漫画大王

Chapter 209

Even though his enemy had turned into a monster, he’d ended up committing murder.

Ludwig would report the whole incident to the Temple, and though he did not face any punishment, he would be tormented by the trauma brought on by the act itself.

He would have to go through a prolonged period of psychological stagnation while he recovered.

The bottom line was simple.

If the incident with Ender Wilton could be prevented, Ludwig would become stronger than in the original story. He wouldn’t have to take a long break to piece together his shattered mind.

What could be done about it?

I didn’t have a plan for that yet.

I would think about it after this moment was settled.

There were two reasons for me coming: I’d come to earn achievement points, and to scout out and confirm what Ender Wilton’s face looked like.

Clap!

The senior who brought us here clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention, and smiled warmly.

“It’s alright. As you can see, I didn’t call you guys out to scold anyone. We have guests. So don’t be so tense,” said the unknown fourth-year senior.

He hadn’t introduced himself, but he clearly wasn’t an ordinary student. He looked at the first-year juniors, lined up in neat rows, and spoke briefly.

“Lilka Aaron.”

“1-A-5 Lilka Aaron!”

As soon as her name was called, someone instantly raised her hand.

“Step forward.”

“Yes, sir!”

She marched forward without hesitation.

What on earth did they do here to turn students into soldiers in just half a year? Seeing these young kids acting like this should have been cringe-worthy, but instead, it was chilling to see how well-trained they were.

Orbis Class first-year A-5, Lilka Aaron.

She had short brown hair and brown eyes and was probably about 154 cm tall.

Quite small.

‘... Erhi, you got beaten about by someone like this despite the difference in physicality?’

Of course, I also lost to Ellen despite having a better physique, so I wasn’t the one to talk.

But she was really very tiny.

She had a sharp expression, but even with such a stern look, she still appeared cute to me.

“So, they’re saying that you’ve been bullying a Royal Class kid, and they’ve come to get revenge.”

At those words, Lilka Aaron’s eyes widened. However, her gaze did not shift to Erhi.

“Is it true?”

“...”

“Do I have to ask twice?”

“No, sir! It’s true!”

Though his question sounded straightforward, there seemed to be an unusual weight to the fourth-year senior’s words.

“Why did you do it?”

At that, Lilka Aaron finally looked over at Erhi. Although she seemed very tense after being summoned by her senior, I could clearly read several emotions in her eyes.

Contempt, disdain, hatred, and ridicule...

“That guy is Erhi de Raffaeli from Royal Class, first-year A-9. He said that Orbis Class students were a bunch of useless morons, and that we were lacking in talent and would eventually all be overtaken by the Royal Class. I had to confirm if that was true by confronting him every week to see when that might happen.”

The atmosphere, already cold and still, grew even more frigid.

Talent.

That word was Orbis Class’s sore spot. Lilka Aaron’s statement turned the tension in the air into palpable anger.

Though I knew Erhi had made remarks along those lines, being in this place made me realize the significance of those words when spoken to those who hated hearing them most.

If the atmosphere in the training grounds could be hypothetically converted into damage, Erhi would be dead by now.

“Oh, is that so...?”

Even the senior who had escorted us here was probably stung by those words. He glanced once at Erhi with a faint, mysterious smile. It was hard to read his emotions, but nonetheless, the atmosphere had altered because of Lilka Aaron’s words.

“Alright. Aaron. Regardless of the reason, it seems you have been bullying a Royal Class student named Erhi, and this Erhi dude has brought a proxy to seek revenge for the violence he’s suffered.”

Proxy.

That word elicited chuckles from the Orbis Class students. ‘What a pathetic guy. Despite his talk about talent, he’s unable to handle his own affairs and he brought a friend along.’

Open mockery and disdain spread, and Erhi shrunk further under the pressure.

“You said your name was Reinhart?”

“Yes.”

“So, your friend here wants revenge. What do you think?”

Lilka Aaron...

She looked at me intently.

“I’m more than willing to take him on.”

She nodded confidently, without any pressure from the senior. The senior, noting our mutual agreement, nodded as well.

“Good. No need to drag this out.”

He seemed eager to mediate, dragging Lilka Aaron and me to face each other.

“In a fight like this, there’s usually something on the line, right? Reinhart, what can you promise if Aaron wins?”

A promise...

Well, what could I promise? I had come under the pretext of addressing this bullying, and if I failed or lost, what would I even have to promise?

“Well... if I lose, I don’t really care what you all do to that guy. I won’t report it to the teachers or anything like that.”

“Hmm, that doesn’t seem particularly appealing... Aaron, has this Erhi guy ever formally apologized for his insults towards the Orbis Class?”

“No, he hasn’t.”

“Then how about this: You could offer a formal apology on behalf of the Royal Class for the insults directed at the Orbis Class,” the senior said, tilting his head.

“If I could do that, I would, but I don’t exactly represent the whole Royal Class. Perhaps if I were the student council president I could, but I’m just an individual, and a first-year at that.”

I couldn’t represent the entire Royal Class. I could apologize as a fellow student but not on behalf of the whole class.

“Hmm, is that so? Then how about all four of you here kneel and sincerely apologize for Erhi de Raffaeli’s insults towards the Orbis Class? How about that?”

Kneel down...

They wanted to crush the Royal Class’s pride. The Orbis Class wanted to experience what it was like to trample over the Royal Class.

So, even this fourth-year senior wasn’t any different.

Lilka Aaron’s eyes gleamed.

She had already trampled over Erhi, but now, a supposed avenger had appeared. She assumed that since I was confident in my skills, beating me would mean truly surpassing the Royal Class.

If we lost, we would have to kneel.

The fourth-year senior grinned. “Alright then, let’s talk about our conditions.”

He pointed to himself. “If Lilka Aaron loses, I’ll take full responsibility for poorly managing my juniors and personally kneel and apologize. And of course, Erhi won’t be bullied anymore.”

His words caused the air in the training hall to freeze over once again.

‘What a crazy lunatic.’

I never imagined he would go this far.

He knew exactly how to instill the belief that losing was not an option.

Lilka Aaron... Another emotion had now appeared in her eyes as she prepared to face me in the fight.

It was fear.

There was a vast difference between bearing the cost of defeat on your own and having someone else bear that cost.

The Orbis Class was almost like a military unit.

In this scenario, Lilka Aaron was about to enter a fight because of her actions, but the stakes were no longer her honor or pride alone; they were her senior’s as well.

If she won, there will be accolades for defeating a member of the Royal Class.

But if she lost?

If she lost, a senior would have to kneel before me, a mere first-year from the Royal Class.

If that was all, it might end there, but the consequences could be far worse. As a duelist who tarnished the honor of her seniors, Lilka Aaron would likely face severe repercussions from them. Even if the fourth-year senior overlooked it, the second- and third-years wouldn’t.

They would handle the issue themselves and mete out the consequences accordingly.

It might not just be Lilka Aaron’s problem; it could affect the entire first-year cohort of the Orbis Class.

There was no need for a speech about not losing.

“If you lose, I’ll kneel.”

That single statement from the unnamed fourth-year senior instilled fear not just in Lilka Aaron, but in all the first-years.

“If you lose, prepare to die.”

That was what his words essentially meant.

The strict senior-junior relationship and the militaristic system had brought about even more appalling absurdities instead of just efficiency.

This absurd and violent structure of the Orbis Class was probably a contributing factor in the breaking of Ender Wilton that would ultimately turn him into a monster.

Though I’d described it as a desire for strength and an inferiority complex, it felt completely different when seeing it firsthand.

Ender Wilton was likely under tremendous pressure from his seniors. Being at the bottom, the atmosphere indicated that there was undoubtedly physical abuse between the senior and junior students.

The atmosphere clinging to the Orbis Class dormitory was terribly chilling.

Even as an outsider, I felt suffocated by the fear and pressure that these kids were under.

The fourth-year senior, now that the fight was about to start, gently led the hopeless trio to the edge of the training hall.

Naturally, the space around Lilka Aaron and me widened.

This wasn’t sparring practice; it was a fight. The unintentional audience that had formed wasn’t entirely unexpected.

“Surrender declaration or incapacity to fight,” the senior said. “That will determine the winner. Let’s see not just skill, but also each other’s grit.

“Alright then, the fight between Royal Class first-year A-11 Reinhart and Orbis Class first-year A-5 Lilka Aaron now begins.”

What seemed like ordinary words had a noticeable effect on the Orbis Class students, making them flinch.

Effort, grit...

These were the virtues most strictly enforced upon the Orbis Class students.

Surrender declaration or incapacity to fight—this implied one thing.

If you declare surrender, something even more fearsome awaits afterward. If you think you can’t win, you’re compelled to fight until you’re incapacitated.

Lilka Aaron’s eyes shone with a strong determination, mixed with considerable fear.

‘I must not lose.

‘I must not lose. I must not lose. I must not lose.

‘I can’t lose.’

These words repeated themselves in her mind, clear as day.

So this small girl, who was trembling under the weight of her senior’s words like a frightened kitten, was the one who was bullying Erhi de Raffaeli? She might have her claws out and her eyes might have been shining, but she wasn’t even looking at me. She was worried only about what might come after a loss.

I felt nothing but pity for her. I could lose, or I could win.

I could fight because there was a next time for me, whether I won or lost. Winning or losing didn’t matter much to me. If I lost, I just had to train harder to prepare for the next fight. If I won, I just had to stay vigilant.

But when you’re pushed to believe that there’s no life after losing, you’d end up like Lilka Aaron—in a state of near-collapse even before the fight began.

She was already half-broken even before the fight began.

It might make her desperate, but was this truly the right way to foster growth?

Did she know anything about me? She probably did.

Adler Belkin had been overwhelmingly defeated by me when I’d used my supernatural power.

The Orbis Class was quite different from the Royal Class. There was a distinct difference in the relationship between seniors and juniors and within each year itself.

A system did not always have to lead to strictly positive or negative outcomes.

These students went through harsh training and lived under strict rules, but because of such conditions, the camaraderie among classmates of the same year became very strong.

These students shared a strong sense of solidarity. Strict rules and tough conditions naturally forged such bonds.

Any information about us Royal Class students, who were designated rivals or enemies, would certainly be shared internally among them.

Hence, she would already know about me. That’s probably why Lilka Aaron, who was ranked A-5 in the Orbis Class, was so tense while facing off against me, ranked A-11 in the Royal Class, even though Erhi was ranked A-9.

“How strong are you, really?“ she asked.

She wanted to know my exact skill level within the Royal Class.

I had told Adler Belkin that I was the weakest. Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. In terms of raw combat ability within the Royal Class, among those with combat talents, there were four who are definitely stronger than me:

Ellen, Cliffman, Vertus, and Scarlett.

While I hadn’t directly crossed swords with Vertus, I could intuitively sense this.

Then there was Ludwig, who was closely matched with, although I held a slight advantage over him.

Facing me now was A-5, Lilka Aaron.

“I’m similar to you.“

Among the two elite classes, both Lilka Aaron and I ranked fifth.

‘I guess we’ll see who among the fifth-ranked students of each class is stronger here and now.’

There were a total of seven who had combat talents, including me, Delphine, and Erhi. Delphine, with her talent in archery, was excluded from this comparison, leaving Erhi and Ludwig below me.

In the end, I was third from the bottom, so the statement that I was the weakest wasn’t completely off the mark.

It didn’t matter if I won or lost, but there was no reason to deliberately lose either.

Lilka Aaron slowly settled into her stance then dashed towards me as light and quick as a swift breeze.

Bam!

“Ugh!”

With incredible speed, she landed a spinning kick directly on my upper arm.

It was impressive that she had managed to execute a swift high kick aimed at my head despite her small stature.

But even more surprising was the destructive force behind that kick, which I could sense the moment I got hit.

‘This girl...’

She was definitely not a weaponry major. She specialized in martial arts.

My arm tingled from the impact of blocking her kick.

I wondered how such power could come from her small body, but after seeing Ellen, who practically defied physical laws, this wasn’t as shocking.

She quickly distanced herself after delivering her spinning kick, moving with rapid steps. Her small size made her movements appear even swifter.

It seemed she used that first kick to gauge me.

Physical enhancement didn’t just improve my physical abilities. I was now able to make my body “harder”, to a certain extent.

It must have felt like kicking a rock, but she appeared to be able to handle it. She paused, carefully observing my movements.

She was definitely more skilled in martial arts than in swordsmanship. Her footwork, movements, and that swift spinning kick proved it.

‘So, Erhi met her in a Swordsmanship class and got beaten with a sword, huh?’

Once again, Lilka Aaron approached me, light on her feet.

She was small but quick.

Wham!

And quite powerful as well.

I let her low kick connect with my thigh while I reached out to grab her, but she deftly spun away, avoiding my grasp and creating distance.

Close combat was not my forte, but it was too late to ask for a practice sword now. Besides, this wasn’t a sparring session. With a practice sword, the sparring would end when one combatant pointed the blade at the opponent’s neck, but that wasn’t the case now.

We were fighting until one of us declared surrender or was rendered unable to fight. If I had a practice sword, I’d still have to bash it against her head or whatever.

Given my current level, such actions could be lethal.

Although close combat wasn’t my strength, I had supernatural powers.

In contrast, her specialty was hand-to-hand combat.

Lilka Aaron seemed to be using a hit-and-run strategy, approaching cautiously and striking once before retreating. Given the difference in size, one hit from me could potentially take her down.

She knew I was a superhuman, so she wasn’t underestimating me.

Her focus was on kicking, not because she’s particularly a specialist in kicking, but because it was the only way she could establish reach.

If this tiny girl tried to punch me, she would have to get within my range.

Inevitably, she had to rely on hit-and-run tactics with a focus on kicking.

“Huup!”

Thwack!

She lunged at me with a front kick, hitting my thigh and forcing me back several steps.

She didn’t stop there. As I was pushed back, she followed up with a combination of low kicks and high kicks while I remained calm, slowly retreating.

I couldn’t let myself think that kicking was her only strength. This wasn’t a regulated fight. If I reached out to grab her while she pretended to rely solely on kicking, this agile girl might suddenly switch to grappling. If that happened, it would be over for me, regardless of my strength.

If hand-to-hand combat was her specialty, she wouldn’t rely solely on kicks.

Given her small build, she must have practiced ways to effectively overpower physically larger opponents.

It was only natural to assume she was proficient in joint locks and grappling techniques.

She pressed me backwards steadily but with great speed. Combining high kicks, low kicks, and front kicks to push me back. As I slowly moved back, she finally landed a kick to my abdomen.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

The push kick had a lot of weight behind it since she had rushed in while kicking. My stance faltered slightly and her eyes lit up.

An opening.

Seeing me unable to react while moving backward, she swiftly dashed in, pivoted on her left foot, and leaped.

I couldn’t help but be surprised by what I saw.

‘What’s this? It feels like I’m getting hit by a combo in a fighting game!’

Regardless, the girl who had me in a pinch spun her body in mid-air, throwing a spinning kick with full power behind it.

“Huup!”

Whack!

“Ugh!”

Her airborne spinning kick connected with my right arm.