episode_0104

After the swordsmanship duel between Edan and Kahram, the remaining four duels passed by almost in the blink of an eye.

The speed was so fast that it wouldn’t even take a minute to win a match. The overwhelming gap in skill between the two and the other spectators made the outcome quite obvious.

The other spectators who watched Edan and Kahram’s duel already felt the pressure even before the duels began, and there was a reason for that.

Ultimately, as the other duels ended as quickly as the ones between Edan and Kahram, the exam time itself was not significantly delayed.

…Actually, if Kahram hadn’t fought with Edan, it probably would have ended much sooner.

This guy, claiming to be from the Changbaek family, leisurely rode a carriage all the way here, so I don’t understand why he’s coming to take the entrance exam so early.

Well, I shouldn’t be the one to say anything, as I am here to escort the young master of the prestigious Gongjak family from the dormitory to the academy.

After the entrance exam for the Swordsmanship Department, consisting of six duels, ended and everyone dispersed, Kahram and Edan began to have a serious conversation outside the dueling arena.

“Haha, I thought I was going to die for real. Your skill in handling two swords is truly impressive, Master Edan.”

“…It was quite difficult to block the swords you wielded. How on earth can you swing such heavy swords at that speed, it’s amazing.”

“Haha, as Master Edan said, my mind is filled with muscles, so I can swing them like that, right?”

“…I apologize for what I said earlier. We will probably see each other often at the academy from now on.”

“Huh? Did Master Edan just say something that could be considered an apology to me? I don’t remember, but I’ll accept the apology, hahaha!”

“…”

Edan was surprised and bewildered by Kahram’s character that was hard to grasp.

And as if seeking approval, he cautiously evaluated him with his eyes.

“Now that I know, even the maids must see you, Master Kahram, as…”

“…You seem to lack the ability to read people’s minds, and your manners seem a bit lacking for a Changbaek family member, but you don’t seem like a bad person. You probably didn’t understand the situation when you said the young master seemed difficult.”

“…I see.”

“Thanks to that, it seems like you didn’t take offense to the young master’s insults.”

The Kahram in the original game was a bit more serious than he is now. Unlike the carefree Kahram who seems to have no worries, he was different.

Originally, his personality should have changed a bit after Liz’s death, but it seems to have remained the same.

The title of ‘Clueless Kahram’ might soon change to ‘Completely Clueless Kahram.’

“Earlier, you were talking only to me, and it seems that Master Edan has a good relationship with the head maid!”

“…That’s right. By the way, do you not have a personal maid, Master Kahram?”

“I don’t know why, but my personal maids seem to change frequently! It’s tiring to introduce myself to a new maid every time, so I haven’t had one for about two years now!”

“…”

“But it’s okay! When I need to go outside like today, the head maid always takes care of me!”

Edan, who seemed to understand why his personal maids changed frequently, replaced his answer with silence.

I also silently mourned Liz, who was suffering outside the game’s story.

Meanwhile, Kahram, who was laughing shamelessly, turned his gaze towards me, furrowing his brows slightly and subtly nudging his head towards me.

“By the way. I feel like I’ve seen the maid on this side somewhere before. I couldn’t recognize her earlier because it was a dark corridor, but…”

“…Is that so?”

“But when I met Master Edan at the palace before, I didn’t see a maid like this. If I had seen such a striking maid, I wouldn’t have forgotten… ”

“…Could it be that you’re mistaken for someone else?”

“Is that so? But seeing her sticking close to Master Edan, it makes me think of something…”

“…Speaking of which, didn’t you mention earlier that your sister was following in a carriage?”

“Oh, that’s right! I told her to go back after taking the exam, but I almost forgot!”

“In that case, it’s probably best to go back quickly.”

Thanks to Edan’s base, Kara, who almost remembered me at the Masked Ball, seemed to come to his senses and put away his sword.

With a giant sword on his back, he bid farewell to Edan.

“I really enjoyed sparring with you today, Master Edan! I hope to see you at the academy in the future!”

“Yes, until then…”

“My lady is waiting, so I will take my leave!”

-Clap!

“….”

Augustus, who had been rude and audacious to Edan until the end, disappeared like the wind.

Only Edan’s right hand, left lonely in the air, where the person he was supposed to shake hands with had disappeared.

…Well, I guess I’ll have to shake hands in his place.

-Thud.

“Good job, young master.”

“Maid…?”

“Truly, even in my eyes, your swordsmanship was impressive. I dare say that the way you shared the sword with Master Kara looked even more impressive than when you shared it with your master at the mansion.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. Of course, there may be differences between training swords and real swords, but at least from the perspective of a mere maid, it felt that way.”

And actually watching, it really felt like I was in the world of Luminor Academy, and the battle between Edan and Kara was real? It really made my heart swell.

This level of skill was enough to spar seriously with the protagonist. Of course, this would be the standard when the protagonist is a ‘normal’ player.

Since there is hardly any information about the protagonist yet, I can only investigate the protagonist’s personality after the main story of Part 2 begins.

I hope it’s not a world without a protagonist or that kind of cliche.

“Um, Maid…”

“Yes?”

“If you really felt that the sparring just now looked impressive to you, can I ask the maid for one favor?”

“A favor?”

“…Yes. Like when I won against my father in swordplay at the mansion.”

“If it’s like when you sparred with the young master at the mansion…”

Seeing Edan mention that part and make a request, the events of the night before naturally came to mind.

Feeling a sense of danger, I quickly wrapped my arms around my chest and took a step back.

“Oh, no! I can’t offer my heart in this sparring! I won’t deny that Master Kara was a formidable opponent, but…”

“No, Maid! I didn’t mention that strange request on purpose!”

“…Is that so?”

“…If you think it’s strange, you can refuse right there. At least, I won’t ask for anything strange, like asking you to touch me at the inn.”

“….”

Although I briefly thought that if I could beat Kara, I could offer my heart, I immediately dismissed the dangerous thought that came to mind.

If I let my guard down in this area and gradually allowed one thing at a time, the line of demand could become looser over time.

Offering my heart every time I beat someone like Kara was practically declaring that I would regularly allow someone to touch my heart throughout my time at the academy.

As the regular sparring with Harold was coming to an end, there was no need to create a new pretext.

…Still, since Edan himself said it wasn’t that kind of request, it was worth listening to.

He also said that if it was a strange request, I could listen and decide.

“If it’s not a strange request, I’ll listen and decide, Master Edan.”

“…Do you remember when I mentioned going around the island together if the entrance exam ends early today?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Although we were a bit late meeting Master Kara, it’s still before lunch. I think we have enough time to explore the island. What do you think?”

“Yes. I think we have a few hours to spare.”

“T-Then!”

For some reason, Edan’s tense expression and stumbling words made me a little nervous, but when I heard the request that came out of his mouth, I felt a little disappointed.

“If we explore the island together today, can we hold hands while walking?”

“…You want to hold hands? With me and Master Edan?”

“Yes….”

“Are you asking to hold hands in a formal expression…?”

“Just take it literally.”

…What kind of request is it to suddenly hold hands and go sightseeing?

But well, it’s much better than asking to touch my heart, right?

Holding hands and strolling around wasn’t exactly a proposal that thrilled me, but I didn’t have a reason to refuse either.

“Understood, Master. If that’s all you ask, I will gladly comply.”

“…Really, a maid?”

“Yes. If it’s just holding hands and walking with me, Master, I can do that without any hesitation.”

Even if it wasn’t a request that had to overcome the barrier of formality, I wouldn’t have refused anyway.

I’m not some celebrity, so what’s the big deal about holding hands and walking together?

It’s kind of strange to overreact to just holding hands when we’ve already gone so far.

Even if it wasn’t a request that had to overcome the barrier of formality, I wouldn’t have refused anyway.

If it was really about walking around holding hands with another man, it would have been a bit embarrassing, but at the moment, I was also Lillith.

As long as I was confident, there wouldn’t be anything strange about it, so without hesitation, I took Ethan’s hand and walked on.

-Step.

“Shall we go, Master?”

“Oh, uh…! Um, by any chance, is there a place you’d like to go, maid?”

“I heard there are many good restaurants on the west side of the Knowledge Island for lunch. Since your entrance exam is over, how about filling your stomach first?”

“Y-yes. That sounds good…”

Except for situations where we had to let go of each other’s hands for meals or other reasons, we held hands all the way around Knowledge Island until evening.

Even though it was still winter, my face was strangely flushed.