Chapter: 481
Yuden remembers the day he first saw the beast known as Frey Kent.
That day was strangely when the former Sword Saint was causing a ruckus.
Being a Sword Saint isn’t just about swinging a sword well. If you’ve earned the title of Sword Saint, then act worthy of that honorable name, whether you mean to or not.
Usually, Yuden would just let the Sword Saint’s shouts wash over him whenever chaos erupted.
If you don’t like it, why don’t you take back your Sword Saint title?
All the shouting and no courage to challenge.
If I had known this would happen, I should have just lost at the last moment.
Regretting the same old things, Yuden nodded at the former Sword Saint’s request.
If he pushed any further, a skilled swordsman might just die of frustration, so he had no choice.
With the thought of just showing my face and leaving, Yuden spotted Frey Kent at the tournament venue.
She was an overwhelmingly powerful presence. Even fellow swordsmen of her age, let alone those a few ranks above her, couldn’t even pose a proper threat to Frey Kent.
Whenever Frey entered the arena, the spectators would bet on how long she could last.
Yuden was one of those spectators.
‘The second son of the Brota family. One of the contenders in this tournament. With the age gap, there’s no way…’
’10 seconds.’
‘Huh?’
‘No, 7 seconds? It’ll probably be over in that time.’
‘…Whose victory?’
‘Why do you ask when you already know?’
‘Even so, the Brota heir’s size is no joke.’
‘How long do you think it’ll take?’
‘A gold coin.’
‘Sounds good.’
Every time they bet, Yuden would expertly milk the former Sword Saint’s money while reminiscing about his past.
The beast’s swordsmanship at that time was definitely reminiscent of her, lacking even the basics.
The difference was that Yuden became a beast due to the circumstances he knew nothing about, while Frey lived like one even in a blessed environment.
Watching Frey wield her sword, Yuden wondered why she chose to live as a beast and saw the indifference in her eyes.
She wasn’t looking at the swordsman right in front of her. She wasn’t even examining her own sword. Frey was just watching something within herself.
Swordsmanship. Others. Everything was just a means to an end, huh?
Yuden didn’t know what Frey was hoping for, but he found no more interest beyond that.
Even with outstanding talent, living like this, she wouldn’t be able to achieve a level above a certain point.
Remembering that day, Yuden now stood near the Academy, feeling uneasy about meeting Frey Kent.
Is it really possible to teach swordsmanship to the young lady of the Kent family? She probably has no interest in learning in the first place, right?
Ah, just thinking about it ties my head in knots.
I’d rather pretend to teach her and call it a day, but that brat with a foul personality wouldn’t let me slack off.
On the other hand, if I try to teach her properly, I can’t say I’m confident about taming a beast.
Haa. If it weren’t for matters related to Lord Benedict, I could have just ignored this, but why does it have to be tied to him this time?
What should I do? Should I just go straight to Luca and ask? He’s teaching Young Lady Kent, so he might have a method.
“Hello, Sword Saint.”
“Hey. Are you the Sword Saint?”
The polite voice of a man mixes with a shoddy woman’s voice. Having been aware of their approach for a while, Yuden subtly turned his head.
“Hello, both of you. I’m the current Sword Saint Yuden.”
“I’m Arthur Soladin, the Third Prince.”
“Frey Kent. Nice to meet you.”
“You can feel free to speak. It’s really uncomfortable with high-ranking folks being so formal.”
“…I can’t do that to the Sword Saint.”
“Really? Got it. Yuden, I’ll keep it casual.”
Unlike Arthur, who respectfully took a step back, Frey sprang forward.
Seeing that, Yuden naturally noticed how much Frey had changed from his memories.
The little girl who was closer to wielding a sword like a puppet now had proper vitality.
“Hey, Frey Kent.”
“It’s fine, Your Highness. I appreciate you treating me like that instead.”
“There’s authority that comes with being a Sword Saint.”
“Do I really need to remind you three times?”
“…Hmm. I see. If that’s what you want, I can’t help it.”
“See? Your Highness, I was right, weren’t I?”
“Tsk.”
Watching the two bicker, Yuden smirked as he studied their builds.
Neither of them seemed to neglect their training. In fact, they seemed to be pushing their bodies to the limit.
Prince Soladin appeared to be of the orthodox swordsman type, while Young Lady Kent’s swordsmanship likely combined what she pursued with that of Kent’s.
It’s tough to make a judgment based solely on their stances.
“Excuse me, could we proceed with the discussion?”
“Oh, sorry. This idiot’s just causing a fuss.”
“The idiot is you, Your Highness.”
“Shut it. I’m talking to you.”
“Ahhh, for now, let’s do a one-on-one duel to better judge their sword skills.”
Yuden interjected into their squabbling, placing Frey in front of him.
“Do you not have a sword you care about?”
What Frey held was just an average sword.
Seeing that it lacked the quality one would expect from someone born into the Kent family, Yuden raised an eyebrow in confusion as Frey tilted her head.
“Does it really matter what sword I use?”
“Yes, it’s rather important. A bad sword makes it easier to exploit weaknesses.”
“What about this?”
As Frey enveloped her sword in a colorful aura, Yuden raised an eyebrow slightly.
But that was all. Yuden composed himself and nodded.
“Of course. Just wrapping it in aura doesn’t suddenly make it a legendary sword, does it?”
“…Hmm.”
“Later, suggest to Count Kent to get you a good sword. I’m sure he’ll provide one.”
This was sincere advice from Yuden, who had struggled with sword quality, but Frey’s expression was ambiguous.
It wouldn’t be easy to persuade her unless something was hammered into her directly.
“Well, it’s not urgently important. So how about you come at me now?”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Okay.”
Usually, when someone says to come at them seriously, there wouldn’t be any lethal intent in a duel. A normal person can’t help but hesitate.
However, Frey was not normal. She immediately aimed for Yuden’s neck with her sword.
Yuden barely managed to deflect her attack with his slightly drawn blade.
“Is this all you have?”
“No way.”
A storm of blades rushed towards Yuden from Frey.
Her beast-like swordsmanship seemed to disregard defense entirely.
Yet, as Yuden attempted to slip through the gaps, the beast withdrew its fangs a step back.
It was aggressive but only as aggressive as necessary.
Even when she did something borderline crazy, she maintained a final line of defense.
How fascinating! How did that beastly little girl become such a skilled swordsman?
Who in the world corrected that beast into a human?
Count Kent? Nah, if he did, her aggressiveness would have lessened.
It doesn’t seem like Prince Soladin had a significant influence either.
Considering there’s a lot of planning intended to break defenses…
“Do you often duel against those wielding shields?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“Because I can see it. In various ways.”
Answering without missing a beat during their exchanges, Yuden swiftly corrected Frey’s movements.
“To create feints, you might want to do it this way.”
As Yuden threatened Frey with a movement he corrected, Frey smiled back.
“You really are the Sword Saint, aren’t you?”
“Of course. A heavenly talent wouldn’t just stumble into an honorable position without reason.”
The exchanges between the two kept changing spontaneously.
The storm Frey wielded and Yuden’s claws meeting each other, threatening one another, shifting with every passing second.
Arthur, watching from a few steps back, was suddenly aware of the gap in talent. Is that what a duel of geniuses looks like?
Hah. It’s sad to have such lame talent in moments like this.
If I had no talent at all, I wouldn’t know how great they are, and if I had extraordinary talent, I’d probably think I could step into that realm.
Arthur bit his lip while absorbing the sights of the two dueling.
Even if it seems far off, giving up on walking isn’t an option.
*
“Wow, the Sword Saint swings his sword ferociously, huh? Wasn’t he the one reluctant to show it off?”
Karia, who had just watched Yuden duel from outside the Academy, shook her head in disbelief.
“Do you really think that orc girl can teach those two idiots well?”
“The Prince might not realize it, but Young Lady Kent will change a lot. They have quite a bit in common.”
Similarities? Right. That’s why Yuden harbored a racial prejudice in the game.
I’m glad Frey has changed a lot since then.
If she had messed up badly, I would have had to blackmail Benedict again.
“Keep her from coming into this shoddy area for a day. Meeting the Perverted Professor already sounds dull.”
“Is tomorrow the day the midterm exams start?”
“Yep. It’s also when the Perverted Professor reveals my shame.”
I wonder what Luca is planning to show me tomorrow. He’s probably prepared at least some means to overpower the Academy’s professors.
Could the outlier known as the Sword Saint also be within the scope of his plans?
“By the way, auntie, what about the request I made?”
“Here. Why do you need something this dangerous?”
“Curious?”
“A little.”
“Pfft. Quiet. You’re old and outdated, so you won’t understand even if you hear it. I don’t want to waste time.”
“Excuse me, Employer! Why are you so sincere right now?!”
“…Ah, got caught.”
“‘Got caught’ is not the end of the line!?”
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