Chapter 4
Clang―
…I had blocked it.
I didn't know how I had blocked it, but I had blocked Sara’s sword.
'What is this?'
It was a moment shorter than a second.
My body had reacted in that brief instant.
Although I had blocked it, I was flustered.
After all, with my reaction speed, I shouldn't have been able to block such a fast attack.
'How did I do that?'
I looked at the sword that had blocked Sara’s rapier.
I didn't know what it was, but my body had instinctively responded to Sara’s attack.
And my body wasn't slow.
It had been fairly fast, and at the same time I had felt my muscles were surprisingly well trained.
“…hm.”
When her attack was stopped, Sara showed a momentary look of surprise.
But she soon swung her rapier at me again.
An attack that anyone could tell was headed for my right shoulder.
'Huh?'
But for some reason, a red dot appeared near my left waist.
And my body moved instinctively again.
Without my knowing, I had brought the Mistcatcher to my left waist.
Clang―!
Once more my sword blocked Sara’s rapier.
The blade that had been aimed at my shoulder had changed direction mid-flight and headed for my waist.
“…What are you?”
Sara looked even more bewildered than before.
Still, she swung her sword again.
This time I saw a red dot in my sight.
And when I brought the sword to that dot……
Clang―!
I was able to block Sara’s blade.
By now I could tell what those red dots were.
'Predictive Counter Skill.'
When I had leveled up as a defensive swordsman, I had felt something lacking from defensive sword arts alone.
So the skill I had mastered was precisely the Predictive Counter Skill.
It was a skill that told you in advance where attacks were going to come from.
'A good skill, but surprisingly few users chose it.'
To block you had to do it at a very precise timing, and predicting and then dodging or blocking an enemy's attack wasn't the main tactic in this game.
Bosses and monsters had more area attacks as the game progressed, so the main tactic was to crush enemies with damage during the time you would otherwise spend dodging or blocking.
The so-called "overwhelm-with-damage" playstyle was what players preferred.
So although the skill that predicted an enemy's attack with accuracy was frankly broken, it didn't suit most gamers' tendencies.
'But I had mastered it for the concept.'
Thanks to this skill, I could use defensive sword arts much more effectively.
And because of that, I was somehow holding out against Sara’s assault.
“Phew.”
I exhaled and looked at Sara.
She gritted her teeth and swung her sword again.
Again a red dot appeared, and I brought the Mistcatcher to that red dot.
---
'Who the hell is this man?'
As her attacks kept getting blocked, Sara couldn't help but be puzzled.
Sara had no intention of killing the man before her.
She had only meant to give a warning by inflicting a small wound.
A warning that causing injury to the princess, even by accident, was a grave crime.
So Sara had attempted a surprise thrust at the man’s leg with her rapier, but the man had blocked her attack.
'What on earth is this?'
At first she thought it was a coincidence.
But the man kept blocking her attacks.
As if he could see every one of her strikes all too easily.
'My attacks are being blocked?'
As her strikes continued to be stopped, Sara’s pride began to flare.
Her family was the Isrinbloom Ducal Family, one of the three ducal houses of the Arium Empire — one of the three swords that defended the empire.
And the Isrinbloom family's swordsmanship was the most elegant and precise in the empire.
The Isrinbloom family had a style that was said to be unrivaled in one-on-one duels.
That was true, and Sara had never doubted it for a second.
But now, Sara was beginning to doubt that truth, bit by bit.
'…Why does it keep getting blocked?'
She had never lost in a fight to a swordsman of similar caliber.
Especially, Sara had used cunning swordplay that lulled her opponent into complacency or toyed with them, and she had taken pride in that.
Yet her swordplay couldn't pierce Gideon’s defense.
“…tch.”
Sara had aimed her rapier at Gideon’s throat but changed the blade’s trajectory mid-swing toward his wrist.
Gideon had, as if it were natural, blocked her attack.
Seeing Gideon like that started to crack Sara’s pride.
'I don't like this.'
His attitude — as if he could see all her attacks — and the way he nonchalantly blocked them to prove it.
Each detail grated on Sara's nerves.
“…You're annoying.”
She took a step back and settled into her stance properly.
In other words, she decided to face Gideon seriously.
At the same time, Sara assessed him.
'What kind of stance is that?'
She had faced countless swordsmen.
But she had never seen a stance like Gideon’s.
The sword and his arm were held as close to his body as possible.
An oddly unfamiliar stance for a swordsman.
It looked extremely defensive.
'I don't care. The important thing is winning. As a member of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family, I can't lose in pure swordsmanship.'
Sara prepared to swing her rapier at Gideon again.
But at that moment—
“Sara! That's an order! Stop there!”
At Leila’s shout, Sara froze on the spot.
---
‘This body… is more capable than I thought.’
I realized it the moment I blocked all of Sara’s attacks as if it were nothing.
This body was more than enough to become a knight.
It moved through battle naturally, instinctively—as if it had fought countless times before.
‘I think I even know how to fight now.’
At first, I had moved purely on instinct.
Without my will, my body had simply followed its instincts to block Sara’s attacks.
But as time went on, I started to grow accustomed to combat.
Soon enough, I could fight not just through instinct, but also with my own will.
‘Is this because of the skills?’
Before possessing this body, I hadn’t learned a single thing about swordsmanship or fighting.
Yet now, somehow, I knew how to fight.
And more than that—I felt comfortable in a fight.
Those countless sword arts and skills that had seemed to be absorbed into me back in the dormitory…
It felt like I could actually use them all in real combat.
‘And above all, these skills are quite powerful.’
I looked at Sara before me.
As her attacks kept getting blocked, she began to look increasingly frustrated.
Then at one point, she stepped back slightly and took a proper stance.
Her blade stood vertically, the hilt lifted to eye level—
The starting stance of the Isrinbloom family swordsmanship, and one I had often seen while playing the game.
‘So she’s going to fight seriously now.’
The swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family was unrivaled in duels between swordsmen, and Sara herself was a prodigy known for her exceptional talent.
The very fact that she was now fighting seriously meant my swordsmanship had been acknowledged.
‘But can I handle Sara when she’s serious?’
When she had fought casually, I had been able to block her with ease.
But when she got serious… I wasn’t sure.
I still hadn’t fully adapted to fighting in this possessed body.
And relying purely on instinct definitely had its limits.
I was deep in thought when Sara once again swung her rapier.
A red dot appeared before my eyes, and just as I was about to move my sword toward it—
“Sara! That’s an order! Stop there!”
The blonde princess shouted loudly.
At her voice, Sara immediately stopped her attack.
“Put your sword away. I told you not to go around swinging your blade at people without warning.”
“…But, Your Highness, anyone who harms your body must be severely—”
“I said it was my mistake! And I told you to let me finish speaking!”
“…My apologies.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me—apologize to Gideon.”
“Gideon? Who—ah.”
Sara turned her head toward me.
“…I apologize for my rashness.”
“It’s nothing, Lady Sara.”
I sheathed the Mistcatcher once more.
“Rather, it was an honor to cross blades with you.”
“So you know who I am?”
“There’s no other family capable of wielding such refined swordsmanship except the Isrinbloom family, is there?”
I bowed my head as respectfully as possible.
Having played the game so much, I knew roughly how nobles in this world spoke.
But even though I bowed my head, I could still sense anger flickering in Sara’s eyes.
No—more precisely, her pride seemed wounded.
And at the same time, she looked at me with curiosity.
“What did you say your name was?”
“Gideon Kyrgram.”
“Kyrgram… I don’t recall any marquess or count family by that name.”
“I am from a baron family.”
“Ah, then it’s possible I simply don’t know. But among the barons…”
Sara narrowed her eyes.
“…Was there ever a family with such unusual swordsmanship?”
“…It’s a style I developed on my own.”
I answered with whatever came to mind.
Of course, Sara didn’t buy my clumsy lie.
“You’re saying you blocked the sword of the Isrinbloom family with a self-taught style?”
“Sara, that’s enough.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Sara took a breath, then stepped closer to me.
And in a voice only I could hear, she whispered softly,
“It’s a disgrace that the sword of the Isrinbloom family was blocked. This humiliation… I’ll repay it soon.”
With those words, Sara stepped back.
The look in her eyes still carried anger.
Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I couldn’t help but feel unfairly treated.
‘…Well, that’s Sara Isrinbloom for you.’
A character who had earned the curses of countless players.
Self-centered, temperamental, and hot-blooded—that was Sara Isrinbloom.
“Sara, what did you just say to Gideon?”
“Nothing at all. Anyway, Your Highness, the entrance ceremony will begin soon. Shall we depart?”
“Hmm, you go on ahead. I’ll join you after saying a few words to Gideon.”
“But Your Highness, being alone with this man—”
“It’s fine. Or should I make it an order for you to go ahead?”
“…I’ll wait in that building over there. Take your time, Your Highness.”
After bowing to Leila, Sara left.
But before leaving, she threw a sharp glance at me.
I sighed inwardly, but being on Sara’s bad side wasn’t much of a problem.
From years of playing the game, I had learned one important thing:
‘It’s impossible not to get on Sara’s bad side.’
She had always been wary of anyone outside the few people she had known since childhood.
Her reaction now was natural—and exactly as it had been in the game.
“I’m sorry, Gideon.”
After Sara left, Leila approached and apologized.
“Sara can be a little overprotective. She’s not a bad person, but sometimes she acts before thinking.”
“It’s fine. In fact, I should apologize. I should’ve recognized Your Highness right away…”
“No, it’s okay. And Gideon, you don’t have to be so tense.”
Leila smiled warmly at me.
“This is an academy where everyone is equal, remember? You don’t need to treat me so formally—just be comfortable.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Still, from experience, I knew better than to take Leila’s words at face value.
Because in the game, whenever you got too close to her, you’d always end up dragged into some disastrous incident.
“Hehe, I look forward to seeing more of you, Gideon. With swordsmanship like yours, I feel we’ll be meeting often.”
“I will do my utmost in service to Your Highness.”
I bowed my head respectfully.
Well, getting closer to the princess wasn’t a bad thing.
If the family recorded in that ancient document as receiving the Record Erasure Sentence truly was the Kyrgram Family, then having ties to the royal family would definitely help uncover the family’s secrets.
“Thank you. Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go now. I’d feel bad keeping Sara waiting too long. See you at the entrance ceremony.”
“Understood. Please take care, Your Highness.”
I quietly watched Leila as she left the garden and disappeared into the building.
And once she was completely gone—
“Phew…”
I collapsed right where I stood.
I hadn’t shown it, but I had been tense the whole time.
“…Not easy at all.”
It hadn’t even been a full day since I had possessed this world’s body, and already I was exhausted.
As expected, this kind of life was tough for a shut-in like me.
Still, crossing blades with Sara just now had confirmed one thing.
‘I can do this. At least, it’s not impossible.’
I looked at the Mistcatcher at my waist.
Becoming a knight, uncovering the family’s secret, and restoring its honor—
With swordsmanship of this level, it seemed more than possible.