Frondier mengambil pedang kayu dari kamar pribadinya. "Kamu sampai di tahap 5, kan? Sama seperti ujian di sana." Tahap 5? Maksudnya ujian kemampuan? Tahap 5 itu pasti punya Elodie sunbae... "Batas waktu lima menit. Dari panggul ke bahu, tidak termasuk lengan dan kaki. Kalau kamu bisa menyentuhku, kamu menang. Kalau waktu habis, aku menang." Saat melawan Elodie, bahkan dengan lima lawan satu, dia tidak bisa menyentuh ujung jarinya. Tapi kali ini satu lawan satu. Tapi lawannya bukan Elodie sunbae, melainkan Frondier sunbae. Dia bahkan melepas Obsidian-nya, jadi pasti layak dicoba...? "Kalau kamu menang, aku akan menganggap insiden Black Lotus selesai. Dan kalau kamu mau, aku bahkan akan memperkenalkanmu ke teman-temanku." "Ya. Elodie, Aster, Robald, Aten... Mereka yang bisa kukenalkan padamu dari ujian kemampuan." Mendengar kata-kata itu, mulut Pielott terbuka. Mereka semua adalah sunbae yang terkenal. Apa Sloth benar-benar dekat dengan banyak orang? Pielott bertanya dengan suara tegang. Tentu saja, penyihir dengan racun menunggu di balik buah yang menggoda. Tentu saja, Frondier tertawa pelan dan berkata, "Kalau kamu kalah, kamu akan jadi pesuruhku selama satu semester." "Ya. Datanglah saat kupanggil, lakukan apa yang kukatakan. Apa pun yang sedang kamu lakukan, kalau aku memanggil, kamu berhenti dan berlari ke sini dalam sepuluh menit. Yah, aku tidak akan memanggil saat pelajaran, tapi selain itu, kamu harus siap datang kapan saja." Pielott menelan ludah. Itu bukan pesuruh, itu benar-benar... "Atau kamu mau menyerah saja? Tentu saja, rumor bahwa kamu pencuri akan menyebar ke seluruh Constel." Mata Frondier berbinar jahat saat dia berbicara. Pielott mengertakkan gigi. Frondier meletakkan pedang kayu di depan Pielott dan menaruh ujungnya di lantai. "Aku akan menghadapimu dengan pedang kayu ini. Kamu bisa pakai senjata apa saja. Bahkan pedang asli." "Kamu meremehkanku." Frondier membantahnya dengan datar. Suara dan matanya yang rendah itu dingin. "Kamu yang meremehkanku." "Jangan khawatir. Aku akan memberimu kesempatan untuk menantangku sebulan sekali." Seolah sudah pasti Pielott akan kalah kali ini, Frondier berkata. Pielott menarik pedang bastard kesayangannya. "Aku tidak butuh kesempatan seperti itu...!" Dengan kata-kata itu, Pielott mengambil posisi. Auranya langsung membengkak. "Tidak ada sinyal mulai, jadi seranglah saat kamu mau." Frondier, yang mengatakan itu, masih belum mengambil posisi. Ujung pedangnya menyentuh tanah. 'Dia mempermainkanku!' Mata Pielott berkilat saat dia menusukkan bilahnya ke depan dengan tusukan yang menakutkan. Frondier, yang belum mengambil posisi yang benar, penuh dengan celah. Dengan momentum aura yang ganas, pedang Pielott menusuk ke arah dada Frondier. Frondier dengan ringan mengangkat pedang kayu yang tadi menyentuh tanah dan menyambut bilah Pielott. 'Tidak akan berguna! Kalau aku menembus -' Suara aneh keluar saat pedang Pielott dan Frondier saling bersentuhan. Pielott tidak bisa memahami situasinya sejenak. Tangan yang tadi menusukkan pedang kini kosong, dan dia mendapati dirinya tidak memegang apa pun di depan Frondier. Itu adalah 'Falling Edge'. Ujung pedang kayu Frondier menyentuh ulu hati Pielott. Klang, suara logam datang dari belakang Pielott. Dia menoleh dan melihat pedang bastard-nya. Pedang itu terlepas dari tangannya dan entah bagaimana terbang di atas kepalanya dan jatuh di belakangnya. "...A-apa ini..." Frondier dengan ringan mendorong pedang kayu itu. Pielott mundur tanpa berkata apa-apa. Seperti yang Frondier katakan, jika dia memegang pedang asli, Pielott akan tertusuk lebih dari lima kali. "Yah, itu bukan kondisi kemenanganku, jadi kamu masih punya kesempatan. Belum lima menit." Mendengar kata-kata itu, Pielott mundur dan mencari pedangnya. Dia mengulurkan tangan untuk meraih pedang yang jatuh di lantai. Tangannya mengenai sesuatu dan memantul. Dia tidak bisa melihatnya dengan mata. Itu adalah 'senjata tak terlihat' yang Frondier tunjukkan sebelumnya. "Itu tadi keluar. Musuh ada tepat di depanmu, dan kamu tidak hanya membelakanginya tetapi juga mengulurkan tangan tanpa pertahanan." Kali ini, Frondier mengibaskan senjata weaving-nya ke pedang bastard Pielott, memantulkannya berulang kali. Pedang bastard, yang memantul ringan karena pukulan pertama, menari di udara saat dipukul oleh weaving Frondier. Itu hampir seperti seni. "Dan kamu melakukan itu padahal kamu sudah tahu tentang serangan ini." "K-kembalikan! Pedangku!" "Kalau ada musuh yang mengembalikannya hanya karena kamu memintanya, dunia ini akan sedikit lebih damai." Ugh, Pielott mengerang dan meraih pedang bastard-nya lagi. Kali ini, dia juga mendorong tubuhnya ke depan. Pielott terkena beberapa pukulan lagi saat mengambil pedangnya. Pielott mencengkeram pedangnya lagi dan membetulkan posturnya. Frondier berpikir dalam hati. 'Dia masih jauh dari cukup.' Weaving murni Frondier hanya bekerja sesaat dan kemudian menghilang, tapi tidak tanpa daya mematikan. Alasan Pielott bisa bertahan hanyalah karena dia bersikap lunak. Dia tidak menenun senjata yang layak seperti pisau, dia hanya melempar segala macam sampah. Jadi, tindakan Pielott saat ini sebenarnya keluar. Jika Frondier bersungguh-sungguh, Pielott sudah mati. Namun, entah bagaimana, di tengah semua itu, Pielott dengan benar memberikan sinyalnya sendiri. Frondier mengeluarkan tawa hampa. "Kamu agak mirip Aster dalam hal itu." "Jangan senang. Itu bukan pujian." Dan berhentilah menunjukkan itu di wajahmu. Dengan wajah yang sedikit memerah, Pielott menyerang Frondier lagi.
Bab bonus terima kasih untuk @Minh Tâm Lê dan @betterdays dari Ko-fi!
Frondier picked up a wooden sword from his private room. “You made it to the 5th stage, right? It’s the same as the test there.” 5th stage? Is he talking about the skill test? The 5th stage is definitely Elodie sunbae’s... “Five-minute time limit. From the pelvis to the shoulders, excluding the limbs. If you can touch me, you win. If the time runs out, I win.” When he fought Elodie, even with five against one, he couldn't touch even her fingertips. But this time it’s one on one. But the opponent isn't Elodie sunbae, it’s Frondier sunbae. He even took off his Obsidian, so wouldn't it be worth a try...? “If you win, I’ll let the Black Lotus incident slide. And if you want, I’ll even introduce you to my friends.” “Yeah. Elodie, Aster, Robald, Aten... These are the people I can introduce you to from the skill test.” At those words, Pielott’s mouth fell open. Each and every one of them was a famous sunbae. Is Sloth really close to so many people? Pielott asked with tension in his voice. As expected, a witch with poison awaits behind such tempting fruit. As expected, Frondier laughed lowly and said, “If you lose, you’ll be my errand boy for a semester.” “Yeah. Come running when I call, do as I say. No matter what you’re doing at the time, if I call, you stop what you’re doing and run here within ten minutes. Well, I won’t call during class, but other than that, you have to be ready to come anytime.” Pielott swallowed hard. That’s not an errand boy, that’s completely... “Or will you just give up? Of course, the rumor that you’re a thief will spread throughout Constel.” Frondier’s eyes were wicked as he spoke. Pielott gritted his teeth. Frondier placed the wooden sword in front of Pielott and put the tip on the floor. “I’ll face you with this wooden sword. You can use any weapon. Even a real sword.” “You’re underestimating me.” Frondier denied it flatly. His low voice and eyes were chilling. “You’re underestimating me.” “Don’t worry too much. I’ll give you a chance to challenge me once a month.” As if it were a given that Pielott would lose this time, Frondier said. Pielott pulled out his beloved bastard sword. “I won’t need such an opportunity...!” With those words, Pielott took his stance. His aura swelled up instantly. “There’s no starting signal, so come in when you want.” Frondier, who said that, still didn’t take a stance. The tip of his sword was touching the ground. ‘He’s making fun of me!’ Pielott’s eyes flashed as he thrust his blade forward with a fearsome stab. Frondier, who hadn’t taken a proper stance, was full of openings. With the fierce momentum of his aura, Pielott’s sword stabbed towards Frondier’s chest. Frondier lightly lifted the wooden sword that had been touching the ground and met Pielott’s blade. ‘It’s no use! If I pierce through -’ A strange sound came out when Pielott and Frondier’s swords touched each other. Pielott couldn’t understand the situation for a moment. The hand that had been thrusting the sword was now empty, and he found himself holding nothing in front of Frondier. It was ‘Falling Edge’. The tip of Frondier’s wooden sword touched Pielott’s solar plexus. Clang, a metallic sound came from behind Pielott. He turned around and saw his bastard sword. It had slipped from his hand and somehow flown over his head and fallen behind him. “...Wh-what is this...” Frondier lightly pushed the wooden sword. Pielott stepped back without saying a word. As Frondier said, if he had been holding a real sword, Pielott would have been stabbed more than five times. “Well, that’s not my winning condition, so you still have a chance. It hasn’t been five minutes yet.” Hearing those words, Pielott retreated and looked for his sword. He reached out to grab the sword that had fallen to the floor. His hand hit something and bounced back. He couldn’t see it with his eyes. It was the ‘invisible weapon’ that Frondier had shown before. “That was out just now. The enemy is right in front of you, and you not only turn your back but also reach out defenselessly.” This time, Frondier flicked his weaving weapon at Pielott’s bastard sword, bouncing it off repeatedly. The bastard sword, which had bounced lightly due to the first hit, danced in the air as it was struck by Frondier’s weaving. It was almost an art form. “And you’re doing that even though you already know about this attack.” “G-give it back! My sword!” “If there were enemies who would return it just because you said so, the world would be a little more peaceful.” Ugh, Pielott groaned and reached for his bastard sword again. This time, he pushed his body forward as well. Pielott took a few more hits while retrieving his sword. Pielott gripped his sword again and corrected his posture. Frondier thought to himself. ‘He has a long way to go.’ Frondier’s pure weaving only works for a moment and then disappears, but it’s not without lethality. The reason Pielott is holding on is simply because he’s being lenient. He’s not weaving proper weapons like knives, he’s just throwing all sorts of junk. So, Pielott’s current actions are actually out. If Frondier had been a real enemy, he would have been riddled with holes and dead. ‘He’s throwing a tantrum in a strange place.’ Pielott has talent, strength, and above all, the competitive spirit that is essential for a combatant, but he has a loose side somewhere. Apart from being stubborn, he sets his own standards, thinking ‘this much is okay’. He probably had that habit because that much was okay until now. In the end, what Frondier has to do remains the same. He will just fix Pielott from the root. Even in the midst of all that, Pielott was properly giving his own signal. Frondier let out a hollow laugh. “You’re a bit like Aster in that way.” “Don’t be happy. It’s not a compliment.” And stop showing it on your face. With a slightly flushed face, Pielott charged at Frondier again.
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