Entrance Exam – Swordsmanship Department- (3)

The entrance exam for Luminor Academy’s Swordsmanship Department.

From the very first sparring match, Ethan faced his opponent in a rather tense state.

After all, his first opponent was Karaham Samuel August, the eldest son of the August Margrave family.

“I look forward to our match, Prince Ethan.”

“…Likewise, Prince Karaham.”

Though they had never crossed swords directly before, they had encountered each other a couple of times previously.

Their first meeting had been when Karaham, along with his sister, had acted rudely toward Ethan and Lilith.

Their second encounter was during the Imperial Palace Assault Incident when they received commendations for their defense.

Rumor had it that during the Imperial Palace assault, Karaham had defended the stables near the south gate against the monsters attacking the horses and carriages.

Considering the number and strength of the monsters that had swarmed in at that time, it was unlikely he would be an easy opponent to defeat.

Of course, Ethan had trained much harder since then and could now occasionally win practice matches against his father, a Sword Master.

For some reason, Ethan’s intuition was screaming at him.

A strong warning that he absolutely must not underestimate the opponent before him.

‘You must never block Prince Karaham’s sword with just one blade, Young Master.’

‘What are you talking about all of a sudden, maid?’

‘The August-style swordsmanship is far too heavy to deflect with a single sword like you do when sparring with His Grace. Fortunately, his speed isn’t particularly fast given he wields a greatsword, so prioritize evasion whenever possible. And if you absolutely must block, use both swords desperately to defend yourself.’

‘…Understood, maid. I’ll keep that in mind.’

Having received advice from the maid before the match only served to heighten his tension.

Even when deflecting his father’s sword during practice matches, Ethan often felt significant fatigue in one arm. Hearing that his opponent wielded an even heavier sword was daunting.

Of course, he wondered how a mere maid like her knew the strengths and weaknesses of August-style swordsmanship, but he didn’t press the matter.

Having benefited from her advice multiple times already, Ethan had reached a point where he no longer doubted Lilith’s words.

As Ethan prepared to cross swords with his opponent, Prince August casually initiated conversation before the exam began.

“Facing Prince Ethan right from the first match-I must say, this is quite fortunate.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve wanted to test my skills against you for some time. While my achievements during the Imperial Palace assault may not match yours, I did wield my sword to defend our home. Yet, they say your accomplishments surpassed mine, so I was curious about the extent of your swordsmanship.”

“…And how does that relate to it being fortunate to face me first?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

As Karaham reached for the massive greatsword on his back, ready to strike at any moment, words that might have sounded like taunting reached Ethan’s ears.

“If we fight in the first match, at least you won’t be able to use accumulated fatigue as an excuse for losing.”

“……”

Ethan bit his lower lip tightly at Karaham’s renewed provocation.

Already not wanting to lose in front of Lilith, Ethan’s desire to win grew even stronger.

Meanwhile, Karaham remained oblivious that his words had been a provocation, simply finishing his preparations to draw and swing his sword.

Amidst the tense atmosphere, the exam proctor announced the start of the match.

“Ready…”

“……”

“……”

“…Begin!”

At the proctor’s declaration, both combatants lunged forward.

Meeting near the center of the training grounds, slightly closer to Karaham’s side, they exchanged their first blows.

Taking his first step, Karaham drew the greatsword from his back and attempted an iaido slash.

His sword traced a vertical semicircle through the air, descending toward Ethan’s torso.

Following Lilith’s advice, Ethan avoided clashing swords directly and instead dodged the first strike with swift movement.

-Thud!

“…!”

The sword, having missed Ethan, embedded itself into the training ground floor, shattering the stone beneath.

Even Ethan couldn’t help but be startled by the sheer destructive power that could smash solid stone with a single strike.

‘…Good thing I dodged.’

Had he tried to block with one arm, it would have been crushed instantly.

Recalling Lilith’s advice once more, Ethan charged at Karaham as the latter raised his sword again.

Karaham, seemingly anticipating Ethan’s move, ducked to evade the attack and instead drove his left shoulder into Ethan’s chest.

-Wham!

“Guh…!”

Ethan’s body was sent flying back by the brute force of Karaham’s impact, as solid and unyielding as his sword.

As Ethan’s stance faltered, Karaham immediately seized his sword and charged at him.

‘Just like a true August-his entire body is a weapon.’

It suddenly struck Ethan why the August family had defended the western monster borderlands for generations.

True to the August lineage, who had trained their bodies to be as hard as steel using internal mana from childhood, even a brief collision made their formidable musculature evident.

With such a robust physique, it was no wonder they could wield those slow, heavy greatswords in battle.

However, Ethan was no pushover either-as the heir of the Blackwood family, trained in their mana swordsmanship by his father.

Though he might not match Karaham in raw strength, his skill in reinforcing his body with mana was nothing to scoff at.

While fully blocking that greatsword with his own strength was impossible, redirecting its trajectory seemed feasible.

In their second exchange, as soon as Ethan dodged Karaham’s strike, he thrust both his swords toward Karaham’s throat.

“…!!”

Karaham, about to bring his sword down in another earth-shattering strike, hastily adjusted its path upon seeing the attack aimed at his vitals.

Fortunately, his redirected greatsword managed to parry Ethan’s blades before they could land a fatal blow.

Outmatched in sheer force, Ethan’s twin swords were inevitably deflected.

-Clang!

The collision of three blades released a small shockwave of mana, forcing both combatants to momentarily disengage.

Now five paces apart, Ethan and Karaham panted heavily.

Despite having exchanged only two blows, sweat poured from both men as if they had fought for hours.

“Haah, haah…”

“Hoo, hoo…”

“Y-you’re… quite skilled, Prince Ethan…”

“…Hoo, likewise.”

After a brief respite and exchange of words, the two men charged at each other once more.

Their duel continued for twenty more exchanges.

Karaham relentlessly swung his slow but unstoppable greatsword at Ethan with dogged determination.

Ethan, relying on his agility and the speed of his twin blades, dodged Karaham’s strikes and countered when possible, using both swords to block when evasion was impossible.

Unlike the previous examinees, whose matches had ended within three minutes, their duel showed no signs of concluding even after fifteen.

Both Ethan and Karaham were gradually succumbing to exhaustion, their mana reserves depleting from relentless swordplay.

‘This next exchange… will likely be the last.’

Ethan instinctively knew that if the duel dragged on any longer, he would collapse first from fatigue.

He had no idea how much stamina Karaham had left, but hoping the stubborn man would tire before him would be sheer arrogance.

Thus, he had to seize the initiative.

He had to create an opening and land the decisive blow-the final strike.

-Whoosh!

‘Here it comes…!’

Another slow but devastating strike hurtled toward him.

Ethan accelerated his body by channeling his remaining mana and dodged Karaham’s blade once more.

The swords in both his hands aimed again for Karaham’s neck.

“…!”

Remembering Ethan’s earlier move, Karaham instinctively adjusted his downward swing to block the incoming blades.

But the last thing he saw before their swords clashed was only one blade in Ethan’s left hand.

-Clang!

“…!!”

Ethan didn’t even seem intent on engaging properly, casually releasing the sword in his left hand.

Panicked, Karaham desperately searched for Ethan’s other hand-only to realize too late where it was.

By the time he spotted the second sword, it was already too late.

The blade in Ethan’s right hand was moments away from piercing Karaham’s heart.

“…Stop! That’s enough!!”

“Ghk…!”

“…Haaah.”

Karaham tensed, expecting the sword to plunge into his chest, while Ethan barely halted his thrust upon hearing the proctor’s call.

The tip of the Blackwood-crested blade merely grazed Karaham’s shirt before the proctor announced the result.

“Winner-Ethan Richard Blackwood!”

“Ha, haha…”

-Thud.

“……”

As soon as the result was declared, Karaham dropped his sword and collapsed to the ground.

Ethan silently watched him before sheathing his own blade.

“Good match, Prince Karaham.”

“…I’ve learned much today.”

After their brief exchange, Ethan retrieved the sword that had been knocked from his hand and sheathed it as well.

Part of him wanted to sit down and rest like Karaham, but Ethan had a reason he couldn’t afford to do so.

“Well fought, Young Master Ethan. That was an excellent match.”

“…Thanks. I appreciate you watching, maid.”

After all, wanting to show off a little in front of the woman he liked was a universal desire shared by all men.