The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 39

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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 39 19. What Did You Just Say? (1)

At a time so early it was hard to even call it dawn, Lumian opened his eyes.

Since reaching the realm of Sword Expert, he hadn’t slept more than 2 hours. And he invested the time he saved this way into aura training.

It was partly thanks to the diligent habits carried over from his previous life, but his desire to maintain his aura image for longer periods was also a major reason.

Taking his stance, he entered aura training along with his breathing.

Whooooooom

‘I feel like I have more energy these days.’

This was Lumian’s last thought before falling into a state of selflessness.

And this wasn’t a misconception. His aura was actually in a more vibrant state than before.

It had been exactly since the joint victory at the Swordsmanship Competition.

The fact that he hadn’t fallen behind in the popularity contest with Cal Krone, the fact that he had caught up to his talent through blood-soaked effort, gave him tremendous confidence.

Through this, unlike his previous life, Lumian was able to have more confidence in himself, and as a result, he was living each day with overflowing vitality.

It was merely a small change in daily life, but swords and aura originally had aspects that touched upon mental cultivation. Influenced by this, Lumian’s aura was gradually changing.

Rustle-!

More sprouts grew on the soil that had been barren like a rock surface. The more Lumian devoted himself to aura training, the more this intensified.

However, he was still unaware of this change.

He simply devoted himself to training day by day to become a more perfect man.

Lumian, having finished his training, stood in front of the full-length mirror.

After striking a few poses, he muttered.

“Phew, I should go work out.”

Early morning, Lumian’s fulfilling day was beginning.

* * *

“Look over there, it’s Lumian Calard.”

“The Swordsmanship Competition winner!”

“That person tied with Cal Krone, right?”

“Really? He’s that good?”

‘Good reaction.’

Lumian, who had been enhancing his hearing, withdrew his aura.

To maintain an atmosphere as pure and beautiful as wildflowers, he needed to conserve his aura. It was regrettable, but for now he had to be satisfied with gazes instead of women’s voices.

Lumian smiled slightly and picked up a wooden sword. Then he felt people’s attention focusing on him.

He pretended not to notice and diligently swung his sword. As usual.

Several female students watching him expressed their admiration.

“He’s cool when he’s training.”

“Right. It’s not like knight cadets swinging swords is anything special, but why does he look particularly cool?”

“They say he trains for hours every single day without missing a day? That’s really amazing. Well, that’s probably why he won the Swordsmanship Competition, right?”

“But I guess a knight cadet is still a knight cadet. His face is gentle but his body is…”

Lumian smiled inwardly.

Since he wasn’t in a hearing-enhanced state, he couldn’t know exactly what they were saying.

But he could clearly tell that the gazes of the women looking at him were completely different from the beginning of the semester.

This was why he came to the training grounds more diligently and swung his sword more earnestly.

He thought he understood why Cal Krone enjoyed people’s attention. Lumian was seized by the impulse to get an even bigger reaction.

Of course, this wasn’t difficult.

Lumian, having made his decision, jumped high with a battle cry.

Thump!

Swoosh, swish, swoosh-!

Thud!

Two somersaults in mid-air. And simultaneously, a sword swinging at various angles. And a perfect landing.

It was a movement with much less practical value than basic diagonal cuts, but the women watching Lumian didn’t know that.

High-pitched exclamations flowed from the female students’ mouths.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Wow, he can do moves like that too!”

“So cool!”

A sigh flowed from Teoro’s mouth as he watched this.

However, Bumer’s reaction was different.

His eyes lit up as if he had greatly realized something from Lumian’s actions, and he nodded once.

Then with a battle cry of “Hiyah!” he kicked off the ground.

Whooom-

Swish, swiiish!

Though not as graceful as Lumian, his large build gave it a bold flavor. His aerial combo was also quite impressive to third-party observers.

But the women’s reaction was cold.

“What the…”

“Why is he doing that?”

“He must be crazy. He just copied Lord Lumian, didn’t he?”

“Doesn’t he know his place? Why is he showing off when he didn’t even place in the competition?”

“…”

Thanks to pouring all his aura into his ears, Bumer could hear the female students’ words very clearly.

He made a dejected expression, and Teoro, who had approached nearby, patted his shoulder.

Though he was an annoying guy, his nature wasn’t cold-hearted enough to just watch in such a miserable situation.

Teoro offered quiet comfort.

“It’s still too early for 4th place.”

“Shut up, you bastard.”

Then, the women gathered in the training grounds simultaneously made surprised sounds.

Lumian, who had been focused on training, and Teoro and Bumer, who had been bickering, also narrowed their eyes and looked around. And they could immediately understand the situation.

Joint winner of the Swordsmanship Competition and owner of Tarasan Academy’s greatest talent, Cal Krone.

He had appeared at the Training Grounds.

“It’s Lord Cal Krone!”

“Why did he come here? Doesn’t he always train at the Scholarship Student Training Ground?”

“Why else! He came to see Lord Lumian! They’re rivals!”

That’s right. After the Swordsmanship Competition, their rival relationship had become an established fact. So much so that even third parties spoke of it.

Cal Krone also knew this fact. And he didn’t deny it.

‘Because it’s true.’

The only being who had awakened his lazy self, Lumian Calard.

He was a man who couldn’t be denied.

The reason he stopped by here before going to the Scholarship Student Training Ground was also to see that guy’s face and steel his fighting spirit.

He stared at Lumian Calard and said.

“Working hard today as well.”

“…Cal Krone.”

“Is it to settle our unfinished match? To defeat me?”

‘How can he say lines like that so casually?’

Lumian thought to himself upon hearing Cal Krone’s words.

It was incredibly cringeworthy.

Of course, he had also uttered worse lines than this at the Swordsmanship Competition finals, but that wasn’t exactly a normal situation.

But what was funny was that since the person saying it was Cal Krone, even such overly dramatic lines felt cool.

The female students whispering while shooting hearts from their eyes proved this.

‘Then I should play along too.’

Actually, Lumian didn’t dislike the current situation. To be more honest, he quite liked it.

His popularity, which could quickly fade, was showing signs of lasting longer by being linked with Cal Krone.

‘The position of Cal Krone’s rival would be excellent, excellent.’

The story created by the two characters Cal Krone and Lumian Calard would appeal to fans much more than the simple character of Lumian alone.

At least, that’s how Lumian judged it.

Swoosh—!

Having finished his thoughts, he unleashed an even stronger aura image.

To not be overshadowed by Cal Krone’s intense and brilliant presence, this much was necessary.

Lumian, radiating a pure yet solemn aura, opened his mouth with a stern expression.

“We’ll have to settle this eventually. Someday.”

“Hahaha, good. Let’s wait for the right stage.”

With those words, Cal Krone left the training grounds.

Many female students followed him and disappeared, but there were still many who remained around Lumian.

Lumian smiled slightly and swung his sword even more vigorously.

At times like this, working even harder would only improve his image further.

* * *

‘You’ve become incredibly popular, Lumian.’

Tania Eloise, who had been watching Lumian and Cal Krone from among the crowd, wore a frustrated expression.

Despite recognizing Lumian’s value much earlier than others, she had missed the opportunity to get close due to her hesitation.

Probably many people besides her were targeting Lumian. Whether as a romantic interest or as a connection.

‘Wait, why am I thinking about romance?’

What am I even thinking, Tania muttered quietly and shook her head.

Then she focused her eyes intently.

‘Fine. I don’t feel any aversion anymore.’

Thanks to several days of special training, Tania had overcome the shock of the brown envelope.

She still felt reluctant about Bumer Simpson, but at least she didn’t feel uncomfortable emotions when looking at Lumian. Rather, his always sincere and exemplary appearance seemed more attractive with each passing day.

The thought that she would regret it forever if she missed the connection with Lumian constantly circled in her head.

‘Let’s not delay any longer. Even if I get some attention, let’s talk now.’

It’s embarrassing since it was so long ago, but let’s break the ice by asking him to buy her a meal.

Just as Tania, having made up her mind, was approaching Lumian.

She heard two female students nearby whispering in her ears.

Right after that, Tania’s body froze like a statue.

“…!”

Like a tree rooted to the ground, Tania listened to their conversation with a rigid face.

The female students looking toward where Lumian and Cal Krone had disappeared with strange smiles made her even more serious.

Whisper whisper.

Rustle rustle.

Even from the surroundings, not just those two, similar talk could be heard. Tania maximized her hearing with aura and picked up all the female students’ conversations.

Then, her eyes met with Lumian’s.

“Gasp!”

Thud thud thud thud thud thud!

Watching Tania run away in the distance in a manner similar to the brown envelope incident, Lumian wore a puzzled expression.

‘Why is she acting like that again? Didn’t she come because she had something to say?’

She keeps hovering around him but never actually speaks.

He couldn’t help but be curious.

‘Next time she does that, I’ll have to ask before she runs away.’

That was the end of his thoughts about Tania.

Lumian continued his training with a serious expression again. He also paid attention to his aura image that had grown faint.

It seemed like Lumian’s day was coming to an end.

But it wasn’t. The most important matter was in the evening after training ended and even all the female students had returned.

Teoro, who was eating with Lumian, brought up a topic with an expressionless face.

“Lumian.”

“Yeah.”

“Your recognition has increased and you’ve built up popularity, so shouldn’t you start remembering your original purpose?”

“Huh?”

Lumian, who had a blank expression for a moment, made an “Ah!” sound.

Bumer looked at Teoro with an expression asking what he was talking about. Before Teoro could speak, Lumian spoke first.

“Is there another ball?”

That’s right. Lumian’s purpose was to have a romance with a beautiful woman, not simply to gain popularity and build fame.

Popularity was just a tool to meet the opposite sex.

Everything up to now had been just the preparation process. From now on could be called the real game.

Excitement and anxiety filled Lumian’s face.

Though tremendous desire was bubbling in his heart, the verbal mistake from the previous ball continued to torment him.

Even these days, he sometimes had nightmares about that time.

However, what came from Teoro’s mouth wasn’t about a ball.

“No. A ball would still be too difficult for you. You’d have to take initiative in something, which is a bit… for you.”

“What? Then how…”

“Instead, I asked Adel to arrange a blind date. With Literature Club second-years. 4 on 4.”

“Huh?”

“Since it’s a meeting where both sides have a purpose, it’ll be much more comfortable than a ball where you have to run around alone. It’s not one-on-one either, so there’s less pressure.”

Fireworks exploded in Lumian’s head.

A 4-on-4 meeting with students from other departments!

Did the Academy have such a wonderful culture?

Gulp, swallowing his saliva, he asked Teoro.

It was a very important question.

“Are the girls pretty?”

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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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