"Vivienne... aren't you going a bit over the speed limit?"
In the car, Nuriel was holding the sides of his seat for dear life. The harsh bumps were making his rear sore, and the hard brakes and tight turns gave him the feeling of throwing up.
Since it wasn't a modern car he was familiar with, the suspension was severely underperforming despite the paved roads of the campus.
Vivienne kept her hands on the steering wheel, turning her head toward him with a confused expression. "But I'm not?"
'Eyes on the road!' His body screamed to get off the car. But of course, he couldn't just dismount from a fast-moving vehicle, as that would result in broken bones and sanded flesh.
"Just... slow down a little."
After a while, Vivienne gave in to Nuriel's advice and slowed down to a more tolerable speed for him. Following some road signs, they eventually made it to an area isolated from the urban center of the campus.
The road gradually worsened, turning from finely laid concrete to a brick path. Despite Vivienne slowing her aggressive driving, Nuriel's rear was still being punished by the harsh bumps and potholes that dotted the way to the College of War.
This was expected. After all, tough soldiers were built upon hardships.
The two drove by a column of jogging students. Staring at them more closely, they resembled soldiers instead. Nuriel's incessant viewing from the window was caught by Vivienne, who occasionally stole glances at him while driving.
"Don't be so surprised. Students here are usually soldiers on leave, pursuing the education they missed when they joined the military. There's even officer training courses," Vivienne informed.
"I see..." He continued staring at the students, noticing that their opening orientation was more punishing than in other colleges as he saw some knight aspirants fainting on the roadside.
Arriving at the central building of the Swordsmanship Academy, they made their way inside the cold halls. Stepping in, they were immediately met with the sounds of clashing wood.
Other than the hellish opening of the College of War, the Swordsmanship Academy specifically had the most violent one. It was tradition for young aspirants to fight each other in duels, establishing the hierarchy that would govern their entire school life.
This wasn't just encouraged—it was part of the curriculum since this was the bare minimum to produce talent.
'My hands...' Nuriel slugged toward the top of the stairs. He watched as Vivienne overtook him without a single drop of sweat.
To think.
She was already standing on the second floor, looking at Nuriel and waiting for him to catch up.
He avoided her gaze. Each step he took pushed him more and more into following his sister's advice.
"Sorry for the wait..." he said, out of breath.
Seeing Vivienne's face, he noticed she wasn't showing much emotion, which made it even harder for him to look at her. For some reason, he felt like the sidekick whose only purpose was comedic relief.
Finally, they arrived at the designated address. Knocking on the door, they were met with the husky voice that Nuriel was already familiar with.
"Come in...! Nuriel?"
Yaromech stood from his chair. Without a word, he quickly approached them, taking their luggage with a swift swipe of his hands.
"Allow me."
He settled them on top of his office desk, untying the strings.
His lips were awkwardly squished when he saw Nuriel's face. Nuriel could clearly see his expression, but didn't understand why. Perhaps it was because Nuriel did two things for him, but for Nuriel, Yaromech dealing with the fallen creature couldn't compare to the simple things he did for him.
Nuriel got closer to inspect what the books were about. While carrying them in both hands, it dawned on him that each was as thick as a dictionary. He thought swordsmanship was more about practical skills, but that wasn't the case.
Study on the Physical Body, 1st Edition.
He opened the book and flipped through it. Nuriel was shocked to find that it looked like it belonged in a college of medicine instead of the place he was standing at.
"What do you need them for?" Nuriel asked, pretending to read. His real goal was to gain more data for his Scepter. 'Could I build muscle in the throne room?'
"We already have books like these in storage, but it seems there were more enrollees than expected," Yaromech said, inspecting the book. His satisfied face showed they were of good quality. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to show up. You surprised me there."
While their conversation continued, Vivienne went outside to wait. Students and faculty alike couldn't help but steal glances at her.
"Is Yushin doing alright with the books I provided?"
Yaromech replied, "I... think so? He's already familiarized himself with our language, and I think he's doing alright."
Nuriel nodded, then turned toward the silver-engraved sword resting on the desk. It was Yushin's—always at his side, never far from reach, but now it was left alone.
"Isn't Yushin supposed to attend the opening ceremony?"
His gaze met Yaromech's, pressing him for an answer.
"...He was allowed to choose any college, including what subjects to take, so he doesn't really need to attend the orientations. But to be honest with you, he only chose two subjects—Fine Arts and Magic Engineering."
Before Nuriel could respond, Yaromech continued. His face turned slightly pale as he glanced toward the hallway beyond the room.
"He said he wanted to take a stroll to pass the time. Do you think he also wants to attend some swordsmanship subjects?"
Nuriel was taken aback. Yaromech's expression had softened into something more delicate—puppy-like, even. It was a stark contrast to the cold, deadly knight he'd seen before. The change was jarring.
"Perhaps he's just curious about the swordsmanship of this world. But don't you think it's strange for him to decide this late?" Nuriel said.
"I think so too. Could you find him and see if he's alright?"
. . .
'Find him yourself...' Nuriel internally lampooned, but after seeing the chaos on Yaromech's desk, noticing that it was just as bad as Edward's back then, he gave in.
But it was the perfect excuse to slack off for a bit, maybe even poke around the academy. It also gave Vivienne the space she needed to do whatever spying she had in mind. After all, they were tasked with making sure an important otherworlder delegate was safe and sound!
Still, he couldn't shake the memory of Yushin's expression, demonic, sharp, enough to freeze anyone who dared meet his eyes.
And with the Swordsmanship Academy's brutal opening traditions, just looking at someone the wrong way could get you hurt.
Nuriel placed a hand on his chest and bowed. "I'll find him."
Outside, he met up with Vivienne. Her eyes were fixed dead ahead into an empty hallway. She didn't turn as he approached, so he studied her face up close. Her green eyes shimmered like emeralds, and her features were delicate, entrancing.
Her silky black hair draped down like a waterfall, contrasting with her pale skin. And just behind the curtain of her hair, near her ear, he could make out faint stitch marks—barely visible unless you were looking for them.
"Is it done?" she asked, suddenly turning her head toward him.
"!!!"
Nuriel flinched and quickly pulled back, trying to ease the tension from his face.
"We need to find Yushin. He has a strange outfit, so it won't be hard to spot him."
Vivienne nodded.
The two circled the entire building. Along the way, Nuriel noticed something. Every time a loud bang echoed through the hall or a wooden sword clashed violently, Vivienne would freeze for a split second, before continuing on like nothing happened. It was subtle, but Nuriel had been watching her closely. It stood out.
Eventually, they were stopped by a large crowd of students blocking the hallway.
The sight made Nuriel cringe. He already knew what this was.
'I guess someone looked at a pair of demonic eyes and got pissed...' he chuckled inwardly.
Swoosh.
A student dashed past them, shouting with a wide grin plastered across his face. "A Yuncandel's gonna beat up some kid!"
Nuriel froze.
He remembered thinking once that Yushin might beat up a Yuncandel if they crossed paths. Now that he saw the scene unfold, he regretted ever imagining such a thing.
Nuriel rushed into the crowd, pushing his way through the wall of bodies. Vivienne followed close behind, gripping the back of his coat to keep herself from being separated.
"Pick up the sword! I've heard of an otherworlder transferee who always carried a silver sword—so where is it now?"
Yushin stood silently, staring at the boy.
"You looking down on our kingdom's swordsmen? I said pick the sword up!"