Chapter 104: Knights of the Kingdom part 2
Translator: Soafp
“Begin!”
Everyone instantly activated their body enhancements and observed their opponents.
As the only one without a shield, there was no point in waiting. I dashed towards Vice Captain Malik.
By the way, it seems that there aren’t many knights in the knight order who can use magic, so they voluntarily seal it.
Engaging with Vice Captain Malik, Commander Shirea moved in from the side towards me.
El intercepted his strike with a shield.
Gradually, although it was a 2 vs 2 mock battle, it was becoming more like two separate 1 vs 1 battles.
El and Commander Shirea were fighting a good match a bit away from us.
As for me, I was facing off against Vice Captain Malik.
To be honest, when comparing the strength of the Royal Knights and the Blue Ring Knights, the Blue Ring Knights seemed stronger. Even Commander Shirea probably wouldn’t be a match for Halva.
However, Vice Captain Malik’s strength would probably put up a good fight against Halva, if not outright beat him. He was likely the most skilled among them.
I started to feel a bit excited.
I created a greatsword with magic, ready to clash with Vice Captain Malik.
It had been a while since I started training with Joe on greatsword handling. What I learned was that it was all about the direction of the two swords’ power. With a short sword, it wouldn’t be a problem, but with a greatsword, after swinging it, the body would shift.
Remembering the training with Joe, I delivered slashes while spinning like a top, aiming for different parts of the body with each strike.
After exchanging blows with Vice Captain Malik several times, I decided to make a move.
Vice Captain Malik raised his shield, intending to counterattack.
A technique I came up with while playing with Joe… With the right greatsword, I aimed for a diagonal slash from the opponent’s left shoulder to right flank, while with the left greatsword, I aimed for a reverse diagonal slash from the opponent’s right flank to left shoulder, simultaneously.
This way, without being swept away by the greatsword’s momentum, the opponent had to deal with two strikes coming from opposite directions.
I tried this technique with Joe several times, and it seemed there was no way to dodge it except to escape.
This double attack, akin to sinking one’s fangs into prey, was named “Fangs.”
“Fangs” packed enough power that if it landed, it could “defeat” the opponent. However, it also left a large opening due to its wide swings.
It wasn’t a technique that could be easily executed anytime; the situation needed to be set up.
Vice Captain Malik used his shield skillfully… And whenever there was an opening, he would immediately launch a strike with his single-handed sword.
We were at a stalemate, and my energy was draining. If only I had magic… If only I could use space kick… The stress was accumulating tremendously.
However, it wasn’t just me feeling impatient in this situation. Vice Captain Malik, who had watched the previous match, understood that this mock battle was a handicap match.
Realizing that he couldn’t overwhelm me with this handicap alone, Vice Captain Malik felt frustrated and a sense of awe at the bottomlessness of his opponent, called the “Shura.”
It was an unusual behavior for him. Normally, he would dodge or at worst, block the strikes with his single-handed sword. However, perhaps out of fear for the “Shura” before him, he took the strikes head-on with his shield.
The impact was greater than expected, and his posture was greatly disrupted… To anyone other than Aldo, it would have been an opening that couldn’t be called anything but an opening. But before him was the “Shura.” There was no way he would let it slide.
Vice Captain Malik, skilled in shield usage, uncharacteristically took the strike head-on. His shield lifted, and his body’s alignment was disrupted.
In that moment, I felt, “This is it,” and decided to unleash the “Fangs” I created with Joe.
Vice Captain Malik would see it as a simultaneous attack from the upper left and lower right. The greatsword was designed to be soft, so there was no risk of death, and I swung it with all my might.
Vice Captain Malik intended to intercept the “Fangs.” He aimed to block the upper left strike with his shield and the lower right strike with his single-handed sword.
While he managed to stop the strike with his shield despite being pushed back, it was impossible to stop the lower right strike with the single-handed sword. The moment the forceful greatsword made contact with the single-handed sword, it was forcefully pushed away.
I continued my swing without hesitation. Since the greatsword was designed to be soft, it made a “clang” sound upon impact, but that was to be expected.
Vice Captain Malik looked frustrated, but there was a hint of enjoyment in his expression.
This mock battle was a 2 vs. 2.
I could have continued to pummel Commander Shirea with El, but I wanted to experience a chaotic 2 vs. 2 skirmish.
“Vice Captain Malik, let’s do this.”
Vice Captain Malik was momentarily taken aback, but in the next moment, he nodded with a predatory expression.
El and Captain Shirea’s fight was, in a sense, one-sided. Unlike me, El was holding back significantly.
Even if he won, it wouldn’t be appropriate to have been defeated by a 13-year-old student who was holding back. El couldn’t decide whether it was okay to win or not.
As for Commander Shirea… well, he was originally a fierce warrior who enjoyed even handicap matches with skills like space kick and magic shields.
He was enjoying the mock battle, despite El holding back.
Vice Captain Malik first intervened in El and Commander Shirea’s fight. He moved to position himself so that one of them would be in his blind spot, trying to sandwich El between them.
As I observed, Nero’s voice rang out.
“Aldo! What are you looking at? Help El!”
Nero seemed unusually passionate. Lewis, being the referee, couldn’t cheer, but he seemed like he wanted to say something.
Indeed, it wouldn’t be fair to El if I didn’t help.
So, I joined the fray.
After exchanging blows for a while and distancing ourselves, El quietly asked me,
“Nii-sama, is it okay to win this mock battle?”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what he meant, but it seemed that El had been intentionally avoiding winning.
“Of course. Let’s go for the win.”
With my words, El seemed to snap out of it and immediately launched an attack.
El used a shield bash to restrain Commander Shirea and attacked Vice Captain Malik with his single-handed sword.
As for me, I followed behind El, hiding in his shadow, and launched an attack on Commander Shirea.
When Commander Shirea noticed me and tried to raise his shield, another shield bash from El disrupted his posture.
I quickly pressed the dagger against his neck, extracting the words “I surrender” from the captain.
Turning to El, I saw Vice Captain Malik’s single-handed sword pressed against El’s neck… “I surrender,” El’s words echoed.
Returning to the initial state, I didn’t hesitate to attack Vice Captain Malik from his blind spot.
Just as it seemed he was going to block my attack with his shield, for some reason, he released his shield and drew a dagger from his waist, aiming it at my neck.
Not missing my moment of hesitation, he pressed the dagger against my neck… I don’t know if this cautious person had planned this move… but it’s my defeat.
The words “I surrender” strangely echoed in the training ground.
After my surrender, cheers from the knights resounded throughout the training ground. Seeing this scene, although there was regret, perhaps it was for the best that I lost.
Knights approached me, offering various remarks ranging from praising Vice Captain Malik’s strength to comments about Commander’s off day, and even suggestions to join the knights after graduating from the academy.
As the atmosphere relaxed and laughter filled the air, a civilian-looking man approached Commander Shirea. Commander Shirea’s expression tensed visibly.
With a lowered shoulder and a somber expression, Commander Shirea called me, El, Lewis, Nero, and Vice Captain Malik.
“Come with me.”
He said in a single breath before leading us into the adjacent indoor training ground, where the King’s attendant and our grandfather were standing with ambiguous expressions.
“Shirea, didn’t I tell you not to get involved with him?”
The attendant spoke sternly to Commander Shirea, as if wearing a crown.
“Uh, well, I just thought we could deepen our friendship…”
Commander Shirea’s response was hesitant.
“I’ve told you countless times not to get involved! Don’t you understand that if you try to recruit these kids into the knight order, it will involve the royal family in the affairs of the nobility?”
“…I’m sorry.”
After Commander Shirea’s apology, the attendant turned to me and spoke.
“Haa… you’re Aldo, right?”
“Yes…”
“You don’t need to listen to anything this guy says. Just ignore him.”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I personally hold a favorable impression of Commander Shirea. If it’s allowed, I’d like to be friends with him as a mentor despite the age gap.”
The attendant looked between me and Commander Shirea, sighing once again.
“We won’t interfere in your friendship, but if this guy tells you to join the knight order, never do it. That’s absolute. If you really want to join the knights, join the Blue Ring Knight Order.”
“Understood. Attendant?”
With my last words, the atmosphere became tense… Grandfather, Commander Shirea, and Vice Captain Malik’s faces contorted.
“Aldo! What insolence! Apologize.”
My grandfather yelled at me, his anger palpable.
I immediately knelt down and apologized.
“It’s my fault for not introducing myself properly. I’ve neglected it for so long that I forgot. I am Danhill von Bark, the head of the Bark Marquis family. It might be better to say I’m Gaius and Tifa’s grandfather.”
Understanding why my grandfather had been so angry, I quickly apologized.
“Even if I don’t know, I apologize.”
“Are you apologizing right away? Oi, Balza, Do you have intention of giving him up for adoption? ”
They suddenly started talking to our grandfather, but these two… Aren’t they too casual?
“I have no intention of doing that. You already know that, don’t you? Honestly…”
“Kukuku. Let me know if you change your mind.”
“Aldo, don’t listen to anything this old fox says. Also, his self-introduction just now didn’t mention anything important. This guy is the Prime Minister of this country…”
Prime Minister? Crap, isn’t he really a great person? Good job to me who apologized earlier!
“Shall we disband then?”
When Prime Minister Danhill suggested dispersing, once again, the ever oblivious Commander Shirea interjected.
“Prime Minister Bark, may I have a moment?”
Prime Minister Danhill responded with a disdainful expression.
“What is it?”
“I was, uh, ‘toyed with’ by Aldo here during the previous demonstration match.”
“…And?”
“Don’t you want to see Aldo fight seriously?”
“Are you suggesting you’ll be the opponent?”
Commander Shirea shook his head slowly.
“I’m not skilled enough for that. It would likely just be a repeat of the previous match.”
“Then who do you propose should be the opponent?”
At this point, for some reason, Vice Commander Malik started trembling.
“Isn’t there another ‘Shura’ here besides me?”
Everyone turned to look at El. Vice Commander Malik wore a relieved expression.
“…Balza, I’ll leave it to you.”
Upon Commander Shirea’s words, it dawned on me. I hadn’t taken the Blue Ring seriously during our previous encounter… Even the Wyvern was treated as nothing.
“Aldo, Elphus, what do you want?”
“Grandpa, I want to have a mock battle with El.”
“I also want to have a mock battle with Nii-sama.”
“Understood.”
“Grandpa, how far should we go?”
“It’s already too late for the people here. Show them everything.”
“Got it!”
I’m sure I had the biggest smile of the day.
“El, Grandpa has given permission.”
“Yes!”
“You can also use Reactive Shield.”
“Is it okay?”
“If you don’t use it and get used to it now, you won’t be able to use it when you need it.”
“That’s true.”
We distanced ourselves and prepared our weapons.
It seemed like the signal would be given by Prime Minister Danhill. He seemed to have judged that our preparations were complete.
“Begin!”
We immediately reinforced our bodies and prepared for combat.
I was sure El would be the first to use Reactive Shield.
Just before touching El’s shield, I leaped into the air with a space kick. Then I hit one of the Wind Bullets onto the shield.
The shield exploded, but both El and I were prepared for it.
“Goooooo!”
During the explosion, I had placed the remaining four Wind Bullets around El. At the shout, I activated all four Wind Bullets.
All four hit directly… but I didn’t let my guard down at all.
When the dust settled, I could see El standing there. In addition to the front shield, he had expanded shields to the right, left, and back.
Magic Shields. I had set mine to deploy on the forearms, but El had done something different. He had set his to deploy on the upper arms between the shoulders and elbows and on his back.
Now, when El deployed his shields, there were only blind spots above and below. Truly fitting of being called an unsinkable ship.
This was a new technique. The practical test of the Magic Shield and Reactive Shield was over.
The Magic Shield was as easy to use as I imagined, but the Reactive Shield took about three seconds to activate.
If attacked after being hit by the Wind Bullets earlier, I wouldn’t be able to use it.
I guess with practice, I could reduce the activation time…
From here on, it’s a mock battle with all our might.
“El! We’re done with the warm-up. Let’s get serious.”
“Yes, Nii-sama. I’ll do my best.”
Others who heard their words were said to be surprised or looked tired, as if they couldn’t be bothered to express it.
After a short while…
“El, here it comes…”
“How about this!”
“Well done, El!”
“Uwa, Nii-sama. Are you going to use Reactive Shield here?”
Space kicks, Wind Bullets, magic weapons, magic shields, and now Reactive Shield too.
I unleashed without reservation the techniques I had honed up until now.
While we had been fighting on the ground before, we were now in the air. Enjoying an aerial battle akin to a dogfight, I was suddenly bombarded from below by Wind Bullets.
Looking down, it seemed Lewis was the one who had fired them.
Just when it was starting to get fun… El and I interrupted the mock battle and descended freely.
It was customary for Prime Minister Danhill and Vice Commander Malik to try to catch us.
Slightly discontented at being disturbed just when we were enjoying ourselves, we directed somewhat annoyed expressions.
“Aldo… Elphus… What do you intend to fight against…”
Grandpa muttered intermittently as if he couldn’t “see” our discontented expressions. His face suddenly looked about ten years older.
I began to feel a little worried.
“Grandpa, are you okay? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”
He glanced tiredly at me and El and murmured.
“Whose fault do you think it is…”
“Did we do something disrespectful? Maybe a stray bullet hit you?”
He could tell I was serious… Grandpa covered his face with his hand.
Placing a hand on Grandpa’s shoulder, Prime Minister Danhill spoke with a squeezed expression.
“You should have taught him to hold back from the start.”
Grandpa snapped at Prime Minister Danhill’s words.
“Aldo! Elphus! Teach this guy’s grandson how to use space kicks!”
El responded nonchalantly to Grandpa’s words.
“I already taught him. He practices during break time every day.”
Prime Minister Danhill spoke with a face as if it were the end of the world.
“You’ve strayed too far from human boundaries… My cute little Gaius and Tifa have changed…”
I finally understood the situation now that I was here. Apparently, I had gone a bit too far.
Lately, I’ve been thinking… Is the Royal Capital inferior to Blue Ring in terms of combat power?
Halva is probably stronger than Commander Shirea and Vice Captain Malik… I’ve never seen a magician stronger than Mom, the Ice Witch.
I thought it might be because of the nearby Demon Forest, but it’s strange that Grandpa is over there.
Why is the Blue Ring attracting so much military strength… Is it coincidence or necessity? If it’s necessity…
I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
The dream of Mom coming to the Blue Ring, the reason why so much military strength is gathering in the Blue Ring… It’s as if we’re being trained.
There’s no point in thinking about things that I can’t understand.
There may be meaning in meeting Prime Minister Danhill, but for now, I’ll just take one step at a time.
There probably isn’t any other answer.