Ch.114114. Delving In (1)

“The blade’s edge is getting sharper with each passing day.”

It was a perfect draw. The tips of the two practice swords met at a single point, forming a center. As the unwavering energy gathered to create tension as taut as a drawn bowstring, the swordsmen refrained from making hasty movements. Even their heartbeats and breaths were measured and secretive. The Queen looked into my eyes, and I stared straight back, careful not to give away any hints through my gaze.

“Don’t let your movements be read. I see you’ve taken that lesson to heart.”

The Queen still had room to spare. But when facing her, I couldn’t afford to think about anything other than combat. To compete at a similar level, I couldn’t even respond to her words. The Queen slightly shifted her pivot foot backward. I didn’t get drawn in. In terms of distance, I could maintain the advantage.

“And, don’t act rashly. I see you remember that advice well too.”

The Queen commended me with a smile. I couldn’t even express my immense gratitude. I never knew when her sword might change its course. Would she try to overpower me directly? Or would she try to entangle my blade like a snake and disarm me? Or perhaps avoid confronting me head-on? Though our bodies remained still, the Queen and I were engaged in a constant battle of wits through our eyes.

“Unpredictability reveals fragments of talent, but relying on unpredictability reveals the limits of talent. What you think is unexpected, your opponent might be reading completely.”

The Queen said this while slightly pushing the tip of her practice sword forward. I didn’t resist the pressure but accepted it, stepping back. The strength between the Queen and me maintained a flat balance. The Queen was waiting for that balance to collapse in either direction.

Perhaps I should move first.

The Queen’s strategy was always deceptively obvious yet not. She would present choices and wait for me to take the bait. Of course, there were never any real choices. Both were always just bait. My battles with the Queen were always determined by whether I, having taken the bait, could drag her into the water, or whether she could pull me out of it. Between the invisible line between our swords, I drew a sword path in my mind.

“Oh?”

A moment’s flash. I pushed forward. The tense balance collapsed. The Queen’s eyes lit up with interest, but she quickly did what she had to do. The Queen responds according to her instincts. Unlike other knights who create formulas for combat in their minds.

That’s why the Queen’s sword is passive. Waiting for the opponent to make the first move. A sword that is cautious yet playful, never taking the initiative. Because it can do anything, it chooses not to do anything.

“It’s been a while since you’ve made the first move. Have you changed your tactics?”

I’ll answer with my sword. Overwhelming with force was useless. I would just fall first. If she rushed to counter my sword, I would do what I needed to do. What I do best. Not breaking my sword and advancing for a single goal.

The Queen struck down with her sword. The sword raised in my left hand for attack was blocked by the Queen, and my right hand became free. I thrust the sword in my right hand forward.

“!”

The Queen twisted her waist. I followed her, swinging my sword faster. The Queen couldn’t respond and occasionally took a hit. The Holy Sword had said it. In the end, it’s the one who moves that rises to the top.

“You truly never disappoint me, Ilroy.”

The Queen caught my sword with a deep smile. Despite the outcome of this duel being all but decided, the Queen looked pleased. I made one final move, dropping my sword toward the Queen’s body before stopping. My blade halted just above the Queen’s head. The Queen put her sword down on the ground and looked up at me from a sitting position. Various parts of my body ached. It was the accumulated damage from the Queen’s counterattacks while I was pressing her.

“I lost. It’s amusing how your win rate has been increasing lately. Starting this was worthwhile. I get to see you grow stronger by the day, and I also realize my own shortcomings.”

The Queen rose, cracking her neck from side to side. Compared to me, the Queen had barely any injuries. Just slightly disheveled hair and a cut on her cheek.

…Wait, no injuries to the face.

I quickly approached the Queen and wiped away the blood flowing from her cheek. Looking at my instinctive action, the Queen stood there blankly.

“Are you alright, Your Majesty?”

“It’s nothing.”

The Queen answered with a slightly shaken voice as she looked at me. As I was about to step back, thinking I had gotten too close, the Queen playfully grabbed my collar as I retreated.

“Why are you backing away? It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”

“…I apologize.”

The Queen flashed a smile right in front of my face. It was still a smile that felt like an icicle piercing my spine. The Queen tried to pull me a little closer, then suddenly let go and turned around.

“Report to me. You must have had several classes by now.”

“There are no students I can specifically identify as spies for devil worshippers yet. We can’t kill people based on mere suspicion. However, we’re not completely without progress. We’re uncovering clues to counter the sixth calamity.”

“That’s good news. But as for the devil worshippers…”

The Queen turned back to me with a face tinged with a flush.

“I think suspicion alone is enough to detain them. We don’t know how they’re operating in secret. I don’t think there would be any complaints if we did so.”

“Your Majesty, do you know why the witch hunts of the past broke out?”

I answered the Queen’s statement with a question. The Queen looked at me with a slight frown.

“It spreads suspicion and fear among people. This person is a witch. Witches are evil and must be killed. Like that. The fear that spreads among people. And authority given through justified reasons. Slight suspicion is enough to turn an innocent person into a witch.”

I roughly dusted off the dirt on my practice sword and sheathed it. The Queen’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Even if that person isn’t a witch, if the witch hunters and the crowd label them as one, they die as a witch. The real witches hide among the crowd, laughing.”

“Continue.”

“If we start detaining people simply because they’re suspected, it becomes too easy for the essence to be blurred. It becomes easy to use the false accusation of devil worship as a political tool.”

I paused briefly, then approached the Queen and spoke again.

“All while failing to catch the real devil worshippers.”

The Queen shrugged after hearing my words.

“It would be a good method to use on those who don’t listen to me. Of course, since you would dislike me for doing so, I won’t use the information you give me in that way.”

I closed my mouth without saying more.

“Your defiance is one of the reasons I like you, Ilroy. If it were me, I would have thought first about using it to protect the royal family’s safety, restricting information, and wielding it as I pleased.”

The Queen then gave a bitter smile.

“I’m glad you’re the hero.”

The Queen said as she put away her sword. I could sense relief, regret, and even a faint guilt in her voice. She seemed to feel a slight remorse every time she faced me.

“Your volunteering to teach those children must also be evidence of your character.”

“I’m not that good a person. It might just be self-satisfaction.”

The Queen, having returned to her usual self, handed her sword to an old knight. The old knight looked at me with a fond smile before taking my training sword as well. That old man’s smile somehow felt like he was looking at his grandson.

“Well then, let’s return to your report. If you’re not going to detain those who are suspected, how do you plan to prevent devil worshippers from operating within the magic tower?”

I exhaled briefly. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a plan in mind. Whether it would actually work was uncertain.

“We need to cast bait.”

“Do you think such cautious individuals would fall for mere bait?”

“If they’re devil worshippers, they won’t be able to resist.”

I smiled at the Queen, who wore a puzzled expression.

==

“…This brings back unpleasant memories.”

Eugene muttered as he walked through the forest. The sky visible through the densely overhanging leaves indicated it was daytime, but the forest shadows were as dark as any evening. The shadows glimpsed between trees and rocks resembled monsters. Eugene had to concentrate all his nerves to avoid being deceived by shadows and casting magic recklessly.

“Of all things, a practical exercise where I have to withstand monster attacks alone in this forest… I’m going to go insane.”

Eugene muttered, looking around. As if responding to his words, a growling sound came from nearby. Did he mishear the wind? Eugene held his breath, suppressing his pounding heart and the mana that kept trying to surge up like vomit.

“…Just come out quickly already.”

And the attack began. Eugene quickly cast magic toward the direction of the rustling sound, but the flame that extended from his fingertips only blasted an innocent tree.

“Behind-!”

Eugene shouted as he rolled on the ground. By a hair’s breadth, the monster’s claws raked the ground. Eugene swallowed dryly at the sight of his clothes being cut without even being touched.

Grrrr-!

Eugene fired a merciless spell at the monster that was scratching its throat. The monster let out a death cry and turned into a lump of charcoal. Just by not making the mistake of firing magic in panic, he was already among the top students.

“Next!”

As soon as he said that, two monsters pounced on him from both sides at once. Eugene formed a protective barrier, initially blocking the monsters’ attacks. Simultaneously, magic that would end both monsters’ lives formed in his grasp.

“Two of you is nothing-!”

Ice spears pierced through the monsters’ bodies. Was it because he was tense? The quality of the magic was much higher than usual, but the mana consumption was correspondingly severe. However, he had no luxury to worry about mana consumption.

“Oh, seriously.”

The monsters kept coming irregularly, and after taking down four more, Eugene was eliminated when a white wolf’s fangs caught his neck. Bounced out of the barrier, Eugene received the admiring gazes of the many freshmen who had already been eliminated and were seated.

“Eugene Greyson, seven monsters defeated. Time survived… 20 minutes. You did well enough.”

A voice as handsome as its owner’s face came from above. Looking up, Eugene saw the hero’s face, backlit as he looked down at him.

“…What place am I in elimination?”

“Only two remain. You’re third.”

The remaining two must be Cora and Natalie.

Eugene sat on the ground and clicked his tongue. And just as he did, Cora bounced out of the barrier, rolling. She raised her head and gave Eugene a triumphant look, which he returned with a thoroughly furrowed expression.

“Cora Poison. Eight monsters defeated. Time survived: 23 minutes. Well done.”

At the hero’s praise, Cora blushed and nodded. And after quite some time, the expressionless Natalie walked out of the barrier. The hero turned to Natalie and smiled.

“Natalie. Fourteen monsters defeated. Time survived: 30 minutes. Very well done.”

Natalie merely nodded slightly at the hero’s praise. Eugene marveled at Natalie’s skill in defeating twice as many monsters as he had, but was half-relieved that she too had eventually been eliminated. She didn’t seem to be that much of a monster after all. Though for someone who had just been killed by monsters, her expression was oddly unfazed.

“It would be good for everyone to remember today’s results. You’ll need to use those records as a stepping stone to show even more improvement.”

The hero looked at his watch and then turned his eyes back to the students.

“That will be all for today’s class. Everyone did well.”

“Thank you for your guidance!”

The students answered in unison and then filed out of the classroom. Eugene and Cora watched their backs before turning to fetch Natalie. And they frowned slightly at the sight of Natalie boldly approaching the hero.

“…What is she trying to do?”

The hero greeted Natalie with a somewhat bewildered expression. And Eugene gaped in astonishment when he heard Natalie’s brazen words.

“I want to receive private lessons from you, Professor.”

The hero’s eyes filled with even greater bewilderment.