Assault (2)

Lunchtime on the day I suffered a humiliating defeat against Ethan in our sparring match.

Whether it was because of the match’s outcome or not, Ethan kept glancing at me strangely throughout the meal, clearly uneasy.

“……”

“……”

Since enrolling at the academy, he had grown more confident and tolerable, but today he was particularly irritating, ruining my appetite.

Naturally, it fell to me to break the awkward silence that had settled over the meal due to Ethan’s unnecessary wariness.

“Young Master Ethan, if you keep being so cautious, you’ll only make me feel more self-conscious, don’t you realize?”

“…Sorry, Lillith.”

“Or perhaps you’re trying to make me forget about our sparring match during Magical Swordsmanship class by making me feel awkward? If that’s the case, then you’re handling it splendidly.”

“N-No, that wasn’t my intention…”

…What kind of reaction was this, as if he had committed some grave sin just because his personal maid lost to him in a spar?

Given that I was now part of the 1.5-tier students, I would have to spar with him at least once or twice more this semester. If he kept acting like this every time, it would become endlessly frustrating.

“Just to be clear, I didn’t suffer any emotional scars from losing to you, Young Master Ethan.”

“…I know. Of course, someone like you wouldn’t.”

“Are you really sure about that?”

“…But, are you really not bothered at all?”

“No, not at all. And I won’t be in the future either. Honestly, I was more worried you’d ask me to act resentful just so you could savor the taste of victory.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to do that, so don’t worry…”

Ethan looked at me as if my words were absurd, but a small chuckle escaped his lips.

It seemed he had finally relaxed a little, realizing that I wasn’t bothered by what had been weighing on his mind the most.

“Right, I was worrying for nothing. Out of everyone I know, you have the strongest will, Lillith.”

“That might not be entirely true, but I won’t sulk over losing a mock spar during class.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“In fact, I have something to say to you about today’s spar, Young Master Ethan. What exactly was the point of it?”

“…Huh?”

Ethan’s expression, which had softened slightly, stiffened again, clearly not expecting a rebuttal from me. Meanwhile, I listed the issues I had noticed during the spar.

“What was that, Young Master Ethan? Not once did your sword target my body today. Especially in a spar between swordsmen, shouldn’t you aim for the wrists and waist first? What were you trying to achieve by holding back?”

“W-Well, I was worried about controlling my strength…”

“Isn’t that why senior Theology students are there to cast Heavenly Shields during spars? The spar is designed so that the shield breaks only if the damage reaches a fatal level.”

“B-But it’s dangerous. If the damage exceeds a fatal wound, you could really get hurt, and I didn’t want to see you injured…”

“For me, the title of ‘a swordsman who lost despite being shown mercy’ is far more disgraceful, Young Master Ethan.”

“…Sorry, Lillith. I was being inconsiderate.”

Only when I spoke with complete seriousness did Ethan finally understand and bow his head.

It was obvious to anyone that he had deliberately chosen the safest way to subdue me out of consideration, which was why the spar had dragged on.

In previous spars against Gyeotmwa Josyegigot, Natalie, and Karaham, there had been no mercy, so my Heavenly Shield had shattered almost instantly, leaving me no choice but to concede. But against Ethan, after my shield was about half-depleted, he noticeably softened his attacks.

That was also why the spar had dragged on unnecessarily, and why there had been moments when my swordsmanship seemed to briefly match his.

If he had fought seriously from the start, I wouldn’t have lasted two minutes. That was the nature of close combat between a mage and a swordsman.

There was no way I, who used swordsmanship as a supplement to magic, could defeat someone who used magic as a supplement to swordsmanship.

“At any rate, I hope this doesn’t happen again in future spars, Young Master Ethan. Not only does it hinder my growth, but hesitation in your swordsmanship will only set a bad precedent.”

“…Right. Sorry, Lillith.”

“Even if my Heavenly Shield breaks and I get hurt, I won’t resent you. These days, even a severed arm can be reattached if you take it to the church, right?”

“…That still sounds a bit too reckless, don’t you think?”

“I’m just saying you should take it seriously, Young Master Ethan.”

…Kids will always be kids, no matter the era.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Have a good afternoon class. See you at dinner, Lillith.”

“I’ll see you in the evening, Young Master Ethan.”

After giving Ethan what amounted to a rare piece of advice during lunch, we parted ways at the intersection to attend our respective afternoon classes.

‘I might have been a bit harsh on Ethan just now.’

But his condition today was so poor that it warranted such words.

As someone who had wielded a sword far longer than I had, he should know better than to hold back in a spar. If he let such hesitation take root, it could one day cost him his life.

Better to hear it from me now than to lose his head somewhere because of indecision.

-Tap, tap, tap.

‘Did he have more to say?’

Not long after parting with Ethan, I sensed footsteps following me. I quietly assumed Ethan had turned back, but unfortunately, the owner of those footsteps was someone else entirely.

Someone I never wanted to meet within the academy if I could help it.

“Young Master Ethan? Did you have something else to-“

“Long time no see, bold little lady.”

“Ah, fuck…”

I barely managed to swallow the curse that nearly escaped my lips, but I couldn’t hide the disgust on my face. Machart smiled and leaned in closer, relishing my reaction.

I belatedly remembered his abilities and tried to step back, but his grip on my wrist was faster.

By the time I realized the danger, it was already too late.

-Snap!

At the same time, a dark curtain of magic enveloped us, staining the surroundings in black.

In an instant, I was pulled into his mental space.

-Thud!

‘Fuck, I let my guard down.’

I managed to wrench my wrist free and put distance between us, but escaping Machart’s “Inner Darkness” wasn’t that simple.

…What could I do? If anyone was to blame, it was me for being careless enough to let him catch me.

The peaceful days had lulled me into forgetting.

Luminor Academy was a game about gathering heroes to slay demons and the Demon King, and in academy-genre games, cliché dangers like this were inevitable.

“I thought I might have been mistaken, but it seems I found the right person after all.”

“…My apologies for my rudeness at the banquet hall previously, Your Highness Machart Paris Baltoria.”

“No need to force yourself to apologize while suppressing your true feelings. I already know you don’t mean it.”

“…No, I truly regret my careless words at the time…”

“If you really meant that, you would have come to the VIP building long ago. Finding my residence within the academy is as easy as finding the imperial palace in the capital, isn’t it?”

“……”

Machart took slow, deliberate steps toward me, his smile chilling.

The surroundings were already shrouded in the black veil of his domain, with only a circular space around us illuminated, highlighting our figures.

…Now that he had dragged me into this space, there was no point in hiding my true feelings behind courtesy.

“…Ah, fuck. You piece of shit.”

Machart’s lips curled into a smirk.

It was a disgustingly smug smile, the kind that made me want to vomit up my lunch just from looking at it.