Chapter 149

Lord.

The time it took for a Shepherd to receive that title was immeasurably vast.

Silence.

When he had barely begun to understand even a fraction of that state all Shadow Shepherds yearned to achieve—

– Child, from now on, you are the second dog of our clan.

From the King.

He was acknowledged by the father of the clan.

– Ahh, my King.

The Lord’s body trembled.

His heart pounded.

Shuuuuu…….

Upon becoming the Lord, the shadow enveloping him deepened by another layer.

His father, sensing it, said—

– If I am gone, you must save the children from the darkness.

– You must further hone that technique and lead our Shepherds to become a stronger clan. Do you understand?

The weight of responsibility pressed down on his shoulders.

– Child.

If.

– We must remember.

If a chance to escape this barren darkness ever comes.

If we could stop shivering in this temperature close to absolute zero.

If that could truly happen—

– You must never forget this resentment.

– There is such a thing as justice in this universe. The moment that justice is violated, we too have no choice but to abandon our loyalty.

The father looked around.

Blind members of the Shadow Clan wandered about.

Some stumbled and fell as they walked, while others huddled together just to endure the cold.

– Since a very long time ago, our clan has sacrificed much for him. There was no reason or condition for that Sacrifice. Simply because it was him. Because he was our beloved master. We lived only for him.

A loyal dog.

A faithful dog.

– We were our master’s hands and feet. Sometimes we became weapons to bite and tear at enemies, ambushing them, and other times we became shadows to deliver information.

– My King…….

– But what was the result?

The Shadow Shepherd King looked around.

Countless Shepherds were gaunt and withered.

There was no strength in their steps.

– We lost our eyes. We lost warmth and became savage dogs. The newly born children, including you, do not even know what I look like. You cannot perceive your own appearance either. A father cannot see his child, and a child cannot see its father. Beyond unhappiness, we have become unable to even know what happiness is.

When the rabbit is caught, the hunting dog is boiled and eaten.

A dog used and then abandoned.

– That’s right. We were not the objects of our master’s love, but his tools. Tools to be thrown away when worn out.

– I am angry.

The Lord ground his teeth.

His father’s sorrow—the heart of one betrayed—gouged at his own heart.

He hadn’t known before becoming the Lord.

It had been that way since birth, so he’d thought it was natural.

But after reading his father’s memories—

Rage flooded his entire body.

– Therefore, I will surely take it back.

If it was something we originally had, then it is our right.

If it was stolen by someone, then we must naturally take it back.

For himself.

And for the countless children of the clan.

Fwoosh!

The dark energy around the Lord’s body flared violently.

It was the moment a loyal dog became a mad dog.

—

– Honestly, it’s laughable.

The Lord looked at me.

– I’ll admit that other beings can imitate the techniques of shadow to a minuscule degree, but in my eyes, your level is still far too low.

“……”

I didn’t answer.

Lord?

The strongest dog among those who have never seen anything since birth?

I don’t know about that crap.

Nor do I want to know.

If he’s in front of me, I’ll just fight.

Swish!

I extended my foot into the wavering shadow.

I could feel the Lord move as well, without hesitation.

‘Hmm?’

But I could only feel it faintly.

I couldn’t hear anything.

‘Where did he go?’

I furrowed my brow.

The Elder, perhaps aware I was in the middle of training, didn’t give me any hints.

He wants me to find him myself, right?

I focused within the black field of vision where I could see nothing.

The only things restricted to me were sight and hearing.

Not seeing and not hearing is nothing special.

Things I had always trained through the Supreme Azure Mind Method.

Tat!

Following the strange sense of dissonance I’d felt earlier, I thrust my spear in that direction.

Something.

Into a space where there was no warmth—only cold ruthlessness.

Kwaaang!

‘Good.’

I can feel the impact.

There’s an opponent.

That means it’s not as hard as I thought…….

“Hup?”

At that moment, a tremendous force flew toward my abdomen.

Was it the top of his foot?

I instinctively twisted my waist and raised my sharp spear.

A Godslayer-grade spear that could even rend a dragon’s skin.

– Hoo.

I heard his voice.

– I won’t apologize for calling you laughable. You’re quite good.

“Of course. Someone like you, who isn’t even the King, is no match for me.”

– Such insolent words. In that case, I can press you a little harder, can’t I?

“By all means.”

A battle.

No, a fight had begun.

—

Indeed.

The movements of the Shadow Shepherd Lord were not to be taken lightly.

The first clash had only been a probe.

His movements grew more precise, faster, and cleaner.

As time passed, he became harder to deal with.

‘Damn it.’

Land a spear on him?

I couldn’t even do that.

I was just busy scrambling away after sensing the incoming attacks.

– Speed is what dominates a fight. With that level of shadow arts, you don’t stand a chance of beating me.

Attacks came from all directions at once.

They probably weren’t truly simultaneous.

It just felt that way.

Proof that my senses couldn’t keep up with his speed.

– How do you plan to win by just running away like that? Are you planning to fight for a lifetime?

The Lord cannot kill me.

Because the King had set a condition not to harm me.

So he could only strike with a certain degree of force.

“Well, I’m learning as I go.”

– You think you can close this enormous gap just by learning?

“Yeah, it might be possible. In our world, we call that a heaven-sent talent, a genius.”

Of course, only my body was close to a genius’s.

And that was created by the Elder’s grand method…….

Tadadat!

I kept moving.

– Truly… what clumsy shadows, no matter how many times I see them.

The Lord moved as well.

– While trying to imitate the techniques of shadow, you don’t even understand our essence.

Sssst!

The Lord’s body shimmered like a heat haze.

– Shall I teach you a little? To live in this world without sight is truly like a living hell.

Sorrow seeped into his shadow.

– Have you ever felt fear just from the fact that you have to go somewhere? Do you know of a clan for whom breaking a leg is a daily occurrence because they fall more often than they walk? As long as you don’t understand that pain, you can’t say you fully understand the shadow arts.

“That clan. You’re trying to say that’s you guys, right?”

Fwoong!

His claw grazed the tip of my cheek.

“Well, since you guys move well now, it must be your pups. The little ones.”

– That’s right. We couldn’t walk from the moment we were born, either.

“If it’s something like that, well.”

I nodded.

“I may not have lived it, but I have felt it.”

– You’ve felt it? You?

“Of course.”

After dodging the claw, I threw my spear toward where it came from.

Sssst!

I felt it graze skin—he dodged as well.

“I’ve felt it.”

One of my skills.

[Skill: Memory Reenactment]

[Grade: S]

[Effect 1: Reads the memories of the deceased.]

In the past.

Through this, I read the memories of the Sun Spear.

I shared and felt its emotions vividly.

– Nonsense. You understand our pain?

“Emotions are relative, Shepherd.”

I shook my head.

“Just as a cut on your own finger hurts more than a broken bone on the guy next to you. Everyone lives with their own pain in their hearts.”

It’s sadder to lose a loved one right now—

Than for someone on the other side of the world to die in an accident.

A war between foreign countries is less concerning—

Than your own country joining a war.

– …….

“And yet, if you insist only on the pain of your clan.”

Sssst! Sssssst!

His claws and my spear grazed past each other.

“Then I’ll insist that the emotions I felt were more painful than yours.”

I started to find a rhythm.

The shadow grew more familiar.

And as it grew familiar, I could sense where and how he was coming.

“The child, like you, lost his eyes as soon as he was born. It wasn’t that there was no light in the first place—he lost his sight to someone else’s malice.”

– My eyes ache as if they’re being stabbed!

– I don’t know why, but everything is trying to kill me.

“All of you lost your sight. So you share that pain together. But the child was alone. He had to learn to walk alone, and he had to satisfy his hunger by instinct. He ate dirt and poisonous herbs, learning everything one by one, all by himself.”

– I’m lonely.

– Why does the world hate me?

(T/N: I’m assuming it’s a small flashback from Sunny’s memory.)

Thwack!

This time, my spear struck the top of his foot.

I felt his shadow waver in surprise.

“It would have been better if he’d been blind from the start. If you never knew happiness, then fine. But the child had his happiness stolen. Isn’t it more painful to be unable to do something you used to do, than to have never known it at all?”

“My liege……”

Perhaps Sunny was listening from the side.

I heard a choked voice.

That punk.

Our Sunny was in more pain than those guys.

What are they whining about?

– You…….

His emotions sharpened.

The King must have told him not to kill me, but his killing intent thickened.

His claws grew sharper, and his speed turned fiercer.

– You dare to scorn the pain of our clan!

Sssst! Sssssst!

His claws shot out.

They came in from all four cardinal directions.

Step.

I dodged with a single step.

It was the Unrivaled Supreme Footwork fused with shadow.

“Of course, I’m not ignoring the pain of your Shadow Clan.”

Fwoong!

My spear cut through empty air.

This time, he flinched and dodged.

The sense of dissonance grew stronger, and now I could read his movements cleanly.

Is this what true shadow arts are?

Am I also getting a brief taste of the state of Silence?

“Pain is relative. I said so from the beginning.”

Fwoong!

I twisted my waist sharply.

The direction of my thrust bent toward where he was dodging, like a guided missile.

– What is this……?

He was flustered by the sudden change, but—

I didn’t stop.

Not for a moment.

Confidently.

Naturally.

Puk!

I thrust the spear in.

I felt the Godslayer spear pierce skin smoothly.

‘Ah, finally.’

I did it.

I knew it without opening my eyes.

My spear had pierced the very center of his neck.

– …….

His skin stiffened in shock.

The pounding of his heart, the thinning of his breath—

Everything traveled into my fingertips.

– Indeed.

His voice trembled with excitement.

– Is that your shadow?

I opened my eyes.

The Shepherd with the cross-shaped scar on his left eye was silently staring in my direction.

– Yes.

Although he couldn’t see, it felt like he truly wanted to.

– Now that’s a skill worthy of the Shadow Clan.

“……”

He acknowledged me coolly.

Then he grinned and began to disperse, slowly.

According to Delilah’s contract, he must be returning to his original world.

– It was a good fight.

He muttered as he disappeared.

Watching him, I smiled back.

Someday.

Might a day come when I can see this guy again?

For some reason, I had a feeling it would.

“It was a good fight for me too, cross-scarred doggy.”

A message appeared in my vision.

[You have acquired the skill, ‘Silence (No Sound)’ (S-Grade).]

[This skill has room for further growth.]