Chapter 118

Chapter 118

"Ze, Zero's girlfriend? No, before that... why are we suddenly talking about him?"

Lucia remembered Zero clearly.

Not just his unforgettable appearance, but also the fact that he, along with his nanny, had teased her.

Despite being somewhat clumsy, she was, after all, one of the Empire's Ten Swords.

'To tease me?'

What an insolent guy.

Back then, she had been too flustered to react, but if they met again, she would give him a piece of her mind.

'I can't believe Delin had such a person by her side...'

He must have been planning to do something bad, taking advantage of our youngest's tender heart.

She intended to give him a thorough scolding before he could lay a hand on her.

"How strange. Wasn't he your ideal type?"

"Him? Nanny! Even if it doesn't look like it, I have very high standards, you know?"

"Weren't you the one who said you disliked men who lack the courage to meet your gaze?"

"...Well, yes. But he's different, isn't he? It's not that he didn't avoid eye contact, maybe he just couldn't see?"

"Hmm... You do have a point."

That was the level of people's perception of slit eyes.

Even the nanny, who usually challenged every word Lucia said, agreed with her.

"And why should I fight his girlfriend?"

"To win over Zero, of course."

"No, I mean, why should I want to win him over in the first place?"

A fundamental question about this situation.

The nanny's answer was surprisingly simple.

"You have to marry him."

It was then that Lucia finally realized.

All this time, from before until now, the nanny's words were not mere jokes.

"Na, Nanny! Have you lost your mind? How old is he compared to me!"

"Didn't you just say you'd win no matter what? Age is just a number, let's prove that!"

"That was when I thought it was a duel! You're really crazy, crazy! Not only flirting with a young boy but also trying to break up a couple that's doing well! Is that something an adult should do?"

For Lucia, who was known to be somewhat scatterbrained, it was a remarkably logical argument.

Was it that shocking? The nanny muttered.

"...because it's something you have to fight for."

"Eh? What did you say?"

"Love is something you fight for! So let's give it our all! It may not end well, but we have to try!"

The nanny's eyes flipped.

The demon obsessed with marriage showed its face again.

"Zero seems to like cute things. We should strategize towards that. So..."

So?

Lucia instinctively hugged a box of snacks to her chest. However.

"You'll have to lose weight first. Reduce your food intake by 50%, and no snacks."

"No wayyyy!!"

Lucia's wail echoed through the dormitory.

* * *

Returning to my room after a grueling training session.

Zzzap-!

As soon as I entered, my [Hyper Sense] activated, alerting me to the presence of someone else.

"Keke, isn't it too late for a visit?"

"...Quiet, insolent one."

Caron emerged from the shadows.

It wasn't that I hadn't seen Caron since the demon attack.

He was one of the investigators, after all.

But personal contact had been impossible. There were too many eyes watching.

'...It's still unforgettable.'

After receiving first aid from the nanny, I went to the infirmary.

Caron, who had rushed over like lightning upon hearing the news, focused his gaze on Luna.

The look in Caron's eyes as he watched the injured Luna.

It was difficult to define due to the mix of emotions, but it was clear he was worried about Luna.

"Let me ask you one thing."

Caron asked, his eyes gleaming.

"Is the demon attack related to you?"

If I said yes, I could be killed.

The possibility of further demon attacks existed. And that would mean Luna was in danger.

So, I decided to use Luna.

"To be honest, it is related. But the same goes for Miss Luna."

"...What do you mean?"

There's information Caron doesn't know? That's surprising.

"Well, they're human after all. Aren't they the two families who have been most loyal? They must have had something in common."

"I see. Something in common..."

"But why do you ask all of a sudden?"

"Keke, I was just curious. Well, there's also the possibility that the Lucid family had something to do with the Lester family's situation..."

The rest of the sentence was added because Caron gave me a strange look.

I know better than anyone that the Lucid family is not the culprit.

I'm a veteran player of this game.

"If you have no more questions, let's end it here."

Caron vanished in an instant.

* * *

The next day, at the training ground.

While taking a brief rest, Luna, who had been watching my training, asked.

"What have you been doing since the other day? It seems like you're only doing basic training."

Hmm, Luna, what are you talking about?

I've been using only secret techniques from the start of my training until now.

But I fully agreed with Luna's opinion.

Even though I was using the Fleur family's secret techniques, they didn't seem like secret techniques at all.

'Very static.'

To others, it seemed like I was just swinging a sword normally.

'No wonder people underestimated it.'

I understood Lérang's feelings.

If this is called a family's secret technique, anyone would be disappointed.

If it weren't for the system window, I would have thrown the sword away, thinking, 'What kind of secret technique is this?'

'This is not going to be as easy as I thought.'

Raising [Fleur Family Style] to S rank and becoming 'real' was my dream.

At this rate, it might end up being a dream in a different sense.

'I need a strategy.'

How can I evolve this swordsmanship? That's when I was contemplating.

"Oh, right. How about Parrot?"

The parrot. She must be talking about the sacred sword.

I took out the handle of the sacred sword Artana.

A plain handle. Nothing more, nothing less.

"It's asleep."

"Hmm... Should I give it a kiss? Like waking up a princess with a kiss, you know."

Was it my imagination? The sacred sword seemed to tremble slightly.

Luna began swinging the sacred sword around, but it showed no reaction.

Of course, it wouldn't.

'The cooldown hasn't reset yet.'

168 hours. A week-long cooldown.

I still had to wait three more days.

'I've already thought about what to experiment with. The sacred sword isn't a worry...'

The new companion. That was the problem.

'If only there was a sturdy tank... but there's no suitable candidate, and everyone's avoiding me.'

Damn slit eyes.

I was seriously considering whether to draw pupils on them with magic when.

Zzzap-.

[Hyper Sense] activated. The location was near the entrance to the training ground.

[Hyper Sense] isn't a skill that activates just because someone is approaching. It activates either when someone intends to threaten me or when someone is approaching in stealth.

So, the person at the entrance to the training ground is either intending to threaten me or is approaching in stealth.

I lifted my arm, moving Luna slightly behind me, and placed my hand on the sheath, ready for anything.

If it's a suspicious person, I'd have to strike immediately.

"..."

But no matter how much time passed, the door didn't open.

...Wait, does that mean?

'Not intending to threaten, but approaching in stealth?'

In broad daylight.

It's an absurd idea, but there's one person who fits.

Living in stealth, both during the day and normally.

The door creaked open.

"Hi, hiik!"

It was Rezé, no doubt.

--TL Notes--

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