Chapter 25 – Oop Oop (3)

‘Are those the people?’

In the middle of the class.

Henry Camilton confirmed that a group of people had appeared in the corner of the training ground.

Every single one of them had a robust build.

Regardless of gender, their solid physiques were of the kind that could not be hidden no matter how ordinary the clothes they wrapped themselves in.

‘Especially those eyes. There’s no way such eyes could come from ordinary people.’

They were firm, deep eyes.

The goal revealed in those eyes right now was exploration.

It was to check if there was any talent they could fish out.

But one of them was slightly different.

He seemed to scan overall, yet his manner of examining each detail meticulously was distinct.

‘It is that person. The knight of the Timothy Marquisate.’

It was clear he was the person Bane had grumbled and called over.

Seeing the discomfort lingering on his face, it seemed he had already received a bad command.

‘He won’t be able to inflict direct harm, so the most likely thing is something using his status as an observer.’

It was then.

“Everyone, pay attention.”

The instructor, Kiana, who was in the middle of conducting the class, stopped the trainees.

The class she conducted was weapons technique.

As she dealt with real weapons, Kiana usually demanded a sharp tension in every class, but today, her usual enthusiasm was nowhere to be seen.

Only the annoyance of having to do useless work was visible on her face.

“I have something to convey to you. As some of you may have already noticed, we have guests who have come to watch you today.”

A glance.

Glancing once at the knights waiting awkwardly, Kiana spoke again.

“They are knights from ten prestigious families. If you have talent, it will be possible to skip all subsequent educational processes and start acting as a knight right away. It is an excellent… opportunity, so make sure to seize it if you have the ability.”

Of course, there was no way there were trainees of that caliber here.

Knowing that, Instructor Kiana had an expression of being annoyed to death.

Her thought was that she did not know why they were taking away the time of kids who were busy enough learning.

But regardless of her thoughts,

“Please look around. If there is anything in particular you wish to see, do speak up.”

this was the dean’s directive.

Furthermore, she was among those who knew the dean’s character well.

“Thank you, Instructor.”

“There is no need to thank me. It is because the dean paid attention to it.”

“…I am only sorry for taking up class time.”

“I will accept the apology.”

A nod.

Only then did Kiana’s expression soften slightly.

Honestly, the knights performing instructor duties here were those who had not been recognized for their abilities as knights.

However, the King of Vallaran knew well how important it was to raise talent, and as such, it was not their skill as knights that determined the prestige of the instructors.

‘Good. It seems her mood has lightened up a bit.’

The knight of the Timothy Marquisate, Sanson, barely felt relieved and began to examine Henry Camilton in earnest.

The sight of him swinging the sword with sharp momentum was indeed fierce.

To the extent that he could easily handle someone of Bane’s level.

Whether the other knights thought similarly, from some point on they were watching only Henry’s side intently.

Of course, it went no further than that.

Since they only thought he showed promise.

But at that moment,

“Instructor Kiana. Would it be possible to see the trainees using mana?”

“If Sir Knight wishes, I must show you. What specifically do you wish to see?”

“I want to see their overall operational capability.”

Kiana’s eyebrows twitched.

“It seems Sir Knight does not trust the academy’s selection process. You seem to think we wouldn’t have promoted them to Class B even though they possess sufficient talent.”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Instructor Kiana.”

At that moment, the other knights stepped forward to help Sanson.

It was partly out of pity, and partly because they felt bad that the Timothy Marquisate hadn’t been able to take a single person.

“Yes, Sir Lyud.”

“I heard that the Timothy Marquisate is taking a lot of interest in individual potential starting this year. It must simply be that. If it’s… alright, could we have a brief chat outside?”

“We are in the middle of class right now.”

“Of course I know. I was just curious about Instructor Kiana’s educational policy… It won’t take long. Also, the purpose is to share some personal achievements I’ve recently obtained.”

It was a transparent trick.

It must be an action to calm down the highly annoyed Kiana and buy time for Sanson, who came with them, to achieve his desire.

Staring blankly at the knight who had spoken to her for a moment, Kiana nodded her head like a sigh.

“Understood.”

“Thank you very much.”

Sanson breathed a small sigh of relief.

Kiana and the other knights left, and now the trainees were glancing toward the side where Sanson stood while pretending to train.

A glimpse of expectation could be seen.

‘I see a few promising ones, but it is not yet a place for you to set foot.’

He intended to just go through the motions appropriately and slip away.

And to do that, the first step was to draw some response.

“I am Sanson, a knight of the Timothy Marquisate. Thanks to Instructor Kiana giving me this opportunity, I have met you all here. Leaving aside our affiliated families, as citizens of the Vallaran Kingdom, I feel that the kingdom’s future is secure.”

Gulp. The sound of the trainees swallowing dryly filled the training ground.

After all, they were still rookies.

Just a few sweet-talked words like this were enough to cause emotional disturbance.

“However, becoming a knight is not such a simple matter. The most important thing would be the mindset of loyalty to the kingdom, but if skill does not back it up, it is merely a fine-sounding excuse, isn’t it?”

Shring.

Sanson drew his sword.

It was a sword flowing with sharp energy.

The beloved weapon he had spent years with since becoming a knight of the Timothy Marquisate.

It felt excessive to draw it against trainees, but because of that, the trainees were even more shaken.

“From now on, come forward one by one with your swords. I will make sure you definitely take something away.”

Flick.

Someone raised their hand.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Yes! I am curious about the order!”

“There is no need to decide even that for you. Do as you wish. However, the opportunity is only once, and I recommend you watch from the side even after your turn is over.”

“Th-then, I will start…”

A nod.

Sanson nodded at the trainee who had just raised his hand.

“Spirit like that is also one of the virtues of a knight. Excellent. Do your best.”

***

A spar with a real knight!

That single phrase shook the hearts of the Class C trainees greatly.

Maintaining composure at all times was also an ability required of a knight, but at any rate, they were still children.

Let alone the knight in front of them, Sanson was the very image of the knight they had admired so much.

In particular,

“Excellent. Return to your spot.”

“Thank you!”

the swordsmanship Sanson displayed in the process of instructing stimulated their emotions even further.

“Indeed, a real knight is different. We can’t even compare.”

“Did you see earlier? Without even swinging his sword once, using only mana…”

“Who is next?”

The trainees who had already completed their spar huddled together and exchanged words.

It was true there was some expectation at first, but now, they had long laid down such expectations.

It was because they had directly experienced the wall between a real knight and themselves.

Also, just as Sanson had guaranteed, he was showing a ‘new’ method for these trainees every time.

Therefore, the trainees were also watching the spars with eyes that could not be more interested.

It was then.

“It’s Henry. I wondered when he would step up, and he’s finally coming out.”

“He won’t be any different. You experienced it yourself.”

“Still, wouldn’t he be a bit better than us? Considering the appearance he showed in class all this time…”

Henry Camilton.

The trainee who had suddenly risen not long ago stood before Sanson, and the trainees watched the two with eyes that were even more curious.

And Sanson,

was apologizing inwardly first.

“Your name?”

“It is Henry Camilton.”

“Camilton.”

“Viscount Camilton is in the Heritz region in the eastern part of the kingdom. No separate estate was granted.”

“…That is regrettable. I apologize.”

“It is fine.”

His spirit was excellent.

Pride in his family. A dignity without a shred of shame despite the unfavorable environment.

Compared to Bane Timothy, he felt sorry to even compare Henry to him.

‘…Bitter.’

A glance.

Meanwhile, Bane Timothy’s eyes were sparkling as if expecting the situation that would soon unfold.

With a heavy heart, Sanson raised his sword.

“Come. You may use any move, and I recommend you utilize mana in every possible way.”

“Yes.”

Henry also drew his sword.

He received the right of first strike, which meant to start after making full preparations.

Woooong.

At a rapid speed, mana began to circulate.

As if preheating a tool, his entire body entered a state suitable for combat.

‘…Clean.’

Sanson evaluated with dry eyes.

The movement of mana was stable, and this would solidly support the techniques that would unfold afterward.

And Henry swung his sword.

‘Did he give up?’

For a moment, Sanson thought so.

A sword not even loaded with mana was no different from a tree branch.

Since Sanson’s sword was already spraying a brightly shining light of mana.

If they collided like this, Henry’s sword would break, and the spar would end with that.

‘He might have realized it.’

It was not a bad choice if he wanted to finish without being humiliated.

Since it would be better to end weakly instead.

However,

Clang!

The situation that unfolded when sword met sword was different from Sanson’s expectation.

‘…Focusing in that brief interval?’

This was truly surprising.

So much so that simply calling it outstanding was insufficient.

If the opponent were a knight, it might be different, but considering he was a Class C trainee, it was a skill that far exceeded expectations.

And at the same time,

Sanson could tell that Henry had seen through his intention.

‘He has no intention of becoming a laughingstock even if he loses. This… makes me even more embarrassed.’

But what could he do?

It was a knight’s fate to follow orders blindly.

Sanson pulled up his mana tightly.

He intended to defeat Henry overwhelmingly, though without injuring him.

Since that would be better for both parties.

“Oh!”

“This is a knight…!”

Trainees’ admiration burst out.

A truly fierce momentum.

It was because an overwhelming power, which they dared not follow, was contained in Sanson’s sword.

‘Step back. If you face it, you’ll show a ridiculous sight.’

The sword would likely not just break but shatter, and under the impact of the aftermath, Henry would fall on his backside.

‘The young master won’t be satisfied, but with this, I also did my best…’

His thoughts stopped.

For a moment Sanson froze, then looked at Henry with wide eyes.

The sword did not break.

It had only slid and deflected.

Amazingly, this trainee named Henry Camilton had ‘deflected’ Sanson’s strike.

And in front of the thoroughly surprised Sanson,

‘It was slightly dangerous.’

Henry had not yet lost his composure.

He had blocked the sword of an outstanding knight.

Appropriate swordsmanship, and appropriate mana operation.

Decisively, it was a result created by the opponent’s carelessness in thinking he was merely a Class C trainee, but even so, it was a marvelous thing.

‘Now, even if he ended it well, it would just be breaking even.’

The reaction of the trainees was like that, and Bane Timothy’s reaction was like that.

The knight in front of him, Sanson, also felt that the situation was turning bad.

‘He won’t be able to use his sword aggressively right now. If he did, it might be seen as taking out his anger in a fit of rage.’

Ultimately, all he could do was a moderate attack, and Henry was confident he could block all of it.

‘If you were going to do it, you should have crushed me from the start.’

Of course, he knew that this knight had gone easy on him.

However, it was self-evident that Henry would have suffered damage in the end.

Henry had no intention of letting it go easily.

‘I have no intention of just feeding my pride, but…’

‘Since money is involved, it can’t be helped. My apologies.’

BJ Swordmaster