<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 72>
Time passes quickly.
The gentle breeze now carries warmth, and the pedestrians’ outfits have become lighter. The sudden arrival of final exams has placed the students in a state of emergency. Each student is busy seeking out the training rooms to catch up.
The kids are no different.
Joon-woo and Mary’s romance continues to sail smoothly.
“Joon-woo, do you know what day it is today?”
“Hmm? What day?”
“Ah… Never mind. Expecting anything was foolish of me. Haven’t you eaten? Let’s go eat. What do you feel like having?”
“Katsu.”
“Not again! I’m tired of it. I want to try something else today.”
“Fine. Decide for yourself.”
“Finish up and come out quickly. That hotel we visited earlier, they have a new restaurant that’s supposed to be delicious… What’s this?”
“A gift. To commemorate 100 days.”
“…Let’s go eat katsu.”
Looking at them personally, this couple continues to astonish me.
On one side, we have an orchid raised inside a greenhouse with utmost care. On the other side, we have a weed that faced countless adversities.
How these two manage to be together… Watching this couple makes me realize anew the power of love.
Jin Yu-ri is currently educating Kim Ha-ni, our newest member.
“Ha-ni, in our club, there are three things you must keep in mind.”
“H-Huff! Huu… Huu!”
“First, Park Ki-hyuk belongs to Jin Yu-ri.”
“Heuug! Heueeerrk!”
“Second, Jin Yu-ri belongs to Park Ki-hyuk.”
“Kuaaaaah!”
“Third…”
“Senior! This one won’t budge.”
“Alright, the third one is your choice. The third rule: Always open the door yourself. Stay strong. You can do it.”
This side is astonishing in a different sense.
To me, Jin Yu-ri was an extremely self-centered and shy child who could break up a well-functioning Group just because she didn’t like someone or something.
Yet, she seems particularly kind to Kim Ha-ni. Kim Ha-ni, in turn, follows her closely.
Their harmonious bond is a wonder to me, so I asked about it. Jin Yu-ri just said, “It’s common knowledge that enemies should be kept close.” As always, Jin Yu-ri remains true to herself.
Not everything was the same. Some things had changed.
Namely, our Spring and Berrie.
To cut to the chase, Spring no longer looks for Dad.
This doesn’t mean she dislikes Dad; she still adores him as much as the sky and the earth. However, as the elder sister, she bears with it.
Though I’m proud of her, I still feel a pang of sadness.
Berrie can now walk on her own.
It feels like just yesterday she was flailing about, barely able to open her eyes and crying for help. Now, she’s eating the milk Spring provides her, and she has begun crawling around quite energetically.
Thus, slowly but surely, time has passed by us, as it always does.
And then, finally, the day the notoriously loud American Exchange Team arrived. As they stepped into the lecture hall, everyone was buzzing with nothing but talk of the exchange group.
“Is the exchange team really coming tomorrow?”
“I thought it was unlikely, but it’s really happening.”
“I’m still not sure why they’re coming. I can understand Africa or Europe; they have similar education systems focusing on positioning and hunting like ours.”
“True. High Castle or Gi…”
“Gears School.”
“Thanks. Gears School. Both focus less on hunting and more on learning magic or techniques. I’ve heard their grades are based more on research, papers, and projects rather than practical tests.”
“That must be due to Kingmaker theory. They’re probably here to study that.”
“Haha, seriously, do you really believe that?”
“What’s wrong with believing it?”
“Kingmaker theory. Sure. Okay. The method of regulating a collapsing ecosystem to maintain the state of collapse. Impressive. But is that really worth America’s visit? Objectively speaking.”
“Hm… Chul-su does have a point.”
It seems there was much to discuss regarding the purpose of the American Exchange Team’s visit.
Naturally, it’s a relevant topic.
Even if the Kingmaker strategy was registered as a valid theory through verification, objectively speaking, I’d shake my head if asked whether this is a revolutionary method.
It’s merely a shift in thinking, not something that makes things easier or dramatically saves time. It doesn’t directly lead to significant advantages.
Yet, why does it draw so much attention?
Because it’s the first.
The first. Ever.
Anything that’s the first inevitably draws attention.
Fact is, this isn’t the kind of problem that these students alone can solve by deliberation. If the answer were that simple, Yggdrasil wouldn’t have asked for my help, would she?
Perhaps the students in the lecture hall recognized this because very few groups were seriously discussing why the American Exchange Team was visiting or what their objective was.
Instead, the hottest topic was something else entirely…
Namely, the roster of the exchange team.
“Oh my, oh my. Is this Brad Junior I know? Brad’s son from the drama ‘The Times’?”
“Sirius, Sirius… Is this person from a bloodline? They seemed to use something similar to ‘Targeting.'”
“Chandler, Levin, Forrest, Aizea… What kind of exchange team roster is this? It’s practically a guest list for a gala of prestigious American families.”
“A friend from High Castle told me only the top 10% were eligible to apply for the exchange team.”
“Gears School selected individuals who submitted more than five project proposals.”
“Jeesh, anyone would think they’re preparing for war. Why are these guys taking it so seriously?”
“They’re sharpening their swords. You know, America is struggling these days.”
“That’s true.”
“I’ve heard expectations are incredibly high.”
The dazzling and almost intimidating makeup of the exchange team.
They were all promising young talents, or at least hailed from renowned American bloodlines.
This information came from Mary, someone I’d seen at a few parties.
Amidst the impressive roster, there was one name that captured more attention than the rest.
Christopher William.
Rosaria Villand Washington.
Christopher William is the student council president at High Castle, and Rosaria Villand Washington is the chief designer at Gears School.
An interesting point is that the groups discussing these two were clearly divided.
Most of those talking about Christopher William were female students.
Take that group over there.
“Ugh, I’m nervous. Is it really Brother William? Surely it can’t be someone else or a namesake?”
“No, it’s certain. I checked his Instagram yesterday. There were tickets!!”
“Tickets!!”
“Cannot!”
“Hey, why are you making so much noise? What’s so great about him?”
“He’s great, leave him be. Anyway, you guys, do you know William is the same age as us?”
“What does that matter? If someone is handsome and capable, they’re always an older brother!”
“Ah~ Brother~.”
“By the way, who is William?”
“…?”
“…??”
“…Ex…terrn…”
“…Forget it. I’m leaving.”
“Hey, hey, where are you going? You crazy people, she could not know. Why are you mad at Yun-ju?”
“Yeah, Yun-ju is a warrior, so she isn’t interested in this side of things.”
“Yun-ju, William is the president of the student council at High Castle. You know High Castle, right?”
“Do you think I’m stupid? It’s an academy in the western United States, the place where ‘Magic Palaces’ gather.”
“She knows well. Do you know which is the most famous of those ‘Magic Palaces’?”
“No.”
“It’s the Elemental School. The school that trains proper Wizards, where one must know how to handle all types of elemental magic to be considered a true Wizard.”
“Elemental? I’ve heard that term before… Ah, yes, the Elemental Master.”
“That’s right! Great! The Elemental Master. The strongest hero of the western United States. Christopher William is the disciple of this Elemental Master.”
“Ah-ha…!”
His appearance, his abilities — nothing was lacking, and his background was dazzling.
Though this traditional expression fits here, he was truly a prince on a white horse. It was understandable why young girls were so excited about him.
In contrast, Rosaria Villand Washington was receiving overwhelming support from the males.
“Gears School’s Rosaria is coming.”
“Isn’t she the disciple of ‘Mechanic Master’? That’s the one who invented the ‘Roseline Engine’ and received the ‘Merlin Award’.”
“Ugh, she’s cute and yet sexy.”
“I’m less interested in that and more impressed by her power. Did you see her Prismatic Mad Movie in Prism? That moment when she defeated Cyclops with Victor. Aaaah.”
“By the way, do you think we’ll be able to see episodes from the ‘Victor Series’?”
“Roseline’s coming, so it might be possible.”
“I desperately want to watch ‘Alpha Gear’.”
A beautiful woman and robots – two dreams that almost every man longs for.
Rosaria Villand Washington fulfilled both of these seemingly fictional desires, naturally making her favored overwhelmingly by men.
Like this, the exchange program was the buzz of not only this lecture hall but the entire academy.
Information forced itself into my eardrums even as I sat silently, not actively participating in any discussion.
Thus, my job amidst this hubbub was simple: I had merely to expand my senses and gather information.
Since information varies in importance, I filtered through what I could write down by scribbling on a piece of paper.
While I was writing diligently, an interesting story caught my attention:
“Section Leader! You’re from America too, aren’t you? Have you seen them?”
“That’s right. As the section leader, I know both William and Rosaria.”
“Ah… That’s right. Both attended the same middle school.”
“Wow.”
It was Henry.
The second group leader and the son of Titan, Walter Henry, still widely regarded as the world’s best “safety”.
“What were their personalities like?”
“Isn’t William handsome?”
“Is Rosaria beautiful?”
All eyes turned to Henry.
Questions about personalities, preferences, appearances, hobbies, and anything else imaginable rained down on him… Yet, something seemed off. Henry’s expression wasn’t good. It was as if he was recalling an unpleasant memory.
“Stay as far away from them as possible.”
“Wha…?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s advice. They’re both extremely Dangerous. Remember that.”
After that statement, Henry closed his mouth tightly, and the arrival of the professor coincided with the group naturally dispersing.
“Hmm, that’s right. He is from America.”
Tearing up the paper I had been scribbling on,
“I must have written this unnecessarily.”
What a waste of paper.
When I had the clearest and most reliable information source right there, why did I bother with such a tedious task?
After class, I approached Henry to talk.
“Henry.”
His full name is Henry Wall Jr.
The son of the current “Titan” Walter Henry, the greatest safety in the world, and the heir to the Wall family, one of America’s representative blue-bl**d families.
From the time he reached adolescence, Henry showed an overwhelming talent, naturally allowing him entrance to ‘Noble Guardian’, the most prestigious middle school in the United States, comparable to an esteemed private middle school in Korea.
And there he met Christopher William and Rosaria Villand Washington.
“Henry Wall, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Christopher William. Call me William.”
“You’re Henry Wall? Hmm, not quite. The Henry Wall I know is much broader and larger… You’re too small… Hmm…”
Their first impressions weren’t bad. William appeared elegant and intellectual, while Rosaria seemed eccentric but pure.
Ultimately, it turned out these impressions were mistaken.
Young Henry’s assumptions.
It was revealed that the elegant and intellectual William was, in fact, an arrogant, reckless, and egregious racist.
“Hmm, this place smells bad. Maybe we should go somewhere else?”
“Our nation needs to manage and regulate these chinks.”
“Henry, we are the nobles. We’re the ruling class of this country. Yet, we have to stand in line just to get a hamburger?”
And that seemingly pure and quirky Rosaria was, in reality, a calculating, self-centered person with a severe lack of social skills.
“Why should I help?”
“Why should I feel sorry?”
“Hm, I dislike it. Why should I cooperate?”
“Tell me the reason you are asking me this and why you’re trying to force my actions. I might consider helping if the reason is valid.”
Henry couldn’t comprehend these two individuals. Rather, he didn’t want to understand them. Their actions were far from righteous.
As a member of the Wall family, sworn to protect justice, Henry’s clash with these two was perhaps inevitable.
This began the deeply entrenched bad bl**d between them.
Perhaps it was the parched throat, or the bitter memories churning in his stomach.
In one go, Henry drained a 1.5-liter bottle of ionized drink and continued,
“…Though, Rosaria was better. She is basically indifferent to people. However, William was different. He was particularly fixated on me.”
Henry would provoke William.
It wasn’t in Henry’s nature to be passive either, so their brawls dragged on relentlessly.
“Unfortunately, our strengths were about even. If we fought within set boundaries, I, the warrior, had the upper hand. In unrestricted rules, William, the sorcerer, dominated.”
Had one of them been overwhelmingly powerful, their conflicts probably wouldn’t have continued. But because their skills were so closely matched, their fights became fiercer and eventually reached levels beyond acceptable limits.
“See this scar?”
A scar on Henry’s right chest, resembling a burn mark, caught my eye.
“This scar remains from my last duel with him.”
The defeated Henry had an eight-week recuperation period. The victorious William, on the other hand, spent half a year in the hospital.
It was a duel where both victor and loser couldn’t quite claim victory.
“After that incident, we were all expelled. I transferred to a regular middle school in accordance with my father’s wishes, while I heard William left for the west coast. That’s all there is to it.”
Henry’s reminiscence concluded as he opened his eyes and looked straight at Park Ki-hyuk in front of him.
“One last question. If an incident were to occur during this exchange meeting, which side do you think it’d be from? Either William or Rosaria.”
“There’s no need to ask. It’ll be William. Though Rosaria is dangerous, she’s quite upfront about her greed. On the contrary, William finds it shameful to reveal his desires to others.”
“Alright, I understand. Let’s get lunch after confirming this last point.”
Park Ki-hyuk stood up and strode confidently.
“You said before that your skills were about even with that William guy.”
In the center of the club room stood a sparring mat. Park Ki-hyuk grinned as he opened the entrance to the mat.
“Let’s see what you’ve got. Come on up.”
