Chapter 36: Shadows at the Training Grounds

“You want to learn swordsmanship?”

“Yeah.”

When Rebecca asked with a slightly surprised expression, Siwoo nodded.

Lila, who was almost always by Siwoo’s side, was nowhere to be seen.

More than that, it was a mystery how Siwoo even knew to come here.

Rebecca had been training in swordsmanship late into the night, every night.

She’d done so even before arriving at the Academy.

Lately, that time had been slightly reduced because she was helping guide Lila’s swordsmanship, but her routine hadn’t fundamentally changed.

The Academy itself had a curfew, but the dormitories did not.

So how late a student wandered around the Academy grounds was entirely up to them.

That’s why Rebecca was out at the training grounds late at night.

And then, Siwoo showed up.

“After I met that man you said was your brother, I realized I need to train, too. Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect Lila.”

Apparently, Siwoo had come across this place by coincidence.

Well, it made sense—Rebecca had met Lila here when she was helping with her training.

So this place must have become familiar to Siwoo as well.

“You still don’t plan on showing that side of yourself in front of Lila, huh?”

Rebecca asked Siwoo.

“If I did, I would’ve said something to you in front of her this afternoon.”

“I’m a member of the Hero’s party. I don’t want to see Lila feel small because of me.”

Rebecca looked quietly at Siwoo for a moment, then let out a small breath.

“You didn’t try to hide it when you were using a bow.”

“A bow’s different from a sword. Lila uses a sword regularly.”

“Do you also have talent for things like magic? What about divine power?”

Apparently, Rebecca had been watching during the magic classes as well.

“Seriously, what kind of guy are you?”

Rebecca laughed in disbelief.

“So, are you going to teach me?”

“Hm.”

Rebecca asked, her expression lightening a bit.

“If the swordsmanship you want to learn is to beat my brother… I’m honestly not sure I can teach you properly. I’ve… never been able to defeat him easily with the sword.”

“For someone saying that, your expression looks pretty relaxed.”

At Siwoo’s remark, Rebecca shrugged.

“I don’t know why either. Until just recently, the fact that I’d never beaten my brother felt like it was crushing my chest. But now… watching how Lila acts, it feels like none of that really matters.”

“Well, fine. I was planning to teach you from the beginning anyway. You just didn’t follow me.”

With a soft smile, Rebecca walked over to the weapons rack near the wall and picked up an extra wooden sword.

Then she lightly tossed the wooden sword toward Siwoo.

Thud.

As Siwoo caught the sword, Rebecca spoke.

“Then, from now on, I want you to come at me seriously. If you don’t, I won’t be able to properly teach you swordsmanship.”

“Alright.”

Siwoo responded with a smile toward Rebecca and firmly gripped the sword.

***

“What, Siwoo’s not here?”

When she asked the dorm supervisor, he glanced at the maid who had just come back down after checking upstairs.

“Yes, the room is empty. There was even a sign on the door that said ‘Out.’”

Of course Siwoo had neatly placed a sign on the door—very typical of him.

“I see. Sorry for bothering you so late at night.”

She had come out to get advice about what happened earlier, but it seemed he had something else to take care of.

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of errand he had at this hour.

Stepping outside the male dormitory building, she noticed the campus was still mostly deserted.

The weekend was nearly over, and with classes starting again tomorrow, most students were likely asleep.

Should I just head back to my room?

She thought so as she walked—but suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Just going back feels a bit… wrong.

It was true—her skills had improved since first entering the Academy.

Swinging her sword with Siwoo’s buffs had helped her get stronger.

And she’d been receiving guidance from Rebecca as well.

Even so, she still hadn’t managed to beat Lady Blackwood.

She understood why: being a natural 3-star character, there was a fundamental difference in ability.

But still… if by some tiny chance she couldn’t give up being the Hero and ended up going to fight the Demon King with her current party…

She might have to face enemies even stronger than Lady Blackwood.

Even with the power of the Hero and the ability to wield holy power, there were limits.

If her individual skills weren’t up to par, she wouldn’t be able to protect those she cared about.

…Maybe I should practice my swordplay a bit.

She had gone out to fight monsters today, but it hadn’t been any serious sword training.

In fact, the point of today’s schedule wasn’t for Rebecca to teach her, but for her to help Rebecca instead.

So in the end, she hadn’t actually trained properly at all today.

Would swinging a sword in the air or at a scarecrow really help all that much…?

Well, better than doing nothing, she thought and changed direction.

She headed toward the training room they usually used without thinking much of it—

Only to quickly hide herself upon realizing there were already two people inside.

…She wasn’t quite sure why she hid, to be honest.

Maybe it was because of that similar situation the other day, when she hid at the stairwell landing?

Thwack!

Thwack!

From inside came the sound of wooden swords clashing.

It was different from when she trained with Rebecca—much faster and sharper.

Thwack!

There was a loud crack, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor.

Most likely, a wooden sword had fallen.

“Impressive.”

It was Rebecca’s voice.

“I’m still a long way off.”

“You knocked my sword away on your very first day of serious training?”

Rebecca’s voice shifted slightly in direction.

Footsteps followed, then the sound of fabric rustling and something being picked up.

“That talent of yours is incredible. Normally, when I see someone with that much talent, I at least feel a bit envious, but in your case… it doesn’t feel like something to be envious of.”

“Did you ever try touching the Sacred Relic when Lila was chosen as a Hero Candidate?”

Huh?

“Judging by your expression, I guess not.”

Rebecca’s voice had turned serious.

“Is it possible… that you actually have what it takes to be a Hero Candidate?”

“You know as well as I do—a Hero Candidate isn’t chosen just because they’re good with a sword.”

“True. If that were the case, my brother would’ve been a candidate instead of me.”
Rebecca chuckled lightly.

“But still… isn’t it more like you simply haven’t tried? Did you ever actually make the attempt?”

“Well, whatever. Not many people ever get the chance in the first place. Maybe there are commoners out there with the qualities of a Hero, but they never even got close enough to a Sacred Relic to find out.”

More footsteps on the floor, and the two of them seemed to return to their stances.

“Is it really that important that I might qualify?”

Wouldn’t it be better for humanity to have one more Hero Candidate?

If the Demon King attacks, we’ll need as many defenders as possible.

Siwoo seemed to hesitate.

“What would you do… if I were a Hero?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’d have to form separate parties. You can’t have two Heroes in the same party, right?”

“I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.”

“I’m asking if it would even be possible for us to be in the same party if I were a Hero and you weren’t.”

Ah… I see.

Up until now, I kept telling Siwoo that I would quit.

So even if I do step down… is he planning to carry on?

Rebecca didn’t answer.

The two were silent for a while—then the sound of swords clashing rang out again.

I took that moment to quietly slip away from the door, making as little noise as possible.

“Kh!”

This time, as Rebecca blocked a much more aggressive charge, it was Siwoo’s sword that flew out of his hand.

Well, it wasn’t strange—this was all still happening within a single night. But—

“Still, it looks like you’ve been picking up parts of my swordsmanship during class sparring.”

Even so, his terrifying growth rate made Rebecca give a bitter smile.

“…It’s my issue, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Yeah. I figured. It’s clearly your issue.”

Rebecca answered while wringing her hands.

With every clash of their wooden swords, her movements were becoming more precise.

Even the way she applied force was starting to shift little by little.

If she hadn’t already grown used to being called a “blockhead,” Rebecca might have despaired again in the face of such talent.

Not that it made her feel grateful to her older brothers, of course.

“And also—”

Rebecca exhaled briefly and spoke.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear your suggestion.”

“Like you said, I don’t know if you’re really a Hero or not. I can tell there’s probably something else you’re not saying… but even so, I have no intention of pushing Lila aside.”

Rebecca looked Siwoo straight in the eye.

“Even if I were the Hero?”

“Yeah. Because Lila… she looked happy being with you.”

“So don’t say things like that either. If Lila heard it, she’d be really heartbroken.”

Rebecca said with a smile.

“I don’t want to hurt a friend I care about.”

At those words, Siwoo finally let a faint smile touch his lips.

“Yeah, I feel the same.”