Chapter 81: The Edge of Growth (2/2)

In the footage, he had shown a level similar to that of other fifth-floor swordsmen.

And yet, Cassian had defeated him.

But Aldric wasn’t just any ordinary member of the association.

Before facing Cassian, he had already won eight consecutive duels.

There was no way someone like him was the same as the others.

If he had truly wanted to defeat her, he certainly could have.

But he didn’t.

Most likely, he hadn’t wanted to stand in her way.

“I’m honestly amazed at how much she’s changed. Mira, could you refine my body the way you did for Cassian?”

He approached Mira with a smile, his previous hostility toward her completely gone.

Mira greeted him with an amused chuckle.

“Oh my, perhaps if you offered me your heart. This girl has already given me hers once before.”

Mira pulled Cassian into a hug as she spoke.

Cassian gave a small nod.

Aldric stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“My heart?”

“Yes. You just need to open your chest, and I’ll devour your heart. Then, I’ll take over your body in your place. That way, I could reshape it for you.”

Aldric let out a dry chuckle and took a step back.

After exchanging a few more words with them, he turned to me.

“I heard Evron stays at Professor Irien’s tower. I suppose we should start taking an interest in the lectures there as well. Since Cassian—no, the Scarlet Blade Bloom—is heading there, after all.”

He grinned.

Cassian groaned in exasperation and covered her ears.

A bear doll standing in front of her held up a neatly folded handkerchief.

Embroidered onto it was a crimson flower made of blade-like petals—her new symbol.

It was a gift from the association.

Over the past two months of public duels, amidst countless victories and defeats, the swordsmen had given her a title.

It was a tradition among swordsmen to grant a promising individual such an honor.

Mira accepted the handkerchief from the bear doll and read the inscription aloud.

“The blood that gathers at the blade’s tip becomes a flower, and the flower adorns the sky. How beautiful. Don’t you think so, Cassian?”

She grinned mischievously at Cassian.

Cassian, still covering her ears, bolted to the corner of the room.

Mira playfully waved the handkerchief as she followed after her.

Thus, the secret duels hosted by the association came to an end.

An oddly anticlimactic conclusion.

‘Was I too entrenched in the mindset of a mage?’

With no grand schemes, no intricate plots, I felt an odd sense of unease.

Cassian didn’t leave the city right away.

She wasn’t satisfied yet.

So she remained, continuing her duels.

I stayed as well, watching over her.

To engrave the depths of her battles within myself.

The scoring system also needed to be recalibrated.

A week later, we finally left the city.

From atop the turtle, I gazed back at the canyon city.

An unexpected experience.

A valuable one.

The knowledge of swordsmen’s bodies and blades had filled my shadow tree to the brim.

Every crucial element was compressed tightly within.

I glanced at Cassian.

She was fast asleep, utterly exhausted.

That was to be expected.

She had fought duels up until the very moment we left.

As for any gaps in my understanding—I could always study her body.

That body itself was a culmination of every swordsman.

‘If I observed it long enough, if I learned to harness that knowledge… Then my dolls’ bodies and minds would grow immensely.’

At the end of it all, I would be able to contain that power.

I smirked at the thought.

***

“Are you satisfied with this trip?”

Mira clung to my arm as she asked.

Her question pulled me back to reality.

‘Satisfied?’

‘Yes, I supposed I was.’

The problem was that I had been led here by them.

Mira had once said that she had cast a fishing line, and I had eagerly taken the bait.

She wasn’t wrong.

Truthfully, I had been relieved when Mira appeared.

She was trapped in the body of a doll, but she was still a treasure chosen by the professor.

If she ever revealed her presence fully, no one would dare ignore her.

Just as had happened in this city.

But for Mira to manipulate me…

I hadn’t anticipated that.

She was bound to me.

As long as she remained trapped in a doll, my life was tied to hers.

If I died, her heart would be destroyed as well.

Because of that, I had never imagined she would scheme with Cassian to push me forward.

The bitterness in my mouth deepened.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I am obedient to you.”

Mira laughed at my sour expression.

She placed a hand on my chest and closed her eyes briefly.

“This trip was beneficial, wasn’t it? Maybe not as much as it was for Cassian, but you gained quite a bit. You’ve formed a partnership with her, and as she grows stronger, we’ll be able to move our storage more safely.”

A mist drifted from her lips, seeping into my chest and swirling around the shadow tree inside.

“And you’ve gathered a wealth of information—so much that you’re overflowing with it. If you use it well, you’ll grow even more.”

She tapped my chest rhythmically.

She was the fourth person to know about my shadow tree.

The first had been Professor Heisen.

The second, Myra.

The third, Professor Irien.

And the fourth—Mira herself.

I had explained everything to her.

“I kindly told you all about it. Like I said before, Evron, you’re too passive. That’s why I have to take action in your place. I want you to desire more opportunities, more power, more points—more of everything.”

As if in sync with her tapping, my heartbeat quickened.

And hers, bound to mine, began beating in unison.

She smiled seductively.

“So desire it. Move. Grow. Become someone no one can ignore. Use me as your foundation, and rise as high as you wish.”

She leaned against my chest, her breath carrying a hint of excitement.

“If your power becomes great enough, then I won’t have to remain trapped in this doll. Show me the outside world. Not this confined existence, but a world of true freedom. Feed me more of it.”

She whispered, a thin trickle of saliva escaping her lips and dampening my chest.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Her desires were clear.

To consume and consume, until even the professor himself was devoured.

Her hunger pulsed through her heart, and I could feel it resonating within me.

Growth.

That was why I had come to the university.

I recalled the swordsmen.

The way Cassian had raised her sword.

To grow, one always had to embrace even greater risks.

I knew that all too well.

That was how I had reached the realm of the Young Tree.

***

After that, my potential had been stifled.

I had realized that the university was no different from the outside world.

The fantasies I had once dreamed of did not exist.

This place was merely another part of the wild.

So I had let go of any expectations I had for the university.

And I simply focused on surviving.

Mira clearly didn’t approve of that.

‘Even if I did nothing, she would continue to stir up trouble.’

‘Forcing me to act.’

‘In that case, I had to move first.’

That thought crossed my mind.

No doubt, she had lured me into this as well.

But I didn’t hate it.

I remembered my resolve from before coming to the university.

Anyone who tried to take advantage of me—

I would repay them tenfold.

I had forgotten that while at the university.

But it needed to continue here as well.

***

The turtle pressed forward.

The path back to the tower was treacherous.

Countless monsters blocked the way.

The strange tentacled eggs from before reappeared, as if they had been waiting for us to leave the city.

Someone had definitely left traces of magic on the turtle’s body.

After a long battle, Cassian sliced one of the creatures in half.

Its released magic was stronger than expected.

At Cassian’s insistence, we roasted and ate it.

“Ick… It’s awful.”

She grimaced, swallowing it reluctantly.

Then, staring down at the remaining pieces, she turned to me.

“By the way, are you taking any new lectures this time?”

“Lectures?”

Ah, right. Course registration.

I thought for a moment.

There was less than a month left until registration.

And I still hadn’t decided what to take.