A Fool's Provocation
Your swordsmanship proficiency has increased by 1.
I was currently at the training grounds, single-mindedly swinging my sword. Though I didn't know when the duel would be scheduled, every single second was precious to me right now. My movements were intense enough to send sweat flying. A student teacher, who had been watching me, spoke up.
"You're working hard," he said.
"I have a duel coming up soon."
"A duel? With whom?"
"Young Master Lutera Edelian."
The student teacher's eyes went wide.
"Are you insane?"
"I am perfectly sane."
Why is this guy acting so friendly all of a sudden anyway? All he did was open the training ground doors for me...
"You do know about the Edelian family, the legendary house of swordsmanship, right?"
"Of course."
Looking at his face, I could tell exactly what he was thinking. He was undoubtedly thinking, What kind of crazy bastard is this?
"R-Right. Well, keep up the hard work..."
As if terrified of being associated with me, the student teacher hurriedly scurried out of the training grounds.
Seriously, is the Edelian family that terrifying? Once I become a Sword Saint later on, I'll just buy the Path of the Archmage package and establish my own family. A prestigious magic swordsman family, at that. A prestigious magic swordsman family! How cool would that be?
Just as I was swinging my sword while indulging in these silly thoughts—
"Is Hound Egil here?"
A guy with slicked-back blonde hair shouted as he entered.
"I'm right here."
"The duel has been scheduled. It will take place three days from today."
Is he Lutera Edelian's servant? He looks like a noble, though...
"I see."
"You see? Do you even realize what you've done?"
The slicked-back blonde walked over and pointed a finger right at my face.
"Not only did a piece of trash like you run wild at the entrance ceremony party, but you even dared to challenge the eldest son of the Ducal House of Edelian to a duel. Have you completely lost your mind?"
Looking at his furrowed brow and flushed face, he seemed far angrier than Lutera himself.
I tapped the tip of my wooden sword against the floor and spoke.
"So, what is it you actually want to say?"
"Ha! Listen to this impudent bastard. I'm telling you to know your place. There is still plenty of time, so withdraw on your own."
Withdraw? Not a chance. Absolutely not. I had already planned to beat Lutera Edelian to a pulp; there was no way I was going to throw away that opportunity.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of withdrawing. Because I am going to win."
At my words, the slicked-back blonde seemed to snap. He grabbed a wooden sword from the training rack.
"You arrogant fool!"
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.
"Are you planning to spar with me?"
"Indeed. I shall teach you how high the heavens truly are."
Actually, this is perfect. I lacked real combat experience and had been training alone, so I couldn't accurately gauge my current strength. This was a great opportunity. There is a famous saying: Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated. In other words, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you'll wreck them all. It sounded a bit off, but it was fundamentally correct.
"Then please, teach me a lesson."
Judging by his disciplined stance, his confidence wasn't entirely baseless. I could see lean muscles beneath his rolled-up sleeves and thick calluses on his palms. Is he from a swordsmanship family too?
With a sharp step, the slicked-back blonde gripped the wooden sword with both hands and lunged forward.
Hmm?
A red line was drawing the trajectory of his attack in real-time.
An upward slash from the upper left.
With a swift motion, I dodged his strike simply by shifting my shoulder.
"What?!"
"Your swordsmanship lacks any real feeling."
"You...!"
"Pardon me, but what family do you belong to?"
"The House of Viscount Lauren, vassals to the Ducal House of Edelian!"
Ah, no wonder. That's why he was angrier than his master. He felt his lord had been insulted.
The slicked-back blonde swung his wooden sword and rushed me again. Seeing him grit his teeth, I could practically feel his rage radiating off him. But anger and skill were two entirely different things. I easily evaded his onslaught.
"Pant, pant..."
"Do you know something?"
"Pant... What?"
"I haven't taken a single step from where I was standing."
"..."
"This is what it means to realize how high the heavens are."
I channeled my Aura into the wooden sword and swung it with all my might.
With a loud crack, the slicked-back blonde managed to block my horizontal slash, but his wooden sword shattered, and he was sent flying.
I didn't mean to hit him that hard, though.
Clutching his right arm, he trembled as he struggled to his feet.
"Y-You... what on earth did you...!"
"Uh... well. I told you, didn't I? I said I was going to win."
I hadn't expected it to be this easy... Is he just weak?
"I am a 2-Star, yet you... This strength is not something a mere commoner could possess! Did you use some kind of dark magic?!"
So he was a 2-Star? Since I'm currently a 3-Star... 4-Star might not be too far off.
"I apologize, but I am a 3-Star."
"That's exactly why it makes no sense!"
"Well, I am a Special Scholarship Student."
Did I say something wrong? The slicked-back blonde stared at me with a completely blank expression.
"Your right arm looks quite swollen. You should head to the infirmary. Shall I help support you?"
"I don't need your help! I will definitely remember you."
Clutching his right arm, he limped out of the training grounds.
Remember me, my foot. The guy got blown away in a single hit, yet his mouth was still fully functional. I guess empty vessels really do make the most noise. Well, at least I got to spar. Even if it barely qualified as one.
Still, with that red line, I might actually stand a decent chance against Lutera Edelian.
Even after the spar ended, I didn't stop swinging my sword. It was then that a maid entered the training grounds and delivered a message.
"The Lady is calling for you."
"By 'Lady,' do you mean Lady Merian, the daughter of the Marquis?"
"Yes. She has commanded you to come at once."
Come to think of it, I hadn't spoken to Micaris once since leaving the party. Claiming I did it simply because I was in a bad mood was indeed a bit hard to believe. I followed the maid to Micaris Merian.
The maid knocked gently on the door.
"My Lady, I have brought Hound Egil."
"Let him in."
When I opened the door and stepped inside, Micaris Merian was sitting with her legs crossed.
"May I ask why you have summoned me?"
"To get straight to the point... Yesterday, I was flustered and impulsively appointed you as my exclusive knight. But what is your true motive?"
"I already told you. There is no motive. I was just in a bad mood."
"Do you honestly think that is a believable answer?"
"Well... I don't really have any other reason."
Micaris stood up from her seat and raised her voice.
"There must be some kind of purpose!"
"If I had to name one... I suppose I wanted to beat up Young Master Lutera a bit. And to draw the attention away from you, My Lady."
"What on earth is that supposed to..."
Micaris shook her head and let out a deep sigh.
"Whew... You are an incomprehensible sort of person, so I will leave it at that. However, if you win this duel, I will grant you one favor within my power."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. After all, you are fighting for my sake. But if you lose, be prepared to face a corresponding punishment."
Talk about a windfall! She would grant me any one thing I wanted?
"You've certainly filled me with motivation. Is there anything else you wish to say...?"
Resting her chin in her hand, Micaris stared out the window and replied, "No. You may leave now."
"Then, excuse me..."
As soon as I left the parlor, a chuckle escaped my lips.
"Heh, heheh."
Even to my own ears, it sounded like a rather sinister laugh. One favor... what should I ask for?
No, I can't let my guard down. I haven't won yet.
The only people I had fought so far were that slicked-back blonde guy and Fenrir. I had far too little data. They say knowing your enemy and knowing yourself guarantees victory, but while I knew my opponent, I didn't truly know myself—which was the most critical part.
"..."
A great idea came to mind. I should go to the swordsmanship instructor and ask him to evaluate my skills. That way, I could accurately gauge my current level. And so, I went to find the swordsmanship instructor.
"You want swordsmanship instruction?"
"Yes. I'd like to gauge my current level through a spar."
"Why should I bother sparring with you just to tell you your level? A mere commoner practicing swordsmanship..."
The swordsmanship instructor didn't even look at me. Are commoners treated like dogs and pigs in this world? Seeing his indifferent expression, it was clear he had no intention of sparring with me, so I decided to provoke him.
"Perhaps you lack confidence?"
"What?"
The instructor's brow furrowed.
"Or are you afraid?"
I smiled and continued, "Well, it can't be helped. I'll just assume my skills are enough to terrify even an instructor."
"Do you honestly think I'd fall for such cheap provocation?"
"Judging by your expression, you've already fallen for it halfway."
Scratching his head as if everything in the world was a chore, the instructor sighed.
"Fine... Just this once, I'll let myself be swayed by your provocation."
That was surprisingly easy. I followed the instructor to the training grounds.
...
Fiddling with his wooden sword, the instructor asked, "Do you know how to use Aura?"
"Yes, I do."
"Good. Then you may use your Aura. I will not use mine."
"You seem very confident."
"I'm not at a level where I'd lose to an arrogant brat who doesn't know his place."
The instructor raised his wooden sword and took a stance.
"I'll let you have the first three attacks."
Looking at him, I noticed the balanced development of his wrists, shoulders, thighs, and calves. Seeing his well-proportioned physique reminded me of my body before transmigration. Back then, muscles like that would have been nothing to me. But that wasn't what was important right now...
I focused my attention on the instructor before me. He was definitely a professional. Unlike the slicked-back blonde guy, I couldn't find a single opening in his posture.
"What's the matter? I told you I'd let you strike first."
"..."
I channeled Aura into the wooden sword in my hand. A blue light flowed from my heart, enveloping the blade.
With a quick step, I lunged at the instructor. First, a surprise horizontal slash.
"What—?!"
With a sharp clang, the instructor met my attack with his sword and effortlessly deflected it.
"This is what you call technique."
I swung my wooden sword in rapid succession. Yet, the instructor continued to parry and deflect them with ease. Soon, our swords weren't even making solid contact anymore.
"Now, it's my turn, yes?"
In that instant, before I could even register the red line, the instructor's sword lunged right before my eyes.
"Urgh!"
I bent my waist backward, barely dodging his strike.
"I actually swung with serious intent... Your flexibility is incredible."
"I get that a lot."
Suddenly, the instructor tossed his wooden sword to the ground.
"You're not a Special Scholarship Student for nothing. Well, this is enough to pass."
"We barely did anything, and I passed?"
"Of course. What would I gain from seriously sparring with a student? Also, I apologize for looking down on you as a commoner. Judging by your Aura... are you a 3-Star?"
"Yes, that's correct."
To identify my rank just by sensing my Aura—he certainly earned his title as an instructor.
"Looking at your current level..."
The instructor scratched his chin and continued, "You won't fall behind the children of prestigious swordsmanship families."
*Only that much? Even though I bought a special package...*
"I see. Thank you for the spar."
"I look forward to your growth."
The instructor left the training grounds.
"..."
Not falling behind the children of swordsmanship families, huh...
Perhaps I had been a bit too arrogant lately. My opponent was the absolute pinnacle of a swordsmanship family, after all. I began to swing my sword even more fiercely, with far greater seriousness than before. At the same time, I began to gather my Aura. It wasn't impossible, but the mental exhaustion was absurdly high. I could feel physical fatigue accumulating in real-time. Even so, I couldn't stop. Three days was a very short time. Cold sweat poured down, soaking my clothes. I wanted to give up right then and there. Yet, I gritted my teeth and endured. Just the thought of beating up Lutera, who lacked even the most basic manners and courtesy, kept me going.
Through that brutal training, three days quickly passed.
Cheers and applause erupted for Lutera as he entered, waving to the spectator stands.
Now, it was my turn.
Unlike the reception Lutera received, only boos and jeers rained down on me. Did they really have to emphasize the 'commoner' part so much?
I looked up and spotted Micaris Merian watching from the VIP box. She observed with an expressionless face, seemingly expecting nothing from me.
I'll turn that blank look into a smile.
The duel with Lutera Edelian began.