Chapter 58
Chapter 58
The Way of the Sword.
A concept corresponding to the mages’ Way of Magic, also called the Sword Way or Knighthood.
The path a knight strives to follow.
“Your disciple didn’t even treat me like a professor, just like you. Tell me: do you think that’s the proper Way of the Sword, the proper Knighthood?”
“……”
The Mad Dragon couldn’t answer. She looked as though I’d caught her off guard.
‘Knighthood isn’t the same as the Way of Magic.’
The Way of the Sword, the Sword Way, Knighthood.
Though these concepts corresponded to the mages’ Way of Magic, there was a major difference.
A knight’s attitude toward life was reflected in their sword.
‘It’s not as if you have to be virtuous to achieve great things. There are plenty of high-ranking knights among the wicked, too.’
The problem was that the Mad Dragon believed herself to be a righteous knight of the guard.
“You said that protecting the Empire as its guardian was your Way of the Sword, but isn’t the truth that you’re simply intoxicated with your own arrogance?”
“……”
The Mad Dragon glared at me with a fierce, piercing gaze.
But the fact that she didn’t immediately send her sword flying at me meant that something in my words had struck a nerve.
‘Good. I’ll keep pressing her while I have the momentum.’
But then, a voice suddenly cut in.
I’d never heard it before, but it was thick with insolence.
“Knighthood has its standards, too. You must respect someone who’s worthy of respect.”
“!!”
I turned to look. A girl with refined features stood there.
It was our first time meeting, but I’d seen her countless times as I progressed through the scenario.
The Mad Dragon’s disciple.
A genius who surpassed even the bloodline of a Prestigious Swordsmanship Family.
The top-ranked entrant in the Knight Faculty.
A student villain at Rubiness Academy.
Julia.
“Greetings, Master.”
Julia knelt on one knee before the Mad Dragon and paid her respects.
She didn’t even look in my direction.
A thorough dismissal.
What I hadn’t expected was the Mad Dragon’s reaction.
Perhaps my words just moments ago had stirred something in her, because she said:
“…Pay your respects to Professor Ban as well. He is your homeroom teacher at the Academy, after all.”
Julia frowned slightly, but quickly smoothed her expression and flashed me a sweet smile.
One that was transparently fake to anyone who saw it.
And laced with mockery.
“Greetings, Professor Ban. I didn’t pay you any attention because I thought I’d only be in your temporary class for a short while. I’ve been busy training, so I hope you’ll understand.”
It wasn’t just my own paranoia making it sound like, You’re a Temporary Professor who’ll be gone soon anyway, so don’t get above yourself.
‘…I want to flick her on the forehead.’
Joanna, the Toxic Young Lady, came to mind.
They were alike, but different.
Joanna couldn’t control her temper, like a little kid, whereas Julia was a more cunning and calculating villainess.
“I’m sorry, Master. My poor conduct has caused you to suffer such a grave discourtesy. To let you, the Guardian of the Empire, suffer such an insult—I, your disciple, have committed a grievous crime.”
Even her remark just now was like that.
She claimed the fault was hers, but in reality, she was pinning the grave discourtesy on me.
This is exhausting.
If I responded in kind, I’d only lower myself to her level.
In a situation like this, a direct, straightforward approach was best.
“Julia, now that I’ve met you in person, I’m certain Sir Karla’s teachings are wrong.”
“…What did you say?”
I looked straight at the Mad Dragon.
“Seeing her as she is now, what kind of knight do you think Miss Julia will become in the future?”
“……”
“It is a professor’s duty to correct a student’s flawed character. Just as I proposed in my letter, let us Duel over the right to educate Miss Julia.”
The Mad Dragon’s brow twitched.
“You’re really going to Duel me?”
“Of course.”
“Hah! You wouldn’t even be able to withstand a single stroke of my sword!”
“Why would I withstand your sword, Sir? I’m a professor in the Magic Faculty. And in the Department of Theoretical Studies, no less.”
“…Then what sort of Duel are you proposing?”
“Didn’t you read my letter? I proposed that we compete to see who is ‘qualified as a teacher.’ We’ll have your disciple and my disciple face each other in a swordsmanship match.”
At those words, the Mad Dragon and Julia both looked taken aback.
“You just said yourself that you’re a professor in the Magic Faculty, didn’t you? Then your disciple must be a student in the Magic Faculty as well.”
“That’s right. A First-star apprentice mage who’s never trained in swordsmanship at all.”
“You’re going to make someone that untrained fight a swordsmanship match? Julia is a girl who would put any genius beneath her feet!”
“Well, you never know who’s better until they’ve been put to the test.”
“Hah! Let’s see who you’re planning to put forward, then!”
I nodded, then called to a girl who was watching the commotion from a distance.
“Katrinne.”
“…Why me all of a sudden?”
“Come over here.”
“……??”
Frowning, I pointed to Katrinne, who stood beside me with a bewildered expression.
“This girl will face your disciple.”
Everyone erupted into an uproar.
The most bewildered of all was Katrinne herself, the very person I’d just named.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?! This isn’t a magic Duel—you want me to fight a swordsmanship match?!”
“It’s fine. You can do it.”
“No, I’ve never even held a sword before!”
“Didn’t you say you could do it? Trust me.”
Katrinne abruptly fell silent, and I whispered as though tempting her.
“I heard the two of you don’t get along. Don’t you want to land a blow on that girl, too? If you do as I say, you can.”
Julia and Katrinne had a history of bad blood.
Julia had ignored Katrinne, a bastard, on numerous occasions.
And Katrinne, despite being a future hero, had a petty streak and never forgot a grudge once she’d taken one.
“…There’s no way I could land a hit on her.”
“When have I ever told you anything foolish? If you simply trust me, and trust yourself as well, it’s entirely possible.”
Katrinne still looked bewildered.
This Duel is necessary for Katrinne, too. It’ll help her grow tremendously.
Meanwhile, Mad Dragon and Julia both reacted with disbelief.
“Are you serious? You’re going to have someone who knows nothing about swordsmanship cross swords with Julia?”
“Didn’t you say we should test our qualifications as teachers? With my guidance, beating your disciple should be easy enough.”
“Ha….”
“However, there is one condition. Let’s make the event of the Duel ‘Weapon Breaking.’”
A knight’s Duel was usually a sparring match.
But sometimes, the contestants chose a special event, and this was one of them.
It’s a Duel where both sides wield the same weapon and try to break their opponent’s.
It was simpler than an ordinary sparring match, but that absolutely did not make it more advantageous for a beginner.
On the contrary, no variables could get in the way, so the outcome was determined entirely by swordsmanship.
“The weapons will be wooden swords. The winner will be the first to break their opponent’s wooden sword three times out of five bouts.”
“Very well. Don’t regret this.”
“Then, please give us a moment. I need to give her some instruction.”
I led Katrinne over to a corner.
“You have some sure-fire strategy in mind, right? That’s why you’re doing something this absurd. I won’t get angry, so hurry up and tell me what you’re up to.”
“I don’t have anything like that. Just trust in yourself. That’s the whole plan.”
“What? Are you insane?!”
I explained further.
“People often think Weapon Breaking is a contest to see who can deliver the stronger blow with their sword, but it isn’t. It’s a contest of the will behind the sword. I absolutely do not believe your will is any weaker than Julia’s.”
Katrinne fell silent.
“No, but still….”
“It’s all right. If you really can’t believe in yourself, believe in me—the one who believes in you.”
And so the Duel began.
The two girls stood facing each other, holding identical wooden swords.
“Oh, who do we have here? It’s been a while, Katrinne. You must be having a hard time playing along with Professor Ban like a clown. Then again, you’ve always been foolishly kind, ever since you started catering to Joanna….”
“Shut up.”
“…What?”
“Quit flapping your mouth like an irritating little pest and pick up your sword. You’re the one who’s more annoying.”
“!!”
The smile vanished from Julia’s face.
“I was going to treat you kindly, out of regard for our old friendship, but I guess I can’t.”
Clang!
The air in the arena tensed to a razor’s edge.
And then—
The girls’ swords flashed, and the sound of a wooden sword being sliced apart rang out.
Insane professor. Making me do something this completely unhinged.
Katrinne gasped for breath.
Two broken wooden swords lay scattered on the floor.
She had already lost two of their five bouts.
There’s no way I can win. I’m a mage.
She didn’t even need to consider the Way of the Sword.
She was hopelessly behind in every respect: strength, agility, swordsmanship technique.
Julia’s body was practically a human weapon, despite her delicate appearance.
Why did I go along with this crazy stunt?
She had gone along with it, just in case—but it had turned out exactly as she’d expected.
The only reason she hadn’t quit was sheer stubbornness.
Whatever it was, Katrinne had a pathological aversion to giving up halfway through.
As she picked up a third wooden sword with her deathly pale hand, Julia frowned.
Julia seemed annoyed enough herself that she no longer bothered putting on a show of false kindness.
“You really are relentless. If you don’t stop right now, I’ll deliberately break my wooden sword toward you and leave a scar on your face. The only thing you’ve got going for you is that pretty face, so think carefully.”
Katrinne let out a derisive snort.
She had been wondering if she should give up, just a little, but after hearing that, she changed her mind.
If Joanna had a rotten personality, Katrinne’s was downright nasty.
“Want to make a bet, too?”
“What?”
“Whoever wins gets to beat the other one up once. I think I’d sleep like a baby after planting a nice, satisfying punch right in your face.”
Julia’s gaze turned vicious.
“Like master, like disciple. Prepare yourself.”
Julia raised her sword, and Katrinne pointed hers back at her.
But even so, she couldn’t imagine winning.
Though they were the same age, it felt as if she were facing a wall.
Even if they had competed with magic instead of swordsmanship, Katrinne would still have lost.
You said I could win! You lying professor!
The moment she shouted in anger, a single sentence came back to her.
—Believe in yourself.
But it still didn’t sink in.
What was she supposed to believe in?
Doubt welled up inside her.
I know better than anyone that I’m a hopeless dullard.
Though she had been born into a Prestigious Magic Family, she was a dullard, less capable than an ordinary person.
All her backbreaking effort had done was cover up for her lack of talent.
There’s no way I can….
It was the moment her resolve was about to break.
Her eyes met Ban’s.
Even though she had already lost twice, Ban’s gaze remained steadfast.
—You can do it.
That was what it seemed to say.
—Didn’t I tell you, if you can’t believe in yourself, then believe in me—the one who believes in you?
“!!”
Thinking back, Ban had always looked at her that way.
She seemed nonchalant and brusque.
But there was a trust in her gaze for which she could find no reason.
A trust she had never received from anyone before.
Why? What do you know about me?
Katrinne gritted her teeth.