Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 36

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Telon glanced down at the smooth floor, checking the Grand Duke’s feet.

He noticed the Grand Duke’s right foot positioned forward, ready to move at any moment, prompting Telon to tighten his grip on the sword in his right hand.

He reduced the space available for an attack.

Since his attacks weren’t working, he shifted to a defensive stance.

Unlike the large, thick greatsword used by Irtel, the Grand Duke’s longsword was slimmer and could potentially be blocked with a sword or axe.

As the Grand Duke lightly flicked his sword through the air, he moved first when he saw Telon trying to assume a defensive position.

‘Is he going for a thrust this time?’

The speed and power of the incoming sword strike were overwhelming. The sheer force made Telon’s hands tremble.

‘Did you really think you could block that?’

As the swords clashed, Telon was pushed back, feeling as though he was fighting against a towering mountain.

Though the blades had made contact, it felt like the Grand Duke’s strength was pressing his entire body flat.

Telon attempted to angle his sword to deflect the force of the locked blades, but the Grand Duke’s crushing power was too much.

With no other option, he swung the hand axe in his left hand.

His aim was to push back the Grand Duke’s sword, but even if that failed, he hoped it would at least throw off his balance.

‘Did it work?’

As the heavy pressure from the locked blades disappeared, Telon let out a strained breath.

His eyelids, weighed down from the short yet intense exchange, fluttered open and closed.

Just then, the Grand Duke, who had stepped back, swung his sword heavily once again.

At the same time, a force resembling a storm surged from the ground with a loud “crack”.

A massive shockwave, like a sword wind, rushed towards Telon, whose strength was already drained.

“Ugh.”

One knee buckling under the intense pressure, Telon used his sword to keep his collapsing body from falling completely.

Lifting his head, he barely managed to focus on the Grand Duke, who now seemed even more imposing as he raised his longsword once more.

Then, with his grip loosening, Telon’s body helplessly fell forward onto the hard ground.

That’s when Telon lost consciousness.

“……”

Sheathing his longsword, the Grand Duke turned his gaze towards Sener, who was standing off to the side, and spoke.

“Well then, the final applicant for the Northern Knights entrance exam, Sener.”

“……”

“Are you ready?”

At the low, rumbling voice of the Grand Duke, Sener furrowed his brow.

‘The exit is completely blocked.’

Once again, Irtel approached and carried the unconscious Telon away.

Watching as Telon was taken out, Sener glared at the training ground door that was slowly closing, its angle narrowing.

‘If I could just break through that door, things would be much easier, but there’s no way they’ll let me go that easily.’

The training grounds were tightly sealed, with not a single gap visible, blocked by a thick, taut fabric.

The only exit was guarded by Irtel, standing firmly in place, which made Sener click his tongue softly.

If he had to fight either the Grand Duke or Irtel to find an escape route, Irtel was the better target.

But even then, it was only a matter of whether he would be caught in three steps or ten.

His brief encounter with Irtel at the weapon shop yesterday had already made it clear that their skill levels were vastly different.

Irtel could easily handle him with just one hand.

‘…But if Irtel is that skilled, how much stronger is the Grand Duke, who’s even better? Finding an opening in his defenses is impossible.’

While Telon had crossed swords with the Grand Duke, Sener had meticulously observed the Grand Duke’s movements. Just a single step forward from the Grand Duke revealed his immense strength.

Though his movements seemed light, the power behind his body wasn’t something one could achieve through mere days or months of training.

The way he wielded his sword was completely different from those who carried their weapons around carelessly, full of bravado.

His attacks were sharp, and the force behind them was overwhelming.

Despite only clashing a few times, and only against a lower-ranking knight, the Grand Duke’s swordsmanship was flawless, leaving Sener in awe yet filled with doubt.

‘Is this really just a formal test for entering the Northern Knights?’

Considering how elite the knights of this order were, it was clear that the entrance test wouldn’t be easy…

But is that why the Grand Duke himself is stepping in, moving his body like this?

Personally overseeing things, just as a formality for the test?

Or…

Is this a way for the Grand Duke to personally deal with those who troubled Ronen, using this as an opportunity?

Sener’s eyes narrowed.

The Grand Duke’s deep, unreadable eyes, devoid of malice, were fixed on him.

‘But if this were truly punishment for troubling Ronen, I doubt it would end like this… He hasn’t killed any of the others.’

…If it were the Grand Duke, he could easily kill us.

Sener’s eyes narrowed again.

Though he couldn’t figure out what the Grand Duke truly wanted from this test, one thing was certain: he wasn’t going to kill them.

So, Sener decided. He would pretend to fight the Grand Duke for a bit, then fake unconsciousness and escape.

Once out, he could hide somewhere and gather his things.

The Grand Duke would be leaving for the Count Herins’ estate in a few days, so if money got tight, he could sneak back to the estate later.

Having settled his plan, Sener approached the Grand Duke and bowed deeply. He adjusted his grip on the high-quality longsword that didn’t slip, even when held tightly.

This time, instead of using the weapon from the armory, the Grand Duke drew the sword hanging at his waist.

With a small nod from the Grand Duke, Sener took his stance and moved first.

Since he planned to fake unconsciousness and be carried out, defense wasn’t a priority. He wanted to end this quickly.

Gathering strength in his legs, Sener sprinted across the smooth floor, drawing his sword forward in a long slash.

Though he knew he was fully exposed to the Grand Duke’s gaze, he didn’t care and aimed for the Grand Duke’s waist, while lowering his head to brace for the attack that would come at his upper body.

“Clang!”

As expected, the Grand Duke’s sword blocked the attack flawlessly.

The sturdy longsword collided with his own blade, producing a sharp ringing sound.

The Grand Duke began pressing down with his sword.

Sener gritted his teeth as the overwhelming force pinned his blade down.

“……”

It was strong.

Incredibly strong.

All it took was a light clash of their swords, yet it felt like he was striking iron with his bare hands.

The shock reverberated through his wrists, making his hands tremble.

As he had anticipated, the strength behind the Grand Duke’s sword was far greater than expected, causing cold sweat to pour down his body.

His whole body tensed from the pressure, and the sheer force of the Grand Duke’s power made him feel as though he was being dragged along.

It was like standing before a massive beast he couldn’t possibly defy.

His body shivered with a chill, and he desperately wanted to retreat from the Grand Duke.

Even his gaze made Sener flinch.

‘I need to find a moment to pretend to faint without it looking suspicious.’

If this continued any longer, both his body and mind would break under the strain.

As he slightly pushed the Grand Duke’s sword away and stepped back, Sener bit his lip. His chest rose and fell rapidly from tension.

Taking a long, deep breath, Sener steadied his sword.

This time, he decided to fight defensively.

He stood at a distance from the Grand Duke, looking for a moment to faint convincingly.

But the Grand Duke had already seen through his plan.

This time, he rotated his sword so the flat side, not the edge, was facing Sener, as if he weren’t preparing to slash or stab.

Then, as he infused energy into his sword and swung it.

“Whoosh!”

A shockwave, like a fierce gust of wind, flew towards Sener.

“Ugh.”

As the sword energy struck the ground near Sener’s feet, the impact caused his body to shake violently.

And when another wave of sword pressure hit his knees with a “thud”, Sener collapsed to the ground, kneeling.

Though the Grand Duke hadn’t even directly struck him, Sener was helpless against the force of the distant sword energy.

Yet, he had no time to feel ashamed.

Finally, Sener understood. This was a place of punishment for those who had tormented Ronen.

The foot that first touched the sword pressure throbbed as if it had been trampled by a carriage, and the sword pressure that struck his knee reverberated through his entire body, like being rammed by a herd of charging elephants, causing his whole body to tremble.

“Ugh.”

Then, as another fierce sword pressure struck his abdomen, Sener clutched his stomach and collapsed forward, groaning as his forehead hit the ground.

The Grand Duke’s footsteps slowly approached. Sener, unable to even think of getting back up, followed the Duke’s feet with his gaze.

As the Grand Duke’s sword pointed upward above him, Sener squeezed his eyes shut.

‘I’m not just going to pass out—I might actually die here.’

Still, no one would think it strange if he fainted right now.

So, Sener pretended to faint.

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