Chapter 5: VS Ichinose Kaede

Three days later, I made my way to the forest on the outskirts of the academy grounds, located behind the main campus.

The massive Altmegia Academy, a mage training institution that towered over the center of the Royal Capital of Artemisia, had an adjacent forest sector designated for close-quarters combat training.

It was normally used for extracurricular exercises, but access was relatively unrestricted in the early morning. You could even see students engaged in their own private training. That was why the information I’d received—that she used this place—seemed credible.

The crisp morning air filled my lungs. Soft sunlight streamed through the gaps in the trees, reflecting off the white, misty humidity and dyeing the entire forest in hazy, fantastical colors.

The rustling of leaves in the wind, the flutter of birds’ wings, the faint sense of a beast bounding in the distance. Surrounded by these sounds of nature, the clamor of the academy felt a world away.

“Let’s see, according to Askii’s report—it should be right around here.”

My murmured words dissolved into the forest’s silence. I shrugged my shoulders slightly against the cold air.

Even after searching the academy for three days, the information I’d gathered on the student named Ichinose Kaede was sparse. She was an exchange student from a foreign country who had only recently transferred in. Her actual abilities were unknown. She was said to be a person of few words, with almost no close friends.

And so, I had ordered my maid, Askii, to gather intelligence.

‘According to my investigation, Ichinose-sama is an exchange student from an eastern country called “Japan.” Her well-defined features have drawn the attention of the student body. She seems to possess a combative personality and has been seen clearing the academy’s dungeon by herself. Her favorite food is a sweet called “mitarashi dango.” She is currently staying in the academy dorms and practices her swordsmanship every morning in the forest behind the school.’

Recalling the report, I noticed it was mixed with rather trivial information and let out a soft sigh.

Still, the most crucial point—that she “practices in the forest”—was all that mattered to me. And if she truly had the combative personality I’d heard about, there was only one thing to do.

(I shall test her abilities myself.)

When I focused my hearing, I could faintly make out a sound from the distance, like something slicing through the air. I moved cautiously between the trees, heading toward the sound. Soon, I came upon a small clearing in the forest. And there she was.

A blade, shimmering with a blue light, flashed in the morning sun. It traced a slow arc, followed by a succession of slashes. The sound of it cutting through the air was a low, sharp thrum. The sight was so serene, so breathtakingly beautiful.

I couldn’t help but stop and stare.

She had a small, slender frame, and her black hair, which reached her shoulders, swayed in the breeze.

Her small face was well-proportioned, with sharp, narrow eyes that created a sculptural line from a side profile. Her lips were thin and perfectly formed. Her expression held a kind of taut coldness.

In her hand was a slender, blue-glowing sword—it looked to be a blade of exceptional quality, likely an armament enchanted for magic conduction.

(She’s even more… visually insane than I heard.)

I gasped. Her presence was more powerful than the rumors suggested, and for a moment, it stole my thoughts.

(This is no time to be gawking.)

“—You are Ichinose Kaede, I presume.”

The moment I spoke, her movements stopped dead. The gaze she sent over her shoulder was as sharp and cold as ice.

“…I am. Who are you?”

Her voice was low, yet pleasing to the ear.

I placed a hand on my chest and introduced myself politely.

“My name is Michelle Starium. I am the heir to House Starium, one of the Four Great Noble Houses of this country.”

For a second, Ichinose’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“…Starium. You’re the daughter of that Aides Starium?”

“Indeed. I am honored you know my father’s name.”

A mix of tension and elation beat in my chest. I smiled, puffed out my chest, and got to the point.

“So… Ichinose-san. This is rather sudden, but—would you do me the honor of fighting me?”

A slight change flickered across Kaede’s expression.

“Fight? Are you… strong?”

It was a direct question. I answered immediately.

“Of course. In terms of magical power, I even surpass my father.”

I held my head high and gave her a confident smile.

Her lips twitched slightly. That alone was enough to tell me she would accept my challenge.

“…Very well. What are the rules?”

I replied with a supremely confident expression.

“We shall use the Kingdom’s formal dueling rules: the first to land a single blow wins. How about we start from this distance?”

I picked up a branch from the ground and drew a line at my feet. The distance between myself and Kaede was about seven meters.

She, however, merely glanced down at it and scoffed.

“You’re naive. You’re a mage, aren’t you? I’ll give you double the distance.”

“Hmph… You’re certainly confident, aren’t you?”

A feeling like irritation began to well up from deep inside me at her condescending attitude.

I took my distance and quietly drew my favorite saber. Though I usually fight primarily with magic, I have never neglected my close-combat training.

This saber was a custom piece, commissioned from a renowned magic swordsmith in the capital. It was adapted for both magic and swordplay—a blade made just for me.

Its blade has high magic conductivity and excels at rapidly activating spells.

I breathed in, and out.

As I focused my mind, the magic furnace deep within my body—in the back of my womb—began to pulse in response. Heat was born, magic circulated, and it was refined, vibrating the very air as it coursed over the surface of my body. The magic activated my entire being, drastically increasing my physical abilities. My consciousness sharpened. I was ready.

“Are you ready, Kaede-san?”

I called out tauntingly with a slight smile, and her eyebrow twitched.

“Don’t call me by my first name.”

Her voice was frigid, her eyes narrowing sharply.

A tense silence enveloped the clearing.

“—Here I go. Three… Two… One… Start!”

“Water, become a blade and smite my foe…”

It was the very instant I began my magic incantation.

In the corner of my vision, a blue flash streaked. In the next moment, Ichinose had kicked off the ground, closing the entire distance that separated us in a single burst.

I thought I saw her raise her sword, but she was already standing right in front of me. Her speed far surpassed anything I could have predicted.

Fast. Too fast. I didn’t have a shred of time to chant my spell. I couldn’t even move a single finger to deploy a defensive magic.

—This is bad!

By the time I tried to recoil, it was too late. The cold tip of her blade had stopped scant millimeters from my throat. It hovered there, barely touching my skin, gleaming quietly as if in mockery.

“Is this it?”

With a voice devoid of emotion, a voice that said she was disappointed, she withdrew her blade. The slow movement of her sheathing the sword felt strangely distant.

The moment I saw that, my knees buckled.

A cold sweat poured down my back, my heart hammered against my ribs, and my fingertips trembled faintly.

“I still have my training to do. We’re done here.”

Without a hint of interest, she turned her back and began walking deeper into the forest.

I remained standing there, frozen to the spot, my fists clenched tightly at my sides.

Defeat. And a complete one, at that. A difference in power so vast I wasn’t even allowed to chant. The reality of it gouged out a heavy piece of my heart.

I—the great me—had been utterly helpless.

I heard the sound of something cracking deep inside my soul.