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-Thud.
“Aaaargh!”
A scream burst out, accompanied by the sound of hitting the ground.
The sound of groaning in pain was heard beyond the thick cloud of dust.
I couldn’t help but shudder when I saw how brutal the scene was.
“Shouldn’t we… stop this?”
Andras gave me a stern look, “If Mr. Kaneff wants to do this, no one can stop him. And Alfred seems to be okay with it, so let’s just watch for now.”
“Hmm…?” I wasn’t convinced.
“Don’t worry too much, Sihyeon. Mr. Kaneff is keeping an eye on Alfred’s condition, even though he seems relentless.”
“Really?”
-Thud thud!
While Andras and I were talking, Alfred was once again rolling on the ground.
Having fallen more spectacularly than before, He struggled to get back up and keep going.
“Are you going to keep lying down like that? How can you properly train if you spend more time on the ground than standing?”
“N-no…”
“Come on, you can do better than that! Claudion will be even tougher. If you can’t handle this, you might as well quit now.”
“I’m fine. Please continue.”
Alfred was covered in dust, but he still had a fire in his eyes.
Kaneff twisted the corner of his mouth, revealing a menacing expression.
“You’ve still got some fight in you. Should we turn up the heat a bit?”
-CLANG CLANG!!
The sound of heavy impacts echoed in the training area.
After a while, Kaneff looked down at a completely exhausted Alfred with a disappointed expression.
Andras rushed over to check on Alfred, and thankfully, he wasn’t seriously hurt.
Andras pulled a vial from his loose sleeve, opened the cap, and inserted the bottle into Alfred’s mouth, infusing the potion as if refueling.
“Just this much… and you’re already knocked out… tsk tsk.”
“Boss, shouldn’t you be controlling your strength a bit more? At this rate, you’ll beat him up before the match even starts.”
Kaneff replied with a wronged expression.
“I’ve controlled my strength enough. Considering the level of that Verdi kid, this is nothing.”
“Is that so?”
“Listen, this guy is from a family of skilled fighters. Don’t underestimate him.”
“Yeah, and even though he has a bit of an attitude, he’s still one of the best in his family.”
Kaneff looked puzzled and rubbed his head, which was unusual for someone as confident as him.
“Is there anything we can do to help Elaine?”
“Well… Elaine is doing better than I thought, but it won’t be an easy match. Just improving his skills won’t be enough to beat such a strong opponent. Plus, this match is not in Alfred’s favor.”
“What do you mean? Unfavorable from the start?”
“Think about it. Both Claudion and Elaine have learned the same Verdi family swordsmanship.”
“That’s true.”
“In a fight between two people who know the same style, even a slight skill difference can feel like a huge gap. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so it’s hard to catch the other person off guard and make a comeback.”
“Ah…”
When Kaneff explained the situation, I realized just how bad things were for Alfred. The less unpredictable the fight, the worse it was for Alfred.
“Isn’t there any way to create some variables? In novels, there’s always a secret technique passed down in dire situations like this. Do you have anything like that?”
“Why would there be a secret technique in this serious situation? If there was such an easy solution, I would have done it already. Do you think I enjoy pushing my student to the ground?”
“… …”
“Ah! I’m not doing this because I enjoy it!”
“Ugh…”
My heart sank. Alfred was doing his best, but it seemed like effort alone wouldn’t be enough to solve the current problem.
“The only person who can help Elaine right now is that monster geezer, Kael. He’s the most proficient in Verdi swordsmanship and has more experience than anyone else.”
“But getting help from Mr. Kael would be difficult, right?”
“Of course. Claudion is also his grandson. He wouldn’t want to get involved in a fight between his own grandsons.”
While Kaneff and I were talking about Kael, Andras, who had been watching over Alfred, interrupted us.
“Isn’t there one more person?”
“Huh?”
“Someone who’s proficient in Verdi swordsmanship and has more experience than anyone else. And you know this person well.”
“Uh?”
Someone I know well?
Who among the people I know is well-versed in Verdi swordsmanship and has abundant experience?
“Ah?!”
I suddenly lifted my head as I thought of that someone in my mind.
Laughter from the fairies echoed through the meadow.
“Hahaha!”
“Sihyeon’s here, yay! Sihyeon came to play, yay, Pipo!”
“Hey, Sihyeon, Bipi! Welcome, Bipi!”
The fairies, who had gotten used to Vision world, flew around planting flowers.
By the end of winter, not only would the meadow be filled with their laughter, but also the sweet scent of flowers.
Despite this peaceful atmosphere, I sat politely, carefully observing someone’s reaction.
“Ahem…”
“So let me get this straight, you want me to help Kael’s grandson beat another of Kael’s grandsons?”
“Yup, that’s the gist of it.”
“Hehe! I can’t believe I’m getting such a strange request.”
“Please help us, Master. You’re the only one who can help us right now.”
As I earnestly asked Bellion, his reaction to my request was lukewarm.
“Teaching Kael’s grandson… I’m not really into it.”
“Why not?”
“Well, we used to be comrades who trusted each other’s backs and rivals who respected each other’s swordsmanship. It’s a bit weird for me to teach his grandson, who inherited his swordsmanship.”
“But you don’t have to take him on as a full-fledged disciple. Just helping out for a few days would do.”
“That’s true. Besides, you’re not really on my good side either.”
“What do you mean?”
“A disciple who only comes to the master only when he needs help. Right now, the one who needs to be taught the most is you!”
Bellion said, turning his head away with a hint of displeasure.
I felt a bit guilty and nervous as I approached Bellion with a forced smile.
“Hey, Master, why are you acting like this? Are you upset?”
“Yeah, I’m upset, you punk.”
“I’m really sorry if you felt neglected. There’s been so much going on that I haven’t been able to take care of you properly.”
“……”
“But from now on, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll visit you often and bring your favorite beer and snacks.”
I gestured to the baby fairies nearby, hoping for their help. The clever baby fairies flew over to Bellion and started massaging his shoulders.
“Mr. Bellion, let us massage you and cheer you up, Tapi!”
“Please trust Sihyeon this once, Kapi! He won’t let you down, Kapi.”
“Hmm, humph!”
Bellion’s mood seemed to lighten, and his face lost its displeasure. I quickly took advantage of the opportunity and made my request.
“Master, please help us just this once, okay?”
“Hmph… You’re not lying, right?”
“Absolutely not! I swear on my daughter that I’ll do everything I said.”
When I mentioned Speranza and made a pledge, Bellion nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer.
“Hmm! Bring that guy to me first.”
“So, Will you help us?”
“As I mentioned earlier, it’s still uncomfortable for me to directly teach Kael’s grandson. But I think I can provide some assistance, so bring him here first.”
“Just a moment!”
I rushed off to the farm before Bellion could change his mind.
Not long after, I returned to Vision world with Alfred, who was kinda just chillin’ on Andras’s shoulder, not moving much.
To be more precise, Alfred was hanging lifelessly on Andras’s right shoulder.
“What’s this? That shabby guy is Kael’s grandson?”
“Just wait a moment, Mr. Bellion. I’ll wake him up in a second.”
Andras laid Alfred on the ground and took out two potions and poured them into his mouth one after the other.
“Cough… Cough!”
Thankfully, Alfred regained consciousness and quickly got up.
After looking around with a dazed expression for a moment, he quickly grasped the situation and pulled himself together.
“Are you awake?”
“Yes, Mr. Bellion.”
“My disciple told me about your situation. You’re going up against a tough opponent, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Bellion checked Alfred out for a bit, then got up slowly.
He grabbed a stick off the ground and looked at it like it would do the trick.
“Come at me.”
“Huh?”
“However you want. Just try to break this branch with your attack.”
Alfred was kinda confused by what Bellion was doing, but he snapped out of it and got into position.
Whoosh!
Perhaps because he had been training with Kaneff just a moment ago, his fierce attacks rained down on Bellion from the start.
Swoosh… Thump!
“Uh…?”
As the branch deftly parried Alfred’s sword, his precise attack missed disappointingly. Alfred didn’t stop there and continued his onslaught.
Swoosh… Thump!
Once again, Bellion’s branch barely brushed past the sword.
Then,
“Ugh?!”
Clang, clang.
Not only did his attacks prove fruitless, but Alfred also lost his grip on the sword he had been holding.
“What on earth…”
Alfred stared at the fallen sword on the ground and Bellion’s branch, unable to understand the situation.
Andras and I watched the scene with interest as well.
Swish swish!
Bellion casually swung the branch in his hand and spoke.
“As I told my disciple earlier, I don’t plan on teaching you. All I can do is casually spar with you using this branch.”
“……”
“But if you happen to realize something through this, then you might be able to compete with your brother, at least to some extent.”