Chapter 13: Eredin (3)

With cold, blue-steel swords raised, the man and woman faced each other in the clearing.

This wasn’t something you saw every day.

Especially not at this hour, before dawn.

Eredin, struck by the absurdity of it all, suddenly spoke.

The man was still smiling.

“What do you mean by staking your life?”

“Just as I said. Don’t think of it as a spar—imagine it as an actual battle.”

“So, what does that—”

“Focus.”

In that instant, the smile vanished.

A pair of chilling green eyes pierced straight at her.

A cold shiver ran down her spine, her breath caught.

Without realizing it, Eredin swallowed dryly.

“Do it right. Otherwise, I really will kill you.”

His voice scraped across the dried earth like a broom.

“Uh…”

Suddenly, a sticky killing intent coiled around her entire body.

At the same time, her breath was choked off in an instant.

Is this man really going to try to kill me?

Out of nowhere? Why?

She could feel every hair on her body standing on end.

“…!”

Just as that question brushed her mind, the figure was upon her in a flash.

Almost on reflex, she swung the sword she was holding.

It was a real blade, but she had no time to worry about that.

Her survival instincts screamed at her, urgently warning her of danger.

“Not from the front… Left!”

Her thoughts snapped into place, and at once, her sword shifted direction.

The blade, which had been aimed forward, twisted and dove toward the man’s left flank in an instant.

The man pretended to parry but rotated his body instead.

Clang—!

Barely, she managed to block the blade.

But the brief relief didn’t last.

‘It’s not over.’

Her instincts told her so, but she had no idea what the next attack would be.

If that was the case…

“Attack!”

Her body, on its own, went for the fastest counter she could manage.

She drove her left elbow straight toward his face.

But he naturally deflected it with his shoulder.

“Next!”

Already, the angle of their locked blades shifted, and she dove into his guard.

Just as she tried to jab the pommel into his chin—

Thud.

“Urk!”

Her head reeled.

Her vision spun upward.

…What was that? Oh, a headbutt.

As soon as she processed what had happened, she reflexively swung her sword sideways, as wide as she could.

And once more, their blades clashed naturally.

Schlick—

Huh? What was that sound?

The sword she swung had been cut clean through.

That’s right. Quite literally—the sword was sliced in half.

“Hah… Hah, what is…”

Staring in dismay, she looked down at her now-broken blade.

It had been cut so cleanly? No way…

She hurriedly lifted her gaze to the man.

“Th-That’s… impossible…”

And then, she was shocked all over again.

Whoom—!

A faint red glow shimmered around his sword.

Mana. No—since it surrounded the blade, however faint, it should be called Aura, shouldn’t it?

He’s only eighteen, barely reached the level of a Sword Owner—and yet, Aura?

“S-Sword Owner…”

The highest rank among Sword Experts.

The apex among Expert-class Knights, and the point where one truly began to wield Aura.

It was a realm most knights only reached in their mid-forties after a lifetime of swordplay.

And that’s assuming they even had talent.

But the man standing before her—just what was he?

“No, at best I’m just an Expert. For now, anyway.”

As he spoke, the faint Aura disappeared completely.

At the same time, the killing intent that had choked Eredin faded away.

Thud.

She collapsed to the ground without realizing it.

Yet her gaze remained fixed on his sword.

Two seconds—no, perhaps three.

Brief as it was, that was definitely Aura.

With a bewildered look, Eredin couldn’t help but ask,

“But… just now, wasn’t that—Aura?”

“Simply showing Mana on the blade isn’t that hard. It’s more of a clever trick to fool the eye.”

The man smiled wearily and sheathed his sword again.

“A trick, is it? But in reality…”

My sword was just cut in half right before my eyes.

Her expression said as much.

“That was parrying.”

“…That’s Parry?”

Parry.

A technique where you predict your opponent’s attack path and deflect it slightly with your weapon or body.

It’s different from blocking or dodging.

For a fleeting instant, you forcibly redirect your opponent’s strike.

If successful, you can defend with minimal effort and counterattack at the same time.

And of course, it’s an advanced technique.

Not something an ordinary Knight could boast of easily.

“To be precise, it’s an applied technique. If you have to call it something—‘Offense Parry.’ You know the basics of Parry, don’t you?”

“I… I think so.”

While she hesitated, his tone remained perfectly calm, as if it were only natural that she’d know.

“Then it’s simple. Use Parry at the exact moment of attack. Just pour out Aura for an instant at the contact point—that’s Offense Parry. Honestly, it’s not that difficult.”

“What do you mean…”

“Since I’m not a Master and can’t freely draw out Aura, I’ve picked up these little tricks for help.”

A trick? Isn’t that more like a miracle?

She’d never heard of any Knight, let alone one who wasn’t a Sword Master, using such a technique.

Yet—for some reason, Eredin felt it wasn’t entirely absurd.

Difficult, yes, but not outright impossible, was it?

As she wore this expression, the man grinned.

“You’ll probably realize it naturally one day. You were the one who taught me, after all…”

“Eh?”

“…You were a Knight with talent like yours.”

Though your personality left much to be desired—he grumbled softly—always scolding me for not being able to do it.

Watching him, only now did Eredin truly grasp the situation.

She glared at him with a faint hint of resentment.

“…Then what about earlier—what was with that killing intent?”

“Think of it as a kind of test, an exam.”

“An exam?”

“To put it simply—join the Lion Knights.”

What?

“…What?”

The question that formed in her mind slipped straight out of her mouth.

“Why? Don’t want to?”

Was he teasing her? But no, he looked far too serious for that.

“It’s not that, I just… why? I lost.”

“Hm. If you ask me—your talent outweighs your skill. Of course, your ability is remarkable for your age. But it doesn’t match your true talent. And judging by your personality, you’re not the lazy type, are you?”

…I think I’ve put in enough effort not to be ashamed of myself.

“In that case, there’s only one answer. It’s your environment.”

A look of genuine confusion crossed Eredin’s face.

She hadn’t considered that.

“Environment…?”

“Yes. I hesitate to say it, but here, the Northern Shine Knights… aren’t much. I don’t mean to insult them, but that’s how I see it. Of course, it’s a renowned Knight Order. But that’s all.”

“There’s a better environment than this?”

“There is. It might sound strange coming from me, but the Lion Knights are that place.”

“I know the Lion Knights are famous, even across the continent. What Northern-born Knight doesn’t dream of joining them?”

Eredin was no exception.

After all, the Lion Knights were a symbol of Northern Martial Power.

Their glory may have faded a bit recently, but to her, they were still a target of aspiration.

“I’m not just talking about their reputation… Think back to our sparring just now. Compare it with what you experienced during the day.”

…My first thought was that I lost again.

Was this her eighth straight defeat?

She furrowed her brow at the thought.

“Having faced you directly, I can say with certainty—you were at your best just now. Why do you think that is?”

I did best just now? Why?

I just…

“…Because I thought I was going to die.”

As if it was the right answer, the man nodded.

“Right. It sounds odd, but just now I was genuinely trying to kill you.”

Eredin had felt that herself.

Never in her life had she felt such a suffocating killing intent.

“When faced with the threat of death, people respond in many ways. But there are some, like you, who resist death and evolve.”

Eredin looked at him, dazed.

“It’s simple. You don’t want to die, so you evolve to survive. That’s what it means to be part of the Lion Knights.”

“What does that…”

“The Lion Knights always face the threat of death. Guarding the border against the orcs—that’s what it means. Because of this, they constantly train to overcome it. It’s a brutal environment, like the blizzards of the north.”

“I see.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Join the Lion Knights. I’ll write you a letter of recommendation.”

“How can you be so sure that I’ll grow if I go there?”

“Why does a Knight seek strength? Honor? Success? Personal satisfaction? For the Lion Knights, it’s survival. If they don’t become stronger, they die. That’s why I think it’s the perfect place for you. I’m convinced by our spar just now.”

Another Knight Order… It had never crossed her mind.

But the Lion Knights? Honestly, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t interested.

…Would Father allow it?

Lost in such thoughts, she heard a soft chuckle.

“No matter how much I say, it just sounds like boasting, doesn’t it? Take your time and think it over.”

With that, he slowly began to walk away.

She watched his receding back absentmindedly, until suddenly, he turned around and called out.

“Let me say this again—you’re a genius. I can guarantee it. So don’t go sulking just because you lost to me. It doesn’t suit you.”

“When did I ever? I was just… thinking.”

“Let’s leave it at that, then. See you tomorrow.”

“Oh, and let’s keep the talk about Aura between us.”

“…Understood.”

When she reluctantly agreed, he disappeared without hesitation.

…Just what kind of man is he?

Suddenly, Eredin realized she was still sitting on the ground and stood up.

A cold wind blew, tossing her golden hair.

At the same time, the broken sword entered her sight.

“Hm…”

Aura, huh.

To be honest, with a gap like that, admiration and curiosity came before envy or frustration.

It would be strange to feel jealous of a natural disaster, wouldn’t it?

Of course, that didn’t mean her competitive spirit was gone.

She calmly recalled their duel.

Her reactions had been sharper, her decisions quicker, her actions more daring than usual.

Even thinking about it coldly, she was clearly at a higher level than before.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say she’d grown, at least a little.

“Hoo…”

Thinking that, she felt lighter, almost relieved.

The tangled, stifled thoughts in her head seemed to clear up.

With complicated feelings, she gazed in the direction he’d gone.

Should I thank him?

No, that would be strange. He really did try to kill me, after all.

That Aura—what was it, a Parry-like technique? Why keep it a secret?

As these questions swirled, the image of his grinning face surfaced in her mind.

“…What an infuriating man.”

Before she knew it, the morning sunlight brushed through her golden hair.