By now, everyone in the courtyard had stopped training and a small crowd formed around us.
'Well, although I said a plan, I only need to sit back and reap the benefits.'
Let the events run their natural course. It was what I was going to do to bag the ultimate prize, Jae-sung.
"Young master is training! It's an auspicious day!" The chimpanzee spread his arms. His loud words caused more spectators to gather.
you dare….insult me…..you failure?|
Reading his ugly thoughts, I let him continue. "Would the young master allow me to help him train? As the Lionel House sword instructor, I have faith in my capabilities."
He didn't wait for my response and added the exact words I had heard from him tons of times in the past.
"But I might harm the young master by mistake if I train with him, as he is too weak." The chimpanzee chortled. "But don't worry, my nephew will help the young master by giving him a few pointers."
The crowd buzzed.
Lionel house….insult…heir?|
No respect….3rd,...heir….useless|
failure…..|
he…..crazy called his….imposters…|
Ignoring the crowd, I was looking at the chimpanzee with appreciation.
'How can you carry a conversation when I have yet to speak a single word all the while you keep insulting me? Dude, you should have been born in a modern world and become a politician with this talent.'
I genuinely felt that he was wasting his innate talent by focusing on swords. Well, this must be why he could never climb higher than the position of a sword instructor.
One of the three knights that came with our convoy, the nephew of the chimpanzee, stepped forward. "You called, Sir?"
"I did, Matthew. Could you help the young master Sol and give him a few teachings in the way of a sword?"
"It will be my pleasure, Sir."
Then, with a practiced movement, he stood in front of me.
'Wow, they are completely ignoring me, aren't they?'
The more I saw the chimpanzee, the better he seemed. He didn't let me speak until he created such a situation where, if I left without accepting the spar, it would be the same as letting him smear mud on my face.
I had no choice but to accept. However, my likelihood of victory against a knight who has trained since childhood was almost null.
The chimpanzee turned to me. "My nephew is not an ascender like me. He should be a perfect sparring partner for the young master, shouldn't he?"
"I'm thankful to the young master for sparring with me." Matthew smiled disdainfully. He understood that the reason the chimpanzee asked him to fight me was to insult me.
In other words, he had to beat me senseless, like he used to do, back in the Lionel estate.
The crowd was waiting for drama to begin.
Everyone could tell Matthew, who appeared to be around my age and a trained warrior, was stronger.
'He is in 2nd mortal awakening. His stats must average about 50 to 60. He is at least 5 times stronger, faster, and sturdier than me.'
In short, I had no chance of winning. If I fought normally, that is.
'He got me good. Or so he thinks, doesn't he?'
Nodding, I went toward the weapons racks and picked two real swords.
The crowd went into a frenzy when I threw one of the swords to Matthew. They didn't try to whisper anymore and exclaimed loudly.
"He is using a real sword in a spar!!?"
"What is Sir Sol thinking!? Isn't he known as the trash of Lionel Family!? He is putting himself in danger with a real sword!?"
"I heard that he was crazy from childhood! Maybe the rumors were true!"
"You must be correct. Or it makes no sense to not use a training sword, since Sir Sol is clearly weaker!"
The chimpanzee and his nephew grew tense at my sudden act, which completely contrasted my past actions.
"Pick the sword. Why are you hesitating?" I beckoned Matthew.
He took a moment to respond, "Young master Sol, using real swords for a spar is extremely dangerous. It might cost an injury one cannot afford."
"Don't worry about it." I added carelessly. "Since you think you are qualified to teach an heir of Lionel House, you wouldn't make a mistake like that, am I wrong?"
"Hahaha, young master is absolutely correct." He smirked. "It seems the young master has something in store for me. Though, I hope it is nothing off-putting, such as the young master, depending on a flimsy trick to win."
Both of us stood across from each other. The chimpanzee, acting as a referee, was about to start the spar, but I interrupted him.
I called out to the Vice-Commander of Viscount Darn's army, "Sir Gab, could you be the one to preside over our spar? I wouldn't want anyone to accuse Sir Chimpa…. Sir Varnish of supporting me and unfair play when I win."
Somehow, my auto translator suddenly stopped working, and I almost said chimpanzee out aloud. What a disaster avoided, phew~
The baldy, ahem, the Vice commander stepped forward, "I will be delighted to do so."
"Heh, you think you can win?" The chimpanzee muttered in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear and joined the crowd.
"As actual swords are being used, the spar will end the moment anyone makes a decisive strike." The Vice-Commander Gab nodded to me and Matthew, and yelled. "Then, begin!"
Bam–!
Matthew kicked the ground and dashed forward without waiting for a moment. His face had a cruel smile as he thought of ways to insult me.
I stood motionless, with the tip of my sword pointing to the ground.
"First lesson, always stay alert on a battlefield!"
Schwing!
Shifting my weight, I bent my back and the tip of Matthew's sword cut through the air a few inches in front of my face.
"Good!" His attacks rained like a barrage. "Next lesson, never drop your stance!"
Clang! Clang!
The echoing of metal hitting each other reverberated in the crowded courtyard.
In a short few minutes, fresh cuts appeared over my clothes. I continued dodging and blocking Matthew's strikes to the best of my ability.
Matthew's grin distorted little by little as he slowly cornered me.
When it seemed that I was able to keep up with Matthew, a powerful strike struck against my blade.
Clanngggg!!
My body skidded a few meters back, leaving a trail on the ground.
Matthew, who did not have a single drop of sweat on him unlike me, taunted. "Young master has a good stance and technique, for an amateur, that is. If he trains for a year or two, he might become unparalleled."
Sneering, he retook his stance.
His arrogant and haughty expression left no room for doubt. Those words weren't spoken with my good intentions in mind.
'It's time.'
I spoke while using
Matthew went into a daze for a moment before returning to normal. "Is the young master speaking weirdly because he hadn't taken his medicines? Heh, I guess, I'll stop holding back and end the spar early so that the young master can rest."
Baamm–!
He quickly appeared in front of me. His speed was unlike anything before. Clearly, as he said, he had been holding back.
But I was ready for him.
Schwing! x3
Suddenly, three sword slashes attacked Matthew! One from left, one from right, and one from above. Each attack was aiming for his vital points!
His eyes widened at the abrupt attack, and he was a split second late to dodge. He had no choice but to counterattack.
But Matthew suddenly stiffened. The swords were real! If he ignored the attack and counterattacked, he would be fatally injured!
In the do or die condition, his body moved on its own and he blocked… the left strike!
"No! Not th—"
Clanggg—!
A metallic echo rang!
Stupefied, Matthew was left shell-shocked. Shouldn't the left side have been a fake that I spoke about to catch him off guard?
"!!!"
He quickly retreated. Right, the spar hasn't ended!
Matthew took a few deep breaths to calm the adrenaline rush. "I..it was good, but the young master shouldn't be conceited. He merely took me by surprise thanks to his parlor trick."
Calming down, he quickly regained his confidence, "I'll come for real th—"
A loud yell cut off Matthew.
"The match has ended! Winner, Sir Sol!"
Vice Commander Gab clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention and shouted at the crowd. "The spar is finished. What are you guys gawking for? Return to your training! Viscount doesn't pay you runts to sit and waste your time!"
"It was a splendid display of meticulous planning. To win a battle before it even began, I have learned a lot from Sir Sol." The Vice Commander then bowed to me.
"Sir Gab is overestimating me. Instead, I must praise Sir Gab's timely judgment."
It took Matthew a few seconds to register our words. It didn't seem he understood why I won.
He went into an uproar. "Surely, the vice commander is jesting! He never landed a decisive strike. Surely, the last strike was dangerous, but I blocked it impeccably!"
Slap–!
Standing in front of Matthew, I didn't let him continue speaking and used
'Oh, red cheeks in first strike? Naisu!'
Finally, I had the chance to use my highest ranked skill!
"W-what are you doin-"
Slap–!
"I asked what is the mean–"
Slap–!
"St-"
Slap–!
"S-"
Slap–!
"Ple-"
Slap–!
The crisp sound continued to echo as I kept slapping his cheeks. I wasn't planning on stopping until my magic power emptied, but someone grabbed my hand.
"Sir Sword Instructor Varnish, I don't recall giving you the permission to touch me."
I glared at the chimpanzee, who was threatening me by releasing his pressure.
He tightened his grip and spoke, "Young master, abusing a knight is the same as insulting their master. As a knight of Lionel House myself, it is my duty to protect Duke Lionel's honor with my life on the line."
Nodding, I stepped back. "In that case, Sir Varnish should continue on my behalf."
"...Why?" Sensing the confidence behind my words, he hesitated.
"Matthew insulted Lionel House's family swordsmanship by calling it a 'parlor trick'. And he did that twice at that."
I spoke decisively.
"Celestial Swordsmanship was created by the Ancestor head during the Ragnarok when humanity was pushed to the brink of annihilation. The Ancestor head saved the empire and its citizens by slaying the mighty dragons with his swordsmanship." I added coldly. "Your nephew's words were no different from spitting in my ancestor's face, and every Lionel who has practiced the sword technique of our house."
Color drained from the nephew-uncle duo as the implications of their earlier actions sunk into them.
"Tell me, Matthew…" I whispered in his ears. "Your Knighthood or your head. What can you afford to lose?"
Bam—!
Matthew struck his head on the ground.
"Y..young master, please find it in your magnanimous self to forgive my mistake. The excitement from the spar made blood rush to my head, and I spoke the wrong words."
"Beheading?"
Translation: In that case, should I help you to let your blood drain from your head?
Bam—! Bam—!
He struck his head harder each time.
"P-please, young master, please."
The loss of knighthood is no different from a death sentence. A knight who has been let go by his lord would never be housed by any other lord, especially if it was a Duke household that relinquished the knight. No one wants to fall out of favor with those with authority.
If he chose to save his life, Mathew would have no choice but to become a mercenary or a bandit. Since it is easy to recognize someone who had gone through mortal awakening at a glance, anyone who meets Mathew will realize that he had been thrown away and he would never get a normal job.
Relinquishing his knighthood might seem an easy punishment, but it was social execution. Even then, in the future, he would live by putting his life on the line every day, opposite to the easy life he lived as a knight of the Lionel house.
The chimpanzee was also kowtowing.
"Young m-master, please forgive Matthew."
"Didn't I tell you something earlier?"
–I will ignore your rude actions for once, but don't expect me to be merciful again.
His eyes quivered along with his figure, recalling those words.
I stared coldly at the duo.
This wasn't the first time they attempted to insult in front of a crowd like earlier. They had done it a lot of times in the past.
Before I regained my memories, the Daemons in my household never cared for what I did, and treated me as if I wasn't there to begin with. With this began a cycle, where most servants believed that Lionel house didn't care for the 3rd heir, me.
The bullying started small, but it slowly snowballed until soldiers and low rank servants would use me to vent their frustrations too. To them stepping on me, someone who they could not afford to touch in normal conditions, let them feel the forbidden sense of exhilaration and continue with their stressful life.
And like a stupid bitch I was, I stopped Sebas from helping me out of the situation.
The reason?
There was no reason. I had too much pride to let anyone else help me. Believing myself to be the last Lionel, I continued to strive with pride, even if that meant destroying myself from the inside.
'And these guys were trying to humiliate me here, too. They even gathered a crowd to ramp up the disgrace I would experience if everything went as they planned.'
Ignoring their pitiful cries, I looked at the darkening sky. The time to leave for my primary objectives in this town was coming closer.
"Make a choice by tomorrow morning. I'm magnanimous enough to give you enough time to decide."
Leaving the final words that thoroughly destroyed them, I left.
I wanted to live a life that, when I look back at the end of my journey, would make me smile in satisfaction. A life that would make anyone feel jealous and think: I also want to live like him.
For that, the only way was to reach the zenith. To aim for the top!
And the first step was removing these parasites who lived by leeching off me.
Leaving the courtyard, my eyes fell on the pink-head standing in the crowd beside Jae-sung.
She was loathing me at this moment.
'That's another goal achieved.'
One strike, two birds. With this, I removed a pest from my past and the 2nd princess had a negative opinion of me cemented in her mind.
I could feel myself smiling….
Ah, right, I'm expressionless. My bad, I could feel myself smiling, internally.