After class, rumors about the fight spread like wildfire.
If Iâd know that Iâd break my promise to Cain this easilyâŚÂ Joshua grinned and drummed on the table with his fingers. If I hadnât made it, Cain wouldnât be so worried about his lousy master.
Joshua had lived half a century, including his past life, but it felt like he was becoming more childish every day. It matched his body.
Iâm more annoyed that theyâre ignoring the spear than that theyâre ignoring me. When heâd become a Master, no one was able to talk shit about the spear. However, he had to deal with their constant criticism and humiliation until then. Heâd spent so long ignoring them that it all blurred together.
No⌠Hearing someone belittle the spear always makes my blood boil, no matter my age.
âAsh⌠itâs not too late to back out.â
Joshua turned to face Icarus.
âCould you stop saying that, please?â
âIâm sorry, but Iâll be frank.â Icarusâs expression hardened. âI donât know what youâre thinking, but you wonât be able to beat Amaru. Even if he doesnât win the spar, you canât escape the wrath of the Stens. Please donât challenge him over the rapier.â
âDonât worry: I alone am enough to bring them down.â
Icarus eyed Joshua like heâd gone insane.
âYoung Master Ash! You ought to worry about yourself first! Canât you see how worried we are about you? Canât you see weâre trying to save you?â Icarus knew that he and Amaru were the only people worried about AshâAsh himself certainly wasnât concerned about his life.
âAhâŚâ Agareth gave Joshua the puppy-eyes again. Joshua carefully tucked the memory into a special place in his brain.
âIf youâre aiming to change this place, itâs doomed to failure. You canât change this place on your own!â
âI canât?â Joshuaâs eyes gleamed. âIs that what you think?â
âNo, I meanââ Icarus stared at Joshua and then shook his head. âI apologize, thatâs irrelevant. The issue at hand is more important, Young Master Ash.â
âYou know what?â Joshua pointed at Icarus. âI enjoy betting⌠a lot.â
âYes?â
âSo letâs make a bet. Weâll bet on this⌠craziness, shall we? If I survive this match without a hitch, or unscathed, or whatever you want to call it, then I win.â
âYou reallyâ You want to gamble in this situation!?â
âAnd the loser owes the other person a request.â
âUmâŚ.â Icarus eyed him. âFor the record, my goal is to stop you from fighting. Now youâre telling me that you losing is supposed to be a win for me?
âThat aside, I already know what Iâd ask for if I won the betâbut Iâm too afraid to say it.â
âI never considered that.â
âWhat?â
âLosing.â
Icarus gaped at Joshua. What the hell does his confidence come from?
Icarus wanted to tell Ash that he was about to go down like the Frederick household did, but Icarus knew that Ash wouldnât take it well.
âAh, wouldnât it be fun?â
Icarus whirled around to face the voice coming from the other side of the room.
âCan I join in on this wager?â Agareth has abandoned his serious face and sported a manic, ear-to-ear grin.
âYoung Master Agareth!â
âNo, hear me out, Icarus. Thereâs no other way out of this. Ash here couldnât possibly let it go; even if he got an apology, heâs not nice enough to forgive and forget.â
âBut stillââ
âI see youâre still unconvinced. Look at it this way: Amaru wouldnât settle for anything less than a beatdown no matter how far Ash ran.
âAnyways, Instructor Kane will be officiating. Let them break each othersâ limbsâmaybe weâll get something good out of our bet.â Amaru turned to face Joshua. ââCourse, Iâm betting on Amaru.â
âWhatever floats your boat.â Joshua flashed him a smile.
Swordsmanship practice is typically held at the large gymnasium in the middle of the Academy. At the moment, it was packed with thousands of students eagerly awaiting the fight.
âWas your brain working properly? Or did you lose it after you fled?â Amaru smirked at Joshua.
Amaruâs voice was loud enough for the audience to hear, to their vocal amusement.
âI admire your courage⌠You actually came back in this state. But what you said about that âgarbageâ weapon is not good, I must say, not good. If you disappear like thisâŚâ Amaru looked towards Kane, standing in the middle of the gymnasium, then looked back at Joshua and laughed. âDonât be arrogant now; go get a real weapon. Youâll hurt yourself if you use the wrong weapon.â
Joshua tightened his grip on the stick he was holding rather than responding to Amaruâs taunts. No one could see it, but Joshua was going through a transition. He stared down at his hands, pondering the art of spearmanship and the 3rd-grade Magic Spear Arts heâd recently learned.
He knew he could handily overcome anyoneâs swordsmanship with his spear alone. Joshua wasnât being humbleâhe could beat Amaru with brute force.
Once again, I will show the world how great it is to wield the spear.
Joshua began to review his fundamentals. Every martial arts style was distinct: Duke Agnusâs swordsmanship hinged on the power of his immense bulk, while the Stenâs style carried a flowing elegance and produced endless variations.
Soft beats strong, fast beats soft, heavy beats fast, and strong itself beats strong. Based on this logic, you might think that Count Sten would beat Duke Agnusâbut that was nonsense. That battle would be trivial for an Absolute like Duke Agnus.
There were few such exceptions, however. The logic held for the vast majority of people, and it was critical for achieving victory. Thus, how should Joshua approach this fight? What kind of technique would counter his opponent?
Swift annihilation.
Joshua cheerfully hefted his stick. Heâd never used it before, but he quite liked the way it looked. It rather resembled his Lugia.
Swords were suited to many people, but spears were robust and heavy and generally difficult to wield in battle. The advantage of the spear, however, was its versatility. Until mana became an established resource in Igrant, the lance was a knightâs primary weapon.
Iâve always been looking towards the next milestone while I run. But when I get over one wall, thereâs always another one a thousand times taller. I canât stop running.
There was no end in sight to this spear. He believed that because heâd mastered the art of magic.
Iâve sprinted all the way to the front, hoping to see the finish line, but itâs all turned into poison.
Joshua, you idiot. Thereâs nothing more important than basics and initiative. If Iâve forgotten that, then of course I still have a long way to go.
Joshua realized that heâd lost track of the basics after wielding the spear for so long. His memories from his past life were obscuring the path to his future.
âPrepare to fight!â Amaru grit his teeth and stomped forward. âDo your best, you fucking bastard.â
Joshua stood with his eyes closed as if ignoring Amaru.
âIf thatâs your wish⌠Iâll crush you like this!â Amaru pushed off the ground, rushing forwards. His thin eyes glimmered with a cold light.
Joshuaâs instincts told him that his opponent was approaching fast. The audience might call it a thunderous speed, but Joshua felt otherwise: it felt like time was passing slower as if one second was stretched into a million. There was a long, painful wait while Amaru approached.
Joshua blinked his eyes open expectantly.
âThanks.â
âWhat are you talking abouââ
Amaruâs inquiry was cut short by a bright ray of light striking his abdomen.
The gymnasium was held in a peaceful silence while the audience tried to figure out why Amaruâs violent advance had come to a dead halt.
âAmaru.â Even Kane couldnât hide his perplexed expression. âWhat are you doââ
Amaru let out a pained scream and collapsed before the disbelieving eyes of the students.
Only one person looked happy.
Pleasure above pleasure, pleasure beyond pleasure. Making the opponent bleed was a pleasure his opponent couldnât even understand.
Joshuaâs grip tightened, crushing the stick in his hand.
Even in his past life, heâd never attained this skill.