Chapter 6: Even if her heart was lost in confusion

“Come, pick up this sword and fight me.”

After following Ulysses to the training grounds, he casually tossed an iron sword to Lila, while he himself picked up a wooden one.

“Aren’t you supposed to be punishing me, Instructor Ulysses?”

Though she addressed him as a teacher, Lila’s tone was stiff, her unwillingness unmistakable.

“Don’t ask. Attack me with your full strength, now.”

Ulysses had no intention of explaining his actions.

“But Instructor Ulysses, as you said before, I’m just a useless person who hasn’t even grasped Sword Intent.”

Though she belittled herself, there was something more beneath her words.

Ulysses simply laughed heartily.

“Relax. I’ll only use the strength of an ordinary person.”

The moment his words fell, Lila’s blade surged forward like a fierce gale.

Since that was the case, she would strike first.

Lila had no intention of waiting for any signal like an upright person would…

As a villainess, she had her own code of action.

In her view, all she needed to do was split that flimsy wooden sword in half, and victory would be decided.

“In real combat, things aren’t so fair. You can be attacked anytime, anywhere. That’s something I admire about you.”

The scene Lila had imagined, of the wooden sword snapping, did not occur.

At the moment their weapons met, Ulysses flicked his wooden sword, preventing Lila from applying sustained force.

Instead, the force transferred back to her wrist, nearly causing her to lose her grip.

Lila knew how to counter this move.

She only needed to increase her speed and strength.

That crude wooden stick wouldn’t be able to stop her.

But she simply couldn’t do it.

The gap between them was undeniable.

The world would not wait for you to be fully prepared before striking.

Among all techniques, speed was supreme, almost a universal truth.

No matter how refined your skills were, if someone was faster, they could always find and exploit your weaknesses.

Since she couldn’t make up for that difference, Lila had to find another solution.

For example, the difference between a wooden sword and an iron one.

One was a real weapon.

The other was merely a toy.

If it came down to trading injuries, then the advantage would naturally be hers.

The girl made her decision.

At first, Ulysses had treated the fight as mere amusement.

But he soon realized that the girl’s swordsmanship was constantly improving.

She was shortening the time their blades made contact.

Her technique was also remarkably seasoned.

No matter the angle from which Ulysses attacked, Lila seemed to anticipate it.

Even when caught off guard, she would immediately find the optimal response the next time.

A drop of cold sweat slid down Ulysses’s face.

The girl before him was a true genius.

Her strength was growing even within the exchange of moves themselves.

He couldn’t imagine when she would reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship—

But he felt it wouldn’t be far off.

Even if the future belonged to her…

For now, it still belonged to Ulysses.

He seized an opening in Lila’s downward strike.

With an upward flick, her iron sword was nearly knocked away.

In the next instant, his blade shot straight toward her chest.

Ulysses, who had nearly been defeated by a student, finally relaxed…

But as his gaze lifted, he saw the curve of Lila’s lips.

‘Could it be…?’

Lila advanced directly toward the incoming blade.

The seemingly out-of-control sword in her hand was firmly gripped.

In that instant, she swung horizontally toward Ulysses’s head.

‘Damn it!’

Just as Ulysses had said, real combat rarely involved fair, head-on exchanges.

The disparity in weapons was unavoidable.

Recognizing and exploiting that difference could determine the outcome of battle.

Clang-

With a sharp metallic sound, Lila’s blade stopped just centimeters from Ulysses’s neck.

“Are you trying to kill your teacher?”

Ulysses sounded somewhat helpless.

The girl before him was both ruthless and courageous.

But she seemed to have reached a point where she no longer valued her own life.

“If the famed Sword Saint were to be casually killed by a useless young lady from the Stuart Family, wouldn’t that be quite the joke?”

Lila spoke with faint disdain, casually tossing the sword back to him.

“So what’s your goal, old Sword Saint?”

“Old? I’m only twenty-seven!”

This time, Ulysses truly couldn’t hold back.

“Your tongue is just as sharp as ever. I simply wanted to understand why you can’t find your Sword Intent.”

Lila narrowed her eyes.

She genuinely wanted to hear the conclusion of this legendary Sword Saint.

“During the fight, I noticed that you seem to have a strong tendency toward self-destruction.”

Seeing Lila about to refute him, Ulysses continued.

“Don’t rush to deny it. Ever since the incident where you attacked your classmate, I’ve had a vague sense that your desire to live isn’t particularly strong.”

“I’m not saying you actively seek death. But in situations where extreme measures aren’t necessary, you still choose reckless, emotionally driven actions without regard for consequences.”

After he finished speaking, Lila, for once, did not mock him.

She simply fell silent.

“Since you’re not denying it, I’ll continue. From our fight just now, I realized, you seem to swing your sword simply for the sake of swinging it.”

“And what about it? Swinging a sword is meaningful to me.”

Lila finally spoke in rebuttal.

“And that’s why your swordsmanship improves so rapidly. But at the same time, you can’t find the value of this weapon. You don’t know what you want to use it for.”

Seeing Lila fall silent again, Ulysses revealed an expression as if he had expected this.

“People aren’t mere tools. During my travels, I’ve seen countless swordsmen. Some wield their blades to protect, some to destroy, and some to challenge the strong.”

Ulysses put away the swords.

“But someone like you, Lila, with such a pure intent, I’ve never seen before. I thought someone cast aside by her family would be filled with resentment, but that’s not the case. I think you need to search for your desire, for what you truly want.”

Lila remained silent.

She neither agreed nor denied it.

She only said,

“I want to rest. If there’s anything else, find me next time, Instructor.”

Then she turned and left without hesitation.

Ulysses simply watched her back as he gathered the weapons.

He knew Lila had taken his words to heart.

But finding meaning was never something easily grasped.

He did not want to see a genius fall.

Moreover, the academy was currently in danger, only sufficient strength could guarantee one’s safety.

A few days ago, news had arrived that a demon subordinate had infiltrated Casser Academy by some unknown means.

After discussing with the academy’s higher-ups, Ulysses had been asked to take on the role of a swordsmanship instructor as a cover while searching for the demon’s whereabouts.

Of course, if the headmaster Luce were present, such effort wouldn’t be necessary.

But unfortunately, Luce was occupied elsewhere, leaving the matter to Ulysses.

Considering that these demon subordinates could draw power from human fear, the academy’s leadership had chosen not to inform the students.

All they could do was hope to locate it quickly.

And eliminate it.