Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Tap!

Short but swift footwork.

Jeff couldn’t keep up with Damian’s rapid movements, darting in and out.

Whoosh!

‘Damn...!’

Jeff’s brows furrowed as his sword once again cut through nothing but air.

He simply couldn’t keep up with Damian’s evasive maneuvers.

But the biggest problem wasn’t just that.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

An attack that sent a jolt through his wrist.

He managed to block it, but—

‘That was... close.’

He had almost lost track of Damian’s relentless, surging attacks.

‘My body can’t keep up anymore.’

Was it fatigue?

Jeff shook his head.

It was more that Damian’s movements were becoming faster and sharper as time went on.

“...Huff.”

Damian exhaled lightly, looking at the knight before him.

He had only fought at his full strength once before, when breaking the crystal infused with dark mana.

In other words, he had never fought all-out in a duel against a proper opponent.

However—

‘Using my mana is becoming more natural.’

And this feeling...

The more he exchanged blows with Jeff, the more Damian felt like he was returning to his old self.

Damian gripped his spear tighter and looked at Jeff.

Flinch!

At Damian’s gaze, Jeff instinctively took a step back.

Just by assuming his stance, Damian was exerting overwhelming pressure.

“I’ll finish this.”

“The hell you will!”

Jeff snapped, charging at Damian.

He knew that just defending would lead nowhere.

Attacking first was the only option left for Jeff.

“Hyaaah!”

The kingdom’s swordsmanship unfolded again.

The initial thrust aimed directly at Damian’s chest.

Whoosh!

But once again, the strike missed its mark.

Jeff bit his lip and swung his sword diagonally.

‘If he dodges this...!’

His next move was to surprise Damian with a low slash targeting his ankle instead of the usual upward strike.

But in a sudden flash—

Clang!

“...!”

Jeff found himself standing with his arms raised as if surrendering.

The moment Jeff slashed downward—

“...What the hell.”

Damian’s spear had shot up from below, knocking Jeff’s sword out of his grip.

A sharp pain tingled in Jeff’s palm.

He didn’t need to look to know.

His palm was torn.

How could a kid like this...

“You’re a monster, you little brat.”

Whoosh!

Damian’s spear surged forward, aiming for Jeff’s neck. And then—

Stop!

It halted just inches from Jeff’s throat, ending the match.

Jeff closed his eyes.

“...I’ve lost.”

His raised arms slowly lowered.

Damian withdrew his spear and bowed his head to Jeff.

“Thank you for the valuable lesson.”

“...The pleasure’s mine.”

Jeff swallowed his frustration, returned the bow, and turned away.

A loss was a loss.

He knew accepting it was the only way to move forward.

Step by step, Jeff walked back toward the barracks.

He couldn’t continue judging the candidates in his current state.

Leaving those words, Leonhark turned and headed back toward the evaluation grounds.

Vincent, who was overseeing the evaluations, called out to him.

“Instructor, where have you been?”

“I went to see the boy who sparred with Jeff.”

“That kid from earlier? Do you know him?”

“I saw him once at the training camp.”

Leonhark seemed to ponder something for a moment before speaking again.

“Captain Vincent, how about we try the operation we discussed earlier with that boy and a few of the other promising ones?”

“Pardon?”

Vincent looked puzzled.

“Aren’t they too young?”

“You saw his skills.”

“I did, but...”

Honestly, he wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it himself.

The boy’s age on his records was just fourteen.

He had only been enlisted for a year.

Yet this ordinary soldier had bested a knight of the Monster Knight Order purely on skill.

“Does his age still matter?”

“...No, sir.”

Vincent shook his head.

Having already defeated Jeff, there was nothing left for Damian to prove.

Besides...

“There are other promising recruits as well, especially the two who were tested alongside that boy.”

“They came together as comrades.”

“...Does the Neokalitz unit secretly train a special forces team or something?”

How could regular soldiers be that strong?

The other two had different styles, but they were almost on par with the testing knights.

Though they ultimately lost.

But that was only because the knights had enhanced their bodies with mana.

If they hadn’t used mana and were on equal footing...

“Alright, we’ll give that operation a try.”

Vincent’s words made a faint smile appear on Leonhark’s lips.

* * *

The room was adorned with numerous swords and shields hanging on the walls.

Armor with elaborate engravings was displayed on one side.

In the center, a middle-aged man sitting at a desk opened a box in front of him.

“...Is this it?”

“Yes, it’s a potion currently being sold to high-ranking noble families in the Baroque Kingdom.”

“Hmmm... Has the Baroque Kingdom’s technology advanced this much?”

The man’s secretary, standing before him, shook his head.

“It doesn’t seem to be that. Rather, it appears they are receiving much higher-quality herbs and materials than before.”

“Can something like that change so suddenly?”

The man asked.

It was an abrupt change, too sudden to be natural.

The secretary replied.

“...It’s unclear, but it seems something happened near the Kaldeson Mountains that run through the Baroque Kingdom.”

“Find out what that is.”

“Yes, sir.”

The secretary nodded.

“If something this good exists, shouldn’t it be presented to the Empire?”

“You’re absolutely right.”

The man picked up the potion from the box.

Its rich scent suggested it was a premium potion.

“If something like this were to spread among the Empire’s young prospects, imagine the possibilities.”

“I will expedite the process.”

“See to it.”

As the secretary left, the man stood up.

The recent war with the Spanian Kingdom had ended.

The Empire had seized considerable resources and land from the defeated Spanian Kingdom.

Yet, the Empire was still thirsty.

Very much so.

“Where will we find the source to quench this unending thirst?”

He murmured softly, staring out at the cityscape through the window.

If the city could expand even further and the Empire’s influence could spread across the entire continent...

“Hahaha, it’s thrilling just to imagine.”

But the man’s expression quickly hardened.

He had no intention of leaving it as just an imagination.

“Once they start moving...”

The time was approaching.

A subtle, dark smile spread across the man’s face.

The Empire was already secretly aiming its blade at the continent.