Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess - Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Chapter 64- Advice

It was frustrating.

*CLANG*

The sword of the girl struck onto the mechanical doll yet it didn’t slice it. Two months ago, it used to slice it.

That’s why it’s frustrating.

“*Huff* *Huff* ” Stepping back, she held the glowing sword with both of her hands and looked at the training doll, which had received several slashes but not any significant damage that could have killed a living being.

It was frustrating.

She has already gained her second Evolution, making her an A-rank. And, on top of it, Rhea was the only human being in the whole world who could summon a second Shard as well.

What a lucky girl. But…

‘It’s so goddamn frustrating!’

*CLANG*

Another strike, and with all the ferocity she held, it did nothing when her Shard connected with the doll, and vibration from the metal, shook her arms.

Gritting her teeth, she raised her sword and began hitting the target with blunt force.

*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*

After her defeat—no, after her embarrassing defeat against the third year, she had been like this. That’s why, even so late at night the girl was inside the gymnasium.

It would have been understandable if she had lost against an impossibly difficult opponent—however, her past self would have been able to defeat the guy she faced today.

‘What is wrong with me?!’

*CLANG*

Forced back on her feet, she breathed roughly as the doll was finally broken, but not cleaved.

And that was a shame in the name of swordsmanship.

“Tired of yourself?”

Suddenly, a voice, a familiar one, called out.

Rhea turned her head, and indeed, it was Austin standing there.

He seemed sweaty, which meant he was also training in the gym, yet she never noticed.

Rhea heaved a sigh, and responded, “Kind of.”

“Then why don’t you take a break and try to think what is going wrong with you?”

Rhea shook her head, “I just need to take it from the top and keep myself focused this time.” She cannot continue to slack off. The tournament begins in four days, and if she continues like this, she might not be able to participate as an Elite.

…or maybe couldn’t participate at all.

‘No, no, no! That’s not acceptable!’ Inwardly she shook her head and clenched her fists in determination.

And because of her inner monologue, she never sensed Austin approaching.

“Rhea,”

“Ah!” She was startled as she jumped back.

Austin continued, “What do you see when you raise your sword and try to decapitate a training doll?”

Rhea opened her mouth, but no word came. She…just couldn’t voice it out.

Austin exhaled a sigh, before answering the question he asked, “You remember the Demon you slaughtered back then, no?”

Rhea’s shoulders lost their strength as her Shard slowly disintegrated. With her eyes unfocused, she nodded.

She…just couldn’t get over the grief of killing someone who was begging for mercy. She wasn’t like that. She always believed in giving others a second chance.

In the past, she has only retorted to killing when she caught a beast causing mayhem. That’s why, when an inhumane being, for the first time, begged to let them live, Rhea was shaken up to her core.

Austin called out, “Rhea, imagine you let that demon live and that being ends up killing several students of the Academy. And not only that, after locating Rudolph he had killed him as well. Now you tell me, who would have been responsible for all those murders? The Demon? Well, it’s his nature to kill humans. So? Who would have been responsible?”

Rhea’s eyes were slightly stretched as she stared at Austin in both realization and regret.

…she completely forgot something basic in this whole chaos.

The reason why she lifted her Sword and swore to become a warrior.

The reason why she hates the Demons and wants to slaughter each one of them.

And that reason is…she doesn’t want to lose someone close to her. Ever again.

With a newfound determination ablaze in her eyes, the pink head voiced, “Thank you, Austin. You helped me a lot.”

Austin shrugged, “Well, I just stated the fact.”

——-**——-

Exiting the gymnasium, Austin turned to his left and found his beloved standing there

He has already told her that he would talk to Rhea today after training. And as he thought, she couldn’t resist coming here.

“You never gave me any advice.” A tinge of complaints could be sensed in her voice.

Austin smiled fondly at her, “Well, you are already perfect.” He was about to hold her hand, but then remembered how sweaty he was, and dropped the plan—

—only to find Valerie hugging his arm without showing any discomfort at all.

“But I am so bad at observation. I even failed to notice the demon back then.”

Austin hummed; this, indeed, was a problem.

The ranking system of this world was kind of flawed. They rank a person based on the evolution of their shard and the opponent they could defeat within a limited time.

They should have assessed everything, including speed, senses, and magic control. But even so, Valerie would have ranked ‘S’ given she only lacks observation skills. Her magic control and other attributes were top-notch.

After a bit of thinking, Austin asked, “Is there any specific training you are doing to sharpen your senses?”

Valerie shook her head, “The instructors back home never focused on that subject, and the instructors of the academy are mostly focused on battle and weapon control.”

Austin hummed; that was true. Seriously, if he had been the Headmaster or someone in the management, he would have made several changes in how the instructors handled the students.

So…how can he help his lover in her training?

‘Ah…how can I forget?’ With a smile, Austin demanded, ‘System, give me a quest to enhance my senses.’

[Sorry host, but you cannot request Quest for a sub-attribute.]

[Does the host want to request a Quest for Combat progression?]

“…” This system is useless.

Sometimes.