The 30 minutes flew by like an arrow, and finally, I stood face to face with Arcadia.

While his standing compared to Grand Duke Sion Belfast is unknown, Arcadia is certainly the strongest knight in the North, aside from the Grand Duke. Based on my experience crossing swords with him in my previous life, I can judge that in 1 or 2 years, this man will become the strongest swordsman in the Empire.

As I faced Arcadia as a swordsman, without him having inhaled the sleeping gas, an inexplicable tension spread from my fingertips throughout my body.

The level is different.

There are things you can tell just from the atmosphere he exudes. I felt it when fighting the black bugs too, but Arcadia’s sword resembles a cold, pure snowstorm, just like his appearance.

Of course, I could subdue him in just a few exchanges. If only I could reveal my true sword skills.

After careful consideration, I concluded that no matter how much I pondered ‘how to lose’ in this match, it would be useless.

Not knowing how Arcadia would come at me, there was no point in me worrying alone. So for now, I’ll just defend. While doing so, I’ll read his attack patterns and match them, then lose.

That was my first trick.

Arcadia didn’t move from where he stood and opened his mouth.

“You, why do you keep hiding?”

“Pardon?”

It felt like I’d been hit hard on the head.

“You’re not struggling at all, yet you pretend to struggle. That’s not respectful to your opponent.”

Annoying Arcadia. Suddenly, he felt vexing to me.

I know. Even if you don’t say it.

But Arcadia, I’m not in a position to worry about manners like you. Just thinking about the future I already know makes me feel rushed and desperate.

Every night I think about how to save the North and utterly destroy that father and daughter in the South.

So I don’t have the luxury to think about things related to me, be it manners or my future. Not right now, at least.

I looked at him straight on.

‘You’re probably saying that because you don’t know anything, but still, you’re a bit irritating.’

Whether he knew my thoughts or not, he said,

“It’ll be hard to fight while using your head, this time.”

Then suddenly, without warning, he rushed towards me.

He’s fast.

But to my eyes, all of his movements were visible.

However.

When we were at close quarters, he suddenly pulled out another sword from his chest. It happened in an instant.

As I dodged his right sword flying from the side, at the same time his left sword came flying from below.

‘I could die.’

Instinctively, I raised my sword vertically. I blocked the lower attack with the tip of my sword, and deflected his sword flying from the side with the upper part of my blade.

Then in an instant, I spun and stuck to his side near his shoulder, then rolled my body to dodge behind his back.

Simultaneously, he also turned his body and swung his sword towards my neck. I bent my waist back to dodge that sword, then wrapped my sword around it and struck down his other sword coming from below.

Then I threw my body to distance myself from him.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The knights started to rise from their seats, murmuring.

Damn it, damn it.

What Arcadia said just before we started, about it being hard to use one’s head, meant this. He meant he would attack in a way that could only be responded to with reflex actions, not thought.

One corner of Arcadia’s mouth lifted up. As if he was enjoying it.

What should I do? Should I pretend to collapse in shock even now? Then surrender?

But… I don’t want to do that. I do have my pride, after all.

Alright, if you want, I’ll stop acting.

But I can’t beat Arcadia right now.

I found a way to lose.

“That’s impressive. It’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun.”

He said.

Once again, I thought. You really are like a snowstorm.

“You go first,” I said.

Then he rushed at me again. Discarding the sword in his left hand, with just one sword.

Each attack is lethal.

Even if I try to take hits moderately and dodge, I can’t, because these are attacks that might kill me if they hit.

Our swords clashed in the air like butterflies. I flee and he pursues.

After about five exchanges.

His sword spun and flew towards my neck. I lowered my body quickly, stuck close to his waist, and instinctively thrust the handle of my sword into his abdomen.

For a moment, I thought ‘oops’.

But surely. He wouldn’t have noticed.

Fortunately, he threw his body over my sword and spun once in the air. Then he landed towards me and swung his sword again. I bent my body back to dodge it. As I raised my upper body, I saw him twisting his arm that wasn’t holding the sword behind his back.

His elbow flies towards my chest.

Here it comes, a chance to lose.

An attack that will hurt, but won’t kill me even if I take it. Let’s take that attack.

This is my second trick.

I didn’t defend.

And.

With a thud sound, everything went dark for a moment.

Pain like my ribs were breaking. I flew through the air and crashed onto the ground.

– Thump

My body rolls from the impact.

Ah… it really hurts.

I can’t move.

I was an assassin who handled swords, not a muscular mercenary unfazed by physical attacks.

As I lay there unable to open my eyes, I heard numerous murmurs gathering around me.

Then, someone ran over, creating a gust of wind beside me.

“Arcadia! Are you trying to kill her?!”

It was the Grand Duke’s thunderous voice, as if it would tear the world apart.

When I opened my eyes, sapphire blue eyes were staring at me. Blue eyes seething like lava I had seen somewhere before.

His usually maintained expressionless face was completely disheveled.

Grand Duke?

I just blinked at the Grand Duke’s expression I had never seen before. Behind the Grand Duke, I could see the knights who had gathered at some point.

They were all looking at me, or more precisely, at my face, with surprised eyes.

At that moment, I felt the wind passing over my face, which I had always kept covered.

What’s going on?

Then, beside the Grand Duke who was filling my entire field of vision, Arcadia’s surprised face came into view.

“Hey! Are you okay?! Why didn’t you dodge? You could have dodged that!”

“Arcadia!!!”

The Grand Duke got angry. Extremely so.

That sound snapped me back to my senses. At the same time, the pain in my chest where Arcadia’s elbow had hit rose to the surface of my consciousness.

“Ugh…”

I let out a groan without realizing it. At that, Arcadia’s already pale face turned even paler.

“Are you okay? I thought you would dodge…”

He was fidgeting anxiously.

I wanted to say something, but my mouth wouldn’t open. Instead of words, a large tear trickled down my cheek.

“Uwaaa! Are you okay?”

Arcadia asks, genuinely flustered.

I really, barely managing to catch my breath, answered.

“I’m… fine. I, I lost, right? I’m really- ugh- fine.”

“Medical unit! Hegel!”

The Grand Duke urgently called for the head of the medical tent.

[This is the timeline separator]

What an unexpected luxury.

I am now lying on a wide, soft hammock under an old tree.

After the pain subsided and the head of the medical tent confirmed that my ribs weren’t broken, someone picked me up.

It was the Grand Duke.

As if holding a weightless sword, he lifted my body lightly.

Then onto this hammock.

I looked at my half-mask that had come off during the earlier duel. While flying through the air and crashing, the weakened strap part of the mask had broken from the impact.

I can feel the knights glancing at my face.

It must look strange, having two different halves of a face stuck together.

“Are you really alright?”

The Grand Duke, back to his expressionless face, asked me.

“Yes, I am honored, Your Grace.”

As I tried to get up, the Grand Duke stopped me.

“Lie down longer.”

“No, I’m fine now. It’s more comfortable to get down.”

“…Is that so.”

That’s right.

Sion Belfast, Grand Duke of the North, it’s too much honor for you to treat me like this. So I’m a bit uncomfortable.

I was the main contributor to your downfall in my previous life.

Just as I was about to get off the hammock, I saw Ergo approaching me.

He was coming towards me, slightly out of breath, holding something wrapped in white cloth.

When he arrived in front of me, he looked up at the Grand Duke once. When the Grand Duke nodded, he bent one knee to match my eye level.

Not understanding what was happening, I looked back and forth between the Grand Duke and him.

“What’s, going on?”

“You proved yourself better than expected, no, far beyond expectations. Miss Esther.”

Ergo said. Unlike when we first met, there was warmth in his eyes as he looked at me.

For a moment, something went tight in my chest.

“Did I… prove myself?”

My voice came out desperately without me realizing.

“Of course. I take back what I said about you taking swords lightly.”

“Miss Esther, your talent lies with the sword after all. At that level, you might not be able to grill meat or cut vegetables, but it’s excellent. No, it’s very, very excellent.”

Deputy Commander Moby, who had come over at some point, smiled brightly at me.

I’m relieved…

But those with the authority to confirm the ‘proof’ were still quiet.

I carefully looked at the Grand Duke and Arcadia, who had approached as I got up.

Arcadia spoke.

“Are you okay? Silver hair?”

“Pardon?”

“You have silver hair. You’re silver. I’m silver too.”

“?”

I don’t agree.

The Grand Duke said,

“Lord Nugent’s hair is closer to platinum silver, while Miss Esther’s is like moonlight silver. They don’t seem the same.”

“? Is that so.”

Arcadia replied, pouting his lips ever so slightly. The Grand Duke looked at Arcadia like that and smiled faintly.

“Anyway, thank you for the trouble of confirming the proof, Lord Nugent.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just glad this young lady is alright. Otherwise, I might have gotten the terrible label of a woman beater.”

His voice sounds grumpy, but his eyes are smiling.

“Thank you, Deputy Commander. It was an honor to have the chance to cross swords with you.”

These words were sincere.

Then Arcadia placed his hand on top of my head. And patted it very lightly.

Huh? What’s this?

The Grand Duke spoke to the knights.

“Today, Miss Esther has proven her worth. So, as she wished, I have decided to acknowledge her as a person of the North. Do you all agree?”

“Yes! We agree!”

Everyone shouted.

What’s going on? Did they all coordinate their words while I was lying on the hammock for a moment?

The sudden goodwill felt a bit unfamiliar.

But… I was happy.

A person of the North.

Those words coming from the Grand Duke’s mouth seeped into my heart, as if cutting it.

The words I really wanted to hear.

He acknowledged me, who wanted to become a citizen of the North, as ‘a person of the North’.

The words ‘citizen of the North’ made me happier than ‘the only one I want’.

“So, although it’s not yet complete, I intend to grant her wish.”

“!”

I looked at Ergo. He unwrapped the white cloth covering what he was holding. A silver half-mask, white as snow reflecting sunlight, was revealed.

Without realizing it, I looked up at the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke nodded.

Ergo said,

“His Grace the Grand Duke told me to make it even if you didn’t prove your worth, so I made it in advance. It’s still unfinished, but try it on. That way we can adjust it to fit perfectly.”

With trembling hands, I received the mask he handed over.

A silver mask like my silver hair. A color as noble as moonlight.

Slowly, I put that mask on my face. The mask covered exactly the distorted left side of my face. The part wrapping around my head and mask was incomparably softer and more comfortable than the previous one.

“Whoa!”

Suddenly, a sigh like a scream burst out from among the knights.

Surprised, I raised my head.

Why are they acting like that? Are they surprised because my eye color is too unfamiliar, sky blue? Or because my silver eyelashes are too long? Or did I get injured on the right side of my face while fighting earlier?

As all sorts of thoughts scrambled through my mind, Yora, standing among the soldiers, shouted.

“Essdel, you’re… beautiful!”

“Really beautiful!”

“Why didn’t you wear a mask like this earlier!”

The knights started speaking one after another. Then several of them even whistled at the same time.

Really, there are many first-time experiences. Now that I’ve come to the North, truly.

My cheeks turned red without me realizing.

At that moment, the Grand Duke called Arcadia. Then he opened his mouth in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Arcadia, since when did our knights become so vulgar, whistling at a woman?”

“Pardon, Your Grace?”

“Tell the knights not to whistle so vulgarly from now on. It’s not respectful to the other person.”

The Grand Duke’s brow was slightly furrowed as he spoke calmly.

Huh? Why is he angry?

I know the Grand Duke from my previous life a little. That expression means he’s very angry right now. But this feeling that’s a bit strange to simply call anger, what could it be?