Chapter 9
Chapter 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Lion's Feast (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The announcer's words had barely fallen when the White Wing Knights apprentice and I began measuring the distance between us.
For the apprentice, it was little more than a pretense.
Even after accepting my wager, he didn't seem intent on taking this spar seriously.
Adjusting the distance now was just something he felt he had to do, half-heartedly at best.
No matter.
'Even that will be a factor in your defeat.'
What did it matter if he hadn't taken my words seriously?
I had given him clear advice.
Do it properly.
Everything that happened because he ignored it was his responsibility alone.
Step by step—
We circled each other in a half-moon arc, gauging the distance.
The reason the apprentice didn't advance first was to let me shine.
In stories like this, the protagonist always makes the first flashy move.
But with a mindset like that, he wouldn't stand a chance against my offense.
I imagined the hypothetical battle.
What would he do if I charged at him?
Where to strike first, and how to chain the follow-ups for the most overwhelming performance to secure victory.
As I calculated while measuring the distance...
'Perfect.'
Once every step was set, I kicked off the ground.
Thud!
My foot propelled me forward. My relatively small frame leaped lightly into the air compared to the apprentice.
I raised my arm, gripping the sword diagonally.
From upper right to lower left. A slashing arc aimed at his shoulder blade.
An incredibly simple attack. There was no way a White Wing Knights apprentice couldn't block it.
The apprentice raised his sword. I read his gaze.
'Just as I thought.'
As if to say my words were all talk, but my attacks were predictable.
His sword met the center of mine. Clang! Metal ground together with a grating screech.
He must have thought this first clash proved it.
Kline Leonhart talked a big game but couldn't back it up.
That at my age, all I could manage was a basic swing like this.
Realizing that, the apprentice twisted his blade toward my side.
Practically an invitation to block it. In his words, a show for the crowd.
And that was exactly what I was waiting for.
Whoosh!
"...!"
I dodged by a hair's breadth and surged forward.
His eyes wavered. An unexpected response. He never imagined I'd react so nimbly at this range.
My sword thrust straight out. A linear stab.
The moment it nearly pierced his chest...
Clang!
His belatedly recovered blade flat-blocked mine.
That made two exchanges.
"..."
The apprentice's eyes shook violently.
He hadn't expected this. He'd pegged me as all talk after the first strike.
So my thrust caught him off guard with superior evasion.
He'd nearly scored a point against himself, which must have rattled him.
But...
'Sorry, but if it ended here, I wouldn't have made the bet.'
There was no way I'd stop at just this...!
We each took a step back.
One breath to steady ourselves.
Then we charged again.
The apprentice's eyes grew a bit more serious. He'd realized I wasn't someone he could hold back against.
Even so, it wasn't his full effort. He still believed his duty was to make me look good.
Yoru had told me once.
Pierce the opponent's psyche.
Know your enemy, and victory is more assured.
And she was right.
Yes.
If he couldn't let go that far...
Then he would pay the corresponding price.
Clang!
This time, we both put real force into it.
Our blades crashed with power, each trying to shove the other back.
"..."
The apprentice furrowed his brow slightly.
He couldn't understand it. How was I, four years younger, matching his strength?
In that instant, I channeled every ounce of power through my body and shoved my sword hard.
Bang!
The reckless strike shattered his stance.
His body wobbled. If I pressed the attack now, it wouldn't just be a point. It would be my clear win.
But—there was the realistic difference in build.
A matter beyond talent. My frame was smaller than his.
Even after disrupting his posture with my burst of strength, mine teetered more.
He noticed it too.
The apprentice regained his footing. An effective defense. No matter how I attacked from my unbalanced state, he could block easily.
That would lead to my point next—but...
'No.'
The very fact that he thought that...
Was my intention all along.
I opened my eyes wide.
With near-clarity of vision, I took in everything.
His gaze, breathing, muscle twitches—the weakest point.
This was the final key to my victory.
A defense that normal means could never break.
Stare straight through its flow, pinpoint the flaw, and shatter it with a single precise strike.
I targeted that exact spot and...
Clang—!!
"..."
The sound stopped.
My final thrust had silenced the arena, holding its collective breath.
Dust rose from the floorboards from how fiercely I'd moved.
As the territory folk swallowed hard, watching...
"...Haha."
The apprentice let out a hollow laugh.
The dust settled.
Both figures came into view for the folk.
The 15-year-old apprentice sat slumped on the ground.
Everyone had believed his defense would hold.
They'd thought 11-year-old Kline couldn't break it.
Just four exchanges. A brief span of time.
Though I'd poured everything into each one, sweating buckets, breathing ragged...
The firstborn son of Leonhart stood firm on both legs.
Whoa. I'm fucking exhausted.
I'd poured everything out so fast that exhaustion wrapped around my whole body.
The world spun. I wanted to sit down right then.
Of course, I couldn't in front of all these people.
"Hoo."
I wiped the sweat from my eyelids and looked at my opponent.
He hadn't blocked my final strike and had collapsed to the floor.
His hollow expression said it all.
"So, convinced now?"
I smirked and approached him.
I'd gone all out earlier out of annoyance, but it wasn't like I hated the guy.
He was just a lackey following Ruin's orders, after all. In a way, he'd taken the fall for a subordinate.
"I told you, didn't I? That I could beat you."
"Haha. You did."
He laughed heartily and shook his head.
As if truly accepting my words.
"I never dreamed the son of the Leonhart Duke would have such talent. I was a fool to judge hastily."
"Come on, no need for flattery now. Whatever. Get up."
I extended my hand to him.
His eyes widened.
"What're you staring at? We had a good spar, so let's end it on a high note."
"A good spar?"
"Yeah. I said let's have a good one, right? Me."
"Haha..."
He took my hand.
Something like emotion flowed from his firm grip.
"I got thoroughly beaten. Talent, skill, character— you're on another level altogether."
"Flattery now?"
"No."
He rose using my hand and stood on his own feet.
Then he bowed to me.
"I'm Jack, apprentice knight of the White Wing Knights. Forgive my earlier rudeness. It was an honor to spar with the young lion who will become a future hero."
"Whoa."
Damn, sucking up that hard?
Hahat. Hahaha.
Well, if you're saying that much! I can let it all slide and forgive you.
"Sure. Let's meet again if fate allows."
"Indeed. Use your boon freely next time."
"Huh? You took that seriously?"
"Pardon?"
"Kidding. Kidding. Who'd bet seriously? Being that rigid makes life tough."
"..."
Huh?
Why's he blinking at me like I'm crazy all of a sudden?
Did I say something weird?
The spar was over.
The arena buzzed with excitement, a bit rowdy.
But to Leonhart Duke—Gerard—it was a satisfying result.
His son Kline had toppled a knight older than him at just 11.
Even an apprentice from the White Wing Knights was no ordinary foe. His talent and skill outstripped regular knights.
"Satisfied now?"
So Gerard addressed Ruin.
The White Wing Knights Captain had made the sudden proposal.
She'd wanted to see his direct bloodline's talent, and he'd obliged.
But had she gained enough from it?
"Indeed. Impressive."
Ruin Calderk nodded slowly.
Her eyes reflected her son's face.
"Such remarkable talent. A boy just entering his teens besting one of our knights. Truly, the son of a lion is a lion."
"Good. Then we're done. Time to end the feast."
"But, Duke. My goal isn't just your son."
"...?"
Gerard's eyes narrowed.
Not just Kline?
"What do you mean?"
"I saw her recently in the city streets. Your second daughter."
"..."
Gerard's aura sharpened to a razor's edge.
Invisible pressure bore down on the space.
Yet Ruin Calderk continued without flinching.
"I won't say much here. You must have some inkling why I came all this way."
"Does the Imperial Family suspect me? Me, who devoted myself to the Empire?"
"Precisely your actions. Regarding Ariel Leonhart, whose whereabouts vanished after birth."
Ruin smirked and glanced around the arena.
Suspicious demands were flying thick and fast.
"Ruin."
Gerard's eyes pierced her.
His aura surged like he was ready for a deathmatch.
Rumble—the sheath rattled. As if he'd draw any second.
"Planting even a windcatcher? This is no small scandal. What do you want from me?"
"Leonhart Duke. The Imperial Family is suspicious now."
Ruin answered gravely too.
Gerard Leonhart, devoted to Empire and humanity.
To state the clear reason he faced such humiliation.
"Rumors of the 'Calamity' prophecy—that it's your daughter—are spreading through the capital. The court dismissed it at first. But hiding your child like this only fans the flames."
"..."
"So, Duke. Show us now. The truth of your daughter. That's why I, Ruin Calderk, am here."
"Absurd. How does having my daughter spar prove my innocence?"
"I've heard of the prophecy pointing to the Calamity. I'll judge how it looks in action, consider the circumstances, and report to the court. We'll review your actions accordingly. Satisfied?"
"Hah. You're set on this."
Gerard clicked his tongue and called his attendant.
Yes. He'd sensed it from the start.
His second daughter—the Calamity that touched the hidden world.
He couldn't hide it from the world forever.
'Forgive me.'
A father's beloved child.
And a hero's monster that must be slain.
The reason for his ambiguous stance—not dealing with Ariel decisively or ignoring her—was clear.
—Please protect Ariel even without me. I beg you.
'Looks like I can't hold it back anymore.'
His wife, Ash Leonhart.
Her final plea before leaving for Aonia for treatment.
But now, even Gerard couldn't stop it.
The first moment Ariel Leonhart's name would reach the world was approaching.