Conquering the Academy with Just a Sashimi Knife (Novel) - Chapter 133 - The Swordmasters Longing (1)

Chapter 133 – The Sword Saint’s Longing (1)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Well then, please make yourselves comfortable. If you need anything, you could press this button, and I’ll come immediately.”

The bank director pointed to a round button on the table and quickly left the room, backing away as if he were a eunuch.

It didn’t seem like he had bad intentions. To someone like me, who had lived in Korea, he just looked like a typical mid-level manager trying not to inconvenience important clients.

‘But anyway…’

I glanced around the room. It was a completely sealed space, with all decorations made of glass and the walls and floor made of metal.

The atmosphere felt suffocating, almost as if oxygen was lacking. According to the bank director, only the minimum amount of air necessary was being supplied.

If I stayed here for more than an hour, I would probably start feeling dizzy.

I lightly tapped the wall with my foot.

Clang—

The sound it made didn’t resemble that of common iron. It definitely didn’t seem to be made of an ordinary material.

‘Could it actually be made of something like vibranium?’

It was just a joke, but considering the level of security we had passed through to get here, it didn’t seem like such a far-fetched thought.

We had gone through more than ten security doors.

The bank director unlocked the seal with a key, then they scanned my fingerprint, my eyes, my face, and even my voice.

The security system looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.

At first, I thought it was overkill, but then I understood.

When it came to storing artifacts, this level of rigor wasn’t excessive.

While I was observing the room with curiosity, the Sword Emperor’s voice called to me.

“Come here and take a look, Cadet Kang Geom-ma.”

The Sword Emperor and Karon were standing next to a glass table.

On the table was a wooden box, worn down by time.

It was charred and had mold in some areas, giving it the appearance of an ancient relic.

I walked up to them, and only then did the Sword Emperor begin speaking, placing a hand on the box.

“What you see here was Andvaranaut. People call it the ‘Ring of the Nibelung,’ but in reality, no one, not even I, knew if it’s actually a ring. To be honest, I’m curious too. I’ve always wondered if it really was a ring.”

“….?”

The current owner, the Sword Emperor, didn’t even know?

All he had to do was open the lid of that box, which wasn’t larger than two palms put together.

Was there some kind of tradition prohibiting him from opening it?

As if he had read my expression, the Sword Emperor continued,

“You think I haven’t tried? Of course I had. The first thing I did when I became the patriarch of the House Nibelung at twenty-six was try to open this box. But… I failed. To be precise, I only succeeded halfway.”

“What did you mean, halfway?”

“Yes. Opening it was easy. But after opening the box, all my memories of that moment disappeared. That was proof that I had failed. I tried to open it several times after that, but it never opened again.”

The Sword Emperor shrugged, as if it weren’t a big deal.

But from time to time, his gaze drifted toward the box with an intense, burning curiosity.

Despite his age, his fighting spirit remained intact.

He quickly averted his gaze from the box and looked directly at me. Then, he spoke softly,

“The previous patriarchs went through the same thing I did. I’m not the only one who felt frustrated. Of course, it’s a shame, but what could I ? My skills simply weren’t enough.”

He smiled bitterly.

On his wrinkled lips, the regret of years of failed attempts was evident.

The Sword Emperor closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

After that, he exhaled deeply, as if trying to let go of his disappointment.

“But I suppose today marks the end of our family’s longing, ha ha ha.”

The Sword Emperor let out a small laugh.

Though his laughter wasn’t loud, it resonated in the enclosed metal room, amplifying in the silence.

As his laughter hung in the air, a thought crossed my mind.

Now I understood why he had brought me here.

And I also understood that this artifact was no ordinary object.

But that wasn’t the important part.

The Sword Emperor had told me clearly, “I want you to fulfill the Sword Saint’s longing.”

So, I asked,

“…But, sir, what did opening this box had to do with the Sword Saint’s longing?”

“Hmm? Isn’t it obvious?”

The Sword Emperor tilted his head, as if surprised that I hadn’t figured it out yet.

That expression of his.

It was as if he assumed I had noticed it from the beginning.

What kind of person did this old man think I was?

Then, the Sword Emperor gave me the answer,

“Since not even the Sword Saint, Aron Nibelung, could achieve this, didn’t the expression ‘the longing of the Sword Saint’ fit perfectly?”

“…….”

“In any case, Karon and I would wait outside. I’d like to stay and watch, but from what I understand, none of those who tried before came out unscathed. When you’re done, press the call button the bank director mentioned. Understood?”

The Sword Emperor opened the door without waiting for my response.

Karon, following behind him, had an uncomfortable expression.

Before closing the door, he muttered softly, “Good luck.”

…..

Now, I was completely alone in a hermetically sealed room with a small box in front of me.

I stared at it for a moment, then let out a chuckle.

“Did they really think I could accomplish something that not even the first Sword Emperor could?”

The expectations of this old man were ridiculously high.

He valued me more than his own ancestor.

And that ancestor was Aron Nibelung, the legendary Sword Saint.

“…Ha.”

A sigh escaped my lips.

I could just say that I couldn’t do it and give up right now.

But the Sword Emperor’s words kept echoing in my mind,

“A reward more valuable than any material compensation.”

That single phrase made me hesitate before pressing the call button.

For a Korean player, the word “reward” was too tempting.

“Well, in any case, the Sword Emperor wouldn’t had brought me here without a good reason.”

It was worth a try.

I took a deep breath and placed my hand on the box.

Suddenly, a status window appeared before my eyes.

Flash—!

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[NEW! A surprise mission has appeared.]

Fulfill the Sword Saint’s longing!

[※ You can obtain memory fragments of 【???】. Amount obtained: (0/7).]

[※ Additional rewards may be expected.]

[※ However, the mission will automatically end if you close the box.]

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Accept the mission? (Y/N)

[???? Time remaining to accept – 00:03]

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“…….”

I didn’t have to think too hard about it.

I simply slid the lid of the box back.

Creak.

The rusty hinges squeaked as it opened.

And immediately, darkness covered my vision.

·

·

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(Y/N)

▲

***

At the same time, in Castle Sigurd.

“…Hmm, was this how you wrap it?”

Before her personal training, Abel wrapped her hands with bandages.

It was the standard protection method to prevent injuries to the knuckles.

The old Abel wouldn’t have bothered with things like this.

She would have just let the calluses form naturally.

But lately, she had been paying more attention to these details.

The curved calluses on her palms, her nails always short and well-kept.

Nails that had never been painted any other color.

Of course, the shape of her hands was still rough.

Compared to other girls her age, her hands were quite coarse.

“Hmm.”

Abel played with her hands for no particular reason. Her palms felt as rough as sandpaper. The more she touched them, the more her eyebrows furrowed.

“Maybe I should buy some hand cream…?”

Knock, knock, knock.

Three knocks on the door. It was Shail.

“Come in.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Shail opened the door and stepped inside.

Even though she was on vacation, today she was dressed casually instead of wearing her maid’s uniform.

Even without makeup, Shail was beautiful.

But with a ribbon blouse and a bit of makeup, her beauty was dazzling.

By the way, the makeup Abel wore on her date with Kang Geom-ma was Shail’s work.

That day was the first time in her life that Abel had put anything on her face other than moisturizer.

Abel’s eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Shail.

Today, her “older sister” seemed especially distant.

“Miss, I was thinking of going out today. Since the Sword Emperor isn’t here, I thought I should inform you first.”

“Oh, really? Someone who hates going out had been going out quite often lately… Now that I think about it, I didn’t see Karon today. Did you know where he went?”

“I heard he left early in the morning with the Sword Emperor to go to the city. I don’t know anything else.”

“…Oh, so Geom-ma went out too?”

As she said that, a slight shadow of disappointment appeared on Abel’s face.

‘I was planning to ask Geom-ma to help me with my training since Grandpa isn’t here…’

That was her plan.

But in reality, what Abel felt was something else.

Maybe training was just an excuse.

Deep down, Abel simply wanted to spend more time with Kang Geom-ma.

Because ever since their return, she had barely had a chance to talk to him.

Kang Geom-ma rarely left his room except for meals, just like her grandfather. He was shaping up to be a promising hikikomori.

Ugh… Abel clicked her tongue silently and then smiled at Shail.

“That’s fine! When Grandpa and Karon come back, I’ll tell them you went out. Had fun~!”

“Yes, you too, Miss…”

Shail let the sentence hang in the air.

Her gaze paused for a moment on Abel’s hands, clumsily wrapped in bandages.

“How strange.”

Since when did the young lady start wrapping her hands?

She had always been proud of the calluses on her palms, considering them an honor inherited from the Sword Emperor.

Shail thought for a moment, then her eyes widened when a thought crossed her mind.

‘The young lady was already a teenager.’

No matter how rough Abel’s personality was, she was still a girl.

It was only natural that, at her age, she would start caring more about her appearance.

And even more so when a boy lived under the same roof.

That boy was Kang Geom-ma.

A young girl who had never known love wouldn’t realize it herself, but Abel was quite aware of Geom-ma’s presence.

No, if it were just awareness, it wouldn’t be so obvious.

To Shail, who was well-versed in matters of the heart, Abel’s feelings were crystal clear.

‘Well, even if Sir Geom-ma was a strange one, at least he looked good.’

Strength, appearance, personality. In many ways, he was a dangerous boy even without a weapon.

Was that why the young lady was drawn to him?

A faint sense of unease crept into Shail.

It was the worry of an older sister.

But aside from that concern, Shail couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.

The tip of her nose started to tingle, and her eyes became watery.

‘The young lady was finally interested in men…!’

Shail celebrated silently. Abel looked at her in confusion.

A huge question mark formed on her innocent face.

Suddenly, Shail stepped closer with quick strides.

“Huh?”

In the blink of an eye, she took both of Abel’s hands in hers.

Her cheeks and the bridge of her nose were slightly flushed.

“Miss, would you like to come to the city with me?”

“Huh, uh…”

Abel hesitated. Shail squeezed her hands a little tighter.

“We could have coffee together and go shopping. I, Shail, had full confidence in my sense of fashion.”

“…….”

Silence filled the room. Abel glanced down and examined Shail’s outfit.

It was pretty.

Finally, she let go of the bandage in her hand.

“Now that I think about it, Shail and I had never gone out together. I’m not that interested in clothes, but… fine. Let’s make some memories.”

“Yes!”

Shail nodded repeatedly with a bright smile.

A smile so clear it nearly brought her to tears.

***

“…What?”

As soon as I opened the box, darkness flooded my vision.

I felt as if I were being dragged into a deep swamp.

And now, when I came to, I was standing in an open field, almost like a desert.

However, it wasn’t hot or dry.

The occasional breeze was surprisingly pleasant.

At that moment, a familiar phrase appeared before my eyes.

Flash—!

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[Sudden Mission: The Sword Saint’s Longing.]

“Of course, the test was to win the battle against oneself. Only then could you become a true master.”

—Excerpt from a letter from Balor Hoakin to Aron Nibelung.

[※ Reward: The ‘rank’ of one of the memory fragments 【???】 or blessings will be randomly increased by one level.]

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“…!”

An instant later, the status window disappeared with a pop.

My gaze moved past where the notification had been.

“No, damn it. So this was what they meant?”

I muttered without realizing it.

And immediately, I pulled Permafrost from my robe.

“Damn it, no wonder even that magical beast couldn’t accomplish it!”

In front of me, sprinting at full speed with Permafrost in hand…

…Was me.

Or rather, someone who looked exactly like Kang Geom-ma.