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Raon blinked as he looked at the stone mountain that seemed to be stacked layer upon layer of barren land.
'Is this really the Holy Sword Alliance?'
The stone mountain was as large as the Northern Tomb Mountain, but it seemed too conspicuous to hide the Holy Sword Alliance. He couldn't help but think Merlin had sent them to the wrong place.
"It seems Merlin made a mistake."
Raon scratched his head as he turned to look at Rector.
"First, we should find out where we are..."
"No."
Rector slowly shook his head.
"This is the right place."
He expressed his admiration, saying he didn't know Merlin could teleport them with such precision.
"I-is this the Holy Sword Alliance?"
Dorian's jaw trembled in disbelief.
"Hmm, there aren't many trees, so we can see the whole interior..."
Burren let out a soft groan as he looked at the sparse trees.
"Yes. It's all rocks."
Runaan blinked and said it was empty.
"It's not empty. There are many animals and monsters."
Martha licked her lips and said there were no people.
"To be precise, we should say it's the entrance to the Alliance."
Rector gestured with his hand with a smile.
"To teleport us here in one go, Merlin's skills exceed my expectations. Although I don't know much about magic, this shouldn't be easy..."
He chuckled, seemingly surprised by Merlin's magic.
"That's right."
Raon nodded with a smile.
'Her personality and tastes are peculiar, but her abilities are undeniable.'
If Merlin had belonged to the Magic Tower or Balkar, she would have been marked as the successor to the two Archmages. Of course, she would first have to stop harassing others, regardless of her affiliation.
"Let's go up."
Rector moved his finger as if telling them to follow and stepped onto the stone mountain first.
"Follow the path I take."
"Yes."
Raon told Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Dorian to climb first, and he positioned himself at the back. Rector climbed the stone mountain effortlessly, as if using footwork techniques, even though he walked calmly with his hands behind his back.
"He's... so damn fast..."
"How can he do that without even using aura?!"
"I can't even see his feet..."
Martha, Burren, and Runaan used full-power footwork techniques to keep up with Rector, barely able to breathe properly.
"Ugh..."
Dorian was lagging behind, so Raon supported him from behind.
"Grandfather."
As everyone's complexion turned pale, Raon approached Rector's side.
"Our appearances will attract attention. Shouldn't we conceal them before reaching the Holy Sword Alliance?"
Raon pointed to Burren, Martha, and Runaan, who were breathing heavily, as if they were about to die. Their characteristic golden hair and red eyes were already known throughout the continent, and Burren, Martha, and Runaan were exceptionally attractive, so few people wouldn't recognize them.
-What about the bag boy?
Wrath pointed his chin at Dorian, who was gagging.
-Well, I guess he's cute.
Dorian wasn't unattractive, but he seemed to take a backseat compared to the striking appearances of the other three.
"Mmm..."
Rector stroked his chin as he looked back.
—It doesn't really matter much, but for your sake it might be better to change.
-How is it not a big deal...?
Raon's eyes widened.
"It's not like we're trying to show off, but we'll definitely be recognized..."
Burren shook his head and said they would surely be caught.
"What do you think the Holy Sword Alliance is?"
Rector turned his back with a slight smile.
"A group of... madmen who worship swords?"
Martha muttered carefully, but ended up blurting out the words in her typical manner.
"Hahaha!"
Rector burst into a laugh that seemed to shake the ground.
"That's right. That's all there is to the Holy Sword Alliance."
He nodded, saying Martha's words were correct.
"In the Holy Sword Alliance, the most important value is the sword. Strong swordsmen are truth and law."
Rector smiled slightly as he looked at Burren and Dorian's trembling eyes, seemingly surprised.
"As Raon said, you stand out. The moment you enter the Holy Sword Alliance, your identities will be exposed. What do you think the Alliance swordsmen will do then?"
"A-attack us?"
Dorian's lips trembled, already terrified.
"They won't attack because we're with the Alliance leader."
Burren frowned as he patted Dorian's shoulder.
"No, they will attack."
Rector calmly shook his head.
"But that attack will be..."
"A duel?"
Martha's black eyes gleamed as if she finally understood.
"That's right."
Rector smiled softly as he looked at Martha.
"The Alliance swordsmen, who know your fame, will rush to challenge you to a duel. Not to kill you, but to know what kind of swordsmanship you master and how strong you are."
He nodded and said that was all.
"The reason the Holy Sword Alliance ranks highly among the Six Kings and the Five Demons is due to their obsession with swords. Their passion for swords surpasses even that of the Zieghart family."
Rector waved his hand and said the Holy Sword Alliance was full of people crazy about swords.
"Martha, I think you'll fit in very well at the Holy Sword Alliance."
He smiled slightly, seeming to like Martha's personality.
"More than me, it's this guy."
Martha patted Raon on the shoulder.
"In Zieghart, Raon was the only one who was truly crazy about swords. I'd see him leaving training later than me, but when I arrived at the training ground the next day, he was already there sweating."
She gritted her teeth and said it was frustrating.
"That's right."
Runaan nodded as she looked at Raon.
"Raon's home wasn't the annex building, but the training ground..."
She shuddered and said he sometimes hadn't gone to the annex for over a month.
-Yes, I know as well as you do.
Rector smiled as if he was satisfied with the grandson he had worked so hard to get.
"Then we shouldn't disguise ourselves..."
"It would still be better to do so."
He waved his hand, contradicting what he had said before about disguising themselves.
"We've dealt with the followers of the previous Alliance leader and the spies of the Five Demons, but there might still be some hidden, so it's better to conceal your identities."
Rector turned his back again, saying they should proceed safely, seemingly remembering the recent war.
"I'll call someone from inside to..."
-No need to go! I have it all here!
Dorian, who was breathing heavily, as if facing imminent death, pulled out a disguise from his belly pouch.
"Essential items!"
Red bloodshot lines appeared over his eyes. It seemed his obsession with essential items was becoming stronger and stronger.
"Oh..."
Rector's lips trembled, seemingly surprised by Dorian's intensity, who had always been so docile.
"Sigh..."
-Here we go again...
Raon and Wrath shook their heads, as if they were tired of this routine.
* * *
—Then let's go. We're not far now.
Rector climbed the stone mountain again after examining Raon, whose hair and eyes were dyed black, and Burren, Martha, and Runaan, who each had a different appearance. When they reached near the top, past the halfway point, their steps stopped.
"Here it is."
Rector nodded his chin as he stood in front of a small cave formed by stacked rocks.
"Don't tell me..."
"Yes. This is the entrance to the Holy Sword Alliance."
He nodded with a small smile. Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the area around the rock cave.
'Someone's hiding.'
He sensed the presence of people who hadn't been there before, confirming that this was indeed the passage to the Holy Sword Alliance. They seemed to be Holy Sword Alliance swordsmen guarding that passage.
"Trust me and follow me. If we advance towards the light in the darkness, there won't be any problem."
Rector said it wouldn't be difficult and entered the cave first.
"Oh..."
"Mmm..."
Burren and Dorian blinked and looked at each other. They seemed worried.
"Move if you're not leaving!"
"Fine."
Martha and Runaan pushed them and entered the cave. Neither of them seemed afraid.
"Let's go."
Raon patted Burren and Dorian's shoulders and entered the cave.
'Hmm?'
As soon as he entered the cave, he felt a sensation of floating. It didn't seem like a simple cave. Although everything was dark, there was no sense of danger or gloom. It felt as comfortable as lying in bed in the dark after finishing a day's work.
-This isn't just any space.
Wrath also rolled his eyes curiously.
Is it magic? Or sorcery?
-This king has said it many times, but distinguishing between magic and sorcery is something only the weak do. It doesn't matter if you just smash everything!
He shook his head, saying there was no need to distinguish between magic and sorcery.
-So you don't know after all.
-N-no, that's not...
Wrath finally turned his chin without answering.
'Anyway.'
As Raon muttered about how simple Wrath was, it happened. A deep golden flame blazed in the darkness, drawing the shape of a person. Although it was blurry and not clearly visible, it seemed to be a blond swordsman.
'Wrath! That person!'
-Hm? Person?
Wrath frowned and asked where there was a person.
'Can't you see that?'
The moment he raised his finger to point at the swordsman burning in the flame, his figure dispersed like a morning mist.
-Have you gone crazy?
Wrath spun his finger as if asking if Raon had lost his mind.
-No, surely that person...
As Raon swallowed dry saliva as he looked at the extinguished flame, the darkness of the cave disappeared, revealing a bright space before his eyes. A green plain stretched out as if he were looking at Cameloon, said to be the most fertile land on the continent, and behind it, carefully built houses formed a city.
His mouth automatically opened, not expecting such a space to exist inside that stone cave on the mountain.
"What in the world..."
"Hey!"
As Raon exhaled empty air as he looked at a completely different world, Martha approached.
"Why are you so late?"
Martha frowned as if she couldn't understand.
"Late?"
-Raon, you were last.
Runaan raised her finger and pointed to the side. Burren and Dorian, who were behind him, had already arrived.
"You pretended not to be afraid, but you were scared after all!"
Dorian chuckled and said he knew from the beginning.
"Mmm..."
Raon frowned.
'What's going on?'
He didn't understand how he had arrived later than them when he had clearly walked straight. He wasn't sure what had happened.
-Raon, did something happen in there?
Rector approached with a worried look in his eyes.
"No. Nothing happened."
He shook his head, since even Wrath, who was with him, hadn't seen anything. It might have been his own imagination.
-But that person...
It looked like Zieghart's ancestor. Although the golden flame was too blurry to see clearly, the blond swordsman resembled the First Patriarch of Zieghart he had seen before.
"Alright then. I'll have to check the passage anyway."
Rector moistened his lips as he examined the black cave behind them.
"So, is this really the Holy Sword Alliance?"
Raon blinked as he looked at the peaceful city.
"Yes. This is the Holy Sword Alliance."
"It's calmer than I expected. I thought... eh?"
Raon's eyes widened as he looked at middle-aged men farming, cutting trees, and carrying water.
'Wait a minute...'
All these people are swordsmen. Everyone farming, cutting trees, and carrying water are swordsmen who have cultivated aura and swords. They all emit a refined aura.
"There are no people in the Holy Sword Alliance who aren't swordsmen."
Rector nodded as he looked at the people concentrating on their tasks.
"Let me introduce you again. Welcome to the Holy Sword Alliance, where there are only people crazy about swords."
He smiled broadly as if he was proud of such a Holy Sword Alliance.
"I like it a lot."
"We'll fight until we're tired."
"Yes. It's perfect..."
Martha, Burren, and Runaan licked their lips for a long time, already looking forward to the duels.
"Ugh..."
Dorian just shook his head with a scared expression. He really seemed to have come with a different purpose than swordsmanship.
"Alright then, let's start by..."
Just as Rector was about to suggest they go to his mansion, someone came running from afar. It was Mustan, Rector's disciple, with his smooth face.
"Lord Raon!"
Mustan approached Raon first, even before his master Rector, and bowed his head. It was a polite but desperate greeting, as if he had reencountered his long-lost parents.
"I was so looking forward to seeing you! I'm so glad you're safe!"
"Yes. It's been a while."
Raon smiled and took Mustan's hand. Judging by his reaction, it seemed the power of envy was still in action.
"Master, you have also returned."
Only after finishing his greeting with Raon did Mustan bow to Rector.
"Ahem, yes. Has everything gone well?"
Rector cleared his throat awkwardly and asked about recent events.
—Yes. There has been no contact from Derus or the Five Demons, and nothing special has happened.
Mustan shook his head and said everything had been peaceful all along. However, shouts and the sound of clashing swords could be heard in the distance. Dorian's complexion turned even paler.
"Ah, regarding the Soul Crystals you mentioned, no one knew anything about them."
Mustan bowed his head apologetically.
"I see."
Rector nodded calmly.
"Well, it would be strange for these sword-obsessed people to be interested in such things."
He sighed softly and turned his back.
"Don't worry. The Holy Sword Alliance has branches scattered around, so we'll find a way to locate the Soul Crystals somehow."
Rector clenched his fist as if he was making a promise to himself rather than to Raon.
"Yes, I'll leave it to you."
Raon remembered that Rector left Zieghart without even touching Sia. He seemed to understand how Rector felt, so he simply trusted him.
"Then let's go inside."
Rector pointed to a mansion a little larger than the other houses and said they should go to the main building.
"Is that the castle of the Holy Sword Alliance leader?"
Dorian's eyes widened in surprise.
"I haven't properly settled here yet. And as I said, what's important in the Holy Sword Alliance is swordsmanship and martial prowess, not the size of the houses."
Rector shook his head and said they would get used to it soon.
"Besides..."
He was about to add something, but he closed his mouth upon sensing people gathering.
"We greet the Alliance leader!"
"You've returned!"
The Holy Sword Alliance swordsmen approached and knelt before Rector. It was a scene often seen in Zieghart as well, but there was a difference.
'Fighting spirit.'
The swordsmen's eyes shone with fighting spirit towards Rector. It seemed incredible that they harbored the desire to win even though the difference in skill was as vast as heaven and earth.
-No, that's not all.
The Holy Sword Alliance warriors showed fighting spirit not only towards Rector, but also towards Raon, Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Dorian, who were beside him. They seemed to want to fight the newcomers as well.
«Like a group of roosters trying to impress.»
Raon entered Rector's mansion, leaving behind the swordsmen whose eyes moved his heart. The interior of the mansion was even more modest than the exterior. It seemed more dilapidated than the annex building.
"The original castle of the Holy Sword Alliance leader was more splendid than this. It's just my preference."
Rector smiled calmly and pointed to a worn-out sofa, gesturing for them to sit.
"Yes."
Raon nodded to Burren, Martha, and Runaan and sat down on the sofa.
"I'll take care of the backlog of work and, at the same time, start the search for the Soul Crystals. As for you..."
Rector smiled as he looked at Raon, Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Dorian one by one.
"Enjoy life here to your heart's content."
"Even if you say enjoy it, I'm not sure what to do..."
As Raon tilted his head, Mustan, who was following him, brought numerous pieces of paper. The papers were messy, as if they had just been written.
"These are..."
"Challenge letters."
Mustan smiled, saying they were letters from Alliance swordsmen who had requested duels after seeing them.
"Already?"
"It's not 'already'."
Rector calmly shook his head.
"Once you're here, you'll also become Holy Sword Alliance swordsmen. You'll be able to challenge or be challenged."
He smiled and asked if it wasn't interesting.
"Great!"
Martha twisted her lips into a smile, saying she would face them all.
"I feel the same. I want to fill in my gaps."
Burren clenched his fist and nodded heavily.
"I can't stay stagnant..."
Runaan also examined the challenge letters and mentioned her own shortcomings.
"Ugh..."
Dorian placed his trembling hand on the challenge letters with an expression of extreme reluctance.
"Then I will too..."
"Not for Lord Raon."
As Raon smiled and was about to examine the challenge letters, Mustan shook his head.
"Eh?"
"I briefly checked them, but there are no challenge letters for Lord Raon."
Mustan shook his head and said that no one had challenged the black-haired, black-eyed swordsman, only mentioning the appearances of the others.
"Hahaha!"
Rector laughed, holding his head.
"It seems you suppressed your aura too much."
He waved his hand and said Raon seemed to have been completely ignored.
"Mmm..."
Raon frowned. He felt regretful and thought he should have raised his aura a little if he had known this would happen.
"Even now..."
"No, this is actually better."
Rector leaned forward with a mischievous smile.
"How about you become a challenger instead?"
"A challenger..."
"Each of the Holy Sword Alliance swordsmen perfects their own swordsmanship. This means there's something to learn from all of them. For you, who is cultivating the true Ten Thousand Swords, you could turn them all into your teachers. If things go well..."
His eyes burned with expectation.
"It might not just be a stepping stone to ascend, but you could reach a realm that only you can reach."
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