1. The first letter (3)
About a hundred students had already gathered at the swordsmanship training ground with soft grass. The sound of them gathering in twos and threes turned into a murmur.
It was an academy-like vitality that symbolized the continent’s youth. But even that hum began to subside in an instant as soon as I took a step.
It felt as if a high-ranking aristocrat had visited a rural village. At most, it was not a luxury that the second son of a viscount could enjoy. A chilly silence settles around me just by my presence.
The three-digit number of eyes paying attention at once came as a pretty big psychological burden. To the point where I want to vomit the soup I ate for breakfast.
Of course, I wasn’t the only cause of this chilly silence.
Already, I could feel the eyes staring at me from somewhere.
My eyes glanced at the source of those wary eyes. It was as expected.
Shiny gray hair stood out as if only the most beautiful light of black and white had been taken. That hair that came down to her waist might be annoying as a swordsman, but it doubled her beauty as a woman.
And those blue eyes reminiscent of aquamarine, and flawless skin. The uniform of the swordsmanship department, which emphasized activeness, adhered to the body, revealing the curves that still have a fresh feeling.
She was a pretty woman. Sometimes, when I gazed into those jewel-like blue eyes, I sometimes thought that she was not human. Wouldn’t it be better if it was a glass craft crafted by a master craftsman?
Although she was not born with the blonde hair and red eyes that could be said to be the symbol of the Yurdina family, she was a woman with the beauty of the moon. She, who had just become a woman from a girl, always charmed many men like a sweet-smelling flower.
The end of the men who were possessed like that was generally disastrous.
It reminded me of some friends who once courted Seria Yurdina. The attitude of thoroughly ignoring everyone soon swallowed tears.
It was a cool eye. On the other hand, my gaze toward her contained only perplexity.
It was a big deal. Those eyes were full of determination. That kind of will to regain his shattered pride.
I was the one who listened to Leto’s words and seriously thought about being absent, but in the end I couldn’t.
Even if I didn’t do that, I was the one who endured from time to time in the middle and lower ranks. Attendance at the swordsmanship lecture, which had the greatest impact on the swordsmanship department’s grades, had no choice but to be concerned.
However, no matter how rationally he made his decision, he couldn’t help but feel some regret. That’s why Seria’s eyes, which I was facing right now, harbored cold hostility.
I heard I half-killed her last week, but I don’t think I can beat her now.
There was no way that I, who was only in the middle-lower ranks in common sense, could win the victory against her who was competing for the top spot, no matter how much I was a year younger. How much more does it kill half of them without allowing a single effective hit?
It was nonsense. Rather, the opposite was more likely.
But whether or not I broke into a cold sweat inside, the students who came to the lecture were watching the two of us with some tension and interest.
They were people who knew the whole story of last week that I did not know. He must have wondered what kind of outcome Seria’s multiple blood battle would have today.
Even if I was broken by Seria, it would be fun just like that, and even if Seria were broken once more, they would laugh at me, saying that it was a bad thing. All events were most interesting to watch only when they were some distance away from the center.
However, the scene they expected was not directed immediately. It was because Seria, who had been eyeing me for a while, slightly lowered her eyes.
It seemed like I was very scared a week ago. I didn’t know that ignorant junior would avoid looking at me first.
I was secretly breathing a sigh of relief, having avoided an immediate collision, when someone tapped me on the shoulder with an elbow. It was not a quarrel, but a greeting shared by the men of the ten southern kingdoms.
And that also meant recognizing the other person as a man in the Southern Ten Kingdoms. My gaze narrowed. There, a muscular man with tanned skin stood.
He was a man with golden hair, giving off the impression of a bully. Not to mention, he was actually a famous bully at the academy.
Thean of Count Eitri, from the Southern Ten Kingdoms. He stood in front of me with his cackling, frivolous laugh, leading his gang.
“Hey, who is this? Not last week’s hero!”
“The last match was impressive, so… Ian?”
When Thean, who plays the role of the head of the alley, gave me words of praise, the others added a few words. Most of the responses were favorable to me.
Come to think of it, I heard that they are also leading the way in secretly ostracizing Seria.
In fact, they were afraid of the Yurdina family’s retaliation, so they couldn’t even step out properly, and they were insidiously stepping on their feet or whispering curse words.
They were poor guys. I let out a deep sigh, but Thean still smiles and tries to put his arm around my shoulder.
“Kuu, there are times when that nasty bitch looks down first… As expected, the club pack is the best way to show the relationship between seniors and juniors. is not it?”
“Do you think other clubs would work well besides that one?”
And the giggling that followed.
Around that time, with a thump, my hand cut off Te An’s arm. Thean looked a little perplexed.
Yes, I pretended to be friendly, but it would be embarrassing if I did this. I’m not a great person to be hostile to someone, but I added a word to save his face.
“I think we’re going to play a game later, but I think I’ll have to warm up soon.”
Thean, who had a puzzled face at my words, immediately grinned and gave a sly smile. He tapped my shoulder again with his elbow.
“… … I’ll be looking forward to it. Let it be very smashed.”
Unless I’m smashed by her.
However, Thean and his gang seemed to have no doubt that I would destroy Seria once more. And probably most of them are expecting such a scene with dubious doubts.
It was human nature to yearn for a star when it was in the sky, but to fret when it fell on the earth.
And the expectations pouring down on me, who played the role of dropping that ‘star’, was also a double-edged sword. If I failed, some of the ridicule the fallen star deserved would be directed at me.
The look has become funny. To be put in such an embarrassing situation because of something you don’t even remember.
The moment I tried to calm my throbbing head by pressing my temples, I saw a familiar figure from behind.
Her ebony-like hair was neatly tied up and flowing down her back. She was an impressive girl with a pure white nape of her neck that fluttered through her hair whenever she swung her sword.
No, should I say girl? In terms of age, I’m an adult.
As soon as I saw her, I moved without hesitation. And while she was holding her breath as she stopped swinging her sword, she stabbed her neck with her fingers.
“Hey, hey!”
The girl who was swinging the sword jumped with a strange sound. And bewildered eyes turned to me.
It was a girl with impressive yellow eyes. From the fine features to the well-balanced body.
To be honest, it was filthy pretty. Although I still feel like a younger sister.
Another childhood friend who is one year younger in the swordsmanship department and has been hanging out with Leto ever since childhood.
It was Celine Haster. I giggled when I saw Celine staring at me in surprise.
“Hi, Celine.”
However, unlike me, who greeted me with joy, Celine wrinkled her face as soon as she saw me. Then, he wrapped his arms around my neck and made me bend as if pulling him.
In an instant, her and my heads collided, and a small, secret meeting room was created. Celine whispered to me.
“it’s crazy?! Why are you pretending to know and making a fuss! I was deliberately pretending not to know… … !”
“No, what’s going on between us? Do you throw away a friendship of more than 10 years like a devoted pair?”
Celine tapped my chest in frustration at my calm and weak voice. However, the bulging chest softened the shock, so it didn’t sound as dramatic as Leto’s.
Celine and Leto were cousins. We’ve been together for a long time since childhood, so we’re like siblings, so maybe that’s why our reaction when we’re frustrated is similar.
“So who wants to touch Yurdina? No matter how young she is, Yurdina is Yurdina… Don’t you know just by looking at the surname given to Cheonchul? It means that you will see that talent and accept it as a member of the family! Celine of the Hastur family, who rules the snot-sized country estate, just thinking about it makes her heart skip a beat, right?”
“So you can’t pretend you don’t know.”
I responded with simple words to Celine’s detailed explanation. An impudent expression came to my face.
“Didn’t you decide to die together when you died? I can’t go to hell alone.”
“go away.”
She tried to push me away with a bang, but my arm had already wrapped around her neck for a long time. I forcefully stopped her from leaving.
“Don’t do that, you really don’t intend to pretend you don’t know, do you?”
“Are you going to pretend not to know? If I get involved with Ian’s brother, I might get involved with Tean, those bastards… … ! Don’t you know that I hate people who mess with me the most?”
Celine’s resistance was more extreme than expected. I tsk tsk, clicking my tongue, first pulling the arm around her neck even more strongly.
Her breath and mine collided at close range. Celine’s breath smelled sweet even after she swung the sword. How could she smell so good?
It was a mystery, but I didn’t deliberately ask the question. Celine only blushed slightly as she got closer to me.
“What, what are you doing… Everyone else is watching… … !”
“So, is it okay if other people don’t see it?”
Puck, Celine’s still free hand hit my stomach. I groaned and coughed.
“… … Die?”
Seeing Celine’s chilly voice, I decided to get to the point right away. If he threw more jokes, he would have to fight Celine before fighting Seria.
Celine’s skills were on the same level as mine, but her strength was much stronger than mine due to her much higher magic power. Instead, it had the downside of not being accustomed to controlling that magical power, but in any case, it was not an opponent I could take lightly.
“Don’t do that, tell me how I was the last time I fought Seria.”
“… … ?”
Celine’s puzzled gaze turned to me. He did just that too.
That’s right, wouldn’t the person who fought know best? But unfortunately, I don’t remember fighting at the time.
So it was even more frustrating. If I knew how they fought, I would at least come up with countermeasures, but now I was in a situation where I had to stand in front of Yurdina without knowing anything.
The swordsman and the girl who had been slitting the throats of demon beasts like apples in an orchard since her mid-teens. Confronting her without the slightest preparation was tantamount to suicide.
But I don’t think she’d give up if she had to avoid a fight today. It was like I had only two options.
However, it is destroyed by Seria and becomes a laughing stock for everyone.
The two of them somehow show themselves not to be pushed back by Seria, and wait for Seria’s interest to cool down.
Naturally, the latter was a more attractive option than the former. I mean, if you can.
To Celine, who was still staring at me as if asking for an explanation, I explained the situation in a low voice.
“That’s true… I have no memory of the past week right now?”
“Ian oppa, are you an idiot?”
I made a threatening sound at her pointy words, but Celine’s pitiful eyes did not disappear.
In the end, I had no choice but to sigh and acknowledge her words.
“Yes, it is sick. So stop doing that and talk to me, okay? How the hell did I beat Seria Yurdina?”
“You have to say that… … .”
Now it was Celine’s turn to be embarrassed. That’s right, if you ask ‘how did you win’, the answer she can give is limited.
What she saw must have been the image of me that consistently overpowered Seria, and how to recreate that movement was entirely up to me.
However, Celine soon opened her mouth with a sigh and a voice that was not confident. It’s like I’m going to try something.
“I will only tell you what I saw. I was one of those who witnessed it firsthand… Why don’t you resent me for not being helpful?”
“Of course! Please don’t do that, and tell me without hesitation.”
She seemed to hesitate at my confident voice, but soon began to unravel the scene she had seen that day.
It was a voice that seemed to be bewildered even now thinking about it, and it did not feel realistic.
**
Sarah closed her eyes and opened them. The landscape rose like foam. The beginning and end of meditation were always like this.
Clear your mind. Composure must always be maintained like a sharp knife.
These were the few teachings left by her father, who kicked her mother out for being inferior.
After a brief meditation, her dark blue eyes turned to someone. It was the man who had given her a humiliating defeat not too long ago.
I couldn’t even use my hands properly. Why, only the question echoed in my head.
But the results were very clear. She rolled on the ground and breathed wildly, unable to even control her body, and his figure, even the sound of his breathing, was calm.
He, who had been so terrifying, was in the middle of a gossip conversation with an unknown woman. Unlike her, he seemed to have plenty of room.
After staring at him for a moment, she lowered her gaze with trembling eyes. I recalled the fight from a week ago that I had reviewed over and over again.
Yes, that was the day. If you can’t overcome the fight of the day, you can’t go any further.
That made her desperate. The memory of that day washed over her image like a wave.
The man of that day was somewhat tired.