The Secretary of the Northern Grand Duchess Has Run Away

Chapter 19:  Sword War (7)

"Sorry, but I got this as a gift too!"

The Swordmaster’s son poured his full weight into the blade gripped in both hands.

As a result, the two swords, soaked with rainwater, screeched against each other in a loud, grating scream.

―――――!!

I twisted my body the moment the blades began to slide apart.

Thanks to that, I managed to dodge Dalton’s sword, which had been coming straight down toward my hand.

"Was it this sword that made you especially sharp today, Echina?"

Not only was he a skilled swordsman, but he’d also dated countless girls—he asked keenly,

and at the same time, swung the Leonil Sword straight toward my neck.

The blade tore through the downpour as it came crashing down.

I stared directly at the deadly strike, powered by his long arms.

"Huff…!!"

With a shout of focus, I raised my sword with both hands to meet the vicious blow.

I caught it exactly with the guard of my sword.

Chaeeng―――!!

Because I had caught the blow at the sword’s strongest center of gravity, I managed to withstand it.

Then, twisting both wrists, I redirected the blade downward.

As soon as I deflected the attack, I adjusted my grip on the hilt and aimed a thrust.

Dalton, losing his balance, instinctively twisted his shoulder and barely avoided it.

"It’s raining—do we really have to go this far?!"

Despite the rain, Dalton broke out in sweat under the sharp, almost real-combat-level attacks.

I answered from beneath my soaked hair, my expression completely unchanged.

"If you’re scared, surrender."

For the first time, I even threw in a taunt.

"What…?"

Dalton blanked out for a moment, caught off guard by my unexpected boldness, then let out a dry laugh.

He’d always thought of me as a cold, distant person who was hard to approach.

Now that I was provoking him, I seemed like someone new—interesting.

"You could just forfeit like you usually do in our sparring matches."

At the Northern Grand Duke’s daughter’s provocation, the Swordmaster’s son smiled faintly.

He took off his soaked gloves and gripped the sword tightly with bare hands.

"No, I prefer this kind of fight—over something half-hearted for the sake of the adults."

Clear raindrops sat on his long lashes before sliding down his pale cheeks.

The falling rain soaked into his uniform collar.

"And besides, I’ve always wanted to fight you seriously at least once."

‘So, Dalton’s made up his mind too.’

I wasn’t the only one who sensed the situation had taken a turn.

From the second son of the newspaper club, Mansachs, and all the club members watching from the bench,

to the academy professors and even Chief Secretary Debier, who had expected a casual, relaxed match.

Hundreds of students surrounding the sparring ground held their breath, watching the match between the North’s brightest prospects.

――――――

In the meantime, the rain grew heavier.

The floor of the sparring ground turned pitch black, and puddles started forming everywhere.

A cool gust of wind drove light rain onto the benches as well.

The female students took off their jackets to cover their legs, while the male students stood up to watch the duel.

"Something’s definitely different about today’s match…"

"Yeah, aren’t noble swordsmen supposed to go easy on each other?"

Perhaps drawn by the rumors, the Academy Director’s eldest daughter, Lize, was among the crowd.

The woman with red twin tails watched the duel with her arms crossed, standing alone.

"Then I’ll go first this time…!"

Dalton’s usually playful eyes turned cold and fierce, as if facing a true enemy.

As he stepped forward and swung his sword down diagonally—

――――――!!

I twisted my shoulder, avoiding the strike with the rain-slicked hilt in hand.

From my fluttering black hair, a faint fig fragrance drifted up.

I spun with the motion and slashed toward Dalton’s side.

The Swordmaster’s eldest son quickly raised his blade and blocked.

Once again, when he tried to overpower me with brute strength,

I used my characteristic flexibility to spin and knock his sword away.

Then, landing on the opposite side, I aimed immediately for his neck.

Kaang!!

Unconventional and varied attacks.

Most knights would have lost their balance and collapsed trying just to block them.

But the Swordmaster’s son was clearly on another level.

Even with muddy boots and gloves soaked enough to blister his fingers,

he responded to my sword with natural talent and sharp instincts.

"Kh…!!"

But still.

My skill wasn’t something born of talent.

I had come this far fueled by nothing but a burning desire to earn my father’s recognition.

The eyes Dalton met were impossibly serious.

A single-minded determination to overwhelm my opponent.

That determination burned brilliantly in my golden eyes—eyes resembling the continent’s second greatest swordsman.

Kagak―――――!!

Sparks burst from our clashing blades like fire.

The moment either of us lost focus, the sword would slip and someone would be cut first.

"……."

While everyone held their breath,

Mansachs, the second son of the newspaper club, stared at us with wide, focused eyes.

"Who's going to win? I’m going crazy with curiosity…!!"

Near him, Lize raised her intelligent, mage-like brows.

Her eyes—attuned to nature magic—turned toward…

a massive tree standing close to Dalton.

The refreshing wind made its leaves tremble violently.

And the moment a huge droplet, gathered on the leaves, fell—

"Ugh…!"

It landed right by Dalton’s eye, soaking the area.

His vision blurred, and he flinched for just a second.

I didn’t miss that fleeting moment.

――――――

As he squinted one eye, I twisted both wrists and knocked Dalton’s sword aside.

Then, without hesitation, I swung and struck his side hard.

"Kh…!!"

The Swordmaster’s son furrowed his brows at the sudden surge of pain.

Still, he didn’t give up. Somehow, with one hand, he swung his sword in an attempt to counterattack.

But the more he tried to strike back—

The less power his blade carried, and each swing bounced off helplessly.

That sight came as a shock to everyone watching.

Because it was clear now: the delicate-looking Echina was overpowering him with sheer strength.

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter showed no mercy.

As though bearing the weight of many expectations in this duel, she struck down decisively.

At that moment—

Kwaaak―――――!!

Dalton’s uniform jacket tore, and the mana shield protecting his body shattered completely.

If this had been a real battle on the field, he would’ve been sliced across the torso.

The victory was Echina’s.

「Match over!!」

From a distance, the Academy professor who’d been watching nervously shouted with a loud voice.

Thanks to him, the clash of steel no longer rang through the arena.

“Dalton, are you hurt?! Your mana shield’s completely broken!”

The professor rushed through the pouring rain to the kneeling young man.

Somehow, that made Dalton seem all the more defeated.

"……."

By contrast, Echina stood upright.

Drenched from head to toe, her serene eyes gleamed through the strands of her soaked black hair.

Her gaze turned toward the tree shade where Dalton had been standing earlier.

“So this is why you wanted to switch places.”

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter stretched out one hand.

A large droplet collected on the tree’s leaves fell and landed on her skin.

Echina slid the rain-drenched hilt back into its scabbard.

When she looked down at the marble floor—

She spotted Dalton’s gloves, soaked and discarded.

His fingers had slipped inside the wet gloves, causing his wrists to swell badly.

That he had managed to hang on at all, let alone match her to this degree, was almost a miracle.

From the rubber soles of the Grand Duke’s daughter’s boots came a light splashing sound.

Before anyone noticed, the entire arena floor had become slick with pooled water.

As she recognized the many factors that had led to her victory, Echina’s red lips parted slightly.

Then, as she turned her head in my direction—

「Waaaa―――――!!」

Cheers from the academy students erupted, cutting through the sound of the rain.

All of them stood in unison, faces lit with excitement at a match they hadn’t seen the likes of in ages.

Whoever had claimed noble duels were boring had clearly never seen this one.

They clapped for the brutal contest carried out in the middle of a downpour.

“It was the real deal.”

Mansachs, who’d come to cover the duel with a “nothing to lose” mindset, and the club reporters—

they stared at each other in stunned silence before breaking into the biggest grins.

“Alright, everyone knows their jobs, right?”

Mansachs pointed first to a shy, bespectacled girl from the club.

“Portrait duty!”

“Yes, I got it all drawn…!”

With swift strokes, the shy girl drew the fallen Dalton and Echina.

Satisfied, Mansachs immediately gave the next command.

"Okay, now draw this sword Echina’s holding!! Add the Luton Sword big and bold next to her!"

"Y-Yes, right away…!"

The heir to one of the Empire’s top three newspapers turned to the male student in charge of "word-of-mouth," his face lit with excitement.

"You called in all the new trainee knights like we talked about, right?"

"I used your name and rounded up every last one of them!!"

A boy who looked lean and quick on his feet.

He pointed to the crowd of junior students gathered at the bench, marveling at Echina’s skill.

"Good job, you little bastard!!"

「Shocking Defeat for the Giovanni Family!! From a House with No Knights, the Luton Family’s Greatest Star is Born!!」

Mansachs, now armed with a headline worthy of the Academy newspaper’s front page, dashed toward the clubroom.

The club reporters quickly followed, bursting into motion.

――――――

In the midst of pouring rain and thunderous cheers, Echina looked out at the crowd with quiet indifference.

Her expression was as emotionless as ever.

Still, both upperclassmen and underclassmen were completely enraptured.

Even her usual blank expression only added to the brilliance of today’s duel.

"……."

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter raised the Luton Sword toward them.

Then, in a display of showmanship she had never shown before in her life, she performed a salute.

"Echina’s… bowing to us?!"

Raising the blade right before her face, she twirled it elegantly and sheathed it.

The sleek black lion’s head carved into the end of the hilt stood out in full view.

"Wait a sec, that’s not the sword she usually carries, is it?"

"Did the Luton family make a new one…?"

Students obsessed with swords widened their eyes at her new companion.

They even stepped out from under the benches to get a better look, not caring if they got soaked.

But Echina didn’t offer anything beyond that.

For further inquiries…

She left that to me.

"Are you alright, Dalton?"

Through her rain-soaked black hair, her golden eyes glimmered softly.

The Swordmaster’s son looked up at Echina, who had approached him.

"Of course. I wouldn’t whine over something like this."

"Good. It was a good fight."

She extended her pale, delicate hand to him.

Dalton stared at it blankly before finally reaching up and taking her hand to stand.

"Can’t believe the day came when you’d be the one helping me up."

But that was it.

The moment he stood, Echina let go of his hand without hesitation.

Her gaze wandered past the opponent in front of her—

searching instead for the mysterious man who had allowed her to overwhelm the Swordmaster’s eldest son.

"Well done, Grand Duke’s daughter."

Standing beneath the arena, I looked up at her and offered a gentle smile.

At that, Echina, expressionless as always, allowed a faint smile to form at the corner of her lips.

「This concludes the midterm duel evaluation.」

The Academy professor, standing under an umbrella, cleared his throat.

Then, looking at Echina, he offered a gaze filled with genuine congratulations.

「This evaluation goes to Echina Luton in a complete victory!!」

"That was a great match, Echina."

"Agreed, Dalton."

Giovanni Dalton extended his hand to her once more.

In response, Echina lightly grasped just the tips of his fingers and gave a detached shake.

"I’ll have to be better prepared next time—"

Holding his throbbing wrist, the Swordmaster’s eldest son leisurely descended the steps.

As he walked, he glanced back at Echina’s longsword and remarked,

"I think the Luton family’s sword hilt is sturdier than I thought."

The truth was, a major reason for his loss was failing to account for the rainy conditions.

But people are always quick to look for other explanations.

Dalton concluded that the secret behind Echina’s edge was her new sword—

since nothing else about the Grand Duke’s daughter seemed to have changed.

"Feel free to inquire anytime."

Echina let out a quiet chuckle and finally brushed her rain-drenched bangs from her forehead.

Her pale, white forehead and half-lidded, graceful eyes stood out beautifully.

All along the steps, many knight trainees stared at her in a daze.

But she didn’t spare a single glance their way.

That cool indifference only added to her mysterious allure.

"Phew…"

Echina pinched the fabric of her soaked shirt and gave it a brisk shake.

Despite the refreshingly cool weather, the heat from the duel had warmed her clothes.

As she walked down the dueling arena’s steps at an unhurried pace, she opened her mouth to call someone—

but her words caught in her throat.

"As you can see, our craftsman’s skill is quite remarkable."

While the Grand Duke’s daughter was descending from the match,

I was busy promoting Schmidt’s wands to Lize and the other mage students.

"This time, I’ll be offering them for free, as an apology for the previous incident."

"……."

Lize silently examined the Luton wand with her characteristic sharp, fierce gaze.

Then, with a faint smirk, she gave it an elegant flourish, as if to show off.

"The mana conductivity is certainly good. I’ll make good use of it."

"It’s truly an honor that you’re satisfied."

I wiped my forehead proudly, my fox-like eyes gleaming with delight.

However, I suddenly felt a chilling gaze from behind and slowly turned my head.

"Julius Roger."

At some point, the Northern Grand Duke’s daughter had come down the stairs and was now standing right behind me.

Arms crossed, she called my name in a cool voice.

"Your Grace…! Congratulations on your victory!!"

I quickly turned around and brought my hands together in a respectful gesture.

Then, wearing my usual sly smile, I welcomed her warmly.

"You seem very busy."

As someone who had served her for over ten years as Chief Secretary, I could tell right away.

Though Echina looked expressionless on the outside, inside she was thoroughly sulking.

Her slightly pursed red lips made it clear that she wasn’t in a good mood.

‘Did I do something wrong…?’

"Give me a towel."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Echina took the towel I handed her and covered her face with it.

Then she lowered it slightly, glanced sideways at me—and quietly made a sulky expression.