episode_0023

The great sword and ax clashed with each other with all their might, finally reaching their limit and letting out a final scream.

Crushing steel left a flash, and dust rose like waves.

The fragments fell like fog, quietly hiding the two people.

Perhaps because of that, the audience couldn’t really tell who the winner was.

The audience remained silent, anxiously waiting for the obstructions blocking their view to subside.

I narrowed my eyes and glared as if I was trying to see through the dust.

Beyond the blurry yellow veil, their appearance gradually came into view.

The two people stood still, close together, as if embracing each other.

Damian, out of breath, held the great sword, broken in half, to Knut’s neck, and Knut’s ax stopped around Damian’s waist.

Damian’s quilted armor was tattered with pieces of wood and metal embedded in it, probably from being grazed by fragments of the great sword, but neither of them had any major injuries that were visible on the outside.

Damian was frowning as if he was a little angry, but Knut had a stern expression, just like before the fight.

For someone who was shouting the name of the warrior god, he had a quite detached attitude, as if he was not impressed by the result.

Of course, like someone who expected this result to come out.

“You are truly a Donggwi Jinni. Should I say it’s great…”

“If that happens, who will win?”

Calix placed his fist on his chin and tilted his head slightly.

“Hmm… Normally, it is considered defeat when the weapon is broken. However, that small sword was as long as an ordinary sword even when it was cut in half, so if it had been in actual combat, it would have blown off the head. It would be quite ambiguous to judge.”

Well, if it had been a real fight, Knut would have also lost his head instead of Damian’s waist being cut off.

The proctors who were supervising the test seemed to have the same thoughts, so they discussed it with each other for a while instead of making a decision right away.

Eventually, a supervisor handed them both a blue cloth to signify victory.

Does it mean it’s a draw?

Certainly, both of them are talents that should not be overlooked, so there is no reason to judge them as losers.

I breathed a sigh of relief. For me, it was the best result.

In principle, it would have been Damian’s defeat because his weapon was broken.

Damian would have to fail the entrance exam just because he lost once, but since the variable Knut has already occurred, you never know, right?

The two people who received the cloth nodded to each other, handed the broken weapon to the supervisor and returned to the waiting area.

As if praising the two men for showing off a splendid battle, the audience cheered behind them as they exited.

“A draw, that’s rare. Well, they are talented people who have already proven their solid qualities, so I guess the Academy is also greedy.”

Calix, who was looking at that scene, laughed lightly.

“If that happens, we’ll both pass, right?

Asha seemed to be already excited, as if she had come up with a fresh idea after watching the battle between the two.

“Perhaps so, Lord Asha. I don’t think they will lose to the other contestants.”

“I want to take that Dane to the north later. I will fight very well against those beastmen. Let me tell my father.”

Friede nodded repeatedly as if she was satisfied.

To try to send a person who caught one’s eye to the front lines even by using the power of the Archduke, isn’t this truly a cruel treatment befitting a villainess?

Both of them seemed happy about their admission.

I’m so distraught.

Damian’s skills were better than expected.

I’m not good at seeing battles, but from what Calix said, I was told that my skills were at the top level even among knights.

If you train at the academy, you will probably be able to reach mastery in at least two years.

Considering what will happen in the future, the level of mastery is nothing more than a passing point.

The problem is that he only has that much skill with a great sword.

What this means is that in the end, only one thing, the sword battle, was devoted and delved into.

Originally, Damian’s greatest strength was the diversity of his tactics.

Depending on how you train, you can choose a variety of combat styles, from pure melee to magic swordsman or spirit swordsman, or even paladin or assassin.

Unlike other NPC characters whose talents are usually specialized in only one field, the setting was that they were talented in all fields to ensure the freedom of a player character.

So, usually, how efficient the build is planned and cultivated in the beginning determines the level of difficulty later on…

A pure sword warrior was not recommended because its versatility to respond to various situations was too low.

After somehow becoming friends, I thought, ‘Great swords are good, but I think magic would suit you well, so why not learn it?’ Should I try some kind of persuasion?

It’s probably a battle method that Damian has decided on himself, but I’m not sure if I can convince him by saying a few words.

It would be completely different from the characters in the game who followed the player’s commands without complaint.

Because they are living a real life.

—-

The subsequent entrance exam proceeded without any special changes.

I think it was said that the four-day exam would be divided into departments, but for some reason, all of them were close combat positions.

There were no strong players on the level of Damian and Knut, but some characters from the original appeared, so I remembered them for now.

After the test was over, I tried to look for them, but they had both already left for their dormitories and disappeared everywhere.

At night, I returned to the mansion and practiced swordsmanship with Nigel.

With a wooden sword, of course.

Gradually, Nigel was able to consciously respond to the sword he was swinging without relying on his instincts.

Maybe it was just my mood, but it seemed like I was getting used to imperial swordsmanship quite quickly.

As if recalling a forgotten memory.

As expected, Hersella knew imperial swordsmanship from the beginning.

If so, when and to whom?

With the unanswered question in mind, I pulled out the long sword I always had with me and examined it.

If there was anything that could be a clue, it would be this sword.

An imperial-style silver longsword that he has had since the time of possession.

Now that I think about it, it’s been a long time since I drew this sword.

For my first sparring with Nigel, I used the long sword provided in the training room, and after that I only used wooden swords.

The last time I pulled it out was probably when I met Shane at the Wall.

He placed the long sword on his left hand and examined it carefully.

A sharp diamond-shaped metal decoration was attached to the end of the long hilt, which was meant to be wielded with two hands.

A small sapphire was sparkling in the middle of the blade, which was about a span and a half long.

The sword body, which seemed to be about 90cm long, had a faint blue glow for some reason, and a long imperial sentence was engraved on the inside of the sword body.

‘L’une des douze épées qui défendent l’humanité. ‘Mediane’

‘One of the twelve swords that protect humans. ‘Median’

It’s Median.

Certainly, it seems like those words were mentioned in Shane’s secret conversation with the Marquis when the topic of my mother came up…

So, is this the castle of Hershela’s mother, Aimela?

Aimela Median.

As expected, it was a name I had never heard of.

When you say twelve swords, do you mean the twelve knights of Carolus the Great?

It was only briefly mentioned that the Berengeria Wall was named after one of them, but it wasn’t something that was given much importance in the setting.

Still, if Aimella Median is a descendant of the 12 Knights or something like that, it is certain that it is a fairly important lineage from the Empire’s point of view.

It would be better to keep this fact a secret for now.

Will others react positively or negatively? Because I don’t know.

Aimela of the Median family. I’ll keep it in mind and look for it later.

When the time comes, we will find out why Marquis Ludwig tried to hide the truth about Aimella from me.

—-

The magic test the next day was not a sparring match, but a test to measure the amount of magic power and casting speed by destroying a target created with illusion magic.

There was only one person that stood out.

A red-haired female mage who passed the entrance exam in fourth place.

She was a tall beauty wearing a gorgeous purple dress with gold thread embroidery and a black shawl covering her shoulders.

A delicately crafted dagger hung from his waist, and his beautiful fingers stretched out from the ends of the silk gloves that covered his arms.

One of the main characters.

It was Ophelia van Siegmillus, the second daughter of Count Siegmillus.

With a moderate swing of the hand without even looking at the target, eight targets are shattered at the same time.

The deliciously abundant red hair gently swayed around the collarbone.

A type of attack magic in which only the results are visible, without any special omens or unusual phenomena.

It was a typical characteristic of wind attribute magic.

Ophelia, who was declared to have passed, took out a long magic candle, exhaled smoke, and left the exam room.

Calix briefly muttered, saying that his skills are good, but he seems very insincere.

I was not able to attend the Combat Religion Examination on the third day because it was said to be held privately.

After all, this is a religious cartel.

Personally, I was quite curious about what criteria were used to evaluate the abilities of aspiring priests and paladins. Honestly, it’s a bit disappointing.

In the end, I spent the day riding a carriage around the city with Nigel and purchasing some necessities.

I only bought a few clothes and ten boxes of magic candles, but half of the living expenses provided by the Marquis were gone.

Nigel looked at me pointedly, as if telling me to smoke moderately.

I didn’t say anything in particular, but I couldn’t bear to make eye contact with the dark eyes staring at me motionlessly, so I looked the other way.

…Maybe I should visit it later, even if it’s a real adventurer’s guild. I don’t think I’ll have time for that.

Since the tactical exam on the last day was a written exam, I spent the whole day practicing my swordsmanship at the mansion.

Imperial swordsmanship has begun to become fully acquainted.

Although it was not yet possible to use a sword as elegantly as Nigel, he was able to at least reproduce the core essence of the techniques.

“Excellent. That’s all I can teach you. From now on, I think you can train yourself through practice.”

Nigel shook his head in admiration and put down his sword.

My cheeks tickled with pride.

That day, I was able to sleep soundly for the first time in a long time.

The morning dawned.

—-

“Hashal, are you ready?”

Finally, the day before the entrance ceremony. The day came when I had to move into the academy’s dormitory.

It was said to be a special hall.

Among the academy’s four dormitories, the special building, the general building, the seminary building, and the annex, this is the dormitory exclusively for specially admitted students, which is the smallest in size but has the best living convenience.

I had gotten used to this mansion. That was the only thing that was a little disappointing.

“Okay, it’s over. Nigel, you must have packed all your luggage, right?”

“Yes. Seven sets of clothes and nine boxes of magic herbs. We have prepared everything, including weapons, consumables, and identification documents.”

I think you said the word ‘magic herb’ with a bit of force. Maybe it’s my mood?

After being seen off by the mansion’s servants, we boarded the carriage and headed back to the academy.

In the case of carriages, they can be stored in the parking space of the special building from now on.

In effect, it was lent to me on a semi-permanent basis.

Perhaps due to the rush from early in the morning, the area in front of the academy’s main gate was fortunately deserted.

I could see the knights guarding the main gate leaning against the wall, chatting leisurely.

Nigel drove the carriage and showed his identification to the drivers, who opened the front door and let us through.

I glanced at the decoration above the front door and then closed my eyes.

It is the cradle that protects the country.

I had always said that I would be willing to re-enlist if it would just give me my legs back, but I never thought it would take this form.