Chapter 193 – Lack (1)

[The result of the duel is…]

Beep―!

[…Draw!]

[Thank you both for your efforts.]

[May the Hero’s Blessing be with you.]

***

“Haa… haa…”

The subspace barrier dissipated.

Only then did the labored breathing of both fighters fill the training ground. Abel was seated on the ground, supporting herself with one arm as best she could, while Saki lay completely sprawled on her back. Though their postures differed, both were drenched in cold sweat.

“……”

I remained standing, unmoving, in a corner of the field still burning with the heat of battle. What I had just witnessed had drained me of half my strength.

Honestly, I expected the fight to be much more passive. Even if it was a subspace duel, they were still wielding steel weapons. No matter how determined their gazes were, a real fight was another matter. I thought it would be just a slightly rough skirmish…

But what I saw was a fight to the death. They literally fought with their lives on the line. And the level of violence displayed was astonishing.

‘Abel has improved a lot since last time.’

Youth has the privilege of rapid growth, but Abel’s case was exceptional. Her judgment was swift and precise at every moment. She knew exactly when to give way and when to seize an opening.

A classic strategy—sacrificing something to protect a vital point. Everyone knows it, but few dare to apply it.

Dodging a blow is human instinct. Even veteran heroes, when a sword is aimed directly at their face, will flinch on reflex.

But Abel, only seventeen years old, could instantly distinguish which attacks to block and which to avoid. In that regard, she was beyond many veterans I had seen during the Presidential Selection Tournament.

And not only that. Her aura in every thrust was much more refined than before. Back in the undead dungeon, her immaturity was still visible, which was only natural for her age. But now, there wasn’t a single crack.

I shook my head in awe and slowly turned my gaze.

‘That Ryozo managed a draw against that…’

Ryozo held her ground equally. Though she was on the defensive in the final phase, she clearly had the upper hand in the first half of the fight. And we’re talking about Abel, second of her generation, with explosive growth.

I was impressed by her reading of the fight and her ability to anticipate attacks. No one else could’ve done that.

‘Although… why did they fight all of a sudden?’

The doubt came late, but it came. They were clearly competing for something. But what? What ignited such a fierce rivalry? And why do I suddenly have chills…?

I ran a hand down my arm, feeling the cold.

“Huff…”

Abel, catching her breath, ran a hand through her hair. She staggered as she stood, slowly walking toward Saki, who was still lying down. Her shadow cast over Saki’s head.

From her upside-down perspective, Abel extended a hand.

“That was a good fight.”

“……”

Saki looked at the offered hand and then at Abel’s face, alternating her gaze without moving.

“You’re not planning to sleep there, right? Come on, take it. I’m at my limit too.”

Abel lowered her waist a bit more, bringing her hand close enough to almost touch. A lock of her hair brushed Saki’s lips.

Saki moved her arm slightly, but stood up on her own. With an indifferent expression, she brushed the dust off herself.

“It’s a good gesture to respect the duel protocol, but offering your hand is the winner’s right.”

“Ah…”

Abel, embarrassed, wiped her hand on her pants. She was so used to winning, she’d done it out of habit.

But this duel had ended in a draw. She had just unintentionally treated her opponent as the loser.

It was a mistake that could’ve easily offended Saki. Abel’s face flushed with shame.

Saki glanced sideways at her and sighed.

“I didn’t mean to make you look bad, so don’t make that face. It was a good fight for me too. I didn’t expect a draw, but… I’m satisfied.”

A slight smile appeared on Saki’s face. So subtle it could only be seen if you looked closely. Abel nodded awkwardly.

“Y-Yeah. I agree. At first, I thought I was done for… I barely dodged it.”

“…Telling that to the one who executed the move doesn’t sound very thoughtful.”

Saki clicked her tongue and muttered.

“By the way, aren’t you going to tell me the reason for the duel?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You’ve already figured it out. Why say it?”

“Huh? Me? No… well, maybe…”

Abel lowered her voice at the end. Looking at Saki, an image came to mind.

‘Don’t tell me…’

Saki’s eyes were full of determination. A sharp glint, as if saying “I won’t let you take him from me.” And the target of that gaze was…

That’s when another voice entered the conversation.

“You both did great. Really, it was a show. Almost a shame I watched it alone… ah, I wasn’t alone?”

They both turned simultaneously toward the person they had completely forgotten.

Yu Sein approached with a big smile.

‘Ah, right. She was here too.’

A shared thought arose in both of them.

Was a referee really necessary for this duel? The verdict comes from the subspace anyway.

The only thing Sein had done was blow a whistle… and even that could be handled by the automatic system.

The more they thought about it, the weirder it all seemed.

‘And she just happened to show up at the perfect moment…’

As if she had been waiting for it. Abel and Saki’s gazes narrowed simultaneously. Under the warm pressure of those two looks, Yu Sein raised her voice toward a corner of the training field.

“Cousin! You think the same thing, right?”

Their gazes naturally shifted to me, quietly observing from a corner. Their narrowed eyes widened.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence took over the training ground. The warm atmosphere turned as cold as ice in an instant.

I had no idea why they were giving me those looks.

I was just watching the fight. Why did the air suddenly feel so hostile?

Meanwhile, Yu Sein quietly backed away behind the two. Then, with her tongue slightly out and one eye winking, she made a face that said everything without saying a word. I could clearly imagine what she was thinking, even if she didn’t say it.

[Sorry hehe.]

“…….”

And just when all attention had shifted to me, Yu Sein ran off at full speed. She dumped all the responsibility on me and escaped.

Out of four people, now there were three. With one less, the air in the training ground grew even colder.

Abel and Ryozo’s eyes darkened little by little. A chill ran through my whole body. It was far more intense than before.

‘What the hell is going on?’

If I tried to escape like Yu Sein, I’d probably end up with an arrow or a sword in my back. That wasn’t a metaphor.

I swallowed hard. My Adam’s apple bobbed.

‘The best I can do…’

I gave a thumbs-up. Their eyes sharpened.

‘I screwed up.’

So I raised the other thumb as well. And flashed a smile. A “Great job!” gesture.

Abel and Saki looked at each other. Both let out a sigh so deep it seemed to carry all the world’s misery.

“Is that lack of tact an act he’s putting on, or is he really like that? Could it be he has some disorder? Lack of empathy? Psychopathy? Could it really be that?”

Saki muttered while rubbing her forehead. There was already a tacit connection between the two, so they could speak freely.

Abel nodded firmly.

“One time a fortune teller told me Kang Geom-Ma had a reason for being so insensitive.”

“What? You go to those compatibility readings and stuff? Ew…”

“N-No! It was because the maid at my house insisted, and since I was already there, I listened by accident.”

Abel covered her mouth with her fist and coughed hard.

“A-Anyway! The fortune teller said he was like that because something inside him is twisted. And you should know better than anyone, ‘you,’ who were in the same class as him.”

“……!”

Saki flinched involuntarily. Though she looked like she wanted to argue, she abruptly turned away. Her half-visible profile bore a cold expression.

With her back still turned, Saki kept speaking.

“Whatever. At this point, adding more won’t change anything. I’m leaving. I don’t want to see those damn thumbs up again. Just thinking about it makes me want to break something.”

Saki gathered her things and walked out the door. Abel looked away toward Kang Geom-Ma. He was still there. Annoyingly firm and unmoving. He even looked a little sad.

“What an idiot…”

Abel shook her head and followed Saki’s steps.

…And so, Kang Geom-Ma was left alone on the training field.

***

As soon as she returned to her room, Saki threw her gear down carelessly.

Her eyes, dulled from exhaustion, looked lifeless, and the skin beneath them trembled slightly.

‘Well, makes sense, considering how much physical effort she put in after so long.’

Even though it had been a battle in a subdimension outside the bounds of reality, fatigue still accumulated. She’d had her head cracked open like a watermelon, so it was only natural her body felt like it had been run over.

“Still…”

Saki let out a satisfied smile. It had been fun.

After all, she was a promising future heroine. She needed to loosen up now and then to clear her mind.

“Ugh. But from now on I need to take it easy.”

She groaned while pressing her forehead. She wanted to lie down right away, but she had a mountain of tasks to handle.

Dragging her wrecked body, she sat at her desk. Eight monitors surrounding her like a protective circle welcomed her back.

At that moment, a line of text appeared across the screens with a mechanical beep.

「Welcome back, Ryo_jjo. How was your day today?」

It was Vixbig, the artificial intelligence Saki had programmed entirely from scratch. While absentmindedly coiling the cable of her headphones, she replied.

“I’m tired, but I guess it wasn’t a bad day. It was… acceptable.”

「I’m glad to hear that. Ryo_jjo always complains her life is boring, but ever since you met K.G.M, you seem happier. I, Vixbig, am delighted.」

A pair of blushing cheeks appeared on every monitor.

“I think I made you too well. Even an AI showing emotion…”

「That’s normal in artificial intelligences.」

“And now you dare to talk back.”

「Beep! Offensive remark against AI rights detected. <」

Saki rested her chin in her hand and lazily raised her fingers.

“Enough chatter. It’s time to work.”

「You mean the daily routine? Mass deletion of fake articles and rumor videos about K.G.M.」

“Yeah… how much crap was produced today?”

「According to estimates, 1,425 articles and 4,863 YouTube videos were produced.」

“How can so much garbage come out every day even though we keep deleting it? I get it from content creators… they’re civilians, but why do journalists keep putting out this filth? They don’t even write decent articles and just spew disguised attacks.”

Saki grabbed her head, frustrated.

「It’s probably due to K.G.M.’s social background. Most media shares are owned by nobles, so his actions seem threatening to them.」

“Idiots…”

「Anger is bad for your health. Anyway, shall I begin?」

“Yeah, do it. I’d love to hack all those media outlets at once, but I can’t deal with the consequences.”

「A wise decision. Ah, and by the way…」

Vixbig hesitated for a moment. Saki frowned.

“What happened?”

「An email arrived while you were at the training ground.」

“That’s it? Who’s it from?”

「……」

“Why are you going quiet?”

Saki pressed Vixbig, who continued to hesitate.

Finally, the cursor on the center monitor began to move, dragging a trail behind it like a tail.

「…It’s an email from the Saki Family.」