Ch.42Chapter 42. Knight of the Iron Wall (2)

The Knight of the Iron Wall, Lois Sinclair.

One of the strongest knights in the Crescen Empire, a man whose reputation speaks for itself.

Whenever the question of who was strongest in the Crescen Empire arose, Lois was always mentioned among the elite.

Unlike mages, knights rely heavily on physical prowess, yet despite his age, he was still considered one of the strongest.

Among Lois Sinclair’s countless achievements, the Northern Suppression Operation was a story that would be told for generations.

Even as the frontlines were being pushed back, he alone held his position until reinforcements arrived, maintaining the battle line in a legendary stand.

The rumors that Lois cut down thousands of monsters in that single position were no exaggeration.

From that day forward, Lois earned the nickname “Iron Wall,” gaining recognition not just in the Crescen Empire but worldwide.

‘He’s certainly not ordinary.’

Lois thought as he observed Ryuyeong calmly holding his sword before him.

Ryuyeong was handling his subtle pressure without showing any signs of discomfort.

This wasn’t mere intimidation through presence—Lois was mixing in mana to instill fear, yet it had no effect.

He had noticed from the beginning that this boy was different from the other students, showing no hesitation in his presence. He certainly had guts.

The reason Lois had canceled his prior engagements to attend this dinner was because of Ryuyeong.

A commoner who had caused a sensation since enrollment.

Normally, Lois wouldn’t have cared, but this year his youngest daughter, Elaine, had also enrolled in the academy.

So he had been paying more attention than usual to academy news.

The news that Elaine hadn’t secured the top spot was unexpected, but he had accepted it.

What mattered more than entrance results was one’s skill during and after graduation.

Until then, Lois’s interest in Ryuyeong had been merely, “An unexpected turn of events.”

But after the inter-grade competition, Lois’s opinion changed completely.

Ryuyeong, who had taken the top spot from Elaine and shown exceptional performance in the competition, was extraordinary even in Lois’s eyes.

What Lois valued in Ryuyeong wasn’t his swordsmanship.

It was his composure and boldness.

The confidence and spirit to charge fearlessly against undead creatures he’d never seen before.

And now, standing before him, Ryuyeong displayed that same confidence and spirit.

Even facing the empire’s greatest swordsman, he showed no fear.

“Are you ready?”

“I am.”

“Heh heh.”

His tone exuded composure.

While Lois appreciated Ryuyeong’s confidence, he also found it somewhat vexing.

It had started at dinner when Ryuyeong claimed he was actually a mage.

Though it was becoming trendy to study multiple disciplines, for someone walking the path of the sword to call himself a mage…

For Lois, born and raised as a knight, this was incomprehensible.

Thinking that young people these days were truly presumptuous, Lois finally picked up his sword.

Taking a wooden practice sword from the wall, Lois assumed his stance.

Instantly, the atmosphere changed.

The air between Lois and Ryuyeong grew heavy, tension building.

“May I use magic as well?”

“Heh heh heh. Do as you please.”

‘Truly, how bold.’

With Ryuyeong’s words, the tense atmosphere momentarily relaxed.

Lois naturally pulled his left hand back, holding the sword with only his right.

“I’ll use just one hand.”

“Feel free to use both hands if you want to later?”

“…You may come first.”

Irritated by Ryuyeong’s strangely provocative words, Lois tightened his grip on the sword.

He thought that being a commoner, Ryuyeong seemed not just bold but somewhat lacking in manners.

Clang-

The wooden swords collided, sending a light yet crisp sound throughout the training hall.

Clang- Clang- Clang-

After the first impact, the sound of colliding wooden swords continued in succession.

Lois was simply parrying Ryuyeong’s attacks to gauge his skill.

Ryuyeong’s attacks were utterly ordinary.

Starting with a standard overhead slash, followed by natural combinations flowing from his stance.

Neither the power nor the speed was anything special—just average attacks.

Claaang-

The change in these ordinary attacks began precisely after the fifth clash of swords.

True to his introduction as a mage, mana began to gather around Ryuyeong.

Though invisible to the naked eye, Lois could sense it.

‘He’s wrapping himself in wind?’

Ryuyeong cast magic without incantation, enveloping his hands and feet with invisible energy.

Then his sword strikes became much faster and stronger.

By wrapping wind around his arms and legs, he increased both speed and power.

Without needing to leap or gather strength, his attacks remained the same in form but became much faster and more powerful.

‘So this is what he meant by being a mage.’

When Ryuyeong had called himself a mage, Lois had imagined the typical mage.

The kind who hurriedly retreats to the back during battle, chants a long incantation, launches one wide-area attack spell, and considers their job done.

But Ryuyeong didn’t seem to be that type.

He used magic to strengthen his body, wielding his sword several times more powerfully than before.

This was the style becoming popular among young knights recently.

Using magic to compensate for physical limitations.

This was Lois’s first time seeing it in person.

‘Not bad.’

Thud- Thuud-

The light, crisp sound of wooden swords colliding had become much heavier and duller.

As Lois continued to parry with just one hand, Ryuyeong kept increasing his speed and power.

‘But a shortcut is still just a shortcut.’

Boom- Thuud-

Lois decided it was time to show this young man that shortcuts were ultimately just shortcuts.

He stepped forward firmly with his right foot, assuming his stance.

The preparatory stance of Sinclair swordsmanship.

“If you can’t break through this time, we’re done.”

Despite Lois’s threatening words, Ryuyeong showed no signs of intimidation.

Instead, he smiled slightly as he readjusted his grip on the sword, causing Lois to tighten his own grip in response.

Having faced countless enemies on numerous battlefields, Lois was typically unshaken by provocations.

Yet somehow, his daughter’s friend’s reaction was getting under his skin.

Thud- Thuud- Thud-

Ryuyeong began unleashing attacks as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

His sword moved quickly, seeking Lois’s openings, while Lois parried each strike without moving from his position.

‘His swordsmanship is just average…!’

Claaang-

It happened when Lois’s focus briefly shifted from the sword.

Suddenly, he sensed formless energy from an unexpected direction, piercing toward his side.

Instinctively twisting his body to block, he found it was a kind of air mass.

A sharp air mass flying like a blade.

Lois widened his eyes, focusing on the scattered mana around him.

The attack hadn’t come from Ryuyeong’s hand but had derived from the mana dispersed in the surroundings.

Thud- Thuud- Clang-

Ryuyeong continued his attacks immediately, as if determined not to give Lois time to think.

Ryuyeong’s swordsmanship wasn’t particularly special.

Charitably, one could say it was unpredictable due to its mix of various styles; less charitably, it lacked foundation.

But when combined with those sharp air masses coming from difficult angles to block, the situation became quite challenging.

Though the Sinclair sword style specialized in defense, it wasn’t solely for defense.

What sword in the world would be meant only for defense?

The typical pattern of Sinclair swordsmanship was to focus on defense, then counter when an opening appeared.

Lois had been looking for such an opening to counter, but…

“You certainly have skill.”

“Oh, thank you.”

When Lois stepped back and spoke, Ryuyeong likewise stepped back and responded.

Their gazes met briefly in the air, and without any signal, they resumed combat.

Once again, Lois took a defensive stance, and Ryuyeong charged forward.

Thud- Thuud-

The pattern was similar to before.

Ryuyeong swung his sword while also launching sharp blades from difficult angles.

Moreover, his sword was faster than before but carried more power.

‘Heh.’

Lois inwardly grimaced with a bitter smile.

Ryuyeong certainly had the skill to justify his confidence.

After crossing swords a few times, Lois could understand why Elaine had lost the top spot.

But from Lois’s perspective, Elaine and Ryuyeong were just children all the same.

Whoosh-

As Lois spun 360 degrees and swung his sword horizontally, Ryuyeong instinctively retreated.

Additionally, the mana spread around them was swept aside by the pressure from Lois’s sword.

Lois, who had been receiving attacks with minimal movement until now, finally moved toward Ryuyeong.

Thud- Thuud- Thud-

Lois swung his sword at Ryuyeong, controlling his strength to match the speed Ryuyeong had shown.

Ryuyeong didn’t yield easily, meeting the sword with his own, but he couldn’t launch magic from blind spots as before.

‘I should end this now.’

Whoosh- Thud- Thuud- Thud-!

As Lois began to apply more force to end the duel with consecutive sword strikes—attacks that should have been unavoidable even with magical enhancement—

“Oh.”

Thuud-

Ryuyeong, who had clearly been in front of him, had somehow moved diagonally, evading his sword and counterattacking.

Lois barely managed to stop his momentum, twisting his body to block Ryuyeong’s attack.

It was a close call.

“Now you’ll use both hands, right?”

“…”

Only then did Lois realize he had instinctively gripped his sword with both hands to block Ryuyeong’s attack.