Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Thank You, Senior (3)
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'Well, I still can't lay a finger on her...'
Having power meant being fast. Ban could deflect or parry all of Yeoryeong's assaults with minimal movement, but he still couldn't make any moves beyond that.
If he could read Yuri's swordsmanship a bit more, maybe things would change then? It was impossible to know.
But it still had meaning. There was a clear difference in stamina between deflecting with all one's might and truly deflecting—it was like night and day.
'You learned from the Cho Clan, and you're still gonna keep using that annoying sword style?'
'...As long as I get stronger, isn't that all that matters?'
'You gotta look strong too! That just makes you annoyingly strong!'
'I think I get what you're saying.'
Ban smiled awkwardly. Even if he were told to face her, an opponent like Yuri would be tough to handle.
It was Ban's weakness—not quite a weakness. Against swordsmen who were simply stronger than him, he could always find a way to deal with them somehow, but if their swordsmanship itself held the advantage, it was better to assume he had no chance of winning. The reason he'd overcome skill gaps before was purely thanks to his swordsmanship, which far outstripped his raw strength.
'I'm not fighting you.'
In the end, Yeoryeong turned away, thoroughly sulking. Ban wasn't particularly worried. People from the Cho Clan didn't hold grudges for long. They'd wake up the next day and forget they were even mad in the first place.
And even without Yeoryeong, there were plenty of others he could spar with.
'Hey, Ban.'
One man approached. A warrior from the Eustaine Clan, one of the Nine Great Clans—Jeo. He flashed his white teeth in a grin.
'Now spar with me too.'
In short, Ban was quite popular.
§
'Pathetic.'
Ban lay sprawled on the ground, staring up at the sky. Sparring wasn't something you could always win, but perhaps he'd grown too accustomed to victory thanks to Hazelrek and the other Cho Clan warriors—maybe that's why defeat stung more than expected.
Nearly half of the reserve second-years were already too tough for him to handle. That was understandable. In fact, it was exciting. If the academy's classes could change a person that much in just a year, then in another year, he'd be incomparably stronger than he was now.
But his fellow freshmen were a different story.
Considering the 'blessings' nobles were born with, gaps between them were inevitable... but the power those blessings granted was unreasonably strong.
Especially from the Nine Great Clans—there wasn't a single one Ban could beat. Of course, he hadn't faced them all, but even just the Eustaine warrior... With those long nails wielded like daggers, by the time Ban figured out how to counter, he was already done for.
'...I need to absorb more of Yuri-senior's swordsmanship.'
Ban deliberately gripped the broadsword more often. He even used it in spars. The Cho Clan warriors found it odd that he was suddenly using a blade he'd never touched before, but since they knew he had a bit of an obsession with swords anyway, they didn't make a big deal of it.
It still didn't shine against the Nine Great Clans. Yeoryeong had said it: 'Annoying.' Yeah. It just made things more frustrating without actually securing any real advantage.
No helping it. How impressive could a defense-focused swordsmanship really be?
'Yuri-senior... what kind of swordsman has she become by now?'
He didn't know how long ago she'd graduated. Considering the tradition of leaving swords in the training hall, she might have graduated decades ago.
He hoped she'd grown strong. Strong enough that no noble or Nine Great Clan member could take her lightly.
But even if not... her swordsmanship would help him become the world's strongest swordsman.
By wielding Yuri's sword, Ban could now deflect strikes as smoothly as any decent knight.
And his hands would continue absorbing the specialties of countless swordsmen like that.
How to cut. How to block. How to parry. How to deflect.
How to create distance. How to close it. How to mix feints. How to alter trajectories.
When all those specialties converged in one place, what kind of swordsman would he become?
Ban could only think of one possibility.
The world's strongest swordsman.
That cringey dream he'd half-jokingly uttered as a kid... had now become his future.
§
On the first day in the training hall, Hay—who had knocked Ban flat—hadn't shown up since. But it didn't matter. At his current level, he wondered if he could even properly perceive one of Hay's strikes.
Instead, Ban focused more on Yuri's memories. Nobles had existed in Yuri's era too, of course, and she'd had to face countless warriors with blessings.
She'd held her sword against the might of the Cho Clan, the foresight of the Iseo Clan, the beast transformations of the Eustaine Clan, and all sorts of other abilities.
And she'd always lost.
Against ordinary noble houses, maybe, but the clans of the Nine Great Clans—famous for their supreme blessings—were far too overwhelming for a single female swordsman without any blessing to face.
She won sometimes, but only against opponents far younger or in lower years than her.
Every time he slept, Ban met Yuri.
'I'm weak.'
'And I'll stay weak.'
'That's what it means to be a commoner. Lower than nobles, more incompetent than nobles... and more useless than nobles.'
'I don't like it.'
'I can't accept it.'
He couldn't even exchange a single word. All Ban could do was listen to Yuri's thoughts and struggles. Every time she swung her sword, every time she had to 'deflect' attacks she couldn't possibly match, Ban could feel how much pain Yuri endured.
And at some point, he realized.
Yuri wasn't gifted at 'deflection' and specialized in it.
It was simply the best choice she had.
That's why Ban had no choice but to train her swordsmanship even more seriously.
'...You sure about this?'
'Shoot. Hurry up.'
''You get hurt, don't blame me?'
Hazelrek grimaced as he nocked an arrow. Dodging arrows wasn't that hard. You just gauged the angle and threw yourself aside.
But now Ban was saying he'd deflect the arrows with his sword. Without moving a single step, he'd deflect every last one.
This out-of-nowhere training method even made the upperclassmen pause their own sessions to watch.
'...That training method looks kinda familiar?'
'We did it last summer. The "Yuri"-style deflection training.'
'Guess someone told him about it... but doing it that recklessly is bound to draw blood.'
'And with a blade that thin? I deliberately used a kukri for it.'
'Well, if you've got the skill, what does it matter? The Eustaine guys deflect with their nails, and the Cho Clan fist fighters just catch 'em with their palms and toss 'em.'
'...At that point, is it even deflection anymore?'
Ban couldn't hear their voices. All his nerves were focused on that arrow.
It was a training method from Yuri's memories. Through it, she'd learned to precisely grasp the moment an opponent's 'attack' approached.
If Ban could develop that ability even a little more...
Maybe he'd even be able to sense Hay's strike—the one he hadn't even noticed.
'Shoot!'
Ban urged again. Hazelrek sighed like he had no choice and loosed the arrow. Ban's pupils contracted. In his eyes, the arrow's trajectory looked like a sword path. He raised his sword. Parrying it, deflecting it—without straining the blade. Without even making a sound.
One. Two. Three. Soon nearly ten arrows had flown. Just as everyone nodded, impressed by the better-than-expected results—
Thwack! An arrow buried itself in Ban's thigh. The onlookers all winced. Hazelrek asked in a panicked voice.
'H-Hey, you okay?'
'...I'm fine.'
Ban snapped the arrow shaft. This much pain was tolerable. Yuri had kept training even with four arrows lodged in her body. His pride wouldn't let him whine over this.
Ban resumed his stance. He stared straight at Hazelrek.
'Again.'
'Hey, but—'
'Please, Hazelrek. Shoot. Trust me.'
'...Tough guy.'
Hazelrek sighed, wondering why he'd been stuck with this role, but he picked up the bow again.
That day, Ban took two more arrows and deflected thirty-five more.
The next day, he took two arrows and deflected a total of seventy.
The new year had long passed. By the time January turned to February.
Around Ban weren't just Hazelrek anymore—Ikyeong, Yuseul, and three others were drawing their bowstrings.
No arrows struck his body. Had his sword even touched them? Around him, only the sounds of arrows and sword slicing air.
Yet not a single arrow touched him.
'See? Told you.'
Watching Ban, Urong turned to Hay.
'That guy's the real deal. Like you.'
'...Ban, was it?'
Hay's usual smile was gone, his face rigidly set. And that's how Urong realized Hay was actually pleased.
Hay muttered.
'This year's freshmen are gonna stir things up.'
And at the center of that commotion, surely...