Chapter 145

“…Are you saying you found nothing?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t find anything at all.”

The next day, after meeting Jason.

He gave me an awkward smile as he replied to my question.

“I couldn’t even find a clue about the Evil God, let alone any cult that worships him.”

“Well… that makes sense. The reason those ancient beings are called ‘ancient’ is because they completely vanished from the continent a long time ago.”

“Yeah. Maybe that’s why, but there wasn’t a single proper piece of information anywhere.”

Jason sighed and continued.

“So I tried approaching it differently. You remember how I said that studies in Ancient Studies suddenly ceased about 300 years ago? I looked into that instead.”

“Did you find any leads there?”

“Nope. The history related to that field was completely erased too. But I did find out why research in Ancient Studies suddenly stopped. Back then, there were a few people trying to look into the same thing we’re investigating now. Of course… they all died soon after.”

“Seems like a lot of people died 300 years ago.”

I stroked my chin, organizing my thoughts.

“A considerable number of people died, yet there are no records about it. How could something like that even be possible?”

“I focused my investigation on that point too. To erase every trace from history—that’s not something easily done. Unless you’re a transcendent being or someone who wielded immense power at the time.”

“Someone who wielded immense power, huh…”

“Why? Did something come to mind?”

At Jason’s question, I fell silent for a moment.

Because his words about power reminded me of something.

‘The reason I transmigrated was because I found an ancient document in the underground of the Isrinbloom Family mansion. And in that document… was the story of a family sentenced to Record Erasure.’

That wasn’t all.

According to what Roy had told me before…

‘The Evil God Bedir was said to have resided in the Muktaba volcanic region before the Isrinbloom Family appeared.’

The Isrinbloom Family, based in Muktaba.

The ancient Evil God who had once operated around old Muktaba.

The Isrinbloom Family was one of only three ducal families in the Empire, and they held considerable power.

If they truly set their minds to it, erasing all records of a family… might have been entirely possible.

“…Gideon? You alright?”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“…Sir Jason. Would it be alright if I asked you to investigate the Isrinbloom Family?”

“The Isrinbloom Family?”

Jason tilted his head.

But soon, as if realizing something, he nodded.

“You said that Evil God, Bedir, had once settled in Muktaba, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. So I thought it might be worth looking into.”

“Hm… alright. It won’t be easy, but I’ll give it a try.”

“Really?”

It was unexpected.

Even for Jason, investigating a ducal family like Isrinbloom was…

“I was already thinking of checking into them anyway. I heard that the eldest son of that family’s been acting strange lately.”

“…You mean Rage Isrinbloom?”

“Yeah. Sara’s older brother. From what I’ve heard, he’s been acting like a completely different person lately.”

“In that case… understood. Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

At my words, Jason nodded.

“You don’t mind if this one takes a while, right? It’s the Isrinbloom Family we’re talking about. Even for me, it’ll take a few months.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Just as Jason said, even for a member of the Hawkbat Family, investigating another ducal family wasn’t something easy.

Besides, I didn’t mind if it took time.

It wasn’t like we were racing against a clock.

“There’s no need to rush, so let’s take it slow and stay safe.”

“Yeah, just like you said—let’s stay safe. I’d rather not end up cursed by some strange hex.”

Jason chuckled and then smoothly shifted the topic.

“Anyway, you said you wanted to learn how to handle wind?”

“I’d like some advice.”

“Alright. I’ll share a few tips.”

“What were you doing with Jason during lunch earlier?”

“Just talked for a bit, and he taught me a few ways to use wind.”

“I see.”

Lisa leaned her head on my shoulder and hugged me tightly.

It was Sunday afternoon.

I was spending time alone with Lisa at the Disciplinary Committee Room for the first time in a while.

“Noona, how’s work? I haven’t been able to help much lately.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I handled everything on my own last year too.”

“Still… I feel a bit bad.”

I lightly kissed her cheek.

“I could at least join you for night patrols sometimes—uhm?”

“There’s no need. Really.”

Lisa pressed her lips softly against mine.

“You’re already busy preparing for the Inter-Academy Tournament these days. Training all day, sparring constantly.”

“I am tired, but I can still help you with—”

“Don’t. You should rest at night. You have classes, extra lessons from Instructor Luke, and you even practice alone late into the night… If you add night patrols on top of that, your body will give out.”

“…Alright, Noona. Thanks for worrying about me. Really.”

With that, I wrapped my arms around her.

Lisa’s eyes gleamed with happiness as she nestled into my embrace.

“But Noona, hasn’t your workload also increased because of the tournament preparations?”

“Yeah, a little. I’ve been working with the Student Council to organize it. Managing student transportation and supervision. It’s not as hectic as the school trip that got suddenly moved up, but still, it’s a bit busy.”

“You’re working hard too.”

When I gave her a look of sympathy, Lisa shook her head expressionlessly.

“It’s fine. Once the tournament ends, there won’t be any big events left for the year. So once it’s all over, I’m sticking to you every day until vacation.”

“That sounds like a great plan.”

“Right?”

Lisa smiled brightly, clearly pleased.

Then she gently bit my neck.

Seeing Lisa express her affection in her own way made me suddenly think of something.

“Come to think of it, Noona… it’s been quite a while since you last drank my blood, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, a little over four days.”

“Isn’t your throat dry? Normally, by now you would’ve already…”

“…I’ve been holding back.”

Lisa bit my neck a little harder and looked up at me.

“You’ve been pushing your body a lot lately. I thought if I drank your blood too, you’d get even more exhausted. So I’ve been enduring it by drinking animal blood instead.”

“Noona, you don’t need to do that. If you’re thirsty, just tell me. Don’t hold it in for no reason, okay?”

Lisa looked at me with a slightly hesitant gaze.

“Are you really sure? Wouldn’t it make you tired if I drank too much?”

“Just don’t drink too much, that’s all.”

“Hmm…”

Lisa stared at me silently for a moment.

Now that I looked closely, there was a faint red tint in her eyes.

“Are you really sure? It’s okay if I drink right now?”

“Yeah, as long as it’s not too much… Oh, right. Sorry, Noona—could we do it later, in the evening?”

“In the evening?”

“I have a sparring match with Lady Sara today. I’ll have to head out in about an hour.”

“Ah, well… if you’re going to spar, you should be in your best condition.”

Lisa nodded, though she looked a bit disappointed.

Seeing her expression made me smile faintly.

“I’ll let you drink later, so just wait a little longer.”

“Alright. But hey, would it be okay if I came to watch your sparring match?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. Neither Lady Sara nor Instructor Luke would care if you came.”

I kissed Lisa lightly on the forehead as I answered.

‘Let’s give it a try.’

I stirred the wind and lifted myself into the air.

Then, using the wind as a foothold, I stepped forward a few times across the sky.

Jason’s tips definitely worked.

“The same trick won’t work twice!”

Sara swung her rapier, shifting the flow of her flames to gather in one place.

A wall of fire.

It was the first time I’d seen her use flames defensively.

But that was fine.

I could easily handle her level of fire now.

Ssshhh—!

Using the power of the Water Rune, I coated Mistcatcher’s blade in water.

When I swung the blade toward the wall of fire, the flames blocking my path vanished in an instant, turning into steam.

‘The power of the Rune’s grown stronger too.’

Maybe it was thanks to all that training underwater—now I could summon even more water.

At least against Sara, I had no trouble keeping up anymore.

“Tch!”

Sara adjusted her flames again, parrying my strike with her rapier, then immediately countered.

Her swordsmanship had grown faster, sharper, more precise.

But I’d also received weeks of special training from Luke.

My defense had become far sturdier than before.

Cha-cha-ching—! Ching—!

And that wasn’t all.

‘…Now.’

While defending with my defensive swordsmanship, I seized the brief opening that appeared.

Then I shifted into Luke’s offensive sword style.

Bang—! Bang—!

I drew out my aura more forcefully, pressing Sara back with Luke’s aggressive swordsmanship.

Sara tried to summon more flames for defense—

—but by then, my blade was already shrouded in water.

Swooosh—!

The water effortlessly neutralized her fire, and I continued my assault.

‘Sara’s improved a lot too.’

As I crossed swords with her, I could tell her skill had grown immensely.

She could adapt to my changing sword styles instantly, aiming for the smallest openings.

She no longer looked down on me.

Now she faced me as a swordsman she needed to surpass—cautious, focused, determined.

It was a clear change from before.

Of course, no matter how much she tried to read my moves, against my Attack Prediction Skill…

“That’s enough, both of you.”

At Instructor Luke’s quiet declaration, Sara and I immediately stopped our sparring.

“First off, Gideon—you’ve pretty much mastered my swordsmanship now. You’re still lacking in power, but that’s just because of aura limitations.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Instructor.”

“Your swordsmanship and mine—honestly, just having those two styles is enough to give you an edge over Eisen when it comes to technique.”

“The problem, of course, is Sir Eisen’s flames, right? With the water I can summon… I doubt it’ll be enough.”

“…That’s true. But it’s not like you have no chance at all. I still think you’re the one with the highest odds of winning.”

After a bit more conversation, Luke turned toward Sara.

“Your swordsmanship’s improved. At this rate, you won’t fall behind Eisen. But still…”

“…My flames aren’t as strong as my brother’s.”

“Right. If you want to beat Eisen, you’ll need to prepare a secret move—something he’ll never see coming.”

“About that, Instructor… could I speak with you privately for a moment?”

With that, Sara took Luke aside for a brief private talk.

While they stepped away, Lisa, who’d been watching our spar from a short distance, came over to me.

“Good work. You’ve improved a lot.”

“I’ve still got a long way to go. If I want to aim for victory in the Inter-Academy Tournament, I’ll need to keep pushing.”

“Just don’t overdo it. Want some water if you’re thirsty?”

“Ah, thanks, Noona.”

A moment later, we sat together under a tree, resting for a while.

A few minutes passed before Sara returned.

“Lady Sara? Where’s Instructor Luke?”

“He said he went to get something and told us to rest for a bit. So, since we’ve got some time… Gideon, could you teach me your swordsmanship before the tournament?”

“…You mean my defensive style?”

“Yeah, that one. Is that okay?”

Sara asked carefully, watching my reaction.

From the way she looked, I could roughly guess what she was planning.

“To fight Sir Eisen, isn’t it?”

“Y-yeah. I’m thinking of preparing a move that my brother won’t expect, so I was wondering if…”

“Understood. I’ll teach you.”

“R-really?”

“It’s not that difficult.”

I smiled lightly, then continued with a more serious tone.

“But I won’t be able to teach you much. There’s not much time left before the tournament, so… would it be alright if I just showed you a few basics?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Even that much might help me land a solid hit on my brother.”

“Alright, then…”

I started by teaching Sara the opening stance of my sword style, followed by a few fundamental techniques.

Anyway… time passed quickly amidst all these happenings.

Before I knew it, there were only three days left until the Inter-Academy Tournament began.

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