novelraw Chapter 109 : Chapter 109
Chapter 109 : Chapter 109
109
Sordian's expression looked troubled as he gazed at the knight order.
"You don't look well."
"Is it that obvious?"
"It seems so."
Usually, Sordian, though appearing stern and cold, often had a somewhat relaxed demeanor.
"Do you know someone?"
"A few. Some among the regular knights, and some among the senior knights."
"Were you comrades?"
"That's right. It's been a long time since I left that place."
I looked back and forth, comparing Sordian and those knights.
The presence of the Lionheart Knights was indeed formidable.
A total of five were dispatched to escort us.
Nearly four hundred people from Akarind Academy were attending the Imperial Swordsmanship Exchange.
All the basic class students were moving, and a few people from the advancement and graduation classes were also included.
The fact that there were only five people escorting a group of this size represented the pride of the knight order.
'It seems perfectly possible.'
It was no exaggeration to say that the skills of the knight order's personnel were one against a hundred.
If one of those knights started to run wild, they could probably take care of about a quarter of the students here easily.
'It's the same even if they use Aura.'
Meaning was clearly embedded in every single movement of their bodies.
The degree of pure swordsmanship and martial arts training was monstrous.
'Well, Sordian was kicked out for not being able to handle the intent of the sword.'
Perhaps the Imperial Knights of the Empire, even if not to the extent of Sword Aura, could at least feel mana and imbue their will into their swords.
In fact, the Royal Knights seemed to be faithful only to their mission and had no interest in the students' training or my education.
It wasn't an act of trying not to pay attention, but genuine indifference.
It was quite refreshing.
'Then if Instructor Sordian and they were to fight?'
Instructor Sordian did not rest from his training.
He poured most of his time outside of student instruction into self-development.
He refined his swordsmanship, sharpened his sword intent, and resolved to become a Sword Runner quickly.
But those knights probably poured not just most of their time, but all of their time into training.
Even more so, as Sordian had been on the sidelines doing escort work.
'Being blind in one eye is also a weakness.'
Putting all the information together, Sordian's defeat seemed inevitable.
No matter how much Sordian used Aura to cut through everything, it was only meaningful if the sword reached the opponent's body.
A balanced center when walking, an unshakable upper body, a stable and uniform stride, and a light step even while wearing heavy armor.
These were people who would be difficult to land a single sword blow on.
'Then what about me?'
I quietly closed my eyes and started a virtual martial arts match in my head.
It was easy to read their swordsmanship after spending about three days with them.
Although their swordsmanship was sophisticated, its major framework resembled that of the Lionheart Captain.
And I had observed the Lionheart Captain's swordsmanship for a month.
'It's impossible to catch up to their speed.'
Swinging the sword, blocking the sword, and keeping up with their footwork.
It all seemed impossible.
In other words, instead of fighting head-on, I would have to dodge the opponent's sword and aim for an opening to land a counter.
However, their sword paths were not simple.
Footwork and defensive measures, assuming they failed to cut their target, were ingrained in every part of their stance.
Movements that did not overestimate themselves and subdued the opponent in the most efficient and certain way.
It was a swordsmanship that embodied the will of a long, persistent fight and a finishing blow.
But for some reason.
'If we fought for a long time, I think I could win.'
At least twenty exchanges.
At most, thirty exchanges, and I felt like I could definitely handle one knight.
A small laugh escaped at that result.
'In the end, it means I die.'
My body's condition wouldn't allow me to swing the sword twenty times.
Although it had gotten better after taking Ulf's spell and numerous elixirs, it was a body that would collapse after swinging the sword five to ten times at best.
To think that as the situation improved, the output of mana became stronger and my body couldn't handle it.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
Ah, I must have been too lost in my own thoughts with my eyes closed.
Sordian was looking at me with narrowed eyes.
"It's nothing. I was just having a mock battle with them in my head."
"Really? In that case, the result is..."
Before Sordian could finish asking, a bell rang from the very front.
It was the signal from the senior knight leading the group.
"We will have lunch here!"
The carriages that were transporting the large group of people stopped, and people started to get off everywhere.
I also got off the carriage and looked around.
It was the center of a small hill where enemies from all sides could be seen at a glance.
The surrounding area was a wide, flat plain, so if monsters or robbers appeared, they could be dealt with immediately.
Seeing the canyons and mountain ranges in the far distance, it seemed right to have a meal in this kind of terrain.
"Here you go."
The Empire had sent not only knights but also carriages, coachmen, and workers for our convenience.
Two carriages for the workers.
And six wagons' worth of supplies.
'The Empire really has a lot of money. Or is it the Royal Academy that has a lot of money?'
Academies are usually run not only on tuition but also on donations from graduates.
The more prestigious the school, the more successful graduates it had, and the more successful graduates it had, the larger the fund grew.
The more reserves the foundation had, the stronger the chairman's authority became.
The Royal Academy, as its name suggests, was run by a board of directors made up of collateral branches of the imperial family.
There was no way the reserves were small.
"Lunch is ready!"
The workers who got off the carriage began to distribute lunch.
It was a rabbit stew boiled in a large pot.
It was full of vegetables and meat, and its warmth was perfect for warming up the body in the gradually chilling weather.
When I returned to the carriage with a bowl of stew, the instructors and people had already gathered in twos and threes to eat together.
"Three days left, right?"
"Damn it! Can't Yuria just use her holy power to get us there faster? The old hag could have done it too!"
"Yuria is the High Priestess of the Holy Kingdom and Ulf is the second-in-command of the Great Forest. Their vigilance will increase the moment they enter the Empire, so we agreed to leave them behind."
"It's a shame, that's what it is. I get fidgety moving in a carriage like this."
Rozalin grumbled and gulped down her stew.
She was so hungry that she was scraping the wooden bowl with her spoon.
"And there are no events. A boring journey like this is the worst."
"Can't be helped. A group of this size is moving."
Even monsters, which are primarily driven by instinct, would not easily attack if there were more than a certain number of people.
Not only was the scale large, but since we were in carriages, the travel speed was also not to be ignored.
Above all, the dignity of the knights who were escorting us on horseback on the outskirts of the group was tremendous.
The warhorses were meticulously dressed in light armor, and the caparisons that came down on both sides were heavily decorated with spell patterns.
What was particularly striking was the weapons themselves, placed all over the horses.
From long spears that were much taller than a person, to weapons such as swords and arrows, were densely packed next to the saddles.
No monster on the road would dare to attack rashly upon seeing such armament.
"It's nice to travel comfortably."
Jessie seemed to be pleased with the current situation.
Beside her, Isadora hunched her shoulders and nodded slightly.
"Straighten your shoulders. Now that the Royal Knights are escorting us, the Imperial Army won't be able to do anything."
"Ah, the Dark Moon, Red Moon, and Blue Moon guys will come in no matter what the knights say. They're crazy."
"But we couldn't just leave Isadora alone at the academy. That's more dangerous."
"I know..."
"If the exchange goes well, the imperial grandson will guarantee everything. Then your crimes will be pardoned too."
"Do you think so...?"
"If the massacre of barbarian civilians is openly taking place as a military enlistment ceremony, that's a serious war crime. To claim to be the Empire, they need the obedience of their vassal states, so they won't just let it slide."
"I hope so, but..."
As they were talking, the students' meal distribution and mealtime came to an end.
While the workers were cleaning up, a few of the students approached us.
"Teacher. I have a question."
The students did not rest from their training even while moving in the carriages.
Rather, they used this time to focus on training they hadn't done before.
Meditation and mock battles.
"While I was meditating, I felt that my sword intent was a little strange..."
Pan had an expression that seemed to say he knew something but didn't quite.
At his words, Rozalin, her interest piqued, peeked her head out from behind my back.
"You know my sword intent, right?"
Pan's sword intent was a little unique.
He wanted to live up to the trust that the regressors, such as Rozalin, Hati, and Avril, had in him.
He swung his sword with the single-minded determination to achieve his form as the strongest in this world and the hope of humanity more quickly and more strongly.
Therefore, Pan's sword path was, to put it nicely, idealistic, and to put it badly, somewhat vague and abstract.
'He covers that with his unique physical abilities and footwork.'
Pan broke the rhythm into small pieces, engraved the variables of the rhythm into his body, broke the opponent's breathing, and swung his sword to continue his own flow.
Therefore, Pan's swordsmanship was like a piece of music.
Sometimes it was a march, sometimes a lullaby, and at other times, a symphony or a requiem.
"But... I think my sword intent has changed."
"Changed?"
It was unexpected.
For a kid who had quickly realized his sword intent and was refining his swordsmanship to suddenly say something like this.
"Well, just a moment."
Pan took out his wooden sword and took a stance.
It was Pan's original stance.
"I used to swing my sword like this."
Whoosh, the sword moved quickly, making a shrill sound similar to a whistle.
It was a swordsmanship with delicate irregularities in the detailed parts, where the body took a stance and inhaled at the same time as the sword was thrust out.
"But, um... Suddenly, I'm thinking, isn't a sword like this more correct?"
Pan took a stance again.
This time, it was a sword strike that was made after taking a full breath, not immediately swinging the sword.
Shweek!
The sword cut cleanly through the air.
"Oh?"
"Ah?"
"Huh?"
And all the people who were gathered together and knew how to look at a sword reacted.
"You realized that on your own?"
"Wow, what is this? When did your center become like this?"
"This isn't your rhythm."
"You, you've pulled the rhythm, haven't you?"
Rozalin's analysis was accurate.
Just now, Pan had not broken his own rhythm, but the rhythm flowing in the air around him.
He analyzed the gazes of the people looking at him, and in between, he pierced the opening.
"Uh, yes. Is that so?"
Pan himself seemed to be unaware of what he had done.
"It's just that, instead of the me that others want me to be, I thought I should make the current me someone that people admire..."
"Aww, our Pan, has puberty hit? You're developing a sense of self."
Rozalin was right.
The instructors looked at Pan with a proud expression, as if their youngest brother had suddenly grown up.
Pan himself just looked at us with a bewildered expression.
Just as I was about to talk to Pan about swordsmanship.
"You have talent."
A knight interrupted.
It was the first time this had happened.
"It's a talent that's too good to be in a third-rate academy like this. Are you interested in joining the Lionheart Knights?"