-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Serena Johaiden (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Serena's sword cut through the air, heading for Zeke.
Even as the sword drew near, Zeke's expression remained unchanged.
*Swish.*
His body remained perfectly still as he moved only his hand, suddenly inserting the violet into the path of Serena's sword.
"Ah!"
Thinking Zeke would be seriously injured if she continued, Serena was startled and momentarily loosened her grip.
However, inertia carried the sword through its swing toward Zeke.
*CLANG!*
The flower and the sword clashed violently.
Yet, the violet's thin stem was unharmed.
Serena was aghast, nearly dropping her sword from the heavy recoil that traveled up the hilt.
"Wh-what is this...!"
"Don't release your grip until the very end. You'll get hurt."
"How...!!"
*This is impossible!*
The situation defied all her common sense.
She was so flustered she could barely speak.
Forgetting she had to continue her attack, her body froze.
"Not coming? Then I'll come to you."
As she hesitated, Zeke charged.
The violet in his hand flashed with an enchanting purple gleam, like the glint of a sword.
*It's beautiful...*
The flower approached like a flash of light.
Serena felt as if she were dreaming.
It was enough to make her wonder if Zeke might be one of those rare mages.
But the swordsmanship he displayed was purely that of a swordsman.
A practical sword style with no wasted movements.
Every single motion held meaning.
Not a single glance, not a single finger, moved without purpose.
Even she, who knew nothing of his swordsmanship, could see its elegance.
Compared to him, her swordsmanship was less than child's play.
*CLANG!*
Every time he lunged and swung the flower.
It would clash violently with her sword, and then the violet would invariably find its way to her neck.
The light, fluttering touch of the petals on her throat felt chilling.
Goosebumps rose on her skin.
She felt a terrifying fear, as if that single petal could slice her throat at any moment.
But Zeke said.
"Again."
"Again."
"Again!"
A firm command. Each time, Serena gritted her teeth and charged, but
her sword couldn't even graze Zeke's clothes.
*CLANG!*
*CLANG!*
*CLANG!*
After repeating this countless times, Serena was breathless.
Her entire body was drenched in a cold sweat.
A sword path that was utterly perfect,
infinitely calculated,
and endlessly cruel.
Irresistible.
This was a wall. Yes, a colossal, sheer wall.
A precipice so steep it felt as though she would still have to look up at it even after a lifetime of training.
Serena had no choice but to realize it now.
Zeke could touch her neck with the flower anytime he wished, without ever clashing with her sword.
He was merely taking this form to teach her a lesson.
He was still acting as an instructor.
So she couldn't give up without one last struggle.
Serena clenched her jaw.
She forced strength into her hands, which trembled with fear.
She put weight on her toes and kicked off the ground.
Zeke's face grew closer.
From her shoulder to her elbow,
from her fingertips to the tip of her sword,
power flowed.
The sword swung fiercely.
"Haaah!!"
*CLANG!!!*
Once again, the flower and the sword clashed.
Just then,
*Crack.*
Serena's sword broke.
"Ah..."
As if all her seven years of effort had shattered in an instant.
She stared blankly at the half-broken sword.
*This... this is truly impossible...*
Serena had thought she knew Zeke was formidable.
To be invited as a swordsmanship instructor at Ramieli Academy at his age.
She figured he had to be one of the top swordsmen in the empire.
There was a reason why a duchess of the Johaiden family, who normally wouldn't have to bow her head to anyone but the imperial family, had treated him with such respect.
But this was beyond common sense. It was a realm that could be called a supernatural ability without any exaggeration.
She thought she had gotten to know him somewhat while living with him, but
she was mistaken.
She knew nothing about Zeke.
Serena looked at Zeke with trembling eyes.
Zeke, seeming to think this was enough, let go of the flower.
The violet fluttered in the night breeze and drifted over the wall.
He spoke with the same nonchalant expression as before.
"If you can face a sword with a flower like this, why do you think you can't with a rapier, which is much harder and sharper?"
"..."
"If you learn proper swordsmanship with a rapier, you can stand your ground even against a powerfully swung bastard sword."
Still, Serena couldn't believe it. Not him, but herself.
Her voice trembled.
"That's... because you're the instructor. Can I, can I really do what you did...? No matter how I think about it, this isn't something a human can do."
"I'm human, too. So you can do it. As long as you learn properly."
"..."
*Instructor, no, Zeke Kleiman... Just who... are you...?*
In the end, Serena had no choice but to nod.
*
After saying that, Zeke left Serena in the yard and hurried back to his room alone, as if in a rush.
The moonlight shone mercilessly on the empty space.
The broken blade was still in her hand.
However,
what dominated her thoughts now wasn't her seven years of effort that had crumbled like a sandcastle, nor the broken sword,
but Zeke Kleiman, the swordsmanship instructor of Ramieli Academy.
*Just what kind of person was he...? I know nothing about him...*
Serena could only look up at the room where he was staying, asking herself questions with no answers.
* * *
*Thump, thump.*
Zeke, who had abandoned Serena outside and rushed back to his room.
He was clutching his heart, his body trembling.
His face was reflected in the dark window.
The corners of his mouth were split wide in a bizarre grin, stretching nearly to his ears.
His dark eyes glittered with a demonic aura.
But as if it were a brief illusion,
his face soon returned to its usual expressionless state.
*Shit. Used swordsmanship for a moment and this happens... About two seconds... Yeah, this is still much better than when I was on Earth. Finally, this body is paying off.*
Normally, this body was inconvenient, unable to show expression or even speak freely, but its stone-like face had succeeded in controlling even his habits.
The truth was, Zeke Kleiman
was already a broken man.
His usual self had been bright and cheerful, though it didn't show on the outside.
This was incongruous for a man who had been worn down by ten years of struggle in a dark fantasy world.
Zeke hadn't forgotten the past.
He had merely gathered it all up and buried it deep inside.
A dark, gloomy, and bottomless
despair would slowly rear its head whenever he held a sword.
Those ten years in a dark fantasy world devoid of dreams and hope had twisted his personality,
and turned him, once an ordinary young man, into someone called a blood-crazed demon by friend and foe alike.
On the Dave Continent, the deeper Zeke's despair grew,
the wider he would smile as he swung his sword.
In a ruined world, what was there to enjoy?
He simply cut down enemies day after day,
until the thrill of life-and-death combat became his only pleasure.
The feeling of walking a tightrope on the verge of death was like a drug.
Enemies feared the moment he arrived,
and allies, too, kept their distance from the man who would be drenched in enemy blood, laughing grotesquely like a madman.
After saving the Dave Continent
and returning to Earth, he had made countless efforts to reclaim a normal life.
Believing he would eventually become an infamous serial killer on Earth if things continued,
he finally put down the sword he hadn't let go of for ten years.
As he stopped holding a sword, his bright personality seemed to slowly return,
so he had no choice but to cling to that, even if it felt forced.
Zeke was considerably relieved that the thirst wasn't too intense.
Fortunately, he could now control it to some extent, at least with objects that weren't bladed.
Of course, using swordsmanship had briefly put him in this state.
*Right... At this rate, it should be fine to oversee training at the academy. I just have to not use swordsmanship and not hold a sword. There's no need to hold a blade when teaching.*
Zeke swallowed hard, quenching the faint thirst that remained.
* * *
*Please. Get it over with...*
*If you're going to finish me, do it quickly...*
*Just kill me...*
*Quickly...*
*Please!*
The next morning. Zeke was taken aback by the servants who had stormed his room since dawn.
They swarmed in, holding him down to wash him, oil his hair, and even powder his face.
After that, they began dressing him in dazzling clothes as if he were a doll.
The white gloves they put on his hands were uncomfortable.
He had been tormented like this for hours.
It all happened so suddenly while he was still flustered and confused.
*What the, what is this!?*
The loose white shirt was covered in frills, with a fluttering neckpiece that looked like some kind of bib.
And over that, a bright blue suit adorned with dangling gold cords.
*What is this... It's so damn stuffy and so damn complicated! Is this really supposed to look good? No matter how I look at it, if I go out like this, I'm just asking to be laughed at.*
As someone not immune to the fashion of a romance fantasy world, Zeke found the ornate attire utterly incomprehensible.
Until now, the military uniforms he usually wore were at least neat and sturdy, but this outfit made him look like he could pass for the most famous clown in the capital.
"You look so handsome!"
"I know, right? We never knew because you never dressed up, but with your hair styled like this, you look so dignified!"
"There's even a hint of decadent charm... *Sluurp.*"
"Hey, hey, don't get any ideas. You'll get in trouble."
The maids whispered among themselves, praising him,
but the Zeke in the mirror still wore a clueless expression.
*I won't even be able to take these clothes off by myself.*
*Knock, knock.*
Just then, a knock sounded from behind, and the door to the dressing room opened.
"..."
*Click, clack.*
*Click, clack.*
Serena, wearing a lavender dress, opened the door and slowly walked in.
No, she walked normally, but
to Zeke's eyes, she seemed to move in slow motion.
The entire background blurred, leaving only her in focus.
With her shimmering silver hair, Serena was as dazzlingly beautiful and elegant as a fairy from a storybook.
In truth, Serena usually wore simple, cleanly designed dresses that weren't flashy.
But today was the day of the entrance ceremony, so it seemed
she had put extra effort into her appearance.
*Oh, she's beautiful.*
"...In-Instructor!"
Serena paused for a moment upon seeing Zeke, then called out to him with an awkward smile.
After utterly defeating her and even humiliating her with a flower yesterday, he had been worried about how to face her today,
but it seemed she was the one being considerate of him.
*...I was too harsh yesterday. Even if I needed to break her swordsmanship once and for all... it was a bit much. It looked like she'd been training incredibly hard all this time.*
In fact, he felt sorry seeing her trying so hard to act nonchalant, even though her body was trembling and her words were stuttered.
*They say you shouldn't even hit a woman with a flower. And I beat her with one yesterday... She's a good kid. A true angel, no, a goddess. Right, body? Let's at least tell her she looks amazing today.*
"It suits you well."
Even his body, which normally couldn't utter such cheesy compliments,
opened its mouth as if acknowledging Serena's beauty today.
"Eek! R-really? You look handsome too, Instructor!"
"...I see... So this... this ridiculous getup actually looks good..."
"Uh, um? I-is something wrong? You don't like it?"
"No, it's not that. It's just my first time wearing clothes like this."
"Ah, I see... You always wore a military uniform, so it must feel a-awkward. You'll be wearing them often once you're at the academy. No, you *should* wear them often!"
At those words, Zeke's face stiffened. Not that it was noticeable on his already rigid face.
*This? Often? I'm going to wear this often?*
* * *
In front of the dressing room door,
Serena struggled to calm her pounding heart.
*Phew, Serena Johaiden. Right. It's fine. Okay, act natural. Natural.*
Last night, after her duel with Zeke, she hadn't slept a wink.
She'd spent the entire night awake, plagued by doubts about her swordsmanship and thoughts about the enigmatic man named 'Zeke Kleiman'.
But at the same time, she felt a glimmer of hope.
All this time, she had walked the path of the sword alone, without a master.
Was she on the right path? Had she developed bad habits? Or was it already too late?
It was after wrestling with such worries that she had decided to go to the academy to learn the sword properly.
And now, she had met an overwhelming master. A swordsman of such a high level that she couldn't even dare to look at him.
Who he was, what kind of past he had... she wasn't curious about that anymore.
To be hooonest, maybe just a little?
Just a tiny, tiny bit?
Since he's going to be my master?
It did weigh on her mind,
but greater than that was the anticipation of learning the sword from him,
and being able to wield such swordsmanship herself.
Of course, he had set the condition that she must use a rapier.
At first, she had been completely unwilling to accept it,
but after witnessing his 'violet swordsmanship' firsthand, she no longer had any reservations.
"Pfft."
The one who gave her despair and hope was the same person.
The irony of it made her laugh.
After seeing such beautiful and overwhelming swordplay,
it was impossible to see Zeke the same way as before.
Just when she thought she had finally gotten used to his cold, stiff face,
she learned he was far more incredible than she had imagined, and now
he felt difficult to approach again.
"Natural. Act natural."
"Lady Serena. Are you not going in?"
"I-I'm going in!"
Ailey, who was adjusting her dress from the side, asked.
*Knock, knock.*
*Creeak.*
Serena's breath caught.
*Ah. He's unreal.*
And the world stopped.