Chapter 153
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In the heart of the festival street.
Luke, wearing a shirt, thought to himself.
What am I doing here?
But his body moved faithfully as he had been taught by Karen.
Hey, you there!
Two female students walking down the street glanced back in surprise.
Judging by the green badges on their school uniforms, they were seniors in their third year.
However, they did not seem to mind being called informally by a freshman.
Instead, they blushed and playfully nudged each others shoulders or backs.
Luke roughly waved his hand towards them.
Come hang out later.
What? Youll treat us to a drink if we go with you?
Depends on the situation.
Ha, ridiculous.
With that, the girls with flushed cheeks distanced themselves from him. His uncles.
So, the members of the mercenary group often called Luke greenhorn.
For one thing, thats only because he never once set foot in the brothel they were trying to take him to.
In fact, Luke didnt find it particularly difficult to interact with girls.
He knew well enough that his appearance was attractive.
Why wouldnt he?
There was a mirror in Lukes room, and at each territory he was assigned to, women would often come bearing flowers, letters, and even assault rifles.
But such experiences only added to Lukes titles of greenhorn.
Like being a leader who protects the weak in a strict manner.
Or a Eunuch.
What can I do if Im not interested?
The problem was that his indifference didnt apply to just one person.
Luke habitually glanced into the tavern.
Is she still in the kitchen? No sign of a pitchman.
Its not visible.
As Luke returned his gaze to its original position, he spotted crimson eyes staring at him intently.
It was his comrade who shared the pitchman duty with him.
What about showing just half of this confidence in front of Evergreen?
As Luke was taken aback, he hesitated for a moment before replying bluntly.
Shut up, Leciel. What do you know?
I know too.
Youre inexperienced.
A brief sigh followed.
Why wouldnt Luke want to do that?
But it wasnt easy.
A height a notch taller than his peers.
Broad shoulders and a handsome face.
These were traits that often filled him with considerable pride.
But they were of little use in front of Evergreen.
Not worth mentioning, apparently.
Did it mean anything to her?
These thoughts often shook his confidence.
Swoosh-
Someone grabbed the hem of Lukes garment just as he sighed again.
Oh, what!
Brother.
Oppa.
They looked about seven or eight years old.
They looked up at Luke with round, innocent eyes.
Luke looked around in surprise.
Why are kids alone at the festival.
Fortunately, they werent alone.
People who seemed to be their parents were nearby.
They seemed distracted, perhaps by the fig wine stew being sold at the adjacent booth, albeit a bit far away.
Geez, really.
Luke chuckled.
As expected, they were sensitive to beauty.
They approached strangers with ease.
Feeling a bit proud, he lowered himself to their eye level.
Whats up, kiddos?
Iron Arrow.
Iron Arrow, show us!
Iron Arrow!
Despite Lukes evident disappointment and complete disregard, the children persisted.
He looked to Leciel, thinking of asking for help, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Even if she were there, that stony character wouldnt be of much help.
Lukes face grew increasingly perplexed.
How do you deal with kids?
Memories of beatings and punishments from his mercenary days were of no help now.
As if adding insult to injury, the children surrounded him, chanting.
Why wont you show us Iron Arrow!
Show us Iron Arrow!
Show us!
As Luke contemplated fleeing from them, Leciel appeared.
Luke looked at the iron fork in her hands with a puzzled expression.
But Leciel, as if Luke didnt even exist, fixed her gaze on the children.
Hey, kids. Hi there.
It seemed a definite fact that kids liked beauty.
As the attention that was on him shifted instantly to Leciel, Luke felt a little disappointed.
Wow, shes really pretty.
Sister, do you know how to do Iron Arrow too?
Leciel nodded confidently.
Of course. Im even better at it.
As she finished speaking, the fork she held began to glow.
She had an affinity for all mana attributes, but her exceptional aptitude lay in fire mana.
As mana enveloped the fork, flames flickered, and the children gasped in amazement.
Wow, amazing.
So beautiful.
Leciel smiled warmly and kindly at those who knew her, as if beyond imagination.
Take a good look, Iron Arrow!!
With an exaggerated skill name, the fork soared into the air behind the crowd.
Swoosh-
With a tail of azure flames, the fork streaked across the sky.
It resembled a firework, or perhaps a shooting star rising backward.
But one thing was for sure, it was much cooler than the Iron Arrow Luke had showcased in the battle arena.
The children cheered, jumping around and chanting.
Sister is the best.
Sister is the best! before they were eventually led away by their parents, carrying fig wine stew.
Oh, sorry for the trouble.
After they disappeared, Leciel suppressed the cheerful smile she had been wearing.
Back to her usual expressionless self.
She absentmindedly stroked her chin and threw a word at Luke, who was staring at her.
You should treat children kindly.
Didnt you grow up in the Golden Prison of the Sword Saint Family?
Leciel didnt answer.
But that served as a response.
Tsk, Luke turned away, clicking his tongue.
Leciel, Luke!
Oh, whats up. Is it time for a shift change?
No, Karen says the pitch is packed inside! Take a break, you did well!
Ah, finally.
Luke unbuttoned his shirt and stepped into the tavern.
The break room would be better than this stifling outdoors.
But Aileen intercepted him with a bright smile.
Oh, sorry, weve used up all the chairs in the break room, so you guys might as well rest outside, okay?
So they ended up sitting on a bench across, watching the interior of the tavern.
But surprisingly, they didnt mind.
It was amusing to watch their colleagues struggles.
Gerald, driven by Nyhills help and the childrens efforts, was now serving diligently, sweating profusely.
Evergreen and Nyhill were busy cooking in the kitchen, and behind them, someone with spiky hair was swiftly doing the dishes.
Karens imposing voice, directing the whole tavern, could be heard from time to time.
Noble children, minor nobles, and commoners all mingled together.
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It was a moment that naturally evoked the regulations of Rosenstark.
In Rosenstarks fences, everyone is equal or so they say.
Unlike festivals at other academies, Rosenstarks festivals encouraged students to set up booths and work themselves.
Luke looked at his peers.
Thirty-one students, well, now just thirty.
When they first faced each other, it was a relationship filled with wariness, competitiveness, and disdain.
Their backgrounds and social statuses were vastly different.
Due to their talents and pride in their respective fields, the existence of competitors had been precious and annoying.
But the past semester had been enough time to forget those initial impressions.
The gruelling training sessions.
No matter how strong or talented they were, they wouldnt have endured without each other.
Even Luke and Leciel, who were somewhat standoffish, couldnt deny the strong bond between them.
Luke muttered quietly.
Are you going back home for the vacation?
No, to Jedo. My grandmother is there.
I see.
The boy, reminiscing about the stern atmosphere of the mercenary camp, turned his gaze to the sky and spoke.
The vacation isnt as welcoming as I thought.
Leciel nodded quietly.
But they had no idea.
That they would have a much more spectacular break than they expected.
.
.
.
Anyway, that week, thanks to Nyhills help and the childrens efforts, the struggling tavern of Rosenstark secured the top spot in total sales.
* * *
Time will resolve it.
She told me to relax for a while.
But I had no intention of completely letting go of my work on the seasons.
In between handling festival-related tasks and preparing for the Battle Arena main event commentary, I steadily worked on outlining the seasons.
Its not a situation where I can relax enough to be idle.
I had to schedule my time down to the minute.
So, with about fifteen minutes left until the start of the Battle Arena main event, I delved deep into meditation, or rather, flow of consciousness, as I had been doing for the past few days.
My own season, my own originality.
My originality was the ability to mimic others, in other words, replication.
So, what was the biggest adBantage of replication?
The answer came quickly.
High-level utilization of various techniques.
No matter how talented one was, they couldnt raise the proficiency of every skill as much as their main technique.
But I could extract any skill, no matter how minor, with relatively high quality.
For example, if I focused solely on replicating Bucks skills instead of all the other essentials, I could execute stealth techniques more superior to any other thief.
It was thanks to the upscale.
Of course, if I, who had replicated Teds skills to the fullest, fought against myself who had replicated Bucks skills to the fullest, the latter would undoubtedly win.
It was a matter of course.
The difference in basic abilities was too great.
But if it were Leciels skill?
Cuculli, Ban, Luke, and so on.
The essence of geniuses whose talents and limits surpassed the criminals by tens of times.
It would be different.
They could showcase completely different techniques with equally powerful output.
It was akin to him I saw in Zeros memories.
I remembered vividly how he had obliterated the priests of the church who had mastered sacred magic, by replicating far more powerful and numerous copies of the sacred magic they had invoked.
Therefore, the conclusion I reached was
Continuous technique. The form of the season should be a continuous technique.
Originally, the invention of techniques had to consider the opponent.
The Demon King and the Demon Generals.
Other high-ranking demons.
Monsters who had amassed combat data against humans for centuries, if not millennia, were the enemies I ultimately had to overcome.
Even against Ted, who was the strongest among humans, they had experienced multiple battles and survived.
In other words, eradicating demons with only human strength was impossible.
Teds death proved that fact.
Therefore, I intended to pursue the development of techniques that humans could never cast.
Such techniques would deal a more effective blow to the demons.
The unexpected.
It should be the foremost task to be undertaken.
I continued to visualize in my mind.
If it is completed, would it feel like this?
It was just a rough draft for now, but this was the aspect of the season that I envisioned.
The first movement would start with Teds powerful intermediate swordsmanship as usual.
It would give the opponent the belief that this battle would flow as if they were facing the past hero.
Then, I would incorporate Cucullis ice magic in the middle.
Next, immediately deploy Bans delicate swordsmanship to confuse the opponent.
Lukes learned Raviass martial technique could also be utilized to mix in explosive and frenzied attacks.
Nyhills learned Shadows technique could disrupt the opponents senses, leading the battle in a direction of stealth and ambush.
Leciels versatile swordsmanship would be devastating if inserted appropriately.
If my understanding of Larze continues to deepen, it would even be possible to step back and engage in a magic battle.
The sequence should flow like water, smooth and natural.
Refine and polish that sequence into a form of expression.
A technique that blends unarmed combat, magic, and assassination.
But ultimately, the destination I must reach lies at the end of this direction.
To achieve this, I need to raise my understanding far beyond what it is now.
Since all other methods for increasing power have been blocked.
What I need to do is clear.
I must exert all my efforts to increase my understanding of my comrades, including the children.
Because raising understanding of someone else will have a positive impact on the completion and limitations of my foundation and strength, the Polymorph.
As much as it would be nice to be able to relax for a moment, it wasnt a situation where I could.
Currently, the Vanguard of the allied forces has reached the outskirts of the Demon Realm after crossing the Great Mountain Range.
If they successfully clear the way, the main force will also cross into the Demon Realm.
After the Demon Kings downfall, the flames of war that had been extinguished are reigniting.
The reason why the Emperor took on so many risks and decided on the expedition was to buy time for me.
I cannot waste that.
Can this Battle Arena also serve as a catalyst for raising understanding?
I hoped so.
I was getting ready to end my meditation.
Because I sensed Kasim cautiously entering as he opened the door.
He had quietly given me space earlier when he saw I was meditating.
His return now likely meant that it was time.
I stood up eagerly.
Lets go.
The curtain of the Battle Arena main event was about to rise.
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