Chapter 7
“Phew—”
I steadied my breathing.
As I had expected, Lisa 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 Lisa 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 Lisa to remember me.’
Five minutes.
No, even just showing that I could hold out for a bit against Sara would be sufficient.
“Gideon, are you ready?”
“Yes, Instructor. 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 Luke’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.”
Luke 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.”
Luke 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, Luke—no, Instructor.”
“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.”
Luke’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.”
Luke 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.
It was an obvious attack—easy to block—but using the recoil, she spun her body and immediately aimed for my shoulder.
At that angle, with my sword positioned low, blocking it seemed impossible.
But my body reacted on its own.
I lifted my wrist and blocked with the guard of my sword.
Sara’s eyes widened in shock; clearly, she hadn’t expected that strike to be stopped as well.
“What the—what kind of swordsmanship are you using?!”
“……”
After deflecting her blade, I reset my grip on my sword.
“It’s nothing special.”
“…Are you saying I can’t even overcome that nothing special?”
“That’s not what I—”
“Quiet.”
With that, Sara began to move once more, her sword dancing toward me like flowing silk.
Again, I blocked her attacks effortlessly—but suddenly, she vanished from my sight.
“Huh?”
I’d been focused on her rapier, tracking her blade—and in that instant, she disappeared.
As I tried to assess the situation, a red dot appeared on my back.
I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it instinctively.
So I reached my arm back, bringing my sword behind me—
Clang—!
—and blocked her strike.
I had stopped Sara’s attack without even looking at it.
“How did you even—block that…?”
“I have… a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“Ugh?”
I deflected her blade and spun my body around. Using the momentum of my rotation, I swung my sword at her, forcing Sara to quickly retreat and widen the distance.
‘That technique just now… wasn’t it one of the Isrinbloom Family’s sword techniques?’
Momentarily leaving the opponent’s sight and reappearing behind them—
I remembered seeing that move several times in the game.
And right now, it seemed like a very useful technique to keep in mind.
---
‘Why isn’t it working? Why? Why?!’
Sara gritted her teeth as she swung her sword.
No matter how many times she attacked, Gideon’s defense refused to break.
‘I can’t let myself be humiliated here.’
Her frustration was rising.
She had planned to utterly overwhelm Gideon in front of everyone.
To defeat him decisively—the man who had held his own against her in the garden—and at the same time, to showcase the swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family.
But that plan was falling apart before her eyes.
‘What is with this guy?’
Sara’s rapier curved elegantly through the air like a dancer’s ribbon.
Then, twisting her wrist suddenly, she lunged for Gideon’s abdomen in a surprise thrust.
But Gideon blocked it again.
Even that sudden strike—he blocked it as naturally as if he could see it coming, just like in the garden.
“What… what is this…?”
Sara stepped back and glanced around.
The stands on the second floor of the gymnasium were now filled with even more onlookers than before.
Second and third-year seniors who had chosen the swordsmanship track.
All of them, swordsmen like her.
But among them, one face caught her eye before anyone else’s.
‘…Even Lisa’s here.’
Lisa Balmuth.
Like Jason, she too was from a ducal family—just like Sara herself.
In other words, all three nobles who were said to represent the Empire’s next generation of swordmasters were gathered here.
Losing here was something Sara’s pride could never accept.
‘Me? Lose to some no-name noble? Don’t make me laugh.’
Sara began swinging her rapier faster—more fiercely.
The core of Isrinbloom swordsmanship was technique.
But driven by impatience, Sara abandoned technique for sheer speed and strength.
She wanted—no, needed—to break through Gideon’s defense by force.
However, his defense-based swordsmanship remained utterly unshaken.
As Sara’s emotions clouded her focus, Gideon actually found it easier to block her attacks.
‘She’s lost her composure.’
Watching closely, Luke let out a quiet sigh.
‘I told her again and again—not to lose her calm when she’s desperate. Some things never change. Still…’
Luke’s eyes shifted to Gideon.
He, too, was seeing Gideon’s swordsmanship for the first time.
‘…I can’t blame her. With defense like that, even I might start getting nervous.’
It wasn’t that Luke couldn’t understand Sara’s frustration.
Gideon was just an unknown noble—a nobody.
He had nothing to lose here.
But Sara did.
For the heir of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family to be defeated by someone of similar age and rank—that carried serious weight.
‘But could Sara actually lose?’
Luke studied the duel intently.
Gideon’s swordsmanship was indeed impressive.
But it was too defensive—almost to an extreme.
He showed no intent to counterattack or strike first, focusing only on blocking.
‘…Does he even know how to attack?’
Luke had many questions, but for now, he could only watch.
If Gideon truly didn’t know how to attack, this match would likely end in a draw.
And even a draw would be a serious humiliation for Sara.
‘With this many witnesses, word will spread fast—that Sara couldn’t beat some nameless swordsman. Still… that swordsmanship of his…’
Luke looked at Gideon again.
Holding his sword close to his body, defending with absolute precision—
It was a sword style Luke had never seen before.
‘Is there even anyone on this continent who fights like that?’
As Luke pondered this, his gaze returned to Sara.
She looked utterly exhausted.
Her reckless, emotion-driven attacks had drained her stamina.
‘Maybe it’s time to stop this. I doubt this fight will have a clear winner.’
Even from what he’d seen so far, Gideon’s defense didn’t seem likely to break.
Any further would be meaningless, so Luke decided to end the match.
But then, something unexpected happened.
“Haah… haah… haah…”
Sara, breathing heavily, swung her rapier wide toward Gideon.
It was the kind of attack she would never normally use.
In a duel, a wide swing like that was practically an invitation for a counterattack.
But she was too desperate, too exhausted to think clearly.
She just wanted to break through his defense—no matter what.
In other words, she had dropped her guard.
‘If it’s Sara… then now’s the time.’
And Gideon didn’t miss that opening.
After blocking her strike, he launched his first true attack of the match.
He swung his sword toward Sara’s leg.
His body moved with instinctive understanding—knowing exactly how to attack.
“Uh?”
Caught off guard, Sara quickly tried to parry with her rapier, but—
“Urgh?!”
The sword aimed at her leg suddenly changed direction mid-swing.
Startled, she barely managed to deflect it—but in that instant, Gideon vanished from her sight.
“W-what?!”
Gideon had disappeared from her vision in an instant.
Panicked, Sara turned sharply to the side—
—but too late.
“Aah!”
Gideon’s sword slashed across her wrist.
“…Damn it!”
Her wrist cut, Sara instinctively dropped her rapier.
‘That move just now…’
Sara’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He had vanished from her sight—and she knew exactly what that technique was.
‘That was… one of our family’s techniques…’
Shocked, Sara tried to grab her rapier again with her other hand.
But—
“Sara.”
“…Huh?”
“This duel…”
Gideon calmly placed his blade against her neck.
“Can we agree it’s my victory?”