The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 146
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 146 57. Cairo’s Scoundrel Third Prince (1)
If you were to pick one person who was most famous at Tarasan Academy last semester, a hundred out of a hundred people would say Tania Eloise.
There was no room for disagreement. Not only did she defeat Lucas Young, the promising talent of the Kingdom of Jenas, to win the swordsmanship tournament, but she also claimed the honor of being the continent’s youngest Sword Expert. Her contribution was considerable in drawing countless new students from distant foreign lands to Tarasan.
However, before the first semester of the new year began, they encountered a person they had never even imagined.
That was the monster senior named Lumian Calard.
“What? Is that guy really that amazing?”
“How dare this bastard speak of our senior like that!”
“Watch your mouth! You stupid fool!”
“How dare you call Senior Lumian Calard ‘that guy’! If we end up in the same class, I’ll beat you senseless!”
“I’ll kill you!”
“…I’m sorry. No, I apologize.”
“Even if it’s not Senior Calard, don’t be rude to other seniors either!”
“Understood. I apologize.”
A cadet who had arrived late at the academy and missed the Knight Department orientation trembled all over.
It felt like facing fanatics. The new students’ attitude toward Lumian Calard was that devoted.
Exposed to his intense aura image and voice filled with heavy presence, they had already completely assimilated to Tarasan Academy’s rules.
“Ah, I want to have even one conversation with Senior…”
“Me too. I want to feel that thrill again.”
Some female students had even more severe symptoms.
The shocking appearance Lumian showed made them feel an unknown flutter beyond fear and respect.
It was actually understandable.
An intense atmosphere that couldn’t be felt even from high-ranking knights of various countries.
Handsome looks that wouldn’t fall short compared to most beautiful men.
Added to that were outstanding swordsmanship skills and tremendous background. From women’s perspective, he couldn’t help but be a mouth-watering target.
‘Isn’t there some way to get involved with him?’
‘He’s from a small country but his success is guaranteed. I need to use my fatal charm to settle things within the first semester!’
Whenever the serious-faced Lumian passed by, countless new students’ hearts would flutter.
Of course, no one actually approached him. He always emanated an aura that made it difficult to get close.
Thus, Lumian became like a star among the first-year students in just a few days. A brilliant existence that everyone looked at with shining eyes but couldn’t approach.
“I can’t believe Lumian Calard was a Sword Expert…”
“He wasn’t even just an ordinary Expert. Most of the Guard Knights who faced him were Experts. Yet he easily subdued them, so we should consider that he broke through the upper barrier not this year but last year…”
It wasn’t only the new students who showed intense reactions. The academy professors also showed tremendous interest in Lumian’s revealed abilities.
Even right now was like that.
Originally, this faculty meeting was supposed to address the academy adaptation problems of foreign new students. Since there were so many children rebelling against the academy’s relatively horizontal culture, they thought they needed to establish countermeasures.
However, what came out of the professors’ mouths now was only about Lumian Calard.
Actually, there was nothing to say about countermeasures. The new students who had already experienced a senior’s words and several proxy duels had become docile sheep.
Not even a grain of their initially rude behavior could be seen.
So there was no one to complain even if they chatted comfortably.
Professor Karin opened his mouth with a complicated expression.
“Actually, when his skills rapidly advanced during the first semester last year, I did get the feeling he was hiding something.”
“Is that so? Then perhaps from that time?”
“Probably so. It’s unbelievable, but looking at Lumian Calard now, I can only think that way. That child… has reached a level where I’m not confident I could win even if I gave my all.”
“Huh…”
“To that extent?”
All the professors were surprised by his words.
David Caren was quite skilled. Excluding the temporary professors Sword Master Morghen and Bercal Garcia, he was the strongest. Even Irene Curtis from Rodisia would be slightly pushed back.
Such a great knight was surpassed by a knight student who had just turned 16?
As Karin said, it was truly unbelievable.
But when even Bercal Garcia and Morghen, who attended the meeting after a long time, and Irene Curtis expressed agreement, the professors had no choice but to nod.
From that moment, praise for Lumian began pouring down like monsoon rain.
“Truly an amazing child. To reach the realm of Sword Expert at such a young age.”
“That’s right. Come to think of it, the youngest record set by Miss Tania Eloise has already been broken. It’s regrettable yet joyful, hahaha!”
“It’s not just his skills that are amazing. His attitude, beliefs, and conduct as a knight are also excellent.”
Professor Karin opened his mouth again.
As everyone’s attention focused, he continued with a serious expression.
“No matter how outstanding his skills, no matter that he received direct recognition from Sir Sinseor Ainsworth, the actions that child showed were nothing short of remarkable.”
“Hmm.”
“It was a situation where he could have faced pressure from numerous families across the continent or gotten entangled in disputes and suffered great setbacks. However, Lumian didn’t care about such things and preached to the new students about academy rules, chivalry, and knightly honor.”
“That’s… certainly remarkable.”
“Absolutely. Thanks to Professor Karin’s words, I can now make a more proper evaluation of Lumian.”
It was a misunderstanding. A serious misunderstanding.
Of course, Lumian was someone who cared about chivalry enough to be a model for others, but the recent incidents weren’t caused by such noble spirit. They were merely products of stress.
Morghen, who knew this, smiled secretly.
‘Big brother is in a serious state, but from my perspective, I really… can’t help but laugh.’
While he was doing that, the professors’ misconceptions grew even larger. Lumian’s past actions, done without much thought, were being excavated one by one and reevaluated.
Accordingly, Morghen’s smile grew even wider.
It seemed like this peaceful atmosphere would continue indefinitely.
“D-Department Head! Something terrible has happened!”
“What? So suddenly.”
“Ca, ca, ca…”
“Ca? Speak properly. Calm down!”
“Cairo’s… the Third Prince of the Cairo Kingdom! He’s decided to enroll in our academy!”
“…!”
At the words delivered by the teaching assistant who suddenly burst in, all the professors’ faces turned pale.
Another, even bigger storm hit the academy that was becoming quiet.
* * *
“Quickly gather the students and relay the precautions! Make sure to inform all the kids who haven’t arrived yet without exception!”
“Did you call the gardeners? We need to pay attention to landscaping! Who knows what fault they’ll find!”
“A decent accommodation… Damn! No matter how I think about it, it won’t work within the academy! Request cooperation from the government office and find the most luxurious mansion!”
“Will this work? Will this work? Damn it!”
“Why is that bastard coming!”
A chaotic scene reminiscent of a battlefield.
Not just any ordinary noble, but someone from the Cairo Kingdom, one of the continent’s three great powers, and even the Third Prince. He was a big shot incomparable to any previous enrollees.
Looking at it that way, the current commotion could be considered natural, but the faces of those preparing to welcome the Third Prince showed emotions beyond just tension.
It was natural. Anyone who knew his infamy couldn’t help but feel anxiety and fear.
Morghen, who was watching the bustling staff members, thought with a serious expression.
‘Cairo’s scoundrel Third Prince!’
The current King of Cairo had a concubine he cherished more than anyone. The Third Prince was a child born from her womb, meaning he was illegitimate.
Nevertheless, he wielded absolute power. To put it more cheaply, he constantly caused trouble.
Cruelly tormenting innocent maids was routine, and whenever he went out for walks outside the palace, he liked to drag people around like dogs. Despite his young age of 14, alcohol and women never left his side.
Various ministers submitted petitions about the Third Prince’s misdeeds, but the king instead punished them by killing or imprisoning them.
He was a son born from his beloved concubine obtained in old age. He would never forgive those who slandered the child who wouldn’t hurt even if placed in his eyes.
‘Thanks to that, he’s continued his scoundrel behavior without caring about anyone.’
Why such a piece of trash was enrolling in Tarasan Academy was unknown.
There were various speculations.
Some said he was bored of only moving around within Cairo and came out to play in foreign countries, others said public opinion was so bad that he was abandoned by the country.
There were also plausible theories that the king’s health deteriorated making it difficult to look after him, or that he fled because there were signs of civil war between the First and Second Princes.
However, what was important now wasn’t the reason that bastard flowed here.
The problem was his big brother who would clash with that guy.
Morghen, scratching the back of his head irritably, quickly went to find Lumian. And he spoke with worry filling his voice.
“Just in case, really just in case I’m saying this, but you absolutely cannot act the same way toward Cairo’s Third Prince.”
“….”
“You might not get it since you don’t know what happened over the past 10 years, but he’s truly a crazy bastard beyond imagination. And the King of Cairo’s love for that crazy bastard is also at an insane level. If you get even slightly entangled with him, you’ll inevitably face terrible consequences. Of course, I’m not talking about you personally, but about those around you, you understand that, right?”
There wasn’t a single lie in his words.
Lumian Calard himself was capable of facing even the King of Cairo, not just Cairo’s Third Prince. No, in terms of pure force, he had already reached a level that humans couldn’t restrain.
But those around him were different.
Tania, Teoro, Bumer and Cal Krone and his family too.
Even considering the entire Kingdom of Tarasan.
Compared to the Kingdom of Cairo, everyone mentioned so far was nothing more than fragile herbivores.
‘The moment even slightly serious trouble occurs, all the relationships and foundation that you’ve built could be blown away!’
That’s why Morghen’s tone was more serious than ever.
A completely different appearance from his usual optimistic and bright self.
Right now, he was genuinely worried about his mentor who had no peace of mind due to the situation with Tania, and the unpleasant situations that might occur because of it.
Lumian felt this too.
He who had been quietly staring at his disciple chuckled and answered.
“Hey. Am I a child? A child?”
“….”
“Relax your expression. What you’re worried about will absolutely never happen.”
He patted his disciple’s shoulder a couple times, then went to the bed and lay down.
And closing his eyes, he said.
“Thanks for caring. I’m much better now, so you don’t need to look after me so much. Just do your own work.”
“Hmm, hmm. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sleeping. See you later.”
Watching Lumian pull the blanket over himself, Morghen bowed his head.
Leaving the room, he quietly walked around the campus thinking.
‘Still, that’s a relief. It seems like what I was worried about won’t happen.’
Actually, it had been excessive worry.
As his mentor said, he wasn’t a child. Moreover, his original personality wasn’t that rough either. Though he was taciturn.
‘Besides, even that taciturn side has almost disappeared now. There’s no way my mentor, who’s become better at taking care of people around him, would deliberately clash with the Third Prince.’
His mind was at ease.
Morghen, whose expression had become much brighter, headed to his professor’s office thinking.
‘Let me worry about myself instead. He probably wouldn’t dare touch someone like me who has connections to Jenas, but with that bastard, you never know.’
* * *
“Professor Morghen, Professor Morghen! Can you help us?”
‘Damn it!’
On the first day of the new semester, Morghen, who had been slacking off in his professor’s office, frowned deeply.
It was because of a request to mediate before the incident caused by that scoundrel grew bigger.
He who had been continuously spitting out curses sighed and said.
“Where’s Sir Bucal?”
“Well, he’s currently in class….”
“Damn! Fine.”
I thought wrong, Morghen muttered quietly.
He had thought he could avoid trouble because of his connections to Jenas, but instead, for that very reason, he ended up playing the role of guardian and mediator for Tarasan Academy.
‘Since it’s my mentor’s foundation, I’ll do my best, but even so, this is too tiresome.’
He had already formed a good relationship with Irene Curtis, so should he quit now?
Such worries circled in his head the entire time he followed the assistant.
Of course, regardless of his current choice, this incident was something he had to resolve. Talk about bad luck.
‘Please let there be no one seriously injured or dead. Even in a foreign country that’s not his own, he’s not the type to go that far….’
With such thoughts, what entered his eyes as he just arrived at the incident scene was a completely unexpected sight.
“Grrrk….”
“Y-Your Highness!”
“What is this!”
The scoundrel Third Prince suddenly losing consciousness and collapsing, and the panicking guard knights.
“I-I-I didn’t do anything!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Two new students with faces full of bruises desperately making excuses, and bystanders filled with fear.
“….”
And Lumian Calard, watching this commotion with an expressionless face as if it had nothing to do with him at all.
Morghen intuited it.
Who the person at the center of this incident was.
‘Mentor!’
His mentor was going on a rampage beyond what he had imagined.
To a degree that even Cairo’s Third Prince couldn’t stop.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————