The sky was painted with a faint sunset. Before long, twilight was upon us.
The Southern Forest of the Academy was as calm as if the chaos of the Hunting Festival had never occurred.
Not long ago, this place had been in turmoil. It was not just due to the excitement of the festival. A named-class monster that shouldn’t have been found had emerged.
Recently named the “Intestine Collector,” fortunately, there were no casualties, but it was a chilling matter for those at the Academy.
The Academy immediately dispatched an investigation team, and during the day, the sounds of dozens of investigators moving through the forest made the area quite lively. However, as the sun began to set, the story changed.
It was the time of the lowered sun. According to myths, the sun was created from the liver of Arous. Therefore, anything unclean that contradicted the world would lose power when touched by sunlight, and this also applied to monsters.
While they might not burn and vanish upon first contact with light like legends suggest, it was certainly true that they weakened. After all, monsters were corrupted beings born from magical power.
On the other hand, as the sun set and the black curtain of night descended, the time of the Evil God Omelos returned. It was the time when monsters began to act in earnest.
Of course, the moon shining in the night sky symbolized Arous’s right eye. Even at night, the Heavenly Deity’s watch continued. Still, as darkness cloaked the area, there would inevitably be places where the moonlight did not reach.
In this situation, it was uncertain whether any danger remained in the forest. The investigators had no choice but to withdraw as night fell.
Only the sound of birds and pule could be heard in this quiet place.
A woman with radiant, golden hair resembling the sun stood there. Opposite her, a man with pitch-black hair appeared, as if night had already settled upon him.
Other than that, no one else was present. There were only the two of them in the clearing of the forest.
The atmosphere was too cold for anyone to entertain romantic notions about the young couple. The woman with the golden hair, Delphine, glared at the man while biting her lips.
The man with the black hair, on the other hand, appeared extremely calm. He only gazed at her with tired eyes, and no emotion was reflected on his expression.
The woman seemed to resent this.
As if spitting out her words, her soft voice shattered the stillness of the clearing.
“…It’s been a while, Lord Handaxe.”
The man referred to as ‘Lord Handaxe,’ I-an, said nothing. He merely shifted his gaze aside as if uninterested, and then redirected it back to Delphine.
His low voice carried a note of exhaustion.
“What’s the matter?”
It was a short and matter-of-fact statement but held significant meaning.
First, it was Delphine who had something to discuss. It meant she had summoned I-an.
Second, judging by the hint of annoyance, it seemed I-an did not particularly want to be there. It also implied that Delphine had effectively forced him into this situation.
Delphine’s bl**d-red eyes radiated intense murderous intent. She spoke.
“I heard as much. I’m here to request a rematch.”
“Bringing up the family name as well?”
There was a mocking tone in that voice, causing Delphine to tremble, her eyes closed.
It was as she said. Delphine had practically threatened him to bring him here, even mentioning the name ‘Yuridina.’
It was not an honorable act. She was well aware of that, as the shame flushed her face. It was a tortured expression.
However, I-an seemingly had no intention of aligning with the feelings of the perpetrator. His calm voice dealt another blow.
“I find that quite disgraceful.”
“…I can’t help it!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Delphine began to argue to justify her cowardly actions.
Her gaze was desperate. Perhaps she had suffered mentally during the past few days; her bl**d-red eyes looked hollow. There was even a hint of quivering in her pleading voice.
Delphine placed her hand on her chest and poured out her feelings from the past few days.
“Just lying down brings back memories of that day… I wake up sweating even while trying to sleep! It’s infuriating and shameful; it feels like a flame inside my heart… No matter how much I drink, that flame refuses to extinguish! What am I supposed to do?”
“You have to accept it; that’s the duty of the defeated.”
At those nonchalant words, Delphine’s eyes turned fierce. She could be heard gritting her teeth.
“…Did you feel good when I begged for my life?”
“I don’t know.”
The man’s tone held an absolute nonchalance. His golden eyes showed no trace of emotion.
That was the gist of it.
And that only made Delphine more furious. The nightmare of that day, which had haunted her for several days, was not even worth remembering for him.
Had she surrendered gracefully that day and stepped back, she would not have felt so humiliated and angered.
But the fact that she had been struck with an axe on her shoulder and had screamed for her life like any girl in her last moments pricked her pride.
She had once been overflowing with confidence, perhaps to the point of arrogance. She was still too inexperienced in absorbing the pain of that wound.
“…I won’t beg for my life today.”
Despite the solid voice laden with determination, no change in expression could be found on I-an’s face. He showed neither common scorn nor confusion.
He simply returned the question in a flat voice.
“Why should I even fight? Winning in such a disgraceful manner will only harm your pride, won’t it?”
“Disgraceful or beautiful, victory is victory.”
Delphine replied like that as she moved her hand to her waist. It was a stance ready to draw her sword. It could be seen as a brazen response.
But that was also the essence of Delphine Yuridina.
She would do anything for victory. Whether it was cowardly or not, all that mattered was winning. Her entire life had been obsessed with victory.
Even her first defeat had been shocking, but the result being begging for her life was intolerable.
She would have preferred to d*e. Delphine chided herself several times in that way. The conclusion of her long inner conflict was the duel that was about to begin.
She felt ashamed, but she had no thoughts of backing down now. I-an shook his head.
“If it’s a duel, is it a fight to the d*ath?”
“Of course, I’d rather d*e than live carrying such shame.”
It was quite an irresponsible statement for the heir of a great house, but I-an muttered it as he uncrossed his arms. He moved his hands to his waist.
It was a relaxed posture. His muscles were not tense at all, and his gaze was as tranquil as if he were out for a stroll.
Yet, upon seeing that, Delphine immediately tensed her body. The technique of the Sword Circle that I-an had shown her once came to mind.
Some practitioners of the Sword Circle would deliberately take such postures. It was to catch the opponent off guard. However, the Sword Circle’s techniques were fundamentally no different regardless of the stance they used.
In other words, he could deliver lethal strikes even from that position.
Delphine took a deep breath. Her vision gradually became clearer. As her range of perception narrowed, her awareness sharpened even more.
Her opponent was strong. If he had taken the elixir he received as a prize for winning the Hunting Festival over the past few days, he would be even stronger. But even so, he was no match for her.
At that time, she had faced countless variables and even been ambushed by Ceria. Even then, I-an had barely managed to claim victory. Objectively speaking, he did not possess the skill to face her alone.
That was why she had invoked the family name and insisted on meeting alone.
It was a petty act, but Delphine was already on the verge of madness. There was nothing she wouldn’t do. For the sole goal of victory.
Tension enveloped the clearing shrouded in stillness. The bl**d-red eyes and golden eyes scrutinized each other’s movements intently. A very brief moment of peace.
With a loud sound, Delphine kicked off the ground, causing a shockwave to erupt. Terrifying magical power projected onto the air shattered it, filling the space with screams.
She was fast. Delphine sensed an opportunity. She focused on speed more than ever before and charged forward. Before long, her body reached close to I-an.
A brilliant golden aura condensed around her sword. The scorching heat distorted the surroundings, creating an illusion.
And then, a single slash.
The horizontally cut space produced a cracking sound. It was too fast and hot for the atmosphere to withstand. The smell of burning dust tickled her nostrils.
But she felt nothing. How could this be?
Delphine’s eyes scanned her surroundings quickly. Yet, the answer was not far away. There, ahead of her, she saw.
The man, having stepped back by a single step, drawing his sword and rushing towards her.
As if moving with the speed of a beast.
