Chapter 145
ZvOsAint reached enlightenment and broke through the wall.dDirCR
II45C6KThe heart of the Saintbird and the root of Itarium were completely absorbed, and both externally and internally he took another step in his growth.tSi2
8BbpIt was something naturally perceived, even if he didn’t boast about it.KAep
9AEazN“This jousting tournament is going to be interesting.”ddPVa
4CAJ4IFernan was pleased with Aint’s progress, but he couldn’t help imagining the battle between him and Luina.W1M7w
eGiziIf Aint had grown thanks to this experience, Luina too had obtained her own enlightenment after witnessing in Bercheff the fight between the two Royal Knights and the demon.dK6F3l
EgEp2She didn’t possess the heart of the Saintbird, but she had consumed mandrakes and roots of Itarium.jEcdbs
SjcIaAnd thanks to that understanding, she too had managed to assimilate everything completely.39t4d1N
cSw‘Who will win, I wonder?’MH6SPm
6hFhoIn reality, the result didn’t matter much.IWj7
wUDiUkWhether Luina or Aint won, both were on his side.BuLaS
JVDOut of affection, he didn’t want to see Luina defeated, but he also wouldn’t mind if Aint triumphed and found the legacy of the first emperor.JxZYvo
jzu6VI“The problem is that it’s hard to bet accurately…”ha7rZ6
JJcjh4Recalling the nightmare of the last jousting tournament, Fernan realized he had to be more careful with his bets this time.PTI
TlI013“At least in the magic competition, there shouldn’t be any surprises…”tq3
xvH2Most likely, the winner of the magic competition would be someone similar to last year’s.KQI
zwbUvsS— Kyu?ZuR
yjmd3P“What is the jousting tournament? It’s when knights fight on horseback, and then continue on foot. The magic competition, on the other hand, is a duel between mages.”3cNU
G9W3v7X— Kyu!YTE
RBQ“You want to participate too? Don’t be ridiculous.”mVsgu
BTSLE70Fernan’s sharp reply made Wooden stomp the ground forcefully.XS6xFOO
ILSKpoV— Kyuuuu!v0g
6FbyNh“You’re not a knight, you’re a golem. And before that, you’re a spirit. I think you should start by clarifying your identity.”o28VW
D8o— Kyu! Kyu!f3Fkbr
KTjEven so, Wooden didn’t back down easily.QqLsW
GUcCIn the end, if ordered, he would yield, but it was the first time he showed such an intense reaction, and Fernan couldn’t shut him down right away.u2VKCn
nTNLG‘Right… I’ve been leaving him wanting too many times lately.’rLpj
h1NLHow many times had he promised to let him fight in his real body and then left him waiting in vain?GGG7iwk
4fLThere were even times when he only let him clash a couple of times in human size and nothing more.O6E
9ioFor Fernan, it was best if Wooden didn’t intervene at all, but for Wooden, it wasn’t the same.KgJhx
8hYyHe had gotten a new body, and like a child with a new toy, he wanted to try it again and again.HmNB
vPqo5Va“Fine. You won’t be able to participate in the jousting tournament, but I’ll let you face a real opponent.”uGl
r6spi— Kyu?s5N9yw
IpE3ZE***9v1IlY
wO5Na“…So that’s why you came looking for me?”bJ91oL
JpTW“That’s right.”GF2d8BE
krRFernan handed her a small box.w3PPsfO
67i5“What’s this?”aXz3
SFK2a“A bribe to ask you the favor.”s49
hpc“But I never said I’d accept.”WERYSO
1GfM9“If necessary, I’ll give you more.”G9CwNyx
IrtSwtrLuina opened the box.uLjKpz
45S2Inside were kraken ink chocolates, already quite familiar thanks to Fernan, but all the more delicious for that reason.OOEhlc
0Oy2aB3“Alright. But not because of the chocolates. Truth is, I also wanted to face Wooden at least once.”rT13
oXjAnd she meant it. Luina still hadn’t forgotten the moment Wooden sliced through Andromalius’s serpent.WmRQaK
u0fyyThat chilling strike couldn’t be achieved just by size.KFn
0tIfBWooden was strong. Maybe lacking in technique, but overwhelming in everything else.QoZL
agKB3Because Fernan had forged him that way.Xvbe3
x5b“Perfect. When the duel ends, I’ll give you another box.”ldo
Z3Qw“I told you it’s not about the chocolates.”Lp3
Et0“But they’re tasty.”HC18aO
lnnWh7“What kind of nonsense is that?”MIdM
s30trWm“So, you won’t accept them?”bST
Z0J1“…Refusing a gift would be rude.”7ha
tFwQLuina pocketed the box of chocolates.YqT
EOF15The two entered the basement of the Golden Turtle Company.pCGB1h
Xaqrnt“In the basement, I prepared a training field for my magic study and practice. It’s quite spacious and designed to withstand even large explosions without collapsing.”03guh5S
xxgWk4QIt was the perfect place to train with Wooden without fear of being discovered.JuJE
CSmjT“This is it.”micxa
dY0quVRAbout 50 meters underground, the training room turned out to be immense.Ud76
dtA4“Wow, pretty deep.”jNh
qpZh“No matter how resistant it is, there can always be accidents. At this depth, even if it collapses, it won’t affect the surface.”1Bw
L9GAnd since Fernan was an earth mage, escaping wouldn’t be a problem either.6eR9b
yEASince he had obtained the prophecy book, he had barely used the place, so some dust had accumulated.MP1
JXr75“Wooden.”9Tq6j
vZIRnuj— Kyu!47yT
yDA7zQWooden shot out from the pendant.6rKWKib
TaHI6Upon touching the ground, he grew to about two meters tall and drew the sword from his back.rVAf
HlR“Piiiii!”WFj7Y
nvvtSilver, who had hidden in Fernan’s arms to follow him, cheered him on with a chirp.GjeX
Tvj“He has… two pairs of wings? Fernan, don’t tell me that bird is…”4HNK2
biiS“That’s right, a Saintbird.”wHSjal8
dy4“…Good heavens. Where did you get something like that?”TQdKpm
xuVFjLg“It’s a long story.”VeS
WoTZBn“Well, I want to hear it, even if it’s long.”ECFzVQ7
kXJOuYE“If you defeat Wooden, I’ll tell you.”Ixn7R
H6qT“You promised.”abvNjkL
hcA9Luina stepped to the center of the room and drew her sword.ENnsD
ogT“Come at me, Wooden.”1G0e2Q
0FWiNa— Kyu!NlAPS
uADpYEThe knight and the golem charged at each other.6qYsAf
i5pP6QS***vqY
y0o3p“Five matches, five defeats.”POx3
o1qkuA“Don’t tell me it was Senior Luina who lost?”gDYe
Duh“If that were the case, I’d have said five victories, not five defeats.”FHgDzd
VR6nxAint glanced around the underground training field, now turned into a true mess, and looked impressed.s9zJl
M83HR“I can more or less imagine what kind of fight it was.”04L
dEEq1VnIt must have been intense and fierce.ngmVgQr
rWlai“Luina said Wooden surpassed her in strength and speed. But she also said that was all.”7iVb
Nr8“I get the feeling.”RjbroH
UUwWooden was a golem into which Fernan had poured all his effort.U7EkX
3nVwuUnless it was a Royal Knight, it was hard to match him physically.UH4
a8V3nOK— Surpasses in strength and speed? He’s the perfect opponent, Aint. Just recently you were fighting dozens of times against an opponent of that type.GR4
Ou3At Gardner’s words, Aint nodded.F0Mwh
kpjTruthfully, he had accepted Fernan’s proposal half out of curiosity, half out of competitive spirit.7qlnWlZ
eBkb45He had heard Luina had fought Wooden first, and was curious to see firsthand the strength of someone who had sliced off Andromalius’s arm with a single strike.TyTk
UrQBiHAnd it seemed he had made a good decision.zsN8Vwv
o7s4“Then I’ll come back with six victories out of six matches.”fUj8r
LEgPu— Kyuuu!kaFq7
irtoYMN“Wooden says not a chance.”FNrE
nHcf— Kyu! Kyu!9MA
t6kuZH“He claims the word ‘defeat’ no longer exists for him. That after losing to Luina, he has been reborn.”A3FmYI
Rj6JrB“Piiiiii!”P87G
gxLgU“And Silver is cheering him on.”tB6OE
O4A3“Even without a translation, I could tell by the sound.”3ZtLi2k
UCCTBut Aint had also promised himself never to accept defeat again.4nfV
h99“Come, Wooden.”kT3i
39RV8c— Kyuuuu!c1FptS
ZYTLyWooden roared.f7YBDH0
CO3u***EYr2
xqTv— Kyuu…hR6l
d8NCVTWooden curled up and rested his head against the wall.HWWp5HD
iRzQz8KAs a worthy descendant of the first emperor, Aint had kept his word.nHAij
hS8pThat meant Wooden’s record now was eleven matches, eleven defeats.RVpNbAL
wK3sYxP“Have you had enough of fighting now, Wooden?”Z9nL
Piyv7Fernan patted him on the shoulder.EMUD
Qawi— Kyu…!w9b
LnzU6i“You say it makes no sense to have lost, even after eating the Itarium root and getting stronger? How funny. No matter how much you don’t accept it, what can you do?”Plwob
ocJFernan’s words seemed to hit hard, and Wooden bumped into the wall again, scolding himself.A2G2P
s7PYKg“You won’t break the wall or your head that way. Stop wasting time.”bcC
XVaz— Kyu!0qzex
8QG“Even so, you did well. You held your ground.”rwdtzhY
pSHemfHWooden had lost eleven times, but not all had been overwhelming defeats.4ygq
Y4Dc7VNJust that was enough to satisfy Fernan.QovbP
2BR“In the end, your essence is that of a giant golem. If you returned to your original size, do you think Aint or Luina could beat you?”kVgr02s
oqZVDscOf course not.Wu0lwsk
nUv8AWooden’s body was too resistant for their auras to destroy, and the destructive power from his colossal size was not something they could easily block.aXdi
rrWZ“Also, even though your body hardened thanks to the Itarium, this time it was a pure swordsmanship duel, and you had no chance to take advantage of that. So let it go…”MpAHi
Ni3— Kyu! Kyuu!9JyfiiL
u8dxB“You mean if you don’t win under equal conditions, it’s meaningless?”BwqyhH
T6jAOWFernan let out a sarcastic laugh. What the hell was a being that had no physical equality with humans talking about?tlDCPq
2hSL05And why should a golem and a knight have to fight on equal terms anyway?Jpr7D5E
JRbTvS“I already fulfilled your request. Don’t keep being stubborn.”qjpAmmY
3Nehx— Kyu… Kyu.jWRo2O
TJUfiu“You want to attend all the knight faculty classes?”kjZy
sQ0dGIFernan was about to get angry, but stopped.CMib
WtjActually, it was a good sign.CTL
3Kwk1yIf Wooden learned swordsmanship and became stronger, ultimately that meant Fernan would be safer.gFJ
UsebTThere was no reason to oppose making the cards against the demons stronger.lHLdE
Gvq7The problem was that, to attend classes, Wooden always had to be accompanied by Fernan.V8T
iH1nzny“That can’t happen. But I’ll find someone else to teach you swordsmanship.”EigNSf
qNS1— Kyu?mWyB
5jim8“I’ll decide that.”efK
31jRXeEach person had their own physique, character, and temperament. And, naturally, a sword style suited to each.ta01fNF
zFN7PWooden was no exception.2kt
kbtHYAThe easiest option was to have him train with Hyde, but Hyde’s sword style was more stealthy and fast than destructive.USWf
hOZE9VIt was a style closer to that of an assassin than a knight, so it didn’t suit Wooden.G0bl
LyjH‘Altrierc would be best.’SYKRhGp
UHOA sword style that made use of physical strength and innate aura, based on power and destruction.lpy
ciT‘Even if he just learns the basics taught to common knights, it’ll be much better.’Inma2u
6vlV7HAfter all, most of Altrierc’s techniques descended from secret arts, just like in Bercheff.UiNRk6S
C3k0bThey were lower in level than the secret arts, but the overall structure was nearly the same.mag8GAd
pl6It would be most appropriate to teach that to Wooden.yGFbczY
Y8U4uAnd there just happened to be a professor at the academy who taught classes based on Altrierc swordsmanship.Sk6AajR
wIolmPc“I’ll have to go see the professor.”brOkY
2AxNNow all that was left was to decide what to offer in return.zaJq4co
ohV***WaVPXc
tEEMI1WThe knight faculty professor, Emond Altrierc, had a bewildered expression.XWTH2v0
83y“…That you’re asking for private lessons, I can understand.”Pnv
M7x“Yes.”jrov9
GF6NYjSFernan’s request wasn’t so surprising in itself.E13G2
PGIIn life, there’s always give and take.cHlw
C1sAnd Emond had received much from Fernan, so he figured the time would come to return the favor.myJ0u0
FBvBut he never expected it to be this.Ae7DD
tds6— Kyuu!5kZ1jo
s8n2jR8“…You want me to teach a golem?”Nbkw
7IqCHe would never have imagined that the pendant Fernan wore around his neck, waving at him, was actually the student in question.dnoiFuu
CjuT9“Yes, brother.”NVB
ro0x5YFernan nodded.VZf
EaAn2“I’m asking you this favor because I know I can trust you.”YaF9
vPpEmond covered his face with his hands.YmJ
MHRukGT“Even though I don’t know much about golems, at least I know that if one that talks and moves on its own is discovered, the whole world would flip upside down.”pMb9m5
bV0“There’s no need to go that far. If this just reached Professor Harcon’s ears, chaos would already break out.”A4iKgNc
fYE2Vft“That’s true… that golem-maniac dwarf…”gL44
2HLUEmond thought of that eccentric dwarf.1b0
A0h“I built him with all my effort, so his physical ability is overwhelming, but he lacks swordsmanship skills.”pl6
oe8p“Yeah, that’s obvious.”AUmg6i
nFd“That’s why he needs to learn swordsmanship, and I think Altrierc’s style suits him best.”OFnRFx
Hx5Considering the golem’s physical capabilities, it was the right decision.xbi9
DN2i“This can’t leave this room, right?”EV15G5
qSsJr3“If it were known I’m walking around with a golem, everyone would assume he’s under your name, brother.”VX8
11TEslhHalf-joking, half-serious.CyCcg
NLHlqjRThough Fernan knew he wouldn’t betray him. He had known the Altriercs since childhood, and he knew Emond was loyal and discreet.N6u8hq
A7bDpdvAfter thinking for a moment, Emond had no choice but to nod. In the end, he didn’t really have a way to refuse.I55D
DxMmf“Alright. I’ll take care of it. Three times a week, two hours each time.”w30GFOS
1xrU“Thank you very much.”14F2ZH
GQ3“But in return, take care of Alcmion.”j2Rtj
yAgPq“Alcmion? What could you ask me about him?”evqAgzS
ki073“You already know how much trouble he is.”OZDux
IflTnUKJust thinking about his younger brother made Emond sigh.e19ve9U
DxK“The personality of that wild Altrierc boar isn’t going to change. Cover for him well. If I do it, they’ll say I’m playing favorites, and I’ll get all the looks.”4fjPdW
jXgPy“Of course, brother. I’ll keep an eye on him.”qzFnLd
ZpJThus, the deal was sealed.VRZ
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!