Sword Devouring Swordmaster-Chapter 93 : Chapter 93

Chapter 93 — The Domain (1)
Riding the heat of the grand 「Infinite Duel」, the Arena rolled out a string of major events.
Countless fighters gathered once more, showing off their prowess to the crowds that still filled the stands.
Ironically, the quality of the matches after the Infinite Duel turned out to be higher than the tournament itself. But that was only natural.
The Infinite Duel had long been a proving ground for nameless fighters seeking recognition.
The ones with true skill already possessed fame befitting their ability, and the famous had too much to lose to risk entering an unpredictable death match like the Infinite Duel.
Only in the Race Duels did true strong ones appear — Dwarves with clear goals, or orcs who fought purely for the joy of battle, life and death be damned.
In any case, the narrow-minded Arena didn’t take kindly to the Infinite Duel’s champion, the Sword Demon Liam, for rejecting their first offer.
From their perspective, it had been a mutually beneficial deal — a win-win.
The Arena could turn the tournament’s champion into their new poster star, drawing in even more spectators for future main events. And Liam would solidify his fame and position instead of fading away as a one-time winner.
A deal where everyone should’ve been happy.
So to the Arena’s planners, Liam looked like a naïve, hot-headed fool. If he’d continued as a professional fighter, he could have become a celebrity in the Iron City — rich, admired, and respected.
Why in the world would he turn that down?
Especially now, when fighters didn’t even have to risk their lives like in the old days.
Most of them had too much to lose — they fought carefully, striking a balance rather than killing recklessly.
Among the Platinum Medal fighters — those who were at least 「Sword Runners」 — the unspoken rule was clear: Your body is your fortune.
A serious injury meant a long recovery.
A lingering wound meant early retirement.
So they fought with restraint, following the unwritten code of the professional leagues.
Some spectators complained that the upper divisions looked too staged, too polite — but they still flocked in droves. After all, where else could the citizens of the Iron City watch 「Sword Runners」 cross blades so closely?
“Hey, is the Sword Demon not fighting?”
“Tch. I came here just to see the Infinite Duel’s champion.”
“The Arena’s lost its touch. What a disappointment.”
“Still, I heard ‘Mountain’ is appearing today.”
“Mountain? That big, heavy bastard? Then who’s the opponent?”
“Supposedly ‘Black Meteor.’”
“Oh… then it might still be worth watching, even without the Sword Demon.”
...
“The Arena’s on fire tonight!”
The Arena’s crowds were always the same — people hungry for stimulation and spectacle.
All it took was a few planted rumors, some clever whispers from the organizers, and public attention shifted instantly.
The Infinite Duel’s winner was forgotten before long.
The Arena’s staff just smiled — they’d seen it all before.
This was nothing new.
Spectators were nothing but pigs chasing thrills. And the Arena’s planners were experts at herding them.
“Liam, the Sword Demon. He might have walked away for now, but young men like him always blow through their fortunes and crawl back. When he does, we’ll show him how unwise that was. Junior planners — each of you, write twenty ideas on how to make that brat regret it. I’ll review them all.”
And so, as always, the Arena’s idiotic little schemes spun on behind the scenes — unknown to the outside world.
Meanwhile, among the gathered spectators, one person pointed to a sealed door.
“Huh? I’ve never seen that place closed before.”
“There? What used to be there?”
“Oh, that? The Hall of Honor. Kind of like a gallery for old weapons.”
“Ah, right. I think I’ve heard of it.”
“Funny, I never noticed it before, but now that it’s shut, it really stands out. There used to be an old caretaker there, always polishing the displays every day, rain or shine. He’s been at it for over a decade. I wonder what happened to him…”
The Hall of Honor — a quiet wing of the Arena that no one ever cared to visit — was unusually dark and empty that day. Because the diligent old curator who had guarded it for so long had finally taken a long-overdue vacation.
A very, very long-overdue one.
***
The 「Infinite Duel」— my intended stepping stone toward becoming a 「Sword Runner」 — had at last come to an end. After three consecutive duels, I had gained much. The person I was before coming to the Iron City and the person I was now — they were not the same.
Yes. The trip to Ferma had been worth it.
As always, my master’s guidance had proven right — though it never came without suffering.
“I’m excited, young lord.”
“Ah… yes.”
Tom, the Hall of Honor’s curator, beamed as he walked beside me.
“The swords you borrowed — ah, those were some of my personal favorites. Especially Fang. Such history behind that blade! You see, young lord, do you know of the Six Free Cities? They may be orderly now, but once, chaos reigned! The blood of countless souls was spilled in their fight for freedom, and Fang was forged during that time — a symbol of the very first ‘Brotherhood’…”
…Yes. This time, I’d really screwed up — and on quite an impressive level.
I glanced at the kindly old man, who was still smiling as he went on with his unnecessary history lesson.
「Tsk tsk. You wagged your tongue too freely as always, and now you’ll pay the price. You should have watched your mouth, boy.」
Liam’s voice only added to my irritation.
「Do you even realize how terrifying weapon collectors can be? He may look cheerful now, but once he learns you swallowed all those priceless relics whole, his sanity will go flying.」
“……”
「Trust me — he won’t let it go easily. Collectors go mad when it comes to their beloved treasures. He’ll beat you bloody, or worse, demand you cough up his ‘children.’ If he challenges you to a duel, you’re finished. A fledgling like you fighting a Sword Expert? You’d die instantly.」
“…Shut up, please.”
I muttered through clenched teeth, glaring inwardly at Liam’s amusement. Every time Tom mentioned how much he loved those swords, it felt like taking another stab to the gut.
Just then, Seol Yoon spoke — far too casually.
“But didn’t you… eat them?”
Silence fell instantly.
Tom tilted his head in confusion.
I widened my eyes and shook my head furiously at the innocent-faced girl, but of course, social awareness wasn’t one of her gifts.
“Eat? Eat what?”
“Ah! She’s from the Eastern Continent, you see. The language barrier still causes little mix-ups. She didn’t mean literally eat. She meant he, uh, ‘consumed’ their history and valor on a spiritual level. Deeply absorbed, you see—”
“Ah! So that’s why she said eat! How poetic! They do say people from the East have a lyrical, natural way of expression. Marvelous!”
“Haha…”
“So then, you could say he ‘ate’ all the swords in the Hall of Honor! Delightful! Then his study sessions must have been his ‘mealtimes,’ eh? How cultured!”
Fortunately, I managed to steer the misunderstanding into something harmless. As Tom carried on with his terrible puns, we finally reached the outskirts of the Iron City.
All the while, I prayed the Arena would somehow revoke his vacation and drag him back to work immediately. Surely one of those bureaucratic idiots would mess up the paperwork, right?
No such luck.
Not only had his vacation been approved, the Arena even gave him travel funds to celebrate his first break in over a decade.
‘…I’m screwed.’
There was no miracle coming.
Time to prepare my mouth for damage control. As always, improvisation was my best weapon — twisting a disaster into something that sounded reasonable.
But—
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
…Of course it wasn’t over yet.
“Yeah. The man with steel in his body — and a certain Great One by his side. For a second I thought I had the wrong guy.”
“…?”
“Why do you keep running around? You nearly got me scolded by my sisters.”
Just before we could depart for the estate, a small girl appeared before us at the city’s edge.
She wore an oversized robe, the hood pulled low, her face mostly hidden by thick cloth. Only her eyes were visible — and they were… stunning. So beautiful that for a brief moment, I forgot to breathe.
“Who are you…?”
“Me?”
Her curt reply came as she pulled an old parchment and a small bundle from her robe and handed them to me.
“Didn’t you hear? My sisters said they told you already.”
“Your sisters…?”
“You forgot? We offered to help you decipher the map’s code. Honestly, this is why people say never to rely on swordsmen. Should’ve gone to the Imperial scholars or the Mage Tower instead. What do swordsmen know? You idiots forget your promises within days.”
“…Ah. I remember now.”
The moment she spoke, it clicked.
“You must be from the Witches — sent to help decode the treasure map.”
“Finally remembered? Impressive memory.”
The Witches — creatures who could infuriate anyone within three sentences.
“So why were you wandering around instead of waiting? Still got too much testosterone or something? Took me forever to find you! And who are these two — the old man and the dark-haired girl? Hired help? Trying to make me comfortable, huh? In that case, I’ll pick the girl. Old men smell weird. But Eastern girls creep me out too… ugh, bad luck all around.”
“……”
“……”
In under ten seconds, the Witch had managed to earn everyone’s hatred. Her talent for saying the most annoying thing possible was almost magical in itself.
***
To be honest… I had forgotten.
There had been a lot going on, okay? Anyone would’ve lost track after all that chaos.
As I recalled the promise, it went something like this:
The Witches had a precious relic — one they’d never managed to retrieve. Recently, they’d acquired a map that supposedly revealed its location. But no spell, no curse, no scrying had been able to decipher its code.
The only way to read it was through the memories of the man who had written it — a legendary adventurer, long dead.
And since I could ingest swords and inherit their memories… My job was to “consume” the weapon that the adventurer had used and extract the answer.
The Witch had brought that weapon with her — a blade called 「Flight」. At first glance, it didn’t even look like a weapon for killing — more like a tool for explorers, used to cut vines or skin animals. When I saw it, Liam murmured,
「Young descendant.」
“Yes.”
「You can’t eat this one. Not yet.」
Couldn’t eat it? Why?
「It doesn’t harmonize with the blades you’ve devoured so far, and the soul within it is far too powerful. The Witch wasn’t lying — that sword holds a Legend.」
“…A legend?”
「Yes. It’s too early for you.」
It was the first time Liam had ever said such a thing.
So I relayed his words to the Witch — though perhaps not as politely as I could have.
“If that’s what the Great One says…”
For once, she didn’t talk back. She thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Then I’ll stay with you until you’re ready to wield it.”
“…Why would you do that?”
“A promise is a promise. And besides, I’m the best support you’ll ever have.”
The best support, huh. That was technically true — a Witch was an invaluable ally, versed in arcane mysteries and magic beyond comprehension. But wanting her around was another matter entirely.
‘If she’s this irritating after ten minutes, how bad will it be on the road?’
My opinion didn’t matter.
“Too late. I came all this way. We’re traveling together, so hurry up and go already!”
And that was that. Whether I liked it or not, the Witch joined our party.
“What should we call you, Witch?”
“Call me Audrey.”
“Ah, then—”
“But seriously, no wine? And this carriage is a wreck. Are you all broke? Tell me if you are. I wouldn’t mind helping out — though it feels like a waste to spend on a swordsman, an old man about to die, and some gloomy Eastern girl.”
“……”
Our new companion…was utterly impossible to like.
***
Tom.
Seol Yoon.
Audrey, the Witch.
Traveling to the estate with the three of them was pure chaos.
Seol Yoon was her usual quiet self. Whenever Tom started rambling about blades, Audrey complained it was boring. Tom, instead of taking offense, got all dejected — muttering things like, “Perhaps I really am too old-fashioned for today’s youth…”
Meanwhile, Audrey wouldn’t stop talking:
“No wine?”
“When will we get there?”
“I’m hungry.”
I’d barely finished the Infinite Duel, and instead of resting, I was neck-deep in new problems.
Convincing Tom once we got to the estate. Training hard enough to reach 「Sword Runner」 rank. Fulfilling the Witches’ request once I was strong enough. And above all, preparing for the maelstrom the Iron Prince promised to unleash.
There was no rest. None at all.
While the carriage rattled along, I kept running through excuses in my head — plausible lies to feed Tom.
And then—“Oh, we’re here.”
We had arrived at the estate.
“Ah! You’ve returned, my lord! I-I wish I’d been notified sooner—ah, but of course, there’s no way to contact you here, hehe…”
Hailyn came running to greet us.
But she looked… different.
The starving, ragged girl I’d left behind was gone. Now, she radiated refinement — almost noble in bearing.
‘What the hell…?’
How could someone change this much so quickly? As I stood dumbfounded, she beamed.
“P-please, come in! The estate has changed so much!”
“Changed?”
“Y-you sent so much support through the Red Bank, didn’t you? And the prize money from the Infinite Duel — we received it all!”
Ah. Right. I had done that.
Worried that she’d starve managing the estate alone, I’d deposited money in the Red Bank and instructed them to send some to her.
But… it shouldn’t have been that much. Had she spent it all on herself?
‘Well… she’s still a kid. Can’t really blame her.’
After all, she was a good girl — staying behind to protect the estate while Seol Yoon and I were away. I could forgive a bit of childish extravagance.
“W-welcome, everyone!”
“Oh.”
I hadn’t expected much.
A “changed” estate — I figured it’d just be tidier, maybe a new coat of paint.
But when I looked up—“This rural estate looks quite splendid, young lord.”
“……”
“Young lord?”
“……?”
The scenery before me—was completely transformed.
“……??”
…Was this really our estate?
“Hehe, looks nice, doesn’t it?”
Hailyn grinned from ear to ear. And I thought to myself:
‘So Seol Yoon isn’t the only genius after all.’
Apparently…I’d discovered another prodigy — one with a natural talent for estate management.