Chapter 2
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Episode 1 - Sister [2]
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Sunlight poured in through the tall windows behind him.
Sitting at my desk, I picked up a notebook and a pen.
My Myst power is very low, so I need a high-quality elixir, but it's not very conventional.
There is a limit to the number of elixirs that can help increase Myst.
If any nobleman or knight were allowed to buy as many elixirs as they wanted, then everyone would be strong.
Only three will be optional.
However, it was not enough.
In this shitty game, there are people who want to kill me.
It's not because I've made enemies myself, but because the game is programmed to have a large number of enemies that are anything but weak.
In the previous cycle, my sister protected me to a certain extent, but after that I had to manage on my own.
I have accumulated too much hatred toward me from my sister because of my actions.
I mean, I owe my sister something, but that was in the previous cycle.
Scrive! Scrive! Scrive! Scrive!
I made a list of herbs.
The elixir was not the only way to increase Myst, but other methods besides that one were difficult to obtain.
Poisonous herbs have the highest concentration of Myst, and I have many in mind.
¡Grieta!
He tore off the list and handed it to Cynthia.
"I need you to buy those herbs. You have one week."
Cynthia looked at the list.
"This is..."
After a few seconds, Cynthia looked surprised. She looked at me and asked:
"W-what are you going to do with the poisonous herbs...?"
"About that... don't worry, I won't do anything dangerous."
I forced a smile as I looked at Cynthia, noticing a suspicious look on her face.
Cynthia stood up, put the list away, and, as if remembering something, spoke again.
"Young master."
"What's going on?"
"As for the invitation from the third imperial princess to her birthday party..."
"Mhm".
Tapping the tip of the pen on the table, I thought about the invitation.
The third imperial princess, the only princess who was not corrupt compared to her brothers.
In the previous cycle, she became empress after the entire imperial family was murdered at a banquet arranged by the empress.
Even after years of investigation, the culprit behind the murder was never discovered; however, some believed that it was a killer hired by the third imperial princess.
But thanks to her rise as empress, she managed to change the corruption of the nobles and the imperial family, including illegitimate children and all imperial staff and knights.
'Furthermore, according to my ancestor's grimoire, she is a dangerous woman who becomes my enemy.'
It was I who brought disaster upon the empire; even if I had done nothing, I would have been unjustly blamed because that was how the game was played.
"I'll go. When will her birthday be"
"In three days, young master."
"Okay, help me prepare a gift."
Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I looked at the new screen in front of me.
〖Second mission: Eliminate corruption from the imperial family by assisting the third imperial princess.〗
"Damn curse."
While cursing, Cynthia pulled out a letter.
"Ah, sorry for the trouble, young master. I also have the reply from the Imperial Academy, which arrived today."
I glanced for a second at Cynthia, who was holding a letter in her hand.
"What answer?"
"Well... the young lady forced you to attend the Imperial Academy as a teacher, young master."
"..."
I was taken aback for a moment, but I regained my composure.
"Mhm…"
Noticing my reaction, Cynthia hastily unfolded the letter.
"Well... the director's words are as follows..."
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
> Imperial Academy.
Dear Mr. Ivanth V. Ashford,
After reviewing your application, I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a professor at the Imperial Academy.
We warmly welcome you to this faculty of wisdom and tradition. You will be able to start your job next month.
Sincerely,
Rebeca C. Dreyden
Director of the Imperial Academy.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
I clenched my fists.
In the previous cycle, I had declined that same invitation. And with good reason: I didn't want to teach arrogant or noble teenagers who would sooner or later become my enemies due to my destiny as a villain.
'Tks, damn it, I forgot.'
I sighed, and a thought of regret crossed my mind.
'Hmm, now that I think about it, it could be beneficial for me, and the missions entrusted to me by the curse could be less problematic in an academy full of teenagers.'
If I followed the steps from the previous cycle, it would undoubtedly force me to complete very difficult missions.
'So far, they're too easy, but they're still very annoying'.
Then I looked at Cynthia, who was nervous.
"Okay, so it will be in two weeks, so buy what I asked you to."
"Understood, young master."
Cynthia curtsied and turned to leave, but before she went, I said:
"Ah, starting today, you'll be training with me, so I'll see you later."
"W-what...?! Ah, my apologies, understood, young master."
Then Cynthia hurriedly left the place and closed the door.
I sighed and leaned back in my seat.
The main thing for now will be to complete the first mission.
I still hadn't "reconciled" with Kadia, so the first mission had not yet been completed.
So I got up from my seat and left the room, heading for the training ground.
***
Kadia was a very unique character in the game.
The grimoire explained his 〖Field〗, which was different from that of the others.
The 〖Field〗is the specialty, such as knight or wizard.
In 〖Dream Fantasy〗, there are only three field: 〖Knight〗, 〖Mage〗, and 〖Spiritualist〗, none of which Kadia belonged to.
According to my ancestor, in the game, Kadia's 〖Field〗 was called 〖Spiritual Knight〗, which combined two fields into one.
You can access the skills of both fields without any problem.
In addition, she had a great talent for swordplay, and Kadia was gifted by the spirits with a power that made her stronger than a normal knight or even a genius.
But she wasn't the only one with combined fields.
Selena is a 〖Magical Knight〗 and one of the reasons why she was extremely powerful.
¡Clanc! ¡Clanc!
While I was thinking, I arrived at the training camp.
The air cut through with a loud sound, dust filled the air, and in the center stood Kadia, wielding a wooden sword.
The Myst enveloped her body, making her faster, stronger, and also more resilient.
He swung his sword in circles, tracing crosses to the side and left, moving nimbly at high speed.
A faint red glow emanated from the sword in the last movement.
Clank.
Kadia cut in a straight line, and suddenly a mark appeared on the ground where the red light emanating from the sword had struck.
Although the sword did not touch the ground, the Myst did.
The cracks spread from deep within the line.
"Ah".
With a sigh of exhaustion, Kadia wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel.
Applause. Applause.
Frowning, Kadia looked in my direction as she clapped her hands.
The sound of applause echoed throughout the field, leaving only silence when it faded away.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, I just came to see you, little sister."
Actually, no, I just want to complete the mission and not be penalized.
I said with a smile. Kadia frowned, but suddenly said.
"Just looking... that's not like you. That means you want to fight."
"..."
"I think that…"
"You might want to get revenge after the beating I gave you."
"N-no... It's not that, like I said, just..."
Oh, maybe you want to get knocked out again.
"..."
When did the conversation turn against me?
I gritted my teeth as I looked at Kadia with a growing eye.
"C-as I said... little sister, I just came to see, but seeing that you challenge me to a duel, I guess it's inevitable."
Kadia opened her eyes slightly and murmured:
"Oh my God, he really wants a beating."
A vein throbbed in my forehead.
"I'm listening."
But ignoring my words, she moved calmly.
"Fine, as you wish, but try to hold out a little longer and don't let yourself get knocked out too quickly, okay?"
I rolled up my sleeves and picked up a wooden sword that was nearby.
"Oh, God, you really dare to duel with me."
I stretched my arms, feeling a little uncomfortable with my current self, without so much Myst in my body.
"You started it first."
As someone who used to overflow with an overwhelming amount of Myst wherever I went, I felt different with the little Myst in my current body.
Well, I can win with pure technique, but not with pure Myst. Even so, it's enough to beat him up.
Even if you have more Myst than me, it doesn't necessarily mean you're stronger in pure sword technique.
I swung the sword a few times to get used to it.
I have 20 years of experience with all types of weapons.
"I've noticed, but brother, it seems that your words this morning weren't empty. I see you're confident right now, so don't disappoint me."
I smiled when I heard her words as I walked toward her.
"Mhm, just five moves will be enough to beat you."
"Oh, is that so? How arrogant..."
"It won't be the same as before."
Kadia remained silent and looked at me.
"Well, it's best to try it now."
I pointed my sword at Kadia, and at the same time she got into position and lunged at me.
First, he will move the sword toward my knee..
Kadia's sword sliced through the air and moved toward my neck, but at the last moment, it swung downward.
¡Clanc!
I swung my sword downward, blocking Kadia's sword.
"..."
Surprised, Kadia swung her sword again.
Next move: it will be the right shoulder.
Kadia's sword moved toward my right side, but suddenly changed direction and rose toward my shoulder.
Moving my sword vertically, I blocked his sword for the second time.
'Now is the time to fight back.'
I stabbed in a straight line, putting one foot forward and one foot back.
I moved my body with force and the sword cut through the air.
It was heading toward Kadia's face, but when she saw the tip of my sword, she tilted her head to one side and I grazed her cheek.
'Second movement.'
After grazing his cheek, I swung the sword in an arc and used all my strength.
Between Kadia and me, I have the advantage in strength, but since she was using Myst in her body, it would be difficult to win with physical strength alone.
'I will move the Myst toward my legs, waist, shoulder, forearm, and wrist.'
From experience, I use Myst to increase my speed and agility.
The Myst traveled from my heart to the parts where I wanted it to gather.
I felt the speed in my arm where I wielded the sword increase evenly.
¡Clanc!
Kadia raised her sword vertically, gathering Myst in her arm, and my sword struck hers.
Then, the air shook, and Kadia stumbled back a foot, swaying slightly.
'Third movement.'
Taking advantage of her confusion, I swung my sword diagonally and grazed Kadia's body for the second time.
'She will exert force on the arm and counterattack head-on'.
As expected, Kadia struck with her sword from the front.
I raised my sword and blocked his attack.
So, I jumped back a meter away and then lunged toward her.
'Fourth movement.'
Swinging my sword up and down, right to left, I forced Kadia back as she defended herself.
I moved all the Myst from my heart and sent it to my extremities.
'Fifth and final movement.'
I stabbed her from the front. Kadia lowered her upper body and dodged the stab, but I repeated the attack and launched dozens of thrusts at her.
Kadia deflected some of them, and then I ran and swung my sword, striking her shoulder.
With the Myst concentrated in my arm and exerting all my strength, I struck, and Kadia's body shook to one side.
Wielding my sword as Kadia staggered, I aimed for her neck.
"I won, little sister."
"W-what the hell…?!"
Kadia's voice trembled as she looked at me with a mixture of disbelief.
"Since when have you been so skilled with the sword? How did you learn to circulate the Myst? How did you know where I was going to attack...?"
And the list of questions seemed endless.
Raise your hand calmly, interrupting that torrent of doubts.
"I simply learned from you."
Kadia's brow furrowed instantly.
"I haven't taught you anything."
"Of course not. I was just watching you secretly. I just imitated your steps, over and over again... until I understood."
Silence enveloped her. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. I could see her thoughts swirling, searching for meaning in what I had said.
Meanwhile, I noticed that she was putting her hand on her shoulder, right where I had managed to hit her.
'I should seize this moment.'
I took a step forward, leaning slightly toward her.
"Oh, look at you. Does it hurt? Do you want me to help you with that?"
Kadia shuddered and took a small step back.
"N-no, not at all. And... why are you acting like this all of a sudden?"
"Did you forget again?"
I tilted my head.
I told you; I want to change.
For a moment, he just looked at me silently, with those hard eyes that showed no hint of weakness. But in the end, his expression changed with a weary sigh.
"Whatever."
He turned on his heels and walked away from the training ground. I stood still, watching his back recede into the evening light.
'She didn't click her tongue this time... that's progress. Although, of course, reconciling with her won't be easy. Difficult, yes... but impossible it won't be.'