Swordsmanship Family's Martial Arts Genius - Chapter 37

The annex remained peaceful as ever.

The peace that arrived abruptly was unfamiliar. While Gato and Hugo welcomed this sense of leisure, they also felt uneasy.

Ever since Ryutae opened his eyes in Ethan’s body, their lifestyle focused solely on high-intensity training.

Training did not require Ethan’s presence.

Gato and Hugo were already walking the path of exercise addiction. If they didn’t exercise for even a day, they felt unsatisfied.

“…Fifteen, that’s it. Switch places.”

“Hold on, just a bit more.”

Hugo, with a lump of iron on his trapezius muscles, did a few more squats.

It was a unique form with a long metal rod fitted with massive lumps of iron; Ethan named this object a “barbell.”

‘Hoo, impressive. To achieve this quality on the first try.’

As soon as he received the object, Ethan couldn’t hide his excitement.

On the other hand, Hugo and Gato felt no special impressions. Though it had a unique shape, it didn’t seem particularly special.

But when they started exercising with it, they felt an entirely different stimulus.

Effectively distributing the weight significantly increased the workout’s benefits.

The only drawback was that all the blacksmiths of the family were incredibly busy.

It took considerable time to receive the items Ethan ordered.

“Move aside already. My body temperature is dropping.”

Gato frowned and urged Hugo. But Hugo appeared reluctant to release the barbell.

Due to a lack of equipment availability, such trivial disputes occurred.

Eventually, Hugo reluctantly put down the barbell, which fell to the ground with a loud thud.

“Ah, this is bad….”

“Don’t worry… young master isn’t here.”

Ethan was extremely sensitive when it came to handling the barbell recklessly.

“But what’s the young master been doing lately?”

“Who knows? I haven’t seen him around the training grounds.”

Despite Ethan’s near addiction to training, he hadn’t shown up at the training grounds recently.

“What the heck?”

Hugo tilted his head in puzzlement.

***

“Hmm….”

Ethan was silently standing up branches.

He wasn’t just standing them up normally; he was throwing them one by one to designated spots to make them stand upright.

Then, he would throw pebbles to knock them over.

‘…What am I doing right now?’

Though Peon spoke as if he would teach him the essence of mana training, he assigned Ethan to a completely different exercise.

It felt like he was idling away his time uselessly.

― Do not doubt.

As if reading Ethan’s thoughts, Peon spoke.

― Mana isn’t limited to mere physical movements. You are overly reliant on physical strength. While it serves as a great advantage now, it will threaten your life in the future.

“Not that I said much….”

Without saying much, Ethan threw another pebble to knock down a branch.

His skills continuously improved. He wasn’t just throwing the stone with force but was using the sensitivity of each finger to hurl it.

Infusing mana, controlling mana.

He somewhat understood the sense of it.

‘I feel like there’s a more efficient method.’

Something seemed to be dawning in his mind.

Ethan, after contemplating for a moment, stood up.

― Where are you suddenly going?

“I’ve thought of something.”

If it went as he thought, it would be a more interesting method.

***

Swoosh― Swoosh― Swoosh― Swoosh― Splash.

The place Ethan visited was the lake.

‘It works as expected.’

Ethan loosened his hands lightly, which held a stone of appropriate size.

No need for flashy tricks. What was required now was precise control of mana.

Using only the snap of his wrist and finger strength, Ethan threw the stone.

Sshh—

While in flight, the stone skimmed across the water surface, gradually gliding softly before submerging beneath the water.

_… _

Peon quietly observed Ethan, seemingly at a loss for words.

“This seems more interesting to me.”

Ethan chuckled faintly, grabbing another stone. No need to worry about training tools when there were so many stones lying around.

***

“…That’s what happened.”

Henry rolled his eyes, finishing his explanation, emphasizing the injustice as much as he could.

But Emilla, disinterested in Henry’s plight, continued savoring her food slowly.

‘…Dammit, she’s so haughty.’

Henry cursed inwardly.

An academy professor.

A position secured by individuals with verified skills and character capable of guiding talents from various countries.

Due to its prestigious nature, many elites applied to the academy professor roles.

However, most applicants are not even granted an entry-level qualification. Such was the academy’s rigor.

‘She doesn’t seem like a noble.’

Although the academy kept backgrounds confidential, rumors spread faster than any famous horse.

Yet, nothing was known about Emilla. She simply guided students quietly.

‘Where on earth did she come from…?’

When she suddenly appeared with her exceptional skills and beauty, naturally, many became envious.

Many tried to investigate Emilla, but their efforts proved fruitless.

‘Maybe she’s a fallen noble or something similar.’

Emilla alone exuded a commanding presence. Her tone was sharp and prickly, but she never lost her dignity.

“…I’d appreciate it if you stayed quiet during meals.”

“Yes? Ah… okay.”

Henry eventually bit his lips in frustration and lowered his head.

Emilla, eating, knit her brows, as though the food didn’t agree with her.

“I’m sorry. There aren’t many decent places around here.”

“…It’s okay. Let’s just finish eating quickly. By the way, do we head to the Blante family tomorrow?”

“Ah, yes. We’ve agreed to visit them tomorrow morning.”

“I want to discipline that insolent brat who disrespects the academy and return quickly.”

Emilla’s voice carried clear irritation.

Could it be due to her pride in the academy?

Henry nodded with a sense of relief.

“I’ll rise first.”

After finishing her meal, Emilla went upstairs. Henry sank into the wooden chair with a sigh of relief.

“Phew, I’m drained… Wait, she finished it all?”

Despite her expression of distaste, Emilla had cleaned her plate entirely.

Conversing throughout, Henry scarcely ate anything.

“Excuse me, could I order a few more dishes?”

“Sorry, it’s not possible now. We are out of ingredients.”

“Oh….”

With barely anything eaten all day…

Feeling miserable, Henry hung his head.

***

The next day, Ethan was changing clothes.

On ordinary days, Ethan preferred training clothes that allowed ease of movement over flashy outfits.

But today, as he was hosting a guest, he opted for a slightly more luxurious outfit instead of plain training wear.

“…There’s no end to these incidents.”

Naid, who was waiting for Ethan to finish dressing, sighed softly.

“It just means there’s more activity.”

Ethan replied while checking his appearance.

Though his words were nonchalant, even Ethan knew that this opponent wasn’t someone to be underestimated.

“I don’t know much about the academy, but… I do know there are outstanding leaders.”

“Really? You’ve got sharp ears.”

“… It will likely be different from Mooroon. Are you okay with that?”

“Hahaha, are you worried about me now?”

Ethan laughed, looking at Naid. His body was already in impeccable shape, with neatly defined muscles visible even under the training attire.

He had the body of a warrior. Naid, covertly glancing, narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Are you implying you don’t need my concern?”

“No. I just believe actions speak louder than words. Wait and see. I’ll prove it with results.”

“Haha.”

Naid laughed tiredly.

It wasn’t that he felt neglected.

He actually felt anticipation.

‘What feat will the young master display this time?’

Ethan’s progress was dazzling. Even Naid, who had encountered numerous geniuses in his long life, had never seen someone grow as rapidly as Ethan.

‘It might not even be growth.’

Ethan was already complete. Naid, having reached a stage of insight, could discern it.

“Ah, Naid. Prepare a sword for me.”

Ethan smiled mischievously, planning something different this time.

***

“Who would have thought another duel would occur.”

This time, the duel wasn’t happening within the family.

Although it was an exam rather than a duel, Blante didn’t distinguish between such niceties.

What mattered was that the opponent was an outsider.

It wasn’t an emotional conflict or power struggle within the Blante family. If it were among Blante members, it wouldn’t matter who won.

But facing an external opponent was different, and Blante was a renowned family of swordsmen with high pride.

Losing to an outsider would be a great shame.

Thus, the atmosphere grew increasingly solemn.

Many knights gathered, exuding a palpable aura.

Among them were Hugo and Gato.

“The young master sure is extraordinary….”

Gato shook his head. Ethan’s actions continually left him in awe.

His competitive spirit had long waned. Ethan felt far above such petty emotions.

“I agree… But where did you go last night?”

“You knew?”

“Isn’t it obvious when you left with your gear in the evening?”

“The young master called for me.”

“The young master?”

“Yeah. Even I didn’t know the reason initially, so I geared up and went out.”

“What did you do? You didn’t do some special training without me, did you?”

Hugo asked, looking somewhat resentful. Gato chuckled.

Initially, they were awkward, not understanding each other and unwilling to talk. But now, they had become close friends.

“I wish, but unfortunately, no.”

“Then what?”

“…Hmm, it’s hard to explain. You may be like a beast, but the young master truly feels like a monster.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s hard to explain. Just watch.”

Gato stopped answering and looked at Ethan. A sword hung at Ethan’s waist.

‘He’s truly terrifying.’

Gato recalled.

A few nights ago, when he followed Ethan’s call.

He felt perplexed.

Why so late at night?

Ethan held a crude sword.

Thinking of it, Gato shook his head.

He didn’t even want to remember.

He felt grateful that Ethan wasn’t an enemy.