Chapter 20. Good Things Should Be Shared (1)

"Hmm... I don't know."

After a long pause, it was truly a disappointing response.

'If he's the one Senpai chose, there must be something special about him...'

But Ralph couldn't see anything special about him.

"Still, he's using his mana quite efficiently. There's no waste. Looks like he's had a good foundation since he was young. Whose child is he? Seems like a family with a solid background?"

That was all Ralph could discern about Yurii.

Not knowing when Yurii and Johann met, Ralph had only judged based on Yurii's visible state.

"Kekeke."

Johann just smiled without saying much in response to Ralph's evaluation.

'What's he talking about? This kid has only been in contact with mana for a little over two weeks.'

Yurii was minimizing unnecessary mana usage and applying it only where needed.

His mana control was so clean that even the renowned Ralph had to acknowledge it.

More astonishingly, Yurii had mastered this technique on his own.

In just a little over two weeks since he first encountered mana.

'Heh, maybe because he grew up without anything, he's being so frugal with his mana. Tsk tsk.'

Johann inwardly sighed as he evaluated Yurii's innate talent.

Then he turned his gaze to Yurii's opponent.

At the same time, the corners of Johann's mouth curled up.

"Seems like the only thing you inherited from your grandfather is your body."

Johann's teasing voice made Ralph smile bitterly.

"...Did you figure it out?"

"I'm not blind. How could I not see when you're so obviously feigning attacks? If your grandson had inherited your temper, Yurii would have been knocked out long ago."

"Ke, you talk...!"

"Keke, how could such a gentle kid come from someone known as the Butcher?"

"..."

"First match is over. Let's see what happens next."

Johann's laughter deepened Ralph's bitter smile.

'You brat...'

Yurii had managed to avoid attacks so far partly because of his quick movements.

But more fundamentally, it was because his opponent, Mutsu, was deliberately making attacks that wouldn't hit.

If Mutsu had made a 'real' attack, the match would have ended as soon as it began.

But Mutsu didn't.

Or rather, he couldn't.

'Hmm, even in a match, he's considerate of his opponent.'

His only son had a frail and gentle nature, unlike himself.

His martial body technique was based on a strong physique, which his son couldn't inherit.

So, he was overjoyed when his grandson, who resembled him, was born.

But like his father, Mutsu also had a gentle nature.

'Gracia, how nice. Both your son and grandson... they're just like you.'

His son and grandson, who had inherited his late wife's personality.

He didn't dislike their gentle nature.

He had fallen in love with her at first sight and deeply loved her, and her gentle nature had been passed on to his children.

But...

'I wish he had some fighting spirit...'

He didn't want Mutsu to have a ruthless heart like his own childhood.

He just wanted him to have some fighting spirit.

Because that was the minimum condition to survive in the era of sword masters.

So, he had gently pushed Mutsu to spar with Johann's disciple.

He thought Mutsu might develop a competitive spirit through the match.

But the result was disappointing, and he couldn't help but sigh.

'Still a long way to go. A long way indeed.'

Mutsu was only 13 years old.

His life was just beginning.

Ralph believed Mutsu would change as he grew older, but he couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.

Meanwhile, Yurii finally noticed something strange.

'What is this?'

His opponent's attacks were fierce and sharp.

Some were so fast that even his senses couldn't keep up.

He felt certain he couldn't avoid these attacks.

But somehow, he could avoid them easily.

'What is it? Is he deliberately missing?'

The same situation repeated several times.

Yurii continued to dodge while observing his opponent's demeanor.

He sensed some hesitation in Mutsu's movements.

It seemed Mutsu was deliberately restraining his strength.

At that moment, Yurii was certain.

'This guy can't attack?'

He was only pretending to attack.

Yurii's lips curled up slightly in realization.

'Oh? So that's it?'

The attacks were still destructive and threatening, but he wasn't afraid anymore.

After all, those attacks wouldn't reach him.

Yurii's eyes gleamed as he shouted.

"Old man! I want a sword too!"

Johann grinned, as if guessing Yurii's thoughts.

"Alright!"

With a casual wave of Johann's hand, a wooden sword from the side of the clearing flew to Yurii.

"Thanks!"

Yurii caught the sword nimbly, widened the distance, and looked at Mutsu.

'I don't know why he can't attack, but...'

Yurii's grip on the wooden sword tightened.

'If you keep this up, I'll be grateful! Why?'

Yurii dashed toward Mutsu, leaped up, and swung his sword down.

"Look, this is called a cheap win!"

Cheap win.

A term used by mercenaries to describe an easy victory, Yurii spat it out confidently.

Johann laughed, spitting out his words.

"That foolish kid. Kekeke!"

Yurii didn't hear Johann's laughter.

He was just confident his attack would land.

But there were a few things he didn't know.

First, the 13-year-old in front of him had been practicing martial body techniques for nearly 10 years.

Second, the one who had laid the foundation for those techniques was none other than the renowned Ralph.

Third, due to his outstanding talent and excellent teacher, Mutsu had already reached the first level of the secret technique.

And most crucially, the last thing.

Because he was confident Mutsu's attacks wouldn't reach him, he hadn't considered it.

And that was why Johann couldn't help but laugh.

'...Huh?'

Mutsu couldn't hit him, but he could hit the 'weapon.'

As if to prove this, Mutsu's wooden spear moved like a snake and struck Yurii's wooden sword.

At a speed that was in a different league!

Bang!

'...?!'

The moment the wooden sword and spear collided, Yurii felt a tearing pain in his grip.

'What, what kind of strength?!'

Despite putting his full weight behind the attack, Mutsu's upward strike pushed his wooden sword away.

And it did so with ease, almost effortlessly.

'Ah...'

At that moment, Yurii had a gut feeling.

'...I'm in trouble?'

And that was Yurii's last memory.

Crack.

Mutsu's spear split Yurii's wooden sword in two and then struck his forehead.

Crack.

A loud cracking sound echoed, and Yurii's body spun and flew far away.

Thud.

Impressed by the fall, Johann clapped.

"Wow, he flew quite far."

And as soon as he finished speaking, Yurii hit the ground.

Face first.

Thump.

Yurii, who had landed face-first, twitched slightly and then lay still like a water-soaked cotton ball.

Seeing this, Mutsu's hand trembled as he dropped the wooden spear.

"Is, is he dead?"

Shocked by the thought that he had killed someone, Mutsu's face turned pale.

At that moment,

"You...!"

Yurii, who was thought to be dead, suddenly got up and pointed at Mutsu.

"You... you... were deliberately not attacking to make me let my guard down...? Not bad... You... you're treating me like a younger brother... really... that's not fair... it should be a draw... You, we'll see about this later..."

Though he spoke, Yurii's consciousness was already fading.

The words coming out of his mouth were his true feelings, buried deep in his subconscious.

But Yurii's rambling didn't last long.

Drip.

He spat out a stream of blood and his upper body fell forward.

Thud.

In the quiet clearing, the sound of someone falling echoed loudly.

The onlookers' gazes turned to the fallen Yurii.

Ralph blinked and asked, seemingly bewildered.

"...Where did you find such a shameless kid?"

Johann replied with a serious expression.

"That's not my disciple."

"..."

"Definitely not."

"Who is he, then?"

"Anyway, he's not."

Johann, who had strongly denied, approached the unconscious Yurii and crouched down.

He said to Ralph,

"Congratulations, you won the first match."

There was no hint of regret in his voice.

As if he had known he would lose from the start.

Ralph, who had also known he would win, replied nonchalantly.

"Then when will the second match start?"

"Keke, I was going to say... I'll be staying here for a while."

" Hmm?"

"Keke, now that he's been tempered in the fire, it's time for the quenching."

Saying this, Johann patted the back of Yurii's head, who was unconscious.

Ralph, who understood Johann's meaning, shrugged.

"Do as you please. I don't think it will make much of a difference even if you start teaching him now."

While saying this, Johann picked up Yurii.

He smiled.

"Who knows? It might make a big difference."

With that, Johann left the clearing with a mysterious smile.

* * *

That afternoon.

Drip... Drip... Drip-drip-drip.

Yurii woke up to the sound of light rain.

He quietly raised his upper body and looked around.

The feel of the animal skin he was lying on.

A place that looked like a cave.

The slightly dark sky.

The sound of raindrops hitting leaves and the scent of rain.

As he became aware of his current situation, his face grew even more blank, and a sense of frustration welled up inside him.

Just as he was about to let his face contort in unbearable frustration,

"How does it feel? Losing, that is."

"Ah..."

A clear voice from behind.

He didn't need to think deeply to know who the speaker was.

In fact, it was more accurate to say he didn't have the time to care who the speaker was.

Because Johann's casual remark made him realize the true nature of the overwhelming frustration in his chest.

A small sigh escaped Yurii's lips.

"I... lost."

The true nature of the frustration in his chest.

It was nothing other than the feeling of defeat.

Defeat.

A word he had never thought about in his life.

The fact that his opponent had been training for years, while he had only been practicing mana for a little over two weeks.

The fact that he hadn't used his Soul Fusion.

The fact that this was only the first match out of three!

None of these things provided any comfort.

'I... lost.'

He lost.

He fought someone and lost for the first time.

And he lost helplessly.

Only that fact dominated Yurii's soul.

Yurii stared blankly at the falling rain.

A long silence followed.

Johann watched without saying much.

Drip-drip.

As the rain grew heavier,

Yurii's tightly closed lips finally moved.

"Never again..."

His voice, filled with resolve, mixed with the heavy rain.

"I don't want to lose. Ever again."

Yurii's strong gaze shone brightly in the dimness.

Grin.

Hearing the boy's monologue, Johann's lips curled up widely.

From the day Yurii experienced his unforgettable first defeat...

Six months had passed.

* * *

As spring gave way to the tail end of summer.

The sweltering heat had subsided, and the humid wind had turned slightly cool.

The change of seasons had also reached Ralph's home, nestled in the Cold Wall Mountains.

On a slightly overcast afternoon,

Ralph, standing in the spacious backyard, frowned slightly as he looked at the sky.

"Hmm... looks like it's going to pour."

His voice was filled with dissatisfaction.

It wasn't because of the impending rain.

"Even though it looks like it's going to rain, why haven't those two shown up yet!"

Two guests who had arrived in the spring and stayed for six months.

Yurii and Johann, who had set today as the second match, had not appeared for ten minutes.

Their absence was the cause of Ralph's irritation.

Feeling the grandfather's discomfort, Mutsu hesitantly spoke up.

"Shall I go look for them?"

"Never mind. If they're late, I'll just declare it a forfeit."

"But Yurii said he would definitely win today... He was really looking forward to it..."

"Inseok, the one he said he would beat is you! You should also think about winning!"

"Does he have to? Dad said sometimes losing is winning too."

"Tsk, your father taught you some good things. Tsk tsk."

"Um... I don't really want to fight Yurii... Can we just say we lost, Grandpa?"

Hearing his grandson's question, Ralph inwardly sighed.

That Yurii had somehow convinced Mutsu to follow him like an older brother.

Mutsu, who disliked fighting by nature, had become even more averse to it after spending time with Yurii.

Seeing his grandson, a hint of sorrow crossed Ralph's face.

'Mutsu...'

Superior physical abilities and rapid growth.

A talent that might feel like a blessing to others.

But that talent had made Mutsu distant from his peers.

The children always looked at Mutsu with caution and fear.

Even older boys and adults.

Mutsu couldn't mix with the children.

In such a situation, Yurii had treated Mutsu like a normal child, or a younger brother.

The only person outside his family who treated him normally.

No matter what, Mutsu probably didn't want to fight such a person.

Despite knowing this, Ralph shook his head.

"That's not right."

"But..."

"If you admit defeat before even fighting, it would be a great insult to that kid who has prepared for today."

"..."

"Didn't you see how he came back every night, beaten to a pulp?"

Six months ago, after the first match.

Johann had told Ralph he would be staying for a while.

But the place where Johann and Yurii spent the most time was deep in the mountains.

They spent most of their days training in the mountains, and Johann would carry the nearly dead Yurii back late at night.

Every single day, without fail.

In fact, Johann and Yurii only slept at Ralph's house.

Having seen this every day for six months, Mutsu couldn't say anything and just nodded.

And at that moment,

"They're here."

Ralph's gaze turned to one side.