The Extra Saved the Terminally Ill Princess and Ran Away - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Finn and Lili (5)

***

What was it I had just decided?

To be careful, to keep a low profile, to avoid attracting attention?

And yet, here I was,

Surrounded by my fellow first-year Knight Department students, exhausted from their own matches, their gazes fixed on Lili and me.

Ian, looking like a lovesick puppy, his eyes shining with excitement.

And the main culprit of this whole mess, Irene Yustia, the academy's strongest knight, smirking at me, her sword pointed menacingly in my direction.

'Why is the academy's strongest knight disrupting a first-year practice session?'

Knowing her personality, it wasn't for the thrill of victory, the satisfaction of defeating a bunch of first-years.

So why was she here, neglecting her duties as student council president?

"Why are you just standing there, Berry? Or… would you prefer to be called Finn?"

Irene, her sword still pointed at me, smirked and continued,

"Shouldn't you summon your sword, like you did during the tournament finals? Or does our Cadet Finn have a peculiar hobby of hiding both his strength and his weapon?"

Her predatory gaze, like a hungry beast's, burned into me.

I could hear the faint grinding of her teeth, a subtle sign of her suppressed rage.

Unlike the instructors and other academy staff, who were content with demonstrations of skill as long as no rules were broken,

Irene, with her twisted sense of chivalry, couldn't accept my behavior.

She believed that fighting with all your might, regardless of the opponent, was a sign of respect. And I, having never shown my true strength at the academy,

Except for the Bifrons incident and the tournament,

Was clearly violating her warped code of chivalry. In her eyes, I had shown respect to a demon, but not to my fellow knights.

I hadn't considered her perspective, perhaps because it was still early in the story, and her role was relatively minor, or perhaps because I found her personality so grating.

I had simply thought,

'Ugh, what does she want?'

When I saw her standing next to the instructor, her own sword and a standard academy-issued blade at her hip, as I entered the training grounds with Ian.

And then, she had announced, with a stern expression,

-Today's practice session will be supervised by me, Irene Yustia! The exercise is simple! Step forward and spar with me when your name is called! That is all!-

And the order in which she called out the names clearly indicated that I was last.

'…Sigh…'

My resolve to keep a low profile had crumbled within minutes. I couldn't help but sigh.

"…Why am I the only one with a standard-issue weapon?"

I muttered, looking at Irene's sword, the Crimson Wrath.

A sword shaped like a dragon's fang, its name a fitting description of its appearance.

Flames flickered around its heavy blade, and the dragon's breath gem embedded in the pommel glowed red, a clear sign that she was ready for battle.

"As a representative of the academy, and the Solus Persona, I need to assess the strength of my fellow student council members."

"…Don't you think this is dangerous? We don't have any Divine Arts students on standby…"

Smirk.

The moment I saw her smug grin, I knew I had fallen into her trap.

"That's why I brought a renowned healer from the Divine Arts Department."

She gestured with her chin, her sword now pointing slightly behind me.

I turned to see a familiar silhouette, familiar hair, familiar features, a familiar… figure.

Her ample bosom jiggled as she bowed her head respectfully.

"Greetings, Berry."

"If it weren't for you, I would be having a perfectly good day, Grace."

"Sigh…"

"Sigh…"

Grace and I sighed in unison.

Judging by her expression, she, too, had been dragged here against her will.

Of course, she wouldn't be happy about being forced to participate in a potentially dangerous sparring match just for an "assessment." She would have vehemently refused.

'And the fact that she's here means her refusal wasn't accepted.'

I turned back to Irene, ignoring Grace, who was still bowing her head.

Irene raised an eyebrow, meeting my gaze.

"So, what do you say? She's your party member… No need to hold back, right? You chose her yourself, so you must trust her skills."

Grit-

That bitch.

If I refused now, it would imply that I didn't trust my own party member.

A classic Twisted Knight move, forcing a confrontation, even if it meant injuring her opponent, all in the name of her warped sense of chivalry.

I had no choice. I summoned Lunar Eclipse and stepped forward, deflecting her blade.

Clang! Shing!

She reacted instantly, leaping back.

Perhaps surprised by my sudden attack… or perhaps because I, along with Ian, was one of the few who could actually pose a threat to her…

Her eyes gleamed with a predatory intensity, a fierce battle lust burning within her.

I clicked my tongue, annoyed.

"Don't point that thing at me, President. I don't know what kind of 'chivalry' you believe in, but… were you raised in a barn? Or did you homeschool yourself?"

My strategy was simple.

Provoke her, make her lose her composure, and find an opening to end this quickly.

I couldn't afford to reveal my true strength here.

'Too bad for you, bitch. I come from a country where insulting someone's parents is a national sport. Consider this a basic courtesy.'

This was a battle of attrition. Let's see whose patience runs out first, Irene Yustia.

***

Homeschool yourself?

The single, most insulting phrase imaginable, fueled Irene's already burning rage.

He hadn't insulted her skills,

Nor her appearance,

But that single sentence was a deep, personal attack.

He had mocked her lack of manners, her lack of proper upbringing, implying that she didn't even have parents to teach her such basic courtesy.

In this world, where such insults were rare, and people weren't accustomed to such blatant disrespect,

Even an ordinary person would have exploded in anger. And Irene, despite her twisted worldview, still considered herself a knight. His words were a direct challenge, an unforgivable insult.

"You… say that again. What did you say?"

Her voice trembled, a barely contained rage. Retract your words, apologize, if you value your life.

But the boy, his face radiating an almost cheerful malice, simply repeated,

"I asked if you were homeschooled, President Irene Yustia."

Irene, blinded by her own warped sense of chivalry, didn't realize that he was venting his own pent-up frustrations.

He had resented her interrogation after the Lycansthrope incident, her questioning his strength while he was still recovering from a near-death experience.

He had been deeply disturbed by her attempt to execute him on the spot after he defeated the demon, even though he understood her reasoning.

And now, this.

Despite the Archbishop of the Divine Arts Department confirming that he possessed no demonic energy,

She was about to beat him half to death for some trivial reason. He couldn't hold back any longer.

While there were more diplomatic ways to resolve this, their pent-up frustrations exploded, their clash echoing through the training grounds.

Boom!!!

The force of their single exchange shook the ground.

And Lili, whose classes had ended earlier than usual, had rushed to the Knight Department, eager to see him.

Hearing the loud crash, a sudden sense of unease, she followed the sound…

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