Ch.5Dubious First Meeting – 5

The shock from the previous match wasn’t limited to just the students. Jake, who had been curious about what level of skill could justify such confident behavior, was also among those surprised.

‘So it wasn’t just empty boasting. Very good.’

Jake was actually one of the few teachers who viewed Mira Crate favorably. This was due to his belief that if one is born a man of valor, one should have ambition to match.

Her bold declaration that she wouldn’t lose the top rank for all three years had completely won him over.

‘To achieve that speed without mana is remarkable…’

After his initial surprise, he immediately began his assessment. How many students could actually see that attack and react to it? If it were a surprise attack like just now, they could be counted on one hand.

More importantly, she had accomplished that movement without the aid of mana. No trace of mana was detected in the movement she just displayed. It was either purely her physical ability, or something else entirely.

‘That’s not the skill of someone who’s only had a match or two.’

The same applied to her swordsmanship. Having gone through countless battles against magical beasts on the front lines, Jake immediately recognized that the attack was designed solely to kill the opponent.

This raised more questions. Mira Crate had just turned 18 this year. At that age, how had she learned swordsmanship focused exclusively on killing? No matter how he looked at it, it felt like skill built up through actually taking lives.

‘I like it.’

Another teacher might have been horrified by such a thought, but Jake casually pushed it to the back of his mind. Pondering complicated backstories wasn’t his specialty.

That’s how it had been since his time on the front lines. That’s how he had survived until now.

“The match is over. Your defeat, and I won’t entertain any objections. Return to your place, Diana.”

Having significantly raised his evaluation of Mira Crate, Jake smiled contentedly as he sent Scarlet back to her place. The drooping red hair trudged away.

As he looked around the arena, his eyes suddenly met with Mira Crate’s. She was meeting his gaze without any discomfort. He liked that reaction as well.

Due to his height exceeding 2 meters, his ferocious muscles, and the scars covering his entire body, very few people who first met Jake didn’t show fear in their eyes or gestures.

Most would at least show a small flinch, but this student showed no such sign. It meant her courage was also exceptional.

‘This is going to be interesting.’

With skills like hers, she probably wouldn’t need any special assistance.

The red-haired woman trudged away with a dazed expression, and Jake looked around at the students.

“Anyone else want to challenge next?”

“……”

“Hmm. I distinctly remember there were quite a few challengers earlier.”

Unlike before, no one stepped forward except for Aria and Brunhilde. They must have recognized the gap between us and wisely backed down.

Some of the more timid ones were even avoiding my gaze while hesitating. It seemed my show of force had been quite successful.

With no challengers coming forward, Jake grinned and pointed at Brunhilde.

“Good, Brunhilde. I like that look in your eyes. Step forward.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are we finally going to see the Hero’s sword in action?”

Cheers and whistles erupted from all around. Brunhilde, who had been staring me down confidently, faltered slightly. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red.

‘She seems embarrassed by it all.’

In this world, the concept of “Hero” existed, and Leona Brunhilde was this generation’s Hero chosen by the sacred sword. I didn’t know anything about the original story, so Priscilla had explained it to me.

She had been chosen, but having lived as a commoner until then, it was awkward to send her straight to the battlefield, so they enrolled her at Bellium Academy, trusting in the sacred sword’s power.

That had happened just three weeks before this year’s entrance ceremony, which meant they had enrolled a woman who had never held a sword before. If they were willing to do that, her ability must truly be extraordinary.

“Greetings, Hero.”

I deliberately greeted her with formality.

“…Do you have to do that too?”

Noticing my playful tone, Brunhilde gave a wry smile and raised her sword. It was a blend of gold, silver, and sky blue, exuding an aura of nobility at first glance.

“You didn’t step up during the first round of volunteers. What changed your mind?”

“I was planning to just observe today. As you can see, I’m in this situation. Because of this, I don’t need mana to be a bit… no, extremely strong.”

“And?”

“I thought you might be able to handle it.”

Brunhilde smiled and took her stance. She held the sacred sword in her left hand, slightly lowering her knees to be ready to charge at any moment. The blue light that had been appropriately separating us gradually faded.

“Oh, by the way. I’m not sure if I told you.”

“What?”

“I also got a perfect score in practical skills.”

With that, Brunhilde’s body exploded forward. I reflexively parried the sword tip aiming for my throat. The deflected blade twisted unnaturally and changed trajectory, aiming for my neck again.

‘Is that even possible?’

It wasn’t technique or skill—she simply used raw power to withstand the recoil and change the trajectory. So this is the kind of ability needed to face the Demon King.

I turned my sword diagonally, meeting her blade face-to-face and driving it downward. My descending blade, sliding along the side of the sacred sword, stopped at the crossguard. As we were momentarily locked in a bind, Brunhilde whispered softly.

“Aria told me that if I fight well with you here, more people will look favorably on you. Since we’ve met like this, I’ll help you out.”

At those words, I glanced at Aria. She was waving her hand gently. So that intense look in Brunhilde’s eyes was a combination of her own interest and Aria’s request.

“That’s kind of you. Helping someone you’ve only known for a day.”

“I get that a lot.”

“Since you’re being so kind, how about trying a different approach? Wouldn’t more people look favorably on me if I beat you?”

“Oh, is that a declaration of war?”

I could feel strength entering her arm where our swords met. A creaking sound echoed as our crossguards clashed.

I applied more force and struck upward with my sword. The sacred sword seemed to bounce off, then immediately came crashing down. She had changed its trajectory by striking the side. This one felt quite heavy even to me.

It seemed she felt the same, as a flash of surprise crossed her golden eyes.

“Wow, what’s this? You’re incredibly strong! How did you block that?”

“It’s nothing special.”

Our conversation was brief. Brunhilde dove in again toward my inside. This time, I decided to try some psychological warfare instead of parrying.

I waited until the sword tip was almost upon me, then twisted my body slightly to avoid it by a paper-thin margin. The sacred sword grazed past my side by the narrowest of margins.

My performance was so convincing that the tip of her sword hesitated momentarily, thinking I couldn’t dodge. Brunhilde’s eyes widened.

‘She’s no ordinary opponent either.’

She had noticed that I hadn’t barely dodged, but had deliberately waited to make it look like a close call. Time for a change in tactics. I grabbed Brunhilde’s wrist with my left arm and twisted it.

“Ugh?!”

She reflexively tensed her arm. But between her wrist being bent and her awkward posture from trying to withdraw after attempting to stab me, she was clearly at a disadvantage for a test of strength.

“Hnngh!”

‘…Is this all?’

She should have been at a disadvantage, but as Brunhilde let out a battle cry, her wrist gradually began returning to its original position.

It seemed the rumors about her physical abilities being tremendous thanks to the sacred sword weren’t exaggerated. I never expected she could exert strength from this position.

But I had no intention of letting it end there.

I applied even more force. Her wrist, which had been returning to position, twisted again. I bent my waist and swept her legs. With an “Eh?” sound, both of Brunhilde’s legs lifted into the air.

Instead of slamming her back-first into the ground, I reduced my speed to allow her to land safely. Brunhilde, who landed lightly, stuck out her tongue at the blade that was just about to touch her neck.

“If this were real combat, I’d be dead, right?”

“Your head would have been gone while you were in the air. Well, I would have been injured too.”

The sacred sword was also touching near my back, but it clearly wasn’t in a position to inflict a fatal wound. Just something that could be healed with a potion and a few minutes of rest.

“I thought so. Can’t be helped. I lost this time.”

When the words “I lost” came from Brunhilde’s mouth, a commotion far greater than when I defeated Scarlet spread through the crowd. The title of “Hero” seemed to carry significant weight.

“This time?”

“Ah, you caught that?”

A shameless smile came back.

“Is it possible to contact you privately? I’ve become interested in you.”

“If you’re trying to request another match, you should use the right words. I don’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings? Ah, I see. If that’s what you mean, then by all means.”

She’s clearly thinking of Priscilla. Of course, I was talking about a completely different kind of misunderstanding.

I didn’t understand why she had to use expressions like “I’ve become interested in you” and “Can I contact you privately” when she could have simply asked if she could request another match later.

“Actually, I’m right-handed. I fought with my left hand this time. Let’s have a proper match next time.”

“Making excuses after losing makes you look really bad, just so you know.”

“…But it’s not an excuse, it’s true.”

Brunhilde, seeming to realize how bad it looked, went back to her place with a dejected expression.

The rest proceeded smoothly. When Jake asked if there was anyone else for the next round, no one came forward, and naturally my matches ended there. Jake patted my back saying “well done.”

It really hurt like hell.

With just two matches, I had completely changed how people viewed me. I returned to my seat first and sat next to Brunhilde, who was waving her hand enthusiastically. Aria praised me in a gentle voice.

‘The first step has been taken successfully.’

All that remains is to continue showing such overwhelming performance from now on.

“I’ve heard the news, Mira Crate. You achieved victory in a mock battle against the Hero.”

“It was merely a stroke of luck.”

“Remember that countless others have failed to achieve what you call ‘merely a stroke of luck.'”

The room with its blue glow was unbearably cold. The cold smile on the Crown Prince’s face made it feel even more so. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had shown such a hearty demeanor at the entrance ceremony.

“We’ve finally reached this point. I’ve wanted to interrogate my past self countless times about why I scheduled our appointment for two days later.”

“If that were the case, couldn’t you have summoned me earlier?”

“Are you suggesting I should become a liar?”

“…Absolutely not, Your Highness.”

“I know, so don’t be too frightened. Now, let’s get to the main point.”

The Crown Prince crossed his legs as he looked down at me. The school uniform pants, designed almost like a formal suit, stretched tightly.

His blood-red eyes fell upon me.

“The time for truth has come, Mira Crate.”