The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 94

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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 94 37. You’re the Best, Teacher Lumian! (4)

After hearing Lumian’s words, Tania stared into his eyes for a long time without saying anything.

She had many things she wanted to say. But her thoughts weren’t organized in her head, so she couldn’t open her mouth.

She began to calmly organize her thoughts one by one.

‘Among countless aspiring knights, only a few can reach the level of Expert.’

A cold fact.

Even most of them awaken after their thirties.

Reaching Expert before turning thirty was truly rare, and in a small country like Tarasan, it was hard to find such cases. The current head of the Cronnen Duchy had reached Expert at age 24, hadn’t he?

‘But, I could have become an Expert?’

At a younger age than Philip III, the continent’s greatest talent who drew an Aura Sword at 17?

“Hahaha…”

Tania let out a laugh.

It was a laugh with no strength behind it.

“What are you saying right now?”

“Exactly what I said. You could have become a Sword Expert. A long time ago.”

“Say something that makes sense.”

“Why do you think it doesn’t make sense? Look, even now you don’t believe in yourself.”

Tania closed her eyes and pressed her forehead with her hand.

She felt like she was dealing with a child who wouldn’t listen, but she suppressed her frustration and expressed her thoughts.

“I’m not a negative person, but I’m not a ridiculous idealist either. You say I don’t believe in myself? That I lack confidence? No. What you’re talking about is overconfidence. If you’re trying to encourage me, stop it. It’s too much.”

Lumian didn’t back down.

Rather, he countered with an even stronger tone than Tania’s, his voice filled with passionate heat.

“If someone who can do 1 aims for 10, that’s overconfidence, but if they can do 20 or 30 but only aim for 10, that’s self-doubt.”

“Sigh. Now stop…”

“Not just Cal Krone, but Teoro and Bumer are also aiming to become Experts before graduating from the Academy. They say every day that they’ll become Swordmasters before age 30. Do you think they’re fools for saying that?”

“They are fools. Fools drunk on talent who don’t know reality.”

“No. From what I see, you’re the fool.”

“This…!”

Tania flared up.

She knew well enough that he was saying this for her sake, but this was going too far.

She didn’t want to continue this conversation anymore. So she was about to snap back with a stronger tone, but Lumian interrupted her again.

“I’ll show you proof.”

“…”

A statement that couldn’t help but arouse interest.

The subtle anger was still there, but since he had gone that far, she had no choice but to listen to what came next. She quietly sent him a look indicating she understood.

However, instead of speaking, Lumian approached her closely.

As Tania looked at him with a confused expression, having moved behind her before she knew it, she felt an unfamiliar sensation on her back.

It was Lumian’s hand.

As she was startled, Lumian spoke in a calm voice.

“I’m going to let a little of my aura flow in now.”

“…”

“You don’t need to cultivate, but please close your eyes and focus inside. Especially on the aura in your dantian.”

A voice somewhat lower than usual. She could feel a heavy sense of trust.

Tania stopped trying to argue and closed her eyes with a slightly reddened face. And she focused on her dantian area as Lumian instructed.

After a moment, Lumian’s energy slowly flowed in. Tania let out a low “Mmm” sound.

As she had felt before, it was remarkably harmonious energy.

Usually when another person’s aura enters, there should be conflict with one’s own, but nothing like that happened at all. With a comfortable mind, she carefully observed Lumian’s energy.

His slowly moving energy entered her dantian through the channels. And it spread out thin and wide. Perhaps because she wasn’t concentrating on cultivation, she could grasp the flow of energy in more detail than before.

That’s why she could feel it.

Something hard surrounding her dantian.

The fact that something whose identity she had never known was quietly holding its breath.

“This is…?”

“It’s Tania’s aura. It’s sleeping now though. No, rather than saying it’s sleeping…”

Lumian’s energy very lightly tapped the wall of aura. Nevertheless, it didn’t budge at all.

“It would be better to say it’s like a wall that defines your limits.”

“…”

Lumian moved his energy a bit more after that. So that Tania could better feel the energy sleeping inside her body.

About 10 minutes passed like that. He quietly withdrew his aura and moved back to his position.

And he looked into Tania’s eyes.

Her pupils were trembling.

“Do you understand now?”

“…What?”

“How much aura is sleeping inside your body. And how that aura is being used.”

“…”

“You’re creating limits for yourself and building walls. You’re so busy putting energy into that, you can’t even display a third of your actual ability.”

Tania didn’t open her mouth.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t shaken. Rather, the shock was so great that she had reached a point where she couldn’t say anything.

‘I was creating limits for myself?’

She had never thought of it that way.

Rather, she thought she had continuously achieved beyond her limits.

No one expected her to take up the sword.

No one thought she would have talent.

No one thought she would achieve top of her year.

Every time she broke people’s prejudices, she acted nonchalant on the outside, but no one would know how happy she was in her empty dormitory room.

But.

‘I myself had prejudices about myself?’

She couldn’t easily accept it.

However, Lumian’s words continued without stopping.

“I don’t know exactly why you didn’t believe in yourself. It could be that you’ve been matching your potential to others’ prejudices, or you might have restrained yourself too much to avoid arrogance, or your environment might have been too narrow.”

“…”

“But you can’t do that anymore. You can’t be satisfied with being top of your year, you can’t be satisfied with being the best at the Academy, you can’t be satisfied with being the best in Tarasan. You need to take a much, much wider world as your competition.”

“…Can I be alone?”

Tania, who had heard all of Lumian’s words, quietly murmured.

Confusion could be felt in her stern expression. She added one more thing.

“Just for a moment, I want to organize my thoughts alone. Sorry.”

Lumian nodded.

He got up from his seat and approached the door.

Before leaving, he looked back at Tania and said quietly.

“See you tomorrow.”

Click.

A voice with lingering resonance.

Tania gazed at the spot where he had disappeared.

After staying like that for a while, she sighed and murmured.

“What should I do…”

* * *

“Sigh.”

Lumian, who had left the girls’ dormitory, let out a sigh. Seeing his face that seemed to ache with worry, the nearby women whispered among themselves.

However, he had no time to pay attention to such things.

Right now, Lumian’s mind was filled only with worry about Tania.

‘It will be difficult. Overcoming this.’

I know. I know well.

Though it might not be exactly the same as her situation, he too had experienced something similar in his previous life.

‘Was it about three years after I became an Expert…?’

At that time, he was receiving severe scrutiny from many people.

Despite his lowly origins as a eunuch, he had reached the Expert level in his late teens. It was natural that envy, jealousy, prejudice, and malice would be concentrated on him.

‘Acting all high and mighty when he doesn’t even have his thing.’

‘That’s probably his limit at best. There are so many people who shine briefly at first then disappear.’

‘His muscle development is slow too, can he really ascend to higher levels?’

‘Who knows? Maybe it’s possible if he learns Rodisia’s aura cultivation method!’

‘Hahaha, that sounds plausible!’

Of course, knights who knew honor didn’t engage in such gossip, but like most people, Lumian was accepting only the negative evaluations more loudly.

That’s why the slump came. The Lumian of that time was trapped by countless words that belittled him, disparaging his own potential.

That this was his limit.

That doing this much was already good enough.

That he had done well to rise this far despite not having his thing.

So he lived each day in resignation. It was about a year after such time had passed.

There was one person who offered him words of encouragement.

‘Sir Ryan should brighten his expression and have confidence.’

‘…Your Highness the Crown Prince.’

‘What is there to hang your head about? Come, show me your hand.’

It was the Knight King in his childhood, Philip III.

He was a child who knew how to make a dignified expression even with his fresh seven-year-old face.

At the Crown Prince’s stern command, Lumian had no choice but to extend his hand.

Then he firmly grasped two of his fingers and said this.

‘All knights of Jenas must be the best, and must act befitting the best.’

‘…’

‘Walk with dignity. Walk with your chest out. And flatten the noses of those unworthy of being knights who mock you behind your back.’

‘Your, Your Highness…’

‘This is a command I give as Crown Prince. You must obey it.’

After finishing his words, the young Knight King showed a childlike smile and left with his short legs.

It was from that moment.

Both his decision to dedicate his life to his lord and his insane growth rate began then.

‘I don’t know what kind of environment Senior Tania grew up in, or what situation she’s in.’

It was regrettable.

If he knew that, he could give her greater help. He didn’t know that much about Tania.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t do anything.

Lumian nodded with a face full of determination.

‘Though I can’t even follow half of half the warmth my lord gave me…’

Still, if he could play a similar role, even if inadequately. Then couldn’t he melt her walls?

‘Good. Let’s make it happen somehow.’

Lumian, having steeled his resolve, quickly returned to the dormitory.

And he began thinking of various words that could instill confidence in her. He also refined the teaching process in more detail.

As he did this, time flew by and dawn came, but he didn’t feel tired at all.

Rather, his eyes sparkled brightly. He was full of enthusiasm to help Tania somehow.

But despite such efforts being in vain.

“I’ll try my best.”

“Huh? Yes?”

“I said I’ll try my best.”

From Tania’s mouth when they met early in the morning, positive words flowed out.

Lumian made a bewildered expression at her words that were beyond his expectations.

Finding that amusing, Tania covered her mouth and laughed.

“Hehe, why? Are you surprised that my attitude changed so drastically in just one day?”

“No, no? Huh? I mean, so… um.”

Lumian, who stammered for a moment, made an embarrassed expression.

Scratching the back of his head, he laughed sheepishly and confessed honestly.

“Honestly, a little?”

“Phew, actually I still don’t know. By your standards, I think I won’t be able to trust myself for a long time to come.”

What was this about now?

Lumian stared blankly at Tania.

Just moments ago she said she’d try her best, so why was she spouting negative words again?

However, her words weren’t finished yet.

Kicking a pebble on the ground, she continued speaking.

“The words that I have talent superior to Cal Krone, to the continent’s geniuses… even to the childhood Knight King, I just can’t believe it. No matter how positively and generously I try to think about it, I can’t. It’s hard to have that much confidence.”

“But…”

“So instead, I’m going to trust you.”

“…Me?”

Lumian asked back with a stupid expression.

Tania, who smiled brightly, nodded her head.

“Yeah. It’s a bit hard to trust myself… but I think I can trust you. You’re the teacher who brought me this far in just one week.”

“…”

“You believe in me, in my potential with unwavering faith. If I trust you like that, wouldn’t it be similar to trusting myself? Why, is it burdensome?”

“No, no. I’m just a bit flustered…”

That was exactly right.

Actually, he was going to say something similar himself.

If you can’t trust yourself, trust me who trusts you. If you trust and follow me, I’ll definitely make you reach the Sword Expert level within this year.

He was going to make such a bold promise. Until just moments ago.

But having his words stolen like this, he didn’t know how to respond.

‘I wanted to show a cooler, more reliable side…’

Lumian continued standing in an awkward posture.

Tania, who was watching him, made a fist and struck his abdomen.

Snapping back to his senses, he let out an exaggerated scream.

“Ahhh!”

“Stop spacing out and let’s quickly move to the next lesson, Teacher?”

“…It might get a bit harder from now on, will you be okay?”

“Of course I’ll be okay. I trust Teacher Lumian!”

“Ah, but the expression ‘Teacher’ is a bit…”

“Why? Are you embarrassed, Teacher?”

“Ah, please stop…”

“Hahahaha!”

Tania, who laughed heartily, took out a sword from the weapon rack.

It was much heavier than the swords used during first year, second year, and first semester of third year.

Taking her stance, she looked at Lumian and said.

“Let’s start quickly, Teacher?”

“…If the student keeps being cheeky like that, she’ll really get scolded badly.”

Lumian scolded in a stern voice.

However, both he and Tania had smiles blooming on their faces.

And three weeks later from then.

The second semester midterm evaluation was just two days away.

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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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