Ch.197Ill Fate (4)

When Issac went to comfort Adelia and headed straight to the public training ground, the place was already in disarray due to Hyria’s appearance.

Naturally, it was because of Hyria Ducard von Curtures, the princess of the Kingdom of Teres, known as the rival of the Empire of Minerva. He had heard she would be working as a martial arts assistant instructor, but this was her first time at the training ground.

Her status, skill, and beauty like a flower barely blooming in winter—she lacked nothing and exuded a charisma that made her difficult to approach.

“Huh? Isn’t that Instructor Adelia?”

“You’re right. Didn’t they say she graduated and became a knight?”

“Why is she here?”

A moment later, when Adelia appeared with Issac, the commotion doubled. Like Nicole, she was popular among students for her uncommonly splendid appearance despite being a commoner, her unprejudiced gaze, and her strong combat abilities.

Above all, her personality that allowed her to get along with anyone was impossible to dislike. Especially famous were the stories of her occasional mischievous pranks that always got her scolded by Nicole.

Many students had been disappointed thinking they would no longer see them, so they couldn’t help but be surprised when she suddenly appeared at the academy, specifically at the training ground.

But there was something even more surprising.

“Those two are going to spar?”

“That’s what they say. Let’s watch.”

It was that Hyria and Adelia were going to spar. From the perspective of uninformed third parties, they couldn’t understand why the two had agreed to a match.

Except for one person—Issac, sitting in the audience.

He couldn’t help feeling slightly anxious as he watched the training ground where the two were about to begin their match.

According to his father Hawk, Adelia’s talent could be called genius-level, but what was even more frightening was her effort—a vicious determination beyond mere effort.

Considering that only those who stand out among the many talented martial arts students can become assistant instructors, one can understand how much effort she puts in.

But this is Adelia’s story—he has no idea how strong Hyria is. There are even indications that when they were young, Hyria beat Adelia almost to the point of assault.

Of course, this was possible because the royal family provided Hyria with substantial support, but considering their age difference, it’s certain that she possesses extraordinary talent.

‘Will she be alright…’

Above all, Adelia has a trauma deeply embedded in her heart. This means her body might react before her mind, making her flinch.

Issac had made her an offer she couldn’t refuse to somehow alleviate that trauma, but he couldn’t help feeling anxious.

If Adelia secured victory, it would be the best outcome, but if the opposite happened, things would get a bit complicated.

The trauma would worsen, and furthermore, it would drive a nail into Adelia’s heart. He sincerely hoped she would win.

“So you were here.”

“Hm? Ah, Lord Leort.”

While waiting for the match to begin, a golden-haired young man approached Issac. Leort Urmi Jeckyless, the crown prince of the Empire of Minerva and one of those who visited the training ground every weekend.

When Issac stood up to greet him, Leort extended his hand to stop him. Then, with a bitter smile and a voice filled with complex emotions, he said:

“Is that necessary anymore? Now I’m the one feeling uncomfortable.”

“If it were just the two of us, maybe, but there are people watching now.”

“Your personality remains consistent.”

Leort said this and sat down next to Issac. After sitting, he shifted his gaze toward Hyria and Adelia, who were facing each other with training swords in hand.

After watching the two for a while, Leort glanced sideways. Issac also kept his eyes fixed on the training ground where the match would take place.

With a somewhat cautious voice, he asked Issac a question. It was a question possible only because there were almost no other people sitting in the audience nearby.

“Do you know what kind of relationship those two have?”

“Yes. I know well.”

“Then perhaps…”

“Princess Hyria doesn’t know who I am. She just thinks I’m Adelia’s master.”

“That’s a relief.”

I was worried, but now I’m relieved. Indeed, if she had known Issac was Xenon, she wouldn’t have even challenged Adelia to a match.

Moreover, from Leort and the Empire of Minerva’s perspective, this was the best possible situation. Without them realizing it, Issac’s opinion of the Kingdom of Teres was being damaged in real-time.

Sometimes, doing nothing is the top priority. This was a fact learned after experiencing the historic protest incident several months ago.

Thanks to that, aren’t they maintaining a fairly good relationship now? After the protest, the situation had been uncomfortable between them, but Issac’s leniency allowed them to recover.

“…Lord Leort. May I ask you something?”

“What is it? If it’s your question, I’ll answer without reservation.”

“Are the Teres royals usually… how should I put it…”

Issac paused and looked around. After confirming that no one was nearby, he continued in a cautious tone.

“Are they… lacking in manners?”

“What?”

“Well… even if she’s an illegitimate child, what they did to Adelia seems too harsh. No matter what, denying family to someone’s face seems a bit extreme.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing that question, Leort shifted his gaze to Hyria. The Empire of Minerva and the Kingdom of Teres have a growling relationship, but paradoxically, they have active exchanges.

You need to know your opponent to take appropriate measures, and you need to properly understand the political situation to target weaknesses. It’s natural for both sides to have active exchanges and for royalty to meet.

From Leort’s perspective, it’s certain that the Teres royals each have strong personalities. He doesn’t know much about the first princess, who was married off to the Dutchy of Bellua before he could meet her, but he knows well what the crown prince and the other two princesses are like.

“There might be differences between individuals, but I don’t think of them badly. The issue of illegitimate children is their problem, not mine.”

“Then what do you think about illegitimate children? Do you also consider them neither here nor there, half-breeds?”

“If you want to curse someone, curse the father who went around doing as he pleased. What sin does the child have? If Luminus, who governs life, saw this, it would be a cause for lamentation.”

Issac showed a surprised expression at Leort’s indifferent yet direct answer. Leort is a nobleman, and not just any nobleman—he’s the crown prince who should be revered second only to the emperor.

Nevertheless, his view toward illegitimate children didn’t seem too bad. In fact, it was closer to having no interest at all, but that’s something.

Leort inwardly smiled at Issac’s expression. It’s true that he has little interest because there are no illegitimate children in his imperial family, but it’s good to score points like this.

As they say, make hay while the sun shines—the Kingdom of Teres is self-destructing, so he just needs to row along.

“By the way, didn’t Nicole go to take the Navy Knights entrance test?”

“Yes. She should be back soon…”

CLANG!!

Before Issac could finish his sentence, a loud noise came from the training ground. He turned his gaze from Leort to the training ground.

The first thing he saw was Hyria lying on the ground. And then…

“…What?”

As if washing away all trauma, it was Adelia, proudly pointing her sword at the fallen Hyria.

*****

About 3 minutes before the situation occurred.

Unlike Hyria, who had a smile on her lips, Adelia was in a stiff posture with a rigid expression. Currently, they both held training swords.

Although the sparring swords weren’t sharpened, they were made of steel and had similar weight to real ones. Moreover, while not lethal, they were still threatening weapons.

Normally, a match begins with a bow or crossing swords as a sign of mutual respect, but there was none of that between them. Only a chilly atmosphere prevailed.

Adelia looked at the confident Hyria and then slightly turned her head to the left. Issac was watching her from the audience.

“Where are you looking? Are you looking at your prince again?”

Hyria sneered in her distinctive mid-low voice, noticing that Adelia was looking at Issac. She had already noticed that Adelia had feelings for Issac.

That made it even more contemptible. A half-breed, neither noble nor commoner, having feelings for a nobleman.

It’s similar to her mother, who wandered through brothels and recklessly came to the royal family somehow trying to live like a human. In the end, she’ll be abandoned just the same.

“Why don’t you just give up? You know better than anyone else what happens when you cling. It’s like grabbing a rotten rope.”

“… …”

Adelia’s expression grew increasingly fierce at Hyria’s continued insults. Her brows furrowed, and her usually lively expression became as fierce as a tiger’s.

They say that when a kind person gets angry, they’re even scarier—Adelia was exactly in that situation. Even Hyria couldn’t help but flinch slightly at an expression she had never seen before.

But soon, memories of the past brought a smile back to her face. The memory of beating Adelia severely under the guise of sparring with the royal family’s support.

What’s different between then and now? She has become much stronger since then, and Adelia fled the academy like she was being chased away, without properly learning anything.

This match is certainly her victory.

“I didn’t know you could make such an expression. So…”

“Hyria.”

Adelia, who had been keeping her mouth shut until now, quietly called Hyria’s name. Hyria frowned, stopping mid-sentence.

A mere illegitimate child interrupting her—she wanted to knock her down right away, but she listened silently as Adelia continued.

“I’ve been thinking since the old days… why did someone who used to follow me so well suddenly start to hate me?”

“What ancient story are you…”

“You were jealous of me. I could imitate anything after seeing it once, and you couldn’t. Right?”

It was a clear provocation to anyone watching. It forcibly pulled out emotions that Hyria had deeply hidden in her heart.

If one were to describe that emotion… it was inferiority. Inferiority complex.

As Adelia said, Hyria doesn’t have much talent in swordsmanship or martial arts. Without the secret techniques and support from the royal family, she would have become just an ordinary knight.

But Adelia was completely the opposite. Despite her status as an illegitimate child, which prevented her from receiving proper support, learning over someone’s shoulder was enough for her.

Thanks to this, several knights who highly valued her talent secretly passed on techniques to her, and Hyria couldn’t help but be overshadowed by Adelia.

First came admiration, then jealousy, and finally an inferiority complex.

There were several reasons why Hyria disliked Adelia, but the inferiority complex of always having to look at her back was one of them.

“W-What? Me? To someone like you?”

Hyria was initially bewildered by Adelia’s factual assault. The idea that she would be jealous of such a half-breed seemed absurd.

But although she wasn’t aware of it, her heart was pounding, and both hands holding the sword were trembling.

Adelia checked Hyria’s reaction and turned her head once more to look at Issac. In the meantime, Leort had sat down beside him and they were conversing.

Originally, she would show extreme anxiety symptoms whenever she faced Hyria, but not anymore. When Issac is nearby, her heart calms down and flutters in a different way.

‘I shouldn’t, but…’

What can she do when just looking at him makes her smile? One gentle smile from him makes all her worries and concerns melt away like snow.

She feels happy just being with him, to the point where the family she was so obsessed with seems insignificant.

Adelia smiled genuinely with happiness and then faced Hyria again. She suddenly wondered if Hyria was happy in her current situation.

“Hyria. Let me ask you one thing.”

“Shut up!”

Perhaps because of the factual assault just now, Hyria charged fiercely, her anger reaching its peak. She must have enhanced her body with mana, as the wind whipped around violently.

However, Adelia maintained her composure and predicted her attack to the end. In the past, her body would have frozen, allowing the attack, but not today.

The person she loves is watching, and if she wins this match, she can express what she wants to him. For that alone, she cannot lose.

CLANG!!

As Hyria brought her sword down strongly from above, Adelia simply blocked it by holding the scabbard with one hand and the back of the blade with the other.

Then, without delay, she kicked Hyria’s leg hard. Hyria was already so angry that she couldn’t maintain her composure.

THUD!

Eventually, her leg was struck, causing her balance to falter momentarily, and Adelia didn’t miss the opportunity, pushing her away while maintaining a defensive posture.

Following that, she quickly released her defensive stance and stabbed the tip of her sword into Hyria’s solar plexus. It was a perfect offense and defense, and all these movements flowed smoothly within just one second.

She had perfectly reproduced the “smoothness” that Hawk, the knight known as the Red Lion, had repeatedly emphasized.

“Gack!”

THUD!

Hyria let out a groan at the intense pain in her solar plexus and fell ungracefully. The solar plexus is one of the vital points of the human body, and if properly attacked, one can’t even breathe properly.

Therefore, protecting vital points is one of the most important basics, but Hyria failed to do so. It’s not that she’s a fool or didn’t think Adelia would target vital points.

But the result unfolded this way because the difference in skill was overwhelming. This was thanks to the various basics and techniques she had learned from Hawk.

SHING-

“Huff… Kugh… You…”

Hyria looked at Adelia with eyes half surprised, half angry. Her expression showed that she couldn’t grasp what had just happened.

To this, Adelia slowly pointed the tip of her sword at her and opened her mouth. It was the question she hadn’t been able to ask earlier.

“Hyria. Are you happy?”

“Huff… What are you…”

“Unlike me, you have status, family, wealth, and honor. So I’m asking if you’re happy.”

“What nonsense… Kugh.”

Hyria couldn’t finish her sentence due to the blow to her solar plexus. Adelia stared at her silently and then slowly shifted her gaze.

She could see Issac’s face, looking at her with a bewildered expression, not understanding what had happened. His face that makes her smile just by looking at it.

Her true happiness was not far away. Or more precisely, she had found it by chance.

Being connected by blood doesn’t necessarily make someone “family.” Family isn’t something that can be confined by mere blood.

“I’ll tell you now, Hyria.”

With that thought, Adelia smiled genuinely with happiness and declared:

“I’m much happier now.”

Especially when I’m with that man.