The northern region of the Kransis Kingdom, plagued by powerful large monsters, is guarded by the Elion Duchy, known as the strongest in the realm.
The Elion family's hallmark is their unique radiant silver hair and silver eyes, and right now, a man with those traits stood before me, smiling brightly.
"Are you Lord Yuren Rox?"
"That's me."
"Haha, no need to be so guarded."
He approached with an unmistakably aristocratic stride.
"I'm Carik Elion, a student here."
As expected, he was Carik Elion, the second son of the Elion Duchy.
"I heard you're looking for Colin."
"Correct."
"I'm Colin's friend and classmate, so I know where he is. Shall I guide you?"
Not a great vibe. Something about his aura felt off, but refusing would be awkward, so I nodded.
"Please do."
"Haha, a friend's brother is my brother. This way. I'll give you a tour of the academy too."
Carik opened a door to the right with a smile, holding it open invitingly.
"Giranox, wait here. I'll be back soon."
"Yes, sir."
Seeing Giranox sit in the lobby with a grin, I followed Carik.
"Do you know much about this place?"
"Not really."
"Since it's a long walk, shall I explain? Here, status and rank mean nothing. Only skill matters."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And Colin's in the same top-tier Master Class as me, where they train elites destined to become masters."
He said he'd explain the academy but just bragged about himself. First impressions don't lie—this guy's annoying.
"Impressive."
I played along to avoid hassle.
"By the way, I heard a rumor."
"A rumor?"
"Yes. Is it true you and Lady Ilia Marcus defeated an orc warrior?"
"It's already reached the capital?"
"You and Ilia are famous, and an orc warrior isn't just any monster. Of course, the news spread like wildfire. From your tone, it sounds true."
"Yes, it's true."
No point hiding it now, so I answered honestly. Carik's smile deepened.
"Remarkable. Did you really learn magic?"
"I can't say much, but I'm no wizard."
"Haha, I thought so. I was just curious. Oh, I almost passed it talking with you. Here we are. Colin should be inside."
Carik's use of "thought so" suggested he knew something about me.
"Let's go in."
He opened the door to what looked like a gymnasium.
Clang!
Crash!
Boom!
Thud!
Inside was a training hall, filled with the sounds of clashing swords and breaking objects.
"Carik!"
"You're back quick, Carik!"
"Join us for training, Carik!"
Three female knights rushed to Carik as he entered.
"Haha, later. Where's Colin?"
"Didn't you take him to the professor earlier?"
"Oh, he's not back yet?"
This guy…
He took Colin somewhere and brought me here? What's his game? Trying to pick a fight?
"Sorry, I thought he'd be back by now."
Carik scratched his head, feigning apology, but his expression wasn't sorry at all.
"Who's this, Carik?"
"Oh, this is Colin's brother, Lord Yuren Rox. He defeated an orc warrior with Lady Ilia Marcus."
"Wow!"
"He does look like Colin."
"The Iron Wizard!"
"I heard about you, Lord Yuren!"
Knights training nearby swarmed me.
What's with these guys? They don't even like me, so why the fuss?
"But Yuren says he's not a wizard."
"What? Then…"
"Just as I thought, he's a physical fighter like us."
Carik, analyzing me, used "as I thought." Really don't like this guy.
"Did you train as a knight?"
"I heard you threw daggers?"
"They said you finished the orc warrior with an iron butterfly—what was that?"
"Alright, enough! You're making Yuren uncomfortable," Carik said, stopping them.
He controlled the room's vibe. No hierarchy? Laughable. His skill and Elion Duchy's clout moved people.
"Since they're so curious, why not show your skills, Yuren?"
So that's his real goal.
He wanted to test my strength. Unable to sense my power, he might think the rumors are exaggerated.
In noble circles, claiming to solo strong monsters is a common boast, so his skepticism made sense.
"Show my skills?"
I played dumb.
"I'd like to request a spar."
A spar, as expected.
"A spar?"
"Yes. As a Rox, you must know knights speak through their swords."
"I've heard that."
"Mellai."
"Yes, Carik."
Carik called a burly knight, about 2 meters tall, named Mellai.
"Mellai's about mid-tier among us. Care to have a sword conversation with him?"
"Oh!"
"Yuren versus Mellai!"
"This'll be good!"
Carik and his cronies were expert hype-men, fit for modern con artists.
"Fine."
Wanting to test my new Celestial Martial Body, I accepted.
The spar was quickly set up, with knights circling us.
"You use daggers but hold a sword?"
"Yes, I'll use this."
I grabbed a training sword from the wall, similar to one I used while losing weight, and liked its feel.
"Come on."
Mellai, holding a matching training sword, grinned confidently.
I walked slowly toward him, infused my sword with inner energy, and swung down.
Whoosh!
The swing sounded like a plane landing.
"Pfft, that won't—"
Crack!
"Urk!"
Mellai raised his sword to block, but my force pushed it down, striking his own head.
"Guh."
Hit by his own sword, Mellai collapsed, tongue out, unconscious.
"Oh…"
"Uh…"
The absurd scene silenced the onlookers. Even Carik, unprepared for this, stood slack-jawed.
"Haha… Mellai must've been too careless," Carik said after a pause, scratching his head.
"Sorry, but could we do one more?"
"Sure."
The situation was amusing, so I nodded readily.
"Lula."
"Yes."
A handsome man with a similar build and long limbs stepped forward, looking agile.
"Lula's above Mellai, upper-mid tier. Don't hold back, Lula. You saw Mellai."
"Comparing me to that muscle pig? I'm hurt."
"Sorry, my bad. Haha."
The crowd backed off, leaving Lula and me in the center.
"Here I come."
Lula, politely warning me, charged. He was indeed nimbler than Mellai.
Whoosh!
I swung down like before. Lula ducked, dodging while countering upward.
Crack!
Thud!
As our swords clashed, Lula's was pushed back by my force, hitting his forehead.
Like Mellai, Lula collapsed, unconscious, without even a groan.
Mellai could be excused for carelessness, but Lula falling the same way threw the knights into confusion.
"What the…"
"Ugh…"
"Seriously?"
Their eyes shook, witnessing something unprecedented.
"Is this what knight academies churn out these days?"
My muttering made the crowd flinch.
"Hahaha! I'm embarrassed to ask a third time, but you seem warmed up, Yuren. One last round—with me. You won't be disappointed."
Here it is. You're mine, punk. I'll make this a humiliating memory you'll kick your blankets over.
"Alright."
"Haha, as expected of Rox's heir! So straightforward."
Carik and I stepped back to face off.
Swish!
Carik's expression turned serious as he charged without warning. His speed and agility outclassed the others.
He's using aura.
A thin layer of aura coated him, so subtle lesser knights might not notice.
Shwing!
Carik swung horizontally. I dodged with Lesser Dragon Step and struck down.
Whoosh!
Another eerie sound accompanied my swing. Carik angled his sword to deflect.
Sword redirection—a high-level technique to counter strong blows with minimal effort. But…
Crack!
Thud!
"Gah!"
The Celestial Martial Body instinctively countered his redirection. Caught off guard, Carik's sword hit his own forehead, and he collapsed with an embarrassing yelp.
"What are you lot?"
Shaking my head at their pathetic display, I spoke up.
The knights around me weren't my fans. They just went along with Carik's hype, likely disliking me.
But after knocking out Mellai, Lula, and even Master Class Carik in one hit, they stood dumbfounded, speechless.
"Next?"