Chapter 133

Chapter 133ToCA little while ago again.

Leon and Nox practiced swordsmanship. It would be more interesting to go back to that confrontation and tell the story.

First, Leon summoned a number of undead and gave them swords.

It was a clear indication of his determination to defeat Nox, that he didn’t care if his honor was tarnished.

As Nox watched, he couldn’t help but think.

‘So, that territory battle in the past... it changed him. Forcing him out of the egg is dangerous. I’d be nervous if he wasn’t an ally.’

What is a true noble like?

They’re respectful, overly polite, and......

They’re kind of assholes, to be honest.

They’re also very polite, which means they don’t like to roll with the punches, even in battle. They don’t like to touch the ground, they don’t like to step in the mud.

However, while Leon is a man of noble manners, he shows a completely different side in battle.

He seeks only to win, and he will do so at any cost to himself.

As Nox suspected, this was likely influenced by his past.

After the death of Leon’s father, the previous head of House Marvas, the family’s fortunes had tipped.

All the nobles who had shown him favor turned against him, culminating in a turf war that shook the young man to his core.

Leon was deeply disgusted by the betrayal of those he had trusted.

And rightly so.

House Marvas.

One of the Three Great Dark Houses, they were considered the next best thing to Nox’s Reinhafer and Lana’s Sader.

Naturally, House Marvas was not without its share of gossipy nobles, each with a blade of vigilantism hidden within.

But young Leon thought they were genuinely out of love for his house and the Six Sisters.

In the days of his innocence.

‘But it was all a lie, and in many ways it proves that he has his reasons for struggling.’

Nox laughed bitterly.

For, as he said, Leon was now a changed man.

It was the behavior of the other nobles that caused this.

Proof of this is the fact that as soon as House Marvas was shown to be in decline, the very nobles who were trying to look good for House Marvas immediately rebelled in secret.

This was evidenced by the fact that they immediately turned against Leon.

The Great War.

It cost Leon’s father and most of his family.

They had managed to keep the lands from falling into the wrong hands, but now, for the last time, no one was willing to take his side. Even the vassals had already turned to others.

Leon realized that he had a power that the Marvas hadn’t wielded for many years. He awakened the ability to use the Necronomicon.

A black lion called Berger infiltrated his soul and signed a pact with him.

Thanks to this, Leon was able to win the final battle for control of the final territory.

The young patriarch of the House of Command.

{TN: They command the dead}

There were many words to describe Leon, but this was the one that Nox felt was best suited to describe him.

And with such desperation.

For now, he had made the right decision.

Knowing he could never defeat him with a sword, he turned to his specialty: summoning the undead. Using the cunning wielders of the sword, he straddles the line of swordplay.

-Isn’t that cheating?

-It’s a swordsmanship class, after all!

-I thought they were nobles... but they’re underworlders...!

For the first time, Nox admired Leon.

He doesn’t pay any attention to the voices of others.

He simply moves on, determined to revive his family name.

Leon von Marvas.

Nox knew better than anyone that there were few units as solid as him.

But.

Nox was no pushover either.

For no one could deny that a terrible burden rested on his shoulders, a burden that had no equal.

Nox mused.

‘I’m sorry, but...... I have to live, too.’

He raised his wooden sword and poured his magic into it. The most beautiful thing in life, he thought, is the struggle to stay alive.

A faint smile tugs at the corners of Nox’s mouth.

What followed was a beautiful sword dance.

* * *

[Activates the active skill “Black Island Crescendo”].

Black energy converged on the sword, and with a crackling sound, it drew an arc.

It is a being born of darkness.

It begins to expand, slicing through the undead in one swift motion.

The sight of the undead crumbling through its gaping maw was beautiful, to say the least.

That it was the sword of Nox von Reinhafer, a scion of the Dark House, was not a disadvantage to those who aspired to become swordsmen.

It was a sword that had reached a level they could not hope to reach, and that was what it meant to be a swordsman.

Chwaaaahhh!

A Sword mark remains.

Light flashes between the crossed blades, and a handful of toothy, rusted swords rush toward Nox.

The few beasts he hasn’t managed to cut down have taken advantage of the opportunity to attack.

‘This many... I might not be able to fight them all.’

Nox thinks to himself and calms himself.

In the silence that descends upon him, black energy slowly seeps into his sword. It never overflows, like water held to its limit in a cup. It surges upward and fills until the final, final moment.

And then.

And with that, the battle was over.

With Vernon’s shout, I am a victor waiting for my next opponent. I was tempted to take a break, but by the looks of it, that was never going to happen.

‘......Well, there’s nothing I can do.’

Naturally, Vernon would want to know my limits. As an instructor, it’s only natural to push a talented cadet to their limits.

Furthermore, the Imperial Family’s techniques require a great deal of basic physical strength.

If you don’t have the endurance, you can’t learn. Careful, deliberate steps. And then another step, and another, and another, and then another.

It’s tiring for me in many ways, but I have no choice but to do it. I guess that’s what it means.

Anyway.

For quite some time afterward, I sparred swords with other cadets.

Few, of course, were up to my standards.

I used [Insight] to see if there were any more talented ones, but it was too soon.

A little more time would pass, perhaps after the transfer students from the other academies arrived, but I didn’t see any outstanding ones yet.

And just like that, the day was coming to a close.

“I, too, choose Nox von Reinhafer as my opponent.”

Like the rolling of a jade ball, the fluid voice brought up a status bar with ridiculous stats.

The next person to appear could not have been more familiar.

“......Princess?”

I asked, genuinely puzzled.

“I don’t know why you chose me out of the blue.......”

Penelope von Arkheim.

The Princess who is supposed to be betrothed to me has chosen me.

......Isn’t this dangerous?

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.

She stands before me with a strange smile on her face and a sword in her hand.

This is not right.

With every fiber of my being, I struggle to resist her.

To make matters worse, I hear voices around me.

-I think the Princess chose Nox von Reinhafer on purpose....

-What?! The betrothal... Is that why?

-I think so.......

-But what does that have to do with the fight?

I feel my ears prick up even more as the speculation continues.

Penelope speaks up.

“I have pretty good ears.”

As soon as I heard that, I felt my heart drop.

Oh... no?

[Talent ‘Master of Acting’ shakes violently].

Unsettling words echoed in my ears.

I grip my sword and prepare for a duel. Vernon is none of my business. My duel with Penelope has been arranged.

Penelope stares at me, holding her mismatched sword, and I can feel the chill in her smile that belies her seriousness.

“Don’t worry, give it your all. Just enough so that the Empire doesn’t have you in custody for the murder of the Princess.”

“......That might be difficult.”

“Then begin!”

And so.......

I don’t know.

After deciding to think about it later, I rushed towards the princess to exchange swords with her.

‘I knew it. The princess is a wizard, not a swordsman. Even her talent is non-existent there. Her posture was also wrong... ... .’

That’s what I thought.

“Huh?”

I heard a strange cry in my training...

It wasn’t until a moment later that I realized it had come out of my mouth.

I felt my body go limp, and for a moment I felt an almost insane sense of exhaustion.

A muffled noise follows.

[You have gained Nervous Breakdown Lv 5 as a result of the Talent ‘Nuisance’].

[The player’s Tension level has exceeded its limit].

[The player’s consciousness is briefly interrupted].

Pop.

(Tog.)

Penelope immediately rushed to me and struck me with her sword, knocking me to the ground.

I hear a few voices piercing my fading mind.

-You... you still love the Princess, don’t you? Being struck for her!

No, no.

I cried out desperately as I collapsed.

-Yes, the Princess is so beautiful, it can’t be helped.

-But... if you look at it that way, Nox, that kid is insanely handsome too.......

That’s not true!

But before my shout could be heard, Vernon called out.

“......The winner is Princess, Penelope von Arkheim.”

Damn it.

(jegilal.)

I cursed under my breath and drifted into unconsciousness.

ToC