Chapter 53: Duel Before Dawn
The sun hadn’t come up yet.
A light mist clung to the grass outside Sapphire Manor, covering everything in a thin, silvery fog. Out back, past the stables, the training field sat quietly, old and a little forgotten. The wooden dummies were covered in moss, and the fencing posts leaned like they were tired of standing. Even the birds weren’t up yet. It was like the whole world was just waiting.
And so was I.
I stood with my arms crossed, the blunt training sword tucked under one elbow, my breath showing in the cold morning air. I’d been up for a while, tossing and turning all night. I couldn’t stop thinking about Cassie, about what she did last night. The way she moved... it wasn’t just skill. It was something else. Sharp. Controlled. Confident. She didn’t just swing a sword—she made it look like it was part of her.
A supposed maid did that.
And she was better than me.
I didn’t want that to bother me—but it did. Not out of ego. Out of reality. If I was going to survive at the Sword Knight Academy, if I was going to survive as the character I’d become, I needed to get stronger. I can’t always rely on the system, there is always a risk when I deviated from canon. I started with figuring out how Cassie had gotten so good.
So I did the unthinkable — I asked her to duel with me, and she agreed without hesitation. There wasn’t a moment of doubt in her eyes, just a flicker of surprise followed by a faint smile. In fact, she seemed almost happy that I asked, like she’d been waiting for it. Maybe it was the thrill of a challenge, or maybe she saw it as a sign that I was finally taking things seriously. Either way, the moment I spoke the words, I was determined not to lose.
Later, I heard footsteps crunch through the wet grass.
Cassie walked toward me, quiet as ever. No maid uniform today, just a simple tunic and pants. Her long silver hair was tied back in a messy bun. A wooden sword hung at her hip. She moved in that same way I’d seen before, usually casual but precise. Like she didn’t waste a single movement.
"You actually showed up," she said, stopping a few feet away.
"I said I would, didn’t I?"