episode_0053

“Could you explain the situation?”

Hedy asked, looking at Sian with a guarded expression in her eyes.

She didn’t understand.

Why had Iris, a newly appointed professor, come to the training grounds?

Seeing the two figures walking together in the distance for the first time, Hedy was greatly surprised. She was so shocked that she blinked and looked again to confirm if it was someone else.

Well, Iris was not just any professor; she was a Swordmaster.

As someone who was considered a national asset, she must have had a lot on her plate.

So, Hedy couldn’t fathom why Iris had come to the training grounds with Sian tonight.

“She came to help with the sparring.”

“Sparring? Why?”

“Well….”

Sian provided Hedy with a brief explanation.

They had met her by chance in the Brace Principality, and currently, she was learning swordsmanship from Iris. Iris had asked her to come for swordsmanship lessons, which happened to coincide with Hedy’s sparring appointment.

Keeping her identity as a noble of the Brace Principality hidden, Iris explained briefly.

“…So, Sian, you’re Iris’s disciple?”

“Well… something like that.”

It all made sense to Hedy now.

Why they had often locked eyes during swordsmanship lessons back then.

She had suspected there was something more, and indeed, they were master and disciple.

Hedy also learned for the first time that Sian was from the Brace Principality.

“But… is it really okay for you to teach me tonight? It’s just you and me, and if you’re watching us, you’ll lose a lot of time…”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

Iris nodded with her characteristic expressionless face.

“….”

Upon hearing this, Hedy hesitated.

Was this the right thing to do?

If a professor gave individual lessons like this, rumors of favoritism could spread, but before Hedy could dwell on these thoughts, Iris reassured her.

“No need to worry. The lesson will proceed independently of the grading test. I’m here solely to help improve your sword skills. After all, Confucius…”

“Just a moment!”

Sian’s sudden loud exclamation startled Hedy and Iris, causing them to widen their eyes and look at Sian.

Regardless of whether Sian said anything or not, she grabbed one of Iris’s hands and started pulling her away, and witnessing this, Hedy couldn’t help but stare in confusion once again.

“She’s holding her hand…?”

The relationship between a swordsmanship master and disciple is typically hierarchical, so holding hands seemed quite intimate. How close were they?

Sian was saying something to Iris in the distance.

“What are they talking about that they exclude me?”

Earlier, Iris had mentioned Confucius at the end of her sentence.

Just as Hedy was pondering this, Sian abruptly took Iris away.

Among the people in the academy, Hedy thought she was closest to Sian, but being left out of their conversation made her feel excluded.

After finishing their conversation, both returned to Hedy.

Hedy asked Sian, “What were you talking about?”

“I just asked if Iris had urgent matters to attend to and if they were resolved.”

“Why did you have to talk about it urgently? You could have just mentioned it in front of us.”

“It’s a delicate matter if the urgency is revealed.”

“How do you know?”

“….”

“What’s with Confucius?”

“What?”

Sian’s pupils flickered briefly.

Hedy didn’t miss that moment.

There was something about the word “Confucius” that triggered a reaction from Sian.

“Forget it. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”

Not wanting to pry into sensitive secrets, Hedy waved her hand, and Sian simply nodded.

“Let’s start the sparring soon. The night is getting late,” Iris interjected, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

Reluctantly, Hedi entered the training hall with her wooden sword in hand. Si-an followed closely behind.

Given the Swordmaster’s guidance was invaluable experience, Hedi had no complaints. She simply couldn’t grasp the situation from earlier.

Driven by a desire to grow stronger, she was as determined as Si-an. Consequently, without a word, she followed Iris’s instructions, engaging in a fluid exchange of blows with Si-an.

Iris observed Hedi and Si-an’s sparring, providing feedback that pinpointed their issues all at once. However, each piece of feedback felt like a sharp jab to Hedi’s bones.

She learned some useful sword techniques but also received critiques about leaving minor habits unaddressed during sparring, which could lead to life-threatening situations in real combat scenarios.

Each time, Iris demonstrated the techniques herself, offering valuable experiences to Hedi.

Yet, despite the experiences gained, a lingering unease persisted within Hedi.

After the sparring session concluded, Hedi expressed gratitude to Iris before returning to the dormitory, consumed by a sense of unrest.

***

With the upcoming grading exam looming, Cain rose early and made his way to the training hall in the predawn hours.

While many students practiced with swords at dawn, Cain found himself alone at this early hour.

“I must become stronger,” echoed in Cain’s mind, driven by an intense need to improve.

The events of the tournament had left him anxious. Si-an’s sudden appearance, emitting an aura of power despite being a first-year student, swiftly dispatching assassins and saving the Fourth Princess, contrasted sharply with Cain’s perceived weakness. Frustrated by his lack of progress due to the absence of a genuine sword, he swung his blade forcefully until calluses fell off his hands, surpassing even his cousin Aria Silvesta.

A new obstacle in the form of Si-an had emerged, pushing Cain to grow rapidly. His swordsmanship and physical abilities improved significantly compared to the tournament, driven by his exceptional talent meshing with relentless effort.

However, mentally, he deteriorated day by day.

“This won’t cut it…”

Thinking about the impending grading exam, Cain relentlessly wielded his sword in the training hall.

Continuing to practice basic sword techniques and fundamental combat forms he learned at the academy, despite possessing skills sufficient for an A-class rating in the first grading exam, he remained unsatisfied.

He felt as though he were sprinting rather than running a marathon, nearing the brink of unlocking his aura.

***

As time passed, the day of the grading exam arrived.

I joined my fellow students from our classroom in the Swordsmanship Department’s practice hall.

Unlike usual, the students weren’t boisterous; instead, they appeared tense.

It was almost time for them to prove their worth through the grading exam.

In Ariel Academy, there were no foolish students who remained nonchalant during such crucial moments.

Iris, who was surveying us, remarked, “Seems like everyone is here.”

Some students audibly swallowed nervously upon hearing her words.

“As I mentioned before, the first round will involve one-on-one sparring for me to assess you individually. If anyone has objections, please raise your hand.”

No one dared to question the Swordmaster’s personal evaluation.

Her judgment would be as subjective as it gets.

“Hmm,” Iris nodded once.

“The first round will be conducted at the discretion of each classroom professor. Therefore, starting from the second round, all students from the Swordsmanship Department will gather to take the exam together.”

She ascends the practice field’s dais, grasping her wooden sword before speaking.

“So, there’s no need to be tense right now. If you’ve been following the lessons diligently and consistently reviewing your swordsmanship, that dedication will prove itself in the results. Just continue as you normally do.”

“The exam format is simple. All you need to do is touch me with your sword using all the means at your disposal. Even a graze will suffice. That’s how I’ll assess your grade.”

Perhaps she doesn’t really mean for them to make actual contact.

How could a mere first-year novice manage to touch a Swordmaster? She will likely judge the students at her discretion.

“Alright then. Let’s begin the first round of exams.”

With Iris’s brief statement, everyone’s tension peaked instantly.

.

.

.

“Gah!”

“…Sebastian Cristiano. C. Next.”

The order of students passed by in an instant.

Iris remained as still as she had said.

As the next person in line for evaluation approached her, some charged fiercely right from the start.

One individual even attempted a psychological tactic by staring into her eyes up close.

However, none could make contact with her body using their swords.

Just before touching her, Iris’s sturdy blade struck their side or abdomen, rendering them incapacitated, and she swiftly graded accordingly.

The exam progressed so rapidly that the assistant jotting down students’ grades beside Iris seemed overwhelmed.

Most students who received low grades accepted reality and moved on disheartenedly.

But some students…

“I cannot accept this! Why am I in the C class?”

“….”

Iris gazed back at the male student protesting the results with an impassive expression.

In the escalating situation, all eyes turned towards the interaction between Iris and the disgruntled student.