Uden remembers the day he first saw a beast named Freya Kent.
That day, oddly enough, was when the former Sword Saint was causing a ruckus.
The virtues that a Sword Saint should possess are not merely about wielding a sword well. Even if it’s unintentional, if you are given the title of Sword Saint, you must act in accordance with the honor that name brings.
Usually, Uden would let the former Sword Saint’s voice fall on deaf ears whenever he caused a disturbance.
If you dislike me that much, then take back the title of Sword Saint.
You wouldn’t even dare challenge me, and yet you just keep making a fuss.
If I had known this would happen, I would’ve let him win in the end.
Regretful as always, Uden nodded at the former Sword Saint’s request.
If he pushed any further, he would likely witness the tragic sight of a skilled swordsman dying from apoplexy, so there was nothing more to be done.
Thinking he would just show his face briefly and kill time, Uden was about to leave the tournament arena when he saw Freya Kent.
She was an overwhelming presence. Not only were the swordsmen of her age no match for her, but even those several weight classes higher could not even pose a real threat.
When Freya Kent entered the arena, the spectators would place bets on how long she would last.
Uden, too, was among those spectators.
“Second son of the Brota family. One of the favorites for this tournament. There's a pretty big age gap, so surely, someone like him will...”
“Ten seconds.”
“What?”
“Actually, seven seconds? This will be decided in that time.”
“...Who’s the winner?”
“Don’t ask, you already know.”
“Even so, look at the size of Brota’s Young Master.”
“How much will it take?”
“One gold coin.”
“Alright.”
Each time they placed bets, Uden would win every time with his accurate predictions, taking money from the former Sword Saint.
Watching Freya, he was reminded of his past self.
The beast’s sword, which lacked even basic technique, was undoubtedly very similar to hers.
The only difference was that Uden had become a beast due to an environment that left him no other choice, while Freya lived as a beast even within a blessed environment.
As he watched the sword Freya wielded, Uden thought about why she lived like a beast. He saw the indifference in her eyes.
She wasn’t looking at the swordsman in front of her. She wasn’t even observing her own sword. Freya was simply watching something within herself.
The sword. Others. Everything was just a means to an end.
Uden didn’t know what Freya wanted, but he lost interest in it.
No matter how talented she was, it was clear she wouldn’t rise above a certain level with that mindset.
Even now, as Uden recalled that day, stepping onto the academy grounds to meet Freya Kent, he couldn’t hide the feeling of unease.
Is it possible to teach swordsmanship to the daughter of the Kent family? She probably wouldn’t even have the intention to learn in the first place, right?
Ah, just thinking about it makes my head spin.
If it were up to me, I’d just pretend to teach her and call it a day, but that foul-mouthed brat won’t let me slack off.
Then again, I have no confidence in properly training a beast.
Hah... if it weren’t for the involvement of Sir Benedict, I’d have just ignored it and walked away. Why did it have to be related to this task?
What should I do? Should I just go to Luca directly and ask him? He’s probably teaching Kent’s young lady, so he might have some idea.
“Good day, Sword Saint.”
“Hello. You’re the Sword Saint?”
The polite voice of a man and the rough voice of a woman mixed together. Uden, who had noticed their approach for some time, slowly turned his head away.
“Good day, both of you. I’m Uden, the current Sword Saint.”
“I’m Arthur Soladin. I hold the position of the third prince.”
“Freya Kent. It’s a pleasure.”
“You can speak casually. It would be uncomfortable for me if the distinguished ones followed formalities.”
“...I can’t do that to a Sword Saint.”
“Really? Alright. Uden, I’ll speak casually.”
Unlike Arthur, who took a step back out of courtesy, Freya immediately stepped forward.
Seeing that, Uden instinctively realized that Freya had changed a lot from his memory.
The little girl who was more of a puppet wielding a sword had now gained genuine vitality.
“Hey. Freya Kent.”
“It’s fine, Prince. Rather, I would be grateful if you treated me that casually.”
“There is authority in the title of Sword Saint.”
“Do I need to ask three times?”
“...Hmm. Alright. If that’s what you want, then I have no choice.”
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“See? Prince, I was right, wasn’t I?”
“Tsk.”
Watching the bickering between the two, Uden smirked and observed their bodies.
Neither of them seemed to have neglected their training. No, they were perhaps pushing their bodies to the limit.
Prince Soladin seemed like the more orthodox swordsman, and the young lady of the Kent family—well, she might have integrated the swordsmanship of Kent with her own approach.
It’s hard to judge just by their posture.
“Excuse me, can we continue the conversation?”
“Oh, sorry about that. This fool started an argument.”
“Wasn’t that the prince?”
“Shut up. You.”
“Ah, well then. Let’s have a sparring session, one at a time. We need to make an accurate judgment.”
Interrupting their banter, Uden positioned Freya in front of him.
“Is there no sword you’re particularly fond of?”
The sword Freya held was nothing special.
Seeing the object in her hand, which could hardly be described as something a talented person born into the Kent family should have, Uden raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Does it matter what kind of sword it is?”
“Yes. It’s quite important. If the sword isn’t up to par, it increases the possibilities for exploitation.”
“Even with this?”
Freya surrounded her sword with a colored aura, and Uden’s eyebrows slightly lifted.
But that was all. Uden composed himself and nodded.
“Of course. Surrounding it with aura doesn’t suddenly make the sword a masterpiece, right?”
“...Hmm.”
“Tell Count Kent about it later. I’m sure he’ll get you a good sword.”
This was sincere advice from Uden, who had struggled with inferior swords in the past, but Freya’s expression was ambiguous.
It’s hard to persuade her unless I directly show her what she needs.
“Well, it’s not a big deal right now. Let’s just fight first.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Okay.”
Usually, when someone says to go at it seriously, it’s rare to see them actually fight with intent to harm. Any normal person would hesitate at least a little.
But Freya was not ordinary. From the start, she swung her sword aiming directly at Uden’s neck.
Blocking her attack with just the slight edge of his sword, Uden narrowed his eyes.
“Is that all?”
“Of course not.”
A storm of sword strikes from Freya surged toward Uden.
The beast-like sword, seemingly ignoring defense.
However, when Uden tried to slip through the gaps, the beast withdrew its fangs and took a step back.
Aggressive, but only as aggressive as necessary.
Even when taking a mad risk like a gamble, she always keeps the final line intact.
How interesting. How did that beastly little girl turn into such a seasoned swordsman?
Who could have corrected the beast and turned her into a human?
Count Kent? No, if it were him, her aggression should have been reduced.
It doesn’t seem like the prince next to her had much influence either.
Looking at her overall attack strategy, it seems like her aim is to break through defenses.
“Do you often spar with someone wielding a shield?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“I can tell. A lot of things.”
Still in the midst of their exchange, Uden responded with unwavering breath, then promptly corrected Freya’s movement.
“If you want to create an opening, I think you should do it this way.”
Threatening Freya with the movement he modified, Uden smiled as he spoke, and Freya returned the smile.
“You’re really a Sword Saint, huh?”
“Of course. I didn’t rise to such an honorable position for no reason.”
The two continued to spar, constantly adapting to each other’s movements.
Freya’s storm of strikes. Uden’s claws deflecting them. Each moment, they evolved and continued to threaten each other.
A few steps away, watching this exchange, Arthur felt the gap in talent between them.
Is this what a battle between geniuses looks like?
Hah. How unfortunate to have such mediocre talent.
If I had no talent at all, I would have never realized their greatness, and if I had true talent, I would have tried to insert myself into their fight.
Arthur chewed on his lip, but he still kept his eyes on their sparring.
Just because it seems far off doesn’t mean I can give up walking toward it.
“The Sword Saint, that man really wields his sword ferociously. Was he really the one who acted like he didn’t want to do this?”
Karia, who had been watching Uden spar outside the academy grounds, shook her head in disbelief.
“Do you think that orc girl will be able to teach those two idiots properly?”
“I’m not sure about the prince, but I think Kent’s young lady will change quite a bit. They have some similarities, after all.”
Some similarities, huh? Yeah. That’s why Uden harbored hatred for his kind in the game.
I’m glad that Freya has changed a lot from how she was before.
If she had messed it up, I would’ve had to go threaten Benedict again.
“Keep them out of this shabby street for a day. It’s boring meeting that perverted professor again.”
“Is tomorrow the day midterms start?”
“Yeah. It’s when that perverted professor will show his pathetic side.”
What is Luca trying to show me tomorrow? He probably has something ready to deal with the academy professors at least.
But will that irregular Sword Saint fall within the range of solutions?
“By the way, aunt. What about the item I asked for?”
“Here. Why do you want something dangerous like this?”
“Are you curious?”
“A little.”
“Heh. Shut up. You wouldn’t understand because you’re old and worn out. I don’t want to waste time.”
“Hey, boss. Why are you being serious now?”
“...Ah. You caught me.”
“This isn’t just something you can end with ‘caught me.’”