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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Knight Academy
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The Knight Academy
The northern part of the Kransis Kingdom was home to powerful large monsters, so the ducal House of Elion, which protected the region, bore the title of "the strongest."
A distinctive feature of the House of Elion was their brilliant silver hair and silver eyes, unique within the kingdom. A man with those very features was now smiling brightly before me.
"Are you Yuren Lox?"
"I am."
"Hahaha, there's no need to be so wary."
He approached me with the distinctively graceful gait of a nobleman.
"My name is Karik Elion. I'm a student here."
So he was Karik Elion, the second son of the Duke of Elion.
"I hear you're looking for Collin."
"That's right."
"I'm a friend of Collin's, and we're in the same class, so I know where he is. Shall I show you the way?"
I didn't have a good feeling about this. The very air around this guy felt unsettling, but it was awkward to refuse, so I just nodded.
"Then I'll take you up on that."
"Haha, a friend's brother is my brother. This way, please. I'll give you a tour of the school on the way."
Karik smiled and opened a door on the right. He held it open, still smiling, as if inviting me in.
"Giranox, wait here. I'll be right back."
"Yes. Please go ahead."
After watching Giranox smile and sit down on a chair in the lobby, I followed Karik.
"Do you happen to know much about this place?"
"No, not really."
"It's a bit of a walk, so how about I explain things to you? Here, social status doesn't matter. Rank and class are useless. The only thing that counts is skill."
"Is that so."
"Yes. And Collin is in the same top-tier class as me, the Master Class. The Master Class is where only the elites are gathered to be nurtured into future masters."
He said he'd tell me about the knight academy, but all he was doing was bragging about himself. First impressions really do stick. I don't like this guy.
"That's truly impressive."
It was a hassle, so I just played along.
"By the way, I heard a rumor."
"A rumor?"
"Yes. Is it true that you and Ilia Marcus took down an Orc Champion?"
"Has that already spread to the capital?"
"Well, both you and Ilia are quite famous. Besides, an Orc Champion is no ordinary monster. It's only natural for the rumor to spread like wildfire. From what you're saying, it seems the rumor is true."
"Yes, it's true."
There was no point in hiding it now, so I answered honestly. At my confirmation, Karik's smile deepened slightly.
"Truly incredible. Did you really learn magic?"
"I can't go into detail, but I'm not a mage."
"Haha, just as I thought. I was just too curious. Ah, I was so engrossed in our conversation I almost walked past it. Here we are. Collin should be in here."
Karik used the phrase "just as I thought," as if he already knew something about me.
"Let's go in."
Karik opened the door to a place that looked like a gymnasium and went inside.
Clang!
Clang!
Bam!
Crash!
The inside must have been a training hall; the sounds of clashing swords and something breaking could be heard continuously.
"Karik!"
"Karik. You're back soon."
"Karik, let's train together."
As Karik entered, three female knights rushed toward him from inside.
"Haha, later. Where's Collin?"
"Huh? Didn't you take him to the professor earlier, Karik?"
"Oh dear, it seems he hasn't returned yet."
This bastard...
He took Collin somewhere himself and then brought me to the training hall. I had no idea what he was thinking. Is he trying to pick a fight?
"Ah, my apologies. I thought he would have returned by now, but it seems he hasn't."
Karik scratched the back of his head as if he were sorry, but his expression wasn't apologetic at all.
"Karik, who is this?"
"Ah, this is Collin's older brother, Yuren Lox. He recently defeated an Orc Champion with Ilia Marcus."
"Wow!"
"Now that you mention it, he does resemble Collin."
"So you're the one they call the Steel Mage."
"I've heard the rumors, Yuren!"
Knights who had been training here and there crowded around me.
What's with these guys? They clearly don't like me, so why are they all coming over?
"But Yuren here says he's not a mage."
"What? Then..."
"It means that, just as I predicted, he's someone who uses his body, like us."
Karik even used the word "predicted," as if he'd analyzed me all on his own. What an unpleasant guy.
"Then have you received knight training?"
"I heard you threw daggers?"
"They said an iron butterfly finished the Orc Champion. What is that?"
"Alright, that's enough, that's enough! You're making Yuren uncomfortable. Stop it."
Karik was controlling the atmosphere here. No social classes? What a joke. His skill was one thing, but the halo of the Elion ducal house was what moved these people.
"Yuren, since these friends are so curious, how about you show them a bit of your skill?"
This must have been his real goal.
Karik wanted to gauge my strength. Since he couldn't sense my power, he might have even thought the rumors were false.
Pretending to have single-handedly defeated a powerful monster was a fairly common tactic in the world of nobles, so I could understand his suspicion.
"Show you my skill?"
I asked, pretending to be oblivious.
"I'd like to request a spar with you, Yuren."
A spar. Just as I expected.
"A spar?"
"Yes. Since you're from the Lox family, you must know the saying that knights speak with their swords."
"Yes, I've heard of it."
"Mellai."
"Yes, Karik."
Karik called over a large knight who had been watching from the back. The man called Mellai was a hulking youth who looked to be at least two meters tall.
"Mellai is about average among us in terms of skill. Would you be willing to have a conversation of swords with him?"
"Oh!"
"A match between Yuren and Mellai!"
"This is going to be exciting!"
The hype men were doing their job perfectly. Karik and his cronies seemed like the type who would thrive as con artists in the modern world.
"Fine."
I accepted his proposal, thinking it was a good opportunity to gauge my own physical abilities, now enhanced by the Heavenly Martial Body.
Preparations for the spar were quickly finished, and the knights formed a circle around Mellai and me.
"I heard you use daggers, but you're holding a sword."
"Yes. This will do."
I had taken a training sword from the wall. It was similar to the one I used while losing weight, so I liked it.
"Alright, come at me."
Mellai held the same kind of training sword and grinned as if daring me to attack.
I walked slowly towards him, filled my sword with internal energy, and brought it straight down.
Whooosh!
Just from swinging the sword down, a sound like an airplane landing at an airport could be heard.
"Heh, with that..."
Thwack!
"Gack!"
Mellai raised his sword above his head to block mine, but he was overpowered by my strength and ended up hitting the top of his own head with his sword.
"Keck."
Struck on the crown of his head by his own sword, Mellai's tongue lolled out, and he passed out.
"Ah..."
"Uh..."
"Er..."
Faced with such an absurd scene, the spectating knights all fell silent. Karik, too, must not have expected this to happen; he stood with his mouth agape, speechless.
"Haha... well, it seems Mellai was being too careless. Well then..."
After a moment, Karik came to his senses, scratched the back of his head, and stepped forward again.
"I'm sorry, but could you do it one more time?"
"Certainly."
Finding the situation rather amusing, I readily nodded.
"Rula."
"Yes."
This time, a handsome man with a build similar to mine stepped forward. His long, slender limbs suggested he would be agile.
"Rula is stronger than Mellai, in the upper-middle ranks. Rula, don't be careless. You have to take this seriously. You saw what happened to Mellai, right?"
"Comparing me to that muscle-bound oaf is a bit disappointing."
"Right. My apologies. Hehe."
Again, the crowd stepped back, leaving only Rula and me in the center.
"Here I come."
Rula even gave a polite warning before charging at me. It seemed he really was stronger than Mellai; his charge was quite swift.
Whooosh!
I brought my sword down just as I had to knock out Mellai, and Rula bent his knees before straightening them to swing his sword upward.
Thwack!
Thud!
The moment our swords clashed, Rula's sword, just like Mellai's, was pushed back by the force in my own, striking its master on the forehead.
Rula, too, fell backward like Mellai and didn't get up. He passed out without even letting out a groan.
One could argue Mellai was careless, but for Rula to be defeated in the exact same way, the knights were now thrown into confusion.
"Wh-what in the..."
"Umm..."
"Th-this is no joke, right?"
Their eyes were shaking uncontrollably at this strange phenomenon they had never witnessed before.
"Does the knight academy only raise scrubs these days?"
Perhaps they heard me muttering to myself, as I felt the people around me flinch.
"Hahaha! It's a bit embarrassing to ask a third time, but it seems you haven't fully warmed up yet, Yuren. How about it? This will be the last one, I promise. I'll be your opponent this time. I won't disappoint you."
There it is. You've walked right into it, you bastard. I'll create a cringeworthy memory for you that will haunt your sleep.
"Fine."
"Haha, just as expected of the Grand Prince of the Lox house! So decisive."
Karik and I stepped back, putting distance between us.
Swoosh!
Karik's expression turned serious, and he charged without a word. His movements were distinctly faster and more agile than the previous two.
This bastard is even using Aura.
He was targeting me, shrouded in a very thin layer of Aura. His control was so masterful that less skilled knights wouldn't even realize he was using it.
Shwaaang!
Karik swung his sword horizontally. Instead of blocking, I evaded with the Lesser Dragon's Step and brought my sword down on him.
Whooosh!
The strange sound came again as I swung my sword down. Seeing this, Karik slightly angled his own sword and raised it.
A sword deflection. Karik was using an advanced technique to receive a powerful blow with minimal force. However...
Thwack!
Thud!
"Kyahk!"
My Heavenly Martial Body automatically broke through his sword deflection. Caught by the unexpected attack, Karik also got hit in the forehead by his own sword, let out an embarrassing cry, and passed out.
"What's wrong with you guys."
I shook my head at their pathetic display and spoke.
The knights gathered around me were not people who liked me. They were just going along with the mood Karik had created; in fact, they probably disliked me.
But now that I had knocked out Mellai, Rula, and even Karik of the Master Class in a single blow, the knights could only stand there with dumbfounded expressions, utterly speechless.
"Next?"