The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 65

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Strongest in Our Neighborhood (65)
“Gain. Elder Elena can barely produce a few Supreme-Grade Potions a year. Do you truly need to give one to someone with whom you have no prior connection—someone you’ve crossed blades with, no less?”
As Jang Gain prepared to take the Supreme-Grade Potion to the Medical Chamber where Morona Valencia lay hovering at death’s door, Eldom tilted his head and followed after him.
“I hadn’t originally planned to give away a Supreme-Grade Potion, but since His Majesty has granted me the rank of Marquis, shouldn’t I at least demonstrate the magnanimity to save someone dying from my own attack while carrying out the king’s command?”
“A Supreme-Grade Potion is truly precious—a spare life for you, in a sense. Honestly, Elder Elena has been using them quite liberally of late, so even when we return to the village, there may be none left over.”
“Elder Elena said she would craft more whenever materials are gathered, so we can obtain another after waiting just a few days once we return to the village.”
“Gathering materials is far from simple. But if that is your wish, I shall press the matter no further. Ah, and Gain—now that you’re to be a Marquis, when will you stop using formal speech with me? You may speak freely now.”
“You, Kairin, and Sairan are the benefactors of my life. No matter what rank I receive, speaking casually to you three would be a betrayal of your kindness.”
“I and the others owe our lives to you. So please, speak to us without such formality. Besides, now that you’re a Marquis, if you use formal speech only with us, it will make us more uncomfortable instead.”
Jang Gain heard Eldom’s words and fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
“Very well. I’ll speak more freely from the moment I’m formally invested as Marquis.”
“Yes. Please do exactly that.”
Jang Gain nodded and stepped into the Medical Chamber.
“My! What brings Sir Gain here?”
Upon entering, Dimitrion and Leodosn Terra looked up from examining Morona Valencia’s condition with expressions of surprise.
“Why are the two of you here?”
“Ah, we’ve had some acquaintance with Morona for some time, so we came to pay our respects on his final journey.”
“You were acquainted with him?”
Jang Gain repeated this with evident surprise, and Dimitrion gave a slight shrug.
“Those of us who’ve reached mastery with the blade and earned renown wish to find someone greater and prove ourselves against them. Both Leodosn and I came to know Morona through such a desire, and we went through the process of testing ourselves against him.”
“Ah! Then the other Ten Swords must know of Morona as well.”
“Indeed. All of them tested themselves against him, and rankings were established among us. Though of course, such rankings grow less absolute as time passes.”
“If I were to become the first sword of this kingdom, would people like you come to challenge me to prove themselves?”
“I imagine they would, yes.”
“That sounds like it could become rather troublesome once word spreads and my name becomes known.”
Jang Gain’s expression turned displeased, and both men chuckled softly.
“Your reputation has already taken root, and once the nobility learn of your Marquis rank, word will spread throughout the kingdom—there’s no stopping that. Of course, your noble title will prevent just anyone from challenging you, but those obsessed with the blade often have no regard for such distinctions.”
“Ugh. I despise trouble. Ah, but that reminds me—I have a Supreme-Grade Potion made by an elder of the Druid Tribe…”
At Jang Gain’s words, the healer Gorden, who had been tending to a patient in the corner of the Medical Chamber, perked up noticeably.
“Pardon? Did you just say you have a Supreme-Grade Potion made by the Druid Tribe?”
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
Gorden abandoned the patient he’d been attending and hurried toward Jang Gain.
“A Supreme-Grade Potion made by the Druid Tribe could save Morona. Please, I beg you—use that potion for him.”
“That’s precisely why I came. But can this potion really save him?”
Jang Gain withdrew a vial from his pocket and handed it over. Gorden accepted it, carefully uncorked it, and his eyes widened.
“This is… truly a Supreme-Grade Potion made by the Druid Tribe. Yes, this can save Morona.”
Potions varied in grade—those made by Mages were considered lowest, those crafted by High Priests ranked above them, and potions made by the Druid Tribe were treasured as so rare that even wealth could scarcely procure them.
“Then please, save Morona at once.”
“I understand. He will settle the debt once he recovers.”
“It was my attack that caused this… I have no intention of accepting payment. Please, treat him now.”
“Very well.”
The healer Gorden instructed another attendant to unwrap the bandages encasing Morona Valencia’s body, then cut away the stitches and carefully applied the potion drop by drop to the exposed wounds.
Where the viscous potion fell, bubbles mysteriously rose, new flesh began to fill in, and severed blood vessels and nerves commenced their reconnection.
Jang Gain watched as the broken vessels grew and linked to their counterparts on the opposite side, unable to hide his astonishment.
‘How can they reconnect of their own accord without someone manually aligning the vessels and bones?’
Magic itself was a mystery difficult to comprehend, but it seemed potions were no less miraculous.
* * *
‘I’m alive?’
After several days, Morona Valencia barely regained consciousness, and his first feeling was not gratitude but bewilderment at his own survival.
The wound ran diagonally across his chest to his ribs, deep enough to sever muscle and ligament, bone and organ alike.
‘Even with Gorden’s exceptional skill, he couldn’t have saved me from that…’
He cautiously reached toward the wounded area and felt bandages beneath his touch.
‘Did a Chief High Priest come?’
While High Priests dwelled at the palace, those who could work miracles were rarely stationed in one place and were difficult to summon.
Perhaps the king had mobilized his information network to bring one here.
As his mind cleared somewhat, Morona Valencia quietly replayed the duel with Jang Gain.
‘I thought the three of us together could certainly stand against a Sword Master… but against that overwhelming Aura, magic, Elementals, and even my Swordsmanship amounted to nothing but a candle before the wind.’
That destructive Aura, speed that outpaced even Dynamic Vision, the supreme strength of a high-tier Elemental, the ruthless precision of every stroke—
He recalled the king’s voice crying out for him to stop before consciousness fled.
‘Had His Majesty not commanded me to cease, I would surely have died.’
Morona Valencia felt ashamed of himself, the famous First Sword of the Smed Kingdom suddenly seeming so insignificant in his own eyes.
How utterly worthless must that reputation have looked to a Sword Master?
‘If Julian and Simeus hadn’t fought together, I wouldn’t have blocked even a single strike!’
“Ah! My Lord Morona, you’ve awakened?”
While he was drowning in self-recrimination, Gorden, the palace physician, approached his bedside.
“Yes, I came to just a while ago. Remarkably, I’m still alive.”
“Fortunately, the Marquis Gain—well, he’s not quite a marquis yet, but in any case, the Marquis was able to save you with a Supreme-Grade Potion that an elder of the Druid Tribe created.”
“Truly! Potions from the Druid Tribe are nearly impossible to obtain even with wealth…. Ah, now that I think of it, the Marquis agreed to become a lord to protect the minority folk dwelling in the Crerarion Forest, didn’t he? A man like that would certainly be given a Supreme-Grade Potion by the Druids.”
“He entered the Medical Chamber alongside a young member of the Druid Tribe, so it’s clear they share a special bond.”
“The three of us joined forces to defeat him, yet he spares no expense—not even potions—to save my life?”
“The Marquis even refused to accept payment for the potion. In all my years, I have never met anyone with a heart as generous as his.”
“It seems I haven’t either. I must thank him properly when I’m well. But earlier, you spoke as though the Marquis had already become a marquis—surely His Majesty hasn’t actually offered him the title?”
“He has. The Prime Minister and many other high officials agreed to elevate him to the rank of Marquis.”
“Well, he is a Sword Master who shattered the three pillars that have long upheld our realm in mere moments. Granting him a marquis’s title is only fitting.”
Gorden cut away Morona Valencia’s bandages and examined his wounds as he continued.
“Yet frankly, while he does receive the title, the lands granted with it are little more than a pretty façade.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“His Majesty bestowed upon him the territories of Gorgovan, Hairong, and Daiaran. Honestly, those lands don’t even amount to half of Count Johansen’s domain of Greywan.”
“Surely His Majesty wouldn’t grant a Sword Master Marquis such meager territories?”
“Well, he did make grand claims about the Marquis being lord of the Crerarion Mountain Range and free to expand his lands as he wished—but that’s beside the point. The territories actually granted should match his rank, shouldn’t they?”
“Would the Marquis truly accept such an offer? Surely he’ll object, and His Majesty will have no choice but to grant him larger territories.”
“The Marquis accepted it.”
Morona Valencia’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“What? He accepted a marquis’s title for merely three paltry baronies?”
“Yes. That’s precisely why I called it a pretty façade.”
“Hmm, it couldn’t be His Majesty’s whim…. Surely the Prime Minister orchestrated this?”
“It does seem that way. The Prime Minister has long pursued small gains at the expense of greater profits, and this appears to be another instance of that pattern.”
“The other officials simply bent to his will as they always do.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“Blast! I should go straight to His Majesty and offer counsel, but my body won’t allow it.”
“After hearing my account, Julian and Simeus went to meet with His Majesty. Perhaps good news will come of it.”
“No. Those two lack the eloquence to sway His Majesty’s mind. I must go myself…. When will I be well enough to move about?”
Morona Valencia felt a touch of urgency rising in his chest.
“You mustn’t think of moving for at least a month.”
“A month? Will it truly take so long?”
“My Lord Morona. You have been brought back from death itself. It is only because I am treating you that I say a month; had another physician taken your case, they would have advised several months of recovery.”
“Ah, I see…. This is maddening. Then, if you would be so kind, please summon the Marquis Gain.”
Since Morona Valencia could not go to the king, he resolved to call upon Jang Gain and persuade him instead.
“Very well.”
* * *
“You wished to see me? How are you feeling?”
Jang Gain, stepping into the Medical Chamber, wore a slightly apologetic expression as he gazed upon Morona Valencia lying by a sunlit window.
“Thanks to the precious potion you provided, I’ve survived my brush with death. My gratitude knows no bounds.”
“You nearly died by my hand, so it’s only fitting. Fortunately, Elder Elena had given me a potion, or things might have gone differently.”
“Gorden mentioned that you’ve accepted the marquis’s title?”
“Ah, yes.”
“But the territories you’ll receive with that title….”
Morona Valencia told Jang Gain that the lands granted were far too meager for a marquis, and that he should demand greater territories from His Majesty.
After hearing him out, Jang Gain shrugged and let out a soft laugh.
“A few others have said something similar to me.”
“Is that so? If you’ve heard such counsel from others, why didn’t you raise the matter with His Majesty?”
“My original purpose in coming to the palace was to be recognized as lord of the Crerarion Mountain Range, so I could legally protect the minority folk and wandering farmers dwelling there. That objective has been achieved, and the territories are merely a bonus. There’s no reason to be greedy.”

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