7
Chapter 7
A rising Divinity of the Third Continent.
A genius.
A natural-born Stigma holder.
The daughter of the Sword Saint.
There was one person who bore many such titles.
Estella.
The third child of the one known as the Sword Saint among the Heroes, a girl said to possess even greater potential.
She was wandering around outside, as she always did.
Originally scheduled to arrive at the Ark next month for the entrance ceremony, a whim led her to arrive early last September instead of this March.
Having lived in the Ark for several months, she had fully adapted to her surroundings.
"Are you Estella?"
A voice, as familiar as ever.
"Wow! It's her. The real Estella!"
Judging by their clothes, they weren't Academy students but seemed to be high schoolers from a regular school.
"I'm a fan!"
"Could I please have your autograph?"
Since she already knew they would approach her, she dealt with them skillfully.
"I'll do them one by one, so please calm down."
This was because she had heard them even before they spoke.
The sounds of their inner thoughts.
Since childhood, she had heard mysterious voices, and after personal tests, she concluded they were akin to others' emotions or thoughts.
Most people were divided into two types of noise when they met her.
Sounds of expectation that became burdensome, and sticky, gloomy emotions that grew more disgusting over time.
Even now, the students before her were all saying similar things, but the noise was split into two.
Excessive admiration and expectation; unpleasant jealousy and desire.
At some point, she began to pay more attention to the noise coming from within them than to their actual voices.
There was no way to prove these were truly inner voices; perhaps they were hallucinations and people felt differently.
But it was a fact that she heard those sounds, and she always felt they were somehow more honest.
These noises had become so familiar that she could now deal with others without any sign of discomfort.
She gave them a moderate amount of her time, as usual.
And they vanished, offering their usual words of gratitude.
"I'm a bit busy, so I don't think I can give you any more of my time."
She smiled for everyone, but no one dared to ask for anything beyond that smile; people saw her as a star, just as her name suggested.
Something beautiful, yet forever unreachable.
No matter how little she moved, people approached her as if by prior agreement, and intense emotions surged toward her.
"Ha, just as I thought."
Driven by a sliver of hope, she took out the Cognitive Interference Artifact she hadn't activated and turned it on.
It wasn't that she had no intention of attending the orientation.
However.
If she went, she would be with countless students for several hours.
For at least a few hours, the noise of dozens of people would swarm her mind.
Even though it was something that would happen every day after admission, it was only natural that she would want to postpone it.
"Right, quite a few people don't show up to orientation anyway."
About half of them didn't.
In the first place, it was strange for the Academy to hold orientation a month before the continent's Barrier opened.
"No problem if I don't attend! Case closed."
She turned around and headed toward a secluded alley, which she liked for the quiet and lack of people.
By walking in the opposite direction of the noise, she would always find herself in a deserted alley.
But today was strange.
This place was silent; the sticky or fierce emotions were not audible here.
Yet, there was someone here.
A single person was walking alone through this secluded alley.
It had been so long since she had encountered someone in such silence that she stopped in her tracks for a moment.
But her stopping did not mean the person in front of her stopped as well.
Usually, people turned toward her and flocked to her as if the world revolved around her.
But the person before her was different, walking as if he belonged to a different world entirely.
However, driven by an internal impulse, she spoke to the person in front of her.
He stopped muttering to himself and looked at her.
Then, he stiffened with a slightly surprised expression.
Though she still heard no noise, she recognized those eyes of surprise, which usually faded into the same noise as others.
"Oh dear, have I captured another person's heart? This is troublesome."
Regretting her impulse, she let out a random comment, but the man's look turned to irritation, and unexpected words burst from him.
She was flustered by the unprecedented treatment, but her skilled poker face kept the emotion from showing.
Maintaining her poker face, she continued the conversation.
As the conversation continued, she could clearly feel that he was different from others.
Seeing him, she felt a surge of curiosity.
Of course, this wasn't the kind of cliché curiosity found in manga, where the lead claims they've never met anyone like this before.
The reason was simple: the noise didn't emanate from him.
His way of speaking might seem hostile at first glance, but having dealt with many people over the years, she could tell it was just his own way of being friendly.
Was that attitude related to this anomaly? Or was there something else at play?
Moreover, could she learn a way to block out those voices through him?
And if—just if—this person could look at her, the real her, buried beneath the hollow fame that blinded everyone else...
Could he actually see her?
Her interest was born from that flicker of hope.
She looked at him.
"So, why are you asking for directions?"
"There's somewhere I want to go."
When she answered jokingly, he furrowed his brow and asked again.
"No, seriously, where is it that you want to go?"
His outfit resembled the Academy school uniform, making it clear he was heading there for the orientation.
"The Academy."
Upon hearing that, he let out a sigh and replied.
"I'm heading there too, so just follow me if you want."
"Sure. I think it'll be fun to go together."
Talking with him was certainly comfortable.
While she couldn't hear his inner thoughts, he wasn't like those who flattered her while plotting to use her, nor was he someone who looked up to her with burdensome intensity.
He was somewhat rude, but his lack of pretense was refreshing.
She chatted with him about various things until they arrived at the Academy.
In truth, it was more of a one-sided conversation started by her, but she could tell he was listening intently, despite his prickly demeanor.
As they nearly arrived at the Academy, she asked.
"You're a freshman too, right?"
"Yeah."
He wasn't an upperclassman who had come to watch the freshman orientation.
"Which department are you in?"
He pulled out his student ID and held it out to her.
The name was Lee Seo-ha.
The department was the Spirit Department.
She had heard the Spirit Department was where those who successfully contracted with spirits gathered, as well as those who passed the exam but failed to meet the criteria for other departments.
Watching him, who seemed strangely confident and poised, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Recalling her elders mentioning a student who had contracted with Laevateinn among this year's freshmen, she asked.
"The Spirit Department, huh. That's where you contract with spirits, right? Which spirit did you contract with?"
"None. I'm just a nobody without a contract."
The answer was the exact opposite of what she expected.
Based on his words, he seemed aware of his status, and while she tried to smooth things over, he didn't seem to care.
Then where did that confidence come from?
To satisfy her curiosity, she proposed a spar, and he accepted.
And then.
She crushed him.
He was not ordinary.
He was special, but in a bad way.
If one had to pick the weakest student among the combat-related departments this year, it would likely be him; his physical abilities were far below standard. He was roughly on par with a novice mage who had been ambushed and silenced.
There was no technique in the way he swung his weapon, and he didn't even think to utilize magic or alchemy.
Thus, not wanting such an interesting being to meet an untimely end somewhere, she decided she would keep an eye on him and go easy on him from now on.
Time passed, and eventually, it was time to part ways as they headed toward their respective destinations.
And then.
A multitude of sounds flooded in.
Cheers.
Expectation.
Jealousy.
Desire.
Awe.
A symphony of various noises.
Everyone wore the same expression, but what lay inside was different.
Because the silence had lasted so long, the approaching feast of noise made her feel even more dizzy. A loud sound feels far more jarring after a deathly silence than it does in a place that is already noisy.
She closed her eyes for a moment to clear her mind.
She grew accustomed to the noise once again.
And then.
"Hello everyone, it's nice to meet you!"
She smiles again.
To fit the expectations of others.
Just as she always did.
"Everyone. I understand how you feel, but that's enough. Please take your seats."
Someone brought order to the chaotic classroom.
A veteran.
Wilhelm.
He had fought in the Demonic Realm for decades; though it wasn't a title given to a Hero, it was a nickname born from his many great achievements.
No one could deny that while he hadn't reached the level of a Hero, he possessed top-tier skill.
I want to fight him.
Although I haven't seen his skill yet, the energy radiating from him seems to shout how powerful he is.
"Welcome, everyone. I am Professor Wilhelm of the Close Combat Department."
The old man spoke with a smile.
"Let's see... we'll skip the introductory video for now. It's mostly useless."
He then began to explain the upcoming curriculum.
He repeated the process of explaining the tests, aptitude exams, and training schedules after the entrance ceremony, then taking and answering students' questions.
"We have more time than I thought. If there are no more questions, how about some sparring among those here?"
At those words, the other students looked at me.
Rather than wanting to fight me, their eyes seemed to ask if they were really expected to fight her.
Even that weakling threw himself at me; these ones lack resolve.
I raised my hand.
"Very well, Miss Estella."
He seemed to have already seen through the fact that I understood his intention.
"Could I perhaps learn a move from you?"
"Of course. Since I said 'among those here,' we'll have to move first. This classroom isn't suitable for sparring."
As he spoke, he kicked the classroom wall, and a section of it was ripped clean away.
"Going around would take too long, so let's take a shortcut."
"Sounds good."
I thought I heard a voice from behind, but it didn't matter right now.
Professor Wilhelm and I stepped outside together.
"Do you need any other weapons?"
"This is enough."
I drew the sword hanging from my waist.
"Quite confident, are we? I will not use mana, and I won't pick up a weapon once I've put it down. I'll also hold back my strength. Is that sufficient?"
"I feel a bit underestimated."
"My expectations for you are high, which is why I'm doing this. For any other student, I wouldn't have lifted a finger."
Saying this, he removed the case from his back.
"Begin."
Thump-thump.
The sound of my own heartbeat drowned out the useless noise around me. It wasn't the absolute silence I'd felt before, but as the buzzing in my head vanished, my mind felt crystal clear.
The moment he declared the start, Wilhelm threw the case into the air, and a rain of various weapons scattered and fell.
The veteran, Wilhelm.
I had studied his fighting style extensively through records. He was one of the reasons I started practicing weapons other than the sword.
Therefore, I knew his style well. This moment, before his weapons were set, was his most vulnerable timing.
I dove through the rain of falling weapons to close the distance.
"My, it seems you're familiar with this old man's style as well."
"You are quite famous, after all."
But a veteran with such vast experience wouldn't be unfamiliar with this situation.
So, I approached him differently.
Since weapons were still falling, he likely had the technique to deflect one or two attacks.
Thus, instead of a slashing attack with the edge, I twisted the sword to strike with the side.
Wilhelm, who had been positioned to deflect, hurriedly shifted his stance to block the blow.
"The Sword Saint's daughter... you're just as eccentric as he is."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Before a second strike could land, Wilhelm grabbed another weapon to block her attack.
Having blocked her, Wilhelm immediately countered with the axe in his hand.
It was a vertical strike, but since he held it with one hand, it was easily blockable.
However, she calmly scanned her surroundings.
The weapons he could reach immediately were the rapier and the hammer near the hand holding the axe.
If I block this attack, he will immediately thrust that rapier into the opening. The hammer cannot be linked as quickly.
Therefore, I chose to evade.
I stepped to the left and twisted my body to avoid the axe.
Immediately after evading, I blocked the incoming rapier attack with my sword.
My posture was slightly unstable, but since it was a rapier attack, I could block it without taking damage as long as I diverted its trajectory.
The axe strike to the right blocked my path, and the mana-less rapier merely bent, failing to wound me.
He had already swapped the axe for a hammer and swung it toward me immediately.
His attacks were a relentless storm.
The sequence was so seamless that there seemed to be no opening for a counterattack.
I had to think of another way.
I threw my sword at Wilhelm, who shifted his body to evade the sudden projectile.
One of his penalties was that he could use each weapon only once. Even with multiple weapons of the same type, he had to switch every time.
This meant he would likely try to end the fight early while his options were still plentiful.
I decided to reduce his available choices by using what was here.
I grabbed a fallen sword and swung, only for the blade to separate and lash out like a whip.
"What, this was a chain sword?"
I had grabbed it too hastily to check.
"Shouldn't you look closely at what you're swinging?"
I quickly adjusted my grip and swung again; the chain sword slithered like a snake, extending toward the smiling Wilhelm and binding the halberd he had just picked up.
"Hand that over, too."
"Kids these days have no respect for their elders."
"Kids these days don't consider people who rip walls apart to be elders!"
A tense tug-of-war ensued over the halberd, but fearing the blade would be damaged, Wilhelm threw the weapon toward me.
"Since this is a spar, I'll yield a move."
"How is this yielding!"
I swung the chain sword with all my might, slamming the incoming halberd into the ground.
"I gave it to you so you could catch it, so I yielded."
"Does this count as catching it?"
"Close enough."
I'd regained the tempo, which wasn't bad.
A halberd is a versatile weapon, making it easier to respond to other armaments.
"I'm sufficiently warmed up. How about we do this properly?"
Wilhelm spoke with an amused expression.
"Come at me."
"With pleasure."
"Now that's a look I like."
I didn't know what my face looked like, but that wasn't important now.
A faint, pure white light flowed from my body, enveloping me.
"Here I come."
I prepared to charge at Wilhelm.
"Where do you think you're going, you crazy brats! Who do you think is paying for the building repairs!!"
That was until someone arrived and scattered explosives across the sparring ground.
"Miss Nova, please calm down."
"Calm down? You old geezer! If you've gone senile, just retire!"
"Miss Nova, I believe you're currently destroying more of the school than I am."
"This is a custom blend; the terrain restores itself over time! Worry about yourself! I'm going to see if organic bodies can be restored too!"
"Calm down!!"
My spar.
My boiling blood.
My senses.
The severed flow would not return.
So what should I do? The answer was simple.
I'll join the brawl!
"Yippee!"
"Who the hell is this kid!"
"Miss Nova, she's a freshman; watch your language!"
***
In the end, the winner of the spar was Nova, who had joined halfway through.
At first, Nova and Estella teamed up to ambush Wilhelm, eventually forcing him down.
Once Wilhelm fell, Nova tried to leave, but Estella immediately attacked her.
However, the gap between a freshman and a professor was far too wide to bridge unless the professor fought with penalties.
Nova eventually subdued Estella, bringing the three-to-four-hour brawl to a close.
In a way, it ended right on schedule, so there was no real problem.
For the students of the Close Combat and Alchemy Departments—the latter of whom had rushed out after hearing explosions—it was a far more valuable experience than the Chancellor's long-winded speech.
"Was that student's name Estella? A freshman with impressive skill, but she still has a long way to go."
Estella readily accepted the critique.
As her father had said, the professors' skills were truly exceptional.
"I have a meeting, so I'm off."
Nova said this as she dragged the sprawled-out Wilhelm away; he grumbled about the lack of respect for elders, but all he got in return were insults.