The calmness waiting for the calamity to come.
The current Royal Palace of Frisia could easily be called the eye of the storm.
And amidst everyone’s efforts,
There stood a black-haired girl facing off against knights in the training grounds.
With her short bob fluttering, Hayun’s sword began to pressure the knight.
The knight appeared somewhat flustered. He thought he was just training a female student, but he quickly realized he was the one on the defensive.
“Ha, I surrender.”
“Phew, you worked hard.”
The knight ultimately declared his surrender after losing the advantage.
I wondered if the outcome would have been different if the knight hadn’t underestimated Hayun or if he was wearing his usual armor and shield.
I briefly considered it but quickly shook my head.
Hayun’s skill had already reached master levels.
She held her own against the Priestess of Time, and I heard she could face off against a Dwarf warrior.
While I wasn’t sure how she would take it, there was definitely a sense of accomplishment in teaching her well.
“You’re really amazing at such a young age.”
“No, I was just lucky.”
“No, really. I was truly surprised. Your skill isn’t the only thing; your swordsmanship is incredibly beautiful.”
The defeated knight approached with twinkling eyes. Although Hayun won, he seemed quite interested in her sword.
“How about dining together sometime and discussing swords?”
Or maybe he just had a strong interest in Hayun.
He looked like he was in his mid-twenties at most, but if he joined the royal knights at that age, he must surely belong to an exceptional noble family.
“Well…”
“To be honest, I’m interested in you, Hayun. As part of the Ren family, I’m very intrigued by you, beyond just swordsmanship.”
“Um.”
Looking somewhat dissatisfied, Hayun pursed her lips.
Then, as if on a whim, she glanced towards the dueling arena entrance and pointed at me.
“I have someone I like.”
“Ah…”
“Thank you for telling me, but I’ll politely decline.”
Hayun bowed her head politely in rejection. The knight glanced over and was about to trot back to the other knights when—
He suddenly turned and strode confidently towards me.
With a clenched fist, he asked, “Could we duel?”
“Me?”
“Yes, please.”
“……”
I peeked over the knight’s shoulder. The other knights only seemed to know that I was the strong companion of the third princess, Elise, and wore interested expressions.
Hayun tried to stop the knight by tapping her forehead with her hand but—
“Sure.”
I agreed to the duel without much thought. The knight, who asked for a moment to prepare, went somewhere, and Hayun naturally filled that spot.
“Are you really going to do it?”
“Hmm, since he asked.”
It wasn’t a big deal, so I didn’t mind, but Hayun seemed somewhat upset.
“I wanted to do it.”
“You can duel him and then duel me.”
“Do you have that much time? Aren’t you busy?”
Ieve had asked the same thing earlier.
I smiled and assured her that I wasn’t busy, so not to worry.
Then, Hayun crossed her arms and stood next to me. The remaining knights were glancing over, analyzing my abilities.
“By the way, how did you feel about the confession?”
“Hmm?”
Hayun stared at me intently. At first, I thought she was joking, but she was looking at me seriously.
I stammered out, “I hope it goes well.”
“……Are you being sincere?”
“Yeah, I’m being sincere.”
“……”
With her fists tightly clenched, Hayun bowed her head. There was no conversation between us until the knight returned in armor.
“Wow, look at him fully equipped.”
“Isn’t he trying too hard because he’s in front of girls?”
“He’s such a man!”
The knights were having a blast teasing the knight named Nelson, but he stepped to the center with heavy steps.
I also drew my sword and walked to face him.
Though obscured by the helmet, he had a kind expression on his face.
It was clear he had devoted his life to mastering the sword.
Born into a good family, he must have worked hard to become an excellent knight, willing to stand here and ask for a duel.
Also, he didn’t look too bad.
With brown hair and a modestly handsome vibe.
He wasn’t as great as Ares, but he was certainly good-looking enough.
“Here I go!”
The duel began, and the knight called Nelson charged at me. His choice not to carry a shield seemed to indicate his minimum dignity.
BAM!
Unfortunately for him, within one exchange of strikes, he was sent tumbling to the ground, his armor crumpled.
“Ugh, cough!”
Having received a direct hit, Nelson clutched his chest, gasping for breath. The other knights were stunned into silence until they heard his groans, rushing over to help him.
But the only person standing in front of me was Hayun, who walked over with a tap and silently requested a duel.
I nodded and agreed.
THWACK!
Hayun came at me seriously from the start.
Her right leg extended back, crossing her hands to grasp the two swords at her waist.
The dazzling double draw.
Her sword, akin to a critical hit, came striking towards me, but by chance, I noticed the bracelet around her wrist.
CRASH!
“……!”
Seeing me deflect her double draw, Hayun widened her eyes. The knights behind her were shocked by her sword but went into a frenzy when they witnessed me block it.
“I didn’t expect it to be… so easily deflected.”
Spitting out her frustration, Hayun gripped her sword tightly again. It was a signal that the duel hadn’t concluded yet.
The duel continued.
I dealt with Hayun’s swordplay one by one. Time passed unexpectedly slowly, but it felt like just a moment had passed.
Even the knights whose training time had ended stared blankly at our duel, but they were completely invisible to us.
We focused entirely on our time together.
Amidst the clash of swords and the grind of iron, it weirdly felt like her unexpressed feelings were reaching me.
Fresh emotions that shouldn’t be contained in a sword.
Eventually, after only defending, I swung my sword once to conclude the duel.
“Ah…”
Crumpling down, Hayun gazed up at me in daze.
As I cautiously reached out my hand, she clenched her lips tightly but then took my hand and got back up.
The knights nearby erupted in applause for the wonderful duel, but Hayun quickly gathered her sword and strode out.
Wiping at her damp eyes with her sleeve.
Hayun sat on a bench outside the training grounds, as if inviting me over, and I found myself sitting next to her.
“Get away from me.”
Hayun turned her head away.
“But you asked me to come.”
Resting my arms on the armrest and crossing my legs, Hayun turned her head back again to glare at me.
“That’s not what I said.”
“Sure it is. I always told you. You put too much of your heart into the sword.”
The concept of a ‘heart sword’ as described in the East.
This was a moment where I was confident that with enough time, she could reach that level.
“……”
Hayun crossed her arms, seemingly at a loss for words. But noticing she didn’t get up from the bench made me laugh.
“Are you laughing?”
Seeing my expression, she punched my shoulder with a disgruntled face.
But as I didn’t react, she sighed and turned her gaze down. A little finger crept forward to grasp the hem of my clothing.
“I’ll ask again. How did you feel when you received the confession?”
“……”
“Speak quickly.”
It was a significant worry.
Being honest right now might please her, but in the far future, it could only bring her pain.
I glanced at Hayun.
Her flushed face was desperately hidden behind her hair. Compared to other female students, Hayun possessed a unique beauty.
Maybe that’s why my feelings slipped out without me realizing.
“I felt uneasy.”
“……”
“That was it.”
“Really.”
Slowly releasing the hem of my clothing, Hayun turned her head and cleared her throat, managing her expression before returning to her usual self.
I was about to suggest going back when Hayun suddenly rolled up her sleeve to show her thin, white wrist.
There was a bracelet of various colors, elegantly intertwined but not overly flashy.
“You know what this is, right?”
A bracelet that, if worn for a year without breaking, indicates that one’s unrequited love would come true.
It was the bracelet Hayun had tied for me concerning my relationship with Eris. I still remembered her cutting it off.
“It might seem like a simple superstition, but this is also my determination.”
“……”
“For a year, I will approach you with all my might.”
“Now that’s a bit scary.”
Her declaration was laced with determination. Especially hearing Hayun say it so openly made me feel both scared and oddly excited.
“I’ll give myself just a year. At that time, I’ll approach you like Mae and Elise, not caring about your reactions.”
“……”
“If it doesn’t work after that, I’ll give up.”
Her hand carefully reached out.
Passing through my clothing, Hayun’s hand softly lay on mine.
“I’m confident.”
I felt the warmth conveyed by her firmly settled feelings.
“I’ll cheer for you.”
That was all I could say.
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