Chapter 30 – The Lady of the North (2)
The arena was quite large as the number of cadets was not small. To be precise, it is a place for training, but it is used for sparring.
Me and Anna Kroychev, facing each other.
A professor who decided to referee outside the circle. Dozens of cadets were watching this side from behind.
Fortunately, as if the news had not spread to other cadets, the only spectators were the cadets listening to the lecture.
As the professor said, everyone’s eyes were unusual, as if they were going to use Anna’s sparring as a textbook.
It’s not the gaze at the competitor, but the gaze filled with envy is a bit burdensome.
‘It’s frustrating because I can’t remember.’
I wonder if I would have known when I was in the Chepeshu Manor. I felt frustrated because I was in a situation where other people knew about my past but only I didn’t.
Of course, among those who look at me with bright eyes, no one will know exactly what I have been doing.
Same with Anna Kroychev in front of me.
Even my sister didn’t know what I had done right away, so how could they, being strangers, know?
“I’m glad.”
Hiding her complicated feelings, he smiled at Anna, who smiled softly as if she were happy.
Because I knew what it was like to be happy.
When I answered with a smile, Anna nodded in satisfaction and drew her sword from her waist.
“Then, please prepare.”
At the professor’s words, her Anna’s momentum changed. Her face, which seemed to be her foolish look, sank coldly. Her soft eyes became those of a hunter before she knew it.
The speculation that bloomed, I felt the coolness. In fact, the bottom of her feet was freezing little by little.
Properties of ice.
That is the snowy princess.
I thought it was a cheesy nickname, but after seeing it in person, I felt like I knew why it was called that.
“Then—”
Professor’s mouth opens.
I was standing with my hands behind my back.
Just a shadow shimmered beneath her feet.
That was enough.
“—-Please begin.”
As soon as the professor finished speaking, Anna Kroychev’s new model bounced.
A pure white sword with snow crystals blooming, found the most optimal path and rushed at me.
If he was at the level of a normal cadet, he would not have been able to take this blow.
Even if he was a high-ranking cadet, he would have suffered internal injuries just by striking back, let alone counterattacking.
That’s why Anna Kroychev is strong. She’s better than any cadet here.
Except for me, it would have been.
Dismissed!
A shimmering shadow rose from beneath her feet.
It was a black veil.
As if it had pulled down the starless night sky, it swallowed the rushing Anna’s sword.
“Kuk!”
She was already the one who was running towards me with rapid acceleration.
She couldn’t even get out of her body now. She wouldn’t be hurt by the recoil just because she stopped because of the highest durability…
I decided to accept the shadow instead of using it as a shield to block it.
If I had blocked it, it would have been nice to stop and step back, but thanks to me accepting it without any repulsive force, Anna missed her timing to stop herself.
Her sword has already been consumed by my shadow.
I moved her shadow to swallow her as she entered my realm.
“… !”
Anna also seemed to have noticed my intentions.
Even though it was a development without a particularly special strategy, exclamation flowed from the mouths of the professors and cadets who were watching from the outside.
“Also… !”
“Oh oh… !”
Is this what it feels like to be the main character of a different world?
Feeling dizzy, I saw Anna, who was about to be swallowed up by the shadow that spread out like a dragon’s mouth.
If she was really Mikhail Kroychev’s substitute, she wouldn’t be the kind of woman who would just suffer like this.
“Gudeca-!”
As she carefully watched how she would respond, her face, as if she had made up her mind, released her mana.
Great-.
The insignificant pieces of ice, swallowed up by the shadows and disappearing without a trace, increased in size at once.
Deed Deuk… !
The stone floor was broken. Cold air seeped in between the cracks, and it grew in size as if it would swallow the entire arena.
‘Hmm.’
I adjusted the shadow so that the ice does not go out of the circle by spreading the shadow. Looking at it, it seems that the range control is not good as much as it is powerful.
Shit, shit…
The entire floor was covered with coarse ice.
Snow crystals were constantly forming in the air above the unfolded field, as if it was simply frozen.
“Is this field magic?”
A decisive battle and buff floor in many-to-one battles.
It certainly seemed useful.
But,
“Hoo-wook. Whoa…”
Is there severe physical exhaustion?
I couldn’t adjust the range, and it seemed like I was cutting my stamina considerably. If she is unrivaled with her endurance, she has an unrivaled level of stamina.
… Because of the cold, the sweat is cooled in an instant.
“Do you want to continue?”
I asked, but guessed there was no way to stop here.
She wasn’t the one who wanted to win against me in the first place, she was the one who said she wanted to be acknowledged after bumping into everything.
As you guessed.
“Not yet!”
“Great. Please come.”
Anna Kroytsev took the leap.
Aside from being physically exhausted, it was still faster due to the influence of the field.
‘I won’t charge like before.’
She is born with a fighting sense as her own characteristic.
I don’t know when I don’t know anything. After experiencing the same experience as before, I won’t just jump into it again.
Proof was that even at the increased speed, he did not attack me and paced around as if to keep me in check.
Hmm. No matter how much you want to be tested by me, you don’t want to attack recklessly?
“I will go first.”
I decided to attack from my side.
It was a situation where it would end quickly no matter what I did if I used shadows or used magic to deal with them.
“Oops!”
Confused by my sudden charge, Anna calmly swung her sword at me.
That is the innate sense of battle—-.
I didn’t even have time to admire the quick response, the sword came down aiming at my shoulder in an oblique line.
I didn’t dodge Just like my sister did, dark red blood covered my body like armor.
It wasn’t as good as my sister’s, and only half of her body was covered, but with that alone, her hardened body began to wake up.
Kagak!
As she raised her palm to block the blade, the sound of metal scraping pained her ears.
“Kuk.”
“I guess you were confused.”
Visor!
In the end, the sword bounced from Anna’s side and retreated.
However, as if his pride was subtly hurt by the fact that he was beaten by me, a wizard, in close combat, he immediately swung his sword at me.
Of course, it’s true that I closed her distance for close combat, but since I don’t have any special weapons for her, I didn’t intend to use only her hands to deal with her, so I gave her [Sharpness] And [Hardness] And used her magical power to fight her. He responded by making one of his swords.
“What can’t you do?”
“Have you come to respect me more because there’s nothing you can’t do?”
Big pole.
Visor!
While exchanging sums, Anna grumbled as if it was absurd that I had even raised the sword. My answer made it seem like the sword I wielded became sharper somehow.
Even though she said so, I was definitely pushed back in her swordsmanship, so I stretched out her claws in between her and continued sparring.
Although she wants to hit me with all her might, and I have in mind that this is just to show the cadets, the sparring has been going on for a long time.
In fact, even though the stats were almost doubled, there was no big difference between her and me in close combat.
‘It’s not that I didn’t look after you.’
In terms of her pure technique, she was superior to me.
Still.
“Is it enough to do this soon?”
“What?”
Swords, spears, axes, maces, greatswords, bows.
In a moment so fleeting that even her innate sense of battle could not detect it, Anna saw her shadow weapons placed in her own blind spot, and she sighed and surrendered.
“I played with it.”
“I tried to win only in close combat, but that was difficult.”
Even that, because of her stamina and regenerative power, I would have won if I had waited longer.
*
The lecture that day ended with that.
Is this really helpful? I asked, and the answer was,
“I can’t wait to see Your Highness’ bravery with my own two eyes… So will the other cadets…”
Called.
But the other cadets didn’t seem that way.
It was a little yearning look at first, but it wasn’t that I was moved, if everyone was scared when I saw him fight while controlling his shadow and blood properly.
At least Anna and her entourage, Sasha, were certainly impressed by something.
I returned to the dormitory and asked my older sister.
“Ah. Come to think of it, I didn’t know… Aren’t there few families that aren’t afraid of Chepes?”
“Why?”
“Because I am the inspector.”
“Someone’s?”
“Imperial.”
“I’m not going to say it, but can I leave that to a vampire in the human empire?”
“Because I am a vampire, I entrusted it to you. He doesn’t have any close friends, he’s the owner of the night, and he’s good at gathering information.”
Somehow, after hearing the explanation, I understand.
“No worries about betrayal. We are only representatives, and even if we are not there, there will be Draculea and Nosferatu.”
After saying that, the older sister tilted her head and added.
“Come to think of it, Scarlett, you haven’t called crows yet, have you?”
“Crow?”
I thought I was well aware of the value of the name Chepes, but it seemed like an underestimation.
