Chapter 395

The problem with the world is that while fools and fanatics have excessive self-assurance, wise people are filled with doubt.

– At this hour, a night broadcast?

– Wacky-pya~

– To go live right after school, what a rare treat! I’ll enjoy it!

– Are you making progress today, Professor Noname… or should I say, Sensei?

– Please upload three lecture videos each day!

– It’s really noisy outside. What’s going on?

“Hello everyone. Since you’re progressing quickly in your swordsmanship, I’m planning to upload two lecture videos today. Our school has a glow sword trend going on; do you guys know what that is?”

They took out a rather crude sword.

Unlike the cute plastic handle, the blade itself gave off a chilling atmosphere.

“Wow, looks like Noname is going to show us some swordsmanship!”

“Let’s sit here and watch!”

The elementary school students all gathered in a circle as if they had made a pact.

On one side were the pure, curious eyes of the children.

And on the other side…

– What are the protesters doing?

– Seriously, those xx are back, and they’re not even tired.

– “This isn’t a joke; it’s violence” LOL

– Wow! A school violence without victims exists! Korea is truly amazing!

– Academy = a group teaching killing techniques, look at that logic.

– Noname, let’s go film somewhere else.

– Seriously, are you afraid of the poop? No, it’s just disgusting.

“Hey, student! Put down that sword right now!”

“The sword?”

“Yeah!”

“Me?”

“Yeah!”

“Why?”

“… Because it’s inherently dangerous! Would it look good or bad for someone to be waving a sword around in broad daylight on a busy street?!”

“I’m standing on academy grounds, so only students and faculty can walk around here anyway.”

“…”

The woman was speechless upon seeing the white line on the ground.

They could not cross that line without permission from the foundation.

The land of the Seviron Foundation is a portion of territory in South Korea that has even been leased to the U.S.

The moment they trespass, it won’t be the police but fully armed U.S. soldiers who intervene.

I showcased the trick I demonstrated to my friends in the gym earlier.

Spinning the sword in my hand, I threw it high into the air.

Clang-!

I caught the freely falling sword perfectly by the handle.

The children’s cheers filled the air.

– Haha!

– This kid just has different talents, LOL!

– Is this a circus or what?

– Seeing the kids so happy makes me feel good too, hehe.

– Swordsmanship is all about the tricks after all.

– No matter how much they screech, they can’t come into the academy, right?

“Let’s start with a simple review of what we learned last time, and afterward, I’ll introduce the 53rd sword principle of the Imperial Palace Sword Method, ‘Falcon Strike.’ This type of thrust seems to be coming up for the first time today, right? Usually, thrusts appear as derived and connecting movements of other sword principles, so it’s placed after the 400s. It could be good to keep that in mind.”

Before that, I started with a review of the 52nd sword principle, ‘Key Cut.’

Starting from a horizontal arm position, I quickly drew the sword close to my body.

The handle was at my chest, and the tip of the sword pointed toward my opponent. Then my left hand joined in.

I twisted my wrist like turning a key at a 90-degree angle, swiftly drawing the sword horizontally.

After the impact point, the sword tip curved greatly and spun around my body.

My body spun lightly like a ballerina following the blade and landed on the ground.

Cheers and jeers erupted simultaneously.

“Now, I’m going to teach you the Falcon Strike-”

“Stop right now!”

– What a prank, LOL!

– Wait, did Noname turn on the broadcast just to show this?

– LOL!

– I loved seeing a class screaming at an elementary student~

– This is so funny, really LOL!

Eventually, one of the protesters couldn’t hold back and boldly marched up to the boundary line.

As I aimed the sword at her, she was startled and fell on her rear.

Even when I tried to help her up by extending my hand, she turned her gaze away upon seeing the glow sword in my hand.

“Ah! Ouch! Get that cruel thing away from me right now!”

“This?”

“You’re threatening innocent citizens! Is everyone in the academy like this?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, illegal, illegal. Don’t you know what the law is? Glow swords aren’t toys; they’re defined weapons. Hand me that sword and go home!”

“Why?”

“Ha…!”

The woman’s face turned a vibrant mix of red.

– LOL, even I’m infuriated just watching!

– I’m really glad to be on Noname’s side.

– It’s an unbeatable logic that can’t be refuted, LOL!

– And it’s not even illegal, what is she talking about?

– And even if it were illegal, Noname is invincible!

– Later, she’ll be screaming she got hit by flashlight light, LOL!

Knowing she was being ridiculous, the woman turned and rejoined the protesters without looking back.

Then she started inciting people with a red megaphone.

“Look, everyone! This is the result of academy education. How did those good and innocent children end up like this? Now is the time for us adults to pay attention. Seviron Academy must immediately ban violent play culture!”

“Ban it! Ban it! Ban it!”

Whether they made noise or not, I continued my lecture.

I’ll just do post-recording when I upload it online later.

“The Falcon Strike has the advantage of being usable within tight spaces without many restrictions. You can use it even in narrow areas, say it again?”

“You can use it even in narrow areas!”

“Right. It’s too complicated to explain which sword principles it can connect to in front and behind, so you don’t need to know that yet. The basic stance should be like this. For right-handers, position your body slightly to the left, with your legs a little wider than shoulder-width and your knees bent.”

A few children started to stand up and follow along.

The protesters were shouting loud comments at what they were seeing.

However, the excited children learning swordsmanship didn’t hear them at all.

For this type of person, it’s worse to receive no comments than bad ones.

The protest, conducted under thorough indifference, was gradually losing its momentum.

I corrected the children’s stances and kindly answered the viewers’ questions.

“Now, who wants to practice with me?”

“Me, me, me!”

“Noname, you’re right behind me. Let me do it.”

I brought our class’s best student, Kyungwon, to the middle.

“The sword principles used most in actual combat will likely be Crown Cut – Barrier Cut – Falcon Strike. Friend, I’ll swing the sword really slowly, so think about how you’d respond.”

“Can I do whatever I want?”

“Just show normal responses. For example, if I’m about to chop down at your head vertically like this, what should you do?”

The sword descended slowly over Kyungwon’s head at a turtle’s pace.

Kyungwon raised his sword horizontally without a moment’s hesitation.

“Like this?”

“Exactly. Actually, this is the most standard defensive position, and most people defend like this. Since it has the least vulnerabilities, it became the standard, but it carries the risk of being predicted. If you expect this much, then you can use the stance transition for the Barrier Cut we learned last week right here.”

As I stepped my right foot back, I swung the sword from left to right in a parabolic arc.

A horizontally defended sword cannot block a horizontally incoming attack.

“That’s the Barrier Cut. The sword is shifted to the right back, but the weight is stable due to the stance transition, right? Now we bring it back forward and perform a thrust. That’s the Falcon Strike. You’ll be able to execute it much more stably if you also channel your aura into your right heel and thigh.”

I then demonstrated the entire series of movements in slow motion.

The glow sword flowed through the air like a conductor’s baton.

With a steady rhythm, slow tempo, and clear trajectory.

It went down, spun halfway, and thrust forward.

But there was nothing to be done.

Humans are inherently flawed beings, unable to look at everything objectively.

The sword principle was devised to penetrate the physical limitations of the body and the gaps in psychology.

Those who don’t know the sword cannot defeat the swordsman.

Kyungwon tried to counter at the last moment with the glow sword tilted.

Was it an instinctive movement?

‘Very good. However…’

Clang-!

My glow sword slid along his blade.

In the end, it succeeded in pushing his sword aside and reached his abdomen.

The glow sword turned from the tip to red.

I clicked the round button on the orange handle, and it returned to its original white color.

“Noname, what the heck! That’s so cool!”

“Kyungwon, you couldn’t block that? Whoooo!”

“No, the sword suddenly came right in front of me!”

“Not true! Noname was intentionally thrusting super slowly!”

“If you’re so frustrated, then come and try it yourself.”

There’s still so much left to explain.

How to hold the handle during Falcon Cut, how wide to step.

And in the recent case, Kyungwon showed a V-shaped defense, and I needed to explain how I penetrated it, and how to counter if it was an A-shaped defense.

The protests grew more intense.

I glanced at the chat window and smirked briefly.

“I’ll extend the class for 20 more minutes.”

* * *

Shin Bora, the deputy director of Nonviolent Peace Alliance, gritted her teeth.

The ridicule and ignorance from the public were something she could endure indefinitely.

She had the mission of bringing true peace to the Korean Peninsula.

But Noname was different.

She was the biggest victim of a real-life terror.

Victims like Noname were the very existence of the Nonviolent Peace Alliance.

Watching her brainwashed by the academy, acting alongside the public, was intolerable to watch.

In the end, she crossed the white line drawn at the main gate.

A piece of territory partially encroached upon by the United States.

Thud-

“You shouldn’t cross over here. Please return quickly to where you originally were before I report this.”

Noname said with a dry look in her eyes.

It was a gaze that couldn’t possibly belong to a child.

This too was likely a remnant of violence created by the system.

Shin Bora resolved to take away the glow sword, the root cause of the incident.

Thwack-

Noname gripped the handle tightly and resisted.

“This belongs to Yuna.”

“It’s a weapon that children shouldn’t have!”

“Let go while I’m still speaking nicely.”

“No. I can’t let go. This is an adult’s responsibility.”

Swish-

A child’s grip cannot overpower an adult’s.

Noname, who might have used her aura, let herself be stripped of the glow sword.

‘Well, patience is a virtue.’

If Noname had used a bit of aura against me, she would have clung to it till the end.

The most ideal scenario was evaded, but taking away the glow sword wasn’t bad either.

Shin Bora lifted the glow sword high, out of Noname’s reach.

Noname charged to reclaim it.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

She stretched out her left hand to block Noname’s approach.

And then an unexpected thing happened, which wasn’t accounted for in her mental scenario.

Thump-

“Huh?”

The heavy image of Noname demonstrating the Imperial Palace Sword Method had vanished.

It felt like hitting an empty can.

The moment she pushed Noname’s body, there was no resistance whatsoever.

Noname’s surprisingly light body was pushed back helplessly, soaring into the air.

Swish-!

And she rolled across the concrete floor.

“Cough, cough!”

Shivering and slowly lifting her head, Noname looked at the red scar forming on her palm from the scrape.

Her eyes trembled intensely like ripples on a lake.

Stunned by the sudden shift in circumstances, Shin Bora froze in her place.

Noname spoke softly in a trembling voice.

“It hurts…”

Her voice seemed to barely hold back tears, making it even more heartbreaking.