Chapter 176
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Grueling Spar and Lunchtime Teasing
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Are you curious?
Have I always been this much of an opportunist?
It didn't matter if it was ugly or underhanded.
All that mattered was grabbing the opportunity right in front of me.
'I'll give it my all...'
I had no idea what Roman meant by "giving it my all."
The passing bar might be higher than I could even imagine.
Still.
I'd run at full speed until my mind and body were reduced to ashes.
"Huuuuh—"
A scene from a novel I'd read long ago naturally came to mind.
'It wasn't a romance novel, but...'
Just like the shadow wolf that kept running under the full moon right before death, desperate to leave its tracks behind.
The best way to prove I'd poured every ounce of strength into it was to keep running without rest.
Zzzt!
I slid sideways without lifting my feet from the ground, searching for an opening.
'No gaps in sight...'
Part of it was my sword style—specializing in counters rather than initiating attacks.
But even so, this was pitch black ahead.
Roman's loose stance had looked wide open before he focused.
But once he settled in and concentrated, no spaces for thrusting my sword appeared at all.
'Should I start with a light probe...?'
Unlike regular classes, with Roman standing still and just waiting for me, impatience started bubbling up.
The pressure to attack first was wearing on my nerves.
My toes twitched at the dilemma of charging in or holding back, but I made a clean decision inside.
'...I'll endure!'
Just like the advice from my sister and Rike.
Sticking to my foundation and style of caution, I held back with full vigilance.
The aura grew sharper as time passed, but with my mind set, I could bear it.
Shiiing!
Roman swung his longsword horizontally through the air to set his stance.
The sharp sound rang in my ears, signaling the end of the frozen time that felt eternal.
"Impressive. You waited well."
"...!"
My blue eyes captured the emotion directed solely at me.
A smile filled with pride and satisfaction.
A ticklish breeze stirred in my chest, nearly melting my expression and heart into a goofy grin.
But realizing it was just the beginning, I bit my lower lip hard to steady myself.
I endured and endured to defend against attacks that could come at any moment.
The instant my stinging eyes blinked once.
Roman, who had been standing far away, was suddenly in front of me with his longsword raised.
Kang—!
The moment I blocked the upward slash from below, an uncontrollable breath escaped my lips.
"Eut..."
If I hadn't distributed my mana properly, my lower body would've lifted, my stance crumbled, and this single blow could've ended it pathetically.
Bending my knees into a low stance to anchor myself, I blocked the onslaught of strikes.
In this spar, one mistake, one waver meant the end.
To produce a result that satisfied not me, but Roman, I couldn't even blink while his offense raged on.
"Huwook!"
I pushed back the sword trying to crush me with sheer power using my whole body.
In that brief gap, I caught my breath.
As always in class, Roman's storm of strikes carried power and speed that I could barely block when my skills and swordsmanship were at their peak.
Focus, and focus again.
If I faithfully followed the system of the Dreitna swordsmanship, I could hold out.
Kang!
Sweat dripping from my forehead stung my eyes.
Blood from my torn palms trickled down the hilt, splattering fresh red spots on the floor.
Even without Rike's amazing blood magic, I could use this.
I flung droplets of blood toward Roman's face. I clearly heard his small "Oh!" of admiration as he dodged.
'More! More! More! More!'
Having drawn that exclamation from him ignited a fire that burned away even the lingering fatigue in my body and mind.
The unexpectedly high-level spar dragged on, gradually drawing the gazes of other cadets who had been training.
......
"That's enough."
"...Th-thank you for your hard work!"
Drained to the core at his words, my legs nearly buckled, but I somehow held my trembling stance, bowed, and—unlike usual—didn't return to my spot but stood waiting.
"..."
Roman cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked at Chloe's tense face awaiting judgment, then scanned the surroundings.
"Are the other cadets done with what the instructor told them and just watching now?"
Roman glanced around, growling at the cadets who had stopped training to refocus them on their own drills before turning back to me.
Clang!
The longsword in his massive hand slid smoothly into its sheath.
Scratching the scar on his chin thoughtfully, Roman smirked and slowly announced the verdict.
"Pass."
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The practical class Chloe had awaited ended more satisfactorily than she could have hoped.
As always, lunchtime rolled around, and she joined Rike and Seria for their usual meal.
'Sleepy...'
The heavy lethargy after giving everything weighed down on her unrecovered body, sleep pouring over her eyelids. Even suppressing yawns was a chore.
Arm hooked by the little redhead, Chloe was dragged out of the academy toward their usual spot.
"Uwaaa~! Good thing class was before lunch. If it'd been after, I'd have puked it all up. Earlier, when I blocked with my shield... where was it again?"
As Seria patted around her shirt, Chloe sensed something ominous in the gesture and asked back.
"Nee...?"
"Maybe it's gone now after treatment? There was this huge bruise on my stomach?"
Swish—
Seria's sudden move snapped Chloe out of her drowsy haze.
In the middle of the street, Seria yanked up her shirt, flashing her pale belly at Chloe and Rike.
Chloe startled and pressed the hem down with her hand.
"S-Seria! We're outside—people will see!!"
"Psh~ With Rike and you on both sides, who's gonna look at a little kid like me?"
Rike sighed and shook her head at Seria's bubbly grin.
"Haa... You real idiot."
"...?"
Chloe agreed.
Of course, not endorsing Rike's words, nor excusing Seria's antics.
She just deeply related to what Seria had let slip earlier.
'Classes before lunch really are the best.'
Roman's practical sessions—for the Knight and Swordsmanship Departments—had fluid timings, perhaps due to the mixed groups or other reasons.
Some days before lunch, some after, but lately, post-lunch ones were rare, probably because so many puked from gut punches or mental/physical limits.
'I absolutely don't want Roman seeing me puke...'
If it ever happened after lunch, she'd eat light, but it hadn't yet.
Just imagining that nightmare made her anxious, so she hoped hers would stay pre-lunch like Seria's.
Such nutrient-less thoughts aside, she hurried with her friends to the shop.
Creeeak—
Without deciding on a place, they naturally settled into their arrived spot.
"Hmm~ What to eat today?"
Seria swung her dangling legs from the chair, scanning the menu intently.
Unlike Seria's serious pondering, Rike ordered her usual without glancing at the menu.
It looked like a happy lunchtime as always.
But one girl was different.
From the moment Chloe sat, her mind had wandered to another world.
Half-listening to Seria's chatter with rote responses, her thoughts looped endlessly back to moments ago.
-You've grasped the sword's essence a bit, and I can feel your growth. You've been working hard out of sight.
"Hehe..."
One line of satisfying praise from Roman.
Her mouth muscles twitched like they'd been zapped by lightning.
The runaway corners of her lips curved up idiotically.
Lifting her teacup, she saw a certain someone's face reflected on the surface.
Even scatterbrained, she had to eat, so she shoveled food in somewhere—but was it mouth or nose?
'What do I even do...?'
Even rationalizing it, this was terminal lovesickness crushing even romance novel heroines' crushes.
One casual compliment, tossed without deep intent, and her heart roiled uncontrollably.
"Chloe?"
"Y-Yes?!"
She'd been maxing responses to Seria's yapping until overload hit and she blanked.
Seria tugged her collar with a worried look, snapping her awake.
"You look beat. You pushed so hard in class."
"I'm fine! Just a little tired..."
"Nap later!"
"Hehe—I'll do that, Seria."
With the pass came a casual line: meet at that old dessert shop after class ends.
No further chit-chat.
Regrettable, but encouraging was the set promise.
It etched itself deepest and heaviest in Chloe's mind.
"Ha—! So full!"
"Don't flash your belly again. I'll chase you out."
As meal-ended Seria rubbed her round tummy, Rike narrowed her eyes in warning.
Teatime naturally followed.
As Rike poured milk into black tea and stirred, Seria shoved her head onto her shoulder, nuzzling cheekily.
"Rike~"
"...What?"
"We all know now, so spill the romance details!"
Rike sipped her finished milk tea, not even glancing as she retorted to Seria's whine.
"You heard it all that day."
Seria's real goal was less curiosity, more coaxing that eternally hidden shy face from Rike.
Chloe, opposite, perked up and watched silently.
"That was rushed—no juicy bits! Chloe's curious too, even if she won't say."
"...Chloe is?"
Rike and Seria's eyes turned to her at once.