Chapter 26
Theo whistled softly.
"She's pretty, I'll give her that. A welcome sight amidst all these gloomy cadets."
"What good is being pretty when you're trying to be a knight? Oh, but maybe she is good for something? If the rumors are true."
Mikhail's lips twisted. She might be pretty, but in his eyes, his sister Teresa was far more beautiful.
Cadet Ekinesia Roaz was alone. It was as if an invisible wall surrounded her, leaving her space empty. The cadets arriving one after another avoided her vicinity, choosing seats elsewhere. Amidst them, one cadet, who had just entered, walked straight towards her.
"Isn't that Alice Winterbell?"
Alice, clad in a crisp cadet uniform, approached Ekinesia and spoke to her. Ekinesia, who had been responding perfunctorily, was startled when Alice sat down beside her. Alice smiled and spoke, and Ekinesia, seemingly flustered, averted her gaze before resting her chin on her hand and sighing.
And then, a very slight smile appeared. A smile that seemed to overflow, unable to be completely hidden, a look of embarrassment and shyness, yet also filled with an undeniable joy, flitted across her face.
"...Oh."
Mikhail, who had been watching her all along, saw that smile too. Something inside him lurched for a moment.
"Oh, oh?"
The boy muttered like an idiot. What, what is this feeling? What did I just see? No, it was just some girl smiling a little. Mikhail rubbed his eyes with his hand, looked at Ekinesia again, and then slapped his own cheek.
"What are you doing?"
Theo asked in an incredulous tone. Mikhail, one cheek flushed red, fixed his gaze on the arena in front of him.
"Nothing."
His insides churned strangely. Mikhail turned it into anger. How could he be distracted by a girl who wore dresses to seduce men? He felt pathetic and ashamed. The 18-year-old boy, the youngest allowed to enroll in the academy, clenched the hilt of his sword tightly. He wished his turn would come quickly.
"Number 7, Mikhail von Fran Almary! Number 8, Ekinesia Roaz!"
Cadet Representative Ian called out their names in a loud voice. Mikhail sprang up from his seat and strode out into the arena. Ekinesia approached gracefully and stood opposite him.
Standing before the woman in the white dress, it felt more like being in a ballroom than in the arena for the ranking match. If this were a ballroom, he would place his hand on his chest, bow elegantly, and ask her for a dance.
Mikhail inadvertently had such thoughts, and then contorted his face. Dressing up unnecessarily and making him think such things. It was all that girl's fault. He had to crush that lady act and forget about it. The boy glared at Ekinesia with angry eyes.
"...May grace and mercy be with the victor, acceptance and acknowledgement with the defeated, and honor and justice with the swords of the duelists. Arse Sebatiel."
A third-year student, assisting with the proceedings, drew his sword, pointed it between them, and stepped back after making the customary declaration for the duel. The moment the drawn sword disappeared, the match began.
Mikhail held his sword vertically. The Fran Almary family's swordsmanship was specialized in steadfast defense and counterattacks based on it. Teresa had become a Master with that swordsmanship and had even risen to the position of Giosa Owner. Mikhail did not doubt his swordsmanship.
'Come on. Just come at me...!'
Instead of rushing in immediately, Ekinesia tilted her sword diagonally and scanned Mikhail. Her purple eyes reflected the boy's image. Mikhail was annoyed. Why doesn't she just attack already, what is that woman thinking?
At that moment, she took a step. One, a large step forward, two, the lowered sword soared up, drawing a semicircular arc. Mikhail prepared to block the trajectory with his sword if possible. And three.
Clang.
Mikhail's sword flew into the air. Until the sword, which had been floating in the air, fell to the arena floor, no one understood what had happened. The sword that fell to the floor rolled away with a loud noise.
Mikhail stared blankly at his empty hand. A light breeze brushed past, ruffling his bangs. He raised his head. The tip of a sword was stopped right in front of his forehead. Beyond that sword, purple eyes curved gently towards the boy, as if looking at a cute child.
"...Number 8, Ekinesia Roaz wins."
"What, what?"
"What just happened?"
"Did you see it?"
"No, what is this..."
After the third-year student's bewildered announcement, a torrent of murmurs erupted.
Ekinesia calmly sheathed her sword and returned to the waiting room. The sound of her heels hitting the floor was clear and distinct.
Mikhail was frozen, as if his soul had been taken. The approaching third-year student nudged him to bring him back to his senses. Then, Mikhail turned bright red from the nape of his neck to the tip of his forehead and left, not for the waiting room, but outside.
Theo assumed that his roommate had run away, ashamed of his absurd defeat, and followed him out. He searched the training grounds for a while before finally finding the flamboyant blonde hair.
Mikhail was standing in the corner of the outer edge of the indoor training ground, banging his head against the wall.
"Mikhail, were you careless...?"
Theo, who had grabbed his shoulder half-jokingly, swallowed his words when he saw the look in the boy's eyes as he turned around. His face was still red and his green eyes were dazed. The angelic boy looked strangely dangerous with that expression. Theo was flustered and patted his back, stammering.
"Are, are you okay? Hey, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. It's okay, it's okay."
"It wasn't a mistake."
"What?"
"It wasn't a mistake, didn't you see it?"
"See what?"
"Never mind, you can live your whole life without knowing. You only see as much as you know."
"Is this guy crazy, what are you talking about?"
Mikhail pressed his flushed cheeks with his hands. He muttered in a dazed voice.
"I've never seen a woman like my sister before."
"......"
Theo decided that his roommate had lost his mind from the shock of being defeated in one strike. Mikhail rubbed his face several times, slapped his cheeks with both hands, and calmly lowered his gaze.
"Let's go."
"Where are we going?"
"We have to keep watching. I can't miss a single one of her matches."
"...Who? The lady?"
"Yeah, hurry up and follow me. And focus with all your might and don't miss it this time. Then you'll thank me later."
Mikhail grabbed Theo and dragged him towards the stands. Theo was dumbfounded and dragged along, before pulling his arm away.
"Hey, you're out, but I still have matches left, you know?"
"Ah."
Mikhail's eyes flickered. Then, he looked serious.
"I'm out, aren't I?"
"This guy's been talking nonsense since a while ago."
"I really wanted to participate in the Monster subjugation."
"Give it up, go wash your feet and go to sleep."
"It's okay, I can just apply for a duel with someone in the top 3 after the ranking matches are over."
Mikhail smiled eerily. Theo snorted in disbelief.
"You got knocked out by the lady's one strike in the first match. Aren't you ashamed? You definitely need more training."
"After this ranking match is over."
Mikhail gripped Theo's shoulder tightly as he headed towards the stands. The boy lowered his golden eyelashes and whispered dreamily.
"No one will be ashamed of losing to her."
"...What does that mean? That it's natural to lose to the lady?"
"You'll see. So watch carefully. You're the one who needs more training."
Mikhail pushed Theo away and headed towards the stairs of the stands. Theo scratched the back of his head, unable to understand, and returned to the waiting room.
* * *
Ekinesia Roaz had no thoughts. She had applied muscle pain ointment, taken antibiotics, and even brewed ginger tea before sleeping soundly, but her body still felt a little heavy. So she found everything bothersome.
'I'm tired, so I should finish this quickly.'
After deciding to take first place in the freshman ranking match, she had planned to put on a bit of a show. Nothing special, just a flashy technique to capture the attention of the rookie cadets.
But with the lingering body aches, even that was a hassle. As long as she overwhelmed them enough to avoid dirty rumors, wasn't that all that mattered? She stood before her first match opponent, Mikhail, and decided to end it as quickly as possible.
Seeing the boy take his stance, a faint memory came to mind. It was the same stance that Giosa Owner Teresa, who had clung to her to allow Dietrich to escape, had taken.
'He's her younger brother, so it's only natural.'
Eki didn't remember the situation in which she had killed Mikhail very well. He was just one of the many she had cut down like straw. She remembered Mikhail because she had seen Teresa, who had arrived late to Ajenka, holding Mikhail's corpse and wailing.
Teresa had used a swordsmanship specialized in defense. Her sword was like a solid, lofty, and beautiful fortress.
That swordsmanship suited her disposition and her Giosa, Dimongiosa, very well. Dimongiosa was a 'sword for protecting', made from human sorrow and the instinct to protect.
'She took her sister as a role model. But a defensive swordsmanship doesn't seem to suit her personality.'
She could roughly sense it just from the stance of holding the sword. It was thanks to having fought Teresa's sword.
'For Teresa's sake, should I give her advice if I get the chance...?'
Eki thought as she held her sword. And using the obvious weakness, she knocked the boy's sword away in one go. Then, she ended the match by pointing her sword at his forehead.
His dazed face was youthful. A living face. Teresa must be alive too, and they must be good siblings. She felt the worth of turning back time here too. Feeling good about that, Eki smiled slightly.
When she returned to the waiting room, Alice approached. She looked at Eki with sparkling eyes and whispered.
"You show a different side of yourself than when you spar with me, Ms. Roaz."
"...Just call me by my name, Ms. Winterbell."
"May I?"
"You can speak casually too. I can't stand it, it's too ticklish."
When there was distance, honorifics and polite titles were fine, but hearing those words while receiving such adoring gazes made her feel mortified. Eki said the words she had been meaning to say and sat down carefully so as not to wrinkle her dress. She didn't even pay attention to the gazes of the other cadets gathering around.
"If I call you casually... will you spar with me again next time?"
