Tat. Ren moved first. It was a swift and quick rush that could not be better to look at. Sian laid down his wooden sword calmly as if he had expected such an attack to come. Sian calmly laid down his wooden sword, as if he had already expected such an attack to come. With minimal effort, Sian changed the direction of the wooden sword and swung it threateningly.
Hwek! The sound of the air-breathing wave rang. Ren turned around before the wooden sword touched and avoided the blow of Sian. Seizing the opportunity, Ren's attack gained momentum. The lightning-like thrusts threatened to hit the vital points. However, Sian was also formidable. Proper evasive and counterattacks cut the flow of Ren.
A seesawing battle. A fierce battle ensued, in which no one could dare say superiority. Neither side retreated, despite the constant exchange of threatening attacks that could have taken the life of the other. The crowd could not take their eyes off such a confrontation without holding their breath. No, they couldn't say anything. They were overwhelmed by the momentum of Sian and Ren.
"Haa, haa."
Ren and Sian, who had been attacking and defending each other without taking a breath, lulled into a distance. The sound of their rough breathing and the sweat running down along their chins made it small how fierce their confrontation was.
"Hey, Your Highness, don't you know how you've endured losing and being ridiculed by me?"
"It was just a meaningless battle."
Sian had thoroughly concealed his swordsmanship skills until now. Despite the fact that he had lost eleven times against Ren in official matches, he had not shown his ability. It was a choice he had no choice but to make. If he hadn't used his mask of incompetence to induce the Grand Duke and the four major families to drop their guard, he wouldn't even have had a chance to enter. However, that thought changed when he met Elena.
"The emperor is not a person who reigns, but a person who cares for the people. I only know that now."
A wry smile appeared involuntarily on Sian's mouth. He tried to put his passion into exiling the nobles in order to seek the authority and glory of the imperial family in the past. Then he met Elena and began to think again.
What is an emperor.
What an emperor should be like.
The people's lives were exhausted by the corruption and plunder of the nobles. There were countless commoners dying of hunger just a short distance away from the capital.
Elena said.
A new era will come. Changes will start from the bottom, not the top of the pyramid.
Sian, who belatedly understood the true meaning of the words, sought to change himself. He also revised plans that were being carried out in secret. The beginning of this plan was to disclose Sian's innate swordsmanship abilities, which had been thoroughly hidden until now.
The checks of the aristocrats? He didn't care. Rather, Sian wanted to give the impression that he had turned his back on the nobility and stood at a point of symmetry. The Crown Prince standing on the side of the people who would be the main players in the new era. It was a rough sketch of the bigger picture that Sian was painting.
"What do you mean. What about the emperor and what about the people?"
"I didn't think you'd understand."
Ren scratched his head, wielded the wooden sword threateningly in the air, and laid the sword shoulder-high.
"Let's get to the end. I have a meal appointment and I don't want to keep her waiting for long."
"Your stabs are excellent."
Sian also slowly lowered its posture. His ragged breathing was as calm as it had been before they had clashed swords.
"There are also no specifications for the sword."
"I'm being evaluated by the lower part of the faculty level. I guess I was a little funny?"
"I don't mean to ignore you. Because you are strong beyond doubt. But I have seen your sword, and you have not seen mine. That is all."
By the time Sian's words were over, Ren took the lead. From the beginning until now, he wondered if he was too insisting on the same attack method, but even if he knew it, he couldn't stop it.
In Sian's mind, there was a method to crush Ren's fearsome attack. A sword art like the nature of a beast. It was a sword art that one must be born with to use. This was in contrast to the current sword art, which was all about controlled movements and practicality. This may make it difficult to deal with, but it also means that there is a lot of unnecessary waste.
'It's time to cut the flow.'
Once Ren started pushing once with a beastly instinct, he started adding momentum. Sian intentionally cut off Ren's spirits around the time he rose. After a couple of exchanges of offense and defense, he would widen the distance to catch his breath, then clash wooden swords again to fight fiercely and retreat repeatedly. Ren's rhythm snapped when he cut off the flow several times.
'It's now.'
Sian's eyes changed.
He bent his knees and lowered his posture. Ren's signature move was perfect for subduing an opponent with a single blow, but had the weakness of leaving a large gap if it failed.
Chang! Sian struck Ren's stab with force from the front. For a moment, Ren was embarrassed. His balance was broken. Ren quickly took a defensive posture. No, he was going to get drunk.
"This kind of!"
Ren, who felt threatened when Sian's sword was aiming for the heart, twisted his upper body with animal instincts. Ren's eyes were also tired for a moment when he was relieved that he had avoided it. Sian's wooden sword, which should have entered deeper, changed its course.
'Here!'
Sian had no intention of seeking the heart in the first place. He just pretended to be after it and tricked Ren into reacting too hard. Sian launched a wave of attacks at the crumpled Ren. Lean movements, modest attacks aimed at vital points. All the movements and swordsmanship of Sian were perfect enough to be used as examples for knights.
In the end, Ren, who could not regain his original pace, could not withstand the offensive and allowed Sian's wooden sword to reach his throat.
"End of the competition! Fourth year His Highness Claudius de Sian wins!"
As soon as the professor announced the end of the fight, the spectators who had been watching the duel, breathless, cheered in unison. Sian put down his wooden sword and bowed silently to his opponent.
"It was a good match."
Ren turned around, throwing the wooden sword at him with a nervous expression, as if he had done to a dog about politeness.
"Hey, hey!"
The professor tried to say something about Ren's rudeness, but he had already walked down from the stadium.
"Wooow!"
The commoners who visited the stadium cheered for the winner, Sian. Sian responded to their cheers with a wave of his hand. Sian's eyes went to the special seats.
"…"
Until the roar died down, Sian's eyes were on Elena.
***
'His Highness has won. He beat Ren.'
Elena couldn't believe what she was seeing. Who was Ren? He was the Wolf of the Wilderness, one of the three swords that protected the Empire. He was a super-strong man at the top of the empire, where no one aside from Hurelbard, the Ice Knight, was rated as being able to compete on his own. But then Sian came for Ren. While at the academy, he was in the bottom ranks of the swordsmanship department, but now he has written a miracle.
'Sir Hurelbard was right. His Highness was hiding his skills.'
Elena couldn't help but admit. Furthermore, Sian looked different.
"His Highness is looking over here. Let's wave our hands!"
Khalif clung close to the terrace and waved. Then Raphael and Cecilia, who were in the back, stepped forward and applauded to celebrate his victory.
"Lucia, what are you doing? Come on over here."
"I'm coming."
Elena, who was dragged by Khalif, stood near the terrace and applauded. Elena couldn't erase her dazed mood for a moment and sincerely celebrated the championship with a smile on her lips.
Knock, knock.
The guard waiting outside the special room opened the door and came in.
"His Highness would like to see you. Follow me."
As mentioned before, the guard guided the group to a building behind the stadium. In principle, only participants were allowed to enter the building, but special access was possible with the permission of Sian.
Elena's gaze, which had just stepped into the building, accidentally turned over the door between the walls across the building.
Stop!
Elena's eyes shook as if she had not seen it.
"What are you doing not going?"
"… I'll be right there. Go up first. I'll be right back after doing some urgent business."
When he heard that it was urgent, he did not ask any more questions and nodded his head. Elena, who sent the group up first, approached the wall across the street.
Slap!
Ren's head was seen turning between the cracks in the wall door.