All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 52

26. Three Become One – 2

Ian, having retrieved the Hero’s Sword, exited the academy’s main building.

The students waiting outside greeted him with light whistles.

“Wow~ Ian. You look great in that.”

Aronse, looking pleased as he surveyed the Class B students, approached.

Aronse, as their homeroom instructor, was naturally participating in the parade.

He too had traded his usual practical armor for a rather splendid ceremonial suit.

“Surprisingly, that armor suits you well.”

“Really? I never thought the day would come when I’d wear this.”

Behind him, a white horse was prepared for the parade, much to his satisfaction.

As Ian, the Hero Festival champion, mounted the white horse, Park Bare, standing at the front, grabbed the flag.

“Let’s go!!”

At Aronse’s signal, the parade began.

With all the academy’s students and instructors watching, the Class B students marched proudly.

“Raise the flag!!”

At Aronse’s shout, Park Bare, the flag bearer, raised the flag high.

Class B’s flag fluttered, proudly displaying its might.

“Ooh~!”

“Tch.”

“Next time, I’ll definitely……”

They paraded through the academy, passing students who expressed emotions mixed with admiration and jealousy.

Reaching near the Temple of the Sun, Myaen began to cry.

“Myaaah~!”

From the Temple of the Sun, the light of holy power and hymns could be heard.

It was a ceremony prepared by the Temple of the Sun to celebrate Ian’s Hero Festival victory.

Led by Head Priest Hyrn, Priest Willis, and Head Nun Hestian, all the clergy were out, singing hymns.

Perhaps it was due to the days of preparation for this?

The hymns contained more of the sun’s energy than usual.

Ian quickly absorbed the overflowing holy power mixed with the sun’s energy.

‘They should do this more often.’

Even without absorbing it at full power, it was quite a lot.

As Ian felt the regret, Kirke comforted him.

It was a shame, but he was grateful for what he received.

While he was converting the sun’s energy from the Sun Church’s holy power into internal energy, Aronse spoke to him.

“You’ll be even busier starting next semester. There’s a lot to do for the Hero Festival champion, especially something important.”

“Are you talking about the exchange with the Imperial Academy?”

“Yes. You have to welcome them in the second semester.”

At those words, Ian grinned.

The reason why they were entrusting such a task to an intermediate class, not a senior one, was easy to understand.

“They’re trying to show that dealing with the Imperial Academy is enough for the intermediate champion class, right?”

“That’s right. They’re trying to provoke them by deliberately looking down on them.”

Their relationship with the Imperial Academy must be bad if they’re going this far even during exchanges.

Aronse continued in a stern tone.

“Anyway, there’s a lot to do, so be prepared.”

“Understood.”

When the parade exited the academy’s main gate, Aronse was silent for a moment, then smiled awkwardly, looking embarrassed.

“You’ve worked hard. And thank you. It’s all thanks to you.”

If it weren’t for Ian, they wouldn’t have been able to aim for victory.

Selecting him might have been the best thing he’d ever done in his life.

His face felt hot, perhaps because he spoke so sincerely.

Ian casually replied to him.

“We made a promise, didn’t we?”

“There are so many people in the world who don’t keep their promises.”

“Promises must be kept, because that’s what promises are for.”

As Ian nodded, Aronse glanced at him, dumbfounded.

“Why are you saying something so obvious with such a serious face?”

The town was also celebrating the parade.

The town, which had earned quite a lot thanks to the Hero Festival, had created a flower-strewn path for the parade.

“Kyaa~ Student Ian~! Please look over here!”

“Woohoo~! Mr. Park Bare~! I won a lot thanks to you!!”

“Kyaa! Student Haryun, you’re so cool~!!”

“Wildy, look over here!!”

The townspeople cheered for the Class B students.

They threw flowers from everywhere, and some offered candy or snacks.

When they returned after circling the town amidst the cheers, Karjyd and all the instructors, as well as the strong individuals who had come to see the end of the Hero Festival, were standing at the academy’s gate.

Seeing them, Park Bare raised the flag high.

At the same time, the formation changed, and Ian, who was at the center, stepped forward.

As he dismounted the white horse and went up to the platform, Karjyd declared.

“Ian Brandon!! With your outstanding courage and skill, you have become the greatest hero of the Hero Festival!!”

“Waaaah!!”

“You are worthy of being called a hero, and therefore, you are granted the responsibilities and authority befitting a hero!!”

He held out the Hero’s Badge that was placed beside him.

As Ian received it, Karjyd pinned a medal on his ceremonial robe.

Afterward, Karjyd’s speech continued.

He finished his long speech, which only he enjoyed while others found it boring, and raised his staff.

“With this, I declare the closing of the Hero Festival!! New hero!!”

A stone slab was placed behind the platform.

The Hero Festival would end by breaking that stone slab.

And the time for Ian’s test had come.

“Announce the end of the Hero Festival!!”

-Woo Woong!!

Power was extracted from the numerous worldviews he had collected.

Was it because of that immense power?

The Hero’s Sword that Ian drew began to tremble.

If it were any other sword, it would have shattered in an instant, but the Hero’s Sword was managing to withstand it.

As the vibration stopped, Ian slowly raised the sword and ran towards the stone slab.

-Thwack!!

And a quick horizontal slash.

The hard stone slab was cut in one strike.

Some of the instructors who saw it were impressed.

“A clean cut.”

“Close to textbook form. Instructor Pridion, what do you think…… Instructor?”

The academy’s senior swordsmanship instructor and master couldn’t purely admire it like the others.

Another instructor asked him, who was just staring with wide eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no. No. I think I… I must have seen it wrong.”

He wasn’t the only one with that reaction.

Keith, the commander of the Scarlet Knights, was utterly astonished, her mouth wide open.

“What’s wrong? It just looks like a normal slash… I can do that much too.”

Of course, it was quite a clean slash.

But was it really something to be so surprised about?

Keith looked at him with a pathetic gaze as the knight wondered.

“Do you not know what kind of power was contained in that slash just now?”

“Uh, um. Sorry.”

As the knight felt embarrassed by her sharp criticism, Keith sighed and closed her mouth.

It was only because what was sacrificed in that slash was a mere stone slab.

Even if something else had been placed in front of it, it wouldn’t have been able to withstand it.

It was like using a butcher knife to kill a chicken—no, using a dragon-slaying sword to cut a radish.

The result of being cut was the same, but the process was as different as heaven and earth.

“Only the Emperor can use a sword similar to that. Ian, who on earth did you learn from, and what did you learn?”

And that sentiment was what all the strong individuals who watched the end of the Hero Festival felt equally.

Ian, who had surprised them, examined the sword.

‘Hmm. It seems to be top-grade among them.’

The only metal that could withstand the Sword of Worlds to this extent was made on the planet Kalaid.

Kirke immediately added after hearing his response.

‘So, they only obtained the Neo-Titanium alloy and made it in a place with poor technology. Was it made here?’

I’ll have to look into the rest slowly.

As he returned the sword, Karjyd felt relieved.

He was nervous that it would really break when the sword trembled, but he was glad that didn’t happen.

“How is it? A great sword, isn’t it?”

“Yes, definitely.”

Ian smiled at him and added.

“It’s a great material.”

When the Hero Festival ended, the strong individuals who had gathered from various places usually dispersed without saying goodbye.

But this time was different.

Without anyone saying a word, they all gathered at the tavern.

And for several hours, they only drank without anyone saying anything.

“There are three people who are always mentioned when discussing the strongest on the continent.”

Kilrod barely opened his mouth to break the silence, and Ise agreed.

“The first is the Sword Saint.”

His sword is as fast as light, and no one can see it properly.

It is so fast that even if he cuts someone, no blood remains on the sword.

Truly the fastest sword.

That is the characteristic of the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship.

“The Forest Keeper can handle all weapons perfectly.”

Widron gripped his glass tightly.

There was a war he participated in before.

He encountered the Forest Keeper then and realized why he was among the strongest.

“It was a storm.”

The Forest Keeper swung his sword, slammed down his mace, and thrust his spear at the enemy.

He shot arrows, beat them with his bow, and even used corpses as weapons and shields.

Like a storm destroying everything, the Forest Keeper used everything to mercilessly destroy anything that blocked him.

In battles where there was much to utilize, the Forest Keeper was virtually invincible.

“The Emperor is purely strong. He stepped forward to stop the monster wave that started with the occurrence of the Lich Crescent [a powerful undead event].”

Everyone knows the story.

At that time, he cut down everything with a single sword.

Once he swung his sword, no monster or magic could stop him.

Swordsmanship with overwhelming power, as if wielded by a giant from legend.

That was the characteristic of the Emperor’s swordsmanship.

The fastest.

And a weapon master.

Finally, the strength of a giant.

These three things were always mentioned when discussing the strongest on the continent.

“But what about that guy?”

Ian.

Traces of all three of the strongest could be seen in the talent who had emerged this time.

“His sword resembles the Sword Saint’s sword. Fast. Very fast.”

Even Keith missed the movement of his sword a few times.

“It’s not just that. Did you see him during the cooperative battle?”

He defended the flag alone, facing many enemies who came as an attacking force.

And he never faltered.

He led the battle by freely using the flag, the sword, and even the weapons and fallen students that the other attacking force had missed.

That’s fine so far.

There were rumors that Ian was a disciple of the Sword Saint and the Forest Keeper.

But the last one was different.

Something that no one had expected had happened.

“That’s the Emperor’s swordsmanship.”

Everyone here knew what kind of power was contained in his sword from what happened earlier.

“Could it be that he also learned from the Emperor?”

“How, or why, would the Emperor, who was in the Empire, teach him?”

Consider the distance between the Brandon territory in the Scarlet Kingdom, where Ian lived, and the Empire.

That was almost impossible.

“And that’s a swordsmanship that only the Emperor can use. Not even his son and only disciple, Osnen, can use it.”

“What about those various combat methods? The Forest Keeper and the Emperor are enemies. Did they raise a disciple together?”

Opinions began to mix.

The masters steadily presented their opinions and were ignored.

Then they presented their opinions again and were ignored.

Despite the heated debate, no conclusion was reached.

But one thing was certain.

“That guy. He’s an interesting one.”

The Sword Saint and the Forest Keeper, and even the Emperor.

A person who possesses all the characteristics of those called the strongest on the continent.

Even his age is young.

If such a person isn’t interesting, if such a person isn’t coveted, what would be interesting and coveted?

Ise smiled coldly and said to everyone.

“The Karza Knights will take him.”

“Shouldn’t the Scarlet Kingdom take someone from the Scarlet Kingdom?”

“Ian is my son’s friend, so he’s like my son.”

Even Kilrod, who had a good personality, grabbed his spear and growled.

As they guarded each other more fiercely than before, the door burst open.

It was the leader of the Sword Flower Troupe.

He lightly raised his sword and said coldly.

“Anyone who touches Ian will have to face the flower of the sword.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“Don’t mess around. Ian will definitely be made the successor of this Widron and become the Mercenary King.”

The strong individuals in this place sent cold gazes at each other and said.

“Then let’s settle it with skill.”

With that, the strong individuals of the continent severed the ties of alliance that they had been faintly holding onto until now.