I Became an Outcast in the Academy

6. Stand out (5)

Ellie’s personal training ground, located slightly away from Lutra.

It was a space just for Ellie, given as a gift by the Duke of Orphega to Ellie, who did not enjoy talking and hanging out with other people.

There she came out of Luthra every weekend and swung her sword.

The reason why Ellie wielded the sword was simple.

It was just fun.

She was proud of the fact that her talent for the ‘sword’ was better than anyone else in the world, and she felt very proud that she could inherit Duke Orphea’s sword through that talent.

And every time she mastered the duke’s sword, it felt amazing to see her becoming stronger day by day.

But today Ellie looked quite different from her usual appearance.

“Whoa, whoa!”

I’m short of breath. For some reason, the sword is very heavy today and I can’t swing it as well as I wanted.

No, the sword is not heavy. Her body holding and swinging the sword was heavy.

It’s like… Just like in the distant past, when I was Ellie, a helpless orphan who wandered through the dirty back alleys and collapsed on the street, waiting only for death.

“… Ugh.”

The conversation with Lobelia that happened that day keeps playing in my head.

Don’t pretend to be nice when you’ve already betrayed her brother.

If she decided to walk this path, she should keep that promise until the end.

Didn’t you remind her of her reality in your cold voice that you were nothing more than an enemy to her brother?

I know. This was something she had known from the moment she decided to abandon her brother.

But now, why is her mind so complicated and why does her body feel so heavy?

Could it be that, just like Lobelia said, she still can’t shake off her lingering feelings for her brother? Is that why her body and mind are so distraught?

‘No, no. That… no.’

Ellie bit her lip gently, denying the thoughts that came to her mind.

Clearly, the fundamental reason why her mind is complicated is because of Xi’an. Ellie also had no intention of denying that fact.

But her body is heavy… Something is different. It was clear there was some other reason she didn’t know about.

I couldn’t figure out exactly what the cause was… Ellie couldn’t shake the feeling that something about her was missing from her body.

Until now, she felt that there was ‘something’ that existed in her body as if it were natural… A terrible feeling, as if it had disappeared overnight.

It was clear. Her body was currently lacking something.

‘Fortunately… So far, there doesn’t seem to be any major changes except for my body becoming heavier… ‘

But she does not know what side effects this ‘deficiency’ will have in the long run.

When she thought about it that way, Ellie couldn’t shake off the feeling of anxiety, but even so, she couldn’t get someone else to check her symptoms or give her advice.

‘If Master finds out about this… It must be stopped.’

Ellie was recognized as the next successor to Duke Orphega solely due to her talent with the sword.

If something abnormal appears in Ellie’s body and she is no longer able to learn the duke’s sword skills… She may end up being kicked out as her successor.

No. That is absolutely not enough.

It was something that I managed to achieve by abandoning my family, abandoning Xian, and sacrificing everything.

Wouldn’t it be really funny to lose something like that for such a ridiculous reason?

At that very moment, Ellie was biting her own lip and swinging her sword with all her might to somehow organize the confused thoughts in her head –

“I would have told you repeatedly. “Don’t put your feelings on the tip of her sword.”

Tub.

“… Uh?”

The sword I tried to strike down does not move. A strange feeling, as if you were stuck in an extremely hard rock.

When Ellie carefully turned her head to look behind her, her own sword was caught between two fingers of a man, and her sight caught her frozen in mid-air. Come in

And the identity of the person who held onto her sword with only two fingers was someone Ellie knew very well.

“… “Master?”

“It’s been a while, disciple.”

It was the Duke of Orphega himself.

“Master, what on earth is going on here… “

“What more reason do I need to say that I am coming to see my disciple? Moreover, I remember this gym as the place where I personally gave you a gift.”

The Duke of Orphea smiled and said that, but Eli did not believe the Duke’s words.

The duke is a very busy person. Besides, he was never one to give up his consciousness to useless things.

There is no way such a duke would have come all the way to this place in person just to see the face of his disciple. In all likelihood, it was clear that there was some other business to attend to.

“Anyway, I’ve heard a lot of interesting rumors recently. Among them, there are several rumors related to you. “I was relieved to see that he seemed to be having quite fun school days.”

At the words of her duke, Orphée, Ellie felt her own heart sink for a moment.

No way, right now, Duke Orphega is-

“Your stepbrother, Sian… He’s such a handsome guy, right? Moreover, according to rumors, he is a horny guy who always has a woman by his side? “

“… ?”

However, surprisingly, the rumor the duke brought up was something a little different from what Ellie expected.

“I also have ears, so I heard some rumors. It’s a rumor that Her Highness Cartesia recently took a commoner who wasn’t particularly special as his mistress. To be honest, at first I thought it was some kind of slander against Your Highness or a rumor. “The King I know, Cartesia, was not the type of person to act like that when her future fiancé was around.”

“… “Was it really true that your Majesty had a fiancé?”

It was a rumor that Ricardo was also suspicious of because the source could not be determined at all.

“This is a rumor that came from the imperial palace, so I think it’s half true. Moreover, whether the rumor is true or false, His Highness is scheduled to become engaged to another man someday. If Her Majesty the Princess, who is sensitive to her responsibilities, would go so far as to openly leave her mistress behind… Wouldn’t you be quite curious how handsome he is? Ellie.”

Ellie blinked her eyes without realizing it at the Duke’s words.

To be honest, she was a little surprised. I never would have imagined that someone as high as a duke would be interested in such gossip.

‘… Anyway, I’m glad.’

Ellie was finally able to calm her own mind, as it seemed that she had come here because she had unexpectedly noticed something related to her own physical condition.

Because she thought that at this level, she would be able to avoid the worst outcome.

But.

“Besides that… “I’m quite curious as to just how talented this guy named Xian really is.”

“… Yes?”

The next moment, through the words that came out of the Duke’s mouth, Ellie realized that one of the things she had been so worried about had occurred.

“His Majesty values the abilities of people, regardless of their status. If she had been worried about staying by Her Highness’s side, she would have done whatever it took to get him away. But His Majesty is making no such move. She is rather pretending that she has no interest in Luthra. As if trying to divert our attention elsewhere… “

For a moment, Ellie felt as if the duke’s eyes were shining brightly.

“Besides, I heard that recently, that guy, Xian, has been setting records that overwhelm you in several classes. I know very well what your current skills are. And what level of skill you have to have in order to overwhelm the record you set.”

The Duke said that and looked at Ellie blankly.

But even though she was facing Ellie, her actual duke was not looking at Ellie.

The Duke was currently evaluating a person named Sian through Ellie.

Although I am well aware of the fact that their appearance is not similar in any way as they are not related by blood.

“In the past, I did not like your step-brother. This was especially true if you were a person who entered Luthra with only a person like you as a shining light. That’s why I didn’t want you to get close to him.”

If he had known that this guy was this much of a person, he wouldn’t have been so quick to judge, the Duke mutters lowly.

“So, if you know anything about this guy named Xian, tell me everything. I thought that guy… It just feels very interesting. “It’s to the point where I don’t understand why a guy like that has been hiding all this time and then suddenly appears.”

It was not a request, but a kind of declaration.

I don’t know, but it was clear that the duke had come to Elie for this from the beginning.

Not because she was worried about her own student, but because she wanted to find out detailed information about the person who intrigued her so much.

“Master… “What do you plan to do with my brother?”

Ellie prayed earnestly in her heart.

Please, please don’t say that in front of me.

I chose to become your disciple, even giving up everything I had until now and even betraying my only brother.

I will work harder from now on, and I will swing my sword even harder, so please don’t make my resolution and determination in vain like Lobelia said-

But, to the point that those screams were meaningless, the Duke ended up spitting out nightmare-like words toward Ellie.

“I plan to make him my disciple.”

At that moment, something broke in a corner of Ellie’s heart.