Chapter 6: Krono Swordsmanship School (1)

Krono Swordsmanship School.

Regardless of nationality, gender or status, it was a school that had a different reputation from other schools, which only taught select and talented children.

Just from graduating from Krono, or turning into an official trainee, one could get a treatment similar to that of a noble.

It would boast more fame than getting a title from the Royal Academy.

A place where any child with the will to handle a sword wants to set foot.

However,

'... it's a difficult one. Even if he enters, if he enters.'

That was natural. Only those with brilliant talent from all over the continent get to graduate from the Krono Swordsmanship School.

Those who have been eliminated from the competitions in the school returned to their homelands with a sense of frustration and inferiority.

That was why Baron Pareira was worried.

He had no choice but to worry for his son.

'Will Irene be able to overcome the endless competition?'

Bran Somerville's words made him happy. Just last night, he laughed and smiled all night while imagining his son turning into an outstanding knight.

But the Baron didn't want to force his will onto his son.

He didn't want to pressure Irene.

But he knew how difficult the road would be for Irene.

Thinking that the son who barely managed to walk out of the bedroom could turn broken again, he decided to hold back his hopes.

And two days passed.

"I'll do it."

A calm tone.

Yet, seeing how Irene Pareira answered with a stronger expression than usual, the Baron patted his son's shoulders without saying anything else.

It was that moment when the bird, who had never thought of letting go of his young one, saw that the young one was ready to spread his wings and fly into the outside world.

Rustle!

At the end of April, the springtime cold had disappeared.

For the first time in his life, young lord Irene Pareira, the lazy prince, went outside the Paraeira estate.

It was because he was going to the place where the Krono Swordsman School trainees met.

Of course, that wasn't all.

Although he received the letter of recommendation from the wandering knight Bran Somerville, Irene still had to take the exam as a trainee.

In order to get officially admitted to the Swordsmanship school, one had to endure one year of training

And one would also have to get good grades in all of the evaluations.

Recalling that fact, Irene closed his eyes.

'Will I be able to do well?'

He doubted his possibilities of staying there.

Except for the past month, he had spent his entire life in bed.

Expecting high grades in the school seemed greedy.

Yet, Irene accepted his father's offer for two reasons.

The first was to use the opportunity as a turning point in his life.

'I'm in a strange state right now... I don't know how long this will last.'

His present self didn't like staying idle. Rather, he was more sincere in training than anyone else.

But it wasn't because of his own will but purely because of the mysterious dreams he had.

In other words, once the unknown phenomenon was over, he might turn back to his former helpless self.

'I don't hate that either. No... I don't want to stay idle anymore. For me and for the sake of my family who love me.'

An accident did happen when he was young, but they were the family who supported him for 10 years.

Irene wanted to become a son and older brother that his family could feel proud of.

And to do that, Irene would have to move forward without hesitation while taking on new challenges.

He had to put himself in a harsher environment.

"Hew..."

Irene sighed heavily.

New environment, new people. For the boy who had been confined to his room, it was nothing less than a burden.

Although he tried to gain courage, the urge to turn the wagon around and return home stayed in his mind.

And the second reason.

A strong desire to 'reproduce the sword of the man in his dreams, into reality'.

Irene had been swinging his sword like a crazed person for the past month.

Thanks to that, compared to the first time he entered the training ground, his posture and strength had improved.

But that wasn't enough. There was a limit to what he could achieve from training alone.

The young lord wanted to be close to the man in his dreams. He wanted to recreate that sword.

It didn't matter if he turned into a great swordsman or not.

And there was no doubt that Krono Swordsmanship School was the best environment for it.

'By the way, what does the man in the dream even do?'

Irene didn't know much about the man in his dreams.

Why did the man train like that, how long had he practiced the sword, what kind of achievements did he have, what happened at the end?

In the beginning, the man's potential was underestimated.

It was impossible to imagine that a man who wielded a sword in a barren land would become so powerful.

But it didn't matter anymore.

The will and effort.

Gave Irene the strength to move forward.

And that was enough.

When he was done thinking, he opened his eyes.

"We have arrived, young lord."

The carriage arrived at the school.

It wasn't the main building. However, there were rows of majestic buildings beyond what the eyes could see.

Did they invest so much just to teach the trainees?

Or was it used for another purpose?

Those thoughts ran through his head, but he soon discarded them. Because it was unnecessary to know that.

Irene Pareira, who took a deep breath, got off the carriage and said to the coachman.

"Thank you. You can head back now."

"Wouldn't it be better if I escort you to the entrance?"

"If I wanted that, I would have brought my family along. I am just a trainee here, shouldn't I be used to walking alone? Don't worry and go."

"... understood. I wish you great success."

The coachman nodded his head and politely bowed before he left.

There was a small smile on his lips. It was because he felt better seeing the change in the young lord.

Of course. Irene was unaware of this. After the carriage left, he took a deep breath and exhaled.

With determination, he headed towards the entrance of the school.

A group of trainees who arrived earlier were already waiting.

"Khm. This is young lord Bratt Lloyd, the son of Count Lloyd, a noble of Gerbera Kingdom. Recommended by Sir Cole Swede, a respectable knight."

"Right! It is an honor to welcome someone from the noble lineage of the Lloyds!"

"I've heard of Sir Cole's name too! I feel like I'm seeing a future graduate!"

"Hmm! Hmm!"

Count Lloyd and his family were famous enough that even Irene knew them.

It was no exaggeration to say that Count Lloyd was the real power of the Gerbera Kingdom.

As a result, the arrogant nature of high-ranking nobles was evident in their every word and action.

It wasn't unreasonable for the guards near the gate to be flustered.

They handed him a map and politely guided Bratt Lloyd inside.

Eventually, the servants of the Lloyd family left, and Irene's turn came.

He nodded at them and said.

"Irene Pareira from Baron Pareira's family. I have received the recommendation from Sir Bran Somerville, the wandering knight. Please take good care of me."

It was an ordinary introduction that highlighted nothing.

In fact, Irene did nothing to boast about himself.

Although the Pareira family was the lowest ranking Baron family, they were quite wealthy due to the large volume of trade that happens on their land.

It wasn't comparable to the Lloyd family, which had high-ranking fame and power but considering that people wanted to emphasize something about themselves to show off in the school, Irene seemed different.

He knew that it was his father who earned everything.

'I'm a noble, but I'm also just a lazy person who did nothing for 10 years.'

He didn't have a reason to show off to anyone.

In addition, Krono Swordsmanship School was supposed to have no difference in status, age, and gender.

After finishing, Irene waited patiently, after hearing his introduction the guards trembled.

"Ah, you are the young lord of the Pareira family!"

"It is an honor to meet such a person. Sir Bran Somerville recognized you. Isn't he the person who took the lead in the subjugation for decades? To get a recommendation from someone like that, it is natural that you will pass the exam!"

"Whatever the result, I plan to work hard."

"We support you. This is the map, and the place shown here is the auditorium. Good luck."

Irene also bowed his head to the guards and then left.

Watching the boy disappear, the two guards open their mouths.

"Bran Somerville, what is wrong with him? Writing that recommendation!"

"Right. Why do it for that lazy prince?"

"What lazy prince?"

"You don't know? The lazy prince of Pareira."

"I Don't know. But, when I see that body, I understand."

"Right, he looks so weak. How the hell did he get caught up with that old man?"

The guards were in doubt. One guard, a man with a scar, spoke indifferently.

"Well, I see that you're curious. I guess you'll have to find out."

"That's right. Ah, another one."

"It looks like almost everyone is here. It's nice to see people come quickly"

The moment that another trainee arrived, their shining eyes diminished.

The two of them suddenly returned to their modest appearance, treating the remaining trainees politely.

The meeting place, the auditorium, was farther than first thought. It was because of how wide the land was.

However, the directions were so detailed, so no one got lost.

Irene Pareira, who looked at all the unknown structures, arrived at the front door of the auditorium.

Then, as if everything changed, a huge sense of pressure-filled his chest.

'Calm down, stay calm.'

There will be countless trainees inside.

And each of them must have worked hard and had talents Irene could never think of.

Some may be gifted.

Unlike himself.

But did that have to matter?

'I am not here to compete with others.'

The boy wanted to escape from his past self and live a better life.

His competitor was himself.

Thinking about that made him feel more comfortable.

Go and give your best so you don't have any regrets.

Irene told himself that and opened the door.

The inside of the auditorium caught his eyes.

"..."

The eyes of people were fixed on him.

Irene couldn't hide his embarrassment.

'What is it?'

Why was everyone looking at him?

Irene thought to himself.

It wasn't a reaction because someone they knew appeared.

They looked at him with interest. Despite not knowing him.

"..."

Fortunately, no one spoke to him.

If someone did speak, Irene wouldn't have been able to answer properly.

For him, who had no experience hanging out with people outside the family, the current situation was very uncomfortable.

With a hundred pairs of eyes scanning him in silence, he didn't feel good.

Fortunately, that didn't last long.

Bum! Bum! Bum!

"Haaa!"

"That person..."

"What? The gua..."

A middle-aged man was standing on the podium where no one was there until a moment ago.

There wasn't a single trainee who didn't know that face.

The man with a scar on his face, the guard by the entrance, it had been less than two hours since all the trainees passed by him.

'He is not a guard...'

'An instructor?'

As if knowing what the trainees were thinking, the man with scars opened his mouth.

"Nice to meet you. Trainees. No, prospective trainees."

"..."

"My name is Ahmed, the instructor who will teach and evaluate you from today on."

Ack!

After a brief introduction, pressure erupted from Ahmed's body.

It wasn't just an air of dignity or power.

In fact, Ahmed's pressure quickly spread throughout the auditorium.