Chapter 41: Aiming for the Bridge of the Nose (Part 2)
“Hey, isn’t slapping me a bit over the line?”
“I didn’t slap your face!”
“One punch, one kick, all aimed right at my glorious face. Do you think I’m blind?”
“That was a hit to the nose!”
“…Can we negotiate here? Can we avoid hitting my face? I still have guests to entertain this afternoon.”
“Oh, I’ll go easy on you.”
A thin gray mist floated up from above the dirt wall of the training ground.
In this spacious area, Rect and I stood facing each other, just a few steps apart.
A gentle breeze blew, lifting the man’s coat and teasing two strands of hair by my temples, which brushed against my ears and made them slightly itchy. I raised my hand, fixed my pinky in place, and tossed aside my now crooked soft hat to the ground.
One second, two seconds, three seconds passed.
It was as though everyone had their throats constricted; the entire training ground suddenly fell silent. The group of students watching from a distance wore expressions not of joy or excitement, but of utter confusion mixed with a hint of disbelief.
For them, from the moment Teacher Melville shouted “Begin,” to the mysterious girl’s swift disappearance and reappearance with a deceptive footfall, to Rect’s punches and their subsequent separation, everything happened too abruptly and too quickly for them to comprehend in less than two seconds.
“The Peilo girl and Rect are actually face to face, gaining the upper hand,” this hard-to-believe yet clearly obvious fact left the majority who had come to watch the spectacle—hoping for the girl to be cute or ridiculous—dumbstruck, their brains all but fried.
In their minds, even if Peilo had some remarkable talent, there was no way it could surpass that of the few before her; moreover, she could never compare to Mr. Rect, who was one of the most formidable warriors in the Royal City, even in Ethanbel. He was the Queen’s most trusted guard, powerful and gracious, an existence most students felt was beyond their reach.
Now, looking at Peilo…
A first-year student with barely any experience, a little girl who looked small and fragile—one punch from her would probably send her crying for a while. No matter how pretty or charming she was, how could she possibly be on the same level as Mr. Rect?
In their minds, that adorable little girl, who looked weak and cute, if she ever got into a fight, would likely end up being picked up and tossed on the ground, unable to recover.
So the chatter leading up to the battle had been laced with sarcasm. The students were excited because the idea of Peilo fighting seemed amusing to them; they wanted to learn more about her and see if she matched their imagined version of a little goddess. If Peilo ended up getting knocked down by Mr. Rect’s punch, crying out in pain while cradling her head, they might feel a bit sorry for her, but amidst their sympathy, they’d think: “Of course, it’s like this—Peilo is so cute!”
Of course, there might be someone who secretly enjoyed it.
In any case, this was the scene they had anticipated or deemed would happen.
As for the rumor about Peilo being Miss Silvya… please, that was just talk. The Pope Knight had a busy schedule, dealing with important matters every day—how could she possibly be a first-year student at the Royal Academy? Plus, focusing solely on toe shots…
It was just that many in the academy wanted to get close to her but found themselves at a loss for good excuses; sending flowers and leaving messages only led to being ignored. Her social circle was limited to just a few people, as cold and aloof as a winter flower only blooming for itself. This left the male students feeling frustrated, with no solution, sprinkling the rumor mill with various tales about Peilo, trying to look serious in order to establish a connection and hope for some attention from the girl.
So apart from Sarah and a few others, almost no one believed that Peilo would put up a good fight. Most figured she’d just be taught a lesson by Mr. Rect and would leave in a pitiful state, even with Teacher Melville’s earlier warning—it was just a given in their minds.
However, when reality surpassed their expectations, the students froze.
What’s happening… how is this possible… what just occurred… no way… how did she do that… why is she so strong!?
Seconds later, a shout like thunder erupted into the sky.
“OH MY GOD——!!!”
The immense shockwaves caused by their mental disparity sent chills down their spines.
That seemingly delicate girl, an object of affection for most, the little fairy, the little goddess, who was supposed to be carefully cherished, had mysteriously vanished from the scene, then reappeared in an overwhelmingly powerful stance, instantly closing in on the seemingly invincible Mr. Rect. After a dizzying exchange, Mr. Rect was kicked away, barely managing to stay upright.
As this reality settled in, the students nearly blew the roof off with their screams, their voices even more frenzied than when Angel had arrived.
“Holy cr*p! Holy cr*p! Holy cr*p!”
“Gods above, my little sister——!”
“What’s happening! Did you see that?! Did anyone catch what happened?!”
“Mr. Rect just got kicked across the field!”
“Am I seeing things?! I’m asking HOW she did that!”
“Did you think I could see it clearly?!”
“Peilo! I love you——!!”
Amidst the bizarre chorus of madness, I casually unwound my top knot, letting my long hair down, shaking it out, with the hair tie hanging from my mouth, then re-bundled it into a single ponytail at the back of my head.
Across from me, Rect was flexing his wrist.
“Ready? Warm-ups finished?”
He asked with a grin.
“Uh-huh.”
I nodded, noticing the beads of sweat trickling down his forehead as my lips curled into a slight smile.
That kick was nothing to sneeze at…
I felt a surge of happiness inside.
But I also knew that in that brief exchange earlier, I had not only capitalized on his moment of inattention but had also managed to overpower him at a critical juncture, allowing me to gain some advantage. If it weren’t for the fact that Rect was lacking in raw strength compared to me, I’d have been the one at a disadvantage.
Next up, let’s see if I can keep up with him on equal terms…
“Then I’ll have to get a bit serious now.”
Rect’s voice became barely audible amidst the roaring crowd.
I ran my fingers through my ponytail, mimicking what he’d done before and waving my finger.
“Bring it on.”
A small gesture that sent the audience’s excitement to new heights.
I shook my head, feeling the ponytail sweep across my back, relieved my scalp felt lighter, and couldn’t help but jump a couple of times in place, keeping my eyes locked on Rect. With my third jump, as I landed, I bent slightly and stepped forward.
Almost simultaneously, the man ahead of me flicked his coat, suddenly raising an arm and waving lightly at the ground beneath him.
Whoosh——
The wind howled in a rush.
The dust exploded around him, soaring up to five or six meters high, quickly obscuring nearly half the space in front of me.
Not more dust…
How long has it been since this training ground was cleaned?!
The cloud of dust spread forward, and I hastily backpedaled while yelling, “Rect, what are you trying to do?! This is disgusting!”
“What else? You expected me to engage you face-to-face? Get real, I’m an assassin…”
Rect’s voice echoed through the swirling dust, sounding unpredictable.
He was moving…
But with the dust obscuring my vision and the wind mingling with the crowd’s shouts drowning out any sound, I couldn’t see where he was, couldn’t hear any footsteps, and had no intention of approaching the smoke-filled scene.
Whoosh——
Suddenly, the left side kicked up more dust.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
Rect was quick on his feet, running and stirring up smoke around the empty space. I kept retreating, covering my mouth and nose to avoid the grime, soon reaching the corner of the wall, my vision nearly completely obscured. The dust grew thicker, rendering even shadows impossible to discern.
Maybe I should just launch a massive ice attack and freeze the whole place…
Of course, that was just a thought for now; actually doing it would mean even if Rect miraculously dodged it, the students might get hurt. With just Teacher Melville and a few others, we wouldn’t be able to control the spreading chill, and if I really did that, this whole fight would lose its meaning.
But his fighting style is super annoying!
“Cough, cough!”
The smoke gradually drifted toward me.
No, it’s too choking…
I used my left hand to cover my mouth and nose, my brow furrowed in concentration as I remained alert for Rect’s sudden appearance and aggression. With my right hand, I held it out in front of me, ice mist surged forth, trying to blow away the dust with the winds it carried.
Where would the Forgiveness Head be…
Whoosh——
Suddenly, a strong gust whirled by my side.
From my peripheral vision, something zoomed through the mist and headed straight for me.
What the heck…
My heart raced as I quickly jumped to the left, the attack smashing into the earth wall behind me with a loud “bang,” sending dust flying.
Was that…a wind projectile?
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
Before I could even regain my focus, three more sharp whooshes came from three different directions, breaking through the haze and heading straight for me…this time I saw clearly; they were like air bullets, intangible and impossible to gauge in size. Besides the slight fluctuation in the air, they were completely invisible, but they were incredibly fast.
No dodging…I was cornered from three sides…
Realizing this, my eyes sparked blue.
Ka-pow!
A wall of ice shot up in front of me, encasing me, followed by three muffled thuds, the incoming attacks halted by the ice barrier, and judging by the sound, they didn’t seem to cause much damage.
A bit weak…
Or maybe he didn’t want to hurt me?
Hmph…
You won’t be hurting me.
Whoosh——
Outside, the roar of the crowd surged again, the commotion bringing countless observers to a state of awe.
“What was that blue light just now?!”
“She’s behind the wall! The dust is too thick, I can’t see anything…wow, it’s floating this way!”
“Peilo’s countering! Counter!”
“Hit his nose!”
“Ahhhh! I can’t see! I can’t see——”
They’re so annoying, why are they yelling so loud?! It’s already hard enough to hear Rect’s position…
But it seems he knows exactly where I am.
He must be judging by the wind flow. If this continues, I’ll become a sitting duck…well, my clothes and hair are dirty enough, might as well jump in!
The mist was already creeping from the sides of the ice wall right beside me, rolling in like a wave; there was no retreating further. I couldn’t keep hiding; that’d be so embarrassing.
So I took a deep breath, then held it, twisting my feet to initiate the Moon Step.
Whoosh——
Rushing winds filled my ears as I dashed out from the right side of the ice wall, plunging into the swirling dust.
Ahhhh, this is so dirty!
I’m going to make you wish you hadn’t messed with me…!
