Chapter 27
Alice asked. Eki nodded, her gaze fixed on the arena.
"Yes, Alice."
"Thank you, Ekinesia."
"Eki."
"...Yes, Eki."
"I told you to drop the formalities, didn't I?"
"That's a bit..."
Alice hesitated, her cheeks flushing slightly. Eki turned to her, and Alice said softly,
"Ah, I'm not quite ready yet."
"...Is it something that requires resolve?"
"Yes. Eki can drop the formalities."
"It'd be weird if I was the only one dropping formalities when Alice isn't. Never mind, then."
The first round progressed quickly. Alice easily advanced to the second round. Now, it was the second round. Eki turned to Alice, who was still sitting right next to her.
"You know that the second round is between Alice and me, right?"
"Of course. I'm looking forward to it."
"..."
She had intended to end it quickly, but seeing the gray eyes sparkling with anticipation, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Eki sighed deeply.
The subsequent duel between Cadet Ekinesia Roaz and Alice Winterbell was truly a masterpiece. And at the same time, it was more like a guided practice than a match between equals.
A duel where someone with overwhelmingly superior skill taught someone who was still lacking, just like every Military Cadet in this place had experienced with the Master who taught them swordsmanship.
Winning is much easier than guiding and teaching appropriately. That's only natural. Teaching others isn't just about having superior skill. It required leading from a distant vantage point, like looking down at an answer key.
The high-level swordsmanship that lasted for over 30 minutes ended with Ekinesia's sword stopping in front of Alice's neck.
A deathly silence filled the stands.
The Military Cadets weren't fools. They knew how talented Alice was. There weren't many cadets in this place who could confidently claim victory if they stood before Alice's sword right now.
So, against that Alice, and in the New Student Ranking Match, no less, just how skilled was this 'Lady' who had conducted a guided practice? It was hard to even fathom.
Aside from not being able to use Mana, wouldn't she be able to hold her own against the formal knights of Changcheon with her swordsmanship alone? A twenty-year-old woman in an uncomfortable dress and high heels, that is.
"A genius of the century... that's right."
Theo, who had been watching in a daze, muttered like a groan.
All the Military Cadets had been called geniuses on their way to Ajenka. Theo had heard that word countless times too. Genius. Exceptional talent.
After becoming a Military Cadet, he thought that everyone was so talented that there were really a lot of geniuses. Geniuses above geniuses, like Mikhail, whom he had observed as a roommate, or Alice, whose skills were known by word of mouth.
But the 'Lady' had defeated Mikhail with a single attack and conducted a guided practice against Alice.
What should such an existence be called? Even the expression 'genius of the century' seemed insufficient.
After the second round with Alice, everything went smoothly. Ekinesia knocked away the swords of all her opponents with a single attack. No one could withstand her sword. No one could deny that she had treated only Alice as an exception, and that her skill was far above everyone else's.
Now, the other cadets' matches were secondary. Most of the Military Cadets tried to see even one more of Ekinesia's movements. One could gain knowledge just by watching the sword of an excellent knight.
"The Commander must have known. That's why he made her a Squire..."
"Oh my god. Did you just see that? How can you beat that?"
"Who the hell spread those rumors? Admission by corruption? They're kidding me."
"Hey, isn't this like cheating? Someone like that is a Military Cadet like us?"
"She wouldn't lose to the Associate Knights, would she? No, she could even fight a knight."
"But she's not a Master, right? It's useless if you can't use Mana."
"Well, there are people who are stuck as Associate Knights because they're only good at swordsmanship and lack Mana affinity..."
"Isn't she only twenty years old? Then you never know. Maybe she'll become a Master in a few years?"
"Where did such a monster pop out from? Does anyone know the Roaz family?"
Murmurs spread through the waiting room and the stands.
The New Student Ranking Match ended much earlier than expected. This was because all of Ekinesia's matches ended quickly.
She finished even the final match with a single attack.
"Cadet Ekinesia, congratulations. Until the next Ranking Match or duel, you are the number one in the first year."
After the Ranking Match ended, Ian approached her and said. He wore a gentle smile.
"I thought you would do well, but... you did even better than I expected. Everyone will be nervous during the overall Ranking Match. The top ranks will be in an uproar, won't they? You're really amazing."
"You flatter me."
Eki listened to Ian's words with one ear and worried about tomorrow's muscle pain in her mind. She had fought in the Ranking Match with lingering body aches, so tomorrow, the muscles all over her body might declare a strike. Especially in the second round with Alice, she had overdone it a bit. She had subtly used Mana to support the fatigue of her muscles, but still.
'I should apply ointment, drink ginger tea, and go to bed early.'
Thinking about the ginger tea Yuriene had given her made her chest tingle. The attention of the swarming cadets or the results of the Ranking Match against the rookies were less important to her than the ginger tea in her head. Ian continued to speak to her, who was lost in other thoughts.
"I understand why the Commander designated you as a Squire. He recognized your talent. What's your secret? The Roaz family isn't known for swordsmanship."
Ian's eyes narrowed. The other cadets couldn't approach her because the cadet representative was talking to her, and they were hovering around. Eki picked up her sword and answered.
"Well, I don't know either."
"Who did you learn from? Have you been learning from the Commander since before?"
"No, I'm self-taught."
"...You learned swordsmanship on your own?"
"Yes. Senior, can I go back now? I'm a little tired."
"Ah, yes, you must be tired. I'm sorry for keeping you."
Ian said kindly and stepped back. However, his gaze fixed on Eki was persistent. Not like Bread's lewd persistence, but a different, twisted gaze. A very well-hidden look that she wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't seen his true colors before her regression.
'I wish he would just cause an accident openly.'
Eki wasn't afraid of him. Tricks with the bracket were trivial, and whatever Ian did wouldn't be a big threat to her. It was just unsettling and annoying to have him lingering nearby.
When the cadet representative stepped back, the Military Cadets slowly approached. They couldn't easily talk to Eki and just looked at each other. It seemed that it was too embarrassing to ignore her all along and be swayed by rumors, only to come forward as soon as they saw the results of the Ranking Match.
Of course, there was a cadet who didn't need to be mindful of others. Fatima came running with her braided hair dangling and smiled brightly.
"Cadet Ekinesia! I knew my eyes weren't wrong! Congratulations on first place!"
"Thank you, Senior Fatima."
"I thought Cadet Alice and Cadet Mikhail would be in 2nd and 3rd place. The bracket was a bit messed up. But in the end, it will be as I said. How about it, my insight? Doesn't it make you trust Wisdom?"
Her black eyes rolled around and took on a triumphant light. Fatima didn't wait for Eki's answer and reached up to lightly pat her head.
"I want to talk more about how great our club is, but you must be tired from the Ranking Match, so later! Good job, get some rest! See you next time!"
Fatima, who had been chattering to herself, waved her hand and left. As she retreated, she cast subtle glances of restraint at the surrounding cadets. Wasn't it embarrassing to be doing club business now? That was the feeling of her gaze.
The cadets, who had found it difficult to brazenly approach her, awkwardly moved away. They scattered in groups of three or five and began to talk about today's Ranking Match.
Eki was inwardly grateful for Fatima's actions. It would only be annoying if they all swarmed around her.
Come to think of it, Baraha wasn't among the cadets. As the Vice-Commander's Squire, she was a busy person, so it seemed that something had suddenly come up.
She was about to return to her room when she found Alice still in the waiting room, grooming her sword.
"Alice, let's go together."
"Ah, yes!"
Alice jumped up and hurriedly packed her things. Eki picked up a piece of cloth that she had dropped and said.
"...Are you okay with the ranking? It's a much lower ranking than Alice's skill deserves."
"It doesn't matter. I've gained something more important than ranking. I plan to focus on honing my sword for the time being."
Alice smiled brightly. Eki was inwardly impressed by her truly 'knight-like' answer. She's really upright. Someone like her should become a knight. She couldn't hold back the words that suddenly surged up.
"I really hope that Alice becomes a knight of Changcheon. You're really suited to be a knight."
It was an impulsive thing to say, but she didn't regret it. She had regretted not being honest in the past while talking with the revived Nicole. Alice turned to her blankly at Eki's words. Eki smiled sincerely.
"Please ask me for a duel anytime you need it, Alice. I think it would be enjoyable to share swords with you."
Eki didn't like swords. To her, a sword was a tool of slaughter inseparable from nightmares. Whenever she held a sword, she felt like sticky blood was wrapped around her fingertips. She had thought that swordsmanship was just a technique for killing people efficiently.
But it was different when she shared swords with Alice. It wasn't a lie that she had been swept away by the atmosphere with Bardelgiosa. At that time, she really felt like she was being dyed by Alice, who approached the sword seriously and uprightly.
To Alice, the sword was the path she walked and a way to refine herself. She was dreaming of a pure 'knight' like the knights in fairy tales. And Eki didn't dislike her stubbornness or purity.
Teresa's Dimongiosa, which she admired, came to mind. Just as Bardelgiosa was called a Demon Sword, Dimongiosa was called a Guardian Sword. A sword made by a blacksmith from the sadness of humans who had lost something precious and the desire to protect it. That sword only allowed its body to those who had something they wanted to protect even at the cost of their own sacrifice.
When Eki collected Giosas before her regression, there were Giosas that she couldn't use even though she had them because she didn't meet the owner's conditions. But Dimongiosa was one of the Giosas that Eki could use. It was thanks to the deep sadness that arose from losing all her precious people.
There are those who hold a sword not to kill, but to protect. Just as there are those who hold a sword to train themselves regardless of others. Upright and shining people. Sharing swords with such people felt like a deeper conversation than words.
That's why the duel she had with Alice was enjoyable. Enough to move her body to the point of overdoing it.
Alice widened her eyes, then smiled, folding her eyes. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. She took Eki's hand. Her warm body temperature was felt over the glove that covered the mark of the Demon Sword on her right hand.
"Thank you, Eki. I'm so glad to have met you."
"W-Why are you suddenly holding my hand?"
"Just because. Is it not allowed?"
"...No, well."
Eki was flustered and grumbled, but she didn't take her hand away. Alice, who had fought in the Ranking Match, smelled strongly of sweat, but she didn't point it out. They returned to the dormitory hand in hand like young children of the same age.
