Ch.5EP.2 – I Am Knight Ihan

Yord Decker was a talented graduate who finished at the top of his class in the Academy’s Swordsmanship Department.

As the legitimate son of a humble knight family without any proper title, he prided himself on his swordsmanship skills that were second to none among noble children.

The proof was that he had graduated at the top of his class in the Swordsmanship Department, which was filled with outstanding talents.

Because of this, he had pride in his swordsmanship and believed he could certainly become the best even in the Order of the Silver Lion, the kingdom’s finest knightly order.

‘There are many formidable seniors, but they’re not at an insurmountable level. In five years, no, within two years, I’ll surpass them all.’

The career-oriented Yord’s goal was to first rise to the position of vice-captain in the knightly order he belonged to.

For reference, the order he belonged to was the Third Order among the three orders that made up the Order of the Silver Lion.

…It was the order led by an Aura user as captain.

Originally, he had wanted to aim for the captain position, but he wasn’t foolish enough to target the captaincy in an order where one of only three superhumans in the kingdom served as captain.

So Yord’s current goal was to become the vice-captain. To become vice-captain, he needed to seize opportunities to catch the eye of the order’s captain.

‘Senior Ihan…’

Just then, Yord’s eyes fell upon a senior knight named Rihan or Ihan.

He had heard that this person was originally a soldier who became a knight after catching the captain’s eye, and that he was considered an anomaly within the knightly order.

Indeed, when Yord first heard about him, he was also puzzled.

Apparently, he hadn’t even mastered the basic “martial energy techniques.”

The gap between those who have mastered martial energy techniques and those who haven’t is as vast as the difference between a cat and a lion.

‘Of course, he must have skills to still remain in the knightly order, so I shouldn’t be careless.’

He had no ill feelings toward him.

He himself came from a humble knight family without proper title or land.

He wasn’t in a position to discriminate against anyone, and Yord rather pitied Ihan.

But pity was just pity.

Yord intended to use him as a signal flare for his own advancement.

‘Don’t call me heartless, senior.’

Yord didn’t underestimate him, but he still had confidence that he wouldn’t lose.

—It took less than five minutes to realize that was arrogance.

“Huh-ugh! Huh-ugh…!”

“Try a little harder. We haven’t even warmed up yet.”

“Huh-ugh, kuh-ugh!”

“…Your stamina is really poor.”

His opponent was toying with Yord.

* * *

Jake and the other knights were all focused on watching the duel—or rather, the insolent challenge—between the new recruit and Ihan, and everyone observing clicked their tongues.

‘What a ruthless guy.’

‘He’s completely toying with him.’

‘…Same as always.’

Tap, tap-tap-tap!

Just like at the beginning, Yord was the one who charged first.

Whether he was using Flash Sword techniques based on Quick Sword, his blade showed countless variations while moving at high speed.

It was an impressive technique that could mesmerize the eyes of onlookers, and some knights could only furrow their brows, finding it difficult to imagine how to block such a sword.

Indeed, skills befitting the top graduate of the Swordsmanship Department.

If only he hadn’t come from a humble family, he would have been skilled enough to fit into the First or Second Order, not just the Third Order.

…But now, he had a bad matchup.

If he had fought against others, he might have shown good results or made quite an impression.

‘He’s blocking every single strike.’

Ihan was showing only defensive moves, either blocking or deflecting all of Yord’s dazzlingly complex sword techniques.

He wasn’t counterattacking, just continuously defending, which might make one suspect he was being pushed back. But when someone blocks for five minutes without allowing a single effective hit,

and while the attacker is dripping with sweat, the defender shows neither sweat nor any sign of fatigue, and doesn’t even retreat in the face of desperate attacks…

This was essentially the same as mocking the opponent.

“Oh, your swordsmanship is quite impressive. What style of swordsmanship is that?”

“Huff! Huff!”

“Hmm, right, don’t answer now. You might pass out.”

“Grrrgh!”

To others, it might sound like he was mocking him, but the knights knew.

That praise was sincere, which made it all the more humiliating.

‘That’s what drives me crazy about him.’

Those who had experienced Ihan’s treatment knew.

He wasn’t a genius who simply analyzed and broke down an opponent’s sword technique, nor was he a master who overwhelmed opponents with experience and skill.

He simply.

‘Just watches carefully and blocks.’

Or just reacts and blocks.

Absurdly, Ihan would just observe the opponent’s weapon to the end and “block it well.”

No matter which direction it came from or what variations were used, he would just watch until the end and “block it well.”

This would sound ridiculous to any martial artist, whether they used a sword, spear, or bow.

Everyone knows the obvious fact that if you block well, you can block anything, be it a sword, spear, or arrow, but they also know how difficult it is to actually see and avoid or block attacks.

If someone says blocking isn’t difficult, they must be either a gentleman who has never held a sword or a fool who only knows how to run their mouth.

That’s how much what Ihan was doing was like acrobatics or a feat of strength.

Because he was accomplishing something simple yet impossible.

To do something like that, one would have to be able to move their body freely according to their will.

That’s why he.

“Why did he have to challenge that guy of all people and suffer such humiliation? Geez.”

Jake shook his head, feeling sorry for the new recruit.

-Gasping for breath desperately, his mind was becoming increasingly hazy.

Yord desperately wanted to lie down right away, whether on the dirt or anywhere else, and he was becoming increasingly anxious and felt like he was losing his mind.

‘What on earth is this person?!’

Impressive? Experienced? Skilled?

He wasn’t that type.

He was unlike anyone Yord had ever seen during his time at the Swordsmanship Department.

Just…

‘He’s strong, just strong…!’

Just strong.

His technique wasn’t particularly impressive, nor did it feel like he had learned some special swordsmanship.

Yet he was strong.

“Eeek!”

Whoosh!

Yord desperately launched himself forward and performed the Phantom Eight Sword Technique.

It was one of the techniques of the Phantom Sword style, where the movements of the wrist and feet create numerous variations that make the sword appear as if there were multiple swords, and at the end of the technique, not only the sword but even the body appears to have multiple images—an optical illusion characteristic of the Phantom Sword style.

But now, such dazzling and subtle variations weren’t working at all.

Even now, look.

His eyes were still observing Yord’s movements that would be difficult for anyone else to react to!

‘His eyes, they keep following me!’

He might have missed once, but his eyes continued to “hold” Yord until the end.

He wasn’t watching the sword but observing Yord’s entire body until the end, predicting the next move and blocking the sword’s path.

Kwang!

It wasn’t that Yord’s sword lacked power either.

Having mastered martial energy techniques, his physical abilities were equivalent to those of ten soldiers combined.

Yet he blocked such power head-on without showing any trembling or strain.

He just silently blocked, only casting an interested gaze.

For a moment, Yord felt his spirit breaking.

A sense of despair that he had never felt even from his father was overwhelming him.

…The feeling that his swordsmanship—no, his efforts of 20 years—were all being denied.

That feeling crushed Yord.

At that moment.

“—Aren’t you being too half-hearted?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I asked if you’re being too half-hearted. Didn’t you request this duel with me because you wanted to win?”

“W-what…?!”

Suddenly, a piercing criticism that struck him deeply.

Yord had no time to compose his expression before being pierced by more thorns.

“I’m right, aren’t I? You probably heard the rumors. That there’s a knight in the Third Order who was originally a soldier and hasn’t even mastered martial energy techniques. You thought, ‘I can definitely take down someone like him,’ didn’t you?”

“…That’s.”

“Ah, I’m not blaming you. So don’t make such a stung expression. What I want to say is this. You probably felt it about a minute into our duel. ‘Huh? This guy is no pushover?’ —Am I wrong?”

“……”

He was accurate.

Those who know, know.

The feeling comes as soon as you start a duel, no, as soon as you first clash, whether with fists or swords.

Whether this person is strong or easy to handle.

And Yord felt the heaviness of a massive boulder as soon as his sword met Ihan’s. He realized he had been mistaken.

This person was not easy at all, but rather quite skilled.

“Good, I’m glad you know. But here’s the thing. If you know, why are you acting like this?”

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Kid, you’re not getting it. If you knew he wasn’t easy, you should have gone all in with your first strike. You should have come at me with your most confident sword technique, with the ‘determination’ to win no matter what.”

“……”

“But why do you keep hopping around and feeling sorry for yourself?”

“!!!”

Thud!

Yord looked dazed, as if he had been hit hard on the back of his head.

That’s how much of a mental shock he was experiencing right now.

The statement was so accurate that he couldn’t refute it at all.

Yes, just as he said, Yord knew his opponent was significantly stronger, yet he wasn’t going all out with a determination for a one-hit kill, but just hopping around.

Meanwhile, his opponent wasn’t even tired and didn’t consider him a threat at all.

Realizing this, what came over him was a different kind of shame.

He felt pathetic for still being arrogant despite knowing his opponent was stronger, or rather, for acting like a fool and an idiot out of stupidity.

Before despairing, he should have just gone all out.

That would have at least been satisfying.

“…I showed a foolish side of myself.”

“Well, at least explaining was worth it. I’m glad you’re not a complete idiot.”

“Yes.”

Yord answered and raised the tip of his sword straight ahead.

He was grateful to him.

For giving such a great realization to someone who had been arrogant and foolish, who had been feeling despair all by himself.

So!

Woooong!

“I will give it my all.”

“Ooh.”

He exclaimed in admiration.

No, all the knights watching exclaimed in admiration, their eyes widening.

Both Yord’s body and sword showed a resonance-like trembling.

Though it was just a practice sword without a sharp edge, at this moment, it seemed as sharp as a blade.

Sword Resonance

A resonance phenomenon that occurs when the wavelengths of the swordsman and the sword align, a sword energy that only a select few among talented swordsmen can manifest.

A sword manifesting the Sword Resonance phenomenon increases its destructive power to the extreme, sometimes defeating opponents with a skill gap.

For a swordsman, it’s a strike equivalent to a killing blow.

And now, Yord extended his sword, causing Sword Resonance with his senses pushed to the limit.

He had abandoned all concern for his physical and mental strength, or any consequences, focusing solely on the “single-minded determination” to cut him down.

Whoosh!

Yord’s sword showed the highest speed of the day, reaching right in front of Ihan’s face in the blink of an eye.

An extreme quick sword technique.

It was Yord’s variation-like strike, abandoning the Phantom Sword and trying to decide the match with speed alone.

And then

“Yes, that’s good.”

Ihan still watched Yord’s movements until the end, with a smile on his lips.

Whack!

…He swung his sword forcefully.

Kwaaang-!

The next moment, a person went flying.

“…Cruel bastard.”

People saw it.

The impressive new recruit who had even manifested Sword Resonance seemed to be trying to finish with a splendid display, but truly…

“…Cough.”

The sight of him being utterly crushed.

Yord bounced three times on the ground like a stone skipping on water before crashing into the wall, where he trembled and passed out.

And the person who had skipped a human like a stone.

“Whew, that feels refreshing.”

Showed a refreshed expression and smiled broadly.