Chapter 10

“So you’re saying Sara got upset and hasn’t gone back to class?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

At Layla’s question, Jason let out a short laugh.

“When I told her to go back after getting treatment, she flat-out refused. I guess losing to Gideon must’ve been really humiliating for her.”

“Shut it, Jason.”

“But it’s true, though.”

“You little—”

Sara’s hand reached for her rapier, but she soon took a deep breath and calmed herself.

Jason’s sly grin annoyed her, but she didn’t want to look disgraceful in front of the Princess.

“So that’s what happened. By the way, Sara, is your wrist all right now?”

“Yes, it’s fine now.”

“There’s no scar left or anything, right?”

“Truly, it’s fine. The academy’s healer treated it cleanly.”

“Well, that’s a relief… but you’re really sure you’re all right?”

Layla looked at Sara with concern.

“You’ve seemed down ever since we met earlier.”

“…I’m fine. And, Your Highness, may I ask you for a favor?”

Sara lowered her head, trying to hide her dark expression.

“Please don’t pity me. That only hurts me more.”

“Huh? No, Sara, I’ve never thought of you like that…”

“Layla, just let it go.”

Jason cut in between them.

“She’s really shaken up right now.”

“I can see that… but is losing such a big deal for a swordsman?”

“No. Losing itself isn’t a problem. I lose more often than I win, and Sara’s lost a few times too. But the problem is who she lost to.”

Jason glanced at Sara, who only sighed quietly with her head down.

Then she gestured at him to go on.

“The daughter of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family lost to some unknown baron’s son. There’s no way that’s not shocking.”

“…I see what you mean. By the way, Jason, you said you’d never heard of the Kyrgram Family either, right?”

“Never. But I was curious, so I asked my family for information a few hours ago.”

“Oh? And what did you find out?”

“Nothing special. Apparently, they’re a family that manages a sanctuary for other races in Serenus.”

“Serenus… isn’t that the southernmost region of the Empire?”

“Exactly. A place with nothing but non-humans.”

“Hey, Jason.”

Sara, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

“Do you think you could beat Gideon Kyrgram?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. I don’t think I’d lose, but I can’t say I’d win either.”

Jason recalled Gideon and Sara’s sparring match from earlier.

Gideon’s defensive swordsmanship looked incredibly hard to break through.

“My family’s sword style relies on speed, but I don’t know if my speed could break through Gideon’s defense.”

“His defense was solid. I couldn’t see a single opening.”

“The lack of openings is part of why you lost. But honestly, I think it’s more because you got worked up and careless.”

“…I can’t deny that.”

“Be honest—you didn’t think he’d attack, did you?”

“He kept defending, so yeah… I didn’t expect him to suddenly go on the offensive.”

“But,” Sara said, her tone serious,

“If I fought him again, I wouldn’t lose. His attacks are sloppy. His defense is flawless, but the way he swings a sword—it’s really awkward.”

“Really? That awkward?”

“What are you getting at?”

“It’s just… near the end, I thought Gideon was mimicking your family’s sword style. Not perfectly, but I swear I saw it. Weren’t you thinking the same?”

“…Yeah, I noticed too… but did he copy it on the spot just by watching me? No… the fact that he used techniques I never even showed means he already knew about our family’s swordsmanship.”

“Really?”

“Think about it logically. Could you imitate a sword style you’d just seen for the first time?”

Jason paused, thinking it over.

Then he chuckled and shook his head.

“I don’t know. My brain’s starting to hurt. Whatever the case, congrats on your first real loss in pure swordsmanship, Sara.”

“Congratulate me? For what?! And I didn’t lose yet! The match was stopped because of Instructor Luke—the duel isn’t over!”

“You keep saying that, but it just sounds pathetic. Ask anyone who was watching. They’ll all say you lost.”

“…Damn it.”

Sara ground her teeth.

Losing itself didn’t bother her.

What stung was that the Isrinbloom Family’s swordsmanship had been defeated—by an unknown swordsman at that.

“The rumor about today’s spar… my family will hear about it, won’t they?”

“It’s probably already reached them.”

“Damn it all.”

“Why? Sara, is that a bad thing?”

Layla tilted her head.

“Your family all seemed like good people.”

“They are. They truly are… but when it comes to the family’s honor…”

Sara’s expression said there was much more she wanted to say, but she trailed off.

Sensing the tension, Jason quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, Sara. You heading to the training ground?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Can’t skip a single day of training.”

“Then let’s go together. And… Lady Layla, how about you?”

“I’ll come too. I’ve been curious about what the training ground looks like—and how you two usually train.”

“Then let’s go.”

The three of them made their way toward the training ground.

When they entered, they were greeted by an unexpected sight.

“There’s a crowd over there. What’s going on?”

“No idea. But if that many people are watching, something must be happening.”

“I’ll go check.”

“Sara, I’ll come with you.”

As Sara took the lead, Layla hurried after her.

Jason sighed, clearly reluctant, but followed the two nonetheless.

“Ah—Y-Your Highness?”

“Greetings, Your Highness!”

The students who had been watching quickly backed away, startled by the sudden appearance of the Princess.

Layla smiled warmly and spoke.

“Sorry for interrupting. But what were you all watching?”

“We were just amazed by that student’s training, so everyone gathered to watch.”

“That student… huh? Isn’t that Gideon?”

“Oh-ho, it really is Gideon.”

“…Ha.”

The three of them could see Gideon inside the iron cage, blocking every single magic arrow fired at him.

The magic arrows were flying straight toward him at an incredible speed, yet Gideon blocked them all without fail.

Sara and Jason couldn’t help but be genuinely impressed.

“Hey, Jason. That machine shooting the magic arrows—your family owns one of those, right?”

“Yeah, it’s the same kind. We often train by dodging magic arrows to improve our reflexes and agility.”

“I’ve used one before too… dodging those arrows is pretty tough, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is. My family members can handle it easily, but most people can’t.”

“But that guy’s blocking all of them right now.”

“Exactly. That’s what makes this insane. Dodging them is hard enough, but even for me, blocking every single one would be impossible.”

Jason had trained to dodge those arrows since childhood, so he knew exactly how incredible Gideon’s feat was.

“That machine… the highest setting is level ten, right?”

“Yeah, level ten’s the maximum.”

“And the arrows Gideon’s blocking right now…”

“They’re level ten. I can tell—I’ve used that machine enough to know.”

“…Ha.”

Sara and Jason both gave a short, disbelieving laugh at Gideon’s display.

“Sara, I think I get why you lost. How could anyone break through that kind of defense?”

“I told you earlier, I didn’t lose—”

“Just admit it already. Losing to a guy like that isn’t even embarrassing.”

‘Starting from level ten, it’s getting tough.’

At this point, my body was barely managing to keep up.

Even so, I somehow managed to block all of the level ten magic arrows.

‘The Attack Prediction Skill is honestly overpowered.’

A skill that told me when and where an attack would come from—

I’d have to make full use of this from now on.

In a way, my entire defensive swordsmanship worked only because of this skill.

And,

‘My thoughts are slowly starting to catch up with my body’s speed.’

There was still a long way to go, but progress was progress.

If I kept doing this kind of training, I’d probably get more used to actual combat.

[Training Complete.]

“……”

After blocking the last arrow, I sheathed my sword and exhaled heavily.

I still had a long road ahead of me.

My physical abilities were decent, but my limits were clear.

I needed to train to push those limits a little further each day.

‘Anyway… when did so many people gather?’

I’d been so focused that I hadn’t realized a large group of students had gathered to watch me.

‘I should leave quickly.’

I didn’t like being the center of attention and wanted to slip away as soon as possible.

But as I stepped out of the cage…

“Gideon! That was amazing!”

“Huh? Y-Your Highness?”

A blonde-haired girl approached me.

“I-I greet Your Highness.”

“Oh, no need to be so stiff. But really, how did you block all those arrows? They were insanely fast.”

“As I refined my swordsmanship, it gradually became possible.”

“You must’ve trained really hard, then.”

“Hm? Ah, Lord Jason.”

When Jason appeared, I greeted him.

“The more I see you, the more impressive you are. Now I really want to spar with you. My fast sword versus your ironclad defense—I can’t help but wonder who’d win.”

“If there’s ever an opportunity, I’d be honored to request a duel with you, Lord Jason. But for today, I’m afraid I’m too exhausted.”

“Good call. A duel should only happen when both sides are in top form.”

“Thank you. Your Highness, Lord Jason, if it isn’t rude, may I excuse myself now?”

I was starting to feel the heavy weight of everyone’s stares.

The attention was uncomfortable, and I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Besides, I needed to start gathering materials for weapon enhancement.

“Ah, of course. Sorry for holding you up.”

“Not at all, Your Highness. Then, I shall take my leave. Lord Jason, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure. Take care.”

“Thank you. And… Lady Sara, I’ll see you tomorrow as well.”

“……”

Sara simply looked at me quietly without a word.

After giving her a polite bow, I quickly left the training ground.

“Phew.”

The moment I stepped outside, I inhaled the fresh air deeply, calming my tense body.

‘Before or after being transmigrated… dealing with high-ranking people always makes me nervous.’

In this world, the powerful could literally decide my life with a single word.

As I’d thought before, it was good to build rapport—but boundaries were essential.

Getting too close could lead to quests disguised as “friendship,” and that usually caused more trouble than it was worth.

‘Anyway, it’s almost dinner time. I’ll eat something quick, then head out.’

My current goal was to strengthen my weapon, even just a little.

Fortunately, the initial enhancement materials could be found near the academy.

The only problem was… I had to hunt monsters myself.

‘I think I needed Rock Lizard scales, right?’

I had a feeling this was going to be a hassle, but I started walking nonetheless.

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