A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 126



Only Noblemtl

Episode 126. So naive

The first prince was smiling triumphantly even when his knights were destroying the knights of the Black Prince.

A fair wind blew, and the wide-spread sails embraced the wind.

The ship was proceeding smoothly.

Even the most feared enemy demon was defeated.

… … Of course, it didn’t go as planned, but who cares? As long as I caught him, that’s fine.

In any case, the result is what matters.

I had planned to sacrifice at least two defeats to capture the demon, but I was able to capture him by sacrificing just one defeat.

If this isn’t luck, then what is?

The whole universe was helping him.

It couldn’t get any better than this.

After that, everything went according to plan.

The cruise continued.

His knights crushed the Black Prince’s knights in overwhelming numbers.

So the game was tied 8 to 4.

Anyone could see that it was his victory.

A smooth, overwhelming victory.

But the cruising ship encountered a reef just before reaching port.

It was then that the prince’s smile faded.

A golden flash of light appeared and struck down his knight in the blink of an eye.

A shock like being hit in the back of the head.

Following him, Sir Vermont entered the race, but he too was defeated by the Golden Flash.

It happened before the shock on the back of my head had even subsided.

Vermont went up the pitch with her lunges very much on guard, but that ended up working against her.

Ashley saw right through Vermont.

The game was played normally without using the golden flash.

She had the psychological advantage just by doing that and took control of the game.

Vermont fought with a timid attitude, even while exchanging swords with her normally, and was extremely wary of the golden flash that might flash at any moment.

In a way, it was natural that my skills did not come to fruition.

So Ashley pushed Vermont forward… and at an unexpected moment, a golden flash appeared, and Vermont fell to his knees, giving way to his shoulder.

It wasn’t just that he was strong.

It was a moment that allowed us to catch a glimpse of the strong yet seasoned veteran knight.

After suffering two one-sided defeats like that, the First Prince began to feel uneasy.

Of course, it was not a fear that he would ultimately lose, but a fear that he would not be able to achieve victory with his own articles alone.

Victory was already assured from the moment the three royal knights arrived.

What he wants is a complete and overwhelming victory.

Proof that he would have won the battle even without his father’s help.

A place to prove to your father who chose you that your choice was not wrong.

Now, there is only one article of his left.

The proof would be in vain if his last article was defeated.

Sir Riley spoke to him while he was lost in thought.

“My lord, I will go and take down the golden flash.”

“… … .”

“Send me. I will definitely bring victory!”

“… … Just wait a moment.”

“My lord!”

“Didn’t I tell you to wait! If you lose to the Golden Flash until now, it’ll be your third consecutive defeat! What will Father think?”

“… … .”

At that time, when my worries were getting longer.

A royal knight who had been standing silently stepped forward.

He was a knight with a relatively small physique compared to the other two.

“I’m going out.”

“what?”

“Aren’t you afraid of a three-game losing streak?”

“… … .”

Leaving the first prince speechless, Lutie went up to the stage.

The first prince sighed as he watched her climb up onto the stage.

‘It might have been better.’

It would also be rude not to send out any of the articles your father sent you.

It could be seen as daring to refuse his father’s help.

‘Just one person… … .’

Even if it wasn’t a perfect victory, it still seemed like a decent victory.

The prince never thought that she would be defeated by the golden flash.

‘If Luthier breaks the golden flash, it’s all over.’

1The prince regained his smile.

He had no interest in blind swordsmen.

* * *

The two sisters eventually met at the stadium.

It was a moment that some might call fate, while others might call it bad luck.

“You should call me Unnie.”

“… … .”

But Ashley didn’t answer.

Lutie asked her.

“What did Lord Sulkov say when he came earlier?”

Ashley said bluntly.

“You don’t know.”

Luthié peered out from the side and looked at the blind swordsman watching from the other side.

She checked the owner of the magic sword sitting next to her and asked Ashley again.

“Blindfolded. Is that what Banshua-kong thought?”

“… … .”

“The first prince was fooled. He still thought that if he could just defeat you, he would win easily.”

Luthi smiled as he watched the blind swordsman nervously chewing on his jerky.

“Wow… You’re such an interesting person. How can you make people expect something so trivial? My heart is pounding. How long has it been since you’ve seen this? Can you hear me?”

Sling-

Ashley raised her sword without saying a word.

Ruthie looked at Ashley intently and then called out to her in a soft tone.

“Ashley.”

“… … .”

“Want to make a bet?”

“what?”

“If I win, I will return to my family.”

Ashley’s eyes sank coldly.

Luthi sent her a taunt and provoked her.

“Why are you scared? It’s not even your main weapon.”

As the saying goes, Luthier was carrying a light rapier like Ashley on his waist instead of the long sword he originally used.

To an inspector, weapons can be seen as an extension of one’s limbs.

It is that important and meaningful.

Therefore, the difference between using a familiar main weapon and not is never small.

Especially when that primary weapon is something unusual.

Ashley glared at Luthier.

“… … What if I win?”

“Well. Should I grant you a wish? What do you want?”

Ashley glared at her calmly and said in a calm tone.

“Apologize to me.”

Lutie tilted her head.

“apologize?”

“That’s what’s been bothering me all this time.”

“You bullied me. That’s a bit harsh. If someone saw-”

“You have trampled on my dreams countless times. You have secretly broken my sword and taken my people away. And then you have surrounded me with your people and watched my every move.”

Ashley’s every word was filled with her frustration.

“You looked down on me and laughed at me. You interfered with my training in every way you could. You threatened me. You broke the sword my mother left behind in front of me. You made me run away from the family I loved. Everything!”

Ashley’s eyes burned blue.

“I apologize. For everything.”

“……oh.”

Luthier’s eyes sparkled inside his helmet.

She said with a chuckle.

“If someone heard this, they’d think it was true, kid.”

“… … .”

Ruthie spoke with a cold, mocking tone.

“Are you okay? Your ankle looks a little sore.”

Ashley said no more.

A dazzling sunlight began to ripple across her sword.

“Come at it.”

“… … Yeah. You’ve gotten a lot cockier since we last met. I should tell you what’s going on.”

Luthi drew his sword from his waist.

“I have to hurry and finish this.”

She said, looking at the blind swordsman watching from afar.

“There’s someone I want to meet.”

Ashley, who stood in between them as if blocking the way, brought Ruthie’s gaze back to herself.

“No, you won’t be able to get there.”

Ruthie looked into Ashley’s blue eyes with a slightly surprised expression.

A cold anger flashed in her eyes.

“I’ll stop it.”

Lutie laughed heartily.

“Try to stop it.”

At that moment, Aaron, who had been observing the situation, cautiously intervened.

“Are you ready?”

Lutie nodded, and then Ashley took up her position.

It was her signature posture, as if she was going to pour forward with her sword drawn all the way.

Ruthie smiled brightly as she watched her younger brother’s posture.

Then she began to wave a rapier just like hers in front of my eyes.

Like playing with a puppy. Like teasing an angry bull.

Ashley frowned.

“What are you doing?”

Ruthie answered in a casual tone.

“I’m just letting go. Don’t worry about it.”

With each swing, the rapier’s characteristically smooth blade began to bend slightly to her gestures.

It became faster and faster with her nimble hands… until eventually even the blade was no longer visible.

There was only the sound of the fierce wind cutting through the air and the occasional glint of the sword blade reflecting in the sunlight.

Annie Kyung-ra.

Ashley chewed her lip.

‘It’s not even funny.’

Annie was Ashley’s dog’s name.

The poor fellow who was mauled to death by a vicious guard dog that was guarding her house while she was away.

To myself, who was sobbing while holding the guy’s body.

Ruthie explained in a calm tone.

He accidentally lost the leash and accidentally came into Ashley’s house and bit her to death.

It was an amazing event where everything could be explained by coincidence.

Of course, Ashley didn’t believe a word of her.

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden flash of light appeared.

But her thrusts cut through the air.

“… … !”

As she stood there with a confused expression, Lutie smiled and swung her sword.

“How naive.”

* * *

I soon discovered the true nature of the fatal flaw that Cheonma had spoken of.

It was about Sir Ashley’s preparatory movements.

She has a special posture just before she lunges.

The front legs are slightly extended and the body tilts forward as if it is about to fall.

The gap was in the preparedness.

The golden flash is the principle of explosion.

Charge forward while instantly exploding a huge amount of mana accumulated in the feet.

To do that, you need time to concentrate your mana.

Of course, to achieve that terrifying instantaneous speed, a lot of mana is required.

Gathering that much mana in one place doesn’t seem like a problem in itself, but…

The problem is the time it takes to collect that mana.

The amount of mana required seems to come together pretty quickly, but there are inevitable moments of hesitation.

It’s not that long. Maybe a second at most?

But I found out that one second can be a long time for some people.

Luthier, who realized this fact, succeeded in easily cornering Ashley.

She distracted Ashley by swinging her sword quickly in front of her eyes, and mixed in some clever footwork.

In the end, Ashley’s golden flash ended up being drawn in the wrong direction.

Luthi, who had easily dodged the first golden flash, rushed in immediately afterwards and pressed forward without giving her a chance to use her skills.

Are you afraid of explosions?

In that case, all that had to be done was to block it before it exploded.

Ruthie didn’t give Ashley time to prepare for her golden flash.

Sir Ashley looked momentarily confused, but soon gave up on the golden flash and focused on the duel before him.

But the opponent is the royal knight Luthier of the Quick Sword.

He wasn’t a knight who could be pushed around by a sword. Even if it wasn’t his main weapon.

Chae-chaeng! Chae-chaeng! Ssaaaak!

She parried and deflected all of Ashley’s sharp stabbing attacks.

After enduring Ashley’s attacks to some extent and gauging her skills, Lutier soon went on the offensive.

Chaechaechaechae!

Sir Ashley tried hard to block and deflect her sword, but the sword was fast, so she could only barely block it or avoid fatal injuries.

But Luthier’s sword didn’t stop there, it became faster and faster.

The scars were growing.

“Oh my… … .”

If I were to use a golden flash, I wouldn’t have the chance to do so, but if I were to simply fight with a sword, I wouldn’t be a match for him.

A situation where it is difficult to even defend, let alone attack.

It was a dilemma.

[I relied too much on the technique called Golden Flash.]

Cheonma clicked his tongue.

[It seems like you’ve overcome all crises with a golden flash… … That won’t do. An excellent season actually hinders your growth. You have to use the season, not let it sway you.]

That makes sense, but… it also doesn’t help the current situation at all.

Because there’s nothing I can do about it now.

Cheonma asked with interest.

[Then what do you think we should do?]

In my opinion… … .

But in the end, there was only a golden flash.

The fact that Ruthie is blocking it like that means that it is a threat.

It was proof that even she, who was called the Quick Sword Luthier, could not receive Ashley’s golden flash.

It doesn’t have an advantage in anything else.

The only way out is a golden flash.

[That’s correct.]

Cheonma smiled with satisfaction.

At that moment, I remembered the sudden words that Cheonma had told me to tell Sir Ashley.

“So, any advice?”

[That’s right. I gave you the clue. The rest is up to that guy.]

The horse spoke as if mumbling.

[Will you break out of the egg or will you be trapped and crushed?]

I watched the game while pondering Cheonma’s advice.

‘Is the flash the only child of the explosion?’

I understand the flash. It must mean Ashley Sir’s name day, the golden flash.

I think I know how to explode. It refers to her mana characteristic that explodes easily, unlike me.

So then… what does it mean to be an only child?

At that moment, a vague, tingling feeling was tormenting me.

Lutie lowered her posture.

Phew!

I stamped on Ashley’s instep