Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 54: The Woman of the Chakran Tribe (2)

In a room adjacent to the tavern, Flora lay on a bed with bandages covering her wounds, while the three men sat nearby, deep in conversation.

“What are you, some kind of righteous hero? Why do you keep saving women? You pretend not to care, but you’re always getting involved in other people’s business!” Shong growled, cornering Karon, his eyes blazing. Karon calmly wiped the spit off his face and answered nonchalantly.

“I have something to ask her.”

“Again, again! What is it this time? You saved her from slavers, treated her, and even got her a room. Do you have any idea how much all that costs? And all just to ask her something? Ask her twice, and you’ll be broke!” Shong ranted, covering his face in frustration.

Karon, unconcerned, lowered his hands and muttered, “Not like I have anything else to spend money on.”

“Nothing to spend it on? What about our room, feeding the horses—” Shong started, but was interrupted by Hinshan’s urgent voice.

“Karon, the lady seems to be waking up!”

The woman stirred at Hinshan’s shout, narrowing her eyes at Shong’s loud complaints. With effort, she spoke through her exhaustion.

“I’ll pay you back… so stingy…”

“What? What was that?” Shong’s eyes glinted as he processed her words. But before he could react further, Hinshan quickly stepped in, holding Shong back.

“Shong, calm down. She’s injured. Let’s give her some space,” Hinshan said, guiding Shong out of the room with some difficulty.

“You can’t just say that to the person who saved you and gave you a room—” Shong started, but Hinshan interrupted again.

“Alright, alright, just cool off,” he said, practically dragging Shong out of the room. Before leaving, he gave Karon a knowing nod, then closed the door behind him, leaving the room peaceful at last.

“Ugh…” Flora groaned as she slowly sat up on the bed. She glanced at the bandages on her side before bowing her head slightly toward Karon.

“Thank you for saving me. I’ll never forget this kindness.”

“You can forget it,” Karon replied bluntly.

“I… see. Well, my name is Flora,” she introduced herself, slightly taken aback by his curt response.

“I’m Karon.”

“Ah, I see,” she repeated, clearly unsure how to continue the conversation. A moment of awkward silence followed.

Feeling the tension, she scratched her arm awkwardly before remembering something. “So, what did you want to ask me?”

“You were being chased by slavers. Did you escape from the capital?”

“Yes,” Flora confirmed.

“Are there still Chakran tribespeople imprisoned in the capital?”

“Yes, there are many. I barely escaped by myself,” she said, her head dropping as she spoke. Guilt clearly weighed on her—guilt for having escaped alone while her people were still captive.

She had thought that once she was safe, she would find a way to rescue her tribe. That had been her only hope.

Karon spoke again. “I’m looking for someone. She’s likely from your tribe. She would be around fifteen to nineteen years old. I can’t describe her exactly; everyone from your tribe looks quite similar.”

“That’s not enough to go on. We Chakran people share a lot of similar features. You’d have to see her in person to know,” Flora answered with a frown. The Chakran tribe had kept to themselves for so long that they were all of pure blood, making their appearances notably similar.

“Do you know where they’re being held?”

“Of course. I escaped from there.”

“Can you show me the way?”

At this, her eyes trembled slightly. She locked her gaze with Karon’s, peering into his brown eyes through his curly hair. He didn’t seem to be joking.

Her heart began to race at the thought—could it be possible to save her people?

“Are you planning to save my tribe?” she asked, her voice filled with hope.

“If the person I’m looking for is there,” Karon replied firmly.

Flora, sensing the seriousness in his voice, swallowed hard. “She’ll probably be there. Everyone from my tribe who’s been captured is sent there. But don’t you think this is reckless? Whoever you’re up against is incredibly strong.”

“I know who they are. I have a plan.”

“Can you tell me what it is? I only just escaped from the capital. I want to save my people, but I need to know if this plan can really work,” Flora pressed.

Karon hesitated for a moment, then decided to be straightforward. “I plan to work with the Coldwind Knights. If they join us, we’ll have a good chance.”

Flora’s eyes widened in shock. “The Coldwind Knights? They’re not exactly easy to meet.”

“That polite guy with the gray hair who just left—he’s close with them. He’s part of the prince’s personal guard,” Karon explained.

“What?!” Flora was even more astonished now. She looked Karon up and down, trying to understand who he really was.

“So… who exactly are you? How are you so strong?” she asked, still incredulous.

“It’s a long story.”

“And that scrawny guy who was with you?”

“He’s…”

Karon frowned slightly, deep in thought, before changing the subject. “That’s not important. So, what will you do? Are you coming with us?”

As Karon pushed her for an answer, Flora fell into deep thought. Suddenly, a question seemed to dawn on her.

“Who exactly are you looking for?” she asked.

—

Outskirts of Pontania, the capital.

In a dimly lit underground tavern, a figure cloaked in a robe, hood pulled low over their head, cautiously entered. They were led to a private room, where the leader of the Blue Raven Clan and several of his subordinates were waiting.

“You asked to see me?” the cloaked figure asked.

“Yes, we did.”

The leader asked with a curious tone as the man removed his hood, revealing a sharp-featured man who appeared to be in his early thirties. He was one of Montecorato’s close associates, always seen by his side.

“What do you want to say?”

When the leader motioned to the seat opposite him, the man sat down and began to speak.

“As you know, our senator desires a steady and strong relationship with the Blue Raven Clan.”

“So?” the leader pressed, his brow furrowed in irritation.

In truth, the Blue Raven Clan had been dealing closely with Senator Montecorato, purchasing large numbers of slaves. Montecorato had been secretly embezzling funds by diverting slaves meant for the Colosseum and selling them off.

The leader found Montecorato’s sly behavior distasteful but had no choice but to deal with him out of necessity.

“The Grand Duke Decius has taken in a Chakran girl as his adopted daughter,” the man said with a sly smile, causing the leader’s eyebrow to twitch.

It seemed this man had an uncanny ability to sniff out valuable information. While it wasn’t hard to deduce, considering the slaves they were buying were all Chakran women, it was clear the man had acquired this information from somewhere.

The leader remained silent, waiting for the man to continue. Taking the cue, the man resumed speaking.

“You’re aware that the Coldwind Knights, under Grand Duke Decius, are hell-bent on finding the Blue Raven Clan. If you were to kidnap the Chakran girl, you could also deal with Decius, who is a thorn in your side. We can pave the way for you.”

“How do you intend to do that?” the leader asked, his gaze sharp as he watched the man carefully.

With a smile that never left his face, the man replied, “The Coldwind Knights will be your biggest obstacle, but we can divert their attention elsewhere for a short time. That will give you the perfect opportunity to strike.”

“Hmmm…”

The leader couldn’t help but consider the proposal. The Coldwind Knights were indeed their biggest problem. If they were out of the way, things would go much more smoothly.

“We’ll even assist in making sure things are cleaned up neatly afterward. Naturally, we expect no compensation for our help.”

The room stirred at his words. The leader, too, leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully observing the man while calculating his options.

It was no secret in Rob Empire’s political circles that Montecorato, a staunch conservative, and Grand Duke Decius, a progressive, were at odds. Montecorato was clearly attempting to use the Blue Raven Clan to eliminate his rival.

The issue was that the Blue Raven Clan stood to gain much from this arrangement. Even if they disguised themselves as suppliers, getting through the numerous checkpoints and guards at the Grand Duke’s estate would be nearly impossible without inside help.

They could, of course, storm the estate by force, but that would undoubtedly draw the attention of the Coldwind Knights, making escape difficult. They could still manage to flee, but the losses would be significant.

It was a transparent ploy, but a tempting offer nonetheless.

However, the leader’s pride wouldn’t allow him to accept the offer so easily.

Removing his hand from his chin, the leader nodded slightly. “I understand. I’ll discuss it with my people and let you know by tomorrow morning.”

“Take your time to consider it carefully. I’ll await your response,” the man said, bowing slightly before pulling his hood back up and quietly exiting the room.

—

That evening, at the underground village.

The three sat around a table in the tavern, having a simple dinner and talking.

Shong was voicing his frustration over Karon’s unilateral decision, while Karon remained as impassive as ever. Meanwhile, Hinshan sat between them, nervously glancing from side to side.

“This is so frustrating! You know I could find them easily with my ability,” Shong grumbled.

“We’re planning for contingencies. And the place where the slaves are held might not be the only location. There’s someone specific we need to find. Please understand,” Karon said, uncharacteristically seeking understanding from Shong.

Though still visibly annoyed, Shong refrained from voicing his full complaint. Karon asking for understanding was rare, and even Shong wasn’t brash enough to keep pushing after that.

Still, he muttered under his breath, “Even so, taking a wounded woman with us—what are you planning to do with her?”

“Are you talking about me?” came an indignant voice from the tavern entrance.

All three turned to look. Flora had emerged, her appearance completely transformed. Her hair was neatly tied back, and her forehead was covered by a white band to hide her tribal mark. Her freshly washed face, now pale and striking, made her silver eyes appear even more piercing.

She wore simple gray clothes, but they fit her strong, well-toned figure perfectly, giving her an imposing yet refined look. It was hard to believe she was the same woman they had seen earlier in the day.

“Ah…”

Shong, momentarily speechless, simply stared at her. Flora casually sat down with them and grabbed a piece of bread.

“Hey, can we get some soup for the lady?” Hinshan quickly called out to a passing server. Flora glanced at him with a wink.

“Thanks. I was starving. So, when are we leaving tomorrow?”

“Early,” Karon answered tersely.

“Do you always talk like this? Oh! Not that I’m complaining,” Flora said with a smirk.

“I can speak more if necessary.”

“Ah, I see. By the way,” she said, turning her gaze to Shong, who was still staring at her, “Why do you keep staring?”

Flora’s tone was sharp, clearly not pleased. She hadn’t taken kindly to Shong’s earlier attitude, treating her like a burden. After all, he hadn’t been the one to save her.

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