Academy Entrance Exam

1.

An overwhelming difference in skill.

That was a phrase that could summarize the sparring match right now.

Elia chuckled dryly.

She had been expecting something, since he was the disciple of a Hero.

No matter how lacking he might be, she thought he would at least have the skills befitting the title of a Hero’s disciple.

But.

“That’s a bit serious…?”

Yohan was rolling on the floor.

His appearance was hard to watch.

His cheek was split open, blood flowing from his mouth, and there were wounds all over his body.

He was tattered.

He staggered to his feet and charged at Yuriel again.

To put it nicely, it was tenacity; to put it badly, it was recklessness.

-Thwack!

Yuriel’s foot slammed into Yohan’s abdomen.

“Guhuk!!”

Yohan vomited yellow stomach acid and collapsed to the floor.

“Why don’t you just give up?”

Yuriel hadn’t even broken a sweat.

She even yawned, as if she was bored.

“N-Not yet…!”

Using his sword like a cane, Yohan rose to his feet.

The spectators sighed in pity.

He was determined to land a blow, no matter what.

That determination was reflected in his blue eyes.

His refusal to give up was admirable, but Elia was too disappointed.

Whose fault was this?

Did his master teach him wrong?

Or did the disciple learn wrong?

Whatever it was, Elia was dissatisfied.

Objectively speaking, Yohan’s skills weren’t terrible.

His fundamentals were solid, and his movements were fast.

He seemed to have some combat sense, but it felt like his body and mind were working separately.

“…And he doesn’t seem to be able to use Sword Aura yet.”

No, it looked like he couldn’t control his Magical power properly.

Generally speaking, there was nothing strange about that.

There were more people who couldn’t control Magical power at that age than those who could.

However, considering that he applied to the Imperial Academy and was a disciple of the Hero, it was absurd that he still couldn’t handle Magical power properly.

“Keuk!!”

Yohan rolled on the floor again.

He had been hit in the temple with the flat of the sword and was flopping around like a fish.

Just as the supervisor was about to stop the match,

Yohan steadied himself on the ground and stopped the supervisor.

Even when they tried to end it by force, he got up and charged at Yuriel again.

“Mid-tier… no, he’d be cutting it close even for the lower-middle tier.”

On the other hand.

Elia looked at Yuriel.

“As expected of the Skolhart Family…?”

The Skolhart Family, known as a prestigious family of swordsmen.

Living in the harsh environment of the north, they were the top predators of the northern snowfields.

From the time they began to learn to speak, they were given swords and taught swordsmanship to teach them how to survive.

Sometimes, they were subjected to harsh training.

Like being thrown into the snow mountains and told to survive.

Or being given a dagger and pushed into a wolf den.

Those training methods were how the Skolhart Family survived as strong individuals not only in the northern snowfields but also in the world of swordsmen.

So, is that child… that guy’s granddaughter or great-granddaughter?

As a Sword Saint, she had interacted with all the swordsmanship families in the Empire.

The same was true for the Skolhart Family.

Adrean had been close to the head of the Skolhart Family.

Although their personalities were polar opposites.

On the battlefield, they were reliable comrades who could watch each other’s backs.

I wonder if he’s still alive?

Considering his age, he probably would have been scattered in the snow mountains long ago.

After reminiscing for a moment, Elia turned her gaze back to the two who were sparring.

Just in time, Yohan was getting up again.

She didn’t know how long he would keep doing that.

“How long are you going to keep getting up?”

“Until I… huff… until I land one hit…”

Yuriel sighed deeply and shook her head.

“I commend your refusal to give up. But sometimes, you need to know when to give up.”

Magical power gathered on Yuriel’s sword.

Frost settled on the silver blade.

White smoke billowed around the frozen-looking sword.

“Oh… she’s already mastered Sword Transformation.”

Elia admired Yuriel’s frozen sword.

Sword Transformation.

In other words, Magic Release.

It was a technique that imbued the characteristics of one’s Magical power into the sword, giving it form.

“If you block this attack, I’ll let you win.”

White smoke flowed beneath Yuriel’s feet.

The area around her froze.

…That’s a really tricky Magical power.

Adrean had also faced that sword before.

It was a nuisance because it froze everything rapidly.

“…Come on.”

Yohan gripped his sword tightly.

To not give up in the face of something like that.

She had to acknowledge his spirit.

But the result was clear.

“Fools are brave, they say.”

Cold, golden eyes looked at Yohan.

Yohan shivered as a chill ran up his spine.

“You can’t survive on bravery alone.”

Yuriel swung her sword from a distance.

An ice storm blew.

Freezing the ground, sharp Sword Aura headed for Yohan.

Icy spikes like icicles stretched out in all directions where the Sword Aura passed.

-Crackle!

It sounded like a giant shark swimming through a frozen sea.

-Boom!

The Sword Aura devoured Yohan.

An explosion occurred, and ice crystals scattered in all directions.

The spectators marveled at the crystals falling like snow.

It was a beautiful sight.

The white smoke cleared.

“Haa… haa… Keuk….”

Surprisingly, Yohan was standing.

Of course, he wasn’t in good shape.

His right arm was half-frozen.

But he had blocked it.

He had manifested his uncontrollable Magical power, using the rampaging Magical power to block Yuriel’s attack. As a result, he coughed up blood and the blood vessels in his body burst.

“You win.”

Yuriel sheathed her sword and gave up.

It was an embarrassing victory.

It was 1 win and 99 losses.

However, Yohan smiled as if he was happy just to have won.

“Ha, haha… eugh….”

At his physical limit.

Yohan collapsed forward and fainted.

“He’s got the spirit, though.”

Elia smiled contentedly and nodded.

Yes, it was okay if he didn’t have the skills right now.

If he had the spirit to not give up, he had the potential to grow.

Still, she was disappointed.

She thought she would have to say something to the Hero next time she saw him.

How did you raise your disciple?

Yuriel glanced at the fallen Yohan before turning and leaving the training ground.

The result of the sparring match was Yuriel’s forfeit.

Both of them passed the entrance exam.

Although Yohan had been unilaterally beaten, they seemed to have highly evaluated his perseverance and his blocking of the final attack.

Elia rose from her seat.

There were still things to see, but.

Elia wanted to meet Yuriel.

To be exact, she wanted to spar with her.

“Excuse me.”

Elia called out to Yuriel.

Yuriel turned around.

Her silver hair fluttered like the hem of a skirt in the spring breeze.

Golden eyes could be seen through the slender strands of hair.

“I enjoyed the sparring match.”

Yuriel was wary of Elia.

It was understandable that she would be wary of someone who was wearing a hood and suddenly spoke to her.

But Elia, who hadn’t thought of that, approached Yuriel.

Yuriel pointed her sword at the suspicious person.

It was meant as a threat to not come closer.

“Huh…?”

However, the suspicious person, Elia, caught the blade with her bare hand.

It was a strange flow of power.

If she made a mistake, the blade would have dug into her palm.

“The greeting customs of the north are intense, but were they this intense?”

It was a beautiful voice.

It was comforting and pleasing to the ears.

Yuriel tried to pull out her sword.

It wouldn’t budge.

The grip of the girl with the slender shoulders was no joke.

To be exact, she was using Magical power to perform Body Enhancement, but even so, it was an absurd amount of strength.

“Who are you?”

“Just a spectator who enjoyed the sparring match.”

Elia released Yuriel’s sword.

“To have mastered Magic Release at such a young age. You’re really amazing. I was so excited watching you that I was fidgeting in my seat.”

She didn’t seem to have any ill intentions.

Yuriel sheathed her sword.

“I’d like to spar with you sometime.”

“So, you want to do it now?”

Yuriel placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

“No. I’d like to, but you’re not up for it, are you?”

Elia took a step forward.

With just that, she was right in front of Yuriel.

“Eep…!”

Elia’s hand grabbed Yuriel’s hip.

Yuriel frowned at the throbbing pain.

She didn’t know how many people had seen it, but.

At the last moment.

Yohan had blocked Yuriel’s attack and at the same time, used his sword to knock an ice crystal at Yuriel.

And that crystal had pierced Yuriel’s side.

“To freeze the wound to stop the bleeding, that’s amazing.”

A hot heat permeated Yuriel’s side.

“Hng… Wh-What are you doing…!”

“What if you get a scar on that pretty body?”

Elia took her hand away.

As soon as her hand fell away, the heat disappeared.

The throbbing pain also disappeared.

“If I get the chance, please spar with me. I really want to fight you.”

Elia waved her hand and left.

Yuriel lifted her shirt and checked her side.

There was a blood stain on her clothes, but the wound on her side was completely healed.

“…What?”

It was shocking.

To heal just by touching her.

Not only could she use Magical power, but she could also use Divinity?

Yuriel stared at Elia’s receding figure.

“Whoa!”

When the wind blew and her hood was about to come off, she flusteredly pressed down on her hood, looking a little foolish.