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Chapter 45
Chapter 45
All duels were conducted under the presence of the Knight Captains.
The confrontation between Joshua and Leo was the fourth match.
“Worse than I thought...”
“Pathetic.”
W̌ e b̂ nо̀v̀el Еn ûm̀ ӑ
Contrary to the expectation that they could grasp the level of each group.
The matches ended absurdly time after time.
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When it was announced that the duels would be fought with real blades, a stir grew among the participants.
They were the people from the Merchant Guild and the Vigilante group.
They ran to their leaders and complained that they stood no chance.
After several minutes of bickering, they turned back with faces marked by certain defeat.
En ù mа .і̂ d
Thus began the first match.
The boy from the Vigilante group threw away his sword and raised a white flag.
As the win and loss were decided before anything could even be contested, sighs escaped from all around.
“Now the only thing left to trust is the fight between the knighthoods.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Derek, who presided over the judgment of victory and defeat, muttered lowly.
He placed his hope on the fourth match.
Ẅе̄ b̈ ňо v̀_е̃l Е̄n û ṁа̌
The boys whose turn had arrived stepped onto the white line someone had drawn.
“It’s still not too late to give up.”
Leonard replied with a look of displeasure.
“Concentrate. If you don't, you'll be the one collapsing in an unsightly manner.”
“...Foolish bastard.”
The two took their stances.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Leonard raised his sword in a posture based on chivalry and saluted.
Joshua pulled out and held his club.
The watching spectators chattered that there was a severe difference starting from the weapons of the two.
“Look at that longsword.”
“Impressive. As expected of the son of the Conrad family.”
Leo’s sword emitted a faint luster, as if it had inherited the color of the ore used as its material.
Еń u̇m̄ а́. id̈
It was a beautiful turquoise color that even someone uninterested in weapons would fall for.
The blade was well-refined, and the surface flowed smoothly.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
That was the boy's pride.
When he held a sword, he approached the battlefield with an infinitely serious expression.
The mindset with which he treated this duel was also no different from usual.
Even if the opponent was a boy who was nothing more than a failing student and not a noble.
Ѐn um а
“On the other hand, look at that. That boy's club is truly a mess.”
“How on earth has he been using it?”
Bloodstains and sticky saliva were entangled on Joshua's club.
It was a thing so horrific that people frowned and avoided it at a glance.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
As if its lifespan as a weapon was nearly over, it was distorted with scratches and cracks in various places.
Contrasted with the boy's sword.
Е ñ umȧ.id
His club looked infinitely shabby.
“...How many must one kill for it to end up like that.”
Derek muttered lowly.
While most were busy mocking Joshua's weapon.
A few, including him, thought in a different direction.
To leave traces so vivid on a club, a couple of zombies wouldn't be enough.
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At least ten.
Perhaps even more would be needed.
If that club wasn't something picked up but a tool he had been using.
His practical experience wouldn't be comparable to that of other students.
“The fight continues until the opponent admits defeat or I stop it. Then, start!”
With Derek's signal, Leo adjusted his stance.
Wеb no v̇è l̂ Е ǹ u ma
He kicked off the ground with legs full of power and dug into Joshua's flank.
He quickly checked the opponent's gaze.
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Surprisingly, he was reading his direction.
However, the club in his hand remained pointed downward without a sign of movement.
Leo was certain.
That he was a step above in terms of physical level.
Е n̈ ǔ ḿ а .і d
Even if one read the movement, it was useless if they couldn't react to it.
He swung his sword forcefully as he had warned at first.
“Ugh!”
A severe impact was transmitted to his fingertips along with a strong crushing sound.
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His hand felt as if it were seizing up, making it agonizing just to grip the sword hilt.
What was that?
Ӗn u m̄ ӑ
There was no need to put that question into words.
It was [Shield].
As if sunlight were concentrated in one spot.
A kite-shaped shield brimming with holy energy.
It completely surrounded one side of Joshua like a shell.
“Since I'm a mage, I can do things like this too.”
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Leo widened the distance.
The boy's mind was confused.
Knights didn't learn magic, but they learned about the methods to face it.
He recalled the teachings his instructor had given him.
‘There will be no human within the Academy who can deploy magic in response to your attack. It won't be too late to worry about that after you graduate from here.’
Liar!
Е n ů m̃ а̂
Is there not one standing right here?
An Academy student who can deploy magic in response to movement.
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He composed his thoughts.
There were two choices that came to mind immediately.
The first was to break the shield.
The second was to dig into the blind spot that the shield couldn't protect.
Ѐn ü m ä
Leo felt a sudden sensation of his throat getting hot.
If one had a thought.
One just had to act according to that thought.
It was a logic so simple that even a five-year-old child could put it into practice.
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Yet his ankles were heavy as if lead weights were hanging from them.
Why?
Е̊n ū m а . і d̂
The boy looked down at the hand that was holding the sword and realized the reason.
He was trembling.
He had experienced something similar to this exactly once in the past.
It was when he had entered the forest of the fief alone and faced a fully grown bear.
It was a situation where he would have surely died if not for the escort knight who followed.
The memory of that time settled as a trauma.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
However, it had never once become a problem until now.
Even when he met the top student in his year and felt the difference in skill.
His spine had not been this cold.
Leo couldn't accept the feeling of fear and used it as nourishment for anger.
“Impossible! It can't be.”
He moved once again with a shout close to a cry.
Е nŭm̄ а́ . і́ d́
He intended to test every thought that came to mind.
First, breaking the [Shield].
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Utilizing speed, he poured out strikes without distinguishing between up, down, left, or right.
At some point, the boy stopped swinging his sword and took a step back.
The [Shield] was perfectly fine.
To be precise, even if scratches occurred, the broken parts were restored in an instant.
Еňü m̈а
A marvel of mana control.
An exclamation was heard from somewhere.
A sweet voice as if honey were layered over a slightly high tone.
It was Adela.
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As if responding to her admiration, others also began to re-interpret the scene before them.
Leo closed his ears.
W_е b̆ṅ o v̌е l̈ Е̄ n̂ u m̈а̀
A strange situation where his name wasn't called from the spectator seats.
Anxiety made his breathing rough.
“How long are you planning to just hide behind the shield! Try doing something called an attack.”
Joshua didn't budge even at his provocation.
Whether he judged it wasn't worth it.
Whether it meant he would stick to the original plan.
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Leo ran desperately toward the back, which he couldn't block with the shield.
As he went around by sliding to the right.
Joshua also turned his body to the left.
Then the [Shield] deployed in front of him also changed direction following its master.
Without getting flustered, he thrust his sword.
The sword was blocked by the edge of the shield and bounced away.
W е̇ b́ n̄о vеl̊ Ē n ùmа
Due to the impact of being bounced, his upper body tilted back greatly, and he was pushed back regardless of his will.
Fortunately, his back touched a large rock in the place he was pushed to.
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If not for this rock, he would have almost fallen ridiculously.
“You told me to try an attack. You, have you ever been hit by a shield?”
Joshua, who had been silent for a long time, finally opened his mouth.
He seemed to be conscious of the question from earlier.
Е n̂ um̃а. ǐ.d
“A few times during training.”
“It'll be very different from that, but try taking a hit for now.”
Joshua reached out his hand.
The next moment.
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The giant-like shield seemed to wriggle and then charged forward.
He had to avoid it.
E̊ nûm̆ а . і̂ d́
His body and consciousness were seized by a single thought and felt a strong impulse for survival.
When he came to his senses, he was collapsed on the ground.
Inwardly, he wanted to just faint like this and stand up after everything was over.
But he had to stand up.
Knight Captain Derek didn't give any signal as if to continue the duel.
He was just staring blankly at a certain spot with dazed eyes.
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He turned his head in the same direction.
“...Haha.”
Leo let out a hollow laugh like a man who had lost his mind.
The shield Joshua launched had gouged the ground and flattened everything that was in a straight line.
Even the rock that had been supporting his back.
It was shattered into pieces by his magic, and only fragments that looked like its remains scattered like dust.
Е̄ n̄u mа̂
He couldn't win.
The fear he had felt vaguely a moment ago became increasingly clear and tightened around his heart.
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“Get up.”
While his head was turned.
Joshua, who had approached nearby, grabbed his collar and pulled him up with force.
He stood up wobbling, unable to resist his touch.
Е̂ nu ṁ а
Dizziness rushed in.
His head throbbed so much that it was even a struggle to keep his eyes open.
“You can use Aura, right?”
Joshua whispered in his ear.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
All the surrounding sounds were blocked out and the thumping of his heart rang loudly.
Aura.
Ё num а̊ . і̀ḋ
A natural energy of living creatures similar to a mage's mana.
However, unlike mana, it wasn't something all knights could use.
Those who manifested it were extremely few.
Whether one could handle Aura or not was used as a yardstick for talent.
Leo intended to reveal it in front of many people when the time was right.
“What did you just say?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I know you aren't just at this level. So don't disappoint me.”
Joshua thrust a fist into his abdomen.
For a mage, the impact was quite sharp.
The contents inside his belly churned in his stomach.
After letting out an unsightly dry heave.
With a feeling of asking for mercy, he firmly grabbed his shoulder.
Е ń ŭ m̃ а̇ ._ĩ d
“I lo... urgh!”
Thwack!
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The moment he tried to declare defeat.
Joshua struck his jaw.
His body was thrown onto the ground, and dirt and sand were sucked into his mouth.
Without even the leisure to spit that out, Joshua grabbed his collar and lifted his upper body.
Е n̊.ům а.і d
It was clearly a strike.
There was no mount position more excellent than this.
He quickly crossed both hands and took a defensive posture.
However, contrary to expectation, he suddenly began to pull the clothes he was wearing.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“What are you trying to do.”
“You'll know once you see.”
Е̇ nůmӑ.і d
The tunic shirt he was wearing was torn by his touch.
Leo realized the intention belatedly.
It was his back.
It must absolutely not happen.
If it did, he would have to reveal the traces on his back to everyone.
“How did you know?”
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“After seeing the morning training.”
“Stop, I'm asking you.”
“You're wrong. If you were a more proper version of yourself, you should've looked down on me here.”
Leo knitted his brows.
He spoke as if he knew him.
But he had no memory of meeting him.
È ǹ u mа̄
We only knew each other through rumors that came down from other people's mouths.
Why must he be negated by an apprentice mage who is a first-time acquaintance?
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He couldn't tell.
Yet his words somehow gouged his heart.
“I get that your body is like that, but even your heart has grown weak.”
Joshua replied pathetically and finally pulled him upward.
Ӗñ ů mа
The wounds on his back were visible just as they were.
Flesh was burst, pus had formed, and he had been hit again before scabs could settle.
The wounds that had successfully become scars by luck were long shapes as if snakes were clinging to him.
It was a humiliation.
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On the other hand, there was also a feeling of relief.
He had endured the pain secretly so as not to be caught by anyone.
E̊n̊um̄ ӑ
It felt more plausible as a justification for it to be revealed by someone else's hand instead.
“...What is that?”
“He was fighting while carrying such injuries?”
“That's not from a monster.”
People murmured.
The wounds left on Leo's back.
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Those were traces of whipping.
Because whips were often favored when handling slaves or punishing servants.
It was a wound familiar to nobles.
Leo was a noble, and the person who could punish such a boy was also a noble.
The gazes of everyone who was deducing a suspect gathered in one place.
It was Carius, the Captain of the Sunlight Knights.
Ӗn um а́
“Don't tell me, Sir Carius. It's not you, right?”
“It seems some explanation is needed.”
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Carius was trembling with a flushed face.
“...Don't frame an innocent person. I have no knowledge of this!”
Leo stared at him with a flustered face.
He didn't feel it was unfair to have been beaten by him.
W̊ e b́nо̃ v е̇l Е̊n̄.ūm̈ ä
It wasn't a strange thing for a knight to be struck during the process of being educated.
There were countless people who talked about that as a tradition of the past.
As such, he had also been prepared.
However...
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
It was unendurably disgusting that the human who had promised his appointment in the future was denying the beating.
He ground his teeth.
Е n u̇ m̈ а̇
It felt like the link with him was breaking.
“Where are you glaring! I expected much because they said you're a top apprentice in the Academy, but it's disappointing.”
Carius shamelessly pointed his finger at Leo.
As his attitude became more fierce, the gazes from the surroundings weren't pleasant either.
Whether he knew that fact or not.
Or whether he intended to drown it out with the sound of shouting.
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He put strength into his voice criticizing Leonard.
“Is it enough now?”
Leo said while looking at Joshua.
He still had a face that wasn't satisfied.
“Enough? You haven't shown the Aura yet.”
“Don't tell me, the reason you gave me shame by revealing these wounds are?”
Е̃_ñ ũm а̌
“I thought you'd show it if you got angry.”
“You’re crazy.”
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Leo shook off his arm.
Fine.
If that's what you wish for so much, I'll show you.
His secret technique he had polished for three years.
È ñ ũm̈а . їd
A soaring Sword Qi that contained Aura.
Squeezing out his last soul-deep strength, he pulled back the sword held with both hands.
Then he gathered Aura throughout his whole body.
The sword that absorbed the Aura glowed more brightly than ever.
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“First Secret Sword Art, Light Bird!”
He swung the sword with all his might.
Е n̄ um̀ а
The distance with Joshua was a position the sword couldn't reach.
However, it didn't matter with this attack.
The Aura extending from the sword cut through the air in the form of a sharp blade.
Bang! The shield Joshua pulled out and the Sword Qi collided.
A sound so loud it made his ears ring.
“...It's impossible even with this?”
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The Sword Qi cut the shield.
But it was three spans short of reaching Joshua.
Now he truly had no strength left.
He only avoided collapsing by using the sword as a support.
“It's not bad. It seems it can be fixed up and used.”
Only after he showed the Aura did the one who had been indifferent until now wear a satisfied expression.
Е̌ n.û mӓ.і d̃
As if an examiner were grading a student.
Even with that excessively arrogant attitude right in front of him.
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Strangely, it didn't feel bad.
“Hey, Novice.”
“My name isn't Novice.”
“Then tell me your name.”
Е ǹ u m а̄
“You should know it from the rumors, right?”
“I'm saying I want to hear it from you directly.”
Joshua wore a disinterested expression and then finally opened his mouth.
“It's Joshua.”
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“Right, Joshua. Let me ask just one thing.”
His mind was complicated, but there was only one thing he wanted to ask him.
Ên̆ ǔ m̊ а_.іd̆
“Do I look weak to you?”
“I thought so at first, but I knew after fighting. As expected, you are the Leonard Conrad I know.”
Leo smiled and closed his eyes.
He thought, as he surrendered his body to the rushing weariness.
That this duel had been played within Joshua's grasp from the very beginning.
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