Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: A Welcome Spar
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I didn’t expect the Vice-Commander to step forward himself.
Lucas, even more flustered than Loan, suddenly interjected.
"We're sparring, just like that?"
"Is there an appointed time for battle?"
Lucas immediately realized he had asked a foolish question and took a step aside.
Oscar said to Loan.
"It's been five years since I saw you wield swords with psychokinesis. I'm curious to see how much you've grown."
"I'm curious as well. About how much more I can grow here."
"You still have a way with words. Now, let's cross blades. This is my choice. You use whatever you're confident in."
"Magic. And swords wielded by magic."
As Loan finished speaking, twelve blades floated up over his shoulders, spreading out in a fan shape.
The spacing was perfect, and the tip of every sword was pointed at Oscar.
Splitting the Convection into twelve streams and controlling each one individually.
It was like splitting his thoughts into twelve separate branches at once.
Since he was controlling blades already filled with mana, the consumption was low, but it required a mystifying level of mental fortitude and understanding.
*Could I do it?* He tried it without any practice, yet it manifested with incredible ease.
Perhaps it was something only Loan could do.
The watching seniors began to murmur.
"Psychokinesis is 1st-Circle, right?"
"How is that 1st-Circle magic? The depth is on another level."
"To think he's using that much mana just to fly some blades around..."
"If he could just imbue those with Aura, you could call him an Expert-rank right now."
Like the other seniors’ whispers, Oscar also seemed quite impressed.
A faint arc formed on his lips.
"More of them now, I see."
"Yes. I received a grand welcoming gift."
"Allic's work, I presume. Did he give them a name?"
"Yes. He called them Sheville."
"Knights that protect you, is it... For that name, they're swords without any real heft. Just looking at them feels empty."
"I'm still curious myself. Which is why I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
"Yes. Could you possibly allow me the first move?"
"..."
Laughter leaked out from the onlookers at the unexpected words. The Commander laughed the loudest.
Oscar knew more about Loan than the others. He figured the boy must have something in mind and nodded in affirmation.
In an instant, the massive claymore was aimed at Loan.
The overpowering swordsmanship of the von Passau family, utilizing a giant claymore for both offense and defense.
He'd grown familiar with it after crossing swords with Lucas for five years, to the point of being sick of it.
But the aura he gave off... The father and son had fundamentally different presences.
Add to that a body that looked as solid as a golem and a piercing gaze.
Oscar made no effort to hide the aura of a conqueror who had swept through battlefields.
"You have the first move."
The words weren't very convincing coming from his flawless stance, but it had to be done.
He had to trust his opponent and give it his all.
"Then, I shall begin."
The moment he finished speaking, the twelve Sheville blades shot toward Oscar.
The blades, perfectly synchronized with the Convection and moving according to Loan's will—
—shot toward Oscar's body from all directions, each on its own trajectory, as if they were alive.
Overflowing with momentum. An unexpectedly powerful attack.
In that instant.
Oscar, holding the giant sword, also moved with incredible speed.
Instead, he charged toward Loan, using the flat of his broadsword to swat away the two Sheville blades coming from the front with a *ting*.
A speed so fast there was no time to change their trajectory.
Just as the sharp blades were about to pierce Oscar's shoulder, back, neck, waist, and legs.
*CRASH—!*
After a powerful leap that could shatter flagstones, Oscar spun his body with his claymore, deflecting all the blades.
He couldn't find an opening. It was too fast, even though he had anticipated it by reading the flow of mana.
An explosive power that poured forth.
*'This is it.'*
An overwhelming rush.
Lacking the mana to match it, Loan could only slow his opponent down instead of speeding himself up.
He didn't even need to chant.
1st-Circle spells, cast successively by his will alone.
[Increase Weight], [Adjust Friction], [Manipulate Surface Tension].
The mana in the air pressed down on Oscar from all sides. For a moment, his speed slackened as if time itself had slowed.
Loan concentrated the mana circulating in his body into his lower half and quickly created distance.
Simultaneously, toward the scattered Sheville blades—
—he cast [Shift Convection], [Correct Trajectory], [Control Flow], [Reinforce Cohesion].
With the Sheville blades combined into a form like the segments of a centipede or the sections of a whip—
*CLANG—!*
—he blocked Oscar's strike.
The sword's path was subtly altered, and its power, diminished by the deceleration, wasn't at its full strength.
Even so, it wasn't enough.
The Sheville blades scattered from the impact, flying about chaotically once more, while Oscar, reverse-spinning from the recoil, used that momentum to swing his sword again.
An incomprehensible chain of attacks.
There was no room to dodge. Nor did he have the ability to do so. Therefore.
*Fwoosh—*
He could only close the distance instead.
Loan pushed himself into the large radius drawn by the claymore, toward the central axis of the massive sword.
At the same time, a fist-sized fireball bloomed from his palm and shot up toward Oscar's chin.
*Poof—!*
Oscar reflexively let go of the sword with one hand and blocked the fireball with his palm. At the same time, the hand still holding the sword—
*Screeeeech—*
—was ground against by the twelve Sheville blades as they scraped along the claymore's blade.
The sword's trajectory, barely halted—
"Well now..."
—and Oscar, right in front of Loan, with a troubled expression.
The smell of something burning suddenly wafted over.
One tip of his mustache was singed.
Without thinking, Loan straightened up and bowed his head deeply.
"Ah... I apologize."
"This is a spar. Nothing to apologize for."
"Then, again."
As Loan took another step back.
Oscar, who had been watching him, let out a chuckle.
And then.
"Ahahahaha! Vice-Commander, what's with that look?"
"He's not Mustache Oscar anymore, he's Half-Stache Oscar, isn't he?"
"Is that really Oz? I don't know what I just saw."
"They said this year's top graduate from the Union was a once-in-a-generation genius. The rumors weren't just talk."
"He's still green. Reducing the fireball's power was being overly polite."
Some were busy teasing Oscar, while others, with faces full of astonishment, were critiquing Loan.
Sienna, caught somewhere between surprise and satisfaction, let out an awkward laugh.
Loan glanced at Oscar, but he had already lowered his sword long ago, seemingly with no intention of continuing.
The commotion naturally died down when Commander Adrian spoke.
"Loan. May I have a look?"
Loan sheathed his Sheville blades and walked to the Commander.
"Your movements are very interesting. Both your magic and the way you handle your swords."
"Interesting?"
The Governor-General and now the Commander had both called him interesting. Loan tilted his head slightly.
The Commander even bent down, bringing his face close, and meticulously examined Loan from head to toe.
A sort of resolute playfulness, perhaps.
The Commander asked.
"What did you think of the Vice-Commander?"
"His swordsmanship?"
"Yes."
"His flow is fluid, yet each and every attack is incredibly fierce."
"Are you saying that you, who blocked and dodged those fluid attacks, are even more amazing?"
"Not at all. I was just barely keeping up."
"It wasn't quite like that. It was natural, as if without calculation, I'd say."
"Was I?"
"You have a sly side to you. It seemed like you had an epiphany."
"Ah..."
"You closed the distance on purpose, but in truth, it was no different from giving him space, so you must have been frustrated."
"..."
*How did he know what I felt, alone, in that brief moment?*
The Commander, watching Loan's flustered expression with amusement, gently stroked his head.
"Still, I praise you. You did well."
"Did I?"
"Given the nature of our division, the Faith Division must be strong at improvising. We don't just try to suppress with force. In that sense, you'll be a good fit for the Faith Division."
"Even though all I did was realize my own shortcomings?"
Seeing Loan unable to hold back his question, the Commander let out a short laugh.
"So you're ambitious."
"Yes. I want to learn how to use my body."
"No need to be hasty. Like you said, you're full of nothing but shortcomings."
"Yes..."
"It seems Diego taught you very well. Your fundamentals are solid, but you have no clumsy or bad habits. Your vessel is well-polished, so to speak."
If Diego heard this, he might suspect he was being mocked.
But for Loan, he felt a little relieved, thinking that the five years he'd spent hadn't been in vain.
The Commander continued.
"It's a curious thing, to be so well-polished yet have so much to be taught. Don't you all agree?"
As if their mouths had been itching to speak, they all rushed to chime in.
Most were suggestions to spar, or offers to teach him their unique swordsmanship and special techniques.
Loan bowed politely to his seniors.
The welcome felt quite extravagant.
The Commander said.
"Your dilemma. You'll need a partner to solve it. And I have just the person. Sienna."
"Yes, Commander."
Sienna suddenly appeared before the Commander.
"It's time you stopped carrying Loan on your back."
"Commander, what do you mean by that..."
"Teach him to walk, starting with his first steps, so you two can move together."
"...Understood."
"From what?"
"From his first steps."
"Good. That's settled for Loan. Who's the next recruit?"
Lucas hesitantly stepped forward.
Once again, Oscar appeared on the training ground, his claymore resting on his shoulder.
"Oscar, Vice-Commander of the Faith Division."
"..."
His son, standing opposite him. The color drained from Lucas's face.
***
A private training ground of the Faith Division.
A space used for secretly training secret techniques and the like.
So, there would usually be only one person, but today, there were two.
"If you got new weapons, you should have gotten new sheaths too."
Sienna said, glancing at Loan's waist.
The number of sword fragments had increased to twelve.
To match, small sheaths were attached to his belt. Eleven of them had come with the blades, but one was the same one Sienna had given him.
Loan had attached the one Sienna gave him to the front right side, where it was most visible.
"This one is the best. In fact, I was thinking of asking you to make me a few more, senior."
"Don't get any ideas about asking me for eleven more."
Her words were harsh, but reading her expression and her mana, she seemed to be in a rather good mood.
Loan, too, was happy to be talking with Sienna after so long.
Seeing Loan smile, Sienna's expression turned serious as she spoke.
"Wipe that smile off your face. What the Commander said about teaching you from your first steps wasn't a joke."
"Mm... yes. I think he read my mind. Still, saying you raised me on your back was a bit much. You did let me ride behind you on horseback, but..."
Sienna narrowed her eyes and said.
"You're hung up on the strangest things."
"But it's true, isn't it?"
"You came this far on your own. Both senior Diego and I thought it would be best for you to focus on magic for the time being. We also left you alone on purpose so you wouldn't pick up any bad habits."
"Thank you. Thanks to your consideration, I was able to come to the Union."
At Loan's polite gratitude, Sienna frowned slightly and took a step back.
"You... you're being distant. And you sound so stiff."
"Am I...?"
"Yes."
"But you really are my senior now. And I'm a member of the Union and an adult."
"..."
Sienna gave an unnecessary cough before speaking.
"Just cut it out. You're being so polite it's creepy."
"Yes, senior."
"Alright, get into your stance. Let's really start over, from your first steps."
Sienna turned and walked away, putting distance between herself and Loan.
A small smile was playing on her face.