Reformation of the Deadbeat Noble - Chapter 173

WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Reformation of the Deadbeat Noble

Chapter 173

──────

Setting an Ambition (1)

Airen Farreira, Karakum, and Gorha left Gurgar's grave and came down the hill.

A fight between ordinary people was one thing, but a sparring match between Masters was another matter entirely. No telling what might happen.

Either way, the clearing at the base of the mountain was perfectly suited for a match with no onlookers and no interruptions, so there was no need to travel far.

Even in that short stretch of time, Karakum could clearly tell something about this young human had changed.

'A flower bloomed, just like that.'

Watching Airen stride ahead of him, Karakum thought back to his years wandering through human society.

Maybe it was because the world out there was so much wider than orc territory.

The continent held more remarkable figures than he could count on both hands, people he'd never forget for the rest of his life.

And he didn't just mean master swordsmen.

People who, apart from raw strength, had built up a natural dignity over years of carrying heavy responsibility.

Or people who'd held firm to their own convictions, their own principles, and weathered a harsh world because of it.

That kind of bearing, that kind of presence, only people like that carried. And he could feel it now, coming off this young man.

'If it had just been his swordsmanship reaching a higher level, it wouldn't have surprised me nearly this much...'

Of course, Karakum had no idea exactly what state Airen was in.

That was why he'd agreed to this instructional match. Trading blows as warriors, something more would surely come through.

And if that wasn't enough, they could always just talk properly afterward.

Having thought this far, Karakum glanced at Gorha, who was walking half a step behind them.

"Why are you tagging along?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No problem. Just asking."

"I want to see it too. How beautifully the flower's bloomed."

"...A rather unsettling way to put it, between three grown men."

"Ha. Then I'll just watch quietly."

Chatting like that, they finished the descent before they knew it.

Airen Farreira glanced up at the blue sky spread overhead for a moment, then turned his gaze toward Karakum.

Karakum nodded and swept an arm out toward the ground.

Craaack

Grrrrrnnnd...

Zzzzing!

A sharp scraping sound rang out from within the chunk of earth that shot upward as the ground split open.

A moment later, the mound of dirt spat out a weapon and crumbled away, and Karakum took hold of it.

Not the hammer, not the single-bladed axe, but a double-bladed axe.

Realizing his opponent meant to take this seriously from the start, Airen summoned his Greatsword with an equally solemn expression.

Shwiiing

Thump!

The same hilt he swung every single day, and yet it felt different from usual.

Had the Greatsword changed again?

No. What had changed was himself.

Thanks to the senses sharpened by confirming his past life, he could feel it now.

The sword in his hands wasn't the man in the dream's sword anymore, it was his own. But some part of that man's will still lingered in it.

'Maybe my connection to him doesn't end here after all.'

"...Hup."

Wwwuuuuuum!

Airen looked at his sword for a moment, then drew up his Aura.

Golden light bloomed across the handsome greatsword, striking enough that even Gorha, a different race entirely, let out a small sound of admiration.

Karakum, of course, had no room for that kind of sentiment.

Wwwwuuuuuum!

Just like Airen, he drew up his own Aura.

A dull, murky aura wrapped around the black axe blade, giving off an air that was crude but unmistakably dangerous.

Karakum said, "Come first."

"I won't hold back, then."

Fwapt!

Airen nodded and closed the distance fast.

No feints, no tricks. A straightforward, honest charge.

But the force behind it was nothing to dismiss.

For someone of uncertain skill, an attack like that would be the hardest kind to deal with.

Karakum's skill, of course, was anything but uncertain.

He'd reached a level unmatched by anyone except a handful of true monsters you could count on one hand.

Stepping forward to meet the incoming greatsword, he swung his heavy axe.

Kwaaang!

The sound that rang out seemed impossible to have come from just one orc and one human.

The metallic clang rattled the whole area, and Gorha winced slightly.

But this was only the beginning.

The two of them swung their weapons with the ferocity of men who'd been starved for a real fight for years.

Airen was the more aggressive of the two, by far.

Kwang!

Kwaaang!

Kwang!

A rapid series of strikes, all driven from a solid core.

The savage sword pressure, as if trying to crush the statue that was Karakum, carried something almost merciless in it.

Naturally, the great warrior of Durkali felt not the slightest hint of threat.

The gap in skill was severe to begin with, but on top of that, Karakum wasn't even thinking about a counterattack right now. He was focused entirely on defense.

Unless Airen's skill had shot up dramatically, rattling the current Karakum wasn't going to be easy.

If anything, the one more likely to end up rattled was Airen.

Unlike Airen, who'd already shown most of what he had, Karakum still hadn't revealed much of anything.

Grrrrrnd!

Of the five spirits, the earth spirit had the best balance of all.

Drawing on earth's Aura made it easy to absorb even the sharpest strikes, even the heaviest blows, without giving ground.

Of course, if your level fell short, your bones could shatter like cracked earth. But against an opponent below your own rank, that kind of outcome wasn't a real concern.

Easier and simpler than working with water's Aura, and with less risk besides.

Karakum layered one more energy on top of it.

Sssshhh

Wood energy, grown up through the soles of his feet, spread across the ground.

The Aura, rooting itself into the earth, gave him a deep sense of stability.

Running Aura this way cost him mobility, but it was perfect for weathering a hard, relentless hail of blows.

Sure enough, Airen, the one pouring on the offense, was starting to look more and more frustrated.

Karakum said, "For someone who challenged me to a spar so boldly... this is all you've got?"

Kwaaaaang!

The moment he finished speaking, his axe blade swept across in a horizontal arc.

A ferocious blow that looked like it might tear the sky and earth apart!

That, too, was thanks to the combination of earth and wood.

A stable, low center of gravity let him pull off big, balance-straining moves in an instant.

Caught off guard by the massive strike, Airen was knocked back ten full steps. Blood ran from his mouth.

"Sorry about that. But please, keep going."

"Good!"

Nodding, Karakum surged toward Airen. From there, he began to take control of the fight.

Not by mindlessly overpowering him, though.

His tone was gruff, but Karakum had come to like this human.

The way he'd stood tall in front of him, his solid skill, the diligence Karakum had come to recognize after watching him for days, all of it made for the kind of bearing worthy of a true warrior.

Pacing himself carefully, Karakum unleashed the five energies of the Five Elements Divine Technique one after another.

A flow of combat perfectly suited to the purpose of this instructional match: letting Airen feel, through real combat, how spirit energy and Aura could merge.

Wwwuum!

Water's Aura, softer even than Brett Lloyd's swordsmanship, toyed with Airen's blade.

Chaaang!

Metal's Aura, just as hard as Airen's own but far more refined, came in aimed at his whole body.

The final fire Aura was no less impressive.

Wrapped in energy as hot and violent as Judith's, Karakum bore down on his opponent with brutal pressure.

Not quite on the level of metal energy, but fire energy, too, was something he could wield with confidence.

And yet, his opponent's response wasn't what he expected.

Kwang!

Axe blade met sword blade. The sparks thrown off where red aura and gold aura tangled together felt genuinely threatening.

Kwaaang!

The second strike came pouring in. Airen didn't back off this time either.

Watching him stand his ground, meeting the blow head on rather than merely absorbing it, Karakum's eyes widened.

Another spark leapt into his field of view. Bigger than before.

Kwang!

Kwaaang!

Kwang!

After that, and after that again, Airen refused to give ground.

Axe and greatsword clashed without either side yielding an inch, and with every exchange, the sparks flaring up between them grew larger.

About a minute into this, Karakum lowered his axe and quietly studied the young human.

His face had gone pale, drained by the sharp toll on his stamina.

But what stood out even more was the golden flame running dangerously along the length of his sword.

Fwoooosh!

Watching Airen Farreira, who'd now awakened flame Aura on top of metal Aura, Karakum asked a question.

"We'll stop the match here. I can't stand not knowing, if we keep going."

"Huff, huff... not knowing what?"

The blond young man, breathing hard.

But he didn't lower his sword.

Watching Airen gaze proudly at the flame he'd brought to life, Karakum had to force his expression under control.

He couldn't afford to lose his composure right now.

He said, "I take it you gained something through the memories of your past life. And that something brought together a heart that had been scattered in pieces, into one."

"Huff, hah... that's right. Exactly right. Just as you said, Great Warrior, I was able to bring together a flame that had been drifting without a center, into a single one."

"I see. Congratulations. To awaken a fire spirit through conviction that hot, at barely twenty years old. An achievement far faster than anything the fools of my tribe have managed."

"You flatter me."

"Enough with the modesty. Let's get to the point. I don't know your past life. I told myself I didn't want to know, either... but honestly, I find myself a little curious now."

"..."

"Still, forcing the question out of you would be rude. And there's something else I'm more curious about, anyway."

"That would be..."

"The conviction you've completed. Your belief. Can you tell me what it is?"

Fwoosh!

Flame rose in Karakum's eyes as he finished the question.

He no longer had the passion, the fire, of his younger years.

He'd grown too old for that. Not in body, but in spirit.

But watching a young genius bring a flower, no, a flame, into bloom stirred something warm in his chest, if only for a moment.

Karakum studied Airen with a gaze full of interest and curiosity.

Meeting that gaze, the young man planted his greatsword in the ground and held his silence for a moment.

Then he carefully traced back over the path the man from his dreams, no, the man from his past life, had walked.

Losing his family.

Losing his trust in others.

Sustaining his life on hatred and rage born from grief and isolation, drawing the strength to endure through countless illusions.

But a person who'd broken through his own limits through a kindness stronger, more beautiful, than any of that.

What that man had shown him carried more than enough power to gather the scattered embers in his own heart into one.

"I."

Beyond love for family.

Beyond friendship for friends.

He wanted to reach out a hand so that people beyond his own circle, more people than just those close to him, could find happiness too.

As Airen finished speaking, a flame even deeper than Karakum's own blazed up in his eyes.

Hearing this, Karakum frowned slightly and asked, "...That's a grand ambition. Your goal... is far, far bigger than simply wanting to become the strongest swordsman alive."

"..."

"What I mean is, it sounds like something almost no one could easily say aloud, like declaring you mean to walk the path of a hero. Did you know that, when you spoke those words?"

The mood turned heavy.

Karakum, Airen, and Gorha, who'd been watching their fight, all fell silent.

It felt as if gravity itself, several times heavier than before, was pressing down around them.

Airen broke into a cold sweat as the great warrior's presence grew stronger.

But even so, he didn't bend his resolve.

He didn't hide it, either.

Raising his greatsword again, he drew up his Aura as if in defiance, and spoke.

"It's an embarrassing thing to say."

"..."

"But if the conviction I hold means walking the path of a hero, then I'll gladly walk that path."

Fwoooosh!

Before the blazing golden flame, Airen Farreira made his vow, like a declaration.