Ugh…
I dragged my staggering body back to the dormitory.
With no strength left in my entire being, I could only lie down on the bed, unable to do anything.
“I’m going to kill you…”
Samurachi’s body began to tremble with rage.
Athena.
The one who took away my sister, not even deserving to be torn apart.
Under the teachings of my teacher.
After training relentlessly until my veins burst and my bones shattered, I reached the level of a Grandmaster at such a young age.
Moreover, I’ve only inherited half the power of the Sacred Sword but have also received the goddess’s blessing.
I thought this was sufficient.
The desire to finally achieve the revenge I’ve been simmering with for years and the yearning to see my sister drove me to her mansion without hesitation.
But contrary to my expectations, despite becoming so strong, I couldn’t kill her.
Of course, it was definitely different from before.
Unlike back then when I could only shed tears and do nothing, this time, I was able to put up quite a fight.
But it wasn’t enough.
She wasn’t able to kill me, blessed by the goddess, but neither was I strong enough to kill her.
And for some reason, whenever she attacked me, it felt like there was no intent to kill at all.
Did she even realize that it provoked me even more?
Kadak—
“I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you.”
Samurachi’s resentment and sorrow began to torment my heart again.
Forcing back the tears that threatened to flow, I sharpened my sorrow into a blade of anger.
Even if it means my death, I will reclaim her.
I will resume the happy life we had back at our home with my sister.
To do that, I must acknowledge one thing.
For now, she is stronger than me.
I must find a way to cultivate my power.
She said she didn’t know where my sister was, but that must be a lie.
If I beat her enough, she will eventually have to open her mouth.
Until then, I will not stop.
*
Less than a day after making that resolution,
Could it be that the goddess is on my side?
It seemed that the opportunity to grow stronger came sooner than I thought.
…
“……Duel?”
“Yes. I want to have a match with the Hero at least once.”
The red-haired male student who looked down on me.
I recognized him.
After all, he was in the same class as me and held the famous title of a unique ability user.
Moreover, from what I heard from the teachers, he had immense potential.
…Come to think of it, my sister was also a unique ability user.
“Alright.”
I noticed a hint of joy on his face at my unwavering answer.
A fight with a new strong opponent is always a valuable experience.
I had no intention of letting this good opportunity slip by.
“Let’s do this. This weekend would be good for the timing.”
He reached out his hand for a handshake.
I took his hand while wearing the mask of the smile I had practiced countless times over the months.
“Yeah. I hope it will be a good fight.”
Please, let me grow even further.
*
“Lily… Are you really okay?”
“Yeah, Iris. Don’t worry.”
The fragrant smell of grass and the cool night air surrounded us.
After a long time, I was spending time with her.
Right now, I was walking in the garden around the academy with Lily.
Of course, it was my suggestion.
At first, Lily tried to refuse, but she said she had something to ask and accompanied me.
It was meant to be a meeting with a purpose, but who cares?
Just being next to her relaxed my heart.
“Tomorrow’s the duel… If you get hurt, I’ll heal you right away, so don’t worry!”
“Yeah. Thanks, Iris.”
She smiled at me.
Seeing her rare smile made my heart flutter again.
Yet, perhaps because I had resigned myself to it, my heart didn’t race as much as during our first meeting.
Still, my feelings for her remained unchanged.
The desire to hold her small, pure white hand and wander around together still lingered inside me.
But I must put that aside.
As time passed while walking through the garden, Lily spoke first.
“Iris, I have something to ask.”
“Sure, ask anything!”
If it were Lily’s question, I could answer hundreds, even thousands.
That nearly slipped out, but thankfully I managed to swallow it.
“I haven’t been able to fully harness the power of the Sacred Sword yet. Is there any useful information you have?”
“Um…”
I thought for a moment at her words.
But it wasn’t difficult to find the answer.
“Yes. I know.”
In that fleeting moment,
Her eyes, which always seemed dim and devoid of light, shone brightly like a child’s.
“Really? Um… how do I do it?”
Contrary to her usual cold demeanor, she showed a quite flustered look.
Thump-thump-thump-
My heart began to flutter gently at this new side of her I had never seen before.
“Calm down, Iris. You’ve decided to give up, remember?”
Only after reassuring myself a few times did my heart settle again.
After taking a short breath, I answered her, who was looking at me with an expectant expression.
“The goddess’s power manifests when you have the heart to protect someone.”
“Protect… the heart?”
“Yes. Whether it’s a person or an animal, when you vow to protect that life, only then can you use the power properly.”
“…….”
Lily began to contemplate in silence for a while after my words.
Afterward, with a complicated expression on her face, she looked at me with a smile.
“Thank you, Iris. I think that will be a big help.”
“No problem. You’re always welcome, Lily. Ask me again anytime!”
“…Yeah.”
After finishing our slightly awkward night walk, we returned to our rooms.
Later, after chatting with Ani, I lay on my bed.
Before sleeping, I looked at the softly glowing white moon that resembled Lily and prayed.
“Goddess, please let Lily be safe tomorrow… ”
*
Was it an unnecessary worry…?
Here is the academy’s training ground.
Though only used by the martial arts and swordsmanship clubs, it was opened for others with special permission.
In the middle of a crowd of spectators,
Guh…!
The red-haired male student, Robin, was kneeling on one knee, letting out shallow groans.
Opposite him, Lily was looking down at him with an uncomfortable expression on her face.
“…Is this it?”
At Lily’s provocation, Robin rose to his feet.
He grasped the wooden sword again, readying his stance.
“Hah… You’re strong. The rumors about being a Swordsman’s disciple are true.”
“…..”
“But this isn’t the end!”
As Robin charged toward Lily again, she easily dodged and unleashed a flurry of strikes on him.
He rolled away like a round stone.
The overwhelming difference in power was evident.
Looking at Lily’s face, disappointment was clearly written all over it.
“…That expression is rude to your opponent, Lily.”
I wanted to say that, but of course, I couldn’t at the moment.
I thought that perhaps I’d give her a lecture later.
The Saintess’s role is to guide the Hero on the right path, after all!
Though part of me wanted to talk to her more…
Putting aside my personal desires, I continued to watch the match.
As the exchanges went back and forth,
Robin only became dustier and dirtier.
However, despite the overwhelming gap in power, the duel didn’t end quickly.
Robin, who kept falling, stood up again and again, gradually taking more of Lily’s strikes each time he got back up.
Perhaps she felt it too, as her disappointed expression shifted to one of seriousness as she looked at him.
“Haha… I really can’t win.”
Robin breathed heavily, laughing.
But contrary to his words, his wooden sword was still pointed forward.
“But you won’t give up?”
At Lily’s words, he replied confidently with a smile.
“The moment you give up, you lose.”
As he said that, Lily’s eyes widened in surprise and began to tremble.
“So, I will never give up!”
He charged forward again, gripping his sword.
Around Robin’s sword, a vivid red-gold mana began to swirl.
The sight of his sword startled me.
That’s not simply a sword ki.
During my time in the church, I often found little to entertain myself.
However, I had many opportunities to watch the Holy Knights duel.
From them, I learned quite a bit of knowledge.
Thus, I could distinctly differentiate:
Enchanting mana into a sword versus manifesting it as sword ki.
But Robin’s sword was neither.
A thick concentration of sword ki had taken form, embodying itself.
That could only be attained at least at the Expert level.
Has he progressed that much?
“Hah!”
Before long, Robin reached Lily, swinging his sword at a distinctly different speed.
The surrounding air began to tremble in resonance with his sword.
“Lily…!”
Even for Lily, getting hit like that would hurt.
I quickly stood up, ready to dash towards her if she got hurt.
But.
“…….Lose..?”
Lily seemed lost in a deep thought as she stared blankly at the ground.
Then, just as Robin’s wooden sword reached just above her head,
WHOOM—
An enormous whirlwind rose from the ground, beyond the realm of human perception.
“Kuh…!”
Overwhelmed by an unfathomable attack, Robin lost consciousness,
And with the shattered remnants of Lily’s wooden sword, the duel came to an end.
But the joy of victory in the duel was nowhere to be found.
Lily’s expression bore a melancholic look, as if she were fighting back tears.
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