Chapter 102
Jakil, Michael, and Maltive.
It wasn’t just those three.
“……What are they doing?”
“Why is everyone making such a fuss?”
The members of the 53 groups all gathered around Group 31 and formed a circle.
And every single one of them were in a daze as they saw how Group 31 trained.
“Wh-what? How is he dodging before the sword is even swung?”
“Is he predicting the movements?”
“I heard that Ruin sparred against knights during the break. Looks like it’s true!”
“Woah! That’s amazing! He dodged again!”
The situation they were seeing was this.
Hansen doubled down on his more impressive than expected attacks, but Ruin was able to very easily dodge all of them.
This back and forth of attack and defense had continued tirelessly over a dozen times.
But the two people didn’t look tired at all, joyously focusing on only training.
Seeing this dominating performance, Jakil couldn’t help but become uneasy.
‘That punk…… He was this skilled?’
It was true that Ruin was victorious in the Grand Festival against all the other geniuses of the Empire.
Jakil knew that Ruin wasn’t the average magician…… but he didn’t expect Ruin to be this strong.
Maltive’s reaction was the same.
‘Hansen, that bastard…… Did something happen?’
The Hansen in front of him wasn’t the weakling he knew before.
He didn’t know what happened during the break, but Hansen seemed to have grown at least two stages stronger.
As Maltive looked at the two with nervousness, he quietly asked Jakil,
“Bro, shouldn’t we train as well?”
“……”
Jakil Galehill couldn’t bear to say it out loud and shouted internally.
‘Yeah! Training! I want to train as well!’
But the people who were watching only him were a problem.
He boasted that he was good, but if he started to train after everyone saw Ruin’s movements?
He would be compared openly.
In a situation like this, he needed to just coolly let it pass.
“What? Training……? Don’t get surprised with just that level of skill. Let’s go get a drink.”
“Oh! Incredible. He just called what Ruin did ‘just that level of skill’.”
“Just how strong is our senior?”
“……”
Even as he said those words, Jakil regretted it internally.
It was a problem with his mouth.
This boasting of his was probably a disease.
* * *
The ones who watched the spar between Ruin and Hansen weren’t just students.
They couldn’t openly watch them, but from a fair distance away, the first people to see the growth of Group 31 were none other than the professors.
Hydel and Coulter Pirante.
These two were conversing in a serious manner.
“……Ruin. That monstrous kid. He got stronger in that short period of time.”
“Yes. I heard that he did some wooden sword sparring against a knight in Ardell.”
“A knight in Ardell? Who?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I know the name.”
Although Professor Hydel’s hometown was also Ardell, since he never came back to visit after 10 years old… and since he was a commoner, memorizing the names of knights was too much of an ask.
Hearing his answer, Coulter narrowed his eyes.
“Hmm. I’m getting very curious as to who that knight could be. Looking at it, they aren’t just an ordinary knight…”
“Yes. That’s what I think as well. To predict and dodge perfectly to that degree would be hard even for the trainee knights here.”
“That’s right. Even if you were a master of the sword, you could not predict all the movements a blade could make. However, Ruin right now…”
Even when Sir Coulter was teaching Ruin body arts before he went to the Grand Festival, he could tell that Ruin was a rough gemstone that had talent in movement but wasn’t fully polished yet.
However, although there was only a period of three months between the end of the Grand Festival and the end of the break…
“……He’s showing a level of movement that most trainee knights can’t.”
In that short period, his awareness had completely shifted.
He wasn’t a rough gemstone anymore.
He was a perfected piece of work.
The movement when dodging the blade wasn’t just predicting the trajectory, but it was like he was reading the entire movement.
His habitual large movements that could be read by his opponents were all fixed as well.
Although he didn’t know who Ruin learnt from, Coulter could tell that it wasn’t a normal knight.
‘Just who taught him?’
If it was one of the best knights within the Radian Kingdom, there was no way he wouldn’t know.
However, he had never heard of a knight of that caliber being in a backwater countryside like Ardell.
‘Did he meet a retired master……?’
They also could’ve been a hidden master who didn’t reveal themselves to the public, but Coulter shook his head.
Even that was too unlikely.
‘……Unless Sir Bolvar Patten was staying in Ardell or something.’
Sir Bolvar Patten.
After retiring at a young age when he should’ve been the most active, now he was just a legendary spearman that one could check the heroics of in the Record of Knights.
If he didn’t retire and remained in the palace, the captain of the Golden Light Knight Order wouldn’t be Bengrass Kegen, but Bolvar Patten.
Just thinking of the name Bolvar made him energized. Coulter respected him that much.
But he shook his head and gave up on this theory.
‘That would be nice… but why would someone like that be in Ardell?’
That didn’t make sense at all.
Then, who was it?
In the end, only Ruin could answer that question.
After observing Ruin’s movements for a while, Coulter Pirante concluded the discussion.
“That movement…… He definitely learnt it while holding a wooden sword. It makes me want to have him hold a sword for a little bit.”
“Are you saying that he didn’t simply learn to face a knight, but learnt swordsmanship?”
“Yes. If you are fine with it, Professor, I want to check it personally… Would that be ok?”
“If Ruin is fine with it, I do not mind.”
“Thank you.”
Coulter Pirante.
A 6th-rank knight of the kingdom who was nearly second to none.
But even he became uncharacteristically nervous when he was faced with a duel against Ruin.
‘…No way. Am I nervous?’
Why was he getting so nervous against a mere 16-year-old boy?
It was probably because Ruin wasn’t a knight, but a magician.
* * *
Translator – Jreaming
Proofreader – Artethrax
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* * *
“Huak, huak…… Ruin…… L-let’s r-rest a bit.”
“Should we?”
The tired Hansen fell back onto the ground, and Jason brought him water.
“Ruin. You want a drink, too?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Look at this guy. Are you not tired?”
“……”
How could I explain this?
Rather than being tired, I felt like my body had warmed up.
Although I did train a lot on a daily basis, if I thought back to the three days and nights of training with Sir Bolvar, wasn’t this just a warm up?
Then, a familiar voice was heard through the crowd of students.
“If you aren’t tired yet, could you give me a bit of your time?”
“……Sir Coulter?”
He approached with jest in his expression.
‘Ruin. I want to spar against you.”
“Spar……? With me?”
“Yes. I have something I want to check.”
“Check?”
Although spars between students and professors happened during lessons sometimes…
This was different.
Because Sir Coulter wasn’t holding one wooden sword, but two.
Flick!
Tap!
Sir Coulter lightly threw the wooden sword at me, and I caught it.
“From what I’m seeing, it looks like you learnt swordsmanship from your mystery knight as well. Am I right?”
“Uhm, yes.”
“Then, use that sword to face me.”
“……”
It wasn’t a spar between a magician and a knight, but a knight versus a knight.
What was this situation right now?
I tried to laugh it off and tell him to stop joking around.
“No way. How can I win against you when I’m not even a knight, Sir Coulter? And I’ve only learnt it for about a week.”
“I’m not telling you to win.”
“Then?”
“I’m asking you to teach the students here. There isn’t a person who understands the positions of both a magician and a knight better than you here.”
“C-Captain!”
“……”
None better than me here.
Although it was a statement that would definitely be displeasing for the trainee knights to hear, Sir Coulter didn’t care.
“Show them the skills you’ve learnt during that week.”
“……”
As I looked around, a hundred eyes were all looking, looking at me.
“Ruin learnt swordsmanship?”
“He said he’s only learnt for a week, but is he saying he’s better than all the trainee knights here? Really?”
“Nah, no way……”
Curiosity and doubt.
And hostility and envy from the trainee knights.
It was as if they were saying to me,
“Hmph! Even if someone like him were to have learnt swordsmanship…… Let’s see just how well you do.”
…This was a problem.
It looked like Sir Coulter wanted me to gain the hatred of all the trainee knights there.
But, on the other hand, this was a good opportunity.
Among the hundred eyes that were looking at me were Jakil Galehill and Maltive Kegen.
“Alright. I’ll try.”
Ehm. Now that I was holding the wooden sword like this…
It was reminding me of my lessons with Sir Bolvar.
I held up the wooden sword.
Seeing my stance which was closer to a defensive one rather than offensive, a smile appeared on Sir Coulter’s face.
“Good posture.”
“……!”
As he finished speaking, Sir Coulter dashed toward me.
A movement as fast as lighting.
The swordsmanship of Sir Coulter that closed that distance was fast and fierce…
Clack!
I was able to block his strike by the skin of my teeth.
“H-he blocked the captain’s s-sword……”
A few of the trainee knights’ eyes went wide with surprise.
But it was still too early to be surprised by this.
I used my strength to easily push back Sir Coulter and struck when the time was right.
But Sir Coulter deflected this easily before slashing horizontally.
However…
“D-did he just dodge it? The captain’s sword?”
I slightly turned my body and dodged the sword.
The sword missed my left shoulder by a hair’s breadth, but it wasn’t a hit.
Sir Coulter was more surprised than he expected and asked me,
“You… Who did you learn swordsmanship from?”
“……”
Who did I learn it from?
The Tiger of Ardell.
I really trained with my life on the line.
However, rather than answering him, I smiled playfully and tried to strike him again.
I surprised myself.
I could see it.
I could see the sword of a 6th-rank knight.
