LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 20 - Share the Good Things (1)
Chapter 20. Share the Good Things (1)
“Hmm… I don’t know.”
After a long pause, it was an underwhelming remark.
‘If he’s someone the senior chose, he must have something special…’
But Ralph didn’t see anything special in him.
“Still, he uses mana quite efficiently. No unnecessary movements. Seems like he built a strong foundation from a young age. Whose child is he? Must be from a distinguished family.”
That was Ralph’s overall assessment of Yuri.
Not knowing when Johan and Yuri had met, Ralph judged solely based on Yuri’s current state.
“Ha ha ha.”
Johan merely laughed at Ralph’s evaluation.
‘From a young age? That kid has only been exposed to mana for a little over two weeks.’
Yuri was minimizing unnecessary use of mana, only using it where needed.
Even Master Ralph acknowledged the neatness of Yuri’s mana usage.
More astonishing was the fact that Yuri had mastered this technique by himself, without anyone teaching him.
In just over two weeks since he encountered mana.
‘Because he grew up with nothing, he even conserves mana frugally. Tsk tsk.’
Johan clicked his tongue inwardly, admiring Yuri’s innate talent.
Then, he turned his gaze to Yuri’s opponent.
Simultaneously, Johan’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Did your grandson inherit only your body?”
At Johan’s teasing voice, Ralph gave a bitter smile.
“…You noticed?”
“How could I not? Your grandson is swinging at thin air so blatantly. If he had inherited your temperament, Yuri’s head would be rolling on the ground by now.”
“Watch your words…”
“Heh heh, how did such a softie come from someone once called the butcher?”
“……”
“Hold on… So this duel was actually because of your grandson?”
“Well, that too.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Johan’s laughter deepened Ralph’s bitter smile.
‘Mucci, you rascal…’
The reason Yuri had been able to avoid attacks so far was partly due to his speed.
But more fundamentally, it was because the attacking grandson was making sure to only launch ‘non-hitting’ attacks.
If Mucci had launched a ‘real’ attack, this duel would have ended as soon as it started.
But Mucci didn’t.
No, he couldn’t.
‘Hmm, even in a duel, he’s considering the other.’
Unlike himself, his only son was frail and gentle.
His Magic Body Technique was based on a strong physique, so his son couldn’t inherit it.
Thus, he was overjoyed when his grandson, who was a spitting image of him, was born.
However, just like his son, his grandson was also born with a gentle nature.
‘Gracie, you must be happy. Both our son and grandson… they all take after you.’
His son and grandson had inherited the gentle nature of his late wife.
It wasn’t that he disliked their nature.
He had fallen in love with a gentle woman at first sight, loved her deeply, and these children had inherited her nature, so how could he hate them?
But.
‘I just wished he had some fighting spirit…’
He didn’t expect his grandson to be ruthless like he was in his youth.
He just wanted him to have some fighting spirit.
That was the minimum requirement to survive in the era of the Sword Master.
So, he coaxed his grandson into dueling Johan’s disciple.
He thought that if it was a duel, Mucci might get some competitive spirit.
But the result was disappointing, and a sigh escaped him.
‘There’s still a long way to go. A long way.’
He was only 13 years old.
His grandson’s life was just beginning.
Ralph believed his grandson would change as he grew older, but he couldn’t help feeling regretful.
Meanwhile, Yuri also finally noticed something odd.
‘What’s this?’
His opponent’s attacks were fierce and sharp.
There were also attacks that even his senses couldn’t follow.
He felt that he wouldn’t be able to dodge some of these attacks.
But somehow, even such attacks were easy to dodge.
‘What’s going on? Is he missing on purpose?’
The situation repeated itself several times.
As he continued to dodge, he observed his opponent’s demeanor.
There was a sense of hesitation in his movements.
It seemed like he was intentionally holding back.
At that moment, Yuri was convinced.
‘This guy, he can’t attack?’
He was just pretending to attack.
Realizing this, Yuri’s lips curled slightly.
‘Oh? Is that so?’
The attacks were still destructive and threatening, but now he wasn’t afraid.
After all, those attacks wouldn’t reach him.
With shining eyes, Yuri shouted.
“Old man! Give me a sword!”
At his shout, Johan smiled slyly, as if he had anticipated Yuri’s intentions.
“Catch!”
Johan lightly gestured, and a wooden sword lying in the clearing flew swiftly towards Yuri.
“Thanks!”
Yuri deftly caught the sword and widened the distance, facing Mucci.
‘I don’t know why you can’t attack…’
Yuri gripped the wooden sword tightly.
‘But if you keep this up, it’s beneficial for me! Because!’
Yuri lunged at Mucci with a bright smile.
“You can’t hit, but I can!”
With agile movements, Yuri closed the gap and jumped, swinging the sword down.
“This is what you call an easy win!”
An easy win.
A mercenary slang for a ‘free victory.’
Yuri shouted it out loud.
Hearing this, Johan burst into laughter.
“That fool. Ha ha!”
Yuri didn’t hear Johan’s laughter.
He was just certain that his attack would land.
But there were a few things Yuri didn’t know.
First, the thirteen-year-old in front of him had been training in Magic Body Technique for nearly ten years and was a genius.
Second, the one who had laid the foundation for this Magic Body Technique was none other than Master Ralph.
Third, due to the combination of great talent and a good teacher, Mucci had already reached an unofficial first-class level.
And most importantly.
‘…Huh?’
Even if his opponent couldn’t hit him, it didn’t mean he couldn’t hit his ‘weapon.’
As if to prove this, Mucci’s wooden spear moved like a snake and struck Yuri’s wooden sword.
At a speed far different from before!
Bang!
‘……?!’
The moment the wooden sword and wooden spear collided, Yuri felt a sharp pain as if his hand was tearing apart.
‘What kind of strength is this?!’
Despite putting his full weight into the downward strike, Mucci’s upward strike with the spear easily pushed the wooden sword back.
So effortlessly that it felt almost ridiculous.
‘Oh…’
At that moment, Yuri realized.
‘…I’m done for.’
And that was Yuri’s last memory.
Crack.
Mucci’s spear split the wooden sword in half and struck Yuri’s forehead.
Bang.
There was a cracking sound, and Yuri’s body spun backwards, flying far away.
Johan clapped his hands.
“Wow, look at him fly.”
And before his words ended, Yuri fell to the ground.
Face first.
Thud.
Yuri, who made a perfect faceplant, twitched slightly before collapsing like a soaked rag.
Seeing this, Mucci’s hand trembled as he dropped the wooden spear.
“Did, did I kill him?”
Mucci was in shock, thinking he had killed someone.
At that moment.
“You…!”
Yuri, who was thought to be dead, suddenly sat up and pointed at Mucci.
“You… you… were you pretending not to attack to make me let my guard down…? Not bad… You… I was going easy on you… It wasn’t fair… This is a draw… You… just wait and see…”
Though he was speaking, Yuri was already unconscious.
The words coming from his mouth were his subconscious thoughts.
But Yuri’s rambling didn’t last long.
Drip.
A nosebleed flowed from Yuri, and his upper body collapsed forward.
Thud.
In the silence, the sound of a person collapsing echoed loudly.
All eyes turned to the sprawled Yuri.
Ralph blinked in disbelief and asked.
“…Where did you pick up such a shameless kid?”
Johan answered with a serious face.
“That’s not my disciple.”
“……”
“Absolutely not.”
“Who’s saying otherwise?”
“Anyway, he’s not.”
“……”
After vehemently denying it, Johan approached the unconscious Yuri and squatted down.
He spoke to Ralph.
“Congratulations, you won the first round.”
There was no regret of defeat in his voice.
As if he had known he would lose.
Ralph, who had expected to win, answered nonchalantly.
“When will the second round start?”
“Actually, about that… we need to impose on you for a while.”
“Hmm?”
“Heh, having pulled him out of the fire, now it’s time to temper him.”
Saying this, Johan lightly patted the back of the unconscious Yuri’s head.
Ralph, understanding Johan’s intent, shrugged his shoulders.
“Do as you please. I doubt the result will be much different even if you start teaching him now.”
Hearing this, Johan picked up Yuri.
He smiled.
“We’ll see? It might be quite different.”
With those words and a mysterious smile, Johan leisurely left the clearing.
* * *
That afternoon.
Tap-tap, tap-tap, tat-tat-tat.
Yuri woke up to the sound of light rain.
He quietly lifted his upper body and looked around.
The feel of the animal skin he was lying on.
A place that looked like a cave.
A slightly darkening sky.
The sound of light rain hitting leaves and the smell of rain.
As he realized his current situation, his face grew blank, and an unknown frustration welled up inside him.
As his face was about to contort with the unbearable frustration.
“How does it feel? Losing.”
“Ah…”
The clear voice came from behind.
He didn’t need to think deeply to know who it belonged to.
No, it was more accurate to say he had no time to care about who the voice belonged to.
Because Johan’s casual remark made him realize the source of the terrible frustration rising in his chest.
A small sigh escaped Yuri’s lips.
“I… lost.”
The source of the frustration in his chest.
It was none other than the feeling of defeat.
Defeat.
A word he had never thought about in his life.
The fact that his opponent had been training for years, while he had only been exposed to mana for a little over two weeks.
The fact that he didn’t use his Avatar.
The fact that it was only the first round out of a best of three.
None of these facts were comforting.
‘I… lost?’
He lost.
He fought someone and lost for the first time.
Completely helpless.
Only that fact dominated Yuri’s soul.
Yuri stared blankly at the falling raindrops.
His silence continued for a long time.
Johan watched him without saying anything.
As the rain grew heavier.
Yuri’s tightly closed lips finally moved.
“Never again…”
Amid the heavy rain, Yuri’s voice, filled with resolve, mixed in.
“I never want to lose again.”
Yuri’s strong gaze shone brightly in the dim light.
Smirk.
Johan’s lips curled up into a big smile as he heard Yuri’s vow.
From the day of Yuri’s unforgettable first defeat…
Six months passed.
* * *
As spring ended and the tail end of summer approached.
The heat subsided, and the once humid wind became slightly cooler.
The change of seasons also came to Ralph’s house, located at the edge of the Coldwall Mountains.
On a somewhat dark afternoon.
In the spacious backyard, Ralph looked at the sky with a slight frown.
“Hmm… looks like it’s going to pour.”
His voice was filled with displeasure.
But it wasn’t because of the impending rain.
“The rain seems imminent, so why aren’t these guys here yet?”
The two guests who had been staying for six months since spring.
Yuri and Johan, who were supposed to have their second duel today but were already ten minutes late, were the cause of his annoyance.
Seeing his grandfather’s displeased expression, Mucci cautiously spoke up.
“Sh-should I go find them?”
“No need. If they’re late, they’ll be disqualified.”
“But Yuri said he was sure he’d win today… I was really looking forward to it…”
“Boy, the one he said he’d beat is you! You should be thinking about winning too!”
“Do I have to? Dad said sometimes losing is winning.”
“Tsk, what a fine thing your father taught you. Tsk tsk.”
“I just don’t want to fight Yuri… Can’t we just say we lost, Grandpa?”
Ralph sighed inwardly at his grandson’s question.
Somehow, that Yuri had managed to charm Mucci, who was now following Yuri like an older brother.
Mucci had always disliked fighting, but ever since he started hanging out with Yuri, he especially avoided this duel.
Seeing his grandson like this, Ralph’s face showed a hint of pity.
‘Mucci…’
Superior physique and rapid growth.
What might be seen as a blessing to some.
But this talent had driven Mucci away from his peers.
The children always looked at Mucci with wariness and fear.
Even boys older than him and adults did the same.
Realizing this, Mucci couldn’t mingle with the children.
In such a situation, Yuri had been the only one to treat Mucci like a normal child, or a younger sibling.
He was the only one, outside of his family, who didn’t treat Mucci like a monster.
Although he understood this, Ralph shook his head.
“That’s not right.”
“But…”
“If you admit defeat without fighting, that would be a great insult to the one who prepared for today.”
“……”
“Didn’t you see how he came back every night, beaten like a rag?”
Half a year ago, after the first duel.
Johan had said they would impose on Ralph for a while.
But Johan and Yuri spent most of their time deep in the mountains.
They trained there for most of the day, and late at night, Johan would carry the nearly dead Yuri back.
Every day, without fail.
In fact, Johan and Yuri had only used Ralph’s house to sleep.
Having watched this for six months, Mucci couldn’t refute his grandfather and lowered his head.
At that moment.
“They’re here.”
Ralph’s gaze turned to one side.