Gasping for breath, Michail lifted his sword with trembling hands.

Looking at me as if he was determined to win, his shaking legs did not feel intimidating. Curiosity crept in, wondering to what extent he could go.

To Michail, all covered in dirt and dust, I said,

“Stand up.”
“Shut up.”

The sound of his grinding teeth reached my ears from afar.

Michail’s expression, unable to contain his frustration.
The sight of him covered in dirt and dust.
It felt pitiable and at the same time, quite refreshing.

It feels almost addictive…

Michail swung his sword at me again.

The blade of Michail, who had reached his limit, was trembling. It was an attack filled with desperation, rather than an efficient one due to uncontrolled emotions.

I lightly dodged Michail’s sword and struck his exposed side with the sheath. I made sure it was with enough force to not break his bones but still inflict a certain pain.

With a gruesome ripping sound echoing, Michail staggered greatly.

“Argh… haah…!”

Seeing Michail striving to withstand it with his fighting spirit, I spoke again.

“Your left leg is open.”

As soon as the words finished, I struck down on Michail’s leg with the sheath. His body buzzed and fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

A cloud of dust rose.

As the thick dust cloud obscured my sight, I could no longer see Michail.

‘Pop.’ Michail quickly tried to strike from within the dust cloud, but as I sensed his movements, I easily dodged his attack and spoke once more.

“This time, it’s the right side of your waist.”

Another vicious sound resounded through the alley.

With the attack sinking deep, I was certain.

He wouldn’t be able to stand now.

Even Michail, who had the resilience to rise again hundreds of times, couldn’t bear the pain of the aura squeezing his innards.

During the quiet three seconds that followed,

Michail, strained by severe pain, couldn’t scream, only clutching his abdomen. Along with a clanging sound, Michail’s sword fell from his hand. At the same time, I saw Michail slump to the ground.

I walked toward the fallen Michail.

With steps neither fast nor slow, I approached the protagonist of this novel who had crumbled to the ground.

Michail’s pupils were shaking.

Fear of experiencing the same pain again, and a sense of powerlessness over the overwhelming gap in skill, was evident in Michail’s wrecked expression.

Looking down at Michail, I said,

“Shall we call it quits now?”
“I can still go on…!”

Snap.

Fingers of mirage-like red energy started to constrict Michail’s breath.

I crushed down on his shoulder so he couldn’t rise again, and the unfaltering spirit of Michail began to erode.

Michail gritted his teeth, trying to overcome the crisis.

With an awkward smile, I whispered to Michail.

“Let’s stop. You’ll ruin your body if it goes on.”
“Don’t pretend to care. Something like this is…”
“You’ll really die.”

The killing intent in my voice made Michail’s pupils quake violently.

“Don’t move.”

“Got it?”

I know.

How detestable a person I am to Michail. I tormented his beloved girl and sided with the girl he disliked, causing him trouble.

I could understand his hate and his refusal to listen to me.

I don’t seek Michail’s understanding.
That would be shameless if I did.
Just one thing, just this one thing I wish he understood—just as Yuria is an existence to Michail, the lady is a great presence to me.

Such actions might be mere tantrums, immature attempts to vent, but I wished the boneheaded me were understood a bit more.

I leaned down to pick up the sword Michail had dropped.

With a swoosh, I swung it lightly once and checked the finish of the blade back and front.

Michail’s sword, containing countless efforts evident from the fingerprint on the hilt, was one of Michail’s treasures as per the novel. It was said to be a sword given by the nun who raised Michail. This very sword, his most cherished one, had shaped him into who he is now.

Gritting his teeth, Michail spoke to me.

“Don’t touch it with your filthy hands.”
“I washed my hands, though.”
“Don’t touch it…!”

Ignoring Michail’s words, I closely observed the sword.

“It’s a fine sword.”

A lie. Because I knew the story behind the sword.

A cheap, heavy sword with its center of gravity all over the place. A sword that could be easily bought in the market for one gold, but a weapon infinitely precious to Michail, that much I was well aware of.

Michail surely knows it too. After having used hundreds of swords, Michail wouldn’t be ignorant of a sword’s quality.

Because this sword was a gift from the nun who made him into the fool who knows nothing but justice, I couldn’t tell him off easily.

Lightly swinging the sword, I spoke to the gasping Michail.

“You should learn aura quickly. That way, you can use this sword for a long time.”

Michail said nothing, silently watching me with eyes filled with unease, wondering why I would say such a thing.

As a reincarnate, I added a piece of advice.

“It seems like it will break soon… You’d better hurry.”

There’s something I’ve realized while dealing with Michail today.

It wasn’t the absence of mentorship that hadn’t progressed Michail’s skill with the sword; it was because I had been too lenient with him.

Problems he should have encountered during the first semester.

Attacks by heretics.
The betrayal of friends.
Even the young lady’s madness.

I came to the late realization that Michail’s growth had been slowed down because I had unduly diminished the troubles he had to face. If this continues, not only would this event fail, but he might even suffer a premature death at the hands of Pascal.

For the sake of a peaceful reincarnation life, I thought it time to step back from the tribulations that Michail must face.

I let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll hit you just one more time, last time.”

***

Rough breathing is heard.

Michail, lying on the ground, stares up at the sky. His expression was a mix of different emotions. It seemed he was resentful and sorrowful, never once reaching his goal and being brutally trodden on.

I sighed deeply and sat next to Michail.

“Michail.”
“…Haven’t you mocked me enough already?”
“No. I plan to tease you for a lifetime.”

Michail’s expression turned to one of despair. Watching him deeply exhale and cover his eyes with his hand, I felt pity for him, but even this was nothing compared to the tragedy that would occur later.

Yuria will continue to meddle.

And Michail will need to adjust to that meddlesomeness.

Because I feel both disdain and guilt for him, I looked up at the same sky Michail was watching and spoke in a low voice.

“Embarrassing, isn’t it?”
“…No.”
“Ah… you’re lying.”

Silence persisted.
As the sentiment of dawn approached, I blurted out an embarrassing statement to Michail.

“You hate us, don’t you, Michail?”
“…”
“I hate you too, Michail.”

Ignoring the silent Michail, I continued to speak to myself. If not now, I felt like I’d never be able to say these things.

“You’re handsome, popular, and hogging all the love letters — do you know how much I hate you?”
“I am…”
“Shh. I’m having a serious conversation. Be quiet and listen.”

I denied Michail’s attempt to respond.
A loser should listen to the winner.
If Michail retorted here, I felt like I might knock him out. I silenced Michail.

The air of dawn was nice.
It cooled a tight and stifled heart.

The young lady is likely asleep with her window wide open.
If I’m too late, she might become a frozen noble. Thus, I dusted off my dirtied rear and helped Michail up.

“See. I know I’m a bad guy. If words don’t work, I resolve with violence, if I lack money, I pick pockets… as if I’ve just stolen Michail’s wallet.”

Michail rummaged through his trouser pocket. With his pockets empty, Michail muttered ‘bastard’ softly and exhaled a sigh.

“There wasn’t much money anyway. If a famous figure of the empire spends so little, what are we bad people supposed to live on?”
“…”
“It’s a joke.”

Now would be the real end.

The encounters between Michail and me.

I decided to step back from Michail’s trials.
Any more interference could render me powerless to help.

Even if I don’t pay direct attention to the storyline, I might occasionally help, but I planned to refrain from meddling as I did during our Academy days.

Being the subject of heretics’ interest can be exhausting.

Therefore, I gave one last earnest piece of advice.

“Don’t stick your nose into affairs that aren’t your own.”
“It’s not meddling…”
“It’s earnest advice from me.”

For you might get hurt badly.

“Just remember what I said, please.”

It was advice from someone who knew the original story.

***

Leaving Michail in the alley, I headed home.

As I saw the young lady’s window, wide open even at this time of night, my steps quickened.

Thinking of the young lady who would not listen no matter how often I told her, a smile formed on my lips. I decided not to give her chocolate in the morning and moved my heavy feet a bit faster.

Passing the wall and reaching the entrance to the mansion.

A familiar voice reached out from the second floor of the mansion at a time when it shouldn’t be heard.

“Ricardo!!!!”

With a choking voice, the young lady shouted at me.

The young lady calling out to me, waving her hand.

Just as my heart felt like it was sinking,

The words coming from the young lady’s mouth alleviated my troubled heart.

“There’s a cockroach!!! Wahhhhh!!!!”
“Yikes! I need to flee!”
“Aaaaahhhhh!!!!”

I smiled and ran towards the young lady’s room.