The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 36

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

Chapter 36 17. Beyond Expectations (3)

“…Hmm.”

Lumian couldn’t immediately respond to Teoro’s words.

Before the Swordsmanship Competition began, there had been talk about Cal Krone.

At that time, Teoro had told him not to underestimate Cal Krone, and Lumian had obediently nodded his head.

He thought it would be rude to say something like ‘that guy’s nothing special’ in front of someone who had never once beaten Cal Krone.

It was the same now.

Having already made one mistake, he didn’t want to hurt Teoro’s pride again. That was why Lumian was holding back his words.

But Teoro accurately pinpointed what Lumian was thinking.

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Huh?”

“Just speak comfortably. No matter how strong you are, I won’t be shocked.”

“….”

“Once we leave Tarasan anyway, there’ll be plenty of guys better than me. I’ll just think of you and Cal Krone as those types. Don’t think about hiding things to spare my pride, just tell me properly. How strong are you really?”

Lumian kicked a pebble.

When he put it like that, there was no reason to hide his strength. It wasn’t like he was hiding his identity because he’d committed a crime. And showing it wouldn’t wear it down either.

He nodded his head. Looking at Teoro, he raised his index finger and slowly drew up his aura.

Then a blue flame-like energy spread along his finger.

An incomplete Aura Sword.

Teoro wore a dazed expression upon seeing the mark of an Expert.

“About this much… does that explain it?”

“…That far exceeds my expectations.”

Teoro watched the Aura Sword that Lumian manifested for quite a while.

It was absurd.

Among the ordinary knights of Tarasan who weren’t part of the Royal Knight Order, more than half still couldn’t manifest an Aura Sword.

Yet his friend, who was only 15 years old, had succeeded in creating an Aura Sword. And not just briefly, but for quite a long time.

It felt like he was dreaming. It also felt like he’d been hammered in the head several times.

In any case, his mind was in chaos.

Lumian, who had been watching him, withdrew his aura.

Teoro, who suddenly came to his senses, spoke to him.

“You crazy bastard.”

“Hey, why are you suddenly cursing?”

“With skills like this, forget the Swordsmanship Competition, you could join a knight order right now. What are you doing here?”

“I told you I don’t have ambitions for honor or advancement. I just need women.”

“No, if you join the Royal Knight Order as the youngest member and earn the title of youngest Expert, the women of the capital will line up in front of you. Why bother with the Academy…”

“Official knights are much busier than now. The current environment is much better for dating.”

“No, even so, it’s not like you wouldn’t have any time for romance…”

Teoro simply couldn’t understand Lumian.

But Lumian was confident.

He began explaining his thoughts with a serious face.

“You see, I don’t want to end my Academy student days bleakly without a single romance.”

“What do you mean…”

“I think like this. There are different types of romance. Childhood friend romance, Academy student romance, passionate romance between newly adult men and women, romance in the late twenties to early thirties when each other’s charms have deepened, middle-aged romance, twilight romance… I want to experience all of these.”

“….”

“But unfortunately, I can’t have a childhood friend romance. I’ve already grown up, and the environment no longer allows it. Just because a 15-year-old student wants a childhood friend romance doesn’t mean he can have one, right?”

Teoro found himself nodding unconsciously.

Gaining momentum, Lumian laid out his thoughts even faster.

“Student romance is the same. Right now the environment and age allow it, so it’s perfectly possible, but in just three more years, it’ll be absolutely impossible.”

“Hmm.”

“When I become an adult, when I reach middle age, when I reach old age, I absolutely don’t want to think back and regret ‘I really wanted to have a fresh and pure romance when I was at the Academy…’ I will definitely enjoy a satisfying Academy life and graduate after filling up all four years just like everyone else.”

“….”

“While sharing pure romance with beautiful female students.”

“I, I see.”

Teoro responded with a stutter.

He could feel the earnest emotion. When someone spoke with such conviction, he couldn’t tell him to drop out of the Academy and join the Royal Knight Order.

Of course, by his standards it was ridiculous, but having just heard Lumian’s life philosophy, he couldn’t say anything.

‘Right, just accept that this is the kind of guy he is.’

Teoro took a deep breath and exhaled.

His head became much clearer. He continued speaking.

“By any chance, are you deliberately sealing your Aura Sword? In case you might graduate early?”

“No, it’s not that… Well, if I showed it, the professors and people of the kingdom would be bothersome, but if I said I’d stay at the Academy, what could they do? It’s not like they’d forcibly expel me.”

“Then how about showing it in the finals? I think it would definitely work on the women.”

“That’s another problem.”

Lumian’s expression hardened as he explained his situation in detail.

That he had been putting effort into image management to draw good reactions from women.

That maintaining it consumed tremendous energy.

Therefore, it was impossible to use both Aura Sword and image management simultaneously.

Finally, that just showing the Aura Sword without image manipulation probably wouldn’t work on the women in the arena at all.

After hearing the explanation, Teoro nodded.

At first he thought ‘what kind of nonsense is this,’ but after seeing Lumian with and without his aura image activated, he understood. And he came to agree with his words.

Cal Krone’s popularity was that tremendous. During the Swordsmanship Competition period, the women had already become devoted fans who couldn’t escape his charm.

‘That bastard’s really crazy too. What did he do to make the women lose their minds like that?’

Teoro shook his head.

Both Lumian and that guy were beyond his common sense.

“What should we do? Should I really forfeit?”

“No, wait a moment.”

Lumian asked with an anxious expression, and Teoro reached out to stop his words.

His furrowed brow represented his anguish. Lumian even held his breath, waiting for him to come up with a solution.

A brief silence flowed like that.

Finally, Teoro, having finished thinking, looked at Lumian and spoke.

“That… artificially creating the desired atmosphere. Can you create other atmospheres with that?”

“Other atmospheres?”

“Right. Your current fresh and pure image like a wildflower is good, but that won’t work. It gets completely overshadowed by Cal Krone’s flashy image.”

Lumian nodded with a serious expression.

It was true. The image Cal Krone had shown today was like a rose.

To stand next to him with his deadly charm, his own presence was too faint. This way, he was bound to lose.

Then, Teoro proposed a new concept.

“Let’s compete with solemnity and desperation.”

“Solemnity and desperation?”

“Right. So that no one can criticize you. Show such a struggle that just watching will naturally make people want to cheer for you. On top of that, deliberately create a situation that gives off the feeling of top dog versus underdog, and at the end…”

Teoro enthusiastically explained various things, and Lumian nodded frantically.

He didn’t know if it would work. But it seemed like it would be much better than before, at least.

Toward Lumian, whose expression had brightened considerably, Teoro finally asked.

“The most important thing here is your skill. Making the match flow according to what I described depends entirely on your ability.”

“Right.”

“Are you confident?”

“Of course.”

“Good, then let’s practice.”

“Got it.”

Lumian and Teoro exchanged serious glances.

The two immediately began practice.

Teoro continuously pointed out Lumian’s atmosphere, lines, and actions. And Lumian accepted his feedback with a stern face.

They looked like a director and actor who had been working together for a long time. Their training didn’t stop until the dawn of the Swordsmanship Competition finals broke.

They weren’t the only ones focused on training.

Cal Krone was also putting forth his best effort for the finals.

Whooooooom!

The secret aura cultivation method of the Crone Ducal House.

Cal Krone had added his own insights to it. He had modified it in a way more suitable to his body and disposition, increasing the efficiency of his aura cultivation.

It was remarkable. For someone who was only 15 years old to tear apart and rebuild a completed aura cultivation method. The title of genius was not wasted on him.

And now, a spark had been lit in that genius’s heart.

It was a spark ignited by Lumian Calard.

His passion for the sword and aura, which had been dying out from not meeting a proper opponent for so long, blazed again. Cal Krone devoted himself to cultivation, forgetting even the passage of time.

Whoooosh.

He stopped his training at 9 AM.

It was close to the time of the finals.

Cal Krone rose from his position and slowly moved his body.

‘My condition is excellent.’

Despite staying up all night, his condition was at its peak. His mood was also at its peak.

He no longer felt any worry about Lumian. Instead, infinite confidence in himself had taken its place.

Looking in the mirror with a grin, he muttered quietly.

“Let’s go up, higher.”

As he always had.

Having prepared himself, he headed to the arena.

* * *

“Kyaaaaaaah-!”

“Cal Krone! Cal Krone!”

“Please win! You must-!”

“Crush that country knight-like guy in one blow!”

The Swordsmanship Competition finals.

Even before the match began, the cheering showed a one-sided pattern. Most were hoping for the victory of Cal Krone, the Academy’s most popular man.

This was inevitable, as over 70 percent of the audience gathered in the arena were women.

Having become devoted fans of Cal Krone, they had used every means to secure seats, and the men who lacked such enthusiasm were inevitably pushed out of the arena.

“Cal Krone fighting! Cal Krone victory!”

Amora, who had secured the front row of the arena, was also one of Cal Krone’s fans.

She hadn’t opened her mouth once since yesterday’s match for today. She had saved her vocal cords to cheer until her throat burst.

Her affection for Cal Krone was to that degree.

And that affection was dangerous, as it could potentially transform into slander against the opposing participant if things went wrong.

‘Just try to make things difficult for Cal Krone! I’ll immediately curse you out!’

Amora clenched her cute little fists as she made this resolution.

It wasn’t that she had any ill feelings toward the participant named Lumian Calard. Rather, she had quite liked his pure-looking appearance.

But even such a Lumian would receive no mercy.

If he made any action that could harm Cal Krone’s body even slightly, she was ready to immediately spout profanity.

‘No, should I start now to break his spirit? So he can’t show his true skills?’

Anguish settled on Amora’s face.

She knew well that this wasn’t behavior befitting a virtuous Lady, but she thought it wouldn’t be bad at all if sacrificing herself could give Cal Krone an advantage.

Good. Let’s do it. She made up her mind firmly.

Just then, Lumian Calard was being called and climbing onto the stage.

It was the moment she was about to speak harsh words to drain her opponent’s energy.

‘What is this?’

It was strange. Really strange.

The moment she saw Lumian’s entrance, she didn’t feel like doing it at all.

She felt a sense of guilt, as if throwing stones at someone who had been running toward a single goal for a long time.

‘Why am I suddenly like this?’

Amora rubbed her eyes and looked at Lumian again.

But the atmosphere emanating from his body remained the same.

Desperate and tragic.

Question marks floated in her mind.

‘Why am I feeling this way? When I don’t even know him?’

Amora didn’t know Lumian Calard. Naturally, she didn’t know his past either.

Nevertheless, it naturally formed in her mind.

The thought that he must have walked a lonely, solitary, and arduous path until now naturally arose and moistened her heart.

For what reason could it be?

For what purpose had he walked such a path of hardship?

When such questions arose in the minds of Amora and several other sensitive individuals.

Lumian’s mouth, which had been firmly closed until now, opened.

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