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Chapter 44.
The Grand Duke of Lichtenauer (2)
The match against Schmitz ended with my victory.
Schmitz tried several different techniques in his own way to attack me, but in the end, he fell to my counterattack.
“Schmitz, don’t be too conscious of Heinrich. You’re not Heinrich.”
“Yes, thank you for the advice!”
After the match ended, Schmitz bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to me.
Even though he lost, he looked to be in good spirits.
It seemed like he had gained something from fighting me.
“Then, I’ll see you after the finals.”
“Good luck, Sir Ernas!”
After sending Schmitz off, I returned to the waiting area.
There, Celine—who had won the first semifinal match—was waiting.
“So in the end, we’re facing each other in the finals, Ernas.”
“Looks like it.”
An announcement came: the finals would take place in 15 minutes.
After a brief rest in the waiting room, I would go up against Celine in the final match.
“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’m officially facing you in a duel.”
“What about right after enrollment, when we fought for the representative seat?”
“Ah, should I count that too?”
Celine thought for a moment, then carefully said,
“To be honest, back then I entered the duel without knowing anything… Thinking about it now, my face burns with embarrassment.”
“There’s no need to feel that way.”
“No, there is. At that time, I didn’t know your real strength at all.”
“……”
At that time, Celine had thought of me as nothing but an incompetent fool.
But by then I had already copied her swordsmanship, and by combining the Bastian Knight Swordsmanship with Lorelian Practical Swordsmanship, I had managed to win.
“I was truly a fool who didn’t know anything.”
“Celine, you don’t need to think of it like that.”
“Hm?”
“You only judged me based on what I had shown you.”
I spoke in a calm voice.
“If you thought I was worthless, that’s because I only showed you a worthless side of me. That’s my responsibility.”
“Ernas…”
“So it isn’t Celine Bastian’s fault. It’s the fault of Ernas Landsstein.”
Yes.
Celine had correctly judged what kind of person Ernas was.
“Don’t feel guilty toward me, Celine.”
“I–It’s not like I was really feeling guilty…”
“Then that’s fine.”
I let out a small laugh.
“Instead of thinking useless thoughts, focus on preparing for the finals. If you go into the match distracted, you’ll lose again.”
“Ugh… You don’t have to say it like that.”
Celine pouted slightly.
“You’ve changed for the better in so many ways, but your attitude toward me seems colder than before.”
“…Sorry about that.”
In the novel, Ernas treated Celine with a somewhat cheesy kindness.
But reenacting that was… quite burdensome for me.
“Do you want me to treat you gently?”
“N–No, forget it. What would be the point now?”
Celine cleared her throat awkwardly and turned her head away.
“If Ernas treats me kindly, then I’d have to return the favor, and I’d rather not.”
“What kind of reasoning is that?”
“It just is.”
As we exchanged those words, I felt a familiar sensation.
It was the same feeling I had when writing scenes in the novel where the cold Celine slowly opened up her heart.
Celine showing this kind of attitude toward Ernas… I never imagined seeing this scene in reality.
If I had written the “side story with Ernas as the protagonist” that my editor demanded, I probably would’ve had to write something like this myself.
It would’ve been a strange feeling.
But right now, I don’t dislike it.
At first, I thought Celine would only be an obstacle.
So I tried to keep my distance.
But now that my relationship with her had improved, there was no need to worry.
I should just keep moving forward like this.
Right now, I was creating the “Ernas as protagonist” side story with my own hands.
If things continued this way, maybe I really could fulfill the editor’s demand—that Ernas “defeats the Six Great Swordsmanship Families and dominates the Academy.”
Though there are still many mountains to climb.
For now, I decided to leave thoughts of the future aside.
What mattered was finishing this final match.
With that conclusion, I closed my eyes and rested.
Soon, the finals against Celine would begin.
“Ugh…!”
Heinrich groaned as he opened his eyes.
He realized he was lying in the infirmary bed.
“Then…”
It all came back quickly.
In his attempt to defeat Ernas Landsstein, he had used Agrippa’s secret technique, The Crux—only to end up self-destructing.
“Ghh…!”
He bit his lip.
Even after using The Crux, he hadn’t been able to defeat Ernas.
On top of that, he collapsed unconscious from the aftereffects of overusing his strength.
A loss with no excuses… a disgraceful loss.
“As the heir of House Agrippa, the prodigy praised since childhood… how could I lose like this?!”
He trembled with uncontrollable rage.
Then, a calm voice came from the infirmary door.
“Not used to losing, are you, Heinrich Agrippa?”
“…!”
A burly man with a scar across his face.
Professor Yolth Kalesius, who had been given the title Dragon-Slaying Sword by the Emperor.
“You saw me lose, Professor?”
“No. I had other duties, so I missed the quarterfinals and semifinals.”
Yolth walked closer.
“I only just came from watching the finals.”
“The finals…”
He wanted to know the result, yet at the same time, dreaded hearing it.
“Ernas and Celine faced each other, and Ernas won—becoming the champion.”
“…!”
Ernas had won.
Hearing that, dizziness washed over him again.
“It wasn’t a desperate life-or-death struggle. But it was a sincere match where they respected each other and showcased their skills… the kind of duel that deserves applause.”
“…”
“It was the sort of exemplary match I’d want many people to see.”
Yolth’s evaluation of the fight barely reached Heinrich’s ears.
All he could do was bite his lip in unbearable frustration.
“You’re thinking it should’ve been you in that position, aren’t you?”
“…!”
The words struck his heart.
Feeling humiliated, Heinrich glared at Yolth—but the professor didn’t flinch.
“If you had defeated Ernas, you’d have been the one to stand as champion, receiving applause from the crowd.”
“…”
“Why do you think you failed to defeat him, Heinrich?”
At that question, Heinrich clenched his fists.
Many thoughts ran through his head, but none he wanted to speak aloud.
“Everything you’re thinking—that’s all the reason why.”
“…!”
“Admit it, Heinrich. In many respects, you were inferior to Ernas.”
Inferior.
That was a word Heinrich had never heard applied to himself in his life.
“In skill, in strategy, in other ways too… Ernas surpassed you.”
“You didn’t even watch the fight, so how can you say that…?”
“Then do you believe you were truly superior, and only lost by bad luck?”
“…”
“You could dismiss it as a twist of fate. But if you do…”
Yolth’s gaze sharpened.
“…then you’ll miss a golden chance to grow.”
“A golden chance… to grow?”
“Humans grow fastest when they try to overcome defeat.”
“…”
“You are indeed a prodigy, Heinrich. But that doesn’t mean you’ll always remain in the lead.”
His voice was calm but firm.
“If Ernas is ahead, then strive with all your might to surpass him. Let him be your great motivation.”
“…Great motivation…”
“There is still a long road ahead for you. To reach your goal, use everything at your disposal.”
“You mean… I should use this defeat?”
“That’s right. Make this defeat your asset.”
“….”
Heinrich bit his lip.
He understood Yolth’s words.
But his pride was too wounded to accept them right away.
“Think on it slowly, Heinrich.”
“Yes…”
“If it’s too difficult to do alone, come to me after your promotion. Seek out my class—I’ll help as much as I can.”
“Your… class?”
“A new class is being established.”
Professors of Peak rank or higher could open new classes, provided they had contributed significantly to the Academy and gained approval in the faculty council.
“Now, I’ll leave you. Return to Blue Class 2 at your own pace.”
“Yes, Professor…”
Yolth turned to leave, but paused mid-step.
“Heinrich.”
“Yes?”
“I heard that during Ernas’s final attack, he briefly unleashed a blue sword aura. Is that true?”
Yolth’s sharp gaze pierced Heinrich.
“Yes. I remember it clearly. His aura flashed like lightning… and there was even a thunderous sound.”
“I see.”
Yolth nodded.
“Remarkable. A student less than a year into the Academy reached the same idea as I did.”
“…?”
Muttering to himself, Yolth left.
Heinrich didn’t fully understand what that meant, but perhaps Yolth had come here precisely to confirm this.
“Haa…”
He lay back on the bed again.
The humiliation still burned deep.
But unless he acknowledged this defeat, he would not be able to move forward.
“Ernas Landsstein…”
The man who handed him his first loss.
Clenching his fist tightly, Heinrich whispered that name.
“Damn it!”
In a deserted corner, Gort spat curses.
This time, he had lost to Rufus.
On top of his earlier defeat against Ernas, he had now been beaten again—this time by another heir of a great swordsmanship family.
“And in front of people from the Imperial Household, no less… damn it!”
It was said that the palace officials stayed until after Ernas and Heinrich’s fight before leaving.
Perhaps they had come just to observe those two from the start.
“This was supposed to be my chance to showcase my skills to the Imperial Court…”
Meanwhile, Ernas had defeated Heinrich, the so-called prodigy, and gone on to claim the championship.
Right now, Ernas could be considered the one closest to standing at the top of the Academy.
Gort was seething with rage at that fact.
“Damn it…!”
“Your voice is too loud, Gort.”
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
A mature woman’s voice, carrying an oppressive weight.
“Can’t even control your emotions?”
“A–Aunt…”
A tall woman, taller than most men.
Brown hair reminiscent of a lion’s mane.
The younger sister of Duke Baltfeld, and the second-in-command of House Baltfeld—Theodora Baltfeld—approached.
“Y–You were in the audience today?”
Theodora was both his aunt and his swordmaster.
Even now, she supported him from outside the Academy.
To Gort, she was someone he could only bow his head to.
“You showed disgrace, Gort.”
“…!”
Hearing her voice, Gort hurriedly lowered his head.
“M–My apologies, Aunt!”
“Enough. I didn’t come here to hear an apology.”
Her sharp eyes bore into him.
“Gort, from what I see, Ernas Landsstein of House Landsstein is the one leading the way. Correct?”
“Yes… that’s correct.”
Clenching his fist, he nodded.
“Do you think you can catch up to him soon?”
“That is…”
“Answer honestly, Gort.”
“Ugh…”
He bowed his head under her pressure.
“I’m sorry. At the moment, I don’t think I can.”
“I see.”
“B–But I will definitely catch up to him soon! Please don’t worry!”
“I can’t simply trust in your bravado.”
Theodora frowned.
“What if he pulls further ahead, widening the gap between you?”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen…”
“And that’s why I said I can’t trust only in your boasting.”
Her gaze was filled with disdain.
“I’ll take matters into my own hands.”
“…What?”
“Your father entrusted you to me. So I must act.”
In that moment, her eyes gleamed with cruelty.
“The position of Grand Duke of Lichtenauer is at stake. I won’t let him get any further ahead—I’ll drag him down.”
“…!”
Drag Ernas down.
Could that really be done?
“Don’t worry, Gort.”
Before his trembling figure, Theodora smiled coldly.
“I’ll make sure it’s done discreetly and thoroughly… without Ernas suspecting a thing.”
