"This didn't happen in the original plot…!" Veronica cried in frustration.
"I know. Your recent actions must have caused a butterfly effect. The storyline is shifting."
Damn it. Didn't Lilith try hard enough to sweet-talk him into letting her attend the academy peacefully? Why did she have to fight? With a damn magical sword she couldn't even wield properly! She stared at the weapon in her hand, her arms already aching.
She was just a plain old human. How was she supposed to go up against him like this?
"Charge at me."
Wait, what? This dude was really serious about this?
"Do you want to go to the academy or not?" Leonard's voice cut through the silence, sharp and commanding as Veronica stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.
Well, here goes nothing.
With a sudden burst of determination, Veronica let out a fierce battle cry and charged at him. Her form was clumsy, the sword dragging behind her like dead weight. Still, she swung with all the strength she could muster...
Which, unfortunately, wasn't much.
The moment she swung the heavy blade, her arms betrayed her—they trembled uncontrollably and gave out mid-swing. Leonard, casually sidestepped aside and countered with a single strike to her shoulder.
Pain exploded across her body as she was sent flying backward, crashing violently into a nearby tree. The magical sword clattered beside her uselessly.
It was just damn brutal.
Veronica coughed, pain stabbing through her ribs and side. Leonard wasn't holding back, there was no mercy in his strikes.
"Again," he commanded.
With trembling legs and fading strength, Veronica forced herself to her feet. Her spirit wavered, but she pushed forward, charging once more—only to be slammed away again, the impact knocking the breath out of her.
Around them, a small crowd had gathered. Lilith, Cedric, and even Evangeline, who had just been recently freed from her punishment, stood silently, watching the harsh scene unfold.
Lilith's eyes were filled with pain and worry as she saw Veronica suffer, but she didn't move to intervene. Cedric's usual smugness was gone as he stared with a complicated expression.
The clang of metal rang out again.
Veronica hit the ground for what felt like the tenth time, her breath knocked out of her chest. Her palms were scraped raw from bracing herself against the impact. The magical sword felt like it weighed a hundred tons in her hands.
This wasn't a fair test. He knew she had no mana—she couldn't even activate the weapon's basic enchantments.
Who knew in this world even a blacksmith could be so powerful? Veronica coughed out a mouthful of blood, chuckling.
However she was determined to win.
Veronica inhaled deeply, summoning what little strength she had left. Her arms screamed in protest, but she lifted the sword again. This time, she didn't charge blindly. She approached slower, watching her father's stance, looking for a gap.
There were none.
He dodged her sluggish swing swiftly with ease. Another hit. Another fall. Veronica crumpled again. The world spun.
"Get up," he said. "You want to stand beside monsters?" he replied. "Then prove you are more than prey."
Her knees wobbled. Her grip faltered. But she raised the sword. And again, she moved. Slower now. Her legs dragged like dead weight, but she swung anyway.
Blocked.
He parried with such ease it made her want to scream.
"Again."
She tried. Failed. Again.
Her body hit the dirt like a ragdoll.
[Warning: Physical limits approaching. Host's stamina below critical threshold.]
"Host maybe you should just give up. We can try to find another way for you to enter the academy," the system spoke up hesitantly, unable to bear to watch this any longer.
"No, I need to keep going on. I'm not a quitter. I refuse to give up," she responded, her eyes shone with determination. Veronica could be anything, lazy, stupid and weak. But she never gave up. Not ever.
Yumike was even amazed by her determination.
It was already starting to get dark but Veronica kept on going. Leonard was starting to feel hesitant seeing how badly injured she was. Why couldn't she just give up? Why did she badly want to get into this academy?
He was just trying to protect her. There was no turning back once she went to that academy.
Blood dripped down her face, stinging her eye. Her limbs screamed in protest, her muscles trembling under the weight of the enchanted sword she could barely hold. Her body wanted to collapse.
She raised the sword again, swaying. She took a step—then another. It was more of a stumble than a charge, but she moved forward.
She swung.
Missed.
His sword struck hers with a sharp clang that reverberated through her arms. Then, with a quick, practiced motion, he twisted her wrist, and the sword slipped from her grasp, cluttering onto the ground.
She swallowed the burning in her throat, her vision blurry from pain and sweat.
Without a second thought, she clenched her fist and lunged.
Without thinking, without strategy, she balled her fingers into a fist and lunged forward.
Leonard shifted to block her, sword lifting.
But he hesitated.
Her knuckles slammed into Leonard's chest. The sound wasn't soft. It was hard, a sharp crack that echoed through the stunned silence.
Leonard staggered back, eyes wide in shock as the force of Veronica's punch landed square against his ribs. A sharp crack echoed—bone or cartilage, he couldn't tell.
He gasped, chest heaving. Pain bloomed like fire beneath his sternum.
His knees nearly buckled.
He clutched his side, face contorting as he doubled over slightly. Then, with a strained choke, he coughed out a mouthful of blood.
The courtyard fell into stunned silence.
Leonard stared at the red staining the ground, disbelieving.
"You..." Leonard trailed off. That raw terrifying power. If he hadn't quickly used a shield barrier maybe he would be dead. "That wasn't magic…"
Veronica stood swaying. Her knuckles were skinned, maybe fractured, but she smiled through bloody lips.
"I pass… right?"
And then her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.