Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Babel and Joshua stood in a small training ground in the backyard of the Duke’s mansion. This time, Babel’s sword wasn’t wooden. His reflection could be seen clearly on the shiny blade.

“This is my very own training ground, so you don’t have to worry about someone coming. Last time, we played games with those pathetic toys... I don’t think I can wield my mana properly through a piece of wood. This time, I want to fight using a real sword.” Babel shot Joshua a smug grin. The birds scattered from the trees around them, as if they could sense the danger in the air.

“If you need a sword, I can lend you one—” Joshua interrupted him with a laugh.

“What’s funny?” Babel asked.

“You’re still the same, old, Babel von Agnus. Pfft—”

Babel scowled derisively at Joshua.

“When I saw the look in your eyes, I thought ‘Did it happen again?’”

“What do you mean?” Babel frowned.

“Babel von Agnus... treasure of the family.” Joshua didn’t bother hiding his smirk. “You think you can fool me with that pathetic act of yours? Your desire for victory is just an illusion! All you really want is to get your filthy mitts on the Duchy, and be acknowledged to have the talent for it!”

“You...!” Babel’s face flushed red. This insult was a disgrace to his very name!

‘You said I’m doing this for recognition? What a load of bullshit. ’ Babel thought.

Who was he? He was Babel von Agnus—the treasure of the Agnus Duchy and only heir to the Agnus dukedom; a C-Class Knight at the age of fourteen, renowned across the Empire. A person worthy of respect for just being... himself?

‘Such trash dares to...’

“No more insults will be tolerated,” Babel grunted, hefting his sword. “Take up your weapon, Joshua.”

“I don’t need any weapons.”

“What?” Babel stared blankly.

“For you, these fists are enough.” Joshua raised his bare hands. “Let me show you the difference between our talents.”

Babel’s face burned unbelievably red.

“Die!” Babel roared and dashed towards Joshua. He wasted no time gathering his mana into a hazy blue mist around his sword. It was not a perfect manifestation, but it was clearly mana.

“Haa!”

This time, his swing was neat and efficient, unlike the ignorant movements that he had shown before. Elementary, but powerful.

A glint flashed across Joshua’s eyes.

When Joshua tilted to the side to avoid his attack, Babel calmly turned his sword towards Joshua’s side. The sword hissed through the air. But...

‘He disappeared?’ Babel couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

“Here.” A voice announced from above him, and Babel’s head snapped upward.

Pang!?

Babel’s sword rang from the impact of Joshua’s fist.

“Hngh!” Babel desperately clutched the hilt of his sword, which was rapidly becoming slick with his blood.

‘So much power.’?

Cold sweat trickled down his back as he took two steps back. He wondered if Joshua was trying to make a fool out of him by fighting with just his bare hands.

Many knights considered losing their sword in battle a fate more shameful than death. As a result, they tended to treat hand-to-hand combat as a vulgar act for lowly mercenaries, and were not adept at that.

“I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your face.”

“What?”

“You must have ignored the fundamentals of hand-to-hand combat because it’s ‘just for sellswords,’ huh?”

Babel flinched when Joshua exposed his thoughts.

“From now on...” Joshua clenched his fists. “I will show you just how terrifying martial arts can be.”

The combat arts Joshua had learned encompassed more than just the spear. They detailed various techniques to subdue the enemy using every part of his body.

Joshua shot towards Babel.

“Ma-Mana?” Even in such a brief instant, Babel could see the energy in Joshua’s fists. It was accompanied by a ringing sound that lasted for a mere fraction of a second.

Mana in his bare fists! Infusing mana into the body was an ability exclusive to Masters; the difficulty of simply applying mana to an external medium such as a sword was orders of magnitude below applying it directly to the body.

“Haah!” Babel desperately swung at Joshua.

The mana condensed on Joshua’s fist exploded against the tip of Babel’s sword. The training grounds shook from the detonation, louder even than the last time. Joshua had detonated his mana just before impact, doubling his effective power.

The name of this technique was “Aura Explosion”, and as far as Joshua was aware, only he himself could use it.

“Ugh...” Babel tumbled away, head over heels. Blood dripped from his mouth, and his sword, which he’d barely managed to keep his grip on, was bent at the tip.

It was as if he’d slammed his sword into a block of iron.

“Damn it.” Babel slumped.

He did not want to admit it, but he had to: this guy was a genius. A genius incomparable to himself, who was already considered the best in the Empire.

It was then that Babel understood how vast the sky was.

“Are you upset?” Joshua’s voice rattled his exhausted body.

“Get stronger.”

‘I know these words.’ Babel’s eyes widened. He’d heard the same thing from someone else not so long ago. ‘I need to get stronger...?’

While Babel mulled over those words, Joshua continued.

“Don’t forget this feeling. Don’t forget how you were beaten down by someone using their bare fists... the fists you looked down on so much.”

He wanted to make an excuse, but nothing came to mind. After all, he was the one who had lost the battle.

“Originally, I had planned to completely break one of your limbs, and turn you into a fool.”

Babel trembled. He knew that Joshua was not lying, and that Joshua had the strength to execute his words.

“But because I haven’t seen a passion like that in a long time, I will let it slide this once.”

Babel heaved a sigh of relief.

“However...” Joshua approached.

“Tell me!” Babel desperately heaved himself up. The pain of defeat twisted his stomach, but he managed to look Joshua in the eyes. The latter had a cold glint in his gaze.

“If you insult me or my mother again...”

Babel swallowed a dry cough as Joshua continued in a low tone.

“...I will make sure... that hand of yours can never hold a sword again.”

For the first time in his life, the proud Babel felt fear as his entire being trembled. He had never even experienced anything similar to this even when he stood before his father, the Grand Duke Agnus.

“You and me, right now... don’t forget how I made you kneel.” With that, Joshua walked away.

To Babel, it seemed as if Joshua’s back was larger than life. n0veLusB.c0m

“Damn it.” His quiet murmur echoed in the empty training hall as he allowed himself to collapse to the ground.

***

One of the most secretive places in the Duchy was the Duchess’s room.

In the middle of Vanessa’s room, a glowing orb of mana crystal sat on a wooden desk.

A portable crystal ball like this one would cost incomprehensible amounts of money. Even high-ranking nobles above the Count rank would struggle to acquire one. It was hardly a normal artifact, after all; these crystal orbs, developed by a Magic Tower Master, were worth tens of thousands of gold at a minimum. At that price, one could purchase any castle in the countryside.

As the crystal ball brightened, a human figure became visible within.

“Everything is ready.” The robed figure bowed deeply to Vanessa before stepping back.

“Uncle?”

—Oh, Vanessa. It’s been a long time. Has the Duke treated you well?

“I am always fine.” Vanessa’s lips drew into a deep smile. It had been a long while since she had last seen her uncle. “Are you doing well?”

—Well, Arcadia is the same as always. The same boring routine, every day.

“That’s right.” Vanessa nodded along, but her eyes glittered with malice.

Her next words were quiet, but heavy and cold like a snowstorm.

“Uncle... I have something to ask of you.”