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Chapter 26: Begin Fighting Five Seconds After Meeting

Has it gone cold?

Ryan froze for a second, then squatted down and ate the fried meatball Nanali handed him while Rowan watched enviously.

Hmm… it isn’t cold at all?

Ryan blinked and looked back at Nanali, only to find she had turned her little head away and refused to meet his eyes.

At that, Ryan finally understood.

A tsundere Nanali really is adorable…

Next, Nanali picked several items she “didn’t like” and fed them into Ryan’s mouth.

Watching the adult and the child, the rejected Rowan could only bite her fork in silence.

You dislike my saliva, yet Axi’s saliva is fine?

Lolicon…

Ryan seemed to sense something, shot Rowan a sidelong glance, and made her shrink like a startled rabbit, too timid to speak.

After the two girls finished lunch, Ryan put away the empty lunch box, planning to wash it later.

Although cleaning the box took only a single spell, magic actually consumed more stamina than physical labor and placed a heavier burden on the body, so even Ryan could not use magic recklessly.

Otherwise, Ryan would have flown Nanali straight to Alcot Academy from the start…

“Time to head to the sparring hall.”

Glancing at the huge clock atop the classroom building, Nanali hopped off her chair and spoke.

Ryan naturally walked at Nanali’s side.

“I’m coming too!”

Apparently determined to be a tag-along, Rowan stuck close to Ryan’s rear.

Ryan could not be bothered to stop her and let Rowan follow.

The afternoon was Nanali’s swordsmanship class, one of Alcot Academy’s required courses.

Because Nanali had skipped yesterday’s lesson, Ryan had no idea how good her sword skills were.

However, Ryan noticed that when Nanali mentioned attending sword class, Rowan’s expression became… complicated.

“Mr. Ryan, you clearly have a magic storage space, so why don’t you keep your sword there instead of hanging it at your waist?”

Sidling up to Ryan, Rowan asked curiously.

In fact, Ryan’s sword was quite eye-catching, because he wore not armor but a butler’s uniform; he was probably the only person at Alcot Academy wearing a butler outfit with a sword.

Why do you think it’s called a side sword?

Though he grumbled inwardly, Ryan still gave a formal explanation aloud:

“If it’s on my hip, I can draw it quickly in an emergency.”

“I see… then, Mr. Ryan, is your swordsmanship impressive?”

As she spoke, Rowan deliberately lowered her voice, as if afraid Nanali would hear.

“It’s decent, just a bit better than my magic.”

Rowan: “…”

That’s what you call decent?

At that moment Ryan suddenly asked in a low voice, “How is Nanali’s swordsmanship?”

Rowan paused, then answered, “It’s passable; Axi’s talent for the sword is slightly worse than her magic talent before she met you.”

Hm… huh??

Ryan’s eyes widened abruptly.

So that means she has no talent at all?

In magic, Ryan could judge that the path Nanali studied did not suit her.

But with swordsmanship… no talent meant no shortcuts whatsoever.

Still, unless crippled, even the untalented could make up for it through hard work.

Ryan felt that with Nanali’s personality, she would train diligently even without talent.

Soon, the group reached Alcot Academy’s indoor sparring hall.

The hall was naturally more spacious than a classroom, with weapon racks full of wooden swords and many wooden dummies for practice.

Many students had already entered, while their attendants… butlers, knights, and maids… stood around the perimeter.

After watching Nanali walk inside, Ryan was about to observe the other students when something bumped into his leg.

Looking down, he saw the demon-race little girl he had noticed that morning.

When their eyes met, the demon girl beamed. “Professor Ryan, hello!”

“Mm, hello.”

Toward the demon race within the Empire, Ryan could not say he disliked them, yet neither could he say he liked them; after fighting them for years on the frontier, it was hard to feel affection.

Crimson eyes and white hair suggested a rather noble bloodline among the demon race, but… why no horns?

“Professor Ryan, my name is Dorothy!”

After greeting him, the demon girl did not leave immediately; instead she introduced herself with a smile.

“Ah? Oh, nice to meet you, Dorothy.”

“Professor Ryan, let’s play together next time~”

After that random exchange, Dorothy walked into the hall, leaving Ryan puzzled.

Immediately after, Ryan felt someone bump his shoulder.

“Ah, sorry.”

A woman’s apology followed at once.

“It’s fine.”

Ryan answered, then looked at the woman who had just collided with him.

She had long dark-purple hair and two sharp horns atop her head… another demon, apparently Dorothy’s attendant.

A greatsword rested on her back, and she wore dark-purple light armor; her exposed skin was very fair, and even the breastplate could not hide her voluptuous figure… truly worthy of the demon race.

Moreover, Ryan felt this female demon looked somewhat familiar.

Noticing Ryan’s gaze, the demon woman turned and met his eyes.

Because she wore no helmet, her delicate features were fully exposed to him.

Especially when he saw her dark-purple irises, Ryan felt even more certain he had seen her somewhere before.

The demon woman seemed to recognize Ryan as well and stared at him fixedly.

In this way, the two stared at each other for five seconds.

Dark-purple eyes, a greatsword…

Suddenly, Ryan remembered where he had seen her; his pupils shrank and his hand shot to his hilt like lightning!

A split second earlier, the demon woman also recalled where she had met Ryan; her eyes flared, she gripped her greatsword with both hands, and swung it at him with all her might!

“Bang!!”

Ryan’s sheathed longsword collided with the demon woman’s massive blade, producing a tremendous metallic crash and a shower of sparks!

“Waaah!”

Startled, Rowan jumped and hid behind Ryan.

I’m the one being attacked… why are you hiding behind me instead of getting away?

Ryan griped inwardly, while the demon woman kept pressing with her greatsword, brought her exquisite face close, and, eyes blazing with fury, spat out three icy words:

“Sword. Rack. Boy!!”

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