Ashes and Flames
I figured I was in trouble.
Once I finished with the Ashdown Clan, I emerged back out into the streets of Emberhold City. The air was easier to breathe, but only just.
"They actually drew their swords, those bastards."
I grumbled to myself, the recollection still fresh.
I knew they didn't intend to really kill me—although I hadn't anticipated them actually pulling out their knives. For that one moment, my stomach knotted up and my chest went icy. Fear flashed over me, regardless of how I tried to conceal it.
Perhaps I had been too self-assured in my tactic.
The reason I could maintain a placid face before them was due to Kevin.
When I looked at him before, I noticed his eyes darting like razor-sharpened blades, scanning all the shadows, all the corners, waiting for peril to boil over at any second.
I always conceived of him as a clumsy bodyguard… but no. His martial artist instincts are unquestionable.
That surety centered me. I knew I would emerge alive eventually, and that made it easier to calm my breathing.
Kevin's eyes flashed my way now, sharp and inquiring, as if sensing my thoughts brushing against him.
"If you're wondering about something, just ask me," he said.
"I thought you wouldn't tell me even if I asked," I said.
".Oh, how did you know?"
".?
"I'm joking," he chuckled lightly, but his eyes still searched me. "I may be a little boy, but I'm still a child of the Fireheart Clan. It's not too strange for me to have my own affairs, right?"
No. It was definitely strange.
But the alibi was easy enough to make. I could just tell them I'd happened on some information about the Ashdown Clan and curiosity got the better of me. Going to the Unorthodox Faction wasn't something a young heir should be doing—if caught, it wouldn't even be about scolding. But still, it was a necessary route.
If I could have gone alone, I would have. Kevin tagging along was… inconvenient.
But I had to confess—things went better due to him.
Fortunately, he did not look suspicious at me.
Instead—
"…There was a reason why you wanted to go out on the streets last time," Kevin observed.
"Last time…?"
"The day when your elder wanted to awaken your potential, but you fled because you did not want to.". I believed you just loathed it, but… now when I look back, that was all according to your plan, wasn't it?" His eyes glowed with instant respect. "When the elder found out you'd fled, he threatened to cut you in half if he ever laid eyes on you again. But now… I realize it was all an act, some hidden meaning between you and him.".
Even the smallest gesture of the Fireheart lineage bears deep intent!
"
"…"
Perhaps 'I thought I was screwed' wasn't accurate. Perhaps I genuinely was screwed.
Why in the world would I flee from that?!
Having the elder seek my potential out second only to Loret Fireheart himself looking into it. Fleeing from it hadn't been some master plan—it had simply been frustrating at the time.
You blasted idiot. How could you be so daft?
I massaged my forehead and grumbled, "Let's just get some chikki…"
I purchased a bundle, remembering Isabella's little smile whenever she has eaten them.
But I had forgotten something—I had forgotten to bring money. Kevin paid for it and the way his face contorted into disappointment gave me the strange feeling of guilt.
I'll reimburse you later, so stop giving me that look, okay?
Anyway, the issue with the Ashdown Clan was resolved—at least for now.
"Give me some time to consider it," Casey had requested.
But I knew that sooner or later, he'd bite.
Just like in the incident termed The Reclamation of the Ashdown Lord.
That recollection from the Martial World's past seared itself bright in my mind.
Years to come, the Black Palace would be stormed by the Ashdown Clan, attempting to rescue their Lord who had been imprisoned in its cellar. They would not succeed, their Lord would perish, and the Clan would be left in disarray.
But the mastermind behind the rescue—he would become the new Lord, leading the Ashdown Clan back to the surface.
One thing I am sure of—the Lord of Ashdown was incarcerated for over five years in the Black Palace basement. And the person who stood up for him… was from Emberhold itself.
That man, even concealing his identity as thoroughly as the previous old Lord had done, was unable to conceal all of his footprints.
The so-called "Reclamation" was not only a rescue—it was a struggle between two giants of the Unorthodox Faction, the Black Palace and the Ashdown Clan. Both were destroyed in the end. The Black Palace was wiped out by the Martial Alliance, and Ashdown was broken, half-decimated.
It was such a spectacular event that even I, once having no interest in the Martial World, recalled it vividly.
If it had been anywhere but Emberhold, I wouldn't have taken the risk. But here? I had to attempt it.
It was a risk.
A half risk.
I hadn't even known if the branch manager I encountered was real, or even actually there. But his responses spoke for themselves.
Against the Ashdown Clan, I couldn't risk moving without plans stacked atop plans.
Because I wasn't simply rambling. I was hunting.
For him.
Whether I pleaded with the Fakir Sect for assistance, or tracked him down myself—I had to locate that man.
Hyuge.
The child prodigy who rose to be Chief of Military of the Night Lotus Cult.
The planner, the genius behind the cult's actions.
The man I need to find.
The man I need to slay.
________________________________________
Later in the evening, I munched on a chunk of chikki and passed the rest on to Isabella.
When I saw her, she was from head to toe in spices. Apparently, she'd been "learning" how to cook once again.
How a person ended up putting more seasoning on themselves than in the food baffled me.
But when she jumped up and down with excitement after being given the sweets, I thought to myself, Do I need to purchase her more next time?
Kevin excused himself to file a report. I reminded him to keep today's activities under wraps. He assured he would, but tension still pulled at me.
The following morning—
As I emerged outside into the rising sun, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight before me.
"…What the hell is this set-up?"
There was Kevin—talking seriously with no other than the Blade Sovereign, who was, once again, sweeping the courtyard with a broom.
The mythical ruler of the sword… grasping a broom like a servant.
Meanwhile Kevin, my supposed escort, was bobbing like a disciple listening to his master's every word.
"As a swordsman," Kevin was explaining, "what's key is to become one with your sword."
"Is that so? Haha." The Blade Sovereign's eyes sparkled, amused.
"For instance—oh, do you know about the Heavenly Paragons? There's a story of the Blade Sovereign sleeping under the moonlight next to his sword and attaining enlightenment! He attuned with his blade by sleeping with it!"
"Hohoho!" The old man guffawed.
I almost choked.
Instructing the Blade Sovereign himself on sword enlightenment? This is absolutely absurd.
Kevin went on, unaware. "Sometimes, when I'm training late at night, the sword seems to whisper to me. I swing and my body acts of its own accord. Ah, maybe it's too difficult to describe…"
"No, no," Blade Sovereign said warmly. "This old man's heart beats fast to hear the tale of a young man's enlightenment."
The arrogance. The man who had mastered the Divine Sword years and years before Kevin's birth was feigning awe.
And worse, Kevin's chest inflating like a rooster at the compliment.
I couldn't take it any longer. I moved forward.
"What are you doing?"
Both men straightened at once and addressed me respectfully. The Blade Sovereign acting so toward me still felt unreal.
"…I had a small epiphany yesterday," Kevin confessed with a hangdog look, "and I couldn't help but pass it on."
The Blade Sovereign smiled blandly. "It is okay. This useless old man, who never even held a sword, felt his heart pound at your words nonetheless."
Useless, my ass.
Kevin grinned at the flattery, shoulders lifting with pride.
"Anyway, what are you doing here so early?" I asked, squinting.
His face changed as he recalled. He gave me a crumpled piece of paper in haste.
I unfolded it. In bold, red letters two words stood out: Nine Day of the Flames.
My forehead wrinkled.undefined"Young master," Kevin said seriously, "you need to go to the Nine Day of the Flames today."