“I will use this sword.”
Iris selected a sword from the shop. She chose one that gleamed with a black sheen.
“Oh, as expected, Your Highness has an excellent eye. That sword, despite being a commercially available one, contains white Carbon Ore inside, which gives it remarkable elasticity.”
Of course, since it wasn’t made entirely of White Carbon Ore like Theo’s sword, the difference in quality was bound to be significant. Nevertheless, among the swords currently available in the shop, it was undoubtedly the best.
The ability to recognize good weapons could also be considered one of a swordsman’s talents.
And by that measure, Iris was truly among the most exceptional swordsmen.
It was hard to believe she was still a student.
“Then, how shall we decide the rules?”
Estelle who had been quietly observing asked.
“What about this. Whoever lands two hits wins, Sir Theo?”
It was a simple rule. Whether through stabbing or slashing, the first person to land two hits would claim victory.
“Yes, that sounds good. Estelle, if anyone gets injured, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Of course, you can count on me.”
In reality, in a duel where both participants used real swords and the match wouldn’t end until two attacks landed, it was practically impossible for no one to get hurt.
Theo knew this well, but he still resolved to approach the duel with the intention of avoiding any injuries as much as possible.
Iris felt the same way.
I can’t let Theo get hurt. I’ll aim as close as I can and pull back just before hitting.
In any case, the judgment would be left to Estelle and the shopkeeper, neither of whom were particularly skilled in swordsmanship.
They had both decided that as long as an attack landed, even without drawing blood, it would count as a point.
“Then, let’s begin! Ready? Start!”
At the shopkeeper’s signal, both Theo and Iris refrained from charging in immediately. Instead, they adopted a cautious exchange to observe one another.
When fighting mindless monsters, there was no need or even time for such preliminary movements, but combat with a human opponent was inherently different.
It was important to study the opponent’s habits and tendencies. To identify weaknesses and to gain an advantage.
Theo didn’t take long to read Iris’s movements during the initial probing phase.
Her defense tends to lean to the right, leaving her left side exposed. But for a skilled swordsman like Iris to make such a blatant mistake… It must be a trap.
Theo had already encountered the Crown Princess or Crown Prince countless times in the game, so he didn’t believe that the Iris standing before him would reveal such a weakness without purpose.
However, there was a critical difference. Theo’s experience of Iris in the game and the Iris in front of him were separated by time.
“Haap…!”
It was Iris who ended the probing phase first and launched into an attack.
Clang!
The crisp sound of their swords clashing echoed through the clearing.
This is strange. She hasn’t defended her left side at all since earlier.
It was odd that the weakness Theo had initially noticed continued to appear. It was exposed each time Iris attacked.
No matter how confident Iris might have been, she wouldn’t have done something so reckless. Yet, she was clearly tense.
The fact that the weakness kept showing meant…
…she doesn’t know about it yet.
The Iris dueling him now wasn’t the one who had already identified and corrected her own flaws.
If that’s the case, I can’t let this opening go to waste.
Theo knew that if he exploited the weakness even once, she would undoubtedly catch on, which would make it impossible to land consecutive hits.
But he also realized that at least one attack was guaranteed to get through. With that in mind, Theo moved swiftly and closed in on Iris’s left side.
Wham!
“That makes one point for me, doesn’t it?”
“Hah… Ahh… Sir Theo, you’re really… incredible.”
His sword stopped just before touching her skin. It was so close it could have grazed her.
Staring at the blade stopped right at the last moment, Iris couldn’t help but be impressed.
Even among skilled swordsmen, there were few who could stop their attacks with such precision at such close range.
It was something that could only be achieved by controlling one’s muscles to their absolute limits.
Iris too had no real intention of stabbing Theo seriously, but if she had exploited a weakness, she would have either stopped farther away or followed through with the thrust. Theo, however, managed to stop it at that critical moment.
“Haha, is that so? I just happened to stop well by chance. Anyway, it’s a relief you didn’t get hurt.”
It was a warm and pleasant scene, but the battle wasn’t over yet.
“Shall we go again?”
The previously warm atmosphere disappeared, leaving only the fierce glint in their eyes as they stared at each other.
Even after that, Iris continued to launch her attacks, but each one was repeatedly blocked by Theo’s blade. Eventually, her defenses on the right side which she had guarded well were broken by Theo’s power, and she was completely defeated.
***
After defeating Iris, I returned to the dormitory, lay on my bed, and went into deep thought.
Today’s sparring with Iris made me realize something. She was definitely weaker than the Iris I knew from the game.
There was no way a character like her would have so blatantly exposed her weaknesses otherwise.
“Hmm.”
It was still early in the academy’s term, and while Iris was certainly strong enough to not need to attend the classes, I could see how attending the academy had clearly helped her grow.
That meant Estelle too was likely not as strong as the version of her I knew from the game.
Unfortunately, today I only managed to complete the sword, and the staff was set to be delivered to the dormitory tomorrow once finished. This had delayed my sparring match with Estelle.
“At this rate, I guess I can relax a little.”
For now, they didn’t possess the overwhelming power to destroy the world, nor did they seem to have any intention of doing so.
Of course, it wasn’t something I could afford to relax about, but I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could let my guard down just a little and enjoy life at the academy.
Yes, that’s what I was thinking.
…
“Hello there.”
And then, a woman suddenly appeared in front of me, leaving me completely dazed.
“My name is Lina von Maria. Crown Princess, and Saintess.”
Why is she suddenly showing up here?
Lina von Maria was supposed to have already made her entrance, taking on the role of mediator between Iris and Estelle.
I knew the Maria Count family existed, but seeing as Lina didn’t seem interested in acting as a mediator between the two, I had no choice but to roll up my sleeves and come to the academy myself.
So why is she appearing now, of all times?
Well, at the very least, the fact that Lina von Maria had shown up confirmed that this was indeed the “Yuri Mode” of the game, which was a relief in its own way…
But come on, I’d already figured that out the moment both the Crown Princess and the Saintess turned out to be women.
And then there was one major issue.
“Ah, hello. My name is Theo.”
…Lina von Maria was my favorite character.
The reason I wasn’t intimidated about ending up in Yuri Mode.
It was because I had played through this mode countless times.
And the reason I played it so many times was solely to see my favorite character, Lina von Maria, who only appeared in this mode.
Long, glossy hair that shimmered in the light of the setting sun and cascaded down her back. Large orange eyes and a high-bridged nose.
Her peach-colored lips which were shaped like a small “3” like a hamster were irresistibly adorable and cute. Coupled with her flawless figure and sweet personality, she was a legendary character.
And with a heart big enough to embrace the wild antics of the two main characters, she was praised for her boundless understanding, and even her illustration was amazingly well done that she stole the hearts of countless men. This Lina von Maria…
I was seeing her in person.
My heart raced, pounding faster and faster, to the point where reality itself felt unreal.
Even when I first realized I had been transported into the game, my heart hadn’t raced like this.
I never imagined I would actually get to meet her in real life.
I hadn’t even dared to hope.
But then, here she was, right before my eyes…!
“Ah, hello there. You must be the commoner who received that special excellence award, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. I, uh, look forward to working with you.”
“Fufu, yes. I believe we’ll be seeing each other often from now on.”
Seeing each other often? What does she mean by that?
Does that mean she likes me?!
“Oh, but more importantly, Your Highness the Crown Princess, Your Holiness the Saintess, I have something I’d like to ask. May I?”
Huh? What’s this? Did she just glare at me just now?
No way~, right? This was Lina, the kind Lina. There was no way she would do something like that.
“Yes, please go ahead and ask.”
“Oh, you don’t need to be so formal with me, Your Holiness the Saintess.”
“Not at all. This is an academy where everyone is equal. In fact, I’d prefer it if you called me by my name.”
“Oh, then… may I dare to call you Estelle?”
Wow, the way she shyly asked that just now was seriously cute. Crazy!
“Feel free to speak casually with me as well. Even though I am the Crown Princess of the Empire, here I’m just an ordinary student.”
“Ah, yes! Then I’ll… call you Iris. Hehe. And please feel free to just call me Lina!”
While they exchanged introductions, Lina didn’t spare me even a glance. She kept her focus solely on the two of them.
“So, what is it you’re curious about, Lina?”
“Ah, I’ve heard that both Estelle and Iris are truly amazing people. But on the very first day, some strange rumors have been going around.”
“Strange rumors?”
At the mention of strange rumors, Iris tilted her head in curiosity and asked what they were about.
“Ah, yes. Well… that you address a commoner with an honorific…”
As she said this, Lina von Maria glanced at me briefly before firmly referring to me as “commoner”. That expression of hers… well, it was undeniably the attitude of a typical noble.
Come to think of it, that made sense in a way.
In the game, the protagonists Aria and Estelle were both imperial members, so there was probably no occasion for Lina’s true nature to show.
Wow, so that was her true self. It really hit me. I was living in a hierarchical society now. Ha.
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