Osiris (4)
Chapter 116
Osiris House’s knight, Bastian, looked at Johanna.
There was quite a height difference; when they stood close, it seemed like he could see the top of her head.
However, Bastian did not underestimate Johanna.
The fact that Philip Count’s knight had brought her here confidently indicated that the rumors about her were not exaggerated.
With his sword drawn, Bastian recalled the techniques of the Philips family.
Their style mainly involved defensive postures before striking at the opponent’s weak points.
Johanna must have trained in the Philips family’s swordsmanship as well.
Bastian slowly inhaled, waiting for Johanna to make the first move.
Johanna, having steadied herself, boldly lunged forward with her sword.
Clang!
As Bastian blocked the attack, he thought it was an excellent strike, perfectly timed between breaths.
In that instant, Johanna spun around and slipped into Bastian’s guard.
Her small stature made her movements exceptionally agile.
Bastian countered by spinning in the opposite direction and deflected her attack.
Johanna stopped, stepped forward with her right foot, and leaned her upper body forward.
Expecting another thrust, Bastian raised his sword diagonally. But suddenly, Johanna’s right foot rapidly scraped the ground twice.
There was a slight delay before her sword swung, which disrupted Bastian’s timing and exposed a gap.
Clash!
Bastian moved hastily, needing to defend himself more broadly than anticipated.
Once Johanna gained the offensive momentum, she continued swinging her sword in rapid succession.
Their swords clashed repeatedly, filling the training grounds with harsh metallic sounds.
Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang!
Caught off guard, Bastian was continuously pushed back.
He hadn’t expected Johanna to be so aggressive.
However, the reason Bastian had to step back wasn’t due to offense or defense issues, nor was it because of any disadvantage in swordsmanship styles.
Bastian felt uncomfortable.
In knightly duels, their flows inevitably intertwine. They engage in various tactics to seize control of each other’s flow until one dominates the other.
But there was no such flow from Johanna.
Every single movement of hers was cutting through Bastian’s rhythm and pressing forward.
Sometimes she would scrape her feet, other times her upper and lower body would move out of sync, and sometimes she’d adjust her landing mid-air to exploit Bastian’s openings.
This wasn’t even about introducing variations into her own flow through irregular movements.
Johanna was simply shattering Bastian’s flow entirely while advancing.
Bastian narrowed his eyes.
What exactly enabled her to wield this absurd swordsmanship?
It couldn’t be just innate intuition disrupting the flow of a seasoned knight.
Even while being pushed back, Bastian kept his gaze fixed on Johanna’s eyes.
Her bright eyes absorbed all of Bastian’s movements and instantly calculated predictive trajectories in real-time.
She pierced every fleeting opening with ruthless precision, analyzing the speed and position of every part of Bastian’s body.
Talent. Talent. Overwhelming talent.
For a brief moment, Bastian felt a chill.
It was generally believed that geniuses relied heavily on instinct and intuition.
But the girl in front of him quantified even the uncertain instincts and intuition, thoroughly calculating them into a willful destruction of her opponent’s flow.
Bastian deliberately exposed a weakness in his chest.
Johanna’s sword pierced straight toward Bastian’s chest.
Bastian twisted his waist slightly late, causing their crossed guards to clash.
Screech!
Johanna’s sword grazed Bastian’s breastplate.
Bastian accepted the scratch but noticed something alarming—Johanna’s sword was far superior in quality.
When Bastian realized how deeply her blade had cut into his breastplate, he grimaced.
Crack!
Despite the damage to his armor, Bastian used the contact of their crossed guards to push Johanna back.
Given the clear size difference, Johanna took a few steps back before stopping.
Bastian glanced down at the deep gouge in his breastplate and suppressed a chuckle.
Now, everyone’s attention was focused on Johanna.
Though not as intensely as Bastian, who had directly faced her sword, those with some knowledge of swordplay could roughly grasp the extent of Johanna’s talent.
At this point, Bastian was very curious.
Most knights synchronize their breathing with stable sword techniques while incorporating mana.
Applying sword aura to such erratic swordplay as Johanna’s would increase the difficulty several times over.
Could she still properly control her sword aura while using such a technique?
A sword aura manifested above Bastian’s sword.
Without retreating, Johanna also manifested her sword aura and advanced toward Bastian once more.
Clash!!
The two experts clashed.
Osiris House’s sword style leans towards straightforwardness, making it relatively easier to control the sword aura.
Feeling the powerful force of Bastian’s sword aura, Johanna tightened her focus.
Her heightened concentration caused her sword to trace chaotic paths.
Clash Clash!!!
Certainly, compared to Bastian’s sword aura, Johanna’s was unstable.
The sudden changes in her sword techniques were too abrupt for the flow of mana to immediately adapt.
Nevertheless, Johanna forcefully bent the flow of mana to maintain her sword aura.
Her overwhelming mana sensitivity enabled feats that ordinary people couldn’t achieve.
Although her energy efficiency wasn’t optimal yet, considering Johanna’s talent, it was only a matter of a few years before she resolved this issue.
Clang!!!!!
With a frontal collision, both of their movements halted.
After exchanging glances, they each took a step back.
Since it was only a practice duel, there were limitations to using sword auras in swordsmanship.
After pausing briefly, Bastian shook his head.
In a duel with sword auras, Bastian undoubtedly held the advantage.
However, this was a sparring match without restrictions.
Johanna’s swordsmanship was far more threatening without constraints.
If they had been fighting to the death, frankly, Bastian wasn’t sure he could guarantee victory.
Even if he won, he might have allowed one fatal wound.
“Thank you.”
Johanna bowed respectfully, grateful for the lesson.
Bastian, unable to reciprocate her bow in time, merely stared silently at her.
By now, the number of spectators surrounding the training grounds had increased significantly. All of them were looking at Johanna.
Johanna smiled awkwardly, feeling the intense focus.
She knew she was exceptional compared to her peers.
The problem was that she always compared herself to Ray.
‘Ray could do all this since he was nine…’
Having a madman who could manifest sword aura at nine years old nearby made it hard for her to objectively assess herself.
Moreover, Ray often nagged her, saying, ‘People with your level of talent are everywhere. Don’t be satisfied with excelling in a backwater village.’
Because of this, Johanna began to undervalue herself.
Of course, that was Johanna’s misconception.
She was clearly a genius and surpassed Ray in certain aspects of swordsmanship.
While Ray was far ahead in terms of mastery and practical experience, he couldn’t disrupt and mock his opponent’s flow as effectively as Johanna.
Johanna subtly glanced at Ray.
Amidst the silence,
Ray was clapping enthusiastically and giggling.
Seeing this, Johanna felt embarrassed and quickly turned away.
Ignoring Johanna’s reaction, Ray happily nudged Hamus and Viktor.
“Wow, I picked you up half-dead not long ago, and look how much you’ve grown! I’m so proud.”
“…?”
Hamus and Viktor looked at Ray curiously.
“Aren’t you the same age as her?”
“Probably.”
“When did you pick her up?”
To a reasonable question, Ray replied:
“It was winter when she was six, I think. She was freezing to death on the street, so I carried her home.”
“…”
“While carrying her, I ran into Kenya’s gang and almost got into a fight. Those bastards were nasty, so with Jimy and the Count’s help, we buried them six months later.”
“Exactly what kind of life have you lived?”
Hamus and Viktor shook their heads simultaneously.
Had it been anyone else making such claims, they’d have dismissed it as bravado. But coming from Ray, it didn’t feel like a lie.
Ray continued chatting happily.
“Anyway, after all the hardship raising her, now she calls me a brat and picks fights with me about height…”
A crack appeared in Ray’s smile.
“Ah damn, that ungrateful wretch.”
“…”
Hamus and Viktor gave up on conversing with Ray.
Meanwhile, Johanna was becoming increasingly popular.
People from various houses approached Jenkins amiably.
They congratulated him on acquiring such a fine talent, expressed their anticipation for her future, and praised her as a great fortune for the Philips Count.
Of course, desire gleamed in their eyes.
Johanna was a remarkably talented individual worth coveting.
If she belonged to a declining noble house in the outskirts, it would naturally incite even darker intentions.
Jenkins ignored their greed and skillfully guided the conversation.
He suggested that offering guidance to such a remarkable talent would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to Jenkins, Johanna had the opportunity to experience swords from other houses besides the Osiris Count.
Johanna engaged in three more sparring matches with knights from different houses.
Initially, she struggled with their unfamiliar techniques but quickly adapted, breaking their flows and gaining the upper hand.
As the matches progressed, more people gathered in the training grounds.
Many nobles related to trade with the Osiris family arrived upon hearing about Johanna.
By the end of the fourth match, Johanna was panting heavily, exhausted from continuous duels with skilled knights.
As Jenkins praised Johanna profusely, a voice echoed across the training grounds.
“It seems you’ve gone through great efforts to protect such an extraordinary talent.”
Jenkins looked at the man with black hair who had appeared from somewhere.
The man’s gaze was directed at Johanna’s sword.
“Retainers usually wield simple iron swords, but seeing the retainer’s child wielding a Zephirin X-series tells me everything.”
You’ve worked hard securing inappropriate items to protect someone who doesn’t fit their station.
That was essentially what the man was implying.
Only then did others in the training grounds realize how exceptional Johanna’s sword was.
Compared to Johanna’s sword, Jenkins’ looked incredibly ordinary.
It was objectively embarrassing for the child to carry a far superior sword than the knight.
As whispers of disapproval spread among the crowd, Hamus and Viktor’s gazes subtly shifted toward Ray.
They knew exactly how Johanna obtained that sword—they had witnessed it firsthand.
It was undoubtedly the sword Zephirin had handed over to Ray despite taking a loss.
And Ray had passed it on to Johanna.
As Hamus and Viktor wondered if Ray was stirring up trouble again, Ray remained unusually calm.
“You have a good eye. Even though I changed the scabbard, you recognized the sword’s identity at a glance.”
Ray scrutinized the man with black hair carefully.
He was a well-built man whose attire and gait exuded the dignity and grace unique to nobility.
Ray had anticipated this situation when Johanna revealed her true abilities.
Through today’s events, Johanna would gain a reputation.
That reputation would serve as a foundation for her to operate in greater arenas in the future.
Many would covet Johanna’s talent, which was inevitable.
However, locking her away out of fear would deprive her of opportunities to grow.
Ray had arranged this event with the Duke’s permission.
Though there were some risks, it would enhance the Philips Count’s prestige and provide a platform for Johanna’s further development.
Thus, Ray didn’t feel annoyed by the man with black hair.
It was natural for someone like him to want Johanna, tied to a powerless noble house like the Philips.
As long as he didn’t cross the line, there wouldn’t be any problems.
Ray asked Hamus,
“Who is this man with black hair? He looks like a noble.”
“Eh… It seems he’s from the Matthias Duke…”
“Hold on.”
Ray furrowed his brows and enunciated clearly,
“Ma, ti, as Duke?”
“Eh, Matthias Duke…”
“That f***ing son of a…!!!”
“?!”
Hamus hurriedly covered Ray’s mouth and pressed him to the ground.
Ray convulsed under Hamus’ robust frame.
“That bastard is eyeing whose orphan now…!!!”
“Hey! Shut up! What’s wrong with you…!!”
Viktor joined in, restraining Ray as well.
Ray, with bloodshot eyes, growled.
“I’ll split that guy’s head in half…!!!”
“For heaven’s sake, shut up…!!”
The three men started wrestling on the ground, drawing disdainful looks from the gathered crowd.
Osiris knights sweatdropped, wondering if their newly appointed junior had gone insane.
Hamus and Viktor managed to drag the struggling Ray out of the training grounds after some effort.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!”
Hamus asked, filled with frustration.
He had no idea how much teasing he’d receive from senior knights because of this incident.
Ray wiped his face, groaning.
“Sorry, sorry.”
Ray sincerely apologized for his sudden outburst.
When someone from the Matthias Duke’s house coveted “his person,” he momentarily lost control.
The Matthias Duke’s house.
The noble house that Ray’s biological father had connections with.
