The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 99

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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 99 39. Keep Watch on Lumian Calard (1)

“Phew!”

Lumian Calard, who had escaped from the Knight Department Head’s office, let out a big breath.

He had expected it, but it was an unbearably stuffy situation. Not only the Knight Department Head, but five more high-ranking Academy officials had gathered there.

And their eyes were so bright and sparkling.

If they had been the sparkling eyes of beautiful women, he would have smiled and welcomed them, but they were all elderly gentlemen. It was definitely not a pleasant situation.

‘Cal Krone would probably be better at this kind of thing.’

Anyway, the reason the Knight Department Head had called him was indeed because of the swordsmanship competition. It was also correct that it was related to foreign countries, namely Jenas and Rodigia.

As Lumian exited the building, he recalled the conversation he had with the Knight Department Head.

‘Oh, Lumian Calard! You came? Come sit here!’

‘Ah, no, Department Head. You don’t need to go that far…’

‘No, no! I can’t have a future excellent knight who brought glory to Tarasan Academy standing around. Come here and sit!’

‘I brought glory to Tarasan Academy?’

‘That’s right! Do you remember that Sir Bucal Garcia, a high knight from Jenas, observed the swordsmanship competition held in the first semester?’

‘Yes, I remember.’

‘Sir Bucal seems to have been deeply impressed by your fighting spirit and skills! To think that Jenas would be the first to propose friendly exchanges, I could die without regrets right now! Hahaha!’

According to the Knight Department Head, Jenas was greatly surprised by the performance of himself and the other three second-years.

Thanks to this, a proposal came to strengthen friendship between the two countries under the pretext of participating in Tarasan Academy’s high-level swordsmanship competition.

What was surprising was that Jenas wasn’t the only one who joined in with such pretexts.

‘The Kingdom of Rodigia has also decided to send a delegation for similar reasons. This is also your achievement, Lumian!’

‘My achievement?’

‘Of course! Professor Irene Curtis seems to have viewed you and the other second-year cadets very favorably! There’s even talk of wanting to establish long-term close relations. Hehe, hehehe!’

The Department Head saying this looked really pleased.

And rightfully so. Though he praised it as Lumian’s achievement, ultimately it was also his own achievement as the one in charge of the Knight Department.

Since this wasn’t just about raising the Academy’s prestige but could affect the kingdom’s future, the Kingdom of Tarasan might directly bestow honors.

‘Perhaps the bald Knight Department Head might be the next Academy Director.’

Of course, this wasn’t what was important.

Lumian lay down on a bench in the campus. His expression was thick with annoyance.

‘To guide foreign students participating in the swordsmanship competition around the Academy…’

Well, it wasn’t something he couldn’t do.

If it were dealing with elderly diplomatic delegations, he’d break out in hives, but walking around campus with a couple of youngsters was manageable enough.

Since Rodigia’s apprentice knight would also be included, he didn’t have to worry about going around with just dark-skinned men.

But having to sacrifice a day or two of time.

Not being able to guide Tania during that time bothered him.

Lumian quietly muttered.

“With both Jenas and Rodigia getting involved, she must be worried…”

She surely would be.

Having broken through the lower gate and become accustomed to the middle sword, normally Tania’s victory would have been certain. There weren’t any notable figures among the fourth-years after all.

However, Jenas and Rodigia were different stories.

Both countries wouldn’t want to be embarrassed abroad, so they would have brought talented individuals. Far from being complacent, she should be training with all her might.

‘Wait, she’s not feeling intimidated right now, is she?’

Lumian jumped up from his seat.

And headed toward the scholarship student training ground.

As a teacher, he couldn’t ignore his student’s crisis.

Though he roughly knew that his feelings weren’t just that, at least on the surface, that’s how it was. His walking pace gradually quickened.

“Phew, she looks fine.”

Lumian, who had arrived at the entrance of the scholarship student training ground, let out a sigh of relief.

He could see Tania Eloise in the distance. Fortunately, she didn’t look intimidated at all.

Rather, he could feel the spirit, determination, and fighting will to crush whoever her opponent might be. The atmosphere was so fierce that other students were keeping their distance with pale expressions.

‘She seems to have gained quite a bit of confidence in herself now.’

Lumian smiled contentedly.

The Tania who had undermined even her own confidence by being overly wary of herself was gone.

Only the genius remained, being processed more brilliantly from rough stone to jewel.

Thinking this, he quietly muttered.

It was a voice calling someone.

“Would it be possible for you to approach secretly with your skills?”

“…How long have you known?”

“Since before you spotted me from behind that tree and suppressed your presence.”

“No way, that’s possible?”

The man who had been stealthily approaching from behind Lumian, Morghen, made an incredulous expression.

Of course, he knew that his older brother had already surpassed his own skills, but even so, to detect someone approaching with determination from a distance…

He asked with a ‘no way’ expression.

“By any chance, have you gotten stronger in the meantime?”

“Why ask something so obvious?”

“…How much stronger? You haven’t recovered all your previous strength, have you?”

“Hmm. Should I tell you honestly?”

“What? Why are you being so ominous?”

Morghen’s expression hardened.

Though he was his older brother, this person was truly a tremendous monster.

Since such a person was even building suspense, he couldn’t even guess what answer would come.

‘Has he really recovered his previous life’s strength?’

No way. No matter what, only two months had passed, so that couldn’t be possible.

To Morghen thinking this, Lumian delivered surprising news.

“I think now is probably better than my previous life?”

“…What did you say?”

“About half a level higher, I think. It doesn’t feel like I’ve completely broken through a wall though.”

It was true.

His physical abilities were much higher now, and his aura amount was similar. However, since mountain aura could be utilized in much more diverse ways than rock aura, this should also be considered growth.

Moreover, his swordsmanship, which had been about 2 percent lacking, had completely recovered. As they say, you learn while teaching – while guiding Tania, movements that hadn’t quite settled in his body had perfectly found their place.

With his current self, he felt he could probably gain the upper hand even in a duel with the Knight King, with whom he had maintained an even match.

Lumian looked at Morghen with a confident expression.

“Now do you understand? Your older brother’s greatness?”

“…”

Morghen was at a loss for words.

He wanted to argue back somehow, but he couldn’t.

This was someone who originally competed for the strongest on the continent. Such a person was confident that he had become even stronger.

That meant he had reached a level above even the Knight King or Golden Dawn!

‘It’s so tremendous that I don’t even feel jealous.’

He shook his head.

He now realized how absurd his thought of secretly getting behind his older brother had been. He absolutely couldn’t match Lumian in this area.

‘But what about when it comes to women?’

Morghen grinned.

Lumian looked at him with a ‘what’s with this guy?’ expression. He was about to say something when his younger brother spoke first.

“But, older brother.”

“What.”

“You seem to have been continuously staring at a certain female student…”

“…”

“By any chance, do you have a crush on someone?”

Lumian looked at his younger brother with a blank face. However, Morghen maintained his grinning expression without backing down.

It was childish behavior, but he couldn’t help it. The sense of deprivation in swordsmanship was too strong, so he wanted to tease him with something like this.

“Hmm, she’s definitely incredibly pretty. Her figure doesn’t seem like your type, but her face more than makes up for it…”

“…”

“How about it? Should I lend you a hand?”

“No, I don’t need it.”

‘This guy is sulking.’

Morghen’s smile deepened.

He was putting on an expressionless face, but inside he must be quite troubled.

He wouldn’t want to show weakness to his younger brother after meeting him for so long, but he must also desperately need help.

He quickly turned his mind. He was calculating how he could properly tease his brother without getting hit.

But then.

Something unexpected happened.

“Morghen.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Did you finish the estate mercenary business properly?”

“Huh? Oh, yes! Of course.”

“Got it. We’ll talk about that tonight. I have something to do, so I’m going.”

“Huh? Huh?”

With those words, Lumian entered the training grounds.

What happened next was surprising.

The incredibly beautiful woman who had been diligently swinging her sword saw his brother and showed him a bright smile.

‘What! Were they friends?’

No. They weren’t just friends!

It wasn’t the kind of expression you’d see in such an ordinary relationship. As an expert, he could tell.

‘That female student… seems to have feelings for brother?’

Rather, it looked like Lumian was the one holding the initiative.

At this amazing fact, Morghen unconsciously let out an exclamation.

“Whoa… this can’t be.”

He didn’t know what exactly had happened.

But one thing was certain – his growth wasn’t limited to just one area.

‘Brother… it wasn’t just your swordsmanship that grew while I was away.’

Watching Lumian Calard, whose ability to charm women had also improved dramatically, Morghen nodded.

His feelings were strange.

It was both admirable and regrettable, like a parent watching their child become independent.

“It’s a good thing, a good thing.”

Muttering quietly, he turned around.

And slowly moving his steps, he looked around various parts of the Academy.

It was to see if there were any decent women around.

‘Going after students would be morally questionable, but maybe there’s a nice female professor passing by.’

Morghen was still Morghen.

With eyes similar to when he roamed the streets of Rhodesia, he wandered the Academy alone until late at night.

* * *

“Oh my, you’ve come such a long way. You must have had a hard journey.”

“Not at all. It wasn’t that far a distance. I’m John Macart, head of the delegation. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m well aware of your reputation. How could I not know one of the 25 Sword Masters supporting the Kingdom of Jenas?”

“It’s just a level I reached through good fortune. I’m embarrassed as I barely occupy the lowest seat.”

“No, how can you say such humble words…”

One week after the bulletin board notice was posted.

Delegations from the three kingdoms began arriving one after another.

Jenas arrived first, but whether by coincidence, representatives from Rhodesia and the Charlotte Kingdom also appeared shortly after.

The Academy director, who ended up receiving all three kingdoms’ representatives simultaneously, was sweating profusely as he greeted them.

“I’m Claire Cambahita, representative of the Rhodesia delegation.”

“For the renowned Sir Claire to come personally…”

“I’m Adam Harper, representative of the Charlotte Kingdom.”

“Oh my, nice to meet you. Though I’m inadequate, I serve as the Academy’s director.”

Though everyone unexpectedly gathered in one place, the atmosphere wasn’t too bad.

After all, all three kingdoms had come with the purpose of improving friendship with Tarasan. There was no reason to pick fights.

‘John Macart, it’s been a while.’

Lumian, who was present as a student representative, glanced at the Jenas delegation’s leader.

Though they weren’t close, he was someone he was somewhat acquainted with. He had taught him swordsmanship a few times.

He had felt sorry for him as his talent seemed lacking compared to his effort, but to think he had become a Sword Master. He felt strangely proud.

‘Indeed, effort never betrays you.’

While thinking this, the man also directed his gaze toward him.

Lumian hastily lowered his eyes. As a greenhorn from a small country, he shouldn’t be holding his head up high.

‘Let me stay like this until his gaze turns elsewhere.’

However, John Macart’s gaze continued to linger on Lumian.

Moreover, it wasn’t just him.

The quite capable-looking knights of Jenas, and all the knights of Rhodesia were looking at him rather than the Academy director.

‘…This is incredibly burdensome.’

Though he had expected it, it seemed the high-ranking officials of both kingdoms all knew about his abilities.

There wasn’t really anything to worry about though.

His relationship with Jenas had been settled thanks to the bet with Buckal, and judging by Irene Curtis’s handling, Rhodesia also didn’t seem like they would do anything harmful to him.

Lumian continued to keep his gaze downward and maintain a modest attitude. Soon they would return to their respective accommodations to recover from their journey anyway.

That’s what he was thinking when.

Swoooosh-

A very secretive gaze.

And therefore all the more chilling.

Sensing this, Lumian quickly raised his head. And looked around.

But it was futile. He couldn’t sense anything. Despite being the great Lumian.

‘What was that? Just now?’

A situation where nothing seemed to have happened.

But there had definitely been something.

Something huge and unknowable had been watching him.

Lumian’s face hardened.

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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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