Protagonist Drift? (4)
Serena bolted awake at the sound of a piercing scream that tore through the night.
Still in her nightgown, she rushed out into the hallway.
"What was that!?"
The butler had clearly heard it too, panting as he hurried over.
"That scream just now—where did it come from?"
Serena demanded of the head butler.
"It... it sounded like it came from Instructor Zeke Clayman's room."
"What? The instructor's room!?"
Serena's eyes widened in shock.
Yustia's assassins!
Had they already made their move?
This was far too soon.
An unexpected assault when she was completely unprepared.
They're attacking the Yohayden household?
Was Zeke that important a figure?
Or did they not even care about the Yohaydens?
Serena's heart raced with urgency.
"I have to go!"
"No, you can't! Let the guards handle it—you need to stay here!"
The head butler tried desperately to stop her.
At that moment, Shuri—the maid assigned to attend Iriel—came running up, her face pale with panic.
"Lady Serena! Lady Iriel Yustia is gone!"
"What!? Why Iriel again!?"
Zeke Clayman. Iriel Yustia.
If something had happened to those two, it had to be Yustia's doing.
A sense of crisis gripped Serena's mind—this could be dire.
"I'll head to the instructor's room first. Butler, gather the guards and follow right behind."
"Lady Serena! You mustn't!"
"Out of my way."
The butler blocked her path with his own body.
"I said move. Butler. I am Serena Yohayden. I bear responsibility for what happens in this house. Especially if it's Yustia."
Her blue eyes pierced the butler like daggers.
Under the weight of her intense pressure, he gasped for air.
This felt just like facing the Yohayden Duke in her childhood.
When did she grow so much...?
The butler wanted to follow her, but there was no one else to inform and rally the guards.
He wavered between her safety and summoning the guards.
"I'll go with you."
"No. Your job is to call the guards. Do your duty, butler."
Serena refused firmly. Her eyes fell on the maid beside her.
"...But I can't just let you go like this. Shuri, at least accompany Lady Serena. If she tries anything dangerous, protect her with your own body if you must."
"Yes!"
And so, Serena headed straight for Zeke's room with Shuri in tow.
*
Bang—!
What...?
Serena flung open Zeke's door in a frenzy, only to stare in disbelief at the scene before her.
She'd raced here expecting a Yustia attack, breathless with dread.
But what the hell was this?
If anything, it was more shocking than any assassin strike—in a completely different way.
Iriel, in her underwear, was clinging to Zeke's neck with heated eyes.
And Zeke was gazing at her with what looked like concern.
Her heart pounded, her mind going blank as if scorched white.
Why...? What the hell is going on?
Had Zeke somehow regained his memories?
"...Instructor?"
Then, Iriel and Zeke's gazes slowly turned toward Serena.
"S-Serena?"
"...Serena."
They spoke her name in perfect unison, as if scripted.
In Serena's mind, the unbelievable reality began to take shape.
Right now.
In my house.
The instructor and.
Iriel.
Sneaking around in the middle of the night.
Crunch.
Serena felt her grip tighten.
In a low, chilling voice, she said,
"What... is... this... situation... right... now...?"
"M-Misunderstanding!"
Iriel stammered desperately, but her words didn't reach Serena's ears.
All she could see was Zeke Clayman's lips.
Yet Zeke just stared at her without a twitch.
"Why... why... aren't you... saying anything...?"
To Serena, his silence felt like a tacit admission—he'd remembered everything and chosen Iriel.
Her head burned, betrayal flooding her veins.
His words from earlier that day shattered and crumbled.
Of course, a moment's thought would reveal this was just mana road exploration.
But with the image of them embracing burned into her blue eyes like a brand, Serena wasn't calm enough for reason.
Betrayal.
What stung her most was betrayal from those close to her.
He betrayed me. The instructor betrayed me. Me. Betrayed me. To that damn cliff. I lost. I lost to her. He betrayed me. That man betrayed me. Betrayal. Betrayal. Betrayal. He said it was me, not Iriel. Said he wouldn't forget me. Said it was all thanks to me.
The light faded from Serena's eyes.
Whoosh—
Wind stirred at her feet,
Her silver hair swaying gently.
Then, fragments of her talent began to bloom.
Whoosh!
Overwhelming mana erupted from her body like an explosion.
Zeke watched with a hollow chuckle.
Damn, she's quick.
He'd examined her mana roads just days ago—less than a week.
Of course, he'd intervened to stimulate them for easy awakening.
And taught her meditation to sense mana.
But to awaken it this fast and even expel it outward? Unbelievable.
He hadn't explained immediately because he'd noticed her mana rippling subtly.
Guess she was pissed we did the mana road work she wanted without her. But if she achieves this fast from anger, maybe provoke it more often...? Mana really is emotion, huh.
Of course, Zeke's utter lack of tact played a role.
He was even thinking of using it as a training method.
Completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
"Z-Zeke! Stop staring like an idiot! Something's wrong with her!"
Iriel clung tightly to him as she spoke.
"Wrong?"
"Her eyes aren't normal!"
Hm? Isn't that pretty normal?
In dark fantasy terms, that was peak sanity.
She wasn't charging in, so she was holding back, thinking things through.
She might act like that when mad at being left out. Hell, there was that crazy saint who drew her sword and lunged when pissed.
But letting her keep spewing mana unchecked wasn't good.
She'd skipped straight past the 'absorption phase' for external mana.
Zeke gently disentangled from Iriel and approached Serena.
"...Serena."
"......"
"Mana isn't just for expelling— it must circulate."
"......"
But Serena just trembled, Zeke's words no longer registering.
"A bit early, but no choice. Time for the next lesson now."
Zeke extended one hand, beckoning her.
"Come at me. Like before."
* * *
BOOM!
Crash!
KABOOM!!
What... the hell is going on? Why are Lady Serena and Instructor Zeke...?
Shuri, who'd come with Serena, couldn't keep up with her daily training partner and arrived late.
She gawked at the incomprehensible scene.
Then she spotted Iriel huddled in her underwear.
The head butler and guards would arrive soon.
She couldn't let Yustia's lady become their spectacle.
Furniture flew amid Zeke and Serena's clash,
But Shuri crouched low and approached Iriel.
"Milady."
"Uh... y-yeah. Shu..."
"It's Shuri."
"Right, Shuri."
"Cover up with this at least."
Shuri swiftly grabbed a tablecloth and draped it over her.
The large table meant a big cloth—enough to cover Iriel fully.
"Th-Thanks."
"No problem. But the butler and guards will be here soon... They'll want to know what happened..."
Iriel's face hardened.
I can't say I snuck into Zeke's room at night! And stripped!
Her discarded slip lay conspicuously between Zeke and Serena.
She was Yustia's lady.
Sure, she'd nearly slipped up in the heat of the moment.
But almost causing a scandal in enemy territory like Yohayden?
If this got out, the fallout would be unimaginable.
Rumors could spread uncontrollably through high society.
What do I do? What now?
Her eyes darted frantically.
"Who goes there! Who dares attack the Yohaydens!"
Then the prepared guards and butler arrived.
They gaped at the sight.
KABOOM!!
BOOM!
Crack!!
Serena Yohayden swung at Zeke Clayman.
Zeke softly parried her fist.
Yet each miss shattered furniture with explosive bursts.
Why was she attacking Zeke?
How was the Yohayden's precious youngest lady wielding such power?
The guard captain, baffled, asked the butler.
"Butler! What the hell is this!? You said it was a Yustia attack!"
"I-I don't know either! Why!! Lady Serena!! Instructor Zeke!!!"
He called out in panic, but they ignored him, trading blows relentlessly.
Then the butler spotted Iriel wrapped in cloth.
"Lady Iriel Yustia. Can you explain what the hell is going on?"
His voice trembled with anger.
"Tr-Training!"
Iriel blurted with eyes squeezed shut.
"...?"
The guards, butler, and even Shuri stared at her in confusion.
"It's—it's how they train at Lamieli Academy!"
"Y-You're saying... that's training... right now...?"
The butler asked incredulously.
"I-I was training too, but my clothes flew off... so we paused."
"...We heard a scream."
"M-My clothes flew off!"
It was a plausible excuse, sort of.
But with expensive furniture still shattering in real time, was this really "training"?
A dry laugh escaped the butler.
"Serena must've seen me secretly training with Zeke alone and got upset at being left out. We usually only go that hard in the training grounds."
The butler and guards nodded, eyes fixed on the fight.
It did look like training, if you squinted.
Zeke wasn't harming her at all.
Serena was the one attacking fiercely.
And his occasional words carried profound lessons.
"Serena, your punch extension and retraction weren't linked to the next move."
"Serena, all motions are flow. Predict the next based on the opponent's defense."
"Are you circulating now? You feel something draining from your body. Don't blast it out completely—imagine it as elastic, fluid matter that can return."
The guards especially couldn't look away.
"Captain... Isn't Lady Serena stronger than us...?"
"...What the hell do they teach at Lamieli...?"
"Hasn't she only been at the academy a short while...?"
"My god. Turning ladies into... war machines...?"
Of course, Serena's punches and kicks were amateurish without formal martial training.
But any one landing would've caused serious injury.
"Maybe we could... learn some swordsmanship from Instructor Zeke Clayman..."
"You think a guest like that would teach the likes of us!? Don't be ridiculous!"
The captain barked, but he couldn't hide his chills of excitement.
As a warrior who admired the sword, he felt deep respect for turning a delicate girl like Serena into this.
Iriel was equally awed by the superhuman power.
I thought... I'd have the edge in a short fight against her...?
Intimidated at first, she recalled Zeke's words, igniting rivalry in her chest.
Huff—
Huff—
Huff—
Serena's breaths grew ragged.
Without Heavenly Flow Sword to move her body with mana, raw power wasn't efficient even in fisticuffs.
Zeke spoke.
"Tired?"
"...Yes."
"Well done regardless. You're circulating well now."
"......"
Twitch.
Serena's lips quirked up slightly at his words.
After clashing with Zeke, her heated head had cooled.
She understood now—why Iriel was half-naked, why she was in his arms.
Yeah, mana roads hurt. But say something if you're doing it! She said no, then sneaks in at night? And Instructor, you could've explained from the start!
Some resentment lingered,
But absorbing Zeke's teachings convinced her his words weren't lies—her power was real.
That tiny expectation from when he'd shown her flower-like swordsmanship
Was becoming reality. She could do it too.
Yes, this is my power. I can become a knight.
Serena clenched her fist tight.