A Beginner’s Guide to Being a Scoundrel

Chapter 142

Chapter 142

As I searched my memory amid the feast of crimson aura pouring down before my eyes, I realized something.

Last Stardust was an Excalibur-exclusive skill. It was not something I had passed on like a Sword Saint Style secret art or Fiore Style, nor was it something one could imitate just by seeing it once.

Moreover, I had only shown it to her exactly once, during yesterday’s sparring session.

‘No, did I also use it when I fought Isabel in Leipzig?’

If that was the case, it meant she had reproduced it after seeing it only twice—just twice. Of course, there had been some degree of arrangement added, but judging from the sword techniques she had just used, it was clear she understood the underlying principle.

Sssshh—!

Like a meteor crashing down, the red aura blooming from Petra’s sword surged toward me.

Originally, it had been a skill deployed through an Aura Blade, but because she unfolded it with unshaped aura, it spread faintly across the sky like an aurora.

Swaaah—.

Yet not a single one of them managed to reach me. All of it shattered into pieces and scattered away.

“……?”

As I stared blankly at her, Petra let out a deep sigh with a tired expression and gave an awkward smile.

“I might be able to imitate the shape, but this much is impossible.”

“…Still, it looked convincing up to the middle.”

Watching her clench her fist slightly in delight at my words, I thought to myself.

An unexpected talent—an unforeseen discovery.

‘Maybe the first one to awaken will be Petra.’

To awaken, one had to accept one’s own limits and prepare to transcend them. In my case, I had achieved it in a semi-forced manner by borrowing the power of Excalibur, but she was in no position to rush.

If she continued to take things step by step like this, her will would resonate with the world and she would enter a new realm.

‘This is another variable.’

Up until now, I had not counted anyone except Alice and Yuria as part of my core strength.

Elysia was originally meant to remain by the protagonist’s side, but now that Alice had turned into a woman, if a war with the Demonic Realm broke out, she would return to the Britain Ducal House. She would support me from there, but she would not belong to this side.

Leysias, as shown in the original work, had a clear limit to her growth.

In the early stages, she had played an active role by the protagonist’s side to some extent, but ordinary magic did not work against demons.

Only in the very late stages did she reach the realm of a mage and appear from time to time, but regrettably, her role had not been particularly significant.

Werner and Diark were much the same. They remained by the protagonist’s side and stayed active, but that was mostly due to their families’ power or their intellect, not individual martial might. Maria… well, what had she even done?

In contrast, Alice was already showing signs that her awakening was not far off. If she broke down the wall in front of her, she would rise to the realm of a Master in one fell swoop, becoming an invaluable force against demons and Majin.

There was no need to even mention Yuria, who specialized in nullification magic.

‘When I put it like this, I really do sound like trash.’

After spending a year together at the Academy, to classify my friends merely as combat assets based on usefulness. A bitter smile crept onto my face, but I had no choice but to make excuses, blaming the harshness of reality.

“When the gathering is over, I’ll properly teach you the sword.”

“Really?”

At those words, Petra’s face lit up with joy. Seeing that, I felt a slight pang of guilt.

‘Saying I’d give you wings if you became my person, and then just leaving you unattended.’

It was not just Petra; the others were the same. If so, perhaps during this vacation, it would not be a bad idea to reflect on that, invite everyone to my territory, and strengthen our foundation.

‘As for Leysias and Yuria, I can bring Gawain along or ask Chris.’

What would happen if everyone entered Part Two having achieved their First Awakening? If that were the case, it would not be unrealistic to repel the Majin lurking throughout the land without suffering major damage.

“For now, let’s stop here today and start preparing for the gathering.”

The day was still bright, but people were already beginning to gather at the Sword Saint’s Estate. As for me, I could just throw something on and head out.

But Petra would need a lot of time to dress herself up, so when I said that, she calmly nodded.

When the sun set and the sky sank into darkness, the doors of the estate began to open. Soon, a large crowd started pouring inside, and before long, the garden was filled with people.

I, too, stood among them, dressed to the nines. As I calmly looked around with Petra linking arms with me, Philip stepped forward before the crowd.

“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of you for visiting the estate for this gathering. Then, according to tradition, those in possession of a crimson gem, please proceed to the inner banquet hall, and the rest of you, please prepare to prove your qualifications.”

Plain words, devoid of self-introduction or flashy rhetoric. Yet everyone seemed to accept it as natural, and the crowd split in accordance with his words.

“Proof of qualification?”

Standing beside me, Petra whispered softly with sparkling eyes at Philip’s words. Though it sounded grand, it was not actually anything special.

The crimson gem was a kind of proof given to those who had participated in the gathering before. Regardless of status or origin, its holder could participate again.

Proof of qualification was the process of judging whether those without a crimson gem were eligible to enter the gathering.

Those who had lost their gem, or those who had newly ascended to Sword Master, would prove their strength there.

All they had to do was draw their sword and ignite an Aura Blade, but the world always cheered for the emergence of new heroes.

From time to time, young Sword Masters would conceal their achievements to the very end, only to reveal them at the Gathering of Sword Masters.

The gathering was not merely a meeting, but also an opportunity to recruit such individuals and draw them into one’s own camp. That was why the holders of crimson gems were also watching the outside intently from within.

“Deimus of the Kingdom of Natan.”

As the first participant, a burly, bald man stepped forward. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, and I felt like I had heard his name somewhere before.

Perhaps pleased with the attention focused on him, Deimus drew his sword boldly while pulling up his strength with all he had.

Woooong—.

A deep light-green Aura Blade bloomed along the edge of his sword. At the brilliance that illuminated the darkness, those around him let out admiring sighs.

“…That’s amazing, as expected of a Sword Master.”

Petra, too, parted her lips slightly and let out an excited breath. At that, I shook my head and clicked my tongue.

“No. He’s just drunk on his own power—a husk.”

“What? But everyone else……”

“Not everyone here is a Sword Master. There are envoys from various nations who came with Masters, and their attendants as well. More importantly, look at their faces.”

I pointed toward the holders of crimson gems standing on the banquet hall terrace, looking down at us. Most of them were experts who had reached the Master realm. Yet their expressions as they watched Deimus were largely indifferent.

“From the looks of it, he hasn’t been a Master for long. At that stage, you should be minimizing power leakage and solidifying your foundation, but since he’s spewing out power like a madman, you can assume his rapid growth is already out of the question.”

“Ah…….”

Petra nodded softly, saying it was something she had heard before. Soon, new participants continued to appear one after another behind him.

‘There are a lot.’

They said Sword Masters were rare, but when viewed across the entire continent, there were so many here that you could trip over them.

Each of them proved their abilities, harboring ambition in their hearts. As the atmosphere ripened amid those brilliant flames, I noticed Philip, who was overseeing the proof of qualification, subtly cast his gaze toward me.

‘He’s telling me it’s about time.’

Coincidentally, the current participant had just finished.

Just as the man in front of me began to swell his presence and step forward to announce himself, I grabbed his shoulder.

“…Huh?”

Interrupted, the man frowned slightly and looked at me as if to ask what the problem was. As attention had already gathered on him due to his rising presence, I figured the timing was perfect and released the pressure I had been holding back.

“……!”

Even among Masters, the difference in presence was heaven and earth. My aura, swelling to fill the estate, mercilessly tore apart his.

The man, mouth agape as he collapsed onto the ground, seemed like someone who had just reached Sword Master, like Deimus earlier. Judging by his quite youthful face, he seemed to be a promising talent, so I raised one hand slightly in apology for cutting in and strode forward confidently.

A suffocating silence settled over the venue. Some people, realizing who I was from my radiant blond hair and demeanor, let out silent gasps.

When I lifted my head and looked toward the banquet hall terrace, the Masters who had already taken their seats there were all staring at me with serious expressions.

“I am Leios of Ribera,”

As I said that and lightly grasped the air with my raised hand, a dazzling light gathered there. Soon, Excalibur—with its beautifully straight, pure-white blade—manifested in my hand, and the surroundings sighed in admiration at its inhuman beauty.

Woooong—.

Lightly gripping the hilt, I drew mana up from deep within my lower abdomen.

Scorching light burst forth from the tip of Excalibur.

It shone more brilliantly than anyone who had stepped forward to prove their qualifications thus far, illuminating the darkness and soaring so high it seemed as though it might touch the sky.

In that moment, I swiftly scanned my surroundings.

Part of it was to firmly imprint my existence, but there was another purpose hidden in revealing my power like this.

‘Found them.’

One, two, three… seven.

There were several who squinted, their eyes stinging from the brilliant light I emitted. But there were seven who shuddered with a fundamentally different sense of discomfort and alienation.

In other words, the number of demons or Majin who had infiltrated this gathering was seven.

All of them were at the Master level, so it seemed a considerable force had been deployed.

‘I should pass this on to my master later.’

After memorizing their appearances in the span of about a second, I dismissed Excalibur’s summoning.

“Congratulations on passing the proof.”

Philip, standing in front of me, nodded with a satisfied expression and handed me a crimson gem. As I took it and gestured to the side, Petra—who had been waiting—walked back over and quickly linked arms with me again.

A torrent of emotions surged behind my back.

Disbelief from those who had known me only as an imperial prince and a scoundrel, confusion from those who had heard rumors and known in advance, and from a very few, murderous intent that went beyond malice quietly swirled together.

“Shall we go, then.”

I said that to Petra, brushing all of it aside. She nodded lightly, and we entered the banquet hall under countless spotlights.