"...I think I must have misheard."
"You heard correctly."
"You found traces of a demon? When exactly?"
"Exactly three days ago, after dinner. Around 7 PM. I was engaged in a duel requested by a classmate. During that, her power suddenly surged."
Luina answered calmly.
"Who?"
"Bella Hoenne."
"Second-year Knight Department, ranked 19th, daughter of Viscount Hoenne. A wealthy family."
The Hoenne viscounty was a prosperous territory and one of the main clients of the Golden Turtle Company.
"What do you mean by her power surging?"
"Exactly that. Not just physical strength, but the amount of aura suddenly increased."
"That's not enough."
Tap tap, Gerhard's fingers drummed on the armrest.
"Any physical changes?"
"None."
"Since she wouldn't take drugs and cause a scene in a duel, it's likely the effect of an aura cultivation method."
"Are you saying I'm mistaken?"
"Could it be that you're too fixated on the weight of the word 'demon'?"
"I felt demonic energy for an instant."
"...Now that changes things."
Gerhard uncrossed his legs.
"Any other witnesses?"
"None. Only the two of us were in the dueling room."
"Are you sure it was demonic energy?"
"It was an extremely faint energy and very momentary, but that unique ominousness is not easily forgotten. Of course, I can't be absolutely certain."
Luina's voice trailed off at the end. She herself had some lingering doubts.
"As far as I know, Bella Hoenne is your friend. One of your two closest friends along with Aina Lium."
"...How do you know that?"
"That's not what's important. I'm asking if you're being overly sensitive because she is your friend."
"...Honestly, I can't say that's not the case."
Luina couldn't be sure if it was truly demonic energy.
It was extremely faint, it was extremely brief, and there was not a single reason why her friend Bella Hoenne would make a contract with something like a demon.
"Bella is a diligent student. She's always enthusiastic about classes and training, and she likes books, so she frequently visits the library and bookstores."
"And?"
"I searched for information about demons in the library, and I learned that demons target vulnerabilities in the heart. But Bella is always cheerful and has a good relationship with her family. I can't imagine how she would have come into contact with a demon."
Nevertheless, having witnessed the case of Veriana, and aware that demons were once again manifesting in this world, Luina had come to Gerhard.
To verify it for sure. Because she didn't want to believe it.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
"...Well..."
***
That day was no different from any other.
"Luina!"
She attended classes as usual, and classes ended as usual.
"Would you like to have a duel today?"
"Anytime."
And she dueled with a friend. It wasn't a frequent occurrence, but it wasn't particularly rare either.
"Today will be a bit different."
"Oh?"
"Yes. I've been feeling my skills improving lately."
In the dueling arena prepared for student duels, Luina and Bella faced each other with swords drawn.
They were using real swords, not wooden ones, and had put on armor for safety.
"Did you bring a safety scroll?"
"Yes."
The safety scroll was a necessary item for dueling with real swords, activating a magic barrier when an impact beyond a certain level was delivered.
"I'll go first."
Bella's hand tensed on her sword. Her weapon was a Zweihänder, as long and massive as her height.
Rather than nimble thrusts or slashes, it was a sword perfectly suited for her style, which used weight and strength to crush opponents.
The massive Zweihänder began to move, cutting through the air.
Instead of avoiding the approaching sword, Luina moved to meet it.
—!
'The strength...?'
A heavy impact traveled through the sword.
It was different from before. Her sword had become heavier and more powerful than before.
Realizing that Bella's claim about feeling her skills improve wasn't a lie, Luina's gaze became more serious.
Kagagak-
She twisted her wrist to deflect the Zweihänder. Just as she was about to thrust at the clearly exposed opening, Bella quickly retreated.
'She's fast.'
It wasn't just her strength. Her speed was also different from before.
After one clash, a moment of peace arrived.
"How is it?"
"...It's definitely different from before. Heavier and faster."
"I thought so, right?"
Bella smiled brightly.
"Lately I've been feeling like I can control my body better. Like I'm overflowing with strength? But hearing it directly from you makes me feel even better."
She took her stance again.
"Then I'll go again."
"Yes."
—!
Sword clashed against sword.
There was no sense of testing the waters. Bella advanced with full power from the start, and Luina had to match her.
—!
A shockwave erupted. A faint aura wrapped around Bella's Zweihänder.
Instead of being flustered, Luina forged her own blue aura to counter it.
'I can't win with strength.'
From the beginning, Bella's aura cultivation method was focused on physical destructive power to match her swordsmanship. A head-on confrontation would be a bad move.
In the midst of a storm of sword strikes, Luina calmly evaded them.
"As expected of Luina!"
With that brief exclamation, the power imbued in the sword doubled. Feeling her wrists and arms becoming increasingly numb, Luina sensed there was a limit to how much she could evade.
Kagagak-
As she deflected the sword, Luina kicked Bella in the abdomen. She stepped back, and Luina immediately followed.
The massive Zweihänder was effective for destructive swordsmanship that utilized its weight, but conversely, its size posed clear limitations in extremely close combat.
But at that moment.
—!
The raised Zweihänder bent at a strange angle to block the space between them.
Luina's sword shook violently, and fragments of shattered aura flew in all directions.
The massive shockwave pushed Luina back.
"How...?"
It was different again from before. Especially the aura, which felt rougher and gave off a strange feeling. Unsettling yet somehow familiar.
'Like...'
"I won't go down easily!"
Red aura surged up, enveloping not just the sword but Bella's entire body.
Luina's train of thought was interrupted. The strange feeling she had briefly sensed was no longer perceptible, as if it had been an illusion.
——!
The sword strike, which she narrowly evaded, struck the ground, causing the solid dueling arena floor to cave in.
"It's hard to control."
"...Bella. Did you take a spirit potion or something?"
"I've certainly taken some. Seems like it's finally showing results."
Bella smiled as she readied her sword.
"I'll go again."
***
"...That's what happened."
"So for a moment her aura output increased, and you felt a faint demonic energy."
"At first, I didn't think of it as demonic energy. But the more I reflected on the situation... I started to think it might have been demonic energy."
Bella Hoenne is ranked 19th. While certainly not lacking, there was a clear difference in level between her and Luina.