CHAPTER 3

“I’m Rose Valencia. I practice the Cherry Blossom Blade Style. Nice to meet you.”

Her self-introduction was brief and detached. Despite that, a palpable shock still raced through the crowd of new students.

“R-Rose Valencia? As in the Bounty Hunter?!”

“She’s famous, too… They’re really serious about turning around Thousand Blade Academy this year, aren’t they?”

“She’s the sole inheritor of the legendary Cherry Blossom Blade Style. I need to see her fight with my own eyes!”

Rose bowed her head slightly and also received a grand round of applause.

“Thank you very much. And last, we have Allen. Please introduce yourself as well.”

“Y-yes, ma’am…”

Chairwoman Reia handed me the microphone, and I took a step forward. The expectant gazes of the new students pierced my body like sharp arrows.

…What should I do?

Lia Vesteria and Rose Valencia were big names and set the bar for the scholarship students impossibly high. Any self-introduction from a total nobody like me would pale disastrously in comparison.

Can I just go home…?

I was already crying internally. Yet I couldn’t run. If I fled with my tail between my legs now, there was no way I would be allowed back to the academy.

I mustn’t run away, I mustn’t run away… I mustn’t run away!

Mustering all the courage I had, I began my self-introduction.

“U-um…I’m from Grand Swordcraft Academy. My name is Allen Rodol. I’m, uh… I’m self-taught. Nice to meet you all…”

I bowed, and the gymnasium fell completely silent.

A few seconds later, the new students all began to chatter at once.

“Hold on, did he just say he’s self-taught?”

“Yeah, he did. He definitely did.”

“What in the world did he have to pull to get a scholarship? He should be embarrassed.”

“Where’s ‘Grand Swordcraft Academy’ anyway? Have you ever heard of it?”

“He looked scared up there. Do you think he’s ever even held a sword before?”

“I understand how the last two got their scholarship, but I can’t see why he was chosen.”

“He must’ve bribed his way into the academy… I hate him already. I don’t even want to look at him.”

With one self-introduction, I had already become the least popular person in school.

Good-bye to my normal student life. Hello to hell.

I grit my teeth tight so I wouldn’t cry.

I…I haven’t done anything wrong…

I could have never imagined that I would end up in this situation. I wanted to turn right around and go back to Ms. Paula’s dorm.

After we finished our introductions, the deputy chairman gave a closing remark.

“That marks the end of the entrance ceremony. You are free to spend the rest of the day as you wish. Have a good evening.”

The entrance ceremony of my nightmares was finally over.

I left the gym as soon as the entrance ceremony ended.

“Why did the chairwoman do that to me…?”

That was horrible. And so unnecessary. I was shamed in front of the entire class.

Why did I receive a scholarship in the first place? I’m nothing…

I let out a big sigh and trudged through a grove on the campus. I heard a group of new students excitedly making friends on a paved path a short distance from where I was.

…Must be nice.

I was sure they would have a fun and fulfilling three years here.

Lost in thought, I wandered deeper into the thick trees, walking until I came upon a clearing.

“I guess I’ll train.”

I decided to practice alone in this spot, far from the training ground.

…I’m lonely.

Though I typically enjoyed swinging my sword, I was having a hard time today. My weapon, my heart, and my soul were all weeping.

I focused solely on swinging my sword for hours. When I stopped, the sun had already sunk to the west, and the grove was lit by dim moonlight.

“Okay, I should go back.”

Classes started the next day, so I thought I should go ahead and call it a day.

“Ah, but I might as well check out the bathhouse.”

Practicing had calmed me down somewhat, so I decided I would try something a little adventurous.

“Let’s see, the bathhouse is…this way.”

I pulled a map of the academy out of my breast pocket, unfolded it, and used it to find the bathhouse.

“…Here it is.”

Eventually, I arrived at a large building with a sign that read BATHHOUSE.

Ducking through the charming curtain placed over the entrance, I opened the door to the men’s locker room—and saw Lia Vesteria in her underwear.

“H-huh?!”

She had just taken off her bra, giving me a glimpse of something I should not have seen. Her snow-white skin flushed red.

“S-sorry!”

Apologizing, I quickly closed the locker-room door.

My chest was throbbing, and I felt extremely guilty. I didn’t know what to do.

From the other side of the door, I heard the rustling of clothes. It felt like a sound I wasn’t meant to hear, so I immediately plugged my ears. I remained in that position for a while, unmoving as a statue. Then I cautiously opened the locker-room door to see Lia wearing the female uniform.

“I challenge you to a duel.”

“…What?”

“I challenge you to a duel. Do you accept?”

She delivered that question with such force that I was unable to answer right away. I had never seen a scarier face in all my life.

“U-um… I don’t mind, but…what are the stakes?”

“Hmm. The loser becomes the winner’s slave. How does that sound?” she asked with a wide grin. I couldn’t believe my ears.

“Sl-slave?! That sounds way too harsh—”

Lia interrupted my objection by punching the wall next to me and thrusting her beautiful face directly in front of mine.

“Are we doing this or not?” she chillingly whispered in my ear.

Her knee was pinned into my groin, rendering me unable to run.

“Well? What’s your answer?”

“…I accept.”

I was still unsure of why she was changing in the men’s locker room, but I was in the wrong for seeing her naked. Feeling I had no choice, I nodded.

“A wise decision,” Lia said with a sadistic smile, releasing me from her hold.

What happened to the nice girl I saw at the entrance ceremony? I thought.

“I heard every word, young things!”

Chairwoman Reia pushed her way through the curtain.

“Ch-chairwoman?!”

“Reia?! What are you doing here?!”

“Ha-ha-ha! I had a feeling something interesting was bound to happen around here, so I was hiding out nearby.”

She chuckled as though enjoying this with all her soul.

“Anyway, I heard everything you said. You two are going to duel, right? I shall serve as your witness! Follow me!”

Before I was even given time to process what was going on, she dragged us to a large underground practice facility.

“Okay, it’s already late, so let’s get this thing rolling!”

She clapped her hands together joyfully.

“Lia, Allen—are you two ready?”

“Of course! Any time!” shouted Lia.

“Uh, I guess…,” I answered hesitantly.

Lia and I both nodded. She was raring to go, while I clearly didn’t want to be here.

“Great. The duel between Lia Vesteria and Allen Rodol will start on my mark— Begin!”

She declared the start of the bout in a clear, loud voice.

Drawing my blade, I assumed the middle stance.

Lia stuck her hand out into the air.

“Conquer—Dragon King Fafnir!”

Just then, a large rift opened in the space in front of her, from which she pulled out a sword of deep crimson.

“Hmm-hmm, good boy.”

Beautiful black and white flames danced around the blade when she grabbed the sword.

“I-is that…?”

She had just pulled a sword out of thin air. It was releasing an abnormal, violent power.

This was no trick or illusion—I knew what this power was.

“Is that…Soul Attire?!”

Soul Attire was a power that embodied one’s spirit. Naturally gifted people could attain it after years of harsh training.

It was something I wasn’t able to realize even after over one billion years of training.

I stared at her Soul Attire enviously.

“Hey, what are you spacing out for? Go ahead and bring out your Soul Attire, too,” she demanded, making it sound as if this was an ability everyone should have.

“Uh, ha-ha… Sorry, but that ability is far too advanced for me,” I admitted, shrugging and shaking my head.

Lia’s eyes went wide.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

Unfortunately, I was unable to develop Soul Attire. Not only that, but this was also actually the first time I had ever seen it.

“Pfft… Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Hoooo boy, my stomach… It hurts…”

She had grabbed her stomach and burst out laughing.

“Ha-ha…ha… The very notion that a novice who can’t even produce Soul Attire is challenging the woman feared by all as the Black and White Princess… It’s just absurd!”

One moment, she was laughing, and the next, she was glaring daggers at me.

This princess sure is expressive…

I was certain there was never a dull moment with her.

Also, I’m not the one who asked for this duel.

She was just trying to provoke me.

But raising objections now would only cause more trouble…

I decided it would be best to hold my tongue.

“Well, I’ll give you one thing—you’ve got guts. Hmm-hmm, but don’t think this is going to be quick. I’m gonna fry you over a low flame… I want to hear you simmer!”

Her…special personality was in stark contrast to her elegant appearance. The gentle persona I saw at the entrance ceremony must have been a total act.

I know I can’t summon Soul Attire.

Still, that didn’t guarantee my loss. I just had to do the best I could without it.

“Are you sure you’re ready, Lia?” I asked, not budging from my middle stance.

“Yes, bring it on.”

Lia looked as cool as could be. Lifting a hand from her sword, she beckoned at me provokingly with her index finger.

…I may not be very skilled, but I’m still a swordsman.

I couldn’t take her snooty attitude lying down.

“First Style—Flying Shadow!”

I fired the attack I used to restrain opponents with greater speed and force than usual.

“Wh-what? A projectile slash attack?!”

Surprise showed on her face for a moment, but she quickly and calmly assumed a defensive position.

“White Dragon Scales!”

White flames coiled around her to form a giant shield, which burned up my Flying Shadow.

“Wow, this might actually be kinda fun… Huh?!”

Using her shield to hide myself from her view, I quickly closed the gap between us. Then I stepped within her shield and unleashed a flurry of attacks.

“Eighth Style—Eight-Span Crow!”

“Eight at once…?!”

Lia froze for a moment in the face of my approaching eight slash attacks, but then acted quickly.

“Tch—Black Dragon Breath!”

She sent extremely powerful black flames my way, burning up all eight of my slashes.

She’s as strong as advertised.

Fafnir, her Soul Attire, was far more versatile than I’d initially suspected.

But that exchange gave me a good grasp of her fighting style!

Her Soul Attire let her manipulate black and white flames at will. She had used white flames to form a large shield around herself, then used black flames to release a violent attack directly at me.

I need to be wary of the black flames…

They were strong enough to stop Eight-Span Crow in its tracks. I’d be finished if I took a direct hit.

Next time, I’ll mix in a feint to try to throw her off balance!

With a plan in mind, I charged toward her to get within attacking range.

“St-stay back! Draconic Rage!”

Lia scattered a blaze of black and white around herself.

“…Shoot.”

Faced with far-reaching fire bouncing all around her, I decided to play it safe and jump back.

We now stood a great distance from each other, entering a momentary stalemate.

“What was that move you just used…?” she asked.

“I don’t know if you mean Flying Shadow or Eight-Span Crow, but I created them both myself,” I answered.

“…Interesting. I see now that Reia didn’t pick you for nothing,” Lia muttered, flashing a glance at the chairwoman. “You clearly take your swordcraft seriously and have spent a significant amount of time on your training.”

A ridiculous one-billion-plus years, to be more specific.

“Fine, I’ll admit you’re a decent swordsman!” she proclaimed.

“…Thanks,” I answered. I decided to take it as praise. Best to see things with a glass half full.

“But that technique won’t mean anything if you can’t produce Soul Attire, no matter how skilled you are. I’m going to teach you that lesson today. Hard work will only get so far—you’re hopeless without talent!” Lia announced, then charged directly at me.

A frontal assault… Bring it on!

I bent down and waited for her to reach me. When she got within range, she unleashed an attack.

“Hegemonic Style—Hard Strike!”

Lia slashed her sword diagonally with incredible force.

“Hah!”

In response, I performed the exact same diagonal slash. Our swords collided, sending sparks flying. The impact sent a massive shock through my arms.

“What the…?!”

There was far more strength behind that attack than I ever would’ve expected from a girl.

“Haaaaaah!”

“Graaahhhh…!”

I pushed back at her attack with all the strength in my legs, back, abdomen, arms, and the entire rest of my body. But it wasn’t good enough.

Crap…I can’t stop her?!

Her explosive strength completely overpowered me, sending my blade flying out of my hands and exposing my abdomen to attack.

“There!” she screamed, delivering a brutal kick to my stomach.

“Whoa!”

I jumped back to lessen the impact, just barely avoiding a major blow, then immediately picked my sword back up and prepared my next attack.

Dammit, she’s stupid strong…

The secret behind her outrageous might was the flames burning behind her. They exploded when our blades collided, endowing her strikes with considerable propulsive force.

Having landed a clear blow to my body, Lia looked at me with pity.

“I hate to admit this, but…in a match of pure swordplay, you would come out on top. As long as I’m fortified with Soul Attire, though, your fundamentals aren’t enough to win. Get what I’m saying? Soul Attire is unbeatable!”

Swordplay and Soul Attire truly were a match made in heaven.

But she’s overconfident.

I saw it clearly in our last exchange. She was relying too heavily on the overwhelming might of her Soul Attire, and her fundamental swordcraft was crude. Between her negligence and self-conceit, I thought I had a good chance of winning.

Maybe it’s time to try that move.

I’d made over ten trips to the World of Time. During my first time there, I devised a move more for amusement than anything else. I never thought I would actually use it in battle.

If that’s what I’m doing…I need to accurately predict Lia’s next move.

I played back all our exchanges in my mind.

During our first exchange, she responded to my long-distance Flying Shadow by summoning a large shield of white fire.

During our second exchange, she countered my approaching Eight-Span Crow with a ferocious torrent of black flame.

During our third exchange, when I tried to move closer to her, she calmly held me back by scattering a blaze in a wide range around herself.

Lia has consistently made rational and conservative decisions.

And now she had found an attack in her Hegemonic Style that was proven to be effective against me, Hard Strike. She would almost undoubtedly deploy it again.

After finishing my analysis, I deduced the most suitable location for our encounter considering our positions. Being careful not to arouse suspicion, I casually passed the tip of my sword through that point.

All right, the trap is set.

Now if Lia just acted as I thought she would, I would hit her with an explosive attack.

“Hmm-hmm, you’re finished this time!”

She smiled sadistically, already sure of her victory. She clearly hadn’t noticed what I was planning.

“Prepare yourself!” she shouted.

Lia rushed toward me, closing in on me in an instant. Without slowing her momentum at all, she swung her crimson sword down.

“Hegemonic Style—Hard Strike!”

Our eyes met, both of us certain that we would win.

…Exactly as I predicted.

Sheathing my sword, I calmly turned around.

“Second Style—Hazy Moon!”

Out from nowhere, a violent slash materialized and struck her in the chest.

“How…?!”

The blow caught Lia completely off guard, knocking her unconscious.

Second Style, Hazy Moon was a preset slash maneuver. Pulling it off required anticipating the spot my opponent would pass through and preparing a strike through that space beforehand. The moment my adversary moved into the designated area, a devastating counter would automatically activate. Though it was an extremely difficult attack to land, it was deadly when it did.

“Hmm, I had a feeling this would happen…”

Chairwoman Reia confirmed that Lia was unconscious and declared the result of the duel.

“Lia Vesteria is defeated! Victory goes to Allen Rodol!”

I let out a huge sigh, finally free from the tension of the battle.

Man, she was something else…

But fighting someone who could produce Soul Attire was a valuable experience.

“You really are strong, Allen. I knew I was right to take an interest in you!”

“Th-thanks…”

I didn’t know when or where she’d taken an interest in me, but being praised for my strength wasn’t a bad feeling at all.

“But forget that; we need to get Lia to the infirmary!” I exclaimed.

I moved toward her unconscious body, but the chairwoman shook her head.

“No need. Lia is tough. I’m sure she’ll regain consciousness in two or three minutes.”

“R-really…?”

But still…no matter how hardy she was, it seemed unwise to just let her lay there unconscious.

“Well, you’ll see shortly. Just leave her be and watch.”

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

It had seemed like Chairwoman Reia and Lia knew each other, so I decided to trust her and wait for at least a few minutes.

“…Huh?!”

Two minutes later, Lia sat up just as the chairwoman said she would.

“H-huh? Where…am I…?”

“Sorry, Lia. You lost the duel.”

“Duel? …?!”