Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 224

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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One-Strike Kill Swordmaster Episode 224

Episode 224. Jaque’s Trial (1)

Adelia looked at Gaon before her eyes.

All the circumstances were already pointing to one truth.

Even at this very moment, The Protagonist was walking the path of salvation while burning away his own lifespan.

“The Protagonist.”

Her voice trembled.

“At first, I simply… wanted to learn the sword.”

Tears began to form in Adelia’s eyes. The emotions she had desperately suppressed all this time were about to burst forth.

“But as I followed The Protagonist. As I watched his back.”

Her hand clutched tightly at her chest.

“I thought I wanted to become like that too. Someone who saves others, who stands against the world’s evil… that kind of person.”

Her throat choked up.

“It was the first time. The first time I looked at someone and thought I wanted to become like them.”

Gaon was still looking at her with an indifferent expression.

But Adelia couldn’t stop. The sincerity she had kept pressed down, the feelings she hadn’t been able to convey to her master, came pouring out.

“But.”

Her voice shook.

“On the other hand, I resent myself so much.”

Her clenched fists trembled.

“It was the same this time. Before Dorico Shiro, I couldn’t do anything.”

Self-reproach seeped into Adelia’s voice.

“In the end, The Protagonist had to step forward. As always.”

She raised her head to look directly at Gaon. Though wet with tears, her eyes were filled with desperation.

“But I know that each time this happens, The Protagonist’s health deteriorates. I know that the curse of the Evil Gods dwells in your soul, and that your lifespan is cut away the more you use your power…”

Adelia’s voice trembled.

Her words began to lose coherence.

“Because I’m powerless, because I’m weak… the fact that The Protagonist has to bear everything alone while sacrificing his life because of that is so agonizing.”

“…”

“I know how noble the path The Protagonist walks is. That’s why I dare not stop you.”

Adelia’s hands trembled.

“But at the very least.”

Her voice became even more earnest.

“If there’s a way to share that burden together, if I could ease The Protagonist’s pain even a little… please, at least tell me that method.”

It was a desperate plea.

Adelia’s tear-stained eyes were filled with desperation and resolve.

And Gaon, who heard that entire speech…

‘Huh?’

Was simply putting up question marks in his mind.

Indeed.

Even if he revealed the entire truth, would Adelia believe those words?

‘There’s no way she would.’

He had already said dozens of times that he was fine, that he was perfectly healthy.

Yet for the misunderstanding to have grown this much despite that…

‘…That girl, it seems like she won’t accept whatever I say?’

For the first time, the situation was beginning to spiral out of control.

* * *

Munch munch-.

The Girl bit into hard bread while dressed shabbily.

Gripping it tightly with both hands and chewing frantically, she looked like someone who had been starving for a long time.

The Tyrant Dragon, sitting across the table, stared blankly at that sight. After watching The Girl for quite a while, the Tyrant Dragon asked a question.

“Is it delicious?”

“Yes.”

Swipe-.

The Girl wiped around her mouth, which had bread crumbs on it, with the back of her hand as she answered.

Her expression looked genuinely happy.

The Tyrant Dragon watched her eat the bread for a while longer, then opened his mouth as if something had occurred to him.

“I have something I’m curious about.”

“…?”

“Do you happen to remember what conversation your aunts and Gaon had?”

The Sisterhood of the Forsaken. Products of Project Seraphim. The forbidden beings that Middle Temple had been desperately trying to hide for over a hundred years.

Gaon had remained alone with them and conversed for quite a long time.

Curiosity led to more curiosity. What kind of conversation did they have?

“Hmm…”

The Girl tilted her head while chewing bread.

After pondering like that for a while, she finally answered.

“I don’t really know either.”

“What?”

“I didn’t understand half of the conversation. I just relayed what my aunts were saying. Hehe.”

The Girl laughed innocently and took another bite of bread.

“And it didn’t seem like they reached a conclusion either? The conversation was interrupted when they said they’d talk in detail again later.”

“…Ah.”

The Tyrant Dragon finally understood the situation.

Dorico Shiro had attacked Vilopozy, and it seemed the conversation with the Sisterhood of the Forsaken was interrupted because Gaon had to handle that situation.

Then their story wasn’t finished yet.

‘Wait a minute.’

In the midst of this, the Tyrant Dragon suddenly realized.

He had no idea whatsoever what purpose Gaon had come to Vilopozy for.

He had simply followed blindly, tempted by the news that he could gain a disciple.

‘From what he was saying earlier, it seemed like he plans to prevent attacks from Worshippers of Evil Gods here for the time being…’

It was definitely related to the Sisterhood of the Forsaken. But he couldn’t tell what specific plan was being made.

It was when the Tyrant Dragon was lost in such thoughts.

“But mister.”

At that very moment.

The Girl stopped eating bread and raised her head.

Her gaze turned toward the Tyrant Dragon.

It was the first time The Girl had shown interest in him.

‘This is…!’

The Tyrant Dragon’s heart began to race.

The Girl’s eyes slowly moved, sweeping over Pokryeomdo lying on the floor. Was it interest in the sword? Or perhaps curiosity about his identity?

Gulp-.

The Tyrant Dragon swallowed his dry saliva.

Until now, The Girl hadn’t even glanced at him. She only showed interest in Gaon, treating him like he was completely invisible.

But now it was different.

The Girl was looking at him. From those curious eyes, the Tyrant Dragon desperately hoped some question would emerge.

If it was about swordsmanship, he could explain in as much detail as she wanted. If it was about his past, he could tell her heroic tales.

Anything would be fine.

He couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

“I’ve always felt this way…”

The Girl opened her mouth.

The Tyrant Dragon concentrated all his attention and waited for her words.

“Mister, you look really funny.”

Pfft-.

The Girl covered her mouth with her hand and laughed, bread crumbs still on her lips.

“But Brother Gaon is handsome.”

“…”

The Tyrant Dragon’s expression hardened in an instant.

The sudden criticism left him speechless.

Countless words surged up to his throat, but none came out.

Ha-.

A hollow laugh escaped him.

Right.

Honestly, it was a familiar reaction.

As a Hybrid Human-Dragon, he had been an existence that could never fully belong to any society since birth.

It was countless times that children would burst into tears upon seeing him, saying he was scary. Rather, having someone laugh and tell him like this was actually better.

“Looking funny means…”

The Tyrant Dragon slowly opened his mouth.

“You’re saying I have an appearance that’s not commonly seen.”

“That’s right.”

“It can’t be helped. At least as far as I know, I’m the only Hybrid Human-Dragon that exists on This Continent.”

“…”

“Because of this funny appearance, I’m an outsider wherever I go. Among the Dragon Clan, and among humans too.”

Precisely, it wasn’t a matter of appearance but of bloodline, but explaining all those details to a child would be tedious.

Still, opening up his heart like this was almost the first time in nearly hundreds of years.

When was the last time he had told someone about his loneliness, his sense of alienation, his identity confusion?

Was it because he was in front of an innocent child?

He naturally opened his heart. Confessions that he would never normally make flowed out smoothly.

‘Damn. I feel like I’m under some kind of spell.’

Munch munch-.

That’s when it happened.

The Girl took another bite of bread and slowly nodded her head.

“Mm-hmm. I know that feeling well too.”

She said while chewing her bread.

“I’ve lived my whole life as an outsider too. Even now, I live in a village where everyone except my aunts are dwarves.”

The Tyrant Dragon looked at The Girl.

“Before we came to Vilopozy, we wandered through countless villages.”

“…”

“No village would accept us. Everyone said it was ominous seeing my aunts all look exactly the same.”

The Girl’s voice was calm. As if she were telling someone else’s story.

“Thanks to my aunts, we could avoid threats while crossing the Unexplored Territories, but no one would accept us. We almost starved to death.”

“…”

“Then, we happened to arrive at Vilopozy. The Dwarven Elders must have thought our ability to break through the Unexplored Territories with such a small group was remarkable. So they took us in for the time being.”

The Tyrant Dragon knew the story after that.

The Dwarf Village Chief had briefly explained about Vilopozy.

Vilopozy provided the Sisterhood of the Forsaken with safe shelter. In return, the Sisterhood of the Forsaken took on the role of ‘sentries’ who detected incoming monster waves with their future sight abilities.

A symbiotic relationship was established where they gave each other what they needed.

“But this is ultimately just a contractual relationship too.”

The Girl was a child.

But she wasn’t young enough to completely fail to understand the situation she was in.

“We can live here because we’re useful to the Dwarven Elders.”

“…”

“If that weren’t the case, we would have been outsiders who belonged nowhere, just like you, mister.”

There was no sadness or anger in The Girl’s voice as she said this. There was only calm recognition of reality.

The Tyrant Dragon, who had been quietly listening to her story, asked a question.

“What are you trying to say?”

The Girl shrugged her shoulders and answered.

“I want to be useful too.”

“…”

“You know what, mister? Actually, my aunts can speak.”

“What?”

“Right now they only communicate through telepathy, but that’s to create usefulness for me. Because I have a reason to exist if I need to interpret.”

“…!”

The Tyrant Dragon’s eyes widened.

The Sisterhood of the Forsaken could speak? Then did they really only communicate through The Girl as a medium to give her a role?

It was a completely unexpected twist.

“But that alone isn’t enough.”

The Girl showed her small hands and continued speaking.

“I want to develop my own real abilities. Of course, there are Dwarven Elders who would take me as an apprentice, but…”

She repeatedly clenched and opened her hands.

“I know. No matter how strong I become, I can never match dwarven craftsmanship.”

To survive, one must have abilities. The Girl had realized this cruel law of the world far too early.

Seeing this, The Tyrant Dragon was seized by a strange emotion.

On one hand, he was proud of her for facing reality so directly at such a young age, and at the same time, his heart warmed at the fact that she was opening up to him like this.

‘This is…’

Wasn’t her intention obvious? The reason she was bringing up this kind of story to him.

The Girl wanted to become his disciple.

It was the perfect opportunity to naturally make that proposal.

For some reason, he had felt a strange affection for this girl from the moment he first saw her.

A fateful attraction that made him feel like he absolutely had to raise her as his disciple. He couldn’t deny that feeling, as if he were under some kind of spell.

“Right. Well said.”

The Tyrant Dragon slowly opened his mouth.

“I was planning to have a serious conversation soon anyway, but since it came up, I should bring it up right now.”

Taking a deep breath, The Tyrant Dragon revealed the feelings he had been suppressing all this time.

“You, do you have any thoughts about becoming my disciple…”

“That’s exactly why!”

The Girl suddenly smiled brightly and interrupted The Tyrant Dragon’s words.

“Could you please ask Brother Gaon to let me learn swordsmanship from him? I really want to learn the sword from a Sword Master!”

In that moment, The Tyrant Dragon’s mind went blank.

Unable to contain his emotions, he revealed his true nature.

“I’m a Sword Master too, you brat!”

“But Brother Gaon is stronger.”

“That’s…!”

He couldn’t argue back.

Because it was true.

Finally, unable to contain his anger, The Tyrant Dragon covered his head with both hands and began screaming wildly.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”

“…Ugh. My ears hurt.”

The girl was covering her ears with both hands and frowning when it happened.

Right at that moment.

Creak-.

“What’s all this commotion in the middle of the night?”

The door opened and Gaon’s voice could be heard.

When the Tyrant Dragon turned his head, Gaon and Adelia were standing at the doorway.

Gaon looked around the room with an expressionless face, while Adelia quietly kept her head down behind him.

“Hmm?”

The Tyrant Dragon’s gaze lingered on Adelia.

Her eyes were red and swollen. Her eyelids were also moist. It was obvious at a glance that she had been crying until just moments ago.

“Don’t tell me.”

The Tyrant Dragon slowly turned his head to look at Gaon. His expression showed disbelief.

“You!! Did you make your disciple cry!!”

“No, that’s…”

“Look at that!!”

The Tyrant Dragon turned toward the girl and shouted.

“That guy is a cruel master! He’s the type who makes his disciples cry! You want to learn swordsmanship from someone like that? Really?”

“Haa.”

The girl tilted her head, while Gaon could only sigh as he pressed his forehead.

‘Why does he keep lowering his own score…’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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