“Sure, dad will believes in my lovely Cherry.”
“Yes! After I come back, I will definitely show you my improved self.”
She try to make they two stopped worrying about her. In fact, the feeling of being worried was so good that even though she knew what her mother was worried about, she pretended not to know.
‘Really, I guess I’ve grown up for real.’
The love she received from her parents for the first time kept turning her into a child.
She seemed to have forgotten that what was sitting in this small body was the soul of an adult who resembled her.
“Now, participants, please come forward!”
At that moment, the Baron called the participants. She grinned as she heard her name come out of his mouth.
“I’ll be back!”
The real sword she received as a birthday present from her mom and dad was hanging around her waist. As long as she had this sword, she wasn’t afraid of anything.
She knew that her mother would nag her even more if she took her time, so she ran out to the meeting place without any hesitation. Her mother shouted behind her.
“If you’re going to get hurt, it’s better to just give up!”
“No way!”
Okay.
“Cherry!!”
Upon hearing her mom’s shout, she realized that her true feelings and response were in contradiction, but it was already too late.
The hunting competition had now begun, and in her heart, it was nothing short of the signal for the first real showdown with Enoch.
‘I might not know how long I’ll continue to learn the sword, or if I can become stronger here with the sword I’ve chosen, but…’
If she had overwhelming talent like her mom or her grandpa, it would have been great, but what couldn’t be helped was beyond her control.
She was ordinary. The more she learned swordsmanship, the more she realized that.
After repeating the understanding of Enoch’s swordsmanship hundreds of times, she barely grasped it, and even after memorizing the sword dance that Enoch effortlessly demonstrated, it took thousands of more practices for her body to follow suit.
Though born into a new world with a new body, her talents remained unchanged from the previous life, as her head retained memories of the past.
How could her, who once only wielded a suppression rod and shot guns in a world of knights wielding magic-infused swords, compete with them now?
‘Still, for now, at least for now, it’s worth challenging Enoch.’
Still at a young age. Enoch may have been a bit faster, but they both started swordsmanship similarly.
Neither of them had reached any significant level, making it the only time for her, with the experience and expertise from her past life, to compete with Enoch’s talent.
Enoch would soon sense magic and reach a level that, based on her knowledge, she could hardly imagine.
It could be easily anticipated just by listening to what adults were talking about.
So, there was no choice. To defeat Enoch, this hunting competition might be her last chance, and she had to realize it painfully and give it her best shot.
“From now on, I will announce the number of people who will enter the Mitro Forest as a group. Group 1! Vio Sebashian, the second son of Count Sebashian! Rosalyn Edward, the eldest daughter of the Marquess Edward! Henry Balan, the third son of the Marquess Balan…..”
Once all the participants gathered in the courtyard, the baron announced the groups using a board.
Unlike the youth and formal knight divisions, the youth division consisted solely of inexperienced individuals, so for safety reasons, they were grouped and moved as a unit.
Of course, the winners would be determined by individual scores, not by group competition.
Hence, being grouped together meant being the most vigilant competitors, as they had to move together as a group.
“Group 3! Bianca Ruble, the daughter of Count Ruble! Ariana Violin, the daughter of Count Violin! Baron Jayden… ”
“Aargh.”
“No way… ”
Sighs echoed from those who were known for their skills and had become part of the same group.
While this hunting competition might be the arena for Emblem and Gray’s fight, it didn’t mean others couldn’t prove their abilities.
The hope of ranking just below Emblem and Gray, or even squeezing in between them, was everyone’s goal.
If they ranked high in this competition, they could be recruited by the Emblem and Gray knights.
Those just below Emblem and Gray were even given the privilege to join any knightly order they desired by the Emperor’s authority.
Hence, how significant today’s competition was.
‘Who will I be teamed up with?’
With eager eyes, she looked around, awaiting her name to be called.
However, as she looked around, a subtle peculiarity caught her eye.
“……..”
“……..”
Subtly, everyone seemed to avoid her gaze. They appeared to be keeping a slight distance from her, leaving an elliptical empty space around her.
‘Could it be because I’m an Emblem? But I’m the youngest here, right?’
She was nothing more than a small child. Seven years old. Only seven.
Although Emblem’s blood might have contributed to it, she looked older than a typical seven-year-old, more like eight or nine.
In Korean terms, I would be in early elementary school.
It felt both strange and empowering to be guarded by older kids who looked like middle school students.
‘Could it be the same for Enoch?’
She stretched her neck to look around and find Enoch somewhere.
Jumping around in place, searching here and there, she finally spotted Enoch standing quietly in the center of an empty elliptical space, just like her, with no one around.
“Wow…, that’s amazing, really.”
Enoch, too, stood alone, probably because of being associated with Gray.
“Do you believe that just because we are this far apart, we won’t be in the same group?”
It was hard to believe that the people who were so eager to talk to Enoch and her at the party yesterday were now keeping their distance.
‘This place is as competitive as South Korea.’
Even though she was young, seeing these kids already deeply involved in competition made she involuntarily bite her tongue.
“Group 4! Everyone has been waiting eagerly! The long-awaited heroine of Lutinas, the sword of the Empire, the daughter of Melsia Emblem, the leader of the Emblem Knights, Cherrya Emblem!”
That was it. The baron announced her name in a very grand manner.
With a name that stood out from the others, she quietly sharpened her gaze.
Already receiving all sorts of scrutiny, such special treatment wasn’t enjoyable.
Nevertheless, it was the awaited announcement. Curious about the names of those who would soon be in the same group as her, she listened attentively to the baron’s voice.
“………”
“……..”
Somehow, not only her but everyone present seemed to concentrate with one heart and one mind.
“The lucky person who will be in the same group as the Cherrya Emblem is none other than Emmett Cortiz, the third son of Baron Cortiz! Osric Balmore, second son of the Marquess of Balmore!”
“No way!”
“Aaargh!”
Screams erupted not far away. She chuckled bitterly at the screams of her fellow group members.
However, the bitter smile on her lips vanished without a trace at the names soon to be announced.
“Finally, the one everyone has hoped and longed for! The son of Gray Duke, who embodies all the dignity and honor of the Lutinas Empire, praised for resembling Diana Gray, the leader of the Gray Knights, Enoch Gray!”
Someone murmured that it was the group of death. It was said to be the inevitable fate of Emblem and Gray.
But for Emblem and Gray to end up in the same group in the randomly chosen hunting competition announcement of group members? Something was fishy.
It was clear they deliberately put her and Enoch in the same group, openly urging them to face each other.
‘There’s only one person in this empire who could pull off such a stunt. That’s the Emperor.’
Easily connecting the dots to the mastermind behind this situation, she quickly glanced back. Far away, she saw her mom defiantly rushing towards the Emperor’s throne, while all the Emblem knights rushed to stop her.
“Wow, unbelievable. She’s something else.”
Unconsciously, words of admiration slipped through her lips. Her mom was effortlessly tossing aside the knights trying to restrain her.
Watching the knights flying through the air, she heaved a rueful sigh.
‘Who could stop my mom when she’s this furious…’
At times like these, not even her grandpa could calm her down.
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