[Chapter 12]
Delphiad Swordsmanship.
One of the legendary swordsmanship techniques passed down through the generations of the Strauss family, a martial house renowned across the continent.
It was said that Gallard Strauss, the current head of the house, mastered this Delphiad Swordsmanship to its peak and ascended to the position of Martial King.
"The Martial King's swordsmanship…."
Randolph was thrown into confusion. The other knights watching the duel were in the same state.
It wasn't just because the opponent had brought out the legendary Martial King's swordsmanship.
'Who wouldn't know that technique?'
Delphiad Swordsmanship was widely known across the continent.
At least, the basic form of it was.
It was such a famous technique that many tried to imitate it. And everyone reached the same conclusion:
– "This is pointless for us to learn."
Delphiad Swordsmanship's true strength only became apparent after mastering aura techniques.
Its methods of utilizing aura were so profound and powerful that it gained its renowned reputation, but before that stage, it was actually inferior to even ordinary third-rate swordsmanship.
However, since it was extremely effective in laying the foundations, it was often taught to squires as an introductory course among knights.
But now, it had been brought out in this duel?
'What is this? Is there some hidden plan?'
Had he somehow acquired the true Delphiad Swordsmanship, the secret of secrets involving aura manipulation, that was unknown to the public? Was that why he entered the duel with such confidence?
'After just three months of practice?'
Three months wasn't even enough time to properly learn the basics, let alone master aura techniques.
'This doesn't add up.'
Randolph furrowed his brow, unable to understand.
The spectators began to murmur.
"What's that?"
"They say that's the Martial King's swordsmanship."
"You mean that legendary Martial King?"
"Oh my, then isn't Sir Randolph in big trouble?"
Indeed.
Just as a layman couldn't understand an expert, an expert couldn't understand a layman.
Every knight knew this:
Even learning third-rate swordsmanship takes years, and with a top-tier technique like Delphiad Swordsmanship, even a lifetime might not be enough.
But a layman would think like this:
With a technique like the Martial King's swordsmanship, wouldn't a few months of training be enough to easily defeat someone who had trained for years with third-rate swordsmanship?
This wasn't completely unfounded either.
Sometimes, even young direct descendants of the Strauss family would effortlessly defeat seasoned knights.
But that was only because they were geniuses among geniuses, not because Delphiad Swordsmanship could turn an ordinary person into a top-tier swordsman in just a few months.
'So then….'
Randolph, having grasped the situation, let out a dry chuckle.
'So, a clueless bookworm somehow got his hands on the Martial King's swordsmanship manual, thought it was some incredible opportunity, and after three months of half-hearted practice, decided to stand before me?'
Now, everything made sense.
"Kuk, kukukuk!"
Giggling, he straightened his back.
'It's not a bad story.'
With the Martial King's swordsmanship as a backdrop, the duel trial could end more convincingly.
With his sword pointed, Randolph shouted triumphantly.
"O new lord of Zestrad! In the name of Alium, I will bring justice!"
* * *
Observing the reactions around him, Karnak sighed in relief.
'Phew, this should cover up my actions over the past three months.'
Of course, he knew nothing about Delphiad Swordsmanship. All he could manage was the basic form.
The reason he resorted to this was to clean up the mess left by the Karnak of this time period.
He had been away from home for several months, claiming he would gain power. Therefore, he needed a basis for his confidence.
Normally, he would have passed as a mage, which wouldn't have been a problem, but since he was presenting himself as a knight, he needed a suitable excuse.
So, he asked his loyal attendant.
"Varos."
"Yes, young master?"
"Is there anything like this? A swordsmanship technique so incredible that just obtaining it would shock everyone, that is also easily recognizable, and something I could imitate?"
Even as he asked, he found it absurd.
If it's so rare that everyone would be shocked just by obtaining it, it would be an extremely rare swordsmanship technique.
Such a rare technique should also be easily recognizable by these rural knights? And despite its power, it had to be something that even a weakling like Karnak could imitate?
"If there isn't anything, never mind. I wasn't really expecting much…"
"There is."
"Huh?"
"There is, a technique like that."
Varos had walked the path of martial arts for over a hundred years. The number of swordsmanship techniques he had collected from across the continent during that immense time was no small amount.
"Sir Leven's Delphiad Swordsmanship fits those conditions perfectly. At this point, Sir Gallard would be the Martial King."
"You know how to use it?"
"More or less."
Out of the four renowned Martial Kings, three had fallen to Varos. And their martial arts were passed down to him in their entirety.
It wasn't because Varos was some once-in-a-century genius who could steal techniques while crossing swords.
"I just asked them to teach me, and they did."
They were resurrected as Death Knights after their defeat, becoming the loyal subordinates of the Necromancer King.
As subordinates of Varos, the Death Knight Lord, they would obediently comply if he simply ordered them to teach him.
"Thanks to that, I managed to learn the techniques of all the Martial Kings except for Raphicel."
There was a reason he couldn't learn Raphicel's techniques.
Karnak hadn't turned her into a Death Knight.
Raphicel Crotéum, the sole woman among the four Martial Kings.
She was truly a great hero of humanity.
Even in a hopeless situation where all the other Martial Kings had fallen and the three Archmages had become loyal followers of the Necromancer King, she never gave up and fought to the end, inflicting significant damage on Karnak.
And she met a particularly harsh fate, befitting her heroic deeds.
After her defeat, she was made the gatekeeper of the Necropolis in the Imperial Palace, with her remains stationed at the eastern, western, and southern gates.
It might seem absurd to think someone could guard three locations simultaneously, but with necromancy involved, it made sense.
Her bones were stripped and raised as skeleton soldiers to guard the eastern gate.
Her flesh was separated and crafted into a flesh golem to guard the western gate.
Her soul was split and bound to a living armor, guarding the southern gate.
It was a punishment of eternal suffering, neither truly dead nor alive.
Recalling that time, Karnak clicked his tongue.
"Wow, I was really a terrible person, wasn't I? Why didn't I feel anything like this back then?"
"Maybe it's because you've returned to a human body now?"
"Right? It's better to live like a human after all. No doubt about it."
Given the casual nature of their conversation, it seemed living like a proper human was still a distant goal. Unfortunately, neither the master nor the servant had yet become fully human.
In any case, the Martial King's swordsmanship was the perfect facade for a young man to deceive himself into thinking he had gained power.
Even after the duel, there would likely be no suspicion.
'The only remaining issue is….'
Karnak swallowed hard as he gripped his sword.
'I just need to survive.'
* * *
As Karnak discarded his shield, he managed to demonstrate a somewhat convincing basic form of the Delphiad Swordsmanship.
And in return, he began to take a beating.
"Kuk! Kuek! Kuek!"
With the shield, he could at least block the attacks, making it somewhat easier. But now, he had to block them with just his sword.
Sir Randolph suddenly closed the distance. And then did something.
What did he do? From Karnak's perspective, he had no idea.
There was a flash, so he knew a sword had been swung, but that was the extent of his understanding.
"Krrgh!"
Sparks flew off his armor. Randolph's strike had landed on him once more.
The only silver lining was that the blow struck his armor, turning what could have been a slashing wound into a blunt impact.
Karnak was sent flying from the force of the blow, rolling across the ground once again.
"Hmph! You're doing that again…"
Randolph's words were cut short.
There was something different this time compared to how he had rolled before.
'Huh?'
Earlier, he had just tumbled aimlessly.
But now?
"It's not over yet!"
Karnak rolled, but then smoothly sat up and pointed his sword once more.
"Come! Knight of Deventor!"
He hadn't fully stood up; he was kneeling on one knee with his sword aimed forward.
Yet, his form looked surprisingly convincing.
It resembled an eagle lowering its stance as it prepared to strike its prey.
On top of that, he was shouting with confidence.
"Do you think you can bring down the bloodline of Zestrad with this level of skill?"
He was so brazen that even Randolph was momentarily confused.
'What's he talking about? I've already beaten him!'
But, no matter. He just needed to chase him down and finish him off.
As the lord of a territory, the man was wearing top-quality armor. Even if Randolph went a bit overboard, it wouldn't be easy for him to die ungracefully.
'Let's wear him out first.'
A fierce slash struck Karnak's armor like a whip. Karnak groaned and continued to roll on the ground.
"Kuk! Kuek! Kuk!"
However, he wasn't sustaining any fatal injuries. The moment he was hit, he would throw his body to the ground without hesitation, so the impact would penetrate, but it wouldn't pierce through his armor.
And then, he would rise again, lifting only his upper body, striking a pose, and loudly proclaiming,
"The sword of Zestrad will not break!"
Randolph's eyes flashed with intrigue.
"Surprisingly, your defense is pretty solid. Is this the parrying technique of Delphiad Swordsmanship?"
Karnak scoffed inwardly.
'What a ridiculous man. As if I could do something like that.'
Varos was right after all.
Being just a rural knight, Randolph's judgment was lacking.
Karnak's confidence surged.
With a shout, he reignited his fighting spirit.
"Tahaaaat!"
* * *
Varos was watching with satisfaction.
'You're quite good at parrying. I guess I did a decent job teaching you.'
Karnak wasn't aware of it, but he was indeed using his armor to execute a technique that deflected Randolph's slashes.
Without this technique, no matter how sturdy the armor was, it wouldn't have endured such a relentless onslaught.
Varos had trained him by intentionally guiding him to react in that way while being struck.
At a beginner's level, being aware of such facts would only hinder his ability to perform even what he could manage, so Varos had deliberately kept that knowledge from Karnak.
'His bravado is far better than I expected.'
He was still getting hit.
He was still being sent flying and rolling on the ground.
Yet, despite all that, his expression remained supremely confident, and his eyes shone with a sharp intensity as if he could conquer the world!
"The sword of Zestrad will not break!"
Hearing Karnak's shout, Varos let out a faint chuckle.
'Well, bluffing was always your specialty, wasn't it? No wonder you're good at it.'
Necromancers, by nature, are a profession built on a lot of pretense. The effectiveness of their dark arts is greatly enhanced by creating a gloomy and sinister atmosphere to instill fear in their opponents.
In his prime, Karnak had almost turned pretending to have power into a habit.
That long-practiced skill was now proving useful.
"Come at me, Sir Randolph!"
With one knee on the ground and his sword pointed forward, he struck a pose! It looked convincing, at least to an untrained eye, as if it had been a genuine technique all along!
And with his whole body, he declared:
I haven't fallen! I'm still fighting evenly with my opponent!
The spectators were in awe of his valiant (or so it seemed) display.
"Oooooh!"
"To think the young master is this strong!"
The knights were impressed in a different sense.
The knights of Deventor paid their respects to Karnak's perseverance…
"This young lord, I see what he's aiming for."
"If he's destined to lose anyway, he's trying to protect his family's honor as much as possible?"
"Though he lacks skill, his noble spirit is admirable."
The knights of Zestrad were even moved to tears.
'To think I once treated such a man as a mere wastrel…'
'It was my mistake. Even if he lacks skill, he is more than worthy to be served as our lord!'
How could a lack of skill be a flaw?
His spirit was imbued with the true nobility and honor of a knight!
* * *
Contrary to the surrounding evaluations, Karnak himself was in agony.
'Ugh, how long do I have to keep this up?'
Randolph was reacting just as Varos had predicted.
Thanks to that, he was managing to hold on as he had practiced.
But even that had its limits. After just a month of rushed training, he was nearing his breaking point.
'When will my chance come, Varos?'
Fortunately, Randolph's patience was also within Varos's expectations.
'Good, the duel has ripened enough.'
Randolph, deciding to end it, adjusted his grip on his sword lightly.
At that moment, Varos shouted again.
"Young Master!"
'Ah, is it now?'
Karnak's face lit up as he surged forward. At the same time, Randolph's massive frame also moved, closing the distance in an instant.
Randolph did something as he approached.
What did he do? Just like before, Karnak couldn't quite tell.
He simply charged forward, counting in his head.
'One, two, three!'
Then, suddenly, he thrust his sword into the ground!
*Clang!*
The clash of blades sent sparks flying.
Randolph's eyes widened in shock.
'He blocked that?'
He had intended to confuse Karnak's vision with a light feint before slashing at his legs, but to his surprise, his opponent wasn't deceived at all and had accurately blocked the low slash! This greenhorn, who was practically a novice in swordsmanship!
'What in the world…?'
As Randolph hesitated, momentarily taken aback.
'This is my chance!'
Karnak's movements became quicker.
"Taaah!"
With a second upward strike, the Overkill.
The technique he had practiced tirelessly all day, the finishing move of the future Martial King, Leven Strauss, filled the air with radiant light.