SWNOVELXO Chapter 134 - Betrayal (5)
Chapter 134: Betrayal (5)
Clarice and Yuri first encountered each other a few days ago.
It was on the same day that Yuri had fed Gilbert false information.
To wrap things up perfectly, Yuri and Arin staged an attack on the 2nd squad and then fled.
While the remaining squad members were busy cleaning up, Clarice took a few squad members who were fast and skilled in tracking to pursue their trail.
Clarice’s goal was to find the hideout where Squad 1 was hiding.
If they couldn’t pinpoint it, their goal was at least to narrow down the search area.
So, they aimed to avoid battle as much as possible and continue the pursuit without overextending.
That was the plan, but…
“Huff, huff.”
Clarice gasped for breath, kneeling on the ground.
‘Splitting up the squad… was a bad choice.’
There were three of them on the pursuit, including him.
However, midway through, the tracks they were following had split into two.
‘They anticipated our pursuit and split up.’
As a result, Clarice had gone left on his own, while the other two went right.
And that choice led to the current situation.
Clarice bit his lip tightly.
‘That bastard left tracks on purpose to lure me into a counterattack.’
Yuri Holland had suddenly appeared while Clarice was tracking, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
This entire scenario proved that Yuri Holland had set a trap.
Panting heavily, Clarice raised his head to look at Yuri.
Unlike him, Yuri wasn’t sweating a single drop.
Clarice had to admit it.
‘He’s strong.’
Yuri Holland was truly strong.
Despite his full-strength punches, they never reached Yuri.
‘If I had been fully armed… would the outcome have been different?’
He pondered that thought, but he felt that the result wouldn’t have changed much.
Clang—
The silver gauntlet shook violently in his tightly clenched fist.
Clarice gritted his teeth, glaring at Yuri.
“Are you toying with me? You could’ve ended this already, so why haven’t you?”
His attacks hadn’t connected, but Yuri’s could have hit at any time.
Yuri had even been the one to launch the ambush.
Yet he didn’t deliver any decisive blows.
He only engaged lightly, as if it were a sparring match, or simply playing around.
It wounded Clarice’s pride.
In response, Yuri shrugged.
“I wasn’t playing with you. I just found it a bit entertaining.”
“Huh?”
Was this bastard playing word games?
Clarice scoffed at Yuri’s comment, which basically meant the same thing.
Seeing Clarice’s derisive smile, Yuri waved his hand dismissively.
“Oh no, don’t get me wrong. That’s not what I meant. I once fought someone else who used punches, but you felt different from them. Comparing the two was kind of fun. Also… your condition is intriguing.”
“What are you talking about? My condition?”
“When I fought the other guy, it felt like punches were his perfect weapon, but you seem… lacking? How should I put it, you’re not just someone who uses fists, but…”
Yuri, deep in thought, clapped his own fist into his palm.
“Oh! Yeah, it’s your body! You’re not just a fist fighter, but someone who also uses fists!”
“……?!”
“Hmm, and your habits are odd too. Why do you put your body in the way of attacks you should avoid? Why is that? Oh, wait, is what you learned not barehanded fighting?”
“…….”
Watching Yuri discern his specialty and habits from just a single fight, Clarice couldn’t help but feel a grudging admiration, even as an enemy.
Clarice spoke quietly, seeing Yuri’s keen eyes observing him with interest.
“My name is Clarice Van.”
“So?”
“…Have you heard of the Van family?”
“Was I supposed to? Seriously, you guys from the Cradle love to brag about your family names.”
Seeing Yuri’s sudden change in attitude, Clarice sighed.
“Sigh, it’s armored combat.”
“Armored combat?”
“The knights of the Van family don’t wield swords. Instead, they master martial arts using full-body armor.”
Knights of the Van family who don’t wield swords.
While other knights used metal full-body armor as a supplementary tool, the Van family fully weaponized it.
Hearing Clarice’s explanation, Yuri’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh, so that’s why instead of dodging, you were charging to tank the hits—because you’re used to deflecting attacks with your armor.”
“…Yeah.”
Clarice sighed once more after answering.
“If that’s clear now, let’s cut the chatter and finish this. I’ve lost, so I won’t beg for mercy.”
Clarice said this as he threw his armband to Yuri.
The 9-1 armband.
Yuri caught it, then seemed to ponder something briefly before tossing it back to Clarice with a grin.
Holding the returned armband, Clarice stared at Yuri in confusion.
“What… what’s the meaning of this?”
“I needed another person, and you seem like the perfect fit.”
“……?”
“I want you to do a job with me.”
“A job?”
“You’ll be on my side but operating over there.”
“…What do you mean?”
“What I mean is, even though you’ll be on my side, you’ll work from within that group, gather some intel, do what I say, that kind of stuff.”
Clarice scoffed.
“So you’re asking me to be a spy.”
“Exactly.”
“Why should I do that? For what reason?”
At Clarice’s derisive question, Yuri answered with a single word.
“Full-body armor.”
“What?”
“You probably need full-body armor the most right now, right?”
“…….”
It was true.
Among the cadets, those pursuing the knight path couldn’t fully exhibit their skills without full-body armor.
While other knights were operating at about 80% of their full potential due to the lack of full-body armor, Clarice was only at 40-50%.
So, full-body armor was the most pressing need for him.
Clarice looked at Yuri with distrustful eyes.
“You’re saying you can get me full-body armor?”
“To be exact, not the armor itself, but a custom equipment crafting right. You know they give one piece of custom gear to each member of the winning squad, right?”
Clarice knew, of course.
That was why he desperately wanted to win.
Seeing the doubt in his eyes, Yuri smiled.
“Even if I can’t give you the winning points, I can at least give you the crafting right.”
“You’re saying you’ll give me your equipment crafting right?”
Yuri’s expression turned sour at once.
“Are you crazy? Why would I give that to you?”
“…Are you mocking me right now?”
As Clarice glared at him angrily, Yuri pulled something out of his pocket.
Clarice’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight.
‘Is that…?’
What Yuri pulled out of his pocket was none other than an armband.
And the number on it was entirely unexpected.
“1-4? Where did you get that?”
The armband clearly displayed the number 1-4.
‘There were only three members in Squad 1, though?’
So where had that armband come from?
Yuri answered casually.
“I asked for it, and they gave it to me.”
“They just… gave it to you? The Black Sword Corps?”
“Yeah.”
Yuri waved the 1-4 armband in front of Clarice’s bewildered face.
“My equipment crafting right is mine, though.”
“…….”
“But if you join my squad and we win together, you’ll also get your own equipment crafting right, won’t you?”
“Is that… is that even possible?”
“There’s no rule saying you can’t swap out squad members, right?”
“……?!”
With just that one sentence from Yuri, Clarice seemed to have a major realization and trembled slightly.
‘Right, if my squad can’t win… I can just join a squad with a higher chance of winning?!’
Seeing the light return to Clarice’s eyes, Yuri smirked.
“So, will you work with me or not?”
Without hesitation, Clarice replied.
“What do I need to do first?”
* * *
After that, following Yuri’s instructions, Clarice used Gilbert to frame Schleiman as a traitor.
Clarice played the role of fanning the flames that Yuri had sparked.
When the internal division that Yuri had intended caused defections, he immediately moved on to the next operation.
[When defectors emerge, keep an eye on the situation and offer to become a spy to get out.]
However, not everything unfolded as Yuri had intended.
Originally, Clarice was supposed to say he would become a spy and then leave, but Gunther’s side ended up proposing it first.
Following Yuri’s instructions, Clarice leaked information about “swapping out squad members” and defected from Schleiman’s camp.
From then on, Clarice operated as a double agent under Yuri’s guidance, relaying information.
The objective was simple.
Gradually build trust and use that as a basis to push for creating an elite squad through “member swapping.”
After securing the promise of a squad leader position in that elite unit, Clarice’s final mission was to tear up the armband and decimate the elite forces.
‘Honestly, it was easier thanks to Gunther managing things…’
Even so, Yuri Holland’s ability to foresee and manipulate situations, turning them to his advantage, was truly astounding.
‘To think this would actually be possible.’
Although there were minor variables during the process, in the end, everything turned out as Yuri had planned.
Clarice couldn’t help but feel both shock and fear toward Yuri Holland, who had orchestrated all this with near-perfect foresight.
‘Siding with Yuri Holland… was the best choice I made.’
Having made a choice without regret, Clarice extended his hand toward Yuri.
“It’s time for me to be rewarded for my efforts, don’t you think?”
“Of course.”
Yuri smiled and pulled an armband out of his pocket in response to Clarice’s demand.
Swoosh—
Clarice swiftly removed his 12-9 armband and put on the 1-4 armband.
Arin and Poppy gasped at the sight.
“W-what the heck! Was he on our side?!”
“I-I’m hungry!”
“Oh, he was my secret agent.”
“W-what?!”
“I-I’m hungry!”
Arin’s eyes went wide as she finally noticed the 1-4 number and shouted in surprise.
“What is that? 1-4? Where did you get that?”
“I asked for it, and they gave it to me.”
“Wow… so when you were always sneaking off alone, it was because of that?”
“What, did you think I was just playing around?”
“No, but… wait! Then why didn’t you tell us about it?”
“I’m hungry!”
As Arin and Poppy protested, Yuri dug into his ear nonchalantly.
“Haven’t you heard that to fool your enemies, you must first fool your allies?”
Whoosh—
Yuri blew the earwax off his pinky with a puff of air.
It was so irritating that Arin and Poppy couldn’t stop hissing in annoyance.
Ignoring them, Yuri glanced around at the dazed onlookers and spoke.
“Alright, those with the 9 armbands, time to leave.”
He waved his hand dismissively as if the whole thing were a bother, and only then did those who had been part of Squad 9 realize their situation.
Among them was Schleiman.
‘How could it… end so meaninglessly…?’
Everything he had planned fell apart so easily.
No, it hadn’t even gotten to the point of a proper attempt.
Beyond disbelief, he felt utterly deflated.
But what could he do?
Regardless of how the situation had unfolded, Squad 9 was wiped out according to the rules.
Grit—
Schleiman clenched his teeth, leading the former Squad 9 members to step back, swallowing their anger.
And standing there, still in a daze, was Gunther.
Betrayed by someone he had trusted, the shock was intense, and he bit his lip to snap back to his senses.
‘It’s not… it’s not over yet. Pull yourself together, Gunther Irons!’
Even if half of his forces were taken out, it also meant that the other half remained.
‘We can still do this!’
Regaining his composure, Gunther shouted.
“We’re ten, and they’re three… no, four! We can still take them! Everyone, get it together!”
At his cry, the members of Squad 7 quickly pulled themselves together and nodded.
‘Yeah, we’ve got some skilled fighters on our side too!’
‘You never know until you try!’
They expected Squad 1’s power to be formidable, but they also had meticulously selected elites from Schleiman’s camp.
They felt confident they could put up a good fight.
As the members of Squad 7 started to muster their fighting spirit—
“Waaaaait!”
Yuri’s loud shout interrupted, deflating the rising determination.
Yuri flashed a grin at the Squad 7 members who were now flinching.
“Think about it carefully. Even if you somehow manage to win against me here… do you think you can actually win the whole thing?”
Yuri wagged his finger back and forth.
“No way! In the end, you’d have to fight each other tooth and nail again. Am I wrong?”
No one could argue since he wasn’t wrong.
Only silence followed.
Seeing their pitiful expressions, Yuri clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk, there’s an easier path, but you all insist on taking the hard and tiring one?”
“…….”
“Alright, focus up. I’m about to show you the easy, quick, and comfortable way.”
Saying that, Yuri pointed his thumb at Clarice’s 1-4 armband next to him.
“Do you really think I only brought that one? Come on, I’m not that petty.”
“……?”
As soon as he finished, question marks popped up over many heads.
And from a distance, an exclamation mark popped up over Schleiman’s head as he watched the scene.
‘That guy, no way!’
Schleiman’s eyes widened as Yuri pulled out six armbands from his pockets, his hands now full.
“1-5 is 50,000, 1-6 is 60,000, 1-7 is 70,000, 1-8 is 80,000, 1-9 is 90,000, and… 1-10 is 100,000 points!”
Yuri spread out the six armbands and smiled.
“Now, the carriage to an easy and comfortable victory is ready! Those who board first will get a discount!”
“……?!”
“Life is first come, first served, my friends.”
With a friendly and persuasive voice, Yuri drove in the final nail.
The six armbands fluttered in his hands, and the pupils of Squad 7’s members shook violently, as if in an earthquake.