Chapter 101
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Swordless Confrontation
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“So, what exactly can you do? You strut around like that, and suddenly you think you’re something special?”
Philia sneered at me as I tossed aside the wig and tore off the corset.
Beneath the dress, I wore the same black uniform as Charlotte, who had entered the ballroom.
Thanks to that, I could rip the clothes off so blatantly without issue.
While I threw the obstructing garments far away, Philia ground her teeth in irritation at being ignored.
“This side is fully armed. You think you can handle this many of us, me included, without armor or a sword?”
Philia was a knight right below Aiden.
According to the Lilian Princess, she was the empire’s finest female knight, but I had zero interest, so my reaction was a mere “Ah, I see.”
Even giving her the benefit of the doubt, she didn’t seem anywhere near master level, but I had no desire to nitpick.
‘She’ll figure it out somehow.’
I was going to kill her here anyway, and the cleanup would be Lilian Princess’s and the Emperor’s problem, not mine.
I cracked my knuckles, producing a series of pops.
“Without even a sword, how do you plan to beat me?”
“You still talking?”
Philia faltered at the implication of my words—why so chatty?
Her lips twisted upward as if to say “enough,” and she drew her sword.
“You alone, I will definitely kill.”
The blade, tinged with twilight hues, spread into a crimson glow, exuding a chilling sharpness.
When Philia coated it with aura, it turned a deep magenta, and the magic engraved on the sword’s surface manifested clearly.
As a custom-made weapon, it undoubtedly supported her aura in some way.
‘Hmm…’
Swordsmen who had reached a certain realm each manifested unique auras.
Influenced by their imagery or intent, discerning their properties before clashing blades was exceedingly difficult.
Even those with some commonalities were the same.
“Professor Aiden!?”
The Lilian Princess, who had been listening silently, whipped around to face me.
She scanned me from head to toe, her face draining of color.
“You really don’t have a sword?”
“How could I carry a sword? This is the imperial palace—even I only got permission for bladed weapons for the knights guarding the perimeter.”
“That’s true in principle, but… still!”
Her eyes screamed that even so, shouldn’t I have smuggled one in? I turned away.
Such fervent gazes made me uncomfortable.
But the Lilian Princess let out a groan as if struck by realization.
“We’re all going to die here…”
“Don’t jinx it.”
“It’s not a jinx!”
The Lilian Princess ruffled her hair amid her rapid emotional swings.
Before anyone could stop her, the hairstyle crafted by maids over three hours fell into disarray.
“…Princess.”
“It’s not a jinx! Even so! You should have brought one!”
Everyone fell silent as the princess screamed, her eyes wild with madness.
The dreamlike, ideal image of the princess shattered in that instant.
“You really don’t have a sword!? Really!?”
“So what?”
“No, I mean! Ugh, seriously. Aaaargh.”
Cursing herself for trusting something like this, the princess raged before bursting into sobs.
“I trusted you. I really, really trusted you.”
Sob sob sob.
“Even when you left without a word to me, I held back, thinking you had your reasons…”
As everyone turned mute from her emotional rollercoaster, Philia seized the moment and kicked off the ground.
Boom!
The Lilian Princess squeezed her eyes shut at the ensuing explosion.
When nothing happened despite the impact, she cautiously opened them to see…
“Huh?”
Me, holding Philia’s sword with one hand.
“I know I’ve given the impression of being unreliable at crucial moments, but there’s no need to worry.”
“Wha… how?”
Aiden was a genius, aloof rapier swordsman, a man whose prickliness and nobility blended perfectly.
Yet the notion that he was incompetent without a sword was utterly baffling.
‘Especially since he’s a superhuman.’
Several pairs of eyes, mixed with doubt and shock, fixed on me.
The armor Philia wore was an imperial masterpiece, and the magic engravings on her sword were custom-made at astronomical cost.
As advertised, the myriad enhancements amplified its menacing edge.
Even accounting for that, the gap between me and Philia far surpassed the presence or absence of a weapon.
The one most incredulous was none other than Philia herself.
Grit.
With a surge of aura, she wrenched her sword free from my grip and leaped back far.
After a momentary silence, her eyes burned with bone-chilling wariness.
“What are you?”
I ignored her completely and soothed the Lilian Princess, whose pupils were shaking in real time.
“I don’t get it myself, but from past experiences, I know I come across as unreliable. They say I seem sloppy, like someone who needs protecting.”
“Huh… Me?”
The Lilian Princess made a tongue-tied sound, surprised I’d address her in this moment.
Philia glared silently, seething at being sidelined again, as silence descended.
‘It’s not worth my attention.’
Just ignore her wholesale, as I’d done so far.
The important one was the Lilian Princess, not Philia.
“But no need to worry. Even with their barrier up, this is a place watched by countless mages—they’ll handle it in time if we just stall.”
“R-Really?”
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
Aura manifesting inside the palace, with this much noise, and yet no reaction from swordmasters like the Sword Duke or Oshua.
‘They must’ve summoned a demon specialized in barriers.’
Not an ordinary level.
It didn’t feel exceptionally strong, but at least it could evade a master’s eyes.
Undoubtedly a demon of considerable age.
With bated breaths, Philia lunged.
She swung her sword, entrusting her body to a ferocious momentum.
The martial principles she embodied etched into the blade, scattering countless afterimages.
Eight strands of aura rained down like arrows.
Each strike carried an overwhelming dominance impossible to ignore.
Even this probing attack, blocking retreat, held enough power to slice steel effortlessly.
Before the Lilian Princess’s face could darken, I clenched my fist.
Thud! Boom, crash!
My fist met Philia’s sword, unleashing a terrifying explosion.
The shockwave rooted the surrounding knights in place.
The clash at the epicenter was on a level far beyond joining in.
“Tch!”
Philia channeled mana into her deep magenta aura, shaping it.
Its hardness and weight shifted, sharpening the air-cutting whistle, and the sword responded as the aura crystallized with luster.
Scraaaape.
A grating sound unbelievable for sword against clothing!
“Ruby, huh.”
The deeper the aura’s color, the more it formed a gem-like sheen.
Interpreting the ruby’s meaning allowed inferring the intent behind it, but…
“No need for that.”
Jealousy-fueled fiery passion, unfulfilled power or authority—think of it as such and be done.
“Why?!”
Philia unleashed merciless barrages in frenzy, but each was deflected or blocked by my hand.
The black glove I still wore remained unscratched.
“Why?! Why! Why!”
Boom boom, kablooey!
The armor’s blessings glowed brighter, bolstering the sword’s aura, but it fell short.
Philia was a character I’d never heard of even once in the original work.
If she were truly Aiden’s equal, I’d have heard something.
‘Unless it’s just her delusion.’
“Pity.”
She flinched at my sympathetic glance.
“Don’t mock me!”
The deep magenta sheen scattered light smoothly, gathering power.
The aura-charged sword sublimated another level, growing denser, but…
Crunch.
Still absurdly insufficient to harm me.
Behind me, the Lilian Princess trembled, pupils quaking, unable to comprehend.
“Professor Aiden?”
“What.”
“No, I mean…”
Her pointing finger failed to focus, shaking.
I had to turn and look at the Lilian Princess directly.
Sighing deeply at her “how?” expression.
“My students feel the same—you all underestimate me far too much.”
Philia’s eyes bulged, bloodshot.
“You and I are on the same level!”
Her sword was caught in my grip.
Immense aura surged from the blade, but unlike before, I didn’t let go.
Fizzling aura remnants sparked atop my uniform.
They vanished before touching, repelled by some pressure.
Straining desperately, a metallic scrape echoed between glove and sword.
I sighed at her frantic struggle, voicing my annoyance.
“You wanted to believe that, didn’t you?”
Our eyes met as my languid tone ended.
“…?”
“Why, you asked?”
I sneered mockingly at her demanding gaze.
“If you can’t comprehend, perhaps carry that question as your last words. Ponder it deeply in your final moments—why you lost.”
Twisting my left wrist gripping the sword, I yanked her inward and slammed her abdomen.
“Guh, urk!”
The armor’s supposed unbreakable guard shattered, blessings crushed, ruining the embedded magic circuits.
The armor crumpled under irresistible force, compressing her organs.
Yet she wasn’t flung back by the impact.
The neatly contained power struck precisely like a battering ram, without waste.
The internalized shock first demolished the armor dimensionally, ravaged organs, and necrotized muscles.
Bones fractured throughout, deforming her body.
Broken ribs pierced deep into lungs, coughing up blood and organ fragments.
Hack.
Philia’s body began crumbling.
Without intervention, she’d die in minutes.
Incredulous, she staggered, released the sword, collapsed to her knees, and looked up at me.
“M-Mon… ster.”
“Calling a person a monster—how rude.”
The blood droplets she spat as she fell vaporized before touching my uniform.
This damnable trait of Aiden’s—obsessive cleanliness—loathed others’ blood even more than dust.
Unless unavoidable like a burrow, I wouldn’t sully my clothes.
Still, the thick metallic scent lingered, so I waved it away.
“Tch, filthy even in death.”
As all stood speechless in shock, I turned to the Lilian Princess as if to say “satisfied now?”
“I didn’t bring a sword because there was no need. Understand now?”
The princess nodded vigorously.
“Y-Yes!? Yes!”
Her reaction seemed excessive…
I considered pointing it out but let it go.
There was still cleanup, and plenty of time later.
“We’ll discuss that more later… First, let’s clean up.”
The encircling knights’ pupils shook wildly.