Chapter 23: When the Elder Draws His Blade

“You’re the one who should be scared.”

I boldly stepped forward and answered.

Sir Liam said to Sir Dande.

“Will he be okay? It’s lightning magic.”

Sir Dande replied firmly.

“That guy will naturally not be okay.”

Blue mana gathered in Trichitas’s hand.

But the distance between him and me was less than ten steps.

I launched my body; dust rose at my feet, and Trichitas grew large in an instant.

“Uh, uh?”

He froze in the pose of raising his hand.

The iron sword in his hand hung limp, as if he hadn’t even thought to swing it.

I struck his forehead with the flat of my blade.

“Agh!”

He screamed, clutching his forehead and curling up.

A beat late, the young nobles gaped.

“Did you see that?”

“Yes. Astonishing. To lunge that fast.”

“Unless you gather mana exceptionally well, you’d be done in an instant.”

“Even among our family knights, none are that agile.”

Shrugging at the praise, I said.

“If you become an officer-mage and stand on the battlefield, countless knights will charge without regard for their lives.”

“Ah—!”

“To avoid dying like a dog then, you need to handle a sword too.”

Trichitas, staggering to his feet, threw a punch at me.

It was unexpectedly sharp.

But not enough to land a clean hit on me.

I grabbed his wrist, tripped his leg, and slammed him to the ground.

“Listen carefully.”

I twisted his arm, pressed his back, and made him face Seongbaek.

“Just as you learn history from a historian, you learn swordsmanship from a swordsman. Be respectful. That man received an honorary officer position directly from the house head.”

Trichitas trembled his teeth, then relaxed his body.

Unexpectedly quick submission.

I bowed deeply to Seongbaek.

He sent me a complicated, conflicted gaze.

“I’ll correct your stances. Continue practicing downward cuts.”

Muttering that, he descended from the platform.

In the end, we beat wooden pillars all day.

My pillar turned to sawdust.

“Good work.”

Seongbaek’s disciple knight greeted the young nobles.

“I know.”

“Damn. I couldn’t bring a maid.”

“How am I supposed to wash my hair?”

Exhausted young nobles staggered toward the dorms.

As I followed, a knight blocked my path.

“Young Master. The master is calling for you.”

Seongbaek, who had come down from the platform, was watching me.

Good thing I beat Trichitas down.

I ran over immediately.

“I heard you called for me.”

“Yes. I have words for you, Young Master.”

Seongbaek said in a low, resonant voice.

The evening glow cast shadows on his wrinkled face full of white beard.

I thought he resembled a rock carved by countless years.

“Are you perhaps interested in swordsmanship?”

“Yes. I want to become a strong knight.”

“Is the reason you wish to become a knight the same as what you said earlier today?”

“Yes. I wish to be active on the battlefield.”

Seongbaek let out a deep sigh and opened his mouth.

“I assume you roughly know this old man’s story.”

“Yes.”

“Come to the front of my mansion when the moon hangs over that mountain. If you wish, I will teach you.”

“Thank you.”

Finally.

As I thought that, the two knights waiting for me came into view.

“Elder Seongbaek.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“I came with two knights from the main family. If it’s alright, may they accompany me?”

Seongbaek frowned briefly, then nodded.

“Yes. Come together.”

***

The moon hung over the mountain quite late.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Sir Anplus.”

I left the dorm with Sir Dande and Sir Liam.

“My hair is all tangled!”

“Agh! Don’t pull!”

“My perfumed oil, my oil!”

The young nobles were still screaming in the large bathhouse.

Sir Dande sighed softly and said.

“Sir Anplus. I’ll speak to you now as a young master of the main family.”

“Indeed.”

“You must report about those people to the house head without fail. If the pillars that will support Intezeruto in the future are like that, the family’s future will be uncertain.”

Sir Liam continued.

“They didn’t even cut their hair. I thought all those long hairs were wigs.”

I nodded at the two knights’ loyal advice.

“I understand. And don’t worry too much. We’ll stay for a while learning the sword, and they’ll cut their hair on their own.”

“Didn’t you see their attitude toward Elder Seongbaek?”

Sir Dande expressed doubt.

“It’s the first day, the first day. Do you think he’s only dealt with brats like them once or twice? Didn’t you see the many knights there?”

Sir Dande nodded with an “Ah.”

Sir Liam still looked puzzled.

I continued as I climbed the hill path to Seongbaek’s mansion.

“He’ll let them taste a knight’s charge multiple times. They’ll realize magic is powerful but not omnipotent.”

Sir Liam nodded.

“You mean they’ll be reborn not as mere mages but as officers.”

“Yes. Those who fail will remain candidates forever.”

We stood before Seongbaek’s mansion.

He was outside the entrance, wearing loose white clothes.

“Have you come?”

“Sorry. Did you wait long?”

“No. This old man just came out too.”

He headed toward the forest behind the mansion.

Hidden by the mansion and hill, it was a place invisible from the dorms no matter what happened.

After walking a bit, a wide clearing appeared among thick trees.

“First, I want to test Young Master’s swordsmanship.”

As Seongbaek spoke, life returned to his eyes.

The once-cloudy blue pupils sharpened like frost.

“Yes, Elder Seongbaek.”

I drew my broad, wavy-patterned knight’s sword.

“I will draw out everything you have from now on.”

Seongbaek drew his sword too.

It was a standard military sword about a span and a half longer than a knight’s sword and slightly curved.

It also had a wavy pattern.

“Your two knights must never interfere, no matter how dangerous it seems.”

At Seongbaek’s words, Sir Dande and Sir Liam nodded.

I warned them once more.

“Sirs. Absolutely do not interfere.”

“Do not worry.”

“We shall obey.”

I sent them back and moved to the center of the clearing.

Sir Dande’s voice came from behind.

“What do you think?”

Sir Liam said as if obvious.

“Elder Seongbaek will win. He’s held a sword for over a hundred years. The only blue-blood to become an honorary officer with swordsmanship alone.”

Sir Dande said in a subdued voice.

“Yes. He came to learn, so it’s natural. No matter how much of a genius Young Master is, the experience gap is overwhelming.”

Then Sir Liam added with a “But.”

“Still, since it’s Young Master, he might show something surprising.”

A night breeze blew, fluttering Seongbaek’s hair and clothes.

I tied back my loose short hair tightly.

Seongbaek tied his white hair at the back too.

“You will be different from those I’ve faced with the sword so far.”

“I suppose so.”

“I hope you discover what’s different yourself.”

Seongbaek aimed his sword at me.

The tip of the military sword was like a dot.

I gripped my knight’s sword with both hands and took a charging stance.

“Shall I remove my armor?”

“No. Keep the breastplate and gauntlets on. That’s how you’ll stand on the battlefield.”

Seongbaek shook his head.

“Then. I won’t hold back.”

I lowered my body and kicked the ground.

My body, clad in thick breastplate, shot out like a crossbow bolt.

Seongbaek stepped back once and took a thrusting stance.

I raised my gauntlet-clad left hand to block my face and thrust my sword straight.

“Ha!”

I was confident I could easily deflect that thin military sword with my gauntlet.

The moment I thought that—SCREECH!

The military sword wedged between my gauntlet wrist and forearm plate.

Seongbaek smiled coldly and twisted his wrist and forearm, stabbing in.

Insane.

Speed and aim were on a different level from any opponent I’d fought.

I urgently swung my left hand sideways, extracting the sword from between the plates.

Seongbaek’s sword spun three times, prying the gap, piercing leather, and cutting into my skin.

“I warned you it would be different.”

My blue blood stained Seongbaek’s military sword.

Seeing the color, he exclaimed “Oh” in admiration.

But briefly; the mighty elder twisted his wrist once more, retracting the sword and resuming thrust stance.

Suppressed killing intent peeked through his blue eyes in fragments.

“If you rely only on regeneration and charge recklessly, you’ll be helpless. That’s not bold—it’s foolish.”

I read Seongbaek’s eyes, shoulders, and sword tip trajectory while retreating.

Simultaneously, I swung my sword targeting his forearm.

But Seongbaek didn’t blink and pressed forward.

Before my sword touched his forearm, his military sword dug into my left shoulder.

SHHH—the sharp blade touched skin.

I pivoted on my right foot, turning half a circle left, and deflected the sword.

The military sword sliced the air where my shoulder had been.

If I hadn’t dodged, my shoulder blade would have split.

I spun back right, regaining stance, and poured power into my sword, slashing down at both his legs.

SWISH!

“Hut!”

A swift strike applying true cut.

At this angle targeting legs, I had no solution but evasion.

Yet Seongbaek twisted his forearm, raising his lowered sword to block my attack.

“How many battlefields do you think this old man has wandered over the years?”

His voice was leisurely, as if toying with me.

Then his left fist flew.

I thrust my forehead to block, but the snake-like fist curved and struck my face.

“Gah!”

As I staggered back a step, Seongbaek raised his military sword.

The blade fell with thunderous force.

I shut my stinging right eye completely.

I twisted my body, dividing my heartbeat into four beats.

But Seongbaek’s sword followed my retreat.

Serene blue eyes stared as if piercing me.

He was predicting my movements through experience.

I gritted my teeth and lowered my body again.

TAP, I kicked the ground with my back foot and charged in.

I laid the broad blade flat and received Seongbaek’s sword.

SCRAAAAAPE!

Iron clashed with iron; loud sparks flew.

I was stupid.

Trying speed against a thin, long military sword with a heavy, thick blade.

“Planning to challenge with sword wrestling?”

Seongbaek smiled white and applied arm strength.

His wrinkled forearm tensed, pressing down with the weight of hundreds of pounds.

Only then did I realize Seongbaek was taller than even Sir Liam.

“Ha!”

But in strength, I wasn’t inferior.

Immense regeneration had built in months a body red bloods take decades to forge.

I held the flat blade, endured, and grabbed the blade side with my left gauntlet.

I pushed the crossguard forward, hooking Seongbaek’s sword.

I grabbed his wrist with my left hand and tried to trip him to the ground, but he slithered like a snake, extracting his military sword and retreating.

He pivoted on his left foot.

“Ugh!”

Wide sleeves hid where the military sword aimed.

When it finally revealed itself, Seongbaek’s massive frame accelerated with beast-like movement.

In the blink of “Uh-oh,” he was before me.

Even dividing my heartbeat into four, I couldn’t keep up.

Double!

Muscles straining as if tearing, I divided my heartbeat into eight.

Only then did the military sword’s trajectory enter my vision.

It curved like a hawk’s flight, aiming for my neck.

“Seongbaek?!”

His blue eyes were endlessly sunken.

Realizing something was wrong, I threw my body to the ground instantly.

At the same time, his military sword cut my breastplate collar and deeply slashed my throat.

A grinding bone sound echoed inside; blue blood sprayed into the air.