Chapter 47: Revenge (2)

It was late at night two days later.

Using moonlight as our guide, we arrived at Lake Zain, the agreed-upon duel site a short distance from the Academy.

“Watch your step. It’s dark.”

“Thank you, Ian.”

I dismounted Silence first, then helped Hori down carefully, holding her hand.

Riding together on Silence brought back memories of our journey before arriving at the Academy. Even then, I thought Hori wasn’t quite right in the head, but I never imagined things would escalate this far.

“Hm? Ian, is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

We approached the lake to find a spot with better lighting for our fight.

As we neared the water’s edge, the moonlight reflecting off the vast lake seemed to provide sufficient illumination.

“Is this enough light for you to collect data?”

“Yes! Though I’d prefer daytime, this will do!”

“Good. Now, about that potion I asked for?”

Hori rummaged through her pocket and handed me a vial filled with a suspiciously colored liquid.

“But Ian, how do you plan to make Professor Peter drink this? He’s so rigid, I bet he’ll refuse, citing some knightly pride nonsense.”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

He may be old-fashioned, but he’s just an antiquated knight who values appearances. Offer him a plausible excuse, and he’ll drink it willingly.

I pocketed the potion and gazed at the lake, waiting for Peter.

Soon, I sensed two presences rapidly approaching through the ley lines – one human and one beast.

“They’re here…”

“What? Oh! I need to hide quickly!”

Unable to find suitable cover, a panicked Hori ducked behind me as I turned to face Peter’s approach.

Peter rode in on a steed as tall as himself, clad in brilliant white armor unlike our first encounter. A massive hammer, twice the size of the one he used at the Academy, hung at his horse’s side – likely his true weapon of choice when fighting seriously.

‘That horse is using aura like Lobo.’

Though incomparable to Lobo’s power, the fact remained that it was cloaked in aura.

Seeing that horse reminded me that I needed to teach Silence how to use aura soon, but I kept putting it off due to lack of time.

“Neigh!!”

Peter’s mount reared up with a whinny before coming to a stop. Peter dismounted, grabbed the hammer, and stood before me.

“So you didn’t run away after all!”

“Shut up!! This time I’ll smash your skull for sure!!”

“Huh?”

Something seemed off. While his animosity was expected, his rage seemed disproportionate even accounting for that.

“Hori, did you say anything to him besides what I told you to?”

“Um, well… about that…”

Hori hesitated, glancing at me nervously. After I promised not to get angry, she nodded and whispered everything she’d said that day into my ear.

“Pfft…!!”

Learning the full extent of Hori’s words, I couldn’t help but imagine Peter’s expression at the time, struggling to contain my laughter.

“You really said all that?!”

“Yes… I was worried Professor Peter might refuse the duel otherwise…”

“Well done! Excellent work! You managed to pick just the sort of things I might say!”

“Hehe… Somehow I felt like that’s what Ian would say.”

“What are you two snickering about?!”

“Hm?”

Peter’s sudden shout startled Hori, who cowered behind me as I turned to face him.

His face had turned an even deeper shade of red as he leveled his hammer at me.

“We’re about to duel! One of us could die, yet you dare flirt with a woman?!”

“If that’s how you see it, why are you getting so worked up?”

“What?!”

If your opponent is distracted flirting during a duel, you should be elated, not enraged. Why wouldn’t you rejoice when your foe underestimates you without any effort on your part?

“If you were taking this duel seriously, you’d have concealed that anger. Do you even intend to win?”

“Silence!! This is a sacred knightly duel!! Do you think I’d stoop to such cowardly tactics?!”

“Cowardly tactics? Do you think this is some kind of sporting match? Cowardly or not, winning is all that matters. You know why? Because only losers like you make excuses about unfairness or invalid victories.”

“Losers…? How dare you!”

“Why? It’s true. Or have you forgotten? At the Academy, you were sprawled on the ground, bleeding from a blow from a mere reverse-bladed sword.”

“Grr!!”

As rage consumed Peter, aura gathered around his body. Taking this as the signal to begin, I addressed Hori behind me.

“Hori, step back a bit.”

“Y-yes!”

Peter, seemingly reluctant to harm a woman as a knight, kindly waited for Hori to retreat to a safe distance.

Once Hori was well clear, Peter assumed a defensive stance, preparing for my attack.

I made no move to respond, simply staring blankly at Peter as if nothing was wrong.

Despite my obvious openings, Peter held his stance, likely suspecting some trap.

As the silent standoff dragged on without so much as a word exchanged, I finally stepped forward, breaking the silence.

“Waiting for dawn? If you’re that scared, I’ll come to you.”

I approached Peter, completely unguarded. My hands nowhere near my sword or scabbard, I walked as casually as if out for a stroll.

Watching my defenseless approach, Peter’s eyes bulged as he snarled.

“You…!! How far will you mock me?!”

“How long will you make me wait? I’m offering my head on a platter, yet you won’t even charge?”

I closed to striking distance and thrust my head forward, practically begging to be hit.

Finally, with an enraged roar, Peter swung his massive hammer at my exposed head.

Even as I felt the wind from the hammer’s approach brush my cheek, I remained motionless, watching it all unfold.

The full force of a Sword Saint’s blow was about to connect with my skull.

And the result…

-Crack!!

The ground beneath my feet split open, absorbing the entirety of the impact meant for my head.

Peter must have truly intended to kill me – the shockwave traveled all the way to the lake, causing massive ripples across its surface.

As the exact opposite of our Academy fight unfolded, Peter’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“H-how is this possible…!!”

“Why ask how after I’ve already shown you once?”

It’s a simple technique – rather than drawing on the ley lines’ power, I simply redirect the force of the blow back into them.

I’d only seen it twice, including Lobo’s demonstration, but such tricks came easily once I’d awakened to the power of the ley lines.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Those words snapped Peter back to his senses, but it was far too late.

Before his brain could even send the command, my body – honed by decades of endless repetition – had already assumed the stance for Baldo.

Seeing this, Peter raised his hammer high, intent on striking my head once more.

But before he could, a crisp “shing!!” rang out as Peter’s body was launched high into the air.

“Gah!! Aaargh!!”

“W-what just happened…!!”

Confused exclamations came from above and behind as neither could understand what had happened.

Though my katana remained sheathed, Peter had been sent flying as if someone had edited out the intervening frames of a video, leaving only the end result.

That’s likely how it appeared to them.

Neither the observer, nor the one struck, nor even I who executed the technique had witnessed the moment the blade was exposed.

Like a chaste maiden, Shadowstrike had struck Peter’s body without revealing her true form – her naked blade.

‘Success…’

This technique, said to have been used by a great British swordmaster, is a Baldo of ultimate speed achieved by sacrificing power and precision to pursue velocity above all else.

Its name, derived from the fact that none can witness the moment of drawing or resheathing…

“Adam Smith-style Baldo: Invisible Draw.”

This technique, which I’d only mastered upon reaching Baldo Rank A++, was likely the fastest in my arsenal, and it had just struck Peter with devastating effect.

[Adam Smith-style Baldo: Invisible Draw]

[Rank: A]

[An Baldo of extreme speed that strikes the enemy with a draw so swift it cannot be seen, then resheathes at equally imperceptible velocity.

Adam Smith never used Baldo, and the technique would be far more powerful without such useless steps as drawing and resheathing.]

What bullsh*t. What would someone who doesn’t even know Baldo understand about history?