episode_0035

“Anyway, I must apologize to you. To be honest, I was quite underestimating you.”

“No, no, I’m fine. So there’s no need to apologize like that. Rather, I want to thank you. For accepting a spar when we don’t even know each other.”

“Not at all, rather, it was good for me too to be able to spar at such a late hour.”

In the House of Serion, only strength is truth. The reason I got close to Mark Viserys, and the reason my father is eyeing him, is because of his overwhelming strength. It seems best to first show favor to this man before my eyes, Ropel Teufel, respecting his skill.

“Anyway, it’s the first time we’ve had a conversation like this. If my memory serves correctly, I remember you’ve been training at this sparring ground for quite some time. And until late hours, too. Are you perhaps preparing for the sparring test a few months from now?”

“Well, you could say that. And I’m especially the type who lacks knack compared to others. Since I’m in the Department of Magic, I’m paying attention to that too… but as expected, rather than just researching magic like other kids, I felt I had to prepare until late, combining it with physical training like this.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Is he trying harder to make up for his shortcomings? That attitude alone is truly desirable, but also regrettable. Though not as much as my father, I too could gauge how much of an opponent’s skill was talent and how much was achieved through training. Looking with my eyes that just sparred with him, his skill was truly the product of thorough training, that is, effort.

As for aptitude in magic, while I, a knight faculty member, cannot easily assess it, I can tell that nothing particularly outstanding is visible. His combat sense shown during the spar was also due to experience and know-how gained from real combat, and certainly did not appear to be talent. His physique too was merely a solid body built through consistent exercise, and there was no special constitution like high muscle density.

His attitude of consistently training, which I’ve seen so far, and his skill confirmed through the spar just now, are definitely on the excellent side. However, that is strictly the story when making a relative evaluation as an ordinary person without talent.

Compared to other geniuses, especially Mark Viserys, he is still ridiculously lacking. Even in the sparring test a few months from now, he’ll probably only be able to stay in the mid-tier at best. Even if he graduates from the academy, while he might become a member who is slightly superior to others, he will absolutely not become more than that.

One might say it’s a bit unfair, but it can’t be helped. Because that’s what it means to be someone without talent in this world. An ordinary person who strives might overcome talent, but cannot overcome talent that strives.

It is one of the long-standing teachings passed down in the House of Serion. No matter how long one trains arduously, the end is merely talent.

Personally, it’s a teaching I really dislike. Doesn’t it mean that a person’s limit is determined by that talent from birth?

Those without talent must live out their lives as ordinary individuals until they die. They are merely weeded out and disappear. …Just like my eldest brother did.

But even if I harbor such thoughts, the cruel truth does not change. The truth that ultimately, those who possess great talent prevail in the world.

Does this man before my eyes truly understand that truth?

“Anyway, it seems like one round isn’t enough after all. There are still healing potions left, so could we spar again?”

“Are you saying you’re requesting to spar with me again right now?”

“Yeah, that’s right, uh… perhaps because it’s too late and you can’t…?”

“That doesn’t matter, but this time I also won’t hold back and will face you seriously. I will use strikes like the one that blew you away a moment ago multiple times, but are you truly alright with that? To put it a bit more bluntly, your skill is lacking. To be precise, I could say your talent is lacking.”

“That hits quite a sore spot… It’s true that I’m lacking in both magic and physical techniques, but what can I do? The more I fall behind and am lacking compared to others, the more I have no choice but to struggle even harder. I didn’t originally talk to you today intending to do this, but since things have turned out this way, could you spar with me one more time? Of course, there’s no need to hold back. Rather, I hope you do it more seriously than ever before.”

“…Is that so?”

There isn’t much time, and there isn’t much to learn from sparring with an opponent weaker than myself. But perhaps it’s because I want to tell him the truth, as he still hasn’t realized his place as an ordinary person. Or perhaps I myself harbored a little hope in his reckless thought. For whatever whim, I wanted to indulge him just this once.

“Alright, I shall teach you a lesson one more time. And be careful. This time I won’t hold back any strength whatsoever.”

With my reply, he charged at me again. Thinking to finish it in one exchange, I held my greatsword forward and ran forward.

And as he raised his weapon with both hands and swung it, I also swung my greatsword, matching his trajectory.

It was a sword strike containing the swordsmanship of the House of Serion, feeling my talent and sincerity, the same as when I finished the spar a moment ago.

He also swings his mace. It is a strike containing only effort, merely trained and swung for a long time.

Thus, the two opposing strikes clashed with a loud noise.

Naturally, the result would be that the man before my eyes, unable to withstand my greatsword, would ultimately fail to hold on, just like in the spar a moment ago.

Or so I thought.

As a loud roar echoed and he collided with my greatsword, he did not retreat even a little.

Even if his feet were dragged back along with the clashed weapons, pushing him back, he still did not release the strength from his body.

At such a sight of him, I couldn’t help but admire him.

To be honest, I thought he would evade my strike by finding a weak point again.

But I never imagined he would accept a true battle like that.

Thinking I was underestimated for a moment, I too applied more strength to both hands holding the greatsword.

In response, he seemed to falter for a moment, even dropping to one knee, but soon he struggled to his feet and began pushing back my greatsword.

Thus, he ultimately took one step forward, just one step.

Simultaneously, the screeching friction of the two sharp weapons filled the sparring ground, and my greatsword sliced through the air.

Unbelievable.

Right now, with a strike from an utterly ordinary person, he not only withstood my strike, which contained the talent and essence of the House of Serion, but ultimately even repelled it.

Although he was breathing heavily after just one exchange and his hands were trembling, he stood tall on two feet with his eyes open, still showing a glimpse of burning will.

In this moment, looking at him, I ultimately ended up harboring a single hope for this man before my eyes.

Even though I didn’t yet know exactly what that hope entailed.

. . .

After that, I was able to cross weapons with the one named Ropel quite often.

This was because the sparring test was not far off, and he was the only one remaining at the sparring ground until late hours.

Therefore, during the day I could spar with Mark, and even when it got late, I could continue sparring with Ropel, that man.

Frankly, even while continuing to spar with him, there were things I could learn.

Lessons that I couldn’t obtain from sparring with Mark.

Of course, in Ropel’s skill, no talent whatsoever could be felt.

But precisely because of that, he created techniques that exploited weak points or used tenacity.

Honestly, every time he did that, I couldn’t help but admire him.

This is because he constantly thought of techniques he could employ precisely because he was an ordinary person.

Thanks to this, the outcome was always the same, defeat at my hands, but the number of exchanges he had with me in spars gradually increased.

I too applied the techniques he showed to my spars with Mark and was able to exploit the weak points of him who always overwhelmed me a few times.

Thus, we could learn from each other and improve each other’s skills.

And to be honest, purely speaking, I enjoyed sparring with him and exchanging blows.

This is because sparring with him, where we brought out everything from each other and sweated, was somehow truly enjoyable.

Perhaps because of that, I’ve been in a strangely good mood lately.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I simply enjoyed sparring itself and felt joy in my own skill improving.

Compared to Mark, my skill is still far lacking, but I might be able to get good results in the sparring test a month from now.

Feeling that the greatsword in my hand had become more familiar than before, I decided to step into the sparring ground.

But soon, I couldn’t help but feel puzzled by the chaotic situation.

Although it was usually a noisy place with the sound of metal clashing, today it was filled with more people than usual, and the sound of murmuring was abundant.

And in the center of it were two figures.

Mark Viserys, the academy’s rising star.

And my own flesh and blood, my father, Regulus Serion.

“..Father, what brings you here?”

I couldn’t help but be wary of my father, who had come so suddenly today as well.

This was because my father’s appearance now was as if he were treating Mark like his own son.

It was only after I opened my mouth that my father’s gaze shifted towards me, as if he had just noticed my presence.

“You’ve come just in time. I needed to let you know too. I have decided to take this man, Mark Viserys, as my disciple. Yes, I will teach him the swordsmanship of our House of Serion.”