Chapter 80 : Chapter 80

Chapter 80. Shall We Take Off Our Ranks and Fight? (1)

“Uwaaaaaah!”

“Run away!”

The 1st and 3rd graders who were watching from the surroundings hurriedly created distance and fell back.

An ancient artifact was starting to unleash its power in earnest.

They absolutely did not want to pay with their lives as a price for watching while being mesmerized here.

“Hmm…”

Patrick put strength into the swords held in both hands.

If he wanted to dodge the chaotically flying blades of ice, he could have done so easily.

But Patrick chose to face them without dodging.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Patrick's twin swords flew towards the blades imbued with extreme cold and clashed.

The spiritual power imbued with cold and Patrick's sword clashed, creating a terrifying roar.

‘Hoo, it's all I can do to neutralize it with my sword qi?’

Patrick was quite surprised.

Although he hadn't drawn out Strong Qi, Patrick's sword qi was not just any sword qi.

It was a sword qi refined to a density that would not be pushed back even if it clashed with actual Strong Qi, imbued with the rich True Qi drawn up and amplified from his two lower dantians.

But when he clashed that sword qi with the blades of ice, it only resulted in them canceling each other out.

‘Its power is incredible. Does that mean anyone can become a master just before the peak just by possessing that sword? What a cheat.’

In terms of power alone, it wasn't wrong.

But no matter how great the power of the sword…

“Ugh…. uwaaaaaaaah!”

If the level of the user was low, it was just a pearl necklace on a pig.

Zordic swung Isis chaotically and emitted cold energy, but he couldn't gain any advantage.

On the contrary, Patrick was approaching him step by step, striking down the blades of ice.

To Zordic, the approaching figure of Patrick felt like the footsteps of a grim reaper.

How could this be?

What he was holding was Isis.

An ancient artifact and a family heirloom.

As long as he held this, he was confident that he wouldn't be pushed back even by a 6-star knight.

But…. but why….

“Whyyyyyyyy!?”

Zordic raised his sword high into the sky.

Isis, responding to its master's emotions, emitted extreme cold, and Zordic's aura was added to it.

A chillingly blue-white blade soared high. And then….

“Die!”

The blade, which was the culmination of everything Zordic had, fell towards Patrick.

“Noooo!”

Matthew, who was watching from behind, could see the blade of extreme cold falling towards Patrick more clearly than anyone else.

He knew his new friend was strong.

But to survive against such a terrifying attack, it seemed impossible…

“Watch.”

Just then, Matthew heard it.

Patrick's voice, which did not suit the current life-or-death situation at all.

And Patrick's sword moved.

Simultaneously, the corners of his mouth curled up.

A blade of destruction imbued with extreme cold?

It would be strong, right?

It would be threatening, right?

But so what?

‘A sword is an honest thing.’

No matter how much powerful internal energy is imbued, no matter how miraculous the technique is based on, a sword whose user's mind is scattered is just an empty shell.

Patrick's knees bent forward slightly.

And in the next moment….

“Consider it an honor.”

[ Twin Dragons Eight Sword Forms

Third Form

Flashing Dragon Strike ]

The technique Patrick had used most often since his past life.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, millions…

It was a technique he had practiced repeatedly, including in real battles and practice, until his soul was worn out.

In his memory, he had met his end by charging at the enemy with this technique in the very last moment of his death.

It was literally a strike that was engraved in Patrick's soul.

In an instant, his body became a single streak of light and charged towards the blade of ice.

The moment the small, sharp streak of light clashed with the blade of ice that seemed to be about to destroy the world….

Gwachang!

The huge blue-white blade imbued with cold shattered all too easily.

The flash that had penetrated the blue-white cold, which had shattered like a piece of glass slammed onto the ground, still had not lost its power.

And Zordic saw it.

The blade of light that had flown straight at him.

Gwaaang(Crashh)!

“Keuaaaaaak!”

And so, Zordic was sent flying backwards.

And in the spot where he had been, Patrick said with a blunt face.

“I didn't kill him. I just got into trouble a little while ago, and I didn't want to do it twice.”

“Keu…. keeeeeu…”

Zordic tried to say something, but Patrick had lost interest. And then, he picked up Isis, which had fallen from Zordic's hand, and looked at it with interest, saying.

“Hmm…. hmm…. hmmm…”

Should I call this a divine weapon?

Or a cursed object?

First of all, its power is outstanding.

It has a definite strength that the so-called divine weapons of the Jianghu can't even compare to.

It was truly a weapon that could be used by a novice to defeat a master.

So, as a weapon, it could be said to be truly excellent.

It could, but….

“If you give it to a growing brat, it would be the most perfect poison.”

Power that is easily obtained cannot be truly one's own.

Like this brat, being blinded by the immense power and mistaking it for one's own is just like a cat putting on wings and preening.

One cannot obtain true power in that way.

The power of a swordsman is meaningless unless it is obtained through one's own efforts, by shedding blood and sweat.

The conclusion is….

“It's a double-edged sword.”

It's powerful, but it can also hinder growth.

It's ambiguous to say whether it's good or bad.

Patrick's evaluation of the artifact was subtle.

And just then….

“Everyone, stop!”

Hearing the destructive sound of Patrick and Zordic clashing, people began to flock.

Patrick nonchalantly threw Isis away and said.

“I guess I'll have to owe Professor Leyte a favor.”

* * *

Patrick Schneider.

6 weeks of detention.

It was a much longer detention period than when he had beaten Roist to a pulp a little while ago.

But it couldn't be helped…

“No, how can he cause trouble again when it hasn't even been that long since the last incident?”

“This is unacceptable. It can't be anything other than a scoundrel who has no regard for the rules of the Academy.”

“He's crazy. He must be crazy.”

Correct!

Well, in this way….

The professors of the Knight Faculty of the Academy, and even the professors of other faculties, strongly condemned this incident.

Normally, he should have received at least a suspension, not just detention. But….

“There is clear evidence that Zordic Panola initiated the duel first.”

“No, that's…”

“An upperclassman challenged a junior to a duel. Furthermore, in the process, he assaulted other 1st-grade students, and their lives were even threatened.”

“Uhm…”

“That's true, but…”

“Can you still say that Schneider Army is unilaterally at fault?”

While all the professors were clamoring for Patrick's expulsion, only one person defended him with righteous words.

Of course, it was Professor Justin Leyte.

In fact, if one were to look at the full story of the incident, the cause was clearly Zordic.

To challenge someone to a duel for the purpose of revenge for an injury sustained during class (the sunrise cut)?

This was a clear and serious violation of the school rules.

In the first place, the Academy strictly prohibited duels between students unless there were special circumstances.

The other 3rd graders involved in this, excluding Zordic himself, were already receiving strict punishment from the school.

What about Zordic himself?

In fact, he was not in a situation to be punished or not.

He was currently cooped up at his family's home, just like his younger brother, with a blanket over his head, biting his nails…

“Why…. why…. why…. why…”

He was like this.

The brothers had become wrecks together.

Naturally, the most pissed off about this situation was Marquis Panola himself.

Two of his precious sons had been beaten up outside.

They hadn't just been beaten up; both of them were almost broken.

He didn't know what kind of ordeal they had been through, but both of them had been severely emotionally scarred.

“Patrick…. Schneider, was it?”

“……”

The confidant, the butler, did not answer.

It wasn't that he had nothing to say.

He couldn't open his mouth because he couldn't handle the killing intent that the 6-star knight was genuinely emitting.

And Marquis Panola said.

“He seems confident in his skills. I will teach him that this world is not a place where you can live by relying on paltry skills alone.”

It's the worst for an adult to get involved in a children's fight, but if Marquis Panola were to put his mind to it without caring about his reputation, there were many things he could do.

First, he could apply political pressure on the Baron Schneider family in the East, or he could take more direct measures to bring about the downfall of the Baron Schneider family.

It was also possible to make Patrick bitterly regret his actions by watching him cry in agony at the downfall of his family.

Well, in fact, if he were to seriously take action, he would find out why Patrick was called the Radiant Dragon in his past life, even within the same Orthodox Alliance and not the Unorthodox Alliance.

But he didn't know that.

Because he didn't know, he was about to make an irreversible choice.

“First, I need to take action in the East. Butler, summon the knights immediately.”

“Yes. My lord.”

At Marquis Panola's decision to dispatch the family's knights to the East, the butler answered immediately. Just as Marquis Panola was about to cross a line he should never have crossed….

“My lord. A visitor has arrived.”

“I don't care who it is, tell them to go back.”

He was not in the mood to meet anyone right now. But….

“Professor Justin Leyte of the Academy has come. He says he has important business. He… he also said he has something to return.”

“…Damn it.”

Unfortunately, this was an opponent he could not refuse to meet.

* * *

Ogre VS Saber Tiger.

Kraken VS Sea Serpent.

The Goddess of Harmony, Yupinel VS the God of Destruction, Kalaron.

In this world, there are countless worthy opponents and rivals.

And if one were to mention the most famous rivals in the Kingdom of Atronia, one would think of these two men.

The Indomitable Knight, Justin Leyte.

The Guardian Sword of the Royal Family, Antonio Panola.

These two were famous for being the most at odds with each other within the royal family.

It wasn't just a level of hostility due to being in different political factions; they genuinely hated and despised each other.

And those two men were now sitting across a table from each other.

“It's been a while. Yes, it has.”

“So it is. I believe it's the first time since you were kicked out of the Royal Knights.”

“That's right. It's been a long time since I came out after ramming into that asshole senior.”

“……”

There was no need to say who the ‘asshole senior’ he was talking about was.

Professor Leyte continued with a smile.

“Ah, I have no regrets. That incident was one of the most satisfying things I've experienced in my life, within the top three.”

“I, too, am always glad that one scoundrel who was tarnishing the dignity of the Royal Knights is gone.”

“Really? As far as I know, I heard a rumor that the biggest problem of the Royal Knights is the rotten knight captain.”

“What did you say?”

“Why are you asking me? It's just a rumor. A rumor. That you took something from somewhere. That you gave someone special favors…. It's all just rumors. Rumors.”

Looking at Professor Leyte, who then muttered to himself, ‘But then again, there's no smoke without fire,’ Marquis Panola had a vein pop on his forehead.

This was why he hated that punk.

From the time he entered the lowest ranks of the Royal Knights, his barbarism of ramming into anything he didn't like, regardless of rank or orders.

And his speech and actions of looking down on and despising others, as if he was the only clean person in the world.

Everything about him did not sit well with Marquis Panola.

And to top it off, he was good at what he did, so he had even risen to the same 6-star realm as himself, one of only five in the kingdom.

Marquis Panola, who judged that there was nothing good to be gained from a long conversation, said.

“If you have business, say it quickly.”

“Let's do that. Well. First of all, to be blunt…”

Professor Leyte's expression crumpled as he said.

“Don't even dream of laying a hand on my student. Your Excellency, Marquis Panola.”

“Why should I listen to you?”

“The Academy is my territory. As long as they are students, they are my kids.”

“My sons are also students of the Academy.”

“Strictly speaking, they were students. A formal notice of expulsion will be sent soon.”

“What did you say?”

“Then should I just let them be after causing such an incident? A 3rd grader challenged a 1st grader to a duel and even attempted murder?”

“……”

This was a part where he had nothing to say, even if he had a mouth.

As Marquis Panola bit his lower lip hard, Professor Leyte said with a blatant sneer.

“You should have raised your kids better. They could have at least served as a bad example.”

“Justin Leyte.”

Geudeudeuk!

Marquis Panola gritted his teeth and exuded an aura from his entire body.

A master who had reached the 6-star realm exuded a blatant aura from his entire body and pressured his opponent.

And Professor Leyte….

“Why…”

He said with a deep smile on his lips.

“Shall we take off our ranks and fight?”

“……”

In an instant, Marquis Panola's blood ran cold.

‘This…. this punk…. this punk, surely…’

Marquis Panola was more shocked than when he had found out that his two sons had become wrecks.

He was currently exuding his full aura and pressuring his opponent.

An ordinary opponent would find it difficult to even breathe under the pressure.

Even knights who had reached a certain level would find it difficult to open their mouths easily.

Of course, Justin Leyte was a 6-star knight like himself.

If he faced him and exuded his aura in resistance, he would be able to act normally. But the problem now was….

“The tea tastes good. I don't know much about it, but I guess it's good because it's expensive.”

He was so at ease.

He wasn't exuding his aura in return, nor was he shrinking back.

His appearance of acting nonchalantly, as if nothing was wrong, meant one thing.

That Justin Leyte was stronger than Marquis Panola himself.

And to be stronger than him, who had reached a mature 6-star realm, meant….

‘Surely not? Surely not… surely not?’

Marquis Panola absolutely did not want to admit it.

He didn't, but no matter how he thought about it, there was only one answer.

“You… you, surely…”

“Huh? Why?”

“……”

Looking at Marquis Panola, who couldn't bring himself to finish his words, Professor Leyte grinned.

And he picked up a butter knife from the table in front of him.

After grabbing the dull knife meant for spreading butter on scones, what he did was….

Gwaching!

“Ah, what a mistake, an Aura Blade?”

Where could there be such a mistake?

But the moment he saw the clear Aura Blade that bloomed from Professor Leyte's fingertips, Marquis Panola couldn't even breathe.

It was real.

A real Aura Blade.

The absolute symbol that only those who had set foot in the ultimate realm could create.

And it had now bloomed from Professor Leyte's fingertips.

The undeniable, perfect proof that the opponent he least wanted to lose to was now ahead of him was right before his eyes.

‘Is this… a nightmare?’

Although he was a 6-star master, at this moment, Marquis Panola wished that his energy had weakened and he was having a nightmare.

And Professor Leyte looked at Marquis Panola's expression and said.

“Senior, what do you think would happen if I were to quit my job as a professor at the Academy and return to the Royal Knights right now?”

“You…. how could you?”

“Some-how.”

“……”

“Why? You think I can't?”

How could that be?

If a person who had reached the 7-star realm said they would join the Royal Knights, who would stop them?

On the contrary, they would be willing to grant any condition they wanted.

For example, even the position of the captain of the Royal Knights.

Looking at the clearly nervous Marquis Panola, Professor Leyte smirked and said.

“Don't worry. I have no intention of doing so.”

“Really?”

“That's right.”

“……”

“For now, that is.”

Geudeudeuk.

Marquis Panola was not stupid enough to not know what Professor Leyte wanted here.

“I will leave the brat named Patrick Schneider alone.”

“Why are you being so unreasonable?”

“……”

“I said not to touch my students.”

It wasn't just about Patrick; it was about not touching the other 1st graders who were involved in this incident as well.

Whether they liked it or not, Matthew and the other 1st graders had been dragged into this incident, so he had to protect them all.

“…Alright.”

“You must not take action against his family either.”

“Didn't I say I would?”

At Marquis Panola's angry words, Professor Leyte smirked and said.

“Well, I'll trust you to keep your word.”

“Hmm…”

“And, I'll return this.”

Saying so, Professor Leyte handed him the heirloom of the Marquis Panola family, the Ice Sword, Isis.

“This is…”

“The fact that your son caused trouble with this has not yet been made public. I, too, find unnecessary trouble to be a hassle.”

1. Zordic Panola caused trouble.

2. Zordic Panola caused trouble with his family's heirloom.

These two things had completely different weights.

If things went wrong, Marquis Panola could have been considered to have been involved in this incident.

Well, it was true, but. But….

‘Tsk, if it were up to me, I'd just… aish, what can I do? I have to do as I'm told.’

Professor Leyte returned Isis to Marquis Panola and said.

“Let's just handle this incident as something unfortunate and let it fade away.”

“……”

“You're good at that kind of thing, aren't you, senior?”

‘Damn bastard…’

Marquis Panola gritted his teeth inwardly and stared blankly at the Isis offered before him.

He had been worried about how he would get this back, but he hadn't thought it would fall into his hands so easily.

But was it really okay to accept it?

The moment he accepted this, the proposal from Justin Leyte would become a deal with mutual benefits, not a threat.

In fact, this was strange.

It would be different if it were someone else, but for a man like Justin Leyte, this was definitely strange.

‘This is not the way of this rigid man.’

Marquis Panola realized instinctively.

That there was someone else behind this deal, not Professor Leyte.

Because, the Justin Leyte he knew was not capable of making such a proposal with hidden political intentions.

If he were a man who could do such things, he would not be a professor at the Academy but would have held a fairly high position in the Royal Knights.

‘Who is it? Who is behind this punk? The noble faction? Or a foreign country? Could it be the temple?’

Marquis Panola's head was spinning.

What kind of power could be so influential as to tame the rigid Justin Leyte and make him run such errands?

Several powers came to mind in response to that question, but he couldn't be sure of any of them.

What was certain was that someone sitting behind Justin Leyte was making him a proposal.

Either stop here.

Or see it to the end.

The choice is yours.

“……”

Marquis Panola, sweating, thought for a moment and then carefully opened his mouth.

“I will accept all of your proposals.”

“You've made a good decision. Senior.”

In the end, Marquis Panola had no choice but to accept this proposal.

He didn't even have a feel for who the person in front of him was, let alone whether he was strong or weak.

But if he were to stubbornly push back and show his teeth, he would only make more enemies.

The best move in politics was not to defeat the enemy.

It was to not make enemies.

“Then, I will take my leave with that understanding.”

As Professor Leyte stood up with a leisurely attitude, Marquis Panola said.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“What is it?”

“The person who led you to the 7-star realm and the person who returned Isis to me…”

“Shh.”

Before Marquis Panola could finish his words, Professor Leyte interrupted him with a serious expression.

And then, he looked around and said with a very stern attitude.

“Watch your mouth. Senior.”

“……”

“He is not someone you can carelessly judge.”

Osaak!

At that moment, goosebumps spread all over Marquis Panola's body.

With this, it was certain.

The person who had so perfectly subjugated the rigid Justin Leyte as to put a leash on his neck, led him to the 7-star realm, and made a highly political proposal to him had become a real entity.

He was probably a big shot who had both personal strength, a huge faction, and profound schemes.

‘It's not domestic. Then it must be a foreign country or the temple…. Who is it? Could it be…?’

Marquis Panola's head was spinning with thoughts, one after another.

Professor Leyte smiled at such a Marquis Panola and said.

“If you want to live long, it would be wise to watch your mouth. Then I will be on my way.”

“Uhm…”

And so, Professor Leyte left the mansion of the Marquis Panola family. After leaving the mansion with his robe pulled down low so as not to be seen by anyone, and after a long while.

He sat down on the floor, propped himself up against a wall with one hand, and his shoulders shook.

“Kekekeke… Kehahahaha…. I said he'd fall for it, but to think he actually would. Puhahahaha.”

Professor Leyte was dying of laughter.

Probably, by now, Marquis Panola was tearing his hair out, trying to figure out who the person who had put pressure on him was.

And in the list of candidates he had selected, there would definitely be no Academy student.

“Kekekeke…. Go ahead and search for who ‘he’ is. Search for a hundred days. You sly bastard. Kehahahahahahaha!”

Professor Leyte's loud laughter was full of a 10-year-old sense of satisfaction.

“Mom, that uncle is weird.”

“Shh, you shouldn't point fingers at unfortunate people.”

Still, he should have been a little more considerate of his surroundings.

* * *

So, at that time.

What was the ‘he’ whom Marquis Panola was so diligently trying to figure out doing?

“My friend, Matthew. So, how are your family's circumstances these days?”

“Just… ordinary, I guess.”

“Is your father healthy? What are the main products of the Elbador Merchant Guild these days? Is he perhaps interested in the clothing industry?”

“I don't know much about my father's business…”

“Ahem, that won't do. As a son, you should be interested in what your parents are doing. That's what filial piety is.”

“……”

“Shall we go out together next time? I'll go and greet your father too, and ah! Is there anything he likes as a gift?”

Patrick was sharing his friendship with Matthew, whom he had called to his room.

And Matthew was….

‘What's with this guy?’

This innocent boy didn't know how to respond.

Of course, he was the son of a rich family.

Strictly speaking, he was the richest in the Kingdom of Atronia.

The Elbador Merchant Guild was a merchant guild that had accumulated enormous wealth over three generations, and its influence extended beyond the Kingdom of Atronia to neighboring countries.

As such, there were those who approached him with flattery, but they were mostly fellow merchants.

Nobles, even those from minor families, never bowed their heads to Matthew.

Considering the honor and reputation of a noble, it was unthinkable to bow their heads and flatter a commoner like Matthew.

Perhaps they were even more obsessed with it because it was the only thing in which they could be superior to Matthew.

Among them, there were also those like Roist Panola who tried to treat him as a wallet.

[Just stick with me. Then there won't be any problems.]

It was an order disguised as a proposal that Roist had made when he first saw Matthew.

As a price for refusing this, Matthew became a target of Roist's bullying.

Anyway, for Matthew, nobles were like that.

They would look down on him, be wary of him, and try to ignore him, or else they would forcibly subjugate him and treat him as a source of money they could exploit….

That was all. But….

“Oh, friend. You've got something on you here. Let me brush it off for you.”

This was truly the first time.

Does this guy have no shame?

It was the first time he had met a noble's son who was so openly fawning over him.

Although the Baron Schneider family might not be such a great family, weren't they feudal nobles who had run a fiefdom for generations?

Then shouldn't they have something like family pride? Or honor? Something they would cherish like their life and would rather starve to death than submit…

“When shall we go out? Today? I have a bunch of outing permits I got from the professor.”

There should have been.

No, before that, is it possible to get a bunch of outing permits?

The more he talked to him, the more new aspects of Patrick emerged.

Matthew carefully spoke to this unfamiliar friend (?).

“Um, Patrick.”

“What? My friend?”

“Aren't you worried?”

“Huh? About what? Is someone bothering you again? Which bastard? Does he want to die?”

Seeing Patrick's eyes flashing, Matthew thought that if he were to jokingly say, ‘That guy over there,’ there would be a corpse to clean up.

“Ahem, no, that's not it. I mean, after our detention period is over, the Marquis Panola family might do something, right? Are you okay?”

“Huh? Aaaah…. that?”

Patrick smirked and said.

“It's fine. I've set up an appropriate threat and some acting.”

“Huh?”

My friend. What do you mean by that?

To the uncomprehending Matthew, Patrick said with a grin.

“You don't have to worry at all. That Marquis Panola, or whatever, that old man won't be able to do anything for a while.”

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