was it?”

“…3 seconds.”

Eddie and Luth clapped their hands simultaneously with virtuous expressions. Indeed, their leader was someone who showed everything through skill, not words.

The Royal Guard officers who saw Lebel’s movements froze in place.

Since one-on-one confrontations rarely occurred during war, they couldn’t gauge his individual combat abilities.

Moreover, hadn’t they infiltrated the area first as the vanguard in the recent war with Rosen? There had been no chance to encounter the Royal Guard.

“What kind of monster is that… Did you see his movement just now?”

“It wasn’t even visible to the eye.”

The Royal Guard began to waver. Although they had been told it was a mission and it didn’t matter if they lost as there were other options, at the moment of crossing swords, it seemed they would have to worry about life and death.

Especially that black-clad leader was no ordinary person. There was clearly something burning within the calm sediment.

Desire or ambition. A fierce longing to find what had been lost.

Jin bit his lip hard. The most difficult opponents in the world are those who are desperate. Especially those who have staked their lives on the outcome never back down easily.

Why did his younger sister, Cecilia, come to mind as he looked at that beast-like person?

The second and third matches also ended trivially. Now Jin’s turn was right around the corner.

Jin recalled once more the emperor’s order delivered by Kailem.

If facing the mercenary leader, he must inflict a small wound, though not fatal.

The faint marks visible on the blades of the Royal Guard officers were all traces of applied poison. When Jin asked Kailem about the nature of this poison, he kept his mouth shut to the end.

The fact that the emperor was well-versed in poisons was known to every Royal Guard officer. But facing it directly, an uncontrollable tremor ran through his entire body.

‘It won’t take effect immediately. After flowing through the wound, it will take at least a few months, at most not more than a year. There will be no evidence to implicate you as the culprit, so rest assured.’

Jin gripped the poisoned sword tightly. A secretly distributed poison and a swordsmanship tournament held under the guise of innocence. Surely the emperor must want to quietly dispose of that mercenary as well. He took a deep breath and approached the black beast standing ahead.

Despite having already faced several opponents, Lebel showed no signs of fatigue; rather, he seemed even more serene.

‘Will he… resent me?’

His achievement was stolen right before his eyes. Perhaps it was no different from being deprived of a chance to live comfortably for the rest of his life. Of course, he must feel wronged and angry.

Maybe he’ll take this opportunity to properly vent his anger. Jin looked at his opponent with tension in his eyes.

“Match begin!”

The referee’s shout and the sound of the whistle were heard. Immediately, the grating sound of clashing metal filled the training ground.

The standoff lasted longer than expected. Several exchanges passed, but neither person easily showed an opening. The sharp sound of blades filled the sandy training ground and bounced off the awning of the spectator seats where Ilarid was sitting.

The mercenary group’s side also began to stir. Until now, they had easily gained the upper hand, but this opponent seemed quite tricky.

Eddie rested his chin on one hand as he glared at Jin facing Lebel.

“He’s quite good compared to the previous small fry.”

“Doesn’t seem like the type to give up easily. He seems to have more of a tenacious quality than the previous guys, but…”

“Lailo, why are you trailing off?”

“Because that tenacity seems to be brushing against something strange.”

Lailo muttered with a furrowed brow. Had this opponent ever faced Lebel before? He wasn’t an officer they had encountered in the war with Rosen.

He vaguely recalled hearing that one of the Royal Guard officers had received an award for meritorious service in the war with Rosen. Could it be because of that?

“…He keeps hesitating.”

“What do you mean?”

“Watch his movements carefully. Just now, when the boss took a defensive stance, there was an opening on the left. Given that guy’s skill level, he definitely wouldn’t have missed it, but he saw it and let it go.”

Lebel was thinking something similar. Until now, the opponents he had met showed their weaknesses so easily that it was embarrassing to call them the emperor’s Royal Guard.

But this one was different. He had a certain level of skill and showed a glimpse of the tenacity to hang on until the end.

The problem was that when he actually caught an opportunity, he hesitated. Even when pressing fiercely, the moment he caught Lebel’s opening, he would either retreat or hesitate repeatedly without moving his sword any further.

As the match dragged on longer than expected, some sort of signal came from the Royal Guard side. Boos immediately erupted from the mercenary group’s side.

“Booo, what’s this! Are you trying to switch players?”

“Who’s talking about a break time in this sacred swordsmanship tournament! Who is it!”

The referee pretended not to notice and blew the whistle, announcing a one-minute break. On the training ground, the clashing swords lost their strength and fell down.

Jin bit his lip hard and lowered his head. All he could see was the dusty ground of the training field and the tip of Lebel’s sword.

Soon, Lebel’s calm voice was heard.

“I’d like to ask the reason. Why do you keep hesitating?”

Does he know and is asking, or does he really not know? Jin swallowed the faint taste of blood seeping from the inside of his lip and looked at Lebel in front of him.

He looked the same as before the match began, except for his slightly disheveled hair. A calm and composed man, made entirely of darkness from beginning to end.

“…You already know. Why are you asking the reason?”

Lebel really seemed not to know. Jin didn’t want to reveal his own flaws unnecessarily. If he just pretended not to know and buried it in his heart, who in the world would know? Especially when even the other person didn’t know and was just tilting his head in confusion.

“The fact that you achieved merit in the war with Rosen is something everyone who participated in the war knows.”

“So what.”

“All your achievements were erased, and someone else received the medal instead. Aren’t you upset?”

“Not particularly.”

The answer was simple and clear. Lebel didn’t even glance at Jin, as if it was a matter he had never been interested in from the start.

As if he was only focusing on preparing for the battle that would resume shortly, he was checking the condition of his sword and retightening the cloth bound to his hand.

“Aren’t you interested in achieving merit…? It’s the best means to extend the contract with the imperial family, you know?”

“…What’s the use of receiving it?”

Lebel, who had been inspecting the blade of his sword, chuckled at Jin’s question. If he could receive recognition for his merits and perhaps even a title, that would be perfect. If that happened, it would mean getting a little closer to Ilarid.

But right now, the match in front of him was more important. If he clung to missed opportunities, he would end up living with them weighing him down for the rest of his life.

“That’s not what’s important right now.”

There wasn’t much time left. Lebel jerked his chin towards the Royal Guard camp.

“Go take a sip of water and come back. Then come at me with full force. The hesitation you’ve shown so far is enough.”

He was a strange man who spoke casually to a nobleman without hesitation. An irresponsible attitude as if he carried spare lives and could replace them whenever he lost one. Just what kind of life had this mercenary leader lived?

Jin stood dumbfounded on the sandy field, at a loss for words. Lebel, who had been staring blankly at him, spoke as if spitting out his words.

“Given your skill of hesitating in front of opportunities, I’ll overlook one foul play.”

“You bastard…”

At this rather cutting provocation, Jin gritted his teeth. He clenched his jaw so hard it ached.

Not only was he disrespectful, but this so-called leader was also quite adept at provocation. Jin decided to return those words to Lebel in full.

“Don’t speak out of both sides of your mouth. I intend to use that one foul play properly.”

“Looking forward to it.”

There was no time to waste drinking water. Jin gripped his sword again. A competitive spirit he thought he had buried long ago crept up his hand.

The match resumed with the referee’s whistle. This time, something was different. The sound of clashing swords grew fiercer, and Jin’s senses, which he had thought dull, were sharpened again and directed towards Lebel.

Lebel’s expression, which had been indifferent until just moments ago, gradually bloomed.

“Now this is a fight worth having.”

“Focus on the fight instead of running your mouth.”

The swords clashed a couple more times. Jin, who had been hesitant for a moment as if gauging the situation, quickly bent down and grabbed a handful of sand from the ground.

Seeing this, Lebel frowned and took a defensive stance.

“Oh no…”

Sand dust was thrown towards his face.

Lebel quickly raised his arm, but it was difficult to completely avoid the dirt sprinkled over his eyes. Taking advantage of Lebel’s obscured vision, Jin raised his sword and drove it towards his waist.

Brief screams erupted from those who witnessed this blatant foul play.