1. The first letter (4)
Seria Yurdina had been swinging her sword since early morning that day as well.
Her day always started like that. Ever since she first picked up a sword at the age of six, there hasn’t been a day she hasn’t missed training. Even if it rained or snowed, her sword always drew several traces.
Some called her a sword genius. It was worth it. From around the time he reached his teens, he began to subdue monsters, and in the process he built up a reputation.
By the time I turned 18, an official invitation came from the academy. It was an obvious proposal to take the entrance exam for the academy, the best educational institution on the continent. Of course, Seria gladly accepted the invitation.
Even at the academy, where raw meat geniuses gathered, there were few people who could compete with her. At least there was one or two of her motives. That’s why she was able to maintain her position as the head of the swordsmanship department.
So the modifier ‘genius’ attached to her was not an exaggeration or flattery. She was literally a genius.
However, he was just a genius who was ‘trying’.
Seria was not young enough to grumble that she did not recognize the blood and sweat shed in secret. Nevertheless, she often had this thought when she saw people who only looked at the results.
Have they ever swung their swords as eagerly as I did?
After her father kicked out the mother who gave birth to her, every day she spent in the Yurdina family was like a competition for survival.
In order not to be kicked out, she had to prove her worth, and she was able to receive the surname of ‘Yurdina’ only after she began to excel in swordsmanship.
she had nothing Even Yurdina’s bloodline, which she had been forcibly connected to since birth, would disappear when her own use was exhausted.
Cut everything to survive.
I heard that mysterious Lizardmen live in the jungles of the Southern Ten Kingdoms. In a place where poisonous insects and poisonous plants are infested, Lizardmen have developed peculiar habits to survive.
If any part of the arm, leg, or tail is poisoned, that part is cut off. It was to preserve his life before the poison spread throughout his body.
Arms, legs, and tails regenerate over time, but life cannot be regained once it is gone. Some might call it a humiliating life, but when Seria heard it, she admired it.
It had to be so in order to survive. So she cut out everything that was limited to what she needed a long time ago.
Hobbies, more sleep than necessary, relationships, and even desire and affection.
All that junk was melted down and brushed off to make a famous sword called ‘Seria Yurdina’. Of course, it was qualitatively different from other prosecutors, and it had to be.
Of course, no matter how much I wanted to cut it off, there were some things that I couldn’t get rid of.
Sometimes she was depressed all day at the thought of being lonely, and there were times when she longed for unconditional affection and approval.
But it was already too late. For her, who did not go through a normal socialization process, human relationships were a very difficult problem.
The more she did, the more she fell into the world of knives. When he wielded his sword, at least he could not care about the problems outside. He could even forget himself.
As a woman living such a life, it was only natural to start the morning by swinging a sword. At this moment as she breathed in the cold dawn air and swung her sword, Seria’s heart was calmer than ever before.
That day, if that man hadn’t suddenly entered her training space.
Seria, who was concentrating on training, was startled by the sudden presence. Her puzzled eyes turned to her back.
This was a forest located in a remote area even from the academy. Among them, an empty lot that is not well known to people.
At least it was rare that she felt a presence from the morning when she went in and out of this place every day. At most, the camping club came to visit once or twice, and she moved the training location.
And the reason Seria couldn’t help but be even more flustered was that the presence came from a place much closer than expected.
Seria excels not only in swordsmanship, but also in the amount of magic power. And since he was a child, he went through several real battles and was good at controlling them.
When it reaches such a state, its senses become incomparably sharper than before, and it always senses the dangers around it by spreading a subtle magical surveillance net, consciously or unconsciously.
But now Seria didn’t even notice the presence until someone came close to her. This meant one of two things.
Either the opponent is much stronger than Seria, or he is determined and hides his presence.
So she hesitated momentarily. If it’s an ambush, should I use my hands first?
However, it soon turned out that Seria’s worries were unfounded. Seria glanced at the man who trudged into the clearing, and then, with nonchalant eyes, walked back to the middle of the clearing.
And he drew his sword. It wasn’t directed at anyone. just into the void.
It seemed that he had come to wield a sword as well. Seria still did not withdraw her wary gaze, but soon realized that the other person’s face was familiar.
Dark hair, golden eyes. It was one of the seniors who listened to the lecture together.
Was your name Ian? In her memory, he had a softer impression, but today he had something sharp.
And above all, the eyes where that deep fatigue lingers.
The intense emotion swirling in her eyes was enough to give a frightening feeling. The moment Seria met those eyes, she had to feel her blood freeze like a mouse in front of a cat.
Those were the eyes of a murderer. Those eyes that only those who have suffered countless lives and do not hesitate to steal someone’s life.
Seria’s body trembled. The instinct to point the sword at him raised his head. It was a warning from a survival instinct trained long ago.
However, the man didn’t even care about Seria. Just swung the sword a few times.
The sword drew a strange trajectory with the sound of a hook and the air being torn.
At first it was a simple, straight trajectory. However, as the traces and traces overlapped, more and more difficult geomuro began to be drawn.
It was a magical sight. Seria was stunned and enjoyed the few minutes of swordsmanship demonstrations.
She was also a prosecutor. Of course, he was proud that he had an eye for recognizing the opponent’s skills.
So she was even more embarrassed. Assuming that she is standing in front of her with that sword, how many times will she be defeated?
number 10? No, it could have been less than that. The clash of swords against swords was like solving a trick in the blink of an eye. It was a sword path that was difficult to see even when watching from a distance like it is now. In practice, there was nothing to say.
But, that wouldn’t be possible.
She too had seen his swordsmanship several times while listening to the lecture. Even then, his swordsmanship was faithful to the basics, but that was it.
Was it an illusion? It was when she muttered that to herself.
“… … Seria Yurdina.”
“Yes, yes heh?!”
She bit her tongue in response to the man’s voice calling her in a low voice.
I felt like dying of shame. Her face flushed red, and soon she lowered her head.
I don’t know if it’s because it’s been a long time since we’ve had a conversation. These days, it’s rare to even say a word or two a day.
However, the man did not seem to have any intention of blaming or making fun of her mistakes. However, he spoke in a voice that could not erase the tiredness.
“There is a limit to wielding a sword alone. If you can’t rely on anyone, it will eventually break.”
He muttered that lamentably, then turned around and left the clearing. Even then, Seria just stood there blankly.
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Just when the man passed her, she smelled an unpleasant smell that wafted up.
Smell of alcohol? Her gaze followed the man. Come to think of it, that staggered gait was not normal.
Are you still awake from drinking? The moment she thought of that, Seria felt a tear in her stomach.
Is there a limit to wielding a sword alone?
What would a man who drank alcohol the night before and wielded a sword for exercise say to me?
Her sword was more desperate than that. It was a path that I walked alone because no one understood and had no intention of being understood.
It was stupid. I was ashamed of myself for being possessed by that guy’s sword, even for a moment, as a swordsman with insufficient content.
Come to think of it, I think there was a different word to call someone like that.
After struggling for a while, she was able to come up with the words she wanted to recall.
Yes, it was ‘Kkondae’. Ian sunbaenim was a ‘kkondae’!
I don’t know the exact meaning, but I remembered people passing by calling people who gave bad advice ‘Kkondae’. So senior Ian must have been an old man.
Seria, gritting her teeth, swung her sword again.
However, the relationship between Seria and the man that day did not end there.
During the swordsmanship practice session, Professor Derek of the Faculty of Swordsmanship gathered the students and declared in a dignified voice.
“Today, we will conduct pairing for exchange between seniors and juniors!”
At those words, the atmosphere of the students suddenly became delicate. They say that the academy is everything, but no matter what, school is still school. There was no junior who did not find it difficult for an unfamiliar senior.
Of course, this was also the case with Seria. She was the one who gave up human relationships in the first place. Pairing up with someone you don’t even know would be an awkward and painful time.
However, Professor Derek, a legendary adventurer who traveled through all kinds of rough terrain and hunted famous beasts, was a man who put special value on fellowship. There were even rumors that even though he was over 50 years old, he remembered his dead comrades whenever he saw the scars on his shabby body.
No matter how much the students objected, it was unlikely that they would back down on that decision. Sarah sighed inwardly.
Even if they paired up anyway, it would have been enough to ignore the opponent and train alone. She, who had managed to comfort herself like that, soon had to face an even more embarrassing situation.
It was because the person she was paired with was the man from the morning.
‘Ian Percus’. Only then did she know his full name. Of course, it wasn’t a positive interest. Since this morning, Seria’s mood has remained the same.
That may have been the case. Even if it wasn’t so, the fact that she, who was called “Yurdina’s slut,” continued to respond even more ruthlessly.
“I don’t want to train with seniors.”
Pop, she said as if tossing it. As if to say a very obvious fact.
“I don’t think it will help much. With the skill of a senior, it seems.”
At her words, the atmosphere around them stiffened for an instant. And after a while, as if I knew it, I heard the sound of clicking my tongue and sighing.
It was only after Seria said that, I thought, Oops.
It was always like this. I wanted to speak a little more softly, but she, who is inexperienced in human relationships, often spoke overly frank words.
Of course, this time, the antipathy towards the ‘Kkondae senior’ must have played a part.
As expected, Yurdina’s nasty, mocking voice could be heard, but Seria tried to ignore it.
Except for swordsmanship anyway, all of that was meaningless. While reading yourself like that.
However, Ian, who was actually the party to the verbal abuse, just looked at Seria without saying anything. Maybe she was too shocked, the moment someone tried to comfort Ian.
“come out.”
From his mouth, that one word came out of nowhere. Rather, that one word had a bigger ripple effect than Seria’s verbal abuse.
The man pointed to the sparring arena located in the center of the swordsmanship training center with a wink and said.
“… … Let’s try it sometime.”
Who is testing whom? Seria with Ian? Or, Ian for Seria?
If you only look at the skills that are revealed, the former would be correct, but Seria, who now met Ian’s eyes, didn’t think so at all.
Unable to read inside, golden eyes full of only fatigue.
It felt like he was looking down on her.
“… … like.”
Seria gritted her teeth and said so.
That was the beginning of an incident that would shake the academy.