12. First training at the end of the battle (1)

Darren Smith, a sacred priest and instructor of the Combat Order, entered the Royah Hall.

Royah Hall, a building named after Royah, the God of Combat. As its name suggests, it is a place used together by professors, instructors, and students of the Combat Order.

However, Darren had a headache because of an unwelcome guest who would be here today.

‘What on earth are the President and the Order Assembly thinking?’

This morning, Monday, Darren received a piece of bad news from Millius, the High Priest of the Combat Order.

“Count Yulian has been decided to be able to participate in all the Order’s lectures and training. So, don’t be too surprised even if he suddenly enters the training.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Count Yulian, you say!”

Darren shouted loudly, even though he was in front of the High Priest.

He was a sacred priest with enough experience and skill to be promoted to senior instructor. However, he liked the educational field and stayed by the students’ sides.

Moreover, Darren was a sacred priest and an excellent warrior who had served in the Great War against the Demon King.

He had no interest in power or success. He was a person who only moved according to his beliefs, so even the High Priests of the Order couldn’t treat him carelessly.

‘Come to think of it, I must have been the only one in the Combat Order who said something to him back in his first year.’

Important anti-Demon Beast training for the first-year reserve squad. Count Yulian appeared in that training in a bizarre outfit.

‘It was like a clown suit.’

It was too much of a contrast compared to the other students who had properly equipped themselves with armor and other gear for training. Even the sword he held in his hand was a ridiculous thing with jewels dangling from it, not even a weapon.

Still, if he had just stayed quietly in the back with that outfit, Darren would have endured it to the end.

However, even though it was a Rank 5, it was training against real Demon Beasts. In that training, the Count recklessly charged in alone.

‘I am of noble blood with the blood of Reinhardt! A trivial Demon Beast of Rank 5 will kneel before my intense bloodlust!’

Fortunately, he tripped over a rock and fell on his own, preventing a disaster. But with the Count’s terrible combat skills, his head would have been lopped off by the Rank 5 Demon Beast’s attack.

After that, Darren never showed the Count any leniency, no matter how noble his status was.

It didn’t matter if the Count died alone. But if valuable students were caught up in that behavior, they could get hurt. Darren, with his upright personality, could never allow that.

Every time Yulian did something crazy, he scolded him mercilessly. Surprisingly, the reckless Count Yulian got scared when he did that.

‘When I glared at him, he couldn’t even make eye contact properly.’

Of course, Yulian’s evaluation score in the middle of the training was the lowest. It was only natural since he was an immature student who hadn’t even awakened his Mana.

As Darren and his own skills tormented him, the Count quickly lost interest. Before he knew it, he stopped showing up for the Combat Order’s lectures.

Rumor had it that he had holed himself up in the Hesus Hall of the Art Order. Anyway, it was a fortunate thing for Darren.

But now, the High Priest in front of him had said something like a bolt from the blue.

“You know what kind of guy, no, what kind of student Count Yulian is, don’t you, High Priest!”

However, Millius, as if expecting his reaction, spoke without panicking.

“It’s a decision of the Order Assembly. Count Yulian is fully qualified. Treat him as a proper trainee and priest, not as a mere auditor.”

“A formal trainee, you say? Are you perhaps mistaking him for a first-year?”

First-year students at Pantheon are free to take cross-lectures regardless of the Order.

Also, for students who are concurrently in the reserve squad, the first-year Combat Order’s lectures are mandatory, so students from other Orders often frequented this Royah Hall.

But the High Priest denied that as well.

“No. Count Yulian is a second-year. I know it well.”

“Then, are you perhaps having him retake the first-year lectures? Because the Count’s grades in our Order were terrible, as a supplement. If so, you should have called the instructor in charge of the first-year students, not me, who is in charge of the second-year students…”

“That’s not it either. The lecture the Count will take is the second-year advanced course. That’s why I knew you were in charge of the second-year students and called you. If it were other second-year instructors, they would just accept it. But if it’s you, you would definitely raise an objection. Like now.”

It was a way of saying he was telling him in advance. Darren, who was about to protest further, stopped himself.

“I understand. I am just a mere instructor. I can’t disobey the High Priest’s words, as I am not even a senior instructor.”

“Hmm. I know your personality. I’m not trying to torment you on purpose. I know this is a privilege. But trust me. The Count will be different from before. As I said, he is qualified.”

Qualified, huh. If being the heir to the Essenmund Frontier Lord and the son of Saint Agnes is the qualification, he couldn’t accept it.

But Darren didn’t intend to argue any further. Pantheon’s grade evaluations are fairer than anywhere else.

“Instead, I will directly evaluate the Count. You’re not telling me to manipulate even that for the Count’s sake, are you?”

“Of course not. Pantheon’s grade evaluations must be fair without a single lie, in the name of the Six Gods. Touching that inviolable area is absolutely unacceptable.”

“I understand. Since you say so, I will treat the Count the same as the other second-year students for now.”

With those words, he left the High Priest’s office. His head was complicated.

Saint Agnes and Essenmund Frontier Lord Wilhelm von Reinhardt. Those two were still historical heroes whom Darren respected immensely.

‘But… the only heir who carries the blood of those two is in that shape.’

Darren was the one who saw those two directly on the battlefield. So, in fact, when Count Yulian said he would enter Pantheon, he was more excited than anyone else.

And Darren was more disappointed than anyone else, as much as he had been excited. A hopeless delinquent who couldn’t be reformed. He didn’t trust the qualification the High Priest was talking about at all.

But Darren regained his composure. He was an instructor. Once training began, all students were equal.

If they wanted to become warriors, he would make them warriors. Darren’s job was neither more nor less than that.

---

I am now in Royah Hall.

The main building of the Combat Order. And a place that occupies an important position in relation to the reserve squad. Throughout the hallway, I could hear the students’ loud shouts.

And I entered a small training ground next to the Hesus Hall, where today’s training would take place.

The students of the Combat Order were already there. Instantly, the expressions of the students who recognized me became strange.

As if asking why you are here. It wasn’t a particularly strange reaction.

‘If you hear about what the delinquent Yulian did in his first year, this would be natural.’

Yulian, who didn’t even know the “sword” character in swordsmanship, came to the training and caused a lot of trouble. Then, Yulian, knowing shame, skipped the Combat Order’s lectures on his own…

In fact, those students would also feel strange when they saw me. Saint Agnes and Frontier Lord Wilhelm. Both of them were heroes whom the people of the Combat Order respected immensely.

Moreover, my escort knight, Uriel, was like a god to these students.

The strongest White Night Knights on the continent. Just the fact that she became a knight there at an age one year older than them meant that her talent was incomparable.

‘Because many students graduate from here, get a recommendation, and apply to the White Night Knights.’

The White Night Knights were more popular than the Imperial Guard among the priests of Royah who pursued pure martial arts.

They had been using Uriel, a precious knight of the White Night, to take care of a delinquent Young Master, so their impression of me couldn’t be good.

Still, a few people who had become acquainted with me through Chloe’s party last night came to greet me.

“Did you get home safely last night!”

“Yes. It’s nice to see you again. Did you rest well?”

“Yes… Thanks to you, I rested well! Thank you for your concern, Count Yulian.”

However, I didn’t remember their names at all, so I just accepted their greetings roughly. As I was feeling awkward in an unfamiliar place for a moment,

Darren Smith, the instructor in charge of the swordsmanship class I had entered, entered the small training ground. He was exactly as I knew him through the Demon King hunt: strict, solemn, and serious.

As he entered, the students’ eyes changed all at once.

And they lined up in an orderly manner to wait. Everyone was skilled in forming that formation, befitting of second-year students. I also stood at the back of them, at ease.

Darren scanned that figure with fierce eyes.

“Still, like second-year students, there are no fools…”

Instantly, Darren’s eyes met mine. After briefly checking my appearance, he said.

“It seems there aren’t any. Then, let’s start the first training.”

The sacred priests of the Combat Order were warriors by class. There were occasionally students who used unique weapons, but most of them used swords. In particular, this class was a place where they focused on swordsmanship.

“As a warm-up, Imperial Swordsmanship Chapter 1, from Form 1 to Form 5. The first row will come forward and repeat it 10 times each.”

It seemed he was having them show off their swordsmanship in front of their fellow students and rivals.

I watched the swordsmanship of the students who came out first intently.

——-

[Trait is activating.]

• Trait: Evolved General Mana Swordsman (B+)

: You will open your eyes to the world of swordsmanship. The sword will begin to feel more familiar in your hand.

• Mana Consumption

: 10 MP per hour

——-

By using the trait, even someone ignorant of swordsmanship could know the skills of those students. No. In fact, I wasn’t ignorant because I had learned the basics of swordsmanship in preparation for the parade.

‘They’re still clumsy. Even though they’re second-year students.’

Even though it was a General Mana Swordsman trait, its performance was doubled due to the blood of Reinhardt. I received personal instruction from Uriel, a skilled knight, with this trait.

Moreover, I had evaded the strike of Commander Michael and even countered, even though it was only one exchange. Thanks to the proficiency I gained from that, my current trait was an upgraded ‘Evolved General Mana Swordsman’.

In fact, there wasn’t a big difference in the eye for swordsmanship compared to the previous stage. The important thing was in actual combat.

“Last row! Come forward.”

It was my turn to show off my swordsmanship. As I stood in front of the students following my row, everyone paid attention to me.

I could even feel the gaze of Instructor Darren, who was pretending not to look at me.

Unlike the orderly students, there was a slight buzz. They were whispering carefully so that I couldn’t hear them. But because of my senses that had become more sensitive after Mana Awakening, I could eavesdrop on the voices of those students.

“Count Yulian isn’t wearing his strange outfit from before? That’s the standard student armor, isn’t it?”

“The sword is also an ordinary Imperial Sword. What kind of whim is this?”

“If they’re noble young masters, they would wear more high-end equipment. Is this perhaps a new performance art?”

“Heh. Maybe. Well, there’s no way that Count is serious. No. Why did he even come here in the first place?”

“I know. More than that, does the Count even know Imperial Swordsmanship? I saw him not even being able to follow Form 1 with that strange jewel sword before.”

“His hands were trembling even when he was holding that terrible sword.”

For some reason, even though I didn’t wear the clown suit that Yulian boasted about, I felt like I had become a clown. As the students said, my current outfit was common sense.

Standard armor worn over combat attire. It was heavy when I wore it all, along with the Imperial Sword, but it wasn’t uncomfortable thanks to all of Rosario’s stat-boosting effects.

‘And this isn’t the time to show off my equipment.’

Frontier Lord Wilhelm tried to give me various equipment, including a precious sword, when I was leaving for the opening. But I refused.

‘A great swordsman doesn’t blame his equipment.’

‘Oh. Yulian. I didn’t know you could say such a right thing. That’s right. If you’re a person from Essenmund, that’s how you should be.’

In fact, there was such a maxim in Essenmund, especially in the White Night Knights. A knight who only blames his equipment will have his head cut off in the first battle.

Essenmund was near the permanent permafrost of the worst gate on the continent. Because so many high-level Demon Beasts popped out, it was all the same unless it was high-end equipment.

‘So, in Essenmund, the warrior himself had to become the ultimate weapon.’

Of course, that was just the tradition of Essenmund. There was no way that equipment wasn’t important.

But I didn’t need it right now unless it was something guaranteed through the system’s equipment verification. Like Agnes’s Rosario.

“Everyone be quiet! The swordsmanship demonstration isn’t over yet.”

Instructor Darren calmed the brief commotion. And shouted.

“Imperial Swordsmanship Chapter 1. From Form 1 to Form 5. Start!”

I took out the Imperial Sword from its scabbard. And I naturally began to unfold the Imperial Swordsmanship, the standard swordsmanship of Pantheon that the system taught me.

At that moment, I felt like everything around me disappeared except for the sword and myself. Reinhardt, the most famous swordsmanship family on the continent.

As expected, something inside me felt different after Mana Awakening.

That blood of the Lion led to a natural immersion even in a chaotic situation. It was just an ordinary Imperial Sword, but it felt like I was holding a holy sword passed down as a treasure in the Imperial Palace.

The 10 repetitions that flowed like water were quickly finished.

And when the surrounding scenery began to come into my eyes again. Along with the voices of surprised students, a small commotion broke out in the small training ground.