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Chapter 127

“Die!!”

“Watch your language, die!!”

The boys charged at each other, hurling insults. Swords clashed with a full-force swing.

Kiiing-!!

Light, condensed to its limit, crossed paths. Their robust egos, transformed by aura, tried to invade each other’s territory, but ended up getting bounced back as they collided with their swords. When destruction met destruction, there wasn’t even a decent sound; they simply vanished into a point.

Desperately forcing their balance in the air, I noticed golden hair reminiscent of a lion’s mane racing towards me from beyond the light.

With a sly smile, Yeon-woo attempted to lift his sword, but his arm wouldn’t listen. Quickly diverting my gaze revealed his right arm trembling and shaking uncontrollably.

Even though he was using the Aura Blade technique, they had only traded a few blows. Yeon-woo, well aware he should not be this exhausted, had an epiphany.

‘Lion Sword…!!’

Could it possibly reverse even the shock of the Aura Blade? Tiring out the opponent and hunting them down was more a wolf’s tactic than a lion’s, wasn’t it? I wanted to voice my discontent, but there was no time for that.

To surpass the wall of Expert meant his control over aura had reached its peak.

An aura user can exhibit physical abilities several times greater than a normal athlete without ever having exercised, becoming a superhuman as soon as they reach the levels of Expert.

Of course, that part hadn’t been highlighted until now, due to the confined battlefield or friendly sparring.

But this training ground was spacious, and Albert was a martial artist who didn’t depend on aura but trained his own body.

In the blink of an eye, a distance of several meters closed. Yeon-woo easily surmised that in terms of physical prowess, he could not surpass Albert.

With a pop, Albert’s muscular arms flexed, sending the sturdy sword flailing.

He aimed for trajectories he could sufficiently block. It was like an unspoken promise.

He wouldn’t take out the Aura Blade without setting up measures to avoid a true life-or-death duel, especially since there was no barrier like in the academy.

Naturally, while this was a spar, continuously fighting like this wouldn’t be entertaining, so the hurdles would gradually rise. When it became clear that one side could not block anymore, Jurgen would step in.

“You’re getting tired, aren’t you?!”

Clash! The swords collided, and Albert shouted, his lips curling up into a toothy grin.

Did he intentionally show such a mischievous expression to ensure no one would doubt he was a Lionel?

A flash of light ignited. However, the sword strike was not as intense as anticipated. Since Albert had better stamina, he was unlikely to have exhausted himself completely, suggesting he couldn’t fully absorb the shock of the Aura Blade either.

‘I should stop trying to force a win against that sword with a higher mastery level than mine.’

Charging headfirst against someone more skilled would only serve to harm him.

The incredibly solid sword seemed to negate the opponent’s defense with the finesse of a less formidable blade.

In a typical swordsman matchup, the roles would be reversed, yet here it felt like Albert was defending with a stout sword while counterattacking with a more delicate one.

That ability to switch mindsets was, after all, the reason the Count Lionel gained his title.

‘If I can cut down, I might just surpass him, but relying on that forever isn’t a viable strategy.’

With that thought, Yeon-woo readjusted his grip on the sword. Truth be told, the delicate swordplay was not his specialty. It was likely that the difficulty in finding fluidity within the nuances of his swordsmanship stemmed from the fact that this style was inherently more complex than most.

Nevertheless, claiming he couldn’t use it would be untrue, for he had already grasped some flow-like techniques.

The Flowing Sword.

While it could only be used defensively, it was a sword style that did not bind itself to tradition. At this point, the intent of his master became tremendously clear.

Once he had the flow, transferring it onto the sword was something he had practiced hundreds of times through both dynamic techniques and the Crescent Moon Sword.

Swords clashed. Albert realized there was a distinctly different sensation compared to their previous engagement. The shock didn’t fully transfer; it felt like the wind that had just pushed him had vanished, as if a beast had swallowed him whole mid-attack.

“…Don’t underestimate me!!”

To shake off that chilling feeling, one that felt like it would nullify all the years of dedication he put into his swordsmanship, Albert surged his aura and shouted.

If the energy went out, just feed it more wood; thus, his aura concentrated into his arms. Yeon-woo found himself surprised by the sudden surge of power near his abdomen.

Yet he stepped forward instead.

As if responding to that action, Yeon-woo’s aura bubbled up. Jurgen looked on, filled with doubt.

Using techniques in an aggressive manner like Albert wasn’t his style, and stepping forward while employing the defensive Flowing Sword meant embracing the incoming force directly.

Could he still not give up the stubbornness of trying to surpass Albert with brute force? No matter how skilled a swordsman tiger’s apprentice, he was still just a child. While Jurgen thought to step in between them, he suddenly halted.

The large crescent moon stigma engraved on his back began to emit radiant light.

He had waited for this moment. For the sun to set.

Until just a moment ago, he couldn’t deal with that formidable sword. It was impossible without utilizing the Flowing Sword technique. However, now it was different. The existence of the stigma made all the difference.

“Ugh!!”

He forcibly bore the remnants of Albert’s potent sword after processing it through the Flowing Sword technique. Immediately transitioning from minimal to vigorous movement, he activated his footwork.

As always, the greatest weakness of a powerful sword revealed itself when cleaving through the air. The immense force made it difficult to recover quickly.

This was a limit even Gungong, the founder of the strong sword style, could never transcend. Especially in the context of the additional force that made this strike even stronger.

“Ugh.”

Albert’s eyes widened in surprise. His aura had pulled his body to its peak. A silver divinity further enhanced his capabilities to the limit.

The distance suddenly broke into the full flush of the enhanced physical abilities. Moreover── What was this? An unknown force began to envelop his body as he swung the blow.

‘Can he actually respond to this!?’

Jurgen didn’t step in. The fact alone implied the ease and confidence Albert possessed.

As Albert’s sword arm was cloaked in the Aura Blade, it unraveled. As the Aura Blade merged with his body’s aura, it started to take some form.

“Kids these days really fight fiercely. Jurgen, will you let them go on like this?”

“Do as you please, my lord.”

“Is this the right situation to be pulling rank on your boss…?”

A voice filled with playful mischief stirred the air with an immense presence. Even compared to Claire or Yuri, this aura was immense, enveloping the entire sparring ground like poured concrete.

“While being spirited is good, using life-threatening energy for sparring isn’t quite right, my son?”

With a hearty laugh, the identity of the middle-aged man with golden hair became painfully clear. Albert, moments ago still fierce, suddenly rushed towards him, softened.

“Dad~!!”

In the meantime, Yeon-woo had no choice but to stand awkwardly.

…….

The Kingdom’s dual lions refer to ‘the left roaring lion’, Count Lionel, and ‘the right observing lion’, the Arbelhoa Royal Family.

The golden lion, Lionel, always protects the royal family, while the white lion, Arbelhoa, caring for the people with kindness, has passed down their legacy since ancient times.

And the bushy-bearded middle-aged man before me was the present-day golden lion, Richard Lionel, the Count Lionel.

“How have you been, my son?”

“I missed you, Dad…!!”

Embarrassed by accidentally calling him “Dad,” Albert quickly corrected himself. Yet, looking at Richard’s somewhat hurt expression, that chance of escape was completely lost.

“Ah, so you are Yuri’s disciple. I would appreciate it if you could befriend my son; I wonder if he has been feeling lonely?”

“Well, there’s a difference in class, but I’ll try my best. Surprisingly, we get along quite well.”

“Yeon-woo is remarkable, Father!! He says he can use the Aura Blade after just four months!”

“Hoho, is that so? I wonder how that friend Yuri manages to cultivate such students.”

Imagining the grim, harsh portrait of the Kingdom’s finest nobility and one of the continent’s top swordsmen, it was completely the opposite. It was a fully harmonious family!

Despite Richard’s gaze, which seemed to notice that his talents weren’t extraordinary.

While pondering that, indulging in tea awkwardly, the door to the reception room swung open suddenly. Startled, I turned to see a white-haired beauty dressed in a gown standing there.

‘…Who is that?’

Richard clarified the question lingering in my mind. He shot up from his chair, his expression suddenly serious upon seeing the woman. The large table shook beneath him.

As if holding fragile items that would shatter if dropped, the two rushed toward each other.

“Darling…!!”

“My love…!!”

Richard and the woman embraced each other passionately and exchanged kisses. Yeon-woo pondered whether to cover the eyes of the children beside him. This wasn’t some low-tier romance movie, and it all seemed so sudden…?

Fortunately, it seemed to be a kiss of greeting, as it didn’t last long.

“I’ve missed you so much while you were away, my darling…!!”

“I’ve been so lonely without you, Bruinhilde…!!”

What? Was the Count on some kind of business trip? While the children and I predicted the next scenes of this drama in our heads.

“If I go 12 hours without you, I will just die…!!”

“Isn’t it supposed to be the normal work hours…!!”

Reeling in shock at such absurd content, I couldn’t hold back my incredulous exclamation. The gazes of the Lionel family turned toward me.

…Oh no. I preferred being treated like I didn’t exist!

“Ah, you must be Albert’s friend who said you would visit today. Please take care of him! By the way, how old are these adorable children? Are any of them possibly Albert’s hidden girlfriend? My son is getting to the age where he should be having one or two crushes, but it looks like he has none…”

As I avoided the abruptly probing gaze of the Countess Bruinhilde, I had no choice but to respond to her barrage of questions one by one.

At first glance, she seemed quite cool and reserved, but it turns out she was a chatterbox…!!

Yet wanting to make a good impression on the hosts, I did my best. For the children’s sake as well.

(End of this chapter)

 

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