Paul stood before Ashoka, squeezing his wooden sword's handle as cold sweat ran down his face. His eyes kept darting around as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
He hadn't received so much attention ever since becoming a cadet at the Tower of Wisdom, which explained his restlessness.
After the collapse of his family, Paul beca very timid and tried to attract as much attention as possible towards himself, maybe because of that, the current attention he was receiving felt very burdenso.
It was to the extent that the other spectating cadets could see Paul's soul escaping through his mouth already as the staredown with Ashoka continued.
Everyone couldn't help but think back on the words that Ashoka had told the coward.
You cannot survive in this world if you continue acting like that.
'Why did the Young Master tell such things…?'
Is it because I'm too weak? Or because I'm too timid? Such questions went through Paul's mind as he questioned Ashoka's intentions.
'Is Young Master Ashoka trying to humiliate Paul since he gets on the Young Master's nerves?'
'Is he warning Paul that he won't survive in the Tower of Wisdom because he's such a weakling?'
'Young Master Ashoka is crueler than I thought…'
The cadets were all in agreent too.
At this ti Ashoka looked like a rich young master who would bully a weak cadet to look good in front of others.
Nevertheless, Ashoka's eyes were fixated on Paul, and he tightened his grip on the sword.
"Paul."
"Oh! Y-Yes, Young Master."
Snicker, snicker.
So suppressed scornful laughs echoed amongst the spectators. But the cadets who reacted imdiately corrected their expressions and attitude, as they feared Karguel would chastise them.
However, never mind Karguel, even Ashoka didn't give them a glance and kept his eyes on Paul.
"I've already lost a lot of stamina from sparring against ten cadets."
He had been sparring for more than two hours now and had already defeated ten cadets who were not average but best of all the training cadets.
"Yes, Young Master."
Having barely co to his senses, Paul answered respectfully.
He too knows that Ashoka has already consud most of his stamina and was very exhausted at the movent, which is why he was questioning the reason why Ashoka choose to fight him now.
"And you are still unscathed."
"Yes."
"In spite of that,"
Ashoka began walking towards Paul before continuing his sentence.
"I am probably stronger than you right now. Excluding Karguel, I would most likely win against anyone here in one last duel."
Paul didn't know how to reply to that, so he simply nodded quietly.
Although it was hard to agree, it was the truth.
They have seen what Ashoka had been doing for the long ti he was in the Tower of Wisdom.
He was a monster who would train ṭill his legs give up or he exhausted all his stamina.
There were even tis when Ashoka got completely covered in a bloody ss while training.
For normal cadets like them, it was an unrecognizable act.
Why would he go that far?
They asked the question every ti they see him training harder than them.
He was the prince of the great Mauryan empire, if he wished he could have lived all his life in a huge castle where he would have servants to do every last of his chores.
In spite of that, why is this boy trying so hard?
They couldn't understand that thing.
"That is the reason why I want to fight you right now."
"Young Master, I still do not understand what you… Urgh!"
Thud!
Ashoka instantly reduced the distance between the two.
He gave no mind to Paul's words as his wooden sword flew towards Paul's shoulder, but the latter sohow managed to avoid the blow at the last second, despite his panicked footwork.
Following that, the attacks continued nonstop, like an endlessly flowing river.
Paul parried and avoided the sword while retreating.
"Good moves."
It wasn't an empty word when Ashoka said this, Paul was indeed demonstrating a very good footwork to avoid the attacks.
"Thank you very mu— Urgh!"
Shwoop!
Ashoka suddenly grabbed a handful of sand on the training ground and scattered it in Paul's face. As Paul tried to resist the urge to close and rub his eyes, he tightened his hold on his wooden sword and stood strong.
"Y-Young Master…?!"
But Ashoka didn't answer and darted towards Paul again, grabbed his shirt, and slamd his shin into his opponent's thigh. As the impact resounded, Paul let out a deep groan and collapsed to the ground.
"I didn't call you here to have a spar. As I said, I want to 'fight' you."
Ashoka approached the seated Paul, who could barely open his irritated eyes and looked up at the monster in front of him.
"I also said that I would 'most likely' win. That I would 'most likely win against anyone here in one last duel'. That ans that I'm not 100% certain about it. Wipe your face."
Paul used his shirt to wipe off the sand on his face and eyes.
"…Does that an that the opponent you're not certain of winning against is , Young Master?"
It was unbelievable even for .
The monstrous talent, Ashoka Maurya who was even rumoured to have surpassed the first princess is not sure of winning against a re cadet like Paul?
Even considering that he was exhausted after the spar with the previous ten cadets, it was not sothing that could be said easily like that.
"Finally, we're on the sa page. This isn't a spar, this is a real fight. So it's ti you wipe off that incredulous expression and face seriously. I could have killed you countless tis while you were on the ground."
"Young Master."
"But the only reason I didn't deal the final blow yet is because I'm showing rcy, for you are incapable of comprehending my intentions. Stand up. I won't go easy on you again."
His tone was far too dreary for this to be considered a prank of bad taste.
Ashoka turned around and began to widen the space between them once again. Paul lowered his face and let out a deep sigh, before lifting himself up and wielding his wooden sword.
The cadets who were spectating so far began to wonder whether Ashoka was actually deranged.
No matter how foolish and cowardly Paul was, the Young Master was going too far… or so thought so of the observers.
For them they couldn't even imagine the scene where Paul would defeat the monstrous Ashoka.
So even expected Karguel to intervene and stop the bloodbath that was about to begin.
Nevertheless, the instructor only stood on the side, carefully watching the scene before his eyes.
Seeing his lack of diation, frustration grew in the cadets' hearts as they beca disheartened. Simultaneously, anger sparked in their eyes. The 7-star knight—who also happened to be a swordsmanship instructor of the Tower of Wisdom—couldn't stop the prince of Mauryan, Ashoka.
So what on earth could the lowly cadets even do on their own? Nothing at all.
Yet, they couldn't stop anger from forming. Anger and dissatisfaction that the training class's strongest—Ashoka Maurya—could allow himself to bully the weakest of the class, Paul.
Where had the dignity and honor of the Royal family gone?! Was the act of throwing sand at a cadet far weaker than oneself also part of the Mauryan's glory?!
All the spectators' faces twisted in fury and despair as they watched the two extres face each other.
However, the next mont, all their expressions collapsed into shock and astonishnt.
Beam!
Paul's wooden sword was shining with aura. It was pale and dim, but true aura nonetheless. Even with that little amount of aura, a swordsman's slashing power would increase exponentially and beco fatal.
"A-Aura…?!"
The weakest of the class, the eternal loser. That boy was suddenly wielding aura, so the cadets were shocked and confused.
At this rate, one of the two fighters could potentially perish during this duel.
"Instructor! We must stop them! This is a training class, not a battlefield!"
"Instructor Kar…"
"Swordsmanship Instructor, Karguel Agust!"
Ashoka turned to Karguel and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Yes, Young Master."
"You must keep what you see today a secret and take it to your grave. Even if I were die, keep everything that happens here a secret."
"I understand."
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