We ended up having our match in the corner of the grounds where Shea and her team were practicing.
Students from the royal capital had also stopped practicing and were looking towards our direction.
U~u, don’t look too much.
There was no way such a wish would reach them, and their eyes glued on us. But if you look closely, the line of sight was directed at Cereille. It was as if they were observing Cereille in order to know what she was capable of.
I have to win inconspicuously, as I originally intended.
Cereille and I took a little distance away from each other.
“Whenever you’re ready.” (Cereille)
Cereille was holding her wooden sword.
Now then, what should I do?
I’m in trouble.
It’s easy to win this. But it’s no good. It would be troublesome later on to win while wearing a uniform and having my face known. The ideal situation was winning while matching Cereille’s movement.
“If you won’t come, then I’ll come to you.” (Cereille)
Since I didn’t initiate the action, Cereille made the first move.
When we were close to each other, Cereille swung her wooden sword at me in the front casually. I parried it lightly with my wooden sword. Cereille looked surprised at this.
I just took it head-on.
Cereille’s facial expression tightened, and she attacked me with a right and left swing. I moved and dodged in rhythm.
That’s a beautiful sword muscle. I don’t know if I would call it smooth. She didn’t just swing her sword. She handled the sword swing properly herself.
With a heavy sword, just swinging it down can drag your body with it. To put it simply, it’s like holding a large hammer. If you swing it around, it’s difficult to control. If I, who’s not strong enough, try it, I would be dragged around (personal experience).
However, a wooden sword was lighter than a real sword. Moreover, even a wooden sword will lose its balance if it gets hit. But Cereille, even if her wooden sword got bounced back, did not lose her balance and kept striking a follow-up.
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-Cereille’s POV-
My name is Cereille.
I am the daughter of the noble Forinz family.
When I was a small child, I hated conflict, never held a sword, and was too afraid to approach anyone who wielded a sword. But one incident changed me.
It was when my mother was killed. I wanted to become stronger after my mother died.
I have learned the sword and also learned to protect myself. I also started learning magic after finding out that I had a background in magic. I, of course, studied hard and thought I had grown up as a lady of the Forinz family without being embarrassed.
I was also happy to be chosen for this magical exchange.
I wanted to practice magic to live up to that, but right now, the school grounds were being used by students from the royal capital, that’s why students from Euphalia could not use them.
Unable to practice magic, I decided to explore the city.
I love this city that my mother loved. The lake was beautiful, the streets were clean, and I am proud of it. I love to stroll around the city.
As I was walking along, looking at the lake, I saw a girl walking backwards. She does not notice me. When I tried to avoid her, she tripped and almost fell backwards. I quickly caught her.
In my arms was a cute little girl, about 10 years old, with a surprised look on her face. I recognized her from somewhere, but could not immediately recall where.
“Have we met somewhere?” (Cereille)
I asked, and she looked at me. I looked back at her.
……Ah, I remember.
“Are you, Cereille-sama?” (Noa)
“Noire?” (Cereille)
We said each other’s names almost simultaneously.
Yes, she’s Noire, the daughter of the Foshuroze family.
Noire also seemed to remember me.
We have met only a few times. The last time was probably at His Majesty the King’s birthday banquet.
That was only a light greeting. I did not talk much with Noire, who was younger than me. If anything, I talked more with her sister, Shia, who was closer to my age.
That noblewoman, Noire, said she came to the city of Euphalia without an escort.
To be precise, a young girl, a student, came with her as an escort.
Her name is Yuna.
Yuna was a pretty girl, short for her age of 15, with long hair. She doesn’t look that much, but it looks like she could not protect Noire in the event of getting attacked by monsters.
At first, I thought that perhaps Noire’s family did not know about this, but both her parents, Cliff-sama and Eleanora-sama, actually did. I couldn’t believe it.
I offered to escort Noire while she was in town. The city was safe. But if anything should happen to the daughter of the Foshuroze family, it would tarnish the reputation of my father, who’s the lord of this city.
Yet Noire refused my offer, saying that this girl, Yuna, was strong and will protect her.
Still, Noire really seemed to believe in her from the bottom of her heart.