Chapter 2: The Swordmaster’s Proposition

It seems I’m f*cked.

That was the conclusion I came to after careful consideration.

Although I wasn’t an astronaut left alone on Mars.

No.

Perhaps there’s a slight similarity in that I’m a transmigrator left alone in the academy without a single friend.

An outsider who fell into an unwelcome world.

“Sigh…”

I shook off my idle thoughts with a deep sigh and slowly opened my eyes.

The morning after the academy’s entrance ceremony.

A time when everyone starts a new day, anticipating a new school life.

“…I must be crazy.”

At a time when students would be burning with a passion for learning, I sighed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Two days later, Monday at 7 AM… was it?”

It was the time for the duel proposed by Yelena.

Since the academy’s training hall wasn’t ready yet during the first weekend after the entrance ceremony, she probably meant to have a match at the class placement test two days later.

I organized yesterday’s events in my head and splashed cold water on my face to chase away the sleepiness.

My drowsy mind gradually surfaced, and a sense of reality slowly returned.

In the mirror of the washbasin, a pure-looking girl with black hair and black eyes stared back at me blankly.

Even though it had been five years since I became this body.

Sometimes I still flinched, wondering if this was really me, because her appearance matched my taste so well.

Nevertheless, since I didn’t feel any sexual desire, I eventually accepted that this girl was indeed me.

The girl in the mirror, having finished washing her face, murmured with a tired expression.

“Then, shall we start the day?”

After wiping the water with a towel and preparing to go out, I headed to the training hall first.

Finding the location of the training hall wasn’t difficult.

It was a place I had frequented countless times in [Arcana Academy].

“…No one’s here.”

The first-year training hall during the first week of the entrance ceremony was not just quiet, it was desolate.

The facilities, all replaced with new ones during the winter break.

The interior decorated with high-quality marble.

A huge space that could accommodate 100 students at the same time.

However, since there were no students using it, the splendor of the training hall only emphasized its loneliness.

The first week of March, when winter hadn’t completely faded.

The chilly air could be felt through the tight-fitting workout clothes.

“Sigh…”

Feeling the dawn air that started a new day, I let out a light sigh.

I was alone in the spacious training hall.

It was moderately cool, so I didn’t have to worry about sweating.

Maybe it was because the academy entrance quest that had been tormenting me for five years was gone, but contrary to my mood, my body felt strangely light.

Feeling the perfect atmosphere to swing a sword.

I drew the sword that had been with me for the past five years.

Swoosh-

With a cool sound, the best hidden piece I had obtained revealed itself.

The dark blade, which absorbed the light of the dawning sky, shone black.

[The Nameless Sword that Slashed the Sky] [5☆]

[Special Ability: Reenactment of the Battlefield]

[Allows the user to summon an opponent they have fought before into the mindscape.]

[Special Ability: Stigmata Support]

[Does not consume stamina or mana when activating Stigmata.]

A top 5 cheat item in [Arcana Academy], a must-have hidden piece for those who raise a swordsman character.

The ability of [Stigmata Support], which allows the use of Stigmata, a monster that consumes stamina and mana, without any burden, was good.

But perhaps no ability was as overpowered as [Reenactment of the Battlefield].

Allowing one to face a strong opponent without any risk.

An item absolutely necessary for early growth.

After confirming that no one was around, I poured mana into the dark blade and murmured softly.

“[Reenactment of the Battlefield] Activate.

The opponent is…

the baron-class demon I fought some time ago.”

As I closed my eyes, a monster about twice my height appeared before me.

Even though it was a noble class, it was at the bottom, and it was a type that used a sword.

Looking at the monster, I shook off the idle thoughts in my head and slowly assumed a defensive stance.

“Phew…”

I wiped the sweat-soaked back of my neck with a towel and sheathed my sword.

The clock was already pointing to eight o’clock.

I hadn’t been swinging my sword for long, but had time already passed so quickly?

Murmuring to myself, I spoke towards the presence I felt behind me.

“Um, I’m about to leave…

Would you like to come along, teacher?”

“Oh my, you found me?”

“I’m a bit good at reading presences.”

“Hmm…

It wouldn’t have been easy for a student to find me?”

“Um, thank you…?”

I put the sword back on my waist, put the towel around my neck, and turned around.

A figure emerged from the dark corner of the hall.

Fiery reddish-brown long hair and ruby-colored eyes.

The flame-shaped Stigmata engraved on her collarbone, revealed between her open shirt, gave off a slightly provocative atmosphere.

A woman who was about a head taller than me, making even me, who was about 160cm tall, the average height for a woman, look like a child.

A swordmaster and the first-year swordsmanship instructor.

The second daughter of the Agnes Duchy, one of the four great duchies, who wields fire, Elin Agnes.

“Hehe…

You’re an interesting one.

I think you already know who I am, but let me introduce myself again.

I’m Elin Agnes, and I’ll be in charge of the first-year swordsmanship class this year.”

“Temporary Class A, No. 13, Sian.”

“Oh my, you’re the…”

“Ahaha…

I’m a bit famous these days.”

I smiled faintly, trying to lightly brush off Elin’s words.

One of the minor hidden pieces that can be encountered if you come to the training hall to practice the sword the day after the entrance ceremony.

If I made a good impression on her here, things would be easier in many ways.

So, I squeezed out my anxious heart from the morning and continued the conversation.

Perhaps it was because I was marked by Yelena on the first day of admission.

These days, my heart was suffering too much.

“You’re a cute one, aren’t you?

Sian.”

“Huh…?”

Perhaps that was why.

At Elin’s unexpected compliment, I inadvertently reacted like a girl.

Elin chuckled at my stunned expression and continued slowly.

“But you also have a bold side.

Well, should I say it’s confidence befitting your skills?”

Elin said, folding her arms.

Her ruby-colored eyes slowly scanned my body.

“By the way, are you practicing because of the duel with Yelena?”

“Well…

You could say that.”

Two days of practice wouldn’t dramatically change my skills.

The reason I came out early in the morning to swing my sword was to keep myself sharp.

Since the message that I would die if I didn’t enter the academy no longer appeared, I found myself gradually slacking off.

Besides, my mind felt at ease when I swung my sword.

It was as if all the worries of my current life temporarily disappeared.

“Two days of practice won’t change much, but if I don’t do anything, I’ll get too relaxed.”

“I like your mindset in many ways.

I’ll teach you my swordsmanship, so do you have any intention of becoming my disciple?”

“…What?”

I almost spat out the water I was drinking at the sudden question, but I managed to suppress my cough with superhuman patience.

In the original work of [Arcana Academy], Elin Agnes didn’t ask such a question at the first meeting with the protagonist.

Perhaps this was because I had lived as an adventurer for the past five years.

Having picked up various hidden pieces and experienced actual combat, I entered the academy much stronger than the original protagonist.

“About the duel with Yelena.

Honestly, I don’t think you’ll win.

If you become my disciple, I’ll teach you enough to have an even fight.”

Certainly, Elin Agnes’s offer was tempting.

If I became the disciple of a Swordmaster, many troublesome things would disappear.

Besides, objectively speaking, I couldn’t defeat Yelena right now.

I might be able to land a blow if Yelena was careless.

But Yelena, with her Stigmata activated, was already beyond the level of a student.

“Um…

I appreciate the offer, but I’ll just take the thought.

I don’t really want to belong anywhere yet…”

However, I declined Elin’s offer.

The weight of being the disciple of a Swordmaster was, in my opinion, quite heavy.

It didn’t suit me, who was more of an adventurer by nature.

Besides, it wasn’t like I had no way to defeat Yelena.

Yelena didn’t know about my Stigmata yet.

My Stigmata, optimized for surprise attacks, was something you had to experience to understand.

Couldn’t I bet on that chance?

“Yes.

I expected that, but it’s a shame.

If you change your mind, feel free to tell me anytime?”

“Thank you very much for the offer.”

I declined Elin’s offer, feeling burdened.

I prepared for the duel in two days in my mind.

Time passed quickly.

Perhaps because I was focused on training, the weekend passed in a flash, and Monday arrived with it.

The training hall on Monday morning was crowded with students.

It wasn’t often that a duel took place at the beginning of the semester.

“Just what did she do…”

“I’d better stay away from her from now on.”

“She’ll probably fall soon.”

The gazes of numerous students were fixed on me as I stood below the training hall, holding a practice sword.

If gazes had physical force, I would have had dozens of holes in my body by now.

For someone like me who preferred a small social circle, excessive attention was toxic.

Feeling resentful towards the unappreciative audience, I turned my gaze to the opponent in front of me, burning with fighting spirit.

A girl with silver hair and white eyes, also holding a practice sword.

Yelena Frost’s cool gaze met mine.

Then, the girl’s gaze turned away.

Looking at Yelena Frost’s slightly flushed cheeks, I spoke without realizing it.

“Let’s, do our best.”

“Likewise.”

After exchanging greetings, we ascended the stairs to the training hall.