Chapter 6
The source of demonkind’s mana has two major uses.
One is a well-known source of magical energy.
The second is.
Snap!
The flying wooden sword returned to my hand like a boomerang.
At first, I struggled a lot about how to hold it.
Thank goodness it was a wooden sword; if it had been a real sword, I would have definitely injured my hand.
Hitting the target could wait.
First, I needed to figure out how to catch the thrown sword by its handle.
I threw a couple of wooden swords and tried to pull them one by one with mana to get the feel of it.
The speed at which they flew was so fast that by the time I tracked them with my eyes, they were already in my hand.
After continuous failures, I took a brief rest.
Thanks to the mana, I wasn’t too tired.
Looking at the wooden swords scattered around, I thought deeply.
I said I would pull the wooden sword with mana, but in the end, it wasn’t much different from throwing it.
In other words, wouldn’t it be enough to pull it instead of throwing it?
I connected mana between the wooden sword and my hand.
As I threw the sword from my hand and pulled it back with the connected mana, the wooden sword slowly came into my hand.
The moment I realized what I needed to practice.
“Who the hell are you? Aren’t you a piece of trash?”
Juan and his gang came rushing down to the underground training area.
Gulp.
I could see Juan’s skill, which hadn’t been visible before.
A massive chunk of mana was swirling around him.
I began to understand why that guy was called the next candidate for swordmaster.
“You’re training hard all alone.”
“Well, yeah.”
“You should help someone who’s working hard.”
One of the gang handed Juan a wooden sword.
A wooden sword, yet it had a scabbard.
As Juan drew the sword from the scabbard, a weapon that looked quite sharp for a wooden sword emerged.
“I’ll teach you a trick.”
“No, I’m good.”
“You don’t have the right to refuse.”
As he ran toward me, he swung his sword.
I hastily rolled to the floor to avoid it.
Crack!
The scarecrow in my previous position was neatly sliced in half.
“Is that really a wooden sword?”
“If it’s made of wood, it’s just a wooden sword.”
That was not entirely wrong, but it definitely wasn’t meant for practice.
I reached out with my mana and pulled a wooden sword from the scattered ones around.
Even seeing me pulling a wooden sword with mana, Juan didn’t seem very impressed.
With a blank expression, Juan swung his sword at me.
It was slower than Alium’s attack speed, but having a sharper weapon than mine made me hesitant to attack recklessly.
In an instant, Alium’s words flashed through my mind.
“In short, it’s just about killing the enemy.”
The gap in skill between Juan and me was like heaven and earth.
With my current abilities, there was no way I could win.
In terms of skill, that is.
Clang!
Finally, for the first time, my wooden sword clashed with his.
“Your skills are terrible, unlike the barking you’ve been doing.”
“Ugh.”
It was quite tough just trying to block even the sword he swung with one hand.
The swordsmanship I learned from Jema was of no use right now.
No wonder, as it was just a few thousand times of swinging and thrusting.
There was nothing really called swordsmanship involved.
Swish!
Every time the sharp wooden sword brushed past me, chills ran down my spine.
Calmly observing my opponent, I thought of a way to turn the situation around.
Juan’s wooden sword was sharp and, thus, thin.
Since blocking was not difficult, I figured I could deflect it.
Snap!
At the moment I deflected it, I decided to push hard to try and break it.
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed throughout the training area.
The gang watching Juan seemed to have a slightly different atmosphere than before.
The expressions of those who had been smirking were gradually becoming serious.
Seeing me, who hadn’t even properly received formal classes at the academy, fighting against Juan seemed to surprise them greatly.
With all my might, I swung the wooden sword, causing Juan to avoid clashing swords and create some distance.
In that brief moment.
I took advantage of the opening and thrust the wooden sword straight at him.
Thump!
It looked like Juan was holding his left shoulder for a moment, trying to endure the pain.
“What the hell….”
After I attacked his shoulder, his aura changed dramatically.
A hazy energy gathered around the wooden sword and gradually became more defined.
He surrounded it with mana.
Boom!
When Juan swung his wooden sword, a chilling sensation brushed past my neck.
The wooden sword I had been holding just a moment ago was cleanly split in two.
“Huh?”
“I’ll make it into tiny pieces.”
I sensed a crisis in my head, but my body couldn’t move easily.
The sword swung through the air.
Before I knew it, small wounds began to appear on my body without me being able to defend myself.
This is the power of an academy swordmaster candidate.
He didn’t seem to have lost his mind entirely, controlling his power.
“Hahaha! This is fun. No one can withstand me!”
Gradually, he was closing in on me.
“Are demon folks generally sturdy? They don’t fall apart easily.”
“I’m just a bit sturdy.”
I had nothing to retort and simply answered.
This was not a situation where I could show any mercy.
I had already drawn blood.
To show mercy to him was the arrogance of the weak.
Lowering my posture, I pulled the broken wooden sword with mana and dashed at him.
“You piece of trash!”
“This is a task for Jema.”
I must have struck deep into his left shoulder, as blood began to gush out.
With all my strength ignoring the pain, I shoved the broken wooden sword into his side.
“Shit… Aah!”
Juan dropped the wooden sword he was holding and cursed loudly.
Juan, now on one knee, struggled to stay upright.
The wooden sword was lodged in his side, and blood was flowing profusely.
I wished he would just die like this.
However, soon, Juan’s gang came to support him and helped him exit the training area.
Left behind as if abandoned, I closed my eyes.
Upon opening my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.
“Where is this…?”
“It’s a room. What did you do in the training area?”
“I stabbed Juan in the side.”
Jema looked astonished upon hearing my words.
“You fought Juan?”
“Yeah. I lost though.”
I felt the gap in skill profoundly.
If Juan hadn’t let his guard down, I wouldn’t have succeeded in stabbing his side.
I managed to catch him off guard, but I sustained considerable damage as well.
“By the way, who brought me here?”
“Who would come to bring you here?”
“I’m quite heavy.”
“It was light, so don’t worry.”
I then informed Jema that I was able to use mana.
Jema seemed genuinely happy as if it were her own matter.
The next day on my way to school.
Since my injured arm wasn’t completely healed, I had it wrapped in a bandage.
I felt the stares of the surrounding students on me, but they quickly vanished.
Because Juan had appeared.
He showed up with crutches even though his leg wasn’t injured and had his side wrapped up with bandages.
“Hey, you piece of trash!”
“What?”
“I will definitely kill you next time.”
“Me too.”
Once the bomb embedded in Jema’s heart is removed, I will surely kill him.
And then I will leave this country, following Solche and Alium.
As we glared at each other, Juan was the first to walk away.
“He really got hurt.”
“Right? It feels good to let it all out.”
“You’re hurt too.”
Jema lightly patted my injured shoulder.
When we arrived at the classroom, the desk that had been in front of the hallway was gone.
“Looks like that teacher doesn’t come anymore.”
“Seems like it.”
Just in time for class, Solche entered the classroom.
Unlike usual, he had a sword sheathed at his side.
“Today there are no prying eyes, but just in case.”
Snap!
Solche snapped his fingers.
The windows and doors turned black and an opaque wall was formed inside the classroom.
“Now, we can talk comfortably since no sound will come from outside.”
Solche brought a chair and comfortably sat down in front of the podium.
“I spoke with the Headmaster, but he was very stubborn.”
“What did you discuss?”
“He said not to monitor the classes, but he insisted on continuing.”
Although I couldn’t see him, I turned my head briefly toward the hallway.
“There’s no one there today?”
“I took care of it.”
Solche answered nonchalantly with an expressionless face.
Afterward, he shared the conversation he had with the Headmaster with us.
Exam slaves.
The one who had shackled Jema told him to attend the academy.
I had always understood that to mean to graduate.
Upon learning the Headmaster’s true intent, I was filled with anger at the fact that graduation did not apply to us.
“We should kill that Headmaster too.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Ririan. My guess is that the Headmaster is likely a swordmaster.”
I’ve seen the Headmaster a few times, but he looked like an ordinary teacher.
“The Headmaster is a swordmaster?”
He didn’t seem to fit that description at all.
“Ririan, what do you think of fighting Juan?”
“I can definitely say he’s strong. But I won.”
“The injuries he sustained were just due to his lack of experience. He will keep growing and become a swordmaster.”
“Didn’t you say you would kill Juan?”
At my words, Solche seemed to be pondering something gravely.
“The situation has become a bit complicated.”
“Indeed, the Headmaster…”
“Exactly. Usually, the academy headmaster doesn’t need to be a powerful figure.”
Solche seemed quite displeased with the current situation, pouring his complaints to us.
“It seems like the Kiverou family must have interfered.”
“Did they anticipate the assassination?”
“They probably didn’t expect it, but they took thorough precautions just in case such a possibility might arise.”
If we end up killing Juan, I thought it would become impossible to live in this country.
“But is the Kiverou family really that impressive?”
“It’s a family of mercenaries.”
Jema, who had been quietly listening, explained.
“There’s no reason for a family of mercenaries to be that significant in this country….”
As I pondered, I recalled the academy graduates.
“Could it be that there’s only one mercenary group in this country?”
“That’s right.”
This country runs on the income earned by mercenaries.
It’s possible that Juan’s family currently holds more power than the royal family.
“Is it okay to share such information with us?”
The Intelligence Department, where Solche and Alium belonged, surely was not one to disclose information readily.
“You guys are candidates, so you have the right to know about part of the operation.”
“Candidates? I’ve never heard that before.”
“I just decided it.”
“We need talents in our department, so we can take as many as you want.”
“Then does that mean Juan belongs to me?”
“It would be the best scenario for that to happen if a situation arises.”
After finishing the conversation, Solche dispelled the wall he had installed in the classroom.
As the wall disappeared, someone was peering into the classroom, pressed closely against the window.
As Solche opened the door and walked out, the person greeted us with a bright smile.
“Hello. I’m the new supervisor, Den.”
“I’m the homeroom teacher, Solche. Is it also the Headmaster’s order?”
“That was quick. Yes, that’s right. Can you explain why you installed the wall?”
Although he smiled, his eyes were entirely different.
Those sharp eyes seemed intent on catching something.