(Fei’s technique is good, as expected.)
The moment their blades separated, KakuKaku’s kick landed in Fei’s stomach. The difference in physical ability was clear in that one blow. Fei’s abilities lagged behind KakuKaku’s specs.
Fei flew several meters but quickly got back up, coughing slightly and wiping the blood from his mouth with a grin.
“Good, this is good.”
“Listen, you should realize your lack of talent. Life is about compromise. Take it from someone with more experience.”
“Ah, it’s just right… I’m finally getting the hang of it.”
“You’re not listening.”
Fei ignored KakuKaku’s words entirely, while the surrounding holy knights watched with interest. True, Glenn, and Fubuki watched from a little further away.
Meanwhile, Esse, Kamase, Arthur, and Bowlan stood together nearby. Though not particularly close, they wanted to watch from up close.
“What do you think will happen to Fei?”
“Well, Fei probably realizes he can’t land even a single blow in this battle.”
“Will he give up, then?”
“Giving up isn’t an option for him. He’ll figure something out.”
Kamase asked, and Esse explained the situation as they watched the fight. Fei moved closer, step by step, toward KakuKaku. He was just under three meters away, out of reach of his blade.
“From there… you can’t reach me.”
“……”
Fei sheathed his sword and took a stance for a quick-draw technique. Then he swung.
“──!”
The extending blade, a surprise move he used against Arthur.
“Whoa!”
KakuKaku, clearly not expecting this, exclaimed in surprise, ducking to avoid it. Fei’s sword dance struck quickly. Up, down, left, right—fluid like water. Despite his unsteady stance, KakuKaku managed to parry and then used wind magic to blast himself away from the attack.
KakuKaku escaped the range like a rocket. The surprise attack had shocked him, but ultimately, it was a move suited for lesser opponents. Escaping the range was easy, and now the trick was useless.
“So close! Just one more step!”
“No, it wasn’t just one step. There’s a huge gap. As expected of a fourth-class holy knight.”
“Is that so… but that extending slash is cool! I want to call it Crescent Moon Slash.”
“Call it whatever you want.”
“Alright, then—”
“—Snake Attack.”
“Huh?”
Arthur objected to the name from the side, staring at Kamase.
“That’s called Snake Attack.”
“But—”
“Snake Attack.”
“Okay…”
The Snake Attack managed to surprise KakuKaku slightly, but the gap was still evident. KakuKaku felt that Fei had just discarded his best card.
“……Sigh, you know… this world isn’t about persevering no matter what. Without any attributes and such clumsy enhancement, you have no future. Even if you master star magic element manipulation, your precision is lacking, and you’ll die.”
He had made many give up in this way before, out of a sense of mercy.
“You should quit. No matter how hard you try, it’s meaningless. There are countless people more talented than you. You must realize that you can’t beat any of the holy knights here.”
His frustration stemmed from personal feelings tied to his own background. He was originally the fourth son of a noble family.
As the fourth son, he had affinity for wind and non-elemental magic, but his eldest brother had only non-elemental magic. Whenever they had mock battles, KakuKaku always won by skillfully using magic.
Despite losing to his younger brother, his eldest brother would laugh and train hard, seeking strength to protect others. KakuKaku admired his brother’s efforts.
But his brother died easily, killed by an Abyss.
Everyone praised his brother, crying and calling him a proud knight. His other brothers boasted about their eldest sibling, and even their parents mourned and praised their lost son.
KakuKaku couldn’t understand why they were praising someone who was dead. Once dead, it’s all over—no more happiness, only despair. His kind brother was gone, and nothing remained.
His brother had a beloved waiting for him. He had spoken of his upcoming marriage and the happiness it would bring.
But he left her behind and died. He didn’t achieve his own happiness.
──If I had been there, maybe I could have saved him.
This thought began to haunt KakuKaku. He started seeing his brother, who was less talented, as someone who should have stayed behind him, protected.
Later, he learned that after the battle with the Abyss, which resulted in his brother’s death, Magnum with three attributes defeated the Abyss easily.
──Did he die because he was non-elemental?
This question tormented him. He researched and found out that holy knights with only non-elemental magic had a higher mortality rate. It wasn’t that he wanted to insult their noble resolve or deny their protective actions.
He didn’t want to condemn the honorable act of protecting others.
But if one was inferior, they should stay protected. If non-elemental people had homes and loved ones waiting for them, he couldn’t allow the foolishness of throwing their lives away.
Dying bravely and being praised for it wasn’t worth it; living cowardly but safely was better.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Because you’re inferior, you should open a flower shop.”
His twisted belief led him to urge others to give up as he always did, suggesting they leave if they had no future in this path.
Most gave up. He felt guilty, but also relieved, thinking that if he protected them, they could live long, peaceful lives.
But not everyone would accept this so easily.
“Sorry, but I’ll keep fighting until I die. Tending flowers doesn’t suit me; I prefer the thrill of battle.”
“……Don’t you get that throwing your life away is foolish?”
“Then I’ll fight and struggle, even if it means drinking from the ditch. I’ll only let go of my blade when I die.”
“……”
Suddenly, he remembered his brother. This boy bore no resemblance, yet something reminded him of his brother. If he had stopped him back then, if he had denied his path, maybe he wouldn’t have died. He could have lived happily…
A violent wind knocked Fei back, stronger than before, slamming him into the outer wall.
“This is the difference in talent. You should let go of your sword here; it’s for your own good.”
“……I refuse.”
Fei stood up from the wall, dust settling around him. Blood dripped from his mouth, and from his legs and shoulders.
Unfazed by the wounds inflicted by the Wind Blade, he ignored his injuries and kept his eyes on Kakukaku.
With a powerful push off the ground,
Fei swung his sword. Bullets of wind magic formed and poured down like rain. He didn’t avoid them, even as they caused him damage. Instead, he pressed forward, determined to close the distance.
“Ah, that’s…”
“What is it, Ese?”
“That’s Fei’s special technique… he’s sacrificing his own flesh to break bones… but…”
Ese spoke heavily, eyes wide with concern. Fei’s sword couldn’t reach Kakukaku. Wind surged from the ground to the sky, raising a huge cloud of dust, and Fei flew like a bird.
A dull thud echoed. Everyone could tell that bones had been broken.
“Do you understand now? This is the difference in talent. You’re someone who needs to be protected.”
“…”
Fei stood up and once again enveloped himself with Star magic Essence.
“So, you’re saying that—”
“—I see.”
“Huh?”
“The answer was already there… No, trying to keep things clean was the mistake. The safest choice is the riskiest. I see, I see. The answer wasn’t outside, but within me.”
“Hey, listen—”
“I was looking for something outside of myself. That was the mistake.”
Fei was clearly not listening to anyone. It was evident he had reached a conclusion on his own. But now, his eyes gleamed with newfound resolve.
He moved straight towards Kakukaku. Once again, wind bullets rained down. Undeterred, he charged through them.
(Is it the same as before?)
“Fei, didn’t you realize it’s useless?”
Kakukaku and Kamase thought it was a repeat of before. But only Ese noticed something and grinned.
“No, it’s different.”
“Huh? How can you tell?”
“I don’t know. But it feels like Fei is drawing something in.”
“What?”
Fei broke through the rain of wind and got into close range. But again, wind surged from the ground to the sky, leaving no escape. Fei soared upwards, but this time, dust also rose with him.
As Fei, now airborne, fell near Kakukaku with a slight distance between them,
Kakukaku felt a shiver of impending defeat. At that moment, the dust cloud moved dramatically. Something was coming from his right. He turned his hand and attention in that direction, using wind magic to blow it away. Despite this, he couldn’t launch a wide-range attack in time.
Even so, he felt relieved, believing Fei must have been blown away. But the sense of defeat didn’t disappear.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. In his line of sight—
—there was a sword with a red scarf wrapped around it. The scarf moved the dust like a parachute.
Fei wasn’t there. Kakukaku realized he had thrown the sword tied with the scarf.
Then, the dust moved again. Kakukaku caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye and realized the real threat was elsewhere. He remained calm, even though it was a surprise attack…
(But there’s a difference in physical ability. I can guard from here, or use wind magic—)
In that instant, Fei was already in front of him, about to throw a punch.
(Too fast! How—)
It was too late. This time, Fei was much faster, the trick behind it unclear.
Just before he was hit, Kakukaku noticed something.
Fei’s right leg was swollen and dark red. It was a severe injury, almost unbearable to look at.
(This guy poured all his Star Essence into his right leg?!)
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Oh boy, he learned how to use his starpower.