Revenge

Bela was like the protagonist of a Souls game taking on all kinds of rabid elite monsters. She could barely block one attack before another came, leaving her no time to recover.

She wanted to try attacking too, but the moment she made a move, Fran had already darted to the side and was preparing to strike. Bela could only hurry to defend herself.

She wanted to use a collision between their bodies to see if she could create an opening, but Fran usually attacked from a distance, giving her no chance at all.

In a real fight, she would definitely leave an opening on purpose, take the hit with her body, then seize the chance to counterattack. Her strategy would be to trade wounds—let's see whether you kill me first or I kill you first.

But this was a sparring match. Getting hit once would basically mean a loss, so she could only endure the frustration and block each attack, focusing on holding her ground.

She also knew a Combat Technique, but she needed to find the right moment to use it. She had only one chance. If Fran dodged it and became wary, winning would be much harder.

Aside from John, the teacher, the spectators below couldn't really make out the two girls' movements. Quite a few of them whispered among themselves.

"Could you see what they were doing?"

"No. I've only seen this kind of match during my uncle's fights..."

"That's a Breathing Technique, isn't it? If I could use one in battle, I wouldn't need to come here..."

Many apprentices from noble families watched the fight with complicated expressions. Some were envious, others jealous... Mars was struggling to follow Fran's movements, and hatred filled his eyes more than anything else.

The fight continued, and Fran was the first to lose patience. Fighting Bela was like hitting a tortoise shell—no matter what she did, she couldn't land a blow.

She began thinking about how to use her Combat Technique, and her movements faltered for an instant.

Bela caught the hesitation keenly and began preparing to use her own Combat Technique.

Fran struck first. She leaped three meters into the air, then unleashed the [Sky Strike] she had been practicing for the past few days.

With her mastery-level Combat Technique proficiency, the move flowed smoothly. In an instant, she was airborne.

Bela apparently hadn't expected Fran to jump. Her prepared stance was forced to break, and she could only release her Combat Technique upward from an awkward position.

With a dull crack, both wooden swords snapped in half. Taking advantage of Bela's awkward stance, which made it difficult for her to put her strength behind her movements, Fran struck her with the remaining piece and won the match.

[You completed a brilliant match using the Swift Wind Breathing Technique. Swift Wind Breathing Technique proficiency +50]

Before the other spectators could react, the sound of repeated smacks drew everyone's attention, even though it was much quieter than the dull crack just now.

Even the specially made wooden swords had broken. They were designed to withstand clashes between Combat Techniques, but could they really not withstand Combat Techniques enhanced by a Breathing Technique?

"An excellent fight. Both of you are worthy of joining the Sword Chant School."

The shorter the words, the greater the meaning. John wasn't just praising their performance; he was also hinting that two of the places he would recommend had already been decided.

As far as John was concerned, Bela was a given. She was a perfect all-rounder, impeccable in every way.

Fran, meanwhile, had just demonstrated an extremely practiced Combat Technique. If her proficiency had been even a little lower and her execution less fluid, the fight probably would have lasted several more minutes.

The noble-born apprentices around them all looked grim. They knew that the teachers wouldn't be making many recommendations, and two places had already been taken.

What's more, they could do nothing about these two. Neither girl's fighting ability was something they could match.

There might only be three or four places in total, leaving them to fight over whatever remained.

The Sword Chant School again? Elan had said it, and now Teacher John was saying it too. Fran was a little confused. She would ask Bela about it later.

Fran rubbed her wrist. She had blocked a blow that came down from above, and since she wasn't as strong as Bela, her wrist had been hurt.

This was when she could use the Healing Potion she had stored in her dormitory. She had only turned three of the ten over to the association.

Mars watched Fran's movements and made up his mind.

The Emerald Heart Tavern.

Elan looked at the box Fran had brought this time. It was much bigger than the last one. He opened it, and the number of Energy Potions inside left him stunned.

"F-fourteen bottles!"

He had thought that even if he found other apothecaries to help brew them, he'd only get around nine bottles this time. He hadn't expected the number to far exceed his estimate.

He carefully inspected two of the bottles and confirmed they were both Energy Potions. Smiling broadly, he teased her:

"Looks like you have plenty of friends. It hasn't even been a week since your last visit, and you've already brought another batch."

"Of course..." Fran continued, "Next time I can bring even more. My circle of friends keeps growing..."

Elan suddenly wondered if Fran had become a middleman like him, using her connections to buy up potions from the association.

He knew the association wasn't offering apothecaries who brewed Energy Potions a particularly high price. Instead, they were using other means to win them over...

The association was short on funds right now, so naturally it wasn't going to spend lavishly in this area.

If Fran ever brought him fifty bottles, he'd start wondering whether those apothecaries were playing both sides—taking the benefits offered by the association while also accepting his purchase price.

But it didn't matter. Energy Potions could still be sold, no matter what. If anyone took a loss, it would be the association.

Fran stuffed all the money into her pocket and left the Emerald Heart Tavern warily.

She suddenly spotted someone she hadn't expected to see—Mars, standing right in front of her.

Two tall, burly men stood beside him. Their necks were covered in dense hair—beastmen.

They clearly meant trouble. Were they here to rob her of the money she'd just collected...? Fran hurriedly drew her weapon.

But the moment Mars spoke, Fran's suspicion vanished.

"It's all your fault... You made it impossible for me to join the Sword Chant School..."

Bela had already told Fran about John's recommendation, and Fran immediately noticed the flaw in Mars's reasoning.

"That doesn't make sense. John hasn't even announced his recommendations yet, and with your ability, you're actually one of the frontrunners..."

"No... It's all because of you..." Mars roared. Fran figured he must be crazy, but since she hated trouble, she still said one thing:

"Are you sure you want to fight me? The academy forbids apprentices from attacking each other. Even if you win, you won't get a recommendation to the Sword Chant School..."

"Heh..." Mars laughed. "If you hadn't caused this, how would I have lost my place...?"

It was as if Fran and Mars weren't even speaking the same language. Fran knew a fight was inevitable and quietly prepared herself.

Mars burst into laughter again.

"I know your hand is injured, so I went out of my way to find two beastmen to attack you today..."

"You probably don't know what these beastmen are..." Mars gave her a cruel smile. "They're products of the Transmutation School, specially made for war. Their physiques rank among the best of the Knight Attendants, and their combat memories were implanted using crystallized memories, and..."

Mars took out a whistle and blew into it. Only then did the two beastmen pick up their weapons. "They only obey special commands, and they aren't afraid of the academy..."