Chapter 154

“The Swordsmanship Tournament Round of 16! Starting right now!”

The commentator’s voice resounded throughout the stadium.

I smirked and spoke to Lisa beside me.

“The Swordsmanship Tournament moves really fast.”

“Right? I didn’t expect the Round of 16 to start before the morning was even over.”

“That just means a lot of skilled fighters entered this tournament.”

“Yeah, there are plenty of people in the Empire who are good with the sword.”

Lisa gazed toward the arena with intrigued eyes.

Then, she alternated her gaze between two students—

Two students with black hair.

“I think the reason it’s progressing faster is partly because of those two.”

“Lady Sara and Lord Eisen?”

“Yeah. Both of their matches ended really fast.”

Lisa said expressionlessly.

“Neither of them has used fire magic even once so far. They’ve completely overwhelmed their opponents using only pure swordsmanship.”

“When it comes to facing people, the swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Family is unrivaled.”

“Exactly. Unless something big happens, the winner of this tournament will be one of those two.”

Just as Lisa said—or rather, as everyone thought.

Everyone watching this tournament likely considered those two siblings of the Isrinbloom Family to be the top contenders for victory.

‘Sara’s become much stronger, but still… Can she really defeat Eisen at that level?’

It was hard to tell.

Sara had her own plans prepared, but I wasn’t sure if they would actually work.

“But those two… they won’t face each other in the finals.”

Lisa lifted her head toward the sky.

Above the stadium, a holographic tournament bracket floated.

Apparently, it was made using some sort of optical magic.

Anyway, according to that bracket…

“Yeah, if they meet, it’ll be in the semifinals.”

If both Eisen and Sara continued to win without issue, the siblings would face each other in the semifinals.

A semifinal match between the two overwhelming favorites.

Practically a preview of the finals.

Whoever won that would almost certainly claim the championship.

“Gideon, what do you think? Can Sara win?”

“To be honest… her chances aren’t high. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”

“I hope Sara wins. This time, I want her to step out of her family’s shadow.”

“…I agree with you on that.”

I didn’t ask Lisa to explain what she meant.

I didn’t have to—because I already understood.

The following matches progressed quickly.

Too quickly, and too smoothly.

“Huff, huff… I–I lost, Lady Sara.”

“Of course. Naturally, I’d win.”

Sara sheathed her rapier and looked down at the boy collapsed on the ground.

She had already reached the quarterfinals.

And again, she easily defeated her opponent.

“It was… an honor to learn from your sword, Lady Sara.”

“I had fun too.”

Sara replied as she dispelled her fire magic.

It was the first time she had used magic since the start of the tournament.

That showed how this opponent was… different from the others she’d faced before.

“You were… quite strong. It was at least worth the fight.”

“Th–thank you! It’s truly an honor!”

“What’s your name?”

“Daus Nagarmo from Tantal Academy.”

“I’ll remember it. Let’s meet again if fate allows.”

With those words, Sara left the arena amid the cheers of countless spectators.

Once she completely exited the stadium, she sank to the ground with a sigh.

“Am I still… lacking that much?”

Sara muttered blankly to herself.

“Eisen didn’t even use fire magic in the quarterfinals… but I had to.”

Just as she had grown stronger, so had Eisen.

Watching his previous matches made that clear to her.

“Can I… really win? With my skills? Truly?”

Even though she had won, Sara didn’t feel happy.

In fact, the closer her match against Eisen came, the more anxious she felt.

“…Jason… I kind of miss that idiot.”

She suddenly longed for the boy who always used to chatter noisily beside her.

She wished Jason were here now, babbling as always, helping her forget these uneasy thoughts.

“You jerk… Where did you disappear to? You should’ve at least watched my match. You said you would… you liar…”

Sara sighed again.

She sat blankly for a moment, then slowly stood up.

“…No, let’s not be like this before it even starts. Yeah, I’m prepared. I learned from Gideon and Instructor Luke. At the very least… I need to show that.”

The quarterfinals were soon coming to an end.

Eisen had once again won his previous match with overwhelming dominance.

And just now, Sara had secured her spot in the semifinals.

“So, it’s finally happening… a match with Eisen Oppa. How many years has it been?”

Sara murmured to herself, then began walking again.

She needed to recover as much stamina as possible before the next match.

Meanwhile, at the same time—

Inside Muktaba Academy’s waiting room for participants.

“So, your next match is against Sara?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s the match with Sara.”

Inside the waiting room were Rage and Eisen—

The two brothers of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family.

“Well, you’ll probably beat Sara easily. And whoever you face in the finals won’t be much of a match either. Honestly, your victory in this Swordsmanship Tournament is practically guaranteed.”

“Yeah. As long as I defeat Sara… the rest won’t be an issue.”

Eisen calmly replied to Rage’s words with a blank expression.

“And the All-Academy Representative Tournament after that… you’ll likely win that too. The only problem might be…”

“You’re talking about Gideon Kyrgram, right?”

“Yeah, Gideon Kyrgram. The swordsman who defeated Sara and possesses various powers. I heard he has too many skills and too many styles of swordsmanship… I can’t say for sure that you’d beat him.”

“But you have to win. You must win. You know that too, right?”

“…Yeah, I know.”

At Eisen’s reply, Rage smiled in satisfaction.

However, unlike his expression, his eyes were cold—chillingly so.

“Don’t forget His plan. You gained your power from Him, and that’s why you became strong. You have to show that power to as many people as possible. Make them follow your strength—make them admire the power of our family.”

“I know.”

“Then don’t even think about losing. Just like last year, this year too—and the next. The star of the tournament must always be you. The power He gave you—reveal it little by little, and use it to gather faith for Him.”

“I didn’t use it last year… Should I use it this time?”

“You should.”

Rage nodded.

Eisen quietly sighed to himself.

The power he had received from Him was indeed strong, but using it was always painful.

“If you use that power, you’ll win no matter what. That Kyrgram brat won’t be able to stand against something like that.”

“…Got it. Anyway, I’ll go and defeat Sara first.”

“Go warm up. You won’t need His power against Sara, so save it for your match against that Kyrgram kid.”

“Yeah. Against Sara… my fire magic alone will be enough.”

Finally, the semifinals began.

Amid thunderous cheers, the siblings of the Isrinbloom Family walked toward the center of the arena.

“Oppa, how have you been? I haven’t seen you once since the vacation.”

“……”

“Even after the tournament started, you didn’t come see me once. I kept looking for you because I wanted to see you… but you and Rage Oppa never came to me even once.”

“……”

Eisen said nothing in response to Sara’s words.

That silence only made Sara raise her voice angrily.

“I’m used to being ignored by the family. But when you two treat me like I don’t even exist… Rage Oppa, fine, I get it. But you, Eisen Oppa, I thought at least you would…”

“It’s for your own good.”

“…What?”

“You won’t understand now, but trust me. For now, it’s better that you’re treated me as someone who doesn’t exist.”

Eisen’s face remained expressionless.

But in his eyes—there was pain.

Sara, however, didn’t notice.

“No. I don’t want to be treated like I don’t exist. I want to be acknowledged too. I don’t want to be looked down on just because I’m young, weak, or a branch family member. This time, I’ll prove myself.”

“Please, believe me. Right now, it’s better not to know. Better to know nothing until all this is over. It’s for your sake.”

“What? What are you even talking about?”

“…Draw your sword, Sara. I’ll show you just how meaningless your existence is within our family.”

Eisen wanted his little sister to sever all ties with the Isrinbloom Family.

He wanted her to remain unentangled with their affairs—completely uninvolved.

That was why he spoke such cruel words, ones he didn’t even mean.

He hoped she would grow distant—from him, from their family.

But Eisen’s words only provoked Sara further.

“Do you know why I didn’t go to Muktaba Academy, and instead came to Lysquare? Part of it was to get away from the family… but more than that, it was to become stronger. To learn more from Instructor Luke—and I’ve learned much more than that.”

As she spoke, Sara drew her rapier.

Eisen likewise drew his own rapier.

And then, he noticed something odd.

‘What’s that sword?’

There was another sword strapped to Sara’s back.

It looked completely ordinary—nothing special about it.

‘…So she’s prepared something after all.’

Eisen found it strange for a moment but soon dismissed it.

Then he felt a pang of genuine concern for her.

Sentiment aside, from an objective standpoint, Sara had no chance of winning against him.

Eisen knew that fact all too well.

“The match will now begin. Both participants, please move to your positions.”

At the referee’s words, Sara and Eisen—the siblings of the Isrinbloom Family—walked to their respective sides.

Ten meters apart.

They raised their rapiers, mirroring each other’s stance.

The starting posture of Isrinbloom swordsmanship, with the rapier’s hilt raised before the eyes.

Despite the roaring cheers of the crowd, the two kept their eyes locked on each other in complete focus.

Moments later, the referee’s signal echoed.

Whoosh—!

Sara charged at Eisen, flames erupting around her.

Eisen easily blocked her attack.

Clang—!

“Tch.”

Sara swung her rapier faster, more brilliantly, wreathed in fire.

But Eisen parried every strike effortlessly, using only his rapier.

To him, every one of Sara’s moves was predictable.

He too was a swordsman of the Isrinbloom Family.

He could read her flames and her blade—when, where, and how they would strike.

‘Let’s finish this quickly.’

After defending for a few minutes, Eisen finally moved.

He had only been defending to gauge how much she had grown.

‘She’s improved a lot. But still too weak—both body and mind. At this rate… it really is better if she stays unaware.’

After blocking Sara’s attack, Eisen countered.

He slipped past the oncoming flames and aimed a strike at her—

“…Huh?”

Sara’s stance suddenly changed.

It was one he had never seen before.

Gripping her sword with both hands, keeping it tight against her body.

With that posture, she blocked Eisen’s attack and threw her rapier at him.

“What the—”

Eisen deflected the rapier and looked up, startled.

Sara was already right in front of him.

She had drawn the sword from her back.

And she swung it straight down at Eisen.

“Ugh?”

Boom—!

Eisen blocked the strike, but the force was stronger than expected—it pushed him back a step.

“That stance…”

Her feet were planted shoulder-width apart, almost rooted to the ground.

A sword style that pressed forward with minimal movement yet relentless aggression.

Eisen realized it immediately.

“When did you learn Luke’s…”

“I just learned more, that’s all, Oppa.”

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