Chapter 119: What Kind of Family Is This?

The intense pain made it almost impossible for him to breathe, but Allen’s offensive did not pause for even a second.

The Black Sword lunged again in a standard upward strike.

Hugo reflexively leaned back to dodge, but he didn’t expect Allen to twist his wrist.

The blade transitioned into a horizontal sweep, slamming firmly against his shoulder.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Hugo grimaced, baring his teeth. “Are you using this as an excuse for revenge?”

“I’m not finished yet.”

Allen’s voice carried no trace of emotion.

He shifted his feet, his figure drifting gracefully to Hugo’s side.

The Black Sword thrust forward repeatedly, each strike’s angle and power completely different from the last.

Hugo desperately swung his sword to parry. The constant clanging of metal echoed through the air, but he quickly lost his rhythm.

*Smack!*

The flat of the Black Sword struck Hugo’s wrist with precision. A wave of numbness washed over him, and the pain was so sharp he nearly dropped his weapon.

“Her combos have a unique cadence; you have to try to capture it,” Allen instructed while maintaining the pressure.

“Don’t just think about defending. Look for opportunities to counter-attack during the gaps in her strikes.”

Hugo grit his teeth, enduring the pain that made it feel like his entire body was falling apart, and began to carefully observe Allen’s attack pattern.

Indeed, although this swordsmanship was full of variations, there was a faint regularity to it.

‘Found it!’

Taking advantage of a moment when Allen’s thrust missed — where his old momentum had vanished and his new strength hadn’t yet gathered — Hugo’s eyes flashed.

He lunged forward, his longsword piercing straight toward Allen’s wide-open chest!

This was his only chance!

However, facing this certain-kill strike, Allen simply stepped to the side with casual indifference, letting the blade glide past.

Simultaneously, he brought his sword around in a backhand swing, the hilt knocking accurately against the back of Hugo’s head.

*Thud!*

“You thought that was an opening?” Allen looked down at him as he sheathed his sword. “That was a flaw she would expose on purpose. A true opportunity lies in…”

He paused, looking at Hugo’s disheveled state, and sighed. “Forget it. You can’t understand it yet.”

Allen had intended to use this high-intensity combat to reverse-engineer potential weaknesses in Livia’s swordsmanship.

Clearly, however, Hugo’s experience and combat awareness were nowhere near his or Livia’s level.

If not for his physical constitution as a Crestbearer and his instinctive reactions, he probably wouldn’t have lasted more than a few moves.

Hugo lay on the ground, gasping for air. His whole body ached, yet he felt a strange sense of exhilaration. “I thought I was going to die… but that was incredible!”

Allen’s breathing was steady, and he hadn’t even broken a sweat. He asked doubtfully, “I held back a lot. Well? Do you have a feel for Livia’s swordsmanship now?”

“Who could possibly learn it that fast?!” Hugo rolled his eyes and struggled to sit up.

“But… I did feel something. Her swordsmanship seems upright and fair, yet it’s full of traps. The transitions between feints and real strikes are impossible to guard against. Where on earth did she learn such powerful… no, such complex swordplay? And how did you learn it?”

‘I learned it with my life, how else?’ Allen thought to himself.

Next, Allen fought a match against Marianne, letting Hugo observe closely from the side.

He had Marianne use her Brand of Shadow while he adjusted the Black Sword to its Crest-suppression mode.

Sure enough, Marianne’s Crest ability was almost entirely suppressed, and she quickly fell before Allen’s fierce offensive.

“Waaah… Master is a bully… You knew I couldn’t beat you anyway, yet you still cheated!”

Marianne sat on the ground panting, her maid outfit soaked with sweat.

The fabric clung to her body, outlining the budding yet increasingly apparent curves of the young girl.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her crimson eyes were misty, making her look quite pitiful.

In the past, Allen would hold back even more when practicing with Marianne.

However, since she now possessed a true Crest, he felt they could spar more seriously.

“This isn’t cheating; it’s a rational tactical application.”

Allen ignored the young maid’s resentful gaze, becoming increasingly satisfied with his new weapon.

“This Black Sword is truly impressive.”

He hadn’t even used his own special abilities yet.

If he went all out and added the suppression effect of the Black Sword, he estimated that a Crestbearer would be no different from an ordinary person in front of him.

Even while holding back, the fight was this easy. It seemed the Gene Enhancement Serum’s foundational strengthening of his body was indeed significant.

Still, thinking about the duel with Livia, Allen knew that the “Feng Aotian” surely had many trump cards hidden away. He had to make preparations early.

Next, Marianne and Hugo sparred, agreeing not to use their Crest abilities.

The result was another crushing defeat for Hugo.

This time, Hugo’s confidence was completely shattered.

He had originally thought he was at least a top-tier expert among the younger generation in the Capital, but then Allen suddenly appeared.

Fine, Allen was a monster who was probably a literal God’s Messenger; it was normal to lose to him.

But now, how could he not even beat this seemingly delicate little maid by his side?

Allen was already this strong, yet he still treated Livia like a formidable enemy.

Just how terrifying was Livia herself?

Only now did Hugo realize he was a frog sitting at the bottom of a well, thinking the sky was only that small.

This usually optimistic and hot-blooded idiot felt the emotion known as “frustration” for the first time.

But immediately after, an unprecedented fighting spirit ignited in his heart.

He suddenly rushed in front of Allen and gave a ninety-degree bow.

“Master! Please instruct me! I want to get stronger!”

“Not bad. Realizing your own weakness is the first step to becoming strong.”

Allen nodded in approval before changing the subject.

“However… have you prepared for the entrance exam of St. Nora Sigil Academy?”

“Huh?” Hugo looked blank. “What entrance exam?”

“…” Allen showed a helpless expression that said, ‘I knew it.’

“Your family has handed over your fief to the King’s administration and moved to the Capital. You’re considered a Capital Noble now. With your Crest, it’s only natural for you to enroll in St. Nora Sigil Academy.”

“Oh, I think I remember something like that.” Hugo scratched his head, giving a bright and carefree smile.

Allen asked with a final glimmer of hope, “Let me ask you a question. How are your academic grades?”

Hugo puffed out his chest shamelessly. “I don’t know how to do any of it!”

“…”

Allen didn’t bother talking to this idiot anymore. He turned to look at Marianne, who was eavesdropping with perked ears, and said with a smile:

“On the day you worked overtime, I wrote a personal letter to the Headmaster and included a manuscript of a work I haven’t finished yet. I received a reply this morning, but I forgot to tell you.”

Marianne’s heart immediately jumped into her throat.

“Congratulations, Marianne. You have successfully enrolled in St. Nora Sigil Academy.”

“Eh?”

Marianne was stunned, unable to react for a moment.

Allen had mentioned letting her enroll before, but she had always thought it was just a beautiful wish.

Could she, a common maid from the countryside, really enter that top-tier academy where the nobility gathered? Together with her Master?

A massive surge of joy and disbelief flooded her heart. Marianne forgot everything and threw herself into Allen’s arms like a happy little bird.

“That’s wonderful, Master! We can go to school together!”

“And Livia,” Allen added with a smile.

“As expected, Master loves me most!” Marianne hugged Allen’s waist, rubbing against him happily.

“That sentence was unnecessary.”

“Brother must want to marry me!”

“That sentence was even more unnecessary, you silly sister!”

Looking at the pure joy on Marianne’s face, a soft spot in Allen’s heart was touched.

In the countless previous cycles, Marianne had always infiltrated the academy as a spy for the Cult, serving as his maid.

This was the first time she would enter St. Nora Sigil Academy as a genuine student.

That was good.

Allen thought to himself that this tragic girl, who had never obtained happiness, could at least stand openly alongside Livia as a student in this cycle.

‘Marianne, I finally understand. We don’t need some happy ending. We just need to keep moving forward.’

‘As long as we don’t stop, the road will keep extending.’

Allen pulled himself back from his thoughts and clapped his hands to get their attention, announcing with high spirits:

“Alright, celebration time is over! The entrance exam is looming. From today on, we will research swordsmanship and prepare for the exam at the same time!”

He pointedly turned his gaze toward Hugo, who was still slumped on the ground. “Especially you, Hugo!”

Hugo waved a hand feebly. “Nobles can enroll regardless. What does it matter if my scores are a bit low?”

“Good question.” A cold smile appeared on Allen’s face.

“The final ranking of this entrance exam will be directly linked to your class and dormitory assignment after enrollment. It will even determine what kind of resources you receive, and the difference is night and day.”

He lowered his voice, intentionally creating a terrifying atmosphere.

“By the way, the lowest tier of dormitories has an environment worse than the Slums in the Lower City. Mushrooms grow on the walls, and the rats are bigger than cats. I heard that is the academy’s… hundred-year heritage.”

“What…?” Hugo’s face turned green instantly.

He imagined the scene. Living in a place like that for three years would be worse than death.

“Aren’t we Nobles? If the academy goes that far, aren’t they afraid we’ll complain?”

“The Headmaster? You should know very well what his attitude is toward the current nobility who only care about pleasure, right?”

Hugo understood instantly.

He scrambled up from the ground with a jolt and slapped Allen’s shoulder heavily, saying earnestly:

“Brother, our future happiness depends entirely on you! You have to score well, preferably get into the same class as Miss Livia, and then… hehe, you know! I’ll support you in spirit!”

Mentioning Livia again.

The smile on Allen’s face became even more “kind.”

“I almost forgot to remind you. The entrance exam includes combat. To help you prepare properly…”

Allen flexed his wrist, and the Black Sword let out a faint hum.

“Come, let’s go a few more rounds.”

“Nooo—!”

Hugo’s tragic screams echoed throughout the entire afternoon.

……

At dinner time, Earl Albert was having a pleasant conversation with Bernard Viscount.

When he saw his son walk in covered in bruises and limping, his first reaction wasn’t sympathy, nor was it anger.

Instead, he burst into a world-shaking fit of laughter.

“Hahahaha! Who is this pig-head? It couldn’t be my stupid son who brags every day about being undefeated in the Capital, could it? Look at the state of you! You’re killing me, hahahaha…”

Even his stepmother, Louise, couldn’t help but chuckle. She went forward to touch the bruises on Hugo’s face, her shoulders shaking as she desperately stifled her laughter.

“Son… Mom will get you some medicine later, pfft…”

“Sigh, laugh if you want.” Hugo sat down, having lost his will to live.

What kind of family was this?

He now felt that the Kamen Rider Battle Suit, which could completely cover his face, was the greatest invention in the world.