TN: I tried forcing a third-person narration, but first-person is just how it goes for character-driven novels.
Also changed Geyrus’ title from Marquis to Duke.
Also also I changed the cover photo to Sylvia from another character not yet mentioned.

I was flustered.

‘Why is Sylvia here?’ That thought crossed my mind first.

After snapping out of his thoughts, I scrutinize Sylvia closely.

‘Indeed, she’s quite pretty.’

Her looks explained why the main guys were fixated on her.

“Um… staring like that is a bit…”

“Oh, sorry.”

After not speaking for a while and just staring at Sylvia, she blushed, avoiding my gaze.

Realizing his mistake, I hurriedly apologized and let out a small breath.

“Um…”

Seeing Sylvia cautiously open her mouth, a strange sense of guilt overwhelmed me.

It wasn’t her fault, but somehow, because of the confession, she was now inadvertently being cautious. I awkwardly scratched the back of my head and spoke first.

“Sorry for making you feel self-conscious because of me.”

“Oh, no! It’s not like that…”

Obviously, it was like that.

Clearly, she didn’t know how to react.

Honestly, I had not tried to apologize to Sylvia. Or, more precisely, I was a bit hesitant to apologize directly to her.

‘After all, I didn’t confess to her.’

Considering the circumstances, I thought indirectly apologizing for something I didn’t do directly was fair.

But as soon as I faced Sylvia’s face, looking at me as if she didn’t know how to handle it, I found myself unable to say anything else.

It wasn’t my fault, but ultimately, because I possessed this body, it became my fault.

And Sylvia, being too kind, was the problem.

It’s evident from the current situation.

It’s normal to feel awkward about someone confessing when you’re not even close, but Sylvia’s eyes were filled with apologies.

When emotions like these pile up, mental breakdowns are inevitable.

‘That shouldn’t happen.’

Anyway, Sylvia is the protagonist of the novel I enjoyed. And surely, no one would want to see such a protagonist crumble.

If speaking could ease Sylvia’s mind, I will apologize until she is at peace.

It wasn’t because she was more beautiful than I thought or because seeing her made me happy.

‘It’s just a matter of principle.’

With that thought in mind, I alternated my gaze between Cain and Sylvia.

Among the trio of male leads connected to Sylvia, Cain was the most rational and supportive in caring for Sylvia’s mental state.

The other two were useless. They were just meat shields. The only one to trust was Cain, who was cold and rational.

So, Sylvia probably relied on him a lot emotionally.

“You don’t have to worry too much.”

With a slight smile, I reassured Sylvia, gestured with my hand as if to say I was okay, and then walked away.

If nothing had bothered me then, I would’ve continued walking.

But Sylvia’s hand grabbing onto Cain’s clothes caught my eye. At the same time, I noticed the male students still glaring at Cain as if he were their enemy.

“If you don’t like something, just say it.”

“Huh?”

“If you tell someone you don’t like what they’re doing, they will listen.”

Glancing briefly at Cain, I shrugged and walked away.

…I wonder if she got the message.

Sylvia might be sentimental and kind, but she also did what she could in her own way.

She was rejecting confessions and trying to maintain friendships with her classmates.

So, even if it’s Cain, their relationship won’t progress positively if he keeps doing things Sylvia doesn’t want.

“Ah… Uh, th-thank you.”

Pretending not to hear Sylvia’s faint voice from behind, I took a deep breath and continued walking.

It’s foolish to act out of line. An extra like me didn’t need to twist the original story.

It wasn’t about lacking talent or anything like that. I wouldn’t have ranked in the top ten at the Swordsmanship Department if I lacked talent.

The problem could be understood just by looking at the people around Sylvia. The Duke’s son, the Third Prince of the Empire, and the next Hero.

Sylvia wouldn’t be sad, and I wasn’t genuinely in love with her.

I just thought this was the best way for both of us.

But there was no need to obsess over the original work. If it were going to be a passing trial anyway, it would be better to endure it with less pain.

After all, everyone here was a living, breathing person.

So…

“A little help wouldn’t hurt.”

It’s just a small help, after all.

***

Felix von Astria.

The body I’ve possessed is attending classes in the Swordsmanship Department. Of course, classes at the academy weren’t divided by departments. The top students in each department were in Class A, followed by the next tier in Class B, and so on. Even within Class A, there were students from various departments like Swordsmanship, Magic, and others.

Of course, students from each department attended their respective major classes.

And today happened to be the day for our major class.

It meant it was time for me, ranked in the top ten in the talented Class A, to show my skills.

By the way, Sylvia was from the Combat Support Department, so we wouldn’t encounter each other. It was quite fortunate since I felt uncomfortable with the two pairs of eyes that kept staring at me even after returning to the classroom.

The problem was that one of the eyes staring at me belonged to the Swordsmanship Department.

“Today, we’ll start with sparring as usual. Choose your partners.”

As I listened to the approaching voice, I glanced around while loosening my stiff neck.

If you’re assigned to Class A from the start, you’re expected to have at least basic skills. Doing a hundred downward cuts was already a thing of the past.

Thanks to that, swordsmanship training in Class A usually involved pairs sparring with each other, providing suitable practice. The swordsmanship instructor mostly wandered around, pointing out students’ mistakes in posture or judgment.

Now, whom should I spar with?

Since I was ranked in the top ten in the entire school, I needed to pick a decent opponent to gauge my skills. So, I carefully scanned the area for potential partners.

However, before I could make a decision, someone approached me.

It was Cain, who had been staring at me intently since earlier. He opened his mouth to speak.

“You, spar with me.”

Taken aback by his sudden and broken speech, I blinked momentarily before responding.

“Felix.”

“Huh?”

“My name is Felix, not ‘you.'”

I stared into Cain’s red eyes. Somehow, he responded with a faint smile and nodded his head.

“Right, Felix. Spar with me.”

“…Well, why not.”

Cain was, unsurprisingly, the top student in the Swordsmanship Department.

I readily accepted his proposal because Cain would be a good opponent for evaluating my skills. With a shrug, I picked up the sword provided by the Swordsmanship Department.

“Oh…”

As I held the lifeless iron sword, I couldn’t help but inwardly marvel. Even though the swords provided by the academy were quite decent, it was natural for them not to be perfect.

After all, there weren’t any artisans crafting practice iron swords specifically for students. But knowing this fact and feeling it were two different things.

The moment I gripped the sword, I could feel the slight deviation in its center of gravity. It was a reflection of ‘my’ talent for wielding swords and how much time ‘I’ had spent with them. Holding the hilt firmly, I looked at Cain.

“Huh.”

The moment our gazes met, I instinctively realized.

Felix’s body was specialized in wielding swords. However, I also realized that despite possessing such talent, I couldn’t defeat Cain standing before me.

‘What a monster.’

Just by holding the sword, he exuded untapped strength from every pore of his body. Exhaling softly, I smirked as I observed him.

Somehow, I felt a surge of excitement.

“As expected, you’re a bit weird.”

Cain remarked, looking at me with a subtle expression.

Naturally, he didn’t think he would lose to me. He must have been keenly aware of the gap between himself and me.

That only fueled my determination even more.

Competitiveness? It wasn’t like that. After all, I wasn’t the type to be so ambitious.

Then was this the original Felix’s emotion? Probably not.

I could tell the moment I gripped the sword. The talent possessed by the body I had inhabited was truly outstanding. However, the effort to nurture that talent was lacking.

Perhaps it was because I was distracted by Sylvia. Exhaling softly, I raised the sword.

I could ponder about these things later. Right now, I only wanted to clash my sword against Cain’s.