Ch.103102. The First Trial (5)

# 102. The First Trial (5)

‘He’s really starting right away…’

After saying that, the Emperor immediately climbed onto the arena, and I followed him.

When I stepped onto the arena without any equipment, the Emperor looked puzzled.

“You’re not planning to fight like that, are you?”

“Not exactly, but it’s not much different.”

I don’t usually wear armor anyway, and since I summon my weapon with a skill, there wasn’t anything particular I needed to bring.

Accessory-type items would be necessary, but I didn’t have any prepared at the moment.

‘Except for this.’

Looking at the ring that made me feel good every time I saw it, I summoned my sword.

-Woong!-

The chilling sensation that came as soon as the sword was summoned.

It was a feeling I always experienced, but I still hadn’t gotten used to it.

Even the Emperor seemed quite taken aback by the appearance of the sword that changed the very atmosphere around us.

“Is that… your unique skill?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a sword that reminds me of the Heroes’ weapons.”

“It certainly is that kind of friend.”

Of course, its performance falls short of the Heroes’ weapons right now, but who knows what might happen in the future.

This sword’s rank was merely S-, and it still had plenty of room to grow.

In contrast, the Heroes’ weapons, unlike this sword, couldn’t grow. Naturally, the Heroes’ weapons were permanently fixed at the highest rank of SSS+.

‘Of course, those items deserve that rank…’

Later, this sword would become a weapon that wouldn’t lose to those weapons at all when compared.

“It’s something with a promising future.”

“How’s its durability?”

“Not bad, all things considered.”

The durability itself isn’t particularly outstanding.

But since the material that makes up this sword is my Abyss, I could remake it anytime.

Moreover, that Abyss returns to me, regardless of distance.

“That doesn’t seem sufficient?”

“You don’t need to worry about the weapon. More importantly, are there any conditions for passing?”

At this rate, it seemed like we would start without knowing the rules.

“Basically, if you can land one hit on me, you pass.”

“But… what benefit do I get if I pass?”

I roughly knew, but I wanted to ask anyway.

If I heard it from the Emperor himself, somehow…

‘It would feel good…’

The Emperor opened his mouth, though he seemed reluctant to speak.

Seeing how he wasn’t swayed by his personal feelings, I found him somewhat reliable.

“Do you know when royalty typically gets married?”

“Uh… usually early, right?”

The first marriages of royalty and nobility typically happened in their mid-twenties.

Of course, many got married as soon as they turned 20, but the average was around 25.

“That’s right, they marry early. So they need to find someone to marry at a young age, right?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“But do you know what happens when they can’t find someone to marry? Or like now, when they want to make more countries into allies?”

“Political marriage… is it?”

The Emperor nodded and continued.

“That’s what happens. But it’s too pitiful, isn’t it? Having to get engaged and married to a complete stranger… So we made a promise.”

“What kind of promise?”

“That if she brings someone she wants to marry during her time at the academy, I’ll let her marry that person. But on the condition that it’s a man I approve of.”

The condition of “a man I approve of” that the Emperor mentioned might seem easy at first glance, but in reality, it was anything but.

After all…

‘He’s such a doting father…’

Most people would never be able to gain his approval.

“If you gain my approval now, I’ll permit your marriage to my daughter.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Naturally, you’ll have to break up.”

It was the very definition of high risk, high return.

The risk of failure was enormous, but the return for success was equally massive.

“But a student like you couldn’t possibly land a hit on me, right?”

“That’s true… I’d be lucky just to survive, let alone land a hit.”

It was absolutely correct.

Of course, I wasn’t an ordinary student, but it was still an impossible task.

“So I won’t use any skills. Is that satisfactory?”

“That’s enough.”

In reality, it wasn’t enough at all.

The gap in our abilities couldn’t be narrowed just by him not using skills.

From the beginning, if the Emperor decided to, he could avoid getting hit by me, regardless of any conditions.

Whether he didn’t use skills, didn’t use one arm, or stood still—if he decided not to get hit, he wouldn’t.

That’s the extent of the difference in our abilities.

‘This isn’t about landing that hit to gain approval.’

It’s just a prediction, but the probability is high.

What I need to answer in this trial isn’t “how strong I am” but “how far I’m willing to go for her.”

“Let’s start right away.”

“Full of confidence, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

Activating [Mortal’s End], I said to him as he took a ready stance.

“It would be better if you didn’t think of me as just a student.”

***

Excessive confidence invites disaster.

And those two on the arena are always full of confidence—to an extent that others might consider excessive.

However, in reality, disaster has never befallen either of them.

In Albert’s case, he almost died trying to stop an assassin from Babylon Kingdom who was attempting to assassinate the Empress, but ultimately, he didn’t die.

As for the Emperor, he had several near-death experiences challenging high-difficulty dungeons from a young age, but he always survived.

Both of them fearlessly dive into hardships, trusting their abilities—to a level where onlookers might think, “They’re going to get themselves killed.”

‘But… they’ve always been fine…’

The two had many similarities.

As mentioned earlier, they’re overflowing with confidence and enjoy adventures. They love fighting and pursue strength. And decisively, they work insanely hard.

These strengths combined to produce a result: an insane growth rate that defied their age.

The Emperor maintained that growth rate to this day, rising to the position of number one…

‘Albert will soon be like that too, won’t he?’

She predicted that the center of the next generation and the one to succeed the Emperor as number one would be Albert, not herself.

She had reached her current position due to training she had maintained for a long time, but Albert was different.

Albert had grown this much in just one year, from age 16 to 17, after flying in from the distant future with no difference from an ordinary person.

‘Amazing…’

Albert had said that the reason he trained without rest and was willing to risk his life was because of her.

That fact itself made her incredibly happy.

She was delighted by the fact that she had someone like that.

And she liked Albert, loved the man who seemed like he would pluck the stars from the sky for her.

That’s why she had brought him before her father like this.

‘I want to be with him even after graduating from the academy…’

She wanted to spend her life with the one who loved her more than anyone else.

That’s why she was praying now.

‘Please…!’

She hoped that Albert would gain her father’s approval, and that her father would understand his feelings.

She watched him face the trial, hoping for that outcome.

Despite his attacks not working and the Emperor’s iron-like fists striking him, he still maintained a confident expression.

And she believed in him.

***

‘This hurts like hell…’

The Emperor had been standing still in the center of the arena since earlier.

He easily blocked my attacks as I charged at him, and each time, he struck me with his fist.

The Emperor’s punches felt different each time they landed, and they hurt like hell.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I can give up.

So I picked up my sword once more and charged at him.

I swung my sword at him as he stood before me.

-Clang!-

‘Is this even possible?’

He caught my sword with his hand too easily—more precisely, he blocked it with the edge of his hand.

The sharp blade touched his hand multiple times, but his hand remained clean without a single scratch.

The Emperor smiled and struck the sword with that clean hand.

-Thwack!!-

The Emperor’s strength was monstrous enough to be called inhuman, and the sword flew out of my hand, falling to the arena floor.

-Clang!-

And he gave me a meaningful smile as I momentarily lost my sword.

‘Wait… I should run…’

Unfortunately, before my thought could finish, his fist came into view, and it instantly flew to strike my abdomen.

-Thwack!!!-

I collapsed to the ground immediately after taking that blow.

The impact was so severe that I could barely control my body, feeling like my consciousness might fly away.

‘I have to… get up… I have to get up.’

My body absolutely refused to move.

But even the body that seemed impossible to move became better after a little time passed.

Enduring the pain, I barely managed to stand up from the arena floor.

Then, I spoke to the Emperor, who was still smiling at me.

“Well… that was nothing.”