Chapter 28

༺ The First Letter (28) ༻

One should always be cautious with the use of force.

Every authoritarian essentially has the trait of privatizing force. In the eyes of the rulers, uncontrollable power is evil, and it was only judged as a thorn to be removed by any means possible.

It was only then that order could be maintained.

The order of the Empire originates from the Emperor, the order of the Southern Kingdoms originates from the Kings of each Kingdom, and the order of the Holy Kingdom originates from the God Arus. What they all had in common was that they were the pinnacle of power in each state.

Therefore, ‘just violence’ is something which only the authorities have the right to wield. This was also the case at the academy, which nurtures talented people who will shoulder the future of each nation. Rather, it would have been better to say that the Academy was a microcosm of this power struggle.

In most cases, violence was not permitted. However, everyone knew that violence was being perpetrated inside the academy, but problems didn’t arise since it was generally governed by the rules imposed by the system.

Nobles are tolerated even if they use a certain level of violence against commoners. It might change if it were to be done in a public place, but otherwise, most commoners didn’t make a big deal out of it.

You could stay as an academy student for only 4 years. After that, when they venture out into the world, the gap between nobles and commoners will become clear again, so they have no choice but to be patient.

Instead, it was customary practice for the nobles to cover everything that happened in the academy. The more this happened, the harsher the punishment bestowed upon those who dared to cross the line.

It was a strategy for the aristocracy to secure an upper hand within the academy.

Thus, while the academy might seem to advocate equality on the outside, deep down, one can’t deny the hierarchy of power.

That’s why Thean’s gang was unable to respond properly when I slapped the face of the aristocrat, or when I unsheathed the sword hanging from my waist.

It was because their brain could not comprehend the present reality.

I’m an aristocrat as well, but at best I was only the second son of a countryside Viscount.

On the other hand, even though they were from the Southern Kingdoms, Thean’s gang was a clique of children from high-ranking noble families. Actually, the first man I hit seems to be from the Empire.

However, they would never have imagined that I would suddenly attack first, and that complacency gave me a huge advantage.

I passed Thean in front of me and hit one of the gang members in the face as they tried to get up.

A man flew through the air with a great thump. Even though he had been hit with a sword’s hilt, he shouldn’t have died, but since he was hit in the face by a metal object, he must have at least lost consciousness.

Then, in the next moment, my bleak eyes sank in search of the next victim.

It was then that Thean’s gang came to their senses.

From the mouth of the man who had just been beaten by me, a couple of white teeth flew into the sky. One of the gang members saw this and let out a scream.

“Hey, you crazy bastard! What the fuck are you doi......Aarghh!”

That was his last line. It was because the way he pointed at me without drawing his sword properly caught my attention.

My next action was simple. Thean’s gang was clustered together, so my next target was also at close range.

I twisted the foot I stepped on and slammed the sword’s pommel into the man’s chin. He then made a gasping sound, and before he could even let out a muffled groan, my scabbard was slammed into his neck.

As a sound of crushing a tightly packed muscular mass resounded. The dull sound of compressed air exploding was heard.

The man’s eyes lost focus.

Thump, the giant man fell. Now, the number of people left was five, a number small enough to give it a try.

I took a deep breath and scanned the surroundings. At that moment I heard the sound of swords being drawn out. It seemed that the aristocrat I knocked out at the start was the only mage.

As the rest were drawing their swords. Then what I needed to do was simple.

Against the gang, who hesitatingly pointed their swords at me, I said with a smirk.

“Come on, bastards. Are you scared?”

Maybe because he was unable to withstand my provocation any longer, one of the gang members screamed.

“Let’s kill him! That bastard is alone!”

But in the eyes of the man who howled like that, there were signs of fear and tension that could not be hidden.

In an instant, three out of the eight fell. Even so, this was the result of not attacking Thean who can be called the strongest menace.

In fact, it was highly likely that I would have been in trouble if I had attacked Thean first. This was because Thean has one of the highest levels of skill in the Knight’s Faculty, unlike these morons.

No matter how I attacked by surprise, he was not an opponent that could be defeated with a single blow. Above all, he was a man who was surprisingly cautious and respected in his own way in the group.

The feeling of two solid objects interlocking with the sound of a clang crept up through my arms. The power of the opponent’s strike was so strong that I almost let go of the handle, but I clenched my teeth and gave strength to strike the sword.

I hit the chin of the last man, who still had bewildered eyes, with my head. My body, which had been slightly bent, stretched out relying on its strong flexibility and then shot upwards.

Thud, my head hurt, but it was nothing compared to the man who was hit directly in the chin.

The man who was hit in the chin staggered, then fell down. Now there were seven men moaning on the ground.

Of course, I wasn’t safe either. The muscles in the back where I got hit by that blow continued to remind me of the pain. It was normal for my head to be dizzy after hitting someone’s chin with it.

So, while staggering, I picked up the sword that I had thrown away before. I then stood up straight.

Because there was still one enemy left.

Thean Eitri. Copper skin, golden hair, and a muscular body that symbolizes a trained warrior.

He frowned, watching his gang and me fighting. His mouth opened slowly.

“... ... I thought you were a little smarter.”

“Why did you have to touch someone who was quiet?”

With a sigh, he pulled out the great sword that was on his back. At this point, the fight could not be avoided. It was a fact that he and I knew well.

Even so, Thean showed a sign of dissatisfaction as he clicked his tongue. His eyes sank deeply.

“Ian, your agility and footwork have improved a lot... In that short time frame, how did you improve your skills so quickly? Did Yurdina’s bastard give you an elixir?”

Hearing those words, I gasped since I had trouble breathing due to the my fatigue and injuries, and glared at him. A smirk came out of my mouth.

“You sleazy bastard... They say that if you are a student of the Knight’s Faculty, you shouldn’t pry into other people’s secrets regardless of the grade you’re in.”

“They are still my competitors, aren’t they?”

“Yet you still touched the topic of Seria’s mother?”

Thean only snorted at my growling voice. A cruel light flashed in his eyes.

“I think you are misunderstanding something.......”

And the next moment.

Boom! An explosive sound echoed in front of me. Thean hit the ground and rushed in. That giant’s body was shot like a bullet.

It was unbelievable even though I was seeing it with my own eyes. Everything seemed to disappear from his vision except for me, otherwise such a straightforward charge would be impossible.

Reckless, not even considering other variables. So it felt even more powerful.

My sharpened sense had already warned that Thean was about to deliver a surprise attack. So my response was not late.

My sword blocked Thean’s sword path. But that was it.

Along with the shock wave and a thud, the sensation of my intestines being twisted surged through my body. A suppressed groan escaped from my mouth. I felt like I was about to vomit blood.

Thean’s arm muscles twitched. Footprints were dented on his location.

“Ugh......!”

“I gather information to know the opponent’s weaknesses. You know? You too, Ian.”

And once more, the great sword slammed down. With a blow that was even stronger than before, my body blocking the sword slid backwards.

My arms were already trembling, and I had only exchanged two blows with him.

My bloodshot glare turned to Thean, but he just smiled at me.

“Your mana has increased, but it is still below average. So it doesn’t matter to me.”

Thean Eitri, the heir of the Eitri County, residing in the Southern Kingdoms.

His talent as a swordsman could stem from numerous qualities. His innate viciousness and cruelty, a cautious attitude which leads him to observe the situation for a while, and the strong body — characteristic of the residents of Eitri County.

But if I had to pick just one of them, I would probably give the same answer nine times out of ten.

Mana.

His innate mana reserve was so huge that I couldn’t even compare to him.