episode_0026

Elise Arkstra was always alone.

A loner with not a single person to trust.

It was only natural, of course.

Living in the shadow of the Empire as a member of the Arkstra branch family, there was no one to help a young girl like her.

Not even an adult.

For a long time, this place where Elise lived was one where complacency led to a fall into the abyss.

Those of lower status coveted the positions of those above them.

Conversely, those in higher positions did their best to avoid having their positions taken by those below.

A world where everyone is busy finding their own path.

A world where everyone is busy figuring out how to survive in this place.

“Elise, from today, you will have a governess to look after you.”

“······ Mother?”

This also applied to the Arkstra branch couple, who were Elise’s parents.

Being the ones leading a family meant enduring the envy and jealousy of those following behind.

Elise was well aware of this fact.

In fact, she felt it more keenly than anyone else.

She experienced it firsthand.

Unlike the noble children who grew up receiving the love of their parents and those around them, she directly experienced the cold and heavy reality.

The world is never warm.

The moment she possessed a warm heart, she could be torn apart by the beasts targeting her, losing her life.

Elise knew this better than anyone.

That’s why she tried.

She did her best so that no one could surpass her.

Management of the family, information trading, dagger skills.

As the heir of the Arkstra branch family, she learned everything she could and grew rapidly as a result.

Eyes tainted with madness.

Relatives who always aimed for the weaknesses of the next heir called her by that name.

A title that suited her remarkably well, as she always threw herself into her given tasks as if she were insane.

Elise somewhat appreciated that title.

It was a twisted form of recognition.

No matter how hard she tried, Alice never received the recognition she longed for.

– “Wow, you’re first in the written exam? What’s your name?”

– “…Alice Arkstra.”

This was a fact that remained unchanged even after Alice entered the academy.

Effort.

Now a word inseparable from Alice.

Even after entering the academy, Alice did not cease her efforts. She handled the tasks given to her family as they came in. The information guild she personally managed now stood unrivaled among other information guilds. Unwaveringly, she worked harder than anyone else to maintain her top grades at the academy, and even trained in swordsmanship similar to dagger techniques.

However.

There was something unexpected for Alice here.

– “That person is Princess Labilaa?”

– “Wow, it’s the renowned Princess Labilaa of Labilaa!”

Real geniuses were blocking her path, emerging from the well of the Hujak family. At first, she didn’t acknowledge it. No, she simply didn’t want to accept it. The wall of talent. She didn’t want to acknowledge the wall of talent that blocked her path, a wall she had overcome with effort.

But as time passed, Alice slowly began to accept reality.

She couldn’t win.

The size of the wall of talent was much larger than she had initially anticipated.

She felt it when she looked at Princess Labilaa and Lady Elena. Especially when she faced off against Princess Labilaa in a duel.

It’s impossible.

She could never catch up to these people.

When she put in 10 units of effort to gain 100, true geniuses put in 10 units to gain 1000.

– “You have the ability to become strong enough, Alice Arkstra. If you continue training here, someday you will be able to face me on equal ground.”

– “…Is that so?”

– “Keep striving forward.”

What made Alice even more miserable was the advice from Princess Labilaa, who had dueled her directly.

How much more?

How much more effort would she need to catch up?

She was definitely working hard. Much harder than most people. How much more would she need to strive to catch up from here?

Inferiority Complex

It was definitely an inferiority complex.

The genuine feeling of repulsion she had felt.

The emotion she now directly experienced when others from different families looked at her.

“…I hate it.”

As someone who detested such feelings, it was a sentiment she desperately wanted to forget.

That’s why she tried even harder.

She pushed herself to the point where her previous efforts seemed laughable.

She reduced her sleep time from 5 hours to 3.

She started cutting back on the guild operating hours, which were beginning to function without her, and focused even more on academy classes.

No one could keep up with her in written exams.

Given the emphasis on physical abilities at the Seacret Academy, there was no student studying harder than her.

The problem still lay in the practical exams.

In the most recent two practical exams, she ranked 14th and 11th.

Of course, her actual rank was higher.

Since the Seacret Academy’s exams combined written and practical scores to determine rankings.

Roughly 3rd or 4th place.

This was Alice’s ranking in the combined score of written and practical exams.

Some might say this was high enough.

They might say it was sufficient in a school known for its large student body like the Seacret Academy.

…But these were statements that only those who didn’t know her well or spoke recklessly could make.

Only 1st place.

In a world that only remembered 1st place, her goal was always to be 1st.

She wanted recognition from others that much.

She wanted to erase the feeling of inferiority within herself that much.

And to achieve these goals, she absolutely had to seize 1st place.

“…This time it’s 11th place.”

However, reality was much colder than she had anticipated.

The results of her efforts fell far short of what she had expected.

When human expectations fail to meet their targets,

naturally, those expectations turn into disappointment, returning several times stronger.

For her, disappointment turned into an even stronger sense of inferiority.

Why on earth.

So diligently working, yet unable to catch up.

What’s lacking?

What exactly is lacking in her that brings about these emotions?

Of course, Alice already knew the answer.

Like in the past, she knew but refused to acknowledge it.

The difference in talent.

She was well aware of the difference between her talent and the talents of those shining individuals, a difference that surpassed imagination.

She had known this all too well.

As someone who had to grasp the given reality from a young age, there was no way she wouldn’t know.

That’s why she tormented herself.

Knowing better than anyone else, she pushed herself even harder because of it.

Her reduced three-hour sleep time had now dwindled to the point where specifying hours seemed meaningless.

-······Alice.

– What brings you to me, Mother?

– Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard lately? I heard from your disciple that you’ve stayed up two nights in a row.

Her mother, who had somewhat eased into her position as the successor through her efforts, sent a concerned look every weekend.

– It’s okay. Don’t worry.

– ···.

Of course, she didn’t worry.

She judged that it was more profitable to spend time on other matters than to pour time into worrying about herself.

However, it was true that her mind became troubled as a result.

It was not only because her mother, who had firmly held her position until now, directly brought up the matter, but also because her condition was deteriorating in real-time.

Her heart grew increasingly anxious.

Before her condition worsened to the point of needing hospital treatment, she had to follow those superior to her.

And perhaps, it was due to this agitated state of mind.

“······I’ve lost.”

“You did your best.”

This defeat was much simpler than her usual losses.

“Alice, don’t you think it’s time for you to stop now?”

· · ·

“You know it too. No matter how hard you work, you can’t beat someone like me who has been training in swordsmanship since childhood.”

Normally, Erica Perreino’s provocation would have been brushed off, but this time, it felt like something inside her snapped.

Feeling as though all her efforts had been unjustly denied, it was as if a thread had been abruptly severed.

“···.”

This feeling soon turned into an impulse that engulfed her.

Drawing her dagger,

she sought to prove her efforts to the foolish woman before her with the concealed blade she always carried.

Just two seconds.

If only given an additional two seconds, the rational part of her would have retrieved the dagger from its hiding place.

“······Who are you?”

“······Why are you suddenly here.”

Even if he hadn’t abruptly intruded on the situation, she would have succeeded in drawing her dagger.

Lian Trice.

The name of the man she had been forced to relay past information to, the man she truly despised.

The sudden intrusion of the man’s words even made Elise, who disliked him so much, pull a foolish expression.

“Erica Pellegrino. May I request a duel with you?”

“···.”

“Oh, of course, you may refuse. If you don’t want to incur the wrath of your boyfriend, that is.”

Seikreed’s fool.

I don’t know who came up with that nickname.

But it seems like a really well-coined nickname.

She thought as she continued to stare at Lian Trice with the same foolish expression.