The Sword Wielded to Survive (3)
The gathered students gasped in astonishment before erupting into cheers.
They had expected me to declare defeat once my sword broke, yet a new blade had suddenly appeared from thin air.
Professor Doria was the most shocked of all.
"W-what trickery is this? Your sword was clearly broken—where did you pull that new one from?"
"Pull it from where? You may not believe me, but this sword has been with me from the very beginning."
"T-that's impossible!"
"By the way, I quite enjoyed your swordsmanship, Professor Doria."
I had to give credit where it was due.
Professor Doria's dual-wielding technique far surpassed Professor Seviche's so-called Gehenna style.
Well, Professor Doria is the normal one. Professor Seviche is the abnormality.
Regret, which I had not held in some time, had adjusted itself to the perfect size and weight for my fifteen-year-old body.
Even after the change, it still felt familiar.
"Round two begins now. Prepare yourself."
Professor Doria and I clashed once more.
With a proper weapon in hand, I no longer hesitated when swinging my sword.
Each strike felt clean and powerful.
Before long, I found myself enjoying the duel as my speed steadily increased.
Professor Doria, who had been launching rapid attacks with dual blades moments earlier, was now forced onto the defensive, barely managing to block my swift, decisive strikes.
His expression darkened, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
"You deceived me!"
"About what, exactly?"
"You could have done this all along, so why earlier…"
Though better than Professor Seviche, Professor Doria's swordsmanship still revealed countless openings.
If I wished, I could end the match with a single swing.
Yet I continued the fight simply because it was enjoyable.
"Enough!"
Professor Doria leapt back, creating distance between us.
"Why are you stopping?"
"Are you asking because you do not know? You could have finished this, yet you dragged it out!"
As expected, a sword could not lie.
The fact that he could sense it was enough to earn Professor Doria a passing grade as a swordsman in my eyes.
"There is no point in continuing. I have lost. I am as good as dead already."
"I refuse."
"What?"
"I will not accept your declaration of defeat."
From the start, this had been a fight I was meant to win, and with Regret in my hand, victory had become even more certain.
But ending it like this would be far too dull for the watching students.
"I know you have not yet used your full strength, Professor Doria."
"T-that is not entirely wrong, but…"
"Show me your true power. In return, I will also fight with everything I have."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Professor Doria gripped his dual blades once more.
The blue mana coating his swords grew far more vivid.
"Very well. Let us fight in a manner befitting swordsmen."
I noticed that Professor Doria's tone had become considerably more respectful.
Yes. Swordsmen speak through their blades.
I channeled mana into Regret as well, matching his level.
"Six circles? I had heard you possessed the strength of a five-circle mage."
"That was in the past. My growth is rapid because I am still young."
"That explanation alone is insufficient. Regardless, I must apologize for underestimating and misjudging you—late though it may be."
"I accept your apology. I am simply grateful that you recognize it now. However…"
I lowered my stance, signaling my intent to attack.
"You will have to treat the students whose lunches you wagered to a meal!"
After I launched myself forward, the match was decided in just two exchanges.
I knocked one of Professor Doria's blades aside.
I ignored the second blade coming at me, closed the distance with my body, and tackled him to the ground.
Standing over the fallen professor with my sword pointed at him, I declared,
"Now I will accept your declaration of defeat."
"Thank you for sparing me. Though my wife will kill me when I get home…"
That was to be expected.
Even if he only fed the students at the cheap student cafeteria, the sheer number of people made it no small expense.
Still, it was his own doing.
Sparing his life is cheap payment in exchange.
* * *
Angela, watching from the stands, wiped the cold sweat from her brow and let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness none of the professors died."
"Oppa never intended to harm the other professors in the first place."
What Angela had been worried about were not Erewon, but the other two professors.
Yet Lua remained perfectly calm, even though her brother had fought a battle where lives were at stake.
Angela felt a fresh wave of cold sweat at Lua's extraordinary composure.
"Spilling blood is never a good solution. Oppa knows well that blood only begets more blood."
"What? That little kid is your brother?"
"L-little kid?"
"Hrk…"
A groan escaped Angela's lips.
In that instant, Lua's previously serene expression had turned ice-cold.
How could that always-adorable child make such a face?
"Did you just call my brother a little kid?"
"What else would I call a little kid? What am I supposed to say?"
"Ah, seniors!"
The moment Angela recognized the voice, she immediately bowed her head.
But Lua was in no mood to do the same toward the person who had called her brother a little kid.
"Take back those words before you regret them."
"Me? Regret? That will never happen."
"Talia, apologize before I smack you."
A gentle-voiced girl stepped in.
"Sorry. I will apologize in her place. This idiot is so tall that she rarely sees anyone who is not a little kid from her perspective. It is just a bad habit of hers, so please ignore it. You have a very impressive brother."
"Understood. Since a pretty senior is saying so, I suppose I have no choice. It must be difficult for you, dealing with a tall, ugly idiot like her."
"What? You little runt!"
"Talia!"
"Fine, Irinid."
When Irinid raised her voice, Talia merely clicked her tongue.
After subduing Talia, Irinid apologized to Lua once more.
"I am truly sorry. I do not even know how I ended up hanging around this idiot. I will apologize again properly later. It seems we have finished our business here, so we should report back first."
"Huh? So your name is Irinid, and this one is Talia?"
"That is right. You remembered right away. What is your name?"
"I am Lua. Lua von Soleil."
"Soleil…"
"Oh, Soleil means you are the princess, right?"
Just as Irinid was about to speak, Talia suddenly poked her head forward again.
"How amusing. The princess of the knight kingdom is such a tomboy."
"I suppose I could be a tomboy."
"In that case, how about me? Compared to your brother, I am much taller and more handsome…"
"Would you please shut up?"
"Haha, the more I see, the more I like you."
While Lua and Talia continued their verbal sparring, Irinid grabbed Talia by the ear and pulled.
"Ow ow ow. She was about to fall for me if I kept going—why did you stop me?"
"Stop spouting nonsense. We need to go. Professor Aipman is waiting. Lua, let us meet again. You too, Angela."
Angela nodded as well.
She had frequent exchanges with Irinid and Talia as fellow students walking the path of martial arts.
Lua smiled brightly and spoke.
"Goodbye. It was nice meeting you, seniors. Except for the stupid one."
"That is my charm. But if the princess dislikes it, I am more than willing to change…"
"We will meet again soon. I have been waiting for the two of you."
From Lua's words, Irinid sensed a deeper meaning.
"Us? Why?"
* * *
"Lua, let us go eat now…"
I immediately recognized the students standing with them and bowed my head.
"Senior Irinid, Senior Talia. It is an honor to meet the pride of the academy."
The girl with long, flowing crimson hair was Irinid von Reichland, while the tall girl with vivid blue hair was Talia Hulin.
"Eh? You know us? I have never seen you before. Irinid, do you know this kid?"
"I am meeting him for the first time as well."
"I have been waiting for the day you two would return."
When I took the entrance exam for the Imperial Academy, I had made one promise to Aipman.
Once Irinid and Talia, who had been dispatched as top students, returned, he would allow me to spar with them.
To me, who had been enjoying teaching students, the two of them were truly desirable pupils I wanted to instruct as soon as possible.
"My introduction is late. I am Erewon von Soleil, a fourth-year transfer student and temporary professor."
"Fourth-year?"
"Did you just say fourth-year? Wait, and what? Temporary professor?"
Shock was plain on both Irinid's and Talia's faces.
There had never been a single precedent of a new student entering the academy as a fourth-year.
Even Irinid and Talia, hailed as the academy's most outstanding students in history, had only entered as third-years.
"A great wind must have blown through the academy while we were gone."
"You are this princess's brother? Then you must be the prince?"
"That is correct. I have not been in Reichland for very long."
"Take good care of us. If I want to win over the princess, I will probably need to get on your good side first as her brother."
"Excuse me?"
What is she talking about?
I could feel the mana I had suppressed beginning to stir and boil again.
"We can talk later. Let us go. We are really late now."
"Haha, I am counting on you!"
Irinid quickly grabbed Talia and started running.
Left behind, I turned to Angela.
"Angela, what exactly happened?"
"Well, it is a bit…"
"Do you have anyone to eat lunch with?"
"No, I do not."
"Then let us go together. I need to hear calmly what happened to Lua."