บท 124: Alderman's Self-Confidence

""OOOOOOHHHHHH—!!!"""

In Undine's largest training field, cheers erupted without stopping, echoing through the air since the beginning of the fight.

Just from the cheers alone, one could tell how thrilling the fight being held in the training field truly was.

The sword clash between Marilyn and Sefaz heated up the atmosphere right from the beginning.

*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*

Amidst the intense clashing of swords, two figures inside the training field continuously weaved and collided, causing sparks and gusts of wind to burst forth.

Marilyn and Sefaz moved around the training field like streams of light, sometimes chasing each other, sometimes crossing paths, sometimes changing positions, and sometimes engaging in fierce clashes.

Afterimages and sword flashes kept appearing, and the sound of sword clashes was constant, showcasing extraordinary speed and intense fighting.

To get a clear view of the fight between the two, many magicians had already used magic to enhance their vision, while the others had the latest model magic items at their disposal, allowing everyone to barely make out the thrilling duel between Marilyn and Sefaz, resulting in waves of cheers.

Riezel's eyes were also fixed on the training field, taking in every detail of the fight between Marilyn and Sefaz.

Even from his perspective, the fight between these two had a lot of attraction.

Especially Marilyn, who had always been Yuri's quiet maid in the background, now revealed her strength, which surprised him.

Marilyn wasn't using typical swords, but a pair of thin short swords resembling twin swords from some movies he had watched in his previous life.

She was like an assassin, gripping her swords in reverse, with each movement of her elbow producing a sword flash, enveloping Sefaz in a barrage of sword slashes like a net.

Her attack speed was surprisingly fast, and her attack angles were unusually tricky, giving a sense of being undefendable. Her speed was also remarkable as if her movements had been meticulously studied, with a unique charm in every move and glide.

If it weren't for Riezel's keen battle instincts, he might have lost sight of Marilyn several times due to her peculiar movements, fluttering like leaves in the wind.

From this, it could be seen that she was more inclined toward an agility and technique-oriented swordsman. Although her attack power wasn't great, it was compensated by the terrifying number of attacks woven together by her attack speed.

Faced with such opponents, even a slight mistake could result in being slashed dozens or even hundreds of times in an instant, leading to instant defeat.

Based on this performance alone, Riezel was certain.

'Marilyn's strength, even compared to Ais, probably isn't much different...'

His evaluation of Marilyn was this high, indicating just how strong she was.

Unlike Ain and Ian, who were equal to Level 5 with the lowest latent basic abilities, Marilyn's strength was not much inferior even when compared to a prodigy like Ais.

At least, without using Ariel, it wouldn't be easy for Ais to take down Marilyn.

This maid truly lived up to the reputation of Yuri's strongest attendant, as an ordinary Sword Master wouldn't stand a chance against her.

It was just a pity that Marilyn, such as she was, encountered a tough opponent.

'Marilyn is about to lose...'

As Riezel clearly observed the fight, facing Marilyn's storm-like assault, Sefaz had been on the defensive, but he clearly had more to give. His face still wore a somewhat cheeky smile as he wielded a typical Western-style sword.

Even though it was clearly a sword, in Sefaz's hands, it seemed to transform into a whip, twisting and turning like willow branches, its trajectory unpredictable. Yet, despite this swordplay, it precisely blocked all of Marilyn's fierce sword attacks, protecting his entire body, never letting her slash come within a meter of his body.

Marilyn kept pressing forward, slashing relentlessly and always accelerating, making her sword attacks denser and the slashes more frequent. Even so, Sefaz could still protect himself flawlessly, deflecting every one of her sword slashes aimed at his left shoulder multiple times with flicks from his sword, only sparking off flame particles in the end.

Compared to Marilyn's display of swordsmanship, Sefaz seemed unremarkable, yet for some reason, she couldn't land a single effective attack on him.

Sefaz's performance not only made some knowledgeable audience solemn but also made Riezel look deeply at this eldest son of the Frenzel family.

'Sefaz Frenzel, this guy's strength is probably not far from Level 6.'

As Yuri and Marilyn had previously speculated, this man's strength was not to be underestimated, surpassing Marilyn by far.

Riezel admitted to himself that even if he were to step in, he wouldn't be able to defeat Sefaz without going in earnest.

However, what made Sefaz terrifying was that from his confident and casual attitude, it could be seen that he still held back some strength, not revealing it all.

'Interesting...'

Riezel held Sefaz in high regard, while the audience was extremely satisfied, finding the fight thrilling.

Such an intense fight lasted for a full fifteen minutes.

After fifteen minutes, Marilyn began to feel her stamina waning, with noticeable declines in both movement and attack speed.

It seemed like Sefaz had been waiting for this split-second opportunity.

"It seems I've won."

Sefaz, whose aura hadn't shown any signs of instability, seized the opportunity while Marilyn gasped for breath and her stamina was depleted, thrusting out his sword.

*Whoosh—!*

This thrust was much faster than any of his previous attacks, flashing across the training field like a ray of light, leaving Marilyn unable to react.

When she finally reacted, the medal on her left shoulder had already cracked in half, falling to the ground.

"The first round goes to... Sir Alderman!"

The announcer's voice rang out right away, announcing the result of the first round of the War Festival.

Marilyn stopped moving and looked at the broken medal on the ground while panting. After a moment, she raised her head, and her eyes showed a disturbing fluctuation of mysterious power.

"Oy, oy, calm down!" Sefaz quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I don't want to get into a serious fight with you, or I'd die. Please spare me, okay?"

His plea made the mysterious power in Marilyn's eyes disappear.

"Hmph." Marilyn coldly snorted, then turned away from the training field, eliciting applause from the audience.

"What a scary woman..."

Sefaz, with a hint of playfulness, patted his chest before turning back to Alderman's side.

"Well done, Sefaz." Alderman praised as his son returned.

"You flatter me." Sefaz waved off. "Can I focus on watching the show now?"

"Up to you." Alderman replied indifferently. "Just remember, you can't leave until the War Festival is over."

"Yes, yes~" Sefaz responded nonchalantly.

Meanwhile, Marilyn returned to Yuri's side to apologize.

"I'm sorry for losing, My Lady."

Even though she was apologizing, her tone and expression strangely remained calm.

"It's okay." Yuri shook her head. "It was as expected."

Ain and Ian quickly approached.

"You worked hard."

"You're getting stronger."

The two female knights generously comforted and praised Marilyn.

On the other hand, although Riezel didn't speak, he glanced at her a few times.

Marilyn didn't say another word, silently returning to stand behind Yuri, resuming her role as the silent and reserved maid.

At this moment, Yuri stood up.

"It's my turn."

Yuri's voice had just fallen when the announcer's voice sounded outside.

"Next, each side is to send out a magician to participate in the second round—a battle of magicians!"

Upon hearing the announcer's words, everyone turned to look at Yuri.

"My Lady, be careful."

"Go for it, My Lady."

Ain and Ian spoke up in succession.

"Good luck." Riezel added, offering his encouragement.

"Don't worry." Yuri replied with a smile, stepping onto the center of the training field with calm and confident strides.

"It's Marquis Frenzel!"

"Marquis Frenzel is entering!"

"Kyaaa! Lady Yuriii—!"

In the audience seats, bursts of cheers and screams erupt, fully showcasing Yuri's high popularity.

After all, she was the publicly recognized head of the Frenzel family and lord of the Frenzel territory. She was young, beautiful, brimming with talent, renowned worldwide, and known to everyone.

As one of the continent's only eight Strategic-Class Magicians, solely by this status alone, her popularity would never be low, perhaps even the highest among the War Festival's participants.

Compared to her, the audience's response was rather lackluster when Alderman made his entrance. He himself seemed unconcerned, squinting his eyes as he looked at his daughter walking into the center of the training field.

It wasn't until this moment that he realized his daughter seemed to have grown quite a bit.

In such a situation, Alderman couldn't help but speak up.

"You've already lost the first round. As long as I win this second round, you'll be completely defeated."

No one knew his intention in saying that.

"Do you think I'll lose?" Yuri calmly faced her father, whom she didn't particularly like, yet a rare smile appeared on her face.

"Indeed, you're certainly talented, much more so than I am..."

After saying that, Alderman remained silent for a while, and shortly afterward continued with indifference.

"But in a situation where you can't use tactical-class magic or strategic-class magic, do you think you can defeat me, who has spent decades studying combat-class magic?"

Due to lacking the magic compatibility to become a Tactical-Class Magician, Alderman had spent the past few decades focusing on studying combat-class magic.

With the combat-class magic expertise honed over many years of intense study, he simply couldn't imagine losing to his daughter, who couldn't use tactical-class or strategic-class magic in this War Festival.

"In this War Festival, the ultimate victor will be me." Alderman declared confidently.

Unfortunately, he was bound to be disappointed.

*BOOM!*

When a burst of purple vortex passed his body like a hurricane, landing on the ground near him and completely disintegrating it into nothingness, the confidence on his face froze.

The entire training field fell silent.

Everyone was shocked, watching the center of the training field, watching Yuri emanating purple fluctuations all over her body.

"Unfortunately, I can't see where your chance of winning lies..." Yuri's voice echoed throughout the training field.

Alderman wordlessly stared at his daughter across from him, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead, as obvious as it could be.

An unequal one-sided fight was about to unfold.