13 Mink Street

This matter could not be hidden. Even if the people in the training field kept it secret, Levin’s old friends watching through the mirror would spare no effort to spread the matter far and wide.

Old friends were like Veyn bean paste; The longer they aged, the more likely they were to go bad.

One old man stroked his chest. “This fellow called Karon is rather interesting. He is clearly very good at close combat, yet he actually managed to completely fool that old fellow Levin.”

“Yes. There was one thing Levin said correctly: he is the kind of person you least want to see among an enemy, but most hope to have on your own side. I like young people who know how to use their heads.”

“Did you notice? He is very good at Arts. The Arts he used surpass an ordinary Inquisitor’s level in both efficiency and strength. No, they are at a level an ordinary Inquisitor simply could not reach.”

“I did notice. I also noticed that he never used his full strength. He held back.”

“He steadily forced Levin into a corner, then flattened him with a single sword strike at the end. He even accounted for Levin’s guardian beast counterattacking. When does someone fight like that? When he knows that as long as he makes no mistakes and takes no risks, victory is assured.”

“His opponent was a deputy commander. Retired or not, restricted to First Rank strength or not, to have that kind of mindset… Tsk, tsk. Whose child is he?”

“He is a true prodigy. In the past, Old Levin always liked to say that those who came out of the Knight Regiments lack the obvious shortcomings people from outside have. In my view, this Karon is the one who truly has no shortcomings.”

“Oh, right. Pierro, you taught a class yesterday; Do you have any impression of this student?”

Pierro scratched his head. “What was his name again?”

“Karon, surname Silva.”

Pierro shook his head. “No impression. I would never be as shameless as Levin, and fail to teach and then decide to step down to personally duel the students. Heh!”

“Then when I teach tomorrow, I’ll have to pay special attention to this boy.”

Pierro smiled. “I suggest that you don’t waste the effort. Our instructions from above are already very clear. This batch of young people will have specific arrangements. You won’t be able to poach him.”

“It doesn’t matter if I can’t poach him. The older I get, the less patience I have for so-called young geniuses. It’s rare to see one who is actually interesting.”

“That’s true. We have seen plenty of geniuses, but how many of them are actually able to live to our age?”

Pierro silently picked up his teacup and took a sip. In his heart, he felt a bit of regret. He regretted being stingy yesterday and only giving away a single coin.

***

Although the instructor had been beaten flat, the day’s lesson had only just begun. Karon placed the greatsword back beside the weapon rack, not hanging it up. The stated lesson plan for the day stipulated that he might need to pick it up twice more.

He then returned to the line and said, “When you receive the instructor’s guidance, pay close attention to how he chooses to respond during combat. He will allow you to make the first move, then look for an opportunity to break through your technique and counterattack. So do not fight by going all out. Leave something in reserve for yourself. You must believe that, at the same realm, none of you can defeat the instructor. So, the longer you can persist, the more you can learn from the instructor.”

His own squad members nodded one after another, and even the members of Murray’s squad were listening in. Levin suddenly felt that this young man, whom he had found somewhat irritating the moment he had entered the courtyard, was becoming more and more pleasing to his eye. What he said also became more and more comfortable to hear.

“Next,” Levin called.

Murray did not hesitate and stepped up straight away. He chose a short blade and a shield.

Seeing his choices, Levin asked, “From the Bendhart family?”

“Yes.”

“What is Morvyn to you?”

“My grandfather.”

“All right. I understand.”

The Bendhart family was known as the foremost guardian family of the Church of Order. Their family had an inherited mission, which was to protect each generation’s High Priest and serve as the captain of the High Priest’s guard. This legacy stretched back far. Long ago, one of the Bendhart ancestors had stayed behind to cover an injured High Priest’s retreat. Alone, relying on just a short blade and a shield, he had blocked a vast number of pursuers for three days and three nights before finally dying of exhaustion.

“State your realm.”

“Inquisitor.”

“All right, Fourth Rank strength.”

The battle between the two began.

An excellent chef could make the most ordinary ingredients more delicious, but if you gave him richer and higher-end ingredients, he would definitely perform better. Levin fully demonstrated this point. When restricting himself to Fourth Rank strength, he was more composed, and this composure was built upon Murray’s wretched state.

The young man’s short blade was supposed to cooperate with his shield to create a balance of offense and defense, but beneath Levin’s offensive, there was no way to counterattack at all, and Murray could only defend. Yet after defending for too long, he eventually began to falter. In the end, he chose to risk an attack. His arm was instantly struck by the long spear, and his short blade was knocked flying. The spear followed through and knocked the shield aside before the tip pressed against Murray’s neck. He dropped his shield and raised his hands.

Levin withdrew the long spear, turned his head slightly, and ordered, “Next!”

“Whew…” Murray let out a long breath. He had actually thought that he would be used as the instructor’s first target to regain face after losing some earlier, but clearly, the instructor had not used the opportunity to vent.

Next, everyone took a turn, one by one. Practically all of them were Inquisitor, with only two still being Divine Shepherds. For those who specialized as supporters, array masters, or Arts casters, Levin deliberately dragged things out a bit to let them enjoy several additional exchanges and allow them more opportunities to gain insight. For those who were good at close combat, Levin mercilessly accelerated the process, defeating them in the quickest and ruthless way.

People like Bart and Vintral lasted even less time than Mars and Blanche, because for them, fighting in close combat often granted very quick results. They simply did not have room to calmly make preparations, because when working with a team, they would always be the ones standing on the front row.

Karon watched everything and contemplated things seriously. Levin was using the same teaching model as when training soldiers. Compared to actual combat, there were many additional movements, and a lot more room was left available. It was like reading a very profound book, but annotations had been left beside the paragraphs. When Levin fought close-combat students, Karon would place himself in the student’s position and consider how he should ideally respond to each of Levin’s exquisite attacks, given the situation. When Levin fought the students who maintained a bit more distance, Karon would place himself in Levin’s position and consider how he could better manifest his advantages when facing such an opponent in the future.

Karon predicted that for a very long time to come, his primary method of combat would be to rely on the Darkmoon Blade and the Sea God’s Armor. His style of combat was actually very similar to Levin’s. However, while Karon immersed himself in observation and study, he also had to pay attention at times, because he was somewhat worried that if he grew too immersed, he might stimulate his family faith system. If he summoned his grandfather’s phantom to stand behind him as well, that would be a little too amusing.

Even so, while Levin exchanged blows with other students one after another, he constantly felt a gaze locked onto him. It felt like back when he had been carrying out a mission in the Knight Regiment to hunt a ravenous monstrous beast. However, Levin did not think this feeling came from any of the students, but that it should belong to Pierro and the other old fellows, and that they were observing him through some method.

Finally, the first round of spars ended with everyone defeated by Levin. However, not a single person felt dejected. After those who had been defeated stepped down, everyone would silently reflect on the exchange.

After a period of calm, everyone suddenly realized that a new round was about to begin. Then, gradually, more and more people started glancing over at Karon. The instructor had previously said that each person would fight three rounds. Now, while this meant that all of them would be beaten by the instructor for three rounds, at the same time, the instructor would similarly be beaten for three rounds.

Levin did not choose to avoid this. Instead, he pointed straight at Karon. “Karon, your turn.”

Karon did not refuse. He stepped forward and lifted the greatsword again. This time, he did not put on an act, because he had already exposed himself. He propped the blade on his shoulder as he walked over, then smoothly spun it out with a flourish, supporting the greatsword’s fall with one hand.

Levin said, “First Rank.”

This was a knight’s oath!

Karon said, “Instructor, my true realm is an Inquisitor. Please raise your strength to Fourth Rank.”

Bullying the instructor once was enough. For Karon, beating Levin flat again while the old man’s strength was suppressed held no real meaning. He wanted to learn. He wanted to find a new sensation in this place. He wanted to improve himself. For that, he did not mind being beaten miserably by Levin and having his clothes dirtied.

Levin shook his head and stated, “I will not violate my oath.”

Karon felt rather helpless, but immediately came up with a solution. “In that case, Instructor, I will also restrict myself and use only the strength of a Divine Servant. However, my accumulation of spirituality is rather deep, so my Divine Servant-level strength is also…”

“I understand. Since you took the initiative to say this, I believe you. Besides, I have personally verified your spirituality reserves.”

“Thank you, Instructor.”

“You are very good. I like soldiers like you. Clear-headed and motivated.” Levin flicked the spear tip toward the ground and drew a line in front of himself. This was a form of etiquette in duels between knights. It meant that at this moment, Levin regarded Karon as an equal opponent. Karon similarly used his greatsword to draw a line before himself in reply.

“Watch carefully. I know that during the last round, when I had you consider things from his perspective, you were probably very happy seeing the end, right? Haha.”

All the students present followed along and laughed awkwardly.

“This time, it is the same. See things from his perspective and look at how he learns and responds. I do not want you to place yourselves into his moves, nor do I want you to focus on his strength. What I hope you can see is his thinking! Do you understand!”

“Understood, Instructor!”

“Understood, Instructor!”

“Here I come!” Levin attacked first, while Karon still opened with his eternally unchanged first move of defending. This was one of his habits in battle. First, it was because of his cautious personality that liked to maintain control, and second, because his own advantages had always appeared more during the middle and later stages of battle.

Levin’s attacks were still sharp, but Karon’s parries looked very orderly. The exchange made him feel as though he had returned to when he had first joined the Hunting Hounds and Gray had acted as his sparring partner to teach him how to fight. However, this time Karon had an instructor who was far more qualified and difficult to meet with than Gray.

Because Karon restricted his own strength, many of his standard Arts could not be used. At best, he could layer some body and speed enhancement Arts on himself, which prevented him from suffering a disadvantage due to his physically weaker body. His body was quite average, but he had enough spirituality, so he could extravagantly keep adding shields and various attribute enhancements to an average body.

Levin also did not deliberately pursue time or speed. Instead, during the exchange, he held back again and again. He knew that Karon could sense how many times he lost, yet the teaching continued.

***

“This old thing is openly giving him private tutoring now!”

“He really has no shame.”

“Has he ever?”

“But look at the boy. Anyone would want to spend a little more time training him, wouldn’t they?”

“It’s still somewhat unfair to the other students.”

“Treatment is something one earns for themself. If you want special treatment, you need to have the qualifications to receive it.”

“Has anyone looked into this batch of students? There’s no need to check into the ones from Teygan Region; I want to know about this Karon.”

“Heh, I just had my secretary pull the files from the training base. Let me check them.”

“Good. Help us see who this Karon’s teacher is.”

“Hm? According to the file, he’s an orphan.”

“An orphan?”

“His superior is an Inquisitor, and a low-ranking one at that.”

“He didn’t attend a church school?”

“No. That Vintral did, that child earlier who converted the corruption within his body.”

“I’ve never heard of the surname Silva within the church. He never attended a church school, and judging from his record, it doesn’t appear that he’s had a teacher personally guiding him either.”

“Could he have learned all of this on his own?”

“How could he have learned it entirely on his own? Who has that kind of learning ability?”

Tap, tap. Pierro knocked his pipe, drawing everyone’s attention. He then quietly said, “Gentlemen, have you all forgotten? When we were young, we met someone exactly like that.”

Instantly, everyone fell silent.

Just then, the secretary who had delivered the files earlier and was currently pouring tea for the old men asked, “Are you referring to the former High Priest, Lord Rasma?”

Hearing that question caused everyone to laugh.

***

Levin was experiencing the same feeling Gray had dealt with. The old man could clearly sense Karon improving. The young man was able to quickly draw insight from Levin’s moves, and then immediately incorporate those insights into his own swordsmanship and use them in the spar. In short, it was a subtle and wonderful feeling. The one teaching felt comfortable, while the student also felt comfortable. Even the other students watching below found themselves absorbed in the exchange.

Ultimately, Karon was the one who stopped first. He felt that he had already taken in enough. Everything he had gained needed to be properly digested, and it was not suitable to keep adding more for the time being, so he started retreating and disengaged. Levin had no intention of beating Karon flat to recover the face lost during the first round. He simply retracted his spear as well, and the two pulled apart.

Karon took a deep breath. Looking at Levin standing before him, he said with great sincerity, “Instructor.”

Levin pursed his lips. “Do you want to join the Knight Regiment?”

He then immediately realized that he was forgetting the recent reforms announced by the Central Church and waved a hand. “Forget it. We can discuss that later.”

Karon stepped down, and Murray stepped forward. The second round of instruction continued. After the second round came the third, and Karon exchanged blows with Levin once more.

At the end of three rounds, Levin tossed the spear back onto the weapon rack, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned to face the students, most of whom were bruised and swollen by this time. For a long while, he seemed unable to organize the words he should say before dismissing a class. In the end, he could only force out one sentence: “Class dismissed!”

***

“Dinner gathering?” After everyone left the seabed and came ashore, Murray came to invite Karon.

“Everyone is tired today.”

“That’s true. Then let’s gather after the training ends. There should be some time left.”

“Mhmm, all right.”

After returning to the floor with their rooms, before everyone dispersed, Karon addressed all of his squad members, “Everyone, go and shower first, then eat. When you lie in bed tonight, carefully consider today’s lesson. If you have any insights or questions, come tell me in the morning. I wake up at four, so you can come and ring the doorbell starting at that time.”

“All right, Captain.”

“Dismissed. Rest well!”

After entering their room, Vintral said, “Captain, I’ll go run the bath for you.”

“No need. I’ll just take a shower. I don’t feel like soaking today.”

“All right, Captain.” Vintral went to pour some ice water for Karon instead.

Karon first went to the washroom. After showering, he came back and took the glass of water from Vintral. He went to his bedroom. After lying down on the bed, Karon picked up the book on the bedside table that he had been reading that morning.

He was forcing himself to exit his learning state for a bit. He did not want to faint from exhaustion a little later.

Other people struggled because they could not fully immerse themselves in learning, while Karon was the exact opposite. He was always worried that he would not be able to pull himself back out after he fully entered that state.

He again considered their instructor for the day, Levin. He was not an excellent teacher, but he was a competent knight.

***

The door creaked open, and Levin walked in.

Six old men sat inside. Some held pipes, others cigars. Some had coffee, while others held cups of tea.

All of them looked to be perfectly calm, so calm that they might as well have hung signs on their foreheads reading: the calm before the storm.

At this moment, Pierro asked, “My dear friend Levin, how did today’s class feel? Would you care to share it with us?”

The setup began. Everyone was waiting for Levin to start covering things up so they could move on to the next step.

But Levin simply spread his arms, smiled, and shouted, “I have good news for all of you. Today, I was knocked flat by a Divine Servant. Hahaha!”