30 – Episode 3. Unintended attention is a refusal. (8)
Mina Illustern Ferathor.
She was a being gifted with beauty to the extent of being called the Empire’s flower.
It was no wonder that men facing her would strive to gain attention by showering her with all kinds of expensive gifts.
Honestly, it felt pathetic to see crazy men courting a princess, but now, facing her, I understood the hearts of men.
The harmony of her beauty was so absurdly perfect that it could be expressed as if God had meticulously sculpted it. I heard that the illustrator really put in a lot of effort, but looking at her features, I could only be amazed and knew that I would never forget them for the rest of my life.
However, knowing how ruthlessly cold and indifferent she was inside, I never wanted to get close to her.
If Mina found someone not up to her standards, she wouldn’t even spare them a glance, and if they crossed the line, she would exclude them without hesitation.
And her personality was very similar to her father, Emperor Frey.
In fact, she had the goal of becoming an emperor herself, so she often emulated Emperor Frey’s behavior as her motive.
Unlike Miné’s personality, if we only consider competence, there would be no problem with her becoming an emperor. However, the impure motive of wanting to become an emperor was concerning.
That very motive—.
“It seems like you’re taken aback by seeing me.”
I couldn’t help but stop my thoughts at Miné’s words. As soon as I noticed the golden eyes gazing at me, I bowed my head and greeted.
“…I greet the Imperial Princess Miné Ilustren Ferrator.”
“It’s strange to call someone who is as beautiful and distant as a flower a flower, isn’t it, Abel Sirius?”
If you don’t take that title, who will?
Miné observed me quietly.
The eyes looking at me felt so cold that I felt pressured to say something, anything.
“Then… I’ll call myself the Empire’s Sword.”
“But isn’t the Empire’s Sword already taken? Jeff Carrion, the Imperial Knight Commander, is the Empire’s Sword, isn’t he?”
Jeff Carrion.
He was the only living sword master and the one who swiftly quelled the resistance of the Suin tribe, becoming the Imperial Knight Commander.
And at the current moment, he was the strongest in the empire.
“Jeff Kyung is the sword of the empire. I believe there is no one else besides Princess Miné who is worthy of being the Empire’s Sword.”
“You have grown bolder while I wasn’t looking.”
“hahahaha… I’m serious.”
“Is that so? Well, I don’t entirely dislike it.”
Is this… a pass?
I wish she would at least smile if she doesn’t dislike it.
She’s always expressionless, so I can’t tell what she’s thinking.
Just imagine that she wants to execute me with that expression. How dreadful.
“Princess Mine, what’s going on here?”
Lina asked bluntly instead of greeting. Although her tone had a hint of sharpness, Mine didn’t mind. She just glanced at Lina for a moment and then turned her gaze back to me.
“I heard that Abel Sirius appeared in the training ground. I also heard that it was to personally support Lina Spon.”
She’s quick with the information. At this rate, is there anyone at the academy who doesn’t know Abel Sirius?
“I came to see it because it seemed like a rare sight. Why? Is that not allowed?”
“I never said it wasn’t allowed. Just—”
“Are you going to say it’s rude to come to the resting room of the opponent without any notice?”
Lina’s words made Mine flinch. As Lina fell silent, she slowly walked towards us. With each step, the platinum blonde ponytail swayed from side to side.
“It’s a valid point. Even if you maintain your best condition, I will win this match. Is there a reason to think otherwise?”
Arrogant.
But no one dares to call her arrogant. Some even call it confidence.
It’s partly because she’s a princess, but it’s also because of her overwhelming performance and skills she’s shown so far.
“Is that… not something you’re familiar with?”
“I wish you’d think about the number of times you’ve challenged me before you say that. You’ve challenged me and never won once, right?”
“Isn’t it enough to win now?”
“Do you think you can?”
Miné’s words, delivered with an indifferent tone, caused Rena to lower her head. She had been about to retort, but instead, she gritted her teeth and tightly closed her lips.
Rena clenched her fist, choosing silence over words as she struggled to suppress her emotions.
Already being in such a despondent state… Is my mental fortitude weaker than I thought?
Fights were not solely determined by skill. Human fluctuations in confidence, momentum, condition on that day, mental state, and more played a role, allowing for unexpected changes.
However, if she started off in a state of despondency, she couldn’t expect any favorable changes. Thus, the first thing Rena needed to do was not to lose her momentum against Miné.
“Still, I have to admit your persistence. Others may back off after a single defeat, just playing it safe, but you’re always trying to beat me, even if just once.”
Though it was clearly praise, to Rena, it might have sounded more like sarcasm. Gazing into her eyes, which were increasingly heading toward defeat, Miné reached out her hand.
“If you think you can try again this time—”
“Rena, lift your head.”
“!”
Ignoring the princess’s words, Miné placed her hand under Rena’s chin, forcibly lifting her face. Rena looked at Miné with a startled expression.
“What are you—!”
“We came here to win, didn’t we?”
“I know, but—!”
While I can’t claim to fully understand, I can empathize with how challenging it is to overcome feelings of inferiority and defeat.
I’ve experienced numerous failures, allowing my self-esteem to be gnawed away until I eventually began seeing myself as a loser.
As defeat became a habit, the image of overcoming it seemed to disappear from my mind.
I no longer felt confident that things would get better than they are now.
So, I ended up avoiding it in the end.
That’s why Lina must have been wandering for a long time.
“Why? Because it’s true and you can’t argue back? Or are you intimidated by Princess Miné?”
“W-who’s intimidated!”
“Then hold your head high. You came here to win.”
A hint of uncertainty flickers in Lina’s eyes.
Thanks to my confident tone, her hesitation gradually diminishes.
“You don’t have to say it out loud, you know?!”
She says, hitting my arm. A smile spreads across her previously tense face, and she regains her composure enough to tease me.
“Hmm. Are you really saying this with a clear mind? Abel Sirius.”
“…I am of clear mind.”
“I have never once thought that someone who used money and power to oppress students could be of clear mind.”
Her indifferent expression distorts ever so slightly. The corner of her mouth curls up slightly.
It was mocking. And it was directed at me.
The princess must have known about Abel’s actions so far, which was why she was clearly mocking him. There was nothing to say, hearing such words from someone who openly betrayed the noble lady.
“But… I see. Saying it like that makes me somewhat hopeful.”
There is no hint of fluctuation in her voice.
It’s clear that her hope is a lie. Miné, who had been alternating between looking at Lina and me, turned her body. As she was about to leave, she sent a sidelong glance in my direction.
“And I’d prefer it if you didn’t call me a genius. It reminds me of someone trying to deny all my efforts.”
Someone…
That’s probably referring to her older brother and the prince.
“Well then, I’ll look forward to the competition.”
With those words, Miné gracefully left the waiting room. Her personality is truly identical to that in novels or in this world.
“Ugh. Is that gentleman intentionally here to kill me?”
“I doubt it. As the princess said, Abel, you coming to support me is surprising. Since our relationship soured, you’ve never visited once.”
“Well, I… I’m sorry.”
I casually scratched the back of my head.
I’m trying to piece together Abel’s actions, but every time, something new comes up. He’s really managed to survive without a scratch.
By now, it wouldn’t be strange if someone smacked Abel on the back of the head with a brick.
“I wasn’t really trying to apologize… Are you really Abel?”
“Well, who else would I be?”
“I have no idea what’s happened in the past few months. Can people really change like this? It’s like… a completely different person has entered your body.”
I flinched unconsciously at Lena’s words.
Desperately managing my expression to hide my hesitation, I opened my mouth.
“Is that even possible? Just… think of it as me getting my act together.”
“Is that so?”
She laughed bitterly and clenched her fist suddenly.
“Alright! I’ll just focus on beating Princess Miné now.”
As the dying embers were reignited, her enthusiasm seemed to soar once more.
“Sure. When I win and come back, I’ll shower you with praise.”
“Who are you treating like a kid?”
She chuckled and lightly tapped my arm.
Soon after, the servant urged me to head to the training ground, along with the story that Miné had already gone ahead.
“I’ll go right away.”
“Rina, do you remember what Porth and I taught you?”
“Don’t worry. I remember it well.”
Her confident response reassured me a little, seeing her regain her composure.
“It’s a quick fight. It’s decided in an instant. Otherwise, it won’t be easy.”
From the moment Miné started reading Rina’s moves, the possibilities rapidly narrowed. To win, I had to finish it before she caught on.
“I know.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
To finish the quest.
* @ *
“Who do you think will win this time?”
“I bet one gold on Princess Hwanye this time. Honestly, Lady Gong has never beaten Princess Hwanye before.”
“I think Princess Hwanye will win too. Even though Lady Gong seems to be showing only the basics in her recent moves, it’s still not easy to deal with her, right?”
“But Miné can’t be matched against Princess Hwanye. Jeff Kyeong said that the swordmaster to succeed him is Princess Miné.”
“Is that so!”
Most of the spectators in the stands were predicting that Miné would win. Abel, who joined the stands after parting ways with Rina, chuckled as he overheard the conversation.
So, that kind of talk was something he didn’t like, but considering the actions of the two people so far, it couldn’t be said that their thoughts were completely wrong.
Still, the dissatisfaction lingered.
As Abel watched Lena ascend to the training ground, Miné looked around and felt a strange atmosphere.
‘Hmm. It seems like there are troublemakers within the academy…. What should I do…’
Miné didn’t really care about a sparring match with Lena, whom she was confident she could beat anyway, but seeing Lena standing upright in front of her changed her mind.
‘Well… for now, let’s crush Lena’s arrogance.’
Swish!
Miné and Lena drew their swords almost simultaneously. The well-maintained sharp blades gleamed in the sunlight.
“Starting now, Miné Illustren Ferrator challenges Lena Spon to a duel.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Cheers erupted from the audience in response to the announcement by the knight in armor. The knight in charge of judgment this time belonged to the imperial knights and also held a professorship in the current knight department.
“Did everyone properly wear their protective gear?”
He asked, reaching out between the two.
“Yes.”
Both Lena and Miné checked their clothes once and answered.
“Remember, since this is a formal duel, be aware that your lives are at stake because real swords are used. While aiming for the vital points is allowed for practical sense, be careful not to inflict actual harm. Especially, be cautious of the neck, which lacks protection.”
“Understood.”
With their eyes locked, both answered and tightened their grip on the sword handles.
“Begin!”
As the judge raised his hand, Miné rushed towards Lena faster than she did. In response, Lena, who had been exerting force in her legs to close the distance, changed her posture.
Boom!
With the smooth movement of Cheongsan’s flowing water, she easily dodged Mine’s attack.
Seizing the instant gap, Lina made her move, but Mine, who had been waiting for it, immediately counterattacked.
Boom!
However, this was also just a part of Lina’s plan. As soon as she saw Mine swinging her sword, she swiftly moved her body out of the range of the attack.
“…Dodging again? Last time you were in such a rush to block with your sword.”
“Even if I get hit, practicing the Poros form during the spar has its effect. It’s definitely showing.”
Calmly, Lina observed Mine’s movements, fully aware that she had said they should finish it quickly, but it wasn’t about rushing to end it in the beginning.
One chance.
The story was about seizing that chance accurately and making a decisive move.
“Where can I evade this one as well?”
Thud!
As Mine struck the ground, small fragments jumped up.
It was an acceleration to the extent that even the umpire might miss the movement for a moment. However, Lina’s eyes were keenly focused on Mine’s movements.
“Waited for that, didn’t you?”
As she watched the strike heading towards her abdomen, she pretended to receive it, then twisted her body and withdrew her sword.
“!”
Boom!
Mine’s sword drew a large trajectory, completely missing Lina’s body.
This was Abel’s strategy.
Abel knew that he could never win against Lina in a strength match.
Understanding that when strength clashes, the weaker side inevitably loses, she had thought to even use Miné’s strength.
“Now!”
Seizing the opportunity of Miné’s center of gravity collapsing, Lina swung her sword, and at that moment, a thudding sound echoed from the ground where Miné stood.
Boom!
Lina’s sword, swung with full force, did not reach Miné.
Certainly, Lina’s attack was perfectly timed, but Miné’s movements were unnaturally fast.
“To dodge this…?”
Lina could only be astonished.
She hadn’t imagined Miné could reverse the already shifted center of gravity.
Thud!
A moment later, the decoration hanging on Princess Miné’s robe, which was a beat behind, fell to the training ground.
“Seems like you haven’t just been playing around during the break, Lina Spawn.”
Miné, looking at the blemish on her own robe, distorted her expression for the first time. Frowning, she brushed off the part where the sword had grazed with her hand.
“…You seem to be in a similar situation, Your Highness.”
“Why do you think you’ve changed?”
Miné, sitting in the spectator’s seat, glanced sidelong at Abel Sirius, who was silently watching the training.
“Is it still Abel Sirius?”
“!”
“That’s the correct answer.”
Miné was convinced as she watched the tip of Lina’s sword waver.
“I had speculated since I saw that guy trying to empower you… But, was there really something to learn from that trash?”
Emotions sprang to her consistently indifferent eyes.
It wasn’t a positive feeling like interest or anticipation but rather discomfort.
“But in the end, the one who wins is me.”