The journey to the capital had been relaxed, the calm atmosphere a carryover from the easygoing mood that followed the training camp.
With no real hardships or threats to speak of, that made sense.
However, things were different now. Tension filled the air, as though we were on the brink of war.
Naturally, it was because of the Goodsprings, who had joined the convoy midway.
It had been five days since the start of the journey, and three since the Goodsprings arrived. Since we rode in separate carriages, we saw little of them outside of mealtimes.
Even so, their awareness of the situation was palpable.
That alone wouldn't have been enough to put everyone on edge, but perhaps it was the way Butterfly had been so thoroughly defeated. Their glances now carried an unmistakable air of hostility.
During the lunch break on the fifth day, Charon finished the stew and remarked, "Butterfly Goodspring aside, the rest of them don't look like much."
Zeros, who had just taken a sip of water, nodded. "True. I've heard the Goodsprings' certification ceremony is just an extension of an exchange meeting. I don't know about the quality of their instructors or their training, but I doubt it compares to the intensity of our training camp."
"They started a weird argument today," Evan said, his voice uncharacteristically angry.
"What happened?"
"I was simmering the stew when a hero disciple glanced over and snickered. He asked why the hero disciples of the Badnikers boil porridge," Evan answered.
This was the trigger. One by one, the others shared their frustrations.
"I was practicing swordsmanship before eating, and they asked why I was doing gymnastics in the moonlight. Those young bastards..."
"I mustered up the courage to say hello, and they ridiculed me for no reason."
"T-they called me the size of a pea!"
After hearing it all, Charles sighed. "They are insidious. It reminds me of my old days in high society."
"If we get worked up and retaliate, we'll just look like fools. They must've learned how to provoke us while we were rolling through the forest."
That wasn't necessarily the case. At least Butterfly's handling of the situation was disastrous.
I glanced at the Goodsprings' hero disciples. Charon was right. There was no need for a detailed analysis. I could tell just by looking at them. Most of them had clearly grown up sheltered.
No. It's not that they grew up sheltered. They reminded me of what our group used to be like before the training camp.
I didn't want to argue that the Badnikers' training camp was superior. The more one focused on nurturing the next generation of heroes, the more one had to appreciate the value of our training camp.
Just because we are Badnikers doesn't mean we want the hero disciples to die.
Nevertheless, the reason for creating life-threatening situations at the training camp was simple: a hero would always face danger. The ones who survived were those who had already encountered it.
I didn't know what the Goodsprings' certification ceremony entailed, but one thing was certain. None of them carried the unique presence of someone who had walked through the valley of death.
"What should we do, Brother Luan?" Charon asked in a low voice, glancing my way.
Every time he called me that, it drew attention. I'd smacked him for it a few times, so now he whispered it under his breath.
I looked at Hector, who was standing a short distance away. "We will reach the capital in a day or two. Let's wait and see for now."
"Understood."
Of course, if my hunch was right, something would happen before we reached the capital—but that, I kept to myself.
***
Traveling by carriage was dull. The excitement of starting the journey faded before half a day had passed, and even the view outside the window grew less interesting after just an hour of staring.
However, I didn't have much time to be bored.
"Focus, Master Luan."
Arjan's voice swept away my wandering thoughts.
"Slowly concentrate on the position of the divine beast mark. Think of it like directing your mana," she instructed.
I was in Arjan's carriage, receiving lessons on how to harness the divine beast's power. This was the reason the trip wasn't boring.
Naturally, I knew better than anyone that Arjan was qualified to teach me.
"It is hard to concentrate when the mark is on the back of my neck," I grumbled.
Arjan smiled at that and said, "You're right. Concentration begins with the gaze. If something is out of sight, it's much harder to focus."
Exactly. Unless I had eyes in the back of my head, there was no way to see what was engraved there.
"The placement is really malicious. Where's yours, by the way?" I asked.
"It is engraved near my temples," Arjan replied. "So, I can sympathize with your frustration to some extent."
Temples? I had no idea due to her hair.
She offered a bit of comfort. "It's tough now, but once you get past this stage, the benefits will be worth it."
"Such as?"
"For one, you can conceal the location of the mark. Since it's in a hidden spot, it's harder to damage," she answered.
"Ah. So the mark can actually be damaged. If that happens, will it break the contract?"
"It depends on the extent of the damage," she said. "But generally, yes. You can form a new contract, though it's difficult. Divine beasts regard the mark as an extension of themselves. They're deeply disappointed if their contractor fails to protect it."
By that logic, having the mark on my back was better than having it on my hand or forearm. As long as I didn't get struck from behind, it would be relatively safe.
"We'll stop here for now," Arjan said.
"You sure?"
"Yes," she replied. "Master Luan, your rate of adaptation is frightening. At this pace, you might reach partial divine beast transformation within a month."
Divine beast transformation was an advanced technique—one that amplified physical ability using the power of the divine beast. Arjan had used it in the Jewel Mountains, and Seren had unleashed it in the battle against Hariba.
Its side effects weren't really drawbacks, just minor physical changes.
In Arjan's case, deer antlers sprouted from her temples. Seren's nails and toes grew long and twisted.
What about me?
I had contracted with a serpent divine beast. Would my tongue split, or would scales appear? Surely my legs wouldn't merge into a snake's tail?
Maybe I should've picked another divine beast.
It was a combination of a snake and a human. No matter how I thought about it, I saw only the future of becoming a lizardman.
If it is too weird, I will have to find another divine beast.
Breaking the contract seemed difficult, but like the Iron-Blooded Lord, I could likely form multiple contracts with divine beasts.
Divine beast transformation... If possible, I wanted to succeed before reaching the capital.
***
At the end of the day, we were ready to set up camp.
There were no grand preparations. The inside of the carriage wasn't exactly a bedroom, but it was a far more comfortable option than a tent and bedroll. In practical terms, setting up camp meant finding a flat spot as the sun set and preparing for dinner.
After the meal, which consisted of stew that was neither tasty nor tasteless, and a bit of stale bread, most of the hero disciples either trained or retreated to the carriage for rest.
These days, being outside meant getting dragged into pointless arguments with the Goodspring brats, so most of our group chose to stay in the carriage.
Normally, I would've spent this time continuing lessons with Arjan or chatting in the carriage, but for some reason, I felt like breathing the night air tonight. Thus, I took a walk in the surrounding forest.
I soon came across a large lake not far away. A flat rock lay near the water's edge, so I sat on it, wanting to think more about the divine beast transformation.
I feel like I'm about to grasp something.
Arjan had mentioned that it would take at least a month for the partial divine beast transformation to succeed, but my current stage wasn't Adaptation. In other words, I should be able to tap into the divine beast's power right away.
Of course, Lise had also warned that it would take some time to adjust.
" The most important thing is the image, " she had said.
" Image? "
" Exactly. If you've signed a contract with a divine beast, you've met it face to face. Reflect on the feeling you experienced when you saw it, and focus on the mark. If the memory is as vivid as the scenery you just witnessed, it will open the way. "
Lise Ladygoth felt like... sullen, dull, arrogant, unwilling to lose, and disdainful of Assad.
That seemed more like an impression than an actual sensation. It wasn't especially helpful, so midway through, I started envisioning Lise with black snakes for hair. Deep and dark.
What else? I wondered if there was a clue in what Lise had said.
" My name is Lise Ladygoth Ol Haimud. The serpent dragon that roams the deepest darkness. The mage of the night sky, untouched by even the seven colors that crossed the sky. "
The serpent dragon that roams the deepest darkness.
As soon as I repeated those words, I could clearly sense the mark on the back of my neck.
A strange sound echoed, and the mark seemed to glow faintly. I wasn't sure about it, but I now understood exactly where it was and in what form it had been etched.
I opened my eyes. It just so happened that dark clouds were swallowing the moonlight, making the sizable lake look like an abyss of unknown depth.
A serpent dragon. In other words, an imoogi.
Snakes that envied dragons were called imoogi, but did every snake truly long to become a dragon? Some were content simply being snakes.
At least in my memories, Lise had been confident. Her voice had held an undeniable pride when she called herself a serpent.
A serpent who mocks a dragon. This was the essence of the divine beast, the Black Serpent Dragon, that I now felt within me.
Why had this thought occurred to me? It was because I believed that the dark lake I was gazing at was more suited for a snake than for a dragon. If the world beyond the clouds belonged to dragons, then below the moonlit lake was the realm of snakes.
The brief enlightenment soon led to a change.
The chill on the back of my neck heightened my senses, and the veil of night lifted. For a second, I thought the moonlight had returned, but it wasn't the case. The world I saw had transformed.
Wow... The surroundings were as bright as daylight. I'd never experienced this kind of vision, even with Eyes of Fire.
I walked to the shore of the lake, peered into the pitch-black water, and gasped. My reflection revealed pupils that were torn vertically.
It wasn't as bad as I'd expected, but it gave off a sinister impression.
As if my face wasn't already uninviting enough. Now, this.
Just as I exhaled in relief, I sensed someone far away. Turning slightly, I saw Butterfly wandering through the dark forest.
What was he doing?
I watched him and realized he wasn't just wandering—he was slowly making his way toward me.
Turning back to the surface of the water, I withdrew the divine beast's power. Once I saw that my pupils had returned to normal, I looked ahead.
A moment later, Butterfly emerged through the grass.
"Ah, there you are," he said with a smile.
"Were you looking for me?"
"Yes."
"Do you have any business with me?"
"I know who you are. The incompetent Badniker."
I tilted my head and replied, "I am Luan."
"Yeah, that's right. Luan Badniker." He sneered. "The idiot younger son who sold off his family's treasure sword."
I could more or less guess why he'd come.
Picking at my ear, I asked to confirm, "You're here to pick a fight, right?"
"Pick a fight? You aren't worth that. At best, you're good for venting a bit of my anger."
His bluntness was almost refreshing.
"Did you come alone?" I asked.
I had seen him approach by himself, but I wanted to be sure.
"Yes. No one's around. The carriage is far enough away that no one will hear you scream. Why? Going to tell your big brother?"
I didn't respond to that.
Butterfly continued, "By the way, the Badnikers... What was it? Brothers almost like enemies? Is it because of the Iron-Blooded Lord's upbringing? I heard you're on really bad terms. I've been watching you the whole time. Your brother never looks at you. He avoids your gaze every time you look at him."
"Brother Hector does tend to avoid me," I confirmed.
"Yes. That told me everything I needed to know." His smile took on a cruel edge. "It won't matter if you get hurt a little."
I remained silent.
"Of course, we'll say it was a friendly sparring match," he added. "How could it not turn into a fierce battle when the youngest sons of the Goodsprings and the Badnikers fight?"
"Ah," I muttered, standing up.
Coincidentally, I had left the Seven Sins Sword in the carriage.
Butterfly saw me touching my waist and smirked. "Beating on someone unarmed isn't exactly satisfying—"
"What do you think these look like?" I cut him off, raising both fists toward him.
"Hands? You think I'm an idiot?"
"You are wrong." I shook my head. "Let me introduce you. This one is Good, and this one is Manners."
"What?"
"What happens if you put them together?"
"Good manners?" he replied as if possessed by something.
"Exactly."
I nodded and knocked my fists together.
The sound echoed, and Butterfly burst out laughing. "You've got time to joke? Let's see how long that lasts. Ten minutes of getting hit and you'll be kissing the ground."
"You don't know anything," I said. "I don't need ten minutes to make someone crawl."
After saying that, I thought, For Hector, it only took one time, and Charon lasted two days.
What about him? Honestly, even I didn't know the answer.
Perhaps only Good and Manners could say for sure.
"You dare..." Fury contorted Butterfly's face, and he lunged at me. "Who the hell do you think you're mouthing off to?"
***
" Keok, keeook, keeeeok... "
"S-so... So, rry."
I stopped punching and looked at the blood-stained Butterfly. "What?
"I'm... sorry... I... was... wrong..."
"Yes."
"P-pleas... stop... hitting..."
I nodded, released Butterfly, and checked the time.
Six minutes and seventeen seconds—a new record.