Vol 1 Chapter 11 (1/2)
First Cla.s.s (2)
(AN:Continued from last time…)[1]
‘I’m not giving him the initiative this time, I’ll take the first move!’
Cornelia swung the sword wrapped in flames.
As expected, Wynn didn’t plan on receiving the brunt of the blow, but rather repel it, but his sword loudly collided. [2]
Wynn’s stance was broken.
Unlike the previous time, Cornelia was the one chasing Wynn.
The magic 《Binding Chains》 had taken effect. [3]
Cornelia stepped forward, aiming a stab at his chest.
Holding his sword with only his right hand, Wynn deflected the stab while kicking the ground to gain distance.
Wynn felt the force of the impacts each time Cornelia attacked..
Each of Cornelia’s blows were heavy.
Even though they were using longswords of similar sizes, Cornelia’s sword strikes were as heavy as if she were using a greatsword.
His unreinforced sword would break if he continued to take the blows.
The flames around the blade were also a problem.
If they locked swords, Wynn would be burnt by the heat.
Since those flames didn’t affect the caster, Cornelia didn’t feel the heat.
Compared to Cornelia, who was strengthened by strengthening magic, Wynn was at a disadvantage.
Certain of her advantage, Cornelia continued her a.s.sault.
She made successive slashes.
As if he were dancing, Wynn dodged and parried all of the blows.
With his movements restricted, and at the same time, affected by the heat, Wynn concentrated on defending without being able to consider a counterattack.
He thought that they would continue to exchange blows like this.[4]
However, Cornelia’s offensive stopped for a moment.
Her stamina was exhausted by having to maintain the continuous a.s.sault.
Cornelia’s face distorted in a strained expression, she lifted her head to take a deep breath.
Seeing that moment’s opportunity, Wynn immediately closed the distance.
With a low stance as if he were crawling, he rushed forward and thrust the tip of the sword at her neck.
At seeing this, Cornelia’s body became weak, and Wynn slowly withdrew the sword.
“It is my complete and utter defeat…”
“Your flame enchantment magic was new to me. It was a valuable experience for me.”
Wynn extended his right hand, and Cornelia accepted the handshake.
“To think you only beat me with sword skills. On the second match, were you waiting for me to run out of stamina?”
“I am confident in my endurance. However, I had no breathing room. My movements were restricted by magic. I had seen adventurers use it before, but after the first blow destroyed my stance, if the next attack were a little bit stronger, I would have lost.”
Cornelia let out a slight smile.
“I can’t believe that you’re a cadet like me. I would be surprised if you were an instructor. Wouldn’t you be stronger than a regular knight if you used magic?”
However —
“No, well, I…”
Wynn’s face suddenly darkened, and Cornelia realized she touched a sensitive topic.
“I cannot use magic. I have no talent for it.”
“Talent…”
“That’s why, I have to train so that I won’t be defeated by anybody while only using the sword. No matter how much I practice, I can’t use magic. Moreover, people can never surpa.s.s their limits. However –” [5]
Wynn gripped the sword on his waist.
“Since many people win without having to practice, I could win against those dependent on magic”[6]
His previous expression vanished, and the light of determination shone in his eyes.
At his words, Cornelia was amazed.
Despite being the same age as her, this boy always forged ahead.
After those solemn words, Wynn gave a gentle smile.
“However, I’ve already failed the selection test three times. It seems that we should return to our places.”[7]
He saw that the other students had began to return to their original places.
She had heard the story of his failing three times, but…
Cornelia watched Wynn’s retreating figure.
Before sparring with him, she didn’t believe any of the rumors of him being a failure.
‘I see… That is the rumored Master of the Brave, Wynn Byrd.’
The Knight School Instructor Aldo looked at Wynn and Cornelia, who were among the students that had regrouped.
From the beginning of the mock battles, Aldo observed their distant spar, gazing steadily at Wynn and Cornelia. [8]
Originally, he didn’t look over everybody evenly, only heeding the few rumored students.
It was strange to not be worried.
At Aldo’s signal, the mock battles started.
In line with the theory, the students all began to use strengthening magic.
Wynn’s partner, Cornelia was no exception.
From Aldo’s point of view, he confirmed a slight light from Cornelia.
Wynn, however, did not move.
Without casting magic, with slow motions, Wynn merely drew his sword.
However, those movements were much more polished than the other students, even the battle-tested Aldo thought it looked good.
Wynn stood motionlessly with the sword held calmly in his right hand.
He waited for Cornelia to finish strengthening herself with magic.
Wynn was not in Aldo’s cla.s.s last year.
He only knew about him from a report from the person who was his instructor last year,
According to the instructor’s report, he wasn’t able to use magic since didn’t have enough magic power.
That was he truth.
Being unable to put magic into the practice sword, or use the lowest level magic, his practical magic grades were rock-bottom. [9]
In reality, at the moment Cornelia finished strengthening herself with magic, Wynn’s body contained no traces of magic.
However —
Despite Cornelia beginning to set up her sword earlier, Wynn closed the distance and attacked first.
Closing the distance instantly, he blocked Cornelia’s slash. [10]
While they were locking swords, Wynn took the opportunity to disrupt her stance, then closed the distance again with a slash.
He aimed at Cornelia’s sword with a slash, and her sword went flying out of her hands.
Cornelia’s surprise was plainly visible.
She was probably unable to see Wynn’s blade.
Even if it were Aldo, if he didn’t use strengthening magic, he may not have been able to send the sword flying. [11]
The speed of his blade was overwhelming.[12]
‘It was good that I saw it.’ (Aldo)
If he paid attention to any of the other students, he would have missed it.
The level of the match was so much higher than the other students’ matches, and was over in a matter of moments.
‘Did those people realize that?’ [13]
‘It seems like they plan to have a rematch.’
Cornelia’s body was once again enveloped in light.
Unlike the previous time, however, her sword became wrapped in flames.
‘That was Enhancement System magic ‘Enchant’!’
Aldo widened his eyes.
It was unpopular in the Knight School, so he had few opportunities to see it.
But Cornelia did use that magic.
In the next instant, Wynn’s body was wrapped in a red light.
‘It seems that Wynn was affected by some kind of magic.’
Among the adventurers, who mainly fought monsters, few used this fighting style.[14]
Of course, there were also knight orders that fought monsters.
Against especially strong monsters, one would use weakening magic, but even that job would fall to the Imperial Court Magicians, so the Knights wouldn’t use it.
Cornelia, like Wynn, had a fighting style that deviated from the standard knight’s fighting style.
While Wynn was affected by some sort of weakening magic, Cornelia started her a.s.sault. [15]
When Wynn tried to repel Cornelia’s sword, his stance was destroyed.
At this, Cornelia stabbed at him, which he warded off skillfully.
After that, Cornelia unleashed successive attacks, but at the moment she tired out, Wynn held his sword to Cornelia’s throat, claiming victory.
At a glance, it seemed like Cornelia had the upper hand, Wynn’s patient endurance eventually won out.
However, what impressed Aldo was not Wynn’s victory, but his swordsmans.h.i.+p and agility — Even more monstrous though, was that it was the Brave’s swordsmans.h.i.+p.
Those movements which seemed like a sword dance, reminded him of the time he had met the Brave.
Three years ago, while Aldo was stationed at a frontier Knight Order, he was on his way to subjugate a group of man-eating ogres.
There, he was able to see the form of Leticia the Brave.
At a certain village near the border…
There, scores of ogres attacked.
Aldo’s knight order, upon receiving an urgent report, mobilized, but the scout platoon was unable to count the amount of ogres.
Even if the villagers were to abandon the village and escape, they would be overtaken and ma.s.sacred.
Aldo’s scout party’s captain decided to stay in the village as a decoy in order to buy time for the villagers to escape.
Even then, the platoon numbered only ten people.
Ogres were, by nature, far stronger than humans, such that two or three knights would be needed against one of them.
Even if the knights stayed behind, the escaping villagers would be lucky to survive.
Nevertheless, in that remote village, there was only the hope of reinforcements arriving.