The first thought that came to mind was how beautiful it was.
And the next was that if you were enraptured by such splendor, you could die without realizing your neck was cut.
Yunaâs swordsmanship had such an impact that it silenced the previously noisy arena.
While Ingerdâs magic slowly unveiled its beauty through simple, low-circle magic spells, Yuna made an immediate impactful burst of hundreds of blossoming sword streams from the start.
âShe did it on purpose.â
And this was certainly intentional.
âItâs not something one could think of alone. She must have discussed it with her teacher beforehand.â
In other words, the instructor already knew how the opponent would perform.
Swish!
Shaaak!
Choosing the chain whip was also a good choice.
Whenever she swung her sword, transformations occurred, and over ten illusions beautifully unfurled like real swords, rippling.
âWowâŠ..â
âItâs so prettyâŠ..â
Yunaâs swordsmanship drew admiration from the Magic Department, Swordsmanship Department, and all onlookers.Even the swordsmanship novices in the Magic Department, Yunaâs swordsmanship was both beautiful and dangerous.
Particularly chilling was how it bloomed like a flower before stretching out like a snake.
Just when its wavering made one doubt it was a real sword, it would solidify firmly like a familiar blade.
Seeing Yuna manipulating the chain whip freely, the Magic Department teachers frowned.
âShe wasnât a sacrifice pawn after allâŠ..â
She wasnât a mistaken opener nor a sacrifice pawn.
Ethan had sent Yuna out to definitively suppress the opener.
Those who had loudly claimed Ethan was mistaken could only silence themselves and focus on Yunaâs swordsmanship.
âHuhâŠâ
Even Ron and Mason, who had been slightly anxious, watched Yuna in admiration. As swordsmen themselves, they were even more impacted.
âWhat kind of assignment did you give her to allow this?â
âCurious?â
ââŠIâm curious. Ah, no. Iâm not curious.â
Ron shook his head vigorously.
Ethan continued to appreciate Yunaâs swordsmanship, looking completely relaxed as Yuna demonstrated exactly what she had shown him.
Yunaâs swordsmanship swiftly passed the midpoint and entered the latter half.
Ethan had drawn out Yunaâs full potential of her ever-changing swordsmanship.
What she was unveiling now was her limit.
âShe must keep reaching her limit. Only then can she verify and break through it.â
It was one lesson learned from clearing MaPan.
If you donât challenge your limits, you canât surpass them.
âYou must keep knocking on your limits to grow.â
Right now, she was continually knocking on her limits.
Even in the moment of unveiling her swordsmanship, she was growing.
Shyaaaak!
Yuna, who had been rapidly swinging her sword, briefly caught her breath. Everyone held their breath in anticipation, knowing she was preparing her final move.
âThough Miss Ingerdâs magic also exceeded student level, this exceeds even further.â
The evaluator Jeryd was catching every one of Yuna Garnetâs movements, his quill constantly moving to score her.
Scratch scratch scratch.
There was so much to write about her swordsmanship.
Most of them were compliments.
âNot student level, not something a student could unveil, not something to be viewed as a student.â
Such phrases preceded most of the descriptions. He didnât mean to write them, but they wrote themselves.
And his gaze naturally turned to Ethan.
It was that relaxed-looking teacher, Ethan Whiskers, who prompted such descriptions.
âJust how did he teach this student?â
As he thought this, the words of his senior Ghost Sword came to mind.
âSo this is why.â
Ghost Swordâs praise of Ethan Whiskers surfaced â all of his praise.
âIs this why he told me to evaluate with utmost composure?â
Evaluating with utmost composure ended up giving Ethan Whiskers an even higher evaluation than if Ghost Sword had pushed for a favorable review, or if bonus points were given under the assumption he was Ghost Swordâs protĂ©gĂ©.
âIf the Inquisitionâs fledglings learn from Teacher EthanâŠâŠâ
If he could teach students this well, how much better could he teach the Inquisitionâs fledglings?
Then Yuna, who had been catching her breath, moved.
Shaaak â
Yuna spun around once, unveiling a sword illusion like a lotus flower.
Yuna planted her feet firmly as she maintained the beautiful lotus flower, appearing to loosely dangle her sword while actually swinging it with extreme speed and stability.
âInsane.â
âThat, that! How is she even maintaining that?â
Swordsmanship Department students rose from their seats without realizing it.
Jeryd also accidentally snapped his scoring quill from gripping it too tightly.
âEthan Whiskers.â
To raise a studentâs level to this extentâŠ
Jeryd stared intently at Ethan.
âThank you.â
The hall fell silent.
When it had been Ingerd, it was filled with cheers and applause.
Now everyone seemed spellbound by Yuna Garnetâs swordsmanship they had just witnessed.
âThat was Miss Yunaâs swordsmanship!â
Only after the vice-principal belatedly announced it did cheers and applause finally erupt.
âJeryd.â
âAh, yes, senior. My apologies. I got too focused.â
The flustered Jeryd took back his quill and began the final scoring.
âDidnât I tell you to manage your expressions a bit?â
The Principal chuckled lightly as he spoke.
âI donât know how he did it. Is that Ethan Whiskers really a new teacher?â
âIndeed.â
The Principal nodded.
âTo be honest, I can hardly believe it myself.â
He then laughed heartily.
Jeryd quickly stood up.
âThat was really excellent swordsmanship and magic! As a magic swordsman myself, itâs truly gratifying to see such high-level students. Although the winner isnât that important, I scored earnestly for the sake of the experience. This is solely my evaluation, so thereâs no need to despair too much.â
Jeryd spoke loudly. Everyone tensely awaited his words.
âTo my eyes, Miss Yuna Garnetâs swordsmanship was slightly more beautiful.â
With those words, the Swordsmanship Department students cheered raucously.
***
Swordsmanship Department 1 win.
If the Swordsmanship Department secured another win in the second exchange, the Interdepartmental Exchange Event would be over.
âDamn it, damn it!â
Duty inwardly cursed.
âYuna Garnetâs skill was that good? Thatâs ridiculous! Surely it couldnât beâŠâ
He didnât want to admit it. He wanted to say Ingerdâs magic was more impressive.
But Duty had directly witnessed Yunaâs swordsmanship. Even to him, her skill was no less than Ingerdâs.
As a Sky Swordmage proficient in both magic and swordsmanship, he judged that Yuna could definitely win. đđđđźđđđ·đŻâŽđŁđźđ.đžâŽđź
âHe really did send Yuna Garnet out as the opener to win. But how? Yuna Garnet had taken a leave for a while.â
Could it be that during that leave, Ethan had assigned her some task?
Duty wanted to quickly settle this situation.
If they lost the next bout, it would be over.
âVilkas.â
âYes, sir. Donât worry. I saw it too. Mason will likely go next. Iâll properly crush him.â
Vilkas, the only male of the golden age and a free wielder of fire magic, stepped forward.
Though Serana was also present, Duty chose Vilkas. The reason was Mason.
The other side would surely send Mason out to finish it.
Between Ron and Mason, Mason was far superior.
Moreover, Masonâs swordsmanship was famous for being reckless.
In contrast, Serana used graceful, beautiful water magic. In terms of impact, Masonâs side would inevitably have more.
Hence, Vilkas.
Vilkasâs fire magic could counter Masonâs reckless swordsmanship with strong impact.
Like the swordsmanship Yuna Garnet had shown, he could start with a big impact.
That way, he could capture Jerydâs eye and draw him in even further.
âWeâll begin the second exchange bout.â
At the vice-principalâs words, Vilkas stepped forward.
âFrom the Magic Department, Vilkas Genin.â
Vilkas glared fiercely at Mason, fired up with competitiveness. He would defeat Mason and pass the finale to Serana.
As Duty expected, everyone present assumed Mason would come out. But Mason remained seated with his arms crossed.
âFrom the Swordsmanship Department, Ron Bears.â
Ethan glanced at Dutyâs side with a grin.
It wasnât Mason. Ron strode into the arena exuding overwhelming presence.
Dutyâs expression instantly froze.
Why send out Ron instead of Mason? What was he thinking?
âWhat? Why?â
Why Ron Bears?
Duty wasnât the only one flustered. The representative Vilkas also looked bewildered at the approaching Ron.
Reading the confusion and dismay in Vilkasâs gaze, Ron amusedly smiled.
âWhy, were you expecting Mason?â
He drew his sword as he said this.
âDid I seem that harmless?â
Ron exhaled deeply.
âThe second exchange bout will start with Ron Bears!â
If he seemed harmless, he intended to dispel that notion in this second bout.
âMason wonât be coming out. Iâll end it right here.â
Woosh!
Ron swung his sword.
***
All the students had expected Mason to come out.
So when Ron appeared instead, the studentsâ eyes once again turned to Ethan. Shouldnât Mason have been sent out here to try and win?
But that bewilderment was short-lived.
As Ron swung his sword, all the studentsâ attention was drawn to it.
Ron was a rare swordsman at the academy who used a greatsword.
Most of the Swordsmanship Departmentâs figures preferred regular-sized swords like Masonâs.
Greatswords were less favored as they were quite difficult to wield despite their overwhelming power, and were comparatively slow.
Moreover, it was extremely rare for noble houses to teach greatsword techniques.
The prestigious noble houses no longer used greatswords.
Even if there were greatsword techniques, they were usually excluded from the curriculum as they were considered barbaric.
So everyone was instantly immersed.
Because Ron was wielding that difficult greatsword as if it were a dagger.
Destructive movements emanating from his characteristic brawn.
Ron fully demonstrated his greatest strength â his power.
âOho, a greatsword! You didnât have him corrected, senior?â
Since itâs a disfavored weapon, when students enter the academy theyâre given a chance to change swords, to grow more efficiently.
âTeacher Ethan is good at bringing out a studentâs traits.â
âBut is that student really the one who was at the very bottom of the Swordsmanship Department?â
Not only was Yuna Garnetâs skill shocking earlier, but Ronâs skill was even more astonishing.
Rumor had it that Ron was a student who hadnât shone much in the Swordsmanship Department.
âIf heâs a special admission student, isnât he one of the troubled students you often mentioned, senior?â
âIndeed, Ron was also considering dropping out. To be honest, we at Ivecar canât teach freely and creatively. We only teach by the curriculum.â
There was a set curriculum, and they could only teach according to that curriculum.
Students also tended to only adapt and learn what they could get from that curriculum.
But the special admission students struggled with that. They failed to properly adapt, and that failure led to dropping out.
As an academy aspiring to be the best, Ivecar should provide excellent education even for such special admission students.
âSo he raised a special admission student slated for dropout to this level?â
It surely wasnât easy.
If teaching was that simple, the Principal wouldnât have agonized over it.
âThatâs right.â
The Principal smiled wryly.
It was one of his long-standing concerns. Moreover, solving it was essential for becoming the top academy.
And the answer was found through Ethan.
âSo the senior had no choice but to give him special treatment.â
âActually, âspecial treatmentâ isnât quite accurate. Compared to Teacher Ethanâs accomplishments in such a short time, Iâve given him less consideration.â
Ethan had achieved so much that for special treatment, the Principal would have to provide several times more advantages than he currently was.
Only then could it barely be called special treatment.
âItâs the first time a teacher has been so difficult to give special treatment to.â
At the Principalâs words, Jeryd couldnât help but laugh.
Even as he conversed with the Principal, Jeryd couldnât take his eyes off Ronâs movements.
While the previous two students showed dynamic movements, Ron displayed a static form.
Focusing on power, he unveiled each sword technique move by move, the force palpably reaching even distant students.
âHuh.â
Jeryd suddenly opened his eyes wide as if surprised.
âThatâŠwas the Revinade sword technique? And tailored to that studentâŠhe even modified it. My, my.â
Shyaaaak!
Finally, the last move.
As Ronâs swordsmanship ended, applause and cheers immediately followed.
ââŠRight after this, there should be magic that can make one forget what they just saw.â
Jerydâs eyes gleamed.
Author's Thoughts
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