Episode 93 – Let’s spar.
93. Please spar with me.
The next morning.
“All of Kendrick’s gang were excommunicated.”
Cheren said as he walked with moderation.
From Noble mtl dot com
“We received an official apology from their family, and we also received separate compensation from our family.”
This is to inform you of the discussion that took place with the nobles yesterday.
“I am truly sorry to you, Leon, about this incident. “The family is definitely responsible for the trainees’ poor behavior.”
“It’s okay.”
Leon shrugged his shoulders. It seemed like it really didn’t matter.
When the training center gatekeepers saw Cheren and Leon, they bowed down while holding their swords.
They nodded slightly and passed by.
Cheren followed her words.
“Thank you for your understanding. The matriarch also wanted to express her apology. With that in mind, he asked if we could have a meal together sometime soon.”
“Meal?”
Leon answered right away without much hesitation.
“It will be a delicious meal, so I won’t refuse. “Are you also joining us, instructor?”
“······.”
Ttogak-
Cheren’s feet, which had been walking steadily, stopped for an instant. The sound of her shoes against the stone floor became quiet.
“It’s good that the decision was made quickly.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, right?”
“Well. “If another cadet had received the same offer, he would have thought about how to turn it down.”
“Why?”
Cheren glanced back at Leon.
“If I were to ask you to eat alone with me, would you immediately say yes like you did just now?”
“······?”
Leon’s eyebrows tilted up and down.
There’s nothing that can’t be done… Right? What is the problem?
“Would you like to have lunch with me later?”
“······Most of the cadets found me difficult.”
What Cheren overlooked is that Leon is a person who can make a fuss even in front of the emperor.
“And just like me, the head of the family has a hard time with a lot of people.”
“Hmm.”
Leon understood what Cheren wanted to say.
This probably means that people are suffocated by the blunt and stiff appearance of her father and daughter. These are people who have already trained their swords to the limit and are even leaking with skill. It was worth it.
“Well, not me. “I don’t think it’s difficult for the instructor.”
There are many cadets who are afraid of Cheren due to his sharp appearance and military-like speech.
Of course, it wasn’t Leon at all. Because from what she had seen so far, she knew that was only her appearance.
She is not a very cold person. She is not like a machine.
She is someone who takes great care of each and every Class A cadet, and is also someone who is genuinely happy when Class A gets good grades.
I wonder if there is anyone other than Leon who has noticed this aspect.
“So please treat me comfortably without any worries. Meals with the instructor are always welcome.”
“······.”
Cheren’s steps slowed slightly.
“······I understand, Leon. “Thank you for saying that.”
Leon could not see the slight upward movement of one corner of her mouth because he was on the other side of her.
Ttogak, tttogak-!
A little later.
“It has arrived.”
After traversing the training center for a long time, they arrived in front of the entrance that jutted out from the ground.
Guarding the entrance are just four gatekeepers. It was more than the entrance to the training center. It must have meant that it was an important place.
The gatekeepers opened the door after bowing.
Guuung-
Leon followed Cheren inside.
What was immediately visible after passing the entrance was a long staircase leading down to the basement. It was wide enough for three men to walk shoulder to shoulder.
All parts were made of smooth white marble, and both walls were decorated with murals depicting swordsmen. Above it hung a lantern that returned to the magic stone.
Togak, togak, togak-
The stairs soon led to a flat hallway.
A quiet place with a cool, dry chill. Expensive lights studded here and there illuminated the underground hallway as bright as day.
The center of the floor was glass, and you could see blue-green underground water gurgling underneath it.
The gates were placed at regular intervals along the long hallway. Each of those doors leads directly to the training hall.
“This is Jeseonggwan (諸成館), where our family’s high-class training hall is located. From now on, you can use the training center here. Actually, I should have let you know yesterday, but it was my mistake to overlook your passion.”
Jeseong-gwan’s luxurious training hall has private rooms and much better facilities. Originally, all cadets staying at the Asonia family could stay here.
Cheren also planned to show her around here yesterday, but it seems she didn’t know that Leon would run straight to the training ground without even unpacking her luggage. This ultimately resulted in Leon confronting Kendrick’s gang.
“Infuse mana into the badge I gave you and touch it to the detection plate next to the door. Then, one training center has been registered.”
“Oh.”
Cheren told me how to prepare her.
Cheolkeong-.
“It’s really much better.”
Leon, who entered the training hall, did not hide his admiration.
It was better than any other training center I had ever seen. It almost felt like the training grounds outside were all fake.
And there.
“······The concentration of mana is very dense?”
Mana particles densely packed throughout the intestines. There was more mana floating around in the training ground than in other places.
“It was made that way through special processing. “That’s the advantage of Jeseong-gwan.”
“No, there was nothing like this in our family…”
It was indeed a great advantage. With each breath, pure mana filled her body, and energy surged throughout her body.
If you train in a place like this, your efficiency will come out.
Leon, who was looking around, suddenly said with his eyes shining.
“Instructor.”
“Why but?”
“Please spar with me.”
* · * *
“Now that I think about it, this is my first time.”
Cheren quietly held her sword and opened her mouth.
Leon was fiddling with her sword and breaking her neck.
“What is it?”
“This is how two people clash swords in person.”
It has to be that way. When taking classes at the academy, there is no one-on-one teaching. Moreover, there was no opportunity to spar between individuals unless there was a need to create one.
“Then will you do this often in the future?”
“Of course, if you want.”
Leon grinned at Cheren, who answered willingly.
Next moment.
Fit-!
His new form dispersed like a haze.
‘Concentration.’
Leon immediately entered the extreme order.
Cheren is an opponent that no matter how hard he tries, he cannot touch even a single hair of hers. He can pour out all his might to his heart’s content.
The mana that welled up from the dantian and flowed through the circuit throbbed hotly.
One step, two steps, three steps.
The light step led Leon to the gap between Cheren.
Tzut-
At extreme speed, Leon took a big step to the right. It was a drastic change in her direction.
Leon just felt that there was no unnecessary steps. It was a movement that only someone who had entered the state of docility could make.
In that state, he immediately drew the pose he had in mind. He released his energy as if it were exploding and at the same time unleashed the Chureo Swordsmanship (追雷劍式).
The quick sword technique, created with the intention of chasing away lightning, was aimed at Cheren’s upper body.
Right then.
“!”
Leon raised his eyes wide.
“······.”
Chaeren’s dark eyes were calmly following Leon.
As if it wasn’t fast at all.
—Wow!
Cheren’s blade fell like her guillotine. Leon retrieved the sword he was swinging and barely succeeded in defending himself.
“Inhale!”
Leon tried his best not to let go of the sword. A tingling sensation throughout the body. His hand, which had received the sword strike, was tingling.
It was Cheren’s strike that instantly cut off Leon’s flow and tied up her feet.
Cheren continued her attack without giving him a chance.
Wow! Whoops! Whoops!
While receiving the three sums, Leon could not move even a single step.
The straight sword wielded by Cheren occupied all his directions.
There is no deception and it is honest, but that is why it is powerful. Clean and flawless.
Wow! Whoops! Whoops!
Leon could not even move from his spot due to that standard swordsmanship. The meaning of speed as a weapon has disappeared.
Ice sword.
The meaning of Cheren’s nickname, which was to freeze her opponent, was keenly felt.
Wow! Whoops!
Wow!
Cheren’s sword pushed away Leon’s sword and was aimed at her uvula.
“······I lost.”
Leon said defeat. The sparring ended in an instant. It was exactly after 10 sums had passed.
“Huh…”
Leon hung his sword and scratched his forehead.
Even his hands were defeated. Moreover, it was clear that Cheren had been watching this for a long time. What could have been completed in one sum was intentionally increased to ten sum.
“You said you’ve been practicing quick sword skills recently.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think there has ever been an opponent that surpasses your speed.”
“That’s right.”
It was indeed correct. After Leon opened his eyes, everyone he met was busy trying to find where he had gone.
So, according to the theory of the Baltvin family, Cheren has much higher raw power than Leon. It was natural since he was a martial artist who became a master in the first place.
So sparring with Cheren will be of great help. Because you can practice in advance how to deal with enemies that exceed his speed.
“Would you do it again?”
Leon nodded his head.
“Please. But before that…”
“?”
“Can I just smoke one piece of tobacco?”
“······.”