10 [10] A Knight Not Proficient in Assassination Isn't a Good Soldier
[While delving into the study of magecraft, you also began training in combat.]
[You still chose the sword as your weapon of choice, but keeping in mind the system's thoughtful hint, you didn't forget to practice the spear in your spare time.]
[Unfortunately, in this era, rapid-fire revolving breech-loading firearms have not been developed yet. Otherwise, your swordsmanship would have reached the pinnacle of the Ashina arts.]
"...The Ashina arts is okay. But is this system implying I'm trash?"
"But everyone is randomly shooting magical beams. Who the hell fights in melee combat?"
Pouring the power of shadow magic into the fragile wooden sword in his hand, a seemingly casual strike effortlessly sliced through the skeleton summoned by Morgan, akin to cutting butter.
He was almost immersed in the exhilaration of this battle arts improvement, the combat instincts of an ultimate life form were truly extraordinary. With just a short training session each day, his body quickly grasped the muscle memory formed over years by seasoned soldiers.
Combined with the Mind's Eye honed through his training, if he sensed a weakness in the enemy, the sword of seamless shadows could determine victory or defeat in an instant.
His old man, Vortigern, occasionally joined in for practice.
In such times... it had nothing to do with victory or defeat. Alvin could only say that lasting a few more seconds was considered a win.
Under the torrential Vortigern's swordsmanship, his sword in hand seemed precarious, like a floating duckweed in the rain, about to be overturned in an instant.
But with each new sparring session, the time he could endure would become longer...
[Vortigern does not deliberately urge you to practice combat skill, yet your skills continue to advance rapidly.]
[Three years passed quickly, and in Vortigern's castle gaze, he, who sparing with only thirty percent of his strength, still couldn't break your defense after ten rounds.]
[Dropping the broken wooden sword, you could feel a significant improvement in your combat skill. However, when you looked at Vortigern, you couldn't see any joy in his eyes.]
[Silent, the old man eventually let out a faint sigh.]
["Alvin, in terms of swordsmanship, there's nothing more I can teach you. In the future, explore the path you want to take on your own."]
[Watching Vortigern's figure gradually fade into the night, the vast twilight of this night did not make the old man's departure seem lonely.]
[You had never seen Vortigern so desolate. Why would the great king, carrying the name of rebellion and tyranny, sigh at his son's rapid growth?]
[You realized that the answer behind might be extremely cruel.]
[Even so, this couldn't stop the steps of your practice.]
[You didn't know when the next simulation trigger would be, and opportunities were rare. You would grasp every possibility favoring survival.]
[Disguise, stealth, assassination, counter-surveillance, breath concealment...]
[Rather than a knight, you were becoming more like a rogue assassin in terms of skills.]
[And you had no qualms about it. As Vortigern said, surviving made everything possible.]
[Your ability to survive was improving at an exaggerated speed, and soon even Morgan couldn't criticize your skills.]
[She had to admit that now, even as a great magus, it would take some effort to take you down. For an eleven-year-old child, this was truly incredible.]
[Today, you already had the capital to protect yourself.]
[Alvin Pandragon, the birth of the son of the White Dragon remained unknown to the world. Therefore, you didn't need to disguise yourself and could stand proudly in the sunlight.]
[The time was ripe, it was time to measure this vast land with your own two feet.]
[Under the shining moon and brilliant stars...]
[Facing the moonlight, you pushed open the bedroom lattice, leaped from the high tower of the castle, and your agile figure dissolved into the boundless night, like water melting into water.]
[Vortigern strengthened the patrol of the city guards as a test for you, but soon even the tightest defense became meaningless.]
[Using the cover of night, the massive castle city became as familiar as your living room. With your adept use of shadow stealth, you moved freely through the streets of Londinium.]
[Setting out before dawn and returning at dusk, the changing times of day were the moments you entered and exited.]
[With the advancement of your various skills, your range of travel during your outings expanded. Initially, just strolling in the forests near the fortress, gradually your footsteps extended to towns and villages a hundred miles away from Londinium. For you, as an ultimate life form, covering long distances like a galloping horse was not a difficult task.]
[During your travels, you encountered bandits more than once, including marauders from the Anglo-Saxons and faces of the Celts.]
[You sighed, but it was not surprising. In such chaotic times, the law of the jungle where the strong preyed on the weak naturally became a universal survival creed.]
[Everyone said that these bandits were Vortigern's minions. The reason why the once-great Britannia fell into its current state of turmoil and chaos was the catastrophic disaster caused by the dragon filled with evil deeds.]
[Is that so...]
[These rumors, contradicting what you've seen, plunged you into increasing confusion...]
[What does your old man really want to do?]
[Despite carrying the rebellious and unjust name of the king, Vortiregn strictly prohibited his army from engaging in plunder, and violators were severely punished.]
[To address the issue of these foreigners, he rewarded them with land for cultivation, exchanged war merits for exemption from taxes, and built houses. Since then, they no longer wandered.]
[Land issues were often the root cause of turmoil, and you couldn't help but marvel, Vortigern undoubtedly had a visionary strategic vision.]
[Combined with the iron-fisted methods of the dragon, the large army of foreigners, though initially a potential threat, was now under the command and loyalty of this king. While there might be deserters and bandits, encountering so many robbers seemed a bit too much...]
[More strangely...]
[After Vortigern captured a city, he never launched looting or massacres. Instead, after searching the city, he allowed the Celts to flee with their families and belongings.]
[Rather than capturing cities, it seemed more like... driving these people away.]
[Vortigern often led the army around, not seeking wealth or power.]
[Then, what was he really after?]
[If he truly wanted to command the foreigners to plunder his own people, why take such a roundabout approach?]
[Unfortunately, Vortigern never answered your questions. That old man is indeed a mysterious person who leaves people with endless thoughts.]
[Without a doubt, these roaming foreign peoples were not Vortigern's army. However, faced with bandits engaged in robbery, you had no mercy.]
...
Scoff~
The nearly imperceptible dim sword light, like shadows, cut through bones and flesh, emitting an irritating scraping sound.
Blooming blood splattered like raindrops on the small path between the woods, slowly seeping into the soil.
Wiping the bloodstains off the sword with his fingertips, Alvin, even though it was his first time killing, felt no fluctuation in his emotions.
No pleasure, no fear.
Watching a person's body being severed before his eyes, it was no different from swinging a sword at a wooden stake, with the cuts consistently clean and neat.
After all, Alvin couldn't invest any emotions in killing.
Perhaps, he thought, he really possessed the cold-blooded traits akin to a villain.
Watching the head of a fallen comrade in front of him, the shocking scene made the legs of the mountain bandits start to tremble.
Walking out slowly from the spreading pool of blood, the clean and new blade reflected their terrified faces.
"Since you've drawn your swords, I assume you've prepared to die?"
Along with the words of the silver-haired youth, the stacked shadows began to flow quietly between the trees.
The thin and intangible dim sword light silently passed through the necks, as if the Grim Reaper was swinging its scythe to reap souls.
But it was just an instant shadow.
Pfft~
All the bandits who dared to draw their swords had their heads severed by Alvin in the horrified gazes.
"The wind is tight, scatter!"
The group of mountain bandits dispersed like birds and beasts.
However, for those smart enough to choose to run away, Alvin had no excellent qualities of forgiveness like a saint.
Crack~
The thin shadow accurately passed through the gaps between the fingers.
Almost simultaneously.
The escaping bandits suddenly emitted a series of continuous painful cries.
They gasped in pain and fell to the ground, looking at their severed fingers in the mud, subconsciously trying to pick them up but horrified to find that they couldn't.
Because everyone's hands were left with bare palms, acquiring a Doraemon-like action figure for the rest of their lives.
"I spared your lives since you didn't draw your swords."
Squatting in front of the mountain bandit leader, Alvin's iron-gray eyes were calm.
"Remember my face. If there are any remnants seeking revenge, feel free to come find me."
Bathing in the fearful and resentful gazes of the crowd.
The silver-haired youth left with these words without looking back.
...
[Walking through the vast forests of Britannia, you indulged in the study of various flora from the age of gods.]
[In the forest, towering giant trees, so immense that several people would need to embrace them to measure their girth, stood densely. Lush foliage covered them, and their trunks were straight and robust. The emerald green canopy almost completely blocked the sunlight, making your originally tall figure appear extremely small.]
"So, this is the favor of the age of gods..."
The silver-haired youth extended his hand, caressing the towering ancient tree in front of him.
Between the palm and the rough bark, a subtle sound was produced, spreading gently in this quiet forest.
The stark contrast between the towering and the tiny created a palpable sense of the silent awe brought by nature.
He leaped suddenly, using agile movements to jump among the intricate branches. A swift, silver figure quickly disappeared within the lush green canopy.
Standing on a sturdy branch in the midst of the forest, with verdant leaves falling around him, the sunlight from the sky above filtered through the cracks in the branches, sprinkling on the youth's cheeks. His fair skin, illuminated by the clear light, exhibited a delicate and refined charm akin to translucent jewels.
Standing atop this massive branch in the forest canopy, Alvin gazed towards the endless horizon bathed in the sunlight.
As far as the eye could see, there were towering green clouds and a sea of blue.
