Chapter 38: Northern Style Sports Day (2)
by Afuhfuihgs“Jo, Jo-jang!”
When Alex, who was supposed to be at the apex of the triangle, was kicked from the start and fell back, his
teammates were flustered and began to panic.
Alex glanced at my waist, then shouted at his teammates.
“You idiots! Keep moving forward! They have the towel!”
At Alex’s command, his teammates quickly turned their heads and moved toward the 4-man group.
Using a wooden sword as a support, he stood up and glared at me as though he wanted to devour me, then asked.
“You bastard. Is this your plan? You leave the ones you can’t trust behind and then move separately to steal my
towel?”
“Your words are a bit harsh, but it’s somewhat close. The part about leaving them behind is wrong, though.”
The reason I tried to move separately from the 4-man group was purely for the efficiency of teamwork.
The four of them were already in sync since they had been together from the start, and if I joined them, it would take
time to adjust.
Rather than awkwardly trying to form a new team, splitting into two groups was the better choice.
“Heh. Fine, whatever. I’ve been wanting to teach you a lesson properly, not play this game. I’ll beat you up and bring
out your true colors!”
“I’m genuinely curious, though. Why are you picking on me? I haven’t done anything to you.”
“Why am I picking on you? Isn’t it obvious?”
“What’s so obvious about it?”
“If a junior doesn’t know their place and is causing trouble, the senior has to personally teach them a lesson. This is
no joke.”
I thought he might give me a somewhat plausible reason, but I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Well, I guess it’s more boring if you have some long-winded backstory.”
Even if there were any, I wasn’t particularly interested, so I decided to drop the conversation. I didn’t even want to
treat him as an extra anymore.
I felt sorry for the other extras from <Brave Road> like Elaine, Ki, and even Garen.
“However, I agree that if you don’t know your place and are causing trouble, you should be taught a lesson. This is no
joke.”
I tightened my grip on the wooden sword.
“Hm.”
A heavily armored knight, who was holding a halberd and wearing a helmet, quietly watched the match. He
unconsciously let out a small sound, and another knight, who seemed to be his colleague, asked.
“You seem concerned.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Come on. Of course, you’re concerned. If one of my subordinates is taking the test, of course, I’d be worried.”
Elaine let out an embarrassed groan inside her helmet.
The mischievous teasing they did when it was just the two of them was still difficult for her to react to. It was just his
personality.
Nevertheless, Grace’s attention had already returned to the test field.
“I was curious to see how the commander would fight, so I asked Sir Gunther about it. It’s quite a fun strategy.”
“Really?”
“Of course. That soldier, Alex, was completely caught in Luke’s strategy.”
Grace commented as she watched the ongoing match in real-time.
“The rule of the match is that the towel must be taken directly by the tester. Currently, the towels are held by Alex
and Luke’s teammates. However, it’s Alex and Luke who are fighting, not their teammates.”
“……”
“Even if Alex’s group defeats Luke’s group, it would be a violation of the rules if they take the towel. So, Alex has to
break through Luke and steal the towel.”
“I see.”
“On the other hand, if Luke takes the towel from Alex, then that’s enough. If Alex gets too eager to pass Luke, he
might open an opportunity for Luke to take advantage of.”
Grace continued, saying “Of course” as she spoke.
“If Alex’s group returns and flanks Luke, or if his teammates hold Luke down while Alex passes by, it would be bad
for him. It’s not a great strategy.”
“……”
“You can’t see his expression because of the helmet, but I don’t feel any concern from you.”
“Yes, because…”
Elaine slightly turned her head.
“I don’t think Luke’s group will fall that easily.”
“Heh, true. That’s why I said it’s a fun strategy.”
Alex’s group, despite hesitating a little at first, soon launched an attack on Luke’s group.
No, to be more precise, they tried to launch an attack.
When the newly appointed leader of Alex’s group tried to make the first strike, a sharp thrust like an arrow pierced
his chest, sending him flying backwards just like Alex.
Luke’s group’s leader, Den, immediately pulled his wooden sword back and readied another thrust. Behind him,
Hind stepped forward to protect him.
Thanks to Hind buying time, Den reloaded his thrust and sent another one flying, knocking out another member of
Alex’s group. It was a quick and sharp thrust that even Elaine, known as the best swordswoman in the North, took
notice of.
“That soldier’s pretty good.”
“Yes, his other swordsmanship is average, but his thrusting technique is quite good.”
“That one’s also decent, but I’m talking about the big guy behind.”
At Den’s thrust, Alex’s group, realizing they couldn’t make it head-on, tried to target his flank.
But there, they were met by the massive figure of Muller, who was waiting for them.
“His weapon is a hammer. He knows how to use his strength. With his size, a hammer or an axe is better than a
sword. Good choice.”
“Sir Elaine?”
“For some reason, I think that hammer was suggested by Luke.”
“Really?”
“It seems like he’s not used to it yet. The movements of the hammer have traces of the Winter Sword. I think he
recently switched weapons.”
“Hmm, that makes sense. He wouldn’t suddenly change weapons right before the evaluation. In such cases, there’s
usually advice from someone around him.”
Grace grinned as she watched Muller, who used the hammer with great strength to prevent any enemies from
approaching.
“If Luke’s suggestion is correct, that’s an excellent piece of advice. He seems to be confident in his strength, and
someone like him should be allowed to use his full power. A sword would be frustrating for him.”
As a northern duke’s renowned knight, Grace quickly understood Muller’s combat style just by watching his battle.
Elaine nodded in agreement with Grace’s words.
“It’s a well-balanced team. The soldier supporting his comrades may be of average skill, but he has a good sense of
his surroundings and fills in the gaps well.”
Hayden, seeing openings between Den’s thrusts and Muller’s hammer strikes, rushed in to buy time for his comrades.
Because of this, Alex struggled to take advantage of any opportunity and was frequently blocked.
“The soldier holding the towel in the middle is calm. In the midst of his teammates fighting fiercely, he could easily
be caught up in the excitement, but he’s keeping his composure. Luke wasn’t wrong in giving him the towel.”
“Judging by his deep breaths, it seems less like he’s good at making decisions and more like he has patience. He’s
missing good opportunities to intervene, but he’s avoided dangerous situations more times than not. He seems to
have a habit of thinking things through.”
Winch, in the center of the team, carefully observed the surroundings and refrained from rushing in. Instead, he only
attacked when needed, breaking through his comrades’ defenses to counter the enemies or stepping in only when his
teammates were truly in danger.
He was like a sharp spear hidden behind a shield.
If they had to break that shield, it would be difficult to fight effectively. But if they tried to destroy the shield first, the
spear would strike out.
“It’s strange,” Grace said.
“Hmm?”
“If there were soldiers with such good teamwork, I should have heard about them by now. But I have no idea who
they are.”
“I don’t know either.”
“Could it be that ordinary soldiers suddenly became stronger under Luke’s command in just one week? Quite
surprising. Did the commander have talent?”
Grace laughed lightly, then added, “Or perhaps their superior took credit for their accomplishments or interfered so
they couldn’t take any credit.”
Her expression turned cold in an instant.
Elaine, sitting beside her, also felt a chill and answered, “If you command, I’ll thoroughly investigate the military
discipline this time.”
“No, let’s observe for now.”
Grace waved Elaine off and turned her gaze back to the arena.
She had been watching since the evaluation started, and her keen senses allowed her to hear the loud sounds even
though she was wearing a helmet.
Grace continued to watch Alex with a serious look before turning to Elaine.
“By the way, there’s one flaw in Luke’s plan. You’re aware of it too, aren’t you?”
“Yes, while the team holds off, Luke needs to win one-on-one against Alex and grab the towel. His team is fighting
well, but they’re outnumbered, and the enemy isn’t weak, so they can’t afford to relax.”
“Alex is a soldier who’s attempted the knight’s exam, so his skills must be decent. What do you think?”
“No problem.”
“Oh, is that a biased opinion?”
“I’ve evaluated the abilities of my subordinates objectively as their leader.”
Grace looked at Elaine, then chuckled before returning her attention to the match.
Coincidentally, she also shared the same thoughts.
Suddenly, Alex stumbled backward from a gust of wind caused by Luke.
Huff, huff.
Alex gasped for air, but he seemed to get frustrated with his own heavy breathing and tried to force himself to stop.
“Why don’t you just breathe? It’ll make things worse if you try to hold it in.”
On the other hand, Luke, facing Alex, seemed relaxed as he tapped the ground with his wooden sword.
It wasn’t a mocking gesture, but Alex felt irritated and shouted.
“You bastard!”
Shouting, Alex charged forward and swung his sword down, but Luke easily blocked the attack.
Alex, now furious, wildly swung his sword from all directions, attempting to corner Luke, but Luke, with astonishing
stability and speed, countered every attack.
Swish!
With a speed that was almost impossible to follow with the eye, Luke retaliated and struck Alex in the chest.
A follow-up kick.
“Ugh!”
Alex’s body collapsed after being hit in the abdomen, and Luke, with his quick swordplay, struck Alex’s shoulder,
knocking him off balance.
Weak and almost on the verge of kneeling, Alex, whether out of perseverance or pride, gritted his teeth and glared at Luke.
Something felt off.
Even with his experience in the Royal Guard, there was a clear difference.
He wasn’t weak by any means.
He had attacked multiple times, but never once succeeded.
No, when he tested their strength earlier, their physical strength was similar.
What was the difference? Was it the swordsmanship? Or stamina? Or age? Or something else?
‘Right, that guy’s from the Royal Guard. He must have had access to potions or items that ordinary soldiers wouldn’t
be able to get. He probably trained under a good martial arts instructor too.’
Thinking that way made Alex even more frustrated.
They were both soldiers, yet some got lucky and made it into the Royal Guard, while others had to work hard because
luck wasn’t on their side.
Suddenly, he began questioning the fairness of the knight’s exam.
Was the Duke using ordinary soldiers as pawns to make his inner circle knights?
Hmm, maybe that’s going too far.
He suppressed the thought, not wanting to provoke the Duke.
“Damn it, why are they trying so hard?”
Once the frustration started, it quickly spread to the teammates of Luke who were struggling.
When Alex faced Luke’s team, he inwardly cheered.
His loyal subordinates, who usually followed him, would certainly play along and hand over the towel in due time.
Especially Hayden, that guy, who was quick-witted, would know exactly whose side to take. And Winch, who had
once complained about Luke with him, was probably full of rebellion now.
“Of course, it’s a bit sorry to make it seem intentional, so I’ll just buy you a drink later.
Anyway, the outcome of this evaluation doesn’t matter much for the team members.
But for some reason, those guys are fighting more fiercely than when they were with me, and it’s making my insides boil.
I wish I could shout at those idiots, asking what they’re doing right now, but since the examiner is watching, I can’t.
Useless ones. Once this exam is over, I’m going to get rid of all of them.
“Damn it!”
In the end, all I could do was curse.
Ignoring the pain in his body, Alex forced his stance.
Luke, watching Alex, couldn’t help but admire him.
“One thing I’ll admit. You’re still a Northerner, even if you’re rotten.” The determination.
“Shut up.”
“Isn’t it strange? We’re taking the same exam, but there’s such a big difference in our levels.”
“……!”
When Luke hit the nail on the head about what Alex had been contemplating, Alex flinched.
His teeth clenched.
Was he mocking him for being superior?
“Then why do you always roam around with others and bully the kids while pretending to train? You should have
trained harder.”
Training? Of course, he had.
The training in the Northern Army was no joke, unlike the easygoing ones who slacked off under weak instructors.
It’s just that he trained under an average instructor, not a superior one like the Guard, which made the efficiency
lower than those of the Guard.
Ah, was he mocking that?
Sure enough, the intent to mock was clear.
“You arrogant little bastard. Do you want to die that badly?”
Originally, this was supposed to be his trump card for the third trial.
Filled with anger, Alex gripped his wooden sword tightly with both hands.
Whoooosh.
His wooden sword began to glow with a blue light.
Magic.
Alex had talent.
His family was wealthy, so he had support like potions and tutoring. But even so, the fact that he was able to awaken
and learn magic was thanks to his innate talent.
That’s why he was confident. No matter how superior Luke’s training environment was in the Guard, he couldn’t use
the magical power that Alex, who was blessed with talent, could wield.
“Heh, don’t worry. I won’t really kill you. But I will break one of your arms.”
Luke stared at Alex as he proudly raised his glowing wooden sword, but didn’t look surprised.
“Oh, a magic battle? Good. I was wondering when I could use it.”
“What?”
Luke also gripped his wooden sword with both hands.
Fwoosh.
“???”
For some reason, Luke’s wooden sword began to glow red, with flames igniting on its surface.
What’s going on? Why is it on fire? Was it some item pretending to be a wooden sword? The examiner must have
checked it, but did Luke sneak it in using his connections with the Guard?
“Damn it, I told you wood burns easily. I guess there’s no such thing as hot wood, though.”
Luke muttered as he looked at his sword and then spoke to Alex.
“Hey, hey, no time. Let’s hurry up.”
Alex was bewildered, not understanding what was going on, but when Luke charged to end the battle, Alex took his
stance.
‘No matter what, I’ve got magic on my side!’
He glared and swung his sword down at Luke with all his strength, but Luke simply took his stance.
Screech!
The wooden sword wrapped in Alex’s magic shattered with a heavy cracking sound.
“Huh?”
“Well, do your best.”
What use is magic when your basics, like swordsmanship, are terrible?
No, forget it. There’s no need for me to give advice to this arrogant junior.
With that, he snatched the towel and spoke in a tone implying he didn’t care.
Alex stared blankly at his broken wooden sword, now reduced to a dagger, blinking in disbelief.
“That’s it!”
With Gunther’s shout, the match ended.
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