episode_0103

The entrance exam for the Swordsmanship Department at Luminoir Academy.

From the first sparring match, Edan faced his opponent with a considerable amount of tension.

It was the moment when he faced Karaham Jemyul August, the eldest son of the August Changbaek family, as his first opponent in the sparring match.

“I entrust this to you, Edan Gongja.”

“…I entrust this to you as well, Karaham Gongja.”

Although he had never directly faced a sword before, he had encountered him a few times before.

The first encounter was when he and his sister were rude to him and Rilis together.

The second encounter was when they met again while receiving a reward for defending the Imperial Palace during the attack.

It was said that during the attack on the Imperial Palace, he defended the stables near the South Gate from the monsters that were attacking the horses and carriages.

Considering the number and strength of the monsters that had gathered at that time, he was probably not an opponent that could be easily defeated.

Of course, he had trained much more than back then, and now he was even able to win a match against his father, who was a Sword Master, in a mock duel.

For some reason, Edan’s intuition was warning him not to underestimate the opponent in front of him.

“Do not try to block Karaham Gongja’s sword with just one sword, young master.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden, maid?”

“Karaham-style swordsmanship is too heavy to deflect with just one sword. Fortunately, his speed is not that fast, so prioritize evasion as much as possible. And if you have to block, use both swords desperately.”

“…Got it, maid. I’ll keep that in mind.”

After listening to the maid’s advice before the match, he couldn’t help but feel even more tense.

Even when he blocked his father’s sword in the mock duel, he felt a considerable amount of fatigue in one arm, but now he heard that the opponent’s sword was even heavier.

Of course, he was doubtful about how a mere maid knew about the strengths and weaknesses of August-style swordsmanship, but he didn’t bother to ask about that.

Having already received several favors through her advice, Edan had reached a point where he did not doubt Rilis’ words.

As Edan prepared to face his opponent and swords, Karaham Gongja on the other side began to casually talk before the test.

“It’s quite lucky to face Edan Gongja from the beginning.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I wanted to fight Edan Gongja once before. I may not be as good as Edan Gongja, but didn’t I raise my sword during the attack on the Imperial Palace? Since Edan Gongja has achieved more than I have, I was curious about what kind of swordsmanship skills he possesses.”

“…What does that have to do with being lucky to face me for the first time?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

As Karaham reached out with his huge greatsword and prepared to strike at any moment, his words, which could be interpreted as being relaxed, reached Edan’s ears.

“If you lose in the first sparring match, you won’t be able to use the excuse of accumulated fatigue, Edan Gongja.”

“….”

With Karaham’s provocation once again, Edan clenched his lower lip tightly.

His desire not to lose in the sparring match, especially with Rilis watching, became even stronger.

On the other hand, Karaham, unaware that his words to Edan were a provocation, also drew his sword and prepared to wield it in the same way.

In the tense atmosphere, the judge of the entrance exam announced the readiness for the sparring match.

“Prepare….”

“….”

“….”

“…Begin!”

As the entrance exam judge declared the start, the two of them sprang forward.

In the center of the training ground, a little closer to Karaham, the two of them faced each other and exchanged a sword strike.

As he took his first step, Karaham drew his greatsword from behind and attempted a downward strike towards Edan’s body.

Edan, following Rilis’ advice, swiftly avoided the first strike instead of blocking it with his sword.

-Clang!

“….!”

The sword that remained in the spot where Edan had dodged struck the ground, breaking it.

Even though he was Edan, he couldn’t help but be surprised by the power that could break the stone floor from the beginning.

‘…I’m glad I dodged.’

If he had tried to block it with one hand, his arm would have been crushed along with it.

Recalling Lily’s advice in his mind once again, Ethan rushed towards Kahram as he drew his sword again.

Kahram seemed to anticipate Ethan’s reaction, as he dodged the attack once and instead thrust his left shoulder into Ethan’s chest.

“Oof!”

“Ugh…!”

With a body as tough and sturdy as the swinging sword, Ethan’s body was pushed back with a single blow.

As his stance crumbled, Kahram, who had once again taken up his sword, was now charging towards Ethan.

“Like a true member of the Augustus family, your whole body is a weapon,” Ethan thought suddenly as he realized that the Augustus family had been defending the western demon border for generations.

Having strengthened his body with internal magic since childhood, just a brief clash made his muscles feel solid throughout his body.

With such a robust physique, even fighting with a slow and heavy greatsword seemed possible.

However, Ethan, as the heir of the Blackwood family who had learned the family’s magical swordsmanship from his father, was not lacking in the skill of wielding a sword with magical reinforcement.

While it was impossible to completely defend against the greatsword with his own sword and strength, he felt that he could at least redirect the attack elsewhere.

In the second exchange, Ethan dodged Kahram’s sword and simultaneously thrust his sword towards his neck.

“…!!”

As he swung his sword downwards to strike the ground, Kahram quickly changed direction to avoid Ethan’s sudden attack towards his throat.

Fortunately, just in time, Kahram’s greatsword successfully deflected Ethan’s sword before it could cause a fatal blow.

The clash of the three swords created a small shockwave, causing the two men to separate and fall back a few steps in an instant.

Gasping for breath, Ethan and Kahram stood about five steps apart.

Even after twenty rounds of combat, their bodies were still drenched in sweat like a waterfall.

“Haa, haa….”

“Huff, huff….”

“You fight quite well, Master Ethan….”

“…Huff, you too.”

After a brief rest and conversation, the two men once again charged towards each other.

The duel between Ethan and Kahram continued with twenty more rounds.

Kahram swung his greatsword towards Ethan with each attack, which was slow but impossible to block.

Ethan tried to dodge Kahram’s sword with quick movements and the agility of his two swords, or block the attacks with his two swords when unable to avoid them.

Unlike the previous rounds where the outcome was decided in three minutes, the duel between the two men had been going on for almost fifteen minutes and showed no signs of ending.

Both Ethan and Kahram were gradually being covered by fatigue from using magic recklessly while swinging their swords.

‘The next one will probably be the last.’

Ethan could sense that if the duel continued, he would undoubtedly be the first to tire and fall.

He didn’t know how much stamina Kahram had, but he was probably hoping that the arrogant-looking man would tire before him.

So, he had to make a move from his side.

He had to find a gap and strike with that final blow.

“Hyaaah!”

“He’s coming…!”

Once again, a slow but powerful blow came towards him.

Using up the last of his mana to accelerate his body, Ethan dodged Kahram’s sword once more.

His sword, clenched in both hands, once again aimed for Kahram’s neck.

“…!”

Remembering Kahram’s attempt at the same attack in the second round, Kahram tried to block Ethan’s sword as before.

It was an instinctive move to try to knock away Ethan’s two swords, but just before the swords clashed, all Kahram saw was one sword held in Ethan’s left hand.

“Kkaaah!”

“…!!”

Even that sword, which he didn’t seem to have any intention of properly fighting against, was so easily released by Ethan.

In a casual response, Kahram desperately tried to find where Ethan’s other hand was, but when he saw the other sword coming into his view, Kahram realized that he was already too late.

It was the moment just before Ethan’s right hand-held sword pierced his heart.

“Stop! That’s enough!!”

“Clk…!”

“…Haaa.”

With the thought of a black blade piercing his chest, Karaham tensed up, and just before the strike, Edan barely stopped the sword upon hearing the judgment.

The sharp end of the sword with the Blackwood pattern only slightly grazed the center of Karaham’s top as the verdict was announced.

“The winner, Edan Richard Blackwood!”

“Haha, huff.”

– Thud.

“….”

As soon as the judgment report was over, Karaham dropped the sword he was holding and sat down on the ground hesitantly.

Edan silently watched Karaham in that state, storing the sword he held in his hand in the sheath at his waist.

“Good work, Master Karaham.”

“I’ve learned a lesson.”

After exchanging brief greetings, Edan proceeded to retrieve the other sword that flew towards Karaham’s sword and stored it in the opposite sheath.

Although he wanted to take a break and sit down on the ground just like Karaham, there was a reason why he couldn’t do that in front of Edan.

“Thank you, Master Edan. It was truly a splendid duel.”

“Yeah. Thanks for watching over the duel, Maid.”

Wanting to show off a bit more in front of the woman he liked was a common desire for all men in the world.