ICETF 20🌻

Chapter 20….

 Good Things Should Be Shared (1)

“Hmm… I’m not sure.”

For words that came out after such a long pause, it was an underwhelming assessment.

‘If it’s someone my senior chose, he must have something special…’

But Ralph couldn’t really see it.

“Still, he uses mana quite efficiently. No wasted motion. Looks like he built solid fundamentals from a young age. Whose kid is he? Must be from a fairly reputable family.”

That was the full extent of Ralph’s evaluation of Yuri.

Not knowing when Johan and Yuri had met, Ralph judged only by what he could currently see.

“Heh heh heh.”

At Ralph’s assessment, Johan simply chuckled without replying.

‘From a young age, my foot. That brat only touched mana a little over two weeks ago.’

Yuri was minimizing unnecessary mana use and applying it only where needed.

Even master Ralph had acknowledged Yuri’s clean mana control.

What was even more astonishing was that no one had taught him—he had figured it out on his own.

In just over two weeks since first encountering mana.

‘Tsk. Guess he grew up with nothing—he even pinches pennies with mana.’

Johan clicked his tongue inwardly as he evaluated Yuri’s innate talent.

Then his gaze shifted to Yuri’s opponent.

At the same time, the corner of Johan’s lips curled upward.

“Looks like the only thing your grandson inherited from you is the body.”

At Johan’s teasing voice, Ralph gave a bitter smile.

“…You noticed?”

“I’m not blind. He’s practically digging at empty air out in the open—how could I miss it? If your grandson had inherited your old temperament, Yuri’s skull would’ve been cracked and rolling on the ground already.”

“Now that’s a way to put it…”

“Heh heh. How did a butcher like you end up with such a softie?”

“….”

“Wait… the real reason you pushed for this spar was because of your grandson, wasn’t it?”

“Well, you could say it served multiple purposes.”

“Puhahaha.”

At Johan’s laughter, Ralph’s bitter smile deepened.

‘Muchi, you rascal…’

The reason Yuri had managed to keep dodging so far was partly due to his speed.

But more fundamentally, it was because the attacking grandson was only throwing out blows that wouldn’t hit.

If Muchi had launched a real attack, the spar would have ended the moment it began.

But his grandson hadn’t.

No—he couldn’t.

‘Even in a spar, you’re still being considerate of your opponent, huh.’

Unlike Ralph, his only son had been frail and gentle.

Since Ralph’s body arts were based on a strong physique, his son couldn’t inherit them.

That was why Ralph had been so overjoyed when a grandson who resembled him was born.

But just like his son, the boy had been born with a gentle personality.

‘Gracie, you must be pleased. Your son and your grandson… they both take completely after you.’

Both the son and grandson had inherited the personality of his late wife.

It wasn’t that Ralph disliked their temperaments.

He had fallen for that gentle woman at first sight, loved her deeply—and how could he resent children who inherited that very nature?

But still—

‘I just wanted him to have some fighting spirit…’

He wasn’t asking his grandson to harbor killing intent like he had in his youth.

He only wanted the boy to possess fighting spirit.

Because in the age of swordmasters, that was the minimum requirement to survive.

That was why he had gently coaxed his grandson into sparring with Johan’s disciple.

He had hoped competition might awaken Muchi’s competitive drive.

But the results were disappointing enough to draw a sigh from him.

‘Still a long road ahead. Very long.’

The boy was only thirteen.

His life was just beginning.

Ralph believed his grandson would change as he grew older—but he still couldn’t help feeling regret.

Meanwhile, Yuri finally began to notice something strange.

‘Now hold on…’

His opponent’s attacks were fierce and sharp.

Some were even too fast for Yuri’s senses to fully track.

Attacks that clearly should have been hard to dodge.

Yet somehow, he was avoiding them without much difficulty.

‘What? Is he missing on purpose?’

The same pattern repeated several times.

As Yuri kept evading, he carefully observed his opponent’s presence.

There was hesitation in the movements.

It was as if the boy was deliberately restraining his own power.

At that moment, Yuri became certain.

‘This guy… he can’t attack properly, can he?’

He was only pretending to attack.

Realizing this, the corner of Yuri’s mouth lifted slightly.

‘Oh ho? Is that how it is?’

The attacks were still destructive and threatening—but no longer frightening.

Because they weren’t going to hit him anyway.

Yuri’s eyes flashed as he shouted:

“Old man! Me too—a sword!”

At the shout, Johan grinned.

As if he had already guessed what Yuri was thinking.

“Catch!”

With a casual flick of his hand, the wooden sword lying at the edge of the clearing whooshed through the air toward Yuri.

“Thanks!”

Yuri nimbly caught it and widened the distance, staring at Muchi.

‘Not sure why you can’t attack…’

Yuri tightened his grip on the wooden sword.

‘But if you keep this up, that’s great news for me! Because—!’

Yuri’s body shot forward toward Muchi.

Grinning widely, he shouted:

“Even if you can’t hit, I sure can!”

With swift footwork, Yuri closed the gap, leapt high, and brought his sword down.

“This is what you call a free win!”

“Free win”—mercenary slang for an effortless victory.

As Yuri shouted it confidently, Johan burst out laughing, spittle flying.

“That idiot. Puh!”

Yuri didn’t hear Johan’s ridicule.

He was simply convinced his attack would land.

But there were several things Yuri didn’t know.

First: the thirteen-year-old before him was a genius who had trained in body arts for nearly ten years.

Second: the one who had built that foundation was none other than Master Ralph.

Third: with great talent and a great teacher, Muchi had already reached unofficial first-grade level.

And most importantly—

Because Yuri was certain the opponent’s attacks wouldn’t reach him, he had failed to consider one thing.

And the very reason Johan couldn’t help but laugh—

‘…Huh?’

Even if the opponent wouldn’t strike him, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t strike the weapon.

As if to prove it, Muchi’s wooden spear moved like a snake and struck Yuri’s wooden sword—

At a speed on a completely different level from before.

BANG!

“…?!”

The moment the weapons collided, Yuri felt a tearing pain in his grip.

‘Wh—what kind of strength is that?!’

Even though Yuri had put his body weight into the downward strike, Muchi’s upward swing blew the wooden sword away.

Effortlessly.

‘Ah…’

In that instant, Yuri realized.

‘…I’m screwed.’

That was Yuri’s last memory.

CRACK—

Muchi’s spear split the wooden sword in two—and didn’t stop there.

It slammed straight into Yuri’s forehead.

SMACK—

With a sound like a bursting melon, Yuri’s body spun backward through the air.

Watching this, Johan clapped.

“Wow, he really flew far.”

No sooner had he finished speaking—

THUD.

Yuri hit the ground.

Face first.

Flop—

After a magnificent face-plant, Yuri twitched slightly, then went limp like soaked cotton.

Muchi’s hands trembled as he dropped the wooden spear.

“D-did he… die?”

Muchi’s face rapidly turned pale in shock.

Then—

“You…!”

Yuri—who everyone thought was dead—suddenly sprang up and pointed at Muchi.

“You… you… you didn’t attack on purpose to make me drop my guard…? N-not bad… You… I went easy on you ‘cause you’re younger… really… This wasn’t fair from the start… i-it’s basically a draw… You… just you wait later…”

He was speaking—but his consciousness was already gone.

The words spilling from his mouth were the honest thoughts buried deep in his subconscious.

But Yuri’s rambling didn’t last long.

Drip—

Blood poured freely from both nostrils as his upper body pitched forward.

Thud—

In the quiet clearing, the sound of someone collapsing rang out loudly.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the sprawled Yuri.

Ralph blinked, dumbfounded.

“…Where on earth did you pick up such a shameless brat?”

Johan replied with a straight face:

“That thing is not my disciple.”

“….”

“Absolutely not.”

“…Who said anything?”

“Anyway, he’s not.”

“….”

After firmly denying it, Johan walked over and squatted beside the unconscious Yuri.

He said to Ralph:

“Congratulations. You won the first round.”

There wasn’t the slightest regret of defeat in his voice.

As if he had expected to lose.

Ralph, who had naturally expected to win, replied casually.

“So when’s the second round?”

“Actually, about that… mind letting us stay here for a while?”

“Hm?”

“Heh. I’ve dunked him in the fire—now it’s time for tempering.”

As he spoke, Johan smacked the back of Yuri’s head repeatedly.

Understanding the implication, Ralph shrugged.

“Well, do as you like. Though I doubt the result will change much even if you start teaching him now.”

Hearing that, Johan hoisted Yuri over his shoulder.

He smiled faintly.

“Who knows? It might be very different.”

With that mysterious smile, Johan leisurely left the clearing.

* * *

That afternoon.

Tap… tap… patter…

Yuri awoke to the sound of light rain.

Quietly sitting up, he looked around.

The feel of beast hide beneath him.

A place that looked like a cave.

A slightly darkened sky.

The smell of rain and the sound of drizzle hitting leaves.

As he processed the situation, his face grew more blank, and an inexplicable tightness rose in his chest.

Just as his expression began to twist—

“How is it? Losing.”

“Ah…”

The crisp voice came from behind.

Yuri didn’t even need to think about who it was.

More accurately, he didn’t have the luxury to care.

Because Johan’s single sentence made him realize the identity of the terrible tightness swelling in his chest.

A small sigh escaped Yuri’s lips.

“…I lost.”

The source of that suffocating feeling—

Was defeat.

Defeat.

A word Yuri had never once considered in his life.

His opponent had trained for years.

He himself had only learned mana for about two weeks.

He hadn’t even used his incarnation.

And it was only the first match of a best-of-three!

None of it comforted him.

‘…I lost?’

He lost.

He fought someone—and lost for the first time.

Completely helplessly.

That fact alone dominated Yuri’s soul.

Yuri stared blankly at the falling rain.

Silence stretched on.

Johan simply watched him.

The rain gradually grew heavier.

Then—

Yuri’s tightly shut lips parted.

“…Never again.”

His voice, heavy with resolve, mixed with the sound of rain.

“I don’t want to lose again. Ever.”

Yuri’s fierce eyes shone brightly in the dimness.

And—

Johan’s lips curled into a wide grin.

From the day of Yuri’s unforgettable first defeat…

Six months passed.

* * *

By the time spring had passed and summer was nearing its end,

the heat had eased and the humid wind had turned slightly cool.

The seasonal change reached Ralph’s home at the foot of the Cold Wall Mountains as well.

On a somewhat gloomy afternoon,

in the wide backyard clearing,

Ralph looked up at the sky and frowned slightly.

“Hmm… looks like it’s going to pour.”

His voice was full of displeasure.

Not because of the weather.

“With rain coming, what are those two doing that they still haven’t shown up?!”

The source of his irritation was the two long-term guests who had arrived in spring and stayed for six months—

Yuri and Johan—who were already ten minutes late for today’s second spar.

Watching his grandfather’s foul mood, Muchi cautiously spoke.

“S-should I go look for them?”

“Forget it. If they’re any later, we’ll just count it as a forfeit loss.”

“But Brother Yuri said he’d definitely win today… he was really looking forward to it…”

“You brat, the one he said he’d beat is you! You should be thinking about winning too!”

“Do I have to? Dad said sometimes losing is also a kind of winning…”

“Tsk. Your father sure taught his kid something useless.”

“…I don’t really want to fight Brother Yuri… Can’t we just say we lost, Grandpa?”

At his grandson’s question, Ralph sighed inwardly.

Somehow, that Yuri brat had completely won Muchi over—

Muchi followed him like an older brother.

Muchi had always disliked fighting, but after sticking close to Yuri, he had become especially reluctant about this spar.

A faint trace of regret crossed Ralph’s face.

‘Muchi…’

Superior physique.

Rapid growth.

To some, it would seem like a blessing.

But that very talent had distanced Muchi from children his age.

The looks other kids gave him were always filled with wariness and fear.

Even older boys—and adults.

Realizing this, Muchi had never been able to mix with other children.

In that situation, Yuri was the one who treated Muchi like a normal kid—

Like a younger brother.

Not a monster.

The only person outside his family to do so.

Even if it was just a spar, it was natural Muchi didn’t want to fight someone like that.

Even knowing this, Ralph shook his head.

“That won’t do.”

“But…”

“If you admit defeat before even fighting, it’s a great insult to the one who’s been preparing for today.”

“….”

“Didn’t you see him? Coming back every night looking like a rag.”

After the first spar six months ago,

Johan had said they’d stay for a while.

But in truth, Johan and Yuri spent most of their time deep in the mountains.

They trained there all day,

and late every night Johan would carry Yuri back half-dead.

Every single day.

Without fail.

They had essentially only slept at Ralph’s house.

Having watched this for six months, Muchi lowered his head without a word.

And at that moment—

“They’re here.”

Ralph’s gaze turned to one side.