Joo-yeon saw Rohan’s face on the camera and rose from her seat.
There was no need to personally open the door for a guest when it could be done with the press of a button from inside.
– I’m here!
Click! The door unlocked, and when a confident voice rang through the living room, Clara instinctively jumped up from her chair.
Joo-yeon gestured with her chin as if to signal Clara to go ahead.
“Oppaa…!”
With permission granted, Clara rushed toward the entrance like an eager puppy waiting for its owner.
Soon, the sound of conversation reached Joo-yeon’s ears.
She wanted to give the lovestruck girl a moment to herself, so she stayed at the table.
She lifted her cold mug and willed her magic to restore the coffee’s warmth.
As she took a small sip, she quietly mulled over the topic Clara had brought up.
Love, huh.
The more she thought about the word, the more her parents back in the Three Nations Alliance came to mind. They often brought up the subject whenever she returned home.
She could understand their longing for a grandchild to some extent, but Joo-yeon had no intention of laying down her weapons.
Too many responsibilities had piled up for her to enjoy an ordinary life. She had come too far to turn back now.
I’m unfit to be both an instructor and a dutiful daughter…
Even if she left her position at Orion Academy and returned to the Three Nations Alliance, she would still live on the battlefield, protecting her homeland.
As long as she continued such a dangerous life, the fear of causing someone the pain of loss kept her from forming deep relationships.
She had seen firsthand how that kind of grief could eat away at a person.
– Have you been doing well with the instructor?
– Mhmm…! Joo-yeon-nim has been really kind…
.
The sound of the two approaching grew closer.
Joo-yeon cut off her lingering thoughts.
“Instructor! Pardon my intrusion!”
“Welcome.”
As Rohan stepped into the living room, he held up a colorful paper bag while offering his greeting.
If Joo-yeon’s memory was correct, it was from an ice cream franchise that had expanded from Tigrova to Academy City.
“I didn’t want to come empty-handed, so I picked up some dessert for after the meal.”
“A student bringing something like this to an instructor’s house…”
Joo-yeon trailed off when she noticed Clara’s gaze fixed on the ice cream.
In the end, she simply let out a quiet chuckle and nodded in response to Rohan’s question about storing it in the fridge.
Hmm?
When Rohan opened the freezer, he turned his back to them.
Joo-yeon observed him quietly while narrowing her eyes. If she wasn’t mistaken, something about Rohan’s presence felt different.
It was such a subtle change that she hadn’t noticed it back at the Public Safety Department amidst all the chaos. The shift was so minor that most people wouldn’t even recognize it.
Focusing on Rohan, Joo-yeon caught sight of something both familiar and foreign.
Light…? No, flames?
She was already aware that, like her, Rohan had an affinity for fire.
The fact that he could wield Blazing Blade was proof of that. However, the flickering energy she sensed now was too faint to properly define its nature.
But at this moment, she could tell. It had grown.
Did he gain some new insight through hardship?
If Rohan were to use magic and summon flames, she might be able to see it more clearly.
For now, though, all she could be certain of was that something had changed, and he had grown stronger.
··
··
After the three of them finished their meal and dessert,
Rohan who was still disappointed about missing his afternoon class due to the natural disaster hesitantly asked Joo-yeon if she could spare a moment to assess his swordsmanship.
Since she had been keeping an eye on the changes in him anyway…
She handed over one of the swords she had with her, and the three of them stepped outside, both to digest their meal and to get some fresh air.
Rohan took off his outer garment and gave it to Clara who had followed him out. The girl looked especially pleased by the gesture.
In front of Joo-yeon’s home stood a park.
Since it was accessible only to the residents of her mansion, it remained quiet and undisturbed.
Under the bright lamplight, Rohan loosened up with some stretches. He started rolling his shoulders before suddenly remembering something.
“Oh! Instructor, my friends were asking where I had gone, so I just told them that something came up and I had to leave early.”
“Mhmm, good. Once the information is organized and agreements are made, I will deliver the official notice. It won’t take long.”
The three countries that governed the academy city had already received the information.
No one could say for sure what conclusions each country would reach, but it was highly likely that some of the high-ranking students at the academy had already caught wind of it.
Rohan who was dressed simply in a t-shirt and cotton pants bounced lightly on his feet to check his condition.
Satisfied, he drew the sword Joo-yeon had lent him.
Srrrng—!
With careful precision, he placed the scabbard on the ground and assumed his stance.
Clara stepped back to avoid getting in the way, her eyes fixed on the two of them.
Joo-yeon who would be receiving Rohan’s strikes remained unarmed.
Just like in a lesson, she was prepared to intervene at any moment.
Before using his unique sword skill for the first time, Rohan took a moment to gather his thoughts.
The Sword of the Holy Judgement of the Heavenly Sun is currently at Level 1.
He could use two techniques.
The First Sword—Blazing Slash, and the Second Sword—Falling Sun at Dawn.
His past experiences watching various unique skills, combined with his intuition, told him one thing.
As his level increased and his body and mana grew accordingly, new techniques would become available.
“Hoo…”
He exhaled deeply, spread his stance, and lowered his posture.
The blade infused with Blazing Blade turned a deep crimson.
It’s difficult even before I swing it.
Simply activating a sword technique didn’t mean his body would instinctively follow through with the motions.
All he could visualize in his mind was the fundamental movements and the proper circulation of mana.
In Abyss City, dazzling sword techniques could be unleashed with a mere press of a button. But now, his skill existed in an ambiguous state. Neither clearly active nor entirely passive.
The contraction and relaxation of the muscles in use, the rhythm of his breathing, the precise moment of impact as he gripped the sword, the trajectory the empowered blade needed to follow, the complex and geometric movement of mana—
A flood of complex conditions crashed into his consciousness like an avalanche.
The first step in the basics is meeting these demands.
How much practice would it take to go beyond that and wield the ideal swordsmanship?
Rohan began to look forward to the relentless training that would push him to the limits of exhaustion.
Even if it’s clumsy, I just have to try.
He tightened his grip on the sword.
Tzzk! Rohan’s foot scraped against the ground as he closed the distance between himself and Joo-yeon.
“Unleash everything you’ve got.”
“Thank you.”
Joo-yeon didn’t reach for him first. She simply waited.
And for Rohan, that was the perfect condition.
“Hup!”
The moment he entered striking range, Rohan moved like a flash of lightning and started channeling his mana.
[First Sword — Blazing Slash]
Joo-yeon stepped aside with a single movement to evade Rohan’s blade.
At the same time, she continued her observations.
Interesting.
There were no flashy flames. But to Joo-yeon’s keen eyes, something was clearly visible—
The heat rippling in the blade’s trail, compressing to the point of imminent explosion.
It was a method of mana manipulation she had never seen before.
And this sword…
This wasn’t the reckless, fierce swordplay Rohan had displayed during lessons.
There was structure to it. An underlying system.
Interesting.
She could sense the potential for growth.
[Second Sword — Falling Sun at Dawn]
Rohan’s blade came crashing down.
The blade landed in Joo-yeon’s grasp.
It was a response that rendered Blazing Slash meaningless, yet the attack wasn’t over. The ground beneath them trembled, as if flames were about to erupt at any moment.
Sensing the heat, Joo-yeon swiftly stomped down, smothering the fire before it could escape.
For now, there were only three of them here, but this park was a shared space for everyone.
Having neutralized the attack, Joo-yeon found herself intrigued.
What kind of sword technique is this?
It seemed Rohan had learned some form of swordsmanship.
Had he always possessed it? If so, could it be a style from the South? And if these flames continued to develop, taking on a more distinct character, what kind of spectacle would they create?
Even from its unique execution alone, she was curious to see what it would look like once fully mastered.
But that aside, his stance…
There was plenty to correct. It was rough and sloppy, even.
Rohan’s own expression showed his dissatisfaction with the swing.
He seemed painfully aware of his lack of practice.
Joo-yeon didn’t know exactly what kind of swordsmanship this was, so she couldn’t guide him toward its ideal form.
But at the very least, she could refine the fundamentals and point out areas for improvement.
“Start again from the first strike you showed me.”
As she spoke, Joo-yeon reached out and moved her mana.
With a whoosh! the scabbard Rohan had left on the ground flew straight into her grasp.
“Understood!”
Once more, Blazing Slash.
Clack!
Before the blade could fully swing, Joo-yeon’s scabbard slipped into its trajectory.
The sword was completely blocked, unable to move any further.
“It’s obvious where the heat begins to gather. The problem is, it takes too long to condense.”
If the start of an attack was this predictable, it was no different from a telegraphed punch.
“Think about how an ordinary person throws a punch. Before they extend their fist, you can read the signal from their shoulders, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what makes dodging easier.”
“You’re absolutely right, Instructor.”
“It’s the same with your sword just now. Since the heat buildup isn’t seamless, it’s like an opponent raising their shoulders before throwing a punch. It’s a dead giveaway.”
Rohan nodded at Joo-yeon’s words, establishing a clear direction in his mind.
“Of course, to a sharp-eyed enemy, it could serve as bait for a reverse feint at least once.”
“Thank you.”
With a look of gratitude, Rohan adjusted his stance with a serious expression.
Joo-yeon then gave her command.
“Now, let’s move on. Try that downward strike again.”
What was supposed to be a brief digestion of the lesson stretched on for quite some time.
By the time Rohan’s mana was nearly depleted, the late-night training session finally came to an end.
Throughout it all, Clara had simply spent her time staring blankly at Rohan’s face.
When Joo-yeon asked if she had been bored, she replied that she hadn’t been bored at all.
A day passed.
Rohan bought a longsword on an installment plan. Meanwhile, thanks to Joo-yeon’s intervention, Clara was able to obtain an Academy City identification card.
As for the small room she had been provided, she had been asked to vacate it within three months.
Since Clara had helped him, Rohan decided that as soon as he received the reward money from the Safety Department, he would find her a place where she could live on her own.
And so, time passed, and Rohan’s swordsmanship began to take shape.
Then, on a day in April, with midterms just around the corner…
While Rohan anxiously wondered how Sion was doing, a long-awaited moment finally arrived before his eyes.
The foreshadowing of the main story had appeared at last.
Leave a Reply