Chapter 176 – 50. Mad Dog Izeltier (1)
Two instructors who are known for their excellent skills at the Pantheon Academy. Darren and Meters.
The two of them came to the arena called Wilhelm Arena, located underground in the entertainment district of the ecliptic.
Recently, an anonymous tip has been received that there is a cadet participating in matches in the underground arena to earn pocket money. The two went to this place to confirm the fact.
“As a matter of fact, the name here is Wilhelm Arena. Could it be that it was named after the famous Margrave?”
At Darren’s words, Meters nodded.
“It is. I’ve been here a few times and have spoken to the arena officials. I heard that the owner of the arena is an ardent follower of Her Highness the Marquis.”
“Hmm. The name of the hero who saved the empire was written in an underground arena like this. If he knew, he wouldn’t be offended…”
Darren said cautiously.
Marshal Wilhelm is the hero and idol of all swordsmen, no, all imperials. It seemed that the name of the marquee he respected was not liked being used carelessly in a place like this.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Isn’t the people of Essenmund famous for their love of fighting?”
After saying that, Meters looked around the arena.
“Even though it’s underground, it’s dirty and big. I am surprised every time I come.”
“I heard that this is where the finals of the swordsmanship competition will be held. I didn’t expect it to be about the size of the Grand Parade of our Loia Order.”
It was as Darren said. An underground space the size of a large playground. In the center was a stage for a large swordsmanship match.
And the wizards created a magic screen in the air that could see the match from afar with fantasy magic.
It’s not just a swordsmanship match. Spectators can also bet money on the contestants. The eye-opening swordsmanship match was accompanied by gambling.
According to the rumors that Meters had heard, the owner of this Wilhelm Arena was at the level of digging deep into the money with a shovel.
That’s why he said that a considerable amount of prize money is given to the winner of the tournament’s season. I heard that he gives out all sorts of rewards besides prize money.
‘Then shouldn’t I pay royalties to the Marquis?’
But it can’t be. This is an underground arena. Absolutely, it is illegal under imperial law.
Not a small amount of the money earned here will be used to lobby Cardinal Grius.
No matter how much Wilhelm’s follower was, he wouldn’t pay a tribute to Essenmund, far from the ecliptic.
“Since we’re here, shall we bet a little bit of money?”
Darren was serious at Meters’ mischievous words.
“So will it be? We didn’t come here to play leisurely. Let’s take a quick look around this place. If there’s any cadets from the Pantheon, we’ll have to catch them and take them out.”
He was like Instructor Darren, who was also a principled person. In fact, Meters has already bet the money.
‘I’ll have to keep it a secret from Instructor Darren.’
I followed Instructor Darren, who was moving in a hurry. Said Meters.
“The cadet who was tipped off must have been Fabian, right? Well, other than him, who else would be a big guy who would come to a place like this?”
“It is, but. Fabian He’s good, but he’s too debauched to be honest. Seriously, if you only focus on the sword, in our Order, you’re a guy who can even compete with Leaf, the representative of the cadets.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to come to an arena like this than to go to a saloon prostitute or a decadent tavern? It will be a real practice.”
“It’s a problem because he enjoys both and neglects training. And didn’t Instructor Meters say something? This arena is too dangerous to participate at the cadet level.”
However, Fabian was nowhere to be seen in the arena. He said Instructor Darren seemed oddly sorry.
“Well, I’m glad I didn’t see you. However, I heard that he had participated in the preliminaries of other swordsmanship guilds, so it is strange.”
After thinking for a moment, Meters answered.
“Then he must have fallen out of qualifying. That’s a bit surprising. Here’s the finals, although the level is high. Still, Fabian should have passed the preliminaries.”
Fabiando’s reserve platoon belonged to Golden. So, although he belonged to a different order, Meters, who was in charge of the Golden Wings, also knew Fabian’s skills.
“Is that so. I mean you lost. Hmmm. A cadet of the Loia sect lost with swordsmanship. If that’s true, it hurts my pride a little. I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t participated.”
It would be an experience as a swordsman to come to a place like this and break it once. I could understand Darren’s pity.
‘Instructor Darren. He’s strict, but he’s an instructor who thinks a lot about his students.’
At that moment, a young man and woman passed by them.
***
A man with a dull expression. And a blonde woman brushed past Instructor Darren.
It was the first time they saw it. The face, which appeared to be in its early twenties, seemed to be the same age as the cadets of Pantheon.
‘They’re both wearing swords.’
There were also quite a few younger audiences. You can tell just by looking at your steps. These two were quite skilled swordsmen. Meters also opened his mouth as if he had seen the two of them.
“Hmm. Although he is young, his breathing and gait are quite stable. Are you a participant in this tournament?”
Darren felt somehow familiar with the young woman among them. However, he has no acquaintances with blonde hair.
‘Is it because of the mood? It seems to resemble someone among the students of Loia…’
And that woman was exceptionally good in her looks. Although her eyes looked a little nervous. Still, she is not interested in a woman who is the same as her pupil.
However, Meters’ reaction was different.
“Wow. How can such a young beauty participate in the tournament? She likes water. Shall we talk or walk a little?”
“I didn’t come here to play. Instructor Meters.”
“What. How is it. There doesn’t seem to be any Pantheon cadets here. Hmmm. Instructor Darren is married, but I am single.”
Darren looked at him incredulously, and Myers turned away.
“By the way. If it is the Roia sect. Although she had just talked about Leaf and Fabian. After all, isn’t he a hot topic?”
Darren knew right away who Meters was referring to.
“If so. You must be referring to Count Julian.”
“You’re right. Until last year, those two were the cadets who stood out in the combat ranks. Isn’t this year different?”
“It’s different… You can’t explain Count Julian that much. Didn’t Instructor Meters also check the report on the results of the Golden Wings?”
Instructor Darren is right. I already knew from the battle report that Yulian’s skills were comparable to those of the religious sect’s representative.
However, Yulian missed all of the basic training for the reserve platoon in his first year.
And the group training of the 2nd year Golden Wings begins. This was after the reserve platoon was reorganized after the midterm exams.
Even Meters hadn’t yet been able to see the Count’s skills with his own eyes.
“Because of the schedule, I couldn’t see him wielding the sword himself. It was confirmed through reports, evaluation results, and recorded mana stones. How about in reality?”
Darren was silent for a moment at Meters’ words. Then, after thinking, he said.
“Though you should never say that in front of a cadet. You don’t have to hide that fact from Instructor Meters. Count Julian is a genius. That, too, is unprecedented in the history of the Pantheon.”
Meters was surprised again. Instructor Darren is strict. Because he is a person who never carelessly praises not only himself but also others.
But even Meters knew.
He is a fool who volunteered to be a crappy artist who was not even in the first grade. He turns 2 and realizes he has changed.
‘Something unbelievable happened. Catch a type 3 monster in one month of mana awakening.’
Even that has already improved to the point of becoming the best cadet throughout the entire school.
Meters replied.
“I thought so too. Even in the power evaluation, he beat Chloe and Rosette and took first place. I even managed to reconnoitre those two and the Type 2 Demon Beast. You can’t doubt his skills. He is the count who was a fool until last year. I was even more surprised because he was a close friend of mine.”
Instructor Darren agreed.
“You can’t lie about blood, right? I heard that last winter, I finally succeeded in awakening mana. It’s approaching the 4th tier in just a few months. I have to say that the son of a lion is different. Otherwise, his growth beyond common sense cannot be explained.”
Meters nodded his head in interest.
“Instructor Darren must have fun raising students. Even Leaf and Fabian are people who can be called geniuses. Of course, I, the golden director, also have talented cadets, so it’s fun.”
“It is. There are a lot of toxic talent in this jockey. However, Count Yulian, strictly speaking, is not a member of our sect, but has a special status as a holy priest of the main god Jedin. And…”
Darren added an interesting story for Meters.
“There is actually one more genius in our Order. Although he is a student who does not belong to Golden, Instructor Meters does not know well. There is one student who will probably go golden after the midterm exam. You may see it soon.”
“Are there any other geniuses? The Order of Loia must have been properly blessed. What is your name?”
“Lucia May. He is a genius with a different feel from Count Julian.”
Darren thought about them for a moment.
If the swordsmanship skills of the cadets of the combat cadets were stuck at the ‘formula’. The cadets are advancing to the next level of swordsmanship, ‘form’. Only Julian and Lucia.
“Lucia? It’s a name I’ve never heard of. But looking at her name, she wonders if she is a female cadet? Hmmm. That’s an interesting story…”
That was the moment.
Kwak Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwam-
The roar that echoed through the arena stopped the two of them from talking. Then he turned his head to where the roar had come from.
Center of the arena. Match stage. A pit was dug in the center of the stage.
And in front of the pit stood a large man. The moment they saw the man, their expressions hardened.
“That pit and that roar… That man must be doing it.”
Darren nodded at Meters’ words. And the moment he saw the momentum and eyes of that giant, Darren had a hunch.
‘You are strong. Probably at least as good as the two of us in terms of skill.’
The two stopped talking and paid attention to what was happening on the stage.
***
I didn’t expect Darren and Instructor Meters to be here.
Of course, I changed my appearance to a completely different person with my dream magic trait. Lucia, who came with her, was surprised.
“Bae, Count. Instructor Darren didn’t recognize me, did he?”
Lucia was now disguised using a butterfly hairpin and magic tools. Her round eyes turned fierce, and her pink self, Lucia, turned into her blonde hair.
‘Actually, her face is the same except for her eyes…’
Maybe the usual pink image is too strong. Instructor Darren, who has a keen eye for falcons, doesn’t seem to recognize Lucia.
I calmed the frightened Lucia.
“Do not worry. I just passed them both, but they didn’t recognize us.”
My words reassured Lucia. And her Lucia’s match is next week, not today. Instructor Darren might notice that quick sword. It’s a relief that there are no games when the two of us are together.
‘It’s good that I disguised myself in advance.’
Participating in her tournament is important not only for me, but also for her and Lucia’s improvement. She thought it was a good idea to be fully prepared.
That was the moment.
Kwak Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwam-
A roar was heard. Lucia and my gaze turned to the stage.
“What are you doing! Let the match begin! Uh? I’m dying of boredom!”
A tall, muscular man with long brown hair. A man was making a fuss on stage. Lucia was shocked.
A huge pit had been made on the stage that hadn’t been there before.
“Uh… What happened?”
“That man made that pit with his feet!”
Judging from the reaction of the crowd, it was the man who did it. Lucia said.
“It is unbelievable monstrosity. Did you use mana?”
I shook my head. In the first place, participants cannot use mana because of the magical tools received from the arena officials.
‘It’s the rule of the match to fight only with pure swordsmanship without using mana.’
So it means that he created that huge pit with only the strength of his feet. Also, the moment I saw that man. I knew right away who he was.
‘Mad dog Izeltier.’
Byrea Mercenary Corps. Among them, he is the action leader of the pursuit team in charge of special missions.
It’s the first time I’ve seen it in person, but that impressive brown hair and huge body.
More than anything, I was sure that it was him because of those savage eyes and rough behavior from a while ago. A fighter in the pursuit team and a skilled swordsman. And he is the middle boss level villain of Part 2 of Demon King’s Slaughter.
‘Doesn’t he even hide his appearance?’
The chase squad is a special hire team from the Byrea Mercenary Corps. Why did they come to the ecliptic? It is to participate as a mercenary in the struggle of the forces of the underworld of the ecliptic.
So there’s no need to hide in an underground arena like this. It might have been a declaration of war against Madame Carmen and her group.
‘But it must be a superficial reason.’
The true purpose of the slaughter party is to cause chaos in the ecliptic. Because that is the purpose of Duke Pedro, who is moving the Byrea mercenaries behind the scenes.
The more they move wildly according to their desires. It was a good thing for their master, Duke Pedro.
‘There’s Renee over there too.’
I see an orange short-haired woman wearing a witch’s hat over there. She was Renee, the last stone of the same Chusaldae. I can’t see your face because of the distance.
‘Since I properly absorbed my energy yesterday, my face won’t be fine.’
When watching them. Next to me, Lucia said in a tense voice.
“That man… He’s a scary man.”
Lucia’s energy level has also risen significantly due to the fusion method. As Lucia said, Izeltier is a scary man.
Because he’s a man I can’t win even if I do my best. But I was so happy. The moment I heard Izeltier’s shout.
Because the blood of Reinhardt inside me was boiling.
I decided to watch his match.
