“I’m from a family of mages, but my dream is to become a swordmaster.”

There wasn’t any reason for Yi-han to come up with a lie like that since they would get to know each other throughout the semester by trading blows anyway.

This was also his way of telling the students of the White Tigers to relax.

– I’ll be dipping after getting my grade, so no need to worry guys!

“…”

However, the elven student seemed even more puzzled and confused than before, trying to determine whether Yi-han was joking or not.

“I-I see. I’m from the Moradi Family. You can refer to me by my family name.”

“Right. Nice to me you, Moradi.”

They lightly shook hands.

Though he was small, Moradi’s hands were rough and calloused, indicating that he was indeed from a knight’s family.

‘Hmm, the Moradi Family…’

Even he had heard of it several times before. It was a knight’s family well known for being extremely strict, and the family was responsible for protecting the cold north, utilizing any means possible to achieve its goals. Or at least that was what he was told…

‘…He doesn’t fit that kind of image at all.’

“?”

Moradi looked curiously at Yi-han.

‘But then again, rumors surrounding families aren’t always the most accurate.’

Compared to the orc from before who acted on impulse without any regard for the families that they represented, Moradi was much easier to talk to and work with.

‘I should try to get on good terms with him so that the others from the White Tigers lower their guard.’

***

The Blue Cliff Style. That was the style of swordsmanship that Arlong had taught Yi-han.

As its name implied, the Blue Cliff Style emphasized hardness and honesty.

– There are countless styles of swordsmanship in the world. There are fast ones, slow ones, sharp ones, dull ones, heavy ones, light ones, simple ones, and complicated ones. There’s no need to learn them all, and I’m not skilled enough to teach them either. The style that I will be teaching is the one that I have trained in and the path that I’ve walked as a swordsman. If Young Master Yi-han continues to train in the sword diligently, I have no doubt that he will also discover his own path one day.

Compared to Arlong who had spent decades training in the sword, Yi-han was only a beginner with a few years under his belt. Hence, he didn’t truly understand what Arlong meant by “his own path”.

Nevertheless, he had something that the other nobles lacked, and that was the tenacity to do what he was told.

Even Arlong had been shocked by how diligently Yi-han performed his tasks, and as a result, his foundation was exceedingly firm.

“Blue Cliff Style? It seems you have your basics down.”

Professor Ingurdel complimented him on his form.

“Which family are you from? If I’m not wrong, the Blue Cliff Styles is…”

“I’m from the Wardanaz Family.”

“…?”

It took a moment for the professor to react.

‘Do the Wardanaz train in the Blue Cliff Style?’

Recalling what the Wardanaz Family was known for, the professor followed up with another question.

“May I ask why you’re interested in learning the sword?”

“As a nobleman, swordsmanship is a basic part of our education.”

Ingurdel smiled bitterly. He wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t an answer that the professor liked to hear.

For a swordsman like himself, swinging a sword was a matter of life and death, yet nobles had the tendency to treat it lightly.

“Or at least that was what I thought in the beginning. However, the more I learned, the more I understood how profound it was, to the point where it felt comparable to magic. And that’s what I wish to continue training in it in this class.”

“…Full points!!”

“Pardon??”

“Nothing.”

Ingurdel waved his hand. He had accidentally voiced his thoughts as the answer that Yi-han had given was perfectly in line with his own beliefs.

He couldn’t believe that a member of the Wardanaz Family would treat swordsmanship with so much sincerity. In fact, Yi-han’s attitude was much more commendable than some students of the White Tigers that were participating in the class just for the sake of appearance.

‘Did it work?’

Yi-han carefully observed the professor’s expression.

Despite how he looked, Professor Ingurdel was much nicer and easier to read than a certain crazy lich, and as someone that toiled under countless insane professors, it wasn’t a difficult task for Yi-han to grasp his pure heart.

Yes, he was here for the grade, but even he wouldn’t be bold enough to say that out loud in front of the professor.

“Excellent mindset.”

“Thank you.”

“Since we have hardworking students like you, it’s only fair that I put in some effort as well. I won’t be going easy on you. Now, ready your wooden sword.”

“…”

Yi-han slightly regretted giving such a stellar answer.

***

Professor Ingurdel then proceeded to beat the students to a pulp.

The students had been caught off-guard by his soft voice, but after getting hit a few times, they charged at him with clenched teeth.

However, that only resulted in the professor beating the shit out of them once more.

‘The hell…He’s no joke.”

Yi-han had much to improve, but he was skilled enough to tell how powerful his opponent was.

Arlong was a strong swordsman, and the professor didn’t fall short of him at all. While Arlong was as immovable as a boulder, Ingurdel was as swift as water in the river.

What surprised Yi-han the most was the fact that the professor could move like that in spite of his prosthetic arm and leg.

The students tried their best to fight back with the sword that they had trained in for years, but it wasn’t nearly enough to catch up to the professor’s movements, and as a result, they were beaten black and blue.

“If you’re training in the Violent Sword Style, you should vary your movement! The point of dual-wielding lies in its complexity and abstruseness! Just don’t swing your swords thoughtlessly!”

“The Mountain-Moon Style should be faster, sharper! Don’t hesitate when you stab. Come at me with all you have!”

It was also impressive how he recognized each student’s techniques. There were hundreds of styles of swordsmanship within the Empire simply counting the well-known ones, and the number would shoot up if one were to include those that were only passed down within families.

Yet Professor Ingurdel knew the names of all of them.

“Let’s take a break for a moment.”

“…”

“Cough…”

“Bast…”

The students fell to the ground panting and coughing. They didn’t have the strength to even swear anymore.

Yi-han’s muscles felt sore as well.

– Those that train in the Blue Cliff Style should be like a boulder, never to be shaken by attacks.

– Professor, is that even possible when I’m facing someone like you?

– Now, now. Let us continue. Try blocking this! And that! How about this!

Ingurdel attacked through the gaps in his defense, some of which he had been oblivious to. It took everything he had to survive the onslaught.

‘My answer had definitely been wrong…’

That was the conclusion he reached by the time they got to rest.

Yi-han could feel that the professor was more passionate and persistent when teaching him compared to the others.

It might’ve been because of his swordsmanship which emphasized defense, but his sixth sense said otherwise.

He knew the consequences of getting caught up with the wrong professor through his time at .

‘Should I have remained quiet? I didn’t think I’d get beaten up even more by getting on his good side.’

“Wardanaz?”

“Yes, Professor?”

“Let’s have you spar for a moment.”

“…”

Yi-han really regretted his answer now. He was about to become the professor’s sandbag while the others rested.

However, he soon realized that he hadn’t been called out to face the professor.

“This over here is Dolgyu from the Choi Family. I want the two of you to have a spar.”

“!”

All the students, including Yi-han, were surprised by this.

‘Why them?’

‘Isn’t this the guy that picked a fight with me earlier?’

Yi-han stared at Dolgyu with an unpleasant expression.

The orc had picked a fight with him simply because he was from another dormitory, something that had gotten on Yi-han’s nerves.

Not to mention, Dolgyu clearly knew that he was from the Wardanaz Family. Yi-han could already tell that Dolgyu would attack him with full power despite it being a spar.

“Understood, professor!”

The orc glared at Yi-han as if he was ready to kill. Yi-han clicked his tongue.

‘Would you look at this bastard.’

It was clear as day that he was planning on using this opportunity to thrash the student from the other dorm.

Yi-han wondered why the professor would choose Dolgyu out of all the students present.

‘The professor’s not doing this on purpose just because I’m the only one from another tower, right? I mean, he seemed to like my response earlier.’

Now that the situation was like this, Yi-han prepared to engage Dolgyu in combat. While the others at the estate fooled around and lived comfortably, he had trained under Arlong, getting beaten up along the way. It was all so that he could fight back in moments like this!

***

Professor Ingurdel had called upon Yi-han and Dolgyu for a simple reason. It was because they were the strongest among everyone present.

Swordsmanship wasn’t something that could be learned through theories alone. Instead, it took countless practice and actual experience to learn its core techniques.

At the hands of an amateur, a technique where a swordsman stabs their opponent’s neck after pretending to go for the heart would be useless. Only idiots would fall for it.

The same technique, however, would become deadly once the swordsman included feints and tricks leading up to the final blow.

Mastering a technique meant knowing how to apply it in various ways, and once mastered, beating most mercenaries would become a walk in the park. After all, the majority of mercenaries swung their swords randomly, relying solely on their strength and instinct.

Compared to them, Yi-han and Dolgyu had reached a level where they had an adequate amount of understanding of their techniques. Although very slight, they could even inject mana into their weapons.

Considering their age, this was quite an accomplishment, even if one of them were from a knight’s family. With their talent, they could become successful knights in the future.

‘It must have been tough training to that extent while being in the Wardanaz’s estate.’

Leaving aside Dolgyu, who was from the Choi Family, Ingurdel was impressed by Yi-han’s proficiency in the sword, especially considering that he was from a mage family.

‘He claimed swordsmanship to be as deep and profound as magic. He must’ve truly felt that, hence his reason for joining this class.’

Ingurdel misunderstood that Yi-han had dedicated his life to the sword. To train in it, he would’ve had to walk on eggshells in the Wardanaz Family.

However, the reality was different. Nobody from the family tried to interfere with Yi-han when he asked Arlong to teach him swordsmanship.

The Wardanaz Family was a household where each member did their own thing without bothering others. Ingurdel, who didn’t know this, thought Yi-han was an unfortunate child that grew up in an oppressive family and admired his devotion to the way of the sword.

Now that they had met, he had the responsibility to guide Yi-han to the right path.

‘The Choi Family’s Mountain-Moon Style is fast and sharp. On the other hand, Wardanaz has learned the Blue Cliff Style, which is heavy and firm. They’re the complete antithesis. By fighting it out, they’ll be able to learn from each other. There’s nothing as important to a swordsman as having a rival who can stand side-by-side with them.”

Ingurdel obviously knew that the students of the White Tigers had an unfavorable opinion of Yi-han, who was an outsider to them. However, time would solve that issue.

Once he beat them a couple of times, they’d forget all about it, and the animosity would be directed at him instead.

Professor Ingurdel hoped that these two would have a positive influence on one another and that the influence would spread to the other students as well.

Chuuaaaak!

The fight began while he was having such thoughts, with Yi-han kicking the ground and covering Dolgyu’s face in the dirt.