Episode 16: The wind is not blowing well (1)
As the thick dust that had filled the smokescreen began to gradually fade, the traces of the tragedy that had just occurred became clearly visible.
In every place where there was a dent, pools of blood were red, and on the dirt floor were drawn multiple lines like ripples.
I clicked my tongue briefly at the face reflected on the blade. As always, cutting a person is an indescribably unpleasant sensation. It’s a knife made to cut open fish bellies, but I’m using it to cut people…
If there’s any consolation, it’s that I haven’t actually killed anyone yet? The Mao twins, or Nox, who’s now cooling down right before my eyes, all happened in the subspace. Who would have thought I’d be able to enjoy the privileges of virtual space like this?
Of course, even if it were real, I would have thought of cutting down any threatening entities without hesitation, but I wanted to avoid indiscriminate killing.
If I swung it around as I pleased, I felt like I would become a human butcher before I knew it.
I shook the red, wet sashimi I was holding in my hand and put it back in its scabbard. The blade rattled slightly.
Well, in that short period of time, I poured out so much sashimi that it was hard to even count, but it’s strange that the blade didn’t get damaged even though there was a brand logo on it. I laughed bitterly.
26 seconds. The match ended sooner than expected.
Knox was definitely strong. As Chloe said, he had a lot of combat experience, and his swordsmanship was ruthless and without hesitation.
It was so scary to receive the swordsmanship. And above all, his fighting sense was innate.
The cadets in the audience might not have known, but at the same time as he drew his sword, he casted ‘Crow’s Protection’, twisting the curve of his sword strike in an irregular way.
Even with Chloe’s incredible speed, it wasn’t easy to deal with.
Nox was indeed gifted in combat, although his hand-to-hand combat was somewhat awkward.
It was good that he used the presence blocking to draw a curved sword path, but the sword energy was thick with murderous intent, so the next sword strike was expected.
Of course, if you continue to gain experience and your potential blossoms, you will become the strongest assassin.
‘It was strong.’
I think I’ve gotten used to manifesting the blessings and have reached a level where I can manage my time in my own way.
Of course, even after applying the painless protection, the heavy, sticky feeling around my eyes still persisted.
But compared to when he first manifested the protection of the sword and started making a fuss, it’s just laughable.
I put my hand on the back of my neck, which was stiff from tension. In the meantime, the curtain of subspace was lifted and the sound of the cadets’ murmuring reached my ears.
A mixture of emotions. I had a feeling that my future academy life would be tiring. I let out a short sigh and muttered.
“… I can’t help it.”
In the end, this is the path I chose.
There is no choice but to endure evil with brute force.
* * *
The aftermath of the fierce battle between Kanggeomma and Nox shook the entire academy. In every class, from saints to deities, the only thing they talked about was the incident.
Rumors spread later that he was from the House of Order, Auditore, and most nodded to Nox’s strength.
As the saying goes, an awl in the pocket, the name Auditore was not so unfamiliar among the children of high-ranking nobles.
That’s why the question of who the male student was who faced Knox was an even hotter potato. To be honest, he was so good at throwing Knox Alditore around like a sashimi sashimi that the word opponent was meaningless. It was a performance that went beyond shocking.
Moreover, he was a lowly special student. There were no rumors or truths to be found. That fact alone was enough to cause the teenagers to have a light-hearted conversation.
Inside the Star Classroom.
Abel crossed his arms and sat in thought without any change in expression. The sight of Jaha’s sunset streaming in from outside the window was always beautiful. However, his eyes, which used to sparkle like jade, were somehow calm today.
The face of a black-haired boy flashed through Abel’s mind.
The last time I saw him, I remember him having a slightly softer impression, but the eyes I saw today had an indescribable coolness to them.
As he drew a crescent with his sword, one of Knox’s arms slid off. There was no sound of it being cut, as if it had been cut off to begin with.
And the attack that followed was so fast that even Abel could not contain it. Above all, the unrealistic swordplay… just watching it made his body flinch.
And it wasn’t even a special weapon, just two rose swords.
Even in her dorm kitchen, there were identical knives stuck in there. She felt a strange sense of guilt and was reluctant to use them.
As the granddaughter of the Nibelung and the swordsman, I was proud of my unique insight into swords. However, today, I felt that my proud insight was shattered.
Abel shook off the thoughts that were rushing in and took a deep breath. His long, aquamarine hair swayed.
“The name is Ganggeomma… … .”
Abel muttered softly as he chewed on the name of the boy that appeared on the screen of the training center. The classmate who had treated him so slyly. Who would have thought that he would learn his name like this… .
Suddenly, as she searched her memory, she remembered what she had said to Kang Geum-ma.
‘Huh? Because I look weak. Our family motto was ‘Be strict with the strong and merciful to the weak!’
I thought of the unidentified chief student that Siegfried had spoken of with a shady face. Suddenly, I had a bad feeling that that student might be Kang Geum-ma.
No, given the circumstances, it seemed certain that he was the one. The reason being…. Kanggeomma was overwhelmingly stronger than her, who was second in line. There was no way that the sacred subspace’s scoring would miss that part.
“… … .”
Abel let out a deep sigh and lowered his head. Huh, the shame welling up in her mind made her bite her lips with a bright red face.
And then, his fist lightly hit the desk.
‘Kang Geum-ma, what was he thinking when he saw me!?’
The feeling of shame and embarrassment suddenly turned into a small anger. That sly attitude towards Abel.
Perhaps, he reacted that way because he knew everything. Who would have thought that the first person he had a heart-to-heart conversation with after entering the academy would turn out to be a powerful figure who was the chief party that had declared that he would be tamed?
When I thought about it, I was angry. And very angry at that. Even if I made a hundred concessions and said that there were circumstances for hiding the fact that I was the chief, and even though I confessed everything, Kanggeomma didn’t tell me anything. What’s more, I only found out his name yesterday.
My body abruptly sat up in shock. Then, the blonde girl with twintails sitting next to me yawned and smacked her mouth.
“Hmm, what’s going on?”
“… Oh, it’s nothing, Rachel.”
Abel, startled and embarrassed, opened his mouth awkwardly. Then Rachel narrowed her eyes and stared at her.
There was a faint, mischievous glint in his heart-shaped eyes.
“Hey-, really?”
“Yeah, I haven’t been able to exercise for the past few days, so I feel a bit sluggish.”
Abel smiled awkwardly at Rachel. His beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. Rachel, the niece of the Spear Saint and a member of the 4th class of the Academy.
In fact, they weren’t that close. From the beginning, Abel was reluctant to make friends due to the strong sense of superiority that was embedded in the sexual class.
But Rachel, with her characteristic wit, continued to try to break down the wall she had secretly built.
“Abel, you look like a man?”
“Oh, no!”
A playful voice tickled Abel’s ears.
Rachel stretched out her index finger and gently tickled Abel’s sunken side, drawing circles. Abel was startled and took a sharp step back.
“Our Miss Abel was a proper woman too. I thought she was completely ignorant when it came to love.”
“That’s not true!”
As Abel blushed, Rachel rested her chin on her hand and let out a giggle.
“So who is it? It wouldn’t be someone like that who could steal Abel’s heart. Well, let’s see-”
Rachel turned her head and pretended to look around. Then she nodded slightly and pointed at Leon.
“Leon, who’s that? Well, he’s handsome.”
“no.”
Abel wiped his expression from his face and denied it with a smile. Then Rachel tilted her head slightly and said, as if throwing it away.
“… Miss Abel was strangely hostile to Leon. Then, was she a special student at the training ground yesterday?”
“!?”
Bingo. Abel’s face turned red for a moment. Rachel’s face broke into a crooked smile at his reaction. She stood up slightly and grabbed Abel’s wrist.
“What, what are you doing?!”
“Let’s go, Miss Abel.”
“Where?!”
“Lang class!”
So Abel was weakly dragged along by Rachel’s arm. Perhaps because he was a window sill, his grip was strong.
* * *
Break time between 6th and 7th period.
Knock knock-
The classroom door of the Wolf class opened.
At that moment, the noisy atmosphere died down. The Lang Class students lowered their voices and whispered at the sudden appearance of the two beautiful girls.
Rachel took the lead with a smile on her face, and Abel walked in timidly, led by her.
Even this year’s Academy’s second place winner, Abel von Nibelung, and fourth place winner, Rachel de Murat. Two girls who are at the top of their class, the highest class.
It was obvious that Abel’s beauty was too beautiful to be kept only for the eyes, but Rachel next to him was also a beautiful girl with a healthy charm.
As she smiled faintly, the boys grabbed her chest and fell backwards. Abel sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead.
Rachel, standing tall on the podium, narrowed her eyes and searched for the black hair. She knew the face, having seen it at the training ground yesterday. Black hair was extremely rare, so it should be easy to find.
An exclamation mark appeared above Rachel’s head as she quickly scanned the area.
Oh, I found it! It was a distinctly black color. The tip was tinged with gray, which was a unique feature.
Third row, window side.
He was sleeping face down, using a thick history textbook as a pillow. Next to him, a cute red-haired schoolgirl was moving around, staring intently at him as he slept.
Is she a girlfriend? It didn’t matter to Rachel. The grass always seems greener on the other side. She came here to tease Abel, but Rachel personally found the special promotion student quite interesting.
Rachel smiled faintly, unbuttoned her top two buttons, and approached Kang Geum-ma. Her brisk steps left Abel no time to stop her.
A provocative body that would disarm most men. It was the will of a woman who had entered combat mode. All eyes were focused on them.
Rachel blew a warm breeze into Kanggeomma’s ear. Chloe, who was next to him, frowned and shot him a murderous glare.
Kanggeomma let out a short sigh and shook his head as if shaking off his sleep. He must have slept quite soundly, as the cheek on the side where he was pressed was dyed red.
Kang Geum-ma lifted his head, which had been bowed with a blank stare, and looked around.
And immediately, Kang Geum-ma’s soulless gaze met Rachel’s milky chest.
“…what?”
She pushed her side hair behind her ear, waved her hand gently, and whispered to Kang Geum-ma.
“Are you standing?”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Rachel’s mouth.
