The First Letter (7)

 

  Seria Yurdina was a coward.

 

  It has been that way since childhood. Fear was akin to a survival skill for her, who was ignored since her birth because of her origins. Fear and the longing to escape from this type of life.

 

  In order not to return to such a miserable life, and to break free from her shameful past, she devoted herself to the way of the sword.

 

  Fortunately, it didn’t take long for her hard work to bear fruit.

 

  On the day she arrived at Yurdina’s castle, she felt a strange pleasure when she saw the restlessness of the servants of the lord’s castle, the same ones who used to look down at her.

 

  Yes, this is the view reserved only for the strong.

 

  Only the weak remain vigilant around the strong. Every time they meet the eyes of a strong, they freeze, tremble, and hesitate, trying to understand the other person’s intentions.

 

  Since she held the sword, she could no longer feel that tension.

 

  The only exceptions were those two, her father and her step-sister. Even then, her father was now ill and had barely any strength left.

 

  So, when she stood in front of Ian again after the duel, she felt once again that long forgotten sensation.

 

  Every time she saw Ian, her body trembled, her muscles stiffened, her heart rate increased, and her breathing became rough at the memory of the violent brutality she went through.

 

  Scared. The helplessness she felt last time, the pain imprinted in every nook and cranny of her entire body, even his ruthless sword attacks.

 

  She could stand none of that. She felt as if she had returned to the despondent condition she lived in during her childhood, so Seria clenched her teeth and grabbed her wooden sword.

 

  I will overcome it. 

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  By overcoming this, she will prove her worth once again.

   

  Her enemy, Ian, seems a little uneasy, but he nonetheless accepted her request for a revenge match. He was the same opponent who overwhelmed her completely last week.

 

  It was funny to ask for a rematch after only a week, but for Seria, this was a matter more important than anything else.

 

  This time I’ll win. Last time I mistakenly underestimated my adversary’s skills. This time I will fight with all my strength while being in the most perfect condition possible. 

 

  Thus, Seria immediately rushed to him even before Derek finished saying ‘Let’s start!’.

 

  Her sword didn’t take a straight course. A little slant, but enough to make contact between her sword and her opponent’s body.

 

  Her body was stiff from tension, but her long training did not betray her. Her sword made contact with her opponent’s body.

 

  And ‘Bang’, a ringing noise resounded.

 

  With the sound of leather being hit with a club, the man’s body flew through the air. Seria’s movement stopped. She was clearly perplexed.

 

  There was no way this was possible., She had already meticulously calculated her following moves in her mind. However, among the numerous possibilities she thought of, there was no hint of the man flying into the air after the first blow.

 

  After all, wasn’t he supposed to be an opponent I could not defeat no matter what I did?

 

  Even if she were to strike, she thought it would be possible only after exchanging several blows while relying on her superior physical ability and mana. But now Ian was rolling on the ground with just one blow.

 

  Maybe it’s a trap? Suspicion began to grow in Seria’s deep blue eyes.

 

  Either way, the man just staggered and got up with a groan.

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  “Cough… go easy on me… would you?”

 

  Seeing how he staggered up, the blow did infact connect, but he didn’t seem to be heavily injured. It’s natural since the part she hit with her wooden sword wasn’t even a vital spot in the first place.

 

  The man groaned and returned to his stance. Seria continued, observing him with wary eyes.

 

  It can’t end like this. My opponent is the same man who made me suffer a disastrous defeat last time.

 

  Seria rushed at him once again.

 

  From Seria’s arms, who curled down, a sword attack burst out. A neat diagonal line from the lower left to the upper right. Ian tried to defend himself, but the result was the same as a little while ago.

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  ‘Bang,’ a sound that resembled an explosion rang out, and the man’s posture collapsed. Seria bit her lip.

 

 

  Should I aim for the opening? It was a tempting opportunity, but she quickly gave up. The reason was that he could aim for a counterattack with his mysterious footwork.

 

  Instead, she decided to rush at him. And the moment she entered Ian’s blind corner, she struck his sternum with the hilt of her sword.

 

  A clean blow that made a ‘clanking’ noise. Ian couldn’t even groan properly. His back, unable to withstand the shock, curled in as he was sent flying. He was left rolling on the ground several times.

 

  The man couldn’t even breathe properly. It took a long time for the sound of his erratic breath to come out.

 

  Weird. At that moment, Seria had this feeling.

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  The course of events was the same as last time, but the result was the exact opposite. Actually, this should be normal. Even though she was his junior of a year, she was still at the top of her faculty, while her opponent was only in the middle-lower ranks.

 

  It was obvious for Seria to win. Even so, she still couldn’t shake off her fear.

 

  Because the man got up again. Ian raised his body once more and staggered back into his position.

 

  It was like watching the replay of Seria’s figure during the last duel. That’s why Seria stared at Ian with even more cold eyes.

 

  She knew, as long as one doesn’t surrender, they are not defeated.

 

  And if he doesn’t admit defeat, she won’t win either. Because at any given time, he might beat her once again.

 

  Seria wanted a flawless victory. A look of impatience entered her eyes.

 

  She rushed in. She ran so fast that space itself seemed to have been shortened in an instant, her blade flew to his side, Ian managed to block it by raising his sword.

 

  His body flew diagonally because of the shock wave. Seria did not miss that opportunity.

 

  Seria’s sword aggressively struck the man’s blade, like an ax chopping a firewood. It was possible only because of her overwhelming physical abilities and mana.

 

  Ian didn’t last long. His posture, which he painstakingly tried to maintain, collapsed once again, and Seria struck the man’s flank with her sword.

 

  With a thud, the man rolled on the floor again. All of a sudden, both she and the audience, who were earlier looking at her with devious expression, showed signs of disappointment.

 

  Then, a mocking laugh was heard. Seria found it ironic. They, who don’t even have the courage to come up to this arena, are laughing at him.

 

  But that marked the end of her interest in the audience. Rather, a desire for the audience to boo him a little more surged up inside of her.

 

  The earlier the man’s heart is broken, the sooner Seria’s victory will come.

 

  But the man stood up once more. He stood, despite the pain evident in his face.

 

  Seria frowned. Even for her, beating someone unilaterally couldn’t possibly feel good.

 

  “…… Is this all you can do?”

 

  “Oh, you said that last week, too.”

 

  That’s what he said. It was a rude line for a senior to say to a junior.

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  Seria finally made up her mind once again. That cold hostility rekindled in her eyes again. She had no choice but to do as she wanted.

 

  I don’t know why, but now Ian was significantly weaker compared to last week. If she didn’t win now, she might not have a chance in the future.

 

  That made Seria impatient.

 

  She strikes him; the guy tries to defend himself, but then she strikes him again, then eventually the man rolls on the ground, thus forming a never-ending cycle of repetition.

 

  It was the repetitive cycle of last week. Just with roles reversed.

 

  However, as time passed, it was Seria who became increasingly anxious.

 

  Time and time again, the number of times the man exchanged blows with Seria was increasing. At first, he couldn’t even pose resistance, but at some point, a couple of exchanges transpired back and forth, and now several blows were needed to make the man roll on the ground.

 

  Is he regaining his senses? It didn’t make sense, but Seria, blinded by her impatience, thought that it was a reasonable guess.

 

  That’s why Seria didn’t go easy on him anymore.

 

  Seria, who was having a battle of strength with the man, relaxed her sword. Then, the man’s body leaned forward, and at that moment, the man’s vital point was locked into Seria’s eyes.

 

  The temple. Seria swung her sword reflexively. 

 

  Accompanied by the sound of something cracking, the man staggered and collapsed. It was inevitable, as a strong impact was inflicted on his skull. The man’s body, who lost consciousness for an instant, convulsed slightly.

 

  At that moment, Seria thought ‘My god, I hit him too hard. He shouldn’t have died since I controlled my power at the end, but that was dangerous.’

 

  What if the person becomes permanently disabled? 

 

  Seria felt like she was standing on her toes. At the same time, the sound of a scream resounded from outside the arena.

 

 “Hey!!!”

 

  Surprised, Seria’s gaze turned to the origin of that scream. There, a girl with blazing eyes was glaring at her.

 

  “You you… Are you crazy?! Why would you hit his head? Then, if Ian oppa gets hurt… What will you do……!”

 

  As the girl’s speech continued, Seria felt even more awkward. It wasn’t on purpose; it was just a mistake. 

 

  I have to say I’m sorry. 

 

  However, since she was not used to human relationships, her brain froze and she couldn’t even come up with an excuse.

 

  She just bowed her head while hesitatingly squirming. I don’t know if it was because of how she took it, but the black-haired girl clenching her teeth tried to enter the sparring area.

 

  It was as if she wanted to duke it out.

 

  A single word calmed Celine, who was furious.

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  “…… Stop.”

 

 The dizziness didn’t seem to have completely faded, but that’s what the man said as he staggered up. Fortunately, there appeared to be no injury.

 

  ‘I’m glad I controlled my power at the end,’ Seria sighed in relief.

 

  “It’s so noisy that it’s hurting my ears… I’ll take care of her, so just stop.”

 

  “No, did you go crazy?! Professor Derek!”

 

  Celine then looked at Professor Derek imploringly. But Derek shook his head heavily.

 

  “During last week’s duel, Seria got up after being hit in the temple. No matter what, if you have the will to continue fighting, I want to respect that. But to make sure you don’t get seriously hurt, I’ll put forth a condition now. If Seria wins two more exchanges, she will be the winner.”

 

  It would have been an unimaginable decision if the teacher wasn’t Derek, who had gone through all sorts of hardships and put emphasis on real life combat. To keep a man who was staggering after being hit in the temple in the ring. 

 

  But that was good news for Seria as well. Even if he didn’t decide so, she was concerned about injuring her opponent.

 

  Her body stiffened again. To add to her concerns, smashing her opponent’s temples and being accused by his friend was tiresome.

 

  Blood was dripping from the man’s head. It was unknown whether it was because he rolled on the ground, or if he suffered from a minor crack when I hit his temple.

 

  In Seria’s heart, an even deeper feeling of guilt settled in. She bit her lips.

 

  There are still two times, just twice, and this will be over. Then again, she would be a winner. The rumors spreading around the academy would be hushed. 

 

  In this way, the next time I meet my step-sister, I’ll be a little less intimidated.

 

  Huff, sigh, Seria turned her sword towards the man again. A slight hesitation appeared, but it quickly disappeared. 

 

  When she stepped on the ground again, a deafening blast resounded, her sword was swung in a straight line.

 

Clink

 

  A familiar feeling of resistance was felt, and doubts formed in Seria’s eyes for a moment.

 

  Her eyes turned to the sword. There, her wooden sword pointed straight, was being held by a palm riddled with scrapes.

 

  No way, Seria muttered to herself. She knew it because she was in the same situation last week.

 

  He should be a complete wreck now, he shouldn’t be able to even move his body properly. So, how?

 

  Seria’s eyes, which resembled jewels, slowly turned towards the man’s face. Both of their eyes met.

 

  The man, who was covered in blood that rolled down his head, laughed.

 

  “…… I caught you.”

 

  As if he had just gotten the hang of it.

 

**

 

  As I faced Seria, I decided on two things.

 

  First, I need to win even if it’s in a lame and dishonorable way.

 

  It was a duel against his junior. Even if I couldn’t win as overwhelmingly as last week, to avoid being ashamed, he ought to win.

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  As Thean said a few moments ago, it was also a matter of pride between seniors and juniors. In fact, if I hadn’t fought in that duel last week, I would have heard them saying ‘You lost as I expected,’ but the milk has already been spilled.

 

  It’s just frustrating that it wasn’t me who spilled the milk.

 

  Second, try to get a chance while rolling somehow.

 

  Physical ability, mana, even effort were lacking when compared to Seria. To fill that gap, I had no choice but to endure the beating.

 

  Just like last week how Seria got beaten up a few times as well, so let’s count it as me paying the price for my actions.

 

  Of course, it wasn’t my fault either.

 

  It wasn’t easy. I was able to endure the first blow somehow, but when I got hit on my abdomen, I felt like I was about to puke.

 

  The tingling pain that paralyzed my muscles, the narrowed field of vision and the difficulty of breathing.

 

  Did last week’s Seria had to go through a similar experience? If that’s how it was, she must be a tough girl. It wasn’t easy for me to hold on by clenching my teeth and relying simply on my own determination. 

 

  For some reason, I felt that the pain I felt all over my body today was bearable. If it was the usual me, I would have already given up thinking that I would have never had a chance, so it would be better to just end it sooner.

 

  Above all, after rolling on the ground a few times, I was able to find out some facts about Seria.

 

  First of all, Seria is nervous. Those stiff movements became more evident the more he became familiar with them.

 

  It was strange, but my eyes were gradually becoming aware of Seria’s ‘feel.’

 

  If she hadn’t been nervous, I might not have noticed. However, due to last week’s trauma, she was not able to show her usual smooth flowing movement.

 

  Another thing. As time passed, Seria began hesitating.

 

  It wasn’t like that at first, but every time I stood up while staggering, I could feel both nervousness and hesitation growing in her eyes at the same time.

 

  It was around this time that I decided to go all the way to the end.

 

  It was a cowardly move. A cheap trick which exploited the trauma and guilt of the other person to force an opening.

 

  However, as the exchange went back and forth several times, and I became more and more familiar with Seria’s movements and ‘feel’, the situation slowly tilted in my favor.

 

  The decisive moment was when she hit my temple.

 

  The moment I was beaten, a light popped out in my eyes. It wasn’t an exaggeration or a joke. Literally, my vision went dark and something flashed.

 

  When I woke up, I heard the sound of Celine cursing at Seria. I had a headache. While having a blurry vision, I looked at Seria’s face.

 

  She had a bewildered face. More than ever.

 

  So I forced my weak body to stand up. Since I wouldn’t be able to defeat her using magic anyway, he spent his saved magic and made his body condition as normal as possible.

 

  A screeching noise could be heard in every corner of his bones. His muscles screamed, his hands were shaking and his whole body was begging him to stop.

 

  However, the moment Seria regained her stance and turned her sword towards me.

 

  I barely managed to hold back the laughter that erupted out of me.

 

  I see it. From the direction the sword will come, to where the sword will stop.

 

  Eyes quivering with nervousness, muscles hardened with tension, and judgment clouded by her hesitation.

 

  Everything was flowing in one direction.

 

  It was a ‘feel,’ a kind of feeling I could sense. I finally understood what Professor Derek was saying.

 

  They were habits that you would have never noticed if you just dealt with an enemy who lacked skills, even if they had intelligence.

 

  Her muscles were always honest. It was not only the muscles that moved the arms and legs, but the eyes, breathing, organs, and everything else as well.

 

  So when Seria stepped on the ground again and pierced like a lightning with her sword.

 

Grab, my hand gripped her sword. It felt like my hand was about to break. I made a decision, but my body responded late. Still, it was enough to stop Seria’s sword.

 

  Seria looked at me blankly. Eyes filled with disbelief.

 

  So, I answered.

 

  “…… I caught you.”

 

  Next, there was chaos. Before she could come to her senses, I put strength in my grip and threw away the sword from her hand. 

 

  With a thud, her sword was thrown, and anxiousness emerged in Seria’s eyes. While feeling pity that she now had no means to fight me.

 

  If I strike her now, I’m done. Even if I couldn’t make up for the accumulated damage, I had to inflict as much critical damage as possible. Only then could I achieve victory.

 

  A chilly emotion dwelled in my eyes. It was an unexpected expression that even I didn’t notice.

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  And when I raised my wooden sword to the sky.

 

  “…… Kyaa!”

 

  Seria let out a pitiful whimper and wrapped her arms around her head. Her body trembling as if remembering the violence inflicted upon her last week.

 

  At that moment, I suddenly came to my senses.

 

  What am I doing now?

 

  I was thinking of slashing with a sword and inflicting a ‘critical blow’ on a junior who can’t even pose resistance.

 

  Seria trembled with her eyes closed. The violence that she expected to unfold was that frightening to her, considering that she had even covered her ears.

 

  Well, that’s understandable. From what I heard from Celine, there were enough reasons for her to react like this.

 

  So, I relaxed the arm holding the sword.

 

  Instead, I patted Seria’s trembling head with my hands. Seria stiffened, thinking that the ruthless assault was about to begin.

 

  “Ah, eh…… ?”

 

  But the only thing that came back was a slight feeling of someone stroking her hair.

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  While Seria let out a cute scream, she opened her eyes surprised and looked at me, not knowing what to do.

 

  I met her gaze and smiled as if it was ridiculous.

 

  “What are you looking at? So, did you think that I would relentlessly beat my junior, who doesn’t even have a sword in her hand?”

 

  “…… Ah, but.”

 

  With bewilderment lingering in her eyes, Seria pursed her lips as if she wanted to say something.

 

  Last week, didn’t you beat me?

 

  And today, didn’t I beat you as well?

 

  Then why?

 

  Perhaps that was her question. It was a reasonable question. But I had no intention of answering it.

 

  Last week, I wasn’t me, and I was too lazy to repeat that I wasn’t the type of person who would beat up his juniors like that.

 

  So, I just advised her.

 

  “When you are nervous, you get very impatient. In particular, your movements stiffen, so it’s clear where you are aiming. And practice masking your gaze.”

 

  And with a thud, I threw my wooden sword. It was the expression of my will of not wanting to continue this duel any longer.

 

  It was then that the spectators, who had their mouth agape after watching what I did, came to their senses. Some of them looked in admiration, some were puzzled, and some were dissatisfied.

 

  It didn’t matter. How many of them had the courage to challenge her? I looked at Professor Derek without uttering a word.

 

  Professor Derek nodded with a cheerful smile.

 

  “…… Alright, the duel is over. The result is a draw.”

 

  In the end, I didn’t win, but just not losing was enough of an achievement.

 

  As I staggered out of the ring, something came to my mind and I looked back.

 

  There, Seria sat blankly, staring at me.

 

  “And, yes.”

 

  As I met Seria’s stupid gaze, I smiled softly.

 

  “From now on, when you see me, don’t hesitate to greet me.”

 

  Well, this is the dignity of a senior after all.

 

  I was satisfied that I had saved my face as a senior, and moved on.

 

  I pretended to be okay, but in reality, I felt like I was going to collapse at any moment. Whether or not she knew my thoughts, Celine ran up to me and patted me on the back while making a fuss.

 

  It was the best start after a week of having lost my memories. Above all, the biggest gain was that I was able to settle the grudge with the silver-haired girl called Yurdina’s bastard.

 

  Now, thinking that I would never get involved with the daughter of a powerful family again, I entered the intensive care room of the temple.

 

  And the next day.

 

  Seria began following me in secret.

 

 

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