The Birth of a Hero

1.

Night retreats, and the eastern sky is dyed golden.

Yuriel’s day begins early.

She wakes up before anyone else and leaves the dormitory before anyone else.

“Haaah…”

Yuriel, yawning, heads to the forest behind the dormitory.

In the forest connecting the Fencing Department dormitory and the Divinity Studies Department dormitory, there is an open space perfect for fencing practice.

“Kkyueueung…!”

After a refreshing stretch,

Yuriel begins to swing her sword as a warm-up.

Since she first started holding a sword, she had never neglected her morning practice.

She swings her sword 100 times and is about to start practicing swordsmanship in earnest when.

-Rustle

She hears someone stepping on the grass.

Yuriel immediately turns her head towards the sound.

“You are…”

There, a girl is wearing a robe with the hood pulled down low.

In the girl’s dainty hand is a Wooden sword.

“Were you practicing?”

Yuriel nods once.

“It’s admirable that you wake up early in the morning to practice. Can I join you?”

“I don’t mind, but…”

“Then, excuse me.”

The girl takes a spot next to her, keeping a slight distance.

The girl stretches, groaning.

She exudes a mysterious atmosphere, yet there is a clumsy side to her.

After warming up lightly, the girl begins to swing her Wooden sword.

Yuriel glances at the girl from time to time.

A proper stance.

It looks slow, but the angles are well-defined.

There is no unnecessary movement.

Which family is she from?

It feels like she has received professional training.

It’s not a raw feeling like an adventurer or mercenary.

It’s a refined movement like a knight.

Since Yuriel first met the girl, she had investigated her.

She couldn’t find out anything.

She doesn’t know her name, nor her face.

So she tried to find her through her body shape and voice, but there was no such female student in the Fencing Department.

Is she a student from another department?

Like the Magic Department, or the Divinity Studies Department.

But that doesn’t make sense.

It’s strange that she’s not a Fencing Department student when she handles a sword so skillfully.

“Hey.”

Yuriel speaks to the girl.

“Yes?”

The girl looks at Yuriel.

Golden hair flowing down to her chest reflects the morning sunlight.

“That…”

She started talking, but.

Yuriel couldn’t easily ask what she wanted to ask.

The oppressive feeling emanating from the girl.

That’s not the reason.

It’s simply because Yuriel doesn’t know how to make friends.

When she was in the family, she only did swordsmanship training.

Even when the young ladies of other families invited her to birthday parties, she refused.

Only the sword was Yuriel’s only friend.

Perhaps that’s why.

It wasn’t easy for Yuriel to start a conversation in a friendly way.

“That?”

“Th-this…”

“This?”

“Ah, it’s nothing…”

Yuriel turns her head away.

When she’s competing with swords, words flow smoothly.

Because she’s focused on the sword, she doesn’t feel embarrassed to talk.

And because the words come out of her mouth without going through her head, she doesn’t have time to feel that way.

As a result, she often unconsciously says things that offend the other person, and the relationship falls apart before they even become friends.

She was swinging her sword, organizing her thoughts one by one in her head about how to start a conversation.

She felt a gaze.

The girl was fidgeting and looking at her.

“Why?”

Yuriel said curtly.

“How about twisting the sword a little more there?”

As if it were an opportunity, the girl began to speak rapidly.

“Your posture is really excellent, but there are still some weak points in the details. Not like this, but like this.”

The girl followed Yuriel’s movements and slashed the Wooden sword horizontally.

The Wooden sword moved smoothly as if flowing through the air.

“Try it once.”

Yuriel blinked her eyes.

It had been a long time since someone had given her advice on swordsmanship.

Except for her father and Hyung in the family, no one could beat Yuriel with a sword.

The same goes for coming to the academy.

She lost the top spot because of a man from the Southern Kingdom, but.

As the second-ranked student, no one could tell Yuriel what to do with her swordsmanship.

She doesn’t feel bad.

She’s just a little embarrassed.

“L-like this?”

Yuriel swung her sword as the girl showed her.

“Hmm… Instead of using your shoulder, try using your wrist.”

“Like this?”

“No, no.”

The girl shook her head and stood behind Yuriel, coaching her posture.

“Hiii…!”

Soft breasts press against her back.

Soft palms wrapped around Yuriel’s wrist.

Yuriel felt her small butt touching the girl’s lower abdomen.

“W-w-w-wait a minute…!!”

Yuriel jumped up in surprise like a cat stepping on a puddle.

“Why?”

“Y-you, you’re… Ouch…”

She bit her tongue.

Her face flushed.

“Too close…!!”

How long has it been since she felt someone’s body temperature?

It’s so long ago that it’s hazy.

It’s already difficult for Yuriel to talk to other people, so how could it be easy for her to have physical contact with people?

It’s difficult for both men and women.

“Huh?”

The girl tilted her head.

“I’m just trying to correct your posture.”

“I don’t need it…!”

Yuriel swung her sword around as if telling her not to come closer, hissing like a cat.

The girl shrugged her shoulders.

“…Okay.”

A tone that seemed regretful.

It’s hard to see because it’s covered by the shadow, but.

The girl was pouting her lips.

Ah, geez…!

She made another mistake.

She overreacted to the kindness.

It felt like a rift had formed in their relationship before they even became friends.

“Or, would you like to have a simple sparring match with me?”

The girl spoke first while Yuriel was sweating and watching the girl’s reaction.

“Sparring…?”

“I’ll show you what it feels like directly.”

A slightly excited voice.

The girl shook her Wooden sword.

The sight looked like a puppy wagging its tail.

“…Okay.”

This is better.

Yuriel turns into an active person only when she’s competing with swords.

She decided to take this opportunity to ask her name and become friends with her.

“Should I go in first? Or would you like to come in first?”

“Come in.”

“Okay.”

The girl held the Wooden sword in one hand and stretched her arm back.

“Uh…?”

A familiar posture.

The girl was trying to reproduce the Skolhart Family’s swordsmanship.

Yes, Yuriel’s swordsmanship.

“Using your wrist is like this…!”

The girl’s body shot out like an arrow.

She rotated her body and shook her sword as if bouncing it.

And at that moment.

-Clang! Clang!

The girl’s movements stopped abruptly at the sound of the bell ringing from the Divinity Studies Department dormitory.

“Ah… I’m sorry!”

The girl put away her sword and apologized.

“Uh, uh?”

“Something urgent came up, so I think I have to go.”

“The sparring…?”

“Let’s do it next time.”

The girl started running around in a hurry.

“See you again, sister.”

The girl waved her hand and disappeared.

“Sister…?”

The direction she disappeared in was towards the Divinity Studies Department dormitory.

It’s unlikely, but.

Not a Fencing Department student, but a Divinity Studies Department student?

Yuriel stared blankly at the girl’s disappearing figure.

“Hout!”

The girl bumped her head on a tree branch.

She pressed her forehead as if it hurt, sitting down in place.

The girl glanced back and then quickly ran away from the spot.

“Is she an idiot…?”

A mysterious yet clumsy girl.

2.

It’s a shame.

It’s been a while since I could have a sparring match.

“Sigh…”

I let out my disappointment and walked down the temple corridor.

I thought of the woman I met in the morning.

Yuriel Van Skolhart.

When I saw her swordsmanship, I felt that she hadn’t fully bloomed yet.

Until now, it felt like she was imitating the head of the family’s swordsmanship.

Not her own swordsmanship.

I was disappointed by that point, so I tried to adjust her posture to suit her, but I didn’t know she would refuse like that.

Well.

I understand.

Anyone would be upset if someone they met for the first time gave them advice on their swordsmanship.

That’s that, but…

My face flushed.

My forehead still throbs.

I tried to climb onto the tree to disappear coolly, but I ended up bumping my head on a tree branch.

I showed her everything.

I tried to look cool at this age, but I ended up showing a ridiculous sight.

Ugh…!

Anyway, I wonder if I can meet her again tomorrow?

I want to continue the sparring match that I couldn’t do today.

“Ah… That’s right. Tomorrow is the entrance ceremony, isn’t it?”

Come to think of it, tomorrow was the day of the entrance ceremony.

The entrance exam was a mess because of the Demon, but in the end, the successful candidates were decided, and a new academy life will begin tomorrow.

Speaking of which, I wonder how that turned out?

I told the assistant professor of the Magic Department to investigate a few things.

I haven’t heard the results.

Should I go visit him?

“Rael Hyung.”

“Yes.”

“Did you get any contact from the Magic Department?”

“Are you talking about the last incident?”

I nodded.

“I haven’t heard anything separately.”

“Is that so?”

“Would you like to go and see?”

I’m curious about how the situation is going.

“Yes.”

I nodded.

I headed straight to the Magic Department.

A seven-story building divided into the main building and three annexes.

The maze-like appearance was obviously the Magic Department’s building.

I went inside the building.

The inside of the building was quiet because the semester hadn’t started yet.

From tomorrow, it will be noisy with students.

“But who should I go to?”

“I heard that a professor named Ethel is in charge of this incident.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“Room 505 on the 5th floor is Professor Ethel’s laboratory.”

“Wow, how do you know?”

“I have memorized almost all the information about the academy to be of help to the Saintess.”

“Oh, that’s admirable?”

I stood on tiptoe and patted Rael’s head.

Rael looked at me with surprised eyes and then bent his knees to lower his head.

“I have only done what is natural as a bodyguard.”

“You’re humble.”

I took my hand off Rael’s head.

No matter how many times I praise a capable and diligent young man, it’s not enough.

We went up to the 5th floor.

Room 505.

A sign with [Professor Ethel] was attached next to the door.

-Knock knock

I knocked, but there was no response.

I don’t feel any presence inside.

It seems I came too early.

I was about to wait a few minutes and come back next time.

“What are you doing in front of my room?”

A middle-aged man was walking from afar.

His brow furrowed on its own.

It smells unpleasant.