Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Sudden Visit (3)
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"Let's get started right now."
The thoroughly pissed-off vice captain rolled up her sleeves.
As if she meant to settle things properly, she undid a couple of buttons on her dress shirt.
"What's the point? The outcome's obvious. How could I possibly beat the deputy commander of the Imperial Knights?"
I tried to brush off her fiery enthusiasm with a nonchalant grin.
But Camilla jabbed a finger right at my face.
"It's not about beating me. This is just some friendly sparring between seniors and juniors, to build camaraderie."
*Camaraderie, my ass...*
From the looks of it, Tau putting up even a momentary fight had seriously bruised her pride.
Past or present, her competitive spirit was as fierce as ever.
"Fine. But let's do it this way."
Pretending I couldn't win, I took off my jacket.
I tossed it to Tau, who was sitting idly by the vegetable patch, and said,
"If I last three minutes in this spar, we call it a draw."
Even if she was still green, my opponent was undeniably a Swordmaster.
Her fundamentals were already the strongest in the Empire.
To hide my own strength, the best strategy was to set a time limit and just focus on evasion.
"Surely you can afford me that much mercy?"
Camilla snorted at my cheeky smile.
"Hah, fine. That much I can do."
Her eyes burned with the passion to dissect every last bit of me within three minutes.
I gave that fierce gaze an approving look as I rolled up my own sleeves.
"I'm grateful for your generosity."
With that, we exchanged no more words.
We simply faced each other silently atop the vegetable patch.
"..."
I was definitely suppressing my mana.
But the battle-hardened Camilla was gradually sensing it.
The fact that I wasn't particularly scared with her right in front of me.
The composure radiating from that demeanor.
It was like the smile an old knight captain would give while watching a child play.
Feeling that smile from a peer who was her junior twisted her expression.
The vice captain charged to shatter my composure.
The ground exploded like a bomb, sending dirt flying everywhere.
And through that cloud of earth came her fist slicing in.
―――!!
Anyone would instinctively squeeze their eyes shut against that ferocious punch.
But I was just as seasoned a battlefield veteran as she was.
Eyes wide open, I read her movements.
Then I jerked my head aside to dodge.
However, I couldn't counterattack right away.
She'd already be ready for that.
"As expected, you're no parachute drop!"
Just as predicted, her missed punch led into a spin, and she aimed her elbow at my jaw.
A real-combat technique that could knock me out cold if it landed.
Anticipating it, I caught her incoming elbow.
"...!!"
Then I grabbed her lightweight body and hurled her away.
Camilla soared into the air.
She twisted her flexible form mid-flight and landed cleanly on the ground.
"As expected of the vice captain. Your body must be feather-light from all that extreme training, like morning dew."
I nodded and raised my fist.
"Y-You dare insult a superior officer...?"
"No way. This is praise."
Camilla clamped her lips shut.
She huffed indignantly, her face flushed with frustration.
*I'm serious, though.*
Once someone reaches Swordmaster, all the impurities and waste energy in their body are purged.
That's why their bodies naturally become as light as dew.
It was proof of how rigorously she'd honed herself.
But the young knight took the compliment as an insult and flew into a rage.
She erupted with red mana and charged at me again.
"I'll teach you a lesson in disrespecting a superior on top of everything else!"
The Swordmaster leaped into the air.
Her heel came crashing down toward the crown of my head.
The speed was dizzying, slicing through the air.
I channeled blue mana into my legs to counter.
And barely dodged her strike.
Kwaaaang!!
A massive crater formed in the vegetable patch, like a meteor had hit.
In the old days, I'd have been furious, but now I had land in the capital's west side, so it didn't matter.
I smoothly handled all the playful assaults from the raging young Swordmaster.
"Impressive as always—such incredible momentum!!"
"Shut up!"
Even though I was only praising her, the knight kept getting more irritated.
With a humiliated expression, she unleashed a barrage of punches without restraint.
"I'll uncover your true identity, no matter what!"
She started actively channeling mana.
Seeing that, I adopted a serious expression and engaged fully in the spar.
Camilla's specialty was mana shockwaves.
She fired mana like cannon shells whenever she swung her fist or a weapon.
So I had to preemptively concentrate mana along the trajectories she'd send flying.
"Try blocking this!"
She launched a fist wrapped in red shockwaves.
Before her fist even reached me, the intense red mana surged right up to my face.
But I'd already predicted the path.
I cupped my hands and caught the erupting red mana.
Then deflected it sideways to send it astray.
―――!!
The wayward red mana flew into the forest and exploded.
The destructive power was so immense that a plume of smoke rose like a cloud.
"Isn't this a bit much for a spar...?"
When I asked, Camilla scoffed.
Lightning-like red mana flickered at the corners of her eyes as she replied.
"You predicted that one too, didn't you?"
She'd already realized I was her equal.
Normally, you'd get scared or tense against a tough opponent.
But she looked thrilled, like she'd found a worthy rival.
"So if you want this over quick, you'd better go all out too—"
Her scarlet eyes blazed like flames.
Brimming with killing intent, she raised her hand in a blade position.
Then she unleashed a technique reserved only for when a Swordmaster fought in earnest.
Against a mere defense knight, no less.
She swung her hand blade from below upward.
A massive sword aura came rushing at me.
It flew with a deafening roar.
I twisted my body as far as possible to evade, but it was sharp enough to slice strands of my hair.
―――.
The barely dodged shockwave shot skyward.
It even cleaved through the thick cumulus clouds.
"Th-The clouds...!!"
Tau, watching from the ground, stared dumbstruck at the split clouds.
"To think I sparred with a woman like that..."
Having witnessed a Swordmaster's true power, he swallowed hard.
But what shocked him even more was the scene unfolding.
"Vice Captain Camilla. You've crossed the line this time."
For the first time, my previously relaxed face turned deadly serious.
"Firing a technique like that in a spar. You have zero sense of responsibility for your own power."
Camilla breathed heavily.
She bit her lip and shouted defiantly.
"You're the one who hid your strength and toyed with a superior!"
I looked down sternly at the agitated knight.
And shot back with resolute eyes.
"Even so, what if that had hit some passerby?"
I pointed to where her attack had soared past the vegetable patch into the sky.
"This is still Norton City, not a battlefield."
Camilla cleared her throat awkwardly.
She chewed her lip and muttered.
"Then stop hiding your strength. Fight me fair and square...!"
I glanced back to check Tau's position.
Fortunately, he'd evacuated beyond the fence.
"Fine. I'll give you my all. But..."
I turned to the young Swordmaster with a cold, expressionless stare.
"If you want to live, you keep everything you saw today a secret."
Camilla gulped.
Seeing the shift in atmosphere, she nodded.
"Alright. I swear it on my family's honor."
The vice captain resumed her combat stance.
She solemnly gathered her red mana, waiting to gauge my sincerity.
But she soon lost her composure.
"...!!"
The mere defense knight before her eyes.
From him emanated a golden aura leagues beyond her own.
It was like the aura from the former Imperial Knight Captains who'd trained her.
The aura of a fully mature Swordmaster, felt only from them.
"So that's it... No wonder the top graduate of the appointment ceremony was hiding in the Audit Office!"
Seeing that aura, her lips twitched upward.
A worthy opponent had finally appeared before her.
Enthralled by the golden hue, Camilla blankly watched my fist rising toward her.
She snapped to and raised both arms in guard.
"Urgh...!"
An electrifying shock jolted through her body.
Yet Camilla's lips curled in delight.
"Let's see how long you keep smiling."
I declared firmly to her.
Then I infused golden mana into my arm and swung with full force.
My fist surged forward with brilliant afterimages.
Camilla dodged several times with superhuman reflexes.
But she began taking effective hits.
Block the left cheek, and the right jaw lands.
Block the right jaw, and the solar plexus follows.
"Haa..."
Camilla staggered back.
She squeezed her eyes shut and endured the impacts.
I charged steadily at the young Swordmaster.
And drove golden fists to ensure she never breathed a word of this to anyone.
Camilla gritted her teeth and blocked my punches.
She held out until her delicate brow furrowed, then barely repelled my mana.
―――.
I casually twisted my neck to dodge the reflected red mana.
But instead of hitting me...
Kwarurur!!
A ominous crumbling sound started from behind.
I whipped around in alarm.
"No way...!"
The outer wall had collapsed entirely, exposing the office inside.
One corner of the office was completely obliterated.
I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Because that spot...
"My safe...!!"
It held the territory permit from Lea and 10,000 gold.
"Huh?"
Camilla, who'd been frustrated by my unflappable demeanor through every attack, stared blankly as I rushed to the office.
"Damn it!"
I bolted upstairs and frantically dug at where the safe had been.
But only ashes remained...
The gold and territory deed were gone.
"W-What...? Was there some big money in there or something?"
Camilla hurried over to my side.
"My retirement fund..."
Seeing my hollow expression, the young Swordmaster grasped the gravity.
She wiped the madness from her eyes and looked down at me cautiously.
"H-How much? I'll compensate you."
When I didn't respond, Camilla cleared her throat like a shy girl.
She tried to project her superior's authority and said,
"For real?"
"Y-Yeah. How much could a defense knight possibly have in there anyway—"
I fixed her with my dull black eyes.
Flustered, Camilla nodded with a awkward expression.
"Don't worry—just tell me honestly."
At her urging, I smirked.
And declared boldly.
"10,000 gold and a territory permit granted by His Imperial Majesty himself."
Camilla listened impassively at first.
Then her scarlet eyes flashed—not like a beast's, but a startled cat's.
"Huh...?"
10,000 gold.
Even for an Imperial deputy captain, that was two years' salary.
Territory permit.
As I said, only "His Imperial Majesty" could issue one.
And he was currently in a coma.
If he passed away...
It could never be reissued.
Realizing this, Camilla's face went slack in shock.
"Thanks so much for offering to pay up."
I stepped right up to the young Swordmaster.
Gazing down coldly, I said,
"You're the Empire's top knight order's number two, after all. You wouldn't go back on your word, right?"
She looked up at me with trembling eyes, dazed.
"Uh... uh...?"
Camilla, who had never felt fear against any foe she'd faced.
Now, confronted by black eyes gleaming with greed, she felt primal terror.
"I'll take a check, so if you could pay right now, that'd be great."
I pulled out my checkbook at once.
And handed it to the young knight with a beaming smile.