Chapter 102: And Who Might You Be? (2)
Chapter 102: And Who Might You Be? (2)
“Pfft!”
“Pff—cough. Princess. Your posture. Watch your posture!!”
Matthew and Isabella both burst out laughing at the 'inner voice' that had accidentally slipped out of Patrick’s mouth.
Patrick, meanwhile, scowled as he thought to himself.
‘I hereby decree your demise.’
He stepped lightly down from the stone slab and spoke. Before beating the man to a pulp, he figured he should at least find out the context of the situation.
‘That way, the beating will feel even more unfair and painful.’
Was he even human?
Regardless, Patrick initiated the conversation with a crooked, delinquent-like attitude.
“Those are some harsh words for a first meeting. And who might you be?”
“I am Alex Lowensky, a fifth-year student at the Academy.”
“Oh? For real?”
Alex Lowensky? It was a name he had heard before.
‘Hmm, so this brat is that Alex guy?’
Patrick scanned the man from head to toe. Then, he let out a sigh, his expression shifting to one of disappointment as if to say, ‘I should have known.’
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Ahhh… It’s nothing. I’m just blaming myself for being an idiot and actually expecting something.”
“You… Can’t you introduce yourself properly? Show some respect to your senior.”
“Yes, yes, sir. Nice to meet ya, senior. Name’s Patrick Schneider. I look forward to your kiiiiind guidance.”
It was the most disrespectful introduction in the world.
If a group of thugs had seen it, they would have marveled at him, thinking, ‘Ah, that is the textbook definition of a delinquent. He has reached the pinnacle of being a punk,’ and would have wanted to learn from him.
Alex glared and barked, “Fix your posture! And redo your greeting with proper manners.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Do you not know that a knight must always set an example for others?”
“I don’t know that.”
“…You don’t?”
“Nope.”
Really? He didn’t know?
As Alex stood there in disbelief, Patrick looked at him with a sincere expression that said, ‘I’ve never heard of such a thing. What are you gonna do about it?’
“Is that what a knight is?”
“……”
“I just thought you had to be good at swinging a sword.”
“If you know now… then from this moment on… fix your attitude.”
Seeing Alex barely manage to speak through gritted teeth, Patrick adopted a serious expression.
Then he said…
“It’s a hassle, so let’s just let it slide.”
“……”
Alex had never seen anything like this.
In his twenty years of life, he thought he had encountered a wide variety of people. But truly, sincerely, this was his first time meeting someone like this.
As Alex stood there with his jaw dropped, Patrick let out a smirk.
He had been curious about what kind of person the Academy’s greatest genius was. But this…
‘He’s just a stiff-necked goody-two-shoes. He feels like a kid who hasn’t even finished his mental training yet, trying way too hard to act like an adult.’
Setting aside his skill, with a personality like that, how could he survive as a swordsman?
Of course, if Patrick put his mind to it, he could break the composure of high priests or Taoist masters who had meditated for decades and make them swear like sailors.
But this guy… Patrick hadn't even started trying to provoke him; he’d just tested the waters, and the guy was already boiling over.
“Apologize to the Princess for your rudeness immediately. I will discuss your punishment after that.”
“Ahhh! I see. So that’s how it is.”
Watching Alex fly into a rage, Patrick realized something.
Right. No matter how young he was, a guy who had undergone a fair amount of training shouldn't boil over this easily. There was a reason for it.
“Senior, do you like Senior Isabella?”
“Wha… Wha-wha-what? What?”
“I see, I see. Well, it happens when you’re young. Ahhh… To be in the springtime of youth.”
“Wha—wha… What kind of nonsense is that?!”
“Huh? Aren’t you mad because you like Senior Isabella? I thought that was it?”
“It is not!”
“…But it’s so obvious?”
“I said it’s not!”
“Tsk, tsk. How frustrating. Does denying it here change anything?”
“Shut up!”
Finally, Alex drew his sword.
The longsword he swung toward Patrick without hesitation was clearly imbued with the aura of a 4-star swordsman.
BOOM!
‘Oh no.’
Immediately after the attack landed, Alex was struck with panic.
What had he just done?
He had lost a verbal spat with a freshman and drawn his sword first.
And he hadn't held back his strength at all.
It was an inexcusable mistake. No matter what disciplinary action the Academy took, he wouldn't be able to complain…
“Cough, cough. Man, that kicked up a lot of dust.”
It was then.
Patrick walked out of the thick cloud of dust with a nonchalant expression.
“You… You?”
“Me… Me?”
“……”
“What about me?”
Alex was horrified to see Patrick joking around perfectly fine.
Had he unconsciously adjusted his strength? No, even if he had, how could someone be so fine after taking a direct hit from Aura?
The freshman who had been hit by his attack didn't even have a ruffled collar.
Then, Patrick reached out his hand to the side, and two wooden swords rolling in the corner of the training ground naturally flew into his grip.
Seeing that, Alex shouted, “Are you a Magic Swordsman? Are you someone sponsored by the Tower of Truth?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Is this your first time seeing Void Manipulation?”
“……”
“Ah, I guess it would be.”
Come to think of it, it probably was his first time.
“Well, that’s not important…”
Patrick said, swinging the wooden swords in both hands back and forth.
“Actually, I was wondering how to make an excuse to hit you, but I’m grateful you came over on your own and even threw the first punch.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Mmm… Just something. In return, I’ll hit you gently. Just a little bit gently.”
“What… Urgh!”
Alex hurriedly retreated.
Patrick hadn't actually done anything. He was just standing there. But…
“Ooh, very good. You can even read killing intent.”
“……”
“But you’re too slow. You would’ve died three times already.”
“……”
Alex found it hard to breathe.
What on earth was this? Even when he sparred with the professors at the Academy, it didn't feel like this.
Then Patrick spoke.
“Shall we get started for real, then?”
“Wha—hup!”
In an instant, Alex saw it.
He saw Patrick’s wooden swords splitting into dozens of strikes, lunging toward him.
Alex hurriedly swung his sword into a defensive stance. But…
Thwack! Crack!
“Urgh…”
Patrick’s wooden swords bypassed Alex’s defense with terrifying ease, leaving several strikes across his body.
“Tsk, tsk. You shouldn't just swing wildly because you’re panicked. You have to watch first. You lack the basics. The basics.”
Grind.
Alex gnashed his teeth at Patrick’s critique.
Nothing else mattered now. Emptying his mind, he gripped his sword tight and charged at Patrick with a loud shout.
“Don’t look down on me!”
“I’m looking right at you.”
Patrick smirked as he met Alex’s charge.
Clang! Boom! Crash!
Patrick’s wooden sword and Alex’s longsword, both saturated with aura, collided.
“Aaaaah!”
“Get back! Everyone, get back!”
The freshmen who had been training nearby were forced to scramble away.
Isabella and Matthew, who had been watching from the closest distance, also backed off for the time being.
Matthew turned to Isabella.
“Are you alright, Princess?”
“Senior.”
“Yes. Ah, yes. Senior. So, are you alright?”
“About what?”
“About what Patrick said earlier.”
Patrick had said that Alex liked Isabella. And judging by Alex’s reaction, it didn't seem entirely false.
So Matthew was curious.
Alex was handsome, skilled, and from a good family… well, that part was a bit complicated since he was the illegitimate son of Marquis Lowensky.
Regardless, setting aside that minor detail, Alex was the kind of perfect man most ladies would keep in their hearts.
Isabella’s reaction to finding out such a man had feelings for her was…
“I don’t feel anything.”
“…Nothing at all?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? Isn’t Senior Alex the textbook definition of a handsome, capable man?”
“He is.”
“And you’re still not interested?”
“Nope.”
“Not even a little flutter in your heart?”
“None.”
“……”
“There are plenty of men who like me anyway.”
“……”
“Because I’m a princess, and I’m pretty.”
Ah, right.
That was true.
He hadn't expected her to say it so confidently herself, but the statement was factually correct.
Silenced by the overwhelming truth, Matthew shut his mouth. Isabella, as if she didn't want to answer any more questions, fixed her gaze back on Patrick and Alex.
Her only interest right now was what Patrick would show her in this duel.
‘Not bad. He has talent, and he’s trained diligently.’
Patrick thought as he parried Alex’s sword.
This level wasn't bad.
Of course, through Patrick’s eyes, there were countless flaws, but Alex was the most skilled student he had fought since entering the Academy.
If he continued to train diligently, he would likely reach the 6-Star Realm by the time he reached Professor Late’s age.
‘Well, that’ll be his limit, though.’
Having finished his evaluation, Patrick shifted from defense to offense.
The sword that had only been blocking the enemy’s attacks began to counter, and Patrick’s footsteps pressed forward, one by one, putting pressure on Alex.
“Kh… Urgh…”
“Focus. Focus. Don’t get scared, just focus.”
“Shut up!”
“Tsk, tsk. When an elder speaks, you should take it to heart. Why is a brat like you so full of pride, shouting your head off? Huh?”
“You’re just a junior… Gah!”
“I told you to focus.”
Patrick’s wooden sword slammed into Alex’s abdomen.
He had withdrawn his aura just before impact, but it was still enough pain to make Alex lose his breath for a moment.
As Alex forced down the bile rising in his throat, Patrick spoke.
“Take a breath and fix your posture. Here I come again.”
“You… Are you playing around with me?”
“Yeah.”
“……”
“Why? Do you think I shouldn't?”
“……”
Alex bit his lip.
When the weak play around, it’s called negligence or arrogance. But when an overwhelmingly strong person shows leisure while facing the weak, it isn't even subject to criticism.
Patrick smirked and said, “Actually, from your perspective, Senior, it must feel unfair. Some guy suddenly pops out of nowhere and takes your spot, so you must be bitter.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, I feel a liiiiittle bit bad in my own way. What I’m doing for you now is a sort of compensation.”
“……?”
“Pick up your sword. And watch closely.”
Patrick discarded one of the wooden swords he held.
Then, gripping the remaining sword with both hands, he took a formal middle-guard stance.
Yes. You have talent.
You’ve probably worked hard, too.
And the achievement of being a step ahead of your peers in the Academy must have given you a sense of fulfillment.
But do you know this?
In the shadow of that fulfillment, the poisonous mushrooms of satisfaction and conceit are growing.
For a swordsman who must live by staking his life and soul on a single blade, satisfaction is poison.
“A swordsman must constantly crave more, grinding and polishing themselves every day to defeat the version of themselves from yesterday.”
“What are you saying?”
“A person who has lost their beginner’s heart and fallen into the swamp of conceit doesn't realize it themselves.”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Alex roared and charged at Patrick once more.
But then…
Patrick’s raised sword came toward him.
It was an extremely formal, clean vertical strike.
He had to raise his sword horizontally to block it.
And yet…
“Ah… Uh…”
His body wouldn't move.
He could clearly see Patrick’s wooden sword flying toward his crown to split him in half, but he couldn't react at all.
His entire body froze, like a person facing a collapsing landslide.
Three Talents Sword Method.
Mount Tai Crushes the Summit.
BOOM!
With the sound of air exploding, a shockwave rippled out from the two of them.
Patrick’s wooden sword stopped right in front of the space between Alex’s eyebrows. Alex could only stare at it blankly.
Patrick slowly withdrew his sword and spoke.
“Do you understand a bit now?”
“Just now… That… What was that?”
“It was a vertical strike. Why ask when you already know?”
“No, that’s not it. What kind of…”
“Why? Did you think it was some special technique?”
“……”
“It’s just the Three Talents Sword Method… Ah, you wouldn't know it by that name. Anyway, it’s a basic move. You saw it, didn't you?”
“That was a basic move?”
Alex looked like he couldn't believe it.
Speed? Power? Those weren't the issue.
It was an ordinary sword without a speck of aura, yet for a moment, he felt crushed.
That feeling of his entire body freezing, unable to even twitch a finger, like a person facing a natural disaster.
He would likely never forget this for the rest of his life.
Patrick said to the stunned Alex, “Don’t forget what just happened. It’s a gift from me.”
“A gift? Why?”
“I told you.”
“……”
“I have a conscience, too.”
And with that, Patrick turned his back without a lingering thought.
“See you around, then.”
“Wait… Just a moment.”
Alex tried to call out and stop him from behind, but Patrick simply left the area.
And this scene, which took place at the first-year training grounds, quickly spread throughout the Academy through countless witnesses.