Trading Blows
‘Faster…!’
Though no outward reaction showed, Fleta was in shock.
She had pulled out her maximum power, but she had not been holding back in the slightest.
Each strike had been powerful, razor-sharp, and incredibly precise.
Yet the girl facing her sword had not wavered even an inch.
Instead, she wore a tiny, almost apologetic smile, as if regretting that the clash had ended so quickly.
Whoosh—!
Fleta whipped her blade away, straightened her stance, and gave the distance a little more room.
She had originally planned to probe for weaknesses with a probing strike, but after this one clash she realized why she had been called the Academy’s genius and the future Sword Master.
One collision, and everything was clear.
Speed, power, nothing was lacking.
She had seen the flicker of a counter as she retreated, yet she had held back out of respect for the ongoing test of wills.
‘Only a first-year, yet she carries the weight of mountains.’
Being young had its advantages, but it also meant lacking experience.
And Fleta knew all too well that inexperience often turned to impatience.
Rie was barely a first-year at the Academy—nineteen, barely an adult.
She had never truly stepped into battle, never swung a sword in a life-or-death struggle.
Fleta had expected some rough edges, but there had been none.
‘Raw, unrefined stone. Still glowing with brilliance.’
If that stone were properly cut and polished into a real gem, what would it become?
Why had the title of Academy genius and future Sword Master been bestowed upon a mere nineteen-year-old girl?
Fleta had learned it all with a single clash of blades.
She had never underestimated her opponent, yet the feeling only grew stronger.
Rie had made up for her lack of experience with genius talent and endless hard work.
Considering that, it had been a close call whether she would have lost this match.
“This time I will take the first move, Instructor Fleta Presto von Deodore.”
“Please.”
The beginning was light, the steps graceful, but the follow-up strikes grew heavy and merciless.
When Rie’s attack met Fleta’s, Fleta exhaled a helpless sigh.
She had always felt confident in her own swordsmanship, yet facing a real genius made every bit of past pride feel stripped away.
For a brief moment she had been pushed back.
It was not mere exhaustion.
In that tiny gap Rie had twisted her blade, adding a fake motion to confuse and then strike.
She had shaken Fleta’s balance and posture, something no ordinary knight could ever do.
Clang—!
Their swords rang with a brutal sound, the clash of steel echoing like a warning.
“Rie Arche von Haniel.”
Even with blades locked, Fleta opened her mouth.
“What relation do you have with my brother?”
“I do not understand what you mean, Instructor Fleta.”
“This duel is with me as your instructor, but this conversation is with Fleta Presto von Deodore, eldest daughter and future head of the Deodore family.
I am speaking of my only brother, Lucian.”
Whoosh—!
Fleta shoved Rie away with rough force and struck upward diagonally from below.
The blow was so powerful that Rie chose evasion over blocking.
The moment she moved, Fleta’s sword swept through the space she had vacated.
The air itself seemed to cut.
…
The duel was not reckless.
Each strike was heavy, each attack carried killing intent.
To ordinary onlookers it would have looked like children playing, but to two women already at this level it was more than sufficient.
“Your answer came too late.
Do you not want to answer? Or do you simply not know?”
Was it a question or a veiled provocation?
Fleta’s soft murmur made Rie’s eyebrows twitch.
She immediately charged forward like a storm.
Fleta muttered, “As expected,” and raised her sword in a single straight line to block Rie’s savage sideways slash.
Tak—!
“You know it well, Fleta-nim.”
“You know?”
“Yes.
Both Lucian and I know exactly what kind of person the other is.”
Fleta’s eyebrows twitched again.
It was not rage, but clear displeasure.
Yet she could not deny it.
Another clash began, and the two women fought fiercely, back and forth.
“I love Lucian.”
“Even as a child you showed glimpses of it.
Was it simply the pure wish of a girl who could not forget the innocence of that time? Or is it the dream of a woman?”
“The latter.
And I have already shared every part of myself with Lucian.”
Fleta instantly understood the hidden meaning in those words.
“You may cause my brother much pain.”
…
“He does not wish to reveal himself.
He does not want enemies when he does not need them.
Yet if you, Rie, daughter of the Haniel marquis and future head of your family, become his partner without a word, without agreement between them, my brother will have to sacrifice and endure even more for that.”
“I will walk beside him.
More than anything, Lucian is the most important person to me.”
Fleta clicked her tongue in disapproval and stepped back as before.
She then unfolded the white cloth she had prepared earlier.
…Eh?
Mikael let out a sigh in alarm.
Seeing the sword Fleta offered to Rie, he looked both surprised and concerned.
His instinct to stop them vanished the moment he remembered Fleta was the Academy’s instructor.
He had even realized she was a knight who had already passed the examination and served the kingdom with distinction.
He quietly sat back down.
“Here you are, Rie student.”
Whoosh! Clang—!
The sword arrived in her hand.
Rie looked at it for a moment, then slowly drew it from its sheath.
A clear ring and brilliant light burst forth together.
“Honestly, I am not pleased.
It concerns me greatly.”
To Mikael it sounded like she did not want the sword, that she worried.
But the truth was that she was offering it to the girl who longed to be connected to Lucian.
“But what can I do.
You want it.
There is no reason to stop you, no grounds either.”
Fleta’s figure momentarily blurred.
She appeared directly in front of Rie.
The sunlight-reflecting blade gleamed with eerie light as it was driven down.
Clang—! Crash—!
Rie blocked without flinching and pushed back at the same time.
Defense and offense flowed together naturally, like water.
Fleta, facing the blade that came straight for her, twisted her body in a perfect rotation.
She aimed to make Rie drop the sword from Rie’s own hand.
But Rie pulled back at the last instant.
Fleta, sensing the opening, pressed the blade close and thrust.
Rie immediately brought her own blade to her side to guard and twisted her body slightly.
Only a hair’s breadth more and a red line would have appeared on her flank.
“I will try harder, Fleta-nim.”
“You should.
But my brother, Lucian, must try harder too.
To become a man worthy of a woman like you.
I thought he would remain my cute little brother forever, yet I have already arranged a fiancé for him.
But he is still too young.
He has grown up too fast.”
Fleta landed a slap that was more symbolic than painful.
Rie’s sword was struck powerfully against Fleta’s blade with a resounding thud.
Fleta had just finished thrusting when a cold wave reached her neck.
She hurriedly softened her attack and retreated.
…Huh?
Soon Fleta understood why she had felt that foreign aura.
She had believed Rie’s posture was ruined, yet Rie’s eyes were completely unchanged.
Moreover, she had been ready to counter with the blade reversed at any moment.
That was why she was called a genius.
No, this was no mere genius.
It was like a monster.
Fleta muttered to herself and slowly lowered the hand holding her sword.
Seeing this, Rie also stepped back slightly and lowered her blade.
When the duel ended, Mikael let out a long breath of relief.
The two women who had fought fiercely had not even broken a sweat.
Yet Mikael felt as if he had been the one who had dueled them.
‘I am still far from that level.
Much, much farther.’
He had taken the knight examination.
He was recognized as a promising martial division student at the Academy.
Yet whenever he held a sword, a mysterious chill would grip his entire body.
He knew he needed to escape that feeling quickly, but it was never easy.
The sword was not only a tool to take lives—it could also take his own.
How many people in this world could truly be free from its fear?
Yet those two girls had not feared the blade even for a moment.
Instead, they had become the blade itself, flying, slashing, swinging.
Only respect and admiration could arise in such a sight.
—Those who grow sharp as a sword will one day be cut down by one.
Therefore, they must be honed even more.
They must only be swung at the necessary moment.
They must not wound the innocent with unnecessary cuts.
—The words of Deputy Captain Bukenmayer echoed in her mind.
Seeing Rie and Fleta, the future of the kingdom looked brighter.
Moreover, she felt a stronger desire to stand beside them and help.
“Lady Rie Arche von Haniel.
It was a good duel.”
“The same for me.
You worked hard too, Lady Fleta Presto von Deodore.”
After exchanging polite greetings, Rie and Fleta reached out for a handshake.
Immediately after, Fleta smiled and bowed slightly.
She leaned close to Rie’s ear and whispered.
“My troublesome little brother, the one who is still obsessed with chocolate despite his age.
Please take care of him.
Although he is not that kind of boy, if he starts ignoring you or breaks your heart, please tell me.”
“There will be no such thing, but… yes, I understand, Fleta-nim.”
“When we are together, you may call me unnie.
It reminds me of the old days, and it makes me feel good.”
At those words, Rie looked at Fleta for a moment, then smiled brightly.
This was one of the mountains she had to overcome to stand beside Lucian.
And she had just passed the hardest peak of all.