Chapter: 253
Karl still remembers the moment he met his lady, the one he vowed to serve for life.
At that time, she was still fragile. About a week into her training, she wasn’t a total mess like before, but she was still finding her feet.
She was just an ordinary person, except for her exceptional skill in handling a shield.
Back then, Karl didn’t have high hopes for Lucy’s talent.
He knew just how remarkable the divine beings showcasing their prowess across the continent were.
No matter how talented she might be, he was convinced she could never catch up now.
Karl’s judgment was entirely reasonable. He had seen countless talents come and go before settling into his position.
However, there was one thing Karl hadn’t considered: common sense only applies to those who stay within its boundaries.
For someone already standing outside those limits, the mere word “common sense” is utterly meaningless.
The monster known as Lucy Alrn proved to the world what it meant to be born with the blood of the Alrn family in just a year. She made it clear that there was a sequel to the epic tale penned by Benedict Alrn.
Even now, it was the same.
Before Lucy stood not an ordinary being but a skeleton claiming itself to be a part of the hero Garad, and it certainly possessed strength befitting that name.
An overwhelming amount of magical energy lingered around its seemingly frail bones.
Despite having been dead for centuries, its presence remained as strong as ever.
With every movement, it radiated an overpowering aura.
That made Karl evaluate if he could defeat the skeleton right off the bat.
And he quickly concluded it was impossible. He could stall for a bit, but that was all. Even collaborating with Professor Luca, the outcome wouldn’t change.
Even now, Karl didn’t believe he was wrong. The sword strikes aimed at his lady were undeniably overwhelming.
Though they weren’t excessively forceful, the mastery exuding from the hand wielding the sword, the arm swinging it, and the body as a whole surpassed Karl’s own.
If he dared to try to withstand those blade strikes now, he’d likely end up flat on the ground.
That was the kind of swordsmanship that lived up to the hero’s name.
And yet, Lucy easily countered those moves.
First attack.
It looked light at first glance, but with the peak of swordsmanship embedded in it, if one didn’t respond properly, they’d be cleaved through with their shield intact.
Second attack.
Karl expected a horizontal slash, but alas, it ascended from below instead, aiming to plunge straight down.
Third attack.
Lucy pushed away a blade that wanted to send her flying with her shield.
Fourth attack.
She effortlessly intercepted a swift blade that even Karl barely managed to follow.
If the sword strikes of the skeleton were worthy of a hero’s name, Lucy’s shield techniques were sufficiently overwhelming to evoke memories of that legendary tale.
Despite having blocked four knife-edge attacks, Lucy’s face overflowed with ease.
“…Did you just say I caught that?”
Hearing the skeleton’s exclamation, Lucy casually checked her shield. Despite surpassing four trials, the shield she held was immaculate.
To anyone watching, they might wonder if she had just entered the trials.
“Is something strange?♡ Did I mishear?♡ Didn’t that bonehead promise to reveal the weight of a hero to me?~♡”
With a playful chuckle, Lucy thrust her shield forward, her voice dripping with mischief.
No matter who her opponent was, her unique diction could provoke rage in anyone. It was one of Lucy’s many blessings.
Hearing her, the skeleton tightened its grip, making creaking sounds from its bones, but Lucy wouldn’t stop.
“Hey♡ Is this what you call the weight of a hero?♡ Kya-ha-ha♡ It’s so heavy!♡ Might as well use it as a paperweight!♡”
“…Give it a rest.”
Unlike the past, Lucy had learned to discern things. She clearly knew that such provocations would shatter whatever consideration her opponent might have.
Yet, for certain reasons, she didn’t stop provoking.
“Kya-ha~♡ I’m sorry~♡ A little girl like me making a weak, pathetic knight like you struggle to pierce her shield~♡ You’ve forgotten what it means to be a hero because you’re so weak, right?♡ If only you were just a little stronger!♡ Heh♡ Ha-ha♡”
Not satisfied with the last attack.
She couldn’t bring herself to accept that such weak strikes qualified as her trial.
“Hah.”
Realizing Lucy’s intentions, Karl couldn’t help but exhale in awe.
It had only been a year.
It’s only been a year since his lady earnestly started training!
And yet she was now stepping boldly towards the path of heroes, easily suppressing the divine beings of her generation.
This wasn’t merely because she had the blood of the Alrn family. She wasn’t receiving any divine love.
It was simply because Lucy Alrn’s talent was too vast for this world to handle.
Ah. This growth is too fast. She has become too strong too quickly.
At this rate, it won’t be long before this knightly fool won’t be able to keep up with her.
That cannot happen.
He cannot allow it.
This knight vowed to dedicate his life to his lady.
He can accept many things, but being cast aside because of a deficiency in ability is unacceptable!
Training. He needs to train.
To grow even stronger than now.
To stay by her side.
He must.
“Hey, weak senior?”
As Karl resolved internally, Luca chimed in beside him.
“Isn’t it wrong to admire something trivial? What do I know?”
Karl couldn’t bring himself to respond to that.
His lady’s loyal hound was more than enough, yet the existence of another made him feel jealous and petty.
Maybe thinking he had a weakness in his firm stance, Luca teased him just then.
A massive energy surged from the skeleton.
The moment Karl saw that, his body moved before his mind could catch up.
That energy. It was something that his lady couldn’t block now.
No matter how brilliant her shield skills, there were limits.
How could she possibly fend off an attack of such different caliber!
But Karl’s dash was interrupted as Luca grabbed his wrist.
“Let go! I must—”
“Karl. You call yourself a knight but can’t trust your lady?”
“Trust has nothing to do with this! This is—”
“I believe. Are you saying you’re less loyal than I am?”
At Luca’s question, Karl halted his movements.
“You.”
“Just watch. You’ll witness her perform miracles.”
It would be a terribly delightful thing to see.
As he watched Luca smiling, Karl made his decision.
“…Alright then.”
Once this is over, I’ll challenge Luca to a sparring match.
*
[Girl! That’s dangerous!]
‘Hmm. Seems so.’
Ignoring the grandpa’s fussing voice, I gazed straight ahead.
An aura wrapped itself around the skeleton’s sword.
It didn’t seem like it was serious about obliterating her yet, but that didn’t change the fact that it’s dangerous.
Regardless of my knowledge of the skeleton’s strategies, its power overwhelmingly surpassed mine.
Had this not been a trial, wouldn’t I have been crushed by that skeleton in a split second?
That guy was swinging a sword wrapped in aura. One wrong move, and I’d end up split in half, turning Lucy into Ru/Sy.
[You provoked too carelessly in your excitement! You should’ve pushed through the trial while letting him get ahead!]
‘Now you decide to bring that up? You were the one gassing me up from the start, grandpa!’
Who do you think was the one blabbering about things that would annoy Garad half a dozen times?
[That’s um, err…]
‘Remember how you laughed it off like it was gonna be easy? That’s still playing on my mind!’
Now is not the time to backtrack, grandpa. For this opportunity, we are co-conspirators.
[…Girl.]
‘What?’
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