Chapter 165: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 165: Lucifer(4)

Slowly, the girl watched the man as he raised his sword toward her, a look of confusion on her face.

However, sensing the serious atmosphere, the girl realized the man was earnest and asked with a stern expression.

“You’re not thinking of proposing a duel to the death, are you?”

“Of course not. Besides, could you even kill me?”

“...I can’t. To kill you...”

As the girl muttered, the man let out a chuckle and replied.

“I’m the same. I couldn’t possibly cut you down. So let’s just spar. But I want you to go all out. I’m coming at you with everything I’ve got.”

“...You mean to use my full abilities?”

“No, just give it your all as a swordsman. Not that I think I stand a chance against you, even then.”

Saying that, the man addressed the girl.

“Still, when a swordsman has something to say, they speak with their sword. I have something I want to say to you. So, pick up your sword.”

At the man’s words, the girl slowly picked up her sword and assumed her stance.

Once he sensed she was ready, the man charged at her without hesitation.

Normally, swordsmen would introduce themselves formally before a match.

But the man had abandoned his name, and the girl had none.

Their introduction to each other would be a single clash of their swords.

The man let out a laugh.

His sword was a real blade, but the girl’s was a wooden sword.

It was a wooden sword the man had crafted for her, adjusting its length and weight as she grew.

Yet, in their clash, it was the man who suffered.

The impact was so forceful that he momentarily thought his blade might break.

Despite being a wooden sword, the girl wielded it with skill that made it feel sharper than any legendary blade.

Even as his wrist throbbed from the impact, the man immediately launched another strike.

The girl blocked it, her expression twisting slightly.

Did he manage to convey his message?

He was not skilled in persuasion; all he could do was convey his feelings with all his might.

And the man wanted her to achieve her dreams.

The dream she had once said she would fulfill in his stead.

The dream of becoming the strongest of all.

The man recalled the night when they had shared a drink.

She had said it wasn’t for his sake but because she wanted it for herself.

If that was true, then all he could do was support her dream.

But he also had to tell her that she couldn’t be bound to him if she was to achieve it.

Swords clashed repeatedly.

Yet amid their battle, the man could sense that the girl was not giving her all, and he gripped his sword tighter.

What kind of teacher couldn’t even draw out the full strength of his student?

At the very least, he wanted to show her a swordsmanship that he wouldn’t be ashamed of, having once taught her.

That determination filled his blade.

The man’s sword resonated.

A revelation wasn’t something special; it just required relentless effort to grasp.

And the years he had spent tirelessly swinging his sword...

All of that was encapsulated in this one strike.

The man instinctively knew.

He had finally stepped into the realm he had always dreamed of, the level of the swordsman who had once defeated him.

Yet, rather than feeling ecstatic, the man remained calm and delivered the best strike of his life to the girl.

And in response, the girl swung her sword.

It was very quiet.

Soundless.

The world itself seemed to split in two.

“Ha.”

The man, standing in the path of the girl’s strike, turned his back and looked up at the sky, then burst into laughter.

Above him, the sky appeared as if it had been sliced, with moonlight shining through the parted clouds.

The man felt it.

He was certain that the girl’s blade had grazed him.

Yet, he was unharmed, and the sky behind him was cleaved in two.

Without relying on her ability to cut anything, the girl had reached such heights through pure swordsmanship alone.

The man laughed and turned to look at the girl again.

She stood under the moonlight, her expression a mix of emotions as she gazed at him.

“...Beautiful.”

The strike he had just witnessed, the glowing moon in the sky, and...

The man looked at the girl—no, the woman she had grown into—and murmured.

“The little girl has grown so much.”

As the man spoke with nostalgia, the girl’s face flushed as she mumbled.

“What’s so amusing that you’re smiling like that...?”

“Haha, how could I not be happy? To spar with such an outstanding swordsman, and to think that swordsman is my disciple—how could I not be delighted? For the first time in a long while, I’m glad to be alive. If there’s anything to regret, it’s that I don’t have a name to remember this beautiful swordplay by.”

Looking at her, the man spoke.

“So, I’ll give you a name.”

“A name...?”

“Yes, the name Lucifer. It’s the name of an angel who had such extraordinary talent that he dared challenge the gods and was cast out of heaven. I hope you don’t mind.”

“...If it’s a name you’ve given me, I like it.”

“That’s good to hear.”

After repeating her new name to herself a few times, the girl—now Lucifer—asked the man cautiously.

“I want to know your name too. It feels wrong not knowing the name of the one who gave me mine.”

“There’s no need. It’s a name I discarded long ago; I don’t wish to bring it up now.”

“But...”

“A name exists to be remembered by someone. Lucifer, will you ever forget me as time passes?”

When the man asked, the girl shook her head as if the question were absurd.

“...How could I ever forget you?”

“Good. Then I have no need for a name. Even if time passes, you’ll remember that there once was a man like me.”

The man chuckled, then sat down on a nearby rock and looked up at the sky.

The moon shone more brightly than ever, or so it seemed.

Gazing at the radiant moon, the man asked.

“Lucifer, do you remember when you said you wanted to become stronger than anyone?”

“...Of course, I remember.”

“You will. I believe in you. So go ahead and be as arrogant as you like. Become someone whom everyone looks up to, like that moon in the sky. You deserve that.”

Murmuring these words, the man then said to her.

“It’s cold. It’s not good for a young lady to be out in the chilly air, so go inside.”

“What about you?”

“...The moon is especially beautiful tonight. Go on ahead. I’ll join you after gazing at it a bit longer.”

The man remained in the spot where the girl had left, staring at the moon for a long time.

---

The next morning, the girl woke up and prepared breakfast, just like any other day.

Two portions, one for herself and one for the man.

Although she didn’t need to eat to survive, the girl always prepared two portions for breakfast because the man would worry if she skipped her meals.

After finishing breakfast, she headed to the man’s cabin.

But when she knocked on the door, there was no response. Her face tensed.

Feeling a surge of anxiety, the girl sprinted up the mountain peak.

What awaited her there was the same towering cliff she had always seen and a single sword stuck into the ground before it.

It was the sword that the man cherished deeply, never letting it leave his side even while he slept.

“...Did you really have to leave without a word like this?”

The girl asked sadly.

There was, of course, no response, but she already knew why he had done it.

She had heard his reasons the night before.

The man knew.

As long as he was alive, she would never leave his side.

He must have thought about it—the future where they would grow old and spend the rest of their lives together.

But he chose not to follow that path.

He wanted her to achieve her dreams.

He knew she wanted that as well.

“...Truly, from beginning to end, a man with no subtlety.”

And so, the man left.

To set her free, to allow her to pursue her dreams.

This was his way of supporting her.

It was clumsy and extreme, but it was his way.

“Now that I’ve received his encouragement, I must live up to his expectations.”

Muttering to herself, the girl slowly walked toward the cliff.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m doing this because it’s what I truly want, not for your sake.”

She grabbed the sword that stood like a gift and raised it toward the sky.

“So just watch from up there. Watch as I become the strongest in the world.”

Believing her words would reach the nameless swordsman who had left for the highest place.

And on that day, the girl left the mountain.

---

At a tavern, a man was quietly having his meal.

He was a swordsman of some renown.

Naturally, no common thugs dared to mess with him, allowing him to eat in peace.

“Are you Kallis?”

But that peace was interrupted by the voice of someone who knew his name.

Frowning in annoyance, he turned to see who had disturbed his meal.

Correction, it was not a “someone” but a “woman.”

With her ebony hair and striking beauty, Kallis initially thought she might be a courtesan looking to make some money.

Someone with looks like that would likely negotiate her price.

“Do you recognize this sword?”

Unfortunately, since she was thrusting a sword at him, it didn’t seem like that was the reason she was here. He set down his spoon and answered.

“Sorry, I don’t remember.”

“Hm, is that so? Well, no matter. That’s not why I’m here.”

The woman gripped her sword and said.

“Get up. I challenge you to a duel.”

“...Looking for a lesson?”

“No, it’s a duel to the death.”

Kallis, finding her sudden challenge ridiculous, thought her an arrogant fool as he asked for her name.

“...What’s your name?”

“A name, huh. One person remembering my name is enough.”

The woman smiled.

“Just call me the Witch of Arrogance.”

---

Rumors spread.

Stories of a witch who would go anywhere there was a strong fighter.

At first, most warriors accepted her challenges.

“A... a monster of a woman...”

But since everyone who accepted the duel lost their life, some began avoiding the fights to protect their fragile pride.

“Block her! Don’t let that woman come anywhere near me!”

But no defense worked.

When her guards blocked her path, she cut them down.

When armies stood in her way, she cleaved through them.

When walls barred her entry, she sliced them in two.

Her notoriety spread.

Rumors of a grim reaper who killed every renowned warrior she encountered.

There was no way to stop her.

And there was only one way to survive against her.

“I... I lost. I surrender!”

To admit defeat and surrender.

There have always been people who speculate about who the strongest in the world is.

But now, the people knew.

The one who stood above all, having trampled every great warrior underfoot, was her.

It took only five years from the time she first appeared as the self-proclaimed Witch of Arrogance for everyone to recognize her as the strongest.

And it wasn’t until 20 years later that she was finally defeated by a certain man.

---

Author’s Note:

The backstory of the Witch of Arrogance ends here.

I rushed to finish this part quickly because I was worried readers might find a drawn-out past story boring.

It took a bit longer than usual, but I pushed through, so I hope you’ll enjoy it!

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