What Collapsed Is Not Discipline

‘The atmosphere at Minst Academy is a mess as expected.’

Among the students of the Swordsmanship Department, there were some with decent looks in their eyes, but there were many who were not just lacking diligence but were preoccupied with other thoughts.

‘Unpleasant.’

Theodore felt that he indeed disliked people from the Britannia Empire.

His own blood, if traced, could be said to be pure Britannia Imperial, but since his homeland was already the Arcan Empire, he considered himself a complete Arcan Imperial.

Especially, he was so annoyed by the way they looked at Yuria that if he were to follow his mood, he would want to turn them all into blind people who couldn’t see.

“Lady Yuria’s beauty is really extraordinary. The rumors don’t do her justice. I wonder what would have happened if William were here?”

“Hey, didn’t you know that the third-year senior was caught having sex with him recently?”

“Ah, the one where they skipped class and were caught secretly having sex in an empty classroom?”

“Yeah, there was already a commotion about that.”

He heard talk about William coming up.

It was a conversation from which one could understand what kind of image William Artin had to them and what kind of conduct he usually displayed.

“I wish I could live like William~”

“Ah, me too.”

Theodore felt from their words that it was indeed as he thought.

The lazy genius William Artin, who didn’t put in effort yet occupied the second position, had corrupted their hearts.

No matter how hard one tries, they can’t beat a lazy genius.

William’s lifestyle, which was faithful to desires without working hard like them, was that of a complete gangster, but there were even those who admired him.

In a word, it meant that a group of people had emerged who followed a thug and wanted to live like him.

‘They are merely corrupted trash who follow filth that stinks on the street and become cowardly weak in front of the strong. If Lady Yuria shows something in this fight, it’s clear they won’t even be able to use it as a joke.’

While such people didn’t constitute the majority in the Britannia Empire, they weren’t at a level that went unnoticed.

And if Yuria showed outstanding skills to such people, they would become even more submissive to her, watching her more carefully, as they were already somewhat cautious due to her status.

That’s what strength was.

‘Before coming here, I wouldn’t have cared either way…’

And unlike when he was at Jeiha Academy before coming to Minst Academy, it was quite troublesome that he was now so concerned about Yuria’s affairs that he was paying attention even to such trivial matters of hers.

But anyway, now, he believed that Yuria would win in this duel and was focusing on watching her fight.

---

Yuria, holding her sword on the platform, took her stance.

And her opponent, Owen, had already taken his stance, and the two didn’t exchange any more words.

Professor Benjamin was standing by to prevent any unexpected accidents during the duel, and thus their duel began.

“HAAAAAAH!”

Owen was seen swinging his sword, surrounded by ki. Whether he had mainly learned a swordsmanship style that emphasized power, his sword path had a clean but destructive momentum.

Yuria had no intention of simply confronting such a destructive swordsmanship style head-on.

‘As Young Lord Theodore taught me!’

Against the opponent’s attack imbued with overwhelming power, Yuria decided to utilize counter-force.

However, since the opponent’s strength could potentially break through counter-force in reverse if it was too strong, Yuria chose the method of precisely injecting the energy with counter-force properties into only a specific part of her sword.

Concentrating the power of counter-force within a small range of her sword, Yuria’s stance didn’t waver as she defended against Owen’s attack by raising her sword.

“Ugh!”

In contrast, Owen was seen retreating backward, feeling the counter-force.

Yuria felt the inadequacy of her skills at that sight.

‘Not enough.’

When she had attacked Theodore, she would have heavily collided with the ground back-first if Theodore hadn’t caught her from behind, as she was sent flying by the counter-force.

Compared to that, all she did was make her opponent step back.

‘But an opening has been created.’

Yuria didn’t miss this opportunity and continued her attack.

Her sword had always pursued fast and precise attacks.

Having received additional lectures for several days from the strongest swordsman at Jeiha Academy and learning that the path she was walking wasn’t wrong, she had confidence.

Though there’s a saying that the end is one, there were numerous branches in the path of the sword, and just as Owen chose to walk the path of destructive swordsmanship, Yuria had chosen to walk the path of fast and precise swordsmanship.

No one was wrong for walking a different direction of swordsmanship. There were only the strong and the weak.

“Ugh!”

Owen was seen quickly being pushed onto the defensive, frowning.

It was regrettable for Owen, but who Yuria had faced was none other than Theodore Skyroad.

He was the strongest swordsman at Jeiha Academy, surpassing even the professors, not just across the entire year but throughout the entire academy, and even that felt like too narrow a scope compared to his true abilities.

To Yuria, who had repeatedly sparred with such a person for days and received intensive training, Owen was too easy an opponent, even for an evaluation match.

“Impressive.”

Admiration came from Owen’s mouth as he retreated, trying to create distance.

He seemed to be genuinely impressed by Yuria’s skills.

“Now that our swords have crossed, I understand. Lady Yuria, I see how deep your passion for the sword is.”

To Owen’s words, Yuria answered in a calm tone:

“It would be strange if it weren’t so. A swordsman should be sincere with their sword.”

At Yuria’s answer, Owen nodded as if agreeing.

“Yes. I see that’s how Jeiha Academy teaches.”

A slight bitterness was embedded in his tone as he said this.

“Sigh, it’s not strange for a student of the Swordsmanship Department to consider an outstanding female swordsman as their ideal type. But the year I entered will probably continue this messy atmosphere.”

“You’ve become talkative. Focus on your sword.”

Yuria cut off his words.

She wasn’t interested in whatever he was thinking.

What mattered was just to settle the match.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Owen, who stopped talking, also took his stance, gripping his sword again.

“It seems like I’ll just be one-sidedly beaten if I drag this out.”

As Owen said this, his entire body’s ki could be seen concentrating on his sword.

Seeing this, Professor Benjamin was seen startling.

“Student Owen! That attack is too much right now!”

Professor Benjamin, who recognized what he was trying to do, tried to stop him.

No matter if it was a duel for the top position, this was a dangerous attack that could potentially kill the opponent.

“Wow! It looks like Owen is going to use that?”

“Was Lady Yuria that strong?”

“Tsk, to have such appearance and figure, and such swordsmanship skills too… plus she’s a young lady of a ducal house, even if from a foreign country…”

“But this is the end.”

The male students of the Swordsmanship Department, while admiring Yuria’s skills, were predicting Owen’s victory.

Even though Owen had shown signs of being pushed back, everyone was confident that he would reverse the situation with that technique.

“It’s fine.”

And in such an atmosphere, Yuria stopped Professor Benjamin who was trying to stop Owen.

“Because I’m confident I can block it.”

Yuria said as she gripped her sword.

Some might call her arrogant.

But if Yuria were to hear such words, she would feel wronged, saying that she wasn’t Theodore and was just saying she could block something she could block, yet received such an evaluation.

It was merely a prejudice arising from Yuria’s fragile-looking external appearance.

“HAAAAH!”

Owen rushed forward and swung his sword infused with immense energy.

It was an attack that carried a momentum as if it would crush everything.

“Sword Combat Technique, Pulverize!”

Someone among the students muttered about Owen’s attack just now.

Certainly, even to Yuria, it felt like it would be dangerous to face this attack head-on.

Above all, the destructive momentum emanating from Owen might intimidate an ordinary opponent.

That momentary timing would be the decisive part that would determine the match.

‘It’s nothing special.’

However, to Yuria, the threat of that momentum was nothing.

Having directly experienced Theodore’s intense killing intent and forcibly endured it during training, there was no way she would be intimidated by this level of momentum.

‘An opening.’

Therefore, Yuria quickly evaded and struck Owen’s wrist with the side of her sword.

But as if Owen had expected this, he exerted so much force that the muscles of his two arms bulged, swinging his sword mid-way and deflecting Yuria’s sword.

It was natural since he had been confident that she would either block or evade, which was why he had used such a dangerous technique.

And due to Owen’s attack, Yuria’s stance was momentarily disrupted, and her body seemed to float slightly in the air.

Most people momentarily thought that Yuria’s defeat was determined at this point.

“UGH!”

However, the one who fell screaming was not Yuria but Owen.

Utilizing the power of counter-force, Yuria blocked the attack while redirecting part of the force, and then used the reactive force coming to her in reverse, resulting in her kick striking Owen’s chin.

And Owen, whose response was temporarily delayed due to the power of counter-force, ended up allowing the attack directed at his chin.

It was Yuria’s counter.