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“He blocked the sword energy?”

“Gasp!”

Arin also let out a short exclamation without realizing it.

Taylor was equally surprised.

He also picked up the water bottle next to him and gulped it down in one go.

But the burning thirst still wouldn’t subside.

‘I can’t believe it.’

How many times had it been now?

It was the same when he fought against him, and it was the same when Arin’s incident happened.

Yet, the current spectacle was once again shattering Taylor’s common sense.

Trying to calm his mind, Taylor corrected his thoughts once more.

Blocking sword energy?

With just 4-star magic?

[TL/N: This Moron will never learn -_-]

“Amazing… Senior Brother.”

“It’s not just amazing.”

It wasn’t something that could be described with just the word “amazing.”

Taylor had heard of that type of sword energy.

Not the hazy, mirage-like sword energy, but the completely materialized form of sword energy.

There was a reason why knights were considered a rank above mages.

Unless they were truly high-ranking war mages, it was impossible to neutralize such materialized sword energy with mere 4-star magic.

Although he hadn’t grasped every detail of the duel that had just taken place, Taylor had noticed the form of the Wind Armor changing faintly.

‘Is he really a genius?’

At this moment, for some reason, Taylor recalled Ruin’s words, spoken in anger.

— Don’t force my specialness on you? I can force it. Because you’re all damn Samael too.

Suddenly, Taylor unconsciously brought his hand to his heart, then stopped and looked at the arena. Blair also looked at the arena, and Arin, taking off her veil, stared intently at the arena.

Amidst the silence, explosive cheers erupted from the audience.

Clap clap clap—

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

People started standing up here and there and applauding towards the arena.

Their faces were filled with excitement, a stark contrast to the expressions they had while watching Ruin until now.

“Insane. What did I just see?”

“Waaaaah! That was really awesome.”

“My blood is boiling, boiling! He defeated a swordswoman with his bare hands!”

The young men, who had been maintaining some decorum, threw off their composure.

They were openly cheering directly.

If Libre and Goisen’s duel had evoked admiration, now everyone’s faces were flushed and their eyes filled with passion, as if they had fought themselves.

This was especially true for the men.

The sight of Ruin, with his bare hands, vigorously clashing with the swordswoman and even achieving victory, was enough to excite the audience.

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

Meanwhile, Libre, who had been listening to the cheers from the audience for minutes, scowled.

‘How did that guy…’

Libre couldn’t understand.

Looking around, his subordinates’ expressions were no different from those of the lowly creatures in the audience.

Even the Red Phoenix Division, called the elite, and even the Squad Leaders, couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions.

[TL/N: I feel like it should have been grandmaster here but i digress and went with the literal tl of the raw which is squad leader (It mainly translates to Leader/Grand Leader/Head/Commander etc — this makes it hard for me to understand the ranks of the people so just fyi if any rank which i gave in the previous chaps to end up being wrong contextually further down the chaps, I would give a TL/N in the said chap.)]

‘Damn it.’

This made him look like a fool.

It was like making porridge and giving it to a dog.

It was a terrible feeling, as if the protagonist of this banquet had suddenly changed.

Libre happened to glance to the left and made eye contact with Layla. Suddenly feeling even more annoyed, he fixed his gaze on the opposite side of the audience.

Arin, the woman who had caught his new interest, was also staring intently at the arena.

‘Sigh.’

He felt a sense of humiliation for some reason. This was especially so because he had never felt this way before in his life.

Libre wanted to jump out and strike Ruin’s neck right there and then, but he forcibly suppressed his feelings.

‘…Father must have a plan.’

It was his father, Balkan, who had invited Samael in the first place. There was an order not to touch them privately under any circumstances.

At first, he didn’t care whether they invited this lowly clan or not, but now that this had happened, he felt resentment for no reason.

Libre forcibly shook his head.

‘He told me to attend tonight’s dinner.’

Surely, he had a plan.

Libre looked at Celestine, who was returning from the arena, then turned his head to look at the head seat.

He saw Elder Parin with a very intrigued look on his face.

The Ardehains, and Elder Parin of the Blue Magic Tower.

The most important people Libre had tried to impress were showing interest in someone else.

Libre, furious, barely managed to turn his gaze to the side. Balkan was lost in thought with a somewhat subdued look in his eyes.

‘…You must have a plan, Father.’

* * *

The woman at the head seat looked down at the arena with a somewhat ambiguous expression.

It was an expression that was difficult to read. She seemed to be intrigued, but in a way, she also seemed disappointed.

“I’m back, Mother.”

As Celestine returned to her seat, the woman relaxed her expression.

“How was it, Celine?”

Celestine tried to say something, but then shook her head and replied,

“I don’t know. It’s the first time I’ve seen sword energy being blocked like that. There’s definitely something about him. What did you think, Mother?”

The woman asked back,

“Did you miss it at the end?”

Celestine replied with an uncomfortable expression,

“…I missed one. He said he manifested two spells at the same time.”

“At the same time?”

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible.”

The woman looked at Celine with a gentle expression.

“You probably didn’t notice, Celine. You were caught up in his moves.”

“Is that so?”

“He’s a cunning child. Experienced beyond his age. He’s a little different from the mages I know.”

Celestine asked back in surprise,

“Is he that good, Mother?”

The woman smiled and shook her head.

“It means his manifestation method is unique. Quite unorthodox for a mage. It shows that he’s been through a lot of actual combat. His movements are closer to a swordsman’s than a mage’s. It’s no wonder our Celine was flustered, ho ho.”

“It was a form I’ve never seen before either.”

“However, that’s why it’s a shame. He has excellent talent, but he’s too instinctive. If you focus on unorthodox methods rather than the fundamentals, you’ll eventually reach your limit. If you guys fight again, Celine probably won’t lose easily.”

“…”

“Still, it’s fortunate that he was a man with something to learn from. It was worth taking time out of my busy schedule. Take it as a good experience.”

“…”

“Perhaps the reason Celine felt intimidated before was largely due to the bewilderment of a first-time experience. But why the long face, Celine?”

Celestine, who had been lost in thought for a while, pondered and replied,

“It felt like my swordsmanship was being read.”

The woman suddenly looked at Celestine with a benevolent expression.

“That’s why experience is important. If you get caught up in your opponent’s moves, you might feel that way. But Celine, believe in yourself. You know who you are, don’t you?”

Despite this, Celestine’s expression didn’t relax. The woman asked again,

“What’s troubling our Celine so much that she’s not her usual self?”

“There’s something on my mind.”

“What is it?”

“He told me not to swing a flexible sword like a heavy sword.”

Suddenly, the woman stopped smiling and narrowed her eyes. After a moment of silence, she murmured in a low voice,

“Don’t swing it like a heavy sword.”

“…”

“Are you sure he said that?”

“Yes.”

“He wouldn’t have said that for no reason.”

“Abandon the principle of the heavy sword. It reminded me of what you said, Mother.”

The woman nodded as if it were a matter of course.

“You must abandon the principle of the heavy sword.”

The principle of the heavy sword is the logic of swordsmanship that puts all your strength into every single strike.

General swordsmanship often embodies the principle of the heavy sword, but unlike other swordsmanship, the Ardehain clan’s swordsmanship originates from the flexible sword, which lies in gentleness.

Due to the nature of the Ardehain Flexible Sword Style, which utilizes the opponent’s strength against them, it’s important to withdraw strength in any situation, and this becomes even more crucial when the opponent’s skill is equal to yours.

However, this is difficult. The more intense the duel, the more strength is put into the sword strike; it’s close to a swordsman’s instinct.

That’s what it means to abandon the heavy sword.

The principle of the heavy sword is the most important thing to avoid in flexible swordsmanship, and it’s also an important core that penetrates the Flexible Sword Style.

“He grasped the core in an instant?”

The woman turned her head towards the opposite side of the audience. She stared for a long time at the man sitting in meditation on the audience stand with a sleepy expression.

“…Did he just say that casually? Or did he say it knowing something?”

Suddenly, the woman burst into laughter as if she was amused, and Balkan, who was giving a speech to the audience a little distance away to the right, stopped talking and turned his head.

It was a situation that could have been considered rude, but the woman didn’t mind at all.

The woman, stifling her laughter, murmured with a slightly chilly smile,

“I never thought I’d hear such words from an outsider. Especially not from a mage, not a knight. Ho ho, how interesting. I can’t just let it slide. If he was just being arrogant, he should be taught a lesson. If he truly has the eye… that would be interesting in its own way.”

Celestine shuddered slightly without realizing it. This was because she knew the woman’s true nature well.

“Did you say his name was Ruin?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“I need to have a word with him.”

The woman leaned back deeply in her chair as if she had said all she wanted to say. Balkan, who had been watching the situation without knowing what was going on, finally cleared his throat again and looked around the audience.

“…So, I hope you all enjoy yourselves freely until this evening. Also, to commemorate the finals tomorrow, a small, unofficial dinner will be held, so the members of the Samael clan should wait in the annex for a while.”

The man who had been meditating in the audience suddenly raised his hand.

“What’s a small dinner?”

It was quite rude behavior, but no one blamed the man. Rather, everyone was looking at him with eyes full of affection.

When Balkan gestured with a gentle smile, the External Affairs Officer, who was in the audience, stood up and spoke.

“It’s a place for harmony. You can think of it as a dinner for closer exchanges and harmony between Urgon and Samael, who will lead the eastern part of the continent in the future.”

Envious exclamations erupted here and there in the audience. The fact that an exclusive, private dinner was being held meant that the exchanges between the participants would become closer.

“The biggest beneficiary of this banquet will be Samael.”

“Haha, don’t be envious. They showed enough skill to deserve it.”

“That’s true. Did they say they were from a town called Khaoto? After the banquet, I’ll have to visit Khaoto often.”

When the man who first asked the question sat down with an understanding expression, Balkan stood up again and concluded the situation.

“Then let’s end today’s matches here. I wish you all a comfortable evening.”

Balkan bowed once towards the left side of the head seat and then left the audience first as if he had something urgent to attend to.

Following him, the spectators left the audience like an ebbing tide…

The woman at the head seat, who was leisurely heading outside, stopped in a secluded place and naturally raised her right hand.

Wheeeeng—

With the sound of wind, a swordsman in black uniform appeared and lined up behind the woman in an immobile posture.

“You called.”

The woman asked,

“Did you say the Third Military Commander had an appointment this evening?”

[TL/n: The Rank is not confirmed.]

“He will be attending the Urgon clan’s dinner.”

The woman nodded.

“Tell them that Celine and I will be attending as well.”

“Understood.”

The swordsman, having shown the utmost courtesy, disappeared like the wind again.

———-