Doll (1)
As Seong Hyun-jin drew his sword, Yeonhui spoke to him.
"We need to figure out why it attacked the second-years, so don't kill it. Subdue it."
"Got it."
Seong Hyun-jin nodded and stepped forward. He pointed his sword at the assailant and said, "You look way too much like me for it to be a coincidence. Are you copying me or something?"
"……."
The assailant didn't respond. Instead, it charged again, as if its sword was the only answer it needed.
"No chit-chat, huh? That's your gimmick?"
Seong Hyun-jin gauged the assailant's approach speed in an instant and swung his blade a half-beat faster.
Kaaaang!!!
But the assailant seemed to anticipate it, parrying perfectly. Seong Hyun-jin was a bit surprised, letting out an admiring grunt.
"Damn, you're not just decent with a sword...."
On top of that, there was this nagging sense of familiarity, like he'd seen it somewhere before. Seong Hyun-jin tilted his blade at an angle, shoving the opponent back like a deflection. He then assumed a proper stance.
"Spirit Severing Sword, First Form."
「Gui Strike Kill」
Seong Hyun-jin gripped his sword in a reverse hold. In a flash, he lunged, targeting the assailant's arm.
The reverse-gripped blade bent fluidly as it whipped out. Since he'd been told to subdue it, he deliberately avoided the head. He started with a feint toward the head using his eyes and arm motion, then aimed for the right arm holding the sword.
Chaeng────!!
Surprisingly, the assailant parried without a hitch this time too. Seong Hyun-jin faltered slightly, a question forming in his mind.
"...What the hell?"
He hadn't gone straight for the arm from the start—it had been layered with a feint making it look like a head strike first. Yet the assailant had blocked the arm as if it knew from the outset that the head was fake and the arm the real target. It hadn't shown any motion to guard the head before switching late. No normal person could react like that. If it wasn't a trick, defending the head would be instinctual—who'd prioritize the arm when their head could get lopped off? Even masters reacted instinctively to killing intent in a feint, adjusting only after. What puzzled Seong Hyun-jin was the total absence of that process. It had guarded the arm right from the beginning.
Seong Hyun-jin swiftly dodged the assailant's follow-up counter and retreated. Noticing his collar slightly sliced in the exchange, he let out a dry chuckle.
"You."
He narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you even human?"
Yeonhui looked puzzled at Seong Hyun-jin's question. "Junior, what do you mean?"
"Humans have natural reactions when vital spots are targeted—even top-tier experts do, unless it's completely safe. The head? Slice it or pierce it like the heart, and survival odds plummet. You'd expect them to protect it...."
"No such movement?"
"Yeah, this guy's got none of that. Either it doesn't care if it dies, or it knew it was a feint from the start...."
To pull that off, it'd have to be at least knight commander level—maybe not his master, the Sword Star Hakodate Karin, but close. Yet the assailant didn't seem that strong.
"And its swordplay isn't that elite either."
"If it's not human, then what...?"
"Beats me."
As Seong Hyun-jin chatted with Yeonhui, the assailant readied another attack.
"Guess we'll find out once we take it down."
The assailant kicked off the ground and charged Seong Hyun-jin once more. To keep Yeonhui out of it, Seong Hyun-jin stepped forward a bit. The timing shortened slightly, but he'd already calculated it in his head.
Seong Hyun-jin angled his sword diagonally.
"Soul Severing Sword, Third Form."
「Akki Slash」
At the precise moment, he unleashed an upward diagonal slash.
Jeeeeeeng───────!!
This time, the assailant was sent flying back hard. Seong Hyun-jin clicked his tongue, impressed. "You tanked that? Pretty strong."
But the assailant wasn't unscathed. It had raised its sword at the last second, but the impact of the near-hit transferred fully. Its arm and upper body were immobilized for a while.
The assailant muttered at Seong Hyun-jin, "...Unrecognized swordsmanship detected. Not in existing data. Unable to counter."
Another mechanical tone. With the resemblance and inhuman behavior piling up, Seong Hyun-jin recalled his earlier encounter with Dean Eleonora and made a guess.
"You're a doll, aren't you?"
"Ah, a doll...!"
Yeonhui caught on too. "That fits. If it was a doll attack, no need to clean up the scene—it explains everything."
She added, "The fact it can't move at all after your strike proves it. If it were bones or muscles damaged, it could force movement, but dolls can't if the joints shatter."
Seong Hyun-jin tested Yeonhui's words against his hunch. He strode forward, but as she said, the assailant couldn't raise its sword anymore.
"Whoever made you...."
Thud!!
He closed in instantly, knocking the arm-immobilized assailant down in one go. He yanked off the hood to check its face.
"...Tasteless joke."
The fallen assailant bore a striking resemblance to Seong Hyun-jin—not just hair color, but the face too. Yeonhui, who had approached, gasped in surprise.
"Junior Hyun-jin, this is...."
The sword skill, the similar looks, the way it moved....
"Someone made a doll copying me."
Someone had crafted a doll mimicking Seong Hyun-jin to stage these attacks. The goal was clear: frame him as the culprit, tarnish his reputation in the academy. Attacking first-years might've been more direct, but he couldn't figure that part out.
"Copying looks is one thing, but matching skill? Even a Realizer adapts to the opponent—impossible for a doll."
"You're right, junior. Normally impossible. We should shut it down and inspect closely."
Yeonhui suggested, "Why not ask the dean?"
"Good idea. How do I stop it?"
"Dolls have a spirit core as the power source—usually right side of the chest."
"Opposite the heart, huh."
Seong Hyun-jin plunged his sword in. The doll's eyes dimmed, limbs going limp.
"I'll take it to the dean. Can you fetch Serena and Clarice, senior?"
"Sure. On my way."
"Okay."
"Oh, senior."
As Yeonhui moved to grab the doll and he prepared to leave, Seong Hyun-jin called her back.
"Thanks for the help. Made it easy."
"...No problem."
Yeonhui smiled warmly. "I'll bless you anytime, junior."
Dean Eleonora eyed the female student before her with a troubled look.
"Haa...."
She sighed deeply. It was her prized disciple, Ciela Teraport, coming to her for the first time with relationship woes, begging for advice. The social butterfly having issues? Unusual—Eleonora knew why, though. It involved Seong Hyun-jin.
Having overheard his unfiltered, boundary-breaking comments before, Ciela had been avoiding him, unsure how to act. Just earlier, she'd fled to the dean's office claiming busyness when he showed up post-class.
Ciela sighed heavily and asked, "Master, how should I deal with junior Seong Hyun-jin?"
"One bit of advice: take what Seong Hyun-jin says with a grain of salt. Ciela, he's just... exceptionally affectionate toward his master."
Eleonora cleared her throat awkwardly. "That's why he spouts nonsense sometimes."
"But I love you just as much, Master, and I don't say stuff like that."
"...W-Well, true."
Stung by the logical retort, Eleonora broke a light sweat. If Ciela grew distant from Seong Hyun-jin, she might lose her open-hearted disciple. Desperate to shield him, she hoped Ciela wouldn't fully sour on him.
"He's not a bad guy, right? You felt that too."
"True, but...."
"Men are like that. The dangerous ones pretend otherwise while harboring desires."
"Really...?"
"Yes. Types like honest Seong Hyun-jin are easier to handle...."
As Ciela began to nod along, the office door burst open without a knock.
Eleonora first thought it was Karin returning, but it was her disciple.
"Dean, you here?"
Seong Hyun-jin entered, a man of similar build tucked under his arm. Eleonora and Ciela blinked in confusion before realizing what it was.
"Student Seong Hyun-jin, that's...."
"S-Seong Hyun-jin junior? Where'd you get that?"
"Came for this. Dean, this doll was behind the second-year attacks. Someone made it look just like me. Clearly trying to frame me."
As mages versed in puppetry, Eleonora and Ciela recognized it instantly. Seong Hyun-jin figured they'd uncover the culprit fast.
But the response made him jump.
"...That's my doll."
Ciela had said it.