Chapter 74
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Chapter 74:
“Fuck!”
As a skilled swordsman, the man avoided Philip’s kick by just a paper’s width. Stepping back a few paces, he examined Philip’s condition in disbelief.
‘Why is he unaffected by the venom from the Manticore’s tail?’
Philip wanted to resolve his curiosity, but that was an impossible task.
“You seem to be wondering why the poison doesn’t work, but since I don’t know the reason either, don’t bother asking... You seem somewhat famous in the mercenary world, so I wanted to see what you’re capable of. Are you really boasting about a real fight with just something like this?”
A sigh escaped. The fact that he could take pride in such a technique was simply astonishing.
Tricks that wouldn’t even scratch a true swordsman.
Even if the deception behind it was perfect, the imagination behind it was too lacking. Diana Frenhall would not have fallen for such tricks either.
“Just? You call it ‘just’?”
The man’s body trembled with anger.
“I understand using poison or tricks in a fight, but pretending to be superior while doing so is hard to bear. They call you the ‘Serpant’s Blade,’ so I thought you would wield a flexible sword technique like a snake, but were you just using poison?”
Philip was honestly disappointed. He had expected the kind of hidden strength and dignity in the one hailed as legend among mercenaries, but he saw none of that.
‘He seems like someone who could harm me later in some way.’
“Watch closely. I’m going to attack your right shoulder now. Defend or avoid it as you wish.”
Philip raised his sword, pointing at the man’s right leg.
“The youngster lucky enough to dodge a few times acts all high and mighty!”
While he used the sword technique, Philip keenly felt the vast difference in skill between him and the man. The scent of an underdog who had overwhelmingly won in battles below his level emanated from his posture.
“One.”
Philip stomped his foot, faked his attention, then struck the man’s leg.
Forced with the injected information that he was actually targeting the left shoulder, the man couldn’t respond properly to Philip’s attack.
The sensation of the blade cutting through a bundle of nerves gathered behind his knee was horrifyingly painful and hollow at the same time. The disappointment of losing strength in an instant followed.
“Unbelievable... Ridiculous...”
“You know how to handle a sword, yet you use poison? It’s as if you don’t know how to properly use what you possess. It might work well at a similar level, but it won’t work against a truly skilled opponent. Do you think poison will work against Aura Master?”
‘He’s insane.’
The man thought as he heard Philip’s words. However, Philip’s display was so overwhelmingly dominant that no one responded to him.
“Damn it...”
With defeat confirmed and his pride on the verge of crumbling, the man glared at Philip as if he wanted to kill him, and spewed curses.
“Why do you have to act like that, I don’t know.”
Philip muttered as if he was pitiful. He genuinely thought so. Among the many examiners, only a handful could handle the sword technique.
With that level of potential, it was truly hard to understand why he was resorting to such trivial techniques.
“Instead of spending time looking for poison, you should swing the sword once more. This time, I’ll take your right arm.”
Philip explained kindly, then skewered the man’s right elbow with his sword. The elbow was another location with nerve clusters.
“Fuck!”
This time, he didn’t use any special techniques. Since the man’s right leg was already compromised, it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to properly defend. However, Philip deliberately insisted on a speed fast enough that the man couldn’t react.
‘Even the magic used by humans is the same.’
The conversation between Philip and Privia, the one they had shared, still lingered in his mind.
It was a perspective no mages had thought of until now. Most mages studied the rules and power of runic characters, magical phenomena, and spells.
He smiled, a smile that contained various emotions. His mind felt clear and refreshed.
“... Cool.”
Suddenly, he heard a faint snort from a short distance away. Shifting his slightly creaky body from standing for so long, he looked down and saw Janice, covered in a thin blanket, and sleeping on the grass.
Even at a glance, he could tell that Janice was there to take care of him during his moment of enlightenment. Castler was deeply moved, bent down and gently stroked Janice’s hair with an affectionate expression.
“How kind you are.”
Even while asleep, Janice felt a touch and opened her eyes.
“Mm... Oh, Brother? Are you awake?”
Looking at Castler with half-closed eyes, Janice suddenly felt her senses sharpen, and she quickly sat up.
“Brother?”
“Yeah. I’m awake. You were watching over me, right? What about Lady?”
With a renewed consciousness, Janice hugged Castler around the waist.
“Miss Cynthia went to wash up for a moment, so she’ll be back soon, Brother. But more importantly, what happened? What enlightenment did you have?”
Being a mage herself, Janice understood the importance of that. Castler smiled proudly and brushed Janice’s shoulder.
“You might have an inkling of what magic is now. I’ll tell you more about it later, so don’t worry. Your instructor has enlightened me, and not nust you. He’s truly an impressive person. It’s like looking down on the world from a great height. Even my current level of enlightenment probably seems like just the foothills of a tall mountain to him.”
Castler held immense respect for Philip. Janice tilted her head. In her eyes, Philip wasn’t necessarily that extraordinary.
While he was a kind and skilled swordsman, being the Quartermaster of magic tower, a person worthy of admiration, seemed debatable to her.
‘... Come to think of it, he does seem impressive in a way.’
Janice wasn’t entirely sure of her own emotions.
“Is the instructor really that amazing?”
In response to her affectionate sister’s question, Castler nodded as if it were obvious.
“You’re stating the obvious, Janice. If he wanted, the instructor could probably turn the world upside down. His friend, the mage Privia, is also like that. And it’s quite fortunate that such an impressive person has taken a liking to you. Where is the instructor?”
“He said he went outside the village for a moment.”
“I should properly thank him. I can’t even begin to imagine how I can repay him for his teachings.”
“... I don’t know either.”
Janice murmured. The Philip she knew wasn’t someone who would expect something in return. A simple thank you would be enough for him, yet receiving such a favor and moving on wasn’t easy.
“When you go, ask if there’s anything he needs. Things like magical items or anything that money can’t buy. If it’s something our family has, I’ll raid the storeroom to get it for him.”
“I will do that, Brother.”
“And be nice. But first, could you support me for a bit? Let’s head to where Cynthia is.”
“Sure.”
Janice offered her shoulder to Castler. Leaning on her almost fully grown younger sister’s shoulder, Castler made a decision about his future path.
‘... This isn’t just for my own benefit. It would be great if the talents that will shape the future of the continent could share the same enlightenment as me. And if only...’
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Chapter 74:
“Fuck!”
As a skilled swordsman, the man avoided Philip’s kick by just a paper’s width. Stepping back a few paces, he examined Philip’s condition in disbelief.
‘Why is he unaffected by the venom from the Manticore’s tail?’
Philip wanted to resolve his curiosity, but that was an impossible task.
“You seem to be wondering why the poison doesn’t work, but since I don’t know the reason either, don’t bother asking... You seem somewhat famous in the mercenary world, so I wanted to see what you’re capable of. Are you really boasting about a real fight with just something like this?”
A sigh escaped. The fact that he could take pride in such a technique was simply astonishing.
Tricks that wouldn’t even scratch a true swordsman.
Even if the deception behind it was perfect, the imagination behind it was too lacking. Diana Frenhall would not have fallen for such tricks either.
“Just? You call it ‘just’?”
The man’s body trembled with anger.
“I understand using poison or tricks in a fight, but pretending to be superior while doing so is hard to bear. They call you the ‘Serpant’s Blade,’ so I thought you would wield a flexible sword technique like a snake, but were you just using poison?”
Philip was honestly disappointed. He had expected the kind of hidden strength and dignity in the one hailed as legend among mercenaries, but he saw none of that.
‘He seems like someone who could harm me later in some way.’
“Watch closely. I’m going to attack your right shoulder now. Defend or avoid it as you wish.”
Philip raised his sword, pointing at the man’s right leg.
“The youngster lucky enough to dodge a few times acts all high and mighty!”
While he used the sword technique, Philip keenly felt the vast difference in skill between him and the man. The scent of an underdog who had overwhelmingly won in battles below his level emanated from his posture.
“One.”
Philip stomped his foot, faked his attention, then struck the man’s leg.
Forced with the injected information that he was actually targeting the left shoulder, the man couldn’t respond properly to Philip’s attack.
The sensation of the blade cutting through a bundle of nerves gathered behind his knee was horrifyingly painful and hollow at the same time. The disappointment of losing strength in an instant followed.
“Unbelievable... Ridiculous...”
“You know how to handle a sword, yet you use poison? It’s as if you don’t know how to properly use what you possess. It might work well at a similar level, but it won’t work against a truly skilled opponent. Do you think poison will work against Aura Master?”
‘He’s insane.’
The man thought as he heard Philip’s words. However, Philip’s display was so overwhelmingly dominant that no one responded to him.
“Damn it...”
With defeat confirmed and his pride on the verge of crumbling, the man glared at Philip as if he wanted to kill him, and spewed curses.
“Why do you have to act like that, I don’t know.”
Philip muttered as if he was pitiful. He genuinely thought so. Among the many examiners, only a handful could handle the sword technique.
With that level of potential, it was truly hard to understand why he was resorting to such trivial techniques.
“Instead of spending time looking for poison, you should swing the sword once more. This time, I’ll take your right arm.”
Philip explained kindly, then skewered the man’s right elbow with his sword. The elbow was another location with nerve clusters.
“Fuck!”
This time, he didn’t use any special techniques. Since the man’s right leg was already compromised, it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to properly defend. However, Philip deliberately insisted on a speed fast enough that the man couldn’t react.
‘Even the magic used by humans is the same.’
The conversation between Philip and Privia, the one they had shared, still lingered in his mind.
It was a perspective no mages had thought of until now. Most mages studied the rules and power of runic characters, magical phenomena, and spells.
He smiled, a smile that contained various emotions. His mind felt clear and refreshed.
“... Cool.”
Suddenly, he heard a faint snort from a short distance away. Shifting his slightly creaky body from standing for so long, he looked down and saw Janice, covered in a thin blanket, and sleeping on the grass.
Even at a glance, he could tell that Janice was there to take care of him during his moment of enlightenment. Castler was deeply moved, bent down and gently stroked Janice’s hair with an affectionate expression.
“How kind you are.”
Even while asleep, Janice felt a touch and opened her eyes.
“Mm... Oh, Brother? Are you awake?”
Looking at Castler with half-closed eyes, Janice suddenly felt her senses sharpen, and she quickly sat up.
“Brother?”
“Yeah. I’m awake. You were watching over me, right? What about Lady?”
With a renewed consciousness, Janice hugged Castler around the waist.
“Miss Cynthia went to wash up for a moment, so she’ll be back soon, Brother. But more importantly, what happened? What enlightenment did you have?”
Being a mage herself, Janice understood the importance of that. Castler smiled proudly and brushed Janice’s shoulder.
“You might have an inkling of what magic is now. I’ll tell you more about it later, so don’t worry. Your instructor has enlightened me, and not nust you. He’s truly an impressive person. It’s like looking down on the world from a great height. Even my current level of enlightenment probably seems like just the foothills of a tall mountain to him.”
Castler held immense respect for Philip. Janice tilted her head. In her eyes, Philip wasn’t necessarily that extraordinary.
While he was a kind and skilled swordsman, being the Quartermaster of magic tower, a person worthy of admiration, seemed debatable to her.
‘... Come to think of it, he does seem impressive in a way.’
Janice wasn’t entirely sure of her own emotions.
“Is the instructor really that amazing?”
In response to her affectionate sister’s question, Castler nodded as if it were obvious.
“You’re stating the obvious, Janice. If he wanted, the instructor could probably turn the world upside down. His friend, the mage Privia, is also like that. And it’s quite fortunate that such an impressive person has taken a liking to you. Where is the instructor?”
“He said he went outside the village for a moment.”
“I should properly thank him. I can’t even begin to imagine how I can repay him for his teachings.”
“... I don’t know either.”
Janice murmured. The Philip she knew wasn’t someone who would expect something in return. A simple thank you would be enough for him, yet receiving such a favor and moving on wasn’t easy.
“When you go, ask if there’s anything he needs. Things like magical items or anything that money can’t buy. If it’s something our family has, I’ll raid the storeroom to get it for him.”
“I will do that, Brother.”
“And be nice. But first, could you support me for a bit? Let’s head to where Cynthia is.”
“Sure.”
Janice offered her shoulder to Castler. Leaning on her almost fully grown younger sister’s shoulder, Castler made a decision about his future path.
‘... This isn’t just for my own benefit. It would be great if the talents that will shape the future of the continent could share the same enlightenment as me. And if only...’
Chapter 74:Fuck!As a skilled swordsman, the man avoided Philip's kick by just a paper's width. Stepping back a few paces, he examined Philip's condition in disbelief.Why is he unaffected by the venom from the Manticore's tail?'Philip wanted to resolve his curiosity, but that was an impossible task.You seem to be wondering why the poison doesn't work, but since I don't know the reason either, don't bother asking... You seem somewhat famous in the mercenary world, so I wanted to see what you're capable of. Are you really boasting about a real fight with just something like this?A sigh escaped. The fact that he could take pride in such a technique was simply astonishing.Tricks that wouldn't even scratch a true swordsman.Even if the deception behind it was perfect, the imagination behind it was too lacking. Diana Frenhall would not have fallen for such tricks either.Just? You call it just'?The man's body trembled with anger.I understand using poison or tricks in a fight, but pretending to be superior while doing so is hard to bear. They call you the Serpant's Blade,' so I thought you would wield a flexible sword technique like a snake, but were you just using poison?Philip was honestly disappointed. He had expected the kind of hidden strength and dignity in the one hailed as legend among mercenaries, but he saw none of that.He seems like someone who could harm me later in some way.'Watch closely. I'm going to attack your right shoulder now. Defend or avoid it as you wish.Philip raised his sword, pointing at the man's right leg.The youngster lucky enough to dodge a few times acts all high and mighty!While he used the sword technique, Philip keenly felt the vast difference in skill between him and the man. The scent of an underdog who had overwhelmingly won in battles below his level emanated from his posture.One.Philip stomped his foot, faked his attention, then struck the man's leg.Forced with the injected information that he was actually targeting the left shoulder, the man couldn't respond properly to Philip's attack.The sensation of the blade cutting through a bundle of nerves gathered behind his knee was horrifyingly painful and hollow at the same time. The disappointment of losing strength in an instant followed.Unbelievable... Ridiculous...You know how to handle a sword, yet you use poison? It's as if you don't know how to properly use what you possess. It might work well at a similar level, but it won't work against a truly skilled opponent. Do you think poison will work against Aura Master?He's insane.'The man thought as he heard Philip's words. However, Philip's display was so overwhelmingly dominant that no one responded to him.Damn it...With defeat confirmed and his pride on the verge of crumbling, the man glared at Philip as if he wanted to kill him, and spewed curses.Why do you have to act like that, I don't know.Philip muttered as if he was pitiful. He genuinely thought so. Among the many examiners, only a handful could handle the sword technique.With that level of potential, it was truly hard to understand why he was resorting to such trivial techniques.Instead of spending time looking for poison, you should swing the sword once more. This time, I'll take your right arm.Philip explained kindly, then skewered the man's right elbow with his sword. The elbow was another location with nerve clusters.Fuck!This time, he didn't use any special techniques. Since the man's right leg was already compromised, it was obvious he wouldn't be able to properly defend. However, Philip deliberately insisted on a speed fast enough that the man couldn't react.Even the magic used by humans is the same.'The conversation between Philip and Privia, the one they had shared, still lingered in his mind.It was a perspective no mages had thought of until now. Most mages studied the rules and power of runic characters, magical phenomena, and spells.He smiled, a smile that contained various emotions. His mind felt clear and refreshed.... Cool.Suddenly, he heard a faint snort from a short distance away. Shifting his slightly creaky body from standing for so long, he looked down and saw Janice, covered in a thin blanket, and sleeping on the grass.Even at a glance, he could tell that Janice was there to take care of him during his moment of enlightenment. Castler was deeply moved, bent down and gently stroked Janice's hair with an affectionate expression.How kind you are.Even while asleep, Janice felt a touch and opened her eyes.Mm... Oh, Brother? Are you awake?Looking at Castler with half-closed eyes, Janice suddenly felt her senses sharpen, and she quickly sat up.Brother?Yeah. I'm awake. You were watching over me, right? What about Lady?With a renewed consciousness, Janice hugged Castler around the waist.Miss Cynthia went to wash up for a moment, so she'll be back soon, Brother. But more importantly, what happened? What enlightenment did you have?Being a mage herself, Janice understood the importance of that. Castler smiled proudly and brushed Janice's shoulder.You might have an inkling of what magic is now. I'll tell you more about it later, so don't worry. Your instructor has enlightened me, and not nust you. He's truly an impressive person. It's like looking down on the world from a great height. Even my current level of enlightenment probably seems like just the foothills of a tall mountain to him.Castler held immense respect for Philip. Janice tilted her head. In her eyes, Philip wasn't necessarily that extraordinary.While he was a kind and skilled swordsman, being the Quartermaster of magic tower, a person worthy of admiration, seemed debatable to her.... Come to think of it, he does seem impressive in a way.'Janice wasn't entirely sure of her own emotions.Is the instructor really that amazing?In response to her affectionate sister's question, Castler nodded as if it were obvious.You're stating the obvious, Janice. If he wanted, the instructor could probably turn the world upside down. His friend, the mage Privia, is also like that. And it's quite fortunate that such an impressive person has taken a liking to you. Where is the instructor?He said he went outside the village for a moment.I should properly thank him. I can't even begin to imagine how I can repay him for his teachings.... I don't know either.Janice murmured. The Philip she knew wasn't someone who would expect something in return. A simple thank you would be enough for him, yet receiving such a favor and moving on wasn't easy.When you go, ask if there's anything he needs. Things like magical items or anything that money can't buy. If it's something our family has, I'll raid the storeroom to get it for him.I will do that, Brother.And be nice. But first, could you support me for a bit? Let's head to where Cynthia is.Sure.Janice offered her shoulder to Castler. Leaning on her almost fully grown younger sister's shoulder, Castler made a decision about his future path.... This isn't just for my own benefit. It would be great if the talents that will shape the future of the continent could share the same enlightenment as me. And if only...'
