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chapter 154
Kang Garam seemed to be thinking something as she watched Elliot, who was a magician but also used a sword.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked me to teach her swordsmanship.
“… Maybe she wanted to be a swordsman before she realized she was a magician.”
It wasn’t something incomprehensible. Not everyone thinks this way, but many Awakened consider the sword to be the most versatile weapon.
To summarize their logic briefly, the sword is not called “the king of all weapons” for nothing. It’s true that swords are popular and well-documented, which contributes to that reputation, but I also agreed that swords were the best weapon for an Awakened. Not because I was a swordsman, necessarily.
“… More precisely, it’s the best weapon for dealing with monsters.”
Monsters are generally tough to kill, and many regenerate unless struck fatally. Weapons like spears, guns, or bows are less effective against such creatures. Of course, a sufficiently strong fighter could strike a monster’s head or heart with any weapon, but for beginners, it’s more efficient to cut through a monster’s body with a sword or axe, or crush it with fists or blunt weapons.
However, to crush a monster with fists or blunt weapons, one needs significant strength. Therefore, for beginners, the sword is the most practical choice.
“Schools and academies know this, so they usually recommend swords as a starting weapon. Students who start with swords often continue using them in society.”
While other weapon skills are taught at academies, swords are the most familiar to students. As a result, among Auror users, swords are overwhelmingly popular. Naturally, it’s not surprising that children who grew up hearing tales of sword-wielding heroes aspire to become swordsmen.
“……”
Since asking me to teach her swordsmanship, Kang Garam silently watched me. Was she planning to stare until I answered?
“You can just learn at school. They teach weapon skills there too.”
“Yes. Even though our classmate Han Geonwoo is a famous Artist, it would still be better to learn swordsmanship professionally at an institution.”
Jin Cheonha added my words.
… Even though it’s an open secret that I’m an Artist, does he have to say it so bluntly?
I looked at Jin Cheonha, hiding my astonishment, but he seemed oblivious to what he’d done wrong.
Seeing this, Kim Eunyeon spoke.
“… Hehe… Geonwoo being an Artist is just a rumor, right? No one really knows if it’s true or not…”
“Hmm… that might be true.”
Jin Cheonha seemed to accept her words, though he probably still believed I was an Artist.
Kang Garam, watching the two of them briefly, turned her gaze back to me.
“Geonwoo is an Auror Master. He uses a sword better than the school teachers, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Then have Geonwoo teach me.”
I paused for a moment at her request.
It wouldn’t be difficult to teach her swordsmanship. But I had no desire to teach a girl who had never held a sword before. Even if I wanted to, it was too early to teach her now. She’s a magician, so her physical abilities are lower than those of an Auror user.
“Even if I teach her, her body can’t keep up.”
One might argue that she could train her body first, but whether I train her personally or she builds strength under school supervision, it makes little difference. There are few shortcuts to physical conditioning… unless, like me, you constantly stimulate your body with internal energy.
“Don’t think about learning from me. Just learn at school.”
So, I refused Kang Garam’s request.
“……”
After hearing my answer, she stared at me silently for a moment before turning her head. And then…
“Can’t you…?”
Suddenly, she started acting cute.
“Ugh…!”
Her cuteness seemed to work on the elderly butler watching quietly. Of course.
“No. You can’t.”
It didn’t work on me at all.
“… It worked on Dad and Mom, but not on a classmate, huh.”
Kang Garam instantly returned to a neutral expression. What kind of person is she?
I gave her a tired look…
Clap!
Elena, standing beside us, clapped and drew everyone’s attention.
“I have a good idea! Kang Garam wants to learn from Han Geonwoo, right?”
“Yes.”
“But since Han Geonwoo doesn’t seem interested in teaching… how about learning by watching?”
I narrowed my eyes at Elena. What was she trying to suggest with this lead-up?
“Learning by watching? How?”
“It’s simple! Just watch Han Geonwoo spar and copy him!”
Ah, I see. I had forgotten because Elliot was making a fuss about sparring with Lee Dumin, but Elena, Elliot’s twin, also enjoyed sparring with strong opponents. Elena just usually hides her enthusiasm.
So, Elena was using Kang Garam as an excuse to spar with me. Of course, she didn’t plan to face me alone.
“Spar with Geonwoo? Can’t resist!”
The moment sparring was mentioned, her twin was hooked.
“Do you want to join too? It’s a chance to challenge an Auror Master.”
Elena didn’t stop with Elliot, trying to pull in other kids as well.
“I… I’m not a combatant…”
“Me too, a bit…”
Kim Eunyeon, an alchemist, and Ryu Amin, a transformation telekinetic not suited for combat, expressed reluctance.
But the other kids were different.
“Sparring with Geonwoo… as long as it doesn’t end the moment he starts, I’m in.”
“If it’s just sparring…”
“I know it will be tough, but I want to see an Auror Master’s power.”
“… I want to learn from Geonwoo’s sword.”
Lee Dumin, Ryu Ayoung, Jin Cheonha, and Kang Garam sequentially expressed their desire to participate.
“Sparring with Geonwoo? Sounds fun!”
Even the archmage Lee Ha-eun was eager to fight me. Wait… she said it would be fun to fight me? What does that mean, Ha-eun?
“So everyone’s participating except the two of you?”
I glared at Elena for speaking as if my opinion didn’t matter, but it seemed the sparring was already decided. Avoiding it would be difficult…
“… This is going to be troublesome.”
I suddenly recalled a year ago when I fought Richard, a candidate for the world’s strongest, with my puppet. Facing his sudden attacks had been tricky, but I thought this sparring would be even more complicated.
“I need to control my strength carefully.”
Unlike Richard, who was durable enough to attack without restraint, I had to be careful here. If I misjudged, the kids could get seriously injured—or worse.
Because the group contained children who were neither weak nor extremely strong, I couldn’t easily gauge how much strength to use.
“Even though the sparring arena prevents fatal injuries, it has its limits…”
As I pondered this, the kids pushed and pulled me into the arena.
“… Haa…”
Once inside, I adjusted the sword at my waist while watching the children prepare across from me.
“… I can’t control my strength with this sword.”
The sword was a gift from Chloe Greenwood, called an elf by many. Though ceremonial, it was a genuine fine blade—sharp enough to seriously injure anyone it touched. Using a regular mass-produced sword from the pocket dimension would be awkward. In that case…
“I’ll go barehanded.”
It’s easier to control my strength that way. Everyone on the opposing side was also barehanded, so there was no problem.
“……”
Kang Garam looked displeased when she realized I would spar barehanded, but I ignored her gaze and spoke to the children.
“Since it’s come to this, give it your all.”
Though the sparring started due to Elena’s instigation, I didn’t plan to immediately defeat the kids and end it meaninglessly. If they were going to spar, they should gain something from it.
“I’ll give advice if you need it.”
Kang Garam was born into a well-off family. Not just well-off, but wealthy enough to be called a chaebol family.
Still, she didn’t flaunt it. Her parents and the butler, who had watched her grow up, taught her that if the second or third generation chaebols misbehaved or committed crimes, it could destroy the family.
Indeed, some second- or third-generation heirs had foolishly ruined the companies built by their parents, so she took them as examples and lived as a model student.
Gifted and well-educated from a young age, she had consistently ranked first in elementary and middle school.
But…
“Mom, Dad… I didn’t get first place.”
High school for Awakened students was different.
The results of the written entrance exam meant she wasn’t the top scorer. She had actually achieved a perfect score but assumed she had made a mistake because the school didn’t provide exact numbers.
“Well, it’s okay to lose first place once in a while.”
“Yes, after all, the youngest Auror Master and the archmage are in the same grade as you. Getting first place among them is difficult.”
Fortunately, her parents weren’t disappointed and encouraged her.
“……”
But Kang Garam, who lost first place, thought differently.
“I need to take first place back.”
So she observed Han Geonwoo at school. Following him, she believed, would help her become the top student. She invited classmates to her house to observe him longer. And that’s why she asked him to teach her swordsmanship—to analyze his technique while naturally getting more time to observe.
“Then I can get first place again.”
With that in mind, Kang Garam joined the sparring instigated by Elena.
“Using strong magic is good, but try to reduce your casting speed. The enemy won’t wait for you to finish casting.”
“You were told to reduce your casting speed, but if you force magic you can’t control, what then? Your allies could get hit.”
“It was smart to use a hidden trap magic, but if you were going to, you should have concealed it better.”
“……”
Listening to Han Geonwoo casually giving advice while easily handling seven opponents, she realized the gap between his level and hers.
“No matter how strong an Auror Master is, they’re still the same age as us…”
Having lived a life without lacking anything, Kang Garam felt inferiority for the first time.
