The Secretary of the Northern Grand Duchess Has Run Away

Chapter 18:  Sword Duel (6)

The next day.

For some reason, Nord Academy had been buzzing since morning.

“Hey, did you hear? This time, Echina and Giovanni are really going head-to-head!”

“What…? I thought there was an unspoken rule that nobles don’t fight seriously.”

A huge rumor had spread from someone’s lips, striking the ears of bored students.

“No, this time it’s real!!”

“Did Giovanni do something wrong to the Grand Duke’s house…? Anyway, let’s go check it out.”

Students hurried down the stairs in a crowd.

Members of the academy's newspaper club, stationed on each floor, pulled out their notebooks.

They started tallying up the gathering crowd.

“More than 10 students per class are being mobilized.”

“Good. Make sure over 100 people are gathered at the arena by the time the duel starts.”

From the school rooftop, Mansachs received the report via voice projection magic.

He had meticulously written down a list of requests he’d heard from a certain secretary candidate.

“Luton Sword, huh… So it wasn’t just an emotionally driven duel after all.”

Mansachs silently observed a longsword he had drawn with his exceptional artistic skill.

Then, as if struck by inspiration, he scribbled a sentence using the quill pen tucked behind his ear.

「A war between ‘the two swords’ that will lead the two families.」

The second son of the newspaper company nodded in satisfaction.

Then, sensing the presence of the club vice-president behind him, he closed his notebook.

“President, don’t you think this has gotten way too big?”

At the black-haired girl’s remark, the blond man smiled gently.

Then, gazing toward the carriage of the Grand Duke’s house just arriving at the arena, he replied,

“Too big? This is the grand spectacle I’ve always dreamed of.”

“Giovanni comes from a long line of swordsmen. No matter how talented Echina is, can she really overcome the physical strength of a male knight...?”

Unlike the concerned vice-president, Mansachs remained relaxed.

In his eyes, the competitive nature he had inherited from his father gleamed brightly.

“Well, who cares? If Echina loses, we just don’t write the article. If she wins—front-page scoop.”

The second son of the newspaper company looked down at the business partner and the intimidating chief secretary stepping out of the carriage.

At the same time, he rested his chin on the back of his hand, his blue eyes gleaming.

“But this time, I have a good feeling.”

“You have a good feeling, President?”

At Mansachs’ words, the vice-president went silent for a moment.

She had experienced his uncanny instincts too many times to dismiss them, and she swallowed hard.

“That candidate over there meeting Echina—what do you think of him?”

At the president’s question, the young woman, around twenty years old, rose up slightly on her toes.

Blinking her distinct dark eyes, she examined his face.

“He just looks like some pretty boy. Like the kind who goes around sweet-talking nice girls.”

“Hm. So that’s all you see, huh?”

Mansachs let out a faint chuckle, disappointed with his junior’s eye for detail.

Then he lifted his finger and pointed at the candidate’s eyes.

“Those eyes—do you know who he looks like up close?”

“Hmm… a fox?”

At the innocent reply, Mansachs let out a deep sigh.

Then he spoke plainly of the vivid sensation he had felt the day before.

“He looks like my father.”

He recalled his father, who had held meetings with countless powerful figures of the Empire.

That sly look in his eyes as he helped solidify their political positions.

“The look of a man who’s played in filthy games—ones on land, sea, and even in the air.”

How could he ever forget that scene?

Just thinking about it made Mansachs shudder, and he shook his head.

「――――――」

The sky, which had been bright blue just yesterday, was now thick with heavy clouds.

A foreboding rumble echoed from above, as if lightning might strike at any moment.

Normally, such weather would drive students back inside out of fear of a sudden downpour.

But today, countless students had come out to the benches.

All their gazes were fixed on a single woman.

“Julius Roger? What are you doing here?”

A female knight in a white uniform, with black hair flowing down to her waist—Echina.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at me with sharp eyes like a wild beast.

“The Chief Secretary gave special permission.”

The Chief Secretary, supporting himself with a cane in both hands, added indifferently.

“He said he’s selected Roger again for the next engagement, so I brought him.”

“I see.”

Echina didn’t show any particular emotion at my arrival.

She simply placed one hand atop the black lion’s head carved into the Luton Sword.

“The duel begins in ten minutes.”

“I know. That’s why I brought a little ‘preparation’ ahead of time.”

Though she was already fully geared up, I had something else in mind.

As Echina glanced at me, I held out the items I’d prepared in advance.

“You should change into these boots.”

Thick-soled military boots with rubber bottoms.

They were designed by the army to handle soggy, unstable terrain.

“It’s not even raining yet. These are too heavy—they’ll get in the way.”

To her cold response, I gave slow, deliberate advice.

“The dueling ground tiles have been replaced with marble. Rain-ready boots like these minimize slipping and help keep your balance.”

Echina didn’t look pleased at the idea of wearing such boots for a noble duel.

She looked like a beautiful lioness with a sullen expression.

“Victory is more important than appearances, don’t you think?”

“You’re right.”

Echina seemed to agree, and sat down on the dueling ground steps.

When she took off her tall boots, her feet—wrapped in white stockings—came into view.

“Allow me.”

I gently held the smooth stocking-covered foot of the Grand Duke’s daughter.

It was astonishing that such precise swordsmanship could come from ankles so slender.

“Thank you.”

Echina tilted her head slightly as she watched me kneel and skillfully help her into the military boots.

Her hair, draping over her curves, spilled to one side.

“Do you often help women put on their shoes?”

“...?”

Why did she suddenly ask that?

Since it was a question from the Grand Duke’s daughter, I figured there must be some hidden intent. I quickly calculated, using the instincts I honed as Chief Secretary.

“Yes. I used to do it often when washing my mother’s feet.”

“I see.”

As Echina crossed one leg over the other, the material of her white stockings stretched, revealing the tint of her skin beneath.

I averted my gaze from her tightening skirt and carefully adjusted her foot with practiced hands.

“It’s done.”

Once her now-warmed foot was secured in the boot, I turned my eyes to the gloves she wore as part of her uniform.

“Your Grace, would you consider removing your gloves as well?”

“Do you have another pair prepared?”

She looked at me, puzzled, and I shook my head.

“No, but I recommend wielding your sword barehanded today.”

“And the reason?”

At her question, I looked up at the sky.

A cold droplet of rain landed right on the bridge of my nose.

“You’ll understand during the duel.”

I quietly wiped the droplet from my face and gave a small smile.

Echina stared silently at me for a moment, then rose from the steps.

“Very well.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter willingly removed her gloves and handed them to me.

Just as she was about to ascend the stairs—

I gave her one final piece of advice.

“When you face Giovanni, stand on the opposite side of the tree’s shadow.”

Echina paused mid-step.

So did Debier, who had been quietly watching my every move.

Two heavyweights of the Luton family fixed their eyes on me.

“Why is that?”

“You’ll find that out as well—once the duel begins.”

Echina let out a short breath.

Then, with calm steps, she ascended to the center of the arena.

“You sly one... I’ll look forward to whatever trick you’ve come up with.”

The wind blew colder than usual.

The sun had long disappeared.

Raindrops began to fall, slowly darkening the surface of the tiled floor.

Standing atop them, the Grand Duke’s daughter rubbed the soles of the boots I’d chosen for her.

Squaark―――.

The water-soaked tiles gripped tightly against the rubber soles, producing a sticky sound.

Satisfied, Echina lifted her head at the sound of hard boots approaching from the opposite side.

「Giovanni Dalton.」

Blue hair falling over his forehead.

Lean, yet tall and striking in appearance—a swordsman.

He was so skilled that even the western region of the Empire sought to recruit him into its knightly ranks.

Even from my place below the arena, I knew him well.

In fact, in the near future, he would grow strong enough to lead the subjugation of monsters in the Northern Mountains.

But.

Victory is not decided by skill alone.

The more evenly matched the abilities, the more the environment, strategy, and above all, preparation become decisive factors.

“You must’ve known it would rain, Roger.”

Debier, standing beside me, seemed well aware of this as well.

With his cane in hand, he exuded the presence of a true titan of the Empire.

“The scent of earth at the dueling ground was unusually strong yesterday.”

“……”

At my words, the Chief Secretary turned his head.

Perhaps realizing why I had descended to the dueling ground the day before, he let out a deep breath.

“I see.”

Debier removed one hand from the black lion cane.

He held his palm upward, feeling the droplets as they fell from the sky.

His gaze shifted to the two knights standing face-to-face.

Between them stood the Academy’s fencing professor.

“Thank you both for making time to participate despite your busy schedules.”

The professor spoke plainly to the scions of noble families.

He didn’t seem particularly worried about the match between these two geniuses, skipping even the explanation of the rules.

“Let’s begin, as usual—just don’t get hurt.”

A rather unfamiliar kind of instruction from a professor to his students.

It was a sign of just how renowned the skill and reputations of the two facing off were.

“Echina, looks like your mana’s gotten even stronger since I last saw you.”

Giovanni greeted the Grand Duke’s daughter with a smile.

It was a natural smile, born from the longstanding friendly relations between their prestigious families.

“I’m looking forward to learning from you again today.”

Of course, when one meets Echina face-to-face, most men can’t help but act politely.

But.

“……”

Echina’s expression, facing him now, was as cold as today’s weather.

She had usually exchanged at least a polite greeting.

But today, her eyes were as sharp as if she were facing the sworn enemy of her family.

“Indeed, Dalton.”

A swordsman from a prestigious house could sense instinctively that her presence today was anything but ordinary.

The Grand Duke’s daughter, who usually treated duels half-heartedly, now bore the gaze of a predator locked onto its prey.

He almost wanted to ask if something bad had happened to her today.

But Echina’s eyes weren’t fixed on Dalton himself.

What had provoked her mood was the golden lion sword he held—

The Leonil Sword, the weapon of the Western Grand Duke’s daughter.

“It’s starting to rain. Let’s end this quickly.”

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter drew the Luton Sword.

Forged by the hammer of a master craftsman, its sharp blade stood upright before her face.

“Fine by me. I hate getting wet.”

Dalton gave a small laugh, glancing over his shoulder toward the benches.

They were packed with female students who had come to see him.

As if performing for them, he too drew the Leonil Sword, raising it with elegance before his face.

A duel between the North’s most theatrical swordsman and its coldest blade.

「The match begins.」

At the professor’s words, silence fell over the arena.

Only the sound of raindrops echoed through the air.

“……”

The two knights faced each other, their swords poised silently.

Each gripping the very symbols that would represent their families for generations to come.

As the rain intensified, they slowly moved in search of an opening.

Then, just as Dalton instinctively glanced down at his now-soggy gloves—

“Haaah…!!”

Echina took a deep breath and sprang forward.

Her military boots struck the stone floor with force, kicking up a light spray of rainwater.

Claaang――――!

The two soaked blades crashed against each other with power.

Sparks burst forth, droplets scattering in all directions.

“Kh….”

Dalton tightened his grip on the sword, clearly bothered by his increasingly wet gloves.

Water squeezed from his clenched hands, running down his forearms.

But Echina, gripping her sword barehanded, remained steady and unshaken.

There was no wavering in her firm, iron-tight hold.

“Looks like your grip’s getting uncomfortable. How about trying something new?”

Echina’s voice was poised as she stared at the sword in Dalton’s hand.

But her eyes—far from playful—still glinted like a ferocious black lion.

‘And she manages to advertise the Luton Sword at the same time. Remarkable, as always.’

Debier and I both nodded in quiet satisfaction at the sight.

Then, catching each other’s glance, we turned away coldly.