Chapter 9: Akina Crowflin (2)
by Afuhfuihgs“F-Full marks.”
The voice of the flustered examiner hits my ears.
After scoring full marks in the reaction speed test following the physical fitness test, I perfectly passed all the evaluation items of the second practical exam.
Hearing the result, I can’t help but laugh inwardly.
‘This is easier than I thought.’
In truth, I hadn’t shown it to Ray, but I had been a bit worried when I heard about the practical exam.
The practical exam primarily evaluates the applicant’s “physical abilities,” such as strength, stamina, and reaction speed.
These evaluation criteria seemed quite disadvantageous to me in my current state.
‘Who would have thought I’d return to my previous condition…?’
My return was unusual.
Normally, if you go to another world and come back, it’s natural to retain everything you experienced and went through there… But I lost a lot of it.
The swordsmanship theories and understanding, as well as the sword techniques stored in my head, all remained, but my thoroughly trained body and face reverted to how they were ten years ago, before my return.
In other words, I, who had been in my 30s, returned to Edgar in my 20s.
That’s why Ray and her father didn’t notice anything strange when I returned.
‘This isn’t just a return; it’s more like a regression.’
In essence, I came back with only my memories.
At first, I was confused, wondering if everything I had experienced was just a dream and not reality.
Anyway, thanks to this peculiar phenomenon, my face had become as youthful as in my early 20s, but my physical state also returned to the worst condition it had been in back then.
Although there was no problem demonstrating my swordsmanship, it became an issue in this practical exam, which required various physical abilities.
I might have truly failed below the standards.
I wasn’t worried about this for no reason.
‘Thank goodness for Fate.’
And.
What helped me compensate for that terrible physical condition was Fate.
More precisely, it was the ‘Inevitability’ attached to the second crossroad of <Battlefield Sword Demon>.
“The shadow of inevitable fate approaches!
“You are a hero possessing the Inevitability of <Indomitable Body>. This inevitability is tied to the second crossroad of the <Swordsman> Fate, <Battlefield Sword Demon>.”
“<Indomitable Body> grants enhanced physical conditions. This body provides an optimal state at any time and place, and in extreme situations, it doesn’t tire, allowing you to move even more intensely than usual.”
<Indomitable Body> grants enhanced physical conditions and is a special ability that prevents the body from easily tiring in special situations like a ‘battlefield.’
The moment I gripped the gladius at my family’s ancestral home a week ago,
all five crossroads bloomed, and I acquired Inevitabilities, one of which was this.
At first, I couldn’t quite grasp the extent of the ‘enhanced physical conditions,’ but after moving my body and testing my physical abilities, I realized that the level was far from low.
At least enough to surpass all the hero cadets in the swordsmanship department.
Even among the instructor candidates applying this time, none would be able to keep up with me.
It will take a little time to fully recover my pre-return physical condition, but I now have the minimum body condition necessary to perform my main sword technique, <Valut Swordsmanship>.
Anyway, the result of all this…
I had scored full marks in both the first and second practical exams.
“The third practical exam will soon be held in the indoor training hall of the Swordsmanship Department! Applicants, please enter the hall with your own sword or a rental sword provided by the department.”
And then, the third practical exam immediately follows.
Now, it was time for the Tristan Swordsmanship Manual that Ray had urgently obtained to shine.
“Applicants numbered 111 to 120, please enter Test Room 1 now.”
The third practical exam is conducted simultaneously in several divided test rooms.
Thanks to that, even though I had a later number, my turn came quickly.
I enter the room alongside other applicants, whose nervousness is evident.
A vague fear of the unfamiliar environment.
Seeing the faces of these rookies, I felt a strange emotion.
‘…This is fun.’
At first, I only started the instructor test because my father suggested it.
I needed to readjust to this world, and I was sick of the battlefield, so I accepted the proposal.
But as the exam progressed, I found myself enjoying it more and more.
-Starting anew from the very beginning.
That small voice knocked on me from somewhere.
It had already been 10 years since I fought wars on that foreign land.
It had been such a long time since I’d started something completely from scratch.
Just like the excitement I felt when I first held a sword.
Just like the thrill of my first victory in battle.
For some reason, a feeling of elation had settled in a corner of my heart.
“Welcome, applicants, to the Tristan Officer Academy Instructor Test. We are current instructors actively teaching in the Swordsmanship Department of Tristan Academy. We will also be the examiners for your third practical exam.”
As soon as I entered the room, one of the instructors, who had a long beard, began to speak.
Even though he was just standing still, the intense energy radiating from him was palpable.
From a single glance, I could tell that this instructor was powerful.
“There is one thing we haven’t told you yet. Along with the third practical exam, there will also be an interview conducted by us, the current instructors. The interviews will be held randomly after the third practical exam, so please be aware of this as you proceed.”
The sudden addition of an interview evaluation.
I could see the applicants becoming restless, but the examiners gave them no extra time.
Though the evaluation is thorough, the process itself proceeds swiftly—that is the Tristan instructor exam.
“Well then, please begin.”
After a brief preparation period, the evaluation begins immediately.
“Hup! Hup!”
“Haaah…!!”
The applicants, who had been sneaking glances at each other, quickly followed with energetic shouts as they began their movements.
In any exam, confidence always earns extra points.
Though flustered by the unfamiliar situation, the applicants at least hadn’t forgotten that principle.
I glanced at them briefly, and then, I too raised my sword.
The third practical evaluation.
The demonstration of Tristan swordsmanship.
It was time to begin.
‘Start.’
The Tristan swordsmanship.
All the basic techniques within it are already ingrained in my mind.
I slowly begin to execute the nine moves with the sword in my hand.
Horizontal slash, vertical slash, thrust, spinning slash…
It’s a sword technique filled with simple moves, but it requires focus to execute perfectly.
‘Neither too fast nor too slow.’
A steady pace and precise movements.
Not too much, not too little.
I perform the movements containing only the essential elements.
Through theoretical ‘understanding,’ I imbue the sword with everything the technique intends to convey.
The Tristan swordsmanship.
The most fundamental swordsmanship of the kingdom, containing only the essence of what can be done with a sword.
Within the sword I wield,
all its subtleties were embedded.
‘-End.’
As I counted the beginning and the end to myself,
and completed the nine moves of the swordsmanship,
I lowered my sword.
Then, slowly, I calmed my breathing and raised my head.
The other applicants had already dropped their swords and were waiting for their evaluations.
I had performed my demonstration slightly later than the others.
And then.
In front of us sat the nine examiners.
For some reason, they sat silently, staring straight ahead.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt like all their gazes were focused on me.
“Everyone, well done. Now, we will proceed with the interview for the instructors…”
Just as the bearded examiner, who appeared to be the moderator, was about to speak,
“Applicant 118.”
Suddenly.
One of the female examiners on the edge spoke up.
A red-haired examiner with a beautiful appearance.
Just like the bearded examiner, she exuded a powerful presence.
I couldn’t help but be impressed when I saw her.
‘She’s strong.’
A definite powerhouse.
Perhaps as strong as, or even stronger than, the bearded examiner.
If not for me, she might be the strongest person in this room.
Maybe that’s why?
With her charismatic words, she drew everyone’s attention.
Though she had interrupted the moderator, the other examiners quietly looked at her.
And 118 was my applicant number.
“Where did you learn that swordsmanship?”
She asked as she looked directly at me.
Since her position matched mine, I unintentionally locked eyes with her.
‘…Those are good eyes.’
And I liked those eyes.
Cold as ice, sharp as if ready to devour her opponent.
But within them lay a deep passion for the sword.
It felt as if she was truly curious about me,
and as a fellow student of the sword, encountering such a gaze was a pleasant experience.
…But why does she seem so familiar?’
I was about to respond lightly when I tilted my head in confusion.
Red hair, a beautiful face.
And a swordsmanship department instructor skilled enough to be an examiner.
These familiar descriptors and that recognizable face.
I’m sure she’s someone I’ve studied before…
Who was it?
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