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The Knight Commander of the Millennium Knights Force, Gordon Coriman, did not like Raymond.

He could understand the remarks that disregarded the knights as he was from a wizardry house. Weren't wizards and knights always at odds?

However, it was difficult to understand how he always tarnished the family's name.

'It also makes me lose face.'

Gordon Coriman was becoming the laughing stock among his peers.

Unfortunately, he couldn't lead the knights of a famous swordsmanship family, but that was okay.

He was proud of and content with being the captain of the Millennium Knights. If only it weren't for Raymond, who had gone wild for years without repercussion.

Their household’s power didn’t decline as a result, but it severely damaged Gordon Coriman's reputation.

The image of a Knight Commander of a wizard house’s knight force had begun to degrade thanks to this incompetent child.

He started thinking more negatively about Raymond when he began beating the servants.

If Raymond became the patriarch in the future, he would have to follow his orders.

It was nearly unbearable to see him demean those beneath him and grovel before those he perceived as superior. Still, he had come this far, and Gordon struggled to compose himself.

It was impossible to speak kindly to the heir.

"You must have been frustrated because your magic training wasn’t going well, so you came to see us, who only know how to ignorantly wield a sword."

He said that with the assumption that Raymond would be intimidated and not answer properly, or he would back off with a random answer.

But things turned out quite differently.

"Your movements do look ignorant, for sure."

He struck back at Gordon Coriman's provocation and even turned it around.

"You are necessary for our family while only showing a skill in swordsmanship that even a child can match?"

Hearing that, Gordon Coriman couldn't stand it any longer.

This incompetent trash who couldn’t manage a thing by himself and treated those he saw as lesser poorly was now looking down on their skill.

"If it's swordsmanship that even a child can match, then you should be able to do it too. Well… we can stick to sparring or something. You should be able to keep up with a child, I believe.”

Of course, he wouldn't do it himself. After all, it would only tarnish his honor.

Still, wouldn't any one of his knights, even the weakest, be able to easily crush the incompetent Young Master?

Of course, they would have to adjust it a bit for him so as not to seriously injure him, but at least they would be able to teach him about reality.

'I'll show him that he shouldn't take the knights lightly.'

Gordon Coriman's gaze upon Raymond was heavy with contemplation as his mind raced with these thoughts. 

***

"Sparring, huh...?"

Sparring. He just challenged me to spar.

Wasn't it funny?

Asking me to engage in a spar was nonsense.

Raymond was a member of the Millennium Household, known universally as a wizard family. Has anyone from the family ever sparred with a knight while using a sword?

There were no such instances. The people of Count Millennium's family had never held a sword in the first place.

The only blades they used were short daggers that they carried around in case of emergency.

But this man was asking that Raymond should engage in sword sparring.

It was meant to humiliate me. Yet even though I knew their intent, I couldn't help but laugh.

Honestly, I was happy to be able to hold a sword once again.

Plus, I already knew roughly what level my opponent was, so there was the possibility I could win.

"Of course, you don't have to if you're scared. We won't force you."

The middle-aged man in front of me added.

His voice had softened, losing the sharpness he had shown just a moment ago.

He was trying to lead me into agreeing to spar.

"Young Master, there's no need to..."

Alice eventually tried to step in, but I raised my hand to stop her.

"Okay, let's do it. What are the rules?"

At that, Gordon Coriman tried to hide a smile.

"Well... I guess you've never learned swordsmanship, so I think you can have a sparring match against our youngest."

As he said that, he gestured for one of the knights to come.

The knight sitting on the floor watching the situation jumped up and approached.

Confirming that the youngest knight was on the way, Gordon Coriman continued.

"Since it's sparring, you can’t use Mana. And... if you manage to land even one hit, the victory is yours. The knight wins when you surrender."

Gordon Coriman looked at me, confirming that this would be fair.

If it were the original incompetent scumbag, those conditions wouldn't be enough for him to win.

Even though he was the youngest, a knight was a knight, and it would never be easy to hit him even once.

'But...'

Raymond wasn't simply an incompetent scumbag. He was a swordsmanship genius scumbag.

My chances were good enough if it was just one hit.

"Bring the wooden swords."

"Yessir."

Two wooden swords were prepared for us.

Each was a wooden sword with an iron core embedded, giving it a similar feel and weight to a real sword.

I grabbed the wooden sword. Even though it wasn't real, my heart was beating hard.

The desire to swing it quickly spread through my entire body. Muscles that had not been trained grew tense.

"Okay then, let's start."

Gordon Coriman glanced at the knights sitting in a circle.

I wanted to swing my sword immediately, but it wasn’t time yet.

"I don't think we've talked about the important thing yet."

"What would that be...?"

"The reward."

"Oh... if you win, I'll admit that our swordsmanship is something even a child can match, and I'll step down from my position as Knight Commander."

Gordon Coriman offered quite the prize.

Hearing that, I shrugged and motioned for him to continue.

"But if the Young Master loses... you must acknowledge that you were wrong about our swordsmanship and formally apologize.”

He talked about acknowledging and apologizing, but in fact, what Gordon Coriman wanted right now was for Raymond to be beaten.

I looked around. The knights were watching as if they had found something interesting.

Even to them, Raymond wasn't a very nice master.

"Then let's begin."

I smiled at Gordon Coriman as he announced the start of the fight.

"Begin."

***

With a grin, I snatched up the wooden sword, relishing in its moderate heft and comfortable grip. It was a weapon worthy of a true adventurer like myself.

I saw the knights’ skills while they trained, and the condition required only one hit without using Mana.

I slowly raised my sword and took the proper stance. I looked pretty good if I say so myself.

"You can attack first."

The young knight said as if to give me a fighting chance.

Eager to wield a blade once again, I eagerly seized the opportunity without a moment's hesitation.

He told me to attack because he was confident, so there was no reason to refuse.

Taking a deep breath, I began to 'act,' kicking off the ground and shooting forward.

Swoosh!

Our training swords collided.

"Huh?"

The young knight let out an embarrassed exclamation.

It was a much faster and sharper blow than he expected that aimed right for the gaps in his defense.

I grinned at his reaction.

He narrowly avoided defeat, thanks to a last-second twist of his body that blocked the attack. Had he not acted with such quick thinking, his carelessness would have cost him dearly.

I could see the youngest knight's eyes trembling now in confusion.

The guy who didn't seem to have learned a thing about swordsmanship was swinging with the intent to win, so it must’ve been confusing for him.

His wooden sword reached toward my chest.

Thud!

With a dull sound, the wooden sword raised above my head slipped aside his weapon.

It was difficult to strike the youngest knight's sword away due to the difference in our physical strength, so I instinctively decided it would be better to deflect.

It was only two strikes, but a stabbing pain started in the palms of my hands.

'It hasn't been long since we started.'

My body was weaker than I thought. I had to end this as quickly as possible.

My muscles were cramping, and my palms hurt, so I would be at a disadvantage if I dragged it on.

Concentrating, I thrust my sword forward.

In an instant, my wooden sword was aimed at the knight’s neck, and once again, he quickly twisted out of the way to dodge it.

"Haap!"

The youngest knight attacked me by swinging his sword horizontally.

I took a step back, dodged it, and swung for his arm.

Whack!

The wooden sword and his arm collided with a loud thud. According to the rules, I already won.

The youngest knight and I, were far from finished. My thirst for battle had reached a fever pitch, and I couldn't hold back any longer. 

Just like the last time, like a dam bursting at the seams, I channeled all of my pent-up emotions as Sung-hyuk into each swing of my sword.

Swoosh!

Those suppressed feelings circulated through my body and got caught in the sword's tip, emanating a killing aura.

Everyone around us flinched as no one had expected the sharp burst of murderous intent.

As the youngest knight faced his opponent, he grit his teeth and fiercely countered with his sword. Determined not to lose, he also bared his teeth and pulled out a deadly move. Though he managed to retain some semblance of reason, the dark killing aura emanating from me nearly caused him to unleash a Mana-infused strike without a second thought.

As our blades clanged, I raised my foot and kicked the youngest knight in the leg.

It was a little different from how knights competed honestly only by swinging their swords.

But by thoroughly analyzing my moves for efficiency, I relied on techniques that would be used in combat. Because this was the swordsmanship of the protagonist of 'The Ruler of Talent.'

The youngest knight’s reaction, who had only dealt with the honest fighting styles of other knights, was inevitably slow.

Whack.

Between my sword bearing down and the sudden blow to his leg, the youngest knight staggered for a moment.

Of course, I didn't miss that chance.

For even the most inexperienced of warriors, it was clear that this was a prime opportunity. 

My wooden sword sliced through the air with graceful precision. 

Just as I was about to plunge the blade into the neck of the young knight, I halted my attack.

Seeing it, no one reacted.

They couldn't say anything.

"..."

Silence dominated the training field.

In that silence, another message appeared before my eyes.

[The 'Unknown God' is clapping and having fun.]