Chapter: 290
Kal still remembered the first time he sparred with Lucy.
The day he nearly committed an irreversible sin due to his inability to control his emotions.
If it hadn’t been for the Young Lady’s mercy, he would have lost his dreams that day.
Back then, Lucy seemed incredibly weak for the daughter of Benedict Alrn.
She couldn’t even manage a long run and ended up sprawled on the ground.
She was thrown around by the weight of her shield and mace.
While she handled the shield somewhat decently, her attempts with the mace were laughable.
At that time, Kal didn’t think Lucy would grow significantly.
Talent is something that usually shows from a young age, after all. Believing her transformation would be steep was a naive hope rather than a hopeful belief.
Kal wasn’t the only one who thought that way.
Anyone who lived in the Alrn territory knew who Lucy Alrn was.
And now, a year later,
Lucy had proven her worth boldly through her own efforts.
Her skills, not just anything else.
“Is your attack a bit pathetic?♡ If you want me to toss you aside, just say it!♡”
“Isn’t your grip on your words a bit too tight for someone acting calm?!”
Kal forced himself to calm his boiling head while furrowing his brow.
Never would he have thought he’d find the Young Lady such a hassle to deal with.
Lucy was showing strengths that were not just one or two.
The most noticeable was her incredibly solid shield.
Even while Kal swung with aura around him, her shield showed no signs of damage, leaving her opponent breathless.
But was it just the shield that was sturdy?
No.
The mace in Lucy’s grip held enough power to threaten even Kal.
At any moment she displayed an opening, the mace would plunge in and shatter a bone.
What made this even trickier was that Lucy understood these two facts all too well.
She would hide behind her shield to make her opponent anxious. When they tried to force through, she would brandish her mace as a counter threat to drive them back.
If a mistake was made in this exchange, she’d swing her mace to obliterate them.
With a clumsy combination of offense and defense, she’d be vulnerable, but not Lucy; such worries were unnecessary.
Having gained countless experiences, Lucy was far from making such rookie mistakes.
She had mastered her strengths and maximized her combat style.
It might sound mundane when stated, but how many fail to uphold such a fundamental principle?
In just one year, she’d gone from the basics to establishing her own fighting style.
It wouldn’t be odd to call the Young Lady a knight now.
To counter her, one must think about how to handle the opponent when they cling to their strengths.
They must force their opponent to abandon those advantages.
They needed to lure the opponent out of their comfort zone.
Kal, a seasoned knight, naturally knew this and had the skills to execute it.
Yet, he still couldn’t break free from Lucy’s domain.
“Where shall I send you, loser?♡ I doubt anyone would take in a pathetic mutt like you, but I’ll check it out♡”
“Believe it or not, I actually have many places to go!”
Each time Lucy hurled words, heat filled Kal’s head.
His reason was gradually dissipating.
No matter how hard he tried to keep his composure, his sword kept itching to move forward.
He had no choice but to dance within Lucy’s territory.
Hah. The Young Lady really is a pain to handle as an enemy.
If it’s not about overpowering her with skill and strength, there’s no way to win.
If the opponent is on the same level or weaker like me, how could one expect to escape from her territory?
One would definitely be toyed with and ultimately become a meal for that mace.
Perhaps one day I too might meet the same fate.
But not yet. I can’t lose to her just yet.
If I do, I might end up like the abandoned mutt she’s teasing about, pathetic and left behind.
Having already accomplished little by being with the Young Lady, becoming a laughing stock in some bard’s tale rather than a heroic knight would be my fate.
So, let me show her.
This knight.
Your dog.
Will showcase how sharp its teeth really are.
As Kal dodged the shield flying toward him, he stepped back.
In the silence that stretched as they created distance, Lucy stood still, watching his movement.
“Tired already, loser?♡”
“No, as you know, a knight of the Alrn family can go without sleep for about a week!”
“Then why are you running away?♡ Scared?♡ Afraid you’ll cry if you get hit by my mace?♡”
“I’m giving you distance so you can see what I’m about to unfold.”
With those words, Kal laughed as he infused color into his aura.
Like when he faced Duke Burrow, the snowy white aura enveloped his sword.
“I will show you the swordsmanship of the Alrn family.”
The starting point and goal of the Alrn family’s sword techniques. A strike of almost overwhelming power.
Young Lady Lucy, feel how sharp your knight’s fangs are.
The moment Kal raised his sword high, Lucy remained silent.
She simply smiled and pushed her shield forward.
As she did, the divine energy she possessed concentrated.
It was clear to anyone that it wasn’t ordinary divine energy.
It was rich, warm, and noble—nothing like what many knew.
Yet, no one there would dare claim it wasn’t divine.
On the contrary, those watching the engraved divinity on her shield might wonder if the divine energy they’d known was false, and that what they saw now was the true form of divinity.
Lucy’s divine energy was that marvelous and awe-inspiring.
“Bring it on, loser!♡ Feel how dull your teeth really are!♡”
“Yes, I will.”
Kal stepped forward.
Lucy stepped forward.
His sword rose high.
The divine energy she maintained formed a new barrier in front of her shield.
All the power she held descended down.
She recreated the tales of heroes before her.
*
If I were to summarize the outcome of the spar with Kal in a single phrase, it would be… I lost.
I successfully achieved coloring Kal’s aura as originally intended and managed to some degree of counter against his attacks, but just blocking with the shield doesn’t mean I come away unscathed, so I ultimately got worn down and lost.
Considering how Kal displayed ease even until the very last moment, he likely hadn’t come at me with his full strength.
That guy is incredibly strong, for real.
[No matter how you think about it, your knight has clearly surpassed the ordinary knight level.]
‘I think so too.’
Right now, I could easily defeat any typical knight, but I still couldn’t reach Kal.
When I think about it, Kal is definitely over-spec.
He’s good-looking. Good character. Skilled. And relatively young, so he has potential.
If you exclude one downside, he could honestly be called a superhuman.
That twisted loyalty where he wants to be treated like a dog by his master, though.
…Thinking about it, that flaw is pretty significant.
Just adding a little extra on that makes him shift from being the ideal knight to a perverted one hiding his warped desires.
While it’s true no human can be perfect, isn’t this a bit over the line?
[Well, at least thanks to him being strong, you’ve gotten to know just how much your skills have improved.]
‘I can definitely feel that my overall abilities have increased.’
I’ve become stronger overall, but the most noticeable change is in how I can handle divine energy.
Previously, I had a hard time managing divine power.
I consistently improved through training with Grandpa, but the level I aspired to was quite far still.
But that’s not the case anymore.
As my divine powers elevated, my body changed, allowing me to manipulate divine energy as naturally as breathing.
I truly felt this change when I recreated the tale of the hero against Kal’s aura.
Back then, I couldn’t perfectly replicate that shield technique, but now I succeeded in getting it close enough to earn Grandpa’s admiration.
Considering that I still haven’t fully adapted to this new body, it won’t be long before I not just replicate the shield technique but also surpass Grandpa’s mastery of it, right?
Heh, I’m looking forward to it.
When that day comes, I’ll tease him while calling him a pathetic old man, thanks to the Mesugaki skill. It’ll surely be hilarious.
“Third Prince, are you already worn out?”
“What are you saying! It’s you who’s getting tired!”
As I envision a future that would eventually come, reality snapped me back at Arthur and Frey’s voices.
As soon as my duel with Kal ended, the two of them promptly began their own spar, swinging their swords fiercely at each other without retreating an inch.
Hearing from Joy that witnessing my moves fired them up, it seems like they’re motivated to grow stronger.
It’s great to see that drive blooming.
“Submit quietly!”
“Talking a lot for someone who seems likely to lose. Pathetic.”
…They really do want to get stronger, right?
Observing their spar, it felt more like they just wanted to beat each other up.
“Seriously, they’re still such kids.”
Joy chuckled at the sight of the two of them.
You’re right, Joy. Those two are acting ridiculously childish.
But you know, there’s something to mention here.
‘What the Young Lady should say…’
“It doesn’t seem like someone whose hair is all messed up should be criticizing others, huh?”
“…What?”
Did she not realize her hair was a mess? Blinking in confusion, she conjured a mirror with magic only to freeze upon seeing her reflection.
“W-When did I end up like this?”
‘Since the very beginning.’
“When do you even think? Since the moment the foolish Young Lady stepped out of her room, it’s been this way. Isn’t it obvious?”
Upon hearing my answer, Joy’s face turned beet red, and she hurried out of the training room to tidy herself up.
Is it really that embarrassing? I thought it was cute.
“Lady.”
Just as I was left alone, Kal approached me.
‘What is it?’
“What is it?”
“There’s something the Dungeon Studies Professor asked me to relay.”
The Dungeon Studies Professor? What could that person want with me?
Puzzled, I tilted my head, and Kal continued.
“It seems he wants to assign you the design for the final exam dungeon. Although I didn’t hear much of the details.”
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