Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint-Chapter 529: Beyond the Wolves, the Humans

If something is considered private property, it cannot be seized or ordered to be abandoned so easily. The vassal state was a feudal nation that had begun as a fiefdom under the Empire. Even as a vassal, they had no right to arbitrarily dictate the fate of another noble’s possessions, and any such attempt would face direct intervention from the Empire itself.

"Are you telling me to simply leave the beastfolk who staged a rebellion and disrupted order unchecked?"

A rebellion, by its very nature, could justify external intervention in another domain—but Duke Erectus outright denied that claim.

"A rebellion, you say? It was nothing more than livestock breaking out of their pen and running wild. That’s all. So I stepped away for a moment and have now returned. I don’t know if Marquis Raphaeno has ever raised livestock, but they are inherently fickle creatures, difficult to manage. Isn’t this just something that must be endured?"

If the rights of beastfolk were to be denied, then so too would their crimes. Those without rights could not be held accountable for wrongdoing.

For Duke Erectus, who completely disregarded beastfolk as people, this was a perfectly logical argument. And yet, it was still a form of defense.

‘Wait. Is that arrogant noble actually defending the beastfolk right now? No way! He’s actually serious about this?!’

‘Erectus’s words sound like he’s simply dismissing beastfolk, but if you listen closely, it’s an extremely calculated political move! Is he actually planning this out?!’

Neither Grull nor Sapien could determine whether the duke simply despised the vassal state meddling with his property, or if he was genuinely trying to protect the beastfolk.

Even Marquis Raphaeno found himself perplexed.

"Are you seriously saying you intend to continue living alongside beastfolk? They drove you out, didn’t they? Even tried to kill you?"

A rebellion was like a wound—it left scars, and once it happened once, it was likely to happen again. A noble who had been threatened by a revolt would normally turn to the vassal state for protection, if only to secure their power.

That was the assumption Raphaeno had made. Yet, instead of clinging to the vassal state, this noble was outright rejecting their intervention.

"I don’t understand. Are you saying the ones who tried to kill you are still your property? Have you grown attached to them?" freewёbnoνel.com

"Of course not. Though if one could call a reluctance to part with their assets ‘affection,’ then perhaps there is some truth to it."

"Hmm..."

Erectus likely had no intention of it, but his words helped Grull make up his mind.

If there had been no other options, Grull might have hesitated longer. But somehow, Erectus was standing in defense of the beastfolk.

That meant there was no need for Grull to accept Raphaeno’s forced proposition.

"Forget it, Marquis. I refuse as well. I think I’d rather remain a great chieftain and continue my business than become some invisible sixth finger. No need to limit myself to Ende alone."

"I see..."

Marquis Raphaeno deliberately dragged out his words.

The noble of Ende had refused, and Grull had turned down the offer as well. Unless he forced the issue, there was no way for him to interfere in Ende’s affairs.

Even Raphaeno hadn’t expected the noble to treat beastfolk as literal property, stripping him of the justification to act.

But if he were the type to turn back over something as trivial as justification, he wouldn’t have brought an entire army.

For him, solving problems with sheer force was often the simplest route.

A faint smile, as subtle as his mustache, formed on Raphaeno’s lips.

"Master!"

Welsh, the loyal hound, moved urgently.

She had been entirely focused on her master’s safety and sensed the marquis’s killing intent before even Grull did.

Activating her qi, her fur bristled as she shoved her master aside, placing herself in front of him.

Unlike in the past when he had faced the regressor, this time, the marquis did not hesitate to strike.

Splat.

The slash was so swift that even after cutting through her, the afterimage of the blade lingered in the air.

Blood splattered from the tip of his rapier.

Welsh trembled violently before collapsing onto Duke Erectus. The duke hurriedly caught her.

"Welsh!"

"Ah... ugh..."

His hands, pressed against her back, were hot and damp.

Duke Erectus saw the massive, deep wound on her small back.

Blood gushed uncontrollably from the wound.

Standing behind her, Marquis Raphaeno flicked his rapier, shaking off the blood with a casual use of qi.

Sparks of fury ignited in Erectus’s eyes.

"Damn it! Open your eyes, Welsh! You bastard! What the hell are you doing?!"

His voice echoed with both the desperate concern for his fallen hound and the seething hatred for the marquis who had struck her down.

Raphaeno, sensing the roiling emotions, responded with a bored tone.

"You see? You have grown attached to her after all."

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

Grull and Sapien both sprang to their feet, gripping their weapons.

"Hey, you bastard! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"

"Marquis, what is the meaning of this outrage?!"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

At the same time, the soldiers behind Raphaeno sprang into action.

Their formations shifted as their qi surged, swords drawn. The vassal state’s battle mages brandished their wands, conjuring storm clouds overhead.

Rumbling thunder filled the sky, ominous energy looming over Grull and the warriors of the Beast Faction.

An army was, by definition, a force prepared for war.

Had the King of Wolves still been alive, this force would have been deployed against him.

Now, that very same power was being aimed at Grull.

Feeling the weight of the magic binding his body, Grull adjusted his stance, bracing himself.

Yet, in contrast to the tension surrounding him, Marquis Raphaeno remained completely at ease.

"I was simply testing how well a loyal hound does her job. She performs admirably. She saved her master’s life, so she can die with satisfaction."

"You...!"

"But more importantly, Grull, don’t you think you’ve been a little too arrogant?"

The marquis’s gaze sharpened.

"I extended the greatest possible offer to a man of your caliber. Yet you’ve ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) humiliated me instead. That’s rather unbecoming, don’t you think?"

As the two sides stood on the brink of all-out combat, only Duke Erectus was moving frantically.

He tore his own clothes, pressing them against Welsh’s wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

But it was like trying to hold back a flood with his bare hands. The blood refused to stop.

His expression hardened, and without hesitation, he lifted Welsh into his arms and ran.

Marquis Raphaeno, watching his retreating back, casually extended his rapier toward him.

His blade glowed faintly with qi—not enough to be lethal, but enough to cause harm.

Whether the duke lived or died was of little consequence to him.

But Grull, who had been carefully measuring his footing, made his move.

Clang!

Grull’s dagger struck the rapier with a powerful force.

The marquis’s sword, which had been aimed at the noble, was deflected.

A shock ran through Grull’s wrist, and his expression contorted in disbelief.

‘Heavy! That thin, flexible blade...!’

This wasn’t the kind of power that could be attained through simple training. His qi control was so immense and precise that it even manipulated the flexibility of his rapier. Just how many elixirs had he consumed? Even Grull, who had encountered plenty of them, couldn’t fathom the sheer amount.

"The southern Enger Plains have always been under the vassal state’s jurisdiction. Our rule was merely delayed due to the presence of wolves and other beasts. And down south—within the old lands of the Ten Thousand Nations, and in the Elephant Graveyard—countless elixirs remain hidden. Those aren’t unclaimed treasures. You act as if everything belongs to you, but that won’t do."

So that was it. Marquis Raphaeno’s true goal, as well as the vassal state’s, was those elixirs.

Grull finally understood.

"You never intended to leave me alone from the start...!"

"You were always a bit too much of a nuisance, Grull."

Grull moved again, using Ground-Testing, his unique footwork. He couldn’t fully prepare his stance due to the urgency of the situation, but in a battle between martial artists, even the smallest distances determined the outcome.

He dashed through the wind, daggers aimed at the marquis’s limbs.

However, Marquis Raphaeno was a qi master who had reached the peak of his art. With only a step or two, he subtly adjusted his position, slipping just out of range before countering.

His rapier snapped forward like a snake, striking at Grull with uncanny precision.

‘His reactions are nothing to scoff at, but...!’

But Grull’s Ground-Testing was a martial technique that embodied the pinnacle of Earth Qi, a principle honed into footwork.

Just before the rapier’s tip could reach him, Grull abruptly halted.

The marquis’s piercing thrust sliced past the air right in front of his eyes.

It was a brilliant counterattack, executed flawlessly—but Grull had already anticipated it.

‘Slower than the Wolf King! I’ll end this before he completes his stance!’

His halted body burst into motion again.

A fired bullet was most vulnerable after being shot. A sword was at its weakest after a swing.

Timing it with a 0.1-second margin, Grull evaded the marquis’s strike and moved into a safe position—

Thwack!

Suddenly, his body was thrown backward.

An invisible force had struck him, scattering his qi protection and slamming into his face.

If he hadn’t been shielding himself with qi—

If he hadn’t slowed down even for a split second—

His entire head would have been cut clean off by an attack he never saw.

By sheer fortune, he only ended up with a single deep cut.

‘Did I... just get slashed?! But by what?! There was nothing!’

The real problem was this—

Even Grull, despite reaching enlightenment in his martial path, had no idea what had cut him.

As he hesitated, unable to close the distance, Marquis Raphaeno spoke indifferently.

"You should’ve understood your place a little better."

The Empire.

The Vassal State.

A war machine forged by those who monopolized wealth and power.

A warrior chosen by fate—backed by an entire nation’s resources, absorbing elixirs and supreme techniques—to reach the apex of martial arts.

The Black Tiger General. The Rippling Blade, Marquis Raphaeno.

He had unleashed his martial art.

The Rippling Blade.

Each swing of his rapier left behind a lingering arc in the air.

His slashes did not vanish—they remained etched into space itself, creating an invisible web of cutting force.

Like musical notes woven into the air, this was the origin of the name Rippling Blade.

If Grull controlled distance, then Marquis Raphaeno controlled space itself.

The slash marks he left in the air were his domain, his martial truth.

Within that domain, he was nearly untouchable.

Seeing the flashing blade, Sapien shouted in urgency.

"Grull! Be careful! His martial truth leaves behind the trajectory of his sword! Those traces are pure slashes, like razor-thin threads! If you touch them, you’ll be cut to ribbons!"

"Hah... revealing a master’s technique right before battle? That is clear treason."

Sapien knew how serious an offense this was. But he had no choice.

From the moment the marquis had brought an army, he had already decided to resolve this with brute force if necessary.

He had cut down Welsh without hesitation. He had attacked Duke Erectus without warning.

There was no need for restraint anymore.

"Rippling? Hah, I thought it meant your sword would catch fire or something!"

"No! It refers to musical scores! Two people—ah, damn...!"

"That's enough, Lord Sapien."

Before Sapien could finish his sentence, one of the marquis’s officers grabbed his cloak and flung him aside.

The heavily armored Sapien was sent flying like a rag doll.

While still airborne, he tried to stabilize himself—

But the officer grabbed his cloak again, yanked him downward, and slammed him into the ground.

The earth beneath him trembled from the impact.

"Urgh...!"

As Sapien staggered to his feet, the marquis’s aide approached.

He hadn’t reached enlightenment in the martial path, but as the Black Tiger General’s personal officer, he was among the finest warriors of the vassal state.

His qi control and combat experience far outstripped Sapien’s.

The gap between them was overwhelming.

And worse—

Sapien instinctively realized...

The gap between Grull and Marquis Raphaeno was even larger.

"Secrets should remain secrets. Do not reveal them so carelessly."

"What does it matter? Everyone already knows! Now that we have a justification, why not tell Grull properly?"

Marquis Raphaeno laughed lightly, tapping his sword sheath.

One rapier was already drawn.

But another sheath remained, still holding a second rapier with its hilt in place.

"I always wield two swords, Grull. Just like you."

Among martial masters, dual-wielding was common.

Whether with the left hand or right hand, those who had attained enlightenment could wield their techniques equally well.

But Raphaeno’s dueling style had surpassed the ordinary limits of twin-sword combat.

With two rapiers, he engraved his slashes into space, filling his surroundings with trails of cutting force—an inescapable storm of blades.

Like a conductor directing an orchestra, he orchestrated his twin blades with flawless control and overwhelming momentum.

That was why they called him Rippling Blade.

In other words—

His true power could only be fully unleashed when wielding both swords.

Marquis Raphaeno covered half his face with his drawn rapier and smirked.

"You’re a martial master too, aren’t you?"

"Then do me the honor—"

"Force me to wield both blades."