Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Warrior’s Duty

Leon was recognized for his excellence in the Intermediate Examination and was granted a new weapon.

A female warrior handed the weapon to him. As Leon received it, he couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

‘What an incredible sword. How can it be this light?’

Just by holding it, he could tell how extraordinary this sword was.

Including both his past and present lives, he had been wielding swords for nearly thirty years.

Even if he had lived as a third-rate nobody, there was no way he could fail to recognize the worth of this blade.

A vivid gleam ran along the sword’s body, and just looking at it made his flesh tremble from its chilling aura.

‘Isn’t this the kind of sword a hero from a fairy tale would carry?’ he thought.

Leon flicked the flat of the blade with his finger. A clear, ringing tone tickled his ear.

Once again, Leon let out an exclamation of admiration. Then he bowed deeply to the female warrior in gratitude.

It might have seemed excessive at first glance, but the female warrior merely nodded, as if she understood his reaction.

From that day onward, Leon became an Intermediate Warrior.

And like all others of his rank, he was required to become independent from his parents.

In Elphrel, every warrior who reached the Intermediate level was expected to live independently.

If one were still a powerless Novice, it might have been understandable to remain with their family—but an Intermediate Warrior was more than capable of living on their own.

However, as they were still only fifteen years old, they did not live completely alone after leaving home.

Instead, they formed small groups with others of their choosing.

They were to learn how to live in the world together with their comrades, away from their families’ protection. Thıs content belongs to NovelHub(.)net

Leon paused in thought. It was good to be independent.

But he had no idea with whom he should form a group.

Around him, other warriors were looking for teammates as well.

Each of them glanced about restlessly, clearly busy searching for partners.

It was then that someone called out to him.

“Leon, how about forming a group with us?”

Teran approached, accompanied by a young man. Leon glanced briefly at the man beside her and replied,

“Sure. If it’s with you two, I’ll feel at ease.”

The man standing next to Teran was someone Leon already knew well.

He was slender, with his hair covering one of his eyes.

That man was Karlson.

Without further discussion, the three of them went straight to be assigned their shared residence.

Though they were Intermediate Warriors now, they were still only fifteen.

They needed a place to eat and sleep.

Once their lodging was assigned, Leon immediately chose his room.

He darted into it so quickly that Teran and Karlson were momentarily dumbfounded.

From inside the room, Leon called out,

“This one seems like the best room. Someone should hurry and take the second-best one on the right before it’s gone.”

At his words, Teran and Karlson quickly examined the house.

Aside from the central room Leon had claimed, there were rooms on the right and left.

Just as Leon had said, the room on the right looked better than the one on the left.

Realizing that, Karlson moved in an instant.

Teran grabbed him by the back of the neck and hurled him backward.

The sound of their scuffle echoed from beyond the wall.

Leon ignored the noisy commotion and quietly sat cross-legged.

He began to recall the spar he had with Hain earlier.

Leon’s aptitude was far behind that of Teran or Karlson.

To keep up with them, he couldn’t afford to neglect training for even a moment.

He recalled everything about Hain—the low stance before his thrust, the sharpness of his gaze, the trajectory of his spear.

He replayed the memory tens, hundreds of times.

The repeated recollection gradually brought him small realizations.

Before he knew it, dawn had come.

Though he had done nothing but sit still, sweat poured from Leon’s body like rain.

He had exhausted too much mental energy trying to understand Hain’s spear techniques.

Even so, Leon smiled.

Through countless cycles of review, he had gained a single insight.

How could he not smile?

He still had an endless journey ahead of him.

Though he had taken only a single step forward, that one step filled him with satisfaction.

Each step he took was precious beyond measure.

He could only be grateful that his growth had not stopped.

Too exhausted to even think of washing up, Leon soon drifted into sleep.

Though he had gone to bed late the night before, his trained body was hardly affected by a lack of sleep.

After finishing breakfast as usual, Teran called out to him.

“Leon, we have to head out on a mission starting today. You’re fine with that, right?”

Unlike Novice Warriors, Intermediate Warriors were assigned missions.

It was from this stage onward that one could truly introduce oneself proudly as a warrior.

And one who sat in an honorable position was bound to carry out honorable work.

“What mission did we receive?”

“We’re going to the Empire.”

A puzzled expression crossed Leon’s face.

Ordinarily, leaving the country required a rank of at least Senior Warrior.

But both Leon and Teran were only Intermediate Warriors.

There was no way they could enter a foreign land.

Leon asked, just in case,

“Karlson, don’t tell me you’ve already become a Senior Warrior?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Karlson replied with an incredulous look.

Leon tilted his head, even more confused.

Only then did Teran realize her words had caused a misunderstanding, and she clarified,

“To be precise, we’re going to meet the Northern Frontier Count.”

Elphrel was located at the northernmost edge of the continent.

Because of that, it often traded with the Northern Frontier Count.

They exchanged valuable resources unique to each of their lands.

Although the two nations weren’t exactly on friendly terms, they maintained a cooperative relationship in compensating for each other’s shortages.

Still, there was one thing that puzzled him.

Even if the count’s domain was close to Elphrel, he was still a noble of the Empire.

Ordinarily, it should be Senior Warriors who were dispatched for such missions…

Teran’s next words cleared up his doubts.

“You were recognized by Examiner Hain, so you’re now qualified to take on missions normally reserved for Senior Warriors. That’s actually why I wanted to form a group with you. The more high-level missions we succeed at, the greater our honor as warriors becomes.”

Just as Teran had said, Hain had acknowledged him as an outstanding examinee.

He had expected to receive a new sword and perhaps a few benefits—but this went beyond what he had imagined.

‘I didn’t think they’d actually let me take on Senior-rank missions…’

It wasn’t a bad thing.

After all, warriors made their living by taking on the nation’s troubles and resolving them.

Besides, the Northern Frontier Count was said not to hold ill will toward Elphrel, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

Their exchange was brief.

Leon immediately packed his things.

It seemed Teran and Karlson had already finished their preparations beforehand, for their belongings were neatly arranged and ready.

Once he was done packing, Leon said,

The mountain path in winter was harsh and unforgiving.

Snow had piled up, making the ground slippery, and the cutting winds typical of the mountains continuously pricked their skin like needles.

Leon was at least able to warm his body using his internal energy, but Teran and Karlson were not.

Karlson called out to him.

“It’s about time we take a break. My body’s so cold I can hardly move.”

“Didn’t we rest just an hour ago?”

“In this weather, the strange one is you for not feeling the cold.”

Teran and Karlson were wrapped in thick beast furs, much heavier than what Leon wore.

At first glance, they might have looked like barbarians, but their garments were actually crafted with quite a bit of care and precision.

Leon reached his hand into Karlson’s inner layer of clothing.

The chill inside bit at his fingertips so sharply that they almost went numb.

“Let’s make a fire nearby and warm ourselves.”

At his words, Teran and Karlson perked up and began gathering dry twigs.

They skillfully stacked the branches and kindled a fire, then called out to Leon.

“Leon, come and rest for a bi—”

Leon swung his sword through the air, turning his head slightly.

“...I said, train hard,” Teran muttered, staring at him with weary eyes.

Not understanding her expression, Leon tilted his head with a puzzled look before turning back to his training.

Leon’s journey went smoothly enough.

Whenever they grew tired on their way to the Northern Frontier Count’s domain, they rested.

Once their strength returned, they continued walking.

Repeating that cycle, they soon found themselves near the northern border.

“If we walk for two more days, we’ll see the count’s territory. Just hang in there a bit longer,” Teran murmured, mostly to herself.

Karlson didn’t bother replying—he simply chewed on a piece of jerky.

Leon, as usual, swung his sword, warming his body through movement.

Watching the two of them, Teran muttered blankly,

“Did I pick the wrong teammates…?”

But her words were drowned out by the sharp sound of Leon’s sword cutting through the air.

Before long, Leon and his companions reached the Northern Frontier Count’s domain.

“So this is the count’s territory?”

The area where the count resided was noticeably warmer than Elphrel.

The beast fur cloaks they wore now felt cumbersome.

“It’s kind of hot here,” Leon remarked.

It seemed Teran and Karlson agreed, as they also removed their outer layers.

Leon followed suit, then asked,

“So, what do we do now?”

“We’ll enter the castle and meet the count. There’s not much else for us to do—just confirm whether he still wishes to maintain the alliance. Once we get his answer, our mission’s done.”

Leon nodded at her explanation.

“Why don’t I see anyone around?”

It was Karlson who spoke, his voice breaking the silence.

It had been a while since he’d last said anything, so both Leon and Teran instinctively echoed,

“You don’t see anyone?”

Indeed, as Karlson said, not a single resident could be seen in the count’s domain.

The sun hadn’t even set yet—people should have been working outdoors.

For the residents to remain in the territory, they had to pay taxes.

And to do that, most of them farmed and used their harvest to pay those taxes…

‘No one’s out working?’

The thought crossed Leon’s mind briefly, but he quickly dismissed it.

“They probably have their own reasons. We just need to do what we came here for. Let’s go see the count.”

Teran and Karlson nodded.

Whatever was happening in this domain was none of their concern.

They were warriors of Elphrel—there was no reason to concern themselves with the affairs of Imperial citizens.

Before long, they arrived at the castle gate. A guard standing watch called out to them.

“I am Leon, a warrior of Elphrel,” Leon replied.

The guard scanned him up and down, then signaled to someone on the battlements above.

He seemed experienced enough in dealing with warriors, for he swiftly assessed Leon’s identity and permitted them passage.

And the moment Leon stepped inside the castle, he felt it—

An overwhelming aura pressing directly from ahead.

A deep, commanding voice of a man resounded through the hall.