I don’t get why that little brat, who hasn’t even lived a fraction of my life, harbors such deep emotions…
Shaking my head roughly, I brushed away the distracting thoughts.
That’s not something I should care about.
More than anything, I couldn’t pull myself out of that sticky emotion either, so what could I possibly say to him?
With a light sigh, I expelled the jumbled thoughts from my mind and moved forward.
…
“Nameless.”
Nameless, who was swinging his sword, turned to meet my gaze.
“Master?”
“I’m here to share a word of advice before the duel begins.”
“Yes, I’m listening.”
Nameless sheathed his sword and struck a salute pose, concentrating on me even though I had never taught him that.
I looked at him and couldn’t help but smirk, patting his back as I spoke up.
“Don’t lose.”
I initially planned to deliver a sharp reminder to the relaxed Nameless…
But this duel is a legitimate battle, and I certainly didn’t want to see him deflate just because of one remark from me.
“Yes, Master.”
Nameless smiled back at me.
…
In the center of the arena.
Harang stood between Nameless and Lucius, raising his arms high and speaking.
“Well… you probably already know, but before we start this spar, let me remind you of something.”
Since this isn’t a life-or-death match, the use of lethal techniques is prohibited.
“Even with Saint Elia in attendance, the dead cannot be resurrected.”
After briefly finishing his words, Harang slowly turned his head to look at Nameless and Lucius.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes.” “Yes.”
As they both answered almost simultaneously, Harang gave a light nod before stepping back.
“Good, then the match will start at the drop of my arm.”
Nameless fixated on Lucius’s eyes, tensing every nerve in his body.
Unfortunately.
Considering the gap between himself and Lucius, if he showed even a hint of weakness, he’d be knocked out right away.
But.
That didn’t serve as a reason for him to lose.
Ultimately, victories aren’t determined by the total amount of inner strength one possesses.
It comes down to who wields the sword better.
And when it comes to handling a sword, he was confident he wouldn’t fall behind anyone except for his Master.
A grin crept onto his lips.
At the same time, Harang’s arm fell.
“Begin.”
The voice announcing the start of the duel rang out, and Nameless lunged at Lucius like a bolt of lightning.
However.
Contrary to what Nameless predicted—that his sword would reach first—
-Clang!
Lucius’s sword struck Nameless first.
Lucius’s swordsmanship wasn’t flashy.
It could even be seen as rough, just a simple vertical slash.
Yet, the look in Nameless’s eyes was wide as he blocked it.
It was heavy.
But bearable.
Just then, mocking Nameless’s thoughts, a radiant golden aura surged from Lucius’s body, enveloping the entire arena.
-Crunch
The ground of the duel arena quaked with the energy radiating from Lucius.
Gripping tightly, Nameless attempted to resist by unleashing his own energy.
A blood-red aura, similar yet slightly different from that of his Master, flowed out from Nameless’s body.
However, no matter how much one might argue that total inner strength doesn’t decide victory…
The disparity in power class was evident.
Gradually, Nameless’s blade began to yield, prompting him to click his tongue and loosen his grip.
With that, an eerie screeching noise echoed throughout the arena as swords clashed and Lucius’s blade came crashing down.
Nameless swiftly moved back to evade, but Lucius seemed to anticipate it, swiftly cutting horizontally.
Realizing this, Nameless raised his sword defensively but, in a flurry, couldn’t maintain his stance.
He flew, suspended in the air, crashing into a corner of the arena.
-Thud
Thick smoke obscured the view.
Elia, startled, stood to stop the duel, but Harang held her back with a small smile.
“What are you doing? It’s not over yet.”
As Harang finished speaking, heavy footsteps echoed from the smoke.
From that place, Nameless emerged, dusting off his clothes.
“Tch, I’ll give it another try.”
Clicking his tongue, Nameless took up a stance and charged at Lucius again.
…
…How does this guy see through all my tricks?
He moved his shoulders, extended his legs, acting like he would charge in immediately.
But Lucius didn’t budge an inch, merely maintaining his stance and staring at Nameless.
Nameless squinted, assessing Lucius.
Lucius’s demeanor was as if he already knew what was going to happen next.
Could it be…
That’s a ridiculous assumption, but…
Is he actually capable of seeing the future?
Or perhaps he reads the intentions embedded in the sword?
I couldn’t quite tell which it was, but either way, it was troublesome.
“Tch.”
Clacking his tongue to confirm his suspicions, Nameless leaped toward Lucius, swinging his sword horizontally.
However, the horizontal swing was just a decoy.
His real intent lay in the kick that would follow.
Even if Lucius could read the determination embedded in his sword, he would make it so that he couldn’t detect the slightest intention.
Nameless’s sword swung wide, aiming for Lucius.
Lucius shifted effortlessly to evade.
Using the recoil from his horizontal swing, Nameless turned his waist to deliver a kick.
But Lucius seemed to have anticipated it, dodging fluidly.
Nameless let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha.”
Is it a lack of ability on my part? Or does this guy truly see the future?
As he watched the blade aimed at him, Nameless closed his eyes.
This time, he had lost.
…
Lucius’s sword tip halted just before Nameless’s throat.
“Hmm… I guess it’s over.”
The duel ended with Nameless’s defeat.
It’s disappointing, but…
Actually, it’s not even that disappointing.
Nameless’s attacks showed no signs of success throughout the duel.
Letting out a sigh, I wiped my face.
I had no idea how to console Nameless…
I can only say the opponent was at fault.
If only Nameless’s defeat stemmed from a lack of swordsmanship or experience, there would have been something to teach him from this duel.
From watching the duel between Nameless and Lucius, it was evident that Nameless’s swordsmanship was indeed superior.
After all.
He was my disciple, who I had taught for years, so he couldn’t possibly be lacking in sword skills.
Then if I thought about ‘why did Nameless lose?’…
“Hmm…”
I too didn’t know.
Lucius’s swordplay was textbook perfect.
Of course, perhaps it was due to the wealth of real combat experience that his applications were notably impressive.
But the way he utilized his inner strength seemed primitive, either by unleashing energy or applying brute force.
There didn’t seem to be any special techniques visible.
In fact, I didn’t get to see many people, and even I could assess that there was nothing particularly outstanding about Lucius’s sword.
…But somehow, there was conviction in his movements.
Unlike Nameless, who thought and moved with multiple strategies, Lucius simply considered one approach.
…As if he knows a few seconds into the future.
This thought came to me halfway through the duel, but in the end, Nameless wasn’t able to deceive him with his feints, thus solidifying my suspicions.
I wasn’t certain by how much, but Lucius could undoubtedly see into the future.
My head started to throb.
…What a headache.
What should I say to comfort Nameless?
…
Having completed my brief thoughts, I moved towards Nameless, who lay spread-eagle on the arena floor.
…Ugh, why is he awkwardly covering his eyes with his arms?
Is he really crying…?
To further fuel my dreadful assumption, Nameless’s shoulders shook slightly.
…Is he actually shedding tears?
Seeing him like that, my nose stung with a strange feeling.
I hurried over to comfort him, mumbling to myself as I approached.
“Nameless.”
“…”
“Hey, you just lost in a spar, right? What’s a grown man crying for over losing just once?”
Even when I called out to him, Nameless’s shoulders merely trembled in response.
Normally, I would’ve received an immediate reply, but not today.
Growing increasingly anxious, I crouched beside Nameless and patted his shoulder.
“Don’t be too downhearted.”
While I attempted to console Nameless by patting him on the shoulder…
“Sniff.”
At that moment, a sound that could make my ears doubt themselves reached me.
I frowned.
“Nameless?”
I thought he was crying, but Nameless suddenly sprang up,
“Hahaha!”
And burst into loud laughter.
“Oh, that was really enjoyable! Lucius, may I request more sparring sessions in the future?”
“Nameless?”
“…Master? Why are your eyes red?!”
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