episode_0067

“I lost.”

As my sword touched Ascal’s back, Ascal lowered his sword. He then raised both hands, admitting defeat.

“I won.”

I also said this as I withdrew my sword from Ascal’s back.

When I withdrew my sword, Ascal turned around and looked at me. Despite losing the spar, Ascal’s face was full of smiles.

Ascal leaned on my shoulder, sighing, “Oh, I’m tired.”

I was just as tired, but Ascal wasn’t heavy, so I didn’t say anything.

Ascal, leaning on me, opened his mouth and said, “Do you know something?”

“Among the academy students, you’re the second person to beat me.”

Since Ascal was leaning on me, it naturally felt like he was whispering into my ear.

Ascal’s breath tickled my ear.

“Really? Who was the first?”

“You probably know him too? The current academy student council president. Joden Adelien.”

As expected, it was Joden.

Indeed, if it’s Joden, it would be difficult to beat him even for a knight of the Imperial Knights.

Ascal imagined sparring with Joden and shivered.

“He’s a monster in a different sense than you. Of course, I won the second time.”

Joden’s skill isn’t at the level of an academy student. He’s probably already stronger than some professors.

“Unlike Joden, I’ll win the second time too.”

I imagined sparring with Joden in my mind.

After the spar begins. I rush in with 20 clones.

Joden freezes the entire training ground, and my clones disappear.

‘Tsk.’

My illusions, which disappear upon contact, didn’t have good compatibility with Joden, who could instantly freeze space.

Even if I tried to conceal myself with illusions and attack, Joden would just freeze the training ground, and it would be over.

“Hmm? That sounds like you’re saying you want to spar with me again?”

“It would be an honor for me to be able to spar with Lady Ascal-nim again.”

I definitely grew stronger from that spar just now.

If I can get stronger, I’ll spar as many times as needed, even if I’m reluctant.

“But you know.”

Ascal puffed out her cheeks, as if something displeased her, and spoke.

If an ordinary adult woman did that, it would feel like she wasn’t acting her age. But perhaps because Ascal was pretty, I didn’t think that at all.

Dirty lookism.

No, wait. If my face is considered lookism, is that a blessing?

“How long are you going to stiffly call me Lady-nim? We’ve sparred, so just call me Noona comfortably, okay?”

Ascal, still leaning on my shoulder, poked my side with her finger and said.

“Then did you tell Joden-ssi to call you Noona?”

“No, I just imagined hearing him say that, and I’m covered in goosebumps right now.”

Ascal heard my words and immediately stiffened her expression, speaking.

‘Joden is also handsome, though not as much as me.’

I recalled Joden’s appearance.

Jet-black hair and crimson eyes. Sharp eyes and an icy personality.

I recalled Joden’s appearance and imagined him calling Ascal ‘Noona’.

“That does sound a bit scary.”

“Right?”

*Thump.*

Suddenly, a white hand shot out between Ascal and me.

Ascal and I shifted our gaze to find the owner of the hand, and there was a furious-looking Johanna.

“…………..”

Johanna, who had appeared unnoticed, separated Ascal and me, saying,

“What were you two talking about that you were whispering like that?”

We weren’t particularly trying to whisper.

It only happened that way because Ascal was leaning on my shoulder.

Johanna checked my body all over.

Anyone could see she was worried if I was hurt.

But perhaps because there was no light in Johanna’s blue eyes,

she looked more like an owner checking if their possession had been scratched.

‘Was that too much of an exaggeration?’

It was a metaphor I came up with, but it was definitely an exaggeration.

“You’re not seriously hurt, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Ascal, who had been listening to Johanna and me talk, pouted and spoke.

“Johanna? It looks like I’m the one who’s more hurt, though?”

As Ascal said, she had quite a few shallow wounds on her body.

Of course, they were wounds that would disappear with a single potion.

“You’re not very hurt.”

Johanna glanced at Ascal for about 0.1 seconds and said.

And then she checked my body again.

“Saying that would make this elder sister upset, you know?”

“Sister………always …………(unclear)..”

“………….When…………..did I.”

Strange.

Their voices sound faint.

The sky is spinning.

And the sky is getting higher and higher.

I could tell from that.

It wasn’t that the sky was getting higher; I was getting lower.

‘Ah, I’m collapsing.’

“Lo……..ki!”

The last thing I saw before I collapsed was Johanna rushing towards me with wide, startled eyes.

I should tell her it’s nothing.

But I couldn’t open my mouth.

* * *

How much time had passed?

I opened my eyes and became the happiest person in the world.

What do I mean?

“Loki!”

With Johanna looking at me right in front of my eyes, what else could I be but the happiest person in the world?

Seeing me open my eyes, Johanna called my name and hugged me tightly.

“I was worried.”

Johanna’s scent brushed past my nose.

My heart trembled.

“If you faint again, then I’ll just first………..”

Johanna murmured to herself in a low voice.

My heart trembled in a different way.

Johanna, what are you saying?

As I was held in Johanna’s embrace, feeling my heart tremble in two different ways,

*Clank.*

Someone opened the door and entered.

Even though she must have heard the door opening, Johanna showed no intention of letting me go; in fact, she tightened her embrace.

If the person entering now was Duke Freyja, I might die.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

Fortunately, the person who entered was Ascal, not Duke Freyja.

Ascal saw Johanna hugging me, but acted as if nothing was amiss, perching herself on the bed where I was lying.

“The priest-nim said there’s nothing particularly wrong with your body, just that you used your head too much and temporarily fell asleep.”

And she told me why I had collapsed.

I had indeed been continuously using illusions earlier.

“Ah, right. I haven’t told you the more important thing yet.”

Ascal said, her lips curving up in amusement.

“Father will be here soon. In about 10 seconds?”

I checked my current appearance.

Johanna, even after hearing Ascal’s words, showed no intention of letting go, and hugged me tighter.

“Senior, it hurts.”

To escape Johanna’s embrace, I had no choice but to lie, and hearing that, Johanna loosened the hand that was wrapped around my neck.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

And she said to me in a worried voice.

*Clank.*

And then, as Johanna released me, the door immediately opened.

“Hmph, how pathetic.”

Duke Freyja frowned when he saw me lying on the bed.

*Smack!*

The Duchess smacked the Duke hard on the back with her palm, silencing him.

He seems genuinely in pain, doesn’t he?

“Hoho. I’m confident about this one thing.”

* * *

. . . .

I was currently inside Duke Freyja’s family armory.

The weapons here were not ordinary weapons.

In my hand was the highest-grade elixir I had received from the Duke.

I had received it for winning the spar against Ascal.

And I also received the right to take one weapon I liked from here as a gift.

If I had my way, I would have wanted all the weapons here.

If I did that, my head would probably be displayed in this armory instead of weapons.

There were that many coveted weapons.

Suddenly, I recalled the sword Johanna was holding.

Compared to the swords here, it was an ordinary sword, lacking in sharpness.

“But choosing a sword for Johanna from here feels a bit strange.”

My monologue echoed in the empty armory.

Giving Johanna a sword that came from her own family’s house as a gift felt a bit off.

While I was looking around the armory for a long time.

“This is here?”

I found the weapon I needed most right now.

I looked through all the weapons in the armory, but I still decided on this one.

With just this, I wouldn’t have to worry about the remaining number of daggers anymore.

* * *

. . .

It was now time to return to the academy, so I said goodbye to the Duke and Duchess.

Johanna and I were getting ready to board the carriage.

*Thump thump.*

“Do you have a communicator?”

Ascal approached me and spoke.

“Yes, I do.”

I even had two.

“Could you lend me your communicator for a moment?”

I took out the communicator I had received from Johanna from my subspace.

Because I couldn’t take out the communicator Yerika had given me in front of Johanna.

Ascal took my communicator and connected it to her own.

“If you need anything, contact me anytime. Contact me even if you don’t need anything.”

Johanna, seeing Ascal talking to me, approached us.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Hehe, I wonder? Ask Loki.”

Ascal passed the answer to me and went inside the mansion.

“What did Unnie say?”

Johanna glared at Ascal as she entered the mansion, then shifted her target to me.

“We weren’t having any particularly special conversation. Come, let’s quickly get in the carriage. Didn’t we agree to have dinner together?”

Johanna frowned, seemingly displeased, but perhaps thinking that having dinner together was more important, she didn’t say anything more.

Johanna got into the carriage first, and I also got in.

I sat down on the seat opposite Johanna.

“………………………..”

Seeing that, Johanna frowned, lifted herself, and moved to the seat next to me.

*Tap tap.*

And without a word, she tapped her lap twice.

Does she want me to put my head on her lap like when we came?

“Senior? I’m not really tired……..”

*Tap tap.*

Johanna just looked at me silently and tapped her lap.

I also silently placed my head on Johanna’s lap.

And I took off my mask.

Since I had taken off my mask when we came, my body naturally took off the mask.

“……..Eugh!”

Johanna, who made a strange sound, caressed my face.

“Next time, tell me before you take it off……….”