Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: 35. Preparation
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The worst thing about nightmares is that you can't escape them even when you close your eyes.
That was the case with the dreams Yuria Grayhauncher had every night.
[Miss, why... why?]
The voices of the dead she hadn't even managed to send off burrowed into the inside of her ears, the smell of blood wouldn't leave her hands, and she had no idea whose flesh was stuck to her feet.
Corpses piled up into mountains.
All of them stacked by her own hand.
The old gardener who always tended the little bonsai trees with her, the kindly kitchen maid who baked her favorite carrot cake as dessert with a warm smile, the maids who constantly nagged but worried about her day and night.
All of them.
She had cut them down.
Just for being within "three steps."
"..."
She screams at the top of her lungs.
That wasn't what I wanted. I didn't do it because I wanted to.
Never, ever.
She pleads like that, shedding bloody tears and vomiting bile.
But not a single word gets through.
Her mouth won't open.
They all stare at her with resentful eyes, spit curses, and turn into cold corpses.
Then, a man walks out from between the mountains of bodies.
Robes of pure gold. A pristine white wand. A swaying rosary.
A man boasting perfect beauty as if sculpted by a god.
Yuria knew who he was.
The Pontiff. The pinnacle of all religious figures in this era.
[Are you still hoping someone will save you?]
A voice like jade beads rolling across a silver tray flowed out.
[Are you still clinging to the hope that someone will come close?]
But.
To her, it was the voice of a "predator" that made her entire body tremble just from hearing it.
[You are a cursed outcast.]
The dream.
Always.
[You must be alone until you die.]
Ended with the Pontiff whispering those words.
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"...!"
She bolts upright with a shallow cry.
Her whole body was drenched in cold sweat.
"..."
Yuria Grayhauncher brushed her face and looked out the window.
Fortunately, she hadn't overslept.
Her days always began at a precise, regular hour.
Living self-sufficiently far from other people, even someone as delicately raised as her had no choice but to adapt to a wild lifestyle.
For a moment, the academy buildings came into view beyond the window.
A bustling society teeming with lively energy.
"..."
Yuria turned her parched gaze away from it.
She had no time to worry about a place like that. She had mountains of work.
She needed to reinforce the tent for sleeping, check the traps and snares for hunting prey, wash the clothes she'd been wearing for a week.
That was her life. A savage in society, living completely cut off from everyone, without a single soul to encounter.
A sparkling, glittering civilization lay just a half-day's walk down the mountain, but she was no longer someone who could approach it.
The curse of isolation. The yoke of spending her life alone.
Today, too, she just had to play the role given to such a person.
Yes. If things had gone as usual.
"You're awake?"
"..."
If not for this bizarre man who showed up out of nowhere.
A mask hiding his face, a distorted voice.
'...Huh?'
She knew him. Or rather, the familiar mask made it impossible not to recognize him right away.
He was the one who had visited once before and tossed her some delicious snacks.
And the one who had let slip that he knew something about her and her "sister."
Even as those details flooded her mind, Yuria instinctively calculated the distance between herself and this man with her sleepy eyes.
Three steps, and.
Just a tiny bit closer.
"...!"
Once again, against her will, her sword flew out in a frenzy.
Her face paled as the strike shot forward at arrow-like speed.
Once again, just like before.
A situation where she could kill someone without meaning to.
"Exactly."
But the man drew his prepared sword as if he'd been waiting for it.
He parried her strike immediately.
Then, standing in place, he kept blocking her flurry of follow-ups.
As if that's what he'd come for from the start.
They exchanged blows like that until he started to feel pushed back, then he casually stepped just beyond three paces.
"...That should be enough for now. You can hold your own, and getting closer..."
And then he muttered something like he was satisfied.
As if her attacks were worth receiving.
"..."
Yuria blankly alternated her gaze between her sword and the man.
It wasn't the first time someone had blocked her attacks. Especially at the edge of three steps.
Her trait, which ramped up combat power exponentially the closer the enemy got, meant it wasn't as overwhelming at the fringe.
The problem was.
'Second time, isn't it?'
This man had closed the distance once before when they first met and gotten attacked.
So when he hadn't shown up after that, she'd accepted it.
"..."
-You must be alone until you die.
The line she always heard in her dreams replayed in her head.
Yes. She knew her fate well.
Who would want to get tangled with someone who lunges to kill at the slightest closeness?
"Good. Your swings look healthy. Doing well?"
Anyone except this odd man in front of her.
While Yuria stared at him with a bewildered expression, the man plopped down on the spot and caught his breath.
The intense exchange they'd just had must have worn him out.
[...What is this, exactly?]
Letters formed from holy power floated up before her eyes in fluffy clouds.
For someone cursed with isolation who couldn't use her vocal cords, it was her only way to communicate.
The question brimmed with complex doubts.
What was his intention with this? Who the hell was he?
Last time he'd scattered weird vibes and vanished for a while, and now he shows up just to spar with her sword in hand.
While teetering right on the edge of her "danger zone."
As if he knew all about her curse.
'...No, seriously, what?'
It was utterly baffling.
"Told you before. I said I'd drop by to feed you sometimes."
But he tossed out the words casually.
Sure enough, along with them, a lunchbox full of food slid over.
"Eat up. I'm off. Someone gets mad if I stay too long."
"..."
Yuria's expression went blank as she watched him leave immediately.
What kind of person was he, really?
That day passed like that.
She spent the rest of her tasks ruminating on him.
'What is he? What kind of person?'
She was already used to life alone, so she had plenty of time to daydream.
'Probably just a whim.'
By evening, right before sleep, she settled on that conclusion with a proud smile. After nine solid hours thinking only of him, it had to be right.
Yeah. He'd visited once before and then stayed away for a while.
It'd probably play out the same this time.
[...You're back again?]
But the next morning, he showed up exactly the same.
At the same time she woke, sword in hand. From the same distance.
He poked in just a bit, sparred, then retreated.
Tossed food and vanished.
"..."
Yuria chewed on the lunchbox he'd left, lost in thought again.
Nine hours yesterday, twelve today.
Her brain, rarely used after years living like a wild animal, was pushed to its limits.
'Makes me think he has some special business with me?'
That seemed the logical conclusion.
Last time, he'd said someone had "asked him to look after" her. Something must've changed on that front.
'...But then why the swordplay?'
She went to bed without figuring that out.
"You're up?"
The next day, he came again.
Same routine, tossed the lunchbox.
"Hey, you know what?"
But this time, he didn't leave right away and chatted about this and that.
Trivial stuff.
Something happened in the academy, weather's been like this lately, saw something funny recently.
Really, worthless small talk with no value.
She didn't respond at all. She knew nothing to reply with. He just rambled on as he pleased.
"..."
But for Yuria, who hadn't interacted with people in ages.
It felt like a "human" conversation for the first time in forever.
"Hey!"
That day, though, he stayed longer than usual, and someone came to fetch him.
Yuria knew her too. President Atalante.
The one who'd arranged this hiding spot so she could live here.
"I warned you not to stay long! If someone like you gets hurt, it's a huge problem—how many times do I have to say it...!"
"It's too much just to spar and leave every time. Keeping distance means chatting's not dangerous. Don't slap down my effort to be friends like that."
"You always phrase things to cause misunderstandings! I'm saying don't stay long so you don't say something dumb and cause an accident!"
"...Can't argue with that."
As he was dragged off by Atalante, their conversation drifted over from afar.
They probably thought she couldn't hear, but Yuria's ears were perked up, so it was useless.
'He's a student.'
She gleaned a few fragments of info.
He definitely knew about her curse.
An academy student. Important enough for Atalante to handle personally.
And yet.
He wanted to be friends with someone like her.
"..."
-You must be alone until you die.
The line surfaced again. She gave a wry smile.
I know. I know.
She had no vain hopes it could be otherwise.
She was just a little curious.
What was he thinking?
That day, she thought about him almost the entire time.
Over and over.
About that mysterious masked student.
'...I know nothing about him.'
The next few days repeated similarly, but nothing changed.
Spar, hand over lunch, chat a bit, then gone.
Why the constant mask? Who asked him to bring food every day?
Why enter her range knowing how vicious the curse was?
Saying he wanted to be friends almost brazenly, even through daily swordfights.
She knew nothing.
Even after agonizing 22 hours a day, squeezing sleep time, her brain just spun in circles with no results.
'Will he come tomorrow too?'
So that night, before bed, that's all she thought.
As if, just a little.
Looking forward to him returning.
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"...Not bad?"
He muttered that while removing the mask.
As he'd said before, raising trait proficiency meant facing strong foes in real combat for the fastest gains.
In that regard, Yuria proudly ranked high among the so-called players' "optimal proficiency grind NPCs."
A powerful enemy always ready to fight, yet controllable by distance to end anytime.
You could rack up real battles on demand to skyrocket your trait level.
And since her power surged closer in, once proficiency built enough to endure, you could press nearer to accelerate growth further.
That's what he'd done.
'And...'
Her trait meant she targeted his life without hesitation—a bit risky—but for him, danger meant stats exploding, so no big issue.
Without stats, even sword traits were useless. At his level, barely able to wield an iron sword without staggering, it was welcome.
'...Plus, safety measures.'
He thought that while eyeing the illusion mask in his hand.
The same one he'd worn their first meeting.
Essential item for the "Yuria proficiency farm."
A pro tip only veteran users knew: the curse's auto-attack weakened if the target's face was covered.
'There was some reason for it.'
Handy even for Chapter 2's final boss if used right, but the details escaped him.
Something minor yet crucial...
'...I'll remember later.'
Given his nature, if it was usable when the time came, it'd pop up.
More pressing now.
[Successfully performed a sword form!]
[Trait: Tristan-style Swordsmanship proficiency has increased.]
[Proficiency has advanced by leaps and bounds!]
[Trait rank promoted from 'Basic' to 'General'!]
[Mastery Info]
[Trait: Tristan-style Swordsmanship ] [Rank: General]
[Current Proficiency: 0% ]
[Sword form of the renowned Tristan Ducal House.]
[ ■ Can produce consistent power regardless of weapon.]
[ ■ Enables 'Parry' when wielding a longsword.]
[ ■ When equipped with a longsword, partially ignores opponent's defense on hits.]
"..."
Abnormal speed.
Even starting with some proficiency, jumping from Basic to General in just 7 days was insane.
Normally took at least a month.
'And the effects listed...'
Parry was the classic game parry: time defense to right at attack for zero damage and an opening turn.
Defense ignore on damage, whatever.
Just as written. Simple, powerful.
'...Alright then.'
These two were plenty. Prep done.
[Gift-Related Character Alert]
♥ Elnor Erinarije la Tristan
[Adoration Stage 1]
[Dedicated Quest 'Curse Inheritance' generated!]
[Until dedicated quest event: D-1]
▼ Gideon Gailsterd la Tristan
[Curiosity Stage 1]
[Dedicated Quest 'Curse Inheritance' generated!]
[Until dedicated quest event: D-1]
To get the result he wanted here.
Tomorrow's "Observation Class" event.
"...Gotta sleep early today."
Daily spars with Yuria had piled up fatigue like crazy.
He crashed the moment he got back to the dorm.
So.
[Skill: Fatal Charm activated!]
[Villain favor greatly increased!]
[Target 'Yuria's favor promoted to Interest Stage 1!]
[Reward added to Gift tab!]
He saw that message the next morning.
"..."
What now?
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