Chapter 80 : Chapter 80

Chapter 080: Endless Learning (3)

* * *

It was after I’d asked Bonnie about the Imperial shaman.

Next, I turned my question to Clyde, about the peculiar swordsmanship used by the pink-haired woman, one of the Archduke’s Four Wings.

Kingdom swordsmanship mixed with Gold-Catching Hand techniques was something I hadn’t seen even in my previous life.

“Oh.”

I struggled to explain the Gold-Catching Hand, but thankfully, Clyde seemed to understand, nodding.

“I know. You’re talking about Kampringen, right?”

“Kampringen?”

“Yeah. Not just among the Archduke’s Four Wings, but in all of Conwell, the only one who can properly wield Kampringen is that woman, Kana.”

“Now that you mention it, I think that was the name.”

Clyde stopped walking and raised both clenched fists to chest level.

It looked a bit sloppy, but it somewhat resembled a fighting stance.

“Kampringen is a swordsmanship derived from close-quarters combat among soldiers clad in heavy armor.”

Clyde shot me a glance.

I got the hint.

I raised my bastard sword and extended it slightly toward him.

Clyde grabbed the sword, pretending it was about to touch his body, and explained,

“Plate armor is generally impervious to standard thrusts or slashes.”

That’s true.

Of course, with enough skill, it doesn’t matter much.

I didn’t bother mentioning that part.

“Right. And the weapons are often crude too.”

“Embarrassing to admit, but that’s true. Anyway, that’s why, when wearing plate armor and fighting unarmed in a melee…”

Snap!

Clyde wrapped both arms around my hand holding the bastard sword.

My eyes widened.

For a moment, his arms looked like a snake.

There was some profound technique at play.

“…This kind of grappling evolved into Kampringen, which subdues an enemy in a single move.”

“I get it. It’s a close-quarters swordsmanship derived from keeping a tight distance to penetrate plate armor.”

“Exactly. Over time, it developed into a counterattack style like this…”

And so, Clyde and I continued our conversation, grabbing swords, twisting arms, and throwing ourselves into it with reckless abandon.

As our breathing grew heavier, Bonnie’s lazy yawn seeped into the mix… and a thought hit me.

This could be useful.

* * *

When she got within about twenty paces, the pink-haired woman leapt from her saddle.

“I’ve been dying to find you, Bihen Benkou!”

She descended at a ferocious speed, like a raptor hunting prey on the ground.

Her short hair flared out to the sides, fully exposing her face.

The marks from our last encounter still lingered.

The white of her left eye was completely bloodshot.

“Your face is looking a bit better now.”

“You bastard—!”

Boom!

I dodged to the side.

The pink-haired woman landed where I’d been standing.

It was brutal.

The ground was cratered from the impact.

“Wow, your whole body’s a weapon.”

If I’d stayed there, I’d have been flattened into a pulp.

Kampringen.

A swordsmanship that requires pushing physical abilities to the extreme to achieve mastery.

The pink-haired woman—Kana, that is—was said to be among the top five Kampringen masters in the entire Kingdom.

‘Fighting recklessly would be a disaster.’

Kana rose from her crouch, glaring at me with a smug smile.

“You were pretty clever last time, weren’t you? Hiding your allies so well. You sneaky rat.”

…She was really riled up.

“Your face is thick, even for you. Four of you ganged up on me, and you call me a rat? That’s some insult.”

“Let me make one thing clear: I won’t fall for the same trick twice. So give up now. This’ll be over in the blink of an eye.”

Whoosh!

Her figure vanished in an instant.

She was so fast that even I could miss her if I wasn’t paying attention.

‘Behind!’

I spun, raising my bastard sword vertically.

At the same time, I kicked off the ground, launching myself backward.

It was almost instinctual.

Clang—!

The sound of metal was followed by dirt scattering.

It looked like she’d struck with her left hand.

A deep, semicircular arc was etched beneath her forward-stepping left foot.

If I’d been a fraction slower, I’d have been knocked down or slashed across the chest.

Swordsmanship and kick techniques.

She was wielding both simultaneously.

“That’s possible? That’s got to be harder than mastering dual swordsmanship.”

“Falling for me?”

“Nah, keep going.”

Swish—! Swish—!

I was fully aware that to avoid getting caught in Kampringen, I couldn’t give her any distance.

That much was fine, but that wasn’t the end of it.

‘Her techniques are complex and varied.’

She attacked relentlessly from all directions.

It wasn’t just swordsmanship and kicks.

Before I knew it, the curved sword she’d been holding vanished, and she came at me barehanded with Gold-Catching Hand techniques.

“Yup, a rat.”

She even threw in taunts during the brief pauses.

‘As expected, it’s too much to match her level right now. Expecting that would be greedy.’

By now, the arriving soldiers had surrounded us.

In the wide-open space, Kana and I circled each other slowly, eyes locked.

“Whoa! It’s really him! Bihen Benkou!”

…Damn it, I had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, that weird little mage kid was flying around above the soldiers on a broom.

“You talked about such a big game, and now you’re resorting to numbers again?”

“No way, don’t worry. It’s you and me, one-on-one.”

As Kana said that, the kid above screamed.

“Kana! What about Iroen! Iroen wants to fight too! I’m gonna roast Bihen Benkou!”

“You’d let him slip away again like last time! I’ll take him down, so you can burn the corpse later.”

“That’s not fair! Let’s do rock-paper-scissors! We’ll decide who fights first with rock-paper-scissors!”

What a pain.

Listening patiently to these lowlifes’ antics takes real skill.

As my patience reached its limit, I cut in between their bickering.

“Just come at me together. Don’t waste my time. Where are the other two? Hiding in the back?”

“Hey, who’s acting high and mighty! Last time, Iroen went easy on you! This time, you’ll see the real, terrifying Iroen, and I’ll handle you myself!”

“With that kind of talk, what trick are you planning now? Why not just raze the whole village again?”

The kid’s clenched fists trembled under her chin.

Her face was red enough to burst.

“You…! I got chewed out by the master for that!”

As I suspected.

The chaos in Easton wasn’t the Archduke’s orders—it was purely this damn kid’s tantrum.

If so, I could worry less about her going berserk with magic.

“Alright, Iroen. Let’s do this: three rounds. If I can’t finish in three rounds, we switch. How’s that? I was faster, so I go first.”

“Tch, fine. Iroen can concede that much.”

They were really putting on a show.

Kana raised her chin confidently.

“You heard that? Three rounds from now. Get your mind ready, Sword Fiend.”

“Kind of a shame. I wanted to see more.”

“What?”

I slung the bastard sword over my shoulder and lazily beckoned to Kana with my other hand.

“Come on. I’m ready.”

Kana snorted, twisting her lips into a smirk as she lowered her upper body deeply.

Her muscular thighs gradually came into view, like the hind legs of a fine stallion.

Swishhh.

I activated Ghost Eye.

‘…I’ll have to take one hit.’

Kana kicked off the ground.

The scene seemed to slow down.

‘Left!’

I swung my bastard sword horizontally, as if countering.

Up until now, I’d been deflecting or dodging her attacks.

Did she think she had me?

Kana’s lips curled up as she closed in from the side.

Clang—!

As the blades clashed, I quickly twisted my wrist.

Kana’s curved sword slid down my blade.

The tip of my bastard sword, which had been pointing upward, suddenly dipped downward.

‘If I don’t give her a chance to grab my wrist and twist the situation, how will you react?’

I kept my eyes on Kana.

Clang! Clang!

She swung her curved sword, as if knocking my bastard sword outward.

She was steadily closing the distance.

‘Fast…!’

She moved with the maximum range possible in close quarters, without a single wasted motion.

It almost looked like a warm-up for an explosive burst of power.

The moment I saw her other hand was empty—

My vision spun.

Thud!

The impact through my back shook my entire body.

I saw it clearly.

In that brief moment, she’d wrapped one arm around my waist and flipped me over.

It wasn’t just raw strength—it was a technique akin to Gold-Catching Hand.

“Got you, rat. Now, let’s start by taking one arm.”

My right arm was pinned, and my body was crushed under her.

The earlier impact didn’t help—I couldn’t muster any strength.

‘If I’d fought without thinking, I might’ve been done for.’

As Kana tried to twist my right arm, I slightly lifted my hips and drew Zahara with a reverse grip.

“…!”

Her defenseless back was in sight.

Like a herbivore sensing a predator, Kana’s ears perked up.

Whoosh!

Zahara, aimed at the back of her neck, stabbed only air.

Kana had leapt back, already far away.

“Well, well, pulling tricks again, huh?”

Tricks? Anyone would think I’d actually been caught.

I stood, rubbing my aching wrist.

The murmurs of the surrounding soldiers grew louder.

“So close! She almost had him!”

“As expected of Lady Kana! She’s overpowering the Sword Fiend!”

“No matter how great a Sword Fiend, he’s no match for Lady Kana’s Kampringen.”

“Keep your eyes peeled. This fight will be talked about for ages.”

Above the clamor, the kid’s shout rang out.

“Nooo! Only two rounds left! Come on, Bihen Benkou, show some fight! You’re not going to fold that easily, are you?!”

…What a circus.

Kana, brimming with confidence, drove the point home.

“I’ll take that Sword Fiend title for myself. Your head, I’ll toss into the sea. My little courtesy.”

I rolled my neck and shoulders, replying,

“You talk too much for no reason.”

* * *

As Bihen and Kana clashed,

Bonnie and Clyde were in high spirits.

They’d successfully completed their critical mission as Adeline’s envoys.

Following them were nearly a hundred Theodore troops.

“Finally meeting him. The Sword Fiend Bihen Benkou!”

“Hearing he’s handsome makes it even more exciting.”

Two people rode alongside Bonnie and Clyde at the front.

They were Declan, the son of Lord Theodore, and his sister Linda.

Born a year apart, the two had been childhood friends with Adeline, who was around their age.

“Ahem, Linda. Don’t act so unbecomingly. Trying to shame Father? Do you know why we’re here…?”

“Alright, alright. You’re always picking on me.”

Declan clicked his tongue at Linda, who pouted.

He glanced between Bonnie and Clyde.

“How are you going to handle her? Huh? If Bihen Benkou doesn’t live up to her fantasies even a little, she’ll rampage like a wild boar in the demonic zone. You should’ve toned down the praise.”

In truth, Declan was just as excited.

He’d always admired warriors of great prowess.

There was a reason the two were so relaxed heading into battle.

Nobles from other territories rarely died in combat.

It was far more profitable to ransom them.

That was the custom, and for heirs of a house like Theodore, it went without saying.

Finally, Bonnie, Clyde, and the Theodore army arrived in Ludglen.

“Hm?”

Declan tilted his head.

Through the deep blue morning mist, faint shouts echoed.

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