The Academy's Barbarian

Chapter 42: I Shouldn't Have Done That (6)

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"Finally, the Final is here."

A young man and woman faced each other on the training ground Ulan and Ibella.

Looking at the two rising stars, Ethan smiled slightly. His eyes held a fair amount of anticipation.

"Ulan, you go first."

He motioned Ulan to choose a weapon for Ibella and Ulan headed to the Armory in silence; a while later, he chose a longsword.

At first glance, it seemed quite a plain-looking weapon, but he had chosen it quite carefully. It was a sword that suited Ibella's physique well.

"I recommend this."

He wants her to use it to the best of her skills.

After receiving the sword from Ulan. Ibella swung it through the air a few times. Soon, a faint smile appeared on her face, as if she liked the sword.

"Ibella, it's your turn next."

"I'll choose this."

Ibella also chose a longsword, but hers was slightly larger than the one Ulan had chosen. It was chosen to match Ulan's larger build.

'From the first time we met until now, Ulan has never swung a sword.'

However, it didn't mean he couldn't handle a sword. In the past, Ulan had been knowledgeable enough in the art of swordsmanship to offer advice to Ibella when she was facing a wall.

So.

She wanted to see Ulan's swordsmanship; she wanted to engrave his sword strikes into her mind. She also wanted to get a sense of how strong a high-ranking knight could be.

"I'm surprised you both have chosen swords," Ethan looked intrigued.

This was probably the last duel, so it was likely that they would choose proper weapons. He finished his speculation and reached into his pocket, "I don't need to remind you of the rules, do I?"

No answer came.

Smirking, Ethan pulled out a silver coin. Then, without hesitation, he flicked his finger.

Whirrr!

The silver coin spun in midair.

The students' gazes followed the silver coin, while Ulan and Ibella's gazes were fixed on each other.

And before long

the sound of a silver coin hitting the ground rang out.

At that moment, Ulan and Ibella lunged at each other without waiting for Ethan to tell them who should go first.

Kaang! Clang! Clash!

The swords clashed noisily; the sharp edges bit into each other like fangs. However, the struggle was short-lived.

'A wise decision.'

Ulan's strength was comparable to that of a giant. Fighting against him head-on would have been madness. Ibella realized this the moment their swords clashed, and she quickly parried.

'If it were anyone else...'

Usually, at this point, they would have stepped back, explored their opponent's movements, and waited for an opportunity to strike again.

But Ibella was different.

Instead, she closed the distance. If there was no opening, she created one, then swung her sword.

Swish! Slash! Swish!

Thrusts rained down like arrows; each strike aimed at a vital point, executed with clean precision. Ulan's eyes sparkled as she watched the clean, uncluttered attack.

'She's certainly different from last time.'

If last time's forest encounter showed that Ibella's swordsmanship hadn't properly followed the path of the sword, now she was moving in alignment with it.

It was a much more stable sword technique; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she had surpassed that barrier.

'But she's still inexperienced.'

Ulan's gaze narrowed.

As he saw it, Ibella's swordsmanship was being hindered by the formality of the techniques. She was restricted by the structure of swordsmanship and unable to unleash her true talent.

On the other hand, the Swordmaiden from my past life.

she had abandoned all the sword techniques she had originally learned; instead, she created completely new sword techniques that had never existed before, tailored to each situation.

To create something out of nothing this was her true talent.

Is it because she lacks practical experience?

He pondered the reasons, but he couldn't find a definitive answer. Finding the answer wasn't his role. So, Ulan stopped worrying about it and decided not to rush. He reminded himself not to be impatient.

'Even if she's inexperienced, she's still Ibella.'

She was someone who would surely become a Swordmaiden someday. So Ulan didn't second-guess her path. Instead, a new thought crossed his mind.

'I should wrap up this duel soon.'

On the surface, it seemed like an intense battle.

However, that was only the impression Ulan wanted to give. If he decided to end the duel right away, he could do so.

But.

Should Ulan falter and err, the great disparity in their prowess might erode Ibella's resolve.

And thats why Ulan found himself in a dilemma.

Has she noticed this? Ibella, who had been launching an aggressive assault, withdrew unexpectedly, "Ulan..," her voice settled calmly while her pupils flickered fiercely, "Look at me seriously, and don't hold back."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I want to see everything about you."

A fervent desire illuminated her eyes, a martial ardor akin to blazing flames. Confronted with this, Ulan finally apprehended his misjudgment.

I see.

His concern had been a needless worry from the start; the girl before him was Swordmaiden Ibella a warrior he had acknowledged in his past life, a warrior who would slay the monsters of the Abyss in the future.

The resolution of one at her echelon could not be shattered by a mere practice duel. Ulan erupted in laughter, "I understand."

After a silent nod, his crimson eyes blazed with intensity, "Then I'll show you."

With the utmost respect, the level he had reached now.

After arriving at a steadfast decision

Woong!

his Spirit surged to its zenith; even though the use of mana could be deemed as a transgression, Ulan didn't care about such things.

That was not what mattered the most now.

For a future comrade-in-arms.

For a warrior who yearns for strength.

To lay bare all he had diligently cultivated.

Only that held significance.

Thud! Thud!

The Spirit permeated every sinew, and promptly, his body was strengthened to the limit.

Next

Then, he accumulated momentum based on the experiences of his past life; from the battles, struggles, survival, and more

When the sum of power had been compacted to an exalted degree, Master Ulan's impetus found its culmination; it had been channeled into Ulan's sword.

With all the preparations complete, Ulan took a purposeful stride forward.

Thunk!

From this point onward, everything within his purview fell under the dominion of the Master; those who hadn't reached the realm of the Master were forbidden even a glimpse.

And now, at this juncture

Ulan's movements eluded all observers. Not one soul.

"........!"

Ethan, who had been watching the duel, splayed his eyes; he wasn't alone in this response. Each student's gaze expanded without exception.

The training ground was filled with silence; an illusion that time had stopped. Ethan barely managed to get the words out, "What... what happened..."

He couldn't recollect blinking; he hadn't diverted his gaze from Ulan once.

'...Yet why?'

Is Ulan over there?

A mere instant ago, or perchance even less, hadn't Ibella and Ulan stood eight paces apart?

Curiously, that wasn't the entirety of it.

Clang!

A fragmented sword fell on the ground. It was Ibella's longsword.

The sword's bifurcated halves exhibited pristine edges, as though cleaved by a blade.

That means..

Ulan had swung his sword. Nevertheless, Ethan remained unseeing.

The approach toward Ibella, the swing of Ulan's sword, the sundering of Ibella's weaponnone of it registered in his sight.

His vision quivered; subsequent to swallowing a parched gulp, Ethan's visage solidified akin to stone.

The movements that he who had reached the realm of an expert could not follow with his eyes. And because there was only one possible meaning behind these results.

'...The realm of the Master.'

In the wake of this mind-boggling realization, a murmur rippled through the student.

"What's going on? Why are they standing still?"

"So who won?"

Ibella still held her broken sword; Ulan, on the other hand, put his sword down without saying a word.

As everyone scratched their heads at this bizarre situation, Ulan opened his mouth, "She had fainted."

"What, what?"

"Ibella lost consciousness."

As if to answer, Ibella had fainted while standing straight. When Ulan lightly nudged her, she collapsed to the ground.

'Perhaps...'

It seemed she still wasn't prepared to withstand the Master's sword. Ulan, who had gently supported Ibella as she fell, turned to Ethan, "I will take her to the infirmary."

"......Uh? Oh, yeah," Ethan assented, dazed.

Yet, a mere instant later, he promptly corrected himself, "No! You don't have to come back. We're done here for the day anyway."

"Understood."

Nodding, Ulan started to walk away.

Ethan followed suit.

Hurriedly concluding his class for the day, he turned, his face still hardened. He headed toward the main building of the Military Studies Department.

Swift report to the Head is warranted.

Substantial revision of extant information loomed imperative that he wasn't just a simple heir to the barbarian tribe, but a monster who had reached the realm of a master at the mere age of seventeen!

And on that twilight, the Imperial Military High Command quaked to its foundations.

The Central Headquarters of the Ruben Empire.

In the heart of this place, in a place where generals and officers alike were outnumbered, there was a place that not even generals dared enter the Central Commander's office.

Here resided the sole 5-Star General of the Empire, the apex of the military leadership, and the titan who held all command of the Imperial Military.

The Grand General, Barka Erkazan.

The current patriarch of the Erkazan Ducal House, he was singing a tune with an excited face, "Hmm, hum-hum."

There were two reasons for this.

One was that it was almost time to get off work.

The other was that it was the day when his youngest daughter, who had been commissioned as an officer in the Eastern Front at the end of last year, was returning home on her first vacation.

"Only 30 minutes left."

Part of him wants to go home right now; but he held back. There could be an urgent report coming up within the next 30 minutes.

Of course, that was unlikely.

But then, perhaps fate caught up with Barka.

"This is.."

Barka's eyebrows furrowed.

In his hand was a report. To be exact, it was a report from the Arsene Academy about a [Level-1 Management Target].

After reading the entire report, he crumpled it up into a ball.

"What a joke," he snorted in exasperation.

Barka glared at his adjutant and asked, "A barbarian that we designated as a [Level-1 Management Target] last week has actually reached the realm of a Master? Do you expect me to believe this?"

"I had similar thoughts as Your Excellency."

With a calm answer, the adjutant pointed to the end of the report.

"Until I saw that seal."

".............."

The blue seal stamped on the report.

It was the seal of Berge Erkazan, former Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military and current Head of the Military Studies Department at the Arsene Academy.

In other words, the mere existence of this seal significantly increased the credibility of the report.

Barka let out a low sigh, "Well, it's my father's seal, but still, even so, a 17-year-old Master..."

He still couldn't believe it.

Currently, there were only five Masters affiliated with the Empire. Moreover, even the youngest among them was well over thirty years.

Yet, some barbarian from the fringes, someone who had grown up in the wilderness, had reached the realm of a Master at the youngest age in Empire history?

Barka could not accept it.

It was then that the adjutant spoke up, "Incidentally, related evidence from Arsene has been attached to this report."

"Evidence?"

"Yes, should I read it to you?"

If you had that from the beginning, you should have said so. Barka nodded, and soon, the contents of the dossier soon flowed from the adjutant's mouth, "First of all, on the day of the entrance ceremony, the target inflicted minor to moderate injuries on over a hundred students and professors while delivering the opening speech as the representative of the freshman class."

".....what?"

"That, and it was just a simple shout."

What does that mean?

Barka looked bewildered. Meanwhile, the adjutant continued to read in an expressionless voice, "Next, on the same day, the target was on a field trip to the Fountain of Spring, when he was swept away by a torrent along with two of his classmates and went missing."

"M, Missing?"

"Yes, the target, however, managed to escape by passing through the Trial of a Hero, an ancient ruin hidden within the Fountain of Mana, where they encountered a 'Blood Golem'."

A Blood Golem.

The moment he heard those words, Barka's face turned to stone. After a moment, he rubbed his furrowed brow and asked, "The 'Blood Golem' you just mentioned, is it the same thing I'm thinking of?"

"If you're referring to the weapon created by the Desert Heretics, then yes. The golem in question was said to have been killed single-handedly by the target."

"............."

Barka clamped his mouth shut.

Once, having fought in the desert, he knew very well how horrifying the Blood Golem was and how difficult it was to deal with.

"Lastly, the testimonies of Professors Stella Natalia and Ethan Arnoff are also attached."

Stella and Ethan.

Both were former competent soldiers who had been active in the military.

Especially Ethan, a top-level expert that even Barka had his eyes on. There was no way someone like him could misjudge the target's realm.

When all this evidence was considered together, the answer was already apparent.

"I'm guessing thisis true."

Barka's eyes turned fierce.

After a while, he spread out the crumpled report on the table, and his eyes went straight to the last sentence.

Based on the attached evidence, the Military Studies Department of the Arsene Academy has judged that Ulan Bator has entered the realm of a Master and requests an upgrade in the management grade assigned to the target.

Ulan's current management grade was Level-1.

A Level-1 Management Target was under constant surveillance by agents dispatched by the Imperial Military High Command and the Intelligence Department, with every minor action being recorded in a report.

However, if it is determined that the subject's combat prowess is outside of a certain standard,.......

the rating would be upgraded from Level-1 to Level-0.

A Level-0 Management Target.

From this point onwards, all surveillance on the target would cease. Why? Because only a Master can monitor another Master.

So, the investigation will be conducted on individuals who have had contact with the subject, not the subject itself.

In other words, it meant indirectly collecting information. Therefore, it required much more manpower than monitoring a Level-1 Management Target. They had to investigate literally 'everyone' who had come into contact with him.

And on top of that, it needs to be reported to the Imperial Family"

It was a whole lot of hassle.

As Barka's face twisted more and more, the adjutant cautiously asked, "Your Excellency, what will you do?"

"What time is it?"

"It's 5:50 PM."

Early quitting time was out of the question now. Barka let out a sigh and immediately stood up from his seat. Meeting his beloved youngest daughter was nice, but work came first.

After all, he was the Grand General of the Ruben Empire.

"Effective immediately, upgrade the target's management garde from Level-1 to Level-0. Communicate the change to the relevant departments."

"Yes! Understood."

"Additionally, relay the message to the Intelligence Department guys. Since the information they've collected has become useless, tell them to start the investigation properly from the beginning."

"I will relay the message."

After saluting, the adjutant left the room.

10 minutes before quitting time. It was the moment when an all-nighter for the Empire's Intelligence Department was confirmed.

(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . . )

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