Level up with swords (12)
“Can I sit next to you?”
“Do whatever you feel like.”
After receiving Leon’s permission, Chloe sat down next to him.
Is it about the size of the palm of your hand?
I am at a loss for words at the familiar yet unfamiliar distance. I don’t know how long it’s been since the two of us have been sitting side by side like this. The realization that something that was taken for granted was no longer taken for granted gave me a bitter taste.
That was it.
Unlike before, the sense of inferiority and jealousy that dominated Leon had long since extinguished, leaving behind only a shabby residual fire. He only realized that fact when he encountered Chloe herself.
‘Oh, I see.’
It wasn’t that I hated her or anything. Her love for him had cooled off, but her long-time friendship with him remained the same.
Only now was he able to become Chloe’s ‘friend’.
So Leon opened his mouth with a somewhat softer expression.
“what’s the matter? “Your class would still be in alchemy class at this time. Did you even skip it?”
“what?”
Chloe’s eyes widened at those words.
Maybe it’s not just because of what Leon said.
I guess I intuitively realized that the emotion in his voice was very different from a while ago. She was silent with a blank expression on her face, but then responded with her usual smile.
“you idiot? “If you have even one unexcused absence, your scholarship will be cancelled, so why bother asking me to see your face?”
“then?”
“Class is canceled today because the alchemy teacher is sick. I came here just in time because I heard you had checked out. “I guess I’m all better since I see you walking around without crutches.”
Leon nodded and answered those words.
“But just in case, I’m going to rest for three or four more days. “Because I skipped the progress in advance, there are no problems with my grades.”
“Hmph, he didn’t even listen when I told him to rest.”
Chloe pouted her lips, saying she knew it would be like this.
Leon, who had been ignoring her words for years, had nothing to say, so he just scratched the back of his head and a strange silence fell.
It was a warm silence, unlike before when it felt like a sheet of thin ice.
Leon blinked as he settled into the atmosphere.
‘I used to talk like this in the past.’
I had forgotten. All that remained was the stubbornness that I couldn’t give up, and I shed blood as I cut my own flesh. I tried to blame this world for my unrewarded efforts and pain.
Was it really love for Chloe?
Or was it jealousy toward the existence of Lian?
I was obsessed with an inferiority complex that I was not special, and the only salvation was to keep hurting myself.
-You called me, Leon.
But there was a sword that answered the scream.
-Then I will give you a chance to prove it.
There was a sword that gave me a chance to fight against an unreasonable fate.
Holy sword El Cid.
The sword of a bad-tempered hero resting on the back of his left hand. Because of him, Leon was able to move forward, which had been halting for several years. He was instantly saved from the bottomless quagmire.
If it is the hero who saves the world, it was El Cid who saved him. Leon once again felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
‘Yes, I will become a hero.’
Anyone can do it as long as they say it with their mouths.
He promised.
El Cid hopes to become a hero who exceeds expectations. He said that he would not be lacking as the owner of the holy sword, but would rather become a warrior who would enhance its reputation.
Leon’s eyes glowed golden for a moment.
It was a fleeting moment that Chloe, who was sitting nearby, could not tell, but the light burned as brightly as the real sun.
[W-what is it? Why is it growing so suddenly?!]
It was a voice that Leon could not hear, and even El Cid was confused and was struggling to find out the reason.
He was perfect from birth, but he couldn’t know.
Humans are beings who can become better if they just get their mindset right. Leon’s willpower, which was already strong, was now close to that of a superhuman.
However, except for El Cid, the two did not know about the change.
Chloe said in a playful voice.
“ah! Now that I think about it, the rumors about you are amazing. Have you heard anything?”
“I just came out of the infirmary. How do you know? “The area around me has been noisy since a while ago, so I guess that’s the fault.”
“maybe?”
Leon gestured briefly as if urging the explanation.
It’s not like we’ve known each other for a day or two. Because she noticed that she was pausing on purpose.
Chloe, who discovered my intentions, smiled and said.
“It’s a bit long because it’s not just one or two things?”
Leon’s brows gradually furrowed as he listened to her words.
I expected it to some extent, but it exceeded my expectations.
Aside from the fact that a passing sword master took him as an apprentice, it was absurd that he was secretly raised as the royal family’s secret weapon. Even if it was just a joke, isn’t it an insult to the royal family?
Some of the rumors were just plain funny, some made me realize how amazing the human imagination is, and some made me question the intelligence of the students who made them.
Among them, there were some that were close to the truth.
‘How did you know that I picked up a magic sword from the mountain behind me?’
[Hey, it’s not a magic sword.]
Leon ignored the objection and laughed.
Despite dozens of rumors spreading, the Holy Sword was never mentioned. This probably means that the power and weight of the word holy sword is enormous.
The one chosen by the Holy Sword will become a warrior who will save the world.
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This is a phrase recorded in the Code of Women’s Religion.
Because it wasn’t meant as a joke, even immature students refrained from saying anything. The burden Leon had to carry was so heavy.
‘I can do it.’
El Cid trusted him.
That faith was proof of confidence.
Leon is no longer shaken.
Living up to someone’s trust is also one of the virtues of a warrior. Without realizing it, he took a step forward as a warrior.
At that time, Chloe saw Leon’s face and smiled.
“As expected, it’s changed.”
“huh?”
“I have a better face than before. The feeling of calmly looking into the distance without getting anxious? It’s similar to Rihanna, but a little different. “Maybe it’s the difference between someone who looks up and someone who looks ahead.”
Chloe muttered that it was a bit of a waste and stood up.
It seemed like the next class time was getting closer.
For her, who did not miss out on a scholarship every year, truancy was something that should never have happened.
She looked back at him to see if she had any last words to say.
“Leon.”
The two people’s eyes met.
Grayish brown and blue.
It was a color that did not resemble anything at all.
Chloe was about to say something, but her lips twitched, and then she started saying something that was nothing special.
“Would you like to talk to Lian at least once in a while? “I didn’t think there was anyone else I could hang out with in that class other than you.”
Leon nodded as if it was no big deal.
“Well, I’ll try my best.”
“thank you. See you next time then.”
One person stays, one person leaves.
Leon said as he watched Chloe’s back getting further and further away. Those were words he swallowed without saying out loud.
“… “If it is impossible, there is nothing we can do about it.”
Although I felt sorry for her, that request could not be fulfilled.
Because he planned to leave Rian and this academy at the end of the next match. There may come a day when we meet again, but by then Rian will have at least a friend or two.
Leon got up while thinking that.
I had just come out with the intention of doing rehabilitation exercises.
In order to be able to compete with Rian as soon as possible, I needed to get my left thigh back in perfect condition.
‘Just wait a little longer, Lian!’
The sense of inferiority has disappeared, and the desire to win burns in his eyes.
Stepping forward with sound will, Leon clenched his fists as he thought about the decisive battle that was just around the corner.
Two people whose fates intersect because they don’t even have names and birthdays.
Their first showdown was approaching.
* * *
simplicity and honesty!
The wooden sword cutting through the air suddenly broke.
It was unable to overcome the burden caused by rapid acceleration.
However, Leon and El Cid were not embarrassed by the results. This is because it was a technology that I knew would happen and was tested.
[Can’t a wooden sword withstand one strike even in perfect condition? Regardless of skill level, it is a technique that puts a lot of strain on the sword. False swords are generally weaker than real swords, so you have to be careful.]
“It’s enough to succeed just once.”
Leon, who was massaging his stiff wrist, declared that.
Show your trump card once and be done with it.
Moreover, if you use the same technique multiple times on a genius like Rian, it is certain that you will get a counterattack. This time, it would be possible to win only by going beyond pure skill and reading their psychology.
Ryan’s status window that I saw a few days ago was so scary.
Name: Ryan
Title & Occupation: Prosecutor “with nothing but talent and pedigree”
Level: 25
Strength 140 (D) / Stamina 122 (D) / Dexterity 141 (D) / Aura 253 (C)
Possessed skills
<Sword Mastery (lower) Lv.MAX>
<Sword Mastery (Medium) Lv.5>
<Arcane Swordsmanship (???) Lv.4>
<Pure body method Lv.2>
<Auror User (Intermediate) Lv.1>
<Congenital bone marrow (stage 2)>
Leon didn’t understand even half of what was written there, but he was immediately shocked by El Cid’s explanation.
<Sword Mastery (Medium)> is a sword technique that assumes the use of an auror, and <Soonshinbeop> is a special martial arts technique that is said to be able to produce an acceleration effect similar to ‘Accel’. When it came to <Congenitally Boneless>, there was nothing to say. This means that unlike Leon’s body, which El Cid personally modified, he was boneless from birth.
That was impressive enough, but <Auror User (Intermediate)> made even more sense.
“A level where you can use Sword Aura?!”
[Uh, since it’s level 1, it’ll just come out like a fog. This is the stage where the auror can be embodied outside the body.]
“You’re already stronger than most instructors!”
In reality, it was just as Leon said.
Except for instances like Instructor Helmut, most of the academy’s instructors were at the senior knight level. Considering things like arcane swordsmanship and pure god techniques, you can’t guarantee a chance of winning against Lian in a one-on-one match.
This is a level that even talented knights barely reach in their 30s, but this guy who hasn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet has surpassed it.
He is so strong that you don’t even know why he entered the academy.
When fighting Leon, it wouldn’t be that much since he would be sealing the Auror, but his basic abilities and <Pure God Method> alone were a huge wall.
“We are inferior in strength and speed, but our stamina is slightly above… . And that <Pure Shinbetsu>, even if it’s a martial art that doesn’t require an auror, it’s going to be a bit of a burden on the body like ‘Accel’, right?”
[of course. Such types of techniques often interfere with blood flow or the muscular nervous system, and their most representative weakness is physical strength consumption. Even though your body speeds up, your breathing stays the same, so you get tired quickly.]
“oh.”
It was advice worth considering. Based on what El Cid said, Leon developed a strategy for anti-ri security.
It’s definitely a difficult opponent, but it’s not one you can’t defeat.
Is it a bit stronger than El Monte, who used Aurors? Of course, if Rian uses Aurors, the match itself will not be successful.
After thinking that far, Leon was silent for a moment,
“El Cid? It’s just a what-if story… .”
I asked that question not out of fear, but out of pure curiosity.
“If I lose to Rian, what are you going to do next?”
[hmm.]
El Cid did not answer right away.
The what if Leon just mentioned is what happens if he is defeated by Lian and becomes his vassal. Can a warrior with a mission to save the world become someone’s subordinate?
It was a question that no one but the Holy Sword El Cid could answer.
But the answer he returned was unexpected from Leon.
[I will not answer.]
“why?”
El Cid spoke in a less playful manner than usual.
[This is my own test. You said it from the beginning, right? You will have to endure trials that are greater than opportunities.]
“The difficulty level is so high from the first test.”
[This match could be a turning point in your fate. Leon, if you defeat Lian, I will explain everything afterwards. Perhaps after listening, you will also understand.]
Leon also took those words seriously.
Even though El Cid teased or bullied him, his sincere words were never false. It probably means that there is a reason you shouldn’t know in advance, or that it’s a story that would shake your mindset if you found out about it.
So, without further inquiry, he lifted up his new wooden sword.
There were still many imperfections in dealing with Ryan.
simplicity and honesty!
The dull bursting sound continued until midnight.
