Intermediate Evaluation (7)
Late at night.
The training grounds of the Yohaiden mansion.
Kwaaang!
Kwaaang!
Kwaaaang!
Loud explosions echoed in succession.
Her chest heaving,
Sweat dripped from the tips of her silver hair.
"Haa... Haa..."
Selena breathed heavily.
Her mana, which had been overflowing just moments ago, was now nearly depleted.
No matter how abundant her mana reserves were, when she poured it out with all her might, she could only manage three bursts.
Selena instinctively tried to draw in external mana and release it immediately, but she hesitated.
'-From now on, consider external mana not for regular use, but solely for replenishing your internal mana.'
The instructor had said that external mana was rough and crude, unsuitable for refining into techniques.
Therefore, it needed to be stored internally first and go through a process of adapting to the body.
"He said not to use external mana unless it's a truly urgent situation..."
But...
Selena turned her gaze inward to her 'mana lake,' as she had named it.
Mana slowly began to rise from the exposed bottom, and the mana drawn from outside was gradually filling it up, but the process was excruciatingly slow.
It was depleted in an instant, but its recovery was like the crawling speed of a slime.
‘I thought I was working hard…’
Shame washed over her.
Just how hard had she worked to be so self-assured?
Honestly, when Yuri Gilbert first stood before her, Selena didn't fully understand Zeke's intentions, but she 'naturally' assumed she would win.
Yuri Gilbert.
That child, with hair and eyes resembling the Instructor, wasn't particularly noticeable in training,
and her face clearly showed that she was being forced to attend the class by the First Prince.
So, Selena thought Yuri couldn't possibly compare to her, who was honing her swordsmanship of her own volition.
She had implicitly believed it.
However, what she actually faced was her own weakness and the insurmountable wall of unreasonable talent.
‘That's true talent…’
At that time, she was filled with frustration and resentment,
but after some time had passed and her head had cooled, she seemed to understand.
What she had done wrong. And why the Instructor had spoken so coldly to her.
‘He always told me…’
That she had no talent, that the sword didn't suit her, and that she needed to work even harder because of it.
She couldn't bear the shame and embarrassment of her arrogance.
Kwaaang!
Selena swung her wooden sword.
Eudeuk—
She gritted her teeth.
‘I was mistaken.’
That she had become strong enough,
that she could become a knight,
that she was working hard enough.
Not even once, had she truly been working hard.
Perhaps, even if she had an advantage in mana capacity now, her other classmates would eventually surpass her one by one.
Even Iriel.
Suddenly, a small, delicate violet flower caught Selena's eye.
‘Ah, a violet.’
She remembered the day her sword, which she had used for ten years, broke.
Yes, it was here.
Her swordsmanship had ended and begun anew in this very place.
That day when she was overwhelmed by that beautiful swordsmanship.
The day she discarded the sword she had used for ten years.
The Instructor had asked her.
‘So, are you going to give up now?’
His usual stoic and expressionless face.
‘Are you going to do nothing because you lack talent and just live the life that has been given to you?’
"No... I will never give up."
Selena muttered softly, her small hand clenching tightly.
* * *
‘Hmm... Yuri's father, Count Gilbert, is a real piece of trash. He suspected his wife of infidelity and killed her, then tried to pin it on Yuri? And since the First Prince seems to be looking for someone to join my class, he took the opportunity to sell her off…’
Zeke felt a sense of bitterness after hearing the general story about Yuri from the Yohaiden informant.
Several plans surfaced in his mind and were then discarded.
First, getting Yuri out wasn't a problem in itself.
However, in the process, he needed to do something about her father, who was the source of Yuri Gilbert's trauma.
‘If I don't resolve this, she'll never be able to break free from those shackles.’
As he was organizing his thoughts, he returned to the Yohaiden mansion.
‘Oh?’
Selena was staring blankly at a flower with a dazed expression.
And judging by the dug-up marks around her, it seemed she had caused quite a commotion before he arrived.
‘Yes, the shock must have been great…’
Those called geniuses always brought about the frustration of ordinary people.
Since Selena, who had been delusional about her own abilities, had fallen into the abyss, the shock must have been even greater.
For Selena, who possessed average, or even below-average talent, to surpass Yuri,
she needed a hundred steps of effort for every step Yuri took.
Moreover, that genius wasn't going to stand still, making the path even more arduous.
But this wasn't something Zeke could help with.
It was solely her own will and choice.
But then.
‘Oh?’
Selena's eyes changed as she stood up again, gripping her wooden sword.
It seemed that instead of being broken, she had decided to reaffirm her resolve.
Selena began to gather her mana.
Zeke watched her with a satisfied expression.
Perhaps Selena's greatest strength wasn't her abundant mana or wide mana road, but her pure willpower.
‘But training like that won't get her anywhere.’
Even with tireless effort, there was a right way to do things.
Zeke decided to intervene.
"Selena."
Selena's eyes widened like a startled rabbit when he called her name.
"Ins, Instructor...?"
"Yes, are you training well?"
"...Yes."
Selena scratched her head, looking embarrassed.
"Is it difficult?"
"No, sir! It's just... I realized how arrogant I've been..."
"I see."
"And also... I realized what talent really is... Um, Instructor, Yuri Gilbert is truly talented, right...?"
Selena asked cautiously.
Zeke nodded.
"Yes, that's right. Yuri Gilbert, in my opinion, possesses remarkable aptitude. Such a genius is certainly rare."
"Ah... I see... That's a relief."
Selena breathed a sigh of relief.
Zeke knew what she meant, but a playful thought crossed his mind, and he asked,
"Why? Do you think you can compete with her now?"
"No, sir! It's just... I was worried that even Yuri might not be good enough in your eyes... I was a little anxious about that..."
Selena blushed crimson and stammered.
"I was joking."
"You make jokes, Instructor...?"
"I pride myself on having a rather witty and humorous personality."
Selena looked as if she was doubting whether she had heard correctly.
‘The Instructor's personality seems to have changed a bit after meeting those Lost Hope guys...?’
Of course, it wasn't as drastic as the complete change that day, but it was somewhere in between his original personality and that moment.
The man who used to be as stiff as a stone and never smiled had started to smile a little more often.
Of course, these changes were good, but Selena, with her active imagination, couldn't help but think otherwise.
‘Could it be! That their mental attacks! Made his personality strange back then, and he's still suffering from the aftereffects!!!’
Selena's face was filled with worry.
"Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...Instructor, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine."
Zeke declared firmly.
What more could she say when he said so?
Selena nodded reluctantly.
Zeke looked around.
"The beautiful flower garden has become a mess."
"Well... I used a little too much force."
"It's alright, Selena."
"Yes, sir."
Zeke met Selena's eyes.
"Do you want to become stronger?"
"...!"
Selena's eyes widened, then she nodded with determination.
"Yes. I want to become stronger."
"Good. Then, don't come to the academy for a while."
"What!?"
Selena raised her voice involuntarily.
* * *
Meanwhile, Yuri Gilbert was sneaking out of the mansion in the middle of the night, heading towards the academy.
‘It would be strange if I suddenly offered her water.’
If she had built a rapport with them, it would have been different, but she wasn't that sociable.
Of course, after the duel with Selena during the day, Iriel Eustia had talked to her as if they were close,
Elise had approached her, asking how she had done it, and Second Prince Rosnante had a noticeably uncomfortable expression when he realized she was connected to the First Prince, which she found amusing.
‘They are all good people…’
She smiled briefly, then Yuri's face returned to its usual expressionless state.
She was going to commit a sin against those children.
To prevent them from showcasing the efforts they had accumulated during the intermediate evaluation.
Her heart felt heavy as if it were being crushed.
‘It can't be helped... It's something that has to be done…’
Repeating those words to herself, Yuri took heavy steps into the dark school grounds.
Access 5 advance chapters with the 'Pebble' Tier ($8) or 10 chapters with 'Baguette' tier ($15).
For every $10 collected on Ko-fi, I will release a bonus chapter. Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button!
Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel.
Join our discord server for the latest release updates and novel discussions.