Chapter 57: The Trial (3)

“Hoo…”

Taking a breath, I raised the rapier in my hand. Across from me, Arin stood watching with her longsword at the ready.

Neither of us waited for a signal—we lunged at each other simultaneously.

Claang!

The rapier and longsword clashed with a sharp, resounding crash. My wrist and grip ached, but I clenched my teeth and endured it.

Even though the blades weren’t sharpened, it was still hard to get used to the sheer weight and impact. A sting shot up my wrist, making me grimace.

The moment I faltered slightly, Arin seized the opening without hesitation.

Sylphi.

[I know!]

With my command, a wall of wind intercepted the longsword.

Seizing the moment, I swung the rapier toward her. But Arin, as if expecting it, rotated her longsword and deflected the attack with ease.

Then she lowered her body and prepared to strike again. Seeing that, Sylphi grit his teeth and thrust his hand forward.

Whooosh!

Two blades of wind shot toward Arin. With a short, focused breath, she leapt into the air to avoid them.

[Good, she’s airborne!]

“Winds, heed me.”

With a short incantation, I gathered the wind into a single point. In an instant, the flow of air reversed, and Arin’s expression wavered slightly.

The image in my mind: a bullet being fired from a gun barrel.

I could feel the energy draining rapidly, but there was no time to hesitate. No matter how powerful it was, I had no guarantee it would actually work on her.

“Smart move. But—”

Baang!

A sharp burst of sound rang in my ears as the concentrated wind shot forward like a bullet. But Arin grinned and swung her sword wide.

Just the swing alone created a blast of wind. The pressure met the bullet of air and scattered it in all directions.

“Wind can be stopped with wind.”

“Kh…”

Did she really just block it with brute force by creating wind pressure in midair? Her physical capabilities were stronger than I expected.

I clenched my teeth and raised the rapier again.

Clang!

Another loud clash of metal as our weapons collided once more.

“The rapier’s strength is in rapid strikes.”

Blows were exchanged rapidly between Arin and me. It was hard enough just keeping up with the speed of her attacks, let alone blocking them properly.

Even with Sylphi’s power enhancing my physical abilities overall, keeping up with her offense was exhausting.

“Adele, you’re still not utilizing that advantage properly.”

I knew that.

After all, it had only been a week since I picked up a rapier. If I had the talent to master it in that short time, I’d have chosen the path of a knight long ago.

It’s not something that can be learned just by being told.

Claang!

“Ugh…”

A powerful strike knocked the rapier right out of my hand. At the same time, the tip of her longsword closed in on my neck.

I expected to lose, but facing it head-on still stung a little.

“Hoo…”

Panting heavily, I cradled my aching wrist. Before I knew it, Arin had walked up to me and extended a hand.

I took her hand and slowly got back on my feet.

“You did well today, Miss Arin.”

“Not at all.”

It was now 11 p.m. Normally, training would end at this time, but I still felt like I hadn’t done enough.

“Would you mind if we extended—”

“No.”

She cut me off before I could even finish.

Just like last time, Arin refused firmly. If she judged that an injury or overexertion was possible, she would deny my request without hesitation, no matter what.

But I wanted to train more—to find even a small clue to getting stronger.

Maybe sensing my frustration, Arin shook her head firmly and spoke gently.

“If you rush, you might end up taking the long way around.”

“...Got it.”

It’s not like I could argue against her sincere concern. Her words were likely based on her own experience.

And I didn’t want to take the long road either.

“Here, a potion.”

“Thanks.”

I downed the potion Arin handed me. As soon as it passed my throat, a pungent smell hit my nose, and I gagged reflexively.

They say medicine tastes bitter, but this was on another level.

Still, the recovery speed was worth it. The slight sprain in my wrist had already healed back to normal.

They said this was a special potion directly purchased by the duke’s house—and it clearly lived up to its reputation. There were even rumors that one could recover from a pierced abdomen with just this.

“See you tomorrow, then.”

Nodding to Arin, I forced my wobbly legs to move. Sylphi, floating beside me, surrounded my body with a gentle breeze.

That made walking so much easier.

“Thanks.”

[Don’t mention it.]

The way Sylphi paid attention to small details really reminded me of Abel. Even the way he brushed it off like it was nothing was the same.

He might seem indifferent on the surface, but he always looked out for others behind the scenes.

[…He really is something else.]

“Hm?”

[Nothing. Just talking to myself.]

With that, Sylphi flew ahead. I followed behind, walking through the hallway of the duke’s estate. It was a barren corridor, completely devoid of decoration.

At first, I thought it was odd, but now even that sight felt familiar.

‘Come to think of it, Lily didn’t show up today.’

Until yesterday, she’d always come to greet me at the training ground. I started to worry—did something happen?

When we reached my room, Sylphi opened the door with a gust of wind. Beyond it, I saw Lily.

She had fallen asleep, leaning against the side of the bed. Even though it was warm inside the estate, sleeping like that could give her a cold.

‘You must’ve been exhausted, Lily.’

It made sense. For the past few days, even during her usual sleeping hours, she came out to greet me after training. The fatigue must have caught up with her.

I gently lifted Lily and laid her on the bed, carefully pulling the blanket over her to avoid waking her.

Then, I slumped down on the opposite side of the bed.

The bed was large enough that there was still plenty of room even with her lying there.

[Hey, Contractor.]

“Yeah? What is it?”

Sylphi spoke first—something unusual. Normally, I was the one to initiate conversation. Curious, I looked at him.

His face looked pensive, as if he was lost in thought.

[Why are you trying so hard?]

“Trying hard?”

When I echoed the question, Sylphi let out a small sigh, as if frustrated.

[Yeah. A normal person would’ve collapsed from exhaustion by now.]

“That’s…”

Why am I pushing myself this much?

The reason was simpler than expected.

“Because I’m weak.”

Yeah, I’m weak.

Weak enough that I would’ve had to die multiple times against the Emperor’s Hand, who could’ve killed me with a single strike like Evan’s. Weak enough to get blown off a cliff by a catastrophe-level monster, shield and all, barely surviving.

I’m so weak that I couldn’t even protect Lily beside me and had to rely on Abel’s strength. Weak enough that I could only escape when Lily desperately held off the assassins for me.

I couldn’t even save the elderly woman who once saved me.

It wasn’t until I was on the verge of death that I truly realized just how weak I was.

[Are you afraid of… not being able to protect others?]

“Of course. I’m terrified.”

So afraid my hands and feet trembled, and I couldn’t even form a proper thought.

It wasn’t just the fear from the memories I had as Adele—it was also rooted in the memories from my previous life.

“Sylphi. You know I don’t really belong to this world, right?”

[…Yeah. There’s no way I couldn’t know. That’s what spirit communion is all about.]

It was something Sylphi would’ve sensed the moment we made our contract. Spirit communion didn’t just let you feel emotions—it gave you glimpses into memories too.

That’s why I could talk to Sylphi like this. If it weren’t for him, no one else would believe me.

Even Abel might just think I was joking if I ever said something like that.

And if that ever happened…

It might be more painful than I expect.

[What do you think of that man, anyway?]

That man—he must mean Abel.

“He’s… someone I’m really grateful to.”

At first, I honestly thought he was terrifying.

Someone who would toss others aside without a second thought just because they didn’t align with his goals—who only saw people as tools.

But over time, I realized just how much he actually cared.

The playful teasing, the subtle ways he looked after me—none of it was meaningless.

‘Maybe it was for the sake of the Este Trading Company…’

But if that were all it was for, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to check in on me like that.

And during the Hunting Festival, when I nearly died, he wouldn’t have gotten so angry.

That’s why I came to trust Abel. Even though I had such deep-rooted mistrust of people, I could believe in him—because of what he showed me.

Above all else, the way Abel had saved me in that life-threatening moment…

He looked just like the knights in the fairy tales I loved as a child—the ones who rescued princesses.

“That’s why I want to get stronger.”

I didn’t want to rely on Abel anymore.

I was tired of always being like a fairy tale princess, waiting to be saved by him.

Instead, I wanted to become the knight who could save him. I wanted to be his shield—someone he could lean on.

Even if that wasn’t possible yet, someday… I would make it possible.

‘…I really do think about Abel a lot, don’t I?’

The me from a few months ago would probably be shocked if she could hear my thoughts now. She’d probably jump up and accuse me of lying.

The thought made me chuckle a little.

By now, even the Duke of Hardenberg’s mansion felt like home.

That’s how much had changed in just a few months.

– – The End of The Chapter––

 

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