Weapon Master of the Count’s Family

Chapter 10: Class Is Eternal (2)

Evan picked up the axe.

The three judges swallowed hard, watching.

What would Evan show them this time?

They already assumed, almost naturally, that Evan would excel with the axe.

Even though that wasn’t a given.

“Begin.”

Evan, carrying their high expectations,

threw the axe the moment the signal was given.

―Whoosh!

The axe, flying like lightning, split the slime’s head in half and bounced off the protective barrier.

Evan caught the returning axe but didn’t move further.

He had achieved his goal.

―Splat!

It happened in an instant.

“…”

“…”

“…”

All three judges were speechless.

Evan’s action was clean, without any excess.

The axe throw would’ve killed a human instantly.

So, this test was, like the previous two, a perfect pass.

“Last one.”

Finally, Evan picked up the sword to end the test.

‘He’s holding a sword. At last.’

Everhart focused more than ever.

This boy with insane talent had chosen the same weapon as him.

What would he show this time?

‘So far, Jaina’s Vaberin swordsmanship was the most impressive with the sword. Can you surpass that?’

As the final test was about to begin, Droran stood and interrupted.

“Wait. Is there meaning in continuing this test as is?”

Akton grumbled at Droran’s sudden interference.

“What are you on about?”

“If Evan agrees, why not raise the test’s difficulty a bit?”

“Raise it? You mean to instructor level?”

“That’s a bit much. The slime’s been fighting barehanded so far, but I think giving it a weapon is fair. What do you think, Head Instructor?”

“Hmm…”

Even if the slime mimicked assistant instructor movements, barehanded versus armed was a different league.

Unlike the slime’s soft strikes, a weapon could actually cut or stab.

Given the test’s purpose, this was a proposal that should never be allowed.

Everhart knew this better than anyone, but his heart wavered strongly now.

“Hmm…”

A part of him,

another self, was shouting.

I want to see it! I desperately want to see Evan Lafard’s swordsmanship!

“Evan, what do you think of this proposal?”

Barely suppressing that urge, Everhart passed the decision to Evan.

“This will be a very dangerous test. No one will blame you for refusing.”

He added for good measure.

Evan let out a huff and said,

“Sure, why not. If that’s what you want.”

Evan casually agreed to a duel with real swords.

Everhart couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

Did he think the sword in his hand was a toy?

‘But why? Seeing such confidence makes me think I can trust him.’

With Evan’s consent, the test was slightly altered.

The slime was given a sword, allowing it to fully exhibit assistant instructor-level skill.

“If it feels too much, we’ll stop immediately. So, Evan, don’t worry and proceed.”

To ensure safety, Droran took extra precautions,

and Evan nodded without a hint of concern.

Thus, the final test began.

―Splat-splat.

The pressure from the sword-wielding slime was palpable.

It was enough to make onlookers sweat.

But Evan’s inner calm remained unshaken.

To him, whether the slime was barehanded or armed didn’t matter.

His focus was solely on the three judges watching him.

‘If they want to see more of my skill, I’ll show them. But how should I handle the sword?’

His skill level was already somewhat exposed.

He had no intention of hiding that he was a genius with weapons.

Hardly anyone here knew the real Evan Lafard anyway.

But mimicking someone’s swordsmanship was another matter.

Officially, Evan had never ventured outside.

‘Still, I’ve fought plenty of people from the kingdom.’

Naturally, some used swords, and he’d memorized their techniques.

‘Using those might raise suspicion. Maybe I should use a sword style exclusive to the continent… Wait! What if I mimic that?’

Instead, he chose a sword style they’d likely recognize best.

It also fit the test’s purpose.

‘I’ll show potential but not everything. To do that, I need to end it in one strike.’

One-hit kill.

What Evan had aimed for in the previous three tests.

And now, with a sword, if he mimicked the sword of a strong figure he’d recently seen, it might work.

That sword belonged to Duke Heriel Theron.

―Clang!

Lacking a bit of strength, he charged forward to add momentum.

―Tat-tat!

‘It wasn’t visible beyond the door, but it was probably swung like this.’

Mimicking Theron’s momentum.

The slime, sensing an intangible threat, retreated.

―Thud!

It forgot the protective barrier existed,

and as it was cornered, Evan’s sword began to glow.

‘Go.’

Sword draw.

The fastest sword sliced the slime in two.

―Slash!

He perfectly recreated the sword Duke Theron had shown.

The strike that cut through everything in its path was realized here and now.

Everhart, seeing it, slammed the table and reacted first.

“That’s Duke Theron’s sword!”

As head instructor, he couldn’t possibly not know Heriel Theron, the Sword of the Kingdom.

He was one of the few who had witnessed the duke’s swordsmanship in a sparring match long ago.

Thus, he was more shocked than ever,

unaware he’d even stood up.

“What? That’s the duke’s?”

“Huh? But isn’t that kid from the Lafard family?”

The other two were baffled.

But Everhart, certain of what he saw, questioned Evan sharply.

“How did you learn the duke’s sword draw technique?”

“Because the duke taught me. I don’t know if you’re aware, but the Lafard and Theron families were close.”

This was recorded in Evan’s diary.

But it was a lie that he’d perfectly mastered the swordsmanship.

The duke had only shown Evan a taste of his swordsmanship,

and the real Evan Lafard had no shred of talent.

“Taught you himself? Hmm. Even so…”

The bond between the duke and the count.

Everhart had heard of it vaguely.

If Evan learned swordsmanship through that connection, it wasn’t strange.

But perfectly executing it was an entirely different matter.

The Theron family’s sword wasn’t something you could mimic with simple replication.

It required grueling training, tearing hands and grinding bones, to master.

An ordinary person wouldn’t dare attempt it.

Yet someone from another family, not the ducal house, had performed it.

‘I heard the duke treated Evan like a son. Even if he taught him swordsmanship due to their bond, fully absorbing it is another story.’

That left one answer.

Evan Lafard had achieved this realm on his own.

It sounded absurd, but perhaps because of what he’d shown so far,

Everhart found himself strangely convinced.

‘Come to think of it, Evan showed high-level skill with other weapons too. That’s not normal.’

With such talent, maybe he could achieve it just by observing.

“Magnificent. For a moment, I saw the duke himself. It was perfect; I have nothing more to say.”

With that, the test concluded.

This event was meant to advise those seeking their path.

But for Evan, it was largely irrelevant.

He was already a pioneer, forging his own path.

“Evan, I have little to say to you. In fact, I feel our words might hinder your future.”

“I agree. With that level of skill, what’s there to say?”

Akton, however, spoke gravely with a serious expression.

“Kid, I have one question.”

“Yes?”

“What weapon will you wield here? Being skilled with everything is great, but you should have a main weapon.”

He was right.

Evan needed a weapon to carry consistently,

and as the blacksmith arming cadets, Akton was intensely curious about Evan’s choice.

“Hmm…”

Evan seemed to ponder seriously, as he had when facing the slime.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“I see…”

Akton took a deep breath,

as if relieved.

“If you decide, tell me first. I wouldn’t do this for other cadets, but you’re special.”

The thought of crafting a weapon for this prodigious talent reignited Akton’s passion after a long time.

At the same time, he felt pressure to create a masterpiece worthy of its wielder.

“I’ll prepare thoroughly in the meantime, even if it takes years. I doubt someone like you won’t graduate.”

As Akton finished, Everhart wrapped things up.

“Well done, Evan Lafard. You may leave. Good work.”

“Yes.”

The whirlwind moment passed, leaving only silence in the training hall.

The judges were quiet, and Everhart, lingering in the afterglow, prepared to continue the test.

Droran interrupted once more.

“Head Instructor, let’s pause the test for a bit.”

“What now, you brat? Need to take a dump?”

“Geezer, really… use your eyes and look.”

Akton flinched when he saw where Droran pointed.

“The barrier? There’s a crack in your barrier?”

Upon closer inspection, a faint crack was visible in the transparent protective barrier.

“Your barrier can withstand a cannon, can’t it?”

“Yes, it’s humiliating, but that cadet’s strike caused a crack. I’ll reinforce it, so please wait.”

“Haha, it’s not just mimicry—it’s got real power too? What a monstrous talent.”

Akton’s assessment.

The other two didn’t respond but shared his thoughts.

Everhart, looking ahead, felt both excitement and concern for the future.

‘It’s a good thing the dean, that madman, is away. If he knew about Evan Lafard, he’d definitely take an interest.’

A master of martial arts.

But Everhart knew the dean’s darker side.

The dean was a battle-crazed lunatic.

‘He doesn’t care about age or status. All that matters is fighting the strong.’

This trait made Lansed Academy the harshest training ground in the kingdom.

It was why it was the only place producing royal guard knights.

‘I get wanting to fight strong opponents, but I wish he’d leave noble families alone. I’m tired of cleaning up his messes at this age!’

The dean had clashed with prominent families multiple times.

If he caused more trouble, it would be beyond Everhart’s ability to handle.

He only hoped the battle-obsessed dean would return as late as possible.