Provocation

"So you're the one who defeated the Sword Chant School instructor? Do you have the guts to spar with me!"

Fran had just arrived at the classroom for the Sword Chant School's elven swordsmanship course when she was blocked at the entrance by these words.

Where did this small fry come from? Fran thought, turning her head toward the source of the voice.

She saw a sword slashing straight toward her, yet she neither dodged nor parried, letting the blade descend.

The sword stopped just twenty centimeters from Fran.

"Why stop? I was waiting for you to strike."

Fran replied. She wasn't afraid of the sword actually hitting her because she had equipped two magical items as a precaution; if it had truly struck, a shield would have immediately popped up.

She knew the other party's goal wasn't a real fight. Judging by the complete lack of force behind the swing, the sword had been waved toward her quite lazily.

"Hmph!" Ren retracted his sword. "You coward, you didn't even draw your blade. You aren't worthy of a duel with me."

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

Fran rubbed her chin, realizing what the other party was after. He had faked the attack to goad her into retaliating.

All of this must be governed by some rule she wasn't aware of, where violating it would carry a price.

Was it some regulation of this course?

She watched Ren walk to a seat inside the classroom and strike up a conversation with the person next to him.

Fran shook her head helplessly. It seemed someone was trying to frame her. She walked straight over to Bella.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Who are those two?" she asked, pointing at Ren and the person beside him.

"The one with the red badge is Ren. I think he entered through a different channel, but he's in our cohort."

"The one with the ring on his finger is Aboyue. He's two years ahead of us. I hear he's quite formidable," Bella replied directly.

"So why would that Aboyue want to frame me?"

Fran had noticed during the exchange between Ren and Aboyue that Aboyue had been the one doing all the talking. Given Aboyue's higher status, she concluded that Ren's actions were orchestrated by him.

"Uh, I'm not sure. I only know that Aboyue failed his assessment this year. Apparently, he had some bad luck and was eliminated early. I don't know anything else."

Fran continued to watch the two of them, lost in thought.

Meanwhile.

"Sorry, I couldn't get her to retaliate..." Ren's voice was very low.

"It's fine. There's plenty of time left in this course. Strike more discreetly... I refuse to believe she can perfectly defuse every situation."

Aboyue furrowed his brows. He knew that once the target was on guard, the success rate wouldn't be as high as it had been this time.

"As long as you can make her look bad in the instructor's eyes, I will teach you that swordsmanship technique, just as I promised..."

Aboyue emphasized his commitment.

The reason he wanted Fran to retaliate was that the instructor for this course was Burnett of their Sword Chant School.

Burnett was a man who had served as an instructor in the City of Apprentices for over twenty years and was also a key leader of the 'Swordsman' society affiliated with the Sword Chant School.

Within the Sword Chant School, it could be said that Burnett held the power of life and death over the resources allocated to apprentices.

Burnett was passionate about mentoring apprentices; every year, he would specifically designate one apprentice to receive better resources and personal instruction in swordsmanship.

He had been the apprentice Burnett mentored last year, but he had disappointed Burnett, failing to achieve any ranking.

Burnett only mentored those apprentices who had not achieved a ranking in the assessments.

He had been very confident that he was the strongest among those who hadn't placed.

That was until Fran defeated John, the instructor who had taught basic swordsmanship for years.

After he went to confirm the details with John, a sense of crisis had welled up within him.

He knew John's strength; he had joined the Sword Chant School through John's course. During his own assessment against John, he had felt his own helplessness.

He realized John was strong, and even now, he wasn't entirely sure he could defeat the John of that time.

Yet Fran had defeated him, and when he asked, John had done nothing but praise Fran incessantly. He realized that Burnett might very well not choose him this year.

He knew better than anyone how rapidly his level had improved after receiving Burnett's individual guidance, and he didn't want to return to those days of slow, sluggish progress.

Although Fran hadn't joined the Sword Chant School yet, given her current state, everyone knew she would join eventually; it was only a matter of time.

"To become an official mage, one must be like this—using every possible method," Aboyue muttered to himself.

Ren simply grunted a few times after hearing Aboyue repeat his promise.

Burnett was a sturdy, middle-aged man with several scars on his neck and hands.

"Apprentices choosing this course, regardless of whether you belong to the Sword Chant School..."

"If I see you settling disputes privately instead of through a duel, don't ever think about attending this class again."

Burnett's face was etched with seriousness; it seemed he held such matters in deep detestation.

Fran finally understood why Ren had baited her into making a move—he had been waiting for her right here.

However, she did not care; as soon as her Elven Swordsmanship appeared on her status panel, she would leave immediately and stop involving herself in the affairs of the Sword Chant School.

"Very well, I hope you all heard that clearly. Do not disappoint me."

Then, Burnett took up a wooden sword and signaled for everyone to spread out, leaving enough space between them.

"Elven Swordsmanship is a unique combat style of the Elven race. We humans cannot truly replicate the level at which the Elves execute this swordsmanship."

"This is because our physical structures differ greatly from theirs. At the same build, they are slightly heavier than us, yet they possess astonishing leaping ability and visual acuity."

"Therefore, no matter how we train, the differences in our physical structures prevent us from fully unleashing Elven Swordsmanship."

Burnett then began his demonstration, leaping about and swinging the wooden sword with extreme agility.

"Very well, for now, no one is to swing their swords. Just follow my footwork and jump."

Fran frowned after jumping a couple of times because Ren was moving closer to her side; furthermore, that Aboyue was also closing in on her, encroaching upon her space.

She was forced to restrain her movements, practicing within a cramped area, and when the two of them got truly too close—reaching the distance of her outstretched arm—she spoke up directly.

"Can you two move over? You're blocking me."

Everyone present looked over, as this was the time for everyone to practice in unison, and her voice rang out clearly across the training ground.

"Apologies, we didn't notice. We are truly sorry."

Ren reacted quickly, offering an apology before pulling Aboyue to the side.

Burnett furrowed his brows, but he continued to instruct the group to practice.