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Chapter 4.3: The Most Masculine Man in the Eastern Region
『You don’t have a name? Then I’ll call you Aaron.』
『Don’t look back and run.』
『That’s an order.』
As soon as I woke up, I checked the sword by my bedside. Only after grabbing the sword did my mind feel at ease.
I drank the foul-smelling water in the wooden cup and got out of bed. Looking out the window, it was still dark before dawn.
I did some light stretching to loosen up and got up.
I headed to the empty lot behind the inn. The first owner of the inn had borrowed a large plot of land to build a stable, but in the middle of it, he lost money gambling, and the construction cost ran out, leaving it an empty lot. This was also the reason why I chose this beautiful inn as my lodging.
I stood in the middle of the empty lot and stretched. It was still before dawn, but I could hear the sound of water being sprinkled from all around. It was a simple place where everyone woke up early in the morning and went to bed at sunset.
I stretched slowly and meticulously.
After stretching, I ran lightly around the empty lot.
Then I gradually increased my speed and repeated it until I was out of breath.
「At first, I felt like I was going to die if I ran just a little bit.」
Now I didn’t even count how many laps I ran. I just stopped when I couldn’t move anymore.
I stopped running and caught my breath.
When my breathing calmed down, I drew my sword and held it with both hands. The feel of the hilt in my hand was satisfying.
It was six years ago that I suddenly became this body. It was a really long time. Enough time for an ignorant college student to become a murderer, a fearful fugitive, and the leader of a remote guard.
The six years, filled with all sorts of stains, made the memories of the past faint, and I had to make an effort not to forget them.
I slash the sword horizontally.
There were no forms, no swordsmanship.
Just a simple horizontal cut.
I kept cutting and trimming the unnecessary parts, and now it was a simple horizontal cut that contained only its original purpose.
When facing someone with a sword, the one who swung faster won.
How much you usually swung your sword, how much you neglected your physical training, and how much blood you had on your hands to the point where you didn’t hesitate when you thrust your sword all added up to determine the winner in an instant.
Horizontal cut again.
The air tore and screamed.
『If you swing it like that, your wrist will break.』
At the sudden thought, I gripped the sword tighter and corrected my posture.
After repeating the horizontal cut like that, I moved on to the vertical cut.
By the time I finished with the last thrust, my whole body was so hot that steam rose from it, and my muscles screamed. The distracting thoughts were devoured by the pain and could no longer make a sound.
Clap, clap, clap.
I turned my head at the sound of applause and saw a man in dark black armor.
“That was a very clean swordsmanship.”
The man, clad in iron, smiled brightly and clapped.
On the man’s chest was the emblem of the Penner family.