Chapter 6: It's a Self-Defense Technique.
Haren.
The man who bore the title of Renya's older brother sized up the man before him. Distinctive gray hair, neatly pressed uniform. His build didn't look like that of a warrior. Nor did he seem to possess abundant mana.
By Haren's standards, the man before him was weak.
From the outer appearance of strength, it seemed like a robust body inside, but in the end, the body meant nothing before mana.
Aaron moved first. His gloved hand drew a line.
A mage? Considering the total amount of mana, the level wouldn't be high.
Moreover, the space wasn't wide enough for a mage to maintain distance. Even now, just three steps and the sword would reach. Haren thought it was natural to believe he couldn't lose.
As the lines of the spell began to form, Haren didn't stay still. He stepped forward and thrust his sword. A swift and concise movement.
It was the kind a mage couldn't block. To block, the magic would have to manifest. Contrary to Haren's expectation, the scene that unfolded was unexpected.
A sharp attack aimed at the shoulder was blocked by Aaron's hand back. A metallic sound rang from the leather-looking glove.
'Isn't this glove ordinary?'
The graceful movement and outstanding reaction speed when blocking the sword showed that the man before him wasn't someone who had clumsily learned martial arts.
Even so, the main force was magic. Martial arts would be for self-defense.
No change in response. If he couldn't use magic, there would be no variables. Not accurate, but the overall level was clear.
On the surface, he acted like a noble with all sorts of pretensions, but in reality, he was an empty shell. No need to be cautious.
He raised mana and strengthened his body. This strike would fall. He drew the sword again.
─ Clang!
Why? A scratching sound echoed with Haren's single line of thought.
─ Kki, kki kki...
The gray man's hand approached along the sword blade. The distance began to narrow. A mage narrowing distance against a swordsman? It didn't make sense logically.
Haren, hiding his confused emotions, tried to widen the distance. He tried to do that.
"You think you're mocking me, knight."
The distance that should have been one step away had narrowed to two steps.
"Running away from a mage."
A fist with no mana at all approached. Even if hit, it didn't look fatal. The thought arose to give flesh and take bones. But instinct warned. Haren caught the fist with his left hand.
Even though the body was strengthened with mana, a tingling shock rose in the arm. If he allowed the attack, it would be powerful enough to immediately seize the initiative.
He pulled the hand and tried to knee the man's stomach. But Aaron's action was faster.
Haren's arm was used as a fulcrum, hand raised, body rising. The weight would rest on only one hand and unstable arm. Nevertheless, the flying kick was perfectly stable.
Unbelievable balance sense. Slow reaction to the attack pattern seen for the first time. Slowly, he covered his head. With the sensation of the brain shaking, the body was pushed.
Oops, he gave the mage the distance. When he focused, he was already drawing the spell. Too late to block.
It's fine. Even if magic manifests, it was something that could be blocked. Since space was narrow, there were many opportunities.
As the rune was formed, Haren tensed his body and prepared for attack. But contrary to expectation, nothing like fire flying.
[Uruz (uruz)] - Grant me strength befitting a warrior.
It was a magic to raise strength.
"What are you tense about? Space and conditions are on your side, knight. Run with confidence."
Arrogance? Regardless of the reason, it was good for him. He raised the sword and charged again. This time, using aura, a clear sword qi enveloped the sword.
[Haren Style 4th Form]
A steady yet fast successive attacks poured towards Aaron. Aaron let all the swords enveloped in sword qi flow. No mana consumed there. Haren's pupils shook.
Is it possible? Can I do it? The answer to self-question was impossible.
"Again, I ask."
Aaron Patrick's voice came heavily.
"Do you have the confidence to beat me?"
Haren didn't answer.
It was coincidence, if he didn't think that way, he would have been broken even in front of his sister.
A line was drawn in the air. A spell. Considering the fast manifestation of magic seen for the first time, he quickly thrust the sword.
Again, the sword attacked without pause, and Aaron's hand continued to let it flow. But the construction of the spell didn't stop. Blocking with one hand while continuing to draw runes with the other.
Haren thought. Whether to manifest magic and block, or to throw a winning move now.
Even with martial arts alone, this level. The main magic level had more danger. Haren decided to throw a winning move.
[Haren Style 2nd Form]
He retrieved the sword and tried to unfold the form.
"From the beginning."
A faint smile appeared in Haren's pupils at Aaron Patrick.
"I had no intention of winning with magic."
The form didn't unfold. A hand was in front of the path the sword should go. The hand that was drawing the rune.
It was a mistake. Aaron's fist properly hit Haren's stomach. It was a scene signaling the moment balance broke.
"Cough! Cough!"
Just allowing a mage's fist, his ribs cracked. He couldn't breathe properly.
From the exchange just now, he could understand. The man before him was an existence he couldn't do anything about.
Haren saw his sister looking at him with worried eyes. For his sister, he decided the conclusion of a fight with no chance of winning.
Aaron stopped him from standing up.
"The match is already over. Anything more is meaningless."
"Huu."
"...Your spirit is good. Different from your rotten sister."
"The sister is greater than me. Don't insult."
To the insult towards his sister, Haren gathered all the mana in his body.
"Interesting."
As if acknowledging his belief, Aaron drew the rune.
Since the opponent was an unknown whether he would win even if he poured all power. Blocking rune magic clumsily from the recent experience was not good. Rather, it had a high chance of psychologically demoralizing. So, go head-on.
The sword honed for the sake of his poor sister. So far proven as undefeated, but today, who knew.
Still, Haren made up his mind not to be broken by the man before him.
It wasn't time to lose yet.
[Haren Style 1st Form]
A simple slash with no skill. The level where he had swung it steadily without a master until now. It didn't mean the power of the form was weak.
Steadfast, the blood and sweat for the sake of one family was strong.
Just.
The opponent was too good.
[Laguz (laguz)] - Grant me eyes to see the flow.
Aaron Patrick shattered Haren's life head-on.
*
Aaron Patrick sincerely admired the man lying on the floor.
"Excellent."
The last sword.
The sword that captured the man's appearance of being stubbornly too much.
Lack of experience was a flaw, but it was a problem time would solve. He also liked the stubborn personality. If he didn't get in the way, he would become a solid ally like Sebastian.
"Kuu..."
Is he trying to move again for the sake of his sister. Excellent will.
But if he moved his body any more, the man's life would be in danger. Aaron placed his foot on the arm and stepped on it. The type that doesn't listen to persuasion.
"Stop!"
Renya shouted urgently, but Aaron's foot mercilessly crushed the man's arm.
─ Crack.
With a creepy sound, the man writhed his body.
"Please, stop... We were wrong!"
Renya's face was swollen from crying too much. Without knowing the worry for his sister, this man kept trying to stand up.
Aaron clicked his tongue.
"You brought this upon yourself."
He broke the remaining arm and leg so he couldn't move anymore.
"Huek!"
"It must be quite painful, but you endure well. Definitely a good talent."
Renya knelt and grabbed Aaron Patrick's ankle. The lofty and arrogant appearance from the beginning didn't exist at all.
"The only brother... P-please stop. We were wrong."
"Hey, Young Master? Isn't it too much... "
Suddenly, he was suspected of having personality by the Demon King's daughter. It was a measure to save this man's life.
"Apology alone isn't enough."
"Th-that! I'll do as you said! I'll discipline the kids in my territory! Is that enough?!"
"Don't divide the profits from this back alley either."
"What?! You're changing the subject!"
He grabbed Renya's chin with the glove stained with his brother's blood.
"You should know the situation has changed."
"I-I know! I'll give you what you want! Is that enough?!"
With the negotiation concluded, Aaron turned his back with satisfaction. The moment he turned, a blade protruded from the tip of Renya's shoe. At the moment of stabbing towards his vital point.
"You underestimate my maid too much."
The entire right foot with the blade froze. With no last-ditch effort possible, despair struck Renya's eyes.
"You have to be careful. If not, I almost died pretending to be cool."
"I just wanted to see the skills of the top student. I could have blocked it if I wanted."
Aaron sat on the chair and looked down on them.
"Then, let's start the settlement."