The Headmaster's Overstepping Challenge
Wait a moment. Just a moment. Listen to what I have to say.
Headmaster Aipman raised one hand, and the other examiners immediately fell silent.
I never normally speak during an examination, but seeing how young you still are, it seems you might be making a mistake. I am here to offer you a word of advice.
I shall accept your guidance gratefully, Professor.
It is true that you reached the 6-Circle at such a young age—that is an unprecedented case. However, the two people you named have already surpassed the 6-Circle in skill. Still, you wish to challenge them in a duel?
Of course I know. It has been my long-held dream.
One of Headmaster Aipman's eyebrows twitched.
It is not about how much mana you have. Those two are far more skilled than you. With the ability you have already shown, you could have entered a higher grade without any issue. Are you not afraid of suffering a miserable defeat that would lower your evaluation?
There is nothing to fear.
There is nothing to lose.
The examiners' expressions were already growing uneasy.
The headmaster and vice-headmaster are, in effect, the approval authorities who announce and transmit the examiners' decisions.
Yet Headmaster Aipman, even as headmaster, was breaking the rules by intervening too much in the test.
He was trying by any means to get me into a higher grade.
I am not afraid. Rather, if it is not the present moment when the examinees are being given maximum cooperation, when will I ever get to duel those two seniors? It is a pity.
This is reckless... Professor Arcan!
Although he had not joined the examiners, a professor who had been watching me from outside the examination hall slowly walked in.
He was a male professor with a pleasing appearance and appropriately muscular build.
Given the sword he carried, he must be the instructor in that field.
His skill level was one step above the 6-Circle—7-Circle.
I propose that Arcan Professor duel you. Arcan is the strongest swordsman in the Academy. The two people you named cannot defeat him even now. So, facing Arcan would be no deficit at all.
I understood what Headmaster Aipman was aiming for.
If I lost to another student, it would be seen as "they were merely holding back," but losing to a professor would allow my evaluation to be lowered less severely.
While trying by any means to promote me to a higher grade, he was trampling on his own reputation.
But Headmaster Aipman had failed to grasp one of the reasons I wished to duel those two.
The first was to prove my worth by defeating those two who had already reached the 6-Circle, now that I was seen as having only a 5-Circle.
The second was to impart a lesson to them.
Irene and Talia from my previous life had both possessed righteous hearts and had played major roles during the great demon invasion later on.
I wanted to quietly open a path for them to reach a higher realm.
No. I want to fight those two.
Headmaster Aipman, the examinee is requesting this so earnestly. According to the Academy's regulation that we must give maximum cooperation, shall we delay the test for a moment...?
That will not do. I cannot allow it. Are Irene and Talia not absent from their positions right now?
The examiner who had been about to question Headmaster Aipman was flustered.
Right now, Headmaster Aipman was breaking the very rule he himself had set—that we should cooperate maximally with the examinees.
Has the Academy only ever been this kind of place?
What did you say?
I let out a deliberate sigh in front of the examiners.
I had always dreamed of entering the Academy. But if my dream examination was like this, how sad it made me.
By subtly criticizing the Academy, I could see the rising anger in the examiners' eyes.
A short while later, one of the examiners spoke up.
Let us take a short recess.
Without leaving me behind, the professors entered a small room to begin their discussion.
It was common sense that the examinees were not supposed to be present while the examiners deliberated, but it did not matter.
As long as I did not get caught!
No sooner had we entered the room than the attack on Headmaster Aipman began.
Headmaster Aipman, why did you do that?
There were reasons. I acted for those reasons.
Please tell me what those reasons were.
In a world where ranks and hierarchies exist, seeing a general professor speak against the headmaster was unusual.
That was one of the reasons the Academy felt open.
I also wanted to help this student fulfill his wish and duel those two. But they are still students. What if I fail to hold back and they make a mistake?
It sounded plausible enough that the other professors did not immediately counter.
Of course, if a real fight broke out, the holding back would be on my side.
Instead, you should seriously challenge Arcan Professor first. If you find it lacking, then hold back. If even after facing Arcan you still wish to duel those two, we shall arrange it once they return.
If that is what you say, then I understand. Very well, we shall prepare.
The examiners returned outside.
And the representative of the examiners asked me.
I am sorry to have kept you waiting. At the moment, those two are absent, so for now it will be a duel with Arcan Professor. And later, if you still wish, we shall arrange a time once they return. Is that acceptable?
Even if it is only later, I am grateful for your consideration.
Professor Arcan, are you ready to begin immediately?
Of course. A new student's challenge is always welcome.
Arcan looked relaxed.
Even after greeting me with a smile.
How shall we do this? Shall we use practice weapons?
No. I want to use a real sword. Using practice weapons would itself mean I am not taking this seriously. But I have one rule I wish to set.
What rule? Tell me.
I was already demonstrating that my mana was at the 5-Circle level.
If I used only 5-Circle mana and the professor used 6-Circle, there was no way I could win naturally.
I would need swordsmanship capable of reversing the difference in Circles, but that would be too obvious.
What I wanted to show was appropriate swordsmanship.
Neither you nor I shall use mana. We shall fight purely with swordsmanship.
Does that mean we fight only with pure swordsmanship? How interesting. You are the first examinee this bold I have ever seen. I willingly accept that rule.
Arcan's sword was a slightly short longsword.
From the weapon he used and his stance, I could already guess the movements he would show.
I deliberately did not take any stance.
You are not taking a stance?
A stance? Do I need to take one?
Hahaha, you do not even know the basic stance...?
Arcan was surprised, but the examiners were also flustered.
They must have thought I was just a young child with lots of mana but no skill.
That will not do. For now, I shall let you have a little leeway. Since you are using a real sword, you must be careful not to hurt yourself.
How unpleasant. I will be careful on my own. You, however, must never hold back.
Oh. When handling a sword, the worst mindset is arrogance.
I understood what my teacher had told me.
Humans get trapped by fixed notions and judge everything, and thus cannot progress further.
Even I, if not for my teacher, would have been unable to escape and would still be trapped.
Come.
Even to the point of telling me to come first? I will not hold back any longer. I will correct your stubbornness!
Arcan leaped forward with astonishing speed.
Without using mana, attacking purely with the strength and technique of his body.
It was a fundamentally solid thrust attack.
Really just "fundamentals".
In theory, the standard was to always watch the direction the opponent's sword was pointing, right to the very end.
But there was no need.
Arcan's attack was honest from start to finish.
Patiently waiting, I watched for the moment when Arcan was certain.
The instant he was close enough for me to think the attack had already succeeded.
I struck upward at the sword Arcan was thrusting.
Ugh!
Arcan quickly planted his foot in front of me when he saw me deflect his sword.
He used the propulsion of the foot plant to pull his body backward.
Your movement is extremely fast. Not something you should be able to do at your age?
Arcan smiled as if it was amusing while praising me.
But I knew what had happened in that brief moment.
Ever since I met Kyleon Hyung thanks to my teacher, I had been looking forward to enjoying myself again.
Without realizing it, I frowned.
Professor, why did you hesitate just now?
Hesitate? What do you mean?
Right before your sword was about to reach me, you hesitated. Afraid I might get hurt.
Arcan was still holding his sword because he had hesitated.
The spot I deflected it at should originally have been the handle.
If he had thrust deeper without hesitation, he would have hit the handle and lost the sword.
In that split-second moment, I felt the hesitation. You did not seem to intend to fight me seriously from the beginning.
Wait just a moment. But...?
This time I shall go.
I pointed my sword at Arcan.
I needed to show my skill properly, but first I needed a target to vent my frustration at.
This time I will not even give you a moment to hesitate. Brace yourself firmly.