I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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Episode 202

“That crazy bastard…!”

The male knight, who had been looking anxiously at me and Kasia, sighed. He was the one who tried to grab Kasia as she was about to come towards me. Though his voice wasn’t loud, I heard it distinctly. Cold sweat trickled down his short orange hair.

“Duel, huh.”

I muttered and stood up. Without realizing it, the corners of my eyes lifted.

“Do you request a duel so casually from other instructors as well?”

The duel itself wasn’t the issue. What bothered me was the fact that I was currently at this location as an instructor.

I didn’t care about authority, but I certainly shouldn’t be ignored. If I appeared ridiculous, my teachings would come off as nothing more than a joke.

‘Did I seem silly just because I’m a young noblewoman?’

I wondered if Kasia was the type to make sudden duel requests to an ordinary instructor as well.

“You wouldn’t do this to other instructors. You’re doing it because it’s me.”

Kasia maintained her expressionless demeanor and spoke firmly. She looked like a beautifully crafted statue—elegant yet cold and hard.

‘Hmm.’

I exhaled sharply and stared at her. Despite her cynical impression of being indifferent to everything, her blue eyes were burning fiercely, leaving no room for doubt.

Kasia’s attitude was incredibly rude.

Considering she didn’t mention her family name, she probably came from a commoner background, yet she hadn’t even bothered to greet me properly. The term “you” was hardly appropriate for addressing someone who was not only a noble but also an instructor.

‘But it does not seem like she’s looking down on me.’

I narrowed my eyes. If she thought I would be easy prey to target, I could simply crush her, but it didn’t seem like that was her intention.

‘Overflowing ambition, subtle defiance, and… resentment.’

It was clear that Kasia knew me from before. I could swear her face looked familiar.

I pondered if I had done something to earn someone’s resentment, but I quickly dismissed the thought.

First, I resolved to handle the intense gaze of Kasia, who seemed to be contemplating how to devour me.

“What is your age and rank?”

“Twenty-two. I am a knight.”

It’s typical for someone in their early twenties to be a trainee knight, so being a formal knight at that age indicated considerable skill.

I was impressed, yet I maintained a cool expression on the outside.

“Are you applying for a duel because you think you can defeat me?”

The atmosphere grew even heavier, pressing down like a weight.

Other knights, who had been casting furtive glances my way, hastily inhaled. Sweat dripped down Kasia’s neck right in front of me.

While her body exhibited well-defined muscles from sword training, I felt no trace of the energy of a Sword Expert. She was on an entirely different level compared to me.

“…I’m not disregarding you, Instructor.”

Kasia briefly lowered her head. While there wasn’t an overwhelming display of respect, it was clear she wasn’t openly disrespectful either.

Kasia slowly raised her head and glared at me. Although her body trembled from the pressure, her blue eyes met mine head-on without fear.

“I wish to fight Mir.”

I raised my eyebrows. My interest surged, along with a swarm of questions.

Srrng.

Kasia unsheathed her sword without hesitation. Perhaps her family background was not affluent, as her leather scabbard was old and worn, but the blade itself was piercingly sharp.

“I refuse to acknowledge that you are Mir.”

Kasia gritted her teeth, raising her sword. Her blue eyes blazed with intensity beyond the blade.

‘What on…’

I never imagined she would say something like that, and countless scenarios unfolded and vanished in my mind.

The most plausible explanation was that Kasia was a follower of Mir.

I had heard that many knights followed Mir. Perhaps she had been disappointed because I was so different from the image of Mir she had expected.

Regardless of whether or not Kasia acknowledged it, I was still the mercenary Mir. However, given her serious and frustrated expression, I couldn’t just let it slide.

“I can’t force you to accept it, but…”

Srrng.

I drew my sword from my waist. The silver blade glinted in the strong afternoon sunlight.

“It doesn’t feel good to be unrecognized. I should show you.”

I wasn’t obligated to prove anything, yet I wanted to demonstrate that Mir was my true identity.

I grinned as I aimed my sword at Kasia.

“…The Mir I envisioned wasn’t someone like you.”

“What did you imagine Mir to be? A man? Older? Taller?”

I replied nonchalantly to her rough tone. She bit her lip as if she was holding back her emotions.

“The Mir I idolized was at least not a noble.”

Her bitter voice was laced with simmering betrayal. Seeing the moisture glisten in her blue eyes left me momentarily speechless.

I had no words for someone who had imagined their own fantasies and turned to disappointment alone. It wasn’t my responsibility.

However, looking at her expression, which seemed filled with unjust frustration, a strange sense of guilt began to arise.

“I refuse to accept that you are Mir.”

Her sea-like eyes shot daggers at me.

‘She seems to really hate nobles…’

It wasn’t because she was young or female; it was specifically because I was a noble.

I was slightly troubled, but I smiled slowly.

“That’s truly unfortunate, but it’s the truth.”

Swoosh!

The mana drifting through the air seemed to be sucked into a black hole, compressing into one spot. The blade reverberated as thick, black aura enveloped my sword.

Gasps of awe erupted around me, and Kasia’s pupils dilated slightly.

I hadn’t planned to release my aura, but seeing Kasia’s reaction compelled me to showcase it properly.

“I am Mir. That will not change.”

The name of my struggle. That was an unalterable essence.

Tap, tap, tap.

With fierce determination in her eyes, Kasia charged at me. Her speed was quite quick, and her grip on the sword was firm. The roughness of her hands showed the evidence of her long efforts.

Clang!

The crisp sound rang out as our blades collided. Though I solely held my ground without pushing back, Kasia appeared to struggle merely from being exposed to my aura. I let out a brief sigh as I watching her trembling sword.

“Do you dislike me?”

Clang!

The swords clashed again. Even though she must have sensed defeat from our first exchange, she continued to attack me.

“It’s not that I dislike you…”

Kasia spoke with great difficulty. While I searched my memory for a time when I had last seen her complicated expression, she swung her sword wildly.

“I decided to pursue the dream of becoming a knight by looking at you! I thought that if I worked hard enough, I could become someone like you! I clawed my way up here to crush the scummy nobles with skill! Mir was like a beacon of hope for poor commoners like me!”

Kasia aimed a low strike at my knee with her sword. I quickly dodged the blade and jabbed my sword at her side. Just narrowly, she blocked my strike with a gritted jaw.

“But now you say you’re a noble… that’s deceitful!”

I could understand her feelings. If one worked hard to become red after seeing a red star but then discovered that the star was actually blue, it would be a betrayal.

“There’s nothing I can do about it. You understand that, right?”

But what could the star do if it suddenly discovered it was blue all along?

It had barely been a year since I learned I was a noble. Furthermore, I never advertised myself as a commoner either.

I could understand how she felt, and while I appreciated that she saw me as a hope, I couldn’t take responsibility for her betrayal.

“I know. But still…!”

Clang!

I lightly tapped away Kasia’s sword. Her wrist twisted, sending it flying through the air. The clang of the blade hitting the dirt made it seem utterly forlorn.

“I truly respected you…”

Droplets of moisture swirled in her blue eyes as she eventually let one slow tear fall. Her once cold and unfeeling expression now appeared immeasurably sorrowful as the tears cascaded down.

“I didn’t want to believe that the person I esteemed the most was just like those disgusting nobles.”

Was it her pride? She shed that one drop, refusing to cry more. After wiping her eyes, Kasia glared at my sword.

Still, I was Mir. The thick black aura enveloping my blade served as undeniable evidence of that.

“If I acknowledge you as a noble, I must deny my life spent resisting nobles.”

Her blue eyes burned with loathing.

“I would rather deny you.”

Kasia picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground and turned her back to me.

“Oh dear, I apologize, Instructor! This girl actually doesn’t know how to talk politely!”

The orange-haired male knight who had been anxiously watching our duel rushed over, grabbing Kasia by the shoulder and awkwardly smiling at me.

His gray eyes, nervously glancing at me, shot daggers at Kasia.

“Hey, you better apologize to the Instructor quickly! You really want to…!”

“Get lost.”

Kasia shoved the man’s shoulder aside and marched away. The male knight, aghast, gasped in disbelief, turning to me with cold sweat trickling down his brow.

“I’m really sorry. That must have been quite unpleasant for you, right? That girl has quite the temper… she’s somewhat famous even within the Knights Order. But she’s not a bad person, really.”

The man earnestly defended Kasia. With my mind filled with thoughts about her words, I cooled my heated mind as I watched the flustered knight.

“Are you a friend of Kasia’s?”

“Oh, yes! Though that girl might not think of me as a friend, I’m a formal knight too.”

Jane bowed slightly in greeting. I nodded back awkwardly, offering him a smile.

“It seems Kasia dislikes me quite a bit.”

“No, that’s not it! She wouldn’t hate you, Instructor!”

Jane shook his head vigorously, his orange hair flying about. He sighed deeply.

“That girl respected Mir more than anyone in the world. She poured most of her salary into buying recordings of Mir’s battles. She viewed meeting you as a life goal!”

Jane rubbed his neck with a troubled expression and glanced at me.

“She has her reasons for hating nobles quite intensely. When she learned Mir was actually a noble, she was so shocked that it affected her work for a while.”

I felt a weight settle in my chest at the realization that my existence had inadvertently hurt someone.

“I want to apologize on her behalf for her rudeness. However, I hope you don’t misunderstand her intentions.”

Jane smiled bitterly.

“That girl has feelings for Mir. Very much.”

That one statement only complicated my feelings further.