To his surprise, there was no sign of nervousness.
But of course, that was to be expected.
Philip was like a pitcher who knew how to throw all kinds of changeups in a baseball ga where only fastballs were allowed.
‘I did hesitate for a mont, though.’
He considered the possibility of being defeated by Silver Knight, but that was only under the condition of completely hiding his true abilities.
It was a scenario where he fought within the confines of common sense.
However, if he decided to discard that common sense, he knew he could take on and triumph over everyone present, except for Emil Phanoy and Payen Blesset.
“….”
With only his breastplate on, Philip gazed at Joshua Praline on the other side.
Even amidst the confrontation, Joshua observed Philip with a calm deanor.
Judging by the slight movent of his lips, it seed like he might be murmuring sothing in self-contemplation.
Could soone who faced their past with such a resolute expression really deceive others rely for personal reasons?
‘Well, it’s a possibility. No, that’s not true.’
Philip reprimanded himself for entertaining such unkind thoughts for a mont.
After all, he knew he would have to reveal his true abilities soday.
And now, in front of this young man, it wasn’t such a bad ti to do so.
Clad in his breastplate, gauntlets, and boots, Philip took the first step forward.
Joshua Praline also stood firmly before him with a determined look in his eyes.
“I will win. Philip Oswald. I endured two years on the Northern Front, that dreadful hell.”
“That’s an impressive feat, Joshua Praline. I deeply respect and admire you. If I hadn’t felt this way, I might have considered the possibility of losing to you.”
In response to Philip’s words, Joshua narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
“Lose to ? Do you still find amusing?”
As tensions rose in the room, Payan Blesset intervened, firmly pressing his hand against Joshua’s chest.
“Enough chit chat; let’s approach this duel with sincerity.”
Philip nodded and took a few steps back.
“I told you before, if you were just playing around, I would have let it go. But unfortunately, it seems you can’t give it your best.”
He pointed Neria towards him.
No signal was needed to start the duel.
In an instant, Joshua Praline drew his sword like lightning and charged at Philip.
With his sword aura raised to its maximum, Joshua’s strike resembled a wild beast’s claw, which flew towards Philip.
“Phew!”
Philip exhaled sharply, quickly rotating Aura with all his might.
During the collision, Joshua sensed sothing was off.
‘… Why is this happening like this?’
In the blink of an eye, Philip’s rotating sword shattered Joshua’s sword aura and deflected his attack, as if effortlessly parrying more than ten sword strikes at once.
‘Unbelievable.’
The sword he held so firmly monts ago suddenly felt light.
Soon, the shattered pieces of Joshua’s sword scattered on the ground with a resounding clatter.
“…?”
“What just happened?”
Among the duel’s spectators, only a few noticed Philip’s incredible maneuver.
With her keen perception, Felicia was one of them.
Payan Blesset stared at Senior Professor Emil with a perplexed expression.
‘Emil, an old man capable of such speed and precision? That monstrous old man…?’
Although he initially suspected Emil Phanoy’s involvent, Payan quickly dismissed the idea.
The Senior Professor’s expression mirrored his own, showing hints of astonishnt.
If that expression wasn’t just an act, it implied that the technique of manipulating the aura in that way was directly pioneered by Instructor Philip Oswald.
‘Could such a thing really be possible?’
To soone who had attained the esteed rank of an ‘Aura Master,’ it might have appeared to be a re trick, despite its extraordinariness. No matter how impressive it was, it couldn’t penetrate his formidable aura defense.
However, Payan Blesset sensed sothing more profound.
The boundless potential harbored by that technique.
Philip stood motionless, lost in thought without making any overt gestures.
‘The swordsmanship in this land has developed in a peculiar manner.’
He couldn’t comprehend it.
While the Aura – an entity with capabilities beyond those of a human body – could accomplish so much more, the local swordsn persisted in researching conventional swordsmanship instead of exploring the true potential of the Aura.
Based on his past experiences, they seed oblivious to the phenonon that occurs during the refinent of the Aura.
‘Why do you all remain so ignorant about this energy with infinite possibilities?’
With these thoughts in mind, Philip finally spoke up.
“Joshua Praline, please step aside to make way for the next person.”
“….”
Joshua was about to retort but hesitated and looked around. No one in the vicinity seed to be paying attention to him.
And then, it hit him.
‘Well… I’ve been defeated.’
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he had been overpowered.
The defeat had been so one-sided and swift that he couldn’t muster any anger.
‘What have I been striving for all this ti?’
He had stood there, seeking to surpass the barrier presented by Philip. Yet, instead of encountering a solid wall, all he saw was an endless, uncharted sea of possibilities.
“Will you persist in this manner, or will you return and research how to overco and triumph?”
Philip thrust his sword at him.
Joshua Praline responded with a feeble smile.
“… I’m not sure.”
As he stepped back, Philip looked towards Payan Blesset and spoke, “As you can see, it was just a warm-up sparring, nothing serious. If you’re willing, I’d like to take on the other two as well. Is that acceptable?”
“Huh, is that a problem? Of course, that’s a reasonable question.”
Payan Blesset let out a chuckle. Though his words lacked manners, he thought Philip’s humility was comndable.
“Among the newcors, Joshua was the strongest. Even so of the senior knights couldn’t defeat him for years. If he lost like that, there’s no need for further sparring. Consider yourself the victor.”
Accepting a challenge at the commander level and then losing would have been an enormous embarrassnt. Philip’s decent performance would already be a loss for the Silver Knights.
There was no reason to prolong the sparring.
In Felicia Oswald’s case, her title as an academy professor made the outco inconsequential. However, it was different for Philip.
The elderly knight made his decision and declared his surrender.
“Let’s consider this sparring as a defeat for the Silver Knights. And here, take this as a token of my appreciation. I never imagined I would present this to anyone other than a mber of the Silver Knights.”
Payan Blesset reached into his knight’s pouch and retrieved an object. Seeing it, Emil, the senior professor, frowned in disapproval.
‘… The old man seems quite displeased. Are you tempted by the young one’s skills?’
Philip extended his hand to receive the object Payan offered.
The small and thin item was a badge in the shape of a sword. Philip knew what it represented.
It was an item he had obtained over ten tis in the ga.
The badge was called the ‘Sword Invitation.’ With this badge, one could visit the headquarters of the organization known as the Sword Saints Guild and undergo several tests to beco a mber.
“Soone as talented as you can be considered a genius, and you have more than enough qualifications. I, Payan Blesset, the commander of the Silver Knights, as one of the vice chairs of the esteed Sword Saints Guild, extend an invitation for you to join our ranks.”
The words left not only Phillip astonished, but the Silver Knights and the Academy staff as well.
The organization was established by Solvain, the first Aura Master who sought to elevate swordsn to saint status with their swords.
Originally founded with the intention of fostering camaraderie among his disciples to prevent internal conflicts, the Aura Master’s Order evolved into a prestigious group comprising the continent’s most exceptional swordsn in modern tis.
{TN:- I will run Aura Master’s Order for the Sword Saint Guild parallely since I am confused here between keeping the original, or fulfilling my own taste. Please give your suggestion in the comnts to finalize a single na.}
re mbership in this order bestowed upon individuals the privilege of receiving esteed treatnt in any nation. Families affiliated with the Aura Master’s Order wielded such influence that even royalty dared not dismiss them lightly.
“… The Sword Saints Guild?”
Phillip was taken aback for a mont. He never anticipated receiving such a proposal.
Nonetheless, his course of action had already been decided. Phillip extended the badge to Payan Blesset once more and stated firmly.
“I apologize, but I must decline. Isn’t your desire to get better acquainted with ? In that case, I request the ‘Dragon’s Horn Flute,’ one of Silver Knight’s artifacts. In return, I will provide you with a docunt detailing the usage of the skill I just demonstrated, the ‘Rotating Sword.'”
Payan’s expression displayed disbelief at Phillip’s counteroffer.
“Joining the Aura Master’s Order is an unparalleled honor for young swordsn, and you wish to exchange it for a re artifact like the ‘Dragon’s Horn Flute’ and its technique?”
With his head held high, Phillip responded.
“How can I accept sothing I do not desire? So, is it a deal?”
“Is there even a question? I will promptly send you the ‘Dragon’s Horn Flute.'”
“Thank you.”
After concluding the satisfying deal, Payan Blesset led the knights back.
“… Please step into my office for a mont.”
Phillip, Felicia, and Diana found themselves obliged to follow the Senior Professor into his office.
* * *
It was the Senior Professor’s office.
Phillip, Felicia, and Diana settled onto the sofa, awaiting the Senior Professor’s words.
“The Senior Professor is deeply disappointed in all of you.”
Senior Professor Emil Phanoy’s stern deanor resembled that of a disappointed senior officer. Phillip found his reaction rather peculiar.
“… What’s going on here?”
“Why didn’t anyone tell that mastering the ultimate technique would be akin to achieving victory? I couldn’t even get a proper night’s sleep for the past two weeks, constantly haunted by the fear of losing to that infuriating Payan guy.”
He began to express his discontent, seemingly disinterested in the Rotating Sword itself.
“Are you trying to force into a demonstration? Speak up!”
Felicia was the one to respond, glaring at the Senior Professor with her hands on her hips.
“It’s not even a real duel, and we won, so why are you acting like this? If you knew it would end up like this, you should have just told us to surrender to Phillip. And if you thought we were going to lose anyway, why did you send us out?”
Felicia protested, and he chuckled, extending his hand.
“Enough with the jests. Philip Oswald, don’t you have sothing to say to ?”
Felicia was taken aback by his sudden change in deanor. She clenched her fists and stomped her foot in frustration.
“Ugh!”
Philip felt a sense of camaraderie with the Senior Professor, as if he knew exactly how to tease Felicia.
But he had to speak his mind.
“The first thing I want to say is, never ask to do sothing like this again. If it involves guiding and protecting students, I’m more than willing to do it. However, if the day ever cos when I have to fight for the academy again, I’ll accept defeat as graciously and humbly as possible.”
“Instructor?”
Diana Frenhall, who stood nearby, called out to Philip in surprise.
Thankfully, the Senior Professor didn’t lose his smile and instead encouraged Philip further, seemingly finding the situation amusing.
“So, what’s next?”
Philip didn’t hesitate; he answered promptly.
“I’ve worked hard for two weeks, so please grant so ti off.”
The Senior Professor chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
“And, finally, could you spare so money so I can have a drink?”
Without delay, the Senior Professor tossed a small pouch to Philip.
Philip caught it and opened it, finding several gold coins and a considerable amount of silver coins inside.
“Use all that’s in there to drink until your nose twists. Rember to submit a vacation report.”
Observing his reaction, Philip was certain now.
The Senior Professor wouldn’t interfere with him anymore. With a bow, Philip left the office first.
“Um… Philip?”
Felicia glanced at the Senior Professor briefly, then took Diana’s hand and followed Philip.
After the young ones had left the office, Senior Professor Emil put a pipe in his mouth. It had been years since he last smoked.
‘Where on earth did that guy co from?’
He realized that Philip could see through all his actions.
‘Alright… let’s not ss with the hothead. He certainly has hidden talents.’
Sending Philip to the Silver Knights was a test.
rely confirming the extent of his abilities would have sufficed.
However, Philip had completely surpassed Emil Phanoy’s expectations, effortlessly besting the Silver Knights.
Furthermore, his subsequent actions led Emil to believe that Philip was involved in so kind of political protest.
Rejecting the invitation to the Sword Saints Guild.
Negotiating with the Silver Knights using the Rotating Sword.
And now, asking for vacation and money.
‘… I’d better refrain from ddling if I want to teach those kids in peace. Accepting the money and granting the vacation request is probably a sign that he’ll let it go this ti. There’s no one his age who knows how to handle things like that.’
Such skills were typically possessed by those who had spent a considerable amount of ti eting and dealing with people who weren’t their allies. The Senior Professor decided not to interfere with Philip for a while.
He had a feeling that if he did, he might get bitten quite hard.
————
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