Chapter 200: Caldrun Isvald

“Then, draw your weapon.”

“Yes.”

Caldrun did not draw his beloved sword, which was sheathed at his waist. Instead, he pulled out an ordinary iron sword from his inventory that looked like a common supply-grade weapon to anyone’s eyes.

‘This is likely a performance intended to instill a specific setting into the readers: that even if he fights on par with the original protagonist, it is only because he was careless and did not give his all, and that he is actually incredibly strong.’

Seeing Caldrun do this, Reysir also pulled out the supply-grade spear he used to use from his inventory. It was not for some spirited reason, such as deciding to respond in kind because his opponent ignored him by drawing a supply-grade weapon.

“Reysir, from what I know, you recently received a fine weapon as a gift from the Imperial Family. How am I supposed to interpret the fact that you are drawing such a cheap weapon against me?”

“Pardon? Did you not pull out a supply-grade weapon first, Professor?”

“I simply did so because I have no intention of going all out against a student.”

“Ah… I thought you meant we should spar with supply-grade weapons since using good weapons during practice and wearing down their durability is a waste.”

When Reysir spoke with an awkward expression, Caldrun let out an incredulous hollow laugh.

“Now that you know that is not the case, hurry up and pull out a proper weapon.”

“That is a bit difficult. I only have one weapon suitable for real combat. If it happens to break, I will have to face monsters with this weapon you called ‘cheap,’ Professor.”

“…… Since it would be my fault if it broke while sparring with me, I will buy you a new one as compensation.”

Caldrun stood still for a moment, lost for words at the stinginess of the protagonist of another novel, before finally speaking. Truly, his attitude was fitting for a supporting character whom the readers of the original work called the ‘Giving Tree.’

Reysir did not decline Caldrun’s offer. As if he had been waiting for that moment, he put the supply-grade spear back into his inventory and pulled out his expensive spear. It was said that many protagonists in webnovels these days tend to be shrewd in pursuing their own interests, and Reysir seemed to fall into that category.

‘Come to think of it, in the original work before the remake, was Reysir not described as a character who refused what others gave him?’

I had forgotten about that because he constantly refused to receive any monetary compensation from me, even while he kept bringing me food.

“Attack first.”

Caldrun, holding his sword in one hand, beckoned with his other hand in a half-provocation. Reysir merely nodded with a short “Yes.”

He did not rush in to attempt an immediate attack. Standing with both feet firmly planted, he bent his legs slightly into a defensive posture, ready to spring forward or retreat at any moment. He observed Caldrun while aiming the tip of his spear toward him. It was only natural for a glint of interest to appear in the eyes of a supporting character upon seeing the cautious behavior of the original protagonist.

“You have the basics down.”

The moment those words left Caldrun’s mouth, Reysir kicked off the ground and lunged forward, his spear enveloped in sparking, golden Aether. When the distance had closed significantly, he swung it.

Caldrun evaded Reysir’s attack by lightly stepping backward. As if anticipating this, the sparks jumping from Reysir’s spear transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot toward Caldrun. Caldrun blocked it with his Aether-coated sword as if swatting it away.

In the meantime, Reysir steadied his posture and moved into his next attack. Judging by the angle of the spear’s swing, he intended to strike his opponent’s legs to make him lose his balance. Of course, Caldrun did not allow this.

Befitting a character established as one of the strongest in the Empire, Caldrun moved his sword with great speed, not only parrying Reysir’s spear but also digging into the opening created to thrust his palm forward. It struck Reysir right in the chest.

‘Given the current timing, Caldrun’s skills are still several levels above Reysir’s!’

When they first met in the original work before the remake, the skills of the two were equal, making it difficult to predict the winner. However, unlike Caldrun, who remained stagnant, the original protagonist grew steadily. As a result, the number of times Reysir won gradually increased, until a certain point where Caldrun could no longer defeat him.

But this time, not only was the timing of their meeting significantly moved forward, but their relationship had also changed. They faced each other as an inexperienced student and a seasoned professor.

‘In the remake version, will the plot move toward Reysir surpassing a master who was stronger than him?’

For that to happen, Caldrun would have to survive without dying for quite a long time. However, I could not just feel relieved thinking that way. Perhaps the original author was aiming for a ‘narrative where Reysir breaks through his walls and grows due to Caldrun’s death.’ Or perhaps ‘a development where the protagonist realizes that no matter how strong he becomes, it is impossible to fight and defeat his dead master, thus honoring his memory as an eternally invincible warrior.’

‘Wait… why isn’t my [Character Analysis] skill activating when I try to guess Author Senna’s thoughts…? Is it because she is a being outside this novel world and isn’t treated as a character?’

The spar between Caldrun and Reysir was worth watching closely and in detail. Therefore, to gain the effect of Mental Acceleration, I decided to watch their spar while guessing how Reysir would respond to Caldrun’s movements. It was easier to predict the movements of Reysir, whom I saw often, than those of Caldrun, whom I had met for the first time today.

Caldrun’s blade, imbued with blue Aether, swung with enough force to cut Reysir’s waist in half. Based on Reysir’s current posture and the combat tendencies I had seen so far, it was highly likely he would use his Aether skill to counterattack while blocking with the spear shaft instead of dodging.

My prediction was correct, and golden lightning flashed. The greatest advantage of a lightning attack is its speed. When such an attack is fired at close range, it is nearly impossible to dodge. Thus, instead of evading, Caldrun wrapped a thin film of Aether around his body to block the current and utilized his own Aether Attribute ability.

Using his [Cold Domination] skill, Caldrun converted the moisture in the air into ice crystals and sent them flying like a scattered mist of sharp shards. The range was too wide to dodge. In this case, there were three possible countermeasures Reysir could choose.

He could wrap an Aether film around his body to block the ice shards just as Caldrun had done. He could also spin his long spear shaft rapidly to use it like a large shield. Or, since he wouldn’t suffer a fatal wound even if he were hit, he could endure the small scratches and ruined clothes and rush through the ice shards to counterattack.

‘But he won’t use that last method!’

This wasn’t a real battle, so there was no reason to rush in while turning his clothes into rags. That was especially true considering the lecture had only just begun. Of the remaining two methods, Reysir chose to deflect the ice shards by rotating his spear shaft.

Even after that, his spear did not stop. He attempted a counterattack by fully utilizing the centrifugal force. Caldrun brought the hand not holding his sword to the flat of the blade, receiving the attack with both hands. Perhaps the weight behind the spear was quite heavy, as Caldrun jumped back to gain distance instead of responding immediately.

Then, to maintain his momentum, he laid down ice under the feet of the rushing Reysir. At the moment he stepped forward, the floor suddenly turned into slippery ice and friction vanished. Who wouldn’t stumble?

Reysir was no exception. However, as the original protagonist, he did not fall helplessly. He slammed his spear into the floor with great force. Since the interior of the Small Lecture Hall had been modified to withstand significant impact, the spear did not pierce through the solid floor, but it was enough to shatter the ice and gain a foothold.

Reysir managed to keep his balance without falling by leaning on the spear shaft, but he was given no time to catch his breath. This was because cold crystals were now clinging to his feet on the ice, attempting to seal his movements.

As soon as he sensed this, Reysir wrapped Aether around both feet and released lightning, shattering the ice and immediately retreating. Caldrun’s sword cut through the space where he had just been standing.

Even though his attack had failed, Caldrun grinned, showing his teeth as if satisfied. Reysir fired lightning at him, but the ice crystals that had started fluttering at some point collided with the lightning and neutralized the attack.

Several more exchanges followed. During that time, Reysir’s attention was divided as he had to stay wary of the floor, which could turn into ice at any moment. Caldrun leisurely claimed victory and shared his impressions.

“You certainly lack experience. But how did you reach this level of skill? I was called a genius growing up, but I wasn’t at this level… Is it true that progress becomes faster after Awakening? Even so, it seems you have far surpassed the level of ordinary talent.”

The fact that Reysir had received Protagonist protection, which was incomparable to something like an Awakening correction, was a truth known only to me and Yor in this world. For Caldrun, who did not know this, it was only natural to find Reysir’s achievements mysterious. From a common-sense perspective, it was a level that made no sense.

“Anyway… I need to see the skills of the other students, so go back and sit down. Good work.”

Caldrun spoke as he looked at Reysir with eyes that seemed to say, ‘I want to fight one more time, what a shame.’ To this, Reysir bowed politely and expressed his gratitude.

Then, he handed the baby dragon back into my arms and took the seat next to me that Yor had been occupying.

“Yor wasn’t holding that seat for you.”

“Meow, meow meow, meowooo!!”

“Then should I get up and go over there?”

At the protest from me and Yor, Reysir pointed with his finger toward the empty seat next to Svein. If it had been the seat next to Pret, I would have told him to do whatever he wanted, but unfortunately, Pret was sitting between Svein and Liolikin.

When I checked who was sitting at the other end, Fjodra happened to be there.

‘Reysir would definitely never go over there.’

In the end, feeling a bit disgruntled, I had no choice but to grab Reysir’s sleeve as he tried to stand up.

“…Just stay here.”

“Right. Reysir, you sit there, and Karbaldr, you get up.”

It seemed that while bickering with the protagonist of another novel, I had caught the professor’s eye. I had hoped to be called as late as possible to engrave Caldrun’s combat style into my mind, but it was to no avail.

After giving Reysir a pointless glare, I stood up and headed toward the center of the auditorium.