Chapter 43
It was indeed not easy to handle two things at once.
Though I had practiced a fair bit, the opponent was no ordinary foe. Trying to balance magic and swordsmanship felt like neither was effective.
Still, it wasn’t a complete failure.
After all, I had succeeded in making the Ironclad Knight grip his sword with both hands.
“…Haha.”
The moment Royce held his sword with both hands, his gaze changed.
If his focus earlier had been on analyzing my movements, now his eyes were filled with fighting spirit.
‘Now this is going to be fun.’
With that, I figured I could start revealing more of my own skills.
Watching Royce, gripping his sword with both hands and brimming with determination, brought back old memories.
The time I had crossed swords with Royce as the leader of the Black Shadow Corps.
That was before the Black Shadow Corps had become as infamous as it is today.
Just before I stole the Dragon Heart from the O’Neill Kingdom.
Back then, most people didn’t even know what the Black Shadow Corps was.
Because of that, we could take on public requests without much trouble.
At the time, the Northern Continent was teeming with rampaging monsters, and monster-slaying requests were flooding in for every group.
The rewards were generous, so there was no reason for us to refuse such missions. That’s how I ended up encountering Royce Sinclair.
It was in a battlefield where soldiers from different nations and mercenaries from across the continent had gathered. By coincidence, Royce and I found ourselves on the same front.
Of course, the unit formed by me and Erica functioned as an independent task force, but we attended the same meetings.
Even back then, Royce didn’t like the idea that I could wield both sword and magic. He had suggested a spar whenever there was time.
That was when I realized, Ah, this guy is a traditionalist.
Woosh—
When Royce openly swung his sword first, I didn’t evade but swung my own sword toward him.
Clang—
The force behind Royce’s strikes, as he stared at me with resolute determination, was entirely different from before.
Though I could tell he was still holding back to some extent, so was I.
Clang—Clang—
However, now that Royce was fully committed to his swings, I had no leeway to focus on my magic.
While my swordsmanship had become as natural as moving my limbs, the magic I had recently gained was still in its infancy.
The ability to summon wind without any incantations was convenient, but it was more of a hindrance in combat since I wasn’t used to it yet.
Facing the Ironclad Knight’s sword left little room to spare for such distractions.
‘Alright, let’s put the magic aside for now.’
Just like Royce, who prided himself as a knight, I had a strong competitive streak.
Especially in one-on-one duels, I hated losing more than anything.
Whoosh—
I deliberately gathered the mana I had scattered around and began to focus entirely.
From this point forward, being stubborn about using both magic and its applications would only lead to a crushing defeat.
Spatial Movement? Elaine and Emily, who were watching, had already seen it in action. And since I had introduced myself to Royce as a mage, there was no reason to hold back.
‘My stats and experience have improved since then.’
The last time I sparred with Royce in the Northern Continent, it had been a narrow loss for me.
The match had been cut short by a sudden monster attack, but anyone watching would have seen that I was on the losing end.
This time, it was finally a chance for a rematch.
Thud—Clang—Clang—
I shifted all my attention to the sword in my hand, ignoring any thoughts of magic.
True to his title, the Ironclad Knight showed no openings.
When he held the sword with one hand earlier, I could see occasional gaps in his defense. But now, fully prepared, he was like an impenetrable wall.
Facing a wall with only a sword in hand—it felt just like that time.
Whoosh—Clang—Whoosh—Clang—
I began incorporating Spatial Movement directly into my attacks.
In one-on-one swordsmanship duels, the most effective use of Spatial Movement wasn’t to appear suddenly behind the opponent or something similarly dramatic.
Seasoned warriors wouldn’t panic if their opponent suddenly disappeared; they’d calmly assess the situation.
If someone vanished in front of them, it was usually to reappear behind or above. Someone like Royce Sinclair wouldn’t fall for such shallow tricks.
In this type of combat, the most effective approach was subtle adjustments to positioning.
For instance, instead of attacking from the expected 45-degree upper angle, shifting to a 35-degree upper angle instead.
Clang—
This created confusion for the opponent and made it harder to block the attack properly.
When swords clashed diagonally instead of directly, it disrupted the flow of the next movement.
Clang—Clang—
Yet, true to his reputation, Royce Sinclair remained the Ironclad Knight.
Even as I bombarded him with feints and confusing angles, his instincts guided his responses. He twisted his wrist or shifted his body to block my attacks.
As the intense exchanges continued, I couldn’t help but feel myself becoming more and more absorbed in the fight.
Like Royce, I had initially been holding back due to the audience, but the thrill of the duel was getting to me.
‘Man, he counters well.’
Royce’s skillful defense only fueled my excitement.
It had been a long time since I had fought so openly against someone of this caliber. The sense of thrill was something I hadn’t felt in ages.
That feeling of being able to attack with all my might, knowing my opponent could handle it.
As the strength behind my strikes increased, so did the intensity of Royce’s counters.
Before I realized it, white mana was beginning to emanate from Royce’s sword.
Thud—
Royce charged at me using one of his signature moves—a forceful stomp to launch himself forward.
‘Should I have held back a little?’
Seeing Royce’s intense expression and actions, the thought briefly crossed my mind, but it was already too late.
At this point, even I couldn’t stop.
BOOM—!
With a sound on a completely different level than before, our swords collided.
The clash created shockwaves, causing my hair to flutter and partially obscure my vision.
Through the partially blocked view, I could see Royce charging at me without hesitation.
BANG—! BANG—!
Each time our swords met, shockwaves erupted in succession.
By now, it didn’t matter whether the weapons in our hands were wooden swords or real blades.
Even though they were wooden swords, if either of us were struck directly, it would undoubtedly result in serious injury.
BOOM—!
“Just what are you…”
“You’re incredibly strong, as expected.”
My sincere compliment was met with a stunned expression from Royce.
And just as we prepared for the next exchange—
“Both of you, stop at once!”
Pause.
The booming voice from the side forced me to halt mid-move, despite being fully immersed in the duel.
Royce, too, stopped in his tracks, turning his head toward the source of the voice.
The one shouting anxiously was none other than Elaine.
“Elaine! How dare you interrupt during a duel!”
“…I apologize, but I felt both of you were getting too carried away.”
“…”
At Elaine’s words, Royce’s gaze shifted to his sword.
The wooden blade, once a deep brown hue, was now glowing white with mana.
Realizing he might have gone too far, Royce withdrew the mana he had infused into the sword and lowered it.
I had already done the same moments earlier.
“Hm.”
“Shall we stop here?”
“…”
Without answering, Royce swung his sword once into the empty air.
‘Well, I wouldn’t mind continuing.’
I was still excited from the duel and wouldn’t have minded continuing, but it didn’t seem like the best choice.
After all, I was still just an academy student.
Even though only Elaine and Emily were watching, it wouldn’t look great if rumors spread about me going toe-to-toe with the Ironclad Knight.
Addy had warned me before entering the academy.
Avoid standing out as much as possible.
If only that thought had come to me a little earlier.
“Well… my arm hurts so much. If I’d taken one more hit, I might’ve dropped my sword.”
Feigning pain, I lowered my sword, trembling slightly for effect, but Royce seemed unconvinced.
Without a flicker of emotion, he continued to stare at me.
“Everyone, leave.”
“Huh? But Father—”
“Leave. Now!”
“…”
‘Oh no…’
I thought the duel was over, but I was wrong.
Elaine and Emily, intimidated by Royce’s thunderous command, exchanged glances before slowly exiting the training hall.
“I assume that doesn’t include me?”
With only the two of us left, I tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but Royce wasn’t in the mood for it.
The atmosphere had grown unsettling.
Woosh—
Still holding his wooden sword, Royce pointed its tip directly at me and spoke.
“Who are you? Who sent you to infiltrate the academy?”
“Huh?”
There wasn’t a hint of humor in Royce’s voice.
Then again, imagining this man joking was nearly impossible.
That meant he was entirely serious about what he had just said.
‘Did I overdo it?’
Regret washed over me as I recalled how carried away I’d gotten earlier.
“What do you mean by that…”
“Do you seriously think it makes sense for a first-year academy student to block my sword? If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.”
“Uh…”
‘Well, I’m screwed.’
I had definitely gone too far.
“No need for lengthy explanations. I don’t know what your objective is for sneaking in here, but—”
Woosh—
The sword in Royce’s hand began to glow white again.
This time, the light was more defined and solid, exuding an undeniable intensity.
‘Damn it, what do I do now?’
The truth was, I had no hidden agenda like he suspected.
It was all just part of a quest.
“I didn’t expect you to give a straight answer.”
Royce’s blade, radiating with mana, pointed directly at me.
—
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