The Last Place Hero's Return-Chapter 49: Knight of the Sun (1)

The day after I introduced Iris to the spicy taste of the Republic, I clicked my tongue as I read the message floating on my Hero Watch.

Iris: Don’t contact me for a while.

I felt a tiny pang of regret. “Maybe the ginger tea was a bit much?”

At the time, I had been unable to help myself. Who could’ve? I had never considered myself the type to enjoy someone else’s suffering, but when Iris, who had earlier bragged about how that level of spiciness was nothing, broke down crying with tears and snot streaming down her face, the temptation to push her just a little further was irresistible.

Nevertheless, since it was already done, all I could do now was wait patiently for her to calm down. So, I pushed that thought to the back of my head and checked my schedule.

“Let’s see what we can do today.”

Originally, today, I was to attend a sparring class meant for Warrior Division cadets only, but the previous night, a notice came out saying that Professor Kane had canceled the class due to health issues.

“The guy was totally fine yesterday. What kind of health issue pops up overnight?” I tried messaging him out of curiosity through the Hero Watch, but got no response.

“Eh, it’s probably nothing,” I muttered.

This was Professor Kane. Even if he wasn’t feeling well, he would likely bounce back in no time and act like nothing happened.

Anyway, my schedule was free in the afternoon.

“I’m meeting Berald this evening. So, might as well hit the training grounds now.” It was better to move around than rot away in my dorm.

A few days ago, I had planned to rip off, no, borrow some money from Jules and apply for a private training room before classes resumed. But I happened to run into Berald while I was working on that plan, and it all went out the window.

“I won’t be able to use the training grounds as freely as I did during the break, but...”

It couldn’t be helped. I knew that after my duel with Assistant Instructor Vincent the previous day, people would get even more curious about me, but that didn’t mean I could stay cooped up swinging my sword in the cramped dorm.

“Alright, let’s go.” I grabbed my sword and headed for the training ground.

Since the semester had only just resumed, the number of cadets using the communal space wasn’t too high yet. Of course, just because they were few in number, it didn’t mean I escaped attention. Whispers erupted the moment I walked in.

“Hey?”

“Isn’t that him? The guy from Practical Combat Training Class C, bottom rank or something?”

“Dude, are you serious? The guy beat an assistant instructor. Are you still calling him bottom rank?”

“Word is he was faking being weak the whole time.”

“Why the hell would he do that? There’s no benefit to being in last place.”

“I don’t get it either. Some people in Class C are even comparing him to Yuren.”

“Come on. That’s taking it too far.”

“Right? Class C kids never even took a class with Yuren, but they act like they know everything.”

Yup. They’re losing their minds over this, I thought.

I gave a wry smile. Ignoring them, I made my way to a quiet corner of the communal training ground, set my towel and water bottle down, and warmed up with some basic hand-to-hand combat forms. My fists and feet sliced through the air with sharp force. The sound was powerful, and anyone watching this would find it hard to believe I wasn’t using any magic at all.

Back when I had first returned to this timeline, my physique only amounted to that of a guy who trained a lot without knowing what he was doing. But a couple of months of dedicated training had produced real change. My torso was now cut with defined abs and lean, powerful muscle. The lower half of my body, from hips to thighs to calves, had become so well-developed that it was almost feline, like that of a big cat on the prowl.

Looks like my body’s finally catching up, I thought.

This could prompt some people to ask why I pushed myself so hard physically when I could just enhance my body with mana. But that was the kind of lazy thinking one would expect from shut-in mages who only ever cast spells.

If a cadet was going to channel mana into a twig to make it steel-hard, they could as well just swing a real sword made of steel. The same went for the body. Strengthening a weak body and enhancing a trained one with the same mana produced completely different results.

Thanks to Berald’s training methods, my progress had been faster than average. However, it was still not good enough. If I wanted to recreate the flawless, near-perfect physique I had in my previous life, there could be no slacking off.

“Phew!” Once I felt warmed up, I drew the sword hanging from my waist and got ready for real practice.

I took a deep breath and swung the sword, starting with the first four forms of the Sun Sword Style: an upward slash, a downward slash, a horizontal sweep, and a thrust. It was the foundation of all swordsmanship, simple and absolute. I cycled through them with smooth, practiced precision.

Although I still called it the Sun Sword Style for convenience, the way it moved in my hands now had evolved so much that it was barely indistinguishable from the original style. It had changed even more after I gained a greater expertise in swordsmanship during my fight with Astaroth.

A bead of sweat trickled down my temple as my sword, coated in a dull gray mana, tore through the air like it was ripping space itself.

Honestly, at this point, even if the Yuren I knew himself came back from the dead, he probably wouldn’t recognize it as the technique he had once taught me. But that was fine. No matter how much it had changed, the roots of my sword were still in his teachings.

That’s why. Don’t worry, Yuren. Even if you forgot, I will remember, I added in my mind.

Even after hundreds or thousands of years had passed, I vividly remembered the teachings he gave me and the insight he showed me, all as if it were yesterday.

He would say, “Don’t be so anxious when you swing your sword.

“Clear your mind. Take it slow.

“Don’t think about where you want the sword to go, think about where it wants to go.”

I steadied my breath, now slightly ragged, and slid my sword back into its sheath. While I did remember it all, that didn’t mean I understood everything. Even now, the whole “Don’t think about where you want the sword to go, think about where it wants to go” line sounded like complete nonsense.

Seriously, what kind of crap is that? Always acting like some kind of enlightened master. Who the hell’s supposed to understand that? I thought.

While I was chuckling at this memory, a clear sound of applause suddenly rang through the air. I turned my head toward the source, and there he was.

A young man with golden hair that shone like the sun said, “Impressive.”

I replied, “You’re...”

“Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to watch you train without permission.” The golden-haired youth politely bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Yuren Helios, a third-year cadet of the Warrior Division.”

Caught off guard by his sudden appearance, I remained silent. Maybe he mistook my stiff expression for something else, but he scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile and said, “Sorry for showing up out of nowhere like this.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine. So, what brings you here?” I replied courteously.

“I happened to see you sparring yesterday, Dale.”

“Ah!” I replied. He had probably seen my match with Assistant Instructor Vincent.

“After watching that fight, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wanted to cross swords with you.”

So, that was why someone who already had a private training room decided to come all the way here to the shared one. Some things really never changed. Even back in the day, if there was so much as a rumor about someone good with a sword, Yuren would chase them down like a starved hyena.

I let a small laugh slip and gave a nod. “Alright.”

I had been wondering how to approach Yuren and get closer to him. No way I would let a golden opportunity like this slip away.

“R-really? Thanks!” he replied.

“Relax, just talk normally. We’re in the same year, after all.”

“Okay, cool. I’ll drop the formal speech then.”

“Want to spar here?”

“Nah, I’ve got a private training room. Let’s go there.” Yuren glanced around at the murmuring cadets. “It’s... a little too crowded here.”

It seemed like word had spread that Yuren Helios was here, because when I looked around again, the once-sparse training grounds were now nearly packed with curious spectators.

“Let’s hurry before more people show up,” Yuren added.

“Yeah.”

Yuren stepped forward, and as if a miracle from the Seven Gods had occurred, the crowd split perfectly in two to make way for him.

Wow! And here I thought I was finally getting some attention lately. But standing next to Yuren? I’m outclassed, I thought.

It made sense. The guy was the direct descendant of Reynald Helios, the legendary Knight of the Sun. Of course, all eyes would be on him.

Soon, we entered his training room. It wasn’t anywhere near as big as the shared one, but it was spotless, lined wall-to-wall with training equipment, and it even had a shower and sauna. Honestly, the difference was laughable.

“This is my training room,” Yuren said.

“Damn! This place is amazing!” I replied.

Like some country bumpkin visiting the big city for the first time, I looked around Yuren’s personal training room in awe, swallowing my envy. Seeing it in person just made me want one even more.

“How do you want to do this match?” Yuren asked.

“However you like.”

Yuren carefully, almost sheepishly, suggested, “Hmm, then maybe we start without using mana?”

He probably knew I didn’t have much mana, and I couldn’t argue with that. Yuren had far more mana than even most professors had, so if we went full power, it wouldn’t be a fair fight. He knew that, too. He possessed at least ten times the mana I did. In a normal duel where mana usage was allowed, I would definitely be at a disadvantage.

I agreed to the proposal. “Alright, let’s start without mana then.”

“Thanks.”

I grabbed a wooden practice sword and stepped into position across from him. Yuren tapped a few commands into his Hero Watch, and a hologram floated up in the center of the training room.

[Duel mode confirmed.]

[Duel begins in 5 seconds.]

[4, 3, 2, 1.]

The numbers vanished. Then, both Yuren and I kicked off the ground at the same instant, charging straight toward each other.

***

Yuren collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. “This... This can’t be real.”

He stared at his wooden sword, lying discarded on the floor, trembling with disbelief. I calmly sipped from my water bottle nearby, giving him a moment to collect himself.

Yuren suddenly shot to his feet and marched over to me. He grabbed my hand tightly, his voice shaking. “Dale! Who, who the hell taught you to use a sword like that?”

Who, you ask? It was you, dumbass.