The duels raged on, the crowd roaring with excitement, but Lady Nishia was far from the noise. Sitting on a bed in the infirmary, her expression was anything but calm.
"That jerk really made me use his power," she muttered, irritation simmering beneath her breath. "I hate it. Where even is that civilian? Why does he have that much power when I'm supposed to be the Sword Prodigy?"
Just then, a voice boomed from the arena speakers.
> "Next up! The top-ranked civilian in the combat trial—Lumiel! Versus Mister Claud, the Tech Sentry! This is sure to be a battle to remember!"
Lady Nishia's eyes widened. "Huh!?" Without another word, she bolted from the room and dashed back to the arena.
She arrived just in time to see Mister Claud place a sentry on the field—glowing with dangerous red light.
"A laser sentry that can melt even tungsten... and that idiot's running around like a lost puppy?" Nishia scoffed, folding her arms.
Lumiel sprinted, dodging beams as he circled Claud. He didn't have time to think. He slammed his hands to the ground, forming a rising wall of earth that broke Claud's line of sight.
"What... earth manipulation too?" Nishia blinked. "Isn't he a sword user? Or is he some kind of mage?"
Lumiel closed the distance and struck. A hit—no, a barrier. Five shimmering shields surrounded Claud, stopping the attack cold.
"Huh? What just happened?" Lumiel blinked.
Claud grinned. "Whoa, you really got close there for a second. If my barrier sentry had been slower by just one second, I might've lost."
"Does he really not know who Claud is?" Nishia muttered, watching Lumiel's puzzled expression. "What a joke..."
Lumiel gritted his teeth. If he couldn't break through, then he had to think differently. He scanned the arena, then smirked.
He slammed his palm to the ground again—this time tilting the arena floor beneath Claud's feet, making him stumble. In that moment, Lumiel tightened his grip on the sword and whispered a name he didn't fully understand:
> "Heaven and Earth Splitting Slash..."
Wind howled as his blade rose—and every instructor around the field moved at once.
"STOP!"
They blurred onto the stage, halting the boy before the slash fell. The energy in the air trembled.
Claud, staring wide-eyed, slowly raised a hand.
"...I forfeit."
Silence.
Gasps rippled through the arena.
"What... just happened?"
"Why did Claud forfeit?"
"Did the instructors seriously jump in?"
Lumiel was just as confused as the rest. He quietly left the
stage, blinking as he walked into the quiet hallway outside.
Then a voice called out.
"Hey. Civilian."
He turned to see Lady Nishia leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
"Civilian? You mean me?"
"Yeah, who else is still a civilian around here?" she snapped, then stepped forward. "What was that attack? The one that made the instructors freak out?"
"Oh, that?" Lumiel blinked. "It's a technique from my Heaven and Earth Sword Style. It's called Heaven and Earth Splitting Slash. Why are you so curious?"
Nishia paused. "Everyone's probably just as curious as I am."
Lumiel smiled—earnest and pure. "Really? That made me a bit happy. Thanks for letting me know."
Lady Nishia's mind froze.
> Who is this Civilian rabbit making me feel like this...? He's so stupid—but strong... Like some kind of white killer rabbit...?
> And why is he smiling at me like I gave him a treasure!? What even is that smile—it's so c—
> "WHAT THE HELL AM I EVEN THINKING!? NISHIA, WAKE UP!"
She shook her head quickly.
"A-anyway, your name is Lumiel, right? Who... really are you?"
Lumiel paused.
"...Who really am I?"