Bloomed to Wither

Chapter 4

—–CROW—–

‘The sword of the earliest first bloom will judge the earliest theft.’

Prophecies *must* be fulfilled.

And Perinem had heard the name of Catarina Donovan, the protagonist of that damned prophecy, for a very long time.

“-so if the opponent surrenders, you must immediately cease your attack… Haam, I’m going to die of boredom. Perinem, are you even listening to me?”

“Yes, you said you’re going to die of boredom.”

“No, I said don’t attack further if the opponent surrenders…”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Perinem answered without taking his eyes off Kata.

In the deep twilight of dawn, Simon yawned repeatedly, as if he couldn’t shake off his sleepiness.

He turned after confirming Leah approaching with two swords.

“And this is me speaking as a superior, not a witness…”

“…….”

“I understand you’re full of youthful vigor, but know your limits.  You’re trying to kill each other after only a few days in the Order?”

Perinem accepted the longsword, pretending not to hear.  Kata’s expression was unreadable.

She seems quite nervous before the duel. He smiled with satisfaction.

“Now, take your distance and stand. One step further back. Right.  The duel begins when you raise your swords. Honor to the victor, learning to the loser. The victor of the duel vows to offer their glory to Semasiar.”

While letting the conventional words flow past him, Perinem stared directly at Kata.

Her light brown hair fluttered in the cold wind.  Her round, green eyes didn’t avoid his gaze in the slightest.

It was unpleasant.

“…….”

Perinem Alcazar was superior from birth.  He was handsome, intelligent, and skilled in swordsmanship.

His only shortcoming was his small stature, but since everyone in the Empire bowed before him, there was no reason to be bothered by it.

He learned the law to mock formalities, delved into politics to despise the ignorant, and took up the sword to crush the foolish who didn’t know their place.

So, even now.

He needed to put Donovan in her place.

Perinem lowered his stance. A dry leaf drifted past his vision.

Simon raised his sword.

‘Now!’

*Whoosh!*  The blade, imbued with Aura, flew towards Kata.

And in that instant, Aura bloomed explosively from Kata’s blade.

Perinem’s body froze at the sudden pressure.

In the dim dawn, Kata’s face, standing before the concentrated light, was bright as if she alone held the spotlight.

What, right now, is this?

His mind tangled.

Donovan was a First Awakened, just like him.  Therefore, Perinem had assumed her Aura would be at most, below his level.

He retreated quickly and swung his sword again.  A ringing sound echoed as their swords clashed head-on.

“No… way…”

Awakening wasn’t called blooming for nothing.  It was a wondrous transformation, like a flower bud bursting open.

There was an insurmountable gap between those who had Awakened twice and those who had Awakened once.

However, Kata’s Aura was clearly different from any other First Awakened he had seen.

Perinem gritted his teeth.

Every time he swung his sword, searching for an opening, her jade-green blade blocked him as if waiting for it.

*Clang!* *Clang!*

Cold sweat ran down his back.

It wasn’t an illusion.  His swordsmanship was being completely read.

Every time he changed his position and stance to press his attack, Kata was always a split second ahead. He couldn’t overwhelm her with brute force because of her monstrous Aura.

He felt the heat rising in his face.

Kata didn’t attack him. She simply parried his blows.

“…Do it properly!”

Perinem lunged ferociously, grazing her arm.

Kata then tilted her blade and struck his sword.

*Clang!*  His sword trajectory was instantly deflected.

“…….”

He felt suffocated.  Perinem was so angry he wanted to kill Kata in that moment.

Who does she think she is? How dare she, me…?

He swung his sword with murderous intent, but Kata easily changed the course of his sword again.

“How dare…”

Several more exchanges passed.

He couldn’t deny it.

She, Catarina Donovan, was teaching him.

Without a single word, solely with sword against sword, she was correcting his flaws.

Your shoulders are too high.  You need to cut a wider area at once.

Instead of gratitude, Perinem felt hatred at the silent instruction. It was a condescending interference.

Every time he clashed and separated from the elusive flashes, his sword tip missed its intended target.

Deeper, faster, aim lower this time!

With each flash of light, the angle of his sword changed, then the force, then the speed.

‘The sword of the earliest first bloom.’

Perinem unconsciously recalled the damned prophecy.

The worst defense in sword fighting was ‘defense for the sake of defense.’

But now, he wasn’t even overcoming that worst defensive line, he was being taught.

As Perinem’s sword grazed his ear, Kata nodded as if in praise.

And it was the moment their swords crossed again.

Kata suddenly darted into his space.  Amidst the fragrant scent of grass, Perinem unconsciously held his breath.

She slipped her hands between his arms, entangled their crossed swords, and threw him over her shoulder.

It was a clean throw that sealed his sword.

Oh, damn it.

The world spun, and a blunt impact hit the back of his head.

Perinem squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again.  Kata, bathed in a reddish halo, was extending her hand.

“Good job.”

He lost.  It was a defeat where he was completely played.

He felt like he was burning up inside.

She was smiling pleasantly, but she must be laughing at him inside, just as he had always done when looking at those beneath him.

“I was surprised. I could see your skills improving in such a short time!”

Kata spoke with slight excitement.

“It would be nice if we could spar together again next time.”

“This wasn’t a spar, it was a duel.”

Perinem gritted his teeth, cutting her off.

“Why don’t you just shut up and savor your victory?”

He pushed Kata’s hand away forcefully and got up.  She awkwardly withdrew her hand.

“…Hey, Perinem.  Don’t be so sulky.”

Perinem, who was brushing the dirt off his uniform, turned his head sharply.

“What?”

“You’re talented. It’d be a loss if you miss the opportunity to improve because you’re being sulky.”

“How dare you-“

He suddenly stopped speaking.  There wasn’t a trace of malice on Kata’s face.

The moment he faced that innocently naive face, he became inexplicably confused. Her green eyes, illuminated by the dawn, were incredibly kind.

Sulky.

The whole process of provoking him, trying to put him down, and challenging him to a duel was summarized by Kata as simply ‘sulky.’

Was she a bit slow and naive, or was she blessed with saintly compassion?

The anger that had been boiling inside him fizzled out in frustration.

—–CROW—–

#READ at DarkstarTranslations