Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 4. First Spar (2)
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Blue flames enveloped the two facing knights.
The stark difference in mana was obvious at a glance, revealing their respective levels.
The princesses watched those flames intently.
Soon, they shook their heads with expressions that said there was nothing to be done.
"As expected, it's impossible in the real game, huh? What a shame—that commoner knight—"
Lydia muttered while fiddling with her candy wrapper.
Lea set down her quill as if in agreement.
"No matter how excellent one's swordsmanship, a lack of mana sets clear limits."
The 1st Imperial Princess rested both arms on the table.
She propped her clasped hands under her chin and observed the two knights.
But...
The 2nd Imperial Princess, Irina, was different.
"Fights aren't won with mana alone."
She spoke flatly, gazing at Veil's sky-blue mana beneath the veil.
"That kid's different."
Lydia bristled at Irina's words, spoken as if she alone knew the truth.
She smirked and crossed her arms alone.
"What, feeling some camaraderie because commoner blood runs in your veins too?"
"If you don't believe me, let's make a bet."
At the 2nd Imperial Princess's calm provocation, the candy in the 3rd Imperial Princess's mouth cracked sharply.
"A bet? Duh, Richard's obviously gonna win."
The 2nd Imperial Princess smiled leisurely at Lydia's nonchalant attitude.
"Then bet on Richard."
She followed up with kind words, eyes half-closed.
"I'll bet on Veil."
Lydia, unnerved by that smile, spat out her half-eaten candy with a puff.
She wiped her lips with a tissue from her guard knight and asked.
"Fine, considering your poverty, I'll just bet 500 gold."
The price of an entire carriage.
Lydia shook her head flippantly and pledged the fortune.
She turned to the 1st Imperial Princess Lea and asked.
"You not betting?"
Lea gave no immediate reply to the youngest princess's question.
She had long since set aside her quill, which she'd been using to analyze their differences.
"Yeah, I don't invest in things I'm not certain about."
Lydia tilted her head at the 1st Imperial Princess's words.
Her twin tails swayed with the tilt.
"So you're saying that no-name kid might actually win?"
Lea shrugged, as if enjoying the spar regardless of the outcome.
With elegant fingers, she merely picked up a paper from the table.
"Who knows."
Irina glanced sideways at Lea's document.
It listed the candidate knights' names.
And...
Lea still hadn't written anyone's name in the top spot.
"..."
I stared intently at Richard.
He panted heavily, pointing his longsword at me.
"Huuu..."
The moment he bent his knees.
He leaped forward with enough thrust to crack the marble floor.
Kaaang―――!!
I managed to parry thanks to my quick reaction.
But his brutish barrage of slashes followed.
Blocking each one made my wrists ache like they were being struck by iron weights.
'What a brute... Even back then, his strength was insane?'
A metallic tang of blood rose in my throat.
Perhaps because of that bitter taste.
I realized I wasn't in the peak condition I'd had on the front lines.
At this point in time, I was merely a 21-year-old commoner cadet.
"...!"
Against me like that, he unleashed killing blows without hesitation.
As if hoping I'd cower and surrender.
If Cain took these techniques, his arm would snap instantly.
And he'd brush it off as another mistake.
Noble scum always did that.
So...
'I'll properly break this guy's habits today.'
The moment I resolved myself.
Richard charged at me, slicing through the air.
"How long are you gonna keep blocking...!!"
When he raised his sword toward the sky.
Sunlight blocked it, casting deep shadow over me.
Everyone watching grew grave at that massive shadow.
They thought I'd die the instant his strike landed.
But the denser the shadow grew, the brighter my eyes gleamed.
This was the perfect timing to completely overwhelm him...
Right now.
"...!"
Veins bulged on my forehead.
I poured every ounce of focus into my arms and sword, my pupils contracting.
In that instant.
My faint blue mana turned golden.
I amplified its power by infusing it with life force.
'Sword Aura.'
A technique usable only by Swordmasters or those near their level.
With golden energy swirling, I raised my greatsword.
Then boldly clashed it against his descending blade.
――――――!!
'Rotate like this!'
A grating screech of blades sliding.
Following that sound, I spun greatly while our swords locked.
Richard's massive longsword twisted wildly as a result.
"Krgh...!"
His full-force strike glancing off, he staggered.
In that split second.
I landed and slashed his side.
Soon, crimson blood stained Richard's white uniform.
"What the...?"
A combat technique he'd never seen before.
He clutched his side after experiencing it.
"B-Blood..."
He stared blankly at the blood on his hand.
"..."
The knight captain's son trembled, his pupils shaking as if seeing blood for the first time.
He had no choice.
Being cut in a spar meant defeat.
A clear loss by judgment.
"I... lost...?"
His family had produced a Swordmaster every generation.
No one in their history had ever lost an appointment duel.
In his previous life, Richard had given his all to win against anyone.
But this time, choosing the weakling had backfired.
"..."
I sheathed my sword while watching him tremble.
'Hope they didn't notice the aura?'
I'd tried to hide the mana color change somehow.
But with my power still unstable, a subtle golden hue lingered in the mana.
It's a technique normally reserved for those approaching Swordmaster.
If they learned a mere cadet could use it, offers would flood in.
For me, who didn't want to become a doomed princess's guard in five years when they'd all be purged, it would be the worst scenario.
I glanced back anxiously.
But in that moment.
My worries vanished amid the massive cheers from my peers.
"Veil―! Veil―!!"
The roar shook the annex floor.
Even the Imperial Guard couldn't quiet them.
They simply marveled together at the technique I'd shown.
"..."
Especially the princesses.
They sat stunned, amazed by the result.
All but one.
"What... how the hell did this happen?"
Lydia's arm trembled where it propped her chin.
Her eyes twitched beneath, shocked by the unprecedented duel.
Lea's arm draped over her shoulder.
"Told you. I said it was uncertain."
Lydia huffed, her earrings shaking.
She fumed at the idea that they knew info she didn't.
"This has to be rigged, right? A commoner candidate using veteran techniques!"
She couldn't accept that even Irina, whom she usually ignored, had known this.
"I told you, he's different."
The 2nd Imperial Princess ignored her sister's outburst.
She merely looked down haughtily at the sister who'd dismissed her.
"How would you even know that!"
Irina ignored the 3rd Imperial Princess's question and turned toward me.
Feeling her gaze, I met her eyes.
"I've been watching that knight for a long time."
Her stare made me cough lightly in discomfort.
When I looked back at her...
"Veil...!!"
Irina's expression turned urgent in an instant.
The desperate voice from my dream calling my name.
My eyes flashed at the change on her formerly impassive face.
"...!"
A chill prickled my nape.
Following instinct, I whipped my head around.
――――――!!
Richard.
He charged at me without restraint.
The closer he got, the more intense the heat suffocated me.
His blue mana had turned crimson.
"It's not over yet...!!"
Mana rampage.
What happens when one can't control the massive mana they unleash.
"Pick up your sword, Veil...!!"
Emotions run high, and in severe cases, it burns life force instead of mana.
His sword-eyes were fully feral.
The blame from his father and family.
The loser's stigma marking him as a family disgrace.
Unable to accept it, he swung his sword with a murderous glare.
At that sight, even the silent Valderian rose.
The Grand General ran toward us to stop the rampaging cadet.
Realizing the gravity, my peers screamed too.
"I absolutely cannot lose...!!"
I raised my sword.
Thanks to Irina's warning, I barely secured a defensive window.
Kikigik――――!!
A spine-chilling friction sounded from our clashing blades.
Richard pressed his sword harder than ever.
"Not to a commoner!"
His voice dripped with madness, reason lost.
Countless openings born from it.
"Now the tables have turned, Richard."
I released the sword hilt I'd gripped with both hands.
Our locked blades tilted swiftly toward my throat.
But I didn't care.
This was all intentional.
"Enough with the 'commoner' crap. I'm sick of it."
With my free hand, I grabbed his blade.
I twisted my body and wrenched the sword away.
Wrestling.
A close-quarters technique used by knights on real battlefields.
When nobles overwhelm foes with cultivated mana.
We, pushed to the front lines, rely on battlefield experience.
"...!!"
I dropped his seized greatsword to the floor with a flourish.
The clamor left everyone in the hall dumbfounded.
That 'Richard' had been subdued barehanded.
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
The hulking man on the ground bellowed.
He tried scrambling up to grab his sword.
"Pathetic sight for a noble young master."
I silently rolled up my sleeves.
And approached him, still radiating killing intent.
If he kept burning mana like this, he'd lose his life eventually.
Puk―――!!
I smashed my fist into his noisy face.
Just like the commoner knights he'd tormented like sandbags.
"You dare look down on me, you commoner scum...! Pick up your sword...!!"
I kept beating him until he came to his senses.
Even Valderian, approaching nearby, watched silently for a moment.
As if to instill caution in the arrogant noble cadets.
Paaak―――!!
His perfectly styled hair became a total mess.
His pale skin swelled unevenly.
"Isn't that a bit much?"
"Shouldn't someone stop him...?"
At the repeated brutal impacts, my peers began murmuring.
But I ignored them completely.
They'd never apologized to the commoner peers they'd bullied.
People don't die easily anyway.
I'd seen it on the northern front—I knew best.
My fist dripped with Richard's blood.
In that state, I turned to the noble cadets.
"..."
They could no longer ignore me.
They averted their eyes in fear.
"Kgh..."
Richard's groans came from the floor.
I'd aimed to etch the fear of death into him properly.
But I stopped soon enough.
"Veil, that's enough."
Valderian approached from afar.
"That should have snapped him out of it."
Only then, hearing his voice, did I properly look down at him.
His rampaging mana had subsided long ago.
Finally, I released his hair.
"I'm sorry, General."
I bowed calmly and apologized.
"I caused a disturbance in this sacred duel."
His footsteps drew nearer.
Soon, his military boots shadowed my bowed head.
"I'll gladly accept any punishment."
With no solid backer or proper family, I'd surely face discipline.
I might even be chased back to the front lines, never mind the capital.
"Punishment...? What are you talking about."
But.
Valderian was different.
"How could calming a mana-rampaging comrade be cause for punishment?"
I slowly raised my head at his bright voice.
The Grand General's eyes met mine, stern as ever.
But somehow, his lips seemed subtly curved upward.
"Veil, you acted exactly by the manual."
He valued knightly honor over noble sentiments.
"R-Really...?"
I asked him, bewildered.
But his lips curved subtly upward just like that.