It was beyond annoying!
But this time…this time…Lunaria was going to stay calm. Or that was what she’d thought. But the moment she faced off against Earnest, that all ended.
There was an ultimate secret move the user of a magic sword could only access when they’d achieved truly perfect synchronization with their blade: scionification. It was the greatest of skills, the best of them all—the ability to discard one’s very humanity.
Even among the long, long line of geniuses who had wielded the Steinberg family’s sword, none since the very first had ever achieved such a feat. Only two months ago, Lunaria had become the second to reach that lofty height. The Scion of Ice—a superhuman being… She had finally ascended to the next stage.
Now, she’d thought, I can win. I’ll never lose again. She’ll never ever defeat me. At long last, she’d be free from the threat posed by that ordinary girl.
When they’d crossed swords in that corridor, Lunaria had realized the full extent of Earnest’s mind-boggling growth. Still, if she went through scionification—if she became the Scion of Ice—she could overwhelm her. Of that, there was no doubt. Or at least, that was how it should have been.
…But what if Earnest had discovered scionification too? What if she had managed to become the Scion of Flame? What if this ordinary girl, with nothing but spirit, guts, and drive… What if she had reached the same level as Lunaria, the genius? When the two scions clashed, could she claim victory? Or would she finally be the one to lose? A talent like her, beaten by a mud-covered girl from some lowly, brutish clan…
That was why Lunaria was hard at work swinging her sword. Even if she only had half a day, or a single night, she needed to use it.
I already have her beat. Everything is on my side.
Even if that were so, with the match looming tomorrow, she couldn’t bring herself to rest. That was all there was to it.
“Could it be…that I’m afraid of her?” she murmured.
That was the first time she had ever said it out loud. Until now, she hadn’t even allowed herself to entertain the thought. Whenever it threatened to come into her mind, she’d immediately push it away. But today—or tonight—she had to admit it. If she didn’t, she’d never be able to take the next step.
“Oh… So that’s how it is?”
Suddenly, a man’s voice came from somewhere off to her side. Lunaria jumped back, taking a fighting stance.
“Oh, sorry. Did I scare you?”
His voice was relaxed. He scratched his cheek, not a trace of tension on his face.
Lunaria recognized him. He was one of Earnest’s hangers-on, the man who’d stopped their little dispute earlier that day. He had the dopey-looking face of a commoner, a suitable match for the barbarian girl he served. Lunaria didn’t know whether they were romantically entangled, and she didn’t really care. But if they were, she thought they’d make a good pair.
“What do you want?” she asked. “Why did you hide your presence and sneak up on me? Are you trying to get killed?”
“I wasn’t hiding my presence…or maybe I was, but I didn’t mean to. Honest. I’m sorry. I don’t mean any harm.”
The man wore a slack-jawed smile. She didn’t like it at all. In fact, Lunaria hated this kind of man. Their frivolous, superficial behavior enraged her.
She always ordered the men around her to maintain a serious expression. As for their looks, it wasn’t that she deliberately chose handsome men to serve her, however…if two people were equal in ability and personality, she simply opted for the better-looking one.
Speaking of, that guy who’d been standing next to Earnest… Leonard, was it? He looked pretty good. Maybe she ought to make some kind of bet with Earnest and try to win him off her. He’d see a lot more success with Lunaria than with that barbarian. He would need to hit the gym, though. Right now, he was way too gangly.
“So…what do you want?” she asked.
“Oh. Um… About that…”
The man in front of her seemed to be gathering his thoughts. How ridiculous! Shouldn’t he have come prepared with a summary, preferably in thirty words or less? Now he was just wasting time—Lunaria Steinberg’s time! Whole seconds of it!
Lunaria seriously began to wonder if she should just cut him down where he stood and find a way to make it look like an accident. She could claim she was simply practicing by herself when he suddenly leaped out in front of her and got sliced.
Instead, she said, “First…promise me you will never speak of what you heard just now. What I said, I mean. Promise me that, and I’ll let you leave here with your life.”
He must’ve heard her say it—“I’m afraid of Earnest.” He must have. If he kept quiet about it, she’d let him leave. Should he refuse…she really would cut him down. She awaited his reply. It really didn’t matter to her which option he picked.
“What? You said something?” the man replied.
“Huh?”
“I’m sorry, could you say it again? I’ll pay more attention this time…”
“No! There’s no way I could say it! Not if you weren’t even listening! …Never mind! Just leave me alone!”
This was making no sense. Who was this guy? Instead of a simple yes or no, he went for a crazy third option? He “didn’t hear her”? What the hell was up with that?! Well, fine. Just go! Off with you!
“Please! Get out of here! I’m begging you!”
“Well…if you want me to, I guess I could, but…”
“But?”
Her gaze bored into him. She had studied the art of inflicting physical damage with her eyes from a master in the subject after begging him to instruct her. They were teacher and student for only a day, though, as she had surpassed him in less than twenty-four hours.
Yet, for some reason, the skill didn’t work on this man. It only brushed his bangs away for a moment, like a gentle breeze. He merely stared back at her with a puzzled expression. He wasn’t even confused about what she had done. He probably didn’t realize anything had happened.
“You know,” he said, “if you keep this up, you’re probably gonna lose the match tomorrow.”
“Who…who said I’m going to lose?”
Glare.
No dice. Despite being lethal to the average person, her attack simply didn’t work on him.
“You know that deep down, don’t you?” he continued. “That’s why you’re training by yourself so late at night.”
Bullseye. This strange man, capable of withstanding her eye force without so much as a blink, could see right through her.
“W-well, even if that was true…what does it have to do with you? I’m not breaking any rules, am I?”