Ruby Alderica soon returned after changing her clothes inside. As soon as she came back, Ruby greeted Kail Meyer once again.
“Hmm, sorry about earlier… Nice to meet you, Kail Meyer. I’m Ruby Alderica, the club leader of our Swordman Club.”
“I already know who you are, Kail Meyer.”
After shaking hands with Ruby, Kail blew his nose and tossed the tissue covered in dried blood into the trash. When he returned, Ruby scratched her head, recalling what had just happened, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Aha, it’s inconvenient being a woman sometimes, huh?”
“No guy would hate that.”
“It’s not like I grew these for men’s enjoyment or anything.”
“…Are you perhaps a lesbian?”
“What!? No, that’s not what I meant—!”
Misunderstood, she quickly waved her hands, denying such accusations. Watching her chest bounce around just from waving her hands, Kail thought it must indeed be quite uncomfortable.
‘Not even Yuri was this bad.’
Though similar in size to Yuri, Ruby’s bust seemed larger due to her active nature as a knight, unlike Yuri who didn’t move much.
Feeling Kail’s fixed gaze, Ruby let out an awkward laugh while looking at him.
“By the way, you really have no intention of hiding your thoughts, do you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your gaze and all sorts of things.”
“To hide is unbecoming of a knight.”
Claiming that hiding oneself wasn’t the act of a proper knight but rather something a cowardly assassin would do, Kail justified his behavior.
Although Ruby found it absurd that someone could openly ogle a woman’s chest while preaching chivalry, she was used to people staring and brushed it off.
In fact, most club members couldn’t resist sneaking peeks either; at least Kail was upfront about it.
“…How long do you plan on staring?”
“Oh, my apologies.”
Only after Ruby, now sitting on the sofa, called him out did Kail finally lift his gaze and look her in the eyes.
“I heard there’s a Secret Sword Technique in this club?”
“Yes, there is. It’s a secret sword technique passed down by our seniors.”
“I’m quite interested in that.”
“Why? You want me to teach it to you?”
“That would be nice.”
However, Ruby snorted a few times before shaking her head.
“Do you think secret sword techniques are like books sold at the local general store? They can’t just be taught to anyone.”
“Then?”
“They’re something you can only access after joining the club, contributing over a long period, earning the trust of other club members, and rising to an officer position.”
This was the secret to why the Swordman Club, a swordsmanship research group, had lasted so long. Students who made it into the Academy likely knew one or two secret family techniques, but there was no harm in learning more.
Since these weren’t their own family secrets, they could freely use them on the battlefield, and studying a completely different perspective could provide new insights to reach higher levels.
The more secret techniques, the better—it never hurt to have more.
“So it actually exists?”
“What?”
“Suspicious. Are you using it as bait to lure club members?”
“Haha, if others said that, I’d have beaten them up—but yes, it exists. I swear on my honor and my family’s name.”
Seeing Ruby swear on her and her family’s honor, Kail decided to drop his suspicions. Whether it existed or not, doubting her further after such a vow was akin to picking a fight.
He hadn’t come here to start a fight. However, if he couldn’t immediately learn the secret sword technique, there was no point in staying in this club.
“I’ll visit occasionally.”
“Eh? What? You’re not joining our club?”
“Huh? Well… I don’t think it’ll be very helpful.”
“W-wait! Just wait a moment!”
Ruby stopped Kail. Up until Meg talked about him, he seemed uninteresting, but after meeting and fighting him, her opinion changed.
He was a talent she couldn’t afford to lose. Having been called a genius since childhood, she immediately recognized Kail’s potential.
And above all…
‘His face isn’t bad either…’
She had a thing for men stronger than herself. Until now, she lived like a tomboy, giving up on everything because there were no men her age stronger than her.
To find a man stronger than her, she’d have to look among those ten years older than her.
But now, Kail appeared—younger and stronger. She couldn’t miss this lifeline sent from the heavens.
“…I can’t teach you the secret sword technique.”
“But?”
“Hmm—yes. As the club president, I can give you personal tutoring. One-on-one.”
“I have a fiancée.”
“Wha—You have a fiancée? A fiancée?”
Ruby turned to Kail upon hearing this thunderous revelation.
Her love was crushed before it even began.
* * *
Though it seemed like there was no gain, I eventually joined the club under the conditions that I attend only when I wanted and that they wouldn’t interfere with me.
‘I wonder what kind of secret sword technique it is.’
There are two kinds of secret techniques:
Those created through long research by those who haven’t reached mastery.
And those casually recorded by masters for their descendants.
The former has a higher level of completion. Naturally, recreating a master’s strike after long research makes sense.
However, the latter is superior in power and efficiency. Like how humans without wings flapping their arms can’t compare to birds flying—imitating a master won’t match the real deal.
‘I think there might be something to learn.’
Naturally, the secret sword technique reportedly created by the swordsmanship research group was likely of the former type. There were no masters among the academy students, and even if there were, they wouldn’t leave their techniques in a place like the Swordman Club.
Moreover, techniques developed through effort by non-masters often exuded geometric beauty.
Imagined by those ignorant of the relationship between swordsmanship and aura, they surely held lessons worth learning.
‘If it doesn’t work out, then so be it.’
What if to learn it, I had to regularly attend the swordsmanship research group, contribute to their studies, build camaraderie with the club members, gain political trust, and become an officer?
It was bothersome. An Aura Master putting in that much effort for something wasn’t worth it.
Ultimately, satisfied with building connections with the club president, I headed straight to the dormitory. Occasionally jogging past the academy park, I suddenly heard singing.
A sweet melody that stopped me in my tracks.
“—La lalala♬”
Like Odysseus drawn to the Sirens, my feet naturally moved toward the source of the song. And I wasn’t the only one drawn there—a considerable number of students had gathered.
Beyond the crowd, I saw Ariah singing. With her eyes closed, she belted out her song, then cleared her throat and bowed deeply to the students who had gathered for her.
Moved by her graceful gesture, the students began to clap. Receiving their praise, Ariah was about to leave when she caught sight of me and ran straight over.
“Kail-!”
I caught the charging Ariah, spun her around, and set her down. Looking down at her, I spoke.
“You sing well.”
“Eh? What? Did you think I couldn’t sing?”
“I’ve never heard you sing before.”
“Don’t underestimate me—I’m a promising vocal student. Even the professors compliment me daily.”
“Impressive.”
Having become an Aura Master yet still terrible at singing, I couldn’t help but admire those who could sing well.
How do these kids do something I can’t so easily?
But maybe it was natural. Just because I was good with a sword didn’t mean I could excel at magic or academics.
“By the way, Kail, do you have plans now?”
“I was heading to the dorm.”
“Perfect. How about going on a date with me right now?”
Saying this, Ariah clung to my arm, pressing her chest against it. Weak to female advances, I shrugged and accepted her proposal.
Just as she led me forward, some art students approached from afar.
“What? Some commoner girl clinging to a big guy.”
“Thinking she’s a woman, trying to moan under a big man? Such a whore.”
Frowning at these guys starting trouble out of nowhere, I couldn’t understand the situation immediately.
At the Knight Department, such verbal abuse was unheard of. Anyone doing that would get punched and receive an instant dental implant.
“Hey, do you know who I am?”
“Who?”
“This is why you sword wielders are… I’m Robert Mardock of the Marquess Mardock family.”
“Oh, really?”
“Are you some nobody from the countryside?”
Hearing their words, Kail smirked and began walking closer. Despite being within punching distance, they showed no concern, smirking arrogantly.
“I’m a dentist.”
“What?”
“The stench of decay tells me your teeth are rotten. Don’t worry—I’ll fix them perfectly.”
The next moment, fists flashed, and dozens of teeth flew through the air.
