Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Imperial Swordsmanship (3)
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"Hoo..."
Having decided to take down Libia and Professor Kael,
Libia was still locked in a fierce ranking battle with Isabel during the midterms prep,
but she made time whenever she could to practice our combos with me,
and threw herself into helping me beat Kael during Imperial Swordsmanship lectures.
Right up until the day before midterms,
we spent weeks honing our teamwork to perfection,
meticulously planning our strategy,
and now, tomorrow—
the day of the Imperial Swordsmanship class that would be our final shot at taking down Kael together—was finally here.
'This took way too long...'
Sometimes our timing was off,
sometimes Libia slipped up,
sometimes the other cadets got in the way,
sometimes he saw through our plan...
All those failures piled up more than expected,
and time slipped away in a flash.
Which meant we only had two Imperial Swordsmanship classes left before midterms.
Factoring in that the last one probably wouldn't include spars with Kael,
tomorrow was truly our absolute last chance to beat him as a duo.
'Please... let it go smoothly...'
The Imperial Sword—
I'd been determined to claim it during the first break, even if it meant using {Life and Death Resolve}, to gear up for the chaos of the second semester...
So with fervent prayers for our final plan against Kael to succeed,
I headed back to the dorms to rest up for tomorrow.
The moment I got back,
I took a quick rinse and hit the bed.
Tomorrow was our last shot at learning the Imperial Swordsmanship.
No distractions—just rest.
***
The next morning,
I woke to the familiar light filtering through the window cracks.
"It's today..."
Finally,
the last day we could learn the Imperial Swordsmanship had arrived.
Running through our practiced combos and strategy with Libia in my head,
I got up and started prepping to head to the academy.
A light bath and change of clothes.
I rushed through my morning routine,
stepped out of the dorm,
and made my way to the S-Class classroom.
On the path to the S-Class room,
the air was deathly silent—no sounds at all,
a stark reminder that midterms were right around the corner.
Creak—
I arrived at the S-Class classroom as usual,
opened the door,
and saw the nine cadets inside.
Unlike the tense bloodlust of early prep,
they weren't glaring daggers at each other anymore.
It was like there was no room for rivalry—
everyone was just heads-down, focused on their studies.
I slipped quietly to my seat, as always.
And soon enough...
Creak—
Elina opened the door and stepped in.
"Good morning, everyone. Midterms are almost here."
A simple greeting led into her words,
"You're all studying hard, so I'll keep this short until then."
Unlike usual, she skipped talk of core or elective subjects,
glanced over us,
then turned and left with those final words.
'Midterms are really closing in...'
Seeing that,
it hit home how imminent they were.
I wasn't nervous or anything,
but their reactions—and the professors'—had me feeling the tension vicariously.
'Still, holding onto first place would be nice...'
Not that I needed to stress,
but I had no intention of losing my top spot.
Sure, top-rank achievements started in year two anyway,
but I couldn't pass up the scholarship,
and 'after seeing Libia tease Isabel...'
Libia, with second place,
had rubbed it in Isabel's face right next to me when she got third...
No way did I want to be on the receiving end.
'Not like it'll get taken anyway...'
Even so,
considering the hidden perks I'd brought from possession,
I had zero doubt about staying top— no real tension there.
Midterms barely registered.
What really had me on edge was today—
whether Libia and I could finally beat Professor Kael in Imperial Swordsmanship.
Even in core classes,
like magic lectures...
"Alright, who can explain the basic spell formula for [Dark Cloud]? ...Aden, you're up."
Or swordsmanship...
"Anyone want to demo this technique? ...Yeah, Aden it is!"
And even Practical Combat...
"I can see you zoning out, Aden."
Bam—!
All I could think about was beating Kael...
True to their rep as the academy's strongest after Eris,
all three professors clocked it instantly and targeted me all class.
'Magic and swordsmanship were manageable...'
Theory questions or demos there were easy enough with {Piercing Eyes} and {Pioneer}'s behavioral aids—no biggie.
But Practical Combat? No dice.
"That's it for today's Practical Combat. Hit your electives hard."
Elina calmly wrapped up,
while I lay there faceplanted in the dirt.
'Four times...'
Just today, she'd slammed me four times.
A count rivaling Libia, who always took the most hits.
My openings were blatant enough for the whole S-Class to see,
so she had to play fair to dodge favoritism claims.
Not a fun ride.
"Aden, you okay...?"
It was my first time eating dirt that bad,
so Libia didn't lounge around recovering like usual—
she came over, voice laced with worry.
"I'm fine, don't worry."
I brushed it off shortly,
stood up, dusted off,
and prepped to head to Imperial Swordsmanship.
Truth was, Elina always pulled her blows just right,
so it didn't hurt—my reassurance was legit.
'Still... not exactly pleasant.'
Even so,
nobody likes getting planted.
Vowing no more daydreaming in Practical Combat,
I prayed we'd finally beat Kael,
and stepped into the vast arena for Imperial Swordsmanship.
Crowds of cadets were there.
Unlike core classes,
these ones brimmed with tension.
'Makes sense...'
Imperial Swordsmanship before midterms was just
endless beatdowns by Kael.
'But today will be different...'
Not anymore.
Today,
we'd turn the tables on Kael.
***
Professor Kael of Imperial Swordsmanship.
He'd just
entered the vast arena for class.
The cadets came into view.
'They're tense!'
Obvious as day—most were on edge.
After endless spars with him? Natural.
'Hmm... great spirit!'
But two stood out.
Amid the crowd, burning not with nerves, but pure fighting spirit.
'The top two, as expected!'
Top entrant Aden,
and runner-up Libia.
Just those two stared him down like they were dying to land a hit.
Meeting their fiery gazes,
he shot back an approving look,
took center stage,
and spoke.
"No long wind-up! Let's jump right in—come at me!"
Straight to the action,
charge now.
The tense cadets steeled themselves, one by one, and rushed him.
'They've improved a ton...!'
As he parried,
the thought hit automatically.
Compared to the first class,
individual skills had visibly skyrocketed.
'And...'
Especially...
teamwork.
Formations locked in—
melee up front,
mages and archers backline.
Not flawless, but
clear positional synergy and combos—impressively sharp.
And then...
Cling—
Thud—
Runner-up and top's blades pierced through—he blocked with sword and hand.
Slipping through the throng
like flowing water, seamless attacks, no disruptions...
The two who'd grown most in Imperial Swordsmanship:
Runner-up Libia and top entrant Aden.
'Dodging others' attacks on their own, then chaining offense...'
Aden the monster? Expected.
But Libia matched him blow for blow.
'She used to get tripped up by stray attacks a lot recently...'
No trace of that now.
'At this rate, I'll get worn down.'
Keep getting probed, stamina drains,
eventual defeat loomed.
So...
"Kuh...!"
"Guhk!"
"Hup...!"
He picked off the others first, sparing top and runner-up.
And soon...
"Hahaha! Just us three now—!"
Only he, top, and runner-up remained in the arena.
The true highlight of Imperial Swordsmanship—
the duel—was underway.