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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“I’m sorry.”
Ella apologized to Egenir.
“…Don’t apologize to the loser. It’s humiliating.”
“Still, I’m sorry.”
“Just stop.”
He glared at the other students, his right arm bandaged.
“What are you looking at?! Never seen someone lose before?!”
They quickly resumed their sparring, their respect for Egenir renewed. He’d faced a high-level Sword Expert capable of using Aura and held his own. It was a testament to their instructor’s strength.
Their faith in him strengthened, they pushed themselves harder.
“My father can be…difficult.”
Ella, admitting her father’s flaws…Like father, like daughter…He stared at her.
“You…”
“What?”
Sherden, seemingly in shock, had gone to vent to his old academy buddies. Egenir sighed, looking at Ella.
‘You should have apologized back then…’
Ella didn’t remember.
His zeroth turn, his desperate pleas to save his friends, her cold refusal in his third turn…
‘I killed her once, too…’
She’d unleashed Valkyrie, her ultimate attack, and they’d both died. The Ella before him didn’t know any of this.
[I understand.]
That single phrase had disgusted him. Understand what?
She’d become a different person after acquiring the Hero title, looking down on everyone.
‘Not now, though…’
Her apology, perhaps a misguided attempt to offer comfort, felt like a trap, a prelude to another cycle of his pathetic, forgiving nature.
“You’ll be stronger than that crazy old man someday.”
Ella sensed the conviction in his voice.
“And you’ll become a…badass. A terrifyingly powerful badass.”
“…”
An unexpected compliment. He wanted to deny it, but he…respected the Ella from his past regressions.
‘She taught me Dragon Swordsmanship.’
He felt a twinge of guilt, remembering Sherden’s accusation of him seducing Ella to learn the technique. But it was water under the bridge, a spilled and evaporated liquid. No need to dwell on it.
“Am I stronger than you?”
“…Someday…”
He gritted his teeth.
Valkyrie, her relentless training, her mastery of Dragon Swordsmanship and Wind Swordsmanship…He could imagine her achieving a pinnacle even greater than Valkyrie.
“But I won’t lose this time, not even if I die.”
He had Salamander. Just one trait, but it had changed him. The difference between being traitless and having a trait.
He, once a blank slate, now had limitless potential.
‘Not on the same level, but…’
If the Hero trait was the highest rank, Salamander was a close second. A trait that maximized magic efficiency, but for Egenir, with his diverse skill set, it also enhanced his swordsmanship.
‘I’m getting stronger, so you’re getting stronger, too.’
That’s all he could think.
Should he just kill her now?
The thought crossed his mind, but…
‘No.’
She wasn’t the same bitch from his past regressions. She was still annoying, but the past was the past.
“That’s…strange.”
“What is?”
“No one has ever expressed such confidence in my strength.”
“They were blind.”
“I…”
She hesitated, then said,
“I’m traitless.”
“I know.”
He stated it matter-of-factly. Ella, who’d been about to reveal a deeply personal secret, was taken aback.
“You knew?”
“Why? Should I not know?”
“How?”
“Just…because.”
Ella was puzzled, but she concluded…
“You…you have potential.”
“What?”
He stared at her, confused.
“Being traitless, swordsmanship was my only option.”
“Right, so you honed your skills. You didn’t focus on Dragon Swordsmanship because your basic swordsmanship wasn’t perfect. You just learned the forms.”
“That’s…correct.”
“And now that you’ve mastered the basics, you’re learning Dragon Swordsmanship and combining it with Harfon’s Wind Swordsmanship to…defeat me? How terrifying.”
“That wasn’t my intention. I just…wanted to understand your path…”
Ella seemed to have made up her mind.
“Egenir, I consider you my rival.”
“Didn’t you hear me? You’ll surpass me eventually.”
“That’s impossible…”
“I know. You’ll become incredibly strong, and a truly formidable…bitch.”
He stood up, ending the conversation.
“I…didn’t want to tell you this, but…”
He scratched his head, then looked at Ella.
“You’ve hit a wall with your swordsmanship, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
She admitted it readily.
“Your path…it’s the right one. Just keep going.”
“…I understand.”
“You understand? What makes you think you can trust my words?”
“I can trust you.”
He frowned.
“I have another question.”
“What?”
“How do you use the Broken Sword?”
‘This bitch…’
She was after his techniques again. He’d thought her apology meant she’d changed, but she was still the same technique-devouring monster.
“The Righteous Sword is enough for you. You’re already strong, and there’s no guarantee the Broken Sword will make you stronger.”
Ella pointed at the other students.
“They’re improving. Quickly.”
“That’s because they’re deconstructing basic techniques and adapting them to their own bodies. It might not work for your…”
She pointed at him.
“You use Dragon Swordsmanship and the Broken Sword, and you’re strong.”
“…”
“I’m strong too. So if I learn it, I’ll become stronger.”
Her flawless logic impressed him.
‘She knows what’s good for her!’
She’d probably become interested in his techniques during their first sparring match.
She’d seen a new path in his application of Dragon Swordsmanship, the Broken Sword style.
“It was different from my father’s swordsmanship. The same foundation, but a different application.”
“Nope! Not telling! Not telling!”
It was practically his last resort. She was asking for his personalized version of Dragon Swordsmanship, the one he’d adapted to his own style.
“Find your own style!”
“But you said I need to learn the Broken Sword to do that.”
She’d been eavesdropping on his lessons.
“You saw what happened! Sherden used my technique to beat me!”
“He used Aura. Without it, your technique seemed sharper than my father’s.”
“Don’t insult your own family.”
“I’m not insulting him. You moved like you were one with your sword.”
Ella had seen his true swordsmanship, his wooden sword moving like a predator’s claw, unpredictable, deadly.
She’d tried to imagine herself facing it, but…
‘I’d lose.’
Her attacks would be deflected, her defenses shattered. She wasn’t saying Sherden was weak. But his swordsmanship, honed by years of tradition, was too rigid.
‘A true swordsman must adapt.’
Egenir’s swordsmanship had made her question her own path.
Techniques could be taught, but what if they didn’t suit the user? Should they blindly adhere to tradition?
It was a good foundation, but true strength required something more, something adaptable, something…unconventional. And Egenir seemed to possess that.
“I want to learn how to apply the Broken Sword to Dragon Swordsmanship.”
“No, I’m not teaching you!”
“But you’re teaching the other students.”
“That’s basic swordsmanship and the Great Weight Style! This is…”
He’d slipped up. Ella seized on his hesitation.
“You do know how to apply it to Dragon Swordsmanship.”
Her eyes gleamed with excitement.
[Ella’s affinity increased by 7.]
He was screwed. Her affinity was at 49.
Which meant…
Her heroine switch was about to flip.
Spenny’s affinity was also at 49, but she was bound by the teacher-student dynamic. She wouldn’t initiate anything. But Ella and Cecilia were different.
Students, equals. And 49 was a tipping point, a powerful magnetic force pulling them towards 50. Like salmon swimming upstream, they’d desperately seek that final point.
Cecilia’s condition had been the vice presidency.
Ella’s condition was now clear:
[Teach her the Broken Sword application for Dragon Swordsmanship.]
She wasn’t a clueless heroine anymore. She had a goal, a target, and she’d pursue it relentlessly.
And…
‘This is the first time her affinity has reached 49!’
She’d always been indifferent, unresponsive, unless he was stronger than her. And now she was actively pursuing him, her eyes fixated on the Broken Sword technique.
‘She didn’t even react when we fought to the death!’
She’d seen his Broken Sword technique during their life-or-death duels, but her affinity hadn’t budged. He’d inadvertently triggered her, fulfilling all the conditions.
[1. Defeat her.] – Their first encounter.
[2. Encourage her.] – Telling her she’d become stronger.
[3. Save her.] – Protecting her from Cecilia’s attack.
[4. Offer her something to learn.] – The Broken Sword technique for Dragon Swordsmanship.
“Ella…”
“Teach me.”
She stepped closer.
“Damn it!”
He recoiled, like someone facing a venomous snake.
“If you don’t…”
If he didn’t teach her, her affinity wouldn’t reach 50. And she was currently traitless. Without a trait, even at 50, she’d be useless. Or worse, without a trait to anchor her, her 50+ behavior could be unpredictable, even more dangerous.
“Father.”
‘Thud!’
Sherden emerged from the bushes.
“What the hell are you doing here?!”
“The loser talks too much.”
His appearance sent chills down Egenir’s spine.
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