Chapter 92. First Boss, Leang (10)

"La la la~."

Once I figured out how to defeat Leang, a tune involuntarily slipped out of my mouth.

'Where is Luna?'

I needed to explain tomorrow's plan.

Even though I would be the only one fighting, unexpected things could happen.

I planned to have her wait at a distance in case of an emergency.

"Zero! Over here!"

In the distance, Luna waved her hand, welcoming me.

Clank, clank.

Yes, that's right. The chains are also greeting me, welcoming me?

Haha, you guys.

The smile on my face vanished.

'...You're still doing that?'

Not only Luna, but Lester still had chains wrapped around his wrists.

Well, they are a set, so it's natural, but I thought they would have noticed people's strange looks and taken them off by now.

"Phew, why is there no one around today? Did everyone go out to play?"

"Huh?"

"Really disappointing. If I had met someone, I would have introduced them to Lester and suggested they become friends."

Luna grumbled.

No one around? That's impossible. I passed dozens of people on my way here.

'Now that I think about it, they did seem to be running away from something...'

Then, could it be...

"It would have been so much fun to tie them up and walk around together, wouldn't it?"

Clank, clank.

The chains gleamed in the sunset.

It seems I was right. The dozens of children I passed.

They were definitely running away from Luna and Lester.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Uh?"

"Come over here quickly and tie us up. We need to find someone who will be Lester's friend."

"..."

And that evening, until we returned to the dormitory,

We didn't encounter a single person.

* * *

Late at night. Leang's office.

"Ugh..."

Leang clutched his head with both hands. A terrible headache was tormenting him.

He reached for his medicine bottle to take a pill.

Without realizing it, his right hand moved.

He had always been right-handed, so it was a natural reaction.

Crack.

The medicine bottle shattered in his hand, acting against his will.

As if his hand had a mind of its own.

'You despicable devil...!'

He scooped up the half-crushed medicine with his left hand and poured it into his mouth.

The pain subsided slightly.

Enduring the pain, he recalled his encounter with Zero earlier.

"What? You're saying your meeting with Lady Renia was a lie?"

No. The part about receiving direct instruction was a lie, but the meeting itself was real.

Not only that, he stayed with the Lester family for a month and lived as a guest.

"Ugh..."

Leang lay down on the bed with difficulty.

Perhaps because his body was exhausted, the memories of that day naturally surfaced.

The day that made Leang leave the Fleur family.

The day filled with wounds.

* * *

"It's... It's unbelievable..."

Leang trembled at the unbelievable scene.

Le Raphaël, the head of the Fleur family and his brother,

had lost in a duel. To a fourteen-year-old boy about to enter the academy, no less.

"Ha! Is this what you call swordsmanship? I was trying to improve my skills before entering, but... what a waste of time?"

The boy spat at Le Raphaël's feet.

Seeing this, Leang's blood boiled.

"You bastard! It's a duel! Draw your sword!"

Bang!

"Huh?"

The floor suddenly rose and hit him.

After a moment, Leang realized one fact.

The floor didn't rise; he had fallen to the ground.

"You're not bad, but practicing such poor swordsmanship... it's a waste of talent."

Spit!

Spit landed in front of Leang, just like his brother Le Raphaël.

"Guess I'll be going now. I'll have to visit more than just the viscount's house from now on. I haven't even warmed up yet..."

The boy left.

Leang was filled with humiliation, but there was nothing he could do.

The other side was the grandson of a well-known marquis.

And this side was a third-rate noble, known more for being unknown than known.

"Leang, are you okay?"

"Brother..."

If he was feeling this way, how much more must his brother Le Raphaël be hurting and sad?

Don't get angry. Even though his brother was known as the "undefeated" Le Raphaël, don't get angry.

'He promised to abandon the family's swordsmanship if he lost again.'

There were few families that sold secret sword techniques, but it wasn't impossible to obtain them.

Just the neighboring Tarthel village, for example.

It wasn't a sword technique he particularly liked, but it was much better than his family's.

It would be sufficient to use until he could obtain a better technique from another family.

"I've been slacking in my training. I need to focus more. I will definitely win next time."

"!"

The warm touch on him.

Leang harshly pushed the hand away.

Slap!

"Leang?"

"I said I would abandon it! I promised to give up if I lost again!"

The Fleur family's swordsmanship.

No matter how he thought about it, it was terrible.

Other families' swords would flash and freeze the surroundings when drawn.

'Why is our family's swordsmanship only focused on the basics?'

It was precise, but that was all.

The Fleur family's swordsmanship had been declining for a long time.

Or perhaps, it was a swordsmanship that had no room to collapse from the beginning.

It was just a poor swordsmanship from the moment it was born.

And today, he was certain of this.

He had lost to a mere fourteen-year-old.

"Let's abandon it now! There's no hope for our family's swordsmanship!"

"Leang, that's not true. Our family's swordsmanship is excellent. It's just that I'm not good enough..."

It always went like this.

Leang couldn't take it anymore.

His brother, who had the dishonorable title of "undefeated" but still clung to the Fleur family's swordsmanship.

His own miserable defeat.

He couldn't take it anymore.

"If you keep doing this, I have my own thoughts!"

"Thoughts?"

"Yes! I'm leaving! I'm leaving this third-rate family obsessed with a third-rate swordsmanship!"

Ha, ha.

Leang couldn't raise his head. No, he couldn't.

His brother would look sad.

Le Raphaël would embrace him.

And he would suggest abandoning the family's swordsmanship.

But.

"Since that's what you think, go ahead."

Le Raphaël only turned his back coldly.

His brother, who had always been warm to him. Why...

"Brother?"

"Abandoning the family's swordsmanship. As long as I'm here, that won't happen. I'll protect this place, so go out and pursue your dreams, Leang."

That was all his brother said.

The next day, Leang, who had woken up, immediately left the mansion.

If he left the mansion, they would come to catch him.

If he left the village, they would come to catch him.

If he left the territory, they would come to catch him.

"..."

But no one stopped him. Le Raphaël didn't even show a single hair.

He was serious. He valued the family's swordsmanship more than himself.

'Even more than his only family... the swordsmanship is more important?'

Ha!

After a loud laugh, Leang, now alone, thought.

He was different from his brother.

He loved his brother and the family, so he wanted to protect both.

'If I can incorporate other families' secret techniques into our family's...?'

Wouldn't the strongest swordsmanship be born?

With this thought, Leang's journey began.

He became a wandering knight.

"Teach me swordsmanship."

He abandoned everything for the family.

His pride, his dignity, and his self-respect.

Time passed, and about five years later,

Leang's name began to be mentioned by people.

Along with the nickname "The Imitator Leang."

While wandering as a wandering knight, he searched for a swordsmanship that would suit the Fleur family.

He ended up visiting the Lester family.

'Well, they probably won't meet someone like me.'

After announcing his visit and staying at an inn for half a day,

A messenger from the Lester family came and said,

"The head of the family invites you. Please come to the castle."

The wine he was drinking spilled from his mouth.

The Lester family. What kind of family was it?

The family that elevated the Answood Kingdom to an empire, and one of the current eight pillars supporting the empire.

The head of such a family inviting him.

Leang couldn't believe it.

'Ah, it's probably just a boring joke.'

A joke by a noble to mock a wandering knight.

He thought this as he knocked on the door. But then,

"Welcome. I am Renia, the head of the Lester family."

Her light pink hair swayed, her eyes were clear and spotless.

She looked like she was in her early twenties, but there was an undeniable nobility about her.

Leang couldn't help but be captivated.

'Just the fact that a woman has become the head of the family is surprising... and a mother?'

She was even one of the Ten Swords of the continent.

Indeed, the noble families are different. Birth determines everything.

'My children can't escape the fate of being third-rate nobles, can they?'

So, he had to steal and teach them swordsmanship.

Only then could they live in this world with their heads held high.

"Sir Leang, thank you for visiting our humble abode. It's impressive that you wander the continent to hone your swordsmanship."

"Ah... well, it's... nothing much."

Renia smiled, and Leang couldn't regain his composure.

"They call you 'The Imitator Leang,' don't they?"

"N-no, not to that extent. It's embarrassing."

Renia laughed out loud.

All Leang could do was maintain the most polite posture.

"Shall we go then?"

"Excuse me?"

"Didn't you come for a sparring match?"

"Oh... right."

Leang followed Renia and soon arrived at a huge training ground.

As befitting the Lester family, it was grand.

The only odd thing was that parts of the training ground were under repair?

It looked neat from the outside, but from the inside, it was a mess.

"I'm sorry. I know you're tired, but I don't like to postpone things."

Leang nodded.

Nobles are busy. They probably want to see his skills quickly and then leave.

And perhaps they would mock him in private in their own space.

'But... where is my opponent?'

While Leang was looking around,

"Sir Leang? What are you looking for?"

"Ah... I can't see my opponent."

Renia burst into laughter.

"Your opponent is right in front of you. Who else are you looking for?"

"Ah?"

Swish.

Renia drew her sword. Her eyes changed.

"I am your opponent, Sir Leang."

"!!"

The head of the Lester family, and one of the Ten Swords of the empire, was offering to be his opponent.

'I thought they would just give me a training knight...'

This was an experience that couldn't be bought with money.

Leang immediately drew his sword.

The sparring match began.

'Sudden, but this is nothing.'

Leang, who had wandered the empire and experienced good, bad, and surprising things.

A sudden sparring match was a relatively minor event.

"I'm coming!"

Leang unleashed all the secret techniques he had learned.

But Renia either easily blocked or dodged with a light swing of her sword.

Click.

The sound of Renia's sword returning to its sheath.

It was so fast that Leang only realized it by the sound.

And at the same time,

A beam of light shot towards him.