Chapter 53: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 53
I deflected the sword coming at me from the left with my greatsword.
Immediately, I blocked a surprise stab aiming at my chest with a dagger.
I then crossed two swords in both hands to block a sword that seemed ready to cleave my head in two.
The continuous, fluid attacks followed like flowing water, but their speed was like lightning.
There wasn't a single opening between the attacks to counter.
Even though I could freely summon weapons, I was paralyzed by the relentless assault from just one sword.
As one side attacked relentlessly and the other desperately defended, in what could hardly be called a battle, I struggled to keep up. My breath grew ragged, and my mind went blank for a moment amid the intense fight.
At that moment, a flash of pure white light struck.
A sword pierced my chest in an attack too fast to follow with my eyes.
Yoon Si-woo's body collapsed, falling to the ground.
The one who withdrew the white sword from Si-woo's chest was a beautiful woman with long, white hair cascading to her waist, just like the sword.
She caressed Si-woo's cheek with her white, delicate hands.
Then, she lightly slapped his cheek and spoke.
"Si-woo, are you exhausted? Seeing you tire like this makes me think we need to increase the intensity."
"No, Lucy! I'm not tired! I'll get up right now!"
At the sound of her thunderous voice, Si-woo sprang up, shouting.
Even now, he felt like he was losing his mind from exhaustion; he couldn't imagine how he'd cope if the intensity increased further.
Looking at Lucy, his only family and his swordsmanship teacher, who shared the same white hair and eyes, Si-woo trembled.
Lucy, observing the now-healed Si-woo, spoke.
"Wasn't it you, Si-woo, who said you wanted to become strong enough to protect everyone? You can't become as strong as you wish by whining over something like this when you can't even die for real here."
"No, even so, this is the seventh time today. No matter how much I revive, dying is a horrific feeling...... Besides, it's been like this every night for days, so it doesn't even feel like I'm resting......"
"Don't worry. Even while you're here, your body is resting properly. And if you hate dying by my hand, come at me with the resolve to kill me."
How could she say that to someone who hasn't even counterattacked once......
Si-woo sighed inwardly.
This place was a mental space created by the ability of one of his holy swords, the Sword of Guidance.
In this space, he could train even while his body rested, and the training would also somewhat strengthen his physical body.
Using this, Si-woo had been training here, receiving guidance from the manifested Lucy.
Lucy, who had taught him since he was young, was a strict but kind teacher.
But since they made a new contract a few days ago, there was no trace of that kindness left.
On the night of the contract.
Lucy had said that if he became strong, he would naturally be able to use the true abilities of the holy swords.
She added that the fastest way to become strong, according to her knowledge, was to engage in life-and-death battles with a strong opponent. Then, she slashed at him.
Saying she would personally make him as strong as he wished, Lucy cut him down mercilessly.
Since then, he had been desperately struggling to survive her attacks, enduring pain and repeated deaths.
Lucy pushed him to his limits every day, leading to Si-woo's progress from dying within seconds on the first day to now being able to block some of her attacks.
But this was insane, no matter how he thought about it.
He glared at Lucy in protest, but it was futile.
Gone was her former kindness; she raised her sword and demanded he get up.
Moreover, she knew exactly how to handle him.
"Si-woo, was your resolve to become strong really this weak?"
Seeing him waver, Lucy smiled slightly and uttered those cruel words.
"Damn it......"
Hearing that, Si-woo had no choice but to grasp his sword with trembling hands and get up.
He remembered the girl who, despite losing her left arm, insisted on protecting people.
He had resolved to become strong enough to protect everyone in her stead, so she wouldn't get hurt again.
"Since tomorrow is the weekend and there's no school, let's aim for twenty times."
"Damn it......!!!"
Shouting in anger at the laughing Lucy, Si-woo charged at her.
The training only ended after Si-woo had experienced twenty deaths.
*
After finishing the grueling training, Si-woo walked outside to get some fresh air. Feeling physically drained, he stopped by the market.
Hoping that eating something delicious might make him feel better, he went inside, but he couldn't muster the will to cook anything and ended up leaving empty-handed. Just then, he saw Scarlet entering the market.
"Hello, Scarlet? Are you here to shop?"
Scarlet, who took a step back upon seeing him, nodded with a stiff expression.
Her reaction was a bit cold, but at least she responded. Si-woo thought that was something.
She had a gemstone with illusion magic attached to her left arm.
Thinking it might be difficult for her to shop with one arm, he offered to help, but she refused.
Even if he tried to help, she would insist on doing it alone.
The only thing he could do was become strong, stronger, so he could protect people in her place and prevent her from getting hurt again.
Even if she never recognized his efforts, he was prepared for that. Still, it made him a little sad, and Si-woo smiled bitterly.
As he was about to leave the market after bidding her farewell, she called out to him.
"Can we talk for a bit? Can you wait until I finish shopping?"
For her to initiate a conversation like this was unexpected.
It was an offer he couldn't refuse, so he nodded.
While waiting for Scarlet to finish her shopping, countless thoughts ran through Si-woo's mind.
The last time she had initiated a conversation, it was to tell him not to worry about her.
If she said something similar this time, he feared his resolve would break, but he couldn't run away from the chance to talk to her.
After she finished shopping, Scarlet led him to a nearby park and sat down on a bench.
The distance between them wasn't far, just a single bag separating them.
Si-woo recalled the time he had watched her from a distance while she sat on a park bench.
Back then, the physical distance between them was greater, but now the emotional distance had grown, making him unsure whether to be happy about it or not.
Scarlet glanced at him and asked.
"Why are your eyes like that? One of them used to be black, right?"
"Oh, this... uh, it's because of an ability or something.... haha, it just happened..."
I contracted to become stronger so you wouldn’t get hurt anymore, but I couldn’t say that outright. Instead, I awkwardly mumbled a vague excuse.
Still, she noticed the change in my eye color. I had thought she saw me as nothing more than a speck of dust on the street, so her noticing this made me feel more surprised and embarrassed than anything else, but mostly happy.
[I guess she’s been watching me more closely than I thought...]
I ignored Lucy's sigh from somewhere in my mind.
For now, I wanted to focus on my conversation with Scarlet.
She seemed to be deep in thought while looking at me, then she spoke.
“You look really tired these days. Is something bothering you?”
“No, it’s nothing. I’ve just been training hard, that’s all…”
I answered awkwardly, wondering if my exhaustion was that obvious. Despite the difficulties, I was happy she noticed me enough to see I was struggling.
Just knowing that gave me a bit more strength to keep going with my training. Then Scarlet murmured softly.
“...Even if you say that, I’m still worried.”
I doubted my ears for a moment.
She was worried about me? Scarlet?
It seemed like a lie, but the Sword of Truth confirmed it was the truth.
She continued, looking into my eyes.
“I care about you more than you might think.”
That too was the truth.
Hearing Scarlet’s kind words, which I had only ever imagined, made my heart race.
I had thought it was enough to silently protect her, even if she never noticed.
But now, her words were too sweet to bear.
Seeing her look at me with genuine concern made me imagine something else.
Maybe, just maybe, I could be closer to her than I ever thought.
With sincere eyes, she spoke again.
“If you have any problems or worries, tell me. I’ll listen.”
I turned my head to hide my face from her, not wanting her to see my lips curl into a smile or my face flush with joy.
Despite having problems and worries, I couldn’t tell her now.
The thought that I might have a chance with her made me want to avoid showing any weakness.
“If I get the chance, I’ll tell you next time.”
With that, I stood up and ran home, feeling overwhelmed with happiness.
I felt a surge of energy, as if my exhaustion had completely disappeared.
There was no time to waste. I had to become stronger.
Strong enough to stand proudly by her side.
Strong enough to be a man she could trust and rely on.
*
“Please help me, Lucy.”
As soon as dinner was over, I entered the mental space, and Lucy spoke.
[Didn’t you say you were exhausted earlier?]
“That was earlier.”
I gripped my sword tightly.
“Now, I feel like I can do this all day.”
I wore a determined smile.
[Haha! That girl has ignited your spirit. That’s good. Having a reason to push yourself is something I also welcome.]
Lucy, pleased with the light in my eyes, laughed and swung her sword.
With each clash of our white blades, I died.
After ten deaths, I finally counterattacked for the first time.
Rising immediately after falling, I charged at her again, unwilling to waste any time.
After thirty deaths, I could finally exchange blows with her.
Though I kept falling, the bright determination in my eyes never dimmed.
And after fifty deaths, my sword finally touched her for the first time.
A fierce smile spread across my face.
Lucy, seeing this, burst into laughter.
[Wonderful! You’ve passed the first stage. From now on, I’ll use a bit more strength. Brace yourself.]
With that, her attacks came with colors other than white mixed in.
“What?”
I was slashed down again with a confused cry.
That day’s training ended after I had experienced a total of one hundred deaths.
“How strong is she…,” I muttered, staring at her in shock.
Lucy smiled, thinking to herself.
To use her full power, Si-woo would need to become much stronger, but when that day came, everyone would bow before him.
Si-woo, my master, I eagerly await the day you become stronger than anyone.
Wow that's what a daily dose of scarlium does to someone, heh.
ReplyDeleteHe, as usual, took things in a different manner than intended.
ReplyDeleteNot like i'm surprised, that guy jumps to conclusions too fast.
At least this time it's useful for everyone's safety, but it's sure to give MC a headache in the future.
That sword, zero helpful in terms of helping him mature mentally, kind of opposite sometimes...
No, Scarlet is saying things in a manner that will certainly be misunderstood by men. She still lacks awareness as a woman and self-awareness in general.
DeleteWhat a happi boy
ReplyDeleteNgl I was tired of seeing him tired, finally some well deserved exchanges
Thx for the chapter
ReplyDelete