“Wow… Lily really is strong.”
Iris admired from the side.
I couldn’t help but stare blankly at Lily and Ariel while Iris was next to me.
“What the… is going on?”
…How did this happen?
My brain couldn’t quite process the scene, which was far from what I expected.
In the original story, Robin, who was chosen as the hero, fought Ariel in a sparring match.
In the novel, Robin managed to win against Ariel by a very narrow margin.
At first, Ariel gained the upper hand with her bizarre magic.
However, flustered by Robin’s relentless strength, Ariel eventually left an opening for him.
Seizing that opportunity, Robin successfully landed a hit on Ariel, securing his victory in the match.
But even though he won, Robin was far more injured than Ariel.
If it had been a real fight, who knows what might have happened? It was such a fierce contest.
Thanks to that, Ariel and Robin developed a close rivalry.
So I wanted to use that information to measure Lily’s strength.
If she could fight on par with Ariel, it meant she was at least as strong as Robin.
If she lost to Ariel, I planned to explore ways to develop Lily’s abilities.
But what in the world is this situation?
Lily’s strength was well beyond my wildest imagination.
Even I, being somewhat strong myself, couldn’t track Lily’s sword movements with my eyes.
If that was the case, it meant at the very least she was at a Master level.
The gap between her and the Robin from the novel, who had reached the Intermediate Expert level, was embarrassing.
“This doesn’t make sense…”
Of course, I predicted that Lily would be stronger than in the original.
We had spent our time together at Drax’s Place, fighting monsters every day.
Having gained a lot of real-world experience before entering the Academy, I thought she’d stand out to some extent.
But I never imagined it would be to this degree.
‘What the hell is going on…’
While I was lost in confusion, staring blankly ahead, Lily turned to me.
She started walking over, step by step, and my heart raced faster with each one.
Finally, Lily reached me and sat down next to me.
While I gazed at her with trembling eyes, she…
Puff
“Hiya?”
…pulled me into her embrace, burying her face deep into my neck.
In the sudden circumstance, I was shocked as she took a few deep breaths, as if sniffing me.
Caught off guard by her ticklish breath on my neck, I couldn’t help but push her away from my grasp.
As I did, Lily’s gaze felt like it could swallow me whole, burning hotter and more intensely than anything else.
While I was looking at her with a confused expression, she spoke softly.
“Have we… met before?”
Thud-
Her words made my heart drop.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down my back, and my breath became a little ragged.
Could it be…?
Did she realize that I was in disguise?
But I quickly dismissed that thought.
‘Oh… no way.’
I forced my wildly beating heart to calm down.
It was a skill that could never be detected.
It changed not only one’s appearance but also the unique mana one had at birth.
Even the sharpest people wouldn’t be able to discern it.
She must be mistaking me for someone else.
I spoke as calmly as I could muster.
“No… I think this is the first time I’ve seen you.”
“……”
In her fiery gaze, something sticky and deep enveloped her for a moment, and then Lily’s eyes cooled sharply.
“Lil… Lily? What is this…?”
As an unfamiliar tension flowed between Lily and me, Iris, sitting next to us, called out to her in a flustered voice.
Looking at her, for some reason, her face seemed slightly flushed.
“…I’m just trying to figure something out.”
But as Lily replied to Iris, she still kept her piercing gaze fixed on me.
“What’s your name?”
Lily asked again, and I answered her, trying to maintain a composed expression.
“My name is Sera.”
“…I’m Lily. I want to be friends, so how about we drop the formalities?”
Lily said with a smile while extending her hand towards me, but there was still a chilling coldness in her expression.
Despite the uneasy feeling I couldn’t shake, I had no choice but to take her hand.
“Um… okay.”
Don’t be afraid.
Right now, I’m Sera.
This is my first time meeting Lily.
I just need to build a new relationship from here.
After all, I had to get close to Lily.
To fulfill my plan of making everyone happy.
Having shaken hands, I tried to slowly pull my hand away, but…
“…?”
Lily’s hand, firmly gripping mine, wouldn’t let go.
When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, Lily finally smiled and released my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Sera.”
“Um… likewise…”
As a strange atmosphere flowed between us, Calvin, the professor, spoke with a loud voice.
“Group three, step forward to the training ground!”
Group three was the one that included Robin and me.
I cautiously rose and spoke to Lily and Iris.
“I’m… going to go now…”
The two girls responded to me.
“Good luck, Sera!”
“Go get ’em.”
Fueled by their encouragement, I made my way to the training ground.
*
“Can I ask for a favor?”
The red-haired boy, Robin, said to me.
“…Sure. Me too.”
I answered without thinking, but…
Honestly, I wasn’t in the right mindset for a sparring match.
Lily had completely scrambled my brain.
How on earth did she have such strength?
It was already bizarre that Lily became the hero in the first place.
The Sacred Sword is supposed to open its heart only to righteous and virtuous people.
Lily is kind and pretty, but… honestly, I didn’t remember her being passionate enough to become a hero.
What on earth happened to her?
‘…No. Let’s think positively.’
Right, what’s important right now is that Lily has incredible power.
Even if I was flustered by this unexpected situation, it was clearly a good thing.
Perhaps, in a very short time, I could achieve a happy ending.
I might as well go straight for the Demon King—
“That’s quite rude.”
Whoosh-
Instinctively, I twisted my body sharply.
Just then, a wooden sword sliced through the air next to me.
I quickly regained my stance and spoke to the sword’s owner.
“…Isn’t ambushing a bit cowardly?”
“Ambushing? It was simply a warning to concentrate.”
“I could have sworn that was aimed at my head.”
“If Isajang-nim recommended you, you should have been able to dodge it.”
“……”
While Robin casually shrugged, my irritation flared slightly.
Of course, it was true I had been distracted.
‘But that doesn’t justify swinging a sword like that.’
I pouted and glared at him.
A spar with Robin.
It feels a bit odd to say, but… since I’m among powerful peers like Athena and Mari, I wasn’t weak at all.
In fact, if judging by characters from the novel, I definitely belonged to the strong side.
Not only do I have a unique ability, but also the powers of a legion general and dragon’s mana.
Honestly speaking, I could probably beat Robin, who was still a student.
But winning wouldn’t bring me any benefits.
Not that losing made sense either.
Anyway, it was a pointless fight.
I was determined to win this battle.
No, it wasn’t about winning; I just wanted to teach Robin a little lesson.
Because Robin had been too insufferable.
‘Look at all I’ve done for you… just to fall short of being a hero…!’
I felt unfairly treated.
The indomitable hero’s story was about Robin defeating enemies and bringing a happy ending.
I wanted to relax and take a back seat, but it all went to waste.
And to make matters worse, the chosen hero was none other than my precious sister, Lily.
All the burdens she would have to shoulder as a hero would now fall on her.
Though I knew it wasn’t Robin’s fault, I couldn’t help but feel angry at him.
So, I planned to gift him a little embarrassment in a timid act of revenge.
Of course, I had no intention of engaging in intense combat.
After all, he was already rumored to be a promising student at the Academy. I didn’t want any unnecessary attention on myself.
But how was I going to give him that embarrassment?
It wasn’t hard.
For some reason, I happened to have a rather ridiculous skill.
“Before we start the spar, let’s introduce ourselves.”
I said while extending my hand to him. Robin grinned and took my hand.
“Of course, happy to meet you. I look forward to—”
“Please fall over and faint.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, concentrating, and then…
I whispered quietly to Robin, locking my gaze with his.
“…..”
In a fleeting moment, Robin stood there blankly.
As I pushed him again, he finally seemed to snap out of it, shaking his head a few times before putting the smile back on his face.
“Hmm. I was just lost in thought for a moment. Shall we get started?”
“Sounds good.”
So, Robin and I stepped back, readying ourselves for battle.
Robin gripped his wooden sword tightly with both hands, poised to swing hard, while I raised my fists, matching my stance.
“Here I come!!”
With a shout, Robin charged at me, his feet pounding against the ground like a warrior.
But…
“Huh?”
His feet accidentally tangled, and thud-
With a sound as fierce as his charge, his face hit the ground hard.
Before he could even utter a sound, he was knocked out cold.
And thus, the spar ended in a disappointing manner.
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