Chapter 58 - 54: Fast, Fast, Fast, Too Fast

Chapter 58: Chapter 54: Fast, Fast, Fast, Too Fast

CRACK—

The Wooden Sword in Bill’s hand broke in two.

Everyone was stunned.

They hadn’t even seen what happened.

"Why did Teacher Bill’s sword break?"

Riel asked in confusion.

Bill slowly turned and saw Lian raising his sword in a blocking stance.

Lian had actually blocked his last strike.

And he’d broken Bill’s sword in the process!

’How in the world had Lian done it?’

’His movements were so fast, even I couldn’t see them clearly!’

Bill was utterly dumbfounded.

He couldn’t believe it was real.

’How could this boy—a talented Apprentice Knight who had only been learning Swordsmanship from me for a week—block a strike delivered with eighty percent of a Three-star Glory Knight’s power?’

Bill felt like he was seeing the ghost of a young Land John. They had entered the Knight Academy together, but Land John had become a Six-star Glory Knight in just thirty years, while Bill himself had stalled as a Three-star Knight.

’Is hard work really useless, then?’

’Are those without talent doomed to a life of mediocrity?’

’Is the Knight’s Path I’ve always believed in wrong?’

In that moment, Bill felt his entire belief system beginning to crumble.

The idea that one couldn’t defeat an opponent of a higher realm, the notion that anything was possible with hard work, the belief that the path of a knight was equal for all—it was all a lie!

It was only when he heard a crisp snap and saw Lian’s Wooden Sword also break in two that he finally let out a long, heavy breath.

"A fluke! It must have been a fluke that Lord Lian blocked Teacher Bill’s attack!"

"That’s right, it had to be a fluke! How could an Apprentice Knight possibly defeat a Three-star Glory Knight?"

The students murmured amongst themselves, and even Riel’s conviction began to waver.

Lian smiled and said, "Teacher, perhaps we should switch to real swords."

’Yes, a fluke. That must be it.’

Bill tried to convince himself of this. He gave a slight nod, and he and Lian switched to real swords.

To avoid injury, they also donned Knight Armor.

This made the spar feel more like a real battle.

Everyone focused their attention once more, unwilling to miss a moment of this spectacular duel.

This time, Bill decided to use his full speed to end the fight quickly and take down Lian in a single move.

He drew his longsword, stepped forward with his left leg, and charged at Lian with extreme speed.

"Fast, fast, fast! So fast!"

"Teacher Bill’s speed is unbelievable! I just felt a gust of wind."

"Yeah, Teacher Bill is serious now. He’s never moved this fast with us before."

"Is this the speed of a Three-star Glory Knight? It’s just incredible."

"I really want to become a Three-star Knight like Teacher Bill."

But just as the crowd was marveling at the speed of the Three-star Glory Knight, Lian saw Bill’s attack as if it were in slow motion.

To him, this speed was far too slow.

’The heaven-defying speed of a Three-star Assassin truly lives up to its name,’ he thought. ’Against a traditional Three-star Knight, I have a natural advantage in Speed. And since I’m also a Three-star Knight, there’s no gap in Power, either.’

Lian once again blocked the attack with ease, giving Bill no time to think before launching a counterattack.

Bill was still reeling in shock at how Lian had blocked his full-speed strike when he felt a powerful gust of wind. Lian’s sword had already slashed through his armor.

CLANG—

Sparks flew from the metal of Bill’s armor.

Finally, the heavy suit of armor effectively retired on the spot, splitting down the middle and falling to the ground in two pieces.

"Teacher Bill, I have lost."

With a slight exertion of force, Lian shattered his own longsword.

Only Bill saw this action; the other students were still frozen in place, staring blankly.

They had no idea what had just happened. All they saw was Teacher Bill charging out like the wind, and then his armor split in two and fell to the ground.

Lian’s sword was broken, too.

Normally, if a Knight’s sword breaks, they have undoubtedly lost the match.

But Teacher Bill’s armor had also been split open. Shouldn’t that be considered a draw?

But it seemed the Lord had voluntarily conceded defeat.

No one had clearly seen the exchange that had just occurred between the two of them.

"I... I lost."

Bill muttered to himself.

Only he knew how utterly he had been defeated. Lian had intentionally shattered his own sword; Bill had nothing to do with it.

’Why would he do that? To preserve a final shred of dignity for this Old Knight?’

Bill felt a flush of shame. Just moments ago, he had asserted that Riel, with her talent, would soon surpass Lian.

But now, he realized he had been wrong.

Lian not only possessed enviable talent but also the true character of a Knight.

After a brief moment of silence, the classroom erupted in cheers.

"Teacher Bill won!"

"That’s right, Teacher Bill won, but it doesn’t look like Lord Lian lost, either."

"For the Lord, an Apprentice Knight, to actually shatter Teacher Bill’s Armor—it’s unbelievable!"

"Gods, I couldn’t see a thing! What did Lord Lian do? What did Teacher Bill do?"

"Our teacher is amazing."

Riel rushed up to Lian, clapping enthusiastically.

Lian smiled and patted her on the head, then turned to the stunned crowd and said in a serious tone,

"I lost this match. Teacher Bill surpasses me in both experience and Swordsmanship. However, I hope none of you will ever lose the courage to challenge a strong opponent. Though I lost today, I will continue to challenge him tomorrow. Talent may be decided by the God of Tiger, but effort and courage are our own."

"Courage! Courage! Courage!"

Everyone cheered, hoisting Lian—a student who rarely attended class—onto their shoulders and tossing him into the air.

While the young people were celebrating wildly, Anna approached Bill, who was still questioning his life choices.

"Sir Bill, you are getting old. That is not a fault. You should be happy. Lord Lian will always remember that you were his teacher."

Bill was taken aback for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Yes. I am not just old, but stubborn, and full of prejudice against the young. I forgot that the most important thing for a Knight is not effort or talent, but courage—the courage to fight a duel even when you know you will lose. Lian... he is truly worthy of being Lord Moria’s son."

"A fine Knight such as yourself will surely be able to train an outstanding knightly guard for Lord Lian."

Anna said with conviction.

Bill gave Anna a long, deep look, feeling that this Maid was rather unusual.

Perhaps this was Old Moria’s intention in leaving her by Lian’s side.

"The lad is lucky to have a Maid like you."

"It is my honor to be able to follow Lord Lian."

Anna said with a smile.

Bill nodded, picked up the pieces of his armor from the floor, and brushed off the dust. "What a pity, my old friend. It’s back to the smithy for you."

Just then, Lian, having finished enjoying his superstar treatment, walked over. "Teacher Bill, since I was the one who damaged your armor, I should be the one to repair it."

"?"

Bill watched in confusion as Lian took the Armor from him.

"You may not know this, but I was a Blacksmith Apprentice in Blueberry Town for a time."

Lian explained, then turned to all the Apprentice Knights who were Learning under Bill and said earnestly,

"Teacher Bill is my Swordsmanship instructor, and my skills have benefited from his guidance. I ask all of you to also work hard at your Learning under Teacher Bill. I look forward to the day when you can all shatter Teacher Bill’s armor."

"Shatter Teacher Bill’s armor!"

"Shatter Teacher Bill’s armor!"

"Shatter Teacher Bill’s armor!"

The Apprentice Knights roared with excitement, while Bill’s face gradually darkened.

He would train this bunch of troublemakers into the ground after Lian left!