Chapter 196

RMSBS – Episode 196 . The Beginning of a Plan (5)

“Nice to meet you . Remember how I said we’d meet again soon?”

Hersaint-Blanc was nowhere to be seen when Desir came out after the meeting, and instead there was someone who Desir had met yesterday waiting for him .

It was Swan Katarina .

She casually offered a handshake .

“My name is Swan Katarina . I’m the archer of the Royal Guard . ”

Desir replied as he reached out to her hand .

“Pleasure to meet you . I’m Desir Arman who will serve as the mage . ”

To his reply, Swan looked at Desir with surprise .

“I like your confidence . I’ll directly guide you to the drill hall where the battle will be held so follow me . ”

They walked the Palace’s hallway side by side .

“You know, sometimes I just don’t understand what His Majesty is thinking . Not even in my dreams could I imagine him recruiting a commoner student as the Royal Guard . ”

Swan turned back .

“Oh, don’t take that the wrong way . It’s not that I have any doubt in your capability . It’s because a student joining the Royal Guard has never happened before . ”

Desir understood what she meant .

The title of Royal Guard was just as heavy and significant as the privileges it offered . The fact that a young student, a commoner at that, was joining the Royal Guard, was something that could cause a lot of conflicts .

“Well, that’s why there was also some internal debate within the Royal Guard about whether to accept you . We agreed since Your Majesty was so stubborn about it, but Raphaello… … still has his own opinion about it . ”

Passing back through the security gate, the guard returned an object to Desir . He quickly inspected it, and slipped it back into his pocket, where it fit snugly .

“He must want to completely verify me . He’s a really thorough person after all . ”

Swan looked at Desir with a pair of sharp eyes and asked .

“… … do you know Raphaello personally?”

Desir played dumb .

“There isn’t anyone who doesn’t know about the Sword Grand Master Raphaello after all . He’s also well-known in the media too . ”

“Good point . That guy’s definitely just as famous as you are . ”

Swan continued on .

“Well, don’t think it’s just a superficial match held for that kind of reason . If you fail to get his approval, it’s better to think that even if His Highness wills it, joining the group would be impossible . ”

Shortly after, they arrived at a gigantic drill hall .

Desir got a rough sense of the scale of privilege the Royal Guard had from the fact that they were able to use a place this large inside the royal palace .

“This is the place where the captain and you will have a match . ”

Desir could feel a large surge of mana surrounding the drill hall . It was an incredibly powerful defensive spell .

‘There’s an Aurora system set up here . ’

Desir had heard from Zod that the Hebrion Empire was also implementing an Aurora System, but he didn’t imagine it would be set up in a place like this .

The Aurora system was a defensive device designed to protect against spells above the Sixth-Circle .

Furthermore, when it was used in a fixed installation like this, it demonstrated even superior defensive ability compared to the portable version .

Just when he thought that implementing such a defensive system in a mere training hall was overdoing it, Desir discovered many scars of battle left on it .

“Seems like you Royal Guards train really intensely… … ”

Swan shrugged .

“Cause everyone’s so capable, they’re really competitive about it . ”

*Thump*

*Thump*

Following the footsteps of someone arriving at the drill hall, a voice could be heard .

“You got here first, Swan . ”

Desir turned around .

A man with golden hair as bright as the sun entered the drill hall .

The man’s jade eyes met with Desir’s .

Raphaello Cheringer .

The current Sword Grand Master, and captain of the Royal Guard .

He looked so much younger than Desir remembered . His hairstyle was different and his face was clean and scarless .

The memories he shared with him briefly flashed by as Desir stood there staring blankly .

“And you are Desir Arman?”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Raphaello Cheringer . ”

But those memories now only belonged to Desir . They were created in a timeline that never occurred here . No matter what happened now, those memories would never manifest, not with how much Desir’s actions had changed the world . That thought made Desir a bit sad .

Casually, just like he had done to everyone he met up to now, he greeted Raphaello, pretending as if they had never met before .

Raphaello smiled and shook the hand Desir offered .

“Same here . It’s an honor to meet the Shy Hero . ”

Desir thought that despite the difference in his appearance, his humorous personality stayed the same .

“I assume you’ve heard from His Majesty?”

“I’ve heard that I need your approval in order to join the Royal Guard . ”

“So, do you have the confidence to gain my approval?”

Desir shook his head .

“Truthfully, no . If we were to fight here, it would end in my defeat . ”

Even among those who reached King Class and stood firmly outside the realm of mankind, Raphaello was praised as the Sword Grand Master for his supernatural mastery over the blade .

In a drill hall without anywhere to conceal himself, it was apparent that Desir would be slashed without a chance to even cast his magic .

It was reasonable, but Raphaello pointed something out .

“If we fought ‘here’? Meaning you could win if we fought some other place?”

“… … ”

As Desir stayed silent, Raphaello smiled as if amused .

“Well, that’s fine . I wouldn’t be so unfair to demand one-on-one combat with you . Let’s take it easy, shall we?”

Raphaello picked up one of the steel bars piled up in a corner of the drill hall, and planted it deep within the center of the room .

“Try to break this bar, and I will protect it . If the bar breaks in under ten minutes, it’s your victory . How about it, simple enough?”

Raphaello served as the shield of the Royal Guard . It meant that he was approved by the Emperor as the single best person in the entire Empire at defending .

“It’s worth trying . ”

While protecting the steel bar, Raphaello’s movement would be significantly restrained . He would be able to perform his role as the shield but would struggle to go on the offense .

Desir nodded before speaking again .

“Understood . ”

“Good . Let’s get started then . ”

Raphaello took out his sword and shield as he positioned himself in front of the metal stick . Desir stood slightly away from him .

As the atmosphere of battle set in, Swan tapped on Desir’s back and whispered in his ear .

“Do your best to serve him right . I’ll treat you good if you manage to wrinkle that smug face of his . ”

‘So they’re in a rivalry . ’

As Swan walked out of the drill hall, Raphaello spoke as he stretched .

“It’s fine to use whatever means you have hidden up your sleeve . After all, being a Royal Guard means doing anything for the Emperor, no matter the cost . ”

“Then I won’t hold back . ”

Desir reached into his pocket and once more fished out an object .

Runel .

An A-Tier artifact made out of the strongest metal, Blankšum .

Desir’s shield and weapon that detected any danger to himself and moved without his conscious guidance .

The silver sphere hovered around him .

Spontaneously, Desir began calculating a spell . It unfolded immediately in front of him .

[Giga Lightning]

Desir had completely adapted to his new Fourth-Circle, in no small part due to the training with Radoria and Kelt .

Static electricity arced everywhere and lightning bore down inside the drill hall .

*Pzzzzzt*

As one of the higher tier spells amongst the Fourth Circle, Giga Lightning had the power to easily melt steel .

But Raphaello didn’t seem to dodge the attack . By simply raising his shield while firmly planting his feet, he easily defended against Desir’s spell .

‘That wasn’t even close, huh?’

Desir’s calculation continued .

Combinations of various types of elemental magic rained down on the steel bar .

But no magic could pierce through Raphaello’s shield;his defense couldn’t be any sturdier . Every attack was nullified by a simple repositioning of his shield .

Just when Desir was about to continue casting his magic .

*Claaang*

A sharp noise spread throughout the drill hall . It was the sound of a shockwave from Runel and Raphaello’s aura colliding .

Solely focused on defense until now, he switched gear and started making his own moves .

“It wouldn’t be fair if I just stood here taking hits, don’t you think?”

Raphaello’s attack continued .

His sword emanated a powerful aura that continually battered Desir .

It was the only attack he could use while restrained, but it had the power to break the limit of what Runel could handle .

[Binder of Earth]

A spell that had the best defensive ability amongst the Fourth-Circle spells . The ground twisted and formed a wall around Desir .

But the wall couldn’t block the attack at all and was instantly cut open .

*Swish*

*Clang*

*C-C-Clang*

A Fourth-Circle defensive spell could only reduce the power of the sword aura Raphaello was wielding . Runel was barely able to block such an attack, despite having its power significantly reduced .

Once Raphaello switched to offense, Desir was unable to cast any offensive spells .

Raphaello spoke with an immensely disappointed voice .

“That’s it? A whole three minutes spent on defending?”

At this pace, Raphaello’s complete stomp was guaranteed .

Just when Raphaello became confident of his victory and lowered his guard slightly, something entered his vision .

“… … ?”

There was a silhouette of something forming on the other side, only visible due to the cracks in the wall .

“A magic… … spell?”

It was different from any spells Desir had cast thus far . It had an incomparably sophisticated form and was both elegant and beautiful .

As he spaced out looking at the magic unfolding before his eyes, the spell was about halfway completed .

Raphaello’s face stiffened .

“It’s still too early to be disappointed, Mr . Raphaello . ”

‘This one’s dangerous . ’

Having determined that, Raphaello concentrated all of his aura in covering his whole body to prepare for the impact .

No, that wasn’t nearly enough . He raised his shield . All his aura flooded towards the shield, forming a turbulent sphere around it . Soon after, the aura compressed and took form in the shape of three runes .

*Chiiing*

It was a unique defensive skill possessed by just the current Sword Grand Master, Raphaello Cheringer .

He, who hadn’t put in his best effort until now, finally began to use his full power to seriously focus on defense .

[Fire Storm]

An intense wave of flame churned around Raphaello, and unbearable heat radiated throughout the drill hall, threatening to spill into the rest of Leonhardt Palace .

*Smash*

After a very long few seconds, the storm died down and Raphaello appeared amongst a cloud of dust .

“… … ”

The metal stick was still in good shape, but there was no composure left on Raphaello’s face .

On the contrary, Desir seemed to be relaxed .

“This is just the beginning . ”

—-

Chapter brought to you by Kevin K .

???: …

ED: Purplemen101

TLC: N/A

QC: Nhan