When I first saw him, I thought:
(What is Laute thinking right now?)
He looked like any other young guy, but…
"Nope, thanks. I'm good."
To be honest, I wasn't really interested in sponsoring him, but that response…
(Did he reject that offer just like that?)
It's been years since the ranking system was established in the Knighthood.
Personally, I've always hated this whole system from the very premise…
Turning creatures in Demonic Frenzy into targets with points to be hunted… assigning points to humanitarian acts.
(All of this is the very antithesis of the Knighthood…)
But I could never challenge these changes within the order…
Eventually, the ranking system also became a celebrity factory.
Because of this, various vain idiots ended up joining the order, and as a result, the quality of the knights declines with each new wave.
(That young man… perhaps he…)
Perhaps it's just the dying embers of hope in an old man, but if that young man really…
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"Whoa… this place is crazy!"
After sorting out the details of the sparring match and contacting Lev's mother, the three of them headed to the training area at the regional office.
Lev looked around curiously, and, contrary to what one might expect, so did Laute.
"It's not as impressive as the one in the capital, but it's actually pretty good!"
"Why are you acting like it's your first time here?"
Noticing the same surprise he felt in Laute, Lev stared at him with an expression of disbelief.
"HAHAHA! The other knights stationed here don't like training sparring! And coming alone would be pretty lonely!"
Laute puffed out his chest proudly as he declared his words, while Lev felt his energy drain just from being near him.
"Well, well."
However, both of their attention would soon turn to Louis, as he walked toward the center of the arena, clapping his hands.
"The match will end if one of you is disarmed or declares defeat. Any questions?"
"Yes!"
The man raised his hand so enthusiastically that it gave Lev a little jump scare.
"Go ahead, Laute."
"Are there any area or time limits?!"
"No. You can take your time and use the entire arena."
He didn't say it out loud, but he was overflowing with joy at the answer.
Lev let out a slightly joyful sigh, almost like a proud father at his son's achievement.
"As for the weapons… here."
Louis tossed a pair of metal swords to each of them.
"Wait, aren't we supposed to use wooden swords or something— Huh?"
Before Lev could ask if that old man had really given them real weapons, he noticed something odd.
"There's no cutting edge?"
"They're special swords for semi-realistic training. They don't cut, but they cause authentic blunt force damage."
While Lev was still questioning the safety of this, Laute was already stretching up for combat.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of any injuries after the fight, Lev."
And to ease the young man's concerns, Louis just smiled warmly as he spoke.
"Okay, I guess."
To which he replied with a shrug, narrowing his eyes at Laute.
"OK! Armed and ready!"
Laute clenched his fists with a fiery smile, gripping his sparring sword and pointing it at Lev.
"Don't hold back! Show me the fire in your soul, Lev!"
(This guy really does look more and more like Alphonse by the minute…)
With an exhausted sigh, the young man slung his sword over his shoulder, flashing a sharp smile at it.
"No complaining after getting your ass kicked, got it?"
Although just a few moments ago he'd been uncomfortable and totally not into it, now he seemed like a completely different person.
Smiling, Louis looked at Laute.
"Laute, ready?"
"Absolutely!"
Nodding, he turned toward Lev.
"Lev, ready?"
"Let's get this over with, old man."
With another nod, Louis raised his hand between the two.
"Sparring Match: Lev vs. Laute. Begin!"
And he quickly stepped back from the center of the arena.
"OKAY! LEV! YOU CAN THROW THE FIRST HIT!"
"... Huh?"
Immediately after the match began, Lev was already hit by something unexpected.
"Don't worry! It's my style to let my opponent throw the first hit!"
Laute pounded his fist against his chest, an aura of extreme confidence surrounding him.
Lev stared at him for a few seconds, but a curious smile quickly spread across his face.
"You're a little off your rocker, but I don't dislike that!"
Bringing his left leg forward and stepping back with his right. Leaning forward, resting his sword on his right shoulder.
Laute flashed a cheerful smile like a child's.
"Ooooh! That's the one you used to knock down the trees yesterday, isn't it?!"
"Huh? Were you watching me? Man, I don't know if I should take that as you being my fan or a stalker…"
Even as he said this, there was a hint of excitement in Lev's expression.
With a swift movement, he lunged at Laute; gripping the hilt firmly, he swept the blade along the ground.
As he entered Laute's range, he immediately reversed his grip on the hilt, executing an upward horizontal slash.
"Wolf Stance: Crescent Moon!"
He made sure to push himself upward with all his might right up until the very last second his feet were in contact with the ground.
"Hmm! Nice form!"
But unfortunately for him, Laute had parried the blade right at the moment it was about to strike his chin.
"But perhaps a blade without a cutting edge isn't suitable for making the most of your style…"
Following up, Laute struck Lev in the center of the stomach with the scabbard of the sparring sword.
(Fast!)
As he was thrown backward, Lev barely had time to react to the speed of his opponent's movements.
"Hmm… seeing it a second time, I can spot the openings. Or maybe…"
Laute slipped the scabbard back onto his waist, then brought his hand to his chin, deep in thought.
(I knew it… this guy…)
As Lev struggled to catch his breath between coughs after the blow, his head remained bowed.
(… Is crazy!)
Lifting his face with an expression struggling to resist the pain, yet with something close to… elation?
Meanwhile, watching from afar…
(… The posture has obvious flaws up close, but overall, it has solid balance.)
Louis critically analyzed Lev's movements.
(However, against Laute's 'EveningMirror' it's hard to gain an advantage.)
Running his hand over his chin, the man suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"... What is this feeling…"
And in the arena itself, Laute also seemed to sense something approaching.
"... That's it! It's the same feeling as yesterday!"
Lev brought his right leg forward, bending his left leg back slightly.
His body was drawn inward, the sword in his left hand being held upright in parallel, aligned with his shoulders.
"Wait… it's not the wolf thing, nor does it look like the one you used on the bear."
And Laute slowly grew more excited as he couldn't recall a stance similar to the ones Lev had used yesterday.
"Bee Stance—"
Still caught up in his own excitement and taken by surprise by the move, Laute barely managed to block the blow.
It was a thrusting attack that, even though he blocked it with the side of his sword, still pushed him back a little.
"Jetstream."
"How many stances do you have?! Man, you get more interesting with every—"
However, Lev couldn't—or rather, wouldn't—give Laute a chance to catch his breath.
He quickly spun 360 degrees with his sword still pressed against Laute's.
"what?!"
"… North."
As soon as the sword completed its circle back to the starting point, with a slight forward tilt, he pushed Laute's sword upward.
With his opponent's guard open and the path clear, his sword aligned, Lev's sense of elation grew more intense.
"That kid… Laute, you bastard, you really…"
And Louis, who had been watching it all, wore an equally ecstatic expression.
"found a monster."