Chapter 3:
Chapter 3:
March 7th.
New students began to enter Privia Academy.
While current students were allowed to arrive just the day before, new students who needed to move their belongings or luggage had been busy for several days.
The academy, which had been still like a landscape painting, was about to become chaotic from today onwards.
However, Philip’s daily life remained the same for the fourth day.
—
On the endless ground, Philip faced the third owner of Neria.
He was a knight wearing shining armor and wielding a Greatsword.
{TN:- A more accurate translation for the Greatsword in the context of Korean game culture or history would be “중검” (Junggeom) or “불법검” (Bulbeopgeom). Both terms refer to a type of sword that combines elements of one-handed and two-handed swords, and is typically characterized by its length and versatility.}
“… He is the person Neria hates the most. He enjoyed playing with and killing people weaker than himself. He especially disliked talented and good-looking guys. While serving as the king’s hunting dog, he secretly killed skilled knights who posed a threat to the monarchy. He did encounter a true genius and died in the end.”
An unmistakable enmity could be felt in Neria’s voice.
Philip looked at his opponent.
The stance was firm, and the posture was aggressive.
The way one holds oneself does not lie. Now even Philip could see that.
He was a skilled swordsman in hunting down prey weaker than himself.
Philip lowered his center of gravity.
If the opponent tried to devour him, all he had to do was pierce through their open mouth and break their palate.
Soon, the opponent took a big step forward. With a single step imbued with magic, he effortlessly surpassed human athletic abilities and closed the distance of several meters in an instant.
Then, a sword strike came flying. It was a textbook attack, coming down from above.
Philip noticed the aura emanating from the opponent’s Greatsword and quickly gathered his own magic power.
In an instant, Philip’s sword also emitted an aura.
A collision occurred shortly after. As Philip’s one-handed sword clashed with the opponent’s Greatsword, he realized he was at a disadvantage in terms of magic power.
There was at least twice the difference.
He rotated his body once to dissipate the impact.
However, the remaining impact temporarily paralyzed his arm, indicating the strength of the opponent.
‘It’s worth it.’
Nevertheless, Philip smiled wryly.
The distance opened up again.
Philip gained confidence while the opponent became uneasy.
Philip already knew that the opponent was not very skillful.
‘Being born into a noble family, he had good physical health, but the power he obtained came from various artifacts. If my master had as much magic power as that wicked man, he probably wouldn’t even be able to breathe properly in front of my master.’
Philip didn’t think he would lose for sure. The mercenary woman, the sixth owner of Neria, was an even more challenging opponent.
Philip had fought in dozens of real battles over the past four days.
He fought against the sixth owner of Neria seven times; twelve times with the wandering swordsman who was the fifth owner; five times with the knight who was the fourth owner, and had several encounters with the opponent in front of him.
He now knew his capabilities well.
Philip gathered all his strength and magic power, and charged forward.
“…”
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The knight aimed for Philip’s side with a malicious expression and swung his sword.
In an instant, Philip leaped into the air.
Such a leap was considered forbidden in one-on-one combat.
Every movement of a swordsman originated from the lower body.
Therefore, leaving the asylum of the ground was akin to choking oneself.
However, it proved effective in piercing through the opponent’s defenses.
As his strike cut through empty air, the knight’s expression revealed astonishment. Philip’s body was nowhere to be seen in the former location.
Philip twisted his hips, executing a full-body rotation in mid-air. The lacking strength and penetrating power were compensated by the borrowed momentum and the aura emanating from his sword.
In the moment when Philip’s blade seemed poised to cleave the opponent’s skull, he abruptly woke up from his dream.
‘You’ve won this time in only four attempts! Congratulations!’
“Thank you.”
‘Neria had no idea you would grow this much in just four days!’
“I would say I’m exceptionally talented.”
Philip genuinely believed this. The original Philip was meant to have achieved an even higher level than this.
As a true protagonist bestowed with divine talent, forming a party and facing challenges were to be expected.
The potential within his body surpassed imagination.
However, in terms of the storyline, he was fated to experience defeats.
‘Why did Philip, with such talent, live like that?’
He couldn’t comprehend it at all.
‘Deception to that extent is incredible. Despite the difference in magic power, my master simply relied on his talent to overpower and crush that man in a short moment, and even led him to a hand-to-hand fight.’
Neria grumbled, and Philip felt a smirk forming at Neria’s adorable pouting face.
He was gradually growing accustomed to the Chatterbox and Narcissistic Sword.
“But what’s important is not just my own strength. The real issue is how I can impart these acquired abilities to the children.”
‘… I wonder how well you plan to teach. Master has no idea, but no matter which knight order my master joins, he will be recognized as a skilled individual.’
“You know nothing, Neria.”
Philip was well aware of the monstrous talent of the “protagonist”. In order to teach him or her, Philip needed to be at least one step ahead.
The current protagonist wasn’t merely a character controlled by a player, but rather an inexperienced child who could easily make mistakes.
While Philip could handle the events occurring within the academy for now, he was uncertain if the protagonist would be capable of dealing with the monumental events that awaited in the future without further growth.
“… I’m doing this to survive.”
‘Oh, is that so?’
“Personally, I wish your way of speaking was a bit more elegant… Who is it?”
As Philip exchanged words with Neria, he suddenly felt the presence of another person. Someone was standing outside his room.
“Instructor Oswald. Senior Professor Phanoy has requested your presence. He’s waiting for you at the Swordsmanship Department….”
“Okay, thank you.”
It was the voice of a maid. After acknowledging her, Philip rose from the bed.
“I should go since my immediate superior is calling.”
‘Can Neria come along too! It’ll be boring if I’m alone.’
“Hmm…”
After a brief moment of hesitation, Philip motioned for her to join him by his side.
* * *
Philip didn’t need to be so guarded around Senior Professor Emil Phanoy.
Though he held a prominent position at the academy for eight years, his interest in the academy itself was minimal.
“So, you’re the infamous troublemaker. Pleasure to meet you.”
The action of summoning him three days before the start of the new semester, and his nonchalant gaze made it evident that he really didn’t care.
For a regular professor, having a renowned troublemaker, a gambler, and a womanizer like him under his guidance couldn’t be taken lightly.
“Nice to meet you too, Senior Professor. I’m Philip Oswald.”
“Ah, the sibling of Professor Felicia, right? She seemed quite eager to get rid of you given the chance. Is your relationship not on good terms?”
“Well, it’s a bit complicated. I’m hoping to make a good recovery during this opportunity.”
‘He sure talks as if he’s old friends with you, Master.’
Neria mumbled while listening to Philip and Emil’s conversation. Philip found himself agreeing with her.
‘He seems to be quite familiar and approachable with subordinates, despite having few encounters.’
Since he played from the perspective of a student, the different side of the character had previously gone unnoticed.
“Yes, I understand. Do you know why I called you?”
Philip raised his head, giving a confused look in response to the senior professor’s question.
“Isn’t it because of the classes? I’m a new faculty member, after all.”
“No, that’s what other professors are responsible for. My role is to show a barrier to these overconfident brats, to prevent them from becoming conceited. Kids are so naïve that unless you constantly remind them of their weaknesses, they become complacent with their own abilities and position. They think they’re strong enough simply by comparing themselves to their peers.”
“I see…”
Philip couldn’t quite grasp what Senior Professor Emil was trying to convey.
“In my eyes, even the faculty members and professors are no different. Working as an educator at Privia Academy is an honorable job. After a few years of such an honorable job, one starts to believe they can accomplish anything.”
Emil, the senior professor, reached out into thin air.
Surprisingly, a single longsword that had been rolling around in the corner flew towards him and landed in his hand.
‘… What is that?’
Neria’s voice echoed with astonishment.
“That’s why you too need to face the challenge.”
Suddenly, an overwhelming surge of power emanated from the longsword held by Emil. The power took the form of flickering flames.
In an instant, Philip stepped back and drew Neria.
‘Master, it’s a trial by combat! A trial by combat! Run away quickly! You can’t defeat that opponent! They’re a master!’
Neria trembled with apprehension, but Philip remained oblivious to her unease.
In the vast land of the kingdom, the level of mastery in swordsmanship achieved by Emil’s was considered as commendable. The pure aura danced above his sword as if it were poised to consume him.
Despite confronting a formidable tempest of unimaginable power, which was beyond the capacity of precise measurement, he refused to retreat more than three steps.
The instant Philip faced the imposing bastion of swordsmanship, he strived to fathom the intricate workings of such supreme force.
Philip’s eyes darted incessantly, seizing intel from Emil’s stance and piercing gaze.
With the sword grasped firmly, he found his ground and prepared himself for Emil’s impending assault.
And as if several days had transpired within a matter of seconds, a drop of sweat descended from Philip’s temple.
A glimmer flickered within Emil’s eyes. He detected that Philip’s gaze was resolutely directed at his vulnerable point, prompting a sardonic smile to appear on the edges of his lips.
“Ha! Behold this. This is precisely why I couldn’t abandon the role of a mentor. When one idles away for a period of time, monstrous challengers emerge one by one. Amazing, isn’t it? I told you to look at the wall, yet it appears you’re fixated on the staircase.”
Emil was the first one to relax his posture.
The longsword and the youthful vigor diminished into nothingness, as if they were never there at all.
He casually threw his longsword nearby and approached slowly, gently tapping Philip’s still rigid shoulder.
“Let me tell you a secret. I’ve been asked to not mention it to anyone, but upon closer consideration, I believe you’re someone I can trust.”
“…”
Philip couldn’t discern what secret he was about to unveil.
“Felicia, as soon as I drew my sword, she couldn’t help but shed a few tears. She tried to hide it in her own way, but she can’t deceive me. I’ll have some fun with her later using this knowledge.”
A faint whisper reached Philip’s ear.
However, Philip remained resolutely tight-lipped.
“It must have been challenging for you, don’t you think? Those insignificant nobodies calling you a worthless piece of trash. It must have been amusing to see those pompous idiots blabbering nonsense with their inflated egos.”
After tapping Philip’s shoulder a few more times, Senior Professor Emil let out a chuckle to himself and departed from the helm of the Swordsmanship Department.
‘… What was that all about?’
Neria’s whispered words made Philip exhale a deep sigh.
‘I’m not entirely sure, but it seems like I’ve earned some points.’
‘Is that a good thing?’
‘I’m not sure. Nonetheless, thanks to that, I have a somewhat better understanding.’
‘About what?’
‘How to handle magic and what I currently need.’
Philip closed his eyes, recalling the recent events.
‘If magical power is such a fluid and dynamic energy, I realize there’s so much more I can accomplish…’
He was gradually gaining insights into the newly awakened power of magic.
Neria, the Chatterbox Sword maintained her silence, which was an unusual occurrence. With six previous owners over the span of a hundred years, she sensed that comprehending her seventh master would require a significant amount of time.
‘… But he’s good-looking, so I suppose it’s fine.’
‘Huh? What did you say?’
‘Oh, nothing. So, what will you do next?’
After pondering briefly, Philip responded.
‘I plan to go to the library and read some books. Would you like to join me?’
———
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