Chapter 64: The Freya Ducal House 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: The Freya Ducal House 6
"And that’s how it happened."
I explained to Johanna how I had ended up in a sparring match with Askal.
For some reason, however, Johanna’s expression remained dark.
"…Then what was that talk about the mask?"
‘If you lose here, you show me your face, okay?’
‘Do you really want to see my face that badly?’
"Ah…"
I recalled the conversation I’d just had with Askal. It was a back-and-forth we’d shared before Johanna appeared, but it seemed she had overheard.
"I was joking, of course. It’s not like I actually lose anything even if I were to lose the match."
"…Don’t make jokes like that anymore."
Despite my explanation, Johanna’s expression didn’t brighten.
"To be honest, even if I did take off the mask, it wouldn’t be a disaster. At most, Lady Askal might just fall for me?"
I threw out a confident joke to lighten the mood, but there was no reaction. If anything, the atmosphere grew colder.
"……………"
Without a word, Johanna gripped my arm tightly. She held on with such force that I actually felt a pang of pain.
"Senior?"
Still gripping my arm, Johanna took a step closer. We were at a distance where our heads would collide if either of us moved even slightly.
It was the first time I had seen Johanna’s face from this close. Even at this range, her pale skin was flawless, without a single blemish. Her expression was icy, but for some reason, her breathing was heavy.
The hand that had been gripping me so tightly finally loosened its hold.
"Phew…!"
I let out a sigh of relief, thinking she was finally letting go, but then I caught my breath. Johanna’s hand was tracing a path up my arm.
My arm, my shoulder, my chest, my neck. And finally, my face. Her hand moved slowly but surely, as if using my body as a canvas to draw a picture.
"Senior???"
Johanna ignored me and kept moving her hand. When the mask prevented her from touching my face, she frowned and moved her hand back to my neck.
"Senior, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"……………"
Ignoring my words, Johanna caressed the back of my neck. She didn't stop, fidgeting with it continuously as if leaving a mark of ownership on her property.
"Would you like to have dinner with me when we get back to the Academy? I know a good place!"
At my words, Johanna’s hand flinched.
"Just the two of us?"
The fidgeting stopped. However, she didn't take her hand off my neck yet.
"Yes, just the two of us."
To be honest, there wasn't anyone else I could really invite. It wasn't like I could call Yerika, after all.
"If there's someone else you want to invite, you can—"
"There isn't."
Johanna cut me off firmly. Then, she started asking all sorts of questions about the restaurant.
Exactly when we would go. What kind of food they served. If I had been there with anyone else. And whether the soundproofing was reliable.
‘Why is she asking about soundproofing, though?’
The corners of Johanna’s mouth, which had been set in a cold line, slowly curled upward as the conversation continued.
"Excuse me~ there are other people here. How about you save the public displays of affection for when you're alone?"
Startled, Johanna finally pulled her hand away from the back of my neck. Then, with her head bowed, she whispered to herself.
"…When we’re alone… affection…"
She was close, but she spoke so softly that I couldn't hear what she was saying.
"Senior, I’m going to go spar with Lady Askal now."
As I walked toward Askal, I glanced over at where Duke Freya and the Duchess were standing. Then I looked away.
I definitely did not see Duke Freya watching me while gripping his sword, nor the Duchess beside him trying to hold him back.
"‘Lady,’ is it? I’m hurt. You were calling me ‘Noona’ so affectionately just a moment ago."
Askal spoke with a smirk as she looked at me. I felt a chilling energy radiating from behind me, but I didn't turn around.
"People will get the wrong idea if they hear that."
"The wrong idea, huh… Anyway, if you don't have a sword on you right now, should I lend you one?"
Not understanding what she meant, I checked my hands. I was holding my sword-stick, which looked like a cane but was actually a sword.
‘Wait, could it be?’
‘Heard you have a peculiar sense of style.’
‘I heard you even wear that mask while you eat?’
Of course, it was natural for someone seeing it for the first time to not realize it was a sword. But since I knew she’d heard things about me, I assumed she would know.
If she didn't know about the sword-stick, there was a chance she didn't know about my Innate Magic either. I had become famous recently for dueling Rophri and turning him into a wreck, but for some reason, the details of my Innate Magic hadn't spread widely.
"Loki?"
"I’d be grateful if you’d lend me a sword. I came in such a hurry that I left mine at the dormitory."
"True, it would be weirder to bring a sword when you were invited so suddenly. I’ll go grab one for a second."
"Then I’ll go put this cane down. It’s the one I used when I hurt my leg a while back, but I feel empty without it, so I always carry it around."
I approached Johanna, making sure Askal was watching.
"Loki?"
Johanna called my name, seemingly confused by the situation. She knew very well that this was a sword, so she wouldn't understand why I was asking to borrow one.
"Shh."
I put my index finger to my lips and spoke to Johanna.
"Now then, Senior Johanna. Could you hold onto this ‘cane’ for me until the duel is over?"
I handed the sword-stick to Johanna.
"…Okay."
Johanna flinched as she took the sword-stick I handed her. That was because the one I gave her was a fake made of illusions. The real one was currently inside my Pocket Dimension.
If Askal already knew about my abilities, there was a high chance I would lose. But if she didn't? Even against an Imperial Knight, I was confident I could win.
I tossed aside the plan I’d made moments ago and formulated a new one.
"Here, I brought a good one."
I received a sword from Askal. Perhaps because it was from a ducal household, it looked high-quality even at a glance.
"Ready?"
"Of course."
Askal pulled a silver coin from her pocket and tossed it high into the air. She didn't have to say it; I knew. The duel would begin the moment that coin hit the ground.
Both Askal and I took our stances.
The coin hit the floor.
We both lunged toward each other.
Clang!!
The blades collided.
* * *
Ten minutes had passed since the start of the duel.
Swish. Whoosh.
Loki continued to swing his sword at Askal, but she either dodged or parried with her own blade. After dodging a strike, Askal immediately counterattacked, but Loki used Shadow Step to slip away.
‘It’s a peculiar movement.’
Askal increased the distance and stared at Loki. Loki’s swordsmanship wasn't particularly special. However, the reason the match hadn't been decided despite the time passed was because of that strange movement.
"Tsk."
Just now, the sword should have definitely reached Loki’s body, but for some reason, it failed to touch him. It was enough to frustrate any swordsman.
But if she were the type to be shaken by mere frustration, Askal would never have become an Imperial Knight. Just as Loki was about to kick off the ground for another attack—
Askal reinforced her lower body with mana and lunged at Loki with explosive speed.
Clang! Clang! Swish! Whoosh!
As if refusing to give Loki even a second to use Shadow Step, Askal swung her sword relentlessly.
Clang! Clang!
Loki, barely blocking the fierce onslaught, spotted an opening and used Shadow Step to escape.
Whoosh!
But Askal followed immediately and swung her sword. She hadn't moved after seeing where he went. She had predicted where he would move.
She couldn't read the process of the movement, but she read the result and reacted. This was the solution Askal had come up with to counter Shadow Step.
Loki rolled across the ground to dodge Askal’s attack.
‘She’s seriously strong.’
The stamina and mana to maintain such a fierce assault. The ability to adapt to movements she was seeing for the first time and the experience gained from real combat.
Askal Freya was undeniably strong. But she wasn't insurmountable.
Clang!
The swords clashed once more.
"You can't beat me just by running away. Surely that isn't all you've got?"
With a sword in her hand, Askal was so serious she seemed like a different person from before the duel. She continued to swing her sword while reinforcing her body with mana, yet she didn't look tired at all.
If things continued like this, Loki would lose, but he had no intention of letting things continue this way.
"Of course not. We’re just getting started."
Loki reinforced his sword with mana, as if making a show of it for Askal. Then, he took a stance as if he were about to burst forward.
"Are you planning an all-or-nothing strike?"
Askal took a stance as if she would meet that strike head-on.
Boom!
With a sound like the air exploding, Loki charged at Askal.
"So you were hiding your strength until now."
Askal watched Loki as he rushed at her with speed incomparable to before. She was surprised by the unexpected velocity, but it wasn't something she couldn't react to.
Askal also swung her sword downward at the charging Loki. And just before their blades could meet—
Loki let go of his sword.
"I’m not fond of 'all-or-nothing' strikes. They’re a bit too childish for my taste."
Askal’s blade sliced through Loki’s discarded sword in mid-air. As her sword swung from top to bottom, an opening naturally appeared in Askal’s defense.
Even so, Askal quickly assessed the situation.
‘Loki’s sword is already shattered.’
She could withstand a punch, even one reinforced with mana.
Snap!
But with the sound of a finger snapping in the air, the cane Loki had been carrying earlier appeared in his hand. Only now, seeing it from this close, could she tell. That cane was a sword.
The tip of the cane was as sharp as a blade. Loki swung the sword-stick toward Askal’s exposed body, but she quickly kicked off the ground to dodge the blade.
Having escaped the crisis, Askal quickly glanced at Johanna. The cane Johanna had been holding had vanished from her hands.
Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!
The sound of fingers snapping echoed through the air. Askal looked back at Loki. With every snap of his fingers, a dagger appeared in Loki’s hand.
"Lady Askal, what do you think my ability is?"
Loki, holding several daggers in one hand, asked Askal.