That day, Seria Yurdina had been swinging her sword since dawn.
Her day always started like that. Ever since she first picked up a sword at the age of six, there hasn’t been a single day she skipped training. No matter whether it rained or snowed, she diligently swung her sword every day.
Some called her the ‘Sword Genius’. Because she was such a talent. From the time she was a teenager, she began subjugating the demonic beasts, and in the process, she built up a reputation.
By the time she turned 18, an official invitation was sent to her from the academy. It was an obvious proposal to take the entrance exam for the Academy, the best educational institution on the continent. Of course, Seria gladly accepted the invitation.
Even in the academy where absurd geniuses gathered, there were few who could compete with her. At least there was only one or two at her level. So, she was able to maintain her valedictorian position in the ‘Knight’s Faculty’.
Therefore, the title ‘Genius’ given to her was neither an exaggeration nor flattery. She was literally a genius.
However, she was a genius born out of hard work.
Seria wasn’t so immature to complain that they didn’t recognize the blood, sweat and she had to shed in secret. Nevertheless, she often harbored these thoughts when she saw people who only judged her based on the results she obtained.
‘Have they ever wielded a sword as earnestly as myself?’
Ever since her father expelled her mother who gave birth to her, every day she spent in the Yurdina family was like a struggle for survival.
In order not to be kicked out, she had to prove her worth, and only after she began to show prowess in swordsmanship was she deemed worthy of the last name ‘Yurdina’.
She had nothing. Even Yurdina’s bloodline, which she was forced to inherit because of her birth, would be lost the moment she would be deemed useless.
To survive, cut everything.
I heard that a mysterious species, the lizardmen, lived in the jungle located in the Southern Kingdom. Where poisonous insects and poisonous plants infested, Lizardmen developed unusual habits to survive.
That is, if any part of the arm, leg, or tail is poisoned, they cut it off. It was to save their life before the venom spreads throughout their body.
Over time, arms, legs, and tails will regrow, but if life is lost, it cannot be regained. Some may call it a humiliating way to live, but Seria, as a child, admired this story.
She had to be like that in order to survive. So she cut off everything that she didn’t need a long time ago.
Hobbies, more sleep than necessary, relationships, and even desire and affections.
That’s how the famous sword called ‘Seria Yurdina’ was forged, by melting and discarding all the impurities. As a matter of course, she was qualitatively different from other knights, as it should be.
Of course, no matter how much you wanted to cut them off, there were some things one couldn’t get rid of.
At times, she felt depressed all day at the thought of being lonely and she longed for unconditional affection and approval.
But it was already too late. For her, who did not go through the normal socialization process, human relationships were an intractable problem.
The more she failed, the more she immersed herself in the world of swords. When she swung her sword, at least she didn’t need to care about the outside problems. She could even forget about them.
Since she was a woman who lived such a life, it was natural to start the morning with a sword in her hand. At this moment, inhaling the fresh morning breeze and swinging her sword, Seria’s heart was quieter than ever.
That day, if the man had not suddenly entered her training space.
The sudden appearance of someone startled Seria, who was concentrating on her training. She flinched and turned back.
This was one of the woodlands located in a remote place in the academy. Even among them,this one was a vacant lot that was not well known to the public.
At least, it was rare for her to see someone else in the morning when she comes here daily. It was just the camping club that came sometimes to visit once or twice. She changed her training location in those days .
And the reason why Seria had no choice but to be even more startled was because she never realized when the unknown visitor appeared near her.
Seria excelled not only in swordsmanship but also in magic. And since childhood, she was good at controlling it thanks to her various actual battles.
Having reached such a level, her senses have become more sensitive than ever before, and either consciously or unconsciously, she always spreads a thin magical monitoring network to detect the surrounding dangers.
But now, Seria didn’t even notice his existence until he came close to her. This meant either one of the two possibilities.
Either the opponent was much stronger than Seria, or he purposely hid his presence.
So she hesitated for a moment. If it’s a sneak attack, should I use my fists first instead of the sword?
However, it was soon revealed that Seria’s concerns were in vain. Seria, having glanced at the man who trudged into the vacant lot, immediately moved to the middle of the vacant lot with indifferent eyes.
He drew his sword. It wasn’t directed at anyone. Just towards the void.
He also seemed to have come to train with his sword. Seria still did not withdraw her vigilant gaze, but soon realized that the man’s face was somehow familiar.
Black hair, golden eyes. It was one of the seniors. Who she shares a class with.
Was his name Ian? I remember that his impression was a little gentler, but today he was exuding a sharp aura.
And above all else, fatigue and despair lingered in those eyes.
Intense emotions swirled in his eyes, seemingly on the verge of outburst. The moment Seria met those eyes, she could feel her blood freezing like a mouse in front of a cat.
They were the eyes of a murderer. The eyes that only those who do not hesitate to take someone’s life, those who have reaped countless lives.
Seria’s felt a chin down her spine. The instinct to direct the sword towards him appeared in her mind. Her honed survival instincts were warning her.
But the man didn’t even care about Seria. He only kept swinging his sword.
The sword drew a strange trajectory similar to that of a hook, accompanied by the sound of air being ripped apart.
At first, it was a simple and linear trajectory. However, the more the trajectories overlapped, the more complex the sword’s path began to be.
It was a magical sight. Seria was mesmerized and watched the swordsmanship demonstration for a while.
She was a swordsman as well. Of course, she was proud that she had an eye for recognizing the skill of her opponent.
So she was even more uncomfortable. Assuming that she was standing in front of that sword, how many times did it need to be swung for her to be defeated?
10 times? No, it might have been less than that. Her sword clashing with his would be defeated in an instant. It was a sword that she couldn’t see clearly, even from a distance, just like now. There is no need to say about what would happen in practice.
But, it shouldn’t be possible.
She had seen his swordsmanship several times before while listening to the lectures. At that time, his swordsmanship was faithful to the basics, but that was all.
Was it an illusion, it was when she muttered to herself like that.
“…… Seria Yurdina.”
“Ye–gh!?”
She was startled by the man calling her in a solemn tone, and accidentally bit her tongue while answering.
I felt like I was going to die of shame. Her face flushed red, and soon her head bowed.
She wasn’t used to speaking since it had been a long time since she last talked. It was rare to even utter a word or two these days.
But the man didn’t seem to have any intention of blaming her or making fun of her. However, he spoke in a voice that could not hide the signs of enervation.
“There is a limit to wielding a sword alone. If you don’t depend on anyone, you will one day perish.”
He mumbled as if he was lamenting, then turned around and left the vacant lot. Until then, Seria just stood there blankly.
However, as the man passed by her, she sniffed an unpleasant odor that came up.
Stench of booze? Her gaze followed the man. Looking back, that sloppy gait was not normal.
Is he still suffering from a hangover? The moment she had such a thought, Seria frowned.
Is there a limit to wielding a sword alone?
What right does a man who drank booze the night before and wields his swords with such an attitude have to say that to me?
Her sword was more desperate than that. It was a path she had treaded alone because no one could understand her and she herself had no intention of being understood.
I must have been stupid. Admiring that man’s sword, even for a moment, was a disgrace as he was an underachieving knight.
Come to think of it, there seems to be an appropriate word for such a person.
After struggling for a while, she was able to come up with the word she wanted to recall.
Yes, it was a ‘Scammer’. Senior Ian was a ‘scammer’!
I didn’t know the exact meaning, but I remember people passing by calling people who gave terrible advice ‘quack or scammer’. So senior Ian must have been a scammer.
To devalue other people’s efforts like that, Seria gritted her teeth and swung her sword again.
However, the relationship between Seria and the man that day did not end there.
During the knight’s training time, Professor Derek of the Knight’s Faculty, who gathered the students, declared with a dignified voice.
“Today, we will duel in pairs of seniors and juniors!”
At that moment, the mood of the students became awkward. It is said that the academy was all about skills, but even so, it was still an academy. There was no junior who wouldn’t find it difficult to deal with an unfamiliar senior.
Of course, this was also true for Seria. She was the first person to distance herself from relationships. It was obvious that it would be awkward and annoying to pair up with someone she didn’t know.
However, Professor Derek, a legendary adventurer who hunted famous beasts while traversing all kinds of rough terrain, was a man who placed immense emphasis on teamwork. Even though he was over fifty years old, there were even rumors that whenever he saw the scars on his shabby body, he would be reminded of his dead companions.
No matter how much the students objected, it was unlikely to change his decision.
Seria sighed inwardly.
Even if it was a class in pairs, it would be enough to just ignore my partner and train alone. She barely comforted herself, but soon had to face an even more difficult situation.
It was because the person she was paired with was the man she met in the morning.
‘Ian Percus’. Only then did she learn his full name. Of course, it wasn’t an interest in a positive sense. It’s because Seria’s mood has been prickly since this morning.
She, who was called ‘Yurdina’s Genius’, trained in mindless fashion.
“I don’t want to train with senior.”
“Tsk,” she said bluntly. It was like she was stating something obvious.
“I don’t think it will be of any help. Taking into consideration the senior’s skill.”
At her words, the surrounding atmosphere froze in an instant. And after a while, as if he knew it, he heard a clicking sound and a sigh.
It was only after Seria spoke up that she inwardly cursed, ‘Oh no’.
It’s always been like this. She wanted to convey her words in a much kinder tone, but she was not good at human interactions so she often has a habit of speaking overly direct words.
Of course, this time, the antipathy towards ‘Scammer-senior’ must have played a part.
Again, mocking words such as ‘Yurdina’s Bastard’ could be heard, but Seria tried to ignore it.
Except for swordsmanship anyway, everything was meaningless. So she steadied herself.
However, Ian, who was actually the victim of her verbal abuse, was just staring into Seria’s eyes without saying a word. Maybe he was too shocked, the moment someone came out and tried to comfort Ian.
“Fight me.”
A single phrase came out of his mouth. Rather, that single phrase had a greater ripple effect than Seria’s abusive language.
The man said, pointing his eyes at the ring located at the center of the swordsmanship training ground.
“……Let’s give it a try at the very least.”
Who is testing whom? Is Seria testing Ian? Or is Ian going to face Seria?
The first one would be correct in terms of known skills, but Seria, who met Ian’s eyes now, did not have such thoughts at all.
Golden eyes that could not be read where grief and exhaustion dwelled.
It felt like he was looking down on her.
“…… Fine.”
Seria clenched her teeth and said so.
That was the beginning of the chain of events that shook the academy.
