Chapter 27
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
Chapter 27
Alice asked, and I nodded while keeping my gaze fixed on the Tournament Arena.
"Yes, Alice."
"Thank you, Echinacea."
"Echi."
"...Yes, Echi."
"I told you to drop the formality."
"That's a bit..."
Alice hesitated, her cheeks flushing faintly. When I turned to look at her, she spoke in a small voice.
"Ah, I'm not quite ready for that yet."
"...Does it require preparation?"
"Yes. You can drop the formality with me, Echi."
"But you're not dropping it, so it would be strange if only I did. Never mind then."
The first round proceeded swiftly. Alice advanced to the second round with ease. Now came the second round. I turned to look at Alice, who remained glued to my side.
"You know the second round is between you and me, right?"
"Of course. I've been looking forward to it."
"..."
I had intended to finish quickly, but those gray eyes gleaming with anticipation made that impossible. I exhaled deeply.
The duel that followed between Echinacea Loaz and Alice Winterbell was nothing short of a masterpiece. Yet it was less a clash between evenly matched opponents and more akin to an instructional bout—the kind where one vastly superior fighter guides an inferior one through their techniques. It was precisely what every cadet in attendance had experienced with their own instructors.
Winning is far easier than guiding someone to victory while teaching them. That's only natural. Teaching others isn't something accomplished through superior skill alone. It requires looking down from an unfathomable height, as if reading from an answer key, and drawing them forward.
The prolonged, high-level swordplay ended with my blade coming to rest before Alice's throat. The Spectator Stands fell into deathly silence.
The cadets weren't fools. They understood how exceptional Alice was. Few among them could claim confidence in victory if they stood before Alice's blade in this moment.
Then what of that 'lady' who had conducted an instructional bout against Alice herself, in a freshman ranking tournament no less? Her level was beyond comprehension. Aside from her inability to use mana, wouldn't she hold her own against the formal Knights of Changtian through swordsmanship alone? A twenty-year-old woman in an inconvenient dress and high heels, no less.
"A genius of the century... that's what she is."
Theo, who had been watching in a daze, murmured as if in pain.
All cadets had come to Agenka having heard themselves called geniuses. Theo had heard the word countless times. Genius. Exceptional talent.
After becoming a cadet, he had thought there were truly many geniuses in the world, since everyone was so talented. There were geniuses among geniuses—like his roommate Mikhail, whom he'd observed up close, or Alice, whose abilities had become known through word of mouth.
But the 'lady' had defeated Mikhail with a single attack and conducted an instructional bout against Alice. What could such a being even be called? The phrase "genius of the century" seemed insufficient.
After the second round against Alice, everything proceeded swiftly. Echinacea disarmed every opponent with a single strike. No one could withstand her blade. Everyone understood that she had made an exception of Alice alone, that her skill existed in a realm far beyond theirs, and none could deny it.
The other cadets' matches became secondary. Most of the cadets tried to catch every movement Echinacea made. After all, watching an exceptional knight's swordplay itself provided lessons.
"The Captain must have known. That's why she made her a squire..."
"Good heavens. Did you see that? How could anyone beat that?"
"Who started that rumor? Irregular admission? That's a joke."
"Isn't this practically cheating? How is someone like that a cadet like us?"
"She wouldn't lose to semi-knights either. She could probably fight actual Knights."
"Still, she's not a Master. Without mana, it's useless."
"True, there are people who remain semi-knights because their swordsmanship is excellent but their mana affinity is lacking..."
"She's only twenty, right? Then who knows. Couldn't she become a Master within a few years?"
"Where did such a monster come from anyway? Does anyone know the Loaz Family?"
Murmurs spread through the Waiting Room and Spectator Stands. The freshman ranking tournament ended far sooner than expected, all because my matches concluded so quickly. I even finished the finals with a single strike.
"Echinacea Loaz, congratulations. You're ranked first among first-year cadets until the next ranking tournament or duel."
After the ranking tournament ended, Ian approached her with a gentle smile.
"I thought you'd do well, but... you performed even better than expected. Everyone in the overall ranking tournament will be nervous. The upper ranks will be in chaos, won't they? You're truly remarkable."
"You're too kind."
Echinacea half-listened to Ian's words while worrying internally about tomorrow's muscle soreness. Having competed in the ranking tournament while still recovering from body aches, her entire body might stage a rebellion tomorrow. She'd especially pushed herself during the second match against Alice Winterbell. She'd subtly used mana to support her muscles' fatigue, but still.
'I'll apply ointment, drink ginger tea, and get to bed early.'
Thinking of the ginger tea Yurien de Harden Kirie had given her made her chest tingle pleasantly. The attention of cadets swarming around her and the ranking tournament results meant nothing compared to that ginger tea in her mind. As she lost herself in other thoughts, Ian continued speaking.
"Now I understand why the Commander appointed you as a squire. He recognized your talent. What's your secret? The Loaz Family isn't particularly famous for swordsmanship."
Ian's eyes narrowed. The other cadets couldn't approach her because the Cadet Representative was speaking with her, so they lingered at a distance. Echinacea picked up her sword and answered.
"I'm not entirely sure myself."
"Who taught you? Did the Commander perhaps teach you before?"
"No, I'm self-taught."
"...You learned the sword entirely on your own?"
"Yes. Senior, may I return now? I'm rather exhausted."
"Ah, yes, you must be tired. Sorry for keeping you."
Ian stepped back graciously, but his gaze remained fixed on her—not the vulgar persistence of someone like Bread, but something different, a twisted look. It was a well-concealed gleam she wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't seen his true nature before the regression.
'I wish he'd just cause trouble openly instead.'
She wasn't afraid of him. His manipulations with the tournament bracket were trivial, and whatever he did, Ian could never pose a serious threat to her. Still, having him lurk nearby felt uncomfortable and irritating.
As the Cadet Representative withdrew, the military cadets crept closer. They couldn't easily speak to Echinacea and only exchanged glances with each other. After ignoring her and spreading rumors all this time, approaching her immediately after seeing the tournament results felt too embarrassing.
Of course, there was one cadet who didn't need to worry about such things. Fatima came running with her braided hair swinging, beaming widely.
"Echinacea Loaz! My instincts never fail! Congratulations on first place!"
"Thank you, Senior Fatima."
"I thought Alice Winterbell and Mikhail would be second and third. The bracket was really twisted. But the results will still turn out as I predicted. What do you think? Isn't my insight amazing? Doesn't it make you want to trust Wisdom?"
Her dark eyes sparkled with self-satisfaction. Fatima didn't wait for Echinacea's response and rose on her toes to gently pat her head.
"I'd love to tell you more about how amazing our Club is, but you must be tired from the tournament, so later! You did great work, get plenty of rest! See you next time!"
Fatima chattered away on her own, waved goodbye, and left. As she withdrew, she cast a subtle warning glance at the surrounding cadets—as if to say, isn't it embarrassing to push yourselves on her now? The cadets, unable to muster the shamelessness to approach, awkwardly drifted away. They scattered in small groups and began discussing today's ranking tournament.
Echinacea was genuinely grateful for Fatima's actions. Having crowds swarm her would only be annoying.
Now that she thought about it, Baraha Islaf wasn't visible among all these cadets. Being the Vice-Commander's squire kept him busy, so something must have come up suddenly.
She was about to head to her room when she spotted Alice Winterbell still polishing her sword in the waiting room.
"Alice, shall we go together?"
"Ah, yes!"
Alice jumped up and hurriedly gathered her things. Echinacea picked up a cloth fragment she'd dropped and spoke.
"Are you satisfied with your ranking? It seems quite low compared to your actual skill."
"I don't mind. I gained something more important than ranking. For now, I plan to focus on refining my sword."
Alice smiled brightly. Echinacea inwardly admired her truly 'knightly' response. She's genuinely upright. This is the kind of person who should become a knight. She couldn't hold back the words that suddenly surged up.
"I really hope you become a knight of Changtian, Alice. You're truly suited for it."
It was an impulsive thing to say, but she didn't regret it. Having spoken with Nicole, who had been brought back to life, she'd regretted not being honest in the past. At Echinacea's words, Alice turned to look at her in a daze. Echinacea smiled sincerely.
"If you need it, please ask me for a duel anytime, Alice. I think it would be enjoyable to cross swords with you."
To Echinacea, the sword was inseparable from nightmares and slaughter. Whenever she gripped a sword, she felt sticky blood clinging to her fingertips. Swordsmanship was merely a technique for efficiently killing people.
But it was different when she crossed swords with Alice Winterbell. What she'd told Bardegiosa about being swept up in the atmosphere wasn't a lie. At that moment, she truly felt herself being drawn in by Alice's serious and upright approach to the blade.
For Alice, the sword was both the path she walked and the method by which she honed herself. She dreamed of becoming a pure "Knight"—like those in fairy tales. And I didn't dislike her old-fashioned earnestness or her purity. I recalled Teresa's Guardian Sword, which Alice so admired.
Just as Bardegiosa was called the Demonic Sword, the Guardian Sword earned its name through legend. A blade forged by a master craftsman from the sorrow of those who had lost something precious and the desire to protect it. That sword granted its form only to those who possessed something worth sacrificing themselves to protect.
Before my regression, when I gathered Giosha, there were some I could hold but never wield because I didn't meet the owner's conditions. Yet the Guardian Sword was one of the Giosha I could use. It was because of the profound sorrow born from losing everyone I held dear.
There are those who grip a sword not to kill, but to protect. Just as there are those who take up a blade to refine themselves, independent of any other soul.
Upright, radiant people. Crossing blades with such an opponent felt like a conversation deeper than words. That's why my sparring with Alice had been so enjoyable—enough to push my body beyond its limits.
Alice's eyes widened, then she smiled, her gaze softening. A faint blush colored her cheeks. She took my hand—my right hand. Through the glove that concealed the Demonic Sword's mark, I felt her warm touch.
"Thank you, Echinacea. I'm so glad to know you."
"W-why are you suddenly holding my hand?"
"Just because. Is that not allowed?"
"...No, I suppose not."
I flustered and grumbled, yet I didn't pull my hand away. Alice reeked of sweat from the ranking tournament, but I said nothing about it. Like children our age, we walked hand in hand back to the Dormitory.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org