episode_0008

“What’s with that outfit?”

Rose looked at Rudy as if she had met a strange person on the subway.

Gerard also seemed flustered, despite his rough appearance.

It was entirely possible.

“It’s fashion. It’s a must-have item for the younger generation these days.”

Rudy was wearing a mask.

Resembling a bizarre lizard, the green mask had eyes and antennae sticking out.

It was a prop for a play brought from the mansion’s warehouse.

Although he was wearing a normal shirt and black pants.

Rose, feeling the strangeness of Rudy’s lizard-like face, spoke up.

“That kind of trend would never fly in my book.”

“You’re quite conservative. Sometimes, a respectful attitude towards culture is necessary.”

Gerard, who had been silent, began to ponder sincerely.

‘Rose’s disciple is a bit strange.’

Well, he was Rose’s disciple after all.

Is it natural for them to be peculiar?

Thinking so, Gerard cleared his throat and approached Rudy.

After all, he had to teach as requested.

“Nice to meet you. I am Gerard, the instructor who will teach you from now on.”

“Oh, it’s an honor to meet you.”

While shaking hands with Rudy, Gerard thought to himself that the current request was an opportunity.

Rose always distinguished between work and personal matters, and disliked unnecessary camaraderie.

Maintaining minimal interaction had been her attitude so far.

In a world where the demand for spirit masters was high, but the supply was scarce.

Being indebted to the only Grand Spirit Master in the world.

For Gerard, who had raised his family with excellent magic and sword skills, it was a good bait.

“What’s your name?”

“I am… Phantom.”

Rose and Gerard both raised their eyebrows.

‘Phantom…?’

The name Phantom was familiar in this world.

Not because it was common, but because it was the name of the famous protagonist in a masked play.

Gerard realized at once that the name Rudy had given was an alias.

“I don’t know why, but it seems like you need to hide your identity.”

“Haha… I apologize.”

“No, everyone has their reasons.”

After the formalities were over, Rose started to leave.

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you. I have things to do.”

“Leave it to me.”

After Rose left, Gerard and Rudy were left alone.

“I heard you’re a swordsman. Are you not learning magic?”

“Yes, there are reasons for that.”

“Hmm, usually, to become strong easily, one would use both magic and sword… Is there a reason for that too?”

“Haha, well, yes. Something like that.”

“You’re a boy with many secrets.”

But teaching swordsmanship wouldn’t be a problem.

Thinking so, Gerard distanced himself from Rudy and raised the sword he had brought.

Rudy, who quickly realized what was happening, drew the famous sword Drakan from his waist.

‘A good sword.’

Was it the sword Rose had given him?

But, regardless of the sword, it didn’t matter now.

What mattered was skill.

No matter how excellent a sword one possessed, it was worthless without skill to back it up.

Gerard said to Rudy, who had taken a stance behind him.

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Yes.”

It was a test.

From now on, it was a time to assess Rudy’s swordsmanship.

To teach, one had to understand the disciple’s condition.

And for that, a real duel would be more accurate than anything else.

“Use all your skills to try to defeat me. The time limit is until you fall.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s begin.”

The moment Gerard finished speaking.

Rudy’s lower body explosively leaped forward.

Even while at the mansion, Rudy had not neglected his training.

‘After breaking a sweat, eating well, and sleeping well, I’ve been swinging this sword well!’

Of course, what he swung was a sword.

Rudy, whose strength had been enhanced by the balanced meals at the mansion.

With martial arts and body training, they didn’t miss a beat.

-Clang!

Gerard’s sword clashed with Rudy’s.

‘…!’

Rudy’s sword was heavier than Gerard had anticipated.

‘…Is this the strength of a 17-year-old?’

Surely Rose had mentioned that Rudy’s talent was half and half.

Upon hearing that, Gerard had thought that Rudy was between the first and second ranks.

A swordsman reaching the second rank at the age of 17 was impossible without high talent.

‘This is… definitely second rank. It seems like she was wrong.’

Even if she was a Grand Elemental Master, Rose was still an elemental master.

She might be excellent with elementals, but she might not know much about swords.

It would be a good lesson to teach her.

Thinking so, Gerard chuckled and forcefully parried Rudy’s sword.

And in an instant, he stepped back and said to Rudy.

“You certainly are stubborn about swordsmanship.”

“Thank you.”

“But, this isn’t all, right?”

This time, Gerard rushed towards Rudy first.

He wanted to see more.

How far could this boy’s talent go?

As the head of the Clyret family, Gerard had taught many swordsmen and clashed swords with them.

Swordsmen who were only at the second rank were common in his family.

Even his daughter Charlotte was at the second rank.

She was different from other second-rank swordsmen.

She had innate sword sense and the ability to use magic appropriately depending on the situation.

Although she would pale in comparison to his daughter who always dominated in battles.

Still, Gerard hoped that Rudy would show something more than being at the second rank.

Clang! Clang!

Their swords clashed, rebounded, and clashed again in succession.

After exchanging swords a few times, Gerard noticed something strange.

‘It’s like an untamed wild beast!’

Rudy’s sword was wild.

It was more like street style than refined swordsmanship.

Feeling that, Gerard was convinced that Rudy did not come from a swordsmanship family.

“Ugh!”

Clang!

Rudy’s reckless sword clashed with Gerard haphazardly.

They were strikes filled with Rudy’s determination.

‘He’s all show, how sloppy! Is this the end?’

Gerard reached out with the hand that wasn’t holding the sword and shouted.

“The factor of not considering who your opponent is! That’s the reason for your defeat, Phantom!”

“….!”

Light shimmered from Gerard’s hand, and a blue magic circle was activated.

A third-rank ice magic that froze the ground and made the opponent slip.

Ice Aerial.

Rudy slipped slightly and felt Gerard approaching from behind in an instant.

Meanwhile, Gerard thought.

‘He’s probably never lost to kids of his age. I admit that.’

But as mentioned earlier, there were many peers in his family who wielded swords as well as Rudy.

As the Clyret family was the largest swordsmanship family in the Central Empire.

Today’s defeat would be a great lesson for Rudy.

‘Farewell. The shock will be quite big after you pass out.’

Thinking so, at the moment he was about to strike the back of Rudy’s neck with the back of his sword.

Whoosh!

A blue energy emanated from Rudy’s foot.

Crack!

Rudy shattered the frozen ground with a powerful stomp.

A momentary burst of strength.

Ora!

‘Ora?!’

With the strength to firmly fix his feet on the ground with force.

Rudy’s body rotated with elasticity.

“Fake! Pay for making my life like this!”

“….!”

Gerard saw the face of a reptile flying towards him along with the blue energy emanating from the sword.

*

“Darn it, even tricks don’t work…”

“….”

Rudy, who was falling backward, groaned.

Gerard stood dumbfounded, looking at Rudy.

He was in a state of deep confusion.

‘Third rank… really? It’s unbelievable…’

He muttered softly.

He couldn’t believe it.

If he could use Ora, then it was third rank.

He was in a position superior to his daughter Charlotte Clyret, who was currently studying at the academy.

He didn’t even remember what Rudy had shouted as he delivered his final blow earlier.

“More importantly, I used Aura…!”

No matter how flustered he was, if he had taken Rudy’s final blow without using Aura, he would have been the one to suffer.

After reacting to the attack, he quickly slammed Rudy to the ground, but using Aura proved that he had lost the psychological battle.

It was the moment when his vow not to use Aura in a duel with the brat was broken.

Contrary to his intention to give a shock, the shock he received didn’t easily dissipate.

“Did you know that I’m an Ice-type Dark Mage?”

“Well… I just guessed because the mana stone was blue.”

“…This guy is seriously insane.”

Gerard was starting to understand why Rose had taken this boy as her disciple.

The eccentric Rose.

And this boy, even more eccentric.

They definitely complemented each other.

As Rudy stood up, deeply lost in thought, he asked Gerard.

“By the way, Instructor, how do I compare to my peers?”

“….”

Gerard couldn’t answer hastily.

With a Tier 1 certainty in swordsmanship.

His combat sense was superior to his daughter Charlotte Clyret.

The possibilities were endless.

It was almost as if he could see the eternal rival of the silent Papnir family, ‘Garon’, overlapping with him.

Honestly, he couldn’t understand why this boy was refusing to enroll in the academy.

If he went to the academy, he could further develop his talents.

If he enrolled in the academy.

He felt like he wanted to tell his daughter Charlotte, who was already attending, to get close to him, as he seemed like someone who would become something in the future.

“Why exactly are you refusing to enroll?”

Curiosity arose in Gerard as he asked.

“For a 17-year-old, you’re not bad. Can I ask why you’re refusing the academy?”

“….”

Rudy couldn’t bring himself to say that it was because of his daughter.