“Oh, there are a lot of people.”
“Well, it’s natural since Johann is fighting. Hehe…”
Karina proudly puffed out her chest as she said this. I quickly covered her before others could see and grabbed her shoulder.
“Karina. That pose is forbidden.”
“Huh?”
“…It stands out too much.”
Not being able to outright say “your chest” made me phrase it differently, and Karina tilted her head as if she didn’t understand, letting out a gasp. Her face beneath the veil was probably as red as a tomato.
“Ah…”
“Still, thanks for trusting me. Go win spectacularly.”
“…That kind of talk is cheating.”
Cheating? Before I could even express my confusion, Karina skipped over to the children, glancing back at me.
“Johann! Do your best~”
“Uncle! Hurry and win!”
“Lord Johann…H-Hope you do well!”
“Just like a crow hunter. Four girls…”
“Even the Saint…”
What are they talking about? I heard voices among the crowd that sounded like they were plotting against me, almost turning to look, but I managed to hold back. If I caused a scene, it would only put me at a disadvantage, so I just brushed it off.
“But it does sound good together, doesn’t it? The knight who slays demons and the Saint’s romance…”
“It’s quite a nice image too. A romance between a beauty and a beast—if I wrote a novel based on this, it would be a major hit, right?”
“You wanted to be a writer, so hurry and write it!”
“But why do you have a shovel on your back?”
…I shouldn’t have listened. I can’t keep up with girls’ conversations at all.
This time, I decided to ignore them and look straight ahead. The front was still empty. Maybe the Knight Department’s opening ceremony was finishing late because I couldn’t see any students armed with swords.
I wonder when they will arrive.
I want to finish quickly and go back.
While waiting for Kaimak, I should check the duel site.
I slowly scanned the dueling arena. Surrounded by spectator stands, the arena wasn’t that big compared to the mock combat training ground, but it was sufficiently large for two people to use.
Being a fantasy world, it must be necessary to have ample space.
As I pondered this useless thought, I estimated the arena’s size.
About two hundred steps horizontally and a hundred steps vertically, maybe?
I thought I’d finish it quickly. Fighting Kaimak itself was an unexpected situation, and dragging it out wouldn’t do me any good.
Well, since Kaimak knows how to use aura, I should respond properly with flames… Just as I was forming a strategy on how to fight, I heard numerous footsteps approaching from the front.
“Sorry for being late! Sir Quartz! The meeting went long…!”
…How many people did they bring? Wait, is that person a professor?
The number of students in the Knight Department looked serious. Seeing older-looking students too, it seemed not just the new students but everyone from all grades appeared to be here.
Why is this becoming a big event?
Is this also a fallout from the original being shattered?
If this happens, will I finish quickly and then face backlash?
New worries piled on top of my existing ones. Why do I have to be caught up in this situation when I’m not building a stone tower? I shook off my thoughts just as Kaimak, with a large sword on his back, stood across from me.
“You’ve arrived.”
“I have!”
“The one who faints or surrenders loses, understood?”
“Understood! I look forward to it!”
What was Kaimak’s initial stats when he just joined? I remember he was quite outstanding for a freshman. He learned from the knights in his family, and he could also use aura. His biggest trait, even though he’s a great sword user, is that he has good resilience, making him suitable for a tank.
“Professor Martin, would you mind officiating?”
“Of course, I’d love to. I’m curious about the skills of the crow hunter…but where is your weapon?”
“Right here.”
I pulled out the shovel I had been carrying on my back. Kaimak gave me a bewildered look as I brandished the shovel.
“Isn’t that…a shovel?”
“Correct.”
“A shovel…? Why the heck are you pulling out a shovel?”
It’s certainly a common-sense question, but it feels like this is the first time someone asked me that. But whatever, that’s not important. I extended the shovel and resolved Kaimak’s doubt.
“Not all knights use swords.”
“Ah, I see! As expected of Sir Quartz! Someone who’s slain demons is surely different!”
Look at him starry-eyed. He’s willingly accepting it. I poked Rue, who had been silent, with my finger.
[I’m tired… Can’t you just do it alone?]
“If you’re tired, then…”
Maybe I’ll take a look first.
“I’ll give a prior warning, but I’m different from other knights. I’m closer to a mage, so keep that in mind. Got it?”
“Huh?”
Rather than replying, I gestured with my chin. A sign that I would concede the first strike.
Just how strong will he be? I glared at Kaimak, who was bending his knees, adjusting his stance.
—————-
‘The stance seems fine, but I can’t find any openings…’
Kaimak swallowed his breath unknowingly. The warning from the harsh training under his father constantly told him he must not rush in recklessly.
‘Charge? No, a rash attack is not okay.’
In battle, the hasty side loses. Remembering what his father had instilled over the past ten years, Kaimak rolled his eyes, searching for an opening.
Finding an opening becomes essential, no matter how long it takes.
He let out yet another sigh. The chatter from the spectators didn’t matter to him.
He simply couldn’t find a flaw in his opponent.
“Aren’t you going to attack?”
“No!”
Kaimak clenched his teeth. He mustn’t rush. But his primal instincts insistently transmitted a singular message.
‘If you charge, you lose.’
But he couldn’t afford not to charge.
The second son of Duke Rineus, sweating profusely, closed his eyes and took a long breath.
He mustn’t get swept up in the momentum.
His best safety was to intercept from a distance. Kaimak began to coat his great sword with aura. The gray aura enveloped the longsword made of well-forged steel. Its misty appearance made several students gasp in awe.
“Is that the aura that only members of the Rineus family can learn?”
“It’s really gray…”
“A freshman using aura…”
“Indeed, the Rineus family is something else.”
Kaimak gritted his teeth and charged at Johann with the force of a buffalo trampling the ground. The distance was about 50 meters. Far, but to him, it felt like it was right in front.
“That’s quite fast.”
But Johann, with cold eyes, merely traced the sword’s trajectory. Kaimak swung his sword harshly from left to right.
With aura extending along with the longsword, he swung, delivering a strike that was relatively safe for a first attack. Yet, the crow hunter didn’t swing his weapon; instead, he retreated a few steps to evade the attack.
Then, as the distance closed, a diagonal upward swing came at Kaimak’s chin. Instinctively, Kaimak turned his neck to the side to dodge the attack.
The force of the shovel made Kaimak jump back in horror. A small scratch marked his chin after just narrowly escaping.
‘If this were a real fight, I’d be dead.’
The opponent, who had just narrowly missed him, stared at him, shovel held in both hands, as if to say he wouldn’t let his guard down.
“The first attack is over. From now on, I will attack.”
“Huh?”
Before he even finished speaking, the ground where Johann stood exploded. Propelled by flames gained from the Phoenix’s Blessing, he shot forward, but no one knew that fact.
No one else could do something like that.
As Johann rapidly closed the distance, Kaimak instinctively shielded himself with his great sword. Using the broad side of the longsword as a shield was one of the first things learned in great swordsmanship.
Unlike one-handed swords that could be used as a shield, using a two-handed sword as a shield is challenging due to its size and weight.
‘A thrust?’
The hulking knight held the shovel like a spear and lunged forward. A thrust aimed at his arm. Kaimak tilted his great sword to block the attack. Yet, there was something utterly bizarre about it.
Just like he retracts and thrusts a spear, the blade of the shovel continuously aimed at his limbs.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Four times.
Every time he intended to swing his great sword, the shovel’s blade struck at it like clockwork. Kaimak stared at Johann in bewilderment.
‘He keeps breaking my rhythm!’
But…
‘I can’t lose without doing anything!’
Isn’t he required to at least make an effort?
Kaimak unleashed the aura from his whole body like an explosion. Having accumulated aura over many years of training, his aura was far more abundant than that of ordinary students. In response to his counterattack, Johann stepped back three paces and dropped his shovel.
“I’m coming!”
“Who says that?”
Johann, baffled, shot a fireball at Kaimak’s face, who was charging in. When he ducked to avoid the sudden fireball, his vision was engulfed by a fist.
A perfect counter.
Kaimak staggered and sank to one knee. He suffered a brain rattle from being struck directly.
Johann turned to the observing professor overseeing the duel.
“It seems like it’s over.”
“The winner is Sir Quartz!”
The professor’s thunderous voice echoed through the duel arena.
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