Chapter 25: The First Letter (25)
Chapter 25: The First Letter (25)
Seria thought she had been acting strange lately.
It had started a while ago. Whenever she was with Senior Ian, she felt a strange sense of stability. It was a feeling she had never experienced before.
To her, other people had always been difficult to deal with. Seria found human relationships far more challenging than even the most complex exam questions at the Academy.
Since she was a child, she had struggled to express her emotions or opinions properly. Even when she did, she was often too blunt, leading to frequent slips of the tongue.
As a result, she either chose not to speak at all or, when she did, was labeled as "rude." She was well aware that others called her "The Rude Brat of Yurdina."
She told herself it didn't matter. After all, the only thing that made her a Yurdina was her sword.
Before she knew it, Seria began to find being around others uncomfortable and frightening. Her increasing isolation was inevitable. Yet, within that situation, she felt a sliver of loneliness mixed with a subtle sense of comfort.
Then, one day, a man stepped boldly into her daily life. It was Senior Ian.
Normally, she would never have summoned such courage. His first impression had been nothing short of terrifying. Even now, Seria trembled when she thought of the brutal violence she had suffered that day.
But that was precisely why she felt she could trust him. He was a man who could be as sharp as a blade, yet at other times, show a spirit of gentle tolerance. She thought that perhaps he could help her.
With the Hunting Festival fast approaching, he was her last chance to defeat her half-sister.
To be honest, Ian hadn't initially exceeded her expectations.
He was an excellent swordsman, but within the Academy, his skills were merely middle-of-the-pack. They had spent very little time together, and he hadn't been able to give her any practical advice regarding swordsmanship.
However, he gave her plenty of other advice.
How to train, how to rest, how to talk to others, and how to show her emotions.
He spoke to her endlessly and without hesitation. Even when she said something rude or hesitated in response, he never said a word of complaint.
He simply waited patiently. He never even got angry.
For the first time, Seria felt that someone who was her equal truly understood her. But the moment she truly began to care about him was during the swordsmanship practice.
When they were paired together and she heard the word "friend," she hadn't quite grasped what it meant.
But when Ian had charged out with his sword on her behalf, and when she saw him battered and broken on Professor Derek’s back, she understood.
That must be what a "friend" is. A relationship that transcends logic and reason.
To Seria, that relationship felt somewhat romantic. At the very least, the determination Ian had shown that day possessed such a quality.
The sight of Ian fighting a desperate, bloody battle for her sake, without regard for his own life.
Risking death for her without expecting anything in return—it was a kind of treatment Seria had never received in her life. It made her heart pound.
She began to find herself strangely preoccupied with Ian. When she woke up in the morning, when she swung her sword, and even when she lay in bed waiting for sleep to come.
Ian would cross her mind from time to time. Was he safe? Was he in pain? Did he resent her?
She looked forward to meeting him, yet she was also afraid. Afraid that he might be angry with her.
There were countless times she had stood fidgeting in front of the temple. Her heart wanted to see Senior Ian immediately, but every time she tried, she ran into someone else.
A beautiful girl with black hair. She had heard she was Senior Ian’s close friend.
Her name was Celine, if she recalled correctly, and she visited Ian’s sickroom several times a day.
And every time she encountered Seria, her reaction was always the same.
She would scowl deeply and brush past her with a cold, icy expression.
Because it felt like a preview of how Ian might react to her, Seria found herself becoming needlessly afraid.
The only reason she was finally able to muster her courage was entirely thanks to the help of a certain man.
That day, too, Seria was lingering in front of the temple when she ran into Celine. Celine’s reaction was the same as always. However, there was someone else standing beside her.
A man with brown hair and green eyes that suited him well, though he had a somewhat pale complexion. Perhaps he was from the Magic Department?
He had been laughing and chatting with Celine, but when he saw her expression suddenly change, he shifted his gaze to Seria. Seria instinctively lowered her head to avoid his eyes.
She was afraid. Afraid that he, too, would react negatively to her. She assumed he was likely another of Senior Ian’s friends.
However, the brown-haired man’s reaction was unexpectedly friendly.
"Hey there, pretty lady."
Seria, who was looking down and biting her lip, didn't even realize he was calling out to her. It was only when she felt someone approaching that she snapped her head up.
Seeing her reaction, the man chuckled, stroking his chin.
"Why are you always loitering in front of the temple? I’ve seen you here at least eight times now."
"Reto, mind your own business and let's just go."
Reto—that seemed to be the man's name.
Celine, seemingly displeased that he was showing interest in Seria, tugged firmly on his sleeve.
But Reto didn't budge. Seria hesitated, barely managing to open her mouth.
"Ah, well, that is... I mean..."
But the words that usually failed her were even harder to find now. Seria had no ability to handle such a sudden situation. Her face flushed hot with embarrassment.
Reto watched Seria for a moment before glancing off into the distance.
"Now that I think about it, are you 'Seria'? Ian was waiting for a lady by that name."
"Hey, Reto!"
Celine shouted, unable to contain herself. Reto whistled, pretending to cover his ears with his hands. Seria looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.
Celine trembled, grinding her teeth as she spoke.
"You... this is a betrayal...!"
"What do you mean, betrayal? And hey, don't you feel bad for Ian if he ends up with you? The guy deserves to have options."
"Ugh, seriously!"
Celine and Reto walked away bickering, and while Seria couldn't guess the full meaning of their words, only one thing remained in her mind.
Senior Ian was waiting for her. That thought made her heart swell with hope.
And when she finally faced Senior Ian, he was kind, as he always was.
For some reason, Seria couldn't look him straight in the eye. When he took her hand, her heart fluttered so much she thought she might be falling ill.
A soft, floating sensation. Yes, was this "friendship"?
It was a feeling she was experiencing for the first time. Seria thought that having a "friend" might be better than she had imagined. She was glad she had gotten to know Senior Ian, even if it was only now.
Of course, it wasn't as if only good things had happened to her during that time.
She didn't know how it had happened, but her reputation among the Academy students had worsened. The bullying, which had been somewhat subtle, was becoming increasingly blatant.
Then one day, the harassment intensified with sudden severity.
It was like sliding down a steep slope.
"Hey, that's her. That's the one."
"Oh, the top student of the second year? I heard she ran away like a coward in front of a demonic beast."
"You know that Senior Ian? They say he risked his life to protect her. Apparently, he's the one with the real skill, and she's just a fraud."
The mockery was loud enough for her to hear, a constant shadow of criticism that followed her wherever she went.
She didn't mind that much. No matter how much they tried to belittle her, it didn't change the fact that her skills were real. And deep down, she even agreed with some of it.
Senior Ian’s skill was the real deal. She hadn't realized it during training, but the number of demonic beasts he had dispatched that day proved it. He was much stronger in actual combat.
She told herself she should learn from that, trying to soothe her heart. For the sake of Senior Ian, whom she respected, she could endure any amount of criticism.
But occasionally, insults were hurled that even she couldn't bear.
"Hey, look, the Rude Brat is passing by."
"Oh, the one who was raised without a mother?"
Seria’s footsteps came to a dead halt. Her eyes turned toward the source of the voice. Standing there was a well-built man with golden hair and bronze skin.
And then there was the chatter of his lackeys. Seria’s eyes sank into a cold, dark gloom.
It was the cafeteria. Seria had been carrying her tray to a seat when he had thrown the insult right at her, loud enough for everyone to hear. He had targeted her most painful point—her mother.
A surge of emotion rose within her, manifesting as clear hostility. But the bronze-skinned man—Teahn, from the Southern United Kingdoms—merely curled his lips into a mocking smirk.
"What's wrong, Miss Yurdina? We're just talking amongst ourselves. Do you have something you want to say?"
It was obviously directed at her, but since there was no clear evidence, Seria could only bite her lip.
She turned away sharply. She had decided that engaging with him would only lead to trouble.
Seria’s mother was considered a disgrace even within the Yurdina family. Even if the Yurdinas heard such mockery, they would likely ignore it on purpose. Their goal was to treat her mother as if she had never existed.
That realization made Seria feel unbearably miserable. Her body trembled slightly.
The snickering continued. Teahn said sarcastically, "Yeah, just keep ignoring people like us like you always do, okay? Whoops."
As he spoke, he bumped into Seria’s shoulder as if pushing past her. Seria’s tray nearly flipped over.
Startled, Seria adjusted her grip on the tray, but as Teahn’s gang members each bumped into her one by one, she couldn't hold on. Finally, the tray overturned completely.
Seria’s sharp gaze pierced Teahn and his gang. If she only had her sword, people like them wouldn't even be a match for her.
But Seria was alone, and soon the sound of laughter at her overturned tray followed. It wasn't just the men. Recently, even the women had joined in mocking her.
In the end, she had no choice but to grind her teeth and clean up the mess. Unless it was a duel, fighting was forbidden within the Academy. She had to handle disputes that could be dismissed as "accidents" on her own.
But Seria lacked the social ability to do so. The only thing she knew how to do was swing a sword.
This was the ecosystem of the Academy, which was like a jungle. In every sense, the weak were destined to be marginalized and cast aside.
It was essentially a training facility masquerading as an educational institution. So, Seria simply had to endure it. That miserable feeling.
But even that was different when he was around.
Suddenly, the laughter mocking her cut off. The eyes watching her quickly scattered. Just as Seria was standing there in confusion, a voice called out from somewhere.
"Seria, it's been a while. I just got discharged... wait, did you drop your tray?"
Black hair, golden eyes. And that nonchalant voice.
It was Senior Ian. As soon as he appeared, everyone stopped paying attention to Seria as if nothing had happened. More accurately, they were warily watching Senior Ian.
The story of Ian crushing the demonic beasts in the forest had spread throughout the Academy under the name "The Southern Forest Demonic Beast Massacre Incident."
As the story was embellished, Ian became known as a cold-blooded man who wouldn't blink an eye at stabbing someone if he felt like it. This was, of course, due to the rumor of "The Yurdina Near-Death Incident" reacting chemically with the new story, but Seria didn't know those details.
She simply let out a silent sigh of relief. Even the miserable feeling she’d had to endure while gritting her teeth melted away the moment she saw Ian.
As long as Senior Ian was there, everything was fine. With him present, the mockery and criticism directed at her vanished instantly.
Ian naturally joined Seria in cleaning up the tray. As he helped her pick up the spilled food, he asked her with a worried look.
"You're not having some kind of trouble lately, are you? How does a swordsman lose their balance like that?"
"...No, nothing's wrong."
To be precise, it was because Ian had arrived that everything became okay.
Unable to bring herself to worry Ian, Seria could only say that.
That was Seria’s ordinary daily life lately.
Snickering echoed in the alleyway. It was a mixed group of men and women. They looked quite pleased with themselves, as if they had recently found a fun source of entertainment.
"I'm telling you, did you see that Rude Brat of Yurdina? She couldn't say a word."
"She can't do anything, that bitch... I told you, she's an illegitimate daughter, so if you talk smack about her mom, she won't be able to step up. The Yurdina family probably wants to pretend she doesn't exist anyway."
"But still, she's a Yurdina. Is this really okay? What if that Senior Yurdina from the fourth year comes back...?"
As they giggled and talked, one man cautiously raised a concern, but the others shook their heads as if telling him not to worry. The woman who seemed to be the leader of the pack spoke up.
"Don't worry about it. We just have to enjoy ourselves until then. Honestly, Senior Yurdina probably feels the same way, don't you think? A girl raised without a mother, a lowborn brat acting like she's our equal..."
Then, a scrawny man standing next to the woman chimed in agreement. He cackled.
"Yeah, actually, instead of Senior Yurdina, what about that third-year, Senior Ian? If he finds out, that would be..."
"That would be?"
"Even scarier! Haven't you heard the rumors? They say he destroys everyone, noble or commoner alike. He's so terrifying, he crushed ten high-ranking demonic beasts... Hi-hiieek!"
The man, who had been excitedly continuing his story, ended up letting out a scream at the voice that came from behind him.
The faces of the rest of the gang, who had been listening to him, turned pale as they gestured with their eyes for him to look behind him.
And standing behind him was a man with black hair and golden eyes. There was no one who didn't know who he was.
He was the most talked-about person in the Academy lately.
Ian Percus, one of the Academy's greatest mad dogs.
The scrawny man's eyes shook violently.
"Tell me more. What about Seria?"
"Ah, well, I, I, I, that is..."
The gang members, who had been chatting happily just moments ago, turned their heads away with pale faces. They desperately tried to avoid Ian's gaze.
But that didn't mean Ian was going to stop his questioning. He simply crossed his arms, his golden eyes sinking into a deep, dark intensity.
It seemed another problem had arisen.