The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 43

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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 43 20. A Taste I Cannot Respect (3)

‘No, get a grip.’

Lumian shook his head.

The chest that looked as soft and fluffy as freshly baked bread was dizzying to behold, but Lumian was different from usual now.

Since becoming Lumian, or rather, since acquiring his manhood, this was the greatest crisis he had faced.

No matter how excellent the figure of the woman before him might be.

No matter that he was the type to prioritize body over face, that wasn’t what mattered right now.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a strong tone.

“Tell your leader to come out.”

“Why? Why are you suddenly here causing trouble?”

“It’s not causing trouble, I came here because I have legitimate grievances to address.”

“Grievances?”

“That’s right. Grievances.”

Lumian dropped the honorifics.

As he spoke, his gaze inevitably shifted from her chest to her face, and gradually he felt his mind returning.

Along with that, the anger in his chest began to boil hotly.

Lumian threw off his robe and mask, casting them far away.

The busty female student’s eyes widened greatly.

“I am Lumian Calard.”

“…!”

“I heard you’ve been spreading ridiculous rumors here, so right now….”

“Kyaaah, Lord Lumian Calard! I’m your fan!”

Before he could finish speaking, the female student approached and hugged Lumian.

Lumian wore a dumbfounded expression.

Both the softness of her chest felt through her clothes and her completely unexpected reaction left him unable to collect his thoughts.

It was natural. This was the highest level of physical contact in Lumian’s life.

He froze stiff like a statue.

“What are you doing right now!”

It was Teoro who saved Lumian from this situation.

Unlike his usual self, he actively stepped forward and separated the two. Then he whispered to Lumian.

“Get a grip.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“I don’t know what nonsense that woman is spouting, but she might be trying to gloss over things and move on. Don’t let her off the hook and get a definitive answer. A definitive answer that she won’t do it again.”

“…Right.”

Lumian nodded with a hardened expression.

Teoro was someone who usually didn’t use rough language.

The reason he spoke so harshly was for Lumian’s sake.

‘Right, logically speaking, there’s no way she’d show such a friendly reaction when the victim has come to confront her. She’s definitely thinking of sweet-talking her way out of this.’

With that thought, the flame in his heart that had momentarily weakened blazed even more fiercely.

He wouldn’t waver anymore.

Having steeled his resolve, Lumian confronted the female student forcefully.

However, the female student was far more remarkable than Lumian, Teoro, and Bumer had thought.

Just how absurd her thinking was could be understood from just a brief conversation.

“Stop babbling about being a fan or whatever, and get your club president out here.”

“I, I am the club president! Oh my, Lord Lumian came here personally! I’ve been a fan since the first round of the Swordsmanship Competition! Could you possibly give me an autograph?”

“No, what nonsense are you spouting… It wasn’t enough to spread rumors about an innocent person being gay, and now you’ve made and sold these things too – are you in your right mind?”

“Lord Lumian.”

“What, what is it.”

The Club President of the Subculture Research Club took a step closer. Lumian showed a slightly startled expression.

Right now he was emanating quite a strong aura.

He couldn’t use force against an ordinary woman who neither wielded a sword nor had learned Aura. But he was too wronged to argue quietly with just words, so he was expressing his dissatisfaction in his own way.

But for her to approach him despite that.

It defied common sense.

‘How is this possible?’

Her expression was strange too.

The Club President approached with the look of a fanatic completely entranced by something.

She firmly grasped Lumian’s hands.

And with a serious face, she said.

“Homosexuality is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“….”

“It’s a beautiful and noble form of love. You don’t need to hide it.”

“….”

“We support the love between Lord Lumian and Lord Cal Krone. We really do.”

Teoro and Bumer shook their heads.

Lumian closed his eyes tightly, harboring deep anger.

‘Where should I even start addressing this?’

There wasn’t just one or two things to confront.

The fact that she was meddling in affairs that weren’t even her business.

The fact that her meddling was completely contrary to the truth.

The fact that he was suffering tremendous mental damage because of it.

The fact that Cal Krone might also be suffering just like him.

Various other thoughts swirled through his mind.

‘Should I hit her?’

Lumian seriously considered it.

He had no intention of criticizing others’ preferences.

Whether women liked women or men liked men, what did it matter to him?

In fact, if men liked men, he’d be grateful. It would mean fewer competitors for him.

But forcing such preferences on him was something he couldn’t tolerate.

He quietly opened his eyes.

‘One last time.’

Just one more time with words. Lumian thought.

After all, he had lived by the code of chivalry for decades. No matter how unreasonable his opponent was, he couldn’t simply resort to violence against someone weaker.

“Listen.”

Lumian addressed the Club President with superhuman patience.

His speech pattern had returned to honorifics. She was looking at Lumian with a face full of affection, as if she didn’t understand what was wrong.

This made him even angrier, but he held back for now.

Just as he was about to speak his heart again.

“Lumian-!”

Startled.

Teoro was surprised, and Bumer was surprised.

But the most surprised was Lumian.

He turned his head backward. It felt like his neck made a creaking sound from tension.

A person entered his vision.

The one he least wanted to meet right now.

A man approaching with a smile more terrifying than the high-ranking demons or even the Demon King he had defeated in his previous life.

It was Cal Krone.

“Oh my, even Lord Cal Krone is here….”

“What? Lord Cal Krone?”

“What! Lord Lumian Calard was here too?”

Hearing the commotion outside, more members of the Subculture Research Club came pouring out.

They all looked at Lumian and Cal Krone walking from afar with flushed faces. Then they started whispering among themselves.

Stories bordering on delusion that completely ignored the feelings and positions of the parties involved.

Lumian’s rationality snapped with a click.

At that moment, Cal Krone, who had approached right in front of him, opened his mouth.

“I’ve been searching for you all day, and you were in a place like this.”

“….”

“Aren’t you happy to see me? The one called the greatest talent in Tarasan’s history came to find you personally? Of course, you’re worth it, but still, show some reaction.”

However, no reaction came from Lumian.

Instead, gasps flowed from the mouths of those irrelevant people, the gloomy female students whose names he didn’t even know.

Cal Krone frowned.

‘What? Who are those people?’

Of course, they weren’t people he needed to care deeply about.

For him right now, only the realization he had just experienced and the only opponent worthy of testing that realization mattered.

In other words, only Lumian Calard was important.

He grinned as he thought about the past few days.

After tying with Lumian in the Swordsmanship Competition finals, Cal Krone had truly become a sword demon. He spent twice as much time as before in the training grounds, consuming it all to hone and polish his sword.

Despite that, he didn’t get tired. It wasn’t difficult.

Rather, he was amazed at how his skills improved day by day.

‘It’s all thanks to the appearance of an excellent rival.’

Yes. He couldn’t deny it.

Eighty percent of his recent growth was thanks to Lumian.

Because there was a unique peer swordsman chasing right behind him, he could escape from his long laziness and abandon his nasty hobby of enjoying others’ gazes.

And as a result of investing all that wasted mental energy into himself.

He had stepped into the final stage toward becoming a Sword Expert.

‘At a similar age to that great… Knight King!’

He had succeeded in breaking through the lower passage, one of the three gates!

Cal Krone smiled again as he recalled that moment.

‘Of course, there are still two gates remaining.’

The middle passage, much harder to break through than the lower one.

And the upper passage, much thicker than that, requiring the resolve to become crippled just by attempting it.

Until he broke through there, he couldn’t reach the realm of Sword Expert. Drawing an incomplete aura sword would also be impossible.

But he was only fifteen years old now.

Break through the middle passage within a year, and the upper passage within two years.

Thus, at seventeen, the same age as Jenas’s Knight King Philip III, enter the realm of Sword Expert.

That was Cal Krone’s new goal.

‘I can do it!’

If an ordinary cadet had such thoughts, and if they went around telling people about such aspirations, they would surely have received tremendous criticism.

But Cal Krone was different.

If it was him, who was breaking all the historical records of Tarasan Academy.

If it was with the excellent pacemaker named Lumian Calard.

He thought he could turn dreams into reality.

“Take this.”

Whoosh!

Thud!

Cal Krone threw a sword toward Lumian.

It wasn’t a wooden sword used in classes, but a real sword for competitions.

Lumian caught it and looked at Cal Krone with an expressionless face.

“I’m too impatient to wait for a big stage like the Swordsmanship Competition.”

“….”

“And I wanted to show you first. My results.”

At Cal Krone’s meaningful words, the surrounding female students whispered again.

However, Lumian no longer showed a displeased expression.

He just silently looked at the sword Cal Krone had given him.

But that appearance was extremely chilling.

Like ice sliding down his spine and neck. Cal Krone showed a startled expression, then grinned and took his stance.

“Not easy. As expected, you’re the only one who can keep up with my growth pace.”

“….”

“Be careful. The me now is on a different level from the finals.”

As soon as those words ended, Cal Krone’s sword began to glow blue.

Whooooom!

“No way!”

“Crazy… bastard!”

Teoro and Bumer were shocked.

What Cal Krone showed was that impressive.

Like flames flowing outside the sword’s surface, it didn’t reach the level of an incomplete aura sword.

But it was much more vivid than surface enhancement through aura. It was at a level that could be called the stage right before transitioning to aura sword.

“Lumian Calard, draw your sword. Let’s settle the match we couldn’t finish then.”

Cal Krone spoke confidently.

He could feel that guy’s blood boiling too.

The frosty aura flowing from that guy’s body didn’t look as solid as what he showed during the Swordsmanship Competition victory, but it looked much sharper and more dangerous.

That made it more interesting and thrilling.

He shouted loudly once more.

“Come! Let’s settle this!”

“…Yeah. Let’s see the end.”

Lumian Calard raised his sword.

Still expressionless, a face radiating cold air.

But beneath his skin flowed indescribably hot blood, boiling anger.

Grinding his teeth, he charged fiercely.

“Huh, huh?”

“What!”

But the direction of his charge was strange.

He didn’t run toward Cal Krone. Instead, he stood in front of one of the beautiful sculptures lined up in front of the Subculture Research Club building.

And he swung his sword like lightning.

Shaaak!

Slide… Thud!

The statue crumbled to the ground following the diagonal slash that appeared.

Everyone showed dazed expressions. But Lumian didn’t stop.

One statue wasn’t enough to calm his anger.

Swoosh!

Crash!

Spit-!

Bang!

Shaaak!

Slide… Thoom!

The club president’s face turned pale white as she watched the statues continuously crumbling.

She couldn’t help but tremble all over at the murderous aura Lumian was emitting and the horrific scene.

But there was someone even more shocked than her.

The person who thought Lumian was at his level, or slightly below.

It was Cal Krone.

‘In that short time… he rose above me?’

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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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