***

Filina’s wooden sword moved sharply.

The opponent was blocking her attack with only one hand this time. It was an excessively left-leaning movement.

“Senior.”

Filina swung her wooden sword and called out to him.

“The right.”

She explicitly attacked the right side.

“It’s empty.”

Filina’s wooden sword brushed against his collar. The sharp movement tenaciously found the gap.

Ka! Ka!

He hastily tilted his wooden sword in the opposite direction, but Filina was faster.

Her wooden sword made a dull noise and repeatedly struck the opponent’s forearm.

Ka! Ka!

He bit his lower lip and tilted his sword further to the right.

Filina swung her sword in the opposite direction as the man’s mind was completely shifted to one side.

Bam!

Her wooden sword struck the opponent’s head.

“Ugh!”

He hastily changed the direction of the wooden sword, but again, Filina’s movement came first. With each change of direction, she was quick to spot an opening.

“Stop.”

All those who were fighting put down their wooden swords at Carmen’s voice.

“Next cadets, come out.”

Those who had fought earlier returned to their original positions. Filina also tried to follow them.

“The two of you stay.”

But Carmen said to Filina and the cadet she had fought with.

“You will fight one more time in the same way as before.”

Filina looked at Carmen with a puzzled face. But he didn’t look at her anymore and turned around.

The cadets who were waiting for their next turn sat down again.

The face of the senior in front of her was not very good.

It seemed that his pride was hurt because he had not been able to block Filina’s attack in the previous confrontation.

“Start the battle.”

When Carmen’s voice was heard, the cadets who were standing next to each other began to move quickly.

At the same time, the senior’s wooden sword rushed in front of Filina.

It was a faster movement than the first.

Ka!

Two wooden swords collided in mid-air. She felt a twisted feeling in her fingertips.

Bam!

However, unlike the first time, Filina easily blocked his wooden sword. Because she knew all of her opponent’s attack patterns.

Ka! Ka!

His wooden sword approached out of order. Filina confirmed the opponent’s position with a calm face. By observing the movements of his hands, she could quickly tell where he was going to strike his sword.

“D*mn it!”

The senior had a more angry face than before. However, as emotions rose, the swordsmanship became disturbed.

Filina blocked all his attacks with a solid face.

Each time his movements became busy, she defended with more delicate movements. Even though there wasn’t much movement, she had already figured out where the opponent was going to attack.

His wooden sword could not even touch Filina’s hair.

“Everyone, stop.”

Carmen’s voice was heard. At the same time, all the cadets holding wooden swords stopped moving. The senior who fought Filina was breathing heavily.

Filina, on the other hand, stared at him with a normal face.

“Go in.”

Carmen came up and said to her. The battle wasn’t over yet.

The cadets had to train one more time by changing the order of each other.

However, Filina’s attacking skills had already been fully revealed before. The senior’s defensive skills were ineffective because Filina could read his pattern.

Carmen seemed to have noticed it.

When the two returned to their seats, the other cadets continued their training.

After class, Filina and Bessie headed to the dining room. It was lunch time.

When she was looking for an empty seat with a tray of food in her hands, she saw a familiar face from a distance away.

Even though the previous swordsmanship class was a place with the 1st Order, it was Hugh who did not show up.

He was having a meal with other cadets with a smile on his face.

Filina clenched her chin with her hand and looked at Huey.

It was questionable whether the ingredients for the potion were properly obtained.

When she entered the military academy, he scared her that she would use all of her potions in less than a fortnight, but the days were going smoother than expected.

Of course, at the entrance ceremony, a monster came out of nowhere and she was surprised.

Perhaps it was because of the many hardships she had to endure while repeating her life so far, this moment away from the original just felt very quiet.

If she met Laura and Enoch right away, she wanted to tell them that as much as they were worried, there was nothing dangerous.

‘…. are they doing well?’

Filina ate a large handful of rice while trying to erase the thoughts that were blooming in her head.

After class, she was very hungry. Her appetite improved and she ate more than when she was at the mansion.

Bessie got up first, saying that she had to stop by the investigation room and change her wooden sword.

Filina left the dining hall late. There was still some time left until the next class.

At that moment, a large shadow fell over her side, and someone wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“Hey.”

It was Hugh who was smiling friendly while looking at Filina. She thought she should ask about potions, and the timing was good.

“Did you get all the ingredients for the potion?”

For her, the potion was not a tool for promotion to the military academy, but a weapon to protect her life.

It was clear that the potion Hugh made would provide a great help when she was in danger.

He replied, secretly avoiding Filina’s gaze.

“Anyway, I went to the apprentice wizard yesterday, and they said that the avarance flower was not blooming.”

“Why?”

“When I went before, I didn’t know because it was in the evening, but now that I know, the sun doesn’t seem to rise even during the day. It’s the only forest over there.”

At Hugh’s words, Filina frowned and asked.

“Then what are you going to do now? Are you canceling our deal?”

“Cancellation? That’s nonsense. I have never canceled a transaction.”

Even though he was annoyed with a face that looked like he was embarrassed, Hugh quickly returned to his playful face and said with a smile.

“So today I’m going back there again.”

“You?”

“Yes.”

Hugh nodded and asked, his eyes twinkling.

“If you want to go too, I can take you specially.”

“Where are you going?”

He opened his eyes wide as if he was surprised by Filina’s question, and drew an arc on his lips and said.

“I’m going to the fairy forest in the northern continent.”

Filina was worried. Because it was frustrating that she was busy with the academy.

After all, if it was Hugh, she would be able to go there using his magic, so it would be easy to deceive people.

Then, suddenly, she was worried and asked.

“Is it okay if I follow you? What if I just get in the way?”

“Then it’s better for me. It’s thrilling.”

Hugh’s reply came without hesitation. Filina looked at him with a puzzled face.

What the hell makes Hugh so carefree all the time?

“By the way,  you don’t even take classes, and you wander around. Doesn’t the instructor say anything?”

He said with a face that he heard an absurd question.

“Who would dare say anything to me? That’s nonsense.”

“Aren’t you being too arrogant? This isn’t the tower you used to live in, it’s the swordsmanship academy.”

“If Commander Weaver and I had a fight, who do you think would win?”

‘He’s crazy.’

Otherwise, who would ask such a question so casually?

Filina looked at Hugh with a surprised face. But he only smiled with his red eyes folded in half.

“Are you joking? Are you crazy?”

Hugh shrugged in response to her words.

“Who cares? I’m not going to rebel. I’m just asking if you’re curious.”

“… Lower your voice. And why are you asking me that?”

Filina looked around and whispered quietly. Fortunately, no one really paid any attention to them.

Hugh said, raising the corners of his lips.

“I’ve always been curious. If the owner of the magic tower and Weaver, the commander of the Guards Division, fight, who will win?”

He asked, leaning over and putting his face to Filina.

“Aren’t you curious too?”

“No, not at all.”

She answered with a firm face.

Hugh pursed his lips with a disappointed expression, but Filina ignored him and walked forward.

At that moment, not far from her, Henry came to their place.

“Sir Fieldman.”

To be precise, Henry looked at Hugh and brought up the main topic briefly.

“The Vice-Commander is looking for you.”

Hugh frowned and opened his mouth.

“Carmen?”

Filina looked at Hugh with an absurd face.

No matter how much he called the Lord of the tower, he couldn’t just call the instructor like that.

Not surprisingly, Henry said with a contorted corner of his eye.

“Please use honorifics. It is against the rules of the swordsmanship academy.”

“Okay, the vice commander Carmen?”

Hugh let out a small sigh and mumbled.

“As the son of Duke Argeny, you’re very picky.”

Hugh walked across the auditorium in the direction of the office. Filina quietly examined Henry’s expression.

… A face that hardened fiercely.

Perhaps it was because of the name of Duke Argeny that Hugh spat out.

Filina quickly looked away. Whatever his mood, it didn’t matter to her.

She just walked past Henry. But she couldn’t take a few more steps, and had to stop when she heard a voice from behind.

“Sir Debussy.”

At Henry’s elaborate voice, she looked back.

“Are you close to Sir Fieldman?”

Filina frowned at his question.

“Why are you asking that? Can’t we be friends?”

She wasn’t close enough to say she was close to Hugh. To put it bluntly, she was his customer, and Hugh was just a merchant.

However, it was an unavoidable fact that only in front of Henry did she give a twisted answer.

He opened his mouth as he approached again as far as Filina had gone.

“It doesn’t really matter.”

“….”

“It doesn’t matter to me who Sir Debussy hangs out with.”

Filina frowned and asked.

“Then why are you asking?”

“I was just curious.”

His purple eyes stared at Filina indifferently.

“No matter how much I thought about what Sir Debussy was, I couldn’t figure it out.”

“….”

“I think I know a little bit now.”

“What does that mean?”

Henry smiled dryly at her question.

“Most of the personality traits of a person can be found by looking at the people they hang out with.”

After saying that, Henry passed Filina as it was.

She glared fiercely at Henry’s back.

Was he ignoring her because she’s hanging out with a guy like Hugh?

It was absurd who dared to discuss whose personality. The biggest villain in this story was Henry himself.

And that night, Filina left the dormitory and went to see Hugh.