In a plain away from the road, Werner and Kurt face each other.
The reason I proposed this confrontation was that I was curious about the abilities of the knight from the Werner family, known for their martial prowess.
Werner takes a stance with his sword positioned straight in front of him, leaning slightly forward, while Kurt adopts a posture with his right side forward and his right hand sword pointed down toward the ground.
“Attack must stop just short. The use of aura is also prohibited. If I deem it dangerous, I will stop you as the referee. Understood?”
Upon hearing this, both nod in agreement.
“Then, let’s begin!”
I watch the duel unfold.
The first to move is Werner. He strikes from above, and Kurt meets the blow from below, producing a sharp ringing sound as their swords clash. The two remain locked in combat, evenly matched.
The pattern repeats: Werner creates distance before launching another attack, which Kurt successfully defends against.
“What do you think, old man?”
Well, I’ve learned a bit about swordsmanship myself, so I understand some things, but the realm of knights who can manipulate aura is completely beyond me.
From what I’ve heard, it all begins with sensing aura. At this point, I found that impossible. The next step is manipulating the aura within the body. This is the level of Herbert and Werner. Beyond that is the stage where one can envelop the sword in aura, which my father has achieved; in terms of knowledge from my previous life, it’s something like “the unity of body and sword.”
Whether there is another stage beyond that is unknown.
From my observations, I think Kurt also possesses the ability to manipulate aura.
After all, being able to control aura is a requirement for becoming a knight.
“Hmmm… what do you think, Lord Ein?”
The one asking was me, but…
I think I’m being tested on the results of my regular training.
“It seems like Werner is attacking, but I believe Kurt is defending well and has enough stamina.”
When I answered, Herbert nodded thoughtfully while stroking his chin.
“Indeed. As expected of a knight from the Werner family, his defense is solid. However, that alone is insufficient. Look at his expression.”
I shifted my gaze not to the overall picture but to Kurt’s face.
Though he isn’t sweating, he somehow looks distressed.
However, the one who noticed Kurt’s struggle up close was Werner.
Realizing that a long battle would be tough physically, Werner launches a full-force thrust.
Even to an amateur like me, it’s clear.
Given his solid defensive swordsmanship, it should be easy for him to defend against it.
However, Kurt did not defend.
Whoosh!
Kurt lightly twisted his body and evaded Werner’s thrust.
After dodging, he pressed his sword against Werner’s neck, deciding the outcome of the duel. Blood drips from Kurt’s shoulder.
His solid defensive swordsmanship and the final exchange seem, for lack of a better word, mismatched.
But you can’t win just by defending, so is that how it is? One could say it takes guts.
Well, with that level of skill, I definitely want him as a knight.
I decided to recruit Kurt.
Well, it was pretty much determined from the start due to a shortage of talent.
