Chapter 43
“Oh~ You must be that famous male freshman! I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
Her brown hair swayed cheerfully.
“Nice to meet you, Head of the Disciplinary Committee.”
“Hey, no need to be so stiff. Just call me Senior Jane.”
Jane Rune.
In terms of influence within the student council, she’s right behind the vice president as the head of the disciplinary committee.
‘Magic Sword Family.’
She’s from a family that passes down a rather unconventional legacy.
“Wow, I never thought a guy would actually come to this place where it’s always been just girls~. Thanks to you, it’s like spring flowers have bloomed in this endless summer.”
“J-Jane…!”
“What? I meant it as a compliment.”
Jane nodded and laughed mischievously.
‘I thought she’d have a strict personality as the head of the disciplinary committee.’
She turned out to be quite playful.
“Elma, I’m so jealous~ Having such a pretty junior all to yourself under the guise of training.”
“That’s not it at all!”
“Oh~? Then can I just snatch him away?”
Jane sidled closer to me.
“Isn’t a fun style like mine better than stiff Elma’s? How about switching it up for a few days…?”
“Jane!!”
“Wow! Alright, alright!”
When Elma raised her voice slightly, blushing, Jane raised both hands and stepped back.
“I-I’m fine, but it’s disrespectful to Lan!”
“Haha! Sorry. Seeing your face loosen up for the first time in a while, I couldn’t help but joke around.”
“Ugh…”
“Elma, you’ve been so tense lately.”
“That’s….”
Elma bit her lip.
Just like before, and even now.
It seems like she has some complicated matters to deal with.
While I was watching the seniors chat amongst themselves.
Swoosh—
Someone appeared right in front of me.
Her lower face exuded an incredible charm, despite being hidden behind a black eyepatch.
Her long, wavy pink hair cascaded like flowing water.
“Hello, Lan Black. I’ve been wanting to have a conversation with you.”
Her voice alone brought a sense of calm.
She was the ‘Divine Oracle Holy Maiden’ who manifested for the first time in 120 years.
“Lienna… It’s you.”
“There’s no need to be formal. We’re classmates, after all.”
“…But you’re being formal, too.”
“I find it more comfortable this way.”
“……”
I always knew we’d cross paths eventually.
But now that she’s right in front of me, I couldn’t help but swallow nervously.
“Alright then. I’ll speak casually.”
“Fufu, that’s good.”
Lienna’s small mouth curled into a smile.
“By the way, you wanted to talk to me?”
“Yes. Whatever the reason may be, we’re both the top representatives of our respective classes, aren’t we? I wanted to speak with you at least once.”
“You could’ve just done that during class.”
“I hold a position that draws a lot of attention… It can be uncomfortable when there’s more focus than necessary, you know? And you always leave class early, so I never had the chance.”
Well, that’s true.
In terms of pure impact, Lienna surpasses Angela, who’s more or less out of the race for imperial power.
She’s the face and representative of the ‘New Church,’ embodying the religion itself.
Right now, within Polaris, the only person who could be considered above Lienna is probably Fernia.
“Lan, I find you very interesting.”
“R-Really? I’m not that exciting, though.”
“No, you are. The glimpses of talent and skills you’ve shown… They were all unexpected to me.”
Lienna gradually moved closer to me.
Even through her black eyepatch, I could feel her gaze.
“You’re too close….”
“It feels like you came from the far side of fate. Distant and empty, yet… just a little… show me a little more….”
Thump!
A soft sensation pressed against my chest.
Lienna’s large Holy Energy pouch pressed firmly against me.
‘Oh, heavens.’
Why do you test my patience like this?
I knew I had to push her away, but I had no idea where to put my hands.
Whatever I do, it feels like I’ll be charged with blasphemy.
“Please….”
Just when I thought things might really go south.
“Holy Maiden, Lan is feeling uncomfortable.”
A saviour appeared and stepped between us.
“Jane, too. No matter how skilled Lan may be, he is still a man. Please be mindful of that.”
“Oh…! I’m sorry, Lan.”
As Elma stood in front of me with a gentle warning, Lienna apologized.
Elma whispered quietly enough for only me to hear.
“Are you alright?”
“Thank you. You saved me.”
“…Helping a junior is a senior’s duty.”
After that small commotion subsided.
We began to prepare for our sparring session.
“The rules are a two-on-two free-for-all. Just like in the classes.”
“Let’s not push ourselves too hard, okay? It’s just a mock match, so it wouldn’t be good if anyone got hurt~.”
“Jane is right. Hmm… then how about this?”
Elma pulled out two pieces of cloth from her pocket.
“We’ll tie these around our waists. If someone pulls it off, they lose.”
“There are only two, so does that mean one person from each team will wear them?”
“Yes, Lan and Lienna will wear them. This way, we can protect you during the sparring, and the risk of accidents will be lower.”
Losing a cloth means defeat.
In other words, it was a sparring session focused more on subduing the opponent than defeating them.
“Sounds good.”
“I’m fine with it.”
Lienna and I accepted simultaneously.
Thus, the first sparring session began.
***
“Don’t worry about Jane. I’ll defend as much as I can.”
Elma stretched and drew her sword.
“There’s no need to be obsessed with winning. This is just a sparring session meant to improve teamwork.”
“But still, winning is better than losing, right?”
Lan’s cheerful laugh made Elma’s eyes widen slightly.
-‘But still, winning is better than losing!’
A long time ago.
Words she once heard from a precious person.
“…You’re right.”
“That’s why, let’s win.”
He wasn’t only talking about this sparring session.
He meant the many battles to come and even the festival’s main event.
-‘If you’re going to do it, win.’
Let’s win.
Beep—!
As the alarm signaling the start of the sparring rang.
Jane, who was on the other side, quickly charged forward.
“It’s been a while since I last sparred with you, Elma!”
“It really has…!”
Jane’s energy wrapped around her sword.
The Rune family’s secret martial arts technique possessed a rather unique nature compared to other techniques.
And that is.
Ziiing—!
Qi took on the properties of magical energy.
「Magic Sword Style」
The Qi gathered in her sword seeped into the ground.
「Great Sword」
Rumble—!
The direction Jane swung her sword caused blades of earth to rise from the ground.
A technique situated between swordsmanship and magic.
For first-time opponents, it’s a technique that can only bewilder them.
However.
“As expected, you start with that technique.”
Elma had faced her many times.
To her, the 「Magic Sword Style」 was no longer a wild card.
Swish!
Elma extended her sword and concentrated her qi.
‘…A Detestable Family.’
A family she hated so much that she went to great lengths to hide her surname.
But the ‘sword’ that they had honed over the years was not something she could ignore.
‘The Ashen Reaper, Carbon Oldeire.’
Her sword was as powerful as it was graceful.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her the greatest knight alive.
-‘Elma, wield your sword.’
-‘You are the one who will carry on the Oldeire name.’
She had no intention of living by Carbon’s words.
But at least, until she found Alben.
‘I’ll borrow this sword.’
Whooosh—
Crimson ash flames ignited.
The deeper her resentment toward Carbon, the more fiercely the flames burned.
The secret sword technique that earned the Oldeire family their reputation as a swordsmanship lineage.
「Ash Sword Style」
The ash flames from the sword swallowed up all the earthen blades and extinguished them.
‘Abyssal End’
That is what the 「Ash Sword Style」 embodies.
Not just destruction or death, but annihilation.
A sword that manifests death itself.
A terrifying, eerie sword.
And because of that, it’s the ‘strongest’ sword.
-‘That is the 「Ash Sword Style」.’
Carbon’s voice echoed in her mind.
Using this always left her feeling repulsed.
“It really is mesmerizing every time I see it.”
“You just have a peculiar taste, Jane.”
Ashes scattered across the training ground.
Whoosh—!
Elma brushed off the ash flames and stepped forward.
“You won’t touch Lan.”
“We’ll see about that. Lienna, Plan A!”
“Yes.”
At Jane’s signal, Lienna activated her Holy Power.
“O Holy Creator, send a protector to guard your creations.”
Four syllables transformed into a divine power that enveloped Jane.
「Buff • Paladin」
In an instant, golden armour and a sword appeared on Jane.
“…To bestow a four-syllable blessing so easily, as expected of the Divine Oracle Holy Maiden.”
Even seasoned clergy members require years of practice to bestow blessings with more than three syllables.
“So, this is Plan A?”
“It’s the most basic plan. It’s the one that everyone expects, so it’s in Plan A.”
The most fundamental use of Holy Power, blessings.
They soften malicious forces and enhance one’s abilities with divine grace.
“Hehe, here I come!”
Jane raised her sword, now imbued with Holy Power.
‘This might be a bit tough.’
Just as Elma surrounded herself with ash flames.
“Senior.”
Lan stopped her.
“If they attack together, we should respond in kind.”
“But… we haven’t synchronized our moves before….”
“Don’t worry about that.”
He stepped in front of Elma.
“I’ll match your pace.”
A faint, crimson aura wrapped around Lan’s sword.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Comment