I draw my great sword to deflect the blade flying in from the left.

In an instant, I pull out a dagger to block the sword that lunges at my chest in a surprise attack.

I pull out a sword in each hand, crossing them to withstand the blow aimed at splitting my head in two.

The strikes flow seamlessly like flowing water, yet their speed rivals that of a ray of light.

In between attacks, there isn’t even a moment to counterattack.

Although I could easily sheathe my swords, I’m completely helpless, caught in the relentless assault of a single sword.

One side attacks relentlessly while the other side desperately defends; it’s a situation that barely qualifies as a battle, and in the midst of this fierce combat, my breathing becomes ragged, temporarily blanking my mind.

At that moment, a pure white flash burst forth.

An attack so fast it’s hard to follow with the eyes drives a sword into my chest.

Yoon Si-woo’s body crumbles, falling heavily to the ground.

And the one who extracts the pure white sword from Si-woo’s chest is a beautiful woman with cascading white hair down to her waist.

She gently caresses Si-woo’s cheek with her delicate, pale hands.

Then, after a slight smile, she slaps his cheek playfully and says,

“Si-woo, are you tired? Seeing you this worn out makes me think I need to up the intensity.”

“No, Lucy! I’m not tired! I’ll get up right now!”

At the thunderous sound of her voice, Si-woo jumps up and shouts.

Even though it’s almost like I’m going to lose my mind from the exhaustion, I’m terrified to imagine what would happen if the intensity increases any further.

Trembling, I look at Lucy, my only family and my swordsmanship master, who has the same white hair and eyes as me.

Looking at Si-woo, whose wounds have already healed, Lucy says,

“Weren’t you the one, Si-woo, who said you wanted to become strong enough to protect everyone? In any case, if you whine like this, you won’t become as strong as you want, especially since you can’t really die here.”

“But still, it’s already the seventh time today! No matter how much I come back to life, dying feels awful… Plus, I’ve been doing this every night for days now, so it doesn’t feel like I’m resting at all…”

“Don’t worry. Even while you’re doing this, your body is properly resting. And if you hate dying by my hand, charge at me with the determination to kill me.”

Is that something to say to someone who hasn’t even managed to counterattack once…?

Si-woo lets out an internal groan.

This place is a mental space created by one of the Holy Swords he possesses, the Sword of Guidance.

Here, he can train even while his body rests, and training would allow his physical body to strengthen to some extent as well.

Using this, Si-woo has been growing stronger under the teachings of the materialized Lucy.

Lucy, who had trained him since childhood, was a strict yet kind teacher.

However, since they signed a new contract a few days ago, there was no trace left of her kindness.

On the night the contract was made.

She had said that as long as he became stronger, he would naturally be able to utilize the true capabilities of the Holy Swords.

She also mentioned that the fastest way to grow stronger, as far as she knew, was to engage in life-and-death battles with strong opponents. Then, she had stabbed him.

Saying that she would personally make it happen, she had mercilessly cut him down.

Since then, he has desperately struggled to survive against her attacks, enduring pain and death over and over again.

Lucy pushed him to the limits every.single.day.

As a result, from dying in mere seconds on the first day, he managed to block some of her attacks within just a few days, but that was honestly absurd.

He shot a glare at Lucy, filled with a feeling of protest, but it was no use.

Where had her former kindness gone? She raised the sword in her hand and demanded that he rise.

Moreover, she knew exactly how to manipulate him.

“Si-woo, was your resolution to become stronger really that weak?”

Seeing a hint of diminished enthusiasm, Lucy smiled slightly and spat out those cruel words.

“Damn it…”

Hearing this, the only thing Si-woo could do with his trembling hands was grasp the sword and stand up.

He recalled the girl who, even after losing her left arm, had insisted on protecting others.

That day, he resolved to become strong enough to protect everyone in her stead so that she would no longer get hurt.

“Tomorrow is a weekend with no school, so let’s make it exactly twenty times.”

“Damn it…!!!”

Shouting in frustration at Lucy, who was happily laughing, Si-woo charged at her.

The training only concluded when Si-woo had experienced twenty deaths.

*

After finishing the excruciating training, I went outside for some fresh air. Feeling mentally drained, I stopped by the supermarket.

I wondered if eating something delicious might lift my spirits, but I ultimately left empty-handed, realizing that I had no enthusiasm for cooking anything at home. Just then, I spotted Scarlett entering the store.

“Hey, Scarlett? Are you here to do some shopping?”

Scarlett recoiled at the sight of me and nodded with a stiff expression.

Though her reaction was a bit cold, at least she acknowledged me. That’s what I thought.

On her left arm, a gemstone enchanted with illusion magic was fastened.

Thinking it might be difficult for her to shop with one arm, I offered to help, but she naturally declined.

She would indeed refuse even if I tried to help.

The only thing I could do was grow stronger and stronger, to protect people in her place and keep her from getting hurt again.

Even though she would likely never acknowledge my efforts, I accepted it. Still, I felt a bit sad, managing only a wry smile.

Just as I was about to leave the store after saying goodbye to her, I heard her voice call out, “Wait a sec!”

“It seems she wants to talk a little; can you wait until I’m done shopping?”

It was unexpected for her to initiate a conversation.

It was a request I couldn’t refuse, so I nodded.

During the few minutes it took for Scarlett to finish her shopping, countless thoughts raced through my mind.

When she last spoke to me, it was to tell me not to worry about her.

If she said something similar this time, I feared it would shatter my resolve, though I couldn’t just run away from the chance to talk to her.

When she finished shopping, she took me to a nearby park and sat me on a bench.

The distance between us wasn’t great; just a single bag separated us.

I suddenly recalled when I used to gaze at her from afar on that park bench.

Back then and now, the physical distance between us had significantly shrunk, but the emotional distance increased, leaving me to wonder if I should be happy or not.

She glanced at me and asked, “Why do your eyes look like that? One used to be black, right?”

“Oh, this… uh, it’s because of a power or something… Haha, it just kind of turned out this way…”

I couldn’t say it was because I contracted to become stronger so she wouldn’t get hurt anymore, so I awkwardly mumbled an excuse.

Even so, she noticed the change in my eye color.

I had thought she just saw me as dust on the road, so I felt more joy than embarrassment at her words.

[So, she’s been paying more attention to me than I thought…]

I ignored the sigh from Lucy that echoed somewhere in my mind.

Right now, I wanted to focus on my conversation with Scarlett.

She seemed to be pondering something as she looked at me and finally said, “You seem really tired these days. Is there something bothering you?”

“It’s, nothing special. Just intensified my training a bit, that’s all…”

I replied bashfully, wondering if my exhaustion was that obvious.

While I felt happy she noticed, it was also nice to realize she was worried about me.

Suddenly, Scarlett murmured softly, “… even if you say that, I’m still concerned.”

In that moment, I doubted my ears.

Concerned about me? Scarlett?

It was an unbelievable thing to say, yet the Sword of Truth confirmed it to be true.

While looking directly into my eyes, she continued, “Even if I don’t seem like it, I care about you more than you think.”

That was also true; it was another truth.

Hearing Scarlett’s kind words, something I’d only imagined until now, made my heart race wildly.

Even if she didn’t recognize it, I thought silently protecting her from the shadows was enough.

But now, what she said was just too sweet to bear.

As she looked at me, genuinely worried and concerned, my mind began to wander.

Perhaps, just perhaps, I could get closer to her than I ever thought possible.

And then, with sincerity shining in her eyes, she opened her mouth again.

“If you have any troubles or worries, please tell me. I’ll listen.”

I turned my gaze away to hide my shifting smile and flushed cheeks.

Even though I had troubles and worries, I couldn’t tell her now.

The thought that there might be a chance for me made me want to avoid showing any weakness.

“… I’ll tell you next time.”

After saying that, I sprinted home, overwhelmed with happiness.

I felt a newfound energy flood me, as if my fatigue had completely vanished.

I had no time to waste. I needed to get stronger.

Strong enough to stand confidently by her side.

Strong enough to be someone she could rely on.

*

“So, I’m counting on you, Lucy.”

The moment dinner ended, Si-woo entered the mental space, and Lucy spoke.

[Didn’t you say you were tired just earlier?]

“That was then.”

Si-woo tightly gripped his sword.

“Right now, I feel like I could do this all day long.”

He wore a cheerful smile on his face.

[Aha! That child has really ignited a spark in you. That’s great. Finding a reason to keep fighting is something to celebrate as well.]

Lucy, captivated by the brightness in his eyes, laughed out loud and thrust forward with her sword.

With every clash of their pure white blades, life was lost.

After enduring ten deaths, Si-woo finally managed to counterattack for the first time.

Rising immediately after falling, he charged at her again, as if time were of the essence.

After enduring thirty deaths, he finally began to exchange blows with her.

Although he fell many times, the gleam of determination in his eyes never dimmed.

And after enduring fifty deaths, his blade finally touched hers for the first time.

A fierce grin spread across his face.

Lucy, seeing this, burst into laughter.

[Aha! Wonderful! You’ve passed the first level. From now on, let’s put in a little more strength. Get ready.]

As she spoke, the colors of her attacks mixed with shades other than white.

“Huh?”

The smiling Si-woo was cut down once again, uttering a dazed sound.

Before the day’s training ended, Si-woo faced a total of a hundred deaths.

“Just how strong is she…” he murmured, looking at Lucy with eyes full of disbelief.

Seeing this, Lucy smiled, thinking that to utilize his strength, he would have to become much stronger, but when that time came, everyone would bow down before him.

Si-woo, my master. I deeply await the day you become stronger than anyone else.