Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The silence was quite long.

The voice that broke that silence was David’s.

“Ah, cancel.”

Everyone’s gazes turned toward him.

“The dressing and feeding is canceled. That went too far. Right?”

David stood up from his seat grinning.

“Other than that, I’ll do as promised.”

David said to the director.

“Prepare the graduation certificate, Director. Ah, if becoming a direct disciple, is it unnecessary? Still, it’s awkward not to give the price of the sparring victory?”

“I’ll receive it if I can.”

Such a certificate is good to have even one more.

It becomes an identification card itself, and when another identity is needed, it can be slightly modified and used.

“He says so. He’ll come to receive it later, so prepare it.”

“Understood.”

The director obediently nodded.

If it was an external disciple who receives the graduation certificate and leaves, it might be different, but writing a graduation certificate for one who will become a direct disciple was an easier matter.

“Ronan, you follow me.”

***

The sword institute consists of four large and small buildings located at the southwestern middle gate within the castle of the Equira Sword Family.

Most were the students’ dormitories, and the rest consisted of the cafeteria and training facilities, and classrooms to learn the essential studies for living in the world and the educators’ offices to take care of and teach the children.

Other than the teachers who teach the sword and the director who manages them, they were not magic practitioners, and therefore the sword institute was the area with the fewest magic practitioners within the sword family.

There was a sparring ground even within the sword institute area, but it wasn’t wide enough for many people to wait.

So when several spars continued, for convenience, the large sparring ground on the south of the castle adjacent to the student area was used.

This is a place where somewhat lower-year magic practitioners of the Equira family spar, and it belonged to the side with many people coming and going to watch as spars were often held.

Coming out of the sparring ground, there are paths going to both sides and up, going left comes out the sword institute’s dormitory and training ground, going forward comes out the medicine hall.

And the right path where the main castle soaring high is visible was not permitted to sword institute students except on special days.

Following David, a commercial street appeared.

There were no stalls, but inside the cleanly built buildings, ceramics or books, drinks or meat, fruits etc. were visible.

Between them, the magic practitioners and servants of the sword family were moving busily, and going a bit further, an arch gate guarded by guards wearing swords was visible.

The guards were wearing chest armor engraved with the Equira Sword Family’s emblem over loose-looking hemp clothes, and a purple tassel flowed down from the sword hilt at the waist, proving they were direct disciples at the entrance of the path of magic.

‘Duty?’

Even magic practitioners can’t help it if doing group life.

They didn’t stop me following behind David.

Passing the guards and entering, magnificent buildings were visible on both sides.

“Equira Library...”

A repository said to be full of path of magic and martial arts materials that the Equira family has collected over a long time.

To the left was the research building where Equira’s path of magic scholars are researching, and the right was the entire large building as a data room.

Passing even the place that will be frequently looked at from now on, finally the main castle appeared.

Among those coming and going, some bowed their heads seeing David, and some saw me wearing student clothes and were puzzled.

And the guards in front of the main castle wearing blue tassels stopped David once.

“Hello, Equira. Who is the one following behind? From the uniform, it looks like a sword institute student?”

“He has a Magic Root so I decided to help with entry. The name is Ronan...”

I opened my mouth seeing me.

“Gradias.”

“Yes, I’ll record it.”

I entered inside the castle.

David slightly smiled and said a complaint.

“They set ranks, positions all by realm and generation, then call Equira Equira so distinction isn’t possible.”

Respecting low ranks is awkward, but speaking informally to low-rank Equira bloodline is also ambiguous, isn’t that why?

It means only outsiders are called by the rank according to the tassel at the waist.

David seems uncomfortable with such vertical culture, but rather from the position of an outsider who entered the family, it looked convenient.

Since those careful to deal with can be collectively called ‘Sir Equira’.

“This way.”

Among a pair of circular stairs slowly rotating in the center, I climbed the ascending stairs and waited a moment.

Several people got on and off moving busily, but David stood still and waited to go up endlessly.

“I don’t understand why adults like high places so much. Don’t you?”

Hmm? Suddenly attacked.

As someone who had an office at the top of a 4-story office and liked to climb the clock tower and look down at the city, it’s a question hard to readily agree with...

“Yes, I also don’t know well why they like it.”

Certainly if asking the reason for liking, I don’t know well.

Receiving it smiling moderately like that, David also seemed satisfied and leaned on the armrest humming.

Continuing to climb the floors of the main castle, I came up to a place where not only sword institute students but even direct disciples cannot easily enter.

I felt something odd and asked.

“Where are we going?”

“To my master.”

I retraced my memory.

Certainly if the master of such a big shot, he would likewise be a big shot.

Soon I recalled the name Herdrode.

The epithet is the one closest to the sword.

The strongest is the family head, but the one closest to Equira’s goal is Herdrode.

When David wandered outside and piled up legends, Herdrode quietly repeated training within the family and rose to the realm of half-god and became a legend.

Later, a person counted as one of the ‘Emperor’s Magic Practitioners’ referring to the human closest to the First Emperor’s realm in that era.

Since he wasn’t a person who would give interviews, in the previous life he was a person truly shrouded in mystery whose face I never even saw, but this time I’ll get acquainted in the process of entering the path of magic.

“Actually, even teaching me he finds troublesome so I don’t know if it’ll work, but still I don’t like becoming your master.”

“I’m fine even as Sir David’s disciple.”

Personality alone looked like the best master one can meet in Equira.

Teaching talent well is separate, but it’s not something one can see in advance and choose.

“I said it. You use the sword better than me?”

“No way. The swordsmanship I learned is only the three sword techniques of semi-sword, flat-sword, disarm-sword permitted to sword institute students.”

“It felt like philosophy? Feeling of having cut at least a thousand?”

“...”

“Not scarecrows that aren’t a threat, but the feeling of having faced strong enemies one by one on a real battlefield. Whether lost or won, the sword of an old strong one who survived and is somehow standing here.”

“That light sparring?”

In front of those who have held the sword for decades, hiding swordsmanship has no meaning.

Unless skilled at hiding skill, since I haven’t practiced such a thing, if awkwardly matching several exchanges, it would rather buy more suspicion.

So I ended each sparring quickly.

Among Equira’s three swords, the disarm technique. Among them, exactly the technique learned around the 9th year.

“Just looking at the eyes, I know. You read most opponents’ swords?”

“...”

“Moreover, since it’s a student who learned well-known swordsmanship, how easy was it to solve.”

“Disarming so easily with an unsharpened training wooden sword is not easy as you know. Especially if similar skill, it’s close to impossible.”

It was also hard to say it was just a sparring not going all out.

“Moreover, I even bet the Ash White.”

David tapped the pure white sword at his waist.

It seemed the name of that treasure sword was ‘Ash White’.

“That top student would have gone all out too, but it ended with the textbook disarm technique of hitting the sword tip and cutting the hand to disarm. It wasn’t a confrontation between students but like a guidance sparring bestowed by a master. That means you have already mastered disarm.”

All correct words.

But I don’t think I made a mistake or was careless.

Just that David is a peculiar person.

Why does a skilled one with such eyesight concentrate and tear apart even the short sparring of students so much.

“I haven’t seen your other swordsmanship so I don’t know, but I think if you see the next swordsmanship after disarm, you’ll learn it quickly. That’s not some grand next step, but more like a methodology with higher difficulty.”

I’m a bit interested there.

The next stage of the disarm technique not permitted to sword institute students.

A lifelong curiosity that I had suppressed because I had no intention of sticking to the Equira family.

“What’s the name?”

“Ilhaegum. If disarm means just releasing, Ilhaegum is the sword that tries to release as much as possible in one go.”

If it’s something like that, David’s words were certainly understood.

I also focused that way through repeated real combat, so perhaps rather than encountering a completely innovative and developed new swordsmanship, it would be time to confirm whether what I thought was right or wrong.

When my expression became subtle, David laughed as if he knew it would be so.

“Studying the sword with you seems like it’ll be fun too.”

David got off the stairs.

And walked the corridor and stood in front of the door.

On the doorplate was written the name ‘Herdrode Equira’.

David took a deep breath.

“Ha, I’ll get scolded, right?”

Why is he asking me that?

But it does seem like he’ll get scolded.

“Yes.”

At my answer, David grinned.

“Hahaha! If I’m going to get scolded anyway, let’s get scolded quickly and end it.”

And he burst open the door and entered.

“Master! The disciple has a request...”

“No.”

The one sitting was a man of complete scholar style.

Eyebrows, eye shape, chin, ears...

Sharp parts stood out, so the thought came that perhaps the expression closest to the sword was not referring only to the realm.

“Ah, not even listening...”

“No.”

“Ah, uncle!”

“If no, then no.”

“Then I’ll learn from another master.”

He sighed and raised his head.

“Does our nephew really want to die...?”

“Ah, I brought a kid I want to take as a disciple! This one is one body with me from now on. Attacks on this one will be regarded as attacks on me.”

“Based on what?”

“Excellent swordsmanship, bold personality, amazing Magic Root was impressive.”

“Ha, as Equira, it’s words no different from everything being impressive.”

Herdrode looked at me.

His eyes scanned me.

“Hmm? It doesn’t look that much?”

“Seems your eyes have fallen. As expected, another master...”

When Herdrode moved his gaze to David as is expressionless, David closed his mouth.

Herdrode looked at me and said.

“Show the Magic Root.”

Red light rose at the chest.

“Flame like the Emperor? Even if I ask now, one who hasn’t even entered won’t be able to answer properly...”

Herdrode said again.

“Withdraw the magic power and draw the sword.”

Following his words, I drew the sword.

It was an unsharpened student’s wooden sword.

“Unfold the sword you’re most confident in.”

David took one step back.

Seeing him shining his eyes, it seems very interesting.

I unfolded Claves without much worry.

One of the disarm forms, a thrust meaning ‘key’.

Push in and block the opponent’s sword, pull out and disarm.

“Hmm...”

Herdrode was lost in thought.

“It’s peculiar.”

“Right?”

“How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

Herdrode lowered his eyes then looked at me again, and nodded.

“From today, you are my disciple.”

“Thank you!”

David’s voice was louder than mine.

“Haa—— Hear the details from David. Come together with the guy during class time. I’ll see to the entry into the path of magic. Now be quiet and go out.”

“Yes.”

I opened the door stepping backward.

After confirming David coming out grinning, I closed the door.

***

Noisy sounds were heard outside the door.

The youngest son of the Equira family.

That thunder brat picked up something strange again somewhere.

By the way, I wonder if that guy who looks good at sensing knows.

How many generations he skipped in the Equira family.

Recalling that he has to go to the elders and say regrettable words, Herdrode quietly sighed.

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