The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 40

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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 40 19. What Did You Just Say? (2)

“They’ll probably be pretty?”

“Really?”

Lumian’s expression brightened. Teoro continued with a nonchalant look.

“Yeah. Adel has pretty high standards too, so he wouldn’t introduce just anyone. I think all four will probably be above average.”

“That does sound right.”

Lumian thought of Teoro’s friend, Adel Friedman.

By his standards, the guy had a somewhat greasy appearance, but he was still quite handsome. There was no way such a guy wouldn’t care about women’s looks.

Lumian exhaled with a “Hmm” and let his imagination run wild.

The image of himself having a wonderful time with the beautiful and intelligent female students from the Literature Club!

The image of himself connecting with one of them, continuing to meet, and eventually succeeding in romance!

After that, continuously sharing beautiful and happy love, finally reaching marriage, doing naughty things, having children, and living happily together…

Just as his delusions progressed to the point of his granddaughter enrolling in the Academy, Bumer cautiously spoke up. His eyes were directed toward Teoro.

“Um…”

“What. What is it.”

“If it’s 4 on 4… you and Lumian and that friend called Adel?… and… there’s one spot left…”

Bumer was pressuring Teoro with intense eyes, as if he wanted something.

Lumian sighed inwardly.

Thanks to him, their relationship wasn’t as bad as before, but Teoro still didn’t particularly like Bumer.

Just someone who helped with training. That was about it.

Therefore, Lumian judged that Teoro wouldn’t include Bumer.

But surprisingly, Teoro nodded readily.

“Yeah. I’ll include you too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They said they were interested in us because of the Swordsmanship Competition anyway. I was planning to bring you along from the start.”

“…Thank you.”

Bumer expressed his gratitude with a moved expression.

His eyes filled with sincerity were slightly burdensome.

When he briefly went to the bathroom, Lumian asked Teoro.

“What, were you really planning to go with Bumer?”

“Why?”

“No, you don’t really like Bumer.”

“Of course not.”

“Then why…”

Teoro cut a piece of steak and ate it, then took a sip of water.

And he spoke as if it was nothing.

“Usually at gatherings with eight men and women, you need about one clown.”

“…”

“If you sit him next to you, it’ll be easier for you to score points.”

Teoro’s face was solemn and expressionless like a priest speaking only the truth.

Lumian made a pitying expression.

‘This guy’s treatment of Bumer is too harsh.’

Even while thinking that, Lumian agreed with Teoro’s words themselves.

* * *

Time passed quickly, and before long, the day of the 4-on-4 blind date arranged by Adel Friedman arrived.

During that time, Lumian made various preparations.

Through Teoro, he got his expressions and verbal mistakes checked again, and learned about the general atmosphere of blind dates, etiquette, and things he shouldn’t do.

They were trivial and minor things, but Lumian performed them desperately.

He didn’t want to make the same mistake as at the previous ball.

To such a Lumian, Teoro said.

“I told you before. Don’t go putting too much pressure on yourself. Rarely does anything happen in one go anyway. You just keep trying and eventually one works out.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Just think of it as going to gain experience. There will be more opportunities in the future.”

Lumian nodded.

Regardless of popularity, looks, status, or wealth, meeting someone was originally difficult.

First, you have to like the other person, and they have to like you too.

Even if the first impression is good, you might realize your personalities don’t match while talking, and there are various other obstacles besides that.

‘Moreover, I have no experience…’

Therefore, Lumian emptied his mind. He lowered his expectations.

As Teoro said, he thought of it as going out to enjoy lightly, to refresh his mood.

If it worked out well, great, if not, so be it. That was the mindset Lumian was pursuing.

But his appearance walking to the meeting place was clearly abnormal to anyone watching.

Creak creak.

Squeak squeak.

His movements were strange, as if his joints were making sounds.

Sweat continuously flowed from his forehead, and his expression was utterly unnatural.

Teoro asked with a worried face.

“Are you okay?”

“…No, I’m not okay.”

“I told you to relax. The guy who even approached a woman alone at the ball, why are you this nervous?”

“I know… Whoooop!”

Lumian stopped mid-sentence and took a deep breath. Then exhaled.

But the tension didn’t disappear.

Rather, all kinds of worries swirled in his head.

‘Are my clothes okay? My hair? I sweated too much, shouldn’t I fix it again?’

‘Teoro is handsome and Adel isn’t bad-looking either, am I too inferior?’

‘It’s fortunate that Bumer is there, but this guy has a good body and is tall too. Women like tall men.’

‘It would be fortunate if I could at least speak well… I heard I don’t need to talk much, but it would be a bit awkward if I show my nervousness too much.’

‘But what should I say?’

‘What should I do?’

“Calm down, Lumian!”

“Huh, what?”

“Why are you so nervous? You’re the guy who even won the Swordsmanship Competition?”

Surprisingly, it was Bumer Simpson who helped the panicking Lumian.

Lumian, who had snapped out of his thoughts, looked at him with a dazed face.

Bumer spoke with an expression that said what’s there to worry about.

“If it works out, great, if not, we’ll just see them once and that’s it, so what’s there to worry about?”

“Hmm.”

“Once we get there, it’s nothing special. Even if you’re going to worry, let’s do it after it’s over.”

With those words, Bumer confidently moved forward.

Lumian made a surprised expression.

‘What, that guy said this was his first time at such a gathering too, but he’s not shaken at all?’

His back somehow felt reliable.

Teoro, who had been silent, added one more thing.

“Bumer’s right. Just don’t think about anything.”

“R-right.”

“There’s no need to worry in advance. Let’s go.”

Having finished speaking, Teoro also walked forward quickly.

His back was also utterly trustworthy.

Lumian nodded.

‘Right, let’s trust the guys.’

He might be the best at swordsmanship, but when it came to romance, he was only at the level of a neighborhood kid.

So there was no need to worry alone. He just had to trust his friends and follow along.

Peace finally came to Lumian’s heart. With eyes much clearer than before, he followed behind the two.

And the blind date with the Literature Club female students that finally began proceeded more smoothly than he could have imagined.

“Hello. Nice to meet you!”

“Hello! My name is Mary! Mary Rabin!”

“Wow, it’s real. I didn’t expect the Swordsmanship Competition winner to show up…”

“Kyaa, I was really moved watching the finals! Can I shake your hand just once?”

“Ah, haha, nice to meet you. I’m Lumian Calard… Ah, of course you can!”

All four who came to the gathering had considerable affection for him.

No, they were showing affection not just to him but to everyone. That made the atmosphere even better.

As soon as introductions ended, they bombarded Lumian, Teoro, and Bumer with stories related to the Swordsmanship Competition.

“Three of the four semifinalists are here, I feel like I’m really dreaming right now.”

“Exactly. Everyone here is completely amazing.”

“Um, how much do knight cadets usually train?”

“What does it feel like when you go up on stage?”

“Haha, well you see. The moment you climb the stairs and make eye contact with your opponent, how should I put it? It’s like entering a cold ice warehouse, there’s this chilling energy…”

Bumer excitedly answered the question. The female students who heard his words showed amazed reactions.

Watching that scene, Lumian thought.

‘It’s less burdensome than I expected?’

Teoro was right. Having four on four conversations definitely felt much less pressured than a ball.

Moreover, he didn’t need to worry about conversation topics.

Women who were basically full of affection were creating conversation topics on their own with sparkling eyes. And those conversation topics were in his most confident field.

The atmosphere couldn’t have been better than this.

Feeling the tension in his heart melting away, Lumian also cautiously joined the conversation.

“Oh my, really? You train for that long?”

“Yes. Well, it’s not just me, everyone does about that much.”

“Come on, that can’t be true? I know a junior in the Knight Department’s first year, and he’s always playing around after classes end.”

“Haha, since he’s a first year, I guess that could happen.”

“Aren’t you being too modest?”

“Exactly! It would be fine to be a bit more arrogant!”

Lumian smiled awkwardly at the women’s praise. It was a fresh and naive but somehow likeable smile.

When his Aura image was added to that, a pure and refreshing atmosphere was enhanced, making the reaction even better.

Lumian cheered inwardly.

‘Good. It’s going well!’

The women’s appearances were also top-notch.

To say it again, Lumian had very high standards. This was because he had worked at the Jenas royal palace in his previous life and seen countless beauties.

Even to his eyes, the Literature Club female students were excellent. Whether face or figure, they all passed the acceptable line.

And among them, one.

One female student who was giving her attention only to him caught Lumian’s interest.

She was a beauty with hair as beautiful as spun gold and attractive blue eyes.

‘Her name was Anna Crawford, wasn’t it.’

Even while receiving her gaze, Lumian made great efforts to pretend to be calm.

But in his heart, a rosy romance with her was already unfolding.

‘Could something really happen today?’

His heart beat roughly.

He couldn’t really taste the food, or the tea that came out after the meal ended.

From some point on, Lumian only cast his gaze toward the blonde, blue-eyed beauty, and it was the same for her.

“Mm, we’ll take our leave first.”

“Right. It’s proper to excuse ourselves at this point. Everyone have fun!”

After finishing the meal, Adel Friedman and the Female Matchmaker gave cheerful greetings and disappeared.

Lumian wasn’t flustered.

He had already heard from Teoro. After having a snack, they would split into pairs with whoever they liked.

Lumian took a deep breath.

He was very nervous, but he had to do it now. Having made up his mind firmly, he looked at Anna Crawford with a stiff expression.

And she spoke first.

“Shall we go then?”

“Ah, yes!”

An unexpected situation!

But there was nothing bad about it at all.

Lumian drew up his Aura to relax his body’s tension and disappeared holding Anna Crawford’s hand.

One of the female students watching their retreating figures linked arms with Teoro and said.

“Let’s go too!”

Teoro silently nodded.

This kind of thing was familiar to him. There were more than a few women who approached him first.

Teoro glanced at Bumer and left with the chattering female student, leaving only Bumer Simpson and one female student sitting alone.

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence lingered.

Bumer glanced at the female student. Unlike earlier when he was excitedly chattering, words didn’t come out of his mouth easily.

But he had to do it. He had to say it.

Finally gathering his resolve, he smiled at the female student and said.

“Um, then shall we also go somewhere nice…”

“Sorry, but I actually just came to fill a spot.”

“…”

“I think I should head back now. Today was really fun!”

With those words, the female student disappeared.

Her steps were much faster than the two pairs who left earlier. Naturally, her disappearing speed was also fast.

Bumer blankly watched his girl leave.

After some time passed, he said quietly.

“Fuck.”

Bumer with a sad expression headed toward the Academy.

Though he was simple and positive, today’s shock was big. He thought.

‘Those bastards… only they get to enjoy themselves…!’

Everyone was happy.

Lumian, Teoro, and that guy Adel Friedman were all happy, but only he was unhappy. That fact was making him even sadder.

But Bumer’s thoughts were wrong.

Adel being happy was correct. He and the Female Student Matchmaker were already half-dating, and today they confirmed each other’s feelings.

Teoro being happy was also correct. With the burden gone, he actively pursued the female heart. The female student being pursued was equally happy.

But Lumian was not.

Having entered the tea house with a good atmosphere that he had researched beforehand, he received a great shock hearing Anna Crawford’s words.

“What did you just say?”

“…I said that since we’re both homosexual, you’re easier to deal with than other men.”

“Homosexual? Me?”

“Um… weren’t you?”

“No, why on earth… would you think that…”

Lumian stammered.

He couldn’t understand the current situation. It was a bolt from the blue.

He looked at Anna Crawford with an expression of incomprehension.

She continued speaking cautiously.

“Cal Krone… they say you have that kind of relationship with him…”

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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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