[10]

"The head of the household is entering."

The murmuring crowd split to both sides, creating a path. It was as if the Red Sea was parting. The commotion subsided, and the people fell silent. This was the standing of the Blante family head.

With his jet-black hair, piercing black eyes, and broad-shouldered frame, Vincent exuded an intimidating presence.

'Interesting.'

It was intriguing. Back in his fighting days, Ryu was always the main character. Whether it was cheers or boos, Ryu was undoubtedly the one who received all the attention, and it was no different now.

The large crowd gathered here was due to the incident caused by Ethan. Yet, the mere presence of the head of the household could silence even those people in an instant. That was Vincent Blante.

'Should I take a bite?'

It didn't seem easy, but it didn't seem impossible either. The family was bound to collapse anyway. If Ethan could time it well and leverage his position and justification, the possibilities were endless.

'It's too early now.'

Ethan still didn't see a significant merit in this family. But it wasn't that the Blante family was unnecessary. What Ethan needed was outside, but the power of the family was necessary for his future freedom of movement.

While the original protagonist benefited from the chaos caused by the fall of the Blante family, Ethan needed the family to remain intact to move without restrictions. Therefore, Ethan had no intention of letting the Blante family collapse as it did in the original story.

The Blante family would be his solid backing. He planned to delay the family's downfall as much as possible while taking what he wanted.

'Once I get everything, the family won't matter.'

Ethan cleared his mind of distractions.

'Focus now.'

He had enough confidence but couldn't afford to be complacent. Ethan was clearly at a disadvantage. No matter how much Karon was considered an immature brat, he was still a mana user.

Through his sparring with Naid, Ethan felt firsthand how significant the difference was between handling mana and not handling it. No matter how versatile Ethan was in creating variables, one mistake could end it all.

"Heh, finally feeling a bit nervous?"

"Shut up."

When Ethan calmly responded to Karon's taunt, Karon's face twisted again.

'This calmness will only last until now.'

Once the sparring began, it would be Ethan rolling on the ground. It seemed Ethan had managed to shed some excess fat, but that wouldn't be enough to beat Karon. Karon was a mana user. Ethan had not yet trained in mana. Simply put, he was an ordinary person.

'An ordinary person cannot defeat a mana user.' This was a widely accepted truth and an unbroken principle. The knights who had already awakened mana in their hearts predicted Karon's victory. This was the general thought and perfectly natural.

Karon contemplated.

'Even if I win like this... there's not much to gain.'

Most people already expected his victory. He was a mana user who knew how to wield a sword, while Ethan was an ordinary person who had never properly swung a sword.

'A one-sided victory is attractive, but...'

It wasn't enough. He wanted to give the disgraceful pig of the family an even more humiliating defeat.

"Hey."

Karon called out to Ethan, who still looked disinterested.

'Such arrogance...'

Karon was so irritated that he felt like his insides were twisting.

He slowly approached Ethan and whispered in his ear so no one else could hear.

"I won't use mana in this sparring."

"...Oh?"

"Thinking about it, it's a waste of mana against trash like you. So many people have gathered; it would be a shame if the result was unsatisfactory, right? I'll crush you without using mana."

"Won't you regret it?"

When Ethan asked with a meaningful smile, Karon sneered back.

"Why would I regret it? You'll be the one groveling and begging for your life."

"Haha, I'll remember those words."

Cute. Such low-level provocation didn't even stir him. Compared to the trash talk Western fighters used to spew, this was child's play.

'Foolish guy.'

No matter how weak the opponent appeared, one must always do their best in such situations. Yet he was acting so complacent.

'I'll have to teach him a lesson.'

***

"You'll finally be free from Ethan, won't you?"

Ardeman approached Naid and started talking. Naid just gave a meaningful smile without much reaction.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"No need to hide it. If Ethan loses this time, his position will narrow even further. Then you won't have to suffer by his side anymore."

"Haha, you speak as if you know the result."

Ardeman blinked at Naid's words.

"...Do you really think Ethan will win?"

"Well, who knows. But you never know the result until it's over."

"Huh."

Ardeman let out a scoffing laugh. He knew Naid looked after Ethan, but he didn't expect it to be to this extent.

'He's more foolish than I thought.'

Given his significant position within the family, Ardeman had intended to stay close, but if this was how things were, there was no choice.

'Once the sparring is over, Karon will dominate.'

When that happens, his own status would inevitably rise as well. An old butler like Naid would fall out of favor.

'I'm looking forward to the result.'

Ardeman envisioned a rosy future as he watched Ethan and Karon.

***

The distance between Karon and Ethan widened.

The knight acting as the referee prepared to start the match.

"Then, we will now begin the sparring. It ends if someone concedes defeat or is judged unable to continue."

Karon glared fiercely at Ethan.

'I won't end this nicely.'

He intended to pulverize him before he could even concede defeat.

By position, Ethan was Karon's older brother, but Karon had never considered Ethan his elder brother. He always saw him as the family's disgrace, someone beneath him.

'A swordsmanship family's child afraid of swords? Ridiculous.'

Karon's contempt for Ethan grew deeper. In the midst of it, he had suffered humiliation from an unexpected blow. Ethan had insulted the formal duel request and shamed him in front of many people. Thus, Karon had no intention of being satisfied with merely winning.

'I'll make him beg in tears.'

Ethan laughed softly as he watched Karon's expression.

'I can read his thoughts clearly.'

There were guys like this in his fighting days too. Those who couldn't hide their emotions.

It was a bad habit. A pro should always maintain a poker face. Excitement blurs vision and dulls skills. In the professional world, a moment's carelessness could decide the outcome.

"Begin!"

At the knight's shout, Karon charged straight in. His long-trained movements were swift.

'Horizontal slash.'

Ethan calmly observed Karon's movements. He read the direction of his hands and the strides, anticipating Karon's strike.

As expected, Karon's wooden sword swung towards Ethan's left side.

'I shouldn't widen the distance.'

Although Ethan was taller, he was not accustomed to the sword. Creating distance and trying to win was disadvantageous. And since Ethan had no intention of winning with a sword, he raised his wooden sword to block Karon's attack.

Thud!

A heavy collision sound reverberated.

'He blocked it?'

Karon's eyes widened. It was a fairly powerful strike. Though he had controlled it to avoid fatal injury, it was not something an ordinary person could block. But Ethan blocked it without much difficulty.

Ethan's body was pushed back considerably, but he had indeed defended himself.

'The key is to finish this quickly.'

Before Karon could regain his composure, Ethan moved.

Thwack!

Ethan's right foot struck Karon squarely in the solar plexus.

"Ugh!"

A groan escaped Karon's mouth as he staggered backward.

"What the—?"

Confused murmurs erupted from the spectators.

Ethan's moves were unfamiliar; they weren't typical swordsmanship.

'This cowardly...!'

The blow wasn't particularly severe, but the precise kick to his solar plexus left Karon visibly shaken.

Karon backed off to regain his stance.

'He's fast.'

Ethan admired Karon's speed.

He had intended to finish it if an opportunity arose, but the distance widened in an instant, befitting a body attuned to mana.

'Well, there's another way.'

Ethan planted his front foot firmly. His waist twisted, and his right hand pulled back.

'No way...?'

Karon's eyes widened in disbelief.

Swish―!

The wooden sword, thrown with considerable force, sliced through the air aiming at Karon's face

"Fool!"

Karon swung his wooden sword. Though the kick had startled him, he hadn't lost his composure. He could handle such a rudimentary attack.

Smack!

Karon steadied himself on the ground and struck down the wooden sword.

Ethan's wooden sword, which had flown fiercely, fell pathetically to the ground.

'I've won...!'

Thanks to Ethan's foolish move, victory was within Karon's grasp. A knight without a sword couldn't possibly continue the fight.

But then...

Swish—

The moment the wooden sword disappeared from his sight, Ethan was upon him. Ethan launched himself off the ground, closing the distance instantly.

Karon reflexively raised his sword to shield his face, but Ethan's knee targeted Karon's blind spot with precision.

Thwack―!

The flying knee strike, something Ethan had practiced diligently, connected squarely with Karon's face.

"Ugh!"

Another groan escaped Karon's lips as he staggered backward. The knee strike had hit perfectly. It was a wonder Karon hadn't been knocked out cold.

'He's certainly durable.'

Karon's body, true to his heritage from a family renowned for its swordsmanship, was resilient. That much was evident.

Ethan grabbed Karon's wrist, who was still reeling.

"Well done. Farewell."

In one swift motion, Ethan pulled Karon into a judo throw. Karon's arm was slung over Ethan's shoulder, throwing off his balance.

Karon's body lifted off the ground and slammed into the dirt.

Bang!

There was no mercy in the move. Karon, having never properly learned how to break his fall, was utterly defenseless against the perfect throw.

"Ugh!"

"Oh, wow. You're still conscious?"

Despite taking a perfect judo throw and failing to break his fall, Karon had not lost consciousness.

"Grah!"

Karon gathered his mana. His rationality had long since vanished, leaving only rage in its place.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Such bravado. You can't even keep your words."

Karon lunged at Ethan, his strength amplified by mana.

'Using mana does make him stronger.'

With such power, he could match at least a middleweight fighter. It wasn't strength that Karon, still a young man, should possess.

'Not that it matters.'

Karon charged recklessly, abandoning any semblance of technique. Even with such strength, it was useless if he was this defenseless.

Ethan wrapped his arms around Karon's neck and pulled him to the ground.

'Wrap the waist, twist the body...'

Crack!

In an instant, Ethan's hold on Karon's neck tightened with immense pressure.

"Ugh!"

A groan escaped Karon's lips.

'What is this...?!'

Karon, experiencing this for the first time, thrashed about wildly, unable to comprehend the situation.

The wooden sword in his hand had long since been dropped.

He struggled to stay conscious, but there was no way out.

'It's not going to be easy to get out of this.'

Unless he had some expertise in ground techniques, simply flailing around wouldn't get him out of this.

He was already damaged. No matter how superior his specs were, or that he was a mana user, he couldn't withstand the pressure on his carotid artery for long.

Ethan counted silently.

'One, two, three.'

Just as he finished counting, Karon's body went limp.

'It's over.'

Determining that Karon had lost consciousness, Ethan released the chokehold.

"W-what is this...?"

Watching from the sidelines, Ardeman murmured in disbelief.

"T-this duel is invalid. Using such unsophisticated methods...!"

At Ardeman's words, Naid tilted his head.

"That's strange. Since when was this spar restricted to swordsmanship?"

"…?"

"I don't recall any rule that mandates only using wooden swords."

"…"

Naid's words silenced Ardeman.

Indeed, no such rule existed.

If they were to argue about fairness, the spar between a mana user like Karon and someone who hadn't even awakened mana, like Ethan, shouldn't have been sanctioned in the first place.

The spectators, silent until now, erupted with astonishment and admiration.

The Blante family revered strength, and their knights were no exception. Ethan's combat techniques and his movements during the battle were astonishing and showed them a new path.

"What is this...?"

"Those moves... I've never seen anything like them..."

"Ethan had such talent?"

With Ardeman silent and other attendants in awe, Morun stormed towards Ethan.

"You coward!"

Morun lunged at Ethan, attempting to grab him by the collar. Ethan prepared to defend himself, but then a thunderous voice echoed through the training grounds.

"Enough!"

It was Vincent.

The sound of his voice made the training grounds seem to tremble.

"Morun, what is this disgraceful behavior?"

Under Vincent's icy gaze, Morun lowered his head.

"F-forgive me."

"Tch."

Vincent clicked his tongue in displeasure before surveying the gathered crowd

"The spar is over. The result is unequivocally Ethan's victory."

"But... Ethan fought dishonorably..."

Moron protested hesitantly, but Vincent cut him off sharply.

"If this had been a real fight, Karon would be dead. Would you spout such excuses on the battlefield?"

Vincent's stern voice silenced Morun, who lowered his head further.

'Good.'

In truth, Ethan's stamina was nearly depleted. The difference in physical specs between him and a mana user had pushed him to finish the fight quickly.

He had anticipated Vincent's intervention but hadn't expected him to play the mediator role so decisively.

"Now, it's time for my reward."

Ethan smiled as he looked at Vincent.