Chapter 196
“Nice to meet you . Remember how I said we’d meet again soon?”
Hersaint-Blanc was nowhere to be seen when Desir came out after the meeting, and instead there was someone who Desir had met yesterday waiting for him .
It was Swan Katarina .
She casually offered a handshake .
“My name is Swan Katarina . I’m the archer of the Royal Guard . ”
Desir replied as he reached out to her hand .
“Pleasure to meet you . I’m Desir Arman who will serve as the mage . ”
To his reply, Swan looked at Desir with surprise .
“I like your confidence . I’ll directly guide you to the drill hall where the battle will be held so follow me . ”
They walked the Palace’s hallway side by side .
“You know, sometimes I just don’t understand what His Majesty is thinking . Not even in my dreams could I imagine him recruiting a commoner student as the Royal Guard . ”
Swan turned back .
“Oh, don’t take that the wrong way . It’s not that I have any doubt in your capability . It’s because a student joining the Royal Guard has never happened before . ”
Desir understood what she meant .
The title of Royal Guard was just as heavy and significant as the privileges it offered . The fact that a young student, a commoner at that, was joining the Royal Guard, was something that could cause a lot of conflicts .
“Well, that’s why there was also some internal debate within the Royal Guard about whether to accept you . We agreed since Your Majesty was so stubborn about it, but Raphaello… … still has his own opinion about it . ”
Passing back through the security gate, the guard returned an object to Desir . He quickly inspected it, and slipped it back into his pocket, where it fit snugly .
“He must want to completely verify me . He’s a really thorough person after all . ”
Swan looked at Desir with a pair of sharp eyes and asked .
“… … do you know Raphaello personally?”
Desir played dumb .
“There isn’t anyone who doesn’t know about the Sword Grand Master Raphaello after all . He’s also well-known in the media too . ”
“Good point . That guy’s definitely just as famous as you are . ”
Swan continued on .
“Well, don’t think it’s just a superficial match held for that kind of reason . If you fail to get his approval, it’s better to think that even if His Highness wills it, joining the group would be impossible . ”
Shortly after, they arrived at a gigantic drill hall .
Desir got a rough sense of the scale of privilege the Royal Guard had from the fact that they were able to use a place this large inside the royal palace .
“This is the place where the captain and you will have a match . ”
Desir could feel a large surge of mana surrounding the drill hall . It was an incredibly powerful defensive spell .
‘There’s an Aurora system set up here . ’
Desir had heard from Zod that the Hebrion Empire was also implementing an Aurora System, but he didn’t imagine it would be set up in a place like this .
The Aurora system was a defensive device designed to protect against spells above the Sixth-Circle .
Furthermore, when it was used in a fixed installation like this, it demonstrated even superior defensive ability compared to the portable version .
Just when he thought that implementing such a defensive system in a mere training hall was overdoing it, Desir discovered many scars of battle left on it .
“Seems like you Royal Guards train really intensely… … ”
Swan shrugged .
“Cause everyone’s so capable, they’re really competitive about it . ”
*Thump*
*Thump*
Following the footsteps of someone arriving at the drill hall, a voice could be heard .
“You got here first, Swan . ”
Desir turned around .
A man with golden hair as bright as the sun entered the drill hall .
The man’s jade eyes met with Desir’s .
Raphaello Cheringer .
The current Sword Grand Master, and captain of the Royal Guard .
He looked so much younger than Desir remembered . His hairstyle was different and his face was clean and scarless .
The memories he shared with him briefly flashed by as Desir stood there staring blankly .
“And you are Desir Arman?”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Raphaello Cheringer . ”
But those memories now only belonged to Desir . They were created in a timeline that never occurred here . No matter what happened now, those memories would never manifest, not with how much Desir’s actions had changed the world . That thought made Desir a bit sad .
Casually, just like he had done to everyone he met up to now, he greeted Raphaello, pretending as if they had never met before .
Raphaello smiled and shook the hand Desir offered .
“Same here . It’s an honor to meet the Shy Hero . ”
Desir thought that despite the difference in his appearance, his humorous personality stayed the same .
“I assume you’ve heard from His Majesty?”
“I’ve heard that I need your approval in order to join the Royal Guard . ”
“So, do you have the confidence to gain my approval?”
Desir shook his head .
“Truthfully, no . If we were to fight here, it would end in my defeat . ”
Even among those who reached King Class and stood firmly outside the realm of mankind, Raphaello was praised as the Sword Grand Master for his supernatural mastery over the blade .
In a drill hall without anywhere to conceal himself, it was apparent that Desir would be slashed without a chance to even cast his magic .
It was reasonable, but Raphaello pointed something out .
“If we fought ‘here’? Meaning you could win if we fought some other place?”
“… … ”
As Desir stayed silent, Raphaello smiled as if amused .
“Well, that’s fine . I wouldn’t be so unfair to demand one-on-one combat with you . Let’s take it easy, shall we?”
Raphaello picked up one of the steel bars piled up in a corner of the drill hall, and planted it deep within the center of the room .
“Try to break this bar, and I will protect it . If the bar breaks in under ten minutes, it’s your victory . How about it, simple enough?”
Raphaello served as the shield of the Royal Guard . It meant that he was approved by the Emperor as the single best person in the entire Empire at defending .
“It’s worth trying . ”
While protecting the steel bar, Raphaello’s movement would be significantly restrained . He would be able to perform his role as the shield but would struggle to go on the offense .
Desir nodded before speaking again .
“Understood . ”
“Good . Let’s get started then . ”
Raphaello took out his sword and shield as he positioned himself in front of the metal stick . Desir stood slightly away from him .
As the atmosphere of battle set in, Swan tapped on Desir’s back and whispered in his ear .
“Do your best to serve him right . I’ll treat you good if you manage to wrinkle that smug face of his . ”
‘So they’re in a rivalry . ’
As Swan walked out of the drill hall, Raphaello spoke as he stretched .
“It’s fine to use whatever means you have hidden up your sleeve . After all, being a Royal Guard means doing anything for the Emperor, no matter the cost . ”
“Then I won’t hold back . ”
Desir reached into his pocket and once more fished out an object .
Runel .
An A-Tier artifact made out of the strongest metal, Blankšum .
Desir’s shield and weapon that detected any danger to himself and moved without his conscious guidance .
The silver sphere hovered around him .
Spontaneously, Desir began calculating a spell . It unfolded immediately in front of him .
[Giga Lightning]
Desir had completely adapted to his new Fourth-Circle, in no small part due to the training with Radoria and Kelt .
Static electricity arced everywhere and lightning bore down inside the drill hall .
*Pzzzzzt*
As one of the higher tier spells amongst the Fourth Circle, Giga Lightning had the power to easily melt steel .
But Raphaello didn’t seem to dodge the attack . By simply raising his shield while firmly planting his feet, he easily defended against Desir’s spell .
‘That wasn’t even close, huh?’
Desir’s calculation continued .
Combinations of various types of elemental magic rained down on the steel bar .
But no magic could pierce through Raphaello’s shield;his defense couldn’t be any sturdier . Every attack was nullified by a simple repositioning of his shield .
Just when Desir was about to continue casting his magic .
*Claaang*
A sharp noise spread throughout the drill hall . It was the sound of a shockwave from Runel and Raphaello’s aura colliding .
Solely focused on defense until now, he switched gear and started making his own moves .
“It wouldn’t be fair if I just stood here taking hits, don’t you think?”
Raphaello’s attack continued .
His sword emanated a powerful aura that continually battered Desir .
It was the only attack he could use while restrained, but it had the power to break the limit of what Runel could handle .
[Binder of Earth]
A spell that had the best defensive ability amongst the Fourth-Circle spells . The ground twisted and formed a wall around Desir .
But the wall couldn’t block the attack at all and was instantly cut open .
*Swish*
*Clang*
*C-C-Clang*
A Fourth-Circle defensive spell could only reduce the power of the sword aura Raphaello was wielding . Runel was barely able to block such an attack, despite having its power significantly reduced .
Once Raphaello switched to offense, Desir was unable to cast any offensive spells .
Raphaello spoke with an immensely disappointed voice .
“That’s it? A whole three minutes spent on defending?”
At this pace, Raphaello’s complete stomp was guaranteed .
Just when Raphaello became confident of his victory and lowered his guard slightly, something entered his vision .
“… … ?”
There was a silhouette of something forming on the other side, only visible due to the cracks in the wall .
“A magic… … spell?”
It was different from any spells Desir had cast thus far . It had an incomparably sophisticated form and was both elegant and beautiful .
As he spaced out looking at the magic unfolding before his eyes, the spell was about halfway completed .
Raphaello’s face stiffened .
“It’s still too early to be disappointed, Mr . Raphaello . ”
‘This one’s dangerous . ’
Having determined that, Raphaello concentrated all of his aura in covering his whole body to prepare for the impact .
No, that wasn’t nearly enough . He raised his shield . All his aura flooded towards the shield, forming a turbulent sphere around it . Soon after, the aura compressed and took form in the shape of three runes .
*Chiiing*
It was a unique defensive skill possessed by just the current Sword Grand Master, Raphaello Cheringer .
He, who hadn’t put in his best effort until now, finally began to use his full power to seriously focus on defense .
[Fire Storm]
An intense wave of flame churned around Raphaello, and unbearable heat radiated throughout the drill hall, threatening to spill into the rest of Leonhardt Palace .
*Smash*
After a very long few seconds, the storm died down and Raphaello appeared amongst a cloud of dust .
“… … ”
The metal stick was still in good shape, but there was no composure left on Raphaello’s face .
On the contrary, Desir seemed to be relaxed .
“This is just the beginning . ”
----
Chapter brought to you by Kevin K .
???: …
ED: Purplemen101
TLC: N/A
QC: Nhan
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