— Kha!
The sudden attack! The blow was so heavy it was hard to believe it had come from a tiny, elegant paw. Barison, who had been about to lunge forward, collapsed on the spot, his face planted in the dirt.
Bam!
— Kha...
A dull pain from his jaw shot through his head. At the same moment something sharp flashed past his face as he fell, carving a deep furrow.
— A-a-agh!
He touched his cheek and felt something sticky and warm on his palm.
— Blood?..
It was blood. It seeped from torn wounds on his cheek. Stunned, Barison lifted his head and saw the creature. The little beast stood on the ground and bared its fangs with genuinely regal contempt.
Rrraa—
It was a cub with golden fur, looking like a cross between a dog and a wildcat. Bristling, it radiated unmasked hostility.
— Goddamn it! Some mangy fox dared...!!
Barison sprang to his feet in fury. He meant to snap the throat of the bastard who had dared wound him. But—
Yap!
The instant the cub pushed off the ground, Barison’s wooden sword sliced only empty air.
— Huh?
Before the big man realized his miss, the creature’s paws touched an invisible perch again.
Leap!
The little thing moved between the trees with uncanny agility, clawing and butting Barison at the most unexpected moments.
Bam, crack, whoosh!
— You little—!
Excluding the claws, the blows weren’t lethal. But humiliation burned Barison — his authority as leader mocked by some tiny animal.
Kun, watching from a distance, merely raised a brow in puzzlement.
Why would it help me? Did it decide to repay me for the meat I gave it?
The true reason was unclear, but Kun wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity. Before another trainee could close, Kun delivered a sharp strike to a temple.
Thud!
— Gha-a...
The wooden sword struck a vital point exactly. The boy’s eyes rolled and he slumped, sliding onto the grass. Kun sidestepped the fall’s trajectory and surveyed the clearing.
Two left.
He did not for a second doubt the cub would handle Barison. For good reason. The creature was so fast even Kun had trouble catching it. Ungainly Barison simply had no chance.
And so it was.
Hop, bam!
After a series of rapid charges Barison completely lost his composure and howled with impotent rage:
— I’ll kill you! Die, mangy fox!
His scream, filled with madness, echoed through the night forest. He raised his sword to strike the bushes where the creature had vanished, but—
Out of nowhere, a wooden blade blocked his path.
Screech.
It was more than a block. Kun had tightly trapped the stranger’s weapon with his own, using leverage. Wood splinters flew into the air from the friction.
Kun closed the distance in an instant and parried Barison’s strike.
When did he get here?!
Barison looked around, dumbfounded. All his lackeys were already sprawled in the grass. Some had limbs bent at unnatural angles, others bled and were unconscious. The sight was pathetic.
Did he put them all down?
These worthless idiots hadn’t lasted even a couple of minutes. Fury flared in Barison’s eyes, then quickly turned to icy dread. A sinister, heavy aura radiated from Kun at close range.
Whoosh!
The atmosphere pressed so oppressively that a chill ran down his spine.
This... again?!
The memory of that awful power made Barison’s body shudder involuntarily.
Now!
Kun seized the moment. With a sharp motion he threw aside the other’s sword—not with brute force but with precise technique—causing Barison’s huge bulk to waver.
Creak!
— Damn upstart! You think your tricks will save you?!
Barison seized his sword with both hands and charged. It was one of the three strongest techniques of Lion Tempering — Hunt for the Mane.
— Die!!
The strike aimed straight for the throat, like a lion clamping down on prey. If it landed true, the cervical vertebrae would have shattered.
At that instant, Kun’s blade began to move along an impossible trajectory.
A basic Astal-style technique...
Kun’s sword, like a carp swimming upstream against a waterfall, curved around Barison’s and struck back. A sharp whistle split the air.
Fwoosh!
— Phew...
Kun exhaled heavily. He hadn’t fought against a group in a long time, and not in such a weak body. The sudden movements took his breath—expected given his current condition.
Good that it was only scratches. With this constitution any serious wound could be fatal.
He slowly recovered his breath in the ensuing silence of the forest. The fight had given him valuable information.
Muscles too tense. Need more fluidity.
That’s why practice without real combat is useless. Kun analyzed his small mistakes.
Despite the size difference, I made the wrong choice at that moment. Instead of merely dodging, I should have met the blow to knock the enemy’s breath out. Here... I needed a feint.
While he pondered, a sound came from above.
Yap.
The cub sat on a branch, calmly licking a forepaw as if nothing had happened. Its paw was slightly reddened with Barison’s blood, but it was intact.
Not wounded?
The beast’s help had been invaluable, whatever its motive. Kun looked at it and quietly said:
— Thank you.
Yarr...
The cub made a thin sound, as if it understood. It stretched sweetly, then slipped into the deep shadows of the forest.
Kun turned his gaze to his opponents.
— Kha...
— Agh... u-u-u...
They were alive, but crippled. All had fractures and lay in deep unconsciousness. Leaving them as they were—they could become prey to forest beasts by dawn. But...
It’s not my problem.
They had attacked first. Had Kun lacked skill, he himself would now lie on the ground. Leaving them alive was already the act of supreme mercy.
Looking at the trampled mushrooms and snake meat, Kun sighed.
— Looks like I’ll go hungry tonight.
4.
The next day.
During a short break the students of Lion’s Moat sat in groups, discussing the morning’s training. Their clothes were soaked through with sweat and dusted with dirt. The main topic, of course, was Barison and his gang.
— Do you know where they are?
— No idea. They weren’t there this morning when we marched out of the barracks.
— Why would they just vanish?
Yesterday they acted like masters of the world, and today all five seemed to have evaporated. Their absence was conspicuous.
— If the instructors aren’t looking for them, maybe something happened?
— Nah, there were a whole bunch of them—what could go wrong?
The instructors, naturally, had already found the bodies in the forest, but the ordinary trainees were not told.
Taylor Rosetta, listening to the whispers, looked away thoughtfully. He glanced at Kun, who rested calmly apart.
They definitely went into the forest for him last night.
Taylor had accidentally seen it from his room window.
But one of them came back alone.
Given Barison’s hatred for Ethan (Kun), there was no need to guess why they’d gone out. Besides, Kun’s body showed fresh signs of struggle. He tried to hide them, but Taylor’s trained eye noticed a bruise on his wrist.
A mark from a wooden sword. Looks like he took a glancing blow.
Taylor studied Kun’s face. Long chestnut hair, sharp features, crimson eyes that sparked instinctive unease...
Could he really have taken five alone, including Barison?
Barison was no weakling. His skill with a sword was respectable for their camp.
Five against one. And he came out the victor...
Taylor unconsciously clenched his fist.
Crack.
I could have beaten them too. But I wouldn’t have walked away with only a few scratches.
He understood that “Ethan” hid his true power, but he hadn’t expected such a gulf. Taylor—torn between merchant’s calculation and swordsman’s pride—narrowed his eyes.
Need to keep an eye on him.
Months passed.
The senior instructor gathered the trainees on the training ground and announced in a stern voice:
— From today... the “Lion Trial” begins.