Dopamine Addict
Unfortunately, I've never met a teacher who could beat me until now. I needed a stronger teacher, so I chased away every single one who was even slightly lacking compared to me. Some tried to hold out, but most couldn't last a month before fleeing.
"Are you scared?"
"Celestia? You want to spar with your teacher on the first day?"
"It seems we must."
"What a student lacking common sense. Fine. If that's what you want, I'll prove it to you."
Fortunately, this teacher readily accepted my sparring request.
We entered the training room. I picked up a wooden sword, and the teacher opened a single grimoire.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, I am."
"Begin."
"I'll take you on with my eyes closed."
With those words, I raised my wooden sword. Even with my eyes shut, I could see. No—only with my eyes closed did everything truly bloom open. My ears, nose, sense of vibration, touch... all of it flowered like petals unfurling.
The opponent's movements, heartbeat, breathing—everything was visible. Every tiny motion a person couldn't consciously control came into view.
"Eyes closed?"
"Here I come."
Whoosh!
I charged at Edn, who looked dumbfounded at my closed eyes. To block my strike, the teacher deployed a magic barrier—and with a boom!, it shattered in a single blow.
The teacher's eyes widened in shock.
"...!"
"You're weak."
This was boring. Shattered in one strike? Were all mages this frail?
I swung my sword once more. And then...
Clang!
Sword met sword.
"Hoo... heh heh... I see, Celestia. You're one of my kind."
Edn's eyes gleamed with ecstasy. The corners of his mouth curved upward toward his cheekbones in delight, twitching as if intoxicated by the thrill of battle.
Yes. I got it. This teacher was the same type as me. As expected, the sword outshone magic in strength—and in fun. Nothing could match the dopamine rush of this muddy brawl.
Ecstasy overflowed.
"Where'd you get that sword?"
"Celestia? I always carry one."
Cling! Whoosh!
Movements unfit for a mage. Speed and power unfit for a mage. The grimoire had long been tossed aside, rolling on the floor.
Now, the training room held only two swordsmen.
Whoosh! Thud! Step!
Wooden sword against real steel. The teacher showed me no mercy, and I gave him none either.
This was fun. How long had it been since I'd had a spar this exciting? The thrill that games, TV, and the internet couldn't provide consumed my entire body.
It didn't even matter that he was wielding a real sword. What mattered was finding an opponent I could clash with fully.
"Hup...!"
Boom!
With a sound like a bullet firing, my wooden sword flew into the air. It clattered to the ground. His real sword hovered at my throat.
I'd lost. For the first time...
"You're no mage."
"How rude, Miss Celestia. Adults can't just do whatever they want. I'm a proper mage."
"Even with that?"
The grimoire rolling on the floor. Edn gave a wry smile at the sight. He sheathed his sword and hid it inside his coat.
Ah, so that's how he concealed it...
"Ahem... Forget what just happened, Celestia? It was an old habit slipping out. I didn't act my age..."
He picked up the grimoire and dusted off his clothes. Then he extended a hand to me.
I grabbed it and stood—while simultaneously pressing my wooden sword to his throat.
"Did I ever admit defeat?"
"You've got me..."
He shrugged as he said it.
"My victory."
"So, what now? Are you going to chase me off too?"
"Of course not, Teacher."
I wasn't stupid enough to discard a fun toy like that. Besides, I'd finally found the honey pot of experience points I'd been hunting—who'd pass that up?
In truth, there was a set way to grow stronger in this world.
In the original story, Tears of the Stars Flow Along the Blade—nicknamed Star-Eye Sword—it boiled down to two methods. The first was experience.
Like in an RPG, stacking up experience made you stronger bit by bit, almost without realizing it. Training under a skilled master or sparring repeatedly with the strong accelerated it even more.
The second was hunting. Killing monsters granted strength proportional to the lives you took.
The original protagonist used both methods to grow quickly. He found a good mentor and partners, got dragged into battles he didn't want, slew monsters, overcame crises, and became a true protagonist through endless growth.
'The best way for me to grow stronger right now is sparring with strong opponents...'
I began organizing my tasks ahead.
First, eat the macaron. Then, get my dopamine fix. Finally, grow stronger. Once I'm strong enough that survival isn't a risk, I'll chase the pampering I originally wanted.
Perfect. My plan was flawless. And if luck was on my side, I could snag both dopamine and growth at once.
"Macaron first..."
"Celle really loves sweets, huh..."
"I don't get chances to eat them often. Nom..."
I stuffed macarons into my mouth. I'd hated sweets before, but since becoming Celestia, I loved them. In this stimulation-starved medieval world, the extreme sweetness of macarons was stimulation in itself...
"Want more, Mari?"
"Nah, I'm full."
Mariella just gazed at me with a beaming smile.
And then—
"Miss. Teacher Edn is here."
My personal maid, Annette, called for me. Class time was approaching.
At the word 'Edn,' I shot up like Pavlov's dog. I'd been waiting for that name. So eagerly...
"Mari, sorry, but I have to go to... class."
I left her with those brief words and bolted excitedly to the training room.
Edn, the family-exclusive magic tutor. He was the only one skilled enough to cross swords with me.
This was our second encounter. I'd lost days ago, but today, I planned to beat him.
"Miss Celestia. Long time no see."
"Good to see you."
Edn visited the family only once every five days because he held a high position in the Magic Tower.
I itched unbearably, like a puppy teething and desperate to bite something.
I thrust a wooden sword at him right away.
"I've been waiting, Teacher. Let's start."
"This is tricky... Fine. Since it's the last time..."
"...Pardon?"
"Let's finish the spar first, then talk."
But Edn dropped some cryptic words. Then he grabbed a wooden sword and pointed it at me.
"Guess we'll never get to magic lessons."
"I'll pass on magic."
"Honest, aren't you...? Shall we begin?"
"I'll take you on with my eyes closed."
My declaration of full commitment. My lips curved into a smile. Dopamine was already surging.
I had to grow stronger. No—had to enjoy this.
"Ready."
Thud-boom!
As I raised my sword, the teacher charged first this time, wooden sword leading. It sounded like something launching.
Boom!
"Ngh...!"
"You blocked that head-on?"
"No need to parry."
At first, I'd deflected his strikes. But that let him seize the initiative, leading to defeat.
Today was different. I blocked head-on and exploited the split-second opening from his failed attack.
"A power mage, huh."
"Rude...!"
Boom!
As expected, I aimed for that slight gap, but Edn reacted swiftly. He closed in again.
He slashed down from above. Naturally, Edn spun aside gracefully.
Boom! Crack!
At this point, it was a miracle the wooden sword held up.
Grrrind! Boom!
Wood clashed against wood, producing crude construction-site noises repeatedly. We exchanged blows, eyes rolling to read each other's strikes.
The sound of eyeballs