May 6, Thursday.
The fresh air and blue sky dotted with white clouds created a refreshing harmony, soothing the soul.
The Taros residence.
An orange-haired girl with a ponytail stepped onto her family’s lawn, following the long-haired boy in front of her.
“Want to have a match? Siloque, are you serious?”
“Mm—Just until one of us yields… You’re at Lv13 now, right?”
“Yes… But how did you know? Did I ever tell you?”
“You did. Anyway, since you’ll be facing Cliff tomorrow, let’s do a practical sparring session. But it’d be bad if you got hurt, so remember to wear your protective gear.”
“Oh—I don’t mind.”
Bried forgot her earlier doubts about why Siloque would say such things now and couldn’t help but laugh.
Siloque led the way toward the back of the house.
Behind him, Bried caught the scent of shampoo wafting from his long dark hair, with strands of pure white intermingled, impossible to ignore.
That much stress? He’s even got white hair.
She observed Siloque’s gait.
Though still slender, his body had grown stronger compared to before—his steps firm and steady.
But to actually injure herself fighting him…
It’d be hard.
“The real question is, Siloque… Is your body really okay? You caught a cold before, so don’t push yourself.”
“I’m fine. That was two weeks ago. Let me show you the results of your guidance these past days.”
The Bried family estate was spacious, with a well-equipped but modest dojo built on the west side.
Usually, it was used by her father Torna to teach students.
Since it wasn’t class time yet, Bried would occasionally come here to practice swordsmanship.
Both Bried and Siloque entered barefoot.
The dojo was well maintained, but even with doors and windows open front and back, the unique indoor heat and scent of bamboo and grass lingered.
Spring was ending, and summer was approaching.
The two exchanged a light bow and began preparing.
Protective gear was provided in the dojo, and before long, both tied on their masks and faced each other at the center of the floor.
Bried quickly rose from a crouch and took up a middle stance with her bamboo sword.
Siloque, on the other hand—
“What kind of pose is that?”
Bried tilted her head in confusion at Siloque’s stance.
It could only be described as strange.
He placed his right foot forward, angling toward Bried, then lowered his waist, gripping the bamboo sword in both hands and dropping the tip nearly to the floor.
“I only taught you the basics of combat theory and physical training, but this is…”
“Don’t worry about it. This is my original sword style. Take it seriously.”
“Oh.”
Bried believed him, but inwardly wasn’t convinced.
Still, she reset her stance.
Siloque widened the distance between his feet, lowering his center of gravity even more.
As Bried prepared to attack what seemed to be a gaping opening in Siloque’s stance, she hesitated.
Siloque’s odd posture suddenly looked serious.
Though it was full of openings, she couldn’t launch an attack so easily.
Bried pressed her lips into a smile.
She could feel it.
The aura forged through training in Siloque’s sword intent.
Even without her supervision, he’d improved.
As Bried marveled inwardly—
Siloque suddenly attacked, as if seeing through her hesitation.
He crouched and slid forward, bamboo sword swinging upward from the lower right.
The speed was shocking, far beyond Bried’s expectations, forcing her to react instinctively.
Bried stepped forward, swinging her sword down—
The bamboo blade sliced toward Siloque’s lower arm with a whoosh.
It should have been the perfect opportunity—but she missed completely.
With an unbelievable move, Siloque dodged the attack, letting go of the sword with his left hand and twisting his body.
Bried was stunned that he could even move like that.
Then, Siloque’s bamboo sword, now held in his right hand alone, slashed toward her.
Bried twisted her neck, narrowly dodging the strike.
Their positions swapped, and after regaining their distance, Bried’s focus sharpened completely.
Her whole body felt alive, a pleasant tension surging through her.
Now it was Bried’s turn to attack.
She unleashed her signature move—first the arm, then the face. Normally, she’d use this to sever a monster’s neck with her innate talent.
But Siloque evaded beautifully.
He tucked his arm in, spun his body, and dodged Bried’s bamboo sword by a hair’s breadth.
Bried was so shocked she couldn’t make a sound.
She launched a flurry of attacks at full strength, her sword moving so fast it barely left time to breathe.
But Siloque dodged them all.
One look into the eyes beneath his mask told her—
He’d already seen through all her movements.
I admit it, Siloque. You’re nothing like you used to be.
You’ve surpassed my expectations.
Excellent.
Bried switched to her second plan, locking their bamboo swords together with brute force.
Against Bried’s honed leg and waist strength, Siloque staggered.
Bried didn’t miss the opening.
She stepped back, then brought her bamboo sword down on Siloque’s mask with killing intent.
“Haah—!”
By the time she came to her senses, it was too late.
Her full-force strike exploded on Siloque’s mask.
“Paki—!”
The sharp sound rang throughout the dojo.
Siloque staggered back several steps before steadying himself.
“Um, are you okay, Siloque?”
Bried glanced at her bamboo sword, feeling guilty.
She’d enjoyed the match, but maybe went a bit too hard.
Siloque raised his left hand as if to say he was fine.
… I lost.
Bried, it’s hard for you to defeat Cliff, but I promise you’ll survive.
That awkward statement made Bried burst into laughter.
“You too, Siloque. Your reflexes and endurance are different from before—though your strength still needs work. But you weren’t using your full power, were you?”
“N-no, not at all, ahahaha…”
Guuu—
Bried’s stomach rumbled loudly, reminding Siloque it was time to cook.
***
If Bried can beat me at Lv17, her chances tomorrow are even better.
A few days ago, I asked Cass about Kersey.
She’s already at Lv11 and has learned new skills like , allowing her to treat minor wounds at incredible speed and keep the team in top condition.
As for Cass, we sparred yesterday.
He’s somehow reached Lv16, which shocked me.
After pressing him for answers, he bashfully admitted to secretly grinding monsters on the second floor, blushing and sneaking glances at me for praise.
It made my skin crawl and my throat close up.
Is this the best we can do for now…?
If only we had a Hyperbolic Time Chamber—I wish we could train them to Lv20 before the battle.
On the way to school, Siloque brooded over a duel that wasn’t even his.
Walking down the tree-lined path 30 meters from the school gate, he could already see Student Council members checking uniforms at the entrance, while students passed by, chatting and laughing.
Siloque stopped in his tracks.
Maybe he’d spent too much time in the Dungeon.
He’d started to sense things like “killing intent.”
A cold chill brushed his skin, creeping in from the right.
At the same time, he noticed something else.
Not just killing intent—but magic.
Siloque was familiar with the flow of magic.
The impression was deep.
Skill— (Intimidation).
Both were aimed at Siloque.
He turned his head.
What greeted him was a fist almost as big as his face.
No exaggeration—the size nearly covered his entire face.
The owner of that muscular, veined arm was a red-haired youth bursting from the shadows, bloodshot eyes radiating murderous fury as if ready to devour Siloque alive.
Ahh, of course I remember you.
You look even more energetic than I imagined, Cliff.
I’ve waited a long time for you.