Chapter 106: Forest of Secrets (2)
"A dagger and a chain with a weighted end, huh."
Yul Runberg stared blankly at his injured forearm, wounded while deflecting the chain weight.
Watching his arm swell up in an instant, he let out a faint scoff.
He should’ve dodged it instead of trying to block it.
"Aren’t all of these unorthodox methods? This isn’t quite the way of the Amiel family, which prides itself on fairness and nobility."
"You’re not really in a position to say that, considering you were the one sneaking up to stab someone in the back under the guise of an artifact."
Kyren, having retrieved the chain weight, began spinning it around smoothly with one hand as he replied.
"I’m playing along to your level. Do you have a problem with that? Or rather, do you have a problem, Professor?"
"Hmm... Perhaps because you're a failure with hair even lighter than a bastard’s, your sense of identity as a member of the Amiel family must be just as faint."
"Well, I suppose I’ll have to do even worse, then. Do you even remember that you're someone who received the title of Imperial Guardian? And also a professor at the Academy?"
The chain weight, capable of smashing a human skull with just a glance of contact, made a menacing sound.
Kyren stood ready to hurl it straight toward Yul Runberg's vital points at any moment.
"Don’t tell me you think this is somehow for the eternal glory and continuation of the Empire."
"And if I said it was, would you trust me and back down?"
"Are you seriously saying that in your right mind?"
Kyren let out a hollow laugh.
"I find it hard to believe that stabbing me in the back has anything to do with the glory of the Empire. Honestly, smashing your skull here and now, and then sorting things out afterward sounds like a far more rational choice."
"Your decisiveness is impressive."
Yul Runberg shrugged.
"Is that how you managed to so effortlessly stab the heart of a close friend you’ve been with since freshman year?"
"…As I said before, you're the last person I want to hear that from, Professor. You're the very one who pushed him off the cliff."
Kyren frowned slightly as he spoke.
"And what’s with the awkward honorifics all of a sudden? Just earlier, you were cursing comfortably in informal speech."
"This is more comfortable for me, so I’d appreciate it if you left me be."
Yul Runberg quietly placed a hand on the sword at his waist.
Even after all this, he hadn’t even drawn his sword.
Kyren suppressed his irritation and asked,
"Why are you doing this?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"I’m curious, yes. What could possibly drive someone to cause such a mess and disturb everyone in the middle of the night?"
"Hmm. Are you not just trying to buy time?"
"Time?"
Kyren echoed, puzzled.
"What do you mean by time? The time I need to decide whether to smash your skull or slice your throat?"
He said it like that, but Kyren’s mind was racing.
Most likely, the others had run into similar situations.
‘That pillar of fire earlier… It must have been caused by them. Maybe they’re in even worse situations than I am.’
That meant it was best not to count on reinforcements.
As for Allen’s side, they were still entangled in a baffling situation with no clear understanding of what was going on.
In the end, he had to get through this on his own.
Against Yul Runberg, that man.
"……."
Yul Runberg.
A man who earned the title of Sword Saint in his twenties.
By his thirties, it was said he had no equals, and his numerous accomplishments had earned him a position as a knight directly under the Emperor.
To those aspiring to be knights—especially in Hilts—he was practically an object of admiration.
Even Kyren Amiel himself, if not to the extent of his father, had respected and acknowledged him.
It was a laughable situation.
"Hmm, well…"
Yul Runberg shrugged as if to say, "What can you do?"
"Now that I think about it, perhaps talking it out isn’t such a bad idea."
"…What?"
"Why are you so surprised? You’re the one who brought it up."
He chuckled softly.
"To understand each other, we must first get to know one another. And talking is the first step toward that."
Then where should I begin…?
Yul Runberg murmured quietly.
"Back before Kyren was even born, the continent was quite chaotic. Did you know that?"
"I know the gist of it."
"You shouldn’t just know the gist."
He muttered, as if in disbelief.
"Do you have any idea how many people died, how many nations fell, because of the Empire’s expansionism?"
"Nope."
Kyren continued spinning the chain weight.
"And I don’t see how that has anything to do with us right now."
"…Hmm."
Yul Runberg frowned slightly, seemingly irritated.
Even in this situation, Allen was still locked in duels with countless ‘Allen Amiels.’
And the sound of the chain weight Kyren was spinning in a threatening manner was anything but quiet.
"How noisy. Maybe it's all the racket around that’s making it hard to concentrate."
Snap.
He flicked his fingers.
And just like that—
The world fell silent.
"…?!"
"It’s a bit quieter now. Easier to focus, right?"
The chain weight was gone.
Allen, and the ones claiming to be ‘Allen Amiel,’ too.
No.
Even the terrain had changed.
Kyren gripped his sword tightly and glared at him.
"…What did you just do?"
"I simply quieted the surroundings so we could concentrate on the conversation. Also, I moved us from where we were."
So Allen had experienced this too.
In that case, his frantic reaction made sense.
That sensation of the world suddenly changing.
Kyren had been watching Yul Runberg closely, so he noticed the difference quickly. But if someone were caught off guard, this would be an ideal ability to take them by surprise.
‘From what Allen did and said… it would make more sense to assume it’s an ability that either prevents recognition entirely or induces hallucinations…’
Either way, it was a troublesome ability.
Above all, to think it could be this instantaneous, and this powerful.
‘…Stay calm.’
Hypnosis, brainwashing, perception alteration.
He had diligently trained himself in how to counter such abilities.
Kyren began quietly channeling mana to every corner of his body, focusing his mind.
"Now we can finally concentrate."
"……."
Kyren spoke calmly, facing Yul Runberg who muttered in satisfaction.
"Hypnosis, brainwashing. Or perception alteration…"
"Oh?"
"I don’t know the exact specifics since I’m not deeply versed in this field, but I can at least tell that your ability falls into that general category."
"I thought decisiveness was your only strength, but it seems you have some insight too."
Yul Runberg clapped slowly.
"Correct."
"Is that so."
Kyren stared at him with a gaze colder than before.
"I think I understand now."
"Understand what?"
"The kind of life you've lived."
Kyren readjusted his grip on his sword with both hands.
He wasn’t sure if he had forgotten the chain weight or lost it.
But one thing was certain—it was no longer usable in this situation.
‘Doesn’t matter.’
He’d only learned it as a pastime to begin with.
As long as he had his sword, he had nothing to fear.
"…It’s well known that you’re a half-blood. And also that you're a knight directly under His Majesty the Emperor. But the personal unit under the Imperial family only accepts those of pure Imperial blood. That’s why many people had questions."
"They did."
"Some thought maybe you'd accomplished such extraordinary feats that you broke even that unspoken rule… but considering your age, even that explanation felt a bit forced. It’s physically impossible, after all."
"……."
"But if something like what just happened is possible… manipulating someone’s memories wouldn’t be difficult, would it?"
Kyren spat the words with contempt.
"Is that how you’ve lived? Stealing others’ lives and achievements like that?"
"Haha…"
Yul Runberg gave a shrug.
"You must think my ability is some kind of omnipotence."
"I know at least this much—it’s a filthy and despicable power."
"What on earth would someone need to smear on their tongue to speak that harshly? I’m genuinely curious."
Despite his leisurely tone, Yul Runberg once again shrugged as if it didn’t matter.
"As I mentioned before, my power isn’t all-powerful. It’s not like the old stories where you control someone’s mind with just a glance and toy with everyone… That’s impossible. If it were, I would’ve achieved my goal long ago."
"……."
"What I can do is only simple suggestions at best. I layer them, repeat them, stack them."
Yul Runberg waved his fingers in the air as if writing something invisible.
"It’s not the right side, but the left. The sound is heard a bit later. There’s actually nothing in your hand… That kind of thing."
"Crude, like your life."
"Even crude tools have their uses. I had to work out a lot of methods to make it work."
Saying so, he pulled out a crystal sphere from his coat and casually tossed and caught it, as if playing with it.
"But no matter how much effort I put in, if the opponent sees through it even once, reapplying suggestion becomes as hard as plucking a star from the sky. That’s why it takes a long time to set up, yet there’s so little time and opportunity to actually use it… Just like you said, it’s downright clumsy."
"A countermeasure… Are you going to tell me what that is too?"
"That’s something you have to figure out on your own, student."
Kyren scoffed.
"You’ve been happily spilling everything up to now, and that’s where you draw the line?"
"Exactly."
Suddenly—
He opened his mouth again.
"Throughout this whole conversation with me, haven’t you noticed something strange?"
"Strange?"
"Think about it."
Yul Runberg whispered.
"What kind of idiot in this world would go around spilling every detail of their power to their enemy?"
And if someone did—
Why would they?
With a sly smile, Yul Runberg murmured,
"To understand someone, the first step is to get to know them through conversation. The same method was needed to make this power I gained… more effective."
"Wait—no way…"
"Yes, that’s right. That 'no way.'"
Sching.
Yul Runberg slowly began to draw his sword.
"The more an opponent knows about the limitations, restrictions, and weaknesses of my ability… the stronger the power becomes."
"……!"
"And just now, you learned nearly everything about my ability—except the countermeasure."
"Tch!"
Kyren immediately lunged at Yul Runberg.
If he lost more of his senses and perception here, no matter what he did, there’d be no way to win.
That was the calculation behind his move.
"And one more thing."
Yul Runberg lightly swung his sword a few times, as if testing something.
Kyren had already closed the distance between them.
"You said I’m a thief, a fake, someone who stole others’ lives and accomplishments. And that’s true. Most of my life has been built on lies. But…"
A flash.
Something grazed past.
Kyren realized he’d been cut.
But more than the pain of the wound, what spread through his whole body was the realization that came from that brief clash—
That he, Kyren, was in a completely different league than Yul Runberg.
"…But when it comes to the sword, at least, there isn’t even a speck of falsehood."
Yul Runberg smiled as he looked at Kyren.
"Will I sever your neck first, or will you lose all your senses first?"
Go ahead, answer me.
He whispered.
"You filthy blood of the Empire, you invader’s spawn."