Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 48: New Companion (1)

Early the next morning.

Drip, drip.

The cold sensation woke Karon, but he didn’t move right away. Instead, he checked the state of his body.

Fortunately, nothing seemed wrong.

Next, he assessed his surroundings. The sound of water droplets falling rhythmically echoed around him, and the air felt damp and cool against his cheek.

‘A cave?’

He also sensed a faint presence nearby, just within reach if he stretched out his arm. However, the sound of breathing and movement felt distant.

Whoever it was had some skill in concealing their presence.

If it hadn’t been Karon, they might have gone unnoticed entirely.

As he slowly attempted to sit up, his body screamed in pain. The discomfort that had been masked while he was asleep hit him all at once.

“Are you awake?”

A calm voice, clear and composed, echoed in the cave.

Karon, startled, quickly sat up and reached out toward the cave entrance.

A moment of silence followed.

Karon realized that his black blade wasn’t nearby. Judging by the faint sensation he could feel, it was far away.

He turned his gaze to the stranger.

A man, likely in his late twenties, stood near the cave entrance. His appearance was neat, with silver-gray hair slicked back, and he wore a well-tailored leather vest.

On his back was a small bow, and a sword was strapped to his waist.

A hunter? He looked too young and polished for that. Perhaps a swordsman?

The man stood silently at the cave entrance, waiting for Karon to speak. He didn’t seem to harbor any hostility, as Karon felt no ill intent from him. His face was adorned with a gentle smile, and his eyes were thin, almost like slits.

Feeling slightly awkward, Karon lowered his hand and spoke.

“Who are you?”

“Greetings. My name is Hinshan, and I serve Prince Merka. It is a great honor to meet you, Sir Karon.”

The man, who introduced himself as Hinshan, bowed respectfully to Karon.

Karon’s brow furrowed at the mention of his own name.

“You know me?”

“Of course. Despite being sold into slavery, you escaped with a gladiator, rescued other slaves by clearing out bandits, and later defeated two gangs in Bela as well as the Black Wolf Elite.”

“…”

For a moment, Karon was speechless. How did he know all of this?

Hinshan, sensing Karon’s curiosity, continued smoothly.

“Your deeds have spread widely in the capital. However, few people know that it was you who accomplished them.”

“How did you find me?”

“It was luck. I was passing through Palen on my search for you when I heard an explosion. I rushed over to investigate.”

Hinshan pulled a portrait from his jacket.

It was a near-perfect likeness of Karon, drawn with the help of Decius and the Coldwind Knights, who had recently encountered him.

“Why are you looking for me?”

“Prince Merka has ordered me to bring you to him with the utmost respect.”

Hinshan answered Karon’s barrage of questions calmly. When he mentioned the prince, he bowed respectfully once more.

“And why would he want to see me?”

“That, I cannot say. But I can assure you, the prince is very eager to meet you.”

Though Karon had referred to the prince as “he,” Hinshan showed no reaction. It seemed someone had warned him about Karon’s attitude beforehand.

“I appreciate you saving me, but I’m not interested in meeting him.”

“I understand. I’ll convey your message.”

With a light smile, Hinshan stepped aside as Karon made his way out of the cave.

Looking into the distance, Karon could see the Mekler mountain range, meaning he hadn’t been swept too far away.

As Karon started walking, Hinshan, who had packed up a small backpack, quietly followed behind.

If Karon walked quickly, Hinshan matched his pace. If Karon slowed, Hinshan slowed as well.

He always maintained the same distance, perfectly matching Karon’s movements. His footwork was clearly refined.

Karon stopped walking.

“Why are you following me?”

“It is the prince’s order. If you refuse to come, I am to accompany you and report back regularly.”

“And if I don’t want you around?”

“Then I suppose I would be executed for disobeying the prince.”

“Is that so?”

At that moment, Karon suddenly vanished, dashing forward with explosive speed.

But he didn’t get far before he had to stop, gasping for breath.

The battle with the Black Wolf Elite and the landslide had taken more of a toll on his body than he had anticipated.

“Huff, huff…”

“You’re not fully recovered yet, Sir Karon. Please be careful.”

Hinshan, who had somehow caught up without any visible effort, spoke politely, still smiling.

Seeing that Hinshan wasn’t even out of breath, Karon realized this man’s stamina was no joke.

“Hmph.”

Karon gave up and started walking again, this time at a slower pace.

The faint energy of his black blade suggested it would take half a day of walking to retrieve it. As he trudged along, a thought occurred to him, and he asked:

“Your horse?”

“It was swept away by the landslide.”

Hinshan smiled as he answered.

He spoke of the horse’s death so casually, even cheerfully. It made Karon wonder if this man was even more emotionally detached than himself.

Always smiling, his inner thoughts were impossible to read.

The early morning mist hung thickly in the air, and the ground was still damp from the rain that had fallen overnight.

Karon, who wasn’t much for conversation, walked in silence, and Hinshan followed suit without complaint.

Before long, the familiar path to the vigilante base in the valley came into view. Karon quickened his pace but then paused and looked back. Hinshan stopped as well.

“Tell everyone you’re just a companion. Don’t mention anything about the palace.”

“Understood, Sir Karon. Thank you for accepting me as a companion.”

“No, that’s not…”

Karon started to speak but then stopped and resumed walking.

He wasn’t someone you could reason with. At a glance, his loyalty to the prince was so high it bordered on blind devotion.

Even if a sword was at his throat, he’d obey orders.

“Karon’s here!”

“Karon!”

As they reached the entrance to the base, the vigilante members guarding the entrance welcomed him with open arms.

Hinshan, who had been introduced as a companion who helped Karon, was allowed inside without a second thought.

“Karon! Do you have any idea how worried we were?”

Upon arriving at the base, Shong, Charlotte, Spencer, and other vigilante members were already waiting for him.

As soon as Karon entered, he was immediately surrounded by a crowd.

Behind them, more people gathered, having heard the news of Karon’s return. Hinshan discreetly stepped aside.

“Karon’s back!”

“He made it back alive!”

Within the vigilante group, Karon had already become a revered hero.

He was the warrior who single-handedly wiped out the Tripolas Knights, including Batiah.

He had accomplished feats that no one else had dared to even attempt.

After the excitement died down, and seeing Karon was still exhausted, the vigilantes escorted him to his quarters, leaving him to rest.

Now, only Karon, Shong, and Hinshan remained in the room.

Hinshan briefly introduced himself to Shong and explained why he had come to the base.

Leaning against the table, Shong listened thoughtfully before standing up to ask a question.

“So, you’re the prince’s envoy, huh? And you want me to keep it a secret?”

“Yes, that’s correct, Sir Ropreshon.”

Hinshan bowed respectfully as he answered.

“Just call me Shong.”

“As you wish, Sir Shong.”

“No, I just said Shong.”

Shong frowned, but Hinshan’s demeanor didn’t change.

“I cannot do that, Sir Shong. I would never dare address one of Karon’s companions so casually.”

“Oh, he’s surprisingly polite.”

Shong pointed at Hinshan while speaking to Karon. He seemed to be warming up to him.

However, it was clear that traveling with the prince’s envoy would be a burden.

“It’s a bit inconvenient, though, to bring him all the way to the capital…”

“I will cover all expenses for the journey.”

“Well, when you put it like that, there’s really no problem at all. Ha ha! I look forward to working with you, Hinshan.”

“Thank you, Sir Shong.”

Shong, swayed by the offer to cover the costs, extended his hand with a grin. The two shook hands, and once again, Karon’s opinion was quietly overlooked.

Shong returned Karon’s black blade and informed him that the black orb had disintegrated into ash.

Karon didn’t react much. He merely handled the returned blade as if reuniting with an old lover.

“But who would’ve thought the prince knew Karon? I thought I couldn’t be surprised anymore, but this is on another level.”

Shong, astonished, turned to Karon.

“You’re hiding something, aren’t you? Better spill it now.”

“There’s nothing. And I’ve only met the prince once.”

“Yeah, but what did you do during that one meeting to make him so eager to see you again?”

“How should I know?”

Here we go again. Used to Karon’s evasiveness, Shong smoothly changed the subject.

“Hinshan, sorry, but I need to talk to Karon alone.”

“Oh! Forgive me for my lack of tact. Please, continue your conversation.”

After bowing once more, Hinshan left the room. Once alone, Shong explained everything that had happened since he swallowed the pendant, including the landslide and his fight against the Black Wolf Elite woman.

Of course, most of the story was a glorified version of how he defeated her.

“So, you’re saying you can see demonic weapons now?”

“That’s what it seems like. But it’s still just a theory.”

Shong paused for a moment, then added:

“…It’s possible the Blue Raven Squad has something similar too.”

“We’ll need to be more cautious moving forward.”

Karon nodded at Shong’s words.

If they were to encounter the Blue Raven Squad now, could he win?

No, it was nearly impossible. He needed to train more and learn new skills.

After his fight with the Black Wolf Elite, Karon had realized just how lacking he was.

He would have to be much more careful from now on.

“But who are these Black Wolf Elite anyway?”

“Not sure. We’ll have to look into it.”

Karon sat at the table, resting his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

* * *

That afternoon.

Karon’s group quickly prepared to depart.

In the meantime, Hinshan had already left the vigilante base to meet his comrades at the rendezvous point. He reported on the situation in Palen and updated them on Karon. Then, he returned nearby to wait for the group.

If the situation in Palen were related to Prince Merka, he would surely take some action.

This would bring stability to the villages in the Mekler mountain range, rendering the vigilante group unnecessary.

Of course, Hinshan hadn’t shared this with the vigilantes. It was something that would happen naturally with time.

Meanwhile,

At the entrance of the base, a large crowd had gathered to see Karon and Shong off.

At the center of the crowd stood Karon, Shong, Heyro, and Charlotte, facing each other.

“You’re leaving already? Couldn’t you stay a bit longer?”

“There’s no reason to delay.”

“Haha, you never change, do you?”

The elder laughed heartily at Karon’s cold reply, while Shong chimed in quickly.

“Haha! That’s just Karon’s charm. Thank you for looking out for us.”

“No, we should be the ones thanking you. If not for you two, we couldn’t have even begun.”

At that moment, Charlotte, who had been hesitating, stepped forward cautiously, avoiding eye contact as she spoke.

“I really am grateful. I don’t have anything to repay you with now, but… if we meet again in the future, I’ll definitely make it up to you. I promise.”

“Do as you wish.”

Karon replied indifferently, then spurred his horse forward.

As he passed, the vigilantes shouted out with all their might.

“Thank you, Sir Karon!”

“We’ll meet again, Karon!”

“Karon! Karon!”

Watching the scene, Shong clicked his tongue in mock annoyance.

“Tsk. Once again, Karon gets all the credit. There’s something strange about him. Oh well, nothing to be done.”

He then nodded toward Heyro and Charlotte, bowing slightly.

“Until next time. Don’t let Karon’s stoic demeanor fool you—he’s a sentimental guy. I’m sure he’ll visit again.”

“Thank you as well, Sir Shong. We wish you happiness.”

“Alright, I’ll be off!”

Shong bid his farewells, then hurried after Karon.

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