The Swordmaster of the Frontier is Strong

After losing my home, I set out on a journey.

The first reason was I didn’t want to see the mansion filled with the smell of blood, and the second was that I wanted to heal my spirit worn out from fighting with demons.

I couldn’t be dejected forever. The living must live.

I sought out any place with clear water and fresh air.

As long as I had a tent to shield me from the storm, I lived freely, staying as many days as I wanted wherever I stepped. During my wanderings, I met Fenil in the mountains of the Gaiger territory.

A young boy of about fifteen, crying endlessly in front of his parents’ graves.

Somehow, he became my first disciple.

“Has it been 7 years, Master?”

I entered the arena with Fenil.

The knights surrounded the arena to watch the duel.

Taikan, who initially opposed the duel, stepped back reluctantly when I gave the okay sign.

He glared at me with his arms folded, but I decided not to care.

“I apologize for my aggressive behavior,” Fenil spoke in a low voice. “To gain recognition for my skills, Master, I had to show them directly. As you can see, the public sentiment isn’t good.”

“So, you mean you don’t want someone who you disapprove of beneath you.”

“But we knights are more upset. Comparing us to the kids from the training center.”

To me, there’s no difference between the kids and the knights. I prefer kids who follow my words well.

“This way or that, there’s always something to complain about.” 

I sighed softly.

“Isn’t that what politics is?”

Fenil smirked. “You still live without regard for others. Honestly, I was shocked when I heard you became the commander.”

“Same here. I never dreamed I’d become a knight of the empire.”

“When asked to lead the knights of Gaiger territory, you refused. Why the change of heart?”

“I needed to recuperate then. A turning point in life, perhaps…”

Our conversation couldn’t continue any further.

Because Taikan fired the gunshot signaling the start of the duel.

Bang!

Just as when I was trying to exchange greetings after a long time.

“It’ll be different from the past, Master!”

Fenil stomped on the ground.

He covered a distance of about twenty steps in just five.

The magic wrapped around Fenil’s feet exploded, increasing his speed.

Thud!

Fenil swung his sword horizontally.

I angled my sword to deflect his attack.

Unfazed, Fenil aimed a kick at my exposed abdomen.

Of course, I blocked it with my sword.

“Ha… as expected. It’s thrilling to face you after such a long time.”

Backing away a few steps, Fenil gripped his sword with both hands.

He used to show expertise in dual-sword movement.

I wondered if he practiced his mana regularly because there was no gap, and his posture, which used to be clumsy, has now become more graceful.

“To face you, Master, it seems I have to bring out all I’ve got.”

Suddenly, a cold energy burst from Fenil’s sword.

I frowned at the surge from the blade.

“You’ve learned magic?”

“Yes, all thanks to you, Master.”

Fenil slashed at thin air.

From the sword’s pressure, ice shards dispersed.

I swung my sword in a figure-eight, blocking the ice shards coming at me.

However, I couldn’t prevent the tip of my sword from freezing.

I shook my sword, but the ice didn’t fall off.

“Had it not been for you, Master, I might never have reached this level in magic.”

“I’m envious. Achieving something even I couldn’t.”

“Huh? Are you joking? It’s impossible that you, Master, couldn’t master magic.”

It was true.

Sword magic arts is one of the types of magic, where you channel mana into a weapon to give it your own unique aura.

Typically, one can master arts based on the four elements, and sometimes, through racial or unique traits, some people exhibit unusual magic arts.

However, I couldn’t master magic arts.

Even my previous master used to say that my body could only hold a minuscule amount of mana, which essentially means I lack talent in both swordsmanship and magic.

“It seems I am lacking. I am far from bringing out Master’s true intentions…”

Fenil bites his lower lip.

Seriously. Why doesn’t he believe me?

“Then, with all my might!”

Fenil visibly opened his bodily energy channels to their limits.

He was trying to raise his mana level and channel the maximum amount to wrap his sword with magic.

Struggling against the chilling aura that suddenly burst out, his expression tightened as he stamped his foot on the ground.

An overwhelming pressure that I haven’t felt in a while.

I gripped my wooden sword.

‘Too bad.’

Still, compared to when I fought the ancient demon, this is far too insufficient.

Of course, Fenil has improved a lot since his childhood, but it’s still not enough.

I put force into my slackened wrist and swung my wooden sword.

[One-Second Strike, Slash]

Fenil tried to dodge my attack by twisting his sword handle, but I was far faster.

Bang!!!!

With a sound of air exploding, the wooden sword that Fenil was holding broke in half.

At the same time, the biting cold disappeared.

“Keugh!”

Fenil quickly grabbed what remained of his wooden sword and swung it around.

Bang!!!

Unable to keep up with my consecutive ‘Slash,’ he tumbled to the ground.

Fenil’s wooden sword, now only a hilt, was torn apart.

Any further sparring was impossible.

* * *

“… What did I just witness?”

Taikan naturally unfolded his crossed arms.

Originally, the spar should have been stopped the moment Fenil released his excessive magic.

But due to his personal desire to ‘gauge Liorne’s skill,’ he didn’t stop the spar.

Bang!!!!

The ensuing second explosion.

Fenil rolled across the training ground floor, as a simple slash created a cannon-like roar.

“He wasn’t called the ‘Swordmaster of the Frontier’ for nothing.”

“He’s definitely worthy of immediate promotion. To even beat Sir Fenil, a high-ranking knight.”

The knights gave their evaluations.

“7th Squadron Commander’s swordsmanship was clean. His power was no joke either.”

“Still, don’t you think he wouldn’t display such strength in front of Commander Taikan’s magic sword arts?”

“After all, when we went out to support the road maintenance, he sliced a boulder in one go. 5th Squadron Commander looked really amazing then.”

Despite the praise from his squadron members, Taikan swallowed hard.

‘Foolish brats.’

Only knights who have reached a certain level know.

Rather than exerting power widely, it’s far more difficult to focus all your strength on a single point.

There’s not a scratch on Fenil’s body.

Liorne’s fierce swordsmanship was only focused on destroying the opponent’s weapon.

‘Besides, the 7th Squadron Commander didn’t even use magic.’

When Liorne shook his wooden sword, the translucent blue light surrounding the blade began to fade.

“It’s not magic… he’s mastered Aura.”

A realm all knights yearn to reach but is far beyond their grasp.

Fusing with his sword, Liorne channeled pure mana into what he called an “Aura Sword”.

Normally, refined mana within the body is directed into the sword to execute magic techniques.

However, Liorne freely wrapped his sword with the pure mana from nature.

Taikan brushed his face with his hand.

“……”

Even acknowledging that Liorne had defeated an ancient demon, Taikan sensed that his opponent was several levels above him.

A corner of his heart ignited with both a fighting spirit and admiration.

Unconsciously, Taikan shot a burning gaze.

‘Why is he like that?’

That gaze felt distinctly uncomfortable.

Liorne hugged his sword close to his body, looking somewhat deflated.

***

“I apologize.”

I bowed my head toward the knights.

“My thinking was short-sighted. I just… didn’t want to force anyone into doing something they didn’t want to do, but my choice of words was wrong.”

This was true.

Scratching my cheek, I continued my speech.

“To be honest, I don’t have the confidence to lead all of you. Leading people who easily ridicule me for my mistakes will only be exhausting… And I don’t want to work with people who don’t acknowledge me, either.”

A brief silence descended.

By now, my intentions should have been communicated clearly.

I called out to Taikan, who had been lost in thought next to the knights.

When he didn’t respond after several attempts, I approached him directly.

Only then did he blink and look down at me.

“Ah… You’ve done a good job in the duel, 7th Commander.”

“Didn’t you, Taikan, say that you’ll hold an in-house martial arts competition to select my team members?”

“That’s right. We plan to conclude it by next week, when the barracks of the 7th Knight Squadron are completed.”

“Why not let me select them instead? According to the guidelines, the commander is supposed to choose the squad members.”

Taikan shrugged.

“That’s when we have applicants. We initiated the martial arts competition to forcibly select members because no one volunteered.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

Raising my cane, I pointed out the knights one by one.

Last but not least, even Fenil, who was dusting off his pants. A total of five.

“These people are unlikely to refuse.”

Some were visibly surprised by my choice, while others accepted it calmly.

Yet, no one voiced their refusal.

“What are you all doing? Show some respect to the Commander who will lead us.”

Under Fenil’s lead, the chosen five bowed.

For some reason, Fenil seemed especially excited, but that must have been my imagination.

I waved my hand to signal them to stop bowing.

Even so, they kept their heads down.

‘This should be enough to keep everyone off my back, right?’

All that’s left is for me to collect a decent salary, befitting the 7th Knight Commander. An easy task.

And so, my first day as the 7th Commander drew to a close.

***

“By now, the territory is stabilizing, and I thought I should get the rank of a First-Class Knight, so I applied to the Teheiran Knight Squad. I’m really sorry for not contacting you; I’ve been somewhat busy.”

Fenil seems more mature than he appears.

Losing his parents at a young age and having to fend off numerous threats to the lord’s position, he had no choice but to grow up quickly.

Although he’s now a dignified knight, serving his sister who has become a lord after so much time has passed, his wavering smile still has an innocent look.

“But you also haven’t been in touch with me, Master, have you?”

Could it be the alcohol?

With a flushed face, Fenil shook his empty glass.

“The reason I didn’t contact you, Sir Fenil, is…”

“No news is good news, right? I know. You’ve always said that.”

“You have been busier than me, Sir Fenil. Managing such a grand ducal house; is no easy task. I was being considerate of you, in my own way.”

“Still, I’ve been asking you to stop using honorifics with me…”

I lowered my head.

“I don’t want to offend someone from a ducal house.”

“You’ve always been like this since we were young, so I understand. But, Master, you also need to be aware of your own position. With your skills, you could be a legion commander or even captain of the royal guards if you wanted to.”

“You’re overestimating me, Sir Fenil.”

“No… Ah… Master, you really…”

Being captain of the royal guards is a bit much.

Even if the salary is high, constantly living in tension while confined to the palace is something I’d like to avoid.

“By the way, have you found a place to stay? You’ll need somewhere to live before the barracks are completed,” Fenil said, putting down his empty glass.

“You can come to our house. We can accommodate you well.”

“Thanks, but I’ll have to decline. I won’t have much time to rest comfortably for the time being.”

“What could you possibly be doing that you won’t have time to rest?”

I paused, munching on some bread, then spoke.

“I have a disciple I need to kill.”