1. The First Letter (14)
A few days had passed since I had trained with Seria.
Of course, I haven’t been able to achieve anything like this so far. Seria was still a swordsman superior in skill to me, and on the contrary, there were aspects of me learning from watching Seria.
While working with her, my work has also undergone many changes.
First of all, the proportion of training time has increased significantly. I used to invest more than 3 hours a day in self-training, but it was nothing compared to Seria’s amount of training.
I swing my sword every dawn, I swing my sword during breaks, and I swing my sword even at sunset.
I couldn’t be with all of the training, but it was after I decided to help. I also had an obligation to do my best.
The words of the nobility had to be kept. The words of the common people and the words of the nobles differed in their weight. Isn’t that why we enjoy wealth and glory on the sacrifice of the common people?
Of course, it was laughable for me, as the second son of a rural viscount, to talk about the duties of an aristocrat.
Still, after spending a few days together, it wasn’t without results. First of all, I was able to understand Seria better than before.
The new thing I learned about Seria was the following.
First, Seria lacks common sense about human relationships. This has hitherto been the realm of conjecture, but with each passing day I am adding to this inference.
For example, this was the reaction to the flirtation thrown last time.
Come to think of it, it’s not clear that Seria is ‘sepia’, but I thought it might be rude to compliment her appearance out of the blue. So the next day I gave her a plain apology.
However, Seria just tilted her head, as if she hadn’t even taken those words to heart in the first place.
“… … ? No, that’s fine. Because it is true.”
“Is it true?”
I inadvertently asked such a question because of the reaction beyond my imagination. Then Seria answered as if reciting an obvious fact.
“Yes, I have heard it a lot since I was a child. So, objectively, I thought I was pretty… That, isn’t it?”
At the last moment, I could see that she had no ill intentions, as she glanced at me and lost her confidence.
In other words, it was not intended to be condescending, but simply meant that I was accepting the word ‘pretty’ as an objective fact.
However, words always hide complex contexts and intentions. Normally, when you compliment your appearance, the underlying intention is to make the other person feel better.
Seria didn’t even know the basics of such a conversation. Only then did I realize why she was nicknamed ‘Yurdina’s slut’.
It wasn’t that she was ignorant, but that she was ignorant. As a result, her human relationships must have always been a series of failures, and it was an inevitable result to build a wall with others at some point.
I was about to talk about that point, but sighed as if I had given up.
It wasn’t a habit that could be fixed in a day or two anyway. Only, I returned the answer as a pure valuation, as she wished.
“Yeah, pretty. Anyone who sees it will say it’s pretty.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Seria sighed in relief, adding, “It’s a relief.”
Rather than being afraid of the possibility that she might not be pretty, it was a response that seemed relieved to have the information she already knew confirmed again.
It seemed impossible to capture Seria’s heart with just the basics Leto had taught her. If I wasn’t sure she was ‘sepia’ anyway, I wouldn’t want to get closer to her than necessary.
And secondly, Seria lacked the concept of ‘rest’.
The first day I started training with her, I chased her all day trying to keep up with her. That was the conclusion I came to after that.
Apart from eating meals or attending lectures, Seria spends most of her time training. It was an ideal figure as a ‘genius who works hard’, but improving his skills was not something that could be done by ignorantly wasting time.
Even the harshest training in childhood, which could be called the most exhausting period of my life, was premised on appropriate rest and nutritional supplementation. Otherwise, the muscle could have been destroyed.
There was no way that the daughter of the Yurdina family, one of the most prestigious families in the empire, would not know this. But I couldn’t contain my curiosity and asked her.
“Seria?”
“Yes, senior Ian.”
Seria, who had been drinking water from a canteen for a while to replenish her hydration, looked at me as she said that.
Her gray hair was wet with sweat. Even though he swung his sword so much, the sound of his breathing, and the mesmerizing aquamarine-colored eyes, combined with it, gave a dreamy feeling.
The forest at dawn was quiet, and the sunlight was beating down on Seria as if gently revealing a jewel the world had hidden.
Pretty was pretty. While having that sentiment once again, I questioned Seria.
“You’ve been wielding a sword all day since yesterday, but don’t you have time for a break? If you do, your muscles will not have time to regenerate, and the effect will be diminished.”
Then Seria’s head tilted once again. The look on his face that he couldn’t understand the intention of the question, it was a sight he had seen many times since he was with her.
Seria tapped her lips with her index finger, then spoke in an incomprehensible voice.
“Can’t you just eat a healing potion?”
I couldn’t help but swallow a laugh when I heard that.
Yes, if you don’t have bread, you can eat cake. The ‘Healing Potion’ was an item that had the effect of instantly healing wounds, and could be said to be an extra life.
Since it was a potion with such an effect, how much would it cost? It was a precious thing that even a decent nobleman, let alone a commoner, carried around a bottle for emergencies.
But Seria was drinking it every day. To do more training.
In fact, I’ve heard such rumors. Among the children of high-ranking nobles, poison servants often practice drinking healing potions like that.
However, this was the first time he had confirmed the truth of the rumor with his own eyes. That was all I had to do. This is because no matter how much healing potion you drink, mental fatigue cannot be relieved.
Humans were not machines. Not only the body, but also the mind needed rest. Exercising intensely every day is not only tiring of the body, but also of the mind.
It was for this reason that the academy’s club culture was revitalized. Because hobbies help to recover the mind and body exhausted from study and training.
Therefore, training while drinking healing potions was not simply a matter of being able to afford the cost. It’s a matter of being able to withstand that murderous amount of training.
She was a woman worthy of the word toxic. I stuck out my tongue.
“Aren’t you tired of just swinging a sword?”
Seria tilted her head again, and she asked me back.
“Could it be?”
“For example, there are many things you can do besides training. Drinking with friends, participating in club activities, reading books… … .”
As my words continued, Seria scratched her cheeks embarrassedly. she said carefully.
“That, since I was young, I only knew swords… … .”
I clicked my tongue inwardly. Seria’s detailed growth process is unknown, but at least it seemed clear that she hadn’t walked down a path similar to others.
Come to think of it, Seria was the youngest daughter. Since he was a child born from birth, he could have known how he was treated by the powerful Yurdina family.
Maybe that’s why I grew up not knowing anything but swords?
I was at an age when I had to feel the sweetness as well as the bitterness of life. Haven’t you just turned 20? Life is long, but the only way is the sword.
Of course, there are people who are happy with such a life. Seria’s passion for the sword was genuine.
However, the life given other choices is clearly different from the life without. I felt bitter about it.
I didn’t feel pity. Because all human beings live with their own problems.
Perhaps Seria, seeing me, had the same sentiment. To a genius, a person without talent was only an object of pity or contempt.
However, as a senior, I could give some advice to my juniors.
“Let’s go downtown next time.”
“Is it a monster subjugation?”
I couldn’t help but click my tongue at Seria’s words.
There are tens of thousands of people residing at the academy. And more than half of the students were aristocrats, and many of the students had wealthy merchants as their parents.
Of course, within the academy site, the enormous demand cannot be met. So, on the outskirts of the academy, there was a shopping street called ‘Downtown’.
It was quite large. It was because the academy had so much money, so merchants from all over the world flocked to it. In addition, the academy was located in the center of the continent, and there was a warp gate, so it was a good transportation point.
In other words, it was safe to say that a city was built around the academy. And when young people in their 20s go out to town, they usually have one goal.
Going out to play, that was the general idea. However, Seria seemed to have accepted this as a means to go on a ‘subjugation of the demons’.
In the city, there were not only shopping districts but also warp gates. Occasionally, among the students at the academy, there were those who took time off to carry out requests to subdue the beasts. It was to gain practical experience.
When I was so dumbfounded that I was speechless, Seria seemed to take this as a tacit agreement. She nodded her head on her own accord and gave a look of realization.
“I did think that the recent training alone had stagnated my growth. Before entering the academy, I went to subdue monsters, but lower grades are forbidden to subdue demons… But with senior Ian, permission might come out.”
In front of Seria, who freely understood and admired, I touched my forehead, not knowing what to do.
In the end, the words that came out of my mouth were the most simple words.
“… … Yes, it’s not a monster subjugation, but anyway, let’s go downtown.”
Maybe she didn’t know because she had no friends to go with, so I thought I’d show her around the city.
And finally, Seria looked unexpectedly impatient.
Her rigorous training also seemed to come from such impatience. An obsessive fear that if I didn’t swing my sword right away, I might be left behind.
No matter how much healing potions are used, high-intensity training entails a greater risk of injury. It was only natural that Seria sprained her ankle one day.
“Oh, black?!”
I, who was swinging the sword alongside Seria, immediately turned my head when I heard her faint moan.
Seria was sitting there, clutching her ankles. It didn’t take long to figure out the situation.
Because there was no prosecutor who was not familiar with injuries. I hurried over to her.
“it’s okay?”
“Yeah, I’m going to step on my ankle for a while… big… … .”
It was bent properly. A feeling of heat was felt near Seria’s ankle. It hadn’t swollen yet, but it seemed clear that it would swell soon.
It was a sprain. I took the first aid kit out of my pocket.
“Okay, it’s okay. If you eat a healing potion, it’s like a scar… Weak?!”
I didn’t have to listen to her any more. When the ointment was applied to her ankle, Seria let out a cute scream at the cold feeling.
It was a strange pleasure to hear such a sound come out of her mouth, which had a cold impression. I deliberately rubbed her ankles like a massage.
“Keuuu, heh… Seo Eon, Bae Ae… … .”
It was only then that I let Seria go. Tears welled up in her eyes.
No matter how familiar human beings are with injuries, once they got sick, tears stinged their eyes. I rubbed the injured part as if I was pressing it, so it only hurts.
There was a faint resentment in Seria’s eyes. But what will she do, I’m the senior.
I told her with a small smile.
“Eomsal-eun, what kind of healing potion do you drink? No matter how effective a healing potion is, it is not omnipotent.”
Seria put on a slightly sullen expression at my words, but she couldn’t refute. Because what I said was absolutely right.
My voice, which started as a laugh, gradually changed to a condescending tone.
“You know very well that no matter how much healing potion you take, you can’t relieve all of the accumulated fatigue in your joints. That’s why you need to adjust the training intensity. Why are you in such a hurry?”
Then I took out the clean cotton cloth I had been carrying around. I carry it with me every time I train just in case, so I never thought it would come in handy at times like this.
I picked up a chunky twig that was rolling nearby and used it as a splint. Seria, who had only moaned a few times until then, soon avoided my gaze.
“… … There are opponents I want to beat.”
“Are you in fourth grade?”
This year’s hunting festival, last chance.
It was a brief clue, but it was not without reasoning. Seria silently nodded at my nonchalant question.
A sigh escaped from my mouth. It felt a bit stuffy.
“Seria, the academy is not the end of your life. The world is outside the academy. Even after graduation, there will be plenty of opportunities to compete, so is there any need to be impatient like now?”
“It will go further.”
Now it was my turn to be silent. I, who had tightly tied the splint on her ankle, turned my gaze to her.
Seria was looking down at the floor at an angle without making eye contact with me. However, despair and a sense of defeat reflected in those eyes.
She was biting her lip. with strong confidence.
“As time goes by, that person will go further. So much that I can’t even compare.”
“… … How can you be sure?”
“Because she is Yurdina soon.”
I chose silence again. Seria’s expression looked complicated. Look at that gloomy, shadowy face.
It must have been a face no one had ever seen. Everyone has at least one such face. So, I lowered my head again and bandaged her ankle.
Even though she must have felt the bitter pain, Seria didn’t even let out a small moan. I just heard the sound of a head shaking.
“The academy is the only place where people can be evaluated without discrimination, whether by descent or birth. Senior Ian.”
The world is outside the academy.
I thought over and over again the words I casually threw at Seria.
And I tightened the bandage tighter. Because that was all I could do now.
To Seria, the world was such a cruel place.