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Chapter 4
‘The sword of the earliest bloom shall punish the earliest theft.’
Prophecy is always fulfilled.
And Perinem had heard the name of the so-called “protagonist of that damned prophecy,” Katarenia Donovan, for a very long time.
“…Because of that, when the opponent surrenders, you must immediately stop attacking… yawn, I’m dying of sleep. Perinem, are you even listening?”
“Yes. You said you were dying of sleep.”
“No, I mean don’t keep attacking after surrender…”
“I will keep it in mind.”
Perinem answered without taking his eyes off Kata.
In the dim light of dawn, Simon kept yawning as if he couldn’t shake off his sleepiness.
He turned after confirming Lea arriving with two swords.
“And this is not as a witness but as your superior speaking.”
“……”
“I know you’re energetic, but take it easy. You’ve only been here a few days and you’re already fighting like you want to kill each other?”
Perinem pretended not to hear him and accepted the longsword.
Kata, standing opposite him, had an unreadable expression.
She must be extremely tense before the duel. Perinem’s lips curled in satisfaction.
“Alright, step back and widen the distance. One more step. Good. Raise your swords, and the duel begins. To the victor goes honor, to the loser goes learning. The winner of this duel shall offer their honor to Semasiar.”
Ignoring the ceremonial words, Perinem fixed his gaze on Kata.
Her wheat-colored hair swayed in the cold morning wind. Her round green eyes never once avoided his gaze.
It was irritating.
“……”
Perinem Alcazar had been born superior.
Beautiful appearance, sharp intellect, and skill with the sword.
The only thing lacking was his stature, but since everyone in the empire bowed before him anyway, it was irrelevant.
He learned etiquette to mock formality, studied politics to look down on the ignorant, and wielded a sword to crush fools who didn’t know their place.
And even now—
He needed to teach Donovan her place.
Perinem lowered his stance.
A dry leaf drifted across his vision.
Simon raised his sword.
Now!
Whoosh!
A blade wrapped in sword aura shot toward Kata.
And in that instant—
Sword aura exploded from Kata’s blade.
The sudden pressure froze Perinem in place.
In the dim dawn light, Kata stood as if she alone was illuminated.
What… is this?
His mind twisted.
Donovan was a first-awakener like him. So Perinem had assumed her sword aura would be inferior to his.
He quickly stepped back and swung again. Their blades collided head-on with a ringing impact.
“This is impossible…”
“Manifestation” was called “blooming” for a reason—it was like a flower bursting open in wonder.
The gap between second-awakeners and first-awakeners was supposed to be insurmountable.
But Kata’s sword aura was clearly different from any first-awakener he had ever seen.
Perinem gritted his teeth.
Every time he tried to find an opening, her glowing blade blocked him as if it had been waiting.
Bang! Bang!
Cold sweat ran down his spine.
This was not an illusion. His attacks were being read perfectly.
Whenever he shifted stance or angle, Kata was always a fraction ahead. And her overwhelming sword aura made it impossible to overpower her physically.
He felt heat rising in his face.
Kata wasn’t attacking.
She was only blocking.
“…Fight properly!”
Perinem charged in viciously and cut at her arm.
Kata tilted her blade and struck his sword aside.
Clang!
His sword path twisted instantly.
“……”
He could barely breathe. For a moment, Perinem felt an urge to kill her.
How dare she? How dare she—
He swung again with killing intent, but Kata once again redirected his blade effortlessly.
“……”
After several more exchanges, he realized it.
There was no doubt anymore.
Katarenia Donovan—was teaching him.
Without a single word, only through sword and blade, she was correcting his flaws.
Your shoulders are too high. You should cut a wider range at once.
Perinem felt no gratitude—only hatred at this silent instruction.
Every time their flashing blades clashed and separated, his strikes missed their intended path.
Go deeper, faster—this time aim lower!
With each flash of light, the angle changed. Then the strength. Then the speed.
“The sword of the earliest bloom…”
Unknowingly, Perinem recalled the damned prophecy.
The worst defense in swordsmanship is “defending for the sake of defense.”
Yet right now, he wasn’t even defending properly—he was being taught.
His blade narrowly grazed past Kata’s ear.
She nodded slightly, almost approvingly.
And then—
In the next clash, Kata suddenly slipped into his space.
A faint scent of grass brushed his senses, and Perinem instinctively held his breath.
She slipped her hands between his arms, locking their crossed blades together—
And threw him.
A clean, precise throw that sealed his sword completely.
Damn it.
The world spun, and a heavy impact struck the back of his head.
Perinem shut his eyes tightly, then opened them again.
Kata stood above him, bathed in faint morning light, holding out her hand.
“Good work.”
He had lost. Completely, utterly humiliated.
Fury burned inside him.
She was smiling kindly—but inside, she must be mocking him, just like he had always done to those beneath him.
“I was surprised. Your skill improved a lot in such a short time!”
Kata spoke excitedly.
“I hope we can spar again next time.”
“This wasn’t sparring. It was a duel.”
Perinem cut her off through clenched teeth.
“Stop talking and enjoy your victory.”
He shoved her hand away and stood up.
Kata awkwardly withdrew her hand.
“…Hey, Perinem. Don’t be so spiteful.”
As he brushed dust from his uniform, he snapped his head toward her.
“What?”
“You’re talented. If you waste it being bitter, you’ll miss your chance to grow.”
“How dare you—”
He stopped.
There was not a trace of malice on Kata’s face.
Her expression was so innocent it almost looked foolish. Her green eyes, lit by dawn, were gentle beyond reason.
Spiteful.
All of it—provocation, insults, the duel—it had all been reduced in her mind to just “being spiteful.”
Was she simply naive… or did she possess a saint-like kindness?
The anger boiling inside him slowly deflated, leaving only emptiness behind.
