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Unlike other aristocrats, the Duchy of Widia was picky about discipline to the point even the servants had to abide by the rules and nobly uphold their dignity.

Hals couldn’t adapt to that environment, and in the end, he assaulted soldiers lower in rank than himself more times than could be counted.

Part of why he treated those stronger than him with such care was that if he were caught, he would certainly be kicked out of the Duchy of Widia.

'I'm giving you one last chance for your father, who was loyal to the previous Duke and the Great Duchy.'

The one who came and offered this chance was neither Duke Eisen nor the general in charge of the duchy nor the knight commander.

'Teach the youngest son.'

Hals couldn't refute it.

From the beginning, he didn’t know who the youngest son was, but even though the person making this request was just a butler, he held a position higher than a baron, so he had to accept without objection.

‘H-Hello...’

This was the first thing the Young Master said when they first met.

He was abandoned by his family, so he was inferior to Hals.

Those abandoned like this were destined to live and die like parasites.

As soon as Hals saw the youngest master, Locke, his sadism arose.

He had no talent. He was soft. He couldn’t even complain if he was beaten.

Hals harassed Locke the same way he harassed the soldiers.

He discreetly hit only his body, never above his neck, and didn’t hesitate to insult the boy.

In the Ryzen Empire, titles could pass on even to bastards, so Locke held a higher rank than Hals, but since he was an outcast, those things didn’t matter.

He had no one to complain to.

'I'm not abandoned!'

Even while he assaulted the duke's son, he remained in the Duchy of Widia.

Hals kept reminding himself that while he was hated, the duke hadn’t yet abandoned him every time he hit Locke.

But today was different.

“Gasp!”

Hals glared at Locke in disbelief and grabbed his ribs.

It didn’t hurt that much.

Unlike Hals, who trained his body, Locke had no muscle strength.

But he struggled to believe that Locke deftly dodged his sword and landed a blow.

'How…?'

There was no way this could happen.

He taught the outcast nothing. He didn't even teach him how to hold his sword because it seemed like doing so might reverse his and Locke's positions.

Hals looked at Locke's hands with bewilderment.

He properly held his training sword in hands that had never seemed to carry anything heavier than a book.

“Is today’s class over?”

“…Of course not.”

Hals dismissed it as a coincidence.

It must be a coincidence.

There was no way a new talent could have bloomed overnight.

“The Young Master’s skills have improved, so I will also increase my speed.”

Hals thought.

'It might be a coincidence... if it isn’t a coincidence...’

Their roles, positions, and lives would change.

That could never happen.

If Locke started gaining recognition in the duchy, Hals would be a deadman.

In that case, he had to ensure this boy couldn’t even move.

'Even if an insignificant bastard died during training, the duchy would not abandon me.'

His father gave his life to the Duchy of Widia.

Hals sincerely thought they wouldn’t abandon the son of a knight who sacrificed himself for the duchy just because a bastard had died while training.

-Whooosh!

Hals moved quickly, generating mana in his body.

-Baang!

“Ugh!”

Because of the sudden attack wrapped in mana, I couldn't dodge properly and barely managed to block it.

‘This bastard! He’s covered in mana!'

I almost dropped my training sword.

Were it the old me, I would’ve been hit shortly after.

As it was, I was barely holding it with the Strong Will of the March skill, but my arm wouldn't move as I wanted.

Thud.

I ended up dropping it anyway.

“I've told you many times that a swordsman shouldn't let go of his sword.”

"You've never taught me to hold a sword, but you talk well."

I regarded the sword I had dropped with a sneer.

“It’s so funny.”

Hals' eyebrows twitched.

“…What do you mean?”

“It’s ridiculous how you still think you have a chance. Do you think you are still here because you are ‘only’ hated?”

Knowing the future awaiting Hals, I picked out the words he most hated to hear.

I knew that behind his unaffected attitude, he was anxious, hated the idea of being abandoned, and had the arrogance to still think of himself as an aristocrat.

Hals frowned at my words.

“Did I hit the nail on the head? Or do you keep denying it even though you know? Please, return to your senses. This is a place where only the outcasts come.”

Only those abandoned by the duchy resided here.

No one else had come so far since Hals was the only servant abandoned by the duchy.

“…There’s no way that would be true. My father, unlike the Young Master, was a real nobleman and fought on the battlefield with the former duke...”

“He didn’t fight with the duke. Did you fill your brain with shit? Your father was not a knight. He was just a semi-nobleman who once wielded a sword.”

Hals was delusional in saying that his father was a knight.

“You’re not a kid anymore. And you still deny that your father was an ordinary soldier?”

He wasn't even a knight, nor was he an actual aristocrat.

The duchy had never been indebted to Hals' father.

It was just a benefit of one of the previous Duke’s rules that the children of his employees who had served the duchy for more than 30 years were allowed to work here.

It was Hals's delusion that he wanted to believe he was a real nobleman.

“…”

As Hals quietly raised his wooden sword, I felt his anger surging.

‘This damn Courage of a Child!’

It drove a nail right into Hals' chest.

Being children, they knew nothing, so they could speak without hesitation and without thinking about others.

I was worried about how pissed off Hals was, but I picked up the wooden sword again with trembling hands.

“It seems that today’s class will be a little longer.”

Hals braced his left foot while raising his sword.

[<Super Intuition> is activated.]

I focused my gaze on the tip of that blade as I heard a strange sound ring in my ears.

'Right!'

When swinging downward, people always put their weight on their outstretched feet.

Using mana increased the speed of his swing several times over, so even with the Super Intuition skill activated and though I knew where he would swing, it was impossible to dodge it perfectly.

However, my arms would break if our swords collided head-on, so I had no choice but to deflect while using Super Intuition to track his movement.

Whoosh!

His sword swung toward my right shoulder, and I was already swinging mine.

-Clack!

I struck the back of Hals' sword.

“Ugh!”

Even though I hit it from the side, I felt pain from the vibrations rolling up my arms.

“…”

Hals glared at me without saying anything.

-Clack!

Hals kept swinging in earnest.

He was better at swordsmanship than I thought, and he could use mana, so he was much better than me in terms of speed and attack.

'Ugh!'

I continued moving, reading Hals' attacks and narrowly dodging.

-Bang!

Sometimes, when I couldn't dodge, I raised the wooden sword to block it, but every time I did, the shock that radiated through my palms made my hair stand on end.

"Only your words are sharp, Young Master."

'Bastard!'

Hals smirked as he ridiculed me.

His arrogance pierced the sky.

<The King of Heroes angrily shouts, ‘What kind of bastard is that!’>

<The King of Heroes condemns this bastard as a villain who would hurt the future hero.>

Even the King of Heroes seemed angered by Hals' attitude.

<The King of Heroes says it's okay for a hero to lose.>

<The King of Heroes says it's okay for a hero to run away.>

<The King of Heroes says it's okay for a hero to bow his head.>

<The King of Heroes says it’s okay for a hero to be hurt by the villain.>

<The King of Heroes says, however, that a hero must overcome all adversity and that this is the root of a hero.>

<The King of Heroes waves a cheering stick, saying you got this.>

‘…What?'

-Ring!

[You have learned the Fundamental Theory of Heroes.]

[You have acquired the skill 【Hero's Fundamentals】.]

I had no time to be surprised.

After confirming that Hals' next strike was at my face, I hurriedly turned my head.

Whoosh!

As I ducked around the extended sword, I hurriedly lowered my head and swung my own weapon at Hals' ribs once again.

-Clack!

My sword was blocked.

But there was no shock like before.

“…!”

Hals paused, taken by his amazement, and I didn't miss that chance.

‘I don’t know what happened, but if his mana doesn’t work...’

I tightened my grip.

‘Hals, you have strength, but I have my own experience.'

Even if it wasn’t a talent, people like me had instincts built by years of experience.

'You wouldn't know how I survived in the future.'

-Clack! Clack!

A person without talent would do anything to survive.

‘Rajan swordsmanship...’

It was just the poor third-rate swordsmanship mercenaries learned to survive, but the emotion I felt learning this was indescribable.

It was the first thing I had ever really learned.

“Bite.”

The person who created these sword techniques was a mad mercenary.

A rough, stupid, ignorant mercenary created them by watching wolves.

-Whoosh!

I didn’t dodge the wooden sword that came right at the center of my head.

Knowing that his usual amount was no longer effective due to the constant clashing, Hals put the maximum mana he could manage into his sword.

And he realized right before he swung.

'He’ll die!'

Even though he returned to his senses, he couldn't stop mid-swing.

-Flinch!

It happened because he instantly gave more strength to his grip after looking into Locke's murderous eyes.

-Thwackkkk!

The wooden sword struck Locke's fragile crown.

Blood ran down Hals’ sword, but Locke didn’t lose consciousness.

[<The Strong Will of the March> is activated.]

It wasn't until the second time I heard that sound that I realized, until now, what I felt was the additional effect, not the true power of the skill.

"Die."

I swung my wooden sword at Hals, who stood there perplexed.

-Thwack!

“Gasp!”

I aimed for his head but ended up hitting him in the neck due to the height difference.

I followed Hals as he stepped backward and hung onto him.

-Thwack!

Just like when he hit my shoulder, I hit his thigh.

-Thwack!

Just like when he hit my arm, I hit his ribs.

-Thwack!

Just like when he kicked my stomach, I kicked his balls.

-Thwack!

Just like when he poked my back, I poked his solar plexus.

“Gasp!”

Dump.

As Hals knelt down, I grabbed my sword with both hands.

“Razan swordsmanship.”

I put all my strength into the sword held high above my head.

“Picking a pig.”

-Thwackkkkk!!!!

I hit Hals across the top of the head and simultaneously broke the wooden sword in half.

"Gasp...!"

Blood gushed from the top of his head like a geyser, and he crumpled to the ground.

-Ring!

[Your fate has changed by 0.058%.]

[You have acquired 5 Hero Cards.]

[You have acquired 1 B-Grade Hero Card.]