.｡.:✧ Chapter 19 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Well, everyone did a great job.”

“Yeah.”

When I heard that today’s test was over, I stretched and relieved my sore body. In addition to our team’s games, I was forced to watch other teams’ tests, and honestly, that was more difficult than the test.

Next to me, there was trash from drinks and snacks that I bought while watching the tests after stopping by the cafe, so I was cleaning up the trash, but the kids snuck up and looked at me.

“I’ll, I’ll clean it up.”

“I brought some trash bags.”

“Sure.”

Even though I accepted the favor, I felt reluctant. Should I say that I feel like I am making money by scaring the kids?

“Tch, I should have been a bit gentler.”

I felt like I had suddenly risen to fame as a hero due to my excessive performance, but what could I do? If I failed the exams or got expelled for poor grades, it wouldn’t be any better.

“The way the students treat you has changed.”

“Y-Yeah, you were amazing.”

Tana and Eve, who were helping me clean up, chimed in with a few words. Particularly, the professors from each class seemed to be very impressed, and it was quite apparent from their expressions.

“You saw me defeating Fenil and his gang all by myself. Why are you all so surprised?”

“That and this are different.”

“In addition to Hayun, there’s Ares, and there’s a piece of baggage called May behind you.”

“I was a little jealous.”

“Right? Hey, if you had brought Daniel, you could have just gone along for the ride.”

“I didn’t mean I was jealous of that.”

Eve mumbled her last words as she continued cleaning up. Today was just about taking exams and then when they were done school was over, so we had some extra time to kill. I was considering what to do when I noticed someone approaching from behind.

Since we were seated according to our classes during the matches, she had been observing us closely.

“Since we have some time left, should we go to the city? There’s a new dessert place that opened recently…”

“I’m going back to my room!”

“What? Hey, where are you going?”

“Daniel?”

I turned my body and ran. I wanted to minimize contact with Rin.

I needed to find out why she became the Commander of Death’s Army. In the meantime I couldn’t interfere and disrupt the established flow.
[T/N: I changed it from army of death cuz I got annoyed having to write that many words (:]

‘She’ll probably be this persistent only at the beginning.’

Later, she would probably give up, and she’d start treating me as if I were invisible.

“Thank you for today…!”

“Move!”

“Oops!”

May blocked the way and I shoved her aside, causing her to fall to the ground and complain irritably. I ignored her.

“Whoa.”

I glanced back slightly and saw that Rin was now running at full speed. Unlike me, who went first, Rin was one of the last, but she seemed to have plenty of stamina left.

“She’s really scary.”

Her eyes, devoid of emotion, were eerie and even caused me to feel scared. It reminded me of the time when she wore black armor and pierced my heart in the Demon Forest.

“Ugh.”

As that thought crossed my mind, I found myself unconsciously touching my chest, as if checking if there was a hole.

After entering the dormitory, I climbed the stairs two or three times, went straight to my room, and locked the door. I heard Rin’s footsteps running behind me in the hallway.

“…”

She’s standing outside my door.

My cold sweat was flowing, but I held my breath and remained silent. After a moment, I heard the sound of Rin walking away, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Something feels different about the Rin I used to know.”

In my past life, the Rin I remembered was a gentle girl, always smiling, easy to approach, and I naturally liked her. So, this feeling of being obsessed with me now was odd.

“Alright, what now?”

I felt quite tired and thought about taking a nap in my room. Surprisingly, I fell into a deep sleep, and when I woke up, about six hours had passed.

“Ugh…”

Outside, it was already dark, and my stomach was growling. It was dinner time, but the cafeteria was already closed, so I’d have to go to a cafe and have dessert if I wanted to eat.

“I don’t feel like that, though.”

Even though I wanted to cook something myself, I didn’t have the ingredients, so I decided to go out to the city for a moment. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if Rin was waiting for me, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“I’d like some soupy dishes. Maybe there’s still a place open?”

If that didn’t work out, I could always go to a tavern and order some soup as a side dish. With that in mind, I headed out. As I opened the door, I was a bit startled but relieved to see that Rin wasn’t waiting for me.

As I walked along, I began to feel hungry and decided to find a place to eat some hot soup. While searching for options, I suddenly spotted a girl with short black hair swinging a sword in the middle of the street.

“Hayun?”

Hayun, who lost to me in today’s exam, was swinging her sword while contemplating something.

“Is she practicing swinging the sword, or is she lost in thought?”

She didn’t seem to be helping her concentration by swinging the sword, and it appeared too physically demanding for someone lost in thought.

‘Nevertheless, the more I watch her, the more intriguing it becomes.’

Despite not being particularly skilled at either thing, I was genuinely curious, so I approached her.

It was none other than swordsmanship!

Eastern swordsmanship, distinct from the knightly style. As someone who lived in the Demon Forest, I had never seen it before, making her swordsmanship very intriguing.

‘Especially the way she wields that thin sword.’

Focused on slashing rather than thrusting, it was a unique type of sword. I had heard it referred to as a ‘katana,’ but I was interested in how practical it could be, more like a dance than swordsmanship.

“Working hard, huh?”

In my previous life, approaching a lone female student at night would have been akin to torture, but now I was different.

If I were to talk about the atmosphere, it would be like when kids were practicing and an old man came over and said, “Oh, you shouldn’t do that!” and made a pointless comment.

Aren’t they kids anyway?

Since I had no feelings of discomfort, hesitation, or a need to withdraw, I felt free to approach her.

“Daniel… McLean.”

I thought there wouldn’t be much resistance since I helped her make Ares’s favorite pie last time in the cooking lab.

“…..”

“What?”

There seemed to be no particular emotions in Hayun’s expressionless face as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

***

Here, there is a truly pitiful girl.

Both of her parents have passed away.

They called it an accident, but the girl was convinced that it was an assassination orchestrated by her grandfather to secure power in the family feud.

All that was left to her was her grandfather, the head of the family, who was looking for ways to use her as a tool or eliminate her entirely, and a book on Eastern swordsmanship left behind by her mother, who had encouraged her to go.

Fortunately, the girl had a natural talent for swordsmanship.

Even within her family, they recognized this and sent her to Aios Academy to further hone her skills, with the command to be visible to the eyes of noble children.

Up to this point, I could understand.

Sure, it’s fine.

Use the swordsmanship that’s the only weapon you have to survive in your family, expand your connections as much as possible, and gain the power to uncover the truth about your father and mother’s deaths.

She had been diligently reporting her progress regularly.

But one day, her grandfather asked her a strange question.

“Do you know a boy named Ares?”

Of course, she knew him.
The blonde, handsome male student who transferred in as a third-year.

He was also in class B, and the fact that he was able to win against Arni Duratan, whom she always lost to, in the first test was something to be highly regarded, and she also thought about wanting to compete with him in swordsmanship someday.

However, before she could even ponder why his grandfather, who was always talking about lineage and family heritage, would be interested in a commoner like Ares, he spoke to her with a greedy smile.

“Make that boy yours.”

It felt as if her head had been struck with a hammer.

What on earth did that mean?

But her grandfather continued to press her, violently.

“Use your skill with the sword, your decent looks, or even that frail body of yours. Do whatever it takes to bring that boy to you.”

“Just like your mother did to my younger brother.”

The regular report ended like that.

Hayun harbored a sense of shame, but there was no way around it. She had to reluctantly pester Ares as she had been told.

It was quite comical.

She found it pathetic to see herself, who had been forced to approach Ares against her will, while surrounded by numerous beauties vying for the boy’s attention.

Maybe that was the reason.

“Recently, my sword skills have dulled.”

She heard Arni Duratan’s complaint about their rivalry, and today in the second round of exams, she lost miserably without showcasing her true skills.

After the exams were over, she spent hours trying to control her emotions by swinging her sword.

However, no matter how hard she swung, the heavy burden on the shoulders of an 18-year-old girl didn’t diminish. The waves of her emotions were intensifying.

“Working hard, huh?”

Maybe that was the reason.

“Daniel… McLean.”

She had been holding back her emotions, but a small shock was enough to break the dam.

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