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“E, elder brother Liber!”
Sonya, who had been watching Liber’s match from the audience, felt helpless as she sobbed.
When Riley’s sword finally pierced Liber’s abdomen, Sonya thought he had died and almost fainted.
However, Liber persevered, continuing the battle, and Sonya couldn’t ignore his tenacity, so she watched until the end.
“Ugh, what was that elder brother thinking, fighting so recklessly?”
And Caedwin, who had been a participant but was now a spectator, watched Liber with a mixture of worry, surprise, and exhaustion in his eyes, shivering slightly.
Caedwin knew Cotra’s fighting style very well, but he had not expected such a desperate fight that disregarded himself to this extent.
Beside them, a young man named Lito Derin was also watching the match, equally startled and unable to take his eyes off Liber.
“Was Liber always this strong?”
The reason was Liber’s performance.
His opponent was Riley Miles, a swordsmanship prodigy from the famed Miles family, known throughout the kingdom.
Liber’s martial prowess against Riley was vastly different from what they saw during their time studying together at the academy.
“When did he even learn the wave technique…?”
Though Lito, unlike Liber and Caedwin, was a student of the business department, he was still the heir of the Derin Viscount family from the Rangar region.
Additionally, he often participated in the swordsmanship department courses when his schedule allowed, so he could recognize Liber’s level.
In Lito’s eyes, Liber had not only learned the wave technique but also used it skillfully; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to put up such a fight against Riley, who merely utilized basic applications with the Transformation technique.
As Lito stood there, stunned, watching Liber being carried out on a stretcher, Sonya tugged at his sleeve, speaking.
“Elder brother! Elder brother Liber will be okay, right? Shouldn’t we go check on him?”
“Huh? Oh, it’ll be fine. He won’t die, so don’t worry too much.”
“What if he dies while being carried away?”
“… The tournament is hosted by the Aries Order. If the injury were severe, the Saintess herself would probably step in. The referee deemed it treatable, which is why the match wasn’t stopped.”
“But won’t he be lonely by himself?”
“I want to see him too, but we can’t go now. Only authorized personnel are allowed in the players’ waiting area.”
Sonya’s affection for Liber was something Lito had long observed, and since he didn’t particularly dislike Liber, he didn’t oppose her feelings either.
After all, he figured it was just a fleeting youthful crush, and that Sonya would eventually choose differently as she grew older.
As Lito comforted his tearful younger sister while watching Liber being carried away, his gaze naturally shifted elsewhere.
‘Did Caedwin grow so much?’
It was precisely to Caedwin, sitting beside him in the audience.
‘What has that guy been eating?’
The Baron Humbleton’s family was known for their large and burly people.
Caedwin, who inherited that trait, had always been big, but now he seemed even larger.
‘What happened in that single year?’
When they dropped out of the academy, Lito had been quite disappointed with the two.
Sure, there was significant discrimination against the Rangar region within the academy, and the swordsmanship department, in particular, was so aggressive that it was pitiful even from his perspective.
Lito’s mind buzzed with thoughts as he watched the surprising progress of the two, whom he had assumed had regressed since those days.
“That, that damned fool! Sonya, do you see that?”
“Eek! Elder brother! Save Elder brother Liber!”
“Damned fool? Save him? What on earth are you two talking about?”
“If we leave it as is, he’s definitely going to follow and nag. Ah, elder brother Liber. Thank you so much for everything up till now…”
Caedwin gazed at Liber, being carried on a stretcher, and at the two men and women following him, with eyes filled with dread.
Sonya, too, was more flustered than when Liber’s abdomen was pierced, feeling lost.
With his two younger siblings in distress, Lito hurriedly comforted them.
“Why are you guys acting like this? Liber is going to be fine!”
“He just became not fine.”
“… Why not fine?”
To Lito, it was a statement he couldn’t comprehend.
***
“You’ve done well, you’ve done very well.”
“…….”
As the demonic whispers flowed into the ears of Liber, who had just finished his treatment, he kept his eyes firmly shut, pretending not to hear.
“Huh? Did your ears get clogged when you got a hole in your stomach? Should I drill another hole for you?”
“I, I can hear you. I can!”
At the cold voice, Liber’s eyes shot open, and he hurriedly shouted, rising from the medical room bed.
“Urgh….”
However, perhaps the pain hadn’t disappeared entirely, as Liber grabbed his stomach and sweated profusely.
Watching him, Christian squinted his eyes, looking at him quietly, and sighed.
“Truly, it’s been a long while since I’ve seen such a reckless method. Are you aware that if you fool around like that without skills, you’re only shortening your lifespan?”
“How long have you lived, and what have you seen to say that?”
Aira, listening nearby, retorted, looking quite flabbergasted.
She was aware that Christian often said things as if he’d seen it all, but it felt like it was getting more extreme lately.
In her heart, she wanted to bring him for mental treatment to the Saintess of the Aries Order here, but instead, she closed her mouth, as they could receive treatment for head injuries from Christian.
“In any case, even if this is a method from your family, you should have been more selective about the time and place.”
“If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have lasted ten rounds against Riley.”
“Well, you’re smart enough to know that.”
“I do have the eyes to assess both my level and the opponent’s.”
“Yes, you’re good at knowing your place.”
“Ahem, that’s why I did what I did.”
“I heard those who don’t know their place don’t live long; I’m really curious about you.”
Christian smiled gently. Liber sighed deeply at Christian’s words, not knowing if they were a compliment or a jab.
“Ha, stop teasing. I feel embarrassed enough to die here.”
He had laid everything bare recklessly, yet Riley still had reserves left.
Unbeknownst to the general spectators, to those with discerning eyes, the gap between the two was even more evident.
Though he had revealed all his cards and suffered a humiliating defeat, Liber’s expression seemed relieved.
Christian pondered seriously if Liber needed mental treatment, before cautiously asking.
“You seem at ease?”
“Well, I’m far from finished, but I learned that I’m on the right path. And next time, I’ll be able to close the gap even more.”
“You were on the brink of death and yet, you’re confident?”
“I went beyond the limits I had imagined. The body activation also performed far better than I expected. The quality of mana stored and processed in the mana reservoir has changed.”
Through the encounter with Riley that pushed him to his limits, Liber had realized something.
“As the body becomes more fortified, the efficiency of absorbing mana changes. You knew this long before, didn’t you?”
The mana emitted from the mana reservoir traveled more smoothly into the body.
From the mana reservoir to the body, and from the body to the sword.
A body once limited to a capacity of 10 now unmistakably held more than that.
It was exceeding what was commonly called a limit.
“… This isn’t simply about training the body. It’s about finding an optimal balance between the body and mana that were once skewed. The growth speed slows after achieving this balance, however.”
Christian laughed slyly as he continued.
“That just puts you at the starting line.”
“Is this really just the starting line…?”
Hearing it was just the starting line, Liber found it hard to decide whether to believe it.
But Christian showed great confidence, and having experienced such effects himself, Liber couldn’t help but trust him.
“… I look forward to working with you.”
“But if we return home after finishing our business in the capital, we won’t be able to meet.”
“If you’re okay with it, I’ll ask Count Worden to let us train together for a few days.”
“If you can get permission yourself, I won’t stop you.”
Christian had no intention of stopping him since he dearly wanted to.
Aira merely clicked her tongue softly, feeling pity for Liber who wanted to return to the hardship voluntarily, even when given the chance to escape.
***
After confirming Liber was alright, aira spoke to Christian.
“Can’t we just leave for home now? All the matches worth watching have finished anyway.”
“But there might still be something to learn from watching the matches till the end, even if there’s just a small chance.”
“Is everything in your brain about training?”
Though Aira pouted and grumbled at Christian’s words, it didn’t entirely bother her.
Even Christian, who claimed to be the best, sought things to learn from others’ matches, offering Aira not just entertaining sights but also educational opportunities.
And so, they moved toward the players’ viewing section when it happened.
“Who sprayed so much perfume?”
Aira wrinkled her nose at the suffocating fragrance.
Although she acknowledged it was a nice scent, if it was strong enough to be felt outside the stands, it would be overwhelming inside.
With that thought, aira pinched her nose and went in.
However, the typically uproarious spectators were unusually quiet.
Wondering if she had blocked her ears by accident, aira scanned her surroundings and noticed everyone staring in shock at one spot.
A man stood there, scattering peculiar pinkish mana, standing elegantly, and a man knelt in a state of shock at his feet.
Aira’s eyes widened upon recognizing the kneeling man.
“Isn’t that Postinger Euclid? Huh? Why’s he kneeling?”
Postinger Euclid, the heir to the proud name of the Euclid Ducal family, the foremost family in the Rondel Kingdom—Aira found it inconceivable that he was kneeling.
Although many titles described him—most promising knight in his 20s, a strong tournament favorite, the kingdom’s foremost genius—none shone brighter than the title of “next Eter Weapon heir” alongside the prestigious Euclid family name.
But Christian was uninterested in someone like Postinger Euclid. He had no interest from the beginning.
Christian’s attention was focused on the man standing elegantly before him. Or more precisely, the divine energy enveloping him like mana.
“… Latima? Why are they here?”
That was divine energy from the Latima Order located on the opposite side of the continent.