Freyr’s gaze, as she looked at me with a sword in one hand, was indifferent.

“She’s probably imagining fighting you.”

‘How do you know that?’

“Her body is twitching. You can tell just by looking at that.”

So, she’s doing some shadowboxing before the fight?

And Grandpa could predict that just from seeing her body twitch.

Just how amazing was Grandpa during his life?

He must have been incredible to be called a hero, but I can’t even begin to imagine it.

Thinking that, I raised my shield and mace.

I can create a shield with divine power, but it still feels more comfortable to hold a real, physical shield.

“Are both sides ready?”

‘Yes.’

“Yeah. Lousy professor.”

“Yeah, I’m ready too.”

Both of our responses were rather rude to the professor, but Anton just smiled.

“Then let’s begin.”

The moment Anton made the announcement, Freyr moved her feet.

The first thought that came to mind when I saw her was how fast she was.

There was a considerable distance between us, but the gap closed the moment Freyr took a step forward.

An ordinary person wouldn’t even have been able to react to this speed and would have been defeated!

But I’m not ordinary!

This speed is something I can handle.

She might be the future Swordmaster or whatever, but she’s still just a first-year at the academy!

For someone like me who’s sparred against active knights like Fossel and Carl, this is nothing!

I deflected her sword with my shield, but it wasn’t time to swing my mace yet.

It wasn’t the right moment to bare my fangs, as the prey outside the water was still moving fiercely.

“Pfft♡ Lousy swordswoman♡ Do you think such a lousy attack can even scratch my shield?♡”

As soon as I taunted her, Freyr curled her lips into a smile.

Why is she smiling?

Freyr lacks emotions, but she’s not a masochist, right?

As soon as that doubt filled my mind, the euphoria from the Mesugaki skill answered me.

She was only pretending to smile, but in reality, she was angry.

What the heck? That scared me for a moment.

As I watched her attacks become more aggressive, I grinned and raised my shield.

Come closer. Step into the water. The moment you curiously gaze at the surface is the moment you’ll be caught by my fangs.

•  

Freyr felt a burning sensation somewhere in her chest.

What is this?

Freyr had never felt something like this before.

So she didn’t realize that she was angry.

She didn’t even realize her lips were curled into a smile.

She simply found the burning sensation fascinating.

“Lousy swordswoman♡ You seem very relaxed?♡”

Freyr hurriedly parried the mace flying toward her and took a step back.

“Hey.” “What is it, lousy swordswoman?♡ Are you going to surrender?♡”

“Every time you speak, my chest feels like it’s burning. What is this?”

Freyr tilted her head and asked, and Lucy widened her eyes briefly before sweeping her face with her hand and sighing.

Then she lightly chuckled and answered Freyr’s question.

“You’re angry, lousy swordswoman.”

“Angry?”

“Yeah.”

I’m angry? Me?

Freyr blinked, then closed her eyes and focused on the swirling emotions within her.

Blood was rushing to her head.

Her heart was beating fast.

She felt something hot rising from her spine.

So this is the emotion called anger.

Freyr had never felt any emotions since birth.

She never understood why her brother laughed when he looked at her.

She didn’t understand why her younger sibling cried when their pet hamster died.

She didn’t understand why her parents raised their voices when talking about her.

Nor did she understand why they hugged her afterward and apologized with tears in their eyes.

The world was just grayscale to her.

Freyr simply stared at the world with a blank gaze.

The first time she ever felt an emotion was when she was five years old.

She was walking down the road when she was suddenly attacked by a monster.

Fortunately, before the monster could harm her, the guards subdued it, but had they been a little slower, Freyr would have lost her life to the monster’s fangs.

At that moment.

In that moment, with death looming before her.

Freyr felt something.

The world turning completely black.

A feeling as if her heart had stopped.

A spine-chilling sensation that made her feel as if she couldn’t breathe.

When the blackened world returned to its original colors, and she felt her heart pounding, Freyr realized she was alive.

But Freyr didn’t know that it was fear.

She just thought it was an emotion that arose from facing the monster.

So Freyr asked her parents.

How do I fight monsters?

Her parents tried to dissuade her, but they couldn’t change Freyr’s mind once she had decided.

And so Freyr took up a sword.

She blindly wielded it, believing her father’s words that if she grew stronger, she could face even more powerful opponents.

But since then, Freyr never felt a similar emotion again.

No matter what monster she fought.

No matter who she fought.

Her world remained in grayscale.

Because Freyr’s talent was so overwhelming.

Because she hadn’t yet met an opponent who could threaten her life.

The reason Freyr initially picked a fight with Lucy was because of this.

She thought that if Lucy, who seemed to be among the strongest peers she had encountered, fought her, Lucy might give her a similar sensation.

Freyr was convinced that she had made the right choice.

Because every time Lucy spoke, the world was turning red.

If she pushed Lucy further, would the red become more intense?

Let’s test it.

Freyr didn’t hesitate.

She didn’t know what hesitation was.

Freyr opened her eyes again, gripped her sword with both hands, and glared at Lucy.

Freyr’s overwhelming talent showed her several paths.

If you fight with strength, you’ll be pushed back.

If you try some middling trick, it’ll be seen through immediately.

You can’t break that shield with my sword.

Lucy is tricky.

What did Father say to do in times like this?

“Lousy swordswoman♡ Are you so scared that you can’t even move?♡ You coward♡”

The moment she heard that, Freyr saw the world turn completely red.

Yeah. Don’t think. Just attack.

Let’s wipe that smile off her face.

It’s a perfect plan.

Freyr swung her sword recklessly, following her instincts.

An onslaught with no thought of defense.

But the turtle’s shell was strong.

Even in the midst of the relentless barrage, Lucy didn’t show the slightest opening.

I really can’t break that shield.

“Is this all you’ve got?♡ You’re making me yawn.♡ Are you trying to put me to sleep?♡”

I’ll break it.

I can do it.

Freyr raised her sword above her head.

It was the biggest move she’d made so far.

A finishing blow passed down through the Kent family.

A secret technique with great power but a large wind-up.

The moment Freyr prepared it, Lucy moved.

When Freyr saw the annoying eyes behind the shield, she realized she had made a mistake.

Lucy didn’t swing her mace.

She didn’t shove with her shield.

Instead, she grabbed Freyr by the waist, lifted her up, and slammed her to the ground.

Freyr felt her mind go blank from the intense shock.

When she opened her eyes again in pain, she saw Lucy sitting on top of her.

Freyr saw the end of a shield hovering just above her face and realized she had lost.

Frustrating. If the world hadn’t turned red, the result would have been different…

Frustrating? Me?

Freyr realized she had unknowingly thought that and couldn’t help but laugh.

I’m glad I picked a fight with Lucy.

•  

Why is she laughing after getting beaten?

I really don’t get it.

I knew Freyr had difficulty feeling emotions.

But in the game, the first time she realized she was angry, she gritted her teeth and charged at the enemy like a madwoman.

She wasn’t smiling like this.

Come to think of it, her smiling is a rare occurrence too.

“That’s enough.”

I stood up at Anton’s words.

Ah, that was seriously exhausting.

The Soul Academy’s strongest melee character really is on another level.

“She’s a child with great talent.”

‘Right?’

“It seems she hasn’t fully blossomed yet.”

‘…That’s not her full potential?’

She’s already ridiculously strong!

I only barely won because of my Iron Wall skill, divine buffs, Mesugaki skill debuffs and buffs, and Grandpa’s help, and you’re telling me she hasn’t fully blossomed yet?

“If she ever overcomes that wall, she’ll become unbelievably strong.”

Now that I think about it, Freyr did grow rapidly when I completed her personal quest and helped her achieve enlightenment in swordsmanship.

Grandpa, did you read all that from our fight just now?!

You really are a hero.

While I was inwardly admiring Grandpa’s insight, Anton’s voice brought me back to reality.

“Thank you both for showing us such a great fight. Everyone, give them a round of applause!”

While the students who had been watching our fight clapped, one boy had his head buried in his desk.

He looked like he was friends with the insignificant noble.

Was he really that tired?

•  

“Go for it!”

Harry was cheering loudly for Freyr.

The battle between Lucy and Freyr had been one-sided.

Freyr was on the offensive, while Lucy was only defending.

If you asked who had the advantage in the fight, anyone would have said Freyr.

Even Jacob, who thought there was no way Lady Allen could lose, felt a twinge of unease watching the fight.

Could Lady Allen really not beat Lady Kent?

But then it happened.

Freyr suddenly raised her sword, and Lucy didn’t miss the opportunity.

Lucy dropped her weapon and rushed at Freyr, lifting her up and slamming her to the ground.

Boom!

The sound alone was enough to make anyone wince, and Lucy immediately pinned Freyr down and aimed her shield at Freyr’s small face, stopping just short of hitting her.

The outcome was clear to anyone watching.

Lucy had won.

A perfect comeback victory.

The students who had been watching were stunned into silence by the unexpected outcome.

“Thank you both for showing us such a great fight! Everyone, applause!”

Anton’s shout broke the silence, but one person remained in shock.

“This is impossible. It’s rigged.”

It was Harry. He kept muttering that it was impossible, his forehead still pressed against the desk.

One student might have been in despair, but Anton didn’t care.

He seemed to have enjoyed the high-level fight and was grinning from ear to ear.

“Now! Everyone! What did you think of the fight just now?!”

“A miraculous comeback.”

One student answered.

But Anton shook his head.

“It may have looked that way, but it wasn’t. This was a perfectly planned victory!”

Anton then explained how it was planned.

Since Lucy was slower, recklessly attacking would only put her at a disadvantage.

So she solidified her defense and lured her opponent into making a mistake.

The moment the opponent made a wrong move, she seized it.

As Jacob listened to Anton’s explanation, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

As expected of Lady Allen. The way she handled that dungeon last time wasn’t a fluke.

Jacob watched Lucy, who was sitting at the front, listening to Anton with admiration in his eyes.

•  

Despite having lost once, Freyr didn’t seem to be discouraged at all. As soon as class ended, she came to me and suggested we go spar again.

I firmly refused.

Sparring with you does help me improve, but I’ve got something I need to do.

When I suggested we spar next time, Freyr walked off with her usual expressionless face.

Well, now that I’ve shaken off that annoyance and finished today’s classes, I should take Carl and go do the quest!