Chapter: 153
Right now, Karl has a huge problem on his hands.
And no, it’s not about his skill level. Even after months have passed, how could there be a problem with the skills of a monster of a knight who completely overwhelms me?
It’s something else. If I had to define it, it’s a mental or disciplinary issue Karl is facing.
At this moment, Karl is coming at me harder than usual.
Thanks to his Mesugaki skills, his head is a little heated, and the strikes of his wooden sword are laced with a hint of magic, shaking my shield significantly.
I’ve been enduring by getting used to parrying his strikes, but honestly, without that, I’d be flat on the ground by now.
Think about it. What would happen if an average person got hit by that sword?
The wooden sword Karl is wielding is basically just a blunted club. But even a club can break bones or even lead to death if you get hit wrong.
Especially the way Karl swings that sword—it’s more dangerous than a sharp sword! If one of the academy students got hit by that, they’d be hanging on by a thread!
And who knows this better than Karl himself? As a knight skillful enough for grandpa to acknowledge, he knows the weight of the weapon he’s swinging.
Yet he wields that sword because he is confident that I can handle it.
So, then, what if a situation arises where that wooden sword could cause me a serious injury? How would he react?
Wouldn’t that be interesting?
I hide behind my shield, waiting for the perfect moment.
Blocking, parrying, and then blocking again.
And at some point, an opportunity revealed itself.
I could definitely parry that attack.
Spotting the incoming strike, I confidently stepped forward without any hesitation.
Ting!
As I activated my parry, Karl’s attack was deflected, creating an opening.
Initially taken aback by this phenomenon, Karl quickly frowned and responded accordingly, having grown accustomed to sparring with me.
After redirecting the deflected attack, he had to swing harder than before.
With the trajectory marked, my Iron Wall skill advised me.
The sword is aiming for my head.
Perfect.
The more dangerous the attack is, the greater Karl’s confusion will be.
Karl is probably still convinced that I will parry his attack.
He’s never let a single effective hit through.
But this time is different. I didn’t move my shield.
Instead, I stepped forward.
“Go on, try to take me down if you can.”
At that moment, clarity returned to Karl’s eyes.
What will you do now?
It’s too late to pull back your sword.
Not even you can manage this situation.
Karl’s judgment was quick.
With a clenched jaw, he struggled to slow down his sword.
He might not be able to stop the attack completely, but he was trying to avoid injuring me.
I knew you’d do something like that. I smiled at him and took another step forward.
Then I infused my mace with divinity.
Not just any divinity, but the fiery intensity of Holy Martial Arts.
At the same time, Karl’s sword reached my forehead.
There was a shock, but it wasn’t too severe.
This was partly due to Karl desperately trying to stop his sword and because the divinity I’d wrapped around myself absorbed a good portion of the impact.
Feeling a dull ache spreading from my forehead, I could tell I would definitely have a bruise, but who cares?
What’s more important is that because Karl was straining to halt his attack, I now had the chance to retaliate.
The technique I used when throwing that punch earlier also applies when swinging the mace.
Instead of just swinging with my arm, I would channel my entire body’s strength into the swing.
Despite Karl seeing my movement, it was already too late for him to respond with a swing of his sword.
So, instead, he chose to brace against my mace.
Up to this point, everything was going according to the scenario I had plotted in my mind.
Now all I had to do was deliver the finishing blow.
“Okay, Karl. If you can fend off my attack without taking any damage here, you win.”
Not that it’s possible!
Back when I first resolved to land a hit on you, I was weak.
I was just an arrogant brat who didn’t even know how to swing a mace properly.
Even now, I’m still weak. But not compared to back then.
I don’t know how powerful my attack seems in your imagination, but I can assure you of this:
My strike will be stronger than you’re envisioning right now.
My mace descended upon the wooden sword that Karl was using as a shield.
Whoa, truly, this guy is a monster.
Trying to withstand my attack purely with his own strength?
All the divinity I’ve packed into this strike?
His utterly absurd method of handling things was shocking enough to make me laugh.
Truly a monster.
But here’s the thing. Even if you’re strong, that wooden sword isn’t quite on the same level.
Even if Karl’s applying magic to it, a wooden sword is still just that—a wooden sword.
There’s a limit to how much power it can handle.
During that endlessly brief yet eternal standoff, a crack began to form in the center of his wooden sword, which eventually split in half.
The mace, having shattered the obstacle, continued towards its original target.
And that target was Karl’s abdomen.
Thwack!
As the mace struck, Karl was pushed backward, eventually lifting off the ground.
Feeling the impact in my hands, I was certain.
My attack had landed successfully.
Seeing Karl fly back after the hit made me grin widely before collapsing onto the ground.
[Was that the all-out strike you were looking for, huh?]
“Yes!”
After all, I had already burned half of my divinity testing out Holy Martial Arts in reality.
To deliver a proper strike, I had to unleash everything I had.
Now, thanks to that, my arms and legs weren’t moving.
Looks like I’m stuck here for a while.
But hey, at least I managed to land a hit on Karl.
Now he can’t help but think, “Oh, I got hit by my master—a pathetic mutt!”
With all this on my mind, I easily realized the ridiculousness of my thoughts.
There I was, gazing up at the aimless blue sky, when a certain thought suddenly hit me, and I straightened up.
Holy Martial Arts and Iron Wall skills also gain proficiency as I use them, right?
Then, doesn’t the Mesugaki skill grow in proficiency too?
As I started envisioning how I could tease Karl, various Mesugaki expressions came to mind—could it be that my Mesugaki skill leveled up?
Danger!
At that moment, I realized several bizarre things.
Like why vulgar terms like ‘pathetic’ or ‘trash’ slipped from my tongue so easily.
Or how I found myself internally shouting those words more often.
Or perhaps how my vocabulary flourished as I naturally provoked others.
…Am I slowly being consumed by the Mesugaki skill? Is that what’s happening?!
As I trembled with this shocking realization, I heard footsteps nearby.
I didn’t have the strength to turn my neck to see who it was, but I knew who it was.
“My Lady. You were amazing.”
It was Karl. Despite being struck by my all-out blow, he was smiling casually without any visible damage.
“It hurt about as much as when we sparred back at the Alrn Family. You’ve grown so strong! Truly, you are a descendant of the Alrn Family.”
I had attacked expecting that even if I hurt him, the academy would heal him.
What? It just ‘hurt’? That’s it?!
Karl was probably trying to compliment me, but it felt more like a mockery to me.
It’s like a comics villain saying, “Oh, you managed to hurt me? Impressive!”
Ugh, Karl. Just you wait. Right now, you can smile and say all that, but as time passes, it’ll start getting tough on you.
Because I’m a veteran at the Soul Academy.
One day, I will make you say those words: “This pathetic mutt could never defeat my lady!”
As I had this thought, I realized I had once again cursed myself silently, and let out a silent scream.
*
For the rest of the day, I pondered about my Mesugaki skill proficiency, but the conclusion reached was nothing.
Is it even possible to not level it up just because I don’t want to?
Each time I open my mouth, those words turn into Mesugaki language automatically.
Unless I plan on keeping my mouth shut forever, while I’m alive, there’s no avoiding leveling up the Mesugaki skill.
Even if there’s a sense of coercion in it, I’m in a position where I have to use the Mesugaki skill.
Not to mention, aside from having to talk in a Mesugaki way, the performance of this skill is overwhelming.
Absolute provoke ability. The anger debuff forced onto the opponent. Plus, it boosts my stats as they get angrier.
Countless worse crises are bound to arrive, and there’s no way I’m surviving that without the Mesugaki skill.
So, of course my proficiency in the Mesugaki skill rises, and those words like “pathetic” and “trash” stick to my tongue.
Honestly, I’m scared that even if the Mesugaki skill fades away later, I’ll still keep calling everyone pathetic.
What can I do?
Soon, I might even be calling grandpa some dusty old junk like that when I talk to him in my head.
Nah, that would be kinda funny.
Maybe next time I practice with grandpa, I’ll tease him like that?
Lost in my thoughts for a while, I finally landed on the conclusion that I was getting nowhere, so I decided to take a break at the dining hall.
When I’m feeling down, I need something delicious to eat.
When I’m feeling sad, nothing beats meat and sweets!
[So, are you eating alone again today?]
‘…Grandpa, do you really need to point that out?’
It’s a huge faux pas to ask someone why they’re having a solo meal when they’re already alone!
Why would someone who’s so knowledgeable about high society say that to me?!
[No, I was just wondering if there’s really a need for you to eat alone even now. This place is no longer filled with enemies like when you first came here.]
‘That’s true.’
The reason I had solo meals at the academy back then was that there was no one to eat with.
But now it’s different.
Now, if I want to eat with someone, there are people who would do just that.
People like Visi and Avery, who I can command to follow me without a second thought.
Joy and Phoebe would likely ditch their usual eating buddies to come eat with me if I asked nicely.
Arthur is a bit on the fence.
And Frey? Who knows if he’ll even come since he doesn’t listen to me anyway.
As for that Clumsy Fox… I’m not a fan. Watching him eat seriously might actually make me throw up.
In short, I could easily escape my solo meals if I wanted to.
Yet I’m still eating alone for one simple reason.
“What if they end up hating me?”
I’ve worked so hard to build up goodwill; what if the Mesugaki skill makes me drop their affection?
[You’re worried about that? I don’t think they’d hate you for such a minor reason.]
‘I know that too.’
But it’s just that…
If I start throwing around words like “pathetic” during meals, even if they’re okay with it, it makes me uncomfortable.
I realized that when I dined with others on my field trip recently.
It’s better to eat alone than to awkwardly look around and feel uneasy!
[When it comes to fighting, you’re so bold, but when it comes to relationships, why are you so clumsy? ]
“Shut up, grandpa.”
As I retorted lightly, I waited for my ordered meal to arrive when someone from afar approached me.
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