Chapter 753

Chapter 753

I Learned It From You. (2)

'This is a lie!'

Even as he watched, Lionel couldn’t believe it. It was because something absurd was happening.

He briefly suspected that the technique might have been leaked, but that was impossible. This was not information managed so carelessly that a wandering mercenary mage could learn it.

Moreover, in fact, the technique the opponent was using appeared even superior. It was as if the flaws had been corrected and it had reached a higher level.

"Where, where did you learn this?"

Seeing Lionel panic, Ghislain only smiled.

'I learned it from you.'

In his dream, he had already seen Lionel using these advanced techniques. In addition, after taking over the Kingdom of Ritania, he had mastered the mana refinement techniques and skills of the Ladran royal family.

Therefore, the shield techniques Ghislain was now displaying could be said to be techniques that Lionel would learn in the future.

As Ghislain merely smiled without saying anything, Lionel grew increasingly enraged.

'Is it black magic? Is he trying to deceive me with black magic? But how? Am I trapped in an illusion?'

It was a ridiculous guess, but Lionel was that confused.

"Argh!"

Gritting his teeth, Lionel tried to attack again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

No matter how much he attacked, Lionel couldn’t break through Ghislain’s defense.

As his attacks were continually blocked, Lionel became increasingly impatient and swung his sword and shield more frantically.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Lionel’s stance gradually fell apart, and gaps began to appear everywhere. Seeing this, Ghislain clicked his tongue.

"Pathetic. If you're going to attack recklessly like that, why bother using a shield at all?"

"What?"

"The foundation of your family’s swordsmanship is patience. It’s not about driving the enemy back, but about drawing them in and exhausting them. It’s about maintaining an ironclad formation that leaves no opening for the enemy to exploit."

"What do you know to spout such nonsense!"

Lionel’s face flushed red. Who didn’t know that? In fact, no one in the world knew it better than he did.

Accumulate damage slowly and eventually force the opponent to kneel on their own, unable to endure any longer.

That was the ultimate goal pursued by his family’s swordsmanship.

But what was one supposed to do if no attack worked on the opponent? Was he supposed to just wait?

Clang!

Once again, Lionel’s sword clashed with Ghislain’s shield.

Ghislain smiled and spoke.

"Yes, everyone knows the theory. But do you know why it doesn’t work the way you want in actual combat?"

"You bastard..."

"It’s because you lack confidence in yourself. And because you haven’t trained enough for your body to move on its own. I’ll show you from now on, so try to block this."

Boom!

Ghislain pushed forward with his shield. Lionel, already exhausted from his reckless attacks, quickly lost his balance.

Even when he tried to regain his stance and focus on defense, it wasn’t easy. Before he knew it, Ghislain had closed the distance and was swinging his club at a strange angle.

Clang!

Lionel hurriedly raised his shield to block. But Ghislain once again shoved him back with his own shield.

Thud!

"Urgh!"

This time, Lionel fell over. It was a strike executed with truly perfect timing.

"W-what is this... what on earth..."

Lionel sat on the ground with a bewildered expression.

Perfect.

With his stance lowered and shield raised high up to his eyes, Ghislain looked like an impregnable fortress that could never be breached.

'No, no. That’s impossible. There’s no way that black mage is more skilled than me!'

Lionel sprang to his feet.

In truth, if this had been a real battle, he might already have been dead. Even knowing that, Lionel couldn’t bring himself to accept it, and with a loud cry, he charged forward.

"Uaaaaaah!"

Boom!

Ghislain raised his shield once more to block. He was showing, quite thoroughly, what shield combat was truly about.

Now all that remained was to make his opponent realize it.

With a wicked smile, Ghislain lifted his club.

"Never forget that after blocking the attack, you need to counter and subdue your opponent. Like this, for example."

Thwack!

The club, its strength carefully controlled, struck Lionel on the head. Lionel saw a flash of light and his vision blurred.

'Huh? What’s this?'

He could feel the ground rising up. In his dazed state, he thought,

'Ah, so this is what it feels like to faint. Wow, this is fascinating.'

Even in his haze, Ghislain’s voice rang clearly in his mind.

"The opponent, after failing to land an attack repeatedly, naturally grows impatient and unstable. Once the enemy grows tired and loses balance, you must press them like a towering mountain."

Thwack!

Suddenly, Lionel felt a sharp jolt shoot through his side. His senses snapped back to clarity.

"Aaaaargh!"

It felt as if his ribs had been shattered. The pain was that intense. But it wasn’t over yet.

Once more, Ghislain’s voice followed.

"This is where it really begins. But you mustn’t rush. You have to calmly search for openings and gradually break the enemy down."

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Ghislain’s club rained down mercilessly. When Lionel was about to fall, the club would strike from the opposite side and prop him back up.

"Aaaagh! What is this?!"

Even when he wanted to fall, he couldn’t. It was almost absurd to witness how much a person could be beaten.

Yet despite it all, Ghislain’s words echoed vividly in Lionel’s mind.

"When the enemy is completely broken down, that is when your victory is assured. You don't need to chase after flashy moves. You don’t need to aim for a one-hit kill. Your sword is meant to proceed silently and steadfastly."

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

"Ugh..."

Ghislain’s club strikes continued for quite some time. The mercenaries watching from the side yawned.

They had all experienced this scene multiple times. That bizarre 'training' was a method Ghislain often used whenever he rapidly improved their skills.

"S-stop..."

At some point, Lionel had dropped both his sword and shield. Tearfully, he spoke. He felt utterly miserable.

He had even lost his divine power, and now he was being physically overwhelmed by a mere mage.

Suddenly, a suspicion crept into Lionel’s mind.

'Ah, was I perhaps just a frog in a well?'

When he thought about it, everyone had always praised him. They kept lifting him up, saying how outstanding his skills were.

He had truly believed he was strong. But now, out in the real world, he was being beaten up by some lowly mercenary.

And it wasn’t just this strange man with two names. Even Julien and Kyle were as strong as he was.

What about Ilaniel, the Great Chieftain of the Elves, and Rahmod from the Salvation Church who had fought against her?

They were beings so strong he couldn’t even dare look them in the eye.

At last, Lionel came to realize the truth of the world.

'Ah... I was just a weakling.'

Thump.

Having thoroughly misunderstood where he stood by the world’s standards, he collapsed and began to weep.

"Uwaaaa... What was all my hard work for... uwahhhh..."

Ghislain stopped the 'lesson.' Even he hadn’t expected Lionel to cry so bitterly.

"Are... are you alright?"

"I... I thought I was strong... But to think I’m being beaten and lectured by a mage... huuuhuhu..."

It was rare to see a grown man weep so pitifully. So, nobody said anything as they watched Lionel cry.

They all realized Lionel was misunderstanding something.

'You’re not weak.'

'That man is just too strong.'

'The comparison itself is wrong.'

When Lionel still had his divine power, he was a knight close to the highest rank.

Now, without divine power, he couldn’t exert the same strength, but once he refined his mana techniques, he would soon reach that level again.

Knowing this, Ghislain had intended to correct Lionel’s fundamentals. He was even planning to teach him the perfected techniques from the future.

The plan had been to humble him a bit and set his mindset straight.

But he hadn’t expected him to break down so easily. Not even the mercenaries had reacted this badly.

'Hmm, it seems the shock was too much.'

For those with strong pride, once they collapse, it’s hard to recover. It had to be managed appropriately.

"That’s enough for today."

There was no point in continuing the duel. Lionel must have fully realized the difference in their skills by now.

Now it was time to console him. And there was someone here who was very good at that role.

"Are you alright?"

Deneb came running over and emitted divine power toward Lionel. Since there were no serious injuries, the bruises on Lionel’s body quickly vanished.

"Sniff... hic..."

"Please don’t be too discouraged. Ghislain is strong, but that doesn’t mean you’re weak, Sir Lionel. Look, no one here is surprised, right? Ghislain is actually better at fighting physically than with magic. Magic is just a hobby for him because it’s convenient."

"Sniff..."

Lionel felt a little warmth in his heart from Deneb’s comforting words. It seemed like Deneb was the only one taking his side here.

He felt a bit guilty for having been so harsh toward such a kind priestess.

Still, to think magic was just a hobby. That man was truly a monster among monsters.

'I was showing off without even knowing that.'

Lionel felt embarrassed. He was ashamed for acting arrogant despite lacking ability, ashamed for getting beaten, and ashamed for crying so pathetically.

So, wiping away his tears, he spoke gruffly.

"Enough. Something got in my eye for a moment, that’s all. I wasn’t crying. There seems to be a lot of fine dust around here."

"...Ah, yes."

Lionel staggered to his feet and glared at Ghislain.

"I lost. But someday, I will surely surpass you."

"That’s a good attitude. From now on, do your best in the training I give you."

"That’s what I want. If it makes me stronger, I’ll do anything."

Lionel decided to let go of his attachment to divine power.

He resolved to learn everything he could, to surpass his limits and become a transcendent.

As frustrating as it was, everything that man had said was correct.

Seeing Lionel like this, Ghislain smiled with satisfaction.

"That should be enough for you to have the right mindset to learn. And remember, you’re now part of our mercenary corps. Don’t forget you’re the youngest."

"Ugh..."

Lionel gritted his teeth. It was a truly troublesome condition.

If the Papacy found out someday, he would surely be held accountable. After all, his position was on a completely different level from a low-ranking priestess like Deneb.

But he had already made the oath. And without divine power, refusing now would only make him look more pathetic.

"Fine. I am now a member of the Julien Mercenary Corps. Since I joined late, I’ll accept being treated as the youngest. But it’s a bit unfair if I’m the only one treated like the youngest."

"Why is that?"

Lionel pointed at Ereneth, who was sitting on top of the wagon.

"That elf joined later than I did. So, shouldn’t she be treated as a junior just like me? She seems way too comfortable."

"...Hmm."

Ghislain crossed his arms and fell into thought. In truth, Ereneth’s position within the mercenary corps was rather ambiguous.

Just look at her now. Ereneth was sitting leisurely on the wagon with her legs crossed, being waited on by the other mercenaries.

"Sister, please try this fruit."

"Sister, this is some jerky I had hidden away."

"Sister, this wine is absolutely amazing."

She was being treated like royalty. Ereneth accepted everything the mercenaries offered with a haughty expression, as if it was only natural.

The simple mercenaries had begun treating Ereneth, the elf, with the utmost respect. The mystery surrounding the elven race, combined with her haughtiness, had created this atmosphere.

Of course, the fact that she was indeed very powerful likely played a role as well.

Ereneth was enjoying and indulging in this treatment as human-like as anyone could be.

But to someone rigid like Lionel, this didn’t sit well. He was determined to somehow make Ereneth a junior member as well.

Sensing this, Ereneth smirked and spoke.

"Human, I am not a junior member of this mercenary corps. I’m more of a guest, really."

"What? A guest? You clearly joined the mercenary corps, didn’t you?"

"I only came along to protect the Blessing Stone, you see? So… let’s say I’m participating as a guest? In a way, I’m a half guest."

She was elegantly and indirectly refusing to be treated as a junior.

Lionel twitched his lips, struggling to come up with a rebuttal.

"..."

"What? Can’t accept it?"

"Stop making excuses."

"Don’t be so argumentative. You’re just a kid, after all."

"..."

When it came to age, he had no argument. No matter how young she looked outwardly, Ereneth was certainly older than him.

Ereneth raised her chin with the expression of a victor. She was skillfully using even her age like a true human.

Ghislain still found this side of her both amusing and surreal.

'Good grief... No one will believe me when I tell them back home.'

In any case, at her words, the other mercenaries all nodded. They mindlessly sided with Ereneth.

"Yeah, yeah. An elf as the youngest member of the mercenary corps? That just doesn’t suit her."

"Of course not. If someone like Sister Ereneth was forced to do menial labor, people would talk."

"Exactly. She only looks young, but she’s way older than any of us, right? How could we make someone like that play the role of the youngest? She might be old enough to be a grandmother."

Boom!

"Argh!"

The mercenary who mentioned grandmothers was blasted far away by a spirit explosion.

With public opinion like this, Lionel had no choice. He had to accept being the only one who would be treated as the junior.

"…Please take care of me."

With Lionel’s declaration of defeat, the hierarchy was finally settled.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It had been exhausting dealing with Lionel’s stubbornness all this time.

Even if it was scary to actually treat him like the youngest, at least the journey would no longer be as uncomfortable as before.

As they traveled, Ghislain continued to help the mercenaries with their training as usual. In particular, he began properly teaching Lionel the swordsmanship and mana refinement techniques of the Ladran royal family.

After several days, Ghislain fell into thought.

"Hmm... this will take quite some time."

The next destination was still quite far away. Moving with their current numbers, they couldn’t advance at the pace Ghislain wanted.

It would be better to divide the mercenaries into smaller groups and move separately.

Just as he had made up his mind and was about to gather the members, he saw a group of people approaching from afar.

At first, he thought little of it. But once he saw their appearance, Ghislain’s brow furrowed.

'Refugees?'

The people were all moving with terrified expressions, carrying their belongings. There were many elderly and children among them.

As Ghislain rode closer, the people fell to the ground and cried out.

"Please save us!"

"Are you soldiers sent by the lord?"

"Please, evacuate us somewhere safe!"

They all spoke chaotically. Ghislain raised his hand to quiet them, then asked.

"...What’s going on? We’re mercenaries."

Only then did the people stammer and explain.

"M-monsters suddenly appeared, destroying the village and killing people."

"Black mages! Black mages appeared and unleashed a swarm of chimeras!"

"They showed up at our village too! Everything’s in chaos!"

Hearing their pleas, Ghislain clicked his tongue inside his mouth. He could easily guess why this situation had occurred.

The Salvation Church bastards were clearly getting desperate now.

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