Libia Clawit
She had been going through a serious slump lately.
"Aaaagh! Why won't it work?!"
She screamed as she flung her training sword to the ground.
No matter how many times she swung it, she couldn't maintain a proper sword path.
Her sword strokes, once clean and precise, grew more disordered and ruined with every swing.
"Haa... Aden..."
Compared to her usual self, the intensity of her training was clearly excessive.
Yet she couldn't stop easily.
Three days ago, by chance, she had overheard a conversation between Professor Elina and Aden while passing the dormitory at night.
Those words kept circling in her mind, tormenting her.
"'Aden, I'll help you stop the destruction.'"
"What the heck... seriously..."
Aden.
It hadn't been long since they met,
but he was already a precious friend in her heart, on par with Isabel.
The successor to the great Duke Clawit,
disciple of the Sword Saint.
Just those two titles alone meant she had almost no one around her she could truly call a pure friend.
"'The young lady possesses the talent of the gods!'"
Awe.
"'How can I draw a sword path like the young lady's?'"
Admiration.
"'The pinnacle of talent, my ass... She'll show her true colors soon enough.'"
Envy and jealousy.
"'Please, grant me the honor of dancing with you like the young lady.'"
Lust and greed.
She had grown sick of such gazes and words, and the emotions they blatantly carried now felt utterly repulsive.
That's why Aden was such a unique presence—the first of his kind she had encountered.
His words held none of the feelings that disgusted her.
His gaze carried no emotions or ulterior motives, so it didn't unsettle her.
"'Yes, it was an honor to meet you too, Lady Clawit.'"
Even as he spoke of honor, his eyes held no such sentiment.
The stiff tone conveyed a familiarity as if they had met many times before.
This unfamiliarity paradoxically made her feel at ease.
That comfort, brief as it was, had turned Aden into a precious friend.
And so, the words she overheard made no sense.
Aden was a regressor?
The world would end?
They were impossible to believe—words she didn't want to believe.
Absurd nonsense.
If anyone else had said them, she would have scoffed and moved on.
But it was Professor Elina—no one else.
From the lips of Professor Elina, with her serious, resolute eyes, the words lingered stubbornly in her mind.
It wasn't just that.
Even if it was Professor Elina, she might have dismissed it as nonsense if it were pure absurdity.
But the more she thought about it, the more everything added up.
Aden's empty eyes, devoid of emotion.
The killing intent even her master couldn't match.
His overwhelming precision in mana manipulation and perfect sword paths, despite no exceptional physical prowess,
his unnatural rate of physical growth,
and the way he treated her as if they had met countless times.
Everything made sense if Aden was a regressor.
She couldn't brush off Professor Elina's words as drivel.
No, deep down, she had already accepted it.
Aden was a regressor, and destruction would come to the world someday.
"'So you won't have to repeat despair, won't collapse or get hurt anymore.'"
The destruction that had driven Aden to despair and regression time and again would come.
She didn't want to accept it.
That her first precious friend besides Isabel had endured such pain and despair repeatedly.
She didn't want to face that horrific truth.
But the more she thought, the more undeniable it became.
For two days, she had pushed herself mercilessly in training.
Her muscles screamed in protest,
but she had accepted the world's impending doom,
accepted that Aden had repeated those horrors to prevent it,
and wanted to help him, even a little.
She wanted to ensure he could stop the destruction this time.
Yet her sword paths only grew more erratic with every swing.
Seeing them shake and shatter fueled her anxiety and fear.
Fear that her talent would be useless against the world's end,
that she'd be powerless, only receiving help when it came.
Driven by that dread, she swung her sword relentlessly,
but it only worsened the disorder.
To the point where she wondered if she even had talent at all.
"Haa... This isn't working..."
At this rate, she'd achieve nothing.
Just swinging a disordered blade endlessly led nowhere.
"If only Master were here right now..."
Her master, who had always been her anchor—
wouldn't she have steadied her sword somehow?
Such weak thoughts surfaced unbidden,
but she quickly shook them off and prepared to return to the dormitory.
Swinging the sword further was pointless.
She needed an anchor.
Someone to steady her heart and let her swing properly.
"But who could that even be...?"
...
The moment she thought no such person existed,
one figure flashed through her mind.
The very reason she had pushed herself so hard,
the precious friend she had avoided for two days.
Aden.
A man who wielded sword paths more perfect than her master's, with perhaps even more experience.
He was the only one in the academy who came to mind as her potential anchor.
"But meeting Aden now..."
Honestly, it felt a bit awkward.
She had been avoiding him for two days, after all.
But she couldn't stay like this forever.
She decided to ask Aden to help with her training over the weekend.
And hear the truth from his own mouth.
That he was a regressor... that destruction loomed over the world...
"I hope it's all... a misunderstanding..."
The chances were slim,
but with a faint wish that it was all her delusion,
she resolved to face tomorrow.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Friday,
the day the academy's first week ended.
Libia Clawit greeted it with stabbing muscle pain.
It was a familiar sensation.
For two days, it had always been like this,
so she endured the worse-than-yesterday ache, rose, and headed to the academy.
Honestly, the classes barely registered.
The first-week theory lessons in magic and swordsmanship were one thing,
but even practical combat training—she couldn't focus.
"Focus, Libia Clawit! Your sword path keeps shaking!"
"Sorry!"
At Professor Elina's shout, she swung at her opponent once more,
but she could see it herself.
Her strikes, far shakier than yesterday.
"Only Aden passed again. The rest of you nine, keep at it. Especially you, Libia—your sword path has been shaking more each day."
Elina's critique hit her ears as class ended.
It was true.
Her sword paths had been unsteady for nearly three days straight, including today.
"What's going on with you lately, Libia? Is something wrong?"
As class ended, Isabel approached with concern.
"I'm fine, Isabel! Just a bit tired, I think. I have somewhere to go today, so I'll head back to the dorm later—go on ahead!"
"Okay, but you seem to be pushing yourself. Rest up over the weekend, Libia."
With those words, Isabel turned toward the dormitory. Watching her go, I hurried back to the lecture hall.
I felt bad for worrying Isabel, but I needed to ask Aden for training help over the weekend.
"Aden's probably still in the lecture hall, right?"
It had been a while since class ended.
Hoping he was still there, I quickened my pace.
Arriving as fast as I could, I spotted him preparing to leave for the dorm.
"Aden...! Do you have time this weekend...?"
I rushed to him before he could go and blurted it out desperately.
He looked slightly flustered at my words and replied.
"I have time. What's up?"
"Good..."
I'd worried he might have plans, but thankfully not.
"Aden... sorry, but could you help me with training this weekend...? Please!"
Knowing he had time, I immediately asked for his help.
Suddenly, he stared into space with a highly flustered expression, and silence stretched on.
"Why's he acting like that all of a sudden...?"
As anxious thoughts swirled,
"Sure, Libia. I'll help."
His affirmative words followed.
"Really? Then when should we meet? Just tell me the time, and I'll come out!"
"Sunday at noon. Oh, and wear casual clothes, not training gear."
Joy surged at his agreement, but his mention of casual clothes for training puzzled me, so I asked back.
"Yeah, definitely casual and comfortable. And from now until Sunday, rest up! Absolutely!"
His response—casual clothes and mandatory rest until Sunday—was odd,
but since he was leading the training, I nodded and left.
I'd originally planned to make the appointment with Aden and head to the training grounds,
but his final words about conserving energy from today stuck with me, so I returned to the dorm.
"How intense is this training gonna be...?"
For him to insist on resting and building stamina from today,
I didn't want to risk ignoring him, training anyway, and causing issues during his session—I wouldn't be able to face him.
So, for the first time in a while, she decided to skip training and rest fully.