Chapter 28: The Knight Finds It Rewarding Being an Instructor (2)

At first glance, the man in front of Lee Han looked ordinary.

One would think that his beautiful appearance that was so out of this world, the beauty that would make even the best sculptors wish to immortalize it into a sculpture, would make him stand out. There was also the cold aura he exuded, so cold that others would easily mistake him for a masterpiece of a sculpture if he were to stand still.

But all those were exactly the reason why he looked ordinary. Though he possessed an appearance that could be admired by both men and women, nothing could be felt from his expressionless face except for the calmness and stillness of a candlelight, which was the only sign of warmth that he had to be perceived as a human being.

In other words, his presence was somewhat faint. If he didn’t bear the name Lionel, people would find it easy to approach him.

However…

Shiing-!

The moment he pulled out his sword, his presence became significantly more pronounced as the candlelight vibe he exuded was gone. On the contrary, everything around him turned cold. The surrounding air became still, while a sharp and creepy spirit that felt like a blizzard swept over his surroundings.

He was only pulling out his sword, but it felt as if he had changed into a completely different person than before.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had actually transformed into a different person.

Roen Dmitri de Lionel.

He was someone who was different from anyone Lee Han had faced before. However, Lee Han wasn’t the only one who felt that way, the other person was thinking the same as him too.

Guess he has no intention to hide the fact that he’s a regressor.

Lee han let out a snort, as he noticed that obvious thing.

Shiing-!

Unlike his prior opponents, who either used longswords or unique weapons, Roen’s was nothing more than a simple sword; a sword without any special features. Though it seemed to be made of pure steel, in reality it was nothing but a regular iron sword.

However, in Roen’s hands, it felt as if that sword had transformed into a legendary sword of some sort. This was exactly the phenomenon that would happen when the spirit that Lee Han had mentioned about earlier was imbued into an ordinary sword.

An unusual spirit… To describe such a spirit, it would be…

Will-o’-the-wisp?

It’s like the will-o’-the-wisp was rising.

Though Lee Han wasn’t sure if that was the right description of it, that should be what it looked like to others.

The spirit Roen let out was no ordinary spirit. It definitely wasn’t the spirit that a twenty-year-old kid would give off for sure, but rather a spirit that a seasoned warrior who had been on the battlefield for ten years would give off. In other words, it wouldn’t be wise of Lee Han to judge this guy by his appearance alone.

He could even call this kid in front of him a master swordsman.

Inexperienced warriors would simply dismiss him as a genius who was good with swords, but anyone with a developed sense like Lee Han, or a warrior who had been on the battlefield for a long time, would be able to tell right away.

That he wasn’t just a genius. He was a master swordsman who had been on the battlefield for a very long time.

…His bloodlust is a little special.

Woong-! Woong-!

Even so, in front of the barrage of his opponent’s ominous spirit that had been trying to surround him, Lee Han just swung his wooden sword lightly. The sound that he made every time he swung his sword sounded as ominous as Roen’s spirit. On top of that, the interval between each and every swing of his became shorter and shorter every time.

At one point, the wooden sword became so fast that everyone who witnessed it was unable to capture it with their eyes properly.

Woosh-!

“Alright, let’s start.”

“…”

“Come.”

“…It feels like you’re going to cut me if I were to attack you now.”

“Oh, stop being a drama queen.”

Roen’s momentum was torn apart before he could even attack Lee Han.

All the cadets, including Roen himself, witnessed how Lee Han’s wooden sword left a huge gash on the ground. The wooden sword hadn’t touched the ground even once, the gash was created merely by the wind pressure of the wooden sword. That fact made the cadets gulp in fear.

That was when they once again realized…

Of how strong their instructor was…

And that realization…

“I’ll go.”

Put a smile on Roen’s face.

Not a normal smile, but one that was laced with madness.

The one who initiated his move first was Roen.

Whoosh-!

His sword zoomed into Lee Han’s eyes, accompanied by the sound of wind being pierced. It was an extremely dangerous stab that was clearly filled with the intention to kill.

However, to Lee Han…

“Are you trying to make me blind?”

“Please, as if this could even scratch you.”

Bang-!

It was a blow he could leisurely dodge. He even had the lenience to swing his wooden sword afterwards.

Roen quickly moved his sword to block that downward slash, but he still couldn’t neutralize the shock behind the impact.

Because of that, he could feel a jolt of pain on the wrist of his hand that was holding the sword. He took a step back before opening his mouth.

“…So you put the flow inward, not outward…”

“I’ve been practicing this technique lately. What do you think? Could it be useful?”

“I’d say it’s threatening enough.”

“Well, it’s still not good enough to be used in real combat. But, it’s good enough to use against a bunch of brats.”

“Thank goodness I’m not a brat.”

Lee Han infused a sprinkle of Energy Penetrating Attack in that blow, but it didn’t work well on Roen.

However, even though that blow, strengthened by him charging his flow before sending it out, was unable to make Roen fall…

“You’re pretty tough, huh?”

“They told me that a lot.”

Roen still couldn’t completely cushion the shock left by the overwhelming force behind that attack.

Bang-!

With Roen’s body now stiffened from the shock, Lee Han immediately capitalized on that as he stepped forward, making the ground beneath him sink due to his overwhelming strength.

That powerful step soon turned into a great pressure and…

Woong-!

Lee Han swung his wooden sword, trying to hit Roen’s sword in the middle. At the same time, Roen tried to cut Lee Han’s sword while blocking its trajectory.

Clang-!

“…”

Unfortunately for him, the wooden sword did not break into two. On the contrary, it showed as much tenacity as the iron sword, even though it faced the sharp side of the latter.

Unable to believe what just happened, Roen swung his sword again.

Accompanied by the sound of the wind, the spirit inside the sword splintered, forming three sword trajectories, turning into three attacks that were rushing towards Lee Han in an instant.

However, just like before…

Clank-! Clank-! Clank-!

Those attacks were completely blocked. With ease, even.

Not only that, even though he was the one who was on the offensive, Roen was the one who felt his palm aching.

What…?

It feels like I was hitting a rock…

He felt like he was cutting a rock with a knife— Actually, it wasn’t just a feeling, it really was like that.

It made him wonder what kind of magic the man before him used.

Seeing his reaction, Lee Han opened his mouth, trying to fulfill his duty as an instructor to the cadet who was full of questions.

“No one ever taught me anything, so I don’t know much about Combat Techniques. But, even though I know nothing about it, since it’s practically impossible for me to learn it without visions or whatever, I do know how the ‘power’ inside my body works.”

“What are you…”

“Power isn’t simply the strength to lift heavy objects. It’s the collective efforts of your bones, tendons and muscles. Any technique that uses that kind of power, I call it ‘Martial Power’. Basically, it’s ‘the way to make yourself strong’.”

“…”

“There’s another name for it, Vajra. A way to transmit the strength inside your body to your tools. As long as you are able to do that…”

Bang-!

“You’ll also be able to do this.”

Their swords clashed once again, but this time, unlike before, the wooden sword didn’t feel sharp. Instead, it felt hard like a metal club as it flung Roen back.

If Roen hadn’t neutralized part of the impact, he would have ended up showing an unsightly sight of himself rolling around the ground.

However, rather than worrying about his body—which was floating in the air—he was astonished by the technique that Lee Han showed. ‘His special Combat Technique’ that he learned through his senses and instincts alone without learning it the orthodox ways.

“…I’ve never considered myself lacking in intelligence, but everything that you showed me is just too hard for me to understand, Instructor.”

“…Haha, that’s only because I don’t have the skills to explain it. Whenever I learn any of my techniques, I learn them through practice and feeling, not theory.”

“…Usually, they call someone who’s able to do that a genius.”

“What a pleasant-sounding word.”

However, Lee Han denied that statement.

Because what he did was more about him manifesting his imagination than talent. He was just lucky that the ‘information’ he had read countless times back in his previous life gave him some creativity. What he had done was just implementing that creativity in reality.

But still…

Hearing something like that once in a while feels nice…

While the fight between Lee Han and Roen was going on, the cadets were watching with bated breath.

So far, they had been clashing for thirty times. Even so, no one managed to touch each other with their swords, even though their attacks reached a dangerous speed. None of them gave each other an inch of concession in this fight.

Some of the cadets became jealous and envious that someone of the same age as them could be so strong, but at the same time they also realized how scary the wall of talent was.

However, there were some cadets that didn’t feel that way.

“The instructor’s wooden sword is already at its limit.”

“Young Master Roen’s sword too…”

“…Is that person a monster…? How could he try to break an iron sword with a wooden sword…?”

Those small numbers of the cadets tried to measure their level against the two clashing men, calculating how they could surpass those two.

“…Wow, is this why people love to watch other people fight?”

[…Is that the only thing you can appreciate from this, Arin?]

“Um, I can appreciate the flashiness…”

[…Don’t you dare call yourself a mage! Jeez, I’m so embarrassed…]

“What are you talking about?”

There were also those who were just watching innocently without thinking much about it.

However, this fight wouldn’t last forever. As the cadets previously stated, their swords had already reached their limit.

That was why, for their last exchange, Lee Han…

“Why don’t we do it seriously for the last one?”

“…What do you mean, Instructor?”

“I meant, show me your sincerity. Of course you’re already doing good enough, but I know you have more in you. Show me what you really got.”

“…”

Show me what you’re hiding.

The moment he heard those words, Roen’s body flinched.

“At first, I wasn’t sure, but as we went on, I started to feel it.”

Roen was strong, that was for sure. He was the most experienced of all the cadets Lee Han had faced today. Moreover, he was also the strongest one compared to all of them, in both fighting and Combat Techniques. All in all, he was an extremely satisfying opponent to face.

However, Lee Han felt that something just didn’t feel right.

Was it because of gnoll’s sixth sense he had?

Or was it because of all the experience he managed to accumulate on the battlefield?

He was sure that the guy in front of him…

Has more tricks under his sleeves…

Lee Han suspected that what he showed to him until now was just the normal him and he was hiding something more beneath that.

That was why he asked Roen to attack him with all his might. Hearing that, a hesitation appeared in Roen’s face.

This just confirmed Lee Han’s conjecture, which should be enough to satisfy his curiosity. But, he also wanted to end this fight properly. Since both their swords would break soon anyway, he figured that it would be more exciting to push for one last bout with all their might instead.

He also hoped that if he were to end it this way, both of them would be satisfied by the outcome.

Since he believed that the Surveillance Target Number 1 felt the same way as him.

Unfortunately….

“—No, I’ll give up.”

“…Huh?”

“It feels like the fight will become too overheated for me. I don’t think I can continue.”

“…”

…In the end, everything was just in his head.

Roen let out a beautiful smile before he opened his mouth.

“The original purpose of this was to make those who didn’t recognize you recognize you right, Instructor? I believe you’ve fulfilled your purpose with this, in which case, whatever the outcome our fight will be, it’ll become meaningless. Besides, I think that it’s best for us to stop now.”

“…Hoo, look at you.”

Doing something so cunning with a face like that…

He even makes an expression as if he can’t help it…

“Aren’t you looking forward to meeting Old Man Baltar?”

“I’m sorry to say this, but I’m looking forward to your teachings more than meeting Sir Baltar, Instructor.”

“…I can’t hear the least bit of sincerity in your voice.”

“Is it not wrong to judge a person by their appearance?”

“…Wow, you even refused to let me have the last words, huh?”

In the end, the big event that he had been looking forward to ended so vainly. Lee Han put down his wooden sword.

He wasn’t a scum who’d force someone who wasn’t willing to fight anymore to fight, after all.

However…

Fuck… That guy is definitely hiding something…

Considering that the (presumed) regressor still hid his full capabilities, there couldn’t be a more disappointing ending than this.

“…Ugh.”

That was why, gloomy feelings enveloped his heart.

That was dangerous.

Roen was surprised at himself.

I still have such feelings, huh…?

Is it because my body is young…? This feeling of competitiveness is scary…

And here I thought that this side of me had already been incinerated into a pile of ashes… It turns out I still have such feelings inside me…

Is it because it has been a long time since I’ve had such a pure fight?

Pure fight. Or rather, it was his opponent’s competitive spirit that was pure. Facing that, Roen couldn’t help but recall his youth.

Of course, it wasn’t his current youth.

But the ‘youth’ that only he remembered, that was the one he was recalling.

And also…

In any case, I have to stop it this time.

To prevent such a tragedy, such a disaster…

This time, I will kill you.

He thought about the one person he had to kill.

Isis Elaine de Pendragon, I will definitely bury my blade in your throat.

And that day would be the day when he finally took his revenge. He renewed his determination, once again.

Until he achieved that goal, things like youth or whatever was a luxury to him.

For the day of revenge that would come someday.

Roen suppressed his nature.