Chapter 29
Regardless of his objective view of Kyle as Emperor, Blair still had hopes that the Kyle he had left behind in the past was doing well. It might have been the last remaining strand of affection. Rather than feelings stemming from his unrequited love, it was more like fondness for someone he had known for a long time.
Even though Blair had often disparaged the past Kyle, saying he didn’t quite have the qualities to be a good ruler, objectively speaking, the past Kyle had been quite handsome and mature. He had the dignity of an Emperor. Of course, if the current Kyle grew up the same way, he would also become a rather splendid adult, but right now, he was just a child with downy cheeks and delicate features.
If possible, Blair hoped that Kyle would faithfully fulfill his role as Emperor, a role that Blair had worked so hard to create for him. If Kyle didn’t do well, it would make all of Blair’s lifelong dedication seem like a waste. Whether he liked him or not, Kyle had been Blair’s only love, a longtime friend, and his lord. Kyle had occupied no small part of Blair’s life.
“I wonder if that guy is doing well. He should be.”
Blair murmured quietly as he watched Kyle’s shining head disappear into the crowd in the distance.
Aaron would be supporting him diligently. Since Blair had been planning to leave anyway, Kyle wouldn’t have fallen apart just because Blair was gone. That had to be the case. Blair decided to believe that. Even if it wasn’t true, there was no way to return anyway. For the sake of his own mental health, he had to believe it.
Blair firmly decided to brainwash himself into believing that Kyle was doing well.
If the past and present were flowing at the same pace, it had been about half a year since he had left Kyle. The imperial hunting grounds had been at the beginning of winter, and now the Academy was entering the summer season. It was enough time for Kyle to forget the deceased Blair. And Blair sincerely hoped that he would be forgotten.
It had to be that way for both of them. Now, the two were living in different timelines.
For Blair, the Kyle he had given his heart to was still just that person he had left behind in the past and departed from alone.
* * *
Spring days when one had to wear a cape quickly passed. Now, the school uniforms had changed to thinner, shorter materials, and there were more students exposing their forearms and calves. The trees planted within the Academy had also changed into deep green clothes.
It was already clearly summer. If you stood outside for a long time, beads of sweat would form on your forehead. Blair picked up the wooden sword he had been keeping well and headed to the training grounds for swordsmanship class. Soon they would start using real swords for practice. In the past, they had received real swords around this time too. Even though he had held a sword thousands and tens of thousands of times, the thought of holding a real sword made him strangely excited. Blair, in genuinely good spirits, opened the door to the training grounds with light steps.
“Hey, Blair.”
“Hello, Blair.”
Aaron, already sprawled out on the floor, greeted Blair with a bright expression. Aaron with his languid attitude and Kyle with his broad smile both greeted Blair. After giving a casual eye greeting to both, Blair spoke to Aaron.
“Aaron, why are you sitting on the floor?”
Blair chided Aaron.
“I’m exhausted. I feel like I’m going to die.”
Ughhh. Aaron made a groaning sound.
“What did you do to be so tired? You haven’t done anything. It’s not even exam period.”
Blair looked at Aaron with contempt.
“This fourth-year senior has more to do than you. I just took a political diplomacy exam.”
“Ah.”
Blair nodded. Certainly, the political diplomacy exam had essay tests scattered throughout this time. To be more precise, the political diplomacy exams came at any time without warning. The professor would give a blank sheet and make students randomly pick a theme from what they had learned and write about it. Among students, there was a rumor that the professor gave frequent tests because he was too lazy to teach.
Moreover, the political diplomacy essay exam was infamous among students for having no time limit. Of course, Blair also remembered taking that class in the past. Excluding the official exams, he had submitted about five test papers. It was truly a strict professor.
Blair looked contemptuously at Aaron, who was glued to the floor as if becoming one with the earth, saying he hadn’t slept at all last night because the announcement had come suddenly and he had to study. Indeed, Aaron’s already rough straw-colored hair looked even more disheveled. It looked really coarse like straw, as if there was no trace of oil in it at all. Moreover, Aaron, who already had a small and thin build, seemed to have lost even more weight recently, making him look even smaller.
On the other hand, Blair was in the midst of a growth spurt. To slightly exaggerate, he could feel himself getting taller every time he woke up. His growth was so rapid that he was worried about getting stretch marks on his thighs. He had surpassed Aaron, who was two years older, in height a long time ago.
In the past, he had grown rapidly between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, so he would probably grow about the same amount this time too. Blair was optimistically predicting his final height. Everyone in the Monetery family tended to be tall. Theodore, with his bear-like physique, was a given, and Clara was also a slender beauty.
Blair extended his hand to Aaron, who was sprawled on the ground, and pulled him up. Aaron, smaller than Blair, came up like a sheet of paper with just a little force. Kyle, who had been watching the hand extended to Aaron with what seemed like envious eyes, snapped out of it and shook his head vigorously. Blair looked at him with a “what’s wrong with him?” expression but didn’t bother to ask Kyle for the reason.
While Aaron and Blair were squabbling, Professor Plienta entered through the door. The students scattered around the training grounds all straightened their posture and looked at the professor. Assistants filed in behind the professor, bringing swords and piling them up in front.
“From today, we’ll be handling real swords instead of wooden ones. There are various swords from daggers to rapiers, so choose what you like. It’s better not to choose a sword that’s too heavy for your strength, as it will be difficult to handle.”
“Yes!”
“Of course, it’s true that the heavier the weight, the stronger the power you can generate. However, if you swing a sword that’s too heavy for your strength, you could injure your muscles, and if you train excessively, you might not grow taller, so be careful.”
“Oh no, then I should use the lightest sword. What if I don’t grow taller?”
Aaron made a fuss beside Blair. Although Aaron was whispering in Blair’s ear, Blair just nodded indifferently. He didn’t agree with Aaron. If things weren’t much different from the past, Aaron’s height wouldn’t be much different from now. Blair didn’t want to crush the hope of a growing seedling, but he didn’t want to encourage it either.
Looking at the pile of metal, his heart fluttered with excitement.
The scattered students compared the swords and picked suitable ones. Aaron, true to his word, picked the narrowest and lightest rapier, and Kyle chose an arming sword. Blair selected a bastard sword.
Of course, Blair naturally knew how to handle dual swords freely, but if forced to choose, he greatly preferred a single sword. Gripping the sword with appropriate weight made him feel good. Bows, spears, and horses were all good, but the king of weapons was indeed the sword.
Blair drew the sword from its scabbard with a swoosh. The well-sharpened blade reflected the sunlight brightly. The blade was sharp and well-maintained.
“These are real swords. Even a small mistake can cause injury, so be careful. Don’t fool around.”
Professor Plienta spoke sternly.
Standing in front of a wooden dummy, Professor Plienta drew his own sword. The professor lightly swung his sword. The blade, well-polished with an oiled cloth, gleamed.
“A sword is all about thrusting and cutting. A sword is fundamentally a weapon for killing. Thrusting and slashing. This is the beginning and end of all swordsmanship. Remember this well. I’ll submit this as a humanism question for the theoretical exam, so be aware. If you get it right, you’ll get 1 point, and if you get it wrong, I’ll deduct 10 points. If you get the humanism question wrong, you’re obviously not human, right?”
After saying that, Professor Plienta demonstrated. The professor successively stabbed the wooden dummy’s neck, forehead, and chest. It was a powerful and precise movement.
Thud, thud, thud.
The wooden dummy, having lost its balance, immediately fell backwards.
“This is thrusting. This is a wooden dummy without will, and it falls over when it loses balance, so it collapses after just a few hits. But real combat is different. People dodge and regain their balance.”
Professor Plienta, who had set up the fallen wooden dummy again, tapped the dummy’s shoulder part with his sword.
“Anyway, thrusting is quite an efficient attack method. ‘Aiming for the shortest distance in a straight line and thrusting’ is the basics of swordsmanship. Flashy movements are meaningless. They’re just wasteful actions that drain your energy.”
Blair, who was listening, nodded. He also somewhat agreed with Professor Plienta’s statement. It was the kind of statement that would make a noble-born knight who valued etiquette, manners, and chivalry above all go wild, but in actual combat, Professor Plienta’s words were a hundred times right. Blair had experienced this dozens of times standing on the battlefield. Chivalry be damned. Flashy swordsmanship and movements had no meaning in life-and-death situations.
Professor Plienta, being of common birth and having acquired knighthood through actual combat experience in a mercenary group, seemed to think that way. Hmm, hmm. Blair nodded. Swordsmanship should indeed be learned from various people.
[To be continued in the next episode…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
