Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 22: The Demon-Infused Sword (2)

“Stop! Don’t grab that sword!”

A voice shouted as someone stepped forward. It was Shunbe, the hunter who had first brought the sword into the village.

But it was too late. Karon had already wrapped his hand around the hilt.

At that moment, the faint dark red haze surrounding the sword seemed to be absorbed into Karon’s hand.

No one else could see it, but with Karon’s sharp senses, it was clear. The dark red energy coursed through his body, flowing from his fingertips to his toes, sending a tingling sensation through him.

The energy circulated through his body, finally settling into a tight knot in his chest before seemingly calming down.

Or rather, it felt like it had submitted.

‘What an intriguing sword,’ Karon thought.

He turned the sword over in his hand, inspecting it from different angles. Its length was perfect for him, fitting comfortably in his grip.

The weight also felt right, light enough for swift movements yet substantial enough for control.

“Are… are you alright?” Shunbe asked cautiously, watching in awe.

Karon ignored him, giving the sword a practice swing to test its feel.

Whoosh!

“Eek!”

“Oh no!”

The villagers backed away in fear once again. Karon frowned slightly at their reaction but paid them little attention. He glanced at Shunbe and asked, “Where’s the scabbard?”

“Oh! Here…”

Shunbe instinctively handed over the scabbard he had strapped to his back. As part of the village militia, he had taken the scabbard from Malem’s house after retrieving the sword.

Shunbe couldn’t hide his amazement as he watched Karon, who seemed completely unaffected by the sword.

Karon sheathed the sword and inspected the scabbard with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the villagers tended to the injured militia members and began cleaning the streets.

In the center of the square, the madman lay dead, his severed arm limp at his side. His eyes, nose, mouth, and ears oozed blackened blood, a clear sign that the dark power had killed him.

As they finished clearing the area, an elderly man, accompanied by a few villagers, approached Karon and Shong.

“Thank you for saving our village,” the elderly man said.

He had a well-groomed beard and seemed to be the village elder. He led the others as they cautiously approached, bowing deeply to Karon.

The fact that Karon appeared so young didn’t matter to them. They had witnessed him save the village with their own eyes.

The elder assumed that despite Karon’s humble appearance, he must be a noble or the son of a knight to possess such strength at a young age.

Years of experience had honed his insight.

Karon simply nodded in response without saying a word.

His quiet, dignified manner carried the air of a noble, and the elder took notice.

“But, what do you intend to do with that sword…?” the elder asked hesitantly.

“I’m taking it with me,” Karon replied without hesitation, his tone imperious.

The elder nodded.

The way Karon spoke, casually addressing him with such authority, only confirmed the elder’s belief that Karon must be a noble of high rank.

However, before the elder could speak again, the young man beside Karon—Shong—suddenly cut in.

“Do you have a place to stay for the night?” Shong asked.

“A place to stay? Well, before that, I have one question…” The elder hesitated, glancing between the two before trailing off.

Shong furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “What is it?”

“May I ask where you are from?”

Shong’s mind raced. If he said they had come from the desert or Kruger Forest, it would raise suspicion since those areas were nearly uninhabited.

Shong quickly decided on the easiest option.

“Ah! We’re from the capital…”

“Oh! Of course, that explains everything! A noble from the capital! I thought your manner was refined. And you, sir…?”

The conversation had taken an unexpected turn. The elder had misunderstood, but Shong figured there was no harm in letting him believe what he wanted. In fact, pretending to be nobles would likely get them better treatment.

“Haha! Yes, that’s right. I am Ropreshon, servant of young master Karon here. You may call me Shong. Our young master is currently training to become a knight.”

Shong adapted quickly.

“Oh, I see! You’re training to become a knight. How impressive. Please, wait here for a moment. I’ll arrange a place for you to stay…”

“Wait,” Shong interrupted.

“Yes?”

Shong reached into his cloak and pulled out a pouch. It was the perfect moment to solidify their story.

“Could you exchange some gold coins for us?” Shong asked.

“Gold coins?”

“Yes.”

Shong handed the elder a single gold coin. The elder stared at the coin in astonishment.

It was a gold coin minted in the Rob Empire, something usually only seen in the capital, Pontania.

The moment the elder realized they were dealing with nobles was undeniable.

“How should we handle the exchange?” the elder asked cautiously.

“Five silver coins and the rest in copper,” Shong replied confidently.

“Understood. Please wait a moment,” the elder said, bowing deeply as he headed back to the villagers.

Shong glanced at Karon, who was looking at him with a disdainful expression.

Though Karon’s face remained mostly neutral, Shong could tell exactly what he was thinking.

‘This devilish guy. He hardly says a word. And when he does, it’s always curt. Though I guess that helped this time.’

Since arriving in the village, Karon had only spoken two brief sentences. It was as if he’d die if he talked more.

While Shong was thinking about this, the elder returned, accompanied by the hunter Shunbe. Shunbe looked terrified, as though he’d been dragged there against his will.

“It seems the villagers are still very afraid because of that sword,” the elder began, pushing Shunbe forward. Shunbe glanced nervously between Karon and the sword.

“This is Shunbe, a hunter who lives in a cabin on the outskirts of the forest. We thought it might be best for everyone’s peace of mind if you stayed there. It’s surprisingly comfortable,” the elder suggested.

“Sure, that works. We’re not really in a position to be picky. It’s better than camping out. We’ll just stay for the night and leave in the morning,” Shong answered easily. The elder then turned to Karon, checking for any signs of displeasure.

Nobles were known to dislike rough accommodations, and the elder was worried Karon might not be pleased with the offer. Seeing this, Shong quickly reassured him.

“Don’t worry. The young master is in the middle of knightly training, so he doesn’t mind roughing it a little.”

Relieved, the elder sighed with gratitude and bowed again.

“Thank you for your understanding. In that case, we’ll bring you some food shortly.”

“You don’t have to—”

“No, please, it’s the least we can do to thank you for saving our village.”

“Alright, we’ll accept your generosity.”

“Then please rest well,” the elder said with another deep bow. Shong pretended to reluctantly accept the offer.

The elder gave Shunbe a nudge, causing the hunter to finally snap out of his daze. Hastily, he raised his hand to guide them.

“Ah! Please, follow me.”

Both Karon and Shong mounted their horses and leisurely followed Shunbe.

A few villagers watched their departure with worried expressions, still shaken by the fear of the sword.

Shunbe kept glancing nervously at Karon as he led them toward his cabin. As the elder had said, the cabin was located in a secluded area, far from the village, with a small stream running beside it.

Though it hadn’t been their choice, Karon found himself liking the place. It was much quieter than staying in the village.

When they entered the cabin, they were greeted by warm air, with a fireplace still smoldering. The atmosphere was cozy.

“Please wait a moment,” Shunbe said, adding more logs to the fire before setting up a comfortable space for the two to rest.

After unpacking and washing briefly in the stream, a cart from the village arrived, loaded with food, drinks, and water.

“Care to join us?” Shong asked.

“Oh, sure. Thank you. I’ll enjoy the feast as well,” Shunbe replied awkwardly, smiling as he helped move the food inside the cabin.

“It’s been so long since I’ve eaten like this…” Shong muttered, licking his lips as they began eating the wide variety of food the villagers had brought.

Shong focused entirely on eating, having gone too long without a decent meal. He cared little for etiquette at this point.

The other two, however, didn’t seem as enthusiastic.

Shunbe was still too tense to enjoy the meal, barely registering what he ate, while Karon ate only enough to meet his basic nutritional needs.

Soon enough, Karon frowned and stopped eating, pulling out an herb to chew instead.

“You mean to tell me, young master, that you’d rather chew on leaves than enjoy this feast?” Shong teased, glancing at Shunbe and correcting his tone mid-sentence.

Karon, annoyed, stood up and walked out of the cabin, leaving the demon-infused sword behind. Shunbe let out a shallow sigh of relief after seeing Karon leave.

What struck Shunbe as odd, though, was that the eerie red haze that had once surrounded the sword was no longer visible.

Confirming Karon had left, Shunbe asked Shong, “Is your young master always so quiet?”

“Well… to tell you the truth, our young master lost his mother when he was just a boy. Since then, he’s lost his appetite, his voice, and even… well, no, not his mind, but… you know what I mean,” Shong rambled, feeling full and a bit playful. It seemed like a good time to embellish the story for Shunbe’s entertainment.

As Shong spun his tale, Shunbe was moved to tears, his eyes brimming with emotion. Then, a question came to mind.

“But why doesn’t that sword seem to affect him at all?”

“Well, if I had to guess… After the shock of losing his mother, the young master became reclusive. Eventually, a dark energy started swirling around him. That’s why he’s undergoing knight training now, to change his constitution. Perhaps that’s why the sword doesn’t reject him. If you’ve noticed, there’s a certain dark aura that surrounds him…”

Shong continued weaving his wild story, and Shunbe nodded along, occasionally gasping or clapping in agreement.

Shong seemed to enjoy the reactions, and his tale grew more elaborate, though strangely, parts of it weren’t too far from Karon’s real past.

Meanwhile, outside the cabin, Karon sat on a small hill behind the house, frowning as he picked at his ear.

Though he had closed the door behind him, Karon’s sharp senses couldn’t help but pick up Shong’s exaggerated conversation inside.

Still, Karon didn’t bother going back to grab Shong by the collar. If this was how Shong needed to unwind, so be it.

Karon had climbed the small hill behind the cabin with just a few steps and now sat on a flat stone, taking in the surroundings.

“Whew.”

In truth, there was another reason he had left the cabin.

The dark energy that had quietly settled in his chest since dinner had begun to stir, growing increasingly restless.

Karon had tried to control it by chewing herbs, but even his heightened senses couldn’t easily quell it.

It seemed the energy wanted to return to the sword.

But Karon wasn’t going to let that happen. Not yet.

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