episode_0024

As a knight, what is my skill level like?

My sparring partner was Blair.

Ah! Occasionally, even Count Daliah helped out.

The important thing was that both of their levels were excessively high.

The positions of Royal Guardian Knights Number 3 and 4 did not pale in comparison.

Even after awakening the power of the royal family, at least when using a sword, I was still lying on the ground looking up at the sky as before.

As a descendant of the Green Emperor, I have never fought with all my might as a magician, so I don’t know. I can’t even guarantee that. They haven’t shown their full power yet.

Cloé Deminus.

There are two main reasons for wanting to fight her.

First, to make her my ally.

Historically, Barkan Kingdom served the royal family. The heroes and the emperor were allies, but since the beginning of the kingdom was separated from the empire, the descendants seemed to be loyal to the royal family. After the disappearance of the royal family, the relationship between the two countries also deteriorated.

Therefore, if I were to rebuild the royal family, there is a high chance that the Barukan Kingdom will be on my side. Of course, it’s just a possibility based on combining novel settings, and I don’t know what choice Clowe will make. So I have no choice but to draw her in. I have no choice but to make her follow me!

Secondly, as a knight, I need to recognize my strength.

I can only know that I am lacking when facing Blair and the Viscount, but at my age and at the academy level, I need a clear standard of where I stand.

The reason I want to become strong as a knight is to hide the fact that I am a magician. It shouldn’t be revealed yet… Personally, using a sword seems cooler than being a gloomy magician!

Anyway, our confrontation is not only a good opportunity for Clowe, who couldn’t use all her power, but also for me. Although I said harsh words that I didn’t mean to provoke her…

*

Silence flowed.

Cloé stood in the same posture that had blocked my sword. She wore a smile that was hard to read, whether it was mocking or joyful. Her appearance subtly provoked my competitive spirit. Losing to a woman of similar age… would be embarrassing.

“Lady Knight. Are you feeling motivated now?”

“Don’t mock me.”

As she spat out the last word, she exerted force with her hand. I skillfully diverted that force and distanced myself.

Being a strong knight, being skilled with a sword, these are vague expressions. Ultimately, strength means winning. It means there is a way to overwhelm the opponent. That method is endless.

However, every method ultimately comes down to mana and swordsmanship.

Mana, the source of power that envelops the world in novels and the origin of miracles. It is not exclusive to magicians. Mana is also used to create various tools and equipment. A knight is someone who freely manipulates mana to maximize the destructive power of their sword.

Swordsmanship, a collection of human knowledge. It is the method chosen by physically weak humans who couldn’t handle mana to survive against demons. Swordsmanship is the product of the struggle of humans who were prey to survive. The only blessing of the weak is to handle weapons.

The strength of a knight is the result of a mixture of mana and swordsmanship. Among them, there are those who achieve a proper balance, but there are also those who lean toward one side, so-called mana tool or swordsmanship tool.

I didn’t want to become a mana tool at least. That’s why I’m pursuing learning in this annoying way.

“You’re not using mana?”

“…”

“I told you? Be ruthless.”

I concentrated mana on the wooden sword in my hand. The dull wood emitted a blue light. This is the mana used by knights. It looks somewhat similar to what I saw in another book.

I concentrated mana suitable for a second-class. Considering my position in the academy right now, I can’t concentrate more than this.

A moment later, the wind swirled around Cloe. No, it wasn’t the wind; mana was gathering around Cloe. She stood still, eyes closed, gripping her throat sword with both hands.

A light, much greater than the light gathered on my throat sword, burst forth. It looked much more powerful at a glance.

I have to confront her using only weaker mana. It feels like challenging a difficult game. So I was somewhat looking forward to it.

“It’s too late to regret, Beatrice,” Cloe said.

A chilling coldness arose among the students watching us. They hesitated even to swallow their saliva. Despite the tension and fear directed at Cloe, I felt unaffected.

No, I was excited. The tension and fear of those watching us were vividly felt. It was as if the sensation was shared. That’s what excited me. Why? Why could I feel other people’s negative emotions?

Soon, I put aside the question. I need to focus on something else right now.

“Ah, it seems like that’s the case.”

In an instant, Cloe swung her sword fiercely and sent out a slash. This woman had no control over her strength. I did provoke her, but…

I charged straight at her. Watching Cloe’s slash, I compared it to the knights of the Dissection Bureau. Among them was the strongest knight, Jimmy. It was definitely a weaker slash than his. With the power of the Yellow Tribe, if I use magic, I might be able to annihilate her in an instant.

But now, I confront her as a knight. Clad in mana weaker than Cloe’s, I face her only with the sword skills learned through Blair.

Swish-

A massive slash. There are bound to be gaps in the tightly woven mana. I found those gaps and swung my throat sword. Surely, the slash Cloe unleashed was powerful, but the gap I found can be breached even with much weaker mana. That’s how a knight with weak mana fights.

– Unbelievable, he parried that slash? A second-class?!

– He’s crazy for facing it head-on without dodging!

The murmurs of the onlookers can be heard. It’s evidence that they are focusing on unnecessary places. I gather my scattered focus. Concentrate. Solely on this fight.

Breaking through Cloe’s sword, I lunged forward. However, another sword came flying again in a short time, a stronger one this time.

“!”

At first, I was flustered, but my eyes unconsciously found a gap in the sword. My arm moved towards the gap before my consciousness. As I thrust into the gap, the sword collapsed around the inserted dagger.

However, Cloe did not stop shooting out swords.

Third, fourth, fifth… He kept pouring out endless swords. This is the power of Cloe, who will become the top knight of the Knight Academy.

She is trying to overwhelm me with an overwhelming difference in power. Ah, now I think I understand why everyone avoids Chloe. It wasn’t just about knocking down the opponent. Chloe is the type to make the opponent keenly feel the difference in skill. And she does it in a crude way.

“Pr… Professor, shouldn’t we stop this?”

“We might really get hurt if this continues..!”

“Chat!” The noisy voices of the students watching us still reach my ears. I tried to concentrate. Or maybe my mind was so relaxed that I could even grasp what’s happening around me…? I don’t know. For now, I have to get rid of the swords in front of me.

Before I knew it, I was deflecting the continuous stream of swords. The more I deflected, the more swords came flying at me. It was like an unending rain. At this rate, as a mere second-class, I would naturally run out of mana and lose the means to confront.

Chloe seems to pursue simple fights. She will keep swinging her sword until I collapse from exhaustion. Truly ruthless and brutal. Showing superior strength until the opponent despairs in helplessness.

But I am not an ordinary second-class knight. I won’t become a worthless knight who can’t overcome the difference in mana.

Professor Smith watched with his arms crossed, thinking it was good to create a stage for the two of them.

The students gathered in the training ground couldn’t take their eyes off the fight. Some students were sweating even though they were just watching. Such a fierce mana spectacle was unfolding.

A scene of predation where large mana swallows and devours small mana. The prey struggles not to be eaten. With relatively meager mana.

That was supposed to be a typical observation. But to Smith, who had been crossing the crossroads of life and death for a long time, it looked different.

“The strength of a knight is not simply determined by the amount of mana. Prove it, Beatrice.”

Knights who believe only in mana and rely solely on it easily crumble. When they encounter someone with stronger mana than their own, they lose the will to fight.

Those who shine in crisis are individuals who have built up their own strength to overcome handicaps. In other words, those who harmonize mana and swordsmanship. True knights.

Smith wanted to show his students that scene. The battle of a true knight. The struggle of a human overcoming the innate difference in mana.

As if meeting expectations, Beatrice swiftly deflected the sword strikes in the same pattern and instantly created her own. It seemed weaker than Cloe’s, but she sent it flying towards the incoming strikes.

Boom-

A great shockwave occurred.

Amidst the shaking training ground, light flashed and wind swirled. Beatrice’s sword strike was swallowed up. Cloe’s strike pierced through the shock and continued forward.

However, Beatrice was already gone. It was a momentary flash through the air. It was fleeting. The students whose gazes were stolen by the sword did not notice anyone. Only Smith noticed it. No, one more person… Cloe!

Beatrice’s sword was aimed at Cloe. The students who discovered Beatrice then unconsciously exclaimed in admiration. It was an unbelievably swift movement. This was swordsmanship or rather martial arts. Pure skill created by the human body. Beatrice spun in mid-air and struck down with her sword.

Crack!

The sound of wood clashing against wood.

Two wooden swords crossed.

Just as before, Cloe, with the same smile as the first time, effortlessly parried Beatrice’s attack.

“But I must say, Beatrice… Cloe is not just a knight who relies solely on mana.”

Beatrice was amazed. It was as expected, but still surprising. Chloe is definitely strong. The descendant of a hero not only had innate mana but also reached the state of no ego. She will become even stronger in the future. If it were the original Beatrice, she would never have been able to reach the level of playing the exemplary knight student.

However, Beatrice made a choice.

To twist the original…

“It’s just my bad luck that I’m being leisurely right now..!!”

While keeping the crossed swords as they were, she raised her left hand to gather mana.

It’s not easy for a knight to gather mana in their palm instead of on their sword. That’s why not many people use it in actual combat. But before she knew it, the concentrated mana in Beatrice’s hand was directed towards Chloe.

Chloe was startled and pushed away the crossed swords, moving away from Beatrice. She felt a chilling sensation for the first time in a long while.

“I wasn’t joking. I warned you to give it your all, Chloe.”

“Sigh….”

Smith’s eyes widened as if in disbelief. Could it be that they were confronting in such a way… A raw fighting style solely to annihilate the opponent. It was an unconventional and unpredictable attack that he never expected to see from an academy student.

It was not a demonstration but a method of struggle. The technique of the battlefield, where one spares no means or methods to survive.

Someone had taught Beatrice a dreadful killing technique.

Strangely, Smith felt a sensation as if his right arm, wearing a prosthetic, was throbbing.