The Long Winter Passes (4)
Lilit Tistina. Once the childhood friend of Marc Visus, she was now a woman deeply in love with a man named Rofel.
She was kind to everyone, regardless of whether they were commoners or nobles, and she never lost her bright smile.
To the male students of the academy, she was the number one girl they wanted as a girlfriend, and to the female students, she was a fun friend to be around.
Yet, this very girl was currently staring at another woman with an expression of deep, profound contempt and disgust—a face she had never shown to anyone else.
Elisio Gremlina. Though she possessed an exceptionally sharp mind and an outstanding talent for alchemy even within her renowned family of scholars, her gloomy personality and lack of social skills had left her friendless.
However, since entering the academy this year, she had found a man she could call a friend—and perhaps someone who could become even more.
Still, she remained cautious around those she wasn't close to.
She had always taken a passive stance, constantly reading the room and avoiding any display of her true feelings.
Yet, at this moment, she was completely ignoring the gaze of others, openly projecting her raw contempt through her eyes.
The recipient of these intense glares was Seraphina Serion, who was currently lying in the same bed as Rofel, held tightly in his embrace.
Drunk on the warmth and sheer pleasure of being in Rofel's arms, she had only realized the situation belatedly.
Uncharacteristically, she froze in a daze, unable to utter a single word for quite some time.
Even to herself, her current state was deeply embarrassing.
Watching her react this way, Lilit and Elisio looked at her as if she were a criminal standing trial.
Of course, while it was slightly uncomfortable, Seraphina had no reason to accept such contempt.
Though it was highly likely Rofel had babbled in his sleep, he was definitely the one who had suggested this, and she had merely complied.
Granted, she could have easily stood up at any moment if she had wanted to, but she hadn't.
She felt embarrassed that she had been caught sharing a bed and embracing a man who occupied the minds of others, but she had done nothing to warrant a guilty conscience.
But how did it look from the perspective of Lilit and Elisio, who had just entered the room and knew nothing of the context?
There lay the man they loved, sleeping peacefully in a hospital bed because his injuries hadn't fully healed.
Just looking at his face made their hearts flutter, but their expressions froze the moment they shifted their gaze slightly.
For there, nestled in the arms of the man they dreamed of every single night, was some stray cat of a woman.
Of course, both of them had previously witnessed Rofel hugging Seraphina in the dormitory.
But back then, he had done it out of his own good nature. What about now?
To the eyes of the two women burning with jealousy, it looked as though some beastly bitch had found Rofel sleeping peacefully, shamelessly wriggled her way under the covers, and snuggled into his chest.
Naturally, their brows furrowed, and their eyes seemed to flash with pure rage.
"Wait... Do not misunderstand. There is... a reason for this."
Seraphina was the first to speak. She had picked up on the tense atmosphere between Lilit and Elisio and felt she needed to explain herself.
"...Misunderstand? What do you mean by that?" Lilit asked.
"The way you two are looking at me is rather strange. As if you are looking at a sex offender..."
"A sex offender? Hahaha. Well, if taking advantage of a soundly sleeping person isn't sexual harassment, then what is?"
"D-Doing such a thing... without c-consent while someone is s-sleeping is wrong...!"
Elisio tried to chime in, but as she spoke, her own conscience pricked her so sharply that she quickly hung her head and shut her mouth.
"Y-You are indeed misunderstanding! I... I was merely invited by Rofel to lie down beside him because he said I looked tired...!"
"Don't make me laugh! Inviting someone of the opposite sex to lie down together just because they look tired? Do you think our Rofel is some kind of male escort?"
"B-But it is the truth. You know his personality well, do you not?"
"What kind of...!"
Lilit tried to retort immediately, but the words caught in her throat. Considering Rofel's usual, bizarre lack of boundaries, Seraphina's excuse was strangely convincing.
"...Fine, let's say I yield a hundred times and assume Rofel really did invite you to lie down. But why did you just hop right in without even refusing? Where does the daughter of a Duke leave her sense of chastity?"
"That is...!"
Seraphina was speechless. It was an undeniable fact that she could have left his embrace at any moment, yet she had chosen to stay and enjoy the comfort.
"See? In the end, you were just taking advantage of a sleeping Rofel. All to satisfy your own vulgar desires. Doing such things to an unconscious person is utterly repulsive. Am I wrong?"
Lilit was clearly directing her venom at Seraphina, but for some reason, Elisio, standing right beside her, hung her head even lower.
In truth, Elisio had wanted to back Lilit up, but she realized that she, of all people, had absolutely no right to speak in this situation, so she had no choice but to remain silent.
At any rate, the bickering among the women continued until Rofel, unable to sleep through the noise, woke up and cleared the air for Seraphina.
As a bonus, Rofel had to endure a lengthy lecture from Lilit afterward about healthy relationships between men and women and the concept of chastity.
Seraphina Serion swung her sword into the empty air, over and over again.
Her movements were sharp and precise, a flawless demonstration of the Serion swordsmanship—a technique said to be reserved only for geniuses.
Yet, even as she trained, she could not hide her discomfort.
It was because her current strength was still far too lacking.
The strikes of her greatsword had grown more powerful, and the arcs she drew in the air were far more precise.
Compared to before, she could tell that her skills had grown tremendously in a short period.
However, she was still far too weak to defeat Marc in the sparring exam that would take place in a few days.
In the academy's sparring exam, students could only designate their opponents on the first day. After that, the winners of each match would face off against each other.
In other words, unless a match was arranged in advance, it was impossible to choose one's opponent in the later stages.
Since she and Rofel had not requested a match before the exam began, they likely wouldn't face each other until the finals on the last day.
Considering Marc's skill, he would undoubtedly make it to the top, and she believed she could do the same.
Aside from Marc and Rofel, Seraphina was confident she wouldn't lose to anyone else.
In truth, Isabella Kshatri, a first-year in the Magic Department who had entered this year, was also someone to watch out for.
Yet, for some reason, the magical prodigy had refused to participate in the sparring exam.
She had unilaterally announced her withdrawal just the day before the exam started, without giving any reason whatsoever.
Rofel and Seraphina had been too focused on their training to notice, but it had apparently caused quite a stir at the time.
Due to the nature of the one-on-one sparring exams, the Magic Department had historically struggled to defeat the students of the Knight Academy.
However, everyone had high hopes that Isabella Kshatri—the only daughter of the Magic Tower Lord and a genuinely powerful mage—would finally avenge their past defeats, making the backlash to her withdrawal particularly intense.
The Magic Department had been in such an uproar that malicious rumors even circulated claiming Isabella had taken bribes from the Knight Academy.
Returning to Seraphina, she couldn't help but feel anxious.
She had challenged Marc again at the training ground recently, only to lose once more.
Even if she were to fight him right now, she had no confidence in winning.
With so little time left before their match, she was growing increasingly impatient.
She refused to waste the opportunity that Rofel had risked his life to give her.
The goal she was aiming for now was none other than Rofel Teufel.
Specifically, the strike she had witnessed in the final moments when he had intruded upon the duel.
Even though it was only for a split second, she wanted to replicate the technique that had completely overwhelmed Marc Visus.
Though he had executed it not with a greatsword, but with a battered chunk of iron barely worthy of being called a mace, her lifelong devotion to the Serion family allowed her to recognize it instinctively.
That technique was the very pinnacle of what the Serion family had pursued and yearned for throughout their history—the ultimate, perfected form of Serion swordsmanship.
Unless she could reach that level, she would never be able to defeat Marc.
Yet, no matter how much she recalled Rofel's movements and tried to copy them, she couldn't replicate that power.
It wasn't due to a lack of talent or training.
It felt like something far more fundamental was missing.
Unable to grasp even a clue as to what that missing piece was, she could only continue to swing her greatsword into the empty air.
If it wasn't talent, and it wasn't effort, then what on earth did she need?
As she continued her relentless training amidst a storm of questions, a figure appeared before her.