Novel Full Chapter 284 : Chapter 284
Chapter 284. Had I Forgotten? (1)
A vein popped on the boy’s forehead.
And with an expression of barely suppressed anger, he said….
“…It’s Perios Shun.”
“Ah, I see. Sorry, they sounded similar, so I got confused.”
Where did they sound similar?
The young boy was deeply hurt.
Kids at this age are usually sensitive.
The boy, who revealed his anger through his clenched lips and tightly held fists….
“Here I cooome!”
He unleashed his fury upon the demon.
Peong! Peong!
Two sharp fists successively burst through the air.
Although he was still young, the fists of a formally trained Monk were quite powerful.
‘In terms of a knight, he’d be around 2-stars.’
Patrick thought to himself as he casually dodged the boy’s fists.
Normally, he would have sent him flying with one blow and looked for the next opponent, but he couldn’t do that this time.
‘I thought the demonic energy would get stronger if he raised his ki…. No, it actually got weaker.’
It was strange.
Demonic energy existed within this boy, but it was not in sync with the boy’s will.
In other words, it was highly likely that the boy had not accumulated the demonic energy of his own will.
‘Anyway, this is a clue I barely managed to catch.’
He couldn’t let it go here.
So, Patrick made up his mind.
He exchanged a few more blows with the boy.
And then….
“You have talent.”
Flinch.
At Patrick’s blunt remark, the corner of the boy’s mouth twitched.
‘The punk likes it.’
Seeing the characteristic stubbornness of an adolescent boy who can’t admit he likes something, Patrick grinned and said.
“Well then, shall I try this for the first time in a while?”
And Patrick, who had put both his swords back into their sheaths, opened his bare hands and said.
“Come at me.”
“Do you know how to fight bare-handed?”
“Well, it’s not my specialty. But…”
Patrick said with a smirk.
“I’m good enough to teach you.”
“Then, I won’t hold back.”
The boy charged at Patrick sharply again.
And this time, instead of dodging, Patrick moved his hands from where he stood and parried the boy’s fists.
Pang! Paang! Pang! Pang!
The hands Patrick extended forward struck the boy’s fists before they could fully extend.
“Keuk…”
No matter how many varied angles the boy swung his fists from, Patrick’s arms did not let them pass.
Rather….
Hwoooong!
“The distance your hand can reach, my hand can reach too. Don’t just focus on attacking, concentrate.”
Watching Patrick’s fist stop right in front of him, the boy bit his lip hard.
Then he took a step back, spun around on the spot, and sent a kick towards Patrick’s head.
The boy’s heel, which cut through the air quite sharply, hit Patrick’s temple….
Swiiish!
“Heok?”
It passed right through.
The boy was startled.
And below the training ground, Matthew and Oliver smiled wryly and said.
“He’s really showing off.”
“Indeed. To even show the Mirage Step.”
Patrick’s Form-Shifting Position Change was already famous in the Schneider Duchy.
It was a perfect technique that could even deceive superhumans who had set foot in the 7-star realm.
To that boy, it must have felt like he was bewitched.
In fact, the boy was currently looking around the training ground, unable to even find where Patrick was.
And a voice was heard from behind the boy.
“Over here. Here.”
“Keuk…”
The boy hastily threw his body forward and twisted his waist.
And a barrage of consecutive attacks poured out in a variety of ways, but….
“Too much flair. Tsk, what’s important in a fistfight is substance.”
The master of fist fighting that Patrick acknowledged the most in his past life was the Shaolin Temple.
The martial monks of Shaolin were furious, asking how he dared to call the sacred martial arts of Shaolin a fistfight, but….
[What nonsense is this? These damn monks? If you fight with a sword, it’s swordplay, and if you fight with your fists, it’s a fistfight. Am I wrong? Am I?]
It didn’t work at all.
Anyway, Patrick acknowledged the fists of the Shaolin monks.
The simple yet powerful fists that came from an immovable stance were the pinnacle of stillness in motion.
There was a simple yet wonderful subtlety to the martial art that pursued something different from those who used weapons like swords, sabers, or spears.
Just like….
“This.”
Kuuuung!
A solid stomp that clearly dug into the floor of the training ground.
The rebounding force of the earth, rising through the firmly fixed lower body, was wrapped around the waist and transmitted to the shoulder and fist.
A simple but not easy technique.
A technique that could only display its true power after being ingrained in the body through decades of consistent repetition of tedious movements.
Its name was….
Righteous Fist
Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
The fist that stopped in front of the boy’s eyes made a terrifying sonic boom and spread a clear sound in all directions.
Some of the Monks who witnessed that single punch jumped to their feet with astonished faces.
“Just now…. that punch just now was…”
“Was it like this? No… like this…”
“Ugh…. No, that… uhhhh….”
The Monks couldn’t hide their astonishment.
It was no surprise that the Double Dragon was stronger than them.
He might even be stronger than the Paladins who were currently out on the battlefield.
That’s how great the Double Dragon’s fame was.
But still, wasn’t he someone who used a sword?
If he fought with his fists, regardless of whether he was strong or weak, it was doubtful whether he could even produce a proper form of technique.
But….
‘What was that just now?’
‘The posture and discipline seemed to have surpassed perfection and pursued something more.’
‘Ugh…. Does a monster remain a monster no matter what it does?’
Watching the conflicted expressions of the Monks, Patrick smirked.
‘This should be enough help.’
First of all, the Twin Dragon Sect also had fist and foot techniques.
Due to the nature of the Twin Dragon Sect, where one fought with swords in both hands, they hadn’t put much effort into it, and it was more of a self-defense technique for when they were bare-handed, but it did exist.
But to them, showing such a flashy and completely different style of fist and foot techniques from the Central Plains would be meaningless.
Rather, the Righteous Fist punch just now would stimulate the hearts of those who pursue martial arts with their bare hands much more deeply.
In fact….
“Just now…. what was that punch just now?”
The eyes of the questioning Perios had turned bright.
Patrick smiled at the boy and said.
“Do you want to learn?”
“Yes. I really want to learn.”
“Alright. Then I’ll teach you.”
Patrick had completely hooked the boy.
***
“It’s strange.”
“It’s suspicious.”
“It’s logically impossible.”
The gazes of Oliver, Matthew, and Riman, who were looking at Patrick who had returned to his quarters, were filled with deep suspicion.
“Hey, what’s with you guys again?”
As Patrick flared up, Riman said.
“Why did you so readily offer to teach that boy?”
“What’s your scheme? What scheme are you up to this time?”
“Young Master. It will be troublesome if you cause trouble here. If your identity is revealed, you’ll be purified… Kuweek!”
Booooom!
Oliver, who was kicked by Patrick, was sent crashing into the wall of the VIP room of the Holy Theocracy.
“This bastard seems to believe I’m a real demon more and more as the days go by. You need to distinguish between jokes and seriousness.”
‘It’s because it’s serious.’
‘It’s a logically reasonable suspicion.’
Patrick, who had kicked Oliver away, looked at the two and thought.
‘Well, it’s about time they knew.’
He hadn’t told them until now because security was vital, but it would be good for them to know by now.
“What I’m about to tell you is top secret.”
And Patrick explained the purpose of his visit to the Holy Theocracy.
“What? A black mage in the Holy Theocracy?”
“You found demonic energy in that kid?”
The three who heard the explanation couldn’t close their mouths.
And Riman hurriedly said….
“Wait, so you secretly brought the 3rd Sage along for that reason?”
“Yes. If worst comes to worst, there’s something for that old man to do.”
The 3rd Sage was included in the Schneider Duchy’s delegation, but his identity was being thoroughly concealed.
He couldn’t understand why he had been brought along if that was the case, but now he seemed to understand the reason.
“In that case, has that kid named Perios been corrupted by a black mage?”
“Well…”
At Oliver’s question, Patrick said with an ambiguous expression.
And he continued….
“We’ll have to find that out from now on.”
“How so?”
“My way.”
Oliver was already starting to feel anxious.
***
Perios Shun.
He was an orphan boy who, after being taken in by the temple at a young age, showed a talent for martial arts and changed his path from an apprentice priest to a Monk.
Perhaps because he grew up in the temple from a young age, his personality was diligent and meticulous.
To such a Perios….
“Drink. Drink up. This is all part of studying society. Drink.”
“……”
This was an unknown creature itself.
Let me be clear….
It’s not that priests don’t drink.
They drank wine with their meals, and there was also ceremonial alcohol made at the temple.
But that was literally drinking alcohol in moderation as a beverage….
“Oh, he drinks well!”
“The alcohol’s going down. Bottoms up! Bottoms up, up, up!”
“Miss, bring the whole barrel over here. The whole thing.”
This wasn’t drinking.
It was a scene that should be described as pouring it down without a plan.
Were these people who had rented out an entire tavern and were drinking extravagantly really the knights of the Schneider Duchy, renowned throughout the continent?
To the boy, who was frozen stiff from the gap between reality and ideals, Patrick said.
“I told you to drink, why aren’t you drinking? You guys aren’t like those damn monks who are forbidden from drinking, are you? Well, those bastards ate it all even though they said it was a taboo…”
Thinking about it again made him angry.
Grain Tea, my ass.
They drank it just fine themselves, but they treated me like a criminal for drinking a little in the main hall of the temple?
Thinking about it now, those bastards should have been chanting ‘hypocrisy’ instead of ‘Namu Amita Bul’ when they were praying.
“Double Dragon.”
“Hmm? Why are you calling me, that….”
“It’s Perios.”
“Right. Why did you call?”
The boy said to Patrick with a solemn expression.
“Didn’t you say you would train me?”
“I did. We’re doing it right now, aren’t we?”
“How is this training?”
“Ahem, for a young kid like you, experiencing the ways of the world like this is all training. It’s a huge mistake to think you can grow mentally by just being cooped up in a temple your whole life and throwing punches.”
“……”
“Experience the world and understand how ordinary people live. If you don’t want to rot away as a flower in a greenhouse for your entire life.”
For a moment, Perios was tempted by Patrick’s words.
But he soon shook his head and collected himself.
‘No, this is not it.’
How was this scene, where knights were taking off their shirts, putting their arms around each other’s shoulders, singing songs, and pouring down alcohol, the life of ordinary people?
Perios politely refused, saying.
“Although I am but a low-ranking Monk, I am still a clergyman who serves God.”
“I know that too.”
“A wavering of the mind begins with a wavering of the body. How can I get drunk so frivolously?”
“You can’t do that?”
“Of course.”
To Perios, who answered as if it were obvious, Patrick pointed to one side with his finger and said.
“Then why is he like that?”
Where Patrick pointed….
“Wooo! The Double Dragon told me to drink, so I will drink!”
“Wow, this friend drinks well.”
“He’s no less than Oliver, is he?”
“Hahaha. I will win at drinking.”
“What did you say? Bring it on! I’ll beat you in both swordsmanship and drinking.”
“I will not refuse.”
“Come on, come on.”
Antorius Denar, who had started a drinking contest with Oliver, began to chug alcohol straight from the barrel.
He was completely corrupted.
Perios couldn’t bear to watch Antorius any longer and turned his head away.
“Ahem… ahem…. Sir Denar must have his reasons and intentions, right?”
Perios couldn’t bring himself to say anything about Antorius, who was higher in rank than him.
Even in the clergy, rank was still king.
Patrick smirked as he looked at Perios.
“Kid. You can’t overcome what you don’t know.”
“…Pardon?”
“The ascetic practice of overcoming worldly desires begins with knowing those desires. To simply avoid what you don’t know is not patience, but evasion.”
“……”
Perios closed his mouth.
He felt an unknown dizziness from the words Patrick was saying now.
“Drink. In the first place, training that collapses with a single glass of alcohol is meaningless.”
Perios quietly accepted the glass.
As he brought it to his lips, the aroma hit him.
It was real alcohol, on a different level from the wine he usually sipped during meals.
When he downed it in one go….
“Ahem…. Cough cough…”
A fiery sensation, as if he had swallowed a ball of fire.
And with every exhale, the alcohol fumes rose and made his body hot.
This entire experience was new, but surprisingly, he didn’t dislike it.
Rather….
‘This feels good. So this is why people get drunk.’
He felt like he understood why people drank strong alcohol until they were drunk.
“You drink well. Have another glass with some snacks.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Perios accepted another drink.
And seeing Perios continue to drink, Patrick grinned.
‘Yes. Keep drinking. Keep going.’
A short while later.
“Uahahaha. I feel refreshed and like I could fly. Double Dragon.”
“Oh, do you? Kid.”
“It’s not kid, it’s Perios Shun.”
“Right. Kid.”
“I’m not a kid…”
“By the way, what do you usually do? Who are you close with?”
At Patrick’s question, Perios said with a dazed expression.
“…Why do you ask that?”
“Just curious.”
“Ah, I see. I usually attend to His Holiness the Pontiff. My main duty is…”
Perios began to ramble on.
And Patrick’s gaze turned sharp.
‘So he’s directly under the Pontiff, is he?’
Patrick knew.
That a person’s lips are loosest when they are drunk.