Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 40: Small Change (2)

The Miguel mercenaries, after traveling all day along the lower road of the mountain range, set up camp in a clearing beside a stream. The water, flowing from the rugged mountains, was clear and pristine.

It was their final camp. By tomorrow, they will reach their hometown. Perhaps that’s why the faces of the mercenaries were bright and full of anticipation.

Karon, who had settled in a corner, absentmindedly fiddled with a black orb in his pocket as he watched a roast cooking over the campfire.

At first, the orb only drained his energy, but now, ever so slightly, he had learned to draw energy from it.

If the Black Blade was like a well-trained horse, the black orb was like a wild stallion.

“What’s got you so deep in thought?”

The voice came from none other than Erect, who approached with a piece of the roast skewered on a knife and offered it to Karon.

Karon removed his hand from his pocket and took the plate of meat.

“Nothing.”

Karon muttered under his breath.

“Looks like we’ll part ways tomorrow.”

A hint of regret flickered across Erect’s face.

“Looks that way.”

“Have you ever thought about visiting our village?”

“Not sure.”

Karon replied, eating a piece of meat as Erect asked with a hopeful tone.

It was a remarkable change. Other than Shong, Karon rarely continued conversations more than three times with anyone, yet here he was chatting more with Erect, a sign of how much closer he had grown to the Miguel mercenaries.

Karon silently chewed his food.

The silence felt awkward, and Erect, with low expectations, began to rise from his seat, knowing how unlikely Karon was to speak further once he clammed up.

But then, unexpectedly—

“If I finish my business in the capital, I’ll stop by on my way back.”

“Oh, it would be an honor if you did.”

Erect, caught off guard by the unexpected response, expressed his gratitude with a slightly surprised expression.

Everyone wants to build a connection with the strong, but Erect had other reasons. Seeing Karon, who seemed so lonely and desolate, had stirred an unintentional sense of empathy within him.

* * *

The next afternoon.

Finally, a fork in the road appeared. The Miguel mercenaries would take the downhill road heading south, while Karon and Shong would head up the northward path.

The mercenaries paused for a moment to exchange farewells with the two.

Shong, who had grown quite close to the mercenaries, hugged each one in turn, while Justin tearfully embraced Shong, having grown especially attached to him after Shong had saved his life.

Meanwhile, Karon remained mounted on his horse, waiting indifferently for the goodbyes to end.

Finally, after a long round of farewells, Karon and Shong parted ways with the mercenaries.

Watching the Miguel mercenaries disappear into the distance, Shong stroked his chin, his previously tearful expression completely gone.

“Do you think they’ll come?”

His tone had turned serious.

“As soon as they realize we’ve split off, they’ll come for us. I sensed them five times on the way here.”

“So, what’s the plan? Are you gonna deal with them?”

“Yes.”

Shong gave Karon a long look at his straightforward reply. It wasn’t like him.

“Don’t you think you’re getting too involved? The Miguel mercenaries have nothing to do with you. You’ll just waste time.”

“It’s not about them.”

“Then what?”

“They hired assassins at the docks to kill me. Of course, they have to pay for that. And they might spread the word about your cloak. Are you just going to let that slide?”

Karon’s serious tone made Sion grin, as if he were teasing. To Shong, it seemed like just an excuse.

“Oh yes, of course. How unusual for you to have so much to say.”

Annoyed by Shong’s tone, Karon shot him a sharp look, but Shong ignored it and spurred his horse forward, searching for a place with a clearer view.

A short while later.

The two reached a cliff that offered a clear view of the downhill road to the south.

Karon watched the distant figures of the Miguel mercenaries as they moved.

Shong, squinting his eyes and trying to focus, couldn’t see them no matter how hard he looked.

“What do you see?”

Shong asked skeptically, and Karon, still looking down, pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to him.

Without thinking, Shong took it and looked at Karon in surprise.

“Oh? A telescope? Where did you get this?”

“They’re approaching.”

Karon ignored Shong’s question and murmured.

“What?”

Shong quickly extended the telescope and brought it to his eye, scanning the southern road until he spotted the Miguel mercenaries.

“Found them! What about the others?”

“Look to the east, at the low hill.”

Shong adjusted his focus to the hillside beside the road. After carefully surveying the area, he spotted a group of armed men hiding in the woods.

About thirty men, fully armed, were lying in wait.

“Those crazy bastards. What did Miguel ever do to them? Are they blaming him for their bad reputation? They must be insane.”

Shong removed the telescope, speaking excitedly.

“What’s the plan? Are we attacking now?”

“Let’s get closer first. No need to rush in.”

Karon, after calmly assessing the situation, began to move.

As he had suspected before, the Miguel mercenaries didn’t seem like they would lose to the Black Scorpion.

The leader of the Black Scorpion mercenaries was strong, yes, but considering the overall energy and cohesion of the group, Miguel’s side had the upper hand.

Maybe in the past, they were weaker, but not anymore.

After descending quite a bit to the south, Karon suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes narrowed as he looked into the distance.

“What is it?”

“Looks like it’s already over.”

“What? Already?”

Karon dismounted and, after scanning the area, leaped onto a tall rock that stood beside the road.

The boulder Karon had climbed was so massive that Shong couldn’t follow, and he could only pace anxiously below.

From Karon’s vantage point, he could see the Black Scorpion mercenaries kneeling in front of the Miguel mercenaries. Some of the Black Scorpions lay dead on the ground, and there were numerous injured. In contrast, the Miguel mercenaries appeared mostly unharmed.

Karon watched as Erect handed a sword to Justin, likely giving him a chance to avenge his parents. But, holding the sword, Justin broke down in tears, unable to swing it.

Shortly after, the surviving Black Scorpion mercenaries turned and fled in a panic. It seemed the Miguel mercenaries had shown them mercy.

Karon squinted slightly as he observed the scene.

“How did it go?” Shong asked from below, clearly frustrated by the lack of information. Karon leaped down and answered curtly.

“Just as I thought.”

“And what exactly did you think?”

“Let’s go.”

Still cryptic as ever.

Karon mounted his horse again, and Shong quickly followed, asking, “We’re heading back?”

“No, we’re going after them.”

“Did they really let those scum live?”

“Looks like it.”

“Tsk tsk. They’ve gotten soft. What if those guys come back for revenge? What are they even thinking? Righteousness doesn’t put food on the table. It’s pointless.”

Shong clicked his tongue in frustration, frowning.

“Let’s go! Best to eliminate any future threats!” Shong urged, spurring his horse forward. In this regard, he and Karon were surprisingly in sync—though, of course, Shong had no intention of fighting himself.

After riding down the road for a while, Karon suddenly pulled his horse to a stop at a bend and dismounted. In his hand was the Black Blade, drawn and ready.

Shong, watching from behind with his chin resting on his hand, observed Karon’s movements without much interest.

Soon, the first of the fleeing Black Scorpion mercenaries began rounding the corner, panting and running for their lives.

Creek, the leader of the fleeing group, froze in terror the moment he spotted Karon. He skidded to a stop.

“Gah!”

“Ugh!”

The mercenaries behind him, unable to stop in time, tumbled over each other in a disgraceful pileup.

Seeing the dark red energy radiating from Karon’s sheathed sword, Creek’s mind raced.

‘Why are they here?’

They had just barely escaped with their lives after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Miguel mercenaries. Creek had never imagined the Miguel mercenaries had grown so strong.

As they fled, vowing revenge, they suddenly ran into this unexpected blockade.

Creek had personally confirmed that Karon and Sion had headed north. If they were here now, there could only be one explanation.

“Did they pretend to leave, knowing we’d come?”

“Who knows.”

Karon’s ambiguous response only deepened Creek’s confusion as he desperately shouted.

“You don’t have to get involved in this! The Miguel mercenaries let us go!”

“This has nothing to do with them.”

“What?”

“You were the ones who hired assassins to kill me at the docks in Millus Village, weren’t you? Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”

Creek’s pupils widened in shock. They knew everything. From the start, there had never been any intention of letting them live.

“You don’t have to answer. It doesn’t matter. You’ll die either way.”

“Damn it….”

Creek gritted his teeth, quickly trying to devise a plan.

The rider hadn’t dismounted, and if he could just deal with the boy in front of him, he might survive. After all, he’d never actually crossed swords with the boy before. He had only been overwhelmed by the boy’s presence, not his skill.

For all he knew, the boy’s swordsmanship might be pathetic. Maybe he had survived the dock encounter by sheer luck.

If Creek could somehow kill the two of them, he could even take their weapons and cloak. That might even accelerate his revenge against the Miguel mercenaries.

Fueled by these delusions, Creek scanned his subordinates and shouted.

“It’s just one guy! Charge him all at once!”

“Argh!”

“Die, you bastard!”

The Black Scorpion mercenaries, brandishing their vicious weapons, charged simultaneously.

Karon remained completely still, not moving a muscle as the enemies closed in on him.

But his eyes were scanning them faster than ever, calculating every detail.

The length of their strides, the types and conditions of their weapons, the distances between them, the gaps in their defenses, the tension in their muscles.

In his mind, he traced the trajectories of their swings, accounting for countless variables. And when everything was aligned—

He finally drew his sword.

A dark crimson mist rippled from the Black Blade, and as Karon slashed through the mercenaries, blood sprayed like fountains.

Not a single scream escaped their lips as they died with their eyes wide open, their bodies collapsing into the blood-soaked dirt road in an instant.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Creek barely blocked Karon’s strike with his axe, but he couldn’t believe what was happening.

Not only had he failed to land a single hit on the boy, but none of his subordinates had even touched him. Meanwhile, his men were now lifeless corpses strewn across the ground.

In that moment, Creek finally understood. The fact that Karon had survived the Black Wolf elites at the docks was no accident.

Perhaps those very elites had fallen by this boy’s sword.

Karon lowered his sword as he approached Creek, the last man standing.

“W-wait! I was wrong! Please…!”

At the very moment Creek realized how foolish he had been, his thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

His head was already rolling on the ground.

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