Chapter 88: Echoes of an Unseen Blade

“Today, the sword feels better.”

As the Celestial Festival approached, I helped Anne with her training by sparring with her.

While Anne’s skills were improving, my abilities were growing at an even faster rate. At this point, winning or losing had lost its meaning, but today, the gap between us seemed even wider.

“Really? It does feel like the sword sticks to my hand better.”

I couldn’t openly show it to Anne, so I responded modestly. But in truth, I was the one who felt the difference the most.

It had only been a day since yesterday, yet the trajectory of my sword had improved far beyond what a single day should allow.

Even more surprising was that I hadn’t had any extra time to train outside of class yesterday due to event rehearsals.

“Ah!”

Anne, who had been lying flat on the ground, sprang up energetically.

“Next up—Yuri and Linne!”

Seemingly tireless, Anne immediately called out her next opponents.

Linne’s strength had certainly diminished compared to when she was at the old school building, but thanks to Yuri’s talent, she still wielded formidable power.

Boom! Boom! Crash!

Under the guise of sparring, Anne was using her incredible strength to wreak havoc on the training grounds.

She would slam her greatsword down, splitting the sparring ground in half, or swing a blade embedded in the floor, sending debris flying everywhere.

It wasn’t something that happened often, but watching her, I could somewhat understand why Griffin Academy’s tuition fees were so high.

“El.”

As I was observing Anne’s match while applying the same observations to myself, Celian, who had sparred with Anne first, called my name.

“Hmm?”

I had been so focused on Anne’s spar that I turned my head a moment later than I responded.

“Would you like to spar with me while we wait?”

Now that I thought about it, it had been quite a while since I last dueled Celian.

Since Anne was the academy’s sole tournament participant, I always sparred with her instead of others, aside from my personal training.

I glanced back at Anne’s match. It didn’t look like it would be over anytime soon.

“Alright, it’s been a while. Let’s do it.”

We moved far from Anne, heading to a different training area altogether.

Facing each other, Celian and I took our stances.

“I’ve improved a lot recently. If you underestimate me, you might actually lose this time.”

“I would never underestimate you, El. But defeating a Swordmaster like me? I think it’s still too soon for that.”

Without exchanging a signal, we both lunged at each other the moment our words ended.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed as we swiftly separated, widening the distance between us.

That first exchange had been just a taste—an opening greeting to mark the start of our duel.

The real battle would begin now.

Clang!

Celian’s sword flashed toward me with incredible speed. I had just enough tension to react but not so much that my body stiffened.

The attack was so fast that the sound of it cutting through the air arrived later than the actual strike.

But Celian’s swordplay didn’t stop at one strike. Like a relentless wave, her attacks kept surging toward me.

If I dodged, she adjusted. If I deflected, she followed through. No matter how I responded, she maintained the flow of her sword, pushing me back.

Looking back at our past duels, simply being able to block her attacks now was proof of my improvement.

But my growth didn’t stop there.

Even with her aggressive attack patterns, which left no obvious openings, I managed to slip my sword through the gaps.

Normally, Celian’s sword would have cut me before mine could reach her. However, I incorporated my assassin’s footwork into my movements.

“Huh?”

Assassin techniques weren’t typically suited for sword duels, yet they blended naturally into my body movements, allowing me to evade Celian’s blade.

Her sword barely missed me, and in the next instant, my blade reached her body.

Thud!

Perhaps she hadn’t expected my improved swordsmanship. I managed to stab Celian’s abdomen.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been a lethal blow. However, since we were using practice swords without sharp edges, and because she had reinforced her body with a Swordmaster’s aura, she wasn’t seriously injured.

At worst, she might end up with a bruise.

Clatter.

But as I delivered the strike, my grip loosened, and my sword slipped from my hand.

The duel came to a sudden halt.

Seeing Celian take a step back, I bent down and reached out to pick up the sword that had fallen to the ground.

Noticing the slight tremor in my outstretched hand, I realized that it wasn’t due to a lack of strength. Rather, it seemed that my hands had stiffened from nervousness during my spar with Celian after such a long time, causing me to drop the sword.

I picked up the sword and turned to Celian, uncertain whether to continue the sparring match.

It seemed the duel was over, as Celian simply stared at me without taking a stance.

“El……”

Celian’s expression had hardened slightly, as if she, too, had realized how sharp my strike had been.

Even though I had dropped my sword, the attack had clearly put me in the lead.

That strike to Celian’s abdomen had been executed so cleanly and perfectly.

“……!”

But at that moment, pain suddenly struck.

A cold, sharp pain, just like the one I had felt yesterday while bathing.

“El!”

A pain even more vivid than yesterday surged through my chest. Unable to stay standing, I clutched at my chest and collapsed to my knees.

The pain, which had started as a tingling sensation, quickly escalated to an unbearable level.

It would likely persist until I removed the sword embedded in my chest.

I needed to pull it out as soon as possible.

However, as I reached to grasp the sword that had pierced my heart, my hand kept flailing helplessly through empty air.

Had I lost too much blood? My vision blurred, and even breathing became difficult.

Damn it… I need to pull it out quickly…

“El! Get a hold of yourself, El!”

Even through the unbearable agony, a familiar voice pierced my ears.

But it didn’t matter whose voice it was.

What mattered was removing the sword.

If I died here, what would happen next?

What would happen… next…?

“Celie…?”

“Yes! It’s me! I’m your friend, Celian!”

That’s right. Just like before, the voice breaking through my pain belonged to Celian.

That was a relief. Just like last time, Celian was safe…

“El! Wake up! There’s nothing hurting you! It’s all just an illusion! Please, snap out of it!”

An illusion?

What are you talking about, Celie?

This pain, so vivid, so real—there’s no way it’s just an…

?

“Haaah…!”

As if my earlier struggle to breathe had been a lie, a deep gulp of air filled my lungs completely.

Sweat—or perhaps saliva—dripped from my face, falling onto the ground.

I quickly ran my hands over my chest. Of course, there was no sword embedded there.

“What… exactly…”

What just happened?

I had landed an attack on Celian. The spar had stopped. And then, suddenly, pain struck me.

While writhing in agony, I had heard Celian’s voice, and then—

The pain that had been torturing me just moments ago had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed in the first place.

All that remained in my memory was the excruciating pain.

The sweat soaking my body was proof that what I had felt was no mere dream.

“……”

Celian called my name, her voice filled with a mix of emotions too complex to define.

“El, look at me.”

She grabbed my shoulders firmly, her voice resolute.

As if hypnotized by her words, I lifted my gaze to meet hers.

Though no tears fell, her eyes were undeniably wet as she stared straight at me.

“Have you been experiencing anything strange lately? Do you ever recall memories that feel… different from reality?”

“No…? Not really…?”

What was she trying to say?

If anything, rather than recalling strange memories, I felt as though I had forgotten something.

I had been having frequent strange dreams lately, but surely, she wasn’t asking about something as trivial as dreams…

How long had I remained silent?

Perhaps realizing that I wasn’t lying, Celian let out a light sigh and released my shoulders.

“If anything comes to mind, please let me know. It’s important.”

“Is this… about the Hero or the Holy Sword?”

“…If you put it that way, then yes. So please, don’t forget. Promise me you’ll tell me.”

“Alright. If it’s about the Hero, you probably know more about it than I do anyway.”

Though I agreed easily, a lingering question remained.

I had suddenly been struck by a mysterious pain—why did Celian believe it was related to the Hero?

Yet that question never made it past my lips.

It remained locked away inside me.