Chapter 1.1 - 100 Million Years Button and Prison of Time [1] – part 1 (2/2)

My grades at the Swordsmanship Academy were the lowest by a huge margin.

It’s a situation where I don’t know when I’ll be forced to quit due to poor grades.

「Understood… I accept the duel on those terms」

「Ooh, I accept your challenge! Time is tomorrow morning at 9. How about having it at the gymnasium?」

I gave a slight nod.

「I will take care of applying for the duel. Allen, at the very least struggle desperately to make it seem like a duel. Although, it obviously will be a waste of effort. Ahahahahahahah!」

Thus, I was to duel the Genius Swordsman tomorrow.

Thinking about it now, what a foolish thing I have done.

(No… but, if he were to say the same thing again, I would challenge him to a duel all the same)

I’m not rotten to the point where I ignore the ridicules towards my mother.

(But… Dodriel is strong)

He is the exact opposite of me ー a genius type.

Even though he hasn’t practiced much, he immediately absorbs any type of swordsmanship as his own like a sponge.

Rumour has it that he enrolled into the academy with a referral from a prestigious school in the capital…

(Even so… I definitely can’t lose…)

My dropping out of this academy hinges on this duel.

Above all, he must withdraw the snide remarks towards my mother.

After that, I returned to my dorm, and then headed to the forest with a sword in one hand.

I arrived at the place where I always practice swinging, and kept swinging my sword wholeheartedly.

「Fuh, Fuh, Fuh…!」

I continued swinging my sword recklessly and desperately.

It’s not that I had become desperate.

But rather, this was all I could do.

When I first entered, I bowed down to various teachers at the Academy of Swordsmanship and asked them to take me under their wing.

However…,

「Unfortunately, you don’t have talent. You can’t survive through my training」

「Oi Oi Oi! You sure run your mouth saying 『Make me your disciple』with such a feeble sword like this!」

「Do you know of the phrase… 『Know your place』?」

All of them flatly refused.

I had nothing to hang on to.

That is why, I don’t know the styles of sword, let alone the techniques.

The only thing I was taught in the academy classes was how to swing the sword and how to train the body.

In other words, the only thing I can do as 『training』 is to swing my sword fully.

After that, when the sun went down and the moonlight shined on me- I finally stopped swinging my sword.

「Ha, haha, hahahahaha…!」

Laughter spontaneously overflowed from my mouth.

「How foolish.. I was…! There is no way I can win by doing this…!」

Swinging the sword frantically has no meaning at all.

No matter what, I’m going to lose tomorrow anyway. It would be a tragic sight.

The gap between me and that guy, can’t be closed in a single day.

Even several years will not be enough to catch up.

(Frustrating……. frustrating frustrating frustrating… frustrating!)

It’s frustrating, but… no matter how many times I run the simulation in my mind, I can’t come up with a vision that wins against that genius.

「Just what… should I do…」

It was so frustrating that… my tears overflowed.

I want power.

The power to defeat Dodriel.

However, I don’t have enough of anything.

Power, talent, and above all else, time…

「……goddamnit!」

And right when I punched the ground.

「Ho Ho Ho……. you seem to be at a loss, young swordsman.」

Suddenly, I heard a hoarse voice from overhead.

「Wh-Who are you!?」

When I panicked and looked up, a short old man was standing there.

His hair, eyebrows, and beard were all pure white.

The waist was also clearly bent and he had a cane in one hand.

But the most ominous part of it all, I didn’t sense his presence.

「Me? I am something of a… hermit of time.」