Chapter 223: Sword Master? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 223: Sword Master? (2)
Esid - Should I... Save Him?
There was a time when it felt like everyone was deceiving him.
But now, unlike then, the students didn't praise him as if they were under some form of mass mind control.
Should he call it a touch of authority as royalty, mixed with a bit of—no, a rather strong—sense of trust?
At first, it had been a burden. But as he lived his life at the Academy... or more accurately, as he survived the constant onslaught of terrorists, ideological extremists, dark mages, and the occasional fanatic worshipping an Evil God, Esid came to a realization.
If I want to live, I have to make use of whatever I can.
Esid had a precise grasp of his own capabilities.
His swordsmanship was decent. His magic was slightly better than his swordsmanship.
Even in an Academy that gathered the finest talents from across the continent with the bold ambition of fostering greatness—a place where he ranked among the upper tier—he was certainly no slouch. However...
Against the enemies targeting his life, that level of skill was barely enough to survive.
It felt unfair to Esid.
He was a solid mid-to-high-ranker among the Academy's elite. So why did every enemy that appeared require a top-tier monster to defeat?
At first, he’d been baffled.
It’s not like I’m weak. Surely, I’ll have a chance to shine next time.
But after several such experiences, he had no choice but to admit it.
In actual combat, he was useless.
But he wasn't the only one.
There was Hedrick, the future head of the Ilias Merchant Guild. While Hedrick didn't lack basic ability, his merchant roots meant his combat power was even lower than Esid's.
And then there was Daisy, who was fundamentally a fragile girl.
However, as time passed, Hedrick began to fade from the center of these incidents.
He still showed up to the club and appeared whenever Daisy was involved, but with uncanny timing, he would be separated from the group right before trouble started, avoiding the chaos entirely.
Esid had even harbored the reasonable suspicion that the bastard was selling them out...
But later, he discovered Hedrick really was just that busy, and the misunderstanding was cleared. The real problem was Daisy.
Clearly, she had started at a similar level to him.
But before he knew it, she had surged so far ahead that he could no longer see her back.
At first, he tried to keep up... but it took less than a month for him to give up.
It couldn't be helped.
Just as he was bracing himself to start running, he looked up and saw her already flying through the sky. That was the only way to describe it.
Ah, I’m just not born with the potential to catch up.
It wasn't just Esid; even Asran, the Minor Sword Emperor, seemed to tremble with the fear that he might be overtaken.
Esid had a brief moment of existential dread, but like a true RoFan male lead, he recovered quickly.
There was something only he could do.
The innate advantage of being royalty. And for some reason, the immense trust, faith, and support he received from the students.
By utilizing that...
"What should we do next?"
"Well..."
Esid nodded as he listened to Violet's explanation.
Then, relaying that exact explanation to the other students, he shouted with confidence:
"Once we're finished here, we regroup with the Swordsmanship Department!"
It was a perfect copy-paste of her instructions, but the reaction was entirely different.
The students who hadn't listened to Violet began to cooperate voluntarily at Esid's word.
By uniting the entire Magic Department as one and directing them to set up finishing blows for Arwen to minimize mana consumption, the Magic Department slowly pushed back the swarming dark mages and demons, successfully merging with the Swordsmanship Department.
With the two departments combined, their synergy exploded.
Once they had the firepower of Daisy and Arwen—who were capable of decisively eliminating demons—the tide truly began to turn.
"Guys!"
"Why are you waving so happily?!"
"Kill the demons first!"
"Hey, I still—"
"Talk later!"
When Ellen joined them after soloing a high-ranking demon, the students finally seized the momentum of victory.
The demons weren't fools either; they didn't persist in a battle where defeat was certain.
As the combat ended and a one-sided pursuit began, Ellen looked around the clearing battlefield and tilted his head.
"Wait, where's Adam?"
"Why are you asking me about that guy?"
"Didn't he follow you?"
Esid and the rest of the Magic Department looked offended that they were being asked about a swordsman. The other members of the Swordsmanship Department assumed he had been with Ellen.
"I was left alone, so I thought everyone had headed back..."
Just as Ellen was scratching his head in confusion...
"Ah."
Asran, one of the only two people who knew Adam's whereabouts, spoke up as if he had just remembered.
"He got kidnapped by a demon."
"..."
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence fell over the students.
Then, a single voice drifted quietly through the air.
"Why are you only saying that now, Sososo...?"
"No, wait!"
Asran was baffled to hear such words from Bell, who had witnessed Adam being taken right alongside him.
But Esid, speaking for everyone regarding the fate of Adam Smith—who had been kidnapped by a demon like some RoFan heroine—muttered:
"Should we... save him?"
Technically, they should.
But since the victim was that Adam Smith...
Every student present was forced into a long moment of contemplation.
*
A blade glowing crimson sliced through the air.
Fire magic—one of the most destructive forces among all elements.
That pure energy was now infused into my Aura.
What should I call this?
Breath of Fire? Zanka no Tachi? No, those are too long.
Something short. Simple. But with impact.
"...The secret technique honed for ten years. Sun Sword!"
"Anyone can see you just came up with that name!"
How unfair.
I might have just named the technique, but I’ve been learning the sword for over ten years.
Since this is the culmination of ten years of training, calling it a secret technique honed for a decade is technically accurate, isn't it?
My glowing red blade clashed with the arms of the Sword Demon.
Just like before, I was blown backward by the impact... but this time, I wasn't the only one.
"Urgh!"
The Sword Demon was also knocked back by the force of the collision.
The power balance, which had been entirely one-sided until now, had finally leveled out.
"As I thought... is it magic...?"
Even with the increased firepower, I was barely holding my own.
If I had only awakened a pure Aura, I would have lost instantly.
"It's not magic, it's a sword!"
I lunged at the irritated Sword Demon, this time infusing my Aura with cold energy.
"..."
Then, something completely unexpected happened.
Unlike before, there was no shockwave.
Instead...
"What kind of trick is this!"
The Sword Demon's blade—or rather, his two hands—were stuck fast to my sword and wouldn't come off.
"This is..."
I hadn't really thought this through, and since it was something I’d never even imagined happening, I didn't know how to react.
But our Sword Demon seemed different.
"Do you think I'll fall for such a petty trick!"
The gem acting as an eye on the Sword Demon's head—specifically, the hilt part—began to glow red.
Then, the hilt itself began to transform into a blade.
"Crazy bastard."
Watching him turn even a headbutt into a slashing attack, I hurriedly deactivated the ice, infused the blade with flames, and pushed him away.
"..."
The shockwave alone made me feel like vomiting.
My body was already a wreck. Honestly, continuing to fight was pushing it.
The only reason this guy—who was made of iron rather than mana—wasn't using magic was because he was intimidated by my Magic Sword.
If he started using mana now, my body would give out long before the Magic Sword could absorb it all.
"Oh, he's actually doing it."
Just as I was debating whether to hold my ground or run for it, the repelled Sword Demon began walking back, his entire body shrouded in a chilling Magi.
"I gave you several chances. As a being who is the sword itself, I wanted to give a warrior holding a blade the chance to meet his end as a swordsman... but..."
It seemed my magic had finally pushed him over the edge.
"If that is what you desire, I shall acknowledge it. I, this Sword Demon, shall kill you as a mage!"
A new achievement added.
Starting with the Dragon Descendant, the Dragonkin, the Leon Tower Master... the Sword Demon's name was now added to the end of that long list.
At this point, haven't I become a mage that no one can deny?
Dammit.
At this rate, I’m going to end up as the next Leon Tower Master instead of Delmoa.
With that thought, I took my stance.
The opponent had started using mana.
Just like before, if I could clash blades a dozen more times, I might have a chance.
But how did I do it before?
Honestly, it felt like my consciousness had flickered out for a moment, so I didn't remember how I’d blocked him.
If I just stay still, will my body move on its own again?
I have a feeling that if I stay still this time, I’ll actually die.
I sent constant signals to my unresponsive limbs, pouring every ounce of strength I had into my grip on the sword.
Then, I scraped together my meager remaining mana and poured it into the blade.
The Aura grew slightly denser than before... but that was it. I filled the rest with raw firepower.
"Until the very end!"
As the Sword Demon raised his blade against my glowing red steel...
"...!"
A black silhouette flickered behind him.
No matter how focused we were on each other, the only person capable of taking the Sword Demon's back was Prince Ellen...
"Die!"
...or rather, the daughter of his distant ancestor, the Dragonkin Irin, who carried the blood of dragons.
She swung her sword, overflowing with mana, striking a pose that looked like a guaranteed-fail death flag from a certain reaper manga I’d seen in my past life.
"GYAAAH!"
With a casual swing of the Sword Demon's blade, she was sent flying with a scream.
"...I didn't expect much anyway."
Seriously, Asran's title of 'Defeat Sword' or the 'Sososo' nickname should really go to that ancestor.
And besides, she said magic was the way to draw out her maximum power.
Why does she keep trying to fight with a sword?
The world was full of things I couldn't understand, but she had been helpful.
It was only a split second, but for a swordsman, she had bought me an eternity.
A sunset-colored Aura, infused with the essence of flames, completely swallowed the Magic Sword.
This was it.
The greatest strike I could muster in my entire life.
What I believed in now was the time and effort I’d spent learning the sword.
And the recovery power of the holy water and potions that probably outnumbered the blood in my veins.
And finally...
"Die."
The belief that I only had to block the Sword Demon's death-dealing blow once.
"Adam!"
The belief that even if they work you like a dog... the protagonist's party will always show up at the crucial moment.
"You're late..."
Trusting in the name of this world's genre—RoFan—I blocked the Sword Demon's strike with a blow that drew from the very depths of my soul.