Chapter 2: Blades Crossed

“Haah…”

When I returned to the dormitory after assessing the situation at the guild headquarters last night, it was already dawn.

In the end, I had to go to school without sleeping a wink.

The classroom was empty, perhaps because no one had arrived yet.

I yawned with my mouth wide open and trudged over to the spot where I had sat yesterday, plopping down into the chair.

When I was a boy, staying up all night was nothing, but now that I’m a girl, just one night without sleep makes my eyelids feel heavy as lead.

I don’t know if this is how women are, or if it’s a side effect of the TS magic, but it’s a minor change, if anything.

I set aside those unnecessary thoughts for a moment and tried to reorganize the current situation.

One. Is there a way to return to my original body?

No. The dead Tshem Mogura from last night boasted that he was the only TS magician on the continent.

He may not know all the magicians in the continent, but I can’t risk my life on something uncertain.

Two. Do I have money on hand?

I have a few gold coins, but considering the living expenses like dorm fees and food at the academy, it’s far from enough.

Three. Is the current situation safe?

The Deretia family is likely on high alert, realizing that their precious lady is a target for assassination.

In such a situation, suddenly disappearing after leaving the academy could be even more dangerous.

In other words, the current situation isn’t ideal for me, who was seeking freedom.

After organizing the current situation, I then tried to sketch out a rough plan for the future in my mind.

One. Do I really need to leave the academy?

As everyone knows, Griffin Academy is said to be the best academy on the continent.

It’s difficult to get in and graduate, but if you can graduate, a bright future lies ahead.

Do I really want to throw away an opportunity that others are desperate to gain?

Two. How will I secure funding?

Living within the academy costs money.

Of course, food costs money, and the dormitory goes without saying.

Even the dorm I’m currently staying in is a single room.

While the dorm fee for the first semester has been paid, I have no confidence in being able to afford a single room from the second semester onward.

Even if I want to move into a four-person room, I need to cut back on food expenses immediately.

At least there’s a silver lining—since Griffin Academy is national, they have a well-established scholarship system.

I wish they would just reduce the cost of food and dorm fees, but I guess they want to squeeze operating costs from the nobles who are only paying to get diplomas.

In any case, what I need to aim for is a full scholarship that covers tuition, dormitory fees, and food.

At the very least, I need to secure a half scholarship to make any future plans possible.

Three. Celian Deretia

This is quite a problem.

Whether it’s fortune or misfortune, judging by her attitude yesterday, she seems to have a favorable impression of me.

Of course, she might just be a kind person to everyone, but that wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

But is it wise for me, who intended to assassinate Celian , to get close to her?

If I make even the slightest mistake and my identity is revealed, my life will be in danger.

However, on the contrary, if I don’t make mistakes, the closer I get to her, the more I can avoid suspicion regarding myself.

After all, as a former assassin (with no experience), I’m confident that my actions will be as precise as a sharp blade, leaving no room for error.

If that’s the case, it would be better to become close to Celian moving forward.

Creak…

While I was organizing my future plans in my mind, other students had begun to arrive at school.

The back door opened, and a student walked into the classroom.

The sound of the door opening naturally made me turn my head, and I locked eyes with the student entering.

Her eyes were as blue as a cloudless sky.

I’ve seen people with blue eyes, but I had never seen anyone with eyes as clear as hers.

Celian Deretia.

Her blue eyes harmonized beautifully with her blonde hair, exuding even more charm.

She seemed surprised to find someone in the classroom, and upon spotting me, her eyes widened before she smiled brightly.

“You were here first, Elysia.”

“Oh, hello, Celian .”

Dragging out a chair, Celian sat down and placed her bag next to the desk.

As my thoughts momentarily paused and the conversation halted, a wave of drowsiness washed over me, and I covered my mouth with one hand as I yawned.

Of course, I didn’t yawn with my mouth wide open like before; I tried to do it as gracefully as possible.

While rubbing my eyes to wipe away the tears from yawning, Celian moved closer to my desk.

“Looks like you didn’t get enough sleep? Though, the dorm was a bit noisy last night, wasn’t it?”

“Ah, yes… I’m quite sensitive, so I couldn’t sleep well…”

I didn’t know if it was noisy since I had been away all night, but I tried to agree as best I could.

Celian didn’t stop at simply moving her desk closer; she leaned in, staring intently at my face.

Feeling uncomfortable as our noses almost touched, I didn’t know where to look and my eyes darted around.

Honestly, this was an unavoidable reaction. No matter how much training I had as an assassin, I had never been this close to a girl my age for over ten years.

In fact, I should be praised just for managing to keep the conversation going.

Only after Celian stepped back from my gaze could I finally let out a sigh of relief internally.

That is, until she raised both hands and placed them on my cheeks.

“Such a pretty face, but with dark circles under your eyes? That’s a crime!”

She squeezed my cheeks with both hands while grumbling.

“Eri-ya???”

When I called her name with a slurred pronunciation, she showed no signs of letting go of my cheeks.

Going beyond just pressing my cheeks, she began to stretch them while murmuring.

“No… This might actually give off a more decadent beauty…? If I had to choose between the two…”

“Ahh, ahh?”

Feeling scared by her mumbling to herself, I murmured again with a slurred pronunciation, and only then did Celian finally release my cheeks.

Of course, I could have pulled her hands away myself, but that option was out of the question.

I had to stick close to her.

Any action that could make her uncomfortable was a no-go.

“Here, have one of these. It’ll help alleviate your fatigue a little, right?”

She pulled out a piece of candy from a container in her bag and held it out to me. I reached out my fingers to take the candy and popped it into my mouth.

At the same time, a sour taste spread throughout my mouth.

The sudden tanginess made my eyes naturally squint. But as I quickly got used to the sourness, the sweetness became apparent.

While rolling the candy around on my tongue to savor it, she reached out and began to pat my head.

?

Since yesterday, I had felt that the distance in how she treated me was too close. Is this how girls usually act with each other?

There was nothing in the behavioral rules I had studied as a girl that mentioned this.

But surely, the information I had researched wasn’t exhaustive. This kind of behavior might be perfectly natural among girls.

So I tried to reach out to pat her head as well.

“Tsuu!”

At the sound of her tongue clicking, I quickly placed my hand back on my thigh and lowered my gaze.

…?

Ultimately, my only choice was to remain still while patting her head until she was satisfied.

***

“Since today is the first day of class, let’s start by assessing each other’s levels.”

The first class of the Swordsmanship Class 1 was practical sword fighting.

The professor in charge was Ferrent, the head professor of Swordsmanship Class 1. I had heard that before entering the academy, he was the captain of the royal knights.

Indeed, this is the continent’s best academy.

“Now, pair up and find your spots!”

Following the professor’s instructions, the students dispersed, pairing up appropriately. Here and there, I noticed students who were hesitant and unable to find partners, but Ferrent was pairing them off separately.

What about me?

I turned my head to look beside me.

Celian had somehow slipped away from the others and was standing right next to me.

I was surprised at how she had appeared without me even noticing. Perhaps Celian truly has a talent for being stealthy?

“Then, each pair, step forward and begin your duel! It’s not like we’re using real swords, and if it gets too dangerous, I’ll step in, so don’t worry! Those who are not dueling should pay attention and give proper feedback, as you’ll receive extra points for it, so don’t mess around!”

I watched the duels that were beginning, steadily accumulating extra points as I waited for my turn.

***

“Next!”

Finally, it was my turn.

Following the professor’s command, Celian and I stepped forward. I swung the wooden sword lightly in my hand.

Perhaps due to the significantly reduced strength of my female body, even though it was just a wooden sword, it felt quite heavy. It wasn’t heavy enough to be unwieldy, though.

I took my stance and looked at Celian, who stood before me.

As I already knew, she was a candidate for the Hero. I didn’t know her exact skills, but she was definitely not someone to underestimate.

Just by observing how she held her sword, I could feel that she was markedly different from the students I had dueled with earlier.

But that was actually a good thing. I needed to accurately assess my current skills.

I had to find out how far I could perform in this female body and whether my future plans for a scholarship were reasonable.

There was no formal start declared, but the duel had already begun.

Both Celian and I felt it in our bones that we were ready to swing our swords.

For now, Celian’s stance was textbook perfect. One foot was slightly behind while her body was firmly held upright, and her shoulders faced me directly without turning. The tip of her sword was unwavering and showed no signs of shaking.

I thought about trying to get into her head with some psychological tactics, but her usual cheerful expression was replaced with an unfamiliar blankness.

What I sensed from her was a rock-like firmness.

Alright, I’ll start first.

I gripped the wooden sword with one hand, spun it a couple of times, and then charged at Celian.

She easily parried the sword I swung diagonally from below and then pushed her shoulder into me.

Under normal circumstances, I should have lost my balance and been pushed back by her shoulder tackle, but I followed the momentum of the rebounding sword, spinning my body and vaulting over her.

I definitely felt that my body had become more flexible as I grabbed her nape.

If the uptight knights had seen this, they would probably have cursed it as a dirty act, but thankfully, there was no intervention.

I pulled her nape and swung my sword toward her.

However, she easily sensed my swinging sword from behind and simply placed her own sword in the path of my attack, nullifying it with ease.

Then, as she spun around and shook off my grip on her collar, she launched a powerful counterattack.

Blocking it was impossible; my only option was to evade.

I wanted to strike back, but my posture wasn’t good.

Rolling on the ground, her sword narrowly passed over my head.

The sound of it slicing through the air was chilling.

Once I was out of her range, I quickly got back on my feet and assumed my stance again.

It was a situation similar to the beginning.

Neither of us had any advantage or disadvantage, but both Celian and I could clearly feel that the momentum was firmly on her side.

It was no wonder she was a candidate for the Hero.

Aiming to be the youngest Swordmaster? Realizing how arrogant that was, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

If anyone was the closest to mastery at this moment, it wasn’t me, but the girl in front of me.

Had it always been this enjoyable to clash swords? Just a brief exchange allowed me to sense the seriousness behind her sword.

I could feel her thoughts; she, too, was enjoying this.

Until now, I hadn’t found any joy in practicing with the sword.

The daily training had always been nothing but pain, and I had accepted that pain as a given.

After all, the sword was merely a tool for assassination. I had thought it was just that.

Unlike her, who had walked the path of the sword, the road I had traveled for over a decade had been dirty and unpleasant.

But it didn’t matter. I had tried to hide the shame of that path until now, but now I could stand tall.

This was the path I had taken. I wasn’t wrong; I had simply walked a different road.

By meeting her, facing her sword, and witnessing her path, I could finally have faith in my own.

Even without being conscious of it, an aura began to overlay my sword.

It wasn’t the pitch-black aura I had when I was a man, but a dazzlingly pure white aura.

Seeing my sword, she also smiled and drew up her own aura.

An aura shining in golden light.

Gold and silver.

After a brief silence, we both charged at each other.

“Okay! That’s enough!”

Celian and I found ourselves suspended, with Ferrent holding us by the back of our necks.

Indeed, he was the former captain of the royal knights.


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adeThorns
adeThorns
3 months ago

Cute, I’m enjoying this so far

Kzalca
Kzalca
3 months ago

Oh shit. She’s into girls and she got Elysia locked in her sights so quickly 😭🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Thanks for the chapter!

Last edited 3 months ago by Kzalca
lol
lol
3 months ago

Oh so her change in mentality

made her aura change color?

Last edited 3 months ago by Ercterburn
Khartu
2 months ago

She freaky