abcnovels
Chapter 25: Mizu Bauer
Chapter 25: Mizu Bauer
Chapter 25: Mizu Bauer
Ceylon.
He leaned in toward Mizu Bauer, gripping her hand with both of his.
“Why?”
Mizu’s expression remained emotionless, but she pulled her head back slightly.
Her hesitant voice sounded muffled through the mask.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden? What does it mean that you’re calling me ‘Master’? What’s the significance?”
At that moment, Adryn, who was standing nearby, smacked Ceylon’s hand, which was still holding Mizu’s hand, with a swift, firm motion.
“Drop it and talk, you lunatic. Are you crazy? You can’t just…”
Hearing these words, Mizu Bauer turned her head slightly and said.
“Embarrassing.”
“Look! Look! You’re embarrassing yourself!”
“I can’t help it! This is the moment I have to express my sincerity!”
“What? sincerity!?”
Adryn forcibly pulled Ceylon’s hand away, her expression twisted in annoyance.
“Anyway, Miss Mizu Bauer, how do you feel now that my sincerity has been conveyed? Oh, I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I am Ceylon.”
“Yes. It has been conveyed.”
“Really!?”
“Well, that just conveyed the ‘truth’ that you’re as weird as I’ve been told.”
“What? Like you’ve been told?”
“Don’t you know? Your name is all over the place right now. Trying to achieve a higher score than Miss Kasha and Miss Drin with unfair methods, right?”
Mizu pointed her thumb at Ceylon.
“Absolutely impressive.”
“Hahaha, well, this is… embarrassing, I suppose?”
“What’s embarrassing? I wasn’t complimenting you. It was sarcasm. Didn’t you realize?”
“Oh, really? My apologies. It was a bit too sophisticated for me to understand right away.”
“After hearing the story, I wondered who could have done such a ridiculous thing, but now I understand. Completely. There are rumors that you got into a fight with Adela, Melhen, and you even beat them up, but that’s probably just baseless gossip.”
“That…!”
Ceylon took a step back in shock.
“You easily believe bad rumors about people but never good ones, huh…!”
“They’re talking about you like you’re trash, and looking at you, it seems true.”
“Could it be that you refused my request because of those rumors?”
“To be honest, I don’t care.”
“Then why!?”
“Why what?”
“Why, Miss Mizu refused my offer?”
“Consider it from a different perspective. Who would grant the request of someone who suddenly calls them ‘Master’? Certainly not me.”
“Well, how about now that we’ve had some time to get to know each other?”
“Hmm. I dislike you even more now. Now that I know you’re much stranger than what the rumors say. You’re off the list of people I can stand.”
“But, Miss Mizu, I am vouched for by none other than Adryn Teln.”
Mizu looked at Adryn as if to say, “Really?”
Adryn shook her head vigorously from side to side in annoyance.
“You’re even lying to me. This is completely off limits.”
“Miss Adryn, why…!”
“Don’t talk to me, weirdo.”
“Kugung…!”
Ceylon made a noise with her mouth and fell to the ground.
Mizu stared at him, then spoke nonchalantly.
“Hey-”
“Hm?”
“Why are you interested in the Bauer’s swordsmanship?”
“Well, I was… Oh, wait a moment. Let me think of the best way to convey my feelings to you.”
Hmm.
Ceylon lay on the ground, deep in thought for a moment, then raised his index finger and said, “Because it seems easy to learn!”
“Well, you’ve certainly got my attention.”
Mizu reached for the short sword hanging from her hips.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Miss Mizu, calm down.”
As Adryn tried to cautiously intervene, Mizu raised both her hands in a manner that suggested, “When did I ever?”
She said emotionlessly.
“Kidding. But after hearing that, I did want to stab you a few times for real.”
“Hahaha, I’m so sorry. I was just thinking of a way to convey that we’d get along well.”
“Hey-”
At that moment, Adryn approached Mizu cautiously.
“Are you okay…?”
Mizu shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m used to being treated like this. Honestly, in your heart, you despise our Bauer’s swordsmanship, too, don’t you? It’s basically an assassination technique.”
“No, that-”
Adryn averted his gaze.
It was a natural reaction.
No, not natural.
At this point, Adryn tended to treat Mizu very respectfully.
What if she was from another high-ranking noble family, like Teln, who was also a swordsman?
The moment they realized that Mizu was from the Bauer family, they wouldn’t even treat her as a person.
That was the world’s general perception of the Bauer family.
Savoring the now familiar bitterness in moderation, Mizu spoke to Ceylon.
“Well, whatever. It’d be nice if you stopped there. No matter how much of a Bauer I am, it’s sad to openly insult our family and swordsmanship.”
In other words, Mizu had taken Ceylon’s attitude of addressing herself as a master and showing an interest in Bauer’s swordsmanship as mockery from their first meeting.
Mizu clenched her fist, a cat-like hand, and mumbled, “Pathetic.”
“You idiot!”
Adryn widened her eyes and glared at Ceylon.
Was it really meant that way?
Ceylon slapped herself in frustration and quickly turned to Mizu, speaking urgently.
“Hahaha, Miss Mizu, there seems to be a misunderstanding?”
“Really? Tell me. Explain. I’ll listen.”
“I genuinely, purely, have an interest in the Bauer family’s swordsmanship. I’d be willing to pay any price to learn it!”
Mizu’s emotionless eyes stared at Ceylon’s narrow ones.
“…”
She was surprised.
Even though she was being extremely cautious, it seemed like Ceylon was smiling as if he was making fun of her.
“Disgusting.”
Though Mizu found it disgusting, it didn’t seem like Ceylon was just making excuses to resolve the situation.
Mizu had faced blatant contempt and subtle discrimination as a Bauer since she was young. That made her sensitive to malice, and that allowed her to see through it.
Clearly, that man had no impure intentions.
That’s when she became curious.
“Why?”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you interested in my family’s swordmanship?”
Mizu said, looking at Adryn.
“It’s such a lowly swordmanship that even a nice-looking girl like her can’t say it’s good, even if she’s lying.”
“Ugh…! Miss Adryn, is that true…!? Did you really…!?”
“Oh, uh… No…! Ah… Sorry…”
“Don’t apologize. For a young lady, you’re quite polite.”
“Oh, then what about me?”
“You’re just a freak.”
“Ugh!”
Just then, a voice echoes in the waiting room.
-The third round of exams will begin.
-Please be prepared to be summoned.
-We will enter the test.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
They suddenly found themselves standing in a dark corridor.
The term “dungeon” referred to a closed space affected by the influence of the otherworldly.
“It’s a traditional dungeon.”
Adryn’s voice echoed through the corridor.
The dungeon where the test was held was, among dungeons, a classic and conventional underground prison.
-I’ll tell you about the third test.
A voice echoed through the dungeon.
-This dungeon is a virtual dungeon created to mimic the ‘Sanctuary of the Black Mage.’
“Black magic?”
“Shh!”
Unconsciously muttering, Ceylon was hushed by Adryn, who had been focusing on the voice.
-Inside the dungeon, various monsters and traps befitting it are hidden.
-All injuries received in this dungeon will disappear the moment you leave the dungeon.
-The factors reflected in your score are as follows:
-Progress in the dungeon.
-Contribution to the dungeon’s completion.
-Good luck.
The voice ceased.
Thump.
The first to move was Mizu.
Tap, tap.
She turned around and knocked on the wall that blocked their path.
“A dungeon that kindly tells us where to go, mimicking the Sanctuary of the Black Mage. Haha, delightful.”
Sigh…
After taking a deep breath, Adryn patted both her cheeks and looked at the two.
“All right, the three of us. Since we’re in the same group, let’s do our best. Agreed?”
Mizu nodded.
Ceylon nodded, too. Then he looked at Mizu.
Mizu looked at Ceylon and nodded again.
Then Ceylon spoke.
“Will you teach me the Bauer’s swordmanship?”
“Oh, sucks.”
“Ah, such an idiot.”
Reprimands came from both sides simultaneously.
“No, everyone! Please listen calmly! If I learn the Bauer’s swordmanship from Miss Mizu, I can achieve an outstanding score in this test! Surpassing Adela and Melhen’s scores!”
A pause.
Adryn, who had been giving a disdainful look to Ceylon, responded.
“Ahem. Mizu, should we listen to this idiot’s plan?”
“Seriously? You believe that nonsense?”
“Of course, I want to ignore such nonsense. But…!”
Hoo…
Clench!
Adryn exhaled hot breath, gripping her hands with all her might.
“Adela, Melhen. Those bastards. No matter what happens, I can never lose to them!”
Adryn was desperate.
Maintaining one’s dignity was a crucial value for a high-ranking noble like Teln. Adela and Melhen had dared to tarnish her reputation in front of others. Right now, she was willing to do anything to redeem that disgrace, even if it meant listening to an idiot like Ceylon’s ridiculous plan!
Adryn grasped Mizu’s hand.
“Today, I might become more popular.” (Ceylon)
“Mizu, I’m seriously asking for this. Let’s listen to Ceylon! If this plan works out and we beat Adela and Melhen…!”
“If we beat them?”
“I’ll stake my name on it and make sure to repay this favor!”
“Oh…”
It seemed that Mizu’s usually expressionless face was showing some interest.
The opportunity to owe a debt to someone on the level of Adryn Teln was indeed very appealing. Furthermore, Mizu found herself quite fond of the current situation. It was almost unheard of for someone to show such positive interest in Bauer’s sword and herself.
But-
Miz scratched the back of her head.
“The offer is indeed tempting, but there is one major problem.”
“A major problem?”
“Hmm?”
Mizu looked at Ceylon and spoke.
“Hey, idiot.”
“Do you know that when Miss Adryn calls me an idiot, it’s more like a nickname? It implies that I’m the most cherished and cared person.”
“Ewww. Hey, Ceylon.”
“W-what, what are you saying!? Don’t say weird things!” (Adryn)
“Anyway, Ceylon, you said you wanted to learn Bauer’s Swordmanship, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Like I said, there’s a major problem with that. Now, look.”
Mizu suddenly walked forward.
In a very casual manner.
“Oh…”
Adryn’s mouth fell open in admiration.
Mizu was simply walking normally, but her stride and direction were erratic, as if a snake was slithering with precise control.
“This is the fundamental technique of Bauer’s Swordmanship, which can be considered the foundation of foundations – the Form of Unraveling. To master Bauer’s Swordmanship, you must first learn this Form of Unraveling. To do that, you need to understand the intricacies within Bauer’s Swordmanship.”
“To learn the Form of Unraveling, you must grasp the mysteries contained within Bauer’s Swordmanship. However, these mysteries are exceptionally complex, as they involve removing the fundamental aspects of martial arts that serve as the source of divine power in assassination techniques and combining them with swordsmanship.”
“So, even if I were to teach you Bauer’s Swordmanship, it would be impossible for you to immediately apply it in practical combat.”
As Mizu was in the middle of explaining this, her words abruptly stopped.
“Is this how you do it?”
Ceylon asked, and then, quite suddenly, he started to walk.
“Wait…!?”
Adryn couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.
Ceylon demonstrated the Form of Unraveling.
“?????”
Mizu raised an eyebrow, and countless question marks seemed to float above her emotionless face.