At midnight, I sat on a bench in the quiet courtyard. I calmed my panicked heart, gazed at the stars, and made a resolution for the future.
Hmm, but my current situation is beyond my comprehension. How could the timing be so perfect, so unlucky?
"Excuse me, could you make some room there?"
Her long, turquoise hair, meticulously brushed, cascaded down her waist. Her clear, sparkling golden eyes and delicate jawline formed perfectly symmetrical features.
Dressed in navy blue athletic leggings and a short T-shirt, her charm was absolutely lethal. Subtle curves began from above, leading to smooth legs that fell straight from below her pelvis.
Perhaps because the spring breeze was still a bit chilly, she wore a beige cardigan and had a Claymore in a white scabbard hanging from her waist.
I had only caught a glimpse of her from afar at the entrance ceremony and hadn't paid much attention, but just looking at her now made me gasp in admiration. Her beauty was enough to change one's standard of beauty before and after seeing her.
As I opened my mouth, Abel silently stared at me. Her fragmented yet rational aura was as if the moon shone only upon her.
But.
Weren't there four seats on the bench for me? It was public property of the academy. Could it be that the special class also had some ridiculous rule about not sitting on benches casually? It wouldn't be surprising for this deranged academy. Unconsciously, I felt ashamed of how accustomed I had become to the status society.
'Oh, dear.'
But in any case, I didn't want to get involved in anything right now. I had just decided not to participate in any serious matters. While meeting a beauty is always welcome, from my current position, it wasn't something to be taken lightly. After all, nothing is more dangerous than getting entangled with the female lead.
So.
And because of what happened with Chloe last time, I didn't want to deal with anyone. Every time Chloe's murky eyes flashed in my mind, my hands would tremble slightly.
However, this wasn't a robbery; it was just asking to make some room, which wasn't a difficult request.
Just as I was about to weakly push myself up from my knees to leave.
"Don't go. Just move a little to the side."
Abel tilted her head slightly and walked to my side. She gently waved her hand, signaling me to move, so I scooted my butt to the corner. Perhaps because she had just exercised, a drop of sweat like dew trickled down her forehead.
"... ..."
"... ..."
In the quiet early morning, silence descended. At some point, even the insects had clocked out, and only the sound of trees swaying in the wind echoed.
I only turned my head slightly. Abel wiped the sweat from her face with her sleeve and looked up at the sky. For some reason, the female lead's aura was so strong that my gaze involuntarily turned to her.
"This is the best place to see the stars."
Unexpectedly, the voice that broke the silence was Abel's. Her gaze remained fixed on the night sky.
I couldn't help but look at Abel in surprise, watching her gaze at the night sky with sparkling eyes. Was this really Abel von Nielron, the granddaughter of the Sword Saint?
In the game, Abel was by no means a character with a good personality. Why, aren't there such characters? They start with an iron wall personality, always complaining, and only through various trials can affection be built.
Even the handsome male lead could barely exchange a few words with Abel in the early stages.
Because of this, her relatively friendly attitude felt unfamiliar to me. Abel, who had been gazing at the star-filled sea, turned her attention to me.
"Is your Weapon also a sword?"
I nodded gently in response. A crisp voice echoed in my ears.
"Grandfather said that swordsmen have a different look in their eyes."
Abel said that, looking at me with a blank gaze. Her long hair, like a chara plant, slid over her shoulders and across her chest. She tilted her head, touched her chin, and then pushed the sword resting on the armrest towards me.
"Want to try holding it?"
"It doesn't appeal to me much."
After saying that, Abel showed a frustrated expression. One cheek puffed out. Then she abruptly turned her head away. Was she angry? Abel remained silent for a moment, then spoke again.
"Do you know me?"
"Probably."
"I don't know you."
What's going on?
"Don't you think it's a bit unfair? You know my name, but I have no idea who you are."
"We just met, is it necessary to know names?"
I narrowed my eyes and stared at her, but she continued unconcerned.
"Who knows, maybe you're a spy for the Demon King disguised as a student, secretly infiltrating the academy. Or what's your reason for being here alone so late at night?"
I showed a puzzled expression, and Abel lightly tapped the hilt of her Weapon with her fingernail. Her gaze seemed to be scrutinizing me. Just by looking at her eyes, it was hard to tell if she was joking or serious.
"Then who are you?"
I asked back coldly, and Abel looked at me in surprise for a moment, then sighed and replied.
"It's obvious, isn't it? I just got back from training, and you're just lying on a bench."
"I'm exercising too."
"What kind of exercise?"
"Breathing."
"... ..."
Abel twisted the corner of her mouth, then pressed her temples and shook her head. There were bandages and band-aids where she was pressing. I glanced at it, and she quickly hid her hand behind her back, awkwardly scratching her cheek.
Was the cool girl with the iron-wall personality I knew really the same person? The imagined image and the girl in front of me were too different. In the story, she was the epitome of cold aloofness, but the girl in front of me had a rich range of expressions.
Abel fiddled with her hair, glancing at me, observing my reaction.
"You're working hard."
"Yes, I am."
Abel's face darkened.
"People don't understand what it means to inherit the blood of Nibelungen. One must always be the best, one must be perfect. Even a slight flaw will be relentlessly pursued. You know, I wasn't first place this year. To be honest, it's the first time I've lost to someone else."
Abel bit her lip, forcing out a faint, awkward smile.
"But do you know? On the other hand, it feels a bit refreshing."
As Abel continued speaking, I didn't press her.
"But I'm still curious who the first-place person is, who beat me. That way, I can surpass him next time we meet. No, I must defeat him next time."
"You still want to defeat him..."
"Honestly, my pride was really hurt. I pestered Grandfather to ask, and I found out that the first-place person isn't from our class. And he even skipped the first-place oath ceremony. The second-place person must be too sad to live..."
She mumbled a few words in a husky voice, then shook her head as if shaking off her thoughts.
"I'm really bold too, telling all this to someone I just met. The exam results must have really hit me hard."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Hmm? You look weak. Our family motto is 'Be strict with the strong, and merciful to the weak!' And the students in our class are all boring, I don't have many friends."
'So that's why the protagonist is cold to me.'
Abel stretched, brushed the dust off her leggings, and stood up.
"I'm going in now."
"Okay, goodbye."
"When are you going to tell me your name?"
"I don't want to tell you."
"Hey!"
* * *
Though a stranger, he was truly a mysterious boy. In less than thirty minutes of conversation, I somehow felt greatly comforted.
"It hasn't been this interesting in a long time."
I couldn't remember the last time I had honestly shared my feelings with someone. Outside was the pressure of heavy titles like 'descendant of Nibelungen' and 'granddaughter of the Sword Saint'.
In the academy with her classmates, the gazes of awe and jealousy intertwined gave her a headache.
Just then, an unknown boy who had approached her on a whim, focused only on her. Silence could also be considered a conversation.
Although there wasn't much conversation, the boy's attitude instead elicited sincerity.
His personality was a bit rough. No, it should be said he was impolite. He didn't even tell me his name until the very end. The boys in my class even pulled out their ID numbers to strike up a conversation.
"I somehow feel like I was rejected without even confessing..."
Abel smiled wryly as she walked down the dimly lit path to the dormitory. Her steps were lighter than usual.
* * *
As soon as dawn broke, I went to the library.
As the library of a world-class academy, its scale was astonishing. It was an eight-story building that soared into the clouds, reminiscent of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This world, at least in terms of scale, was unparalleled.
The interior of the library was even more spectacular. With a central cylindrical hall, books surrounded it, stacked all the way to the top floor.
I looked around the library, which was less crowded on the weekend, and found a suitable spot to sit down.
'This is what a real student looks like.'
In fact, I hadn't been very close to books my entire life. One reason was going straight into society after junior high, but mainly it was because I would get dizzy seeing text.
Pushing aside my wandering thoughts, I first recalled what I needed to look up. Various general books about this world and knowledge necessary for survival.
Among them, the first things to look up were the methods for using divine blessings and the list of monsters I would encounter in the practical training during the upcoming semester.
In my previous life, I had left all monster hunting to automated hunting, so I knew nothing about attack patterns. Whenever I encountered difficulties, I would use cash to overcome them. Therefore, everything in the future felt unfamiliar, and it was necessary to check for myself.
Of course, I planned to learn general swordsmanship while also exercising my body. Before my body was fully developed, I would try to restrain myself from using the "Sword God's Blessing." I would only use it when my life was in imminent danger. In fact, I didn't know if that would work out as planned.
'I might reflexively draw my sashimi knife first in an emergency.'
But what could I do? Even if things didn't go as planned, I had to try my best.
I slowly browsed the library's classifications. Suddenly, a prominent book in the corner caught my attention.
'Dean Beech's Secret Private Life,' this red magazine.
The cover's color was almost faded, and fingerprints were obvious. No matter where I went, it was the same, I smiled and picked it up.
"Good luck."
Learning is important, but for hot-blooded youths, there are even more important things.