Even After Regressing, I Won't Date My Rival Chapter 2

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Chapter 2: Do You Like Me? (2)

Avelin’s eyes blazed with the determination of someone who had no intention of letting me go unscathed.

It seemed her threat to kill me wasn’t entirely an empty one.

Sure, I was the one who angered Avelin in the first place, but that didn’t mean I intended to go down without a fight.

After all, I’m the captain of the Black Iron Brigade. What would happen to my pride—and that of my subordinates—if I let Avelin take me down?

“Plymouth, bring me my sword!”

“Yes, Captain!”

Plymouth, who had been peering at me through the window, stepped inside and began rummaging around until he retrieved my sword.

Massive in size and unimaginably heavy, my sword was the kind of weapon most people would struggle to lift with both hands. I wield it with just one.

And then…

“Here it comes!”

With a grunt, Plymouth hurled the colossal sword straight at me.

“Yeah!”

“You’ll get crushed to death if that thing hits you!”

Everyone scrambled away from me in panic, but I calmly reached out and caught the sword’s hilt mid-air with precision.

In my previous life, I never stopped training—even for a moment—because I needed the strength to wield this weapon.

But…

‘Why does it feel lighter than before?’

Whatever the case, with everyone busy dodging the falling sword, Avelin and I were left to face each other without interference.

The chaotic brawl between my Black Iron Brigade and Avelin’s Silver Guard had already ended.

Compared to the mock battles with wooden weapons, this fight—between Avelin and me, the commanders—was the real deal.

“Well, well, Kayron. You’ve done well,” Avelin said with a sly smile.

“Are you planning to compliment me after threatening to kill me?”

“I’ve made up my mind,” she replied. “My resolve to kill you remains, but now I’ve decided you won’t die easily. Brace yourself!”

“Do I really need to prepare for that? Come on, go ahead and try with those dainty princess arms of yours. They’re not exactly intimidating.”

“Princess?! Again with the princess thing! Kayron...!”

In our previous life, Avelin had an inexplicable weakness for being called a “princess.”

Sure enough, the same tactic worked now. Trembling with fury, she failed to suppress her anger.

And the Silver Guard, her loyal subordinates, were watching her with bated breath.

“I’ve never seen Avelin-nim look like that before. She’s breathtakingly beautiful... but also terrifying.”

“How does Kayron manage to act so cocky in front of her? Even though she despises him more than anyone else, I must admit his guts are impressive.”

“He may be a rival, but he’s quite capable. It’s a shame to lose such a talented commander.”

The Silver Guard was already mourning me as though I were dead.

Though they begrudgingly acknowledged my strength, their loyalty to Avelin made them certain of her victory.

But just as Avelin has her Silver Guard, I’m not alone either.

“Black Iron Brigade!”

“Yes, Captain!”

My shout rallied my troops, who responded with a booming cheer.

“Watch closely! See who I am—the one you follow into battle!”

“Hurrah!!”

Their resounding cries drowned out the confidence of the Silver Guard, shaking the atmosphere entirely.

“What are you boasting about?!” Avelin yelled, infusing her voice with mana so it echoed thunderously. My soldiers, startled, instinctively flinched.

“And what exactly are you so proud of, Avelin?!” I shot back.

“I was justified! I only barged in because you didn’t show up on time!”

“Well, that’s true, but...”

It’s not like I slept in because I wanted to. I was thrown back into this strange past without warning!

Even so, she wouldn’t believe me if I explained. So I decided to focus on the matter at hand.

“Still, breaking down my door and threatening to slice me in half is going a bit far, don’t you think? Asking if you like me—that was really such a big deal?”

My words were followed by a heavy silence.

And then…

Clang—

“What the...?”

The sound of metal scraping filled the air as the Silver Guard discarded their wooden practice swords in favor of real weapons.

“How dare you utter such insolence to our noble and virtuous Avelin-nim!”

“Stand down, Avelin-nim! We’ll punish him on your behalf!”

My Black Iron Brigade followed suit, drawing their weapons, albeit hesitantly.

“Protect the captain! He may have been out of line, but he’s still our captain. If we don’t defend him, who will?!”

“Let’s just protect him anyway!”

Cut it out, guys. If you’re going to defend me half-heartedly, don’t bother!

I know. I shouldn’t have asked if she liked me. It was a reckless move.

But honestly…

“Avelin smashed through my door and stood there gawking at my naked body for ages before saying a word!”

Another stunned silence.

This time, the tide shifted within my Black Iron Brigade.

“She stared at our captain’s bare body...?”

“After breaking down his door and trespassing?!”

The Silver Guard faltered, their justification for drawing their weapons shaken.

“Uh, this... this might actually be Avelin-nim’s fault.”

“Well, Kayron shouldn’t have been late, but smashing down the door isn’t exactly dignified behavior...”

“Say it isn’t true, Avelin-nim! Please tell us it’s a lie!”

“Be quiet! Silence, all of you!”

Avelin’s voice, once again bolstered by mana, cut through the commotion like a blade.

Perhaps she intended to bury the matter, but…

“I’ll admit to that mistake. But this is a separate issue! What were you thinking when you asked me such a ridiculous question?”

“Uh...”

“Answer me! Surely you had some kind of reasoning behind such an absurd remark!”

Of course, I had a reason for what I said.

But I could never reveal the full truth behind it.

If this eccentric woman ever learned what she did to me before I died in my past life…

She would have erased all traces of my existence, not just tried to kill me.

“Enough with the pointless banter.”

Avelin shook her head, brushing off her distractions.

Then, she pointed her sharp sword directly at me.

“Let’s settle this with swords. I’ll find out exactly what kind of twisted reasoning you had for saying such things. Draw your sword, Kayron!”

“I already have it drawn.”

“What?”

“I said, I’m already holding it. Can’t you see?”

“Ugh, really...!”

Avelin’s face flushed with rage at my childish reply. Feeling that further conversation was futile, she charged at me with the terrifying speed her nickname, ‘Silver Flash,’ suggested.

But for some reason, this time felt different.

It felt similar to when I caught my sword earlier.

‘Was Avelin this slow?’

I didn’t even think I needed to block with my sword.

Whoosh—

“...!”

I smoothly sidestepped her attack, and Avelin’s eyes widened in shock.

“H-how did you do that, Kayron?”

“How? I just watched and dodged.”

“That’s impossible! The last time, I could understand, but this time, I was serious!”

“You’re the one who’s joking around. You’ve been pulling your punches, haven’t you?”

“No, I haven’t! I wasn’t!”

With that, Avelin shrieked and renewed her assault.

She jabbed rapidly, then used the recoil to slash faster…

With every swing and thrust of her sword, her movements seemed to catch fire, speeding up.

But ironically, with each attack, her eyes grew wider in disbelief as she realized I was dodging every move, anticipating her next step.

Finally, Avelin stopped, distancing herself for a moment.

“This is ridiculous. What in the world is happening? I’ve never seen you dodge an attack of mine before!”

“I’m just as surprised as you are. Hmm... even though I know you so well, I don’t understand how this is possible. Are you sure you’re going all out?”

“... Noise.”

“Huh? What?”

“Stop making that noise! It’s driving me crazy!!”

In that moment, Avelin gathered her mana in her legs and rushed toward me with lightning speed, thrusting her sword straight at me.

No matter how much my body and senses had changed, I knew I couldn’t dodge this attack.

However, where her previous attack had a trace of hesitation—indicating her internal conflict about whether to kill me—this one was full of pride, a strike of absolute intent.

I quickly pulled my body back, but just as Avelin’s blade came within inches of my face, I realized—this wasn’t something I could block.

There wasn’t enough time left.

With no way to dodge, the only option was to face her head-on.

So, instead of evading, I took the risk and braced for impact!

“Ahh...!”

Avelin’s short scream filled the air, followed by a cloud of dust.

And slowly, as the dust settled, I saw Avelin blinking in pain.

“Ugh, ow...”

Her eyes, which had been narrowed in fury, opened slowly.

And then…

“Eek, aaaahhh!”

Finding me on top of her, Avelin let out a piercing scream.