The Academy’s Hard-Headed Swordmaster

Aura.

The supernatural ability used by knights.

Even for talented squires, it takes a considerable amount of time to awaken their Aura.

It’s a power that doesn’t inherently exist within the body.

The very idea of generating it through breathing and then ‘feeling’ it is preposterous.

Humans can’t even feel the blood flowing through their own veins.

If, by some miracle, one succeeds in sensing the presence of Aura, the next step is to control it freely.

This is as difficult as manually controlling one’s heartbeat or regulating blood flow.

Only after completing this process does a squire become an Aura User.

‘Actually, even becoming an Aura User is incredibly difficult…’

The breathing technique to generate Aura, the talent to sense and manipulate it, and the environment to train for weeks or even months without any tangible results.

Possessing all of these is no easy feat.

It’s not for nothing that even after combing through all the knights in the entire family, the number of Expert-level knights can be counted on one hand.

And yet, I, a novice in Aura, had reached the Expert level.

‘It’s absurd.’

If the Count hadn’t witnessed it with his own eyes, if he had only heard it from others, he would never have believed it.

He believed it only because it was his own son, and he had personally witnessed him ascend to the Expert level.

“Judging by your current state, it seems I have no advice to offer you regarding Aura.”

The Count said, looking down at me.

Indeed, how could he advise someone on handling Aura when that person had managed to transfer it to an external object on their first day?

My Aura capacity might be a little lacking, but that’s just a matter of time.

Deciding to move on from the topic of Aura, the Count took a wooden sword hanging on the wall.

“So, I shall teach you swordsmanship.”

“Oh! Finally!”

The family’s Secret Swordsmanship.

Filled with anticipation at the prospect of learning it, I gazed intently at the Count.

Sensing my gaze, the Count grinned and swung his sword in a flash.

A gust of wind whooshed past, obscuring my vision.

Blinking, I was trying to replay what I had just seen when the Count’s words snapped me back to reality.

“—And that concludes it.”

Having demonstrated the entire Secret Swordsmanship, which was never revealed to anyone outside the direct Meyer bloodline, the Count sheathed his sword and looked at me.

“Well? Can you imitate it?”

“…I ‘can’ imitate it, but…”

I picked up a wooden sword beside me and copied the Secret Swordsmanship the Count had just shown me.

One technique involved scraping the sword along the ground before flicking it upwards.

Another involved raising the sword above my head and leaping forward to slam it down.

A meaningless-looking thrust and a slash.

“What kind of Secret Swordsmanship is this?”

A secret technique should be a finishing move that can instantly defeat an opponent, a surprise attack that’s impossible to counter on first sight, or a technique involving subtle movements of fingers and toes.

However, what the Count had just shown me didn’t fall into any of those categories.

‘It’s not some elementary school kid’s idea of the ultimate swordsmanship, is it…?’

Attacks that needlessly break one’s stance wouldn’t work. However, contrary to my thoughts, the Count grinned and revealed the secret of the secret technique.

“Actually, the outward appearance isn’t that important. The most crucial aspect of the Secret Swordsmanship is the Aura manipulation technique.”

“Aura manipulation technique…?”

“Yes. Imbuing the swordsmanship with Aura. I’ll show you.”

Saying so, the Count sent me back a good distance and reenacted the techniques he had shown me earlier.

Unlike the previous clumsy movements, the Secret Swordsmanship infused with Aura was truly worthy of being called a secret art.

“First Form: Earth Dragon Flash.”

The First Form, which had initially looked like scooping up dirt from the ground, transformed into a technique that churned the earth and launched clods of soil at the enemy like projectiles.

“Second Form: Lion’s Dance.”

The silly-looking jump and swing became the majestic roar of the king of beasts, tearing the enemy to shreds.

“Third Form: Nameless Slash.”

The nameless slack displayed terrifying power, capable of cutting through anything it touched.

After unleashing three secret arts in quick succession, the Count wiped away his sweat and looked at me.

“Well? Can you imitate it now?”

Somehow, the Count seemed even larger than before.

At that moment, I fell in love with the sword.

Five years have passed since I began learning the sword.

‘ ‘ ‘

My morning routine is quite monotonous.

Usually, I learn swordsmanship from the Count.

When the Count is away from the territory, I spar with Sir Leon or practice on my own.

While learning about Aura, I realized that neglecting strength training because growth might stop is foolish.

This world is a game-like fantasy, and true to its nature, it’s filled with various items that don’t exist in reality.

Potions are among my favorites.

After pushing my muscles to their limit, I can drink a potion to achieve super-fast recovery.

“Nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine, one thousand…!”

After completing my daily morning routine of a thousand swings, I checked my warmed-up body and immediately went to find Sir Leon.

With the Count away from the territory, it was time for sparring with Sir Leon after my independent training.

Leaving the training grounds reserved for the direct lineage and heading towards the general training ground, I spotted Sir Leon training with the soldiers and knights.

“Sir Leon.”

“Ah, Young Master. You’ve arrived.”

Sir Leon, who had been diligently instructing the knights, immediately entrusted the training to another Senior Knight upon hearing my voice and approached me.

We headed to my private training ground, away from prying eyes.

Arriving at the training ground, Sir Leon looked at the sweat stains on the floor and spoke.

“Have you finished your morning training?”

“Yes.”

“I see. I was just getting warmed up myself.”

Sir Leon immediately drew his sword.

Since he couldn’t point a real sword at the direct heir of the family he served, it was still a wooden sword—

However, in the hands of such a skilled individual, even a wooden sword became a sufficiently threatening weapon. I gripped my now familiar wooden sword and faced him.

“Same rules as always.”

“No Aura—Understood.”

As soon as our conversation ended, I exchanged blows with Sir Leon.

A smile always graced Sir Leon’s face as he parried my attacks.

I hated that smile. I wanted to shatter his composure and see his true face.

“Hah-!”

“Haha, Young Master. Too predictable! Too predictable!”

I had yet to defeat Sir Leon.

Unless I used Aura or the Secret Swordsmanship, but those were both forbidden in our spars.

No Aura, no Secret Swordsmanship—all that remained were my trained body and honed sword skills.

It goes without saying that there was no way I, with only five years of training under my belt, could defeat Sir Leon.

He was the top Senior Knight.

The captain of the Meyer Knights, a genius knight who had been honing his body and swordsmanship for decades.

“Thrust incoming!”

Simultaneously with Sir Leon’s warning, a sharp wooden blade lunged towards my throat.

I knew how to counter a thrust. I had practiced it thousands, tens of thousands of times with this body.

The fruits of my labor shone through as I successfully parried the thrust, which was so fast the tip of the sword was barely visible.

But that was it. I couldn’t go any further.

Before I knew it, our wooden swords were locked, mere inches from my face.

“I win again.”

The moment I parried the thrust and launched a counterattack, Sir Leon responded with a counter to my counter.

I knew the technique to counter ‘that’ counter, but I was a step too slow, my body not yet accustomed to it.

Thus, I lost. With a look of frustration, I sheathed my sword and glared at Sir Leon.

“…If I were a little taller, I would have won.”

“Perhaps. But Young Master, remember this.”

—The enemy won’t wait for you to grow.

“‘If I were taller,’ ‘If I were stronger,’ ‘If I had trained more’—these are all meaningless hypotheticals.”

If the opponent is faster, predict their movements.

If the enemy is stronger, overcome them with technique, not strength.

If they are skilled, find a way to neutralize their skills.

The weak don’t always lose to the strong.

Above all, a knight is someone who trains diligently to ‘become’ strong.

“The sweat you shed today will lessen the blood you spill on the battlefield. Strive for improvement, Young Master.”

“…I know. I know.”

“—Though, Young Master, you are not weak. In fact, you are quite strong.”

“Strong? I’ve never won once.”

Sir Leon burst out laughing at my words.

After a hearty chuckle, he abruptly stopped and began stroking his chin.

“Hmm, I suppose constantly losing can be a bad habit.”

Sir Leon looked down at me, his eyes gleaming. It was the look he often had when he was pondering something about me.

I called it his “gay mode.”

Sir Leon, in his gay mode, asked me,

“Young Master, have you ever considered… sparring with the other knights?”

***

Among the knights, the greatest point of interest was martial prowess. Who is stronger? Who fights better? How can one fight better?

And—within House Meyer, a former Sword Family, the direct heir could not escape this focus.

—Just how strong ‘is’ Young Master Kyle?

This question circulated among the knights. Stories about Kyle were only rumors; no one had witnessed his abilities firsthand.

Even if they asked Leon, the only knight who interacted with Kyle, he would just grin and offer a single, cryptic statement:

‘He is the future Sword Saint.’

This statement was so outlandish that the knights assumed Leon was simply flattering the Count to gain his favor.

Of course, a few knights who knew Leon’s character refuted this, leading to increasing curiosity about Kyle’s true skills and talent.

And finally—Kyle appeared before them.

“This is Young Master Kyle. As you all know… he’s here today to observe the skills of our knights.”

“…Observe our skills, sir?”

“He wishes to spar with you directly.”

Upon hearing Leon’s words, the knights understood the implication.

Kyle would evaluate their skills, and in turn, they would finally be able to gauge Kyle’s abilities.

The uncut gem that the Count and Leon had kept hidden would finally be revealed.

The knights clenched and unclenched their hands in anticipation, their gazes shifting between Leon and Kyle.

Leon grinned at the knights.

“Victor? Would you like to be the first to demonstrate your skills?”

“Yes! I understand!”

A fifteen-year-old apprentice knight raised his hand at Leon’s words.

He had been living as a squire, dreaming of knighthood, for seven years.

He had been learning the sword for two years longer than Kyle and was five years older.

Five years might not seem like much for adults, but among teenage boys, it was a significant difference.

A considerable physical gap that was almost impossible to overcome without exceptional talent.

Victor stepped forward, gripped his sword, and stood before Kyle.

“The rules are simple. No Aura. No serious injuries.”

“Understood.”

“Understood.”

Hearing the conditions, Victor felt confident in his victory. No Aura? Then all that mattered was physical conditioning and swordsmanship.

This young master’s physique looked less than half his own. No matter how hard he had trained, he was still just a ten-year-old boy.

Could he possibly surpass him in swordsmanship? Victor shook his head.

He had been training with the sword for over seven years.

It was unlikely that the ten-year-old young master had been holding a sword since he was three, so his experience must be inferior.

‘This is my chance, a chance to impress the senior knights…’

“Then—begin!”

The moment Leon gave the command, Victor swung his sword.

A sneaky tactic, aiming for the opponent’s unguarded moment at the very start.

A surprise attack that any beginner would inevitably fall for. Kyle showed no reaction as the sword flew towards him.

As expected—how much sparring experience could this young master possibly have?

Just as Victor thought this, he realized he was looking up at the sky.

“…Huh?”

‘Thud!’

The delayed shock of the world turning upside down hit him.

Without even knowing what had happened, Victor lost consciousness.

“Anyone else?”

Having neutralized Victor in a single move, Kyle walked forward, casually swinging his wooden sword.

At that moment, the eyes of numerous knights began to gleam.