If you ask me… as interesting as I've found him, I was also underestimating him a bit.
I mean, he must be at least half my age! My expectations were based more on his natural talent, but…
(What kind of move is that? His left hand? Wasn't he right-handed?!)
His proficiency with both hands was a surprise, but more than that…
(That move just now—he was definitely sharper than before.)
That first exchange of blows didn't even last a minute, but he seems to have improved almost immediately after I counterattacked.
(In the worst-case scenario, I might actually lose to this kid if I don't take him seriously!)
Damn, this is too crazy. This kid is incredible!
------------------------------------------------
(I broke his guard—let's not miss this chance!)
Lev returned to the Bee Stance in the blink of an eye.
He lunged forward with another frontal thrust aimed at Laute's chest.
"Bee Stance: Jetstream!"
And even as Laute tried to react, the blow struck him squarely in the center of the chest, sending him flying backward.
However—
"South!"
In a downward vertical motion, he brought the sword down with all his might for a slashing strike against Laute.
"Not so fast!"
But, leaping backward with a quick jump, he managed to dodge the blow and regain his balance in a single motion.
"Phew… that was close. You caught me off guard there!"
(Even though it hit him squarely, he barely broke a sweat… he's tough.)
For a brief moment, Lev's face was filled with caution and seriousness, but soon a small smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
He straightened his posture, drawing his scabbard from his waist and holding it in his right hand.
His body was straight, with his left leg slightly set back behind his right.
"Oh? Another stance? What's the focus of this one?!"
"Counterattack."
"Ooh?! So you want me to go first?"
Laute seemed delighted by the suggestion, but soon let a small flicker of confusion and curiosity show.
"But wait… I know I asked, but doesn't answering honestly give me an advantage?"
"Who knows? Try your luck."
To which Lev replied with a small, smug smile.
"Well, since you're inviting me. I'm not going to hold back!"
Laute charged in with a vertical slash from the right.
But even as he closed in on him, Lev didn't flinch.
Swoooosh—!
At that moment, just as the attack was about to strike the side of his body, he threw himself backward.
He planted both his sword and scabbard into the ground, using them to support himself as he hung upside down.
"Nice dodge, but I'm not done yet!"
Right after the blade passed right where Lev had been, taking advantage of the momentum, Laute spun his body along with the attack.
Gripping the scabbard in his left hand, he followed the path of the previous movement, as if making a second attempt to land the same strike.
However—
"Heave-ho!"
Letting go of the sword hilt and scabbard, Lev used the point of contact to propel himself slightly upward, just enough for the attack to pass straight by again.
"Whoa?"
And, still in midair, with a clockwise spin, Lev delivered a bicycle kick over Laute's head.
"Point."
And quickly after landing, grabbing the sword and scabbard, aligning them side by side, he delivered a diagonal strike coming from the right.
"Spider Stance: Belladonna!"
Landing both strikes perfectly against Laute's body, which was pushed heavily backward.
"Bee Stance!"
Next, he assumed the Bee Stance and prepared to follow up with another strike.
However, he thrust his forward leg between Laute's legs; using it as an anchor, he pulled his body forward with all his might.
"Windshear!"
Aiming for an explosive thrust at close range, he used his own body movement to increase the strike's explosive power.
"Evening Mirror Style: Backflow—Reverse Waterfall"
But before the strike could land… words, spoken in a low, firm, and cold tone, were the first things to reach Lev.
Before he knew it, he was upside down.
"…Huh?"
From what he could see, Laute gripped the sword hilt firmly with his right hand and, with his palm open, supported the opposite side of the blade.
After that, all he saw was his vision spinning completely as he went flying upward.
(I knew it… this guy is on another level…)
Taking advantage of his opponent's disadvantageous position, Laute, with a smooth movement, struck his sword and sent it flying away.
"...Lev has been disarmed. Victory to Laute."
Louis, from his spot beside the arena, announced in a loud, firm voice just as Lev fell back to the ground.
"Ouch… Ouch, I landed on my butt there…"
"Here, let me give you a hand!"
Laute promptly reached out his hand, smiling broadly at him.
"… Sighs thanks."
At that, shrugging with a resigned sigh, Lev accepted the help to get up.
"That was really impressive, both of you."
Louis approached, clapping his hands to congratulate them both.
"Your form is still great as always, Laute."
"Hehe."
Faced with the compliment, with a silly grin, Laute rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"As for yours… interesting, I don't recall a style like that. Was it that knight who stayed here who taught you?"
"Huh? Ah, no…. I just did things I observed in animals, that's all."
"Hmm? So you're—"
"SELF-TAUGHT?!"
Louis looked deeply interested, but was cut off by Laute's voice bursting with enthusiasm.
"Man, you're genuinely amazing. You're going to be such a great kni— GWAK?!"
The man grabbed Lev by the shoulders, pressing him close with eyes shining like stars.
To put an end to it, Louis simply landed a blow to his head that sent him to his knees.
"Get a grip, Laute."
(now this old man is giving me the same vibe as Julie, crazy.)
"Lev?"
As he let his thoughts wander, Louis's voice brought Lev back to reality briefly.
"Y-yes?!"
"You can go home."
"H-huh? But the bet…"
The old man's words left Lev slightly surprised.
"Don't worry about it, it was more of a tease. I like witty jokes like that, you know?"
"I-I see…"
"Oh! But if you want to accept it of your own free will, we'll be here until the end of the day tomorrow."
Lev couldn't fathom Louis's thinking, but he decided not to press the issue.
After saying goodbye to the two of them, he left the regional office.
"Are you sure about this, Captain? I'm totally against letting him go like this!"
Laute was pouting as he watched Lev walk away through the window.
"Don't worry, he'll come back."
But, unlike him, Louis was surprisingly calm.
"What do you mean by that, Captain?"
"Didn't you notice? … No, of course you didn't."
For a moment, Louis seemed to want to test Laute's perception, but immediately gave up.
"That boy… you'd say that, based on the story, he was disappointed in the knight he saw, who failed to save his sister, wouldn't you?"
"… Isn't that the case?"
Seeing Laute's response, Louis promptly looked at him with a resigned expression, showing no surprise.
"I knew you hadn't noticed… I won't deny that he was genuinely disappointed by the situation with his sister."
But he soon returned to staring out the window at the path Lev had taken.
"But more than that… he came to believe that 'knightsareweak."
Turning toward the office, Louis walked over to an armchair and sat down, staring at the chair where Lev had been sitting.
"You felt it, didn't you? During that brief sparring session. The speed of his progress… and his thirst for combat."
"...Yes. I could feel it."
Following behind, Laute sat down next to Louis.
"He knew how to take advantage of the openings I left… sure, I didn't go all out right away, but still…"
"On the last move, you went all out, didn't you?"
"..."
Laute closed his eyes, clenching the fists of his hands that rested on his legs.
"...Yes."
Then, he slowly opened them with a pensive expression.
"What did you feel in that moment?"
"That if that blow had connected… I would've probably been knockedunconscious on the spot."
Louis began stroking his chin, staring at the ceiling fan spinning.
"That child seems to have…"
In his mind, Louis recalled the aura he had sensed around Lev when he used the Bee Stance.
An aura that, if it were to be put into words…
"an innate, battle-crazed nature."
— Chapter 5: Part II, End.