557 – Soothing (2)

As usual, Seolhwa cannot attend the academy classes because she is not a student yet.

However, it is a different story if it is a public training ground. Anyone who has entered the academy can use it.

It is no different for outsiders. If you entered through legal procedures, you can operate as long as you do not cause any accidents.

Although I climbed the monument and rang the bell of the church dedicated to Gaia as soon as I arrived, these were ‘minor’ things.

It might be better to be with Seol-hwa than anything else. It’s better to be with her than to have an accident where she can’t see you.

Moreover, the students would think of Seolhwa as a noble girl, not the leader of a demonic cult.

“This is the training ground. It looks interesting.”

“Is this your first time at the training ground?”

“Yes. I’ve seen the sparring hall, but this is my first time in a training hall.”

Seolhwa also looked around the public training grounds. At those words, everyone including me looked at Luna.

“What on earth were you doing during your break that you didn’t even show me the training ground?” Luna answered confidently.

“I forgot.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

“yes.”

If you forgot, there’s nothing you can do. Besides, it must have been hard to support Seolhwa, who was no one else.

Anyway, even if the story comes, the training itself hasn’t changed. The afternoon is voluntary training, which means you can do it or not.

There are still not many students who are doing independent training. Most of them have gone to rest, so we are the only ones left.

There were students from other classes over there, but they didn’t pay any attention to me.

‘Come to think of it, Erica is still in that class.’

Looking around the other class, I saw the pink-haired priestess, Erica, talking to another student.

She’s changed quite a bit since I last saw her, but the most noticeable change is definitely her breasts.

Like Lize, her previously small chest has grown considerably, perhaps accumulating divine power in it.

I wonder if they’ll all turn into muscles later.

‘The church will be visiting soon, so Erica will naturally be involved.’

I’m going to be really busy. We haven’t really been in contact lately, but we’ll be seeing each other more often from now on.

Besides, Lize was someone he cared about in many ways, but whether he liked it or not, he would have to see them often.

“So what are you going to do?”

“Just looking at her is enough.”

“Please don’t do that. Please help us.”

I heard a sound that I shouldn’t have heard. As soon as I heard it, I turned my head away!

Luna was asking Seolhwa to teach her. And not just for herself, but for us.

It was quite a surprising story from my perspective, but the tale didn’t seem to have much to do with it.

“If you want, I can teach you. What do you need?”

“Just watch us spar and find the problems.”

“i get it.”

Seolhwa must have been quite bored, so she readily accepted Luna’s request. That’s how the duel came to fruition.

The first duel was between Luna and Kara. I watched their duel from a distance.

By the way, Grace is a wizard, so she left, saying she had something to find out.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen those two sparring.”

“······Why did you come?”

“I came because I was bored.”

Instead, Karasu approached. I was taken aback by his appearance, but for a moment, I glanced at Seolhwa.

I hope we don’t become interested in each other, but it’s too late. Seolhwa glanced at Karas and asked me.

“Who is this interest?”

“······Crown Prince. From the Matra Empire.”

“I see.”

“hmm?”

It was a short conversation, but this alone must have been surprising to Karas. He opened his eyes.

Then he glanced at Seolhwa and whispered in my ear.

“Judging by the way you speak politely, you seem to be an extraordinary person.”

“··· ···”

I nodded instead of answering. So please don’t pay attention.

Fortunately, Karasu was a quick-witted person. He must have seen my stern expression as he quietly left the place.

Thanks to that, I was able to focus on Luna and Kara’s duel.

“Who do you think will win?”

“I think Luna will win.”

When asked who would win, Seolhwa chose Luna without a moment’s hesitation.

I opened my eyes wide when I heard this. I wondered if Luna had really grown that much.

It’s likely that you’ve gotten a glimpse of Luna’s potential while spending time with her during her downtime.

However, potential and current ability are two different things. I don’t doubt Seolhwa’s vision, but I think I need to see it with my own eyes to know.

The duel began at the same time. Luna took the lead. The training sword swung across Kara’s upper body.

-Chae-Ang!

This was something Kara had fully expected. She looked surprised.

It looks like the events that happened in the Touhou episode helped Luna grow.

Well, according to Lize, it would be strange if you didn’t grow even though you went through so much hardship.

‘No matter what, it’ll be hard to catch up with Kara, right?’

Luna’s talent is almost unrivaled, and Kara is already a complete warrior.

If it’s something to do with combat, he’s a skilled person who can do more than just one person’s job. What’s more, he has leadership skills and can raise the abilities of his teammates.

‘Does that mean Luna will also be doing one-person portions from now on?’

If it’s good news, then it’s good news. You should gradually learn to take charge of the situation like a main character.

Up until now, she has been leading the situation in a good direction with her flashy lip service rather than fighting.

Is it closer to avoiding combat itself? It’s closer to winning without fighting.

The problem is that if you roll a dice with that lip movement, sometimes it will go over 1 and end up as 0.

In addition, since there will often be issues in the future that cannot be resolved with dice, personal combat prowess is essential.

-Kaaang!!

A clear, sharp sound rang out. Luna had successfully struck Kara’s sword.

A parry with a sword right before Kara’s attack comes in. Kara’s two arms naturally go up and her upper body opens wide.

-chuck!

Instead of continuing her attack, Luna ended up pointing her sword at Kara’s neck.

Kara slowly raised both hands with a smirk, as if she had no intention of attacking anymore.

It’s a hard result to believe, but Luna really did beat Kara. And after a long struggle.

Even though she was always teased by Kara when she first entered school, she has improved by leaps and bounds. It’s a touching situation.

“Hey. When did you get so strong? Your speed and footwork have all changed.”

“It’s the result of training.”

“I also need to work harder from now on.”

Kara didn’t show any sign of being upset or anything even after losing. Instead, she seemed surprised.

I also applauded and sincerely congratulated Luna on her growth. Luna also seemed proud, as if her hard work had been rewarded.

Because he’s so proud, I don’t know why, but I want to tease him. What would happen if I pressed his nose? It’d probably sag?

I had a really evil thought, but I put it off until later. It would be hard to do any significant harm to me.

“How are you? Am I okay now?”

Is this because my liver is swollen, or is it because my tongue is loose?

Luna shrugged to Seolhwa like a puppy asking her to praise her. It felt like her tail was wagging behind her.

‘If you look closely, this kid is actually a weirdo.’

He is a person who was chosen by chaos, not by secret. There is no way he is not a weirdo.

Seolhwa nodded in agreement, knowing Luna’s nature.

“It’s okay. But it’s still not as good as Kara.”

“Huh? Are you saying that Kara unnie looked after it?”

“You didn’t look at me?”

Kara, who was drinking water next to Luna, also expressed her doubts at Luna’s question. From my perspective, the two of them seemed to have genuinely clashed.

Besides, Seol-hwa declared right before the duel that Luna would win. It’s a bit strange since the two are contradictory.

“It’s simple. It’s because your life isn’t at stake. You’re sincere in what you say, but in my eyes, it doesn’t seem sincere.”

“What are you talking about······”

“Do you think that a life-threatening situation is the same as your current situation? That’s ridiculous.”

“··· ···”

This time Kara was left speechless. Seolhwa’s words made sense.

It’s something I’ve heard over and over again. Sparring and practice are different, and practice and actual combat are worlds apart.

Sulwha mentioned that part while also pointing out the battle that had just taken place in Dalian.

“Kara. You had many chances. But if you had attacked like that, Luna’s life would have been in danger.”

“······For example?”

“The last blow. With that blow, both arms went up. I read your mind in that split second. You had a very interesting imagination.”

“··· ···”

“What did you imagine?”

Luna asked. She still looked like she didn’t know.

To be honest, that situation was a crisis for Kara, but at the same time, it was also an opportunity.

To finish, Luna unleashed a simple blow. If only she had avoided that blow, there would have been a counterattack.

“······If this was a real fight, I would have twisted my body forcibly and gotten stabbed by the sword. I would have probably gotten stabbed in the shoulder.”

“Next time, you would have put down your sword and grabbed Luna’s sword. Wouldn’t you?”

“How do you know all that?”

“I read your mind.”

Kara shook her head as if she was fed up with Seolhwa’s words. It must have felt like she was being played with in the palm of her hand.

But she’s a purple transcendent. She’s overwhelming to begin with, so it’s not like she’ll feel bad or anything.

“······Then you’re saying there’s still a long way to go?”

Now it was Luna’s turn to be disappointed. It seemed as though she still had a long way to go.

It’s a problem that’s difficult to solve unless you’re involved in a real-life battle where your life is at stake.

But the fact remains that his skills have improved. It’s too early to be disappointed.

“If you want, I can help you improve that skill.”

The story suggested a rather attractive option. Luna, who had been depressed, suddenly raised her head.

The sparkling eyes were a look of great anticipation, but I was also quite uneasy.

Because I had no idea ‘how’ they were going to do a practice that was close to real combat.

“What method?”

“It’s simple. Just spar with the main girl.”

“You’ve done that before.”

“There’s another way.”

Just hearing it makes me feel uneasy. I didn’t really want to get involved.

“Luna should be the only one who has to suffer,” Kara whispered to me, perhaps feeling the same way.

“That’s not really death, is it?”

“hmm······”

I don’t know.

I think it will at least give you some ‘experience’.

With the end of the autonomous training, the day came to an end. It was a surprisingly uneventful day.

And the next day.

“Ah, hello······”

“uh······”

Luna attended class, but her appearance was slightly different.

“······What’s wrong with your hair?”

Hair that used to shine like gold. Because it was bleached to pure white.

However, the roots were not bleached, and the roots were still yellow.

It looks like it’s not an egg, but just a yolk sitting there. Even the hair has grown longer.

“I dyed it.”

“··· ···”

“It’s true.”

You want me to believe that?