*
The Black Knight and the Glass Knight headed towards the Swordsmanship Training Hall.
Watching their backs, Kainel and Ariel started chatting.
“Kai… what was that about earlier?”
“Just a hunch. I mean, I saw them yesterday, and no matter how I think about it, Licht and Mardol look too similar.”
The blonde Hero smirked. He kind of understood the thoughts that Licht had while in the carriage. So, this is the perspective of someone watching from afar.
“They’re almost identical, but… one of them was just wearing a helmet.”
“At least Mardol doesn’t seem like a bad guy. It’d be nice if the new students become friends.”
“But a Swordsmanship Exchange means they both acknowledged each other…”
He recalled the Glass Knight, who was handing out candy at the bakery. Though hidden under armor, it seemed like a good person since he got along well with Ariel.
“Well, if Licht kneels and begs while calling him ‘brother’, I might have the confidence to exchange with him. Ariel.”
“Those who wield swords all seem a bit strange…”
The red-haired Mage sighed.
Thinking about it, with white hair, he should’ve stood out in the Academy, but even when he asked around a bit while Licht wasn’t around, he couldn’t find anyone matching that appearance.
‘For now, expanding my network might be important. Licht.’
The armor looked expensive. Even if he was clueless, he knew the person was someone important. Using that person’s information would make it easier to find the one he had a crush on.
Just thought of it as repayment for the swordsmanship training.
Kainel was grateful to Licht for helping him become stronger. In fact, he ranked third during practice sessions.
It was a result achieved without falling behind the noble scions who had been trained in swordsmanship. He had some gratitude towards his friend wearing the Black Knight’s helmet.
*
“…Who’s talking about me?”
Suddenly, a sneeze came out. It’s spring, so it shouldn’t be chilly outside. But every time he came here, he felt a chill. Why? Surely he was desperately trying to follow the route of the Saintess.
Inside the Academy’s Swordsmanship Training Hall.
He needed to deal with the overdue promise first. He looked at the armored knight. This was the second time visiting this week.
“Remember, we’re exchanging magic?”
“Right.”
Nodding vigorously, Mardol’s head shook repeatedly. Is being that strong really a good thing? He seemed a bit excited compared to yesterday.
“I’ll only teach you one technique.”
“That’s enough.”
He drew a sword from his sheath. All the teeth were missing. Did he beat it up too much with the Void Slash?
“…Aren’t you going to fix it?”
“Not enough time. Lately, I’ve been busy as if I had two bodies.”
As soon as he took it out, a voice echoed from inside the glass helmet. Sharp eyes indeed; he recognized it right away. This equipment was far from suitable for demonstration right now.
“Then I’ll use a different sword; thanks for worrying about me.”
He picked up a backup weapon hanging on the wall. Typical of an academy; the equipment was good. Maybe he should save money later to borrow one.
“From now on, I’ll teach you the basics of ‘Dragon Shadow Slash.’”
“Okay, Licht.”
He approached the training dummy.
Focusing his mind and adjusting his stance, he took a deep breath.
Preparation was complete.
“Shadows are important. If there’s no shadow on the enemy, it won’t work.”
“Ah, I see.”
He manipulated one of the magic lights hanging from the ceiling to keep the shadow of the object moving.
“Shadows are elusive and thin. The ‘concept’ of being connected to reality must be understood…”
He raised the sword high. Concentrating on the shadow of the wooden dummy before him, the form changed with the angle of the swaying light.
“Like this.”
CRACK─!
The dull thud of iron rang through the training hall. It left a vertical scar on the ground. Since it would auto-repair due to the magic circle, this much was fine.
“You can hit the real body like this.”
Tap, tap, crack.
Immediately after, wooden pieces popped out, perfectly halving the dummy. The destructive power was low, but cutting something like this was easy.
“…Wow.”
The Crown Prince let out a pure exclamation. If this were done with magic, twisting the concept would be like eating cold porridge for him. He couldn’t understand why he was reacting like this. It was merely a battle of strength and technique.
‘Was this how Master Drake felt?’
He began to understand somewhat why he had been taken on as a disciple. So, that’s why they didn’t grant a class shift through data mining in the game.
He helped someone who resembled his situation.
‘Hah! Have you finally come to appreciate the vastness of your master’s generosity?!’
A boisterous echo resounded. His body recognized the years spent rolling around. His hands trembled slightly.
“No, no matter how I think about it, that’s not it.”
“…?”
He shook his head. That mountain climbing was crossing the line, oldman. He recalled how, just this week, he took students on a mountain trail during class.
As soon as it ended, some ran away. He looked at Mardol, who tilted his head at his sigh.
“…How about it? Do you need more demonstrations?”
“Just a few more.”
He also picked up a sword hanging on the wall. Seeing it like this, his hands looked a bit small compared to the armor.
‘Is he really the Crown Prince?’
Since he was about my height, he couldn’t be the Saintess. His head was suddenly in a bit of a mess. He brushed aside the distractions and spoke to him.
“Then, please toss two coins.”
“Okay, I got it.”
Mardol took coins out from his pocket. The moment the Glass Knight threw the copper coin towards me,
“Ah, sorry.”
A projectile flew at incredible speed. It felt similar to Master Drake. Before his eyes, his body reacted before his mind.
‘Still a bit slow.’
He stomped the ground hard and slashed diagonally, then used the other coin to strike down with shadows.
DING DING DING DING!
“Strong. As expected.”
“Next time, please be more careful.”
“Sorry.”
Surely it was inherited from the lineage of the Ten Heroes. The son of a man who caused sonic booms with sheer strength.
..Is my swordsmanship not even necessary for this?
“Now I get it.”
The Glass Knight continued speaking while looking at me. Noticing the sword aimed down at the wooden dummy, he took a few steps forward.
He wasn’t utilizing the weapon he carried on his back. That grip looked familiar…
If I acted like I knew more, a flag would pop up. I kept my mouth shut.
“Given this, will you still be unable to learn magic? Sorry about that.”
Just as he sheathed his sword.
“No, Licht.”
Suddenly, Mardol approached me closely. Close enough that it felt like our helmets might clash. I had tried to derail the route several times with my lines, but why?
“This is sufficient.”
“No, it’s a failure. Anyway, that’s that!”
A chilling feeling crept in. Was it predetermined that I would become entangled with this person since he was the protagonist of the third installment? My thoughts raced.
CRUNCH.
“What is..?”
“Magic, Licht.”
My second knuckle was captured. The difference in size between my hand and his glove was stark.
‘This can’t be! This will ruin the Saintess route!’
What does this mean? I failed to teach swordsmanship, and I made some meta-commentary; what could be the problem? I had even gotten along with Nex, the Harem Crusher dubbed by that title.
“…Stay still.”
My struggles were thwarted as I tried to pull back; I was magically stopped at the twist of my wrist. I couldn’t escape him.
“W-why is your hand…”
“Watch closely.”
The two knights faced each other.
The reflection of their helmets mirrored; they were about the same height.
If one were to do a decal, it would feel just like this. Aside from me wearing no armor and a typical academy uniform. Cold sweat streamed down.
“Wait, just a second. At least let go of my hands while we talk.”
“The circuit, this will work.”
I was at a loss for words. My mind went blank. Were you the one who took my second?
“What… How are you this strong?”
My fingers wiggled; that was the limit of my resistance. The bloodline of the wolf king was too much of a cheat. Had I known, I would have been born as the son of the Ten Heroes too.
At that moment, the Glass Knight spoke.
“Merak.”
As Mardol finished the incantation, a sphere of light rose between us. A translucent bubble, much like soap, slowly floated upward and illuminated the surroundings like the sun.
It looked like the concept of transparent glass and light being reflected was twisted.
‘So it’s a soap bubble.’
Understanding came easily. For now, I had no choice but to play along. I felt as if the Imperial Guard would be summoned.
“…This is lighting magic, isn’t it?”
“Yep. Now give it a try.”
The sound of helmets clashed. It seemed to have a similar structure.
“W-what? Suddenly? You know I lack mana.”
“You can do it.”
Since I had no gloves on, this feels cold. The sensation of holding transparent glass was strange. It was slick and felt uneasy even though it was the second grip.
“…Merak?”
With nothing to lose, I shut my eyes tightly and shouted the incantation.
‘I can’t see her die again.’
I’m sorry, Wolf Eared Saintess. The Demon King’s offspring are vile, so I had no choice but to grow strong. My mind spun with reasons that wouldn’t suffice even if I had two mouths.
“W-what?”
“Indeed, it worked.”
Above Mardol’s head, the sphere of light I had created floated. It was a much smaller air bubble, but still,
…I succeeded.
“Why did this work? How exactly…?”
“Circuit, it’s mine.”
The Glass Knight replied in a buzzing voice.
“Ah, so my blood vessels are twisted, and you’re implementing magic in my place?”
“Temporary measure.”
I was shocked. Using a medium makes it possible in this way. After all, just yesterday, Nex had forcibly opened my body to use magic.
Since there was Den’s explanation that filling mana was possible, isn’t this the same?
‘It might be possible to use magic!’
A sudden question popped into my head, and I shouted.
“Perhaps if I drew a magic circle…!”
“That won’t work.”
A firm refusal. Why? Magic using a person’s body is possible, but why not? Losing focus on the fact that my hands were still tightly caught, I wondered.
Could it be…?
“Ultimately, the body.”
“Until this condition is fixed, it’s impossible. Understood.”
“Right. You’re so smart.”
After playing the game for years, I realized that the setting from the first installment was still intact. Why did the characters surrounding it change but not this?
Despair seized me, and I looked down.
“Sorry…”
“Not at all. You taught me magic, didn’t you?”
“No, incorrect. Not at all.”
“So, I’m left with the conclusion that I still can’t use it.”
“Yep…”
The second dejected look I had seen.
“It’s not over yet, Licht.”
A golden light glimmered within his helmet. The more I looked, the more he resembled the Saintess. Could it be that both had the same wolf blood causing the golden color?
“Yes?”
“Instead, let’s exchange swordsmanship.”
The grip on my knuckles relaxed.
“I didn’t teach you the Dragon Shadow Slash.”
“No, you did teach me.”
Huh, this doesn’t seem like a romance story. Isn’t it more like the route of a companion? He lowered his head to me as if apologizing. The vibe was ripe for a pink atmosphere.
‘He really is kind…’
He wasn’t a bad person. I could have kept my mouth shut and pretended not to know. After all, he did let me know that I could use Merak.
“You can become stronger. Licht.”
Ah, so he’s fixated on my strength until the end. For a moment, I nearly looked back at him.
“…I see.”
Only when it’s like this, his words get longer. I thought that wouldn’t happen with hand-holding, so should I now give this a shot? There’s no loss for me either way.
“Alright then.”
“I’ll teach you ‘Wolf Fang.’”
Grancia style. Most of all, it had reinterpreted the moves of the Ten Heroes.
The Glass Knight charged straight ahead. The sound of air bursting could be heard. He truly was incredibly fast.
“Like a wolf biting.”
“Entrusting your body to instinct, huh? This is quite the opposite of my swordsmanship, isn’t it?”
“You’re smart.”
As if it were the same first form of swordsmanship, the wolf’s fangs. That day, I learned one technique.
And then, Mardol suggested we immediately enter a practice match.
“Ah, so this is why you wanted to give me something.”
“Correct. Licht.”
Just then, my shadow barely got sliced. Sure enough, he was indeed a Mary Sue character. Even without any direct attacks, it made a ting sound from the weapon in hand.
“…What a trickster.”
“You too.”
The reply came when I countered with Wolf Fang.
Eventually, both realized they could independently master their techniques while they crossed swords, and in a world without phone numbers.
The two knights shared their traces of swordsmanship.
