N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 650
"Hey, is that an insult to the vice head’s parents?"
"Yeah, it's written elegantly, but it's definitely an insult to his parents..."
"Is the Light Wind division really a place for crazy people? What kind of nonsense is that..."
The swordsmen, barely regaining their composure, swallowed nervously as they looked at the still-visible magical writing.
"But wasn't it written really well? Like a poem or song lyrics."
"Yeah, it sounded like a song."
"The content is stuck in my head and won't go away!"
A few swordsmen chuckled in admiration at Raon's writing and Yua's voice.
"The ignorant project their inferiority onto others, while the wise recognize their shortcomings and train their hearts!"
"The base ridicule those lesser than themselves, while the noble share knowledge and heart with those who are less fortunate!"
The children sang along to Raon's writing like a song. Yua's rhythm was perfectly preserved. "Stop it!"
"Don't sing along!"
The parents quickly covered their children's mouths, but the phenomenon had already spread beyond control throughout the main building."This is essentially a challenge to a sword duel, right? This is going to blow up big..."
"Considering the vice head's usual temperament, he'd never accept, but if he doesn't this time..."
"He'll be seen as a coward. He has to accept. There's no other option!"
"Raon Zieghart is truly terrifying..."
The swordsmen shivered as they read the magical writing again.
Rimmer leaned against the wall, enjoying the reactions of the people before heading into the main building.
He kicked open the heavy door of the audience chamber and went inside.
"Did you see it? Our madman caused trouble again?"
Rimmer waved his hand with a bright smile.
"I just introduced him to Verbin, and he's already made a mess!"
He chuckled as he looked at the magical writing shining outside.
"Hu hu hu hu hu!"
Roenn rarely let out a hearty laugh.
"I knew young master Raon wouldn't stay quiet, but I didn't expect him to plan something like this."
He rubbed the back of his neck, amazed at how Raon continually exceeded expectations.
"It's impressive."
Sheryl recited Raon's writing hanging in the air with a faint smile.
"It's good enough to be called a poem. Even though it's a mockery, it's beautifully written."
She murmured that she had memorized it instantly, twitching her fingers.
"I didn't expect you to say that."
Rimmer tilted his head, looking at Sheryl.
"Why?"
"Even though it's elegant writing, the meaning is..."
"The vice head was the one who insulted his parent first. Raon was being a gentleman by expressing it so elegantly."
Sheryl shrugged, admitting it was undeniable.
"Wow, even our old geezer agrees."
Rimmer applauded Raon's plan, clapping into the air.
"Actually, the reason it spread so much is also thanks to Miss Yua. Her voice has a charm that you can't ignore."
Roenn smiled faintly, proud of Yua.
"That's right. He used his head well in many ways."
Rimmer nodded in agreement.
"The sword duel will definitely happen."
"Yes, even the slippery vice head can't escape after hearing that."
Sheryl agreed with a smirk.
"I look forward to three weeks from now. But..."
Rimmer, still looking at the magical writing, turned his gaze back.
Aris, who seemed like she would be the most excited, was tucked away in a corner, lost in thought.
"What are you doing? Your beloved nephew caused a huge scene, and you're just sitting there?"
Rimmer tilted his head and approached Aris.
"Well..."
Aris frowned, looking at the letters floating in the air.
"At first, I liked it, but as I kept reading..."
"As you kept reading?"
"I felt a bit pricked."
Her eyes slowly turned towards the platform.
"......"
The moment Glenn met Aris' gaze, he quickly turned his head and closed his eyes tightly. Now that he thought about it, his mouth, which usually curled towards the ceiling, was drooping.
"Huh."
Rimmer slowly read Raon's challenge letter, taking a deep breath without realizing it.
'This hit everyone widely...'
***
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The Gambling Monster walked into the senate building with steady steps.
"Ah!"
"Si-Sir Gambling Monster..."
The swordsmen inside the senate building looked at the sudden arrival of the Gambling Monster, their eyes flickering, unsure whether to stop him or step back.
"I'm just here to deliver a message, so don't worry."
The Gambling Monster waved his hand at the swordsmen and walked to the right corridor, stopping in front of the vice head of the senators’ office.
"N-No! You can't go in now!"
"Shut up."
Krisen blocked the entrance, saying it was off-limits, but the Gambling Monster pushed him aside and opened the door to the vice head’s office.
"Hmm!"
The Gambling Monster twisted his lips as he scanned the interior.
Originally, the vice head's office, while not lavish, was meticulously organized without a speck of dust, but now it looked as if a battle had taken place, with everything destroyed.
The ebony desk was split in half, bookshelves smashed and toppled, and decorations shattered as if struck by a hammer.
"It's a real mess. It looks no different from the annex building you destroyed."
"......"
The vice head glared at the Gambling Monster from a broken chair.
"Looking at this, it's impressive. Someone took ten days to destroy the annex building, but he managed to turn this place into this state in a single day. No, in just a few minutes. Raon clearly wins by a landslide."
The Gambling Monster flipped his thumb up mockingly at the vice head.
"If you don't want to die here, keep your mouth shut."
The vice head gritted his teeth as if he was about to charge at any moment.
"Hahaha!"
The Gambling Monster burst into laughter, ridiculing the vice head.
"Seeing a sneaky old fox like you make that face is like finally getting rid of a ten-year-old stomachache!"
"Gambling Monster!"
The vice head frowned and tried to stand up, but the Gambling Monster shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I'm not here just to tease you."
The Gambling Monster pulled out a piece of paper and threw it at the vice head. The paper fluttered through the air and landed in the vice head's hand.
"It's a sword duel challenge from the owner of the annex building. A 2-on-2 sword duel between the annex building and the vice head of the senators’ office. The winner keeps fighting."
"A 2-on-2?"
The vice head furrowed his brow, not expecting a 2-on-2.
“You said you were the general administrator of the annex building, even if it was just a title. Are you coming out yourself?”
"No."
The Gambling Monster shook his head calmly.
"As much as I'd love to come out and cut off your head myself, the kid didn't allow it."
"Hmm..."
The vice head narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge the Gambling Monster's intentions.
"Why are you glaring? Unlike you, I don't lie."
The Gambling Monster twisted his lips and waved his hand.
"Let me repeat. It's a sword duel between the annex building and the vice head of the
senators’ office. If you bring anyone else, you'll face even more disgrace than now."
"...I understand."
The vice head bit his lip, glaring at the Gambling Monster.
"Khahaha."
Unable to contain himself, the Gambling Monster pulled out a bottle of liquor.
"Your expression is priceless. I can't miss out on such a great appetizer."
He drank the whole bottle, savoring the vice head's twisted expression.
"Even a sneaky old fox like you can't handle that kid. Given you've become base, ignorant, and poorly taught by your parents, it’s no wonder you can't stand it."
"You insolent...!"
"I've said what I needed to say, I'll take my leave."
The Gambling Monster threw the empty bottle on the floor of the vice head of the senators’ office and turned to leave.
Boom!
A loud crash came from the vice head of the senators’ office as the ceiling and floor seemed to collapse.
"Even the sound is satisfying."
The Gambling Monster chuckled, putting a second bottle to his lips.
***
"Yua, are you okay?"
Sylvia hugged Yua, who had just returned from the Magic Tower, and let out a relieved sigh.
"I'm fine!"
Yua shook her head vigorously and hugged Sylvia back.
"Raon! You should have told me! How could you make Yua say such things...?"
"Yua wanted to do it. And..."
Raon stroked Yua's head and shook her head.
"Only Yua could do this."
It was no lie. Thanks to Yua reciting it, the writing I had done resonated like a song and poem.
If Sylvia had said it, the effect would have been far less impactful.
"She's still just a child..."
"Don't worry. There were almost no bad words."
To be honest, it was 'What on earth did your parents do?', but I wrote it as politely as possible so as not to taint Yua's mouth.
"Yua! You did great! It feels so refreshing!"
Helen grabbed Yua's shoulders, bursting into laughter.
"Me too! I didn't see that old man's angry face, but just imagining it is so satisfying!"
"I struggled to hold it in, but now I feel so much better!"
"I can sleep soundly tonight!"
The other maids couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces, clearly delighted.
"Me too..."
Even Judiel nodded her head. Seeing everyone so happy showed just how wicked the vice head had been.
"Honestly, I feel a bit—no, a lot—refreshed too."
Sylvia awkwardly smiled, scratching the back of her head.
“I just feel sorry for Yua.”
"I'm really okay!"
Yua shook her head, holding Sylvia's bruised hand.
"I was genuinely angry too. I'm glad I could help, even with something like this."
After seeing the annex building in ruins, Yua had shown her anger for the first time.
Thanks to that, she readily accepted Raon’s request and used her amplification magic. She put her heart into it, resonating with everyone’s emotions.
“And there’s something else for you to do, mother.”
“Something for me to do?”
Sylvia tilted her head, not understanding.
"You know that writing is a challenge to a sword duel, right?"
"Yes."
"I didn't challenge him to a one-on-one duel."
Raon lowered his gaze to the slowly disappearing magical writing.
"It's a 2-on-2 sword duel. The winner keeps fighting."
"So, then..."
Sylvia's eyes widened as she finally understood.
"Yes. You have to go out as the vanguard."
Raon nodded calmly.
"It will be Krisen and the vice head from their side, so you'll have to deal with Krisen and then the vice head."
"Both of them?"
Sylvia's mouth dropped open. She looked shocked at the idea of facing both Krisen and the vice head.
"You were frustrated, weren't you? You had to protect the annex building but couldn't do anything."
"......"
She didn't say anything, but her clenched lips spoke volumes.
"I’ll give you a chance to vent that anger."
As Raon said this, he pulled out the vice head’s Ten Forms Sword martial arts book manual.
"You have three weeks until the sword duel. It will be several times harder than the senate's inspection. The choice is yours, mother."
He looked into Sylvia's eyes as he spoke.
Her slowly burning red eyes. The woman who had shown tears countless times and blamed her own weakness was no longer there.
What existed now was a swordswoman who wielded a blade to protect her family.
Mom is quite talented, but she won't be able to win.
Wrath shook his head sorrowfully, looking into Sylvia’s eyes.
‘That could be true.’
Then why?
‘Because even if you lose 999 out of 1,000 times, there are moments when you have to fight with your own hands.’
Raon nodded as he met Sylvia's intense gaze.
"No answer needed. Let's start right away."
***
The clearing at the entrance of North Grave mountain was torn up as if it had been bombed.
“Huff….”
Sylvia rolled over the ground, which was dug out like a crater, gasping for breath.
"You’re too slow. Don’t move your body after thinking with your head, your body and mind must move simultaneously."
Raon followed Sylvia, who was retreating, and struck down with Heavenly Drive. The silver blade that shattered the sunlight descended toward Sylvia’s legs.
It wasn’t the swordsmanship of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation or Fangs of Insanity. It was the Ten Forms Sword, where the sword transformed into ten rays of light.
“Ugh!”
Sylvia hastily performed her footwork. She retreated so quickly that her shadow seemed to vanish, but Raon’s sword followed her like a magnet.
"The Ten Forms Sword isn’t just about illusion and variable swords. It’s extremely fast. If you’re not properly prepared, your limbs will be severed before you even get used to the illusion."
Raon thrust the Heavenly Drive toward Sylvia’s chest as he closed in on her.
"Got it!"
Sylvia shouted in defiance, barely parrying the strike aimed at her solar plexus.
Whoosh!
But the essence of the Ten Forms Sword was not in its speed but in its variations and illusions. The rapidly spreading trajectory of the sword slashed her flesh.
“Ugh!”
Despite being cut, Sylvia continued her swordsmanship without showing any pain.
"It’s good that you’re not panicking, but your movements have become stiff."
Raon took a step into Sylvia's space, deflecting her downpour of strikes with Heavenly Drive, then struck her waist with his left elbow.
Thud!
Sylvia let out a short scream and was knocked to the ground.
"Being a swordsman isn’t just about swordsmanship. Your opponent is a seasoned fox. He’s several steps above you, so you must be prepared for every situation."
"Yeah…."
She bit her lip and got up again like a tumbler. Despite the pain and exhaustion, her eyes did not waver.
The determination to never let her family in the annex building suffer again burned brightly.
"Then let’s start again."
Raon firmly planted his feet on the ground. He approached with a watercolor-like blurry footwork and unleashed consecutive forms of the Ten Forms Sword.
Boom!
The sky and ground were filled with the trajectories of the sword. Numerous strikes swirled like a storm.
“Ah….”
Sylvia’s lips trembled as she failed to read the flow of so many sword strikes.
"The most important thing when fighting illusion and variable sword is your own eyes. If your eyes get distracted by the opponent’s flow, it’s over. Even if it’s hard and your mind feels like it’s burning, you must analyze to the end with your aura and senses."
Raon gave a brief piece of advice and unleashed a storm of sword strikes that filled the sky and ground.
Whoosh!
Sylvia didn't move. She just stared at the trajectory of the Wind Demon Destroying Slash, one of the Ten Forms Sword's techniques, with her eyes boiling like lava.
Slash!
As the sharp strike began to cut her skin, her hand shot out like lightning. A single thrust. But that thrust pierced the center of the Wind Demon Destroying Slash.
Clang!
The extremely refined thrust calmed the sword's trajectory that had filled the world. The dozens of swords of light fell like rain-soaked leaves.
“Haa….”
But as Sylvia sighed in relief, the dying flow of the sword revived.
“Ah!”
The sword strike, which soared even faster, grazed Sylvia as if to tear her apart.
“Ugh….”
Sylvia staggered and fell to her knees as Raon stood before her and shook his head.
"I told you, the opponent is a seasoned fox. He can even use such a technique as a feint."
Raon looked down at Sylvia with cold eyes.
"Focus until the end. In your current state, you won’t last ten exchanges with the vice head."
“…I understand."
Even though Raon hadn’t told her to get up, Sylvia stood on her own and gripped her sword firmly.
Clang!
As soon as Raon and Sylvia locked eyes, they thrust their swords toward each other’s vital points.
Clang!
A powerful shockwave erupted, and leaves fell like frightened birds.
The training of the mother and son, who had similar eyes, continued even as the sun set and rose again.
Whenever the two clashed, the leaves clinging to the trees and bushes fell one by one.
When all the leaves had fallen, their swords stopped, and the three weeks had passed.
The day of the sword duel had arrived.
