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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Cecilia.
By graduation, she’d have offers from every Magic Tower, and kingdoms would be vying to make her their court mage. In other words, she was in a different league from me.
With fiery red hair befitting the Blazing Magic Tower, a bust that seemed to defy her age, and innocent-looking eyes that framed a captivating smile, she was the quintessential heroine. But the furious glare she now directed at me still held the promise of death.
Oh.
The PTSD hit me.
The memory of being stabbed made my stomach clench, and I felt a sudden urge to shit myself.
Already?
I’d deliberately avoided saying or doing anything she’d like.
My priority was raising Spenny’s affinity, completing the mana circuit, and acquiring her Elemental trait.
I’d only acknowledged her initial greeting because, at this age, being ignored on the first day could make future affinity-raising difficult due to the herd mentality.
But why is she reacting like this already?
She held her sword, her expression bordering on obsessive. This was the kind of behavior I’d only expect after reaching Spenny-level affinity.
Jealousy.
It brought back memories of my first turn, where I’d barely been able to breathe under her watchful eye.
“Do you prefer the Teacher Spenny type?”
I didn’t know how to answer.
My mind was racing.
No…her affinity is barely over 10! At most, she should think I have a good first impression! She’s not the type to obsess over someone she just met!
[Cecilia’s Affinity: 17]
It had increased since we left the classroom, but it wasn’t at a dangerous level yet.
“Hmph, men are all the same.”
[Cecilia’s affinity decreased by 1.]
Ah!
I suddenly remembered a key characteristic of Cecilia. She despised boys who chased after pretty girls.
So she’s not obsessed, she’s contemptuous?
This was actually a good thing.
She scoffed and swung her sword. I picked up a wooden practice sword and stood beside her.
“Why? Why aren’t you off chasing other pretty girls, Egenir?”
“I don’t know anything about mana circuits…I went to ask her some questions, that’s all.”
“Excuses.”
“No, really. She offered to let me try a new mana circuit method she’s been researching.”
“Oh?”
Cecilia, a mage at heart, perked up at the mention of a new mana circuit method.
“She’s going to present it later, but she told me it’s a secret…”
“What is it?”
“Cecilia, you’re my friend, the first one to be nice to me, so I’ll tell you my secret.”
I gave her my most innocent smile and put my index finger to my lips.
“But it’s just between us, okay?”
[Cecilia’s affinity increased by 3.]
The sense of camaraderie, combined with curiosity, made her heart flutter.
“So, what is it?”
“We’re in class. It’s a secret, so I’ll tell you later when we’re alone.”
“Hey! No talking during class!”
The swordsmanship instructor was a strict ex-knight. I hadn’t bothered to learn his name in eight turns.
All I remembered was that he had a serious leg injury, taught basic swordsmanship, and I’d never see him again after this class. There was another reason I didn’t remember his name.
Swordsmanship…loses efficiency if you learn magic.
Unless you had some overpowered Magic Swordsman trait, swordsmanship was just a basic skill.
Having abandoned magic in my sixth turn to focus on various swordsmanship styles using Spenny’s mana circuit method, I had little interest in basic swordsmanship.
To maximize the swordsmanship trait…
I needed Spenny’s Elemental trait to maximize magic efficiency…and I was waiting for someone with a trait that negated the negative interaction between magic and swordsmanship.
There.
I discreetly observed a blonde girl silently practicing her swordsmanship away from the others.
Ella Gainz of the Gainz family…
She had…
The Hero trait.
A monstrous trait that allowed her to master any swordsmanship style and even use magic as a secondary skill.
She was the once-in-a-century prodigy destined to defeat the Demon King.
“Alright, practice is over. Find a partner and spar!”
This was the moment that goddamn mage, who’d caused me two deaths, would approach Ella.
Students began pairing up.
I glanced at Cecilia.
“Cecilia.”
“Yes?”
“I want to spar with her.”
“Her…?”
Cecilia looked at the aloof, slender blonde beauty, Ella Gainz.
“Always looking at pretty girls…”
“No! She just…seems really strong.”
“Strong?”
No one noticed anything special about her as she practiced her swordsmanship, unable to find a partner.
That’s right.
She was, like me, currently labeled as “traitless” by the magic crystal ball. The difference was that I remained traitless, while she would soon awaken the Hero trait, making me incredibly envious.
That’s why I lost so much sleep during my first turn!
In my zeroth turn, I was trampled by a Balrog and missed her meteoric rise.
In my first turn, while keeping an eye on Cecilia, I’d screamed internally when Ella’s Hero trait awakened.
Why not me?!
The unbelievable awakening of the Hero trait.
There were rumors of a Hero trait appearing once a century, and honestly, I thought it would be me. But when Ella, a fellow “traitless” individual, was chosen, I’d never felt so bitter.
And then…she completely ignored me.
Of course, it was mostly the people around her who kept others at a distance, treating her with reverence…but after becoming the Hero, she’d said to me, who had been talking to her and raising her affinity since the zeroth turn,
I’d cursed her countless times in my dorm room.
The betrayal was unbearable.
Fine, let’s see how well you do, I’d thought, and later, I stole her greatest achievement – defeating the Demon King’s clone.
And then…
That bitch!
The mage bitch.
She bashed my head in with her staff, and later, Ella killed me. And then, the mage stabbed me with the end of her staff for getting too close to Ella.
I watched as that mage approached Ella. This was the beginning of their annoyingly clichéd partnership.
Not a chance!
I quickly approached Ella.
“Hello.”
“…”
She looked at me without saying a word. This was similar to my zeroth turn.
No, my third turn.
My third turn, where I felt betrayed by Ella and vowed to kill her.
She didn’t say anything then, either.
“I’m Egenir. Egenir Talfon.”
“Ella…Gainz.”
Age: 17
Traits: –
Skills: Swordsmanship (8)
Swordsmanship 8! Cecilia’s magic skill was 6, Spenny’s was 7, but hers was 8.
Did she focus solely on swordsmanship because she was traitless?
I knew she was withdrawn, her heart heavy from the lack of a trait despite her dedicated training.
Who cared?
Once she got the Hero trait, she’d act all high and mighty, forgetting her humble beginnings.
“You seem strong.”
“I…am not strong.”
Our first encounter played out the same as always.
“Could you teach me some swordsmanship? I’m asking politely.”
“…Okay.”
She had to spar anyway. She nodded and pointed her long sword at me.
‘My movements are slow because my swordsmanship level is low, but…’
The difference between this spar and the previous ones was…
‘I know all your moves.’
I’d learned her family’s swordsmanship style the hard way.
By nearly dying.
I’d experienced her full power, amplified by Valkyrie. I’d even challenged her with Dragon Swordsmanship, the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
My body remembered it all.
‘I need to hold back to avoid suspicion.’
I had to fight her using only basic swordsmanship.
“Here I come.”
Ella, assuming I was a beginner, swung her sword slowly. The trajectory from above – I could predict it without even looking.
Clang!
Raising Ella’s affinity was simple.
Swish!
My wooden sword deflected hers, and in an instant, I held it against her neck.
“Fight me seriously.”
Making her use her full strength.
That was the fastest way to raise her affinity, something I learned during our desperate battle when I’d mastered Dragon Swordsmanship.
“…Are you serious?”
Her face twisted slightly.
I grinned, provoking her.
“Yes.”
Ella Gainz, the one who was guaranteed to acquire the Hero trait…and…
‘The one whose Hero trait I will steal!’
Our bloody duel for her affinity began.
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Honestly stupid he never tries to kill that mage responsible for 2 deaths