The Drinking Sage 30

Stillness.

That was the atmosphere the Sword Star, Silvia Isolde, displayed.

Like a quietly flowing stream.

Just silently, gazing at her opponent.

Cheolgeok- The sound of gripping a sword hilt rings out.

‘Hmm.’

She doesn’t seem to have any intention of going easy.

She’s probably planning to take down the Northerner with a single strike. And for Silvia, that wouldn’t be a challenge at all.

“…”

Looking at Silvia, the Northerner surprisingly didn’t say much.

Gone was his earlier appearance of shouting loudly and displaying flashy movements. Wondering why he suddenly maintained silence, I shifted my gaze.

I saw his eyes, somewhat dazed, taking in the silver-haired girl.

As my Dragon Eyes faithfully interpreted his gaze without particular intention.

‘Hmm.’

Realizing it was an emotion the Northerner couldn’t achieve even if he twisted his body, I inwardly sighed.

‘Did I dress her up too much?’

Is this what it feels like when a gardener trims a beautiful flower and more insects are attracted to it?

Unaware of my lamentation, the Northerner opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

“Y-You. Your name?”

Though he tried to hide it, he couldn’t prevent the flush that bloomed on his cheeks.

But Silvia seemed completely uninterested in the emotion burning hotly in the Northerner’s heart.

She was just glancing at the MC with a blank gaze.

‘She probably didn’t even hear what he said.’

With her personality, that would definitely be the case.

When no response came, the Northerner cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“Ahem! If you don’t want to reveal it, that’s fine. Let me introduce myself. I am Koms….”

“When do we start?”

It was an emotionless tone to the point where even I felt embarrassed watching.

Silvia, not caring whether the Northerner was blabbering or not, glanced at the MC and spoke.

Thanks to that, the Northerner’s face fell, but it wouldn’t be of any concern to her.

The MC raised his voice even more to break the awkward atmosphere and answered.

[Ah-! It seems the unnamed participant wants to start quickly. I understand that feeling, but there’s something you must know before the match-!]

“What is it. Say it quickly.”

[Th-The victory condition for Street Fighting is to knock away your opponent’s weapon-! Absolutely do not injure the other student’s body, OK-?!]

“…”

While the poor MC tried to somehow conclude amidst her cold attitude unbefitting a student.

Silvia had an expression of dissatisfaction after hearing the announcement.

“…Don’t cause injuries?”

Like a student told not to use a pen for studying. Like a woodcutter told not to use an axe for cutting trees.

It was the reaction of someone who had heard an unreasonable statement.

Regardless, the MC raised the atmosphere and shouted.

[Now, the match between student Koms and the unnamed student-! Begins-!]

“Haaat!”

The Northerner, wounded in his heart by Silvia’s emotionless remarks. After composing himself, he kicked off from his position.

The desire in his eyes contained the aspiration to somehow make Silvia look at him.

Seeing that, I clicked my tongue.

‘If only he had known she was the Sword Star, he wouldn’t have acted like that.’

Probably, having grown up in the North, he wouldn’t have had any way to know the appearance of someone from the isolated island of the Sword Angle.

Therefore, this recklessness. Thus, I thought the result was as clear as day.

But.

Kang-!

The sound of an axe and sword colliding. The audience who heard that metallic sound expressed admiration.

-Ooooh…!

-She blocked Koms’s strike!

-That’s impressive!

Like them, I was also surprised.

But unlike them, my surprise wasn’t because Silvia performed better than expected.

Rather, the opposite.

‘Why didn’t she end it with one strike?’

With her skills, it wouldn’t be strange if the Northerner was already rolling on the ground.

While watching with curiosity, the Northerner’s fierce attacks continued.

Huk, hwoong-!

As the MC said, he wasn’t trying to injure the opponent, but they were strikes sufficient to knock a weapon away.

Of course, Silvia, befitting the Sword Star, was easily countering those attacks, but.

That’s why it was puzzling.

‘She wouldn’t just defend.’

Something was preventing Silvia from displaying her true abilities.

As if proving my thoughts correct, Silvia’s expression had been one of contemplation since earlier.

It had been since the MC said “don’t injure the opponent.”

Since that moment, Silvia hadn’t been able to concentrate on the match.

It made sense that she was maintaining a purely defensive stance against the Northerner’s attacks.

After several exchanges. The Northerner caught his breath and opened his mouth.

“Indeed. You possess extraordinary skills.”

“…”

Still, no response came.

Nevertheless, the Northerner’s heart wasn’t swayed, and he continued to move his mouth.

“What do you say? After this match ends, how about going downtown with me….”

“Ah.”

Suddenly.

Silvia let out a small exclamation.

As if she had realized something, she swung the hand holding the sword in various directions.

Gazing intently, she opened her small mouth.

“Maybe this will work.”

“…?”

“Yeah. I’ve got it.”

Then, she took her stance again and looked at the Northerner.

Stillness. She had regained the appearance she had when she first stepped onto the dueling arena.

Seeing that, I nodded.

‘It’s over.’

Whatever it was, she seems to have overcome her mental block, so there’s no need to watch the rest.

“Umm. To continue our conversation, in the downtown-“

Just as the Northerner, momentarily confused by the incomprehensible situation, opened his mouth to continue their earlier conversation.

Sword Star Style

Wind Moon Slash

False Cut

Silvia swung her arm indifferently.

Just one movement. She merely slashed horizontally with the hand holding the sword, but.

Swaek-!

The wind gathered to form a blade and proceeded toward the Northerner.

The Northerner, who saw it and hastily reacted, raised his axe, but.

Ppeok!

After being hit by the blade created from the compressed air, he rolled down the stone stairs outside the dueling arena.

Degul-degul- The unseemly sight of him tumbling to the ground.

“Ugh….”

As he was about to get up and say something. Eventually, he collapsed with a thud.

“…”

Silence.

While the audience and MC remained silent, looking at Silvia who had won so simply.

“Boring.”

Silvia bluntly said without mixing in any emotion.

“I didn’t pick up a sword to do things like this.”

With those final words, Silvia descended the stone stairs on the opposite side from the Northerner.

Perhaps because of Silvia’s final remarks, people’s gazes turned to the Northerner.

“…”

The Northerner didn’t say anything. Though blurry, his consciousness was clearly intact. He couldn’t have missed her words.

Was it just my imagination that his eyes became moist as he curled up his body and didn’t raise his face?

-N-Nice job! Koms!

Perhaps sharing my sentiments, the audience raised their voices to comfort him.

-Dude! You’ve been winning until now! Cheer up!

-That’s right! She might have used a magic trick, damn it!

-No, Sir, that’s a bit….

-What, punk? Are you saying the pride of the North, Koms, was beaten by some nobody woman?

Through the noise of the murmuring crowd, the MC desperately called out to Silvia.

[Wait, just a moment! Unnamed student, wait-!]

“?”

Silvia, who had already approached me and was naturally holding my hand tightly, tilted her head.

At her emotionless gaze asking why he was bothering to call her, the MC shrank back slightly and continued.

[No, you should at least let us know who you are before you go! We need to give you points!]

“Ah.”

[And are you not going to continue?! You get more points for every challenger you defeat?!]

As if understanding the MC’s desire to somehow raise the suddenly dampened atmosphere.

Silvia answered with a blank expression.

“Just say Sword Star. They’ll know.”

[Huh? Sw-Sword Star…?]

“And I don’t plan to do any more. It’s boring.”

[No, wait! Can’t you do just one more?! No matter what, there’s value in your name-?!]

“Let’s go, Loran.”

Despite the MC’s desperate calls. Silvia, as if she had lost interest, grabbed my hand and urged me.

As I felt the pressure of her small hand gripping mine firmly and lifted my foot, I heard the audience murmuring behind me.

-Ah, so she was the Sword Star.

-Then of course he lost.

-You couldn’t even recognize she was the Sword Star?

-Seriously, what magic trick? The real magic is not being able to gauge your opponent, what foolishness.

Upon hearing the audience’s words, I slightly turned my head.

The Northerner, still curled up on the floor. His eyes seemed to have gotten even wetter.

‘Hmm.’

Somehow, I felt sorry for him. Now I should really stop calling him the Northerner and call him by his name.

I nodded, deciding to engrave his name in my memory pages, remembering the valor of someone who dared to challenge the Sword Star.

However.

‘What was his name again?’

Come to think of it, he wasn’t noteworthy enough to specifically remember, so I couldn’t recall.

‘I’ll have to remember it if we meet again.’

Next time, I truly won’t forget. With that small promise, I moved my feet.

Beside me, Silvia whispered softly.

“Loran.”

An innocent gaze looking at me. Those two pupils contained a subtle expectation, so.

“Did I do well?”

She was like a child appealing to her parents for praise.

So I too.

“Yes.”

I smiled lightly and said.

“It was worth escorting you.”

Then, I raised my hand toward her silver hair.

It was an action I took because she seemed to secretly enjoy it when I tidied her hair. I just wanted to pat her, without any particular meaning.

Perhaps due to a slight mistake in the movement, I ended up brushing her white ear.

Even then, I didn’t think much of it. We were already holding hands, so it would be excessive to feel sorry about that.

However.

Silvia reacted immediately.

“Hyak?!”

Why?

Her startled appearance.

Then she quickly takes several steps backward.

“…?”

I was perplexed and tried to discern her thoughts.

Silvia too, as if she didn’t understand why she reacted that way, had a questioning expression.

“Why did you do that?”

“I-It’s strange….”

“Pardon?”

“When your hand touched my ear, it felt like someone cast an electric spell on my body.”

“…”

My face turned sour at those words.

The girl who had been devoid of emotions was quickly learning.

Starting with the romantic feeling of love, no less.

I began to feel worried.

‘This is starting to get dangerous.’

Two were already too many, but three would be excessive.