Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Eccentric Trainee (2)
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The obstacles suddenly sped up.
There was no way Roin wouldnt notice.
Pulling out every damn trick in the book, huh.
Lets see if you can keep going without dropping.
It was as if Lepid and the assistants were saying exactly that to Roin.
If thats how you wanna play it
Roins eyes changed.
Ive got my ways too!
Roins stance shifted as he landed on the log bridge.
It wasnt focused on evasion.
Clenching his fist, Roin swung it straight at the first incoming staff.
Mana clung neatly only to the skin of his fist.
He used the bare minimum, subtle enough that no one would notice.
Crack!
The staff, thick as an adults torso, shattered to pieces.
The ones flying at him one after another met the same fate.
Smash. Smash. Smash again.
He pulverized every single obstacle.
As a result, there was nothing left to attack him with.
The assistants were so stunned they were at a loss for words.
Even Lepid couldnt believe his eyes.
Those staffs werent some flimsy toys.
They were made of replina wood, known as the toughest among woods.
Yet a mere nine-year-old kid had smashed them all.
Unbelievable.
Meanwhile.
Roin looked down at his fist with a gaze tinged with slight annoyance.
Hed reinforced it with aura, but trying not to show off too much, hed held back.
A tiny scrape on the back of his hand, no bigger than a hangnail.
Its been a while, so I couldnt control it. A scratch on my perfect hands! Damn it!
Roin wrapped the injured hand with his handkerchief on his own.
Then, without a word, he trudged down.
And
Plop.
He returned to his seat and sat back down.
Lepid and the assistants had lost.
Thanks to Roin smashing every obstacle device used in the log bridge combat training, the session had no choice but to be halted.
The assistants voiced their concerns to Lepid.
What do we do, Senior?
The headmaster will definitely chew us out if he finds out
Theyd tried to mess with Roin, only to put themselves in an awkward spot.
But Lepid thought differently.
Hell probably be thrilled.
A kid whod just become an Apprentice Knight had destroyed the training gear with his bare hands. The headmaster would rejoice, proclaiming a once-in-a-millennium talent had been born.
In the end, the assistants worries were unfounded.
Lepid would handle the costs and negotiations himself.
More importantly, Roins skill was astonishing.
He can even wield aura.
A true prodigy.
Bare-handed combat plus aura usage.
Had he learned all that from Gillion?
Gillion always used a sword no matter what kind of fight broke out.
But Roin had a practice sword at his waist yet smashed the staffs with his fists.
An unprecedented event at the Loud Swordsmanship Academy.
And the way he did it was utterly unconventional.
Plus, that style is less like a swordsman and more like
What Roin showed was the style of a pure brawler.
Nothing like the knights who fought infusing honor and convictions into their blades.
His body itself was a weapon, and Lepid swore hed sensed a faint flow of mana.
It reminded him of a man in a black helmet hed glimpsed from afar long ago, someone whod fought fiercely through the horrors of the battlefield.
Overthinking it.
Lepid shook his head to dispel the swelling thoughts.
But he didnt know.
The man whose whole body was a weapon, the Black Helmet Heroformer Rodri, current Roin.
Roin Leyden The more I learn, the less I understand.
His curiosity only grew.
Roins exploits that day became a huge topic among the trainees once more.
The 159th intake freshman whod utterly demolished the log bridge combat.
Even seniors from previous intakes were starting to hear about Roin.
But Roin himself couldnt care less about his rising fame.
This is serious. A huge problem.
Right now, he had only one concern.
My hand creams run out!
Hed made a grave mistake.
Hed thought hed packed plenty when entering the Loud Swordsmanship Academy.
But back in the dorm, he realized hed left the spares at home.
Damn. What now?
He was dozens of times more flustered than during the log bridge.
Trouble.
Roin hurried back to his dorm room.
There was a general store even within the academy grounds.
Should I check it out?
Roin rummaged through his memories.
I think it was this way There it is!
The same shop stood there unchanged.
Even the owner was the same.
Just much older than before.
The owner tilted his head at Roin.
New face. You from the latest intake?
Roin nodded.
Even if young, most trainees here were nobles kids.
So, polite speech was in order.
Of course, they had to use it with everyone working at the academy too.
Respect was one of the academys core principles.
Im here to look at some items.
What are you looking for?
Hand cream.
Training was fine, but neglect self-care and your skin cracks or gets dermatitis from rough handling.
Thatd hinder training.
You had to take care of your own body.
Though Roin might overdo it a bit.
Hand cream Check that display case over there.
Roin nodded and headed to the spot the owner pointed.
But upon seeing it.
What a letdown.
What? This is all youve got?
Hed hoped for more variety from different brands.
Just cheap stuff.
Just in case, Roin asked the owner about others.
Got any from Raykwan? Or Netro maybe.
Both were his favorites.
But the owner shook his head.
Nope. Never even heard of em.
Not a specialty cosmetics shop, so no helping it.
Couldnt conjure what wasnt there.
Time to give up.
Guess Ill make do with this.
Better than nothing.
No choice.
When youve got no teeth, bite with your gums.
Reluctantly, Roin bought the cheap hand cream.
During class, Roin tried the hand cream hed bought from the store yesterday for the first time.
But,
This isnt it.
The sticky texture was just unpleasant.
No sense of it benefiting his skin.
Coming from luxury products, the cheap one felt even worse.
Cant go on like this.
He needed drastic measures.
The surefire way: contact home and have them send some.
But who had time for that?
Letters alone took a generous week round trip.
Roin wasnt planning to wait that long.
I need it now!
A way to get hand cream immediately, no waiting.
It existed.
Roin nudged Drakes side with his elbow.
Drake.
Yeah?
I hear theres an outing system at the academy. Right?
Drake nodded at Roins question.
Yeah, there is.
Apprentice Knights couldnt go out without permission.
Conversely.
Get permission, and you can outing as you please.
But the issue was getting that permission.
Theres a written exam coming up soon.
From memory, the top scorer got an outing pass as a reward.
Yeah, lets aim for that!
Even if the sky falls, theres a way out.
Roin was living proof.
While the 159th intake trainees were in class.
Lepid continued his investigation on Roin.
The youngest son of the Leyden family.
Obsessively into grooming, oddly enough.
Thats all the info he could dig up.
No clue how Roin got so strong.
Beats me.
Ask Gillion?
Even then, would Lepid get a satisfying answer?
No guarantee.
Gillion wasnt one to gossip about the Leyden family.
Not much good to say after their fall from grace.
Plus, Gillion had a tight lip.
Wouldnt budge even if Lepid nagged.
Only one way left.
Ill find out myself.
Leaving his office, he headed straight for the 159th intakes training ground.
The 159th intakes training was in full swing.
Roin, still the only one in uniform.
His mind was filled with outing passes and hand cream.
Not the time to be here.
He wanted to rush back to the dorm and cram for the written exam.
Not that hed score low.
But better safe than sorry.
When would training end?
Just as that thought crossed his mind.
Halt.
Lepid appeared before the 159th intake, someone they hadnt seen till now.
Todays training will be replaced with something else.
The baffled assistants.
News to them too.
Senior, what do you mean something else?
Gather the trainees first.
Lepid was in charge of this intakes training.
The assistants had to obey.
Per Lepids order, the 159th intake assembled.
Then, Lepid spoke.
On second thought, I havent properly gauged your skills as your instructor. So today, Ill test you myself.
Lepid drew his practice sword.
Any volunteers to spar with the instructor?
Spar with Lepid?
Nonsense to the trainees.
They were mere rookies taking their first steps as swordsmen.
Lepid was a Senior Knight with loads of experience.
No contest.
Lepid knew that.
Its just a skill check, no need to be scared.
Even so, no one raised a hand.
Lepid had expected as much.
Now came the key part.
Fine. Volunteers get special perks.
At perks, Roins ears perked up.
Jackpot!
He shot his hand up like hed been waiting.
Does that include an outing pass?
Outing pass? Sure. Spar with me, and its yours.
Roin bit the bait.
He sprang to his feet.
Ill do it.
The trainees faces filled with shock.
They stared at him like hed lost his mind, but Roin thought it was perfect.
No need to wait for the examI can snag the pass right now. Cant pass this up!
Today was his lucky day.
Roin felt it.