Chapter 67 : Chapter 67

Chapter 67. Lucky Luval

That plump marmot who called herself “the great Lady Gulu” slept for a full two days and two nights.

Eli went to check on her several times, and each time, he could not resist reaching out to gently poke that wonderfully springy belly.

Yet when the morning sunlight of the third day streamed through the window lattice and into the room, all that remained in the little basket were some flattened cotton stuffing and a few lingering yellow-brown hairs.

The great Lady Gulu had vanished without a trace, just as suddenly as she had arrived, without leaving so much as a note behind.

When Eli heard Aila’s slightly disappointed report, he merely raised a brow, his blue eyes calm and unreadable.

“It seems this ‘bear’ may have come here for nothing more than free food and drink.”

He did not really mind.

Besides, that little clown’s snoring had been echoing through the fortress for the past two days. Now that she was gone, the place was finally quiet again.

Busy affairs surged on like a tide that never ceased, yet for the moment, a rare calm had finally arrived.

The city walls were rising higher, the farmland was growing, the soldiers were drilling, and new houses were being built.

The processed beast hides were being sewn by nimble-handed women into practical protective gear, and the convoy bound for Thorne City to conduct trade had already departed.

His taut nerves needed a brief release, and the best way to do that

was to pour his excess energy onto the Training Ground.

At the Training Ground of Obsidian Territory, the packed yellow earth shimmered with faint heat waves beneath the afternoon sun.

Shouts, calls, and the clash of weapons mixed together into a powerful uproar brimming with strength.

At the center of the grounds, one area had been cleared out.

Eli wore only a sweat-absorbing linen shirt, his long white hair tied behind his head.

Both hands gripped a heavy training greatsword, its point hanging slightly downward, while his body held a poised, ready stance.

His opponent was Captain Buck.

Buck was not wearing his signature black armor either, and was dressed only in fitted training clothes, but his oppressive presence had not diminished in the slightest because of it.

“Hah!” Buck let out a low roar and charged forward with a single step, without any flourish.

The training greatsword in his hands tore through the air and came crashing down at Eli’s head with overwhelming force!

It was the most basic kind of downward strike, but also the one that most tested strength and fundamentals.

Eli’s pupils contracted. He did not choose to block it head-on.

His footwork shifted in an instant, and with a perilous sidestep, he narrowly slipped aside from the heavy blade that looked capable of cleaving stone apart.

At the same time, his wrist flicked, and his own heavy training sword shot out like a snake striking from its hole, borrowing the momentum of his sideways glide.

From below, it slashed upward with astonishing speed toward Buck’s ribs, which had been slightly exposed from exertion.

Clang!

Buck’s reaction was frighteningly fast. His wrist turned, and the heavy body of his sword dropped like a shield, precisely intercepting Eli’s tricky counterattack.

The massive shock ran up through the hilt, and Eli let out a muffled grunt as his tiger’s mouth went numb.

But his eyes only grew brighter. Not only was he not discouraged, they burned instead with rising battle intent.

He drew in a deep breath, forcibly steadied himself, and assumed his stance once more, taking the initiative to meet Buck’s storm-like follow-up attacks head-on.

Slash, chop, lift, thrust, block, evade...

The surrounding soldiers had long since stopped their own training. Holding their breath, they gathered around, their eyes fixed tightly on the two figures locked in fierce combat at the center of the field.

Seeing their lord fight so fiercely, actually managing to exchange blows with Captain Buck of the Gold Tier on seemingly even terms, even with Buck holding back so much it was basically an ocean—

If even the lord himself was training this desperately,

What excuse did they have to slack off?

Buck’s relentless assault continued for a full quarter of an hour.

Eli was like a reef in the middle of a storm. Though the impact drove him back again and again, leaving his steps unsteady, he still gritted his teeth and endured.

He forced every thread of battle aura within his body into motion, applying every method of exertion and every footwork pattern Buck had taught him, digesting them with difficulty beneath that tremendous pressure.

At last, Buck drew back one step with his sword and stopped attacking.

A trace of undisguised approval appeared on his face.

“Not bad!”

“The High-Bronze Tier breakthrough you made during the beast tide a few days ago has basically stabilized now.”

Leaning on his training sword, Eli panted heavily, sweat nearly blurring his vision.

But when he heard Buck’s evaluation, he still managed to pull the corner of his mouth into a smile.

The battle aura of the High-Bronze Tier surged through his body indeed, far more solid and stable than before.

He walked over to the resting area nearby, wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, and let his thoughts sink into his mind.

A pale blue light screen unfolded soundlessly.

Yet this time, a deep violet beam of light suddenly flared to life.

【Purple: Iman, Commander of Kael City, has confirmed that Lucerne City has changed hands.

He has mistakenly judged it to be the work of the regular Western Frontier Army. Wary of the strength of the Western Frontier forces, he has taken no action for the moment, but he has strengthened Kael City’s defenses and dispatched scouts to probe the reality of Lucerne City.】

Kael City! Iman!

The smile on Eli’s face vanished at once.

Just as expected! There were still remnants left behind, and they were the very troublesome sort.

Kael City

was a true border fortress, a vital choke point of transport.

Its strategic significance and defensive strength were in no way comparable to the Lucerne City occupied by Baron Grumm.

And the man capable of holding Kael City—his notorious reputation and strength were probably far more terrifying than Grumm’s.

Still, the phrase “mistakenly judged it to be the work of the regular Western Frontier Army” illuminated Eli’s thinking.

Wary of the Western Frontier Army? Not daring to move for the moment?

Since they had already misjudged the situation...

then perhaps... he could simply let the misunderstanding continue.

“Boy!” A familiar booming voice suddenly exploded from the edge of the Training Ground.

Master Glenn, with a body as thickset and powerful as a dwarf’s, was striding toward the center of the field.

In his hand, he carried a long object wrapped in thick cloth.

“You came at just the right time! Saves me the trouble of going to find you!” In just a few steps, Master Glenn was standing in front of Eli.

With one yank, he tore away the thick cloth wrapped around the long object in his hand.

A longsword was revealed beneath the sunlight.

Its blade was slightly broader than an ordinary knight’s sword, its lines smooth and simple, carrying a kind of rugged power.

The blade was not the usual gray-white of ordinary steel. Instead, beneath the sun, it shimmered with an extremely faint, strange sheen.

The guard and hilt had also been newly made.

“Take a look!” Master Glenn’s voice was full of pride.

“This is what I’ve worked out! The prototype for the army’s future standard-issue sword!”

With a thick finger, he flicked the blade hard, producing a clear, lingering hum.

“Inside,” he said, leaning closer to Eli and lowering his voice a little, “I mixed in a small amount of mithril powder! But even with just that tiny bit—heh!”

He suddenly shoved the sword into Eli’s hands. “Try it! You’ll know the moment you do!”

Mixed with mithril?!

Eli’s heart gave a violent jump. He gripped the hilt at once.

It felt satisfyingly heavy in his hand, with an excellent grip and nearly perfect balance.

A burst of delight immediately lit up his eyes.

Mithril!

Master Glenn had actually managed to use mithril in a mass-producible weapon.

Eli’s gaze swept over the soldiers watching nearby, and he directly pointed at the young man standing closest.

“Here, my lord!” Luval froze for a moment, then immediately straightened his chest and stepped forward, his face flushed with excitement.

“Give me your sword,” Eli said curtly.

Without the slightest hesitation, Luval unfastened the standard iron sword at his waist and presented it with both hands.

All eyes turned toward them at once, brimming with curiosity and anticipation.

Was the lord going to test the new sword?

Eli took Luval’s reasonably well-maintained iron sword in his left hand and gripped the mithril-alloy sword forged by Master Glenn in his right.

He did not channel battle aura into it, nor did he use any flashy technique. He simply moved as though chopping wood in the most ordinary way imaginable.

With the new sword in his right hand, he brought it straight down onto the middle of the iron blade held level in his left!

CLANG—CRACK!!!

Under the gaze of hundreds of eyes, Luval’s sturdy iron sword snapped in two like a brittle dead branch.

The upper half of the blade fell to the ground with a clang, and the break was smooth as a mirror.

“Hiss—!”

“Heavens!”

“It... it broke?!”

“J-just like that?!”

The Training Ground instantly exploded into waves of disbelieving gasps and cries of astonishment.

The soldiers’ eyes were wide, their faces filled with shock.

As for Luval, his mouth had fallen open wide enough to fit an egg, and he stared blankly at the broken sword that had accompanied him for so long.

A satisfied smile appeared on Eli’s face. The result was even better than he had expected.

He weighed the seemingly ordinary new sword in his hand and praised sincerely, “Master Glenn, well done! Very well done!”

“Hahahaha!” Master Glenn threw back his head and laughed triumphantly.

“Of course! Who do you think made it?!”

Captain Buck stepped forward as well. He picked up the broken remains of the shattered sword and carefully examined the smooth fracture, then tested the edge of the new sword with his finger.

“Excellent indeed! Its toughness and sharpness far exceed an ordinary iron sword!”

Eli nodded and turned his gaze back to Luval, who was still in a dazed state.

He stepped forward under the fiery, envious gazes of hundreds of men.

Then he reversed the grip on the mithril-alloy sword that had just cleaved an iron blade in half and offered the hilt to Luval.

“This sword is yours now.”

“Ah?” Luval snapped back to himself as if waking from a dream. He looked at the hilt before his eyes, then at Eli, utterly dumbfounded.

“Take it.” Eli’s tone brooked no refusal.

Luval shuddered all over and finally came fully to his senses.

Overwhelming joy and a heavy sense of responsibility instantly flooded his chest.

Without hesitation, he dropped to one knee and stretched out his trembling hands, receiving the longsword with the utmost solemnity, as though accepting a sacred relic.

“T-thank you... thank you for bestowing this sword upon me, my lord!” Luval’s voice was choked with emotion as he clutched the weapon tightly in his arms.

“Luval... Luval swears to follow you unto death, my lord!”

“Damn it!!”

“Lucky Luval!”

“Why wasn’t I the one standing there?!”

The surroundings instantly erupted into a tidal wave of wails filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Countless gazes burned like tangible flames upon the kneeling Luval and the treasured sword in his arms.

Every last one of them wished it had been their own turn to step forward and hand over a blade.

Watching the scene overflowing with vitality, Eli’s lips curved into a faint smile.

He stretched out a hand and lightly patted Luval’s trembling shoulder.

“Luval,” he said, his voice quiet, yet carrying a strangely calming strength.

“Use it well. Protect yourself, and protect the homeland and comrades behind you.”

Then he paused, met Luval’s reddened eyes, and added with a faint chuckle, “May your luck... always hold.”

The atmosphere on the Training Ground exploded instantly!

“Lucky Luval!” Laughter and good-natured shouting rang out one after another.

Luval hugged the sword tightly, his face flushed scarlet.

He was both excited and embarrassed, yet the resolve in his eyes was incomparably firm.