NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
The title of the Northern Grand Duchess wasn’t just for show, as Anastasia cleanly split the black wooden doll in half.
No, more than that, I was really envious of that sword. It seemed ordinary while it was in its sheath, but the moment she pulled it out, it expanded and thickened like a magical staff—what was that?
Even though she was a woman now, there was a romantic allure that stirred the hearts of men.
Moreover, as soon as she adopted her slicing stance, frost formed on that hefty blade, and frost drifted along the sword’s trajectory. I couldn’t help but be amazed.
Jessica looked at Anastasia with a gaze filled with a kind of awe that was different from when I was wielding the sword.
“Wow, incredible! I thought there was no way you’d break it, but you really did! And that unique sword, plus your breathing technique! Are you from the North?!”
“…Yes. Umm, was that wooden doll not supposed to be broken?”
I could tell she was in a bind, being a fellow social outcast.
Outcasts tend to wilt from others’ attention. But Jessica, who was clearly a social butterfly, seemed utterly unaware of an outcast’s heart.
“No? Not at all! In fact, it was made to be broken! It may look shabby, but it’s made of extremely sturdy wood! Only someone at the head level would be able to slice it in half, but I can’t believe a freshie did it so brilliantly!”
“…You’re flattering me.”
“Wait, could it be that hair of yours and the runes engraved on the sword, along with being from the North… Are you, by any chance, the Anastasia of ice-breaking legends? The one who hunted magical beasts since she was nine?!”
With her head bowed and lips sealed, she looked like she was internally screaming for it to stop.
No one outside had ever recognized me, but if they did, I would feel incredibly embarrassed.
And to top it all off, thinking about being called by some strange nickname in front of others while they recounted things I did in my childhood, it made Anastasia look pretty impressive holding out.
By the way, when exactly does that Golden Sun plan to stop staring at me? At this point, it really is becoming unsettling.
“…Well, I am Anastasia, but the part about hunting magical beasts as a child is exaggerated rumors.”
“Hahaha, sorry! I got a bit carried away. So, before the next person… I should have split the doll before, but I forgot…”
Feeling slightly awkward, Jessica scratched her head as she looked at me.
What now? It was enough embarrassment to be called first. Considering I already felt like Jessica was my enemy, I was scared of what she would say next.
“Umm, can I call you Anastasia?”
“…Yes.”
“Could you take the friend who came out first and go behind that girl with sky-blue hair over there?”
“…Huh?”
“Oh, is that a bit tough? Perhaps it was an unreasonable request?”
Jessica had that super social vibe that was completely different from Dokan. I had experienced too many times how terrible it was being asked an unreasonable favor that could label me trash at work.
Though I had no talent for writing, I had enough skills to handle tasks somehow. But with each time, the requests became more demanding.
I should have at least said this request was unreasonable. Well, at that moment, I couldn’t even remember what I had been doing before, so I wasn’t that bitter about it.
It was just that the female staff member slightly resembled Jessica, which brought back some old memories.
“Ah, no! It’s not unreasonable, but how can I put it…”
As she spoke, her eyes kept darting between Jessica and me, filled with clear confusion.
It was obvious she didn’t want to do it, but she was floundering trying to figure out how to decline.
“It’s not unreasonable, right?”
“Uh… Yes.”
“Then I’ll ask you for a favor. Next, how about that blonde boy over there?”
Just like that, Anastasia, who had been naturally stripped of any chance to protest, hesitated but began to move toward the direction I pointed.
I wasn’t sure how much rank a princess held, but couldn’t she simply say she didn’t want to do it?
Though I was a Grand Duchess, I was nothing but an outsider with no acquaintances nearby and had come from a completely different continent, so being humble was merely natural.
Well, being an outcast, it was no wonder I could be weak against such requests.
Considering how I’d learned through various experiences that the sooner I got the undesirable tasks done, the less painful it would be, I decided to approach Anastasia with the thought of helping.
“Here we meet again.”
“…It seems so.”
“Then let’s go.”
There was no need to push through the crowd. There weren’t that many people, and as I approached, they parted like magnets repelling each other.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to face me; it was more that they were scared to block the path of someone with a higher status, perhaps? No, thinking about what happened yesterday, it could very well be the former.
I felt overly guilty thinking that I might tarnish her reputation just by being there. Did I come too close? Maybe I should have kept my distance.
“Um… if you don’t mind…”
Lost in gloomy thoughts, she was the one who spoke first. I was slightly surprised, but since she was a fellow outcast, I was ready to respond diligently, whatever it may be.
“What is it? Speak.”
“Um… What do you think about family?”
Suddenly bringing up family?
It was a bit surprising, but since I had sworn to respond, I needed to. But it was so out of the blue I was left without a clue on what to say.
Family, family.
“Everything.”
“Is it everything…?”
“But why do you ask?”
I was genuinely curious what prompted her to ask about family. It wasn’t something you shouldn’t ask, but it was just so sudden.
“Well… I heard your father taught you swordsmanship…”
Ah, so that’s where this was going. She probably witnessed me swinging my sword and was questioning how could my father have taught me to swing it so poorly.
I could handle bad talk about myself, but I didn’t want to speak ill of my father.
“It’s just that I can’t measure up to my father. I wouldn’t be so inadequate otherwise.”
She seemed to think it a bit excessive and didn’t say more.
As we continued in awkward silence until we reached our destination, not much was said.
—
After Ho-yeon and Anastasia, nothing surprising happened to Jessica.
There were several students who made scratches or left distinct marks, but they were all within the realm of expectation.
Having learned to use the mana breathing technique, even if they fumbled, they could at least make a scratch. But without it, no matter how fine the sword, they couldn’t even leave a mark.
All she could think about was the swordsmanship she saw from Ho-yeon.
The speed, the trajectory, and the power that could cause scratches without using the mana breathing technique was certainly impressive, but what captured her attention was the targets Ho-yeon aimed for.
In the end, swordsmanship was made to harm others, but to Jessica, what she saw was swordsmanship only crafted for the most efficient killing.
Her stance, capable of delivering death with just a graze, aimed precisely at lethal spots made her seem more like a soldier or assassin than a princess in that fleeting moment.
What kind of father would teach their child such things?
I pondered, but a clear answer didn’t emerge. As I sank deeper into my thoughts, I noticed only one person remained.
A young man with black hair and black eyes, handsome but lacking any identifiable traits.
Even without being called by Jessica, Dokan figured out it was his turn.
“You’re the last. Looking at you, it seems you don’t have a sword; do you want to borrow mine?”
She attempted to hand her sword to Dokan, but he declined Jessica’s sword.
Observing them closely, Dokan deduced one fact.
The division depended on the degree of damage done to the wooden doll.
Perhaps behind the girl with sky-blue hair would be the advanced class, behind the brown-haired girl would be the intermediate class, and behind the red-haired boy would be the lower class.
Ideally, he would swing his sword honestly to go to the place suited to his ability, but with Ho-yeon and Anastasia heading to the advanced class, Dokan had no real options.
He had to join the same class as her to prevent any unfortunate events from occurring to Ho-yeon before he formed a bond with Anastasia.
Thus, he had to leave at least a visible mark, so Dokan picked up a shard that had broken off the wooden doll.
“No, that’s fine. This is enough.”
Leaving Jessica with a puzzled look in her eye, Dokan took his stance.
“Enchant.”
The tip of the wooden shard began gathering blue mana. Initially about the size of a small nail, the blue mana soon took on the shape of a sword.
“Ha!”
As Dokan swung the sword, the blade of mana left a blue trail as it sliced through the wooden doll.
As if it had fulfilled its purpose, the mana blade dissipated in an instant. However, the blue mark left on the wooden doll boldly indicated that Dokan had done it.
“You’re a magician…? I never expected to see such a rare sight back-to-back! But why would a magician join the Swordsmanship Club?”
To monitor Ho-yeon and to bond with Anastasia. That was the true purpose, but Dokan couldn’t voice it, so he made up an appropriate response.
“You see, the sword is the finest among all weapons.”
“Don’t you think so?!”
As he watched Jessica enthusiastically extoll the virtues of the sword, Dokan realized he had succeeded beautifully.
“…Ahaha, I got so excited that I blurted out everything. Sorry. Umm, with your level of skill… advanced class!”