Chapter 218
‘Go easy on him?’
Austin wore a baffled expression.
It wasn’t just him—other trainees looked just as stunned.
The opponent Austin was about to face, Geris, was an exceptionally skilled trainee.
In all their past sparring matches, Austin had never beaten him once.
And now Leo was telling him to go easy?
‘What kind of confidence does Young Master Leo have?’
Austin let out a silent chuckle and felt his tension ease.
‘Yeah, I survived Young Master Leo’s brutal training for a whole month.’
After enduring Leo’s training, he felt he could overcome any hardship.
Taking a deep breath, Austin gripped his wooden sword—a bastard sword suited to his build.
Geris sneered and pointed his sword.
‘Arrogant bastard.’
While Austin relied on raw power with his bastard sword, Geris used a rapier with swift and precise technique that belied his size.
Austin had always lost to Geris due to his inability to keep up with the speed.
As the two stood at the center of the arena, locking eyes, Geris lightly bounced on his feet and began stepping forward.
“I’ll teach you your place, Austin.”
With that, Geris charged at incredible speed.
Fwoosh—
Austin swung his sword at the rushing Geris.
Whoosh—!
“Hmph! Still as brainless as ever!”
Fwap—!
Geris weaved to the side, dodging the attack and slipping in from the left.
His movements were so fast they were dizzying to watch.
But Austin’s sword precisely tracked Geris’s path.
Geris, who had planned to dodge and counter, was forced to defend in a rush.
Thwack—!
The wooden swords clashed with a deafening thud, hard to believe they were mere wood.
Geris grimaced at the pain shooting through his wrist.
Austin’s strength was monstrous.
“You’ve improved a little. In that case…”
Geris activated his [Aura].
Fshhh—!
As Geris accelerated even more, Austin’s expression faltered.
Not because of Geris’s speed—but because he was reacting to it.
That alone surprised him.
Whoosh—!
Austin dodged a thrust, and Geris’s eyes widened.
“What?!”
Geris quickly unleashed a flurry of attacks.
Fwap! Fwapwapwap!
Thrusts and slashes came in brilliant succession.
Trainees who thought Geris had the upper hand whistled and cheered.
But those among the top-ranked trainees looked concerned.
‘Geris’s attacks aren’t landing?’
His swordsmanship relied on overwhelming his opponent with speed.
If that speed didn’t work, he couldn’t win.
Though Austin wasn’t counterattacking yet, the fact that a mid-tier trainee like him was keeping up with Geris was shocking.
‘He always had enough strength and [Aura] control. What he lacked was technique.’
Leo smirked as he watched.
All of his knights were either low-ranked nobles or commoners.
Naturally, they were behind in formal swordsmanship training compared to those groomed for knighthood from a young age.
Even so, they had made it to the mid-tier ranks by sheer talent.
Leo had identified the key gaps in their skills and drilled them hard on those areas.
This was the result.
‘Kids grow fast.’
While Leo mused to himself—
“Damn it, this bastard…!”
Geris’s eyes flared.
‘What a humiliation!’
He had been aiming to take a spot in Leo’s knight order.
Yet now he was struggling against someone he’d always seen as beneath him?
To Geris, this was infuriating.
‘An opening!’
His composure shattered, and Austin found a gap.
Wham—!
“Wha?!”
Geris flinched and backed away.
The flow of the match shifted in an instant.
Austin, now used to Geris’s speed, began pushing him back.
Geris’s eyes burned with fury.
“You bastard…!”
Woooooom—!
A powerful [Aura] surged into Geris’s sword.
Austin focused even harder.
Hummmm—!
His bastard sword glowed with energy.
Geris lunged forward with a piercing thrust.
His [Aura] outmatched Austin’s, no question.
“Hup!”
Austin let out a shout and swung his sword.
In that moment, a magical formation flickered across Austin’s blade.
“What?!”
Geris shrieked in disbelief.
Crash—!
“Guh?!”
Empowered by [Aura] and enhancement magic, Austin’s sword shattered Geris’s blade.
Whoosh—!
Austin’s sword stopped just short of Geris’s throat.
Geris’s eyes widened, then his face twisted.
“That’s cheating! You used a magic artifact!”
As Geris shouted, Austin lowered his sword and replied,
“That was my magic.”
“Liar! You’re saying you became a magic swordsman in just a month?!”
“Yeah.”
“Absurd!”
Geris protested furiously.
They had trained together for years.
Never had anyone mentioned Austin having a gift for magic.
Other trainees looked doubtful as well, until Leo chuckled and spoke.
“That was Austin’s magic, alright.”
“Huh?”
“He had talent, so I taught him magic this past month.”
“T-That’s impossible! Even if it’s true, it’s still cheating! This was a swordsmanship duel! We’re Zerdinger knight trainees—magic is unacceptable!”
“What does being a Zerdinger trainee have to do with using magic?”
“How can someone aiming to be a proud Zerdinger knight dabble in magic?!”
“Then are you saying I’m unacceptable too?”
“……!”
Leo asked flatly, and Geris’s face turned pale.
In his flustered rant, he had said something he shouldn’t have.
Leo used magic too.
“I-I didn’t mean that! I misspoke—!”
“Enough. Continue the next match.”
Leo spoke without even glancing at him.
The next duels proceeded with Julian, Carin, and Valerie.
And in all of them, Leo’s knights emerged victorious.
Julian and Carin shined as spirit knights.
Valerie fully utilized her awakened [Aura trait] and secured the win.
“Awesome! Total victory!”
“After a month of getting thrashed by Young Master Leo, we can read their moves so easily!”
Julian and Carin high-fived, marveling at their own growth.
“Valerie, you feel it too, right?”
Carin asked excitedly. Valerie nodded.
“Yeah. At least it hurt less than getting hit by Young Master Leo.”
“……”
“……”
Julian and Carin looked at her with sympathy.
Meanwhile, Martina stepped into the arena.
Her opponent was Endian.
Martina tightened her grip on her wooden sword.
‘I can’t be the only one who loses.’
Endian was one of the top five trainees in their age group.
Seeing Martina, Endian readjusted his grip.
‘If the others changed, Martina probably did too.’
Whatever Leo had done, his knights had either awakened new classes or [Aura traits], propelling them to the top.
‘I can’t let my guard down.’
Endian gripped his sword with both hands and lowered his stance, breathing deeply.
Martina mirrored him.
Fwoosh—!
They both charged without hesitation.
Endian adopted a defensive stance to gauge Martina’s abilities.
Whoosh—! Thwack—!
The weight behind Martina’s [Aura]-enhanced sword made Endian narrow his eyes.
Both fighters had activated [Aura] from the start and moved swiftly.
But as time passed, Endian grew confused.
To him, Martina hadn’t changed much.
Her skill had improved, sure.
But she didn’t use magic like Austin, didn’t summon spirits like Julian and Carin, and didn’t display any unique [Aura trait] like Valerie.
She simply swung her sword with steadfast determination.
“You didn’t awaken any new powers like the others, did you?”
Endian smirked.
“That makes things simple.”
Having finished his probing, Endian switched to offense.
Fwooom—
Blue flames flared from Endian’s sword.
His family, the Terrius House, had long served the Zerdinger family.
As such, he had received a traditional [Aura technique] passed down by Zerdinger themselves.
Martina gripped her sword tighter.
The trainees’ [Aura technique] also revolved around flame-based techniques.
But conjuring flames required mastering the technique fully.
It was a rite of passage to be recognized as a squire.
Red flames were the symbol of a Zerdinger knight.
Upon becoming a squire, one would be granted a new [Aura technique].
In that sense, Endian, who had learned his from birth, had a head start over the others.
Even if his flames were blue, they were still fire.
Normally, Martina would’ve been intimidated.
But she wasn’t afraid to face Endian’s flames.
She had seen a boy who couldn’t even use [Aura] take down monsters like the heroes in stories.
And that boy had walked the path of a true hero.
‘Young Master Leo said we could get into Lumene.’
What is a knight?
Someone who obeys their lord’s words.
‘I’ll remain as Young Master Leo’s knight.’
Woooooom—!
‘I’ll get into Lumene and become a knight worthy of him!’
That desire had driven her to train harder than anyone for the past month.
And her efforts paid off.
Fwoooosh—!
Red flames, signifying a trainee’s graduation, blazed from Martina’s sword.
“What?!”
Endian’s face twisted in shock.
Martina also looked surprised at her own flames but quickly calmed herself and swung.
Kraaaack—!
Endian’s sword snapped and flew skyward.
Thunk—!
Martina’s flame-wrapped sword stopped right beneath Endian’s chin.
“I won, Endian.”
“Grr…”
Endian grit his teeth.
Then bowed his head and said,
“…I lost.”
Martina lowered her sword.
“Martina!”
Carin rushed over and hugged her with a radiant smile.
Every trainee wore a look of disbelief.
The mid-tier five had defeated top trainees in just a month!
“That settles it.”
Leo smirked.
“They proved their strength. If anyone has more to say about my knight order, I won’t overlook it again.”
Technically, Leo could’ve shut the criticism down at any time using his authority.
But he had let this unfold for one reason—
To give them the chance to solve it themselves.
And they had done just that.
They proved their worth as Leo’s knights.
“Now go on and get back to your duties.”
At Leo’s command, the trainees dispersed.
Some clenched their teeth and rushed off to train.
Others still couldn’t accept what had happened.
But no one dared to speak up anymore.
With Martina now officially a squire, none could deny the strength of Leo’s knights.
“It’s all thanks to you, Young Master Leo!”
Austin bowed deeply.
“Right! We only got stronger because of you!”
Carin beamed with joy.
Their month in hell had paid off in full.
Leo looked at them and said,
“I only gave you a push.”
The ones who endured the cruel training, who could’ve easily given up, were his knights.
“You’re the ones who got stronger. Don’t thank me—be proud of yourselves.”
Moved by Leo’s words, his knights wore heartfelt expressions.
“Well then, since no one will question whether you’re my knights anymore… Shall we give the order a name?”
The moment they got a name, they would officially become Leo’s knight order.
As everyone tensed in anticipation, Leo spoke.
“Slayer.”
The knights looked puzzled.
“Slayer?”
Martina blinked in confusion.
It meant butcher—hardly a fitting name for a knight order.
Leo looked at her and said,
“I’ll be fighting against Tartarus from now on.”
His gaze swept across his knights.
“If you follow me, you’ll naturally end up fighting them too.”
“I see. Then if we’re to be your blades, and your path is that kind of road, Slayer suits us perfectly.”
Martina smiled faintly.
Then she knelt.
The others followed, kneeling in formation.
“I, Martina, along with the other four, swear to become your blade and your shield, to clear the path ahead of you.”
She lifted her head and said,
“Please allow us to serve you as our lord for the rest of our lives.”
“I allow it.”
Leo smiled as he looked at the knight order who would be his right arm for life.
After their oath ended, the Slayer Order rose to their feet.
They looked sharper, stronger.
Leo said,
“Oh, and since you’ve passed Phase 1 of training, let’s move on to Phase 2.”
*Crack—*
At those words, the entire order froze.
“P-Phase 2? There’s more?”
Carin asked in a trembling voice. Leo folded his arms.
“Of course. Your goal is to get into Lumene. You’ve still got a long way to go.”
As the knights paled, Leo muttered,
“We’ve done the mountains, so next is…”
Usually after the mountains came the sea.
“Sea of fire?”
At the sheer absurdity of the next training location, the entire knight order felt their minds go blank.