Chapter 20

Following Kistaria, it was Mikaelis' turn.

The training ground was a wide, circular expanse of white stone. At its center stood Mikaelis, having taken off his jacket, a long sword hanging from his waist, his fiery red hair tied at the nape of his neck. Even just standing there, one could see the well-proportioned build and the unusually long legs. I thought to myself, he must be popular, as if it were someone else’s business. Am I popular, I wonder? I can’t tell if it’s a death flag or a romance flag.

Around Mikaelis were simple mannequins resembling people. They were like large, white wooden figures used for drawing models, with their necks slightly lowered and their limbs hanging limply, giving off an eerie vibe.

Suddenly, the eerie mannequins were enveloped in a brief, electric-like glow and began to move awkwardly, approaching Mikaelis with a creaking sound.

No way! They’re scary and eerie! The head-like part just moved with a jerk!

As I watched anxiously, a doll approached from the diagonal rear. Mikaelis, drawing his sword with a swift motion, cut it down without even glancing at it. A deep gash appeared in the doll’s torso, and flames erupted from the wound. The doll, easily cut down, rolled onto the stone pavement and quickly burned away.

I wondered when the flames had appeared, and noticed that the straight blade was now enveloped in burning flames.

I was wondering if it was hot or if he wasn’t scared, but Mikaelis didn’t show any signs of concern as he focused on the wobbling dolls.

I suddenly thought, don’t mages usually chant spells or technique names? But when Kistaria did it, she didn’t either.

...Yeah, I don’t shout when I make barriers either.

The teacher said that some people make it easier to activate by saying the words aloud, while others chant them in their minds. The key is the manipulation of magic and the visualization, and the trigger for releasing it varies.

In my case, I visualize the kind of barrier I want in my mind and activate it. The shape, properties, and strength can vary. For rain protection, a soft, dome-shaped half-circle like an umbrella is good, but if I need a platform, I imagine a large, square building block.

In the first place, if you shouted in a real battle, it would be impossible to surprise the enemy, and it would be a significant disadvantage. You might stumble or choke and fail.

"Julius—too slow, send something faster and sharper!"

Mikaelis glanced at the spot where only the charred remains of the doll were left, a clearly belligerent smile on his face.

Those dolls were pretty fast, but are there even stronger ones?

Ignoring my confusion, Mikaelis easily cut down four dolls that attacked him simultaneously. The slight trail of flames left behind revealed that he had made several slashes in an instant.

Mikaelis is strong... I knew he was, but seeing him in action, he’s incredibly strong...

Of course, he’s won many tournaments, but... is he on a different level?

After easily dispersing the dolls, Mikaelis glanced at the new ones appearing around him without any surprise.

This time, the dolls carried something like wooden swords, colored purple, and seemed to be a higher grade than the previous ones. Eek, they’re even more eerie!

They were moving much faster and their limbs were sharply honed, giving them a bizarre appearance. If you were kicked by one of those, you might accidentally be sliced in half!

In ballet, there’s a scene in "Swan Lake" where the black swan Odile performs a series of 32 consecutive turns called the "Grand Fette en Tournant." It’s a super-fast spin.

Moreover, when they spin and collide, there’s an impact, right? I wonder if it’s okay.

As I worried, the doll approached Mikaelis. The inorganic doll ruthlessly slashed at Mikaelis, but he easily deflected the attack, knocking the doll’s arm away. Then, with a reverse cut, he severed the doll’s leg. The doll, now missing a leg and an arm, lost its balance and writhed on the ground. It was scary. Another doll flew in as if to say it was in the way, and the doll at the landing point was crushed at the waist and stopped moving. The dolls don’t have any sense of camaraderie.

The doll that approached Mikaelis closely had sharp, spear-like extensions on its hands. It thrust these at Mikaelis’ face, but Mikaelis, seemingly reading the move, stepped back and raised his face to easily avoid it.

The doll, thinking it was a powerful strike, missed and exposed its unguarded torso to Mikaelis. Naturally, Mikaelis didn’t miss the opportunity, and his flaming sword pierced the doll’s heart. The high-temperature sword, enveloped in flames, melted and burned the area around the wound.

Mikaelis then stepped on the doll, which had lost its strength, and approached another doll that was targeting him from behind. He quickly closed the distance and delivered a series of fluid strikes, one after another, to the dolls.

The previous spear doll didn’t catch fire, but these two were easily burned away. It seems the flames can be adjusted to burn specific targets.

As Mikaelis moved, his vivid hair swayed, and the silver and flames danced. It was a dance of flames, I sighed.

His movements were flawless, and he continued to cut down the dolls one after another.

Before I knew it, the last doll had fallen to the ground as a charred remains.

Wow, Mikaelis von Dimitrius. I’ve never interacted with him in the original route, but if we were to end up as enemies, he would be a formidable opponent.

I have skilled (probably) Raven and Julius as my guards, but in a one-on-one battle, Mikaelis might be stronger...

Yeah, I’m glad he’s a good kid, even though he’s a shut-in.

The dolls were quite scary, but I saw something amazing.

And those dolls seem familiar. What were they?

"Those dolls resemble the cursed killer mannequins from a scary story Julius read to me when I was young..."

"Yes, the young lady was terribly frightened and asked Kistaria and Julius to share a bed."

"Gibriel, how do you know that?"

"I made Kistaria talk before!"

"Albert, no matter how cute Gibriel looks, she’s this kind of girl. Remember that."

Kistaria, with a half-lidded gaze, looked at Gibriel bitterly. Gibriel smiled brightly, a stark contrast.

"I think even the mischievous Gibriel is cute."

No matter how much my younger sister acts up, my affection for her doesn’t wane.

Kistaria, with a slumped shoulder, and Gibriel, clinging to me with a victorious smile, were a stark contrast.

As Gibriel hugged me tightly, I felt a bit unsteady and was supported from behind. Is this all that’s happening today?

"Mikaelis! That was amazing! I had heard about it, but I didn’t expect it to be so impressive!"

"I’ve never shown this to Albert before."

"It was truly spectacular. It looked like you were dancing with fire and sword, and you handled so many at once, easily defeating them!"

I wanted to convey my excitement, but I was told to calm down. Mikaelis, who has probably been praised with much more elegant words, smiled at my clumsy praise.

I noticed the mithril sword he was wearing. Despite the flames that had been burning, there was no sign of charring on the scabbard or hilt.

"How can it be so clean after all that burning?"

"The scabbard is woven with high-purity mithril silver, and the hilt is made from processed fire dragon skin. It doesn’t flinch at that level of heat."

As I examined it closely, Mikaelis held the sword out for me to see. The scabbard had intricate patterns, and the silver changed color depending on the angle, making it fascinating to look at. After a while, Mikaelis offered to show me the blade, and I nodded. Of course, I wanted to see it.

It looked like ancient jewelry or art, making me excited.

The silver blade was breathtakingly beautiful, with a sacred glow and no curve, perfectly straight.

As I gazed at it, I noticed my reflection in the blade, which looked slightly different from usual. Oh, right, I was in disguise.

However, it seemed that I could only look and not touch. I wondered if Mikaelis had more vulnerabilities compared to Julius, but when I tried to touch it, he quickly pulled it away. He used to react more visibly, but this time he smoothly avoided it. I grumbled in frustration but only received a wry smile.

As I tried to find any weakness in his hand, I noticed something he was holding near the hilt. Was he hiding something?

"What are you holding?"

Curious, I tried to pry his hand open, but the mithril sword fell.

Fortunately, it didn’t make a loud noise on the stone pavement, but the blade sank into the ground. If it had fallen on my foot, it might have caused a severing incident.

So, what was he holding?

There was no need to pry his hand open, as it had fallen with the sword. A bright red tassel and a small magic stone, connected by a braided cord, formed an amulet.

"Oh, you had it attached to the sword?"

"Yes, ... Albert, if you wanted to know, you shouldn’t have put your fingers in my hand like that."

"I thought you were hiding it, so I thought you wouldn’t tell me."

Why was he hiding it? I tilted my head, and Mikaelis fell silent.

As I stared at his red eyes, they quickly averted.

Is there something he’s ashamed of? This pure and chivalrous Mikaelis? ...For a tassel? A lady’s handiwork? It’s effective as an amulet because it’s made with materials infused with magic.

"...I’ll tell you someday."

"Alright then."

When I tried to pick up the fallen sword, Mikaelis quickly stopped me and picked it up himself. I wanted to see it a bit more.

"You two are amazing."

Truly, they are top students in the academy.

My life at the Latitche Duke’s mansion was quite different. I had a tutor, but they were chosen by my father, so while they were competent, they were far from strict. I usually took classes with a carefree attitude. My etiquette teacher, who used to be quite strict, now focuses on the latest Rose brand products.

Maybe I’m better suited to product development or the merchant’s back office than social events?

By the way, both of them were amazing, but my father is said to be incredibly strong. He has achieved many great deeds on the battlefield and is renowned. But there haven’t been any major conflicts recently, so maybe he’s retired from the front lines?

"Who is stronger, my father or the two of you?"

At my casual question, both of their smiles froze. Julius and Anna also froze, and Gibriel quickly averted her gaze.

Everyone fell silent, and I tilted my head in confusion. Did I say something wrong?

"Miss Albert."

Noticing my confusion, Raven, with his usual unreadable expression, spoke.

"Miss Albert, the Duke is a being so monstrous that he is treated as a non-human in both the country and foreign lands. Comparing him to Kistaria and Mikaelis is considered disrespectful."

I was so surprised that I could only widen my eyes. I had heard that my father was incredibly strong, but could these two not handle him even together?

As if reading my thoughts, "Demons and assassins run away from him," was added.

Is my father overpowered?

I realized again how overpowered my father is, but why can’t his daughter, me, do anything more than weak attack magic?

I’ve been told it’s due to my own abilities, but I want to cast a cool spell at least once.

However, today was a good day.

Unfortunately, the route with Renaria, the Baroness Daches, remains unclear, but I saw something valuable today.

The route with Prince Lucas seems quite promising, as does the harem route.

However, it seems that the routes with Kistaria and Mikaelis haven’t progressed much.

Kistaria’s diverse magic was amazing, but Mikaelis’ magic sword simulation battle was also impressive.

The grass is always greener on the other side, but when the difference is so stark, it’s just overwhelming.

As if my father had arranged it, nearly ten knights were guarding the carriage on the way back. Seeing the anxious Kistaria and the others, I got into the carriage.

The armor was quite impressive. Are they high-ranking knights? I feel bad.

As I relaxed and talked about today’s events, the carriage stopped at the school’s gate. Anna looked puzzled.

"Is something wrong?"

"I’ll handle it, Miss Albert. Please don’t show your face."

"I’ll leave it to you, Anna."

Shut-ins are weak in emergencies.

Anna went outside and talked to someone. As the conversation continued, I sensed that the other person was cornering Anna.

I had a bad feeling.

As I clasped my hands to my chest, the entrance behind me suddenly opened. A knight opened it, but the first person to enter was someone else.

"Hey, is it you? The one who made Renaria cry!"

His luxurious golden hair and sea-like bright green eyes—his face should be handsome, but his narrowed eyes gave off a chilling aura.

The young nobleman, wearing a white frilled shirt, a deep green cravat, and a jacket, looked at me with cold eyes.

I don’t know this person. But I know him. I don’t know him, but I know him.

"My name is Lucas Or Sandis! I won’t let you say you don’t know me. For the sin of hurting my beloved Renaria, you will pay with your body!"

Thank you for reading! If you found it interesting or enjoyable, I would be grateful for bookmarks, ratings, and comments. It really motivates me!