Chapter 63

Episode 63

Prince Arthur wore a smug grin.

He seemed to have forgotten the adage that complacency was a warrior’s downfall.

He must have had something up his sleeve, but if I used the “Sword of Chaos,” I could easily subdue him.

But was that the best course of action?

“Sir O’Brien, will you accept Prince Arthur’s proposal?”

“Thank you for the offer, but I decline.”

“What? Why?!”

The prince, once again, failed to control his anger. I calmly explained my reason.

“This duel is being officiated by the Captain of the Imperial Guard. I believe it should be as fair as possible.”

“Hmm, I see. You have a point. What do you think, Your Highness?”

“Hmph! Why stop him from digging his own grave? He can regret it in hell. Let’s begin immediately.”

“Very well.”

At Sir Olaf’s signal, two knights brought iron swords. They were crude, unremarkable swords, the kind used by ordinary soldiers.

The grip felt uncomfortable in my hand.

Knights usually commissioned swords from blacksmiths, tailored to their hand size and arm length. But these were mass-produced, standard-issue weapons.

However, judging from the prince’s expression, his sword seemed to have a different grip.

‘He definitely rigged something.’

I activated ‘Mana Detection’.

Thankfully, I didn’t sense any negative energy from the training ground floor.

But I felt a heavy mana emanating from the prince.

To be precise, from his iron sword.

It seemed like a special magic had been cast on the otherwise ordinary-looking sword.

‘It must be an enchantment spell. He can’t imbue it with an element, so he must have enhanced it.’

Jericho had explained this to me earlier this morning.

The commonly used elements were the four basic elements: water, fire, wind, and earth. Adding a fifth, non-elemental attribute completed the five elements.

The four basic elements had visual effects. Therefore, Jericho said it was highly likely that a non-elemental enhancement spell had been cast on the sword.

A thought crossed my mind.

‘If I hadn’t learned magic, I might have been caught off guard.’

I could have dropped my sword or been knocked down by the first attack. I was relieved.

“Then, let the duel commence. Both of you, assume your stances.”

I raised my sword vertically and placed it against my heart. Prince Arthur, albeit halfheartedly, mirrored my posture.

As soon as Sir Olaf gave the signal, the prince charged at me.

“Haaaa!”

He swung his iron sword with a powerful shout. But ‘Automatic Combat’ was already activated.

*Clang!*

I blocked his first attack.

A sharp pain shot through my hand.

Jericho’s guess was right. I had heard that the Magic Tower didn’t interfere in politics. Whose handiwork was this?

*Whoosh!*

I dodged his next attack. I adopted a defensive stance, analyzing his attack patterns.

Prince Arthur wasn’t rushing to finish the fight. He wasn’t utilizing the Bellatrix swordsmanship he was just using ordinary attacks.

*Clang! Clang!*

As sparks flew, I launched my first counterattack.

“Hmph. You’re no match for me!”

Prince Arthur easily dodged my horizontal swing and sneered. I hated that expression.

“You think you can defeat me with such weak attacks? Know your place!”

*Swoosh!*

He closed the distance in an instant and thrust his sword. A powerful piercing attack.

But I had ‘Automatic Combat’.

The skill, having already predicted his trajectory, twisted my body slightly and swung my sword using centrifugal force.

*Clang!*

His predictable attack was easily blocked.

Prince Arthur was indeed skilled. He was strong enough to overwhelm ordinary knights from the Dukedom.

I wasn’t using aura intentionally.

Aura made it difficult to discern the characteristics and strength of the opponent’s swordsmanship. The power of the swordsmanship itself synergized with aura.

So, I decided to exploit the difference in our status.

Prince Arthur saw me as mere trash. It was unthinkable for him to activate his aura before I did, especially when I wasn’t even using it.

The prince valued his pride above all else. He would continue to attack with his swordsmanship until I unleashed my aura.

My priority was to draw out his swordsmanship techniques.

We exchanged sharp blows, our bodies warming up as we worked up a light sweat.

It was time.

“I’ve heard that the Bellatrix swordsmanship is as grand and domineering as the Empire itself, but it seems different from what I expected, Your Highness.”

“You brat! You still don’t know your place. You’re not here for entertainment. Fine. I’ll show you the true swordsmanship.”

Prince Arthur raised his sword, its tip pointing towards the sky.

Then, he swung it in a half-circle, pointing it at me.

“Don’t blame me.”

He gripped the sword with both hands and prepared his stance.

He began chanting in an unknown language, like casting a spell.

I had heard it was a kind of ritual, different from magic.

『First Form, Frenzy Slash!』

A shiver ran down my spine.

It wasn’t because of the cheesy name. It was because the prince’s sword seemed to multiply into dozens within my vision.

‘It’s a swift sword technique.’

Dozens of swords, aimed at my entire body, flashed past me.

The afterimages disappeared, leaving only one sword.

It was easily blocked by my sword.

*Clang!*

The prince’s eyes widened as his sword bounced off mine with a clear sound.

“You… You blocked it?”

“Is this the true form of the Bellatrix swordsmanship?”

I refrained from adding, “It’s more pathetic than I expected.” That would be considered insulting the Imperial Family.

Honestly, my dynamic vision couldn’t distinguish the afterimages of his sword. But with the cheat-like skill ‘Automatic Combat’, it wasn’t a problem.

Swordsmanship forms were essentially pre-determined movements.

Those movements embodied the principles and philosophy of the swordsmanship.

Therefore, once the movements became familiar, the chances of countering them increased.

But what was the Bellatrix swordsmanship?

It was the ultimate swordsmanship, passed down only to the descendants of the Imperial Family.

Even seasoned knights rarely had the opportunity to face it. It was understandable that he was shocked to see it blocked.

I didn’t need to look at the audience’s reaction.

The surprised expression on the Imperial Guard Captain’s face said it all. He was shocked by how cleanly I had blocked the attack.

He must have underestimated me.

This was why the “hidden strength” trope was so popular.

“Alright. I’ll take you seriously. You won’t be able to block this attack. Your luck has run out!”

The prince grinned and began chanting the incantation for his next form.

『Third Form, Blazing Fire Slash!』

*Whoosh!*

His sword was instantly engulfed in flames.

The flames were so intense that even the spectators, watching from afar, flinched.

The sword moved, creating a giant inferno.

One thing was certain: this form felt more threatening than the previous one.

*Buzz!*

The aura I drew from my body gathered on my sword. ‘Automatic Combat’ must have deemed it too difficult to simply block.

Trusting in ‘Automatic Combat’ and my aura, I faced the approaching flames head-on.

*Boom!*

A powerful impact surged through my hand. My legs, strained from resisting the force, trembled.

*Rumble!*

I blocked it.

The shockwave from the clash of our swords spread outwards. The knights standing by had to activate their auras to neutralize the impact.

I had lost some aura from blocking the attack, but I could still fight.

“This is insane! Impossible!”

Was he finally realizing that something was wrong? The prince couldn’t hide his astonishment.

“Use your aura properly. You won’t be able to defeat me with just swordsmanship.”

“Shut up! How dare a mere provincial honorary knight mock me!”

“I’m not mocking you I’m being considerate. It would be troublesome for me if you got hurt.”

I had a natural talent for sarcasm, even in my previous life. It was easy to taunt him.

I didn’t know how powerful the Frenzy Slash and Blazing Fire Slash were.

But he was clearly flustered after his consecutive attacks were blocked. Prince Arthur finally lost his composure.

*Buzz!*

A fierce aura began to gather on Prince Arthur’s sword.

The light blue aura quickly turned blue, then deep blue, and finally, almost purple.

As expected, he seemed to be between level 3 and level 2 in the six-stage theory.

Similar to Selendis’s level.

He was quite talented for a scoundrel. But it seemed the gods were fair. They had given him talent but not luck.

“You… You won’t see tomorrow’s sun. I will surely… Hmm?”

Sorry, but I could unleash that level of aura too.

I wanted to activate ‘Enclave’ and beat him up with my bare hands, but using magic was out of the question. I drew out as much aura as I could.

‘Automatic Combat’ provided optimal combat conditions.

My aura also turned purple, a shade deeper than the prince’s.

“Y-You’re a level 2 knight?”

The prince, as well as the audience, gasped.

It seemed quite novel for a mere honorary knight to unleash an aura close to level 2.

It might seem common because of me and Selendis, but it was far from it.

Because the final stage of the six-stage theory was level 1, “Sword Master.”

A Sword Master was someone who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Even in the Empire, there were only a handful of people recognized as Sword Masters.

Therefore, level 2, the stage before Sword Master, was a significant achievement. With luck or a fortunate encounter, one could awaken as a Sword Master.

Of course, strictly speaking, I was somewhere between level 2 and level 3.

“Who are you? How can a provincial honorary knight possess such aura?!”

*Crackle!*

I answered with a sword beam instead of words. Prince Arthur, pathetically, rolled on the ground to dodge it.

“Ugh…”

“This is a great training ground. The floor would have been damaged if it were ordinary.”

“Answer my question!”

“I apologize, but the Lucius Inspection Unit doesn’t reveal its secrets to just anyone. Only Lady Lucia has access to that information.”

“Youuuuu bastard!”

The prince roared and unleashed a sword beam.

He had dodged my sword beam, but I didn’t feel the need to dodge his.

*Clang!*

His sword beam bounced off harmlessly, like an arrow hitting a shield.

The madness began.

*Rumble! Clang!*

The prince kept firing sword beams from a safe distance.

But he couldn’t land a single hit.

The crowd might have felt fear, but I felt the opposite.

‘The one who’s afraid is the prince.’

He must have realized for the first time that he could lose.

The closer I got, deflecting his sword beams, the more desperate his attacks became. Fear and despair filled his eyes.

Finally, when we were only two arm’s lengths apart…

“Graaaaah! I’ll tear you to shreds!”

The prince roared and swung his sword with all his might.

But…

*Slice*

He couldn’t finish his attack. Instead, he felt a strange emptiness in his hands.

*Thud. Thud.*

Blood gushed out. His wrists and hands lay on the ground.

“A-Aaaaaargh!”

The duel was over.

I sheathed my sword and bowed respectfully. But the prince couldn’t. He had lost both his hands.

(TLN: BRUH just kill at this point)