Level up with swords (16)
“You’re going to drop out?”
Helmut, the instructor who accepted Leon’s resignation letter, looked at him with serious eyes. The pressure that felt like peeling off a layer of skin was not something students were afraid of for no reason.
But Leon looked into those eyes and answered.
“Yes, I have already decided.”
“Hmm.”
Then Helmut played with his mustache for no reason.
Even though I knew that his resolve would not waver, it was a shame to have to let such a talented person go. Not only does he have the skills to defeat the Elmont gang, but he also has a more sincere attitude than anyone else.
If it were possible, he was planning to make him his immediate disciple.
‘Tsk, it’s already late.’
Helmut shook off those lingering regrets with a short sigh.
We couldn’t hold back a young person trying to take a new path. All the old knight who had retired from active duty had to do was to support him or pave the way.
Helmut said, looking a little relieved.
“i get it. If it’s an administrative process, I’ll take care of it. “I can tell you that you will be sick for a few weeks, but what do you think?”
Leon’s eyes widened at the unexpected favor.
“yes? Oh, thank you. Well, but… … .”
“Are you curious why I do that?”
“Ugh.”
When Leon flinched when his true intentions were revealed, Helmut smiled slightly and told him the reason.
“Thanks to you, the atmosphere at the academy has become better. “It may not have been intentional, but as a teacher, isn’t it something I have to repay?”
“… … ?”
“You look like you don’t know what’s going on. “Let me explain briefly.”
Helmut said, clashing his fists together.
“The commoners class was overflowing with motivation because you knocked out the kids from the nobles class, and on the other hand, the nobles class even participated in self-practice, whether or not they were upset about being beaten by a commoner. “It’s a guy called Happy Osan, I guess.”
“… “I didn’t know it would turn out like that.”
“Ah, I plan to personally take action against those who broke confidentiality. Is there any punishment you would like to see?”
Leon was startled by that sinister voice and waved his hands.
“Please, instructor, take care of that. “It doesn’t really matter after you leave the academy anyway.”
“Well, in that case, I will take care of it at my discretion.”
A crunching sound came from Helmut’s thick fist.
Leon, who saw the squirming, felt sorry for those people whose faces he couldn’t even remember. They said he was a nobleman in name and appearance, so he couldn’t be touched without an excuse, but it was clear that he would be ‘educated’ using this as an excuse.
In a way, can it be said to be a cause and effect retribution?
It was like getting back what they had done.
“Leon, let me ask you one last question.”
After roughly summarizing the story, Helmut opened his mouth.
“Where do you plan on going?”
“Hmm.”
Leon thought for a moment. He said he had a destination and route in mind, but it wasn’t something he could share with others.
So I mentioned the city I decided to visit first.
“I’m thinking of going to Blaine for now.”
“Blaine, Free City? indeed.”
Blaine, more famously nicknamed the Free City, was the second largest and most prosperous region in the country after the capital.
It is said that trade commerce companies from three neighboring countries, mercenaries and adventurers who follow them, and sub-races that are rare elsewhere can also be commonly found.
It is a place where young people who want to test their own strength gather.
“Looking at your personality, you won’t be a mercenary, but will you be an adventurer? “Then I will write you a letter of recommendation.”
“Thank you, instructor!”
Helmut immediately handed Leon a piece of parchment on which he had written a few lines of sentences.
It was a favor that exceeded expectations. Even if I used the academy’s student ID, I didn’t have a diploma, so I would have had to wait a while, but with a letter of recommendation written by Helmut himself, I could skip the annoying procedures.
He expressed his sincere gratitude and left the room.
[Are you done with this?]
“Oh, I’ve packed my bags, so all I have to do is go out.”
Leon walked down the hallway answering El Cid’s words.
It was the same hallway as always, but it was true that I was a little distraught thinking that I would be leaving soon. It took him less than a week to leave the place where he had stayed for several years.
As if reading his mind, El Cid asked.
[How to organize your mind?]
“… … .”
Leon closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them and said.
“it’s over.”
[Really?]
“huh.”
The conversation I had with Chloe was crucial.
After winning against Lian, Leon looked back on the past days and organized his thoughts.
And along the way, I learned a lot of things.
“I guess I longed for a ‘special person.’”
[hmm?]
“Clearly Chloe was a good friend and a pretty girl, but… . “If you ask her if she loves you, it means no.”
Leon finally realized the difference.
If I had had time to think calmly, I would have known this a long time ago. However, Rihanna, who seemed more special than her, appeared in front of her, and she struggled for several years, blinded by her deprivation.
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He has finally come out of the shadow of these two people. As Leon, neither Chloe’s childhood friend nor Rihanna’s rival.
“Because I will become a warrior.”
Just as the moon loses its shine in front of the sun, meeting El Cid cut out his deep-rooted sense of inferiority.
Who in this world is more special than a warrior?
Representative of the Goddess, bringer of light.
The strongest representative of humanity and the protector of the material world, the one who defeats all evil and brings peace. Even if you quote just one line of rhetoric, the warrior was more splendid than the king of any country.
[ha ha ha! You’re such a snob!]
“Are you a little disappointed now?”
[no way!]
El Cid denied it in one word and spoke cheerfully.
[What’s wrong with wishing for wealth? What’s wrong with pursuing fame? For humans, desire is the pillar of our lives and the driving force behind our dreams. As long as you don’t choose the wrong means, desire is the power that proves your humanity!]
So I was drawn to Leon.
In the swamp of inferiority complex that I could not escape from, I heard a scream lamenting my fate as my bones were being cut away. That desperate wish brought him to the holy sword El Cid.
What a warrior needed was neither desirelessness nor abstinence. An unbreakable will and a desire greater than anyone else are the qualifications.
[So I chose you.]
As promised earlier, El Cid revealed the secret.
[According to the original, the person who would become the hero was not you, but a young master named Rian.]
“What, Lian?!”
[The legitimate son of the Clyde Imperial Family, the sword that rebuilds the fallen empire. His full name is Ryan Calem Gladius von Clyde. It is the vessel of a warrior that was predicted in prophecy 150 years ago.]
Leon remained silent at that absurd truth.
If it wasn’t for what El Cid said, of course I would have treated it as nonsense. Are you a member of the royal family, not a high-ranking noble or royal family? He was destined to occupy the throne of the next generation and was even prophesied to become a hero.
‘… ‘He’s the perfect protagonist.’
It was no different from a typical heroic story.
Only the protagonist can defeat the evil king, save the princess imprisoned in the spire, and receive the sword from the goddess. Ryan was truly the protagonist of that heroic story.
That would have happened if El Cid had not been selected.
Only then did Leon understand the meaning of what he had done. The holy sword that Lian should have drawn and the glory that Lian should have enjoyed are no longer there.
“Oh, I see!”
And he realized why El Cid did that.
“I guess this match was also your test?”
[Yes, you did a good job.]
Leon had already proven his qualifications, but El Cid had not.
Was it really necessary to break the trust and choose Leon over Lian? The last match was proof of that.
It was as if I had been recognized by the goddess for my victory that day.
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
Leon sighed in relief at those words.
What would happen if we lost El Cid now? As soon as he decided to become a warrior, he was eliminated. It was clear that he would want to die.
El Cid watched his reaction and chuckled.
[I guess there’s no such thing as guilt? It happens sometimes. A guy who blames himself for taking away someone else’s opportunity.]
“I don’t know who it is, but I’m full.”
That’s not even funny.
Leon cut off the conversation in a cold voice.
“Are you feeling guilty about someone who is not less rich than me, but has had pockets full to bursting from birth? “There’s no way you can feel it.”
[Hoo.]
“And it was you who chose me. The soul of the great hero Rodrik and the insight of the holy sword El Cid chose me. “Then shouldn’t we blame ourselves for our incompetence in not being chosen even though we were born with everything?”
It was cold logic, but it wasn’t wrong.
The better a person is born into a good family or the more talented he or she is, the more advantageous he or she will have over others.
Arcane swordsmanship, elixirs, teachings, connections… .
Even if you count all your fingers, the unfairness remains.
Nevertheless, if he lost to someone who didn’t have it, it was right to see it as his own mistake.
[Well, I think so too.]
El Cid responded as if agreeing with his argument.
[There is no way for a hero to be determined by prophecy or oracle. The skill of a warrior is to pioneer the future with one’s own strength and will. That guy named Rian was wrong in that part.]
“Even if you put in a reasonable amount of effort, your skills are truly disgraceful.”
Leon returned to his room grumbling and packed his bags.
Four sets of plain clothes, simple groceries, and a water bottle. Even pockets clinking with few coins.
After getting ready in a few minutes, he left the dormitory.
‘The thing about coming back here… ‘I guess there isn’t one.’
Leon took one last look around the academy and passed through the main gate without hesitation.
There was no one to say goodbye to.
The only person close to him, excluding Chloe, is Lian, but I deliberately didn’t teach him anything. It was because El Cid encouraged him to do so.
[Winning and running away is the most frustrating thing.]
‘As expected, a magic sword.’
[Because it’s not!]
As always, we exchange trivial words.
Leon didn’t even glance at the city he had been out to for the first time in a while, but just walked and walked towards Blaine.
If you don’t stop by taking the shortest route, you will arrive within a week. It was no big deal to Leon, who ran dozens of kilometers every day. Because there were no particularly dangerous monsters living around here.
[Oh, come to think of it.]
At that time, El Cid spoke as if he remembered something.
[What did you decide to get from Rian?]
“It seemed better to ask for it later, so I just put it off.”
Ryan is currently hiding his identity.
Even if it were a request that could be granted while hiding one’s identity, it would not be a big request. I had no intention of using this blank check for a few pennies or a swordsmanship book.
I thought the elixir might be of some use, but with El Cid’s dissuasion, I decided to quit.
Well, that wasn’t all.
“It was hard to keep pushing a guy who was just frustrated, and… .”
[and?]
“As a result, I met you thanks to Lian, so I’d like to take a look at you.”
Although it seemed arrogant, Leon was sincere.
What if you and Chloe had dated without any problems?
What if Ryan hadn’t accepted the challenge?
He wasn’t what he is today.
Because Lian appeared. He caused more frustration than anyone else and existed as a wall that could not be overcome, so the Holy Sword came to visit him. It was like giving him a chance to be born again as a warrior.
“Holy sword El Cid. “Isn’t this enough?”
El Cid laughed out loud at Leon’s joke that wasn’t a joke.
