Chapter 7

After that, one new item was added to Dina's daily routine. When night fell and the clock's hour hand passed midnight toward 1 a.m., she began sneaking out of the house away from her family and the mansion's servants to watch a man swing his sword. It had already been two weeks since she started.

He seemed about her age. Despite being an awakener, he didn't know how to handle mana or wield a sword properly. His face looked quite fierce, but his actions were innocently pure. He'd suddenly shout something like a technique name and swing his sword, only to tumble comically. Or he'd sulk when the blade didn't move as he wanted. And whenever it cut smoothly by chance, he'd beam with obvious pride. Watching him, she felt he looked both pure and somehow foolish, and a giggle would inevitably slip out.

Then, when he swung too wildly and scraped the ground, ruining the grass, the park caretaker would come charging out, yelling. He hadn't really harmed anyone, and it was a park few people visited anyway, so they always let it slide—but the caretaker came running every single time the grass got damaged, scolding him relentlessly. Thinking of the man grunting under the steady barrage of lectures night after night brought a soft smile to her lips.

Thanks to the caretaker's scoldings, Dina learned his name: Han Siwoo.

But today, for some reason, the man wasn't there.

Is he just running late?

He'd never missed a day, always arriving before her to train, so she felt uneasy. After another thirty minutes passed with no sign of him, worry started to creep in.

Is he sick or something?

As she paced anxiously in place, fidgeting, another half hour ticked by. Finally, Han Siwoo appeared. Dina let out a sigh of relief, but she couldn't help tilting her head in confusion.

"…?"

Unlike his usual neat appearance, he was utterly filthy. His once-tidy hair was a mess, his clothes caked in mud. His feet and butt were strangely soaked, too. Yet he was smiling more happily than she'd ever seen—grinning so widely it almost seemed mad.

Siwoo drew his sword from its sheath.

That's a different sword from the one he usually uses.

It was a blade engraved with turquoise magical runes that shimmered like patterns.

Maybe he's thrilled about getting a new sword.

His beaming face struck her as oddly cute, and she let out a soft pfft of laughter. Suddenly, Siwoo whipped his head around, staring straight in her direction.

Startled, she quickly cast her cloaking spell to hide herself. With artifacts equipped and magic concealing her, there was no way he'd spot her—but for some reason, it felt like his gaze pierced right through to her.

After glaring intently at her spot for a long moment, Siwoo turned back, eyes sparkling as he admired his sword. He gazed at it as if greeting an old friend, then assumed a stance.

The moment he did, the air around him grew chillingly sharp.

The atmosphere's completely different from yesterday.

Yesterday, his form had felt awkward, but now even she—who'd trained with swords for years—had to admit it looked impressive.

Soon, Han Siwoo began swinging. And she realized the change wasn't just in his starting stance. Each strike flowed more smoothly than before, attacks connecting as naturally as running water. At first, there were still halting pauses midway, but even those vanished quickly.

What he wielded was a common sword style anyone could find on Hitube, but his talent was anything but ordinary. In mere minutes, he'd mastered the basic techniques he'd struggled with over the past two weeks.

As if he'd become a completely different person overnight.

No wonder he was late today. Maybe he had some small epiphany.

His dirty state made him look like he'd gone into the mountains for meditation. Perhaps he'd stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter. Whatever the case, seeing the fruits of his daily hard work made her inexplicably happy too.

Then the atmosphere around Han Siwoo shifted once more.

Mana?

He hadn't used any until now, but it seemed he planned to today. Yet his actions were nothing like what Dina had expected.

She'd imagined him enhancing his body with mana to boost his swordplay.

He clumsily wrapped mana around his arm, swinging it this way and that, even tapping a nearby tree. Then he concentrated it in his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠legs and leaped high. Finally, he infused the sword and swung wildly.

He looked just like…

Someone handling mana for the first time…

Like a child freshly awakened, playing with their powers.

It's not that he wasn't using mana all this time— he couldn't.

If some circumstance she didn't know about had prevented him from using it until now. Say, if he'd been under even stricter control than her since childhood, locked away until recently freed.

It would explain why, despite being an awakener, he'd seemed like a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠total novice with the sword—and now with mana.

She'd faced surveillance and restrictions after awakening too, but never to the extent of sealing her powers. That meant he'd endured far worse.

Was it a sense of shared hardship? Her one-sided affection, building bit by bit, kept growing.

As Dina nurtured her inner fondness alone, Siwoo experimented further. Mana flowed into his raised sword, and the turquoise runes on the blade began to glow faintly.

He took his stance—and unleashed the fastest, sharpest strike yet.

Shrieeek!

Even lost in her thoughts, Dina jumped in surprise. But he couldn't control the speed himself, lost his balance, and tumbled.

"Ack…!"

She nearly rushed out to help him up without thinking. No matter his talent, in her eyes, he was just a fragile kid freshly freed who needed protecting.

But remembering she was secretly watching, she stopped herself.

Brushing dirt from his scraped knee, Siwoo stood and tried the same attack again—only to flop once more.

Ah, so it's a magic sword.

No wonder; even with talent, reaching that level so soon seemed too much. The sword's fine craftsmanship had delayed her notice, but her eyes didn't miss it.

It's a well-made one.

The embedded spell was simple, but the magic formula was exquisitely precise. The mana coating prevented leaks flawlessly—a high-level finish.

She didn't know where he'd gotten it, but it would boost his combat power immensely.

Hmm… but it's still a bit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lacking.

While he lay sprawled, she stroked her chin briefly, then etched a single black magical rune onto his sword.

With the turquoise and black intertwined, it almost looked like two dragons entwined.

Can't change it suddenly or it'll seem weird… Make it appear tomorrow morning.

She layered a spell over the black rune to hide it until dawn.

There! Now he won't get beaten up anywhere!

Proudly, Dina placed her hands on her hips. When he paused, eyeing the sword suspiciously, her heart skipped—but he shrugged it off, sheathed it, and she sighed in relief.

Why'd it suddenly get so sharp?!

Deciding that was enough for tonight, he packed up and trudged away.

Once he was gone, she dispelled her cloaking.

"Can't wait for tomorrow…!"

Tomorrow, she'd see him gleefully swinging his newly enhanced sword. She should pack a snack to munch on while watching. In high spirits, Dina hummed a cheerful tune as she headed home.