I Can See the Sword’s Memories

Chapter 8

A few short exchanges of blows passed. Saeorin’s sharp sword strikes began to draw seriousness into Theo’s eyes.

Saeorin’s gaze moved urgently, and his sense of hearing sharpened to catch every nuance of Theo’s breathing.

Theo’s breathing changed. The air he had been holding in preparation for an attack escaped as his breath suddenly stopped. Saeorin reacted instantly.

Swoosh—!

A strike aimed at the upper-right side. The strength in Theo’s blade diminished just before impact, as if he was holding back out of consideration. 

Saeorin found this irritating but refrained from showing it—he knew his skills fell far short of Theo’s.

Clang—!

Sparks flew again as their swords clashed. Theo’s claim of being skilled was true; at least, he was better than Saeorin. 

He was also far stronger than any of the civilized men who had previously pestered Saeorin.

‘I’ll need to mix things up to turn the tide.’

The moment Saeorin made this decision, the form of his swordsmanship changed. The flashy, unnecessary movements vanished, replaced with direct strikes, and his speed increased.

Superfluous actions disappeared. His strikes became fierce, like a predator’s fangs targeting a critical moment, as his blade chased Theo’s sword.

Bang! Tap-tap!

Despite the change, Saeorin’s attacks failed to land. Theo, having regained his composure, stepped back and deflected each strike with precision.

Ssshh—

Saeorin retreated significantly—not to prepare for another attack, but to exhale the breath he had been holding and assess his opponent calmly.

Lowering his blade, Saeorin declared, “I’ve lost.”

“Huh?”

Saeorin acknowledged his defeat without hesitation. While he might stand a chance in the snowy fields, he realized he couldn’t win against Theo in pure swordsmanship.

“You have every right to be confident. You’re strong.”

Theo’s face flushed at the compliment. After a moment of hesitation, he sheathed his sword and spoke.

“Well, focusing on one technique might’ve worked better for you.”

Theo offered advice as if claiming victory entitled him to do so. Saeorin tilted his head slightly with a crooked expression. He knew that already, but what could he do? His abilities were what they were.

He had the power to read others’ memories and replicate their skills. Focusing on just one discipline would mean losing out on too much potential. Saeorin let Theo’s advice go in one ear and out the other.

“Am I strong?” Saeorin asked.

“Uh… um…” Theo hesitated, unsure how to respond. Something about Saeorin’s movements felt off. While strong, his strikes seemed awkward and stiff, like someone who hadn’t been practicing swordsmanship for very long.

Seeing Theo struggle to answer, Saeorin frowned impatiently and said, “Is it difficult for you to answer?”

“No, no! You’re strong! But…”

“You’re saying it’s a bit unclear.”

“Yeah.”

“It seems I lack strength. To properly utilize swordsmanship, I’ll need to build more physical power.”

As Saeorin spoke, he rubbed his wrist. His pale skin, exposed beneath his tattered clothes, was as white as snow.

***

That evening, Saeorin and Theo found a suitable spot to set up camp. They gathered firewood, dug a place to sleep, and prepared dinner: two rabbits that Saeorin had hunted.

Of course, Saeorin didn’t share his catch with Theo. Without any food of his own, Theo could only stare longingly at the roasting rabbit meat, his mouth watering.

Crackle, crackle.

“C-can’t you spare just one?” Theo asked.

“It’s not enough even for me. If you want food, go hunt something yourself.”

Theo gave Saeorin a pitiful look, but it was no use. Saeorin had no intention of sharing his food.

This body was still in its growth phase. Proper sleep and abundant nourishment were essential during such an important time.

“I-I’ll pay you for it!” Theo said, pulling out his money pouch. The weighty jingle suggested it held a considerable sum.

But Saeorin refused.

“I have plenty of money. I don’t need it.”

Saeorin did indeed have a lot of money—enough to be burdensome to carry, though he wasn’t sure exactly how much it was worth.

Glancing at his bag, Saeorin nodded to himself.

Ignoring Theo’s growing despair, Saeorin pulled a skewer of roasted rabbit meat from the fire and began eating it with relish.

The golden-brown rabbit meat, crispy on the outside, disappeared into Saeorin’s mouth. He even sprinkled some spices over it—another prize he had acquired after cutting down those who had tried to ambush him.

When he was halfway through one of the rabbits, Saeorin spoke as if doing Theo a favor.

“If you lend me your sword for a while, I’ll give you some rabbit meat. How about it?”

“My sword…?”

“Fine.”

“No way!”

Theo’s refusal was adamant. Saeorin widened his eyes at the reaction. It was just a matter of borrowing the sword—Saeorin hadn’t even asked to take it permanently, only to use it briefly and then return it.

But was it really something to refuse so strongly?

Saeorin couldn’t understand. If showing his sword to someone meant he could eat meat, Saeorin would have agreed without hesitation.

“Handing my sword over to someone else? That’s absolutely unthinkable.”

“Hm…”

Saeorin nodded with a look full of regret. If Theo didn’t want to, there was nothing else to be done. That just meant Saeorin would eat the remaining rabbit as well.

He picked up the other skewer of roasted rabbit and began eating.

“Chomp.”

“Agh…”

***

On the third day of traveling together, Theo and Saeorin finally stood before a massive fortress wall.

“It’s enormous…”

“We’ve made it at last…!”

Saeorin stared up at the towering walls, repeatedly exclaiming in amazement. Compared to the modest walls his tribe had built for defense, these walls were on an entirely different scale, making the tribal structures seem insignificant.

‘What kind of technology built this? How do they manage the weight at such heights? I wish I could find the builders and ask.’

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to get in line?”

Saeorin, lost in thought, nodded at Theo’s call. The two of them joined the line together.

The line to enter the imperial city stretched on endlessly.

‘It looks like we’ll have to wait for quite some time…’

Saeorin nodded to himself. Waiting was no problem for him. He had once buried himself in snow for hours to hunt prey in the snowy fields. This kind of waiting was trivial in comparison.

As time passed and the sun began to set, it was finally their turn. Saeorin and Theo approached the guards stationed at the city gates.

“Lay down your weapons and prepare for a baggage inspection. If you have any objections, speak now.”

Neither of them had objections. Following the example of others, Saeorin and Theo handed over their belongings to the guards and stood near the wall for a personal body search.

“What’s with this one? Why does he have five swords?”

“Spare weapons?”

“Who carries spare swords in different styles…?”

“Just to be safe, let’s check those weapons thoroughly.”

After the body search, the guards returned with a stack of papers. These sheets contained a list of rules and prohibitions for inside the city.

Unlike Theo, who could read, Saeorin simply stared blankly at the paper. Though he could speak the language, he had never learned the writing system of the civilized people.

Saeorin was illiterate.

“If you’re done reading, flip to the next page.”

Following the guard’s instructions, Theo turned to the next page, and Saeorin, observing Theo, mimicked the action.

The second page was also filled with dense text. However, even Theo, who had read the first page with ease, found himself unable to decipher this one.

Theo’s confusion was evident as he asked, “Uh, what kind of script is this?”

“If you can’t read it, just skip it. Keep flipping.”

“Ah, yes…”

Saeorin and Theo obediently followed the guard’s instructions.

Flip—flip—flip.

Each time they turned a page, unfamiliar characters appeared. The five pages were flipped through in no time.

The guards watching the process commented among themselves.

“They didn’t read anything after the first page.”

“They didn’t seem to recognize it either.”

“Then pass them through.”

Theo and Saeorin exchanged glances. It seemed they had unknowingly met some kind of selection criteria.

After retrieving their belongings, the two passed through the massive city gates.

“Wow…”

Saeorin let out a gasp of amazement as he looked out at the sprawling cityscape. It was vast. Gigantic. Splendid. And loud. Saeorin had never seen such a crowd in his life.

Even if all the tribes in the frozen tundra were gathered together, their numbers would pale in comparison.

What surprised Saeorin next was the paved stone roads. Not just one or two bricks, but an entire city covered in finely carved stone blocks.

‘Impressive… To have the resources and labor to pave the ground like this means they must have immense wealth.’

“We’ve finally arrived…! Now this city will be mine…!”

Saeorin ignored Theo, who was lost in his own daydreams. Now that they had reached their destination, there was no need to stay together any longer.

He briefly considered offering Theo thanks for keeping watch during the nights, but instead, he simply turned and walked away.

***

After securing a room at an inn, Saeorin began gathering information about the organization called Cheongik. 

He learned that the Empire’s Knight Order entrance exam was scheduled to take place in two days.

If he failed the entrance exam, that would be the end of it for the year. The exam was held only once annually.

He had been lucky. If he hadn’t hurried along the way, he would have been stuck wasting an entire year in this city.

***

Two days later.

With all preparations complete, Saeorin left the inn, the five swords strapped to his back rattling as he walked.

He arrived in front of a massive colosseum where the Empire’s Knight Order entrance exam was to be held.

The small figure of Saeorin strode confidently toward the registration desk.

“Please state your name, age, place of origin, and the type of swordsmanship you use.”

“Saeorin. I’m fourteen. My place of origin is the frozen tundra. I don’t have a name for the swordsmanship I use.”

“Uh…?”

The clerk at the registration desk looked up from his papers to scrutinize Saeorin. Adjusting his glasses, he seemed unable to process what he’d just heard.

“The frozen tundra? Beyond those mountain ranges? Then you’re a barbarian?”

“Yes.”

Saeorin made no effort to hide his origins. On the contrary, he puffed out his narrow chest with pride.

“Hmm… The only knight order that accepts barbarians is…”

“I know. I came here to join Cheongik.”

The clerk nodded at Saeorin’s words. Occasionally, barbarians from beyond the mountains would appear, seeking to join the knight orders.

However, there was only one knight order open to barbarians.

Bang!

After completing the paperwork, the clerk stamped it. The bold letters Cheongik were prominently marked on the pristine document.