I Thought Your Friend's Sibling Wasn't a Girl? - Chapter 42

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 42
* * *
By the time she’d finished washing and returned, darkness had already settled thickly over the world outside.
Though her body felt as though she were wearing Sand Bags—heavy, sluggish, dragging—Olivia gave no outward sign of it, drying her hair and tidying her room before finally sinking onto the couch.
The moment she leaned back against the armrest and let her head fall, consciousness began to blur at the edges.
Snap!
“You can’t fall asleep yet.”
She’d almost surrendered to the pull of slumber just now, hadn’t she?
The thought of nearly squandering this precious scrap of personal time sent a chill racing through her. Olivia straightened at once and carefully lifted the sword she’d brought to the table.
Interns had not yet been granted Real Sword Authorization. The reasoning was that they couldn’t yet be trusted.
Students and knights were different creatures; to be recognized as a true knight meant demonstrating conduct befitting that station.
For that reason, it had been quite some time since Olivia had held the Defensor.
“Maybe I should run through some forms.”
She’d only just bathed, but—this wasn’t something she could keep postponing.
When Olivia had first acquired the Defensor, its former owner had been explicit: this was likely an Ego Sword.
The blade bore a will embedded within it; if she could properly attune herself to it, she would gain something as valuable as a steadfast ally.
It had seemed strange that he would surrender such a precious weapon to her so readily, but he’d dismissed the matter with disgust, saying he wanted nothing more than to be rid of it all.
“I only meant to pass it on the moment someone capable appeared.”
“Why?”
“A sword suddenly appearing in front of my home is unsettling enough, but all the people who come looking to see this thing—my life’s become impossible. It throws a fit the moment anyone approaches.”
“That must have been difficult. But you never thought of keeping it?”
“A man like me can tell at a glance when something’s beyond his reach. Those who abandon restraint die first—that’s simply how the world works.”
The Defensor had permitted Olivia’s touch. It had thrown tantrums whenever she grasped the hilt, but at minimum it had allowed her to wrap it in cloth and carry it away.
And so the Defensor became Olivia’s.
Now, holding the Defensor lightly, Olivia made her way to the Training Grounds. The empty courtyard greeted her in silence.
The chirring of crickets mixed with the soft rush of wind through the grass. Olivia stood her ground, listening, and slowly moved to the center of the grounds.
“What was it?”
The sensation of facing the Beast while gripping the Defensor still lingered sharply in her mind.
Everyone said it was Olivia who had defeated it.
But Olivia knew the truth. She hadn’t yet grown strong enough to face a Beast alone.
Which meant—
“Was it you?”
Had the Defensor done it?
Her suddenly lightened arms. Her senses sharpened to an almost unbearable acuity. She’d dismissed it all as an illusion born of her approaching limits, but now a premonition whispered that perhaps it wasn’t.
Thinking back, she realized she’d felt one with the Defensor from that very moment when her mind had begun to empty as she hit her wall.
The closer to that wall. And—
‘The more I resolved to protect everyone.’
Doubt had fallen away. Thought had been erased, one piece at a time. In the end, only one will remained—not a will to live, but a will to protect, to guard, to shield.
The Defensor gave no answer to her question. Whether it was assent or denial, she couldn’t say. But Olivia smiled regardless.
“Shall we train together for a while? It’s been ages.”
If she’d lost the feeling, she could reclaim it. Sensation doesn’t vanish easily; pursue it long enough and it will spark back to life like lightning through the body.
Perhaps it truly did respond to her will to protect. She couldn’t be certain, but something told her it was so.
“I think we might suit each other rather well.”
If the word ‘understanding’ could be applied to a blade, Olivia wanted to understand the Defensor. Or perhaps—she already did.
“I have plenty I want to protect too.”
Loosening her body, Olivia took hold of the Defensor’s hilt. It was neither cold nor warm—a mild, lukewarm sensation settled into her palm.
Moonlight poured down. The full moon hung high above, gazing down gently at Olivia as she moved through her forms alone.
Light reflected from the Defensor scattered and danced in all directions, and within that play of luminescence, Olivia moved freely. With each breath, lighter and smoother, as though she herself had become the moonlight.
The midnight training stretched on and on.
Until Olivia’s image was burned with perfect clarity into the mind of the man watching from afar.
“……She’s truly, damnably captivating.”
The man let out a harsh laugh and turned away. A hot wind rose in his wake.
* * *
For once, the day was overcast. White clouds filled the sky, and despite the hour drawing near to noon, the world remained dim.
Of course, that had done nothing to stop Aiden from keeping the three recruits occupied.
“More! More! Put your backs into it, dammit!”
“……Olivia. The instructor—no, senior, I mean—has lost her mind.”
“You’re wrong. That senior’s always been insane.”
Olivia calmly corrected Bennet’s assessment.
Aiden’s gaze flicked briefly to Olivia, and even in that fleeting moment, Olivia caught something—a ripple of uncertainty in his eyes.
There it is again.
‘And in a moment she’ll turn away and pretend nothing happened.’
He wavered alone, collapsed alone, and alone gathered his emotions back together. He was doing it even now. Fine lines creased Olivia’s brow.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was that Aiden had been shaken by her. Something had moved him deeply enough to show it like that.
‘……What was it?’
Could it be—did he belong to that peculiar breed who found excitement in watching someone they cared for hit rock bottom?
Olivia loved Aiden deeply. That feeling remained unchanged no matter what wounds he might inflict on her.
But whether she could accept such tastes alongside that love was a separate question requiring further consideration.
“……What is that look, Olivia?”
“Yes?”
“That expression. What’s it supposed to mean?”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed into slits as he rebuked her.
So his scrutiny was permissible, but hers was not?
Aiden was profoundly unfair. But Olivia had grown considerably. She’d been tempered past the point of yielding to his reproaches.
“A look full of affection and respect for my senior, nothing more.”
“It gives me chills. Stop it at once.”
This man.
Olivia shot him a withering glare, and Aiden snorted dismissively, cleanly ignoring her ire.
Nic and Kunta, the twin brothers who’d been observing Bennet and Panya’s forms, let out fresh exclamations of admiration.
“Olivia really is amazing.”
“Me?”
“Of course! Don’t forget we’re always rooting for you!”
For reasons she couldn’t fathom, these two had begun dropping their formal speech some time ago, and they’d been steadily closing the distance ever since.
It had startled her at first, but the change wasn’t unwelcome, and so Olivia had gladly embraced their transformation.
“Nic, Kunta. Are you bored? Nothing to do?”
“We’re busy. We’re monitoring the kids’ forms, and, well, we’ve got today’s preparations to handle too.”
“Then keep quiet and get back to work.”
The three recruits had assumed their equestrian stance, bedecked with Sand Bags, conducting strength training. More than two hours had passed, and their limbs were already trembling visibly from exhaustion.
“Aiden. Stop tormenting the new members.”
“Get lost. This isn’t torment—it’s training.”
Five people had already passed through and complained about the intensity. Each time, Aiden had simply ignored them with a curt dismissal.
Olivia herself had no particular grievance with the training. What she wondered about was something else.
When would she finally be permitted to observe the Lux Knight Order’s ‘real work’? Would her entire internship be consumed by drills, nothing more?
Aiden would cut off her questions by bellowing that those who hadn’t mastered the fundamentals had no business thinking about formal duties.
Olivia clenched her jaw as she steadied her trembling arms.
‘If he doesn’t give me an answer this week—’
Then betrothed or not, she’d force the issue.
That was the moment.
“Lady Obrion. The commander requests your presence.”
Just as she was steeling her resolve and kindling her determination, salvation appeared.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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