"He's just toying with him."
"Absolutely insane — what was Brad thinking, accepting a duel?"
"That must be terrifying."
The edges of his clothes, the tips of his sleeves, the buttons, his shoelace decorations, the back of his collar, the ends of his hair — Echi was cutting only those things, with sharp precision, leaving not a single mark on his skin.
At first Brad's club members had laughed. As the situation grew increasingly unsettling, their expressions changed. One by one they fell quiet and began edging backward, doing their best to look uninvolved.
Brad could no longer attack. Fear had taken over, forcing him into a defensive stance. It was like standing among venomous snakes — snakes that glided up to him as if about to strike, slithered across his skin, and retreated. The uncertainty of when they actually would was worse than simply being cut. He almost wanted it to happen quickly, just to have it done.
But no matter how hard he tried to block, Echi's sword went around him and sliced only what it had chosen. The tip came dangerously close to his belt before pulling back, leaving only a scratch on the leather. Brad's face went white.
"St-Stop! Stop it!"
His voice cracked. The moment the words left his mouth, Echi's sword lunged forward sharply. Brad clenched his weapon and shut his eyes.
The blade stopped half a finger's width from his nose.
"Open your eyes, Senior. It didn't hurt. You're rather easily frightened, aren't you?"
Echi's voice was calm. To Brad, it was pure mockery. Gasping, he had nothing left to say. The blade hovering just beyond his face made the hairs on his neck stand. The violet eyes beyond it were worse.
"Do you admit defeat?"
"I — I admit it! I admit it — put it away—!"
The sword withdrew cleanly. The sound of it sheathing rang out clearly. Brad staggered and sat heavily on the ground, face the color of paper.
As Echi approached, he scrambled backward on all fours. It was a pitiful sight — but no one laughed. The weight of her swordsmanship far outweighed the comedy of his retreat.
Echi stood over him.
"Stand up, Senior. As agreed, you owe an apology — to our club leader."
Fatima, who had been in a daze, snapped back. She hurried toward Echi and shook her head.
"Echi, it's fine—"
"I'm not fine with it. Senior Brad — what are you waiting for?"
Those violet eyes, tinged with red, looked down at him without warmth. The sensation was a blade against his throat. Panicked, Brad scrambled upright and knelt. He bowed his head toward Fatima.
"I misspoke. Forgive me."
Alice, watching, interjected in a firm voice.
"A mistake? What you said wasn't a mistake — it was your genuine attitude. Don't dress it up as an accident."
"Exactly. Thank you for catching that, Alice."
Echi widened her eyes playfully before looking back at Brad. His pale face darkened further. He pressed his head lower.
"Yes! I truly meant it as — I was foolish. I'm sorry. I won't do it again!"
"All right. And no more picking fights with our club. You saw — our members are more frightening than me."
Fatima scratched her cheek with a faint smile. Brad nodded rapidly. Alice frowned but said nothing further. Echi let out a quiet breath.
Rosalyn Diassant, having watched everything up to this point, turned away.
Most of the academy had gathered at the Sixth Training Ground. The rest of the campus was quiet. She crossed through it toward the knights' headquarters.
At a junction in the path, she collided with someone moving quickly from the opposite direction.
"…Lady Diassant."
"Oh my — Lord Yurien. Or should I say Your Highness."
Yurien steadied his breathing. His cold gaze settled on her.
"Why are you walking alone?"
"Isn't the Celestial Knights' grounds supposed to be safe?"
"You know better than anyone how dangerous your situation is. Have a knight escort you at all times."
Rosalyn looked up at him quietly.
A suspicion had been taking shape in her mind. A newly admitted freshman, named as a squire on her first day — the daughter of Count Roaz. Those two facts had made her curious enough to secretly observe Echinacea Roaz today. She had even accounted for the Wisdom Club meeting through her maid's information-gathering.
Rosalyn asked a question to test her suspicion.
"Lord Yurien — you didn't come rushing here out of concern for me, did you?"
"Your safety matters. There are many watching you."
"That's not it. You found out where I went and came yourself. If you were only worried about my safety, you'd have sent a guard. You came looking because you found out I was going to meet your squire."
She smiled.
"Echinacea Roaz. You have informants around me."
"..."
Yurien closed his eyes slowly and opened them. His blue eyes, framed by silver lashes, looked capable of cutting.
"Lady Diassant. Do not cross the line."
"Oh my — so she is the line?"
"You're reading into things."
"Remember this."
Yurien stepped closer and spoke in a voice quiet as ice:
"I have not decided anything yet."
"…Did you ever truly have another choice?"
"If I decide to abandon RanGiosa."
Rosalyn's smile vanished.
The owner of the holy sword had just said aloud that he was considering letting it go. That was not a trivial thing to say. The holy sword RanGiosa could no longer be wielded if its owner committed evil — which was precisely why its wielder was constrained always to act justly, always to act within common human morality.
That was why the imperial family had never truly feared Yurien — the ruler of Azenka and Commander of the strongest knights on the continent. A person who had no choice but to always be righteous was, in their eyes, predictable. Manageable.
But if he released the holy sword—
"…That would significantly expand my options."
His voice was cold and quiet. Far more chilling than any sharp warning.
Rosalyn's complexion faded.
"Lady Diassant. Return to your quarters. I'd prefer you not wander unescorted in the future."
He left those words and turned toward the academy.
Rosalyn stood motionless for a while. When her heartbeat finally settled, she murmured to herself as she walked back.
"My, my… Deeper than I expected. This might actually be workable…"
After Brad and the Noblesse Club left, the Wisdom Club continued with their first meeting. The question of selecting new members was delegated entirely to Fatima by both Echi and Alice. After some sparring and brief conversation, the meeting concluded.
As the gathered cadets dispersed, some followed Fatima — likely to inquire about joining. Echi and Alice walked back to the dormitory together.
"During the sparring today, I noticed I'm losing power in my overhead strikes. What do you think, Echi?"
"Hmm — Alice, when you raise your sword high, your lower body tends to lose stability. To keep your balance, widen your stance a bit more—"
Echi's words cut off.
She had stopped walking.
"Echi?"
Alice turned back, confused.
Echi's gaze was fixed straight ahead. Alice followed it and saw a silver-haired man. She recognized him and gave the Azenka-style salute.
"Ar Sebatiem. Good evening, Commander."
"Cadet Alice — please leave us. I need to speak with my squire."
Yurien acknowledged Alice's greeting with a small nod. Understanding, Alice glanced at Echi.
"Yes, Commander. I'll head back first then, Echi."
"Ah — yes. Thanks, Alice."
Echi just barely suppressed the instinct to catch Alice's sleeve. Alice, fortunately, didn't notice anything odd. She said a polite farewell and headed for the dormitory.
Now only Echi and Yurien remained on the forest path.
She lowered her head.
'What do I do? I can't look at him.'
Now that she was aware of her own feelings, meeting his eyes felt impossible.
Shyness, guilt, and the looming engagement — all of it pressed down at once. Her head stayed low. She couldn't speak.
Yurien was silent too.
She could feel his gaze resting on her bowed head, tracing down along her loose hair.
All of a sudden, she became very self-conscious about that hair. She wanted to reach up and check it — but that would be embarrassing.
'Ugh. I was just sparring — it must be a mess…'
Was the outfit all right? The makeup? She wanted a mirror immediately.
And not only because she was worried about looking like the demon of the cursed sword. She simply — cared about how he saw her.
[What are you two doing? He said he had something to say, and you're just standing there. Are you betting on who breaks first?]
The cursed sword muttered, bored.
After a long silence, Yurien finally spoke.
"Echinacea."
"…Yes, my lord."
Her answer came a beat late.
Since she had become his squire, he had stopped using her title. He had said her name many times before — but hearing it now, without the title attached, made something in her chest tighten.
'He called me by name right after the ceremony too. But it didn't feel like this then…'
It was only that now — she was aware of her feelings.
And because her attention was already caught on him, that awareness spread warmth through her, tinting everything in soft shades she hadn't let herself feel before.
Realizing this only made it worse. Heat rose from her neck to her ears.
There was absolutely no way she could lift her head.
Yurien, having said her name, fell silent again. His gaze stayed on her forehead, as if he wanted to see the face hidden below.
Then, at last:"What happened?"