episode_0103

*Thump thump thump thump!* Today, just like always, I was being beaten by Alisa under the guise of a sparring session. The only difference from before was that her barrage of attacks could no longer break my spirit. From the moment my endurance stat surpassed her strength stat, I no longer lost consciousness. Of course, even so, Alisa’s combinations were still just as painful.

“Fall! Fall down!” After a feint, she’d land a liver shot to break my stance, immediately follow up with an uppercut, then a one-two straight, and finally a jab to the solar plexus. My breath hitched, and my vision flashed white, but my body endured even that. Since absorbing the Phoenix egg, my recovery speed had increased, even without using incarnation. *‘Damn, I’m going to die.’* After what felt like an eternity, when all the students had gathered, Sara made an important announcement.

“Everyone remembers that mentor-mentee classes start next week, right? Second-years and first-years will form pairs, one from each grade, to receive guidance. There will be front-line deployment in a month, so keep that in mind.” Finally, this moment had arrived. In this episode, Abel and Isis would form a pair, be dispatched to the front lines, and inadvertently inherit the will of the Paladin in a dungeon they entered. From then on, Abel would no longer just be an outstanding student but would receive everyone’s attention as a Paladin candidate for the religious order. Of course, unlike in the game, the religious order had been contacted long ago, so it was uncertain how the situation would change. Nevertheless, this was one of the essential tasks to complete to reach the ending.

A few days later, I came face to face with my mentor. “Ruan. Please take care of me.” Isis, dressed in gym clothes, extended her hand, still flaunting her captivating curves. I reluctantly took her hand. “No, Nunim, why are you here?”

“Why? Do you not like me being here?” “No, it’s just unexpected.” “Really? Anyway, please take care of me for the next month.” What on earth was going on? Originally, Abel and Isis were supposed to be a pair, but that absolute condition had been broken.

*‘If this happens, everything is ruined.’* I glanced behind me and saw Abel had formed a pair with a rather pretty senior girl with a ponytail. Her face looked familiar, so she must be a supporting character. As I stared at the senior, unable to recall her name, Isis, who had somehow come right next to me, pouted and asked.

“What are you looking at so intently?” “Huh? Oh, I was just looking at a friend.” “Really? Not Veronica?” “Ah… no.” “Suspicious.” Isis had a sulky expression. Not only when she asked just now, but she seemed to be showing sides of herself she didn’t usually display. That gap made her seem even cuter. Perhaps she was a little excited because of this class?

*‘Ah, it was Veronica.’* It was frustrating that I couldn’t recall her name, but thanks to Isis, I remembered it immediately. She often played an active role as a sword-and-shield warrior and probably died during the fight with the Dark Order in the second semester of her second year. It remained to be seen how this change would affect her.

As I was lost in thought, Isis suddenly glanced at Veronica and then stepped back. “Ruan. I’ll be back from the changing room in a moment.” “Huh? Now?” “Yeah. Just wait a bit.” Isis disappeared instantly, even using footwork, as if in a hurry. She reappeared three minutes later. When she returned, her hairstyle had changed from straight hair to a ponytail.

“Nunim. What’s that?” “Uh, huh? Why? Did something change?” Could she seriously be asking that? For a moment, I was puzzled, but the way she constantly moved her body, shaking her ponytail and exposing her neckline, told me she wasn’t. Isis was explicitly hoping I would notice her change. It was really cute and alluring.

*‘Ugh, I could just!’* If I had my way, I’d throw her on the floor and ravish her like crazy, regardless of who was watching. Of course, that wouldn’t happen. Shaking off my fantasies, I naturally complimented Isis’s hairstyle.

“The ponytail suits you well.” “R-really? A-actually, I usually wear it like this when I train.” It was obvious she was lying. What was she going to do if I asked around? Surely, she wasn’t planning to use her student council president authority to silence everyone. Today’s Isis was truly clumsy and full of openings, unlike her usual self.

“Always?” “Yeah! I just forgot earlier.” Her desperate struggle not to be caught was pathetic. I wanted to just go along with it, but there were some things I couldn’t concede.

“It’s a little disappointing.” “Oh, oh? Why? Is there something wrong with it?” “No. It’s not that, but I also like Nunim’s straight hair. The ponytail is pretty too, but your hair, as it flutters whenever you swing your spear, is truly beautiful.”

“…Beautiful?” “Yes. It’s my preference too.” “……” After a moment of silence at my 100% genuine confession, Isis quietly brought her hand behind her head and untied her hairband. The ponytail instantly lost its shape, reverting to how it was three minutes ago.

“Th-then let’s train like this.” “Are you sure? Won’t it be uncomfortable?” “I-it’s fine! I fight with my hair down anyway, don’t I? Opponents don’t wait for you to tie your hair.” “That’s true. Will you be guiding me right away?” “Yeah! First, shall we have a simple sparring session? Come at me!” “Yes. Here I come!”

I immediately deployed the Moon Shadow Steps. My body’s outline blurred as if melting into the air, leaving afterimages as I surged forward. *Slam!* My fist stopped in Isis’s palm. She cleanly defended, yet her eyes widened in surprise.

“Ru-Ruan. What is that technique?” “It’s a footwork technique I learned recently after coming to the academy. How is it?” “…Amazing. It’s a very excellent footwork technique. However… no. Let’s spar a little more.” Isis, who had an uncomfortable expression as if something was bothering her, shook her head to clear her thoughts and took a combat stance. I launched another offensive.

For a while after that, Isis refused to counterattack, insisting only on defense. After some more time had passed. “Now, I’ll attack too.” Isis gave a warning and counterattacked. Her fist flew along the optimal path, delivered cleanly without any wasted motion. There was no peculiar trick to the attack, but it was incredibly difficult to deal with. It was fast enough to be almost impossible to evade, yet not weak enough to be blocked without any damage. Ultimately, it was an attack that forced the opponent to accept a certain degree of harm. Of course, this was just a sparring session, so it was merely a strike tailored to my level. Right now, Isis was trying to draw out something from me that she didn’t know about.

*‘If she wants it, I’ll play along.’* *Shatter!* Two streams of mana, extending from my dantian, twisted like a spiral and were unleashed from my fist. *Boom!* When the attacks collided, there was a powerful shock, and both of us were pushed back a step. Isis looked down at her fist before raising her head.

“Ruan. You’ve learned a different mana cultivation technique.” “Is it that obvious?” “Yes. I just realized it clearly. There’s no trace of Friuli’s style in the mana’s movement at all. Rather, it’s the opposite. It’s very rough and hot.” The characteristic of the Friuli-style mana cultivation technique was its iron-wall-like solidity and stability. In contrast, the Taeguk Incarnation Art I had learned was specialized in handling pure and destructive flames, so it was understandable that Isis would feel that way.

She asked, her face looking frightened. “Did you perhaps abandon your family?” “Pardon? Abandon my family?” “Didn’t you learn a new mana cultivation technique because you wanted to sever ties with your family? And that’s why you refused the head-of-family position. I… I can’t think of it any other way.” Certainly, from her perspective, all my actions seemed suspicious. It seemed I had unintentionally instilled anxiety in her.

“That’s not it. To be honest, I don’t have any lingering attachments to the family itself, but it wasn’t my intention to sever ties either.” “Really? Then you won’t abandon your older sister?” Isis’s eyes sparkled with hope. She had unknowingly come right up to my nose and was gazing up at me. Her dependent expression was both perplexing and cute, making me smile. I nodded as if it were obvious.

“Of course not. Why would I abandon Nunim? It’s more like I couldn’t hold onto you enough. Even if I distance myself from the family, I’ll interact with Nunim for life.” Just interact? Honestly, if circumstances allowed, I’d wish for a relationship beyond siblings.

“Really? You’re not lying, are you?” “I’m serious.” “…That’s a relief. What a relief.” Isis sighed in relief. Her fingertips were still trembling from shock, as if she truly didn’t want to be distant from me.

*‘Anyone watching would think she’s my girlfriend.’* Muttering grumpily to myself, I unconsciously stroked Isis’s head. Her silky hair stimulated my palm. And Isis, who had been stroked so suddenly, flinched and looked up at me. Her silver eyes were filled with agitation.

“Ru-Ruan? What are you doing?” “Ah, I’m sorry. You’re so cute that I just did it without thinking.” “Cu-cute?” “Yes. You’re not like an older sister, but more like a younger sibling.” They say if you had a real younger sibling, you’d be bickering all day, but as an orphan, I wouldn’t know. I continued to stroke Isis’s head, watching her face flush red. Until Isis, unable to bear it any longer, pulled away.

“Th-that’s enough! You shouldn’t tease your older sister.” “I’m not teasing you?” “Ah, anyway! I’m not at an age to be called cute!” “What does age matter? If you’re cute, you’re cute.” “Ugh… y-you really….” When I refuted her without yielding an inch, Isis, flapping her hands as if speechless, hastily backed away, then suddenly hardened her expression and asked.

“Do you do this to other women too?” “Other women?” “Yes! That… Deborah, wasn’t it? You seemed quite close. You said you weren’t dating.” “Deborah? I haven’t stroked her head yet.” “Really?” “Yes. I swear to heavens I haven’t.” “I see. Hmm…” Isis seemed strangely relieved. I hadn’t stroked her head, but I wondered what she’d say if I told her I’d done more than that.

*‘Of course, I won’t say that.’* As I was thinking thoughts I couldn’t even imagine, Isis seemed to regain her composure and returned to the main topic.

“But Ruan. Who taught you those techniques? You didn’t just learn them on your own, did you?” “Oh, these? Well, I learned the mana cultivation technique and the footwork from my Master-nim.” “Master-nim?” “Yes. I can’t tell you the details.” It wasn’t that I was worried about information leaking if I told Isis, but I couldn’t just blab it out without the person’s permission. Isis acquiesced to my unyielding attitude.

“I see. Well, there’s nothing for it then. Let’s end the sparring here for now. I generally understand.” “Yes. So, we’ll rest now?” “Yeah. But do you happen to have time on the weekend? I was hoping we could train together then too.” Isis offered the suggestion, glancing sideways. Her shy demeanor and nervous eyes made me wonder if this was training or a date.

“Even on the weekend? Isn’t twice a week enough?” “Not at all. There’s front-line deployment in a month, remember? We need to work hard to get good results then. I’ve cleared my schedule, so don’t worry.” “Really? Aren’t you working too hard?” As the student council president, she would have had to make arrangements weeks in advance to clear her schedule, yet she did all that just for a mentee. I wondered what she would have done if she had met a lazy person with no motivation. Perhaps my doubts showed in my eyes, as Isis responded with excessive fluster.

“Th-this much is basic! So, can you do it?” “Well, Sunday would be fine.” “Really? That’s great! Then we’ll meet again this Sunday, okay?” “Yes. Let’s do that.” And so, for nearly a month, I was stuck meeting Isis every week. Honestly, it wasn’t so bad.

*‘Let’s just think of it as a date.’*