Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Verdant Knights (2)
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“Veil, come on in.”
Irina greeted me with a bright smile.
However, ever since the knight order was formed, her speech had taken on a slightly more mature tone.
“I heard there was a problem with Allen, so I came.”
The princess and I turned to look at Allen at the same time.
The young noble from a prestigious family forced a smile and waved his hand dismissively.
“N-No way. I’m perfectly fine. I was just thinking about how best to teach the cadets until a moment ago.”
At his brazen lie, the faces of the boy cadets watching crumpled.
“Is that true?”
However, Irina was different.
Upon hearing that Allen had come to his senses, she clasped her hands together and rejoiced like a young girl.
“Of course. I was actually on my way to the training grounds to teach the cadets.”
The wastrel picked up a training wooden sword displayed on the wall.
And headed straight for the training grounds.
We all watched his retreating figure.
“To change so passionately in such a short time.”
“Indeed. He must have been a bit down from the rain.”
I said, gazing at the drizzling sky.
However, the princess didn’t fall for my excuse.
Once Allen had left, she fixed me with a mature gaze and asked.
“How did you convince that boy?”
“I just told him that Your Highness’s knight order has a bright future.”
“When I tried to persuade him, that wasn’t nearly enough….”
Irina nibbled her lip as if Allen were being insolent.
To her, I said amiably that it wasn’t her problem.
“People are more swayed by peers than superiors, as a rule. And…”
I passed by the princess and picked up one of the wooden swords on display.
As I entered the training grounds, I added.
“I told him I’d accept the instructor position you offered before.”
“I-Is that true?”
“Yes, but only as a temporary instructor helping with training—I won’t be joining the order.”
I drew a firm line without even glancing at Irina.
Even so, the princess seemed satisfied and hurried toward me.
“That’s more than enough!”
We arrived at the training grounds together.
And watched as Allen gathered a group of about ten cadets and began their training.
“Alright, today we’re learning weapon reinforcement through mana.”
Unlike usual, the wastrel held up just a single sword.
He raised it into the air and declared firmly.
“You all have talent for mana, so this shouldn’t be too hard.”
A blue aura soon began swirling around the swordsman’s arm.
Before long, it climbed the hilt and faintly enveloped the blade.
“Think of it as concentrating all the mana in your body solely into your arm.”
Allen spoke confidently to the boys and girls gripping their swords.
He circled around them, guiding the children so they could follow along.
Things were fine up to this point.
However, the fool—who should have been teaching just one thing a day—was already moving on to the next step.
“Next, swing the mana-reinforced sword in continuous slashes.”
Allen raised his sword.
And swung the mana-infused blade with all his might twice.
「――――!!」
The sword energy, empowered by mana.
A fierce gust of wind strong enough to whip the children’s hair battered the training grounds.
“Wowww…”
The cadets exclaimed in unison at Allen’s performance.
However, their expressions soon turned pale and stiff.
“You all saw that, right? Now you try it.”
He had shown it only once and ordered them to imitate the motion from moments ago.
“This seems too hard…”
Irina, watching from the side, tilted her head at his overambitious lesson.
Even the princess could see it was unreasonable—how could the children possibly keep up?
The cadets tried swinging their mana-infused swords but kept toppling over one after another.
Having poured all their focus into their arms and swords, it was hard to steady their lower bodies.
“Haaah!”
Of the ten, one barely succeeded.
However, the other nine kept tumbling onto the training grounds.
“Good grief… What’s so hard about this?”
Allen furrowed his brow, as if unable to comprehend.
Only then did I realize it.
The guy had no talent for teaching yet.
He was the typical genius-type knight.
Having instinctively mastered any demand placed on him, he assumed others could do the same.
On top of that, as befitting his prestigious family background, he’d been supplied with elixirs since childhood.
Thanks to that, even concentrating mana in his arm left enough for the rest of his body to hold steady.
But children from commoner backgrounds were different.
Never having tasted elixirs—let alone spirit medicines—they couldn’t support their bodies once they focused mana in their arms.
So what should be done?
The solution was simple, in fact.
Teach them the correct posture that allows endurance with minimal mana first.
“Allen, hold up a second.”
I picked up a wooden sword and approached him.
“I hate to interfere, but there are a lot of problems with your teaching method right now.”
The cadets sprawled on the ground lifted their heads.
They looked puzzled at the sight of a princess’s guard knight raising an objection.
“What?”
Allen scowled unpleasantly too.
“These kids aren’t ready to learn mana manipulation yet.”
I gripped my wooden sword as well.
And told him humbly.
“The standard for young children is to focus on physical training and posture correction.”
“So how long do you plan to take raising them? Most of us mastered mana manipulation around this age.”
Allen shrugged, blaming the children’s talent.
“That’s because you chugged elixirs as a kid.”
I sneered, pressing down on his raised shoulders.
Allen’s face twisted just like it had at the banquet hall.
“Don’t meddle in my knight order’s training regimen.”
Allen picked up his wooden sword and strode toward me without hesitation.
And spat out his own rationale.
“This is how I was taught by the imperial knights. Are you saying to disregard their teachings?”
He thrust his face close, bristling.
However, I answered the excited Allen coolly.
“Yeah, if it means avoiding watching the kids get hurt, I’ll happily ignore it.”
I approached a girl who had collapsed after overzealously swinging her sword.
As I helped her up, I said.
“That’s my job.”
I looked down at the child coldly.
She shrank back at my shadowed expression.
“Want to try holding the wooden sword?”
After lining up the children in a row—unlike Allen, who had been showing off—I went to each cadet one by one.
And began tailored instruction based on their physical traits.
“When channeling mana into your arm, practice just the downward strike.”
“You have weak wrists, so skip the mana for now and focus on chopping wood.”
After finishing instruction like that for a few minutes.
I watched to see if the children were following the training properly.
But soon, I tilted my head.
The cadets were concentrating mana into their arms again and imitating Allen’s training.
At that, the wastrel smirked and approached me.
“Hey, realistically, you think kids will trust some no-name guard knight’s lessons?”
Reputation.
Allen was famous as a genius swordsman from a prestigious family.
Thanks to that, the children chose to follow the famous man—their own superior—over an unknown knight’s words.
“…”
“No matter how much stronger you are than me—if you’re not certified, it’s useless.”
The guy figured he wouldn’t get beaten in front of the princess.
I stared steadily at such a fool.
“Is that so? Then I guess I need certification.”
My black eyes lost focus.
Seeing that, Allen was at a loss for words.
This familiar atmosphere.
He had definitely felt it at the banquet hall.
I slung the wooden sword over my shoulder.
And told Allen.
“Come on, let’s do a demo match.”
At the familiar proposal, Allen hurriedly shook his head.
“Are you crazy? Why would I spar with you?”
“To prove my training is more efficient than yours.”
Allen awkwardly smiled, unwilling to be embarrassed in front of the kids.
He patted my shoulder, trying to dodge the spar.
“Pass. I’m a bit tired today.”
The guy rolling his brain for a way out.
To catch him, I decided to toss an enticing bait.
“If you’re tired, I’ll give you a special handicap.”
“Handicap…?”
“Yeah, what you fear is my sword aura, right?”
I rolled up my shirtsleeve.
And looked down at him arrogantly, provocatively.
“I won’t use a scrap of mana.”
Allen snorted in disbelief.
As if that still wouldn’t be enough.
However, his sneer soon vanished entirely.
Because I added a handicap that made it truly feasible.
“On top of that, no techniques at all—just the ‘slash’ I taught the kids.”
Allen’s unflappable composure twitched under his eyes.
Soon, he glowered at me and demanded.
“Are you mocking me right now?”
‘Good, he took the bait.’
“Is it wrong to give penalties against a weak opponent? If anything, it’s generous.”
I took on his trembling composure seamlessly.
At that, murder flashed in Allen’s eyes.
“You really won’t use mana?”
“Yeah—I’ll only use slashes, I said.”
The wastrel’s blood boiled after so long, his eyes turning feral.
“Use whatever swordsmanship you want. Without sword aura, trash like you is nothing.”
Allen picked up a wooden sword a cadet had dropped and raised dual blades.
The children’s eyes widened in awe, staring intently.
“The knight’s wielding dual swords…”
Allen, ever adored by the cadets.
As he took up his main weapons, the kids held their breath in unison.
“Big talk for a bluffer. Come at me.”
I grinned and gripped my sword with both hands.
Taking the basic stance to use only swordsmanship ‘slashes.’
“You bastard…! Let’s see how long you can keep bluffing!”
Allen channeled mana into both wooden swords.
And charged at me like a beast.
The immediate continuous slashes followed.
When I dodged the first strike with a backstep, he spun and pressed fiercely.
‘He’s patched up his techniques while I wasn’t looking.’
Even while acting skeptical on the surface, his efforts were evident.
Crack—!!
The sound of wooden swords clashing.
However, unlike Allen’s mana-reinforced one, cracks began forming only on mine.
“Get it now? Without sword aura, you’re nothing?”
Allen swung wildly, confident of victory.
His speed was so blinding that the watching children gaped at his flurry.
「Wowww….」
However, Irina was different.
She leisurely watched me dodging counters entirely and backpedaling.
“Huff…”
Allen soon began breathing heavily.
Having manifested mana for so long, plus unleashing that flurry, he was tiring out.
However, I—who had only moved without mana—was still perfectly fine.
“Breathing hard already? Lacking basics after all?”
At my question, he gritted his teeth in defiance.
Thinking this was his only chance to win, he focused his entire mind on his blade tips.
“Arrogant fool. I’ll show you a family secret technique I held back at the banquet hall….”
A flurry even faster and sharper than before.
And at the moment it was ending.
A lightning-like blue light shot from his blade.
“Lightning Sword!”
I jerked my head at the sudden magic launched from his sword.
Thanks to that, his swordplay slowed for a moment.
In that instant.
I stopped backpedaling and stepped forward.
And the moment he swung his sword and began raising it again.
I firmly struck Allen’s temple with my wooden sword.
―――!!
The sound of a watermelon splitting echoed across the training grounds.
Allen’s hitherto relaxed face contorted violently.
“Slash.”