Chapter 19: I know that, but I couldn't care less (2)
Chapter 19: I know that, but I couldn't care less (2).
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At least, that's what many people here thought.
The boy's voice came from behind these people.
His tone carried no melody.
The sword does not need emotion to cut.
And the swordsman does not need it for dueling.
His fierce eyes became cold.
"Huh? What?!"
"Ugh! Get away from me!"
The momentum of the attackers reflected back on them, and many collided with each other.
The surrounding environment froze.
"This... this!"
"He is now... my eyes couldn't keep up with him..."
"I'm sure... he was in front of me just a moment ago!"
The place was filled with shock.
It was certain, whether it was the sound of his movement or the appearance of his shadow, their senses did not catch any of that, let alone feel the fluctuation of his energy.
He was somewhere, and then he became somewhere else, that's just how they could explain it.
"... even my insight couldn't sense him... this!"
In the back, one of the girls opened her mouth in shock.
Her golden hair matched her eyes, which were shining.
The pupils of her eyes showed a unique pattern that seemed like an ancient language.
The Eye of Insight
What is the Eye of Insight?
This is not a skill or a combat style, nor is it even a magical tool.
The Eye of Insight is something this girl was born with.
This ability allowed her to vaguely sense the emotions and thoughts of others and feel the past.
The extent of her vision into the past depends on her strength, the strength of the one using the ability, and how well she knows that person.
There was a high price to pay for using this ability, of course.
Unless absolutely necessary, she does not use the Eye of Insight to see the past, and instead focuses on emotions and thoughts.
The ability of the Eye of Insight was not limited to that; after countless efforts, the girl could even use it in battles.
Instead of seeing the past, when the girl derives the current moment and reads the emotions and thoughts of her opponent, she can see a few moments ahead of what the enemy will do.
Thus, she would be able to see her enemy's movements; it was a technique she invented herself.
This ability of the Eye of Insight, no one knew much about it except her.
Human intentions were not always pure.
Thus, she would only say that she could vaguely feel the general flow of events.
Even that alone made her susceptible to assassination attempts and manipulation from many.
The second princess of the Kingdom of Cairo, Princess Lucia Hardian.
In the kingdom where she lived, her brothers and sisters always fought for the throne; the sight of humans fighting for power was ugly.
Not to mention that these combatants were blood relatives.
She had no desire or greed for such power; she was already content with what she had, but would anyone believe her?
As long as she had royal blood, how could anyone be sure that she wouldn't stage a coup one day?
Of course, she had many loyal followers because of her kindness and sincere nature.
Despite her age, this girl had dealt with many types of people.
Age does not determine a person's maturity; rather, it was experiences, for her, as she had many experiences indeed.
Because of her kind nature, the girl naturally hated people with double personalities.
These are the people who will stab you in the back while wearing a smile on their face.
If people knew of her ability to read emotions and thoughts, even if it was faintly, would her brothers and anyone with hidden intentions in the royal palace spare any resources to assassinate her?
That was unlikely!
If you knew that there was someone next to you who could read your intentions and understand them, especially when they were a potential enemy, would you keep them around?
The answer is clear; even her biological father did not know about the comprehensive Eye of Insight.
The subject of her seeing the emotions of others was not something everyone knew about.
When she first came here, she positioned herself at the back to understand the intentions of these five people in front of them.
The most important of them was Leon Evenius.
The blonde girl with the other three boys felt complex emotions.
Her emotions were vague; she only faintly sensed them, and despite the blonde girl's confusion, Lucia did not feel any tension from her.
Her thoughts were like a blank white sheet; that girl had hidden the course of her thoughts as well as her emotions remarkably.
The blonde boy, who had a muscular build, had his blue eyes shining with a faint glimmer.
His emotions at this moment carried only anticipation and eagerness.
His thoughts were the same.
The spear boy was calm; his emotions did not betray his appearance at all.
She could not delve into his thoughts.
He was strong.
From what she felt, he was the type who remains calm no matter the circumstances.
"This is strange... but I can't feel worried about them."
Lucia did not understand this reaction from the girl; was there a source for this confidence?
The boy, who walked towards them calmly, did not emit any emotion; he was as calm as a still lake, carrying his sword in its sheath and walking slowly.
That was it, calmness, indifference, that was what could be felt from the boy.
However... there was one thing she could not understand.
I have a feeling.
The last person matured with that feeling the girl sensed.
A feeling of danger and the unknown sometimes envelops you.
He simply stood there.
His hair was as black as night, his eyes red; those eyes were darker than blood, sharp fangs could be faintly seen from a distance.
His expressions were tasteless.
No joy, no sadness, no anger, or any emotion emitted.
Even indifference could be considered an emotion; not caring about something means not being concerned about it.
Not being indifferent to something means that your priorities are tied to other things.
The desire to not care is in itself a desire.
And in the same vein, the feeling of lack of empathy is also a feeling.
Emotion is will; as long as there is a will to do something, it means there is emotion.
However.
And yet... what is this empty feeling?
"Why does this feeling seem like..."
As if the person is trapped in the darkness of the abyss?
The deeper she looked at him, Lucia felt as if she was being swallowed into the abyss; the girl did not sense any emotions emanating from him.
The intent to kill is terrifying, the pressure emanating from the predator is terrifying.
But what is more terrifying is encountering the unknown.
Look into the abyss, and the abyss will look back at you.
It was an instinctive feeling of fear that enveloped her.
"Is he... a puppet or what?! I can't feel anything from him...! It's as if this person..."
Devoid of emotion.
This is the first time this happens.
This is the first time she sees this.
It is frightening.
As if he felt something, the boy's gaze suddenly turned towards her.
A spine-chilling smile.
The fangs protruded ferociously.
A smile appeared on his lips that made her blood run cold, as if she were facing a natural predator; she turned her gaze away from the boy Leon.
When the attackers charged at the sword boy, her gaze turned towards him.
Was it because she was anticipating what would happen? More than that, it was due to her fear of making eye contact with that frightening person.
The boy walking slowly suddenly disappeared.
Then he appeared behind the attackers; for some reason, some of them fell on each other due to the sudden situation.
Whether it was perception or the Eye of Insight, the girl could not grasp his movement with either.
There was one case where such a thing happened.
"When the power difference is enormous"
Are you telling me that the power difference is this huge?!
This—this is illogical!
The girl lost her composure; she was quick to judge situations, she did not need to enter a battle to know this person's strength.
She was not foolish; she would only get hurt if she entered this.
It is better to warn others!
The girl tried to open her mouth, but she couldn't!
Her body refused to move; she felt the environment heavy, as if it was subduing her.
A feeling of a hand gripping your mouth, that is how it felt.
It was as if something was forcing her into silence; realization dawned in her mind, and she struggled to direct her gaze towards a certain direction.
"This person! How?!"
How could he close my mouth as if he was holding it despite the distance between us?!
The boy with red eyes placed his finger on his mouth, as if signaling her to be silent.
His smile was gentle and noble, but it naturally instilled fear in a person!
The girl could only silently complain; her entire body refused to move, and due to the sudden situation in the battlefield, no one noticed her suffering.
Even her guards did not come with her; they were in a special state.
They had been summoned to the palace unexpectedly.
Unfortunately, they could not challenge the orders.
Just like that, only her most trusted guard remained with her.
Her guard had been sick today due to fatigue and the burden of work and training; she stayed in bed after Lucia forced her to do so.
She understood her position and remained silent; that was all she could do.
Suddenly, her body was freed.
The lips of the distant boy moved slowly.
"Don't ruin the fun; this play is about to end"
His calm voice rang in her ear across the distance.
She could only express her injustice in silence.
Many wanted to say something and activate the stagnant situation.
However, the boy Dio had neither the time nor the desire to hear such nonsense.
He opened his mouth with boredom as he said: "Six people will fall"
"You should sleep"
"This bastard! He is just insulting us to avoid us once!"
"Y-yes! Let's attack quickly!"
As if they were gathering their courage, some people shouted among those who were surpassed by Dio.
The enemy jumped at him once again, albeit in fewer numbers.
Showing indifference, he raised his sword forward.
He didn't even draw his sword from its sheath.
No need to kill; it is enough for them to just sleep.
If I draw the sword from the sheath, I cannot ensure that they won't be fatally injured.
My sword fighting is already too much.
The girl watched him as he prepared his stance.
Her feeling of fear from living alone, this boy embodied everything that was the opposite.
He was the same age as her, and he was a swordsman.
Yet, Leon mentioned that he was more obsessed with the sword than she was; why did she believe him?
Because she was a swordswoman, she understood the sword deeply and took pride in her understanding of swordsmen as well.
She did not care about others, but this understanding was gained after fighting many to develop her sword.
His stance was perfect.
Perfect, more than she had seen since her birth.
Perfect, more than she had ever tried to do before.
Perfect, she had never known such a thing in her life.
The upper part of the body was taut and flexible like the flow of a river.
The lower part of the body was as stable as a mountain.
One leg forward, one leg back.
The sword raised forward, directed backward, and relaxed on the shoulder.
One of his hands was directed forward.
His gaze turned towards the enemy.
Calmly, his eyes closed.
A faint aura rose from his body.
The aura covered his body, reaching the sword.
It was blue; the color of the aura flickered around.
Inhale, and exhale.
The boy's aura became silent.
The aura matured with silent danger.
Watch me closely.
The girl could hear his voice, even when he did not speak.
It was easy for the strong to telepathically communicate with others.
Not just you.
What he was doing was not just for the girl.
The boy struggling despite life gnawing at him, he was also a swordsman.
These two must know the meaning of raising the sword with pride.
The joy of being a swordsman, this is what he would teach them.
"As a future teacher, as a guide, and more than that, as a swordsman, I will show you"
His voice carried unwavering confidence.
This is my sword.
He lowered his body slightly.
One of his legs pressed firmly on the ground.
Crack! Crack!
An electric spark rose through his body.
At first, it was barely audible.
Crack! Crack! Crack!!
But over time, the sound of cracking became a roar.
His aura rose and completely covered the area where he stood.
The overwhelming pressure enveloped everyone present.
Was that before? When they ignored their sense of danger?
There were fifty people.
Previously, the concern was that the prey would be snatched away.
It made sense; the number was more than enough indeed.
But now, they felt they could not be more wrong.
This feeling of terror.
It did not come from a weak person.
[Elementary Sword Arts: Front Slash.]
[Flash Sword.]
The boy jumped forward.
The sword covered in lightning was waved.
Swish!
The area became illuminated.
A blue light that causes blindness surrounded the area.
Even though it was already noon, the environment became tinted blue.
Boom! Bang!!
The roar of the impact echoed throughout.
"Aaaahhh!"
"Ughhh!"
The corpses flew in all directions.
The sound of pain could be heard.
A cloud of dust rose.
No, it would be more accurate to describe it as a storm.
The beach sand became hot.
One moment.
It took only one moment.
And that period was enough.
The boy who was in the back, no one could see him.
"Don't move, or your head will fall"
His voice came out cold.
"... Ah- ah"
The boy's voice was pitiful.
A sheathed sword was directed at the neck of one of the people.
While leaving a clear line through the sand, the boy was already standing with a number that could be counted on fingers.
Six fallen corpses.
No sound was heard from them.
They were unconscious.
And finally, only two people stood in the place.
One holding the sword to the neck of one person, and the other standing in fear, unable to move.
That was something unbelievable.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Amazing, unbelievable, immeasurable! This is the most entertaining show I've seen in a long time"
As he clapped his hands, Leon laughed heartily at the sight of the terrified audience.
"It is a live show demonstrating the strength of the young talents of this era, hahaha! My lady is very disappointed!"
Jump!
He jumped, saying such words in a disappointed voice.
He appeared before the rest of the group, while Dio stood behind him.
"Dio, did you show the kids what they should see?"
"They are the same age as you, you know? Anyway, I think so; you can start whenever you want now"
Looking at the boy and the girl lost in thoughts, Dio nodded in satisfaction.
What was the distraction that entered the two?
Was it confusion, or bewilderment?
Not so.
Those were the sunken eyes of someone who had entered a state of ecstasy.
These two had reached a transitional stage in understanding the sword.
They had put in countless efforts on the path of the sword, and finally, it was time to reward those efforts.
Even without Dio's mentionable guidance, it was only a matter of time before they reached that stage.
As long as they did not give up or doubt the will of their swords.
"So this is how it is now" His red eyes flashed and he laughed at their sight: "So hurry up and make them fight; this is the best lesson for someone awakening to realization"
In response to Leon's words, Dio struck the neck of the frozen boy in front of him with his hand and knocked him unconscious.
"Just don't overdo it"
He walked towards the two with slow steps, leaving a simple piece of advice for Leon.
"I can't promise you anything"
He cracked his fingers while showing his fierce fangs towards the prey in front of him.
His eyes flashed with cruelty.
"It is always fun to break dolls"