Episode 177

When Lee Han clicked his tongue coldly and changed his demeanor, the apprentice knights were greatly shocked.

Wardanaz really had deceived them!

“Wardanaz… I… I trusted you! I respected your honor!”

“You act all arrogant and look down on us when you haven’t even survived a single day in Einrogard, and now you talk about respect?”

At Lee Han’s indifferent reply, the White Tiger Tower students burst into cheers.

“Yeah! Wardanaz!”

“Well said! What’s all this talk about respect!”

A strange situation where the White Tiger Tower students were cheering for Lee Han.

But the apprentice knights, who didn’t really know the relationship between the two, misunderstood again.

“Cowards…! So you used Wardanaz, who isn’t from a knight family, to make us let our guard down?”

“???”

“N-no, we didn’t tell him to do that?”

The White Tiger Tower students were flustered as the blame suddenly shifted to them.

They weren’t even that close to Wardanaz, and he wasn’t the type to do something just because they told him to.

He just pulled the trick on his own!

“Wardanaz! Explain! When did we ever tell you to do that!”

Lee Han nodded at the White Tiger Tower students’ words.

“Yeah. These friends never told me to do that. Would friends from knight families who know honor ever do such a thing? Don’t make such ridiculous assumptions.”

Of course, the apprentice knights didn’t believe it.

“We’ll see about this!”

“Cowards!”

“……”

“I tried.”

Lee Han shrugged.

At that, the White Tiger Tower students glared at Lee Han.

• * *

Labda of the Enghe Family was considered the most skilled among the apprentice knights.

So, even as the other students and apprentice knights dropped out one by one, he remained to face Lee Han.

Now, their duel was no longer just a simple match.

It was a matter of pride—would the knights who entered the magic school win, or would the apprentice knights devoted to the path of the sword win!

‘Hmm. Now that I think about it, I got too fired up.’

Lee Han thought to himself.

Honestly, all he needed was a good test score, but he ended up provoking his opponent unnecessarily.

Because the other guy had the nerve to say that life at the magic school wasn’t that hard…

Labda gripped his sword with a tense face.

Unlike Lee Han, Labda was very nervous.

Since Lee Han had already secured a perfect score on the midterm, he had nothing to lose even if he lost.

He was from the Wardanaz family—what dishonor would there be in losing a sword match? Anyone who mocked him for that would be the crazy one.

But it was different for Labda.

If he lost, he had too much to lose.

It would be the defeat of all the apprentice knights gathered here, and he would be the one who lost to a wizard in swordsmanship…

“Labda. Calm down. Your opponent is from a wizard family.”

“You heard how he won. Just watch out for tricks. You know that, right?”

“Of course.”

Labda stood up.

I will win!

No matter what it takes!

• * *

“Wardanaz. This will probably never happen again, but just this once, I’ll cheer for you.”

“Win!”

“Thanks. Your pathetic cheers are really motivating.”

Compared to the tightly united apprentice knights, Lee Han and the White Tiger Tower students had a rather dry relationship.

In fact, some of the White Tiger Tower students were still wondering, ‘Should I really be rooting for Wardanaz?’

“By the way, what swordsmanship does that guy use?”

Lee Han asked, looking back.

Since he wasn’t from a knight family, his opponent wouldn’t know much about him…

But that wasn’t Lee Han’s concern, and he planned to know as much as possible about his opponent.

“Absorbing Sword, full of variations.”

Giselle answered.

All the Empire’s sword styles had their own unique characteristics, but the Enghe Family’s swordsmanship was especially peculiar.

Not only was it subtly and strangely variable, but when you crossed swords with it…

You felt a suction, as if you were being pulled into a swamp.

If you didn’t have a lot of real combat experience, you couldn’t help but be flustered the first time you faced this sword style.

“I see. Deorgyu, what swordsmanship does that guy use?”

“That bas—…”

Giselle was angry.

Why would he ask again after she’d just told him?

He dared to doubt after she’d gone out of her way to explain…

“Don’t misunderstand, Moradi. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just thought Deorgyu might have a different impression since he fought him directly.”

“Y-Yeah. Moradi, Wardanaz probably didn’t mean anything bad.”

The White Tiger Tower students tried to calm the tense mood.

Deorgyu asked quietly,

“Really?”

“No.”

“……”

One of the friends who’d been trying to calm things down turned his head and asked,

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing. I didn’t say anything! Okay, Lee Han. I’ll tell you everything I know about your opponent!”

Deorgyu hurriedly changed the subject.

Otherwise, he might end up fighting his White Tiger Tower friends before facing Labda.

• * *

“Begin!”

At the signal, Lee Han stepped forward.

Deorgyu’s advice was similar to what Moradi had said.

-When you cross swords, instead of the usual repelling force, you feel a suction pulling you toward your opponent. Lee Han, your balance will break little by little, and by the time you notice, it might be too late. Be wary from the start.

‘So you can use mana in your sword like that.’

He was one of the most skilled among the apprentice knights, and since he’d even beaten Deorgyu, it was only natural that he could infuse mana into his sword.

That mana probably created the effect of pulling the opponent’s sword whenever they clashed.

It sounded simple, but as someone who’d trained in swordsmanship for a long time, Lee Han could guess how complex and advanced a technique it was.

It was hard enough to create that effect with mana, but to keep doing it continuously while breaking your opponent’s balance?

You needed the eye to maintain your own swordsmanship while reading your opponent’s balance at the same time.

To pull that off in the chaos of a sword fight required bone-crushing effort and training.

Lee Han raised his evaluation of his opponent a bit. No ordinary slacker could do that.

Of course, that didn’t mean he’d forgive the nonsense about magic school not being hard…

Bang!

‘What kind of strength is this?!’

Labda didn’t show it, but his hands throbbed with pain.

-That guy only uses tricks!

-Don’t worry, Labda! You can win!

The apprentice knights’ cheers to ease Labda’s burden made him feel a bit better, but didn’t actually help.

After one clash, as they both stepped back and reset their stances, Labda could clearly feel his opponent’s skill.

If anything, he was better than Deorgyu of the Choi family, certainly not weaker!

‘He’s from the Wardanaz family! A wizard family!!’

Labda felt so wronged he wanted to protest. Why was someone from the Wardanaz family so serious about swordsmanship?

Was it because it was a family of eccentric wizards?

Did swordsmanship somehow help with magic? They say there are mysteries in old swordsmanship that even swordsmen haven’t deciphered yet?

Bang!

There was no sign of the loose or tricky attitude Lee Han had shown earlier.

He exuded a deadly pressure, like a giant boulder.

“……”

“…Maybe he’s not really from the Wardanaz family?”

One of the apprentice knights muttered in shock.

No matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t the swordsmanship of a great noble family.

It’s not like he spent all his time except eating and sleeping swinging a sword…

‘I got the initiative!’

Lee Han’s eyes shone.

Fortunately, since his opponent was slow to figure him out, he was able to seize the initiative.

Lee Han knew his opponent well, but his opponent didn’t know Lee Han, and that decided the match.

‘Before he can use other techniques, I’ll press hard and finish it.’

Losing the initiative against a sword style full of variations was dangerous.

Lee Han planned to keep the initiative he’d taken and push through to victory.

Of course, Labda didn’t plan to lose easily.

‘No matter what!’

Mana circulated through his whole body and infused his sword, making it heavy. Labda barely deflected the attack and unleashed his family’s sword style with all his might.

‘It’s pulling!’

He could feel it in his hands. Labda knew his sword technique had worked.

But…?

“???”

Labda looked at Lee Han in surprise. Lee Han flinched at the gaze.

‘What’s this?’

His opponent, who had been expressionless until now, was looking at him like that, and it was distracting.

Was it a psychological tactic?

‘Anyway, I don’t know when he’s going to use the Absorbing Sword.’

Lee Han didn’t waver and attacked again.

It would be foolish to be swayed just because the opponent wasn’t using a technique.

If there’s a path to victory, follow it without wavering!

Bang, bang, bang—

Labda’s face turned ashen. He’d squeezed out all his mana, but nothing changed.

Anyone could see Lee Han was in the advantageous position.

But Lee Han’s expression wasn’t that great either.

‘…This is bad.’

Cracks were starting to form from the hilt of his wooden sword.

Lee Han blamed himself.

‘I still can’t control my mana properly…!’

Pouring mana into every strike like an idiot had done this to his wooden sword.

He had only himself to blame.

Unaware of Lee Han’s thoughts, Labda gritted his teeth and prepared for a final counterattack.

It was a technique still a bit too difficult for Labda to use, but to turn the situation around…

“Graaaah!”

With a scream, Labda swung his sword. Sensing something different, Lee Han watched warily.

‘Something’s different!’

Their swords clashed, and a powerful suction shook the mana in Lee Han’s sword.

And nothing happened.

“?”

“Ugh!”

Blood trickled from Labda’s nose as he gripped his sword.

It was from excessive mana use.

‘I… can’t let go of the sword…’

Normally, he should have let go.

But the sword technique he’d forced out with insufficient skill had paralyzed Labda’s hand, making him unable to release the sword.

Even worse, the technique was causing the sword to keep sucking up Labda’s mana.

‘At this rate…’

Labda’s eyes darkened.

Crack!

At that moment, both Lee Han’s and Labda’s wooden swords shattered. Labda collapsed backward, gasping for breath.

“Huff… huff…”

“……”

Lee Han clicked his tongue in disappointment.

‘Had him.’

To end up with a draw against a beaten opponent because he couldn’t control his mana.

It was disappointing.

‘No, I should be grateful for a draw.’

Lee Han changed his mind.

If he hadn’t managed to break his opponent’s sword at the last moment, his own sword might have broken first.

“Wa… Wardanaz.”

“?”

“Thank you.”

“???”

“You… you broke your own sword for me.”

“?????”

Lee Han didn’t understand.

What was his opponent talking about?

‘He didn’t even use his family’s sword technique properly. Is he not feeling well?’

Lee Han wondered if his opponent had gotten injured fighting Deorgyu.

That’s how out of the blue the comment was.

“Labda! Are you alright?!”

“Don’t worry! You fought really well! It only ended in a draw because of bad luck…”

“It’s fine. And this match… I lost.”

“?!?”

Labda explained to the shocked apprentice knights what had happened.

When he finished, the apprentice knights looked at Lee Han with wide eyes.

Clap, clap clap, clap clap clap—

One by one, they started to applaud.

The White Tiger Tower students, glancing around, also clapped.

Professor Ingeldel and Bikelinz clapped as well.

Lee Han thought to himself.

‘When I graduate, I’m never dealing with knights again.’