Chapter 34: Not Suitable
The morning was very cold in winter. Razé was awake but she didn’t want to get out of bed, so she snuggled inside her quilt.
Today was a holiday. Even if she slacked around until noon, no one would blame her. However, when Razé imagined that her subordinates currently might be training hard in the snowy weather, she felt bad as a superior for being the only one who could stay warm in bed. Besides, it was necessary to train daily to ensure that she could survive if and when she was summoned to a war.
Razé could see Folia’s shadow through the curtain. Her angel must had woken up early to study. Razé made up her mind and got out of bed.
“It’s so cold.”
She could use magic to warm up her body by heating the air around her body but she was not good at that type of magic. Even if she could do it for a few minutes, she couldn’t maintain it for an extended period of time. And so, she changed her clothes while shivering in the cold temperature, and then she greeted Folia.
Razé: “Morning. I’m off for my morning run now.”
Folia: “Morning, Razé-chan. It’s snowing outside. Are you still going for your run?”
Razé was surprised to hear her words and turned to look out the window. She said, “No wonder it’s so cold today.”
The ground was covered with snow outside. At that moment, she noticed a shadow moving through the snow. She was surprised and hurriedly went to open the window. She leaned out and strained her eyes. It was not a mistake; she did saw someone.
“Ian-sama?!” Razé was surprised when she found out who it was. She never thought that anyone would be practicing sword out in the snow like this.
“Huh? Is Ian-sama there?” Folia tried to look for him from the window but her eyesight was not as good as Razé so she didn’t see anyone.
Razé: “I’ll go out and stop him. It’s not good for him to practice like this.”
Folia: “Oh, okay. Should I go with you?”
Razé: “No need. It’s cold out there. I’ll just go and talk to him for a minute.”
Razé hurriedly went outside. She wondered why would he go out to practice in such a cold day. At this moment, she had totally forgotten one thing. This world was an otome game, and he was one of the love interests.
* * *
Ian Masse Durhua.
He was the grandson of the former Knight Captain. He was lively, friendly and passionate. His red hair suited his personality very well.
His father was born weak and was unable to become a knight, so he hoped that his healthy son could realize his long-cherished wish.
Ian grew up watching his grandfather being a knight, and he was attracted to the profession since he was young. From toy sword to practice sword, and as he grew older, he could use a real sword; a sharp blade that could cut through the opponent.
Ian had a straightforward and sincere personality, and he listened and learned a lot from the teacher who taught him swordsmanship. His dream was to become a Knight Captain in the future; just like his grandfather. To achieve that dream, he practiced diligently day after day.
He was not someone who would give up easily, but one day, something happened that made him seriously thought that maybe he should let go of swordsmanship.
“You’re not suitable for swordsmanship.” It was a very low and deep voice. Those words hurt Ian deeper than a sharp blade could. After all, it was a word from his grandfather, a person whom he loved and admired. And because his grandfather had said it on his deathbed, Ian was unable to ask the true meaning of those words.
The 12 years old Ian had given it a serious thought.
What have I done wrong? Why did grandfather say that? Is it because the swordsmanship is tough and dangerous, my weak mentality won’t be able to stand it? Or is it simply because I have no talent for sword?
No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t find the answer. The only thing that Ian could do was train twice harder than others, and became strong enough to be recognized by everyone—including his grandfather who was no longer in this world. He motivated himself and honed his swordsmanship twice as hard as before.
Perhaps because of his effort, his abilities were gradually recognized by others. Ian was genuinely happy. He thought maybe his grandfather had said those words to motivate him. It has been four years since then, so he began to think positively.
Despite that…
“You’re not suitable for swordsmanship.”
It was Ian’s first Battle Fiesta after he had entered Centrior Imperial Magic Academy. His opponent was Bill Meth Gordon, president of student council from 3rd Year Class A. Bill was the winner in the winter tournament during his second year.
When Ian was defeated by Bill, he (Bill) had said the same words to him (Ian). For a moment, Ian had felt like time had stopped. He was at a loss for words. He didn’t even know how he got back to his room after the match was over. Ian was totally shocked. And then, it made him thought: I am weak. That’s why they said that I’m not suitable.
* * *
Stronger. I need to be stronger.
Ian was doing suburi with undivided attention in the snow. He tried to clear his mind of all thought, so that he wouldn’t feel the cold. Snowflakes dropped on his red hair melted into water drop and fell down his face. As he exhaled his breathe, he repeatedly swung his heavy practice sword straight down with one hand.
“Ian-sama!!”
He stopped his hand when he heard someone calling his name. When he turned and looked to the side, he saw a girl holding a black umbrella stood nearby.
“Granoli?”
Razé, who was wearing a coat, walked closer to Ian. “What are you doing in this snowy day? You didn’t even use magic to control the temperature or shield your body. You’re going to catch a cold.” She held out the umbrella so that it would cover him from the snow.
“I rarely catch a cold. You don’t have to mind me. I’ll go back after practicing a little bit more,” Ian said with a serious look on his face.
Razé knew that Ian wouldn’t stop practicing so easily. She remembered that recently, every time she saw him, he was practicing his sword. It was a familiar scene when she was in the military, so it left an impression on her.
Razé let out a sigh and said, “What you are doing is a self-harm behavior.” She purposely chose a harsh word. She knew that he was the type who wouldn’t listen if she talked nicely.
Ian looked at Razé with a stern look. “It is part of the training. I know myself better. You should return.”
Razé immediately replied, “I don’t want to.”
Ian was the grandson of the former Knight Captain. His grandfather had taken care of Razé before, so she wanted to stop Ian from doing this meaningless thing.
Razé could see that Ian was annoyed by her attitude. She immediately said, “I have a suggestion. Let’s have a match. If I win, you have to go back to the dormitory. If you win, I’ll leave you alone.”
Ian was surprised by her words. During the previous tournament, Razé had lost in her first match. Ian honestly didn’t think that she could win against him. He had even won matches against the 3rd Year students previously. But then, he remembered that Razé had defeated Adis once. However, he was not sure whether they had had a serious match or not. Maybe she was strong, or maybe she was not. Either way, he really needed a training partner now. So, Ian agreed to have a match with Razé.
The rule was simple. They just need to knock out the opponent. Only physical strengthening magic was allowed and they had to fight using sword.
Razé used her teleportation skill to bring over her sword. Then, she took of her coat, tied her hair and stretched her body. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Remember, you must return to the dormitory if I win.”
“Alright.” Ian nodded his head and grab his sword.
Razé picked up a small stone and threw it up into the air. And then she grabbed her sword. When the stone fell down between them, the match would start.
Ian made the first strike, and Razé stopped his blow. It was nothing extraordinary for her to be able to take the first strike. He immediately swung his sword again. Razé defended that too.
Ian eyes turned sharp. From these two hits, he could feel that even though the opponent was a woman, she was not weak. He felt like his sword had strike a huge tree. Her center of gravity was not affected at all.
He strengthened his body and sent a heavier blow to her. She defended again, and immediately did a counterstrike. Her movement was very clean and sharp. Ian had a sudden chill when he realized that she always aimed at the vital points. His instinct told him that the opponent was not an ordinary person. He unconsciously grabbed the sword tightly.
Razé managed to stop all his strikes. She never avoided it but fought it head on. She moved forward step by step. Her eyes were like a predator watching its prey. And finally, she shoved her sword right in front of Ian’s chest.
No matter how you looked at it, Ian had been defeated.
The fight ended in less than five minutes. But for Ian, it felt like hours. He felt like he was fully controlled by the opponent, and each of his attacked had no effect at all.
Razé said to him, “It’s over, right?” Her brown eyes looked very sharp.
Ian lowered his sword helplessly. Razé seemed very satisfied. She moved away from Ian and then swung the snow-covered sword to her side.
“Let’s go back. Ah, it’s so cold!” Razé exaggeratedly shook her shoulders and put on her coat.
Ian’s face was covered by his wet hair. Razé couldn’t see his expression but she could feel that he was brooding over something from the way he was clutching his fist. She didn’t know what to say to him so she silently put an umbrella on him.
“… Am I weak?” Ian said with his head down.
It was a weak voice, very different from his lively personality. Razé was surprised to see him like that. She thought that he seemed to be a carefree person. She never expected that he would show such a heart-breaking face.
If it was Folia, she would surely reply, “No, of course not!” and cheered him up. By right, this was supposed to be that kind of event. Ian would be sad after being defeated, and the heroine would comfort him. That was the right script.
Unfortunately, the person who stood in front of Ian was Razé Granoli. She was a soldier who led a battalion at a young age. She was an eccentric person who would fight seriously against him and then rubbed salt in his wound.
“Yes. You’re weaker than me.”
She directly told him the facts and his expression became worse. If Razé’s subordinates were here, they would have cheered him up and said, “No one can win against Leader. Don’t feel upset!” Unfortunately, they were not around.
“By the way, Ian-sama. Why won’t you quit swordsmanship?”
With no one to stop her, Ian was hit by the final blow.
