episode_0197

Prince Antonio’s passionate confession towards Agnes.

First and foremost, let me start by talking about the outcome. It didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped.

I wasn’t too worried at first, as it seemed like things were going well when Agnes mentioned that she wanted to take some time to get to know Prince Antonio better before making a decision. However, it all went downhill with Prince Antonio’s response.

“So, Agnes, you mentioned that you can only make a decision after getting to know me better.”

“….Yes.”

“Alright, I understand. I guess there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“I still can’t give up on Agnes, so I’ll accept your proposal.”

When the words “there’s nothing I can do about it” came out of Prince Antonio’s mouth, Agnes tensed up for a moment, but eventually relaxed her stiff shoulders upon hearing that he would accept her proposal.

Although Agnes seemed calm on the outside, she must have been nervous as well, hoping for an engagement with the prince in the end.

I thought it would end with Agnes having more time to get to know her suitor and Prince Antonio making an effort to win her heart by taking a step back.

…If only he hadn’t added that unnecessary sentence at the end.

“Well, Agnes, I have one question for you.”

“What is it?”

“Agnes, are you planning to enroll in the academy in a few years?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“If someone as talented as you, Agnes, were to take the entrance exam for Luminor Academy, you would undoubtedly pass with flying colors! I turned eighteen today and will be eligible to enroll in the academy next year, but I can postpone my enrollment for a few years to become your classmate! If you, Agnes, are okay with it, we can get to know each other more until then and maybe even apply for the marriage or engagement dormitory in 2-3 years…”

“I’m already attending.”

“What?!”

“I’m already attending! I’m in my second year! Who are you kidding?! Treating us like kids…!”

“Ah, I-I’m sorry, Agnes! I, I mistook you for being too young…no, too beautiful…”

In the end, Prince Antonio unintentionally triggered Agnes’s complex, and their engagement ended awkwardly.

Although it seemed like my unnecessary words might have widened the gap between them, it was ultimately Prince Antonio’s mistake, so I didn’t need to worry.

I just hoped that Prince Antonio would somehow make up for his mistake and build a good relationship with Agnes.

And so, the events at Prince Antonio’s birthday party ended with the push and pull relationship between the protagonist, who had just turned eighteen, and Agnes.

…And quietly, I wished for it to end just like that.

***

“Lily has reached level 17!”

***

A week passed since the public confession incident between Antonio and Agnes.

After the various events that took place around Prince Antonio’s birthday party and the end of the academy midterm exams, the atmosphere within the academy returned to normal within a week.

One of the biggest achievements in the past week was the rare occurrence of leveling up.

Recently, there hadn’t been any events to gain experience points, so my growth had been slowing down. However, by accumulating hunting experience in the ‘Practical Monster Hunting’ class that I took with Edan, as well as the combat experience gained in the ‘Utilization of Magic Swordsmanship’ class, I was able to barely achieve a level up.

“Man, leveling up is damn hard.”

If only there was an easier way to level up, things would progress much more smoothly.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but be grateful that I wasn’t falling behind in growth as a second-year student in the Academy’s Magic Department.

Of course, the fact that I leveled up meant that Edan, who had much more room to gain experience points than me, likely also leveled up. So, as we both stood there, swords in hand, we were eyeing each other, breathing heavily.

…Exhaling regularly, both of us somewhat exhausted.

“Hoo, hoo, hoo…”

“Haah, haah, haah…”

The common class for the Magic and Swordsmanship Departments in the first semester of the second year, ‘Utilization of Magic Swordsmanship.’

Originally, Edan, a first-year student, and I, a second-year student, wouldn’t have been designated as sparring partners during class. However, due to a slight change in Harold’s curriculum upon entering the second year, Edan and I found ourselves unexpectedly engaging in combat with swords.

“It’s definitely tough…”

Having already exchanged blows a dozen times, I had expended quite a bit of mental energy. Naturally, my mind was quite fatigued.

There was no way for me, as I am now, to defeat Edan in a one-on-one sword fight. My strategy essentially involved predicting Edan’s movements and reacting a step faster.

After all, having observed Edan closely for the past two years, I had a decent idea of how he would move in different situations.

…Of course, it was only because it was Edan that I could hold my own with such tactics. Sparring with other first-year students was simply out of the question.

Whether it was attacking, defending, or overall prowess, Edan was a perfect warrior in every aspect.

Natalie, wielding a dagger, was also formidable with her swift movements, attempting to strike multiple times in a second.

And Kara, who wielded a massive greatsword with brute force, made it impossible for me to even consider blocking and defending.

“Seems like the swordsmanship department is filled with monsters…”

Although it was a game focused on swordsmanship and magic, the department with a heroine and two mid-bosses definitely had some power balance issues.

And in terms of matchups, Edan was probably the most challenging opponent for me.

With superior reach, speed, and power despite wielding two swords like me, facing off against Edan was inevitably a one-sided battle.

My only chance was to use the trick I mentioned earlier to hold out as long as possible and take advantage of Edan’s slight hesitation when facing me to exchange a few sword strikes.

Just to clarify, Harold wasn’t making the first-year students in the Swordsmanship Department spar with me to torment me for the humiliation I suffered last semester. In fact, aside from me, about four other students rotated weekly to spar with the first-year students or Harold.

As expected, including myself, these five students had managed to land a hit on Harold last semester and earned recognition for their skills.

Harold could easily defeat students with average achievements below the 2nd level, although he wasn’t quite at the level to compete with 1st level and above students. He classified those five students as 1.5 level and started a new training regimen from the 1st semester of the 2nd year. This was to serve as a bridge between the swordsmanship of levels 1 and 2 for the overall growth of the students.

“The problem lies in the fact that we have to participate in handicap matches against both 1st and 2nd level students during sparring sessions,” Harold thought to himself. Therefore, a rule was established that 1.5 level students would fight differently depending on their opponents, as raising all students to 1.5 level through swordplay alone would not be justified.

When a 1.5 level student fought against a 2nd level student, magic was prohibited, and only pure swordsmanship was allowed, while 2nd level students were limited to defense and could use magic. Conversely, when fighting against a 1st level student, 1st level students were allowed to use magic, while 1.5 level students were limited to defense.

Due to this awkward handicap, myself and the other 1.5 level students were accumulating losses daily in sparring sessions, whether against 1st or 2nd level students.

“It’s only natural that we can’t break through the vision barrier with swordsmanship alone at this point,” Harold acknowledged.

1st level students could naturally tear through the vision barrier using pure swordsmanship. They could even go further and easily break through most defense spells and launch attacks.

However, the ability to use defensive magic against such students did not give 1.5 level students any advantage. Most opponents would break through and attack while the 1.5 level students were still struggling to break through the vision barrier with swordsmanship.

Moreover, the 1.5 level students were not yet able to tear through the vision barrier with swordsmanship like the 1st level students.

In my case, I could somehow tear through it with sharp, blade-like auxiliary magic, but since magic was prohibited, I couldn’t use that technique.

Therefore, even if I managed to land the first attack, I would be blocked by the vision barrier, allowing for a reversal. It made me realize how impressive the 1st level students were in being able to destroy the vision barrier with swordsmanship alone.

Anyway, Harold probably anticipated this level of skill difference early on. He was likely using such intense training to help the 1.5 level students achieve the ability to break the vision barrier.

Thanks to this, my attacking power had noticeably improved halfway through the semester, but on the flip side, my mental strength was gradually diminishing. In a moment of carelessness, Ethan rushed towards me with his sword, and I instinctively knocked away the dagger in my hand without hesitation.

-Clang!

“Eugh?!”

Before the pain of the sharp vibration in my hand could fully register, another dagger from Ethan’s other hand flew towards me. Desperately, I tried to grab another dagger from my belt to counter, but Ethan’s grip tightened around my wrist, preventing me.

-Yelp!

“Ouch!”

As the dagger slipped from my other hand, I felt Ethan grab my wrist, and before I knew it, I was falling backward on the training ground with Ethan on top of me, ready to strike.

-Thud.

“…Are you going to continue, Lillis?”

“I have lost, Master Ethan.”

It was truly a humiliating defeat, leaving me feeling utterly powerless in the face of defeat.