Chapter 14 : Arthur III

Hearing the words of the drunk knight, Arthur merely smiled lightly in response.

However, the blood vessels that bulged in his trembling hand could explain Arthur's current emotions.

"So what if I'm arrogant?" Arthur asked, his eyes squinting with a cold gleam.

"Hah?" the drunk knight asked, his voice clearly annoyed and curt.

The knight then brought his face closer to Arthur's and said, "Y-you little boy need to learn some manners."

Seeing the knight's greasy face, covered with acne, Arthur instinctively pulled his face away in disgust.

The strong smell of alcohol made Arthur furrow his brow.

"Step back," Arthur said coldly.

Arthur's short and cold words made the knight even more irritated.

"How arrogant," the knight said, swinging his fist.

But before the knight could act further, a slap landed on his face. The slap made the knight stagger back several steps.

While touching his red right cheek, the knight looked at the middle-aged man who had slapped him. His blurry vision due to alcohol slowly cleared.

"Butler Sebastian, why did you slap me?" the knight asked.

"Rick, do you realize what you just did?" asked Sebastian, the head butler of the Black family, coldly and firmly.

Hearing Sebastian's question, Knight Rick finally realized what he had just done.

In an instant, his face changed color, and his expression turned sour, as if he had just seen his girlfriend cheating with another man.

"A-" Rick stuttered.

However, Sebastian raised his hand, signaling that he didn't want to hear any excuses from Rick.

"Pack your things and leave," Sebastian said.

"Bu-" Rick tried to protest.

*BOOM

A powerful pressure filled the entire room.

The servants and knights in the room immediately fell to their knees due to the immense pressure.

Only a few stronger knights managed to stay standing, but they still struggled to maintain their balance.

As for Rick, the main target, he had already collapsed, unconscious.

'Such a large amount of [Mana]!' Arthur thought when he saw the [Mana] released by Sebastian.

Although his body was kneeling and trembling in fear, Arthur's eyes were filled with fiery fighting spirit, as if he didn't want to lose to anyone.

'Just wait! One day, I will be stronger than him!' Arthur thought as he stared sharply at Sebastian.

Finally, Sebastian withdrew his [Mana], and the terrifying pressure vanished in an instant. A sigh of relief echoed throughout the room after Sebastian withdrew his [Mana].

"Deal with him," Sebastian said, turning to leave.

"Yes, Sir," the servants said, dragging Rick's unconscious body.

Sebastian, who was walking, suddenly stopped and glanced to the side.

His gaze met Arthur's, who was also staring at him.

"Be careful. This world is harsh. Little children are very vulnerable in the face of death," Sebastian said before leaving.

"Tch, nonsense. I've survived since I was a baby," Arthur muttered as he watched Sebastian's back.

- - - - -

The next day, in the front yard of the Black family mansion.

The sun had not risen yet, leaving the yard still dark without sunlight.

A light cold breeze blew, rustling the grass and trees.

In the midst of the darkness with dim lighting, the sound of metal clashing and sparks flying could be heard.

Van and Arthur were practicing together in the front yard of the mansion. They attacked each other with metal swords.

Although Van rarely used a sword throughout the story, the blood of the Black family couldn't lie.

The Black family was one of the 7 noble families in the Avalon Kingdom, and the family emblem was a sword.

Every descendant of the Black family was required to master swordsmanship.

However, Van was the exception because he possessed the [101 Shadows] skill. Even so, Van's talent in swordsmanship was still quite impressive.

Arthur swung his sword roughly and continuously.

His attacks were like a rabid dog that would keep chasing its prey until it succeeded in biting it to death.

For Arthur, swordsmanship was just about swinging the sword with no beauty or artistry involved.

What mattered to him was whether the sword could injure or cleave the enemy in two.

In contrast to Arthur, Van's swordsmanship was very graceful. However, beneath the beauty, there were lethal strikes.

Each sword swing seemed simple, with Van only continuing to defend, as if waiting for the best opportunity.

The brighter the light, the darker the shadow he created.

This could be described as Van's swordsmanship.

On the surface, the light seemed to dominate the darkness.

But in the areas untouched by light, the deep darkness quietly eroded the light bit by bit, preparing to strike back when the light let its guard down.

*TING

*SLASH

Arthur swung his sword horizontally towards Van's neck.

Van was just as quick and swung his sword in return.

The two swords collided, creating sparks that briefly illuminated the front yard.

As the swords were still locked in contact, Arthur lifted his right leg, intending to kick Van in the waist.

However, Van simply stood still, receiving Arthur's attack without attempting to defend.

As a result, Arthur's kick landed on Van's waist.

The pain spread through Van's body, causing his eyes to twitch with discomfort.

When Arthur thought his attack had succeeded, he suddenly felt a powerful force pushing him.

Arthur saw the muscles and blood vessels in Van's arms tightening, proving that Van was exerting his strength.

Since one of Arthur's legs was still raised, he lost some balance.

As a result, Arthur fell backward.

In an instant, Arthur, who was lying on the ground, immediately tried to rise.

But the tip of Van's sword stopped just inches from Arthur's neck.

The sun had finally risen, and the sword's blade reflected the sunlight.

The result was the same as yesterday, where Arthur was defeated by Van.

"Good job," Van said, sheathing his sword.

"Thank you for today, Master," Arthur said.

"Yes. Go back and train. Today's practice was just a warm-up," Van said and walked away.

Arthur then reached for the sword lying on the ground and gripped it tightly.

Afterward, a layer of [Mana] slowly covered the entire surface of the sword. But as Arthur swung the sword, the [Mana] layer immediately disappeared.

'It's easy to coat it, but hard to maintain it,' Arthur thought as he tried to coat his sword with [Mana] again.

- - - - -

In a corner of the yard, Van stood alone, calm.

Although Van appeared calm on the surface, the shadow beneath his feet was stirring violently as if something was forcing its way out.

"Let's do it," Van murmured.