I Became the Academy's Joke Character - Episode 152
I Became the Academy's Joke Character - Episode 152
Episode 152
It was a strange situation.
The sight of Mari, Ellenoa, and Arieta sitting together on the main hall floor, engaged in conversation.
Even if I could let Mari slide, the very fact that Ellenoa had chosen to be in the same place as Arieta without Oz around was bizarre in itself.
"I hate myself."
The one who spoke up was Ellenoa.
She pouted as she fixed Mari's hair, who was vacantly watching butterflies fluttering about.
"Is that so? What made you think that way?"
Arieta, as always, wore a solemn yet gentle smile as she spoke to Ellenoa.
Ellenoa looked at Arieta, who could effortlessly project an atmosphere she herself could never possess, and spoke with irritation.
"Even in a situation like this, I still feel jealous."
Ellenoa was jealous of Baekyang, who still hadn't regained consciousness.
Oz, who had come to his senses before Baekyang, was now clutching her hand as if he'd developed some kind of compulsion, watching over the situation.
They said she now stood at a crossroads between life and death, and even knowing that, Ellenoa found herself envying her place.
She was disgusted with herself for that.
"Saintess-nim, you're truly remarkable. No matter how much I try to dislike and resent you, your admirable qualities keep showing through."
It was ugly jealousy.
Ellenoa knew it too. That was exactly why she disliked Arieta in the first place.
She was jealous of Arieta, who seemed to have a bond several times deeper and more solid than her own.
It felt like she could never win. That was why she was afraid.
"Hmm......."
At Ellenoa's words, laying bare those inner feelings, Arieta furrowed her brow slightly before letting out a sigh.
"No, Noa-nim. The same goes for me."
"Excuse me?"
"I was jealous too. That's why I treated her as diligently as I possibly could. So she'd shake it off and get up from that spot quickly."
"......."
Ellenoa stared at Arieta as if it were unexpected. Arieta wore a bitter smile.
"You are doing well, Noa-nim. It's because you yourself think that it's a bad thing. It means you're not merely being swept away by your emotions."
"I think this is the first time you've ever complimented me, Saintess-nim."
"......If only you hadn't caused nothing but trouble on a regular basis, I would have given you many more compliments."
Arieta awkwardly scratched her cheek. That was because, for the most part, whenever the two of them crossed paths, it was a meeting in a negative sense.
The head of the disciplinary committee and the problem child.
This clear-cut relationship was what had sharply divided the two of them.
To Ellenoa, Arieta was an enemy who meddled in everything she did.
The two were polar opposites, yet they resembled each other as if looking into a mirror.
Their dispositions, their appearances, even the situations they were in were all different, but the result was the same.
The two had already noticed what feelings the other harbored for Oz.
Yet the reason they deliberately didn't let it show.
It was because of being the Saintess chosen by God, and being the sole heir to the kingdom.
It was because of those obstacles.
To act honestly on their feelings, the wall of reality blocking their path was far too high for both of them.
They couldn't make selfish choices. They believed that since these were paths they had chosen themselves, they had to take responsibility.
And so they kept leaving that subtle sense of distance between them.
Yes, holding onto the hope that maybe, someday, things might be alright, waiting for that time which might yet come.
The reason they came to wish for such fleeting miracles. It was because Oz had shown them what it looked like to keep striving. Because they had witnessed the fruits of that effort on several occasions.
Maybe, truly.
Maybe, this time too.
The two were pinning their hopes on that 'maybe.' They dreamed an endlessly sweet dream.
"......Shall we have a sparring match?"
"A sparring match? Noa-nim and me?"
While continuing to dwell in her imagination, Ellenoa suddenly blurted that out.
She felt suffocated.
The more she chewed over their current situation, the more the suffocation, along with hope, seemed to squeeze at her heart.
"Yes, I heard you've been honing your swordsmanship lately, Saintess-nim. This is a perfect chance, so show me what you've got."
"With a sword...... you mean?"
"Yes."
Ellenoa shrugged her shoulders as if to ask what the problem was.
And then she immediately fetched her greatsword and came out to the yard.
This was an opportunity. A chance to legally harass the annoying head of the disciplinary committee who had always gotten in her way.
She had no intention of letting this chance slip. It's a sparring match, after all, isn't it?
That means she could hit her legally.
"Alright. Since it's a rare occasion, shall we give it a try? Getting a feel for each other's rhythm might be good, too."
"You've thought it through well, Saintess-nim. It wouldn't be bad for you to taste the bitterness of the world with this opportunity."
Ellenoa corrected her posture and raised her greatsword.
She had gained new insights through the previous battle. A way to handle power efficiently.
Wasn't this a good opportunity?
If it was against Arieta, even going all out would probably be fine.
Even if she got a little injured, it would heal immediately anyway.
"Noa, what about my hair?"
"I'll do it in a bit, Mari. It won't take long."
"Mm......."
Mari tilted her head.
She fiddled with her hair, which was tied up only on one side, and then quietly laid her body down.
In Mari's opinion, it probably wasn't going to end quickly.
'If it's the Saintess-nim, there's no way she'd get tired or collapse.'
She herself, having experienced it firsthand, knew just how tremendous Arieta's holy power was.
Unless it was a large-scale battle or a powerhouse on the level of the [King of the Netherworld], there was no way to drain her ocean-like holy power.
Using a sword didn't mean she couldn't use divine arts.
The divine arts deployed on the foundation of overwhelming holy power would grant her strength surpassing most warriors and purify all attacks.
"Then shall we begin?"
Arieta smiled brightly as she drew her weapon.
"......What is that?"
Ellenoa's face turned dead serious.
It was a bit unexpected. Her own greatsword was one thing, but the thing Arieta was holding now was in a different league entirely.
Arieta had weak physical strength.
She could reinforce it through divine arts, but with a weak baseline, the efficiency was bound to be low.
That was why she had initially chosen a light weapon. A small sword, a weapon even she could handle.
But that hadn't been a very good weapon for Arieta, who couldn't move quickly.
So she had sought out a way to leverage her strengths.
"They call it Sahbokgeom."
She possessed a domain of holy power that could seize control of space and detect her surroundings. If that was the case, a weapon of the type that could dominate space would be ideal.
"......You certainly picked a truly sinister-looking weapon."
"It was a weapon from the Order's storage, so wouldn't that make it sacred?"
The weapon, which extended a pure white blade through holy power, traced pure white trajectories, yet it couldn't erase its sinister appearance.
"......Well, whatever. Even if it looks sinister, it seems like it requires considerable skill."
Ellenoa raised her greatsword.
"I'll teach you a lesson."
And she charged at Arieta.
*
*
*
After the sparring match ended.
"Huh......?"
Ellenoa lay flat on the ground, murmuring as if something were strange.
She wore an expression as if she didn't quite understand what had happened to her.
"Uh....... So, what you're saying is, I, to the Saintess-nim......."
I lost?
It took her a great deal of time to accept her own defeat.
She lost.
And it was a crushing defeat.
Getting even close to her had been impossible. If Arieta had just bulldozed her with overwhelming holy power, she could have at least understood.That was a crushing defeat, but it wasn't a simple matter of power. The overwhelming defeat was achieved through nothing but pure swordsmanship techniques. She had pushed Ellenoa back using precisely the kind of physical power Ellenoa herself possessed, without resorting to holy power. "Was this a joke?" "......." Ellenoa looked at her greatsword, which had been knocked far away. Arieta fiddled with the hilt of her Sahbokgeom with an apologetic expression. "I told you I was jealous." "...You said you'd been training in swordsmanship, but...." "It means I really did train hard. Until my whole body was bruised and battered." Arieta's eyes were serious. "This isn't enough. I can't just stay protected forever." The determination to protect what was precious to her was burning fiercely in her eyes. Ellenoa knew that resolve all too well. Because it was the exact same look she herself often wore. "......Can you teach me too?" "What?" "You said you learned it from someone, didn't you?" "Ah......." Arieta's brow furrowed slightly, but soon, as if she'd made up her mind, she nodded. "Yes. There is a class for instructors, so why don't we visit it together next time?" "......Would that person even accept me?" "......I suppose we could ask him to just give you a chance once? You'll have to try persuading him yourself from there." "Alexios-nim." "......." "I brought a guest for today's session." Alexios had been taking a nap at the gymnasium when he silently stared at the person standing behind Arieta. "......." A girl glaring at him with fierce, piercing eyes. Since she was trying to hide it, her expression was stiff, but she couldn't quite conceal the sharpness in her gaze. "What's with her." "She came saying she wants to learn from you, Alexios-nim." "......." Alexios looked at Ellenoa with an expression as if he were looking at a complete headache of a situation. Ellenoa had a rough idea. That this person was the teacher Arieta had spoken of. She'd heard he was a man, but she hadn't known he was this young. The Fist King. The first disciple of the [Dokkaebi King] and the being who was her master. He was the master of the first disciple who had driven Arieta and her student to the brink of death using a sword technique. Ellenoa had seen it. The kind of movement that maximized power efficiency, that it had etched into her brain. That way of moving hadn't been a coincidence. 'Was he the original?' "......." Alexios's eyes narrowed, and he scanned Ellenoa briefly, then turned his head away. "Not interested." He stated it clearly. It was a firm refusal, giving her no room to argue. "......Is that so." Ellenoa accepted it without resistance. She nodded without even objecting once. "It can't be helped. I'll have to find another way even if I have to......." "It's not that I doubt your talent." Alexios cut her off and spoke. "You've taken too much of a beating." "......Excuse me?" "The flow of mana in your body is all tangled up. Even if you want to move efficiently, with your energy pathways like that, it's impossible." "......." "It seems you haven't been able to rest." Alexios's eyes were calm. "Don't you know? That your body has already been pushed to its limits a long time ago." The only reason she was still standing was because her willpower was strong enough to override her body. Alexios noticed that much. And. 'She's boiling.' On the surface, she seemed calm, but that dry composure would easily shatter if you tapped it. An uncontrollable rage. An inferiority complex. An obsession. A sticky, boiling darkness was simmering within her. An unstable state. A time bomb that could explode at the slightest touch—that was what Alexios assessed her to be. "Go back and rest. For about a week." "......Even if I do rest, the tangled pathways won't recover right away." "I'll give you something like a prescription. Drink it boiled in water up to three times a day, and you'll be fine. I used to eat it often too." Alexios took out a few dried herbs and roots wrapped in cloth from his pocket. Ellenoa and Arieta recognized its identity. "......This is." "Isn't this a costly elixir?" "It's just grass roots. Take it. Now get lost." Alexios tossed the herbs to Ellenoa. Ellenoa caught it with both hands, looking a little flustered, and nodded her head. "......Thank you." Then she left the gymnasium without hesitation. Alexios watched her back. The discourteous brat who didn't even have the manners to introduce herself—that was his first impression. But he didn't dislike it. She was sincere. Greedy, and burning with determination. The kind of will that doesn't choose the means to achieve their goal. Someone who wouldn't hesitate even if it meant sacrificing themself. That was the kind of person Ellenoa was. The kind that pours their entire life into reaching a single truth. He'd seen it in his disciple, and he'd seen it in himself. 'She's just like her student.' No, she'd probably go even further. The girl reflected in the Fist King's eyes held a madness that, although different in form, was of a kind akin to his own nature. 'What made her like that.' She was still young. At that age, it was a time to be in full bloom. Flaunting their shining talents and youthful spirit, they should have been going wild. But she was like a candle burning at both ends, singeing her own life force. It made him curious. ......By the way. "......Alexios-nim?" "......." "What's wrong?" "Ah, I was just thinking about something for a moment." Alexios looked down at his hand that had thrown the herbs. He'd been trying not to get involved in troublesome matters. He'd come to the Academy to rest, but he'd already gotten swept up in something bothersome and had nearly died, hadn't he? He was thinking of just quietly staying put and resting for a while. But. 'The World Tree's Branch.' Perhaps it was guilt over breaking it. His body moved on its own. "Why are you doing this." "......Alexios-nim?" "If I have to keep facing situations where my mood is so easily swayed......." Alexios sighed. "......It seems my fists must be getting rusty."
But in the end, Ellenoa was toyed with by Arieta's bizarrely swinging Sahbokgeom and lost due to her stamina giving out.
All of Ellenoa's irregular movements were seen through, and without fail, the blade flew like a whip toward wherever she moved.
Against an attack that seemed to dominate space itself, Ellenoa had no choice but to stay on the defensive the entire time.
"Ow ow ow....... That hurts."
Lying on the ground, Ellenoa slowly looked up at Arieta, who was staring down at her own palm.
Her palm was bleeding, perhaps from being chafed by the sword's hilt.
"What......?"
Lost in technique? That could happen.
Ellenoa had no intention of making excuses for losing because she was lacking.
But look at that sight. Look at her bleeding palm.
Arieta's palm was infinitely fragile, to the point that merely clashing swords a few times made it bleed.
In other words, it was a smooth hand without a single callus.
"That's really too much......."
She lost to someone who had only just started learning the sword.
Ellenoa knew she didn't have much talent.
So she believed she had to try even harder.
But she couldn't help but feel it vividly now.
Just how much overwhelming talent turns the people around you into mere supporting cast.
Her heart was already troubled, and now even her confidence was shattered.
"Kkuk!"
Afraid she might spit out something awful from the rising sense of inferiority, Ellenoa gritted her teeth and stormed off.
*
*
*
At the end of her rush, she arrived at a wide clearing that Alexios was using for training.
It's infuriating. Absolutely infuriating.
Even more than the fact that she herself was weak, the idea that she might not be able to help Oz on the journey ahead was utterly maddening.
Whenever she thought that perhaps it wasn't her, but only her power that Oz needed, her body trembled.
She knew there was a difference in talent, but she didn't know it was to this extent.
If Arieta is like that, then what about Oz, who is comparable to her?
He was probably far more distant than Ellenoa imagined.
But until now, he hadn't looked that way. He was certainly amazing, but she had never felt this kind of wall.
'Because of me.......'
That was why Ellenoa came to think this way.
Wasn't the reason he seemed so close that he had deliberately stopped in his tracks to match her pace?
She was holding Oz back. She was fettering Oz.
Thinking that, Ellenoa felt an unbearable indignation.
Having spotted Alexios, Ellenoa immediately bowed her head.
"Hey, Fist King. Help me out, please."
"This bastard and that bastard......."
Alexios clicked his tongue as he watched Ellenoa ask for help so naturally, as if it had been entrusted to him.
"What the hell do you people take me for?"
Alexios had no reason to help her. Weren't they practically strangers with almost no prior connection?
If you really had to say, it was just an indirect acquaintance through Oz.
So would a sudden request for help be looked upon favorably?
No, there was no way that would happen.
Up until now, many bugs had flocked to the prestige of the name [Fist King], and Alexios detested those kinds.
"I lost to the Saintess-nim."
"Ah, did you? Did you think I'd be curious about such an obvious outcome? I'm not curious at all, so fuck off."
"I fought her with swordsmanship and lost......."
"......."
Alexios scowled.
The face of someone trampled by talent. He had seen it sickeningly often until now, but this time, it choked him up.
'Lena.......'
Because he had confirmed the outcome of that just a short while ago.
"You......!"
Alexios had intended to spit out a curse as usual, but he couldn't bring himself to ignore Ellenoa.
If he had just said a single word, if they had tried to understand each other.
'Would things have been a little different?'
That kind of thought was holding Alexios back.
"......The reason you lost isn't because of a difference in talent."
Alexios finally spoke, rubbing his face as if blaming himself.
But he wasn't looking at Ellenoa. He just seemed to be staring into the distance, reflecting on his past.
Seeming to reflect on the memory of the day he left Lena and went away.
"In the first place, Arieta's effort isn't something visible to the eye. That girl won't be able to improve from where she is now, no matter how much she trains."
Arieta was a person who couldn't hold mana within her and could be called an incarnation holding only holy power.
For someone like her, training her physical body was an impossible feat.
Due to the holy power that naturally healed her body, she couldn't build muscle no matter how much she trained, and no matter how much she swung a sword, calluses wouldn't form.
"That girl can't grow. So technique is all she has."
"But I fell victim to that technique."
"Is that greatsword just for decoration? Why are you trying to fight a technique battle with a greatsword?"
"......."
"A greatsword is a weapon that uses its weight to crush the opponent. Honestly, technique isn't that important for it."
"Are you saying that using a greatsword in itself is the problem?"
Alexios shook his head.
He snatched the greatsword Ellenoa was holding and swung it broadly.
It was an attack wielded with pure force and weight, without any special technique.
"For a greatsword, weight and force. One decisive strike is what's important. You're using a weapon meant for a short, decisive battle to fight a technique battle? Are you a dumbass?"
"......."
"To fight Arieta properly, you should have dragged her into your domain. You should have pushed on with brute force."
"But I tried to do that?"
Alexios tossed the greatsword behind him. When Ellenoa caught it, Alexios spoke, a sneer curling on his lips.
"What you fell victim to wasn't Arieta's technique, but the massive holy power hidden behind the technique."
"Hmm......."
"In the first place, with a Sahbokgeom, it should normally be shattered the moment it clashes head-on with a greatsword. She just pressed you down with that unfair power."
Ellenoa looked down at her greatsword. It wasn't a fight between sword and sword, but a clash between what each had trained for in their own domains.
Realizing this, Ellenoa felt a sense that it couldn't be helped. But the indignation didn't get better.
Regardless of the outcome, she had lost.
She couldn't say she wasn't frustrated.
"Then how can I beat the Saintess-nim?"
"Ha......!"
Thud!
Flipping a nostril, Alexios kicked Ellenoa.
Ellenoa, struck by Alexios's kick, tumbled across the ground several times before getting back up and raising her sword.
"Build up your basic stamina first, dipshit. A bastard who hasn't even got the basics down is already looking for a shortcut? It's not even funny."
"One way or another, every single one of the people who are my teacher's friends gets on my nerves! Indeed, I'm going to have to make him break ties with all of you so he only hangs out with me!"
Ellenoa declared boldly and charged towards Alexios.
"......No, but seriously, why are only weird fucks like this around Oz that bastard? Hey! I have no intention of being friends with that bastard Oz, so just fuck off!"
Alexios shouted in disgust, watching the charging Ellenoa.
I Became the Academy's Joke Character, Episode 152
Written by Ji Eun Yi
Yangparang
Publisher
Dawn Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Kim Tae-hyun
Cover
RONOPU
ISBN
979-11-6730-143-7 (05810)
ⓒ2021, Yangparang
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