Chapter 155

A few months ago—shortly after summer vacation had ended and the new term had begun.

“So… you’re asking me to teach you my swordsmanship?”

“Please, Instructor. And Gideon, I’m asking you too. Teach me your swordsmanship.”

While everyone at the academy was preparing for the inter-academy tournament, Sara approached Luke and Gideon with a request—

To teach her their swordsmanship.

Luke looked at her with a doubtful expression.

“It’s to defeat Eisen, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. No matter how hard I try, I can’t catch up to my brother before the tournament. Like you said before… I’m basically just a lesser version of him. That’s why I want to try a different method.”

Sara spoke with eyes filled with determination.

“If I go head-on using the Isrinbloom Family’s swordsmanship, I’ll lose for sure. But if it’s not the Isrinbloom swordsmanship—if I can catch him off guard with a different style—then maybe I have a chance to win.”

“Hmmm… You’re not wrong. In fact… that might be the only way you’ll have any chance at all.”

Luke nodded, though uncertainty still lingered on his face.

“But the problem is… there’s not enough time. The tournament isn’t far away. You can’t possibly master a new sword style in that short period.”

“Didn’t Gideon do it in a few months?”

“To be precise, even Gideon hasn’t completely mastered all those sword styles.”

At Luke’s words, Gideon nodded.

“Lady Sara, Instructor Luke is right. I can only use those many sword styles superficially. I haven’t been able to bring out their full potential.”

“Besides, Gideon’s a special case. Normally, even learning that many techniques superficially within a single semester would be nearly impossible. Gideon just happens to have… well, a talent similar to mine—he’s gifted at handling multiple sword styles.”

“I understand, Instructor. I really do. But I’m not planning to learn them all seriously like Gideon did in the first place.”

Luke carefully studied Sara’s eyes.

Her gaze was firmer than ever before.

“My brother Eisen won’t expect me to come prepared with a completely different swordsmanship. So, I just want to learn enough to catch him off guard—just enough for that.”

“Well, I get your plan. Like I said earlier, that might indeed be your only shot.”

“So… will you teach me? Your swordsmanship?”

“I can teach you. And Gideon probably will too—he’s not the type to refuse. But Sara, are you really sure about this?”

Luke’s tone grew serious as he looked into her eyes.

“Anyone else, maybe. But you’re from the Isrinbloom Ducal Family. One of the three ducal houses. If someone like you uses a sword style outside of your family’s heritage—especially against another member of your own house—”

“…I know. People will definitely talk. In a duel between two Isrinbloom swordsmen, one of them using a different style… Yes, there will be plenty of whispers behind my back.”

Sara let out a small sigh.

But her steadfast gaze didn’t waver.

“I’ve already prepared myself for that. No matter what people say about me, or what my family says… I still want to win, at least once. Even if it has to be this way… I want to show my family.”

“Show them what?”

“That I’m not weak.”

Sara swung her sword down toward Eisen.

He blocked the attack, but his expression was filled with confusion.

“Sara, you’re using a different swordsmanship…?”

“So what? Am I not allowed to?”

“You’re using a different style in a duel between two Isrinbloom swordsmen? Sara, as a member of our house, don’t you have any pride—”

“Is pride really that important?”

Sara, who had always been prouder than anyone, asked coldly.

But last semester, she had lost to Gideon again and again.

Whether it was pure swordsmanship or in full-strength battles—she was defeated each time.

Because of that, Sara had learned to let go of that lofty pride.

The pride she once carried as a member of the Isrinbloom Family—she had stepped away from it.

“And do you even realize, brother, that what you’re saying is contradictory?”

“Huh? What do you—ugh!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Eisen, brother, tell me. You, Lord Rage, Father, Mother, everyone in our family—aside from when I was too young to know anything—did any of you ever truly accept me as one of you?”

Sara’s sword struck hard toward Eisen.

Though he managed to block, the unexpected force of her blow sent him reeling.

The Isrinbloom Family’s swordsmanship was born of finesse and precision.

But Luke’s swordsmanship was designed specifically to shatter that precision.

Rigid movements filled with condensed power—delivering relentless, heavy strikes one after another.

That was Luke’s style.

And its destructive force easily overpowered the refined techniques of the Isrinbloom Family.

Even though the Isrinbloom swordsmanship was said to be supreme in human duels, it was naturally weak against Luke’s approach.

In fact, unless the Isrinbloom swordsman’s skill was overwhelmingly superior, most would lose against Luke.

Yes—against Luke.

Clang—!

“You’ve learned something interesting, Sara. Luke—or rather, that instructor—taught you quite an amusing trick.”

Eisen’s rapier caught Sara’s blade.

After being pushed back continuously by her strikes, he finally managed to block one properly.

“But you know, don’t you? You’re not the only one who learned from that instructor.”

As he said that, Eisen began his counterattack.

Regaining control, he drove Sara back without mercy.

Eisen had met Luke in the past, and like Sara, he had also learned from him.

So he understood Luke’s swordsmanship to a certain extent.

‘The weakness of Luke’s style… is its terribly weak defense.’

It was powerful when holding the initiative, but if the flow was broken even once—just once—its strength would plummet.

Knowing that, Eisen countered the moment he spotted an opening in Sara’s form.

‘She hasn’t learned it properly. Still clumsy. Too many gaps.’

When Sara first revealed Luke’s swordsmanship, he was surprised—

He hadn’t expected a different style to appear in this duel.

But once he regained composure, all he could see were her openings.

‘Let’s finish this quickly. If she’s using Luke’s swordsmanship and I managed to counter, it’s already over. So I’ll just—huh?’

While swinging his rapier in a brilliant arc toward Sara, Eisen froze in confusion again.

‘Wait… since earlier, that stance—what is it?’

Sara had drawn her sword close to her body, minimizing the area that could be hit—

An extremely defensive stance, as if she focused solely on guarding herself.

Holding that posture, Sara blocked every one of Eisen’s attacks.

‘…Annoying.’

Eisen wanted to finish the match as quickly as possible.

However, her defense was sturdier than he had expected—it wouldn’t crumble easily.

‘I was planning to hold back, but it seems I should start using a bit more of my strength.’

Eisen had naturally assumed that defeating Sara would be simple.

But she had become far stronger than he’d anticipated.

That was why Eisen decided to activate his flame magic properly—

And Sara… had been waiting precisely for that moment.

‘…Now.’

The brief opening created when a spell was activated.

Sara, being from the Isrinbloom Family herself, knew that timing well.

When Eisen exposed that gap, Sara immediately shifted her stance.

From Gideon’s defensive sword posture—back to Luke’s offensive stance.

Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!

As Sara’s blade struck down swiftly again, Eisen couldn’t complete his spell.

He had no choice but to block her relentless attacks, retreating several steps.

“…I’ll admit it, Sara. You’ve gotten much stronger.”

But Eisen’s retreat lasted only a moment.

After analyzing the pattern of Sara’s attacks, he regained his composure.

He parried her blows swiftly and resumed his spell.

“But you’re still not there yet. Still too weak.”

Whoosh—

Flames erupted around Eisen.

With the fire surging beside him, he swung his rapier toward Sara.

Now that Eisen combined his swordsmanship with fire magic instead of relying solely on the blade, Sara quickly began to lose ground.

‘Let go of your attachment to the family, Sara. Please, don’t stay here any longer.’

Eisen pressed her hard, his swordplay blazing with brilliant flame.

He didn’t want his younger sister to stay entangled in swordsmanship, in their family, or in anything related to them.

He wished she would cut all ties with their house, go somewhere quiet, and live detached from everything.

But despite his silent plea, the determination in Sara’s eyes never wavered.

“Being weak isn’t a sin, brother. And I’ve always been working hard.”

Holding a defensive stance, Sara blocked Eisen’s rapier.

At the same time, she narrowly dodged the flames flying toward her.

“You should’ve put your efforts elsewhere.”

With those words, Eisen displayed a flurry of skillful, dazzling movements.

And for a brief moment, Sara lost her rhythm.

Eisen didn’t miss the opening—his rapier struck her sword from her hand.

“Ugh?”

Right after she lost her weapon, Eisen’s flames engulfed her.

Sara tried to evade but stumbled to the ground.

‘I’ve won.’

Eisen confirmed his victory in his mind and began to lower his blade…

“…Huh?”

Just as he started to withdraw, in that very instant when his guard was down—

He saw Sara rise again, a rapier now in her hand.

‘When did she…?’

Earlier, Sara had thrown a rapier at Eisen.

He’d deflected it, and since then, he hadn’t thought about it once.

But at some point, Sara had lured him toward the spot where that rapier had fallen.

‘Don’t tell me… she fell on purpose just now?’

Eisen quickly tried to lift his own rapier again.

But it was already too late.

Sara swung her rapier toward his shoulder.

The tip of her blade was just about to pierce him—

Eisen tried to dodge, but by then, Sara’s flames had already blocked his retreat.

‘…Let’s lose this one.’

In that brief instant, countless thoughts flashed through Eisen’s mind.

‘I really underestimated her. And… she’s grown a lot stronger too.’

His expression remained impassive, but inwardly, he smiled.

Eisen still had the strength to keep fighting.

He’d suffer a shoulder wound, sure, but he still had enough energy left.

However, just this once, he wanted to yield—for his younger sister’s sake.

‘I’ll probably get scolded… maybe even tortured again by my brother and that person. But if this helps Sara take even one step forward…’

Eisen had decided to take the blow and lose.

He stood still with that thought—when suddenly,

— Do not even think of losing.

A voice echoed in his mind.

A voice all too familiar to Eisen.

— Your role is to gather faith. You must not be defeated.

In that instant, Eisen was consumed by searing agony as though his whole body were burning.

At the same time, Sara’s rapier pierced into his left shoulder.

Yet Eisen didn’t let out a single scream.

In truth, the pain was so immense that he couldn’t even make a sound.

“…Brother?”

Sensing something strange, Sara carefully withdrew her rapier and looked at him.

But Eisen didn’t respond to her call.

The agony that had once filled his eyes was gone—leaving them void of any emotion.

“Let everyone… witness our power.”

As Eisen spoke, the flames surging around him flared even more violently.

And soon, those flames… turned into molten lava, spreading across the area.

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