The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 101

Jeep Drikman.

This was an event that took place during Jeep’s early days in the military, who is now Malasis’ recruitment officer and chief training instructor.

Jeep had been dispatched on a mission alongside a member of the Weker family, only for their entire unit, save for Jeep and the Weker family member, to be annihilated.

At the time, Weker, who was part of the Seven Families and a symbol of Envy, had been responsible for the mission. However, for some reason, all the blame for the unit’s destruction was directed solely at Jeep Drikman.

The one who resolved this crisis was none other than the head of the Arkand family. He had thoroughly uncovered the truth behind the incident, giving Jeep, who was a commoner without any powerful backing, his sole chance at survival.

When Jeep heard that the Arkand family had been eradicated by Greed for offending them, he was overcome with guilt.

For he had been powerless to do anything at the time.

Now, the situation was different.

The gaze of Greed had eased from the Arkand family, and Al remained safe in Malasis.

To move forward, it might be a better approach to consider what he could achieve himself rather than pursuing vengeance for the family.

“To think a day like this would come… to spar with the young master… haha…”

Jeep stepped into the hallway, content simply with the fact that the long-standing connection he had assumed was gone was not only alive but had grown strong enough to compete with him.

Step. Step.

A cadet with jet-black hair neatly combed walked directly toward him. The small mole below the right side of their lips left an impression that made their appearance memorable.

“Instructor, I have something to discuss regarding the Special Forces.”

“Ah, it’s you. Unfortunately, now’s not a good time for a meeting. I have a sparring match scheduled.”

“…A sparring match, you say?”

Saria Roser.

The Roser family was one of the Seven Families that ruled Malasis. Recently, the family had lost much of its influence after their patriarch and one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Pride, went missing. However, they had once been the family closest to the position of Demon King.

Among the heirs of the Roser family, known for their exceptional talents, Saria Roser was one of the most outstanding.

Her pupils, similar in color to her hair, subtly shifted to look at the man standing behind Jeep.

“May I observe?”

“Hm? Ah, of course. Who knows, you may end up seeing a lot of each other in the future.”

Though she didn’t immediately understand his words, Saria tilted her head in curiosity before bowing in thanks.

“Thank you.”

The training ground attached to the building wasn’t very large but had all the essential facilities.

Inside were Jeep, Faust, Saria, and Faust’s demons, who were disguising themselves as members of the Yoma race.

“Shall we use real swords?”

When Jeep addressed Faust formally, Saria blinked in surprise.

Jeep, known to appear only during major training sessions, was regarded as the instructor of instructors. Yet here he was, speaking honorifically to someone younger than her.

“Let’s use wooden swords.”

“Surely you’re not afraid?”

“If that’s what you think, then consider it an excuse.”

“Haha… very well. Even with wooden swords, I can gauge your skill perfectly.”

Whoosh!

Handing a wooden sword to Faust, Jeep thought to himself.

“What in the world did he go through to reach such a level at such a young age…?”

Jeep could deduce the extent of someone’s skill just by how they gripped their sword. It wasn’t because Jeep himself was at some extraordinary level of martial prowess.

Malasis had countless individuals far stronger than Jeep. His strength lay in his experience.

He had seen countless prodigies, nurtured with care by noble families, and those who defied their status as commoners to flourish on their own. His sparring matches with such individuals numbered in the thousands long ago.

“Let’s see what kind of feeling this gives off…”

When observing cadets just starting to bloom, Jeep could always conjure a line of thought based on how they gripped their swords: awkward, transparent, well-trained, and so on. The assessment was usually similar depending on the nuance of their abilities.

However…

“…Unsettling?”

To Jeep, who knew Faust as Al Arkand, the way he gripped the sword felt inexplicably unsettling.

It wasn’t that Faust’s swordsmanship was sloppy or lacking in some way. It was simply… chilling. Before even clashing, it made his heart grow cold.

“Haha… this is interesting.”

“Then, shall we begin?”

“Let’s begin.”

Flash!

With a swift thrust, Faust stepped in.

Thwack!

“Ho!”

Faust precisely blocked the thrust with the blade of his sword a highly difficult move. If even slightly off, the opponent’s sword could slip past and land an unexpected strike.

“…He must have been confident he could block it.”

Swish

Switching his lead foot and back foot in an instant, Faust delivered three consecutive thrusts.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

‘As I thought… It wasn’t a fluke that he managed to block it.’

Faust flawlessly parried all the thrusts without a single misstep, maintaining the same stance throughout.

‘Then…’

Whoosh!

This time, Jeep swung his sword horizontally in a high-speed slash.

Thwack!

It was solid.

The swordsmanship was impeccable.

It wasn’t just about blocking the attacks; Jeep could sense that no matter how he altered his strikes mixing in martial arts techniques or unconventional maneuvers Faust would still adapt and respond.

There was no wasted motion between his actions. It was as though his body existed solely for combat.

‘How… arduous must your life have been….’

The strength he honed must have been for the sake of avenging his family. Knowing that, Jeep felt a pang of sorrow for having to pretend otherwise.

Whoosh!

This time, Faust took the offensive.

A slash rising diagonally from below.

Swoosh!

Clang!

The sword came faster than Jeep anticipated.

Even though Faust wasn’t using any magic, his movements were on par with those of the cadets who enhanced themselves with it.

Whoosh!

Jeep tilted his sword at an angle to deflect the thrust and closed in on Faust’s chest.

“Haaah!”

For a brief moment, Faust’s body tensed up.

It was as if he instinctively sensed danger.

‘…Did I make a mistake?’

For an instant, a murderous aura emanated from Faust’s sword.

And then…

Thwack!

That menacing aura disappeared in an instant. Faust merely deflected Jeep’s sword with appropriate force, as if he were deliberately pulling back.

Jeep understood what this meant.

“Now I see, young master. There’s still unnecessary kindness clinging to your sword.”

Faust was deliberately avoiding killing intent. It felt as if he was holding back to match Jeep’s level.

“I simply wished to lay down a blade meant for killing, for the brief moment of reuniting with an old friend.”

“Such…”

A forlorn expression appeared in Jeep’s eyes.

It was a sword meant for survival.

A blade trained to kill and crush; Faust must have wanted to keep that hidden from Jeep.

“But… on the battlefield, such leniency will inevitably lead to the death of your comrades.”

“……”

“The cadets here have been training together for months. Even the ones in the shortest programs started syncing their techniques at least two weeks ago.”

Jeep did have the authority to include Faust in the training process mid-way. But only if he deemed it reasonable.

“You must prove to me that your skills are extraordinary, young master. If not, you’ll have to wait for the next recruitment cycle.”

Recruitment happened biannually, meaning the next chance would be at least six months away.

“I’m not known for my patience, so waiting for the next cycle isn’t an option.”

“In that case…”

“You’d better stop me, Sir Jeep.”

“Haha…”

The duel continued without either side resorting to magic.

Jeep’s combat experience was at least dozens of times greater than that of the man he called “young master.”

There was no reason he couldn’t block the attack.

Whoosh!

Faust kicked off the training ground, lunging toward Jeep.

At that moment, Faust hesitated for a brief second.

‘How much strength should I use? I have no way of knowing how skilled the other cadets are….’

If he unleashed his full power, he could easily overpower someone of Jeep’s level. However, doing so would surely lead to complications in future interactions.

‘Hold back… just enough.’

Whoosh!

A downward slash from above.

Clang!

Jeep caught Faust’s sword, nearly letting out a groan.

‘What strength…!’

The force was enough to dislocate his wrist.

Swish!

A horizontal slash aimed at Jeep’s ribs followed immediately.

Crack…

Jeep managed to block it, but the wooden sword cracked under the pressure.

The real danger, however, was the third strike that came right after.

With no clear warning, Faust performed a seamless diagonal slash upward. For most cadets, this move wouldn’t carry much power, but Faust was different.

Whoosh…

‘…What immense killing intent!’

Jeep clenched his teeth tightly and redirected his sword to counter the blow.

Crackling!

Jeep’s wooden sword broke and fell to the training ground.

‘…If the young master had been just a bit more seasoned, I might have sustained a serious injury here. Truly… his talent is nothing short of genius. He’s exactly the kind of person the Demon King’s army needs… but it can’t be helped, can it?’

Clicking his tongue, Jeep offered a respectful bow to Faust.

“This will be enough for now.”

“No need to worry… Jeep, you blocked everything.”

“You’ve returned, young master. Your skills are truly remarkable,” Jeep said, exhaling in relief.

“From today onward, you’ll be assigned quarters and begin regular training. Since you’re joining mid-way, I’ll personally help you catch up on the material you missed.”

“I appreciate it.”

* * *

“Did you see it?”

“See what?”

“The instructor’s sparring! They said there were quite a few witnesses! Lady Saria was apparently there too!”

“…That’s true.”

“They say it was neck and neck. Is that really the case?”

“Well…”

When Saria hesitated to respond, a cadet who would be deployed alongside her in the near future chimed in.

“The result didn’t matter anyway. I hear they called him ‘young master’? Jeep probably held back.”

“It’s bizarre. Trying to use connections to join the Special Operations Unit of all things? Maybe if it were the Academy, but this…”

“Yeah, I don’t get it either. Not even the regular army, but the Special Ops… and this is the only position available?”

“Looks like there’s another oddball like Saria here.”

The unit Saria was assigned to wasn’t part of the regular Demon King’s army but rather the Special Operations Unit directly under The Seven Deadly Sins.

Despite the prestigious name, the unit was essentially tasked with handling missions that arose in the domains governed by The Seven Deadly Sins. Unlike the Demon King’s army, it was organized in much smaller numbers and allowed for rapid promotions depending on the missions assigned.

However, the mortality rate during missions was equally high.

“For someone like me, a commoner with mouths to feed, there’s no choice. But for Saria or that noble kid, well…”

“Bah, stop pretending your grades weren’t terrible.”

“My lack of swordsmanship is because I wasn’t born a noble! If I’d been trained from childhood, I’d have poked a hole through you already.”

“Why don’t you try beating me first, then?”

“You… You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“I’m just telling a whiner to shut up.”

“Ugh…”

The Special Ops Unit trained together before being deployed on missions.

While the cadets lived and ate in the same space, their training regimens varied depending on the mission.

Swoosh…

A hulking demon, easily twice Saria’s size, approached her.

“Saria, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“The Arkand Baron who will soon be stationed here. I heard you witnessed his sparring with Instructor Jeep.”

The identity of the person who had sparred with Instructor Jeep was already a hot topic among the cadets. And, as usual, the one who had obtained this information the fastest was this muscular man.

He was a descendant of the Marquis family, representing Wrath among The Seven Deadly Sins, and his ability to gather intelligence was leagues ahead of the commoners.

“I don’t know about his magic, but his swordsmanship was exceptional.”

“Really? If you say so, he must be quite skilled. I’d like to spar with this ‘Al Arkand’ myself.”

A cadet who had shown no interest in the conversation suddenly perked up at the mention of Al Arkand.

“Wait, Roderick, are you serious? Al Arkand?”

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

“Wow… Things are about to get lively. The Arkand family… aren’t they the ones that Lord Akad wiped out?”

“What? Is that true?”

“Haha! Roderick, this happened before you were even born, so of course, you wouldn’t know. Back then, it was an event every demon in Malasis knew about.”

“There was such an incident? Do you know the reason?”

“It’s classified information, so I can only speculate.”

“Quite shocking…”

Another female cadet nodded in agreement.

“Perhaps that’s why. Despite being the last survivor, he chose the military… maybe to avoid provoking Lord Akad of Greed.”

“Hm… That makes sense. He seems like someone I’d like to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with!”

Unbeknownst to Faust, his reputation among the cadets swung wildly between being an entitled noble exploiting his status to join the Special Ops Unit and being a tragic figure driven to the military by sorrowful circumstances.