Chapter 95
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Chapter 95
Echinacea Loaz attended a club meeting for the first time in ages. After returning from a long-term mission following the inaugural gathering, this was her second club meeting. In the interim, several new cadets had joined the club.
"Welcome, Cadet Echinacea Loaz. I'm Theo von Kreis, a first-year student."
The chestnut-haired cadet greeted her with a cheerful smile. After exchanging pleasantries with him, I turned my attention to the boy standing in the back. As beautiful as an angel painted in a masterpiece, he spoke curtly without meeting my gaze.
"...Michael von Frang Almari."
"Ah, yes, nice to meet you both."
Teresa's younger brother and his roommate. I had seen Michael submit an application, but I never expected him to actually join the club. Since it had come to this, I decided I would offer him advice on his swordplay as I had planned when we faced each other in the ranking tournament. Even if Michael couldn't remember the moment I killed him, he had still died by my hand. It would be some form of compensation, at least. And it was for Teresa's sake as well.
With such thoughts, I smiled at the boy. The moment I smiled, Michael turned his head away sharply.
[Does he hate me? Is he acting like this because he was eliminated in the first round because of me last time? It's only natural that he'd lose to me. How arrogant!]
'He can dislike me. There's nothing arrogant about that.'
Outstanding ability among peers of similar age inevitably brought envy and jealousy. If I overwhelmed them so completely that they couldn't even attempt to catch up, they wouldn't be able to feel jealous. But what I had demonstrated in the Military Academy ranking tournament wasn't quite at that level. It was more like being several steps ahead rather than operating on an entirely different plane.
Of course, that was my own assessment. I had a tendency to set high standards for military cadets. Unconsciously, my baseline for an average cadet was Alice Winterbell's level.
In a reality where, excluding mana affinity, women were physically disadvantaged compared to men, Alice Winterbell—who had defeated male cadets older than herself through technique and skill alone to place second among freshmen—was absolutely not an average cadet. Even Alice regarded me as operating on an entirely different level. Fatima felt the same way. Among the Wisdom club members, the only cadet who hadn't grasped this fact was Echinacea Loaz herself.
After exchanging greetings with the new club members, Fatima approached me.
"Actually, there's one more person who recently joined the club, but they were too busy to attend today's meeting. You know them too."
"Who is it?"
As I asked, I had a sinking feeling. There weren't many people I knew at the Military Academy.
Fatima smiled brightly.
"Baraha Islaf, our senior. He said he probably won't be able to attend properly until after the festival ends."
"...I see."
"With Senior Baraha, that makes six of us. We'll operate at this level for the time being. Now, here's today's sparring order. Let's begin!"
My premonition had been correct. I picked up Amethyst with an odd feeling. Everyone I had any acquaintance with at the Military Academy was now a member of the same club. How had things turned out this way?
"Echinacea, that sword.... Is it a magical blade?"
Alice, my first sparring opponent, widened her eyes upon seeing my sword. Since she was my roommate, she had known long ago that my weapon had changed, but this was the first time she had examined it closely.
"Ah, yes. It has magic inscribed to maintain the blade's hardness and cleanliness."
"I was somewhat concerned since you always used poorly-made swords, but this is fortunate. A knight should have a familiar blade they're accustomed to. It looks so well-suited that it could become your symbol."
[That thing suits me enough to become my symbol? Hey, can't you accidentally kill her during the sparring match?]
I silently channeled mana into my right hand. Beyond the Demonic Sword's whining complaints, I heard Alice's voice.
"Would you mind if I examined it a bit?"
"Of course."
Alice took the Amethyst I handed her, swung it through the air to test its balance, then carefully examined it. Soon, shock spread across her face.
"This is... no, this is magnificent... a truly excellent blade. It appears to be custom-made. Did you use whatever swords were available while waiting for this to be completed?"
"No, it was a gift."
"A gift? You received this as a gift?"
Alice's complexion had turned pale as she returned the Amethyst. I accepted the blade and tilted my head.
"The Lord gave it to me as a commemoration of becoming a Squire. Is something wrong?"
"...Echinacea, I have considerable interest in blades. Of course, I'm not an expert. If it's been less than two months since you became a Squire, and someone created a blade of that caliber with magic inscribed in it during that timeframe.... The manufacturing cost would be approximately...."
Alice's pallid complexion actually became more composed as she calculated something internally. She had apparently transcended the limits of shock.
"You could purchase roughly eight high-grade mansions in the Imperial Capital."
"What?"
Echinacea Loaz stared down at Amethyst in shock. She had anticipated the crafting cost would be substantial, but her ignorance of weapons—combined with the fact that she wasn't from Giosa—meant she'd never imagined a single blade could command such a price. Hearing the figure made her worry that she shouldn't be wielding it at all, but rather enshrining it.
'Eight high-end mansions in the Capital for one sword? This is insane. He gave me this without hesitation? What on earth was Yurien thinking when he—'
"I admire you."
His words echoed in her mind as she recalled him gazing down at her with flushed cheeks and glistening blue eyes. Her head spun and her heartbeat quickened. For a moment, I nearly dropped Amethyst.
Alice watched Echinacea examine the blade with an uncertain grip, observing as her face flushed a delicate shade of crimson right before her eyes. Echinacea stammered in obvious confusion before speaking urgently.
"L-let's begin quickly, Alice. We have another match after this."
"Understood."
Alice bowed according to Imperial Knight protocol and reflected thoughtfully. Echinacea and Alice typically sparred in the 9th Training Ground within the Spruce Forest, where they'd first fought. Since they occasionally trained together, Alice had observed Echinacea's training methods firsthand.
Echinacea Loaz did not practice sword forms. She primarily engaged in physical conditioning exercises. Even when wielding a blade, there was a fundamental difference between drilling sword techniques and building muscle.
She didn't seek out sword manuals or challenge other cadets to sparring matches. She didn't appear to have a mentor. In passing conversation, she'd mentioned learning swordplay through self-study. Yet in every duel, she showed no apparent limits.
Whenever Alice improved slightly, Echinacea would receive her strikes from a position merely several steps ahead. Thanks to this, Alice's swordsmanship was advancing rapidly. Even during Echinacea's missions, Alice had practiced while envisioning her shadow.
'Searching the entire continent, there may not exist a genius superior to her in this age.'
This led Alice to conclude that Echinacea's position as squire to the Changtian Knights Commander stemmed from her overwhelming talent. Commander Yurien was himself a genius who'd shattered records, so perhaps two geniuses had recognized something in each other.
'But to gift a blade of that caliber so casually... and its form bears a peculiar resemblance to the Commander's Holy Sword.'
Beyond talent, the probability of other emotions being involved was high. Whether talent came first or emotion, Alice couldn't say. But Echinacea's current dazed appearance, still slightly flushed, only strengthened her suspicion. Alice smiled faintly.
"I'll begin first, Echinacea."
"Yes, Alice."
When wielding a blade, one must clear the mind of distractions. Alice pushed her recent deduction to the back of her thoughts and began her footwork. As she received Echinacea's clean, piercing strikes, I too began to concentrate.
It had been some time since sparring with Alice. During my mission, Alice's skill had grown considerably. Pleased and delighted by this progress, I engaged her blade with genuine joy.
Fatima was Alice's next opponent.
While Alice's style was concise and swift, Fatima employed intricate, elaborate swordplay. Against Alice, my technique had been direct; against Fatima, it became unpredictable. The changes were subtle and refined, yet Fatima perceived them.
'Adapting to her opponent and wielding a similar style with greater strength... this transcends mere talent. What is Echinacea Loaz's true level of skill?'
Fatima marveled silently. Had her eye for detail been less keen, she wouldn't have noticed. Just as she'd identified outstanding cadets at a glance during her first year, Fatima's discernment of swordplay exceeded her own swordsmanship talent.
'Most people probably don't even realize why their skills improve the more they spar with Echinacea. She doesn't boast about it.'
The gap was too vast for her pride as a senior to be wounded. There was much to learn. Fatima smiled as she looked down at Echinacea's blade, which had gently exploited her weaknesses and now rested against her throat.
'The Club doesn't need a mentor. Skill alone doesn't guarantee such subtle, masterful instruction. I'd like to repay her somehow, but she seems to dislike drawing attention...'
"You did well, Echinacea."
"Thank you for the match, Senior."
"I'm always grateful."
Echinacea's expression became puzzled at Fatima's gratitude. She seemed uncertain what there was to be thankful for. Fatima chuckled softly, then rose on her toes to ruffle Echinacea's hair.
"...Senior?"
"Just because I'm grateful. Oh, and that dress suits you beautifully today! Is it new?"
"No, it's a summer dress. It was just warmer today."
"Now that I think about it, I should prepare summer clothes soon. The festival is coming up... Echinacea, would you like to go shopping with me later? I want to get a ball gown tailored! I'm always in training clothes, so I should treat myself on occasions like this."
Before leaving for my mission, I had wished to go shopping with Fatima or Alice someday. I hadn't expected the invitation to come first. I looked down at Fatima with slightly surprised eyes, then smiled.
"I'd love to, Senior."
"Great! You know the Agenka Dress Shop, right? I'll introduce you to the place some of the senior girls and upperclassmen recommended. I'll ask Alice too, so let's all go together!"
Fatima waved cheerfully and moved toward her next sparring partner.
I tidied my hair, which had been slightly mussed by Fatima's touch. In the distant past, I would have been annoyed at disheveled hair, and before my return, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to touch it at all. But now, it felt oddly ticklish and warm—not the flutter of excitement or anticipation, but rather a light, comforting sensation that made me want to laugh aloud at the smallest things.
In my next match against Theo, I subtly guided the sparring as instruction.
Though my resistance to wielding a blade had considerably diminished after crossing swords with Alice Winterbell and receiving Amethyst from Yurien de Harden Kirie, I still found the act of using a sword rather distasteful. In this state of mind, sparring matches where I merely concealed my true strength and faced opponents at an appropriate level felt tedious and uncomfortable.
Conversely, instructional sparring where I guided my opponent's swordplay to improve their technique proved quite engaging. There was a subtle satisfaction in it as well.
'If the entire Club grows stronger, my own growth will appear natural by comparison. It's beneficial for everyone, after all.'
"Thank you for the match, Cadet Echinacea Loaz. You're truly formidable."
"Thank you, Cadet Theo."
I withdrew my blade from Theo von Kreis's chest. Unlike Fatima, Theo remained completely oblivious to my subtle instructional guidance during our match. He simply tilted his head in confusion before moving on to prepare for the next bout.
My final opponent was Mikhail.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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