Chapter 2
Chapter 2
First Meeting (1)
Whenever the sharp shouts of young girls playing knights while swinging wooden sticks at the village entrance drifted in through the window, I would always sit by the window and watch the scene with little interest.
"Ian, why don’t you go out and play with the kids? If you pick some flowers, I’ll put them in a pretty vase for you."
My mother’s gentle suggestion, and her kind hand stroking my hair.
An ordinary boy would have said "Yes, Mom!" and run out with a flower basket, but I simply turned the page of the book I was reading and answered dryly.
"It’s fine. I’d rather not sweat. Reading is more efficient."
In truth, I already knew.
Even if I joined those village girls’ games, the role I’d be given was obvious.
Either the fragile princess captured by a monster, or helpless village boy number one, shouting "I’m scared!" while being taken care of by little kids.
I had no intention whatsoever of babysitting those brats intoxicated with hero fantasies, swinging wooden sticks as if they were swords.
My time was far too valuable to waste as a side character for kids who would later strut around claiming they’d become heroes.
As another peaceful and unbearably dull day in the countryside was coming to an end, a cloud of dust began to rise from the village entrance.
On the narrow path where usually only one or two carts would pass, there appeared a carriage adorned with decorations so dazzling they hurt the eyes.
At first, I thought it was a traveling merchant, but as it drew closer, the intricate gold-embroidered emblem at its center gave off a sense of discord that simply did not belong in this rural setting.
The villagers stopped what they were doing and gathered around the carriage with their mouths agape.
The murmurs of the village men carried on the wind up to my room on the second floor.
"My goodness, look at that crest. Isn’t that a noble family from the capital?"
"It must be that young lady who came here to recuperate. I heard rumors she was demoted..."
The villagers were even preparing bouquets, filled with excitement.
Soon, the carriage came to a stop, and a servant ran forward to carefully open the door. All eyes focused on it at once.
As if expecting the protagonist of a legend to emerge.
And finally, she appeared.
Dazzling silver hair, flawless to a single strand, flowed over her shoulders, and her sharp, refined eyes—far too mature for her age—were cold enough to take one’s breath away.
Wrapped in silk garments, she looked around with a slight frown, as if the entire dust-filled scenery of this village disgusted her.
"...How annoying."
Those were her first words, spoken with a furrowed brow at the gazes pouring onto her the moment she stepped out.
The village head, who had been about to offer a bouquet, froze like a statue, and the excited villagers fell silent as if doused with cold water.
Her chilling voice and arrogant attitude, dismissing the welcoming villagers as if they were insects, could only be described as provoking hostility on a wide scale.
She looked around my age, but the aura she gave off was far sharper and more oppressive than when the blacksmith’s daughter threatened people with a hammer.
In fact, Kara, the blacksmith’s daughter who had been shouting about teaching her a lesson just moments ago, couldn’t even say a word when faced with her.
"She looks like she has a rotten personality."
Leaning against the window frame on the second floor, I muttered indifferently.
To me, she was nothing more and nothing less than an arrogant noble brat. That type was usually self-centered, accustomed to ordering others around, and especially prone to treating commoners like toys.
At that moment—
Her irritated gaze sweeping the surroundings met mine directly, as I sat by the second-floor window watching her.
Normally, one would panic and look away or hide, but I simply stared down at her. At my cynical gaze that seemed to say "So what?", her eyebrows twitched upward.
A strange light flickered in her eyes. As if to say, "How dare a country commoner look straight at me?" She glared at me for a moment, then snorted and turned her head away.
"...Hmph."
With that short sound, she disappeared into the mansion. The village road, where the dust had settled, was still filled with excited whispers, but I didn’t know then.
That the silver-haired intruder would thoroughly twist my peaceful daily life into something unbearable.
"...I should just read."
I turned the page again. But strangely, those cold violet eyes I had just met seemed to float over the letters.
"I hope I don’t run into her again."
That was my first impression of her from the second-floor window.
That was my first meeting with Yuki.
It had already been three days since the village became noisy.
People still whispered as they looked at the luxurious mansion at the village entrance. Sensational rumors like "that arrogant young lady scolded someone again today" or "she threw away all the tea because the temperature wasn’t right" had become the village’s only entertainment.
I headed to the place farthest from such rumors. The back mountain of the village, deep within a forest where dense trees blocked the view, was my favorite refuge. It was a place even the village children avoided out of fear, perfect for reading without interruption.
But that day was different.
Breaking the forest’s silence was not birdsong, but sharp sounds cutting through the air.
Swish—! Swish—!
A sound slicing the air at regular intervals. Narrowing my eyes, I moved toward the source.
Pushing through the bushes, I emerged into a clearing where the silver-haired girl from the carriage a few days ago stood.
It was Yuki.
Instead of her fancy dress, she wore practical leather riding clothes. Her silver hair, damp with sweat and clinging to her face, gleamed under the sunlight. In her hand was a fairly heavy iron practice sword.
Leaning against a tree stump, I quietly watched her movements.
"...A mess."
The movements themselves were textbook. She must have learned from a renowned instructor in the capital. But her sword carried malice. A desperate urgency, as if she were pushing herself to the brink to prove something. The emotions from that day clung precariously to the tip of her blade.
After some time, Yuki planted the sword into the ground, breathing heavily. Without even turning around, she spoke coldly.
"How long are you going to keep watching like a rat?"
So she noticed. I calmly closed my book and stood up.
"I wasn’t spying. This is my spot. It’s just that the noise of some rolling stone taking over and swinging around was too loud."
"What...?"
Yuki slowly turned her body. The same arrogant gaze I saw from the carriage pierced through me.
"You’re just a commoner boy, and you think you can interfere with a noble’s training and walk away unharmed?"
"Calling that training is a bit embarrassing, isn’t it? It looks more like you’re venting your anger than swinging a sword."
At my answer hitting the mark, her brow visibly twisted. She gripped her sword and approached me. With each step, a chilling aura climbed up from my feet. As expected of noble blood, the pressure she exuded at such a young age was impressive.
"What would you know about swords? With hands better suited for embroidery, you dare judge my blade?"
"I prefer books—they’re lighter than embroidery needles. And you don’t need to hold a sword to understand it. If you watch, you can see."
Her eyes wavered slightly. Whether I struck a nerve or she was simply dumbfounded by the boldness of an unknown boy, it was unclear. She stepped right up to me and lifted my chin slightly with the blade. The cold metal brushed against my neck.
"All talk, aren’t you? Kneel and apologize right now. The crime of offending me is not light."
"I refuse. I haven’t done anything wrong."
We stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment. In Yuki’s violet eyes burned the pride of a predator, while I calmly met her intensity. The standoff was tight. The tension between us thickened the air itself.
Just as Yuki lightly bit her lip and was about to apply force to her sword—
Crack—
From beyond the nearby bushes came the sound of a thick branch snapping. Too heavy and threatening to be just the wind.
"Who now...!"
Yuki’s head snapped toward the sound. I also gripped the handle of the small dagger at my waist, which I usually carried to ward off wild animals.
What emerged from the bushes was a massive wild boar, easily the size of two adult men combined. Its yellowed tusks curved grotesquely, and its bloodshot eyes were filled with madness.
"...!"
Yuki’s eyes, which had been glaring at me moments ago, shook violently. Her hand holding the practice sword trembled slightly. This wasn’t a training dummy, but a real beast filled with hunger and rage.
The boar scraped the ground with its forelegs, snorting heavily. Its target was clear—two young humans who had invaded its territory.
Grrrr...
The low growl of the beast tore through the forest’s silence. It was far larger than any seen near the village. Its protruding tusks were grotesquely curved, and its bloodshot eyes burned with madness.
"...This is bad."
I muttered quietly. Yuki still held her sword to my neck, but her fingertips trembled slightly. No matter how mature she seemed, to a child with no real combat experience, a ferocious beast would be pure terror.
"Hey... commoner, get behind me..."
Yuki whispered in a trembling voice. The arrogant young lady was gone—only a frightened girl remained. Yet instead of running, she stepped in front of me, gripping her sword again.
The boar’s forelegs scraped the dirt harshly. A signal of imminent charge.
"Miss, you said this was the perfect place for training, right?"
I muttered as I adjusted the strap of my bag. Yuki could not even respond, frozen as she stared at the boar.
"Look at that and think again. This seems like a good opportunity."
Even as I said that, cold sweat formed on the back of my hand. The boar let out a roar and began charging at us immediately after.
"...Honestly, you’re a lot of trouble."
With a sigh, I pushed Yuki’s shoulder aside and stepped forward.