Chapter 37 — A Man’s Revenge

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The memory of that incident was still vivid in Guillermo’s mind.

It wasn’t ancient history.

It had happened just a year or two before he entered the academy.

Forgetting such an event would have been troubling in itself.

It took place during a meeting between the Buckley and Caesar families.

The Caesar family was in need of a capable Guardian.

— They too required skilled bodyguards.

“Do we really need these useless fools who can’t even attack?”

The words were spoken bluntly.

It was the phrase Guardians despised most.

Manus had said it without his current serious expression or downcast eyes.

“Guardians are honorable beings. Mind your tongue.”

“How laughable. What honor is there in dying? The scrap value of the shield would be worth more.”

“You bastard-“

His family had made a grave error.

Unable to contain their anger, his family — the justice-minded siblings — raised their hands against a prince of the duchy.

Guillermo’s sister, seething with rage, kept demanding a duel, insisting on a proper fight.

But at that time, Manus had only run his mouth.

He simply invoked his family name and showed his father the wounds as they were.

The Caesar family’s wrath was more than the Buckley family could handle.

“Incompetent he may be, but he’s my son. A child bearing the dignity of the duchy. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I apologize, Lord. I will take responsibility.”

With a heavy heart, his father punished his sister, whose talents were just beginning to bloom.

Since then, she had been living without seeing the light of day.

It was a story from just a few years ago.

He still remembered it vividly.

His father at a loss, the retainers with woeful expressions, his seething sister, and himself staring blankly.

His father’s trembling voice as he swallowed his shame and tears, saying he would punish his own daughter.

“Have you forgotten what you said to my sister and our family? Don’t you remember that scene at all?”

“Yes.”

Manus nodded calmly.

Guillermo was unknowingly emanating mana.

His mana was raging fiercely, as if responding to its master’s extreme anger.

Manus let out a small sigh.

He closed his eyes briefly, sorting through words in his mind to figure out what to say.

The other party was enraged.

Although the academy forbade mixing personal feelings with family matters, how easy was that really?

As everyone watched with uneasy eyes, he opened his eyes again.

“I must have been immature then. I said things that shouldn’t have been spoken.”

“…”

“This is the academy.”

Crunch-.

Guillermo gripped his shield tightly.

Again, again you hide behind names.

You cowardly, cunning bastard.

It seemed he was evading again by invoking unavoidable principles.

But this time was different.

“If it’s just a simple duel, not a family matter, there’s no reason to avoid it. Come at me.”

This time he didn’t avoid it.

Guillermo’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“Very well.”

“Let’s add one more rule.”

Manus stepped forward expressionlessly.

He continued speaking while looking at the four juniors quietly leaving the dueling grounds.

“I’ll only use three spells. Watch carefully. Among Guardians, there are those who have forsaken their honor.”

Someday they would raise their shields and stand before you.

It was necessary to show them in preparation for that time.

How to deal with Guardians.

How to face humans, not demons or monsters.

Perhaps humans are scarier than demons.

At least that’s what the person who wrote the game story seemed to think.

“How arrogant.”

Guillermo felt insulted even up to this moment, unable to contain his anger.

But soon, recalling his father’s teachings, he composed his raging mana.

“Excitement and anger prevent you from protecting what you must protect.”

His eyes cooled down.

Though different in color, the two men’s eyes flickered similarly.

The eyes of those who had reached the top tier.

Everyone held their breath as they watched the two.

Just three times.

That was the only chance given.

Manus drew forth his mana.

This worked out well.

Though the skill wasn’t complete yet, his mana had grown considerably.

There was something he wanted to test.

“The tyrant’s reputation ends today.”

Manus didn’t bother engaging in a war of words.

Kuung-.

Guillermo took his stance, crouching with his shield in front.

On the battlefield, well-trained Guardians were tanks.

Guillermo had the makings to become an excellent Guardian above all others.

That momentum would be no joke.

“Here I come-.”

Crackle-.

Manus chose lightning magic for his first spell.

Blessed abundantly by Caesar, there was no element he couldn’t use.

As lightning began to rampage, it started tearing up the ground.

Guillermo also stomped the ground.

Like a massive buffalo charging, he rushed forward with enough force to pulverize everything.

A basic technique and trademark of the Guardian class.

[Actus]

It was simply a technique of charging forward with a shield, but it had counter and one-time defense judgments built in.

He was curious how those judgments would be implemented in reality.

Manus brought out a monstrous spell right from the start.

[Fulgetra]

A 3rd-Class lightning spell.

Inwardly, Guillermo mocked Manus’s choice.

Frontal attacks are useless against a Guardian.

Those who don’t know this have no choice but to be caught helpless.

But Manus was already above Guillermo’s head.

A Guardian’s strength is blocking attacks from the front.

However, their weakness wasn’t far off either.

“You’re still far off.”

Screech-!

The lightning tore through the air, emitting a piercing sound.

The lightning that stretched out like a beam struck where Guillermo was about to step.

Kwaang-!

The dueling ground’s floor shattered, creating a small crater.

‘Damn!’

Dust clouds.

Staggering balance.

A tingling body despite mana protection.

It was surprising.

— I thought he only hid behind his family name.

I thought I would win in a one-on-one fight.

There was no time to think.

Gritting his teeth, he regained his balance.

Kuung-!

Stomping the ground hard, about to move forward-.

“Ugh?”

“A Guardian’s weakness is their feet. And they don’t watch their back.”

Something taut gripped Guillermo’s nape and both feet.

It was so strong that for a moment, the mana protecting his body nearly dissipated.

The second casting had already happened.

A common 1st-Class magic that binds the enemy.

[Necto]

Though it was a basic spell, its power varied greatly depending on who used it.

There’s a famous story of a mage who freely used 5th-Class magic capturing a drake using only [Necto].

Crack-.

No matter how much strength was applied, the mana-made bindings didn’t budge an inch.

“I wonder who’s being arrogant here.”

Mana condensed.

Honestly, he was indeed exceptional.

He was faster than any being I had faced so far.

How about his power?

‘If I had been hit, I would have lost.’

However, that was then.

Guillermo’s face turned bright red.

“Aaaaargh-!”

His mana blazed as he tried to break free from the bindings, but it was futile.

Manus’s magic couldn’t be undone by sheer willpower alone.

It meant there was an overwhelming difference in their capabilities.

The final spell was completed.

A shield can block anything, but it must absorb the impact fully.

That’s why Guardians’ counters were ‘physical’ type magic.

[Contero]

3rd-Class.

Something massive struck Guillermo’s shield head-on.

Boom-!

The blonde Guardian rolled across the floor from the tremendous impact.

His breath was knocked out, and strength left his entire body.

The shock was so severe he couldn’t tell what had happened.

Intense pain spread throughout his body, and when he came to his senses, he had already been flung outside the arena.

“Damn it.”

“You tried to bring me down with such meager skills?”

Manus, who had somehow approached him, looked down at Guillermo.

He tried to move his body, but it wasn’t easy.

Manus gazed down at him with cold eyes and chose his words carefully.

The part Guillermo didn’t remember.

It was clearly an issue that needed to be addressed.

So he asked.

“Your sister can’t see the sunlight?”

“That’s right.”

Guillermo’s eyes still hadn’t lost their spark.

Manus nodded slightly.

“Then I’ll have to bring her back out.”

“What?”

“I’ve grown. There’s no reason your sister can’t do the same. I put her in, so I’ll get her out.”

Guillermo didn’t know what to say.

Manus.

What was he trying to say?

What did he mean?

Manus spoke again.

“I’ll atone for my past mistakes outside the academy.”

“…Ha.”

Guillermo relaxed his neck and rested the back of his head on the cold floor.

Why did he feel so drained?

He felt choked up over such simple words.

“What’s your sister’s name?”

“Clarina. Buckley Clarina.”

“I’ll remember it this time. The holiday break would be good.”

Guillermo’s sister was known for her strong sense of justice and cheerful nature, always shining brightly.

Since it was Caesar who brought that darkness, he thought it should be their responsibility to remove it.

Someday, he had wanted to go to the Caesar Principality and say those words-

“It might be sooner than I thought.”

The day sunlight returns might come faster than expected.

Manus addressed the juniors who were staring blankly at them.

“What are you all doing? Weren’t you practicing?”

“Ah, yes!”

“Of course! We should! Practice!”

His words seemed to have a magical effect.

Guillermo appeared to be lying down with his eyes closed, lost in thought.

Manus didn’t bother to disturb him and moved on.

[Interference has begun.]

It was unclear what or who he would be interfering with.

Maybe the Guardian sprawled out over there.

Or perhaps the Guardian candidate who still couldn’t see the sunlight.

If not, then it could be one of the people around here.

It didn’t matter which.

It would be his role to correct the wrong path that the person named Manus had taken in the past.

He originally disliked leaving blemishes.

That’s why even when he lived on Earth, he wasn’t the type to inconvenience others.

‘I’ve become quite like Manus now.’

He decided to accept it.

Is this life a blessing?

So far, he thought it was.

In return, he could easily handle correcting past mistakes and bowing his head here and there.

How much pride could a low-ranking office worker in South Korea have?

He always had to be humble and live a life of constantly adjusting for others.

‘Now, it’s much better than that.’

The surreal scene before him had now become a reality that stimulated all his senses.

As Guillermo slowly got up, Manus crossed his arms.

It must have been a dirty and petty life.

He was probably trapped in the prejudice that those in high positions wouldn’t even glance at those below them.

Manus despised such things too.

One must live righteously.

-At least, that’s how he was taught.

“It’s going to be busy for a while.”

His muttering was drowned out by the loud noise.

Guillermo’s expression, which looked somewhat relieved, eased Manus’s burden.

If he couldn’t join the group because of Manus, it would cause significant disruption to the schedule.

The training continued.

–TL Notes–
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