Chapter 13: Anyway, I will serve you well (2)

There’s an unspoken rule in the world of web novels:

-Skip the explanations everyone already knows.

The “gate” subgenre of modern fantasy was a prime example.

-One day, a gate appeared.

When the genre first emerged, authors had to explain what a gate was, why it appeared, and how it changed society. But as the genre became more common, that single sentence sufficed. Readers, with their accumulated experience, understood the implications. And through my conversation with Violet, I realized she was as well-versed in web novels as I was. She understood my cryptic references, and she, too, skipped unnecessary explanations.

“Is there a reason for that?”

Her slightly furrowed brow confirmed my suspicion. She was trying to subtly manipulate me.

“Look.”

Was there a need to train the Little Sword Emperor? Objectively, no.

According to her explanation, the Little Sword Emperor was a character with moderate strength, a decent supporting character. Of course, this “moderate” strength was relative to the other male leads and would be considered superhuman by ordinary standards. His role was likely designed to be a reliable companion for Daisy, facing and overcoming challenges together, unlike the aloof Prince Ellen in the original story. With Ellen now firmly attached to Daisy’s side, Aslan’s role was redundant. Besides, even if Ellen wasn’t there, I was stronger than Aslan. However…

“There’s no need for us to fill in for the Little Sword Emperor, is there?”

This was a common theme in web novels. Reincarnating as an extra and helping the protagonist. Knowing the future allowed for satisfying wish-fulfillment, but…

“Why should we go through all that trouble?”

It might be entertaining from a third-person perspective, but as participants, we would be swept up in the main storyline and suffer alongside the protagonists.

“Us…?”

See? She understood what I meant. Her expression hardened. She knew that “us” referred to her and me.

“That ‘us’ doesn’t refer to you and Prince Ellen, does it?”

“It does.”

We were both reincarnated into the same novel, but there was a crucial difference. She was emotionally invested in the story she loved and hated. I, on the other hand, simply thought I was reincarnated into a fantasy world until entering the academy.

“Ellen was never meant to be a major player in the academy arc.”

“He barely does anything in the original, anyway.”

She wasn’t even bothering to hide her intentions anymore. She wanted to use me, just like she wanted to use Ellen, to fix the original storyline.

“This is for the greater good, you know?”

I understood her perspective. The story she’d followed for over 400 chapters had gone off the rails. And now, she had a chance to fix it. I might have done the same.

“Like I said, this has nothing to do with us.”

But that was her problem. I had no attachment to the original story.

“From what I’ve heard, it’s the Empire that suffers from all the incidents in the original. It might affect the Leon Kingdom, but is it necessarily a bad thing?”

An empire wasn’t defined solely by its size and military might. It was an empire because it could manage the diverse cultures and populations within its borders. That also meant that once an empire started to crumble, all sorts of chaos could erupt. And the Leon Kingdom could benefit from that chaos.

“Ha. You’re seriously doing this?”

“Weren’t you the one gaslighting me, saying I ruined everything?”

And who said I was abandoning anything? I said I would take responsibility. Just as I guided Prince Ellen in a positive direction, I could do the same for the Little Sword Emperor. And I’d also said I would fill in for the prince. It was my duty as his instructor, but I wasn’t abandoning anything.

“The Little Sword Emperor can grow stronger and defeat the demon king himself.”

If Prince Ellen went to fight the demon king, I would have to go too. I would go if the world was ending, but if someone else could do it, I wasn’t interested.

“You’re choosing to fight someone who knows the future?”

She growled, but I’d gotten almost everything I needed from her. She probably hadn’t told me everything, but the future was always uncertain. Even a few spoilers were enough to set a general direction. I smiled and flipped her the bird.

“Yeah. You don’t know the ending either, do you?”

She didn’t know everything. No one knew whether the NTR’d Ellen would slay the demon king, or whether the repentant demon king would achieve a happy ending with Daisy.

“You’ll regret this.”

With Violet returning the gesture, our first transmigrator meeting concluded.

****

Know yourself and know your enemy. There was no better saying to describe the essence of Defeat Swordsmanship.

In that sense, my first encounter with Aslan, the Little Sword Emperor, was suboptimal. I didn’t know his true strength, nor did I have a clear understanding of my own capabilities in this world. However, it wasn’t the worst outcome because he was defeated so quickly.

Reputation mattered. Aslan was one of the top ten most renowned freshmen. And he was effortlessly defeated by an unknown classmate. This would lead people to three possible conclusions.

First, the Little Sword Emperor was overrated.

That was a plausible conclusion. Many challenged him.

“The winner, Aslan.”

Aslan accepted forty-two challenges and won them all decisively, proving his worth. His reputation was restored.

Then, the second conclusion: I, the one who defeated him, was incredibly strong.

This led to another question.

“He’s undefeated too.”

“But nothing about him stands out.”

Indeed, there was nothing remarkable about my swordsmanship. It was textbook fundamental techniques. They failed to recognize its true value.

But that wasn’t a bad thing. Aslan’s flashy swordsmanship was more visually impressive, so people would naturally doubt my victory. Perhaps the Little Sword Emperor was just careless. Therefore…

“The winner, Adam Smith.”

In the fourth practical swordsmanship class, I won again, proving my first victory was no fluke.

****

The purpose of Defeat Swordsmanship wasn’t just about losing. Its ultimate goal was the growth of the royal. Therefore, after a series of close defeats to instill a sense of pressure, I would occasionally win to create a sense of crisis. The crisis of being surpassed by someone who was previously on equal footing. So, how should I handle Aslan, who started with a crushing defeat?

“Good match.”

“Good match.”

By making him lose narrowly, I could fuel his desire to improve.

“So close!”

“Just a hair’s breadth!”

The spectators lamented, as I won our duel by the slimmest of margins after a prolonged battle. Of course, it was all orchestrated, but Aslan had grown significantly stronger since our first encounter.

He was probably truly careless the first time. And he’d clearly been training harder after that defeat. …I wasn’t thrilled about his diligent attendance at the Flower Arranging Club, but he was fulfilling his role as a potential male lead, so I had to let it slide.

“Good job, Adam. The Little Sword Emperor is really good.”

Prince Ellen greeted me with a bright smile, seemingly unaware of my manipulation.

“We’re not a good match. I think I lost all the mind games.”

However, since the top students often faced each other in class, I decided to plant some seeds of doubt before Prince Ellen faced Aslan and became suspicious.

“You seemed a bit off today. But you still won with fundamentals, right?”

“I should have won more easily.”

“A win is a win.”

Prince Ellen tried to console me as I frowned. It was an interesting dynamic.

I was essentially acting out a reversed version of my usual dynamic with Prince Ellen. Of course, my technique wasn’t nearly as refined as his, but to the observers, it looked like I had calmly defended against Aslan’s flashy attacks and won through solid fundamentals and precision.

“It’ll be different next time.”

Indeed, it would. I would grow stronger and defeat him again. And the next time after that, I would give him an opening, making it seem like he almost won, only to lose by a hair’s breadth. I would continue winning against him for the rest of the semester. He wasn’t someone who would give up easily, so it was a viable strategy.

Maybe in the second semester, depending on his progress, I could throw him a win. I would maintain a similar win-loss ratio to the one I had with Prince Ellen.

“Excuse me, Adam.”

One of the assistant professors acting as a referee approached me and dropped a bombshell.

“Yes?”

“The head professor asked me to tell you to visit his office after class.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

Why?

“Understood.”

It wasn’t a request I could refuse, so I nodded.

****

Knock, knock.

I lightly knocked on the door and spoke.

“Adam Smith, first-year Swordsmanship Department.”

“Enter.”

A quiet, but commanding voice. I carefully opened the door and entered a spacious room with a single, imposing desk.

“…”

The room felt strangely empty. Usually, there would be books or decorations on the desk, but the Sword Emperor’s desk was bare, except for a few documents.

“Sit.”

We sat facing each other, the Sword Emperor and I. The room, unlike a typical head professor’s office, was empty except for the two of us. I’d heard the head professor of the Magic Department had over twenty assistants. There was hardly a trace of anyone here. I spotted a couple of desks in the corner with sharpening tools. It seemed the two assistant professors who oversaw the practical classes were his only staff. Four at most.

“…”

He just stared at me, and I averted my gaze, looking around the room. Prolonging the silence wouldn’t benefit me, so I decided to be direct.

“You summoned me, Professor?”

“Professor.”

It was the appropriate title, wasn’t it? But his tone suggested otherwise. Yet, it also felt… approving.

“Good.”

He seemed to like it.

“Everyone else sees me as the Sword Emperor, not a professor.”

Was that a complaint? Well, it couldn’t be helped. Most of the Swordsmanship Department freshmen enrolled because of him.

“You’re still a professor.”

I flattered him, just in case. It never hurt to be on the Sword Emperor’s good side.

“Which makes me even more curious. Why did you go easy on my grandson?”

He went straight to the point. As expected of the Sword Emperor.