The Shattered Pride
Jeong Hayeon was waving her hand from the front row of the auditorium. “Jiyun! Over here, hurry up!”
“...Yes.”
“I saved the very best seats right in front for us.”
Cha Jiyun walked over and sat down beside her. A large banner hung above the auditorium stage.
Radeon vs Nam Doyun
It didn’t take long for Radeon and Nam Doyun to step forward onto the stage. Jeong Hayeon watched Radeon closely. He held a dagger in his hand. She let out a small snort. As expected, Radeon had no intention of taking Nam Doyun seriously. It was only natural. Facing someone who had learned swordsmanship for only a week with full sincerity would have been far stranger.
“...He really shouldn’t do that.”
Cha Jiyun tilted her head slightly.
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“...Radeon choosing a dagger is a tremendous error.”
Cha Jiyun spoke in her usual concise tone.
“Why is it an error? Even with a dagger, Radeon should be able to overwhelm Nam Doyun without any trouble, right?”
Cha Jiyun shook her head slowly.
“...Nam Doyun is not an opponent so insignificant that Radeon can face him with a mere dagger.”
“....?”
To Jeong Hayeon, the statement made no sense. There was simply no way Radeon could lose, even wielding a dagger.
At that moment—
“Then shouldn’t you be carrying a longsword at your waist?”
Nam Doyun said.
“...That won’t be necessary.”
“You said it yourself. If you thought it was worth using, you’d draw the longsword. How will you use it if you don’t have one?”
“....Very well. I will do as you wish.”
With those words, Radeon slid a longsword into the sheath at his waist. Jeong Hayeon tilted her head again. Arrogance? Or mere bluffing? Did he truly believe Radeon would draw the longsword against someone who had only trained with a blade for a single week?
“Everyone, please step back,” Elbin announced.
“Begin!”
The moment the command rang out, Radeon kicked off the ground and surged forward. When he leaped toward Nam Doyun, the latter’s sword grip looked utterly pathetic. He stood in an awkward, half-crouched stance, seemingly frozen. There was no way he could possibly dodge the dagger flying straight for his throat.
But—
“!!!”
Jeong Hayeon’s eyes flew wide. In an instant, the longsword Nam Doyun raised blocked the dagger perfectly. The reaction speed was astonishingly fast. It was a swiftness she could not believe belonged to Nam Doyun.
This time Nam Doyun leaped toward Radeon. He swung the longsword at his opponent’s face. Radeon responded by raising his dagger at incredible speed to meet it. Just before the dagger could deflect the blade—
Nam Doyun twisted his body, instantly altering the sword’s trajectory. The blade now streaked toward the right side of Radeon’s ribs.
Clang—
That attack, too, was blocked without effort. Yet a sigh still slipped from Jeong Hayeon’s lips.
“...No way.”
Radeon had drawn his longsword to stop Nam Doyun’s strike. It was the weapon he only brought out when he decided to fight in earnest. Radeon’s face twisted into a frown. Seeing it, Cha Jiyun gave a small, quiet laugh.
“...As expected.”
She smiled as though this outcome had been inevitable. Jeong Hayeon stared at her in a daze.
“Jiyun.”
“...Yes?”
“Did you know this would happen?”
“...I told you. Nam Doyun is not an opponent Radeon can handle with a dagger.”
“......”
Jeong Hayeon’s expression clouded with confusion. Had Jiyun truly known? How?
“Jiyun.”
“...Yes.”
“Then… is Radeon actually going to lose?”
It was a possibility Jeong Hayeon could not even imagine.
“...No. That will not happen.”
Cha Jiyun denied it as well.
“Right? Of course.”
“...Even if he is an existence beyond the norm, there is no way he could defeat Radeon using only pure swordsmanship. It would be different if he could use mana, but…”
“.....”
“...It has only been a week since he picked up a sword. He cannot have much real combat experience.”
Cha Jiyun nodded, seemingly convinced. Then she stopped. After a brief pause, she continued.
“....Or perhaps he could win.”
“What do you mean?”
“....If he uses the item he obtained at the auction house that day.”
Something had flashed through Cha Jiyun’s mind—the ancient tome of Count Asura she had acquired at the auction and given to Nam Doyun. If he used that, he would likely win this match as well. But there was no reason for him to do so. No reason to shorten his own lifespan just to win a simple duel.
“Hm? The item from the auction?” Jeong Hayeon asked.
“...Ah. It is nothing.”
Jeong Hayeon turned her gaze back to the stage. Her expression gradually stiffened. Now that Radeon had drawn his longsword, Nam Doyun should not have been able to stand against him. Yet—
Clang— Clang— Clang—
The two exchanged blows on completely equal footing. Neither could claim a clear advantage. Tension crept across Jeong Hayeon’s face. Radeon wasn’t really going to lose… was he? No. Impossible.
“Haa—”
Radeon retreated to create distance. His expression turned deadly serious in an instant. This was his declaration that he would now fight with everything he had. Jeong Hayeon breathed a sigh of relief. Once Radeon fought in earnest, Nam Doyun’s chances of victory vanished completely.
Yes. That was it. Radeon had simply underestimated his opponent until now. Once he got serious, Nam Doyun would not even be a match.
Whoosh—
Radeon kicked off the ground once more and charged. His speed was far greater than before. The longsword flew toward Nam Doyun’s face at a velocity that defied belief.
But—
“!!!”
That strike, too, was blocked effortlessly by Nam Doyun’s blade. He showed no sign of strain whatsoever. Clang— Clang— Clang— The exchange resumed. Radeon’s face had never looked more serious, yet his swordsmanship still could not break through. On the contrary, he was slowly being pushed back.
The sword art she had considered the most beautiful was beginning to crumble. Jeong Hayeon bit her lip until it hurt. He couldn’t truly be losing. No. There was no way Radeon’s swordsmanship could fall apart.
Yet it was. Little by little, his form collapsed. In contrast, Nam Doyun’s swordsmanship remained utterly unshaken—nearly perfect. Jeong Hayeon could no longer tell whether this was reality or a nightmare.
She pinched her own cheek hard. The stinging pain proved it was no dream. This was real.
And then, suddenly—
Nam Doyun sheathed the longsword at his waist. Radeon leaped toward him, blade streaking for his head. It was not a distance from which he could possibly dodge. Jeong Hayeon was certain of Radeon’s victory.
At that instant—
Swoosh—
A powerful gust of wind slammed into Radeon. He toppled.
“!!!”
Jeong Hayeon’s eyes flooded with shock. What had just happened?
“....”
She could not close her mouth. She did not understand why Radeon had fallen at the very end.
“It seems the instructor made an incorrect judgment. Don’t you agree?”
Nam Doyun said to the fallen Radeon.
Jeong Hayeon nodded. So the wind had been a coincidence after all. They would surely hold a rematch. She let out a sigh of relief.
But Radeon took Nam Doyun’s offered hand and rose. Then he spoke.
“No. The victor is indeed Nam Doyun. This is my complete defeat.”
“....”
Jeong Hayeon stared blankly at the scene. If the fall had truly been caused by a random gust of wind, Radeon would never have admitted defeat so cleanly. That could only mean the wind had been created by Nam Doyun—through swordsmanship alone.
“......”
She gazed at Radeon in stunned silence. Had he really lost? The Radeon she knew? Truly? Was this reality?
The sword art she had admired more than any other had been mercilessly shattered today. By a man who had only trained for a single week. It felt as though everything she believed had been overturned.
“...Jiyun.”
“...Yes?”
“...I’m not feeling well. I’ll head back first.”
With those words, Jeong Hayeon rose from her seat. She chewed her lip. How much must Nam Doyun be laughing at her? At the girl who had proudly declared he could never win. How ridiculous she must have looked in his eyes. She remembered the promise they had made. Could she truly give up on Radeon?
She had promised. He had even staked his place at the academy. It was a promise she had to keep. Yes… but still…
The sun had set, leaving the night dark and quiet. I sat on a park bench. It was about time for her to arrive, so I pulled out my phone to check the time.
The promised time had been midnight, yet five minutes had already passed. When was she going to show up?
Tap. Tap.
Footsteps approached from the distance. I turned my head. It was Jeong Hayeon. When she saw me, she let out a heavy sigh and sat on the far end of the bench, leaving plenty of space between us.
“...I watched the sword duel today.”
Her voice carried the faint trace of tears. She must have cried at home before coming out.
“..Yeah.”
“..Just asking, but…”
“What?”
“Was it really only a week ago that you started learning the sword?”
“Of course. You saw it yourself. Me swinging a sword a week ago.”
“...That was…”
“If you watched my stance back then, you should know. I was a total beginner. No one could fake that level of clumsiness.”
“..Then let me ask one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Did you already know you had the talent to beat Radeon in only a week?”
“Obviously.”
“...I see. Well, the world does have people with absurd talent.”
Her expression grew gloomy. She continued.
“..I must have looked pretty pathetic, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I told you to give up because you could never beat Radeon. It must have been hilarious.”
She lowered her head, as if scolding herself.
“No. Not at all.”
“...?”
She looked up at me with a puzzled face.
“If I were in your position, I would have reacted the same way. Some guy who’s never even touched a sword before acting all confident about dueling Radeon.”
“....”
“About the bet we made, though.”
“....”
Her expression hardened instantly. She fidgeted with her hands, clearly anxious. She probably thought I was going to force her to keep her promise to give up on Radeon.
But I had no intention of pressuring her. A person’s heart only clings harder the more you try to force it to let go. The best approach was to let time weather it away naturally.
Jeong Hayeon spoke.
“..You mean giving up on Radeon? I… I’ve been thinking about it.”
“No. You don’t have to.”
“...Huh?”
She looked startled.
“You don’t need to force yourself to forget him.”
“...But we made a bet.”
“A person’s heart doesn’t always listen to what they want.”
“.....”
Jeong Hayeon stared at me in a daze.
“So I’ll wait.”
“..W-what?”
She stammered—the habit she always showed when flustered.
“I’ll just wait until you forget him.”
Time would take care of it eventually. Her feelings for Radeon would fade.
“.....”
She continued staring at me blankly. A full minute of silence passed between us.
“...You’ll wait?”
“Yeah. One year, two years, however long it takes. I’ll wait until you forget Radeon.”
“......”
Her pupils trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
“I think I’ve made my feelings clear enough. I’ll head out now.”
With that, I stood up. I was exhausted. I needed to get back to the dormitory and sleep.