Chapter 23
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, she spotted a familiar face in the hallway to her right. It was Acrea. He was walking down the hallway with a troubled expression, his arms full of documents. He seemed to sense her presence and turned his head sharply towards Sue.
“Oh my, good afternoon, Master Acrea!”
Sue, inwardly groaning, plastered a bright smile on her face as she always did.
It was supposed to be their usual brief, impersonal greeting. But Acrea seemed to have something to say to her. He strode towards her.
“Master Acrea…? What’s the matter?”
Sue asked, trying to hide her bewilderment. This had never happened before. Acrea looked down at Sue’s hand, which was buried under the pile of documents he was carrying, and spoke.
“You’re on the Black Eagle Team.”
“Ah, yes, I’m on the Black Eagle Team.”
Sue replied, slightly raising her hand. She was wearing black fingerless gloves, the color of the Black Eagle Team.
“Do you know where Shina is?”
So he’s looking for Fritz.
Sue finally understood Acrea’s strange behavior.
Acrea was the overall vice-representative of the sixth-year students, and Fritz was the overall representative. However, it was Acrea, not Fritz, who was in charge of managing the sixth-year students.
If Fritz was a charismatic figure who reigned supreme, Acrea was the one who quietly cleaned up the mess behind him. That’s why he was always the busiest person whenever there was a big event at the academy.
“Master Fritz was at the team barracks earlier.”
Sue, feeling a pang of sympathy for Acrea for the first time, described the scene she had witnessed earlier, which had resembled an idol fan meeting.
“The barracks… I see.”
Acrea nodded slowly, as if understanding.
“Thank you, Lady. I’m glad I ran into you.”
He smiled warmly, like a ray of sunshine, and thanked her. Even though his voice and smile were devoid of any real meaning, Sue felt a sense of accomplishment and chuckled.
“Well then, please be careful!”
Sue watched Acrea hurry away in search of Fritz.
Woo Acrea Ire.
His bright platinum blonde hair and eyes always reminded her of warm sunlight. His perpetual faint smile hid his true thoughts.
But perhaps Sue Byron was the only one in Atlantis who could read his mind. No, she couldn’t read his mind, but at least she knew what kind of person he was.
‘An empty glass bead.’
That’s what Halo had said about Acrea in the novel.
He was a typical character who was kind on the surface but empty inside, lacking a strong sense of self or personal convictions. Because that’s how he had been raised. And the reason he was hiding it was also because that’s how he had been raised.
Acrea, as the second male lead in the story, had his moments of coolness, but Sue hadn’t been particularly fond of him in her previous life. But now, she felt a twinge of sympathy for him.
‘I’m in no position to be sympathizing with others.’
Sue sat down on a bench, rested her chin on her hand, and stared blankly at the fountain nearby. A beautiful statue of a goddess stood in the center of the fountain, spouting water. Sue watched the water gushing out, disappearing, and gushing out again, a never-ending cycle.
Then, she suddenly started to organize her thoughts.
First, she had realized that she had been possessed by ‘Sue Byron’. Then, her memories had gradually returned, and she had learned about the two snakes on Sue’s body. She had also learned about Enzhe Lopetrefer’s wickedness. But she had soon realized that she couldn’t solve either of those problems for now.
In the meantime, she had befriended Raines Noel by chance. She had also accidentally broken Leo Noel’s arm. Judging from Leo and Raines’s conversation, Raines Noel had a secret he couldn’t talk about.
Sue didn’t know what that secret was. She assumed it had nothing to do with her. Anyway, Sue considered him a ‘friend’. Probably.
‘…Is this going well?’
She felt like her thoughts were getting jumbled. It was probably because of Noel. He was an anomaly in Sue’s life. He wasn’t even in the novel, and he hadn’t been a significant part of ‘Sue’s’ life. But ever since their encounter in the park, Noel had been encroaching on Sue’s territory.
‘I’m grateful, but… is it enough to just be grateful?’
In the end, the main question was why he was suddenly acting so friendly towards Sue. She didn’t want to think about it, but no matter how much she tried to push it to the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking.
‘I have more important things to worry about.’
Sue crossed her arms and groaned. Making friends was a good thing, and working hard was a good thing.
But even if she lived like this, she would lose everything in a few years. She would be thrown into the Wastelands and devoured by monsters, or she would be Enzhe’s slave forever.
‘This is frustrating.’
A hazy fog seemed to be closing in on her. She wasn’t panicking yet. Just frustrated.
Who had created the two snakes curse in the first place? Snakes were the symbolic animal of the Lopetrefer family. So, was it the Lopetrefer family who had created the curse?
“Or…”
“What are you doing here?”
“Aah!”
Sue jumped as if she had seen a ghost. Fritz, who was standing in front of her, was also startled and froze.
“M-Master Fritz…”
Sue, still shaken, placed a hand on her chest and took a deep breath. Her eyes were filled with tears.
“Are you alright?”
He seemed flustered by her reaction. His usual indifferent expression was gone, and he was cautiously observing her.
“Ah, yes… I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”
Sue smiled brightly, despite the cold sweat trickling down her back.
“But why are you here, Master Fritz…?”
She had thought he would be at the barracks, basking in the praise of his admirers. But he was neither a figment of her imagination nor a ghost, but the real Fritz.
“The swordsmanship competition is about to start. I wanted to meditate alone before then.”
Seriously, he’s so childish and serious at the same time.
“I see. Then I’ll leave you to it… Ah.”
Suddenly, a face flashed through her mind.
“Master Fritz, have you seen Master Acrea?”
“Acrea? You mean Woo?”
Sue nodded. But the moment she saw Fritz’s eyes, she realized. Those eyes weren’t going to nod. It seemed they had missed each other.
“Master Acrea was looking for you earlier. I told him you were at the barracks. I apologize for my carelessness.”
Sue explained, adding insincere words of apology.
“Woo? Hmm… I’ll go see him after the competition.”
But he seemed to be in a hurry!
But the cowardly Sue Byron couldn’t bring herself to say, ‘Shouldn’t you go see him now?’ to Fritz.
“Hehe. Well then… I’ll be going. I’ll be cheering for you at the swordsmanship competition.”
“Yes. I apologize for startling you just now.”
“Not at all. I apologize for showing you such a disheveled appearance.”
Sue threw in a few flattering words and quickly escaped from his indifferent green eyes.
After watching Melaine compete in the hunting competition, Sue congratulated her profusely on her victory. She watched Melaine for a while, surrounded by her admirers, basking in her triumph, before leaving.
Her next destination was the Grand Training Hall. It was finally time for the swordsmanship competition.
The swordsmanship competition was one of the most popular events, and the spectator stands were packed. Since most of the seats were already taken, Sue had no choice but to sit alone in a corner at the back. She looked down at the arena. It was an overwhelmingly grand stage for just two people to clash swords.
Perhaps because she had arrived just in time, the swordsmanship competition began without delay.
“Oh my.”
Sue let out a dry exclamation as she saw the names of the competitors for the first match.
To her surprise, one of the competitors was Noel. He was standing in the center of the arena, smiling playfully as usual.
Noel bowed to his opponent and the audience. Then, his opponent, after taking a deep breath, reached for the sword at his waist. Noel followed suit.
“Prayers to God, oaths to the empire.”
These were the words the referee used to signal the start of the match, instead of a whistle.
As the referee’s sword cut through the air between the two competitors, the duel began. The clang of metal against metal, as their swords clashed, rose above the roar of the crowd.
Noel moved with agility, gaining an advantage over his opponent. At least, that’s how it looked to Sue. He repeatedly dodged his opponent’s relentless attacks, waiting for an opening. Then, he struck back, taking advantage of his opponent’s fatigue. His opponent, already exhausted, had no choice but to surrender.
‘His personality is cheerful, but his swordsmanship is anything but.’
He was like a spider waiting for its prey in its web.
It must be frustrating to be caught in his trap. Noel, oblivious or indifferent, smiled brightly and bowed to the cheering crowd.
The matches continued. Swords clashed, techniques were countered, and openings were exploited. The same scene repeated itself before Sue’s eyes. Sue, who hadn’t expected much, found herself captivated by the sword fights of these nameless individuals.
And finally, the last match of the first round arrived. As expected, it was the protagonist who made his appearance. The crowd roared as Fritz stepped into the arena. Sue, who had been wanting to see Fritz’s swordsmanship firsthand, waited expectantly for the match to begin.
“….”
Perhaps because he had meditated sufficiently in the academy gardens, Fritz calmly drew his sword, his expression serene amidst the surrounding noise.
“Prayers to God, oaths to the empire.”
The moment the referee’s sword cut through the air…
“….”
“….”
“…The winner, Shina Fritz Digoril!”
The match was over.