The Moonlight Baron

Silveria Empire

The sounds of a wooden sword fight could be heard inside the well-protected fortress of the border. The knights formed a big circle around the dusty training arena and observed the two talented swordsmen as they displayed their trained skills on a master level.

The fight looked balanced to the untrained eye, but the knights understood the meaning behind the well-balanced exchange of moves. The visible shock on their faces proved that the truth was agitating, humiliating, and ridiculous at the same time.

On one side of the arena stood an old knight clad in brown leather clothes. The fatigue and sweat beads were perfectly visible on his slightly tanned face. He looked like a seasoned warrior with a big scar on his face and big muscles. Yet, the training sword inside his hands slightly trembled as he looked at his young opponent.

A tall boy stood in the middle of the dusty arena opposite his opponent. His long red and slightly wavy hair was combed into a ponytail. This style left him with short side bangs. His golden eyes and white face made him look even more beautiful and slightly feminine, while his penetrative gaze and strong jawline gave away his hidden confidence.

The boy wore brown leather pants with a white shirt. There was a golden raven embroidered on the back of the shirt and this detail revealed his noble upbringing. The boy looked exhausted but his breathing remained rhythmic and his gaze stood firmly focused on the opponent. He was clearly not pressured by the fight as much as the knight in front of him.

The old knight on the other side started attacking again to answer the invisible pressure that the young man knowingly generated. He made an aggressive vertical slash as a way to intimidate his young opponent.

'I can't believe that this is happening. He copied my moves one after another and executed them with even better form than me. His invisible taunts are making me move and I can't get a read on him. His body looks weak but I can feel his attacks through the wooden sword. I'm 52 years old but this little guy here looks more experienced than me. He's a monstrous genius, but that doesn't matter.

I will make a full-force attack and force him to back down. I can't believe that he dares to go against a veteran like me without fear.'

Meanwhile, the knights in the audience started to get worried. They couldn't tell whether the vice-captain was angry or not. The only one who was not worried amongst the knights was the captain. He knew his friends like the back of his hand.

The old man was about to finish his move when he suddenly stopped after seeing that his opponent didn't back down. He dropped the wooden sword and patted the young man on the shoulders.

"My my, I admit defeat. This young man here is way too talented for my old bones. You have a very bright future ahead of you."

The knights around the arena started clapping and shouting after the praise. Earning the praise of a war veteran at such a young age was an achievement worth celebrating in the eyes of the knights, but the young man just nodded and left without saying a word. This made the vice-captain and the knights a little bit puzzled.

"Hey Cap, what's wrong with him? Did I say something wrong?" Asked the vice-captain with a confused face.

The captain facepalmed.

"No. It's alright since you didn't know his identity. Have you ever heard about Erlen Ravensword? The cursed prodigy of the Ravensword house? He is the one whom you just told that he will have a bright future. His dream was to become a legendary blade mage, but the doctor told him at the age of 12 that he has no magic power. Telling him that he will have a bright future probably made him remember this."

The vice-captain had a crestfallen look on his face after hearing this. Having no magic power means that you can't summon your soul blade. Thus can't become a blade mage either. Potential blade mages summon their soul sword at the age of 12. They make a contract with the sword after that and learn about the soul's past life, which dwells inside the sword. This is how the blade mages inherit the skills of the sword soul.

Most importantly, normal swordsmen can never rival blade mages. Even the weakest blade mage is stronger than a normal swordsman due to the magic power inside them. A normal sword can't cut a skin coated with magic power. Thus, no wonder that everyone in the world slowly became a blade mage. Everyone except Erlen Ravensword!

"It looks like I made a mistake." muttered the vice-captain.

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Not much later after the duel

A white, horse-drawn carriage stopped before the gates of the fortress. This carriage was full of golden ornaments, but the most noticeable was the golden raven on the side doors of the carriage. This golden raven was the emblem of the prestigious Ravensword noble family.

The door of the carriage slowly opened and a beautiful maid stepped out. She wore a traditional black and white maid costume and there was a little golden raven on the sleeves which clearly indicated the status of the maid. She respectfully bowed and greeted Erlen.

"Welcome young master, where do you wish to go?"

"I want to visit my dear family." Erlen said with a mischievous grin on his face, and the maid who was supposed to step inside the carriage almost tripped when she heard this.

'You want to go back to that place? Do you have a death wish young master?'