Chapter 2. Leave Me Alone! But No One Listened (2)
The moment of regression was completely different from the hundreds of times before.
That was why I couldn’t avoid the sword aimed at me.
Not once had I ever regressed to a situation like this after dying.
‘It was always sometime after the subjugation training. I’d come to my senses then.’
Usually, I’d be wrapped in bandages lying in the infirmary, standing near a first-aid tent, or giving a statement to a royal knight.
Only when I noticed the fracture in the flow did the old memories start to crawl back.
I fully recognized the situation, but it still felt unreal.
Who could believe it?
Hundreds of regressions.
When the same thing repeats hundreds of times, your imagination has little room to stray from that path.
With trembling hands, I grabbed Yan and asked again.
“Are you really, really saying this is before the subjugation training? Right now?”
“I told you it is. What’s with you? …Wait, are you actually thinking of skipping the training? Is that why you—?!”
Yan looked startled, then suddenly cupped my cheeks with both hands and tilted my face left and right.
“…No. That’s not it. That was… a misunderstanding. Please let go.”
“Hold on~! This is fascinating. Did someone hit you in the head?”
His curious look was annoying, even aside from everything else.
“Ugh…”
Already dealing with a headache, having him shake my head around just made my irritation boil over.
Without hesitation, I kicked Yan in the shin.
“I said, let go.”
“Ow!”
Yan immediately let go and clutched his leg, dramatically yelping in pain.
It couldn’t have hurt that much. His exaggerated reaction was irritating.
“Owww… couldn’t you at least give me a second to let go?”
“Whatever. Both of you, move.”
Despite being on the same team during the subjugation, there was a reason I wasn’t familiar with Yan’s name or face.
‘Because in the future I remember, he’s already dead.’
This subjugation training resulted in unprecedented casualties.
Not only among the students, but also the professors and academy knights who had secretly accompanied us for safety.
An elite force strong enough to fight a war had died in a mere training exercise.
Even I only barely survived thanks to the curse that caused my regressions after death.
‘If you can even call this surviving.’
And the handful of students who made it out of that hell eventually became celebrated heroes.
Among them, Ethan Behemoth stood out the most.
“……”
“…Fine. You want us to move?”
Yan must have died back then.
Understandable. It was a situation where no one could afford to care for anyone else.
Everyone was barely managing to save themselves.
Even if you’d later become a once-in-a-generation genius, Ethan Behemoth was just another academy student back then.
So it made sense that Yan, who had already died by then, didn’t stand out to me in the memories that followed.
The already-dead Yan I remembered casually hummed as he kicked up the sword lying crumpled on the ground.
Oh, the sword.
“Hey.”
“Huh? Me?”
I reached out my hand toward Yan without hesitation.
“Lend me your sword.”
Yan frowned and fiddled with his sword.
“I came here in the middle of sparring…”
“Are you going back to sparring? Can’t you feel even a shred of compassion watching a girl half your size getting treated like this? What happened to your knightly virtue? I’m not asking for much. Just let me borrow your sword so I can protect myself.”
“You sure talk like a brat…”
“That’s why I don’t have friends.”
‘What now.’ I shrugged and waved my hand impatiently.
In the end, Yan hesitated but handed over his sheathed sword.
“…Here.”
“Thanks.”
“Yan.”
Ethan growled, but Yan, brushing him off, looked back at me and asked,
“You will return it later, right?”
“Yes.”
The guy who had threatened me earlier mumbled, “Sir Yan, that’s a bit…,” but Yan ignored him, exhaling and winking at me.
“I trust you. Consider this a special service for the lady.”
Service?
Yan casually placed his hand on Ethan’s shoulder.
Then, helpfully enough, he tugged Ethan aside—apparently to clear my line of sight.
At least Yan had more tact than Ethan Behemoth.
I raised an eyebrow and gave Yan a small nod.
“Thanks. Now kindly make him disappear.”
“What?”
Ethan Behemoth finally began to move with great reluctance, furrowing his still-smooth and unfamiliar brow.
He warned me.
“Edith Crowell. You’re essential for the subjugation training. If anything happens, call me. Don’t do anything reckless.”
…That stubbornness hasn’t changed.
“…I’ll consider it.”
Even as Ethan left, he didn’t take his eyes off me.
And the moment he disappeared, the crowd that had silently backed off for him surged forward and blocked my path again.
Maybe because of the conversation I had with Ethan, their eyes sparkled with malicious curiosity.
“……”
As I examined the sword Yan had handed over, someone else stepped up in front of me.
“Ahem.”
“…?”
“Edith Crowell!”
I looked up to see the guy whose sword I had taken, now trying to sound threatening by lowering his voice.
My eyes narrowed. What was this idiot acting all serious for?
He had stayed quiet in front of Ethan. And now his face was red with rage like he’d been deeply insulted.
Why the sudden outburst?
“Is he crazy?”
You’re just a kid. Seriously.
“What? What are you talking about?”
I played it off lazily, and veins bulged on his thick neck.
“What’s with that disrespectful tone of yours?!”
“Hm?”
“And my sword! You ruined my sword!”
“Ah…”
What is this guy saying? I casually examined Yan’s sword.
Light, well-maintained. Way better than his.
“I told you I’d borrow it. It wasn’t even that good anyway.”
“…What?”
Kind of overreacting about a trashy sword, don’t you think?
Besides, it was Ethan Behemoth who ruined it, not me.
Why’s he yelling at me?
As I blinked innocently, the murmurs among the crowd started picking up.
“Wow… Edith Crowell. I’ve heard about her, but she’s really insane. Should she even be allowed on the subjugation team?”
“This time, the headmaster really made a mistake.”
“She’s brutal… One girl and the whole place is in chaos.”
“Seriously. That Edith Crowell, huh…”
The murmuring quickly swelled.
Feeling emboldened by the crowd’s support, the guy smugly raised his chin.
“Ha. Your little tantrums won’t work here. No one’s going to care if you start whining about suicide or whatever again.”
“Right.”
No one should have cared. So why did Ethan Behemoth?
As I fell into thought, the guy composed his expression again and spoke.
“…Anyway, hand over Sir Yan’s sword and withdraw. Forfeit.”
…Forfeit? From what? …Oh.
“Wait, is all this just about the subjugation training?”
I let out a laugh. Was he really harassing me over that?
“Yes! I’ve been saying it—how could someone like you—”
I get it now. The subjugation team is composed of the academy’s top students.
If I drop out, he wants to take my place.
He wants the spot that should’ve meant his death.
Simple answer.
“No.”
His confident voice stopped cold. Then it shifted into a sinister warning.
“No? Did you think this was a suggestion?”
Laughter rippled from the crowd, clearly at my expense.
Seriously… kids and their petty power plays are exhausting. But I can’t just let it slide either.
After a moment’s thought, I raised my head and smiled.
“You asked for Sir Yan’s sword, right?”
“Yes. Hand it over. Because of you, my sword was ruined, so I’ll borrow Sir Yan’s—”
“Then try and take it.”
I smoothly drew the sword from its sheath and channeled dull magic into the blade.
A magically enhanced gust roared through the air, sharp as if it could slice flesh—
“…Gasp.”
—And stopped exactly in front of his nose.
It was a basic drawing technique, simple enough for even someone like me to use.
If he had even a little talent or guts, he could’ve caught it. But he was scared and untalented.
I tilted my head.
“Why don’t you take it?”
“U-ugh…”
A thin scratch on his nose began to bleed. The rowdy crowd instantly fell silent as a chill swept through the area.
They were probably realizing I might target them next. They were right.
“……”
I looked each of them in the eyes, and one by one, their faces turned pale and they backed away, creating space.
Still not enough to make my way out. What next?
Click, screeech.
I tilted the blade down and dragged it along the ground.
“Oh. I forgot to mention. I’m not very good with swords. As you can see.”
“Ugh…”
The guy rubbed his bleeding nose and his eyes slowly filled with fear. He seemed to only now realize my hands were still slick with blood.
“Y-you’re crazy…?”
“Yes. I am. But if you insist on continuing, I’ll aim properly next time. Right for the eyes.”
I pushed aside my blood-matted hair and smiled slightly, tightening my grip on the sword.
“And I might accidentally swing at one of the spectators too.”
Finally—
There was no one blocking my way anymore.
