The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 196

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 196 75. Side Story 2 – Junior, Loren Calard (2)

Clatter, tap. A beautiful woman stepped down from the luxurious carriage and raised her head to look ahead. She could see familiar yet unfamiliar buildings sprawling extensively before her. Tania Eloise swept her wind-blown hair back and smiled as she thought.

‘When was the last time I came here? Five years ago? It looks different every time I see it.’

Even the capital of the Kingdom of Tarasan wouldn’t be this splendid and magnificent.

But there was nothing strange about it. Considering it was the exterior of Tarasan Academy, which had been building new fame every year, it wasn’t incomprehensible.

‘Besides… facilities and such aren’t really that important anyway.’

That was truly the case. What made the current Tarasan Academy wasn’t thanks to the continuously pouring investments. It was the people.

Good classmates, good seniors and juniors, good professors. The thrilling, exciting, and happy memories built together with such people.

Tania closed her eyes for a moment and recalled those times. The scent of the campus carried by the wind was stirring up even more of that wistfulness.

“Wh… Whoa… This is way more… amazing than I thought. What is this, our house doesn’t even compare…”

Of course, not everyone could have the same impression upon seeing Tarasan Academy.

A young man with a youthful face, but whose height approached that of an adult male, burst out in exclamation. His eyes moving here and there were filled with admiration. And no less anxiety as well.

Noticing this, Tania smiled like a mother and stroked the young man’s back.

Then from her hand flowed an energy that was soft like water, yet firm.

Whooooom-

“Feel better now? You don’t need to tremble.”

“Ah! Thank you, Mom. And I wasn’t trembling… Yes, you’re right. I was actually a little scared.”

“This kid. At times like this, you should put on some bravado.”

Watching her son Loren Calard confess honestly with an awkward smile, Tania slightly frowned. Of course, there was nothing serious about it. If she did that, this kid would really become dejected.

‘How can he be so gentle and pure?’

It was actually quite absurd.

He was the child of two people with the continent’s greatest martial prowess and fame. Just the background he was born with should have made his shoulders break from being so straight, and his nose should have been high enough to pierce the sky. A precious background where even a bit of arrogance couldn’t be called a flaw.

‘When that… incident happened at his first birthday celebration, I was shocked. What if he grows up with a personality like Cal Krone?’

But contrary to such concerns, the child spent his childhood so quietly that the expression “introverted” couldn’t suit him more. Enough to worry his parents.

Therefore.

“Still, aren’t you excited? You’re going to enroll in the very academy Mom and Dad attended!”

The conclusion Tania and Lumian reached after much deliberation was to send Loren Calard out into a bigger world. They thought that if he enrolled in Tarasan Academy where they had studied, he could gain positive changes among various other people.

Of course, he himself didn’t think so.

“Phew… I’m really nervous. Will I be able to do well?”

“It’s okay. You can do well!”

“What if I can’t get along with the kids? I’m really bad at talking in front of others.”

“It’s okay. Your dad was terrible at talking too.”

“Ugh… Can’t I just not attend? For swordsmanship, learning from Mom or Dad would be much better, and for other subjects, studying from books…”

“Really? Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you seriously, so do you have confidence to keep up…”

“I’ll enroll! I’ll enroll! I’ll go check it out! See you after the semester ends!”

Watching her son run away into the academy as soon as her expression hardened, Tania let out a chuckle. However, her gaze following his retreating figure was mixed with considerable worry.

‘It’ll be fine. I can’t keep him in my arms forever.’

She nodded her head. And she prayed to God.

Just as she had met Lumian Calard.

Just as she had met Teoro, Bumer, Cal Krone, and various other good connections, may Loren also meet good people. So that he could move forward in a better direction.

‘…But wait, when I say God, that’s Allia, isn’t it?’

– Hey, that’s rude.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Despite Allia’s sudden interjection, Tania’s expression didn’t change. What filled her heart was only worry for her son.

Noticing this, Allia clicked her tongue and said.

– What are you worrying about when you’re unleashing a 14-year-old Sword Expert into the academy?

Armion, who was watching from the side, also nodded in agreement.

* * *

And so, the new semester at Tarasan Academy began.

During this time, Loren Calard, despite his brilliant background, focused on his studies with a humble and quiet demeanor.

He didn’t particularly like receiving attention from others in the first place. Therefore, he hid the fact that he was the son of heroes and used the name Ben Clicry.

He also hid his swordsmanship skills. Only 30%. He resolved never to show more than that level of ability. This was to avoid creating unnecessary discord and receiving burdensome gazes from his classmates.

However, despite this, Loren couldn’t hide his extraordinariness.

Crash!

“What! Ben Clicry won! Shannon Bate lost!”

“This can’t be! The Bate family is one of the renowned swordsmanship houses in the Kingdom of Cairo!”

“But in just five exchanges… What? What’s his identity?”

“I should get close to him from now on.”

The power the young man possessed was enormous even though he hid his skills.

“Wow… How can a person look like that?”

“R-right… I think he’s prettier than me… His name was Ben Clicry, right?”

“Sh-should I ask him to eat together? That would be okay, right? Classmates can eat together…”

“Shut up, you! Ben already has plans with me!”

“What plans? You look like a pumpkin stem!”

“What?”

The young man’s appearance shone even without any embellishment.

In the end, Loren Calard became the most famous person among the first years in just one week after the semester started. Even though he never wanted such a situation.

‘Ugh, this is burdensome. So burdensome! This is just like when I was at home!’

Phew, he let out a deep sigh.

Actually, Loren Calard didn’t dislike making friends. He was just much more cautious than others.

And his standards were ordinary and upright, unlike those of arrogant cheap nobles. Given time, he had sufficient potential to make friends normally like other children.

However, the excellent background Loren Calard was born with blocked the young man’s social relationships.

‘…Even older elders, people old enough to be my father, and even my peers watched my mood and acted accordingly. Taking excessive care of me, approaching me in burdensome ways.’

Loren hated that so much. Really, he hated it so very much.

But there was nothing he could do.

Except for a very few people, his surroundings were always overflowing with only such people, and realizing he couldn’t escape this situation, the young man chose to close his heart from the outside. From then on, he stopped meeting even the very few he used to see.

‘…And again, it feels like things will flow similarly here.’

Phew.

Loren Calard sighed once more. It was a sigh deep enough to make the ground cave in.

He wanted to make friends.

Not people who watched his mood, desperately tried to please him, and bowed their heads first even when he did nothing, but real friends. Preferably a girlfriend too. Like Mom and Dad had.

But such a thing couldn’t be possible for him.

Haha, letting out a self-deprecating laugh, Loren stood up from his seat. Class would start soon. He couldn’t keep moping behind the building forever.

Thinking such thoughts as he turned to the side, a tall, expressionless beautiful woman was looking at him. Loren Calard screamed “Ah!” and stepped back five paces.

Then he said.

“Wh-what? Who are you!”

He was truly shocked enough for his heart to jump out.

Though he was far inferior compared to his two parents, Loren thought he had no match among his age group. Yet such a person hadn’t detected her presence.

Looking at her uniform, she seemed to be a second-year senior, but even so, was this possible?

Is she really a student?

To the young man making such a dumbfounded expression, the female senior who still maintained her expressionless face asked in return.

“Don’t you remember me, Loren?”

“Huh? What? No, how do you know my name…”

His confusion grew even more. How did she immediately recognize his identity that his parents had begged to keep hidden?

His suspicion grew even more. His palms began sweating and anxiety started creeping up.

However, that was only momentary. When an introduction flowed from the other party’s mouth, the tension in his heart was instantly released.

“I’m Tara Selly. You know Uncle Bumer, right? And Aunt Deiner. We played together a couple times when we were little.”

“Huh, huh?”

“Don’t you remember?”

He remembered.

Rather than saying they played together, it seemed more like he was one-sidedly beaten up, but anyway, he remembered. Loren nodded his head to indicate that he recalled.

Then, swoosh, Tara Selly approached from the side with ghost-like speed. And quickly sat down. She forced Loren to sit as well.

She said.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind.”

“….”

“Tell your big sister about it. I’ll solve everything for you.”

“I’ll handle it myself, so please just go on your way… No, no. I’ll tell you.”

Loren Calard hastily changed his words, sensing an ominous aura. His memory became a bit clearer. Unlike other girls, this woman neither found him intimidating nor tried to treat him specially. While that was exactly what he wanted, he still wanted to avoid Tara Selly.

Because she was scary.

‘…But she’s gotten incredibly prettier than before.’

“Speak quickly.”

“Ugh.”

But now that he was caught like this, there was no escaping.

Nevertheless, he tried one last act of defiance.

“But class starts soon….”

“Skip it.”

“…Yes.”

Loren obediently nodded and began to pour out his troubles.

* * *

For about 20 minutes, Loren Calard poured out many words. Perhaps because he’d never had the opportunity to say such things to anyone other than his parents. Though it was awkward at first, as time passed, his inner thoughts burst forth like a dam breaking.

His introverted personality that he’d had since birth.

Added to that, his background which was far from comfortable.

The situation up until now where he couldn’t make friends purely because of that, the events at the Academy over the past week. And even his anxious outlook for the future.

The young man who had poured out everything exhaled as if relieved.

“Phew.”

He definitely felt much better. In the Academy, which was like an island surrounded by strangers instead of the sea, Tara Selly was like a rescue ship. Just having someone listen to his story was enough.

“You idiot.”

No, cancel that.

For a rescue ship, her language was too harsh.

Loren Calard pouted and asked.

“Why….”

“Because you’re worrying about useless things.”

“Useless? You didn’t listen to me properly, did you?”

“I listened.”

“Then what….”

“Stop.”

Groooar!

A heavy aura rose from Tara Selly’s body. Loren flinched and thought.

‘How is she stronger than me?’

Uncle Bumer Simpson was also being directly trained by the Patron Deity, but still, his father was the first official Hero. So he thought he would be stronger.

He was mistaken. This person was definitely not beneath him.

‘…I’ll be much stronger in two years though!’

Of course, not right now.

Loren Calard, now humble, quietly waited for Tara’s words.

“The Academy kids aren’t as easy as you think.”

“Hm?”

“Be honest. You’re looking down on them, aren’t you? You think that because you’re much stronger, ordinary kids will be intimidated and avoid you, or conversely, treat you really well… Isn’t that what you’re thinking?”

“….”

Honestly, that was true.

Loren nodded slightly, and Tara Selly shook her head with a serious expression and said.

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

The meaning of her words became clear not long after.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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