Terminally-Ill Genius Dark Knight
Chapter 221

Chapter 221

221. The Flower That Couldn’t Bloom [1]

“Paracelsus-kun. You were truly impressive. You stood out the most in this match. Congratulations on your victory. In that spirit, how about some wine and sausages at just the right temperature?”

Leon rarely compliments Paracelsus. Naturally, his hands are full of sausages and wine to sell, while Paracelsus lets out a sigh.

Perhaps it’s because the lingering tension from the battle hasn’t fully subsided yet.

“He was quite strong. A worthy opponent. But…”

Paracelsus recalls his recent battle, takes a light breath in, then exhales sharply.

‘Objectively, he wasn’t a bad opponent. He wielded a rather flashy sword. More satisfying than others of similar skill. But, why?’

“Anyway, you won. Why does everyone look so disappointed?”

Eleanor speaks as if she doesn’t understand.

Truthfully, she was more shocked by Nox’s battle than anything else.

Instant acceleration?

She had seen it since the moment he first saved her.

The fluidity of his swordplay? The same.

Hadn’t Nox always boasted about that?

But what Nox showed this time was different.

A level of evasion beyond the norm, reading the enemy’s attacks with his own eyes and precisely dismantling them, then naturally seizing the flow as the opponent panicked.

This was a realm that could only be described as innate instinct.

Paracelsus was excellent as well, but she did not take a deep interest in what that meant

Of course, that was because Eleanor was fundamentally interested in Nox himself.

Though admittedly, her eye for swordsmanship wasn’t particularly sharp, and the fact that she was a mage also played a role.

Anyway.

Just as she was organizing her thoughts.

Nox suddenly glances at the brooding Paracelsus and remarks.

“Because his talent was too good to be limited to swordsmanship. He had several unexpected traits. He didn’t stop at thrusts and slashes, he actively used his entire body. It’s been a while since that damn commoner faced someone like this.”

“…Did you notice? Right. You must have seen it too, but it seems the opponent also had a rough background. A grappling art very similar to what I used in the eastern slums.. A swordsmanship that naturally incorporated and evolved from it.”

“Objectively, he wasn’t outstanding.”

“But there was something to learn.”

For the first time in a while, Nox and Paracelsus were on the same wavelength. Leon was the first to react.

“Oh! It’s rare for you two to agree. How about a quick drink while we watch the other matches?”

“Am I unlucky today? Getting tangled up with these commoner brats”

“Sorry, but I must say. These damn nobles…”

Eleanor, feeling sorry for Leon as he struggled amidst this, bought a glass of wine, but her brow furrowed almost instantly.

“…Cheap wine. Did you dilute this with water or something?”

Ei, no way. Nox glanced with such a nuance, but it was meaningless.

Leon had already answered kindly.

“I diluted it slightly, hoping my fellow students wouldn’t get too drunk. The alcohol content is around 4%…”

“You madman! That’s beer-level! This is straight-up fraud…!”

“Beer is also a fine drink.”

Leon said that, and his companions groaned while shaking their heads.

Should we say, as expected of Leon, the slave of gold?

In this situation, a noble setting up a stall was bad enough, but fraud on top of it…

Nox was furious.

This was an insult to drinkers.

In other words, it was blasphemy.

“Messing with alcohol is unforgivable.”

But the one who intervened next was someone even Nox couldn’t handle.

“Young Master. You must restrain yourself from alcohol. You’re weak to it.”

“….”

At Zitri’s words, Nox clamped his mouth shut, cutting off his interest in Leon’s fly-infested stall and turning his gaze elsewhere.

Because now, a truly critical battle was about to begin.

“Then, the next duel, Third year Cell von Stiliner and First year Thalia von Stiliner. Take your positions.”

Cell and Thalia.

The battle between the two sisters was finally starting. Nox swallowed hard without realizing it.

From here on out, he had to decide. Would he stop the sisters’ tragedy, or would he simply watch as the story followed the Inner Lunatic’s true history (정사)?

It was a decision that could no longer be delayed, and Nox had already made his choice.

“I, I’m going!”

Thalia clenched her fists tightly, as if steeling her resolve.

Nox propped his chin on his hand and replied indifferently.

“Don’t let the time I spent on you go to waste.”

It was a cold response, but for some reason, his voice carried reassurance.

**********

The atmosphere in the arena was pure frenzy and intoxication.

A place where all exceptional knights crossed blades and acknowledged victory or defeat. Of course, not everyone was free from the bitterness of defeat, but merely participating in this swordsmanship festival proved they were outstanding knights in the making.

Unlike those who crumbled after a single loss.

They admired each other’s swords, recognized their own limits and skills, and strove for progress.

That was the true value of the swordsmanship festival.

And it was also an opportunity for knights to surpass their own limits.

For example, Thalia was one such example now.

“Cell von Stiliner.”

“Thalia von Stiliner.”

The two sisters exchanged perfunctory greetings, repeating names they already knew, standing in the arena purely as knights.

Round 32. Merely making it this far was impressive, but Thalia aimed higher.

Nox and Paracelsus.

Two of the three freshmen had already secured a victory, living up to the reputation of the so-called Golden Generation. Some even openly whispered that the academy had gathered the most talented knights in its history.

This was the perfect catalyst to spur Thalia, who had been hesitating.

All the conditions were in place for the fuse to ignite.

“Begin!”

The moment Ulysses’ voice rang out, Thalia moved first.

‘Sister is strong. I have to seize the initiative!’

Using a rapid thrusting style, Thalia drove her rapier-like slender sword toward her sister. It was a stance difficult to attempt without solid fundamentals, but that didn’t apply to Thalia.

Fast yet precise.

That was the sword Nox had seen from Thalia over the past few days.

'But.’

Nox clicked his tongue briefly.

Chaeng! Their blades met, or rather, Cell deflected Thalia’s strike. The motion was as fluid as flowing water, as if she had already anticipated it.

This was the biggest flaw Nox had foreseen in Thalia.

'Too straightforward. There’s no weight behind her sword, no trick to make the opponent struggle.’

This was the starkest difference between her and Paracelsus, who had survived the barren east.

Paracelsus could wield multiple swordsmanship. In a way, he had been unable to settle on one until he finally met his master and blossomed.

Of course, his genius-level talent would have bloomed eventually, but meeting his master undoubtedly hastened it.

The key point was that Paracelsus had employed varied and unorthodox techniques in his last match.

The moment you confine yourself to one style, you weaken. From olden times, knights live and die by a single movement, a single technique, a single step.

Nox had spent the past days trying to teach Thalia this.

Creating variables. Holding a trump card to shift the flow of battle.

Because that was what Thalia needed most.

But in the end, this happened.

Cell, with her genius-level talent, effortlessly deflected the attack.

It was all too easy. Hadn’t Nox experienced this before?

During his first duel with the twin brothers, during the battle in the Chaders region, in every moment, Nox had absorbed lesser swordsmanship into his own, eventually mastering both the Black Sword and Moonlight Sword, hailed as the strongest.

His level was still low?

Levels could always be expanded. That’s a Genius

“…Haa.”

Thalia’s rapid thrusts were effortlessly dismantled, leaving her feeling hollow.

Cell took a step forward and spoke to her younger sister in the coldest tone.

“You’re still weak.”

Thud.

Thalia’s heart sank.

Was that the trigger?

Thalia’s voice began to rise.

“No… Me too, I’ve been doing my best every day…! To catch up to you, sister!”

“In the end, you’ll never reach me though.”

“I’ll show you I’m different now.”

Thalia focused. Not wavering. Giving her all. Living every moment, every second, in tension, this was both the greatest virtue and the hardest challenge for a knight.

The world might admire their beautiful exteriors with envy, but the inside was anything but.

Chaeng.

Their swords clashed again. This time, it was a direct confrontation.

Cell’s sword was a type of bastard sword. Normally gripped with a waisted hilt, the middle bulge allowed for versatile handling.

The blade was quite thick. Most average knights would wield it with two hands, calling it a two-handed sword, but Cell held it effortlessly with one.

And she swung it freely, pressing Thalia back.

— Kill.

That was the moment.

In an instant, just before finishing Thalia, Cell’s sword stopped.

Demon’s whisper….

It tormented Cell endlessly, and now, they were on the verge of sprouting.

But at that moment, Thalia was also preparing.

After her time with Nox, she had gained slightly more control over White Flame.

And that was the only path to free herself from the shadow of her sister, who had loomed over her for so long.

— Your sister is now a vessel for a demon.

— If you don’t save her, she’ll die. But without White Flame, you’ll never stand a chance.

— It’s an enemy that even the patriarch, Robert cannot defeat. You must fight such a foe.

The sudden news from Nox had stirred waves in Thalia’s heart.

She had thought her sister had abandoned her. That she despised her for being weak.

She had convinced herself that her sister hated her.

But like Nox and Eleanor. Relationships, people, could recover and move forward.

And so, for the first time, Thalia wished to reach Cell, even if just for a moment, surpassing Robert. Not as family, but as a young Swordswoman.

Not to be recognized as a knight by her sister, but to wield a sword to save her.

“I know. There’s a demon inside you.”

For the first time, Cell’s expression twisted in shock. She had never told anyone. Thalia shouldn’t have had the skill to perceive it yet.

The demon’s possession, something even Robert hadn’t noticed.

At that moment, for some reason.

Cell remembered her sister’s fiancé, who had always stood against the academy’s threats at every moment.

— I hope you’re not alone.

Now, she understood what those parting words had meant.

And so, she felt relieved.

In her shame-filled life, she was certain she could now bid farewell with a clear heart.

“You’ve grown, Thalia.”

“I’ll save you, Sister.”

Even knowing White Flame alone couldn’t defeat her sister, she said it.

Because when the moment comes to do what must be done, to create something from nothing, no matter how difficult, humans grow stronger to move forward.

Thalia had finished all her preparations.

“Here I go.”

Her voice was calmer than ever. Cell raised her sword in response.

Her body was already nearly overtaken by the demon.

'Only a few minutes left.’

With a bitter smile, the sisters’ battle slowly entered its middle phase.

Mana began to burst forth from Thalia’s body, soon turning white flame and seeping into her slender sword. Then, with a sound 'Ssht’, the mana condensed into the blade.

Slash!

Thalia leaped forward at high speed, clashing with Cell again, and this time, the result was different.

For the first time, Cell was pushed back. The fact that her feet dragged against the ground was proof.

The pressure piled up, layer upon layer, and for the first time, Cell showed bewilderment.

“White Flame… You’ve mastered it after all.”

“This isn’t all.”

I’ll win.

Though she didn’t have such an audacious thought against a genius, Thalia believed in herself. More precisely, she believed in her comrades who had helped and advised her. And in Nox von Reinhaver.

She believed in her fiancé.

That belief naturally became a spark.

What burned was a single, pure-white flame.

No.

That expression wasn’t quite right.

Because Cell, too, smiled faintly as she infused her sword with mana.

So, I will correct that.

What burned were two blades. The sisters’ white, radiant flames.

Brighter than ever before.