episode_0053

Two men wielding swords are facing each other.

The silence, where not even a sound of breathing can be heard, further heightens their concentration.

They move slowly in a circle, maintaining a certain distance as if they had made a promise.

The distance between them is not that long, but it is the gap between them as judged by both of them.

That psychological distance that if you cross it, you could immediately allow an attack.

Since the strength of both sides was at a par with each other, the distance between them was similar and it would not be easy to retreat or approach.

This is a battle of patience.

It may seem like they are just observing without doing anything, but in reality, those who are in a standoff are constantly checking the invisible sword of their opponent, and they are also deceiving themselves in order to counterattack or strike first.

‘What if he’s aiming for this side?’

‘I think my shoulder moved for a moment?’

‘The side is empty. Should I attack? Is this a weak point that was intentionally left open?’

Great knights unanimously say that when they are extremely focused, they have experienced time passing slowly. I don’t know the exact mechanism, but it actually exists and I have experienced it many times. They are already in that state.

The structure is to doubt the opponent’s attacks and feints dozens of times in a span of less than a second, and then deceive the opponent in the same way to beat the opponent.

Those who could not stand this suffocating standoff, or those who thought they had the upper hand, were the ones to make the first move.. and in my opinion, it was the former who made the move this time.

The refreshing sound of swords clashing rang out. Generally, the more equal the skill level, the more frequently the swords clashed. This was because the greater the skill gap, the more often the opponent would be unable to properly block the opponent’s counterattack or preemptive strike, resulting in a futile defeat.

The swords of both sides continued to clash. At first glance, it seemed like a close fight, but to me, the sword of the one who charged first was clearly much more nervous.

The conclusion was a moment. The sword of the one who had attempted to thrust somewhat forcefully lost its strength and went astray, and at the same time, the sword that had moved smoothly aimed at the opponent’s neck.

Stabbing is definitely a technique with a high lethality, but it is also an attack that is very difficult to block and very easy to defeat. If the opponent knows the intention, they can change the direction of the attack with just a very weak force.

“..He won?”

The one who aimed the sword at the opponent’s neck─Mathias muttered with a trembling voice. Cosette, who was hit, also had a blank expression. This was the first time for both Mathias and Cosette. That Mathias had won in their duel.

“I said so, right? The cutie got really strong. There’s no way Cosette, who only sat on a chair and copied books during the competition, could win.”

“This… This can’t be happening…”

Cosette dropped her training sword and fell to the ground. Ayla cruelly attempted an additional attack on Cosette.

“Even the one I just wrote about is the standard of the Black Knights.. The new sword that the cutie just got is lighter than that sword. Lighter doesn’t necessarily mean better, but I heard it suits her better, so wouldn’t it actually be stronger?”

“That’s ridiculous!”

Cosette cried out, but this was a fact, and it was natural.

Mathias always worked tirelessly. He never missed a single day of practicing the swordsmanship through repetitive practice that was so boring that it became a habit, and he always tried even when Ayla and I didn’t look after him. He even experienced intense actual combat several times in the competition, so it would be more strange to say that he was weaker than Cosette.

“Cosette. Fencing is like running. Even if you start off faster and go much farther, even if you can run faster. The one who keeps walking without stopping and even if it’s just one step slower will eventually catch up with you.”

“..It’s an ambiguous metaphor, like I know something, but I don’t. ”

“In the end, it means that you should not be lazy and should not be overconfident in your talents, but should keep trying. There is no end to learning.”

“The princess who says such things doesn’t train at all?”

“Of course. I have no intention of becoming a knight, so why would I train? This is just a self-defense technique.”

Cosette looked at me with a puzzled look, but this is the truth without a single lie. I am upright. If I had wanted to become a knight and make a name for myself in the world, I would have trained hard. That is not the case, so I am doing it moderately.

“How many geniuses can there be in such a vast world? What you have worked for years can be caught up to in a day or two, so don’t let your guard down, don’t lose your original intention, and keep working hard.”

“That genius is, of course, a princess, right?”

“No way. How could someone like me be a genius?”

Genius refers to monsters like Yu Gram. I’m just a product of spoon-fed gifted education.

Ayla and Mathias, who had wiped off some of their sweat with a towel, came to the table where we were sitting and sat down. As I was thinking about the training schedule for Cosette to roll back after returning to the Academy, Ayla tapped me on the shoulder.

“Princess, you look a little bit better today? Is something good happening?”

“Are you feeling irritated? I have a very special guest coming from my hometown today. That’s why I’m here.”

You are a very precious and special guest.

Ayla asked me with an excited look on her face if I was a man, but I pretended not to hear and just tilted my teacup without answering.

.

.

.

It’s late at night, when you’d normally be asleep.

I kept pacing around the room. I couldn’t calm down at all. Usually, Yugram would have scolded me, but today, he didn’t say anything to me.

Knock. Knock. Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door of the dormitory. It was a prearranged beat. Yugram approached slowly, whispered something, and opened the door.

The person who came in quickly through the half-open door slowly took off his hood. He shook his slightly messy, light red hair and his face with a faint smile was surprisingly beautiful. I could feel his affectionate eyes between his long, thin eyelashes. I couldn’t hold back and ran.

“Brother!”

I ran quickly and hugged my third brother, Isaac. Isaac hugged me tightly, yet gently. I could smell a pleasant scent from Isaac’s embrace.

“Really.. Really, it’s been a while. I’ve missed you so much. My lovely Leah.. Are you not going to call me oppa anymore?”

“..Well, I guess I’m a little embarrassed now that I’m older..”

As I said that, I glanced at Isaac and saw that he had a very sad expression on his face. It was an expression that reminded me of a pitiful beauty who seemed about to burst into tears at any moment. I felt like I had done something very wrong, so I said it in a startled tone.

“..Of course, if you want, I’ll write it for you.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

Isaac smiled as if he had never done that before and stroked my head. Of course, I knew it was an act, but I couldn’t help but let it go. If I, a blood relative, am like this, wouldn’t other women really give me their liver and gall bladder? If I had a face like my brother, I thought life would be really easy. But on top of that, he’s also a royal..

I walked to the sofa, holding Isaac’s hand. While I was doing that, I slowly studied Isaac’s face. For some reason, he seemed to have aged but was more beautiful than before. It’s a bit strange for a man to be considered beautiful, but honestly, if he just wore a wig, no one would think he was a man.

“We’ve exchanged many letters, but it’s only now that we’ve finally come to see each other. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, oppa. It’s okay.”

“Julien also sang a song saying he wanted to come, but he has a lot of restrictions on his movements unlike me.. I should go and show off.”

Isaac said with a big smile. I chatted with Isaac for a while. Of course, we had been exchanging letters regularly, but when we met in person and started talking, we kept talking about trivial things that we had not been able to talk about before.

After talking like that for a while… Isaac’s face hardened. Feeling that the atmosphere was different from before, I also changed my posture.

“I heard Yugram’s report. He fought against the Shinigyo..”

“A man who introduced himself as 17, and three ogres.”

Yugram, who had been listening quietly, intervened and explained. Isaac nodded.

“Already, people who seem to be members of the Shinto religion are continuously appearing in each country. This time, you were able to handle the enemy, but…what will happen next…”

Isaac trailed off. I felt Isaac unconsciously grab my hand tightly.

“I will continue to track the Sashin Cult, but you guys, please be careful. Of course, if it’s a type of danger that can be avoided by being careful, then there’s no need to worry about you guys… Sigh…”

Isaac sighed and shook his head.

“..Yugram. Please take care of Leah. You are the only one who can protect Leah.”

“Yes. Even if it means exchanging my life. By all means.”

Isaac seemed uneasy, as he repeatedly told me to be careful before he went back with his hood pulled down again.