I'll Grant You One Favor
With Class C's final dive beneath the flag, the first day of the group evaluation — the Rilbgius Run — came to a close.
"Haaawn… Finally over."
Leon, who had been nodding off, stretched and rose to his feet. Everyone in the waiting room except Class C was still staring at the screen.
"Ohhh! Leon! We're first! First place!"
Just as Carotin crowed in wild excitement, a corner of the display showed Class A sitting proudly at the top of the rankings.
After all that, if we hadn't taken first, I'd have bitten my own tongue off.
Of course it was the expected result, so Leon remained thoroughly unimpressed. Class A's score was absolute — more than triple that of second-place Class B.
Class A's clear times ran roughly as follows:
Stage 1, Goblin Warrior: 3 seconds.
Stage 2, Crossing the Rapids: 1 minute 50 seconds.
Stage 3, Golem Knight: 2 minutes 35 seconds.
Stage 4, Lizardman Settlement: 3 minutes 12 seconds.
Stage 5, Beast Gorge: 8 minutes 58 seconds.
And the overall averages across all classes:
Stage 1: 1 minute 30 seconds.
Stage 2: 7 minutes 42 seconds.
Stage 3: 13 minutes 20 seconds.
Stage 4: 22 minutes 41 seconds.
Stage 5: 25 minutes 15 seconds.
On top of that overwhelming time gap, various bonus points had stacked up, locking Class A into an unassailable solo lead. The Class A cadets threw their arms around one another's shoulders, grinning ear to ear.
"Damn, those scores are insane."
"First place is basically free."
"Let's go grab dinner."
"A day like this calls for meat…"
Perhaps because of that — as Class A filed out of the waiting room in high spirits, the cadets from the remaining classes who stayed behind exchanged glances that were strange, and quietly dangerous.
Leon left the waiting room with Carotin and Celia. The rest of Class A scattered as well, trading congratulations for a job well done. With an important evaluation still waiting the next day, the plan was simple: no extra training, just eat and rest. They had practiced enough already. Conditioning was essential now.
"What do you want to eat?"
"On a day like this, we've got to tear into some meat—"
"Leon~!"
A bright, playful woman's voice cut Carotin off mid-sentence.
Tap-tap, tak! Ta-da-dak!
Light footsteps closed in fast.
"Haha. Got a minute to talk with your big sister?"
Grab!
With a bizarre laugh, Hera came barreling in, scooped Leon up as if she were snatching some stranger off the street, and took off running with him held aloft.
"…Ah, right. We did say we'd meet later."
Only then did it seem to click for Leon. Dangling from her grip, he scratched his head.
"Wh—what?!"
He waved casually at the stunned Carotin and Celia, then went limp and let Hera carry him. If you can't avoid it, enjoy it, right? Resistance was clearly pointless anyway.
Hera beamed as she transformed into a streak of light and left the academy grounds in an instant. Pedestrians, roadside trees, and buildings blurred past. The speed was nearly that of a car.
Masters really are something else.
Leon quietly marveled at footwork that existed on a completely different plane from his own. Once his proficiency with the Heavenly Spirit Steps rose, he was certain he could reach this kind of speed too.
In less than three minutes, they arrived in a back alley on the outskirts of Elaim.
"We're here!"
"…Here?"
Leon dropped from Hera's arms, pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it between his lips as he asked. Fssht! A spark jumped; the tip caught flame.
"Doesn't seem like a great place for a conversation."
It was the kind of seedy spot where thugs might gather. He gestured with his chin at the rats and cockroaches scuttling underfoot and shrugged — a silent why the hell did you bring me here?
"…"
No answer came. Hera simply stood there, tongue flicking across her lips. As smoke drifted from between Leon's, her smile twisted into something even more unhinged.
"Hooo… Anyway, long time no see, sis—"
—CLAAANG!!
A sharp, shattering impact tore through the silence. Blade met blade. Sparks flared for an instant, lighting the dim alley before dying away.
"Whoa — damn."
Leon had drawn the Heaven-Shattering Sword in a reverse grip and thrown it up as a barricade. Hera, for her part, had a short sword pressed to his throat, grinning.
Skrrrk— skrik—
The two blades locked in a brief contest of strength, grinding out a harsh noise.
"…That's a pretty intense greeting."
"Hmm~."
Hera's eyes curved into elegant crescents. Then — kat! — she shoved his sword hard, creating space, and began to work her blade through the air as if stirring it.
Kang! Kaaang! Kagagagagang—!
Throat, heart, armpit, eyes, the hollow of the knee — every strike aimed at a fatal point. Sword-light flickered; sword-shadows surged. The short, undulating blade lashed at Leon with savage precision.
Hera kept her right hand in her pocket, swinging only her left as if she were toying with him — and still Leon could do nothing but defend and dodge. The gap between Master and Expert was not something you closed by simply taking away one of the Master's swords.
Pssht! Pssht!
Thin red lines began to score Leon's face and body. Since blocking everything was impossible, he gave ground on anything that wasn't a vital spot. Blood sprayed; flesh tore open — but his eyes never wavered. Those deep, settled eyes kept searching relentlessly for a way through.
"Just blocking won't cut it, you know~?"
Hera licked her lips and taunted him. Her strikes grew fiercer still. She shattered the rhythm at will, sending the blade along ever-shifting trajectories.
Tszzzzt!
The tip grazed under his chin. A sharp sting hit him, and with it the raw threat of death. This woman was genuinely trying to kill him.
Adrenaline flooded his brain like a bursting dam. Fear and dread transmuted into excitement and pleasure. The corner of his mouth lifted on its own, twisting into a thin, feral grin. At the same time, time itself began to crawl slower than it ever had.
What he needed was a single, decisive strike — the only chance of beating someone this far above him. Even if it was a reckless gamble, he had to take it. His eyes gleamed like a predator waiting for its moment.
Kang! Kang! Kagang!
Very small, very deliberate — Leon left an opening on his right side. He was prepared to sacrifice an arm. Compared to his life, one arm was a bargain.
Hera prodded around that gap a few times, then smiled faintly — and drove her sword hard into his right shoulder.
Ssshk!
Leon, instead of pulling back, threw his body forward. Boom! With a powerful stomp, he swept his blade up at an angle.
Jecheon Sword Style, First Form: Yeomyeong—
"That's enough."
Thuk!
Hera's sword, which had sunk about a hand's breadth into his shoulder, stopped. At some point, her right hand — free of the pocket — had caught the Heaven-Shattering Sword clean.
"…"
"…"
They held still, eyes locked, until the taut tension snapped like a cut bowstring. Shiiing— click. Both stepped back and sheathed their blades at the same time.
"You were actually going to throw away that arm?"
"Better than dying, right?"
Crazy bitch — and whose fault is that?
He spat the words flatly and pulled a potion from his spatial pouch, dousing the wound on his shoulder.
"Strange~."
Watching him, Hera slowly dragged her tongue across her lips.
"It's strange. How does a person change this much?"
"Well, people change a lot at this age."
"No."
She fixed him with an eerie stare as he answered so brazenly.
"People don't change easily."
"Come on, you only saw me a few times when I was a kid—"
Leon let out a dry laugh. In the memories left in this body, it had been at least five years since he'd last seen Hera. The recollections were so hazy and fragmented he couldn't be sure of the exact span.
"—and never this much. Absolutely not."
Wham!
"…?!"
Without warning, Hera slammed him back against the wall. Her arms braced on either side, pinning him so he couldn't move. Her upper body leaned in. Sssss— Her face drew closer, those dark-crimson pupils filling his vision. She peered into his eyes as if she meant to dig through them.
"Who are you?"
Leon was tall. And Hera was long-limbed enough that the top of her head came roughly to his chin. Because of that, they could look each other straight in the eye.
"…"
One pair of eyes was glossy and inorganic, like a doll's.
"…"
The other gleamed with a wet, blood-red light.
Hera's breath brushed against Leon's face.
"You used to shake like a leaf just looking at me. Now you hold my gaze just fine."
"Your eyes are really pretty, sis."
"That timid, cowardly kid fights like he's high on something."
"The sword was cutting pretty well today, yeah."
"A kid who couldn't even catch an ant, going around killing people like insects?"
"There are a lot of insect-like people out there."
Hera studied Leon's still-unmoving eyes, then broke into a wide smile.
"Not planning to say anything, are you?"
"…"
Leon played dumb, as if he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Fine. Fine."
"…"
"Whoever you are — I'm starting to like you."
She pulled back the body she'd been leaning in with and clapped her hands together once.
"Let's do this."
"Do what?"
"If you show me something fun tomorrow… I'll grant you one wish."
The bizarre proposal came out in a bright, cheerful tone.
"…A wish?"
Leon's right eyebrow shot up at a steep angle.
"Don't like the word 'wish'? Then call it a favor."
"…"
Leon smacked his lips and thought it over.
…She really is a complete lunatic.
A wish, out of nowhere? He had no idea what was rolling around inside that small head of hers. The way her mind worked was off-kilter — the classic profile of a madwoman.
But he liked it.
"Deal."
Because somewhere in her, he caught a scent similar to his own. Someone who chased thrills and stimulation. And as it happened, there were a few people he needed to deal with.
Might as well clean them out while I'm at it.
Alone, it would have been a stretch. With her, it would be easy.
At his answer —
"Heh."
— Hera's energy spiked. She grinned, then leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his forehead.
Chup.
The attitude of someone who'd found an amusing toy — or a cute pet. She even ruffled his hair. It was so sudden and so fast that Leon didn't even have time to dodge. She was a Master-rank fighter. If she decided to do something, he couldn't stop her.
"I'll be looking forward to it~?"
With a giddy, nasal lilt, she sprang away and vanished as if the ground had swallowed her. An exit as abrupt as her personality. Only the settling dusk, the rats, and the cool air remained. A faint breeze stirred Leon's bangs.
"…"
She really is a total freak.
Left alone, Leon scowled hard, pulled out a handkerchief, and scrubbed vigorously at his forehead.
