Chapter 33

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"Why is this world so unkind to meeeee…?"

After school ended, I returned home and, face down on my bed, I groaned and writhed in frustration.

"The sword didn't break, did it…? It's a good thing it went well."

While I buried my face in the pillow and pouted, Tütte, concerned about me, gave an example of something good that happened today.

"Well, it was good… The sword didn't crack even when I gripped it tightly, and I didn't even notice the magic being drained… But still…"

I turned my face, which was buried in the pillow, to the side and looked at my own sword on the desk. First, I had a sheath and belt made so I could carry it, and that went well. However, I felt that a completely white sword from the blade to the hilt would be too conspicuous, and if people realized it was made of white ore, it might cause problems later. So, I asked the Legaria family's employed painter to apply a coating that wouldn't easily come off, and that went well. To be safe, I shortened the time to three days to avoid any unnecessary elaboration, thinking it would be perfect.

(I thought it would be perfect… I never expected that painter to be so inspired by the intricate details of the sword that he would spend three days working on it without rest.)

The imitation sword in my field of vision looked so perfect that it was hard to believe it was made of white ore. That was the problem.

(Because the original design looked like a legendary sword… If it was colored without any sense of incongruity, it would undoubtedly become a perfect imitation of a legendary sword… But, I couldn't ask for a retake from the painter who handed it over with such a satisfied look on his face, saying "I did it!" Oh, I couldn't do that, no way!)

And today, when I brought it to class, the reactions of my classmates were embarrassing. They seemed to be holding back their laughter out of concern for me, but they couldn't hide it completely. The worst was Zaha, who, upon seeing my sword, burst into laughter, saying, "What's with that unnecessarily luxurious sword? Are you a hero or something? Did you pull out a holy sword somewhere? How old are you this year?" I punched him in anger, but it didn't make me feel better, so I decided to ignore him for a while. A few minutes later, he came crawling to apologize, and I forgave him.

By the way, Zaha, who is highly regarded by everyone, was easily knocked down by me. I thought his evaluation would be revised downward, but instead, it was revised upward because he had the courage to speak out what everyone was thinking but didn't say, and he accepted my angry attack as an apology without resistance. Well, that's not important to me, but I'll mention it.

"People's opinions are only temporary… Eventually, the interest will fade, and things will return to normal, so just bear with it, Miss."

Tütte encouraged me with a fighting gesture, so I sat up and decided to change my mindset.

"You're right! Thank you, Tütte. I'll do my best!"

With that, I pulled out the legendary sword (laughs) on my desk and raised it.

"Go for it, hahaha!"

Tütte, who was trying to nod in agreement, couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

"What the heck! What was that? You traitor!"

I swung the legendary sword (laughs) that couldn't cut and chased Tütte, who was running around the room.

---

After a few months of endurance…

"Huh? What did you just say?"

"S-Sorry! Sorry! So, the exam is coming up soon…"

"Ahh, I'm not angry, so don't cry, Safina… Let's talk about what happened after that."

"Eh? Well… The exam involves a martial arts tournament, and I have to fight, which I don't like…"

"That's it!"

"Ah! Sorry, sorry!"

This conversation took place on a sunny afternoon after a day of studying, in the lounge with Safina. I was interrogating her intensely, and she was on the verge of tears, apologizing profusely.

"A tournament, huh…"

"This is the fastest way to compare the skills of the new students! I'm looking forward to it!"

As I grumbled, Zaha was speaking with even more enthusiasm than usual.

(Darn… this combat race…)

"Moreover, it's a tournament format, and the top performers will be the top students of the year! What an exciting setup!"

I shooed away the sweaty man who was pressing me and made him sit down.

(Top student… As a Legaria family's daughter, I should want it, but… I don't want to stand out… Maybe I'll win once and then lose… I'm afraid that the more matches I fight, the more my flaws will be exposed…)

In these few months, I think I have a good grasp of everyone's practical skills. Considering that, I think I can take on Zaha if I get serious. As for Safina, she can avoid me, so she's relatively safe, but I can't be careless because it could be dangerous if I hit her.

"How do they decide the tournament?"

"Mr. Ix said they would draw lots to ensure fairness."

(That's good… If I got caught up in the power dynamics of the noble society and ended up in a terrible spot, it would be a disaster…)

"Drawing lots… I'd like to face Mary in the final, if possible!"

"Stop it… Why do I have to be your rival… Boys should fight each other, not me."

As I made a face, still shooing away the sweaty Zaha, I noticed Safina, who was looking down with a serious expression, and gently patted her small head.

"What's wrong, Safina? Is there something you're worried about?"

"Miss Mary… Well… Nothing…"

She started to say something but swallowed her words and gave a cute, embarrassed smile.

"But…"

"Ahh, it's almost time for the practical training, let's go to the training ground."

Despite my dissatisfaction, Safina, who usually dislikes martial arts training, tried to escape by going to the class herself, which made me even more concerned about her, but I decided not to pursue it further for now.

---

The training ground. It was a vast, open field outside the school building, unlike the arena, which had no stands, roof, or walls. To me, it was like a school playground. As usual, the gathered students found partners and practiced swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat on their own, while the teacher, who was walking around, would offer advice if they had any thoughts or if the students asked questions.

I was currently training with Safina as my partner. The reason I chose her was because her evasion skills were the best in the class. Since I could swing my sword without worrying, I had been trying out techniques from manga and anime from my previous life. Actually, I could do some of them, which was a lot of fun. However, if I got carried away and accidentally hit my partner, it could be a disaster, so I asked Safina, who had high evasion skills, to be my partner.

"Let's try to come up with some special moves for the tournament."

"Special moves!"

At my casual words, Safina, standing opposite me, started to fidget as if she was about to run away.

"Calm down, Safina! As I always say, your reflexes are top-notch. You can easily dodge Miss Mary's attacks, so have confidence."

Zaha, who was watching from a distance, called out to the fidgeting Safina.

(To say 'Miss Mary's level'… I could knock him down again… But, my evaluation might improve, so I'll hold back…)

I sighed and drew my own legendary sword (laughs), taking a stance.

"Hahaha, no matter how many times I see it, that sword is just too luxurious."

As I saw Zaha's smug face in the corner of my eye, my temples twitched.

"I'll make you suffer the punishment of not talking to you."

At my resentful words, Zaha hurriedly covered his mouth. Then, I remembered something and changed my stance.

I held the sword in my right hand, stepped back with my right foot, turned my body sideways, crouched slightly, bent my left hand into a hook, and placed the tip of the sword between my thumb and index finger.

(I think I read in a manga that a certain samurai from the end of the shogunate used this stance for thrusts?)

Currently, my main sword technique is based on thrusts. This is partly because my sword is a rapier, but also because thrusts are easier to conserve energy compared to swings.

"That's so cool! This stance is so cool! Hahaha, I might win the tournament with this one-hit kill thrust!"

"…Win the… tournament…"

I was getting carried away with the idea that I looked cool, and I didn't notice that Safina had sunk into a daze at my words about winning the tournament. I lunged at her with all my might.

"Safina!"

By the time I realized she wasn't reacting, I was already lunging at her with a thrust.

"!!!"

At my shout, she snapped out of it and tried to dodge, but it was too late. My thrust hit her left shoulder as she tried to move to the side to avoid it.

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