Chapter 17

The one who had blurted out the rude remark was none other than Damian, the second son of Count Paulette. He had thought he was merely muttering to himself, but his voice rang out louder than he expected, possibly amplified by the silence around him.

However, the volume of his voice wasn’t the main issue right now.

The problem was that everyone had heard him insult someone—a knight, no less.

‘Damn, my life at the Academy is….’

He realized that his image had taken a hit from the very beginning, and his stomach churned.

Insulting a knight?

That didn’t bother him too much. After all, it was just a demoted knight, wasn’t it? The man couldn’t retaliate just because Damian had insulted him. Unless the knight had any plans of challenging the Paulette family, which was unlikely.

“Was it you?”

“...What?”

The knight on the platform spoke to him with certainty, and Damian, taken off guard for a second, responded—

“‘What’? Who the hell are you talking to, you disrespectful bastard?”

The next moment, Damian’s vision went black.

All he could see was the podium flying toward him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

BOOM!

Chaos erupted in an instant.

People were stunned for entirely different reasons now, their minds blank.

What just flew through the air?

No, more importantly, did that man just throw a podium like it was a ball?

There were many thoughts they wanted to voice, but no one dared to speak as they watched the instructor standing on the platform.

“Huh, I meant to throw my glove, but it seems the podium flew instead. My mistake.”

….

“Seriously. I was so overcome with anger from the insult that I tried to throw my glove, but the podium went with it. Hmm, is the podium made of a lighter material?”

He pointed to the podium as if asking for understanding, but the expressions of those present became impossible to describe.

Who the hell is this madman?

As everyone shared the same thought, Damian, still reeling from the impact of the podium, remained unconscious, while the Paulette family members sprang into action.

“Damian!”

“How dare you! Such an outrageous act!”

The members of the Paulette family, seated in the VIP section, glared at the instructor as though they wanted to tear him apart, emanating murderous intent.

In response, Ihan—

“Shut up.”

—snorted in laughter, naturally pouring fuel on the already blazing fire of their anger.

“You bastard!”

Swoosh!

One of the knights from the Paulette family drew his sword, and an immense aura radiated from his body.

The shimmering air around him resembled the heatwaves of a blazing flame.

It was a clear display of deadly intent.

This was a skill only those who had mastered the pinnacle of aura techniques could wield, and it demonstrated just how exceptional the knight’s abilities were—his level far surpassed that of Yord, who had displayed his swordsmanship the previous day.

The knight’s sword aimed directly at the crazed instructor, and before anyone could intervene, the blade shot forward to pierce its target.

But.

Whoosh!

“Guh?!”

Before the knight’s sword could reach its target, a hand axe flew through the air, cutting through the knight’s concentration and causing him to hesitate for a split second.

The knight should have known better.

He should never have hesitated.

SLAM!

“You started this, didn’t you?”

Whoosh!

When had he moved?

Like a bird diving down at full speed, Ihan instantly closed the gap and grabbed the knight by the neck, lifting him into the air.

For a moment, the knight's body rose into the air like a puppet with its strings cut.

With an overwhelming sense of weightlessness, the knight had no chance to resist.

CRACK!

His head smashed into the ground with a sickening thud.

“Grrraagh!”

A horrifying scream echoed through the hall.

Had the knight’s neck not been well-trained, it could have snapped from the force of the impact. Even with his training, the blow caused his entire body to seize up, rendering him nearly unconscious.

But despite that—

Wham!

Ihan didn’t stop.

He continued to hold the knight by the neck and lifted him again before slamming him back into the ground.

“Ugh!”

Desperate to survive, the knight gripped his sword in a reverse grip and swung it at Ihan, his last show of defiance, a refusal to go down without a fight.

Thud.

“…Impossible.”

“I’m not some weakling you can take down.”

The knight had tried to stab Ihan in the stomach, but his blade didn’t penetrate.

Of course, it didn’t.

The knight had no idea how tough Ihan’s muscles and bones were. His flesh might bruise, but it wouldn’t be pierced so easily.

After all, how had Ihan survived fighting aura users for three years without suffering serious injuries?

So.

“You put up a decent fight.”

Wham!

Ihan praised the knight’s resolve before slamming him into the ground again.

Crash!

Once, twice, three times...

A total of five times, Ihan grabbed the knight by the neck and repeatedly smashed him into the wall and floor.

It was as if he was testing which would give out first—the knight’s body or his own stamina.

A normal person would have tired out by now, but Ihan showed no signs of fatigue.

In fact, it seemed as though he was using this as a chance to release his pent-up stress. This time, with an aura that was entirely different from before, he launched himself into the air as if to deliver the final blow.

The flow had changed.

No matter how tough the knight’s body was, this was something he couldn’t possibly withstand.

His body might be as strong as iron, but Ihan was confident he could bend it.

And so—

“STOP!!!”

BOOM!!!

“Guh…”

Thud, thud, thud…!

Fortunately, the knight did not die.

Another knight had stepped in, using his entire body to shield him from Ihan’s final blow.

But that didn’t mean the knight who intervened was unscathed.

“…Thank you for stopping.”

“You’ll have to explain yourself. You’ll be held accountable for interfering in a knight’s ‘duel.’”

“…You’re right.”

The middle-aged man nodded.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Paulette family had insulted a knight’s honor first.

And it was the Paulette family knight who had drawn his sword.

At this point, the duel was all but official.

A duel between knights only ended when one of them was dead.

This was the unspoken rule that knights had followed for centuries.

Though Ihan had a reputation for being a so-called "fake knight," he had, at this moment, fully embodied the code of a true knight, using honor as justification for his actions.

It might seem reckless, but what made it even more interesting was the fact that this worked.

All of this was possible because of the overwhelming force Ihan had displayed.

If he hadn’t been strong, none of this would have worked.

“…I am Rodon, head of the Paulette family.”

“I’m Ihan. The demoted knight.”

“…I must first apologize. My foolish son insulted you and, by extension, the White Silver Lion.”

“You should’ve said that before this idiot picked a fight. Don’t you think?”

The knight Ihan still had by the throat dangled limply, his eyes rolled back. It looked like he was close to passing out.

Rodon watched him with pity in his eyes as he spoke.

“I know. I should have stopped him.”

“No, you should’ve stopped him before he even drew his sword. You wouldn’t have intervened if he’d managed to stab me. But since he’s about to die, you’re jumping in now.”

Crack.

An unsettling sound came from the knight’s neck.

Even if he survived, he’d need a long recovery.

But as long as he lived, there was hope.

“He’s our vice-commander. My disciple. His temperament may be rough, but he’s a valuable talent that doesn’t deserve to be crushed here. I’ll take full responsibility for his actions and offer my own life in exchange for his. I ask for your mercy.”

Thud.

Rodon placed his sword on the ground and knelt.

The head of the Paulette family was offering his life to save the younger man.

It was a noble gesture, and as the cadets and guests, who had been shocked and horrified by the sudden duel, watched, they were deeply moved by the count’s honorable sacrifice.

Among knights and nobles, who valued honor and nobility above all else, this act of humility and righteousness would likely have caused them to forgive all wrongs and praise him for his virtue.

But…

“I refuse.”

….

Ihan placed no value on honor or nobility.

For the second time that day, the crowd was rendered speechless.

“…Is that guy completely insane?”

“No, seriously….”

“Is he even human, or is he an ogre?”

“Jeez…”

Most of the people in the room looked utterly shocked.

But along with their shock, there was also a growing sense of resentment toward Ihan for his refusal to accept the noble count’s honorable gesture.

That was the sentiment shared by the majority.

…But when the majority thinks something, that also means…

“…Impressive.”

It’s not the opinion of everyone.

“My lord?”

“That knight is exceptional. It’s the right move to crush potential threats thoroughly.”

“…?”

“He’s also a skilled fighter. Did you see how he completely disrupted his opponent’s rhythm with that axe throw? That’s not something just anyone can do. It takes countless battles and practice to hone such skill. That knight is sharp.”

“Is it really that impressive? He just seems like a brute to me.”

“You don’t understand. Anyone with experience can see it. In a duel between knights who’ve reached a certain level, what becomes most crucial is the psychological battle and how you disrupt your opponent’s timing. He’s excellent.”

“…Huh.”

Jack was surprised.

Not because of the knight’s skill, but because it was so rare for his young lord to praise someone like this.

His lord usually shocked others; he wasn’t the type to be surprised himself.

“I’ve already found a treasure, Jack.”

His lord, Roen Dmitri de Lionel, smiled like he had discovered a precious jewel.

And he wasn’t the only one…

[Wow….]

“Irene?”

[Totally my type…!]

“Wait, what??”

[Hehe!]

“???”

The ghostly woman with rather unusual tastes, who preferred beastly men over dainty ones, was practically drooling.

—Unbeknownst to Ihan, he had unintentionally caught the attention of his surveillance targets on his very first day.