Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Master vs Hero
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Lucius surged forward like a shot, his golden aura spilling out as if he were exhaling it, reaching Heaven Cleaver in an instant.
Soon, he moved his feet, legs, waist, shoulders, arms, and wrists, slashing his sword horizontally.
Now.
To the point where he couldn't even adjust the sword's trajectory mid-swing.
I am innately timid and cowardly by nature.
I never move unless I'm absolutely certain.
Centering on the wooden sword propping up my chin, I took one step to the right.
-Klang!
A clear, resonant clang echoed through the training grounds, unbelievable for a wooden sword clashing against a real one.
As Lucius's eyes widened in disbelief at the impossible situation,
"One move."
a clear, beautiful voice flowed into his ears.
But.
For some reason, upon hearing that voice, Lucius found himself unable to move.
...This is a first.
Lucius recalled.
Who am I?
I am the one called the Hero.
Stronger and braver than anyone, the one who must stand at the forefront against evil.
Yet.
For me to cower preemptively and freeze up like this?
Isn't that just making me a pathetic coward instead of a Hero...?
Lucius's brow twisted miserably.
While Lucius stood rigid, lost in self-loathing,
Heaven Cleaver, expressionless as if this were utterly trivial unlike him, spoke up.
"Your next four moves."
It was.
"Attack however you like during that time."
a statement that made him feel even more pathetic.
Lucius gritted his teeth, and a golden aura erupted around him like an explosion.
'Get it together.'
This isn't real combat; it's just a friendly spar.
I can't break here.
Besides.
It's only one clash of swords.
I haven't lost yet.
Once more, Lucius shot toward Heaven Cleaver.
He swung his sword vertically.
-Klang!
Heaven Cleaver easily blocked his blade by simply raising her wooden sword.
"Two."
With their swords locked, neither could use both hands.
Judging that, Lucius swiftly withdrew his sword and whipped his left leg toward Heaven Cleaver's abdomen.
Heaven Cleaver threw her body back, retreating.
"Three."
Without pause,
Lucius used the momentum from his swung leg to spin his body once, gripping his sword one-handed and slashing horizontally.
-Whoosh!
The sound of slicing air rang out as Heaven Cleaver stepped back once more.
"Four."
The distance had opened; one move left.
Judging close combat ineffective, Lucius exhaled roughly.
"Hup!"
Wrapping his sword in brilliantly shining mana, he thrust it downward from above toward empty air.
A razor-sharp gust tore forth, and a crescent-shaped mass of mana—sword energy—rushed at Heaven Cleaver.
A glint of interest finally appeared in Heaven Cleaver's eyes.
Raising the corner of her mouth, she gripped her wooden sword one-handed, rested the tip on the ground, and
"You know how to do that too, huh?"
spoke in a voice full of amusement, scraping the wooden sword along the ground as she slashed upward at the sky.
A black aura mimicking her eyes materialized in the air.
It soon tore through space, colliding with the crescent Lucius had unleashed.
-Boom!
The deafening roar shook Lucius's head with tinnitus.
Lucius waved away the thick smoke and narrowed his eyes.
Through the haze, Heaven Cleaver's silhouette appeared.
...Failed.
A sigh escaped Lucius's lips.
He knew there was a wall between them, but not this insurmountable.
To think he couldn't even graze her.
Frowning slightly, Lucius pierced the smoke and approached Heaven Cleaver.
There, she stood with a bright smile.
Seeing it, Lucius felt an inexplicable chill and shuddered.
...Wait a second.
Soon, Heaven Cleaver's mouth opened.
"Five."
She bent her knees, raising her sword one-handed into position.
"Now it's finally my turn!"
She looked ready to leap in at any moment.
"Time to reward you for showing me something fun!"
Heart racing, Lucius broke into cold sweat and opened his mouth—
"Wait, Lady Heaven Cleaver! I forfeit—"
"Here I go! Try blocking it like Nameless did!"
Whether she hadn't heard or was ignoring him on purpose,
Heaven Cleaver charged at Lucius.
"Damn it!"
Lucius clenched his teeth, hurriedly assumed a stance, and poured every last drop of his remaining mana and holy power into his eyes for even 0.01 seconds more of foresight.
Then, overlaid atop Heaven Cleaver, her actions began to appear.
Lucius clung to a sliver of hope.
Unlike when he was attacking, he could now see the future.
How could he not hope?
Narrowing his eyes, he adjusted his stance to defend against her assault.
...
Once before, he'd experienced something similar, just once.
Countless futures overlapping atop that person,
distorting them until he couldn't even recognize who they were.
...
His eyes reddened like they were bloodshot, then veins burst, blood tears streaming down.
"Ah..."
Lucius faced a thousand swords coming at him.
That was his last memory.
...
Heaven Cleaver halted her sword before Lucius's eyes, sweating nervously.
What to do...
Right before her final swing,
Lucius suddenly bled from his eyes and fainted standing up.
How am I supposed to explain this to Elia?
If Elia, who doesn't know much, sees it, she might think I stabbed his eyes.
...Honestly, it's a bit ridiculous, but.
You never know.
And from my position, I feel a little wronged.
I never intended to strike Lucius with my sword; he passed out on his own, right?
I have a lot to say.
As she tilted her head this way and that, brainstorming excuses,
"Lucius!"
Elia climbed onto the training grounds and rushed to him with a face full of worry.
Soon, cradling Lucius in her arms and checking him over, Elia realized it was just a faint, sighed in relief, then puffed her cheeks and glared at me.
Tears the size of chickpeas welled in Elia's eyes.
Cold sweat dripped.
...Aren't women's tears against the rules?
As I kept wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, Elia spoke in a pouty voice.
"Miss Harang! That was too much!"
"No... Isn't this a spar?"
Elia rolled her eyes at my words, then slowly turned her head away.
Still,
she knew avoiding my gaze meant she was being unreasonable.
Elia murmured softly.
"S-Still... you didn't have to go that far."
"..."
What did I even do?
I only defended the whole time and swung once at the end, and that's what happened to him.
Plus, I held back quite a bit on that swing.
This is Lucius's fault for being even more timid than I expected.
I'm wronged.
I pouted my lips and retorted to Elia.
"So I should've just kept blocking...?"
Looking at her with bewildered eyes, Elia, aware she was overreacting,
blushed faintly and mumbled in a shrinking voice.
"...Sorry. Seeing Lucius bleed like that scared me so much..."
"Yeah... I get it; that makes sense."
And rightly so—her precious person had fainted in such an unsightly state.
I could understand.
...Though I still feel a bit wronged.
I sighed softly and waved my hand.
"Go treat his eyes."
"Ah, yes!"
Elia nodded briskly and placed her hand on Lucius's eyes.
Then, pure white light flowed from her hand, seeping into his body.
"Phew... It was just a minor injury."
That's a relief, for sure.
If the Hero who's supposed to face the Demon King someday went blind, that'd be a problem.
Of course, since this is a novel world, a blind swordsman or two might exist if you looked...
But wouldn't it be too weird for foresight-wielding Lucius to go for blind swordsman?
Shaking off the silly thought, I looked down.
Elia was still focused on treating Lucius, gazing at him with eyes dripping honey.
She's really something.
Anyone would think she was nursing her war-hero lover back from the battlefield.
...While leaving our Nameless alone.
"Tsk."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
I looked at Elia with regret-filled eyes and a small sigh.
Nameless should bring home a sweet girl like her.
...Now my own side aches for no reason.
Sighing softly, I patted Elia's back and spoke.
"You're doing great with the healing."
"Ah, yes! Thank you."
Leaving Elia, who bowed her head slightly, I turned my steps.
Time to go see Nameless.