Chapter 117
【 Luke’s Test 】
Time kept passing.
When June began, the weather grew even hotter, and the final exams drew steadily closer.
Students threw themselves into preparing for the last tests of the semester.
They studied hard for the written exams and did their best to prepare for the practical ones.
But in the meantime, the first-year students taking Swordsmanship Class couldn’t prepare for their practical exam.
Because…
“Teacher, what kind of test are we even taking for the finals?”
“I told you, I’m not telling you.”
One week before the finals.
At Sara’s question, Luke replied with a sly smile.
“For this final exam, each of you should prepare however you think best, according to your own abilities.”
“We have to know what kind of test it is in order to prepare.”
“Sara, think about it. An enemy might appear anytime, anywhere, and you won’t know who or how. You can’t always have information about the opponent you’ll have to fight.”
“…That’s true.”
“Think of this exam as part of that.”
Sara seemed unable to argue back and simply closed her mouth.
Luke let out a small chuckle.
“But don’t overthink it. Even if it’s an exam I made, in the end, it’s still just fighting.”
“So you’re telling us to just train as hard as possible.”
“Right. Just do your absolute best.”
Luke patted Sara on the shoulder.
“And what I just said wasn’t a joke. All of you don’t know what kinds of enemies you’re going to face from now on. It’d be good to always be prepared to deal with unexpected foes.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Good. Anyway, does anyone have another question? Hm… none? Alright then, let’s continue class. Today again, we’ll base our lesson on practicing how to use aura in combat…”
And like that, Luke didn’t give out a single piece of information about the final exam.
No matter how close finals came, he simply taught the students as he always did.
‘Everyone besides Sara looks curious too. Jason also clearly has no idea.’
In truth, even Jason couldn’t have known.
Unless someone looked inside Luke’s mind, there was no way to know.
‘Of course, I knew.’
The final exam for first-year first-semester Swordsmanship Class—Luke’s exam.
I had taken that exam many times in the game, so I knew it well.
But the problem was… I knew it, and that was all.
‘It’s the kind of exam where knowing it doesn’t mean you can prepare.’
Just as Luke said, the right answer was simply doing my best to train.
I had to become stronger before the finals.
Only then would I be able to endure, even slightly, against the ‘strong opponent’ I would soon face.
‘After class today, I should go straight to the Training Grounds again.’
If I wanted a good score on the finals, I had to push my body even more.
My immediate goal was… to completely get used to Mistcatcher’s skill before the exam.
‘Well, aside from that, I also need to practice handling Peregrie’s power—especially the power of wind—a bit more. And on top of that…’
There was simply far too much to do.
Maybe that was why time passed so quickly.
Time passed so quickly that before I knew it, finals were just around the corner.
Finals would begin next Monday, and today was the Friday before that week.
To be exact, it was the last day of class before finals.
“Alright, let’s stop here for today! Everyone, gather up!”
At Luke’s call, all the students gathered in front of him.
“First of all, good work this whole semester. And all of you have grown well, as much as you worked. I’m not just saying that. Every one of you has grown stronger beyond what I expected.”
The students all nodded.
They each seemed fully aware of how much they had grown over the semester.
“So now, it’s time for you to show me your results for this semester. Yes, show me—directly.”
The students wore puzzled expressions.
They didn’t seem to understand Luke’s words right away.
Of course, I wasn’t among them.
Even if the details differed, I already knew what Luke was going to say.
“Finals start next week, right? Just like the midterms, the first-years will take their practical exam next Friday.”
Exactly one week from now, Luke added with a smile.
“The practical exam for Swordsmanship Class this semester. I’ll tell you now. It is… fighting me.”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Every student fell silent in an instant.
The gymnasium became quiet as if cold water had been poured over it.
Some wore expressions like they must have misheard, while others simply didn’t know how to react.
And the first one to speak was Jason.
“…You want us to fight you, Teacher?”
“Yep, that’s right.”
“Seriously? Among us—no, in this entire academy—there isn’t anyone who could beat you.”
“Heh. First, there are people in the academy who can beat me. If Lady Kara went all out, even I couldn’t guarantee victory, and there are one or two others as well.”
“And second,” Luke continued,
“Winning or losing isn’t what matters. I said this during midterms too—the important thing is to show how much you’ve grown.”
“But isn’t it basically impossible for us to win?”
This time, Sara spoke.
“If it’s a fight where we have no chance of winning, it’s hard to feel motivated.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll fight with an appropriate handicap.”
“What kind of handicap?”
“I’ll only use aura at the most basic, the weakest level. Far weaker than what you’re using now.”
That truly was a huge handicap for Luke.
His strength fundamentally came from aura, and he was saying he’d suppress it to its lowest level.
With that much of a handicap, the students might think they had a chance of beating him.
‘Sure, there’s a chance. A very tiny one.’
Luke was more than strong enough even without aura.
Even without any aura at all, he could easily defeat most students.
“Anyway, the final exam is each of you fighting me once. So show me everything you’ve gained this semester.”
“Teacher.”
“Hmm? Why, Gideon?”
“When we take the test, we can use any means necessary, right?”
“…Heh.”
Luke looked at me silently for a moment, then let out a small laugh.
“It doesn’t matter. So, the you who have grown this semester, and the new power you’ve gained—whatever it is, use everything you have against me.”
“Understood. I’ll show you everything I’ve learned and gained this semester.”
“Good. Very good.”
Luke looked genuinely satisfied.
“I’m already looking forward to this final exam.”
Whoosh―
After the last class of the first semester ended, I headed straight for the Training Grounds.
Maybe because it was exam season, there were more people there than usual.
‘I’ve still got some time before meeting Lisa… might as well train a bit more.’
I swung the blazing Mistcatcher.
Not just simple swings—but ones mixed with refined technique.
‘I’ve finally gotten about as good as Sara now.’
There were still many areas lacking, but it was now something I could proudly call the swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family.
‘Alright then…’
While swinging the flaming sword, I canceled the magic.
Then, I quickly called forth Blood Energy around my body.
Boom―!
After changing my stance, I struck the scarecrow with a powerful blow from the swordsmanship of the House Balmuth.
“…I still need to be faster.”
The speed of switching sword styles.
It still wasn’t satisfactory.
I would have to train more before the finals—before facing Luke.
‘If I want to overcome the limits of defensive swordsmanship, I have to keep at it.’
My strengths were near-perfect defense, and a broad range of sword techniques learned shallowly but widely.
Especially the ability to use multiple sword styles—that was what I needed to maximize.
Only then could I stand up, at least somewhat, against swordsmen who specialized deeply in one style.
‘To make the most of my strengths, I need to be able to switch swordsmanship styles faster. So once more…’
I focused again on swinging my sword.
From the Isrinbloom Ducal Family’s swordsmanship to the House Balmuth’s swordsmanship.
And from my defensive swordsmanship to other techniques…
“Hm?”
Just then, a red dot suddenly appeared beside me.
My body instinctively turned my sword toward it.
Clang―!
I cleanly deflected the surprise attack.
“Oh, still solid as ever.”
“Jason?”
“Sorry for the sudden attack. But I couldn’t help being curious.”
“What were you curious about?”
“You were training with different sword techniques, so I wanted to see if your defensive swordsmanship still held up. That’s what I was curious about.”
Jason sheathed his saber with a smirk.
“Seems like it’s still the same. Even now, if someone told me to break through your defense… honestly, I couldn’t.”
“I’ve been consistently practicing all my sword techniques. Especially my defensive swordsmanship… since it’s the foundation of who I am, I’ve never neglected it.”
“That’s just like you. Anyway… I saw you training with the Isrinbloom and Balmuth families’ swordsmanship. Planning to master all the ducal sword arts?”
“Perfect mastery is impossible, but I’m trying my best to at least follow in their footsteps.”
I wasn’t trying to sound humble—it was the truth.
No matter how much I trained, I could never perfectly reach the level of the swordsmen who devoted their entire lives to those techniques.
I’d thought that even before attempting to copy their swordsmanship, and after actually training with them alone, I was even more convinced.
“Impressive. I find it hard enough to master even one. But… why don’t you imitate my swordsmanship?”
“Ah… you mean the Hawkbat Family’s swordsmanship?”
“Yeah. During the midterms, you mimicked my technique, so I thought maybe you’d finally taken an interest in our family’s sword style… but turns out you hadn’t?”
“I could imitate a few techniques, but the Hawkbat Family’s swordsmanship itself… for me—or rather, for most swordsmen—it’s difficult.”
Jason nodded at my words.
He, of course, understood what I meant.
“The Hawkbat swordsmanship is based on the Spirit of Wind. Without the Spirit of Wind, it’s definitely hard.”
“Yes, that’s right. The Hawkbat Family’s swordsmanship relies on the Spirit of Wind to…”
“To make the body lighter. That’s the key. Making the body light—that’s where Hawkbat swordsmanship begins.”
High-speed movement and walking in midair.
That was only possible because the Spirit of Wind made its contractor’s body lighter.
“I’ve heard there are spells that can make the body lighter too.”
“But with magic alone, it’s hard to perfectly replicate. Like you said, our swordsmanship only works with the Spirit of Wind’s power.”
“Yes, that’s why I can’t imitate your swordsmanship, Sir Jason.”
“…That might not necessarily be true.”
“Pardon?”
I tilted my head at Jason’s words.
Jason glanced around briefly, then leaned closer and spoke quietly.
“You can handle wind using Peregrie’s power, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You know, there’s a legend. It says Peregrie was born from the Spirit of Wind.”
“…What?”
That was news even to me.
I had thought I knew every setting about Peregrie.
“You look surprised. Well, it’s normal not to know. It’s a legend passed down in a small tribe at the southernmost edge of the continent. I only know it because I’m from the Hawkbat Family—most people wouldn’t.”
“Yes, I truly hadn’t heard of it before.”
“It might just be a baseless myth. But still… keep it in mind. You never know. That ridiculous legend might end up helping you someday.”
Jason smiled faintly.
And somehow, I felt like I understood what that smile meant.