“The Knight Academy has a low-rank protection system.”
Proud approached the podium and began explaining. I crouched down, chin up, and urged the next story.
“Simply summed up, you cannot challenge those with a lower rank than yourself.”
“So what does that have to do with me? Student President Nari.”
Despite my sarcastic tone, Proud remained calm. It was only a slight frown for a very brief moment.
“The Crown Prince is a freshman, he hasn’t been given a rank yet.”
“I don’t remember receiving anything for sure.”
“In order to receive a challenge, the Crown Prince must first raise his rank.”
It was an annoying story to hear.
“As you said, it is unacceptable, sorry, for anyone to take on the challenge.”
“I see.”
I expected that he would say something like an old man, saying that it was not the manners of a freshman, but it wasn’t really like that. It was a story of extraordinary rules.
‘I’m tired of being here any longer. Wouldn’t it be fine if he said he would?’
“Ph, Mr. Proud! It’s rude to the crown prince!”
As soon as I was about to go in, one of the kondaes behind me jumped up and shouted.
“The prince’s words are symbolic! It’s not really a challenge!”
And it made a nasty noise. symbolic?
“… … okay. If so, I think I reacted too seriously.”
Proud nodded calmly and agreed. And he nodded slightly towards me as if he was sorry.
In an instant, an unbearably intense irritation erupted.
‘What are these bastards talking about?’
It was because I felt that these children’s actions were meant to protect me in the name of rules.
It was unbearably unpleasant that I was being treated as a flower in a greenhouse that needed to be protected.
“… … hey. student president.”
I was crouching down and stood up and called Proud. Proud, who was about to return to his seat, turned around curiously and looked up at me.
“Explain the challenge of a lower rank to a higher rank. Is it a limitation?”
“There are no restrictions whatsoever. If the high rank wins, there is no change in each other’s rank, and if the low rank wins, the high rank will be penalized and the low rank will be promoted by the rank of the higher rank.”
Proud explained skillfully like a teacher.
“It’s nice that it’s not burdensome. Then, who is the highest rank in the knight academy right now?”
“… … hmm. It’s embarrassing to be bragging, but for now, that’s me.”
Proud cleared his throat, as if really embarrassed.
“okay. Then the story goes fast.”
I jumped off the podium. Surprised, the students around them, including Proud, broke the ranks and stepped back. I could hear the kkondaes behind the podium rushing forward in panic.
Amid everyone’s attention, I drew the sword from my waist,
“I won’t challenge you. student president.”
I aimed at Proud.
“… … .”
Proud stared at me with a surprised expression.
“Everyone step back. It creates space for confrontation.”
Then, after returning with a calm expression, he gestured to the students behind him to step back without asking anything as if he understood. The part where he didn’t say unnecessary things was much more likable than Neza.
“Wait a minute! for a moment! Proud! What are you doing! Don’t be stupid! Hwa, Crown Prince too… … .”
“noisy!
I shouted without looking back at the voice of Kkondae. The old man said nothing more.
The students stepped back and created a large circle-shaped space. A battlefield similar to the usual sparring ground was created.
From noble mtl dot com
“I don’t know much about this confrontation. Please explain more.”
“… … In a confrontation, it is common to choose one of the three ranks of force, magic, or intelligence. In some cases, it is decided to do both.”
Proud’s friendly tone of voice has noticeably lowered.
“Isn’t there anything that uses all three?”
“It’s only at the regularly held Colosseum. What we can do here is a showdown between brute force and magical power.”
It was nice to see the strangely arrogant and unique way of speaking that subtly omits respect. It was a car that everyone was tired of using too much respectful words.
“good. Then let’s do it with force and magic. What is the criteria for winning or losing?”
“It is common to make decisions based on fairness or circumstances, but… … Basically, the condition for victory is to hurt the opponent first.”
“I like how simple it is. I was thinking of blowing the sword away or something.”
“I like the knights’ sparring rules, but aiming at each other’s sword only results in narrowing the field of vision.”
“Certainly it could be. Then the side that hurts will win.
This is where the rules are set. All that remains is to fight.
“If you can cut it, cut it without reservation. Draw your sword.”
“… … I will gratefully accept the challenge from the Crown Prince.”
Proud bowed his head respectfully and with a graceful motion drew the upper sword out of the two swords at his waist. It was the iron-blooded ritual sword.
‘Hmm. Are you saying I don’t have to use that weapon against me?’
Thinking that I’d like to get it out right away, I took a posture.
Student President, Proud of Yeomma.
In the original work, he was the main villain of the knight academy, and was completely incompatible with Eugene, who possesses water-attribute magic, in terms of personality and magic.
However, contrary to his appearance, he was not just a blood-stained careerist, he had thoughts of his own. I had a pretty complicated story.
It’s not a very important story right now, and I don’t intend to look at it that way.
‘No matter how hard it is, I never thought I’d have to deal with the boss character of the knight academy at the entrance ceremony.’
I challenged myself because of my irritation, but it was a fairly straightforward development.
Did Eugene in the main story start with an aristocrat who was a cheeky and overweight classmate and then progressed step by step? However, from my standpoint as the crown prince, dealing with such an insignificant aristocrat would only be bullying, so I couldn’t follow suit.
‘Should I boost in two stages?’
I concentrated my mind and sent magic power through my body. amplified It was the first two-stage boost to be used in practice. The electrical signals in the body were amplified by the mana flow, and the senses became sharper.
“Come on, come on. Or shall we go from this side?”
Despite my provocation, Proud did not waver and approached me, calmly measuring the distance with his sword in his hand.
And the moment each other’s attacks entered the effective range——.
Caang!
“Oh my.”
“… … .”
Swords collided with each other without saying who came first. As if they had made a promise, it was a blow that did not use magical power, and allowed them to gauge each other’s strength.
‘As expected, the boss character of the knight academy.’
As I listened to the students’ shouts that came late like thunder after lightning strikes, I raised the rating of Proud in my mind.
I didn’t expect to be able to take it down in one hit, but I didn’t expect it to have a reaction speed that was almost the same as mine when using the 2nd level of boost. Although I’d like to be slightly faster.
“Fast. Let’s see how fast it is!”
And even if I’m slow, it doesn’t matter.
I shook off my sword and quickly attacked Proud. Proud countered my attack with restrained movements, but——.
“… … !”
There was a hint of perplexity on his face at times. At times, breathing was disturbed to a dangerous degree. Even so, it was outstanding that he barely gave up a blow.
“It looks pretty tough even though you haven’t used your magic yet.”
After exchanging a few sums, I widened the distance and provoked Proud.
Actually, I’m sending magic power through my whole body, but it’s okay because I can’t see it. In the eyes of others, it will be seen as my pure physical ability.
“… … You use interesting swordsmanship.”
Proud adjusted his breathing and gripped the sword.
“You know me well. I like the sense.”
I praised Proud.
fun swordsmanship.
It was Mustafa’s, Amerian swordsmanship.
The swordsmanship of the Amerians had a different rhythm from the general swordsmanship of iron blood.
At first glance, it looks slower than the fast-paced ritual swordsmanship, but the speed of the sword when striking down with the strength of the lower body is much faster than the ritual swordsmanship. And the beat of the consecutive attack that follows the attack is slightly out of sync. That’s why the ritual swordsman who rushes at the fast beat, if he’s not conscious, allows the attack at the wrong beat.
In other words, the experience and knowledge accumulated in the sparring between ritual swordsmanship are mostly meaningless in front of the swordsmanship of the Amerians. Mustafa’s reputation for swordsmanship in the knights must have been largely thanks to this.
“Isn’t it as easy as you thought?”
“I didn’t think it would be easy, but it’s better than I thought.”
Proud wiped off his sweat and returned to his stance. However, there was no sign of putting magic power on the sword.
‘Aren’t they using magic even in this situation?’
In frustration, I pushed Proud back. Proud blocked my attack, but that was it. The frustrating battles in which I had only a slight advantage continued.
‘Couldn’t it be that he doesn’t have the guts to hurt me?’
I slowly started to get annoyed with Proud, who was always focused on defense. I’m sure you can fight much better than this.
‘Then it’ll be much more fun to fight with Mustafa.’
Thinking that I would no longer be able to hang out with him, I decided to blow away Proud’s standard sword with electric shock.
A fleeting moment focused on loading the sword with lightning to turn the decision into action.
“sorry. Crown Prince.”
Proud’s hand gripped the second sword at his waist.
At the same time as the sword came out of the scabbard with a clicking sound——.
aaa!!
Following the sword’s trajectory, the atmosphere exploded with a roar. The explosion burned the grass on the ground and continued right in front of the students who were watching.
Thrown back by the aftermath of the explosion, I rolled backwards and took a fall. Thanks to the 2nd stage boost, I was able to quickly identify and avoid it, but part of the top burned in an instant and disappeared.
“… … hey. Are you going to kill me?”
I tore off the remaining tattered top and asked Proud. The thick smoke slowly dissipated, revealing Proud.
“Because I thought I could avoid it.”
Proud was holding a black sword that was much longer than his standard sword. The jet-black sword, like a completely burnt ash, raised a haze around it, revealing a lofty figure.
Burning Sword, Phoenix Blade.
It was the true weapon of Yeomma Proud.
‘At that level, it’s not that it wasn’t loaded with magic power, but it might have been something that couldn’t be loaded.’
I laughed at the heat that I could feel from afar.
“It’s not as easy as I thought.”
A boss character is also a boss character.