Chapter 34: Natural genius

“Yes. I’m trash… food waste…”

“Sihyun… Are you okay…?”

Having been utterly defeated by Luna in a game since morning, Sihyun was losing his will to go to work.

“Haha, I’m fine, Luna. I merely realized the feeling of a common person witnessing overwhelming talent.”

“……”

–Snuggle.

The girl grabbed Sihyun’s slumped back and hugged him tightly.

“Luna?”

“Sihyun… Do you… dislike me… because I won…?”

Luna, only lifting her head from within his embrace, stared intently at Sihyun.

The girl’s golden eyes somehow looked anxious.

‘To make such a cute Luna worry. I really can’t become food waste!’

Sihyun gently patted Luna, who was in his arms.

“Me disliking Luna, there’s no way that’s true, is there?”

“Rea… lly…?”

“It’s really true! The reason I work so hard every morning is precisely for Luna.”

“……”

Only then did the girl bury her face in Sihyun’s embrace, as if relieved.

His warm embrace. A pleasant scent.

When did it start? Finding stability by being held by him like this.

‘It’s warm…’

Before meeting Sihyun, Luna was merely a ‘rumor’ that ‘collected’ anything she saw to fill the void in her heart.

But the girl no longer wanted anything else.

Except for one thing.

‘Only Sihyun… is all I need…’

If only she had him.

If Sihyun would just stay with her, she needed nothing else.

“Luna, are you calmer now?”

“Yes…”

The only human who wasn’t afraid of her at all.

Rather, the only person who would unhesitatingly hug and comfort her.

“Sihyun is… Luna’s…”

“Haha, that again?”

“Forever… and ever…”

The girl expressed her desire in a voice so faint, so small, that no one but herself could hear it.

“Luna, I’m going to work now. I’ll buy some salt bread on my way home, so you need to wait patiently, okay?”

“Come back… quickly… Sihyun.”

–Click.

“……”

After Sihyun left, Luna always stood still for hours, gazing at the front door.

At first, it was an action born of anxiety, fearing Sihyun wouldn’t return.

But it wasn’t now.

“If I stay here… I can see him… the fastest.”

No matter where she was in the room, she could turn her eyes and see Sihyun entering through the front door.

As if that wasn’t enough, the girl always began waiting for him in this spot.

“Because Sihyun… said he’d be back soon…”

Luna sat in front of the door, hugging her knees, and quietly stared at the entrance.

“I’ll wait… here…”

So when he returned, she hoped he would caress her as always.

Hug her warmly and share a little warmth.

The girl, holding destruction within her tiny body, closed her eyes today, believing Sihyun would return.

****

“Sihyun. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It has, Elissa Haze. But what brings you here again?”

Elissa Haze had sought out Sihyun again during lunchtime.

‘She said she went back to England, so why is she here again?’

Elissa Haze, who kept strangely seeking him out, made Sihyun feel quite awkward.

“It’s not really my place to say, but you’re the first man, Sihyun, who makes such a glum expression when meeting me.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yes. Enough to make me feel a little disappointed?”

Elissa Haze used her finger to push in her pouting lips.

A normal man would have fallen for Elissa Haze a hundred times over, but Sihyun showed no such inclination.

How could Sihyun, a virgin, be like that? It was because he always ate and slept with an ultra-beautiful girl at home.

‘I’m really done for now. My standards have risen beyond the sky, even to the universe, because of Luna… I guess I’ll never get married.’

“I know you’re beautiful, Elissa Haze, but I know a certain princess who is the most beautiful in the world. So, seeing you doesn’t quite move me as much.”

“Hmm… Sihyun, they say it’s not good to read too many novels or comics.”

–Twitch.

‘I do watch a lot of anime and read novels, but does it show on the outside?’

And Luna isn’t just a princess from a novel anymore.

Now, here in reality! Luna is here!!

“Ahem… Elissa Haze, do I look like such an otaku?”

“Hee hee, no, not at all. But I said that because if there’s a princess more beautiful than me, I thought she might be a woman from a 2D world.”

Elissa Haze unhesitatingly uttered words that a normal woman would get into big trouble for saying herself.

But Sihyun didn’t particularly refute her.

It was just that his standards had risen because of Luna; Elissa Haze was by no means ugly.

‘Anyway, I need to get somewhere else quickly. I refuse to be held up for a long time again like last time.’

And coincidentally, Sihyun had to go to the training ground because Master Dojin wanted to see him privately.

“Elissa Haze. I need to go to the guild’s training ground now, so I’ll be leaving.”

“Oh, but Sihyun, you’re a civilian, aren’t you? So you wouldn’t have any business at the training ground.”

“It’s fine to go; even civilian employees are free to train. And I’m going because my employer called me, so I have no choice.”

“That works out perfectly. I also had business at the training ground but didn’t know the way well. Would you escort me, Sihyun?”

‘I tried to get rid of her, but it backfired?’

Oh well, since it’s come to this, let whatever happens, happen.

****

In the end, Sihyun had no choice but to take Elissa Haze to the training ground.

“By the way, Elissa Haze, what business brought you to the training ground?”

“Ah, someone I know is practicing something here.”

Just then, the sound of something swiftly cutting through the air came from one corner of the training ground.

–Swoosh.

–Swish.

‘The sound is quite fierce. Who’s swinging a sword at such a high speed?’

Long, flowing blonde hair and blue eyes.

A woman who looked like a small-statured girl was practicing something, moving a sword back and forth.

“There she is. The person I know.”

“How did such a young child get into the guild? Is she your sister, Elissa Haze?”

“Rather than a younger sister… she’s my older sister. And she’s also a superior whom I have to look after in various ways.”

“O-older sister? That kid over there? She looks incredibly young.”

–Perk.

The blonde girl who had been swinging her sword on one side seemed to have heard Elissa Haze’s voice and darted towards the two of them.

‘No, is she really her older sister? She looks much smaller and younger than Elissa Haze.’

Her name was Victoria Crawford.

The Master of the Eden Guild and the only woman in England to be granted a ‘Knight’ title.

Therefore, she had great pride in her swordsmanship and strength.

“Elissa Haze! Who is this rude man next to you!”

“Sister, haven’t I told you repeatedly? Always explain thoroughly when you go somewhere. And don’t point fingers and shout at just anyone.”

“…Nagging again as soon as you arrive. B-but you clearly heard this man call me a child, too!”

“I always told you it’s a good thing for a woman to look young. More importantly, why did you break your promise to me again? Really, big sister has always been like this without me—”

Elissa Haze nagged Victoria for about 10 minutes.

‘She said she was her superior and older sister, but their positions seem completely reversed? Anyway, Elissa Haze had this side to her too.’

This new side of the always neat and elegant Elissa Haze was somewhat of a fresh shock.

“——So, the main point is to listen to me carefully. Do you understand, Vic.to.ria.Sis.ter?”

“A-alright… I’ll really listen well from now on.”

“As long as you understand.”

“Ugh… I’m clearly the Master, so why is it always like this…?”

Victoria clutched her fists, whimpering slightly as if indignant.

“Anyway. Why are you suddenly practicing swordsmanship as soon as you arrived in Korea, Sister?”

“Oh, I saw something amazing just now! Look at this!”

Victoria smiled brightly, then took a position far away from the two of them.

“Hoo…”

She took a deep breath, raised her right arm to the sky, and brought it down concisely to the ground.

It wasn’t a perfect straight line, but it was a very clean downward slash.

“How is it?”

“Hmm… Sister, I’m not a combatant, and I don’t know much about swordsmanship, so asking me—”

Just then, Sihyun muttered unconsciously to himself.

“Moonless (無月)?”

The move Victoria imitated was Phantom’s final blow that finished off Eclipse in one strike, Moonless (無月).

After arriving in Korea, she watched Phantom’s swordsmanship and immediately came to the training ground, wanting to imitate it.

“Sihyun, is Moonless the swordsmanship Phantom used?”

“Yes. Phantom said so in the video.”

Of course, the skill name was just copied.

“I saw it too, but what my sister did feels somehow different…”

“It’s a little different. It’s hard to explain the difference in words… you’ll know if you see it once.”

Sihyun picked up a practice wooden sword stuck in the corner of the training ground.

“Raising the sword above your head like this is the same, but when you slash downwards, don’t put too much strength into your arm; just bring it down concisely—”

Swoosh—

Bang!

Sihyun perfectly recreated the same move as Phantom’s Moonless.

“You… How did you just do that?”

“It’s just a simple downward slash. Everyone can do this quickly.”

“W-what did you say?”

Victoria couldn’t believe that a civilian had easily succeeded at a move that even she, a knight, couldn’t immediately replicate.

“I’ll forgive you for calling me a child, so teach me that.”

“I apologize for unknowingly calling you a child earlier. However, I’m not skilled enough to teach anyone, so I must refuse. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Sihyun. For my sake, could you please teach my sister? I’ll forgive you for saying I was ugly earlier.”

“No, I didn’t say you were ugly; I just said I knew a princess more beautiful than you—”

At Sihyun’s words, Victoria suddenly jumped up from her spot.

“What?! Are you blind? Did you say our Elissa Haze is ugly?”

“No, I didn’t say she was ugly; I just said I knew someone prettier.”

“That *is* being blind. I don’t know who you saw, but you must have seen someone ugly.”

–Crack.

Sihyun could tolerate insults directed at himself, but he couldn’t stand anyone calling Luna ugly.

‘If anyone touches our little Luna, they’re utterly screwed.’

“Hey, Victoria kid. Let’s have a sword duel. I’m not an Awakened, so let’s exclude abilities.”

“You, you, you… just called me a kid again…!!”

“Scared?”

“I’m not scared! How dare you provoke a knight? You’re dead.”

“That’s what I should be saying. Follow me!”

****

–Bang!

–Swoosh!

“I wonder if Sihyun will be okay.”

“No, Elissa Haze. What are Sihyun and Master Victoria doing right now?”

Dojin, who had arrived at the training ground for his appointment with Sihyun, couldn’t understand what was happening.

“Ah, Master Dojin, you’re here. Well… actually—”

Elissa Haze explained the circumstances of the incident to Dojin in detail.

“Haa… they’re both not kids anymore. Anyway, it should end quickly.”

“Yes. My sister should probably go easy…”

“Huh? Victoria?”

“Yes? Of course, my sister will win… Why are you laughing?”

Dojin looked at Elissa Haze with an expression that barely suppressed a smile.

“Hah hah…! Ah, my apologies. You probably don’t know what kind of person Sihyun is, Elissa Haze.”

“……What kind of person is he?”

“That guy, he seems laid-back and slick, but when it comes to swords, he’s different. How should I put it… I sometimes wonder if he was someone who extensively trained in swordsmanship in a past life? Hahaha.”

In his childhood, just like boys would pick up branches and spar with each other, Sihyun grew up playing such games with his friends.

The peculiar thing was that Sihyun had never once lost a match while holding a stick-shaped weapon in his entire life.

Sihyun, who possessed a natural talent for handling swords.

“I even considered having him become a national kendo representative, but he refused, saying he just preferred playing with swords. Ah, it looks like the match has just ended.”

The duel ended with Victoria losing her sword from Sihyun’s final blow.

“Im… Impossible…! Me, a knight…! To such a pathetic-looking man…!”

Whack—

Sihyun lightly hit Victoria’s head with the wooden sword.

“Ow…! Why did you hit me…!”

“First, let’s fix that habit of yours, speaking informally.”

“Tch… If I could use my abilities, someone like you…”

“We agreed to exclude abilities from the start, and now you’re complaining about it? How petty.”

Whack!

“Eek… Why did you hit me… sir.”

“The loser shall always use respectful language towards the winner from now on. And—”

“A-and… sir?”

“Luna is the prettiest in the world. Repeat that 10 times.”