Chapter 105: Interlude – Thunder God

A translucent sphere tore through the wall of thunder.

“AAAAAAARGH!” Raios screamed as the Mana bullet hurled him into the air and slammed him against the wall.

The next instant, a blaring alarm accompanied by flashing red lights filled the training arena.

[Warning!]

[Shock absorption barrier malfunction detected. Please halt the duel immediately.]

Collapsed on the floor, Raios writhed like an insect and vomited violently. “Urgh, blwaaaargh!”

Berald stared at him with a dazed expression on his face. “Ah!”

He had used only one form of the combat style I had taught him. He had probably thought he needed to fire the Mana Bullet with as much force as possible. But the result had far exceeded his expectations.

Even I couldn’t hold back a gasp at the sheer impact of his strike. That wasn’t just him throwing the Mana Bullet powerfully. As expected of Berald’s unique combat style, which could reach its peak only through harmony with magic, a strange phenomenon had occurred the moment his punch connected with the Mana Bullet.

His aura clung to the Mana Bullet. While that sounded like an obvious thing to happen, in reality, aura, which typically originated from the inner world, couldn’t be wrapped around externally projected power like magic, which was born from the external world. Yet, Berald managed to accomplish exactly that. He had enveloped magic with his aura.

Recalling Berald’s strike, I clenched my fist tightly. The external and the inner worlds, magic and martial arts—two completely separate fields had united into one combat style.

So this is the path you chose, Berald,I thought.

It had never even occurred to me to try wrapping aura around magic. A tickling thirst crept up my throat as I quietly summoned a tiny Ashen Flame. If aura could be wrapped around magic, then even the Ashen Flame could be used like that.

A shiver of ecstasy shot down my spine, and a bolt of realization struck the top of my head. It was the same feeling I had experienced when Yurina had told me my swordsmanship was inefficient.

“Hah!”

Just like back then with Yurina, I realized something. You’re still trying to guide me, aren’t you?

I had thought I was the one meant to guide them in this life. But before I knew it, they were already standing ahead of me, reaching out their hands and pointing the way. It was like they were telling me that there were sights I had never seen waiting here.

“Heh.”

Suppressing the thrill coursing through me, I turned back toward Berald and Raios. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on my new realization. The duel was the priority. Though honestly, it already seemed over

Raios still lay collapsed on the floor, dry-heaving. Having vomited everything he could, he struggled to rise, gasping for breath. He glared at Berald with wild, bloodshot eyes.

“You. You bastard— grrk!”

Before he could finish, his knees buckled beneath him, and he collapsed face-first into his own puke.

“Are you all right?” Berald asked.

Raios bit down on his lip, his face twisted with humiliation. “S-shut up!”

He felt like all his organs had been turned inside out; even standing up felt impossible. Unable to believe his defeat, he said in a trembling voice, “I… I lost to a damn black sheep fucker.”

Berald stepped forward and asked calmly, “I trust you’ll keep your promise?”

Raios bared his teeth and glared up at him. “Promise? Hah! What nonsense are you spewing now? I told you to beat me with magic! That was the condition!”

“And I did use magic, did I not?”

“Don’t give me that crap! You call that magic?”

A Mana Bullet fired like a cannonball through a punch? There was nothing like that anywhere on the continent.

Raios screamed, “I don’t acknowledge that as magic!”

Berald’s expression started to harden. “Senior…”

At that moment, a low, commanding voice echoed through the arena as a man stepped inside. “Enough.”

He had half-black and half-blue hair. Surrounding him was an aura of wisdom well beyond his youthful appearance. It was none other than Lionel Ryu, headmaster of the Reynald Hero Academy and the third-ranked hero across the Tri-Nation Hero Rankings—the man known as the Thunder God.

Raios’s eyes widened in shock as if he had seen a ghost. “G-Grandpa? What are you doing here?”

Headmaster Ryu calmly walked to the center of the arena, channeling mana into the Hero Watch strapped to his wrist. “Berald sent me this.”

A screen materialized mid-air, showing footage of Berald and Raios duelling.

Raios was shocked. “W-when did he?”

Also baffled, Berald turned toward me. “Don’t tell me…”

I shrugged, holding up the Hero Watch he had given me before the duel began.

Headmaster Ryu’s cold eyes locked onto Raios. “So, what were you two doing here?”

“G-Grandpa, I…”

“I seem to recall telling you both to get along.”

Raios frantically pointed at Berald. “W-we were just sparring! I was… teaching Berald magic!”

Headmaster Ryu narrowed his eyes, scanning the arena. “Oh? Sparring, were you?”

The remnants of a fierce battle scarred the training ground. For such traces to remain despite the internal shock absorption barrier, extremely powerful spells had to have been used, spells that could have easily caused serious injuries.

Headmaster Ryu said, “From where I’m standing, it looks like you had no intention of teaching anything.”

“T-that’s…”

“Or is my old man’s vision finally failing?”

Raios averted his eyes, sweat pouring from his brow.

Headmaster Ryu moved his gaze and said, “Berald.”

Berald snapped to attention, stiff as a board. “Y-yes, sir! Grandfather!”

Headmaster Ryu frowned slightly. “No need for ‘sir.’ I told you to just call me grandpa, didn’t I?”

“But still.”

“Even if you’re from a branch family, don’t forget you’re still part of the Ryu bloodline.”

“U-understood, Grandfath— Grandpa.”

A faint smile tugged at Headmaster Ryu’s lips. “So, when are you two planning to tell me what really happened?”

“Well…”

Berald and Raios exchanged glances. Raios, pale and frantic, shot a desperate look at Berald as if to say, “Don’t say a damn word.”

At that moment, I intervened. “May I speak in their place?”

“And you are?” Headmaster Ryu asked.

“I’m Dale Han, a third-year cadet from the Warrior Division. I’m a close senior to Berald.”

“Ah, you must be the one Professor Baldwin mentioned,” Headmaster Ryu replied.

“Did Professor Baldwin say anything about me?”

“Hahaha! She said she already marked you as hers, so she told me not to even think about making a move.”

“Wait, what?”

What on earth was that woman saying to the headmaster?

Headmaster Ryu glanced down at the Hero Watch in my hand and asked, “Anyway, are you the one who sent the video?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

I nodded and explained everything.

Headmaster Ryu let out a heavy sigh, his brows furrowing. “Cutting off funding for the branch family. Really? Raios.”

“Y-yes!”

“Since when did you have the authority to decide whether the branch family gets support or not?”

“T-that’s, I mean…”

“The support funds given to the branch family are something I specifically instructed to be paid attention to. Did you mean you were going to cut off something your grandpa approved?”

Raios stammered, his face turning pale. “M-misunderstanding! That’s a misunderstanding! I was just, uh, trying to scare him a bit, for educational purposes.”

Headmaster Ryu let out a short, incredulous laugh. “Educational purposes? You call that education? What could Berald possibly learn from a brat like you?”

Headmaster Ryu shot him a scornful glance. “Pathetic! I’ve always said it’s not about how fast you go, but about not stopping. Haven’t I told you that countless times?”

Raios opened his mouth as if to argue but hesitated. “That’s…”

Headmaster Ryu clicked his tongue and coldly said, “What? You think it’s just some old man’s senile rambling?”

“N-no! I would never think that!”

He took one light step forward. “Don’t forget this, you brat.”

Raios, who had barely managed to stand, was slammed back down into his own vomit. “Gah! Agh, ugh!”

An overwhelming force of mana pressed down on him. It wasn’t magic. It wasn’t even a blessing. That was just purely the emission of mana, which alone crushed Raios like a bug, making him crawl helplessly across the floor.

“Remember who your grandpa is.”

Lionel Ryu, the Thunder God, shone as the third strongest among the thousands of heroes. If there was one unique thing about his history, it was that he was the latest hero to enter the rankings. He didn’t make it into the top hundred until his forties. But once he did, it took him only five years to reach third place. He had started later than anyone else but climbed higher than most. That was who Lionel Ryu was.

Suffocating under the crushing weight of the mana, Raios could barely speak. “S-sorry… I’m sorry!”

“Hmph.”

Only when Headmaster Ryu withdrew his mana could Raios finally breathe, panting heavily.

“From now on, your allowance will be added to the branch family’s support fund. Just so you know.”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

“And if you say another stupid word to Berald about this,”—his voice turned sharp—“I won’t stay quiet next time.”

Raios nodded repeatedly, sobbing quietly. “I-I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“And Berald.”

“Y-yes, Grandpa!”

Headmaster Ryu patted Berald’s shoulder and sighed. “I’m sorry for encouraging you two to get along. I thought you kids, being close in age, might be able to bond.”

“N-no! It’s my fault for being rude to Brother Raios!”

Headmaster Ryu gave a dry chuckle. “You rascal. Are you really trying to fool me of all people?”

He then turned his head. Looking at the dented wall of the training hall, he asked, “By the way, was that you?”

“Ah! Y-yes, Grandpa.”

“Hmm! What kind of magic did you use to break even the shock absorption barrier?”

Berald scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Well, a Mana Bullet, Grandpa.”

“With a Mana Bullet? You did that? How?”

“I combined the combat style I learned from Brother Dale with my magic.”

“Combat style, you say?” For a split second, Headmaster Ryu’s expression hardened. He fell silent, lost in thought, then shook his head. “No way! Not at this point. After coming so far.”

“Sorry? What do you mean?”

“No, don’t worry about it.” Headmaster Ryu turned and walked over to me. “Dale.”

“Ah, yes?”

“Thanks for looking after Berald.”

“It’s nothing. Honestly, I’m learning a lot from him too.”

It wasn’t just flattery. Thanks to Berald, I had gained an important enlightenment this time.

“Haha. Still, I would appreciate it if you could keep your grades up while hanging out with him.”

“Ack!”

He’s bringing up my grades? Here? Now? I thought.

Headmaster Ryu let out a hearty laugh, one that was exactly like Berald’s. “Hahaha! I’m just joking.”

Then he stepped out of the training ground. As I watched his figure grow distant, I swallowed dryly.

That was when Berald came over to me. “Brother Dale! Did you see that at the end? I just went kaboom with the Mana Bullet!”

“Yeah, well done, you punk.”

“Hehehe. If I hadn’t learned hand-to-hand combat from you, there’s no way I could’ve done it!” Berald’s excited voice soon mellowed. He quietly continued, “Brother Dale.”

“Hm? Why the serious tone all of a sudden?”

He gave a deep, respectful bow. “Thank you! You’re my savior.”

“Oh, shut it.”

His serious expression didn’t suit him, so I gave his head a light smack. “I’d rather be your comrade than your savior.”

Berald grinned and nodded. “Comrade, huh? Haha, alright.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” I said.

“Hm? There’s more?”

“Your father. You said he’s showing signs of dementia after the battle with the Demon Cult, right?”

“Ah! Yes.”

“Once the semester ends and things calm down, I’ll ask Iris if she can visit your home. She’s a Saintess blessed by all Seven Gods. You never know what might happen, right?”

Healing dementia could be out of reach even for someone like Iris, but it was worth a shot.

Berald’s eyes welled up with tears as he looked at me. “Brother!”

He grabbed me in a bear hug with his massive arms. “BROTHERRRRRRRR!”

“AHH! W-what are you doing, you crazy bastard?”

Bawling uncontrollably, he said, “You really are my savior!!!”

“ACK! Damn it! You stink of sweat, you idiot!”

His arms swelled with muscle as he hugged me tight. “From this day forth, I, Berald, will follow you for life!”

Then, a terrible noise came from my body, one that shouldn’t come from any human.

“Aaaaaaagh! You’re breaking me! My bones! My boneeeees!”

With a crack, something snapped.

“Ah!Oops.”

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