The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 65

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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 65 28. A Guest Has Arrived (2)

“Hmm, I see. Your son is away…”

“That’s right. Since he came down after a long time, he said he wanted to look around the estate…”

“…”

“He’ll probably return soon. I’ve prepared a bedroom, so perhaps you could unpack your luggage first…”

Baron Luno Calard, the lord of Calard Estate, spoke while sweating profusely.

His manner of speaking was extremely respectful. It was an attitude as if a great noble of count rank or higher had visited.

It was certainly not the kind of behavior one would show to a mere knight.

However, if that knight was from the Knights Kingdom Jenas, and moreover a high-ranking knight, the story would be different.

The weight that the name ‘Jenas’ carried was… honestly speaking, heavier than even that of Tarasan’s royalty.

“Then I shall do so. I’ll be in your care for a few days.”

“Please don’t say such things… Rest comfortably. Ah, would you like to dine together later?”

“If you invite me, I would be grateful.”

After a few more words were exchanged, the high-ranking knight of Jenas, Bercal Garcia, withdrew to the guest room.

Seeing him leave, Baron Calard let out a big sigh.

He had been so tense that his back was drenched in sweat.

He fanned himself with his hand and thought.

‘To think that Jenas would send someone to recruit my son into their knight order…’

He couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.

Jenas was the strongest.

They possessed twenty-five Sword Masters alone, and all members of their knight orders boasted skills of Sword Expert level or higher. Even the apprentice knights supporting them would surely be stronger than the knights receiving salaries in his own estate. Without a doubt.

And that wasn’t all!

The renowned Knight King Philip III, who had severed the Demon King’s head with a human body, was known even to three-year-old children.

For such a great nation to send someone directly, he couldn’t calm himself down.

Moreover, it wasn’t even just a casual inquiry.

The person who came to negotiate seemed prepared to do anything for Lumian’s recruitment.

‘Not only would they enroll him in the Golden Lion Knights, the most historically significant knight order in Jenas, and grant him an estate and title, but they’d even ensure he wouldn’t need to worry about any potential pressure from Tarasan?’

It was the same level of sincerity and consideration as when recruiting a Sword Master from another country.

No, it was even more than that.

Baron Calard burst into laughter.

Tears trickled from his eyes.

“Haha…”

He was so incredibly happy.

The joy was so overwhelming that it was hard to sit still.

Just a few days ago, his head had been on the verge of exploding.

Baron Carayan picking unreasonable fights, vassals whose complaints were erupting.

And his son, who was the cause of all these problems.

It wouldn’t have been strange if he had collapsed clutching the back of his neck.

But all those serious matters had been resolved in an instant.

Ironically, the person who solved these incidents was also his son.

Lumian had eliminated the estate’s troubles with a majestic appearance, as if he were the protagonist of a myth. He had melted away his worries like ice in summer.

And now.

As if rewarding all the hardships he had endured, a gift had descended from heaven.

Baron Calard felt he could die today without any regrets.

“My lord! The young lord has returned!”

“Oh! Finally! Tell him to come immediately!”

His son had returned at just the right time. He immediately called Lumian to his room.

Normally, he would have let him wash and rest first before slowly discussing things, but there was no time for such leisure now.

He smiled broadly, imagining how surprised and delighted Lumian would be.

As a father, he should maintain his dignity, but it was difficult to manage his expression.

Shortly after, his son entered looking rather disheveled.

He immediately got to the point.

“I heard the news. Someone came from Jenas? To enroll me in the Golden Lion Knights?”

“Hmm. I was going to tell you myself, but some loose-lipped fellow… Yes. Since it was said by Sir Bucal, a high-ranking knight of Jenas, it’s certain.”

“I see.”

“As you know, this is an incredible opportunity. Knights far superior to the professors at Tarasan Academy will teach you. And that’s not all? Your future path… they’ll handle the aftermath… Let me say again, you don’t need to worry about anything…”

Baron Calard continued his explanation.

He didn’t know how many times he drank water while speaking. Without doing so, his chest felt like it would burst from excitement.

However, his son’s response after hearing everything was unexpected.

“I’m sorry, but I will not go to Jenas.”

“What did you say? Say that again.”

“I will remain at Tarasan Academy. I want to pursue my dreams there.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Anger flashed in Baron Luno Calard’s eyes.

However, Lumian’s eyes didn’t waver in the slightest.

He stated his intentions in a firm tone.

“The reason is…”

* * *

“Did the persuasion go well?”

“Roughly? He’s still displeased, but…”

“That’s unfortunate. My reputation isn’t exactly low either.”

“Come on, no matter what, you can’t compare to the Golden Lion Knights.”

“I know that, but still. I’ll have to train even harder from now on.”

“That’s right. If you want to be my teacher, you need to become at least three times stronger than you are now.”

Lumian said while taking a bite of bread.

Having been in the demon clan hideout for so long, he was quite hungry.

Morghen asked him an additional question.

“When are you scheduled to meet that high-ranking knight?”

“In a little while. Probably right after dinner with my parents ends? He seems to want to see my skills too, so he suggested meeting at the training grounds.”

“He’s an impatient person.”

“He’s always been like that. I don’t know exactly, but I think that’s how he was. Phew!”

Lumian, who had quickly finished eating the bread, sat on the sofa. He thought about Jenas, the country where he had spent most of his previous life.

It was a nostalgic name.

When he closed his eyes, memories of his previous life still came to mind.

Philip III, whom he had served with lifelong loyalty, the virtuous and beautiful Queen Amelia, the princess who was a tomboy but soon became a lady, and the prince who was dignified despite his young age.

Knights with skills comparable to his own and excellent character.

And the training, training, training that made it possible for such knights to exist.

The terrifying training of the knight order, filled with nothing but men!

‘I can’t do that crazy stuff again!’

This was exactly why Lumian had refused to go to Jenas.

If it were just training alone, he wouldn’t have shown such a rejection.

After all, the training he had done in his previous life was more intense. Even now, when he had nothing to do, he spent most of his time on aura cultivation.

However, the fact that the entire knight order consisted of men was unacceptable.

‘Jenas’s cultivation methods don’t match well with women…’

Of course, joining the knight order didn’t mean he had to spend time only with knights, but there was no reason to give up the free life of the academy and youthful romance to go to Jenas.

Therefore, he had desperately persuaded his father.

Through two lies.

‘I cannot give up my girlfriend at the academy.’

‘I have already become a disciple of Mercenary King Morghen. My teacher approved of attending the academy concurrently, but I don’t think Jenas would do the same.’

Of course, harsh words erupted at first.

Throwing away such a golden opportunity because of a girlfriend was something he couldn’t tolerate as a father.

However, Morghen was also one of the fewer than 100 Sword Masters on the continent, and receiving one-on-one instruction from him would be no less valuable than Jenas.

Above all, when he emphasized that he could become the best without borrowing Jenas’s prestige, Runo Calard finally nodded.

He didn’t want to forcibly crush his son’s extraordinary ambition.

‘You won’t regret it?’

‘I will never regret it.’

‘Then do as you wish. However, Sir Bucal doesn’t seem inclined to back down quietly, so you’ll have to handle that yourself.’

‘Of course.’

This was the conversation he had just had with his father.

Lumian drank water while thinking about Buckal.

‘If he figured out my skills during the swordsmanship competition… he might really stick to me persistently.’

He probably even knew that I could create an Aura Sword.

That much would be necessary to lead things toward wanting a match with Cal Krone.

‘He must be incredibly tempted. The talent is the greatest in history, and since I’m just a rural lord’s son from a small country, there wouldn’t be major problems even if he took me away.’

Of course, he wouldn’t forcibly drag me away when I said I didn’t want to go, but it seemed certain he would continue to be bothersome.

Lumian frowned.

‘Should I just show him a complete Aura Sword?’

Should I go all out?

No, but wouldn’t that be too much?

While he was having such thoughts, the time came.

Lumian looked at Morghen and said.

“Just in case, let’s go together, Teacher.”

“Let’s do that, my disciple.”

The two, who chuckled, moved to the training grounds.

It was an evening with a crescent moon.

* * *

“The young lord has arrived.”

“I am Lumian Calard, Sir Buckal.”

“I know. I saw you during the swordsmanship competition finals. It was very impressive. The way you brilliantly made the situation flow as you wanted…”

‘As expected, he’s clinging to me because of that.’

Lumian made an expression showing he understood.

In fact, that was the only reason.

He opened his mouth.

“I heard you made an extremely gracious proposal.”

“But you declined that proposal. I heard the reason, but may I ask once more?”

“Personally, it’s because my important connection is at the Academy, and broadly, it’s because I cannot leave my teacher’s care.”

“Nice to meet you, Sir Buckal. I am Morghen.”

“Hmm. So you really are the Mercenary King.”

Buckal finally acknowledged him.

In terms of status, he was higher, but considering the achievements made as a swordsman, he should have greeted first.

It was a kind of power struggle, but for someone who came to recruit, it was quite an inflexible attitude.

‘I thought someone more smooth-talking would come.’

Perhaps he thought this kind of straightforward personality would work better on knight cadets.

Of course, it wasn’t very important.

Anyway, since they couldn’t keep standing like this, Lumian tried to express his intention again.

However, Buckal spoke first.

“Since you walked the path of the sword first, I’ll call you senior. Would that be alright?”

“Please do, Sir Buckal.”

“Having the young lord’s talent buried because of senior’s greed would be a loss for the continent.”

“…”

“I’m not disparaging you, senior. How could someone like me look down on one of only twenty-five Sword Masters in Jenas?”

“Hmm. Please continue.”

“However, I want to say that it’s too much to handle the young lord’s ridiculous talent. The young lord I saw… could be said to have the greatest talent in history without exaggeration.”

Buckal’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.

Even though it was a dark night, it was clearly visible.

How tremendous his resolve and mindset were.

Buckal was genuinely worried about Lumian Calard’s future.

“The Mercenary King certainly has tremendous skill. But he’s not the best. Trying to keep the young lord to yourself alone is greed.”

“…”

“How about becoming a guest knight of Jenas instead? If you do that, you won’t lose your disciple, and the young lord can also fully demonstrate his potential…”

“Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt.”

Buckal’s sharp gaze pierced into Lumian.

Perhaps because his emotions were heightened, his eyes were quite burdensome.

Of course, Lumian wasn’t one to be intimidated by that much.

He spoke quietly but powerfully.

“Please refrain from insulting my teacher.”

“…”

“As his disciple, I cannot just stand by and listen.”

“…My apologies.”

Buckal spoke with polite courtesy, even bowing his head slightly.

However, his attitude afterward remained the same. As if his thoughts were the truth, he didn’t move an inch and stared at Lumian and Morghen.

He looked like he would never move unless given the answer he wanted.

Lumian grumbled inwardly.

‘Stubborn as a mule.’

Probably because it was an order from above, he would be even more reluctant to back down.

He shook his head.

Of course, he didn’t dislike this kind of person.

How could he hate a knight who acted not for personal gain but for the country and continent?

He himself, who stubbornly refused because it would be hard to get involved with women, was a much more messed up guy.

But he wanted to remain messed up.

At least in this life, at least when it came to women.

So he deliberately pretended to be more angry.

“It doesn’t seem like something that can be settled with just saying you’re sorry.”

“Hmm.”

“So, how about having a conditional duel with me?”

“…Did you just say duel?”

“A conditional duel. The condition is…”

Lumian drew his sword.

And instantly manifested his Aura Sword. Blue energy blazing brightly illuminated the night.

However, Buckal wasn’t surprised. He already knew that Lumian was an Expert.

Then, the aura surrounding the sword disappeared.

“A match decided purely by swordsmanship, without using aura.”

“…!”

“For my young age, could you accept this much of a handicap?”

“…Ha, haha. Hahahahahaha!”

Buckal’s laughter spread through the empty training grounds.

Neither Buckal nor Lumian wanted other people present.

The laughter stopped abruptly a moment later.

With wide eyes, he looked at Lumian and said.

“Yes, it’s certainly a disadvantageous condition for me. The aura that a young lord of your age has built up would have its limits. In fact, becoming an Expert alone is close to miraculous.”

“…”

“But swordsmanship is the same. No matter how great a talent the Young Lord possesses, to think you could break my swordsmanship that I’ve trained for over thirty years… wouldn’t that be too arrogant?”

“Why wouldn’t it be possible? Unlike Aura cultivation, the proportion occupied by physical time is remarkably small. Of course, cultivation is also about talent, but anyway.”

Along with his words, Lumian raised his sword.

Buckal’s eyebrows twitched.

Was this reckless boy truly intending to duel with him?

Did he really believe he could defeat him with swordsmanship alone?

While he was confused, Lumian’s mouth opened once again.

“I’ll show you now just how well Teacher has taught 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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