Chapter 328 – Coexistence (4)

“Ignet!”

“Oh! Ohoh!”

“She won! Ignet Crescentia has won!”

“Is he fine? Is the opponent fine?”

“There doesn’t seem to be any problem. Maybe he fainted…”

“Uh, where’s the stage?? No, it looks like the ground itself had flown away, hasn’t it?”

“Seriously, they’re monsters, both of them…”

With Jet Frost’s mumbling leading the way, little by little, the reactions came from the audience in quick succession.

Some were happy, and some were sad. However, there was no disagreement between the final contestants.

The shattered stage proved their strength. Without the protection of Jia Runtel and the others, the entire stadium would have been blown away.

Despite such a relentless and fearsome match, no one was injured.

The one who lost, Airn Pareira, was now knocked out in the arms of Ignet Crescentia.

Kirill’s reaction proved that Airn was fine.

Even in the midst of the disappointment, cheers were coming for Airn and applauding him for doing his best.

“Airn, you did really good!”

“Airn Pareira! Airn Pareira!”

“Ignet Crescentia! The pride of the Holy Kingdom!”

“Both of them are great! The continent is safe!”

“Look at that, you bastards from Devildom! They’re the hope of the continent!”

“Get lost now, devils!”

Enthusiasm.

And Hope.

The final wasn’t just a match between the two strongest swordsmen of the competition. What the audience saw from the match was the hope and future of the continent.

Seeing the atmosphere which matched the purpose of the tournament, the Holy King smiled happily, and Jia Runtel also smiled as if agreeing that the match wasn’t bad. It was the same for the other top figures of the Holy Kingdom.

However, not everyone was the same.

Julius Hul, who was watching the fight between the two from the start, thought.

‘… it was really dangerous.’

It really was.

Others must have sweated, wondering who would win, but Julius Hul wasn’t nervous about the result.

The victory was clearly Ignet’s, and the key to it was how well Airn would handle it.

‘To be honest… I didn’t think he could accept the attacks. I thought it wouldn’t be strange if he felt swept away by Ignet’s aura.’

So he tried to move.

He was horrified by the final blow of Ignet, which was stronger than what he had confirmed a month back, so he tried to stop the match.

The more talents the continent had, the better. No matter the purpose of the contest, he couldn’t stand to risk that. But as he was about to run in, Ian stopped him.

And in the end, that decision was the right one.

Whooong!

Julius Hul, was someone who didn’t know much about spirits, let alone the Five Spirits Divine Technique.

However, he could still clearly feel the energy of the spirits. However, they moved organically rather than running wildly and isolating themselves from each other.

The spirits, through the technique, coexisted, and sometimes they contradicted each other, and they did their best to relieve the external force.

And the result of achieving mastery in that was shown today.

The spirits succeeded in dispersing the shock and flame which came directly from the sun.

And after smiling at doing that, the man who did it collapsed forward. Ignet moved gently and caught the man before he hit the floor.

Julius Hul sighed in relief.

He, who had spent a considerable amount of time in silence amidst the cheers and shouts, looked at Ian and asked.

“Why did you stop me?”

Ian didn’t answer right away.

Even he couldn’t accurately grasp his own mind. It wasn’t just one thing that made him do that.

A lot of complicated things which couldn’t be explained were running through his mind. But if he had to put it into words.

“Faith.”

“…”

“Faith in my disciple. There is no other way to express it.”

“That sounds irresponsible…”

“Well, let’s call it the sense of a person who has lived as a swordsman for 100 years and as a swordsmanship teacher for 50 years. The bond between Airn and me must have played a part in it. You don’t understand, but I knew that he would do fine. Isn’t it too much for me to act in that situation and throw away the chance for my disciple to gain recognition because of my old age?”

“…”

“The talk about Airn is over; let’s talk about the Black Knight Commander. How was it?”

Ian asked in a low voice. It was because Ignet Crescentia was different from usual.

Julius Hul, who was asked about it, looked at her.

It certainly was. She, who would normally be cold to her opponent, approached and supported Airn first. And she wasn’t crying, smiling, or grimacing, but she had a strange expression on her face. Obviously, this match was confusing.

But…

“I have no worries.”

Julius Hul replied with a smirk.

Now it seemed like he knew why Ian stopped him.

Just as he believed in Airn.

Julius Hul, too trusted his subordinate and disciple Ignet. He was convinced that the current turmoil would serve as a stepping stone for her.

In that sense, Ian stopping him was quite meaningful.

The best knight of Avilius, who seemed to have a new change, made even the old commander respect her.

“Thank you. For stopping me from halting the growth of the Black Knight Commander.”

“… huhu. I don’t know about swordsmanship, but I do have more experience in teaching. If you are indebted, then let’s have a drink later.”

“I don’t normally drink, but I would be happy to do it with you. Sure, but…”

Julius Hul looked at something.

The dark beings who were hiding insidiously outside the arena.

The old paladin who felt it said.

“… after we wipe out the filthy evil ones.”

“Right.”

Ian, too solemnly, responded.

Right. The future of the continent was indeed bright, but that didn’t mean that the darkness had disappeared from the present.

The two people who were leading the present era gave hope to the people.

Seeing the audience cheering with bright faces, they vowed to sharpen their swords even further.

And…

‘… Ilya, what is she thinking right now?’

Looking at her lover in the hands of Ignet Crescentia. Bratt Lloyd had some delusions run through his mind.

The Warrior’s Festival, which started with huge expectations, came to a grander end.

Finally, the largest competition on the continent, which lasted for a month, was over.

However, even after a week since it finished, the Holy Kingdom was buzzing. It was because the aftertaste of the tournament still hadn’t washed away.

The people who came to see the hope of the continent, those who came to see the strong swordsmen in the world, and finally, those who were swept away by the excitement.

The story blossomed every day with stories of the contestants who showed their own color. Inns and restaurants were full of people talking about it.

The hearts of people changed as if the devils had never existed, and the guards of the capitals felt relaxed.

The contest was over, but the festival was going on and warmth spread through the entire continent. And it wasn’t just for the audience.

The contestants too.

After being convinced that the minor wounds the contestants received were all healed, Avilius hosted a grand after-party banquet.

Although the winner didn’t attend for personal reasons, there were still many people who enjoyed it.

“Sir Airn Pareira! What an amazing sword!”

“I heard that he learned the Five Spirits Divine technique from the Durkali tribe, and its chief, the great warrior Karakum helped him…”

“Karakum has given up his position as chief. The current chief in Tarakan. That has to be said right. Schoolmaster Ian’s teachings and advice and the words from my friends were all great help to me. It seems like I was only able to reach this far because of the help and grace of the people around me.”

“Huhu, how can you be this humble…”

The contestants gathered around Airn, the Pride of the Hale Kingdom, who overcame everyone’s expectations and emerged as the runner-up.

Judith nodded. It wasn’t strange for people to flock to Airn, who had a gentle nature.

“Dame Ilya Lindsay! The last skill you displayed in the match between Dame Ignet… it was the skill of the Lord… right?”

“Yes. It is still unfinished, though.”

“Uh? No. I guess it is true then… Wow! Come here and see! Oh my! Excuse me for being this excited… I can back off if you are burdened by the noise.”

“No. It is fine.”

“T-then let’s talk a little more…”

‘Ilya doesn’t look shy either. Well… these days, she isn’t the same as she was in the past.’

Judith nodded again. In the past, Ilya avoided people so much that it felt like she had social phobia, but now she showed no sign of it.

Rather, Judith was worried that she would be rubbing off on Airn too much, but it wasn’t a huge problem. She smiled and looked at her lover, Bratt Lloyd.

Like a high-ranking noble, he got along with many people with a gentle smile and polite manners. And that was a good thing.

Suddenly, she felt lonely, and she looked down and thought.

‘No matter how I see it, this place doesn’t suit me.’

Bratt Lloyd was a sociable person who got along with anyone.

Airn Pereira made a good impression that anyone would like.

Although she looked cold compared to the two, Ilya Lindsay had a wonderful family background.

They were all different from her.

Her personality was the odd one… with no family and of humble birth. Of course, since she was acquainted with the three, no one would ignore her, but it was inevitable that she was feeling cramped. It was as if she was in clothes that didn’t fit her.

‘I’d rather have a fight than a banquet.’

She remembered her argument with Zakuang. It felt bad then, but she felt better in such a situation. This friendly atmosphere didn’t suit her except for when she was with her friends and Khun.

At the time she was thinking, she felt a sense of energy behind her and turned right away.

“What?”

“Huk!”

“What? Are you talking to me?”

“Uh, Uh…”

Judith asked bluntly.

Are you talking to me? Well, it was a pure questioning statement, but a ferocious expression on the outside showed her bad mood.

Dwight, who was eliminated in the first round, felt nervous. However, he overcame it.

He felt that she was attractive as a swordsman.

Ignet in her 30s…the greatest genius on the continent, with strength on par with the top ten swordsmen on the continent.

And Judith, the strongest expert who pushed her into a corner!

As he recalled her form, a hot flame rose in his chest.

Dwight looked at Judith and said.

“D-D-D….”

For a moment, Bratt Lloyd suddenly turned to them.