Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Sparring with Hans
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Leo, with his shoulder gripped by Elias, stared blankly at Hans and Lucas.
The moment class ended, they had rushed to Bayern, but Elias had immediately dragged him along, promising a good show.
It just so happened that he'd never seen Lucas spar with anyone else. Observing and finding points for advice didn't seem like a bad idea.
Of course, that was just a secondary reason.
‘To nitpick my grading after seeing the movements I taught? Denial of reality has its limits.’
With that thought, Leo looked at Hans's face.
Hans was overly excited. But even in his fervor, his movements were quite precise.
Clang!
Lucas pushed Hans's sword away and leaped back.
Leo's eyes dissected Lucas's movements one by one.
The response, the speed, the precision in parrying the attack—all perfect.
Just then, Elias cast a soundproofing spell and snickered.
"Hey~ He's totally you."
"No. I taught him differently on purpose so our styles wouldn't overlap."
Propping his chin, Leo muttered so his lip movements weren't visible.
[You just gonna dodge like a rat?!]
[What happened to all that talk about technique?]
"How easy do you think it is to change that? Looks like you'll have to switch styles now."
"You only know because you've watched me since I was a kid. Otherwise, no clue."
[Calm down first. What's the point of sparring like this?]
[…Th….]
"H-Hey! That guy…!"
"Hey!"
At the surprised shouts from around them, Elias stopped laughing and fixed his gaze on the two.
Kaaang!
Even against Hans's skillful feint that revealed his true prowess, Lucas stably twisted his sword to block the attack.
In that instant, deep bewilderment crossed Hans's face.
Elias's eyes widened in admiration.
"…Ooh~"
"……."
Leo pressed harder on his chin-propped hand.
The corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.
Honestly, he'd never found watching someone else's spar entertaining.
Most times, both sides were just mediocre no matter how you looked at it.
But this time…
‘Not bad.’
Lucas's skills, which had improved insanely over the past four months, and this spectacle too.
Leo struggled to maintain a blank expression as he kept his eyes fixed on them.
* * *
What did he want me to do?
Obviously…
"Come at me properly!"
Hans bellowed in a voice thick with rage.
Ascanien chuckled in response.
"Alright."
Boom—!
Ascanien's sword tip spun upward, shoving Hans's blade aside. At the same time, both kicked off the ground and retreated. Without hesitation, Hans used the recoil to charge at Ascanien.
Clang!
Ascanien didn't deflect the sword but met it head-on.
Hans's eyes narrowed. There was no hesitation in blocking the incoming blade. It felt like the steady assurance of someone who'd been attacked dozens—no, thousands—of times.
"I've got a question."
Screech—
"Retreating is a technique too, so why do you think charging in is the only way to come at me properly? You should know better."
He even had the presence of mind to talk.
Hans put strength into his arms.
He intended to bend Ascanien's sword, but there was still no tremor in it.
‘A beginner would be so focused on blocking they'd take a wrist-straining stance.’
In that moment, a flash of realization crossed Ascanien's face.
Finding it odd, Hans poured mana into his arms.
Whoosh—
Only then did Ascanien's blade twist away.
On this trajectory, the next attack would come from above in a right diagonal downward slash. Sure enough, Ascanien's sword shot upward swiftly.
‘Next move's obvious— no reason to play along.’
Hans infused mana and dashed to Ascanien's side. At the same time, his sword thrust out long.
Chaaeng!
"…!"
Ascanien, having created distance, twisted his body just in time to block Hans's sword.
Ascanien's blade and his pupils were utterly still, without a hint of shake.
Far from flustered by the variable, he retreated exactly the distance needed to meet swords—as if granting Hans's demand to come properly without dodging.
‘…….’
Hans scanned Ascanien's stance. It should have collapsed from the sharp turn, but it hadn't.
‘…Didn't he just start learning? I thought he'd falter from lack of skill by now.’
No. He couldn't keep getting surprised.
Even if their training time differed, matching him like this meant Hans was missing something crucial due to his own overexcitement.
"You're definitely skilled."
As Hans drew a deep breath to steady himself, Ascanien said slowly.
"But there's a few things I want to show you."
Ascanien lightly tapped the sword hilt two or three times. The white blade vanished, replaced by a pitch-black wooden sword matching the wand's color.
Hans exhaled in disbelief for a moment.
‘He pulls out a wooden sword mid-fight?’
Even if it was mana-forged, the dull edge was fact, and switching to a practice blade showed resolve—but that alone was problematic.
Ascanien said casually.
"Wouldn't want your mana channels getting cut."
"Hah…."
He might have trained swordsmanship for quite a while. His responses so far weren't those of a novice.
But regardless, it was true he'd done nothing last year.
When even a week off rusts your skills, this guy who'd slacked a whole year talks like this?
"You might get hit, so how about calling it quits? Do it right!"
"I've been doing it right, and I will continue, Hans."
Ascanien casually beckoned as before.
"You first."
If this was provocation strategy, it was perfectly successful.
Hans glared at Ascanien and shook his head. Ascanien charged without hesitation.
‘First, clash swords.’
With a wooden sword, he'd likely evade and counter repeatedly rather than clash.
Obvious moves— what was all this "properly" talk? That attitude needed fixing.
Whoosh—
Ascanien's sword split his vision. The path differed from before.
"…!"
Thwack—!
Agony exploded in his left shoulder, his mouth gaping open instinctively.
‘W-W-Wait…!’
"Ah, as expected."
Ascanien's short admiration reached him.
‘…Not the sword—he aimed for my body?!’
Hans straightened his crumbling stance and thrust his sword.
Ascanien stepped back one or two paces, then mimicked a simple thrust. The moment Hans swung to slash, Ascanien's sword veered and crashed down on his thigh.
Boom!
"Argh…!"
"Shall we do the spar another time?"
Laughter faintly laced the question.
Hans fought the urge to clutch his thigh and gritted his teeth.
‘M-My muscles….’
They felt torn. Only now did "don't want your mana channels cut" start making sense.
Pressing his trembling thigh with the sword hilt, he looked up at Ascanien, who said softly.
"I've been holding back since your openings kept showing. Took some effort."
Holding back what? Not beating you senseless? The retort rose to his throat.
But to give such openings he could reach directly… If this were real combat instead of sparring…
"I know your skills are excellent. But…."
He'd already be dead.
Ascanien's sword slashed down from above. Hans barely ducked, bracing his sword with both hands to block.
The half-sliced wooden sword repaired instantly, tracing a semicircle in the air and rising again.
"…!"
Hans kicked off the ground and retreated, but Ascanien pursued fiercely. Despite Ascanien's sword drawing a large arc from low left, Hans's blade hung in the air.
Escape instinct clashed with the need to block. Too late. Ascanien's black wooden sword struck upward from below his right thigh.
Thwack!
"Gh…!"
"Haha, you're too excited now. So many openings."
Why laugh? What's so funny?
Like a patient teacher, Ascanien waited calmly for Hans to recover his stance.
Hans clamped his madly trembling leg with his left hand and panted.
As the whoosh of air faded, the surrounding murmurs became clear to Hans.
Somehow, the crowd seemed double what it was before.
‘…This isn't the picture I wanted.’
The exact opposite. By training time alone, it should have been this way.
Hans, head bowed, slowly opened his mouth.
"…Sword…."
"Hm?"
"Switch swords already! You my teacher or what?!"
"I will if you want, but…"
Ascanien fixed his gaze on Hans's trembling leg.
"Don't you think you're pushing too hard in this state?"
Hans's face twisted momentarily.
Thud—
Hans brutally forced mana into his legs. Green mana flared around them. He kicked off, and the thrust rang out.
As if waiting, Ascanien's sword turned pure white.
Clang—! Screech—
‘…Damn.’
The moment their swords met, Hans realized.
Mistake.
Not just now—from earlier too.
Most mana diverted to legs left none for arms. Pulling it back to upper body now would topple him.
Even without Ascanien pressing, Hans's sword shook, unable to bear the weight.
Creak, graaatch— graa—
After staring long at the locked, twisting blades, Ascanien glanced at Hans's face and stepped back.
Splash— Boom!
Ascanien stomped hard.
Hans knew what that meant. Crimson mana surged, coiling around Hans's arm and shoulder.
Normally dodgeable, but with all mana in legs, impossible.
One arm pinned, Hans toppled backward.
Thud!
Eyes clenched shut flew open to something glittering under his chin.
"Good work."
* * *
Favorability 150 achieved (150/300)
Already at 80 before starting, hitting 100 wasn't hard.
And ten minutes ago, 150.
The constant white text during spar distracted, but good sign anyway.
"Good work."
Thanks for raising my favorability.
I pressed my sword to his chin and said. At that, fear-frozen Hans furrowed his brow.
Ding—!
Favorability +1
‘…….’
Favorability went up?
Chills instinctively prickled.
Beating him senseless moments ago, now this? Backpedal first.
‘Pride making actions contradict feelings?’
Means his view of me turned more positive. World is wide, people diverse.
Anyway, +1 is precious to me. Grateful.
I smiled and offered my hand.
"You okay?"
"……."
He just stared at my hand, then staggered up alone.
His friends rushed down the stairs to support him.
"Lucas!"
Elias, who'd come down unnoticed, slapped my back.
"Hey, no one's gonna question your grades now~ Let's do ours quick!"
"Sure."
Casual reply, but can't schedule rashly—worried his style matches Leo's…
I ignored Elias and rolled my wrist.
‘Definitely improved.’
Hans's skill objectively solid. Meaning, my mere 4 months training made winning hard.
Luckily, he had an unfinished flaw.
‘Emotions.’
Imperturbability is skill too.
No anger in exams, so he didn't know, but he swayed easily to feelings.
Even grasping the weakness, without my skill I'd lose—but 4 months of Leo's brutal beatings solidified basics, seizing chances no issue.
Realizing Leo's methods unorthodox brought wry smiles, but thanks to it, this growth real.
"Time to go."
I shook off Elias and turned.
Then, far off, lemon-yellow hair reminding of the emperor caught my eye.
‘Hm?’
Thought Adelbert, tried peering closer, but he spun away abruptly.
No time to dwell anyway.
Unexpected face at vision's edge.
In front of clumped Class 1-B students, our homeroom professor stood silently watching me.
"……."
"Student."
Homeroom professor addressed me directly.
This spar no big deal, but his serious face means I should match vibe.
"…Hello, sir."
"Yes. But what's all this?"
"Sparred with Hans."
He shook head, not the question.
"I see no record of you taking Magic Swordsmanship Studies."
"Studying it personally bit by bit."
"Personally?"
"Yes."
Professor stared without further questions.
Ding—!
Favorability +3
"……."
So… from prof's view, promising student worth nurturing.
Debate skipping awhile.
"Student."
"Yes."
"Come with me."
* * *
Professor enthusiastically introduced national tournament and clubs.
Busy with state affairs, declined all for now, but prof persisted, offering 1:1 guidance from Magic Swordsmanship prof if wanted.
Said I'd think on it.
Trout was Magic Swordsmanship prof, right?
‘Time to send him off soon.’
Closing research room door, favorability window popped.
Ding—!
Favorability 200 achieved (200/300)
200 points.
Makes sense.
Elias said last count, over 100 students gathered.
‘Thanks to Hans, filled fast.’
Satisfied.
Checked watch thinking that.
Club time nearing, dorm then drama club.
‘Before that, tidy situation perfectly.’
Packed prof's various flyers in bag, memorized familiar coordinates.
Ascended to pre-noted room floor, knocked hospital door.
Knock knock—
"Hans."