Chapter 17: 18

After all, The Emperor was a man. A man who always strived to win. Eugène did not wish to hurt his pride and ruin things beyond repair, so, he gave a conciliatory answer instead of a direct one.

“A little while ago, Your Majesty asked if I was practicing the ‘orthodox naval style’ technique, right? Correct. The form was given such a name because it is the only technique the entire Navy learns in common. The Navy’s swordsmanship is so unqualified that it’s common to mock oneself for it. I know no other method than that anomaly.” 

“How many years has it been since you ascended to the rank of Admiral and been treated as one?”

The Emperor asked with a smile as he watched Eugène try to avoid a showdown with him in one way or another. It was a question that most likely had a trap, but Eugène, unable to pretend that he didn’t understand the Emperor’s question, had no choice but to answer.

“It’s been about three years.”

“Then when was the last time you took part in an actual battle?” 

“That too must have been around three years ago.”

Eugène answered frankly. It was a natural answer since the other person was a competent commander. When it came to Navy Admirals, they were the backbone of the fleet, and no matter how difficult the naval battle was, the flagship was rarely used for hand-to-hand combat. Admiral Etoile, his predecessor, died in the battle due to artillery firing, not hand-to-hand combat. It was only possible for the flagship to be caught up in the boarding when the fleet was on the verge of annihilation.

“We were in one three months ago. Don’t you think We will have an advantage over you?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the scary Emperor raised the sword he was holding and sharply poked Eugène under his chin. Eugène, who was holding the sword the other way around to show respect to the Emperor, unintentionally defended himself with the pommel and changed the position of the sword. Before he could dodge, the swordsman approached again. As if an illustration, the form of the stab was perfect.

“What is that supposed to mean? Does Your Majesty mean to imply that you directly participated in the battle of the Landrienne Revolution?”

What bothered him more than the merciless raging attack was the Emperor’s bomb-like declaration. Of course not, right? There’s simply no way. A monarch who directly participated in the battle and flaunted his dance was something that would be appropriate only for the heroic kings in the days of the Prince-Electors. Now, hundreds of years later, tactics had changed significantly and the main type of military force for warfare had also changed.

Even the knights who had been practicing swordsmanship for decades under the power of the military forces had their tails curled up, but the thought of the Emperor personally going around the dangerous battlefield, even though it was all in the past, sent chills down his spine.

“You think too low of your master. That’s not it. Why would We give Our enemies an easy victory?” 

“But Your Majesty said it was an actual battle-.”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“Have you ever heard of Shaak’s court culture being in full bloom thanks to assassinations? As rumor has it, they try to solve all problems through assassinations.”

Despite being in the middle of a conversation, the Emperor’s sword attacked Eugène. If the sword had a blade, the attack was fierce enough to inflict a life-threatening injury. At first, he simply avoided it, but as time went on, it became harder to keep holding out like that.

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Unlike Eugène, who specialized in slashing, the Emperor’s swordsmanship incorporated authentic techniques that made use of intense stabbing. It was a method that maximized stabbing to target and attack the joints of knights armed with sheet metal suits of armor, with its distinctive characteristics being quick speed and strong offense on vital points. The Emperor was stronger than he expected. His lower body was properly trained and the angles of his attacks were unpredictable. At the same time, there was power in each offensive, and Eugène could no longer harbor any sort of contempt toward him.

“Is this Austrasie?”

Eugène, carefully observing the Emperor’s swordsmanship, blocking what could be blocked and avoiding what should be avoided, suddenly asked. The Emperor smiled at Eugène’s question. His eyes, narrowed by the smile, gleamed in golden light like waves reflected by the evening sun.

“You recognized it. I heard that only a few people learn it these days.” 

“It felt like the sword should be lighter. Doesn’t that swordsmanship originally make use of rapiers?”

“I use rapier and main gauche.”

Austrasie was a swordsmanship that originated in the Principality of Austrasie during the time of Prince-Electors and was now a generic term for Eastern-style swordsmanship. It had been practiced since the fall of the east 30 years ago, but it was a mystery as to how the Emperor came to learn this swordsmanship.

“How did Your Majesty learn it?” 

“My maternal grandfather was a master of Austrasie. Sir Gromanic, his best pupil who took over his teachings, was appointed as the guard knight of my mother.”

It was only then that Eugène recalled the story behind the Emperor’s words. The late Margrave Renault was famous for being a master of Austrasie. The tremendous competence he showed during the fall of House Renault was the last legend that raised the prestige of Eastern swordsmanship.

When he learned that the Emperor was the last inheritor of Austrasie, his dormant competitiveness woke up. Although he did not formally learn swordsmanship, he was a well-rounded soldier. Since Neustrie, which he was influenced by, advocated free-spirited swordsmanship, even if it was a variant, it was not to the extent that it could not be included in the swordsmanship.

Above all, the Emperor’s skills were unexpectedly solid, so he did not feel like ignoring him anymore. A knight who had polished his sword to this level was worthy of respect. 

Eugène changed his mind to deal with him seriously, turned around to dodge the incoming attack on his shoulder, and lightly clashed his sword with the other in a way to greet the Emperor as well as a signal to start the spar. The Emperor smiled and took a step back into a garde stance. This time, it was Eugène, not the Emperor, who went in first.

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The Emperor launched a narrow and quick attack, but Eugène countered it in a broad and powerful manner. The scope of attack as well as the defense was much wider because it cuts the face instead of stabbing the line. In particular, he used the sword freely, and it was as smooth as if he were using the blade to block the attacks and push through his own consecutive attacks at once.

In the spacious practice room, the clashing of their longswords resounded harshly. The two men continued to exchange their swords with fast but smooth movements and were engaged in a serious confrontation as if it were a duel with their lives on stake. It was the Emperor’s sword that had depth, but Eugène had a lot of experience. He skillfully fended off the Emperor’s sharp attacks, while occasionally delivering powerful blows, and each time the Emperor tried to back down or defend himself.

As time passed, the muscles that had been stiffened loosened and the body began to revitalize. Sweat from his forehead ran down his cheeks and fell down his jaw. Even the Emperor’s long eyelashes were drenched with sweat. His white cheeks were flushed red while his face itself had a pretty peach glow like a young girl’s. 

He’s undeniably beautiful

Eugène admired the Emperor, who was moving swiftly as his long golden hair fluttered. Usually, it was hard to notice due to his overwhelming presence, but upon closer look, a man that handsome was a rare sight for him.

However, that short break ended soon. After some calculation in his head, the fact that he was blindly handsome, or that his status was His Majesty the Emperor no longer remained in his mind. The only thing that was important to him now was that the man he was fighting against was a rival with similar skills to him.

Since the Emperor was strong, Eugène’s competitive spirit was fueled even further. He even used the anomalous technique he had restrained, pushing the Emperor into a corner. For him, fighting was done with the goal to defeat the enemy, and he had never started a battle that he could not win. 

Unfortunately, the Emperor didn’t know what it meant to lose either. They clashed fiercely like a lion and a tiger encountering each other in a narrow cage. The face-off became even more devious as their skills were neck-and-neck, making it harder to distinguish who was more dominant.

He pushed the sword that was dangerously aiming at his Adam’s apple to his shoulder, drew the blade down with force, and then kicked the Emperor’s jaw with his foot. The Emperor nimbly ducked to dodge, then quickly loosened his sword and stepped back behind him. However, the moment Eugène realized that he had retreated, a counterattack came in again.

Eugène, startled by the blade attacking dangerously with his eyes as the target, blocked the sword, but belatedly noticed the incoming knee attack into the abdomen, and raised his forearm to block it. He heard the sound of their bones colliding, and then, a throbbing pain arose in his wrist.

For a brief moment, the Emperor smiled, and Eugène grabbed the Emperor’s shin, twisted it, and threw the Emperor away. The Emperor, roughly thrown to the floor, swept Eugène’s ankles as he lay down. When Eugène hurriedly tried to move back, the Emperor took advantage of the opportunity to get up and rushed to Eugène with the same momentum. 

Eugène, immersed in the fight, could foresee victory at that moment. Eugène lowered his waist, corrected his stance, and blew away the Emperor’s attack as it was. While the swords engaged with one another, the force flowed at an angle to the side, and the sophisticated and clever technique of inducing the opponent’s loopholes by breaking the balance continued.

The Emperor, unfamiliar with such a technique, was caught up in the elaborate counterattack of Eugène and lost his stance. For a moment, the Emperor’s sword faced the floor. Eugène, not missing the moment, slashed the Emperor.

No, he was trying to slash him.

If this had been a real battle, the Emperor’s neck would have been blown away. In fact, Eugène’s sword was aimed precisely at the Emperor’s neck. Even with a bladeless sword, an attack like this would be extremely dangerous. If you’re lucky, you’ll only get bruises, but if you’re unlucky, your neck would crack. 

As soon as he realized that, fifty thousand thoughts ran through Eugène’s head. His instincts as a soldier told him to decapitate him as it is, but from a rational point of view, that act was as reckless as his former wife carrying Prince Merrick’s child.

Countless worries passed by in a short amount of time, but there was only one path to choose. Eugène broke the blade that was aimed at his neck and slammed it on his shoulder. But just then, the Emperor’s sword, which was out of sight, attacked Eugène’s vital point. In that brief moment, the sword that pierced through the blind spot touched Eugène’s neck like a lightning bolt.

The attack, aimed precisely at his Adam’s apple, stopped just before stabbing Eugène. Eugène sensed an instinctive threat and leaned back. Still, he couldn’t completely escape the aftermath.

“Ugh-Cough. Your Majesty.” 

Eugène let out a dry cough, rubbing the area around his neck, which had stiffened due to the tension. The affected Adam’s apple tingled from the strong wind pressure. He could feel the impact as if the vocal cords had been punched. There was a faint smile in the Emperor’s eyes as he looked at him.

… Could it be that you were aiming for this from the start?

Eugène, realizing that the loophole he had seen was a trap from the beginning, laughed in disappointment.

“Now that I see it, it’s not me who is good at improvisation, it’s Your Majesty.” 

Eugène sarcastically but furtively remarked the Emperor, who used his status as a cheap shot to win the showdown. The Emperor shamelessly did not deny Eugène’s point.

“Can it be said that believing in the loyalty of a subject is improvisation?”

The Emperor grinned and held out the towel his attendant had given him to Eugène. Eugène sighed, wiping the sweat that dripped from his forehead with the towel. He knew now that this person had always been like this, but if he had experienced this without prior knowledge, it would have been a huge shock.

“Since I won, I get the reward of victory. If you don’t have any previous engagements, how about having lunch together?” 

Even if there was already a previous engagement, the person who would say to cancel it asked as if he was being considerate. Eugène really didn’t want to, but he couldn’t dare to refuse either, so he just bowed quietly.

“Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty.”

His Majesty probably knew that those words were insincere.

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