[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 79
Zeke and his party returned to Atlas from Phantasia, where the Graham clan resided, by train.
Lady Catherine decided to gather more information about the martial arts tournament by meeting with the central region nobles and then rejoin them in Atlas.
Farel, getting off at the central station, looked around Atlas and said,
"It's been a while since I've been here since graduating from Valhalla."
"You were also from Valhalla, Sir Farel?"
"Yes. It's rare for central region nobles to attend Valhalla, but I admired Sir Flaubert so much that I wanted to enroll."
It was plausible, considering that Flaubert, who was from Thebes, located in the heart of the central region, was a respected knight even among the central region nobles.
Zeke and his party headed to the mansion in Atlas.
When they arrived, a familiar face was waiting for him.
"Master!"
It was Liam Stone, who was about to graduate from the academy.
"Liam, it's been a while."
Liam was taller than the last time they met, and his face was much more mature.
From a distance, he looked as old as Farel, who was in his thirties.
Zeke told Farel and Felix to rest, and he went out to the garden with Liam.
"So, how have you been, Liam?"
"Thanks to Master, I was able to complete the academy graduation exam without any problems."
"I heard you were promoted to purple rank before graduation. Well done."
Liam was recognized as a purple-rank knight this year and was about to graduate from the academy. Among his peers, the only other one was Reina, one of the pure-blooded awakened.
Zeke asked Liam,
"I heard you refused the recommendation to enroll in Valhalla with Reina. Why?"
Liam pounded his chest and said,
"I want to be of help to you as soon as possible, Master."
Zeke pondered Liam's words.
'Liam in my past life didn't go to Valhalla and became a red-rank knight after gaining experience in the field. Would he grow faster if he gained experience by my side?'
Zeke, lost in thought, felt a bit pressured by Liam's burning gaze.
'Well, it wouldn't hurt to have one more squire.'
Zeke accepted Liam's request.
"Thank you, Master!"
He sipped his tea and asked about the other cousins.
"Leon Conrad ended up taking an indefinite leave of absence from the academy, and Owen Siemens skipped a grade but didn't pass the graduation exam this time. Reina Draker is graduating this time and will be enrolling in Valhalla. Jakenn Vardec failed to skip a grade and is now acting like a king among his peers."
Zeke nodded as he listened to Liam's report.
"So Leon finally had his spirit broken."
Leon, who had been bullying Liam, had his ear cut off by Zeke.
Leon, who had always been the perpetrator, couldn't accept the situation where he became the victim.
In the end, he couldn't overcome the shock of what Zeke did to him and chose to take an indefinite leave of absence.
"I think it's his just deserts."
Zeke, who had also suffered at the hands of Leon Conrad in his past life, agreed with Liam's thoughts.
Just then, Decker approached them in the garden.
"Young Master, I brought what you asked for."
"Thank you, Decker. Put it here."
Decker, following Zeke's gesture, placed a rather large box in front of Liam.
Zeke looked at Liam and said,
"Liam, this is your promotion gift."
Liam was flustered at those words.
"A-A gift? What I've already received is enough, Master."
"Stop grumbling and take it."
Liam opened the box with trembling hands.
And he was surprised.
"M-Master, this is?"
Inside the box was a set of new sword and light armor that Zeke had specially ordered from Gelion for Liam.
Zeke grinned and said,
"I hope it fits you well."
Liam was so moved that he couldn't speak properly.
He took out the gauntlets, boots, and breastplate from the box and put them on.
"It fits perfectly, as if it was tailored!"
It was only natural that Liam liked it, considering it was specially ordered from Gelion based on the armor Liam used in his past life as the mercenary king.
Finally, Liam slowly drew the sword from its scabbard.
Clank!
It was a sword carefully crafted by Gelion, the craftsman of the soul.
Liam was captivated by the sword and stared at his reflection in the blade for a while, speechless.
"Do you like it, Liam?"
Liam, snapping back to reality, immediately knelt before Zeke.
"Thank you for your grace. I will strive to not bring shame to your name."
Seeing Liam on the verge of tears, Zeke chuckled and said,
"I'll look forward to it."
Zeke, thinking that the reunion had come to a close, immediately called Felix and established the hierarchy between the two.
"Liam is the first subordinate to pledge loyalty to me. And Felix, you are my squire. Felix, you will treat Liam as your senior."
Felix was surprised and asked,
"What? Master, why am I below him?"
Zeke looked at Felix and said,
"Do you have a complaint?"
"N-No, I was just asking."
Zeke grinned at Felix.
"Alright, Felix, I'll give you a chance."
"W-What kind of chance?"
"If you can defeat Liam, I'll change the hierarchy."
Felix said with an excited expression,
"Really, Master? No take-backs."
With that, their spar was decided. A moment later, Felix and Liam stood facing each other.
Felix thought he could easily defeat a young boy who had just graduated from the academy, even if his face looked mature.
He took his sword and assumed his stance.
Liam also took his stance at the same time.
But something was strange.
'A young boy who just graduated...?'
Woooong!
A clear ringing sound echoed from Liam's sword.
Wheeik!
Liam's powerful sword strike, extending from his characteristically long reach, struck Felix.
"Ugh!"
Felix barely blocked Liam's sword and regained his balance.
He changed his mind.
'Damn it, what young boy!'
Pride and everything else were gone.
Felix immediately used the Paladin inherited swordsmanship.
Wheeik!
Liam retreated from Felix's heavy attack and looked for an opening with an unorthodox attack.
Zeke laughed in amusement as he watched their contrasting swordsmanship.
'It's ironic that Felix, who looks light, uses the classical traditional swordsmanship, and Liam, who looks heavy, uses the unorthodox swordsmanship.'
As he expected, the two were almost equal in skill.
But since their swordsmanship styles were completely opposite, they seemed to be good stimulants for each other.
"Hiya!"
Felix, despite his frivolous shouts, skillfully displayed formal sword strikes like the Paladin inherited swordsmanship and the Agamemnon Golden Swordsmanship.
Liam, who had slightly underestimated Felix because of his lighthearted attitude, was also inwardly surprised.
'His sword is solid.'
It meant his basics were strong.
Felix, who had been trained by his grandfather, an Arc Paladin, since childhood and even received an Aura transfer, had solid basics.
Clang!
After exchanging hundreds of blows, both of them were visibly exhausted.
"Huff... Huff..."
"Pant... Pant..."
Their Aura and everything else were depleted.
The two held their swords and prepared for their final gambit.
Wheeik!
It was then.
Liam, who was charging forward, feinted a strike at Felix's sword, then let go of his sword and rushed into Felix's arms.
"Gasp!"
Felix, who had mainly trained in traditional swordsmanship, had never thought of letting go of his sword during a duel.
Liam grabbed Felix's legs and used a Pankration technique to trip him.
Then, he grabbed Felix's back and choked him.
"Gah!"
Felix, who had never learned Pankration techniques, struggled as his carotid artery was pressed, causing him pain.
Seeing this, Zeke shouted,
"Stop!"
At Zeke's command, Liam immediately released the chokehold.
"Cough! Cough!"
Felix coughed violently and finally regained his senses.
Zeke looked at Felix and said,
"Felix, you lost."
"Ugh..."
Felix, exhausted, lay sprawled on the garden floor.
Zeke was convinced that Felix and Liam would complement each other's shortcomings.
Just then, Farel approached Zeke.
"Sir Zeke!"
"Sir Farel, what's the matter?"
Farel handed Zeke a note.
"What's this?"
"It's news from a friend in Atlas."
Zeke unfolded the note Farel gave him and read it.
He nodded.
"So Reina Draker is also participating in the tournament."
"Anyone with a purple rank or higher can participate, so it seems the Turunn clan hurriedly applied for Reina Draker's participation."
Zeke looked at Liam, who was standing behind him, and said,
"You heard that, Liam? Reina is participating in the tournament."
He then said to Liam,
"Liam, you're also entering the tournament. Aim to defeat Reina."
Farel was surprised at those words.
"Sir Zeke! Reina Draker is from the Turunn clan and a pure-blooded awakened. She's young, but she's one of the strongest contenders..."
Zeke grinned and said to Liam,
"You heard that, Liam? Work even harder."
Liam bowed his head to Zeke with a determined look in his eyes.
"Understood, Master!"
Felix and Farel were speechless, staring blankly at Liam.
'As expected of Sir Zeke. His way of thinking is different from ordinary people.'
'Why did I say I'd be this guy's squire? I want to Turunn back time.'
***
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The day of the Drake Martial Arts Tournament preliminaries arrived. Young knights and their clan members gathered noisily at the assembly point set up on the outskirts of Atlas.
They tried to intimidate each other by waving larger and more colorful flags, as if trying to show off their clan status.
It was then.
Thud! Thud!
There was a group of horsemen leading enormous warhorses.
A crest with a giant bull engraved on it.
"T-The Turunn clan!"
The most belligerent clan among Draker's blood alliances, known for their strong physiques.
In the midst of the Turunn clan horsemen, Reina Draker, the genius and pure-blooded awakened, arrived at the assembly point, riding a giant warhorse.
As she appeared, the horsemen from other clans exchanged glances and held their breath.
The pressure emanating from the Turunn clan knights, with their massive physiques reminiscent of barbarians, was suffocating.
Then, following the Turunn clan, carriages and horsemen from another clan entered.
Two snakes biting each other's tails formed their crest.
"It's Siemens!"
The carriage bearing the Siemens crest stopped, and a young man with ash-gray hair and sanpaku eyes stepped out.
He looked around and said, "Hmph, a lot of insignificant rabble have gathered."
He didn't hesitate to utter arrogant words, but the horsemen from other clans couldn't say anything and just flinched back at the sight of Edward Siemens.
Just then, Edward spotted Reina and approached her.
"Reina! It's been a while."
As Edward approached, the Turunn clan knights standing behind Reina became wary.
Edward chuckled and said,
"Can't you even greet someone? How dare the Turunn clan's lackeys glare at a direct descendant of Siemens."
Reina raised her hand and had the knights step back.
She bowed her head to Edward in greeting.
"It's been a while."
"It's a shame you bothered to come all the way here. Because I'll be taking the championship of this tournament."
Reina said to Edward,
"Edward, you'd better be careful. I heard that guy is also participating in this tournament."
"What? Are you talking back to me?"
"Yes."
Edward twitched one cheek and glared fiercely.
"Who here dares to stop me? You, Reina, who just became a purple-rank knight? With just your measly pure-blooded awakening?"
"It's not me. That guy is..."
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Just then, a few people rode into the assembly area on horseback.
They arrived with only four riders, without any clan crests or escorts.
The one leading the group dismounted.
"Whew. We barely made it in time."
Following him, Liam, Felix, and Farel dismounted as well.
Zeke raised his hand and greeted Reina, who was facing Edward.
"It's been a while, Reina."
Reina's expression hardened as she saw Zeke after two years.
Edward, seeing Reina's reaction, cracked his neck and approached Zeke.
"Huh. So this good-for-nothing with no backing is the guy I should be careful of, huh?"
Edward stood in front of Zeke.
"Brat. I'm Edward Siemens."
Edward leaned closer to Zeke and said,
"A worthless piece of trash like you with no backing has no place here. Just scram quietly."
It was then.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A sound that shook the ground could be heard approaching from afar.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]