Razlot, a spy for the Dawn Society, was quite impressed by Julian’s composed demeanor.
Despite what happened, he goes on to care for the orchids as usual.
Any ordinary person would have shown some sort of reaction.
Recently, amid the events that unfolded, one would expect self-praise or an abrupt display of irritability, something of that nature.
Yet, Julian returned to his everyday life as if nothing had happened.
“With this, I shall briefly conclude the report on Sir Aiden.”
“Hmm…”
The only thing that seemed to interest him was the Dawn Society’s Bishop, ‘Aiden de Donassien,’ showing his fangs.
Razlot, having reported briefly on his movements, swallowed at Julian’s short sigh.
The occasional hostility peeking through his tranquility was as sharp as a dagger.
“There hasn’t been any notable activity.”
“I thought he would take decisive action to cut off the lifeline right after Alphas was killed,” Julian murmured, his words arranged with a boldness.
‘To be so calm, knowing his life is targeted.’
Acknowledging that his life is closely associated with death, Razlot couldn’t help but admire his approach to life.
“Apart from that, currently, the Dawn Society’s Bishop, ‘Sir Pintel,’ is believed to be attacking a convoy suspected of transporting Soulstones.”
“Bishop Pintel… Soulstones… Hmm.”
Julian pondered for a moment before smiling warmly as usual.
“Ah, by the way, I wonder if the letter of recommendation has served its purpose?”
With that smile, Julian changed the subject.
Of course, it didn’t seem to stem from mere curiosity.
It was likely meant to remind him of his role as a spy.
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“That’s good to hear.”
With those words, Julian smiled subtly once again.
His half-closed eyes showed no hint of emotion, and the smile that gently played on his lips was as calm as ever.
In that atmosphere, Razlot thought that there was nothing in this world that Julian could possibly fear.
***
“Why is it so quiet?”
‘The instructor’s mission has ended, and the incident at the academy annex was quietly resolved by Vice Principal Allom.’
Thoughts of the conversation I had with Linne in the infirmary kept coming back to me.
-In fact, I vaguely remember the conversation you had with Alphas.
I thought she was unconscious…
She had been eavesdropping on the conversation between me and Alphas.
It was a conversation that could lead someone to infer that I am part of the ‘Dawn Society’.
‘I was sure someone would come looking…’
If the Swordmaster or someone from the royal side were to send someone for fact verification, I’ve already prepared a script for my defense. The documents piled up on the table right now are precisely for that purpose.
‘Could she have not heard it properly?’ I couldn’t dismiss the possibility that Linne might not have noticed.
‘It’s possible.’ On further thought, Linne wasn’t in a normal state at that time. It’s conceivable. Linne, who harbors a great grudge against the ‘Dawn Society,’ wouldn’t overlook such a thing.
“Then, it would indeed be fortunate.” I sighed with relief and leaned back in the chair. Though I shouldn’t let my guard down completely, the lack of any response for days suggests that there might not be much to worry about.
‘Aiden must be thinking the same.’ I’m aware he’s after my life and sent Alphas, but I haven’t thought about retaliating against him. The reason is that Hayden Reich, as the ‘Black Knight,’ plans to cut off Bishop Aiden’s lifeline.
“Our protagonist will take care of it, so there’s no need for me to dirty my hands.” The glorious tales of the ‘Black Knight.’ The thought brought a smirk to my face. Hayden Reich’s hidden identity used when revealing himself as the ‘Swordmaster’ would be inconvenient. Starting with handling ‘Pintel,’ as Razlot mentioned a little while ago, the name of the ‘Black Knight’ will become known to the Capital.
‘All I need to do is prevent Aiden from causing any trouble until then.’
The thought of reduced trouble kept a smile on my face.
“Hehe. Hehehe…”
But the smile didn’t last long. The sticky sensation felt when killing someone. That unpleasant feeling traveled up my fingertips. It wasn’t particularly bothersome, but as the name ‘Black Knight’ came to the fore, this ‘Julian’s sensation began to irritate me severely.
‘It must be because of the ‘trailer’ I saw before.’
The dark alleyways of the Capital. The scene where ‘Julian’ discovers the fact of the ‘Black Knight’ and Hayden Reich is brutally murdered. When I first inhabited ‘Julian,’ I was confident such a thing wouldn’t happen, but as I used the trait <Opened Eyes> more, ‘Julian’s instincts felt like they were continuously gnawing at ‘Lee Si-hoo’s subconscious.
‘I need to train a bit more to avoid being consumed.’
When <Opened Eyes> first manifested, I regained consciousness after ruthlessly swinging the sword, but this time, didn’t I control the sword with my will to the end? ‘A strong spirit dwells in a strong body.’
It seems that those words were not false.
‘Since I’ve thought of it, I should move my body.’
Haven’t they said to strike the iron while it’s hot?
Having reached that thought, I grabbed my sword and headed to the training ground.
***
Among the several training grounds within the imperial palace, I headed to Training Ground No. 3.
This place was filled with knights who were off-duty or without assignments, tirelessly honing their swordsmanship, shedding sweat and tears to improve themselves and join a higher-ranking knight order.
As I entered the training ground, people’s attention started to shift towards me.
“It’s Julian.”
“Gulp.”
Those who were sparring, and those who were blindly practicing their swordsmanship, all stopped their movements and sneaked glances at me.
Some openly showed their fear above their heads.
‘This isn’t surprising.’
Leaving them behind, I walked towards the weapon rack.
Though the sword made of moonstone at my waist suited me, I wanted to try a new weapon.
‘Since I’ve decided to move my body, I should also test out new possibilities.’
The weapon I picked up from the rack was none other than a ‘spear.’
A weapon that required both hands, unlike a sword, which made it feel somewhat awkward.
“A spear…?”
“Wasn’t Julian’s specialty swordsmanship?”
“Right, it’s no coincidence he’s called ‘Julian of the Moonlight Sword’.”
The tense atmosphere around me started to ease a little when I picked up a spear, which I don’t usually use.
“Sir Julian, if you’re considering learning the spear, how about honing your skills through a duel with me?”
The one who initially showed ‘fear’ but then mockingly requested a duel had no knight order emblem, indicating he was likely an apprentice knight who had not yet joined an order.
‘His intentions are clear.’
He was aiming for my unfamiliarity with the spear, hoping to impress the knight order officials gathered around.
However, I didn’t feel like refusing.
Even if it was my first time handling a spear, sparring felt more fulfilling than just hitting a straw dummy.
‘I would have avoided even this kind of sparring in the past.’
How much my thoughts have changed.
I smiled and gave a ‘Julian-like’ response.
“Haha, it seems I looked too easy to you. Then, shall we have a light match?”
As soon as I accepted the duel, the area was quickly prepared.
The numerous knights training gave up their spots and moved aside to watch Julian’s duel.
“A spear, huh… Always up to something unusual.”
“Even the most skilled can’t perform to their full potential with an unfamiliar weapon.”
“His arrogance reaches the skies.”
A few of the gathered knights clearly expected my defeat.
The spear felt incredibly awkward in my hands, a first for me.
It was at least twice as long as the swords I was used to, and its balance and handling felt completely different from a ‘sword,’ which didn’t please me at all.
‘But still…’
It doesn’t seem like I’ll lose.
“Haaaah!”
As I was gauging the weight and balance of the spear, the duel began.
With a loud yell, the knight charged at me.
‘A sword.’
Being familiar with that weapon, I could easily estimate its reach.
‘The strategy with a spear is to use its long reach to prevent the opponent from getting close and to neutralize them.’
Swoosh!
A light thrust with the spear produced a sharp sound as it sliced through the air, echoing across the training ground.
Even though it was a blunt weapon for training, it made such a sound.
Surprised by the attack, the knight stumbled back in an attempt to dodge, misstepped, and was slow to regain his stance.
“This can’t be all you’ve got. With such skills, you won’t be able to join any knight order.”
Even in a friendly duel, my mouth couldn’t help but taunt the opponent.
“Y-y-you…!”
The knight, now furious and face flushed red, charged at me again.
I could sense a faint killing intent from him and thrust my spear once more.
However, he wasn’t foolish enough to fall for the same attack twice.
Anticipating my move, he used his sword to deflect the spear to the side.
A sword, being relatively shorter, has an advantage in close combat.
If a spear allows an approach, in close quarters, it stands no chance against a ‘sword.’
‘Of course, I don’t think I’ll lose just by allowing an approach… But the moment I do, even if I’m not used to this weapon, the great ‘Julian’s’ reputation will be tarnished.’
I have no choice but to push back with force.
My arms, clutching the spear, started to show more pronounced veins as I exerted more power.
Using the centrifugal force, I aimed the spear down towards the knight’s head.
Clang!
The knight, who was swinging his sword at me, was startled by the spear coming towards his head and quickly raised his sword to block.
“What power…!”
As the knight’s sword began to be pushed back, he muttered in confusion.
He tried desperately to stand his ground, but…
‘It’s futile.’
Crack─!
With a bit more force from me, the spear made a sinister cracking sound.
“Wait a moment.”
The spear, starting to split, eventually broke in two.
“Ah, aahhh!”
As the spear broke, the force of my downward strike split the knight’s armor from chest to abdomen.
“Ugh…”
Groaning, the knight stepped back with eyes wide as a startled rabbit, looking down at his abdomen.
The broken part was sharp enough to cut through the shirt, leaving a wound underneath from which blood definitely flowed.
‘This is unexpected…’
An unfortunate incident during the duel.
I, true to ‘Julian,’ approached the knight to address the situation.
“With just this level of skill, you challenged me to a duel?”
My flat tone made the knight look down at his bleeding abdomen and then back at me.
“U-u-ugh..”
Startled, the knight made a bizarre noise and stepped back. Above his head, a thick, very dark purple haze began to rise.
Why would the one who was all fiery-eyed and eager to fight during the duel suddenly act this way?
It wasn’t hard to guess.
“Indeed… it’s Julian.”
“Even in a duel, if you bare your fangs, he won’t let you off.”
“Go and stop him.”
“How can we stop that monster?”
To the onlookers, it appeared as though I deliberately broke the spear and used the fragments to injure the knight, as if it was an ‘intentional act of aggression.’
‘Isn’t that a bit of a delusion?’
The attitude of the apprentice knight, who had challenged me to a duel when I was relatively unfamiliar with the ‘spear’ to make a name for himself, was offensive, but it was just a regular duel.
Yet, to think ‘Julian’ would go mad enough to kill his opponent just because he showed his teeth…
‘It’s entirely possible.’
I found myself nodding unwittingly, accepting the atmosphere.
“Julian…!”
At that moment, a familiar face broke through the crowd gathered at the training ground. It was Herand Crypart, the third son of the Crypart family.
“Brother Herand.”
“Your victory is unquestionable. How about we stop here?”
He continued in his usual trembling tone.
Thankfully, his appearance eased the tense atmosphere of the training ground a bit.
The terrified apprentice knight fled the training ground at his fastest possible speed.
“Haha, Brother Herand, even I don’t kill people that easily.”
I watched his retreating figure and smiled at Herand, throwing him a light joke.
“Is… is that so…? Th-then, I understand!”
But as always, Herand didn’t take my joke as a joke. Above his head, only dense purple mists swirled, undispersed.
Cliche Novel 
al menos estamos en personaje! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
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