Clang!!

 

“…I, I lost.”

“The winner! Ethan Richard Blackwood!”

“Ethan! Ethan! Ethan!”

“Dual-wielding Ethan! It’s dual-wielding Ethan!!”

 

Two days after my evaluation duel with Luke, the day for Ethan and Natalie’s duel arrived.

It was a rather fierce battle, but the moment Ethan’s dual swords deflected Natalie’s estoc and claimed victory, the spectating students’ cheers echoed throughout the arena.

To me, who had already seen the two of them duel several times in Harold’s lectures, it seemed like an almost inevitable result.

 

‘Considering both their compatibility and skill level, Ethan has the upper hand over Natalie.’

 

Ethan and Natalie. When the two faced each other, Ethan’s win rate was about 80% by my estimates.

Natalie’s sword, which specialized in quick thrusts and targeting openings, showed a good win rate against wielders of blunt weapons, like Caraham’s. In the case of Ethan, though, there were hardly any openings for Natalie to strike. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Ethan probably kept this in mind when he chose Natalie as his opponent for the final evaluation match, and he claimed victory as expected.

 

“Kyaaa! Lord Ethan! Take me!! Please take me!!”

“Hey, hey! Next to you, next to you!”

“Huh? Next to me…? Kyaaa?! L-Lord Ethan’s fi-fiancée…!”

“…No, I’m not Lord Ethan’s fiancée or anything like that…”

“I-I apologize, Lady Lilith! I didn’t mean it!”

 

One noblewoman, who had been enthusiastically cheering for Ethan, noticed me and instantly fled elsewhere.

Other students who belatedly witnessed this scene started whispering about me and Ethan while looking at me.

Why are they doing this again? This time, I’m truly innocent.

 

‘…Somehow, no matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem like Lilith.’

 

Where on earth did Lilith Rosewood, who in the original story, became Ethan’s sex slave and received pitying and sympathetic gazes wherever she went, disappear to?

Of course, I had no intention of becoming Ethan’s sex slave just to receive some pitying gazes, but it was hard to understand why I was constantly being misunderstood and treated as a strange woman for things I hadn’t done.

Moreover, since the last duel ended, rumors were even circulating that I had actually stolen the dagger that the princess had given to Luke.

I didn’t steal it. I’m going to return it later when I meet her.

It’s just that I can’t visit the church now because she’s currently prohibited from receiving outside visitors due to the treatment for her injuries.

As I was thinking about this while absentmindedly fixing my gaze on the arena, it seemed that Caraham’s duel with another student had also ended.

 

“The winner, Caraham Jamuel August!”

 

Judging by the fact that the opposing student had disappeared without a trace, it seemed he had failed to control his strength and triggered the Death Prevention Magic. The arena was split in half as if an earthquake had occurred.

If we were to consider pure strength alone, excluding swordsmanship or magic, that guy would probably be twice as strong as the Hero.

For reference, Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, who had the right to choose his opponent first due to being the top student, chose to target a random fifth-ranked student instead of Ethan or Natalie, easily securing his victory. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Although the Hero’s win rate in practice matches against Ethan was slightly higher, it was so close that the result could easily be reversed if the former wasn’t careful.

The rest of the students were also opponents that the protagonist couldn’t guarantee 100% victory against from his perspective. Especially against Caraham, he often found himself overwhelmed by the former’s brute strength.

For him, who wanted to secure points decisively to maintain his position as the top student in the Swordsmanship Department, facing Ethan and the other three non-standard individuals as evaluation match opponents seemed burdensome, so he ultimately shifted his target to the fifth-ranked student.

After all, maintaining the top position in the Swordsmanship Department for the next semester would make it much easier to handle the events in the second half of the academic year.

 

‘It’s about time for Ethan to come out too, I should head down soon.’

 

With Ethan’s evaluation matches now all finished, I had to prepare to leave the dormitory today.

There was no reason to stay at the school anymore since the final grades would only be posted a few days before the start of the next semester, and with Ethan’s match just now, our first semester at Luminor Academy had finally ended.

It was time to return to the Blackwood mansion after a long time.

Aurelian Church, Luminor Academy branch.

This building, which had always felt quiet and solemn, was now bustling with the voices of busy priests and prospective priests during the busiest time of the semester – the evaluation match period.

 

“Patient incoming in Transfer Room 11! Cause of death: vertical bisection!” *1

“Quickly move them to a private room and repair every single internal organ! Finish the procedure before the Death Prevention Magic wears off!”

“What kind of muscle-brained idiot splits a person in half and triggers the Death Prevention Magic?! Are they insane?!”

“A few days ago, there was a crazy woman who exploded someone’s entire body with some super-large magic sphere; compared to that, being cut in half is rather tame.”

 

They were busy enough treating students who had suffered minor and major injuries during the end-of-semester evaluation matches, but the condition of students being transferred by the Death Prevention Magic was even more severe. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Students with all sorts of injuries were being transferred to the church to the point where a stab wound to the neck or heart would be considered fortunate.

Luke, who had been transferred to the church by the said magic two days ago, was now recovering from her injuries.

Although her body was starting to heal, her complicated feelings were far from being calmed.

 

‘What will happen to me now?’

 

It was all well and good that she had chosen Lilith as her evaluation match opponent out of petty revenge. Until then, she had no doubt that she would win.

Although she was in the non-combat Technical Department, she was still a knight who had been certified to be skilled enough to serve as Third Princess Seraphine’s bodyguard.

She was skilled enough to win duels against Imperial Knights two or three times her age with her dual daggers and throwing needles. 

With that in mind, she didn’t think she would lose in an evaluation match battle against even a top student from the Magic Department.

…But the result of entering the duel carelessly was her clear defeat.

It was a crushing defeat that even triggered the Death Prevention Magic.

She was in such a miserable state that she couldn’t even make excuses.

 

‘There were no openings.’

 

As if Lilith already knew all of her techniques, Lilith responded to each of her attacks as if it were absolutely natural.

From the start, Lilith countered her dual daggers with a dagger hidden in the former’s clothes as if it had been anticipated.

As soon as the distance between them grew, Lilith blocked her vision with Blurred Light and wounded her left arm with a Magic Arrow. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Lilith had planned from the beginning to block ranged attacks with Arcane Barrier. Lilith even parried the dagger she threw in between those attacks with the dagger the former was holding.

Lilith even completely saw through her surprise attack, which was supposed to be her last resort.

It was a fight that could only be described as an overwhelming difference in skill throughout the duel.

She even felt that Lilith was going easy on her.

 

‘If she had intended to end me from the start, she could have ended it in less than a minute.’

 

If Lilith had aimed for her vital points with Magic Arrows when she was caught in the first Blurred Light, it wouldn’t have been a battle that lasted so long. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Despite even being capable of triple casting, all that woman aimed for was just her left forearm.

There was no way a magician of that skill level would have missed her attack. She must have deliberately grazed her just enough to show the clear difference in their abilities.

As a result, she ended up suffering a miserable defeat, hit by a massive magic sphere whose name she didn’t even know.

Luke had paid a harsh price for arrogantly picking a fight out of hatred without properly assessing her opponent.

 

‘What will Her Highness say?’

 

She suffered a disgraceful and miserable defeat, far from being able to serve as a bodyguard. It would even be embarrassing to call herself a house pet.

Princess Seraphine must surely be disappointed.

Not only would she no longer be able to keep her position as a bodyguard, but she might even end up longing for her former position as the princess’s exclusive maid.

Perhaps, due to this arrogant action of hers, she might even be abandoned by her entirely…

 

“…Hic.”

 

Tears that she had been holding back moistened Luke’s eyes.

After all the effort she had put in to stand by Princess Seraphine’s side…

From the day she swore loyalty to her five years ago, she had made bone-breaking efforts to somehow maintain and defend her position by her side. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

The thought that it might all dissipate like mist due to a single loss filled her not only with sorrow but even with fear.

Unaware of Luke’s feelings, from outside the room, Seraphine’s voice seemed to close in on her like a noose.

 

Knock, knock.

“Luke, how are you feeling?”

“…!”

“May I come in? I think we need to talk about future matters.”

 

Talk about ‘future matters,’ she says.

It must surely be to discuss firing her from the bodyguard position.

After all, a bodyguard who loses to a mere exclusive maid of a duke’s family would be nothing but a worthless and unnecessary existence to her.

As much as Luke wanted to send the princess away without answering and remain as her servant for even a little longer…

 

“Y-Yes… You may enter, Princess Seraphine…”

 

Luke answered, calling Princess Seraphine’s name with a trembling voice.

Not responding after hearing Seraphine’s voice would be an act of disloyalty that would be unforgivable even if she offered her life.

 

Creeak.

 

As the door opened and Seraphine entered, Luke quietly lowered her gaze.

She couldn’t bring herself to meet her mistress’s eyes right now.

Not only had she ignored her mistress’s advice and entered the evaluation duel against Lilith, but she had ended up losing miserably.

 

“Luke, have your injuries improved?”

“Y-Yes… Thanks to you, Your Highness, I’m fine now…”

“Did the priests give you any precautions? Like, perhaps, staying still and resting for a few days?”

“…They said I should stay at the church for about five days to treat my injured areas.”

“Hmm, is that so? Then does that mean you won’t be able to perform your bodyguard duties for five days?”

“…!!!” 

 

That was a mistake.

The moment the princess indirectly mentioned that Luke wouldn’t be able to guard her for five days, it was essentially the same as mentioning a reason for Luke to be fired.

Luke should have said two days, not five. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

No, she should have said she could move right now.

As Luke Cruella tried to hurriedly get up from the bed to take back the words she had accidentally blurted out…

Seraphine’s response was something Luke had not expected at all.

 

“Ah, no, Princess Seraphine! Actually, it’s not five days, but ri-“

“I’ll start the provincial village tour, which was scheduled to begin as soon as summer starts, five days from now.”

“…Pardon?”

“Someone of my status can’t go around the imperial provinces without a bodyguard, right, Luke?”

“…By bodyguard, do you mean me, Princess Seraphine?”

“Hmm, did you want to quit your job, Luke?”

“N-No! That’s not it! I didn’t mean it that way…!”

 

Luke Cruella, still confused by the meaning of Princess Seraphine’s words, made another mistake.

Seraphine, not minding Luke’s slip of the tongue, calmed her down…

…to prevent Luke from panicking at the thought of possibly losing her position.

 

“It’s fine, just rest and recover, Luke. I never had any intention of firing you from the beginning.”

“Is, is that so…? Your Highness…?”

“I’ve always told you, Luke. I’m the type of person who can’t rest easy unless I keep capable people close to me.” [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

“Y-your Hi-Highness…”

“Get well soon, Luke.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

 

Leaving those final words, wishing for Luke’s quick recovery, Princess Seraphine left the recovery room to attend to the rest of her schedule at the academy.

In a room of the academy church, now occupied by just one person, a gray-haired girl was sobbing, unable to hold back her welling tears.

The meaning behind those tears had clearly changed from just moments ago.