TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 183
The Goddess of Victory raised Hanna’s hand.
It wasn’t an overwhelming victory.
The flow of the battle leaned toward Hanna, but Mikhail’s martial arts were far superior to what I had imagined.
If only Mikhail had been a little calmer—or if he hadn’t been hindered at the beginning—the Goddess of Victory might have raised someone else’s hand.
Mikhail’s fatal mistake was leaving his accumulating wounds unattended. Hanna’s sword was like a poison that subtly gnawed away at his lifeline.
If not for that, the duel would have lasted longer, and Mikhail might have seized several opportunities.
Once again, let me emphasize—Mikhail was strong. Strong enough to defeat Hanna.
Especially the technique he prepared at the end—it was truly dangerous and had the power to change the outcome of the match.
Of course, that’s only if it had succeeded.
I don’t know what kind of training Rowen gave him, but the results of his growth were undeniable.
The purity of his aura.
The fundamentals of his swordsmanship.
He had grown far more than before.
However, the hard truth was that Hanna was stronger than Mikhail, and the fact was that Hanna’s final attack was prepared before Mikhail’s.
So, I ended the duel.
Mikhail’s body was too exhausted to even hold a sword, and the minor wounds had completely ruined his posture. I knew Mikhail’s final attack would fail.
Rowen must have known it too.
That’s why he didn’t stop me.
Hanna’s skill manifestation was faster than Mikhail’s preparation, and by the time Mikhail attempted his technique, he would already be sprawled on the ground.
I lifted my head and looked at the three people standing on the training grounds.
Rowen, standing there foolishly staring at Hanna, and Hanna, whose expression of exhaustion reflected the relief that it was finally over, rather than the joy of victory.
And.
“Please…”
I saw Mikhail clutching my collar, denying his defeat.
“Please don’t say it’s over….”
Mikhail was in denial. Like someone who had something crucial riding on today’s duel, he clung to my collar and refused to stop denying it.
With trembling breaths, Mikhail shook his head repeatedly, unable to accept the outcome of defeat.
“I can still fight. So, please…!”
Why was he so fixated on this unofficial duel that wasn’t even part of the original work?
“Please… don’t say it’s over.”
Why was he acting this way?
I couldn’t understand Mikhail.
I couldn’t comprehend why Mikhail would show such an extreme reaction in a battle where he had nothing to lose.
I understood that Rowen, as a master, was an important figure to Mikhail, but Mikhail’s extreme reaction seemed excessive.
He hadn’t built any deep bonds.
He wouldn’t have any cherished memories with Rowen either, so losing to him shouldn’t have been something to cry about.
I couldn’t shake off Mikhail’s hand and simply looked at him quietly as I spoke.
“You know this, don’t you?”
“No… Look, I’m still standing.”
“Your legs have given out.”
I said this while looking at Mikhail’s trembling legs.
His shaking hands.
The sword he had already dropped.
All of it clearly proved that his body was incapable of continuing the fight. What more could I say?
Shaking my head, I said.
“If this duel continues, both sides will suffer critical injuries.”
“No.”
Mikhail shook his head in denial.
He struck his trembling legs with his fist, desperately trying to lift his exhausted body.
As the ‘thud, thud’ sound echoed, I gave a bitter smile at Mikhail’s futile attempts to move his unresponsive legs.
“Mikhail.”
“No…!”
Mikhail denied it.
“I’m so close… I finally thought I could achieve it, and now you’re telling me it ends like this…!”
“Mikhail…”
“So please, Ricardo, I beg you…!”
I shook my head once more. I couldn’t give Mikhail the answer he wanted. I shook my head heavily.
“You know this won’t change anything. Believe me, it’s not easy for me to say this, but with your body right now…”
“Shut up…! I can do it!”
Mikhail picked up the sword lying on the ground and forced his weary body to stand.
Seeing Mikhail’s pitiful figure as he stood on trembling legs, I turned my head away.
No matter what, he was still an old friend.
Though there were lingering emotions due to the awkwardness between us because of the Young Lady, it was still painful to witness a close friend breaking down.
Mikhail gripped his sword and tried to approach Hanna.
His trembling legs had already lost their tension and were failing to function, but even so, Mikhail struggled to move forward, using his sword as a crutch.
With blood flowing from his abdomen, staining his clothes and the ground, I stood in front of Mikhail and remained silent.
“Move.”
“I cannot.”
“Move aside.”
“I cannot.”
“Please, just…!”
With a loud ‘thud,’ Mikhail’s body collapsed to the ground as he tried to move violently.
Before Mikhail could fall, I caught him and lowered my head.
“Please stop.”
The red bloodstain slowly spread, soaking the Academy uniform.
Feeling Mikhail’s faint, trembling breaths, I slowly helped him up and blocked his path once again.
Mikhail’s sorrowful eyes were fixed on me. His gaze pleaded for me to step aside, but I refused with difficulty.
We had our reasons. Undoing the hard-won victory because of Mikhail’s whiny complaints would have cost us too much.
Ignoring Mikhail’s stubbornness once again, I ran my hand through my hair.
“Wait for the next opportunity. You’ve grown enough, Mikhail. I’m sure the next battle will bring good results….”
“There is no next…!”
Mikhail screamed into the empty space.
As if something were in front of him, he stared into the void and cried out loudly.
“There is no next…”
Mikhail slumped to the ground and bowed his head.
His drooping shoulders quivered like gentle waves, and Mikhail, with trembling lips, spoke.
“There is no next….”
Mikhail watched as the small spark of hope he had clung to faded away.
-You have failed the quest.
*
Hanna approached Rowen.
One step.
Two steps.
She stopped in place and looked at the face of her Father, who was staring at her in silence, with exhausted eyes.
“Father.”
Hanna’s low voice caused Rowen’s shoulders to flinch.
He couldn’t believe it.
The swordsmanship of Hanna that he had just witnessed with his own eyes.
It was talent.
Undeniable talent.
Hanna achieved a sword that could not be reached with mediocre teaching.
Although her Awakening of Aura came later than Hanna’s, Rowen’s misconception that he was unmatched in the level he had achieved was being shattered.
Hanna, at the age of 21, was catching up to a portion of the level that Rowen, as the Head of Histania, had believed no one could ever reach—a result achieved through everyone’s expectations and the household’s investments.
The Daughter’s Sword, which he had dismissed as lacking talent, was denying what his own eyes were seeing.
With undeniable outcomes.
The Daughter’s Sword, which he had considered weak and abandoned, was now sprouting the Seed of Talent he had trampled on without even watering the Budding Sprouts. For the first time, Rowen felt the emotion of guilt.
Because only now did he realize that the illusion he had seen was caused by his own actions.
If he had shown interest in his daughter, it would not have happened. If he had given even a little love, the tragedy could have been avoided. Rowen only realized after everything was over that the arrow of that tragedy had been loosed solely because of his own flawed existence.
He could not admit it.
It was a mistake he did not want to acknowledge.
Perhaps he had known it all along but had tried to avoid facing it. Rowen could not lift his head from the wrong he had committed.
Because he had driven his daughter to her death.
That was why Rowen could not stop the Final Attack. Though he had allowed Death’s Aura, his conviction was crumbling in the face of the sword Hanna displayed.
He was mentally absent, and with no strength left to stop it, he made a grave mistake.
Standing there like a fool, Rowen had nothing to say.
Not to Hanna’s Master.
Not to his daughter.
Not to his Disciple.
He had no excuses to offer.
Hanna looked at the dazed Rowen and spoke in a low voice.
“It’s over.”
“…”
“It’s really over now.”
“…”
“The Daughter’s Sword that you so thoroughly dismissed has defeated someone you acknowledged.”
“…”
“Do you feel relieved now?”
Hanna spoke, clenching her fist.
“Or will you refuse to acknowledge it again this time? Will you bring another Replacement and have me fight them?”
Hanna sneered as she spoke to Rowen.
“I despise you now.”
“I…”
“Father.”
Hanna interrupted Rowen’s words with a trembling voice, clearly showing her firm resolve not to hear any more of her Father’s pathetic excuses. She replied in a cold voice.
“I won.”
“…”
“It’s really over now. This accursed household, and your callous wordplay, are all over. I…”
Hanna clenched her bleeding fist as she spoke.
“I don’t want to see you anymore, Father.”
Hanna lightly gazed at the Blue Window in front of her.
-Would you like to view it?
Hanna shook her head.
Because such a past held no meaning.
She was someone who lived in the present.
Although she wanted to see it—the Future where she lived a happy life with Butler—she did not want to cling to and rejoice over things that had not come to pass. Right now, she just wanted to embrace Butler.
Hanna lightly shook her head and answered in her heart.
‘No.’
-Are you sure you want to forgo viewing?
If you forgo viewing, it will not be available for re-viewing.
Hanna nodded.
She thought the reward from this duel was enough, and now she just wanted to rest.
‘Yes.’
-You have refused the quest reward.
Hanna severed the Weight of Karma that had persisted for so long and turned her back on Rowen.
She saw Butler.
With a heavy expression, he was comforting Mikhail, then turned around to wait for her.
Hanna clenched her fist.
And.
“Butler…”
She smiled brightly.
“I won.”
Hanna threw herself into Ricardo’s arms.
Only now.
She felt at ease.