Chapter 30: The First Letter (30)
Chapter 30: The First Letter (30)
Seria was in a particularly foul mood that day.
It was because Senior Ian hadn't shown up for morning practice. She didn't know why. She simply assumed that, being Ian, he must have had some unavoidable circumstances.
She understood, but that didn't stop her spirits from sinking.
It was the time she looked forward to most. It was one of the few moments of light in a day otherwise filled with constant mockery and harassment.
Before she knew it, Seria’s days had begun to revolve around Ian rather than the sun. Morning practice with him marked the start of her day, and evening practice with him marked its end.
Any time spent outside of those hours felt hollow—just a routine she had to endure, as she always had.
It was the first time in her life she had ever looked forward to spending time with someone, the first time she had gone to bed with such a fluttering heart.
Though it was a faint emotion, Seria had lived a life more barren than anyone. Like a colorblind person perceiving hues for the first time, she was slowly awakening to her feelings.
That was why she felt so gloomy today. She was displeased, and beyond that, she felt an edge of anxiety.
When one grows accustomed to food seasoned with salt and spices, returning to plain meat is a shock; its dry texture and gamey scent become unbearable.
Seria was the same. Had she never known the difference, she wouldn't have cared.
But her palate had already tasted the delicacy. She was gradually being tamed by the time she spent with Ian. More than that, she wanted to be tamed. That was the kind of person she had become.
The fact that Ian had vanished from her day distressed her more than she could have imagined. A restlessness of unknown origin tightened its grip on her chest.
Seria thought back to the previous day.
Ian, who had been quietly listening to her inner thoughts, had suddenly stormed off.
He had seemed incredibly angry. Seria had been a bit surprised.
First, she was surprised that she had opened up about her mother. Until now, the Yurdina family had regarded it as a disgrace, so Seria had never intentionally spoken of that day to anyone. It was, in a sense, her greatest weakness.
Yet, when she had shown such a pathetic side of herself to Senior Ian, she had found herself confessing the memory she had kept so tightly locked away. It was inexplicable.
But even more surprising than that was Ian's reaction upon hearing the story.
Seria had expected him to pity or despise her. But Ian's reaction was neither.
He chose rage. When Seria said, "It's okay," he said, "It's not okay."
Not for her sake, but for his own.
Those words had left her dazed. The fact that someone else could get angrier than she was, even as her own buried weaknesses were unearthed and she could only hang her head in resignation.
Her chest tightened with a sharp pang.
Moreover, she was worried about him.
There were many people who hated and bullied her. Not only were they numerous, but their family prestige and individual skills were often outstanding.
Seria indulged in the idle worry that Ian might have gotten so angry that he resorted to violence against them.
Even she knew it was a ridiculous thought.
At most, she was just a junior he was somewhat close to. Seria knew this. She knew that while Senior Ian was the only one for her, she was not the only one for him.
That thought was painful and felt unfair, but there was nothing she could do. After all, Senior Ian was a person who shone brightly to anyone who looked.
He was someone who could embrace even a person as socially inept as her. The way he viewed her and the way she viewed him could never be equal.
She only hoped that Senior Ian wouldn't get hurt because of her.
Seria had already been hurt so much that a few more scars didn't matter, but Ian was different. Without realizing it, she had come to treasure him that much.
And what made Seria’s mood even worse was the fact that the sounds of mockery were reaching her ears again today.
"Hey, here comes the motherless bitch."
"Oh, you mean the half-orphan?"
During the swordsmanship practice, the usual snickering broke out.
A "half-orphan"—as if being an orphan were some kind of different species.
Normally, she would have ignored it, but Seria was already on edge and anxious because she hadn't seen Senior Ian.
At times like this, mockery and insults left deeper wounds. She knew she had to endure, but her gaze turned cold of its own accord.
Her deep blue eyes turned toward the source of the snickering. Three girls wearing brown capes were huddled there.
When Seria’s chilling gaze landed on them, they stopped their giggling. Instead, they met her eyes with oily, mocking smiles.
Their eyes asked: So, what are you going to do about it?
Seria’s hand tightened around the hilt of her practice sword. If she put her mind to it, taking them down would be trivial.
She was the top of her year. Setting aside the upperclassmen, none of her peers possessed skills that surpassed hers. Looking at those three, she barely even recognized them—they were likely just nobodies drifting around the middle of the rankings.
Even so, they were capable of manifesting Aura and would be considered experts outside the Academy, but compared to Seria, they were mere dregs.
Seria’s mana surged in response to the torrent of her emotions. A clear blue Aura coalesced on her blade.
Murderous intent. She truly wanted to swing her sword. But both she and the pack mocking her knew the truth.
Seria could not swing that sword.
Ultimately, she bit her lip and extinguished the Aura on her blade. The Aura vanished like a candle flame blown out by a gust of wind.
It was proof not only of her massive mana capacity but also of her superior control. If that blade were to dance, the pack mocking her would be slaughtered in seconds.
But she couldn't do it. She needed a more undeniable justification. Seria desperately hoped for the day they would finally cross the line.
She was not a lover of violence, but the excessive mockery and harassment of the past few days had begun to wear down her mental state.
She had been holding on solely by looking at Senior Ian. But today, he wasn't there. It was only natural that Seria’s patience had reached its limit.
Seeing Seria extinguish her Aura, the three women began to snicker again.
An enemy they couldn't even hope to match in swordsmanship was forced to keep her mouth shut despite their blatant insults.
It was a delightful and exhilarating situation—at least for them.
The base pleasure of trampling upon a high and mighty being they couldn't even look up to crawled up their spines. What a wonderful society this was.
No matter how strong an individual was, they could not overcome the power of the collective and its rules. Their dark desires further fueled their mockery.
"I guess she really didn't get a proper upbringing. Did you see the way she looked at us? Ugh, how disgusting."
"It's not that she didn't get one; she probably only got half. She wouldn't have gotten her mother's share, right? At least she knows how to hold back at the end."
More snickering.
Every single word dug into Seria’s wounds. The memories of her mother, who was so precious to her and yet such a nightmare.
Total strangers were trampling on those memories as if they were nothing. And then there were the gazes of those who didn't mock her directly but were secretly satisfied and amused.
That baseless malice was harder to bear than usual today.
Seria’s body trembled. She wanted to shake off this miserable feeling somehow. She needed to focus her mind on the sword, but perhaps because her discipline was lacking, she couldn't control herself.
"Is she going to cry?"
"Let her cry. I guess that rude brat actually has tears. I suppose she can't stand hearing about her mom?"
"She got roasted a bit less lately because of Senior Ian, but what's she gonna do today since he's not here~?"
Finally, Seria’s cold gaze turned toward them again. She thought to herself:
Even if she didn't use her blade, shouldn't she at least say something?
Ignoring them was the best course of action.
They were the type of people who felt more joy and thrill the more she reacted. Having been mocked for her low birth since childhood, she knew this well. She knew the ugly side of humanity that everyone possessed.
But reason could not always overpower emotion. Seria’s mood was at its worst, and she was sick and tired of just enduring.
Fine, let's say something.
She didn't even know what to say. Her unstable mind was simply commanding her to express her rage to the fullest. Though her eloquence wouldn't be able to express even a tenth of it properly, she decided to carry out that command.
Just as she made up her mind and was about to take a step forward—
"...That's enough."
A heavy voice echoed through the training hall.
The women who had been in the middle of their mockery flinched. Like children caught doing something bad.
That is the nature of an atmosphere. No matter how evil an act is, if no one points it out, it feels as though it isn't wrong. But the moment someone points it out, the crowd finally realizes.
The fact that it is wrong.
Everyone in the training hall turned their gaze toward the source of the voice. The first to react were the three mocking Seria.
Their brows furrowed instantly, and a fierce tone escaped their throats.
"What the hell does this have to do with—"
The voice, which had been sharp as a razor at first, suddenly lost its edge.
Everyone’s expression went blank. Surprised by the sudden heavy silence, Seria followed their gazes to find the source of the voice.
A man was standing there.
Teahn Eitri, a powerhouse from the Southern United Kingdoms.
He was a skilled fighter, ranked among the top of the third-year students. While he didn't reach Seria’s level, most of the students currently in the training hall could not defeat him.
That was why everyone could only stare with wide eyes in shock.
His face was a total mess. It was swollen and covered in dark bruises; one could guess just how brutal the violence inflicted upon him had been just by looking at the marks.
With a face that even his own brother might not recognize, Teahn sighed and scratched his head.
"Because of you lot, I'm the only one who got the shit kicked out of him, you bastards..."
As always, he spat out his words with his usual vulgarity.
A chill ran down the spines of the three women who had been mocking Seria.