Chapter 26: Duel (1)

When I sat quietly on the bench and listened, I could hear rumors carried by the wind about a certain man.

Someone said he threw a cake at Lady von Grund even before enrolling.

Someone said he severely beat up three second-year seniors on the first day of school.

Someone said that in his first sparring match, everyone was so afraid of him that they surrendered without even crossing swords.

Someone said he got so frustrated with this that he told the teacher to fight him and received a demerit point.

All the stories were so absurd and unbelievable that I couldn’t help but doubt my ears.

‘…He must be the one who ordered the reverse-edged sword.’

Recalling Master Otar’s words about a skilled but crazy guy, it was clear that this Ian was the one who ordered the reverse-edged sword.

Initially, I had thought about meeting him because of Master Otar’s words, but hearing such rumors made me hesitant.

From the rumors, he seemed like a mad dog that bites anyone. Who knows what damage he might cause if I recklessly approached him?

‘…Being from the Sword Saint’s lineage isn’t always a blessing.’

Some might call it a luxurious worry, but sometimes I wished I had been born into a normal family or as a commoner.

No matter what I try to do, the label of being the Sword Saint’s child always follows me, restricting my freedom.

The people who gather around me are like flies, hoping to gain some benefit, not seeing me but only my name.

Hearing their flattering words while surrounded by people who look at me for my name alone makes me question why I’m even here.

‘…I won’t become the Sword Saint anyway.’

I didn’t particularly want to, and it would be my sister who became the Sword Saint, not me.

With my mediocre talent, I wouldn’t even be a substitute. I just wished they would ignore me.

‘…That man must be weaker than my sister, right?’

His skill in cutting the White Rose, Master Otar’s masterpiece, at our age was commendable.

But no matter how skilled, he couldn’t match my sister.

She seemed to have been born with all of God’s blessings, just like Father.

Her strength was so overwhelming that it was beyond admiration, it was terrifying.

If she could just learn to act with consideration for her position, it would be great….

If my sister were here, she wouldn’t consider her position and would rush at that Ian guy if he seemed interesting.

Although with her skills, nothing I worried about would happen, but it was still problematic for the future Sword Saint to act recklessly.

I wished Father would discipline her, but unfortunately, he was the same type as her.

If she faced a fight she might lose, he would laugh happily instead of stopping her.

I’ve often wondered if I’m the only one in this family with any sense of normalcy.

I’ll be married off after graduating from the academy. Will everything be fine without me?

‘It was fine before I was born, so it should be fine….’

Yes, it will surely be fine.

But no matter how much I thought that, the same thoughts kept coming back, making me sigh unknowingly.

“Haa….”

Maybe it was my sigh that drew attention.

When I looked up, following a gaze I felt on me, I saw a familiar face.

“Is something troubling you?”

With those words, an elderly knight with white hair appeared. His name was Peter von Fortress.

Until last year, he had served as the commander of the 4th Royal Knights, one of the kingdom’s strongest knight orders, but he was now retired.

“Sir Peter? Why are you at the academy…?”

“I’ve volunteered at the academy to train the next generation. I will soon be assigned as the homeroom teacher for Class S and came to introduce myself in advance.”

“It’s not confirmed yet. Besides, it’s proper for me, as a student, to greet you first.”

“As the rumors say, you’re humble! But as a knight, I cannot impose such a burden on the child of the Sword Saint!”

The name of the Sword Saint held absolute power, not just in the kingdom, but among all swordsmen. I had never forgotten that fact, but seeing such a powerful knight lower himself in front of me, who wasn’t even the next Sword Saint, made me realize it anew.

“Thank you for saying so.”

“Not at all! So, what was troubling you?”

“It’s not a significant problem, Sir Peter… or rather, Teacher, but you’ve heard the rumors lately, haven’t you?”

“Rumors… are you talking about that brat Ian?”

When Ian’s name was mentioned, Peter frowned in displeasure.

It might be partly because of his rigid life as a knight, but I also guessed it was more than that because of the hammer hanging from his waist.

The hammer suggested he was likely a knight trained by the von Grund family.

His anger probably stemmed not only from Ian’s disregard for the academy but also from his disrespect towards the lady of the von Grund family, who Peter was indebted to as a knight.

“Do you know that brat?”

“I haven’t met him personally. But I’ve heard about him from Master Otar.”

“Master Otar?”

When I mentioned a name every warrior in the kingdom would recognize, Peter’s eyes widened. But when I told him what I had heard that day, his eyes narrowed and he soon smirked.

“It seems even he has grown old like me. Calling such a brat a match for the future Sword Saint.”

“Of course, he didn’t mean it seriously. He just wanted to convey how strong Ian seemed.”

“Even so, it’s too much. So, what’s your concern?”

“…Oh, I forgot to mention it. Because of Master Otar’s words, I thought about meeting Ian, but the rumors made me hesitant.”

Even though I wasn’t the next Sword Saint, I was still part of the Sword Saint’s lineage. If I got into a fight and either lost or showed cowardice, it would be disastrous.

Without needing further explanation, Peter, with a refreshing smile, said,

“I understand. Then let me take care of that issue for you.”

“You, Teacher?”

“Yes. I was planning to warn him anyway. I’ll take this opportunity to observe him and have a word with him.”

“…That makes sense. If he’s not really the mad dog the rumors say, it might be worth talking to him. Could I leave it to you then?”

“Of course! Leave it to me and feel free to chat with your fiancé!”

At the mention of a fiancé, I froze momentarily but then nodded.

“…Yes. I’ll do that.”

Leaving those words behind, Peter departed with a confident smile, leaving me alone on the bench once again.

Chatting with my fiancé….

I definitely need to try harder, even if he doesn’t see me as a woman. That’s my only path.

‘Your Highness Euclid… what is it about me that you dislike?’

“Why did this happen!!”

“M-My lady!! Please calm down!! Getting angry won’t solve anything!!”

“What good is calming down?! That man, really!!!”

I was furious to the point of losing my mind, but I knew the maid was right.

But understanding that fact didn’t calm my anger.

‘That man…!!’

The rumor that he had disrupted my gathering had spread throughout the entire academy.

Though I had no intention of backing down, if the rumor hadn’t spread, I could have ignored him and moved on.

If only the rumor had spread a little later, I might have been able to handle it, but time wasn’t on my side.

My followers were all too scared of him to be any help, so I had no choice but to confront him myself.

“But, my lady, what if you lose?!”

“My honor is already at stake!”

If I had done nothing, it would have been fine, but now, if I didn’t confront him, my family’s honor would be trampled.

With the situation having escalated this far, I had to take matters into my own hands, no matter the cost.

Ignoring the maids’ pleas, I stepped outside, gripping a golden hammer in my hand.

The hammer was a gift from my father on my 15th birthday, crafted by the renowned Master Otar.

With this hammer that my father gave me, I felt unbeatable, no matter who the opponent was.

I boarded the carriage I had prepared in advance and headed to the academy, where my followers approached the carriage as it arrived.

“…Where is he?”

“He’s at the third training ground! No one else is there, so you should go now….”

“Alright. You can all go back now!”

As soon as I said this, my followers left, and I headed alone to the third training ground where he was waiting.

Just as they had said, the third training ground was empty except for him.

‘…He knows how to be quiet.’

The usual playful demeanor was completely gone, and his focused look made him seem like a different person.

If he had shown this attitude just a few days earlier, none of this would have happened.

Resentful of this fact, I made sure to make loud footsteps as I approached him, hoping to irritate him.

‘Hmph…!’

I hadn’t taken many steps before he noticed me, broke his stance, and turned to face me.

He didn’t say a word, but just stared at me with an empty gaze devoid of any emotion.

Feeling more irritated, I forgot the words I had prepared to scold him and threw the gloves I had prepared.

“Pick them up! I challenge you to a duel!!”

“…….”

Ian stared blankly at the gloves, then picked them up, but still said nothing.

Seeing him act as if the duel was nothing, I shouted at him in frustration.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?! Are you scared now?!”

“……It hasn’t even been three days, can I speak now? Ah, Jessica, you’re always so cute! But are you serious about this duel? Can I use my sword?”

……I shouldn’t have said anything.