#151
Helmut
Episode 151
After the final round, 10 finalists were selected through a loser competition.
With a one-day gap, the martial arts competition’s finals began. The finals begin with the round of 32.
The round of 32, which involved 16 matches, was held over two days.
Helmut checked the bracket that was released the day before the finals.
‘Luke is on the other side of the bracket.’
Both must win and advance to the semifinals to meet in the finals. I thought it went well. Darian’s descendant is shining, but I don’t want to bring him down early.
Michael asked as I came to the inn with the bracket paper that was handed out separately to each participant.
“Who is your first opponent?”
“His name is Gordon.”
“Gordon? Ah, he’s a prosecutor from B. Basore. Matesis Academy 6th grade. He’s not a difficult opponent for Hyde. “I guess it will be easy.”
“How do you know?”
“I told you. “I didn’t come here to have fun.”
Michael laughed.
“More than that, we are looking into what Hyde said. “I’ll tell you after the round of 16.”
“okay.”
***
Hyde! Hyde! Hyde!
It was a roar that seemed to melt your ears.
Helmut looked around. The crowd was incomparably larger than the preliminaries.
On this stage where men with well-tanned skin and well-trained muscles stood on the stage, Helmut was a boy who looked like a noble boy who had gone astray.
But his presence was unique.
The unfamiliarity that the Basore people looked down on shook the martial arts venue with shock the moment he swung his sword.
The audience at the martial arts venue began to be enthusiastic about his presence. According to Michael, all of his matches were sold out.
‘And yet Michael got a ticket.’
He is a resourceful guy. Helmut was looking forward to the information he would receive after the round of 16.
The whole situation is uncertain and there is no opportunity to take action. The enemy is formidable and we must hide ourselves.
‘This is a difficult situation.’
Helmut did not feel stuffy. On the contrary, I became more motivated to practice sword skills. The more difficult the road, the more rewarding it is to go through it.
“Are you an academy student?”
Gordon asked as he went on stage. Although they don’t look like Bashorians, they are just as sturdy.
Helmut was about to say no, but cut off briefly.
“I don’t know.”
“Yeah, that’s not important.”
Gordon closed his mouth nervously. The game starts soon. Helmut lightly gripped the sword handle. An opponent who cannot achieve the image of Vis. That alone makes the gap clear.
Dang!
The bell rang. Gordon dodged a sharp sword strike straight ahead.
Helmut had no intention of revealing Vis. He hides his skills as much as possible. Helmut also avoided Gordon’s counterattack.
No, it seemed like he was avoiding it.
But Helmut turned to the side and stabbed again.
Okay! Sword and sword clashed together with a terrifying sound. The difference in physique between the two was incomparably large. But it was Gordon who frowned.
‘It looks like I hit a rock!’
Being able to shape a vis means that you can control the speed and speed of using the vis. The sword was strengthened so that it would explode the moment it collided. Gordon was a trained prosecutor. He was able to hold out for once.
‘A trained body protects the body from vis.’
In that respect, Helmut was not in very favorable conditions. It’s still a growth period.
Gordon, a finalist, was clearly different from the second-year academy students that Helmut had faced. He reacts quickly to situations and knows how to fight.
Take a defensive stance with numb hands, deflect this second blow and slash horizontally!
Helmut moved like a shadow. He slides his feet across the stage. He launched one attack after another. There are very few people who can use common sword techniques so eloquently.
‘Now I have become accustomed to it like Darian’s swordsmanship.’
The opposites work together. Even more so when it comes to swordsmanship. Helmut knew how to use two sword techniques like his own.
However, Darian’s unique swordsmanship is significantly different from the common swordsmanship. If two people of equal skill fight using Darian’s swordsmanship and common swordsmanship, the former will win.
Techniques for switching from defense to attack and from attack to defense. Movements that are connected from gait to posture.
But there’s no need to think about that now. It was a good enough opponent to fight with a penalty.
“Ugh!”
With a groan, Gordon let go of his sword, blood spraying from his shoulder. A battle fought with a real sword. It is not surprising if one of the limbs flies off. But he didn’t have to do that.
An opponent with a clear gap.
‘Still, she’ll be at Asuka’s level.’
“lost.”
Gordon admitted obediently. Helmut lightly sheathed his sword at his waist.
Shouts erupted again. Like a strong wind hitting you, a strong wave hits your entire body.
The ground rumbles dully. Cheers followed every step Helmut took.
Helmut glanced at them indifferently as they waved their hands in the air.
A tingling sensation ran through my heart. His presence on stage is heightened. It was unlike any high-profile sparring. He was unparalleled and intense. It’s unfamiliar, but… … It feels really good.
In the forest of Pahe, this would not happen no matter how strong the opponent was.
“What a boring guy. “You should at least wave to the audience.”
As I got off the stage, Luke Yeager spoke to me. He was next in line.
“Isn’t your opponent a fellow member of the Knights of Palma?”
“Yeah, we don’t use tricks or anything like that. They are chosen fairly and by lottery and are mercilessly selected even if they are colleagues. You are lucky too. I was thinking of taking a closer look at my skills, but I met an opponent with a wide gap between me. “What you used is a common sword technique, right?”
“There is no need to use a cow knife to kill a chicken.”
Helmut lightly quoted a proverb.
“I think my next opponent will be a member of the Knights of Palma.”
“In terms of bracket? “That would be kind of fun.”
Next was Luke’s turn, but the stage was still being cleaned up. Luke glanced over and asked.
“But why are you asking about my accommodation and not doing anything?”
I guess I knew you would come. Curiosity was evident on his face. This is a prize that could kill you out of curiosity.
“I’m waiting for the right time.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“You will find out when the time comes.”
Luke’s expression crumpled. As he said with his own words, when he had a question, he was the one who would grab the collar of the person who made him curious and reveal the answer.
“Are you trying to distract me from my mental strength ahead of the game?”
“It probably wasn’t me who spoke.”
Helmut hung up coldly and turned away without saying a single word.
“I hope you don’t get eliminated on the excuse that your mental strength is disturbed.”
“The little guy, really.”
Luke laughed. But soon, when his name was called, his expression became serious. Since his opponent had confirmed his advancement to the round of 16, he had to do the same.
***
“Here’s the information I promised you.”
Michael quickly handed me several documents. He was cool today too, he thought he would win easily, he had just poured out a bunch of tickling kills.
“great job.”
When I saw him staring at me, my conscience tingled slightly.
No matter how hard Michael tried to bring this side to me, Helmut had a lot to gain. It was too much to simply consider it as compensation for giving up a room at an inn. The transaction must be balanced.
Helmut called after much deliberation.
“50,000 marks.”
“yes?”
“How about 50,000 marks in return for the information?”
haha! Michael burst out laughing. Did I call too little? But there isn’t a huge amount of money here either. The prize money would come in soon, but that was in the future.
Helmut counted only the money he had in his possession as his property.
“There is no need for that. “I have that much, but it’s just one mana.”
Michael’s eyes lit up strangely as he blatantly flaunted his wealth.
“I’ll get something else later.”
“There’s no guarantee I’ll give you what you want.”
“There is no need for such a guarantee. You just receive. “When I ask for something, if you can give it, you can give it.”
“It’s a losing deal.”
“The people who dwell on trivial losses are those who have nothing or do not know how to hold on to their wealth and use it. “I have a lot, and people who have a lot need to know how to invest sometimes.”
“That might fail.”
“It takes discernment. But it’s better than throwing away the possibility of success for the possibility of failure. If you don’t do anything, it just stays there. If that happens, you will just be eliminated. For those who have a lot, being eliminated brings losses. “It’s the same in the end.”
That was an interesting opinion. However, being proactive is good, but the problem is that the other person is yourself. Even speaking so smartly was probably calculated.
‘The prosecutors will do well.’
On the other hand, someone like Asuka, who is smart and has a bad temper, might get punched for being loud.
“Anyway, take a good look at this.”
“The Order of Palma is a military service. Salary increases depending on the number of years of service. Basically, knights are treated more highly than other countries, so they are treated like barons rather than semi-nobles. “I was also given a mansion within the royal capital.”
It looked like he was going to give me a summary after handing me the documents. Helmut listened quietly.
“The main mission of the Knights of Palma is primarily to protect Basor, and for that reason, they subdue desert monsters once a year. As of last year, the subjugation of monsters took place about a month after the martial arts competition ended.”
Subjugating monsters. It was a good opportunity. What if the Commander of the Knights of Palma decided to eliminate Luke Jaeger? The same way they got rid of that great-grandfather.
“I’ve been hearing rumors that monsters in the desert are very active these days. It is said that they sometimes come down to the vicinity of the village, so the timing may be a little earlier. “The outline is like this, read it.”
As Michael advised, Helmut read the few pages of documents. The treatment of the Knights of Palma was so good that I was tempted to read it.
‘This is Basor, who loves the strong. ‘I won’t get into trouble because I’m from a commoner background, and I rarely get involved with people from the academy.’
It was a good job. Asuka doesn’t treat the strong too carelessly, so the Knights of Palma, which is full of strong people, would be a good fit for him.
Suddenly, Helmut, who had been considering the prospects of life as a knight in Bashor after graduation, came to his senses.
‘This is not the time.’
Now is not the time to worry about what happens after graduation.
“For your information, I can meet the conditions listed there.”
Michael added insinuatingly.
“And it’s not hot where I live.”
“… … okay.”
Helmut organized the contents of the document in his head. The information about the Commander of the Knights of Palma written here was almost identical to the information provided by Talon.
The Commander of the Knights of Palma was basically not very involved in politics, but was close to the 1st Prince. Therefore, in the document Michael gave, it was stated that the Knights of Palma supported the first prince.
‘The first prince of Basor is the son of a queen from a foreign country, and is a devout believer in Lumen and pro-God.’
The first prince has persistently insisted on building a temple of Lumen in the royal capital of Basor and bringing in priests. Although it was aborted, it is said that he was in conflict with his father because of it.
The king was negative about temples. The temple has ignored requests for help in defeating the desert monsters, and he cannot allow them to gain influence in the royal capital now. That was the opinion of most of Basor’s high-ranking officials.
Even the first prince could not disobey his father. Basor said that the king, who is in his late 70s, still holds on to power with a sound mind, so even princes who are old enough do not dare to defy him.
Although Darian benefited from slaying the desert monsters, the king of Basor is a monarch known as a great warrior. He had not yet named a successor.
He liked the second prince, who was the legitimate heir and was raised by a concubine from Basore.
Even the king could not ignore the Knights of Palma, so he could not exclude the first prince as his successor.
