The Academy’s Hard-Headed Swordmaster

“……Tch.”

“Ah.”

‘Ssshhhhhh-‘

The stream of urine flowed endlessly, oblivious to the atmosphere.

As I continued to relieve myself, an Orc, finally losing its patience, roared.

“Kuoooooh-!”

‘Shwing!’

The roaring Orc immediately swung the axe in its hand. If I’d stayed put, my head would have been split in two.

Forgetting to even pull up my pants, I immediately crouched down, dodging the axe.

‘Whoosh!’

Feeling the wind pressure brush past my head, I stood up and simultaneously headbutted the Orc’s chin.

‘Thwack-‘

With a satisfying cracking sound, I tripped the staggering Orc.

“Tch-!?”

I climbed onto the Orc as it tumbled backward.

It tried to buck me off, but—I was too strong.

“Sorry, but…”

Aura – Thousand-Pound Weight.

At this moment, my weight reached one ton.

Even if the Orc possessed several times the strength of a human, it was a weight impossible to overcome with brute force alone.

“Knights learn wrestling, too.”

It’s a big mistake to think knights only learn swordsmanship.

Knights learn almost everything necessary for combat: swordsmanship, horseback riding, archery, tactics and strategy, mercenary tactics, and even close-quarters wrestling.

‘Kwang!’

My fist slammed into the Orc’s face, caving it in.

The unpleasant sensation was vivid, but I continued to pummel it without a care.

‘Kwang, Kwang- Kwang!’

After my fists, now covered in Orc blood, had landed blow after blow, I finally stopped and exhaled.

“Haa…”

I almost died.

Next time, I’ll bring my sword even when I go to the bathroom.

‘Pat, pat,’ I brushed off the dust and gore from my body and headed towards the knights, dragging the Orc’s corpse.

The knights, who were packing up their tents, widened their eyes at the sight of me dragging the bloodied Orc.

“Y-Young Master!?”

“Medic! Bring a potion!”

The knights started to fuss as if it were me, not the Orc, who was covered in blood.

I snapped at the fussing knights and then tossed the Orc’s corpse to the ground.

“I’m fine. I’m not injured.”

“I-Is that so? That’s a relief.”

“More importantly—this thing was right nearby.”

Relieved that I wasn’t hurt, the knights’ expressions changed again when they heard that an Orc had been so close.

“……It seems the sentries weren’t paying proper attention.”

“Well, I just went a little further than usual.”

“Even so.”

“Forget it. If you have time to scold them, find its tracks.”

Sir Moire cautiously nodded at my words. That’s right.

Now wasn’t the time to punish those who hadn’t noticed the Orc’s approach.

It was time to punish the monsters that dared to set foot on House Meyer’s territory.

“—Please wait a moment.”

Saying so, Sir Moire and a few other knights set out to track the Orc.

It didn’t take long to find the Orc encampment.

***

“This Orc encampment was discovered thanks to the Young Master’s efforts. Everyone, ensure you wipe them out without fail.”

—’Nod.’

While I simply nodded in response, the knights began to ride towards the discovered Orc encampment.

Beyond the forest, in a wide grassland, lay the Orc settlement.

There were only a few dozen Orcs living there.

Three expert-level knights and dozens of cavalry were more than enough to wipe them out.

“Advance!”

At Sir Leon’s command, the knights charged on horseback. In the distance, the Orcs, who had belatedly noticed them, quickly began to counterattack.

‘Phew!’

A sharp whistle pierced the air.

As the whistle cut through the wind, the knights raised their shields.

“Archers! Archers!”

“Everyone, raise your shields!”

Blocking the rain of arrows, the knights quickly spurred their horses towards the enemy before the next volley could be launched.

Naturally, I was among them.

A few rows behind the vanguard.

A position protected by knights on all sides.

I thought it was unnecessary, but the knights never left my side.

“—Urrrrgh!”

After galloping for some time, the knights spotted the Orcs brandishing their spears and swords.

The most common of monsters.

Prolific breeders, stronger than trained soldiers.

Unlike Goblins, which even farmers could hunt if they were prepared, Orcs were monsters that couldn’t be confronted without a properly trained army.

However, the moment the knights’ lance charge hit those monsters, the Orcs were scattered like bowling pins.

“Kyaagh-!”

“Tchiii!”

“Kukukruk-!”

Even though Orcs possessed monstrous strength surpassing that of humans, they were still living creatures.

A lance charge that converted the momentum of a horse weighing hundreds of kilograms into pure impact.

Moreover, if the one wielding the lance was an Aura-awakened knight, this charge was unstoppable.

“Everyone! Formation B!”

At Sir Leon’s command, the knights split into two groups.

The divided knights circled the Orcs briefly before charging again, sweeping them away.

The Orcs tried to resist with scavenged iron swords or crude spears made from tree branches… but if a cavalry charge could be stopped by such flimsy weapons, knights would have gone extinct long ago.

After striking, striking, and striking again—Sir Leon, having nearly wiped out the Orcs, judged that there was no longer any significant danger and called me over.

“Young Master, would you like to take one yourself?”

“Myself?”

“Yes, with your own sword.”

At Sir Leon’s words, I dismounted, drew my sword, and approached an Orc.

The Orcs who had survived the cavalry charge had already lost their will to fight, but they pointed their weapons at me, as if refusing to surrender their lives so easily.

I gazed steadily at the Orc before swinging my sword with a ‘whoosh’.

There was no tension of actual combat.

What stood before me was nothing more than a frightened beast, and the swordsmanship I had honed was not so weak as to be stopped by such a creature.

‘Slice-‘

After beheading the Orc without any resistance, Sir Moire, who had been watching my performance, began to clap and approach me.

‘Clap, clap, clap-‘

“As expected of the Young Master. How about hunting one more?”

“……No.”

At my words, Sir Moire muttered, “That’s what I thought,” and then proceeded to wipe out the remaining Orcs with his subordinates.

He probably thought I was frozen in shock at having taken a life for the first time… but that wasn’t the case.

‘This is… actual combat?’

I instinctively knew.

I could never grow stronger through hunts like this.

The real combat I craved was the clash of steel against steel.

A thrilling battle where no one knew who would die.

Not this one-sided slaughter.

“—Young Master, are you alright?”

When Sir Leon, sensing something was amiss, spoke to me, I silently nodded, thinking about how to experience real combat.

At least, I was certain I would never find it while accompanied by the knights my father had assigned to me.

***

The knights, returning to the territory after the patrol outside its borders, received a grand welcome.

Even though they hadn’t done anything particularly noteworthy.

I smiled wryly as I saw my father greeting me.

“Hahaha-! So, son. How was your first real combat?”

“……It was alright.”

“The first time is always a bit underwhelming. Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”

“Yes, I’d like to rest for a bit now.”

“Alright, you must be tired. Go on in.”

Bowing my head to the Count, I went to my room, unpacked, and immediately began to rearm myself.

I donned the armor and sword that the squires had polished to a gleam, and concealed them with a cloak.

I left a letter in the room so the maids wouldn’t be alarmed if they discovered I was gone.

‘Father, I’m sorry.’

I believed that if he was a knight, he would understand. Leaving the letter, I headed straight for the stables.

I led out a horse, full of energy from not having been on the expedition, and the stable hand rushed out at the sound of its whinnying.

“Young Master? Why are you taking a horse at this late hour…?”

“I feel like going for a ride.”

“Ah, yes. I understand. Then I’ll just…”

He had no power to refuse the only son of the lord, and the stable hand wisely lent me the horse.

Mounting the horse, I took the reins and began to ride out of the territory. The gatekeepers, who normally would have barred the entrance, opened the gate as if they had no choice when I casually told them I was going for a short ride.

‘The sentries here are the same.’

How could a mere soldier stop the son of a general from going for a ride?

Especially when that son was not some ignorant fool, but an expert-level knight.

Leaving the territory without any problems, I turned north.

‘If I go there… I’ll find it.’

The most dangerous region in the Empire.

The frozen land where barbarians constantly raided.

In the North, where only warriors who could survive each day lived, I was sure I would find the real combat I desired.

‘I’ll just think of it as visiting my wife’s family after a long time.’

With a compass, a cloak, and a sword, I headed north.

My family’s pursuers did not appear before I reached the frigid North.

***

Early in the morning. The Count realized that his house was unusually bustling.

He quietly left his room and stood in the hallway, observing the maids busily moving about.

‘What is it?’

This wasn’t the usual behavior of the maids, so the Count stopped one of them.

The maid he stopped wore an expression as if the world had ended and began to tremble.

“What’s all the commotion about this early in the morning?”

“C-Count… It’s…”

“It’s?”

“Y-Young Master Kyle…”

Kyle. The moment his son’s name was mentioned, the Count felt his blood run cold.

He grabbed the maid’s shoulder and pulled her towards him. The maid screamed in pain as she was dragged along.

“—What about Kyle?”

“H-He… He ran away.”

“……What?”

The Count thought he had misheard. However, the maid repeated herself, confirming his worst fears.

“He left a letter in his room and ran away—C-Count!? Count!”

“Ugh—!”

Clutching the back of his neck, the Count collapsed at the news of his son’s disappearance.

The maid shrieked as she tried to help the fallen Count.