32. Sparring Again

32. Sparring Again

Now that I’ve sent the letter, I should be able to attend the lecture with peace of mind.

But before that, there’s something I need to do, so I approached Golden Sun. Since she helped me, it’s only natural to thank her.

“Golden… no, Sorina.”

“Huh?”

A thank you between women. That’s a kiss on the cheek. I immediately brought my lips to her cheek.

“Huh?”

“Thank you for your help. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to send the letter on time.”

Then my sister would surely have been distressed. She might cry because she hadn’t heard from her older sister. She’s such a delicate child that she always needs to be by my side.

“Thank you very much.”

Once more, smack.

Golden Sun looked bewildered. I left for the lecture with satisfaction.

——

Today’s class is Basic Swordsmanship A.

The lecture that ended after a very brief orientation last time.

Fortunately, there was no unfortunate incident where the lecture ended so quickly today. Instead, the professor sent a message for all students to come out to the sparring grounds.

Will I finally get to swing my sword? My white tail wagged with excitement.

Whoosh.

Of course, I wasn’t wagging my tail intentionally.

A beastkin’s tail is close to instinct; it wags automatically when happy and droops when unhappy. So, even though I usually control it at will, it moves on its own when my emotions are strong.

Especially when I’m happy, I have trouble controlling my tail. It’s not a big problem if my tail wags a bit, but when it wags so unrestrainedly, I always….

“Ah.”

I end up accidentally hitting the person next to me with my tail. I remember breaking piles of things in the mansion because of this when I was young.

I looked at the girl groaning, holding her head. I wondered who it was, and it turned out to be the same girl who sat next to me before and ran away, and who first helped me train Priscilla.

Her name was probably… Ella von… Hmm, anyway.

“Sorry, it was an accident. Are you okay?”

I apologized and looked down at her. To ensure she wouldn’t be intimidated by the difference in our status, I did so with a benevolent smile. Then she flinched and replied.

“Aaaah, no! I’m fine! Don’t worry!”

Ella, waving her hands back and forth and insisting she was fine.

But no matter how I looked at it, she didn’t seem fine at all. Rather, she looked like she was lying to get out of the current situation and escape from this place.

It’s probably because she’s afraid of me.

Even if I’m not very perceptive, I could easily tell that she wasn’t okay. I moved closer to apologize to her.

Hiiik- Ella let out a terrified scream. Without hesitation, I hugged her and kissed her forehead.

Smack.

“Hiiik!”

I hope my sincerity was conveyed well with this.

——

Skadi von Lyra’s actions over the weekend spread throughout the academy in an instant.

From relatively minor news about her still dragging Priscilla around and engaging in lewd acts, to bizarre eyewitness accounts claiming she sexually harassed or threatened the princess with a sword.

What’s even more frightening is that no one denied those rumors. Too many people had witnessed the scenes to deny them.

However, among those numerous rumors, there was one rumor with no witnesses: the rumor about Frisia von Louer, the eldest daughter of the Louer family.

Many people saw the confrontation between the two. However, after the incomprehensible sight of magic being cut in half, they were all chased away by the Grand Duchess and couldn’t see what happened next.

Therefore, there were only rampant rumors about how that duel concluded.

Among them, the most credible rumor was that Skadi had done the same lewd things to Frisia as she had to her sister. In fact, news of Frisia returning to her territory over the weekend circulated, making the rumor almost confirmed.

What terrible deed could have driven the steadfast Frisia to flee the academy? The students trembled in fear just imagining it.

With this, the Marquis Louer family, responsible for the empire’s law enforcement, was completely neutralized. The mechanism to stop the Grand Duchess had completely disappeared.

Perhaps something to stop her would come to the academy someday, but not at this moment. The students were merely focused on watching their backs.

Therefore-

Tap, tap.

Tap, tap, tap.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Even though the white tail was tapping the person next to her, no one dared to speak.

The wolf’s tail wagged energetically.

Unluckily, Ella von Silverine, who was in the same group as her, was enduring the barrage of tail taps with tears in her eyes. It was the sorrow of a noble lady that no one knew.

Meanwhile, Skadi, the culprit, was looking somewhere without a care. A golden object, protruding from among the flowers in a nearby flowerbed.

Small, cute, soft, and shaped like….

It was the princess.

“Eh, P-Princess-“

“Shh.”

The princess crept closer and stood next to Skadi. As soon as Ella recognized who the princess was, she almost screamed, but thanks to the princess covering her mouth in time, she couldn’t.

Ella, the noble lady caught between the princess and the Grand Duchess, swallowed her tears in her heart.

“Claire? Why are you here?”

“Because I wanted to see you! We’re sparring today, right?”

“Yes, but….”

This is what the professor said. Since they had already learned the basics at home, the class would conclude with them sparring in pairs.

It was a truly irresponsible professor, but Skadi didn’t say much. As the professor said, she had long since mastered basic swordsmanship.

Skadi asked.

“Did you attend all the lectures? Or is there no lecture today.”

“Of course, I skipped class! Edel is probably looking for me diligently right now?”

Edel was the nickname the princess used for her maid. Skadi realized that the princess had escaped from her maid’s supervision.

Skadi continued.

“… Is that okay?”

“It’s okay, no one can say anything even if I do. Who would dare expel the Empire’s princess?”

The academy was an educational institution, but it was not free from power. Even if the princess never attended a single class, she wouldn’t be expelled.

“Anyway! So, we’re sparring now, right? With that sword!”

“I suppose so? I don’t have any other swords.”

“Then!”

The princess’s eyes sparkled as she continued.

“Spar with me!”

“Huh?”

“I said, spar with me!”

The princess, who said that, had a faint golden aura emanating from her body. She wore a dagger fitting her small stature at her waist, fully prepared for battle.

Skadi said calmly.

“No.”

“What?!”

The princess asked in surprise.

“Is it because I look weak? No! Even though I look like this, I have strength….”

“No, it’s not that.”

Skadi already knew that the golden aura emanating from the princess was strong enough to repel her hand, even if only for a moment. But that wasn’t the reason Skadi refused the princess.

“I’ve already agreed to spar with her.”

“Yes?! W-w-wait a minute!”

“Her?”

Skadi pulled out the blue-haired girl, Ella, who was crouching beside her, and said. Ella, who was suddenly forced to stand in front of the princess, tried to escape in terror, but she couldn’t overcome the grip of the white wolf.

“It’s fine to fight with you, but cutting in line isn’t allowed. Right, Ella?”

“Yes?!”

“Hmm….”

The princess pondered for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“Your name is Ella, right?”

“Uh, yes, yes…. P-Princess, I’m absolutely not doing this because I want to, I was dragged here by force….”

“Ella.”

The princess said, glaring at her.

“I want to spar with Skadi right now, can you give me permission? Hmm?”

“Yes!!!! Of course!!”

Ella shouted immediately.

The princess’s proposal-or rather, threat-was actually a good thing for her. What could be better than not having to be near this crazy monster?

After hearing her answer, the princess turned to Skadi and shrugged.

“I got permission, so is it okay?”

“Hmm… If she’s okay with it….”

Skadi looked displeased, but since the person in question had a very happy expression, she couldn’t say anything.

Ella fled the scene as if she could fly, and soon only Skadi and the princess were left there.

“Come on! Hurry and come here!”

“Okay.”

The other pairs had already started sparring long ago. Skadi hurried into the protective barrier generator and faced the princess.

The princess, perhaps due to her small size, held a dagger instead of a long sword. However, Skadi did not underestimate her opponent. The mysterious golden aura emanating from her raised the beastkin’s instinctive sense of alertness.

Skadi gazed intently at her opponent and drew her sword. The pure white blade shone in the sunlight.

Meanwhile, the princess watched the beautiful magic sword, panting. Even her fervent breaths were swept away by the cold air filling the sparring arena, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.

The wolf in its natural form, with its arms hanging loosely. As the princess’s blue eyes pierced through her, she felt a strange sensation.

‘Hmm, what is it….’

A ticklish feeling.

Was it because her opponent was looking at her as if exploring her? Or was it due to something else she didn’t know?

‘No. Let’s not think about other things!’

She couldn’t afford to get lost in other thoughts with the chance to clash with that magnificent magic sword approaching. The princess shook her head and shouted to Skadi.

“I’m coming!”

“Okay.”

She extends her sword. She puts strength in her legs. She unleashes her aura.

The princess shot herself towards Skadi.