Chapter 52
Late at night.
When everyone had returned to their lodgings, resting and drifting into deep sleep—
Bang!
A sharp sound echoed across the training grounds, as though someone was striking something again and again.
“Phew…”
Catching her breath as she swung down her wooden sword was a fair-skinned girl, Selena Marquess.
Her training clothes were already drenched in sweat, and the hand gripping the wooden sword was red and blistered.
And yet, her arms did not stop moving. They only continued their ceaseless strikes.
Thwack!
As if trying to cut away her inner turmoil, she struck the practice dummy over and over.
“…Ruine Lyngrim.”
The cause of her tangled thoughts.
The image of Ruine, fighting in that duel against Yurik, Andrei, and Seron, still vividly resurfaced before her eyes.
Defeating all three strong opponents, standing unrivaled above the rest.
“…Hah, this won’t do.”
Muttering softly, Selena quickly gathered her things and weapons and dashed off somewhere.
Tap, tap, tap—
After a while, she arrived at the men’s dormitory where Ruine was staying. From the garden, she heard voices conversing.
And soon realized that the voices belonged to Meirin and the very person she was seeking—Ruine.
But then—
“…The truth is, I like you, Ruine.”
“—!”
Selena gasped, reflexively covering her mouth with her hands.
W-what? Meirin likes Ruine?
It felt like she had stumbled upon a confession she should never have overheard. Panicked, Selena tried to slip away.
But—
Rustle. Crack.
A sudden gust of wind. A dry twig snapped loudly beneath her foot.
“…Ah, no, wait! That’s not what I meant—!”
Meirin’s flustered voice suggested she hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
But when Selena cautiously looked back—
Ruine’s indifferent gaze was fixed straight at her.
Did he notice me?
Frozen, unable to move, Selena remained rooted to the spot until Meirin finally left.
And then—
“So, how long are you planning to hide there, Selena Marquess?”
At his sharp voice, she squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again, stepping into view.
She quickly tried to explain herself.
“I…”
But before she could even begin properly—
“I had a feeling you’d storm into my dorm at any moment. And here you are.”
“….”
As though he had been expecting her, Ruine’s calm reply made her lips press tightly shut.
Gazing at him with cool eyes, Selena muttered icily,
“No, you’ve misunderstood. The dueling evaluations are already over. You don’t need to spar with me by force.”
Her voice was firm, drawing a clear line. She continued,
“Between pride and training, I must prioritize the latter. Emotions are fleeting, but reason is always rational.”
“Oh, really?”
Ruine, sitting casually on a bench, only shrugged.
Selena’s expression hardened as she declared,
“That’s the foundation my master taught me as a swordsman—discipline and reason above all.”
Yes—she desperately wanted to become the strongest. But it had to be through the proper steps and rules. That was her iron principle.
Even suppressing her own emotions, separating public from private, she remained steadfast.
Ruine found her resolve fascinating.
Hm. That kind of mindset is perfect for a Shadow.
But then he teased,
“…Though the way you came running here dressed in training clothes and holding a wooden sword tells a different story, doesn’t it?”
“T-that’s…”
She almost blurted out that she had just come straight from the training grounds, but stopped herself.
Ruine smirked slyly, needling her further.
“What’s wrong? Did I hit the mark?”
“….”
In truth, she hadn’t come for a fight or a duel.
I came to demand that he choose me as his next opponent.
She had planned to challenge Ruine properly, by the book.
But then—
“So tell me, Selena. If I asked you for a duel right now, what would you do?”
“…What?”
“We didn’t really get to fight earlier, and clearly you came here itching for it. So how about it? Will you reject me again with your ‘rational reasoning’?”
His provoking tone shook her composure for the first time.
“You…”
Crack.
Loosening her neck muscles, she answered sharply,
“Don’t regret this, Ruine Lyngrim.”
For the first time, Selena smiled deeply, as if she had been waiting for this.
A short while later.
The empty training grounds rang with the clash of wooden swords.
Swish!
Selena’s sharp strikes pressed forward, but Ruine easily sidestepped with light movements.
Her attacks spun, seamlessly chaining into the next, always targeting his openings.
…The Seven Basic Forms of Lyngrim Swordsmanship.
She was only using the basic seven forms—but her execution was flawless.
Even better than Seron. Her form is perfect.
Where Seron’s sword had been fiery and forceful, Selena’s was calm, precise, and cold.
Clang!
Ruine deflected her strike smoothly, countering with the same basic sword forms.
“Hup!”
Selena spun quickly, chaining into the next movement like flowing water.
If my master saw this, she’d be praised endlessly.
Her sword never stopped. From the very first strike, she continued relentlessly, seamlessly connecting each form.
Seven simple moves—cutting, thrusting, striking down, and returning—combined into endless variations.
At their culmination was the deadly finishing strike, Iron-Blooded Blade. But Selena refrained from using it.
Instead—
Smack!
“Hhh…”
Even when blocked, she calmly shifted, showing new variations.
…She’s not stopping.
Ruine observed, impressed.
Her mastery of fundamentals was solid, her confidence in her own judgment unshakable.
She even linked forms that shouldn’t normally connect—yet she made them flow naturally.
“…How many times have you repeated these basics?” Ruine asked.
Selena didn’t answer. But her eyes said enough—she had drilled them endlessly, even coughing blood in training.
Unlike Seron, who flaunted flashy ultimate techniques, Selena was his opposite.
“Relentless… really relentless,” Ruine muttered.
But inwardly, he was deeply impressed.
Mastering basics to such an extreme made her sword weigh heavier than anyone else’s.
Still—
…Not landing a single hit.
Selena, despite her calm facade, grew restless.
There’s no opening…
The Seven Forms could create hundreds of variations, but in the end, they were still basic forms.
Should I use Resonance Strike…?
She had learned it, yes—but it was incomplete.
No. Better to keep pressing perfectly with what I’ve mastered, than to risk exposing flaws with a half-baked technique.
She resolved to trust her training.
Calculating Ruine’s movements, she thrust at his lower body—
—but he stepped back, outside her expectations.
“What? He retreated?”
Caught off guard, she chased forward—
Only for Ruine to smirk.
“…How about this?”
Whoosh!
“Hh—!”
His sudden counter forced Selena into an improvised move.
“Oh, Reverse Spin Stab? A good technique to stabilize and counter. But…”
For the first time, Ruine didn’t dodge or block.
“…You’re not guarding?!”
Her strike was headed straight for his waist—he’d be seriously injured!
But Ruine ignored it completely.
Why the hell—?!
Flustered, Selena’s eyes widened.
Then—
Swish!
Like mutual destruction, Ruine’s sword came for her head.
“Kh—!”
Forced to adjust her movement, she blocked hastily, barely deflecting him.
“Are you insane?! What are you doing?!” she shouted.
Ruine only chuckled.
“What? Not going as planned?”
“…Tch.”
“Figures. You’ve never fought like this before.”
Even without her words, he seemed to read her thoughts.
“You can practice the same forms a thousand times, polish them to perfection—but what’s the point, if you can’t land a single real hit?”
It was like mocking all her effort. Selena’s eyes blazed.
“…Don’t mock me.”
“Ooh, that glare. Did I make you mad?”
Still provoking, Ruine pushed her temper.
“Haa…”
Selena steadied her breathing, calming her shaken emotions.
Don’t let him rattle you, Selena.
But then his voice cut in again.
“Then why don’t you actually hit me once? With your attack?”
Her teeth clenched.
Ruine smiled slyly.
“Come on, Selena. Let me teach you something important. In real combat, doing what you just did will get you killed by someone weaker than you.”
His gaze sharpened as he readied himself.
“Start again from the top. Pour everything you’ve got into this. I’ll make sure you learn.”
“….”
For the first time, Selena wanted to smash that smirk right off his face.
“What’s wrong? Just going to stand there and watch, even in real battle?”
“Shut up!”
Whoosh! Swish!
She charged furiously.
“Oho. Good spirit. But your skill still has far to go!”
Smirking, Ruine again left openings, refusing to dodge.
Again he won’t evade?!
Selena ground her teeth, determined not to back down either.
Fine, then I won’t retreat either!
But at the very last moment, her strike shifted slightly aside—
Thud!
“Urgh. That hurt… but just grazed me.”
Ruine chuckled. And then—
Wham!
“Argh!”
His counter landed squarely in her opening.
The pain was sharp, dizzying.
“How’s that? Hurts like hell, doesn’t it?”
His mocking tone pushed her over the edge.
“Arghhh! Die!!!”
Smash!
“Ghh—! That one stung. But you missed the vital point.”
Ruine, still smiling.
“Shut up! Just die already!”
Without hesitation, Selena swung with venom.
Ruine nodded with a grin.
“Good. Then let’s really get started.”
