“…”
“Gulp!” Ophelia eagerly shoveled food into her mouth, ignoring the unsettling presence across from her.
Watching her, Elios felt an unexpected sense of amusement.
“…But isn’t it typical to show some reluctance at first?” she mused aloud.
“Yes? What…?” Ophelia muttered, barely lifting her gaze.
“Oh, nothing. Just keep eating.” Elios observed her with interest as her guest ate with gusto.
The food, prepared by chefs under her direct supervision, was certainly of the highest quality. Still, seeing her so readily accept a meal offered by someone she once fought to the death was a bit amusing, especially for someone who had previously carried herself with such defiance.
After finishing her meal, Ophelia set her fork and spoon down.
Seeing this, Elios chuckled softly.
“You eat well. Does your master not usually feed you?”“It’s not that, but… I went through a lot before meeting my master,” Ophelia replied bluntly, her tone shifting back to her usual guarded self.
Elios couldn’t help but let a small smile escape as she watched her.
‘A warrior, one of humanity’s strongest, yet here she is… eating heartily. It’s an amusing sight. The more I see of her, the more interesting she becomes.’
Princess Elios continued to study Ophelia’s expression intently.
Noticing this, Ophelia, who remained wary despite the meal, began to feel her tension rise.
‘What is she planning? … Is she looking for an excuse to kill me, or is this some sort of trap?’
Her frustration grew as she tried to gauge Elios’s intentions.
Then, in a voice laced with amusement, the White Dragon Princess broke the silence.
“Well, now that the meal is over, shall we go and work it off a bit?”
“Work it off…?” Ophelia repeated with a wary expression.
Elios’s flawless smile softened slightly as she continued, “Isn’t it obvious? It’s been a while since you arrived, so let’s have a little fun together.”
“…” The ambiguous tone left Ophelia feeling uneasy as she reluctantly stood.
***
They arrived at a spacious training ground located in the imperial castle’s backyard.
Unlike a standard training ground, this area boasted high-quality equipment, a fact not lost on Ophelia as she surveyed her surroundings. Clearly, it was usually a well-frequented place, yet today it was deserted—as if Elios had ensured it would be cleared.
‘I heard the Dragona Empire values frugality, but it seems they’re willing to invest in practical matters like this.’
As Ophelia pondered this, Elios approached her with something retrieved from a nearby locker.
“Here, take this,” she said, handing over a wooden sword.
“This…?” Ophelia asked, studying the weapon.
“I had it specially made for you. Modeled after Karl’s greatsword, this sword has been treated to channel mana. It should feel more like the real thing than an ordinary training weapon.”
Recognizing the seriousness in Elios’s preparations, Ophelia let out a small sigh as she accepted the wooden sword.
“The rules are the same as in spars. You may use mana as long as it doesn’t harm the surroundings.”
“…Understood.” Accepting the inevitability of this battle, Ophelia gripped the sword firmly and assumed her stance. Across from her, Elios, wielding two wooden swords, looked at her with the expression of someone preparing for a friendly spar rather than a duel.
“Alright then, let’s begin!”
With that, Elios charged at Ophelia, mana radiating explosively as she closed in. Ophelia responded calmly, meeting her opponent’s mana with her own.
Sparks flew as their wooden swords clashed, carrying the force of real weapons. Despite the wooden material, neither of them held back, focusing entirely on the battle before them.
Ophelia pushed back, forcing Elios to retreat a few steps. No longer was she the same warrior who had once been outmatched in strength; she was now almost equal to Elios in physical power.
‘I see… Last time, she seemed a bit worn down, but now she’s nearly as strong as me,’ Elios observed, quickly assessing her opponent. Her usual tactic of one sword acting as a feint while the other struck was ineffective against Ophelia’s immense strength wielding her greatsword. She would have to adopt a different strategy.
Making her decision, Elios channeled more mana, increasing her speed as she advanced again. This time, she darted forward, slipping through Ophelia’s defenses with surprising agility.
The next moment, Ophelia found herself caught off guard. Though she matched Elios in strength, the speed advantage lay with her opponent, whose dragon heritage granted her bursts of inhuman power.
Recognizing this, Elios pressed forward, her strikes fast, strong, and precise. She aimed to exploit every opening in Ophelia’s defenses, forcing Ophelia to struggle to keep up.
‘Speed is definitely her advantage. Even so, our strength is nearly equal. As expected, fighting head-on won’t work against the White Dragon Princess. In that case…’
Ophelia shifted tactics, abandoning her defensive stance and lowering her sword slightly.
‘What? Is she giving up? It seems too easy, even for a practice match…!’
Suddenly, Elios felt a chill run down her spine. As their gazes locked, she saw a deadly calm in Ophelia’s eyes, like a spider waiting for prey to stumble into its web. Realizing too late, Elios stopped abruptly, sensing an unseen danger.
But… her reaction came a moment too late.
Pak!
“Ah…”
Elios looked down to see a part of her pinky finger lying on the ground. For a brief moment, she stared, processing what had happened.
And then…
“Haha… Hahaha!” Despite the pain, Elios laughed heartily, her red eyes glinting with excitement. Gathering her mana, she surveyed the area with keen eyes, finally noticing the transparent ‘web’ around Ophelia—threads of pure mana woven in a pattern to tear apart anyone who got too close.
Realizing she had been outmaneuvered, Elios felt a rush of exhilaration.
“As expected… I didn’t think it would be easy, but to be trapped like this… It’s thrilling! So, this is your own technique? I remember you catching my ankle with something similar, but I never thought you’d use it this way!”
With a surge of mana, Elios shattered the invisible web one thread at a time, prompting Ophelia to raise her guard.
‘Is she serious? Using the same attack from last time…’
Elios was preparing her strongest attack, the one that had previously left Ophelia’s arm in tatters. In response, Ophelia gathered her mana, forming a barrier around herself in anticipation.
‘First, defend. Then, I’ll counterattack the moment an opening appears…’
With this plan in mind, Ophelia braced herself as a brilliant, intense light engulfed her vision.
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