*
In the Swordsmanship Training Hall of Grand Hertz Academy, the only thing slicing through the air was the sound of swords. I took a few deep breaths and continued swinging my arms.
I cast magic on the wooden dummy to dodge my attacks. The rogue class’s movements are quick and unpredictable. I had to match the speed as best as I could.
Thwack! The sound of the wooden sword colliding with the dummy echoed. The vertically sliced dummy split in two.
This isn’t enough. I couldn’t react to Blanc at all. Should I go even faster? While I was checking the magic circle engraved on the dummy…
“Licht…”
“What’s wrong, Pina?”
I stopped moving at the sound of someone calling me and turned around. I noticed the marks etched into the floor.
There were already a lot of splintered and broken wooden dummies behind me.
“I’m sorry… because of me…”
“Why is it your fault?”
Pina Grancia, who had taken off her helmet, was crouching by the window. Even though it was late, she seemed worried about me and was watching my training.
“Because I’ve been walking around in a masterpiece…”
“You couldn’t help it, could you?”
Pina fiddled with the blue rose ornament. It must have looked like she won solely due to the masterpiece’s defense in the grade exam.
I could understand why other students might envy or be jealous.
“Blanc is just a bad person.”
But since Blanc dragged in their status as an instructor, it was quite off-putting. Definitely a crazy woman. Probably trying to isolate Pina for some vile plot.
Using dirty tricks like that. It could be a player trying to lower Pina and my affection level.
Or maybe a human clinging to the Hero Church. There are only two possibilities.
“If I used my power, I could dismiss them… Licht…”
Pina said with a cold tone, her expression suggesting not a drop of blood would come out even if stabbed. She’s definitely resembling Emperor Rock.
“No, there’s no need for that.”
That would only raise more suspicion. People aren’t fools. An instructor who bad-mouthed her suddenly disappears? It’s too obvious.
Even if she’s not a princess, it would be revealed she’s the child of a high-ranking official, which could earn her disdain from commoners at the academy or make her a target of nobles.
“There’s still a week left, right?”
She’s the only princess of the Grancia Empire. Can you imagine people trying to bribe her or spewing lies just to get in her good graces?
Not real friendships or love, just flies clinging to her status. There’s no way living in an academy like that could be happy.
“Let’s crush them fairly, with skill.”
“B-but… I don’t want Licht to be bad-mouthed…”
I moved closer to Pina, who was showing her wariness with her tail held vertically.
“Li-Licht…?”
Pina’s pronunciation blurred, as if she had bitten her tongue. I lightly patted her pristine white hair, spreading a soft rose scent as I did.
She seemed surprised, gazing up at me with her golden eyes.
“I’m already deserving of some insults. I’m stuck in the same bath as the princess, after all.”
I looked around to make sure no one was around. Seeing Pina without her helmet, it was probably fine. The Imperial Guard should be watching outside.
“Licht… petting my head… is unfair…”
As I gently stroked her hair, the sweet rose fragrance wafted around. Unlike when she was the Nameless Saintess, she had so much more now.
‘The current Pina isn’t hesitant to use her own power.’
It’s similar in that no one understands her, leaving her alone, but she’s an outstanding princess with power, martial prowess, and wealth.
But I’m fine without all that.
I can love Pina whether she’s the Nameless Saintess or lives as a princess. It’s what’s inside that matters more than appearances.
“Don’t think bad thoughts, Pina.”
“Heheh… okay, I got it…”
I lightly brushed her wolf ears with my thumb and index finger. The soft texture tempted me to tease her more. Pina bit her lower lip and trembled slightly.
“If the opponent uses underhanded tactics, you should return the favor.”
As I stopped my gesture, Pina turned her head to maximize my touch. Where did she learn this? She looked just like how she’d been in my dream.
“In the end, everyone will eventually have a match with the instructor, right? If I win first, the next students will instinctively understand through their bodies.”
The time given is just one week.
There was Drakes’s remark that real sparring would begin next week. If I grow stronger and crush Blanc before then, there should be no problems.
If I show my skills, the rumor of having taken down the Demon King would likely spread among people. Whether good or bad, it would make it harder for anyone to touch Pina.
But just how long had I been petting Pina? Would I get caught for touching the princess’s body? Thinking I shouldn’t touch her anymore, I retracted my hand.
“Ah…”
A sigh escaped Pina’s small lips. That must mean she understood. Seeing her slightly flushed expression, I felt a pang of guilt.
“I asked Master Drake. He said he received a recommendation from the marquess.”
I checked to see if there had been any deception in her origins for her to cheat her way into the academy.
“Our senior was also correct.”
There was indeed a record of her being the former student council president. If the Magic Hat had used its authority, it should have been different.
“If we cut her off right away, it could provoke the marquess and cause people to try to unearth Pina’s true identity.”
Drake mentioned that she had always possessed unusual traits. Even during her time at the academy, she was unpredictable.
“Don’t you want to attend the academy normally, like everyone else, Pina?”
“Yeah, at first… I went to get stronger, but now…”
However, the idea of attacking Princess Pina was shockingly absurd. Later, when we discussed it, they said they only wanted to take off her glass armor.
There was a feeling of uneasiness, so my mentor had refrained from revealing her identity as a princess. Seeing how she incited the students, there was a possibility of causing issues.
“…I want to hang out with Licht.”
Pina said sincerely. Her hands clasped together in a pure manner, her whispered voice held strength. So there’s no helping it. I have to protect her.
“I will act according to your wishes, Your Highness.”
“Fufu, what’s that… so awkward.”
I knelt on one knee and swore the pledge of a knight. Perhaps satisfied, the sorrowful expression on her face vanished, replaced by a smiling Pina in front of me.
Only after that did I feel a resolution to face Blanc in my mind.
The weakness of Drake Style requires prior preparation.
Surely she would try to dodge if I attempted Void Slash or Reverse Scale Stab. Would the Celestial Demon’s swordsmanship work? That dagger she used would surely make it challenging.
‘It’s likely the Dream Knife.’
If it’s a weapon that transforms the attacked area into sand, it fits perfectly.
Theoretically, it was a dagger made by pixies to induce sleep. When a person gets drowsy, it’s similar to having sand in their eyes, or so they say.
In the game, it was a finishing item for the rogue class.
Its ability was to inflict a sleep status or turn objects into sand. Even if it looked a bit different from what I knew, it’s all that came to mind.
If my hypothesis is correct, it’s on the artifact level, so I should use the fake holy sword.
‘Will I be able to evade using a downpour?’
If the raindrops have an impact, I could fall asleep as soon as they hit me. Not to mention she’d likely use dual daggers to unleash a flurry of attacks.
I considered breaking the terrain to create footholds in the air or obstructing her, but ultimately, the issue is I can’t keep up with her speed.
If only I could try it without the stat increase from dice rolls…
Using Kainel’s holy sword would put a strain on my body. Ultimately, the only option left is to conjure a new Mind Sword. I sat on the training hall floor and began to meditate.
“Licht… what are you doing…?”
“I need a new sword.”
Curious about my closed eyes, Pina approached me. Then I thought, what kind of image should I conjure? Nothing specific came to mind.
Something from the north? Or maybe the thoughts of how I had been trying to run away from Pina? Or the hot spring…
“…”
After a few minutes of sweating in various daydreams, I felt I had no strength left to pull out a Mind Sword.
“Pina, can you help me?”
“Uh…?”
Suddenly, I felt breath next to me. What were you about to do? Pina’s voice trembled like a cat caught trying to steal something.
“To pull out a new Mind Sword… I’m lacking the right mindset.”
“Is even that Nameless Saintess insufficient…?”
“Pina, I want to pull out the sword just for you…”
She’s very sharp when it comes to things like this. Just like when fighting the Apostle of Gluttony, or the things the Celestial Demon had said, she probably understands how this Mind Sword comes to be.
“…Liar. You’re a philanderer.”
A sharp feeling prickled my heart. This was the punishment for all the lies I built up to this point. Pina looked at me as if venting her frustrations, applying burn ointment on me.
“Bad dog. Ugh.”
When did she put up her mask again? Cold. Don’t suddenly attack me like this.
‘I want to tell the truth, but if I do, it ends up being just another imitation of the saintess.’
Isn’t there something that doesn’t exist? Something that could make the Nameless Saintess from back then and the current Pina face off against each other? A passionate speech about love from the saintess is desperately needed.
“Licht.”
I heard Pina calling my name in a whisper. Her softly spoken words tickled my ears.
“I was wrong, Pina.”
“Fufu, what if… what if I do this… how about it?”
Did she come up with some good idea? Her tone hinted at playfulness. Her little hand grabbed my shoulder.
“Whoa…”
Smack. Smack. The sound echoed twice as her warm and soft breath brushed against my cheek. This is a kiss, Pina. Unfortunately, there was no impure body contact.
“Pi-Pina…? What did you just do?”
“That… it was the cheek kiss you gave me last time.”
Pina Grancia, with a shy demeanor, finally spoke those words. Did she gather the courage to help me acquire the Mind Sword? I bit my lip, trying to suppress my rising smiles.
“Now… I’ve won against the Nameless Saintess… right?”
“…”
I responded in silence instead of a direct answer. Yes, perhaps I had gained the upper hand.
“I’ve won now. Fufu…”
Pina naturally exhibited a competitive spirit. The wolf that acted out of a single-minded desire to conquer the saintess. How sneaky it was to do it while my eyes were closed.
“I want to see your expression, Pina.”
“Nooo… Don’t open your eyes!!”
As I tried to open my eyes, her hands covered my view. What a shy Pina. That’s rare.
“No, now that I’ve had enough of the Mind Sword, just once.”
“Pervert… The perverted dog… must keep their eyes closed…!”
