Love Letter From The Future

The girl’s body rolled across the ground.

How on earth did he do it?

Her question, in fact, was quite reasonable.

She was someone who, since birth, solved all sorts of difficult problems on her own.

As the illegitimate daughter of the Yurdina family, Seria had not received much love from her family. Even Marquis Yurdina, who should have been her sole ally, displayed a somewhat indifferent attitude toward her.

The only person who paid any attention to Seria was her half-sister, Delphine.

But even that didn’t lead to any practical help for Seria. At the time, Delphine was young, and in the long run, Seria was also a rival to her.

In other words, Seria had been alone since childhood.

She had proven her talent solely through her own efforts and earned the Yurdina surname.

Because of that, Seria had become somewhat conceited.

She was already accustomed to trials and hardships. No matter what difficult problem came her way, if she pondered over it all day, she would find an answer.

Just as she always had.

That was precisely her talent.

The only weapon of a girl who lived consumed by the sword, honing herself into a single blade.

It didn’t take long for that naive arrogance to be utterly shattered.

She couldn’t find an answer at all.

The trigger was simple.

The man who appeared out of nowhere informed Celine and Seria that they were not effective as combatants.

There was no way the proud Seria would quietly accept this.

When she, overcome with anger, raised an objection, the man uttered just one sentence.

“Want to test it?”

It was an exceedingly weary tone.

In those indifferent eyes, there was even a hint of annoyance. As if dealing with a bothersome child—the look in his eyes enraged Seria even further.

That’s why a heated voice slipped from her mouth.

“Yes, let’s do that.”

The outcome was just as expected.

Since moving to a clearing in the forest for the duel, Seria couldn’t even graze the man’s collar.

In fact, it was a result she had anticipated.

Even when she had fought a life-and-death battle with Mitram before, Seria had witnessed his god-like prowess. The cold visage he wore as he single-handedly took the life of the Dark Priest was still vivid in her mind.

He wasn’t an opponent against whom victory could be easily predicted from the outset.

However, she hadn’t imagined that she wouldn’t even be able to fathom the reason why.

Gasping, Seria rose to her feet.

Judging by her staggering posture, it was clear the damage her body had accumulated.

Even so, her deep blue eyes were still fiercely ablaze.

She desperately attempted to somehow grasp the man’s movements, but he merely maintained an indifferent expression.

Regardless, the outcome was already decided.

His face revealed such thoughts. In his countenance, deeply imbued with certainty, not a hint of doubt could be seen.

For a moment, Seria thought about punching that face.

The only obstacle was that he was occupying the body of the Senior she loved. If not for that, Seria might have thrown herself into fulfilling that desire.

That’s how unfamiliar the man’s attitude toward Seria was.

Disregard and coldness.

It was a gaze that stirred nightmares from her childhood.

“…Want to try again? The result will be the same anyway.”

“That’s something we can’t be sure of.”

She spat out the words, biting her lip.

At her determined reply, the man silently nodded.

He merely left a faint warning toward Seria, who was once again taking her stance.

“This is the last time.”

Is he telling me to give it my all?

In any case, Seria had already intended to pour out all her remaining strength. Even then, he was an opponent whose collar she might barely graze.

But if he wished for it so much, she would engage in a bout with no regrets.

It was at that moment that the girl, who had been silent for a while, lightly stepped forward.

And right after, with a concentrated burst of motion.

Her body shot forward like a cannonball, slicing through the field of vision into a straight line. The distance closed in an instant, and before long, Seria was standing right in front of the man.

Even then, he showed no reaction.

It wasn’t that he had lost sight of Seria. His golden eyes still gleamed in silence.

Like a hawk watching its prey from the sky.

Seria’s strike was impulsive.

Cautiousness is poison.

This was the truth Seria had come to realise after countless failures. No matter how much she racked her brain to devise strategies, her opponent was always a step ahead.

In that case, it was better to, like a beast, entrust her body to instinct.

As her fighting style became simpler, her sword moved more swiftly.

With her teeth clenched, Seria swung her sword horizontally and there was an eerie glint in her eyes.

It was a sign that she was delivering a strike with all her might.

A faint glimmer appeared in the eyes of the man watching her.

He seemed intrigued by Seria, who had chosen the best move she could.

Of course, the man’s response still remained utterly ruthless.

Phakk, a brief slash brushed past.

Before she knew it, the man’s sword had traced a slanted trajectory.

It was just a single slash.

But the result it brought about was far beyond a mere slash.

The air was torn apart.

His sword had been swung at an imperceptible speed. In its wake, the air rushing to fill the void exploded.

Her collar flapped wildly, hinting at the magnitude of the impact.

Even so, there was another reason why Seria’s eyes widened.

Her sword was flung away.Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

Though she had held it with both hands, the sword was flying through the sky without her even feeling the sensation of an impact. Only belatedly did fierce pain surge from her arms and shoulders, which had been flung upward.

But Seria didn’t even have a moment to scream.

With a thud, a kick slammed into her abdomen.

She felt her breath stop.

It was a merciless blow delivered without restraint. Unable to withstand it, Seria rolled several times on the ground.

Her trembling hands looked pitiful.

Seria quickly recalled the exchange that had just occurred.

But nothing came to mind.

Because she hadn’t seen anything at all.

She couldn’t tell when that trajectory had been drawn, nor why on earth her sword had left her hands.

She could only guess the situation from her torn palms.

She had been overpowered in strength and speed.

The difference was painfully clear.

Unwilling to believe that she had lost due to such a simple and straightforward reason, Seria bit her lip and tried to stand up again.

Until a sickening crunch came from her shoulder.

“…Ah, aagh?!”

Seria let out such a foolish sound.

The eyes of the girl lying face down stared blankly upward.

There stood a man with an indifferent expression.

While crushing Seria’s shoulder under his foot.

What is he doing?

Just as Seria began to question, the man pressed down harder with the foot on her shoulder.

Crack. The sound of her cartilage shattering echoed.

Due to the pain, Seria couldn’t help but let out a piercing scream.

“AH, UGH… AAAAAAGH!”

With her shoulder completely destroyed, Seria groaned and rolled on the ground. Yet the man continued to move his foot mechanically.

He kicked Seria and shattered her knees.

Only after several more acts of violence did Seria escape from the torturous pain.

It was a sudden feast of cruelty.

The eyes of the victimised girl were filled with fear.

Meeting Seria’s gaze, soaked in confusion and fear, the man casually said one thing.

“…I told you, this was the last time.”

Crazy bastard.

Unknowingly, Seria cursed him in her mind.

To keep his word, he shattered her limbs.

So that Seria could no longer resist.

Even as she trembled from the unbearable pain, the girl couldn’t help but feel both fear and anger at his mindset and cruel actions.

So she resolved.

This exchange would never end as the man intended.

As soon as she recovered at the temple, Seria challenged him again and the outcome was obvious.

In the end, she sustained injuries beyond recovery.

The blow that defeated her was always the same.

A sword strike so fast it was impossible to even perceive.

Seria could never once overcome that straightforwardly overwhelming sword path.

Looking at Seria, battered from head to toe, the man spoke.

“……it seems you can’t keep up anyway.”

It was a remark she couldn’t decipher—whether it was a simple soliloquy or mockery.

Seria wanted to clench her fist and stand up.

But even her knuckles were broken.

All she could do now was tremble and groan where she lay.

It was a miserable sight.

Yet even so, the light in her eyes did not extinguish.

Seria had a strong competitive spirit.

And more than that, she had an intense obsession with Ian.

Telling her not to follow him?

It was utter nonsense. Seria didn’t want to be apart from Ian for even a single day. That’s why she followed him all the way to his hometown.

Being sent away for lacking ability was even more unacceptable.

In other words, wasn’t this the same as telling her to give up accompanying Ian from now on?

Seeing the blue flame that still hadn’t died down, the man turned his back with a faint sigh.

“You should at least be able to replicate the technique I showed you.”

He said this without even turning around.

In that indifferent tone, no emotion could be felt.

“All movement starts from stillness… Remember that.”

That was the last conversation Seria had with the man.

After that, Seria, who had fainted, opened her eyes in the intensive care unit.

Unusually wearing a sullen expression, the Saintess delivered news to Seria that felt like a bolt from the blue.

“You need to be hospitalised for at least two weeks. External activities are strictly prohibited during that time.”

Only then did Seria realise the man’s true intentions.

If she was injured and ended up hospitalised, she wouldn’t be able to follow him even if she wanted to.

After consecutive defeats, falling for his provocation, and doing something foolish,

Seria became utterly dispirited.

She found herself shrinking back into the timid girl she once was, confirming the truth in the man’s words.

Seria was just a burden.

Those words pierced her heart like shards of glass, and she silently bit her lip.

Until it bled.

She was bitter and resentful.