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“The Chairman wants to spar with me?”

“Yeah.”

Bella was looking at me with a face that said she couldn’t understand.

The students watching were no different.

They were probably all thinking the same thing.

How could someone like Tristan, who’s a complete amateur in swordsmanship, possibly face Bella, who’s a master?

I agreed with their thoughts.

In this world, there are only a handful of people who could beat Bella with pure swordsmanship alone.

Tristan is no match for her.

Yet, the reason I challenged her to a spar wasn’t for any other reason.

It was because the personality trait of the Seven Deadly Sins I possess, ‘Jealousy,’ was boiling inside me.

Throughout the spar, I observed Bella’s swordsmanship.

Her swordsmanship was elegant.

The movements that sliced through the air had the lightness of a butterfly.

Even though she was wielding a wooden sword, there was a sharpness to it.

The swordsmanship created by the hero Alonso Izakhel, the ‘Izakhel Style.’

Bella, who has trained in the Izakhel Style since childhood, has likely reached a level of mastery all her own.

As I watched Bella effortlessly handle the students, I thought to myself.

I want to make that swordsmanship my own.

Even if I can’t have 100% of it, I want at least 99.9%.

“Chairman, have you ever learned swordsmanship before?”

“I just learned it.”

“Just now…?”

“I’ve picked up what you’ve shown me so far.”

“What did you say……?”

Bella stared at me in disbelief.

“Are you saying you just learned it by watching? My swordsmanship?”

“Yeah.”

I wasn’t lying.

Thanks to my personality trait ‘Greed,’ her swordsmanship was roughly imprinted in my mind.

All that’s left is to recreate it with ‘Jealousy.’

“…Interesting thing to say.”

Bella quietly stared into my eyes.

But all she could find was my unwavering gaze.

The students around us seemed to sense the unusual tension between me and Bella and stayed silent.

Finally, Bella spoke.

“Alright.”

Bella slowly took a step forward.

Like a feline stalking its prey, she approached me with silent steps.

“Care to show me the swordsmanship you claim to have learned from me?”

“Of course.”

Bella picked up a prepared wooden sword and handed it to me.

Then, in a voice so quiet the other students couldn’t hear, she whispered.

“Honestly… are you really okay? It feels awkward sparring with someone who’s injured.”

“This level of injury is just a penalty.”

“……Hmph.”

Bella’s eyebrow twitched.

My ‘Pride’ must have touched her ego.

“Seems like I worried for nothing. You’re that confident, huh? Want to make a bet? The winner gets to ask anything of the loser.”

“That’s a meaningless bet for me. I don’t want anything from you.”

“…Are you serious?”

I shrugged.

Bella, annoyed by my arrogant attitude, turned away sharply.

“Fine. Don’t blame me if you get hurt during the spar. I won’t hold back at all.”

Bella adjusted her wooden sword.

The tip of the sword was sharply aimed at me.

“Pick up your sword. I’ll teach you exactly what swordsmanship is.”

*

Clack-!

Clack-!

The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed through the gym.

At the center of it all were two people exchanging blows.

Bella shifted her weight to her heel, and her sword drew a semicircle.

Clack!

Tristan easily blocked her attack aimed at the back of his head.

Not stopping there, Tristan closed the distance.

“?!”

Bella, momentarily surprised by his aggressive stance, calmly blocked his thrust.

It was a sharp attack aimed at her unstable posture.

Bella couldn’t help but be impressed.

‘As expected… he’s confident for a reason.’

She never expected to have such a fight with Tristan.

Not only was he blocking her attacks, but he was also actively countering.

At first, Bella had the upper hand.

His stance with the sword didn’t seem particularly impressive.

In fact, the students she had faced earlier were better. But after a few exchanges, the atmosphere changed.

Clack-!

Bella, having blocked his sword, stared at him intently.

She could tell.

The swordsmanship Tristan was using was eerily similar to her own movements.

It felt like she was facing her father, Duke Fred.

This must be what it feels like when two practitioners of the same style cross swords.

Clack-!

Bella even felt a sense of awe toward Tristan.

He had, albeit faintly, grasped the Izakhel Style, which was on the verge of losing its successor after her.

‘But…’

Bella’s sword grew faster.

Her attacks, despite being with a wooden sword, carried a sharpness that was hard to believe.

Tristan could barely block them.

No, the more he blocked, the more skilled he became.

As if he was learning her movements.

Clack-!

“Guess it wasn’t just bluster, huh?”

“Hmm.”

The two stood close, swords crossed.

Bella could feel the strength he had honed without a single gap.

Muscles that couldn’t be hidden by his clothes, and the aura radiating from his entire body.

Tristan wasn’t the pretty boy she remembered from the past. He was a man now.

She saw his large hands adjust the grip on his sword.

The moment she saw that movement, her eyes widened.

[Izakhel Style]

[First Strike: Light Slice]

“?!”

Bella’s sword was deflected by Tristan’s.

She couldn’t believe it.

What he had just used was undoubtedly a secret technique of the Izakhel Style.

“I’m not sure if I got it right.”

Tristan muttered in a calm tone.

The students around us erupted in admiration.

“What was that move the Chairman just used??”

“It was too fast, I couldn’t see it properly…”

They had never seen the secret techniques of the Izakhel Style before, so their reaction was understandable.

But it was the same for Tristan.

Bella had never shown him the secret techniques of the Izakhel Style either.

‘You always manage to surprise me….’

The secret techniques of the Izakhel Style were crucial movements, as fast as light.

It wasn’t something a beginner could replicate after seeing it just once.

How could one even explain Tristan’s talent, having figured out not just the swordsmanship but even the secret techniques on his own?

Then, Tristan spoke.

“Bella.”

“…What?”

“Don’t think about holding back.”

Tristan’s eyes were serious.

“Your ability isn’t just this, is it?”

“You talk like you know everything about me?”

It was true.

Bella had thought of him as a beginner in swordsmanship, so it was hard for her to take him seriously.

Moreover, she wasn’t cruel enough to wield her sword freely against someone who was injured.

Tristan was pointing that out.

“How long do you think I’ve been watching you? Don’t underestimate that time.”

“…Hmph. Is that so?”

Bella, who had been smirking, suddenly grew curious.

She wondered just how much of his hidden talent she hadn’t seen yet.

“Fine. Since you put it that way, it’s only proper for me to show you a bit of my true self.”

Bella adjusted her grip on the wooden sword.

The atmosphere around her changed, as if she were holding a real sword.

Seeing this, Tristan nodded in satisfaction.

“That’s what I wanted.”

Bella swung her sword toward where Tristan stood.

Clack-!

Tristan’s wooden sword splintered from the sharp attack.

But that was just the beginning.

Bella began to pressure him with the fastest speed she could muster.

Tristan could barely keep up with her irregular slashes.

Clack-!

Clack-!

Clack-!

The students watching the relentless exchange were at a loss for words.

A level of swordsmanship far beyond the basic class they were supposed to be in was unfolding before their eyes.

Under Bella’s continuous slashes, Tristan’s wooden sword was reduced to little more than a stick.

If it were a real sword, Bella would have cut through his blade long ago.

Despite the disadvantage, Bella noticed the corner of Tristan’s mouth twitch upward.

As if he was enjoying this situation.

‘How annoying…’

Bella pouted, but she didn’t entirely dislike the feeling.

She wanted to enjoy this moment of crossing swords with him a little longer.

But she couldn’t.

She had a duty to continue the class.

Reluctantly, she had to end the spar.

“Hoo…”

Bella decided to finish it.

She raised her sword above her head, taking a high stance.

[Izakhel Style]

[Second Strike: Light Strike]

A strike of light shot straight toward Tristan.

But surprisingly, Tristan didn’t defend.

Instead, he swung his sword as well, as if the best defense was offense.

“…!”

It was a bold attack.

In that brief moment, Bella twisted her body to avoid his strike.

And her final attack…

Crack-!

Tristan’s wooden sword broke under Bella’s slash.

He managed to block the final strike with the back of his sword, but that was as far as he could go.

By the time he realized it, Bella’s sword was already at his throat.

It was over.

Bella, who had won decisively, heard a voice that didn’t sound particularly regretful.

“I learned something today.”

 

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