Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: A Use for a Treacherous Subject
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"Wow, I almost died for real."
"Are you... alive?"
"If it weren't for this... it would've been a disaster."
Amidst the dust, Beonald smiled as he looked at the shield that had been reduced to tatters.
He had taken it along just in case, and thanks to that decision, he had survived a near-death crisis.
He had sensed the opponent's attack and raised his own aura to defend his body, but it was already too late.
The only thing he could do was twist his body or get as far away as possible to lessen the impact, and it was then that the shield strapped to his back served as a cushion for once.
"Grrr...! You're lucky."
"More than luck, this is skill too. I was just one step more prepared."
Thump-thump-thump!
His words were relaxed, but truthfully, Beonald's heart was pounding wildly as this had been a truly life-threatening crisis.
Knowing his opponent was not to be underestimated, he discarded the tattered shield, pointed his sword, and raised his aura.
"Since you're said to be at the level of a High Knight... I won't hold back!"
And immediately, he drew upon his violet aura to rush in for revenge.
Since his opponent had expended a great amount of energy from the start, Beonald immediately swung his sword to capitalize on this advantage before the other could catch his breath.
'What's this?'
Clang!
The first time he received Beonald's aura-infused sword, the club president wore an expression of shock.
According to the data his family had gathered, his opponent was supposed to be a country bumpkin from the sticks, a 'natural knight,' so he had thought the power of his aura would naturally be weaker than his own, who had mastered the secret mana breathing technique passed down in his family.
But the force carried by that violet aura-infused sword was definitely not weaker than his.
As he was pushed back, he muttered in astonishment.
"What is that? That aura... What on earth?"
"Being a natural knight doesn't mean you're weak."
"Grrk!"
Clang!
Struck by the heavy force of Beonald's sword and aura that resonated through his entire body, the president looked at him with eyes full of disbelief.
The power of a strong aura was supposed to be the exclusive domain of descendants from prestigious families like his own!
It was astonishing that a natural knight could produce such power, but the fear that he might actually lose to this guy began to creep in.
'Me... losing to someone like this?'
For Lloyd Krmel, who had lived a life without disgrace as the heir to the Krmel family, this was a shockingly unacceptable assumption.
Of course, he had fought many opponents stronger than Beonald.
The epithet attached to him, 'Ogre Slayer,' was also earned through a desperate, life-and-death battle with an ogre, and he had crossed swords with even stronger foes when participating in major wars during his warrior training or when conflicts broke out within the family.
'Me... losing to this... mongrel?'
Those were mostly renowned strongmen or dangerous monster species, opponents where even if he lost, he could say he fought an honorable battle.
But what about Beonald right in front of him?
A country bumpkin who crawled out from the backwaters of the Empire, a family with no connection to mana breathing techniques or sword styles, and on top of that, a mongrel mixed with mercenary blood. By all accounts, he was a lowly being compared to himself. To lose to him would mean...
'I'd fall into the abyss. Absolutely... I absolutely cannot lose. That's why I tried to finish it in one blow!'
The original plan was to send Beonald flying with the first move, then point his sword at the fallen man and proudly declare, 'Someone of your level can't join our club!' Or, if he showed a bit of talent, to at least demonstrate the gap in power and stomp on him so he could never cling to Her Highness the Princess again.
'Absolutely... Absolutely can't let that happen!'
'His tenacity is no joke. Of course, you'd need to be at least this level to be a High Knight candidate.'
"Haaaaaah!"
Swish! Clang!
Pushing back Beonald's sword with sheer grit, President Lloyd began swinging his sword with all his might.
Beonald, receiving the blows, noticed his opponent's impatience while feeling the difference between someone with much to lose and someone without.
Even if Beonald lost here, he had nothing to lose.
He didn't absolutely have to help her from within the same club, he could help as an outsider plenty of times, no money was on the line, and his reputation was already low so there was no loss.
'The hot blood of youth disrupts that calculation. Of course, I was careless too...'
"Damn yoooou!"
'Still, he's not ordinary, as expected. I guess being from a knightly family, his foundation and roots are very solid.'
Clang! Clang!
He had never heard a single story about the Krmel family from 500 years ago, but still, as a member of a well-established family, his skill was very solid.
Even though he had used a lot of aura with that near-finishing move earlier, he held firm and received Beonald's attacks, calming his breath before launching a counterattack.
Because he absolutely had to defeat Beonald, thinking of the dishonor he would gain from losing and his own falling evaluation.
'Grr... But this isn't easy.'
"Wooooh! Krmel Family Sword Style, 'Third Form—Within the Storm'!"
'His mentality is shaken, but is it because his combat experience is high? Tch!'
Clang!
When there was an opening from the aftereffects of a big technique, Beonald could push forward, but once he recovered, he launched a counteroffensive against Beonald.
Beonald also thought that if he only defended like this, he wouldn't be able to hold out any longer, so he had no choice but to use a proper Neumel Family sword style himself.
'Imperial Knight Order Derivative-Neumel First Form—Viper.'
"What?"
Seizing an opening, the serpentine sword, pretending to slash before switching to a thrust, aimed for President Lloyd's neck, but he immediately ducked and rolled back, barely dodging.
He glared at Beonald with the strange sword style, but Beonald simply took his stance again with an indifferent expression.
"Th-this is?"
'...Even after 500 years, our family's swordsmanship is still irritating, huh?'
To put it bluntly, the 'Neumel Style Swordsmanship' was full of dirty tricks and deception.
It was even criticized as a swordsmanship more suited to assassins or killers than knights.
The 'Viper' that pretends to slash before stabbing, the 'Anaconda' and 'Sidewinder' that twist their trajectory from a distance to attack, the 'Boomerang' that pretends not to move while slashing, even the 'Double-Headed Snake' that slashes twice in what seems like one slash.
While it was copied and created, it was refined in a way that reflected the creator's tendencies, so the Neumel style, which had become completely different from the original Imperial swordsmanship, was literally a 'snake'-like swordsmanship.
"Your cheap feints!"
'Oh, he's got tenacity. Then how about this?'
'Imperial Knight Order Derivative-Neumel Seventh Form—Boomerang.'
Beonald held his sword, stopped, and took a stance. Then, as his violet aura flickered momentarily, the trajectory of the violet sword slashed at President Lloyd without any visible movement.
But indeed, the scion of a prestigious family was on a different level. Perhaps sensing danger through intuition even though he couldn't see it, he raised his aura and defended against that sword.
"Just what... what kind of swordsmanship is that? It's hard to see it as a knight's sword. It's unbearably cunning!"
"I don't think I have an obligation to tell you? If I asked about the Krmel Family's swordsmanship, would you answer everything? Take your time figuring it out. Very~ slowly."
"...You damn brat!"
Clang! Craaang!
This spar was, after all, a test. And while it seemed like the first attack had somewhat landed, as time passed, it was rather President Lloyd whose reputation was gradually declining.
The fact that he had gathered too many spectators with the intention of humiliating his opponent was now working against him.
"Why is it going like that? Is the president being pushed back?"
"Idiot, he's holding back. It's a test, after all..."
"But considering the power of that first move, didn't it look like he intended to send him flying in one go?"
"Eh, still, it's President Lloyd... Would he lose?"
"Speaking of which, that mongrel guy... seems like Sir Repart's recommendation was genuine after all. Seeing how well he's holding out."
Murmur murmur...
Not only the audience he had gathered from within the club, but perhaps because rumors had spread, other students from the surroundings and even rival clubs had flocked in, already filling the training grounds, and regardless of the outcome, the aftermath would spread throughout the Imperial capital beyond the academy.
'Damn! Damn! A mongrel, of all things! A country bumpkin, of all things! Daring to... daring to...!'
'His moves have become simpler due to emotional agitation, but it's still hard to take him down. Whew~ Do I really lack martial talent? No, it's a lack of experience... I guess!'
In his past life, Beonald had no experience in direct duels due to his activities as an alchemist and a noble.
And in this life, while he had learned swordsmanship, he rarely engaged in a straightforward one-on-one fight like this; it was mainly used to deal with overwhelmingly weak opponents or to finish things through schemes and ambushes.
Thanks to sparring with Heidi, he had accumulated a little experience, but still, this was his first major battle against a truly hostile opponent.
'He's not falling over no matter how I attack from various angles. The crest on his chest isn't just for decoration!'
'I can't defeat a guy like this? Me, who took down an ogre one-on-one?'
'I have the psychological upper hand, but if it's like this... if I fought a true High Knight one-on-one, I'd lose perfectly.'
'...I can't let this happen! I can't let this happen!'
'Then, since I've gained all I can get now, I should let him save some face.'
Beonald began retreating little by little, making it seem like he was being pushed back in the confrontation.
In truth, his opponent was in a state of extreme impatience, so his judgment was greatly impaired, and if he fought a bit longer, a chance to win was visible, but Beonald had already proven his skill simply by facing President Lloyd and holding out for so long, so he intended to retreat.
'If I win, if I win... these muscle-brained guys will come looking for me, and there's no guarantee this spar will continue until his stamina runs out.'
Worried about it getting too heated, if a teacher or knights came to stop the spar in the middle, that would be the worst situation, even worse than winning, only accumulating unpleasant feelings.
So the best choice was to gracefully lose to President Lloyd around this point.
People tend to focus on results rather than the process, and the winner, simply by being there, can rationalize everything no matter what they say.
'Good, now!'
"Waaaaaaah!"
'Naturally...!'
Clang!
Blocking the Zweihänder swung with aura-filled rage, he shattered the sword with his own aura, and as the swung sword slashed towards his chest armor, he let his body be flung back, rolling spectacularly on the ground before collapsing.
Then, pretending to struggle to get up in frustration before his strength gave out, he dropped his head and collapsed, feigning unconsciousness.
"Haah... haah... hoo~ hoooooo~ My victory."
"Wooow!"
Fighting while engulfed in anxiety and impatience, President Lloyd, completely unaware that Beonald was acting, raised his fist to prove his victory the moment he confirmed Beonald's collapse, wiping his chest in relief.
However, while President Lloyd had won, he ultimately gained nothing, whereas Beonald gained the reputation of having held out against President Lloyd for dozens of exchanges, so in terms of gains and losses, it was effectively Beonald's victory.