Chapter 104. < 40. Discussing the Continent's Best (2) >
"Tania Eloyz!"
"You were amazing, unnie!"
"That's right! We can't just keep getting pushed around every time!"
"Yes! Well done! That's exactly it!"
"Tarajan is the best! Long live Tarajan Academy!"
The atmosphere in the spectator stands brightened instantly. All the people of Tarajan Kingdom, regardless of age or gender, chanted Tania's name.
Swordsmanship magnificent enough to make up for all the previous defeats in a single stroke! And the result!
No one could stay still after seeing this. People became of one heart and mind, throwing words of support and sending thunderous applause.
The reaction didn't come only from the spectator stands.
The waiting area where the Swordsmanship Tournament participants gathered was the same. Particularly, the reactions of those from other countries who lacked information about Tania were heated.
"Did you see that just now, Daina?"
"Yeah... amazing, isn't it? Fast yet heavy. Even from far away, I can feel the pressure directly."
"Moreover... she seems to have broken through the lower gate."
"Right. Seeing the sword turn blue, it's certain. Those four second-years weren't the end of it."
Violet Potter and Daina Selly, both from Rodizia, exchanged conversation. Unconcealable surprise was evident on their faces.
'Considerable skill.'
Lucas Young also shone his eyes as he watched Tania Eloyz.
The skill was impressive, but the swordsmanship style was even more surprising.
Despite being a woman with insufficient muscular strength, to wield such a heavy sword like that.
She didn't seem inferior compared to the knights of Zenas.
'I don't know exactly what kind of cultivation she's done, but it feels comparable to the Rock Cultivation Method. It's natural that Joel Cock couldn't withstand it.'
He recalled the tournament bracket.
He thought the person coming from the opposite side would be Violet Potter from Rodizia, but now he didn't have such certainty.
'It's going to be more interesting than I thought.'
A smile hung on Lucas Young's face, which had been expressionless until now.
"Oh my! Remarkable!"
"Indeed. Remarkable swordsmanship..."
"Breaking through the lower gate is impressive enough, but the swordsmanship is even more striking. That child, she was a third-year, right?"
"Correct, hehehe!"
The Knight Department Head, who had been maintaining silence, answered with a brightened face.
He had been secretly receiving sharp glances from the Academy Head due to the continued defeats.
In such a situation, Tania's victory was like rain during a drought. The Knight Department Head chattered incessantly, boasting about Tania Eloyz.
"Hmm..."
"Is that so?"
John McCart and Claire Kambahita showed interest, even twisting their upper bodies to the side.
A reaction on a different level from when the fourth-year top student had appeared. Seeing this, the Academy Head wore a proud expression.
A talent that even the Sword Masters of the continent's strongest nation are showing interest in, and she's a cadet of our academy!
He couldn't contain his swelling heart.
"This is reassuring. There's another talent to support Tarajan's future. To think there are so many talented young people besides Lumian Callad, I'm envious."
"Indeed. It was a good spectacle. I'm looking forward to the rest of the swordsmanship tournament as well."
"No, no. Compared to the children of Zenas and Rodizia... hehe, hehehehe..."
Laughter continuously flowed from the Academy Head's mouth. He shed his appearance as a seasoned politician and became intoxicated with excitement like a grandfather who'd had a drink.
Only one person, Adam Harper, the representative of the Charlotte Kingdom, kept his mouth shut with an uncomfortable expression.
'Damn it, what kind of disgrace is this!'
If they had lost to someone from Zenas or Rodizia, he wouldn't have felt this humiliated.
But Tarajan of all things.
And the match decided in a single stroke!
He wanted to kick up from his seat right now.
He wanted to rush onto the stage and beat that Joel Cock bastard who was standing with a stupid expression.
'That bastard, he didn't even train properly after arriving... I'll see you tonight!'
Having finished his thoughts, Adam Harper forced a smile with great effort.
He too was a politician and a diplomat. He offered compliments he didn't mean and interjected himself back into the conversation.
***
"You were cool today."
"Right? Was it okay?"
"Of course. And it was even better because it was that guy. His expression was something to see."
"Ah, that bastard was completely annoying. He kept spouting nonsense the whole time I was sitting there, making people irritated..."
"What kind of nonsense?"
"Hmm? Ah, it's nothing really..."
At Lumian's question, Tania's face reddened as she trailed off.
It was because she remembered the lie she had told.
Though she hadn't said it directly, she couldn't deny that it was words she'd spoken assuming Lumian as her boyfriend.
She forcibly changed the subject. Lumian accepted her words without any particular suspicion, and the conversation naturally shifted to swordsmanship.
After chatting for a while like that, dinner came to an end before they knew it.
As she came out of the dining hall, Tania patted Lumian's back with a smack.
"Thanks for the meal! Now about 4 times left?"
"You're really milking it."
"It's only this much. If I put my mind to it, I could just go to the student cafeteria from now on. Then wouldn't I get treated about 40 times instead of 4?"
"The student cafeteria is fine too."
"Well, that's not bad either. Then it would feel like being served by you for a lifetime..."
Tania, who was speaking with a smile, closed her mouth.
And she glanced at Lumian.
'Did I go too far? For a lifetime, that's like...'
That's like confessing that I want to always be with you!
Throb
Her face rapidly turned red.
Was it because she received cheers from many people?
Tania's heart was in an extremely excited state, and because of that, her words flowed out more lightly than usual. As a result, her true feelings were revealed even more openly.
Of course, it wasn't a big deal of a statement.
Honestly, for someone to notice her feelings from just that much content was nonsense. Rather, it was stranger that she herself was thinking this deeply and worrying about it.
But recently, her feelings for Lumian had grown rapidly, so she couldn't help it. She kept stealing glances at Lumian.
"What is it? Stopping mid-sentence."
"Huh? No, it's nothing. Suddenly... uh, I'm worried about tomorrow's swordsmanship tournament."
"Worried about what... tomorrow's opponent is from Charlotte too. He's weaker than Joel Cock."
"Still, my goal isn't just to pass the second round, right?"
"That's true. You need to win the championship."
Lumian said, and Tania nodded her head strongly.
Seeing that appearance, Lumian smiled broadly.
"Why, why?"
"No. It just seems like your confidence has gone up a lot compared to before."
"Really?"
"Yes. It looks good."
He was sincere.
If it were the old Tania, she would have already been in a half-given-up state. Zenas and Rodizia, she would have set advancing to the semifinals as her goal.
But not now. Regardless of how strong the opponent was, she believed in herself. If 100 percent wasn't enough, she strove to bring out 120, 150 percent of her power.
It was the same even now. Tania said she was planning to go straight to her room and focus on aura cultivation.
'If I can break through the middle gate before the finals are held, I might really be able to win.'
Lumian thought of Lucas Young, the apprentice knight from Zenas.
He wasn't an easy opponent, but if it was Tania, there was certainly a possibility.
Having finished his thoughts, he turned to the side with a smiling face.
A face that looked prettier than usual entered his eyes.
Just as he was drawing up his aura image to offer words of support with even stronger trust—
Zzzzt—!
Suddenly, Lumian's footsteps stopped.
His expression also stiffened. Tania asked with a puzzled look.
"Lumian? What's wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Something I'd forgotten suddenly came to mind."
"Really? Do you need to go somewhere?"
"Yes. But it's not urgent... I'll walk you to the senior dormitory first."
"Huh?"
"Come on, let's go."
Grab, Lumian took Tania's hand.
It was somewhat rough behavior. He moved toward the female dormitory with a slightly faster pace.
Some female students who saw the two of them wore surprised expressions.
"Oh my, what's that?"
"That looks like Lumian Callad and Tania Eloyz? What's going on? By any chance..."
"Are those two dating?"
'What! This situation!'
Tania's face turned red enough to burst.
She was utterly flustered. She couldn't understand Lumian's thoughts in suddenly holding her hand.
'His expression doesn't feel like that though...'
She kept glancing at Lumian's face.
An expression beyond serious to the point of being grave. Regrettably, it seemed his mind was focused on something else rather than her.
But that didn't mean her heart wasn't pounding.
Rather, his rough behavior, which was rare to see usually, left an even stronger impression.
It felt like an older boyfriend seeing them off.
Because of that, she obediently held Lumian's hand and moved her feet. As the surrounding whispers grew louder and as they got closer to the female dormitory, her embarrassment grew, but she still absolutely didn't let go of his hand.
"We're here."
"Ah."
But that time wasn't long.
Upon arriving in front of the dormitory, Lumian let go of her hand. An involuntary sigh flowed from Tania's mouth. She felt regret.
But she couldn't hold him back any longer.
She spoke.
"Thanks for walking me."
"It's nothing. Go on in, senior."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Having said her farewell, Tania went inside the building. With a face full of regret, embarrassment, and excitement.
Lumian continued to watch her.
Until the moment she disappeared up the stairs. Until he thought she had entered the crowd and become safe. Until he judged that he had completely moved away from the gaze fixed on himself.
'Good.'
Lumian, who nodded, moved his steps toward a secluded area of the academy.
And the moment he perceived that the students' gazes had moved away from him, he moved at tremendous speed.
Tap!
It was a speed as fast as a falcon gliding through the sky.
No one noticed him stepping on the building rooftops and moving. It was natural. He was a person advancing beyond his previous life's level toward the realm of Sword Master and above.
No, to be precise, there was one existence.
The gaze he had felt since coming out after finishing his meal with Tania.
He felt the owner of that gaze chasing behind him. Lumian breathed a sigh of relief.
'Thank goodness. The interest has completely shifted away from Tania.'
Just before, he had been overprotective in preparation for any possible danger.
Having finished his thoughts, he stopped moving.
Before he knew it, the surrounding scenery had completely changed. Dusky moonlight was shining down on the plains outside the city.
Swish
Lumian took out his magic sword from the spatial backpack he was carrying.
And the sword blade reflected in the moonlight glowed blue. When sharp momentum was added to that, he transformed into an existence more fearsome than the demons of hell.
"Come out."
Lumian spoke to the empty air.
An action that would seem like a crazy person to those who didn't know. But there was conviction in Lumian's voice.
'It wasn't just hostility I felt. This time, persistence was also felt.'
He didn't know what the intention was, but it was a gaze that felt like a will to settle things today.
Having grasped that, Lumian was about to shout strictly once more when a figure revealed themselves from behind a giant tree growing alone on the plains.
No, he couldn't be certain yet. Looking at the shape wearing a flat black robe with a hood, he couldn't rule out the possibility that it was a demon hiding their identity.
"......."
"......."
One minute.
It was a time of silence.
Normally he wouldn't know, but one minute in such a tension-filled situation was a long enough time to feel like eternity. Even someone with strong patience would find it hard to endure.
Even Lumian found it hard to endure.
He spoke.
"I don't know exactly why you've been watching me..."
"......."
"It seems you have no intention of resolving this through conversation, so I'll demonstrate my skills."
Zzzzt—!
Aura rose from Lumian's magic sword.
An aura sword bearing the energy of the land that becomes the center of a mountain, taking on a brown color, grew to 13 meters then gradually shrank.
There was no need to maintain a long sword blade when fighting a humanoid opponent. Rather, reducing the length and increasing the density of aura was better.
Seeing this, the black robe's eyes shone. It was a fierce light that could be hidden even in shadows.
But then.
Something that broke the current heavy atmosphere fell from the sky.
Ppat!
Rustle...
"......."
"Huh, uh? Ah!"
Lumian let out a flustered voice.
He had forgotten.
That this magic sword, while excellent in quality, had a magical effect applied that didn't fit the situation.
He was staring blankly at the flower petals falling from the sky when the black robe trembled with shaking.
It seemed like an appearance of feeling ignored.
Clang!
Zzzzt—!
The unidentified existence also drew their sword. And spewed out a completed aura sword.
But surprisingly, it extended without limit.
10 meters, 11 meters, 12 meters... 13 meters!
The same length!
Lumian's eyes grew large like the full moon.
Meanwhile, the black robe's aura sword shrank again. It appeared to be for increasing density, just like him.
"You villain! You demon who sneaked into the human realm so insidiously, how dare you try to insult me!"
"Huh?"
"From what I've observed for several days, I've clearly realized that you're not human! Quietly receive my sword!"
Those words were the last.
Swish, the unidentified existence who threw off the robe rushed toward Lumian at the speed of light.
An appearance like golden dawn tearing through the night sky.
Only then did Lumian, who grasped the opponent's identity, wear a flustered expression.
'Why is Cinsia Ainsworth here? And calling me a demon?'
Wait! he wanted to say.
But he couldn't. To stop her who had already approached right before him, not words but a sword was needed.
Hiss, Lumian groaned through clenched teeth and drew up aura even more strongly.
On the plains where no one was, with only the moon in the night sky floating as a spectator.
Kwaaang!
A battle between legend and legend began.