After the morning schedule concluded, as training ground for the final matches was being prepared, the students headed to the bustling cafeteria. Perhaps due to lunchti, the cafeteria was bustling with people.. There were hardly any empty seats in the packed space, except for one particular area.
At the center of the student cafeteria, Ulan and Dilia were sitting side by side. Their presence created an oddly cold atmosphere in contrast to the lively surroundings. The students couldn't help but exchange curious glances.
"Hey, look over there."
"What? That's an unusual pairing."
"I've never seen them together before."
"Did they always know each other?"
Several students exchanged puzzled glances, intrigued by the unusual seating arrangent; a mixture of questions. Those eyes were directed at Ulan and Dilia.
Ulan exuded an intimidating energy while Dilia exuded a cold, dignified air; because of these characteristics, the average student would not dare to go near them.
anwhile, around the sa ti, as they waited for their food orders, Ulan glanced across the table to an empty seat.
We were supposed to eat together.
However, that plan had changed.
After the final draw was announced, Noah ntioned that she had sothing to take care of and skipped the al. Ibella also suddenly had so business to attend to, leaving only Ulan alone.
So I ended up eating by myself
When he coincidentally t Dilia.
Since both were alone, they decided to have a al together, leading to their current seating arrangent.
However, the seating arrangent was a bit unusual instead of facing each other like the other students, they sat next to each other. Ulan didn't think much of it, but other students perceived it differently.
"Don't you think they look a little too close?"
"Yeah. I'm a little surprised."
"Maybe they're dating or sothing?"
"Oh, co on."
"Thats right. What could possibly be wrong with the princess of the Arpen Kingdom that she would date a barbarian like that?"
I can hear it. I hear it all. Dilia's pointed ears twitched slightly, and then she shook her head.
Isn't that how friends normally sit?
She had read a scene like this in a book recently. It was a scenario where two friends who had beco a couple sat side by side to eat. She had simply followed that pattern, so what was the big deal?
'And.'
What's wrong with dating?
There was no rule against it.
Dilia face ford a slight pout, and as if to show her discomfort
"Your food is here!"
when the food was served. In front of Ulan was a plate piled high with a massive heap of at.
"Still, that's a lot of food."
Well, his size could certainly account for that.
As Dilia tried to understand the situation, Ulan imdiately started eating.
Slurp! Crunch! Chomp!
No utensils were needed; he tore into the at with his hands, gnawing at it like a predator feasting on its prey. Not exactly a sophisticated way to eat.
Was that why?
Several students frowned and turned their heads away, as if they were witnessing sothing unpleasant.
Dilia, on the other hand, was the exception.
'His manners are definitely not very sophisticated, but.'
Sohow, they suit him.
Perhaps it's because he's Ulan.
As Dilia watched him tear into the at with a sense of satisfaction, she eventually picked up a spoon.
After a short while, Ulan suddenly glanced over at her, "You're eating sothing unusual too."
In front of her was a bowl of soup, and it was a rather unique colorpurple, like ripe grapes. But it wasn't just the color that was unconventional; the content of the soup was peculiar too.
Floating in the broth was a plump, fat spider.
With a content smile, Dilia picked up the spider's body and ate it.
"My personal, favorite, food."
"Is it delicious?"
"Yes. Want to try?"
"Not if you are offering."
Ca the reply.
As Ulan replied, Dilia placed a few spiders onto his plate. Without hesitation, Ulan grabbed them and stuffed them into his mouth.
Munch! Crunch!
Amidst these bizarre sounds, Dilia asked sowhat tensely, "......How is it?"
"It's stuck in my teeth."
"No, the legs, take them off and eat them."
She thought it was common sense, and didn't tell him beforehand.
After she showed him how to pull the legs off, Ulan went back to gobbling up the spiders.
"It's much better now."
Perhaps due to being fully cooked in the soup, he could barely taste the unique, bitter taste of the spiders. In comparison to the cave spiders he had eaten in his past life just to survive, these were much tastier.
As he continued to eat mindlessly, before he knew it, most of the spiders had vanished. Then he suddenly felt Dilia's gaze on him, "Why are you looking at like that?"
"What are you looking at?"
"It's fascinating."
"What is?"
"Bugs, everyone hates them."
In truth, dishes containing bugs and insects were quite familiar to those from the Arpen Kingdom. The kingdom had been famous for cultivating various edible insects for a long ti.
However, among those not from the kingdom, Dilia had never encountered soone who enjoyed insect-based cuisine.
"Really? That's weird."
But Ulan was different.
Not only did he pluck the spiders off the web and eat them, but he also drank the soup with the spiders floating in it.
"It's so delicious."
"Hehe, isn't it?"
Despite being robbed of her food, Dilia smiled gleefully. For the first ti since leaving the Kingdom, she'd found soone who shared her taste in food.
Then, she suddenly rembered.
Thats right. Co to think of it
There was soone else who liked bug dishes.
The uninvited visitor who had visited the special room with Ulan three days ago. Dilia recalled her na.
......Noah Darshen.
A girl from the sa tribe as Ulan.
She was also the opponent Dilia would face in the finals, which was about to begin. After a mont, she tapped Ulan on the arm.
"I, uh, have a question."
"What is it?"
"Noah, Darshen."
Her golden eyes, tinted with calmness, bore into Ulan's face as if she could read his every thought.
"What, exactly, is her relationship with you?"
"We're fellow disciples, like I said."
"That's, uh, fine, I heard that."
She wanted a more precise answer.
Dilia asks probingly, "How long, you know, each other?"
"Not for a very long ti."
"I an, how long?"
"Well, if you consider the day we left the grasslands as the start, it's been less than three months."
Less than three months.
Dilia's eyes widened at that. It was a much shorter period than she had thought.
"Really? You didn't know each other, not even in the tribe?"
"I didn't even know she existed," Ulan nodded.
It was the truth. When he was done answering, the corners of Dilia's mouth twitched.
What? Theres nothing special between them?
If it hadn't even been three months since they got to know each other, Noah wouldn't be so different from her. If anything, Dilia was closer to Ulan.
Because Ulan and I are special friends.
A friendship based on a relationship.
A smile spread across Dilia's face. It was a smile of a winner, full of leisure. anwhile, Ulan had a belated realization, "Ah, your next opponent is Noah, right?"
"That's right," Dilia nodded.
With a smile on her face, she said, "Tell her I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Because I, will, win."
A confident reply. It was understandable given that Dilia had never lost to a shaman or mage in a match.
When they start casting magic
Dilia reads the flow of mana.
By observing it, she could analyze what kind of magic was being used, allowing her to respond swiftly.
In chess terms, it was the ability to know what your opponent is going to move next.
Besides, Noah, she's a shaman.
Shamans were slow to activate their spells; thus, they were easier opponents in combat compared to mages.
That was why Dilia was certain she wouldn't lose.
"And you?"
"Hmm?"
"You, who are you fighting?"
"A man I don't know."
Naturally, he wouldn't know him. They had only started the sester recently.
"Na, rember, don't you?"
"His na is.."
Slurring his words, he fumbled for the mory.
"I'm pretty sure it was Himnen."
"Maybe, Himl, no?"
"Oh, yes, it was Himl."
Himl Deorg. The na sounded familiar to Dilia. So she squinted, and Ulan asked straight up, "You know him?"
"Uh, yes. We've never had a conversation, though."
At least he knew of Himl's existence.
If Dilia represented the Alliance of Kingdoms, Himl represented the Empire. It was likely that Himl, for similar reasons, also knew of Dilia's existence.
"He's a swordsman, a genius, they say."
Recalling a story she had heard in passing, Dilia turned to Ulan. Her gaze carried a sowhat worried expression.
"So, be careful, don't get hurt."
"I understand. You should be careful, too."
"Yeah."
Dilia flashed a faint smile; a satisfied smile.
And so, the lunch of the two ca to an end.
* * * anwhile, around that ti, in the woods not far from the training grounds of the Military Studies Departnt, two individuals were present on a sparsely populated forest path.
A girl with pale blonde hair, Ibella Elearde.
She stared at the young man before her with a face as rigid as stone. He, too, had a face just as hard and unyielding. His chestnut brown curly hair and emotionless eyes.
The young man's na was Himl Deorg. He was her half-brother, and one of the Empire's leading swordsmanship prodigies.
'I was called here out of the blue.
What did he call for again?
Ibella looked nervous, for Himl harbored disdain and hatred toward her, and rarely called her aside like this.
Except for special occasions.
And then, with a sense of foreboding.
"Ibella."
Suddenly, Himl opened his mouth, and then her unease beca reality.
"I won't talk at length. Withdraw."
".......what?" Ibella asked, her face blank.
Himl continued in a dry tone, "If you make it to the top 10 and participate in the mock battle, it will complicate matters in various ways."
"What the hell are you talking about..."
"Tsk, your lack of intelligence remains consistent. Even after saying all this, you still won't understand."
Right after he finished speaking with a low tongue-lashing,his gaze turned cold, "Listen well. Participating in the mock battle ans revealing information to the nobles of various countries."
The purpose of the mock battle was to pre-emptively disclose exceptional talents to the nobles in order to secure investnt. In other words, they were akin to commodities.
High-value commodities with the potential to increase in value in the future. And high-value commodities ca with information that matched their value.
"You won't reveal sensitive information, of course, but from what I've heard, the nobles who attend sotis do their own background checks."
If Ibella made it to the top 10, that ans there was a chance she'll be investigated.
"In other words, it could potentially be revealed that an illegitimate child was born in our family."
"..............."
"I think you get the picture, don't you?"
"Ha, but that's not.!"
"Shut up, I didn't ask for your opinion."
Himl's eyes flashed fiercely; followed by a surge of powerful montum.
It was the energy emitted by soone who had advanced beyond the Interdiate-rank knight and was nearing the Advanced-rank knight. Ibella couldn't breathe properly, and with a suffocating feeling, she closed her mouth.
"This is just a notification. You don't have the right to refuse. You haven't forgotten where your mother is, have you?"
A crude and overt threat.
Ibella bit her lips tightly, hard enough to draw blood. After observing her for a mont, Himl seed to rember sothing and added a condition.
"Oh, and while you're at it, take that filthy barbarian with you. If it's coming from you, he might listen obediently."
Ulan's presence sprang to mind.
And she imdiately denied it, "........He has nothing to do with ."
"Really? I'm surprised. You're always together, so I thought you had already given yourself to him."
Himl spit out a contemptuous laugh and turned around, as if he had no reason to stay after completing his business, "Anyway, that's all I have to say. Be quiet and abstain, and nothing will happen to you."
His final words carried a warning.
With that, Himl disappeared toward the training grounds; his steps fading into the distance. Ibella stared after him, her clenched fist trembling.
If she could kill soone with just her gaze, Himl would have been long dead by now.
But Ibella couldn't do anything but glare. Because, to put it bluntly, she was far less powerful than Himl.
"Hah."
A sigh of frustration escaped her and she slumped against the rock, her face slightly dazed.
Was it because she felt stifled? Alone, she let out a sigh of exhaustion again and again.
No, she stands corrected.
Strictly speaking, she wasn't alone; for in the forest where Ibella and Himl were, there was a figure who had been listening to their conversation with bated breath.
Wide blue eyes; a girl with her hands clasped over her mouth It was Noah.
Uh, uh, what am I going to do?!
She hadn't intended to eavesdrop.
On the contrary, Noah had co to this forest before the two of them, and she had sothing to prepare for her upcoming fight with Dilia in the main event.
'But...'
She heard it all without aning to.
Of course, as long as she didn't get caught, everything would be fine. However, hearing such words still caught her off guard.
But there was also an unexpected gain from this situation.
While listening to their conversation, she rembered sothing she had forgotten.
Himl Deorg.
Himl, Ibella's half-brother, hated her, despised her, and was genuinely 'jealous' of her.
There was only one reason for his jealousy during the academy's specialty test, he realized that she was more talented with the sword than he was.
'That's why he always picks fights.'
Today's incident was just the beginning.
Himl wouldn't hesitate to resort to even more explicit threats and warnings in the future. All to force Ibella out of the Arsene Academy.
'And eventually...'
Fall of the second sester of first year.
Ibella would fall into Himl's sche, taking responsibility for an incident and choosing to withdraw from the academy.
After that, she wanders the battlefields as a rcenary, and gets entangled in nurous events. She would narrowly escape death several tis before finally overcoming trials and becoming a warrior.
This was the original scenario.
This was the process of the birth of the Swordmaiden.
Right after she had recalled this much...
Noah found herself in conflict.
What should I do?
The simplest thing to do was to ignore it; to erase what she had just seen from her mory.
Whether Ibella suffered from harassnt or not, she could simply ignore it. Ibella would leave the academy, and the fate of the Swordmaiden wouldn't change.
Yes, this was the safest course of action.
The only thing Noah can count on in this world was a certain future.
So, she turned her body; she tried to turn away. However, oddly enough, her feet wouldn't move.
An unwilling feeling held her back. Why was that? In her mont of confusion, Noah suddenly widened her eyes.
That's.
A scene reflected in her blue eyes Ibella was quietly sobbing; her lips pressed tightly together in frustration, her shoulders shaking intermittently.
Witnessing this scene
Noah's gaze trembled slightly; it wasn't just because she was seeing soone cry. It was because Ibella's appearance reminded her of a familiar face.
Her own past; her middle school self, to be exact. It was the image of herself, thoroughly isolated as 'Yoo Min-ah.' And in that instant, Noah finally understood.
I see.
Why couldn't she walk away easily?
It was for a very simple reason. The situation Ibella was in now was eerily similar to the one she had faced in the past.
Although their goals were different, the fact that they were suffering and leaving the school was the sa.
Right after she recalled this much...
Noah let out a short breath. A mont later, she looked up, her eyes shining brightly.
Like soone who had made a decision.
I could be disqualified as a..gar.
This was a path that revolved around the confird future.
Perhaps it was an obvious choice, stepping on a landmine that was clearly visible. There might be a plethora of comnts in novels like "Intentionally eating a sweet potato." However, even if that were the case
'But I can't just leave it as it is.'
She couldn't leave it be.
If she left Ibella to protect the certain future, it would be no different from those who tornted her and stood by during her middle school years.
And so, Noah took a step forward.
To reach out to Ibella, to comfort her; to embrace her trembling shoulders and think about their future together.
But that was only for a mont.
Halt!
She imdiately stopped in her tracks.
'But what should I say...?'
Noah had no friends.
She had never experienced a situation like this before, so she didn't know what to say. But there was one thing she knew. Halfhearted comfort could do more harm than good.
Ugh, what should I do?
She was back to square one; but her worries didn't last long. She had soone in mind who could make up for this situation.
Yes, I'll talk to Ulan!
Noah, though inexperienced in comforting, knew that Ulan was different. Ulan was always honest about his feelings and emotions. Surely, he would provide sincere comfort.
And
For so reason, she felt it instinctively.
If it was Ulan, sohow, she could resolve Ibella's problem. Noah was confident of that.
After making her decision, Noah turned around to leave the forest and find Ulan.
(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . . )
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