The Birth of a Sword Master
The crowd fell into a stunned silence.
“…”
“Whoa, that was seriously cool?”
“What the hell just happened?”
The knight division students stood with their mouths hanging open, too shocked to speak. Students from the other departments, who hadn’t caught every detail, began whispering among themselves. A few adults sitting in the spectator seats hurriedly slipped out of the stands.
I reached over and gently poked Serina, who was still staring with her jaw dropped.
“Hey, what’s with that reaction? Is Marine okay?”
Even at a glance, the mana reaction was anything but ordinary. I was terrified something might have gone wrong with Marine’s body.
Serina stammered, her voice trembling.
“S-she’s… more than okay. She’s accomplished something that will be recorded in history…”
“…”
The sudden surge of mana. Serina’s words about a historic achievement. With those two clues, I roughly pieced together what had happened to Marine.
“Did Marine just reach Sword Master?”
“Yes…”
Serina’s expression had moved beyond respect into pure ecstasy. I’d assumed she’d at least need to graduate from the academy before hitting that realm, but she’d already become a Sword Master. Once again, I found myself in awe of my childhood friend’s greatness.
I’d better listen to her more carefully from now on…
At the exact center of the arena.
Now that Marine had ascended to the realm of Sword Master, the match was effectively over. Officially, however, it hadn’t been declared finished yet.
Marine stood in the middle of the arena, quietly savoring the crimson mana that now flowed through her. Mana usually appeared blue, but once a certain threshold was crossed, its color changed according to the user’s nature. The hue that had manifested for Marine upon becoming a Sword Master was a deep red—the color of passion and rage.
“Ugh…”
Carden, who had inadvertently triggered Marine’s awakening, watched as Marine kept her eyes closed. The overwhelming pressure radiating from her mana made it impossible to even think about attacking.
I should just surrender…
Her mind knew that once Marine had reached Sword Master, she’d need to unleash every ounce of her demonic power just to stand a chance. But the thought of that mountain of cola kept flashing before her eyes, making surrender feel impossible. If they’d at least given her a thousand cans for second place, she would’ve thrown in the towel immediately.
Marine, who had been regulating her mana with her eyes closed, finally finished adjusting and slowly opened them. Her clear blue eyes had transformed into a burning crimson under the influence of her mana.
She looked at Carden and flashed a chilling smile. The moment that icy smile appeared, Marine’s aura grew even more intense. Carden’s instincts screamed that her opponent was truly trying to kill her. As someone blessed with the talent of a martial artist, Carden trusted her instincts completely.
For the first time in her demonic life, Carden felt the threat of death. Her horns trembled violently as she ripped off her knuckle dusters and hurled them to the ground.
“I-I surrender!”
“Y-yes… The match ends in victory for Miss Marine. Um… Miss Marine?”
Noticing something was very wrong with Marine’s reaction, the female knight division professor, Zidan, drew her sword.
“Miss Marine, please suppress your mana.”
Marine glanced at her, then completely ignored the command and charged straight at Carden.
Clang!
Zidan’s drawn blade collided with Marine’s sword and shattered into pieces. But thanks to that brief opening her sacrifice had created, Carden barely managed to leap aside and dodge the incoming strike.
“Oh… my god…”
Zidan, a peak Sword Expert, was left speechless by the overwhelming gap between herself and Marine.
“W-wait! The slave contract was actually a huge loss for me!”
Realizing why Marine was so furious, Carden desperately tried to explain herself. But even as she pleaded, Marine’s expression remained coldly unchanged.
It’s over. She’s not listening to me at all right now.
Carden gave up on survival and began mentally drafting her last will.
Father, I’m sorry. Everyone, please stop fighting already.
She waited helplessly for death.
Boom!
A massive beanstalk suddenly sprouted in front of her, shielding her from view. Hendel, drenched in cold sweat, was rushing into the arena. Serina and Cani followed right behind him.
“Gravity!”
The branch manager of the Carden Magic Tower was also desperately trying to restrain Marine.
“Marine, calm down! Close your eyes and try to slowly control your mana, okay?”
Hendel stayed close, speaking to her soothingly, while Serina—the pink-haired girl with her sword drawn—stepped in front of Carden like a shield.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed. Professors who had still been on campus came running, apparently summoned by someone.
“Hendel, I heard that woman enslaved you. I’ll kill her and set you free.”
“No, no! I’m the one who’s actually the slave here!”
“She’s right, Car— I mean, Leni is telling the truth.”
“Hendel might be under her control right now.”
“The contract! I’ll show you the contract!”
Hoping Marine would calm down, Hendel pulled her tightly into his arms. Her blazing mana stung against his skin, but he ignored it and refused to let go.
“…”
Buried in Hendel’s warm embrace, Marine slowly began to settle. The raging flames of her mana gradually died down until they were no stronger than a cozy campfire.
Seeing that Marine seemed to be regaining her senses, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Let’s make our escape now.”
“Yes.”
The quick-witted Serina grabbed Carden’s hand and quietly slipped away. Whether Carden left or not, Marine never took her eyes off Hendel.
“Hendel, give me your hand.”
“Here.”
Marine looked at the engagement ring still securely on his finger and nodded in relief.
“Next, show me your stomach.”
“What…? Why my stomach?”
“I heard that if you make a slave contract with a demon, a tattoo appears on your belly.”
Hendel flinched when he realized Marine had figured out that Carden was a demon, but given that she’d already reached Sword Master, it would have been stranger if she hadn’t noticed.
“T-the only ones who leave tattoos on the stomach are succubi. She’s not a succubus—she’s just a clumsy, gluttonous demon.”
Marine wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“Show me.”
“…”
With no other choice, Hendel lifted his shirt. Marine ran her hands over his stomach, inspecting every inch. She even leaned in and sniffed.
Finally satisfied, she nodded and spread her arms toward him.
“I’m tired. Carry me.”
“…”
A Sword Master claiming to be tired? No one would believe such an excuse. But when she urged him again, Hendel had no choice but to hoist her onto his back.
Sniff, sniff. Marine buried her nose against his back and inhaled deeply. Feeling embarrassed, Hendel quickly left the arena.
The professors who had rushed over after hearing about the birth of a new Sword Master tried to approach Marine, but Hendel waved them off with a look. It was a casual gesture on his part, but that single action ended up saving all of their lives.
The beloved daughter of the Northern Archduke.
One of the empire’s top three beauties.
Master of the Sword.
With her new titles, Marine rode on Hendel’s back as they headed toward his house. It had been a long time since she’d been carried by him like this—since they were children.
His back was much broader now than it had been back then, making her want to lean against it forever. The faint scent rising from his skin excited her.
Sniff, sniff. Watching Marine bury her nose in his back, Hendel asked awkwardly,
“Marine… do I smell that bad?”
Marine, who had been under a lot of stress lately thanks to those strange foxes popping up everywhere, decided to tease him a little. After all, it wasn’t often she got to be alone with Hendel like this.
“Yeah. A whole lot.”
Hendel’s ears turned bright red.
“S-sorry. I didn’t realize I smelled that strongly… I’ll wear more cologne from now on.”
Seeing him like that was so adorable that Marine couldn’t help herself. She pressed her nose against the nape of his neck, breathing him in, and shook her head.
“Don’t.”
“Huh? But you said I smell…”
“I like Hendel’s scent, so don’t.”
“…Okay.”
Marine had always liked Hendel’s natural scent, but she had never been quite this bold about it. Now that she was a Sword Master, however, all her senses had been enhanced. Her sharpened sense of smell let her enjoy his fragrance on a much deeper level, and for a moment she became completely lost in it.
Originally, Marine had been careful not to be too physically forward with him. She had been terrified of earning his hatred and being abandoned. Even now, she didn’t want him to hate her.
But after becoming a Sword Master, she had gained the confidence—and the power—to take what she wanted. Even if he hated her for it, she now had the strength to keep him all to herself.
With her limits removed, Marine gently stroked the nape of Hendel’s neck and thought to herself.
Marine’s clear blue eyes flickered crimson for a brief moment before returning to normal.