<Amazing Intuition> has detected a stealthy action.
“Is this also part of the ‘management’ you mentioned?”
“Excuse me?”
Eleanor asked, slightly flustered, as I gently brushed my hand over the ‘trace’ of mana that had touched my coat.
“A spying spell, I see.”
“Tsk.”
Magic of the ‘Shadow Element,’ which excels in eavesdropping, disguise, and stealth. Eleanor, being a 5th-rank shadow magician, was quite adept at such tricks.
“You are still quick to notice. Other bishops didn’t catch on.”
Other bishops, huh. Seems she’s been pulling this on others as well. There’s no need for me to fall for it too. It’s quite unsettling.
“I asked if this is part of the ‘bishop management’ you mentioned.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Judging by the fact that no other bishops’ complaints have been heard, it seems she has successfully installed ‘eavesdropping spells’ secretly on everyone.
“I’m disappointed. I thought I played a significant role in you becoming an archbishop.”
It might sound like I’m taking credit, but I believe I helped her quite a bit in rising to the position of archbishop. After all, I gave up and supported Eleanor, which must have counted for something.
“And who do you think I’m doing this because of?”
Because of whom? Obviously for your selfish desires. Having more information means accumulating power, especially from the position of ‘archbishop.’
“Because of you, Sir Julian.”
What? Why because of me? That’s nonsense.
“I have a responsibility to mediate among the bishops. The role of archbishop is for that purpose.”
That makes sense. I refused the position because I didn’t want to deal with such tedious tasks.
But why because of me?
“What does that have to do with me?”
“You smashed Bishop Aiden, didn’t you?”
Smashed? I didn’t smash him; I just calmly warned him, just a warning… wait, how did she know?
Despite my inner thoughts, my expression remained unchanged. She sighed and began to explain.
“It’s information circulating within the Dawn Society. While the source is uncertain, most people believe it because Sir Aiden happened to injure his eye.”
It must have been Razlot spreading the rumor while hiding his identity. Didn’t I make a gesture to keep quiet?
“Is that why you used a spying spell?”
“Yes, I don’t want any major incidents to occur from my standpoint.”
“Do you think I would do something like that?”
Is that something you should say?
Eleanor looked at me incredulously with that nuance, then sighed again.
“Even if it’s not you, Aiden’s actions are quite suspicious.”
“Haha, are you planning to team up with other bishops and strike?”
I made a joke that could be plausible. No matter how angry and irrational Aiden might be, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to act rashly.
He’s a 5th-rank magician of the ‘Barago’ class and has the potential to reach the 6th-rank ‘Libra.’ A magician who values knowledge and reason wouldn’t act emotionally without any gain…
“How did you know?”
So, I thought, but I guess I was wrong.
***
Of course, the one who spread the rumor that ‘Aiden’ had been put in his place by ‘Julian’ was Razlot, who witnessed the event.
Given that Julian immediately sought out Aiden after returning to the capital, it was clear he had a purpose.
Considering Aiden’s usual behavior, there was definitely an intention behind Julian’s actions.
‘Razlot imagined that by subduing Sir Aiden, Julian aimed to set an example for the other bishops.’
Razlot took it upon himself to ensure this information spread within the Dawn Society.
Aiden suddenly injuring his eye and Julian seeking out Aiden immediately upon returning to the capital created an impression that was easy for others to believe. Razlot didn’t directly spread the rumor but subtly shared the information with other members of the order to make the association clear.
Back in the ‘Closed Eyes’ office, Julian heard the truth from the waiting Razlot.
“I see.”
Julian, who had been listening silently, nodded.
“Razlot, did you see me bring my finger to my lips that day when I subdued Sir Aiden?”
“Yes, I saw it.”
“Do you know what that gesture meant?”
Razlot, wondering if he had done something wrong, tried to gauge Julian’s intentions with fearful eyes. But it was impossible to discern emotions from Julian’s half-closed eyes. Feeling uncertain about Julian’s question, Razlot decided to answer honestly.
“Wasn’t it a sign to spread what happened that day?”
A brief silence filled the office following Razlot’s answer. As Julian stared at him without a word, Razlot began to feel suffocated, questioning if he had done something wrong or if he should have been more assertive.
Just as Razlot was starting to feel like he might drown even without water, Julian spoke.
“You did well. Haha.”
‘Thank goodness.’
Relieved, Razlot inwardly sighed with relief.
***
Ah, if he had just stayed quiet, things would have been better.
Hearing Razlot’s response, my head began to spin.
I clearly made a gesture to zip it. It was meant to indicate that no one should speak of what happened today.
‘Wait a minute.’
Thinking it over, I realized that the concept of a ‘zipper’ might not exist in this world.
I had been acting too much like ‘Julian,’ and it backfired because I didn’t think it through. I acted too rashly.
This was my mistake.
“It’s fine now. You don’t need to spread any more information about Sir Aiden.”
Even so, I decided to stop Razlot before things got worse.
If I had known this would happen, I would have been more straightforward.
Although I had been quite disoriented since returning to the capital, it seemed I had unnecessarily complicated matters.
“If Sir Aiden does anything suspicious, report it to me.”
“Understood.”
Razlot, with an expression of trust, gave a polite bow and left the office.
‘What a mess…’
Left alone in the office, I fell into thought.
There was now no avoiding a clash with Aiden. While that was my intention, it was problematic that what could have been simple had become complicated.
The ‘bishops’ are highly self-conscious and detest bowing their heads to their peers. Yet, Aiden was gathering bishops willing to oppose Julian, even going to such lengths.
‘Pintel?’
Ah, let’s exclude him. He’s a weirdo.
Anyway, as long as the rumor that I harmed Aiden spreads, there’s no way Aiden’s wounded pride will allow him to ignore me.
“The rumors will grow, and soon even the common nobles will know.”
Those who uphold ‘pureblood supremacy’ will think that ‘Aiden’ was defeated by a ‘half-blood’ like Julian.
Annoying mages.
I wanted to spit out a venomous curse but held back.
No point in cursing with polite words.
In a world like this, ‘mages’ are akin to all-powerful beings. They can solve almost anything with ‘mana’ and ‘magic.’
At the same time, it means they are very troublesome if turned into enemies.
‘The Donassien family specializes in the gold (金) element, one of the five elements.’
It’s best to be prepared as they might attack. Aiden won’t let me approach easily again.
Fortunately, I already know how to counter the Donassien family. That means understanding the weaknesses of their battle magic, ‘Gem Magic.’
“The number of gems is inevitably limited.”
Therefore, the number of spells is also limited. There’s a limit to what they can carry.
The countermeasure is simple. Use quickness and pressure to reduce the number of gems while gradually closing the distance.
“I just learned the best countermeasure.”
It’s the ‘One-Stroke Skill,’ a byproduct of the ‘New Sword Saint’ trait, not ‘Sombra.’
The ability to release sword energy or sword aura.
Though it hasn’t fully settled as a ‘trait’ yet, I can handle it freely once I get used to it.
This would be useful in battles against Aiden and even the Donassien family.
“But how should I practice?”
Instead of just standing wooden dolls, I wanted to gather practical combat data.
“Sir Julian, are you inside?”
At that moment, I heard a knock, and Fern entered.
“Thank you for your hard work escorting the prince!”
An unexpectedly disciplined voice for a member of the ‘Closed Eyes.’ Come to think of it, this guy was a member of the Azure Lion Knights, right?
“These are letters and official documents addressed to you, Sir Julian. I’ll place them here!”
With that, Fern placed the documents on the table. Among them was a request for an interview from a magazine called ‘The Knights.’
Why? Didn’t I cancel my subscription to that?
“Sir Fern.”
“Yes!”
Typical of a knight, his voice was booming.
“Do you have a moment?”
“I do, but is there something you need me to do…?”
“Yes.”
Tell me! Fern said eagerly.
“Would you spar with me?”
A brief silence. The color of ‘fear’ slightly appeared over Fern’s wide-eyed face.
“If I’ve done something wrong, please let me know. I’ll correct it.”
***
I barely managed to persuade the fearful Fern that I just wanted to swing my sword, not that I had any complaints about him.
Moving to the ‘Closed Eyes’ training ground, I stood and watched Fern.
“Hoo…”
He took several deep breaths repeatedly. It seemed he was trying to calm his nerves about sparring with ‘Julian.’
“I am ready.”
Fern spoke with a voice full of resolve. In response, I reached out my hand and gestured with my fingers for him to come at me first.
Initiating an attack in a sparring match is akin to admitting inferiority.
‘But what can I do? I need to gather data.’
The reason for this attitude was to use ‘One-Stroke Skill’ in actual combat and increase my understanding of it.
Forming ‘aura’ on the sword and releasing it as sword energy requires immense concentration.
> Intuition
> Natural Swordsman
> Insight
> New Sword Saint
Even with all these traits, it’s still difficult to use properly.
After all, how can I do something I’ve never tried before?
So, to create a practice environment similar to real combat, I provoked Fern.
I wanted him to come at me with the intent to kill.
To charge at me full of killing intent.
“Here I go.”
Not with his usual disciplined voice, but with a calmer tone, Fern kicked off the ground.
The distance between us began to close.
As he approached, I infused my sword with aura.
Ssshh!
I tried to release it as sword energy, just lightly.
“Ugh…!”
Startled by the sharp sword energy of the ‘Moonlight Sword’ flying towards him, Fern hastily stopped his attack and swung his sword.
Under normal circumstances, blocking ‘One-Stroke Skill’ with such a clumsy stance would be impossible.
However, contrary to my expectations, the sword energy of the ‘Moonlight Sword’ dispersed easily upon meeting Fern’s sword.
“As expected…”
As I thought, the ‘sword energy’ I hadn’t fully mastered didn’t have much power.
Even so, breaking apart like a brittle cracker was a bit too much.
> Understanding of the ‘New Sword Saint’ has improved.
> You have realized the existence of the trait, <One-Stroke Skill>.
Fortunately, my body had somewhat grasped the concept of ‘sword energy’ from this attack.
“Did you just… release aura?”
Fern, knowing the difficulty of releasing aura from a sword, asked in a bewildered voice.
“Yes, I picked up the knack for it during this journey.”
“Impressive. Someone like me finds it hard enough to handle aura properly.”
“There’s nothing to be surprised about. This is what talent and difference in rank are.”
I shamelessly uttered these words, seeing Fern’s dejected look.
If he’s a knight—or rather, he was a knight—he’d have some pride in his ability to handle the sword and aura.
‘If I say this, he’ll probably get riled up and come at me recklessly.’
Knights in this world are like that.
Despite the differences in their accumulated experiences, they are prideful beings who believe there is no absolute superiority between them.
Hayden Reich was like that.
Julian was like that.
All the knights I’ve seen so far were like that.
‘So, you must have your own pride too.’
Show it to me.
I felt a bit sorry for provoking him, but I wanted him to attack me with the intent to kill.
For the upcoming fight with Aiden.
And for the battle with Tenellon.
“If you’re so easily flustered, it won’t do. Did you think I permitted this sparring with such subpar skills?”
I increased the level of provocation. If the person who initiated the sparring took this attitude, it would be natural to get angry.
“Yes! I’ll learn by facing you directly!”
No, I wanted you to get angry.
Cliche Novel 