Knight's training ground.
The knights, who had been training for a while, spread apart in a line seeing the arrival of the lord and party who arrived with Jonathan in the lead.
*chuck.*
"We greet the Lord."
"We greet the Lord."
Dmitry family.
In terms of the entire Cairo kingdom, it is only a small estate on the outskirts, but the status of the Dmitry family within the territory is great.
In particular, the treatment received by the Knights of Dmitry is the highest in the area.
People's respect for Baron was evident just by looking at the knights who formed the ranks in perfect harmony.
Commander of the Knights Jonathan.
He came forward and said, "From now on, we are going to conduct a swordsmanship battle with Master Roman. Whoever wish to have a 'Dalian' shall come forward."
"....."
There was no hope.
Jonathan's words were so sudden, the knights glanced at each other with puzzled expressions.
It was natural.
The opponent is Roman Dmitry.
Even if you win, there is no merit, and if you lose, you have to worry about being expelled from the Knights Templar.
Apart from their respect for Baron Romero, nobody wanted to be a puppet at his son's banter.
"If there is no-one coming out, I will choose the opponent."
Jonathan's eyes scanned the knights.
The Dmitry Knights consist of 15 people, excluding the leader.
Actually, it's a Knights Templar, but only two people, including Jonathan, actually received the knighthood.
The remaining 14 figures were, on paper, commoners. Of course, they hoped for a knighthood, but their skills were still lacking in many areas.
The problem was now.
If it was Roman, it would be okay to call anyone, but Roman, who had changed, Jonathan could not understand the limit.
'You can't see the Knights of Dmitry being attacked by the master. Therefore, the master's opponent must be a strong person who can completely subdue the master. Only then will we be able to confirm the true skill of Master Roman, who said that he saved the prestige of the Knights and defeated the Blood Fang.'
'In fact, I want to go out and see it in person.'
However, the knight commander was not in a position to draw a sword recklessly, and he had no choice but to swallow his regret.
So, he made a decision
From the moment when Baron Romero's proposal was accepted, Roman's opponent was decided.
"Chris, forward."
"Yes?"
The blond handsome man distorted his expression at Jonathan's call.
Chris.
He doubted his ears.
It's not like any other general knight, but calling himself the deputy commander of the Dmitry Knights.
"I don't think it's something that I should be doing."
Disobedience is a very important issue.
Normally, Chris would have obeyed unconditionally, but this time, he could not accept the order.
The reason was simple.
The opponent is Roman.
Even Chris, who truly loved Dmitry's people, was terrified of Roman, Dmitry's idiot.
'Even if it wasn't just the lord's child.'
Once, Chris had one incident involving Roman. A violent incident broke out in the nightlife, and the protagonist of the incident was Roman Dmitry. Roman was making a fuss with his drunken appearance, and Dmitry's eldest name meant that no one could touch him. When people were moving their feet thinking what to do. Chris, who was on patrol with the guards, found the scene. He needed to solve the problem of the territory, and while he was trying to solve the problem with Roman with a respectful attitude, he suddenly got a hot shock at his cheek.
*slap*
He was hit at his cheek.
Seeing Roman in his drunk state screaming at everyone asking who dared touch his noble body, Chris genuinely had the urge to kill.
But he endured.
Roman Dmitry.
'He's a real fucker, but a man with the last name of Dmitry.'
Chris showed the utmost patience and passed the case safely, but from then on, he hated Roman Dmitry enough for a vein to pop out on his forehead whenever he saw Roman doing his bloody ugly antics giving him the urge to kill Roman then and there.
And even Captain Jonathan didn't know about it.
Naturally, he thought he would be excluded from the competition, but inevitably, when he chose himself, a voice of protest came out.
Jonathan said, "Master Roman is strong enough to defeat Blood Fang alone. In order to compete on an equal footing, a competent person must come forward, and the person who can represent the Knights of Dmitry is you Chris."
"The Blood Fang incident? Really?"
Chris.
Jonathan's expression hardened.
It meant that complaints will not be accepted.
Chris bowed his head.
'Damn it.'
Roman's deeds had already become famous among knights.
There was debate as to whether Roman really possessed such great force as to have dealt with Blood Fang, but Chris adamantly said no.
'Haven't you experienced it yourself? Just two years ago, I was slapped in the face by Roman, and that was the strength of an ordinary person who had never trained with a sword.'
Win or lose?
He wasn't worried about that.
However, he wanted to do it properly even if it was a mock battle.
"Please hold on a moment, I have a proposal."
"Speak."
"I was taught to treat any duel as a real battle when swords are involved. And no matter who my opponent is, I don't plan on showing them mercy. If you allow this then I will gladly take up the honor of dueling against the young master."
'There's no way that idiot defeated Blood Fang himself. I'll teach you a lesson with this opportunity.'
*glance*
Jonathan gazed towards Baron Romero.
As he nodded, Jonathan confirmed Roman's will.
But,
'You're laughing, you bastard?', Chris who saw Roman smirking had to bite his lips to hold back his anger.
Roman laughed.
A tacit consent.
It was a reaction that properly touched Chris' heart.
Chris has a concept.
Roman is Dmitry's successor.
In front of the lord he served, he had no intention of destroying him horribly.
But.
In a single laugh, reason flew away.
'This bastard.'
Contrary to his appearance that he could not even wield a sword properly, he was called Dmitry's best talented youth.
A man who sees the end once he sticks.
People were worried about Roman's well-being against a too powerful opponent.
On the platform, two men with wooden swords faced each other.
"Ready! Start!"
The signal went down.
*tuk* *whoosh*
Chris, who had been waiting for the signal with his hind legs twitching, immediately slammed into the ground at Jonathan's signal.
*tap*
'I'll show you the difference in level.'
It was a great speed.
Chris closed the distance with Roman in an instant, and in the blink of an eye of the onlookers, he swung his sword towards Roman's forearm.
"Chris is really strong, isn't he?"
"Chris is really going all out!?"
It was an attack that dug at the opponent's vital point.
Thinking that Roman would not be able to prevent such a sudden and quick attack, he chose a part that would not be a problem even if Roman was injured a little bit.
But,
*thwak*
'what?!'
Repulsive force transmitted from the hand.
The eyes of Roman and Chris intertwined in the air.
At the sight of Roman, who does not waver even in the face of a surprise attack, Chris instantly got goosebumps.
*swish!*
Quick recovery, in the subsequent attack that cuts it horizontally, Roman calmly blocked the attack this time as well.
The defense of the moment was certainly not a coincidence.
As well as the reaction force transmitted through his hands, the defense's posture was quite stable.
'Look at this.'
It was unexpected.
'I didn't know that Roman had such solid basic skills.'
'...Although this isn't how I expected him to be, what about it?'
'Right now, I will only be satisfied by beating that guy to a pulp!'
*thwack dash whoosh*
Chris felt that his temper would be relieved by defeating Roman.
*tap*
*Pak Pak Pak!*
While taking an aggressive step, he continuously swiped down attacks from above. Those who watched the fast and powerful combo attack burst into exclamation, and Roman stepped back and urgently blocked the attack. It was a good enough defense. However, the moment Roman took the fifth step back, Chris' eyes lit up.
'Now.'
*hook!*
One blow.
Chris attacked the gap.
He was sure that the attack would work this time, but the wooden sword slashed through Roman's hair in a matter of seconds.
Hair blowing in the wind.
Below that, Roman's cold eyes could be seen.
He don't know why.
Even though he couldn't properly grasp Roman's movements with the naked eye, he instinctively swung his sword to block it.
*puck!*
'how?!'
Right in front.
Roman's sword suddenly swung towards Chris's head. A powerful attack that would have ended the game as it was if it had not been blocked. Roman wasn't just good at defense. He had an excellent offensive basics, and as soon as the attack was blocked, he disappeared from Chris' view with a side step. Out of sight like flowing water, he swung his wooden sword from bottom to top. Chris caught his breath at the anomalous attack.
"Ugh..."
*hook!*
It was frustrating.
Is this Roman's skill?
He couldn't believe it even when he met it in person.
'From defense and dodging to attacking, he isn't lacking in any way. Did he really defeat the Blood Fang all by himself? At this rate, I'll...'
'Damn it, what am i even thinking about? My opponent is the moron of Dmitry! I won't loose to him in front of so many people.'
He didn't want to lose.
It was unacceptable to be defeated by no one else but by Dmitry's isiot in front of people's eyes.
"I think that was enough of a warm-up."
"Now I'll be... going first."
'!!'
*gurghh!*
'What's with his speed? He is so damn fast.'
'Damn, I'm barely holding my own just defending against his attacks. It'll get really dangerous at this rate. I need to look for an opportunity to..!!'
That was then.
*hook!*
Roman put his sword above his head to take a large swing towards Chris's head.
HIs chest was wide open.
'!!'
'There are a lot of gaps right now!'
Roman's actions were big.
The moment when Chris stepped in to attack the gap showed by Roman thinking it was the right time.
*heck.*
'!'
Roman laughed.
He knew instinctively.
The fact that this is a trap.
It was a crisis.
Seeing Roman casually dodging his attack and immediately counterattacking, Chris exploded the power he had instinctively suppressed.
*Quang!*
*Kurreung.*
Explosions that take place inside.
It was the manifestation of the aura.
Knight.
The standard to distinguish them is the aura of a star.
The power that makes humans superhuman.
As Chris showed his aura, Jonathan, who was watching, widened his eyes.
'No!'
It was dangerous.
Aura and wooden sword clash.
The result is obvious.
Not only will the wooden sword be shattered, but also, you don't know what kind of situation Roman will face in the aftermath of power.
The fact that it's not a true sword doesn't matter. It is the power of the aura that can cut through people with only a wooden sword.
His heart was pounding.
It was a mistake.
Had he known that Roman was the man who would put Chris in a corner, he should have given up his face and went on his own.
But then.
*tap.*
Roman leaped forward.
Even with a life-threatening blow in front of his eyes, he did not hesitate to move forward.
Just one step.
It did a miracle.
Roman's face was slightly cut and blood splattered, and he faced Chris's stained face which was dyed with embarrassment and astonishment.
The fight is over.
The defenseless Chris.
Even with the sword removed, Chris would have accepted the result, but Roman did not let the situation pass.
'Those who show hostility will be dealt with with certainty.'
It was the rule of heaven.
Even if he didn't kill him, he had to pay the price for trying to win the victory by threatening his life.
Quick!
"Khuuhh..?!"
A wooden sword pierced his face.
Chris, who was hit with the blow, bent his knee following the aftermath of the blow, and a few teeth were scattered all over his face, along with thick blood.
People say Chris, who is a disciple of Jonathan, a three-star knight, and who developed a two-star aura at a young age, is Dmitry's greatest genius.
He was later evaluated as a talent that would go beyond Dmitry to fame in the Kingdom of Cairo, and in Dmitry there was no other match than Jonathan.
He like that fell back on the ground.
The released pupil proved that he had lost consciousness.
*thump!*
And after that.
"What is this?!"
Jonathan's expression was stained with astonishment.