The Duel's Hidden Questions
Professor Egmont's head had been chopped off, and even in the literature lecture, I was getting exam hints.
On top of that, today's lunch special was smoked calf steak. Nothing could top that.
I figured it would be the most enjoyable day I'd had in a while… until I realized what was happening.
'…Why in the world did they drag me here?'
What on earth is going on? The thought kept looping at the edge of my lips.
I had clearly been heading to the cafeteria for lunch, yet here I was at the arena.
"Raoul! Push harder! Do it right!!"
And there was Raoul, that traitor, cheering for me like a fool.
He already knew Rie couldn't beat me even if she woke up dead, didn't he?
He should be cheering for Rien instead! That would at least make it less annoying!
Even without that, my head was already pounding, and somehow a few martial division students had shown up, starting to whisper.
"What? Why is Rie acting like that with Lucian?"
"I heard the young lady is teaching Prince Lucian swordsmanship?"
"Eh? Suddenly? What's going on? There must be something!!"
No. Please, I beg you, just go back to the cafeteria.
With a sigh, I turned my gaze to Rie, who was staring up at me with her neck craned.
Her expression was utterly ambiguous. I had no idea what she was thinking when she decided to teach me swordsmanship.
"What are you doing? Are you really going to keep lowering your sword?"
"You yourself are lowering yours, too."
"I'm much stronger than you, so even if you take the initiative, you'll lose before I even show you anything. I'm waiting to gauge your level."
"…."
"Don't mention the past. It no longer works."
That made sense. It was ten years ago, and Rie had only just begun learning what "swordsmanship" even was. I had slipped in through the gap.
Now, no matter how many hundreds or thousands of me showed up, I still couldn't beat her.
Focus. Rie, by her nature, must want something. She's doing this for a reason.
No matter what I say now, she'll probably ignore me.
So I should just give her what she wants and get out of this mess quickly.
First, I took the uppercut stance and swung once.
It looked simple on the surface, but there was no way.
Even if the opponent had been any other student, they could have blocked it easily.
It was basic basics, with just a tiny bit of exaggeration—simply swinging the sword.
And the opponent was no ordinary student. It was the academy's genius, the prospective valedictorian.
Clang!
As proof, Rie blocked my attack without even trying, one hand still on her hilt.
"You didn't put enough force and the angle was wrong. If you wanted to break her defense, you should have hit here, not there."
She flicked her wrist, pointing to the spot on her sword.
I already knew that. I could see exactly where to strike.
And the sequence replayed vividly in my mind.
The problem was my body couldn't follow the movement.
Faint circles were already forming on the corners of Rie's frame right now.
If I could target those points, it would be a turning point for me.
The issue was how to get my sword there without being blocked.
"Slower!"
I couldn't even swing before it was completely sealed.
"Swinger harder! Otherwise you won't even scratch your own hand!"
They also hit on my male pride for my weakness.
"Idiot? If you only watch my attack, what then? You have to read the opponent's direction and counter move. It's no different from ignoring my advice during debate time!"
Is she showing mercy because I'm a literature student now?
Honestly, it didn't hit home at all.
For the next ten minutes, I took more than ten criticisms.
One criticism per minute. Even in basic swordsmanship, I hadn't been this destroyed.
My breathing grew ragged. I couldn't stop moving; my chest was about to burst.
Exhaling heavily, I shifted to a defensive posture.
Rie, by her nature, would confirm everything and immediately switch to offense.
It looked like that attack was about to rain down any second.
And as expected, once she confirmed my attack had ended, she gripped her sword and delivered an incredibly fierce declaration of intent.
I just needed to survive one exchange. Please, no single blow kill.
I had witnesses, and Raoul was there. I didn't want to look foolish.
Just as I thought that, Rie finally began her attack.
The moment her foot lightly tapped the ground, her next move was already clear in my head.
She would charge straight at me, dip her body slightly, and slash diagonally across.
It wasn't flashy or complicated, but it was a powerful strike.
And I took a defensive stance according to her visible and mental movement.
But even then, my body didn't follow as well as I wanted.
"…I died once. From the right side of my hip all the way to my left breast."
"If it had been a real battlefield, the armor would have protected you."
"Perhaps. But Lucian? That assumes the sword deflected the attack. In a real battlefield, what would be layered over that sword?"
A groan escaped me at Rie's words, and I fell silent.
Ordinary knights used only swords, but those who went further manipulated mana alongside them.
In some places called aura, in others sword energy—blue energy.
Even if it cut through solid armor, it was a privilege that made the strong stronger.
"This time I'll go a little slower. Keep your mind sharp and block the attack."
"…."
"I'm not playing with you. As the first-year representative, I'm trying to help you."
I knew. I could feel it. She was truly trying to help.
If she had shown her real ability, a person like me would have been knocked out in ten seconds.
The reason she was playing so nicely was that she wanted to teach me something.
Whoosh—
With a sharp sound, the wooden sword flew right in front of me.
I could see the movement clearly, and I understood exactly where I needed to block.
Still, my body wasn't even close to matching those abilities.
Ah, I'm about to hear it again. The thought flashed through me when I suddenly noticed Rie's speed slowing.
Thanks to that, I barely managed to adjust my defense in time, and right after, Rie's wooden sword struck the spot with a thud!
"Blocked!"
"Lucian is finally starting to adapt, huh?"
That's not it, you kids. She's simply slowing down on purpose.
You couldn't read that from afar. It's not that!
We locked into a pushing contest, each trying to drive the other's sword away.
As we got closer, Rie finally revealed the reason she had created this situation.
"You. You threw Professor Egmont out of the academy."
As I expected, that was what had been on Rie's mind the most.
She could have just walked up and grabbed my collar and demanded an answer, but instead she was sneaking around. It made my chest tighten for no reason.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not doing this for just one question. I heard you were worried about swordsmanship, so I came to watch and ask questions. It's a win-win."
"Why can't you just answer one thing? I'm not like the academy genius or the prospective valedictorian, so I can't even handle one thing properly."
"Don't lie."
"I'm not lying. Didn't you just watch? I didn't miss even one of your attacks…"
"Your eyes were following. That gaze that knew exactly where my attack started and where it was going. Did you think I wouldn't notice? I've been watching since earlier."
Even if you knew all that, why are you doing this?
When I asked, Rie shook her head and said to answer the first question.
Since she had asked first, answering would mean she would answer too.
I fell into thought for a moment.
Should I answer honestly, or should I just dodge?
The only certainty was that I had no proof against her.
The suspicion that I might have had something to do with Professor Egmont's head flying off was strong, but I wasn't careless like that—myself or my friends.
She was the daughter of Count Haniel's family, yet no matter how much I dug in a few days, reaching solid facts would be impossible even for the royal family.
"…Yes."
Still, I decided to answer honestly.
She probably wanted a specific answer, and she had an expected one in mind.
It was better to give her exactly what she wanted.
"…As I thought. You may be a professor, but I don't like how rude you were."
"That and pestering you was why I got rid of you."
"What?"
"I didn't like any of it. So I kicked him out. Thankfully, my friends handled it well."
"Wait, wait a second. What did you just—"
No reruns, you woman. I muttered that to myself as I pushed her away.
What I said to Rie just now was not some act or scheme. It was truly my inner thoughts.
I wasn't some nerd or homosexual; I had no ulterior motives toward Rie.
Since we had known each other since childhood, and it wasn't like she was just any pretty girl.
If I had entered the social world instead of the sword world, I would have gained the title of the kingdom's flower.
Yet here was this old man with personality issues, constantly bothering Rie.
As a man, I couldn't just let that slide.
A normal man who flirted could be understood, but a pervert like that teacher deserved to be cut off.
"Now, it's your turn to answer my question."
I deliberately narrowed the distance to give the spectators an appropriate show.
We met blades again, exactly as before, and I asked the question that had been on my mind.
"If this situation wasn't an excuse to question the Egmont professor, what exactly were you trying to confirm? I know you can't beat me."
"I already told you. Your eyes were already following my movements completely."
"…."
"I wanted to confirm whether the situation was the opposite of what I thought. I thought you had stepped back one pace, but it turned out you stepped back two. Who was fooling whom? I needed to be sure, Lucian."
I still had no idea what she was talking about.
What was she trying to confirm? What was one pace behind, and what was two paces? I needed an explanation I could understand.
If there was something my ability couldn't detect, it was probably two things.
A woman's heart, and the mindset of idiots.
"Don't you want to handle it well? The sword."
"Eh?"
"Why are you asking? I saw potential in you. If your body followed your eyes and judgment alone, I guarantee you would reach my level."
"…."
"I'll help you."