Chapter 13 — First Duel [1]
"Phew—"
I steadied my breathing.
As I had expected, Eleanor came here.
'If it were anyone else, it might not matter. But if she faces Sara, she's bound to remember it.'
Winning against Sara wasn't what mattered.
What was important was leaving Eleanor with a strong and favorable first impression.
'Of course, if I win, she'll definitely remember me. But realistically… beating Sara is going to be very difficult.'
Back in the garden, Sara hadn't fought me with her full strength.
But this time, she most likely would.
'If only I were more accustomed to fighting with this body… Well, I shouldn't expect too much.'
I quickly organized my thoughts.
'Winning isn't the goal. If I can just last… say, five minutes against Sara? That alone would be enough for Eleanor to remember me.'
Five minutes.
No, even just showing that I could hold out for a bit against Sara would be sufficient.
"Alex, are you ready?"
"Yes, Professor. I'll start right away."
I walked to the center of the gymnasium.
Sara soon followed after me.
"Alright, both of you, draw your swords."
At Lucas's command, Sara drew her rapier.
Then, raising the hilt to eye level, she held the blade vertically upright.
It was the starting stance of the Isrinbloom Family's swordsmanship—the same posture I had seen earlier in the garden.
I hadn't been able to observe it properly then, but now I could clearly see Sara's sword form.
'…Let's do this.'
After centering my mind, I drew my sword from its sheath.
Then, instinctively—and as if it were the most natural thing in the world—I assumed my stance.
Gripping the Mistcatcher with both hands, I drew my arms and the blade as close to my body as possible.
It was the posture my character had taken—the one who had mastered only defensive swordsmanship styles. To others, it probably looked like I intended to defend and nothing more.
"That sword… it doesn't seem like one you could get within the Empire."
Lucas looked at my sword with interest.
"I saw a sword like that once, long ago, when I visited a country to the east. You can't find those in the Empire. Did you acquire it yourself?"
"Yes, I did."
In truth, I had no memory of doing so.
At least, not in this body.
Still, I answered as if I had.
After all, according to the original setting, the Mistcatcher could only be obtained by venturing to the very edge of the continent.
"I never thought I'd see such a blade here in the Empire. Well then, let's begin."
Lucas took a step back from us and spoke.
"Fight freely, and fight without restraint. But any attack that could threaten a life is strictly forbidden. If I see even the slightest chance of that happening, I'll intervene immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, understood."
"Got it. But, Lucas—no, Professor."
"What is it, Sara?"
"Cutting off an arm or leg is fine, right? Limbs can be reattached anyway…"
"If it's an accident, fine. But don't do it on purpose."
Lucas's tone was firm. Sara gave a reluctant nod.
But instinctively, I knew.
'So she's planning to "accidentally" slice off one of my limbs, huh?'
Given Sara's personality, it was entirely possible.
She always made sure to torment those she didn't like as much as possible—within acceptable limits.
Of course, just as she said, even if she did cut off my limbs, they could be reattached with magic.
Still, that didn't mean I wanted to experience it. I was determined to defend myself with everything I had.
'I can do this. No… I must do this.'
In the garden, my body had moved on its own, instinctively predicting and blocking Sara's attacks.
But I couldn't keep relying on instinct alone.
I had to fight with my own will, with my own decisions.
In the long run, I needed to make this body's combat abilities completely my own.
"Alright then… three, two, one… begin."
Lucas counted down and stepped back.
At that very moment, Sara swung her sword toward me.
Her rapier shot toward my shoulder.
But the red point of light appeared near my right waist.
I immediately lowered the Mistcatcher—
Clang—!
—and blocked Sara's strike.
"Hm."
Sara didn't look surprised.
Rather, it seemed like she had expected me to block at least that much.
"If you can block it… then keep blocking."
With that, Sara began to move differently from before.
If her swordsmanship in the garden had resembled fencing, this time it was like a dance.
Elegant and beautiful—yet unpredictable. The path of her sword was impossible to foresee.
'Right, that's why Sara's boss battle in the game was infamous.'
Most other bosses had readable motions, allowing players to predict and block or dodge.
But Sara's attack motions were utterly unpredictable.
That made her one of the hardest boss fights in the game…
'But not for my defensive swordsman.'
For my character, who had maxed out the Attack Prediction Skill, Sara's boss fight had been laughably easy.
And now, it was the same.
'…I can do this.'
As I continued to parry her rapier, I thought to myself.
The Isrinbloom Family's swordsmanship was a deceptive style—using intricate movements to mislead the opponent's eyes and provoke carelessness.
But that was meaningless against me, since I could predict her attacks.
'If I drag this fight out long enough… it's not like my chances of winning are zero.'
Because this wasn't a game anymore. It was reality.
I had physical limits. So did Sara.
If she kept attacking relentlessly, her stamina would inevitably run out.
'That gives me the advantage.'
Unlike Sara, whose sword danced with flourish, I had been focused purely on defense from the start—something that didn't consume much energy.
More importantly, this body I had transmigrated into possessed exceptional physical attributes.
Agility, reflexes, strength, endurance—all finely balanced.
'I'll get a chance. At least once.'
I blocked Sara's rapier as it came for my wrist.
At the same time, I stole a glance at her.
A battle of strength followed.
Her eyes had begun to show a faint trace of impatience.
'She's getting flustered.'
When our gazes met, I gave her a faint smile.
A deliberately teasing one.
Sara frowned slightly, gritted her teeth, and tried to push me back by force—
—but I didn't budge an inch.
In terms of raw physical ability…
And perhaps even pure swordsmanship… I might have had the upper hand.
"…Let's see how long you can keep smiling like that."
Sara widened the distance, then thrust her rapier at me once more.
Focus.
I thrust my sword toward Sara as well.
No—more precisely, I aimed at her rapier.
The tip of her rapier and mine collided, causing both blades to rebound away.
Clang—!
"…You're not bad."
Sara looked briefly surprised, but it vanished almost immediately. She swung her rapier toward my lower body this time.
[To be Continued]