The other professors took a step back. Now that that man, like an enraged wild boar, had stepped forward, there was no answer other than to yield or to clash. And they absolutely wanted to refuse the latter.
However...
“Professor Baroque. Do you intend to fight with that instead of a wooden sword?”
“Of course.”
Professor Baroque was stepping onto the training grounds holding not a wooden sword, but his beloved halberd. At that, a professor hurriedly said.
“Your opponent is a student.”
“But he's much stronger than me.”
“No, that's...?”
Professor Baroque chuckled and said to the dumbfounded professor.
“Do I look like someone who can face that monster with a wooden sword?”
“…”
There was nothing to say. Hadn't seven professors already been crushed while fighting with wooden swords? And one-sidedly at that.
Professor Baroque said to him.
“I will do my best. For that, I need this thing.”
And without giving the other professors a chance to stop him, he advanced to the center of the training grounds. And he said to Patrick.
“Young Lord Patrick Schneider. I wish to request a lesson.”
“Hoooh... With that, you say?”
When Patrick pointed to the heavy halberd, he said without a change in expression.
“I earnestly request it.”
There was no sign of shame. Nor did he seem rude. There was only the pure desire of a challenger, wanting to try something with everything he had.
Patrick chuckled and said.
“Well, that's not bad.”
Then Patrick called out to the attendants at the edge of the training grounds.
“Ace!”
“Yes, young master.”
“Bring me my swords.”
“Yes, I understand.”
At that, from the group of waiting attendants, April, dressed in a butler's uniform, came forward holding the swords. Normally, attendants were not allowed to approach the training grounds during classes, but a test day like today was an exception. They were all on standby with simple first-aid kits, in case the person they served was injured during the test.
From among the huddling group of attendants, a man(?) of exceptionally shining beauty stepped forward. In that moment...
“Ooh... Who is that?”
“I've never seen a man that pretty before.”
“There's been a lot of talk among the attendants. That there's a butler as beautiful as an angel.”
“Wow... His beauty is... insane. It's insane.”
“He is a man, right? He's definitely a man? Damn it, why is he a man? Why?”
Everyone's attention was drawn there. The gallery, who just moments ago had been captivated by Patrick's miraculous winning streak, had their souls stolen away by April's beauty alone.
“Here you are, young master.”
“Oh, right. Good work.”
“Is there anything else you require?”
“No. Go back quickly.”
“Yes, I understand.”
At Patrick's command, spoken with a sullen expression, April quietly returned to her place. People couldn't take their eyes off April until he returned to the group of attendants, no, even after he had returned.
“Wow, a human can be that beautiful.”
“Why was he born a man with a face like that?”
“I know, right.”
“Honestly, with a face like that, shouldn't he be the noble and the one named Patrick be the attendant?”
“Hmm, this is certainly not right.”
“It's extremely unfair.”
“He was a fellow with no conscience.”
“He has skill, but no conscience.”
Hearing the gallery's murmurs, Patrick frowned and stomped his foot hard.
Kuuung!
The ground shook slightly, and everyone's gaze shifted back to Patrick. Then Patrick said to Professor Baroque.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
“Let's. But may I say something before we start?”
“Go ahead.”
“Does that attendant friend have any older or younger sisters, or perhaps an unmarried aunt?”
“... Professor.”
“No, it's not that I have any dark intentions, I'm just curious... one can be curious, can't they?”
“Do you want to die?”
“Ahem, hem... ahem...”
A student threatened a professor, but no one questioned it. Professor Baroque feigned ignorance with a cough, then bowed his head deeply to Patrick. And what he said was...
“It is an honor to receive instruction from one who has reached a high realm.”
“Now, of all times?”
“I was a bit flustered after seeing something so surprising, but this is my sincere feeling.”
“…”
Patrick wore a sullen expression. But on the other hand, he understood.
'Right.
The beauty of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians is truly a cheat.' In the martial world, people had actually killed and been killed over women with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. So, he decided to be understanding with a big heart, just this once.
He said to Professor Baroque.
“Raise your head. What will you do if a professor bows his head so readily to a student?”
“Right now, in this moment, I am not a professor, but a knight who simply wishes to ask for guidance from one stronger than myself.”
“...”
“In fact, considering the realm you've achieved, this is rather insufficient.”
“Well, I understand. Being polite is good. It's a good thing.”
Why does a guy who knows better act like that? Patrick took a stance holding his two twin swords and said.
“I am Patrick Schneider, a first-year at the academy.”
“I am Marox Baroque, a professor at the academy. In the world, I am known as Baroque the Pulverizer.”
“That's a brutal moniker. Doesn't seem very knightly, does it?”
“... You don't know?”
“Know what?”
“The origin of my moniker. I thought it was quite famous?”
“Well, do I really need to know that?”
At that, Professor Baroque laughed and said.
“Hahaha. Right. There's no need to know. Doesn't a knight ultimately speak through his skills?”
“That's right. So, is the conversation now?”
“Over!”
At the same time as he finished speaking, Baroque's massive frame shot forward. Reaching within arm's length of Patrick in a single step, he brought down the blade of his heavy halberd.
Kwaaaaang!
The firmly packed floor of the training grounds exploded.
'Fiery.'
Patrick dodged the opponent's attack, but he was still slightly surprised. A heavy weapon, indeed. In terms of simple destructive power, it was far superior to a sword.
And that wasn't the end. As soon as the first strike missed, the follow-up attack that flew in was a thrust. After the downward strike using the axe blade, a sharp thrust using the spear tip came flying.
The sound of the thrust cutting through the air, coming right after that heavy attack, was quite sharp. Patrick tilted his head to the side, narrowly dodging the attack.
Then...
“Hup!”
Professor Baroque's wrist half-rotated as he readjusted his grip on the halberd. And his halberd was swiftly pulled back. The hook on the opposite side of the axe blade aimed to snatch Patrick's nape precisely, but...
Shwiiik!
The decisive attack Professor Baroque attempted unfortunately only cut through the air. Patrick was already far away, bouncing on the ground and performing his footwork. And Patrick's face held an expression of considerable interest.
“This is a bit different, isn't it?”
Professor Baroque's martial prowess itself wasn't anything special. It was a tiny bit better than the other professors, but it wasn't overwhelming. He seemed to be around the edge of the five-star level, but in Patrick's eyes, it was just splitting hairs.
However, what caught Patrick's interest was...
“Haaaaaaap!”
Fwoong! Kwang!
Shwiiiiiik! ...it was Baroque's proficiency in handling the weapon known as a halberd. Thrusting, cutting, hooking, smashing... It was the first time he had faced such a variety of attacks with different textures while fighting someone who wielded a single weapon.
'Come to think of it, this is the first time I've ever fought against a weapon like a halberd.' The soldiers of the Schneider Fief, where Patrick was reborn, do not use halberds.
Why?
Because they're expensive. They are more difficult to make than ordinary spears or swords, and they require more iron. The halberd is a rather expensive weapon.
Only wealthy fiefs could afford to arm their soldiers with such weapons. He had seen soldiers and knights from other fiefs equipped with them a few times. At that time, Patrick had thought.
'Why do they use that?' So he thought. In Patrick's view, the weapon called a halberd seemed too chaotic.
A spear, an axe, a hook. A weapon that contained all three of these characteristics in one? He had never even imagined such a thing in his past life.
Although there was a weapon called the Fangtian Huaji said to be used by Lu Bu, he had never seen a martial artist actually use one. 'There were even stories that it was a fictional weapon.' A weapon's strength naturally decreases and it becomes harder to handle when it has diverse functions.
One must focus on a single aspect. A sword, delicately. A saber, fiercely.
A spear, sharply. A weapon had to have a clear direction so that the user could focus on it. In the martial world, such a crude weapon belonged to the unorthodox alliance.
Among them, it was something that second-rate fighters with low realms would rack their brains to use.
And yet...
“Haaaaaaap!”
Right now, before Patrick's eyes, was a knight who had pioneered his own realm by handling that halberd his entire life.
Marox Baroque.
He was certainly quite a unique case.
'Amazing.
Not a single... not a single one is getting through.' Professor Baroque trembled with a thrill. How long had it been?
He didn't know how long it had been since he had a chance to attack an opponent with all his strength. He mobilized every technique he had learned in his life to attack Patrick. Of course, his attacks never reached Patrick.
But the mere fact that he could launch his attacks with all his sincerity was a joyous thing for him.
Yes.
It was just enjoyable. To face an opponent against whom he could purely pour out his everything, without any distracting thoughts. The fact that his opponent was a student didn't matter at this moment.
This moment itself, where he could fight to his heart's content, was just so good. In this way, after more than thirty exchanges, Patrick, who had been receiving Baroque's attacks, began his counterattack.
Kwaaang!
“Ugh...”
It was just a lightly swung attack. Professor Baroque raised the shaft of his halberd at a perfect angle to block, but he couldn't help but be pushed back by the aftermath of the attack. And Patrick slowly turned his neck and said.
“For a self-taught style, this is quite impressive.”
“What...?”
“Didn't you teach yourself?”
“?”
Hearing Patrick's words, an expression of astonishment appeared on Professor Baroque's face. The opponent didn't know his moniker, 'the Pulverizer'. 'A person of his realm wouldn't tell a shallow lie.
He really must not have known.' This is a misunderstanding. Skill and character are not necessarily proportional.
But it was true that Patrick didn't know his past. Just by exchanging a few blows, he had grasped the foundation of Professor Baroque's skills. 'Is this possible?
Even for a genius? How is that possible? Isn't discernment something that can't be cultivated without abundant experience?'
Professor Baroque might not have understood, but Patrick chuckled. 'This young punk is racking his brain. My experience is more than ten times yours.
If we're only counting real combat experience, it's probably over a hundred times.'