Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 22

EP.22 The Storm Strikes Twice, The Storm Strikes Twice

“Alright. Kyle of Baron Jonathan. I request a duel with you in place of that guy!”

The words spoken by the noble freshman.

Precisely, the part that says, ‘I challenge Jonathan to a duel.’

Everyone seemed too shocked to say anything.

‘What did you just say? Challenging Jonathan to a duel?’

‘Did I mishear? No way, right? Is this some kind of new suicide trend?’

‘Poor thing. Even a freshman should know about that incident.’

Though their individual thoughts varied slightly, one thing was certain.

Challenging someone from Jonathan’s family to a duel. Digging their own grave, indeed.

The gathered students murmured silently at this realization.

Of course, there were several students who didn’t think that way.

Either they weren’t present when Jonathan’s family member wreaked havoc in the academy, or they dismissed it as exaggerated or nonsense.

And the noble freshman who challenged Ian to a duel fell into that category as well.

‘The emphasis on Jonathan’s strength is merely a sophisticated device to establish the authority of the royal family. How can someone do that without even using mana! It’s impossible!’

The noble freshman was confident in his own abilities, in his swordsmanship.

It wasn’t arrogance or conceit. It was an accurate understanding of his own level.

He might not be at the level of a genius, but he could be considered excellent.

Wasn’t it thanks to his swordsmanship that he was able to enter the academy?

Meanwhile, Kyle, approaching Ian, began to explain the situation.

At first, there seemed to be some friction, but soon a female student approached and mediated.

With her striking purple hair, she was a typical beauty among the female students.

“…Understood.”

The conversation seemed to have ended as Ian finally nodded and stepped back.

There was still a subtle dissatisfaction on his face, but there was nothing to be done about it.

However, Tisha, who was currently holding onto his wrist, seemed to bother him more than that dissatisfaction.

“Let’s begin.”

Kyle, who had received the authority to duel from Ian, stood before him.

The noble freshman looked at Kyle for a moment before speaking.

“Where is your sword?”

“…My sword?”

“Yes. A duel requires a sword.”

The reason he mentioned a duel to Ian. Ian was also a swordsman.

For those who fight with swords, someone’s challenge is inevitable.

Therefore, Kyle also considered Ian to be a swordsman, but he couldn’t see any sword no matter how hard he looked.

“Do I really need a sword?”

“What are you talking about? How can you duel without a sword?”

The noble freshman, in explaining, said with a sense of disbelief.

“By any chance, do you not know the rules of dueling?”

Yeah. Did he really step forward without knowing the rules of dueling?

Thinking like that while looking at Kyle, it seemed to be true after all.

“…Seriously, don’t you know? Really? Not joking?”

“I might not know, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t emphasize it too much.”

The freshman wanted to shout like this at Kyle’s response.

Not ‘I might not know,’ but why did you step into a duel if you don’t know?

“Enough with the jokes and get a sword quickly. If you don’t have one, at least borrow it!”

Kyle hesitated, sighed, then approached Ian again.

After that, it seemed like there was some conversation between them, but it wasn’t resolving well.

A faint spark flew between Kyle extending his hand and Ian shaking his head.

Eventually, Tisha stepped forward again and caught Ian’s sword, handing it over to Kyle.

It was a bonus that Ian looked at Tisha with a bewildered expression, as if to say, “Thanks.”

“… ”

He didn’t ask to borrow someone else’s sword or forcibly take it away.

Should he really duel with the man in front of him? Such thoughts crossed his mind.

“Let’s start.”

“…Alright. Then let’s clarify and move on. If I win, I will receive a proper apology, and conversely, if I lose, I will acknowledge my shortcomings and reflect.”

“If I lose, I will apologize along with Ian, and if I win, I will make Ian apologize alone.”

Kyle’s proposed action in the event of victory seemed odd, but now it didn’t matter.

They each set conditions for victory and discussed the duel.

Now all that remained was to give their best in this battle of pride.

The noble freshman, keeping his distance, began to observe Kyle slowly.

‘What’s he trying to do?’

Full of gaps. Kyle’s current appearance could be described as full of gaps.

Standing in front of his opponent, holding a sword, everything seemed amateurish.

‘Is this his first time facing a person?’

There were rumors that Jonathan’s family were always rigorous in their self-management.

But such self-management is ultimately just a form of self-satisfaction.

Those who focus on such things often find themselves unable to use their strength in real combat.

The Jonathan family, whose head even the emperor could barely bend.

But it’s been almost 30 years since the empire’s conquest project ended.

The Jonathan of the past might not have been like this, but that generation is gone.

All that’s left are those who train without knowing anything.

Like the Kyle standing awkwardly in front of him!

‘Then I’ll take the initiative. If that’s smoke, I’ll block it immediately, and if it’s real, I’ll show even bigger gaps. I have nothing to lose.’

After contemplating, the noble freshman grasped his sword and charged towards Kyle.

What would his reaction be? How would he confront him?

“…Huh?”

A moment of perplexity swept through the noble freshman’s lips.

Kyle had simply planted the sword he held in his hand into the ground.

Then, he clenched his fist and slowly pulled his shoulder back.

‘What in the world is he doing?!’

It was completely different from what he had anticipated for the duel.

Not to mention the situation where Ian, a strange commoner, had already insulted him.

Now, even the descendant of a northern barbarian was behaving provocatively.

It’s amazing that he’s not cowering in fear at this point.

And such excitement was enough to add explosive strength and speed to his body.

‘I tried to be reasonable, but it seems futile. Let’s do this for real.’

With that thought, the noble freshman fiercely swung the sword he held in his hand.

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It’s not like he had never held a sword before. He had wielded it a few times in Jonathan.

But he had never systematically learned swordsmanship.

That’s right. Kyle, who stepped into the duel in place of Ian, didn’t actually know how to wield a sword.

He was a novice among novices in swordsmanship.

“Why don’t you hold a sword or a spear. Is that what you’re saying?”

He had asked his father and his brother once.

Why, while they forged iron every day, didn’t they train with weapons?

The answer he received was absurd.

“Because bare hands are enough.”

At that moment, hearing such an answer, honestly, it was astonishing.

The opponent, wielding a spear or a sword and manipulating mana, could exert several times the strength.

How on earth could he counter that!

Even with a sturdy body, one would be easily sliced if struck by a blade!!

“Kyle.”

Did his father, did his brother understand such sentiments.

Kyle’s father, Kyle’s brother grabbed his shoulder and said.

“We are from Jonathan. Even if you don’t know how to handle it, even if you haven’t handled it before, eventually, you will handle it all. So, all we need is a foundation to support that.”

What did that even mean? At that time, and even now, Kyle didn’t understand.

While everyone else nodded, why couldn’t he accept it like the others?

Perhaps because he was a transmigrator, there was a perception that he wasn’t one of the people here and thus, he hindered.

Even now. He managed to forcibly take Ian’s sword, but even swinging it properly felt too awkward.

It felt too light, making it incredibly difficult to handle.

It needed weight to swing smoothly, but this weight was like holding a pen.

This wasn’t helping at all. It was just a burden.

So, Kyle simply planted the sword he held in his hand into the ground.

The murmurs of the students could be heard from all directions.

It was understandable for such behavior during a duel.

But Kyle ignored all of that and focused solely on one thing.

‘Will this be a problem too?’

The person who made him duel was not himself but Ian.

And the one who requested the duel was not himself but the noble freshman.

He just intervened in the duel due to some offensive remarks.

Given the insulting words, it could be considered self-defense.

‘Weakling.’

The words he just heard still echoed in his ears. They lingered in his mind strongly.

His insides were churning, and the turmoil couldn’t be settled.

If things continue like this, there might be some accident, and it’s becoming frightening.

And to top it off, hearing the shocking words, “birds of a feather flock together.”

Being considered on par with Ian. Being called birds of a feather with that aggro-prone guy.

This is beyond the line, seriously. It’s gone way overboard.

‘Being weak, fine. Let’s say I can barely handle that. But…’

No matter what, damn. Being on par with Ian is just too much.

The words “birds of a feather flock together,” no matter how you think about it, are unacceptable!

“Ugh.”

As he stared at the noble freshman charging towards him.

Kyle, pulling his arm back with all his might, thrust his fist forward.

– Bam!! –

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***

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The lady pours the tea and extends the cup.

Someone with sparkling silver hair, reminiscent of the color of the lake, accepts the tea.

For a lady of her status, offering tea like this is absolutely unacceptable.

But this guest who came this time was worth it.

“Wow! The fragrance is so lovely! Thank you!!”

“For a saintess like you, it’s only appropriate.”

– Slurp. –

After taking a few sips of tea, the lady slowly spoke.

“You’re going to the academy.”

“Oh, yes! That’s right.”

“For what purpose?”

“Well, do all actions need to have a purpose?”

At the saintess’s words, the lady murmured, “That’s true.”

“Don’t lose your way when you go. You used to be such a lost cause, Lady Saintess.”

“Don’t worry! I’m not a lost cause anymore! But I have some exciting news, have you heard?!”

“What news?”

“Something that happened at the academy two days ago. Apparently, a freshman shattered a sword with his bare hands!”

“What, he shattered a sword? That’s bizarre.”

“No, it wasn’t shattering, it was a duel!”

“A duel?”

“Yes. The sword wasn’t just standing there, it was flying straight towards him with the blade out, and he shattered it head-on with his fist! Like this! Smash! And it broke.”

Then, emotions surfaced on the face of the lady who had been expressionless.

“That freshman. Tell me more about him.”

The 5th Princess of the Empire, Yurika Sebastian Lovisa de Lotringen.

For her, who had shown no interest beyond strength, it was the first time she had asked about opposite sex.