The Sword Demon's New Look
Zeron returned to his quarters after Colhuer's sparring match ended. Since there were no more matches involving students he knew, he had no reason to linger. Almost immediately, Lunalind grabbed his hand and dragged him straight into the bathroom.
"What the hell… this is way too sudden."
"Whatever you're thinking right now, it's not that, so please wipe that disgusting look off your face."
"It wasn't? Damn, my bad."
Zeron let her pull him along without resistance and sat down on the chair in front of the mirror. When the hell did she even bring a chair in here? He glanced around, but aside from the chair, nothing else in the bathroom had changed. Curious about what she was up to, he sat quietly and waited. Before long, Lunalind returned with her arms full of supplies. Scissors, clippers… beauty tools?
"You're cutting my hair?"
"Yes."
"Mine?"
"Obviously. Whose hair did you think I was going to cut?"
"You know what they say?" Zeron asked seriously. Lunalind stared at him with wide eyes. A hint of bewilderment crept into her normally expressionless face. Maybe she thought he had some deep reason for growing it out? If so, too bad.
"People die when their hair gets cut."
"…I'm the idiot for even listening to you."
Zeron chuckled and looked into the mirror. His hair really had gotten long. Back in the day, Elena used to cut it for him. The memory left a bitter taste in his mouth, so he absentmindedly ran his fingers through it. Thankfully, the hair hid his expression well enough that she didn't notice.
"But why the sudden haircut?"
"Because looking at it every day was driving me insane."
"What does my hair have to do with you?"
"Please consider the fact that I have to see your face every single day."
With those words, Lunalind's scissors moved like lightning, slicing through his hair without hesitation. A whole clump fell.
"…Hey. You have cut hair before, right?"
"I've read the relevant books, so it should be fine."
"Oh… fuck."
Thankfully, she did a decent job.
The next day, Zeron headed to the sparring grounds, awkwardly shaking his strangely light head from side to side. He didn't care what happened in the later matches. He planned to watch the little brat's fight today and then head out to hunt down some of those Void bastards. He had given up before because he had no real plan, but if he could fix his body, that would be a good thing.
"Hey, brat."
"…What the? You cut your hair? You finally look like a person now."
"People die when their hair gets cu—"
"What's gotten into you? You always said it was too much of a hassle even if you died."
Having lived together for seventeen years really showed. Her comeback was flawless. Zeron found himself genuinely impressed.
"Nah, it wasn't my choice. It was basically forced on me."
"Forced? By who? There's no way you'd cut it just because someone told you to."
"The maid. You know Lunalind?"
"Hmm… a girl, huh?"
"Would a maid be a guy?"
The little brat was giving him a slightly pouty look, so Zeron grabbed her cheek and squeezed. That glorious, stretchy texture was pure bliss.
"…This is seriously fascinating."
"What the—! Let go…!"
"Your cheeks feel better than most women's tits."
"Y-you pervert…!"
When he gave her a thumbs-up, the brat recoiled in horror. The way she looked at him made him feel like she was staring at a bug with too many legs. It stung a little.
"Anyway, do your best out there."
"You don't have to tell me! I'll do great on my own!"
"Aww, she's sulking again."
"Anyone can see that this is clearly your—!"
He played around with the grumbling little brat for a while until her name was called. Being in the upper ranks apparently got her some small conveniences. Nothing wrong with that. He patted her on the back and gave her some encouragement.
"Give it your all. Winning will be tough, though."
"Ugh, seriously…!"
The brat stomped off in a huff, but she kept glancing back at him like a nervous hamster. Zeron let out a small laugh as he watched her go. Yeah, winning really would be difficult. He hadn't said it to tease her — he meant it. That gloomy kid named Ed was no pushover.
"Well, he's still not as bad as I was at that age."
If I'd met him when I was young? He'd have become Ed the very same day.
Zeron chuckled to himself as he waited for the match to begin. For the little brat, even defeat would be good fertilizer for growth. He just hoped she wouldn't get too discouraged.
His eyes followed Medeia's retreating figure.
"I lost…"
"Yeah, looks like it."
"I said I lost…"
"Oh dear."
"Ugh…!"
Before the little brat could start throwing a tantrum, Zeron scooped her up.
"W-what are you doing?!"
"Wow, you did so well, my little brat!"
"Put me down right now!?"
He spun her around like an airplane, and she absolutely loved it. Her face turned bright red with joy, which made him feel strangely proud.
"Hmph… whatever. Let's go."
She actually seemed a little cheered up, which caught him off guard. Zeron chuckled and followed after her.
The match itself hadn't been anything special. The brat fired her guns, the gloomy kid blocked with his sword and charged in, and eventually the brat met him with her own blade while trying to find an opening with her gun. But in an instant, a sword was pressed to her throat and it was over. It wasn't completely one-sided, but the gap in skill was obvious.
"I'm heading back."
"Sure. Oh, right. I'll be away from the academy for a while, so don't come looking for me."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"I've got stuff to do. If you're that curious, go ask your dad."
"No thanks."
The brat spun around with a huff and marched toward the dormitory. Zeron dropped his smile and added one last thing.
"Don't leave the academy grounds. It's dangerous out there."
"…Okay."
He watched until she disappeared from sight. Then someone crept up behind him. Normally, sneaking up behind a guy with a sword was a good way to get stabbed, but he wasn't in the mood to cause trouble, so he calmly turned around.
"So, what have you been up to?"
"Eek…! You noticed me!"
It was Professor Pingchang. She scratched her head with an awkward laugh.
"I just saw Instructor Zeron at the sparring grounds!"
"Can supervisors just leave whenever they want?"
"I supervised yesterday, so I'm off today!"
"Ah, got it. See you later."
He waved half-heartedly and started walking away. He pulled out a cigarette and was about to light it when—
Click. Click. Click. Click. Clickclick. Clickclickclickclickclick—!
The person next to him was struggling to light their lighter. He couldn't take it anymore.
"…What are you doing?"
He sighed, snatched the lighter away, and flicked it once. The flame caught immediately.
"Here."
"Oh, thank you!"
Professor Pingchang beamed and held the lighter out to him. What the hell? Before he could ask, she said,
"Go on! The flame's going out! Aren't you going to smoke?"
She stared at him with wide, round eyes. He held back another sigh and lit his cigarette. The tip glowed red as it caught.
Zeron exhaled a long stream of smoke and asked irritably, "So, what do you want?"
"Huh?"
"Why do you keep acting like we're buddies?"
Professor Pingchang's eyes widened as she looked up at him from chest height. It was ridiculous. Every time he saw this woman, he felt the same thing — it was deeply unsettling that someone carrying that kind of killing intent could smile so brightly.
"Well… because I want to get close to you?"
"Why? Why me, of all people? There are plenty of others."
"Because you're the most like me. Yes, definitely. You can understand me. No — only you can."
Professor Pingchang's eyes grew cold. It was as if her usual bizarrely cheerful energy had been nothing but an act.
"Hmm…"
"So, Instructor Zeron!"
But just like that, she snapped back to her usual bubbly self and stepped closer. The shift felt so off-putting that he instinctively stepped back, but she closed the distance again and asked,
"Do you remember my name?"
"Adelia de Politan?"
"Mmm… close! It's Iris de Polhuian! Please remember it from now on, okay?"
"If I keep bothering you, you'll get annoyed, so I'll leave now!"
With that, she scampered off. She really was a suspicious woman who came and went like the wind.
"Luna."
"It's Lunalind."
"I'm heading out. Hold down the fort while I'm gone."
"Shut up."
Leaving behind the surprisingly affectionate farewell from Lunalind, Zeron set off. His belongings consisted of five bottles of liquor, two cartons of cigarettes, and three swords. The constant clinking sound as he walked put him in a good mood.
"The closest spot is… here, huh."
He checked the map David had sent through the communication device. It would take about five days on horseback. Since he had classes in a week, riding wasn't an option. So he would run.
Zeron's legs were faster than any horse.
With a light thud, his body shot forward. As the scenery blurred past, the smile slowly faded from Zeron's lips. From here on, he was in unfamiliar territory where no one knew him. There was no need to force a grin.
He simply ran in silence. Whenever pain shot through his body, he drank straight from the bottle and kept running. After a day and a half, his body started to feel strained, so he stopped at a nearby village.
He had no idea how strong the enemy would be. Charging in with his body in this condition would be insane. The bell above the inn door jingled as he entered, and countless eyes turned toward him. It was a small village — the wariness was thick.
"Hey, you outsider—"
Crunch—!
An unknown man's face slammed into the table. Leaving the dripping blood behind, Zeron approached the trembling innkeeper and placed a silver coin in his hand.
"Keep the change. Just give me a room for the night and some food."
"Y-yes…!"
He took the key and climbed the stairs. His chest was throbbing, so he pulled out a bottle and took a swig. The alcohol burned down his throat and set his stomach on fire. He wasn't drunk yet, so he lit a cigarette.
"Hoo…"
He opened the window, leaned on the sill, and exhaled smoke. There wasn't much to see in a small village like this. The most interesting thing was a cow lazily walking around. At this size, how long would it take to slit every throat? Ten minutes? Five? He pondered it for a moment before stopping. He had no intention of actually doing it.
…Not yet.