episode_0014

“Great! Let’s go this way this time!”

“Why is Frilly so excited..?”

“Well..”

“Miss Youngae, let’s go together. You’re going too fast alone.”

Miss Youngae, who had grown up in a noble family, seemed to think that this was one of the adventures in a fairy tale or an adventurer’s memoir, as she looked too excited.

“You there! Hurry up! Since everyone is moving slowly like snails, I’ll go ahead!”

“It’s hard to follow when you’ve even cast reinforcement magic and brought Liche along, making it impossible for us to keep up.”

“That kid over there seems different.”

As Frilly and Liche ran together as David said, Erin was following closely beside them with small steps and no change in expression.

“The more I see her, the more fascinating she becomes. And she hasn’t even used reinforcement magic.”

“True. Maybe she’s a descendant of a hero or something?”

“Could be from some distant ancestor..”

The seemingly never-ending path suddenly shortened, allowing them to reach closer. However, there…

“Frilly, why don’t you come over here with that kid?”

“No. I’ve already formed a team!”

“Compared to those guys, our side is much stronger and reliable!”

Frilly, known as the socialite flower, was once again being courted by a man.

“This feels like being the protagonist in a storybook, always going to rescue kidnapped princesses wearing hats.”

“Oh? Is there such a book?”

“Yeah. Not a book, just…”

David, who had been staring at me strangely, looked at his brooch that he had been carrying around since the fire broke out and shouted.

“Hey! It seems like they are special, right?”

“Yes. And a new empty star symbol appeared above the brooch.”

A filled star and two empty stars were displayed at the top.

“This must be…”

They seemed to have noticed from afar and were subtly entering a combat stance.

“Well.. In this situation, it seems we have no choice but to show our skills. Frilly, please understand that this is necessary for a gentlemanly behavior.”

“This is already rude enough! What are you doing without even listening to the person involved!”

Although she had been lively before, now she looked angry and couldn’t even relax her stern expression. They were already at odds.

“Ha!”

“What!”

While pretending to converse, they aimed for Selina, who seemed the weakest, but fortunately, David was alert next to her.

“Hey, do you have eyes only for women? Rumor has it that you took down someone at the banquet using cowardly means. Do you think that will work on me?”

“What are you saying? Instead of a coward like you, bring your leader here.”

“You are enough for me!”

Perhaps not just talking, each attack from the Academy examinee was unexpectedly fierce and heavy.

“Why is he in such a hurry to block?”

“Well.. Is that the case?”

Seemingly provoked by the slightly taunting remark, they started moving more aggressively, but the attacks became more predictable, making them easier to dodge than before.

“You look like a bandit, and your swordsmanship isn’t any different!”

“You look like a bandit, so your sword skills match that.”

“Die!!”

Time slowed down as the sword swung heavily. Although weak, the mana surrounding the body and sword made the Academy student think that the level was high, focusing more on the sword.

Among the mana flowing through the sword, instead of being evenly distributed, it was erratic. They found the weakest point.

They raised their sword to meet the descending blow, like a river flowing against the current.

The two swords soon crossed into a cross shape, with ten (十) becoming one (一).

“This can’t be happening..”

“What’s unbelievable is your defeat. You’ll have a hard time at a young age.”

The opponent who couldn’t accept the situation with bowed knees looked pitiful; his face, following his age, seemed like a field where rain hadn’t fallen for five months.

Looking around, the guy who had been the first to approach Frill Youngae earlier was leisurely observing the battle from behind. Not liking how he watched as if it didn’t matter if someone fell, I ended up provoking him.

Tap, tap

“Next, come at me.”

“Oh… He’s quite the selected one. The situation doesn’t seem good on the other side either.”

Literally, the current situation was favoring us.

“Hah!”

“Unbelievable!”

“You too, are quite skilled.”

Our muscle-bound man engaged in a head-to-head clash with a male counterpart of similar stature and strength.

“You’re fast! How about here..!”

“Slow.”

“Argh..”

Erin continued to evade at a rapid pace, striking back when openings appeared, as if she were a swift Riven trained by someone…

“That was disappointing.”

“You, once that fancy defense breaks, it’s over!”

“Lightning!”

Selena was engaged in a typical skirmish between an ADC and a mage. The archer-like figure kept shooting arrows, but Selena’s advantage lay in her ability to cast spells along with her shield that disappeared with each hit.

“It seems like the subordinates need a morale boost?”

“Hmph. Taking you down won’t have a significant impact, but there’s some logic in your words.”

As he released his arms, revealing a rare-looking sword, things changed the moment the blade was drawn.

Vroom!

“!”

Although no sound of mana release could be heard, there was a distinct difference in demeanor compared to the previous opponent.

“Consider yourself lucky. There’s no time, so I’ll finish you off swiftly without giving you a chance to feel pain.”

“Is the only flashy thing about you the sword and tongue? Let me test that.”

“Hmph. You seem skilled in your own right, but…”

“You’re too arrogant!”

“!?”

It was a speed difficult to track with the naked eye, almost as if he had cast a haste spell on himself. Despite managing to block the strikes effectively, the impact was strong, leaving his arms sore.

“Why is that? Should I provoke like before, or maybe not? Will you yield?”

“Tsk! No need for provocation, opponent. It’s you!”

“You’re still alive and kicking!”

Focusing intensely on blocking the relentless sword strikes, he ended up with numerous minor wounds despite his efforts.

“Make it more enjoyable for me! This level is not even a warm-up!”

“Argh!”

Being pushed back by the onslaught of sword strikes, he found himself near Frill Youngae and Reke.

“You! Wait! I’m coming to help..!”

“Oh. That won’t do.”

Unfortunately, Frill Youngae was being held by a hidden female rogue, rendering her unable to provide assistance.

“Oppa..! Stay strong..!!”

As the rogue’s attention was on Frill Youngae, Reke slipped away unnoticed, pushing against my back, infusing my exhausted body with sudden vigor. Hopefully, I won’t fail a doping test after the exam?

“I did some legal doping. Now it’s my turn.”

“Yes, that’s how it gets interesting!”

Though he might be slightly ahead now, as time passed, the disadvantage would likely shift to my side. I needed to end this quickly, but finding openings proved challenging as there were fewer than expected.

“Have you run out of material to provoke? Try a hundred times! I have no weaknesses!”

“Hey, everything’s fine, but it’s a bit strange to talk as if you’re the one who will be leaving later..”

“…”

Whether it was a second child complex or feeling like I had been pierced at the peak, I put away the sword I had fiercely swung and took a deep breath.

Frill Youngae seemed to notice the returning atmosphere and began to explain.

“You! The first son of Leon is the famous hero Hart Gongja! He is a pride of a family equipped with both martial arts and elegance! Recently, he even held an engagement ceremony with Herin Youngae from a nearby territory..”

“Shut up!!”

Sir Kals, whether stung by jealousy or something else, became even more intense, his aura turning redder than Selina’s hair. In my mind, honed by many novels, a scene had already been drawn.

“Oh, so you were a childish person boasting about your brother’s reputation.”

“Shut up,”

“Meanwhile, while trying to find your brother’s flaws, your beloved close older sister got engaged to him and left.”

“I said shut up!! I’ll kill you! I’ll split your mouth, pull out your tongue, and kill you!!!”

“Poor thing.. right, Frill Youngae?”

“Uh.. um.. Cheer up..”

Unable to say anything mean, Frill Youngae, instead of comforting, seemed to have triggered Sir Kals further, who went berserk swinging his sword wildly.

“Yet threatening because of mana. Did your brother teach you that too?”

“Kraaaah!!!”

“Forget how to speak like a human being.”

The difference in mana between Rich and Sword made it seem impossible to either strike down or lift up. Should I say he was like a hedgehog?

So, I decided to focus all the energy in my body on the sword.

At first, it was the size of a soccer ball, then a baseball, then a golf ball, gradually compressing until I could concentrate all the energy at the tip of the sword.

I gathered the energy as if creating an artificial sun at the end of the sword. And gathered again.

To the point where the energy took the form of light.

The noisy battlefield fell silent. Suddenly, everyone was looking in this direction.

As the target on the forehead was nicely shaved, I planned to make it so that my hair wouldn’t even need to be combed over.

Careful not to scatter the energy in the sword, my right thigh swells.

Then, like a single arrow, I fly.

[One Red Dot]