The First Encounter
When the sharp cries of the village girls swinging wooden sticks in their knight games drifted through the window cracks, I would always sit by the window and watch the scene with mild disinterest.
“Ian, why don’t you go outside and play with the other children? If you pick some flowers, Mother will put them in a pretty vase for you.”
Mother’s gentle suggestion came with an affectionate hand stroking my hair.
Most boys my age would have answered, “Yes, Mother!” and grabbed a basket, but I merely flipped another page of my book with a flat tone.
“I’m fine. Sweating is something I’d rather avoid. Reading is far more efficient.”
I already knew what would happen. If I tried to join the village girls’ games, my role was obvious: either the frail princess captured by a monster, or the powerless village boy who had to cry “I’m scared!” while being looked after by the little ones.
In any case, I had not the slightest intention of cleaning up after brats who fancied themselves heroes while waving sticks around like swords. My time was far too precious to waste playing sidekick to children who would later swagger about becoming warriors.
That was how another peaceful, utterly dull day in the countryside village was drawing to a close when a thick cloud of dust began rising from the village entrance.
Along the narrow path where usually only one or two carts passed, a carriage appeared, its decorations so lavish they hurt the eyes.
At first I thought it might be a wandering merchant, but as the carriage drew closer, the intricate crest embroidered in gold leaf at its center radiated a sense of otherness completely at odds with this rural backwater.
Villagers stopped what they were doing and gathered around the carriage with mouths agape. Their murmurs carried on the wind all the way up to my second-floor room.
“Good heavens, look at that crest. Must be from one of the central noble houses.”
“I heard the young lady was coming here to recuperate. There were rumors she’d been demoted…”
The villagers were even preparing bouquets, buzzing with excitement.
Eventually the carriage stopped, and a servant hurried over to open the door with care. Every gaze in the village converged on that door at once, faces filled with the expectation that some legendary figure might appear.
And finally, she revealed herself.
A single strand of flawless, dazzling silver hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her sharp, refined eyes—far too mature for her age—were cold enough to steal the breath of anyone who met them.
Wrapped in silk, the girl wrinkled her nose as though every speck of dust in this village disgusted her, and swept her gaze around.
“……How annoying.”
Those were the first words that left her lips the moment she stepped down from the carriage, her brow furrowed at the flood of stares.
The village head, who had been about to offer a bouquet, froze like a statue. The excited villagers fell silent as if doused with cold water.
That chilling voice and arrogant attitude, which dismissed the welcoming villagers as though they were insects, was nothing short of a wide-area aggro pull.
She looked about my age, yet the aura she radiated was far sharper and more oppressive than even Kara, the blacksmith’s daughter, when she brandished her hammer.
In fact, Kara—who had been loudly threatening to teach someone a lesson with her hammer just moments ago—now stood frozen, unable to speak under the pressure.
“She looks like she has a terrible personality.”
Leaning against the windowsill on the second floor, I muttered to myself without much interest.
To my eyes, she was nothing more and nothing less than an arrogant noble brat. That sort was usually self-centered, accustomed to ordering people around, and especially prone to treating commoners like their personal playthings.
That was when it happened.
While scanning her surroundings with an irritated look, her gaze met mine directly—me, sitting at the second-floor window and watching her.
Most people would have looked away in embarrassment or hidden, but I simply stared down at her in silence. My cynical “So what?” expression made her eyebrows twitch and shoot upward.
A strange light flickered in her eyes. It was the kind of arrogance that seemed to say, “How dare a mere country commoner look me straight in the eye?” She glared at me for a long moment before letting out a short snort and turning her head away.
“……Hmph.”
With that brief sound, she disappeared into the mansion. The dusty village road was still filled with the villagers’ excited whispers, but I didn’t know it yet—that this silver-haired intruder would thoroughly twist my peaceful daily life.
“…I should just read my book.”
I turned another page. Yet strangely, those cold violet eyes I had just met seemed to float above the letters.
“I hope I don’t run into her again for no reason.”
That was my first impression of the girl I had seen from the second-floor window. It was also my first meeting with Yuki.
Three days had already passed since the village became lively.
People were still gossiping about the luxurious mansion that had taken root at the village entrance. Stimulating rumors—such as “That arrogant young lady scolded someone again today” or “She poured out all the tea the maids brought because the temperature wasn’t right”—had become the village’s only source of entertainment.
I headed to the place farthest from such rumors: the forest deep in the mountains behind the village, where dense trees blocked the view. It was my favorite sanctuary. Since even the village children were too scared to come here, it was the perfect spot to read without interruption.
But that day was different.
What broke the forest’s silence was not birdsong, but sharp sounds of something cutting through the air.
Shhh—! Shhh—!
At regular intervals, the air was sliced apart. I narrowed my eyes and walked toward the source. Beyond the bushes, in a clearing, stood the silver-haired girl who had stepped out of the carriage a few days ago.
Yuki.
Instead of her ornate dress, she wore practical leather riding attire. Her silver hair, damp with sweat, clung to her face and gleamed in the sunlight. In her hands was a fairly heavy-looking iron practice sword.
I leaned my back against a tree stump and quietly observed her movements.
‘……A mess.’
Her form itself was textbook. She had probably learned from a renowned instructor in the capital. But her sword carried venom. It was the desperate, self-lashing swing of someone trying to prove herself to others. The emotions she had felt that day clung to the tip of her blade, swaying precariously.
After some time, Yuki drove her sword into the ground with a rough breath. Without even turning around, she spoke coldly.
“How long do you plan on peeking like a rat?”
So I’d been caught. I calmly closed my book and stood up.
“I wasn’t peeking. This is my usual spot. It was just too noisy with some rolling stone suddenly taking over the place and swinging a sword around.”
“What……?”
Yuki slowly turned her body. The same arrogant gaze I had seen from the carriage days ago pierced through me.
“A mere commoner boy dares to interrupt a noble’s training and thinks he’ll get away with it?”
“Calling it training is a bit embarrassing, don’t you think? It looks less like sword practice and more like taking out your anger.”
At my pointed reply, Yuki’s brow visibly twisted. She adjusted her grip on the sword and approached me. With every step, a chilling pressure crept up from my feet. As expected of noble blood, even at her young age, the intimidation she exuded was considerable.
“What would you know about swords? You should be holding an embroidery needle, not lecturing me on my blade.”
“Book pages are lighter than embroidery needles, so I prefer those. And you don’t have to hold a sword to understand it. Watching is enough.”
Yuki’s eyes trembled ever so slightly. Was it because I had struck a nerve, or was she simply incredulous at the audacity of some nameless boy? She came right up to me and lifted my chin with the flat of her blade. The cool touch of metal brushed my neck.
“All talk, aren’t you? Kneel and apologize right now. The crime of ruining my mood is not light.”
“I refuse. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
We stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment. Yuki’s violet irises burned with the fire of a proud carnivore, while I met her intensity with nothing but a nonchalant expression. The standoff was tense. The air between us grew thick and sticky with pressure.
Just as Yuki bit her lip and began to put strength into her sword—
Crack—
A thick branch snapped beyond the nearby bushes. It was too heavy and threatening to be mere wind.
“Now who is it…!”
Yuki’s head snapped reflexively toward the sound. I, too, gripped the handle of the small dagger I always carried at my waist to ward off wild animals.
What emerged from the undergrowth was a massive wild boar, easily the size of two grown men combined. Yellowed tusks jutted from its mouth in a grotesque curve, and its bloodshot eyes were filled with madness.
“……!”
Yuki’s eyes, which had been glaring at me just moments ago, widened in shock. Her hand holding the practice sword trembled faintly. The opponent was no training dummy—it was a real beast driven by hunger and rage.
The boar scraped the ground with its forelegs and snorted heavily. Its target was clear: the two young humans who had invaded its territory.
Grrrrr……
A low growl tore through the forest’s silence. It was far larger than any boar we usually saw near the village. Its protruding tusks were grotesquely curved, and its bloodshot eyes gleamed with frenzy.
“……We’re screwed.”
I muttered under my breath. Yuki still had her sword pointed at my neck, but her fingertips were trembling. No matter how mature she tried to appear, a ferocious beast was pure terror to a child with no real combat experience.
“Hey… commoner, step back……”
Yuki whispered in a shaky voice. The arrogant young lady was gone; only a frightened girl remained. Yet instead of running, she stepped in front of me and readjusted her grip on the sword.
The boar’s forelegs scraped the dirt roughly—a signal that it was about to charge.
“Listen, young lady. You said this was the perfect place for training, right?”
I spoke quietly while adjusting the strap of my bag. Yuki couldn’t even answer; she was frozen, staring at the boar.
“Take another look at that thing. This seems like a good opportunity.”
Even as I said it, cold sweat beaded on the back of my hand. The very next moment, the boar let out a piercing squeal and charged straight at us.
“……Honestly, this is turning into a lot of work.”
I sighed, pushed Yuki’s shoulder aside, and stepped forward.