Peace Hunter

"Damn it. Of all the contestants, why do I have to fight this woman?," Javier thought, still lying on the ground.

Then he immediately got back up and launched an attack at the woman.

~Flame Magic : Cluster Flame Ball~

Javier launched a fireball attack at the woman. The woman managed to dodge the fireball, but after dodging it, the fireball exploded, producing numerous smaller fireballs. The small fireballs spread throughout the arena, many of which were aimed at the woman. Some of the scattered fireballs had already exploded upon contact with the floor and walls of the arena.

The woman, knowing that the small fireballs would explode upon contact, dodged each one with exquisite movements. While dodging the fireballs, she also tried to approach Javier. When all the fireballs were dodged, the woman immediately shot towards Javier. Javier was a little surprised, but he knew what to do.

~Flame Magic : Flame Armor~

Javier created a protective barrier from his fire magic.

~Flame Sword~

He also imbued his sword with fire magic. Meanwhile, the woman prepared to attack Javier.

~Sword Dance Technique : Rhythm of the Destruction Sword~

The woman launched a sword slash at Javier, but Javier immediately blocked the slash with his sword. He managed to block the slash, but was also pushed back several meters by the impact. The woman then continued to attack Javier, forcing him further back as he struggled to withstand the continuous slashes. After Javier successfully blocked her attacks, the woman launched a powerful attack at him.

~Sword Art : Destruction Slash~

Javier didn't stand still; he also launched an attack at the woman.

~Destruction Flame Slash~

The two attacks collided. Javier and the woman both tried to exert pressure in the exchange of blows.

"I have no problem with you, but I apologize for having to defeat you. I must become a student at this academy because there is a student I want to kill. So, you better stay out of my way, sword princess," said Javier.

Javier increased his strength and tried to pressure the woman in the exchange of blows. The woman gradually began to be pushed back, but there was no panic on her face. She remained calm in the face of the situation.

"I can't believe a noble like you can say the word 'kill' so easily. Didn't your family teach you any manners?" asked the woman.

"Don't try to lecture me, sword princess. Even though you are higher in social status than me, I will not obey you," said Javier.

Javier continued to increase his strength and pressure the woman. The woman was pushed further and further away. Seeing the woman continue to be pushed, Javier intended to increase his strength so he could knock her away.

Just as Javier was about to throw her, she moved her sword, causing it to rub against his. She used the friction to move to Javier's left side. Javier, who had initially intended to knock her away with his sword, instead only knocked the wind away because she was no longer in front of him.

"Your defense is full of gaps," the woman said.

The woman immediately attacked Javier with her sword technique.

~Sword Dance Technique : Rhythm of Sword Thrust~

The woman stabbed Javier with a series of stabs with her sword. Because the sword she was using was not particularly sharp, each stab felt like being stabbed by a blunt object. However, stabs from blunt objects can also have an impact on the body, especially if they are stabbed repeatedly.

Despite wearing the ~Flame Armor~, Javier still felt the attack hit his body. The ~Flame Armor~ couldn't protect him from the attack and only delayed his certain defeat. After a series of stabbing attacks, the woman delivered one final stab that sent Javier flying far back. Before Javier was knocked back, he had time to speak to the woman.

"Damn you... sword princess. I was just... a little bit away from becoming a student at the academy and avenging myself on... Rid Archie," Javier said.

Javier was thrown so far that he slammed into the arena wall behind him. The ~Flame Armor~ he was wearing had disappeared due to the woman's attack. Javier was knocked unconscious after being hit by the woman and slammed into the arena wall. Miss Nora, the proctor of the match, immediately announced the results.

"The winner of the test match between Javier Buston and Elaina Stabile is... Elaina Stabile," said Miss Nora.

The other participants watching the match cheered and applauded.

"Excellent, Miss Elaina,"

"As expected of the Sword Princess. Even the son of a Marquess is nothing to her,"

"She didn't even receive a single wound in this match," said the other participants.

Elaina Stabile, daughter of the supreme commander of the San Fulgen kingdom, Oliver Stabile. Because her father was nicknamed the Sword King, she, as his daughter, also earned the nickname Sword Princess. However, this nickname wasn't given lightly. Elaina earned it because of her extraordinary sword technique.

After defeating Javier and being declared the winner, Elaina returned her sword to her waist. She stared at Javier, who was unconscious, pinned to the wall he had struck.

"Hmm, so the student at this academy you want to kill is Rid Archie, huh? I don't know what happened between you and him, but I don't think you'll be able to kill him. Especially after learning about him from the newspaper that was published some time ago, he's definitely too strong for you to kill."

"Ah, I think I was being rude by just calling him 'Rid Archie.' When I become an academy student, he'll be my senior. I guess I'll have to call him 'senior Rid' when I see him," Elaina said.

With that, she left the arena and returned to the spectator seats.

-

Back to the secret room where Miss Karina was.

"As expected, the Sword Princess easily defeated Javier. Well, although it seems Javier isn't using his full strength right now. It's different from when he fought Rid a year ago. Maybe he's calmer now," said Miss Karina.

"So it was Elaina who fought Javier, huh? I didn't expect you to make them fight each other. If anything untoward happened to Elaina, who knows what Commander Oliver would do," said Queen Kayana.

"But Elaina won against Javier, and that resulted in Javier failing to qualify for the academy because his points were too low. After this, he won't be able to take the entrance exam again, as he's already failed twice."

"Rather than that, it's your fault for not capturing Javier sooner, sis. If he had been captured sooner, I wouldn't have had to worry about how to remove him from this entrance exam. Have you still not found the mastermind behind the 'subject' experiment, that's why you haven't captured Javier until now?" asked Miss Karina.

"You're right. The reason I haven't arrested Javier even though I have evidence that he's the 'subject' is because I haven't been able to find the real mastermind behind the experiment. I've sent some of my intelligence officers to monitor the San Quentine area, especially Rovinj. But I've lost contact with them," said Queen Kayana.

"Lost contact?" asked Miss Karina.

"Yes, they usually report to me daily, but lately they haven't. I haven't been able to contact them either. It seems something's wrong with them," said Queen Kayana.

"I think so. Maybe someone realized there were intelligence officers monitoring the area and then did something with that intelligence. If your intelligence officers lost contact in the Rovinj area, I think it has something to do with Marquess Marcelo Buston, Javier's father," said Miss Karina.

"Perhaps so, but I don't want to be rash and accuse him like that. For now, I will send new knights to the area to investigate what happened to the previous intelligence officers," said Queen Kayana.

"Tell the knights you will send to be more careful, sis. They could suffer the same fate as the previous knights," said Lady Karina.

"Yes, I will definitely do that," said Queen Kayana.

"By the way, what about Duke San Quentine's daughter—I mean Princess Violetta, who is a Holy Knight in the Holy Kingdom. Have you heard anything about whether she would like to become the commander who will lead the knights guarding this academy?" asked Miss Karina.

"I haven't heard anything about that yet. "When I contacted Duchess Arnett, she said she hadn't heard from her daughter either. If we don't hear from her by the start of the new school year, it looks like we'll have to look for another candidate," said Queen Kayana.

-

That same day, in the evening.

At San Quentine Harbor, a large ship had arrived after a long journey. The ship docked at one of the docks and began unloading passengers. Among the many passengers disembarking, a woman was seen carrying a large bag and holding a sword. Its sheath was covered in floral motifs.

"It's been a long time since I left this place, so it feels nostalgic," the woman said.

The woman then raised her left hand and immediately looked at it. It was trembling. Not only her left hand, but her right hand, which she used to carry her sword, was also trembling.

"This fear hasn't gone away since that fight. It seems like returning to this kingdom is the best option for me to forget about that fight," the woman said.

Then she walked away from San Quentine Harbor.

-To be continued