Doggone Academy

Vivi shook off the frost that had splattered on her face. The tent, caught in the blast, was half-gone, collapsed.

All the guards who had sworn to protect her drew their swords, showing murderous intent toward Vivi—all of them, even those she had formed close bonds with over a lifetime.

In this moment swallowed by despair, the last knight she had forgotten about leaped in.

Damian.

Was there ever such irony in fate? The disciple of the woman she so detested was now steadfastly protecting her, wielding nothing but a wooden sword.

Nielrin, standing back, lifted his sword, and smoke slowly began to rise from the blade—manifesting sword energy.

Following the sword energy, vapor started to rise from the ground. If the sword energy was manifested, it could slice through the dense bones and carapaces of demonic beasts.

The wooden sword wouldn’t stand a chance, likely to be cleaved in two as if it were butter.

The battle was hopeless. Damian alone against Nielrin and all these soldiers was an impossibility.

Vivi closed her eyes tightly. Was there ever such irony in fate? The person showing loyalty in her final moments was not someone she had known for decades but a boy she had met just a few days ago.

She suppressed the emotions boiling inside her.

“…You’ll die if you fight this. Run away if you can.”

Nielrin approached Damian, who didn’t pretend to hear Vivi.

Nielrin’s sword, charged with sword energy, rushed toward Damian.

Vivi clenched her eyes shut.

Clang!

When the wooden sword clashed with the sword energy, it made a solid sound as if steel had met steel.

Vivi slowly opened her eyes. The unfolding scene was not as expected. The wooden sword had blocked Nielrin’s strike.

Sparks flew with each clash of swords.

Blocking Nielrin’s attack was impressive, but it was too much to ask for more.

They had no intention of observing a one-on-one duel. Overwhelmed in numbers, the guard discarded any sense of chivalry and began a concerted attack.

Magicians in the rear ranks started their chants.

Flames and spells were hurled at Damian, busy defending against Nielrin.

Damian agilely deflected the magical attacks, but Nielrin found an opening, slicing through the flesh near Damian’s left ribs. Blood lightly sprayed out.

Then, Nielrin’s deputy joined in. It was three against one, with magical attacks to boot. Damian activated three bombs and dropped them at his feet. It would have been akin to suicide if they exploded—whether by mistake or intention, it was unclear.

The bombs began to glow blue as magic condensed within them.

“Dangerous…!”

Before Vivi could scream a warning, Damian rushed back, pulling her into his arms, shielding her with his body from the icy explosion.

A wintry gust swept through as if a chill breeze from the north had blown, and Damien, who should have been gravely injured, only ended up covered in white powder while the rest remained unscathed.

Nielrin and his deputies were thrown back by the explosion, covered in frost. Damian whispered in Vivi’s ear,

“I didn’t come here to die.”

Damian grasped Vivi’s wrist and started running away.

***

Killing those who might have borne malice and planned betrayal against the Lady would have been justifiable under the control of the circulatory system, yet slaughtering them all wasn’t the right choice.

For that reason, my battle became even harder. Had I chosen to confront them there and then, perhaps the end could have been seen, but fleeing to seek another means necessitated a more difficult path.

The guard promptly pursued us.

Their pursuit was relentless. The knights, now unrecognizable from the guard I knew, seemed determined not to let us go.

I saw Vivi’s face; she was sobbing uncontrollably as we fled.

“How could they… how could they…”

The shock of her trusted confidants turning their blades against her was evidently great.

“It’s not betrayal. They are under the control of something else.”

Never would I have imagined this dignified Lady would weep so bitterly.

Once the Lady of Ulyssia, she was now merely a raw human named Vivi.

Suddenly, an ice spike flew from the right, a surprise from those who had flanked us.

I immediately changed direction.

A fiery eagle dove at me, aiming for my eyes. Swiping it away with my sword made it vanish.

Despite changing directions multiple times, escaping the pursuit seemed futile.

We climbed a hill, evading the encirclement. Looking back, the knights had already closed in.

It was as seen in a dream. So this is how it ends.

I deflected incoming magical attacks with my sword as we continued up the hill.

Vivi’s tears did not cease. She must have sensed the end.

Reaching the top, we faced a cliff with raging torrents below. The knights quickly formed ranks, cutting off any remaining escape routes.

I turned, facing the guard with my back to Vivi.

Then, Vivi spoke in a resigned tone,

“Let’s end this.”

“…”

“I’ve been facing death long before now. It just arrived in an unexpectedly early manner. Come out. Fighting will only lead to a meaningless death.”

I remained silent, maintaining a standoff.

“There’s no winning. They want me. My life is enough to end this. If it saves the innocent guard and your life, it’s worth the exchange.”

“I refuse.”

Vivi didn’t take long to make her decision.

“Then, I will… I’ll jump myself.”

Vivi began running towards the cliff edge, intent on throwing herself off.

“…!”

I immediately turned and followed her.

She leapt off the cliff.

Without hesitation, I jumped into the air, catching Vivi and plunging into the rapids below.

***

Vivi coughed up water, tasting sand on her lips.

She was still alive. That cursed fate hadn’t swiftly taken her life but left her on this hellish land.

She slowly crawled onto the bank.

Then, recalling something, she looked around.

Damian lay unconscious about ten steps away.

Vivi sighed in relief seeing him.

His wrist was entwined with strange tree roots.

At first, she thought she was seeing things, but the tree was slowly pulling Damian out of the water onto the bank at a snail’s pace.

Vivi hurriedly grabbed Damian’s other arm to pull him out of the water.

Once they were in a safe place, the tree transformed back into the shape of a wooden sword.

She sat on him, pressing her ear against his chest. His heart was beating, but he wasn’t breathing. In a panic, she slapped his cheeks.

When the sound of her slaps was drowned out by the rushing water, she hit him harder,

“Wake up, wake up!”

With no response, she mimicked life-saving techniques she vaguely remembered, pressing his diaphragm with her fists.

After several presses, Damian coughed up water and opened his eyes.

Startled by his awakening, Vivi jumped up, creating distance.

Damian assessed the situation, still lying down, and then spoke,

“…You did well.”

“If I had been left to die, perhaps the gods’ wrath might have subsided. Why did you risk your life to save me?”

Damian continued,

“Jumping into the water, opening my airway, all were the right choices.”

“Answer my question!”

“…Before that, could you tell me why this land’s deity desires you?”

“…It’s likely because I interfered with a sacred ritual. And I’ve been despised by the gods since birth. So, nothing strange there.”

Damian got up, picked up the wooden sword, wrung out his hair, and checked for his belongings. His readiness to move on after nearly dying seemed almost inhuman.

He still faced forward.

“Like it or not, there’s only one path left to us.”

“…What path is left?”

It was doubtful what hope remained. Standing against the guard was impossible, and mere survival in this harsh environment wasn’t guaranteed.

“You’ve already resigned yourself to death. So, there’s nothing to lose by gambling one more time.”

“…”

Damian picked up Vivi’s mud-covered hairpin and handed it to her.

“I will fight the lord of this land.”

His action broke down Vivi’s last psychological defenses. He firmly held onto her, who had given up on herself.

What was he thinking? Why was he so determined to save her, who had treated him so disdainfully?

She tried not to show it, but something surged within her, forcing her to close her eyes tightly.

Would he feel the same upon seeing her curse? Was he truly willing to face the gods’ malevolence together? How would he react upon confronting this body cursed by the gods, knowing that even with all his protection, she might not survive ten years?

Vivi resolved herself and loosened her dress straps, then stripped down to her undergarments, exposing her upper body completely.

At the brink of life, she had nothing left to hide or lose.

She turned around, exposing the stark reality of her curse to him.