Chapter 44 - Incomplete Awakening

The names of those who will be our first opponents in the preliminary round are the Roswell Knights.

They are considered a traditional powerhouse among the knights in the system.

I heard that they have faced the Black Lion Knights several times in the past.

Well, they have lost every time in the past few years, but I don't really care about that fact.

'The past is just the past.'

I trust my subordinates, so I have no doubt that we will win.

However, there was something more important right now.

At dusk. A spacious open space inside the garrison.

All of my subordinates had finished their morning work and left work early for the preliminary round the next day.

From my perspective, I don't really need rest or preparation, and I thought there was no point in leaving work early, so I stayed in the unit and trained.

—Sseueueu…

Isn't it the familiar coldness from the nearby training ground?

Seeing the vice-captain sitting cross-legged with her eyes tightly shut, spreading her energy in all directions, I thought that it must have been an important moment, so I stayed by her side.

After waking up a while later, perhaps realizing the passage of time only belatedly, the vice-captain looked around with a bewildered expression and immediately requested a sparring match when she found me.

As a result.

"I asked you so suddenly, but thank you for teaching me so readily."

"Don't worry about that. Enlightenment comes regardless of the time."

The sweltering air that still had the heat of the afternoon froze over.

The surrounding mana resonated according to her will, continuously emitting a cold chill. An icy cold reminiscent of the northern front lines began to dominate the entire space.

Yes.

I am now standing here to evaluate her state of mind at the vice-captain's request.

Thanks to the weapon replacement with the masterpiece of Aetri's inspiration, the chronic problem of lack of stamina was somewhat resolved, and it seemed that she had realized something after sparring with me several times recently.

In the past, Sim Sang was immature in many ways, but what about now?

It is a superior's duty to help his subordinates grow.

"Okay, let's go at it with all our might."

"Yes. Then..."

I faced her momentum head-on.

—Zzz!

A huge ice wall rising from the ground.

I read the flow of mana and evaded in advance, but another ice wall rose from the place I avoided.

After repeating similar actions several times, the ice chunks that filled the surrounding area became annoyingly obstructed.

—Wedge!

And then, a sharp strike stabbed me from the blind spot created by the gap in the ice wall.

"That's pretty good."

I swung my sword and parried her thrust.

It was a pretty good combo.

"Huh… Thank you."

A technique that made excellent use of the characteristics of the manifestation system that can change the surrounding environment. It also made good use of the advantage of being able to create structures with mass.

In addition, if it were before, she would have already been panting due to lack of output, but now she doesn't seem to be tired at all.

She looked pretty good. She had definitely grown.

But she still had a long way to go.

—Squeak…!

"This isn't all there is to it. If you're trying to show off your accomplishments at this level, I honestly don't think I can give you a very good answer."

—Squeak!

I released my mana violently and shattered all the ice walls surrounding me.

At best, I didn't even need to implement the manifestation to break a thick and large block of ice.

Contrary to her true feelings, she blurted out harsh criticism, but the vice-captain shook her head calmly, not caring about it.

At the same time, her momentum sharpened even more.

Of course, it couldn't end here. A smile formed on her lips.

"Of course, there's still more I want to show you. I'll keep going."

"Yes. Please don't disappoint me."

She deliberately continued to spit out harsh words in order to stimulate her fighting spirit as a warrior.

Then, the vice-captain swung the rapier in her right hand in a circular motion as if she were a conductor.

"Tighten up."

—Ssaaaah…

The cold air that had been scattered quite widely began to concentrate at one point according to her command.

"Rise, fall."

At the same time, sharp ice shards rose up as if they were going to cover all directions. Icicles like blades began to fall from above her head.

Each and every one of them was like a weapon.

Also, as the radius of the imagery narrowed, the coldness became even more intense, and before long, even the ground was covered in ice, making it impossible to move one's feet properly.

This area was already the vice-captain's territory.

The entire space soaked in coldness responded to her will and tried to exclude the intruder.

—Shhh!

In the worst battlefield that was forcibly narrowing down, only one person was swinging the sword freely.

Is this the path of the sword that the vice-captain is pursuing now?

"Excellent."

It was certainly a fierce blow that was incomparable to the one just now.

If she takes just one or two more steps, wouldn't she be able to grow into an incredible force that no one can beat?

Her future is truly promising.

However, if she loses too much strength, it will be difficult, so we should stop here.

—Kugugu…

Release the suppressed momentum and drive away the cold air encroaching on the surroundings.

"This... This is?!"

"I acknowledge your skills. I can no longer say that you are clumsy."

Slowly superimpose her will to dominate the space with my will.

And then, as I stomp my feet hard toward the center of the cold air, the encroaching ice prison shatters into pieces.

—Kwaang!

"Ouch!"

The vice-captain visibly staggers as the image she had painstakingly created is destroyed head-on.

The shock must have been quite great, as she eventually knelt on the ground and began breathing heavily.

"Haa... Heuuu..."

I slowly approached the vice-captain and supported her without saying a word.

The shock was a little big, but it probably wasn't enough to cause internal injuries.

Finally, she regained her composure and leaned against me, blushing and whispering softly.

"Compared to you, Captain, I still have a long way to go. I'm, I'm embarrassed…"

"No. It was good enough. You can be confident. I'll be a threat to those who are mediocre."

"But I'm not even close to standing up to the real powers. Just looking at it now…"

I patted the shoulder of the vice-captain who was completely exhausted and pondered what advice I should give her.

The biggest problem she had right now was ambiguity.

I could vaguely sense the path of the sword that a knight named Agnes was pursuing, but it felt like she was wavering without a clear direction.

Also, because I was trying to do too many things at once, I lacked the determination to actually win or lose.

More than anything, rather than naturally utilizing the imagery I was creating myself as my own limbs, it was as if…

"Vice-captain. Are you afraid of the cold?"

"Four? Me?"

The mind was originally a very subtle realm.

While there could be no change even with training that was close to torture, it could grow explosively even with a very small trigger.

In addition, how I would forge the one sword I held in my heart depended solely on my own will.

The only advice I could give the vice-captain was to simply recall the vague feelings I had while sharing the sword with her.

"I'm scared, I'm scared of the cold…"

"Think about it slowly. For now, let's go back for today in preparation for the match tomorrow. No, since the time has come, I should find a place to stay near the meeting place."

"Yes…"

I rode the carriage with the vice-captain and headed to the plains of the Bergson Viscounty, our destination.

After riding for two or three hours on horseback, we were able to arrive before it got too late at night.

I was trying to find an inn in a nearby town and take two rooms to let her rest.

—Snap!

"I, Captain… That, ugh…"

The Vice Captain, who had disarmed herself and was dressed comfortably, grabbed my arm and stopped me in front of my room.

Her face flushed and her legs crossed. It was a very meaningful sight.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I've used too much energy and am running out of energy. Could you please come in for a moment and give me some mana…"

I stared at the Vice Captain's face, who was avoiding my eyes, and fell into thought for a moment.

It wasn't hard to grant her a favor. All I had to do was share some of my overflowing mana.

However, I had a strong feeling that things wouldn't end there today.

'What should I do…'

If I continue to ride this strange atmosphere and cross the line with the Vice Captain tonight, there will definitely be a problem in the match tomorrow.

Besides, it was clear that many of our subordinates and Roswell Knights were staying at this inn.

If I was not careful, I was worried that their social status would be seriously damaged.

After much thought, I decided to use her emotions in a more constructive way.

"Vice-Captain Agnes."

"Yes, yes... Hahsh...?!"

Standing in the hallway, I leaned against the wall with one arm, completely covering the vice-captain's small body with my body, and reached out my hand toward her smooth lower abdomen.

—Woong...

"Ahh... Captain... B, in the room..."

And I injected her with as much mana as she wanted.

Her lower body twitched ceaselessly. Her disheveled appearance was even more stimulating to men.

I whispered softly in her ear.

"Not now."

"Huh... Then?"

"If you win this Knights' Competition, in addition to the favor I promised you last time, I will grant you one more wish."

"Anything… you mean?"

"Yes, anything."

With that, I ended the short conversation and took my hand off the vice-captain's lower abdomen.

I felt like I had done something terribly wrong, but this was the best I could do.

"I sincerely congratulate you on your great enlightenment today. I look forward to your performance in tomorrow's match."

"Anything, anything..."

I left the vice-captain, who was reflecting on the conversation with a blank expression, and returned to my room.

It seemed like there was no need to worry about lack of fighting power in the preliminary round.

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