Those Who Live Without the Law

Chapter 59

Finding a Loophole

One of the reasons Kairus was able to smile right now was that the Valorn Empire was currently preparing for the international expo.

It was something I’d already heard at the Kellogg mansion. They had mentioned that the structure and design of the glass greenhouse in the mansion’s garden were identical to that of the expo exhibition hall.

Because of that expo, the Rezantin Royal Museum was now in a different state than usual.

'The number of people entering and exiting the vault—normally quite limited—is now exceptionally high.'

The international expo, on the surface, claimed to be about academic achievements and cultural exchange among nations.

But in truth, it was more like a war without violence—a way to boast about the power of one’s country.

'The number of good battle gear a country owns directly reflects its military strength.'

Some of the battle gear stored at the Rezantin Royal Museum had to be selected for exhibition at the expo.

Of course, they wouldn’t be taking out the true treasures among the vault’s items.

Therefore, it was necessary to bring in experts from various fields to examine and evaluate the contents of the vault.

“If I miss this moment, I might never get another chance.”

The international expo was only held once every few years.

On top of that, since the Valorn Empire was the current host, there would be no chance for the empire to host another for quite some time after this one concluded.

'If they weren’t the host, the Valorn Empire wouldn’t be preparing for the expo with such passion.'

It was a dangerous situation, but even so, it could only be described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to plunder the Rezantin Museum.

“The investigation team has already been dispatched.”

According to the data Spring Parsley had collected before stepping away from this operation, a vault investigation committee was already active in the museum.

'One hundred seventy-five people, all experts in their respective fields.'

That was the size of the group dispatched to examine the battle gear inside the vault. Nearly every day, these people were coming in and out of the vault repeatedly.

The designated access hours were from 8:30 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon.

Due to contamination concerns, they had their lunch outside and re-entered afterward. And that was exactly the moment Kairus needed to target.

'In other instances, entries and exits aren’t done as a group.'

But after lunch, all 175 experts returned to the vault at once.

Naturally, there would be a headcount, but that was fine.

'All I have to do is get rid of one person and take their place.'

It was different from impersonating an imperial soldier. The investigation team had only been launched three days ago. It was impossible for all 175 members to remember each other’s faces in that short time.

It was true that an innocent person would become a victim. But at this point, Kairus had no reason to hesitate.

The moment he failed, death at the hands of Dana Watson or Cecilia would be inevitable. Right now, Kairus had no room to worry about anyone else.

“As a specialist from a field with many personnel.”

He needed to disguise himself as an expert from a field with a large number of assigned personnel. One might think it would be better to pose as an expert from a less-staffed field.

But if there were only two or three specialists in a particular area, everyone would inevitably memorize each other’s faces in no time.

[“You’re a specialist in that too? So am I!”]

It wasn’t hard to imagine people getting close instantly over something like that. If they had already memorized each other's faces, any disguise would be meaningless.

Once the disguise was uncovered, a report would go up immediately… and then Dana Watson would swing Angelene’s Answer down on Kairus’s head.

“A specialist in evaluating battle gear performance.”

There were as many as 47 of those in the investigation committee. Moreover, Kairus could somewhat mimic the role of a battle gear performance expert.

He couldn’t pull it off as perfectly as impersonating a noble, so a few minutes of conversation would likely tip off the real experts…

But that didn’t matter. Trying to chat with others while using a forged identity was already insane to begin with.

'What Simid Kellogg requested was the catalog of stored items in the vault.'

Even if Kairus went in alone and tried to steal as many battle gear as he could, the most he could get would be two or three.

The Treasury Chief knew that as well. That’s why what he had asked for was the catalog—a list indexing what battle gear were in the vault.

How many pieces of battle gear there were, what unique abilities each had, and how much output they possessed.

‘To put it simply, it’s an analysis of the enemy’s forces.’

Uncovering the hidden military strength of the Empire—that was the true essence of Simid Kellogg’s request to Kairus.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

He was fated to die here anyway. He had to claw out a way to survive.

While securing the list to hand over to Simid from the Rezantin Royal Museum, he also needed to grab something he could use to strike a deal with the Rose Garden.

With his thoughts organized, Kairus immediately called for Irena and said he wanted to visit the museum.

“The museum, huh?”

When Kairus said that, Irena let out a laugh and then asked him again.

Rather than going in alone, having Irena—a knight of the Scarlet Leaf Order even if only an apprentice—accompany him would raise far less suspicion.

“I mean, we’re in Rezantin City. We can’t skip the Royal Museum.”

The problem was, Irena didn’t know she was a hostage right now, nor did she know the real reason Kairus had come here.

In the first place, it was likely that only Jerry, the successor, knew that Simid Kellogg was plotting a rebellion or perhaps even Jerry didn’t know.

“You’re not seriously the guy trying to rob the vault of the Rezantin Royal Museum, are you?”

Irena tossed the joke at Kairus playfully. And that joke, in truth, wasn’t far from reality.

“How’d you know? My goal is to set fire to the vault.”

Knowing that Irena was joking, Kairus casually played along.

“I should report you to the captain. You’re pretty skilled, but in front of the captain, you’d be reduced to minced meat.”

Strangely enough, not a single word coming from Irena was wrong.

“I’m fine with the museum. I was planning to stop by since I’m already here. But—”

She spoke and pointed to the sword strapped at her waist.

“Swift Blade. You’re going to teach me, right? I took a long leave of absence and agreed to travel all the way to Bennett City—a place known as a filthy dump—just based on your word.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

He’d teach her whatever he could.

“Even if you’re a slow learner, I won’t give up on you.”

“Cut the crap. There’s no way I’m a slow learner. I even broke out of that damned closet room in just a week.”

“I got out in three days.”

At Kairus’s words, Irena frowned hard.

“There’s a military garrison here, so there should be a training ground for the knights, right?”

“Oh, we’re doing this now? Works for me!”

Irena led the way, motioning with her hand as she walked toward the door.

“Follow me. Teach me Swift Blade in the morning. We can head to the museum after lunch, right?”

After arriving at the training ground following Irena’s lead, Kairus stood in front of her and began to explain.

“Swift Blade is about controlling the wind. Naturally, you need wind to use it. If there’s no wind, you have to start by creating it. Wind is generated by swinging the sword.”

And the most fundamental factor in generating wind with a sword swing—was strength.

“Technique is about amplifying and sustaining the wind once it's made.”

The efficiency of an engine only means something after you’ve secured the coal or oil to put into the tank.

Likewise, techniques for amplifying and sustaining the wind only become meaningful once you can actually generate it.

“Strength? That’s surprisingly simple. I thought it’d be something grand, with all the rumors floating around about that sword style.”

“Basics are always simple and essential. That’s how everything is.”

When Kairus drew Stained Glass and swung it, a sharp blade of wind shot out and left a gash in the dirt ground.

“If all you want is to generate a wind that can hurt someone, this is enough.”

But Swift Blade didn’t stop there.

Kairus said that as he pulled a tissue from the box and tossed it into the air.

“Everyone can create a strong gust easily, but there are very few who can do something like this or even try.”

He swung his sword toward the gently falling tissue.

The tissue rode the soft breeze he created, fluttering and drifting weightlessly in the air.

“Keep it floating in the air for ten minutes without damaging it.”

That was where Swift Blade truly began. Creating a strong wind was just a matter of swinging the sword with force. That wasn't skill—it was just output.

Anyone could make wind if they swung a sword with all their strength using good battle gear.

“Ten minutes? Is that even possible?”

Irena asked Kairus, and he nodded.

“For the record, I’m not giving you any hints.”

Even though he had them, he wouldn’t say. It would be meaningless unless she figured it out herself. And most of the time, things learned from someone else couldn’t be applied to other situations.

‘She hasn’t undergone the procedure, so Featherwing’s Early Sense is impossible for her…’

To become a swordsman who used Swift Blade, one had to reach Grand Resonance. And this exercise was both part of learning Swift Blade and the first step toward that state.

“You… youuuugh!”

“Jeez, the tissue looks pitiful.”

Shredded into dozens of pieces, the tissue scattered like snow and fell to the ground.

Time passed. Irena’s eyes were bloodshot.

She was focusing to an extreme degree, trying to maintain and trap the wind without letting the tissue fall.

“Let’s get lunch.”

To Kairus’s suggestion, Irena responded,

“I’m fine!”

“Well, I’m not. We’ve got to eat and head to the museum.”

As Kairus said that, Irena was about to snap, “Go by yourself!” but instead let out a suppressed groan.

“Yeah… wandering around alone would definitely look suspicious.”

With a disappointed expression, she looked down at the tissue fragments on the ground and then sheathed her sword at her waist again.

“It’s not like I was on the verge of some great revelation anyway.”

“Shut it. I might’ve figured something out if I’d gone just a little longer, alright?!”

Irena immediately shot back at Kairus’s remark. But Kairus knew the truth.

The way she was using her sword just now, she would never be able to reach the goal he had set.

But if she just changed her method, Irena could easily keep a tissue floating in the air intact.

‘Not just for ten minutes—ten hours would be possible.’

That was what insight was. Once you learned the trick and became familiar with it, things that once seemed impossible suddenly became doable.

He had presented Irena with a goal to achieve. As she worked toward that goal, she would naturally take a step forward.

“I was hoping for a more kind and attentive teacher.”

“You may see me as a teacher, but I’m not one.”

What Kairus could offer Irena wasn’t really the role of a teacher—it was closer to that of a senior.

Rather than firmly showing her the path, he could share what he knew and give advice to help her improve on her own.

‘My own learning isn’t deep enough to be responsible for someone else’s swordsmanship.’

But for someone with Irena’s talent, that would be more than enough.

“Ugh, I hate military food.”

Irena muttered with a dissatisfied expression, glaring at the mashed chickpeas in the corner of her tray.

No matter how much of a knight one was, it was hard to get used to military rations.