Chapter 44. 20. A Taste That Cannot Be Respected (4)
He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to admit it.
But he couldn't help but admit it.
Lumian's sword, which cut down the five statues, was definitely surpassing his own swordsmanship.
'No. At that level...... I can catch up easily!'
Of course, Karl Krone's pride was sky-high, so he didn't feel a sense of defeat from just this much.
It hadn't even been a day since he broke through the lower passage.
Therefore, while the power of his sword might have increased, the exquisite feel had diminished because his body condition had changed. In other words, he hadn't finished adapting yet.
'If I just fully adapt to this state...... I can definitely catch up.'
But it wasn't as if nothing was wrong.
Urgh, an unpleasant emotion surged from within Karl Krone.
For the first time in his life, the words "catch up" came to mind. That fact aroused considerable anger in him.
To think he had to look up at a guy he thought would be beneath him forever, even if they were called rivals!
Anger, fighting spirit, and all sorts of other aggressive emotions mixed together, heating up Karl Krone's gaze. His eyes chased after Lumian's figure moving lightly.
And he could see it.
Swish-!
The final swing of his sword.
A single stroke so sharp that even the sound of cutting through the air was faint, sharply slicing open the wall of the Subculture Research Club.
And he could feel that it was of a higher level and more beautiful than any sword Lumian had shown before.
He could feel it.
For the first time in his life, the emotion called despair overlaid his face.
"Haa......"
Lumian let out a deep breath.
He didn't know that Karl Krone was in shock. The anger and sense of injustice in his heart were too great to pay attention to that.
He had lived for 60 years in his previous life as a eunuch knight.
This meant he had lived a lonely life without any contact with women, regardless of his own will.
Fortunately, whether heaven was not heartless or not, he was reincarnated as a fresh young man with sturdy parts attached. And he thought that thanks to his own efforts and his friends' help, the golden period of his life would finally begin.
'And there...... you pour homosexuality onto my rose-colored life?'
He absolutely couldn't let this pass.
The cultivation he had built up as a knight for decades couldn't block the anger he felt now.
Thwack!
Lumian roughly thrust his sword into the ground.
Then he glared at the members of the Subculture Research Club, and the president.
They could no longer stand confidently.
The resentment, sorrow, and anger of 60 years of virginity emanating from Lumian made them feel tremendous guilt.
"I am not homosexual. Even if I were, you absolutely have no right to arbitrarily commit such acts."
"......"
"The scratches on that wall are the wounds carved into the hearts of people like me who have suffered from rumors. Do you understand?"
"......Yes. I'm...... sorry."
"When you forget that fact, I will come again. At that time, I can't guarantee what will happen."
The president of the research club nodded vigorously. Her chest shook along with it.
Lumian didn't look at that this time.
Honestly, he did want to look, but he forcibly held back. That was his last remaining pride.
"Lumian!"
"Let's go together!"
Theo and Boomer chased after Lumian as he left the place desolately.
Boomer's expression was a sight to see. He knew Lumian was amazing, but he didn't know he had been hiding such tremendous skill.
Of course, Theo wasn't surprised at all.
Having already seen the Aura Sword, this much was expected.
'Unless he suddenly unleashes a completed Aura Sword.'
Thus, the three men left the place. As if a storm had swept through, the area around the building had become a ruin.
But the most shocked weren't the people of the Subculture Research Club.
Karl Krone, biting his lower lip until it bled, thought.
'Lumian......!'
***
Creak
Thud!
"Haa."
Tania flopped down on her bed after returning to her room.
Truly, it was a day with absolutely no composure.
She almost got caught visiting the Subculture Research Club while trying to find out about Lumian, saw the Four Swordsmen including Karl Krone all in one place, and witnessed Lumian's growth......
'It was amazing, Lumian.'
She thought there would be no more surprises after the Swordsmanship Festival, but she was wrong. Lumian had broken her expectations and risen to an even higher place.
Higher than herself, and higher than Karl Krone.
She thought he might grow into a knight comparable to the Knight King, or his foremost loyal subject, Ryan Promhart.
But the biggest emotion in Tania's heart right now wasn't surprise, but sorry.
She pondered the words Lumian had said.
'The scratches on that wall are the wounds carved into the hearts of people like me who have suffered from rumors. Do you understand?'
"It must have been...... really unfair."
Tania let out a deep sigh.
She had been so stupid. And she felt so sorry toward Lumian.
Until now, she hadn't thought of Lumian as a person with his own personality.
She had only thought of him as a tool for her future, as a reliable connection if she got close to him.
That's why when the rumor spread that Lumian was homosexual or bisexual, she didn't even think to verify the truth. She only thought about building tolerance so she wouldn't feel awkward when dealing with him.
She said it was to understand Lumian, but in reality, she wasn't considering his feelings at all.
'I definitely need to...... apologize later.'
She nodded cutely.
She absolutely, absolutely had to apologize.
Snorting, she tore open the brown envelope and took out the contents.
Then threw the booklet into the trash can.
Just having it was causing trouble for Lumian. Her eyes showed a sorry feeling again.
But throwing away the portrait was put on hold for a moment.
Tania stood up from the bed and headed to front of the table.
Taking out a blank sheet of paper and a pen, she began to draw a new picture while looking at the portrait.
Swish swish
Tania's drawing was basically similar to the portrait she bought at the research club.
But there were differences in the detailed parts.
She restored all the exaggerated and distorted parts that made the face look more feminine than the original face back to their original form.
It wasn't difficult. Since she had thought about Lumian a lot throughout this semester, Lumian's face was firmly established in her head.
'......My observation skills and memory are excellent too!'
Though it was just an inner thought no one would hear, Tania made excuses for no reason.
Meanwhile, her hand didn't stop. Since she had some talent in drawing, the work finished quickly.
"Phew, it's done!"
Thus, the newly completed portrait looked exactly like Lumian Calad's recent appearance.
A somewhat soft-looking face, but his eyes showed will.
His upper body holding a sword looked quite reliable, unlike before. It was naturally a known fact that he had gained muscle through consistent exercise.
Other than that, she wanted to express the fresh, sincere, and more confident atmosphere, but that was too much. Tania wasn't a professional painter.
'Still, this much is pretty good. The one I drew is much better!'
Tania Eloyce smiled brightly and crumpled the portrait she bought at the research club. Then threw it into the trash can.
She didn't need that anymore. She liked the drawing she made much better.
With a satisfied smile, she looked out the window.
Along with the cool night breeze, a faint excitement she wasn't even aware of was tickling her heart.
***
Two weeks passed since Lumian visited the Subculture Research Club.
During that time, the rumors had mostly settled down. Even those who heard the rumors didn't think of it as anything more than a brief happening.
This was partly because Lumian, Theo, and Boomer dealt with it so firmly, and partly because the Subculture Research Club stopped its activities.
"It'll probably be disbanded. There were many people who suffered besides you, and they were apparently waiting for this. Mmm. Delicious."
Boomer said while putting a piece of meat in his mouth.
Lumian responded with a relieved expression.
"Phew...... then I won't be misunderstood at blind dates or dance halls anymore, right?"
"Probably not, I think?"
"Theo, can you help me out again somehow?"
"......Final exams are coming soon, let's do it later."
Theo said with a look of disbelief.
Lumian pouted.
He also only pretended to be proper, but he liked women just the same. Perhaps as much as himself.
For someone like that to look at him with those eyes, irritation rose up.
"Mmm."
Sensing Lumian's gaze, Theo made a tense expression.
He had been sparring with Lumian almost every day to improve his skills.
Of course, it was something he desperately wanted, but if he provoked Lumian like now, there was a concern that the intensity of sparring would increase significantly. Enough to scare even him, a training fanatic.
But Theo's worry was nothing but unnecessary fear.
"I can't spar today."
At Lumian's words, both Theo and Boomer made surprised expressions.
Unless there was something special, Lumian would hold sparring sessions—precisely, instructional sparring—with them almost every day.
For him to skip sparring was strange.
But Lumian didn't explain in detail.
Lumian, who finished his meal, stood up first.
"I have somewhere to go, so I'm leaving first."
Watching Lumian walk away, Boomer said.
"What is it? Did he get a girlfriend?"
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
But it was something just as important.
Moving his steps toward the scholarship student-only training hall, Lumian thought about Karl Krone.
'They said he doesn't attend regular classes at all and only practices swordsmanship alone.'
He could fully understand.
It was probably because of the great shock he received from seeing his swordsmanship, especially the final stroke.
Someone he thought was far beneath him had not only caught up to him but soared far ahead.
It was a trial too difficult for him to bear. It must have felt like facing a massive wall.
'Of course, such trials are unavoidable for a genius......'
For a genius, the first wall was very important.
Unlike slow learners for whom every step is a wall, or ordinary talents who frequently face obstacles, geniuses aren't used to such things.
Lumian had seen countless geniuses who couldn't overcome the wall they faced for the first time in their lives and ended up wasting their time.
This was why people called prodigies, child prodigies, and geniuses disappeared without a sound.
Of course, Karl Krone shined even among them.
He was without doubt deserving of being called a genius among geniuses.
His mental aspect was also excellent, so he should be able to overcome most trials with his high fighting spirit and pride.
'But...... I showed him too big of a wall.'
A trace of worry appeared on Lumian's face.
Of course, he didn't regret what happened then.
No matter how much he was a reincarnator who had cultivated knightly discipline for decades, he couldn't have endured that situation.
Even if he went back to that time again, he would have acted the same way. This was certain.
But that didn't mean he felt nothing for Karl Krone.
Right now, Lumian felt sorry toward his talented junior. He also felt a sense of responsibility.
That was why he was going to find Karl Krone, despite the worry that rumors might spread again.
'No matter how high the wall is, once you climb over it, that's that.'
The wall he created. He would take responsibility and make him climb over it.
So that the genius's wings wouldn't break.
No, so that he could grow even stronger and fly freely beyond the wall.
That was what he had to do as a senior.
"Hmm."
Lost in thought, before he knew it, the entrance to the scholarship student-only training hall came into view.
It was a space permitted only to seniors in their fourth year of graduation and Karl Krone, but Lumian didn't care.
He'd get scolded later. Thinking lightly, Lumian shouted loudly.
"Karl Krone!"
All the seniors in the training hall looked at Lumian.
He didn't care.
He took out a sword from the weapon rack and approached Karl Krone, who was staring at him with a hardened expression.
"Pick up your sword."