Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Striking Pride (4)
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"Is that sincere? I don't want to hear later about how you're going to claim the price of your son's blood from Diego or whatever."
"Are you planning to kill me?"
"...No, not that. In any case, it's you who rejected my goodwill, Young Lord. Keep that in mind."
At his words, delivered as if he were bestowing a great favor, I simply responded politely.
"Of course."
Inside, I couldn't help but laugh.
'Goodwill, my ass. Even a passerby named Carlo would scoff at that.'
If Mikel had picked up a wooden sword, he would've used it as an excuse to get even more vicious.
In the original story, Lea had been thoroughly thrashed with his wooden sword. And his words afterward were something else.
'But at least you didn't get dismembered, right?'
Of course, he had later fetched the finest wound salve and applied it himself. But this wasn't even a case of breaking something and then fixing it.
In any event, Mikel was a harsh father to Diego in a different way.
'Besides, I'm not even his daughter.'
How brutal he would get with a wooden sword in hand was obvious without seeing it. So wielding a real sword was the better choice.
"Hmm..."
Mikel selected a sword and gripped it.
The one he chose was a greatsword as tall as a man, similar to the one he usually wielded.
"Then I'll do the same."
I picked one from beside it as well. I found a light, sleek sword similar in form to Requiem and gripped it.
Together with Mikel, I trudged to the center of the training grounds. The spectators murmured from the viewing stands.
"Isn't the outcome too obvious?"
"You can tell just from how they chose their swords. How does he plan to block Mikel's greatsword with that flimsy thing?"
"A few solid hits and he'll snap out of it, won't he?"
"He'll definitely drop his sword and surrender in under a minute."
Everyone predicted my overwhelming defeat.
"Hmm."
I wasn't intimidated in the slightest. This was the leisure of one who knew the future.
Suddenly, I felt Cain's red gaze upon me. I lightly brushed off the look filled with longing.
'His stomach must be hurting.'
After all, I was the one sparring with Mikel, something he had desperately wanted.
Cain's competitive spirit was infamous. Even the Sword of Summer, Cadenza, hadn't been able to best him and had submitted.
I straightened my shoulders and stared at Mikel across from me. He was leisurely inspecting his sword.
'Winning will be tough.'
My goal was to extract as much as possible from him.
"Ready?"
Mikel gripped his sword and let it hang loosely. His face showed no tension whatsoever.
"I'll yield the first move. Come at me."
"Shouldn't I show respect for my elders now? You go first."
"...Very well."
Mikel's aura began to shift gradually. The temperature around us dropped a notch, as if frost had fallen.
Thud.
Instead of approaching me, Mikel began circling to the side in a wide arc.
Thud, thud.
Each step carried a chill that tightened the breath of anyone facing him.
Keeping my sword trained on Mikel, I tracked his position. I tensed my body in preparation for his lunge.
'No openings in his stance.'
Mikel no longer resembled the kindly old noble. Even the beard that had gently twitched when he smiled was still now.
'He becomes astonishingly taciturn once he draws his sword.'
Before me lurked a silver tiger that had secluded itself in the snowy mountains.
Mikel's energy was slowly rising. It swelled and swelled until it became a massive mountain.
Flash!
His figure vanished.
'Who said Nod Swordsmanship was slow!'
Sneering at the original description, I launched myself forward.
Thud!
Mikel's sword slammed down where I had just been.
"Hmm."
Mikel let out a grunt as he pulled his sword free. He shifted his gaze from the scarred ground to me.
His pale blue-gray eyes glinted.
Swish!
His body seemed to vanish again, only to charge straight at me.
'Shoulder!'
I raised my sword to block the incoming strike.
Boom!
The moment our swords met, a vibration shot through my wrist bones.
'Hmm.'
I couldn't keep blocking like this forever. In that case...
'I'll have to deflect it!'
Mikel immediately twisted his sword toward my lower body.
'Legs this time!'
I stepped back and angled my sword obliquely.
Clang!
The moment our swords clashed, I pushed downward hard. Mikel's blade could no longer reach my legs and scraped the ground instead.
"-!"
A flash of surprise and intrigue crossed Mikel's face.
He then leaped back lightly. It was an unbelievably swift movement for someone wielding such a massive sword.
"Impressive. You've got reason to be confident."
Mikel spoke in a tone of genuine interest.
"Can you do it again?"
Without waiting for a reply, he rushed at me. His sword began assaulting my body from various angles.
Clang! Clang!
Each downward strike felt like hurling a boulder. I had to time the angle precisely and apply just the right force to deflect them.
Thud! Scraaape!
Mikel's attacks targeted diverse spots. Elbows, ankles—vulnerable points that would disrupt movement if struck. He hammered at them relentlessly.
'He's going for every joint like he wants to shatter them all.'
To defend or evade, I had to move without respite.
Mikel, meanwhile, effortlessly shifted his stance and position with a simple twist or step.
'As expected of Nod Swordsmanship!'
It sealed off the opponent's actions while conserving one's own stamina, widening the gap overwhelmingly.
'I like it very much.'
The thought of devouring that swordsmanship too brought a smile to my lips. But I couldn't show it.
"......"
Hiding the smile deep within, I faced Mikel with an expressionless face.
Clang! Scraaape!
Sparks flew with every clash of blades, and the scarred ground wailed pitifully.
It was a fierce exchange that left onlookers breathless.
"......"
The stands had fallen deathly silent at first, then erupted like a disturbed beehive.
"What's going on? This is way off from what we expected."
"Even rotten, it's still mackerel. The son of Diego Kindriel lives up to the name."
"This is beyond that. How is he holding out against Mikel for minutes?"
The spectators whispered in confusion. Things kept happening far beyond their predictions.
And in such situations, an expert's commentary was bound to appear.
"My son knows a thing or two about swords..."
Carlo tried to step forward eagerly, but
"What do you think, Captain Joshua?"
Another noble's question shut him up. Naturally, that noble was part of Mikel's faction.
"Ahem."
Joshua cleared his throat and stepped forward. He seemed thrilled to be commentating this match of the century.
"As you know, Lord Mikel's Nod Swordsmanship is the epitome of orthodoxy. Simple, yet all the more powerful for it."
The crowd hung on Captain Joshua's every word.
"If you're lacking, a clumsy defense will leave your bones broken. Yet Young Lord Abel has blocked or dodged every attack."
Carlo, listening, snorted derisively.
"Isn't Lord Mikel going easy? He can't kill the Young Lord, after all."
"True, it's not a killing blow. But that doesn't make those strikes easy to parry."
Stroking his trimmed sideburns, Joshua spoke calmly.
"Lord Mikel is delivering blows that could shatter bones if they land even once. Young Lord Abel must be quite fatigued by now."
He concluded with slow, confident certainty.
"And yet he's endured this far. That means Young Lord Abel's skill is remarkable."
"Huh..."
"Is that so?"
At the authority's endorsement, doubts faded into admiration.
"......"
Carlo grimaced in displeasure and turned away. Beside him, Cain watched the duel with a hardened expression.
'Good job, Captain.'
I inwardly applauded Joshua.
As the Imperial Knight Captain, he had the insight to view our duel relatively objectively and accurately.
But,
'Fatigued?'
I couldn't agree with that.
Slash! Clang!
Mikel's sword relentlessly targeted my limbs. Like a tiger venting its rage at my earlier provocation.
Thud!
Like a furious tiger swiping with its forepaw. Blows that would leave bones uncollectable if they connected rained down in succession.
The training ground floor was already covered in scratches from Mikel's sword.
Tap.
Dancing across them, I dodged and blocked his blade this way and that.
Dozens, hundreds of times—I had visualized Diego's movements in my mind, imprinted them into my brain. Now, they were manifesting in my body.
'I think I'm starting to get it.'
Diego's footwork, his body's lines, the natural flow from shoulders to arms. Movements far superior and more refined than Liam's.
I was beginning to grasp their principles and essence.
Clang!
Fighting a powerhouse on Diego's level. Sparring with Mikel had turned into practice for the swordsmanship I'd honed thus far.
Creeeak! Clang!
'As expected, this is Ovest Swordsmanship.'
A thrill ran through me as I parried Mikel's blade.
Ovest Swordsmanship was designed to naturally defend against an opponent's attacks while moving.
And that wasn't all.
Whoosh! Thud!
I could anticipate where his strikes were headed and evade in advance.
'I get the feel now.'
My eyes, having already tasted Diego's formidable swordsmanship once, had leveled up considerably.
So when a swordsman of similar caliber swung at me, I could see the counters immediately.
My honed eye for mimicking and learning an opponent's style to the bitter end shone brightly.
Clang! Claaang!
I blocked Mikel's whirlwind assaults like a north wind, not missing a single one.
'Good.'
Clang!
At some point, parrying Mikel's sword started becoming easier.
My wrist bones no longer vibrated. By using minimal force and lightly rotating my wrist, I'd reduced the strain.
Thud!
A slight step was enough to evade attacks. And not stopping there,
Thud!
I used the spin to counter the next strike.
'It works.'
Compared to my first clash with Diego, this was astonishing progress.
Facing someone of similar strength and gaining this much leeway—what growth!
Claaang! Thud!
Even as those thoughts raced, Mikel steadily pressed me.
His face remained leisurely throughout, a 'Well, well?' smile lingering at his lips.
He must sense it too. The fangs of the young wolf facing him were quite sharp and sturdy.
Claaang!
Beyond the clash of steel, a faint growl reached my ears.
Grrr...
Of course, only I could hear it.
'...Requiem, you bastard, again?'
I trembled inwardly.
'Yeah, as if you'd stay quiet.'
With such appetizing prey right in front of it.
A level of robust, dynamic vitality utterly unlike the game it had sliced before.
Even without activating its absolute domain, it was obvious.
Mikel, with his white eyebrows and beard whipping as he moved, breathed more vividly than anyone.
Grrr—grrr—
Requiem thrashed wildly. It was drooling profusely at the same time.
Its gestures screamed that it wanted to cleave Mikel right now and devour his life force.
'Well, no surprise.'
It had gone wild over Diego, so seeing Mikel, a comparable powerhouse, would naturally make its eyes spin.
Of course, that couldn't happen.
'After the trouble last time, really...'
I shook my head, recalling when Diego had unleashed his killing intent.
If Requiem hadn't whispered then, I wouldn't have provoked Diego by telling it to shut up.
'...No, the broken arm ending would've been the same anyway.'
In any case, I wouldn't make that mistake this time.
Absolutely not!
I clamped my mouth shut and thoroughly ignored Requiem's whispers. Focusing solely on facing Mikel.
'I'll devour it all.'
I made sure not to parry too perfectly—acting slightly underpowered, struggling just a bit.
Pretending like that to lure Mikel into continuing his attacks.
Truly, an incredibly valuable time.