I love time travel the most!

Very strong? In what way?

Even if the kingdom's strongest warrior captain said so, Clem didn't think that Lin, as a sorcerer of faith magic, was better than him in swordsmanship.

Until Lin put a silver nameplate necklace around her neck.

"You've really underestimated me. So, will this give you a little push?"

"that is……!"

Clem's eyes widened when he saw that silver glint.

Even without touching it, he knew exactly what it was, after all, he wore full-body armor made of that material every day.

That's right, it's mithril!

"Lord Lin, so you're a Mithril-level adventurer?!"

Adventurers are ranked into bronze, iron, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, orogen, and fine steel. Clem's strength is at most classified as gold. Although he is not weak, he is still not enough to compete with Lin, who is two levels higher than him.

"Please spar with me!"

"Ah, very good."

Lin nodded with satisfaction.

Clem first put the greatsword back, picked up the small shield and broadsword, and then took all the iron blocks out of his pocket.

Bringing such a thing to fight someone stronger than himself is too impolite. Moreover, he must fight with all his might, otherwise he cannot grow and would be letting down the person in front of him who has gone to such lengths.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, anytime!"

Clem gripped his small round shield and broadsword tightly. As the weaker party, he should have been the one to attack, but under Lin's imposing aura, he ended up being the one to receive the blows.

"So……"

The young soldiers were on high alert.

From which side will the enemy attack? From the left? From the right? Or will they break through head-on with overwhelming force?

Just as he was lost in thought, a figure seemed to transcend time and distance, appearing before him in the blink of an eye.

"You're daydreaming."

Upon hearing those words, he collapsed, landing squarely on his back.

what happened?

Who am I, where am I, what am I doing?

At the moment of the fall, Clem was completely caught off guard, his mind a jumbled mess of those three questions. His subsequent emotion wasn't anger or embarrassment, but rather profound regret.

It all happened too fast; he learned nothing. If he becomes disappointed in himself and stops practicing swordsmanship...

"How long are you going to lie here, Clem? Get in position, it's round two."

"what?"

Upon hearing the warrior captain's words, Clem noticed that Lin had returned to his previous position at some point.

Having understood what he needed to do, the young soldier rolled over, stood up, and resumed his defensive stance, giving it his all.

He wouldn't say that he lost so badly because of his carelessness or because of a sneak attack, because he knew that his opponent took advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration and seized the opportunity to launch an attack.

Only the strong can achieve this!

Put aside any unwarranted contempt and acknowledge that the other was a much stronger opponent. The young soldier, who had assumed a fighting stance, then lowered his gaze to the opponent's feet.

The kingdom's warrior captain had once told him that if he couldn't figure out how the enemy was attacking, he should look at the enemy's feet, because the feet would move faster than the body.

This time, this time it has to be...!

Swah——

The figure attacked again, and Clem's eyes widened.

I see!

When faced with an oncoming enemy, his first thought is to retreat, so that the enemy will misjudge the distance of their attack, and he can take the opportunity to counterattack.

However, despite his good idea, the other party was too fast. Before he could even make a move, he fell to the ground again in just one second.

However, Clem also understood why he had fallen to the ground.

He was kicked down by the other party.

The kick landed on his knee joint, and it was quick and light, with just the right amount of force so that his numb body couldn't feel it.

This unintentional display of superb skill opened Clem's eyes.

"Okay, let's pause for a moment."

Lin didn't strike another pose, but instead spoke to the young soldier lying on the ground:

“Little Clem, you don’t know how to use a sword, do you? To be precise, you haven’t received any training as a swordsman or soldier, so whenever you pick up a sword, you inevitably focus on fighting with the sword, so your focus is more on your upper body… What’s wrong? You look dazed. Did you get stupid from the fall?”

"No, no... it's just that Lord Storonov said the same thing to me yesterday."

"This is obvious."

There was no indication of the admiration expressed towards Clem, as if the top scholar were doing 1+1=2, a problem that even a child could solve, and there was nothing to be proud of.

"Let's get back to the topic we were discussing. Since you don't know how to use a sword, you'll inevitably focus on fighting with a sword, which naturally leads to questions about what swordsmanship and martial arts you know."

Judging from your physique, Clem, your shoulders are broader and your arms are larger than the average soldier's, but you don't have much muscle in your thighs. Therefore, I judge that you can use skills such as [Slash], [Pierce], [Thrust], and [Shield Strike]. That's why I lowered myself to attack your calves during the battle to avoid direct confrontation with you.

Ah, although a lot has been said, to apply it in actual combat, you need to analyze it all in your mind in an instant.

"Why...why is that..."

"Because I have excellent observation skills. Little Clem, this is the first lesson I'm teaching you: don't judge a book by its cover, but judge a book by its cover. Have you learned it?"

Looking at the smiling priest, Clem couldn't help but shudder.

This awkwardness, just like how her love for collecting heroic legends was exposed at the banquet, was something that no one else knew, yet the man in front of her saw right through her.

He thought the other party was a magic caster, and that he could put up a fight in terms of swordsmanship.

I never expected the difference to be so huge.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing, I just think you're really amazing."

Clem sighed.

As expected, there is a huge gap between geniuses and ordinary people. He simply couldn't learn the fighting style just now, and then he saw the man show a slightly melancholy expression.

"Master Lin?"

"I'm not strong at all."

"……what?"

"You think I'm strong because you haven't met anyone stronger yet. You'll understand just how strong they are once you do... That piece of shit [unofficial seat], does she really doubt she's human? If I hadn't dodged quickly, I would have been forced to eat a troll's OO! That guy clearly didn't provoke her, yet he said things like, 'You have immense power within you. If you can defeat me, I'll have your child.' Actually, he was just getting revenge because I secretly played with that strange, multicolored cube..."

For some reason, once the interruption started, it completely turned into complaining.

Clem and G. Jeff looked at each other in bewilderment.

However, upon learning that Lin, who was kind and gentle to everyone, was actually like this in private, the ethereal priest felt a glimpse of reality.

"Hey, what are you two laughing about?"

"Ahem, it's nothing."

Staring at the two faces that were trying hard to suppress their laughter, Lin knew that his true nature had been exposed, but he didn't pursue it.

"Little brother Clem, I understand your determination to become stronger. As fellow members of the League of the Disillusioned, I will teach you my ultimate move! A move that even an ordinary person can use to touch the level of a genius! It's also the move I used to escape from that [Unofficial Seat]!"

"Touched a genius..."

Under Clem's tense yet excited gaze, Lin slowly raised the longsword in his hand.

"This involves connecting muscles, bones, joints... every part of the body to move together, thereby exerting superhuman strength."

—Convert all into one, and generalize from one!

"Aha!"

With a low shout, the raised longsword fell instantly, and the terrifying aura that had been gathered spread outwards in an instant, accompanied by flying sand and stones. Clem and Gazef covered their faces and retreated.

As the sandstorm dissipated, a 5-meter-long fissure appeared before everyone, starting from Lin's sword tip and spreading outwards, reaching a width of about 3 meters at the end of the fissure, which was particularly conspicuous on the white stone slab.

"Wow, so strong... Even without using any martial arts techniques, he actually..."

"Use your whole body together; that's how I use my body. Want to learn? I'll teach you."

The slowly rising sunlight shone on the light blue, tousled hair, reflecting an incredibly dazzling brilliance that was deeply imprinted in Clem's eyes.

Chapter 449 The Prospects of the Popular Faction and the Axis Theocracy

Francia Palace

Lin was walking along the polished, spotless corridor of the largest of the three buildings, with Clem leading the way.

Three days after the banquet ended, he received a summons from the princess.

In the wide, clean corridor stood elite royal guards, clad in full armor and standing at attention; they were the kingdom's knights.

Unlike empires that recruit professional soldiers from the commoner class as knights, the kingdom's knights are a group of people who inherit noble titles, often from the third son of a noble family who cannot inherit the family business. However, because the royal family pays them very high salaries, only those with first-rate swordsmanship can be selected, and even nobles cannot get in through connections.

"The King's personal guard" is the most fitting description of them.

Incidentally, Gerdav did not hold a title.

Because of his commoner origins, he had stepped on the coattails of the nobles, who, unable to save face, opposed granting him a knighthood. Therefore, the king created a new position—King of Warriors. From then on, the elite soldiers personally selected and led by Gazef were collectively called warriors.

Come to think of it, Gerdov had invited him before, but his elder brother, the Marquis, had firmly refused.

Clem nodded to the knights. Most returned the greeting, some reluctantly but others genuinely. They were nobles, but also men of warrior spirit, loyal to the king.

Unlike Clem, Lin's smile was met with a response from everyone, without exception. Even the maids who had previously looked at Clem with disdain wore ingratiating smiles the moment they saw him.

This is the benefit that comes with aristocratic status.