Chapter 1933 – 1933. Dark Moon
Tine stomped down the hallway back to her dorm.
Her expression was grim. She had just received a warning from her instructor about her evaluation.
-Tine, your grades are on the line because of this incident. One more mistake and you’ll be expelled, so watch your behavior and focus solely on your studies.
Spilling wine on Yuria during today’s exam wasn’t a mistake; it was intentional. It was an impulsive act, done without much thought.
She was jealous of how well the noble dress suited her.
‘We’re both commoners, both orphans, so why is there such a difference?’
She had heard that Yuria was also an orphan. She had been lucky enough to enter the Knight Training Academy and become a maid.
Tine, as a lower-class citizen, had to struggle every day, while someone else not only got into the Knight Training Academy by luck but also kicked away that fortune and entered the Maid Academy, receiving support from a noble and standing out.
‘Why is she the only one doing so well?’
Tine bit her lip.
The threat of expulsion.
It wasn’t certain yet, but frankly, she was struggling to keep up with the classes.
‘I thought maids just needed to be good at fighting…’
Most of the maids and butlers she had seen were mainly protecting their employers. She thought that if she was good at fighting, getting a maid’s license wouldn’t be difficult. That was a mistake. In reality, they were learning all sorts of things like economics, etiquette, and cooking.
Tine could easily foresee her future. She would eventually be expelled. She had managed to hold on until now, but that was her limit. The way the instructors and other maid students looked at her wasn’t kind, so she couldn’t expect any help.
‘If I’m going to be expelled anyway…’
She had to repay the humiliation she had suffered. That was how a street urchin survived.
Even if she couldn’t kill Yuria, she wanted to leave a scar on that pretty face. Or cripple one of her limbs. She wanted to darken that bright future in any way possible. The malice born of jealousy writhed within her.
‘I’m better at fighting. So, if I can just get into a fight…’
* * *
Combat was one of the things maid students learned.
Stepping forward to protect their employer in times of need. That was also a maid’s job.
Since maids were often hired as bodyguards, combat practice was quite important.
Combat practice at the Maid Academy was mainly focused on duels. This was because the maid students had different combat styles. The instructors would give advice on real combat but wouldn’t interfere with the actual training direction.
Yuria picked up a sword.
It was a safe choice. Neo London had a reverence for knights, so swords were preferred. Knowing swordsmanship earned a certain amount of respect.
“Yuria, would you be my opponent?”
Tine approached and spoke politely. It was a different attitude and tone than usual. However, her eyes were burning as she looked at Yuria. She was clearly applying for a duel with ill intentions.
Juliet, who was next to Yuria, clicked her tongue and glared at Tine.
“What are you up to now?”
“Ha, I wasn’t talking to you. Why don’t you go back to the trash heap?”
“…Trash heap? Did you just say that?”
Before Juliet could shout, Yuria stepped forward. It was obvious what Tine was planning. Looking at those eyes, she was clearly planning to cause trouble.
“Juliet, I’m fine. Tine, what kind of training do you want?”
“A duel like a real battle. Surely, the one with the best grades in history wouldn’t back down?”
Tine’s tone became arrogant again. She was sure that Yuria had no intention of running away.
“A real duel. Then we’ll have to ask the instructor to use the central training ground.”
“You’re really going to fight me? Do you know where I’m from?”
“You said yourself that you’re from the slums of Neo London.”
Tine proudly talked about her background. People were afraid of those from the slums. The lower-class areas had poor security.
“Fighting is a daily thing there. There are dead bodies in the alleys. I’ve killed a few people myself.”
“I don’t think that’s something you should be saying so proudly.”
Looking around, the students who were watching were frowning.
Tine didn’t care. She had already given up on the Maid Academy.
“I’m just stating the facts.”
“You’re hoping I’ll be intimidated.”
Tine, feeling a little stung, clicked her tongue and turned around.
“Just follow me. You’re not going to back out now, are you?”
Yuria followed her to the central training ground.
The instructor acted as the duel referee, and Yuria and Tine stood facing each other.
“Even though it’s a real duel, you’re not actually fighting. It’s just a duel that’s like a real battle, so please keep that in mind and respect each other.”
The instructor said.
If the duel became too intense or dangerous, he would intervene immediately. However, even if the instructor intervened, it didn’t mean that accidents wouldn’t happen.
Tine was aiming for just one moment.
“Duel start.”
With the instructor’s words, Tine, holding a sword in each hand, suddenly rushed at Yuria and swung her swords. She swung the two swords in different directions to confuse Yuria. However, Tine’s attack was easily blocked.
Clang.
Tine, whose attack was blocked by Yuria’s sword, bit her lip and stepped back. That surprise attack was a technique she had learned from a retired assassin. Swift movements, two swords moving differently, and a surprise attack. An attack with those three advantages was blocked so easily.
Tine then performed a sword dance she had learned from her shoulder. She continued her attacks, following the rhythm created by her heart. The two swords relentlessly pressed Yuria.
On the surface, Yuria seemed to be struggling to block Tine’s attacks. Her retreating steps, her shaking sword, and her stiff expression. It seemed like a disaster would happen if she made even the slightest mistake.
But in reality, she was relaxed. She could see all of Tine’s movements. She could have taken advantage of an opening and slit her throat right now.
‘There are too many eyes watching.’
Even if she wanted to kill her, she had to hold back. Killing Tine here would bring more losses than gains. The moment she got the title of murderer, her reputation would plummet.
She matched her moves for a while.
Tine, becoming increasingly impatient, slightly twisted her foot. A very small mistake. Yuria didn’t miss that opening and counterattacked.
Claaaaang!
The two swords were knocked away, and Tine stumbled back and fell on her butt.
“Stop! The duel is over! The winner is Yuria!”
The instructor intervened and ended the duel. He checked that neither of them was hurt and nodded.
“……”
Tine moved blankly as the instructor told her to. She was in a state of great mental shock.
‘I lost? Me? If I lose even in a fight, what am I better at than that woman?’
She couldn’t accept it. She didn’t want to accept it. Back in her dorm, she gritted her teeth.
* * *
The door opened quietly.
Yuria, who was lying on her bed, slowly opened her eyes and met the eyes of Tine, who was sneaking closer. Tine was startled and swung her sword.
Yuria ducked lightly and got off the bed.
“I expected it, but I didn’t think you’d actually try to ambush me. Did you hate me that much?”
“If it weren’t for you, things wouldn’t have gone this way!”
Yuria sighed.
There were often people who did things that were hard to understand, like now. In her experience, they all acted for trivial reasons.
“You could have just accepted things as they were. Was that so difficult?”
Tine’s eyes wavered. A feeling of regret surged. She wondered why she was doing this. But it was too late to regret it.
Tine gritted her teeth and swung her sword. Yuria dodged the attacks as if swaying, then moved into Tine’s arms and threw a punch. It landed squarely on her abdomen. She then twisted the wrist holding the sword to take away her weapon and was about to finish her off, but she stopped.
“Something’s a little off.”
Her gaze and breathing were all unstable. Even if she was excited, it was strange that she was so unstable.
‘Brainwashing.’
She didn’t know if it was due to magic or repeated learning. Yuria lacked knowledge about this world. Moreover, Yuria couldn’t use magic.
Yuria gave up on killing her and punched Tine in the face. Tine flew backward and crashed into the door. The door broke, and Tine fell unconscious.
The loud noise woke up the students sleeping in the dorm, and they came out.
“What, what is it?! An attack?!”
“It’s Tine! Did Tine try to kill Yuria?!”
The situation quickly became chaotic. Yuria, putting on a tired expression, thought to herself. Thinking about it again, Tine was definitely brainwashed. That meant someone was using Tine to target her.
It was hard to understand. She hadn’t done anything to earn anyone’s resentment.
‘…This is troublesome.’
Yuria sighed inwardly. It was one thing for her to be targeted, but what if the repercussions reached Eugene? Yuria’s eyes turned cold for a moment.
The instructors entered the dorm and began to clean up the situation.
Tine was expelled and arrested by the London Guard. She would receive a 100% prison sentence. Since it happened at the Maid Academy, she would receive at least 10 years in prison.
* * *
Maria, the head of the Maid Academy, and the instructors gathered in the conference room.
“Traces of brainwashing were found on Tine. It’s not magic, but it’s believed to be a supernatural ability.”
One of the instructors said in a serious tone.
Since it was an unfortunate incident that happened at the Maid Academy, they had put all their efforts into the investigation and found something strange.
Maria calmly asked the instructors.
“Have you investigated Tine’s activities before she entered the Maid Academy?”
