Chapter 101. < 39. Watch Lumian Callad (3) >
"This is Tarazan Academy's training grounds."
"Oh, it's wide."
"It is. Bigger than I thought."
"There are a lot of people too. Everyone's training really hard."
The voices of the two Rhodesian apprentice knights could be heard murmuring.
Lumian smiled inwardly. He got a positive feeling from their tone.
Though he hadn't even been an academy student for a year, perhaps because his original memories remained, he felt a sense of belonging. It was only natural for a Tarazan person to feel good hearing Tarazan praised.
On the other hand.
"Hmm……."
"Shall we take a look at their skills?"
Watching reactions like this, uncomfortable feelings were inevitable.
Lumian inwardly grumbled as he looked at the two apprentice knights from Sharlotte.
'What kind of bastards have no manners like this?'
It was absurd.
Actually, Lumian had roughly guessed. Sharlotte Kingdom wasn't particularly interested in improving relations with Tarazan.
Most likely, they wanted to forge connections with Zenas Kingdom and Rhodesia Kingdom, so they belatedly stuck their foot in. That much was fully understandable.
However, even if nominally, if they came to 'promote friendship with Tarazan Kingdom,' they should maintain some basic courtesy, but their attitudes had been consistently irritating.
It felt like they kept scratching at him without crossing the line, so to speak.
'Surely they don't think I'm not listening?'
He didn't know. He hoped that was actually the case.
But bad premonitions never failed.
One of the two, the particularly obnoxious guy, Joel Cock, spoke loudly as if wanting to be heard.
"Well, it's about what I expected."
"Is that so? It's much better than I expected."
He didn't openly criticize.
But anyone with sense could tell. That Joel Cock was looking down on Tarazan Academy's knight cadets.
The guy next to him went even further. He wore an obvious sneer, and Lumian felt an impulse to punch his protruding front teeth.
Of course, he shouldn't.
'Just endure it.'
If it were a personal matter, he might have beaten them secretly in a back alley.
But this involved the entire kingdom. Right now, wasn't he in the position of being Tarazan's face, guiding the delegation party?
If he acted however he pleased just because he felt bad, he wasn't a knight. No, he'd be worse than lowly mercenaries wandering the streets.
Therefore, Lumian didn't distort his expression or do anything threatening like emitting killing intent.
Instead, he offered a slight defense for Tarazan Academy.
"This is the public training ground. The Knight Department receives the most support in our academy, so the grounds are quite extensive. Even so, many knight cadets use it to the point where empty spots are hard to find."
"That does seem true."
"Everyone's working hard."
The Rhodesian apprentice knights spoke as if in agreement.
The two from Zenas also nodded silently. Both seemed to be the quiet type.
That was good.
Lumian, who thought it would be nice if only the women talked and the men stayed quiet, continued his explanation.
"Perhaps to the apprentice knights who will be responsible for each country's future, it may look somewhat lacking. There are students who are young and haven't been learning the sword for long. But their enthusiasm and fighting spirit are tremendous. They are proud cadets who will lead Tarazan."
Phew, Lumian exhaled after speaking at length like a speech.
He had spoken quite politely, making sure they understood.
You guys are lacking in many ways compared to them, but don't sneer at kids who are working hard. Don't provoke them further.
'This should stop them from picking more fights.'
It was a fairly clean handling. Thinking so, Lumian deliberately looked at the Sharlotte side with an innocent smile.
Then the face of the guy standing on the right turned slightly red.
It seemed he recognized his mistake. Seeing he couldn't meet his eyes, he seemed to at least know what shame was.
Right. So being an apprentice knight, his character wasn't completely trash.
While thinking that, the guy on the left sneered.
It was Joel Cock again. He looked straight at Lumian and spoke.
"I see. I understand well. The talents who will lead Tarazan Kingdom, I've seen them well."
"……Is there something more you'd like to say?"
"Ah, it's just that…… I've seen enough knight cadets overflowing with passion, so now I'd like to see the skilled ones."
"What did you say?"
Lumian asked with an expressionless face.
His tone was sharper than before. He didn't raise his aura, but it was clear he was in a bad mood.
But Joel Cock remained the same. With a grinning face, he continued.
"Ah, my. I apologize. My words had some room for misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? What part are you referring to?"
"Well, what I meant was, hmm. I heard Tarazan Academy has a separate space prepared for outstanding cadets, besides the public training ground."
"......."
"The scholarship student training ground, I think it was called…… isn't that the name?"
"The exact name is the Black Griffin Training Ground. It symbolizes Tarazan…… well, people call it the scholarship student training ground."
"I see. Could you guide us there? Since we're here, I'd like to see the swordsmanship of stronger people."
He used polite expressions, but perhaps due to his expression and voice, he still felt obnoxious.
Lumian answered in a dry voice.
"I understand your feelings, but unfortunately, the Black Griffin Training Ground is officially closed to the public."
"Come on, but……."
"Furthermore, many seniors participating in the sword tournament are currently at the Black Griffin Training Ground, and there are concerns about military exposure being revealed…… I'm sorry, but I hope you'll understand that point as well."
"Ha, is that so? That's a shame."
Phew, was it finally over? Lumian muttered inwardly.
This kind of work really didn't suit him. Unlike his previous life, in this life where he wanted to live freely, such official duties were something he'd rather decline.
But, truly detestably, the guy couldn't keep his mouth shut this time either.
He muttered quietly to his comrade beside him.
And Lumian didn't miss it.
"Whether they show us or not, there probably wouldn't be much difference……."
"What did you just say?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. It was just talking to myself……."
"I asked what you said."
Lumian shot a fierce glare at Joel Cock.
Only then did the guy's expression stiffen. He also made an apologetic face.
But the words coming from his mouth were still thoroughly irritating.
"I'm truly sorry. I made a slip of the tongue. I'll keep my mouth shut from now on, so can we just let it pass?"
"What?"
"If word gets above that we had a dispute, it won't be good for your side either."
"......."
"Whatever the reason, you can't avoid the tag of someone who caused conflict with foreign knights who came for friendship. So let's stop here."
"Is that the attitude of someone apologizing right now……."
"Or, you could just cleanly have a sparring match."
Lumian made an absurd expression.
Looking at him, Joel Cock spoke again with a smile.
"Isn't it fine? Young knights full of vigor were curious about each other's skills, so they had a light sparring match. If you make that excuse, there won't be any problem. With the premise of not hurting each other, of course."
"......."
"Of course, I'm confident I can stop before causing harm. How about you? If you're confident too, it would be better to resolve dissatisfaction with the sword rather than words."
'So this was the plan all along.'
Lumian, who had maintained a stiff expression, sneered.
That was it. The guy wanted to show off his skill in front of two powerful nations. Using him as a sacrifice.
'He must have been praised by Sword Masters, but since I look unremarkable, he wanted to break me. Then their praise would transfer directly to him.'
It was a childish idea, but fully understandable. There were many people in the world who acted childishly despite being fully grown.
And actually, at 17 years old, he was still a child.
Thinking this far, Lumian wiped all trace of smile and glared at Joel Cock.
'Should I crush him?'
Several cadets were already looking this way.
If he asked them to testify, would there be any major incident?
But conversely, he thought minor troubles, annoying matters could certainly arise.
With an expressionless face, he thought deeply.
Should I beat him?
Or not?
Just make a complete mess of him?
No, should I still endure it?
While Lumian agonized over this internal conflict.
Suddenly, the entrance to the training ground became noisy. Everyone, including Joel Cock, turned their heads.
"Hey, how much space do we take that you're chasing us out?"
"Think about your bulk."
"Yeah. And do you ever stay in one place? Running around like an ogre with its ass on fire……."
"Of all expressions, why an ogre? Isn't there something better-looking?"
"No. You're the ugliest."
"This bastard…… oh? Lumian."
Boomer Simpson recognized Lumian and approached. He spoke in a booming voice.
"What. Did you get kicked out too…… oh, no. You're guiding the academy."
Realizing his mistake, he made an awkward expression.
He immediately bowed his head to the foreign apprentice knights and was about to leave, but Lumian grabbed Boomer.
"Boomer, why did you come here?"
"Huh? Oh, they said only 3rd and 4th years can use it until the sword tournament ends. Tsk."
"Ah, is that so?"
It was an understandable measure.
The sword tournament had instantly become an event involving Tarazan Kingdom's prestige. So giving that much privilege to participants seemed natural.
Lumian nodded and made a signal with his eyes, and Boomer also made a hand gesture before leaving to train.
"......Hmm."
The atmosphere was suddenly broken. Joel Cock made a regretful expression as he looked at Boomer and the trio.
'Are they the ones? The four second-year cadets Tarazan is so proud of.'
He sneered again.
Honestly speaking, it was laughable. He thought it made no sense for a small country like Tarazan to give them titles like genius four, future Sword Masters four.
'If they were that amazing, they would have accepted the sparring immediately.'
Joel Cock's gaze returned to Lumian Callad.
He heard that among the four, this guy was the most remarkable.
But no matter how he looked, he didn't think he was strong. He just had a handsome face, but he felt inferior to even the mid-tier apprentice knights in his own country.
That was why the current situation was even more regrettable.
He should have kept pressing to somehow make the sparring happen.
'No, should I try to create the atmosphere again even now?'
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
His blood boiled. The excitement that had subsided rose again, heating his body.
He wanted to show off his skills right now. In front of the Zenas apprentice knights, in front of the Rhodesian women, he wanted to display his ability.
'Alright. Let's try again.'
Thinking so, Joel Cock began to glare at Lumian.
But then, huge sounds began to be heard from somewhere.
KWAANG!
KWAAANG
KAKANG! KAAANG!
'What!'
Startled, Joel Cock turned his head.
The others did the same. All six people with Lumian looked at the source of the sound and made surprised expressions.
Light was emanating from the swords of two of the three men who had just appeared.
"……He broke through the lower gate? Already?"
"Didn't you say he was 15? That's what I heard."
"I heard that too…… um, Lumian Callad-nim?"
"Yes, Violet Potter-nim."
When the beautiful knight with a splendid figure spoke, Lumian's face brightened.
Violet Potter also responded with a smile. She asked a question.
"By chance, are they those people? The four second-year cadets Tarazan is proud of……."
"Hmm. It's embarrassing to say that with my own mouth…… but yes."
"Then, all four are……."
"15 years old."
"Wow!"
She exclaimed in intense admiration.
And she spoke to her comrade standing next to her.
"Did you hear, Dayna? They're 15. At 15, two of them have already passed the lower gate……."
WOOOONG-!
At that moment, light gathered on Kal Krone's sword as he trained alone.
Even more surprised, Violet Potter corrected her words.
"……Not two, but three. No, wait. Lumian Callad-nim?"
"Yes, please speak."
"I heard that among the four, the strongest is Lumian Callad-nim. By chance……."
"Yes. Well, I can do that much too."
"I see! Phew, truly amazing. Now I understand why Chairman Kambahita, whom I respect, praised you so highly."
"You're too kind. I'm just grateful you see me in a good light."
Lumian's smile grew deeper.
Being praised by a beauty felt like his heart was being purified.
After exchanging a few words, he turned to look at one person.
It was Joel Cock.
The guy was looking at himself and Boomer with a stupid face, and when Lumian gave him a look, he made a startled expression.
"The conversation was briefly interrupted. I apologize."
"Ah, no. It's fine."
"Let's finish what we were saying. Right, if we do as you said, it seems like there won't be any trouble…… shall we have that sparring match now?"
"Uh, that's, well……."
Joel Cock's eyes darted here and there.
His comrade knight beside him had already moved far away. With no one to rely on, sweat poured from Joel Cock's back in buckets.
He thought inwardly.
'This is crazy, you're saying this guy is stronger than those ones?'