Chapter 30. 14. Greatest Talent in History (2)
'Look at this guy? His skill in handling aura...'
Unlike Karl Krone who ignored Rumian, Rumian evaluated Karl Krone very highly.
Using aura to secretly threaten and check the opponent's reaction was a common test in knight orders.
But he didn't expect a knight cadet who wasn't even a knight yet to know how to use this technique.
'He's definitely got amazing talent.'
Theoro was excellent, and Boomer too, but they couldn't compare to this guy.
He now clearly understood why everyone praised Karl Krone.
Rumian quietly closed his eyes and felt Karl Krone's aura.
Determining an opponent's temperament through aura was not easy even for Experts, but for him, a skilled practitioner from his past life, it wasn't difficult.
'Dignified, free-spirited... he's not a bad person at heart?'
There was a feeling of excessive confidence, but that wasn't a flaw.
Rather, what was unexpected was sensing a slight emptiness in one corner of his heart.
A guy who has everything others envy - what kind of emptiness is that?
'Maybe he has some circumstances?'
He couldn't know that far. And he didn't want to dig deep into another man's worries.
But he did become a bit interested in the skills of this promising junior.
A stream of aura flowed from Rumian's body after he made his decision.
Ssshhh-
During his days as a guard knight in his past life, Rumian often had to hide his presence.
Handling aura discreetly was extremely easy for him.
A night when even the moon hadn't risen, fog lying low at dawn. As he recalled a few such mental images, Rumian's energy transformed to resemble that of an assassin.
He slowly sent it toward Karl Krone. Then, sweeping through his entire body, he assessed his skills.
'He's even more amazing?'
Hmm, Rumian exclaimed inwardly in admiration.
Perhaps because of the evaluation that he lives for his own brilliance, Rumian had thought Karl Krone was someone who only relied on talent and neglected effort.
But that wasn't the case. The amount of aura gathered in his dantian was something that could never be accumulated without bloody training.
Even in his past life, it was hard to find someone of this level.
Except for the Knight King and himself, there were practically no worthy opponents.
'To think there's such talent in a small country like this.'
Rumian, having finished his assessment, quietly withdrew his aura. Then let out a low sigh.
While he felt good seeing an excellent junior, he also felt pathetic about himself trying to steal the championship from a talented young man.
But such emotions were momentary.
Rumian didn't surrender to this degree of trial. In an instant, he steeled his mind and came up with an excellent excuse.
'It's my duty as a senior to show a junior, who was trapped in the narrow waters of Tarazan, a wider world.'
He's a child who could become a frog in a well if he's not careful.
Showing such a junior that there's a sky above the sky, so he can strive even harder... my ass. Rumian was just really envious of this guy.
While he was forced to remain a virgin for 60 years, this guy had been surrounded by beautiful ladies from a young age.
No consideration was needed. Rather, it was proper for that guy to show consideration to him.
Thinking that way, his heart felt slightly at ease.
'Don't be too sad after you lose.'
Just as he took care of Theoro and Boomer, he'll show you his own sincerity too.
Rumian, having shaken off his discomfort with such thoughts, glanced at Karl Krone.
Karl Krone looked puzzled at such a Rumian.
'What kind of look is that?'
He couldn't possibly decipher Rumian's complex eyes mixed with envy, apology, pride, and shame.
Karl Krone just looked at the back of Rumian's head, who turned forward again with an uncomfortable expression.
***
After a brief time passed, the main stage of the Sword Arts Festival began. Accordingly, all participants in the waiting room came outside and sat in the outdoor seats.
It was fine to wait in the waiting room for their match order, but in that case, they couldn't watch other participants' matches. Because of that, not a single cadet remained in the waiting room.
KWAANG!
"Wraaaaah!"
"Match over! 2nd year Class F Boomer Simpson, victory!"
SWISH!
"...I lost."
"Match over! 2nd year Class E Theoro Shutgarn, victory!"
CHACHANG!
Clank-!
"Match ends! 2nd year Class B Byrn Sigal, victory!"
The Sword Arts Festival progressed similarly to many people's expectations.
All 8 upper-ranked participants who received seeds achieved overwhelming victories.
Among them, the skills of Boomer Simpson and Theoro Shutgarn, who defeated their opponents in a single blow, were particularly noteworthy.
Many spectators who came to watch the Sword Arts Festival exclaimed in admiration.
"Better than expected?"
"That young man Boomer, he's incredibly strong. Breaking the opponent's sword."
"Theoro Shutgarn... that cadet is amazing too. He rode up the opponent's sword like flowing water and struck a vital point. That's a high-level technique that can't be learned through effort alone..."
The professors wore satisfied expressions at the participants' excellent skills, and the upperclassmen felt a chill of tension at the appearance of powerful juniors. Others also made their own assessments after seeing the participants' skills.
But what Rumian was focusing on was quite different from others.
Right now, he was confirming the women's cheers and reactions pouring toward each participant.
And he realized one shocking fact.
'Damn... the difference in women's reactions depending on appearance... is too severe...'
Of course, the weight that skill carried wasn't small. Most who showed flashy and overwhelming appearances received good reactions from women.
But what was more important than that was appearance.
Boomer Simpson's case was the best example.
'That guy, he did receive a lot of attention but...'
That was naturally expected. It was inevitable that cheers would pour out for Boomer, who showed tremendous power from the opening match and achieved a one-sided victory.
But Rumian, who was listening to the spectators' conversations, knew.
That more than 90% of that cheering was male voices.
Rather.
"No!"
"The 1st year lost!"
"What do we do, look at him tearing up from frustration! It's so sad..."
"That ogre-like bastard! How can he be so cold?"
"The 1st year should have won!"
Not a few female spectators glared at Boomer and sent sympathetic encouragement to the defeated 1st year cadet.
The fact that the 1st year cadet's face was quite cute seemed to be a big reason.
'Theoro's match was completely the opposite.'
Theoro Shutgarn also achieved an easy victory just like Boomer. As soon as their swords met, he rode up like a snake and stopped his sword at the opponent's nose.
Naturally, cheers and applause followed.
But it was completely different from Boomer's case. This time, women's voices were even louder than men's.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Who is that man?"
"Theoro? Theoro Shutgarn? He's so cool..."
"He's handsome and his swordsmanship is excellent too, *sigh*..."
"Look at those eyes, I think I'll think about them tonight..."
Of course, not all female spectators were like that.
Female knight cadets, or ladies with expertise in swordsmanship, sent equal praise to all winners and equal comfort to all losers.
But that ratio was remarkably low. The vast majority of women were showing different reactions depending on the participants' appearance.
'Damn! The temperature difference based on looks is too big!'
Of course, he didn't fail to understand the ladies' hearts.
He would be the same. It was a man's instinct, and Rumian's instinct, for his eyes to be drawn to a beautiful swordswoman rather than an ugly one.
But he couldn't help feeling wistful and empty.
He despaired as he looked at Theoro sitting with a composed expression.
'Damn, this unfair guy!'
Blue hair, white skin. His appearance with a cold yet chic charm that suited it was so enviable today of all days.
Swordsmanship skills, and the appropriate concept and image that made him stand out.
He thought this would be enough to overcome his lacking face, but he was wrong.
Rumian became depressed like a third-rate swordsman facing an unreachable talent.
No, it was even more serious than that.
In swordsmanship, one could surpass talent through effort, but with appearance, that was impossible.
It was as absurd as something that never existed suddenly appearing.
Rumian's atmosphere became incomparably dark.
"What's wrong. Are you okay? Did something happen?"
Theoro spoke to him.
Since he couldn't leave until all matches were over, he had returned to the waiting room after finishing his match.
In the meantime, Rumian's condition had become strange, so he was slightly worried.
But the returning answer was frigid.
"Die."
"...."
"All handsome guys should die."
"...Did you eat something wrong?"
"It's a joke. Just pretend you didn't hear it."
He couldn't pretend he hadn't heard what he already heard, but Theoro just let it pass.
Because Rumian's mood looked too bad to press the issue.
'He's originally a weird guy anyway.'
Theoro turned his head again.
And Boomer, who was listening to their conversation, thought to himself.
'Right. All handsome guys should die. I hope all guys handsomer than me die.'
Boomer secretly harbored thoughts of world destruction.
While each was thinking different thoughts and unable to focus on the matches.
A participant who captured everyone's attention stepped onto the stage.
Then all participants' eyes lit up.
"Karl Krone!"
"It's Karl Krone."
"Finally starting."
Despite being in a middling order, he captured everyone's attention.
Truly the prestige befitting a championship candidate.
Theoro and Boomer also looked at the stage with more intensity than before, and Rumian also observed Karl Krone with an interested expression.
It wasn't to check his skills.
He was curious about exactly what part of the guy concentrated people's attention. Furthermore, what brought about women's cheers.
That was why he was curious.
'Of course he's handsome and tall, but honestly, from what I can see, he doesn't seem to be on Theoro's level...'
Of course, Karl Krone has swordsmanship skills beyond Theoro's. The numerous achievements he had accumulated since enrollment would have had a significant impact on his popularity.
But.
"Kyaaaaaaaaah!"
"Karl Krone! Look here, Karl Krone!"
"Kyaaaah! Our eyes just met!"
"No, you bitch! He looked at me!"
"What? Are you crazy!"
"...."
'How can he be this popular?'
The difference was extreme to the point of being incomprehensible.
It was incomparable even to Theoro, who received the best reactions among the participants. Even if Knight King Philip III appeared in this place, it seemed unlikely he would receive this level of reaction.
'It's strange... I can't figure out the reason at all.'
The academy officials showed signs of being flustered by the ladies' cheers that were growing even more intense rather than subsiding.
Eventually, they briefly delayed the match and started broadcasting a request for understanding through magic.
- We deeply thank all spectators who came to watch the Tarazan Knight Academy's Sword Arts Festival. We also thank you for welcoming participants with enthusiastic cheers and encouragement. However, as excessive cheering may cause disruptions to the match proceedings, we would appreciate it if you refrain from standing up from your seats or shouting loudly.
Only then did the heat subside little by little, and Rumian shook his head repeatedly.
A mysterious situation he couldn't understand at all. He couldn't even utter an exclamation. He turned his gaze toward Karl Krone with a fed-up face.
Despite this uproar, the guy was maintaining a composed appearance.
No, he even had a faint smile as if enjoying the current attention.
Seeing that, Rumian shook his head once more.
'He's really an amazing attention-seeker. How can he be like th...'
But at that moment.
A shocking incident occurred that stopped Rumian's thoughts.
It happened after Karl Krone stylishly swung his sword in a full circle.
"Kyaaaaaaaaah!"
"Karl Krone!"
"Karl Krone, Karl Krone!"
"Look this way and smile!"
Ordinary people would have focused only on Karl Krone striking a pose. Indeed, the women in the spectator seats reacted wildly to Karl Krone's flashy sword dance, and the envious men were frowning.
But Rumian, who possessed senses sharp enough to be comparable to a Swordmaster, and who showed an exceptional obsession with image-making, could perceive much more.
A gorgeous feeling like roses blooming.
And a dazzling feeling like a ray of light descending from the sky.
Seeing Karl Krone creating such a mysterious yet charming atmosphere through his own will, Rumian wore a surprised expression.
'The ultimate... concept crafting!'
That talent of evoking such intense atmosphere to the point of recalling specific images, to receive people's attention!
Rumian, who was watching the stage, unconsciously gulped. The two fists placed on his knees were clenched tight. It felt like meeting a lifelong rival.
He had no choice but to admit it.
Karl Krone undoubtedly possessed the greatest talent in history.