25-158

EP.158 [Eugene and Victoria’s Intense Push-and-Pull.] 

“Wow~ Father, what sword technique is that???” 

Dadadada! 

Little Eugene Schneider woke up from sleep. This day, he woke up a bit earlier than usual, and the first thing he looked for was his father, Ulysses Schneider. Normally, by the time Eugene woke up, he would already hear his father’s footsteps or sense his presence coming to his room. So, since he woke up early, he decided to go find his father first for a change. 

His father was in the middle of his morning training. Eugene found his father practicing swordsmanship in the training hall inside the mansion and watched him, mesmerized. When Ulysses seemed to finish, Eugene ran over with a face full of curiosity and asked: 

“Oh! My Eugene, you’re up!” 

Hearing his son’s cute voice, Ulysses turned around with a broad smile. 

“Please teach me that sword technique, Father! It looked so cool!” 

Cling! 

Before he knew it, Eugene was clinging to Ulysses’s leg, begging to be taught the sword style he’d just seen. 

“Hmm... Is this the first time you’ve seen this technique, Eugene?” 

“Yes~ You always showed me the sword techniques you teach my brothers and uncles~” 

Because this wasn’t the usual style Ulysses taught. 

“This sword style is one of my real combat techniques. It’s a style that gracefully receives the opponent’s sword and uses their strength against them. Well, you’d never have seen it before since you’re usually asleep at this hour.” 

Ulysses’s philosophy as a swordsman was to master and use the sword style that suited oneself in real combat. The techniques he taught Eugene for physical and mana training, and those he taught the Sophist members, were strictly for training. The style Ulysses was practicing now was his own, unique sword style. 

“Please teach me too, Father! It was so cool! It was like a butterfly riding the wind!” 

“Haha! That’s a poetic way to put it, Eugene. If you get a bit bigger and I think you’re ready for it, I’ll teach you at least the basics.” 

Pat...! Pat...! Pat...! 

Even young Eugene could see that Ulysses’s real-combat swordplay was incredibly stylish. Wanting to see more, Eugene started waking up early to watch his father’s morning practice more often. 

‘That looks just like Father’s sword style.’ 

Now, at age 21, Eugene Schneider was seeing movements just like that sword style before his eyes-performed by Victoria von Bayern, the youngest Sword Expert in the Empire, who rose to that rank after Ulysses Schneider’s disgraceful death. 

‘That spin, those steps... It’s so similar.’ 

It was hard to believe it was a coincidence. Ulysses’s real-combat swordplay was very different from the usual sword philosophies of the Empire. His unique worldview was so distinctive that some even said he must have come from the mythical nation of Atlantis. Seeing Victoria’s movements so closely resemble that unique sword style, Eugene was more and more convinced it wasn’t just chance. 

Sss...! 

At that moment, Victoria, who had been swinging her sword, turned and looked toward where Eugene was standing. 

“You’re early, Captain Eugene Caesar.” 

Eugene, who had gotten so absorbed in watching, realized he was blatantly staring. 

“Ah... Ah! Sorry. I didn’t mean to watch so openly. I was just curious about the Imperial Knights’ sword style.” 

Eugene was startled, realizing he’d been drawn in more than intended. 

“I see. Actually, I wanted to hear your thoughts, Captain of the Red Fox. As I’ve been following the recent quests, I’ve been keeping an eye on your achievements.” 

Smile...! 

Victoria answered with a slight smile. 

“What did you think of my swordplay?” 

Victoria, who had spoken her mind even to Antoine, was as direct as ever. Whether someone had just barged in to watch or not, she wanted the opinion of the hottest mercenary band’s key member. 

“Hmm... It didn’t feel typical. It’s very different from the sword style I imagined for the Imperial Knights. I thought it would be more disciplined and sharp.” 

Since Victoria was so open, Eugene shared his honest thoughts. 

“That’s a precise observation, Captain Eugene. The style I was practicing isn’t related to the Imperial Knights’ sword style at all.” 

Ssssh...! 

Victoria sheathed her sword as she agreed with Eugene. 

“If it’s not related to the Imperial Knights, is it perhaps a unique style of the Bayern family?” 

With his suspicion confirmed, Eugene pressed further, trying to figure out the origin of the sword style-especially since it was so similar to his father Ulysses’s. 

“Hm... You seem to really like this sword style?” 

Victoria tilted her head slightly, as if testing Eugene. She looked more curious than surprised. 

“I do like it. That’s why I want to know.” 

Victoria skillfully kept control of the conversation, but Eugene played along because he was genuinely curious. 

“It’s a style I learned from my father. But it’s not the Bayern family’s secret sword style.” 

Hearing Eugene’s interest, Victoria revealed that she learned the style from her father, Konstantin von Bayern, but it wasn’t the family’s secret technique. 

“Your father? You mean Duke Konstantin von Bayern?” 

Victoria’s tone was sincere, but Eugene was left buffering at her answer-because the sword style he’d just seen was Ulysses Schneider’s. 

“Of course, my biological father is Duke Konstantin von Bayern.” 

Eugene, still buffering, asked again, which would normally be rude, but Victoria graciously accepted and answered. 

“I see...” 

With too many questions in his head, Eugene decided not to press further and just nodded. 

“To be honest, the origin is more complicated. If you answer my question, I’ll tell you more.” 

Victoria, looking at Eugene, offered a deal, just as she had with Antoine. 

“What’s your question?” 

Eugene responded with interest. Normally, he wouldn’t have reacted this way, but Victoria had skillfully led the conversation, and Eugene was now invested. 

Sss...! 

Victoria looked at Eugene with a mysterious gaze for about three seconds. 

“Are you a Sword Expert Awakener?” 

She then asked if Eugene Schneider was a Sword Expert Awakener. 

‘Huh??? She’s asking that???’ 

Eugene’s eyes widened in surprise. 

The reason Eugene took Victoria’s deal so readily was partly to satisfy his curiosity, but also because he hadn’t expected her to ask anything sensitive. He was genuinely curious about what kind of question she would ask. But the question turned out to be about his Second Awakening as a Sword Expert, so his reaction was pure shock. 

“When the Red Fox Mercenary Band took down the Crimson-haired Goblin Shaman, I analyzed the situation closely. No matter how I looked at it, the performance couldn’t have come from a mere sword-user party.” 

Victoria then explained why she suspected Eugene. 

“Plus, there was a battle with the Sophists at the time, right? We happen to have some information on the Sophists, so there were rumors that the Red Fox Mercenary Band had a Sword Expert among them.” 

The fact that only four awakened users took down the Crimson-haired Shaman so quickly was suspicious. The association’s investigation had also found it odd, but lacked the resources to look deeper. Victoria, however, had access to more information and concluded that Eugene Schneider was a Sword Expert. 

‘She’s a scary woman...’ 

Eugene was impressed-not just because Victoria had figured out his secret, but because of the thorough build-up to get there. 

‘But with the scale of this quest, I can’t keep hiding my abilities like before.’ 

Eugene figured that with the scale of the current quest, it would be better to come clean about his Second Awakening as a Sword Expert now, especially since it was just the two of them. 

“Yes. I am a Sword Expert.” 

Eugene Schneider coolly admitted his Second Awakening. 

“I thought so.” 

Victoria responded. 

“It might sound contradictory, but I want to live quietly as a mercenary. I don’t want to get caught up in pointless gossip-I just want to grow with my comrades. That’s why I’ve kept my early Second Awakening a secret.” 

Eugene explained his situation to her. 

“I was personally curious, but I also asked because I see you as a teammate for this quest. So I won’t do anything to make things difficult for you.” 

Victoria assured him that unless it was a public issue, she wouldn’t use the information. 

“Then it’s my turn to keep my promise.” 

She continued: 

“My father’s friend is the creator of this sword style. My father learned it as a sign of friendship and passed it on to me after I begged him.” 

She revealed the true origin of her sword style. 

Konstantin von Bayern’s close friend was none other than Ulysses Schneider-something Victoria hinted at indirectly.