episode_0114

Among the bustling crowd of students.

The red-haired teacher. Calvin spoke in a booming voice.

“I’ll give each class 5 minutes, so find a sparring partner from another class.”

At his words, the students began to panic one by one.

“Wasn’t it supposed to give you a separate sparring partner?”

“Huh?”

“I’m meeting these guys for the first time today. Won’t it be hard to choose a suitable partner?”

“Understanding your opponent’s skills is also an essential skill in battle. It would be better to save your opponent quickly without talking nonsense.”

One disgruntled student cautiously offered his opinion, but was resolutely rejected.

Soon Calvin spoke to his students with a dark smile.

“If you are a student who can’t find a partner, I will personally take care of it, so please know that.”

At his words, the students started moving around wildly as if their feet were on fire.

I also felt embarrassed.

I didn’t know because it wasn’t described in detail in the novel. I thought I’d have to find a sparring partner myself.

‘….Who should I go to?’

Even during the university group project, I was the one who was forced into a group by the professor because I couldn’t find a partner.

There was no way that I could ask someone else to spar first.

While I was looking around in confusion.

I felt like someone was constantly watching me.

The moment I was about to turn my head in the direction of the stinging gaze-

“Have you found a sparring partner?”

Another person came up to me and spoke, stealing my attention.

When I turned my head to look at the owner of the voice, my eyes widened.

Dark red hair. Golden eyes.

And a tall and handsome appearance.

I could easily tell who it was without even asking.

‘….Robin.’

The protagonist of the novel The Indomitable Warrior and the one who should have originally been the owner of the Holy Sword.

He challenged me to a duel.

…Why on earth?

“Me…?”

When I pointed to myself and asked him, Robin opened his eyes confidently and nodded.

“Yeah. I heard that the student was recommended by the chairman. I thought he wasn’t an ordinary student. I came because I wanted to compete.”

His words sounded quite triumphant.

It was just like Robin in the novel.

A protagonist with a personality that is not afraid of fighting the strong and always striving for constant growth.

‘…even if he wasn’t chosen as a hero. The protagonist is still the protagonist.’

Well, the reason Robin in the novel was able to continuously become stronger was not because he was chosen as a warrior, but because he had a mindset of never giving up.

And that heart will still reside within him even if he does not possess the Holy Sword.

By the way, you want to spar with me?

It would be a better match if I sparred with Ariel.

But when I turned my head to look for Ariel, she was already asking Lily to spar.

‘…Does Ariel really want to be with the hero?’

When I hesitated to answer, Robin asked me again.

“How about it? Will you accept my sparring?”

“….um.”

Well, I guess there’s no reason why it wouldn’t work.

In the first place, I didn’t think I could find another sparring partner, and I didn’t want to spar with Calvin either.

In the novel, he was a really great violent professor. He was determined to raise his students to be strong, so he never held back from using the disciplinary whip. He probably really treated them harshly.

Rather, I was grateful to Robin for approaching me first.

I looked at him and nodded.

“Like.”

“That’s great. My name is Robin.”

He shook my hand.

For a moment, my body trembled, but I was able to shake his hand without showing it.

“My name is Sarah. Please take good care of me.”

* * *

“Lily! Come fight with me.”

“….Ah.”

My friend Lily, who was about to walk somewhere, stopped and turned her head when I called her name.

For some reason, she looked at me with a hesitant expression for a moment, and I pout at her face and say,

“What? Are you saying I’m not good enough as an opponent?”

“….No, Ariel.”

“Then you’ll spar with me?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

Lily closed her eyes for a moment and then immediately smiled and answered.

My heart raced at her reaction.

A duel with a warrior.

Even though I was fighting with my own friend, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

It was by no means an easy experience.

It will definitely be an opportunity for me to further develop my skills.

“Okay. Five minutes have passed! Students who have chosen their sparring partners, pair up and come over here. Those who haven’t decided yet, come over to me.”

Following the professor’s words, I went to the designated location with Lily.

Since then, the professor divided us into groups and arranged a training schedule for us.

Lily and I were assigned to the group that would be having the first duel.

.

.

.

“Group 1 students, come to the middle of the training ground!”

At his words, along with more than ten students, Lily and I went out to the middle of the training ground.

The duel with her came sooner than expected.

We faced each other with our training weapons.

“Okay! Let’s start the sparring!”

My heart started pounding even harder.

‘How far will my magic work on the warrior?’

Although it was a training staff, there didn’t seem to be any problem with the output of magical power.

Surely you can use magic that will work on Lily.

So what would be a good first magic to use?

Binding? Or a quick lightning strike? Or an intense fire magic?

While I was thinking like that, Lily spoke to me.

“Ariel. Who is that?”

“Huh?”

Let’s look at Lily. She was staring intently at one spot.

Following her gaze, I see Sarah and Iris sitting on chairs, watching us with their sparkling eyes.

‘Who are you talking about?’

You’re probably close with Iris, so you’re not talking about her. Maybe you asked about Sarah?

“Are you talking about Sarah?”

“Sera?”

“Yeah. You transferred to the academy two days ago. I heard rumors have spread quite a bit?”

“….Transfer student.”

After that, Lily seemed to be in deep thought. She only looked at Sarah for a while.

The sparring has probably already begun.

“…..Who goes in first?”

I felt slightly annoyed by her attitude, as if she didn’t even care about me.

I am also one of those people who are considered promising candidates in the academy.

I felt like I needed to create some tension in her.

‘Just for deterrence first.’

Lily continues to look at Sarah intensely.

I held out my wand to her and recited a spell.

“Ridein.”

Then, a brief flash of light appeared from my wand, and several lightning bolts quickly flew around Lily.

Just like that for a little while.

“….Ah.”

Lily only turned her head away from Sarah after lightning flashed before her eyes.

But it was already too late.

There’s no way you can avoid the lightning that’s coming right in front of you.

‘This is your punishment for ignoring me.’

I gave her a shallow smile and started talking.

“The power has been lowered, so it stings a little-”

rustle –

“I’m going to do-..”

…uh?

What the heck just now?

I felt something stinging pass by me.

Let me turn my head slowly.

With a very shallow wound on my neck.

Behind me, a huge mark, as if left by a sword strike, was visible on the floor of the training ground.

Gulp.

Instinctively, dry saliva ran down the back of my throat.

I looked at the girl in front of me with trembling eyes.

I noticed Lily looking at me with creepy eyes.

“I’m sorry, Ariel. My mind was too complicated, I couldn’t concentrate.”

“Hi.”

Fear surged through my body at the strength that was beyond my reach.

I knew Lily was strong.

Of course, that’s because she’s a warrior and I’ve heard so many stories about her accomplishments at the academy.

But he himself was no ordinary person.

Even among the many wizards who were called geniuses, he gained fame as the next magic tower master at a young age.

A genius among geniuses who reached the 6th circle at the youngest age, following in the footsteps of the Great Sage and the Hero.

At least that’s what people have been calling it so far.

So I knew we would be rivals.

Even if I don’t win, I thought I could go back and forth a few times.

Even though he is a warrior, Lily is also a student of the same age as herself.

I didn’t think the power gap would be that big.

but.

I was convinced that I could do nothing against the overwhelming power that was right in front of me.

“I’ll go in.”

She looked at me, holding up her wooden sword.

It’s just a wooden sword.

An eerie feeling, as if my life was on the edge, took over my whole body.

It wasn’t like the friend I usually played with.

The quiet murderous look in the eyes and the murderous pressure embedded in the sword.

As if. It was the appearance of Asura.

“That..Great Wall!!”

Instinctively, I erected several layers of defensive barriers in front of me.

A sturdy barrier that can easily block a wyvern’s breath.

Oh my gosh-

But the barrier was mercilessly destroyed by one slash from Lily’s sword.

Between the collapsing walls, I saw Lily running towards me.

“Profit..!”

I poured out all the magic that came to my mind onto her.

Even though it was a training staff, I shouldn’t have used it because the magic was powerful enough to cause injury, but I ended up pouring it all out due to my instinctive fear.

But Lily calmly jumped into the midst of the countless magics rushing toward her.

The lightning on her sword split like tofu, and with one gesture of hers, the fierce flames flew into the air without a place to go.

And finally.

chuck-

He came towards me in an instant.

A wooden sword was placed above my neck.

“…I lost.”

Eventually I had no choice but to declare surrender.

Then Lily slowly put her wooden sword down on the floor and offered me a handshake.

“That’s great, Ariel. If it weren’t for the goddess’s protection, I might have lost.”

That’s a lie.

I could tell instinctively.

Lily defeated me easily, not with the power of a goddess, but purely with her own strength.

You must be saying that to comfort me.

As soon as the duel ended, the fear I had felt towards Lily subsided in an instant, and new emotions began to surface.

I was angry.

I wanted to have a good match with Lily.

I was so angry at myself for being so incompetent and unable to do anything.

I was embarrassed.

I asked Sarah to cheer me on, but I was embarrassed at myself for losing so incompetently.

‘……Just wait and see.’

Because I will definitely surpass you someday.

.

.

.

“…..Huh?”

I could only stare blankly at Lily, who held the wooden sword to Ariel’s neck.

….what did I just see?