“Your sword is getting sharper day after day.”
The tips of the two wooden swords met at a point and centered. The swordsmen stood unmoving, analyzing their previous clashes to create a plan. Even their heartbeat and breathing were hidden from each other. Agnes looked into my eyes, and I met her gaze without giving anything away.
“You no longer try to predict my movements. You seem to be learning well.”
I couldn’t think of anything but combat when dealing with her, yet she could speak carefreely. If I wanted a chance against her, I couldn’t let my guard down to chat. Agnes’ dominant foot moved back. I didn’t pursue her. I had a longer reach than her, which was more advantageous for me.
“And you aren’t carelessly diving in anymore. What a great student I have.”
Agnes rewarded me with a smile. Her attitude was like her swordsmanship. I could never predict what she would do next. She could come at me with direct force, try to weave her way through my blade like a snake or defend herself until she can unleash a counter. Though our bodies remained motionless, Agnes and I were engaged in a constant battle of wits.
“Unexpectedness reveals the ease of talent, but reliance on it reveals its limit. What may seem unexpected to you may be normal for your opponent.”
With that, she tried to pierce my torso with the tip of her sword. I stepped back, accepting the force with my blade. My power and hers were evenly balanced.
All it took was a small tip to unbalance them.
So I took the initiative.
Agnes’ plan was never as apparent as it seemed. She dangles options in front of you and waits for you to bite any of them. Of course, I don’t have much choice. It was a bait I must take.
“Ho-ho~”
I pushed through. The tense balance collapsed. Agnes’ eyes shone with interest, but then she did what she had to do. Unlike knights who create detailed plans, Agnes followed her instinct, seeing things no one else could.
As such, the Queen’s sword is passive. A cautious, playful sword that doesn’t make the first move. It can do anything, so it doesn’t try.
“It’s been a while since you’ve made the first move. Have you changed your tactics?”
I answered with my sword. All I could do was slowly learn her techniques, searching for a gap. I advance with one goal in mind.
Agnes brought her sword down. I blocked it with the sword on my right. I used the momentum to bring my left sword up, but she caught it with her right hand.
“-!”
My right hand shot forward, and Agnes twisted her torso to avoid it. I kept swinging my swords, starting to gain ground. She couldn’t gain any time and was forced onto her back foot.
“You never fail to amaze me, Elroy.”
Agnes smiled and caught my left sword with hers. She seemed amused, even though the outcome of this duel had already been decided. I weakened the pressure on my left hand, and she lost her balance, causing her to kneel on one knee. The sword on my right was placed gently on the back of her neck. She dropped her sword to the ground, and I sheathed mine. Agnes looked up at me from her crouched position on the floor. I stood beside her as my body ached with the counterattacks she had landed. ‘Does winning always feel so painful…? Oh, it has.’
“I lost again. It’s funny how you are winning more and more lately. I’m proud to see you get stronger, but I’m starting to see my own inadequacies.”
Agnes shook her head from side to side and stood up. Compared to me, she was unscathed. Her hair was a bit disheveled, and she had a cut on her cheek.
…Wait, a wound on her face…
I quickly walked over to Agnes and wiped the blood from her cheek. She stood there, dumbfounded by my casual behavior.
“Are you all right, Your Majesty?”
“I’m fine.”
She replied in a slightly flustered voice and looked at me. I started to back away, fearing I had overstepped her boundaries, but she playfully grabbed me by the collar.
“Why are you running away? I won’t bite.”
“…I apologize.”
Agnes’ smile made me feel like my spine was pierced with icicles. She tried to pull me a little closer, then let go and spun on her heel.
“Report. You’ve held a few classes by now.”
“No students have yet been identified as spies for the Doomsday Cult. And we’ve made progress in tracking the Sixth Disaster.”
“That’s good news, but for the cultists….”
Turning back to me, Agnes’ face was flushed.
“I think suspicion alone is enough to arrest them. We need information, and there wouldn’t be any complaints if we did.
“Your Majesty, do you know why the witch hunts of yesteryear broke out?”
Agnes looked at me with a slight frown.
“Sowing doubt and fear in the people. Witches are bad and must be killed. Fear spread among the people. And authority through the justification was given. The faintest suspicion is enough to make an innocent person a witch.”
Agnes was becoming interested in my words.
“Even if the person isn’t a witch, if the Inquisitor and the crowd accuse her of being one, she’ll die a witch. Meanwhile, the real witches hide in the crowd, laughing at her.”
“Go on.”
“If I start grabbing people and locking them up simply because I suspect them, it’s all too easy to lose sight of our true goal.”
I paused momentarily, then spoke again, turning to the Queen.
“I’m here to catch cultists, not become a spectacle.”
Agnes shrugged her shoulders.
“That would be a nice trick to use on those who don’t listen to me, but of course, that would make you hate me, so I’ll keep it to myself for now.”
I shut my mouth, not saying another word.
“It’s a good thing you’re different, Elroy.”
Agnes smiled bitterly.
“It’s a good thing you’re the Hero.”
She said, sheathing her sword in the same manner. I could hear relief and remorse in her voice. She always seemed to feel some sort of remorse whenever she saw me.
“I suppose it’s a testament to your character that you offered to teach those children the old-fashioned way.”
” I’m not that good; It’s just self-satisfaction.”
Agnes returned to her usual self and handed the old knight the sword she had been using. The old knight looked at me, smiled wryly, and took my training sword. The smile on his face was like a proud uncle.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must return to my office. But I must ask something. If you’re not going to capture and imprison suspects, how do you intend to prevent the cultists from setting up shop within the Tower?”
I let out a short breath. It wasn’t that I didn’t have an idea. I didn’t know if it would work.
“I’ll have to bait them in.”
“Do you think that cautious bunch will fall for bait?”
“If they’re truly cultists, they will.”
I smiled at Agnes, who looked puzzled.
***
“…This brings back some not-so-favorable memories.”
Eugene muttered as he walked through the forest. The sky, visible through the dense canopy of leaves, proved it was day, but the forest’s shadows were as dark as the evening. The light between the foliage made the shadows from rocks and trees look like monsters. Eugene had to concentrate on ensuring he was facing one before casting a spell.
“I’ve been practicing in this forest alone, trying to survive a monster attack… I’m going to go insane.”
Eugene muttered as he looked around. As if in response to his words, something growled nearby. He must have misheard the wind. He held his breath, trying to stifle his pounding heart and the mana that kept trying to rise like vomit.
“…Just reveal yourselves.”
And the attack began. Eugene hurled his magic toward the creaking sound, but the flames that shot from his fingertips only burst into flames and burned the gnarled wood.
“Back-!”
Eugene shouted and rolled on the ground. Claws marked the ground he was just on. Eugene swallowed hard at the sight of the hem of his shirt being cut off.
Eugene fired another spell, and this time it caught the monster, reducing it to a pile of charcoal. This was the power of a high-ranking student.
“Next!”
As soon as he said that, two monsters attacked from both sides simultaneously. Eugene formed a protective shield and blocked the first of their attacks. At the same time, he constructed a spell in his other hand.
“Two aren’t enough!”
An ice spear pierced through the monsters’ bodies. The quality was much higher than usual, but it also consumed a lot of mana. However, he didn’t have the time to care about it.
“Come on.”
The monsters continued to come at him erratically, and Eugene took down four more before his throat was bitten open by a white wolf. Being thrown out of the testing room, Eugene was under the admiring gaze of the many freshmen who had been eliminated first and were seated.
“Eugene Grayson. Seven monsters slain, twenty minutes survived. Well done.”
The voice, as handsome as his face, came from above. Eugene looked up and saw the Hero staring at him, his back to the light.
“…How many are left?”
“There are only two left; you’re in third place.”
The two remaining were Cora and Natalie.
Eugene dropped to the floor and stuck out his tongue, and just as he did, Cora bounced out of the testing room. She looked up at him with a cheerful expression, and he returned a frown.
“Cora Foyth. Eight monsters slain, twenty-three minutes survived. Well done.”
Cora blushed and nodded at the Hero’s praise. Then, after quite a while, an expressionless Natalie walked out of the room. The Hero turned to Natalie and smiled.
“Natalie. Fourteen monsters slain, survived thirty minutes. Very well done.”
Natalie could only nod her head slightly at the Hero’s praise. Eugene clucked his tongue at her skill and killed twice as much as he did, but he was half relieved that she had to be eliminated. She didn’t seem to be that much of a monster. Though it was scary, she appeared to have no problem being killed by a monster.
“You’d all do well to note today’s results because you’ll need to build on them and keep improving.”
The Hero glanced at his watch, then turned back to the students.
“That concludes our lesson for today. Good work, everyone.”
“”Thank you, Sir.””
The students replied in unison and then rushed out of the classroom. Eugene and Cora watched them go, then turned to take Natalie with them and frowned slightly at the sight of her strutting toward the Hero.
“…What is she trying to do?”
He greeted Natalie with a slightly puzzled expression, and Eugene’s jaw dropped in disbelief as he listened to her fierce words.
“I’d like to have a private lesson with you.”
