I climbed up to the training ground. It was a rectangular space that must have been at least 100 pyeong in size.
"Choose the weapon you want."
There were various weapons placed there, including a great sword, a medium sword, a short sword, a sword, a spear, a staff, and a baton.
Of course, since they were made for sparring, their lethality was greatly reduced, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous. However, I didn't need a weapon.
"I'll just fight it like this."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
It was because I had no weapons at all to begin with. However, regardless of my intentions, my opponent trembled as if he were extremely ashamed.
Looking into his blazing eyes, I guessed he thought I was ignoring him.
I could hear murmurings around me.
"You're fighting without a weapon? Isn't that too disrespectful to your opponent?"
"At first glance, it may seem that way, but in reality, it's not. The symbol of the Sieghart clan is not only the dragon slayer and the jewel eye; it's their superhuman physical abilities. From his perspective, with his innate strength and body, weapons would be inconvenient. They wouldn't be able to withstand his own strength."
"Ah… As expected… The hero's clan is different… Amazing. But how do you know all that?"
"Oh, my grandmother was a huge fan of the Sieghart clan."
The misunderstanding grew out of control, but it was already irreversible. The instructor in charge of the referee said,
"If you are judged to be out of the ring, abstaining, or unable to act, you will be recognized as a loser. Also, if you are judged to have the intention to kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified from the test."
Sadin and I answered at the same time. The weapon she chose was a spear.
"Yes!"
"Okay. Let's start the match!"
As soon as I finished speaking, I extended my fist.
Bang—!
A sound like the air was ripping apart resounded, and my opponent was blown out of the stadium.
"――!"
There was silence. Everyone was staring blankly at me. Embarrassed, I scratched my head.
The instructor, who realized the situation late, shouted urgently,
"… Test number 444, victory!"
---
Naturally, I had no talent for martial arts.
This was merely a product of auxiliary magic.
Right now, my entire body was covered in three layers of multi-enhancement magic, each consisting of four compound spells.
This was how I gained such incredible physical abilities.
My originally weak body would be so miserable that I would gasp for breath like crazy even after running at full speed for just five minutes.
Strength. Dynamic vision. Reaction speed. Endurance.
In addition, my body had been strengthened in various other areas, so my current state was capable of imitating a 'superhuman.'
However, it was literally just an imitation.
The bodies of true superhumans, such as instructors or knights, were so different that they couldn't even be compared.
"Exam number 444… win!"
I achieved three consecutive wins like a bamboo shoot.
The second and third opponents were both aspiring magicians, so it wasn't too difficult.
"Do you want to use your naming rights? Or do you want to stop here?"
There were several other matches going on simultaneously besides mine, but many people were watching me.
It was because accidents and incidents kept happening around me.
I had received so much attention in such a short time. Frey was also watching me from not far away.
When our eyes met, she smiled faintly, her face still showing signs of worry.
It must be a kind of cheer. She was a bright girl.
Next to her was Charlotte Magee, glaring at me with her characteristically arrogant expression…
Her face looked exactly like my older sister's.
"I will use the right to nominate."
"Who is your opponent?"
"Exam number 3. This is Sadin Rundel."
The repercussions of my remark were significant.
As a famous person who had been known as a genius since childhood and was the closest thing to being the top student among this year's Academy applicants, the surroundings suddenly became chaotic.
"How dare a fallen nobleman like you point out Lord Sadin? You don't know what you're talking about and are just being sarcastic. Your arrogance is sky-high!"
"Lord Liddell, there's no need to be so indignant. Isn't this a good thing? Ever since the aptitude test, I didn't like the fact that he only relied on his family's reputation and installed a swindler… Isn't this the time when it will be revealed that it was all a bubble?"
"Yes. It would be fortunate if someone like me could at least follow in the footsteps of Lord Sadin."
"Yes. Aren't we the ones who know Lord Sadin's abilities the best?"
As the Rundel Dukes held the greatest power in the empire aside from the imperial family, they also had a considerable number of followers.
Because of this, I seemed to have fallen out of favor with the high-ranking nobles who followed him.
Most people seemed to predict a Sadin victory, but there were those who did not.
"… But they are a legendary family of heroes. They are the bloodline of a hero who saved the empire from the brink of war. Wouldn't they know?"
"That's true, but… Lord Sadin is already a knight of the 5th Circle. Wouldn't it be difficult?"
"A family of great geniuses and heroes of all time… I'll bet on Sieghart!"
"Then, then… me too!"
It seemed that most of those who supported me were commoners.
Perhaps, since this is a world with a caste system, those who had negative feelings toward nobles were hoping for my victory.
But only a very small number.
'… Well, I am a noble too, you know.'
Sadin came up onto the pitch with a confident look on his face.
His gait was as proud and majestic as his brilliant talent.
"It's not like he's just talking nonsense."
"I'm not an idiot who only knows how to talk."
His face, which had been relaxed until just a moment ago, became cold and hard.