Conquest (3)

"That's good. Keep your sword steady. Don't sway your body like that. You'll wind up altering your center of gravity, which can make you lose balance at a critical moment. Keep your wrist firm as well."

Ms. Valeri's voice gently echoed through the training hall. In front of her, a young man, appearing to be in his mid-twenties, stood with a sword in hand.

He possessed rather handsome features, complemented by a stylish haircut that accentuated his striking blue pupils.

Swoosh—! 

He listened to her instructions carefully and followed her commands to a 'T'. 

'Flawless.'

A pleased smile graced the instructor's face as she watched her student. 

She had started to doubt her abilities just not too long ago. Once believing that she was the problem, but the student before her was the perfect evidence to the contrary.

'Right... I wasn't wrong.' 

Her teachings weren't wrong...

He was a perfect testament to that. 

"Good, keep at it. Keep your body steady, and—" 

Clank—!

The door to the training room abruptly opened. Ms. Valeri who was coaching, and her trainee both turned to look in the direction of the noise — their eyes all gathering on a certain figure.

They both frowned. 

'Who is this man...?' 

'He's earlier than I expected.'

Only one person actually knew the reason behind the man's sudden appearance. His face appeared calm, extremely calm as his hazel eyes glazed across the two before settling over Ms. Valeri. 

"I think you know best why, I'm here, correct?" 

Facing the man's gaze, Ms. Valeri unknowingly avoided making eye contact. Realizing this, she frowned. 

There was something about his gaze that made her uncomfortable. 

Recomposing herself, she turned her wrist over and feigned a startled look. 

[Time — 18 : 11] 

"Hah, this. I don't know where to start from. First, I would like to apologize for this inconvenience." 

A gentle voice and a manner of speaking that had a calming effect on people. Ms. Valeri lowered her eyes as if she was guilty. 

"We were so immersed in training that we didn't pay any attention to the time. Once again, I would like to apologize." 

"That's fine." 

His tone was calm. As if accepting the apology. He waited for her to continue, and she didn't disappointed. 

"But..." 

There was always a but.

Ms. Valeri looked around, her eyes eventually settling on Sarah. 

"I was wondering. Since she no longer has a trainer, what's the point of her using the training room? To be honest, wouldn't it be better if the training room was actually used on people who were actually..." 

"What's that got to do with you?" 

Having her words interrupted, Ms Valeri's hand twitched. Taking a deep breath, she forced her anger down. 

"If you want to use the training room, book it." 

"We have." 

"And your time is over. So if you must... Leave." 

"Excuse me...?" 

Liam's bluntness rubbed Ms. Valeri the wrong way as she frowned, and her demeanor shifted. 

"Isn't your attitude a bit too much? Can't you see that I was trying to apologize while also trying to sort this situation in a civilized manner?" 

"Is that so...?" 

The man suddenly smiled. The smile looked strained, but all the instructor felt were goosebumps as her hair stood on end. 

Opening his mouth, he flatly said, 

"What is there to sort this out? Your time is up, and so you should rightfully leave." 

"For a mere manager... aren't you a little bit too disrespectful? You do know who I a—" 

"Tier 3 Star Chaser Laura Veleri. Retired after a shoulder injury. Yes, I know you." 

"If you know, what makes you think you can speak to me like that?" 

"...and how should I speak to you? Do you want me to grovel at your feet?" 

"I can't believe this..." 

Laura let out a strained laugh. 

"Are you really going to be like this?" 

"Like this...?" 

"Look here. I don't want to have any unnecessary conflict with you. Can we settle this in a more civilized way? The training room is big enough for both of us. We can share." 

The man suddenly raised his brow at her. 

"...Oh? If you wanted to share, why was Sarah standing outside when I wasn't here? That doesn't look like the attitude of someone who wants to 'share'." 

"It wasn't time yet..." 

"Was it really?" 

"..." 

"You can't even reply. The only reason you're even proposing to share is because I'm here. Had she been alone, you probably would've taken the entire training room for yourself. Am I, wrong?" 

Ms. Valeri felt her teeth clench. She wanted to rebuke his words, but when she wanted to refute his words, she realized... He wasn't wrong. 

That was exactly what had happened. The reality was that Ms. Valeri was frustrated. Finally getting her hands on a recruit who listened to her orders well and didn't make any mistakes, she let herself bask in the new feeling. 

Therefore, when she saw her ex-student, she wanted to let her witness the difference between the two. At the same time, she also felt resentment towards her. 

Her reputation had taken a hit because of her mistake. Although the discussions had died down a little, she could still see messages criticizing her for training such a terrible recruit. 

It was wholly unprofessional of her, but her feelings had taken the best of her. 

"You call yourself a trainer, but from how I see things, you're wholly unqualified to be one. Not only do you throw your resentment on one of your ex-students, but you also shamelessly try to take advantage of her when someone calls you out for it?" 

Liam let out a hollow laugh before his expression crumbled. 

"Pathetic." 

"Watch your words." 

Through gnashed teeth, Ms. Valeri spat out her words. Despite numerous attempts to contain her anger, at this particular moment, she felt on the verge of exploding as her hand reached out for her sword. 

But right as she reached out for it, she noticed something. 

"Uh...?" 

Her most prized possession, the thing meant to be her third limb, was missing.

...Where was her sword? 

"Where..." 

"You're looking for this?" 

"...!" 

And that's when Liam extended his hand and displayed a familiar sword. Slowly unsheathing it, his eyes calmly glossed over its body. 

'How in the...' 

Valeri's heart grew cold at that moment. 

Especially when her eyes caught a glimpse of the man's gaze reflected in the mirror shine of the sword. 

His gaze. 

There was something about that gaze... or lack thereof.

It was empty.

As if she was looking at an empty vessel. 

It was so hollow that Valeri felt her entire body stand on end. The surroundings felt extremely suffocating, as if two large hands pressed down against her throat, squeezing tightly.

Before she could realize it, her palms were sweating. 

Click—! 

With a gentle click, the sword came to a close. 

The click served as a sudden reminder to Ms. Valeri, snapping her out of it as she took a step back. Her back was drenched, and so were her palms.

"It's a nice sword." 

Liam handed the sword back to her. 

His words seemed genuine, but the cold undertone beneath them made Valeri's scalp tingle. 

"Very sharp too..." 

"Y,yeah." 

"Be careful with it." 

A warning. A clearcut warning that seemed to stab right at her heart. The sense of dread that had surrounded her suddenly magnified, and all the resentment she felt for the man disappeared at that moment as she reached out to retrieve the sword. 

"I...I apologize. On second thought, you're right... We were in the wrong on this matter. As compensation, allow me to grant you one of my bookings." 

The words just came out of her mouth. Had she been in the right state of mind, she would've immediately caught herself in her words. 

But... 

She wasn't in the right state of mind. 

All she wanted to do at the moment was leave. The thought embarrassed her. A Tier 3 Star Chaser getting scared of a mere manager...? How pathetic was that?

Her new student's expression also added fuel to the sense of embarrassment. 

...but as she caught sight of the man's gaze, such thoughts vanished. 

Seeing her own reflection in the man's empty gaze, she suddenly felt insignificant. As if she was but a mere pebble, floating in an endless raging sea. 

"Sarah already has my number. I'll send you a list of the times we've booked the training room, and you can choose whichever suits you."

Hiding the trembling of her hand, she placed her sword at her hip and left the place. 

She didn't bother nudging her student; all her thoughts were focused on getting away at that moment.

A primal sense of fear had overtaken her at that moment, and all she could do was leave. 

Leave. 

...or be swallowed whole. 

*** 

"Ummm." 

Dread painted Lyla's features as she looked ahead.

So, the time had finally come. The time for her to face the third, and most powerful Demon King. 

To Tok—! 

Her hand came knocking on the door. 

Click—! 

The door opened, and her gaze fell upon a familiar lock of golden hair.

"Lyla...? What are you..." 

Lyla went on the offensive immediately. 

Wam! 

She smacked the paper on her leg, holding onto a small tub with the word 'yogurt' imprinted at the top with her free arm.

"Sign, or..." 

Lyla slid her thumb across her neck. 

The meaning was clear. 

"..." 

Wordlessly staring at Lyla, Joana bent down and picked up the piece of paper. Reading the contents of the paper, her eyes gleamed with a certain shine. 

"You want me to sign this?" 

Nod. Nod. 

"...and if I don't sign, you will what exactly?" 

Nudging at the tub on her hand, Lyla once again slid her thumb across her neck. 

"Death." 

As if that wasn't enough. She did it again. 

"No, more." 

"Ho, ho...?" 

"What's... so funny?" 

"Hmm~ I wonder." 

Lyla frowned. Joana's expression was too nonchalant. Did she really think she wouldn't do it? 

"Hmph." 

Lyla opened the tub of yogurt and took out a spoon. 

She took a scoop. 

"Oh my." 

Joana's eyes trembled at the sight. This didn't escape Lyla's sight as she took a scoop and neared it toward her mouth. She smirked. 

Scared, aren't you? 

"Lyla..." 

"Sign?" 

"Eh... I'm not..." 

Still hesitating? Fine. 

Lyla's lips curled and she brought the spoon to her mouth. 

"Warn—" 

Her words stopped the moment the yogurt touched her tongue. 

And the curl on her lips flipped. 

"Blegh..." 

Splat! 

With her mouth hanging open, the yogurt slid from her tongue all the way to the floor, her face wincing in disgust.

"Hahahahaha." 

Holding onto her stomach, Joana's body curled as she started laughing hysterically. Soon, she started to clap her hands. 

Clap. Clap. 

"Hahahah. Did you really think you could blackmail me with that?" 

But if that wasn't bad enough, Joana took out her phone and flipped it. 

"...!" 

When Lyla caught sight of what was displayed on the screen, her face crumbled. 

"Look at this. Hahahaha. Look at the face you're making. Are you sure you still want to blackmail me when I have this?"

"...No." 

The situation had been reversed. 

But as if that wasn't humiliating enough, Joana took the yogurt and the spoon from her hands and started eating it right in front of her. 

"Well, thanks for bringing me my snack. Was feeling a little hungry." 

"..." 

It was a first for her, but Lyla was at a complete loss for words. 

This...

Had she just been defeated? 

"...How could it be..." 

Her face was overcome with despair. 

Thump. 

And she fell to her knees once more. 

She had underestimated the might of the strongest Demon King. 

"Sniff... Sniff..." 

"Stop that. It doesn't work on me." 

Eh...? 

Lyla stopped, and her mind blanked. That's because this time her tears were real, and not a ploy.

"If you want to cry, you can do it to Mia. She'll probably fall for it." 

"...No." 

Lyla wanted to explain, but Joana wouldn't let her. 

"Oh, looks like she already did? Fair enough." 

"Not fak—" 

"Oh? You even got Olivia to sign it? Impressive." 

As if giving up on her, the tears that had been welling up on Lyla all dried up.

"..." 

"Well, if that's all... I'll go and enjoy my yogurt." 

Clank—! 

Lyla watched powerlessly as the door came to a close. 

But as if that wasn't enough, right as the door closed, it opened up again and Joana passed her a tissue. 

"While you're at it. Clean up the mess on the floor."