In a duel, if there’s too much difference in skill levels, it won’t help at all. Plus, I could end up developing weird habits, which is why I couldn’t help but worry.
Ultimately, what was important for the two was finding a duel partner.
“In that sense, today’s guest is here.”
Maybe he didn’t like being summoned early in the morning, because the male student next to May was yawning dramatically and opening his mouth wide, while May, with half-sleepy eyes, scratched the back of her head.
“Beldament. A guy who’s pretty good at fistfights in Class D. And you know her, right? It’s May.”
“Ugh, if it wasn’t for May, I wouldn’t be here.”
“I have a hard time moving since I like to sleep in.”
“They’re both really bad delinquent students, so you should be able to fight comfortably.”
With that, I handed wooden swords to the two delinquents.
“Since the opponent will use swords, you’ll have to use swords too.”
May usually prefers to enhance her physical abilities with mana and fights street-style. In short, a no-rules dogfight is her specialty.
It seemed like Beldament shared the same annoyance when he received the sword and pulled a face.
“G-Good luck! Let’s give it a try!”
Tana, who thought she was causing trouble for others, seemed unusually down this time, so Eve encouraged her instead.
An ironic position for Tana, who was usually the one cheering others on.
With Eve’s support, Tana grabbed the sword and prepared for the duel.
“Come over here.”
To signal the duel to start, I beckoned May to come closer. Maybe it was because she didn’t have candy in the morning, but she approached grumbling.
“What now?”
“Try to fight as long as you can. But it’s okay if you fight in your favorite style.”
“…Are you serious? The Mayas kids probably won’t fight dirty like I do.”
When May questioned whether it made sense to duel with such opposing styles, I reassured her not to worry.
“Then what about Beldament? I hate to say this, but he can fight pretty well too.”
“I’m just calling him to equalize the numbers and boost Tana and Eve’s confidence.”
“Huh? He’s not that easy to dismiss.”
As May said, I knew Beldament was decent with his fists. But his strength mostly came from his raw stubbornness and momentum. Once he picked up a sword and began to fight, he wouldn’t show as much strength as expected.
I knew this well because I had dueled him during the last practical exam.
“Our kids aren’t that easy to dismiss.”
From the time I spent training with them, I figured we could win with Beldament.
“Us? I’m not included?”
“…Get lost.”
With May returning to her spot, I announced the start of the duel.
“Let’s finish this quickly so I can go back to sleep!”
Beldament, charging in, was stared at dumbfoundedly by May.
At first, he seemed a bit flustered because he thought May would follow him, but wanting to show off, he charged in.
‘Winning against two girls wouldn’t look that cool, right?’
Regardless, Beldament found himself facing off against Eve and Tana. Knowing that both had barely scraped through the last practical exam, he thought it would be easy.
“I’ll strike first!”
“I’m right behind you!”
Beldament began to retreat helplessly against the consecutive attacks from Eve and Tana.
Eventually, he got hit on both his forehead and waist, collapsing to the ground.
“Wow, they really have become impressive.”
May honestly admitted this while tapping Beldament’s shoulder with her wooden sword. Naturally, even though Tana and Eve expected a 2:2 battle, they weren’t letting their guards down.
After all, May was the one who had suppressed many delinquents at this academy with just one fist.
But in this duel, since the use of mana was also prohibited, May was basically no different from an ordinary female student. If hit, it hurt, and the pain would make her eyes tear up.
This meant May couldn’t use her specialty, physical reinforcement.
“Hah!”
This time, it was Eve who charged in first.
Knowing full well that her role in this duel was to make Tana shine, she took the initiative.
Clash!
Eve’s wooden sword clashed with May’s.
In terms of power, May was obviously winning, so Eve began to be pushed back, but that was the chance Tana had been waiting for. She pushed forward and thrust her wooden sword into May’s abdomen.
It was a perfectly executed hit.
It was a strike that could but shouldn’t cause May to bend over in pain.
“Ugh!”
May gritted her teeth and held her ground.
Then she pushed back and knocked Eve down, charging straight at Tana.
Grit.
Moving solely driven by the desire to win, even if it was dirty and unfair, she would survive until the very end.
She didn’t choose this method because she was tough. It was because she didn’t know how to fight that she evolved into the May she was now.
The nickname “Queen of the Back Alleys” wasn’t given for no reason.
“But is this really helping?”
“It seems like the opponent’s style is completely different.”
Hayun and Sen, who finished their duel, approached to watch the three of them fight. Given how much of a gap in skill level there was, Hayun and Sen weren’t fit to be duel partners.
It was a reasonable question that May had asked me earlier.
I crossed my arms and continued to watch Tana and May move while answering.
“Well, first, they need to know how to fight. Both of them rarely have duels aside from practical exams.”
What does it matter if the opponent is a knight, a mage, a street thug, or a magical beast?
They need to get accustomed to fighting in general.
In that sense, I planned on making them duel various people, including May, throughout this week. As much as possible at similar skill levels.
‘I can just teach them how to handle twin girls, so it’ll be fine.’
Of course, this would require quite a bit of time investment.
*
“Here, Daniel. Eat this.”
“…We just had lunch.”
“Daniel does a lot of exercises, so you need to keep eating.”
Recently, Rin’s excessive consideration made me uncomfortable. Right now, she was sitting next to me, handing me a sandwich she had made herself.
I’ll accept it just because she’s giving it to me, but…
Rin’s looks are quite striking, so it’s no wonder she stands out, especially to 2nd-year students who rarely get to see her.
“Wow, that senior is amazing.”
“Is that Rin from 3rd year A class? She picked up the handkerchief I dropped the other day. Jealous?”
“What? If I was her, I wouldn’t wash it!”
“Eh? Isn’t that normal? I carry it in my pocket every day?”
What’s this? I’m hearing some dangerous talk.
Rin probably heard it too but gave no reaction, acting as if nothing’s happened.
“How’s the taste? Good?”
The moment I bit into the sandwich, Rin eagerly asked. I chewed a few times and nodded slightly without exaggerating.
“It’s delicious.”
After all, it’s hard for a sandwich to taste bad, but you can really feel the effort Rin put into making this hearty sandwich.
“Hehe.”
Her bright smile was filled with pure, countryside innocence.
Watching as if I were a scout observing a promising athlete, I kept an eye on Ben Mayas, who was practicing for “Battle Soccer” ahead of the competition.
Valtory Mayas was practicing a different sport, but she headed my way during a break.
“Shouldn’t you be escaping?”
“Why should I? If they don’t want to be seen, they should go somewhere else.”
While I was indeed spying on the competitors, to speak plainly, I was just sitting on the stadium stairs, enjoying the view.
It’s a right that comes with being a student at Aios Academy.
Valtory Mayas didn’t seem bothered by my spying either and didn’t react angrily.
“They say I’ve become the next target of the ‘Dark King’ for staring at them so openly.”
“……”
“I’m sorry, but could you please look at Ben instead?”
Valtory turned her body back around. After a moment of thought, I called out to her back.
“So, aren’t you guys preparing?”
Tana and Eve had been working hard since dawn, yet those two were just lounging around. I found it a bit annoying and decided to ask, but Valtory replied with surprise.
“Do we really need to waste our time because of Tana? Can’t we just swing our swords a few times and call it a day?”
They’re completely disregarding the seriousness of this!
“You guys could get seriously hurt!”
That was meant as a warning blended with a bit of mercy, but Valtory just laughed it off.
“Go ahead, observe and try to teach us. Unless you can do everything and lose, Tana won’t back down.”
Valtory laughed again and returned to her original spot. I silently watched her back, and at that moment, Rin popped her head in.
“Dark King? Next target? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“……Apparently, Ares is called the Dark King. The rumors got twisted around, and now they think it’s me.”
*
Overall, the pink-tinted room didn’t sit well with Elise.
From the blush-pink wallpaper to the frilly crimson curtains, even the bed was enveloped in a light due to a pink canopy.
Even the thick blankets and three pillows were all pink.
Elise strongly disliked this room, almost thinking it might be a scheme by her sisters to drive her crazy, but there was nothing she could do about it.
‘Yeah, that was it.’
A feeling she hadn’t encountered in a long time.
Be it people or objects, if she reached out without permission, everything would fall apart and break. Eventually, she hesitated to even extend her hand.
And as that feeling deepened, Elise ended up fleeing to Aios Academy incognito, hiding her identity as a princess.
Since no one there knew she was a princess, everything was a fresh and fascinating experience.
Especially when she first encountered Daniel McLean, swinging his sword while angry. It was probably one of the few moments Elise felt excitement in her life.
“Maybe he noticed.”
Although it wasn’t quite fitting for her, Elise prayed inwardly. There was nothing else she could do.
In that moment, the door opened.
She thought it might be her maid, Bertia, entering, but it wasn’t.
“Brother.”
“How does it feel to be in your room? Does it feel good to find your place?”
The 1st Prince, Oliver de Frisia.
And behind him was the head of the Ren family, Heaven Len, with a notable belly.
And finally…
“What a truly princess-like room.”
Clad in priest’s robes adorned with signs of her hardships, earrings shaped like clock hands, and silvery hair that looked like a galaxy. A woman who immediately stood out entered the room.
Though it was the first time Elise had seen her, she immediately recognized her from the rumors.
Many nobles had sought her advice, but she rarely showed her face, often being hidden even by other nobles.
Several titles naturally floated to the surface of the mind regarding her.
The Earliest Step.
The Lone Observer.
Preceding Measure (前程到).
Yet more simply, she could be referred to as:
“The Priestess of Time.”
With her identity accurately pierced, the Priestess smiled gently.
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