CHAPTER 8
In the training grounds of Rapiel’s mansion, I was face to face with a girl.
Her tied-back hair swayed gently in the blowing wind.
Beneath her protruding horns, her emotionless eyes were revealed.
“...What did you say?”
“I said, this is our mansion's training ground.”
You're the outsider here.
Am I the outsider?
I hate This-worlders.
They are savage, petty, and barbarians with no concept of morality.
Especially if they're not even going to be friendly to me, there's no value in treating them nicely.
So what if she's a little pretty?
If you've got a bad attitude, you deserve a good spanking to set you straight.
“Our.”
Just then, Aranseol’s mouth opened again.
She was staring at me with one eyebrow raised.
It seemed the word 'our' in my sentence had bothered her.
Because Shishiroka was no longer part of that 'our'.
And she must not like the fact that a Transferee had taken the place of a This-worlder.
This fucking racist.
Sorry, but if there's one thing I hate most in the world, it's racism.
Of course, the second is This-worlders.
“That’s right.”
Aranseol didn't spare me another glance.
It was clear she didn't want to prolong the conversation.
“Do whatever you want.”
She drew her sword.
It seemed to be a high-quality blade; I could feel its sharpness.
She brandished the sword with complete freedom.
Each time the sword extended, straight lines followed in its wake.
That alone told me how much she had trained with the sword.
She's good.
I have my own fair share of experience from my adventurer work.
Even so, there weren't many who could swing a sword that cleanly.
I glanced at her hands and saw numerous signs of training.
There were so many scars and calluses that you wouldn't think they belonged to a woman.
How long has she been practicing the sword?
I wasn't sure, but I could tell it was longer than me.
Ignoring her, I sat down in a corner.
My top priority was to crack my Seed.
So today, like any other day, I focused my mana to break it.
The applied mana gathered around the Seed.
The method to crack a Seed isn't about smashing it with mana.
To be precise, it's a process of slowly chipping away at it.
You gradually scrape away at the surroundings to perfect its form without damaging the interior of the Seed.
That is what mages refer to as the process of cracking a Seed.
A Seed, once cracked, does not return to its original state.
If a Seed is cracked incorrectly, the mana could flow backward and destroy the body.
Therefore, one must never rush the process of cracking a Seed.
You have to take your time, slowly and deliberately, to crack it open.
Of course, for me, whose Seed is much thicker than others, it was honestly hell.
At this rate of chipping away bit by bit, when would I ever see the inside of the Seed?
Rapiel had told me never to rush, so I would listen, but I couldn't help feeling frustrated.
The process of cracking the Seed, once started, takes at least a few hours.
It's not easy to stop midway, so I focused on it for a long time.
Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set.
I took a breath and opened my eyelids.
I'd done a decent amount of cracking for today.
I'll continue tomorrow, I thought, as I lifted my head.
Whoosh!
I heard the sound of a sword swinging.
I shifted my gaze, and there was Aranseol, whom I had seen earlier.
To be precise, it was Aranseol swinging her sword exactly as I had first seen her.
The only difference was that her breathing was ragged and she was drenched in sweat. Furthermore, there were no footprints around her indicating significant movement.
Don't tell me she's been swinging her sword in that same spot this whole time? I checked the time; about four hours had already passed.
I had been training too, but I was just sitting and concentrating.
But she had been continuously swinging her sword all this time.
Unbelievable.
At the same time, for some reason, a sense of rivalry sparked within me.
I closed my eyes and focused once more.
I don't have a personality that hates to lose, but for some reason, I didn't want to be the first to get up.
So I decided to concentrate a little more.
I closed my eyes and once again began to chip away at the Seed.
Several more hours passed.
She must be gone by now, I thought, and peeked with one eye.
She was still there.
And she was in a much worse state than before, pouring with sweat.
Her hands and feet were trembling, a clear sign she had reached her physical limit.
But she didn't move.
She just glanced my way before resuming her training.
The moment I saw that, I knew.
That girl… she's conscious of me.
Just as I had been conscious of Aranseol, she was conscious of me and had no intention of leaving.
The realization just pissed me off.

Losing in willpower to an uncivilized This-worlder?
That was something I absolutely could not accept.
Especially not to a Transferee Racist.
I’ll show you the terrifying tenacity and persistence of a Transfer Student.
Just you wait.
I’m going to beat this Seed into submission until I die today.
What is time, anyway?
It had been a long while since we started training—long enough to spout such nonsense.
The sun had set long ago, and my empty stomach was tormenting me with its complaints.
In that situation:
Aranseol and I were still guarding the training ground.
And neither of us had any intention of leaving first.
It felt like we really wouldn’t leave until one of us collapsed.
My butt was itching.
I seriously couldn't do this anymore.
But I couldn't bring myself to lose to that racist, so I couldn't stand up.
Damn it, just kill me instead.
Ah, but if I die, I’ll just come back to life.
I opened my eyes a sliver and felt Aranseol glancing over at me.
It seemed she wanted to leave the training ground just as much as I did.
Both of us wanted to leave this very moment.
But neither of us could leave.
Trapped in a situation where we couldn't do this or that.
Clack—
The sound of footsteps, our salvation, approached.
“What? Are you two still training?”
It was Rapiel, wrapped in a blanket.
She looked exhausted, perhaps having talked with Soun until this late hour.
The color returned to both my and Aranseol’s faces at once.
“It’s late. Wrap it up and go inside. The weather is getting colder, you know.”
True to her words, the weather was quite cold.
“It can’t be helped. If Rapiel-nim says so.”
“...”
As I subtly lifted my butt, Aranseol silently lowered the sword she had been swinging.
Yet, her large eyes held fierce agreement.
As Aranseol and I walked out of the training ground, Rapiel watched us for a moment.
Then, she smiled brightly.
“Did you two get a little closer training together until this late?”
Aranseol and I met each other’s eyes.
The gaze we exchanged held nothing but reluctance toward one another.
But Aranseol soon put on that people-pleasing smile she had shown at the beginning.
“Yes, of course. Right, Harua?”
Wow, look at this girl.
Her face-changing skills are no joke.
It was absurd, but Rapiel wanted me to get along with Soun’s disciples.
“Of course. Aranseol.”
When I played along appropriately, Rapiel beamed and patted my shoulder.
“I knew your social skills were good. Train hard together tomorrow, too.”
“Won’t you be watching us, Rapiel-nim?”
“...Sorry, work is a bit busy for a while. I have things to handle separately with Soun, too.”
It must be about the Grace Magic Tower.
Plus, that terrorist group, Black Dawn, seems to be a problem too.
“Understood. Don’t be sad later that you missed my growth process when I become too strong.”
“I’d like you to say that after you actually get strong. You haven’t even cracked your Seed yet.”
“My Seed is just a very shy guy. Maybe it plans to become a Baobab tree later.”
“I don’t know what kind of tree that is, but don’t keep your master waiting too long.”
With that, Rapiel yawned and walked away.
Judging by the direction, she was heading to her office. She must be going to work again.
She’s going to collapse at that rate.
Workaholic. A total workaholic.
When I turned my head, I met eyes with Aranseol, who hadn't left yet.
She was looking at me with strange eyes.
Why is this racist woman glaring at me like that?
I glared back without dodging her gaze, and Aranseol looked away first.
She turned around and left.
I really don’t know what her deal is.
The next day, I was eating lunch with someone.
In front of me sat a Horned Tribe girl with two-tone hair—black tied back, white on the inside.
It was the Transferee Racist, Aranseol.
Why did the situation turn out like this?
The answer was simple.
Aranseol and I had bizarrely overlapping behavioral patterns.
I do light physical training in the morning, study until noon, eat lunch, and then train.
Aranseol does light physical training in the morning, studies swordsmanship manuals until noon, eats lunch, and then trains.
Yes, it’s almost the exact same pattern.
Because of that, I ran into Aranseol everywhere I went.
I tried to avoid her for the first few days, but ultimately, the places for studying and training are limited.
Our paths crossing was an unavoidable fate.
Aranseol and I ate without a word.
Rapiel thinks Aranseol and I have become friends.
There are many eyes in the mansion.
If we ate far apart in the dining hall, we obviously wouldn't look like friends.
That news would reach Rapiel immediately.
Aranseol wants to look good to her superiors.
I don’t want to cause Rapiel worry.
So, Aranseol and I tactfully sat facing each other to eat.
“Oh, you’re eating.”
Just then, Sohan appeared.
He always woke up at this time.
It seemed his lifestyle was far from that of a morning person.
Then, I saw a mark resembling a mosquito bite between Sohan’s collars.
I know what that mark is.
My younger brother, who was only good-looking and nothing else, often had that mark when he stayed out overnight.
This jerk, he overslept because he was sleeping with a woman.
Sohan, who claimed to have a strong sex drive, hadn’t overcome it with mental strength. He was just seducing women, making them like him, and relieving it that way.
I retracted the high regard I had briefly held for his mental fortitude.
Sohan looked at Aranseol and me alternately and grinned.
“Did you two get a bit closer?”
“No.”
At that moment, Aranseol put down her utensils and stood up.
“Not at all.”
She glared at me briefly and then left.
“Man, she’s so sexy.”
Sohan must be blind.
Or maybe he just likes any pretty woman.
“Aranseol is quite prickly, isn’t she?”
“She hates Transferees, so it doesn’t matter.”
“From a Transferee’s perspective, it must feel like discrimination. I apologize on her behalf.”
He scratched his neck, looking a bit apologetic.
He chases women, but his personality is good.
No, maybe that’s why he has endless women.
“It’s fine. Sohan, like you said, we don’t need to mind each other.”
“It’s comfortable if you think that way, but a slightly troublesome issue has come up.”
“Troublesome issue?”
“Do you know about the Sanctuary of Stars?”
As food was served, Sohan flicked his finger.
At that moment, the utensils floated in his grip.
As I watched with surprised eyes, Sohan laughed briefly.
“My Ability is the power to move blades freely. It’s a kind of telekinesis.”
What the hell, I’m so jealous.
“Thanks to this Ability, I was able to become a disciple of the Sword Lord, my master. And this is probably why Aranseol doesn’t look kindly on me.”
“You’re hated because of your Ability?”
“Aranseol has no talent for the sword.”
Sohan asserted.
“So, all she has is effort. And effort born of vengeance, at that.”
In contrast, Sohan possessed a visibly useful Ability.
I had seen Sohan practicing in the training ground just once.
It was a sight that truly fit the description of a sword prodigy.
His swordsmanship was overwhelming enough that the word ‘genius’ seemed made for him.
And it was a level of skill distinctly different from Aranseol’s.
Sohan, who had never handled a sword in his life, was superior to Aranseol, who had handled a sword her whole life.
I didn’t need to imagine deeply to know how that must have felt for Aranseol.
“That’s why I don’t go to the training ground often.”
Aranseol lives in the training ground all day.
Showing her his practice would only buy him hatred.
Yet, Sohan’s swordsmanship skill kept improving.
To a degree where Aranseol could never close the gap.
I think I know why she was close with Shishiroka.
Because Shishiroka also tried desperately to survive.
And because she couldn’t escape her given talent (or lack thereof).
I don’t know what Aranseol’s revenge is.
I only vaguely know it’s related to Transferees.
“I see.”
And once again, I didn’t care much.
“Ah, come to think of it.”
Sohan lifted his head as if he remembered something.
“Rapiel-nim asked me to call you if I saw you.”
It’s a summons from Rapiel.